Moirai (AU) Chapter 2

[Penybright]

AN: And this is where things begin to drastically deviate from the original. I basically scrapped almost ALL of chapter 2 and rewrote it. At 4:30 in the morning no less. 0.o; (This is what happens when I'm allowed to have coffee on the wekends.) I'm trying to stay a chapter ahead, but I don't know how much longer I can keep it up. :-?

Disclaimer: For the love of? I?m getting so sick of typing this. I don?t own the characters. I make NO money from this, it?s just a hobby.

Moirai

Chapter Two

By: Penybright

Millardo Merquise Peacecraft stood waiting in the palace?s cobbled courtyard. He was a tall man, with a commanding presence. Long platinum hair framed his strong face; pale blue eyes hard as ice. He had married at an early age, having to take over the kingdom?s rule after his parents? untimely deaths. His wife, Lucretzia, was currently inside the palace with her hands full. A small smile tugged at his lips. He was grateful she was the one having to contend with his two younger sisters, Relena and Dorothy.

Relena Elizabeth Katrina Peacecraft and Dorothy Esmeralda Catalonia Peacecraft could challenge the patience of a Saint, and were a challenge no one relished to be stuck with. Relena was a force to be reckoned with when challenged, but otherwise appeared demure. Dorothy on the other hand? Dorothy was very opinionated, and possibly one of the most willful women Millardo had ever encountered.

His attention was called back to the large arched gateway as he heard the sound of approaching hoof beats. A young man, several years his junior, was walking, walking mind you, behind Captain Wufei?s chestnut gelding. He wore no armor, and had only one weapon that Millardo could see. His clothing was worn and plain.

This man, boy really, was supposed to be the new recruit? Millardo sighed. He would have to do. They didn?t have time to go searching hither and yon for anyone else. His training would have to begin immediately. It was rare these days to find anyone with a skill for the sword and a mind just as sharp as the steel he carried.

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A playful breeze skipped across the grounds kicking up dry, dusty earth and ruffling Heero?s untamed mane. It had been a very dry season that year in Balearic. The winter season had been unbearably cool with little to no snowfall. Spring, which usually brought with it torrential rains in Balearic, seemed to have skipped over them completely. Sharp blue eyes meticulously studied the surroundings. Immense limestone walls reared up out of the ground like strange man-made mountains. He could just make out the small shapes of soldiers in uniform doing their patrols along the battlements.

He had spent most of the last four years of his life on this practice ground. He had been trained relentlessly in every form of combat, with weapons and without. His mission, they called it, was to become a weapon. Captain Wufei had been adamant about teaching him personally. Heero grimaced at the thought of the uptight man. He couldn?t recall how many injuries he had sustained at that man?s hands. Harsh though he may have been, Wufei?s training was very effective. Today was the final test to see if he was ready. Ready for what, he hadn?t been told, but he knew better than to question his superior when he was already in a foul mood.

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?Millardo??

Millardo Peacecraft instantly knew he was in trouble at the tone of her voice.

?What is the meaning of this??

?Meaning of what, Relena??

?Don?t feign ignorance with me. I just spoke with the General.?

Millardo sighed. Why couldn?t Trieze have kept his mouth shut. It would have been so much easier?

?The journey you?re about to embark on---?

?Is one of great importance. Yes, I know.?

?There isn?t much time. If there?s only the two of you, you?ll be able to travel faster and reach your destination in half the time it would take you with a full contingent of palace militia.?

?I don?t even know this Guard whose life I?ll be putting my hands in. You?ve known who he would be for quite some time, and yet you kept it from me.?

?Relena??

?All I ask is that I see for myself the caliber of this man.?

Millardo nodded.

?He?ll be at the practice grounds at this hour. We can watch him from the battlements.?

Relena strained to look at the young man on the field.

?He certainly doesn?t look like much.?

?You should know better than to judge a book by it?s cover, dear sister. Just watch.?

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Three burly men stepped onto the grounds, drawing Heero?s attention away from the palace?s architecture. Each held a weapon and, in appearance, looked as though they could snap him in half. They smirked at the sight of Heero, alone and unarmed. He almost allowed himself a smirk at their overconfidence. They had no idea what they were dealing with. The fact that they were armed was a minor problem, but he?d dealt with worse. The last four years he had spent in the Guard, an elite force of soldiers trained to be deadly and accurate weapons. At best, these men were hired thugs. They were criminals , arrested and tried for murder, and therefore expendable.

