Listen, when all of this around us'll fall over
I tell you what we're gonna do, hey
You will shelter me, my love
And I will shelter you... I will shelter you
-Lyrics to 'Shelter' performed by Ray Lamontagne
Elements of Great Design Part 53
After the lively, thrilling feast that had all but eliminated thoughts of the war, there was a very different mood in Cleyra the following morning.
Well fed, properly rested and filled with some personal time with each other's soul mates, the Alliance emerged from their private rooms to resume their quest for the last two Elemental Stones.
There was no shortage of humans or mystics that had stepped in to assist in bringing their guests their steeds and any other supplies that could be transported, leaving very little for the warriors to actually have to handle on their own.
Everyone that came within reach offered one-armed embraces, words of profound gratitude and promises to heed Life's call for service in the struggle.
Wufei and Anna were particularly inseparable, their hands linked tight between them as they walked side-by-side as closely as they could manage. Still, unlike their last separation when they left Howard's company, there was a different air... one born more out of anticipation than sadness.
The end of their trials was in sight. They had real hope of reaching their goal in defeating Mariemaia and ending the curse that had kept them at arm's length and never any nearer.
Biting his lip, Maxwell exchanged a glance with Yuy to ask a silent question.
The Fighter gave a shallow nod and lightly pushed a hand against the small of his lover's back to urge him towards the newlyweds. Clearing his throat as he took in the expectant faces of his brother and sister, the Black Mage smiled nervously, "Uh, Heero and I have some good news to announce."
When his partner stalled, the soldier stepped up to wrap an arm around trembling shoulders and grinned widely to the team that had gathered close, "We are engaged."
An excited shriek ripped from Anna before she laughed and leapt forward to throw her arms around Life and Death's necks. "Engaged!? It's about damned time!" she cheered to the chorus of the rest of the family's snickers.
Lightly applauding as he neared, Wufei bowed his head deeply with a sincere, "Congratulations, brothers. I am glad that you decided to tell us now while we can all be here to offer our best." The redhead released the betrothed couple so that her husband could have a chance to share one-armed embraces with each of them.
Patiently awaiting their turn, Trowa and Quatre leaned against one another with pleased smiles. "I almost wish that we had waited to marry in this existence as opposed to the last," Water chuckled deeply at the memory that returned to him. "That way we would have been able to experience our weddings around the same time."
Shrugging, Air peered at his husband from the corner of his visible eye and smirked, "We could always have a vow renewal." His eyes sparkling, Winner beamed and pulled the other Keeper in for a fierce kiss that made his opinion of the notion known.
In the wake of the love he and Duo received for the word of their intent to wed, Heero was soon joined by a certain fey that perched on his shoulder. "Everyone that had bee hesitant in joining the fight before, has now turned to the cause thanks to the speech that you gave last night," Queen Iria shared. "Never before will there be such a movement from this land."
Folding her arms behind her back, the mystic smiled, "So, just remember our discussion regarding who and what you are, Life. If you ever have any doubts to whether or not you will know what you must do with your gift, let what you did here, what you gave last night serve as proof that the Creator has given you all of the tools that you need to do everything that Gaia needs in every situation that you face."
Moved by the kind encouragement, Yuy swallowed past the lump in his throat and whispered, "Thank you, Iria." And he would heed that advice. Up until that prior evening, he'd had more than questioned his abilities. There was still more to him, he was certain. But now he was confident that he would be ready for anything.
Once the team was fully packed, there was a hesitance for any of them to mount their saddles and head off knowing what that would mean for the Monk of the lot.
In the end, Chang was the one to make the first move to ready their leave by closing the distance between himself and his wife to scoop her up in his arms as she hooked her legs around his waist in their familiar hold.
Wufei drew a deep breath, nestled his chin against his wife's shoulders and sang in a sweet and soft baritone, "Oh lover hold on... 'Til I come back again for these arms are growin' tire and my tales are wearin' thin." Slowing in their tasks of securing the saddles and packs to their horses, the rest of the Alliance turned to watch the cursed pair with profound pain in their expressions.
Instantly recognizing the beautiful song as one that came from the Monk's homeland of Eblan, Anna bit her lip as tears filled her eyes.
