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"The Rovers"Written By: Kaeru Shisho Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Gundam Wing
or its characters, nor do I make any monetary profit off this story. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: AU, Romance, Adventure Pairings: ? Summary: The characters from Gundam Wing find love amid the perils of war, oh… and they save the world while they're at it. The story is set in an alternative universe on earth. Part One is told from Heero's point of view. We meet the roving people with a hidden agenda, and the men hunting them. In Part Two, things go wild and…well, let's just get through these first four chapters of Part One and see how it goes. Thanks to Waterlily for reading and offering her
advice not just once but twice—and when you get through part
two you see just how long a story this is and just how much I owe
her! Hope the exchange rate is in my favor… "The Rovers " Part One Chapter 3 - Meet the Rovers "Yuy." I awoke reaching for the blade under my head roll. It was dark at first, my eyes adjusting to the dim light of pre-dawn. A boot crushed my wrist to the ground. I noticed another heavy weight on my back, pinning me in place. Near to my ear came warm breath and the sound of a woman. "Don't move." Further off, I heard the grumble of Zechs' voice. "—fucking don't need to be tied up!" Of course I tried to move, kick off the weight, but my ankles were roped together. "You know, if you didn't fight I could avoid a lot of work here." That voice came with a chuckle at the end. A low voice of a man. I twisted my neck to get a glimpse, but it was dark. "So, waddaya think? Come quietly and promise not to fight or...not?" I crossed my arms at the wrists. "Never." The man sighed. "Right. Well, I do like an honest man." I felt the ropes bind me, not too tight, but he was expert enough to keep the knots out of my reach. "Up you go." He wrenched me to my feet. I could barely balance, but, again, he knew how far apart he had to leave my feet so I could just shuffle and not run. Not your ordinary bandit, then. I could see a sweep of silver hair; Zechs being loaded onto the back of something. A wagon? Rashid I did not see. I heard the faint jingling of bells. I could smell spices and oil. Another pair of arms assisted the low-voiced man, and I was hauled into the same place. A wagon. The man slid next to me. "Comfy? It's gonna be a long ride." "You are one of the Rovers," I declared. I had heard all kinds of accents, but his I couldn't pin to anyplace. The spicy smell brought back memories of travelers. He turned to look at me and his face lit up by a huge melon slice of a smile, "I am? Geez, was that your idea of a brilliant deduction? No wonder-" The dawn was an hour off, I guessed from the faint lightening in the sky. East. We were heading down and east. I cut him off. "—Where are you taking us?" "Why don't you let your friend up front tell you?" he said. An older man on the far side drove the horses pulling the rattletrap farm wagon; Rashid sat at his side, arms free, the traitor. "He is no friend of mine," I said. From the corner of my eye, I saw Zechs thrash; he had a gag in his mouth. "Let him talk. He is the one in charge not me." "He bit me," said the young man at his side, another Rover, I guessed. "The gag stays." "Tro's got his limits," the Rover next to me said. Rashid turned slightly so I could see him in profile. "I am sorry, but we are being taken to where my prince is held. It has been my aim to locate him. It seems expedient this way." "Yeah, he gets it. Listen to him. You and blondie over there could be free, too, if you'd just cooperate. Um, I'm called—" "Shini!" I shouted out. "I remember you!" "Yeah? I was wondering how long it would take you. Some call me that, but, well, my name is Duo, by the way." "Duo," I repeated. "Right." "How's the arm? Heal okay?" he asked. "Yes." I hadn't noticed. The sound of Zechs' boots scraping the wood slats reminded me that he was there. He was probably wondering what we were talking about and I didn't want him to think this Duo and I were working together. "The last time I ran into you was when I'd saved Relena," I explained, mostly for Zechs' benefit. "Whatever you shot me with, there was no bullet. It healed fast." "I was just set on 'stun', nothing permanent." I had no idea what he was talking about. "You have a new job now," Duo said flipping the collar of my Sanc guard travel jacket. "Fancy-shmancy." I turned