Author:  pulsar (pulsar03@juno.com)
Title:  Flight (1/1) part 1 of the Traveling arc
Category:  *shrugs*  It's pretty general.  Smatterings of romance and
humor, but I don't think it really goes in either of those categories.
Warnings:  well, I never thought the day would come... but it's here. 
Don't immediately delete the fic, but there's a hint of 1+R+1 in here. 
*prepares to get no feedback 'cause most people won't read it*  Just give
this fic a chance!  They're really more friends than anything!  There are
also hints of 6+/x8 and 9+6.  Joking references to bestiality and incest.
Archive:  Many places.  Want it?  Take it and let me know.  Want to know
where?  Ask.  I don't bite.  ...actually, I've been known to...  But I've
had all my shots!  ^_^
Disclaimer:  I own nothing of importance, especially not GW.  I am an
insane, middle-class teenager.  I own about 30 different colors of nail
polish and twice as many CDs, but that's about the extent of my property.
Author's notes:  First of all, thankies to Raya for the beta and for the
title suggestion!  Secondly, I'm trying something different here.  I'm
writing another fairy tale but this time it's a strange blending of fairy
tale and modern day RL.  I make references to Poe and CCS, I ramble... 
It's like a little journey into one of the less-than-sane portions of my
mind.  This was written to go with a piece I wrote months ago, got betad
and never posted because I thought that I should explain things a bit
more.  The aforementioned piece will be eventually posted, but not until
I write the other stories that will be in this arc.  However, all stories
need not be read for the next ones to make sense.  I could post the last
one in the arc (the first one I wrote) and it wouldn't make a difference
whether or not the other pieces of the arc even existed.  But I thought
it might be interesting to see how my little ragtag band of travelers in
the last fic met each other in the first place.
Feedback:  I live for comments!  Let me know what you thought, good or
bad.  Just don't be brutal!
 
Flight
part one of the Traveling arc (tentative title for the arc.  Anyone have
a better idea?  Let me know!)
 
_italics_
 
        Many years ago in a world unfamiliar to modern people, life was
like a fairy tale. It wasn't like a fairy tale in the sense that
everything always went right, because more often than not, things went
wrong. As modern man so eloquently puts it, "Shit happens." Shit does
happen. It always has, and it always will. I say that life was like a
fairy tale because there were many happenings and creatures in that world
that do not exist in ours. In that world, there were mystical creatures
and magic so strong that even people who refused to admit its existence
could feel it. It was real, and it was so real it was nearly tangible.
 
        In this magical world, there was a girl. She was a rather
remarkable girl in some ways (for example, she was the fastest weaver in
her kingdom), but in most ways, she was rather ordinary. (And I mean no
disrespect and/or copyright infringement to Card Captor Sakura. I think
Sakura kicks ass. And Li is sexy as hell. And I want to molest Yukito.
But that's not the point of this story. Forgive me, my mind wanders.)
Anyway, this girl wasn't just some girl. She was a princess.
 
        She had cornflower blue eyes and beautiful blonde hair. She had
been trained from birth to be graceful and polite and refined, and she
had been trained well. She was a perfect lady for the most part.
Sometimes she wasn't a perfect lady, but that is to be expected. Everyone
makes mistakes, even princesses. No one is perfect. Except, perhaps, for
her bodyguard.
 
        Solemn and deep, he rarely spoke, instead just observing and
listening. It unnerved many people. It never bothered the princess,
though. In fact, though he wouldn't speak to many people unless it was
required of him, he would voluntarily speak to the princess. He would
even smile and laugh sometimes. Most people thought that he would marry
the princess someday. The princess and her bodyguard had heard the rumors
churned out by the gossip mill. They found them annoying, but often
humorous.
 
        "Heero, did you hear?" she asked him one afternoon in the
gardens.
 
        "What is it now? A new rumor already? It's not even two hours
since lunch!"
 
        "Yes, apparently I'm pregnant with your child."
 
        "I thought that was last week."
 
        "Last week there was only one. Now I'm eating for three."
 
        Heero chuckled quietly. "Haven't you been pregnant with my twins
before?"
 
        "Yes. I believe that was last March, in fact."
 
        "Well, I'm rather impressed with myself. Not only did I
impregnate you, I did it having never touched you intimately."
 
        Relena laughed and clapped. "Bravo, Heero. Way to knock up the
princess without knocking boots."
 
        Heero grinned. "Well, I was trained to be the best at what I do."
 
        Chuckling, Relena punched his arm playfully. "It seems that you
do me pretty well."
 
        "Just _pretty_ well?" he asked teasingly.
 
