Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I lay no claim to DN Angel. I also am sure that I don't own this computer.

…

As Satoshi and I dashed back towards the palace, Satoshi was nearly running poor Quark into the ground, occasionally whipping him with the flat of one of Hanone's twin blades. I was creating an unearthly racket in my new armor, but I grew aware of people walking in the streets, pausing and even staring outright as we ran past. I thought bitterly of what they must think of us.

'A couple of dusty old travelers, aren't we Rue?' Satoshi had asked me that before, but now he was a prince again; the prince who was a knight. Now I was not just a wolf that walked beside him, but a warhound that ran in armor, ready to fight and defend, though where I was running to now was still a vague concept in my mind.

The dash back to the castle didn't take as long as it had to get to the armory, because it was a shorter distance, but I was much more out of breath because of the weight of the armor and the exhaustion of the previous run catching up to me. I murmured something nonsensical to myself, something I cannot even remember now, as I gasped and panted for breath. I felt as though my tongue was hanging two feet out of my mouth, and my lungs were simultaneously collapsing and bursting at the same time.

"C'mon Rue," Satoshi snapped, squaring his shoulders and tossing Hanone to me. Despite the fact that I was still breathing heavily, I snatched the sword before it could touch the ground. "I suppose it's time I introduce you to my parents." Still sitting astride Quark, he led me through the gates and into the tall, glittering, picturesque castle.

As we walked through the courtyard, Quark picking up a light and easy jog, we encountered several people. They bowed and curtsied to Satoshi, and glanced at me not in a threatening matter, but in a way that told me I would be a curiosity for a good while. We passed the fountain that I had been transfixed by earlier, but now the sun had shifted and what fell from the fountain's head now was not diamonds, but a spray of water. I passed it by without a second glance and followed Quark as he continued to prance forward on the cobblestone. I held Hanone like a dog bringing a stick to its master, and I felt both foolish and prideful at the same time.

We passed through the courtyard, and Satoshi dismounted in front of an intimidating, large archway that was guarded by a heavy-looking oak door and two guards. They both bowed their heads to the prince, and one stepped forward to take Quark's bridle. To my amusement, the horse stretched its neck out and licked the aforementioned man. Satoshi laughed, as did the guard.

"Still remember me, do you?" The man asked, "Well, that's fine by me," he paused and pulled a half of an apple out of nowhere. "Welcome back Satoshi." The prince smiled and nodded, and we continued in as the doors opened.

"That was Kailaar," Satoshi said. "He raised Quark, and I was his page." I nodded, only half listening. I was gawking at everything around me, in utter shock at what I saw.

I assumed that this was only the entrance, and yet it was bigger than any indoor space I had ever imagined. The ceiling must have been the size of my uncle's laboratory stood up on its side, and easily twice as long. The floor was stone, but a thick, plush red carpet marked out our path. Satoshi walked confidently on, and I followed half a step behind.

"Satoshi," I whispered, "how am I supposed to act?" He took Hanone from me, and idly shifted it from hand to hand as he continued to walk.

"Like a warhound," Satoshi replied, "like you're proud, and confident, and unafraid." I growled an affirmative, and we continued walking. The entranceway closed into a narrow hall, lined with portraits of those who I guessed were past rulers. The portraits of kings sat on the left-side walls, and their queen's portraits were on the right, facing them. In some places, I noticed, there was only a king, and in one or two places, only a queen. Would Krad and Lyra someday be on that wall? It was strange to think of that ever happening, and I quickly shut the thought from my mind. We were nearing the end of the hall anyway.

At the end of the long hallway (it wasn't quite long enough for me to think of it as a corridor) there stood a bronze statue of a man. He stood with an easygoing posture that reminded me of Satoshi, but his eyes, even in the statue, held an intensity that even Krad didn't posses. However, his hair was long, sweeping just past his shoulders, and I figured that this man must have been the first king of Algernon.

