In the Moon's Shadow

Chapter Three: A Welcome

1163 A.D.

27 miles from London, England

Outskirts of the village Rhisha

Relena walked quietly beside Heero, trying to keep her thoughts from running

away with her. She couldn't comprehend that in the majesty of the eclipse they

had been suddenly transported back through time. It just wasn't logical, and

what was more was that she didn't want to believe it. She wanted to be at home,

away from danger, enjoying a nice summer day with her friends. Not walking

tiredly down a country road in the middle of no-man's-land after being attacked

by renaissance faire runaways. Because surely that was what they had been. No

sane man would walk around wearing all that armour.

Sighing, she reached up and touched her cheek, wincing as her fingers brushed

the bruised skin. And to top it all off she looked liked someone had run her

over with one of those great, huge horses the knights (aka the clinically insane

runaway actors) had rode. No, she could not accept that they had travelled

through time. There must be another explanation to how they had come to be in

this place, where ever it was.

They had been walking down the road for awhile now and the sun was beginning to

set behind them. They had walked by endless fields of wheat and pastureland for

sheep but there had been no houses and she was beginning to worry they would

find no shelter for the night. She could tell Heero was thinking about that too,

for his sharp eyes scanned the landscape constantly, looking for any signs of

life.

So she was relieved when a small farmhouse appeared over the next hill a few

minutes later. The dirt road ran right past it, weaving on out of sight. It was

a humble looking house, with a single window and a few chickens scratching in

the dirt nearby. As they grew near, a woman working in a small garden at the

side of the house straightened, shading her eyes with a dirty hand to peer at

them. Relena immediately pushed a few errant locks of hair from her hurt cheek

so that the woman could not help to miss the large cut there, and she hunched

her shoulders, generally affecting an air of hard times. Being a woman herself

meant it was easier to convince men of something she wanted them to believe. She

would use charm, beauty, and a well-placed compliment to turn them to her side,

or, if the man was totally stubborn, she would just bully him until he gave up.

But since it was a woman she needed to convince, it would be harder. They were

equals, on the same field, lies would not work with her. Women often have a

special intuition when it comes to strangers so she would have to be completely

convincing if she was to secure them lodging for the night.

"Hello there." Relena said, meekly, standing outside the rickety fence that

separated the road from the house. The woman brushed her hands on her skirts and

walked uncomfortably over to stand a few feet away. The reason for her

ungraceful gait was obvious. The woman had to be at least eight months pregnant,

her belly protruding under the coarse weave of her brown dress. She was young,

probably in her twenties, with a pretty face, smudged as it was, and long dark

hair that hung over her shoulder in a fat braid. She rested her hands on her

lower back and tilted her head at them warily.

"Hello, what can I do for you?" Her dark eyes immediately taking in Relena's

dusty blue summer dress and the dried blood on her cheek. Her eyes drifted to

Heero and she paled when her eyes fell on the sword at his hip. Relena knew she

had to act fast, before the woman screamed or did something else irrational. She

knew what the woman must be thinking. A young woman in a dirty, but still fine

dress, her hands looking as if she had never worked a day in the fields and a

well-dressed young man wearing a sword. Who could they be but a knight and

perhaps a minor lady? She knew from various history lessons (and from her own

experience) that peasants went out of their way to avoid knights and surely a

lady would not be looked upon much better.

The woman stiffened but Relena raised a hand entreatingly, her eyes begging for

a chance. "Please, we are travellers from a distant land and we were set upon by

knights on the road. My...companion here managed to get us away and he took a

sword from them as proof. I'm afraid we lost everything to the knights and we

are a long way from home. We would be most thankful if you could spare a little

food and water with us, for the journey." It wouldn't do any good to ask for

lodging, she just hoped that the woman's would have compassion and invite them

to stay.

The woman eyed them a moment and she stared Relena straight in the eye as if

assessing her worth. Whatever she saw must have reassured her, for she suddenly

relaxed and smiled warmly at the both of them.

