ladyk: Hah. Yeah, I had a story with the boxers thing up a long time ago… but the story stank, so I took it down. I'll give you the first chapter, if you want proof. Thanks for the review.

Captain Spam: Glad you enjoyed it.

pikinanou: You got a hint of the plot already, but it hasn't unfolded… yet…

Rimosa: I'll go as fast as I can!

Widower: Stick with me, cause I can do this!

………

Chapter 3: A Summons and the Dragon

A cloudy day grew from the horizon the next morning. Borus woke groggily for lack of sleep the night before. No few nightmares had plagued him, and he found himself relieved from his consciousness. It was around one at night when Chris and he had returned. But he knew his grogginess was worth it, because he had figured out a way to see into Chris. All he had to do was dig a little deeper.

But now, he had to face the task at hand: getting out of bed.

……

Chris awoke to a strangely pleasant feeling; it had been months since she'd had a good sleep. She would find herself waking throughout the night by a wave of pain or anomalous feeling. But her last night had gone by without any pain.

And she found herself disgusted by the very idea.

Why, she thought, should I sleep well last night after all that happened yesterday evening? Her question received no answer.

By the time she had pried herself from the bed and pulled on her formal clothing and armor, it was an hour past sunrise. Louis was surprised to be met with a cheerful face of his captain, and cocked his head curiously as she smiled a hello.

"I trust you've slept well, milady?" he asked as she walked up to him in all her grace.

"Oh yes, quite well, actually." He stared after her as she opened the front gate and stepped out onto the cobblestone street. This was not the serious-faced captain he was used to. "Louis, are you coming?"

"Oh… oh, yes, milady!"

The two walked down the street, toward the town gate. It was the normal meeting place of the Six Knights. As they arrived, they found a serious Leo trying to wake up a woozy Borus. Chris was not able to hear everything, but she came into earshot just as the large knight was saying, "––finds you this tired, you're sure to be punished! Didn't you have enough brains not to drink last night? Even I knew better!"

"Leo… I didn't dink any––"

"Captain!" Leo noted Chris coming up the bend, and stood at attention. But he gawked at the fact that she was chuckling.

"Come now, Leo. Be nice to Borus. He had nothing to drink last night."

Leo looked from Chris to Louis, who shrugged, and from Louis to Borus, who smiled knowingly despite the rings under his eyes. A very tiny blush lit the back of his neck, but no one saw.

"…Huh?" Leo's mouth hung open in a gape.

Chris chuckled as she walked to Borus. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she whispered, "Thank you." Borus blushed slightly and mouthed 'you're welcome.' Turning back to Louis and Leo, Chris said, "I think it's time I go see the Council."

"Aye, milady," said Borus, following her back down the cobblestone.

Leo looked at Louis in complete confusion. He opened his mouth to ask a question, but Louis just held up a hand. "I am as clueless as you, Sir Leo."

An attendant awaited her as she stepped into the building. Borus and Leo waited outside, while Louis waited at the bottom of the stairs with Chris's sword. The attendant opened the giant wooden doors at the top of the stairs, and she stepped into the Council room.

"Captain." Councilman Sehnto greeted as she took her seat at the he table. She nodded a reply.

"You wished to see me?"

"Yes. As our summons said, we wish to discuss the bandits attacking our main throughway to Tinto. The attack rate has risen to seven out of every ten travelers and––"

"Hold…" Chris held up a hand, and Councilman Sehnto glared at her. "You mean to say that you did not summon me here to discuss attacking the Grasslanders?" Many of the councilmen sputtered.

"What?" Sehnto cried. He dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief. "What fools do you take us for?"

Chris cocked her head. "We received a summons at Budehuc Castle with your crest stating that you wished to talk about war methods on attacking the Grasslanders."

"Do you think us mad?" asked Councilman Fraunz. Chris wanted to say yes, but stopped herself.

"I only think upon what I receive, and those orders were what I received. You gentlemen, after all, are the only ones with the royal crest of Zexen."

"Then someone intercepted our message and replaced it," said Councilman Geo Girth, one of the councilmen Chris considered sane. "Though I don't see how anyone happened upon our crest."

"It seems so…" she replied. "But about these bandits. I've heard nothing of them. We receive very little news of that area at Budehuc."

"Oh, you must have," said Girth, "Because the people you tore apart with your rune yesterday evening were of the same group."

"I beg your pardon?"

