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"From the Shadows"Written By: Honor Disclaimers: The boys are not mine (curses!) however all the other characters are, and the story, and the idea, and my evil muse. You can have my evil muse. Pairings: 4x5 Spoilers: Nope Warnings: AU, soooo AU, maybe a hint of OOC, violence,
lemon, language, political scheming and fantasy elements. Oh, and
unicorns. ^_^ Rating: R Archived: Gundam Wing Diaries Betas: Velvet and Caitilin *emphasized* =thought= ::mental communication: :
" From the Shadows " Chapter 11 He harms himself who does harm to another, and the
evil plan is most harmful to the planner.
All too soon it was the day Dermail was expected to arrive. The morning just seemed to crawl by as everyone waited for the king's arrival. When the trumpets sounded at the main gates, signaling that the monarch and his party were approaching, it was almost a relief even though no one there was looking forward to dealing with Dermail. Chaelane was on the palace steps, dressed in a light blue dress that made her appear more like a young queen and less like a live china doll. She was nearly vibrating with anticipation. The smile on her face was just a tad too sadistic. Quatre and Wufei stood several steps behind her, hands twined together. Quatre could sense the tension and unease running through Wufei as they waited and squeezed his hand a little. "Wufei?" Wufei squeezed back, letting out a slow breath. He could hear the concern in his mate's voice, and sought to reassure him. "I just don't like facing the man. He's obnoxious at the best of times, and impossible to deal with when irritated. Right now I'm sure he's livid. Under the circumstances, I'm sure he will be…unpleasant." That statement was submitted for Understatement of the Year later by Wyrack—it won, too, by a landslide. Quatre's first impression of Dermail was not favorable. The man was grim in appearance, with harsh lines in his skin and stark graying hair hanging in limp strands around his face. The ferocious glare he aimed at everyone made it quite clear what he felt about the situation. The pleasantries offered by Chaelane were brusquely acknowledged and set aside. She was a little perturbed by this, but recovered her equanimity with commendable speed. "Perhaps we should simply adjourn to my study? We can discuss the particulars of the situation there." "By all means." Dermail shot Quatre a nasty glare as he followed the young Queen inside the palace. Without thinking Wufei pulled Quatre into a protective embrace, glaring right back at his monarch. The situation was no one's fault, and certainly not Quatre's—and Wufei wasn't about to let his mate bear the brunt of Dermail's anger. Dermail's expression grew even darker at this show of defiance but didn't offer a single word. Spinning sharply on his heel he stalked into the building. "Unpleasant indeed," Quatre murmured dryly for Wufei's ears alone. "Let's get this over with," Wufei muttered back grimly. + The study had been rearranged slightly in anticipation of this meeting, the desk moved to one corner to make room for two large wing-backed chairs for both monarchs. There were several other chairs ranging about in a rough circle, and one small couch. Wufei and Quatre took the couch, preferring to be in very close proximity. Despite all the efforts made for comfort, no one felt at ease in that room. They sat tensely in their chairs, and more than one person fervently wished that they didn't have to be there at all. Chaelane sat demurely in her chair next to Dermail, her eyes serious and grave in her child's face. Wyrack was to her right, also somber and rigid. To Dermail's left was a man in flowing black robes that no one recognized. Wufei did not feel comfortable having a high priest in his presence—he had never been a member of any religious Orders in his country, but he certainly knew a Star Priest when he saw one. Their religious 'rites' were suspiciously like magic, but there was never a whisper said against them. Wufei had always suspected that the Star Order had some kind of hold over his king—seeing one of their Priests here rather confirmed it, in his mind. Dermail barely let everyone sit down before focusing entirely on Wufei and snarling, "You will explain yourself, Chang." "There is very little to explain, Your Majesty," Wufei returned evenly. "You know that I am Sanguine, and that I came here to search for my intended lifemate. Quatre is that person." "You honestly expect me to believe that?" Dermail's face worked as if he were