Chapter 2
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, and I have lost all hope that I will ever own it.
Part 2 is up, let's hope it's going somewhere this time.
Duo regained consciousness and groggily glanced at his surroundings. Stalactites hung threateningly over his head, dripping water onto his face.
"A cave", he thought "makes a nice change from all that green." For a moment, he tried to remember how he got there, and the previous day's events came back to him in an instant.
"The unicorn!" Duo glanced around frantically, but the cave was empty. Sighing, he picked up his backpack, which was lying nearby, and exited the cave.
Too engrossed in his thoughts to notice something moving behind him, Duo was suddenly caught outside the cave by his braid, and brought face to face with a hulking giant of a man, who looked him up and down with a cruel smile on his face.
"Well, well, well," the man chortled to his companions, still on horseback, " seems I caught us a cute little bunny for tonight's supper!" The other men, from the looks of it soldiers on their way to Tara, guffawed as Duo tried to struggle free, shouting curses at them the whole time. The man holding him struck him hard across the skull, rendering him unconscious, then swung him across his lap on the horse and the group departed towards a nearby campground.
Clear turquoise eyes closely monitored the entire exchange, and the group failed to notice that they were being followed.
Duo struggled against the chains that held him close to a huge oak tree, trying not to listen to those men talking about him in the threadbare tent. Occasionally, he caught fragments of the conversations.
" He'll fetch us a fine price back in Tara. Imagine what the King would say if we brought him this kind of prize."
" No, we have to destroy it. It has the mark, and if there's one, there'll be others."
" Can't we have a little fun with him first?"
" IT is the last of it's kind, we can collect a bounty if we kill it quickly."
"No, we should bring it back alive. His majesty will know what to do with it."
"Captain…"
"Yes, yes, go ahead. But make sure you don't get carried away and kill him, not yet anyway."
Duo fought back a wave of nausea and leaned back in grim acceptance of what was to come. Then his sharp violet eyes caught a flash of silver briefly shining through the canopy. Before his mind could register what he had just seen, the Unicorn was once again standing beside him. It leaned over and touched the symbol on his forehead, and a soft voice spoke to him in his head.
/When I release you, climb onto my back. /
Duo looked up in surprise, and caught the animal's eye. He nodded softly.
The Unicorn then lowered its horn to the lock on Duo's chains and cracked it open, and the chains clattered noisily. The men inside the tent made to go out and investigate. Panicked, Duo grabbed the Unicorn's mane and swung himself onto its back. The soldiers tore back the tent cloth, but all they could see were the broken chains lying on the ground and a receding streak of silver, gold and dark brown disappearing into the forest.
Shakily, Duo washed the wounds inflicted by the chains on his wrists. The Unicorn approached him.
/Do you want me to heal those for you?/
"Um, sure, okay."
/Why did you leave the cave? You were safer there./
" I have places to go. Besides, where did you go?"
/To find food. I didn't think you'd wake up before I got back./
"Why did you help me?"
/Because yesterday you helped me. Besides, I figure the world's last two immortals should stick together./
"Guess you're right. I'm Duo Maxwell, last surviving member of the Tuatha De Danann, direct descendent of Cuchulainn and so hungry right now that the clump of nettles over there are starting to look good." Soft laughter filled Duo's head.
/I'm Quatre. I have a lot, over other names too, but I doubt that you could pronounce them. And I'll get us some food in a minute./
Quatre returned half an hour later with Duo's rugsack between his teeth, full of fruit and vegetables. Duo immediately dug in, occasionally pausing to tell Quatre about himself.
" I was raised in an abandoned monastery with two other faeries, like me, but older. I can't really remember them, but I know that one was named Aine, and she was killed when I was two years old. The other one was killed when the High King's army ransacked the monastery, but I can't remember much about him. After that I just took to wandering, living off my magic and whatever else I could find. But looking like this, you can imagine how difficult it was to get in and out of anywhere alive and intact, y'know?"
Quatre nodded. Being an immortal with a human form created problems for the creatures who had tried to live amongst humans. Their supernatural birthright made them inhumanly beautiful, and so the objects of many mortals perverted fantasies. And Duo was no exception
His long chestnut colored hair was now loose, and draped dramatically across his slender, well-muscled form. His eyes were an unusual shade of purple and seemed to crackle with energy. These features alone would make anyone suspicious of his mortality, even before they recognized the mark of the eighth generation member of the Tuatha De Danann
/ Where were you travelling to?/
" I was going to Inis Gloire to join the Fianna."
/ Why?/
" Revenge. About a year ago, the High King of Tara attacked a monastery where some old relics were being kept. I was living there at the time, with the abbot and his sister, a nun who studied the old magic. She taught me to use my powers from the old scripts the king was after."
Duo took a deep breath, as old memories plagued his mind.
" I was out practicing incantations in the forest when the army raided the monastery. After they got the relics, they barricaded the church with everyone inside and burned them alive. I've been wandering ever since, but now I want to join the Fianna and see Treize get what's coming to him.
/ Treize? I thought the High King's name was Conor./
"No, Treize is Conor's son. He's ruled for five years."
/ Oh. I've lost track of time. I haven't used my human body for a while. /
" You have a human body?"
/ Yes, but like I said, I don't use it much. It makes me easier to catch./
" I guess that makes sense."
/How are you going to make people believe that you're human?/
" I learned an incantation to disguise myself from Sister Helen. It's pretty effective, but I can't lose concentration when I'm using it, otherwise it switches itself off."
/ Do you have a horse?/
" No, why?"
/ I heard that soldiers going to Inis Gloire have to provide their own horses./
" WHAT? Those rotten cheap…………."
Duo let loose a string of extremely foul language and the forest seemed to shrink away from him. Quatre quickly recovered from shock and tried to calm him down.
/ I think I can get you a horse./
" Really? How?"
/ You can use me./
" Stop kidding around. It's not funny."
/ I'm serious. I can disguise my horn. Saddle me up and no one will know the difference./
" Why would you want to fight?"
/ I don't. I want to help you./
" Are you crazy?'
/ No, just fiercely loyal. We're friends now, aren't we?/
" Well, yeah, but…."
/ Then I'm sticking with you. We should get some sleep now, and we can leave for Inis Gloire in the morning./
" Okay. Goodnight."
/ Goodnight./
" Quatre?'
/ Yes?/
" Thanks."
/ Don't mention it./
