Author's Note: Sorry about the delay, folks! What with the holidays, it took longer than expected to get this chapter wrapped up. But, to make up for the delay, it's an extra long chapter! Enjoy!
Access Denied
Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May
Siegfried strolled the dim hallways in silence, clutching the photographs against his chest. He'd never imagined that the creator of Duel Monsters could be so obviously insane. Nor had he ever once dreamed that such a beautiful face could be so horribly flawed. Siegfried sighed and slumped back against the wall. He needed time to think, to determine what his next move should be.
Even though the man was insane, Pegasus's charm and charisma were hard to resist. And then there was the way he so obviously adored Ophelia. Every time Siegfried had even thought about doing something to create a rift between the two, something about the moment had just seemed wrong. It was foolishness to keep putting off what was so obviously necessary, but the perfectionist in Siegfried demanded that the timing be absolutely perfect.
Siegfried growled under his breath, willing his nerve to stop being so wishy-washy. He had to stop leading Pegasus on as Ophelia, and he had to win Pegasus for himself in the real world. The man might be a disfigured, raving loony, but Siegfried needed him if Schroeder Corp was to ever come out ahead of Kaiba Corp.
Trying to steel himself to do what he must when the time came, Siegfried finished the walk to the room he and Leon were sharing. Leon was still sitting up, playing games on Siegfried's computer. "I hope you're better at seducing than you are at breaking up," he mumbled critically.
"The man is delusional," Siegfried sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed. "He believes Duel Monsters are real creatures." With little else to do, Siegfried began examining the photos as Pegasus had told him. He doubted he would see anything that would change his mind about Pegasus's sanity, however. Magic was simply a flight of fancy.
"In other words, he resisted your irresistible charms," Leon chuckled. Siegfried didn't bother to inform him that after seeing Pegasus's face, he hadn't been able to bring himself to look at the man, much less flirt. Not that Pegasus was completely hideous, Siegfried supposed. As long as he kept that ruined eye hidden, the man was almost as pleasant to look upon as Siegfried himself was.
Siegfried paused as one of the photos caught his eye - a stone carving of Slifer the Sky Dragon on what looked to be an ancient tablet. Carefully Siegfried began spreading the photos out on the bed, realizing that they were all close-ups of the same tablet. Quickly he became engaged in piecing together the pictures, wanting to see the whole. The other two Duel Monster Gods joined Slifer, surrounding a carving of an upside down pyramid with an eye on it. "That looks like Yugi's puzzle," Leon said. Siegfried glanced up, startled because he thought his brother to be still engaged with the computer games.
With Leon's help, the tablet's entirety began to take shape. Staring, Siegfried recalled all that Pegasus had just told him about the Shadow Games of ancient Egypt. He couldn't deny that the Egyptian Gods were on the tablet. Nor could he tell himself that he didn't see the Dark Magician and the Blue Eyes White Dragon. He did try desperately to convince himself, however, that the two human figures on the tablet weren't Yugi and Kaiba. Failing that, Siegfried desperately sought for some sign that the photos were clever fakes.
"That is so cool!" Leon's eyes were wide as he stared at the tablet. "Cool" wasn't quite the word Siegfried would have used, though. "Unnerving" was more like it. Here he was, looking at visual proof that Duel Monsters had existed in the days of pharaohs - proof that Pegasus's little lecture on the game's history held some truth. Now Siegfried could see why Pegasus had told him about the game. Did he really want to involve himself and his company with the things that had taken Pegasus's eye?
In silence, Siegfried began to gather up the photos. He wanted to hurl them out the window and forget about them, but Pegasus might not approve of his property being abused in such a way. The pictures were carefully stacked and set upon the bureau. Siegfried would return them to Pegasus in the morning, once he'd had a chance to think over his options.
The dawn brought no answers to Siegfried, however. Moving quietly so as not to awaken Leon, Siegfried bundled up in a silk bathrobe and began retracing his steps from the night before. When he found the sitting room again, he knew he was on the right track. As soon as he reached the dining room again, Siegfried paused. The kitchens had to be close by. All he wanted was to grab a quick bite and then retreat back to his room where he could make himself properly beautiful for the day.
Deciding that it stood to reason that the kitchens would be near to the dining room, Siegfried began his search, feeling a little thrill of triumph as he discovered a door hidden behind a wall-hanging. The door opened onto a small hallway, which Siegfried realized was to prevent dinner guests from having to listen to the clatter of the kitchens. Siegfried's triumphant arrival into the kitchen was short-lived as he saw that he wasn't alone.
At a table by the windows, Pegasus sat, pencil scratching quickly over a sketchpad. Siegfried froze, uncertain as to whether or not he should intrude or retreat. He might have stood frozen until Doomsday if Pegasus hadn't made the decision for him. "Good morning, Ziggy-boy!" The older man's gaze briefly left the paper as he smiled warmly. "Pull up a chair, dear boy. Make yourself at home. I've got fresh coffee."
Siegfried blushed over having been caught looking less than his absolute best. It was one thing to have it happen at home where the servants would primp and pamper him into prettiness anyway, but it was an entirely different matter here where he was a guest and trying to make a good impression. Oddly enough, however, Pegasus seemed not to notice.
Since he couldn't make a polite escape, Siegfried made a beeline for the coffee. The kitchen was a homey enough place, Siegfried decided as he plucked a mug off of the hanging rack - peasant chic. Carefully Siegfried began measuring out equal parts coffee and cream into his cup, which he followed by stirring in five spoonfuls of sugar. As he finished his preparations, he realized he was being watched. "You weren't joking about being finicky, I see."
Siegfried shrugged as he settled at the table. He knew polite conversation was expected, but all he could think about was Pegasus's eye - not exactly the best topic to bring up. Siegfried's gaze traveled across Pegasus's sketchbook - the man was putting Ophelia's confrontation with the bandits down on paper. Impressed, Siegfried wondered if he'd really seemed that fierce. If he'd realized how close Pegasus had been at that battle, Siegfried might have continued the helpless damsel routine. But since he'd had no clue that help was near, when the bandit had acted the part of the crude thug that he was, Siegfried decided that enough was enough.
"May I look?" When Pegasus looked up from his drawing, blinking in surprise at the soft, polite question, Siegfried motioned to the sketchbook. "May I?" he asked again. Wordlessly, Pegasus pushed the sketchbook across the table.
Pegasus had been busy with his pencil, Siegfried saw as he browsed through image after image of Ophelia. It seemed as though the man was trying to capture every moment he spent with the princess on paper so that if he lost her, he could relive their time together through his drawings. A lump rose in Siegfried's throat as he realized that seen through Pegasus's eyes, Ophelia was even more beautiful than he'd thought.
A loose leaf of paper caught Siegfried's attention. He carefully pulled it out of the sketchbook, feeling a faint flush of triumph as he saw that it was a drawing of himself. At least he'd made a bit of an impression on Pegasus after all. Replacing the loose page and turning back to the drawing Pegasus had been working on, Siegfried passed the sketchbook back to Pegasus. "To say that you are talented is a gross understatement, Herr Pegasus."
