A/N: Hello again, everyone! Welcome to chapter six. Now we're moving into Relena's new life, I wonder what will happen next? We'll find out! To the reviewer inquiring about whether we're going to see a bit from Heero's POV: here's your lucky day! He's got one right here in this chapter. It's almost like you're psychic, huh :)?

I'm also trying not to inundate my author's notes with so many review thank yous, but I can't resist one more for good measure: I just want to say how much I appreciate all the feedback and support! Seriously, I read and re-read your reviews a lot haha! You guys are the reason why I keep writing. Enjoy!


Chapter Six

A woman with short, violet-colored hair strolled casually through the halls of the manor. Other servants who beheld her presence greeted her with a bow, signifying that she held some degree of higher rank than they. Unlike the other female staff, however, she wore a formal purple coat and white slacks. She knocked gingerly at the mistress's door but heard no answer. She must still be asleep, the woman thought. Peeking her head inside, she smiled at the figure still resting soundly upon the bed. The poor girl must have been so exhausted from the events of yesterday.

The woman slipped inside and went to draw the curtains back.

"Good morning, Lady Relena," she said, "It's time to rise, the sun is at nearly midday."

Slowly, Relena was roused from her slumber. The woman saw brief confusion flash across her mistress's face before the recognition set in. That's right, she was in her new home now.

"Did I really sleep for so long?" Relena arched her back with a yawn.

"Well you and the master returned quite late in the evening last night, and it was a very busy day for the both of you."

"Yes," Relena said. She then realized that she had no idea who this strange woman was.

"Pardon me, I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting you yet?"

"My name is Noin," the woman stood at attention and bowed, "Lucrezia Noin. I am the stewardess of the household."

The steward position was the highest ranking among the household hierarchy as he or she was in charge of carrying out all tasks involved in managing the estate and manners of domestic affairs on behalf of the lord and lady. This meant being responsible for house staff completing their duties, making sure administrative matters ran smoothly, and communicating directly with the lord and lady.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Noin."

"Likewise, my lady. Come, breakfast is waiting for you in the main dining hall. I'll have a servant guide you there when you are dressed and ready."

Noin then took her leave to attend to other matters and Relena was directed to her wardrobe, where attendants assisted her with her gown. Today she chose a simple blue frock. As soon as she finished her morning routine, the maids directed her to a small parlor downstairs. A full breakfast was laid out on the table, still warm from the kitchen. Noin was present to wait on her should she desire anything else.

Relena sat and noticed the conspicuous absence of a certain man.

"Will General Yuy not be having his breakfast?"

"He has already left for the castle," Noin explained, "I'm afraid his position requires him to leave at dawn in order to meet the troops for their morning exercises. Lord Heero said he would return at nightfall."

"Ah, I see."

For a while, Relena ate in silence. She was a bit disappointed by the news. It would seem that for the most part she would be left largely to her own devices in this unfamiliar house. Not that she had been excited for his presence or anything, but Heero was the only familiar face she knew now. And if he was only going to return to the estate in the evenings, that really didn't leave much time for them to get to know each other, did it?

Noin had asked her if the quality of the food was satisfactory, to which she replied yes.

"How long have you been at this manor?" she asked the stewardess.

"I have only recently entered General Yuy's service," Noin said, "He was gifted this estate from Prince Treize two years ago, but for a very long time it laid neglected and barely used. There was one groundskeeper who was assigned to maintain the place, but for the most part General Yuy did not visit it. He preferred to stay in his personal quarters at the barracks, closer to the training grounds."

She moved to refill the lady's tea, "But, after his arrangement to you, he had a full staff appointed and made this his permanent residence. I remember when I was first hired the entire staff and I had to stay up two days straight just to scrub all the dust that had collected from these past two years."

"Well, you all did a fine job at it," Relena smiled, "Everything looks so clean and wonderful."

Relena thanked her for the tea and turned to look out the window. In the distance she could see the city and the castle. Surrounding the estate were lightly wooded areas and a mountainous pass to its rear. It seemed that the estate had been situated with careful consideration for defense, as such terrain would make it difficult for larger squadrons to attack from the back. The front was open and had high visibility, allowing the staff to spot any potential approaching dangers.

"How far from the capital are we?"

"We are at the outskirts, ma'am, about a few miles southeast of the castle."

"Not too far a distance from the city."

