Blissful Ignorance

So this was my attempt to write a fairy tale, GW style, sort of, somewhat unsuccessfully.

Really this is the Church of Lemons 2 piece I made. I had to get it in on a deadline so I kind of cut off a lot of things I was trying to do with it. It wanted to be far longer so please don't think badly of me for how rushed it all felt. -___-;

Erm, enough of my whining. On with the weird fantasy!

Disclaimer: I don?t own Heero, Relena, or Gundam Wing or any rights to anything regarding them. (And if I did it would have been a lot mushier, with so much more screen time for the 1xR moments. And he damn well would have kissed her in Endless Waltz!)

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Every Queen had a Huntsman. It was in observing the old ways that made this tradition important. It was as ancient as the wars between the kingdoms, and spoke back to the days of magic and fairy tale. Every King and Queen had a bit of folk lore in their blood and most of them respected it. Some had a bit of the fae in them, vastly diluted by time and only still talked of by the odd child born with pointed ears and fine bone structures. Others had stories of grandparents who had overcome evil curses to save their kingdoms. Still others had artifacts left over from relatives long dead and enshrined in the memories of their children and more literally in glass cases where a lucky few could view this slipper or that spinning wheel.

The old ways had been dying out, however, as the constant wars had driven even the most common magical occurrences into relative obscurity compared to the everyday tragedies that people had to live with. War and its horrors was a more unbelievable condition to get used to than any evil spell. The great forests, ancient and rich in the magic that people could not longer believe in, became the last bastion for those that had need of the fantastic.

The largest and best preserved of these forests lay within the demesnes of the Queen of the Sanq, Relena Peacecraft. She was the last in a great legacy of Peacecrafts, the strong leaders who had been trying to gain a lasting peace throughout the kingdoms for centuries. With Relena, the efforts of generations had finally come to fruition and an unsteady truce had come about thanks to her unwavering efforts. Tragedy had left her an orphan at an early age, but her youth did not do her an injustice and her passion for creating peace burned in her so powerfully that it resonated not only in her own tired people but in the common folk throughout many other kingdoms. The Kings and Queens of other lands, finding that they were reaching the breaking point in regards to their resources, found that setting asides swords for plows was difficult but ultimately more rewarding.

Responsibility for keeping everyone at bay and diplomatically negotiating through problems, that in a less stable time would have ended with border skirmishes or worse, fell upon the shoulders of the young Queen. She was the only one that people trusted, even royals, and her integrity was a heavy burden even as it was an honor. Part of her tactic to realizing the new world that her family had dreamed of and schemed to create had to do with putting aside differences and modernizing every court to become more inclusive and open minded.

A part of this modernization involved reclassifying positions people held within their kingdoms. Generals became Advisors. Weapon builders became Craftsmen and were encouraged to form guilds and ply their skills at making something other than the tools of war. Relena?s world was one of Merchants, Farmers, and Artists. If she could get rid of the very vocabulary of aggression then it would be a start. She knew she had to change the way people thought before anything else.

This is why the Queen of Sanq, despite having the most vast and dangerous forests in five kingdoms, had no Huntsman. She said that change started at home, and she would live a strong example for others to follow. This was a small concession, and it wouldn?t have occurred to her if circumstances had not forced her into a difficult spot. Sticking to the old ways for no other reason than because they always had was not good enough for her. It was like hanging horseshoes above doors for luck, or leaving out cakes for the ghosts on the solstice. She was no slave to superstition, as she allied superstition to the same sort of thinking that forced people to commit atrocities because ?they always had.?

The way she thought alarmed some, but most were so grateful to her for the way she had changed people?s lives for the better that they didn?t mind. There was more food in people?s mouths, and no list of bodies to be buried each month as village boys fell in far away battles. Praises for Queen Relena were on nearly everyone?s lips and her portrait graced every home that could afford it as if she were some sort of goddess watching over them.

Naturally, this was not what the Queen had in mind when she thought about modernizing the kingdoms.

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?Tell them I will most certainly not visit villages and bless them.? Relena sat at her desk, the great oak one that her father and her father?s father had sat at, and tried not to let her face twitch as her Advisor asked her again with that twinkle in his violet eyes.

?But can?t you spare a moment from your busy schedule so that the crops will be more bountiful this year?? The laughter in his voice almost relieved her of her bad humor, but it had been a trying day already.

Relena set down her quill on the parchment hard enough to break it and she frowned down at the ink stain. ?I?m not some goddess who makes the rain fall and the sun shine. If people don?t stop thinking these silly things then any real deities out there are going to desert them right after they strike me down.?

?You must admit,? Duo said as he propped his feet up on Relena?s desk and leaned back in the chair across from her. ?As soon as you proclaimed an end to war and a return to prosperity, it certainly happened, contrary to expectations. They naturally felt grateful to you.?

?Then let them feel grateful. That?s not the same as bowing and scraping when I pass by.? She sighed and slumped in her chair while examining her broken quill. ?Any great bounty people experienced was only because every last drop of blood and money was no longer feeding the collective war machine. This bounty that the people of other kingdoms worship me for is what the people of the Sanq have had for centuries.?

Duo leaned back a little too far but caught himself before the chair toppled backwards. ?Not every kingdom was as lucky as the Sanq to be isolated from strife by a mountain range and a particularly thick and large forest. Ever think that if it weren?t for all the natural defenses that we would be like those other poor saps??

The face she made let Duo know he had gone too far on a day she didn?t want to hear it. ?Don?t call them that.? Relena tossed the quill on the table next to the ruined parchment. ?And it does no good to conjecture. We need to work with what we have. There?s no time for games of ?what if? when reality is far too engrossing for my liking.?

?Back to business then,? Duo put his feet back down on the floor and pulled out pieces of paper on which he had written all of his notes. Relena would have scolded him for being scattered and disorganized but to her knowledge his unorthodox system worked and he was a good source of original ideas. Duo Maxwell had been her friend for years and she trusted him more than nearly anyone else who worked with her or for her. ?There?s trouble in the southern kingdom with some of the generals who don?t want to give up their titles, but Trowa has it covered. He told you not to worry.?

?Then I won?t. What else??

?They?re asking for more aid in the west. . .?

?We sent them aid just a couple months ago when they had that famine.?

Duo checked another slip of paper he dug out of the top of a sock. He squinted at the smudged writing. ?Seems they had a bad storm. Blew down a lot of their new crops.?

?Send them food and seedlings to replant. Let them know they can?t look to us for every little thing, but say it nicely.?

?Righto.? Duo snapped his fingers. ?I nearly forgot because I was talking to Hilde and I didn?t have a free piece of paper when the page came and told me. . . King Wufei is getting married.?

The crease of a frown that had marred Relena?s face immediately lifted. ?That?s a wonderful change of pace. When is the happy event??

?Three months. Just a rumor at the moment, though. The announcement won?t be for another month and then the invitations will come shortly after. Pretty hush hush actually. I hadn?t heard a thing about his being attached to someone, so this was quite the juicy tidbit to fall into my lap.?

Relena shook her head. Duo knew everyone and talked to everyone. Looking at him you wouldn?t think he had the most extensive and best paid network of spies in all the kingdoms. She would feel guilty about it except that the only way she could run things the way she did and as well as she did was because of a steady stream of information from the smiling young man in front of her.

?Speaking of marriage,? Slyly Relena eyed Duo and she had the pleasure of watching his eyes become wide and scared. ?When are you going to propose to Hilde??

Duo cleared his throat loudly, since he did everything loudly, and stood to make a hasty retreat. ?I think I heard a knock at the door. You?ve got a lot of legislation to look over so I?ll leave you to your work. Same time tomorrow? Yes. Ok. Bye!? He was gone, thick braid bouncing, as he practically ran out of her chambers.

It hadn?t been her intention to scare him away, not truly, but now that she was alone she was grateful. Her head hurt and she wished that for once the business of running a kingdom and then managing to remember the affairs and concerns of four more were not her responsibility alone. That she wanted help wasn?t something she could exactly broadcast. She wasn?t some sort of merchant who could cast about for a partner in a similar business to join her. Alliances in the royal world meant marriage and she wasn?t up for that with any of the prospects available. It would upset the fine balance she had set between the kingdoms. The moment a single one of them thought she was neglecting them it could topple them back into the cycles of anger and violence she was desperately trying to prevent.

Peace, while good for everyone, seemed to have doomed her to a perpetually overworked and lonely existence. This wedding sounded like it would be a nice break. Even if it would be work as well, since she would be expected to attend and moderate any social gathering that involved more than one monarch, a wedding was a naturally joyous occasion. She could safely look forward to it, and as she inked it onto the oversized calendar which rested on her desk she smiled to herself.

Things seemed to be calming down, and maybe she could find time for herself before the wedding. Finding a suitable gift would be a priority when she had more information at her disposal about what King Wufei would need. Duo was good at finding out that kind of thing. It was practically impossible to give a king a gift. They literally had everything already.

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?Tell me again why I?m doing this??

?Tradition.?

?That?s not a good enough reason.?

?Look, Relena, I know that you don?t like doing things just because they?ve always been done but this isn?t a big concession to make in the long run.? Duo patted the horse he was astride in a nervous fashion. He and horses had a bad history together. In fact, he had met the love of his life, Miss Hilde Schbeiker, when his horse had run off with him and practically bucked him off at her feet. Waking up to a pretty and concerned face had done wonders for his temper but hadn?t made him any less nervous around horses and they knew it.

?Then let?s get these visits out of the way. I don?t like being in the borderlands. The forest always made me. . . uneasy.?

Duo laughed at her. ?This I didn?t know! The great Queen Relena is afraid of trees. I?ll have to write that down somewhere.?

?Don?t you dare!? Relena snapped. ?It isn?t that I?m afraid of the forest. I just get a bad feeling when I go by it. It?s unreasonable, I realize. Those areas are still wild and that?s all.?

?You could always cut it down.?

?No way.? Relena shook her head vigorously.

