Ryuu no Hikou, 4/?

[Goldilocks]

I moved the first two chapters to my forum, so anyone looking for them need only look there. ^_^

Chapter 4

It had been a long night, and no one had been afforded much sleep. Relena and the council of advisors had gathered almost as soon as the sun had risen.

Now, it was well past midmorning, and the meeting showed no signs of slowing. Relena rubbed at her eyes surreptitiously. They were puffy and slightly swollen, though it was hard to tell if it was from lack of sleep or tears.

She sat next to Weyridge. Noin sat behind her, though she seemed to be in worse shape than Relena herself. The older girl looked haggard and worn, as if her entire world had come crashing down on her shoulders. Even Weyridge looked troubled.

But the other advisors would not be so easily swayed. All morning they had argued bitterly over what to do, and were no closer to reaching a middle ground of understanding than they had been at dawn.

"We must attack! Es'rilshan must not be allowed to get away with this transgression!" Advisor Aldan stood up, pounding the table for emphasis.

"Calm down, Aldan," said Denethor tersely. "To attack without warrant is folly. We do not know for certain that the assassin was from Es'rilshan."

"But the assassin's tunic clearly showed the nation's crest!" blustered Aldan. "It is obvious who is at blame for this."

"Why would they be so foolish as to leave such a telling sign behind for us to find? This smacks of conspiracy. Whoever sent this assassin had planned on our finding that crest," said Horliss diplomatically. "Be sensible, Aldan. If it really had been a plot of Es'rilshan crafting, they would have made sure that the job was not so messily done."

"Exactly," added Denethor. "And what would we do, were we to attack, only to find that Es'rilshan is not behind the assassination attempt? Then we would have sparked a war, on such a little thing as heresy and suspicions."

Aldan glared balefully at the other advisors, then turned to Weyridge and Relena. "Princess," he said judiciously, "do you not think that we should attack Es'rilshan? They have been a thorn in our side for many years. You know as well as I that the peace between our two nations has been tenuous at best. Do you not think it wise as to consider this move an outright declaration of war against us? Do you not think we should retaliate in kind?"

"Preposterous!" shouted Denethor. "We have no PROOF! To go by the attire of one assassin is simply negligent."

Relena knew that she would have to say something, and say it soon. The only problem was, she did not know what to say.

Brother...this is not your doing, is it? You could not have forsaken us so badly to try and assassinate the Watcher? I cannot believe it. I cannot believe that you would allow such a thing to happen.

She desperately wanted to believe that Es'rilshan would never coordinate such an attack. She did not want to think that it could be true. Yet, the riting was there, plain to be seen. The assassin had been wearing the nation's crest upon his tunic. Which should she believe? Which was the proper path?

Next to her, Weyridge stirred and stood up. "I know that it seems that Es'rilshan is to blame for all of this," he began, his voice heavy, "but really, gentles...you should know this trick by now. It has been used before, many times. It is a common ruse. The nation who attacked us was not Es'rilshan."

Relena released a breath she did not realize she had been holding. The advisors broke out in disgruntled murmurs. Torse was the first to speak. "Advisor Weyridge, I do not question your judgment. But it does raise questions outside of your credibility. How can you be so sure that the assassin was not from Es'rilshan?"

A ghost of a smile graced Weyridge's lined features. "I was able to salvage the body before the guard disposed of it, and examined the crest. If it were a true crest of the house of Es'rilshan, the crest would have been woven into the fabric of the tunic. They are very particular about these things. However, the crest on the tunic that the assassin wore was sewn on. It was on a separate piece of fabric from the rest of the tunic. An Es'rilshan craftsman would never allow such a travesty to take place."

Anger was replaced with doubt in the murmuring voices of the advisors. "Then..." started Aldan hesitantly, "if it was not Es'rilshan who attacked us...then who was it?"

Weyridge sighed. "We do not know," he confessed. "Aside from the telling crest of Es'rilshan, there was no evidence anywhere on him that would give us a clue of where he is from. The only thing that we have are the darts that he fired at Watcher Noventa. The historians are examining them now. They are not of Sanq origin; nor do they seem to be that of Es'rilshan craftsmanship.

"Nevertheless," he said, and his voice took on a tone of severity that had not been there before, "we cannot simply go chasing after them and attack Es'rilshan, no matter what some assassin may or may not have been wearing. The whole thing is too suspicious. Someone wanted us to believe that Es'rilshan was behind this, but really, what would be the point? They have been approaching us with overtures of peace for some time now. Why would they suddenly change their mind and menace us in such a fashion? Not only that, but what purpose would it serve them to assassinate the Watcher? While it would throw our nation into a panic, especially now, it would be more effective of them, were they to make an attempt on the life of someone in command, of someone who leads our nation."