"Will you go often into town?" Noin made note to check upon the condition of the carriage and stables later.

"Not necessarily," Relena said, "But I have a friend who lives there. I wouldn't want to make it too difficult for her to come and see me. Your position requires you to visit town daily, doesn't it Noin?"

Noin nodded, "Indeed it does. I have to arrange purchases in the market, deliver correspondences, and coordinate whatever other tasks necessary to ensure the estate's functionality."

The two conversed for a while and Relena was grateful for the companionship. After she had finished her breakfast, Noin escorted her through a tour of the grounds. It would take probably take a few more tours for her to fully grasp the estate's layout, given that it was so vast. Besides that, she was also introduced to her duties now that she was lady of the manor.

As the lady, she was to manage the estate in Heero's place, which meant working closely with Noin to oversee that business ran as usual. This included but was not limited to: looking after the finances, status of the farms, upkeep of stables and storage areas, ordering the menu for the day, and receiving guests. She was also expected as a lady to stay informed of all the social happenings at court.

It was quite a formidable set of tasks, but as the day progressed she found the excessive list of duties to be actually very manageable.

"You're quite good at this," Noin mused as Relena returned from conversing with the estate's farmers.

"Thank you," Relena beamed shyly, "I'm quite surprised myself. I was always told running one's home was difficult work, but it seems I'll be able to manage just fine."

As they walked through the halls, Relena felt unexpectedly at ease in the older woman's presence. Noin was confident but patient and kind, almost maternal. She had not felt this way since her mother's death, and it felt nice.

They went through a few more duties together before Noin set off for the city. Relena had compiled quite a lengthy list of items for her to purchase. Though she had said the estate was lavishly decorated – which it was – she had found that a lot of finer details were neglected, such as books for the library, certain staple goods for the pantries, among other things. Thankfully she had some experience managing an estate after her mother had passed since her father was quite busy so much of the duties befell Relena.

After seeing her stewardess off, Relena then returned to her chambers. It would be a good few hours before Noin returned, so she needed to find something to occupy her mind. She sat at the vanity and surveyed her chambers.

Out the corner of her eye, she spotted several trunks in the corner of the room that were yet left unpacked. As she went to unlatch them, her expression softened forlornly.

These were her more personal belongings: books, pictures, letters, small trinkets and keepsakes from different moments in her life. Memories flooded her mind as she lifted each item from the trunk. There was the first doll her parents had ever given her. My, it was a ragged old thing now… but a ragged old thing that had persevered and survived everything up until now. She smiled fondly and stroked its remaining few tufts of hair. Next was a box full of letters and correspondences – most written by her father when he was away on travel – but some from old childhood friends who she had long lost touch with.

A good hour or two had probably passed while she sorted through the trunks. She had tried to take as much as she could from her old family home. Perhaps it was a bit pathetic of her, but she wanted to hold onto the memory of her parents for as long as she could.

She had been able to negotiate transfer of the much of the furniture and decor from the Darlian estate to her current residence, as Heero had not lived here before so the estate was very sparsely furnished. The Darlians did not have very much either, but any bit of familiarity was a welcome addition to this foreign place.

The next couple of trunks were filled entirely with her parents' things. There was her mother's jewelry box and her father's books. Curiously, she flipped through a few pages of the worn tomes. Most all of them were texts and treatises written on various policies ranging from politics to economy to warfare. Her mother often scolded her from reading such things, but she wasn't looking her father would silently sneak her a few books to read in secret. He was always an avid supporter of her education.

As she sorted the books, she came upon a portrait.

A dark red-brown splotch was splattered across it.

Relena's breath caught in her throat.

Her father's blood.

It was hurting her to look at it with the stain, but it was the only portrait she had of both her parents together. She willed herself to overlook the painful reminder.

The painting was of her and her family, the only one they had. Her father was not fond of paintings, but this he kept it on his desk. She had probably been around six or seven at the time it was painted. She remembered vaguely how restless and difficult she had been, refusing to sit still for more than five minutes at a time.

The thick wooden frame encasing it was quite weighty, Relena noted.

Her heart grew heavy. She did not know how long she had been looking at it for before a maid's gentle cough pulled her from her thoughts.

"Lady Yuy," the maid bowed, "You have a visitor, a Duchess Dorothy Catalonia here to see you."

