Relena POV

It made me sick.

The whole process, from taking that poor, frightened, helpless girl away from her family, to the very end, where she almost died. I was even violently ill halfway through, something that, I believe, amused Duo very much.

It hurt a bit. Now that my brother was gone, I was hoping that I could show everyone that I'd become stronger without him. Being forcefully shown that I hadn't come as far as I thought I had was not a pleasant experience.

The girl, Dorothy, was strong. I could tell as soon as they brought her in. She didn't have the poise of a queen, but there was something in her eyes that showed the spirit. Something I had never seen in my eyes was displayed in hers, and I was almost jealous. But there was also sadness in those eyes, and loneliness. Something in me wanted to demand that they let this girl go, that they stop hurting her, but I knew better. So close to war, any person that could give Treize an advantage had to be used.

I had never had to order war, but I had seen many when I was too young to rule and I knew the kind of courage it took to demand war. I knew that sometimes it was necessary, but the people couldn't understand that. If I told my people that there was a time when we could go to war, they would want to go for every small indiscretion. They were like children, always ready to bicker. It was only by a steadfast resolve to remain pacifist under all conditions that I kept my people from provoking wars. My brother understood this, though I sometimes wonder if he was the only one.

When that horrible experience was finally over, I insisted that Dorothy come with me. I had seen her strength and, though she had become understandably frightened and confused, that strength I had seen had not diminished. Neither, I saw, had the loneliness and pain. I wanted to make sure, if nothing else, that no one made that pain worse.

I had to nearly carry Dorothy down the stairs. She was exhausted and I would have carried her had I been able, but I wasn't strong enough and I didn't dare ask for the aid of anyone else. Treize did not like leaving me close to someone he thought of as an enemy, I didn't want to give him an excuse to take Dorothy away. I wasn't sure if she was or was not an enemy, but I knew that she didn't deserve to spend her time in a prison. Actually, I was kind of leaning toward believing she was an enemy, there was too much circumstantial evidence to be ignored, which is why I let them put that last spell on her. Still, enemy or not, she was a person and deserved to be treated with kindness.

I took Dorothy directly to my room and let her lay down on the bed. Her knees and elbows would need cleaned, but even I could see that they were only scrapes. After everything she had been through that day, I knew the first thing she would need was a nap to settle her nerves. Then a bath. Definitely a bath.

It was almost two hours before Dorothy awoke again. Not that I blamed her, after all she had gone through. I waited patiently, reading a book of poems in the chair by the bed. I didn't want her to wake up alone. When she finally did wake she sat up and gazed around the room, confused. I put my book aside and went to her.

"Hello," I said quietly, sitting on the bed beside her. She studied me, my face most closely, seeming to attempt to read my intentions. I smiled warmly. "Do you know where you are?" She could only shake her head. "This is Haven, the capitol of Russia. Do you have any idea where you're from or why you're here?"

"I can't seem to remember anything," she said quietly, deep in thought and trying to pull her elusive memories forward. She seemed worried.

"It's alright," I told her, "I didn't expect you to remember, not after that spell..."

"That's right!" she cried, leaping to her feet, "You cast a spell on me! You all did! You took my memories! I demand you give them back!" she yelled.

"No!" I cried, "We didn't! We-..."

"Where's that sorcerer? I'll make him return my memories!" she said, heading for the door. I intercepted her, fearing she would go rambling into the halls, her temper in a flare, and end up in trouble.

"Get out of my way!" she yelled, her face turning a deep red with rage.

"Calm down and listen to me!" I replied, raising my voice to try to get through to her.

It happened so quickly that I barely even registered what happened. One minute she was screaming at me, just an inch away from trying to push me out of the way, the next her eyes closed and she was dropping to the floor. I managed to catch her, barely, and struggled to pull her limp body back to the bed. I was relieved to feel her breathing normally as I pushed her upper half then her lower half onto the bed and pulled the covers up around her. Still, I was worried. What could have caused her to faint like that?

