Chapter twenty-eight: Enemy at your Doorstep

"Prince Joey!"

Joey could only gape in shock as Téa threw herself at him in a tight hug, Keith lurking a few metres behind her among the five unknown men they had brought with them. The two siblings and their little troop had come stumbling out of the forest and straight into the village only a few moments ago, and as soon as Téa had caught sight of Joey, her face had lit up and she'd thrown herself at him, not caring that her horse had trotted off when no one was holding the reins. And all Joey could do was stare at her in shock.

"T-Téa?"

He couldn't believe that of all the people that must be out looking for him, these two had been the ones to find him! Talk about bad luck!

"You're alive! We were so worried!" Téa cooed as soon as she'd released her stranglehold, and instead latched on to his arm. "You have no idea how long we've been looking for you, your highness! Keith here was starting to doubt, but I was adamant that we'd keep looking for you! Everyone else had lost hope of ever finding you, even you sister, but I refused to give up! And look, now I've found you and-"

"How the hell did you get here?" Joey asked, still shocked, and a bit disappointed. He didn't believe what Téa had said about his sister for a second, but he'd hoped that he'd be found by someone he at least liked!

"Oh, we've got our ways, little prince," Keith, who had finally made his way over to them (after catching Téa's horse) told him with a strange grin on his face. Joey scowled; in the months he'd been away, he'd forgotten just how strong his dislike for Keith was.

"Oh, stop it with the mystery-act, Keith," Téa scolded, and then turned to Joey with another dazzling smile. (A few young boys in the village couldn't help but glance her way and blush.) "We got the help of an old seer," she explained. "He told us to go east from Domino, as far as we could, and look: here we are!"

"Here you are," Joey agreed a lot less enthusiastically. "So you came all this way just to get me? You two?"

"Of course!" Téa said, then her expression turned a lot more solemn as she looked up at him. "Don't you think we know about the things the court says about us behind out backs? We are well aware of our reputation, your highness. And the fact that your kidnapping was our fault didn't exactly make it any better! But no matter what people say, we do want to fit in and we are loyal to the royal family! And to prove that, I was determined to bring you back alive! Maybe people will give us a bit more recognition when they hear about everything we've been through to find you"

Joey looked at her in surprise, but her face stayed honest and her eyes were serious. For the first time Joey started to consider if he'd been wrong about Keith and Téa. He didn't know about her older brother, but Téa actually seemed to mean what she said.

"If that's the case…" Joey told her slowly, unsure of how exactly he should handle this, "then I owe you a big thank you… and an apology."

Téa's face lit up and her grip on his arm tightened a little more. It hurt, but Joey tried to ignore it. Maybe he'd been too hasty in his judgement of Téa. Sure, she was annoying, but maybe, just maybe, she was a good girl.

"That's not necessary, your majesty," she said softly. "But I appreciate it, all the same!"

Keith, standing before them and witnessing this whole display, had to admit that he was impressed with his sister. She could be one heck of an actor when she wanted to! If he hadn't been spending the last few months with her, hearing her bitch about the plan and Rebecca and what she'd do once they took control over Domino, he would have been fooled by her!

"So, my prince," he cut in, making Joey look at him instead. "If you don't mind me asking… what happened with the dragon?"

Joey's face turned solemn. He'd been able to puzzle together a believable lie yesterday, and every member of the village had been told exactly what to do once Joey's recue-party showed up. The blond had been rehearsing all night, and now the words came to him easily.

"For days we flew, and that monster didn't stop until it had brought me to a hidden cave far from here. Luckily, it was a big cave, and I managed to hide in one of the smaller passages. It took a few days before I managed to find a way out of there, and then I just ran for my life. I travelled for almost a month before I got here and theses people took me in. Before then, I'd been running from village to village, looking for things to eat and a place to stay. These people were the first who believed me and offered to take me in. I was going to continue my journey to get home in a few days. But now you're here, so we can travel together."

It wasn't the best of lies, but honestly, it was more believable than telling them that he'd befriended and fallen in love with the dragon and that it had let him go freely.

"So…" Téa said warily. "The dragon is not here? Nowhere around here?"

"I don't know the exact distance, but I think its cave should be miles away," Joey lied. "Maybe it followed me and tried to find me, but I haven't seen in since I escaped."

"Are you sure about that?" Keith said. Joey met his gaze and understood immediately that he wasn't convinced. Still he kept his face carefully neutral.

"Positive," he answered shortly, and next thing he knew, someone was standing beside him.

"Oh, I didn't realize we had guests!" Solomon said pleasantly with a smile which made his old face even wrinklier. "What a lovely young lady and handsome man! This is certainly a surprise! We haven't had any guests in fifty years, and suddenly you all show up at the same time! I take it you already know Joseph?"

