Title: Portentum
Author: ArlenSayos
Disclaimers: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of the characters in it
Story Focus: Quatre and Trowa
Story Pairings: 3x4, 1xR, 2xH, 5xM and many more in the near future
Chapter Pairings: None
Story Warnings: Both yaoi and hetero relationships
Chapter Warnings: violence
AN: This chapter was really long… I'm hoping that the others will be a lot shorter for my own sanity. Sorry it took me so long to update; after the first chapter I found myself face to face with writer's block, and when I finally did get my motivation running again I fell pray to a horrid throat illness… XD Urg.
Once again, place make me happy and keep the story going by reviewing!
-Portentum-
Chapter One
Though Quatre certainly deserved the world's pity for his misfortunes he had never been the sort to rely on the aid of others. It was his belief that for someone to become a strong character with good, self-made morals they couldn't be dependant on those around them. If Quatre didn't take care of himself, then someone else would, and as soon as protection was granted to him he'd be labeled as 'weak' by people like Septum and Lady Une. He'd be a target for torment far worse then what he had so far endured.
Though such a commitment could be viewed as selfish by the few residents of the Winner household that didn't know Quatre very well, others who had witnessed the boy's strength and kindness first hand knew better. It was true that the ex-Winner heir did what he did for his own benefit, but as a result, he had helped many other servants under Lady Une's command as well.
You see, Quatre did what was asked of him, but only if it was 'decent'. If Septum sought to degrade the boy, he stood up for himself, even though he knew the whip was the punishment for 'intolerable' behavior. Still, he returned to his comrades on many occasions un-traumatized and smiling, which earned him a great deal of respect and admiration from those that had also experienced Septum's wrath first hand.
Then there were the incidents where Middy and Serenity would take to harassing the servant girls for one reason or another. Sometimes they tugged too hard on their hair while brushing it, other times it was because they had picked out the wrong color of garments for his stepsisters to wear, but the results were always the same; punishment by whip. These maids were usually very young, the daughters of woman that had been working under the Winner family since before Quatre was born, and as children they often sought the safety of an adult presence when threatened. Quatre, who was always smiling and pleasantly sweet to all, was the one these girls normally ran to for help, for he'd never hand them over to Septum to be beaten into submission. He would often take it upon himself to receive punishment in their stead.
Quatre always behaved very admirably for one so young; many servants looked up to him as a leader and his opinion was always regarded amongst those of his station with great consideration. Their esteem only broadened when Sally Po, a kitchen maid who had been working at the residence for as long as Quatre could recall, let slip that the blonde boy hadn't cried since the death of his father and leave of his sister. His stepmother and siblings were not ignorant of this; the mere fact that he was able to obtain respect from anyone, despite their efforts, caused their blood to boil. Still, constant defeat did nothing to squash their desire to see Quatre humiliated and worthless, so they always put a great deal of effort into making his life difficult, such as this morning.
Twice Serenity had run him back into the kitchen because the food he had produced forher was unsatisfactory. First it had been too cold, then too hot. Later on, when Quatre thought he had at last done a decent job, Middy announced that her eggs were too runny and sparse of salt, so he had to do her meal over as well. It was stressful, especially since the blonde was quite aware that the Winner fortune was dwindling terribly due to the spendthrift nature of his stepfamily and that sent back 'spoiled' food added to the problem, but he still did as asked without argue.
When breakfast had at last ended, Sally dismissed him from kitchen duty so that he could join the other servants in town. Quatre speedily got ready to leave, pulling on his boots before heading out the door before anything more could be asked of him. Just as he was about to exit the mansion someone spoke his name.
"Quatre." The blonde stopped in his tracks and sighed as quietly as possible. Showing any sign of displeasure was a great insult to Lady Une, and the boy wanted to get through the day unlashed. "You were most quiet this morning." she continued with mock concern in her voice. Still, Quatre played along.
"I only wish to please you, Lady Une, by dutifully obeying the word of your daughters without confrontation." He offered her an honest smile, but didn't dismiss her. Leaving before the woman was done talking was unheard of in the Winner house.
"I see." Une continued, raising a red lace fan to cover the lower portion of her face; Quatre guessed the gesture was more for appearance then ventilation, for he had found the day's morning temperature to be quite cool and pleasing. "Septum requests you go into town with him for groceries," she started, smiling after seeing Quatre's pleasant expression falter for a moment. "Lucky for you, my dear boy, the Maxwell family is loaning their cart to us. You'll be accompanied by their son and two other servants in Septum's charge. I believe the Maxwell boy already has the produce list. I'll be expecting you back on Winner land no later then 2 o'clock. From their, check our land borders." She paused now, glaring noticeably. "I hate it when the town folk trespass on my territory. See to it that Winner land is vacant of all but servants and family. Understood?"
"Yes Milady." The blonde replied obediently, giving his head a slight nod. Lady Une raised a brow, suspicious of her stepson's obedience, as always, but said no more before departing from the mansions entrance hall.
Quatre sighed, relieved and thankful to be let off the hook so easily for a change, before he too left the scene, leaving the house through the servant's door. As he headed towards the empty, wooden cart near the stalls, Quatre caught sight of a familiar head of brown hair attaching the horse to the wagon.
Perhaps sensing Quatre's approach, Duo instantly shot up, wide grin growing bigger as his friend came into full view. "Quatre, long time no see!" he said enthusiastically while still managing to keep a cool air about him. The blonde smiled and gave a hello in greeting before he sauntered up to the horse to stroke its mane.
Looking around to make sure they were alone, Duo moved his head closer to Quatre's, indicating that he wished to tell the boy something in private. "Hey, Quat, you sure you should be walking around right now? I mean, with your back-"
The blonde quickly raised a hand, smile still fixated in place. "I'm fine so long as Maria's alright." He said sincerely. Even if his back stung with every movement of his body, knowing that little Maria didn't have to suffer as he did set Quatre's mind to rest.
Duo scoffed disbelievingly, shaking his head with a wry smile on his face. "Honestly, Quatre, sometimes you're too kind for your own good. You should start acting more selfish; you're making the rest of us look bad."
Now it was Quatre's turn to scoff. "I don't act this way to show you up, Duo," he said mockingly, climbing up onto the cart. "Is it my fault that I like to protect those who lack the power to defend themselves?" he asked innocently, folding his hands in his lap.
"It is when you're in no position to do so." Duo protested, pouting slightly before climbing up next to Quatre. "Listen, I admire your stance on protecting the weak, but don't you think you're taking a little too much collateral damage in the process?" the boy inquired, giving his friend a serious expression as he took hold of the horse's reins. When the blonde shrugged instead of supplying his comrade with a worded answer, Duo sighed and ran a hand through his long hair.
"Fine, but can't you take it a little easier? At the rate you're pulling all this valiant shit every girl in Anila will be falling for you."
"Pfft. Is that jealousy I hear?" Both friends, glad to be over the topic, shared a small laugh before their company was interrupted by the arrival of Septum and his two cronies. "Alright, pretty boys, into town we go." He said with a smirk before relaxing himself into the back of the wagon.
Both boys frowned when the other two climbed into the back of the cart, unhappy to have their space invaded so soon, but they had become accustomed to Septum's unwanted presence long ago and simply shrugged it off before heading towards Anila's marketplace.
Unfortunately, the trip had been anything but peaceful as the three back passengers made it their mission to become a nuisance. Both Duo and Quatre refused to talk to one another for the entirety of the journey, neither one wanting to provoke Septum into anger that something as small and ridiculous as a decent conversation could create. However, when one of the men with Septum took to throwing pebbles at Quatre's back, Duo couldn't help but to turn around and give the man a good glare down. The long haired boy smirked despite himself when the stone caster sent him an uneasy, mildly terrified look. He was about to magnify the man's fear tenfold for showing such disrespect towards his friend when the blonde grasped his shoulder.