suddenly to look at the man at my side. "What?" Duo said distrustfully. "Why you again?" I asked. The hair those flashing violet-blue eyes filled my vision. I wanted to wipe the palms of my hands on my pant legs. His eyes on me sent my heart racing. "Points for you," he said without a smile, his attention diverted to our road up ahead. "Later, babe," he whispered. I followed where his eyes seemed focused. I had never seen one of the Rovers camps. In fact, I'd avoided them up to this point. There were none in Lombardia or Sanc- that I knew of- and I just didn't go looking for trouble. Now I was curious, but I didn't want them to know that. I sat in the middle trying to ignore Duo to my left and a girl with an evil-looking knife on my other side. She identified herself. "I'm Hilde. And the dude holding a blade to blondie's neck is another of our companions." "Shadow," I said, identifying the Rover. "I encountered both outlaws on the road." "Shadow? Hear that? Yeah, that name's not used much. He likes to be called Trowa," Hilde said. "- a circus acrobat of unknown origins," Duo completed with a laugh. Trowa sandwiched-in Zechs behind us with his back to stacks of sturdy-looking pine crates. "They knew who we were," Rashid said. "I didn't tell them." "Didn't need to. A prince and his guard and a sentinel from L4? Am I on a roll or what?" Duo asked nobody in particular before falling silent. We drove without talking, slowly over the dirt and stone road. The wagon bounced and bucked so hard I shut my mouth tight to keep from cracking a tooth. "Dagnabbit! Don't want to break an axle!" the driver complained, breaking the reserve. He was older than the others, grizzled, and wearing the most garishly floral shirt I'd ever seen. "And you wonder why I didn't want to come this way?" Duo laughed. "By the way, meet my boy Howard." "I'm a fifty-five-year-old man, a machinist all my life," he claimed. "What's a machinist?" I asked. "Oh, you'll see. I make things with moving parts that do work," Howard explained with enough lack of detail so that he told me next to nothing. "All the Rovers love Howard," Duo claimed. "They can count on him. He never drinks, he never stole anything I've heard about, heh, heh, and he never answers back." Howard shrugged off the compliments and didn't deny or really accept them as truth. "- and if you say 'be at the job site at five-thirty in the morning' then there he is." Duo beamed a smile at the man. "You are so full of shit you're about to explode," Howard grumbled and sent Duo into hysterical ripples of laughter. The two unmatched cart-ponies were small, with thick manes and shaggy coats. When we stopped for a moment, they grazed on whatever weeds happened to be there; apparently they could eat anything at all. The horses Zechs, Rashid, and I had been riding were tied at the back of the wagon. Hilde loosened their ties to let them graze. They watched the ponies at if mystified by their actions. At noon we left the forest, and rode for a time along an open steppe. It was cold and gray with fast-moving clouds overhead; we rode past smashed corn fields and abandoned wagons. "What happened here?" I asked. "Funny you should ask," Duo replied. "Let's just say there was a battle and these got left behind during the retreat." "Battle? Who's fighting farmers here?" I had no idea what he was referring to. "Your prince there might shed some light upon it. Oh, yeah, he can't talk. Well, later. It'll all get explained later." We then moved back into the forest for an hour, watered the horses at a stream, and emerged at a point where a new road passed about a hundred yards from some birch groves. The line was a single cart wide that seemed to go from nowhere to nowhere, disappearing into the distance on either end. Here, summer was over leaving fall to start off dry and warm, even as the sun descended behind the range we had passed over. "Almost home!" Hilde cried out. We took the narrow road for less than an hour, and then the old wagon shuddered and swayed into a farmyard. The dogs were on them immediately, barking and yelping and jumping up to leave dusty paw marks on the painted wood sides. From the slow way Zechs moved, I could tell his body ached from the ride as much as mine. Other folks came to our wagon. They took a pry bar and tore open the crates. Unpacked two dozen shiny metal guns—rapid-firing carbines so rare I'd only heard rumors of them—and few guns that resembled the one Duo had used on me. Howard and Duo cooed over them