Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ LadyHawke ❯ Learning a Lesson ( Chapter 3 )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: SkItZoFrEaK 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 09.02.2001 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.9K | Visits: 328 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 09.02.2001 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.9K | Visits: 328 | Status: Completed
\\LadyHawke//
//By SkItZoFrEaK\\
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zechs swung unto his white charger and raised his silver helmet above his head. The golden visor glinted brightly in the afternoon sun.
"Take ten men toward Chanee, we ride north to Gabroche. The name of the man who finds this Maxwell will be brought to the personal attention of the Bishop - as will the body of the man who lets him get away."
The ponderous gates to the city opened, and with a shout, the riders poured out into the countryside, spreading like a tidal wave bent on sweeping up everything in it's path.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cautiously, Duo reached up from the water and pulled the dagger free from the lounging guard's boot. With equal caution, he reached further up and sliced the rope holding the fat leather purse to the guard's belt. Moving silently, to avoid ripples or splashing noises, Duo sank back into the water, watching the guard's back intently. The guard remained happily oblivious at his seat on the rock wall; leaning so far back over the water that it was almost a sin not to pick his unwatched pockets.
Quietly, Duo glided away. "I know I promised, Lord," he muttered. "But I also know, that *you* know, what a weak willed person I am."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The guards and patrols rode out of the city for days, searching for the Mouse. A price was put on the escaped prisoner's head, and the guards were ordered to spread rumors of Maxwell's viciousness. The people were told of the cruel murderer, known as the Mouse, who committed every kind of atrocity from eating small children to raping wives. The people reacted exactly as they were supposed to, closing their doors to strangers and driving wanderers from their towns. If the common folk could not aid in the capture of Maxwell, Zechs reasoned, then at least they would not aid in his escape.
Besides, the only place the elusive mouse could be was the wilderness. And sooner or later, he would get tired of fugitive life. Sooner or later, he would start to feel safe. Sooner or later...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Duo wrapped his arms around his body and tried to stop his teeth from chattering by sticking his tongue between them. All he got for his trouble was a sore tongue and a slightly muffled chattering noise. His bare feet had long since gone numb in the snow, but the rest of his body refused to succumb to the unfeeling.
To take his mind from his frozen body, especially his growling stomach, Duo tried to think of pleasant, hot things. Unfortunately, once past the sun and fire, all his mind could dredge up were images of food. "A nice hot piece of cabbage, like my dear old mother used to make."
A not so distant howl caught his ear. "Wolf! Wolf. Please, no wolf."
His foot scraped against a stone hidden in the snow, and he stumbled. An hour ago, he would have cursed at the offending rock, but by now he didn't have the energy to focus on anything more than one or two things. "Extract of lamb.... Where the hell am I?" Well, three things, then. "Hot lamb, hot lamb, with a little sauce on it. Maybe some of that green stuff that old Bertram used to use..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time this was over, he'd know every single rocky, filthy dirt road in the land. Very little was positive about jogging bare foot down a cold dirt road in early autumn, but he tried to put an optimistic slant on things.
"Come on, Mouse, keep going. Not much further. About 350 miles, that's all."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three days, Zechs mused. Three days, and not so much as the spit from the escapee's mouth. The Bishop would not be pleased.
He watched as the sun slowly sank beneath the horizon, and an odd look came into his eyes. A vision of long blonde hair and bright, laughing blue eyes...and a voice, a voice from long ago, singing out to him...
"Sir!" A voice from behind, rough and male and so utterly at odds with his memory that he physically jumped and whirled around, sword half drawn. The guard stood rigidly; uncertain about what he'd done wrong to upset his superior. Zechs re-sheathed his weapon.
"What?" he snapped, a little more harshly than he intended.
"Sir, we may have picked up the boy's trail."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Duo grinned as he watched the men and women of the small farm town run madly around, chasing their sheep who had mysteriously broken free from their pen.
While the good people were thus occupied, he helped himself to the clothes hung carelessly to dry on the nearby bushes. After all, the Lord giveth, and He taketh away. And Duo, as a devout follower of the Lord, was more than happy to see the old law come to fruition. He rolled up the clothes and tucked them haphazardly under his ratty shirt, making at least an effort to look like a real thief and not just some man walking off with someone else's wares.
