Recap- Furious at Nina's dismissal of him, Ryu rides directly to Edmund's estate, challenging him to a duel. However, due to his lack of thought, Edmund bests him, and Ryu resorts to transforming. Shocked, Nina calls a halt to the duel, appalled at Ryu's behaviour. She knocks him down with her words "You monster!" and Ryu, in his dragon form, turns and leaves.

But both are now coming to terms with their actions, and despair is setting in. With other problems rearing their ugly heads, a grim mood is falling upon Wyndia…

A Princess's Duty

X

Help at Hand

The fire crackled in the heath, but Nina's hands, laid flat on her lap, remained resolutely cold. She sat in the sitting room in the castle, mother beside her, father pacing about in front of the fire.

"The people are in hysterics," he said, his tone deadly serious. "A dragon in Wyndia, attacking a member of the royal family… the citizens think the old times are returning, and that the town will be next."

"That won't happen," said Nina, numb, her voice expressionless. Her aura radiated of tiredness, and underneath that, a quiet sense of defeat. "The Brood have never been our enemies. Those stories were propaganda created by Myria. That dragon who fought with Edmund… he won't bother Wyndia anymore."

She was fed up, and wanted more than anything else to lay down in her room alone. She felt in no mood for talking, especially of Ryu. He had upset her today; he had gone too far. But at the same time, she felt that she too, might have said too much. She had always been the one to comfort Ryu on their journey, to tell him that he was not 'a bad dragon'… how must he feel now? She had eroded that all with one sweep of her hand.

They had both done wrong, and Nina knew it. But what could she do? She tried time and time again to put it out of mind, but it kept creeping back, just under the surface… guilt she would deny and deny and deny, but inwardly, she knew was justified. Even if Ryu was no longer her lover, he had always been her most true friend. A friend she was sure she had now lost, first through her indecision in love, and now, this.

"I don't understand," said the Queen. "Just who was that dragon? What did he want with Lord Edmund?"

Nina opened her mouth to say "I don't know," but her father silenced her with his own startling words.

He looked at Nina and said, "It was Ryu, wasn't it?"

Sheila started violently. "Ryu!" she cried, "that kidnapping fiend is back in Wyndia?"

Nina could only stare at her father. "But how…?" she asked.

"I'm not stupid Nina," he said, "I can put two and two together. Didn't you think I would try to find out as much as I could about Ryu after he abducted you? Information was scarce, but I know his heritage."

"But then," Nina argued wearily, "you would surely have found out that he didn't kidnap me, and that I left with him. Father, Ryu was the destined child- he needed my help to defeat Myria. Surely that's reason enough?"

"We've been through this before Nina," sighed the King, taking a seat opposite her and his wife. "Defeating goddesses, destiny... these were all stories implanted in your mind by Ryu. If the Urkan goddess did truly exist, do you really think you would be able to kill her, a divine deity? No Nina, but I don't blame you for these stories. Ryu abused your trusting nature. However, you must forget about this now, you're a grown woman, and this has to stop. As far as I can see, he's bad news, and that attack on my nephew proves it."

You're wrong, Nina thought.But somehow, the words would not come. Her boisterous personality, her rebellion, her strong spirit… it had all turned and fled. She felt empty, and said nothing.

"Now…" he said, "we need to decide what to do. The people need to be reassured, and Ryu needs to be dealt with. He has meddled enough with my kingdom, and with my daughter."

As the King explained his plan, and Sheila nodded furiously, Nina tilted her head down, and prayed.

x

Across the deserted streets of Wyndia, empty from fear, and past the heavily manned gates, two figures were making their way down the twilight path.

One was a woren, twin daggers in sheaths on his belt, his back groaning from the bulging backpack he had on. Lumbering under the sheer weight of it, he stumbled some way behind his companion. She strode forward confidently, long red hair flowing loose, a small sack in her hand, evidently a strong believer in 'the men carry the bags'.

"Hurry up Rei!" she called. "I want to reach Wyndia by nightfall."

"Momo-" he called breathlessly, "that's easy for you to say! Why am I the only one carrying the stuff? It's your equipment, not mine."

She span around to face him, hands on his hips. "What happened to Mr 'Oh, I'm so strong, I defeated a goddess singled-handedly' back in Yrall? Surely if you're so strong, you won't mind just carrying a few of a lady's things?"

Rei shrugged helplessly, "Hey, I was with a chick, you can't blame me for a little embellishment."

Momo frowned, and tutted loudly, turning back towards the road. "You're such a womaniser," she said.

They walked in silence, the shadowed towers of Castle Wyndia rising over the horizon. As they approached, Momo noticed the large clustering of guards by the gate, and let out a small "Oh," stopping so suddenly that Rei crashed into the back of her, equipment clattering onto the ground.

