.
SONIC CHAOS 3: UNDERGROUND ARC - ALEENA
Stirring Embers
"Knights, soldiers, and guards have been sent out en masse to find Commander Drago and drag him back to this palace in chains," the King declared in a very uncomfortable meeting for Sleet. Those present were the royal family, Jules, Argus, and himself. He wished he'd just been forgotten, but at the same time, as long as he was here he could be certain Aleena never let slip who the other two captors had been. Not that Dingo would be blamed for anything, he was a child going along with what his guardian said to do, but him and Drago would certainly sink together. Quite possibly literally, if execution by drowning was the ultimate sentence. The King looked directly at him, and Sleet stiffened up. "You will help them, Sir Sleet," he said. "Surely you of all people know best where to start looking for Drago.
"I drove him out of the city. I could care less where he went afterwards," Sleet replied. "By now the trail is probably cold anyway."
"Why on earth did you let the man who kidnapped my child go free?" the king demanded. "You couldn't have brought him back or killed him where he stood?"
Sleet frowned. "No. I was far more interested in the wellbeing of your daughter."
"Are you implying that I'm not?" the man darkly asked.
"Defensive, aren't we sire?" Sleet replied.
The King scowled at him. "Sleet. Behave," Sonya sharply chastised, frowning warningly at the wolf. Sleet grimaced and relented, backing reluctantly down.
"Do you deign to tell us, at least, what it was that man planned for her?" Maurice bitterly asked the wolf.
"Your daughter would know better than I would," Sleet replied. The King turned to Aleena, who suddenly looked very uncomfortable.
"I… He-he wished to ransom me off to rival political parties and hand me over to the highest bidder among them," Aleena said.
"Is that all, Majesty?" Sleet asked.
Aleena frowned at him. "That's all," she sternly said. He rolled his eyes but didn't press her to tell them the whole truth. It was her business whether or not she wanted them to know what had almost befallen her. She was probably trying to spare Drago a more gruesome fate than the one he was already facing anyway, though why she'd show such mercy to him was beyond Sleet's understanding.
The King looked back at Sleet. "Whatever the case, you will be helping the men to track down your associate. I want him brought in, Sleet. Dead or alive is of no consequence to me."
"Your mercy will be sung of in songs, your graciousness," Sleet replied. The King scowled in annoyance, blatantly unimpressed. Aleena covered her mouth to hide a smirk and smother a giggle. Her father gave her a sharp look. She quickly composed herself, clearing her throat and sitting straight, acting as if nothing happened. The Queen herself smirked down at the table. "Now if you'll excuse me, sire, I have a princess to tutor. My Lady?" Sleet said, offering his hand to her. She took it with a smile and allowed him to help her up. The King looked deeply offended the man had dared to even address his daughter in his presence, let alone touch her.
"Afterwards you will help in the search?" the Queen asked before her husband could lash out.
"Of course, your Grace," Sleet answered, bowing to her, and his title for the Queen sounded far more sincere than his titles for the king thus far had been. His bow to her was deeper and more respectful as well. The Queen smiled at him in approval, and Sleet left with her daughter at his side.
The King glared after them and turned to his wife in annoyance. "What was that?" he coldly asked.
"You, my dear, simply don't know how to handle a man of such a nature as Sleet," the queen answered. "Your first priority from the start should have been attempting to establish trust and respect, not foster animosity. Starting off trying to assert your authority over him was your mistake, because then he was driven to push back and vice versa. You both have very dominant personalities, so a clash was of course inevitable. I went about it far more subtly than you did. A canine is more likely to fall in line and submit to you as their superior if you've gained their respect, admiration, and trust first. Their culture is very dominance based, but dominance to them does not always mean just strength. If you prove yourself a capable and trustworthy leader, worthy of their respect, then they will give it to you. Neither let yourself be pushed over by them nor push them over yourself. The latter will result in ultimate rebellion. The former will never earn you respect enough to become a leader."
"That, Sonya, would have been nice to know before," he dryly replied.
"Maurice, let's not kid ourselves. You wouldn't have been able to pull it off even if you had known," she said, tapping his nose playfully and causing him to wrinkle it a bit in surprise. "You and he are too much alike when it comes to asserting dominance and independence."
"We are not alike!" the King protested.
"Oh yes you are," the queen replied. "Your problem when it comes to Sleet, darling, is your desire for control. The more control you have, the less anxious you feel that things will go wrong and you'll lose everything you care about. Meanwhile, he tries to strip you of control because he refuses to be commanded by someone he doesn't view as his superior. He likes control himself besides. Probably for the same reasons as you."
"I have a family to think about. He doesn't," the King replied, frowning.
"My love, trust that your family can handle themselves sometimes," she replied. "As for Sleet, in mattes of family he has little Dingo to think about."
"When was the last time you even saw him with that child?" he asked.
She smiled and went to him, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Come on you. Stop thinking about the wolf and spend some time thinking about your queen."
"Funny," he dryly replied.
"I know. I'm hilarious," she said with a smirk. The king rolled his eyes but nonetheless rose to follow her.
"So… does this mean the meeting's over?" Argus asked. Charles gave him an unimpressed look. Jules and Bernie smirked, exchanging glances, then stood hand-in-hand and left together to do some training of their own.
SU
Dancing blades through marble halls and empty ballrooms.
Their swords clashed and clanged in the empty ballroom. "You seem distracted. What's wrong?" Aleena asked her tutor as they danced their dance of death.