Dorothy? Here? What? Relena rose hurriedly and brushed the dust from her dress. She had not thought to expect visitors so soon! After making sure her appearance was at least passible, Relena took a deep breath and went to meet her guest.

Dorothy sat in the center of the manor's large drawing room, casually surveying her surroundings. Today she wore a light blue, form-fitting gown. Her hair was worn long and straight down her back with a black ribbon atop her head. Relena was thoroughly impressed by how the duchess always held such an aristocratic air about herself – it was fascinating and fearsome at the same time.

"Hello Relena," Dorothy rose to greet her hostess, "My apologies for not giving prior notice, but I happened to be in the area and thought to pay you a visit. Am I your first guest as lady of the manor?"

"Indeed, you are," Relena motioned for her to sit, "Please, make yourself comfortable."

"I'm quite honored," Dorothy mused, "Have you already settled in?" A maid placed a humble tray of tea and sweets before the two ladies.

"Managing the best I can. It has only been a day after all."

"The house looks handsomely decorated. Did you plan it yourself?"

"Thank you," Relena smiled, "But I'm afraid the house was already furnished when I arrived, so I can't claim credit for that."

"You could have, and I never would've known."

Relena blinked.

"Pardon?"

"You could have claimed credit for decorating the house yourself and I would never have known otherwise," Dorothy repeated.

Lady Yuy quirked her head in confusion.

"True," she said, "But I'm not quite sure I see why. I would only embarrass myself by knowing I willingly lied to save my own appearance."

"Yes," Dorothy countered, "But perhaps now you've embarrassed your guest by repudiating their compliment."

Relena flushed, "Oh no, I didn't mean to offend-"

"Don't worry, you didn't," Dorothy smirked and took a sip of tea, "I simply asked a difficult question to see how you would react."

She purposefully sought to vex her? Well that was very odd… but little did she know the conversation was about to take an even more confusing turn.

"If I held a dagger to your throat," Dorothy said, "You would have had to confess that this mansion was not your work. But if that dagger was not present you could have lied and I would have thought you a capable and talented lady. You held that dagger to your own throat. Why is that?"

"Because I feel personally accountable for my actions," Relena explained, furrowing her brows. Where did Dorothy want her to go with this?

"I could have let you think me a more talented and capable lady, but that would have only benefitted me in the moment. Later on you could speak to another noble woman about me, and that woman may then want to enlist my services in decorating her own home. Eventually the lie would come undone and I would have disgraced myself as a fraud, stained your reputation, and wasted that noble woman's time. So it behooves all parties to be honest and accountable for their actions."

"Fair points," the duchess leaned back, intrigued, "I'm reminded of that conversation we had at your wedding feast. Do you remember it? How one could not judge the true nature of a man based on his actions in war or peace alone? When threatened, a man returns to his most base and primal instincts: fight or flight. In the face of adversity, he either proves himself courageous or cowardly. During peace, however, that pressure is gone and he may misrepresent himself however he pleases. How do you propose we reconcile that?"

"Yes, that instinct still exists, but man has evolved beyond those base and primal instincts, which is why they are called base and primal. He is now capable of complex thought and can recognize that the consequences of his actions affect more than just himself. You also forget that people are more easily influenced by their emotions in stressful situations, so unless you prefer a husband who cannot keep a level head then perhaps it's better to wait until Colonel Winner leaves the service, after all."

Dorothy let out a laugh.

"I concede, for now," she said mirthfully, "You have very noble, idealistic views, Relena. I must say it is refreshing to finally be able to converse with someone of some sense. You would not believe the utter nonsense the other ladies spout in King Dekim's court."

"Really?" Relena smirked, "Do tell."

"All they can talk about is what color ribbons to wear to the next ball or what next season's fashions will be. Lord forbid they dare talk about anything other than their own appearances."

"Is that so? Are you saying you don't enjoy talking about the latest fashions day in and day out? My, that's awfully unbecoming of you, Duchess Dorothy."

The two women bantered playfully for some time. As Dorothy had mentioned, this sort of conversation was not what she was used to having with other ladies. All Natalie ever talked about were current trends, whose son was courting whose daughter, etc. It felt riveting, and Relena was quite surprised at how enjoyable she found it. Perhaps her days would not be so unbearably lonely, after all.

"The sun is beginning to set," Dorothy observed, "I believe it is time for me to get going."

The two ladies stood and walked together to the foyer.