"We were able to tell from the description you gave the marshal. Black clothing, well-crafted sabers, crouching position, their faces hidden, it matches the descriptions attacked travelers gave us," said Councilman Ghent, a more logical, though less considerable councilman. "Also noted, all those attacked were Harmonian, until you, of course."

"But why would trained bandits be attacking travelers? They fight like ninjas, and I am fairly certain we had two help us fight against Luc."

"Indeed," started Fraunz, "we would have liked to ask your attackers the same question. Unfortunately we could only locate one mouth and it was not attached to its owners head." Chris blanched. She knew the councilmen enjoyed her discomfort, but she also knew that the Councilor's previous comment was pushing it. "It is true that some helped us fight Luc, but these ninjas fight differently, as though all of them were taught the same art. They're not from the same league," he finished. Chris nodded.

"We thought the stealing was going to be all they did, but, two days ago, we received a message that they had killed a family of three; mother, husband… and three-year-old child." Girth's eyes narrowed.

"Outrageous!" seethed Chris.

Ghent steepled his hands. "Their bodies were not found. Upon further investigation, we have also discovered that a large number of Harmonians, nearing the thousands, have been reported missing, presumably dead." He paused and waited for the information to sink in. "It is clear that they are after your rune, Captain. We've already sent notice to Hugo of the Grasslanders and Captain Geddo. But both replied they have not been attacked," he said, motioning to two letters that looked as though they had just been opened.

Chris did not hear him. What type of soldier or man would kill a child? She knew the hypocritical nature of her own question, for she had killed the Karyan boy, but could not help asking.

Sehnto seemed to read her mind. "You see our point, Captain, and the urgency of our summons," said Sehnto. "We want you to send some troops to the area where the most attacks have been reported, and try to arrest or dispose of these bandits. We cannot have a valued trade route destroyed like this, nor worry the people of Zexen with the deaths of normal civilians."

"Very well," Chris nodded. "I would do so even if it was not an order." She said her prayer to Sadie, then stood and left.

"So?" Borus prodded as she stepped outside the building. "What happened?"

"The summons we received at Budehuc was a fake."

Leo stepped forward. "But how? The Council's seal is as well protected as––"

"The councilors themselves, yes, I know. Somehow someone stole or replicated it, and replaced the councilor's real message with a fake one, to lure us out here. But there is an even more important matter at hand." She quickly described what the councilors had told her.

"A child?" cried Borus. Chris nodded, understanding his own feelings.

"Bastards…" Leo spat, scowling in disgust.

Chris ignored his rhetoric. "The councilors told me to send a battalion to sort things out, but something tells me I shouldn't."

"Why?" Leo asked, "Why not send a battalion and crush them like the insects they are?"

"The newly elected Councilmen seem rational enough, but I still do not entirely trust them. Instead, we will make a false play."

"What's a false play?" Louis asked. He found himself ignored.

"A false play… brilliant!" Borus said, smiling. "Trust our Goddess to come up with something like that!"

"What's a false––"

"Borus! I am not a Goddess, just a captain," Chris said, sticking a stubborn smile on her face and rolling her eyes.

"Milady, what's a––"

"No doubting it, Borus. She's the Goddess in disguise!" Leo agreed, laughing at how Chris's face was pulled into frown.

"Hey! Someone tell me––" Louis began to grow frustrated.

"Leo!" she said in anger.

"It's only the truth, milady," Borus said, his smile spreading to a wide grin.

"Will someone please––"

"That's it. I am getting my horse ready. Good day, gentlemen."

"Milady, wait!" cried Borus as Chris stormed off. Leo chuckled as Borus ran after her.

"Leo!"

"Huh?" Leo seemed to suddenly remember that Louis was still there.

"What is a false play?" The boy panted.

"False play? It's when you stage an attack by having some people pretend, in our case, to be normal travelers. Then when the bandits ambush us, we'll really be ambushing them with as many hidden soldiers as we feel necessary."

"Oh. Do I get to be in it?"

"I would––" Leo started, but stopped when Borus suddenly came sprinting from around the bend, a terrified look on his face.

"Louis! Leo! Help! The mighty dragon's drawn her sword!"

"I heard that, Borus!" Chris's shout came from around the bend.

Borus smiled and began to run again. Louis sighed and shook his head. Leo just laughed. When his Captain was in a good mood, there would be no end to the foolery. All the knights took advantage of it, he knew, for Chris's moods were variable and most often stern.

Louis scratched his head. "This is going to be a long day…"

Leo shook his head, watching as the two knights in uncommon playful moods ran through the town streets. "I'll say."

………