"It's so cool, thanks a lot Dad!"
Yugo and Alibert stood inside the Enutrof's apartments. The young Eliatrope looked at his brand new hat in a mirror, pleased to see how it resembled his old one. Az had landed on top of his head, carefully checking how pretty he looked himself. In a corner of the room Chibi slept peacefully in his crib.
"I thought I'd taught you to take better care of your clothes," Alibert taunted. That made the boy grin as he turned towards his adoptive father. The Enutrof held what was left of the old fox-eared hat in his hands. He sighed with nostalgia as he watched the shredded fabric.
"It's the one you had on the day I found you. Do you realise you could fit inside it whole?"
"No, I can't imagine that at all," Yugo said, smiling. "It's crazy to think it's the first time I need a new one, after all it went through."
For the time being, Alibert preferred not to hear about what had actually happened. Ignorance was bliss. Instead he opened his arms wide, inviting Yugo to a hug he could not refuse.
"It's so good to be able to hold you in my arms again, my little piwi. I've missed you so much."
The Enutrof would never complain, but knowing that his young son often put himself into mortal danger was a permanent ordeal, and Yugo was perfectly aware of that.
"I've missed you too, Dad. I'm sorry you always have to worry that much over me."
Alibert shook his head and held his son by the shoulders.
"Don't ever apologize for that Yugo. I was perfectly aware of what I could expect from you since the very day I found you. You were never meant to have a quiet life," Alibert said softly, touching the boy's cheek affectionately. "But there's one thing you can be sure about, son. I'm so very proud of you."
Yugo found himself lost for words. He snuggled against his father's chest to hide his eyes as they suddenly became a bit too wet.
From the doorstep, Adamaï watched the scene with a certain detachment. Every time he saw Yugo and Alibert together, it would bring him back to his own childhood with Grougaloragran. A childhood just as happy and filled with love as Yugo's had been, even though his own adoptive father hadn't been that much...cuddly. And every time, it would remind him that Grougaloragran was gone, that he would never be there any more to comfort him or tell him how proud he was. Right, Grougal wasn't exactly dead, but the little fury he had become since his rebirth was a poor substitute.
Adamaï wasn't angry at his twin brother, it wasn't his fault after all. Yugo had always been there when the young Dragon needed some cheering up. But he couldn't help himself from feeling jealous when he saw them spending that kind of quality time together. He left to wait in the corridor until they were done.
When Yugo straightened up, his face was suddenly grave.
"Is something wrong son?" Alibert asked.
"No I'm all right, don't worry. I just… I have something to tell you. Something important. And I don't want you to learn about it from someone else than me."
"Very well son... I'm all ears."
Yugo found all the courage he needed in his father's eyes. There he could see that Alibert would hear anything, understand anything, and accept anything. His father would still love him no matter what. Yugo was convinced it would make his burden lighter, and most of all he didn't want to repeat the mistake he had made with Adamaï earlier.
He took a deep breath before speaking, then he told everything. How Qilby had betrayed them, how Phaeris had told him the terrifying truth in the middle of the chaos. When he was done, Alibert just nodded and stayed silent for a while. If he was shaken by the news of how his little boy turned out to be the King of his people, he didn't show it.
"And how do you feel about it?" he finally asked.
"Honestly? I'm scared to death. I don't think I'll be up to the task Dad. I could see it in their eyes, they're all expecting me to do great, but I don't even know where to start."
"I see. Well son, if there's one thing I know, it's that fear has never driven anyone forward, only backwards. I know you'll make a great King of the Eliatropes."
"How can you be so sure of that? Even I have no idea about what I'm supposed to do."
"Because you already have what's most important: courage, and compassion. The rest will come by itself. And it's not like your people are coming back tomorrow. You have years to prepare, so don't worry about it yet."
Alibert paused thoughtfully. "You'll need a proper education though. Apart from reading and writing, there's only so much I could teach you."
Yugo chuckled. "What, you mean I have to go to school? No way."
"Well, you'll need a tutor at least... but that can wait for now. Right now I still have some work to do for our lunch, and I could use your help."
"Of course Dad," Yugo said cheerfully, grinning from ear to ear.