Quickly, I walked to the door and sent Paragon to fetch Sally. I forced myself not to pace the room as I waited, knowing that it could be a while before Sally had the time to come check on Dorothy. I picked up my poems and tried to read them, but found myself contemplating the figure on the bed instead. It was odd. I knew less about her than almost anyone else and still I felt drawn to her. And she didn't even know my name yet, let alone who I was.

When the knock at my door finally came, I eagerly opened it, however it was not Sally standing outside, but Duo.

"Hey Princess," he called with his unsophisticated charm. Duo was puzzle to me. Why would anyone of such a high rank speak the way he did? For a time I thought he was merely daft, but he proved to be quite intelligent several times and I had to abandon that theory. I believe this puzzlement from me was what caused the rift between us. But it wasn't completely my fault. Oh, to think that I didn't notice that I was the only one he didn't prank or joke with? Without even getting to know me he had assumed that I would throw a fit if salt somehow ended up in my sugar or red dye in my shampoo. I believe that was the thing that came between us most; we both assumed things about each other that weren't necessarily true and neither of us had managed to change those assumptions.

"So," he asked, "Where's Dorothy?"

"There, in the bed. She fainted and I don't know why. I called for Sally but..."

"Sally sent me. We both have a pretty good idea of what caused the girl to faint," he said, brushing passed me into the room. On the bed, Dorothy was still asleep, still except for the rise and fall of her chest. Duo paused for a moment in front of her.

"I know you're awake," he said. Dorothy's eyes popped open an instant later.

"How did you know?" she asked, mirroring my own question.

"You were too still," he said with a slight grin, "People aren't completely still when they sleep."

"So, what's wrong with me? Are fainting spells a part of that spell you placed on me? Or is this something from my past that I simply don't remember, again because of you."

Duo made himself comfortable, jumping up and sitting cross-legged at the end of Dorothy's bed. Dorothy copied his actions by sitting up, pushing aside the covers, and sitting cross-legged in a most unladylike manner. I chose to sit in a close chair, unable to bring myself to copy their uncultured actions.

"First off, I didn't put a spell on you, so don't go getting mad at me," Duo said, staring at Dorothy, leaving me forgotten in my own little corner. I was used to such treatment, it happened often when my brother was around. Just on more thing I had sought to change in his absences, but... Ah well. Some things never change, I supposed. "And even if I had," Duo continued, "There wouldn't be any reason to be angry at me. Wufei was the one that did this to you, if you need to blame someone for this. He saved your life, but he couldn't save your memories. Someone else put a self-destruct spell on you and, even though we believed you an enemy, we saved you. I know you don't remember anything about being our enemy, but we can't risk letting you go until we know more about you. Wufei and Master O are going to be working on a spell to get your memories back. Until we find that you're not our enemy or you get your memories back, you are sentenced to remain here in Haven with Relena. If you attempt to escape or try to hurt Relena or anyone else you will faint as you did today. If this happens too much, you will spend your time here in the dungeon. I know this seems unfair, but there are a lot worse ways you could spend your sentence. Any questions?"

Dorothy was silent, in a sense of shock, I believe. I was also in shock, though not for the same reason. It surprised me that Duo, a person that I had thought merely a cleaver prankster, could remain serious for so long a time. It made me wonder if I had judged him too hastily.

After a while, Dorothy shook her head, implying that she had no more questions. Though I doubted that she had no more questions, I was aware that she knew Duo didn't have the answers she was seeking, so she was silent. Duo rose and left, leaving the two of us together.

"Come," I told her, getting up from my chair to lead her from the bed to the bathroom, "I'm sure you'd like to be clean."

Dorothy took my offered hand, allowing me to leader her, in her dream-like state, to the bathroom. My private bath was one of the few luxuries I allowed myself to take to an extreme. Instead of the common shower, I had an enormous bath, one that could easily fit three or four people in water that came up to my breastbone.

It was instantly evident that Dorothy was too distracted to bathe alone. After her recent ordeal, then the fainting spell, then that last revelation, I was not going to allow her to be alone in deep water. I was especially afraid of the fainting spells. What would happen is, while she was in the bath, she just happened to think of escape? She would faint and drown, I couldn't allow that.