"Leave it." Quatre said, offering Duo a reassuring squeeze before he returned to ignoring the men in the back. Duo, though unhappy with his friend's passiveness, had picked up on the finality in Quatre's voice. This normally was the blonde's silent way of saying 'whatever you do here will only hurt me later' so the brunette sighed and returned his attention to the front.
The sound of laughter from the three men caused Duo to grunt in frustration and glare at Anila as it grew in size. The stone caster, now reassured that Duo wouldn't rip him to shreds if he continued with his rock hurling, took it upon himself to aim a little higher. Stone in hand, the man made sure that both Quatre and Duo were relaxed and unsuspecting before he aimed at the blonde's head and let loose the stone.
Much to his surprise, Quatre wasn't as naive as they had suspected. The boy's arm was quick as it moved to the back of his head, catching the stone before contact was made. The men at the back, even Septum, were shocked, and perhaps mildly terrified by the blonde's reflexes, but indignantly stayed silent.
Quatre, feeling as though he'd made his point, carelessly threw the rock away, not bothering to give the men a disapproving glance before he continued to act as though nothing had happened. Duo, however, couldn't help smiling broadly at his friend's show. He made a note to compliment the blonde later when they were on break.
Upon finally reaching their destination, both boys disembarked from the cart and saw to gathering groceries. Septum, as usual, would be preoccupied with 'important' matters (which details Duo and Quatre were forbidden to know) and thus wouldn't be helping. The two other servants managed to disappear as well, leaving all the work up to the two boys. They just shrugged it off and did as they were told, bartering for the best goods at the lowest possible price, a skill the two had in abundance.
Although Duo had been born poor he was amazingly articulate and was thus the one person you could completely rely on to haggle down prices. He also had a charm and charisma about him that made him practically undeniable of any request, which came in handy when dealing with the 'soul of stone' merchants that set up shop in Anila. Duo had once told Quatre in secrecy that as a child, before he was adopted by Father Maxwell, he had taken to stealing in order to survive. The blonde could still remember the odd smile on Duo's face when he mentioned how much easier his life would have been if he had tried 'talking' himself some food instead of 'swiping' it.
Quatre alone was a fairly good at purchasing the best food at a cheap price. He had always been very diplomatic about it, avoiding the food stalls that would definitely charge them too high while still managing to find them a place that sold decent produce. His mannerism was always very polite and sophisticated despite his rank demotion and since he had become a regular at the best stores in Anila he was always awarded the best prices by those that recognized him.
Though Lady Une and her daughters were definitely living an idealistic lifestyle that was consequently diminishing their wealth, Duo and Quatre's bargaining skills would keep them afloat for a few more years.
As the two closed a deal with their merchant friend, Quatre handling all issues of money whilst Duo took to loading everything onto the cart, something caught the blonde's eye. In a darkened alley opposite to where he was standing sat a woman cloaked in fanciful robes of black and white.
Even from a distance, Quatre could tell that the lady was very beautiful. Her hair was a dark black color which meshed into the shadows of the buildings that hid her form skillfully from the eyes of others, and it was beaded wonderfully with silver orbs giving her the appearance of someone who had been rained upon by moonlight.
Her face was thin, but in a regal sense; she did not appear to be undernourished. Her robes were made of a fine material that the common person couldn't afford; silk. However beautiful she appeared, though, the majority of her splendor came from the mask she donned. White feather's tipped in pale grey flowed from its bridge, pouring over the top of her head and down her back like a waterfall of tiny wings. Two piercing, light blue eyes shone out, starring at nothing, as though they were void of feeling. Her current state could be compared to that of a rag doll; undeniably beautiful but utterly dead inside.
Quatre felt as though he could not move; as though his entire body had been made paralyzed by the random appearance of this woman; this woman who seemed little more then an empty shell… until her eyes became fierce, vibrant with life. It startled Quatre, but before he could look away from the changed woman her eyes were upon him, and once again he could not think of leaving the spot from which he stood.
He was at the mercy of her gaze, for she beckoned his attention with the mere presence of her being and alerted him to her needs without uttering a word. All Quatre saw was the movement of her lips to understand her plight. Water. She wanted water.
At this, Quatre regained his senses, blushing slightly before he bowed dumbly and rushed off to the cart. Neither he nor Duo had brought any supplies with them, for they had planned to have lunch with father Maxwell while they were in town, but the woman had looked dangerously parched and Quatre had never been the sort to leave the needy unaided, whether they were rich or poor.
Feeling a lot braver then he had in many days, Quatre quickly surveyed his surroundings before going into Septum's knapsack. Surely enough, a leather purse of water was found. As Quatre carried it away from the cart he felt guilt. It was minor due to the magnitude of hardships Septum had placed upon the boy over the years, but present nonetheless, and the boy faltered for a moment, wondering if his conscience would allow him to keep this act a secret.
Duo had not noticed, for a nearby dark haired girl had distracted his attention moments before Quatre had…'stolen' from Septum, but would he have cared? Could his actions really be judged as wrong considering the circumstances?
Sighing deeply, the boy made a mental note to tell Septum of his actions at a later time; right now, someone was in need of his aid.
He found the woman unmoving in the same position she had been left in, and was once again unnerved by how steadily her eyes were fixated on him. Still, he offered her a friendly smile and handed her the water. She slowly raised an arm and grasped the neck of the pouch between her thumb and forefinger. Without hesitation or question she pulled free the lid and touched her lips to the mouth, downing the water at a leisurely pace. Quatre couldn't help but to notice the smile the crept onto her face as her thirst slowly became quenched. It was full of pleasantness, warmth and kindness; enough to make the blonde feel comfortable despite his misdeeds.
However, this emotion was slightly trampled on when he took his eyes away from the woman and she spoke. "This was not yours." She said calmly and without accusation, and Quatre found himself blushing yet again. "Why put yourself at risk for my benefit, child?"
At first Quatre had been a little taken aback, the woman before him seemed little older then himself yet she referred to him as 'child', but then he noticed that she did have a certain wisdom about her, one that could only be acquired with age, so perhaps she was not as youthful as her appearance had first led him to believe.
Once again, the blonde found himself smiling. He had been immensely relived to find that the woman was not angry with him for stealing, but worried over his safety. "Do not worry," he said, bowing slightly. "You will not be harmed. It was my trespass and so I will receive punishment in your stead. Please," he gestured towards the water with his hand, "drink."
The woman ignored this, tightening her grip on the flask of water before she spoke once again. "But why?"
Yet again, Quatre was surprised. He clenched his fists at his sides, and lowered his eyes to the ground, trying to accumulate an answer in his head. "You were thirsty, weren't you?" he asked quietly, returning his gaze to the woman. "That's why. I thought that if you needed help, I couldn't just leave you there. I had to do something about it—I had to correct it." He laughed slightly at the awkwardness of the conversation before continuing. "So I don't mind getting punished, if that's what you mean. I've helped people in this manner so many times that I've almost built up an immunity to the lashes." He had started to chuckle a second time when his blue eyes widened and a look of horror crossed his face. He quickly held out his hands defensively and continued. "I don't mean to imply that I steal often, in fact, this is probably the only occasion where I have, but—well—you understand me?"