"Nothing," he bluntly replied.
She wasn't convinced. "Is it whispers of war?" she asked. He was quiet. "My father was grateful to you for bringing me back. He offered you a paid position in the palace and promised you would not see frontline duty," she pointed out.
"Your father is a cunning man. Cordial as he was, his distaste for me is clear. That said, whispers of war are the least of my concerns," he answered.
"Is it Drago then?" she asked, blocking a blow he aimed at her shoulder. He faltered, and she knew she had guessed correctly. She pushed him back and lowered her sword, signaling a break. "Do you want to hunt him, Sleet?" she seriously questioned.
"It isn't a matter of what I want. I'm not the one he wronged most," Sleet answered, going to a water bottle and picking it up. "The question is do you want him hunted. And don't answer according to what you think others want."
"Putting the feelings of others ahead of your own is the most admirable and selfless thing one can do," she said.
"If ever there was a matter you deserved to be selfish in, it's this one," he said. He took a drink from the bottle and set it down.
"As long as Drago is away from me, I don't care what becomes of him," she answered.
"He won't stop at just you," Sleet warned, turning to her.
"If he is obsessed with me, yes he will," she replied.
"Drago is a failure of a man and a failure of a person," Sleet said. "If it doesn't matter to you what becomes of him, then I'll hunt him down with pleasure."
Aleena was surprised. That was not at all the answer she expected. "That seems both uncharacteristically selfless and selfish at the same time," she said.
"I don't hesitate to hunt him out of loyalty, Aleena. I hesitate out of fear of being hunted in turn," he said.
She started, then looked concerned. "What do you mean?" she asked.
He bitterly chuckled and suddenly spun on her, bringing his sword down at the top of her head. She gasped, blocking the driving blow last second, then dodged quickly away before turning to him once more. "Drago isn't one for idle threats," Sleet replied.
"He told you that you would pay for your interference," she realized, remembering the white wolf's words.
"And Drago, should he manage to catch me unaware, will be the victor. His strength far exceeds my own," Sleet said. He lunged at her again. She gasped and locked their blades. He leaned over her, using his weight and strength to force her to begin buckling under him. "As long as I fight him on my terms, I can hold my ground. Fight him on his, though… Well, that's another matter."
Aleena, gritting her teeth, shouted and dropped, attacking him with a spin attack. Quickly she rolled around him as he stumbled, recovered her footing, and struck his back. He cried out in surprise, falling to the ground, and rolled over quickly just in time to block her attack as she fell upon him, sword brandished. Now she hovered over him, blade locked with his. He looked surprised and a little put out that he was now the one in the unfavorable position.
"Then do not hunt him," she said to him.
He suddenly rolled back, kicking her over his head and getting on hands and feet. Swiftly he got into a standing position and turned to the princess, who lay winded on the ground. He approached her and held the sword to her throat. She caught her breath. "I win," he said. She frowned, annoyed. She was growing tired of losing. He crouched over her prone form, pressing the sword to her neck, and she hated how her heart skipped a beat. "You could defeat me now you know," he said. She tilted her head curiously. "A simple attack to the stomach with your sword," he said. He offered his hand and she took it. He pulled her to her feet. "You could have killed me then too," he said, sounding unimpressed.
"I would not be so dishonorable," she replied.
"There is no honor in a life and death battle. There's only victory or defeat. Either you live or you die," he said, emphasizing his point by pressing the blade more firmly against her skin. "There's no in-between."
"Then do not hunt him," she said to him.
He smirked ever so slightly and tilted his head as if trying to read her. "What consequence does my life or death have on you?" he asked.
"Who would teach me after you're gone?" she asked.
"Try your dear Commander or precious Captain," he answered. "Perhaps even your brother or father."
"They could not compare," she said.
"Between the four of them they certainly would," he answered.
"What of Dingo?" she asked.
"Would your mother have the heart to cast him out? Or you for that matter?" Sleet questioned.
"Must he lose another parent?" she replied.
"Spending his life in the lap of luxury will certainly be an improvement to the life he would live if he stayed with me. My falling would only benefit him in the long run. Even if he might not see it that way at first," Sleet answered. "There's no significant consequence to anyone if I happen to die. I always intended it to be that way. I don't expect to see thirty, princess. If I see forty it will be a miracle. If I live to fifty, I'll consider it divine intervention."
"Are you so eager to die?" she asked, eyes narrowed and hard.
"No. In fact I plan on actively avoiding death at all costs, but I won't let a fear of it cripple me either," he said.
Aleena bowed her head, eyes troubled and conflicted as she tried to think up a way to talk him out of this madness. When she felt him take her chin between her fingers and gently tilt her head back up, she caught her breath and cursed the heat rising to her cheeks. His eyes were soft. Perhaps even fond. To see them that way was jarring. She had never beheld such a genuinely tender look in his eyes before... For just a moment, she felt like she couldn't breathe. Perhaps she was imagining it, she told herself, but she knew otherwise. There was no way she could have ever imagined this.
"I'll be alright," he promised. She felt a knot in her stomach and didn't understand why. "My dear, sweet baby, you worry far too much over things that have yet to happen and likely never will. Enough. Put those dark thoughts to rest. At least for now." He released her chin and stepped back from her. He raised his blade, pointing it at her. "What do you want me to teach you?" he asked.
She swallowed over the lump that had formed in her throat, willing it away. "Teach me to defeat you," she replied.