Pegasus made a noncommittal sound, and Siegfried felt foolish. Of course Pegasus would already know he was talented. He'd created the Duel Monsters cards, after all. As Siegfried internally berated himself, he missed the arrival of Pegasus's manservant until the man spoke. "Sir, the supply ship just radioed. We've got another guest on the way."
Pegasus rose from the table, his face alight with pleasure. "My, my. I do seem to be a popular fellow these days. First Ziggy-boy and his brother and now...?" Croquet merely gave Pegasus a silent smile. Siegfried stared as he realized that the servant was teasing the master in his own quiet way. "Oh, don't be mean, Croquet! Tell me who it is!" Pegasus pouted.
"You should go dress to meet company, Master Pegasus," was the only response as Croquet bowed and left to attend to his duties.
Once the man was gone, Pegasus rose from the table. He was laughing, Siegfried noted, as though it didn't matter that his butler had been unbelievably rude. "Casual dress is probably fine," Pegasus informed Siegfried between chuckles. "Whoever it is, it must be someone I like and Croquet approves of - quite a short list, that. They've picked an awkward time to come, though. I've an appointment today that I simply can't break. But we can worry about that later. If you want to join me in greeting the mystery guest, the supply ship docks in about two hours, Ziggy-boy." With a wave, Pegasus was gone, leaving Siegfried at the table alone.
Siegfried polished off his coffee before heading back to his room. Two hours would hardly be enough time to be properly polished up to meet someone, but Pegasus had said that casual dress was acceptable. Someone Pegasus liked? Siegfried frowned at that thought. A rival for Pegasus's attentions perhaps? If that were the case, then Siegfried might need to look his absolute best.
Seeing that Leon was still asleep, Siegfried kept as quiet as possible while he went through his clothes. He wasn't quite sure what one wore upon meeting a potential rival for the man one was trying to woo. Whatever he chose, he would need to outshine this person in Pegasus's eyes.
When time was up, Siegfried found himself standing by Pegasus's side watching as the boat docked. Despite Pegasus's assurances that casual dress would be fine, Siegfried had chosen one of his business suits, choosing to leave the jacket unbuttoned in a slight nod towards casual.
"Pegasus!" Siegfried narrowed his eyes as his potential rival stepped off the boat. The newcomer was tall and much too thin, Siegfried decided. Nor was he dressed to properly meet a man of such esteem as Pegasus - not in those jeans and that open-buttoned shirt. The only nod towards formality the man made was a tie draped loosely around his neck.
Pegasus, however, seemed not to care. He was already dragging Siegfried forward to meet the man. "Dr. Banner!" Pegasus called out with far more cheer in his voice than what Siegfried had been greeted with. "This is Siegfried von Schroeder of Schroeder Corp. He and his brother are visiting for a few days. Ziggy-boy, I'd like you to meet Dr. Lymon Banner - alchemist extraordinaire. He's trying to track the history of Duel Monsters back to its earliest origins, among his other projects."
Siegfried narrowed his eyes as he permitted the newcomer a brief handshake. He'd gotten all dressed up to meet this gangly, squinty-eyed scholar! Dr. Banner smiled warmly, as if he were totally oblivious to Siegfried's silent scorn. "Ah! You were in Kaiba's tournament when he opened Kaibaland. The Valkyrie deck, correct?"
"Ja," Siegfried answered coolly. He would spare no more words on this peasant than absolutely necessary.
Banner pushed his glasses up his nose, all smiles. The man was impervious to Siegfried's quiet hostility! "That was an excellent match. Close, too. It was the sort of duel that most Duelists can only dream about!" Siegfried waved a hand dismissively, trying to play the duel off as nothing special. He'd lost, after all. If only he'd had one more turn. The Golden Castle of Stromsburg had been in his hand; he'd been so close to defeating Kaiba. But in the end, he'd been too weak, and Kaiba had emerged victorious.
Turning from Siegfried, Banner held a battered duffle bag out to Pegasus. "I've brought back the books I borrowed, as well as copies of my notes and photos of my latest findings." Croquet intercepted the bag, fitting the strap over his shoulder. No sense in letting Pegasus burden himself with such mundane drudgery.
"And," Pegasus interrupted. "I suppose you want to raid my library again and copy my notes."
"Well, knowledge is meant to be shared," Dr. Banner wheedled sweetly.
Siegfried glared, wondering how Pegasus could stand the presence of this pitiful weed of a person. Both men were becoming lost in discussion of their latest discoveries, and Siegfried had to stifle the urge to childishly stamp his feet and demand they pay attention to him. Oh, yes, that would do wonders for the impression he was trying to make on Pegasus, wouldn't it?
Siegfried trudged behind Pegasus and Dr. Banner as they made their way back to the house. Already he despised this interloper. Siegfried was supposed to have Pegasus to himself, not share him with some over-educated string bean! The very thought was inconceivable! And yet, here Siegfried stood, forgotten as the two older men sought to catch up on their latest doings.
Feeling the need to give vent to his temper before he did something foolish that he would regret later, Siegfried broke away from Pegasus and his friend. Siegfried barged into his room, relieved to see that he would be alone. Leon was probably off exploring. Siegfried grabbed his computer and settled on the bed, figuring that he'd probably feel better once he'd had the opportunity to kill stuff.
Despite what Kaiba might think, Siegfried did have a legitimate character made for the game. Seeing as how he needn't worry about the princess as she was confined to her rooms under guard, Siegfried chose to play legitimately. He entered the game, logged in as his mage character, Kazanlik. Siegfried had modeled the character after himself, figuring that one couldn't go wrong with perfection.
Soon that very model of perfection was on a killing spree, wiping out any monster that dared to cross his path. With each kill, Siegfried imagined Dr. Banner in place of whatever unfortunate hobgoblin he was blasting to pixilated smithereens. It only took Siegfried an hour to realize that he might be the slightest bit jealous of Dr. Banner.
Siegfried von Schroeder, head of the great and powerful Schroeder Corporation, jealous of a piddling nobody who made his living mucking around in the dirt? Why, the very idea was laughable! Or, at least, it should have been. Siegfried couldn't be jealous of Banner's closeness to Pegasus. No, for that would imply that Siegfried might care about Pegasus - might even love the man a little. Siegfried forced himself to laugh at the absurdity of being in love with Pegasus, yet the sound was hollow and desperate.
" Artist-boy is online ," Siegfried's computer announced. Instantly Siegfried began querying the computer for Pegasus's location. To Siegfried's credit, he thought about leaving well enough alone, but he told himself that if Pegasus had figured out some way to get to the princess, then Siegfried needed to be ready to log out so that he could log back in as Ophelia. When the reply came that Pegasus was at the Lilyvale Inn, Siegfried took off towards the town at a run.
