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Part 10c - The Making of Zechs Merquise

A few weeks after Zechs and his men had joined White Fang; the blond ex-soldier went into a town near their campsite, to get his mount shoed. After he dropped the horse of at the smithy Zechs visited the nearby tavern for a meal and a goblet of wine. By the time he returned the Blacksmith had already finished his job.

"What do I owe you?" Zechs asked the tall, broad-shouldered man, as he pulled out his money bag.

"Are you trying to insult me, Sir?" the smith asked with a scowl. "I don't take money from White Fang men."

"What makes you think I'm with White Fang?" Zechs asked.
The other man snorted in a mixture of amusement and sarcasm. "Now you are trying to insult my intelligence as well, aren't you? The only armed men that come to this town are his Lordship's soldiers, Tubarov's forces or White fang fellows. You don't look like one of Lord Alnwick's men, and imperial soldiers only come in the cover of darkness and in numbers."

"Still, I don't understand," Zechs confessed. "You did your job, you deserve to be paid."

"The village my brother and his family lives in was attacked by Tubarov's troops last summer There is no saying what might have happened to them if it would not have been for White Fang's men who fought off the attack," the blacksmith explained. "My services are the least I can offer to show my gratitude."

Zechs thanked the man for his generosity and was about to leave when his eyes caught a silvery helmet-like headgear on one of the shelves in back of the room.

The smith, following the young man's look, reached for the helmet and handed it to Zechs.

"It's a nice piece of work," he said with a tinge of pride. "I custom made it for somebody but the man never came back to pick it up."

"Do you mind if I try it on?" Zechs asked.
"Go right ahead," the smith agreed.

The helmet fit the young man like it had been made for him. It covered half of his face, stopping just short of his mouth. Zechs very much liked the way it looked and felt. It provided protection without being too heavy.

"How much do you want for it?" he asked.

"How much are you willing to pay for it?"

"I think I could give you three gold pieces," Zechs replied.

The blacksmith nodded. "Then, three gold pieces it will be."

"Thank you." Zechs paid the man and gave him a curt nod as he left.

His horse was tethered to a post in front of the smithy. The blonde untied him, mounted and rode off, without ever taking of his new helmet.

***

If the White Fang wasn't moving or preparing for battle, the days in camp were filled with typical activities. There was wood to be collected, food to be prepared, weapons and armor to be cleaned and maintained.

A little offside from the main camp, a group of men practiced their skills in swordplay. Rens was the unfortunately victim who had to spar with Zechs. The young man was no match for the blond.
"Hey Zechs," Nichols taunted after the fight. "No wonder you keep winning if you always pick the easy targets. How about fighting against a real man for a change?"
"Sure, I'm all for that. If you come across one, why don't you send him to me, Nichols," the blond shot back without loosing a beat.

The comment set off a wave of laughter amongst the assembled men.

Nichols turned bright red. "Damn you, Zechs," he spat. "Don't treat me like I'm beneath you. I don't know who you might have been before you came here, but now you are nothing but a bandit and an outlaw just like the rest of us. You might not like it but we two are very much alike. I deserted from my troops, and you did exactly the same. I broke my allegiance to Tubarov the same as you did to your king."
Zechs' jaw tightened; his lips turned into a thin line. With two quick steps he was in front of Nichols, standing almost nose to nose with the man.

"I really couldn't care less what you think of me, but let me assure you that you and I will never be the same," Zechs growled low. "And don't you ever question my loyalty toward my king ...never ever…Do you understand?"

Before the situation could turn into a full-blown fight, Walker and Laine intervened. They grabbed their friend by his arms to hold him back. "Easy, Zechs!"

Nichols was smart enough to walk away while Zechs was restrained. The blonde took a few deep breaths before he calmly said: "Let go of me."

Once they had released him, Zechs turned and walked away without another word. Moments later he left the camp on horseback.

When Zechs returned later that evening, Howard asked to see him in his tent. The young man expected that the captain wanted to chew him out in private, but Howard looked more concerned than angry.
"What is wrong, Zechs?"

"I'd rather not talk about it," Zechs answered stiffly.
Howard's eyes narrowed.

"I think that's where the problem lies. You haven't been talking since you came back from Alnwick castle."