The advisors conceded to this logic. "What do you think, Your Highness?" Horliss peered at her. Relena sat up as straight as she could, and hoped that her eyes did not look as puffy as they felt.

"I think that what Advisor Weyridge says is good and sound," she said carefully. "I agree that it seems rather suspicious that an assassin would be so careless as to leave behind such an obvious clue to his identity." Nor do I think my brother would allow something like this to happen, she thought to herself. "I think that we should allow Es'rilshan the benefit of the doubt. However--" She glanced around the room. All eyes were on her.

Relena swallowed convulsively. "...however," she continued, "I think that perhaps it would be in our--in everyone's--best interests to let Es'rilshan know that they were set up in such a manner," she finished, her voice faltering. "I...I do not think that they would be...pleased...to know that
someone tried to assassinate the Watcher, and pin the blame on them."

The advisors seemed to ponder this for a moment. Weyridge smiled encouragingly at her. "I believe such an overture would go very far in establishing a rapport between our nations," he said. "It is an excellent idea."

Relena nodded. "Then if our position is decided, may I suggest that we end this session? It has been a long night for all of us, and a longer morning. I suggest that we not dwell upon the matter any longer than we have to."

The other advisors murmured, their voices mingling with agreement and dissent, but no one directly disagreed with the sentiment. They slowly filed out of the room, leaving Noin and Relena.

Relena buried her face in her hands, unable to hold back the tears any longer. "I...I cannot believe...that my brother would allow this to happen," she said, her voice thick with tears.

Noin reached over to take one of her hands, squeezing it gently. "Then do not believe it," she said, her own voice heavy with emotion. "Though he now lives in Es'rilshan, his heart still remains in Calon Gaer. I know he holds sway with the King. As long as he is there, he would not allow any harm to befall you or this kingdom. You must believe in him."

Relena looked up at her bodyguard and friend, smiling gratefully through her tears. "Thank you, Lucrezia," she said, using the girl's rarely-heard first name. "I...I do trust in him. I have to. And I believe that he would not allow anything like this to happen."

"As do I, Relena. As do I."

* * *

In the hall outside the room where the council had converged, the dragon-riders were holding a conference of their own.

Duo paced the hall outside the door, trying to catch some form or words of what was being decided. All he could hear was the occasional raised voice; he could not make out any actual words. The doors of Calon Gaer had been made of heavy wood, designed to prevent just such eavesdropping. With each turn past the door, he grew more and more agitated.

Finally, he could take it no longer, and lashed out with a closed fist, striking the stone wall. "This is bullshit!" he yelled angrily. "I can't believe we're sitting out here, twiddling our thumbs, while somewhere, the people who sent that assassin are plotting their next move! We've got to do something!"

Quatre stepped forward, attempting to soothe the other rider's nerves. "Duo, please calm down. I know you're frustrated--we all are--but we can't just go haring off after an unknown target. We don't know who sent that assassin; who would we attack?"

Duo glared at Quatre, not mollified in the least. "We know damn well who to attack. You saw that crest. We should be halfway to Es'rilshan right now!"

"But we don't know that it was Es'rilshan's doing, Duo," Quatre argued. "How can you be so sure it was really them? Maybe someone planted that crest on that assassin, hoping that we would think it was from that kingdom."

"And I suppose you have a better idea of who to attack?" When the blonde dragon-rider remained silent, Duo resumed his pacing, muttering angrily under his breath.

"Quatre is right. We do not know who to attack. Attacking Es'rilshan is not the right move, until we know for certain that they are the ones who are responsible for this." Trowa, who had been leaning against the wall quietly, now stood up straight and walked over to stand next to Quatre. Quatre gave the taller youth a grateful smile, then returned his gaze to Duo.

Wufei also spoke up. "I agree with Duo," he said, his voice short and clipped, as if he were trying to hold his temper in check. "It doesn't matter if we do not know for certain whether Es'rilshan is behind this or not. The fact of the matter is that this attack is a blow to our confidence and our name, and we should not let that go unpunished! We must attack, so that we may show whoever it was who was truly behind this that we are not a force to be trifled with!" His voice raised as he spoke, until he was nearly shouting. "We cannot simply sit back and remain idle! We must strike! They will not expect us to attack so soon. We could possibly catch them off guard!"

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" crowed Duo enthusiastically. "If we leave now, we might be able to get there by--"

Suddenly, Heero breezed past the other four dragon-riders in a rush. All conversation stopped. He had been so quiet during the entire debate, that they had all but forgotten that he was there. Four pairs of eyes followed the retreating figure of the tousle-haired dragon-rider. Duo was the first to snap out of his surprise.