Tightening her arms around his neck, she closed her eyes as he went on, "If you're patient I will surprise when you wake up I'll have come. All the anger will settle down and we'll go do all the things we should have done. Yes, I remember what we said as we lay down to bed - I'll be here if you will only come back home."
Queen Iria and those onlookers that loomed close enough to take in the moment also paused in their quiet discussions to focus on the heart-tugging scene. Slowly but surely, a small crowd had gathered, drawn in by the air that had completely forgotten about everything in the world but each other.
When Chang was unable to continue at the hitch that filled his throat, the thief serenaded softly, "Oh lover, I'm lost because the road I've chosen beckons me away. Oh lover, don't you roam now I'm fighting words I never thought I'd say. But I remember what we said as we lay down to bed- I'll forgive you oh if you just come back home."
Smiling against her skin, Wufei finished in harmony with her, "Oh lover I'm old. You'll be out there and be thinking just of me and I will find you down the road. And we'll return back home to where were meant to be 'cause I remember what we said as we lay down to bed- we'll be back soon as we make history." [1]
Duo sighed as he burrowed himself tighter into Heero's loose embrace that had looped around him when his own tears began to fall from his violet eyes. "Damn, those two kill me," he murmured against his partner's neck. Humming in agreement, the Fighter reached up to wipe away the shimmer from his gaze.
Their foreheads resting together, Earth smirked, "We're going to win this war. And we are going to be right back here, where we belong."
"You bet your ass we are," Fire giggled, the grin on her face and the gleam in her blue eyes hinting a bit of darkness intended for the Sorceress who had damned them. Leaning in, she shared one more, long kiss to hold onto before she broke away to whisper, "I love you, Wufei."
Chang replied in kind, "I love you, too, Anna. More than you could ever know, Firefly." Giving his bride a light smack to her rump, he carefully set her down as her legs unhooked from him. With a sharp sigh, he forced his smile to stay in place while he turned to face their brothers and nodded firmly, "Alright. Let's go."
A few quick embraces for the Monk later and the Alliance climbed onto their horses. Waving back to the crowd and Queen Iria, they headed off for the veil of sand swirling around the outer edges of the kingdom. And where Wufei had been walking alongside ShenLong and Anna, he reemerged as the black wolf.
Shaking his head and his entire body to shed the grains that had latched onto his thick fur, the beast peered up at his lover with a bit of a smile and a lazy wag if his long tail. The thief snickered and shook her head back, the fondness in her gaze never fading in the wake of his new shape.
Heero reached into the satchel at his waist to take hold of the compass within. Opening his hand to the bright daylight, he watched as the brilliant red beam for the Fire Stone shot straight to the north from their current location. "Ready?" he smirked to the redhead.
'I've been ready," Chang grinned back as she gripped the reins in her hand to steer her Clydesdale in the right direction. "Don't let me slow any of you down."
That said, she lightly tapped her heels against ShenLong's flanks to have him lead at a brisk pace while Wufei kept at their sides.
Shrugging, Trowa chuckled, "You heard the lady. It would best to not keep that one waiting any longer than she already has." No one was about to raise an argument to that point and in the next moment, the entire team was off.
* * * * * *
Hours later...
Relena nodded to the Commander's tent at the center of the encampment and squeezed the hand that was holding onto hers. "Here we are," she announced softly. "Howard the Elder has rarely stepped out of Firion's quarters since he and the other gifted brought the survivors here."
Nodding shallowly, Trent took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders back in anticipation of meeting the man to lead the mystic reinforcements who could very well begin to turn the tide of the war along with the fate of the White Fang.
Already, the Captain was more than happy following his reunion with all of the men that had been under his command. In fact, Quinze had been by far the worst off of anyone he had been particularly concerned about due to his close encounters.
Following their meetings, he confirmed that Alex, Mueller, even young Jeffrey and his lover David managed to survive the terrifying attack unscathed. To say that there was moving relief amongst the lot when they laid eyes on the Captain, seeing him in good health and form, was an understatement.
All that remained for the soldier now was to see his King, Queen and Commander along with his rescuer for himself.
