Disclaimers apply here: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of
its characters.
The Encounter
~*~
It was the day that Relena dreaded, within hours she would meet her suitor if
all goes well at her mother's weekend dance.
She quickly walked over to her open window and looked out. The land was still shrouded in a light layer
of fog and mist. "Perfect,"
she whispered. Within minutes, she
quickly dressed herself in her riding outfit and slowly crept down to the first
floor. She headed out the front door,
being careful not to have it slam against the doorframe, which would cause her
parents to wake from their sleep.
Once she was outside, she made a sharp left and walked on a gravel road leading
to the family's stable. The white
building stood in simplicity as contrasted to the family's vast mansion. Before long, Relena slowly opened one of its
large doors and pulled it to the side.
Inside, dust floated freely about in the musty room, but she was looking
around to find her favorite horse. She
noticed a familiar pair of eyes staring back at her and headed over to the back
of the stable.
"Hey girl, you missed me?"
She held out her right hand that concealed small sugar cubes. The horse quickly licked the small token from
her hand and nayed in response. She led
her chestnut mare out of its stall and prepared for her morning ride. "Its look like a nice morning for a
little ride. I bet you can't wait to
get out and run a little." She
gently patted its forehead and groomed it before placing the black saddle onto
its back. "Alright, girl, here we
go," and with that, she gently nudged her horse to move forward.
The two slowly trotted across her family's vast estate on the calm cool
morning, admiring the terrain with its morning dew. The sun hadn't risen from the eastern horizon yet, but Relena
rode her horse to a small hill overlooking the lake below them, the fog slowly
lifting up from its waters. Right
before them, the golden orange rays bathed the two of them in its warm
light. "I think it's about time
for a canter." She then urged her horse back down and before long, hues of
green passed before her, as she felt her horse move faster.
Right then, Relena allowed herself to be caught up from the previous night's events
as her mother's voice boomed over her conscience, "I found a nice suitor for you." The thought continued to sicken her and she
continued to urge her chestnut mare to run even faster. With that, she felt the winds blow through
her blond hair and the adrenaline rushing through her veins. At that moment, she dropped all of her
worries and felt relieved in a way that her mother was not near her for the
time being.
She then tugged lightly at the reins and guided the mare to a grove of
trees. Once there, she ordered her mare
to a canter again, in which the pair dodged in between trees. It was a game that the two enjoyed, but
suddenly a black horse appeared in front of her out of nowhere. Relena had only
a few seconds to respond before the two horses would collide into one
another. With that she pulled back the
reins as tightly as she could.
~*~
"Relena, where are you?" Her
mother called out over endlessly, but she didn't hear a response from her
daughter. She kept on walking in the
darkness and every so often, fog clouds enveloped her, as she began to become
frantic. "Relena, where are
you?" The echo from her plea
continued to resonate in the background. Eventually, she heard waves crashing
against a rocky shore, which she recognized.
She screamed in frustration that she couldn't find Relena anywhere and
collapsed onto the jagged shoreline.
"What's wrong, Katrina? You woke
me with your scream of yours." He
looked towards his wife, who was pale and her forehead was dotted with small
sweat drops.
Her voice was shaky at first, "Where's Relena?"
"I think she's still in her room.
It's only six o'clock in the morning right now."
"You sure?"
"Don't you think she might still be sleeping in her room since we arrived
here yesterday and that she wants to avoid everyone still because of your
evening ball for tonight?"
"I guess your right." She
lightly kissed him on his cheek.
"Now let me sleep for a few more minutes, please."
"Alright dear." With that,
Katrina closed her eyes, but a feeling kept surfacing in her thoughts about her
daughter. It was a nightmare that
wasn't going to go away any time soon.
~*~
"Calm down girl, I'm right here. Easy now." Relena continued to hold a firm grasp on the reins, as her horse
began to panic. Before long, her horse became agitated and threw her onto the
ground and she lay on left side with her left arm extending above her head.
The horse continued its rampage among the trees and with that, the bystander
look to where Relena laid. He quickly ran
over to her side and noticed that she was unconscious. He was about to lift her up when the
chestnut mare ran towards the two. His
eyes narrowed and let out a sigh of frustration towards the horse. Her eyes were filled with rage and fright at
the same time and this time, she had her front legs up in the air, ready to
trample the two on the ground.
He quickly stood up and spread his arms to the side of him, in hopes of calming
the mare down. She held her front legs
up into the air again and this time, he dodged the attack being mindful of
keeping the mare away from Relena. With
that, he grabbed hold of the reins that dangled in front of the mare and calmed
it down, by staring into its black eyes.
In an instant, the mare quieted down and began to graze near a small
patch of grass at the base of one of the trees.