He smiled, lowered his blade, and leaned in close to her, forehead touching hers. He nuzzled it gently and a shaking breath escaped her lips. He was so near… She felt her heart speeding up and damned it. "To defeat me, you first have to catch me," he said lowly to her.
Her eyes flew open and she gasped as suddenly he pulled away from her without warning and ran. It took her a second to comprehend what was happening, but when she did she scowled, becoming indignant. "Sleet! Sleet, that isn't fair! Get back here!" Immediately she raced after him to try and catch him.
SU
Singing swords through glorious gardens and imposing throne rooms.
She chased him as fast as she could, but the man was slippery. She was quicker, but he wasn't slower by much and knew how to evade a pursuer besides. Frowning, she looked around for him and heard a door shut. Quickly she turned with a gasp and ran towards the noise. She slid to a stop, eyes widening. The door to the throne room! Would he have been so brazen? She supposed her mother and father wouldn't be there right now, but still! Then again, the thought of secretly battling in her parents' throne room at constant risk of being caught was thrilling... Her eyes narrowed and she ran to it, pushing the doors to the imposing chamber open and slipping inside. She looked around, listening for any sort of sound, but it was silent. Had he slipped out already, she wondered? She made her way carefully through the room, peering behind grand pillars and great statues. By the time she was three quarters through, she had come up with nothing and was starting to get frustrated. She paused, ponderously holding her chin between two fingers as she considered her next move.
All at once a figure sprang at her from behind a column, attempting a surprise attack. She heard him coming and spun just in the nick of time, locking their weapons together. He grinned at her approvingly and she grinned back, thrilled. Roughly she shoved him away and cut rapidly at him. He blocked her strikes nimbly, engaging her in their mock battle and not once letting up until the two of them fell onto the ground side-by-side on their backs, laughing and winded from their fight. She turned her head to him and smiled a little before suddenly throwing herself at the man and hugging him tight. He stiffened, surprised, but didn't move to push her away. He didn't move to embrace her in turn either, but she didn't mind that. She had expected as much.
"Thank you," she said to him, smile slowly falling. "For teaching me to fight, for rescuing me from Drago… Words cannot express how much I owe you or how grateful I am." He was quiet. Slowly he sat up and she drew away from him, looking up at her mentor. She didn't mind that he wouldn't meet her eyes. She had known there was a chance such a spontaneous burst of affection would throw him off. "If you must hunt him, then hunt him," she soon said, though her voice was quiet. "Only come back to me alive." He looked quickly at her, clearly a bit flustered at her choice of words. She smiled and rested her head against his shoulder. He stayed utterly still. "You're frightened, my lord," she murmured quietly to him. "I can hear your heart racing…"
He shivered at her words. They were almost the exact ones he had used on her the night of their first dance... Frantically he tried to understand what was happening to him and why he was suddenly feeling the way he was. "I'll come back to you," he answered at last.
She nodded a bit and lifted her head from his shoulder, looking at him. "When will you set out?" she asked.
"Tomorrow," he somewhat distractedly replied.
"Then you should rest," she said, standing up. "Go to bed early. For your own sake as well as the sakes of the men you will lead in search of Drago. After all, you will not be permitted to seek him alone given my father's suspicion of you."
"Very well," he relented.
She nodded. "Farewell, Sleet," she soon said.
Finally he looked at her, and for a moment there was silence as they watched one another. "Farewell, Aleena," he at last answered. She nodded, curtseying to him, then turned to leave. He watched after her quietly, unsure of what to do or say in the wake of this puzzling situation.
SU
Shooting practice under the moonlight or from the rooftops.
Days turned into weeks, then months, then into a year. The search for Drago, while no longer as intense, continued on fruitlessly. It was the dead of winter now. Sleet, leading a group of soldiers through a snowy forest, listened carefully for any sign of the white wolf's presence. He spotted some footprints in the snow and knelt next to them, examining them. Drago had not gone far, Sleet knew. He may not have found the man himself, but he'd certainly picked up his trail enough times. Unfortunately, that meant Drago was likely picking up his own just as often and subsequently avoiding him. Sleet scowled, standing once more. As long as he was leading a party, Drago would never show his face. Had he been stalking Drago alone, this would be working out far better for him. His ears twitched in the wind as he tried to pick up some sound or other, but it was silent.
"Can we go home?" one of the men whined.
"Go home," Sleet said. "Tell the king I'll be there shortly. Or lie and tell him I'm already there."
"We can't tell the king we let you off alone, sir," another man said.
"If he whines about it, tell him that as long as you're all with me, Drago won't be found," Sleet said, glaring back at them. They stared at him dubiously and he scowled. "Fine. I'll tell him myself," he said, bitterly giving up the hunt yet again. For the millionth time. Relieved, the others made their way back to the palace with an annoyed Sleet following them. He looked back at the forest once more and stiffened when he saw the silhouette of his employer slash partner. He scowled, thought about going back, then determined it wasn't worth the effort. He'd just be gone by the time the men readied themselves to face him anyway. Huffing, he pursued the others.
He parted ways with them as soon as they reached the castle. He'd deal with Aleena's father later. It was late, the moon already high in the sky, but he had a lesson to carry out. He looked warily around and went towards the princess's bedroom window. Taking hold of the vines climbing the wall next to it, he clambered up to her room and swung over the railing. He looked around again, then slipped towards the open entrance. Aleena, he saw, was curled up on a hanging chair engaged in a book she was reading. He stepped inside.