?Then no whining when we go and greet the mayor tonight. You only visit the big towns every other year and even if this is the biggest town for miles, it?s still pretty rustic. This is a huge deal for them.? Duo wanted to be there right now. Anything to get off of this nag which seemed to want to wander down side roads at every opportunity.

Relena moved her horse to a faster trot, partially to get there faster and more to punish Duo indirectly for her own bad mood and unease. ?You should be glad that you get to see me whine. Not many people are so honored as to see Queen Relena?s bad side in any form.?

?Right now I?m thinking of giving that honor up, since you?re being a royal pain in the-?

?Duo!?

?Just kidding!? He groaned behind her. ?But think we could take the speed down? I think this horse is thinking about forcibly removing me from its back as well. I swear they talk to one another.?

She pulled back enough to see Duo and his death grip on the reigns. ?The faster we move, the faster you can be off of that horse!?

?Lead the way then. Less talking, more cantering!?

At the time of their arrival, the mood in the town was not as festive as Duo had seemed to promise. Rather like the forest, the people wore dark clothes and had somber expressions. Relena tried to remember her last visit here, of names and faces that she had memorized who were then added to the hundreds of which she had to remember. The mayor, a solemn looking woman of late middle age, greeted Relena, Duo and Relena?s small cadre of bodyguards with an attempt at a smile.

?Your Majesty honors us by your visit. Please take tonight to rest and tomorrow we can properly receive you and celebrate your coming.? The words were polite, but they sounded forced.

If it had been another time Relena might have been suspicious, but it had been a long journey to this, one of the furthest points away from the capital. She had had two visits to villages before this one in the last week. She was grateful for the respite from the constant adoration even if the scenery and the company was more appropriate for a funeral. The only useful part of this whole adventure was to personally hear and view the state of the economic and social situation around the kingdom; Relena felt disconnected from her usual position of multinational importance.

What was happening? What if she was needed and no one was able to find her fast enough? Trowa had returned after that last trouble they had in King Treize?s domain but he said he was confident that everything had been resolved. Trieze in the south, unlike Dorothy in the east or Wufei in the north, had been one of the first rulers to completely agree to her policies and so far had been one of the last to follow through on the disarming of his country. Quatre, in the west, with his country being mineral rich and agriculturally poor, had been the most overtly cooperative and Relena was grateful for at least one ruler who had sense.

The mayor led Relena and her entourage to her house and showed them to their rooms. Relena declined the invitation to have something to eat since it was late. When the mayor pressed the issue again Relena tried not to allow her mood to sway and instead pointed out that she would much rather get a full night of sleep. The mayor relented, and Relena retired to her room with distracted thoughts. Some rulers reviewed troops, but Peacecrafts had always reviewed fields. The squash and corn waiting for her in the morning did not provide enough of a thrill to keep her awake in anticipation. If only she had someone at the capital who knew how to do her job as well as she could, then maybe she?d feel less like she was going to be ill with worry.

But this was the last place she had to be and then she would be back where she knew she was needed. The thought brought relief, but also an expected amount of tension. There would never be room for vacations until her job was done in making her world a safe and prosperous place to live. Perhaps the only real vacation would come when she died.

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?Relena!?

Duo?s voice cut through her dreamless sleep. Normally he wouldn?t imagine intruding on her unless she had overslept. In a zombie-like manner she sat up in bed and hands roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her out the rest of the way.

?I?m up. Give me a minute to get ready. We?ll make formal apologies later. Send them a shipment of luxury goods. . . tropical fruits. Why am I by the window??

The world around her came into focus and the dark room provided clues to her predicament. The yelling and banging she had heard was not the normal morning breakfast preparations unless pots and pans had grown sharp edges and were wielded by angry men and women.

He leaned out of the window, then, when Duo was pretty sure he had a solid plan, he put both hands on Relena?s shoulders and tried to get through to her what needed to happen. ?Looks like you and me need to make a run for it. This is a two story drop, but you?ve fallen off of horses before. Just roll with it. It will hurt but don?t try to take the force on your knees. I?ll be down there and try to catch you.?

Relena nodded and dashed over to grab her robe. More clothing would be a good idea in general. She grabbed what she could off of her desk, stuffed it into her robe pockets and then dashed back over. Duo was in the windowsill. ?Who?s attacking, why now??

?I don?t know.? He looked more irritated by that part than by the whole attempted assassination problem they were facing. ?But if we get through this then I?m tightening up my operation. Seems some branches have gone soft. Or else I?ve got a double agent. Whatever, you don?t need to worry. Let?s go.? Duo pushed off and there was a crunch of bushes below.

Shoes! Of all the things to forget that one would be bad. Relena dove across the room and grabbed the boots she had discarded by the bed the night before from her long ride. As she picked them up the doors to her room burst open and soldiers in black uniforms and masks pointed and yelled. With no more time to think, she reacted instead by practically diving out of the window. Normally such an action would have been preceded by fidgeting and making sure she was landing somewhere relatively soft but when it came to a room full of armed soldiers and a two story drop then she knew what needed to be done. A bonus to being a professional decision maker was having good reaction times in tight spots.

The bushes, not Duo, were the only thing that broke her fall. Everything hurt, but rather than check her body she pulled on her boots without lacing them up and then sprang out of the brush in as spry a manner as she could manage. A hand helped her up.

?A little too far to the left for me, Queenie.?

?Shut up and run Duo, they saw me.? He nodded and they took off at full speed.

At first they thought that they had lost their pursuers when they ducked into a field of ripe corn, but the bark of dogs and the distinctive beat of horses hooves that grew steadily louder forced them to move faster and find somewhere else to hide.

?We?ll have to go for the forest. C?mon.? Duo pulled her along. They were dirty and tired already, but fear was a good motivator and Relena?s legs moved independently of her thought process. Being nervous about the dense wood was as nothing compared to the howls that haunted their steps.

It was still dark out, too early in the morning for light to even think of piercing the trees, and inside of the forest it was darker than Relena had dared imagine. The dark was almost suffocating and it was cooler in the woods than it had been in the fields. Duo?s hand in hers, pulling them towards some destination, was the only thing she allowed herself to focus on. It was galling to be so vulnerable. She was Queen! She hated being helpless.

Shouts not far in front of them caused Duo to pull up short. ?Damn, they?re better then I thought. Then again, they?d have to send experts to get the better of your guards. And me of course.?

?You think that they?re ok??

?Probably dead. It?s the only way they?d allow anyone to pass into your chambers. Don?t worry, Relena, they were glad to die for you.? His glibness did nothing to help her mood.

?I don?t want anyone to die for me!? Duo clapped a hand over her mouth at her loud outburst.

He shook her by the shoulders after silencing her. ?This is what a war zone feels like. I know you never felt it, but I have. I only came to your palace when I was eight, but you never forget this feeling.? He pointed in a direction and she followed the line of sight he made for her. ?That should lead you to the edge of the woods. Go as far as you can and if you hit the foothills then stop and don?t go into the open. I?m going to distract them by leading them deeper in and you get away while you can. Give me your robe.?

Once the wardrobe change was complete and Relena had Duo?s jacket instead she gave him a hug. ?Be careful. I want you to come back alive.?

?Me too.? He saluted her and took off running with a cheeky smile and a wave.

The shouts in the distance at first became louder, but then they gained a different tone and were just faint calls by the time Relena uncurled from the crouch she had been in and started out for the direction that Duo had indicated. Alone and in the dark, the woods themselves began to be alarming with rustlings and the noises of the night animals still in force. Would she notice when it dawned or was the foliage so dense that it would seem as dark as midnight in the middle of the day? The crack of twigs beneath her feet made her flinch, and she stopped to tie up her boots the rest of the way before she continued on. They had been close to the edge of the forest, so it couldn?t be far to the foothills.

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With no adrenaline feeding her, Relena was acutely aware of how her body was tired, aching, and hungry. It felt like she had been walking for hours, and she must have been because the promised light of day actually did cut through the leaves enough to provide better visuals of the forest around her. She made a path through as straight as she could, but she wondered if she had been walking in circles. With no sun or landmarks to guide her she was truly lost. Stopping would mean waiting for someone to find her, and if she wasn?t where Duo had told her to be then who knows what party of people would run across her first. A monarch shouldn?t have to be lost in her own kingdom.

Finally too tired to continue on at the moment, Relena took stock of what she carried. Other than her boots, which were quite good, and a nightgown which was a little flimsy, she had Duo?s coat (too big for her). In his pockets were numerous bits of paper, some written on and some not, as well as wrappers from candies (one still containing the candy which she promptly ate), a few nubs of quills and a few stoppers full of ink. The things Relena had grabbed off of her desk weren?t much more useful: decorative hair clip, small perfume bottle, pins to hold up her hair, one of her rings, and the list of things she had to do today. Useless knick knacks. The to-do list made her depressed to look at. It would have been so much better if she had been, she squinted at Duo?s messy printing, ?pretending that these corn fields are the most interesting corn fields she had ever seen?. Duo tried to make things more amusing for her, and it was effort she appreciated. She felt like she had seen more corn up close than she ever wanted to again.

Had Duo gotten out ok?

Worry suffused her and she stood up from the stump she had been resting on and dusted herself off. She?d only know when she saw him again and she?d see him again if she could get to their meeting spot. Walking was the only way. She had not gotten this far in life by being weak willed. Things would turn out for the best. Even being in the forest wasn?t as bad as she had thought it would be. She hadn?t run into anything at all dangerous. There had been no boars, or wolves, or even that many insects. Maybe poachers had eliminated most of the game here. It was a sad thought.

An undetermined amount of time later, Relena was trying to swallow the bad taste the sweet had left in her mouth and to also conquer the impulse in her mind that said she should try some of those mushrooms. It was only a fifty-fifty chance they were poisonous, but she knew she was making up statistics to justify a poor idea and ended up thinking about food instead. She had skipped supper last night, too.

?Stuffed mushrooms, tiramisu cheesecake, spiced cider with cinnamon,? There was a light spot up ahead and her spirits lifted with the prospect of seeing something other than endless trees. ?Artichoke hearts in cream sauce, omelets, baked salmon and tartar sauce. . .? Her voice died off as she beheld not the foothills she had been hoping to see but instead a cottage. Asking for directions could be a good idea, and Relena was not shy about talking to people. She was confident in her people skills.

