The Circus Part 6
I woke up later to find it still night, with the moon barely having moved in the sky. Either I'd slept through an entire day into the next night or only a few moments had passed. Blinking slowly I pushed myself up, forcing myself to stand despite the screaming protests of my head and body. My world spun but I still forced myself to stand. I felt sick to my stomach, bile rising to burn my throat. Standing against the side of the trailer I spilled the contents of my stomach on to the ground, using the sleeve of my shirt to wipe the remains from my lips.
Shaking off my dizziness I took a deep breath and felt much better. Forcing the remaining pain back into the depths of my mind I headed for the manager's trailer. I didn't care that I probably had a concussion from Quatre's shoving me into the other trailer. All I cared about was Quatre, and saving him from whatever the manager had planned.
Nearing the door I heard shouts and cries. Most came from the manager, screaming at Quatre in a deep rage. I caught some of the words and had to stop for a moment to listen. To me they didn't make sense. They didn't sound like the words of a madman bent on holding Quatre captive… they sounded more like the scolding words of a very disappointed parent.
"I did everything to keep you safe! Safe from everything! And the first chance you get you turn around and disobey the very rules I put in place for your protection!! How could you betray everything I've ever done for you?!"
I winced at the rage and force behind the words as I walked up to the door. Placing my hand on the knob I threw it open. The scene before me struck me cold to my heart and all doubts I might have had about the manager were laid to waste, forgotten.
In the trailer things had fallen off the shelves, scattering the floor in a mess communicating his sheer rage and utter madness. The manager looked not like his normal neatly pressed self, rather his hair was ragged and sweat poured down his face, staining his clothes. His thick hands were clenched into fists and small drops of blood clung to his knuckles. My eyes narrowed as I noticed the blood on his knuckles, it was not his.
I turned my eyes to Quatre, finding him crumbled in the corner, shivering like a small child left out in the cold snow. Bruises were already starting to form on his bare arms and back, the cloak long gone from sight. He just knelt in the corner, quivering like a frightened child. He didn't even look up as I entered the trailer. Relieved to find him still alive, but horrified at what the manager had done to him I turned my anger on the man who was once my employer.
"And you," he hissed angrily. "Trowa." He said the word with such hatred that he practically spit on the ground.
Wasting no time I stepped forward and pulled back my fist, hitting him right between the eyes with all my anger, funneled into one hard hit. He flew backward, through the iron curtain, and slammed into the back of the trailer. A stunned look crossed his face and his eyes widened, watching me as if I were a ghost, or some great and powerful being.
"Trowa!" He cried out, this time the desperation and panic rang crystal clear in his voice.
I didn't understand it. Why did he keep saying my name? He said it almost like a command, just the same as he'd said Quatre's… the thought hit me and hit me hard. My name… and Quatre's name. Did the name of a fey hold power? Was that why when Quatre told me his he made me swear to never use it? That would explain it all. A second later a small voice confirmed my suspicion.
"You can't… control him… he's human." Quatre's small voice filled the trailer and though it was only slightly louder then a whisper, the words had the effect of screaming for themselves. The manager's face crumbled and he tried to pull himself backward into the trailer, seemingly attempting to pull himself through the wall. I advanced toward him, feeling anger and hatred surge through my body, brighter and hotter then any flame.
I approached the manager and grabbed his collar, pulling his face to my level. All I could think of were those bruises on Quatre's body, the iron chain that burned his skin, the blood on his hands and how the manager had treated him that night I'd been hiding in the room. Everything I'd ever seen him do whirled in my mind, the images burning through me and increasing my anger. I pulled back my fist, narrowing my eyes until they were nothing but slits full of hatred-
"Please… don't."
My hold faltered and I looked back at Quatre, the anger immediately fading and disappearing back to where ever it had come from. He sat there in the corner and I could see his face, those crystalline aquamarine eyes pleading with me as tears poured down the sides of his face. I felt the adrenaline leave me and I was no longer able to hold up the manager to my level. I let go of his collar and he dropped to the floor with a loud crack and thump, frightened gasps coming from his throat as he waited and watched us.
I opened my mouth to ask Quatre why, why I shouldn't hurt this man who'd hurt him. But Quatre merely shook his head.
He coughed and the spell of silence seemed to break, shattering around me as I saw blood come from his throat and stain the carpet. Forgetting the manager I rushed to his side in worry.
"Outside… must heal…"
I nodded, at the moment being a loss for words. Scooping up his bruised and damaged body I headed for the door to the trailer, leaving the manager to simply cower in the corner, watching me with a fearful gaze. I'm still curious what scared him more, the fact of my rage and protectiveness of the fey boy in my arms or the fact that a human could look so demonic. I have no doubt of how demonic my own rage and anger made me, yet I am still curious what scared him more and what caused him to stay in that trailer the entire time, not moving until we were well out of sight.
I stepped out of the trailer and walked to a patch of bright green grass, which seemed to glow in the dawning light. Gently I set Quatre on the ground and my eyes drifted back to the manager, making sure he stayed far away.
"Quatre," I heard him mutter and beside me Quatre groaned. But there was nothing more. No orders and no commands; Quatre's body didn't become lifeless like before, he simply knelt in the grass with his face pressed against the ground.
I swallowed and sat there quietly, waiting for something to happen. It seemed like years ago that he'd healed himself in practically this same spot, but I had learned not to interfere. I simply sat there as he was silent, his fingers intertwining with the long blades of grass.
I watched silently as he moved his hands, caressing the grass as I often caressed the lions, digging my fingers into their soft fur. His long pale fingers slid through the blades, digging into the earth beneath as his slow breaths began to quicken. Taking a step back I watched the leaves rustle in the trees around us and the grass swayed in a strong breeze, which seemed to appear out of no where. Voices seemed to rise around us and the winds seemed to dance with a life of their own, almost as if they were sentient beings. I moved back a step as the grass around Quatre suddenly shot out of the earth, growing into thick lengths of deep green. They shot out from the ground, twisting and curving as the wind howled, crying out as if it too were in pain.