Aleena, newly twenty to his late twenty-four, heard the footfall and looked quickly up. She relaxed when she saw him, a smile crossing her lips. She set the book aside and rose, approaching him. "Gunplay tonight?" she questioned.
"Of course. Just as scheduled," he replied with a smile of his own.
She looked him over for injury. She had taken to doing that quite often, whenever he went out and returned. She met his eyes once more. "No luck again?" she said.
"The next time I speak with your father, I'm going to insist he send me after Drago without a party. If he had done that from the start, Drago would already be in his clutches," Sleet said.
"Assuming Drago didn't get the drop on you," she pointed out, frowning at him.
He gave her a dry smirk and chose not to answer. "We're going to try sighting a long-range target tonight. From the roof would probably be best," he said. She nodded and followed him out to the balcony. "You're wearing perfume," he noted.
"A date with Jules," she replied.
He grimaced. "And how well is that going?" he deadpanned.
"Very," she replied, frowning at him. He rolled his eyes and she huffed, ignoring his attitude. Seizing the vines, she climbed up towards the roof. He followed her. "Jules quite liked my perfume," Aleena said.
"It is intoxicating," Sleet replied with a smirk. She faltered and he grinned a little at how he'd flustered her. She glared down at him with an annoyed frown, then continued up agitatedly. He chuckled, following. She reached the roof and turned to wait for him. He crawled up onto it and rose, outlined by the moon, then brushed himself off. She felt a soft smile creeping across her lips and started, immediately banishing it and looking away. He approached her. She glanced at him. He offered her his gun, she took it, and their lesson commenced.
For hours they practiced, and as the lesson came to an end, he stood behind her with arm stretched along her own as she took aim at the farthest target yet, sighting her goal. "I can't hold it steady enough," she said.
"Hmm… Breathe deeply in, hold your breath, steady your hand, then shoot," he murmured to her, breath hot against the nape of her neck. She shivered and immediately hated herself for it when she felt his lips turn up in a taunting smirk. "You're distracted your majesty," he remarked, sounding vastly amused. She narrowed her eyes, took a deep breath, steadied her hand as he had said to, and fired. She hit her mark and he started in surprise, blinking in disbelief. Smiling, she turned to him and shoved the blaster back into his hands before heading towards to the roof ledge and vines. He stared after her in disbelief and frowned a bit. Hmm. Perhaps he was teaching her too well, he wryly noted to himself. "Don't be too proud of yourself," he bit.
"Oh but I am," she replied, pausing and looking back at him.
"It wasn't that far a target," Sleet replied, smirking coldly.
"I will only get better," she answered. She looked towards the moon and her smile slowly fell. "If you must go out alone tomorrow, so be it. Just be careful," she said. She turned to him. "Come back to me alive, Sleet."
He was quiet, cursing the way those words made his insides twist. "I plan to," he answered. He bowed to her. "Goodnight my lady."
"Goodnight my lord," she replied, smiling a bit. He smiled in turn and Aleena hated how much she loved that smile. "I... There was no date with Jules," she sheepishly said. He started, but before he could respond she was gone, leaving him alone on the roof trying to understand what was even happening anymore.
She'd worn the perfume for him...
The thought made him blush deeper than he would ever acknowledge.
SU
Sleet stood outside the throne room the next morning, working up the courage to ask the king for permission to seek Drago alone. The response, he knew, would not initially be favorable, so he would have to be persuasive. He stared at the doors a moment longer then determined winging it would be his best option. Improvisation was where he shone anyway. Steeling himself, he pushed open the doors and entered.
The King and Queen, preoccupied flirting with each other it looked like, both turned to him quickly in surprise. "Sir Sleet," Queen Sonya said, the first one to recover.
King Maurice scowled at him. "How dare you presume entrance to this throne room without permission? I could have you arrested for such audacity!" he said.
"Maurice, enough," Sonya sharply warned. She turned back to Sleet and smiled. "What is it, young man?"
"The hunt for Drago is going nowhere. It will continue to go nowhere as long as you insist on sending me out with a party of men. Send me alone and I guarantee he'll be found," Sleet said.
"And then you doubtless will run off with him," the King replied.
"Do you honestly think I would abandon Dingo like that?" Sleet replied.
"I think you're capable of a great many things, Sir Sleet. None of them good," the King said.
"You're a wise man, your greatness," Sleet replied with a bitter smirk. "Dingo would have a better life here for certain, but I hardly think he'd be shown such courtesy if I abandoned him with you, so I'm not going anywhere."
"To go after Drago alone seems unnecessarily dangerous," the Queen said in a measure of concern. "What if he finds you first?"
"It's a risk that has to be taken if you want him in your clutches," Sleet replied.
"We want him in our clutches, but not at the cost of a life," the Queen replied.
"Speak for yourself, Sonya," the King bitterly replied, glaring at Sleet.
"Maurice!" she said in a measure of shock.
"You were seen with my daughter last night. Up on the roof. What were you doing there?" the King asked. The Queen tensed up a bit and turned nervously to Sleet. She sensed where this could well be going, and it was headed nowhere good.
Sleet was dead silent, glaring darkly at him. "Teaching her. Just as I was hired to do," he at last replied, tone icy and bitter.
"At midnight beneath the moon?" the King replied, doubt heavy in his tone.