It was a rustic brown cottage edged with red trim around it supports. Rather dull colors but then she wasn?t one to be picky about something so long as it was functional for its intended purpose. Who would choose to live out in the middle of nowhere? They might be unfriendly, as she understood hermits to be. She would take her chances. The grass was tall and untrimmed in the clearing, oddly sweet smelling, and now that she could see the sun she figured it must be approaching midday. It felt good to be in the autumn sunshine and the coat finally felt warm enough. The path up to the door was well used and not at all overgrown so someone still lived here, or had up until recently. She knocked at the door.

There was no answer.

So she knocked again. ?Hello! Is anybody there?? By the third set of knocks she was beginning to think that whoever was there was out and she might as well wait when someone placed a hand on her shoulder from behind. She stiffened and willed herself not to scream.

?Why are you here?? It was a gruff male voice, deep, and she suddenly wondered if her pursuers had finally found her.

Relena took a calming breath. If that were true then she would already be dead. This person was simply a hermit, grumpy at being disturbed. ?I was lost. A friend of mine is waiting for me at the edge of the forest and I need to meet him but I don?t know the way. Could you direct me to where the forest meets the mountains??

The hand tightened painfully on her shoulder and she twisted under the grip but did nothing to dislodge it. ?Not good enough.?

This person obviously did not live in the company of others for a very good reason. ?Please, I did not mean to intrude upon you. If I were not in desperate need of help then I would not have approached.? They were both silent as he seemed to consider her words. She thought that under the situation she was retaining excellent poise. Potentially, she could have been panicking, but Relena had never seen much use for panic. There was a certain numbness that she had been granted by the long hours of walking alone in the woods.

?Come in.?

?I?d rather you showed me the way out and then you wouldn?t have to see??

?I said, come in.? Relena turned as soon as he released her to tell him that entertaining her would not be necessary, but several things stopped her. The first thing was the way he looked at her, a mix of anger, frustration, and curiosity, with the most striking set of eyes she had ever tried to stare down. She thought she had a good glare, but it was nothing to how his seemed to strip down her defenses and demand respect. The second thing that made her pause was the realization that beyond the eyes, the rest of him was similarly handsome. She was not the sort who was usually turned by a handsome face and form, but looking at this man was something she would be perfectly happy to do for a spell. The last thing was the axe he had casually resting in his hands. Saying no to an angry man wielding an axe didn?t seem to be the right choice in this situation.

She realized they had just been staring at one another for some time. ?Lead the way.? He brushed past her and opened the door without glancing behind to make sure she followed. ?Do you live here all year round? I don?t imagine many people make their homes in this forest.?

?This is the only house in the forest.? He was lighting a fire, his back to her, and Relena looked around the house, taking in details quickly as she always did. No woman lived here, unless she had an obsession with hunting. If anyone else at all lived here, she was sure that they would be home for lunch.

?Are you alone out here?? There was no answer. Maybe he felt it was self-evident. ?I imagine you must have a hard time finding food. I didn?t see a single animal on my way through.?

He turned from his task to give her a considering glance and then became again concerned with getting the fire going.

?I should probably introduce myself. My name is Relena. . .? She thought it would not be a good idea to give away her identity so readily. People acted funny when they were around important individuals, and though she was liked it wasn?t entirely universal. Relena picked up on the first last name she could think of, an administrator for her father who had been particularly nice to her when she was a small child. ?Darlian. I was visiting the village near here so I don?t know my way around.? Other than the name, it wasn?t a lie.

The man shook his head. ?You talk too much.?

Relena tried to be playful, but she knew that she was actually getting somewhat nervous. It wasn?t only that this man was threatening but he made her feel off balance in a way that no member of the aristocracy had come close to doing with their twisting words and intrigues. ?I?m a professional talker, in a way, so that?s understandable.? He wasn?t going to tell her himself it seemed, so she went ahead and asked. ?What?s your name??

The fire finally picked up and he stood up, dusting off his hands. ?Heero.?

She was starting to wonder if he was mentally slow. It was more likely he was socially slow after who knew how much time in the woods by himself. ?And what is it that you do?? If there was nothing else, most people enjoyed talking about their jobs or the sort of work they did. A few days ago she had a long and not very interesting conversation with a farmer about what material was best to fertilize a field with. She tried to come out of it with a better idea of what concerned a farmer, but compared to politics most occupations could not take up much of her mental time.

There was a long pause before he answered, and he looked as if the information had been forced from him. ?I?m the Queen?s Huntsman.?

A shiver ran down her back and Relena?s smile fell. She had felt rather than known that the job he spoke of was not the one with the lower case ?h? but rather Huntsman with a capital. A huntsman caught game, and there were many such decent men and women who made their living doing so. A Huntsman was a man who did work for the monarch that was too unsavory to be done publicly. Implicitly, it was known that what a Huntsman tracked and killed most often was people.

?The Queen has no Huntsman. The Peacecrafts have not had need for such a person.?

Her words, wooden and automatic, seemed to rile something in him again. The eyes that had looked on her with benign neglect once she had entered again turned malevolent as they had when she had first encountered him outside. ?They have always had one, nevertheless. The Yuys did not forget their debt.?

Hundreds of names that Relena had been forced to memorize over the years and not one Yuy stood out at the moment when it would have most important to know. Ironically, she suddenly remembered that the name of the mayor she had greeted last night was Gretchen Terryl. Useless information to her now. Relena could easily recite her family tree back all fourteen generations of Peacecrafts starting with Roderick the First who had built a castle in the middle of a large valley flanked by inhospitable mountains and a forest that would sooner swallow a person then let them cross through it. But no Yuys came to mind from what she knew of her family history.

?Just because you hold the same name as the Queen you think you know so much about her?? He walked up to her, dark brown hair falling into his eyes but not detracting from his intimidating presence.

?Actually, I fancy myself to be quite the expert on Queen Relena, and I know rather more then you?d credit me to about Peacecrafts in general. Especially the recent ones.?

?What would you know? You don?t look much older than me, and I was a boy when the former King and Queen were??

It still hurt. Years later and there were still places in her heart she didn?t want to examine. ?We don?t need to discuss this at the moment.? She nodded at something behind him. ?Your fire is dying.?

He narrowed his eyes at her and then went to tend to his ailing fire. Relena needed to find a way out of this man?s presence as soon as possible. He was a real crazy person if he thought that he was some descendent in a line of Huntsmen. When she had questioned him he seemed to get quite aggressive. If he was violent then she could be in as much trouble around him as she was last night. At least this person she could talk to before he stuck a sword?axe?into her. As long as Relena had her words, she had hope.

?Why don?t you tell me about this debt of yours??

?No.? He answered right away this time.

?It seems a bit unusual in this day and age to continue with such a tradition. It?s not the same as it used to be. There aren?t trolls hiding in caves or fairies stealing children anymore. The old magic is gone. Someday we won?t have a need for Kings or Queens, or so I believe.?

He snorted as if he found what she said funny.

?Don?t laugh. I think that there will come a time when the people will be able to rule themselves. I?ve heard of it working in other countries in the past.? He didn?t react this time. ?That?s not why you were amused, was it? You think there is still magic, don?t you?? Relena?s voice was incredulous.

Heero got up once more from his resuscitated fire. ?Just because you don?t want to see it doesn?t mean it?s not there.?

?Then I suppose you?re going to tell me that magic is all around.? He gave her a level look that she was the first to turn away from. Relena hadn?t meant to be so mean about this, but it was this kind of backwards thinking that kept progress from happening. ?What proof is there??

Rather than answer her he walked over to the front door and exited. After some scraping, Relena realized that he was using a key on the only exit she knew of. Was he locking her in? She wrestled with the doorknob and then ran to the window to see him walking into the woods only to go back to working on the door. It was solid and wood, and apparently it only locked from the outside. Who had a house that could only be locked from the outside? A quick check of all the windows in the house let her know that they could not be opened, and the panes were crisscrossed with steel bars as if it were a particularly decorative prison cell. Heero Yuy had trapped her in his house as effectively as if he had locked her into a cage.

Grabbing a weapon made her feel better, when she found a large knife in the kitchen area, but she didn?t know if she could use it even if she had an opportunity. Could she kill a man in self defense? Years of pacifism had not left her entirely helpless, but she had felt the strength in his arm when he had pressed on her shoulder. There was probably a bruise there, nearly as angry as the one she felt on her side from landing in those bushes at the foot of her window.

All she could do at the moment was wait for him to come back and then try to discover what sort of person her Huntsman was. Hopefully the answer to that was not a bloodthirsty one.

*
*
*

She had been dozing by the fireplace, listening to the crackle of embers, when the door closing loudly awoke her. As did the commentary that seemed to be coming from Heero?s hand.

?Is that her? Ahahaha. Boy, you?re in trouble now.?

Relena looked over and confusedly thought that the voice that sounded like that of an old man was coming from the rabbit carcasses that Heero held by the ears in on hand. Then she looked to the other and saw something that made her blink a few times. Heero released what had to be a figment of her imagination onto the floor, and it walked up to her where it bowed and introduced itself in what it probably thought was a courtly manner.

?The pleasure and honor is all mine, miss, I assure you. Call me J. I?m sure you understand that my kind can?t go bandying about with our names, so that will have to do.?

?I?m Relena.? It was a gnome. Five inches high with scraggily grey hair and dark glasses over his eyes. ?Are you sure you?re real??

J seemed to find this funny. ?As real as you. Yuy didn?t say much when he extracted me most rudely from my home. Then again, the boy tends to be rude as a rule. Comes from being in his own company too much. You?ll do him good. You?re as pretty as he said.?

There was a thunk as the knife Heero had been using to skin the rabbit with slid through the skin and landed solidly in the table beneath. ?I did what, old man??

?Don?t take him personally. He?s been doing this job too long. The whole family has been like that as long as I can remember, or at least for a few hundred years. Must be genetic. Damn good at everything they put their mind to except talking. Amazing.? The gnome patted one of Relena?s limp hands with his small one. ?This one?s a keeper, Yuy!?

