Step Inside the Circle Part 13
There was a young woman with blonde hair and green eyes.
Relena watched her, curiously. She reminded her of someone she knew, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. The woman was standing at a window, staring out at the world beyond with a look of extreme longing on her face.
As she tried to move closer and felt herself gliding, rather than walking, Relena realised that she must be having some sort of vision... But the woman's eyes met hers squarely, and she changed her mind about that. She had been summoned in her spirit form.
And looking directly into those eyes, she knew who the woman had to be. Only Gwydion's sister would have tried something like this!
The woman nodded to her respectfully. "You cannot stay here long. Treize will sense your presence."
Relena could understand that. "You are Leia Barton, are you not? Your daughter is safe with Gwydion."
"Thank all the Gods." Leia seemed to deflate and lean against the cold stone of the walls. "You and yours will protect her?"
The priestess nodded soberly. "And you, if I can get you out of here. We will be back..."
"Whatever happens, keep Red away from here," Leia insisted. "Treize - no, I suppose I should call him Balor, now - has plans. On Samhain he will attempt to release the souls of his followers from the same Hell he escaped last year. All his followers, my Lady. If I can't ensure her safety, even from myself at that point..."
"Leia, listen to me," Relena said softly. "If you think your brother will let anything happen to either of you, you are greatly mistaken. Or any of the rest of us, for that matter. He is a brother to me and mine and I always protect my own."
Leia looked away. "Your power alone cannot keep him from turning me and my child into the creatures we once were, once his power is completely restored."
"No it can't," Relena confirmed, "but there is one among us whose power can. We won't abandon you."
"Treize is... He's been different for a few days. Keeps muttering about an old enemy returned to deny him the power he craves," Leia said softly, turning back to Relena.
Relena nodded. "He is right - Nuada has the power to stop him, if he can only learn to harness it in time. I have great faith in him; he has already learned much and come very far in only a few short days. Gwydion has faith in him, as well."
Leia's eyes were wide and full of awe. "Nuada... oh, Goddess, is it even possible?" A tremor ran through her, though, and she turned panicked eyes to the door. "He is... you must go now, Lady," she insisted quietly.
But as Relena pulled back she called, "Wait!"
The priestess turned back, one eyebrow raised, and Leia continued, "Please... tell Trowa... tell my brother that I..." She trailed off, unable to find adequate words.
Relena gave the woman a gentle smile. "I don't really need to tell him - he already knows. but rest assured, I will. May the Goddess protect you!"
~*~
Relena awoke with a start, eyes darting around her room. She half expected to see Balor banging down the door-
Except that had not been her door.
Her face pale with worry, Relena jumped out of bed and grabbed for a robe and slippers before rushing down the hallway, ignoring Hilde's questions as she passed. She had to get to Trowa, had to let him know...
Her knock was a matter of courtesy before she threw the door open. Even if he and Quatre were... enjoying each other's company, it would be nothing she hadn't seen before, anyway.
The room was empty.
It took Relena a moment to process this. She walked in and sat down on the perfectly made bed, absently stroking her hands over the coverlet. Now that she was thinking clearly, she remembered that Trowa and Quatre had left with Heero, Wufei and Duo the night before to head up to Scathach's domain on the Orkney Islands. And if everything went well...
They could hopefully be home by this evening.
"My Lady!" Hilde's head poked through the doorway, blue eyes concerned. "Are you all right?"
The priestess gave her a nod. "I had a vision that involved Gwydion... I had forgotten they were gone, though."
She smiled to herself as she felt a dip on the bed as Hilde sat and put a careful hand on her shoulder. "My Lady? Was it... was someone harmed in your vision?"
Relena shook her head. "No, in fact quite the opposite. His sister, Leia, contacted me, pleading for our help. She told me a little of Balor's plans. As the chief Druid, Gwydion needs to know immediately, and since his sister and niece are involved..."
Hilde's hand tightened on her shoulder. "We'll let him know as soon as we can, then. Though I'm sure he doesn't even have his with him, Quatre and Heero never turn their bloody cell phones off. Of course, the ritual combat should be starting any moment now, so it would be spectacularly bad timing to call at the present..."
~*~
Despite the heavy tattoos on her face and the gloom of the cold, pre-dawn mist, Duo could tell that Scathach was returning Quatre's glare full force. "Oh great - just piss off the scary lady more so she's really happy to disembowel me. Thanks, buddy," he grumbled under his breath.
Frowning, Duo squinted into the heavy, cool air around him, distantly comforted by the sound of the ferry horn coming in from Kirkwall into Whitehall. Though Orkney and Scathach's remote home on the island of Stronsay held an austere beauty, they did nothing to calm him. He was surprised, though, that thoughts of comfort centred around the Scottish Highlands now, no longer in his comfortable home back in the States.
