By the Red Moon Part 21
The morning following the attack on him and his team, Duo quietly stirred awake at the same time that Heero did. Clearing their throats, they untangled themselves from each other and sat up to find all of their friends, human and dragon alike, sitting around the fire watching them in amusement.
Blushing, the prince got to his feet while mumbling a good morning.
Really, there was no reason for him to be embarrassed. Everyone knew just how cold it was in that cave. It was purely out of necessity that he and the Captain had slept together. Still, those grins on the others' faces as they replied with their own cheery greetings had his cheeks all the warmer.
Gingerly reaching for his discarded tunic and cloak, Duo eased himself back into them before sitting next to Wufei and Anna with Heero taking up the only opening at his other side. Cups of heated broth and meat were passed around and it was not long before he started feeling more like himself with something in his stomach.
When there was a break in the conversations that had gone around, Maxwell felt inclined to question, "So... does anyone have any idea what the hell that thing was last night that attacked us?" His eyes, along with every other eye around, fell on Trowa.
Not the least bit surprised by the full attention on him, the First Scout raised his head and took a deep breath. "My suggestion for us all to stand down was because that attack seemed like a message to me," he stated. "That monster was a creation of dark magic that had been sent to carry that word on and that was to be the end of it."
"A message?" Relena frowned as she rubbed her fur-covered arms. "What kind of message would that have been?"
Swallowing roughly against the dawning realization that had struck him, Duo stared off into the fire and answered in a near whisper, "That whoever made that thing can get to me again if they want to." Every eye them shifted back to him.
Trowa nodded firmly from across the flames, "That... would be the sum of it."
Quickly, when he noticed how Heero, Wufei and Anna winced over recalling how they were unable to prevent such a thing, the prince insisted, "It was a lucky shot." Almost instantly, he could see the regret and tension in the knights fade and small smiles tugged their lips at the remark.
Everyone had been caught off guard and unprepared to stop such a creature. There was no fault in one, or a few, for what happened.
His dark eyes narrowing, Wufei tightened a fist around the hilt of his sword in his lap. "How in the hell was Dekim aware of where we were? I searched these lands with the team sent down here. There was absolutely no sign of the dark sorcerer's influence."
Shaking her head, Anna shrugged, "Either he has some sort of tracking spell on one or all of us... or he has a spy amongst us. Those are the only explanations, unless we consider the very unlikely possibility that he just took a stab at a random place and got fortunate in finding us."
Quatre ran a hand through his blond hair in one of his anxious gestures and sighed, "A spy is the most logical explanation. The gifted in Romefeller had prevented such magic from being used when Duo was born to protect him. However, anyone working with Dekim can be spelled to have their motives and feelings shielded from an empath like myself."
And that spy could be anyone. They could be anywhere. If it truly was someone close, the only way of knowing who they were was if they made a slip.
That very thought had Duo's stomach churning.
"We are going to have to reestablish our security at camp tenfold," Heero insisted. "We cannot take any chances in securing our location, if that has not already been compromised. Scouts will have to go out on regular rotations to see that there has not been a shift in Dekim's army's direction or speed."
Strategies continued to be laid out amongst the group when Trowa mumbled a quiet excuse before leaving the ring to move for the cave's opening several feet ahead. Uncurling herself, Heavy Arms followed her rider with her head low in worry.
The sudden departure of the First Scout left the others blinking as they watched him walk off. "Quite the bit of turmoil," Quatre whispered while clutching at his chest in pain. "I had a feeling that there may have been more to how quickly he recognized that message as not being a true threat."
Duo also had the same gut feeling before. Clearing his throat, he rose to his feet and announced, "I'll be back." When Scythe rose up to be his shadow, he raised his hand and smirked up at her, "It's alright, girl. This is something I need to take care of."
Quickly glancing around to Heero and the others, the prince could see that really no one looked comfortable at his being out of their sight after what had happened the night before. For his steed's sake as well as theirs, he shrugged, "I'm not going to be alone, so nothing is going to happen to me."
That, and only that, worked to appease his protective ring. Even the Captain's shoulders eased. Scythe huffed a plume of white smoke through her nostrils before sighing and flopping her head down to the ground like a pouting child. Despite how badly she wanted to follow her rider, she had to obey his request.
Chewing on the inside of his cheek, the empath warmed from across the fire, "Tread carefully with him. Whatever it is that has him so at odds, it is very personal."
With a firm nod, Duo lightly patted the end of Scythe's muzzle before heading off for the cave entrance. As the air grew colder the further he walked, he pulled his wolf cloak tightly around himself and winced when the movement irritated his shoulder.
Finally nearing the gaping hole that peered to the icy lands outside, he found Trowa standing just within the cave's confines with his golden lion shroud covering him and Heavy Arms' head nestled close beside him. Staring ahead, the First Scout instinctively ran a gloved hand over her scales, but it was clear his mind was a million worlds away.