"Well, both of you do look a bit rumpled, and your clothes are outlandish. Aye,

and you talk strange, too. I suppose you really are travellers. Merchants are

you then?"

"Yes, but we were just on our way to visit family." Relena answered, thinking

quickly. Heero smirked at her for the lie and she restrained herself from

elbowing him in the side.

"Knights," The woman spat, coming forward to open the gate for them. "Arrogant

thieves, the lot of them. Come inside and I'll tend to that cut on your face. My

husband should be back from the fields soon and we'll see what we can do about

some bedding for the night. It's getting too late for travel and I wouldn't want

you to be caught by knights again."

Relena smiled in thanks and as they walked towards the house, Heero came up to

lend an arm to the woman who blinked uncertainly at him. But she accepted his

help and, together they went inside.

The air in the house was slightly smoky, and the only light was from the window

and the open doorway. There was only one room and it served as kitchen, living

room, and bedroom all in one. The floor was earthen and there was a small

fireplace in the corner. A small trestle table, a couple of stools, a bed, and a

chest that must have been for clothes were the only furniture. Everything was

simple and well worn, no excess of anything.

Just like a medieval peasant cottage.

Relena shut that thought out of her mind. She couldn't think of their

circumstances at the moment or she would burst into tears. Instead she helped

the woman sit on one of the stools before taking one for herself while Heero

leaned against the wall, folding his arms over his chest in his famous

I-look-relaxed-but-I'm-actually-watching-everything pose. Relena hid a smile.

"My name is Relena, and this is Heero." She said, motioning to him. "Thank you

for taking us in. We have never travelled this way before."

The woman nodded, tilting her head at them. "My name is Rebekah, and my husband

is Caleb. And this..." She placed a hand over her belly, smiling at Relena,

woman-to-woman. "...I hope is Sara."

Relena smiled back. "What does your husband think?"

"He's hoping for a boy. It's our first, after all, and he wants help in the

fields." She leaned forward, her eyes lighting. "Do you and your husband have

any children?"

Relena blinked and avoided looking at Heero. Of course Rebekah would assume that

they were married. In these times, what decent, unmarried woman, would travel

with a man not of her family? And then she mentally sighed as she realized she

was thinking of this as the High Middle Ages. Maybe Heero's idea wasn't totally

off after all.

"Uh, no, we don't have any children." She said, uncomfortably. Rebekah shook her

head sympathetically.

"Don't worry, I'm sure God will answer your prayers soon."

Relena nodded slowly, unsure as to what to say. But she was saved from answering

as Rebekah's husband, Caleb, strode into the house. He was young, around

Rebekah's age, tanned and handsome, with dark blonde hair and clear brown eyes.

He was tall, with hard muscles from long labor, and his skin was streaked with

dirt from the fields. He stopped in surprise at seeing visitors and his gaze

went immediately to his wife.

"This is Relena, and her husband, Heero. They were attacked by knights on the

road. They are travelling to...did you say London?"

"Yes." Heero answered, before Relena could form a thought. "We were on our way

to London."

"To visit family." Relena added, her thoughts whirling. So they were in England,

and obviously not far from London. Now if they could just find out what year...

"Knights," Caleb growled and made as if to spit, but glanced at his wife and

Relena and thought better of it. "They nearly trampled the chickens, riding the

way they were. God send you weren't injured."

"Just a cut." Relena replied, dismissing it. "But all our supplies were taken

and your wife kindly offered us food and drink."

Caleb nodded. "And you'll be needing lodging, too. Night is no time for

travelling, what with the knights riding about. The King's called a damn tourney

in London in a fortnight and they've all been full of themselves with

anticipation." He glanced at Relena. "Better to stay off the roads. No telling

what they'll do to a young woman such as yourself."

Relena hid the tremble that spread through her, remembering the lust in John's

eyes. She knew very well what would have happened if Heero hadn't saved her.

"Yes," She replied, quietly, and Heero suddenly unfolded himself from the wall.

As if his movement had reminded her, Rebekah rose, hands clasped in front of

her.