physically going to be sick. "Not only is he male, but he's tainted with magic." "If we're going to be technical about this, I'm tainted with magic," Wufei snapped back. "There is nothing normal about a Sanguine, but you have never offered any protest of my family. You cannot hold a double-standard, especially not with lives at stake." "Are you suggesting that you can work magic now?" "Of course not," Wufei growled in exasperation. "Sire, consider this rationally—do you honestly think any normal person would suffer the withdrawal that a Sanguine does when we are searching for our mate? That it is normal for someone to know who their intended mate is simply by sight? Magic must be involved for such things to happen." "Your family is god's touched," Dermail denied swiftly. "There is no magic involved." Wufei darkly wondered just how many times Dermail had told himself that over the years, just so he could swallow having the Chang family serve him while still enforcing his ruthless policies on magic. "Whatever the source," Quatre interrupted smoothly, "we must consider the current situation. With your policy on magic, King Dermail, it is impossible for me to return to my husband's home country. Unless you alter your stand, there can be no compromise." Dermail ignored him completely, still looking at Wufei. "You have served me faithfully for years, Chang. I do not wish to lose your service, and so will offer you another chance. Quinze—” Dermail's hand rose to indicate the Star priest sitting next to him "—assures me that the bond between you can be broken without harming you. You can be free to choose someone else then, someone more acceptable." Wufei was out of his seat, sword half out of it's sheathe before Dermail could even complete the sentence. "Over my dead body!" Dermail rose sharply. "Chang, you will not threaten your king!" Wyrack stirred slightly, voice deceptively mild. "You just threatened his mate, Majesty. According to the laws of this land, he has every right to kill you if you press the point." Dermail faltered slightly, looking askance at the elderly sorcerer. Apparently it hadn’t occurred to him that his life might actually be in danger, and the notion did not sit well with him. "Whatever that so-called priest of yours has told you," Wufei spat harshly, "the bond between my husband and I cannot be broken. Not without killing both of us. And let's make the matter very clear on this, Dermail—I did not have any choice when it came to whom I would bond with. That I am blessed with Quatre is not by choice but by the grace of the gods themselves. I do not want anyone else. Even if you broke the bond, I couldn’t choose anyone else." Quatre rose, laying a restraining hand on Wufei's arm, still taut and gripping his sword hilt firmly. "Softly, Wufei," he whispered. "No one communicates at the top of their voice." Wufei breathed in sharply, reigning in his anger. He knew that Quatre was right, that nothing could be gained by yelling at Dermail for being an idiot, but it was hard to keep his temper at the same time. Finally he rammed his sword home and made himself take a step back. His restraint was rewarded when Quatre took one of his hands in both of his, squeezing gently. Reluctantly everyone resumed their seats. Wufei slipped one arm around Quatre’s shoulders, keeping him very close. Their bond, while complete, had not gained full strength yet. Until it was fully matured Wufei’s instincts to protect his mate would be running very high. If Dermail continued talking about ‘breaking’ the bond, then it would be dangerously easy for Wufei to slide over into bond rage. As tempting as the prospect was of beheading the man, it would cause a great many complications as well. Chaelane took a deep breath and bravely started the conversation up again. “I realize this is quite a shock to you, Dermail, and that it goes against your beliefs about magic. Quatre has always been very careful about how he uses his magical abilities, and has never abused them—can you not consider giving him a special dispensation? I have no wish to lose my right hand, but I’m sure that if you are willing to be lenient in this case, we can arrange for them to live with us half of the year, on a rotating basis.” “I will not have magic in my country at all,” Dermail snapped. Quatre stirred slightly, looking up at Wufei with unease. He wished he could say that he wouldn’t use magic while in Chahir but he had no idea if he could do that. Since gaining his abilities, he’d never tried to stop it. And Costoch had ordered him to shift into