Chapter 6

Heero's eyes ran over the pile of straw where he had fallen after going through the house's roof and realised he had actually parted its main wood beam with his weight. Not a good memory. He could still feel some reminiscing pain… And to think he had fallen so close to the spot where Wing had landed. Maybe he shouldn't have accepted Quatre and Wufei's explanations so readily, maybe he should have told them to help his dragon no matter the costs. He sighed, if only he had died this would have been over, but the bond between him and Wing could not be severed so easily. As long as one of them lived so would the other and though that might seem like a blessing to most, Heero knew better.

As he turned away from the building, he saw a hooded figure approaching and his hand automatically sought the hilt of his long sword careful not to expose the weapon he hid under his own cloak. When the stranger looked up though, he realised it was merely a young woman and relaxed. He still had no clues as to Wing's whereabouts so his only option would be to try and approach the castle as discreetly as he possibly could to try and locate the dragon on his own. The unknown lady halted right in front of him however, blocking his way before he could go much further.

'Excuse me… Do you happen to know if that is the house where the dragon rider fell?'

He wondered why she was asking. 'Yes, that is the house.'

As he prepared to resume walking though he realised she was still staring at him, scrutinizing him and not going anywhere. 'I apologise, but… Are you not the lost foreigner?' for a second he had thought he had been discovered and now, relieved as he was, he did not know what to say. The stranger seemed to notice and smiled as she explained. 'I was just at the blacksmith's…'

'Yes…' Heero nodded, clearing his throat. 'I'm afraid I am still lost. That woman would not stop going on about the dragon and did not give me any useful information.' That was a lie, of course, information about Wing was all he wanted, but aside from the fact that the dragon had fallen in front of the blacksmith's and been dragged away by the guards, Heero had learned nothing.

'Well, maybe I can help you. Where would you like to go?' the young lady lowered her hood to reveal a head covered in dark blonde hair.

That was the last thing he needed… 'The nearest inn will do.'

'You should not linger here in Sanc.' She told him, sounding genuinely concerned. 'It seems a war is about to start… Would you mind if I took a look inside that house before we go?'

Heero watched as she walked past him and stepped right into the house without really waiting for his answer. As a lost foreigner he supposed all he could do was follow her inside… Perhaps she was more than just a curious girl. 'Why are you interested in this house?' he wondered if he should have been more subtle or polite… He had not been around women in an awfully long time.

'It's not the house I am interested in.' she smiled at him like he was an innocent child. 'I am looking for the dragon's rider.'

He stared at her back as she kneeled to inspect the straw. 'Is that not the guards' job?'

'I heard there were guards looking for him…' she said absentmindedly as she stood back up.

'Is there a reward on his head?' Heero asked neutrally.

'Why? Would you be interested if there was?' she smiled at him as they stepped back out into the street and started making their way away from the market.

He wondered if she was joking or mocking him. She was not like the women he had met before, so he smiled back hoping she would not notice how forced that gesture was. He had not had to smile in an awfully long time either. 'I might be.'

'No. There is no reward. At least not that I'm aware of…'

Heero noticed she had not lost the smile. 'He could not possibly have survived the fall.'

The young woman halted then and turned to him. 'You really think so?' He was taken aback by the sudden sadness in her eyes so he could only nod. Thankfully, she resumed walking. Heero did not like it when she stared straight at him, it made him feel uneasy as if she could read his mind. Ridiculous… 'I never asked your name.' she said just as they started down an empty street.

Heero could already see the sign that read 'inn', hanging above a simple wooden door down the street. He wondered what he should tell her, it was not like his name would reveal anything about who he truly was. Still… That young lady smelled like trouble. Why was he even following her? Surely he could have come up with some better excuse and gotten himself out of this predicament, so why had he not done it yet? Act on your emotions. 'My name is Heero.'

'Heero…' she repeated in a whisper, making him feel uneasy in a whole new way. 'I'm… Sylvia¹.' Pausing for a second she made a brief curtsy and smiled. He bowed his head in return, at least he was not completely out of touch with decorum.

'If you do not mind me asking, Sylvia… Why are you so interested in this dragon rider? Is he someone you know?' he added the last question as a means of throwing her off balance. If she thought he was implying she was a traitor to her kingdom, she might be angry enough not to suspect him or his question.

'No, I do not know him. Or, at least, I don't think I do, though I would certainly like to.' She smiled and there seemed to be some sort of dreamful gleam in her eyes.

His breath caught in his throat as he watched her from the corner of his eye. Her hair looked golden under the morning sun rays and he realised that part of it was pulled back in a braid, keeping the strands away from her face. She had that gentle smile that was almost permanent and still not strained, yet in her eyes he saw a strength and determination he had seen nowhere else before. Who is this woman?

'Well, here we are.' She said. He looked up at the sign, following her gaze. 'It was very nice meeting you, Heero. It is good to talk to someone my age for a change. I wish you luck on your journey.'

That carefree girlish smile again. Heero bowed briefly and watched as she turned away, pulling the hood back over her head as she returned to the market street. For some reason he felt lost and empty, like something had been left unfinished. He shook the thoughts away. Now was not the time to act like a careless nobody and wonder about his feelings, he was a dragon rider with a mission. He started making his way towards the castle, only one thought in his mind… Wing.

XXX

Quatre was pacing around the lake. The movement not only eased the soreness in his thigh, but also cleared his mind. He could not believe they had been forced to stay behind while Heero trudged alone through enemy territory. Why did they have to obey these wizards anyways? Was there nothing they could do to stop them from turning them back into stone? What if they just disregarded those orders and went after Heero? They did not have to take their dragons and without them they would not attract as much attention.