Two small children were playing by an open fire, watching the adults caper about after the milling sheep. "Hello!" Duo greeted them, smiling.
"Hello," they chorused back.
"Look up there!"
They turned, bless their innocence, and Duo plucked down the pair of boots hanging on the tree close by. Well, if no one was going to look after these fine boots, he'd take it unto himself. Quite noble of him, really.
"He's taking Daddy's shoes," the little boy said in astonishment to his sister.
"You got it, little darlings," Duo chuckled as he strode away.
The clothes were plain, but they were warm and they fit fairly decently. The boots were slightly too large, but rather that than no boots at all.
Clad now in decent civilized garments, and many days travel from Aquila, it was time to reintroduce himself to respectable society. Duo headed at a lope for the nearest inn house.
Behind him, the man in black sat quietly on his warhorse.
Watching.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Inn keeper!" Duo shouted. "Inn keeper! A drink of your most expensive!"
"Yeah, yeah," responded that personage, an older man with a large bald spot, a greasy apron, and a no-nonsense attitude that had served him well for years. "Show me your money," he grunted at Duo, who waved the guard's stolen purse at him until the coins within clanked loudly.
"Top it off, my good man," he ordered, and then turning to the half-filled yard called out, "and the same to any man who'll join me in a toast!"
"Let's hear your toast," a man responded from his table.
"We drink to a special man, my friends, someone who has seen the dungeons of Aquila, and lived to tell the tale."
"Then you drink to me, little man. I've seen those dungeons."
"A blacksmith, perhaps? A carpenter? A stonecutter, even? But a prisoner, from inside Aquila?"
"I didn't say I was a prisoner." The man reached up a hand and casually swept a fold of his robe aside to reveal a silver and gold helmet, glittering sinisterly on the tabletop. Duo froze.
The man rose to his feet, impossibly tall it seemed, and the rest of the men at the table did the same, casting aside the peasants' cloaks they wore to reveal the red uniforms of the Aquila Guard. The tall man wore a similar uniform of gold and white, and he smiled at Duo with the lazy, feral smile of a large cat about to pounce.
"If you'd stuck to the woods," Zechs informed him calmly, "you may have stood a chance, Maxwell."
Duo nodded. "You're right."
For a moment, they locked eyes; pale blue to dark violet, and then Zechs turned his head and sat back down.
"Get him." He ordered offhandedly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lieutenant Nicoli grinned through his curly beard as he strode forward. The prisoner stood cowed before him, head bent, eyes half closed - even the thick brown braid down his back seemed to hang dejectedly. "All right, come on, then." Nicoli said reaching for the narrow shoulders. He grabbed the boy and threw him to the ground, tying his wrists tightly behind his back.
At least, that's what was supposed to happen. In reality, he never got past the reaching part. Before he could actually touch the boy, the cretin seemed to somehow come alive, throwing his drink into Nicoli's eyes and twisting out of his grasp.
Nicoli bellowed a curse as the liquid stung his eyes and got up into his nose. Duo didn't bother to look back; he dropped the empty cup and dove for the nearest crowd of people. He was gone before the other guards knew what was happening.
The soldiers quickly surrounded the crowd, pushing people out of their way, shouting and waving their swords and crossbows threateningly.
Zechs yawned slightly and took a sip from his tankard.
One of the guards, Francesco, pushed over a table where three old men huddled in their cloaks against the morning chill. "Out of the way!" he snarled, and two of the men creaked to their feet and shuffled off. The third remained hunched at the table. "You! I said out of the way!" Francesco's rough hand yanked at the cloak, which slid away to reveal a long brown braid and wide violet eyes.
Francesco opened his mouth to shout triumphantly, but lost his ability to do so when Duo planted both boots in his guts and pushed hard. The guard fell to the ground hacking and Duo flipped back over the bench.