        "Okay, you're the greatest. I've never had better! I swear to God
the earth moved!" (1)
 
        He rolled his eyes and they both laughed. The notion of them
being together was ridiculous to both of them. They had known each other
since they could remember, and since he was raised to be her bodyguard,
they had been forced to spend most of their childhoods within 50 feet of
each other. They had disliked each other at first, having been in the
"opposite gender is icky!" phase of childhood together.
 
        Later, they grew to tolerate each other and soon became fast
friends. Once, when they had both just hit puberty and the rumors were
beginning, they had kissed. They wanted to know what it was like, whether
these rumors about them secretly liking each other could be true. The
decision to try had been mutual, but once they decided to try it, they
couldn't seem to bring themselves to begin. After a few awkward
half-attempts, the finally just forgot about feeling stupid and kissed.
They pulled away shortly and neither could look at the other.
 
        "So." Heero had said, uncomfortable.
 
        "Yeah." Relena replied, also uneasy.
 
        "That. that was weird."
 
        "Definitely.I felt like I was kissing Milliardo."
 
        "Eww!" Heero exclaimed, looking at her incredulously. "It was
like kissing your brother? You know what it's like to kiss your brother?"
 
        "I don't know, I never kissed him except on the cheek," she
hurriedly explained. "But I think that if I did, it would be about as
creepy as our kiss. .And speaking of what it's like to kiss him, why
don't _you_ tell me?"
 
        "What are you talking about? I never kissed him!"
 
        Relena grinned playfully. "I bet he'd let you if you asked him."
 
        Heero was taken aback at first, but recovered and smiled. "Nah, I
think he's too busy with that stablehand Otto."
 
        Relena laughed gleefully. "Oh, won't Lady Noin be jealous!"
 
        So went the story of their first and only kiss. Needless to say,
it was not very romantic. But of course, if it had been romantic, it
probably wouldn't have been their only kiss. But it was creepy, so they
decided that although they definitely loved each other, it was definitely
not romantic love. It was platonic, brotherly/sisterly love, and they
knew that and they were fine with the fact that friends was all they
would ever be. However, the court gossips didn't know about the kiss and
the decision to never kiss each other again that followed. The court
gossips only knew that Princess Relena and her bodyguard Heero spent a
lot of time together and that they would make a cute couple, if only he
would stop glowering all the time and she would wear a little less pink.
 
        On the afternoon of the 'pregnant with your twins' conversation,
Relena came to a decision about a matter which had been on her mind for
years. A matter which was extremely important to her, and ultimately the
entire kingdom. It had been announced that morning that the king would
now welcome suitors for his only daughter's hand in marriage. And in
keeping with custom, the only fitting husband for a princess is a prince,
which is why so much royalty is inbred. Fortunately, Milliardo was too
busy with Otto to bother seeking the hand of his sister, not that he
would have sought it anyway. Incest is gross and really, really WRONG! It
leads to brain damage, deformities, and country music. Milliardo didn't
like any of those things, and he especially didn't like the idea of
having sex with his sister, especially when he already had a fine piece
of tail waiting for him in the stables. (And I mean Otto. Bestiality is
gross too.)
 
        Anyway, Relena and Heero had been sitting on a bench in the
garden for about an hour since their conversation. They were lost in
silence, Relena pondering this suitor matter, and Heero pondering the
future of his job. If Relena's future husband didn't want her to have a
bodyguard about whom there had been so many rumors, Heero was up shit
creek without a paddle. He was trained to be a bodyguard. If he wasn't a
bodyguard, he didn't really have anything he could be.
 
        "Heero?" Relena whispered, moving closer to him to whisper in his
ear. He tilted his head towards her to listen better. "I don't want to
marry some man I've never met and live a life of subservience and
submission. I don't want some man who only marries me for a title and for
property. If I'm ever going to be the Queen, I want to it be on my own
terms, with someone who isn't using me for power, someone who loves me."
 
        Heero interrupted her. "Relena, I'm not a prince. And you
wouldn't be happy with me anyway. We have no chemistry."
 
        She stared at him quizzically for a minute. "What on earth are
you thinking? I don't want to marry you, though it would be infinitely
preferable to marrying some old creepy stranger." They both shuddered at
the indirect mention of Tsuberov. "Heero, I'm going to run away tonight.
I won't be chained down before I am ever free," she whispered. "Will you
make sure no one follows me?"
 
        Heero stared at her, considering. Her eyes begged him, and he
relented. "Yes. I will do that for you."
 
        She threw her arms around him. "Thank you!" she exclaimed,
kissing his cheek.
 
        "But what about Milliardo? He and Otto cannot produce an heir. He
will be forced to marry."
 
