Dragon Wings: The Clean War - Chapter V
The four Americans found themselves at a loss in the morning. They had been awoken by servants carrying food in for their breakfast. The suite of rooms they had been given had four bedrooms off of a central living space that included a lounge area and a dining setting. Two of the bedrooms remained unused, of course, but the sheer size of the suite was surprising. The palace itself was much larger than anything they had been expecting from such a small country. They had roused themselves enough to dress and eat the provided food, but had them wondered what, exactly, they were supposed to do with themselves now. A tentative knock on the door heralded an answer.
The Queen had sent one of her footmen to them, and he bowed slightly before them. “Their Majesties, the Sovereign King and Queen of Andorra, will be pleased to hear your entreaty when the court gathers after the noon meal. In the mean time, you are invited to consider the palace open to you.” He unwound somewhat after having delivered his message and, with a small smile, added, “Might I suggest a walk in the gardens? They are quite extensive and of some pride to the Queen.”
“Thank you.” Jensen answered him. “We’ll be sure to see them. Do you, ahh, need a reply from us or something?”
The footman smiled wider and shook his head. “Not at all. I’ll tell them you are looking forward to your audience.”
“Perfect.” Steve smiled back. “Thanks.” With a bow and a little wave, the footman left. Steve quirked an eyebrow at the others. “They’ve all been friendly so far. I’m not sure whether to be hopeful or not.”
Chris moaned. “I guess we’ll find out. But seriously. A walk in the gardens? I say we stay here and make the most of that big-ass bed.” He leered at Steve, who just shook his head with a small smile.
Jared gave him a horrified look. “Then we will definitely take a walk in the gardens. What is wrong with you? We don’t want to hear that shit.”
Chris raised his eyebrow. “Really? So, the night before we left, that whole possessive thing, you didn’t think anyone heard that?”
Jensen blushed hotly, and Jared’s mouth kind of dropped open. Steve elbowed Chris hard in the side. “Ignore him. He’s guessing.” The glare Chris gave him disagreed.
“No. It’s alright.” Jensen had gathered himself. “We knew, of course, we just didn’t...admit it to ourselves.”
Pacified, Chris’ expression softened. He stepped in close to Jensen and whispered, “Good for you, kid.” Jensen smiled shyly in response. Jared grabbed him and started to tug him out the door.
“Regardless, I think we’ll be going now. Ah...enjoy!”
Steve started to laugh as soon as they were gone. “That was mean.”
Chris grinned. “That was fun.”
“Come here you incorrigible idiot.” Steve smirked. “Let’s see how ‘possessive’ I can get.”
“That is more like it.” Chris’ smile was wicked.
***
The palace gardens were, indeed, something to behold. Texas, for all its size and sprawl, didn’t really tend to house great formal gardens, and both young men were suitably impressed. The neat, trimmed-hedge walkways lead them through a series of gardens enclosed by trees set close together to form natural walls. In the centre of it all was a large fountain. In its circular home sat a bearded vulture, the symbol of Andorra, with water pouring over its extended wings. It was peaceful; it would be so easy to lock yourself away here and forget there was a war at all.
Off to the side, a woman was kneeling on the ground planting new bulbs. She looked up at them and smiled. “I see you took Roberto’s advice. They are lovely gardens, are they not?”
“You work in the gardens?” Jensen asked. “I got the impression last night that you were a member of the court.”
Beside him, Jared made a choking noise before rushing to add, “Yes, your Majesty, they are quite beautiful.” Jensen looked at him sharply.
The Queen’s laughter was bright and soft. “There is no need to stand on ceremony here. I work in the gardens because I enjoy it.” She met Jensen’s eyes. “I hope you will forgive me for not telling you who I was last night, but it is refreshing to speak to those who do not know who, or what, I am.”
“There is nothing to forgive.” Jensen smiled back at her. If she wanted to be spoken to as anybody else, he would do so. “But maybe you could tell me what you were talking about last night? I don’t remember the whole conversation, but I do remember you mentioning something about royals?”
She patted the ground beside her, and they made their way over to sit there. When they had settled, she began to speak. “You are both American, so perhaps you are not so familiar with the term as, until now, they have not occurred in your land. Amongst dragons, there is no hierarchy, as such. A lightweight is no less important than a heavyweight, and vice versa. However, there are a few, a very few, who are born with special...authority. Other dragons must obey when they speak, regardless of their own desires. We call them Royals. Other dragons often fear and dislike them. I am a Royal. And so are you.”