Slowly pulling back on the closed flap of the massive tent, Peacecraft dipped her head inside to assess the scene inside. Her posture easing, she smiled and gently pulled her suitor in behind her. "I hope that you do not mind our coming in unannounced," the young Queen said to the faces gathered around the long table that occupied the main space.
King Zechs was the first to his feet, quickly followed by his wife, as he smiled widely, "You are both more than welcome at any time." Gesturing to the grinning Oracle across from him, he added, "Besides, Dorothy saw you coming." The Sovereigns hurried to their Fighter and pulled him into tight embraces.
Not far behind them, King Treize, Lady Une, Dorothy and Firion took the time to see and welcome Quinze warmly in their finally being together again since he had nearly lost his life. Swallowing down the lump that had formed in his throat, the recovered officer muttered his appreciation to all as he could not trust his voice to be pushed further than that considering how near he was to tears over his reception.
At the opposite head of the table, an old man with wild, silvered hair that jutted out at either side of his otherwise bald head rose to his feet.
Dressed in white robes that elevated his already very commanding presence, he walked towards the Fighter with a friendly grin, greeting, "Trent Quinze. At last I get to make the acquaintance of the beloved Captain that I have been hearing only the highest of praises spoken."
His jaw opening and closing, the officer decided against continuing to struggle finding the right thing to say and began to lower himself onto a knee to bow. Stopping him before he could touch the ground, the Elder raised a hand, insisting in a laugh, "Oh no need for that at all, young man. We are all friends here. And I would prefer that all of my friends simply call me Howard and treat me like one of them."
Stunned, Trent climbed back to his feet and shook his head, "I-I do not know that I can do that, knowing your state of prestige in the world... not to mention how you and your kind had rescued me and our whole stronghold."
Waving his already raised hand, the gifted huffed, "Oh, we were only doing the right thing with the talents we have." He smirked, "Nothing to be too impressed with since you and your men took on the worst of the assault while never knowing that help was coming."
He wiggled his extended pointer finger to the wide eyes watching him, smirking, "Now, that was something truly remarkable... not to mention far more impressive than any spell my brethren and I could ever weave."
Uncomfortably shuffling back and forth on his feet, Quinze lowered his head and muttered, "Thank you." Just as the Elder was not willing to accept praise for doing the right thing, so was it the case for the Fighter. Standing up in the face of great adversity was simply the way of every Fighter... it was expected of them.
Still... Trent would have been hard pressed to deny that it felt nice to be recognized for his efforts by one as revered as the man standing before him.
Wrapping an arm around the officer's shoulders, Howard grinned to the rest of his company, "If you do not mind, I would like to take my leave with this brave warrior to speak with him privately."
No objection was raised, leaving Firion the only one to have any comment when he gave a friendly smack to his charge's shoulder and smirked, "We will properly catch up later, then. Now that we have such a backing in the gifted, we are finally going to be able to take an offensive strike against Abaddon's demons once again."
Simply the thought of that sent a rush through Quinze and a dark smile tugged his lips. "Good," he nodded firmly. "It has been all too long since we have been able to deliver a few blows at their expense for a change." Chuckling deeply, the silver-haired Commander winked and stepped aside so that the Elder could lead the Captain from the tent.
On his way past Relena, Trent reached out to squeeze her hand and they shared long smiles as the Queen's brother and sister-in-law walked in close to spend some long overdue time with her. Leaning against Zechs, she wrapped her arms around him tightly as he held her back.
Drawing a deep breath, the Fighter stepped out into the cool early evening air and fell in step alongside his savior. "I had been informed that you personally stayed by my side to shield me from the stampede of Mariemaia's forces," he began, a profound expression of appreciation on his face. "I do not know why you had put yourself in harm's way like that for my sake, but I will never forget it."
"Well, it was not exactly such a treacherous feat on my part," Howard drew out, a cocky smile on his lips. "I was able to level the first lines of those brutes before they even knew what had hit them. For me, it was a leisurely stroll to reach you."
Again, Trent thought back to that blinding light that he had originally been so certain was his passing into the Creator's grace of the afterlife when he had lost consciousness. He remembered the intense warmth, the power that came with its arrival. And he wished that he had been able to see the demons wiped out by it.