while the mistrustful eyes of Trowa glowered at us with the obvious aim of keeping both Zechs and me in line. "What I can do with these!" the old man wheezed, coughed, and laughed at the same time. Howard was more than a machinist; he was an inventor of firearms and dreams and nightmares. (o) A Rovin' we will go! I soon discovered that stop wasn't the Rovers' camp, just a drop-off place for the arms. We were loaded back into the wagon, sitting flat on the wood floor now that the crates of weapons were gone. There was no mistaking the actual camp for anything else when we got there. Strains of music played outdoors, strange folksy music, dancing music, and I knew we had entered another culture. Warmth spread through me, one of well-being that I couldn't identify exactly. That was followed by something new. I'd been feeling stressed, my senses on alert for so long, I didn't wonder that I was reaching some sort of limit. My heart was beating faster with anticipation. The Rovers. Howard announced, "We're almost here." "Untie their legs." He shot back over his shoulder, "Nowhere to run unless you want your legs shot out from under you. Everyone's armed." Duo had Hilde untie my ropes, while he supervised. "When we get out, just follow me," she said. "Stay close; say nothing. No one can touch you while you are under Shini's protection, understand?" She kicked my foot for unnecessary emphasis. I must have been scowling at her slow progress and replied too slowly for Duo's taste, because next thing I knew his hand was gripping my shoulder like an eagle's talons. I shivered at the touch of his slender fingers. "Understand?" he repeated, saying it slowly as if I were too dumb to get it the first time. "Yes!" I snapped when the digits dug in. "For how long?" "For now," he said, illusively. "Dear gods alive," Zechs murmured on exiting the wagon. Our eyes were met with a riot of colors, spinning patterns, and textures from stiff, ruffled skirts to fragile-looking shawls as fine as spider webs- all totally unlike the sedate blues and greys worn in Sanc. Scattered about were tents and wooden caravans, also brightly painted, parked in confused disorder. The music rose and fell, carried by the wind from where it originated somewhere beyond our line of sight. I recognized the wail of violins, a drum, a flute, and guitar or harp, and felt a strange draw. I wanted to go in search of the players. "This way," Duo said and he led our group to the right. I tore my attention away from the tunes and fell in behind the other men. Zechs had Trowa at his elbow and Rashid walked alongside Howard. Hilde skipped back, having momentarily lost track of me. "Oh no you don't," she cried out, making a grab for my arm at the same time. "You ain't sneaking off on your own." "I wasn't going to," I told her. "Where's the music coming from?" "Later," was all she told me. "Why not answer him now?" Zechs inquired imperiously. "Maybe it's a party celebrating Shini's homecoming, but," and here she smiled slyly as if knowing she was about to say something rude to a prince, "You might think it's all about you." We encountered stray, scruffy-looking dogs, cats, and kids all who gawked at the sight of strangers, then ran and hid. Zechs dusted off his cuffs, remarking, "Dirt everywhere. Disgusting!" Duo paused and turned to glare at him. "Sometimes. It's even worse when the rain turns this to mud. We migrated from the north before the fall rains," he waved his hand absently, "and while it's still dry here." "You just arrived then?" I surmised. "Yeah. Things are kind of a jumble still." "Why don't you build houses and pave roads and live like civilized people the world over?" Zechs asked sharply. "We haven't a country. We have no borders, Oh ho!" he said, but his attention was not on us. Two young women, one on each arm, were greeting him warmly. "Harlots," Zechs hissed under his breath. Rashid, standing closest to him, inclined his head slightly. "The older women seemed to dress in similarly low-cut bodices and flirty skirts," I noted in their defense. "I think it's just their traditional costume." "Quite possibly," Rashid said. "I once heard that the married women wear scarves to cover their hair, but the unmarried ones don't." When a trio of young boys ran past, bumping into Zechs and me in their rush to get on with their game, Zechs snapped again, "Bare feet! Can't they afford shoes?" Duo, who was busy with the two clingy women, simply shrugged off the remark, leaving Hilde to