“What?” Jensen laughed. “No I’m not. I’m not even the leader in our team, let alone over other dragons.”
The Queen smiled kindly. “Yes, you are. You have never had to use your authority, but it is there within you. Tell me, do you make other dragons uneasy?”
Jensen flushed, and Jared answered for him. “Yes. They don’t know why, but he puts them on edge.”
She nodded. “That is why. They sense that you have power over them. Luckily, your nature means you have not had cause to try and use it.” Her gaze flicked between the two of them. “The reason I sat by your bedside was that I was unsure what, exactly, your superiors were thinking by sending a Royal here as an envoy. I thought perhaps that they were going to try and coerce our co-operation. Upon speaking with you, I could see that it was not so. The more I speak with you, the surer I am that you will never be one to abuse the power you have. That is important.” She stood up, and the two men scrambled to get up too. The Queen took Jensen’s hand and held it lightly. “Do not be afraid of what you are; it does not control who you are, but rather the other way around. I look forward to speaking to you both later.”
With that, she left them. Jensen looked at Jared nervously. “Do you think she could be right?”
Jared shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. You are who you have always been, and that is the man I love.”
“Sap.” Jensen accused, but Jared saw his shoulders relax.
“You know it.” He grinned widely, showing off his dimples.
***
Upon returning to their suite, Jared and Jensen were relieved to find Chris and Steve sitting on the lounge and fully clothed. They had not immediately left the gardens, preferring to stroll in a, no doubt, rare moment of peace and hence give their friends some equally rare privacy. They had decided to keep their conversation with the Queen between themselves until such a time as they were sure that what she had said was true. For now, it had no bearing on the task at hand.
“Are you two done ‘taking some air’?” Chris asked, sotto voce.
“Are you two done burning the sheets?” Jared came back.
Steve, as ever, was the peacemaker. “Were the gardens interesting?”
“As a matter of fact, yes, they were.” Jensen told him, yet Jared suspected he was still dwelling more on what they had learned.
A knock on the door heralded another messenger. They were invited to join the King and Queen for lunch. When they thanked him, the messenger hesitated. “If I may? There will be several guests at the table and it might be prudent to appear in whatever dress uniforms you may have.”
“You mean there might be people we need to impress there?” Chris deciphered.
“Among others, yes.” There was something in the man’s tone that suggested there might be foes amongst the friends.
“Thanks for the heads up.” Jared gave him a warm smile and the man bowed from the room.
“Well,” Steve muttered, “this could prove interesting.”
***
The company at the long table did prove to be interesting. Apart from the King and Queen at the head of the table, there were a handful of Andorran dignitaries and a Spanish ambassador. There was also, however, a French ambassador that did not seem happy to find Allied envoys not only gracing the table, but apparently being shown fondness by Her Majesty. He was, on the surface, a charming man, favoured by many ladies of the court, well read and highly intelligent, however there was a lurking...unpleasantness beneath this facade. His name was Francois - “yes, truly”, he had laughed self-deprecatingly - and he was neither dragon nor rider. Jared didn’t think he entirely understood how the relationship worked, or cared to know. Travelling with him, however, he had an assistant; a young, un-mated dragon who looked overwhelmed and a little downtrodden by his superior,
The Spanish ambassador was an older woman, sedate and bright-eyed. She didn’t speak a word of English, however Chris, Jensen and the French assistant were able to converse with her mate, an easy-going man with a quick smile, via the dragon tongue. It made for somewhat stilted conversations, but it was better than complete incomprehension. This lady was speaking now. “We have not had any envoys come here before. What made them change their minds?”
“It is not so much that they changed their minds as their tactics. Envoys have been sent before. They simply never made it this far.” Chris answered. He was on his best behaviour, speaking low and calm and deep. The women at the table seemed to be falling for it, and Steve had taken to resting his hand on his mate’s arm where it sat on the table between them. Jared found this dreadfully amusing, Jensen could tell.
The King nodded his head gravely. “We had feared as such. We are pleased you made your journey successfully.”
“Thank you.” Jared responded with a small bow of his head. “It took two exceptional dragons to get us here safely, and Steve and I are only too aware that we would be nothing without them.”