He felt like a weight had left his heart, but most of all he was relieved to see his adoptive father still considered him as 'son' and not 'your Highness'. He definitely didn't feel like being an 'Highness' just yet, the mere thought of it giving him shudders.
Yugo wanted to do anything he could to continue living his old life, if only for just a bit longer, and preparing a meal with his dad felt so much like the good old times he missed.
Lucien stared absent-mindedly at the corpse of his latest target laying down on the pavement of a dark, narrow street, wiping his Shushu blade over the victim's clothes as usual.
The Sram didn't have any pity or regrets, but it was not because that little Ecaflip banker deserved what had happened to him.
Lucien just didn't care any more.
That man had hired hitmen to hunt down his wife when he thought she had cheated on him, before using his wealth to corrupt the guards so they would turn a blind eye on his crime. Even at Bonta, the city of Justice, rich and powerful people would often escape their due punishment. That was Lucien's duty to correct those mistakes, with the same outcome for everyone: death.
After checking that everything was in order, the Sram hurried to disappear. He had no fear about being disturbed by some onlooker; he could get invisible at will after all. He only wanted to avoid another row with Farkas, if the stubborn Sacrier had not yet understood it was better for him to step aside.
Lucien was ahead of schedule and had time for a break. Small streets quickly led him to bigger, more crowded avenues, then finally to the large harbour of Bonta. He found a bench where he could sit alone, except for the few seagulls that were fluttering around. He sighed heavily, his gaze lost into the blue immensity before him.
"What's up? My little Lulu's feeling down?" Akula taunted from under his sleeve.
The Sram took off his gauntlet and put it on the bench right next to him, so the Shushu could see what was going on.
"No, I'm just... tired. More and more I realise it doesn't matter how many of those bastards we kill. There's always more. It's endless."
"I'd rather say it's a good thing. Otherwise, what would we do? Killing is the only thing I like, and it's the only thing you know."
Lucien looked at his Shushu fondly. They had shared years of adventures, and countless murders. For that the Shushu Lady could consider herself lucky. Most of the Shushus ended up with a boring Iop that would prevent them from doing any harm.
But Lucien had found her by accident, and since they were together she had never tried to escape or coerce her guardian into freeing her. She was having too much fun for that, even stuck inside her prison-object. As for the Sram, that gave him both a useful murdering tool, and the only company he could tolerate.
"Of course you're right," Lucien continued. "It's just... we've been doing it for years, the Guild for centuries even, and there's hardly any change. We're trying to empty the ocean with a teaspoon. Too many crooks to eliminate, and they keep multiplying. Even here in Bonta, I feel it's actually worse. It's the same corruption we have in Brakmar, but they do their best to hide it. If we want to achieve anything... maybe we should go for more radical solutions."
The Shushu held her one eye wide open, visibly worried. "Eh… I'm not sure I like what I'm hearing. What do you mean exactly?"
Lucien frowned thoughtfully before he spoke. "Instead of killing crooks one by one, what if we just burned the whole system to the ground? I mean, not literally but... governments, law, the society that breeds and protects these awful people, just plain gone. What if all the innocent and honest people left suddenly revolted against those who enslave them? Even if it caused a bit of collateral damage, the outcome can't be worse than what we have now. It will clean off the corruption, and we can always rebuild something better from the ashes."
"A bit of collateral damage?"
"Alright, maybe a lot. But maybe it would be worth it in the end. Maybe we need a fresh start."
There was an awkward silence before Akula sighed. "Any other Shushu would agree with you. Burning and destroying is quite the program they'd like."
"But you don't?"
"Of course not! My thing is to kill people, and if I want to keep doing it for a long time, we need to manage the resource, give it enough time to breed. Otherwise what's the point? If you destroy all our targets right at the source, there's nothing left to do and only endless boredom left. My brothers are too retarded to understand that kind of logic."
The Sram thought it over in silence for a while. A seagull landed on the bench next to them, screeching loudly.
"That's funny, I thought killing was your thing too," Akula pointed.
"I've never found it amusing. When we started, I felt like I was being useful. I thought our targets had it coming after what they'd done. But now I feel it's mostly useless. There will be always more and more bastards to kill, because it's in the human nature."
