Free talk: I'm sorry it tooks so long to be updated. Here it is!
Chapter III: Broken Bonds
It was as if time had stood still.
The Dragon General Heero stared at the girl before him as she continued to look at him with profound hatred. He noted that though she looked quite unruly, her face slightly smudged with dirt, she was quite beautiful, her hair a long, luxurious honey blond that fell down to her waist. However, it was her eyes that caught his interest the most?he had never seen eyes in that shade of blue before. So bright, like the clearest of skies. As she continued to look at him, he felt like she was reaching into his very soul.
Abruptly, Heero looked away, and turned his attention to the emperor. However, he could feel the weight of her stare like a lead weight on him. He had never seen eyes that possessed so much hatred. He wondered what could be the cause of that hatred.
Deafening silence followed the announcement. Eyes went wide as saucers and mouths hung open. This had been an unprecedented, unexpected action. Never has a Maiden been replaced as quickly as this. It usually took several weeks to several months to find a Maiden to replace the dead one.
A broken bond. That was what some would call what would happen when a Maiden or a General would die. The bond between the Maiden and her General was a rare, special, extraordinarily unique one. Magic was already rare among the people, making it difficult to immediately find a replacement. Furthermore, each bond was unique for every pair of Maiden and General. Such a bond like the one shared by the survivor of the pair with the earlier Maiden was almost impossible to recreate. To replace the old bond with a new one was just as impossible. Oftentimes, the survivor was too steeped or to used to an old bond to attempt to make a new one.
One cannot give the same trust, the same love, or the same faith to every person. Such things are unique and cannot be duplicated.
Countless attempts to do these have been met with tragic failures. Since a General and a Maiden cannot fully function or fully exist without their respective pair, some chose not to exist at all than to live half a life.
And so, oftentimes, when there is death in a pair, a new pair of Maiden and General is chosen to replace the broken one.
Broken bonds.
The Phoenix Maiden Hilde reacted first to the announcement. "But, Your Revered Majesty, a Maiden cannot be appointed as simply as this!" she blurted out. Then she covered her mouth with her hand when she realized what she had said. She bowed her head as the Emperor Treize turned his piercing gaze to her.
"I understand your concern, Lady Hilde," Emperor Treize said calmly. "I am quite aware of the special bond between a Maiden and her General. Rest assured I did not make this choice simply on a whim. I know well the consequences of what I am doing." Hilde reddened slightly, and she was thankful she had bowed her head. "I have consulted the Elders on this matter, and in light of our current situation, they have agreed to this."
Current situation? The Red Phoenix General Duo's ears perked up at the mention of those words. What does that mean? What current situation is he talking about? He turned to the Green Tortoise General Quatre, a question in his eyes. Quatre only shook his head.
The Emperor then turned to Relena, who had removed her cloak to reveal a dark blue gown that revealed that she was a woman of slim built. "Lady Relena, this is the Blue Dragon General Heero," Emperor Treize said, sweeping his hand towards Heero.
Relena stared at Heero. Heero expected to again get a glimpse of the hatred in her eyes, but to his puzzlement, what he saw was not hatred, but a cool, grave look.
With the grace of an empress, Relena curtsied. Her blonde hair flared slightly as she curtsied, but her eyes continued to regard Heero gravely, as if assessing him. "My Lord, I am honored to meet you," she said in a soft, calm voice that belied the expression on her eyes. Then her lips formed a small smile.
Heero froze when Relena smiled, bringing a sudden piercing ache to his heart. That smile?Alina?Then, coming to his senses, he bowed as well, his dark blue eyes meeting hers. "My Lady, the honor is mine," he replied in a cool, emotionless voice.
"Then you accept my gift, General Heero?" Though the Emperor made it sound like he could refuse, Heero knew he had no choice but to accept the Emperor?s ?gift?. Heero nodded, his blue eyes suddenly as hard and as cold as chips of glacial ice.
?Will you take Lady Relena as your maiden??
Without any hesitation, Heero nodded again. And with that nod, Relena became the new Dragon Maiden.
Relena?s gaze fell on him once more, but she did not say a word. The calm expression on her eyes betrayed nothing of her feelings.
The Emperor smiled, and clapped his hands together. ?Good. A renegade wizard is wrecking havoc southwest of this place. I task you, General Heero, and the Lady Relena, to take care of this.?
~T.B.C.~
Free talk, part 2: Finally, an update from me! I'm sorry this chapter is much too short. I'll make it up next chapter.
The Bond: Oh yes, the bond will play a very important role in this fic.
Relena and Heero: I wanted them to hate each other, but I didn't think that would be good. So, I'll just do something else to complicate their relationship.
Next chapter: Heero and his new Maiden test their bonds. Will they be able to work together?
