By the Red Moon Part 9
Odin led Duo to a campfire where a lone, orange dragon with long spikes framing its face that looked like a sunburst lay. Its head raising at the sight of the two approaching, it blinked its golden eyes framed by splotches of red that almost looked like war paint on its face.
Smiling in greeting, the Commander ran his hand over the end of his steed's long snout that nuzzled against him and said, "Hello, lovely. Sorry to keep you waiting back here for a bit."
As he turned to face the prince, the tall man informed, "Female dragons like Peacemillion, here, have a natural tendency to call other dragons to order. Often, you will find that male dragons follow the lead of the ladies in their clan. Though they can physically match each other should a fight ensue, the demeanor of the females almost demands the respect of her kind."
Duo smiled a bit, recalling the couple of times he had seen the truth of that firsthand in watching Nataku and Ingier. More often than not when the young male would get out of hand if ever Anna was not around to mind him, it would take only a short snort from the green female to have him change his behavior very quickly. At first, he only thought of it as a sign of respect for the slightly older Nataku, but Odin's take on the dragon way of life certainly put a new spin on that.
With a small frown, the Commander met the violet eyes on him and said quietly, "I had served as First Knight to your parents for many moons. It was a... great honor to serve them both. Having to pull what remained of our forces was an incredibly difficult choice and I hope that you understand my decision to do so."
Swallowing roughly as his gray eyes clouded in the memories of that terrible night. "I simply could not sit back and allow more of my charges to fall as they were," he all but whispered. "Most may see my order to retreat as an act of cowardice, but it was the only humane call that I could make at that time."
Violet eyes blinking in surprise, Duo was taken aback by the sudden show of raw emotion from Odin when he spoke of his pupils. It was a nice thing to see that the man cared for them almost the way a father would care for any of his children.
Quickly shaking his braided head, he reassured, "It wasn't cowardly at all. If I had been in your place, I would have made the same decision." Biting his lip, he glanced over to the fire as he frowned deeply, "Wufei and Anna had told me about their experiences during the attack. Knowing the close calls that they had, I know how stacked the odds were against you. Better to survive and fight another day."
The relief was evident in the Commander as his tense shoulders sagged and the breath that he had been holding was released in a sigh. Bowing his head deeply, he replied, "Thank you, sire."
Running a hand through his long bangs, the prince turned on his heels and began to pace away. "I still don't even know what the hell I'm doing here," he admitted, the frustration in his tone while he continued to move about.
His hands made vague gestures in the air as he continued to vent, "Even though I know that Dekim and his army need to be stopped, I don't know the first thing about how to stop him or why I'm so damned important in all of this. I was just a normal kid back where I came from." A sharp laugh escaping him, he shouted, "I've never even held a sword before!"
Odin smirked, "Well, we can start by changing that." Pausing in his footsteps, Duo tilted his head.
Slowly walking back to the saddle to pull back a leather flap that covered something strapped securely into the side harness, the First Knight removed the buckles securing the sheathed blade. Holding the weapon out in both hands, he stated, "This was your father's blade. It belonged to his father before him and so on for as far back as the Sanq history was recorded. And now it is yours."
Not even realizing that he was holding his breath, Duo walked towards him while keeping his eyes on the sword. At the end of the weapon was a sharp curve end that reminded the prince of the Reaper's famed scythe only a much smaller version. Licking his lips, he took up the blade in his hand and pulled on the gold-plated hilt.
A sharp hum from the metal rung through the air as the sword was revealed. Glistening in the light of the flame, dark symbols that appeared to be an odd lettering ran along the middle of the blade. The prince's eyes turned back to the Commander in question.
"May the bearer of this blade become the defender those who cannot defend themselves, the protector of good," Odin recited from memory with a smile. Running his finger along the wording wrapped around the curved end, Odin continued, "and death to all threats against them."
Duo let out a breathed, "Wow." Just the thought of him carrying the same sword as his father was a thrilling thing. And somehow, the words on it gave him a bit of strength. Smiling, the teenager cautiously made a few swooping swings with the weapon and was pleasantly surprised that it was not too heavy for him to manage.
Of course, there was one serious underlying problem.
Frowning, the prince looked back to the First Knight and shrugged, "Now I just need to find out how to use this thing."
A warm smile tugging his lips, Odin chuckled, "Not to worry. I believe that I have the solution to that."
* * * * * *
(Flashback)
The smell of smoke was becoming stronger by the second as Heero's mind raced with all of the things that needed to be done. In his arms, the baby began to stir with a whimper. Gently shushing the prince, he rested him against his shoulder and patted his back when his closest friends came running into his section of the stable.
Panting heavily, Wufei and Anna stopped just before the other knight as the Asian announced, "Odin told us everything. We'll have Wing saddled and ready for you in a moment." That said, the couple ran into the closed off stable bed without another word.