"Uh, yes… we're members of the court," Téa said and looked at him in confusion. "Who are you?"

"Solomon Mouto, village eldest and leader," Solomon answered still with the smile in place as he stuck a hand out for Téa to take. "This is a delightful surprise; I was afraid we would have to send Joseph on his way home all alone."

"So you know what he's been through?" Keith asked quickly, a strange look in his eyes.

"Joseph is a very brave and strong young man to have survived an encounter with a dragon," Solomon said once Téa had shaken his hand. He directed an admiring smile at Joey, and the blond had to admit that the old man was a good actor. "We've never actually seen a dragon in this village, but we've heard stories from travellers. And trust me, if you'd seen the state Joseph was in when he got here, you would have believed him too! Weak, hungry and all shaken up! It's taken him weeks to recover, but like I said, he's strong."

"I owe these people my life," Joe said and directed a grateful smile at Solomon. This little act was going pretty well, even if he was saying so himself.

Keith and Téa exchanged a quick look, and Joey mentally held his breath before Téa smiled again and said:

"Well… I'm just happy that you're safe, your highness. Bet this will be an incredible story to tell you family at home."

"Yes, it will," Joey agreed. Inwardly he smiled in relief, because it actually seemed like they had fallen for the lie. "Speaking of which… how are things at home."

"Oh, we've had contact with someone in the palace," Téa explained. "In one of his letters he told me that king Rabastan had blown off the search for you; apparently there has been some terrible massacre in a village, and he needed all his men to find the culprits. Mine and Keith's group," she made a gesture at the five men who was still standing behind them awkwardly, "is the only one still looking for you."

Joey felt pain well up in his stomach, but he quickly pushed it down again. If there really had been a massacre, then it was only natural that his grandfather would focus on that more than his grandson's abduction. Joey had no right to feel hurt just because the king had to prioritize. Besides; it wasn't as if he'd been very loyal to his family in the last few weeks.

Feeling that familiar guilt well up inside him again, Joey answered:

"If that's the case, I'd like to go back home as soon as possible. Maybe they've stopped looking, but my family must still be worried sick about me! And I've missed them so much."

At least that wasn't a lie.

"With all due respect, your highness," Téa said. "We've been looking for you for a long time and haven't gotten any rest. Would it be too much to ask for us to stay a few days before we go back to Domino?"

Joey hesitated at that. He knew that the longer they stayed here, the greater were the chances of Seto and the others being discovered. Besides, staying here meant even more pain, longing and insecurity for himself. At the same time, it would probably make Téa and Keith suspicious if they left too soon, since these people had been taking care of him and everything.

Joey saw Solomon watch him out of the corner of his eye, and understood the old man was probably thinking the same thing. Making a quick decision, he answered:

"Okay, we'll stay until tomorrow, so you guys can get some proper food and sleep, but tomorrow we really should head for Domino."

"We villagers will make sure you get enough supplies to make it back," Solomon cut in with another friendly smile. "Now, how about we make sure you all get something to eat? After such a long journey you must be starving for real food, and Joseph's friends are our friends."

All of them, even Keith, lit up at the suggestion, and Solomon eagerly led them to one of the large tables which was still standing outside after the huge feast a few days ago, when Seto had turned into a human.

Joey refused to think about that.

The five men, Keith and Téa seemed more than happy to taste anything that the villagers had to offer. The young men flocked around Téa, and she laughed in that coy way of hers and made sure they were all wrapped around her finger. Joey stayed with them, and every now and then he asked more questions about Domino, but they didn't really have much information to give him on that area. Mostly, Joey just sat quietly at their side, lost in his own thoughts. He didn't notice the way Keith leaned back in his seat, looking right up at the hollow mountain, and at the dark opening which led into Seto's home. Nor did he notice how he and Téa sometimes exchanged looks before glancing over at him.

It wasn't until Joey had gone of to help a few girls fold some sheets or something, that Keith waved Solomon over to himself and asked him to sit down.

"Can I ask you something, old man?" He said thoughtfully, smirking at Solomon.

"You just did," Solomon joked with a friendly smile before leaning forward in his seat to show Keith that he was listening.

"That hole, up there," Keith said and pointed up at the opening he had been studying. "What is that?"

Solomon followed his gaze, and once he realized what Keith was asking, he stiffened mentally, immediately on guard. Outwardly, however, he didn't show any signs of discomfort; just kept his friendly smile in place.

"Oh it's just an abandoned cave," he answered casually, shrugging. "It's quite small, actually; not even deep enough for a bear to use as home during its winder-sleep."

Keith studied it for a moment before continuing:

"Can one get up there?"