"Long time, no see," Siegfried muttered to himself. "Nein, too ridiculous - especially since it hasn't been a long time. Maybe 'fancy meeting you here?' Nein. He's too smart to believe its coincidence. 'Hi?' Too common." By the time he reached the inn, Siegfried still hadn't found the perfect greeting. If anything, his ideas were getting worse. "I've lost my number. Can I have yours? Nein, nein, nein!"
Hoping inspiration would strike; Siegfried barged into the inn just in time to see that he wasn't the only one interested in Pegasus. A pretty, young thief was joining Pegasus at his table, and not just any thief! Siegfried didn't know why Kaiba's boy toy would be here meeting with Pegasus, but he knew the odds were likely that his toying with Ophelia had something to do with it. And for the second time that day, Siegfried was spotted before he could make an escape.
Pegasus began waving, and Siegfried silently cursed himself for making a game avatar that resembled himself so closely. The thief - known in the game as Mercutia, but more commonly known as Joey Wheeler in the real world - turned and glared. Plastering on what he hoped was a friendly smile, Siegfried approached the table.
As if deciding that Siegfried was an unpleasant odor that must be unfortunately tolerated, Wheeler wrinkled his nose and turned back to Pegasus. "Man, I don't know what you said to Seto when you called last night, but I've never seen his face turn that many shades of red! If he wasn't so busy with the holiday crunch, he'd probably have come along just to deck you for it."
Pegasus's face was the absolute picture of innocence. All he lacked was a halo glowing over his head. "I do seem to have that effect on Kaiba-boy for some reason. Can't for the life of me figure out why, though. Anyway, here I am to help with my end of the deal; true to my word, as always." He paused to give Siegfried an appraising look. "Kazanlik? Like the roses?"
"Ja," Siegfried answered, quietly pleased that Pegasus knew where his screen name came from.
As if that were all he wanted to know, Pegasus's attention went back to Wheeler. "We might need a mage on this little trip," he said in an offhand manner. Despite Pegasus's apparent nonchalance, Siegfried realized that the man was trying to include him in the party.
Joey frowned and shook his head. "Weevil's grounded. The little doofus was caught sneaking in after curfew." Without a word, Pegasus jerked a thumb in Siegfried's direction. Siegfried didn't know whether or not Joey had purposefully missed Pegasus's meaning before, but now there was no getting around the unasked question. Joey groaned. "Seto will be pissed if he finds out, not that you two care since you don't have to live with him."
Still, despite Joey's protests, he sent a request to allow Siegfried into the party. The boy was smart enough to know that a rounded-out group would have a better chance in their quest. "So, you know what's up?" Siegfried shook his head, earning a disbelieving look from Joey. "Then listen up. We got word last night that one of the vampires got has ass toasted up good in a volcano eruption. Dartz gave Seto an earful about the hurts done to 'his Pegasus.' The guy nearly blew the speakers out of the computer! Anyway, Seto went to the guys setting up the plots and hassled them for the location of the rings, which we're going to go get."
With a smirk, Pegasus added, "And in exchange for my help, you'll owe me some assistance. You'll lend me a helping hand in a little quest tomorrow night." Siegfried felt a little tremor of worry as he realized that Pegasus's quest most likely involved Ophelia, and probably involved a rescue from her arranged marriage.
"Fine." Joey stood, signaling an end to the discussion. "Let's go. First on the agenda is the Ring of Fire." He turned and began leaving the inn. Pegasus murmured something about the boy spending too much time with Seto, but followed without complaint. When Siegfried realized that they were heading for the town stables, he almost logged out right then. There was no escaping the hoofed monsters!
"I can't ride!" Siegfried blurted, earning stares from the rest of the party. He'd barely been able to maintain his composure when he'd been forced onto the slavering beast during his kidnapping, and now here he was expected to ride a horse willingly. He would rather walk, no matter how far away this magic ring was! Or maybe they could recruit the sphinx.
"Get two horses, Joey-boy," Pegasus said. Siegfried sighed in relief. They were going to let him walk! Admittedly, he wouldn't be able to keep up with the horses, but he would be safe from them. When Joey returned from the stables leading two horses, Pegasus grabbed Siegfried's arm and dragged him to the beasts. "Up with you, Ziggy-boy!" Siegfried froze, feeling as though he were stuck in one of his worst nightmares. Pegasus, meanwhile, was still coaching him. "Just stick your foot in this strap right down here and swing yourself over onto his back. It's easy, really. And I'll be right behind you, so don't worry."
Mechanically, Siegfried followed Pegasus's instructions, somehow managing to clamber onto the beast's back. Pegasus followed, swinging up and over in a single fluid motion. His arms came around Siegfried's body to grab the reins. "There we go, Ziggy-boy! Just leave the driving to me."
As they started off, Pegasus chattered happily to his riding partner. Siegfried knew that Pegasus was just trying to help him forget about being on a horse, but it was still comforting to listen to the steady patter of the man's voice. "You know, Dr. Banner was most recently in Australia. He brought back some hot sauce - says it's so hot it'll make you dizzy! We're going to break into it tonight to see who can stand the heat the longest. Want to join us?"
"Ja," Siegfried murmured, leaning back against Pegasus. As Pegasus continued his incessant chatter, Siegfried watched the scenery rush by. The droning words weren't important; they were simply equivalent to the "easy boy, easy" one would murmur to a frightened animal to keep it from spooking. The forests around Lilyvale gave way to plains, which changed to rockier terrain as they came upon a mountain range.
"Well, guys, welcome to the Cliffs of Doom," Joey announced as the horses were pulled to a halt. "Seto's people really suck at naming stuff, don't they? Sher Woods is a little clever, but Cliffs of Doom is just plain silly." While Siegfried agreed with Joey about the name, as he gazed up at the sheer rocky face of the cliffs, he had to admit there was a certain amount of accuracy involved.
The plan, according to Joey, would be simple. They would find a cave about halfway up - apparently the game designers liked hidden caves. They would go in, take out some frost giants, and get the ring. Simple, right?
To find the cave, Joey scaled the cliff and searched for likely iced over entrances. Whenever he found a likely spot, he would signal and Siegfried would send out a fireball. They found potions and cheap equipment in the ice, which they split to sell later, but no cave entrance. Since Joey was doing all of the real work, Siegfried didn't mind. Instead, he took full advantage of the search time to talk Duel Monsters and, more specifically, Duel Pets with Pegasus.
"So what if one ends up with a Kuriboh battling a Blue Eyes?"
Siegfried chuckled at the thought, guessing that Pegasus was already thinking of a match-up between Yugi and Kaiba. Of course the match-up would have to involve Kaiba; he was the only person who owned the Blue Eyes White Dragon cards. "Then one had best hope the Kuriboh has a variety of tricks, while the Blue Eyes remains a one trick wonder. Multiply, Scapegoat, and Stray Lambs would be useful. Heart of Clear Water would be an asset as well. Also, while attack and defense are standard, I want to include Intelligence and Agility statistics that change as one raises the monster."
"Ah!" Pegasus exclaimed in understanding. "And I'll bet that lower level monsters can earn higher levels in those stats, making them harder to hit and allowing them to learn new tricks. So a Kuriboh could stand a chance against a Blue Eyes if it were raised properly."