The red-and-gold steed craned her neck back to watch the prince approach, a clear sense of loss in her black eyes. A sad smile tugging his lips, Maxwell reached out at smoothed his own hand over the end of her snout. Only when his dragon moved did Trowa even notice that he had company, his green eyes blinking in surprise when he peered over his shoulder.
Quickly looking forward again when his emerald eyes met violet, the scout commented, "You really should not be going off on your own like this... when you do not know who to trust."
"I trust you and Heavy Arms, so I'm not alone," Duo replied with all the certainty in the world in his tone as he stood beside his tall friend with the dragon's head between them. Once again taken aback, Trowa snapped his head to the side to face him.
Taking a deep breath, the braided teenager stated patiently, "Obviously, there's something else going on with you in regards to that attack. Anything you want to talk about?"
Since there really was no point in denying there being anything wrong as his empathic friend would eventually sort out his conflicting feelings, the scout answered in little more than a breath, "I have a very good feeling which of Dekim's gifted sent that creature. Such disfigured monsters are her... specialty, I guess you can say."
His violet eyes blinking in shock, Duo repeated, "Her specialty? Who is she?"
"Dorothy Catalonia," Trowa responded. "She was always a very talented sorceress who had lived in Epyon before she decided to sell her soul to be able to attain black magic." Fists clenching at his sides and eyes swirling with an almost violent storm of emotions, he looked out to the opening and whispered, "She was also my lover."
Gasping, Maxwell's jaw fell open at that bit of news. "Trowa..." he frowned deeply while stepping around Heavy Arms' head to stand by his friend.
The First Scout met the other teenager's gaze, revealing the deep hurt and betrayal that he had endured from a young woman who he clearly cared deeply for.
Shaking his head, he sighed, "I did everything that I could to convince Dorothy that she was wrong when I realized what she was up to after many long nights in her Spell Room. And instead of seeing some reason in my warnings and pleas, she tried to turn me to seeing her side and the benefits of working with Dekim."
With a bitter snort, he smirked, "My uncle always did have a way of being very convincing."
Though he always wondered about Trowa's last name being the same as the dark sorcerer, Duo had somehow hoped for his friend's sake that it was just a coincidence. So not only was he working against his lover, he was also fighting against his uncle.
"Jesus, Tro," the prince breathed. Rubbing the back of his neck, he said sincerely, "I-I'm sorry. Really, I don't know how you've been holding up with all of this."
Raising a hand, the Latin soldier explained in a growl, "I have absolutely no qualms over knowing that my uncle needs to be stopped and killed for his treason. There is no love lost between us and I look forward to the day that he is sent to the Keeper."
Shoulders slumping, the edge in his voice faded as he looked away. "But Dorothy," he murmured. "She was nothing like him. She was good and kind at one time in her life. And I still cannot help but hold out hope that she still may return to that... and to me."
Duo bit his lip and ventured softly, "You still love her, then?"
"A part of me always will," Trowa admitted as he locked eyes with him again. "After everything that we had shared in our lives, it would not be possible for me to completely erase those feelings for her."
There was a long silence between them as the prince really allowed those words to sink in. He shivered when, after a time, a cold breeze made its way inside to blow past them.
His hands folding behind his back as he prepared to accept the inevitable, the scout stated, "I understand that this must compromise your trust in me. While I could stand here all day and swear my values to hold true in ending the darkness that has fallen in this realm, I understand if you would find me too conflicted in what I need to do."
Swallowing roughly, he concluded, "And so, I will relieve myself from my duty of protecting you and remove myself from the ranks of the army before you need to command it."
Waving his hands, Duo laughed, "Whoa. Hold on, there. You are not going to be removed from the ranks and I still want you to be a part of my protection." Completely stunned by that, Trowa's back stiffened.
"I still trust you to do the right thing," the prince reassured without hesitating. "And not just because of your soldier morals, but because I consider you a friend. And friends look out for each other, right?"
The warrior stammered, eyes still wide with disbelief, "I-I..." Finally regaining his composure, he chuckled quietly. Bowing his head deeply, he humbly replied, "Thank you, Duo. I truly appreciate that."
Slapping Trowa's back, Duo smirked, "No need for thanks." But he was not about to get away without Heavy Arms' sign of gratitude when she nuzzled her head hard into his side, nearly knocking him from his feet. Snickering, he patted her head and soothed, "Same goes for you, girl. We're all in this thing together."
Another bitter gust blew past the trio, causing the braided youth's teeth to chatter as he wrapped his arms tightly around himself. "What do you say we get back to the others so we can get out of this icebox?" he half-pleaded, half-joked.
"Not a bad idea," the scout smiled back. Turning back, they rejoined the rest of their team just in time to help finish their packing.