"And with your solution, you're not afraid to kill some good people in the process?"
"Of course, but what is the chance of that? On average, people are terrible."
"Shushus are much worse," Akula observed.
"It's your goal to be evil. Humans are supposed to be better than that."
After pecking at a few crumbs, the seagull advanced towards Akula. She cast the bird such a menacing stare that it flew away. "How would you do that anyway?" she asked.
"The Guild has more than enough resources for that. Sleeper agents everywhere, inside every government. If we wanted to make the nations fight each other, until there's not a single soldier left to keep the people suppressed, we could. All it takes to start a good war is a few key assassinations, and some made up intelligence to accuse people who didn't do anything."
"The Master would never agree with your ideas though."
Lucien shrugged. "Of course he won't. The Guild is supposed to keep the system going, not destroy it, and he is very loyal to our principles. That's just some… disillusioned ramblings I was having."
"Nope, you're not going to change the world today my Lulu," Akula concluded. "And most importantly, we're going to miss our rendezvous with the next target if we stay here any longer."
The Sram took a lung full of fresh ocean air before getting up, retrieving his Shushu.
"You're right. There's no point going on about that. The most efficient solution I have to my problems is still you."
"You're flattering me. Let's go kill another scum bag, it'll cheer you up!"
If only, Lucien thought.
A large dining room bathed in the blazing sunlight that poured in through the tall windows, surrounded by Sadida decorations of vines, leaves and flowers. A table almost giving in under the weight of a mountain of food, steak, rolls, cake, each plate more appetizing than the last. And most of all, all his friends assembled, smiling and in good shape.
Yugo's only concern was to choose whom he would rush at and hug first. He settled for Tristepin, noticing that for the occasion the Ginger Knight had conceded to put on a shirt.
"Nice to see you buddy!" the Iop said cheerfully, hugging him back. "We were starting to think you were dead."
"I can't believe Alibert raised such a big sloth," Ruel added while affectionately putting his hand on the boy's shoulder. Unlike Tristepin, the old man looked as shabby as ever.
"Always the kind word, huh?", Yugo said with a wink. Then he turned towards Evangelyne, but he didn't move.
"What's wrong?" she asked. "I don't deserve a hug?"
"I wouldn't want to hurt you. How's your arm?"
"Perfectly healed. The Eniripsas here have done miracles. So are you going to hug me or not?"
"Of course," Yugo said, positively beaming. He moved to hold the young woman in his arms as she patted the top of his hat gently.
"And how about you?" Evangelyne asked.
"Feeling great! But I'm so hungry right now."
A horrible growling noise from his empty stomach confirmed that.
"I can fix that," Alibert pointed. "We're still waiting for Amalia though."
"Oh that's right," Yugo said, smiling mischievously. "I knew we were missing someone since nobody was complaining. I suppose she's already turned back into Princess Whi― Ouch!"
He was suddenly interrupted and yelped in pain as someone grabbed his ear from behind and pulled on it harshly.
"Princess what?" asked a voice he knew only too well.
"Princess Wonderful. I was going to say Princess Wonderful. Let me go now. Please?"
"Hmm. That will do. I shall disregard the royal outrage this time," Amalia said with her best snobbish tone. She managed to keep her face straight as the boy rubbed his aching ear pitifully, casting her a dark glance.
"I'm very happy to see you too," he grumbled. "Hold on, we're also missing Grougal and Phaeris aren't we?"
Yugo immediately regretted asking when he saw the bothered look on everyone's face.
"What? Something happened to them?" he asked, immediately worried.
"Nothing bad, don't panic," Adamaï answered. "It's just that some people in the court, well..."
"...need to learn that 'overgrown lizard' isn't something you should call a Dragon that's been around for millennia," Amalia concluded.
Yugo stared at her open-mouthed for a moment. "Wow... your brother really said that to Phaeris, and lived?"
Yugo had dealt with Prince Armand before, and while he was never a fierce supporter of the Eliatrope cause, he always seemed to at least respect them.