"It's my personal problem and I can deal with it."
"It stops being your problem if it starts affecting others around you," the gray-haired man snapped.

For a moment it looked like Zechs was going to snap back at him, but then the young man just lowered his head and said quietly. "I understand and I stay corrected, Captain. I will make sure that it won't happen again."
Howard shook his head. "No, I don't think that you understand. This has something to do with your past, doesn't it? You need to talk about it, Zechs. It is eating you up from the inside. You can not hide from yourself behind that mask."
The young man just answered with silence.

"Very well!" The captain sighed. "Just remember, whenever you're ready to talk, I'll be here. You may leave now."

***

Walker woke up in the middle of the night, unable to go back to sleep. Rather than just continuing to toss and turn he rose, and decided to relieve Laine early from his guard-duty. Quietly he pulled on his boots and slipped out of the tent that he was sharing with his friends.

It was still hours till dawn and the forest was draped in silent darkness. As he staggered through the camp he almost stumbled about something…somebody. Walker froze when he realized that it was a human body. It was one of the guards. His throat had been slashed from one ear to the other and he had probable died without making a sound.

Alarmed Walker went off to look for Laine. Moments later he found him, lying in a puddle of blood. His friend had died in the same horrible way as the other guard. The brown-haired soldier run back to sound the alarm, and within moments the camp was buzzing.

Howard sent a handful of men out to look for any sign of an impending attack, while the rest of them broke camp and readied themselves for battle.

"There is one thing I don't understand, "Walker mused. "When they came close enough to the camp to kill our guards, why didn't they just attack while we were sleeping?"

"I don't understand it either," the captain replied. "And I don't like it. Something is not right here."

"What is this smell?" Zechs asked suddenly alarmed.

"It smells like fire," Howard answered. "You don't think…?"

At the same moment Nichols rode up to them, breathlessly confirming their fear.

"They set the forest ablaze. It's burning from three sides, our only way out is through the canyon."

"Where they will be waiting for us to pick us off," Walker remarked.

"Perhaps," Nichols agreed "But taking that chance is still better than waiting here and being overrun by the fire. We don't have time to stay here and argue about it..."

"Walker is right," Howard said. "The canyon is a bad idea."

"I might have a better one."

All eyes turned toward Zechs.

"Let's hear it," the captain demanded.

"They set fire in the east, north and west, but they forgot about the river running through here. If we follow its course we should be able to break through. The stream is wide enough to create a passage through the wall of flames."

Nichols snorted. "Who says that they won't expect us to do just that and will be waiting for us?"

"They probably do," Zechs agreed. "But unlike in the canyon where a handful of archers, hidden in the rocks, could pick us off easily down by the river they will have to engage us in hand to hand battle."

"That's what we will do," Howard determined. "We will split into small groups and swarm out as soon as we leave the fire behind us. Everybody prepare to leave!"

***

Nichols was right about one thing. Tubarov's men had anticipated the White Fang's move and they lay in waiting just beyond the riverbanks. But Howard had expected that much and taken the proper pre-cautions. The plan was that a number of his men would engage the enemy, creating a passage for the wagons that followed. An archer on each of the covered wagons and a small escort was going to provide protection for every group. Once the wagons had made their escape Howard and his men would hold Tubarov's soldiers for a while longer before they too retreated from the battle.

The gray-haired leader of the White Fang raised his weapon and his voice as he commanded:

"Swarm out and attack!"

Zechs, riding to Howard's left, tightened his grip on his sword as he spurred his mount on.

Moments later the air was filled with the smells and sounds of battle; the noise of metal clashing with metal, the beat of hoofs, the nauseating smell of blood, the screams of the wounded, and the moaning of the dying.

For a moment the blonde had flashbacks of another battle, just as terrifying and bloody as this. But he pushed those memories away quickly. There was no time for them now. Around him men; friend and foe alike, were dying. He pushed his horse forward and raised his weapon. The once shiny blade was already covered with blood as it split the head of an enemy soldier. The man died instantly, but in some grotesque way still staggered for a couple of steps till he was knocked down and run over by a horse. Another gray-clad soldier attacked Zechs. He jerked around but wasn't fast enough to evade the man's sword. The blade pierced his armor at the left shoulder, before he was able to run the imperial soldier through with his weapon.