So, as I prompted Dorothy to remove her own clothes, I also removed mine. Dorothy seemed a bit surprised by this, though not overly shocked considering the size of the bath. I, for my part, was fairly used to the more public bathing that I often encountered in other and even my own country.

I tried not to look at Dorothy while we got into the bath, feeling something like a voyeur, but it was impossible not to see her so long as I didn't close my eyes, a tempting thought, but an impractical one.

Dorothy was beautiful. Oh, not in the petite, delicate way, as I was, but in a more buxom way. Where my features were thin and soft, hers were more muscled and curvy. Her body spoke of her nature, strong and confident.

I tried not to be jealous. It wasn't her fault that she was a confident person any more than it was mine that I wasn't strong or confident. I suppose it was the situation, really. I wondered briefly if I had grown up in a place where my brother wasn't constantly sheltering me I would have been more bold. Still, I couldn't be angry at my brother for protecting me, he did it only out of love.

As we washed, Dorothy began to hum a tune. Soon, coaxed by the water and my silence, she began to sing quietly. Her voice was soft and sweet and, as soon as I caught the rhythm of the song, began to sing along. Her alto matched my soprano perfectly and we sang together as we finished the bath and got out.

"You have a lovely voice," Dorothy commented as we were dressing.

"As do you," I replied. She frowned slightly.

"You know, I'm not your enemy right now. You don't have to be so cold."

"I don't understand," I said, truly confused.

"You hide behind you politeness, don't think I can't see it. I may not be your friend, but I wish you wouldn't keep me at such a distance. I don't know what I was like before, but I'm sure I'm not going to report your hair-care secrets to whoever sent me," she said, frowning in an angry manner, then stormed into the other room.

I wasn't sure how to react. No one had ever seen me as cold before... at least, no one had ever said it. I wasn't sure I knew how to give her what she wanted. She wanted me to act normal, and not so uptight. What she didn't understand is I had never acted another way. My life had just been one big political maneuver after another. I had been taught to make allies, not friends. While my brother was off forming bonds with his military friends in the wars, I had been in a boardroom with men fifty years my seniors, trying to keep my head above the water as they tried to trick me into betraying my country and myself. My mask of politeness was as much a part of me as my skin, the thought of taking it off was akin to asking someone to remove their own face.

Quietly, I followed Dorothy into the other room. She didn't look at me as I went to sit beside her, simply stared at the mirror beside the bed.

"I'm sorry if I offended you..." I started, but Dorothy only frowned harder, "What I mean is, I don't think of you as an enemy. I... I'm not used to speaking plainly, that's all. It-it's sort of second nature for me to be polite and aloof, I'm sorry if I made you think I was angry at you or something."

"What do you mean, second nature?" she questioned, her frown now in puzzlement, "Who are you, really?"

"I'm the princess of the Sanq Kingdom, soon to be the queen. I've grown up in political functions, so I'm just used to speaking like this-... I mean, like that."

"But certainly you had someone you could talk to without being all high-class like that."

"There was my brother... but he left when I was young and hardly came to see me. My parents, stepparents actually, were always busy with running my country and their own in my brother and my absence. They didn't have a lot of time for me. Other than that I was around other children who were trained to be polite to me, because I would eventually be very powerful as an ally or enemy. I couldn't make friends because the other children were afraid of me because of what their parents told them. So..." I forced myself to shrug, something uncharacteristic of me but common for other people. My instincts were telling me to finish my sentence, to make a better point, to apologize for something, but I knew that would come off cold and polite, so I was quiet.

"Perhaps you can make friends now," she told me gently, "it isn't too late. You can start with me. I'll be you friend and tell you when you seem to be getting distant. And Duo, he seems normal enough. Watch what he does and maybe you'll start to see how not to be aloof," she said, then yawned, "I'm so tired. Maybe I should..."

"Come on," I told her gently, "let's get you to bed. I bet it feels good to be clean, it will feel even better when you rested."

"Night, Relena," she said, closing her eyes with a soft smile on her face. She was so beautiful like that.