unicorn shape at least a few hours a week—that would certainly count as magic. Wufei shook his head slightly, warning Quatre to say nothing of his true nature. That knowledge wasn’t something that he would willingly tell his monarch. Who knew what the man would do with it? He’d rather live in Hain anyway, where they were both safe. Looking back at Dermail he stated quietly, “If you cannot accept magic at all, then we will stay here.” “No, Chang, you will not stay here! You are the best general that I have and I’m not leaving you here to play spy. You’re coming back with me.” “Not without my mate,” Wufei shot back heatedly. Dermail’s face grew tight with frustration. “Fine, I’ll compromise. I’ll let you stay here half the year with him, but you come and live in Chahir where you belong the other half.” “Why did I hear ‘without Quatre’ in that demand?” Wufei bit off between clenched teeth. “I’m not having any magic user in my land!” Quatre had sat there patiently until his patience had evaporated completely. With a low growl he caught Dermail’s eyes and spoke with contempt dripping from every syllable. “You have worked with the Chang family for many years, and still you understand nothing. You are not the center of the universe, Dermail, and nothing will be rewritten just to appease your ego. You are insane if you think that either of us can stand to be separated for a half a year at a time! We can barely manage a few hours out of each other’s presence.” Dermail went bright red with anger, nearly having an epileptic fit at Quatre’s rudeness. “You uncouth—” “Silence,” Quatre hissed. There was such absolute power in that word that Dermail shut up without thinking. Then he sat there and fumed at his own reaction. “We are a matched set,” Quatre explained slowly, as if to some lower level of life form. “And we cannot be separated.” “Enough of this.” Wufei stood, bringing Quatre up with him. After this conversation, it was quite clear where everyone stood and there could not be a middle ground reached. The only thing that staying would accomplish would be upsetting Quatre more, and Wufei was sure that they could put better use to their time. Retreating to their room and working off some of the tension was definitely an attractive option at the moment. Dermail bristled in indignation. “Chang, where do you think you’re going?” Wufei spared him a glance. “After everything said here it is quite clear to me that even if you allowed Quatre into Chahir, he would never be welcome or safe there. I will not go back, not and put him into that kind of danger. We’re staying here.” The Chahiran King sat there stunned, jaw dropping. “You are my general, you cannot choose where you will live!” “I resigned,” Wufei reminded him almost cheerfully. With a respectful nod to Chaelane, he and Quatre retreated from the room and closed the door firmly behind them. Even through the thick wood of the door they heard an outraged scream of frustration. Quatre gave the door a perturbed stare, as if he could see through the wood and view the room’s inhabitants. (And since this was Quatre, Wufei wasn’t going to discount the possibility that he could do just that.) “You actually worked for that man?” “Most of the time I was out in the field and didn’t have to deal with him,” Wufei offered dryly. “Otherwise I’m sure I would have accidentally-on-purpose killed him before this.” “Ah.” Quatre slipped his hand into Wufei’s and started leading them down the hallway. “So what shall we do next? All of our usual meetings and tasks are cancelled.” “I think you should practice those locking spells Costoch was showing you,” Wufei murmured with a suggestive smile. Quatre’s eyes lit up, a smile curving the corners of his mouth. “What an excellent notion. On our bedroom door, perhaps?” “We’re sure to avoid interruptions that way.” Chuckling, Quatre took off into a run, tugging Wufei happily along with him. + *knock* Wufei started awake, rising up enough to look over his shoulder and toward the door. The soft rap had barely penetrated the door, and hadn’t disturbed Quatre’s sleep at all. Silently he slipped out of bed, threw on a robe, and stole softly toward the door. It took a moment to convince the door to unlock—Quatre’s locking spells hadn’t completely worn off yet—then he eased it open a crack. A young page was standing on the other side, looking a little irritated to be up this late. His expression smoothed out when Wufei appeared and he bobbed his head in a quick bow. “Sorry for the disturbance, my lon. Lon Quatre is needed urgently.” Wufei