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"The Knights' Chronicles "Written By: SkyLark DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters.
I just love playing with them. Pairings: 1x2x1, 5xOC Warnings: Serious AU, Angst, Violence, Sap, Romance
A Sidefic to By the Red Moon Betaed by ShenLong "The Knights' Chronicles " Waking before sunrise to a light drizzle falling over
the Sanq kingdom, the knights-in-training began their busy day cleaning
their steeds. Fixed with large buckets of sudsy water and large sponges,
they set to their task in their beasts' respective stalls. From where she knelt atop Ingier's back to work at bathing
the scales behind his right wing, she giggled when he shook with a
deep chuckle beneath her. Pausing to get her bearings and adjust herself
so that she did not fall off, she went back to her task as another
round of quiet laughter rumbled beneath her. "You are one of the few dragons I have ever known
to have a ticklish spot, Trouble," she smirked, her head shaking.
Blowing a few strands of hair that had fallen in her face, she wiped
her brow with the back of a hand. In the stable beside her, Wufei brushed at the large
tufts of hair at the sides of Nataku's face. Her eyes closed, the
green steed purred deeply in content. Peering over his shoulder to
gaze up at his lover, the swordsman asked, "Have either of you
met the Epyon royal family before?" Anna sat back on her heels to meet his gaze and answered,
"Not yet. But if they are relatives of Queen Sophia, I have no
doubt that they are every bit as kind as she." Pushing a large, wet mop along Wing's spine, Heero looked
over to Chang to comment, "There have been nothing but good things
spoken of King Zechs and Queen Noin from Epyon. If there are ever
tensions between their neighboring kingdoms, they get involved to
see that the arguments are settled peacefully before anyone from Romefeller
has to intervene. They earned the nickname of the 'Preventers' because
of that." The comb falling away at the end of her grooming, Nataku
turned her head towards her rider to give him a quick lick of appreciation.
Snickering as he patted the end of her muzzle, Wufei smirked, "I
do look forward to meeting them seeing as how-" "Look alive, everyone," Commander Lowe called
to interrupt as Peacemillion entered into the main entrance of the
facility with him secure in her saddle. A few dozen heads peered over
the closed doors to the steeds' stalls to give him their undivided
attention. Gesturing back behind himself, Odin announced, "Our
scouts have reported back that the royal carriage is only an hour
beyond Sanq's borders, so we need to report to our stations. Finish
up and be ready to take off in ten minutes." Beneath him, Peacemillion
moved to turn while he kept his gaze on his charges to inform, "And
we have a guest, so I want everyone at their best." Immediately, buckets were taken up to rinse off whatever
soap suds remained on the dragons. Opening the door to his yellow-green beast, Juan Hernandez
smirked, "Come on, Tiny. It is times like this when your size
really does come in handy, seeing as how you have been bathed for
some time now." With a bright chirp and a wide smile spreading
across her muzzle, the steed stepped out of her space. With time to spare, the remainder of the knights-in-training
and their superior officers mounted into their saddles and became
airborne. In the overcast skies beside the Commander hovered what
everyone could only assume was the guest that had been mentioned.
A fiery red dragon with thousands of tiny dark spots
in its scales and gold highlights that streaked its appendages waited
beside the head officer. Dark eyes framed by a smooth head spare for
overlapping spikes that fell along the back of its head watched the
approaching lot closely. Seated in the leather saddle was a young man with a
series of bangs that fell forward to cover half of his face. Armored
heavily from his neck down with a helmet resting on a leg, he made
an intimidating sight, despite the fact that he was obviously in his
mid-teenage years. Holding a hand out to the new face, Odin introduced,
"Everyone, this is Epyon First Scout,Trowa Barton. He has flown
ahead of his royal family's team to observe how we will be protecting
them." The procedure was a standard one for a visit such as
this where the whole of a kingdom's royals were to enter the land
of another. Were anything to happen to the family, their homeland
would be in turmoil as to who would be the next in line to take the
throne. A small, but pleasant smile tugged the corner of the
scout's mouth and he bowed his head to the knights around and said
sincerely, "It is very nice to meet you all." "He must have made quite the impression with his
superiors to have such a title and responsibility at his age,"
Anna whispered to Heero and Wufei while the others were greeting Barton
around them to cover her sentiment along with the wind. The 'brothers'
both nodded in agreement. Gripping the handhold of his saddle, the Commander ordered,
"Let us move out, then. We want to reach the border with time