"Well, you can, but it's a very dangerous climb," Solomon warned. "We actually lost two of our young men when they tried to get up there. Besides, it's haunted, so we stay away. As long as we don't disturb the ghosts, they aren't likely to disturb us."

"But if I would want to go up there, I'd be able to?" Keith urged, and Solomon was just about to answer when Joey, who was back once more, interrupted them.

"We don't have time explorations, Keith. You should try to get some rest, and we're leaving tomorrow."

Keith turned around and met his gaze. The two stared at each other in silence for a moment; Joey refusing to show any signs of weakness under the other man's penetrating gaze, and then Keith smirked and nodded.

"Of course, your highness," he said shortly, and Joey nodded back. Beside her brother, Téa shifted uncomfortably.

"There there, don't argue about this, gentlemen! You can always come back some other time and climb up there, my lord," Solomon told Keith good-naturedly, before turning to Joey. "Joseph, would you mind helping me with a few boxes in my house?" His eyes told Joey that that wasn't really what he wanted.

"Sure," Joey answered shortly and followed the older man. Keith and Téa watched them go.

"Something's wrong here," Téa stated after a moment. Keith rolled his eyes.

"No shit, Sherlock."

"Look out for that man," Solomon told Joey while he placed one of the boxes in the blonde's arms. "He's cleverer than one might think."

"I know, which is why I wanna get out of here as soon as possible," Joey admitted quietly. "I get all jittery just knowing they're here. I have to keep the promise I made to Seto!"

"We'll all keep an eye on them," Solomon assured him. "We'll have to try and relax; what harm can they do in twenty-four hours?"


"You made sure no one followed you?" Was the first thing Rebecca asked when Keith stepped into the camp they had put up in the middle of the forest, far away from the village.

They had decided that it was safer if most of them stayed hidden, rather than just marched straight into the village without thinking. Téa, Keith and the five men who had been chosen to go with them were supposed to scout the place out, and now, Keith was grateful that they had made that decision.

"Don't worry, I was careful," he said. "Besides; Téa's keeping everyone's attention on her, so it was easy for me to get away. She's really in her element now."

"Hn," Rebecca huffed and looked down at him from where she was sitting in a tree, keeping watch. "So what do you think?"

"The prince is there," Keith explained and leaned against a tree opposite the one Rebecca was sitting in. It bothered him a little that he had to look up at her, but he didn't mention it. He was smarter than that.

"According to himself and everyone in the village, he managed to escape the dragon weeks ago and flee to this place…. Which means we followed the sword for nothing and are now back on square one."

"You don't seem to mind that," Rebecca pointed out calmly.

"That's because I don't think we're back on square one," Keith said. "The place seems normal enough at first glance… but there's something I can't put my finger on… something that's a little off."

"You think the prince is lying?"

"Yes. I have no idea why he'd do that, but he is." He paused for a moment, and then continued: "There's this cave in the mountain above the village. You can see the opening clearly, and according to the village eldest and a few others I've asked, it's been abandoned for years, and no one can get up there without falling and breaking their neck. Apparently, it's haunted."

"How convenient."

"That's what I thought."

Rebecca stayed quiet for a moment, thinking all of this over closely. Keith could practically see the wheels turning in her small blond head. When she spoke again, there was a strange gleam in her eyes.

"If you're right, that must be the place where the dragon is hiding. But even if it is, we'll have to be careful to keep the element of surprise on our side. My plan is this: we lay low tonight, and keep watch on the sky. If the dragons really are hiding in that cave, there's a pretty big chance that they'll come out to fly when the dark of night is protecting them. We'll have an excellent chance to catch them then."

"And what if they don't come out tonight?"

"Then we'll simply go up to that cave tomorrow and check it out."

Keith raised an eyebrow at her.

"You think you can beat the dragon on its own territory?"

"Don't underestimate me, Keith," Rebecca said with an unsettling little grin. She suddenly jumped down from the tree and landed agilely in front of him. In a flash her face was serious again. Her mood swings were worse than Téa's. "But I'd really prefer it if we manage to catch them tonight. Make sure all the men are ready with the equipment; and I want you in charge of the harpoon. I've heard that you're a decent archer?"

Keith smirked arrogantly.

"I've won a few contests," he admitted smugly.

"Good, then I want you to shoot the dragon for me." Her eyes darkened and fixed on him intently. "Make sure you don't screw up."

"Relax," Keith said with a roll of his eyes, even though her gaze made him shiver. "I won't miss."

"You better not," Rebecca told him calmly, folding her arms across her chest. "Because trust me; when it comes to dragons, you only get once shot. Always."

"Like I said; relax," Keith was getting irritated now. He pushed away from the tree and turned to walk back towards the village. "I need to get back before someone notices I'm gone. Me and Téa will be here after dusk. Make sure you're ready then."

