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Dawn and Moon Wars

Chapter Four

"The Star's Advisor is feeling much better, my Dawn." Midii sat in a plush, golden yellow chair; her small, powerful legs were crossed as she fingered a knife, flicking it open and close.

"I feel as of all my carefully made plans are dissolving before my very eyes…" The Dawn stood, a pale hand with long fingers placed on a large globe of the world. "Two paths for the future lie open… One leads to Chaos and the blasphemy of the Mother, the other leads to order and peace."

"The Morning Star will lead us down the right one." Captain Noin spoke from where she leaned against the wall. She crossed her arms before her chest and eyed Midii thoughtfully.

"Only if she survives the oncoming war." Midii replied calmly, her hands keeping their steady rhythm of open, close, open, close. She raised stormy gray eyes, "And stay pure, untainted from the war's horrors and their blaspheming ways."

"She will survive."

"And how can you be so sure, Captain?"

Noin smiled coldly, "Both our units are protecting her. I have confidence in my women. Do you not feel the same toward yours, Spy Mistress?"

"Oh, I trust my girls." Midii snapped her knife close and stood. "But I've learned that too much confidence can cause arrogant pride. Pride that allows errors to slide by."

"Enough, you two." The Dawn spun the globe and all three watched it spin. "You must work together. My daughter must survive."

Midii nodded, then sighed. "My Dawn, I have…disturbing news."

The Dawn looked up, "Don't you always?"

The Spy Mistress chuckled, "Sorry, my Dawn." Midii's expression became serious and Noin and the Dawn listened intently. "One of my contacts has informed me that the moon's orbit somehow changed briefly two days ago… For a few short seconds it blocked sight of the North Star."

Captain Noin pushed away from the wall, "The bondlings! My Dawn, we must---."

The Dawn interrupted her calmly, "If it is my destiny, Lucrezia, then I shall accept it with grace. However… Midii, try to find the new bondlings."

She nodded and bowed, "Yes, my Queen." Midii glanced at the two briefly, then left the room and immediately Noin was at the Dawn's side.

"You know the prophecies state the bonded are the beginning of your end!"

The Dawn waved her away, "They are merely small obstacles…"

"The power comes from within."

"Do not let hate blind you."

" Stay true to your emotions."

"Do not let pride destroy you and your allies."

Relena nodded as her teachers drilled her once more in the proper conduct during the coronation that would occur on the next solar eclipse. It would begin as the moon moved between the Earth and Sun and would end just before the moon moved aside, allowing the sun to stream forth once more. It was called the Rebirth of the Dawn. It would mark the end of her mother's reign as Dawn and the beginning of her reign. She would leave behind her title as the Morning Star and become the Dawn…

Relena's eyes fell past her teachers and toward the open window. 'I will rule this all… How can I bear such a responsibility? Oh Mother, it was only a few days ago I was sneaking around under the risers with Dorothy and digging my feet into the dirt… How can I possibly lead so many people?'

"Listening doesn't seem to be one of your strong points." One of her teacher's smiled slightly, pushing back a strand of her pale blond hair as her gray eyes watched the princess.

"Repetitive teaching however seems to be one of yours, Spy Mistress." Relena snapped back, annoyance clear on her pretty face.

"My Star, we wish for you to be prepared." Noin stepped forward, unrolling a map before the young Star. "Your coronation takes place in three days and we must go over everything."

Relena stood, nearly knocking over her chair in her haste. She slapped a hand down on the map with a loud smack. "I know everything! The only things I do not have knowledge of is the actual ceremony!"

"My Star---."

"No! You call me your Star, yet treat me like a little girl! I'm nineteen! Women younger than me are already bearing and living on their own! From now on if you call me your Star then you shall also treat me as your Star!"

Midii and Captain Noin shared a small smile and both bowed, "Yes, my Morning Star."

The Spy Mistress patted Relena on the shoulder, "You will do well, my Star."