Another soldier grabbed him from behind, but Duo managed to slip through his hands and dive between his legs. The guard's comrade, coming to help, ran head first into the guard and they both fell back, thrashing. Duo took advantage of the moment's confusion to leap for the overhead trellis.
By now, the entire patrol had convened under the trellis and were stabbing viciously upward with their swords. One man attempted to climb up after the prisoner, but Duo shoved him before he could gain his balance and the guard went tumbling down. Duo leaped and twisted madly, desperate to avoid the slashing blades.
Zechs gulped down the last of his brew and again rose to his feet. He watched the youth expressionlessly for a moment, and then applauded casually.
Duo made a last gamble dive from the trellis to the ground, but before he could scramble to his feet and run, a guard had him by the arms. He struggled, causing the guard to whirl, and his blade flashed out and sliced into the face of Captain Zechs.
A few drops of blood leaked down from the small cut, but Duo gulped and turned pale. The penalties for attacking the Bishop's own Captain of the Guard - "I'm so terribly sorry," he gasped, but too late, too late...
Zechs ran a finger over the cut and examined the blood. Pity. Now he'd have to execute him outright, rather than the usual hanging.
"Kill him," he ordered.
They swung him around, bracing his back against a pole. One soldier latched on to his left arm, and another went for his right. A third, Francesco, picked up a blade and approached, chuckling. Duo stared in horror as the blade was leveled with his throat, and then the guard pulled back his arms to swing -
- "May God have mercy on my soul!" Duo screamed as the blade bore down -
- an arrow buried itself in Francesco's sword arm, and the man fell to the ground with a shriek.
Zechs turned his head and the casual mask he wore slipped to amazement.
A man dressed in black leather armor stood by the inn doors, heavy black and red cape flung back over his shoulder. Wild dark hair framed his cold, expressionless face. The guards nearest him shifted uncomfortably under the intensity of his Prussian blue eyes...then again, maybe some of their discomfort came from the heavy crossbow braced on his arm, aimed directly for their Captain's head.
For a brief moment, nobody moved. Then a guard fired a crossbow bolt of his own. The bolt flew and hit the post behind the man, and without flinching he fired his own arrow straight into the guard's heart. The guard dropped like a stone.
The stranger pointed at Duo with the crossbow. "You." His voice was as cold as his face. "Out."
Duo slithered from the guards' slack hands and shakily stumbled towards his rescuer. The man handed him the crossbow as he passed, drawing a long, wicked looking sword. Duo took the crossbow, nodded unsteadily, and slipped past the stranger. As soon as he was free from that chilling gaze, he dropped the bow and took to his heels.
'Lesson learned, Lord,' he thought, headed for the distant trees.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Heero Yuy," Zechs growled. "One of my men told me you returned. I wanted to cut his throat for lying, because I knew you weren't that stupid."
The stranger merely watched.
One of the guards lunged forward, and in a flash, Yuy's blade rose to block the attack. The two men froze. The guard drew back his sword and saluted, smiling. "Captain Yuy," he laughed.
The smallest of smiles graced those cold features, and he nodded.
"Traitor!" One of the other guards hissed, and shoved his former comrade. The man fell forward, onto the still upraised sword of a startled Yuy.
The smile vanished, and he stared down at the limp body on his blade. He dropped the hilt and landed a powerful blow to the murdering guard's chin, snapping his head back and killing him instantly.
Jolted by the sudden deaths, the remaining guards surged forward to kill their once-leader. One slashed at Heero, who dodged around, picked up a string of rusted old horseshoes, and bashed the unfortunate man's head in. Another took a hefty blow to the guts, and a third broke his leg trying to get in a club swing.
Zechs barked an order, and the remaining men jumped away, all too grateful not to have to face the black clad warrior.
Captain Zechs Marquise strode forward until he was inches away from former Captain Heero Yuy's face. "You," he spat. "You killed her."
"She lives," Heero returned flatly.
"You damned her!" Zechs' voice hitched, and he swung his sword up. "You're dead!"
Heero launched himself at the Captain, hitting him hard in the chest with his shoulder and using his weight to knock Zechs to the ground. Before his rival could recover, he drew his sword from the dead loyal guard's body and strode away.