?Let the tourney begin!? Wufei barked.

Heero watched his opponents warily, a feral cat waiting to pounce. The three brandished their weapons, one rushing forward while the other two circled. Heero slid to the side gracefully, allowing his adversary to fall awkwardly into the dust. The man stood up, now eyeing Heero cautiously.

The man to his left shifted, the one to his right slid forward. Heero tensed, anticipating both to attack at once. He was wrong. The man to his right suddenly swept forward. Heero leapt back only to encounter the other man waiting. He ducked just in time, rolling to spring up facing grim opponents. The two charged at once, splitting apart at the last minute and attacking from opposite sides. Heero turned to face one, a dagger suddenly appearing in his nimble fingers. Ducking under one blow, he twisted as he came up and let the dagger fly. It hit it?s target with a subdued thunk, the man toppling to the ground dead. Heero?s leg lashed out, toppling the other man to the ground, his legs swept out from under him. Another dagger appeared in his hand and was quickly poised at the thug?s throat.

?Do you cede??

Before Heero was given an answer, the third man barreled into him, forcefully sprawling him into the dirt. As Heero stood up to dispatch the man, he was interrupted.

?Lieutenant!?

Sighing, Heero snapped to attention as Captain Wufei sauntered out. The remaining thugs were being herded off of the practice grounds by regular palace militia. And he had been enjoying himself this time.

?General Kushrenada wishes to speak with you, lieutenant.?

Heero nodded, following Wufei. What had he done now? A meeting with the General was never a good thing. He knocked on the office door with a sense of foreboding and entered at the barked response. He steeled himself, ready to be reamed out.

As the door shut behind him, Heero stood for a moment in bewilderment. He had been informed that he was to escort the Princess Peacecraft to Ebrus. There was something else though that they weren?t telling him. He intended to find out what that was. Only a fool was caught unprepared and unawares.

[Morrighan]

Ooh.....

Can't wait to see more!!

[The Angry Angel]

At this pace, you'll be finished with this story before Bush puts the ND at $9 trillion. And that's not a long ways off.

You have been so great about dishing out these chapters with speedy Gonzalez zeal. I applaud thee.

Story's jumped between four years??? Without indication? All right, so Heero's 22--gettin' better But---has he _met_ the princessas yet? What of that???? We're still unclear; it may be me. Hm.

Hats off.

[takisha16]

WOAH...still the same old super Heero!
I can't wait for him to meet Relena, or has he?
hmmm....
This will be interesting, make the chappy's longer!

[lildragonfly]

that was great!

update soon!

[Penybright]

At this pace, you'll be finished with this story before Bush puts the ND at $9 trillion. And that's not a long ways off.

You have been so great about dishing out these chapters with speedy Gonzalez zeal. I applaud thee.

Story's jumped between four years??? Without indication? All right, so Heero's 22--gettin' better But---has he _met_ the princessas yet? What of that???? We're still unclear; it may be me. Hm.

Hats off.

These fast chapters have been brought to you by the power of coffee Seriously, I need to lay off the stuff.

Yeah... 4 year jump. I suppose I could've been like: "Four years later..." But it just seemed lame. And no, he hasn't met Relena yet.

[Penybright]

WOAH...still the same old super Heero!
I can't wait for him to meet Relena, or has he?
hmmm....
This will be interesting, make the chappy's longer!

Heero will met Relena in the next chapter, if I ever get the rewrite typed up. And yeah... chapter 2 was kinda short. Writing action sequences makes my brain hurt though.

[lilac310]

Relena Elizabeth Katrina Peacecraft and Dorothy Esmeralda Catalonia Peacecraft

WOW!..what a long name! Mine's kinda like 4 words all in all...2 first names, my mom's maiden name, and my last name...I know someone with 5!!!

anyways, I can't wait for Relena and Heero to meet!....Keep writing!

[lildragonfly]

WOW!..what a long name! Mine's kinda like 4 words all in all...2 first names, my mom's maiden name, and my last name...I know someone with 5!!!

i have 5! first name, middle name, a name that could go with middle name that's my mom's name but it's still 2 seperate names, my mom's grondmother's name, and finally my last name.

did that just make sense?

[epyon]