        "No he won't. I will carry on the monarchy and produce an heir.
I'm just not ready to do that yet. And Father still has a good many years
in him."
 
        Heero smiled. "The King is too stubborn to die."
 
        Relena grinned. "And to paraphrase you, I'm twice as stubborn as
he is."
 
        Laughing he answered, "Well, with all due respect, it's true! I
still can't believe you got Milliardo's instructors to teach you archery
and fencing!"
 
        "Don't forget hand-to-hand combat."
 
        "The instructors didn't teach you that."
 
        "I know. _You_ did," she replied, poking him gently in the side.
 
        "Remind me again how you convinced me to teach you that?"
 
        "I believe I had threatened to kiss you again."
 
        "Yes, that would do it." Heero faked a shudder and she hit him
playfully.
 
        Late that night, when all the household was asleep, Heero gently
rapped on Relena's chamber door. She sleepily formed a question that
sounded like, "Who is it?"
 
        "It's the Raven. Nevermore!" came the sarcastic whisper on the
other side. Relena's eyes shot open and she jumped out of bed, rushing to
the door. She unlocked it and let Heero in. "Is everyone asleep?" she
asked in hushed tones.
 
        "Yes." He handed her a bag that she loaded up with the barest
essentials. He turned around and she removed her nightgown, changing into
a peasant's garb that she had sneaked into the laundry room and taken
from a pile belonging to one of the servants. In place of the simple
dress she had left a silver coin, knowing that although the dress was
worth much less, the servant would need the coin more than she ever
would. "Done?" he asked.
 
        "Yes," she whispered, folding her nightgown and shoving it in the
bag. She slipped on a pair of cheap, well-worn leather shoes and wrapped
herself in a coarse, dark cloak.
 
        "Are you ready?" he asked. She nodded affirmatively, and they
sneaked out of her room in silence. Silently they traveled through the
halls, down the stairs, and into the gardens. Heero led her to a tree and
boosted her up. "Over the wall," he whispered. "There's a horse waiting.
Food and water. Weapons. Money. Everything. Go!"
 
        "Thank you," Relena mouthed. He read her lips and nodded. Relena
climbed out onto a branch that grew near to the wall. She leapt from the
branch onto the wall, and prepared to jump off.
 
        A quiet voice from below startled her. "Jump, my lady. I will
catch you." She peered down into the night.
 
        "Otto?" she whispered incredulously.
 
        "Shh," he quieted her. "I'll catch you." Nodding, she leapt down.
True to his word, his strong arms never let her touch the ground. He
helped her onto the horse he had led out there. "Godspeed, my lady.
Enjoy your journey."
 
        She smiled at him. "Thank you. Give Milliardo my love." Even in
the dark, she could see his face turn three shades of red. Unable to
reply, he nodded. She was about to take off when she noticed the other
horse. "Whose horse is that, Otto?"
 
        "It is to be Heero's horse."
 
        "What?"
 
        Heero jumped down from the wall and answered her. "It wouldn't
make sense for only you to leave. Everyone thinks we're together anyway,
so they'll think we've eloped."
 
        "But they'll try to find us and bring us back!"
 
        "They would try to find you if you left alone. And they'd kill me
for letting you get away."
 
        His words made sense, and she nodded. Thinking along those lines,
she became concerned for the stablehand helping them escape. "Otto! What
about you, Otto? They'll be mad at you!"
 
        "I'm 'visiting my mother' this week, my lady. I'm not here. I
haven't been here for two days, and I'm not due back for another five."
 
        She nodded. "Well then Heero, shall we go? If they're going to
follow us, we should get as far as possible."
 
        "You want me to go with you?"
 
        "As long as we are both leaving, we might as well travel
together. .And. I'd miss you. You are my dearest friend."
 
        A smile broke slowly over Heero's face. "Where to then, my
friend?"
 
        "Wherever the road leads." With that, she spurred her horse and
took off down a dirt path. He spurred his horse and followed.
 
        "Wherever the road leads," he thought, "I will follow it with
you, my friend." The road led on ahead of them, and they followed,
wondering where it would lead but knowing that anywhere would be
tolerable because they were led together.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


(1)  A while ago the Weekly World News they had a list of the top 10 (I
think) lies women tell men.  "The earth moved!" was one of them.

-pulsar, Mistress of Hentainess, Limerick Master, Unofficial Muse of all
things hentai and crossdressing
The frighteningly cute Vice President of the HHSoD and Vice-Empress of
North America
Proud member of the SGYA, Fiefs United, and SFWAHYWB
Mair's wifey, Nym's wifey, Brooke's Cuddle-bug, Simon's little shoehorn,
Ely's fic addict
Resident psycho of the class of 2003 (and proud of it!)