"I think we may have encountered some trouble Rei," she said, as he picked them up, grumbling.

"What is it?" he asked moodily.

"I expected the usual riff-raff the Wyndians hire as guards, but it looks as though things have improved since I last visited. There," she pointed to the figures by the gate, and Rei moaned.

"Oh man," he said," if they recognise us, they'll never let us in. I mean, last time one of the guards here remembered I was Ryu's mate, and we had to run for it!"

"I remember," said Momo, looking thoughtful. "Okay," she said, evidently with a plan in mind, "you'll have to stay out here then Rei. You're the one they recognised last time, and a lone male traveller at night looks much more suspicious. I'll just tell them I'm a poor lost woman who has been separated from her friends, and has nowhere to stay. They won't question me." She pulled on a sad pitiful look, but Rei felt doubtful.

Momo started jogging down the hill towards the gate. "But what if you do get recognised?" he yelled.

"I'll be fine!" Momo called back, "Just meet me inside the inn!"

She disappeared out of sight, and Rei threw up his hands in defeat, shooting a final worried look towards her vanishing shadow. He set off to the left, skirting the great wall surrounding the town for any breaks in defence.

And so, it was in this manner that, camped in a small grove of trees beside the wall, smoke rising from his tiny fire, he found Ryu.

"Geez Ryu," Rei said, eyes shining from the light of coincidence, "when you said you were going to Wyndia, I thought you actually meant inside it. I didn't realise you were planning on a camping trip out here."

He was sat with his face in his knees, the fire dying before his very eyes. He said nothing, and Rei began to perceive that all was not well. He dumped Momo's equipment, and plonked himself down beside him.

"Buddy, what's wrong?" he asked, but still Ryu remained silent. Rei gazed ahead, the small desperate flames licking at the charred wood thirstily.

"Yer fire's dying man," he said, looking back at him. Feeling a little chilly, he stood to go collect firewood. That done, he dropped them into the flames, which caught onto the wood gratefully. He resumed his place.

"C'mon Ryu, you're breaking my heart! What's wrong? You look as though you've just been told you'll hang at dawn."

"I may as well," mumbled Ryu, finally glancing over at his friend. His eyes were glazed, empty.

"Why's that then?" asked Rei, eyebrows raised.

"Because I'm an idiot," said Ryu bluntly. "I've just made the most- stupid- mistake of my life." He thumped the ground in anger, but even that lacked real passion.

"What did ya do? Can't have been that bad, can it?"

"I attacked a man who wants to marry Nina, and then transformed to try to kill him."

"Uh… overreaction much?" Rei paused, and then playfully nudged Ryu with his elbow. "Hey, I always knew you liked her. Hehe."

Ryu smiled sadly, and then preceded to tell Rei the whole sorry tale, about how he had caught the love of a princess, and how he had lost it so easily again.

"I thought if I showed Nina what a weakling Edmund really was, she'd realise what a mistake she was making. But I wasn't thinking clearly; I was blinded by anger. Because of that, he was able to best me, and… I lost control. I felt humiliated, and had to prove myself.

"But even if I had won, I realise now that nothing would have changed. I got Nina all wrong- she's not the sort of woman to be won over by muscles or show of strength, she loves people simply for who they are…" The flames flickered in Ryu's eyes, emotion returning to them at the thought of her. It quickly vanished. "And now I've betrayed her. I might have had a chance of winning her back before, but now, none. She thinks… she thinks I'm a monster."

Rei, who had come to Wyndia for a good time with his mate, could only shake his head in dismay at the mess he had found instead. "Doesn't this beat all?" he said, quietly.

He spent the night with Ryu, feeling he could not be a proper friend and leave him in this state. In the morning he woke cheerful, confident he would find a way to boost Ryu's spirits. Before he was barely even awake, Rei was dragging him out from under his blanket, telling him only, "We're going to win her back."

When he was able to think clearly, Ryu was able to spot more than one hole in this plan. "Normal people aren't allowed in the castle," he pointed out, "and I've been banished. And Nina doesn't want to see me."

"Since when have you started caring about rules? Come on, Nina's going to see you whether she likes it or not."

He quickly found himself standing in Rei's clothes, his old traveller's hat back on his head.

"The guards at the gate still might recognise me, you know," he said blankly.

"Which is why we're not going through the gate, you big girls blouse! That disguise is just so the passers by don't recognise ya. We won't be searched inside."

"But how…?" Ryu began, brow creased.

In reply, Rei tossed a length of rope into his hand. "My emergency supplies," he explained. Ryu could not help but let his mouth twitch, ever so slightly.