His smooth head topped by two tall, gold horns that formed almost a perfect 'V,' the white dragon with a silver-streaked lower half blinked his deep blue eyes at the familiar pair entering his stall and raised his neck.
Smiling sadly, Anna reached out to pat the beast's nose with a quiet, "Sorry to have to wake you like this, Wing. But, you're about to go on your most important flight yet."
Dragons always had an uncanny way of understanding the riders as though they spoke their language.
Instantly alert and at attention, Wing craned his neck and lowered his body deeper into the straw so that the pair had easier access in securing the saddle on his back. From there, Wufei and Anna worked quietly in preparing a large pack with blankets, food, filled water canteens, flint and whatever else they could fit inside.
Odin ran back into the scene with another large bag. Approaching his pupil carrying the baby, he informed, "This should have all of the supplies that you will need to take care of the prince for the next couple of days. Everything from bottles that you can warm when you have a moment to stop and make a fire to changing materials for him are in here."
It was only then that Heero had the briefest moment of panic. He had never cared for a baby before and was not exactly sure that he would be able to do a good job of it. When he looked down at his tiny charge, he found the little one blinking up and smiling at him with a soft cooing sound.
Swallowing roughly, the knight-in-training's cobalt eyes widened as he met his mentor's eyes. "I am not sure that I can do this. What if I do something wrong?"
The tall man before him just smiled and patted his free shoulder with a reassuring, "Heero, you have the fastest dragon in this whole unit and you know the way that you must go from the practices that we had run in preparation for this day. And as for the baby, I would trust my own to your care. You are the best suited person for this task."
A shrill, distant cry broke through the night to run a chill through the knights as they froze in their places. "Dear Creator," Wufei breathed, dark eyes wide as he peered over from his perch atop Wing's back. "That could be heard here from Sanq?"
Just beside him, Anna was still as stone, her hands paused where they were tying the pack they had made to the saddle.
Odin took a deep breath and turned his head back to the door leading outside.
"Chang, Fraise, I will need you to finish here and get your own steeds ready," he stated while turning back to face the pair. "I am going to see that the others are awake and ready to assist in the battle."
Both of their faces somber, the couple nodded firmly in preparation for whatever lay ahead on the other side of the forest surrounding them. Moving as fast as they could, they finished tying up the loose ends of their work.
Torn by both his duty to look after the young prince and fly into the fight, Heero frowned deeply to the First Knight to silently convey his unease over the situation.
Smirking, Odin carefully took up the baby to secure him into a carrier harness while he stated, "I know that you have been training to protect the kingdom, lad. There is no one here who would argue where you would rather be right now. However, you easily have the most important role in what happens these next few hours."
As he opened the side straps, the Commander slid them over the boy's extended arms so that the baby was hanging comfortably against his carrier's chest. "Ride fast and rest only when you absolutely must," he told his student. "When you return, search for leads to where you can find us... if all does not end well in Sanq."
"You do not really think that the kingdom will completely fall, do you?" Heero asked, his eyes wide in fear as one of his arms unconsciously wrapped around the baby hanging against him. Wufei and Anna were also still, listening intently to what their mentor had to say and only glancing to watch the other briefly from the corners of their eyes.
Odin smiled, but it did not reach his eyes as he said quietly, "I only say this in case. One must always prepare for every situation, remember that lesson?" Swallowing roughly, the sixteen-year-old knight nodded firmly as he did not trust his voice just then.
With his rider's friends in the lead, Wing stepped out from his stall. His long, streaked neck lowered so that he could sniff at the little one pressed up against Heero. When the baby looked up to laugh at the dragon's face, the large head and a tiny smile curled the side of the creature's mouth. Set to ride, he lowered himself flat onto his stomach.
Lightly patting the beast's neck, Wufei spoke softly, "Ride true, Wing. You will be carrying very precious cargo this flight." A small snort followed by a plume of white smoke through white nostrils answered.
Biting her lip, Anna approached her long-time friend and carefully embraced him along with the child. "Good luck, Heero. Hopefully, we will meet again soon," she whispered as the hug was returned briefly before she pulled back to lightly rub the back of the tiny prince's head.
The swordsman turned to exchange a firm handshake with his fellow knight, not finding a use for words as the looming battle played in the back of their minds.
"Your steeds," Odin reminded patiently. Quick to attention, the couple nodded to him and ran outside.
As he watched them disappear, Heero silently prayed that they would be safe and did his best to pay little mind to his wish to follow them. When another round of screams echoed through the trees, he wondered if he would ever see his friends again.
Facing his pupil, the tall Commander rested his hands on either shoulder and stated, "All will be fine. Remember your teachings and follow your emotions to what they tell you about every situation you should come across during your journey." He gave a slap to the boy's back and ordered, "Now, go. We cannot lose anymore time."