He headed over towards Relena's location and noticed that she was still
unconscious. He walked over to where
his horse was and grabbed a canteen from his saddlebag and carried it to where
Relena was. He uncapped the circular
container and poured the cool liquid onto his hand. With that, he dropped the liquid onto her face, hoping to wake
her, but it proved useless, so he thought.
He then bent down on his knees and was about to give her a breath of
air. His lips hovered an inch away from
hers, but then he felt a sharp pain near his groin and reeled over in shock.
"What do you think you are doing? Get away from me, whoever you
are." She slowly got up from the
ground and made sure that she kept her distance from the stranger, who now
stood up against a tree. She noticed
that his eyes were filled with shock and frustration at the same time.
"You fell off from your horse and I protected you."
Relena's defenses slowly dropped and she then realized her mistake of attacking
her savior, "I'm sorry about that...thank you for your assistance."
He then went over to where her horse was and grabbed the reins. "You should handle your horse more
carefully." He continued to give a
cold gaze towards her.
Relena decided to change the subject, "What is your name?"
"Heero Yuy."
"I'm..." She was cut off before she could finish her sentence.
"I know who you are. You should be
more careful, Ms. Peacecraft." He
went over to his horse and climbed into his saddle. Before long, he disappeared into the trees, only leaving Relena
and her mare behind.
"He seems to be cold sometimes."
Relena patted her horse's face and led it by the reins to a shaded
region of the meadow. She watched her
horse graze for a couple of minutes.
She kept thinking of Heero's cold stare, which mesmerized her for no
apparent reason. Maybe this was the
excuse she needed to break apart from her mother's grasp in her marital
life. She role played the thought of
how her mother would react to her news of finding someone else and imitated in
her mother's voice, "Relena Peacecraft, what on earth do you think you are
doing! I bring you into this world and
this is how you repay me!" She
continued to muse to herself unaware that Heero was watching her from a
distance. Her horse then nudged her,
alerting her that the two should get back to the stable, before all hell breaks
lose in the Peacecraft household.
~*~
Katrina decided to head over to Relena's room to inform her that breakfast was
ready. She gently knocked on the door
being mindful of not to intrude too much on her daughter. "Relena, dear, breakfast is ready." She stood outside the bedroom for a couple
of minutes. "Relena?" She decided to take matters into her own
hands and entered her daughter's room.
Once she was inside, she noticed that her bed was already made, but
Relena was nowhere in sight. "Where
could she have run off to now?"
"What, mother?" She was
standing right behind her.
"Don't you dare scare me like that!
You know how I can't stand it, it just makes my heart skip a beat."
"Maybe I should do this more often, then?"
Katrina decided to change the subject, "Look at you, where have you
been? Your hair is a mess along with
your dress. You know what today is,
right?"
"Yes I do, mother. And for your
information, I was out riding today and I was thrown off from my horse, and
thanks for asking." She watched
her mother's mouth drop slightly and waited for her next response, which would
most likely refer to the evening ball instead of her accident.
"Well, breakfast is downstairs in the dining room. You'll have to prepare for the night's
festivities soon."
"Yes, mother." With that, she
watched her mother leave her room and Relena soon followed after her for
breakfast. "This is going to be a
great day." She could already hear
the servants and maids scramble around the mansion in preparing for the evening
ball.
~*~
The hours seemed to mesh within each other as Relena prepared for the night's
festivities. Her mother was in her room
helping her get dressed. She was
standing by her dresser with her right hand firmly grasping an edge of the
dresser, as her mother made the finishing adjustments to her corset. She could hardly breath nor move in it,
since the fabric squeezed her small frame and lifted her chest upwards.
"I think you're tightening it, a little too much, mother." She heard the laces looping through the
holes on the back of her corset, as her mother tightened them even more.
"I think it's just fine. Besides,
you do want to look your best in front of our guests and for your suitor. I mean he is from a well respected
family." She then went over to
Relena's closet and chose a light pink chiffon dress that had a scooped
neckline with puffy sleeves that would serve as her evening gown. She handed her the dress and within minutes,
Relena was dressed in pink. Her hair was
then divided into three long strands that were intertwined into a knot, which formed
fluffy ringlets. With that, her
coiffeur was then adorned with a satin pink ribbon to complement her dress.
"Now don't forget to wear your full length white gloves."
"I won't mother." She went
over to her dresser and pulled out the pair, just to show her mother that she
wouldn't forget. Her mother then left
her in the room and with that, she quickly locked the door behind her mother,
just in case she wanted to get into the room again. She walked to one of her open windows that blew the lace curtains
around her, the sun was already setting into the west and soon it would be
nightfall, which meant that the carriages from the surrounding areas will be
here for her mother's dance. "Here
we go again, the endless sounds of gossip." She looked blankly at the
setting orange sun and thought about the morning's events that kept playing
over and over again in her mind.