"Of course Armand didn't say that to his face," Amalia corrected. "They argued for hours about some logistics issue no one else really cared about. Armand lost patience, then he muttered something under his breath, and found out that Dragons have really, really good hearing." Amalia sighed. "I know my brother is only looking out for our people, but he seriously needs to mellow out. Things are getting out of hand."
"After what happened with Qilby, I can't blame him for being wary," Adamaï admitted. "But still, Phaeris being Phaeris, he couldn't stand that, and he left with Grougal. They'll find a good place to stay at, away from civilization, and then he's supposed to send us some kind of message so we can meet over there."
Yugo sighed sadly. "That's bad. He has a lot to tell us. I couldn't wait to hear all the stories about our people."
"Well, I guess it will have to wait bro," Adamaï said with a compassionate smile.
"While lunch cannot!" Alibert inserted cheerfully. "Come on, get seated before everything gets cold."
The others had barely reached their chair when Yugo almost jumped at the pile of food to help himself.
"Yugo, your manners," Alibert warned severely.
The boy sat back, blushing when he realised his father had corrected him in front of everyone. "Sorry Dad... I'm just too hungry."
"It shouldn't prevent you from acting civilized, and―"
"It's okay Alibert," Evangelyne interrupted. "We didn't get to meet that much civilized people lately, that's why. It feels like years since I've sat at such a decent table."
Yugo stared wide-eyed at the person who had dared contradict the holy parental authority. But Eva had spoken gently enough that Alibert didn't answer and just smiled back at her instead. As a result, the boy was utterly bewildered.
The lunch went on in a cheerful atmosphere. Most of discussion was occupied by Tristepin and Ruel, the first recounting his actual feats at the Crimson Claws, the latter inventing his own on the fly. But they had travelled with the old Enutrof for too long to believe anything he said, and Evangelyne and Amalia gave him dirty looks the whole time.
"And then with Rubi, we took on Rushu with the greatest surprise attack ever!" Tristepin shouted, flailing his arms wildly and sending food from his full mouth everywhere.
"Oh that you did," his Shushu sword Rubilax sneered. "Just to be sure, that's the moment when you shouted at him so he knew perfectly well we were there?"
"Exactly! He never expected that, so he was surprised!"
"I see," Ruel jeered. "Sir Tristepin is such a fine strategist."
"This is Iop philology, you can't understand."
Even though Yugo laughed heartily at their antics, he didn't take part in the conversation and kept to himself, minding his own plate. If he joined in, his friends would ask him questions he couldn't answer. Next to him, Evangelyne finally noticed his unusually quiet attitude and put her hand on his arm to get his attention.
"What's up Yugo?" she whispered. "Is something wrong?"
"I'm fine," he replied with the most innocent look he could muster.
"Of course. That's why you're pretending to be invisible?" Yugo grinned back at her sheepishly, and Evangelyne laughed.
"It's okay," she said. "You don't have to talk about what happened back there if you don't want to."
The boy was surprised that Evangelyne would understand the problem so easily. But then, how many months had they spent adventuring together? Evangelyne had always been the responsible member of the team, the voice of caution in a world of danger and excitement. Even after the danger had passed, it made sense that she would still be looking out for him. The only sign that gave him away was his attitude, more introverted than usual, but then she had acted the same way after Tristepin died.
"Okay, here's what we can do," she whispered. "If someone tries to bother you, I'll send them my Meaningful Stare of Death to tell them to back off. I'll be your bodyguard for once. How does that sound?"
Yugo chuckled. He had already found himself on the receiving end of Eva's Meaningful Stare of Death. It was serious business. Serious enough to make him feel safe.
"Sounds great," he admitted. "But now you're my bodyguard, does that mean I can be as annoying as Amalia?"
"Don't even think about it, little brat", Evangelyne retorted with a smirk.
Yugo made an effort to loosen himself up, and he was relieved to see that didn't attract him any more attention. Either he was lucky, or Evangelyne's aura of seriousness was enough to protect him. Even if he did talk to his companions, they still behaved like he never left them to wage his own personal war in another dimension against the traitor of his people.
But as Yugo stopped focusing solely on his plate, he noticed that Adamaï didn't look very cheerful either. The Dragon kept his gaze unfocused, eating in silence, and Yugo was suddenly worried that his brother was delving in his darkest memories of the previous days.