The young man tried to ignore the pain in his shoulder. He could feel blood flow, but he was able to move his arm, so it couldn't be that bad. He noted with some kind of satisfaction that the last of their covered wagons had crossed the enemy line.

Looking around Zechs found Howard and Rens fighting side by side and joined them. The captain too had noticed that the wagons had made their escape.

"Tell everybody to start their retreat," he ordered, directed at Walker and Nichols who had been fighting nearby, and then turned to Rens and Zechs.

"You two get moving. I'll cover you." Howard of course intended to stay until the end and leave after the last of his men was safe.

"We'll stay with you," Zechs decided. "We can cover each other's backs."

Rens nodded in agreement when he noticed some movement at his right and turned to see a gray-clad soldier readying his crossbow.

"Watch out, Captain!" the young soldier called out, but the warning came too late. The arrow struck Howard in the chest before the grey-haired man could react.

The archer had little time to enjoy his successful shot. Zechs' sword struck him and killed him instantly. Rens meanwhile had stopped his horse next to Howard who was hanging slumped over his mount's neck.

"How is he?" Zechs asked, as the other man checked the wound.

Rens winced at the amount of blood that was soaking the captain's garb.

"It doesn't look good," he told the blonde. "But maybe if we can get him to the rendezvous point quickly Catherine might be able to help him. She is a good healer. If anybody can save him she can."

"Maybe," Zechs agreed halfheartedly. The wound really looked bad.

***

Howard had chosen a gathering place in the hills just south of the border to the Sanc Kingdom. It was doubtful that Tubarov's would follow them that far.

When Catherine's group arrived at the rendezvous point others were already there. Some of the men had already secured the perimeters and set up what few tents they had left. The young woman jumped from the covered wagon she had been traveling on and was greeted by Hilde.

"We have a lot of wounded. And I'm afraid there are a lot more to come," the black-haired girl told her.

Catherine nodded. She had expected that much.

"I could use some help," she said. "I will need hot water, a lot of it. I think we can risk making a fire as long as there is daylight. While you take care of that I'll start checking the wounded."

Hilde nodded in acknowledgement.

The young healer looked around the campsite and sighed. "It looks like we've lost several of our wagons and I'm afraid we are low on food and medical supplies. We'll have to take care of those first that have the greatest chance to survive."

Catherine was dressing the leg wound of a man who had been hit by an arrow when the Hilde stormed into the tent.

"Catherine, come quickly. Howard has been wounded. Zechs and Rens brought him in."

The young girl was gone before Catherine could ask any questions.

The captain was still alive when they brought him into one of the tents, but he was unconscious and had lost a lot of blood. There was little the healer could do for him. Zechs stayed with Howard throughout the night and into the morning. Catherine took care of his shoulder wound and suggested that he should get some sleep but the young man refused. When the blonde finally emerged from the canvas tent a deadly silence fell over the camp. The men stopped what they were doing and formed a half circle around the young man.

"The Captain is dead," Zechs announced soberly and then after a short moment of silence he continued in a calm but firm voice. "I'll be taking over leadership of the White Fang. Anybody who wants to challenge me on that is welcome to try."

Zechs glared in Nichols' direction, but neither he nor anybody else seemed to have the desire to oppose the blonde.

"Howard was a great soldier and an even greater leader. I know that I will never be able to replace him. But I'll do my best. A lot of good men died today. Their deaths won't be in vain. I can't promise that we will ever see justice done, but I do promise that we will have revenge," Zechs declared. Judging from the cheers that he received it was clear that his men clearly agreed with him.

***

Later that day Zechs and a handful of men returned to the battlefield in hopes to find anybody who might have survived the onslaught, only to see that the imperial soldier had already beaten them to it.

The new leader of White Fang clenched his fists, his eyes narrowing behind his mask, at the sight of two dozen or so bodies dangling from the trees just at the edge of the forest. He rode closer, and his stomach twisted as he recognized his friend Bryn amongst those hanging. Zechs swore that he would make Tubarov pay.

***

The attack by Tubarov's troops had dealt a hard blow to the White Fang. They lost a large number of men and horses and nearly half of their gear and supplies, but they didn't lose their spirit. When Tubarov had thought that this was the end of his problems with the group, he couldn't have been more wrong. White Fang had been dangerous before. But now they were fighting with the fury of an injured predator desperate for survival.

