Chapter 8
The trip to the castle was, thankfully, uneventful. They avoided the RATs scouting parties and kept a low profile, stopping when necessary. Dorothy seemed to take quite a bit of delight in teasing poor Quatre. If teddy bears had the ability to blush, she was sure he would be crimson for most of their trip. Relena laughed rather heartily when Duo had intervened. Dorothy had been unprepared for the large cookie's rather interesting quips.
"So, Brows," Duo had given this nickname to the older girl due to the odd length and forked growth of her eyebrows. Dorothy clearly detested the title, but never let on to their braided companion, much to her credit.
"Yes?"
"Did you have to style them that way or are they naturally creepy?"
"Oh, they're naturally, creepy. Do you have to try at sounding dim or are you naturally that way?"
"What?" The cookie-man looked genuinely surprised.
"I thought so." Dorothy finished with a triumphant smile. Relena could not help but giggle softly to herself.
For all her flaws, Relena found Dorothy to be an overall agreeable addition. It was nice to have another girl around, even if their views on life differed. In truth, hearing her quibble with Wufei had been more than entertaining. The proud Asian man had his moments where even she had a hard time not telling him off.
"Try not to get in the way when we get to the castle, woman." Wufei stated, eyes as cold as his voice. "Things happen in battle. None of us are obligated to waste their energy protecting anyone but the princess."
"Your concern is so touching." Dorothy returned, honey-coated venom in her tone. "Don't worry. I'll protect you."
"What- I- That's not what I-" Dorothy's victorious laughter had been quite the thing to hear as the porcelain doll continued to mutter to himself about 'injustice' and 'frustrating women'.
The teasing went on for some time after that with Quatre intervening on Dorothy's behalf from time to time but, which earned him some of Dorothy's attention as well.
"So tell me, Quatre Rebarba Winner, are the rumors true?"
"Rumors, Miss Dorothy?"
"That you were quite the ladies' man?"
"I- that's-" he began. "I hadn't really… noticed…"
"Oh, please, Mr. Winner, as many sisters as you have, sure you must know how women talk…"
"Well… there has been… what I mean is I have noticed… um… w-what exactly does this have to do with anything?"
"I thought someone who could have up to four wives might be more observant of such things." Dorothy's grin widened as the Teddy bear's eyes widened.
"Then again, with the right woman you wouldn't have time for three more." What the tone of her voice insinuated made Relena's cheeks heat in embarrassment. Quatre's eyes were wide as he sputtered, trying to find a response and failed miserably...
After a while, Relena could barely hear the banter. Her own thoughts were a bit preoccupied. Since she and Heero had talked at the camp they had resumed their quiet companionship. Though, she had noticed, something had changed. When Heero looked at her now his gaze was softer… He rode closer to her than before… She wasn't complaining. She found herself liking the change. Standing there, on the edge of camp, just the two of them… it had felt so natural…
"If that happens, I will be right here." he paused, tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear gently, eyes meeting hers. "I will protect you." She felt her heart beat quicker, her stomach fluttering at his simple touch. She reached up to cover his hand with hers… She suddenly had the urge to kiss him…
She felt her cheeks heat at the memory and mentally shook herself. They didn't have time for such fanciful romantic foolishness! She had greater things she needed to focus on. So many lives depended on her ability to become the new sugarplum fairy and master her powers. So many of her friends had suffered personally at the hands of the RATs… They deserved to be freed from the spells that bound them! If only she could learn to harness and utilize her new powers… she gripped the reins of the harness so tight that her knuckles turned white.
"Relena?" She nearly jumped at the sound of his voice, concern evident in those deep, blue eyes. Not wanting him to worry, she shook her head and offered him a smile. Relief flashed through his eyes and he nodded in turn before focusing once more on the path ahead. She wanted to say… something to him, but nothing came to mind. She sighed and continued to ride alongside him, quietly, just enjoying the comfortable silence.
"There!" Trowa, who had been at the front of their group raised his hand to halt their group. He extended his hand to point ahead. Heerp urged his horse forward, stopping next to the harlequin.
"The castle appears to be unmolested." Trowa stated. Heero nodded.
"It seems too easy." Wufei spoke up, crossing his arms. "The RATs had to know where we were heading. The fact that they have not arrived first could mean trouble."
"It could be that they're just too stupid." Duo added with a grin.