Now it was the woman's turn to laugh, and her mirthful voice was like hearing the singing of a church choir to Quatre; uplifting, holy, and in its own way, magical. Despite himself, he smiled and joined in with the laughter, finding the situation more bizarre then funny but worth a good chuckle just the same.
Eventually the woman composed herself, muffling giggles behind a delicate, white hand before she once again took to staring at Quatre with admiration in her startling blue eyes. "I see. You possess a pure heart."
The blonde was startled by the remark, and once again found his cheeks heated with embarrassment, but he accepted the woman's strange compliment just the same; he even managed to get across an awkward, "Thank you." in the process.
"Everything you do, its very selfless, isn't it?" Once again, the boy's eyes were startled into widening. Though kinder then the average person, the blonde was exceptionally modest. He couldn't help finding himself unworthy of such praise. "Such benevolence needs to be rewarded." The woman closed her eyes, veiling them from the world behind lush dark lashes and lids caked in wing patterned designs. The action gave Quatre the impression that she was thinking deeply about something; something of great importance.
"Boy," She said abruptly after a short period of silence, "please, step closer." Quatre's mouth opened slightly, and he gasped despite himself at the odd request, but he obeyed the lady nonetheless. "Your hand." she said next, deserting the water flask so that she could reach into her robes with free hands. "Hold it out to me." The blonde once again followed her instructions, extending his right hand to the woman. "I must be honest with you, Quatre-"
Once again the boy's eyes widened in mild shock. "How… do you know my name?" he asked quietly, voice growing even fainter when the dark haired woman raised a finger to her lips.
"I've been watching you for many years from the sanctuary of my lake. I witnessed your admirable actions towards mankind as you grew from child, to… almost man." that last part was said with a half smile, and despite feeling slightly insulted after being refused the title of 'man', the Quatre couldn't help but to blush at the underlying compliments in the woman's speech. "You lead a hard life, one that the average human would not be able to tolerate, and you show kindness to all. The results of this test are proof of that." Before Quatre could inquire as to what the mysterious woman meant by 'test' she continued. "You do not solely aid those of your own classification, but others as well; all who need your services you provide for." Red lips parted to show rows of white teeth as the nameless woman's smile broadened. "I am happy to have finally met you in person, Quatre Winner. To be bold, I would also like to confess that it is an immense honor to be given the opportunity to speak with one as pure as you in my lifetime. For your kindness, I would like to bestow upon you a gift."
When the woman finally set her hand free from the shrouds of her ornamented cloak Quatre had forgotten his hand had even been held out to her. Thus, he could only blush when she took his hand in hers andentrusted in his fingers aring. "This, Quatre, is one of my dear servants who I am now placing in your care. The power of miracles has been bestowed upon her, but she is unfairly cursed in that those powers may never be used to satisfy her own desires. Wear this ring and beckon her; she will fulfill your dreams without hesitation, but be warned," the woman's hands now tightened frighteningly on Quatre's, but the boy did not pull away; he was far too shocked by the events currently playing before him to do much anything, "abuse of this power will not only corrupt you, but show others the path to my servant as well. Stay true to your heart and use these powers to help those around you. Do this, and you'll earn yourself a happy ending."
Quatre nodded, trying to comprehend all that he had heard and whether or not there was any truth in what this woman, this complete stranger, had told him. It was quite possible that she was suffering from one of the minor effects of dehydration (temporary insanity) but somehow the boy felt otherwise. Though the woman had claimed to have given him an improbable treasure that could only exist in a fairytale, he believed her; believed that the ring he now held in his hand was… magical; was his hope for a better life.
The woman now rose to leave, and Quatre made ready to exit the alleyway as well, grabbing Septum's water purse as he did so, before uttering a nearly silent, but still sincere, "Thank you." to the beautiful woman.
"No thanks is needed, boy." She replied before heading deeper into the alley.
Despite himself, Quatre couldn't help asking her this one question. "Kind lady," He started, bashful hesitance in his voice, "would you find it appropriate for me to ask your name?"
The woman chuckled heartily at this, once again covering his giggles behind a hand before she turned to face him once more. "Odette." She said, locking her light blue eyes with Quatre's dark ones. "My name is Odette."
Quatre smiled, letting out a relieved sigh in the process. He tucked the ring into the safety of his pocket before making ready to leave a second time, yet somehow, even after learning the woman's name, the boy's curiosity was not satisfied. He wanted to learn even more. Unfortunately, even if he hadn't the decency to allow Odette to depart, he wouldn't have been granted the opertunity to speak with her more, for at that very moment he was confronted.
"Quatre, you little bitch!" the blonde let out a startled gasp before he spun around, pivoting on hisright foot to see who was addressing him. Imagine his horror when he discovered a very angry looking Septum heading his way, glaring a hole into his soul. After being momentarily unaware of what he had done to provoke Septum's anger, Quatre realized that he still had the mostly empty water flask in his hand; his overseer had apparently noticed this as well, for sight of it only caused his mood to intensify. "Heh. Here I was just going to put you scrawny ass to work by sending you over to help Duo, but now I'm really pissed off!"
Mentally, Quatre thought that the older man getting this riled up over something as trivial as water in a place where it was bountiful was absolutely absurd, but he was wiser then his age let on and smartly decided to keep his trap close despite Septum closing the distance between them.
He grabbed Quatre's hand roughly, causing the boy to flinch, before yanking the water flask free from the blonde's hand. "You know Quatre," he started, pretending to analyze the leather water case as though it were extremely captivating before he threw it to the ground, "You can't just go around taking my water for no good reason."
"But-" he started, prepared to speak of Odette to explain his actions when he realized such a ploy could endanger the woman. Cautiously, he looked to where Odette had once been standing in hopes that he'd see her wisely hiding out of Septum's view, but he was met with complete and utter shock instead. Odette wasn't hiding; she had completely vanished, leaving behind nothing but a trail of white feathers leading up to the sky, glistening in sun's heated rays of light. Gulping down his surprise and mild fear, Quatre returned his eyes to Septum. "I'm sorry… I was thirsty." was all he could say without stepping out of line.
At this, Septum merely smirked, and in a way Quatre found none too comfortable. "If water could be paid for in words it'd be raining everyday, wouldn't it?" he asked, grasping the boy's shoulders before pushing him into the alley, propping him up against a wall. Quatre put up no resistance, but stayed on guard, prepared to defend himself if need for fight or flight arose. "So, Quatre lad, how does one with no money pay for stolen water?" The boy's expression darkened as the man looked him up and down, eyeing him as though planning to unclothe. It sickened the blonde, but all he could do in his defense was fold his arms over his chest in defiance. "I can think of one way…" Septum said in a dark, hushed voice, tracing a hand against Quatre's face, to which the boy merely moved away, as if he could some how pass through the wall and out of reach. "Rooms a waitin', Quatre. Don't worry, I'll be gentle…" he continued mockingly, brushing a thumb roughly against the boy's lower lip. "Gentler then the whip, in any case." His words were lined with mock and threat; it would seem this time Septum truly believed Quatre would play his game, but no amount of intimidation could convince the boy that succumbing to his overseer was better then the pain of lashes.
So, as the man leaned in to 'seal the deal', to take away the boy's confidence, Quatre instinctively dropped to his knees with speed enough to loosen him from Septum's grip. While the man was temporarily jostled and confused, the blonde made his revenge; revenge that Septum wouldn't be forgetting or forgiving anytime soon. Hands placed carefully on the ground for balance, Quatre caught Septum's legs in his own with a scissor like move before he twisted his body hard enough force the man forward. Septum's face collided with the wall and a surprised howl left his lips. Face still forced into the wall, the dark haired man could do little more then grip for his bloody nose as he came plummeting to the ground.