"Hey, Heero! Where are you going?"

Heero did not bother to turn around. "I'm going to Es'rilshan," he said, then turned around. "You can either come with me, or stay. But if you decide to come, don't get in my way. I have my reasons for going." He continued down the hall.

The other four dragon-riders stared after him, stupefied, for a space of heartbeats. Finally, Duo was galvanized into action.

"Well, if he's going, then I'm going," he said defiantly. "He seems to be of the same mind as I am on this, at least." He turned to stride down the hallway after Heero.

Wufei nodded but said nothing, and moved to follow the other two.

Trowa and Quatre remained behind for a moment. Quatre sighed in defeat. "I wish it had not come to this," he said with resignation, "yet I am not surprised that it has." He looked over at Trowa. "Shall we go after them, if for no other reason than to make sure they don't do something rash?"

Trowa nodded silently. "We must also maintain the image that we are a unit of five," he said contemplatively, "whether or not we agree with the motives of the other riders."

The two pilots then turned to trail after their companions.

From a shadowed alcove above the doorway to the council room, the air seemed to shiver slightly, and Fikriyya appeared. She cocked her head, clucking in displeasure at the retreating forms of the dragon-riders. With a squeak of dismay, she darted down the hall. She knew who to tell of what she had observed.

* * *

Before the council of advisors had gotten a chance to decide to stay their hand, the dragon-riders were already on the wing to Es'rilshan. Once the decision had been made to attack, they had not hesitated, even if not all of their hearts supported the idea fully.

Quatre lagged behind the pack, but not because his dragon could not keep up with the others. Rather, in his heart, he felt that this was the wrong choice. But he had committed himself to being a unified force with the other dragon-riders, and he would not go back on his word.

Parth had sensed his hesitation, and though Quatre could feel that the bronze wanted to join his companions, he also had his reservations. Quatre reached down and scratched at Parth's shoulder. The dragon responded by arching his neck slightly.

"You are hesitant about this mission," the dragon commented, his voice torn by the wind of their passage.

"This is not the right choice," he said unhappily. "It's too coincidental. Why would Es'rilshan want the Watcher dead? It doesn't add up. We're falling right into someone's trap, and potentially attacking the wrong person!"

"Yet you still assented to come along." Parth could not look back while he was flying, yet Quatre still felt as though the dragon's eyes were upon him.

Quatre sighed heavily. "Yes," he said ruefully. "But someone has to be there to cool the others off. They all lust for blood. But we cannot start a war, not without a more clear picture of who is to blame for this. Whoever that is, I highly doubt anyone in Es'rilshan can be connected to it."

The bronze's head bobbed quickly. "Very wise words," he said contemplatively. "They may be put to the test, and sooner than you think." He mentioned to the rest of the riders, noting one in particular. A silvery blur darted back and forth a good distance in front of the other riders, occasionally slowing down to rejoin them, then increasing its speed once again. The dragon was the very picture of impatience. But the others were not nearly as willing to humor the dragon's antics.

"Maxwell! You're either with us or against us! Either join the group, or go home to Mir Estel!" Wufei had braced his knees against Nataku's sides, hoisting himself as high as he could to bellow into the onrushing wind of passage. "We do this errand together!"

If Duo had any comebacks, they were lost upon the wind. But the mercury dragon reluctantly slowed to match the pace of the other dragon-riders.

Wufei swiveled in his seat, and fixed his gaze upon Quatre. "The same goes for you, Winner!" he said, trying to cover a sneer, as if to telegraph his obvious disapproval of someone who would lag behind. Quatre pursed his lips, but said nothing, urging Parth to match his flight speed with the others.

Oh, forefathers, I do hope we are doing the right thing...

* * *

Though they had told no one of their plans, and had left in such haste that no messenger could have matched their speed, when the dragon-riders reached the border of Es'rilshan, they discovered that their arrival had not gone unheralded. Nor did it seem that the rulers of the nation took their arrival lightly.

From a distance, a great, dark shadow seemed to cover the land. What was more strange was that the shadow seemed alive and moving, as though made up of many small parts. As they drew closer, the shadow cleared and arranged itself. Duo's dragon was the first to recognize it for what it was.

The mercury dragon let out a short, sharp bark of surprise, and brakewinged so fast that Heavyarms nearly crashed into him. The agile copper swooped deftly out of the way, and snapped at Deathscythe's tail irritably. But before she could snap at him verbally, the other dragon began shouting frantically.

"Army! Armyarmyarmyarmyarmy! There'sanarmyoverthere!" the dragon babbled rapidly. "Footsoldiersandmenonhorsebackwithlonglancesand-- Iseeotherdragons!!"

