23-Jan-2002
Pairings: 1+2
Warnings: mild language, slight OOC, fluffiness in parts.
Authors Notes: the story is moving much slower than I had thought it was. Let
me know if it gets too muddy.
Quatre woke to the smell of smoke in the predawn hours. He blinked sleepy eyes open to see wisps of it creeping under the thick wooden door and slowing curling its way across the floor like a serpent. The room was shrouded in darkness, the heavy drapes still drawn, but he could make out the distinct light of flames as they flickered from the crack beneath the door outside his room.
Throwing the covers aside and quickly grabbing his clothing, boots, scabbard and leather pack, he made his way to the door and unlocked it cautiously. Opening the door a crack, his eyes met with a scene of horror as the entire inn was engulfed with thick, black smoke. Flames leaped through the main room, up the stairs, and were crawling their way across the ceiling and the walls like some living thing. He pulled on his breeches, linen shirt and heavy woolen tunic, slung his pack over his shoulder, and attached his sword's scabbard in moments. He slid through the door and made a dash for the stairs. The heat from the flames was fierce, and the black smoke made his lungs choke for air, as he dodged falling pieces of burning wood from the ceiling. He made his way down the stairs and shielding himself with his pack, burst through the front door of the tiny inn, rolling to the ground in an ungraceful sprawl. Glancing up he was more than aware of the group of men that sat upon their horses and watched him dust himself off. Not acknowledging them, or ignoring them, Quatre finished lacing up his black leather boots and tucked his linen shirt into his pants.
"Master Winner, forgive me for your rude awakening." The young captain smirked down from his steed at Quatre with pure contempt. He practically spit out the words as he watched him carefully lace his boots.
Quatre raised cool, light blue eyes to the man addressing him, and returned the captain's smirk with a soft smile of his own. "It seems you know me, but I am at a loss in knowing who you are."
"I am Nessir, and have been sent by my master to escort you to his home where he wishes an audience with you." The captain answered.
"And to whom do I owe this honor?" Quatre quirked an eyebrow and smiled cheerfully.
The captain turned and nodded for his men to leave. He then turned his mount and began quickly striding away. "I suggest you get your horse, young sir."
"I have no plans to meet anyone in this country, my fine sir, so I am afraid I will not be going with you. But thank your master for the invitation, and give him my condolences for my absence." Quatre strode toward the small barn to retrieve his horse. He wasn't surprised that the Emperor's men had tracked him so quickly. Staying at the inn was probably not his wisest choice either, but his hopes of finding Duo had led him to make a risky choice. Burning an inn to the ground certainly got his attention, and did not make him wish to spend any extended amount of time in the company of anyone working for Dekim. He moved slowly, noting the sounds of swords coming unsheathed from their scabbards behind him the closer he got to the barn.
"I'm afraid it wasn't a request." The captain spoke with blatant menace in his voice.
Quatre turned and drew his own blade as the captain charged towards him. The snorting horse flew by him as the captain swung his sword at Quatre's head. Quickly dodging the swing, Quatre parried and swung his own blade up and across to block the blow meant for his head, then brought the blade down and thrust it forward. The captain spun his horse around for another pass, his face twisted with pain and rage as blood dripped from his slashed arm.
"I have no quarrel with you sir, but will defend myself if you continue this. I don't know why you seek me, but I will not be forced to go anywhere I don't wish to go." Quatre still smiled pleasantly even though he was calculating how to disarm the man or kill him if need be. He hoped his calm demeanor would distract the captain, making his opponents' weaknesses more apparent to him. The rest of the men kept their distance and egged their captain on, as Quatre waited for the next move from his opponent.
The captain didn't answer him, but kicked his horse harshly, making another run for him. Swinging again for Quatre's head, he lunged forward and thrust his sword towards him. Quatre easily stepped aside, the captain's swing missing him entirely. He was concentrating so completely on the man on horseback, that he failed to see the two men slowly flanking him on the ground as the captain turned his mount for another rush.
