*Pops chapter in the forum*
*tiptoes out verrry, verrry, quietly....*
I have to apologies to all those who have been waiting for this chapter. Its delay was totally my fault, *hangs head in shame*. I had to take a break from writing for a long time due to the ill health of my middle son. He unfortunately has a serious heart condition, and after behaving itself for some
years, it decided to act up last year. The uncertainty about his
long term health made me lose any desire to write, and its taken a
good long time to find my muse again. But now we have a long term
prognosis for him and, whilst its not wonderful news, it gives me an
idea of what to expect over the coming years and that kinda makes it
easier
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I can almost certainly guarantee that the next chapter will be posted a lot faster than this was!
Maids of Silva, by Happily Ever After (Goldberry, Iris Anthe and kmf)
Chapter Sixteen, by kmf (aka The Slowest Writer Ever!)
J sat down heavily, leaning his back against one of the trees that he hated so much. With the loss of a good section of his beard it was difficult to keep himself hidden from the wood. What had once taken a mere thought to make it so now took an enormous amount of concentration. Not for the first time did he curse the fair-haired lass who had clipped his beard.
Pulling out a silken handkerchief, he rubbed the sweat from his face. His effort was worth it though. He had managed to come a decent distance into the wood, cloaking his presence from the half knowing trees, careful to hide himself least they whisper to the Fae of his hunt. And he was close to finding what he needed - so close that he could almost taste it; the secret portal that opened to the hidden world of Fae.
Its location would soon be his and he would step through, take the Heart and be all-powerful. Then he would have his revenge against the Fae who arrogantly ignored his noble race, against the human usurper who thought he controlled J's every movement for the price of a paltry few gold coins, and, most of all, against the girl who dared to cut away his beard.
Oh yes, she would pay dearly for her criminal act.
J began to chuckle as he imagined all the things that he would do to her. Thoughts of her struggling and whimpering made his concentration waver slightly and he froze as he felt the tree he leaned against shift and stiffen. Cursing slightly, he pushed all thoughts of revenge deep into his mind and cloaked himself again.
"Nothing but leaves here," he chanted and he got to his feet. "Nothing but leaves, and wind. Nothing to worry about. Nothing to grab with your nasty branches and twiggy fingers. Nothing but leaves."
The tree calmed again and sunk into its dreamless sleep and Dr J breathed a sigh of relief. Once he had the heart of the Fae, he would visit these trees again. He wouldn't be cloaked then. No, he would allow them to see him in all his dwarfish magnificence. And he would introduce them to the wonderful magic of fire.
His lips twitched into a cruel grin as he imagined their collective screams. Maybe he would allow that girl to watch too, as she was so fond of the wood. And then he would break her in the ashes of their death.
His grin slipped as he sensed the wood stiffen again, but this time it was not in concern or fear. This time it was in delight. J sniffed the wind and felt the sparse hair on his head rise in fright.
It was Him. He was coming. He was coming with Her. And the wood sung with expectation and delight.
J crouched down, curled up on himself in horror and hatred. How was it that the King of all Fae had left his realm where he had been a virtual recluse? How was it that he had regained his queen, the Fae hag J had gone to such pains to hide in an effort to make Millardo despair?
His hands clawed into the dirt of the forest floor crushing a layer of mulch and worms in his anger. Why was it they were returning to their realm when he was so close to obtaining all he had desired for more years than he could count? Frowning, J spread his fingers wide allowing the leaves and worm paste to drop to the ground. It would not happen now, not when he was so close. He would not allow it to happen.
Digging deeper into his magical reserves than he had ever done before, he stood and raised his arms high above him. Chanting, he ignored the trees suddenly alerted to his presence that dipped down towards him trying to whip him with their branches. They were old trees, their trunks stiff with age and they could do no more than scream out a warning to the approaching Fae.
But even that was too late.
With a final grimace, J threw his power up and away. It impacted against the spell that cacooned and transported the Fae King, his lady wife and others. J watched in satisfaction as he saw the Fae's spell fracture and shatter. His satisfaction turned into delight as he watched the blond human who had crippled him tumble to the forest floor not 5 yards away from him and lie stunned and still, her breath coming in rapid pants, her eyes open but unseeing.
Oh yes, things were looking up indeed.
And then, things began to look incredibly bad. The tree nearest to him cracked and groaned in its effort to hit him, its trunk shattering in its wrath. J leaped back, but not fast enough, and he felt his body jerk to the ground, chin first, as his trailing beard was trapped under the fallen wood.