"What?!" exclaimed Wufei. "An army??" The emerald rider's eyes narrowed. "So I was right. They greet us with weapons raised. I knew that they were not innocent in this game!"

Quatre could keep silent no longer. "How can you be so sure?" he retorted. "We approach with our weapons bared; they respond in kind. If they approached Calon Gaer in a similar fashion, would not an armed force be sent out to greet them, as well?"

"You're both right," interjected Trowa. "Es'rilshan is only reacting as any other nation would if confronted by dragon-riders. But it still raises questions of how they were able to pull together such a vast force so quickly." Indeed, the armed force that stood ready to meet the dragon-riders was immense. Easily a thousand soldiers waited below them.

In the front, two dragons stood, their necks arched proudly. They eyed the approaching dragon-riders with suspicion. The first was a deep, rich shade of amethyst. Her scales glittered in the midmorning sun, and she watched them patiently, with no outward hostility. Her rider also watched them coolly, as if trying to anticipate how they would react.

In contrast, the other dragon was practically pacing with nervous energy. The dragon was entirely blue, except for a long, arcing, golden crest that spread from just behind the dragon's eye ridges to shortly before his shoulder blades. His scales glittered like cut gems. His long tail lashed impatiently, as if he was spoiling for battle.

The sapphire's rider leaned down to pat his dragon's neck affectionately, as though to calm the beast. The dragon ceased his nervous movements, but his eyes never left the rapidly approaching group.

The five approached the border and landed, the dragons jockeying for position next to one another. The two Es'rilshanian riders waited patiently for them to still their movements. Then the sapphire's rider sat up as straight as he could behind his mount's massive neck. His voice rang out loud and clear, the voice of a ruler.

"Welcome to Es'rilshan, dragon-riders. I am Treize Khushrenada, the ruler of this land. To what or whom do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Wufei scowled, and answered harshly. "We only visit to extract justice," he snapped tersely. "I see that you meet us with weapons raised. Do you mean that to be an admission of your guilt?"

Treize arched an eyebrow. "'Admission of guilt?' Whatever do you mean?" The man looked truly puzzled. Quatre frowned thoughtfully. Perhaps they had misjudged, and his own initial observation had been correct....

It was Heero who spoke next. "Calon Gaer was plagued by an assassin last night," he said quietly. "The animal bore your house's crest upon his breast."

"You automatically assume that a house crest is irrevocable proof of guilt?!" The amethyst rider shifted in his seat, his posture radiating his anger. "Fools! That trick is older than the most weathered, toothless crone. What threat is a force that can be so easily lead astray?"

Heero's head snapped around, and he leveled a murderous glare at the amethyst rider. Wing growled a challenge, but the amethyst did not respond.

"I know you well, 'Zechs Merquise,'" he said, a faintly mocking tone in his voice. "You have no place to judge any of us."

Zechs started at hearing his name, and leveled a murderous glare at Heero. He seemed to want to attack, but his dragon tensed, her tail lashing, as if she was holding back.

Quatre maneuvered himself to the front. "We felt that you should know about the assassination attempt," he said, trying to placate the Es'rilshan guard. "Although the attack was against us, they deliberately tried to plant your name as the culprit. Whether you are responsible or not, we felt that you should know."

"So you sent an armed force to meet us? That is a very...unorthodox means to send a message, if I may be frank." Treize's expression was amused, yet guarded.

Quatre hesitated. Something told him that he should not reveal that the dragon-riders had acted on their own, though he was not sure why. But the others were through waiting.

"Guilty or not, it was your house crest on that assassin's tunic!" Wufei's voice rang out over the plain, and Nataku sat back on her haunches, as though preparing to strike. "I cannot let that go unpunished!"

Treize regarded Wufei with cool admiration. "And what is it that you plan on doing?"

Without another word, Nataku sprang forward to engage the sapphire in battle. But the other dragon had been anticipating the move; he had been watching Nataku's nervous fidgeting for several minutes. He shifted his hindquarters and lashed out with his heavy tail just as the emerald had stretched out her forepaws to claw, leaving her underbelly exposed. The tail caught her square in the chest.

Nataku let out a strangled whoof as the air was knocked out of her, and she crumpled to the ground in front of the sapphire, dumping Wufei from her back unceremoniously. She lay there prone, retching and making piteous noises as she fought to regain her breath. She was totally helpless, yet the sapphire had ceased his attack as soon as she went down.

Duo grumbled at the sight, and Deathscythe danced impatiently, spoiling to fight, but he knew that they were out-maneuvered in this battle. Quatre was not inclined to attack, and Trowa, too knew that the battle was not theirs. Heero was far too busy, engaged in a stare-down with Zechs, to notice.