Sleet scowled at him. "I have no secret affections for your daughter," he said.
"I never said you did," the King replied.
"Your implication was blatantly obvious, sire," Sleet answered, disdain lacing the last word. "Your daughter is the least of my concerns."
"Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't even consider risking sending a man to his death in pursuit of a criminal. I am seriously considering making an exception for you, however," the King darkly replied.
"Because of some imagined infatuation with your daughter?" Sleet mocked. The Queen winced and made a cutting motion across her throat, trying to warn the young man to back down while he was still ahead.
"No! Because of your blatant disregard for the crown and disrespect towards your king!" the King snapped.
"Whatever gave you the impression you were my king?" Sleet asked with a scowl, clenching his fists and getting into a confrontational pose.
"Oh ho ho, you're good, boy. Very, very good. But that will do you no favors here," the King replied, rising. "No more late-night training sessions with my daughter, and no more practicing with her alone."
"Back to imagined infatuation again, are we?" Sleet asked.
"Back to the fact you're a close associate of the man who kidnapped her," the King said, scowling. "As far as I'm concerned, you're as much a suspect as Drago is."
"Your daughter cleared me of that crime," Sleet replied.
"Given how fond my daughter seems of her tutor, I'm starting to doubt her word more and more," the King replied.
"Now who suggested to you that she had any measure of interest in me?" Sleet replied.
"She does get quite impatient for her lessons and very excited for them," the King said.
"Because she enjoys them!" Sleet replied sharply. "People tend to get excited over the things they enjoy, sire. In case you weren't aware."
"Get out," the King bluntly replied. "Hunt the wolf alone for all I care. I hope he rips you to shreds."
"It would certainly spare me the torture of dealing with you," Sleet replied.
"Out!" the kind shouted, pointing at the door with a scowl. Sleet scoffed, rolling his eyes, and marched out in agitation.
SU
The Queen was silent, face-palming and shaking her head. She frowned coldly up at her husband. "Did that make you feel better?" she sardonically asked.
"Don't start with me Sonya!" the King protested.
"Maurice, do you really believe Sleet and our daughter have anything at all going on between them?" Sonya demanded.
Maurice sighed, sitting back down. "No," he confessed. "But you can't tell me the late-night practices and her enthusiasm over them isn't at all odd!"
"It thrills her. Moonlit lessons with a handsome young tutor without the knowledge of her parents? Little wonder it appeals to our daughter. She's still young, Maurice, and there is still something of a rebellious spirit inside her. There always is in youth. How severe that spirit is varies. Be thankful hers is not completely off the handle."
"Moonlit lessons with a handsome young tutor indeed," the King indignantly replied. "Well now you can tell her the jig is up and her moonlit lessons are cancelled. If she's to practice, it will be in the morning with her brother near at hand to supervise."
"Oh for goodness sakes Maurice," Sonya testily replied, rising and rolling her eyes.
"She may be twenty, but that's still practically a child," he said.
"I don't argue that," she said with a sigh. "But you can't continue smothering the girl as if she were twelve forever. She's a young woman now, not a teenager. I'll talk to her and compromise. Either she stops the moonlit lessons, or she continues them with a chaperone. Fair enough?"
"Very well," Maurice relented with a sigh.
The queen smiled approvingly. "That's better," she said. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"
"No," the King begrudgingly admitted. The queen smiled and kissed his head before going off to find their daughter.
SU
"Your poor father is all in a tizzy over you, you know," Sonya said to Aleena as she sat with her daughter at tea.
"Me?" Aleena asked with a frown. "What have I done this time?"
"He's quite perturbed about the time you've been spending with your knight," her mother said.
"Jules?" Aleena asked, playing dumb.
"Sleet, Aleena. He's quite perturbed over the time you've been spending with Sleet," her mother said.
"Sleet is the last man on the face of this planet he needs to worry about," Aleena dryly replied. "He is my mentor, nothing else."
"You have been spending a great deal of time with him dear," her mother said.
"Because I'm determined to master what he teaches me," she replied. "The longer I spend at practice, the better I become. You've seen my improvement mother."
"It's stellar," her mother confessed. "He's taught you up to the point I think you could defeat even your best guards. Still, you can see why your father would be starting to get concerned."
"No, I can't," Aleena replied somewhat defiantly.
"He knows about your little moonlit lessons dear," the Queen said.
Aleena stiffened, eyes widening a bit like she'd been caught with her hand in a cookie jar. She recovered herself quickly, though. "Assure him that Sleet is the least of his problems," she said.
"You know that won't pacify him," the Queen said. "He wants to cancel your moonlight sessions and make a rule that you can only train in the morning with a chaperone present. Preferably your brother."
"Does he trust me so little?" Aleena asked, sounding a little hurt.
"No. It's your teacher he distrusts," the queen answered. "Don't worry darling. I secured a compromise for you. Here is your choice. Either your moonlit lessons stop and you only train with him in the mornings, or you keep the moonlit lessons but attend with a chaperone."
"If I were being courted by the man I would understand a chaperone, but for lessons?!" Aleena demanded angrily.
It was rare when her daughter lost her temper, the Queen knew, so clearly this was upsetting the young woman a great deal. Sighing, the Queen rose. "Please my darling. Give your father that little peace of mind. For his sake."
Aleena, arms crossed, sighed. "Very well," she relented. She was upset, but she understood her father's concerns. At least she believed she did. She didn't agree with them, but she understood them.