"Oh, shit," J mumbled as he tried to pull his precious beard free, "Not again!"
* * * *
Zechs sensed the approaching spell, a fiery ball of dwarfish hate and greed. But so wrapped up in his relief and happiness for his recovered queen he did not sense it soon enough. He only had time to wrap his protection and love around his mate, pulling her tight to his breast and hold the weakened Quatre close before the spell stuck.
The humans he did not care about, nor could he spare energy for. His priority was to return his wife to her home, to heal her body of the scars of her bondage and servitude, to love her, cherish her, and protect her. As the dwarf's spell stuck, he allowed the humans to fly away, scattered on the wind, ignoring Lucrezia's horrified gasp and Quatre's struggle to envelope the mortals with a spell of protection.
Shielding the portal to the fairy realm from spying eyes, whether they be human or dwarfish, he flew through to his own true world breathing deeply clean pure air. He relished how the earth, the trees, and all living things within his land sang with welcoming joy and love for their returned queen. He allowed his transporting spell to disperse, and watched with detachment as the cacooning filaments of the spell broke away and dispersed in twinkling motes of light.
Turning to his queen he felt sudden unease as he saw her looking up at him, her eyes pools of worry.
"What have you done?" she asked, her voice low and full of emotion. She pushed away from the shielding arms of her husband and stood straighter as the magical air of her true realm strengthened her.
Zechs frowned slightly at her expression. They had been apart for more years than he cared to remember and their reunion should have been sweet. But already her concern and love for humans was pushing them apart. Ignoring her stiffness, he pulled her into his arms again, entwining his fingers into her cropped hair.
"I have returned you to your home," he said quietly, allowing his lips to touch the softness of her hair, "I have brought you to the place you should never have strayed from."
"But what of the girls?" Lucrezia's voice was soft, scarcely a murmur and hard to hear above the greetings of the Fae who gathered around them to welcome back their lost queen. "What of Relena and Hilde? What of...Dorothy?"
A deep rage flowed through Zech's veins as he thought of the human woman who had kept his heart chained in iron for so long. The desire for revenge was strong and part of him hoped that the spell had killed the thrice-hated Dorothy.
"Lord..."
Zech's contemplation was interrupted and he looked down to see Quatre kneeling before him, his golden head bowed in a posture of open subservience.
"Not all humans suffer from hearts twisted by greed," Quatre said, "Amongst those women transported, only one was guilty of crimes against the Fae. One other helped you find your queen, and two were innocent, pure and good. The raptor and the cat are victims too of dwarf's magic. I would ask that I be allowed to return to the world of men to be ensure that no harm befalls the innocent."
"Yes, Millardo, let us go back to be sure that they are alright!" Lucrezia sunk to he knees so suddenly that Zechs could not hold her up.
A hush fell over the gathered Fae as they listened to Lucrezia's words, an unspoken horror flowing through the throng at the thought that they might lose her yet again.
Zechs frowned and bent to draw her back to her feet.
"No," he said firmly, "Never again will I let you tread the path into the human world. If you were to be lost to me again I could not bare it," ignoring her sharp intake of breath, he went on in a louder voice addressing the gathered Fae, "From this moment on let none pass over to the mortal plane. Our time is ended there, let them forget our world of magic once and for all."
He gazed down into the upturned face of his wife and felt his heart stop as he watched a single tear slip down her pale cheek. He knew that he was imprisoning her, shutting her away from the world of mortals that she so adored, but he knew no other way of keeping her safe from hurt. And it had been no lie that he could not survive losing her again. He had already trodden the path of near madness - being forced to walk it again would kill him, or worse.
"Our time there has ended," he repeated, bending his lips to her cheek, kissing away the tears and silently asking her to understand and accept what he had decreed.
"The Heart," Quatre murmured, still knelt before his King, flanked by Trowa and Catherine, one watching him impassively and one with adoration and fear in her eyes. "Seek them with the Heart, put your Queen's worry for their safety at rest."
Zechs frowned once again at the Prince of the Fourth House's audacity. It had been years since he had touched the sacred jewel afraid of what it would tell him and afraid of what his shattered mind would do to the most sacred possession of the Fae. But, his madness had passed. His Queen was in his arms once more and if he used the Heart to scry the world it would but her mind at rest, she would stop fighting against the welcome of her homeland and she would rest and heal.