Scathach had actually been reserved and polite when they arrived the night before. That was - until Quatre walked in as the last of their group, his banshee markings already half-burned into his skin.
She was actually fairly pretty, with her slender, toned body, long blond hair and dusky, grey eyes. But when she saw Quatre... Her strangely split eyebrows slammed down in a vicious scowl, and her posture shifted from that of a well-bred woman to that of a warrior in the blink of an eyelash.
It didn't take more than one look at her to know how dangerous she was. And that had been last night. Before she showed up to do single combat with him, heavily armed, half her face obscured by the blue tattoos that went with her name and title.
To say that Duo was apprehensive and quite possibly terrified would not have been far off the mark at all. His fists clenched-
Warm hands came down on his shoulders and gave him a reassuring squeeze. "Ready to do this?" Heero's voice asked.
He turned with a smile - Heero and Wufei were both there, confident, warm looks on both their faces that helped to tame the rabid butterflies in Duo's stomach. He gave them a shaky grin. "Too late to back out now, right?"
Chuckling slightly, Wufei stepped closer. "Show the woman how it's done, Maxwell. You're a natural at this. You'll be just fine."
Squirming in the odd leather armour he'd been supplied with, Duo gave his friend a cheeky grin, trying to hide his fear. "You know you're my sole heir, that's why you're so confident!"
Heero smothered a grin as he stepped closer and deftly readjusted the armour with practised hands. "She's something of a berserker, and that can be overwhelming. It can also be a weakness, though - she will loose both energy and focus rather quickly, if her opponent can keep up with her."
"And I suppose you've accomplished this?" Duo asked, gratefully swinging his arms to get used to the feel of the adjusted armour.
Heero stepped closer and gave him a shy smile, hands running down his arms to catch Duo's fingers in a strong but gentle clasp. "Many times. She is not one of us, Duo - strange though I know it still feels, you and I are warrior gods. Accept that, and this will be nothing more than a simple sparring match."
Duo squeezed Heero's hands in reply, but said nothing. They had trained intensively for days to prepare him for this, and part of him knew he would be okay. But his fears remained, nonetheless, fuelled by the foul temper Quatre's presence had bestowed upon their hostess.
He took a deep breath and, with one last look back at his friends, stepped forward.
For all that he was lightly armoured, Scathach didn't seem to find such things necessary. In fact, she was wearing about as little as one could get away with, and Duo had the distinct impression that she'd done it to see if she could distract him. She was liberally covered in blue woad drawings, special attention given to the various scars that adorned her body.
A little like a petite, blonde Xena, only twice as scary.
She was heavily armed, as well - the sword strapped to her back looked far too heavy for her to even lift, but as he stepped forward, she drew it from its sheath and held it up to catch the morning light. "Recognise this?"
His eyes went wide as he looked at the sword. He'd only actually seen it once before - during his Goddess-induced vision - but he certainly recognised it. It was Fragarach.
She gave him a fierce smile, more a baring of teeth than anything else. "I see that you do. Fragarach was the sword of the King, the very King whose name you aspire to hold. If you are meant for it, then the sword will be yours. But for that, you must take it. From me." Swinging it once around her in a stylised move, she brought the tip down and carefully drew a large circle on the grass with it. The edges of the circle glowed blue, and Duo could sense the power thrumming in it.
Scathach looked back at him with a sneer and a growl. "Once you join the combat, none may interfere to end it, and it will not end until one of us is defeated. Neither may concede or otherwise attempt to flee. If you can accept that, Duo Maxwell, then step inside the circle and face me!"
"I'm really beginning to hate that phrase," Duo muttered under his breath. Still, his eyes strayed back to the sword in her hands, and he felt something deep inside of him reaching for it, yearning for it. He drew his own blade and, with a yell, jumped into the circle and attacked.
~*~
The door banged open loudly, and Leia started awake convincingly, giving a small shriek as she clutched her blankets to her chest. "What the... Treize?!"
The red-haired man was standing over her, a look of utmost fury on his face. "Explain yourself," he ordered in a low, quiet voice.
A shiver ran down her spine - he had once upon a time been a very genteel man, but since the year before, that particular tone of voice meant he was very close to exploding. "Explain your self, Treize. I didn't invite you here, and there's not a country in the Western world where forcing yourself on an unwilling person is legal."
With a growl, he reached down and grabbed a handful of her hair, dragging her up out of the bed. "Don't even bother trying, Leia! Someone breached the Seals of this place, and that someone is you. Who did you contact? Your brother? My disgraceful whelp of a child? Who?"