"Then what is your choice?" the Queen asked.
Aleena was quiet, still visibly upset, but nonetheless considered the matter. Should she choose the unchaperoned morning lessons, they would not be as lengthy as the moonlit ones, but they would be more regular and give them time to freely banter and unleash their true skill on one another without fear of anyone interfering. If she chose the moonlit but chaperoned ones, she would have far more time to spend at her lessons which meant her skill would develop all the quicker, but then they would not be able to unleash their full potential on one another for fear of the chaperone worrying she would be hurt.
"May I speak to him about it?" she asked.
"Very well, but right now he is getting ready to go after Drago on his own. You will have to wait until after he has returned," she said.
"He's really going through with that madness?" Aleena asked in concern.
"Don't worry, dear. I'm sure he'll be fine," the Queen replied, rising and leaving with a conspiring smile on her lips. So much for Sleet going alone, she thought to herself. Doubtless the wolf wouldn't be pleased when he found Aleena tailing him, but this could very well save his life so he probably wouldn't hold a grudge for long. Hopefully.
Aleena, left alone in the tea room, wrapped her arms around herself looking nervous. She turned to the window, peering out. Far below she saw Sleet getting together the things he intended to take with him out into the wintery forest. She shifted uncomfortably and worried her lower lip a bit. She hadn't expected her father to actually let the man go after Drago alone. Now that he was in fact doing so, suddenly the likelihood of Sleet's death seemed that much more real. She didn't like it. Not in the least.
SU
Sleet walked quietly through the forest, ears cocked and nose constantly at work trying to pick up any scent or sound that could give rise to alarm. It was silent. He sniffed at the air and caught a smell. He frowned warily and began to follow it, drawing his sword just in case. He crept through the forest, keeping an eye on the trees and shadows. Soon he stopped, cocking his ears when he heard a distant sound. He listened carefully. That sound hadn't come from the direction of the scent he had earlier caught. It sounded as if it had come from behind. He frowned, eyes narrowed, and looked cautiously back. Something was following him.
His ears twitched in the direction of the sound, and he smelled the air again. Whatever was behind him was downwind. He couldn't catch the scent. The scent he had earlier caught, though, was stronger now. He looked in the direction he'd been heading and pressed on.
He soon found his way to a freezing stream running through the forest. He paused and knelt by it to drink. He kept his eyes on the forest, though, and his ears open. He heard another sound behind him, closer now, and started, shooting to his feet and whipping around with a slash. His blade was immediately met by another, and he gasped, eyes widening, when he saw who his mysterious pursuer had been.
"Aleena!" he exclaimed in shock, stepping back from her. She wore a teal gown with white trim, and a purple hood over her head. It was an outfit he had never seen before. Not that he paid particular attention to what she wore of course! Getting over the surprise, he scowled. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.
"They told me you had left alone," she replied.
"You knew it was going to happen. Alone was the only way Drago would be drawn out," he answered. "Best you walk back home right now."
"Or perhaps I stay and we bait him out all the quicker, since it was me he wanted in the first place," she replied, turning her back on him and tucking her sword away.
"You realize of course that your father would skin me alive if he learned I used you as bait?" he deadpanned.
"I used myself as bait," she replied.
"He would skin me for not stopping you," he said.
"You tried to send me home," she replied.
"He would skin me for not seeing you there," he said.
"No matter which way you cut it, then, it seems you're skinned," Aleena replied. "Best you take the opportunity I offer you to catch the thing that will be your saving grace."
"How about you not be difficult instead?" he replied.
"My father never has to know I was here," she replied, scanning the forest.
Sleet frowned and sighed, relenting. "Fine," he replied. She was safer sticking near to him than heading back alone anyway. He sniffed the air again, trying to pick up the scent. He frowned in annoyance when it was hers he caught, and gave her a pointed look. She moved downwind further and Sleet tried to find the scent of the other once more. He started and growled lowly, looking quickly across the stream.
"What is it?" Aleena asked.
"He's close," Sleet said, eying up the woods on the other side. "Get out of sight."
"Or you do so," she said.
"You would be far too obvious a trap," Sleet replied.
"Very well," she relented. She moved quickly back to the treeline and slipped behind a tree.
For a moment, the two of them were still. She soon heard Sleet growl again and dared to peek out ever so slightly. His hackles were raised, his gaze fixed on the forest on the other side. Fortunately, it seemed she was downwind from wherever Drago was hiding. That meant the odds the white wolf had detected her yet were low. The wind whistled lowly and she shivered a bit, drawing her warm coat tighter around herself.
Suddenly she heard a haunting sound fill the air and gasped, a shiver racing through her body. A howl, she realized with eyes wide. She quickly peered out from behind the tree. Sleet was howling! She had heard stories of the haunting, terrifying sound, but she had never thought she would ever hear it for herself. It echoed low and mournful, as beautiful as it was terrifying, yet still it felt as if he were holding back.
Another howl answered his, closer than she had imagined it would be. She watched the opposite shore of the creek, crouching down a little. There she saw the figure emerging from the shadows, and her breath caught in her throat, eyes widening. Drago!
SU
Sleet glared darkly across the stream, eyes locked on his opponent. "There you are," he said.
"About time you came alone," Drago replied coldly. "Have you come crawling back, or come to take me in to the king?"
"What do you think?" Sleet flatly replied.
"Hope for the former, expect the latter," Drago replied.
"You're smarter than you look," Sleet said.