"You're okay bro?" he asked cautiously.
"I'll be better when this whole business is settled."
Taken aback, Yugo raised an eyebrow. "What business? What are you talking about?"
"Well, the council, the questioning, all that boring stuff we're in for."
"Oh! Yes, that."
Adamaï stared at his brother curiously. "What were you talking about?"
"Nothing, nothing at all."
Facing the puzzled look of the Dragon, Yugo ignored him and pretended to be suddenly interested in Pinpin's heroic exploits. If Adamaï had already moved on, then there was no need to dig anything up.
"I was ready to massacre Rushu all by myself, one on one," Tristepin told excitedly. "But at the last moment, my Master did something crazy!"
Amalia yawned. "He charged right at him?"
"He charged right at... hey, how did you guess?"
"Iops..." she muttered, with a face palm for good measure.
"Anyway, it was so heroic! And then he grabbed Rushu and took him right inside that Zaap stuff so he could finish him off, in that scum's own world... dimension... thingy, whatever, because otherwise there's just no challenge at all. Master Goultard is so strong, he's going to show him what Iops have in their heads!"
Tristepin raised his fist in the air one last time, then suddenly fell silent, the excitement on his face quickly dying off.
"And... after that?" Yugo offered.
"After that, I have no idea," the Iop concluded, sighing sadly. "He hasn't made it back yet."
"Don't worry," Evangelyne replied kindly, trying to comfort him. "He's a god right? I'm sure he'll manage to―"
She was interrupted as the doors abruptly opened on Prince Armand.
"I'm dearly sorry to interrupt," Prince Armand said, bowing stiffly. "But the Council is assembled, and we would like to commence as soon as possible. Adamaï, Yugo, if you would please come this way."
Even though he tried to be polite, his tone made it clear that they didn't have much of a choice.
"But we haven't even finished the dessert!" Adamaï cried angrily.
"Adamaï, please. We're coming," Yugo said as he got up quickly. He patted his belly, satisfied to see that it was filled enough. Az landed back into his front pocket, and his brother followed reluctantly, grumbling under his breath as Yugo apologized for leaving his friends so abruptly.
"You're sure you'll be all right?" Evangelyne asked.
"Yeah, there's nothing to worry about. Are you coming too, Amalia?"
The Princess cast a dark glance at Armand. "No, I'm not invited. Apparently some people seem to think I'm too close to you to be impartial. That it would be a conflict of interest or something."
Yugo looked up at the prince, who only answered him with a stern gaze.
"Oh… well, okay. Catch you all later then?"
"Of course. Good luck!" Evangelyne said with a warm smile. The archer knew Prince Armand very well and commiserated with the twins who were going to spend a few hours in his charming company. He was a good person inside, but his permanent concern over the security of the Sadida Kingdom left him rash and stubborn.
Armand guided them through the palace corridors, walking a few feet ahead of the two brothers. Az was fluttering around while Adamaï whispered furiously, hissing like an enraged snake.
"Who does he think he is, bossing us around like that?"
Yugo shrugged, trying to deflect the aggressivity of his brother. "I don't know, maybe the crowned Prince of the Sadida Kingdom? Come on, you're the one who told me it was not going to be easy. There's no point to make it even worse right?"
"But they owe us more respect than that!" the little Dragon raged. "We saved their hide, twice, and still they treat us like their servants. They never trusted you with the Dofus and the Eliacube, and they're doing the same thing all over again! Really you should put an end to that nonsense, you just need to tell them you're the K―"
"Yeah yeah, I got that all right," Yugo cut in quickly. "It's not the solution. For now we have to cooperate. How come you're so worked up about it bro?"
Adamaï shrugged. "Cooperate, sure, I can cooperate just fine. But I'll grovel before them when Tofus grow teeth."
"That's not what I'm saying," Yugo whispered. He sighed, tired by his brother's constant negativity. "When you attended that diplomatic council thing, Amalia's father was pretty much the only person openly supporting the return of our people, right?"
"You could say that. It felt like all the others wished we didn't even exist but yes, Oakheart was supportive enough."