"Ja," Siegfried agreed. "Though unless the Kuriboh belonged to Herr Motou, I wouldn't give it much of a chance. He really is the only one I could see pulling off that sort of upset on Herr Kaiba." Siegfried stared off thoughtfully, already thinking about what tactics he would use against Kaiba. Of course the Duel Pets had to be made first, but at least it sounded like Pegasus was favorably disposed towards them.
From the cliffs above, Joey began shouting at Pegasus and Siegfried, telling them to get off their lazy duffs and help him search. Siegfried tried to ignore him, greatly preferring Pegasus's more civilized companionship. "Pegasus!" Joey yelled. "If you two don't get up here, then our deal is -" He was cut off as, with a rocky crumble, the ground beneath him opened and he fell from view.
Pegasus yawned and stood, stretching his arms to the sky. "Well, that was a nice little break. But I suppose that means he's found the cave. If you would be so good as to levitate us up there, Ziggy-boy." Siegfried smiled as he wrapped his arms around Pegasus's neck and cast the Levitate spell. Sure, Siegfried could have gone up first and then brought Pegasus up, but that would have been a dreadful waste of magic. As long as Pegasus had no complaints about this mode of transport, then there was no problem.
"Excellent job, Joey-boy!" Pegasus called down as his feet touched down by the hole. Whatever else Siegfried might possibly think about Pegasus - he was trying to keep a tight rein on that particular train of thought - the man took cheerfulness to a whole new level. It seemed to Siegfried that the more Pegasus knew that being in a good mood would annoy someone; the better Pegasus's mood seemed to be.
Almost as if to confirm Siegfried's thoughts, a rather peevish Joey shouted back, "Just get down here!"
With a long-suffering sigh, as though he were doing both Pegasus and Joey a grand favor, Siegfried began climbing down into the cave. He didn't want to go fight some stupid frost giants over a magic ring. He would much rather spend his time discussing business with Pegasus. Speaking with an intellectual equal was such a rare treat for Siegfried.
Once his feet were safely on solid ground, Siegfried cast levitate to help steady Pegasus. There had been too few handholds on the way down, and Siegfried didn't want to see Pegasus take a crash. "Many thanks for the assist, Ziggy-boy," Pegasus called down as he let go of the wall to float to the ground.
"It is my pleasure, Herr Pegasus," Siegfried murmured, pleased by Pegasus's thanks. His chance to bask in Pegasus's words, however, proved short-lived as a ground-shaking roar echoed through the cavern. Siegfried jumped slightly at the noise, but he never once attempted to latch onto Pegasus like some terror-stricken movie starlet. He had far more class than to behave in such a blatant manner.
Besides, while Siegfried may be a minor star in dueling circles, he certainly wasn't a movie starlet. He wouldn't be caught dead playing a role in the trashy films the unwashed masses thought of as entertainment. And, more importantly, he wasn't love struck. Just because he and Pegasus came from similar backgrounds of good breeding, that did not mean Siegfried was going to turn into a clinging vine over the man.
"I bet those are our frost giants." Joey's words jerked Siegfried out of his contemplative state. Siegfried gave himself one last mental reminder that he was only here to use Pegasus for his connection to Duel Monsters, not dwell on how the man was the greatest thing since glow-in-the-dark roses.
A hand pressed gently against the small of Siegfried's back, and he whirled to see Pegasus grinning at him. "If you're quite through spacing out, Ziggy-boy, we really do need to get to the frost giants." A quick glance showed that Joey was already sneaking off through the tunnel, moving as quietly as possible so as not to set off more roaring. Siegfried murmured a soft apology and started creeping after the thief character.
To get his mind off of Pegasus, Siegfried started plotting out tactics for the upcoming battle. The tunnel, he noted, would be too small for a giant to follow through.
As a mage, Siegfried had the best distance attacks. He hoped he would be able to shoot fireballs at the giants from the safety of the tunnel. Joey, being a thief, would have to depend on sneak attacks. He had the speed to avoid the giants, though if he were hit, it would be devastating to his health meter. And Pegasus would be stuck with a frontal assault. Warrior characters used strength to bull their way through challenges.
As the tunnel reached an end, Joey motioned to the others. "Alright, huddle up! I'll go ahead and check the lay of the land to see how many giants we're facing and where the ring is. You have any good healing spells, Pinky?" Siegfried nodded, looking disgusted at the ridiculous nickname he'd been saddled with. As far as he was concerned, "Ziggy-boy" was infinitely preferable. Joey paid him no mind. "Good. You'll take healing duty. The rest of this is a trick Seto and I perfected when we first started playing. We let the big, bad warrior - that's you, Pegasus - make a frontal assault to distract the giants. In the meantime, I'll be sneaking around to grab the ring. Now wait here while I go check out the situation."
Joey activated his Vanish ability, and Siegfried assumed he was gone. Once again Siegfried was alone with Pegasus. Leaning against the cavern wall, Siegfried watched the man who kept intruding on his thoughts. How strange that he'd come here to win Pegasus so that he could revert Ophelia's files back to their original configuration without breaking the man's heart, yet it was Siegfried, himself, who was becoming more and more intrigued by the man.
Pegasus, for his part, seemed not to have noticed. His thoughts probably still dwelled on Ophelia. Sighing, Siegfried wondered how Pegasus could be so foolish as to choose a virtual creation over a flesh and blood person. 'Maybe he's just been alone too long,' Siegfried mused. Though Pegasus didn't particularly act like a loner, despite his reclusive lifestyle. Of course, Siegfried was hardly one to judge. He'd worked with computers for so long that, with the exception of Leon, he'd almost forgotten what dealing with people could be like.
Siegfried and Pegasus both watched the tunnel as Joey reappeared. "Three giants," he told them. "This tunnel is the only way in or out, and there's a treasure chest on a pedestal, which is probably our ring."
The three crept stealthily through the tunnel. As the entrance opened up onto an icy chamber, Siegfried ducked behind a rock. As primary healer for the group, he needed to stay out of the line of fire. Joey gave Siegfried a thumbs up in silent approval of the spot he'd chosen, then he motioned to Pegasus. With a nod, Pegasus charged into the giants' chamber. Once the giants were after Pegasus, Joey began sneaking from icy pillar to icy pillar.
Siegfried peered carefully out from behind his stony haven to watch Pegasus battle. Of the three, Pegasus had the most dangerous job. "Fe fi fo fum! I see something cold, slow, and dumb!" Pegasus taunted as his sword darted out to slice at glacial ankles. He darted amongst the gigantic feet with enough agility to make Jack the Giant Killer proud. One giant behind Pegasus raised its club to strike at what it no doubt saw as an insignificant insect. Pegasus dodged the attack and the club slammed into another giant. At this rate, Siegfried realized that a healer might not be needed at all.