He nodded once and turned slightly, lifting one arm to the sky, his fingers outstretched. The other arm he kept firmly around his wife feeling that if he let go of her for even a second she might slip away from him and be lost once more. Turning his eyes to his uplifted hand, he allowed the summoning magic to spill from his fingertips, calling the sacred jewel to him.
Warmth surrounded his fingers as the jewel heeded his call. He could hear it sing to him as mist spun around his hand and felt the joy that was the stone imbued him. Eyes lifted he felt rather than saw all his people sink to their knees, heads bowed in reverence, as the jewel coalesced in a near blinding flash of light. Zechs closed his eyes against the glare and allowed the warmth of the heart to flood down his arm and encircle him and his wife.
He lowered his hand and gazed at the jewel that was held in his hand. It shimmered, flecks of light dancing within it, rainbow hued and bright. He felt it's concern, love and joy flood through him, and heard it whisper his name. His true name. The name he had almost forgotten in his time of solitude and despair.
....Millardo....
Fingers tightening around the jewel, he bowed his head and brought it up to his brow. Directing his thoughts to it he first sought forgiveness for forsaking the Heart for so long. The joyful song of the Heart increased, spinning a dance around him driving all thoughts of regret and sorrow from his heart. They were one again, that was all that mattered the Heart told him.
Lucrezia's fingers tightened around his and Millardo nodded slightly, pushing his awareness beyond the boundary of his own lands into the enchanted woods where is own realm hid. Mortal heartbeats raced in his ears, and one that was much older. Counting he knew that all were alive and that there were yet more mortals pushing passed the boundary of the wood.
An old rage resurfaced at the thought of mortals crawling their way through such sacred trees, walking on what should be hallowed ground. The Heart's song changed subtly and he could feel it soothing him, calming him and reminding him that all was well. Breathing deeply, Millardo pushed his consciousness further into the stone.
The woman, the distant child of the mortal that has first caught Lucrezia's attention was wandering, her clothes crumpled, her hair coming free from the twists that had bound it. A little further on Millardo could see her mate hunting for non-existent trails, muttering about how he was going to teach his woman the meaning of obedience when he found her. With a little smile, he pushed the two in the right direction to find each other sending them thoughts of gratitude for the gift that the woman had given him. Both hesitated for a moment, brows furrowed with confusion at the overwhelming desire to suddenly go in a particular direction. But both heeded his command and Millardo knew they would find each other.
In another direction he found the dark haired girl wandering dazed and alone, blood on her brow where she had struck her head. Before Millardo could seek another mortal to aid her, the spell bound cat found her, locating her by sniffing the scent of her blood on the wind. The girl sank to her knees as the cat bounded up to her, allowing the animal man to nuzzle her and lick the trail of blood that wound its way down her cheek. The raptor was close on the cat's heels, the two linked by a strong bond of brotherhood and magic.
Millardo heard the dark girl question the whereabouts of her sister, and he allowed his mind to float away from the trio in search of the girl. He found her disturbingly close to the portal to his own world. She was shakily standing, looking dazed and uncertain of her whereabouts. Concern furrowed her brow, and she started walking closer to the portal. Following her, Millardo saw what captured her attention.
A tree, old and wise, had fallen. Its trunk had shattered and it had toppled over pinning a creature to the forest ground. The tree cried out in pain and warning to the girl who approached, asking her to stay away, telling her to flee. But the human woman could not or would not hear. She was intent on the creature the tree had sacrificed itself to trap.
The dwarf. The one responsible for restraining his queen, the one responsible for twisting human lives, the one responsible for the spell that had nearly torn Lucrezia from his side again.
The Heart sung out a warning telling that death was on the mind of the dwarf, and Millardo heeded it sending a sharp warning to the dark maiden that wandered nearby. Satisfied by her sudden horrified expression that the girl had heeded him, Millardo began to withdraw from the stone.
It was then he heard it.
The slow heartbeat of a mortal asleep. Following the sound he found her; the woman that was the cause of all his years of misery. Again the anger rose within him, but this time he wasn't so easily placated by the heart he held against his brow. The desire to rid the world of her poisonous presence was too much for the stone. Its reassuring song faded to a soft buzz, softened by the roar of his own blood calling for her death.
The woman sensed her impeding doom. Her brow furrowed in her deep magical sleep, her sense of self-preservation fighting against the spell that bound her. Her head slowly moved from side to side in a gesture of denial and her limbs twitched as if she tried to run. A grin spread across Zech's lips as he wound his presence around her, squeezing her soul slowly and resolutely.