"Then it needs to stay that way. That's important if we want our people to return somehow. Without any help it won't be possible. Only the Sadida are willing to give us some land to settle on, and they will make sure we don't starve before we get independent. So if you don't do it for them, please do it for me. For our people."
At that moment Yugo realised he was behaving like the King he was supposed to be more easily than he had expected. But what he had said gave Adamaï a bothered look he didn't expect.
"What's up now?" Yugo asked curtly, slightly irritated.
"Well... let's just say that Phaeris may have a different take on the matter."
"What do you mean?"
The Dragon paused, obviously trying to pick his words carefully. "He's not gone to find some cosy cavern just for him and Grougal. He's trying to find the right place to settle our entire people. He's looking for a deserted island somewhere, big enough to offer space and food for all of us. And most of all, far away from everything and everyone else."
Yugo stopped on the spot, mouth open, too taken aback to say anything. Adamaï looked at him with concern, and Armand looked at both of them curiously.
"Is there something wrong?" the Prince asked. "Maybe I shall give you a moment to discuss those pressing matters of yours in private?"
"No―" Adamaï started.
"Yes," Yugo cut in. "Please."
"Very well. I shall be awaiting for you at the next corner, so you don't get lost. But by all means, please try to be quick. The Council is already waiting."
"We won't be long."
Armand nodded respectfully before disappearing. Yugo glared silently at his brother while surprise, confusion, and anger battled in his mind. He barely noticed Az passing between them, looking cautiously from one to the other.
"Look, I knew you wouldn't take it well," Adamaï said cautiously. "I tried to tell Phaeris to wait until he could discuss it with you before doing anything. But it didn't work out with the court here, especially with Armand, so he just disregarded what I said and he left."
"But why?" Yugo protested. "He's supposed to be the wisest of us all. How come he already turned down the only support we have!"
"Well, maybe because he is the wisest of us all. He's convinced the humans are egoistical, corrupted, only concerned by power and wealth, so why even try dealing with them? We're just wasting our time staying here. They will fear us and consider us as enemies, no matter what we say, no matter how many times we save the world."
"The Sadida aren't like that," Yugo said stubbornly.
"The Sadida are isolated. Even their Cra allies would like to see us gone. When it creates tension between them and their allies, you can be sure the Sadida will dump us the first chance they get. That's why Phaeris doesn't want to take any chances, not when the survival of our people is at stake."
"And you agree with him?"
Adamaï stared at his brother with a pained look on his face, but he said nothing. Yugo understood the reason immediately. Either Adamaï could be honest, and it would hurt him, or he could lie, and it would hurt him too. There was no point to say anything either way.
"So," Yugo continued, trying his best to keep his voice steady. "Why are you still here then? Why didn't you just leave with Phaeris if you're convinced it's so pointless to stay?"
It was Adamaï's turn to get hurt, and Yugo immediately regretted his words when he felt his brother's bitter disappointment overflow through their mind link. The boy realised Adamaï had likely felt how bothered he was from the beginning. Exchanging blows like that was useless, they were so emotionally connected that hurting their brother actually meant hurting themselves anyway.
But Yugo couldn't take back his words, even if he dearly wanted to.
"I stayed for you," Adamaï said, avoiding his brother's gaze. "I thought you would have figured it out by yourself."
"I know," Yugo said softly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that."
Adamaï nodded and smiled weakly. "I know you didn't. It's all right," he said. "It's so pointless to get mad at each other, you know? We only make ourselves feel terrible. I understand you only said that because you were angry about us deciding without you. But I'm kinda caught in the middle there, you have to understand that too."
"Yes, I do," Yugo answered, putting both his hands on his brother's shoulders. "We have to try though, Adamaï. We have to give it our best shot. Maybe we'll fail and they'll still see us as dangerous off-world strangers, but I won't forgive myself if we don't even try. Even if it's not wise and I'm probably stupid to think there's any hope, I don't want to give up just like that. Are you with me?"
The Dragon shook his head in amused disbelief. "That's funny, Phaeris predicted you would react exactly like that. Apparently in our previous lives, you were already that stubborn."
"You didn't answer. Are you with me?"
