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The Dragon King

Book 1- Of New Kings and New Friends

Chapter 3

The clearing leading to the Dragon Shrine was large enough for a dozen dragons to land and take off comfortably, and as far as Wufei knew, it had been created for just that very purpose. The two guards stationed at the gates snapped to attention as Zechs dropped the boy off right in front of them, and Wufei couldn't help but wonder if the fair-haired knight was some kind of important person of high rank and status.

"If I leave you here, are you going to be all right on your own?" Zechs asked, as he too slipped out of the saddle.

"The boy nodded. "I'll be fine." I'll probably be in big trouble if someone noticed that I was gone, but watching that fight and flying on a dragon's back is worth any punishment. "I'll be on my way then." Wufei bowed to the knight. "Thank you for taking me home and thank you also for allowing me to fly with you to Mount Haku."

Zechs gave the boy a curt nod. "It wasn't my choice to be made."

As Wufei stepped through the heavy gate onto the school grounds, the knight waved one of the guards closer. He exchanged a few words with the man then mounted his dragon and took off into the sky. Within a few moments dragon and rider had disappeared out of sight.

#

If Wufei had hoped that nobody had noticed his little outing, his hopes were shattered the very moment he ran into Nichols just outside the dormitory. Nichols. who was not only one of the oldest pupils at the shrine, had recently been appoint prefect of the trainees, and as such had been made responsible for keeping order and discipline amongst the other pupils. There was no question about it, his sword fighting and horsemanship skills were outstanding and he had been able to summon his own dragon since long before Wufei had been resident at the shrine. It was widely assumed that this year he would be one of the pupils chosen by his Highness to continue his training at the royal palace. But Nichols also was one of the few people who had never made a secret of the fact that he disliked the younger Wufei. However, truth to be told, the feeling of aversion between them was quite mutual.

"Hey Chang," the older boy called out. He never referred to Wufei by his given name.

Wufei turned his head. "Yes?"

"Headmistress Une has been looking for you. You left the grounds again, didn't you? Looks like you will be cleaning stables again." Nichols announced with a tiny sneer.

The younger boy huffed. "That's all right. I happen to like horses; they are more intelligent than certain cadets around here," he shot back.

"Why you little…"

Wufei ducked as Nichols tried to strike him and the older boy only managed to hit empty air. Before he was able to retain his balance Wufei had already weaseled around him.

He could not say that he was looking forward to meeting Lady Une, but if the headmistress was already angry, it was best not to let her wait any longer. Though she was known to be strict and demanding on her pupils, Lady Une could never been accused of being unfair or cruel. Wufei had learned that she had been a member of the royal guard, bestowed with the highest honors during the last great war, and then there were rumors amongst the trainees about her carrying out secret missions for the former king. What kind of missions, only she and the late king himself would know.

#

Wufei found the headmistress just outside the staff building, talking to one of the guards who had been at the gate earlier. Respectfully the boy waited for them to finish their conversation before he approached.

"You wanted to see me, Headmistress Une?"

"Wufei Chang." She looked at him sharply from over her thin rimmed glasses. "For how long have you been with us now?"

Wufei swallowed. "Almost two years, Ma'am."

"One would think that's more than enough time for anyone to make himself familiar with the rules and regulations of our school, especially the part about leaving the grounds without permission."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"But apparently I am wrong, because you still don't seem to know them very well. Therefore, tonight while the other trainees attend the feast in honor of his Highness the king, you shall be in your room writing down the school rules one hundred times. And it'd best be in your best penmanship, or you will do it again. Did I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Lady Une." The boy nodded.

"Now go. Change into your dress uniform for the assembly. His Highness will arrive any moment."

Wufei gave another nod. "Yes, Ma'am."

As the boy walked away the headmistress's gaze followed him until he disappeared out of sight. So, he already caught your attention, your Highness. I'm not surprised. You have always had a good eye when it came to recognizing a person's potential.

#

Tugging impatiently at the sleeves of his uniform Wufei, among roughly one hundred other trainees, waited in the inner yard for the king's arrival. Finally the procession entered the Dragon Shrine's gates, led by a dozen mounted Royal Guards in gray and blue garb. Next was the king's carriage, drawn by a team of four snow-white horses with red and gold trappings, matching the colors of the coach, and accompanied by a single rider on a majestic white stallion. The horse's blue and silver barding was adorned with the same crown symbols that also decorated the soldier's uniforms and armor. Following the carriage was another group of guards on horseback.

As he looked around Wufei first noticed the long, silvery hair and then he realized that the lone rider next to the king's carriage was no other than Zechs. He is a Royal Guard? I had no idea. But if Zechs is here does this mean… The boy let his gaze wander, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of reddish-brown hair; it should be easy to spot, he figured. But no matter how much he looked he could not see the older dragon knight anywhere, at least not until the carriage came to a stop and the king climbed out of the vehicle.