Quatre saw his opportunity to flee the alley and get into the open, and he quickly dashed for the center of the street. He wasn't at all surprised to see Septum's men there, waiting, whip in hand, but the blonde paid them no mind. He knew there was no escape from punishment where Septum was involved, but he still believed himself lucky, for there was rarely an occasion where he couldn't chose between the lesser of two evils. He always had a choice; Septum or whip. For that, he was thankful.
As his overseer came stumbling out of the alley, cussing up a storm while gripping his terribly bleeding nose, a small, hushed crowd had formed, wondering what chaos would ensue. Septum had quite the reputation for being a violent, ruthless man that none should confront so Quatre already knew he'd be seeking no aid from them. Still, with so many witnesses, Septum wouldn't attempt dragging him back into the alley where he could do with him as he pleased.
Eventually, the dark man's eyes found Quatre, and they were filled with humiliation and immense hate. The blonde had always been good at sensing other people's emotions; knowing what they felt even if it wasn't painted across their face in an expression. Though Septum's eyes may have given away pieces of what he felt, Quatre could feel those very same emotion coming onto him in far more powerful waves. It was almost suffocating and more then enough to put the blonde on edge.
It would seem that today's lashes were going to be far worse then all the others, but that was the price one paid for freedom.
-Portentum-
Hilde was, quite frankly, lost. That was the problem with being friends with Trowa and Heero; they were far too cautious for their own good. They had escaped the castle to enjoy a bit of freedom yet the two rarely found time to stop and smell the roses… which, to Hilde, made their overall task of escaping a noble lifestyle rather redundant. After all, they were here to enjoy the simple life, weren't they? So far the trip had been little more then Trowa and Heero leaving her alone to scout an area before they all hopped right back on their horses to leave… only to repeat the very same actions again an hour later. At first Hilde hadn't minded, she had been expecting this sort of behavior, but now that they had reached Anila she thought that they would have had the decency to stop surveying and eat the lunch she had made for them.
Besides, despite all the care they had placed into leading the royal guard astray they had failed to notice that one of their party was missing. Quite ironically, Hilde had stopped to smell the roses being sold at a nearby stall in the marketplace at the exact moment the crown prince and his body guard had decided to search for an inn where they would hopefully not be recognized.
Though Hilde now wanted little more then to disappear simply so that her friends would have to go through the trouble of searching for her, she knew that such a ploy would both waste their time and possibly lead to them being captured. So, sighing dejectedly, she stayed where she was near the flower stall, hoping that they would make a speedy return.
"Like the flowers?" a girl not much younger then Hilde asked, wiping her dirt covered hands on her apron. "They were cut fresh this morning."
"Oh yes, they're beautiful." She replied honestly, and the two shared a smile. In the mood for a bit of conversation, the flower girl continued.
"We used to get more then this, when Lord Winner was still around." Her smile turned bitter for a moment before she continued. "Kind man, 'e was. A good portion of his land was rented to my family for flower growing. Actually, donated would prolly be a better way of phrasing it. 'Got nothing better to do with it' 'e says and lets me family plant flowers there for free."
Hilde smiled and nodded, knowing all too well the tragic tale of Abra Winner. It was so foolish, his demise. It really took away her faith in the people of Kumania, for in her eyes, it was a fairly ignorant act, even with the fast passing of their monarchs, to blame such a tragedy on a man who was renowned for his kindness and compassion was truly insane. Fate truly had a twisted way of running course.
"Well, that all changed soon enough." The girl continued, casting her eyes downwards as she went to smoothing out her apron. "With his passing LadyUne took hold of his estate, an' being the practical sort she saw no use in a free flowerbed. Started chargin', and at a price my folks certainly couldn't afford, so we let it go. Now that garden is 'ers. Hired help to tend it too, though I don't know how much good that's been doin' her. Here the Winner fortunes dwindling out." She sighed, running a hand through her blonde hair. "Pity all o' Winner's children left home. Married they are, and far away from here too no doubt. Bet if that fine girl Iria was still around she would have kept that place in working order."
"Iria?" Hilde questioned, face looking puzzled for a moment. "One of Abra's daughters?"
"Right you be." The girl replied, smiling in memory. "Always nice, that girl, but LadyUne didn't want her around. Rumor is she was taking attention away from her own girls. Had her married off quickly enough so that the local nobles wouldn't be… distracted." The girl giggled, sending Hilde a quick wink, who smiled, understanding the flower maiden's meaning.
"Yes, these are very lovely flowers." She started again, absently stroking the cut of lilies in front of her. "I think I'll take a few." The flower girl nodded in confirmation, and as she went to gathering a group of the stalls best looking lilies Hilde took to digging around in her own apron for coin.
"There you are, all set." The girl handed the wrapped bundle over to Hilde, who said her thanks and took the flowers. "Thirteen bronze pieces, please."
As Hilde continued to mull about in her apron, an embarrassed blush crept onto her cheeks. "Forgive me, but the smallest coin in my possession is a silver piece-"
"Silver?" the girl interrupted quietly, putting a finger to her lower lip in wonder. "Didn't think you the sort to be so well off, and I mean ya' no offense. You're plenty pretty enough, but I was thinking you an aid."
Hilde laughed quietly, handing the girl the silver coin. "I'm well situated, but far from nobility. Let's just say I keep good company. Feel free to keep the change."
Now it was the flower girl's turn to laugh. "Good company? Wish I 'ad the power to switch places with you. Anila's only nice if you have money… or company." Hilde blushed again, thinking at first that the girl had misunderstood and thought her the sort to partake in ill looked upon dealings, but the blonde soon elbowed her in the arm and sent her another wink; a sign that she was only joking. Relieved, Hilde sighed and let free another smile. "You're not from around these parts, are you?" the flower girl asked curiously, leaning her elbows against the wooden surface of her stall before resting her head in her hands. Seeing Hilde's mildly startled expression, the girl proceeded. "You've got a classy mannerism, girl, and those close seem fine, despite your 'station'. What parts you from?"
Hilde blushed, bashfully scratching at her cheek in a somewhat thoughtful gesture. "No offense meant, but I can't tell you. You see, my friends are trying to escape their stations so I'm not allowed to let loose information of who we are, where we're from, or where we're going." Smiling slightly, she shook her head. "Honestly, those two are far too cautious for my liking."
The blonde girl chuckled. "I hear yah, I hear yah. Well, best I not be keeping you. Drop by again if you're staying in town any longer. My name is Shanelle." She extended a hand and smiled brightly, showing off rows of white teeth.
Hilde returned the gesture, sporting an equally radiant smile. "Hilde. But don't tell anyone." This time, it was her turn to wink playfully, and the flower girl repeated the action, saying 'right you are' and 'goodbye' as Hilde made to leave.
As she went to return the wave , however, she found herself distractedly stumbling into something, or rather, as time revealed, someone. Letting out a startled gasp she stepped back a few paces for safety, watching wide eyed as the brown haired man in front of her carrying a large load tumbled to the ground. Through what must have been sheer skill and luck, the boy managed to hit the ground while only spilling a few vegetables. Still, his tumble was obviously painful; a string of barely audible curse words left his mouth while he rubbed his sore backend, looking absently at the minor damage that had been done.
Snapping out of her bystander phase with a start, Hilde slapped a hand to her face at her own stupidity and rushed to the boy's side. "I'm so sorry!" She started, picking up the stray vegetables. Shanelle quickly rushed out from behind her counter to help, still in minor shock from witnessing the collision. "I wasn't paying attention."