answer. "No," Hilde said sharply. "We are very poor people-" She was interrupted by a poke in the ribs. "Hil-" Trowa said, making a point of looking us over and making us suddenly aware of the fineness of even our road-soiled travelling clothes. "Nothing to apologize about." Rashid took a step forward and addressed the much shorter Duo. "I would like to see Prince Quatre Winner." I suppose he'd intended it as a reminder, but it come out sounding like a demand, and considering our situation I didn't think he had that kind of power here. Apparently I was right and he noticed it himself when Duo practically prickled with spines like a forest porcupine. The Maguanac looked contrite and added, "Please." "We are all here on his behalf," Zechs added, "and unless you plan to execute us, we'd like to get on with business." I didn't want to be included, but I was in service to the Sanc Kingdom, and remaining silent seemed the best thing to do. "Tell you what," Duo said, "I'll let Trowa rustle up Quat, while the rest of us show you to where you'll be staying." Cat? I wondered. "You're imprisoning us?" Zechs asked. "I wish, but no. We ain't got prisons here. I was thinking of a tent to sleep in. I mean, you weren't thinking you were going back over the mountain tonight?" "No!" I blurted. I was sore and tired and hungry and really tired of being on the back of a horse or a wagon. "A place to rest would be fine. We'd be grateful." Duo eyes met mine and for a moment I think he understood my position and my mind. "Good. Okay then. Over here." We were shown to adjoining but separate tents, offered water to drink, and left alone for a moment of rest. I only intended to stretch out my back on the floor, but I must have drifted off, because I was startled awake by the sound of Duo's voice outside the flap of cloth that acted as a door. :Hey, we're gonna have a little to-do and you are all invited." He added as if as an enticement, "There's food and music." I rose far more slowly than I'd anticipated. "I'm coming." "I'm waiting," he relied with a chuckle. He winked at me. "I let you sleep a little." "I didn't mean to—thanks." I said. "Yeah, your travel-mates are already at the gathering." Zechs and Rashid were seated on cushions. Rashid was not looking pleased, not that he ever did, so I sat on the far side of Zechs and focused on the musicians. Standing on a short stage of wood planks, were four players with an assortment of stringed instruments, a flute and a drum. To one side, two more waiting for their turn. There was a fiddler and guitar and hand drum player already playing a tune. I took my time to study the diverse group. Surrounding us, but not showing any aggressiveness, were Rovers of all ages. Food on trays were being passed. Pitchers of drinks. They were a motley crowd of mixed ethnicities forming a culture of free spirits. Duo and Trowa, Shini and Shadow, had left the three of us and gone to join the musicians. "That's Prince Quatre," Rashid said. Zechs noticed him immediately, and pointed him out to me. I followed their lines of vision to the handsome blond man greeting Trowa with great familiarity: a not-so-brief kiss and embrace and shared smiles. So that's how things were! I couldn't stop myself from staring at the happy couple. "Yes, that's him," Zechs concurred. "How do you know that?" I asked. "You've never met him, have you?" "We crossed paths in Sanc once or twice. Nothing memorable." I didn't agree. Quatre was gorgeous, glowing. Trowa smiling was a stirring sight as well. He tossed off his cape, pulling a flute from a pocket, and revealed his lean form. The tight tan pants and form-fitting green shirt harkened back to those of an archer mercenary group from L3. The Winner man had no shame; at least he made no attempt to hide the current object of his affections from his countryman. Surely he'd noticed Rashid, standing in plain sight, towering above most of the Rovers and his face heavy with concern. Would he be so open if he knew he was engaged? And he played the fiddle! He joined the Rovers in a lively piece like he'd been born to it! "No wonder he didn't want to marry your sister," I commented, perhaps nastily. Zechs took it well, even joking about the young prince's escape from L4 after learning of his impending nuptials. "The onus of coupling with the wrong person for life too much for him? My sister... no... she is not nearly man enough." That was uncalled for, I thought, but I kept my comments to myself. I really didn't understand Zechs' mood