"The first Hikari," Satoshi said. "We don't know how he came to be here; if he conquered this kingdom or created it with his bare hands, but his family – our family – has ruled this land for centuries. His name, as is our kingdom's name, was Algernon." We both gazed at the statue for a bit longer, and then Satoshi beckoned me away. Just to the statue's right was another large door, though it was nowhere near as large as the one that guarded the main entrance. Two men stood at attention to the left and the right, the one on the left wearing an assortment of shades of gold and carrying what seemed to be a bugle or a trumpet. The man on the right wore black, with hints of blue and sparks of silver. The way he was dressed resembled, to me, a river.

The man in gold swung the door open without speaking, and put the trumpet to his lips, ready to play a fanfare. "Don't bother," Satoshi snapped. "Our presence won't need announcing… not today." The man seemed almost insulted, but stepped aside smartly. Satoshi led me in.

The courtroom was larger than the entrance had been, and the distance from the door to the thrones was longer than the hall Satoshi and I had just walked down. My eyes, as I have probably said before, were nowhere as good as they once were, and I could only make out the thrones as indistinct (yet still large) shapes. A quiet whispering began filling the hall as we walked in, and the two words that were most prevalent were 'wings' and 'wolf'. The noble men and women of Algernon obviously hadn't expected this. They stood there, in their expensive, tasteful clothing, the ladies with their blonde and brown hair artfully pinned up, the men with their hats, feathered with all colors from bright green to blood red, and they whispered about wings and wolves and warhounds as I followed Satoshi.

I knew right then that I would never be mistaken as a warhound. So I did not act like one. I trotted attentively next to Satoshi as he walked down the aisle, turning my head around to get a better view of my surroundings, hearing people go silent as we passed only to continue whispering as we moved on. People whispering of wolves and warhounds and wings and now, whispers of the two poor princes who had been so horribly torn away from their kingdom, finally come home. I wondered what they had thought of Krad's eyes.

As we neared the thrones, I was able to make out the king and queen. The king sat to my left on a handsomely carved throne of gold that reminded me faintly of the throne of Zeus. It was beautifully detailed, with scrollwork running up and down the sides, and several dark blue sapphires were set in it. The throne itself was cushioned with red velvet. The king looked like an older version of Krad, though maybe slightly more thickset. He had shorter hair that was a darker shade of blonde, but his eyes were the same warm amber that Krad's had once been, and his face was one that had obviously seen the elements, and experienced them at their worst. There were crinkles around his eyes that said he smiled often. He was dressed almost casually, a simple black cape (I had the strangest sense that there would be a silver cross on the back of it) and a maroon robe. A sword sat by his throne, but it did not seem to have been used in quite some time. Even the crown he wore was simple: A thick band of (you guessed it) gold, set with several rubies in the front. A tawny falcon was perched on his shoulder, and it glared at me with one fierce yellow eye.

The queen, on the other hand, was much different. Her hair was so blonde it seemed white, and she wore a pale blue dress that beautifully accentuated her startlingly blue eyes. Her skin was so pale it could almost be transparent, and the crown she wore was a simple band of silver, set with one sapphire in the center. I realized at once that I may have chosen Satoshi's colors for my armor, but I had also chosen his mother's. She was so thin that she seemed ready to disappear at a moment's notice, but in my eyes she was not starved or emaciated. The throne she sat on was smaller than the king's, and less intimidating. It had a scrolling pattern around the edges, and the scrollwork framed a silver surface that was so smooth one could use it as a mirror. She was seated on a white cushion.

The next thing I noticed was a man standing behind and between the two thrones. He had spiky dark hair, and kind brown eyes that were fixed on Satoshi and me as we continued down the aisle. He wore a loose, long sleeved shirt that was a rather nice shade of light brown, and pants that were lightly darker. I didn't really notice what shoes he was wearing; his feet were hidden by a large podium that held a huge book: whether it was for records or a bible of some sort was beyond my guessing. I wondered if this was Daisuke's father, the advisor of the king. Whoever he was, he seemed to be a friendly face.

Satoshi and I reached the thrones. The moment we did, the entire court went absolutely silent. So silent I could hear the beat of Satoshi's heart next to me with my new ears. It was rather quick, I thought, and I wondered if he was as nervous as I was. I didn't see why he should be; this was his kingdom, what did he have to fear?