Heero made a disgusted noise and removed himself to another room somewhere to finish his task. The gnome followed him with his bespeckled eyes until he seemed to be out of earshot. Then the cheerful look he wore seemed less affected and more sincere.

?You?re the Queen, aren?t you??

That brought Relena around more quickly from her dazed state. ?How did you know??

?Yuy may know a lot about the forest, but some things he?ll never understand. We old ones knew it in our bones the moment you set foot in the forest. We all tried to help you out, the forest most of all. This would never be a dangerous place for the likes of you, my little Queen.? Relena smiled at being called little by such a diminutive man.

?Think he would believe me if I told him?? She nodded towards where Heero had gone. ?I?d like to be able to leave here. . .?

?Not a chance. He hasn?t killed you yet, so he must not have decided if you?re a threat or not. I?d convince him fast that you?re no danger to his precious kingdom. The Sanq means as much to the Yuys as it has to the Peacecrafts, if not more.? J took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his face. ?Can we move away from the fire??

Relena offered her hand, and J climbed on. She sat in the doorway, now open and letting in a cool breeze. ?Can you tell me more about the Yuys, or about this debt they seem to have? Do you know what happened to my friend Duo? Is everything ok in the kingdom??

?Calm yourself. I?m getting up there in years so I only keep up with a few current events. I don?t know much about what happens beyond this forest. If you?re talking about the young human male who you entered with, he seemed to get away intact from what I hear. The forest didn?t care about him, but it knew that those people chasing you were bad news. It took care of them, for the most part. You?ll note it kept out the dogs to begin with. Animals usually know better when it comes to this place.?

The knowledge that Duo got away was a weight off of her mind. ?Thank you. I?m happier to hear that than you could know. And the Yuy family??

?Isn?t my place to say, actually. I can tell you that they?ve been loyal to the Sanq and to the Peacecrafts as long as there have been Peacecrafts in this kingdom. Heero?s a good kid, but like I said, he?ll kill you if he thinks he should. Being the last Yuy has been hard on him since he was a babe. My friends and I helped raise him up, but those Yuy genetics. . .?

?Are you done?? Both Relena and J jumped at the sound of Heero?s voice. He was standing over them, hands bloody and holding a knife. Relena?s heart turned with a vague desire to run fluttering in her mind.

J took off his glasses and polished them. ?Yes, actually. It will take me the better part of the day to walk back. Lovely meeting you, Miss Relena. Come visit me and my compatriots at any time you like.?

?It was a pleasure, Mr. J.?

?The forest brought you to her for a reason, Yuy.?

Heero glowered at J from above. ?Her to me.?

?Whatever. Just be sure you treat her well, you?ll regret it otherwise. Good day.?

Relena waved J off and Heero used the pump at the side of the cottage to wash off his hands. J?s warning was received in the proper spirit and Relena returned the knife that she had left by the fireplace to its original spot in the kitchen. From what J had told her, she got the feeling that the more helpless she was the better her attempt to get on Heero?s good side would go. He walked back in, sleeves rolled up, as sexy as the first time she had seen him.

What a fantasy, trapped in a magical wood with an attractive man, alone together in a small cottage. Not her first choice as fantasies went, but Heero was making it seem like fun. The element of danger that surrounded him only made him more appealing. He was pledged to protect the Sanq and the Peacecrafts, and Relena didn?t think she would come to any harm around Heero Yuy.

?Please, would you show me how to cook a rabbit? I?ve never done any cooking, myself, but I?d like to see how it?s done.?

Heero looked at her as if she were mildly deranged, but he went about his tasks and didn?t seem to be the least bit disturbed by her unwavering eyes upon him. He was quick with his movements, silent and to the point. She could well believe the Yuys had been bred and raised as hunters.

?J said that you?ve always lived alone.?

?J talks too much. Like you.?

?One of us needs to.? Relena stood beside Heero as he stripped the cooked meat from the rabbits. ?Are you going to season that with anything?? He didn?t answer her, so she took it as a no. ?Out front it seemed overgrown, but I noticed it was mostly herbs. I could go out and pick some and it will taste much better.?

Heero looked at her as if she had slugs crawling out of her ears. ?We can?t use those herbs.?

?Why not??

For a moment Heero seemed to war with internal forces, but something ingrained must have lost because she got a veritable speech from him. ?Relena, look at this house. I mean, take a good long look. Do you understand where we are? Tell me you know that. If you tell stories for a living then you must see why we can?t use those herbs.?

At first she didn?t see what he meant. It was just an ugly brown cottage. No, Relena, think of the fairy stories. What cottages were important?

?Look at the beams, the supports.? Heero prompted.

Relena did so and saw that there were faint lines running down them in a curled parallel. The red wasn?t solid, it was more like red paint had bled down over the years to cover what might at another time have been white. These couldn?t have been candy canes, right? That would mean that the walls of this place would be. . . but then they did have a strange baked look to them. She didn?t want to believe it. Of all the stories, why did that one have to be true?

?This house is not made of candy.?

?It wasn?t to begin with. It only needed to look like it was.?

?Then that would mean the garden herbs were for,? Relena tried not to let bile rise in her throat. ?Cooking and eating the children she caught.?

Heero nodded. ?It was a he, but yes. The hooks for the chains he put on them to keep them stationary are still there in the wall.?

She understood and the cute cottage had become suddenly sinister to her. ?Were Hansel and Gretel. . . Yuys??

For some reason this seemed to please Heero enough to make him smirk. This was leaps and bounds above the grimaces he had graced her with before. ?Yes.?

?Why do you live here when it was the site of so much death and sorrow??

He had already turned back to the rabbits, but he pointed outside to where the pelts were drying on a rock. ?A good hunter doesn?t leave any waste, if he can help it.?

Even if she didn?t agree with their methods, Relena was developing a healthy sense of admiration for this Yuy clan.

*
*
*

Had she ever said admiration in conjunction with her thoughts of Heero Yuy, because after four days it was more like frustration. She could not talk to someone who refused to talk back, and even if he seemed to come to the decision that she was worth keeping both alive and around that left her with the uncomfortable knowledge that she was safe but no one else in her kingdom knew it. Relena was as human as the next person, and she took pride in how regular she could be considering how she grew up, but Heero was bringing out parts of her that she wasn?t proud of. To get him to respond to her in any way took acts of extremity she had never been forced to use before.

It started out small. She would try to ask him about his family and about their mysterious debt, and he would shut down entirely. At various points over meals she had gotten him to talk about how someone would defend themselves against a cave troll as opposed to the trolls that lived at the edge of bridges, but once he had imparted the barest and most necessary information he would clam up again. It turned out the main subject that unsettled Heero, and which Relena then began to broach more frequently, was about Queen Relena herself.

Relena happened to say something about the Queen being a fool, mostly speaking to herself, when she thought about how her whole kingdom was probably in an uproar over her disappearance. Heero had snapped his head up from across the room where he had been sharpening knives and told her to hold her tongue. She tested her hypothesis by criticizing her recent policy of normalizing currencies so that she could eventually push for a single currency among the kingdoms and Heero told her to keep silent about things she didn?t know anything about.

Knowing it was a bad idea, Relena amused herself by seeing how far she could push Heero?s buttons before he simply left the cottage. With no books around, no chance of escape (without inevitable recapture), and unable to do much that would be useful to the daily running of a country household Relena tried to take things in stride. If she thought of this as her long pined for vacation then it seemed less interminable. However, there was something she couldn?t stand about it by the end of the fourth day.

?Heero,? He didn?t respond to his name, but she knew he was listening. ?I need a change of clothes.? She had demanded a bath by the second day, and he had obliged her by pointing to the water pump outside. It had been cold and unpleasant, but she had made do after banishing him from within seeing distance of the cottage for an hour. As much as Duo?s coat was comforting, and her nightclothes concealing, they were also getting too oily and smelly for her to maintain her personal dignity.

A considering glance later, Heero brought her into a dark storage room. He pulled back a curtain and enough light fell on the various chests and boxes, dusty and long neglected, that Relena could see further than an inch in front of her face. Heero pulled out a chest from the far edge of the room and opened it before he gestured for Relena to come near.

It looked like a costume chest to her, filled with all sorts of dresses, shirts, skirts, and what might be a shawl or two. They were in assorted styles, and Relena was struck again about how much like pack rats these Yuys were. Did they keep everything?

?These were my mother?s. I haven?t taken them into town yet to get rid of.?

?You go into town??

?Once a month.? He left her alone with the clothes, presumably to let her change.

The clothes were a wee bit tight on Relena, not so much in the torso but her wrists and ankles were left bare on even the most accommodating outfits. They smelled slightly of mold, and Relena wondered how long ago Heero?s mother had died. She had never worn some other woman?s clothing, let alone a dead woman?s, and Relena tried not to let herself be unsettled. It was fabric and it was clean and that was what was important. She pulled on a dress and tied a scarf around her waist before she rejoined Heero in what she privately called the parlor in her head.

Relena stepped past his line of sight and was pleased to see in the corner of her vision the way his gaze lingered on her longer than was needed or appropriate. She was happy that she was no longer in a formless nightgown and a man?s coat but more so that it seemed to make a difference to her stoic captor. The saucy look in her eyes died when she realized his reaction could as easily be because she was wearing his dead mother?s clothes. What an ego killer that thought was.

?How long do you intend to keep me here?? This adventure oscillated in her mind between fun and torture depending on how she was feeling about Heero that day. Her Huntsman was an enigma that didn?t want to be solved.

?Until I know something.?

?Until you know what, exactly?? He refused to say. Relena continued. ?I didn?t just fall out of the sky, you know. I have responsibilities. If I don?t get back then many people will be in a lot of trouble.?

Heero set down the knives he had been oiling, a task which he was not completing because of her constant interruptions. ?Are you going to tell me the truth of anything at some point? You claim you?re a simple traveling bard meeting a friend, but no one goes into the forest that has no business there. Ever since you came here there have been both the Queen?s men and other soldiers searching this forest constantly and that leads me to believe you?re most likely a fugitive and a criminal. You have the gall to use the Queen?s name, but do you even have an ounce of her integrity??