Much to her surprise, the brown haired boy simply smiled, letting out a lighthearted chuckle. "No damage, don't worry."
Shanelle was also laughing. "Honestly, Duo, you should be more careful, mate. Nearly knocking this girl off her feet, what would father Maxwell say if he were near enough to see such a thing?"
Father Maxwell? Hilde thought to herself, staring wide-eyed at the boy for a moment. The name sounded very familiar. If she recalled correctly, Father Maxwell was the priest who had seen to taking care of war orphans from Dracobrand and Avisaithne, where orphanages were packed to the brim with parentless children of all ages. This boy is an orphan? She smiled at the boy before pulling him to his feet. Her heart would have gone out to him, but he was smiling so happily that she felt as though he had led a wonderful life under the priest. He didn't seem to sort to accept pity even if it were offered to him on a silver platter; hers probably would have been no different. Instead, she admired the stranger for growing up so proper, despite his circumstances.
"Yah, yah." The boy, Duo, replied, dusting off his backside with his free hand. "I'm sure he'd be spouting a whole mouth load of rants and yelling 'blasphemy!' up and down the streets. Sheesh," He continued, running his hand through his hair in mock resentfulness, "Give my old man some credit. He may be a man of god but he hasn't lost all sense." Shanelle laughed in agreement, waved goodbye to Hilde a second time, and returned to her stall.
"Anyway, sorry lady." He started seriously, same pleasant, honest smile displayed on his face. "Couldn't very well see over all… this." he finished, identifying 'this' as the groceries with his free hand. "Thanks for all your help in cleanup, though. Who knows how long it would have taken me had you merely apologized and left." He said good humouredly before going on his way.
Hilde, still in a dazeby the sudden disruption in her otherwise calm day, extended a hand to the boy, and before she knew what she was doing she had grasped his shoulder. Mildly surprised, Duo turned around, and the dark haired girl found herself speechless. Not wanting to appear stupid or troublesome she quickly decided to introduce herself. "I'm Hilde!" she said, perhaps a little too enthusiastically, and only afterwards was it that she realized she had now not only given her name away to one stranger, but two.
Despite her inner turmoil, the boy returned the smile and offered his own name. "I'm Duo. Pleased you meet you."
Now that they had arrived at yet another awkward silence, Hilde, grasping at straws, clutched at her dress. "Would you, like help?" she then ran a hand through her hair. "I did bruise a few of your vegetables, so it would only be proper if I repay you for your troubles in some way."
"Now that's really not necessary," Duo replied, placing a hand on his hip, raising an eyebrow, "but my friend did disappear a moment ago so I'm short a hand. There are some boxes back that way," he said, gesturing with his shoulder, "Don't hurt yourself. Shanelle will get mad at me if I let such a pretty foreigner strain herself." With a wink, Duo went back to what he was doing, and once again Hilde felt a little out of sorts.
"H-hey!" she started, frowning slightly while tucking her flower bundle away in the largest pocket of her apron. "What are you suggesting? That I can't handle it?" Duo loaded his vegetables into the cart and turned back towards the merchants stall where the rest of his supplies were waiting. "I'll have you know that I do a lot of heavy lifting." Proving her point, she grabbed one of the large bundles with ease. Smirking at Duo, who had let out an impressed whistle, she made her way back to the cart.
"Now don't get out of sorts," he began, taking another load himself, "My intention was to be polite. Your foreign people take offense to everything?" he asked, giving her a look of interest.
Hilde smiled, dropping the load onto the cart. "Don't talk about me as though I'm not apart of this country. I don't look that out of place, do I?" Duo jokingly pretended to be minding his own business, whistling absently as he walked away.
Baffled, Hilde stared wide-eyed at his retreating back. "Hey, wait! Answer the question!" Hopping off the cart, she jogged ahead to join him. "What's wrong with me?"
"Well," the boy started, bringing a hand to his chin in a thinking gesture before he proceeded to rotate around the girl, examining her image jokingly. "There are those silk robes, for starters. You're dressed the part of a peasant, but there aren't no poor folk around here with robes like that, which under normal circumstances would lead me to believe that you're the hired help of a rich noble, only, even the nobles here don't tend well to their hands. Your threads should be cotton." He shrugged, placing his hands into his pockets.
"What?" Hilde started, mildly taken aback by the long haired boy's observation skills. "Is that all?"
"No." he said, bringing his face almost uncomfortably close to her own. "You're also carrying silver coins." Blinking confusedly, Hilde was just about to question what Duo meant when the boy held up said silver coin. "Rather easy target for thieves, aren't you?" Winking cheekily, the boy dropped the coin back into Hilde's white apron before gathering another load.
The girl's mouth hung agar in surprise as she tried to accumulate a response, but no words came and she had to settle for laughing lightly. "One of your 'wisdom' must already know where I'm from, then." She said absently, taking another box of groceries in her arms.
"Well, I'll say this," Duo looked over his shoulder and sent the girl another wide grin. "There's only one place in Satulurain where servants are dressed as finely as yourself, and that's the capital city." He then shrugged a second time, heading back towards the cart. "But then, that's just a guess. I may be the ears of Anila as far as speculation goes, but you're new, I've got no tabs on yah."
"I feel thankful." Hilde muttered jokingly, following Duo back to the cart. With nothing else to gather, the two found themselves again in the presence of silence. "So, you know this place well then?" she asked, to which Duo nodded smartly, examining his nails as though they were of high interest. "Must know it like the back of your hand." Once again, the brunette nodded, smile broadening. "Could you tell me, then, where three travelers from out of town could stay for a night or two without drawing much attention to themselves?"
At this the boy quirked an eyebrow and a sly smile played on his lips. "What are you and your friends? A band of thieving rogues fleeing the police?" Hilde's face was, at first, in a state of shock, but eventually she realized the absurdity of Duo's sentence and laughed heartily. This simply made the boy's smile grow larger. "I suppose they're hot on your heels and patrolling the borders with aim to stop you and your band of dastardly men before you strike again, spreading chaos throughout the land!" At this, the girl's laughter only grew.
"Men?" She started, raising a thin blue-black eyebrow indignantly, small smile on her lips. "Who said anything about men? I am the captain of a terrible group of stealing widows. Our husbands left us dirt poor and thus, in a desperate, sorrowful plight, we resorted to piracy! Now we wreak havoc upon the land by uplifting the goods of the fortunate!"
"I cannot judge you by your misdeeds, rogue," Duo said solemnly, closing his eyes in an attempt to look dignified, "I feel for you and your band of marry elder women. Thus, I will take it upon myself to aid you by disclosing the information of which you seek. Between the nooks and crannies of Anila's dark alleyways you'll find a road leading to a series of recently built taverns and inns that have not yet been added to Satulurain's maps. Search hard enough for this newly build suburb and you'll, ironically, find a place called the 'Rogue's Escape'. Lovely place, nice curtains on the windows, good food on the plates, and, most importantly, prices fit for thieves. I'm sure you and the little women will have a sporting time hiding out their. Stay as long as you like, can't say many people will complain to having one as lovely as yourself around." Duo then winked playfully at Hilde, who was currently sitting on the wagon.
She laughed good humouredly a second time, but quieted down when she saw Duo's expression fall. Concerned even though she had not known the brown haired boy for very long, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"
-Portentum-
Duo remembered something.
Quatre was still missing. In fact, now that he gave the matter a considerable amount of thinking, he hadn't seen Quatre in at least an hour. Duo guessed the time to be an hour till noon; the blonde boydefinitely should havebeen back by now. Their duty of food restock was a weekly tradition so the brunette knew his friends rituals off by heart. He dealt with money, which didn't take long considering that they were on good terms with the merchants, and then he helped Duo load food onto the cart.