"No, I don't think so." Quatre shook his head. "There is something… off… about the castle… almost like a protective presence is looming there."
Relena listened to their exchanges. Protective presence? She had to admit she echoed his feeling. The nearer they drew to the castle the more she felt something call to her… and the source seemed to be the castle itself, but how?
"Protective presence or not, Relena needs to get in there." Heero looked at her for a moment, eyes unreadable, before his gaze fell on the harlequin. "Trowa, scout ahead. It's possible the RAT's are here but keeping a low profile." Trowa nodded and left them.
"Well, Miss Relena," Dorothy came up beside her, petting an eyebrow. "It appears we are tantalizingly close to you receiving your full inheritance and yet you do not seem pleased."
Relena stared at the older girl, unsure what to say. She never asked to be a princess, let alone the heir to the Sugarplum fairy. Here she was, practically a stone's throw away from the legacy of a being she never really met surrounded by those that needed her. She felt the chill of the early evening send shivers up her spine.
"So it would seem." Relena answered. "But I assure you, Dorothy, I am more than ready to do whatever I need to do to ensure our victory." Even as she said those words she tried to believe them.
"I do hope so," Dorothy responded and fluffed her long hair off of her shoulder. "We're all counting on you."
"Catalonia." Wufei nearly growled. "Do you not have anything better to do than to taunt the princess?"
"Taunt her?" Dorothy scoffed. "You misunderstand me. I am merely trying to make sure that the princess realizes all that is expected of her. If she does not accept the powers that are rightfully hers then we are all surely doomed. My grandfather is more than willing to take advantage of such a weakness."
"The fact that Your grandfather is who he is is exactly the reason I and the rest of my companions question your intentions." It was unlike Wufei to be so protective of her. The Chinese doll had scarcely said anything at all to her since joining their group.
"Now, Wufei, it is unfair of you to judge her so harshly. We have no evidence that Dorothy means us or the princess any ill will." Quatre defended.
"If I had wanted to betray you to my Grandfather, I would have already done so!" Dorothy answered in a huff. "I knew you would not trust me; that you would be suspicious of my motivations, but I still came. And I am still here. Is that not proof enough?"
Relena watched the exchange, unsure of what to do. On the one hand, she had invited Dorothy to travel with them so the Catalonia heir was her responsibility. On the other hand, it was still highly possible that the older girl did mean them harm and was merely biding her time. Whatever the situation, she could not allow the hostility to go on any longer.
"That is enough!" She walked over to Wufei. "I appreciate your concern, more than you know, but I invited Dorothy to ride with us. I believe that she deserves the chance to prove herself and I intend to see that she gets that chance!" Wufei's eyes widened. Relena half expected a rebuttal or rebuke, but instead, Wufei's mouth opened, closed opened again before he gave a 'humf'. He turned away and walked to his horse muttering something in his language. Dorothy stood, stiff as a board, eyes cast on the horizon. Relena frowned. The other woman was clearly hurt by what Wufei had said, but Relena had no idea how to comfort her. By all accounts, he was right to be distrustful, but it did not give him the right to be rude.
"Gotta hand it to ya, Princess," Duo chuckled behind her. "I have never seen anyone put Wufei in his place like that. Not even Heero!"
"Shut up, Maxwell!" Wufei growled.
"Geeze… what a grump." Duo rubbed the back of his head. "So… uh… you ok… or…?"
"I'm fine, Duo. I think I'm going to check on Dorothy though. She seems to be taking his words rather hard."
"Yeah, sure, go ahead. Just be careful, huh? I know you're the type that likes to see the good in everyone, but sometimes, people are just evil, ya know?"
"Thank you, Duo, I'll remember that."
"Sure." Duo walked away and Relena took a deep breath.
'What does one say in such situations?' She steeled her nerve, squared her shoulders and made her way over to the seemingly distraught, older blonde.
"Dorothy…?"
"That was positively splendid, Miss Relena!"
"What are you talking about?"
"You truly behaved like a queen back there, putting your subordinate in his place! You are positively brilliant!"
"Are you trying to insult me with your backhanded compliment?"
"Backhanded compliment?" Dorothy's brows knit together and her lips formed a pout. "Oh, No, Miss, Relena! I meant every word!"
