Disclaimer: WEP owns Voltron and all its characters. How sad for me.
Beta: Dawn - Can't thank her enough!
This is the second installment in my "Chivalry" arc. 1. Chivalry, 2. Lion House Restored
Rating/Setting: Rating is T. Setting is DotU in flavor but is AU in some ways.
Chapter 24
Early that same morning…
Allura tucked the bone of the squirrel leg she had just finished into the pouch at her waist. Squirrel for breakfast wasn't her norm, but you couldn't be picky when doing surveillance. She had killed two squirrels yesterday, and Doren had cleaned and cooked them away from the Hall. Having eaten jerky and dry bread the day before, Allura thought that the squirrel had tasted wonderful. Pulling a scrap of cloth from the pocket of her pants, she wiped her greasy fingers. Nanny would just die if she saw me… and to be honest, I feel pretty grimy myself. Except for a brief splash in the stream, she had been unable to thoroughly bathe. Ugh! I'm lucky they can't smell me from here. She shifted her weight and swung her legs so that both dangled on the same side of the large oak limb. The tree was very leafy and had sturdy limbs. Best of all, it was far enough away that she could keep an eye on the back entrance to the Hall without fear of discovery. Soon, Keith. I hope we'll be coming soon.
Just moments later, she saw one of the men that had attacked them in the town… What is his name? Ah, yes, Jorrah. Where are you going so early in the morning? Quickly climbing down the tree, she jumped the last couple of feet landing lightly on the balls of her feet. Moving quietly over to a neighboring tree, she shook Doren's shoulder as he slept at the base and put a finger to her lips.
Allura pointed toward the woods opposite of them, and Doren nodded. Standing and grabbing his bow and sword, he followed her along the tree line. Jorrah traveled about four miles on foot through the trees. He didn't follow any path or trail, but seemed to know where he was going. It had been hard to follow him without being seen or heard. Following the trail he left, they arrived at a small house that was not in the best of repair. Doren said that it might be a staging house for hunters during the winter in order to clean game before it was brought to the Hall. In the small corral behind the house two unsaddled horses stood.
Doren circled the house and saw no sentries. With no one to see him, he moved to a spot in some bushes near a loose section of framing and listened…
"…I'm telling you Caleb, Akira is not a joke. He knows what he's doing. You should have seen him with that staff!"
Another voice asked, "So what are you telling us, Jorrah? Wesley is going to lose? What are we supposed to do with the woman then?"
"Just keep her drugged like you've been doing. Someone will come back the day after the games to let you know if she lives or dies. We just need to pray that Wesley can defeat the outlander in sword competition today. He's going to request real blades. Perhaps that will scare the outlander off."
"Whatever happens, we'll be here waiting, Jorrah... and we expect prompt payment."
Doren heard a grunt of acknowledgement and then the the creaking of the floorboards as they moved away from where he was. Hearing the door open, he crouched lower in the bushes and waited ten minutes before making any movements. Leaning over to look through the crack in the wall, he saw rough rudimentary furniture and two men. There appeared to be only one room in the building. But if there was only one room, where was the queen? He couldn't leave before he made certain that she was inside. Luckily, he didn't have to wait long.
"See if you can wake her. We need her to eat something so we can give her the medicine again," the one called Caleb said.
Doren watched the other man shuffle to the back corner of the room.
"Hey! Wake up! Hey!" The man turned to Caleb and said, "She's still out cold. We'll try again in an hour." Then with a laugh, he said, "It's not like she's got anywhere to go."
Doren carefully moved away from the side of the house and into the safety of the trees. His eyes shone brightly as he said to Eleanor, "She's in there. She's drugged and out of it, but she's in there and she's alive."
"What did Jorrah say? He wasn't there long."
Giving Eleanor a smile, he said, "Jorrah told one of them named Caleb that Akira was very good and could possibly win the games." His smile faltered a little as he thought about the change to the event that Wesley would make. Perhaps he shouldn't tell Eleanor about it. After all, there was nothing that she could do about it.
Sensing that he wasn't telling all, she asked, "Tell me all of it, Doren."
Letting out a breath, he continued, "Jorrah said that if Wesley and Akira made it to the final round of the sword event, that Wesley would request real blades."
Gasping, Allura reached out to grab his hand. "Can he do that?"
"If the games are going as Jorrah said and Akira and Wesley are in the final match, yes. Yes, he can." Seeing the apprehension in Eleanor's eyes, he assured her, "But you know Akira better than anyone. You know he can win."
Looking at the youth in front of her, she sighed. "Yes, I know he can. But can he survive the wounds he might receive?"
Patting the soft hand that still had his, he said, "Let's see if we can free the queen and get to the games before the event."
"You're right, Doren. I need to focus on what I can control. Tell me, what else did you learn?"
"There are only two men in the cabin and one of them is named Caleb. There isn't a lot of furniture and it appears to be one room. The queen is on a cot or bed in the back right corner of the building."
"Did you see any weapons?"
"No, but that doesn't mean they don't have any on them. I'm sure that with their situation, they are prepared to fight to the death."
Nodding at his assessment, Allura asked, "Do you have any suggestions for how we should proceed?"
Looking back at the house, he said, "They don't really seem concerned about anyone finding them since they don't have a lookout. I would suggest a straight on attack." Turning back to Eleanor, he waited for her opinion.
"I agree, straight on, but with a twist." Allura turned smiling blue eyes toward Doren and proceeded to tell him her plan.
