All Along the Watchtower (5/?)

[Goldberry]

Relena stared at the dismal rain pattering against the window and barely restrained a sigh from leaving her lips. The dark clouds and intermittent forked lightning had caused the Earl to cancel the hunt for that day, forcing everyone to stay inside out of the horrible weather. Because of this, many guests had already taken their leave of Huntington, braving the rain and the muddy roads to return home. Catherine was one of these, her Father having seemed quite eager to return to Newark and his estates. Relena had bid her friend goodbye that morning and was now feeling quite desolate without some company. Relena had not seen Dorothy since the banquet the night before and she had not returned to the room that night. Relena was dreading having to tell William de Grey that she had no idea where his daughter was, for she was sure he would visit her. He had the habit of showing up where he was least wanted.

Relena pressed her fingers against the window glass, tracing a raindrop?s path with her thumb. She had spoke to William the night before about Wufei?s punishment. The Sheriff had reassured her that he would be treated fairly but that an attack on a lawman was serious, and he would not show mercy just because Chang claimed Guy had murdered his wife. Those claims had yet to be proven, he had said, so it was just a matter of time. Until then, Wufei would sit in jail.

This time Relena did sigh.

Perhaps, she should speak with Heero about all this. After all, he had tried to stop the fighting, and she still needed to tell him what her father had written in his letter.

Not to mention she was in desperate need of distraction.

Mind made up, she stood and smoothed the wrinkles in her dress before quickly exiting her room. Smiling and nodding at various people she knew, she hurried down the hallway, heading for the Great Hall, where she thought Heero might be. Unfortunately, her eyes spotted the Sheriff making his way towards her from the other end of the hall and she stifled a groan, turning to the nearest door, and without even thinking, turning the knob and stepping inside.

Instead of one of the sitting rooms, she found herself in a bedroom, and her face drained of color at the sight that greeted her.

?Dorothy?what???

Upon seeing Relena standing stricken in the doorway, the door knob still clenched in her fingers, the completely disheveled Dorothy de Grey sat up in bed, clutching the sheets around her. Next to her, Quatre blinked himself sleepily awake, his soft blue eyes widening as he noticed Relena.

?My lady!? he exclaimed, suddenly afraid. Relena?s mouth moved but no sound came out and then, suddenly, the Sheriff was by her side, his jaw going slack as he took in the state of his daughter?s undress.

?What the hell is going on here?? He raged, throwing etiquette out of the window as he stepped into the room. Dorothy glanced at Relena once before looking to her father, great tears welling in her eyes.

?Father,? she sobbed, ?He forced me??

There was a moment of stunned silence and disbelief. Relena could not comprehend what she had just heard, let alone seen. Dorothy crying? But her words were even more unbelievable. Quatre had raped her? The sweet, gentle, Quatre who had saved her from humiliation the night before?

For his part, Quatre could only stare at Dorothy with wide eyes, not comprehending what had just taken place.

The Sheriff was not so stricken.

He leapt forward, murder on his face. Dorothy screamed and Relena, feeling that perhaps they did not know the whole story, leapt in front of William with the pretense of going to Dorothy?s side.

?Sheriff, we must get your daughter back to her room. I am sure she is quite shaken,? she said briskly, throwing a blanket from the bed around Dorothy?s shoulders. Dorothy smirked at her but Relena ignored it, leading the woman towards the door. Unfortunately, things were not to be that easy. The Sheriff?s shouts had drawn a crowd and the Earl himself stood there, his face beet red and eyes glinting. Next to his father stood Heero, his cold eyes taking in the situation in an instant. What was most peculiar was the accusation he held in his gaze when he looked at Dorothy.

Dorothy immediately dropped her gaze, letting tears drip down her cheeks, the picture of broken innocence.

?What is going on here, Sheriff?? The Earl?s voice boomed angrily. ?Explain this.?

William took a hold of himself. ?My lord, I found my daughter in the bed of that?that?man,? he pointed to Quatre, ?who has defiled her! She has said he forced her to sleep with him, and I demand justice!?

His words echoed oddly in Relena?s ears, and she remembered it was much the same thing Wufei had said, only she knew for sure it was not Quatre?s fault. Dorothy had wanted to seduce him, she was sure of that, and now that she had gotten caught, the only thing to do was plead a charge of rape. Relena?s hand tightened on her friend?s arm, and Dorothy glanced at her, ice in her eyes.

?Is this true?? The Earl asked, his dark eyes finding and holding Dorothy in place. She kept her head and nodded. The Earl turned to Quatre, ?What do have to say for youself??

Quatre said nothing, only looked at Dorothy with a mixture of disappointment and betrayal in his eyes.

?I will not have this under my roof!? The Earl thundered, ?Sheriff, I suggest you have your daughter removed at once. The minstrel is to be locked in this room until we straighten out this madness.?

The Sheriff bowed but the Earl had already stalked away, muttering under his breath.

Heero stepped forward.

?Sheriff, I will see to this man,? he said. Without waiting for a response, he turned to Relena, ?Lady Darlian, will you see to Miss Dorothy?s comfort??

?Yes,? she replied, quietly, and led Dorothy away by the arm, scarcely containing her own anger until they had reached the privacy of their own room. Once there though, she spun to face her friend, cerulean eyes flashing.

?Dorothy, how could you?? she said, anger making her voice harsh. ?I know what really happened in that room and it had nothing to do with Quatre and everything to do with you!?

Dorothy arched an eyebrow, tears gone as if they had never been, and turned her back to Relena, walking across the room to grab the robe that was folded neatly at the edge of her freshly made bed.

?I don?t see what you are all worked up about, Relena. He?s only a minstrel.?