"Retreat!" Joey shouted suddenly. Pegasus broke off his assault on the giants, heading for the tunnel at a flat out run. Once Pegasus had gone past, Siegfried followed. He made good time until an invisible body slammed him against the wall. "Where is it, Pinky?" Joey snarled as Vanish wore off. "What have you done with the ring? I bet you've done something with them all, haven't you? Haven't you?" Joey shook Siegfried violently, as if he could rattle the answers out of him.
"Nein! Nein!" Siegfried protested as he tried to pull free from the young thug. Just beyond Joey, Siegfried saw that Pegasus was watching. Well, of course he would be, what with one member of his party assaulting another. If he weren't careful, Seto's hooligan boyfriend would beat the truth out of him right in front of Pegasus. "Nein," Siegfried repeated softly, trying to remain calm. If he panicked, he'd end up saying something foolish. "I've done nothing with the rings. I've done nothing to change Herr Kaiba's game plot. I swear it!"
"Liar!" Joey growled, reminding Siegfried of a mangy cur. His grip on Siegfried's magician robes tightened. "You're a lying cheat, Pinky! Seto and I know you've been messing with-"
"Ja," Siegfried interrupted. "I've tinkered recently, but not with anything that will affect the plot. I have no interest in the game plot. I swear to you on my deck, Herr Wheeler. I swear on my honor as a Duelist. When I do something, Herr Wheeler, I will take credit for it. In Herr Kaiba's Grand Championship Tournament, did I deny my identity when I was found out? Did I deny tinkering with the Golden Castle of Stromsburg? Nein, I did not. Yet I deny your accusations now."
Slowly, Joey released his grip on Siegfried. "If you're lying..." Siegfried chose to ignore Joey as he carefully began smoothing imaginary wrinkles out of his clothes. He would not let some worthless street punk intimidate him. Likewise choosing to ignore Siegfried for the moment, Joey turned his attention to Pegasus. "Since you came to help, and it's not your fault that the ring wasn't there, I'll be back tomorrow night to help with your quest." Without another word, Joey logged out of the game.
"And I thought I was good at annoying people." Siegfried blinked in surprise as he realized that Pegasus was laughing at him. He hadn't known that getting yelled at by a common thug would be so amusing. "I suppose if you want to clear your good name with Kaiba-boy, you'll have to help find the rings. But don't worry - you won't be doing it alone. Ah, but the real world beckons. Don't go forgetting our little hot sauce competition." And then Pegasus was gone, leaving Siegfried alone.
With no reason to stay in the game world, Siegfried chose to follow the actions of the rest of his party and log out. As he opened his eyes to the real world, he found himself face to face with his little brother. Leon's face was so pale that his freckles stood out more clearly than usual. Upon seeing that Siegfried was back from the game, Leon buried his face against his brother's chest and trembled.
"Leon?" Siegfried draped his arms around his brother, holding him until the shaking subsided.
Slowly, Leon lifted his face to stare at Siegfried, eyes wide with an as yet undisclosed horror. "He's got her body." Leon's voice was tight and squeaky with fear. "I found it. It's her! The lady in the pictures!"
Siegfried frowned, wondering how that could be possible. The only answer he could come up with was that it wasn't. "Leon, think a moment. This woman has been dead for years. If you had truly found her body, then it would be decomposed beyond all recognition. And I truly doubt Herr Pegasus has an interest in necrophilia."
Instead of agreeing that Siegfried must be right, Leon pulled away, grabbing hold of Siegfried's arm and pulling him along. Siegfried went along, willing to go see this "body" to dispel Leon's fears. They wound their way quickly along the hallways, retracing Leon's steps. Siegfried was certain that there was a straighter route, but he kept this thought to himself.
When they stopped in front of a door, Siegfried could see nothing unusual to set it aside from the other doors lining the halls. Leon opened it and gave Siegfried a shove. Siegfried stepped into what appeared to be a woman's room. Closed floral print curtains left the room dark. A vanity stood at attention against the far wall, a variety of brushes spread out across it for the easy use of the room's occupant. Siegfried felt against the wall for the light switch to get a better look. As the room lit up, he could see a form stretched out on a canopy bed.
Siegfried's frown deepened as he knew full well that he, Leon, and Dr. Banner were Pegasus's only guests. Hesitantly he approached the bed. As he neared, he could see that the form was blonde, female, and lying far too still. Her chest didn't rise and fall in the deep rhythm of slumber. With a little shiver of disgust, Siegfried reached out to feel for a pulse. Nothing.
Siegfried recoiled, staring in horror at the body on the bed. His mind raced through possible explanations. Maybe Pegasus kidnapped women and killed them, then dressed them up as Cecilia. Or perhaps he'd used the magic of Duel Monsters to somehow keep his wife's body preserved. Or-
"Hello!" Siegfried spun to face the door. Dr. Banner stood there, smiling pleasantly. "You really shouldn't be in here. Though I doubt Pegasus will mind all that much so long as you don't inconvenience him. You aren't going to do that, are you?"
Siegfried shook his head. He wouldn't dare inconvenience a man that kept dead bodies in spare bedrooms. Much to Siegfried's surprise, Banner went to the body and began examining it like a doctor looking over a patient. "I think she might be dead," Siegfried said quietly.
Banner looked up from the body, smiling as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "More to the point, it was never alive. It's a homunculus - an alchemical construct. Pegasus was going to bring the dear girl back to life, and so I constructed this body for him. A shame he wasn't able to succeed, really. It would have been nice to study an active homunculus. But without a soul, it's just a useless lump."
"It is a rather realistic lump," Siegfried muttered, leaning closer to get a better look. Now that he knew he wasn't looking at a real body, he found himself curious. Of course, having the homunculus around was almost as creepy as having a dead body around.
"That was rather the point," Banner murmured as he shone a light into the homunculus's ear. "Starting to deteriorate. Maybe two more years before it falls into complete ruin. An active homunculus would probably have been long gone by now." He pulled out a notebook and began scribbling out his findings. "Pegasus will be glad to hear that. It's got to be hard on him to have this thing here. But alas there's nowhere else to keep it, really."
"He keeps it here for you to study?" Siegfried asked.
Banner paused in his writing to nod. "Yes. It took years to make this one. It would be a shame to just throw away all that work simply because he couldn't get hold of the soul that he wanted." Banner glanced at the homunculus and sighed, giving his head a slight shake. "It's a shame he couldn't succeed. Pegasus would have given everything within his power just for one more day with her. Though I believe that finding someone else that he could love would do Pegasus a world of good." Banner closed up his notebook, smiling inscrutably as he eyed Siegfried.
The notebook was deposited in a satchel, and a bottle pulled out. The bottle, though similar to a wine bottle in shape, was wrapped in a bright red paper. A label featuring chili peppers told Siegfried that this was the Australian hot sauce Pegasus had mentioned earlier. Resigned to this silly competition, Siegfried followed Banner out of the room. He paused as he saw Leon still waiting by the door. "You heard?" he asked. Leon nodded and Siegfried smiled. "Good. Go on back to exploring then. I have an appointment to keep with Herr Pegasus."