Zechs struggled to his feet, shaking off his men's offered hands. By then, Heero had reached the huge black horse standing by the inn. He swung up and by some unseen signal urged the horse into a gallop.
Zechs staggered forward, fury on his face, and bellowed after him, "YUY!!" Turning, he all but screamed. "After them!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He was a better pickpocket than a horse thief, Duo decided. "Come on, now" he pleaded with the guards' horses. "I won't hurt you, I'm a wonderful person." The horses, sensing his urgency and obvious lack of riding skill, were having none of it. They shied away, snorting. "Nice ponies, sweet ponies, come here..." Duo heard the sudden shouts from the inn yard, and threw his arms up in defeat. "You filthy strumpets!" he shouted, and took off for the woods on foot.
Duo was almost to the trees when he heard it - heavy horse hooves pounding...and getting closer. He risked a glance back over his shoulder and immediately wished he hadn't.
The horse was a giant, and black as night, and it was gaining on him. On the hell-horse's back rode the equally dark looking man, and they were bearing down on him mercilessly.
He ran for all he was worth, but the horse was faster.
The rider swooped down, grabbed Duo by the back of his shirt, and flung him over the beast's broad back.
"Oof!" Duo grunted as the air rushed out of his lungs. Turning his head, Duo choked on a scream. A guard had somehow gotten ahead of them, and was locking up the inn gates. They were trapped.
So why, Lord, aren't we slowing down? Duo asked mentally. If anything, we're going even faster, and I should know, bouncing around on my belly down here...
"Oh no," he gasped as he realized what his rescuer/abductor was about to do. He clapped his hands over his face, peeking through his fingers at his oncoming doom.
With a lurch, the horse's hooves left the earth, and Duo felt his stomach drop away with the ground. He looked back just in time to see the black hind legs clear the sturdy wooden doors, and see a large golden hawk come screaming down, talons extended, aiming for the hapless guard's exposed face.
The man screamed as the bird passed him, ripping the flesh of his cheeks with wickedly sharp beak and talons. And then Duo was distracted by an earth-shattering jolt. The horse took a moment to recover from the landing, and then they were flying down the road, headed deep into the forest.
//By SkItZoFrEaK\\
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zechs swung unto his white charger and raised his silver helmet above his head. The golden visor glinted brightly in the afternoon sun.
"Take ten men toward Chanee, we ride north to Gabroche. The name of the man who finds this Maxwell will be brought to the personal attention of the Bishop - as will the body of the man who lets him get away."
The ponderous gates to the city opened, and with a shout, the riders poured out into the countryside, spreading like a tidal wave bent on sweeping up everything in it's path.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cautiously, Duo reached up from the water and pulled the dagger free from the lounging guard's boot. With equal caution, he reached further up and sliced the rope holding the fat leather purse to the guard's belt. Moving silently, to avoid ripples or splashing noises, Duo sank back into the water, watching the guard's back intently. The guard remained happily oblivious at his seat on the rock wall; leaning so far back over the water that it was almost a sin not to pick his unwatched pockets.
Quietly, Duo glided away. "I know I promised, Lord," he muttered. "But I also know, that *you* know, what a weak willed person I am."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The guards and patrols rode out of the city for days, searching for the Mouse. A price was put on the escaped prisoner's head, and the guards were ordered to spread rumors of Maxwell's viciousness. The people were told of the cruel murderer, known as the Mouse, who committed every kind of atrocity from eating small children to raping wives. The people reacted exactly as they were supposed to, closing their doors to strangers and driving wanderers from their towns. If the common folk could not aid in the capture of Maxwell, Zechs reasoned, then at least they would not aid in his escape.
Besides, the only place the elusive mouse could be was the wilderness. And sooner or later, he would get tired of fugitive life. Sooner or later, he would start to feel safe. Sooner or later...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Duo wrapped his arms around his body and tried to stop his teeth from chattering by sticking his tongue between them. All he got for his trouble was a sore tongue and a slightly muffled chattering noise. His bare feet had long since gone numb in the snow, but the rest of his body refused to succumb to the unfeeling.