* * * * * *
It was a relatively short trip back to camp over the next day-and-a-half.
After the exciting maneuver that Scythe had pulled to save him from worse than a few deep scratches in his shoulder, Duo was very relieved that she took the remainder of their flight easy on him. Taking the time to adjust her wings more, she kept the strong gusts that would have brushed against the saddle at a bare minimum.
By sunrise on the second day, they reached the confines of camp again. Of course, when they landed, those soldiers around were staring in disbelief when a black dragon bearing the braided prince descended amongst them.
With a massive ring of people formed around them, Duo smirked to himself as he descended to the ground.
"Good spirits!" a familiar voice exclaimed. Making his way into the opening to near the returned team to stare slack-jawed at Deathscythe, Odin made his presence known. When Heero, Wufei and Anna flanked the prince, the Commander laughed loudly and approached them.
Taking Duo's hand in a firm shake and nodding to his knights, he greeted, "Well, this is certainly a welcomed surprise along with seeing you all again. How in the world were you able to tame a black dragon as your steed?"
At her mention, Scythe lowered her head into the small group to sniff at the suddenly nervous officer. Tentatively, Odin reached forward to run a hand over her muzzle and slowly gained reassurance when she leaned into the touch.
Braided head tilting, the prince shrugged, "She found me on our way to Virgo. And she came as a huge help in convincing the Virgonians to join our cause. Lady Une's riders will be here tomorrow and the ground forces will be here a couple of days after that."
His hand falling away from the steed, Odin beamed, "That is wonderful news. Queen Sylvia's Librean soldiers will also be arriving within that time frame. The fact that we have been able to successfully draw their backing will bode well for continued support from here out. With the numbers that we will have, Dekim will have quite the fight on his hands."
Clearing his throat, Heero stepped forward and interrupted, "Commander, my apologies, but Duo needs to be taken to the healers. We had an... encounter during our journey back to camp. I would feel better if the wounds that he sustained were checked on."
Normally not one to like being poked or prodded by doctors, the prince could see the logic at the idea. Pushing red tunic past his right shoulder to reveal the bandaging around it, he commented, "Just some scratches, but it probably couldn't hurt to have them looked at."
Instantly nodding, Odin stepped back and replied, "Of course. Wufei, Anna, you both escort him to the medical tents. Heero, you come with me to brief me on everything that happened."
Splitting apart, the lot went their separate ways the dragons were led to their hay beds by the squires that entered the opening.
"He has become such a mother hen lately," Anna snickered quietly to her lover as they led their braided friend through the crowd that parted for them. "It is absolutely adorable."
Duo did not need to ask who the archer was referring to. While he normally did not care for being so protected, he found Heero's attention both endearing and something that he actually enjoyed. Thoughts of their night in each other's arms played back into his mind and he could feel his cheeks burning all over again.
* * * * * *
"I was afraid that he was going to pace a hole in the floor. He was an absolute natural with a baby," Sally chuckled as she ran her glowing hands over the four stitched, jagged scratches that rounded the prince's shoulder. In the wake of the warm, white light, the stitches that had sealed up the markings disappeared to leave only healed up scars.
After overhearing Anna and Wufei poke light fun over their Captain's protectiveness, the healer was more than happy to chime in on her first meeting with Heero at her homeland's infirmary.
Surprised that the braided woman who had looked after him when he was brought to camp unconscious from a flower bite had also cared for him as a child, Duo listened to her tale intently as he sat at the edge of the table while she worked. "You never mentioned anything about knowing me back then," he frowned.
Lowering her hands, Sally smirked, "You had never asked if I did." She laughed when she received a half-hearted glare from her patient. Taking a deep breath, she straightened herself and smiled, "Well, there is no infection and aside from those marks left behind, your shoulder is fully recovered."
"There is nothing wrong with scars," Wufei smirked from across the tent. "They mark a true warrior." Beside him, Anna grinned widely and nodded.
Duo snorted as he jumped to his feet and replaced his red tunic. "Yea, but you both actually earned yours in battle while fighting," he retorted. "I didn't so much as raise my sword when that monster came after me."
Smiling, the swordsman shrugged, "A battle scar is a battle scar. If you must concern yourself with the details of how yours were gained, have them serve as a reminder to not merit them the same way again."
His violet eyes blinking, the braided prince grinned back in appreciation for the advice. That certainly was a good way of looking at the situation.
The closed flap to the tent was pulled open as Quatre ran inside. Panting heavily, he hurried for Duo and grabbed his shoulders. "You.. have to... come with me," he managed between gulps of air.
Before his friend could ask what was wrong, the empath collected himself and informed with a brilliant smile, "Your uncle and aunt, King Zechs and Queen Noin, have just arrived at camp. And they are very anxious to finally meet you."
TBC...
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