Relena felt more confused about this woman than ever before. One moment, Dorothy seemed sincere and kind; a bit like an abused animal looking for some kindness. The next, she seemed as vicious and underhanded as the socialites back home whom Relena had avoided at all costs. Try as she might, she knew she would not figure the girl out.
"Miss, Relena," Dorothy began again. "Please forgive me if I seemed anything less than genuine. This is all so new to me. I am trying to be part of the group. It's just so different from what I am used to…" she glanced over at the boys. "They're so different from what I'm used to."
Relena knew the feeling. Each of her traveling companions had a personality that differed drastically from each other. It had taken her a while to understand them and how to handle the various dynamics that had formed amongst them. In the short time she had known her companions, they had all become very dear to her. Even Wufei, for all of his taciturn behavior, had seemed to warm up to her. Trowa was silent, but seemed to be attentive to the needs of the group. Quatre was the confidant everyone went to. Duo was the light-hearted good willed guy that made the trip less droll and Heero… Her heart fluttered at the thought of him and she felt her cheeks heat. He was the most perplexing of all. At times he was so stern and seemed to feel nothing at all but then… he would touch her cheek; brush hair out of her face and look at her with such intensity. And the dreams…
He reached for her, pulled her close to him, protectively. He stroked her hair softly and cradled the back of her head as his lips neared hers…
"Relena…"
"Miss Relena?" Relena snapped back to reality and stared at the blonde, certain she must look quite foolish.
"I'm sorry, Dorothy. I think I am tired from the journey." Relena stared at the ground for a moment, willing her heart to calm.
"I was beginning to think I had said something wrong…" Dorothy inquired. Relena shook her head.
"Not at all. I do believe you. Regardless of whether or not they think you can be trusted, I believe you are a truly good person. I know my faith in you is not misplaced." Dorothy smiled and grasped both of Relena's hands in hers.
"Thank you, Miss Relena! I shall not let you down!" Relena locked eyes with the older girl and for the first time, she saw something there; buried deep. There was a bit of darkness, but behind it, there was a bright light, fighting to the surface.
'She does want to be good. I knew it!" Relena smiled and returned Dorothy's grip. She did not know what gave her the ability to see that light, but now that she had, she felt immensely more confident in her choice. Duo walked up, scythe lazily resting against one shoulder.
"Trowa's back with his report." Relena nodded and went to stand next to Heero. She felt his blue eyes on her as she approached and her cheeks heated again. The way he looked at her… there was something… different… She tried to shake it off as the Clown began his report…
Heero tried to focus on the situation at hand; tried to watch for Trowa's return from his scouting mission, but his eyes kept returning to her. Relena seemed to be getting on well enough with everyone. She even surprised him by telling off Wufei and-more surprising-Wufei seemed impressed. Relena did that constantly to him.
The last few days traveling with her had been… different. Things were… different. He was a soldier. Trained to protect. To defend. To kill and die for his cause. He had never been concerned about anything in his life beyond defeating Romefeller and restoring the royal family to the throne but… now…
Looking at her, he felt his breath catch in his throat. When she was near, he felt his heart race, which was strange. Did nutcrackers even have hearts? Still, when she said his name, he felt his stomach knot and when she looked at him… He sighed. She was changing everything. Already, she had restored hope to so many; given a new purpose to those who felt they had none. And he was no exception. For the first time since his transformation he was feeling things again. And not just physically. She was changing him and it was… scary... And he had never been scared of anything in his life.
'The dream didn't help…' He had been trying to forget the dream that haunted his thoughts. After she'd left his side that night to return to the fire, the feeling she'd stirred in him had grown. When he and Trowa changed guard shifts, he had laid down to get a bit of rest though his mind refused to do so. The dream had been so vivid… so real…
He was human again. She was there; aqua eyes shining, honey-gold hair flowing in the wind. She smiled. It was a smile just for him. He reached for her and she took his hand.
"Heero…" She spoke his name and his heart leapt in his chest. He pulled her close; could smell the vanilla and rose scent that was so uniquely hers… He reached up and cupped her cheek in his hand, brushing his thumb gently across her silken skin…
"Relena…" He breathed, leaning in closer… he wanted to.. Just… "I…" It was then that she faded from his arms, calling his name on the cold winter wind…
"Heero" Trowa appeared in front of him, jarring him from his memory.
