|
"Ellion"Written By: Vega-Lume Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. This series
and all characters original to it are licensed by Sunrise and Madman
Entertainment. I claim no ownership, nor do I profit in any way from
this fan work Rating: R Warnings: A/U, Angst, non-graphic NCS (under aged
– early teens), Yaoi, MPREG, death (no major characters), smidge
of citrus (non-graphic). Maybe squik, depending on how you look at
it (non-graphic descriptions of child birth and genitalia). Pairings: 1x2x1, 13xUne Summary: Set in a world where one mad man tries to rule all and destroy the last traces of magic, one young man must overcome a life filled with war and death in order to save those he holds dear. Notes: Lack of grammatical contractions is intentional. "Ellion - Book 1" Chapter 1
The young child waded into the water until the cool liquid nearly reached the small neck, yet no matter how far the skinny arms stretched the fingers could not reach the apron that had become snagged on a sunken branch when it had slipped from the child’s grip a few yards up stream. The water was far too swift for the child to risk losing its footing, but its mother only had two aprons and there was no coin to buy another, not until after the harvest. And even then Mother never intentionally bought anything for herself, usually making what she needed from something discarded by someone else. Tears of frustration welled in the child’s large, bright eyes and it strained to reach the branch, while digging toes into the slippery river bottom. She should never had been playing dress-up with it, if she had not gotten it dirty she would not have had to sneak away to wash it. “Would you like some help?” A deep voice asked, startling the child so fiercely that it slipped, head sinking beneath the cold water. The soldier guided his horse into the river and plucked
the slight child from the cold water before the child could even grasp
what had happened. With the child safely on his horses back, the soldier
then collected the garment the child had been trying to retrieve. “My apologies, child,” The soldier said with a slight bow of his head. “I did not intend to startle you.” The child, a girl, the solider reckoned if the state
of dress was any indication, simply stared down at the tangle of sopping
wet off-white linen held in her small hands. Smiling back, the tall man slid from the glossy russet horse and knelt before the youngster. “Treize Khushrenada, Colonel of the Guard for his Royal Majesty King Howard the second of Hartou.” The brilliant smile faltered as awe replaced it for a moment, then it returned with a vengeance. Royal Guards of Hartou were adored by nearly all the citizens of Shiore, a small village on the far southern most edge of the Kingdom of Hartou. Only the Royal family was more loved. “He… Heero,” The child stammered, causing the man to smile softly. “Well, young Heero, I would be honored if you would allow me to assist you home,” Treize bowed his head again, and then stood offering his large hand to the child. “It is not far,” The child stated, unsure if Grandfather would welcome a soldier, regardless of which side the soldier was on. “I insist,” Treize urged, he did not want to alarm the child, but he wanted to warn her family of the danger of a possible Ozlainian uprising against Hartou. Shiore was so near the border of Hartou and the enemy occupied territory of the fallen Elven kingdom of Ellion; that it was surely to be one of the first villages to be hit. Soldiers from the Hartoun army had been sent to clear to border villages, urging the citizens towards the Capital City where they could be better protected, while the soldiers then hid in plain sight as ordinary villagers with the hopes of surprising Ozlainian soldiers as they tried to infiltrate the Kingdom. But this child was far enough away from Shiore that Treize figured that she did not live within the village, but on the out skirts, he felt himself rather lucky of the fact that he had ever stumbled upon her at all. He watched as the child nibbled the left side her bottom lip as her eyes darted towards the east, to his face then the east again. “Yes,” She answered softly, “but I need to get the dress first.” The tall man nodded and watched as the child darted up stream to retrieve the dress she had been playing with that had been left on the bank. The soldier led his horse in the direction of the child and when he caught up to her he lifted her onto the horse. “That way,” Heero said, pointing to the east. As Treize turned his horse he spotted a narrow, lightly used trail that led into the wooded area outside of Shiore. ~*~*~*~*~ “Milord,” Sedici’s gruff voice wheezed through the large hall. “The men are ready to move.” Quinze smiled deviously, his initial aggravation from the unannounced arrival of the sweaty man had tuned to pure pleasure, knowing his army was ready weeks ahead of plan. “Send them now,” The old, thin man stated as he rose to his feet. “My spies tell me that the Hartoun soldiers are clearing border towns, preparing to trap us.” “We can easily avoid the villages,” Sedici replied. “And leave an army of enemies at our backs! No, we will destroy the villages, as they will not be entirely prepared for us we should be able to eliminate them quite easily. You have my orders, go now.” Quinze dismissed the man, and then added suddenly. “We need no slaves.” Grinning, the Captain made his way outside where the men awaited their orders. “We attack! No prisoners!” ~*~*~*~*~ In a surprisingly short amount of time, soldier, child, and horse reached a tidy, well hidden cabin nestled in a lush clearing. Even with the smoke wafting from the chimney, the house would have been hard to find if you did not know where to look. It offered a false sense of safety, though it was harder to find it was also quite isolated, too far from town or