***Flashback***
She felt his breath cascading down her face, but she didn't dare to move, in case he tried to hurt her. It was the closet encounter she had with any man before. And with that, she waited for the right moment to "knee" him when he least expected from his victim. She saw his eyes flash with intensity as she looked up into his. His stare was calculating, yet it was filled with something that she hadn't felt before. It was his stare that she kept daydreaming on.
***End of flashback***
A knock from the door brought Relena out of her daydreaming. "The guests are now arriving in the
main dance hall. Your mother instructed
me to come and get you."
"I'm coming Trudy." She
quickly slipped her white gloves onto her hands and unlocked the door.
"Your dress looks exquisite, Ms. Peacecraft."
Relena nodded a kind thank you towards her maid. "Mother picked this dress for me."
"I see." The two women made
their way down the stairs and towards the dance hall that was connected to
their Victorian home. Trudy guided
Relena towards the wooden doors that had glass windows engraved in them. Relena peaked into a small section of the
glass and inside the room, she saw couples already dancing on the wooden floor
in their evening attire. Some of the
women wore feathers in their hair in a similar hairstyle like hers. Their gowns were fashioned in a variety of
styles, in which some of the dresses were decorated with fancy beadwork, while
others were decorated with colored ribbons.
Overall, the usual puffy sleeves were the most prominent among the
ladies that were dancing. "Good
luck," whispered Trudy. She then
left Relena's side and minded her own business during the night.
Relena continued to stare through the glass window and she noticed that her
mother was already talking to a gentleman wearing a black tail coat that
covered his white formal shirt that had a wing tip collar and a black bow
tie. She continued to strain her eyes
to see his features, but all she could see was that he had blond hair neatly
combed back. Her pulse began to quicken
and she immediately put her back to the wall, as her breathing became
rapid. She heard her mother calling
from the room, "I'll have Relena meet you right now." Right then, she quickly left and walked into
one of the vast meeting rooms that the house showcased on its main floor. She peeped through the doorframe with the
oak door slightly jarred open and saw her mother emerged from the dance
hall. Her yellow silk chiffon dress
seemed to engulf the space around her.
Footsteps were coming closer to the room, where Relena was hiding in, and she
knew that she was trapped, since the room didn't have another exit. Her heart began to pulse rapidly and she
heard the oak door creak. She
immediately backed away from the door.
"There you are, I've been looking around for you." Her mother gazed sternly at her.
"I don't want to meet him."
"Stop acting silly. I mean he has
been waiting anxiously for you in the dance hall. You don't want to keep him waiting, it's not polite."
"Whoever it is, I don't want to see him.
I don't want to be used to secure your social status." She looked towards her mother, who stood
dumbfounded at her daughter's rebellious attitude.
"Relena Peacecraft," her mother said harshly, "I'm just trying
to secure your future."
Relena then walked away from her mother and headed straight towards the door,
where she was met by the gentleman.
"Hello, miss." He
bowed in front of her and she quickly stepped back. But before she walked too far into the room, her mother led her
back to the gentleman that stood in front of them.
~*~
Heero sat lazily in the library alcove of Duo's home for most of the afternoon
and evening. He was sipping more wine
and contemplated quietly to himself.
The events from the morning played through his mind over and over
again. He remembered scaring her horse,
which eventually threw her off from her saddle. He realized that he could have killed her right then, if she had
landed improperly onto the ground. He
somehow protected her unknowingly from her frightened horse, but at the same
time, he used his cold gaze to distance himself from Relena. What was this feeling that kept nagging
within his conscience? He finished
consuming the rest of the wine in his glass and fell asleep in the chair he was
seated at.
In his mind, flashes of his trip to New York began to occur within his
mind. Earlier in his trip, he had
stopped by his father's law firm, telling his father that he wouldn't be
joining him for the summer. He then remembered
his father scolding him for his poor judgment and his father then said his last
threat, "You're no longer an heir to the family fortune. Get out!!" Then there was another scene, in which he was sitting at a local
bar, drinking away his family problems.
But then a blurred face of somebody kept reappearing in his mind. Who was it?
Before he could tell who it was, he was being shaken by somebody's hand.
"Hey there, are you alright? You
haven't been your self lately."
"I'm fine," he muttered. He
began to get up from his seat, when all of a sudden, the room seemed to spin
around him.
"Well, I think I should lock up the wine stock for awhile." He looked at his friend questioningly. He decided to change the subject again,
"I noticed that you got up early this morning."
Heero slowly nodded from his seat again.
"I took your horse out for a ride and I saw her this morning."
"You mean, Relena?"
He nodded again in response.
Duo sarcastically said, "So, you're already hitting on the ladies?"
Heero didn't respond to his question.