The vines wrapped tightly around Quatre's kneeling form, creating an impenetrable armor that pulsated in time to my own quickened heartbeats. Once… twice… thrice… the vines pulsated again, glowing an almost blinding light, then they pulled away, simply becoming writhing snakes in the air surrounding the blond fey boy. I watched in amazement as Quatre stood to his feet in one fluid motion, almost as if his body were made of water. He tilted his head back and gazed at the moon, his eyes glowing and crackling with energy.
Turning toward me I could see his body in the moonlight. The skin was as fair as ever, pale and shining in the new light of the rising sun, glowing with light and power. Lifting one shimmering hand he pointed toward me and suddenly the vines were moving. I barely had time to gasp in alarm as the vines wrapped around my own body, shutting me out from the world.
I couldn't see anything.
I couldn't hear anything.
I couldn't say anything.
All I knew were the pulsating vines surrounding me, throbbing with life and glowing with power. I felt their energy pouring through my body, louder then any waterfall yet quieter then the stillest night. Warmth flowed through my limbs, from my feet touching the ground, rising to pool in the back of my head. I felt the dizziness from earlier rise back, causing nausea to flood though my entire body. Yet the sickness and swirling ebbed out of me, absorbed by the vines until there was nothing. Instead, as the vines slowly crept back into the ground, I felt refreshed and revived. I felt more alive then ever before.
Opening my eyes I watched the sun rise over the horizon, the word bursting into millions of colors I'd never even dreamed of before. I was forced to shade my eyes and look away, the beauty and amazement bringing tears to my eyes.
Soon the shock wore off and my eyes adjusted, shifting back to normal and the colors fading back to a normal limited spectrum. Blinking myself back to normalcy I found I was standing alone.
Quatre was gone.
I turned quickly and glanced into the trailer, looking for the manager, but I only found him still cowering in his corner, watching me with terrified eyes.
"Trowa?!"
I turned to see Catherine step out of her trailer, watching me with a worried expression. I can only imagine what must have been racing through her mind seeing me standing there. I didn't care what she thought, nor did I acknowledge the scene she had just happened upon.
Instead I turned on my heels and raced for the main tent, to beyond where the line of trees and forest spread out. I don't know how but I knew Quatre had disappeared in that direction after he'd healed me. I didn't understand why he'd run, leaving me behind but I still followed. Moving as fast as I could, and making use of my newly gained energy I headed for the forest.
I left the circus. I left Catherine and the manager to stand in their places watching with bewilderment. I never meant to return. The fey boy was all that occupied my thoughts. I had to find him again. Something deep inside told me he still needed me. I still wished to protect him. But to protect him, I needed to find him first.
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I raced through the forest until the sun rose high into the sky, covering the world with its light. Stumbling to a stop I found myself in at the edge to a small clearing. Across from me, near the other edge, sat Quatre curled up tightly as he leaned against a tree, his face hidden. The sun filtered through the canopy around him, long strands of sunlight illuminating him like some strange heavenly vision. I stepped forward into the clearing, painfully aware of the loud crunching of dead plants under foot. My movement disturbed the silence and I suddenly felt unwelcome, as if I had no place among such divine beauty. I froze and did not move closer.
"Why did you follow me?" Came his muffled voice.
"I wanted to see that you were safe." I replied, saying the first words which appeared on my lips.
He looked up at me and bit his lower lip. Deep sadness seemed to fill his eyes and distort his face. He shook his head sadly and went back to hiding it once more beneath his arms. "I am never safe."
I stepped forward, my own steps echoing painfully around me. Moving to his side I knelt down next to him. Reaching forward I meant to place a comforting hand on his shoulder, yet I stopped. I couldn't bring myself to touch him, suddenly afraid he would crumble when my hands met his skin. So I merely sat there, at loss for what to say or do.
"Why did you… do that for me?" He asked softly, his muffled voice barely audible.
I closed my eyes and swallowed hard. "I wish to protect you," I admitted quietly. The words came out clear and hung in the air, even moments after they'd been spoken. Perhaps it was because they held more meaning then an explanation. It was a pledge, a promise to him I wished to make. I truly wanted to protect him. Not just from the manager but from everything. I had seen this divine creature before me cry and I knew that I would do all in my power to make sure I never saw tears from his cheeks again. Seeing him sad seemed to tear at my own heart, threatening to rip my very soul to pieces. I couldn't bear to see him in pain.
He moved and I opened my eyes to meet with his. Wonder sparkled across his expression, the wonder of a child just entering a new world.
"Why?" He whispered.
I couldn't help but smile softly in return. Leaning forward I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him tightly to my chest, holding him there protectively. He didn't resist; he simply leaned into my arms, a child unsure yet trusting. I held him tightly and buried my face in his soft golden curls, breathing in his scent.
"I want to protect you," I whispered softly. "I will protect you."
He stiffened in my arms, his hands clutching onto my shirt and he pulled himself closer. His body shuttered and I heard him sob sadly. "But why? I don't understand why."
I reached down and gently took hold of his chin, guiding his face up until our eyes met. He watched me silently, the emotions on his face warring as he tried to understand. He seemed to so young at that moment, a child who was held in the arms of a protectorate and still not understanding why. I could see his innocence reflected in his eyes, the most precious treasure any creature could possess, human or fey. In that second I knew the true reason I had just pledged my self as his guardian. I smiled as the soft and caring words passed my lips, meaning them with every bit of my being.
"Because I love you."
TBC…