"Good luck, big brother." Siegfried wanted to tell Leon that a Schroeder didn't depend on luck. But where Pegasus was concerned, Siegfried felt that luck might be just what he needed. Siegfried von Schroeder hoping to get lucky... The double meaning started him on a fit of giggles that caused Banner to give him an odd look.
Siegfried offered no explanations for what he found so humorous, and the two continued on to the sitting room in silence. When they arrived, they found Pegasus draped comfortably across a leather chair. Three shot glasses waited on the coffee table, as well as three glasses of water. Pegasus sat up straighter as his guests arrive. "Gentlemen! Come, sit." He held out a hand and Banner gave him the hot sauce bottle. In moments, the shot glasses were filled to the brim with the bright red liquid. "The name of the game is 'Can You Stand the Heat?' and the rules are quite simple. The last one to go for the water wins."
Siegfried watched the other two men thoughtfully. This seemed like the kind of game where wagers were made. "What are the stakes?"
"We play for requests," Banner explained. "The winner gets to make a request of either of the losers. I'll be asking for my usual. I haven't given up hope of getting a peek at your list of Forbidden Monsters, Pegasus."
"Very well." Pegasus waved a hand graciously. "If you win, the list is yours. And if I win, I fully intend to get another bottle of wine out of Ziggy-boy. You did bring more than just the one, correct?"
"Ja," Siegfried murmured. "Though it seems strange that you ask for something I intended to give you anyway."
"But it's more fun to win it, Ziggy-boy! And now your turn. What will your request be?"
Siegfried's gaze traveled up to the ceiling as he thought. He briefly flirted with the idea of having Pegasus agree to the Duel Pets. The temptation was definitely there, but there existed another temptation as well. "I think," Siegfried said slowly as he weighed his options. "I think, Herr Pegasus, that I would like a kiss."
For once, Siegfried had the pleasure of knowing he'd caught Pegasus by surprise as his one visible platinum eyebrow arched delicately towards his hairline. Pegasus's expression alone made the request worth making. Even Banner seemed to agree as he covered his mouth to hide a smile. "Yes," Siegfried murmured, picking up a glass of hot sauce. "I believe that is what I want to play for. Cheers, gentlemen."
Pegasus and Banner reached for their glasses as Siegfried downed his in a single gulp. Tears sprang to Siegfried's eyes and he knew his face must have been reddening ludicrously from the spicy sauce. Pegasus seemed to be in a similar state, and Banner panted openly, waving a hand in front of his tongue in a vain attempt to squelch out the heat. When no one reached for the water, Pegasus poured another round.
It was after the second round of hot sauce that Banner grabbed a water glass. Siegfried watched enviously as he drank deeply and refilled the glass. A bit of water to cool the fire in his mouth would be nice. 'Weak,' Siegfried decided. No one would see Siegfried folding after only the second round of anything. After Pegasus poured the third round, he and Siegfried clinked their glasses together. Despite the discomfort, Siegfried enjoyed the challenge; he was having fun.
When the hot sauce bottle was half empty, Pegasus finally reached for a water glass. As he drank deeply, Siegfried wasted no time in following suit. "No sense blistering my mouth over something that you pointed out I'll be getting anyway," Pegasus gasped out as he refilled his water glass. After finishing off the glass, Pegasus took Siegfried's hand and started bringing it to his lips.
"Nein," Siegfried chuckled, pulling his hand away. "A kiss, not a dainty peck." Before Pegasus could argue that the terms of the wager hadn't been adequately defined, Siegfried leaned in pressed his mouth against Pegasus's. If Siegfried couldn't say anything else good about his time as Ophelia, it had at least taught him how Pegasus liked to be kissed. His fingers clutched tightly at Pegasus's jacket as he refused to release the man until he was finally sated. Pegasus tasted of wine and the spices in the hot sauce, a heady combination when added to the thrill of victory. "A kiss," Siegfried repeated when he finally drew away.
Siegfried permitted himself a pleased smirk, feeling rather like the cat that stole the cream. "You're right. It is more fun to win what you want. There's still hot sauce left if you want to go double or nothing." Siegfried moved in to try to steal another kiss, but Pegasus held up a hand to stop him. Knowing that he couldn't push too hard, Siegfried pulled back.
"You flatter me, Ziggy-boy." Nothing in Pegasus's voice hinted at sarcasm. The man was a monument of sincerity. Pegasus cupped his hand against Siegfried's cheek. "To go to such lengths to secure a deal. It's truly flattering that you could put aside your disgust over my face. But I'm taken."
Siegfried jerked back, turning away quickly to hide the crumbling of his once-triumphant expression. Pegasus might as well have followed the cliché and ripped Siegfried's heart from his chest. Did he truly seem so shallow as all that? Siegfried took a shuddery breath and rose. He'd lost. He couldn't win Pegasus from Ophelia, and now the man thought him to be loose as well. "Whoever this person is, Herr Pegasus, then they're very fortunate."
Before Siegfried could make a graceful escape, a hand shot out and grabbed onto his wrist. He was pulled back down to his chair. Long, slender fingers tilted Siegfried's face until he found himself the object of Pegasus's scrutiny. Quickly Siegfried schooled his face into a mask of cold haughtiness, though he knew it was too late. If he'd been of a vulgar turn of mind, Siegfried would have said that karma was a bitch as a hint of pity touched Pegasus's face. He was too well bred to say such a thing, though he did think it.
It was Pegasus who broke the silence. "Love is an iron, isn't it?" Siegfried blinked at the erratic train of thought. Pegasus smiled as he watched Siegfried try to puzzle out his meaning. After a moment, Pegasus began to laugh softly. "Perhaps it isn't fair for me to make that sort of joke to one whose native language isn't English. Let's see if I can't clear it up for you. An alchemist engages in alchemy and an artist engages in artistry..."
A tiny, hiccupy chuckle escaped Siegfried as he began to understand. The thin stem of a wine glass was pushed into Siegfried's hand. He turned to regard Banner, who was pouring two more glasses. When the wine was distributed, both men turned to Siegfried to see what the toast would be. Toasting to success hadn't brought Siegfried any, so tonight he would try something different. "To irons," he said softly.
Siegfried contented himself with just the one glass of wine. Much more than that and he would have become disturbingly maudlin, and would probably give voice to things that Pegasus didn't need to hear. As Pegasus poured a second glass for himself and Banner, Croquet showed up with a tray of food and another bottle of wine. Siegfried resigned himself to a second glass with the meal, though he ruefully declined a third, confessing that too much would give him a most undignified case of the hiccups. As soon as it was politely possible, Siegfried bid Pegasus and Dr. Banner a good night.
The morning brought Pegasus knocking on Siegfried's bedroom door. Rather than face the man, Siegfried had Leon tell him that he was feeling a little hung-over from the copious amounts of wine that he hadn't drunken the night before. Siegfried spent the morning hiding in his room, much to Leon's disgust. Though Siegfried couldn't blame his brother. He was disgusted with himself for hiding like this also.