"Mother," he said, bowing first to the queen, "father. It is a pleasure to be back." As fast as his heart may have been beating, outwardly he was as cool as a winter night.

"You act," the queen said quietly, "as though it was not you who so foolishly ran away." Her eyes glittered with coldness, but her voice was warm and soft, and it was obvious she was just relieved he was home. "And it seems you have brought… a friend." She looked at me, and her eyes warmed. She allowed a smile to touch her lips. She said nothing about Satoshi's wings, nor had she looked surprised when she saw them. I wondered if Lyra had told them about the laboratory.

"Yes," Satoshi replied. I wondered why the king had not spoken yet, but I figured it was not worth thinking about. He would speak when he spoke. "She's quite intelligent… say hello Rue." I stared at the blue-haired prince in bewilderment for a moment, but he nodded at me encouragingly.

I looked at both of them, wondered if I should bow, or kneel but quickly dismissed the idea, and spoke. "Hello, your majesties. It has been a pleasure to be so welcomed to such a beautiful kingdom." Shame that it's going to such a horrid queen, I finished in my head.

In a moment, the whispering had started again. The two royals who sat in front of me appeared stunned. I couldn't think of anything else to say, and so stayed silent. Satoshi, stoic as ever, just ruffled his wings in annoyance at the whispering, but said nothing.

The whispering went on for quite a time, until a loud trumpet fanfare stopped everyone's voice. Everyone turned as the man in the gold moved his trumpet away from his lips, and called out loudly, "Prince Krad Hikari of Algernon and Princess Lyra Saga of Ariston, escorted by Chief of Guards, Dark Niwa." I twitched one of my lips in annoyance. Hadn't Krad been the one who had preached about being on time? Finally, I turned with Satoshi to watch the two walk towards us, Dark about ten paces ahead.

Both of the two were dressed the same as they had been when I last saw them, but something about them was most certainly different. They did not look as though they hated each other. They walked down the aisle, arm in arm, Lyra looking sweet and calm and, I must admit, beautiful, with her hair pinned up like the noblewomen and accented with diamond encrusted hair clips. Krad had done very little with his hair. He had tied a beautiful golden cross into the ends of the long ponytail he wore, but other than that looked exactly the same as he had when Satoshi and I had departed, and as Dark passed us, Satoshi handed him Hanone.

"Thanks," he muttered.

"No problem," Satoshi replied quietly. Then he glanced down at me. "He's always forgetting to carry a sword," he whispered. "Says they're too loud." I grinned.

As Krad and Lyra drew closer, Satoshi stepped over to one side, and motioned for me to follow him. In a flash, I darted over to him and sat by his side. He absentmindedly rapped a steady cadence onto my helmet as Krad and Lyra said their hellos, or whatever I was supposed to call their generic greetings. They sounded almost identical to Satoshi's, and in fact, Krad's was. But this time, it was the king who spoke.

"Krad," he said, and his voice was actually quite warm, "you foolishly abandoned your kingdom and your people, and now look at what has happened to you, you and your brother." Krad blinked, and Satoshi ruffled his wings.

With the king's rebuke (could it even be called that?) over, Lyra gave a small curtsy and spoke. "King Hayato, Queen Rio, I am pleased to inform you that my half of the plan was carried out with more than accurate precision." Suddenly, I felt ill. Satoshi stopped rapping on my helmet. The entire court went entirely silent, and I listened to Satoshi's heart beating. Thud-thud, thud-thud, thud-thud.

"Lyra," Hayato, said, "I am pleased to hear this. But when you first arrived, you acted as though something had gone wrong." My stomach clenched. The falcon on the king's shoulder turned its head and looked, again, directly at me with one savage yellow eye.

Dark stepped forward, and bowed low. "Something did. Rue Hiwatari is standing amongst us as we speak." His eyes glittered as he straightened up, his violet hair falling into them as they shone, full of… was that mischief?

It was Rio who caught on first, Hayato only a moment later. "Dark," the king said quietly, "get Harlem." His warhound? Why would he want Dark's warhound?

"Of course," Dark said, "of course… your majesty…" Sounding strangely reluctant, Dark departed with a final small bow.

