Title: The Ribbon and the Ring 8?
Author: Seraphim Grace
Archive: http/ if you want it ask, I'll probably say yes. http/ http/ Always appreciated and replied to.
Rating: 18 (This is an open rating so I don't have to worry).
Pairings: 1x2
Warnings: Angst. Some gore.
Notes: AU, and features necromancy

Wufei closed over his book to check the name, although the history that Kail had given him was fascinating it was incredibly dry and there was a lot of information to absorb. To add insult to injury it kept referring to other books he hadn't read. It obviously was not a book for the layman, it was a book for other scholars. It annoyed Wufei that he could know so much about his own world and so little about this one.

Checking the title again to make sure it was the one referenced by Sir Cameron, who he hoped he could meet at some point. He opened the book to the page it recommended. He had long since stopped making notes for Kail and was now enjoying his reading.

Of beauty so fine that stars burnt themselves to dust, woven of sea and of forest, Onestra arose in the bay of Amanitas, long lost to the south, in the fire of summer, born of mortal mother, and of divine seed. Her beauty ceased the waves in the shore, and caused the birds to sing in joy of her, and her mortal father took such pride in her beauty that he bought for her the finest fabrics that he could not afford, and his family became deep in debt. So the lord of Amanitas, Alaister, perceived of the beauty that grew so errant in his city purchased the debt. In exchange for the vast amounts that Onestra's father had accrued in debt Alaister asked only for the Fair Onestra as a concubine, for she was peasant not Pariako Sic. no modern word exists for this word and could not accede to rulership in Amanitas.

Yet Alaister was enchanted of Onestra's beauty and he gave her many gifts, one of which was preservation, and another that of song, so that she might sing to the birds who sang of her passing, but she was only mortal. The third of his gifts was the right to a champion, to protect her innocence for he only wanted to look on her.

Onestra was proud, for she had been preserved like her Pariako lord, and she had no wish for a mortal who might preserve her beauty so she made a sure boast, that all the men in Amanitas might come forth and prove their worth. They presented themselves to her seeking the honour of serving her beauty, and to them all she gave the same task, to bring her the head of a dragon. None returned.

Alaister was embarrassed at Onestra's pride and he extended the challenge to all the men of the free world, and from Atalantis, proud Northern twin of Amanitas, deep in the heart of the Termigent forest, and to that call one man came forth, greatest champion of Atalantis and he was named Menelaus.

And Menelaus, armed with only reports to Onestra's beauty and the sword at his side which he called Annuvin, he travelled across the land in search of a dragon for the honour of his lord Nathaniel. In the deep gorge of what is now Dathyl, far to the west Menelaus encountered his dragon and for forty days and for forty nights they did battle. Finally quelling his enemy Menelaus cut the head and wept. He wrapped the reptilian head in his cloak and on foot, for his mighty steed, Rae'etha, sic was slain by the beast, he walked to Amanitas which he had never seen.

The guards at the gate tried to bar him entry and laying down the broken sword Annuvin, broken in the dragon's craw, and the bundled head of the beast he called aloud "Bav'ath'mordell'teraslyn" sic, ed. The Bav'ath'mordell'teraslyn appears in many later texts and there is evidence to argue that this was his call. The Bav'ath'mordell'teraslyn is a ranger tradition of one unarmed man against thirty armed men to the death. The guards took the challenge against the unkempt stranger. He killed to a man, then proving himself with a challenge thought impossible, he ascended unto the presence of Alaister, lord of Amanitas, to whom he presented the head of the dragon and thirty ears. "I have killed the dragon." He said. "And I have slain in unarmed combat thirty of your guards, am I not worthy to serve." And the lord Alaister praised Menelaus, having long thought that Onestra would never have a champion and he presented the knight, travel stained with blood and dust, and on removing her veil the heart of Menelaus melted and he swooned with love...