He saw the captain's eyes dart to the two men standing behind him and on either side, and soon realized the fight would not be a fair one, and was in serious trouble if he didn't move fast. The two men behind him crept closer, while the captain surged his horse forward in a full out gallop, just as the other two rushed him. The captain's sword sliced through the air and made contact with Quatre's left shoulder, cutting him through the wool and linen cloth. He ignored the flash of pain lancing through his shoulder, as he turned to address the two men now attacking him from behind, as the captain's horse flew past. He blocked their blows with his sword, dodging and parrying his way backward to gain a better advantage. The other soldiers, who were in the background, slowly drew closer, surrounding him completely in a large ring.
One of his attackers pushed him roughly to the ground from behind as he blocked the thrust of the second mans' blade from in front, landing him on his stomach inches from a set of dancing hooves. Looking up, his glare met with the eyes of the captain, as the two men held their positions for a moment. "You're outnumbered. Surrender." The captain hissed.
Quatre smiled warmly up to his attacker. "I won't go with you."
The enraged captain laughed and nodded to the two men standing above him. "Kill him." He pulled his horse away to join the rest of his men dismissing the blonde haired boy on the ground all together.
Just as they would have brought their swords down and killed him; Quatre rolled and sprang to his feet. He stood ready for the advance of the two men who he had just thrown off, when he heard another laugh from the captain. Turning towards the sound, his eyes widened as he saw the rest of the soldiers who stood in a ring with him in the center, armed with arrows all pointing to him, ready to be unleashed. There was simply no way out, so he smiled at them and bowed gracefully, before raising bright blue eyes to meet their nervous stares. He sheathed his sword back into its' scabbard and crossed his arms in front of him, awaiting his death with a calm demeanor. He then shut his eyes as the soldiers pulled back on their bows and waited.
The well-fed trio rode quietly through the woodlands. They had made it through two nights and three days without further incident. Trowa and Duo had warmed up to each other's company and compared things like knives and sword blades, while Heero kept mostly to himself. Duo talked all the time, and Heero sometimes wondered if he put any thought into the things that came from his mouth, but for the most part didn't mind him tagging along in their company. By the time they reached the edge of the Great Wood, they were tired and ready for a hot bath and a good meal at the inn.
Just as they cleared the thicker foliage of the forest, Trowa stopped his mount suddenly. A warning cry from Grace alerted him to the curling black smoke rising above the trees in the distance. "Heero, isn't that coming from the same direction as the inn?"
Heero turned bright eyes from his brother to the treetops and nodded. With out word they headed quickly in that direction. Trowa let Grace fly far above the curling smoke. With another sharp cry she told Trowa that there was danger near. They approached carefully, using the thick coverage of the undergrowth and trees to hide them. A few yards from the clearing they stopped, seeing the inn completely engulfed in flame and a fight going on between a man on horseback and a young blonde man on foot. The young man was clearly outnumbered, but showed great skill with a blade, as he defended himself from the flurry of strikes from a man on horseback. He had just cut the well-dressed horseman, when Heero noted the two soldiers creeping up from behind to flank him. Pulling Trowa's quill out from behind him, and handing the weapon to his brother, they both armed their longbows waiting to see what happened next.
"He's outnumbered." Trowa whispered as he watched the slow movement of the rest of the men on horseback.
Heero snorted softly. "That's more than obvious." He watched as the young blonde man parried and thrust meeting each blow for blow. "He seems to be doing just fine." He was small, clad in dark blue breeches, with a light colored, linen shirt and a heavier brown woolen tunic over top. His black leather boots showed he wasn't quite a commoner, and his skill with a sword showed he had been taught the proper handling of a blade.
Duo had also crept up and was now laying next to Trowa watching the battle in the glen. He caught the flash of platinum blonde hair and knew immediately from the quick agile movements that the young man displayed that it was in fact his cousin, Quatre. He was so stunned that he failed to move or speak for several moments until the sound of bows being laced in their quills next to him brought him back to the scene. His breath raced in his lungs as he drew his twin blades from their hiding places beneath his long, black sleeves.
Heero heard the metal being withdrawn and turned a piercing look to Duo, nudging Trowa silently for him to get Duo's attention. When he had Duo's eyes, he hissed at him. "What are you doing?" The early morning's light was seeping through the thick forest coverage making the chestnut highlights in Duo's hair take on an almost fiery look. His face shone with determination, and Heero noted the recognition that played across Duo's features.
Duo's face was firm in its resolve, with no hint of the laughing jokester Heero and Trowa had known in the past several days. "I believe we have found my cousin and sooner than I had thought. He's far outnumbered, and it is my duty to protect him." Impatience and anger clear in his tone.
