Disclaimer: As always I make no claim to Gundam Wing or any of its
characters!
Warnings: NC-17 3x4, 1+R, 2+H, 5+S, 13+11, 6+9 – Sap, Angst, Lime, Lemon
(parts will be marked separately), AU
Thanks to Katie for beta-reading this for me...you've been such a huge
help...thank you very much!
Quatre rained in his mount, closing his eyes and reaching out with his other
senses to gauge a picture of their surroundings.
The patrol of the Southern boarder had produced no sign of armed men and
Quatre and his guards had soon turned back towards the duchy’s hunting grounds.
The grounds comprised of close to twenty square leagues of land, from dense
forest to vast grassy plains preserved by the duke’s forester and rangers for
hunting. Quatre loved to hunt and spent as much time as his duties allowed
either hunting on horseback or on foot, he was a proficient tracker bettered
only by the duke’s rangers who’s job it was to catch game for the household’s
meals as well as protecting said game from poachers and raiders.
Quatre had never actually met one of the rangers though sometimes he thought
he saw someone while he hunted on his own, a brief flicker in his vision was
all as by the time he had turned whoever it was had vanished back into the
trees.
The young lord frowned as he searched the air for the scent of deer. ‘What
is it my lord?’ Heero was used to his young charge’s uncanny instincts and took
heed when his master looked troubled…as he did now.
Quatre opened his eyes to regard the captain, ‘Listen…what can you hear?’
Heero rolled his eyes but did as he was told, ‘I don’t hear anything, as you
knew I wouldn’t…I don’t have hearing as good as yours my lord.’
Quatre shook his head, ‘That’s not what I mean, I can’t hear anything
either…its completely silent out there and I feel…’ he fell silent for a moment
knowing that it made others feel uncomfortable when he spoke about his ability
to feel things they could not. ‘I feel fear Heero, the whole damn forest stinks
of it…something’s not right.’
The captain nodded grimly drawing his sword and motioning from the other men
to do the same, ‘Perhaps we should go back and return with more men?’
Quatre shook his head. ‘By the time we return whatever it is may have
gone…we need to find it now!’ There was urgency in the young man’s voice that
Heero had not heard before and nodding solemnly the captain followed his lord
further into the forest.
When the attack came there was little warning. Heero watched in horror as
Quatre’s mount screamed and reared up clearly showing the arrow lodged in its
throat.
Quatre barely had time to kick his feet from the stirrups and throw himself
clear from the beast before the dying horse crashed to the ground. The young
lord rolled and came up holding his sword, his eyes scanning the trees for any
sign of the enemy.
Another horse screamed behind Heero and fell rolling and crushing its rider
beneath it. The captain snapped into action calling orders to the four
remaining guards ‘Surround the lord, protect him with your lives!’
Quatre seemed about to argue but one look from Heero made him hold his
tongue and he allowed the men on horseback to create a circle around him with
their mounts.
A crashing in the forest to the left signalled the arrival of the enemy and
Quatre’s eyes went wide as fully two dozen men crashed through the trees
towards them. How had he missed so many people? It made no sense, even if they
had been especially skilled, being able to move through the forest silently.
Quatre should have felt them long before the attack.
He readied his sword as the guard to his left fell from the saddle, a dagger
in his throat. Quatre pushed back tears of anger and slapped the horse on the
rump with the flat of his sword sending the beast fleeing into the forest and
allowing him more room to manoeuvre.
He caught a glimpse of movement to his right and turned bringing his sword
up to parry the blow barely in time, the battle was hopeless he thought grimly,
they were horribly outnumbered and their enemy had the advantage of surprise.
Shoving the outrage aside Quatre focused and began fighting for his life.
The fight had been raging for a while and only Heero and Quatre now stood,
back to back the only thing keeping them alive the fact that the close quarters
fighting in the trees only allowed two opponents to come at them at a time.
Quatre swung and parried desperately but a deep cut in his left shoulder was
causing him to lose blood at a dangerous rate, leaving him light headed and
slowing his reactions.
Heero risked a glance at the blonde and could see the young lord tiring
quickly, ‘Damn it!’ he thought ‘I’m going to lose him soon’ with resignation he
could see no way they would possibly get out of the fight alive.
Shouting a war cry the captain launched a deadly overhead attack at the man
facing him. As the man looked on in shock Heero’s blade buried itself deep
within his stomach. His eyes rolled up into his head and he went limp.
There was no time for celebration however as the next man was on top of him,
barely giving Heero enough time to kick the corpse from his blade and raise it
in defence. Heero chanced another glance at Quatre and what he saw made his
heart stop.
The young lord’s eyes were wide with shock as he looked down to regard the
blade the man in front of him had plunged into his side. Gasping with pain
Quatre fell to his knees knowing in his heart that this was the end. He felt no
fear, only sadness for his father and a sense of loss that he would never be
able to rule the land that he loved.
Glancing at Heero he could see the pained look in the captain’s eyes, ‘I’m
sorry,’ Quatre whispered to his captain before his vision went black and all
conscious thought ended.
Heero screamed in rage as the raider calmly pulled his sword from the lord’s
body and raised it above his head to deliver the finishing blow. Heero knew he
could never reach there in time to stop it and the only consolation was that he
would not have to live much longer with the guilt that his lord had died before
him.
Suddenly the raider’s eyes glazed and he fell to his knees clutching at the
cross bolt sticking out of his chest. Heero flattened himself against the trunk
of a giant oak as a barrage of fire rained down on the attackers as if from
nowhere.
Heero scanned the trees and finally spotted about twenty men standing high
in the canopy calmly unleashing their rain of death on the men below. After
about half their number had fallen the raiders broke and fled into the trees;
the arrow fire stopping almost as quickly as it had begun and Heero stepped
from behind the tree, his hands held up in surrender as he moved quickly to his
charge’s side.
From high above he could hear someone giving orders to pursue the fleeing
company but paid little heed to what was said.
Turning Quatre’s body over he lowered his head, the wound was large and
deep, there was little hope that anyone, even a young man in his prime like
Quatre would be able to survive such an injury.
He heard a movement behind him and turned his head slightly to look up at
the newcomer. Close to six and a half feet the young man was tall and slim,
bordering on thin, though the fitted green tunic he wore clearly showed a
strong muscular build.
The man had striking features with deep green eyes that mirrored the forest
around them. His reddish brown hair was worn short at the back but hanging long
over his face obscuring half of it from view.
The youth knelt down beside Heero and his eyes went wide, ‘Quatre…’ his
voice was a whisper and it shook with barely suppressed rage.
Turning quickly to the captain the man stood, ‘My name is Trowa Barton, I am
the forester and lead ranger for the duke, we have lodgings close to here,
hurry and we may be able to save his life.’
Heero nodded and scooped the unconscious lord into his arms, careful to
avoid moving him as much a possible. Securing the young noble against his chest
Heero said a prayer to Lucile, guardian of soldiers before hurrying after the
ranger.
TBC…