cast a quick glance toward his sleeping mate. Quatre was so peaceful at that moment, he was loath to wake him up. Besides, the blond hadn’t been able to sleep well for the past few nights. Worry over their immediate future had kept awake. “No need. I’ll handle it. Where to?” “The Lowan’s garden,” the page replied promptly. “Understood, I’ll be there soon.” Wufei closed the door again, rummaged around until he found his pants and shirt, tugged on a pair of boots, and quietly slipped out of the room. As he walked to the garden he sent up a silent prayer to his ancestors that whatever this was about wouldn’t take long to solve and he’d be able to return to his very warm and cuddly husband soon. The garden was strangely quiet when he reached it. There were lanterns all around the area, however, and with that amount of light there was sure to be people. Wufei drifted to the back corner where people had the habit of convening, hoping that they were there. He was barely within eyesight of the chairs when something dark shot from the bushes and wrapped around him. Jerking in alarm he tried to back peddle, but whatever it was that was wrapped around him acted like chains. He twisted to look down, seeing thick ropes of something like magical energy tightly hugging his chest and thighs. Wufei started mentally swearing the situation in his head. He’d put a dagger into his belt, the habit so engrained that he hadn’t thought about it, but he wasn’t sure if naked steel could do anything with magic. “I had meant to lure the unco,” a disembodied voice noted dispassionately, “but you’ll work just as well, Lon General.” Wufei’s head snapped around to the source of that voice, and his lips drew back in a soundless snarl as he saw Quince, the Star Priest and Dermail standing there watching him. “What insanity is this?” “Quince explained it to me,” Dermail explained with something like glee in his eyes. “It’s the bond with the heathen that has you so defensive of him. All we have to do is break the bond, and you’ll regain your senses.” Pure alarm shot straight through him. Break the bond…they still intended to try and break the bond. Wufei knew very little of magic, and what he did know dealt more with Quatre’s brand of magic, so he wasn’t sure if Quince could break the bond or not. What he did know was that trying to break the bond was sure to kill him, and Quatre, whether the attempt succeeded or not. “Dermail, I’ve said it several times—breaking the bond will kill me, it will kill us both. Nothing good can be gained from this!” Dermail waved this concern away. “Quince, begin.” The Star Priest walked forward calmly, incantations pouring from his lips in a language that Wufei didn’t recognize. The bands surrounding the bound Sanguine pulsed in response and tightened even further. If the bond were completely mature, or if Quatre were in unicorn form at the moment, then he could mentally call for help. As it was, Wufei was completely at his enemy’s mercy. His mind went through a dozen different plans and rejected all of them as unfeasible or implausible. He never had a chance to try anything anyway—an instant later the edge of the bond erupted in something that felt like pure fire. Wufei dropped to his knees, screaming as white hot agony tore through him. Quatre! + Quatre was torn from sleep as he felt unbelievable pain flood his bond with Wufei. He could almost swear that he heard his name being screamed in panic too, but the pain was overriding everything else. He dove from the bed, into a pair of pants and hit the door at a dead run. As he ran, following a vague feeling of Wufei’s presence, he was mentally trying to call to his lifemate. ::Wufei? Wufei!:: There was no response. Quatre nearly panicked, wondering if Wufei were so hurt that he couldn’t respond. In desperation he activated the part of him that was pure unicorn, shifting into his more natural form as he ran. As soon as the change was complete he started calling again. ::Wufei! WUFEI!!:: ::Quatre…:: Nearly weeping in relief he demanded. ::Where are you? What’s happening?:: ::Lowan’s garden. Hurry! They’re trying to break the bond.:: If Quatre had been in human form at that moment, he would have been swearing. ::I’m coming. Hold on.:: No one in memory had ever seen a unicorn run. Quatre barely touched the ground with his hooves, the fleeting contact with the floor leaving a sharp ringing noise behind that made the halls feel more like a cathedral. The noise predictably woke people up and doors started opening in the hall, heads popping out to see what the