After years of service, in which time both Onestra and her knight were preserved, Menelaus was recalled unto the golden dome Atalantis and being loath to leave his lady he requested a boon from Lord Alaister, that he might take her to see the golden dome and the fountains of his forest home, and Lord Alaister could forbid Onestra nothing and so he allowed their passage…

Lord Nathaniel of Atalantis was enchanted by the veiled beauty of Onestra, and he seized her, locking her within the golden tower which overlooked the dome, and he sent word to Alaister that he would keep the mortal girl and he charged Menelaus as her gaoler. Menelaus was nothing before his Pariako lord, and he obeyed.

Alaister was enraged and he gathered up his Pariako hordes, sending word to Selestin of Akhenitas, that there could be no other answer but war. And he laid siege to Atlantis demanding the return of Onestra. Nathaniel refused him quarter and sent him the heads of the three Pariako messengers in a gold box carved with the sea crest of Amanitas. Thus it was war…

Late at night, perceiving, after ten years the fall of Atalantis against the combined hordes of Akhenitas and Amanitas, Nathaniel released Menelaus from his bonded fealty and urged him to take Onestra to safety, but there was no safety, as the gates fell in. And the first of the mortal soldiers of Akhenitas took the field to claim victory for his lord who gifted them steel, and he saw Onestra and he captured her and Menelaus, who had defeated Bav'ath'mordell'teraslyn, and who dropped the broken sword Annuvin in the dust beneath the feet of the mortal, and his name was Leander.

But the toll of the battle was great, both Nathaniel and Alaister lay dead, and Selestin wailed the loss of his kind, and took Onestra to Akhenitas, where the two men were bound in service to Selestin, last lord of the Pariako, and then the mortals rose up for now they had steel…

After years of fighting, in which time it amused Selestin to give Onestra's untasted beauty to Leander as a prize, for he asked for her, Akhenitas fell to the onslaught and Selestin's mortal concubines and his hybrid child, Draima, were spirited away…

In the battle Leander was struck by the masonry collapsed by the catapults and he died, and Onestra was beside herself for grief for Selestin who was dead, had given her to the soldier, and she walked out to the mortals, childless and ancient, but young still, and presented herself to them without all her wits, and she was wed to the lord of these people with her broken beauty. Menelaus laid down his broken sword, and climbed to the conservatory of Akhenitas, and anointed in the blood of the dragon, he took flight. (1)

He closed the book over and sighed, the abbreviation didn't seem to help any. The room was darkly uncomfortable, Quatre was sat at the window staring out over the city, the drug that they had given him for his headache had made him introspective and quiet. Trowa was in a strange position with a book on animals, he had looped his legs over the back of his chair and his head dangled off the seat as he looked at the pages that were lit by the fire. Heero and Duo had not spoken since Duo and Trowa had returned from the library. It seemed that Duo was still in a snit about being referred to as Heero's mission. Wufei didn't understand it, whilst he acknowledged that Duo was perfectly capable of looking after himself, and was a demon in a fight, he would have thought that he would like being the focus of Heero's mission.

He was glad that Sir Gereint had said that he would start their journey to Halcyon tomorrow. Trowa unfolded himself from the chair with a grace that Wufei knew that he would never manage. "It's getting dark." He said as he lit the lamps. "We should think about going to bed."

"Hmmhum," Duo mumbled into his book, "just let me finish my chapter." Since he returned from the library he had been fascinated by the small black book that he had found. Heero sat reading a book on battle tactics written by a famous Senshi.

"What are you reading?" Quatre asked, it was unusual for Duo to be so silent for so long, and to be engrossed in a book was another matter.

"A book." Duo answered quickly, but he didn't look up from his page. "A lot of it doesn't make sense but it will, when I'm older." He licked his lips and then turned the page. "I think it was written for me."

"Let me guess," Wufei said dryly, "it's a long list of things to do to irritate team-mates like mangling their names."

"No," Duo answered, "it's a book of spells."