Treize fixed them with a stare that was not unkind. "I regret that it has come to this," he said conciliatorily, "but the battle is not yours. Nor do you target the proper enemy." He turned, and the army began to disassemble and fall back. "I suggest that you return to Calon Gaer," he said. "I shall forget about this little altercation, and will not let it affect the amity between our nations." His dragon turned to face Es'rilshan, and Treize swiveled in his seat one last time. "Though I will assure you this: the assassin did not come from our Es'rilshanian soil. We bear no animosity to Calon Gaer or its Watcher; and if it is the will of the council, I will consent to work together to find out who is responsible."

Zechs reluctantly broke eye contact with Heero. His dragon pivoted on her hind legs and launched herself skyward, winging back toward the nation's capital. Treize soon followed after.

The other dragons formed a circle around Nataku to protect her, but the Es'rilshan army seemed to have no intentions of attacking. Slowly it disbursed, until the only thing left upon the plain were the dragons, their riders, and the wind.

Wufei sat at Nataku's head, stroking her snout gently and murmuring encouraging words to her. Eventually, she righted herself with a loud grunt, but she moved gingerly, as if her side pained her.

"Can you fly?" asked Sandrock quietly. Nataku tested her wings. "I think so," she said, still slightly breathless, "if we go slow, and take breaks occasionally."

"Wufei can ride with me," offered Quatre. "Sandrock can take the extra weight." Wufei smiled gratefully at the towheaded youth.

A small distance off, Wing was tearing at the turf in frustration, and his rider was not of a much better temperament. The other dragons and riders watched them, not sure if they should interrupt. Finally, Duo broke the silence.

"Hey, Heero...I know it looks like you and Wing are having a grand old time and all, uprooting the lawn there...but we really should get back to Calon Gaer. Wufei's dragon might need to have someone look at that battle wound."

Heero's head jerked up as if controlled by a puppeteer. "We failed," he snarled. "We let them get the better of us."

"We should not have gone in the first place," argued Quatre. "You heard the dragon-rider. They didn't send the assassin!"

"And you would believe the word of that man? What reason have we, what proof? He could be lying."

Quatre opened his mouth to protest, but was silenced by Trowa. "Right or wrong, it matters little now. Perhaps this confrontation was ill-fated, but it is in the past. We have bigger problems to worry about right now."

The contingent began the slow, painful journey back to the castle. As they flew, a deliberate thought nagged at Quatre's consciousness, as though he were forgetting something important. But he could not put his finger on what it was, so he banished the uneasiness from his mind. He would be able to concentrate on the matter more fully when they got back to Calon Gaer.

* * *

The flight home was long and arduous, and they had to make several stops so that Nataku could catch her breath. When they finally reached Calon Gaer, a collective sigh of relief was loosed.

Nataku landed heavily in front of the main gate, panting hard. "I think...I think...I think I was more badly injured than I thought," she wheezed. Wufei immediately vaulted from Sandrock's back and rushed to her side. "We must find the physician. Immediately! We must have this injury looked at! We must find someone!"

"Well! I don't know who you are looking for, Prince of Ri Shin, but it seems that I have found who I was looking for!" The voice sounded distinctly displeased.

All five dragon-riders looked up simultaneously. Standing in the gateway to the castle was Weyridge. He looked distinctly displeased. Next to him stood Relena, who looked stricken. Several other people stood around the two, including one person in particular whom Wufei recognized immediately...along with her faerie-dragon companion.

"You!" he shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Fikriyya. "It had to have been you. You are the only one who could have overheard our conversation, and then you ran straight to the first person you could find, to tell them what you had heard." He was shaking with suppressed rage.

"And if it weren't for Fikriyya, we would not have known what you had done at all," said Weyridge sternly. "Though I do wish she would have come to us sooner. We could have stopped you."

Heero stepped forward. "Our business is our own," he started. "We could not let--"

"Your business is most certainly not your own! You are stewards and representatives of the kingdom of Sanq. We cannot have you haring off after every half-baked notion of treachery!" Weyridge exploded. He fairly bristled with rage. "What you did could have very well sparked a war between our nations. Do you realize what you could have done?! This is not a game!"

The dragon-riders fell silent. Even their dragons were cowed. Weyridge continued.

"Had you waited for the council to end, you would have known that we were not going to attack Es'rilshan! Instead, you rushed off after an assumption of guilt, and tried to challenge the nation. Do you have any idea how foolhardy that was?!"

Relena watched in silence. She so desperately wanted to say something, anything, but somehow, knew that it wasn't her place to interrupt. Not this time.