Leia saw red - she drew back her hand and slapped him across the face as hard as she could. He released his grip on her in shock and pain, backing up a step or two, but she advanced on him. "Never insult Mariemeia, you beast! The only disgrace in our family is you!"
He glared back at her, clearly having some difficulty seeing out of his right eye after she hit him. "Une!"
Leia tried very hard to hide her dismay as the brown-haired woman walked into her room, clearly having been standing just outside the whole time. "Yes, my Lord?"
He gestured to Leia, who was standing her ground, despite what she saw coming int he twisted smiles on her two opponents' faces. "My wife needs to be reminded of her place, I think. I've let her continue with the illusion that she has a say in anything while she continues to disobey me. I want to know who she contacted. You will get that information for me."
Une's brown eyes gleamed with pleasure at the idea, and Leia's heart fell. The other woman had been waiting for far too long for her to go too far, for Treize to decide she was no longer worth protecting so closely. "Consider it done, my Lord."
"Good." Treize turned back to Leia and gave her a mocking bow. "My lady." He turned on his heel and left, slamming the door behind him.
Fear rising in her throat, Leia turned her eyes to Une and did her best to calm her furiously beating heart. The woman wanted to see her fear and her pain.
She would not give her that satisfaction. At least - she'd make her work very hard for it.
It was all she had left.
~*~
Though she would not have admitted to it, even under torture, Scathach was impressed with the young man facing off against her. She knew perfectly well that she was an extremely intimidating opponent - even Greine admitted to that, and that was saying something - but this person was controlling his fear as they circled each other, both looking for another opening.
She'd yet to truly get a touch on him. In truth, she was curious what would happen when she did. After all, if this man was really the newborn Nuada, anything was possible when she spilt his blood, using his own sword.
Seeing an opening, she screamed another challenge and lunged. It might take longer than she expected, but she would defeat this... person. Even if it killed her!
~*~
Hilde had been dozing on the sofa next to Relena when the screaming started.
Both women jolted awake again, and Hilde had a lightning bolt in her hand before even she realised it, crouched over Relena protectively. They both bolted to their feet and ran down the corridor.
Sally was already at Mariemeia's door when they got there; they could hear the little girl crying and screaming inside. Without a second thought, Relena rushed inside.
Mariemeia was sitting bolt upright, staring at the room with unseeing eyes as tears streaked down her face. Her voice was already hoarse, her entire body trembling. Relena gathered the girl to her side and went very still as she called upon the Goddess' power within her. "Listen to my voice and come back to me, Mariemeia. Follow my voice."
The girl started to calm down - Sally sat at her other side and embraced the girl, as well, while Hilde remained standing guard over them all.
Mariemeia's sobs trailed off into hiccups, and her eyes fluttered open, staring up at Relena pleadingly. "She... she's hurting my Mum. I saw it, I saw it all..."
Both Aspects' faces darkened in anger, but they said nothing.
Relena's eyes were serious and calm as she tipped Mariemeia's chin up and reached out to place her index finger on the child's forehead, over her would-be third eye.
She gasped in startled pity. A woman with brown hair - Lady Une, Mariemeia's mind supplied - had been beating the blonde woman from her vision. And Leia... she had bitten through her lips in an effort to deny her captor the screams she wanted to hear. Her face was white with pain, eyes red-rimmed from tears that flowed continuously...
Relena drew her hand away and reached for yet more power. Passing her hands over Mariemeia's eyes, she gave the girl a soft smile as she drew her hands back. "It was only a bad dream, child. You don't even remember it anymore, do you?"
Mariemeia's lip trembled for a moment, but then her eyes lit up, sparkling with affection up at the Priestess. "Nope! How silly - I usually remember something, at least. I'm sorry if I woke you..."
Relena drew her closer for a gentle hug. "Think nothing of it, child," she said softly, allowing the pain of Mariemeia's memories to show on her face for one small moment before she closeted it away. She drew back and summoned a bright smile. "But since we're awake... what do you say to a hot chocolate and some breakfast?"
"Brilliant!" Mariemeia threw back her covers and was climbing out of bed before the others could even take a breath. The girl bolted out the door, talking at full speed.
Hilde and Sally turned concerned faces to their Priestess. "Lady..."
Relena stood quickly and gave both a small, sorrowful smile. "Let us not speak of it now. Later - when Gwydion may participate, as well."
Hilde nodded obediently, and Sally replied, "As you wish, my Lady." They stepped out ahead of her.