But then, soft cool fingers touched his own and he felt a soft, warm, long missed presence weave itself around him. Lucrezia said nothing. But still she asked silently to let the woman live.
For anyone else, he would have refused. For anyone else, he would have ignored the plea and crushed the woman's heart by sheer will alone. But he could not deny his love. Groaning slightly, he pushed the hate away, and pulled his spirit from the mortal after sending her a final compulsion to leave and never come back. He allowed the hearts song once more to invade his soul and once more he was Millardo.
Opening his eyes, he reverently lowered the stone from his brow and lifted it to the air once more. Opening his fingers wide he gave thanks to the Heart then allowed the summoning magic to disperse. The Heart pulsed with one last burst of song and light, then faded from sight.
Fingers tingling still with the Hearts potent magic, Millardo lowered his hand and embraced his wife.
"It is done. Their hearts all beat, and they all still breathe. Thanks and warnings have been given. What happens to them now concerns us not," he stated firmly, both to his Queen and to the gathered Fae.
Lucrezia's eyes saddened at her King's statement, but to his relief and his joy she did not protest. Instead she melted into his embrace seeking comfort and support. He tightened his embrace and in a whirl of light melted them both away to their private chamber where he could comfort and love her and erase the memories of their lost years and their child.
It was over.
* * * *
Relena felt dizzy and weak. She could see that the strange little man with the long beard was talking to her. His mouth opened and closed quickly, his eyes narrowed and his fingers clawed at the beard that was so firmly trapped under a fallen tree. But the ringing in her ears prevented her from making out was he was saying.
She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. Since touching Quatre and wishing him well she felt as weak as a new-born baby, her limbs resisting even the simplest of commands to move. Added to the weakness was confusion. How did she come to be here in her beloved wood when she had been just moments before in a grand manor house? Where was Hilde? Where were the cat and raptor? Why was she all of a sudden alone?
Memories of being held in the warm, stern but benevolent presence being that was shattered by a bolt of hate suddenly flooded her. Her stomach twisted at the remembrance, and she sunk to her knees, head bowed, and retched until her stomach was quite empty. The sickness, although leaving her feeling weaker, cleared her head. When she once more looked at the little man she could make out the words he was saying.
"Ach! You humans really are disgusting!," he muttered, he little eyes blinking rapidly as he pulled at his beard.
"...sorry...", Relena mumbled, wiping her face with the edge of her cloak. She felt hot, yet cold at the same time, wanting to wrap herself in the heavy material and throw it off all at the same time.
"Ah!" the man's eyes narrowed as he gazed at her, "Got yer wits back, have you?" His mouth pulled into a small smile, and his voice taking on a wheedling tone, "Come help me young lass. I'm trapped and I need to be free so I can ..aid... you."
Relena nodded once and pushed herself up to her feet. She tottered a little as she was disorientated both by dizziness and a sudden overwhelming sense of fear. She wanted to run away, far away from the strange little man that was begging her help. He was dangerous, he was evil, and he would hurt her! Unconsciously she stepped back a couple of paces, clutching her cloak around her like a shield.
Instantly the little man's face crumbled.
"Och! Fer pities sake, help me!," he cried out, his little eyes gleaming with unshed tears, "I'm just a poor old man, alone and helpless! If you don't aid me I will surely die..." The tears spilled and ran down his wrinkled cheeks as he once again tugged on his beard.
Relena blinked. What on earth was she thinking? How could she abandon a helpless being simply because of a sudden irrational fear? Taking a deep breath she shook her head trying to dispel the last threads of terror from her heart, and walked slowly forward. The man gave a little cackle of what Relena assumed was relief and as soon as she was near enough grasped hold of her arm with his claw like hands.
"Oh, I will reward you well, lass!," he grinned, lips pulling back to show yellow aged teeth.
Relena nodded, and tried to smile back at the strange old man. She wished with all her heart that Hilde were here by her side to dispel the strange feeling of dread that kept dogging her. Glancing up at the sky she wondered too just where Zero was, missing the familiar weight of him sitting on her shoulder. Soon, she thought, they would all be together again. Soon they would be sitting with Uncle Peygan once more in front of the bright warm fire in their cottage. Soon all would be well.
Another short laugh from the old man claimed her wandering attention. Crouching down beside him, she tried to tease the beard out from under the heavy trunk. It was stuck fast, pulling, even gently, seemed to cause the old man a great deal of agony. With every little tug he would howl loudly in her ear, causing her head to throb in pain as well as dizziness.