Weyridge glared at the dragon-riders once more. "You answered the call of the Oracle, and assumed the roles of adults, ready to fight. But today, you proved yourselves no better than children! How can you even begin to prepare to accept the Oracle's emissary, if you cannot even hold your own tempers in check?"

Not one of the riders spoke in protest. They all knew that the decision that they had made had been the wrong one. Finally, Quatre spoke.

"I--we're...we're sorry; we were frustrated, and didn't know what to do. We were acting as a group, and the group felt that this was the best course of action." He knotted his hands together anxiously. "We did not stop to realize that what we were doing was wrong!"

Weyridge sighed heavily. "We can only hope that your actions were not catastrophic." He regarded the dragons and their riders as if for the first time. "You," he said, pointing to Wufei, "you go with Sally, and bring your dragon with you. She looks to need a physician." The dark-haired boy nodded silently, and Sally stepped forward, running her hands quietly over Nataku's side as she examined the wound.

"And you--" Weyridge pointed to Quatre, "I want you and your dragon to meet with me in the council room in twenty minutes. Get a change of clothes and refresh yourselves. But do not be late." He then cast his glare over the rest of the riders. "As for the rest of you, you're excused. But do not think this ends it. I do not want to hear about any more foolhardy missions to exact justice upon an entity that may or may not have had something to do with an attack against Sanq!"

The dragon-riders did not respond, but their expressions spoke louder than words. "Go. You're dismissed." Weyridge waved his hand dismissively, and turned to enter the castle. The group of people who were with him also turned and began to disperse. Relena paused for a moment, gazing at the dragon-riders silently, but after a handful of heartbeats, she also turned and walked into the castle.

Sally was listening to Nataku's lungs through a stethoscope. Finally, she straightened up, eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "I think it may only be an impressive contusion. But I need to do more than field medicine to be sure. If you can fly, please come to the lab on the cliff, Nataku. I'll be able to help you there." The emerald dragon nodded, and began walking stiffly in the direction of the cliff. Sally gave Wufei a stern look, and turned to enter the castle. Wufei silently trailed after her.

Quatre gazed nervously after Weyridge and the princess, wondering why he was the one who had to speak for the group. Slowly, he made his way into the castle, headed for his room. Parth had already launched himself into the air, headed for their room, as well.

The other dragon-riders disbursed slowly, silently. Though they still felt that what they had done was the right thing, they also knew that somehow, what they had done had been very, very wrong.

* * *

Wufei followed Sally into the bowels of the castle silently. There were many things he wanted to--no, needed to ask her, but he found himself strangely silent. He could not tell if it was the events of the day tiring him, or something else.

Every so often, his gaze would flicker to her left shoulder, where Fikriyya sat. He felt his fists clenching convulsively. He knew that she was behind this somehow...he just knew it! The hallway had been completely deserted. There was no other way that anyone could have overheard their decision. Somehow, Wufei knew that the faerie dragon had gotten involved by eavesdropping.

Sally lead Wufei down a long, winding hallway, until she turned and opened a door leading into a wide, spacious room. The far end of the room opened out against the cliff side, allowing dragons to fly into the room for medical treatment. The floor was polished and smooth, and the entire room was sparkling and clean.

Lun laid in the entrance to the room. She began moaning piteously as soon as she spotted her rider and Sally.

"Oh, stop that, you ham," said Sally good-naturedly. "You're not that badly injured." She walked over to the dragon, running her hands over the injury. "There are no cracked ribs, and there doesn't seem to be any internal damage. My estimation is that you've just got a doozy of a contusion, made worse by the fact that you had to fly home. Getting the wind knocked out of you takes a bit of recuperation, too, and when you've got lungs as large as yours, that takes a little longer."

Sally walked calmly over to a supply cupboard, and began pulling out jars of herbs. "I will mix up a poultice. That will take the swelling down. I'll also mix up a draught that will take the edge off of the pain, and help the bruise heal more quickly. I'd say you'll be back to full strength in about a week."

She worked in silence for a few minutes, grinding herbs, measuring and mixing. "There...that should just about do it..." She tested the mixture carefully, then turned and handed Wufei a large roll of bandages. "Here. I'll need your help with this. We've got to secure the poultice in place. It needs to be against her skin for several hours in order for it to work."

Together, along with the grudging cooperation of Lun, who was not nearly as eager to help when others knew she was not badly injured, they secured the poultice in place. Lun shuffled to the room entrance, her tail lashing in irritation. "It stinks," she grumbled.