source of the commotion was. What they saw convinced several people that they were still dreaming and others that they should stop drinking so much at dinner. Seeing a unicorn running through the palace halls was simply impossible. Seeing an enraged unicorn glowing in red fire was so far outside of the realm of possibilities that it wasn’t even worth mentioning. Quatre didn’t register anyone else. He skidded to a halt in front of the garden doors, rose up onto his haunches and hit the door with both of his front hooves. The doors, being a simple creation of wood and nails, predictably exploded inward into so much kindling. Quatre lost no time in running through the smoking debris, mentally tracking his mate down to the far corner where Chaelane preferred to hold court. What he saw chilled his blood. Wufei was lying on the ground with dark magic binding him, nearly comatose in pain. He barely stirred when he saw Quatre, the call more mental than physical. ::Quatre…:: Dermail saw him first and nearly fell over himself as he scrambled backwards. Quinze did the same, but he started chanting nearly frantically, throwing up every magical shield he could think of. It didn’t do either of them any good. Quatre let out an enraged equine scream, rising up until his hooves flashed in clear warning. As the two Chahirans tripped over each other in their efforts to retreat the unicorn landed heavily and lowered his horn, aiming at them. Pure red energy shot from his horn, enveloping them like a solid cage. With the shield in place, their importance was shifted to practically none. Quickly the unicorn crossed to his injured mate, lowering his horn to touch the dark magic still in place. With barely a touch the Star Priest’s magic disintegrated instantly. Quatre shifted back into human form as he knelt next to Wufei, gathering him up into his arms, smoothing back dark hair from a face far too pale and lined with pain. “Wufei? Wufei, please look at me.” With extreme effort Wufei managed to get his eyes partly open, but it was a struggle. His body was still thrumming with pain and all he really wanted to do was go to sleep until the worst of it had passed. His mate was there, though, and worried, and Wufei couldn’t just ignore that. He shifted a little until his head was resting against Quatre’s shoulder and just soaked in the contact. It felt like bliss to his abused bond, like a soothing cream against a burn. Quatre pulled Wufei more into his lap, burrowing his face into that thick black hair and just held on. Like he had the night they bonded he reached out with mental fingertips and ran it along their bond. It was ragged, nearly torn in half in one place. He started to shake when he realized just how close they’d come to being separated—another moment, perhaps two, and Wufei would have died. Quatre wouldn’t have survived him by long. “I’m alright,” Wufei whispered hoarsely against Quatre’s bare skin. His throat was raw from all the screaming. “We’ll be alright.” “I’m going to kill them,” Quatre snarled. His arms tightened around Wufei even more and he shot one more venomous glare at the two cowering Chahirans before dismissing them again as unimportant. He had to focus on Wufei now, to pull them both through this. Very, very gently he started inserting little bits of his soul into the damaged parts of the bond, repairing it as best he could. The more he patched, the more relaxed Wufei became until he was nearly asleep. There was a sharp inhalation behind him. Quatre’s head snapped around in alarm which disappeared when he recognized Wyrack. The sorcerer looked like he had just stumbled out of bed and grabbed the nearest robe, but his eyes were alert and trained on the scene in dawning horror. After a moment he rasped, “Tell me they didn’t try to break the bond.” “That’s exactly what they tried,” Quatre bit off. “Deal with them, Wyrack. I must see to Wufei.” Wyrack nodded grimly. Quatre very politely asked his lover’s body to lighten up a little, just enough so that the smaller blond could carry Wufei back to their bedroom. Wufei sank into his arms, letting out a sigh of contentment. "Do you need anything?" Wyrack asked with worry evident in his tone and expression. He was so used to seeing the proud ex-Chahiran General that the nearly comatose half-naked form in Quatre's arms was a little alarming. "Time and peace." Quatre's words were curt but he couldn't find within him the patience to soften them. "Do not call on us for any reason, Wyrack. I must see to Wufei first and foremost." The elderly sorcerer nodded and