?I don?t know who you think Relena Peacecraft is,? She was feeling prickly now, fed up with being treated as if she were in turns nothing or detestable by this man that, despite everything she did to deny it, she liked. Not being the sort to claim love at first sight, she would have scoffed at it, but these days she knew it was as real as the magic she had also not believed in before meeting Heero Yuy. ?But she is before anything else a person and subject to the same flaws and mistakes. She became perfect for her people, but that?s a front as much as yours is.?

?Hn.?

?Yes,? Relena was tired of feeling intimidated by this man, of chasing after him. ?You dangle this illustrious family history in front of me, but what do you really do? Other than bullying old gnomes you haven?t been much of a Huntsman.?

She knew he wasn?t the sort that exploded when he was really angry, and when he calmly smiled at her in a predatory manner Relena wondered if she had finally gone too far. ?I can?t tell if I?m supposed to protect you, or kill you, and I don?t know if I want to throw you out or lock you in my bedroom until I?m sure I?m no longer the last Yuy, but if you question my ability and duty as the Queen?s Huntsman again then you might force me to decide between some of those options.?

Well, Relena thought as she stiffly walked out of the house to sit in the sun at the edge of the clearing and put some space between them, at least she knew he was attracted to her too. Gratifying, flattering, but also frightening. Her cheeks burned as she tried not to let her excellent imagination fill in any blanks or her temper to convince her that sleeping outdoors was a good idea.

*
*
*

Things were uncomfortable between them over the next few days. Obviously, Heero had said some things he hadn?t wanted to and Relena had said some things she felt guilty for and for once it was as silent in the cottage as when he had been living alone. They saw one another only at meals and it was bad enough on the sixth day when their hands accidentally met as Relena was picking up a potato. When she dropped it, startled, Heero had caught it before it rolled off the table and onto the floor. She was pretty sure he didn?t sleep that night.

On the seventh day in the morning it was Heero who broke the silence. He had a bag slung over one shoulder, and in it she knew were pelts and some herbs he had carefully wrapped the night before. She had watched him. For hours. This was getting downright silly.

?I?m going to town. Don?t run away. I?ll be back this evening.?

?Have a safe trip.? The words were out automatically and she followed it up with a slight smile. He nodded, as if taking her words seriously, and for the first time it seemed like things were going to be ok between them. Impulsively, Relena threw her arms around Heero, and he let it happen without a response but as he walked out he bumped his knee against the door frame and hopped a couple times to regain his balance.

Relena knew she had gotten past some barrier in him, and he was fighting it imperfectly. Her likeability had always been an asset in negotiations with other countries, but this was the first time she had found a reason to be specifically glad for it.

*
*
*

It was late, and the candles Relena had lit were dying in puddles of wax, but she knew it would be nicer to come home to light and warmth, and even if she had still been in a stalemate of silence with Heero she would have done this much for him. She was resting her head on her arm, wishing that she had stayed and visited with J and his friends longer today when the door opened, hitting the wall so hard it vibrated on its hinges. Heero stood there, dropping the bag at his feet with a clatter. Relena thought she heard something break.

?You?re the Queen.? Statement, not question, but she answered anyway.

?Yes, I am.?

?Relena Peacecraft.?

?That?s me.?

?So you lied to me.?

?Now wait a second. . .? He grabbed her by her forearm and almost dragged her behind him. ?Think about what I had been through. The only thing I lied about was my name, and how was I to know you were trustworthy? You can?t be upset at me for being cautious!?

He was somewhere else mentally, and she gave up. They marched through the forest for hours, until she saw lights in the distance. At that point Heero finally let go of her hand, and Relena was sad at the loss.

?Go.? He pointed at the lights and began to walk back the way he had come. She was losing him!

?No.?

?I?m not above depositing you at the nearest farmer?s house.?

?You?re my Huntsman, aren?t you??

Heero eyed her, unsure of where this was going. He nodded curtly.

?I want you to stay with me. I was attacked recently, you know that, don?t you?? Of course he did, and the look he gave her told her so. ?I would feel safer if you stayed with me. As you know I don?t keep a personal army, and the guards I did have were. . . killed. . . in the last attempt on my life.? The loss of life made a burn develop at the back of her eyes, but she had no time to get emotional. ?If you want to protect me, my kingdom, then stay with me.?

?That isn?t how it works.?

Relena was tired of his cryptic statements. ?Tell me. As your Queen, I want to be told what this debt is.?

Pained, Heero leaned against a tree and looked her in the eyes. It was too dark to see his properly, but she could feel how this hurt him to talk about. Given a direct order, there was nothing left to do but comply. ?The Yuys were here before Roderick the First arrived and set up his kingdom. They were unhappy with his intrusion, so the oldest son tried to assassinate him. Something went wrong. . .? Heero swept a hand through his hair. ?He was caught and as a punishment Roderick had the man swear a blood oath. If we liked to kill so much, then we could do it for the good of the kingdom and the king?s family. The weight of the obligation falls to the oldest son of each Yuy to actively fulfill. Traditionally, there is only one child per generation, always male. We were never sure if it was part of the curse or not.?

?And if you break the oath?? She had heard of such things, but she never thought she would be witness to it, or be such an important part of it.

?Then the lives of every Yuy would be forfeit.?

?I don?t think I would have liked Roderick.? Relena decided sardonically. ?He sounds too harsh.?

Heero shrugged. ?They were harsh times. But we took our duty seriously. And if you knew what was good for you, then you would go do your job and let me do mine.?

?It?s not as simple as that.? Relena had seen something she wanted, and maybe some of Roderick?s ruthlessness had passed down after all. ?I need a new bodyguard and I want you. You?ve trained your entire life for this job. I don?t see a conflict.?

He was silent; she was determined. When he spoke, Relena knew she had already carried the day. ?There?s no one else to do this for you??

?You?re my only Huntsman.? If he was guarding her then he wouldn?t be seeking trouble somewhere else.

?Very well.?

Her own imminent death had never seemed like such a positive prospect before, but she wanted to thank her would be killers for giving her the chance to spend more time with this man. Instead of acting any differently now that he knew she was his beloved Queen, he seemed to be more intimidating and broody. Relena assumed it was his natural state and was perfectly willing to accept him the way he was.

They marched into town, Relena beaming and Heero hovering close by. People, noting their missing and presumed dead Queen smiling and waving to her subjects as if she had been on a refreshing walk, gaped. A few burst into tears. Eventually, horses laden with men in her colors came to meet her on the dirt road. It was Trowa, and Relena couldn?t have been happier to behold his always serious face.

?Your Majesty, good to see you alive. We?ll transport you to the capital as soon as possible. A runner has already been sent to give news of your retrieval.? Leave it to Trowa to take away all the emotion of her homecoming. She knew he was affected, but he wasn?t the sort who expressed it in conventional means. Trowa would shadow her for days to make sure she was doing fine. Another refugee like Duo from war torn regions, he had served her without question for as long as she had been Queen.

One of Trowa?s aids tried to lead Heero away from Relena and she heard a grunt and a scream. Relena took a deep breath and smiled as widely as she could to make sure that no one thought she was alarmed by this behavior. Heero had a way with first impressions.

?This is Heero Yuy, he saved me in the forest and I have hired him to be my new bodyguard. Heero, please release that man.? Heero released the arm he had twisted behind the man?s back. It didn?t appear to be broken and she was relieved. Trowa?s mouth tightened and she knew he didn?t approve of this freelance bodyguard that Relena had taken on. They would discuss this later. ?Trowa, where is Duo??

?Maxwell has been searching the edges of the forest for days. He was sure you would not fail to appear.?

?I?ll apologize for my tardiness properly later. Call him back and hand him this,? Relena handed over the ring she had taken with her that night, everything else was still at Heero?s cottage. That should get Duo to come even if he had doubts. ?I need a bath, a bed, and some clothes before we ride tomorrow. And the same for my bodyguard. He will be quartered in the room next to me as all my bodyguards have been.? Trowa heard the order and nodded, but his legs were squeezing the horse beneath him tightly enough to make it prance about uneasily, betraying more feeling than its rider.

?Yes, Your Majesty.?

*
*
*

?It?s not poisoned. It?s not going to explode. It isn?t laced with sleeping drugs or evil spells and I?m tired of getting all of my gifts taken apart by you!? Relena waved a box of what used to contain an intricately painted porcelain egg. On closer examination, the egg had been cracked in several pieces and carefully glued back together. Only one person would have the nerve to destroy her present before she saw it.

?It was hollow. It could have contained anything.?

?Heero, I?m getting sick of this!? It had been a month since her return when an entire nation and the greater portion of the four surrounding kingdoms went out of mourning for their lost Queen Relena and celebrated her return. Thousands of presents had been sent by rejoicing citizens and admirers and Heero had gone through every single one from the jeweled tiara from King Quatre to the quilt that had been sent by the old women in a quilting society in Wufei?s kingdom. He had yet to find anything deadly, but he remained vigilant.

?I?m doing my job.?

That was the sentence that cut her. She had come to terms with the fact that she had wanted him to guard her not because it was his job but because he wanted her to be safe. He and Trowa were escorting her to Wufei?s wedding in another few days and Heero?s neurotic behavior had become aggravating in a way she couldn?t explain to him. Yuy treated her like she was too precious to be approached by anyone else when they were in public, but in private he ignored her unless she was in his face and demanding attention. She was beginning to think that his outburst in the cottage weeks ago had been a figment of her imagination. Whatever Relena Darlian had meant to him had been overturned by what Relena Peacecraft was in his mind.

?Yes, you do your job perfectly. You?re perfect. Excuse me.?

He halted her progress, loosely holding on to her wrist before she could get through to the hallway. ?You?re mad. Why??