An hour later, they were ready. They had taken the time to get their horse and bring it near. They would need three horses in order to get themselves, the queen, and at least one of the captors to the arena. Without one of the captors, it would be their word against that of Eagle House.
Doren quietly made his way along the side the house to position himself with his sword behind the front door. He looked toward the trees in front of him and nodded. Eleanor came out stumbling and crying out.
"Hello! Is anyone there? I need help! Please!" Eleanor continued to stumble forward, using her bow as a cane. She had removed her shirt, pants, and boots and was dressed only in the sleeveless tunic that came to mid-thigh. She had let down her hair and smudged some dirt on her face and body. She remembered the look of concern on Doren's face when he saw her. She had assured him that she would be okay.
Now she moved closer to the house. One of the men needed to come out to her. She had her bow and arrows and would take him, while Doren rushed inside to disable the other man. She was becoming concerned at the delay when the door finally opened.
A large heavily bearded man stepped out and spoke. "Well, well, what do we have here? A damsel in distress?" His eyes raked over her body noting her curves and the scant clothing.
"Please help me sir, I've been in an accident." Taking a dramatic stumble to the ground, Allura saw that the man started walking forward.
Doren waited patiently. Their hope was that the second man might come to the door to investigate. This time, luck was in their favor. Doren heard the second man approach.
"Caleb, what are you doing? Bring her here and get inside, man!"
Knowing that the other man was just in the doorway, Doren threw his full body weight against it. The result was a pleasing thud as the door made contact with the man and dropped him to the floor.
Hearing the sound, Caleb spun around and let out a growl as he saw his partner slumped against the doorframe. "You'll pay for that, young man!" He stopped dead in his tracks as a feminine voice spoke from behind him.
"I think you'll be the one paying, sir." Allura stood behind him with her bow loaded and the arrow pulled back. She was ready to shoot.
Caleb turned carefully around and saw that the damsel was no longer in distress.
With an unwavering gaze, she looked at him and spoke. "On your knees. Now."
Once Caleb was tied up, Allura left Doren to bind up the other man while she rushed in to see to Queen Rene. The Queen was pale, but was breathing normally. Allura tried to rouse her by shaking her gently and then lightly tapping her face. It was all to no avail. Her captors had done an excellent job in making sure that she was unaware of her surroundings.
Going outside the cabin, Allura saw that Doren had completed his task. Nodding to him, she told him of the queen's condition and then she went to put on her clothing and get their horse.
When she returned with their horse, Doren questioned Caleb who said nothing.
"Don't worry, Doren, I'm sure the King's men will get him to talk." Seeing a look of fear in the man's eyes, she told Doren to get the other horses ready. She turned to find Caleb studying her.
"You're the outlander's woman, aren't you?"
Tightening the cinch on the saddle, she said, "What if I am?"
"He's not going to live you know."
"Akira will be fine. Doren overheard your conversation with Jorrah this morning. I already know about the real blades." She turned to look him in the eye. "It doesn't matter, real or wooden. He will win."
An evil smile was on Caleb's face as he said, "If it was a fair fight perhaps."
Allura drew an arrow and walked up to the man. "What do you mean? What is Wesley going to do?" Her voice became louder. "Tell me!"
Rushing around the side of the house with the horses, Doren scanned the small clearing and asked, "What is it, Eleanor?"
Nodding toward Caleb she said, "He made it sound like Wesley was going to cheat."
Giving a quick glance to Caleb, Doren said, "He's probably just trying to rattle you. The best thing we can do is get moving."
They got the unconscious man tied across a horse first, and then Doren made Caleb drink some of the sedative they had for the queen. After all, they didn't want him causing problems on the way to the arena. After drinking the liquid, his speech began to slur. But he was very clear in what he said, "Got the drug from Wesley. It's works on a blade too." Then with a smile that quickly faded, his head fell to the table.
Allura turned frantically to Doren, "What does he mean that it works on a blade too?!" Her eyes widened as she reached out to grip his arm. "If he cuts… Akira… during the match…. We've got to hurry, Doren!"
It seemed to take them forever to get the large man over the horse and secure him, but it was finally done. Allura mounted her horse and Doren placed the Queen in front of her.
"Hurry, Doren. I don't think I can hold her long," Allura said between gritted teeth as she struggled to hold the dead weight of the Queen and control her horse.
Doren quickly mounted and moved over to pull the Queen in front of him. Doren and Allura each had the reins of a horse carrying one of the kidnappers, and it was single file as they headed into the woods along a rarely used path. They would have to take an indirect route as they were on the property of Eagle House. If they were found, they would never make it to the castle or to the arena.
On their way, Doren and Allura debated about where they should go first. Doren wanted to take the queen and the captives to the castle and then go to the arena. Allura was concerned about leaving the queen and the men when they didn't know who to trust at the castle. They didn't need for the men to disappear or conveniently become sick and die. Allura wanted to go to the arena first, but Doren was concerned about the spectacle that could happen when they arrived. In addition, if the match between Wesley and Keith was in process, their arrival could distract Keith and that could be bad… very bad. Finally, they came to a compromise. They would head to the arena, but not enter the main area. Allura could ride ahead if needed to find a member of Lion House to send back to aid Doren. She would hurry ahead to alert the doctors that would be in attendance, as well as the King.
Because of many factors, it took them almost two hours to reach the arena. Leaving Doren in a sheltered spot just outside the main thoroughfare, Allura raced her horse toward the arena. Before she even stopped, she could hear the chants of the crowd… "Akira! Akira!"