swings. "He's not what I expected, the Winner prince," I said. Zechs had warned me, but still, the contrast was amazing: he was blond and fair-skinned in a land of sun-bronzed, swarthy men. "His mother is cousin to an aunt of mine ... not bloodline, but honorable." "Sanc royalty in L4? So Relena marrying him would have brought things full circle and secured the tie." "Tie it all up with a pretty bow? Possibly." "A knot," I corrected emphatically. "Bows, knots does it matter?" "With one tug, the bow is undone. Whereas, with a knot, give it a yank and it gets more tightly bound." I thought I'd said something clever. Zechs just flickered a smile. "He doesn't appear terribly duty-bound or look constrained while defying his father's wishes," Zechs said, smile fading. "So bow it is. Nice metaphor." "He looks happy here," I said and left it at that. So was I, as peculiar as that was. The music, the chaotic nomadic world around me, the spicy food, the people. Duo. There he was! Compelled to return to the object of my fascination, I once again settled on watching Duo walking around his people and talking. "He is stunning," Zechs said. He is, I thought in reply, thinking of course of Duo. Here I was supposed to be looking for the ambassador to L5 as well of the prince of L4, and my mind was distracted by flashing eyes, a devilish grin, and an ass-slapping braid. The heat burned up my neck. I clamped down on my emotions and tried to will the flush of embarrassment away. Zechs chuckled at me. "Oh, your eye candy is too. Ha!" He shook his hand at me. "Don't worry. I'm actually glad to see a normal human response from you. Oh, don't look at me that way. For a long time my sister's attraction to you was a little... embarrassing—" "I'm not royalty—" "No, but that wasn't important, or my point. Although I felt you liked her, and you certainly had opportunities to woo her, I never saw what I would call ... well, let's just say you never appeared to mirror the infatuation she had with you. It worried me to think she was falling all over you and that you didn't care a—" "I cared... care! Relena is my friend." I was getting wound up by him and blamed the long day. "Good friends! We are good friends!" "Friends. Ah... so much embedded in that single word." Zechs turned to look over the musicians again. "Duo is delightful, but I'll leave him to you." I punched down all the things I was tempted to say, including, "You bet you'll keep your mind and hands off him!" All I said in response was, "Hn." "I have my eye on that mysterious fellow. He's as bored with the music as I am." Obviously, Zechs referred to someone else, not Duo. This time I jerked out of my head and followed his sightline to the shadows. There moving with the stealth of cat was a slight young man dressed all in black silk from his high-necked tunic to his delicate-looking shoes. Zechs laughed at me. It didn't get past me that he'd been doing a lot of that since we arrived at the gypsy camp. "That's-!" I was sure that I had identified him, even if I'd never met anyone from L5. "Ambassador Chang from L5. I believe we've found him," Zechs said. Duo danced a bit with some girls, then alone- the temptation to join him nearly shredded my resolve to remain duty-bound and sit by my commander- and now was making his way to my side. "Like the music?" he asked. He kept rhythm with his hips, dancing in place. "Yes, I do. Trowa and Quatre play well together." He laughed. "You noticed?" I nodded and said, "That didn't take long." "Love at first sight, I think." Love? I tried not to give away my surprise at that news. "Sudden for love." "I'd say love at first sight always is.... sudden," Duo said then shrugged and kept scanning the crowd. "What are your intentions? Why are you treating us so well?" I asked him. This direct attack evoked a chuckle from him. "Yeah, I have an objective. I want you to join us, me." "As a Rover?" "As a...freedom fighter. To free the colonies from the death grip of Khushrenada's armies." "What makes you think I want that? I'm in service to Sanc." "Do you want to be?" I hadn't expected that question. "I have you to...blame for getting me the job." "You and the princess got along pretty good?" he asked me. "All right. She was grateful I saved her." "I bet. Mostly, I remembered you." "You shot me." "I let you both go, that counts for something." When I looked up at the musicians and saw Trowa, tall and lithe, playing the flute, a peaceful expression on his face, it was hard to label