"That's good. It's supposed to stink." Sally had begun working on the draught. "When it stops stinking, and you can't smell it any more, then it's time to take the poultice off." She measured and mixed silently for a few more moments. "Though I must admit, I am curious," she said casually. "What on earth happened out there? Nataku's wound looks exactly as though she was hit on the chest by a sapphire dragon's tail. There are tail-horn-shaped swelling marks and everything. It's completely synonymous with that sort of injury." She set down the bowl and turned to face Wufei, folding her arms across her chest.

Wufei was not sure how to respond. Perhaps he should tell the truth? Sally obviously knew where they had gone this morning, if her faerie dragon had been the one to tattle about the dragon-riders' whereabouts. Yet...it really wasn't her business to know. Or was it? She was trying to figure out the best way to treat Lun's injuries.

"And if it was? What would it mean if a sapphire dragon were responsible for the wound?"

Sally laughed. "There's no need to get defensive. It just means that you're lucky, and managed to catch a rare well-tempered sapphire. You know about a sapphire's breath weapon, don't you?" When Wufei shook his head, she continued. "Sapphires use a sort of mind-control with their breath weapon. It's a sonic weapon, like Nataku's, except a sapphire can use theirs to drive their opponents into a berserker rage, attacking their comrades, or simply driving their opponents insane. There is literally no immunity to it. Nataku is lucky that she only got clubbed with the sapphire's tail. They're not to be taken lightly."

Wufei thought about this. In his heart, he knew that he should believe what Sally said. But then he looked at Lun, who was gingerly curling up, trying not to disturb the poultice, and watching Sally suspiciously as the woman boiled the draught over an open flame.

It was because of that dragon that Lun was injured. It was because of that dragon that Lun was in misery. It didn't matter what kind of dragon had done it; they needed to suffer for making Lun suffer!

A small voice in the back of his mind tried to insist that it was because of his actions against the king of Es'rilshan that Lun had been injured in the first place, and that he had no one to blame but himself. But he quickly quashed the thought. He was justified in the attack; he was not in the wrong.

But he said none of this out loud. He held it in his heart, letting his resentment of Es'rilshan's king and his dragon grow. Someday, he vowed, he would exact his revenge for this wrongdoing.

* * *

Quatre reluctantly made his way to the council room where Weyridge had asked them to meet, Parth trailing along behind him. They had discussed the matter extensively back in their room, and now both were silent, absorbed in their own thoughts. Neither knew what to expect from the meeting, or why they had been called, and not the other dragons and their riders.

He stood outside the door of the designated room for a moment, gathering his strength, then pushed the door open and stepped inside, Parth close behind him. Weyridge sat at the far end of the oval-shaped table. Next to him sat the princess.

"Highness??" said Quatre, shocked. He had not known that she would be there, as well. Weyridge nodded. "Even though she is not yet of an age to assume the throne, she is still a key player in all of the decisions made in this kingdom. She has as much a right to be here for this as I do."

Quatre fell silent once more, taking his seat across the table. Parth settled down next to him, arching his neck so that he could see everyone in the room. When they had both settled themselves, Weyridge spoke.

"I am sure that you are wondering why I asked you two to come here. I wanted to get the dragon-riders' side of the story, and I felt that I would be most likely to get it from you."

Quatre was uncertain of what to think of this approach. "We moved forward as a group...you should interrogate us as a group."

Weyridge shook his head. "No. Don't think of it as an interrogation. We just want to know what happened today. We already know, thanks to Sally's faerie dragon, what you had planned on doing, and that while you acted as a whole, your hearts were not in agreement." Quatre looked at the table-top. Weyridge was right.

"We went to Es'rilshan," he started quietly. "I did not know what we had planned--I don't think anyone knew--but we still went.

"I don't know how they knew...but Es'rilshan somehow knew we were coming, and met us at the border with a formidably-sized army."

"An army?" Weyridge frowned thoughtfully. "How large?"

Parth stirred. "I estimate that there were easily a thousand soldiers, both on foot and on horse," he said. "And two dragons."

"Two?"

Quatre nodded. "The king, of course, and another...Heero called him 'Zechs Merquise'..."

Relena stiffened. "Did he ride an amethyst dragon?" she asked eagerly.

Parth nodded in affirmation. "The king rode a sapphire dragon. The other dragon was an amethyst."

"Then it was my brother," said Relena contemplatively. "Did he attack?"

Quatre shook his head. "No, he didn't. He came close to blows with Heero, but he did not attack." At this, Relena looked troubled, but said nothing.

"Almost came to blows? Then what happened to Wufei's dragon? Why was she injured?" Weyridge frowned.

"Nataku attacked first. In fact, no one from Es'rilshan made a move until we did. It was as if they were waiting for us to attack."

Weyridge nodded. "And then? What happened next?" Quatre sighed.