Relena's eyes widened, "What?" Realization dawned on her and she fell into her chair. "A test? Dear Mother!" She raised to her feet again; "You two are going to be the death of me!"

Captain Noin's eyes narrowed, "Actually, we plan on protecting you from a sudden death."

Relena raised an eyebrow, "What does that mean?"

Noin didn't have a chance to answer as the doors opened and the Star fell into a curtsy as her mother entered the room. The Dawn smiled down at her daughter's head and slowly forced Relena to rise. "My dear… You've grown so lovely." The Dawn sat and Relena followed her example. "In three days my reign will end… These three days are dangerous ones for you, my love."

"What do you mean?" It was now, as Relena's eyes darted from stoic face to stoic face, that she wished for Dorothy's calm presence. Ever since she'd been born Relena couldn't remember being separate from the other girl for very long. When they were younger they had even slept in the same bed… Dorothy was all composure and she always noticed the small details that Relena missed. She'd point out a subtle twitch in a noble's face and it was her that delved into the intrigues. Dorothy was the one that learned the secrets of others to help Relena. It was Dorothy who might understand what exactly was going on.

"For centuries a prophecy has been passed down from Dawn to future Dawn." Relena watched her mother carefully, trying to decipher the hidden depths of emotion lurking behind those elegant blue eyes. "It states that two paths for the future lay waiting, one for Chaos and the other for Order. The Dawn of that time will be the one to decide which path the world takes. You are that Dawn."

"No!" Relena shook her head, "If this is another test then I fail! I won't listen to any of this! Isn't it enough that I'm giving up my life for this responsibility, but now you tell me that I hold the key to Chaos or Order!"

"Hush, my love." The Dawn pulled Relena down so she kneeled at her feet. Relena placed her head on her mother's knees and cried silently as the Dawn smoothed her daughter's hair.

"What is the prophecy?" Relena finally choked out, ignoring the worried looks sent her way by Noin and Midii.

In the heart of the Reborn Dawn lies the beginning
The orbits of the future lie in her heart
Drawn to her are the warriors of the earth
The warrior that bleeds with strength
The Elysian king of jests and death
The cat that hides in the flesh of a man
The bondlings of aria that hold betrayal and loyalty
The scholar of justice that carries the sword of truth
The silent clown with the tear-filled cup of sorrow
The woman haunted with shadow memories
The disciple that clutches myth and reality in her soothing touch
In the eclipse a war begins in the breasts of many
The banished Moon will try to drown the sobbing Dawn
In their tears a new beginning will grow
Of Chaos or Order

For a second, Relena just sat there… Her breath was coming out in shallow gasps and she fought to control the wild beating of her heart. So many questions pounded at her, so she blurted out the first one to reach her numb tongue.

"But there are no kings!"

The Dawn sighed and her eyes ran over her daughter's pale face. "Oh, there is so much we've had to keep hidden from you and the others… Darling, there are kings…" Relena stared at her mother, wide-eyed and shocked. "A land far from here, a land clouded by magic and illusions, is ruled by a king. He is powerful and dangerous and confusing. He wields elemental magicks and another type of power that comes from being who he is, what his race is."

"Race?"

"Elves, my love. He is the King of Elves."

It took awhile for Relena to absorb that bit of information. Elves… Those mystical creatures of illusions and wind… Creatures that existed in stories told by the fire… Barbaric creatures that had fought in wars that drenched the land in blood. Aristocratic creatures that lived in castles on the clouds and drank honeydew. Creatures ruled by a man. A shudder crawled up her spine and she tried to hide her fear. Only years of training allowed her to calm her emotions… Plus she could imagine Dorothy there with her. She could nearly hear the blond right now.

"The King of Elves? How powerful is he? Does he pose a threat?"

Yes, Dorothy wouldn't ponder over the fact that he was male. She would jump straight to the more important questions.
But right now those questions could wait. Dorothy would accept the fact that Relena was the Dawn that would bring these strangers to her, but Relena wouldn't… Couldn't.