Not about to argue, Heero took his time stepping up to his saddle and strapping himself in. "Let's go, Wing," he called whilst taking a firm hold of his handgrip. Rising to his feet, his dragon took long strides for the doorway and stretched his webbed wings open.
Staying back, Odin cupped the side of his mouth and shouted, "Good journey to you both!"
At that, the creature gave one powerful flap and climbed into the air, taking a swooping circle around the stable that was alive with the other knights-in-training running about. Within seconds, he and his charges were above the tree line. That gave a perfect view to the flames that were rising into the heavens where Sanq stood miles away.
Heero's eyes widened as he breathed, "Good spirits." Looking down at the baby in his care, he freed a hand off of his grip to wrap his arm around him. His gaze going back to the burning city, he commanded in little more than a whisper, "East, Wing. As fast as you can fly."
Smoothly turning on the wind at their altitude, the white dragon soared off in the opposite direction of the battle and bloodcurdling screams.
(End Flashback)
* * * * * *
Lying on his back against Wing on the bed of hay where his dragon rested just beyond the encampment, Heero stared up to the stars that were visible through the patch of trees that rose overhead.
It had been... a very long time since that night that he left Sanq to take the prince to safety and yet he had physically only aged a year at the most.
Since then, he had earned his new title as Captain to those survivors of the army. It was... staggering to him how many had been lost in the attack. Many of those fallen were friends, comrades that he had grown up with since he was a child.
And even now, he still felt both guilt and frustration at his not being able to stay behind and fight.
...Or at least, partially so now that he actually was able to see the returned prince himself with his own eyes to know that his efforts were not in vain. Now all that remained to be seen was whether or not the last full prophecy that Relena was able to see to their chances in the war improving were accurate.
"Heero," Odin's voice called from a few feet away. Rising to his feet, the Captain watched as a lantern neared beyond the thick tree trunks. His cobalt eyes widened a hair when he spotted the braided prince walking alongside his mentor.
The initial thought running through his head at the sight was that Duo must have reported him for how he had treated Wufei and Anna earlier. Swallowing roughly, he folded his hands behind his back and held his head high in preparation and recognition to whatever disciplinary action may follow.
When Odin smiled at him, however, the Captain was a bit more at ease and also paid notice to the familiar curved blade hanging from the belt on the prince's hip. Before he could dwell on the image of the weapon, Heero glanced over just in time to see Wing's head moving in forward, stretching out to the braided youth.
Duo backed up a couple paces to be stopped by a tree behind him before the head stretched inches away from him. Inhaling a few quick sniffs, the white beast's neck craned around to smell at different angels. Once his nose was almost against the human's, a ghost of a smile curved his lips and he pressed his muzzle against the prince's chest.
Stunned only for a moment, Maxwell laughed and could only manage to wrap his arms half-way around the wide nose. "What's their name," he asked when his violet eyes locked onto cobalt.
Lightly chewing on the inside of his cheek, Heero responded simply, "Wing."
Pulling back, Duo stared wide-eyed at the creature's head inches before him to really get a good look at the dragon that had helped save his life. "Hi, Wing," he greeted quietly with a grin. Reaching up, he ran his hand over the side of the white and silver face that leaned into his touch. "Nice to see someone else recognizes me around here."
His attention still on the matter at hand, Odin faced his pupil and informed, "Heero. Duo and I have been discussing how during his stay in the next realm he had little to no experience in combat of any sort. Of course, this would be a grave challenge to him in sight of the war against Dekim that has been waged."
Surprised in learning that his former charge was never given the tools that he would have needed to defend himself, let alone others, the Captain blinked. His eyes falling back on Duo as the other boy continued to pat Wing's head, he commented, "Yes, that would need to be remedied."
"I thought it best if you would teach him the way of the sword," the First Knight announced. "You have had enough experience through your own training and the battles you have seen to be the mentor he needs. While I would be honored to have the duty myself, I am afraid that my primary focus needs to remain in working with the other army Commanders to both bring in more support for the time being."
Never having expected that since he had a feeling that Duo would want nothing to do with him, Heero needed a second to have the information process before he bowed at the waist to the prince. "I would be honored to assist," he grinned.
As Wing pulled back, Maxwell asked, "So, when should we start?"
Without hesitating, the Captain answered, "First light, if that suits you. The sooner we can have you prepared with a sword the better for all."
Relieved to have some start in his preparation for battle, Duo smirked, "Great. First light it is, then." He tried to take a step forward, only to find himself locked in place.
Turning behind him, he found that he had managed to let the end of his sword get wedged inside a crevice in the tree behind him. "Oops," he smiled sheepishly while he tried to pull the blade free.
Odin bit back a snicker and smirked to his long-time student, "Be sure to start from the very basics so that he does not tie himself down like that in battle."
Heero gave a small snort as he stared dumbfounded at the prince.
It was all too clear that he was going to have his work cut out for him.
TBC...
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