0.6
"No matter what Relena, know that I love you as a sister and I always will."
She sighed, Catherine's words that had seemed so strange a couple of hours before, made perfect sense now. She had turned eighteen today and she had just learned the reason why the wall had been built.
Now she knew why they kept their friendship a secret. She knew why they looked so different from them. Why she could never be with the boy she had grown to love.
***
"I will make your son a greater man than his father. He will become the king your husband could not become."
"And yet there is a price am I right Creator? There is always a price."
"You are wise. "
"What is the price of this gift?"
"You will take the soul eater's first born."
"Is that all?"
"And you must end the last tie of the east and the west. End the children's bond."
She was silent. She knew of their weekly meetings in that little hamlet of spring. She thought that no harm could come of this but it seems even this would not survive the fate of their clans. The wall the three stars built was indeed great. It was all encompassing and it sealed their worlds away from each other absolutely.
"Milliardo." She called her eldest son. He bowed before her. "Go and fetch your sister and brother. It is time we put an end to this foolishness."
***
She looked at the eastern gate. It was late and they had not yet arrived. She sighed. Perhaps her sisterhood was not enough to keep another wall from growing between them.
"Catherine?" a voice called.
"Trowa!" she jumped.
"Heero and Duo as well?" her older brother's brow furrowed as he stepped out of the trees. "I thought I told you to keep out of here?"
"Well…" she bit her lip and looked at her other siblings.
"There is a world of difference between doing something wrong and doing something wrong and getting caught." He smiled. "Don't let me catch you again."
"Thank you Trowa!" she jumped over to his side and placed a kiss on his cheek. "I promise mother and father will never know."
"Oh they know. Just don't get caught." He said, just then they heard someone enter the eastern gate.
"I knew it." Catherine smiled.
***
At first she did not know if she should be here. Her hand rested upon one of the eastern gate's bars.
"Relena?" Quatre looked at her strangely. She smiled at him. He did not carry the burden of knowing the truth. Oh how fortunate a boy not yet of age could become.
Should she be here? She asked herself as she turned her attention back at the gate. She smiled and pushed open the door.
And the first thing she saw was the tall prince in black armor, with eyes greener than any forest she had ever seen. And to her heart's dismay, hair brown like those standing beside him.
***
Milliardo came to the wall. His eyes drifted to the three towers staring down at him. His eyes grasped the iron gate's twisted bars and he sighed.
***
"Relena! I thought you would never come!" she called drawing the other girl in her arms.
"Why wouldn't I come?" she smiled her eyes drifting to the other boy once more.
"Oh I cannot tell you just how happy I am." Catherine beamed.
"What is up with you women?" Duo called bringing his arms over his head as he went to Quatre's side. Catherine hit him on the head playfully as he walked past.
"Umm who is…"
"Oh this is out eldest brother Trowa." She said. "This is Relena and his brother Quatre."
"Oh hello." Relena blushed; Catherine looked at her.
"Hey Heero is here as well." Duo teased.
"Oh yeah he is!" his sister joined him. All of them looked in Heero's direction while the poor boy looked away.
"Relena…" they heard an unfamiliar voice and all of them froze. They turned around to see Milliardo atop his white horse, his silver armor brilliant in the sunlight.
"Milliardo!"
"It is time we came home." he said eyeing the other people in the garden.
"I can explain." She stammered looking at Catherine then at Quatre.
"There is no need to explain, just say your goodbyes." He said turning his horse.
"But Milliardo…"
"Now Relena." He said facing them once more. His eyes drifted to the twelve-year-old boy with the violet eyes. And he smiled; the people on the other side were indeed beautiful.
Trowa stepped in front of their youngest, shielding him from the calculating look in the other prince's eyes. The two eldest held gazes for a moment.
"Catherine…"
"It's alright Relena. I knew it would happen." She whispered taking the other girl's hand in hers and giving her one last hug.
The flaxen haired brood began to walk away. Relena and Quatre looked back one last time and then the eastern gate closed behind them.
***
"Let us go." He said motioning for his siblings to leave this place as well. "Duo you ride beside me." he ordered suddenly protective of him. Heero looked at Trowa, ever since he was a child he had ridden abreast his brother but now it seemed so many things have changed.
They turned around and left, the western gate closing behind them and that was the last time all of them gathered in that little garden of spring hidden in the shadow of the three towers.