"Siegfried! You shouldn't treat him like this. If you want to win him, get out there and do it! Schroeders don't give up!"
Siegfried shook his head glumly. "It is over, Leon. He wants her, and there's nothing I can do."
Leon crouched on the bed, inching closer to Siegfried. "He may love Ophelia, but you're Ophelia, Siegfried. That means he loves you. He just doesn't know it yet. And that's why you can't give up. Maybe things aren't going to end up happily ever after. But then again, maybe they will. You'll never know if you give up, Siegfried."
The ringing of Siegfried's phone interrupted the brotherly bonding moment. Still, Siegfried felt better after Leon's little pep talk, though he did make a mental note to leave his phone turned off. With a sigh, he answered with an abrupt, "I told you before, Mother, we'll be home when our business with Herr Pegasus is concluded."
"And what business might that be?" Suddenly Siegfried found himself wishing that he'd bothered to check the number before answering.
"Why, it would be none of your business, Herr Kaiba." Siegfried could guess what was coming next, and so he waited for Kaiba's accusations. He would have loved to call them "unfounded accusations," but seeing as how he did have a history of messing with the game, that wasn't quite possible. At least Siegfried knew Kaiba would prove more predictable than Pegasus.
"What have you done to my game? Where are the rings?"
Siegfried smirked at the questions, pleased to see that he at least knew his business rival well enough to know his reactions. "I have done nothing with the rings," he answered honestly. Kaiba would never believe him, of course. "The only tinkering I have done is on the Princess Ophelia. And even you must admit, she looks ever-so-much better now."
"Siegfried..." Kaiba's voice promised a thousand and one painful deaths in the near future if Siegfried weren't straight with him.
"Walk me through your little game plot from the beginning, Herr Kaiba. Let's figure out where things went wrong, hm?"
Kaiba went quiet on the other end of the line. Soon, Siegfried heard the shuffling of papers, which he presumed was Kaiba sorting through game notes. Finally, the silence was broken. "Alright, it started with the Bandit King, Zero." Siegfried sat up straighter on the bed, instantly attentive. He remembered hearing mention of this Bandit King during his kidnapping. Only, the way he heard it, Zero wasn't Bandit King anymore. "Zero wants his bandits to be the most powerful group in the world, so he stole the rings and hid them away to cause a war. Only, the rings apparently were never hidden."
Siegfried winced at the unspoken accusation. Kaiba would never believe him to be the innocent party in this mess. It was odd that Kaiba hadn't mentioned Zero's replacement, unless he didn't know! And if Kaiba didn't know about it, then it couldn't be a programmed NPC. A player then? Suppose a player reached Zero before the rings had been hidden. An unscrupulous player might keep the rings for himself and take over Zero's brigands. It was only when Kaiba began demanding to know whether or not Siegfried was still there that he realized he'd been silent for several minutes to pursue his own thoughts. Quickly Siegfried began outlining his theory.
"How convenient that you just happen to know that Zero's not the Bandit King anymore," Seto growled. Siegfried sneered, but kept quiet about the inconvenience of gaining that tidbit of knowledge. He certainly wasn't about to reveal to Seto that he'd been the princess at the time. "Damn," Seto sighed. "If it is a player, then there's nothing to stop him from logging out whenever anyone approaches him for the rings."
"Well, have fun catching new Bandit King, Herr Kaiba." Siegfried turned the power off on his phone so that he wouldn't be disturbed again, and rushed to his computer. Soon he had Ophelia's files opened, and his fingers flew across the keyboard in a familiar clatter. If he were a bandit, he would find the ball to be the perfect time to kidnap a princess. What fun it would be to capture the recalcitrant player before Kaiba could!
Feeling rejuvenated in part to his brother's pep talk, though more greatly due to this new challenge, Siegfried spent the day holed up in the bedroom working on a game patch to catch the new Bandit King. Siegfried was briefly aware of people checking in on him as he worked, but he tried not to allow himself to become distracted. He had little enough time to prepare, as it was. As the ball drew nearer, Siegfried saved and loaded his work. He'd have liked more time to tweak the game patch a bit more, but time wasn't an option.
When Siegfried logged back into the game, he found himself in Ophelia's rooms, standing by the fireplace and staring at the most horridly pink dress he'd ever seen. Generally, Siegfried liked pinks and lavenders, but even he knew when there was too much of a good thing. He couldn't even begin to guess what Ophelia had been thinking to agree to wear that monstrosity; it would have left her looking like a ruffled, pink bell draped in chiffon! With a disgusted growl, Siegfried shoved past the servant holding the dress and threw open the wardrobe.
"Mistress?" the servant simpered in confusion.
"I refuse to wear that monstrosity," Siegfried snarled. "I am not to appear as some gaudy weed at the ball. Do you understand?" The servant stared blankly at Siegfried, and he sighed. Of course it wouldn't understand. The stupid thing was programmed to obey, not have good taste. Knowing that the ball was soon to start, Siegfried grabbed a dress and gave it a quick look. Ice blue fabric embroidered with silver roses spilled to the ground. "Perfect," Siegfried murmured as he held the dress against his body. Ruefully, he added, "I don't suppose there are any glass slippers to go with it." Again, he only received a blank stare in response.
Hoping that the servant would be better at following orders than she was at understanding jokes, Siegfried held out the dress. "Help me into this," he commanded. The servant approached and began to do as commanded. While Siegfried was dressed and primped, he let himself wonder about what would happen at the ball. The player masquerading as the Bandit King was quite likely to strike. If he was as crude as his men, a frontal assault on the castle might be likely. Yet the man had to have some slight modicum of planning ability if he were truly capable of ruling the brigands as well as, or better than, Zero.
And Pegasus would be at the ball. What mischief would he be planning? Something truly unexpected, no doubt, though not necessarily chaotic. "Love is an iron," Siegfried murmured. While Pegasus hadn't exactly returned Siegfried's sentiments, he'd understood. Maybe he even realized that Siegfried hadn't meant to start caring about him.
Once he was properly presentable by his own standards and not the standards of a programmed servant, Siegfried allowed himself to be led to the ballroom. As he neared the ball, he could hear strains of a well-played waltz. At least Kaiba Corp had the decency to program proper music for the setting. A formal ball set to the background of soft rock would have been unduly awkward.
At first glance, the ball appeared to be everything a ball should be. The richest of the rich in their finest finery twirled gracefully beneath a multitude of crystal chandeliers. Before he could properly scan the revelers, Siegfried was ushered to the king's dais. "Honored guests," the king boomed. "I am proud to present my daughter, the Princess Ophelia, and her husband-to-be, Prince Henry!"
Siegfried was thrust next to a thin, mousy-haired man who squinted like a myopic rabbit, and wore more jewelry than most jewelry stores carry. Siegfried spent a brief moment trying to remember the repetitive American slang word for such gaudiness. It was such a silly word, really, and it always left Siegfried chuckling whenever he heard it. Then, the man licked his lips nervously before taking Siegfried's hand and kissing it. "Betrothed," he purred lecherously in greeting. Prince Henry was hardly a Prince Charming. Siegfried stared out among the assembly desperately as he was led out onto the floor for his first dance with Ophelia's fiancé, but he caught sight of no armed bandits ready to rush through the crowd and kidnap him.