Zechs developed a new "hit and fade" tactic. Working in small groups the White Fang pushed deeper and deeper into Romefeller territory, attacking small outposts and military strongholds like packs of hungry wolves. They struck, took what they needed and retreated long before backup arrived. When they were in need of horses or weapons they replaced them from the stocks of Lord Alnwick. Zechs called it "collecting their dues" from his Lordship for protecting his land and subjects.

::: End of Flashback:::

By the time Zechs had finished his story it was nearly dawn. Relena had listened without interrupting her brother even once. Her face was a mask of sadness and sorrow as she hugged him tightly. "Oh Milliardo, I can only imagine how horrible this all must have been for you. But now it is over. And I still don't understand why you don't want to come back home?"

He freed himself from her embrace held her at arm length and eyed her with a frown on his face.

"Have you listened to anything I have just told you, Princess? Did you hear how I have been living and what I have done? I have changed. I'm not the same person who I was two years ago. My hands are stained with blood."

"You did what you had to do to survive, Milliardo. It wasn't like you had much of a choice."

"Somehow I had a feeling you would say something like that." Zechs smiled sadly as he let go of her. "I wish it was this easy, but it is not. Father would never understand. I know he would never forgive me."

"Don't say that," Relena told him.

"Princess, you know as well as I do, that the kingdom always comes first for Father. It comes before anything else, including family." Zechs smiled wryly. "I never said I would say this, but I think that's what makes him such an excellent ruler."

"You are not the only one who changed, Milliardo. We all did, including Father. Your disappearance hit him hard. Isn't there anything that would make you change your mind and come back home?"

"No," Zechs answered resolute. "I can't. I have responsibilities; people to take care off."
"What about the responsibilities you have toward the people in this kingdom? You are the crown prince. Have you forgotten that?" Relena objected.
"I have stopped being a prince a long time ago. Now I'm an outlaw. It is best for everyone if Milliardo Peacecraft remains dead." The blonde looked up at the sky as he rose. "The sun is coming up. It's time for me to leave. I'll take you back to town and leave you at a safe place where you can wait for somebody to pick you up."

Zechs helped her up into the saddle before he mounted the horse.

"Milliardo, I beg you, please come with me to the castle. You don't have to stay, but at least talk to father and Heero."

Relena, please don't make this any harder for me than it is already. "I can't." Because if I do, I'm not sure I'd have the strength to leave again.

***

Treize wasn't sure what woke him. Perhaps it was simple instinct or a noise, or maybe the lack thereof.

The captain had assigned two of his men to guard the corridor outside the quarters of the royal family. The room he shared with Wufei was located at the end of the same corridor. Usually one would hear footsteps when the guards walked up and down the hall, or whispering when they talked quietly to each other. But Treize didn't hear any of that. He frowned as he tried to free himself from Wufei's arms.

"Where are you going?" the young wizard asked sleepily.

"I'm just going to check on the guards," Treize told him, as slipped out of bed and into his trousers and shirt. They'd better not be asleep.

When the captain stepped outside his door, he found the corridor empty. A sickening feeling started to spread in his stomach. The feeling only increased when he noticed that the door to the princess' bedchamber was cracked open.

He called over his shoulder for Wufei as he hurried down the hall toward the girl's quarters.

"Princess Relena?!" he called out as he opened the door.

An empty bed the last thing the captain saw, because the moment he set foot into the room he was hit by an invincible force, and thrown across the hall and into the opposite wall.

Blasted Protection spell! Treize groaned as he scrambled back to his feet. "Wufei, get over here, now!" he yelled.

"Are you alright?" the young wizard asked concerned as he came running to assist his master.

"I'm fine," Treize assured him. "But it seems that the princess is gone. Remove the spell, hurry up."

A moment later king Stephán and Lord Yuy entered the scene. Both of them looked like they had been ripped from deep sleep. Heero was carrying his sword, and for an instant Treize wondered if the young lord actually took his weapon to bed with him.

"What's going on?" the king asked.

"It appears that Princess Relena has been taken from her bedchamber, your Highness," the ginger-blond captain reported. "There is no sign of the guards either."