Quatre was not the sort to slack off; he was possibly the most hardworking person Duo knew, so his disappearance struck him as very odd.
Hilde seemed to notice his concern, for she had brought him back to reality by placing a hand to his shoulder. "What's wrong?" she asked, and Duo quickly brought another cheery smile to his face. "Nothing, just wait here, I'll be back." Duo hopped off the cart and made to leave, but paused. He remembered Septum and his men… and what they might do to such a fine looking girl. There was no way he could leave Hilde unwarned.
Clearing his throat, Duo turned to her and corrected himself. "Actually, if three strange, scary looking men approach you, hide." Though it was true the cart belonged to the Maxwell church, Duo knew very well that Septum liked to pretend he had more authority then he was worth; chances of him taking advantage of a girl sitting on 'his' cart were high. "I'll be right back, promise!" He said again, sending the girl a fairly cheesy wave before he headed for the belly of the marketplace.
As he darted in and out of street traffic trying to search for his friend, he thought the worst. It was one thing for Quatre to be missing, but for both him and Septum's lot to vanish was another issue entirely. His immediate assumption was that Quatre had somehow done something 'wrong' enough to attract Septum's attention. Duo knew all too well what the man wanted from his fair haired friend, and he was even surer of the fact that Quatre could take care of himself; it was that knowledge that troubled him the most. He'd be damned if he allowed his friend to be lashed again, especially at the market, of all places.
Not at the moment concerned with who got in the way of his mad rush, Duo managed to tumble into two men around his age while rampaging. "Sorry." he muttered half-heartedly before barreling down the street once more. As he showed his back to the gentlemen he could feel the blue eyed one's gaze glaring deep into his back, but he kept going, prioritizing Quatre's safety above his own.
A little further down he saw the circular formation of a crowd and his instincts told him that in the middle of that circle he'd find Quatre. Sure enough, as he pushed his way between the frightened masses, he saw him, knees to the ground and arms held in place by Septum's men. The dark haired man himself stood about Quatre, nose bloodied and broken from a previous brawl, no doubt. The man's smile was terrifying, even to Duo. He wasthe image of controlled madness; Duo knew that Septum had to have been in a furious state to go this far, but he was lashing his friend harshly with such a calm expression. It sickened the brunette to the point of vomiting. A growl caught in the back of his throat as he continued to make his way to the front.
He looked to Quatre, who was obviously trying to keep his pain at bay. Good boy, Quat. Don't give him the satisfaction. He thought to himself, anger rising. Quatre's shirt was torn and streaked in blood, and his earlier unhealed wounds were once again open. It was enough for one's admiration in the boy to rise; all that suffering and he still refused to let out a cry of pain or tear.
"HEY!" He yelled, furious voice more then enough to catch the 'gentlemen's' attention. "There isn't a trespass great enough in this world for him to deserve that, let him be!" he commanded, though he didn't exactly have the authority to persuade their actions. Septum, ever the abuser of power, knew this well, and simply sent Duo a 'what you going to do about it?' look before he brought the whip down on Quatre's back again.
Duo, angered to the verge of going on a killing spree, was about to show Septum exactly what he planned to do when Quatre's pleading gaze caught his eyes. Don't interfere was what they read, and Duo grudgingly stayed back. He knew his friend was right, that to stoke Septum's fire was to make the punishment worse, but Quatre already seemed so undeserving that he could barely restrain himself.
It's not fair. He thought as the whip came down again, tearing into Quatre's flesh with ease. He scanned the mixed crowd, noting both peasants and nobles viewing the 'spectacle'; none made any move to help the boy who to their knowledge had done nothing to deserve this treatment. Why isn't anyone helping? Without the power to do anything, the boy simply stood by and watched.
-Portentum-
In his rush, Duo had failed to notice that he was being followed. Hilde hadn't taken too well to being told to stay put. In her eyes, that was almost as bad as being deserted by Trowa and Heero. Shame on her if she allowed herself to be left behind in a foreign place a second time! There was no way she was going to let Duo vanish without explanation.
Unfortunately, the boy proved to be most difficult to follow; he made his way through the masses with ease, sifting like sand between the busy crowds, and when the boy managed to find a place where he could sneak throughand that very spot disappeared before Hilde could do the same.
At what first seemed to be a lucky break, Hilde witnessed Duo falter in his otherwise smooth progress through the marketplace by crashing into a pair of males, and she thought she'd have a chance to catch up. Unfortunately, unlike Duo, her attention was quickly gained by these two males, for they were not just any males. They were good looking males of whom she had spent most of her childhood playing beside.
Hilde's eyes widened with mirth at the sight of them. Trowa, who looked startled but unbothered by the collision, had picked himself up off the ground and returned his hood to his head to avoid recognition. Now all one could see of his face was a seldom forest green eye and golden brown bangs long overdue for a trim. Heero seemed a little more frustrated, perhaps at himself for being caught so off guard, but he soon cooled his mild anger enough to adjust his hood as well. Though he didn't stick out as much as Trowa any swordsman around would know his face and he'd be recognized instantly, drawing a crowd that could possibly lead to Trowa's discovery as well, and that was the last thing the trio needed.
She quickly flagged them down with the wave of her hand, temporarily forgetting all about Duo. "Hey!" She called, and the two boys found her moving form with ease.
"Where were you?" Trowa asked, though he really didn't seem all too interested in the answer. "We need to leave."
"We've checked the map and ventured around town. No appropriate inns were located in that time span and we can't stay in the open much longer." Heero started immediately after, expression a good deal more severe then the prince's. Obviously he didn't think as lightly of 'her' disappearance as Trowa. "If we do, we're targets. We'll leave Anila and try somewhere else-"
"No!" Hilde interrupted bravely, sweating from both the chase and sun. "I just talked with someone here! Anila's been building! There's a whole new section between the alleyways that has yet to be printed on Satulurain's maps!"
"Not on the maps?" Trowa repeated, raising an eyebrow curiously.
"Yes! Don't you see?" she asked, now looking to Heero who had so far served as their leader. "It's perfect! We could stay here as long as we liked and not get hunted down!"
"Yes." Trowa replied, closing his eyes with a smirk. "I trust you got this information from a reliable source. If we can acquire an equally reliable guide it'd be perfectly suitable for us to stay here any given number of days. Perhaps we could even wait for the guards to pass us by and head inwards towards a more suitable location, right Heero?"
"Affirmative." The brown haired boy responded, revealing a grin of his own.
"Good, good, now this way!" Hilde started, remembering herself. "I met someone! A boy around our age! He promised to help!" Both prince and bodyguard sent her questionable glances, to which she could only blush. "Shut up!" she said despite their silence before she took off again. Trowa called for her to wait, but she had already wasted too much time speaking to them.
She had to find Duo now so that he could whisk them away to safety. At first she had no idea as to the new boy's location, but his ridiculously long braid caught her attention soon enough. Duo had disappeared into a crowd that Hilde too found herself plowing through; she could only hope that Trowa and Heero had been able to keep their eyes on her and were thus nearby.
"HEY!" she heard the boy call out suddenly, and the anger in his voice made her halt in her tracks. "There isn't a trespass great enough in this world for him to deserve that, let him be!" Her eyes quickly sought out Duo, and she saw the braided boy's attention lay not on her, but on a dark haired man standing in the center of the crowd.