Over the next few days, Dorothy set about her goal with a fervent ambition. Gone was the shy, frightened girl I had seen at our first meeting, Dorothy set to teaching me how to get close to people with an overwhelming enthusiasm. It began with small tips on how to be less distant, and graduated to her smacking me upside the head every time I treated our friendship like a strategic alliance. It was difficult for me, but it was also a bit of a challenge.

Beyond that, Dorothy's company wasn't exactly an abhorred presence. Aside from my annoyance at my own lack of ability to change, I loved being around Dorothy. She was my one true friend, with no strings attached.

Duo, oddly enough, was extremely helpful on my road to becoming normal. Though I still couldn't understand why he would choose to act the way he did, I was beginning to understand that this was the way most people acted around friends, unguarded and slightly silly. When I was watching him from afar, hidden so that no one knew I was there, the people around him would also drop their polite facades and join in his cheer and jokes. It was only when I was around that Duo was alone in his glee, something that I was slowly coming to resent. It seemed even Quatre and Heero, who I had branded properly behaved like me, relaxed around Duo. Especially with Quatre, who had also been raised a noble upbringing, it felt something like a betrayal.

I was finally starting to get the hang of the whole, "friendly" thing when Duo showed up at my door.

"Hey," he said, his customary little smile on his face, "Wufei says he might have a way to restore Dorothy's memories. He wants you both to come to the tower."

I signaled for Paragon and asked him to get Dorothy for me. As he moved off, I turned to go back into my room, but Duo caught my arm.

"Sorry," he said, quickly dropping my arm as though I would round on him and scream or bite or something, "I just wanted to ask you something. I noticed you've been watching me and... look, if you.... I won't.... I'm not going to let you get to Heero, alright? He's mine, so back off."

It took a full three seconds for that to sink in, but when it did I threw my head back and laughed.

Yes, I had been interested in Heero. He was handsome, intense, and mysterious. Of course I had been interested, but I was not willing to break apart what Duo had so aptly shown was a deep relationship. It was like trying to break apart Trowa and Quatre, Wufei and Treize, or even Une and Sally, though the two of them still thought I was ignorant of their relation. The point being that I hadn't even talked to the boy, I wasn't about to make war with Duo over him.

"I'm sorry to have given you that idea, but taking Heero from you was not my intention at all."

Duo looked confused now and a little shocked at my actions. To tell the truth, even I would have been shocked at my actions not two weeks ago, but I was starting to learn how to relax.

"So... why have you been watching me?" he asked and it was my turn to be surprised. I probably should have expected that question, but for some reason I had overlooked it. I felt my face color slightly.

"I... You see, I'm... Well, I thought that..." and for probably the first time in my life, I couldn't seem to find the right words to say. I wasn't sure how to explain what I had been doing without sounding like a complete fool. What if he thought I was a moron? Or worse yet, a cold, uncaring witch? I had never had to worry about those kinds of emotions when I was making speeches, but when I was saying what I truly felt... It was a whole different story.

"Just spit it out," Duo said more warmly than he had ever been before. Perhaps there was hope that he could see the good side of me.

"I want to know how to talk to people," I said quietly. Duo frowned, even more confused.

"What? Relena, you're..."

"I know, I'm a great speaker, but only to crowds and politicians. I don't know how to relax and just talk to people, I always come off sounding so cold... Dorothy pointed out to me how cold I was being. I had noticed it before, but I never really knew how to stop it. She's-she's been helping me, but I needed to see someone else do it too, not just her, so I..." I trailed off, my head bent in embarrassment.

"Have I helped?" Duo asked and I was so surprised that I looked up at him, only to se him grinning warmly from ear to ear. "You should have said something. I always just assumed that you didn't want to be friends or something. If you just want to be friends, I have no problem helping you out with that. And here I thought you were plotting to get rid of me or something."

"No!" I gasped, appalled that he would think such a thing of me, a pacifist leader.

"You know," Duo commented, gaining my attention once again, "Dorothy isn't exactly horrible-looking. And I think she's got a thing for you. How about it?" he asked. I could only stand there in shock.