Giving up on pulling the long grey hairs out, Relena attempted to push the log off the beard. Touching the trunk, she was surprised to feel the warmth of the wood course through her, dispelling some of her disorientation. Pushing hard, she found that she could not move it at all. It was a large log, heavy with sap and ebbing life. Glancing at the leaves of the fallen tree, Relena noted that they had just begun to wilt showing her that it had only recently been felled Why the tree had toppled puzzled her - the wood of the trunk looked healthy, no evidence could she see of rot.
A sudden thought that she was responsible for the death of this beautiful tree flooded her. Had it been felled by the strange magic that had apparently transported her from the manor? Sadness flowed through her and she bent to wrap her arms around the trunk, silently asking forgiveness.
"What are you doing?", the old man snapped at her, "My beard! My beard!"
Relena closed her eyes as she embraced the tree for one final moment. The old man was beginning to annoy her. Pushing her irritation away, she once again tried to pull the beard free of the wood. Again, the old man shrieked, cursing her, demanding to know why she was trying to pluck the hairs from his chin. Finally, she could take no more of his moans and groans and she reached down into the pocket of her dress and pulled forth her scissors.
The old man caught a glimpse of the flashing metal and pulled back in alarm, pulling the hairs of his beard taunt. Quickly, Relena cut through them and as the tension of the hairs were suddenly released he fell backward on to his bottom and stared down at his now much shorter beard.
Relena gave him an apologetic smile, but any words that were to accompany them stuck in her throat as the little old man howled in anger.
"You bitch! You cow! You stupid human whore! Look what you have done! Look what you have done to me!"
Relena slipped the scissors back into her pocket and stepped back from the old man who continued to rant at her, spittle flying from his lips in his irritation.
"...I'm sorry.." she tried to interrupt him, "You were in so much pain, it was the only way I could free you. It will grow back fast, I'm sure it will."
The old man's eyes narrowed. "Grow back fast you say?" he snarled, "You have cut away centuries of growth you stupid woman, and for that I will kill you!"
With unexpected speed the old man flung himself at Relena, wrapping his small gnarled fingers around her throat and squeezed. Relena, disorientated by all that had occurred to her in just a few short hours, had neither speed nor wits to evade his attack. All she could do was pull on his hands weakly and try with her last breaths of air to call for help.
Two names came to her lips unbidden. The first was Zero, her beloved companion who had watched over her safety so closely and who had been torn away from her side so savagely. The second was Quatre's name, her guardian who had always come to her side in dire need before. At the utterance of the second name, the old man hesitated. His grip relaxed slightly and Relena gasped in great gulps of air passed her bruised throat.
The old man looked about him hesitantly as if he expected the Fae to suddenly appear before him and let his hands slip away from the girl's throat. Relena stumbled back a few paces, her hands lifting to her neck as she coughed and attempted to control her breathing. The trees dipped down trying to catch the dwarf again, but J moved swiftly and caught the girl by the arm. Dragging her close he hissed at her.
"You have been forsaken by at Fae," he said quietly, keeping his eye on the trees that surrounded them, "See, you call for him but he wont come. He has his queen once more, he has no further need for a mortal girl."
Relena's fingers gingerly massaged her throat as she stared up at the dwarfs twisted face. Forsaken? Quatre would never forsake her. He always came to her when she called, even when the need was not great.
"He has tossed you aside! Why protect him anymore? Show me girl! Show me the way to the world of the Fae!"
J's fingers curled around her arm and squeezed until Relena cried out in pain, her mind calling out to her friend and her protector to save her from this strange little man.
"I don't know what you mean!" she whispered, trying to pull away from the old man's grip.
J stared into her eyes. A master in lies himself, he could easily tell when someone tried to deceive him. The girls large blue eyes stared up at him frightened and innocent. It was clear that she was telling him the truth, and he cursed in annoyance. Glancing around, his eyes narrowed as he considered.
"Was there anywhere...is there a place in this forest from which you are forbidden to go?"
Relena's eyes flickered away from his and looked over his shoulder. Following her glance, J observed an area where the trees grew close together, their boughs entwined and thick. Saplings crowded around their trunks like children around a mother and they grew straight, tall and healthy despite the lack of sunlight through the canopy of the older trees. J looked back at the girl, who was looking down at her feet with a look of guilt upon her face, and he grinned.
"Over there, is it lass?" he pulled her closer and concentrated. There was the stink of Fae magic all over the wood, but even his dull senses could see that it was concentrated on the thicket. He crowed in his pleasure. "Ah! I have found it! I have found it!"