Dorothy turned to bid farewell to her hostess, "I'll be seeing you again, Lady Yuy."

Relena curtsied, "I look forward to it, Duchess Catalonia."


It was near midnight. The lights from the barracks had already been extinguished, save for a few guard post torches, and there was not a sound to be heard. The castle's training halls were completely empty, save for one lone soul.

Heero breathed slowly and deliberately as he once again went through his training exercises. He had not been able to practice consistently for near three days because of the wedding, so he had much catching up to do. In a few months, Master J planned to release Zero: an augmentation that would make the suits more powerful and better synced with their wearers, and Heero was slated to be the first to test it. He knew not the specifics of the system, but it involved having the suits inject a strange potion into their wearers and then draw from them a sample of blood.

"This breathes life into the suit," Master J had said, "Bringing it to a level beyond just armor. With this, the suits will no longer have any physical limitations: they will move as you do, bend as you bend, and swing as fast as you swing. It will amplify your emotions tenfold, giving you more determination, more tenacity, more ferocity. But I warn you, the draught is taxing on the wearer. You will need to be in peak physical and mental shape to bear its burden. Train well, Heero, for you will need it."

A thin layer of sweat had built upon his skin. His muscles burned but he paid no heed to the pain. His mind was empty, focused on nothing but the tasks at hand… except for the quick, fleeting thought of a certain honey-haired girl.

Heero cursed as he stumbled in his routine.

The general placed his hands upon his knees and doubled over, panting heavily. Why was she entering his thoughts?

He sat upon the hall's floor and allowed himself a brief respite. Heero took a sip from his flask and fell back to stare at the ceiling above.

Several times today he had found himself thinking about Relena. They were but momentarily flashes, yet they occurred enough to make him excessively annoyed.

He remembered when he had seen her that night not too long ago, defending that peasant girl. Her body shook ever so slightly in fear as she stood before Wufei, yet her eyes told a different story. They were bright and confident, almost defiant. Aqua-blue, like the sea.

He remembered how those eyes had welled with tears when he lifted her veil at the altar. Sad, anxious, regretful. She was so different then – a fragile girl, in pain, forced into an arrangement not of her design.

When King Dekim had propositioned him with the arrangement, Heero truly did not feel anything about it. He was being given orders, so he obeyed. He had no real impression of the girl at the time, so there was nothing to feel. How could he regret choosing her when he had no other "prospects" to compare her to? How could he be sad when he did not stand to lose anything?

She was a normal girl of sound mind and health. That was good enough for him. What was there to feel?

His mind wandered to after the wedding feast, when they boarded the carriage to his estate. Relena had nodded off almost immediately after it set into motion. For a while, he stared out at the night scenery, resting his chin upon his palm, gratified that the day's events were finally over. As the carriage shook and swayed, he felt a weight come to rest gently against his side.

Prussian blue eyes glanced over to see Relena's sleeping figure resting against him, shivering slightly. She was cold.

He undid his coat and placed it upon her, being careful not to accidentally rouse her. Heero was satisfied when her shivering ceased and she snuggled deeper into the coat's warmth.

Her shoulders were so small, he noted. He thought back to chapel, where she seemed so fragile, so delicate… Something stirred within him. Was it pity? Sympathy? Maybe. He didn't know, really. It wasn't so surprising, though. She was a noblewoman who had lived a sheltered life. She wasn't trained and hardened by the burden of war, like Lady Une. It would be so easy for her to be harmed… but he would never allow that. He had sworn a vow to protect her, and so he would.

"You're still here?"

Heero looked up to see Duo and Wufei walking towards him. They had probably been assigned evening watch duty and just returned from their posts.

"You should go home, isn't Relena expecting you?"

"When did you get so familiar with her?" Wufei jabbed at the braided colonel.

"When I bothered to befriend her at their reception," Duo said mockingly, "Something wrong with that?"

"You sound awfully proud of yourself."

"Yeah, I am, because she's actually very sweet and I'd be happy to get to know her better!"

Heero stood and brushed past the two generals.

They stared after his retreating figure.

"What's gotten into him?" Duo blinked in surprise.

"Probably doesn't want to hear any more of your nonsense," Wufei extinguished the lights in the training room before securing the doors.

"Hey," Duo said, following him, "We've got to make sure he leaves here at more normal times. How are they going to spend time getting to know each other if he's spending all of it here?"

