Hey. Another fic, another day. I wanna thank CuriousDreamWeaver, Skeren Dreamera, Hogwarts Snape, Michael Serpent, Heero1x2x1, Ashly, my best buddies Saotoshi and DrkNuriko (read their stuff, people) and all others who have stuck with me this long. I love you all and this is for you!
Miaka
Title: Spellbound
Category: Gundam Wing/AC
Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy
Rating: PG-13
Contains: Shounen ai, Magic, AU
Warnings: Language, violence Pairings: 1x2x1, 3x4x3, 5xM, 6xS
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing/AC or any magical animals used in the creation of this fanfiction.
Summary: The Acolyte must seek the Bearer, with the help of the Sun, the Soldier and the Healer, and deliver the Bearer to the Holy One.
Spellbound (1/?) Prologue
White temple walls glistened in the bright noon sun, shining like a huge diamond, attracting the attention of the citizens of the Holy City of Buchen. Windows of colored glass glittered and gave off beautiful beams of the rainbow, drawing gasps and stealing breath from everything and everyone it touched.
It was the Temple of the Organization of the Zodiac, Oz.
Inside this illustrious building, a group of men, young and old, stood in a wide semicircle in a small antechamber, hands raised as if in prayer. In fact, they were indeed praying. Praying for the soul of the one of prophecy. They chanted among the lifeless eyes of each other and the dead.
"The Acolyte must seek the Bearer," whispered one of the blue-robed figures.
"With the help of the Sun," said another.
"The Soldier," whispered a third.
"And the Healer," murmured two more.
An old man with long white hair and a longtailed mustache, wearing metal pieces of eyewear called 'goggles', stepped to the center of the circle. He was clad in a robe of dark blue, even darker than the blue worn by his surrounding acolytes, and wore the golden circlet of his office on his forehead. He raised his hands like all the rest, and looked up at the ceiling. "And deliver the Bearer to the Holy One," he entoned, his strong voice echoing off the walls and surrounding the group of priests, temple heads and other holy people. "I am the Holy One, as High Priest of the Temple of Oz. I must choose an acolyte worthy of becoming the Acolyte of legend, destined to bring peace to Zedar, our world. Who objects to this?"
"No one," the group chorused, voices solemn.
"Instructor of Sol Magic, Halan, come forward," the old man commanded. A pudgy old man with a bald pate and pointy mustache came forward, dressed in the robes of a professor of the school of magic in Lisez. What hair remaining was black, and he clutched a scroll to him.
"What is your wish, Your Eminence Jay?" Halan asked, kneeling on the floor before the High Priest.
"You have a pupil in training, no?" Jay asked.
"Quatre Raberba Winner, Your Eminence," the instructor responded.
"Of the Sorcerer Winners?"
"Just so, Your Eminence. Is there something you wish of him?" Halan asked.
"Yes, Halan. I wish him to accompany my chosen acolyte on his journey to find the Bearer. Is he ready for such responsibility?" Jay asked.
Halan began to shake his head, then thought better of it and nodded. "Other than his penchant for playing the niloi (violin) too much, he excels in all his studies and should be ready to take part in this."
"That is acceptable. I want him on the temple doorsteps, sunrise tomorrow. Dismissed," Jay said. Nodding hastily, Halan scrambled to his feet and backed away. Jay scanned the masses before him, his eyes narrowed. He could see some acolytes attempting to stand taller and look more worthy than others. He immediately dismissed them.
But then he saw one. One who ignored him completely, yet still stood tall. Who's cold visage could frighten small children at twenty paces. Someone who got things done. His chosen one had unruly brown hair cut short around his ears, and eyes shadowed in the darkness
"You, there," Jay said, pointing at the acolyte. No one moved, and the acolyte continued to glare at the far wall. "You, in the corner. Come here."
The acolyte looked up, glare now aimed at the High Priest. His expression was flat, the glare fading away to nothing, leaving no apparent emotions. Nodding at his superior, he approached and dropped to his knees, then folded his upper body over his legs and bent until his head touched the floor at Jay's feet.
"Rise, acolyte," Jay said, gesturing at the form on the floor. The acolyte obeyed, standing tall once more and looking Jay straight in the eye. "What is your name?"