The king grew visible pale, and his eyes widened in shock. ""How could that happen?" His head snapped around toward Wufei. "I thought you had put spells up at every room."

"He did," Treize answered quickly, feeling the need to defend his slave. "And the spell was still working when I first tried to enter the room."

The conversation was interrupted when Captain Ventuno arrived. Only moments after he was informed about Relena's disappearance his men swarmed the palace to search for her or any sign of an intruder.

"What kind of spell did you use?" Heero suddenly asked.

Wufei shrugged, uncertain what difference that made. "A modified protection spell," he replied. "I set it up sp that that only allowed members of the royal family including you would be able to enter or leave the room."

"If that's what you did, then explain to me what happened?" the king snapped.

"I don't know, your Majesty," the black-haired wizard confessed. "I don't understand it myself. Nobody but you, the princess and Heero should have been able to get through the barrier the spell created."

"Hmmm!" Lord Yuy grunted pensively. "There is of course one other member of the royal family."

All eyes turned to the brunette.

"What are you suggesting?" Wufei frowned.

"You are talking about Prince Milliardo, aren't you?" Treize clarified.
Heero nodded silently.

Wufei's frown deepened. "But that would make absolutely no sense. Even if the prince is still alive, why would he kidnap his own sister?"

Heero shrugged. "We have to remember that once before Milliardo did things that seemed unbelievable. We all assumed that he got murdered, although we never found his body. Perhaps we need to consider the possibility that whoever kidnapped him had no plans to kill him, but wanted to use him against us."

King Stephán nodded. As disturbing as that thought was, he had to admit that it made sense.

Treize Looked at Wufei. "Take his majesty back to his chambers and stay with him." He then turned toward two of his men and ordered. "I want guards outside his majesty's quarters. Nobody enters but me and Heero."

"Yes, Sir!"

"Just hold on a moment, Captain. You don't think I'm going to hide in my quarters while everybody else is looking for my daughter?"

"Yes, your Highness, that's exactly what I'm thinking. I'm responsible for your safety and I find that your quarters are the safest place for you at the moment. At least until we find out what exactly happened to the princess," Treize replied calmly.

"Very well," the king agreed. "I expect that you keep me informed, Captain."

"Yes, Sir." Treize nodded.

Only moments after king Stephán and Wufei retreated to the king's chamber one of Captain Ventuno's soldiers reported that the two royal guards, who had been protecting the hallway, had been found tied up but alive.

Heero turned toward Treize. "I think that Wufei and half of our royal guard should be able to provide adequate protection for his Highness. I'll take the rest of the men and try to find Relena."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Treize asked. "What if the person we are dealing with really is Prince Milliardo?"
"Captain, my loyalty lies with my king and my country," Heero replied calmly. "And if Milliardo proofs to be a danger to either I'll do what I have to do to eliminate that danger."
"He really has ice-waster in his veins, doesn't he?" Ventuno remarked, as he watched the young lord walk.
"Or perhaps that's what he wants us to believe," Treize answered thoughtfully.

***

King Stephán paced restlessly forth and back in his room, hands clasped behind his back. Neither he nor Wufei had spoken a single word. Occasionally the king would stop for a moment and gaze out of the window, before resuming his walk.

The rising sun was painting the horizon with golden-red colors when Captain Treize came to see them.
"I have good news, your Highness," he announced, a soft smile on his face. "Princess Relena has been found. Whoever took her dropped her off at the local tavern. As far as I know she wasn't harmed in any way."
"Thank god," the king gave a sigh of relief. "Does Heero know?"

Treize nodded. "He and his men were just about to leave the castle when the messenger arrived. He is on his way to pick up the princess as we speak."

It didn't take long until Heero and Princess Relena returned to the castle.

Wufei and Treize discretely left the room to give father and daughter some privacy.
Relena embraced and hugged king Stephán. "Father!"

"Oh Relena , I was so worried about you," he confessed, as he held her tightly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Father," she assured him.
"It was Milliardo, wasn't it?" the king asked, a strange mixture of hope and fear in his voice.

Relena nodded as she freed herself from his embrace, took a step backward and looked up at him. "How did you know?"

"Only he could have broken the spell that Wufei put around your bedchamber." The king looked his daughter over, searching for any sign that she was injured. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No, no of course not," Relena shook her head. "It's not like that, Father. We just talked. He told me everything that happened to him."