“I do know that feeling.” The King raised the Queen’s hand to his lips and brushed a soft kiss over her knuckles. The smile she gave him in return was full of loving devotion. These were not figureheads; they were a true mated pair.
“How long have you boys been mated?” Francois asked, clearly trying to include himself in a conversation he didn’t, personally, have any comprehension of. Indeed, it was considered somewhat rude to ask such a question as it suggested a lack of connection between mates. As an ambassador, he had to know this, but he was playing ignorance.
Chris bristled ever so slightly, but Jensen remained at ease and smiled brightly. “We’ve been friends our whole lives, so mating was simply another step along the road for us.” Jared could have cheered. Jensen had managed to answer without giving Francois anything at all. Chris, too, had regained his equilibrium.
“It might as well have been the same for us.” He smiled wolfishly at Steve. “Once we bonded, there was no before.”
The Queen, whose eyes had flashed with anger at the question but which now glittered with mischief, asked, “Really? You were friends?”
Jared nodded, his eyes going soft as he remembered the first time they had met. “Yes, your majesty. We met when Jen was just a fledgling.”
“How lovely!” The Spanish lady was utterly charmed.
Francois gave a barely civil smile and lapsed into silence. As far as everyone else was concerned, this was an improvement, and the meal proceeded in peace from thereon in.
***
The four envoys stood outside the doors of the great hall awaiting announcement of their names. When it came, they entered with as much poise and dignity as they possessed. Steve had counselled Chris not to swagger, and instead the smaller man walked straight, tall and solid as an oak. His companions made sure to follow suit. They walked down the centre of the room. The King and Queen were seated at the far end upon their thrones looking regal and cool. Jensen was glad he had not met this woman from the beginning, but he could feel Jared’s steady feed of confidence and reassurance across their link.
“Whom among you shall speak for your cause?” The King, too, had become distant and officious.
“I do.” Chris stated calmly. They had decided this long before they had even left Britain.
“Please state your case.”
“We are here,” Chris’ voice was strong and easily heard throughout the room, “because this war has gone on too long. We are here because we wish to see an end to it. We are hoping that you wish to see such a thing too, and that you will help us to bring it about.”
“We have peace here.” The Queen said, her face carefully blank of any indication of her true feelings. “So long as we do not become involved, we will continue to have peace. Why should we throw in our lot with you and bring war upon our people?”
Chris took a breath, but Jensen could see the way his shoulders had tightened. “With all due respect, Your Majesty, you are birds in a gilded cage with cats swatting at the bars.” Jensen had to bite his lip to keep from smiling. They should have known better than to send the least diplomatic man in the world on a diplomatic mission. “France and the rest of the Union will leave you alone so long as you have nothing they want, but once they need the crops in your ground, or your people for soldiers, they will come and they will take. Already they nip at Spain’s borders, doing as they please without repercussion.”
The Spanish Ambassador let loose with an incomprehensible string of invective after that statement. Many who clearly understood, whether the language or via the dragon tongue, were nodding along to what she was saying. As soon as she stopped, Chris went on. “The Lady Ambassador has every right to be angry, and what she says is true. Spain’s involvement is perhaps even more certain than your own, and then you truly will sit in the middle of this war. You are small and, ultimately, easily overrun. This is your chance to make a choice, to be of great importance rather than lost in the bitter struggle.”
“You wish us to join you and, presumably, the Spaniards against the Union? It is fine for you to make these grand suggestions, but there is nothing to prevent the very same thing we fear happening as a consequence of joining you. If the Union learn of such an alliance, as they no doubt will,” the King glanced at the French Ambassador coldly, “then we will be the first to come under attack. Not Spain, with its much larger defensive force, nor Britain, safe across the Channel.”
“If I may?” Jensen asked softly, and only continued when the King indicated to do so. “As you know, we are Americans, yet we fight beside the United Kingdom. There is no immediate threat to our borders, but we fight because a loss for the small island nations could be just the beginning. The same is true of the Australians, the New Zealanders. They do not fight because they are subject to Britain; they do it because what right do these other countries have to invade and take over lands not their own? Whether you are first or last, if the Union is allowed to triumph it is only a matter of time until we are all overrun.”
