[A.N.] I am so super sorry it has taken me this long to get this chapter out. I have been through a lot lately and I have been pacing myself on this chapter because there aren't going to be many more so I need to make sure all my ducks are in a row. That being said, please enjoy and as always, feedback is more than welcome; it's downright appreciated!
The colossal rock giant swung his arm menacing at Duo causing him to duck just in time for Trowa to parry the hit. The force of the collision all but sent the former circus performer backward, an action that was halted by his sister's quick thinking. Wufei seemed to dance around the other behemoth striking precise blows in an attempt to whittle away at the beast. If enough of the crucial areas could receive the necessary damage, then both giants could finally be felled hopefully before their small band. The megalithic monsters growled as they scattered around them like soldier ants on the mound.
"This is ridiculous! " Duo called out. "The three of you were able to take out one, right? How come these two are so tough?"
"Less talk, more fight, Maxwell!" Wufei growled.
"No, he has a point." Trowa said as he dodged another blow. "It's almost as if the creatures gained power somehow."
"Damn." Duo swore.
"I think that when we destroyed the first one, these two gained its strength." Trowa surmised.
"Oh, lovely!" Hilde hissed as she slashed out at the beast again. "So if we kill another the last one is going to be invincible."
"Not necessarily." Dorothy added hopefully.
"No offense, Dorothy, but it's kind of your fault we're here, so I really don't want to hear—"
"Now's not the time, Duo!" Sally chastised him. Dorothy winced at his words anyway. She couldn't help but feel guilty about all of this. She betrayed Relena in the hopes of protecting her friends and instead ended up causing them to run straight into danger.
"There has to be a way to kill two birds with one stone." Wufei declared as he landed a blow on the back of the first monster's knee.
"Our best bet is to keep trying to take them out before they take us out instead. We can only hope Heero succeeds in saving Relena so we can get the hell out of here!" Trowa said. The silent agreement between the friends was a promise.
Zechs ran up the stairs of the castle corridors to the highest turret of the castle. Below him, his army and the army of the castle had begun their skirmish. It broke his heart to see his people fighting one another. He gripped the hilt of his father's sword and said a silent prayer to the god above that somehow things would turn out for the best.
"My people!" His voice echoed through the walls of the courtyard. "My people, hear me!" He declared louder this time. All eyes rose to look at his, a beacon of strength wearing the royal garb of the king before him. "Cease this senseless violence. I, Milliardo Peacecraft of Sanc Kingdom, your king, have returned!" He saw the hesitation, the doubt. "I know I failed you. I vanished and left you to the same wiles of the witch that stole me from you. The time has come now to reclaim our home from the evil that has oppressed it! Lay down your arms and be as one nation again! I hereby make you a solemn vow that from this moment on I will do all I can to repair the damage that has been done. I will not rest until it is so! Now, this question I pose to you: Will you join me and return this kingdom to its former glory?"
"It's not the king! It's a trick!" yelled someone from below. A cacophony from angry voices rose above the crowd. As swords began to clang again. In a last ditch attempt, Zechs threw off the helmet and stood proudly in the twilight.
"Hear me! Can you not see you fight your fellow countrymen? Brother's husbands, fathers and sons! Let no more blood be spilled!" As the men continued their fight, he looked on with anxiety. A great sense of loss and helplessness surged through him light lightning. Was the witch's power so complete? Was she truly that strong? Grabbing one of the long banners jumped from the turrets and swung down among his men, joining the fray.
"Spare as many lives as you can! Kill none if you can manage it!" He yelled as he fought his way though. He knocked one man down and another one took his place. Like a swarm of angry hornets they continued to charge deciding to kill the imposter. Zechs clubbed one man behind his head and turned to take out another when Noin beat him to it. She stood at his back.
"Noin." He said.
"Zechs, I've come to back you up."
"It seems as though we may have reached our limit."
"I'm not saying any goodbyes yet."
"Of course not, Noin."
"We can do this together."
"Agreed." In that instant, the two began fighting back to back and side by side. His confidence now restored, he felt a sudden sense of hope build within him.
Relena felt some sort of power shoot through the darkness clouding her mind, piercing the imprisoning fog like a lance. She felt her heart jump to life and her lungs tingle as the ability to breathe returned to her. The sound of wicked laughter assaulted her ears as her senses began to awaken. Her eyes, still heavy from the remains of the spell, slowly fluttered open, once, twice, and on the third, became fully aware of her surroundings. The familiar stone of her family's castle greeted, but there was now a darkness looming almost visibly, clinging to the walls and support rafters. There was a weight on her chest, she looked around, cautiously. Une was there, facing the opposite side of the room, no doubt gloating in what Relena supposed was an assumed victory. Taking the opportunity, she glanced down cautiously, her eyes catching sight of a familiar mess of unruly brown hair.
"Heero…" Relena barely heard her own voice; her throat obviously still hadn't fully recovered from her magically induced coma. She slowly made her way into a half-sitting position and gathered Heero's limp body in her arms. "Heero… please…?" She couldn't feel him breathing.
"Well, well… it appears the boy had what it took to wake you after all." Relena tensed, her gaze landing on the woman across the room. "Too bad for him, really. He sacrificed himself for you, only for it to be in vain."
"You killed him." The word left her lips as a half-sob.
"I gave him the option to serve me and live. He chose to fight. Really, I had no choice." Une's evil grin triggered something inside her. Something sizzled within her; it started in her gut and shot into her chest, and then made its way into her very bloodstream. "Don't worry, little princess. I will be sending you to see him very soon and your friends as well. I'm sure my monolithic pets have finished them off by now." Relena saw the faces of her friends flash through her mind. They all were willing to sacrifice themselves to save her. In that moment, she felt a change finalize within her. A power she'd felt only once before in the midst of the wolves came once more; this time stronger. She felt it settle into her as though it had always been a natural part of her being. She gently placed Heero's body down before standing up and facing the sorceress.
