Dragons on the Doorstep
~*~ T
Duo and Heero soon found their equilibrium as parents. They had the usual experiences, as well as some not-so-usual experiences. Diaper blowouts were fortunately not common, though they did happen. The new parents took turns dealing with them. Duo was forced to remove his Chosen earring, as the baby found it fascinating and nearly tore Duo’s ear trying to pull it out. He also had to begin braiding his long hair as the baby liked to grab loose handfuls and pull.
Heero wasn’t immune from such attacks. Both his communications sapphire and his Chosen earring had to be removed. He usually wore a platinum chain that was a gift from Duo, and that also had to go into the jewelry box. The buttons on his shirts were fair game as well to a shiny-seeking little dragon.
The baby loved bathtime and nearly gave Duo a heart attack the day he tried to swim underwater. Wufei found Duo hyperventilating and clutching a squalling infant who clearly wanted to go back to his watery playtime. Being a wise dragon, Wufei called Quatre. The Healer settled Duo, admonished the pouting dragon-child and explained that most children loved water for whatever reason, and that the “swimming” problem could be solved by reducing the water level to a centimeter, and being vigilant whenever the baby was in the bath. In other words, he said, never take your eyes off him, not even for a second. And swimming lessons would begin when the little shit was a year old.
The baby had not been named yet. The proud parents were waiting to get an idea of his personality before choosing a name, so for the moment he was just “the baby” or “the little shit”. Quatre hoped that “the little shit” would not become the child's official name, but there were times…
~*~
Quatre was making potions when an apprentice came to his door and knocked on the frame. She waited to be acknowledged - the Healer had a list of rules posted on his door requesting that everyone knock and wait to be admitted, as he was frequently engaged in delicate work - and watched with interest as he finished the potion and decanted it into a dozen small bottles, stoppered them and set them into their place on his shelves.
“Yes, Linmei? How can I help you?” he asked with a smile.
“Healer Quatre, can you come? Duo is worried about the baby. He says something is going on. Needs advice.”
“Oh. Give me just a moment to wash up and I’ll be right there.”
Once cleaned up, he hurried to the residence. Duo wasn’t given to seeing goblins where there were none, and if something concerned him, it needed to be addressed.
“Good afternoon, Duo. What’s bothering you?”
“Don’t know,” said the Kewpie. “Something feels… off. Holding baby, is okay. Not holding baby, is something… weird. Feels like magic.” He looked up at the Healer and Quatre was surprised by the circles under his eyes. “Everything baby seems normal, eating, sleeping, playing, pooping… Except wisp of magic. Not dragon magic, not Kewpie magic. Strange. Should not be there.”
“Indeed it should not,” he said firmly. “Let me do a scan and see if I can get a grip on it.”
He scanned the baby - really, they needed to settle on a name - and then scanned Duo. In a tiny little corner of Duo’s self, he found something odd. A thread connecting Duo to the baby, finer than spider silk, so fine he almost missed it, but it also had a smell to it, which was odder than odd. A smell like rotten eggs, which was not at all normal. A second opinion was needed. He called for Healer Paliehai.
The senior Healer did the same scan with the same results. “You’re right, Quatre; this is not normal. This looks very much like a curse.”
“Sand! I was hoping I was reading it wrong!”
“No. I think your instincts are spot on. Now, our questions have to be, how did this happen and what do we do about it?”
“We need a curse expert first. Are any of the collective Mages or Wizards curse experts?” he asked hopefully.
“Unfortunately, no, but they may have connections who are. I’ll ask them. Perhaps you could contact Bis Shanoden and see if they can refer anyone?”
“Oh, excellent idea! I’ll do that immediately.”
Both Healers turned to the anxious parent. “Is curse on baby?” he asked in a small frightened voice.
“No, the curse is on you, somehow. It is on the baby only as much as the baby came from your body. This is still not a good thing. There are many different types of curses, but in the end a curse is a curse, and you don’t want one attached to you or your loved one,” said Quatre. “Let me make that call.”