Rebecca watched him go with the same darkness tainting her big blue eyes. When Keith's form had disappeared among the trees, she mumbled to herself:

"I've been waiting for this day for over four hundred years. If you screw it up, I'll burn you alive."

And then she snuck off to the camp to check on their equipment.


"Prince Joey?"

Joey looked away from the window, where he'd once again sat and gazed up at the mountain, and turned around to face Téa, who was standing in the doorway with a concerned look on her face.

"Yes, lady Téa."

"I'm off to bed in a bit," she explained. "I just wanted to ask first… is everything alright? You… seem different, somehow. It's like something's changed, and I can't put my finger on what it is."

For the second time that day, Joey was surprised by her sharpness. He did feel different; older… sadder… tired… but he'd been doing his best to hide it. Yet she knew about it.

"Guess that's what happens when you're kidnapped and have to run for you life," he told her with a faint smile, hoping it would work. Téa answered it hesitantly. "I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Well… alright then," she said and straightened a little. She gave him another smile, and he could hardly believe that this was the same girl who had annoyed him so before; strange how a few months can change things. "As long as you're sure. Goodnight, your highness."

"Goodnight, my lady."

Téa left him there, silently wondering what the hell was wrong with him, but she forgot about that as she was walking in between two houses and Keith grabbed her arm, pulling her into the shadows.

"Almost everyone's gone to bed. Time to go," he told her in a hushed voice, and she followed him as he snuck between a few more houses and into the forest towards their camp. Téa couldn't help but shiver as the dark trees enclosed her. This forest really gave her the creeps, and she'd be very thankful once they left this place behind and returned to Domino; hopefully with a captured dragon in tow.

"There's something wrong with the prince," she told Keith, mostly to distract herself from the eerie forest. "And it's not just that he's lying about the dragon… he's changed."

"U-huh, tell that to someone who cares," Keith answered distractedly. "Damnit Téa, try to focus on the task at hand. We've got a huge dragon to shoot down!"

She was just about to snap back at him, but they had already stepped into the camp and Keith made his way over to the harpoon-like weapon, which was now uncovered and standing proudly in its place. It had taken weeks before Rebecca had accepted it and told them that it was fit for dragon-hunting, but now they were ready.

Speaking of the witch, she was walking around and giving everyone instructions, telling them to bring the chains and pack their things. They were moving the weapon and all their equipment to the large meadow behind the village, where they'd have a clear sight of the sky, and thereby also the dragons, should they come out and play.

"Girl," Rebecca called to Téa suddenly, "get over here and help me with the horses! We'd better get moving as soon as possible, so help me!"

For once, Téa shut up and did as she was told. There was just something… something insane in Rebecca's eyes tonight. Something that had always been lurking there, but now seemed to have taken control completely. She looked like a child on the night before Christmas Eve. A homicidal child.

Shivering at the thought, Téa took the horses from the girl and watched her skip off to do something else.

Rebecca couldn't help but bounce in anticipation. Her fingertips were tingling with magic; her heart was beating fast and her stomach fluttering wildly. It was like being in love, only ten times better. She hadn't felt this alive in four hundred years. She was getting flashbacks from the first dragon-slayings she'd participated in; she could hear the animals scream and roar in pain, could almost feel the last trembles of their bodies before they went limp. Over the years in her queen's service, Rebecca had come to know this feeling, this exhilaration, as something special. It was hard to explain, but either way; there was one thing she knew for sure:

The hunt was on.


Seto had been tossing and turning in his bed for hours when he finally sighed heavily and carefully disentangles himself from Mokuba and stood up. Even with all his gentleness, the younger dragon still whimpered softly and opened one sleepy eye, looking up at him.

"Seto?" he murmured softly. "Where you goin'?"

"I'm just going to fly for a bit, Mokie," Seto promised and nuzzled the top of his head. "I need to think."

"'Kay," the drakling mewled, then he closed his eyes and promptly fell asleep again. Seto studied him with a gentle smile for a moment longer, then he turned and walked out of the bedroom.

He silently crept down the corridor, passed the rooms Isis and Mai, Yami and Yugi, Malik and Marik, Bakura and Ryou were sharing. He didn't bother with any light; even if his night-vision hadn't been perfect he still knew this place well enough to find his way around at any time. In no time at all he was standing by the entrance, feeling the cold night breeze caress his face.

With a relieved sigh Seto spread his wings and threw himself out into the sky. He knew that none of them should leave the cave until Joey and his company had left, but it was in the middle of the night, and there was no moon. What were the odds of anyone seeing him, even if they against all odds were awake?