"Turning so callously on your own partner, Sleet? Whatever happened to loyalty?" Drago asked.
"If you want loyalty, you have to earn it," Sleet said. "You didn't."
"Tell me. What befell the pretty little princess?" Drago asked.
"She bid on her own freedom. Took her long enough to figure that trick out," Sleet replied. Aleena, from hiding, started and frowned in annoyance.
"And bought your services," Drago said, nodding. "Given you've been out with the king's men hounding me for the last few months, it seems she's not the only one who bought your loyalty."
"My loyalty isn't for sale. My services are," he replied.
"And if I outbid her?" Drago asked.
"As if you could ever hope to outbid a princess," Sleet replied. "Now come along quietly and maybe your punishment will be more lenient. Put up a fight and, well, we'll see what happens to you then."
"I'll bathe the snow in your blood," Drago darkly replied, stepping forward and beginning to wade into the freezing water, crossing it determinedly. Aleena's eyes widened slowly in disbelief. How was it he wasn't freezing to death in that river? Drago emerged on the shore, teeth bared, and Sleet bared his own, drawing his sword. "Use your natural assets, Sleet, not those dishonorable little mockeries you like so much."
"Says the man with a disturbing obsession for knives and iron claws?" Sleet answered.
Drago chuckled darkly, then suddenly stopped, smile vanishing. He sniffed the air and looked directly towards the tree Aleena was behind. She caught her breath softly, crouching down. "You're not alone," Drago darkly said.
Sleet smirked. "I've never been all that honorable," he answered.
Drago sniffed at the air again and growled lowly, turning to him. "The princess," he said. Sleet was quiet. After a moment Drago darkly chuckled, scowl becoming a cruel grin. "You've hand delivered her to me. How thoughtful of you."
"Cute that you think you're going to have any sort of chance to get your hands on her," Sleet replied.
"After I've torn out your throat and left you to bleed out on the ground, she'll be as good as mine," Drago said. "Do you really think she would stand a chance without you?"
"Given how quickly she's come along in her lessons, I wouldn't be surprised," he replied. "You were never very good with swords and blasters. You always preferred to rely on your power more than anything else. That will be your undoing even if by some miracle you do put me down."
Drago looked towards the tree. "Come out princess. Let me look at you," he said darkly towards it. Aleena, fuming, glared at the ground. "Fine. Keep yourself hidden away like a coward. I'll finish with Sleet then come for you soon enough."
Immediately Drago threw himself at his fellow wolf. Sleet lunged right back at him and the two began to tear into each other, yipping and snarling. Aleena, eyes narrowed, peeked out and prepared to spring the moment it started to look like Sleet was going to be overwhelmed. Sleet, surprisingly, seemed to be holding his own and managed to put some distance between himself and Drago, sneering at him. Drago suddenly leapt at him with a snarl and dragged the wolf to the ground, pinning him. Aleena raced out from behind the tree, eyes widening in concern. When Sleet hadn't been pinned, he stood a chance. Now that he was, she wasn't so sure. Nor was she going to chance standing by and watching him die. She attacked Drago sharply with a homing attack, sending him sprawling away from Sleet and leaping back again.
Snarling, Drago recovered himself and scrambled up, glaring at her as she ran to Sleet and seized his arm, struggling to help him to his feet as quickly as possible. Sleet was quick to rise and prepared for another attack. This time he lunged at Drago, tackling the other wolf and knocking them both into the water. Aleena gasped, reaching after them, and winced. How they could stand the freezing temperatures was beyond her understanding. Surely there must be something about their fur that caused it to be suited for winter swimming. Hers did not have that same trait, and she hesitated to go after them. As soon as it looked like they were going to drown one another, though, she plunged in with a scowl and shoved Drago off her tutor. She drew her sword quickly and went at him again. He attacked her sharply, but she held her own easily despite trembling in the icy cold water. Sleet suddenly lunged as well, and together the two began to overwhelm Drago who fought for all he was worth to defeat them. Against them both, though, he stood little chance.
SU
The fight was over as soon as it had begun. It had been underwhelming to say the least, and Aleena was suspicious. Sleet did not look pleased with the outcome. He glared down at his defeated partner who was panting for breath and struggling to even get up. "This was too easy," she remarked to her tutor.
"Because he's starving and weak," Sleet bluntly replied. He looked at her. "You shouldn't have come. It would have been a fairer fight."
Aleena started and for a moment looked a bit guilty. "Was that the real reason you wanted to seek him alone?" she uncertainly asked, sounding a bit sheepish and worried.
"A part of it," Sleet answered, looking back at the other.
"You're hardly one to talk about honor, Sleet. You said it yourself," Drago said.
"And I meant it," he replied. "If I were a more honorable man than I am, I'd let you go. Unfortunately for you, I'm not. Now roll over like a good dog and don't make this more difficult than it needs to be." Drago snarled, going at him again. Sleet dodged quickly out of the way and struck his opponent's head violently, knocking the man unconscious. Immediately he knelt, cuffing his partner slash employer.
Aleena was quiet, head bowed in a measure of shame. Sleet rose, tucking away his sword. "I'm sorry," she soon said. "If I had known…"
"Don't be sorry. I would have won either way. Your being present just made it that much easier and that much less painful for him. Me as well for that matter," Sleet bluntly replied.
"Why did he come to you if he knew you would win?" she asked.
