Notes and disclaimer in prologue.
Sure Thing
Chapter 10
Sharp blue eyes squinted at the footprints barely visible in the sandy soil. They followed an almost imperceptible trail, darting quickly from one area to the next.
"There was a master's swordfight here." Duke Treize Kushrenada said, crouching and tracing the outline of one foot. "Both were geniuses in the field of dueling. It ranged all over." [1]
"What happened? Who won?" Dorothy inquired from atop a dappled horse. Treize barely glanced up at the imperious young woman.
"It seems they both switched hands during the fight…bluffing, I suppose, since there is no blood to suggest injury."
"But what of the end of the fight? That's all I'm interested in!" Dorothy's impatience was clear, though she barely raised her voice above conversational level; future queens never shouted. Treize stood with his back to her, rolling his eyes slightly.
"The winner knocked out the loser, but didn't kill him. He made sure he wasn't dead by rolling him onto his back and checking his pulse." Treize swung around to face the Princess. "He then proceeded to run northwest, following the others. The loser, when he gained consciousness, went directly north."
"I don't care about the loser! It's Prince Quatre we must find. If he's killed…" Dorothy trailed off, her implications clear in her stony expression.
"Of course, your Majesty." Treize bowed slightly. "We will not let them do anything of the sort." He mounted his own chestnut horse effortlessly and pointed in the direction they were to take. "They are ahead by only half a day. We shall probably catch up to them within the next three hours if we ride fast."
"Very well. Let us make haste then, Duke Kushrenada." Dorothy spurred her horse forward, slamming her heels into the hapless beast's side in a very un-lady-like manner.
Quatre was completely winded from running for so long without break, but one look at the set expression on Duo's face and he didn't dare ask if they could possibly sit a moment. He concentrated simply on breathing and moving his legs, refusing to think about either Wufei or Heero. At the top of one particularly nasty hill Duo finally called a halt to their mad dash. Quatre fairly fell to the ground, holding his side and wheezing slightly. Duo looked nearly as worn out, but he continued standing, looking out over the countryside for any sign of either Heero or their pursuer.
"Duo?" Quatre was at last able to draw enough air into his lungs to say something. Duo glanced at him before returning to his inspection of the terrain. "Duo, where are we going? What are you trying to do here that would risk the lives of two people you care so much about?"
Duo frowned and spun to face him. "I don't know anymore, Kat, I just don't know. I used to think it was just about the money, but this is getting bigger than anything I ever expected. I'll tell you exactly what we're doing. We're trying to start a war. We've been hired to kidnap you, bring you to Airtsua and…well, now they want us to kill you and frame Airtsua for it. Once the royal family discovers your death, they'll be forced to declare war on Airtsua."
"Duo…" Quatre felt nothing short of horrified. "Do you realize I'm actually nothing special? I'm a farmer. The only reason I'm a prince is because I lost the man I love years ago and then some trumped up princess decided I was to be her husband. Honestly, all I want to do is to farm the land my family has owned for countless generations. But I lost that…all I have now is my friend Hilde and a stupid title that means nothing to me. Nothing!" Quatre leaned against an old tree stump and rubbed a hand across his face. "You're sacrificing so much for something that makes no sense. Stop now, before it gets too much out of hand."
Duo crouched down in front of him, his violet eyes troubled. "If only I could. But if I don't follow through on this, they'll track us down and kill us anyway."
"Then we run away. We run until we find a safe haven far from this troubled place. I can accept the fact that I won't have my farm, either way I wouldn't anyway. I could get a new plot of land somewhere else and you could help me, with Heero and Wufei, if that's what they want to do. It would be an honest life, without deception and murder. Come on, Duo. What have you got to lose at this point?"
Duo's forehead crinkled and he stood again, turning to the countryside. "You know, Kat? It's all messed up. I think you have a good point." He was silent, and then, Quatre could almost hear the smile in his voice. "Okay, I'll do it. I'll go with you and…" He trailed off, and his back stiffened.
"What is it?" Quatre asked, although he was sure of the answer.
"That…that bastard…" Duo's hands clenched into tight fists. "I'll kill him!" Quatre stood unsteadily and walked to where Duo was. There in plain view, the man in green was making his way towards their hill, with no one else in sight, not even…
"Heero…" Duo's strangled whisper echoed frighteningly in the deathly silence.
The masked man reached the top of a rather high hill and paused, taking in the scene before him. Duo and Quatre were sitting on tree stumps with a blanket spread in front of them. A few plates of untouched food, a bottle of wine, and two goblets rested on it in what seemed to be a makeshift picnic. Quatre's hands were now tied behind his back and he was blindfolded. Duo sat with his legs casually crossed and a nasty looking dagger pressed gently against the blonde's throat.
"Why, hello there, my fine masked friend." Duo greeted him smiling, his voice cheerful, but his violet eyes were strangely flat. Quatre shifted slightly as the dagger pressed slightly harder into his throat.
"And salutations to you, braided one." The man in green responded with the same cheeriness. "What are you doing here on such a fine day?"