Instead he looked towards the window, where a cool breeze was filtering
through. The sounds of violins were
heard in the background among the chirping crickets.
"Well, there's the music from the Peacecraft residence, which I told you
about." For some odd reason, Duo
knew that Heero wasn't paying attention to what he said. "I have an idea, let's join in on the
party. I mean we both have our evening
attire in our rooms and you might be able to see her." He looked over to his friend again to see if
there was any reaction and he noticed that he became a little more alert. "Well what are we waiting for then... a
personal invite." The two men then
left the library alcove and headed towards their rooms to change.
Within minutes, the two were ready to walk over to the Peacecraft residence,
each sporting the black tail coat with white collars and black bow ties. After the two had walked for nearly a
quarter of a mile, they finally reached the front doors of the expanse mansion
that loomed before them. A butler
greeted them at the door and presumed that the two were invited by Mrs.
Peacecraft, "Good evening, gentlemen, the dance hall is just down this
hallway." He pointed to the right
side of him, where the music was resonating within the hallway. The two stepped in and made their way to the
dance hall.
Before long, the two were standing in front of the doors leading into the dance
hall. "Well, here goes
nothing." Duo pulled back the
brass door knobs and the two were met with a rush of cool air that came from
the back of the room. To their
amazement, the hall had two main chandeliers situated equidistantly from each
other in the center of the room. Their
lights glowed brightly against the golden surfaces of the chandeliers.
"I don't see her," replied Duo.
He was already catching the eyes of a couple of ladies. He smiled back to them.
Heero nodded in response and decided to stand off to the corner of the room,
just trying not to attract too much attention.
Right then, a lady in red satin walked over towards him and looked
admiringly towards him to get his attention.
She fanned herself with a fan decorated with a red ribbon. At first, Heero bowed to her, "Excuse
me." He then left her standing by
an empty table in the corner of the room, her eyes filled with shock at his
rejection.
~*~
"I'll leave you two alone now."
Right then, she saw her mother leave the room with a smile on her face.
Relena walked over to a blue couch that was situated by a window and looked out
towards the night sky.
"They are lovely tonight, aren't they?"
"Yes." She felt someone
sitting next to her, which made her feel even more uncomfortable. She
immediately got up from her seat. "Sorry, I'm just a little nervous."
"Same here." He looked
towards her with pleading eyes. "I'm
guessing that your mother put you up to this."
She nodded in response.
"Same here. I'm glad that I got
that confession out into the open."
"Didn't we meet last year at one of my mother's weekend dances? You look familiar."
He nodded in response. "I'm Quatre
Winner."
"So that's who you are, I knew I recognized you from somewhere."
The two became silent again, each of them hoping that this arrangement would
somehow fall apart. Quatre sensed that
Relena was hiding something from him.
Yes, he was attending Yale to become a chemist, but he was also good at
reading someone's feelings. It finally
occurred to him that Relena's heart was with someone else perhaps. "I don't know if I should go into your
personal life, but it seems to me that you like someone else rather than
me."
Her eyes then widened a little, since she knew that Quatre was close in his
statement and theory. "How do you
know?"
"It's just a guess of mine."
Another brief moment of silence washed across the two, "Can we just
be friends, instead? It seems that our
mothers placed too much pressure on the two us and it doesn't seem right, at
all."
The question was painless and straightforward, but she felt a burden lift from
her heart, "I can agree to that…thank you."
"You're welcome." The two
then walked out of the drawing room together.
"Do you think our mothers will suspect that their plan didn't go
out as planned?"
"I wouldn't care, but they'll probably force us to reconsider our
decision." She saw her mother
appear from the corner of the hallway, "Sorry, mother, but we've decided
to be friends only." The two
parted at the entrance of the dance hall with Quatre entering back into the
room, while Relena went towards the back patio to avoid her mother's wrath.
Her mother stood in the hallway infuriated with her daughter's decision. "Now, now Katrina, our daughter has
made a decision on her own. You can't
take that away from her." Her
husband stood next to her, trying to calm down his fretting wife.
"Nineteen years of my life raising her to be a lady and this is how she
repays me."
"I'm glad that she has made her own choice." The two stood silent before he had the
courage to speak again, "Now come my dear, your guests are waiting for you
to make another appearance." He
held out his right arm towards her and she slowly accepted it as with Relena's
decision not to court with Quatre to a certain degree.
~*~
The door silently closed after her, as she stepped out into the summer night
air. The fireflies flew sporadically
throughout the backyard. "I'm glad
that's over." She let out a soft
sigh under her breath and walked out into the night. She was a few feet away from the dirt path that led towards the
lake, but she felt like she was being watched.
"Who's there?" She
decided to turn back and when she did, she bumped into a familiar person. She noticed that his eyes pierced the
darkness. "Oh...it's you again."
TBC