"That is probably the wisest decision," Lyra said, her voice filled with approval. "The creature is quite dangerous, and tried to attack me several times." She rolled up the right sleeve of her gown just slightly, to show several scratches –the only wounds I had managed to give her.

"One would be quite upset," Krad said quietly, "if one's uncle, or any living relation, was killed in front of one's eyes Lyra. Rue acted on impulse. I think she displayed extraordinary power, and was thinking of training her as a warhound here."

Lyra opened her mouth to retaliate, but Rio intervened. "Rue," she said, "you have no right to be alive. Dark should have killed you, you know." I nodded. She was absolutely right, and somehow I knew to do anything but nod would be trouble.

"We will see how she holds up against Harlem," Hayato said. "Then we'll see if we need to train her, or kill her." I felt the blood leave my legs and sat down, hard. I tried to get a grip on my breathing. All this time, the man whom I was now almost positive was Daisuke and Dark's father said nothing.

"Come on Rue," Satoshi said quietly. He was already walking by the time I stood up, and I paced after him; tail low and head level with my shoulders. I couldn't believe what I had just heard.

As we walked outside, I looked up at the sky. The stars, rather blurry but still just as bright, shone strongly like diamonds surrounding the beautiful crescent moon. The night sky just then could have been recreated with diamonds and dark blue velvet, and a strangely cut opal as the moon.

"C'mon," Satoshi said again. "Follow me." I followed him past the fountain, which still ran as it had the first moment I'd seen it, out of the castle, but the streets were now empty as we left the grounds. I realized that we were walking toward the stables. I remembered Warren, Satoshi's page. "Warren!" Satoshi called as if reading my mind, "Warren, where are you?" The stables were in sight; a dark blob against the black of night.

"I-" Warren's voice was cut off by a heavy yawn, "I'm right here Prince Satoshi." He trotted into sight, saw that the prince was not with his brother, and grinned. "I thought you'd forgotten about me." He smiled, and Satoshi grinned back.

"I presume Krad and I missed dinner. Our appointment with the court set us back… and still is, quite a bit." Warren looked troubled. Satoshi only sighed and shook his head. "Bring Luke out here, if you would. Don't saddle him, just take his blanket off." The boy nodded and darted back inside. "Rue, you come with me." With that, he walked into the stables himself. I followed.

I was instantly enveloped in the sweet dusty smells of the hay and straw, and the strange and tempting (what? I was a carnivore now) smell of the horses. Each horse had a stall of about ten feet by ten feet, and probably twenty feet high. I saw none of them, and assumed they were all sleeping. It was a feasible assumption; I would have rather been asleep myself. Satoshi and I walked through the stables without hearing a sound, and then he led me through another door towards the back.

Cool night air swept against my face, but Satoshi didn't stop for an instant. He kept walking, and I began to notice the outlines of pastures as I walked past them. I saw the shapes of horses as they slept, laying down with their necks stretched out, and it filled me with a sense of peace. Wherever we were going, Satoshi knew what he was doing. I was sure of that now. When we finally stopped, we were in front of a large, circular building of some sort. Satoshi undid a series of simple latches, and we stepped inside.

As soon as I was inside the enclosure, I realized it wasn't a building but a fence of some sort; a solid fence that formed a perfect circle. It must have been twenty feet in diameter, but it might have been larger. "Satoshi," I muttered, "what are you doing?"

"I'm going to go get Luke," Satoshi replied. "I'm going to latch the door, but only because I must. Please don't try to escape. Dark shouldn't come around with Harlem for another half-hour at least." I nodded, and Satoshi walked back out. I heard the latches sliding to hold the door in place, and I suddenly felt horribly, desperately alone. I listened to Satoshi as he walked away, and then lay down. I wondered about Raiden and his pack, about the Niwa family, and about City, The City Dwellers, the Outcasts, and the Frames, what I had once been.