"Wufei, like I said, and his dragon charged. But it was as if the King's dragon knew what they were going to do. He caught her in the chest with his tail, the dragon did. As soon as she went down, though, the other dragon backed off.

"It was very bizarre, I will admit. They met us with a tremendous military force, but did not attack. We attacked first, yet they did not retaliate; only defended. If they were behind the assassination attempt, they hide it very well."

"I do not believe they are behind the attack," murmured Weyridge. "It's too coincidental."

"I agree," nodded Quatre. "Regardless, Es'rilshan now knows about the placement of their name in this game. How they will choose to use this information is anyone's guess...but the King did say that...he said that he would not let our actions affect the peace between our nations." Quatre was ashamed. They had acted rashly, and acted wrong, and it showed. Treize had treated them exactly as they had acted: like young, impetuous children.

Weyridge released a heavy sigh. "Thank the gods," he murmured with relief. "That is what I really needed to know," he said, sounding much more calm than he had before. "I needed to know if we needed to prepare for war with Es'rilshan. But fortunately, it seems that Es'rilshan's king is as level-headed as the rumors say." He frowned once more. "Still, we will need to think of a way to atone for this blunder, even if the King is willing to overlook it. Though I am not sure what can be done...."

He was interrupted by a quiet knock on the council room door. A page shyly stepped inside, bowing hurriedly. "Master Weyridge, Your Highness...Dragon-rider," she said hastily, "there is a matter of great urgency that requires your attention..."

"Is it so urgent that you disrupt a private session, one in which I specifically requested not to be disturbed?" Weyridge's irritation with the disruption showed.

The page quailed. "N-no, s-sir..." she faltered, "b-but I was instructed to find you or the Princess as quickly as possible...t-there is an emissary...f-from Es'rilshan..."

At the mention of the name, Weyridge stood up abruptly, irritation forgotten. "Es'rilshan?!" he said. "Your interruption is forgiven. Take us to the emissary at once!"

Weyridge followed the page from the room, with Relena, Quatre and Parth close behind. As they hastened toward the front gate of the palace, they were joined by Trowa, Heero and Duo, as well as their dragons. Wufei was nowhere to be seen.

A small crowd of people was clustered by the front gate. As Weyridge's group drew closer, the murmurs of surprised voices grew louder. The people parted for Weyridge and Relena, who quickly stepped forward to stand next to her advisor.

"Y-your Ladyship," said the page timidly, "I brought the Princess and her advisor..."

"As well as the dragon-riders. Very good." The voice, smooth and almost insultingly silky, came from somewhere in the center of a small cluster of people, who slowly parted to make way for the voice's owner. She was about Relena's age, or perhaps a little older, and dressed in noble attire. Her long, light blonde hair hung well past her waist, pushed back by a very thin silver circlet. Her eyes were a pale, clear blue, and seemed to be both innocent and conniving, all at once.

The girl curtseyed to Relena and Weyridge, then straightened and folded her hands in front of her. "I am Lady Dorothy Catalonia," she said primly. "I have been sent by my cousin, King Treize Khushrenada of Es'rilshan, as an emissary of peace."

~*~

C&C is always loved and appreciated! ^_^

[kmf]

Another excellent chapter Those impulsive dragon riders - I kept telling them dont go, but did they listen to me? *shakes head in frustration* I love the way you are mirroring the original story, although I had to laugh when Dorothy declared herself as a emissary of peace :o Dont trust her Relena!

Waiting eagerly for the next chapter ^_^

kmf

[RDP]

I hope Sally can fix some of Wufei's mistaken thoughts...you don't attack people for a crime if you are not sure they are responsible! :x

It might be them, though, since Treize and Dorothy are in the picture now. I wonder what they want? Still, the dragon-riders should have waited and listened to Relena's decision. :-?

But what business did Heero have there? He just wanted to have a glare war with Zechs? Perhaps there is a past incident that we don't know about...Keep going, Sara!

[Primus2021]

I agree with them But must add this Treize IS NOT to be trusted eather, (Die Treize, DIIIIIEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!)

Also I hope Q-Man Falls in love with Dorothy, & I really hope he isn't gay
Happy gay is fine, Homo gay is a little weird, But I don't condamn it, I just Perfer 1. for Quatre: 4xD, 2xC, 4+D or 4+C, combinations. &
2. for Trowa: 3x11, 3xC, 3xMU 3xD, 3+C, 3+MU or 3+D combinations.
BTW Trowa & Lady Une Combo's, Treize is dead, so Anne Turned to Trowa for comfort

Anyways great fic, But Sorry to say that as much as I love GW, I love Dragons 10,000xMore so I really Love this lil fic!