wisely moved out of the way. He had never seen a Sanguine's mate in bond rage, but damned if he weren't seeing it now. There was one thing that he was absolutely sure on: neither King nor Priest were going to be safe from Quatre's wrath. + "They did what?!" Wyrack didn't feel the need to repeat himself, as he was fairly sure that Chaelane had heard him correctly the first time. After securely locking up the moronic Chahiran pair in the palace dungeons—in the most remote, dark, cold corner he could find with all of the locking spells that he knew and could invent on the spot, as well as half the palace's chains holding them in place—he'd gone straight to his queen's bedchamber, woken her up and then informed her tersely of what he knew of the night's proceedings. Which, admittedly, wasn't much. He knew the basics, though, and they were bad enough. Chaelane looked adorable with her sleep-mussed hair, slightly askew pink robe and nightshirt. She sat in a near daze in her chair, eyes as big as saucers. "After everything that we've told them…after serving with Sanguines for centuries…they still tried to separate a Sanguine from his mate?" "It's actually worse than that," Wyrack pointed out with nearly sadistic glee. "While Costoch was here, he caught me up a little in unicorn tradition. Apparently, it's just as common for unicorns to form magical bonds with their mate. So not only were they separating a Sanguine from his mate, they were separating a unicorn from his mate." Chaelane let out a groan. When she'd first been told about Quatre's true nature she'd been skeptical…until he transformed in front of her. Then she'd been in a daze for about an hour, letting what she thought she knew of the world fight with what she'd seen with her own two eyes. After that she'd been heartily glad that Quatre was a unicorn—not only did it explain his abilities, but it meant she had a valuable resource at her hands. Unicorns were known for their near empathic compassion with people and their unparalleled wisdom. She'd sworn to herself (and everybody else) that she would do everything to protect him—and by extension, Wufei. Never, ever had she ever imagined that she would be confronted with someone stupid enough to break a unicorn's bond, though. "Wyrack, isn't what they attempted punished by execution?" "We can execute the Star Priest, certainly. But Dermail? That would cause serious political ramifications." Wyrack paused before admitting slowly, "Although I think that even by the laws of his own land it's considered punishable by death. I'll have Zechs look into it." "Knowing Dermail, he has it set up to where he can't be punished for it though," Chaelane muttered glumly. She was probably right. Their Sanguine laws were similar to Chahir's—actually all of their laws deferred to Chahiran law. Wyrack had checked himself when he'd realized that Wufei was bonded to Quatre. It tied their hands in a very convoluted knot. A particularly wonderful, devious, sneaky idea occurred to Wyrack in that moment. He was almost proud of himself for thinking it. "I wonder if there are any laws on the books about unicorn's mates?" For a moment it just didn't click for Chaelane what her sorcerer was getting at. Then her eyes flared in understanding and a slow, devious smile grew on her face. "If there isn't, I'm sure we can make some up." "Ones that give Quatre autonomy in punishing decisions," Wyrack added with a malevolent smile. There was a dreamy light in his eyes that spoke of boiling pitch and thumb screws. "And Wufei a chance to gain compensation if he feels like it," Chaelane inputted righteously. The innocent smile she wore was only a little tarnished by the devilish gleam in her eyes. Wyrack quickly crossed to the bell pull and summoned a page. They'd need Zech's mind for this. And they needed Heero too—he could take charge of the Hearken for the time being. Wyrack winced thinking about his delay in informing the Hearken what had happened to their beloved leader. They wouldn't be happy to learn about everything that had happened while they were asleep. Ah well. That would just put them into a better frame of mind in dealing with the two imbecilic perpetrators, wouldn't it? ~*~*~*~ Footnote: Some people might be worried about them being in Chahir, what with Quatre being a unicorn and all—don't worry. Dermail is the only one stupid enough to attack a Sanguine's mate. Besides, they'll be with Wufei's family the entire time—no one would dare attack with that many Changs around.
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