him a thug or punk. And as for Duo, I was too far head-over-heels for him to properly measure and assess him. "I'll listen to your pitch. I'm not without interest, but I have pledged my fealty to Sanc." "That's fair." His bemused expression did not escape me. He'd let me get by with that tentative answer for the time being. "So are you and the prince, you know-?" Duo's hand movements left no doubt as to his meaning. "N-no." I controlled the rush of blood to my face, focusing on my reply. "Are you and that...Hilde-?" "Not currently. Not my particular taste." Duo's eyes looked me over and he actually licked his bottom lip. It was as much as I could take. "Are you even fifteen?" I asked. "Eighteen!" he shot back, "as far as I can figure. You're no older!" "Nineteen," I lied. I was probably eighteen, but I wasn't sure. "I'll bet." "You look younger than me." I justified my lie. He just grinned at me. His eyes sparkled above lips I had to taste. So I did. It was sudden, hard, and after a moment of shock, returned with equal vigor. Whether or not our politics matched, our appetites certainly did. For less than a minute. Further fooling around was held in check by the others around us. "Check him out," Duo said. Rashid appeared to be determined to speak to Prince Winner and tear him away from the young Rover. "Can't let him bully the poor kid." As we milled over toward the pair, the song wound down and Trowa put away his flute. Preparing for a show down? Winner looked completely nonthreatening to me, a gentle soul. But, as I watched Rashid close in on him, the line of his jaw firmed and he lifted it to better meet the older man eye-to-eye. His hands fisted at his sides, giving the appearance that he wasn't going to be a total pushover. Duo and I were close at hand in case there would be a fight. Trowa flexed a hand by his side where a knife hung, sheathed in a tooled leather holder. From the bulge, I guessed he carried a larger blade under his tunic. His boots were wide at the top, space to hide another. I wondered what other parts of his arsenal were on him right now, out of sight. "I've been commanded to see to your return to home and duty," Rashid sighed, "my prince." "I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you, really I am." The little blond looked sincerely troubled. "I was terribly worried about you," the man confessed, and I could see that his earlier bluster was for show. The man loved his prince like a cherished son. "I'm so sorry, Rashid!" came the young prince's tearful response. "I would have told you what I had planned, but I was afraid you'd stop me." "I would have tried." "And I had to do this. I had to come see for myself what the Sanc, the Duke's, and Khushrenada's forces were doing to our lands. What the other colonies were suffering were just rumors I'd heard. I had to learn for myself what was the truth." "And what, my dear prince, have you discovered?" "That the rumors were right!" Winner cried out. "It's just horrible how the colonies have been used. Have you seen this?" He shook the document in his hand. "You brought this to me; so you know what this envelope contains? This is the agreement I must sign on marriage to the Princess to Sanc! Of course, you had no idea what demands it makes. On my marriage, my land, your land, our colony would be subjugated entirely to Sanc. A mole on the fair land of Sanc. We would lose all the... meager as it is... independence that we have. I couldn't do that to L4! I don't know why my father agreed to something like this or what advantages he thought it would bring L4!" "Not to mention the inconvenience to yourself," Duo commented, with a chuckle. "Hooked up for life with a girl, albeit a pretty one." "I-I'm sure Princess Relena is a lovely young lady," Winner said quickly with an uncertain look in Zechs' direction. "But I'd rather make my own choice." "But your duty—" Rashid tried again, albeit knowing his was a weak position. "My duty lies with my land, L4. Its sovereignty is very important to me. From what I have learned, the only way to achieve that is to fight for it. Joining the Rovers, the freedom fighters, and unification of all the colonies is the only way to defeat the strength Khushrenada yields." "Then I shall remain by your side, my prince, and guide you home when you are ready." "I'm not crazy about that idea," Trowa said, breaking his silence. "As I am not crazy about whatever relationship the two of you have fashioned." "Oh, Rashid, don't be that way. I'm