I do not own Gundam Wing, and make NO MONEY from this story. GW belongs to Bandai and Sunrise, not me. Now, this is AU, so please don't write me to tell me that there are no barbarian knights in chain mail in the series. This, you see, is not the series.. it's my wickedly warped imagination! Have fun!
~Leeko

The Capture - Chapter 5
By Caliko

Hilde stretched in the bed, throwing her arm over her eyes to shield them from the early morning light. The other arm, she extended, blindly patting the bed in search of her husband. Feeling nothing, she opened her eyes, yawning. She was alone in the room.

She got out of bed slowly, wincing as she felt the slight soreness in muscles never used as she performed her morning rituals. She was just drying her face when she became aware of the riotous calls and shouts from below her window.

Placing the soft cloth next to the bowl, she walked over to the window and looked down. At least two-hundred warriors milled the ground below, saying goodbye to thier families or mistresses. Here or there, you could see a man shake a finger at a child, warning them to good behavior, while an elderly parent would stand ready to guide the child away.

Hilde searched out her husband, her eyes darting over the throng until his long chestnut hair came into view. He had the entire mass braided into a thick rope, and tied with a leather thong. His chain mail was painted black - fitting for the Lord Of Death. A young miniature stood next to him, complete with raised wooden sword, scowling as Duo shook his head. Obviously, the boy wanted to go.

Finally, Lord Maxwell crooked a finger, and Captain Chang came forward. Pointing to her window, he motioned for Wufei to take the child to her, then watched as the chinese man dragged the boy away, kicking, screaming, and yelling curses at his guardian.

Duo looked up, caught her eye, then winked. Lifting his foot into the stirrup, he saluted her open window, and motioned to the drummers. A round bass drum sounded, signaling the march. The Lord Of Hell Keep was on the move.

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Sally held her basket of fruit in front of her, grumbling as she shielded her naked body from the hungry eyes of the uncivilized warriors. More than once, she felt someone pinch her bottom, and strongly suspected they were all aiming for the same bruise... the one that was just on the curve of her ass.

Then, she saw him. The tall chinese warrior standing next to the Lord. His hand was curled around a boy's upper arm, and he was looking up at a window behind him. Following his gaze, she gasped, recognizing the girl standing in the window.

"If it isn't the missing Lieutenant Schbeiker." She mused, eyes narrowed. "She doesn't look like she's in trouble to me."

Indeed, from the look Lord Maxwell was sending her, Hilde had to be in high regard.

Her eyes narrowed as she watched the Chinese warrior drag the child away. Instead of picking the recalcitrant boy up, he yanked the child behind him - sometimes dragging, sometimes lifting up by the arm.

:::Barbarians::: She thought, silently following them to the missing scout's lair.

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"Lord Bastion, you heard your brother! This trip is too dangerous for you, and you must stay home!"

"You're hurting me! Let go!" Bas dug his toes into the cobbles, grunting when Wufei simply lifted him into the air. "That's not fair! You're taller than me!"

"Yes, and I have a warriors knowledge. There is no way that you can escape me. Now, come. Lord Duo ordered me to take you to Lady Hilde until he leaves."

"I don't want to stay with her! She's only a girl, what would she know about fighting? She prob'ly can't even play rooks!"

"I have my orders, Master Bastion. Now MOVE!"

"Let him GO!" Sally said, coming out of the shadows. She couldn't stay silent any longer. "Haven't you ever been around a child before?" She rushed forward and pulled Bastion into her arms, oblivious that the boy was trying to push away from this stranger.

"Where did you come from?" Chang pulled back, seeing that look enter into the little devil's eyes. "You don't belong here, in the family wing!"

Sally once again pulled Bastion away from the man, intent of protecting the tyke. "I followed you! I'm a friend of Hilde's, and I saw her in the window!"

"The Lady Hilde no longer consorts with riff raff." Wufei cursed when he pulled the child away from the blond, only to feel sharp teeth dig into his hand.

Seeing what Bas had done, Sally gloated. "Serves you right for dangling him in the air like a rag doll. You should have picked him up, not dragged him by the arm. What kind of warrior,' she spat the word out as if it tasted bad, "are you, with no common sense?"

Between the Brat of Hell Castle and the Woman who refused to know her place, Wufei was beginning to lose his temper. Now, this low-bred witch had cast doubt on his skills as a fighter, and his intelligence?

"Enough!" He picked Bastion up and threw him over his shoulder, then grabbed Sally's wrist. "I'll deliver him to his new sister, and then, I'll deal with you!"

He took the stairs two at a time, in a hurry to drop off his first burden. Sally cursed behind him, running to keep up.

:::To think, I promised Captain Richards that I would keep my temper in check.::: She groaned, wondering if her mission could now be considered a total failure.

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Wufei pulled open the door to Hilde's room and dumped Bastion inside. Sally, seeing her chance, kicked the man in the shin and plowed inside. She shut the door and barricaded it with a chair while the warrior was still hopping up and down.