Letting out a startled gasp, she covered her mouth with both hands and quickly turned away. A boy, petite in figure with blonde hair kneeled before the crowd. There were deep whip marks embedded in his back, and by the sound of things, it wasn't going to stop, despite Duo's protesting. The blonde didn't even cry out as he was struck again and again, and Hilde found herself growing furious by Duo's lack of activity.
She had thought them to be friends by his outburst, why did he stand by and watch like so many others? It enraged her; were it Trowa or Heero in the blonde's stead she would have surely done more then assume the role of a spectator. Returning her eyes to Duo, she found his gaze now stuck on the pale boy in the center of the crowd. The blonde, despite all that was going on around him, seemed to be more concerned with holding Duo back then anything else. Hilde's eyes widened in utter disbelief when the boy offered the brunette a smile and wink; how could he present such reassurance while going through that treatment was beyond her.
She knew absolutely nothing about the blonde, not even a name, but she saw nothing admirable in his actions right now. To her, there was no honor in kneeling like a dog before your master's feet to accept such ruthless treatment. That was foolish and surely against the law in a place like Anila… wasn't it? The most punishment she had ever received for a misdeed was a spanking on the rear end when she was a child. As a teenager, punishment changed to either isolation in her room or a slap across the wrists. How could people stand treating other peopleso poorly?
In those thoughts, she found her voice. "S-stop that!" she started, startling many people, Duo and the blonde included. The dark haired man with the whipmerely sneered, obviously not pleased to be interrupted a second time. "You're going to kill him!" she continued angrily, clenching her fists at her side.
"Hilde!" Duo started, desperation clear in his voice. It seemed as though he had wanted to say a good deal more then that, but fear for both her and the blonde's safety was holding him back.
Despite this, she wouldn't stand down. Hilde moved to the front, intent on making the man's aids release the boy. She pushed one man away with strengthhe obviously didn't think one of her petite stature possessed before grabbing the boy's arm and slinging it over her shoulder. The blonde seemed to be in a state of shock and fear as Hilde made to carry him off; where, she hadn't the foggiest.
While trying to get him at least past the crowd she noticed that there was someone else clinging to the boy, trying desperately to keep him in place. The dark haired girl gritted her teeth in frustration before she turned to face him. "Sod off already!" she said, trying to tug the blonde free, but before she could get much anywhere she heard Duo calling her name a second time.
She found the brunette's face in the crowd and he was looking urgently behind her. Fearful, the girl turned around just in time to see the whip in the air, but she was much too terrified to do anything. It had been so wrong in her mind for a man to attack a girl that never in a million years would she have seen this coming. At a loss for what to do, Hilde settled for closing her eyes and turning away, as though it would take away the intensity of the attack. Prepared for the worst, she awaited the sting of the whip, but before any pain came to her she found herself lying on the ground only seconds before the whip cracked.
The blonde boy had pushed her away. He had pushed her to the left of the crowd so that she'd miss the blow. When realization of this sunk in she spun her head around. The blonde was now starring at her, eyes wide with concern, but when she returned the gaze they softened, as though… relieved. Hilde's eyes eventually traveled down the length of his arm to the place she had been standing moments ago. A long, bloody gash ran across his arm, marking what should have been her punishment.
Eyes widened, Hilde found herself gulping down her breakfast at the close call, and she felt immensely guilty for having to have the boy save her like that, for even though he had just been struck he didn't seem the least bit angry with her. He was smiling, smiling because she had been spared serious harm. Her eyes watered in self loathing as Duo rushed to her side, also concerned for her safety. Two complete strangers were worried about her, even though everything was entirely her fault for stepping out of line when Duo had warned her not to. Was this not his home? His territory? Duo should have known better then anyone what would have happened, yet she had brushed off his warning with little care and attempted to help anyway.
To her, it just felt so awful; not being able to do anything, but that didn't give her the right to act, did it?
"Fucking hell, Septum!" Duo yelled angrily, putting a comforting hand on Hilde's shoulder. "She's just a girl!"
"A girl that needs to learn her place!" He spat back, devil's grin displayed clearly across his features. Wiping the dried blood from his nose, he continued. "And you should learn yours!"
"Duo!" the blonde yelled again, panic clear in his voice. Soon, Hilde understood why. It seemed Septum no longer cared who got in the way of his attacks, for he had raised his whip again, aiming for the pair of them. People in close proximity to Duo and Hilde ran away, letting out terrified wails as they dispersed. The two, stranded on their knees, couldn't hope to move as quickly, so, swearing loudly, Duo hid Hilde in his arms, hoping to take the full force of the blow and defend her.
Not being in the right state of mind to comprehend what was going on, Hilde clung to the boy's shirt and hid her face. After the threatening sound of the whip's crack passed, she narrowly opened her eyes and looked to Duo's face. His eyes too were opened, but they were wide with wonder and confusion. Knitting her eyebrows together in an equal state of bewilderment, Hilde looked passed Duo and found that someone had blocked the whip in his stead.
At first the odd angle of the sun had ruined her view of the person. Hilde had to squint in order to better scrutinize the cloaked figure. Upon realization of the 'stranger's' identity her entire demeanor brightened noticeably. Her hands shot to her mouth before she could say a word, for her two friends had warned her that letting lose their names was hazardous to the mission. Instead, she let out a startled gasp at Trowa's back.
Afterwards she quickly searched out Heero's location and found him a few paces ahead of her prince with Septum at his feet. The dark haired man's expression was a mix of mortification, fear and anger. He clutched his hands to his once again bleeding nose, kicking at the dirt as if to get away from her friend as fast as possible. Heero held in his right hand the whip and was analyzing it as though it were of high interest. Eventually though he abandoned it, tossing it towards an astonished looking blonde boy before he took a step towards Septum, cracking his knuckles to show that he was ready for a fight whenever the man chose to rise to his feet.
"You should have kept your whip to your servant boy." Trowa said dismally, as if the entire situation had already bored him. "This girl is of my household. If there's a lesson she's in need of learning I will find a teacher of higher wit and understanding then yourself to educate her." Septum's face fired up with rage once again, and he looked ready to yell his protests, but as he made to get to his feet Heero once again cracked his knuckles. Needless to say, the man found himself silent and terrified, quivering in the dirt once more. Trowa took the silence as his right to proceed and continued to speak without hesitation. "In any case, I see she's troubled you to some degree. I'm ready to compensate you for your troubles by paying coin for her trespasses. Perhaps it'd also be prudent for me to relieve you of your servant boy, who seems to have been giving you a challenging time as well."
Hilde smiled broadly and turned to face Duo, who seemed rather dumbstruck as he sat with his bottom and palms to the ground and mouth ajar, trying to grasp this new situation. She then turned to face the nameless boy, expecting to see him overcome with joy from Trowa's speech. After all, he was offering to pay for him! Considering how his current life must have been playing out, this should have been a joy close to being set free. However, Hilde's own smile faltered when she saw the blonde absolutely terrified and worried. His fingers were digging into the ground as if he wished to disappear, and it seemed as though all pain in his back had been numbed by the horror of what was happening. She was absolutely puzzled by this. Didn't the boy want freedom?
Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw something glistening in the sun. Trowa had produced a gold coin from his money pouch, causing all who hadn't been frightened off by Septum's earlier attack to gasp in awe. "This alone should be enough to pay for the girl's unwanted involvement, but," he then brushed his thumb down his index finger, as if to snap, and revealed a second coin hidden behind the first. "Here's the separate payment for the boy. I'm sure it's more then his worth." He carelessly tossed the coins to the ground and Duo took that opportunity to rush to his friend's side. The blonde didn't look capable of moving on his own due to shock and injury. He'd need assistancegetting to his feet.