As he made loops in the air, spun around and sailed on the winds skilfully, Seto let his mind wander: it was so much easier to think when he wasn't forced to sit around in the cave. The fresh air did wonders for him. And… it was easier to ignore the ache in his chest when he was doing something he really liked.

Joey had made his choice. He was soon going to leave forever, and even if he ever did come back to visit, it wouldn't be the same. He'd have his life in Domino, and visiting would only be like a brief pause in reality. Not to mention the fact that he would have to marry and have children one day, and Seto didn't think he could stand that; to one day realize that he wasn't the only conqueror of Joey's heart.

It might be selfish, but Seto had never envisioned himself as anything other than what he was. He wanted Joey to stay, and the boy had chosen not to. In a way, he was angry at Joey, but mostly, he was just tired… and defeated.

Sighing softly as he did a particularly complex manoeuvre in the air, Seto couldn't help but imagine Joey's face. Laughing, pouting, glaring, screaming, shaking, moaning… gods, he would miss him. How was he ever supposed to forget him? How was e supposed to forget everything they had been trough? The answer to that was simple, really.

He couldn't.

Completely lost in the daze of his thoughts, Seto had no idea what was going on on the ground. He had no idea that twenty to twenty-five pairs of eyes were following him silently, tensely. One pair in particular glowed strangely; Rebecca had cast a special spell on Keith to make sure he'd see his prey properly. Now the young, cruel man directed the point of their weapon straight at the dragon in the air, studying his movements closely and predicting where the dragon would be the next moment; his specialty wasn't hitting moving targets for nothing.

After a moment of adjustments, Keith grinned smugly and held the harpoon steadily.

"Gotcha," he hissed confidently, and then…

…he fired.

The weapon had been very well-built, for now the giant iron-arrow took flight, lunging itself straight into the air with an incredible force, heading straight for Seto.

The dragon didn't have a single moment to think; one moment he was gliding on the winds, and next thing he knew, something had impaled his right wing straight through the bone.

Eyes widening, Seto released a violent roar of pain which could have made glass shatter, before he inevitably started to fall; one wing was not enough to hold his large body in the air.

Rebecca and Keith smirked smugly while their men cheered in triumph and Téa started ordering people around.

"Get the horses and the chains!" She screamed excitedly, already swinging herself onto one horse's back with a chain over her shoulder. "It's gonna land somewhere in the forest! That way! Come on!"

Spurring their horses into an almost panic-y gallop, the criminals that she had hired followed Téa into the forest in the direction they had all seen the dragon fall.

At the same time Joey sat bolt upright in his bed in the village, immediately feeling that something was wrong. Subconsciously thanking the gods that he'd chosen to sleep in his clothes, Joey flew out of bed, grabbed his belt with the sword and ran out the door.

Others had also woken up and were standing around their houses, talking worriedly. As soon as Joey stepped out, Solomon trotted over to him with eyes wide in fear.

"You heard it too?" The old man asked, and when Joey turned to look at him, he could see the panic in amber eyes, and the cold sweat running down the younger man's face.

"That was Seto!" Joey exclaimed, and without another words he started running towards the forest as if some hidden instinct was showing him the way.

"Joey, wait!" Solomon called after him in worry, but the boy was already too far away.

In the forest, Seto was trying to get up from the spot where he'd hit the ground, but his head was spinning terribly and his body, especially his right wing, hurt like hell. His landing hadn't exactly been soft; luckily he'd been able to somehow steer himself towards a glade, so he'd only landed on –and broken- a few trees. The ground had been ripped open as he crashed, small tufts of grass and dirt lying everywhere around him.

After a moment Seto managed to clear his head enough to actually turn around and examine exactly what had happened. His eyes widened as he took in the iron-harpoon sticking straight through his wing, and with a hiss of pain, he managed to reach back and slowly remove it. He had to push it forward and let the whole shaft slide through his wing; trying to pull it backwards would only result in even more damage because of the barb.

After an excruciating moment the weapon finally clattered to the ground, and Seto sighed in both relief and pain as blood started to well up in the hole.

"The wing," he muttered while he started pouring magic into the wound (thanking the gods that he'd let Isis teach him how to heal). "Why does it always have to be the fucking wing?"

The wound had almost closed up completely when a chain suddenly landed around his neck, and Seto's concentration was broken as it yanked his head to the side violently.

"Come on, help me with this one!" The man in charge of the chain screamed. He had bound it to his saddle and made his horse gallop away from the dragon, and Seto, completely unprepared, had been pulled after it. Now, however, he quickly regained his bearings, and with a furious growl he yanked, pulling both horse and rider back towards him with such force that the saddle came off and the man went flying while the horse ran away in panic.

"Don't let him get loose!"