To take his mind from his frozen body, especially his growling stomach, Duo tried to think of pleasant, hot things. Unfortunately, once past the sun and fire, all his mind could dredge up were images of food. "A nice hot piece of cabbage, like my dear old mother used to make."
A not so distant howl caught his ear. "Wolf! Wolf. Please, no wolf."
His foot scraped against a stone hidden in the snow, and he stumbled. An hour ago, he would have cursed at the offending rock, but by now he didn't have the energy to focus on anything more than one or two things. "Extract of lamb.... Where the hell am I?" Well, three things, then. "Hot lamb, hot lamb, with a little sauce on it. Maybe some of that green stuff that old Bertram used to use..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time this was over, he'd know every single rocky, filthy dirt road in the land. Very little was positive about jogging bare foot down a cold dirt road in early autumn, but he tried to put an optimistic slant on things.
"Come on, Mouse, keep going. Not much further. About 350 miles, that's all."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three days, Zechs mused. Three days, and not so much as the spit from the escapee's mouth. The Bishop would not be pleased.
He watched as the sun slowly sank beneath the horizon, and an odd look came into his eyes. A vision of long blonde hair and bright, laughing blue eyes...and a voice, a voice from long ago, singing out to him...
"Sir!" A voice from behind, rough and male and so utterly at odds with his memory that he physically jumped and whirled around, sword half drawn. The guard stood rigidly; uncertain about what he'd done wrong to upset his superior. Zechs re-sheathed his weapon.
"What?" he snapped, a little more harshly than he intended.
"Sir, we may have picked up the boy's trail."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Duo grinned as he watched the men and women of the small farm town run madly around, chasing their sheep who had mysteriously broken free from their pen.
While the good people were thus occupied, he helped himself to the clothes hung carelessly to dry on the nearby bushes. After all, the Lord giveth, and He taketh away. And Duo, as a devout follower of the Lord, was more than happy to see the old law come to fruition. He rolled up the clothes and tucked them haphazardly under his ratty shirt, making at least an effort to look like a real thief and not just some man walking off with someone else's wares.
Two small children were playing by an open fire, watching the adults caper about after the milling sheep. "Hello!" Duo greeted them, smiling.
"Hello," they chorused back.
"Look up there!"
They turned, bless their innocence, and Duo plucked down the pair of boots hanging on the tree close by. Well, if no one was going to look after these fine boots, he'd take it unto himself. Quite noble of him, really.
"He's taking Daddy's shoes," the little boy said in astonishment to his sister.
"You got it, little darlings," Duo chuckled as he strode away.
The clothes were plain, but they were warm and they fit fairly decently. The boots were slightly too large, but rather that than no boots at all.
Clad now in decent civilized garments, and many days travel from Aquila, it was time to reintroduce himself to respectable society. Duo headed at a lope for the nearest inn house.
Behind him, the man in black sat quietly on his warhorse.
Watching.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Inn keeper!" Duo shouted. "Inn keeper! A drink of your most expensive!"
"Yeah, yeah," responded that personage, an older man with a large bald spot, a greasy apron, and a no-nonsense attitude that had served him well for years. "Show me your money," he grunted at Duo, who waved the guard's stolen purse at him until the coins within clanked loudly.
"Top it off, my good man," he ordered, and then turning to the half-filled yard called out, "and the same to any man who'll join me in a toast!"
"Let's hear your toast," a man responded from his table.
"We drink to a special man, my friends, someone who has seen the dungeons of Aquila, and lived to tell the tale."
"Then you drink to me, little man. I've seen those dungeons."
"A blacksmith, perhaps? A carpenter? A stonecutter, even? But a prisoner, from inside Aquila?"
"I didn't say I was a prisoner." The man reached up a hand and casually swept a fold of his robe aside to reveal a silver and gold helmet, glittering sinisterly on the tabletop. Duo froze.
The man rose to his feet, impossibly tall it seemed, and the rest of the men at the table did the same, casting aside the peasants' cloaks they wore to reveal the red uniforms of the Aquila Guard. The tall man wore a similar uniform of gold and white, and he smiled at Duo with the lazy, feral smile of a large cat about to pounce.