"His business is his business."

"I think you would know better than any of us how important it is to know your partner. You were married before, right? I mean, I don't know all the details, but you two hardly knew each other too-"

Suddenly, Wufei whirled around and grabbed Duo by the collar, his aura menacing.

"I don't want to talk about it," he spoke through gritted teeth.

He released the general and stormed off towards the barracks.

Duo looked down guiltily. He jogged to catch up with him.

"Hey," Duo said gently, being careful to convey he meant no ill will, "Sorry. I didn't mean to bring up any painful memories."

Wufei stopped.

He let out a heavy breath and allowed his shoulders to slump back.

"It's fine," his tone was quieter now, "It happened almost 7 years ago."

There as a lull in the night and neither said anything for a while. Duo wanted to let Wufei calm on his own. He was probably remembering the events that transpired right now. Once he sensed that his aura had calmed enough, Duo broke the silence.

"You know," he said, "If you ever want to vent about it, I'm here to listen. We're comrades after all."

Wufei turned to him. His usual angry exterior dropped just a bit and he offered him a soft sigh.

"Thanks, Maxwell. Get some sleep."

Duo nodded, "You too, Wufei. I'll see you tomorrow."

Elsewhere, Heero had begun the ride home. His horse galloped at a leisurely pace. Though his estate was a few miles from the castle, the road between there and the capital was well maintained so the journey took less time than estimated. Especially now, with no one else around. He was soon approaching the main courtyard, where he signaled to a groundskeeper serving the night watch.

As the groundskeeper took the horse to the stables, he noticed a few windows on the first floor of the estate were still illuminated. Relena's chambers were dark, so Noin was probably still up.

Sure enough, the stewardess arrived to greet him as he entered the manor.

"Welcome home, Lord Yuy," she said bowing to her master.

"Noin," he monotonously acknowledged her presence, "Lady Relena is in her chambers?"

At this, Noin tensed slightly.

"Ah, no, not exactly. She is currently in the drawing room."

"At this hour?" Heero was surprised. It was past midnight.

"Lady Relena was waiting for you to return. Should I fetch her?"

Waiting? Heero didn't understand. What for? He had instructed Noin to tell her he wouldn't be back until very late.

"No," he said.

He then went into the aforementioned room. It was dim, the candles nearly burnt to their bases. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, they came to rest upon the sleeping figure of his wife laying upon one of the couches. In her lap a book lay open. So she had been waiting for him, then… He still couldn't figure out what for, unless she liked to deprive herself of sleep in such ways.

Heero bent to lift the girl into his arms. Her head lolled forward and fit naturally into the crook of his neck. Short, warm puffs of breath fell upon the skin of his collarbone. He began ascending the steps to her room. She stirred slightly but did not wake, instead lifting a hand to grasp at his tunic. She held onto it gently yet securely, as if placing an unspoken trust in her carrier.

Well, it wasn't necessarily unspoken.

She had to trust him now. They were bound until death.

The more he thought about it, the stranger the idea became to him. A union that would last for the rest of their days… The closest comparison he guessed would probably be his generals, some of whom he had known for 10 years now. But eventually, they would be taking their leave from Oz to start families as well or follow other pursuits, as would he in due time. So his comrades would depart, and yet Relena would still remain at his side. He didn't quite know what to make of this unfamiliar notion.

Heero had reached her room and still the girl was sound asleep. He gently laid her upon the bed and took a moment to observe her sleeping expression. It was… peaceful. Not worried like it had been the other night. He figured that this suited her better.

Relena let out a soft moan as she was disturbed from her slumber.

Blurred surroundings came into focus and her eyes came to rest upon a certain Prussian blue-eyed man.

"G… General Yuy!"

"Heero."

Relena blinked.

"Just Heero is fine."

Oh…

"Heero…" referring to him in such a familiar manner felt weird on her tongue. She cleared her throat, "Did you just return?"

He nodded. She was slightly uncomfortable with the way he was looking at her so intently.

"What time is it?"

"Past midnight. You were asleep in the drawing room, so I brought you to your chambers."

Relena blushed, "Thank you…"

"Hn."

Seeing that his business was done, Heero stood and went to exit the room. As his fingers graced the knobs, her gentle voice met his ears.

"Goodnight, Heero."

He paused.

"Goodnight, Relena."