I had never belonged in the City. My hair alone proved that, my attitude only added to what people knew at first glance: I would never have a home there. When my parents had died, not a single one of my relatives would take me in, but for my uncle. The others all died soon enough, one from old age, the rest from the raids that often accompanied a child being sent away. I would have been killed, certainly, if I had been fifteen, but I hadn't even been close. On your fifteenth birthday, you officially became an 'adult'. You were responsible for your own actions, you had to find your own food and shelter, and you could be caught and killed by the Raidsmen. If you did not fit into society's standards, the Raidsmen came for you. Of course, they always came eventually. There were rarely people who died of old age in the City.

The Framelands was a strip of land several miles wide that 'framed' the area between the City and the Forest. It was normally deserted, with the exception of wildlife. It was an area favored by scientists like my uncle, as well as thieves, bandits, and others who were on the wrong side of the blue line, for the sole reason that there were no laws. Anything could happen there.

The Outcasts were always portrayed as wild savages, living in the cruelest of conditions, without shelter, often without food, and always insane. Their way of life was called evil, wrong, disgusting… they were painted in the blackest light possible. But now that I saw them, I realized that this world, their world… my world, was beautiful. At least, most of it was.

I was torn from my thoughts as I heard two pairs of feet walking back towards me, accompanied by a set of hooves. Satoshi and Warren and Luke were here now. I wondered what Satoshi wanted from me. From what I had heard, Luke was a spooky, probably young horse. I tuned in to the conversation between the two humans.

"-I'm going to lead him in." Satoshi said, "You go up to the observation deck and just watch. I don't want to risk your getting hurt, not now."

"Alright," Warren replied. "Be careful though." I could practically see Satoshi nodding. I slid into the shadows, hoping the horse wouldn't notice me as the latches of the door began to open. A moment later, it swung open, revealing the shadowy outlines of the prince and a strong, lean horse.

"Rue," he said, "let Luke see you. He needs to get used to being around warhounds." With that, he undid the rope he was using to lead the horse, and quickly let himself out. The latches clicked shut again.

Luke looked around cautiously, his ears fluttering around, trying to take in all the noise they could at once. His eyes were wide; wide enough for me to see the whites, and his nostrils were flared. His muscles were tensed, and he was ready to spring.

"Rue," I heard Satoshi's voice from somewhere above me. "Rue, go on. He'll spook, but he won't hurt you. At least, I don't think." Satoshi's words did nothing to reassure me, but nonetheless, I stepped out of the shadows.

Luke stared at me. I stared back at him. He was a beautiful yellow color, with a black mane and tail and a black stripe running along his spine. I later learned to call this coloring 'buckskin'. A green halter rested over his nose and behind his ears. I sat down. Luke scattered. I say this because I honestly thought all four of his legs were going different directions.

First he ran around the enclosure several times. Then he reared, bucked, almost hit me in the face with a huge clump of dirt he dug up with his hooves as he galloped around some more, and then skidded to a halt. He stared at me some more. I hadn't moved from my initial spot except to dodge the clump of dirt.

You won't hurt me? He asked. He stomped one foot nervously.

'Can you understand me?' I growled.

Somewhat. Luke's reply was unsteady, and he seemed ready to begin running again.

'I won't hurt you,' I began quickly. 'In fact, the warhounds here will not hurt you, nor will the armor, swords, or arrows of this kingdom.' Luke stared at me. I saw his ears turning, though I thought that it was more from force of habit than anything. 'Can I move without startling you?' The horse seemed uncertain for a moment, pawing at the ground, and then slowly nodded.

I spent the next fifteen minutes working on not spooking the horse as I moved around in my armor, and by the time I heard the latches moving again, Luke and I were walking side-by-side, discussing the pros and cons of being free and being tame.

Satoshi and Warren stood in the door. Warren walked in, carefully, and hooked the rope back up to Luke's halter. The horse stuck his nose in the boy's hair and the two walked out, master and mastered. Satoshi walked back in.

He walked over to me, knelt in front of me, and scratched my ears. "Rue, I swear you'll get out of this. Harlem's strong, but he runs off instinct. Confuse him." And with that, he stood, brushed the dust off his pants, and walked out.

The latches clicked shut once again.

…

AN: Alright! Seven and a half pages! Longest chapter yet! Please review, and happy Easter!