"Oh, having a nice picnic in the middle of a kidnapping. What do you think? I had actually planned on there being two others with us today, but you have prevented their arrival." Duo's voice was quickly losing its jollity. "So, it seems to be just you, me, and our kidnappee."
"I have merely delayed them…" The man took a step closer. Quatre gasped faintly as the dagger pressed even more into his throat, slightly nicking his skin.
"I wouldn't come any closer if I were you." Duo had given up any pretence of cordiality. "You see, what you are trying to do is rather ridiculous. I have kidnapped the prince rightfully. I was hired, and I am fulfilling my orders. I don't need you to come along and try and steal him from me without any excuse. Are you being paid, or do you have some higher cause?"
"Actually, I do have a reason for trying to steal him from you. But this is really a need to know basis…and you don't need to know." The pirate took another step.
"Stop. Every step you take brings him a step closer to death. And don't think I'm fooling around here. I've done this sort of thing before. I could write you a damn manual on the proper steps of kidnapping someone and keeping that person hostage. Even killing them in the most efficient manner." Duo smiled maliciously. "So, unless you want a prince shishcabob, I would stay right where you are."
"In that case, it seems to me that we are at a bit of a stalemate." The man held out his hands plaintively.
"You bet your green britches we are." Duo snorted.
"Then, might I suggest a contest? Something that will determine who can keep the prince without killing him and thus nullifying the entire purpose to each of our quests?"
"A challenge?" Duo sounded incredulous. "You wish to challenge me?" The man nodded. "To the death?" The man nodded again. Duo gave a bark of laughter, "Why not?"
The man moved forward slowly and perched on the edge of a large rock, watching as Duo sheathed the dagger, but left Quatre blindfolded and tied. Up to this point, the flaxen-haired prince had remained nearly silent. His mouth was a thin line and he seemed to be breathing hard through his nose. "Is he all right like that?" The pirate asked, inclining his head towards Quatre. "What is wrong with his breathing?"
Duo glanced at his hostage and shrugged. "I have no idea. Besides, what does it matter to you how he's doing?"
"I don't need to have him injured in any sort of way when I get him." The man's voice sounded slightly strained.
"If you get him, you mean. Which you won't. Not if I have anything to do with it." Duo said harshly. The man was silent, his eyes on Quatre. "Well?" Duo asked impatiently.
"I have this." The pirate pulled a small vial from a satchel on his belt. "Inspect it all you want, but do not touch or inhale any."
Duo took it from him and pulled out the cork. He sniffed it slightly, and grimaced. "Horrid smell; what in hell is it?"
"Base sulfur. Combined with the proper amount of acidity the smell disappears and it becomes the deadliest poison known to man.[2] Luckily, or not so luckily for many, wine provides the acidity required for this change to occur." The man reached out and took the vial back. He then picked up the wine bottle and proceeded to pour wine into the two goblets. Turning his back on the two men he appeared to pour the poison into one of the goblets. He faced Duo again and put the goblets on the table, one in front of Duo and one in front of himself. Duo sniggered slightly. The man put the vial back into his satchel. "There, we've begun. Now, it's up to you to choose the drink you think doesn't have the poison in it. We'll both drink and find out if you were correct. Shall we?"
Duo sniggered again. "You made it so obvious!"
"Did I?" The pirate sounded only politely interested.
"Of course." Duo grinned. "I only have to deduce what I know about you to know if you are the type of man who would put the wine into your own goblet or into mine. From where I stand, you wouldn't have put it into yours, because of your knowledge of sword fighting."
"I beg your pardon?"
"You studied sword fighting, because an amateur would never have been able to beat Wufei. So, you fully understand that man can die, and you wouldn't want that poison anywhere near you. But, you also might think you are strong enough to withstand it because you were able to beat…Heero…" Duo's voice caught only slightly on the name and the man leaned forward seeming very engrossed now. "So, you might have put it near you."
"Alright then, what is your decision? Or are you merely stalling?"
"I am not stalling. I have made my decision." Duo paused, a strange light in his eyes. "You've put poison in both of the goblets. I know you are a pirate, I could tell by your ship. By your fancy clothes, fancy by pirate standards, that is, you are most likely a captain. And as a captain, you wouldn't want to be poisoned by a mutinous crew. So you've been building up immunities to every different poison you can think of. You lose, I win. I keep the prince and you get to die." Duo leaned back, grinning maniacally.
"And why this sudden urge to kill me?" The pirate asked, seemingly unimpressed by Duo's deduction.
"Oh, just a little payback for the deaths of two fine men who deserved a better fate than to be killed by the likes of you." Duo stood, pulling a gun from his belt. The man sat and watched him, apparently unafraid of his actions.
"Well, I see we have both lost our little battle. Duke Kushrenada and his troops are close behind me. You can probably see them starting to make their way across the valley. I know how to avoid them easily. So, how about this, we'll cut a deal." The man in green folded his arms across his chest and waited for Duo's reaction. Duo glanced past the pirate's shoulder and saw a faint cloud of dust announcing the eminent arrival of the duke's posse.
"Very well." Duo said thinking quickly. "What do you suggest?"
"A temporary peace-fire until we're away from the Duke for good. Once we've shaken him, we can decide what to do."