Immediately, two other men grabbed the chain and pulled it around a tree, which gave them a little more leverage when Seto pulled again. Of course it wasn't enough, because those two went flying also.

But then yet another chain landed around Seto's neck from the other direction, and he was pulled that way instead. When Seto jerked back this time, he made the other chain slacken, giving the men a chance to secure it around another tree. At the same time three, four, five other chains were thrown over his back or secured around his feet, and soon Seto was pulled on from all directions; some chains jerking him to the side, some pressing him towards the ground and some tangling around him just to make it harder to move.

It was like a bunch of cowboys trying to catch and tame a particularly strong wild-horse. Seto growled and roared and struggled while more and more chains were added and tied around rocks, trees and anything else the men could get a hold of. They ran around him in circles, screaming to each other all the while trying to avoid powerful paws, dangerous teeth and a furiously swinging tail.

"Hold him! Keep it steady! Don't let him pull loose! Good job!"

"Get me another chain over here!"

"Watch out! Secure the wings! Press him down! That's it!"

"Someone help me! I need a hand on this side!"

"Come on guys, let's show this motherfucker who's the boss!"

"Pull!"

And standing right outside this chaos was Téa, Keith and Rebecca. The witch in particular was watching with the eagerness of a small child, but Téa's and Keith's eyes were also filled with smug triumph.

That is, until Seto seemed to decide that he'd had enough of all this shit, and just pulled with all his might straight upwards.

All the chains were stretched at the same time, but not even that seemed to be enough to keep this powerful creature restricted; the trees groaned and started to pull free from their roots, the rocks cracked completely, and all the men and horses were forced to either let go of the chains or be sent flying. Now the chaos changed character:

"Whoa! Whoa! WHOA!"

"Oh my god!"

"Get away!

"Watch out!"

"Let go! He's gonna rip your goddamned arms off with those pulls!"

"We can't hold him!"

The smirks on Téa's and Keith's faces abruptly faded, and the brunette spun around to look at Rebecca.

"Do something!" She cried, and Rebecca's grin widened. Her eyes seemed to dance when she raised her hand in front of her own face, balled it into a tight fist, and then made a punching gesture at the ground with it.

Immediately, the chains still hanging and dangling off of Seto started to glow a faint yellow. They seemed to get a life of their own, and suddenly they all shot down towards the ground, digging themselves into the dirt, deeper and deeper until they were firmly attached to the ground without a chance of pulling loose.

This, of course, caused Seto to be pressed towards the ground with a surprised yelp, and there he stayed, unable to move, but with eyes still burning in fury. Quickly the men gathered around him again, throwing a few more chains over his still struggling form just for good measures. One of the bolder once walked up to his head with a large, heavy tree-branch in his hands. He grinned down at the furious dragon and raised it above his own head.

"Not so cocky now, are we?" He goaded smugly and took aim straight between Seto's eyes. "I'll teach you…"

A golden blur, a flash of silver, a splatter of red, and then the branch feel to the ground behind the man… along with his hands.

All the other ones shied away as their comrade tumbled backwards onto the ground, looking at the bleeding stumps where his hands had been attached only a moment earlier. He just stared at them emptily for a second.

Then he screamed.

It was a bloodcurdling sound, and all the men just watched in horror as he scrambled to his feet and took off running into the forest, still screaming in terror and pain. After a second they all turned back around to look at the golden blur which had caused all this.

Joey didn't look like a human as he stood there in front of Seto with shoulders straight and feet far apart, looking ready for any attack. His golden hair seemed to dance around his grave face and burning eyes, and the sword in his hand dripped ruby-red blood.

"Anyone else who wants to loose some limbs?!" He screamed hoarsely at his enemies, wiping some spit from his lips with his free hand. They all gazed upon him in complete terror, and Seto studied his back in disbelief and hope.

"Joey…" he breathed softly, and Joey risked a quick look over his shoulder.

"I'll get you out of this, I promise," he told Seto with a much more gentle voice, and even threw in a smile for good measures. Seto answered it with a crooked one of his own.

Standing behind their men, Téa and Keith seemed to be frozen in shock. As usual the girl snapped out of it first, and she took a step forward, looking at Joey in complete bewilderment.

"Prince Joey," she called to him, eyes wide. "What are you-"

"Don't take one step closer!" Joey barked at her, making the girl stop in her tracks.

"I'll take care of this," Rebecca murmured calmly and pushed Téa aside, walking calmly towards Joey.

The blonde's eyes widened as all the men who had tried to catch Seto stepped aside for this small, innocent-looking girl. They scrambled out of her way in respect; creating a passage for her up to Joey.

"Who are you?" He asked warily, sword held ready.