I had noticed Dorothy's behavior, the odd little looks she gave me and the way most of her words seemed to have a double meaning to them. I was pretty certain by the excited little patter of my heart that the sentiment was returned, but...

"It's scary," Duo said, mirroring my thoughts.

"How did you...?" I wondered. It was scary. I had always assumed that any marriage I might have would be more of a political alliance than anything, love was never a factor. I think that might have been a part of what attracted me to Heero, that some part of me knew that he was out of reach. Now, with Dorothy so easy to reach out to, I was frightened that I might make a mistake and have no one to blame but myself.

"With Heero, remember? I know how scary it is to fall in love. I know it's scary, but it's worth it. If you're truly in love, it's more than worth the risk."

"What about... what about her memories? What if she hates me when she remembers?"

"You won't be able to link yet, so I really wouldn't worry about that. Otherwise I'd say to just go along as you have been and worry about it when it comes along."

"But that's stupid!" I burst out, covering my mouth as soon as the words left it. Duo would hate me for saying that, but I couldn't see how worrying about it later was going to help. My political training had forced me to think of every aspect and plan for every possible outcome.

Oddly enough, when I looked back at Duo, he was grinning.

"One of the perks of having friends," he explained, "is that you're supposed to tell them exactly what you think, just as they're supposed to tell you what they think without sugarcoating it. And if you really are trying to be like normal people you need to stop thinking you can plan for everything. You know you can't, so don't worry about it. Most people live their lives one day at a time, it's a lot simpler than your method."

"But I-... What if something goes wrong?"

"This isn't like politicks, Relena. No one can teach you what to do and what not to do, because you're the only one that knows. If you try things out and it isn't right at least you know you've tried and failed, instead of not trying at all."

Dorothy chose this moment to come prancing out of the room, her hair still wet from her shower, and grab me by the arm. She hurried us down the halls, as she does when she's nervous. I could tell from the tenseness in her shoulders as well as her hardened expression that she was frightened, but there was nothing that I could say to consol her. I tightened my hold on her hand, hoping that would lend her some support, and she smiled at me.

It seemed like mere seconds before we reached the tower. The stairs, which always seemed endless, seemed to fly from under our feet and move the tower door closer, so that we arrived in merely seconds. Dorothy stopped at the top of the stairs.

"Miss Relena," she said, something she always calls me when she's nervous, "I just want to tell you that... I don't want to leave you. I don't care what my memories hold now, I-I like it here and I like you and I don't care what my memories show. I want to stay with you..."

If only I could believe her, but the risk was too great. I had to know for sure. Unlike love, this was politic and I had to be sure of my every move.

"I know," I soothed anyway, putting my free hand on her arm, "I know. Be brave and trust us. We will not harm you."

Hesitantly, Dorothy tried to open the door and failed. I would have liked nothing more than to take her hand and lead her back to the bottom of the stairs, but instead my hand went to the doorknob and opened the door. We stepped inside.

The room wasn't nearly as frightening as I had thought it would be. Light streamed in through the windows of the tower, aptly named because it was the only place in the entire underground castle that was actually above ground. Wufei was smiling at something Treize had said as Master O bustled around the room, stringing up fresh herbs. Neither Heero nor Quatre, and obviously not Duo, were present, only Trowa stood in the corner as our solitary guard.

"Ah," Master O said, seeing our arrival, "Let's get this over with so we can get back to your studies, Wufei." Wufei made a face, but moved to Dorothy and I. Gently, Wufei led Dorothy away from me and toward a small table, while Treize lead me into the room and closed the door. Treize began to herd me toward the corner of the room, away from Dorothy, but I wouldn't have it. Determinedly I walked around him and over to where Dorothy was sitting on the table, taking her hand and daring anyone to try and stop me. I was met with no opposition as Treize simply shrugged and Wufei, after giving us an odd look, went back to setting things up. Odd, I would have thought standing up to Treize and everyone required more effort.

Dorothy gave me a grateful look and I smiled back at her, noting just how beautiful her eyes were.