Bis Shanoden was more than happy to give him a list of curse specialists. Quatre was surprised to find Sorcerer Meisal on the list. He called him first.
“Good day Sorcerer Meisal. How are you?”
“I am stupendous, young Healer! Just heard that my great granddaughter is pregnant! First child for that generation!”
“Congratulations! I hope everything goes well for her and the baby.”
“Thank you! Now, what can I do for you today? Another portal?”
“No sir. This time I come to pick your brain about curses. We have found a curse on Duo and his child.”
“A curse?! Good grief, hasn’t that poor thing gone through enough?!”
“Apparently not,” replied Quatre darkly. “I suspect that this may go back to the accursed Filofields.”
“I suspect you are right. Tell me again about your encounter with the malevolent pair.” Quatre did so, pulling up every memory he had of that day.
“They paid a Mage to make the spells to put on Duo to take his voice. I wonder if the remaining family also paid for a curse on Duo and his baby. Sand. We may have to go back there again. Duo will be livid and Heero will start incinerating people.”
“We will go today. I will meet your party there. You and Duo should take the baby and go somewhere safe, so that they cannot easily find you. Call your friend in Rive Bartonn and tell him to get on it. This is unacceptable! I am coming to Rive Bartonn. We will get to the bottom of this shitshow!” he declared angrily.
“Give me ten minutes and then open the portal to the kingdom. I’ll take Duo there along with a couple of guardians.”
“Ten minutes. Go.”
Quatre ran back to the residence. “Duo, Sorcerer Meisal is a curse expert and he is going to Rive Bartonn. You and I are taking the baby to the kingdom. Heero, get ready to light ‘em up. Wufei, will you pick out a brace of guards for Duo, preferably dragons with magician Chosens. Let’s go! The portal opens in ten - no, nine minutes! Chop chop!”
He grabbed Duo, who grabbed the baby and both ran for the portal pad. On the run he pulled out his portable mirror and called for Iria.
“Quatre! What’s going on? Why are you running?”
“We have a situation! I am bringing Duo to you! He needs protection, so call up the Maguanacs. I’ll be bringing dragon guardians, as well as a couple of Magicians. I don’t have time to fully explain; we’ll be there in… seven minutes!” He gathered his magic and snatched from the residence, clothing for Duo and the baby, diapers and a container of food.
Iria blinked and said slowly, “Quatre… how dangerous is this? Is the kingdom in danger?”
“No. Only Duo. We just need a place to stash him and the baby until we handle this mess. No one would expect him to be here, so here is where he needs to be for a day or so.”
“All right… If you’re sure.”
“You know I would never put our people at risk.”
“I do know that. All right. Shall I meet you in the grand hall?”
“Nope. We’re already there!” He and Duo stepped through the portal and were there. The Maguanac guard started, then bowed deeply.
“Highness!”
“Achmed! How nice to see you! I don’t have time to tarry. I have a situation and my friend needs protection.”
Another brace of Maguanacs entered the room. “Highness! The Vizier said you need protection for a friend. We are preparing a suite next to your rooms; will that do, Highness?”
“Perfectly!”
Another portal opened and two dragons along with their Chosen Mages stepped through. “Healer! Where are we needed?”
Duo hadn’t said a word, just stared around him, clutching his child.
“I need you to monitor the curse we found, and keep Duo and the baby safe. This is a continuation of the mess in Rive Bartonn.”
In a group, they moved quickly to the suite being readied for Duo. He finally touched Quatre’s arm. “Quatre… Scared for baby…”
“I know sweetie. It’s those assholes in Rive Bartonn. Somehow they've managed to set a small curse on you, but we’ll fix it. Sorcerer Meisal is a curse expert, he’s going to help us.”
“Heero?”
“I think he’s going to get his chance to torch some people.”
“Wufei?”
“Do you want him to stay with you? I was going to ask him to come with.”
“Wufei should go with Quatre. Almost Chosen, should be together.” His scared expression cleared. “Filofields, destroy. Ask help from settlement?”
“Oh. Yes, we should contact them. I’ll call Trowa and let him know we’re coming and why.”