to spare before the royal carriage arrives." At that, Trowa placed
his helmet back over his head as his steed turned south along with
Peacemillion so that they could both take the lead. Over the course of their flight to the southern borders
of the kingdom, the riders stayed above their ground forces through
the woods below. Every now and then, Barton would peer over the sides
of his dragon's sides to gaze between the trees so that he could watch
the progress of the securing of the main road. Lifting the shield of his helmet to reveal his face,
Trowa turned towards Odin and grinned, "You run a very tight
ship, Commander Lowe. Even though there is little chance of there
being any trouble, I am happy to see that you do not take any chances
with how you have the land covered." "Well, coming from an experienced scout like yourself, whom I am certain has seen your share of these protective measures, that is quite the compliment and I thank you," the tall man smiled. "I take much pride in the knights that we are bringing up as they are some of the best that I have had the pleasure of leading.” It did not take long after that brief conversation for
the team to reach the border. When the carriage and the soldiers flanking
it came into view, the trip back towards Sanq went without a hitch,
same as so many other escort missions like it. As the riders moved to have their steeds bring them
back down when they reached the encampment once the royal family was
safe within the city walls, Odin turned to the Terrible Trio and nodded
to them in a silent order that they were to follow him and their guest
to the castle. Following their smooth landing into the castle's stables,
the Commander saw Peacemillion into her temporary stall as his charges
did the same. Since he was of the same age, Trowa had naturally gravitated
to the knights-in-training once they were all on the ground and so
followed them down the main stretch of spaces available. With their steeds entering their own stalls, the four
teenagers took the time to introduce themselves with handshakes and
an exchange of their names. Grinning up to the red-and-gold dragon,
Anna asked, "And who is this?" "Heavy Arms," Barton smirked as his smiling
steed brought her large head close to him. Reaching up to scratch
underneath her jaw, he chuckled when her dark eyes closed as a deep
purr rumbled from her chest. "We have been friends for quite
a long time now," he shared. His head tilting, Heero complimented, "You hold
a pretty impressive title for your age. Not one of us has earned the
title of 'First' anything since we have not been knighted yet." Trowa lowered his hand away from Heavy Arms and so she
nuzzled him with the side of her head instead as he replied humbly,
"My early knighthood and position came due our being at the right
place at the right time. We were on what was supposed to be a routine
lookout around the borders when we came across a handful of wanted
fugitives consisting of conspirators and murders that had been hiding
in the caves nearby." "That does not belittle what you accomplished in the slightest," Wufei praised. "You most certainly deserved your knighthood and rank for that feat." Heero and Anna were quick to nod in agreement. Barton's smile grew and he bowed his head to his new
friends, "Well, I appreciate that." Scanning the three faces,
he stated, "Considering how you have all been invited to stay
with our royal families, there is no doubt that you all have made
quite the impression on your king and queen as well." At that, it was Anna's turn to shrug, "Well, I
think that truly was a matter our being at the right place and at
the right time as well as having friends in high places amongst the
gifted." His emerald eyes widening, the First Scout grinned,
"We will all have to sit around to discuss more on that. You
seem like an interesting lot that I would like to stay acquainted
with." The knight-in-training snickered quietly at the sentiment. Interesting was a very fitting word when it came to
describing them. And at times, it seemed like an understatement considering
all of the things that they had been through. The sound of hooves clopping up against the cobblestone
floor of the courtyard brought the band of soldiers back the reason
for their being in the palace stable. All but running out of the stable,
they were just in time when they stood beside Commander Lowe and Captain
Fraise who had returned from his overseeing the ground troops. Before them, the carriage neared, led by fourteen magnificent
Clydesdales that snorted and tossed their heads when the driver brought
them to a halt. The Epyon guards dismounted from their horses while
Trowa moved to open the gilded cart's door and stepped back to bend
forward at the waist with a fist over his heart. Fighting the urge to stand on their toes for a better
look at their honored guests, the knights-in-training followed the
scout and officers' leads by placing fists over their own hearts. A booted foot lowered onto the carriage step and a tall
man in robes of deep greens with gold accented silks stepped out.