"And why should I trust you?" Duo demanded.
The man's mouth quirked in a slight smile. "Because I'm your only hope for getting away. And because I didn't kill those men you speak of. They're probably on their way to the meeting place you had planned in case you were separated. Both with horrible headaches, I'm sure, but not worse for the wear."
Duo frowned. "I don't believe you. But you're right. We'll decide things when we get away from that bastard. Quatre, let's go." Duo finally addressed the prince and hauled him to his feet. Quatre motioned with his hands.
"Um…" He said quietly, "Do you think I could have the blindfold taken off? I would like to see where I'm going."
"No, Quatre. It's for your own safety it be kept on." Duo said.
The pirate snorted. "Honestly, what safety? Don't you think his life is already at enough risk without him tripping over a rock and falling down a mountainside?" He moved forward and pulled the blindfold off. "There. And these hand binds can come off, as well. I'm sure the braided one and I can catch you easily if you try and escape."
"How far away is the Duke?" Quatre asked him.
"About two hours. But they're moving faster than I calculated, so it might be less." The pirate walked past him and down the other side of the hill. Quatre looked at Duo curiously.
"Hey, don't look at me. At least if I'm alive I know I can keep you protected from this guy, okay?"
They followed him as he broke out into a swift jog, and all Quatre could think was, Not running again…
Duke Kushrenada was once again scanning the ground. "Another grand fight." He declared. "This time it was a hand fight. Both men were extremely strong. See the rock smashed over here? It seems the victor got a proper strangle hold on the loser and caused him to lose consciousness. Again, both ran in different directions."
"How far are they from us now?" Dorothy asked.
"Only three hours by now. We'll catch them soon and get your prince back to you safely." Treize said reassuringly.
"Good." Dorothy scowled. "If he is in any way harmed, I shall be very put out.[3]" Treize merely nodded in agreement as they spurred their horses onward in pursuit of their quarry.
Sure Thing
Chapter 11
"Rest you two." The man in green finally halted their run and both Quatre and Duo nearly collapsed on the ground. Much like Heero, the pirate seemed hardly winded, and gazed out over the countryside, searching for evidence of their pursuers. "I don't think we've outrun them quite yet. They're on horseback, so they're going at a much faster rate than we are." He turned around and faced them. "You two are doing pretty well at running, especially considering how much of it you've been doing today."
"Doesn't mean I like it…"gasped Quatre.
The man chuckled slightly. "You've got quite a bit of spunk, for a prince."
"I am not a prince." Quatre ground out, his eyes flashing. "And I won't ever be one. Especially if we get away from the Duke and that obsessive princess."
"You make it sound as if you don't want to be rescued." The masked man sounded slightly surprised.
"That's because I don't. I would rather go back to the life I knew. It wasn't perfect, but it was better by a long shot than being a prince." Quatre gritted.
"What were you before?" The man crouched in front of him.
"A farmer. Which was fine by me. It was a heck of a lot more peaceful than this. That was the way to be, making your life out of the living soil with no care except for the rainfall predictions for the following season. You could just live with the land you loved and the people who…loved you." Quatre's words stumbled a bit and he glanced away.
"I believe you." The pirate smiled slightly. "So how on earth did you go from being a farmer to a prince?"
"That pushy princess I mentioned earlier forced me into it. Well, not forced, really. She was rather persuasive."
"How so? Did she offer money and power?" The man asked, his voice beginning to harden. Quatre sat up straight, his blue eyes sparking dangerously. He had heard this several months earlier when he'd first broken the news of his engagement to Hilde.
"Among other things, yes." He spat. "But that's not really for you to know, now is it?"
"Hey, fella, don't you think we'd better get a move on it?" Duo interrupted.
The tall man nodded backing away from the flashing eyes. "Yes, they're probably closer to us now. We can lose them in the Black River Swamp near here if we get there by sunset. They wouldn't dare go into it at night."
"Oh great, what about us?" Duo groaned, smacking his head. "Isn't there a better way of getting out of their way?"
"I think the Black River Swamp should be fine. Unless you're scared, Duo…" Quatre gave a tiny malicious grin at the effervescent man who grinned back in response.
"Of course not! Onward, brave trio!" With that he raced forward and down the hill. Quatre followed, not noticing the pirate pause and watch his back for a moment before trailing behind them.
[1] I couldn't think of another line for this, so I simply stole it out of the Princess Bride. I mean the entire script is really well written, so this is kind of like me tipping my hat to the screenwriters, because I couldn't think of anything better to put there.
[2] Honestly…I have no clue if base sulfur mixed with wine will make a poison at all. Any chemistry nerds out there care to enlighten me?
A/N: Okay, I'll tell you the answer to the last one. It's from Disney's The Three Musketeers. I forget exactly what time in the movie it's said, but I know that Porthos says it to D'Artagnan. It's quite funny. Almost as funny as when D'Artagnan just finishes killing someone and is hanging from the edge of the balcony and Porthos calls up, "Come, D'Artagnan! We are saving the king!" Tee hee. Bored yet? Okay, on to chapter 13 with you. It will hopefully be better than this past chapter.)