She allowed herself a moment to look at him. In different clothes and in a setting she was more familiar with, he had remained the same person yet still adapted faster than she thought possible. He could slip through courtiers talking or through kitchen staff working with equal facility. Heero didn?t note the looks he garnered from the ladies among all of them, or respond to the machinations of the bored nobles who were so interested in the new addition among the castle?s residents. Single-minded, people whispered, devoted to the Queen. Relena didn?t contradict them. The skills he had displayed when training with her guard staff in hand to hand combat had proved him to be powerful enough to gain the respect of even Trowa, her previously unbeatable head of security.

?Weddings make me edgy.? Honest but not forthcoming. Relena wished she could tell him exactly why, but odds were good he still wouldn?t grasp it. She was free to go, but instead of taking care of business such as the hundreds of thank you letters for the gifts that she insisted she had to look over, she found Duo who was in the midst of doing something he wasn?t supposed to. That?s what she assumed because he hid whatever he had been writing on and cracked a joke as soon as he saw her. She laughed and waved him over to join her in a stroll down to the gardens.

?How did you know Hilde was the one, Duo??

He stumbled on a step and regained his balance with luck before he went face first down a flight of steps. ?Just knew. Why? Ol? stoneface Yuy giving you a hard time??

?Is it that obvious??

?I?ve known you, oh, most of your life. You?ve never embraced someone to your metaphorical bosom in such a determined fashion. If I didn?t know you quite so well, I?d say you were slipping into one another?s rooms at night, but you aren?t that kind of girl.?

She arched an eyebrow. ?Thanks, I guess.?

?No problem.? He nudged her with an elbow. ?But that?s the problem isn?t it? You want to slip into his bedroom, don?t you??

Relena laughed again. ?Maybe a little, but mostly to prove to myself that he remembered I was a girl. As it is I?m ?Queen Relena? in public and ?hey you? in private to him. There was a time when I was ?Relena?. Brief, and maybe partially imagined, but it felt better than now. I wish I could go back to that.?

?I could set up a fake assassination. You could wear something low cut and then clutch at him when he rescued you.?

?No good, he?d probably kill whoever you sent. Worse, he would ignore me in favor of interrogating them. He?s very thorough. Did you know he made incisions into every chocolate that Dorothy sent me to test it for dangerous chemical compounds? I didn?t know he would have a better grasp of chemistry than some of the scientists I?ve been a patron for. He really is perfect.? She sat down on the bench in front of rose bushes that were wrapped up for the coming winter. Duo picked at thorns and tapped his foot.

?Did you try talking to him??

?Would you believe that I get tongue tied?? Relena, who had not had a childhood that could be considered typical by even a royal standard, while being a fine ambassador for her country and a strong leader had never had a chance to use feminine wiles to get anything she wanted. In her line of work femininity was more often a setback rather than an asset if you wanted to be taken seriously. Dorothy had a better idea of how those things went, and she was the first person that leapt to mind when she thought about it, but Relena couldn?t ask her. This was new territory for her.

Duo scanned the dormant roses for inspiration. ?I think you should jump on him and start kissing. That will get a reaction one way or another.?

?Certainly not.?

?Then you better be ready for the long haul, Relena, because I think he?d sooner cut off his own head than disturb the saintly Queen Relena. You?re like a religious icon, and he?s your bodyguard.?

Relena sighed and flicked a stem. ?I wanted a partner, not another follower.?

*
*
*

?He?s divine Relena. I would consider going camping in the woods more often if he?s the sort of man you find there.? Dorothy was, for lack of a better term, a vamp. Her outrageous dresses and luxuriant attitude were mostly a fa?ade to put people off of their guard. She brought out mixed reactions in Relena, but the peace loving queen wanted nothing more than to rip off Dorothy?s arm as she squeezed Heero?s bicep. This was not a meat market, and Relena didn?t want Heero to be handled as such.

?This is my bodyguard, Heero Yuy.?

?I had one of those for a while.? Dorothy stepped back, sensing Relena?s hostility. ?I hope for your sake he?s really here for guarding your body. I understand they never caught those assassins.?

She let the first comment skate by and concentrated on the more important topic. ?My faith in Wufei?s hospitality and security is strong which is why I came with minimal protection. He would not allow such an embarrassment as to have a fellow monarch be killed while under his roof.?

Relena was not coming out to play and so Dorothy was getting bored. ?You?re right, as usual. I think I see Quatre, if you?ll excuse me.?

Trowa was mingling with nobles from all over with whom he had had dealings and Relena encouraged Heero to do the same. She didn?t think that anyone would try anything in a large crowd such as this, and what she had said about Wufei?s security was true. Only Treize was more militant in attitude, and no one was more paranoid about attack.

The decision to only take Trowa and Heero had been a calculated show of confidence in Wufei and also a display of her own comfort and strength with minimal outward protection so soon after the attempt on her life. She knew that another attack might happen at any time, but Duo was busy trying to figure out where the kink in his chain of informants was and so was vulnerable without his feed of information at the moment. Heero and Duo had talked for a great length of time about who might be here and who he should be looking out for, but Heero was new to this world and Relena didn?t know how much he could deduce based off of Duo?s sketchy profiles of numerous notables. It was more important to her that she be flanked by scary looking and dangerous men, and Trowa and Heero fit that bill.

?My lady it is excellent to see you looking so well.? Treize was suave as usual, and she didn?t trust him as far as she could throw him. From what Trowa and Duo had managed to learn he still had arms stashes all over his kingdom which he was not admitting to. She?d put good money that he was the one who had sent the assassins, but with no evidence. . .

?And you also seem to be in good health.?

?I can?t complain.? Treize took a sip from the glass he was holding and smiled in that naturally charming way he had. He knew that Relena held a special distaste for him because it was in his bombing attack on Dorothy?s parent?s castle during negotiations with Relena?s father that both her parents had lost their lives when she was only nine. As if sensing her dislike, Treize made it a point to speak to her at every gathering. ?Your story is all over the five kingdoms. Quite a harrowing one.?

?I?m glad I can provide the bored aristocracy with a tale sufficiently daring that they still think of it a month later.?

He tilted his head, and in an amused tone added. ?With no wars to analyze, we find interest where we can.?

*
*
*

?Keep this door locked. Knock in this pattern if you are in danger.? Heero hit the door twice, then paused, then hit it once more.

?I think if I were really in danger I would not being thinking of a code of any type.? Her room was connected to Heero?s on one side and Trowa?s on the other. More accurately, Trowa was sleeping in the greeting room of the apartments that Relena had been given in the east wing of Wufei?s palace, and Heero was sleeping in the walk in closet.

?Very well.?

?Tomorrow is a long day, Heero, the receptions will go on all day and I don?t want to look like I stayed up all night waiting for danger when I would have stayed up all night being lectured on self defense by you. Are we quite done??

?I wish you to be prepared.?

Relena looked at him fondly. ?I have you. And Trowa. That?s being prepared enough, isn?t it??

?You should have had a full complement of guards, like I suggested.? Heero roughly unfolded the cot that had been set out for him in the closet.

?This will be fine.? Relena wandered out of the closet and into the main room. ?I don?t want anyone else to die. You and Trowa are better than any dozen guards.?

The hand on her arm startled her, and the look on Heero?s face when she turned towards him was severe but his words were gentle. ?It wasn?t your fault. You take on too much.?

?I?ll loosen up as soon as you do.? She felt shaken by their contact, and she could have sworn that Heero?s hand lingered on her skin but she figured it was wishful thinking. Then again, he seemed to look urgent tonight in a way that she hadn?t seen since they had been in the cottage together.

?Relena,? Heero started, blue eyes dark and burning with urgency. But as if everything she wanted had to be yanked from her reach he jumped nearly a foot away from her as the door to her room opened and Trowa entered.

Trowa looked from his crimson cheeked Queen to a glowering Huntsman and tried to retain his impassive mask. ?The perimeter check is completed. It is safe for you to sleep, Your Majesty. Good night.? He left as suddenly as he had entered, leaving such tangible disapproval that Relena felt she had been caught doing something naughty by her older brother.

?I?m going to change and go to sleep. See you tomorrow, Heero.?

The moment was gone, and Heero retreated into his closet. Relena wished not for the first time, that she possessed the nerve to ask him to stay or even reach out a hand to touch him. That messy hair of his looked so thick, and she wondered if she could shape it. He was so tense all the time that maybe if she offered him a massage or anything to have an excuse to run her fingers over his skin. . .

With such earthy thoughts wreaking havoc with her brain, she had understandable trouble getting to sleep. Heero was close, and if she was having trouble sleeping then she could always appeal to him, couldn?t she? It wasn?t appropriate, but she wanted to throw propriety to the winds. Staring at the canopy of the bed high above her, Relena tried not to let her thoughts prevent her from sleeping. She had to be on top of things tomorrow, even if she was not the one getting married. Too many nobles were in one spot and she couldn?t allow old rivalries to escalate the way they used to at these sorts of gatherings.

If she hadn?t been awake, sensitive to every small noise around her, then she might not have heard the scuffling noise by her balcony. By the time there was a slight creak of the latch Relena was already in the closet. She had not knocked, she hadn?t made a noise, as she had dashed from her bed as soon as she felt the sickening drop in her stomach at the thought of someone getting into her room. How had anyone gotten past Wufei?s security? He was going to be displeased to hear of this later.

?What happened?? Heero spoke in a whisper by her ear, and she felt a jolt go through her body of more than surprise.

?Someone?s out there.? In the darkness she felt him move towards the door. She thought back to the night when her guards, men and women who had been by her side for years, had died at the hands of these assassins. ?Don?t leave me alone.?

?I?ll be back.? Heero peeked through the keyhole of the closet into the moonlit room. The door cracked open and a thin beam of light fell over her foot, then the door closed once more and they were in blackness. He returned to her side. ?There?s no one there.? She clutched at him anyway, body pressed close, heart beating in her ears.

?Are you sure??

?Yes. Go back to your bed.?

?I don?t want to be alone.?

Heero physically extracted her from him despite her barnacle-like hold. ?I?m here. You?re safe. Leave.? It sounded like the last word had been said through his teeth.