"That's all we need." Wufei said in a dark tone, "Duo with magic."

"no," Duo said ignoring the jibe, "it's more complicated than that." He said, "it's to do with the dead."

"Raising the dead?" Trowa asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Enough." Heero barked. "Duo, would you like me to draw you a bath before bed."

"You saying I smell, Ro?" He asked, closing the book over at last to look at the other pilot.

"Certainly not." Heero answered, "I merely thought you might sleep more peacefully after you had bathed."

"I'm sorry, Ro," Duo said lowering his eyes, "it's not your fault I'm in a snit." It was, and it wasn't. If Achren was right then Heero did love him, he just had no choice in the matter. He didn't want to force Heero into anything. They had been tricked into being married and both had been hesitant about taking anything further than a few chaste kisses and holding each other.

Duo wondered if he should take it further, to give himself to Heero, but at the same time if Heero didn't love him then he would just be demeaning himself.

"Do you have to think so loud?" Quatre asked sullenly, "I can hear you all the way over here."

Trowa glared at him, "how difficult is it to decide you want a bath?" He asked. "Come on, Quatre, we'll get you some more tea."

Duo lowered his eyes and muttered an apology. "It's okay, Ro," he said, "I don't want a bath right now, I'll have one in the morning."

He lifted his book and went into the small bedroom he shared with Heero. The other pilots had, laughing into their hands at the very concept, demanded that the married couple share a room. Before Duo hadn't minded, he had gotten used to sleeping with Heero, and it was remarkably calming to listen to him breathe, but Achren had planted a seed of doubt in him.

Duo didn't doubt how he felt about Heero, he was glad he was married to him, and nothing meant more to him than their quiet kisses, but what if she was right, what if by their very destiny tying them together they had no choice in the matter. What if, without Aatoria to bind them together, they would never have been together. Heero might have married Relena, if not for their fate. He might have been happy.

Suddenly, as he got ready for bed, Duo doubted whether or not he made Heero happy. Heero was there for him, but how often was he there for Heero? He knew Heero had risked his life for him when they had fled Dramathen, but had he ever risked his life for Heero?

Duo knew then that he hadn't been very fair to Heero at all.

Heero seemed to sense his doubt because he came up behind him, silent as an assassin, and wrapped his arms about him. "Wufei's wrong." He said, not understanding Duo's doubt but thinking it was about what Wufei had said, almost constantly since he discovered they were married. "You're not going to be the death of me."

Duo said nothing, instead a line from the book he was reading flashed through his head, "MÊME DANS LA MORT VOUS SEMBLEZ TOUJOURS TRISTE, AUCUNE ÉPÉE NE POURRAIT VOUS TUER MAIS EXTRAIRE POUR POSSÉDER, ET TOUS LES DEUX NOS COEURS SONT PERCÉS AINSI. JE VOUS AI EMBRASSÉ PENDANT QUE JE VOUS TUAIS, ET JE MEURS COMME CECI, JE SE SONT TUÉS POUR MOURIR SUR VOTRE BAISER. (2), he tested the words out again, murmuring them under his breath so that Heero could not hear them, or if he did, could not decipher what he said. I "Even in death you still look sad, no sword could kill you but mine own, and both of our hearts are pierced thus. I kissed you as I killed you, and I die like this, I've killed myself to die upon your kiss." /I The book was explicit about that, the only way they could have peace, destined to misery as they were, was in death, if they killed the other.

Author's Note

1. This is the legend of Onestra and Menelaus AKA the Akheniad in a much abbreviated form. It is important which is why I'm including it, I'll come back to it time and again. Menelaus was the window in Halcyon, the dragon slayer.

2. I could not be bothered to work this out correctly, my French isn't up to it, so I did it in babelfish, so if it says sacrifice your young to Britney Spears I apologise, the translation is just underneath it. Alternatively if any of you speak better French than I do and want to translate the piece so it's not babelfished and makes sense I'll be more than happy to correct it.