They made the end of the rope into a noose, and slung it over an area of the battlements devoid of guards. Ryu and Rei clambered up and over, entering the town proper. Even in his unobservant dull mood, Ryu began to notice that it seemed quieter than usual, and that the people that were around hurried, as if wanting to get inside as quickly as possible. The atmosphere had changed; it had become alert, nervous.

However, at the town square, near the fountain, the people were beginning to gather. A wooden stage had been quickly erected, though it was as of yet empty. Curious, Ryu and Rei joined the milling crowd, which like the rest of the town, had adopted a worried whispering quality. As the two pushed their way in, guards began to walk up steps onto the platform, leading on the King of Wyndia, followed by the Queen, and lastly, Nina. Ryu's heart thumped loudly in his chest. He stared at her, hoping to catch her eye, but alas, she looked directly downwards at her feet, hands folded demurely in front of her dress.

The crowd fell silent in the King's presence, the last of the whispering dying away. He began his speech.

"My people!" he called, throwing his hands wide. "Today you cringe in fear, hide away in your houses, and dream when attack will come, but I have come to you this morning in person to tell you, there is no threat.

"I will not lie to you- the rumour that a dragon, in the mighty kingdom of Wyndia, attacked the Prince Edmund is true-" a loud murmuring broke out over the crowd, and Ryu and Rei exchanged looks of panic, "-but, BUT, this dragon poses no thread to Wyndia. It is not truly an 'it', but a 'he', for this dragon is one of the Brood, a race of people with the ability to transform into dragons. This man's name is 'Ryu', and he has no intention of destroying Wyndia.

"However, attack on a member of the royal family is treason, and because of this, a reward will be given to anyone who can bring him in, or provide information leading to his capture."

The King walked off the stage, and at that moment, Nina glanced up. Her eyes, innorexibly, found Ryu's, and both were frozen in place. The crowds vanished around them, and they stood facing each other from islands at either ends of the world, a mighty ocean slicing them in half. Both were locked by the other's intensity.

Ryu took a step forward, but a guard bumped against Nina on his way off the stage, startling her, and their eyes broke. The performance was over.

Forgive me, thought Nina, as she made her way down the wooden steps. There's nothing I can do. You went too far, but then… so did I.

Unseen by anyone, silent tears traced their way down her cheeks, falling onto the flagstones below.

Ryu found himself being dragged away.

"Come on!" Rei hissed, pulling at his arm. "Look!"

Ryu followed the path of Rei's finger, and was astounded when he realised to what he was pointing. On the wall of the item shop a guard was hammering… a drawing of his face. Underneath were the words;

'Ryu'

Wanted; dead or alive

50,000 zenny reward

Ryu swore under his breath. "We need to get out of here."

Rei shook his head, "I think I know a guy who'll help us; he'll let us crash at his place for a while. Follow me."

x

High in Upper Wyndia, Momo was taking atmospheric pressure readings, and had managed to miss most of the commotion. Though of course, it was nigh impossible to miss the dragon rumours that were winging their way around town. She wondered if there were any truth to them, but she also wondered where Rei had gone, and why he hadn't found a way inside yet. Oh, how she would deflate Master Thief's ego's when he returned. She laughed aloud at the very prospect of it.

She twiddled with the knobs and dials of her bulky barometer, and spotted out of the corner of her eye Nina, alone, head down, making her way up to the castle.

"Nina!" Momo called, smiling. Nina started out of her reverie and spun around to look at Momo with wide eyes. Strangely, it reminded Momo of a frightened deer. She ran up to Nina and embraced her, an act that was received awkwardly at first, before she hugged back and clung onto her like a lifeline.

Momo heard a small hiccup, and puzzled, drew back.

"Nina, what's wrong? Are you crying?"

Nina quickly wiped her eyes on her sleeve, and gave a hearty sniff. "Momo, I'm- I'm so glad to see you," she said, her voice thick with emotion, "I'm a wreck."

"It's not like you to cry Nina, what ever is the matter?" Even as she spoke, the Princess caught another runaway tear with her hand.

"Oh Momo, it's been awful," she said, struggling to speak clearly. "But I… I really need someone to talk to right now. Could we go somewhere?"

"Of course," said Momo with concern. She took her friend's shoulder gently, and together they headed down towards the inn.

A/N- Ryu and Nina really do seem to have become washed out figures of their former selves, don't they? I'm constantly struck by how vibrant Rei and Momo's personalities are compared to them. The girl that never cries now sports a pair of always wet eyelashes, and Ryu's careless attitude has gone out the window, along with his sense of humour. Hopefully Rei and Momo can cheer them up, eh?