His knee-length hair was the near same golden shade as the gold crown
that wrapped the top of his head. An impressive sight to behold for
the first time in their lives, Heero and his 'siblings' could not
help but stare at him with slack jaws when he turned to smile at them. Turning, the king held a hand into the carriage as a
heeled slipper rested on the step. Practically floating out into the
open with an easy grace appeared Queen Noin. While the knights-in-training
had seen her lovely face, crowned short hair of a deep purple and
her captivating eyes from her smiling to wave at them from the window
of her carriage during their escort, there simply was no comparing
just how striking she was in her satin gown of light blue trimmed
with white. Indeed, the words of the royal couple's beauty held
true. And the unique color of the queen's eyes made no mistake of
her relation to Queen Sophia. Trowa walked up to be the one to offer his hand to the
remaining guests inside. A hand slipped out to take hold before another,
smaller heeled slipper fell onto the step to reveal the crowned Princess
Hilde. Her own short, dark shaded hair nearly matching the cut of
her mother, the teenage girl wore a velvet dress of silver with crystal
beading. And by the way she looked at the First Scout, Wufei
and Anna shared a knowing glance of how familiar the hidden affections
in the princess's eyes were. Much like what they had endured in their
own relationship, they also picked up on Barton's obliviousness to
that endearment. "Reminds me of how we started off," the swordsman
muttered under his breath as he leaned towards his lover. Giggling
softly, the archer nodded while the princess moved to her parents'
sides and Trowa held his hand out by the opened door again. A couple of flashy rings sparkled on the last hand to
drape from the carriage to take hold of the scout as a shimmering
white, flat sandal took its perch on the step. In a flowing orange
dress, another girl in her mid-teens with near ground-length blonde
hair made her entrance. Haunting blue eyes locked with Trowa's and there was
a private intimacy of it that Wufei and Anna picked up on immediately.
Brushing down the billowing chiffon of her gown when she finally released
the hand holding hers, the lovely guest cast her enchanting gaze up
to the castle to stare at it in awe. Dorothy Catalonia, the sorceress that Commander Lowe
had mentioned, the knights-in-training were certain. And she was every
bit as beautiful as they imagined a sorceress would be. The royal couple made their way to the soldiers watching
them. "You must be Commander Lowe," the king grinned to
the tall officer, his voice deep and rich. "Solo and Sylvia have
told us nothing but good things of you and all in your ranks." Blinking his wide eyes, Odin stammered, "Y-yes,
I am Commander Lowe." He broke out into a wide smile. "I
am most honored to have that acknowledgment from our king and queen,
highnesses," he said as he moved to bend forward at his waist. "No need for that," the queen chuckled in
a warm timber while lowering the hand that she held up to stop Lowe
and the others. Lowering her hand, he smirked, "My sister considers
all of you her friends before you are her soldiers. And any friend
of hers is a friend to us. So, there will be no need for bows." Turning her attention onto the Terrible Trio, her she
beamed and approached them. "I am very happy to finally meet
you," she told them sincerely. "Over the years, I am sure
that you have been a part of securing my arrival here to visit my
sister many a time. I thank you for taking such good care." Extending
a hand, she introduced, "I am Queen Noin, but you may refer to
me simply as Noin." Every bit as stunned as their supervisors, Heero, Wufei
and Anna accepted the extended hand in handshakes as introductions
were made all around. Also happy to skip the formality of his 'king'
title, Zechs made sure to greet the Sanq troops along with their daughter,
Hilde. At the end of the initial introductions, the princess
stayed close to the knights-in-training and sighed in relief, "I
am so happy that there will be others my age that I will be able to
spend time with over the course of our stay." It was an odd thing for her to say, considering how
Trowa and Dorothy were present as well. However, when the trio looked
to the First Scout and the sorceress, they seemed to be in a world
all their own as they spoke to one another in hushed whispers. Occasionally,
the blonde girl would cast her eyes away to stare up at the castle.
The longing look on the princess's face when she gazed
at the First Scout spoke of just how alone she was even in their presence.
Exchanging sad frowns, Wufei and Anna's hearts sank for her in seeing
how she was all but forgotten by the one with whom she wished to have
at her side. "We are honored by the opportunity, Hilde,"
Heero reassured, bringing them all back to the present. "It is
good to have you here." Smirking, the short-haired girl asked, "Are you
always so formal?" Unable to help themselves, Wufei and Anna's
heads fell back with loud laughter when their 'brother' blushed at
the question. The archer shook her head and wrapped an arm around
Yuy's shoulders when she collected herself. Winking to the princess
she shared, "Heero is one who takes a little time to loosen up
when meeting new people, especially people of high rank. But, he is
one worth getting." Wufei lightly nudged their fellow knight
with a grin. Of course, the gesture and sentiment only served to
make Heero blush all the more, but he flashed his 'siblings' a grateful
smile. All attention turned to the last guest who had yet to
make herself known. Staying back from the group, the sorceress stood
with her head raised and pale blue gaze locked onto the palace looming
over them. "Still with us, Dorothy?" King Zechs snickered
in amusement. Gasping, the blonde young woman blushed when her wide eyes alightedon the knights. Her cheeks coloring, she hurried close and with a pleasant,
"My apologies for being so rude as to stare as I have been. I
am simply in awe over how beautiful your palace is." Offering
her hand, to Heero first, she gave him a friendly smile. "Dorothy
Catalonia, sorceress to the Epyon throne." Yuy gladly shook her hand and replied, "Very nice
to meet you, Dorothy. I hope you enjoy your stay here." Biting her lip, the sorceress giggled, "Oh, I am
quite sure that I will." * * * * "Noin," Sophia smiled in greeting as she and
her sister met in the middle of the throne room to embrace tightly,
Solo and Zechs walked up to each other and exchanged a one-armed embrace. Pulling back, the queen of Epyon was every bit aglow
as her sibling. Her hand resting on the tiny swell of a belly, she
leaned in and whispered, "I very much look forward to meeting
you, dear niece or nephew." "Nephew," Sophia chuckled as her sister straightened
herself. Replacing the hand that fell away from her stomach with her
own, she shrugged, "I have a very good feeling that they will
be a boy." At that, Zechs pecked his sister-in-law's cheek and
smirked, "I will not argue. Noin was absolutely convinced that
we were having a daughter when we first learned that we had conceived."