Septum greedily picked up the coins, clutching them to his chest in spite the death glare Heero was giving him for forcing the prince's involvement. The bodyguard kept his eyes on the worm even after Trowa turned to help Hilde to her feet. He kneeled before her and offered her his hand,a gesture that would make the ordinary girl swoon romantically. Hilde simply accepted her friend's help and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. The blonde too had been brought to a standing position with the help of Duo, and since they were all ready to leave thePrince of Satulurain made to depart the scene.
Before he could get far, however, he was stopped by Septum's quivering call. "Wait!" he had said, and though obviously annoyed, Trowa turned around to face the man. "I'm merely his overseer!" he pleaded, attempting to look humble. "That boy belongs to the Lady Winner! Perhaps this coin is enough to forgive his wrongs for today, but it is not enough to buy him without the lady's concen-"
Before Septum could finish, two more gold coins were thrown his way, smacking against his chest before hitting the ground. "I understand your plight. Consider him rented, then. Surely your mistress can do without one servant for a week." Considering the matter settled, Trowa offered Hilde his arm, not wanting her to wander off a third time to start more chaos. The girl wordlessly accepted, knowing she had caused her friends a good deal of unwanted trouble.
After sending Septum another icy glare, daring the coward to halt them a second time with his greediness, Heero too took to leaving. Over his shoulder he heard the man let out a relieved sigh, and he found disappointment in how quick the scum had forgotten his misdeeds. The brown haired bodyguard then raised a hand, cracking his knuckles one last time before dropping his arm back down to his side. A small shriek came from the man crawling around the ground behind him and Heero smirked knowing that he had understood the 'reminder'.
Being at the front with Trowa, Hilde couldn't help but to be concerned with the two new boys traveling behind her. She thought them in need of more help then what her friends were currently offering due to the severity of the blonde's condition, but as she made to look behind her she was pleasantly surprised to see that Heero had found his place underneath the boy's other arm and was helping Duo carry him through the streets. As if reading her mind, Trowa gave Hilde's hand a squeeze, catching her attention. He then gave her a small smile, something that had, of late, become a rare treat that very few were fortunate enough to receive. We're not total scumbags that smile had read, and Hilde let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding before offering a smile of her own.
"…Liar." Surprised, Hilde turned back around to see Duo sporting a mock frown. "Here I was hoping to meet two lovely widows in need of a good time. This is such a let down." Laughing at the blank, confused stare Trowa sent the brown haired boy, Hilde attempted to cover her humor with a hand. She was mildly stunned to see that the blonde, despite his obvious pain and bewilderment, was also laughing quietly, even though he did not fully understand the joke. "Well, you've definitely proven to be a rogue, so I guess I'll accept your half truth and fulfill my duty of showing you that inn I'd recommended earlier. But!" at this, the boy thrusted his free arm into the air, pointing a finger towards the sky. "I need food first." and as if that were a bizarre cue of some sort, the boy's stomach began to rumble in hunger.
-To be continued-
AN: And I'm ending it there because if I write anymore it would be like putting the entire story down in this one chapter… for me, anyway.
I only hope that I wrote to your satisfaction; I think I lost a bit of skill halfway through that story just because it dragged on for so gosh darn long. Thus, there may be some word and description repetition that I'll need to weed out at a later date, after my brain's recovered.
Once again, to satisfy the interest of the curious, some story information for you all:
Why Odette? Well, the Swan Princess is a favorite story of mine (got to love the tragedies), I'd recommend 'The Black Swan' to anyone wishing to get a different take on the tale. Excellent book, that is. Still, this isn't the reason why I made her so important in this chapter.
Last week I was asked by my Art teacher to go into the AP (Advanced Placement) art course. For my concentration, I decided to do prisma color fantasy portraits. I've always had a fascination with the 'animal in human form' theme and took to drawing a picture of a woman garbed as a swan for my black and whit(ish) piece. Later on, my English teacher told me that the woman I was working on looked like a lady participating in the masquerade of Venis.
This twisted my brain in the worst sort of way and I immediately began to think of those vampire-like immortal people who've been portrayed throughout history in photographs and paintings; beautiful, unchanged, and undying. I threw the idea of Odette being someone who died because of her tragic fate out the window and instead thought she was cursed to live the lonely life of immortality because her prince had failed to break the spell the sorcerer had placed on her. Now she lives throughout history as both a human and swan, helping to end tragedies like her own from occurring by aiding those in need, like Quatre. You could say she just managed to weasel her way into this story without my permission.
The ring… that took research. I'm sure you can all guess what fairytale inspired it. If you actually find yourself in the dark on that one, you'll have to wait till later chapters to understand, I guess.
Some people might be wondering why one or two gold pieces would draw so much attention. Well, this is how the money system works. 1 gold is equal to 100 silver, 1 silver is equal to 100 bronze. Thus, 1 gold is equal to 10, 000 bronze pieces. Even most nobles only carry silver and bronze, so for Trowa to have so much gold at his disposal is a sign of great wealth. Now think, he gave Septum 4 gold pieces. That's $40, 000 in their curency, Septum only gets to keep the $10, 000 meant to forgive Hilde. That means Lady Une just got $30, 000 for absolutely nothing. I guess the Winner fortune is safe for another day. XD
Thinking about it, I actually hope I got Hilde's character right… so little of her is shown in the anime that I was a little lost on how to portray her character. However, she's always struck me as a smart girl with a strong sense of morals, and although she obviously made a few mistakes in this chapter you can tell that she'll learn from them and grow. That's the sort of character I saw her as in the series and I tried to reflect that in my writing.
Some characters like Duo are a little harder, just because I'm never been a very funny person. Luckily I'm on better terms with characters like Quatre, Trowa and Heero, so this story won't be a complete failure, lol.
To the reviewers:
Thank you so much! It was nice to hear from you, especially since I didn't think I'd receive as many reviews as I did, especially since this my first fanfic.
The Yaoi Mistress: yours was the first review I received, and it was so positive that I felt like hopping around my house in joy! Thanks so much!
Misanagi: hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though I don't feel it was as well written as my prologue… lol. Hope you'll continue to read and review!
yaeko: obviously this is what's next, lol. Hope you liked it and continue reading!
Blue-Fire-Pheonix: sorry to keep you waiting and thanks for being so patient! Glad you liked the prologue!
Angl: lol, here, more! 26-27 pages of typed writing! Hope that's enough to keep you satisfied till the next chapter is done. :)
Danyu: wow, thanks for the positive feedback! XD you liked the prologue so much that I can't help but to think this chapter really isn't comparable, especially since I needed to drop a bit of the fairytale writing style that the prologue had in abundance in order to keep the story moving. Hope you liked it nonetheless and continue to read and review!
Ryukai-MJ: the chapter was even longer, ne? xD hope you liked it!
Carmina Burana: I can't thank you enoughfor telling me about the anonymous review blocker. Everything should be fixed now! Thanks for the review and I hope you continue reading. I'm going to try to get my act together for the next chapter!
MikosWish: lol, I sent you a reply awhile ago because I didn't want to post so many semi-spoilers here, but for anyone curious, yes, this story was mildly inspired by the movie 'Ever After' because, after watching it, I was finally motivated to start writing 'Portentum', which has been at the back of my brain for quite some time now. Still, you must have noticed that more fairytales then Cinderella are to be involved now, ne? Thanks for the wonderful review!
Also, thanks to Burned Vamp, Dancho, Memeal, Ubiquity and Venus4, who didn't leave reviews but put me on their alert lists. Thanks so much for reading my story, guys! Its means so much to me!
Till the next chapter! Bye bye!
Arlen Sayos