"Heero Yuy," the acolyte said, in a slightly nasal and accented voice, possibly from the East. Close up, his features were more distinct. Naturally tanned skin, slanted eyes a startling shade of piercing blue, full lips currently pressed into a thin line, and there was obvious strength in his deceptively small frame.
"Do you know why you are here before me?" Jay asked. Heero snorted. Of course he knew. Every acolyte in the temple had been waiting for such a chance all their lives.
"You have chosen me to find the Bearer," he said clearly, in a bored sort of voice. Jay's brow furrowed, and he looked the boy over. Huffing slightly, he circled Heero.
"You are correct. I have chosen you as my acolyte, and the Acolyte of prophecy," he said. "Therefore, you must locate the Bearer, with the help of Halan's pupil, Quatre Winner, who I am almost absolutely sure is the Sun. Do you understand?"
"Who, or what is the Bearer," the boy asked, voice monotone, face blank.
"Good question, young acolyte," Jay said. "Sally?" A tall woman with two large brown corkscrew curls draped over her shoulders, slanted purple-grey eyes and wearing very light blue robes stepped forward, a thin white scroll in one hand.
She nodded to Heero. "The Bearer is a creature, humanoid or otherwise, possessing the means or the powers to reestablish the pact between the Creator and Zedar. In other words, the Bearer is a sacrifice needed to keep the Creator happy," she said. "Understand?"
"Hai," Heero said. "Am I to go collect this Bearer now?"
"Not until tomorrow morning. It will give you tonight to pack," said Jay. "The prophecy did not give a specific time, but I will merely suggest that come tomorrow, you move with the utmost urgency." Jay stuck his hands inside his robes and moved it around a bit. (A/N: Not like that, you pervs!) When he pulled it back out, he held a thin, golden ring of metal, much like the one that adorned his own head. "This is the circlet that signifies your ascension from acolyte to priest. From this moment on, you are a priest of Oz, and therefore subject to all that entails. Sally?"
The young woman stepped forward again, taking the circlet from Jay and turning to Heero. As she placed it atop his unruly curls, she explained. "As a priest of Oz, you will wear the white robes of beginning priest hood, then ascend slowly to the blue you see these others wearing." She looked down at herself. "As you can see, I'm not very high up yet." Sally straightened Heero's circlet, then backed away. "Also as a priest, you are entitled to free meals at any tavern in Oz, Sanq and Mandora. Lagrange is still territory which has no Oz influence."
"Priests are entitled to ten percent off at any stall or market in said countries, and reduced price room and board. You are issued a bodyguard and a mage, since your first year as a priest is always one you spend travelling. The mage shall be Quatre Raberba Winner, apprentice of Instructor Halan of the Sol Academy. The bodyguard shall be selected from the people of Buchen, most likely in the Dragon Warriors Guild.
"Priests are also entitled to any horse in the stable of any nobleman if it is required to complete a divine quest such as this, and a letter signed by His Majesty Khushrenada himself shall always be carried with him or her," Sally finished.
"Also," said Jay, "As a priest of Oz you must follow certain rules. One, your loyalty is to Oz and only Oz, and our secrets are our own. Two, you are official sworn to chastity, and cannot 'have a tumble' with just any barmaid or stableboy unless the Creator commands it. And three, conduct yourself in a priestly manner: meaning no cursing, no smoking, no drinking. Got it?"
Heero bowed to the High Priest. "Hai, Your Eminence," he said in his flat tone. Jay frowned.
"Good. You are dismissed to prepare. A maid shall be in your room to help you pack and to give you your new robes. Be gone," Jay said. Heero bowed once more and left the room.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Your Eminence? I have heard stories of the Yuy family, and the priests that come out of it. He could be dangerous," Sally said.
Jay smiled. "Don't worry, Sally dear, I am certain that the Yuys' particular brand of magic might be just what we need for this divine quest. He will not disappoint."
Sally looked uneasy but nodded. "If you believe it is so, then I trust you, Your Eminence," she said. "By your leave?"
"Of course, Sally. Go back to your patients. I know you are busy in the Infirmary. I shall come and see you later," Jay said, smiling at the woman. She smiled back and hurried away. I really hope you are wrong about Yuy, Sally dear. We cannot afford for him to ruin this for us. This is our last chance.
Thoughts swirling through his head, High Priest Jay turned back to his young acolytes and continued his lecture from the day before, all the while worrying about the fate of their small planet.
TBC...