Relena took one last moment to compose herself, then followed them out with a pensive frown on her face. If an untrained talent like Mariemeia's had felt Leia Barton's torture so acutely, what - if anything - had Trowa just been through?
~*~
Duo was panting for breath and trying desperately not to let it show.
Scathach was like a wildcat, and it was both unnerving and so impossible to track and predict that it was driving him crazy! Heero and Trowa had never been predictable, but compared to this...
He nearly yelped as she spun into his guard and tried to gut him yet again with Fragarach. His lungs aching with the effort of breathing, he barely managed to block her attack, and retreated as she pressed it.
"AAAAH!" He screamed as, once again, he was backed into the strange blue ring that marked the combat zone. That was the third time she'd done that to him.
Annoyed and in pain, he parried her sword away and simply lashed out - his kick caught her in the side and sent her reeling, giving him enough time to tuck roll to a safer location. He kept his eyes on her, once again unnerved by the exhilarated grimace on her face that passed for a smile...
'What the hell - worst that happens, she kills me,' he thought wryly. Silently, Duo darted forward and dropped to the ground, rolling beneath her sword strike to get even closer before he swung his blade.
Scathach screamed as he finally managed to get a touch on her - a line of red was blossoming against the blue paint on her side, and she pressed a hand against it, grimacing. "You managed a touch - not bad."
She was still smiling that fierce grimace at him, though, and he was both shocked and horrified as she brought blood-covered fingers up and painted red streaks onto her face, one on either cheek. He backed away as she began to laugh. "What the hell?!"
She eyed him with contempt. "You give me time to recover. You are a fool."
He avoided her next blow, rolling away once again to relative safety. Duo glared back at her. "What's the matter with you?! I'm not exactly trying to kill you, you know."
"Pity, because when you make your next mistake, I will kill you." Scathach began to circle him again, her steps careful and measured.
Her next attack took him completely by surprise. All the air was knocked out of his lungs as she hit him, and he barely managed to hold onto his sword as he stumbled away, nearly doubled over.
She laughed at him as he somehow managed to remain on his feet, sword raised in front of him protectively. "You dare to call yourself a Tuatha De Danaan! How pathetic! How could you possibly expect me to believe..."
"Goddess... NO!!! LEIA!" Duo spun as he heard Trowa scream behind him - the druid had fallen to his knees, clutching at his head as though it were about to explode. "LEIA!"
Duo's mind was suddenly completely free from his own plight and fear as he focused on his friend, concerned and completely shocked. Never - ever - had he heard Trowa scream. Not when he had been gravely injured, not even when he was holding a badly burned and clearly dying Quatre in his arms.
He reached out with his mind-
He could see a blonde woman, cowering and screaming as the brunette standing over her hit her over and over again with a heavy whip, not caring where the blows fell. He felt Trowa's own pain and anguish, and distantly heard an answering scream torn from a young, innocent child...
Rage ignited in Duo's soul and, unbeknownst to him, an intense blue aura burned into visibility around him, brighter than it had ever been before.
~*~
Unnerved though she was by Trowa's outburst, Scathach continued to circle, smelling blood as her opponent quite clearly forgot they were in the middle of a duel. She grinned evilly. The fool! he quite obviously wasn't ready...
Out of nowhere, a shimmering, angry blue aura came to life around him, and it blew her backwards. She yelped as she fell and rolled, one arm thrown up to protect her face from the waves of power pouring from Duo. Where had this come from?! For the first time, she began to truly smile - the sword in her hand was practically vibrating!
He turned back to her - his tattoos, while they had been visible before, were now glowing the same unearthly blue as his aura, and the silver gleam of his wrists was clearer than ever. "We are done here. Give me what is mine and let me go."
She vaulted to her feet, falling back on her habitual sneer as she faced him. "I obey no orders unless that privilege is earned. If you want Fragarach, you must take it!" She launched herself at him, sword poised to stab straight into his heart-
Duo simply reached up and caught the blade in his right hand.
Scathach screamed as pure energy flowed up the blade and smacked into her - it felt like fire in her mind. She didn't even realise she'd released the sword until she hit the ground several feet away and rolled, unable to do a thing but shiver at the feel of that power. She looked back at him in shock-
The sword was glowing blue as he lifted it experimentally, his eyes trained on it in fascination.
~*~
Duo had never felt anything like this connection before. The ancient blade simply fit in his hand, as though the two were made for each other. It was... beautiful. He had no other words for it.
He looked down at Scathach, sprawled several feet away, and he gave her a small smile, the frustration of their match long forgotten. "Have I passed your test, Lady?"
She was still staring at him in shock, but she managed to meet his eyes. A hint of warmth touched hers as she nodded and stood, right hand over her heart, and gave him a deep bow. "You have, my King."