sorry, but I love Trowa. I do!" "I forbid you to see him again," Rashid said. "At least, there's a part of me that wants to tell you that." Quatre was amused. "You sound like a father in a play." "Yes, I suppose. Am I a suitable replacement, my prince?" "Yes and no. You can remain as a friend, my guard if you like, but understand this: I will not give up Trowa, not for anyone." "I accept the position, my prince, and shall stay." I almost laughed at Trowa's expression. I didn't want a blade or arrow running through me to mark my last moments on earth, so I didn't. I could understand his situation. He did not want a chaperon disturbing his love nest. The evening's events came to a close shortly after that. I was returned to my tent and left alone with no guard. "I'll see ya in the morning, early like, okay?" Duo asked. "At your service," I said, completely amused by the man's apparent lack of security. I guessed he didn't need it. Where was I to go? What was I to do? Without a doubt, the archer wouldn't think twice before sending an arrow through my devious skull, nor did I have any illusions about Hilde's love for me. She'd slide a knife in my ribs with little excuse, should I try anything. With that comforting thought, I fell asleep instantly. (o) Spellbound in Rover-ville The next morning Duo greeted me with a shake. "Hungry?" "Yes." I followed him to a caravan where a woman was handing out coffee in heavy clay mugs. We both took one. It smelled great, different from the roasted beans Rashid used. I sipped and tasted cinnamon and milk. "Good," I said appreciatively. "Here," Duo said passing me a doughy roll, folded over itself, with walnuts and raisins. The lightly sugared crust was still warm from the oven. Colonial driftwood; L2 whirlwind. Everyone he passed came to life, greeting him. I hadn't known I'd said that aloud. "Colonial driftwood? Huh, I kinda like that. Mind if I steal that and put it in a song?" he asked with a glint in his eye. "Do what you want. I can't hardly stop you." I didn't like feeling powerless and surrounded by folks true to him, however... I knew I had little choice but to comply with his wishes. I felt fuzzy and warm and happy. It was so rare a combination that I relished the moment as best I could. "Awww, don't pout. For a prison, this ain't all that bad. And I know." "I wasn't pouting. You've been in a prison?" I don't know why that surprised me. "Oh yeah. Lady Une had me on a podium calling for my execution." He wasn't smiling now. His eyes darkened behind his bangs. "Now that place was a bad time in my life." He wouldn't talk for a long time after that. We ate in silence. I got up when he did and followed him to the horses. They were very well cared for: clean bedding, fresh water, plentiful food. I approved. We saddled up and rode out of the village, taking a dry path that wound away from the lake and into the woods. There we sat on rocks at a viewpoint. He pointed out mountains, named them, and I added what I knew, which wasn't much- a little plant identification. I moved off my rock, exchanging one hard seat for ones increasingly closer to his until I could only be closer if I sat in his lap. Since he'd made no move to keep a distance between us, I presumed that he didn't mind. He made no suggestion that I was particularly welcome, but I didn't require much encouragement. My blood was hot. I could hear a roar in my ears. What I wanted was him and that wasn't going to happen with us perched meters apart. While I was considering my next move, I don't know what he was thinking, but it wasn't kissing me. He turned and said, "Your way results from an accumulation of wrong ways." That stopped me cold. I leaned back and after rolling over in my mind what he'd said, asked, "My way? He amped up the charm and smiled so that I lost my will to defend myself, no matter where the attack was coming from. I was completely under his spell, and didn't care about my safety as much I thought I should. "You aren't going to try to kiss me again, are you?" he asked. The imp. "I don't have to try. If I want one, I'll get one." I was full of myself, all right. He was on his feet in a heartbeat. "I gotta boogie. Boundaries to check, trails to maintain, miscreants to catch." He turned on me suddenly. "Wanna come along?" Of course I did. "It will feel like old times. Before I incurred my Sanc-guard obligations." And it would keep the object of my interest in my sights. Whew! TBC...
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