"Trowa, what did you see?" The long-banged harlequin doll frowned.
"We should call the others over. There is much to report, but not as much as one would think." Heero nodded and motioned for Duo, who went to fetch Relena who had taken it upon herself to-apparently-comfort Dorothy after her exchanges with Duo and Wufei. Relena was far too kind for her own good. He watched her walk over, saw her cheeks color at her approach…
"Good. We're all here." Trowa uncrossed him arms. "I made it to the castle and sure enough there are signs of a struggle. Multiple struggles in fact. There were signs that quite a few regiments have tried to lay siege to the castle, all ending the same way. The door to the castle remains unharmed and sealed tight."
"So the castle has someone defending it?" Heero inquired. Trowa shook his head.
"That's the part that makes no sense." Trowa stooped down and began to draw the layout of the castle gates in the snow. "Here, here, and here," he pointed, "are the remains of the army." He looked up at them. "But, as I continued to study the carnage, I realized that there are no signs of what caused their defeat. I studied the walls. There are no guard posts, no soldiers and no visible weapons. The castle appears to be completely defenseless and yet it stands, unmolested against their assaults."
"So, you're saying what? That this castle is protected by ghosts?" Duo asked. Wufei rolled his eyes and Quatre laughed.
"No." Trowa nearly groaned and Heero echoed the feeling. "I'm saying that even though it seems defenseless, the castle is protected, most likely by magic."
"And you think we might be in danger?" Relena asked. Heero looked at her. The concern in her eyes made his heart wrench. She was worried; not for herself. She was worried for them. In answer, Trowa shook his head.
"No, I don't think so." Trowa pointed to the diagram again. "I was able to walk up to the gates and inspect them just fine. It appears to me that, so long as you have no ill intent, the castle will not harm you."
"Then our next step is deciding the best way to approach." he turned to Relena and she met his gaze. "I think it is probably best, since you are the heir, that we let you go alone."
"What?" Duo asked.
"Are you insane?" Wufei nearly yelled.
"No," Relena began, looking back and forth between them. "Heero's right. It makes perfect sense." Brows raised in confusion and she smiled. "We know I am the one who is to inherit the powers. It makes sense that the castle would not do anything to harm me." slowly, the others nodded. "And besides, if anyone should be risking anything at this point, it's me." Heero felt his gut twist at her statement. Panic, for the first time in his life, jumped up into his throat.
"That's not true." Quatre beat him to the words. "You are the princess. Even without the powers you are still the only one that can restore peace to the land. Only the true heir can reclaim the throne."
"But, Quatre-" Heero stepped in front of her. He had to make her see…
"Relena," Her eyes locked with his, aqua orbs swirling with surprise and…something he couldn't identify. "You are the hope for the people. They need you…" and as he spoke these words, he felt their truth, deep within his heart.
"Heero…" Her gaze softened and he felt the urge to reach out and…
"I hate to break up this tender moment." Dorothy chimed in. Heero snapped his attention to the annoying interloper. "But we don't have forever to wait. If one of you is going to do something, then it is best that you do it soon. There is no telling how far behind us my grandfather's army is and we have no idea what will happen once we are inside the castle." Heero hated to admit it, but she was right.
"Relena, I will go with you to the gates."
"But Heero-"
"The others will follow a safe distance behind." Heero turned to Trowa. "I will trust you to make sure they stay far enough back that whatever the castle's defenses may try will not reach them."
"Understood."
"Thank you." Relena spoke, and turned to each of them. "I know this hasn't been easy. On any of you. You have all risked so much… lost so much for my family… for this land… I will never be able to repay your devotion or your sacrifice."
"Just get the powers and get back on the throne." Wufei answered.
"A knighthood might be nice too, Princess." Duo winked. Relena laughed and Heero felt the corners of his lips turn up in a small smile. They could do this. Somehow, he knew they could do this. Turning his attention back to Relena, he held out his hand.
"Are you ready?" She paused, looked down at his hand, and then into his eyes. There was that look again.
"Yes." She smiled and placed her hand in his.
He watched her as she looked up at the castle looming in the distance. The look of wonder and awe on her face seemed to bespell him. He knew, in that instant, that no matter what the future held for them, as long as she was in it, he would fight for that future. His hand closed tighter around hers as they took their first steps forward down the final length of the path to the Sugarplum Castle.