He smiled outright, but the smile faded immediately as he turned back to face Trowa. He strode forward, the circle markings fading into nothing as he crossed them.
~*~
Wufei, Heero and Quatre were all gathered around Trowa as he approached. Without a word, Duo joined them, knocking Quatre's hands out of the way as kindly as possible. "Let me hold him," he said softly.
Quatre hesitated for a moment, but gave way with a gentle, "Help him, please." Wufei reached over and pulled the blond to his side, a reassuring arm around his shoulders.
Duo and Heero shared a glance as they each placed one hand on Trowa's head and chest, right over his heart. One of the things Duo had been tutored in over the past few days had been the healing magic that seemed to come to him so easily; the fact that Trowa was feeling his sister's pain so clearly could only mean one thing.
Leia Barton was very close to death, and she'd reached out to the most familiar, beloved minds she could think of to try and hold herself together. The biggest problem with that method is that, if the person ended up dying, it was entirely possible to kill the people they were linked to, as well. They would have to rely on Relena to pull Mariemeia free, but to save a trained, powerful mind such as Trowa's...
Heero's aura bled to life, as well, and he grabbed Duo's hand. "Duo. We can save her, too. Trowa would want that."
The other man gave him a firm nod.
Blue-tinted energy flowed from the two Tuatha De Danaan, and everyone else was forced to cover their eyes as it became blindingly bright.
~*~
Leia was floating in a fog.
She was distantly aware that she had a body... somewhere... but it didn't really seem to matter. In fact, nothing mattered, at least not that she could remember. Nothing but the cool comfort of the fog.
At the same time, she could hear voices - one voice in particular seemed to be trying to catch her attention. A male voice.
He sounded so concerned, so upset, so afraid... She couldn't help but wonder who he was, and she attempted to listen more closely.
The voice was pleasant, with a smooth lilt to it that was familiar. It carried an impression of green eyes and sunlight on brown hair, the smell of leaves...
"Leia, please, listen to my voice and let me be your anchor..."
The fog around her began to take on a greenish tint as she remembered the name that went with that voice and those green eyes.
Trowa. Her little brother.
She tried to focus - she could just see him, or at least a very misty vision of him, and she smiled. "You are Trowa." He was becoming clearer with every word they spoke to one another.
He nodded to her. "Stay with me, Leia. Don't wander into the fog!"
As his image became clearer, though, she became more aware of her body, and a heavy pain, something ugly and full of anger. She hesitated. "Trowa, it's hurting me. Why does it hurt?"
They were closer together, now - he was reaching for her, and she eyed his hand with trepidation. Somehow, she knew that when she touched that hand, the pain she was beginning to feel would return, along with the awareness she had abandoned in the fog.
He gave her a look full of love, though, and kept reaching. "It hurts because it is real. I won't lie to you. You are in grave danger, but Red needs you. I need you. Please, take my hand."
Her hand was trembling as she reached out, as well. Red - she remembered that name, too. It was her daughter! Their fingertips met-
The fog was abruptly shot through with a pure blue, and she gasped as she felt awareness returning. The pain was immense, and yet...
She stared into her brother's eyes, and somehow the pain went away.
She abruptly became aware of two others standing on either side of them, both blue-eyed and painted with the markings of the Warrior Gods. The cool blue of their power washed over her, and the pain disappeared completely. The short-haired one gave her an encouraging look. "When you go back, catch the whip in your hands, and open your mind to us. When it is over, run, and don't look back. We will find you."
The other one smiled at her and nodded.
She looked back to her brother. He'd stayed by her - he'd nearly been pulled down with her, but he never gave up. She reached up and caressed his cheek gently. "Love you, little brother."
With one final deep breath, she closed her eyes and reached -
~*~
Back at the Residence, Relena's eyes flew wide open, and she dropped her teacup to shatter at her feet. "Oh, Goddess!"
~*~
At Treize's lair, Une stared down at her rival with satisfaction. She had always known that Treize would come to his senses about the woman - it just took time. And she had been patient.
Leia seemed to be unconscious. Une knelt at her side and used the butt of the whip to turn the woman's face in her direction. "How does it feel to have lost his favour now, Leia? How does it feel to know that I win? He always deserved better than you, and I will give it to him..."
Abruptly, Leia's eyes opened, but they were no longer a gentle green, but a vibrant pulsating blue that seemed to skewer Une in place. "No, you will not," Leia growled in an unearthly voice, eyes narrowing in a scowl.
She grabbed the whip and, at the touch of her hand, Une began to scream.
TBC...
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