As the dance drew to a close, a polite voice asked to cut in, and Siegfried found himself twirling through the next dance with Pegasus. "You looked like you could use a small rescue," Pegasus whispered. Pegasus's gaze drifted briefly to Prince Henry before turning back to Siegfried. "You aren't attracted to that sort, are you?"
Siegfried snorted in disgust. So far, Henry had struck him as nothing more than a twit. Interested in that sort? Not hardly. Henry was light years away from Siegfried's exacting standards of physical beauty, and thus far he'd shown the intelligence of a gourd. "Sir Pegasus, I would rather be kidnapped again than wed that buffoon."
Siegfried spent the evening being passed almost exclusively between Pegasus and Prince Henry. Of the two, Siegfried much preferred Pegasus. Henry spent the night making vulgar jokes and trying to slip off with Siegfried alone. For someone who was supposed to be a member of the nobility, Henry was hardly noble.
When at last Siegfried was able to make his escape back to Ophelia's rooms by pleading a headache, he dropped gratefully down into a chair. He'd been so certain that the Bandit King player would strike at the ball, yet there hadn't been a single nibble at the bait. Siegfried rubbed his tired eyes, wondering how he could have been so wrong. By his calculations, the ball would have been a prime time to kidnap the princess and lose oneself in the confusion. Either that or-
A hand grabbed Siegfried's shoulder, jerking him out of his reverie. 'Or wait until Ophelia is alone and then pluck her from the safety of her home,' Siegfried thought with a sigh. Grabbing the hand by the wrist, Siegfried tore loose from the grip, spinning so that he was behind the kidnapper, pinning an arm behind the back. "Schiese," Siegfried swore as he realized just who it was.
Almost immediately, Siegfried wished he'd bitten back the curse as the thief character turned to face him with wide, surprised eyes. "Pinky?"
Siegfried shrugged in acknowledgment, glancing briefly at the window Wheeler had slipped in through. "You know, it is common courtesy to announce one's self before entering a lady's rooms."
Wheeler let out a derisive snort. "You hardly qualify as a lady. Even if you are the closest a guy can get to being a woman without undergoing the big snip-snip. Now what the hell is going on? And make it snappy because Pegasus is waiting."
"Are you familiar with the acronym 'FUBAR'?" When Wheeler nodded, Siegfried said simply. "Well, the 'snappy' version is that I seem to have gotten myself into a situation that fits in that category."
Joey sighed and began rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Give me the long version. I'll just tell Pegasus that I spent my time trying to convince you not to bother packing." Once Siegfried obtained Joey's word that Pegasus wouldn't be told what was going on, he launched into as brief an explanation as possible about what he'd thought would be a brilliant plan and how he was trying unsuccessfully to end it. When he finished, Joey merely shook his head in disbelief. "That is beyond fubared."
"Ja," Siegfried agreed.
"You really should just tell him the truth. It would save you a lot of hassle," Wheeler pointed out.
Siegfried echoed Wheeler's earlier snort of derision. The truth? If Pegasus knew the truth, then he would hate Siegfried. "I cannot, Herr Wheeler. I would rather spend the rest of my life playing this role for him. At least he will be happy."
Wheeler regarded Siegfried in silence for a moment. The look on his face was so serious that Siegfried almost would have given half his fortune to know what the boy was thinking. At last, Wheeler grinned and offered Siegfried a bag that had been discarded in the scuffle. "Go on, Princess. Go change, and then I'll get you to your knight in shining armor."
Without a word, Siegfried began struggling with the dress, thankful that he'd at least paid enough attention when it was going on to have some vague idea as to how to remove it. The dress suffered only minimally as Siegfried freed himself from it. The clothes Joey had brought were of a much simpler variety than the gown had been - breeches, a tunic, boots, and a cloak all went on with no difficulties.
Once Siegfried was dressed for sneaking out, Joey peered out the window to check for guards. Seeing that all was clear, he began climbing down his rope. Siegfried took a deep breath and followed, praying that they could avoid discovery. As they touched down in the courtyard, Joey dragged Siegfried into the nearest pool of shadows. The two moved from shadowed area to shadowed area as quickly and silently as possible. As they neared the stables, Siegfried groaned. Horses again?
Joey smirked and motioned Siegfried inside. When Siegfried entered, he sighed in relief at the sight of the sphinx. Rather than being in an absolute panic, the horses slept peacefully. "A spell of sleep keeps the beasts in slumber deep," the sphinx explained in hushed tones, holding up a scroll. Wheeler climbed onto the sphinx's back and motioned for Siegfried to do likewise.
Once Siegfried was settled in front of Joey, he felt the sphinx tense up beneath him. As if the lion's part of her body had a mind of its own, the backside wriggled with excitement before the creature bounded out of the stables. The sphinx made no attempt at stealth as her paws thudded onto the cobblestones of the courtyard. Guards yelled and took up pursuit of the beast. Siegfried held the hood of his cloak in place, hoping to avoid recognition. The castle wall loomed ahead, and with a bunching of muscles and a spreading of wings, the sphinx cleared it with apparent ease.
Once safely beyond the castle, Siegfried let out a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Joey tapped his shoulder and pointed. Siegfried stared, realizing that in the distance, he could see a huge mass hanging low in the sky. "The Floating City," Joey told him. "It's going to crash if we can't get the Ring of Air back." Siegfried stared at the slowly descending city, imagining the carnage when it impacted with the ground. Even though this world wasn't real, he didn't want to see such a terrible thing happen. He clenched his fist and smiled coldly, knowing that if he could just find the Bandit King, he could get the rings back.
The sphinx touched down outside the monsters' home. Pegasus came running off the porch as soon as they'd landed. Siegfried scrambled off the sphinx's back just as Pegasus reached the group. He found himself twirled in Pegasus's arms as he was kissed soundly. "Welcome home, Princess," Pegasus murmured. Home... What an odd thing to consider this little hovel. Yet the monsters certainly seemed to have no complaints.
As Pegasus led Siegfried inside, Siegfried glanced around, trying to see what about the place made the monsters think of it as home. It was barely big enough for the beasts. Surely the vampire castle would've made a better home. Yet the creatures chose the cottage. As they entered, the Vampire Lords paused in their cuddling by the fire to call out greetings. Siegfried remained lost in silent contemplation while Pegasus responded to the greetings in kind.
'How could anyone consider a tiny place like this to be a home?' Siegfried mused, allowing Pegasus to continue to lead him. He paused, however, as he saw that Pegasus's destination was the cottage's only bedroom. Maybe being with the people you loved made a place a home. Siegfried felt that maybe, just maybe, he could consider anyplace with Pegasus to be a home. 'Of course,' Siegfried realized soon after Pegasus had closed the bedroom door behind them. 'A soft bed certainly helps make a place feel like a home, too.'