"If you'd stuck to the woods," Zechs informed him calmly, "you may have stood a chance, Maxwell."
Duo nodded. "You're right."
For a moment, they locked eyes; pale blue to dark violet, and then Zechs turned his head and sat back down.
"Get him." He ordered offhandedly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lieutenant Nicoli grinned through his curly beard as he strode forward. The prisoner stood cowed before him, head bent, eyes half closed - even the thick brown braid down his back seemed to hang dejectedly. "All right, come on, then." Nicoli said reaching for the narrow shoulders. He grabbed the boy and threw him to the ground, tying his wrists tightly behind his back.
At least, that's what was supposed to happen. In reality, he never got past the reaching part. Before he could actually touch the boy, the cretin seemed to somehow come alive, throwing his drink into Nicoli's eyes and twisting out of his grasp.
Nicoli bellowed a curse as the liquid stung his eyes and got up into his nose. Duo didn't bother to look back; he dropped the empty cup and dove for the nearest crowd of people. He was gone before the other guards knew what was happening.
The soldiers quickly surrounded the crowd, pushing people out of their way, shouting and waving their swords and crossbows threateningly.
Zechs yawned slightly and took a sip from his tankard.
One of the guards, Francesco, pushed over a table where three old men huddled in their cloaks against the morning chill. "Out of the way!" he snarled, and two of the men creaked to their feet and shuffled off. The third remained hunched at the table. "You! I said out of the way!" Francesco's rough hand yanked at the cloak, which slid away to reveal a long brown braid and wide violet eyes.
Francesco opened his mouth to shout triumphantly, but lost his ability to do so when Duo planted both boots in his guts and pushed hard. The guard fell to the ground hacking and Duo flipped back over the bench.
Another soldier grabbed him from behind, but Duo managed to slip through his hands and dive between his legs. The guard's comrade, coming to help, ran head first into the guard and they both fell back, thrashing. Duo took advantage of the moment's confusion to leap for the overhead trellis.
By now, the entire patrol had convened under the trellis and were stabbing viciously upward with their swords. One man attempted to climb up after the prisoner, but Duo shoved him before he could gain his balance and the guard went tumbling down. Duo leaped and twisted madly, desperate to avoid the slashing blades.
Zechs gulped down the last of his brew and again rose to his feet. He watched the youth expressionlessly for a moment, and then applauded casually.
Duo made a last gamble dive from the trellis to the ground, but before he could scramble to his feet and run, a guard had him by the arms. He struggled, causing the guard to whirl, and his blade flashed out and sliced into the face of Captain Zechs.
A few drops of blood leaked down from the small cut, but Duo gulped and turned pale. The penalties for attacking the Bishop's own Captain of the Guard - "I'm so terribly sorry," he gasped, but too late, too late...
Zechs ran a finger over the cut and examined the blood. Pity. Now he'd have to execute him outright, rather than the usual hanging.
"Kill him," he ordered.
They swung him around, bracing his back against a pole. One soldier latched on to his left arm, and another went for his right. A third, Francesco, picked up a blade and approached, chuckling. Duo stared in horror as the blade was leveled with his throat, and then the guard pulled back his arms to swing -
- "May God have mercy on my soul!" Duo screamed as the blade bore down -
- an arrow buried itself in Francesco's sword arm, and the man fell to the ground with a shriek.
Zechs turned his head and the casual mask he wore slipped to amazement.
A man dressed in black leather armor stood by the inn doors, heavy black and red cape flung back over his shoulder. Wild dark hair framed his cold, expressionless face. The guards nearest him shifted uncomfortably under the intensity of his Prussian blue eyes...then again, maybe some of their discomfort came from the heavy crossbow braced on his arm, aimed directly for their Captain's head.
For a brief moment, nobody moved. Then a guard fired a crossbow bolt of his own. The bolt flew and hit the post behind the man, and without flinching he fired his own arrow straight into the guard's heart. The guard dropped like a stone.
The stranger pointed at Duo with the crossbow. "You." His voice was as cold as his face. "Out."