Adamaï looked at his brother straight in the eyes, and Yugo knew the answer before he said anything. "I'm with you. I'd follow you to the end of the world, just because you always manage to put yourself in the most dangerous situations and that's where all the fun is. I'd follow you through fire and flames, because no matter how many stupid things you manage to say, you're still my damn brother."
Yugo smiled warmly. "Thanks. That means a lot."
"And also because I'm immune to fire and flames."
"Oh. Well, I guess that'll have to do."
They smiled sheepishly at each other for a moment, and Yugo realised how dearly he had missed his brother over the past months they had spent separated. Even though Adamaï had his own little angry character and could get extremely annoying at times, the young Eliatrope knew there was no one in the world he could rely on more than his Dragon of a brother.
"Anyway, before we skip to the fun part, there's still that council business to deal with," Yugo said with a sigh. "Armand is waiting for us."
As the twins went towards the Prince, closely followed by Az, Adamaï started grumbling again. "I'd take any nasty monster available over that, any time."
"Don't say that, it's not our trial we're headed to. They'll ask questions, we'll answer honestly, and we'll try our best to make a good impression. Easy enough, isn't it?"
"Sure. I'll just mark those words, so I can rub your face into them later on."
"Also, if you want to make a good impression of yourself, shutting up is likely the best thing you can do."
Before he even completed that sentence, Yugo's hand was already glowing in a bright blue light from the portal he was about to create to escape the wrath of his brother.
Prince Armand waited patiently a few corridors ahead. Even though he wasn't often surprised by anything, he had to raise an eyebrow when instead of the two people he was waiting for, he saw a streak of white chasing a streak of blue, both coming towards him at alarming speeds. The Sadida kept as still as a tree when they merged and crashed loudly to the ground, skidding until they stopped right at his feet.
"Is everything all right?" he asked politely, looking down at the two brothers still wrestling on the floor. "When I left you I imagined you would have a pleasant brother talk, not a brawl."
"Yeah, no big deal," Yugo answered, his voice rasping as Adamaï held to his neck, pressing his arm against the boy's throat. "This is actually the way we―Ouch!" he yelped when a sharp elbow struck him in the ribs, producing a nasty cracking noise. In immediate response there was a bright flash of blue light, a thundering sound, and Adamaï was abruptly sent flying against the wall.
"Okay, stop now," Yugo commanded as he raised his hand, slightly out of breath. "We'll finish that later."
"You bet!" Adamaï said with a mischievous grin.
The young Eliatrope got to his feet and wiped the dust off his clothes. Then he looked up at Armand, who was still looking slightly puzzled.
"Um, we're ready."
"Good. Please, follow me then."
The little group quickly arrived in front of a large double door flanked by several Sadida guards. It opened, and Armand invited the two brothers to step inside.
"Yeah, right," Adamaï sneered, looking inside. "'Not a trial.' They have a judge and jury, and an executioner in the next room for all we know, but I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."
The usual Sadida decoration made of vines, leaves and spectacular flowers did little to hide the true purpose of the large room indeed. A round tribune circled the whole space, with two little chairs in the middle that were obviously intended for them. The two dozen people who sat there turned their gaze to the twins as one, and among them Yugo could recognize only a very few faces; King Sheran Sharm, Chamberlain Thicktuft, Master Joris, and surprisingly the Cra Matriarch Beranziah were there. The young Eliatrope had only met her quickly when they prepared the battle against Nox, and he had no idea why she and a few other Cra were present, but it surely meant that the situation was more serious than he thought.
It was obviously not going to be the cakewalk he had hoped for.
A/N
I'd like to thank everybody for the nice support, reviews, pms, etc. It's a great motivation to move forward. Keep telling me what you think of it! It's the only way I'm ever going to know.
In the meantime Slavok added a new chapter to his own story, Worthy of the Crown. If you didn't check it out already, you should definitely do so, it does a great job of filling that void after the second season with a whole new adventure that's well written, well planned, original and very respectful of those characters we like.
Ankama announced some very nice plans for the future of the Brotherhood of the Tofu, namely a trilogy of forty-five minutes OVAs somewhere into the next year. No sidetracks, only the main plot, so that's definitely something to look for.
What came first, the Dofus, or the Dragon?