"Don't be rash. We have the advantage of surprise and can buy him time to escape. You rushing in will only result in both your deaths." Heero snarled back at him.
"So then, what do you want to do?" Trowa's bright green eyes met cold blue ones for a moment before turning back to the fight. With a nod from Heero, they crept even closer, keeping low to the ground and stretched out on a slight ridge. The thicket around them kept them hidden from view, but gave them a clear sight of the skirmish going on in the glen before them at the same time.
"Heero, do you see what I do?" Trowa pointed to the horsemen slowly advancing surrounding the boy on the ground. Heero pulled his bow taught as he aimed for the closest one's head. Trowa too, took aim, and were about to let loose their arrows when they saw the young man get shoved roughly to the ground.
They couldn't make out what was being said, but saw the smile on the boy's face mere moments before he rolled and sprang to his feet, ready to defend himself from his attackers. They heard the laugh and saw as the group on horseback stand ready with a fleet of arrows all aimed at the boy on foot. The other two men, who had recently fought with him on the ground, quickly rejoined their group and pulled themselves up onto their horses.
Duo watched as Quatre sheathed his sword and bowed gracefully towards his attackers. His cousin stood perfectly still waiting for them to fire. He was about to burst from hiding and run to the aid of his cousin, when he felt Trowa's strong grip on his upper arm, stilling him.
"Tro, when I say... " Heero whispered urgently. Trowa nodded, shoving Duo lower to the ground then pulled his bowstring even tighter. There was no room for error as they aimed. Taking a long, deep breath, Heero took aim at the well-dressed man who had been fighting from horseback, and with a twang, let his arrow fly. "Now." He heard the rush of Trowa's arrow a split second after he spoke as it screamed past his head and met its target as well.
Quatre felt the rush of air as two arrows screamed past his head. Surprised that he felt no pain, he opened his eyes and watched as two men fell from their horses with looks of complete surprise on their faces. He quickly dove to the ground and rolled as the horsemen let their arrows fly in response. Springing to his feet, he dashed for the barn. He could hear the shouts of the men as their captain fell dead to the ground with an arrow stuck neatly through his skull. He heard more arrows as they screamed through the air, scattering the remaining men who had not been struck, giving him a chance to grab his mount and escape. Quatre had no idea whose arrows were flying, but at the moment didn't care either, as he quickly saddled his horse and burst from the stalls.
Heading in the opposite direction of the men and toward a small ridge, his eye caught a slight movement in a thicket at the edge of the glen. He raced towards it and away from the falling arrows, keeping his eyes on the young man he spotted who had obviously come to his aid. His horse arrived at the thicket in a few long strides. He then saw three young men watch him as he urged the horse on, sailing over the thicket and continuing on into the trees.
Once clear of the falling arrows, he pulled his horse up and turned to face the glen, his eyes searching the thicket for those who had recently saved his life. Seeing the thicket and no one in it, he was about to dismount and crawl over to it when he heard, more than saw, a rider explode from a grove of nearby trees heading towards him. It only took seconds to place the great black horse and the battle look in the fiery violet eyes in front of him. The long rope of chestnut hair seemed to almost hover in the air around his cousin as he burst from the brush and trees and pranced in front of him. Two more men burst from the ticket on horseback and were racing at him with a few straggling soldiers hot on their heels. They raced by him and could hear them yelling at him to follow, which he quickly did.
After a half-hour of hard riding Quatre yelled for Duo to wait for him. "Duo, slow down! We've lost them already!"
Duo could hear Quatre's voice behind him and turned to see how far a lead they had on their pursuers and saw that Heero and Trowa were coming up fast behind Quatre. Seeing no sign of the men from the inn, he slowed down to wait for them, giving him time to swing his horse around to face Quatre and give him a look that spit daggers.
"Damn Duo, you almost lost me back there tearing through the trees the way you did." Quatre laughed out loud meeting Duo's glare as he trotted up to him. They both stood in the shade of the trees waiting for Heero and Trowa to make their way closer.
Heero slowed his mount and stopped about ten yards from the two cousins, keeping a safe distance so he could assess if he was still with friends, or in the new company of foes. He watched as Duo practically leapt from Moonraker, and in two quick strides was at Quatre's horse. He yanked him roughly from the saddle to the ground where he held on to Quatre's upper arms and was being to shake him.