At last his centuries old quest would be complete. He would have the heart and he would have revenge for all the indignities that he had been forced to suffer. Leaping towards the portal, he hissed in annoyance as the trees once again dipped down trying to lash him with their nasty twiggy fingers. He pulled the maiden close again and glared up at the trees and then began to proceed cautiously forward using the girl as a shield.
He could hear the wood cry out in frustration, unable to harm him without harming her. He listened to the wood urge the girl to run away, but he kept his grip on her arm firm and tight and he could sense her exhaustion easily. She had no strength to pull herself free from him. He had won! At last he would be master!
Further and further they went, until the wood was so close he had to push his way through dim thickets full of saplings crowding together trying to bar his way. He gritted his teeth against the stench of Fae that encircled him, concentrating only on inching his way through the portal, through to the reward that he had waited so long for.
And then he was through.. Bright light assailed him so suddenly that he that he lifted both hands to shield his eyes and so let the girl go. He felt the trees exhalation at the maiden's freedom, but he ignored it. It mattered not as he was through to the hidden realm. He stumbled blindly forward; one step, two steps, and then his third step found no support to hold him. Opening his eyes in sudden fright he found himself on the edge of a cliff, a great precipice that gapped in front of him eager to swallow him up.
He cursed in horror realising that he had been tricked. He had not found the portal, instead the trees had lead him to mortal peril. As his balanced on the edge, his arms windmilling in an attempt to regain his balance, he heard in his mind the hated calm voice of the Fae that had protected the two maids in the woods.
"The portal is shut to all who seek entry, be they innocent or be they evil. Fae will fade from the living memory of the mortal world."
J snarled at the smug calmness of the words. His anger gave him the additional strength he needed to regain his balance and he stood on the edge of the cliff, breathing heavily and clenching his fists.
"Hear me, Fae! You will open the portal or I will toss the girl over to her death!"
J glanced back at the Relena who stood only a few steps away, swaying from exhaustion. It would take no effort at all to drag her to the edge and shove her over. And even if it didn't gain him entry to the Fae world, it would give him a great deal of personal satisfaction.
But before he could even turn away from the edge, a cry of denial came from above. Twisting his neck sharply J saw the raptor king dart down out of the bright sky, his claws catching the wispy tangles of the dwarfs hair dragging him forward and over the cliff edge.
Screaming in his rage and frustration, J turned and reached back in an effort to catch the girl and bring her with him to his death, expending the last of his magic to drag her within arms reach. The raptor gave a harsh cry and spun in the air, swooping down in an effort to protect the maiden, but could not in time.
Instead, it was the trees that saved her. They wrapped her in their leafy boughs and pulled her away from the dwarfs seeking hand, gently passing her weary body between them away for the dangerous cliff.
And so J fell to his doom on his own, all the time screaming his hatred of the Fae, of the princes, and of maidens wielding large silver scissors. And his curses didn't stop even when he hit the ground and his heart stopped, instead they continued to echo against the cliff becoming softer and softer but never fading completely.
But the maiden and the raptor noticed none of this, for both were too preoccupied by what was happening to the bird. As soon as the last breath left the dwarf's lungs, the spell that bound the raptor began to fully unwind. Sensing the change, Zero swooped down to earth and landed beside the maiden who had been gently set down by the trees that had protected her.
Relena reached out to the raptor as he landed, but then hesitated as she saw him begin to change. Her eyes grew wide as motes of light swirled and encircled the bird, covering him in a wondrous brightness. His form changed, wings stretching, back arching until he seemed to explode in a snowstorm of feathers that swirled and floated on the wind hiding the raptor from Relena's sight.
Frightened for her companion, Relena cried out in alarm and reached out a hand feeling blindly through the drift of feathers, seeking the bird. But instead of warm feathers, her questing fingers found warm skin. As the feathers settled down around her, she saw that her hand had found the arm of a young man who crouched naked and panting before her, his dark head bowed, his face hidden. Startled, she made to pull away, but the man was too fast for her. He took her hand in his own and held it tightly as he slowly lifted his head.
It was the man, the mysterious beautiful man she had encountered in the snow on her quest for the missing cat and raptor. The man who had lifted her so gently when she had injured herself and had taken her to a place of healing. His startling blue eyes looked down into hers and his lips pulled into a half smile as he placed her hand over his heart.
"Relena.." he murmured.
tbc
...lol..Great job here as always....I can't wait for the next chapter..Keep posting.. 