"Because he didn't," Sleet answered. "Drago is arrogant and haughty. He believes himself to be far greater and more powerful than he actually is, and it will always cost him. It always has. He came believing he would defeat me. He learned the hard way he wouldn't. Truth be told, had you not been here, I probably would have just killed him and been done with it. Your father, I'm sure, could care less whether he's brought back dead or alive."
"How do we get him back at all?" Aleena asked.
Sleet looked around. "We'll build a makeshift sled," he said. He turned to her. "I'll teach you. Follow my instructions and we'll get it done within the hour and be on our way back to your palace before sunset." She nodded and followed him.
SU
The King and Queen glared darkly at the imprisoned canine now on his knees before their throne, Sleet standing at his back. "You worthless scum," the King darkly said. Drago growled darkly, baring his teeth. "You kidnapped my daughter!" the King yelled. Drago stayed quiet. "Have you nothing to say in your defense?" the King asked. Drago did not respond and the King scoffed in disgust. "Argus, bring him to the dungeons. Get the man out of my sight. I'll figure out what to do with him later."
"Yes sir," Argus agreed, saluting. He beckoned to his guards who came and took hold of the white wolf, dragging him off.
Sleet watched after them silently then turned to the king. "He's starving," he said.
"Let him starve," the King answered.
"Normally I would applaud something so nefarious, sire, but Drago has this nasty little habit of eating whatever he can get, if he's hungry enough. Whatever he can get," Sleet emphasized.
"What do you mean?" the King cautiously asked. Sleet gave him a look, and realization dawned on the king and queen, an expression of horror and disgust crossing the queen's face. The King's lips parted slowly in disbelief, eyes wider than they had ever been before. "You-you can't be serious!" he finally managed to exclaim.
"In a survival situation, food is food. What do the dead care what their corpses are used for?" Sleet grimly asked.
"My gods!" the queen exclaimed in horror, looking about ready to faint. "Young man, what have you witnessed him do?"
"Take my word for it that it wasn't pretty and leave it," Sleet replied through clenched teeth. "I would just as soon forget it ever happened. And before you ask, no. I didn't join him. In fact, I ran as fast and far from it as I possibly could."
"If he had killed you…" the queen began.
"We're not talking about this!" Sleet snapped testily. "In fact, we're never mentioning it ever, ever again. Ever! Just feed him."
"I can't tell what is a lie from your lips or the truth," the king said, shaking his head bitterly at Sleet.
"Best to play it safe then and not learn the hard way," Sleet replied, turning to leave.
"Sir Sleet, thank you. For bringing back our daughter's captor," the Queen said.
"I would just as soon not be thanked for it," Sleet replied, not even stopping to look back. After all, he technically hadn't.
"What now?" the Queen asked, turning to her king.
"After Drago has been fed, I intend to go down and interrogate him. After I've done so, and determined his motivations and plans for our daughter, then I will decide his sentence," the King replied.
"Be careful my love. The man sounds completely unhinged," the Queen replied.
"I will be," he promised, squeezing her hands reassuringly.
SU
The King walked down into the dungeons, grim faced and determined to meet the man who had abducted his daughter face-to-face. He made his way to the prison cell in which the wolf was being kept and peered inside. The man was laying on the bed asleep and snoring, bones surrounding the cot from the food he had been given. It would have been a terrifying sight to behold if the man was not behind bars and chained to the wall.
"Get up monster!" the King snapped, striking the bars loudly with his sword.
The wolf started awake with a snarl, looking directly at him. Upon realizing who he was, though, a dark and wolfish grin spread across his face. "Your Majesty," he greeted borderline mockingly. "Why honor me with your presence?"
"I'm not. I've come to sentence you. Before I do, though, I would interrogate and look into the eyes of the man who stole my daughter away and attempted to ransom her to the highest bidder," the King answered.
"Why did you need to come here for that? You've been looking into his eyes for a year now," Drago answered.
The King was silent, taken aback by the response. "What?" he at last asked, voice cold. "What do you mean?"
"I was just his associate. True enough I had my own plans for her, but I wasn't the one who plotted and carried out her kidnapping. I was just along for the ride to enjoy the perks and reap the rewards. Which he's likely reaping more than his fair share of, if the way your daughter looks at him is anything to go by. She followed him you know. When you sent him after me." Slowly the King's eyes widened, and he bristled at the words. "They took their sweet time finding me for certain. One has to wonder what it was they were doing in those woods that delayed them so much."
"Liar!" the king sharply and immediately said. "I refuse to believe my daughter would be so foolish."
"You put far too much faith in a child," Drago replied. "She was the one who bought her freedom from him. Outbid the others, they say, but I don't see how she could have outbid everyone. I suspect part of the reason he agreed to return her was because he looks at her in much the same way she looks at him."
"With loathing," the King quickly said.
"With smouldering attraction," Drago said.
"You deceitful…" the King began.
"Maybe I am deceiving you, but certainly not all the way. Watch them, your majesty. Watch the way they behave around one another. Watch the way they look at each other. You'll see the truth soon enough," Drago replied. "How much do you want to bet he's with your daughter right now? How much do you want to bet he went to her immediately after he left your throne room? How much do you want to bet he's in her arms, or something else, as we speak?" The King was silent, pale. "Maybe you don't wanna know the truth," Drago said, grinning coldly.
Turning, the king stiffly left the dungeon. Drago laughed darkly after him, and part of the King wanted to execute him then and there. The other part, though, needed answers…