"Sally?" Hilde gasped, shocked at her sudden appearance.

"Hilde?" Sally mocked, plopping down on the chair to add some more weight. "Go get something heavy to keep out Tall, cute and brainless."

The girl shook her head, laughing, then went to drag over a heavy table. Bastion, figuring that this might be more fun that he thought, decided to help. He grabbed another chair and pulled it closer to the crazy blond.

Oblivious to the pounding on the door, the two women sat down on the table and talked while Bastion started to explore the tower room.

"So you see, Sal, I really didn't have a choice about all of this." Hilde grimaced, blushing in spite of herself.

"Was it rape?" The older woman asked, already plotting revenge.

"Rape? No. Not really. The first night, we were both drugged... The second? " She grinned, blushing, "I had a good idea what I was in for.. and I didn't fight that hard."

"Well, I'm glad you had a good time," Sally grinned back, "but we still have to get out here. The war is heating up, and Captain Richards is pulling everyone out. That's why I'm here, to get everyone to the rendezvous point."

"Dammit! I wish that Will would just give up! You Outworlders would accomplish the same thing!"

"There's more, Hilde. You're brother isn't trying to change this world. He's trying to set himself up as king."

"What?"

"He's conquered Lord Trowa's domain, as well as Lord Quatre's. Lord Duo's is next, and then Lord Yuy's. Once he has the four earldoms under his belt, we fear that he'll go after the monarchy."

"Oh, Gods! Duo was summoned to Lord Trowa's by King Milliardo!" Hilde gasped, worried.

"I doubt it. Both Lord Trowa and Lord Quatre are at Lord Yuy's, and the king is safe and secure in his own fortress."

"A trap."

"Yeah. Either to kill Maxwell in battle, or to lure him away and take the castle."

Wufei yelped from behind the door, obviously listening in. "Let me in, now!" He shouted, his pounding renewed. Sally and Hilde blinked, only now realizing that it had been fairly quiet.

"Why should we?" Sally asked, already pulling the chairs away. She had a feeling that the warrior would be on their side now. Pulling open the door, she waited for the chinese warrior to speak.

"I need to know the truth! Who are you, and where do you get your information?"

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Dekim knelt next to Will Schbeiker, watching from the cover of the forest as Maxwell's army rode past. Beaters would walk along the sides of the army, poking into the brush as they moved to see if there were enemy soldiers hiding. Seeing this, they inched backward into the denser brush and waited for the army to pass.

It seemed like hours until they could move! Afterward, they went to where their horses where tied, and rode back to the rebel army. It was time to take the next castle.

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The sun beat down hard on the black metal chain mail, causing sweat to form under the woolen undershirt. Duo rolled his shoulders, trying to satisfy the itch he knew would never go away. Underneath him, his destrier plodded onward, steady on it's path.

All was quiet.. yet it felt wrong. He could have sworn that he had been watched, and yet, there was no attack. It was unnatural, this quiet. Truthfully, it felt like a trap.

But, he had seen the letter from the king! It was sealed with his mark, and he had no reason to doubt it's authenticity. Without proof of a trap, he could only follow the messenger to the field of battle.

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"I have orders to see Lady Hilde to safety. " Wufei ran his hand through his inky hair. "If what you say is true, we'll never make it to the sea."

"It's accurate. More to the point, Will Schbeiker will not stop searching for her, until he has proof of her death. This world of yours..." Sally shook her head, "It's barbaric, seeing women as possessions! It's one of the things we had hoped to change by bringing your people back into the Galactic Union."

"I don't understand that! I'm not even sure I believe that part!"

"Look, the transfer is supposed to begin tonight. Come with us, and you'll have all the proof you need."

"And abandon my lord?" He was shocked, unbelieving that she would suggest such a thing.

"No, of course not! You would be fulfilling your orders, and seeking allies! Come with us, and we'll try to help you!"

"All right." Wu said, "I believe you. I don't know why, but I believe you. But we can't just leave. We'll have to wear a disguise."

"Pants? Shirts?" Hilde grinned, anticipating having clothes of her own again.

"Hmmm..." He eyed them up, measuring, "a farmer and his get, returning to their land. Luckily, Hilde is about the size of the stable lad. I can get his clothes, but Bastion and Sally... They would be conspicuous."

"I came in by pretending to sell apples. Couldn't I leave the same way? An unmarried sister, I suppose?"

"An unmarried sister would not be allowed away from the farm unless she was given to the Lord as a servant. A widow, however, would be. You will be my widowed sister, and Bastion, your brat."

Their plans made, Wufei stood and moved toward the door. "After we get to your rendezvous point, I will need your captains help to reach the capital.. with proof that I'm not insane."

"I will do whatever I can to help, Chang. Trust me."

He closed his eyes, wondering why he was allowing women to guide him. "We'll see, won't we?"

With that, he opened the door, and left in search of clothes. They did not have much time.
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