The girl didn't answer. She just made a sudden movement with her arms, and a wave of magic lifted Joey from his feet, throwing him straight into a three close by with such force that the trunk cracked open. He slid down to its base with a pained groan and his eyes rolled back into his head as he lost consciousness.

"Joey!" Seto roared and stared at his still form in worry and fury. Téa winced.

"Be careful," she muttered so that only Keith could hear it. "That's my future slave you're dealing with." Keith simply rolled his eyes.

Seto turned around to stare at the small girl as she stopped in front of him, and when their eyes met hers widened a fraction in surprise.

"Oh…" she said softly, and a smirk spread on her lips. "Oh, you have to be Mordechai's son!"

Once again, Seto's eyes widened, before they became slits as he looked up at her.

"You're a witch."

"Correct."

As if the word had been some kind of spell, Seto suddenly started to pull on his chains again, and his eyes, which had already been filled with so much hatred, suddenly starting to glow. As a matter of fact, his whole body started to glow faintly, and then something incredible happened.

The chains, which had been enhanced by Rebecca, started to COME APART!

Now it was the witch's turn to gape in surprise as this dragon actually started to pull free. There was absolutely nothing she could do: only watch as chain after chain broke and went flying violently.

"Do something!" Téa screamed behind her, and all the men started to scramble away in panic. "DO SOMETHING!"

But Rebecca was frozen.

In the end, it was Keith who took matters into his own hands. An idea popped into his head like a blessing, and before he quite knew what he was doing, he's strode over to Joey's limp form, picked up his sword and hurled the boy to his feet. Holding the prince's body to his chest, he pressed the sword to his pulse point threateningly and turned around so that Seto could see.

"Stay put!" He roared, not knowing if this would work or not.

But he soon found out, because Seto's glowing eyes fixed on him, and as soon as he saw the position Keith was holding the younger blond in, he froze, and the glow left his eyes. Left were the usual ocean-blue orbs, filled with dread and anger as he stared at Joey without even blinking.

Time seemed to have stopped, and the chaos from only a few moments earlier was completely gone. Everyone seemed to be holding their breaths, and in the end it was Keith who broke the deadlock by taking a step forward.

"Lie down," he growled between pants, and pressed the blade closer to Joey's throat just for good measures.

Seto stayed unmoving for a moment longer, but then, with a frustrated growl, he actually did what he was told, still not taking his eyes of the human prince that he cared so much for.

Rebecca watched all of this silently, but when Seto did lie down again, she whispered a few words, making the chains tighten around him again. He stiffened, but didn't try to fight them this time.

"Keith, come here," she ordered quietly, and the man obeyed.

When he stopped in front of her, Rebecca tore her eye away from Seto for the first time in favour of studying Joey's still unconscious form. After a moment she held her hand out and whispered another word, and a yellow glowing bond seemed to shoot out from her fingers, wrapping around Joey's neck like a collar. Another identical bond slithered down and bound his wrists together behind his back. At these movements, Joey finally started to stir a little, groaning softly and shaking his head to clear it.

Rebecca watched this, and once his eyes opened and he looked down at her dazedly, she smirked at him, before turning back to Seto.

"Every time you try to pull free," she told him calmly, "these bonds will tighten. Meaning that the more you fight, the sooner he'll die." Her face adopted a thoughtful and yet taunting expression and she glanced at Joey again. "I've heard choking to death is one of the worst ways to go. You can always try it out if you want."

Joey's head finally cleared, and he took in the situation he was in. He and Seto were bound and restricted, not to mention surrounded by enemies who seemed to be hell bent on making them suffer.

Well, shit.

"What do you want from me?" Seto growled at Rebecca, making sure to stay still for Joey's sake.

Rebecca raised an eyebrow.

"Me? I want to kill you. As for these two…" she jerked her head in Téa's direction at the same time as she pointed at Keith. "Well…"

Where the girl trailed off, Téa immediately picked up. She took a few longs steps forward, smirking at both Seto and Joey. She was still pale and shaking, but now that the situation was under control she was a whole lot more controlled.

"We will use you to take over a kingdom," she told Seto, and as the words sunk in, Joey was the one to react.

"What?!" He roared, struggling in Keith's grip but stilling quickly when the blade of his own sword was pressed harder to his throat. That didn't stop his mouth though. "You fucking pieces of worthless traitor-shit!"

"Is that really the mouth of a prince?" Téa asked arrogantly and took a step closer to him, encouraged by the fact that he was tied up and helpless. "Quite frankly, your highness, traitor is such an ugly word. I'd like to think that I'm… guarding my investments."

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Joey spat, even though he didn't really care.

"Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about," Téa said condescendingly, stepping in even closer and gripping his chin. From the ground Seto growled, but he still didn't dare move because of the collar around Joey's neck. "All you need to worry about is how you're going to please your future queen. So what do you say? Give me a kiss?"