neighbors to call for help. Before he could stop and let the child down, a man’s voice called out. “That is far enough!” Stopping the horse, Treize lowered the child to the ground. “Heero, inside – Now,” The angry voice bellowed. “But Grandfather…” The child tried to protest, only to be snapped at again. With a quivering lip, the child dashed towards the small house. “Sir, please forgive my intrusion-” Treize tried as he slid from horseback, but was cut off when the voice announced that he was not welcome and was told, none too kindly to leave. “I come under the direct order of His Royal Majesty King Howard. As a citizen of the Kingdom of Hartou you are required to listen.” “That is enough!” A woman cried out and the door to the cabin opened to reveal her. She was a small, pale, reed thin woman with strands of long dark hair framing her face. Treize was not close enough to tell the color or her eyes, but with the appraising eye of a healthy man he could say, with certainty, that she was quite lovely. At her skirts, Heero peeked out and smiled at him, she had changed from her wet brown dress into a pale green one. “Father, come in now. The soldier means no harm.” There was a pregnant pause where Treize heard nothing other than the low hum of insects and his horse’s breathing. Then to his far left there was a light crunch of a foot against a twig, and to his surprise an old man who looked much too old to be the woman’s father was standing close enough to touch his horse. It took every ounce of strength to not flinch at the sight of the elder, and he smiled lightly instead. “Colonel Treize Khushrenada,” the solder introduced. “I wish to speak with you in private, if I may.” The old, spectacled man glanced to the house where the woman and child stood, then with a slight nod called out, “Heero, tend to our guest’s horse. Daughter, he will stay for our noon meal.” The woman nodded and turned back into the house as the
child ran up to them, she beamed up at the tall man and grasped the
reigns in one hand and then with a click of her tongue led the horse
around the side of the house to the small stable behind it. “I wish not to alarm,” Treize began, keeping his voice low, “which is why I asked to speak to you alone. His Majesty requests all citizens along the border to come inland to the Capital for safety. The army is to occupy the border to protect Hartou.” “What has happened for the King to make such a decision?” The old man queried. Treize sighed turning his gaze towards the house, them
back to the old man. “How is the evacuation to be done?” “There will be a caravan; the villagers will be
moved in several groups over the next few days. Placement has already
been arranged in Capital City to receive most everyone. “Personals?” Treize smiled, “Each person will be allowed one bag on them. The remaining important items are to be packed, and then both livestock and packages are to be marked clearly with the family name. The soldiers will load the items and transport them by wagon with the animals. They will be sent after everyone has been evacuated.” “When does the evacuation begin?” “In two days, early in the morning. Can you be ready by then?” Treize asked, his eyes catching the woman and her child as they hung some freshly laundered clothing on a line near the house. “Yes,” The old man said with an undisputed certainty. “Will you return to Shiore after the meal?” “I suppose, I am not needed until tomorrow to finalize plans and oversee the evacuation.” “You are welcome to stay the night with us; we will be ready to go by morning.” With that the old man returned to the house, with a step far too spry for one of such advanced age. At the meal table, the old man introduced himself simply as Jay and the woman as Salyn. No surname was offered. The child was aged as 6, and though wearing a dress and apron Treize still had a feeling of uncertainty as to the child’s gender though he continued to think of Heero as ‘she’. Even the age seemed off, Treize had been around many children but Heero seemed younger somehow. Though he had found the child wandering about alone, the Colonel had pegged her at a year younger than her grandfather said she was. After the meal, Heero led the soldier to the barn that held his horse. Both barn and loft had been cleaned to house him, a basin, pitcher of water, and a warm blanket awaited him. The barn held only a cow and a few chickens that wandered around, pecking at bits of grain lost in the straw. “Mama wanted me to tell you that supper will be
ready at dusk if you would like to rest.” Heero bounced once in delight of having such an important responsibility then dashed back outside. Treize chuckled lightly and lay down on the fresh straw. ~*~*~*~*~ The morning dawned unseasonably warm and Treize rolled over in his bed of straw. With a yawn the tall man rose and stretched; his back and shoulders popping loudly. After using the basin to wash up, he donned his uniform. Once he was dressed he tidied up by shaking out the blanket and folding it neatly, placing it on the stand beside the water basin. Leading his horse out with him, the man rounded to barn and the front of the house came in view. All was quiet. Cracking the door of the single room dwelling he peered into the dim interior. Mother and child lay on some sort of padding on the floor, the old man on the dining table, which was padded as well. A small group of bags had been placed near the hearth and a single trunk, tied with a bright blue strip of fabric waited against the far wall. After closing the door gently the tall solider stood for a moment, thinking. A decision coming to him, he pulled parchment and charcoal from his saddlebag and scratched out a note, hoping that at least one of them could read, and then he slid the note under the door. Brushing the coal from his fingers, he mounted his horse and rode back to Shiore.
TBC
|