Wufei's eyes went wide. He was so surprised that he nearly forgot to kneel down until one of the other trainees nudged him.

"Wufei, what are you doing? It's the king, get down."

Still dumbfounded Wufei quickly dropped to one knee and lowered his head. What's going on? "This man…" he whispered to the boy to his left. "That... he can't be... the king. I've met him, he is a dragon knight."

"Of course, the King IS a dragon knight. Didn't you know?" his neighbor whispered back, and somewhere behind them one of the other pupils snorted. "Dimwit! You met the king, right? Maybe you met Shenlong himself as well?"

"You've got to stop reading all those fairy tales and legends, Wufei," yet another boy added.

Maybe they are right. It's impossible! He can't be… The boy glanced up to where Treize, with Zechs directly beside him, slowly made his way through the inner yard and toward the main hall. The king was still wearing the same clothing he wore when Wufei met him earlier that day; his travel outfit the boy assumed. …Wufei, meet Zechs Merquise, my personal guard… that's right, that's what he said wasn't it?

Raising his head slightly Wufei glanced up again. Neither Treize nor Zechs took notice of him as they walked past the boy. Wufei's gaze followed him even long after the king and his entourage stepped through the doors to the main hall and disappeared out of sight.

###

"Welcome to the Dragon Shrine, Your Highness." Lady Une greeted the king with a respectful bow. "It is, as always, a great honor to have you here."

"The honor is ours." Treize returned the gesture with a polite nod. "We have been looking forward to this visit all year, and we cannot wait for the students to demonstrate their skills tomorrow."

"Thank you, Your Highness. I hope your journey was a pleasant one."

"Very pleasant indeed," the king confirmed. "Galados is beautiful at this time of year." He paused briefly and shook his head. "What are we saying? Galados is beautiful at any time of the year."

"Nevertheless, I assume you must be exhausted. Please allow me to show you to your quarters."

Treize nodded. "We would greatly appreciate that."

With the rest of the royal guard staying behind, Treize and his personal bodyguard followed the headmistress to the sleeping quarters that had been prepared for the king.

"This surely brings back memories," the tawny haired man announced as they walked down the long corridor, "doesn't it Zechs?"

"It does." Zechs agreed. Only a few years ago he had been a pupil at the Dragon Shrine himself, walking these very halls with his friends and fellow trainees. He had to admit, coming back here felt a bit...nostalgic, to say the least.

A few minutes later the small group stopped in front of the door to the king's quarters. Zechs gestured for Treize to stand back and wait while he opened the door and stepped into the room first. It was something that had become like second nature to him, even if he didn't exactly expect any danger here at the shrine. Protecting the king of Galados with his life was the least he could do after he had been taken in and raised in this kingdom. It was the only thing really he could do to protect his own people too, many of whom had found refuge and a new life in Galados.

Satisfied with his inspection, Zechs nodded to the king, indicating that it was safe to enter the room.

"My Lady, do you have a few moments? I would like to talk to you." Treize easily switched from the royal 'we' to the more informal and personal 'I' now that they were in private.

"But of course, your Highness."

"Zechs!" The king turned to his bodyguard. "I would like to speak to Lady Une privately. Why don't you get cleaned up and rest for a while. I suspect it will be a long night tonight."

The fair-haired knight nodded in acknowledgement. "As you wish, Sire."

"I had the room adjacent to His Highness' quarters prepared for you." the headmistress told him, and Treize added. "If I should require your services I'll call for you."

"Your Highness, my Lady." With another sharp nod Zechs turned on his heel and left the room.

The king gestured for Lady Une to have a seat as he himself settled down in a chair by the window. "I assume you received my message?"

"Regarding Wufei? Yes, of course I have. I had been planning to introduce the boy to you during your stay anyway. He appears to possess remarkable powers."

"So it seems." Treize confirmed. "And the bond between him and his dragon is just as astonishing. In any case, I was wondering if you could make plans for a private meeting between the boy and me."

Lady Une laughed; something she seldom did. "I always thought it was customary for subjects to ask for an audience with their king, not the other way around? But I'll make arrangements, of course."

"Thank you. I'm afraid I might have… umm missed the chance to introduce myself properly when I met Wufei earlier today."

"Oh?" The headmistress raised one eyebrow. "He doesn't know you are the king?"

"I believe he might be under the impression I'm just an ordinary dragon knight. Perhaps it might be best to clear things up before tonight's festivities."

"I understand, although I'm afraid Wufei won't be attending the feast, but will instead spend the evening in his room as part of his punishment."

"Oh? Did he do anything warranting punishment?"

Lady Une threw the king a sharp look. "You know very well he did, Your Highness. The school rules have not changed since your times. Pupils are still forbidden to leave the grounds without permission. Although…" She sighed. "That never seemed to stop you either."