Their faces were only inches apart now, and Joey glared straight at her.

"Kiss this," he hissed, and quickly head-butted her.

"Téa!" Keith exclaimed as she fell over backwards. Rebecca burst out laughing and all the men flocked around the brunette-girl, wanting to help her up, but she scrambled to her feet on her own.

"You little shit!" Keith exclaimed and spun Joey around, punching him so hard Joey feel to the ground with a pained yelp. Seto roared and tore at the chains, but as soon as he moved Joey choked and started twisting his head to get the collar off. Seto immediately stilled, and Rebecca stopped laughing just to grin in satisfaction.

"Like an obedient dog," she said scornfully as she looked at Seto. He glared and growled, but didn't move.

"Seto," Joey panted, turning around on the ground to meet the dragon's sharp gaze. "Don't let her do this! You're strong enough! Break free! I'm not worth it!" Seto didn't look away from him, but he didn't say anything either, and after a moment Joey continued in desperation: "They're gonna use you to destroy my home! Don't let them do it! Please, Seto!"

"It's no use, you highness," Téa spoke up. She wasn't bleeding, but a swelling was starting to form at her forehead. She looked absolutely furious and directed a kick at Joey's ribs, making him gasp in pain. Seto jerked, as if he wanted to do something, but in the end he didn't. "Either way, the dragon will help us take over Domino. Whether you're dead or alive doesn't matter; your presence just makes it easier." She turned to look at Seto. "He seems to have developed quite a liking for you, if he's ready to be tamed for your sake." She sneered. "It's actually quite disgusting."

Joey and Seto both ignored her in favour of conversing silently with their eyes. Joey was begging the dragon not to do this, but Seto's eyes stayed cold and firm; he wouldn't, under any circumstances, be responsible for Joey's death.

"My lady!" Someone suddenly called urgently, and Seto and Joey looked away from each other in order to study the situation. One of the henchmen was pointing into the forest, where Seto could see dark figures running towards them with canes, pitch-forks and torches held high. "The villagers seem to be cooperating with the dragon too!"

"They're coming to fight us?" Keith asked, and couldn't completely hide the scorn in his voice. "I say we let them come!"

"We don't have time to play right now," Rebecca protested calmly and took a step towards the small mob which was moving towards them. As soon as they were close enough to see her face and hear her voice, she held up one hand, and smirked.

"Bad decision," the witch said calmly, tilted her head to the side and snapped her fingers.

A bomb seemed to go off behind them all, making the villagers stop in their tracks and look back over their shoulders. All they could do was watch helplessly as a huge pillar of fire seemed to rise from where the village was, painting the night-sky red.

Rebecca smiled evilly at the horror in the villagers' eyes.

"Well…" she said casually, as if this was all a tea-party. "I'm not gonna save your women and children."

And that was all it took.

Most of the men turned around completely and started running back, screaming the names of their wives, sisters, children and parents, and those who didn't turn back willingly were dragged among the others.

If the situation hadn't been so grave (and his hands hadn't been bound behind his back), Joey would have slapped himself in the face.

Rebecca smirked, and Téa and Keith burst out laughing, soon followed by all the other men.

"Amateurs," Rebecca remarked before turning back around towards Seto and Joey.

The sinking feeling in Joey's stomach immediately got a thousand times worse as her insane eyes fixed in him.

"Now the fun part begins."

DAMN, that was a fast update, even if I do say so myself! I got my funk on this week! :3 Told you we'd get a confrontation soon! How do you guys like THAT?! XD (God, I'm so mean to my beloved YGO characters!)

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!! I'm so friggin' happy today! I've been walking on clouds since Tuesday! THAT'S RIGHT! WALKING! This Tuesday, I took my very first step without any crutches or caskets! After months of waiting and physiotherapy, I'm now up and running again (well… not running yet, but I'm getting there!) I didn't wanna say anything in the last chapter, because I wasn't completely sure if my medical gymnast would let me try walking, but now I'm freeeee!

God, it's been a good week!

Seriously, I've been free from school all week, I got my 1000 reviews (and more to that! XD) AND I turn seventeen on Saturday! Not to mention that we're going to Stockholm (capitol of Sweden; wonderful city) tomorrow and are going to celebrate me with my sister and her adorable boyfriend!

Yep, life is good.

Okay, now you know that! Enough about my life! How about the story! (Okay, so maybe the story is a part of my life, but it's more interesting to you than the rest…) what did you think about the chapter? There's will be some very intense chapters to come, and I'll try to update quickly. But for now, please tell me what you think! We're slowly reaching our climax! XD

Well, I've talked your ears off enough for one night!

REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!

Until next time!

R&R!!!