Duo slithered from the guards' slack hands and shakily stumbled towards his rescuer. The man handed him the crossbow as he passed, drawing a long, wicked looking sword. Duo took the crossbow, nodded unsteadily, and slipped past the stranger. As soon as he was free from that chilling gaze, he dropped the bow and took to his heels.
'Lesson learned, Lord,' he thought, headed for the distant trees.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Heero Yuy," Zechs growled. "One of my men told me you returned. I wanted to cut his throat for lying, because I knew you weren't that stupid."
The stranger merely watched.
One of the guards lunged forward, and in a flash, Yuy's blade rose to block the attack. The two men froze. The guard drew back his sword and saluted, smiling. "Captain Yuy," he laughed.
The smallest of smiles graced those cold features, and he nodded.
"Traitor!" One of the other guards hissed, and shoved his former comrade. The man fell forward, onto the still upraised sword of a startled Yuy.
The smile vanished, and he stared down at the limp body on his blade. He dropped the hilt and landed a powerful blow to the murdering guard's chin, snapping his head back and killing him instantly.
Jolted by the sudden deaths, the remaining guards surged forward to kill their once-leader. One slashed at Heero, who dodged around, picked up a string of rusted old horseshoes, and bashed the unfortunate man's head in. Another took a hefty blow to the guts, and a third broke his leg trying to get in a club swing.
Zechs barked an order, and the remaining men jumped away, all too grateful not to have to face the black clad warrior.
Captain Zechs Marquise strode forward until he was inches away from former Captain Heero Yuy's face. "You," he spat. "You killed her."
"She lives," Heero returned flatly.
"You damned her!" Zechs' voice hitched, and he swung his sword up. "You're dead!"
Heero launched himself at the Captain, hitting him hard in the chest with his shoulder and using his weight to knock Zechs to the ground. Before his rival could recover, he drew his sword from the dead loyal guard's body and strode away.
Zechs struggled to his feet, shaking off his men's offered hands. By then, Heero had reached the huge black horse standing by the inn. He swung up and by some unseen signal urged the horse into a gallop.
Zechs staggered forward, fury on his face, and bellowed after him, "YUY!!" Turning, he all but screamed. "After them!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He was a better pickpocket than a horse thief, Duo decided. "Come on, now" he pleaded with the guards' horses. "I won't hurt you, I'm a wonderful person." The horses, sensing his urgency and obvious lack of riding skill, were having none of it. They shied away, snorting. "Nice ponies, sweet ponies, come here..." Duo heard the sudden shouts from the inn yard, and threw his arms up in defeat. "You filthy strumpets!" he shouted, and took off for the woods on foot.
Duo was almost to the trees when he heard it - heavy horse hooves pounding...and getting closer. He risked a glance back over his shoulder and immediately wished he hadn't.
The horse was a giant, and black as night, and it was gaining on him. On the hell-horse's back rode the equally dark looking man, and they were bearing down on him mercilessly.
He ran for all he was worth, but the horse was faster.
The rider swooped down, grabbed Duo by the back of his shirt, and flung him over the beast's broad back.
"Oof!" Duo grunted as the air rushed out of his lungs. Turning his head, Duo choked on a scream. A guard had somehow gotten ahead of them, and was locking up the inn gates. They were trapped.
So why, Lord, aren't we slowing down? Duo asked mentally. If anything, we're going even faster, and I should know, bouncing around on my belly down here...
"Oh no," he gasped as he realized what his rescuer/abductor was about to do. He clapped his hands over his face, peeking through his fingers at his oncoming doom.
With a lurch, the horse's hooves left the earth, and Duo felt his stomach drop away with the ground. He looked back just in time to see the black hind legs clear the sturdy wooden doors, and see a large golden hawk come screaming down, talons extended, aiming for the hapless guard's exposed face.
The man screamed as the bird passed him, ripping the flesh of his cheeks with wickedly sharp beak and talons. And then Duo was distracted by an earth-shattering jolt. The horse took a moment to recover from the landing, and then they were flying down the road, headed deep into the forest.