"Let's get started then," Master O said, motioning to Wufei. Wufei turned and ladled a cup of something out of a large pot, handing it to Dorothy.

"Careful," he warned, "it's hot."

Giving a look that one would give to their executioner, Dorothy drank the liquid quickly and handed the cup back. It seemed as though everyone turned their attentions elsewhere at that moment, leaving me with at least the illusion of privacy with Dorothy. I hoisted myself onto the bench next to her, carefully putting an arm around her waist. I was glad to see that she had relaxed a little, but worried again when I noticed the slightly glaze look in her eyes as I pushed a stray strand of hair off of her face. In moments, she sagged against me and I gasped in alarm.

Someone pulled her off of me and pulled me off the table, laying her down in my place. Treize and Wufei managed to make her comfortable as Trowa, I assumed the one who had pulled me out of the way, led me back a few paces so the others could work. Master O and Wufei quickly painted the symbols for the truth spell on her and cast the spell. Dorothy awoke not a minute later and I was visibly able to see Treize switch into leader mode as he stepped up to start the interrogation.

"What is you name?" was the firs question he asked.

"Dorothy," she replied, the same slightly dazed look in her eyes that I had seen when she had first lost her memories.

"Surname?"

"I don't know."

"Tell me, what do you remember of your past?"

"I remember being captured and taken here. I remember being on a mission for my lord. Everything before that is foggy."

"What was your mission?"

"I was to scout the area and report if there were any guards about."

"Who is your master?"

"Master Hing."

"Ah," Treize said, turning to Master O, "Lord Hing. He lives beyond the river, not far from our boarder. If he is allied with Noventa... Dorothy, tell me of Lord Hing's army."

"He has none that I know of."

"Was he making any preparations for war?"

"No."

"Do you know of a man named Noventa?"

"No."

"Why did he send you, a lowly girl like yourself, on such a mission?"

"I do not know. Perhaps I was his most expendable spy."

"So you are a spy?"

"I have been trained as such."

"Have you ever spied before?"

"No."

"Tell me Dorothy, and think well on this, are you still loyal to Hing after being with us for so long? Would you still betray us?"

"No," Dorothy answered without hesitation.

"Are you loyal, if not to us, then to Miss Relena?"

"Yes."

My heart soared so that I didn't even hear most of the questions to follow. I knew that Treize would have no problem letting someone loyal to me stay with me.

I finally came out of my happy daze when Treize finished up, with a warning that Une might come to interrogate her more, and handed Dorothy over to Wufei.

"Now, I want you to tell me how far back you can remember," he said.

"I could only remember a few days before I was caught when I woke up, but I can remember a full week now."

"Excellent. You're memory is going to slowly com back by working itself backwards slowly. It's confusing, but it's much less confusing than having you remember you memories from now and when you were two, but nothing in between. It's going to be slow, but you memories will return. Try to keep stress to a minimum, something that you will be partially responsible for Relena, and be careful of headaches. If you do get a headache Sally will give you something for the pain, but other than that you won't need to come here unless something odd happens. Oh, and I'll remove the truth spell before you leave."

Wufei proceeded to remove the truth spell and we left, under strict orders to take it easy. I took it upon myself to keep Dorothy relaxed, so I herded us both to the bath when we returned, one of the things that Dorothy relaxed most in. Unfortunately it was getting harder and harder for me to conceal how Dorothy made me feel. Good thing I wasn't born a man or it would be more than obvious.

But something was troubling Dorothy. I wanted to know, but I didn't want to pressure her into telling me. Fortunately, her worry made itself known while I brushed out her long, golden hair.

"Relena," she said quietly, "You know... You heard that I'm... that I'm loyal to you. You know I won't betray you even after I... even after my memories come back. I just wanted to tell you that I lov... that I'm loyal to you no matter what. My past can't change how I feel about you, can't change my... my loyalty."

Quietly, I set the brush down and leaned forward, putting my arms around her shoulders.

"I know," I told her, "I love you, too."

Dorothy spun around, surprise and happiness written on her face. In an instant she grabbed my by the shoulders and kissed me and for the first time I knew, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that everything was going to be alright.