"What in the name of all that's holy are you doing here?!" Duo raged. "You're bleeding for shit's sake!" Duo pawed at the shoulder, releasing his hold on his cousin. "You were to stay put until I came for you!"
"Duo, calm down. I couldn't wait for you. They have been tracking you since you left Berengaria, and I came to warn you that you were in great danger. I had to come. My father's been killed, Duo. And my sister Iria as well." Quatre spoke in soft tones and smiled sadly at Duo.
Duo blanched at the words that were spoken, all the anger leaving him in a sudden whoosh of breath. He then suddenly hugged Quatre close to him. "You could have been killed, Quat. Then what would I have done?" Duo smiled a real smile and released his cousin with a quick squeeze.
"This is all very touching but we still have men not too far behind us. I suggest we save introductions for a later time and move quickly to safer ground." Trowa's voice brought Quatre and Duo back to the situation at hand, and they quickly remounted.
Quatre's giddy white Arabian, Snow, snorted a hello to Moonraker as the pair set off again in front of Heero and Trowa.
The sun was bright and lit the shady woods with dancing light. They rode for a solid hour before slowing their pace and getting their boundaries. Duo rode alongside Quatre and the two were chatting like reunited schoolboys after a summer holiday. Heero watched Duo carefully. Despite his signs of anger at his cousin for the impromptu rondevue, he was vibrant and animated in the company of his cousin, not as guarded in his humor as he had been in the first days of their company.
Quatre was aware of the stares he was now receiving from both young men as they rode behind he and Duo. They had saved his life and were in the company of his cousin, but he wasn't sure who they were or why they would have risked such a thing for a stranger. He only caught one name, Heero, from the other boy as he had raced up to his companion. When he turned back to look at them, Heero stared back with a piercing gaze of the bluest eyes Quatre had ever seen. They were clear and bright and obviously assessing him as thoughtfully has he was they.
Heero was well dressed in a blue and gray vest over a white linen shirt and matching gray leggings. A short jacket of brushed gray cloth, probably wool, attached by a thick braid of black brocade flapped in the gentle breeze. He had thick, dark hair that looked disshelved from their flight and hung slightly into his face. The other boy was taller, with soft, sun-kissed auburn hair and brilliant green eyes. His face was handsome and he too seemed far older than his young years. Quatre guessed he had about eighteen years to his sixteen. He watched him carefully too, with a slight smile on his delicate features. He was also dressed in blue and gray, with a dark green cloak that was fastened by a brooch at his throat. Glancing to Duo who was scouting the way ahead, he turned back to the pair and met Heero's assessing stare. He looked somewhat impatient, and was about to say something when Quatre realized he should speak first.
"My name is Quatre Rabbera Winner, and I thank you for coming to my aid back there." He ran a hand through his blonde locks and smiled warmly at the two.
"I'm Trowa, first born to the throne of Malavin and this is my brother Heero. We were traveling through these parts when we came upon your cousin. We intended on staying at the inn, when we saw it burning and your misfortunate encounter with Nessir and his men." Trowa smiled slightly as he spoke to the radiant blonde boy, then nodded towards Heero. "What caused you to come to blows, anyway?"
"I'm afraid I have few answers. I was traveling through this country looking for my cousin Duo, when I stopped to stay at that inn. I woke in the early morning hours to a lot of smoke, some serious flames, and a bunch of armed men asking me to come and meet with their lord." Duo's eyes narrowed at that, but Quatre continued his account. "When I refused to go with them they tried to force me, so we drew arms." Quatre tensed slightly in his saddle. His arm was starting to throb from the hit he had taken in the shoulder, and remembered he had done nothing about the wound as yet. Trowa noticed the trickle of blood as it wound its way down Quatre's shoulder to his forearm.
Apparently Heero noticed it as well. "You're bleeding."
Quatre nodded and smiled brightly. "Just an inconvenience. I'll tend to it at the next village."
Duo huffed and said something softly to himself before returning his attention back to scouting. "We are almost out of the edge of the Great Wood. As we pass into the fields of Glenhaven, it will become far more dangerous. We will have to be ready for worse things than skirmishes with stragglers of the Emperor's army. I figure six days to clear the fields and then we should be close to a village on the south side near Galat."