?I prefer being closer to you.? He held her at arms length but she pressed forward and he strained to keep her away.

?You can?t.?

?Give me one good reason.? She was still trying to get closer to him, but at the last minute his arms relented and she careened into his chest. Heero tilted her head and crushed his lips to hers, demanding access to her warm mouth and stabbing into her with his tongue when she opened for him out of sheer shock. After the initial frozen moment where her mind tried to catch up to her body, Relena grabbed onto Heero?s arms to steady herself as her legs wobbled.

He broke the vicious and intrusive kiss to say thickly, ?That?s the reason.?

It was a heady thing, to feel so suddenly eroticized after being so scared but her brain accommodated beautifully by shoving all of that useless panic into something as instinctive. Relena leaned her head on his shoulder. ?I?d need a better reason than that.?

Heero groaned. ?Don?t do this to me, Relena.?

She had to admit, hearing her name fall from his lips like that only made her want to leap further into this. ?You?ve been doing it to me almost since we first met. I think it?s only fair.?

?I should never have met you.? But his actions belied his words as he helped her lay down on the carpet beneath them, hands questing to meet the skin beneath her nightclothes. He must have been thinking about it as much as she was if he was putting up such a pitiful fight. . . or lack thereof in general.

?You worry too much. Don?t do it.? Relena?s lips curled into a smile and she laughed when his hand skimmed over her belly. The skin was sensitive and that had tickled. At first Heero made a noise to shush her, then thought better of it and covered her mouth with his instead.

At first he was so careful, almost timid, that Relena wondered if was daring to have second thoughts. She tried to end his brief hesitation by dipping her hands low to caress the hair on his thighs. He made a muffled noise and fell down on her from the propped up position he had been in. It was a strange feeling, to have his body leaning all its weight on her, pushing her into the rug that covered the frigid stone floor. His breath was close to her neck and it sounded slightly ragged. The most delightful discovery was naturally the hard outline pressing into her abdomen. If he had wanted to hide anything from her, he had failed miserably and she couldn?t have been happier.

It was strange, to be in almost solid darkness and being guided only by touch. Her eyes were something she had taken for granted. They provided so many of the cues that she responded to, and if not that then it was all about noticing body language. Surprises were not something that happened to Relena Peacecraft. She saw what was about to happen before it could cause trouble. But the trouble that her body began to manifest once Heero?s hands stopped stripping her clothes and began to work on kneading her flesh instead was neither something she could see nor something she wanted to prevent. Her own hands would have to be her eyes.

Slowly, thoroughly, he explored and worshipped her body with his fingers and mouth and Relena tried to do the same to him, peeling his clothes off as she went. Every time she seemed to be gaining any sort of control over the situation, quickening the pace, or manipulating the location of his touches, Heero would stop until she gave in and allowed him to have his own way. Subtly dominating, he still couldn?t help but lean into her touch as she skimmed nails and fingertips over his body. Partly, she did this from the sheer novelty of being able to touch another person so thoroughly, but mostly she was fascinated by his textures, his scent, the nature and variety of their physical differences. Relena felt his puckered scar tissue, sweaty taut skin over muscle, and when she grew bold enough. . .

?Un.? Heero tried not collapse on top of her again like that first embarrassing display, but when Relena had him encircled so gently with her small hand it was all he could do not to thrust forward. He twitched, and she thought she heard a groan that sounded a little like her name.

?Heero,? she felt like a goddess, a temptress, and whispered his name as close to his head as she could guess at before collision. Her breath must have stirred the sensitive hairs inside his ear and Heero jerked back suddenly. ?You know what this is, don?t you??

He would have laughed if he had been the kind of person who had that sort of sense of humor?any sense of humor. She waited a moment just in case, but then gave up and continued the thought she needed to get out.

?This is serious, Heero. I mean it.? The way she began to squeeze him ever so slightly, and rub her thumb in little circles would have made it impossible for someone without his iron control to even care that there was talking going on.

Relena could feel him, hot and firm in her grasp, and knew that while she had his attention she might not have any rationally functioning part of his mind. Talking to him like this felt like blackmail. She forced herself to let go and his breath whooshed out above her. It was too bad she couldn?t see the expression on his face; she had a feeling it was pretty funny.

?This isn?t casual for me.? She didn?t want to say any more than that, to give away how much it meant to her, how much he meant to her. Relena wasn?t expecting romantic sentiments, and until this moment she hadn?t really expected any lustful ones either in her life.

Her bodyguard wasn?t stupid. With a little blood now allowed to return to his brain again Heero seemed to figure out something along the lines of what she needed to hear, and he said it with conviction.

?No, this isn?t casual.?

And that was enough. She trusted him. It might have been unwise, but love isn?t particularly smart. Relena didn?t think Heero was the sort of person who lied to get what he wanted, and especially when it came to her she knew that he wanted what was best. In a way he was required to want what was best for her. With eyes no longer searching the blackness for his form, Relena finally surrendered completely to the moment. It was like a cue, for as soon as she relented he slid a hand down her stomach towards her center to probe at her moistened lips and torture her in the same way she had been torturing him. Sweet agony.

When she writhed she could feel the way her hair twisted under her every strand grating against her oversensitive flesh, the way sweat slid down her skin and made their contact slick, and most of all she could feel the prodding of his fingers as he seemed to get a feel for things. Relena was willing to let him feel as much as he liked, and tried to hold her tongue after she mewled his name and he had the nerve to stop as if he had been doing something wrong. If anything, he had been doing something so right she couldn?t help but want to tell him.

Once Heero finally seemed to have discovered as much of her as he could before his own needs could no longer be ignored, his lips found hers possessively again and he began to slide himself into her, guiding down the channel he had explored. The stretching was painful, but Relena could ignore a little pain in the pursuit of filling herself up with him as she had been longing to do. As if to make a point about how impatient she was getting, Relena lifted herself off the rug and impaled herself rather than continue to bear the way he was so cautiously easing down.

His chest pressed on hers as he drew in a sharp breath and they held still as both adjusted to the feeling of being joined together. Heero took the initiative after a short interval to pull out and thrust back in to be welcomed by Relena?s appreciative sighs. Little things focused with varying degrees of clarity for Relena. She lost track of who she was for a while, wrapped up in sensations that she couldn?t describe, and came back with a shocked cry as the tension inside of her burst and she felt more like herself then she thought was possible. This was right. Him inside her, her hair sticking to them both, their lips pressed tightly as he growled in response to his own release.

Of all the things that occurred to her afterwards, the first one had to be that she needed to buy Wufei a new rug for this closet. She tried not to roll her eyes at her own practicality, and then she did anyway since Heero wouldn?t be able to see her anyway. The man himself was already breathing normally despite their workout, and her shallow breaths made her oddly self conscious.

?. . .ou.? He said it into her neck, chapped lips brushing against the relaxed muscles there.

?Hmm??

?. . . nevermind.? And she was feeling so euphoric that she let him get away with it.

They were on the ground until a chill set in and Relena shivered. Heero didn?t pause to ask how she was, he simply got up and after a bit of pleasant groping around (Relena didn?t bother to help him since this was far more fun) he grabbed her by the wrist and practically yanked her up without her cooperation. The good mood she had been reveling in was somewhat spoiled by this treatment, but it returned to her in a flush of pleasure when he dragged them both back to her bed.

Getting him to stay there with her proved to be a battle, but one she knew how to win.

?No.?

?Aren?t I safer having you right here??

Shrug.

?If you don?t stay, then I?m going in the closet with you.?

Glare. When he was standing there naked the glare suddenly seemed less intimidating, she thought.

?If you don?t stay, then I?m going in the closet with you and neither of us are sleeping.? She continued airily.

Twitch. The obvious flicker of his eyes as he considered his options didn?t escape Relena now that they were in the half-light of the room. So far as she was concerned it was a win-win situation for them.

Surprisingly, Heero conceded to her and joined her in the bed. His body seemed to try to envelop hers and she snuggled into him. She thought she might have heard him sigh, but whether from contentment or exasperation she wasn?t sure. It could have been both, it might have been neither. Relena would think what she wanted, but the way his fingers arched, rubbing her skin ever so slightly as if seeking reassurance that she was really there, seemed to imply to her that this?all of this?had been the right decision.

Some things just worked, and Relena was swiftly coming to realize and fear that she didn?t work without Heero. Before her worries could carry the introspection very far Heero placed a kiss on her shoulder and she smiled to herself. Now was not the time for this. She had made a deal with him, and at the moment she should concentrate on getting sleep.

But first. . .

?Relena. . .? His voice was low, a warning.

?I?ll get to sleep soon enough.? Her tongue darted out to trace his lips and she felt him respond to her immediately. Relena wrapped her legs around his waist and soon enough they had a repeat of their adventure in the closet. This time she got to see the look on his face as he took her. If she had had any breath to be taken away. . .

After the second time she did sleep for a few hours, but their combined body heat under the covers woke her up not long after.

Relena thought to herself that she?d have to take a bath early so that she didn?t look like she was sweaty and bedraggled in her fine dress at the ceremony. As it was she was going to have deep circles under her eyes from lack of sufficient sleep. But that was fine by her. What she and Heero had done, and then eventually done again, had been far better than the few hours of tossing and turning she would have accomplished before her fitful and worried sleep.

They were pressed so tightly together that she was sure she wouldn?t be able to breathe without him having to move to give her lungs enough room. The arms around her were too warm, and the sensation was new on the whole to share a bed with someone, but she adjusted herself to it. Or, she would have adjusted herself to it, if Heero hadn?t rolled them both off the bed and onto the floor. She hadn?t even realized he was awake.

?I saw something. Get under the bed and stay there. Don?t make a sound.? He let her go and she slid under the bed frame. It felt gritty and tight but on her stomach she could see the floor on all sides. Heero had climbed back into the bed and many minutes later when she was entirely ready to come out and accuse him of unwarranted paranoia, she saw feet come from behind a curtain and her whole being paused.