Unable to help his grin, he snorted, "I'll bet that it made quite the sight, considering how those beasts were so prepared to wipe us out. Bet it was a funny thing to see surprise on the ones left behind before they were also taken out."
Snickering, the robed man shrugged, "Yes, that definitely had been worth the long days of traveling to witness. If any of them had the need to relieve themselves the way we mortals do, I doubt that they would have held their facilities in that moment."
Taken aback by the brass of the Elder, Quinze laughed outright. Already, he could tell that the two of them were going to get along more than fine.
Howard suddenly took on a more serious air when they reached a thicker and completely deserted patch of the forest. Pausing in his steps, he gripped the soldier's shoulders and spun him so that they were facing each other. Frozen at the intensity he found in those aged eyes, Quinze's heart began to pound in his chest as his entire body stiffened.
"Now, about your comment regarding my taking specific interest in protecting you, there is more reason behind that than my simply wanting to preserve as many lives devoted to the White Fang as possible," the old man informed, head ducked and voice low as one would in passing along a most private secret.
Biting his lip, Trent nodded and waited anxiously for what more there was to be said. "You, my friend, are going to serve a very vital part in this war," the Elder all but whispered. "Now, I do not know all of the specifics of how or why, but I have had definite visions surrounding you that Dorothy has confirmed."
With his breath hitching in his throat, Trent pointed to his own chest and stammered, "M-me? I am to play such a role that you have seen me?" Shaking his head, he argued, "But I have no powers or anything of significant worth to be of any such help."
Howard released his newfound friend, chuckling deeply, "Dorothy had warned me of your humility that would cause such doubt. Make no mistake, young man, that you are far more than you believe. And in this situation, it is usually the ones who do not appreciate their own worth who can move mountains. When the time is right, you will have to rise to the occasion... which I know you will."
Mind reeling, Quinze frowned in worry, "You have only just met me. How can you be so sure that I will be able to do whatever it is I must? I had never fought in a single battle of any kind leading to this war."
Swallowing roughly, he confided softly, "There have already been moments of when I have considered turning and running out of my fear of the things that I have seen and experienced since joining the White Fang. If what you say is true, that I will have the burden you described on my shoulders, how do you know I will be able to carry it?"
Already, the Fighter could feel that incredibly heavy weight on him. And he had no idea what the circumstances around the visions that the old man had seen entailed.
That kind smile returned to the Elder's lips as he reassured, "You worry about your resolve and yet you are still here, willing to lay down your life as you would have that night my brethren and I came to your aid. That is how I know you are exactly what we need to handle whatever this is."
As he leaned close again, he declared, "One thing that I have come to know through all of my years in this world is that nothing happens by chance. There is a reason for everything in the Creator's ways."
Lightly poking the soldier in the chest, he smirked, "Just as He has a reason in this case with you. So, rather than question yourself, I suggest you best ready yourself for whatever opportunity comes your way, to keep yourself safe and sound of mind for this fork in the road that you will guide the course of the fight down."
Trent was still scared... terrified of the prospect. However, he knew that there was little he could do other than take his rescuer's advice. One thing that Fighters were good for was preparing themselves for anything. He would just have to treat this like any other task that he would have trained himself for.
Rolling his shoulders back, the officer drew a deep breath and straightened himself. "Alright," he nodded, voice steady for the first time since they had set out alone. "You said that you do not know all of the details surrounding these visions that you had seen. What details do you know that might be able to help me be ready in the meantime?"
At that, Howard smiled as he answered cryptically, "Take up archery. And become very good at it."
* * * * * *
Four horses and a black wolf set camp that evening deep in the heart of Gaia... a mere few days' journey away from the edge of the darkness that continued to swallow the sky. Unbeknownst to any them, a winged messenger that had spotted them from the thick treetops they had cleared darted off to inform his master of their location.
And from where they pitched their tents, the brave warriors could see the haze of a red and gold glow in the distant horizon that blazed on through the night... their destination both so close and yet so very far for their liking.
TBC...
[1] Lyrics to 'the beautiful song Duet' performed by Ray Lamontagne and Rachael Yamagata
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