With a look of fake surprise Treize asked. "Are you trying to say that I was a troublesome pupil?"

"Troublesome, no I wouldn't call it that, your Highness. You were the worst kind of pupil a headmistress could think of; disruptive, disobedient, mischievous…"

"I apologize," The king laughed, "for causing you so much grief back then. I was young and foolish. And look where it got me." He spread his hands and smirked. "I suppose you could use my example as a warning for any unruly student."

"I can see that you have not changed at all," she huffed.

###

Wufei was still trying to come to grips with his feelings after learning that the man he had trusted was actually the King of Galados, the very person he had had come to despise more than anyone over the past two years. As much as he tried to think of a reason why Treize might have lied to him, the feeling of betrayal remained like a bitter taste in his mouth.

The boy was sitting in his room in the dormitory, slowly and painstakingly copying the school rules as Lady Une had requested. Putting down his pen he set the piece of paper aside onto a small pile.

Seven down, ninety-three more to go... He sighed. This is going to be a long night.

A firm knock at his door startled him just as he was about to dip his pen into the inkwell.

"Come in, please!"

Wufei turned his head, and quickly jumped to his feet when the door opened.

"Lady Une?" He hadn't expected to see the headmistress. Typically, when she wanted to speak to one of the trainees she would request for them to come to her. She rarely visited somebody in the dorms.

She stepped into the room, taking a long look over his shoulder at the papers on his desk. "I see you are taking your punishment seriously. That's commendable. I'm afraid, though, you will have to put off your work for a bit. I'm here to take you to the king. His Highness requested a private audience with you. I'm sure you can guess the reason."

The boy nodded seriously. "Yes, Lady Une, I think I can."

Wufei didn't look forward to meeting the man again, but even at his age the boy knew that one did not just decline a request made by his majesty. So, with an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, he followed the headmistress to the king's personal quarters.

Zechs was with the king when they arrived. The young man opened the door for their guests, nodding briefly at Wufei as he passed him, before retreating discretely to his own quarters.

"Please come closer," Treize demanded from where he was sitting.

Lady Une bowed deeply and Wufei dropped to one knee and lowered his head in front of His Highness.

"Please, rise," the king told him. Since the boy last saw him he had changed into a more formal and colorful outfit: a set of blue silk robes embroidered with pictures of dragons and flowers.

If he had worn those this morning I surely would have recognized him as the king right away.

Wufei wasn't sure what he expected; an apology or explanation perhaps. But he certainly didn't anticipate for Treize just to smile at him like nothing had happened.

"Didn't I tell you we would meet again, soon?"

Maybe it was this reaction that infuriated Wufei. His hands clenched into fists as he glared at the tawny-haired man. "You lied to me," he accused. "I trusted you…I told you everything about me…and you lied."

"Well, strictly speaking it really wasn't a lie," Treize pointed out. "I admit, I never told you that I am the king. But on the other hand, you never asked, either."

"And that makes it acceptable?" the boy snapped angrily as he was trying hard to fight the sudden tightness in his chest. "I was right about you all along. No actually, you are even worse than I thought. I hate you!" Determined not to cry he spun around and stormed out of the room.

"Wufei Chang!" Lady Une admonished sharply, but when she tried to hurry after the boy Treize raised his hand to stop her.

"Let him go, please."

"But Your Highness…" she protested. "You should not let him get away with talking to you like that."

"But I did deserve it, My Lady." Treize sighed. "I'm afraid I made a real mess of things, didn't I? I should have realized how sensitive the boy is. But trying to talk to him right now won't do any good. He probably needs some time to think things over. If it was me, I'd want to be alone right now."

"Your Highness, you are too kind."

###

Fighting back tears Wufei ran out into the yard. His first thought was just to go back to his room, but before he knew it his feet had carried him to the training grounds behind the stables. Of course the grounds were empty, now that everyone, staff and pupils alike, was getting ready for the feast.

Almost instinctively the boy folded his hands, closed his eyes and summoned Nataku. The little dragon appeared instantly. Feeling her master's distress she chirped anxiously as she nudged him with the top of her bony head.

"Nataku!" Wufei sniffled. Having her by his side somehow always made him always better. He wrapped his arms around the creature and buried his face in the soft fur around her neck. Only then did he allow his tears to flow freely. "I don't know what to do, Nataku. I always thought that I hated him. But after meeting him….I'm not sure anymore. He lied to me, yes, and I can't forgive him for that just yet. But he isn't the heartless and cruel person I had imagined him to be. Do you think it would be wrong if I like him…just a little?"

The little dragon draped her wings tenderly around the boy's small body, just like she did that night when she had first followed his call. As she tweeted reassuringly she could feel the boy relax in her gentle embrace.

TBC