"Enough with this talk, Caleb." She turned to Heero and Relena. "You two must be

hungry. Come, let us eat."

The meal that night was truly strange. It consisted of a hard, black bread that

Relena let soak in her mouth before chewing, some aged cheese, some leafy

vegetable that she wasn't sure of, and a bitter ale that took some getting used

to. Heero smirked again at the look on her face after her first drink, which

only prompted her to drink the whole thing just to spite him. He covered a

half-grin by taking another swallow of his own ale.

The evening mood was settled with light conversation, mostly questions from

Rebekah and Caleb about where they came from, their lives, etc. When Relena

became uncomfortable with all the lies, Heero cut in with some vague answers

that seemed to satisfy the couple. Rebekah washed Relena's cut with some tepid

water from a bucket and pulled out another house-bed for Relena and Heero to

share. She said it was for when they got a bigger family but for now, they could

use it. Of course, Relena blushed clear up to her hairline when she realized she

would be sharing a bed with Heero, before realizing that they would all be

sleeping in the same space as there were no other rooms. Rebekah also lent her a

plain white shift to sleep in when she realized Relena had no other clothes, and

offered to wash her dress for her. Relena thanked her and found herself hoping

that the two of them could be friends.

When the stars came out and the air cooled, Caleb and Rebekah went to bed, only

faint shapes in the darkness. Heero took off his shirt to sleep and crawled in

under the blankets, giving Relena time to change into the shift Rebekah had

given her. Once that was done, she walked towards the house-bed with a growing

sense of apprehension. She meet Heero's eyes, his face illuminated by moonlight

from the window. He said nothing, simply pulled the covers down for her and she

crawled in beside him, shivering in the cool night air. Feeling her tremble, he

pulled her close to him, sharing body heat, and Relena laid her head softly

against the smooth skin of his chest, her eyes drifting shut. Heero's arm wound

around her waist and she breathed a sigh, feeling safe and warm, as she always

did around him. Somehow, Heero would make everything all right and she drifted

off to sleep with that thought in mind.

* * * *

She woke abruptly in the middle of the night, the faint memory of a nightmare

plaguing her. She turned slightly and her eyes meet the dark outlines of a

strange room. She was sleeping in a strange bed and suddenly she had no idea

where she was. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest and her breathing shallowed

before she remembered the events of the previous day. And suddenly, to her

horror, she burst into tears, stifling her sobs in the blankets around her. All

thoughts of warmth and safety had disappeared, leaving her feeling lost and

uncertain. What were they to do? They were in a strange time, with no way of

knowing how to get back or even how they had gotten there. And...she was so

afraid.

She jumped as strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her back to a center of

warmth. She tried to stop her tears but found she couldn't, all the fear and

anxiety she had kept in during the day suddenly came tumbling out and she was

helpless to stop it. Heero seemed to know this for he just held her, letting her

cry into the hollow of his shoulder, his fingers stroking her hair softly.

"It's all right." He whispered into her ear, his voice surprisingly gentle. "I'm

here."

Even after her tears stopped, she stayed close to him, lulled by his strength

and the sound of his heart beating beneath her, and he made no move to push her

away, content to let her lie in the circle of his arms.

"Heero," She whispered quietly, eyes closed. "I'm afraid."

He said nothing.

"I want to go home."

Another silence and then, "I know."

She sighed and snuggled closer to him. "Good night, Heero."

"Good night, Relena."

* * * *

After she had fallen asleep again, Heero stayed awake, breathing in the scent of

apple blossoms from her hair and enjoying the feel of her in his arms. She was

out of her element here, out of sorts, and he was sure that was the reason for

her sudden breakdown. She was so strong, but she was still a woman, and every

woman needs to cry, once in awhile.

Feeling a warm sensation in his chest, he kissed the top of her bright hair,

glad she was asleep and unable to feel it. He had promised to protect her, and

he would. He would get them both back to their own time just so that Relena

would never have to shed another tear. He would see that she was happy.

Closing his eyes, he allowed sleep to come to him, content for the moment just

to hold Relena, and dream.

* * * *