Stephán breathed a sigh of relief. "How is he? Is he alright?"
"I will tell you everything," the princess assured him. "Captain Treize, Heero and Wufei should hear it too. Just give me a little time to change into something a little more… appropriate."

***

While Relena left to get dressed, the king called for Treize Heero and Wufei. On the princesses' request he also asked Captain Ventuno to join them.

The small group was sitting quietly around the table as princess Relena recounted her meeting with her brother.

Nobody interrupted her, but by the time she was finished even Heero had lost his usual stoic demeanor and looked like he was ready to kill somebody.

"I can't believe that Lord Alnwick has the audacity to ask us to help him hunt Milliardo down after what he did to him. And how ca you let such an injustice happen?" he snapped at Captain Ventuno.

The captain swallowed. He had turned quite pale during Relena's account.

"I had no idea who he was...is."

"What difference does it make?"
"Hold on, Heero," the princess put her hand on Heero's arm to calm him. "You are barking up the wrong tree. Milliardo spoke very highly of the captain. That's the only reason I asked for him to join us."

"I don't understand how nobody in this castle recognized Prince Milliardo," Treize remarked with a frown. "I realize that he himself didn't remember who he was, but his Lordship visited the royal palace and met the Prince before, hasn't he?"

"Perhaps, but they never met while Zechs, I mean the prince was here at the castle," Ventuno replied quietly. "I've tried a few times to arrange a meeting between them but his Lordship was rather busy at the time."

Heero gave a low growl as he rose from his chair.

"Where are you going?" Treize wanted to know.

"I'm going to have a little talk with his Lordship," the young lord replied, his expression promising a slow and painful death.

"Heero, sit down!" the king's voice was calm but stern. "Not a single word of that was spoken here will leave this room. This includes the fact that Milliardo is still alive."

"I beg your pardon?" Heero stared at him in confusion.

"For now it is better if people believe that the crown prince is dead rather than knowing that he has become an outlaw."

Relena shook her head. There was a tinge of bitterness in her voice when she spoke. "Oddly enough, that's exactly what Milliardo thought you would say, Father."

"Because your brother realizes that, if we reveal his true identity now, there is no saying how Emperor Tubarov might react. He may very well take it as an excuse to declare war on Sank. We need at least some time to prepare ourselves for that possibility."

"So what are we going to do then?" Heero asked, as he settled back down into his chair.

"We will leave this afternoon just as we had intended to do," the king explained, "after I had a talk with Lord Alnwick."

"Sire, now that we know that Milliardo is alive we can't just leave him here and go back home."
"Heero, that's a choice he has made for himself."

***

Lord Alnwick had no idea why the king had ordered - yes order, not asked- to see him. He could only guess that it might have anything to do with Princess Relena's disappearance during the night.

King Stephán was standing by the window, looking down into the yard, where his men prepared their horses for his departure. He let the Lord wait for a few moments before he turned and spoke.

"Lord Alnwick, I have been heard a few rather disturbing accusations against you."

"What kind of accusations?" Alnwick wanted to know.

"I will not go into details, but they include charges of you are neglecting your obligations as the lord of this county, and that you are seriously abusing your power."

"Who told you those lies? I would never…"

The king cut Alnwick off with a hand gesture. "I was not finished talking. I assure you, Lord Alnwick, that we would not have this conversation if I wasn't certain that at least some of those accusations are true."

The lord swallowed.

King Stephán glared at him. "Must I remind you that you are a representative of the crown, my Lord? You are here to assure that the laws of this kingdom are upheld? How can you expect other people to follow those laws if you don't follow them yourself? I gave you your title and this land and I can take it from you just as easily," He gave the man another stern glare. "Make no mistake, Lord Alnwick, I'll not hesitate to do so if it becomes necessary. Did I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly clear, your Highness."

"Excellent. Then you may leave."

______________________________________________________________________ ____________________

T.B.C.

Author's Note:

I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that this was the last chapter that I needed to revise, and everything from here on forward will be new. The bad news is that writing new chapters will take of course longer than revising an old one, so I won't be updating quite as frequently.

Feedback is greatly appreciated, constructive criticism is welcome :-)