At first there was silence in reply to this statement, and the two monarchs before them shared a long look with one another. Finally, a small smile slipped onto the King’s face. “Indeed. Your words certainly make sense, and we have known for a long time that this day would come. You have our support, and I daresay that of Spain...” The Spanish Ambassador inclined her head in agreement. “And the first act of war, I am afraid, must be to secure all enemy agents in our midst. Guards, please escort the French Ambassador and his secretary to their suite and make sure that they remain there. They are to be allowed no communications with their superiors.”
Francois was, obviously, displeased by this turn of affairs. He was loud in his denunciation of their actions, damning them for fools that would be crushed under the might of France and her allies. The King and Queen watched on dispassionately as he was secured and taken away. The secretary, however, panicked. Looking frantically for a way out, it was clear to every dragon in the room that he was about to change and make a dash for it.
“Do not!” The Queen’s voice rang out, and there was a weight to it. The little dragon looked at her wide eyed and seemed to shrink in on himself. Now soothing, she murmured, “Be calm. No harm will come to you.” He went all but limp in the guards’ grasp.
Chris’ eyes were narrowed, and even Steve seemed disturbed. Jared looked to Jensen and saw that his mate was watching it all with trepidation. It scared him and he couldn’t even pinpoint why.
***
“What the bloody hell was that?” Chris erupted as soon as they were in their suite. Now that a decision had been made, there were finer points to be hashed out, but the envoys weren’t currently needed for those discussions, so they had returned to their rooms.
“The Queen is what they call a Royal dragon.” Jared answered. “We met her out in the garden and she was telling us about it. Some dragons - less than a handful, I gather - have authority over other dragons. It’s extremely rare, and she doesn’t take it lightly.”
“You saw what just happened.” Steve looked at Jensen, his eyes searching.
Jensen almost managed not to flinch under his regard. “The Secretary was panicking. He was about to get himself into trouble, possibly hurt or even killed. She did it for his own good.”
“Oh?” Chris growled. “And what if she decides that we need to stay here for our own good? Huh?”
Huddling in on himself a little, Jensen replied quietly, “We have to believe she won’t. We have to trust that she won’t abuse her power.”
“I don’t think that I can just ‘trust’ someone who can make me do whatever they want.” Chris muttered with finality. Jensen looked utterly miserable and turned to take refuge in the bedroom.
***
“Your friend doesn’t trust me now, does he?” The Queen whispered to Jensen. They were all stood around a map table discussing potential plans of action, but Jensen had stood slightly back from the group, watching silently.
Blinking at her, trying to decide what to say, he finally went with the truth. “No. He fears you will keep us here against our will.”
She smiled. “What do you think?”
“If you didn’t want this alliance all you needed to do was refuse. There is no reason for subterfuge.” He paused, looked at her briefly, and finally admitted, “It terrifies me.”
“There is no need.” Her voice was light, reassuring. “Believe in yourself, young dragon. They will all see, over time if not straight away, that there is nothing to fear from you. Stay strong. Lean on that fine mate of yours. He certainly looks strong enough to support you.”
At that Jensen was able to smile. “Yes. Yes, he is.”
***
The night passed without any further drama and the two American dragons were now sitting in the same stoney courtyard into which they had first landed. Jared and Steve had helped them into their harnesses and they were ready to go. The King and Queen stood before them, as did the Spanish Ambassador and her husband, as well as half the palace, or so it seemed. The King bade them a formal farewell, but the Queen wished them well in their return trip. They had received intel the night before that the boys’ route into Andorra had been reported to the French forces, and that it was now well patrolled. The Andorran border, too, was being heavily guarded. This left them no option but to first fly into Spain, however the northern half of the country was crawling with French patrols (much to the disgust of the Spanish Ambassador), so they were going to have to fly south and make a dash across France in the hopes that they would never expect such a foolish plan.
“We will, hopefully, return very soon with our ground forces. Now the alliance is in place, they won’t waste any time in using your support.” Jared smiled his gratitude to the monarchs. Eirian grumbled behind him and Jared gave a half laugh before translating, “And Jensen wishes you to know that he has every intention of returning for more of your fine cuisine...for me.” With that, Jared swung up onto Eirian’s neck, hooking onto the leather harness. Steve did the same upon Grymus. One last little wave and the two great dragons took to the sky. A flight of several Andorran dragons came from behind the palace to escort them as far as they could into Spain. For now, all was well.
Chapter VI: http://lady-krystal-79.livejournal.com/38760.html