Hypersensitive to everything going on, she watched with dread as those feet approached the bed. There was no noise, as she watched, not even the creak of bed springs when Heero leapt off the bed and he and the intruder began to grapple. Things seemed to be going well for Heero, but he was naked and not in possession of any sort of weapon so to Relena?s eyes he was at a severe disadvantage. She didn?t want to distract Heero by yelling for Trowa, so she did the first thing she could think of and tipped over her bedside table with her foot. The expensive looking oil lamp smashed on the floor, where the carpet did not meet the wall, and it was not long after that Trowa came bursting in, sword in hand, eyes casting around for trouble.

Between the two of them, this individual had no chance and Trowa dragged the knocked out man by his bound hands, citing Heero?s lack of clothing as a reason to have him follow later on for the inevitable questioning session. (Trowa?s scowl implied Heero himself would be subjected to his own questioning later.) Relena made a mental note to remind both determined young men that torture was one of those things she was most definitely against. Something told her they would conveniently forget that fact when the interrogation began. She would have jumped out and said all of this, except for the fact that she too had to find some clothes before she did anything else.

*
*
*

?So, everyone thought that Wufei was on the brink of death when really his ill health was a ruse to spend more time with you?? Relena, attended by the palace doctor and soon to be bride of Wufei Chang, Sally Po, was enjoying time in which she didn?t feel threatened or worried. Once Wufei had been informed of the attack on Relena, and on the guards that he had had stationed around her rooms, he had sent Sally. She had looked over Heero only because Relena had insisted he stay for that much but he had run out to be with Trowa and the prisoner as soon as Sally had proclaimed him intact. It was a pleasure to talk with Sally, given the circumstances, for tomorrow they would have no time except for the usual lame pleasantries and congratulations. Sally was going to be a busy woman in a few hours.

?His ego took a beating, if not his physical body a few times, all in the hope of being around me. It was very flattering. Not that he is given to any sort of romance. Wufei reminds me somewhat of your Heero.?

Relena blushed and looked at a very interesting corner of the ceiling. ?Heero isn?t mine.?

?Hm.? It was a disbelieving and noncommittal noise from Sally.

?I?m serious. As soon as he thinks I?m safe, then he?ll be gone.? She was a doctor, and soon to be a Queen. Relena felt close to this woman without having much of a previous background. It loosened her lips, but she would worry about relaying too much personal information later.

Sally smiled kindly at Relena, then yawned. It was too late to get back to sleep at this point but too early to feel like doing much. ?If there?s one thing I learned while being a doctor, it?s that you can be unsafe anywhere and doing anything. You never know.?

In the blur of the next few days Relena tried to keep that thought in her heart. Heero effectively disappeared after that night. Trowa refused to say anything, only that the interrogation had gone well and that Heero was taking care of some loose ends. Relena was upset at both of them, knowing full well that Trowa?s hands were tied to take violent action against dangers threatening her but Heero felt obliged to act the part of killer on her behalf. It was an insulting breach of her policies, but more importantly it had taken Heero away from her to go and single-handedly take care of who knew how many people who wanted her dead. The only sense of relief she had over the whole ordeal was Trowa?s insistence that Treize at least had nothing to do with it. Relena was glad for minor graces.

It wasn?t until the beginning of summer that Relena saw Heero again, and by then she had resigned herself to the two most likely possibilities: 1. Heero was dead, 2. Heero was alive and not coming back to her. They both hurt to think about.

?Moping again?? Duo was in a sickeningly good mood these days. It was either that or Relena was in a bad mood frequently and by contrast seeing someone else so irrepressibly cheerful was enough to make a bad mood worse.

?I?m not moping, I?m planning.?

?You plan a lot these days. If you plan too much you?ll get wrinkly and sour looking. It?s nice and you should spend some time outside planning. Then at least you won?t look so pale and sickly as if you got beaten regularly.?

Relena tried to let Duo know that she thought he was being silly as usual. ?And you?ll look like you were made out of weathered leather if you spend any more time in the sun doing nothing. I?m keeping the balance between us. How about you do more work and I spend more time in the sun??

?You?re a cruel taskmaster.?

?And you?re lazy.?

?You?ll tell me I?m whatever I want to be when I tell you what I found out. I wanted to get you out of this gloomy office for a while first, but you?re determined to brood so I?ll tell you here,? Duo paused dramatically. ?Your Huntsman is back.?

Relena looked at Duo carefully, as if his braid had suddenly come to life and started choking him. ?What? You must be joking. Who told you that??

?Normally I wouldn?t disclose my sources, but I?m proud to say that it was I who saw him not an hour ago in town when I was carrying boxes for Hilde, an action she calls shopping. I knew you hadn?t seen him yet because you still look like you swallowed a lemon whole.?

Crap, when was the last time she had looked in a mirror? Relena knew she was dressed well, as always, but the urge to think otherwise was powerful. ?How do you know he?s coming here??

?Well,? Duo was all puckish smiles today. ?I saw the esteemed Mr. Barton draw him aside as I was entering the castle a few minutes ago. I?d go see your head of security if you want to know what your infamous bodyguard has been up to.?

The way he said it made Relena?s ears prick. ?You knew didn?t you? You knew what he was doing and you didn?t tell me. . .?

?Sorry Relena, hush hush stuff. I swore a hundred oaths to Trowa that I wouldn?t. He threatened to chop off any number of my organs if you heard so much as a whisper and then went off to try to rescue him or something.?

?I think that once my head of security has a word with Heero, I shall have a word with my head of security.?

?Have fun!? Duo waved her off, and then opened up all her closed windows and curtains. When the winds that rushed in managed to blow all the loose papers off her desk and all over the floor he swore colorfully at them, closed the windows, and then set about picking up all the papers. Why did these sorts of things only happen to him?

*
*
*

?I thought you weren?t coming back.?

?I wasn?t planning on it.?

?Then what happened??

He tossed a hair clip onto the table. It must be the one she had left at his house in the woods. When he had pulled her to town that time, there had been no chance to pick up any of her things.

?So you disappear for months and then reappear only to give me back a hair clip?? She wanted more words, and she wanted an explanation.

Heero looked like he wanted to be somewhere else, but the way he was eyeing the door did not phase Relena. ?I did what I needed to. You won?t be in danger from those people who were trying to kill you anymore. Then I went back to my house. . .?

?Yes??

His discomfort was extreme. ?I think that you were right and I better serve my duties when I am closer. I would like to request a permanent position as your bodyguard.?

?I?ll have to ask my head of security. He?s the one who manages my guard staff.? She was pleased, but she didn?t allow herself to act it.

?I already have approval.?

Trowa and he had discussed a lot of things before she had gotten here and disturbed them it seemed. ?I see. Well, good to have you back. I?ll be awaiting your report on the actions you have taken in the past six months, good bye.?

As she had hoped, Heero got in the way of her exit and Relena looked at him with mild interest. ?Damn it, Relena, I missed you. Life isn?t worth it when you?re not around.? He sounded angry about that, as if she had done something to him to force him to feel this way about her. She understood better than he knew, since ever since they had met he had complemented her in a way she couldn?t express except with the word they both had carefully chosen not to use in one another?s presence.

?I missed you too, Heero.? She breezed out of the room, keeping her tone as light as her head felt. ?And I?m glad you?re back. But I still expect that report tomorrow. Just because I love you doesn?t mean you can get away without one.?

She had dropped the ?l? bomb, and Heero was a victim in its wake. But right when she was at her most smug, Relena found herself ambushed from behind and pinned against a wall. His mouth slanted over hers, and she welcomed him back for the moment. Relena had lots of time to torture him for deserting her, but for now she would be happy with their reunion and try not to think about the fact that they were kissing by an open breezeway.

What the hell, eh? She was the Queen, after all. And he was her Huntsman.

*
*
*

END

i am in love with this fic!you do he fanfiction world soooo much justice! (no wufiie reference intended.)

I loooooooove the wild heero.....mmmm. wild heero......*drool*

wow what a great story! love the idea of huntsman Heero

What a great story

PLEASE CARRY ON. MUST HAVE MORE!!!!!!!

:razz: :razz:

Oh this rocked!
I loved it!

*dreamy sigh* ... I'm still imagining woodsman Heero ... hmmm ... lucky Relena ...

~Nat.

OMG!! I loved it!! *sigh* Damn Heero and his sexxy-ness! He can't keep making me have these AMAZING dream- *pointed look from Relena and many fic authors* Oh come off it! You all dream about playing with him too! lol great job! 'Till Next Time~

Nice! After a crappy day, this amazing story of yours definitely made me feel a whole lot better..and for that I thank you! .....heh...Great job here....Heero is so HOT!!!

Just amazing. And I shall kick myself endlessly for not having had the time to read this back when it was originally posted at love_reflection.

Truly magnificent. I loved how you mingled your own story and characters with other mystical, and rather contemporaneous elements. Wonderful.

And I think you could have made it a little longer, but sincerely, it didn't feel that rushed as you and others have said. Sure, I would have loved to just keep on reading, but I still think it was a perfect ending.

Excellent story, hun!

Do you know what I absolutely adore and cherish and worship about this piece of fanfic-fairytale perfection? Oh, you do know? Oh well...

Hellfire, I'm gonna say it anyway. What I love most is that it stays withing the stylistic elements of a fairytale. No hyper-intricate subplots looping through the main conspiracy, no post-modern emotional barriers that are impervious to age-old emotional unheavals, and NO (thank you, God) unhappy endings!!!!! They love each other, period, and you tell it simply and immediately through a brilliant cacophony of imagery and deliberate word choice. You have a very, very strong and admirable writing talent, and I think it was the way you worded things - matter-of-fact in a flowery way, if that's even possible! - that truly impressed me about this fic. The setting was no less exquisite and utterly original; never a story I've heard of, but it felt like something passed down, like a movie Disney failed to make (in relation to its timelessness). I'm really blow away by this fic, and it's writing like yours that is slowly bringing me back to GW 1xR fanfiction. It's not that I stopped loving the couple or the show, but other, more immediate (I blame you, Adult Swim) obsessions have overshadowed the glory that is GW lately. So thank you for returning a wayward fan to where she belongs. Your writing and your story is amazing.

~ice princess