"Oh, dear; have I made the little princess angry?"
"Lady Une," she began, remembering her conversation with Treize. "It doesn't have to be this way. I know that this isn't you; that you're being controlled by an evil force. You can fight it and I will help you."
"You poor thing. Thinking I would ever need your help, let alone want it! I finally have everything!"
"Do you? Look around, Une. Your forces are crumbling. As we speak, my brother leads an army against yours to retake what you have stolen. My friends will not rest until this is over and you are stopped for good."
"You're trying to rattle me. It won't work." Relena shook her head.
"You know I am above such tricks. See for yourself, if you wish." Une stared at her for what felt like a short eternity. Then, the older woman's eyes widened and her lip trembled ever so slightly.
"I will not lose… I cannot." Une said her voice a low rasp.
"Lady Une, please… I know you don't want to do this."
"You waste your words, Princess."
"Perhaps; but I will not give up."
"Suit yourself, your highness." With an evil grin, a bolt of crimson lightning shot from the older woman's hand, flashing and crackling as it made its way towards her.
Zechs parried an attack while Noin, who remained firmly behind him, thrust her sword out, striking a non-fatal blow to another opponent.
"Your majesty!" A voice yelled behind him. It was the light haired man, Quatre. The new arrival helped defeat their surrounding opponents. "The rear of the castle is ours. All that's left is to take the courtyard and the interior and we've won."
"Not quite. As long as Une continues to live the fight will never end."
"Zechs." Noin said, gripping his arm.
"I just hope Yuy has been successful. Even if Une is defeated, if my sister dies, I will feel as if we've lost."
"Don't worry. Heero won't let her come to harm."
Zechs watched as the battle continued around them. He glanced up at the castle as if searching for some sign; some indication that Heero had prevailed. Gripping his sword, he looked at Noin who only nodded.
"Let's go. We have a battle to finish."
Relena held out her hand and a blue light emanated from her in the form of a shield, deflecting Une's crimson bolt.
"I see you have tapped into whatever power allowed you to evade my wolves. Clever girl." Une hissed.
"I don't know anything about that, but I do know that I cannot let you continue to hurt the ones I love." She remembered Heero's motionless form behind her, her heart swelling with grief.
"If you'd stop fighting me it wouldn't matter. I'd send them to meet you in the afterlife soon enough."
"I see… then you really cannot be reasoned with." Relena's eyes filled with sadness. "There really is no way to reach you, is there?"
"Well, as heart-warming as this has been, I only have a few more minutes to drain your of your life, so, good bye!"
Another round of crimson lightning shot from Une's hands which Relena blocked and redirected with a move of her hand. She had no idea how she was summoning whatever power she'd found, but she was determined to win this fight.
"Is that all you've got, little girl? Hiding behind a shield of magic? I knew you were weak but I didn't think it would be this easy." As the crimson onslaught continued, Relena looked for some sign of the woman beneath the evil. With every blast of power the amulet around Une's neck would glow a fierce, matching crimson.
"There was, however, something amiss. An amulet with a harsh red glow hung around my lady's neck"
Her conversation with Treize suddenly came to her mind. The amulet he spoke of was right there around Une's neck. Relena felt her grow. She now knew what to do. She began to move, dashing her way between Une's blasts, alternating blocking and deflecting. She had to get close enough, even if it risked everything.
"If you'd hold still and just come here this would be over a lot quicker!" Une laughed between blasts. Relena continued to dodge and fight back as needed. Finally, she was close enough to make her move. With one last sprint, she lunged herself at Une, colliding with the older woman causing them both to fall to the floor. The rolled, fighting for control until Une pushed her away. Une stood up first, disoriented and more determined than ever.
"How DARE you! I will make you pay. Before, I was merely going to kill you, but now, I think I'll take great pleasure in making you suffer first." She reached to her chest to clutch the amulet. "What—? Where is it?!"
"You mean this?" Relena looked at the necklace in her hand. "This is the source of your power, isn't it?"
"Give it to me!"
"You will never harm anyone again. I won't allow you to. It ends, now!"
"NO! This will end, but it ends when I take control over you!" The amulet began to glow again, in in that moment, Une fell to the floor. Relena felt the amulet flame to life in her hands, heating to an unbearable temperature. She tried to drop it but it seemed seared to her hand. At the same moment, she felt a chill well up through her blood, her lungs began to burn.
'Do you feel it? Slowly your heart will harden and my evil will spread, then you, young princess shall be the new vessel!'
She felt the vibration of the witch's thoughts invading her own, shaking her to the core. The warmth began to leave her body completely. She could feel her breath seizing in her throat, her heart beginning to ache. Slowly, the dark haze began to consume her mind again. She couldn't let this happen. Her friends had fought so hard and come so far. Her brother was out there trying to win back their kingdom and Heero… Her mind mustered the image of his motionless form, the warmth of his touch; the power she felt in what must have been his kiss. Her friends had shown her so much love, so much trust and conviction to her protection. Her father's embrace and all the time spent with her brother and with the Dorlans all added to who she had become. They all fought hard for her and worked to make sure she survived. The warmth of the memory seemed to grow, blossoming from an ember to a flame, fighting back against the chill.
'What? Impossible!'
Relena held onto the warmth, focused on it and let it grow. Little by little, she felt the heat from the amulet fade and the cold inside her subside.
'No! This is impossible! No! You cannot possibly beat me! NO!'
The crimson gem in the amulet cracked with that last desperate scream. Relena felt the tension release and with a huge gasp of air, her senses returned. The darkness that had possessed the castle was gone.