"Going to a village is not the smartest thing to do. Obviously, we are all in danger from the Emperor and the Horde. After they send back word that the Princes are on the move from their homelands, they'll be perusing us, so it's best to press on to Galat to find Chang Wufei as quickly as possible." Trowa added.
Heero noticed the glare Duo received from Quatre at the mention of Princes and Chang Wufei, the healer. He quirked his head to the side as the thought occurred to him that Duo had mentioned "we". He wasn't sure if he wanted to be included in that or not. After all, he and Trowa agreed to help Duo find his cousin, which they indeed had done. By way of chance, but he wasn't going to argue that point. He wanted to see this Wufei person, and found he liked the company of the vivacious Duo Maxwell, but couldn't help feeling that they were missing something and that they were being distracted from their quest to find the Dragon's Eye and defeat the Emperor. It was true that four are stronger than two; and Duo had proved to be a steadfast ally thus far, but something still nagged at the back of his mind. Something about Duo, that he couldn't quite put a finger on as of yet.
"Duo." Heero trotted up to ride alongside Duo while Quatre chatted pleasantly with Trowa behind them. "Why were you so enraged at your cousin for following you?" He queried.
"That's simple enough, because he could have been killed." Answered plainly, quirking a smirk at Heero's question.
"But why did he follow you? He said that his father and sister had been killed and he was coming to warn you. Warn you about what?" Heero asked quietly, out of earshot of the other two.
Duo met the icy blue stare with a calm look of his own and took a deep breath before answering. "I'm afraid I haven't been completely honest with you."
"What do you mean?" Heero asked with a bit of heat in his tone. "You had said that you never lie."
"I haven't lied to you, Lion. I just told you a simple series of half-truths that's all."
"I haven't known you long, Duo, but I gave you my trust. If you betray my brother or me I will cut you down where you stand. I have no tolerance for thieves, or liars, or whatever you may be, and will not allow my quest to save Malavin from the Horde be averted by you or your cousin." Heero growled impatiently at Duo stopping his horse short. Trowa flashed a look to them and stopped as well silencing his conversation about falcons with Quatre.
Duo paused Moonraker and turned to face Heero. His eyes blazed with barely contained fury as he spoke in soft tones. "Quatre is not my cousin. I have no King to swear by. How I came to live with Quatre and his family I don't know. But I am grateful for the kindness they have given me." Duo shut his eyes briefly willing the memories to leave him alone. It had been a long time since he gave any thought of his cursed childhood and his dark life before Quatre's family found him and took him in as one of their own. And now certainly wasn't the place or time to wallow in those miseries, and in front of Heero, no less. "I have sworn to protect the heir to the throne of Berengaria, who is my only friend, Quatre. And have given you my word that I would do you no harm, you can believe me or not. But I warn you now; no good will come of staying in my company for long. And after we reach Galat, and Chang Wufei to heal Quatre, we will part ways. Agreed?"
Heero nudged Zero forward, digesting the bitter words Duo had spoken. "Agreed." Trowa and Quatre fell into step silently behind him and Duo hung back distancing himself from all three.
Quatre looked at Heero thoughtfully for a few moments. He had no idea what had transpired before the happenings at the inn, and did not know how long Duo had been in the company of the Princes of Malavin. He recognized the sadness from Duo as he looked at Heero, and was concerned about the well being of his childhood friend.
Duo was sure that he had been cursed at birth, and was quick to dispose of anyone getting too close to him. The time before Duo had been found by his father's advisor, Jerrold was unknown to all of them. He knew it pained Duo to have no past, then to live on the streets, killing and worse to survive before finding himself in their company.
His eyes flickered to Heero and Trowa. The two young men before him seemed honorable enough and he could see why Duo was attracted to the dark haired royal. He was certainly striking and strong-willed, not unlike Duo. He decided to pursue it later with Duo, when they stopped to rest. He shrugged, wincing slightly from his wound, and turned his horse back around to walk slowly over to Duo. The rush from the mornings' fight was slowly dissipating and his shoulder began to get worse as they rode on through the tall fields of grass. There wasn't much cover, just a few patches of trees from time to time. Grace circled high above them as they rode along in silence.
End Part 3
(:./ebony/dragon3)