"How can you be so sure that it's me? The prophecy doesn't clearly state who the Dawn is!"

The Dawn shook her head; "You are already drawing them to you, my love. The warrior that bleeds with strength is already here. Soon you will be the Reborn Dawn and you must be ready."

"Ready for what? Who is the Moon? Why would she attack me?"

"We do not know who the Moon is, whether it be male or female or something else. We know only that you must become the Dawn or all is lost. That is why you must be careful, Relena. You must not run off anymore. Do not leave the presence of either Captain Noin or her underling, Hilde." The Dawn ran a hand over her daughter's cheek. "I'm sorry, love… I wish I could take this burden, but I cannot. It is you the prophecy cries for."

Relena ran the prophecy over in her head and suddenly snapped to her feet. "None of you are mentioned! Why aren't you with me!"

Noin smiled sadly, "No, we are not mentioned… But that does not mean we will be leaving your side anytime soon."

The Dawn nodded, "Yes, do not fret about that. We will always be with you, my child."

Only Midii was strangely silent as the two women consoled the upset princess.

Dorothy listened with a calm expression as Relena recounted the discussion from earlier. Her thoughts, however, were anything but calm. 'Bondlings? Aria… Music… What if… No! Oh Mother have mercy! No! A bondling…' Inside she cried and curled up on herself in shame and horror. 'A bondling… No… Bonded… Only half without the male…' Dorothy cried, but on the outside she smiled and nodded.

"They really couldn't tell me much. They said the main reason for them deciding to tell me is because the ceremony is in three days. Mother doesn't truly seem to understand what's to happen, but she seems convinced that once I'm crowned Dawn that Order will come… But I don't believe that. Why does the prophecy speak of a war and those warriors coming to me if all that's to happen is my coronation? She's hiding something… Truthfully, I think there's a hidden meaning behind her telling me."

"There is." Dorothy finally spoke, trying to calm her mental sobbing. "The Dawn's Royal Advisor must have seen it in one of her visions. My mother borrowed a bit of my elemental power for a spell last night. Now I know what she used it for. It must have warned the Dawn to tell you the prophecy at least… But you're right, Relena… Even if you are crowned a war is about to rage… But your coronation must also happen. Without the full power of a Dawn you might not survive the coming battle."

The bondlings of aria that hold betrayal and loyalty

'Betrayal? I would never betray Relena or the Dawn! Mother, help me… I wanted freedom. Five minutes of freedom and release has cost me everything… If they find out… Bondlings are outlawed. The law clearly states that male elemental mages are to be found and either stripped of their powers or executed. If a woman tries to hide one or help one or… if they break the century old law and bond they will be killed. The women are always killed because their acts are considered treason… What am I to do!'

"I'm scared, Dorothy." Relena shifted till her head was in Dorothy's lap and her body was sprawled out on Dorothy's large bed.

"You will be a wise Dawn, Relena. You will lead us down the right path."

"But what if I fall to this Moon and everything my family's been striving for is broken?"

Dorothy smiled down at her, "You will not fall…"

"But what if I do?"

"What will we lose?" Dorothy whispered the question before she even registered it fully in her mind and a shaky, shock-filled silence engulfed them for a second.

"What will we lose! How can you say that, Dorothy? The order that the Mother planned will be shattered. Men may begin to think they can rule themselves and the Earth and her people will suffer!"

Dorothy nodded, "I'm sorry… It just came out…" She placed a hand on her head, "I'm not really feeling very well, Relena."

"Oh! I'm sorry!" The Star jumped to her feet and hugged Dorothy quickly. "Hurry up and get better. I don't like being without you." She smiled sweetly then left the room.

Dorothy stood up and walked toward her window, pushing aside the gauzy curtain, and felt a chill wrap around her. "Bondlings of aria…"