'You know they are right.' Wufei told him as if he had been reading his thoughts. The black haired rider was sitting on one of the many rocks that surrounded the little lake, polishing his sword. 'Besides you'll feel it if Heero's in trouble.'

'And if he is then what will we do? They will not let us leave.' He stopped pacing and turned to his comrade exasperated. Wufei did not seem to notice, but someone else did. The big white dragon was suddenly behind the blonde man, nuzzling his shoulder. 'Sandrock…' Quatre turned to his partner with a surprised look on his face. He closed his eyes then and smiled. 'You are right. I do need to calm down and rationalize things rather than let my feelings get the better of me. Thank you.'

He was still petting the dragon when Trowa walked out of the hall and into the courtyard. 'They are talking to her right now…' he answered their curious looks. 'She seemed confused and a little shocked. Maybe even angry… I barely had the time to explain anything to her, but I guess that is what they intended, after all they think she is a spy.'

'You think they'll let her go? After all she's seen…' Duo looked thoughtful as he scratched his chin.

'She might not want to. I don't think she has any family left.' He could remember the young woman saying something to that effect, but he was not sure. Sometimes it felt like his past memories of his sister were mixing up with his current memories… He could not look at one girl and not see the other.

'If she does want to leave now though, I do not think she'll be able to do it. At least not in one piece.' Wufei commented casually. 'It would be risky for all those here present.'

'You are absolutely right.' They followed the voice to the archway where wizard O stood with his scary smile. He approached the lake slowly until he was close enough to see his own face reflected in the black water, then with a motion of his hand he conjured up the image of Sanc. With a frown he shifted their view to the top of the walls surrounding the city where watchers stood guard. 'The girl may not be a spy now, but if we allow her to leave she might become one.'

'Why are we seeing this, Master O?' Quatre inquired in a cautiously polite tone.

'J's little breezes seem to think OZ is just about to attack…' he sounded more irritated at having to have come all the way there than like he was actually mocking J's powers.

'Now? Will you allow us to go after Heero when they do?'

'Your friend knew what he was getting into when he left to find that snotty dragon of his.' He turned to leave, but stopped and pointed at the lake. 'Let us know when they attack.'

'Why did you ask him?' Duo asked Quatre when the wizard was gone. 'You know he's the worst out of the five of them.'

'I just saw an opportunity…' the blonde man shrugged, turning back to the image.

Even after such a short time, they already felt they knew their summoners as if they had known them their whole lives. J was the obvious leader, he smiled a lot more than he talked but when he did say something his word was final. G was active, if there was anything that could be done he always wanted to go through with it even if it meant watching the world burn at the end. S was the friendliest and most understanding, he was always calm and patient when he spoke to them and the others. H was alright as long as he was happy, but he got angry very easily in which case he did not think twice about speaking his mind. Now, O… He rarely spoke, much like J, but when he did they could always expect the worst.

With a frustrated sigh, Duo took a seat beside Wufei staring at the boring scene of the guards patrolling the walls and the fields beyond. 'I hate this curse. Is there really nothing we can do?'

'I was wondering the same thing earlier…' Quatre met his eyes sadly.

'What if we just kill all of them?'

'It is their magic that maintains us, Duo.' It was Trowa who answered with a grimace. 'If we kill them we'll just turn back to stone until the next master comes.'

'But there has to be a way! We cannot spend the rest of our lives like this!' this time only silence answered him. 'I should've known you would ignore me. You have already accepted this, admit it. You no longer have the will to fight, so you don't even dare say anything.'

'Maxwell, shut your trap and watch.' Wufei commanded annoyed. Maybe Duo was right, maybe they had given up fighting their cruel fate, but now was not the time to grieve their lost lives.

They could practically hear the guards as they shouted warnings and ran for their bows while others blew their horns to warn the rest of the town. OZ's army came marching out of the woods and into the fields straight to the gates of Sanc. Their speed was impressive despite the weight of their armours and weapons, just what should be expected of a people that devoted themselves to the art of war and battle. The gates were already closed but the walls were not that high and soon they would be inside the city. All four dragon riders could see it.

'Can you feel Heero?' Wufei turned to Quatre.

'No. We are too far. I will only detect him if he is in great pain. We have to go there and get him.'

'Then go.' J's voice reached them even before he had stepped out of the shadows followed by G and the girl Trowa had rescued. He placed his free hand on her shoulder. 'Catherine will be our cook from now on so you need not worry.' That last part he added for Trowa's sake and the young man nodded truly relieved.

'Master J.' Quatre kneeled. 'Thank you.'

'There is no need for you to get involved in the battle though. Find Heero and come back.'

'Yes, master.'

They did not need to hear another word before they turned and ran to their dragons. Trowa gave Catherine a small smile before they departed, she still looked pale, but no longer as scared, in fact, she did seem to be angry at him. He knew she was not happy about being 'kidnapped' by him, but he hoped she would get used to all the magic and the dragons. Now, it was all too new and shocking to her. At least she is safe. If only they could rescue Wing and Heero, then their team would be back to their full strength and they would be able to look into that problem that so disturbed them, but that only Duo seemed brave enough to acknowledge. For all their power the dragon riders were no more than puppets.

1) A humble homage to Sylvia Noventa who's been excluded from this story even though everyone else seems to be present. XP