?He?s a person, just like you and me,? she answered, tightly, hands clenched into fists. ?and what you did to him was despicable. Your father will kill him if he isn?t told the truth.?

Dorothy swung to face her, icy hatred in her pale eyes. ?And what truth would that be, Relena? That I seduced him deliberately? Who would believe that, especially after the little show I performed?? She took a step forward, her face transformed into something darker with the strength of her emotions. ?I?m a victim, Relena. Of the world, and of men.? Her words hissed between her teeth. ?And if you hadn?t walked in, no one would have had to know anything at all.? Relena blanched and Dorothy smirked, stepping away with a victorious smile.

?You can?t possibly?? Relena whispered softly, but Dorothy cut her off easily, reaching again for her robe.

?Relena, if I didn?t know any better, I would say you were jealous.? Ice blue eyes met sky blue. ?I suppose you must be, having never been held in the arms of the man who had just made you a woman. Still an innocent little virgin, Lady Relena, and as such, you know nothing of the pleasure a man and a woman can achieve together.?

Relena closed her eyes and turned away. ?If you wish to disgrace yourself further, Dorothy, go right ahead. You?ve managed to ruin an innocent man?s life, as well as your own. Congratulations.? With that, she spun on her heel and left the room, wanting only to be away from Dorothy, and her words that struck a little too close to home.

* * * *

Heero opened the door to the minstrel?s room quietly, making sure no one saw him. He wasn?t quite sure why he was doing this, he only knew that ever since Relena Darlian had called his name in some sort of plea at the banquet, he had been unable to simply stand by and let things happen. She had believed in him, and her conviction had almost made him believe, and that was something not easily done. The war had stripped his conscience away, but his name on her lips had brought it back, and now he could not ignore it. It was almost irritating.

Quatre of the Dale looked up as he entered, his innocent blue eyes widening as Heero shut the door with a soft click, the movement speaking of secrecy.

?My lord?? he question, quietly. Heero turned to look at him, his dark blue eyes measuring his worth. Quatre sensed this and stood straighter, his voice firm when he spoke. ?I didn?t force her, my lord. I would never do that to any woman.?

It was a moment before Heero replied. ?I know.?

Quatre blinked. ?How?? he blurted.

?I saw her enter your room last night.?

Quatre glanced at him hesitantly. ?What do you intend??

Heero pulled out the folded cloak he had hidden inside his coat and threw to the minstrel, who caught it by reflex. ?I intend to see you leave.?

Quatre blinked, ?Leave?? Heero motioned to the cloak.

?Put that on.?

Responding to the commanding tone in Heero?s voice, Quatre did what he was told without question. Heero then pulled out a small pouch which clinked with the sound of coins.

?This will get you as far as Nottingham, from there your on your own.? Heero glanced towards the closed door. ?The halls are fairly empty as it is noon, you should be able to make it safely to the stable, where I suggest you steal a horse.? Quatre?s face paled.

?Steal??

Heero looked at him flatly. ?You are an outlaw now.?

If possible, Quatre paled even more but he took the coins and tucked them into his new cloak. He turned towards his harp but Heero stopped him.

?You can?t take it with you. It?s too large and it would draw attention to you.?

Quatre shook his head, his mind reeling from the events of just a few hours. ?I can?t leave it. It?s my life.?

There was a moment?s silence before Heero spoke, his voice still emotionless, but his eyes flickering with an almost sympathetic light. ?I will keep it for you. In two days, I will leave it with the bartender at the Red Oak tavern. He is a friend of mine and he will know who to look for. After that, if you are seen in Nottingham, I cannot delay your arrest any longer.?

Quatre nodded, swallowing. ?Thank you, my lord. I don?t know why you are doing this but?thank you.?

Heero nodded and glanced at the door again. ?Before you leave, you can do something for me.?

?What??

?Hit me.?

Quatre?s jaw dropped. ?What?!?

Heero?s eyes narrowed in irritation. ?No one will believe that you just walked out of here. It must look as if you overpowered me and fled. Now, hit me.? He turned his head to the side. ?Over the head, and strong enough to leave a bruise.?

Hesitantly, Quatre reached for the metal candle holder on his nightstand, his hand reaching back for added power. ?Forgive me,? he said, and brought the holder down on the young knight?s head, Heero crumbling to the floor from the force of the blow. Quickly, Quatre wrapped the cloak around himself and left the room, sparing no backward glance for his harp, or the life he was leaving behind.

A minstrel had entered that room, and an outlaw left it. His destiny awaited him.

Tbc?

* * * *

[Tsukiyo]

Ack!! Another two absolutly fantastic chapters and i can't wait for more! EEE ::shaking in anticipation:: i love this story!! you're setting everything up so nicely!!! eee!!

~Tsukiyo

[blackrose]

-__-

No fair.

Okay, so now we have Quatre and Trowa already as outlaws...Wufei just waiting to be freed as well. That leaves only the missing Duo, yes? And Heero has to have the opportunity to erm...show Relena what Dorothy meant sometime in the near future, right?

**smacks self** Bad Rose.

Sorry, Lauren let what she called "hentai Rose" out of the closet, and she's been seen (H.R.) running about with all sorts of lemon-y ideas. I claim she's got to be someone else... I'm sweet an innocent. *lol*

Okay, so enough about that.... **brandishes the feared Noodle of Death** Wapish! Part 6!!!

Love,
Rose

[melodrama]

This story just gets better and better. I love it!!! Can't wait for the next installments...Thank You

[Hitomi Lei]

I almost fainted when I realized that I could not find part 6. You must write it soon...You simply must...I can't bare not knowing what will happen...

[Desert Bloom]

WOW! This is amazing! You've picked the perfect roles for all the characters!