His wife's grin widened with a firm nod of her head. Stepping forward, Princess Hilde opened her arms to
happily embrace the expectant couple. "Congratulations, Uncle
Solo and Aunt Sophia," she offered as she practically bounced
on her feet with excitement. Clapping her hands, she cheered, "I
cannot wait to finally have a cousin!" Content to wait just within the entrance of the throne
room, the Sanq soldiers stayed back to give the royal families some
sense of privacy in their reunion. Such breakaways in their responsibilities
did not come often, and it was good for them to see them all laughing
and celebrating as they were. For one knight-in-training, there was a bitter sweetness
to it. Never having had a real family of his own, it was beyond Yuy's
control to not feel at least a little saddened over what he could
have had. "Are you okay, Heero?" a soft voice broke
through his thoughts. Turning, he found Anna and Wufei standing close
with their concerned gazes. Her head tilting, the archer frowned,
"You seem... extra sulky for some reason." Instantly, the slight mood that had fallen over the
unruly-haired teenager faded away. Perhaps he did not have a mother
or father to look after him, but he had the best brother and sister
that anyone could ask for. In the end, that was all the family he
needed. The corner of his mouth curling up, Heero nudged Anna
and reassured, "I am just fine, sis." Biting his lip, he
paused before adding sincerely, "Thank you for always looking
out for me... both of you." Fraise and Chang smiled, the gesture
expressing their understanding as well as their gratitude over the
sentiment. It was a brief moment between them before their sense
of duty called and they all returned their attention to the royal
families. * * * * (End Flashback) Leaning against Heero, Anna wrapped her arms tightly
around him as she grinned, "Aw, we love you too, bro." She
placed a quick kiss against his cheek and let out a sharp cry of surprise
when her smirking knight-turned-king gave her a playful smack on her
rear in return. Everyone gathered around in the stall laughed along
with them when someone called beyond the closed off space, "Anybody
home?" Duo's violet eyes widened with a sharp gasp. "No way," he smiled before he jumped to his feet and peered over the door to find his entire family entering the stable. Peacemillion and Heavy Arms stayed close behind their riders while they chirped and grunted in greeting to the familiar scaly faces of the Elite Nine in their passing. Sand Rock let out a shrill of an excited chirp before
he hurried to greet Peacemillion. Tails flapping enthusiastically,
they wound their necks around each other in a tight embrace. Practically having to jump out of the way for the giants
when they met, Zechs just laughed and shook his head in amusement.
"The way you two act, you would swear you never see each other
when you are together more often than not," he snorted up at
the beasts. Purring as their heads nuzzled together, the steeds paid
no mind to the king or anything else around them. Walking with the slightest hint of a waddle in her step,
Noin waved to her nephew, "Sorry that we are so late." Gently
patting the small swell her protruding belly, she grinned tiredly,
"The baby was protesting my waking so early this morning to leave
Epyon. Trowa carried a large basket in both of his hands filled
with wrapped items. Holding the packages up, he smirked, "We
come with gifts from Lady Une, King Treize and his family, Sally and
Commander Lewis. Even the wolves and Mueller gave us their tokens
for the babies since they could not be here tonight. But they are
all making plans to visit over the next few days." In her arms, Hilde carried a stack of folded blankets
as she asked anxiously, "We have not missed the hatchings, have
we?" Those inside Scythe's stall, including the steeds, all turned their eyes onto the seer. Lowering Spot from her lap, Relena gave her friends a sheepish smile and shrugged, "What? You all know that I have a hard time keeping things like this to myself."
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