[fic] Rising ~ Part Two

[kiyala.livejournal.com]

Title: Rising ~ Part Two
Status: Complete
Author: kiyala
Word Count: total c. 28 000
Fandom: Ace Attorney
Characters/Pairing: Lots of people, but mainly Daryan Crescend / Klavier Gavin
Rating: NC-17 overall
Warnings: Um, the length? D: Also, gay princes and knights.
Disclaimer: CAPCOM own Ace Attorney
Notes: Part Two

- Prologue -
- Part One -

---

They left the following morning, wanting to travel as far as they could while the sun was in the sky.

“Do visit us again,” Valant said as they parted, looking more relaxed than he had before.

Klavier, realising that this was most probably due to the knowledge that some sort of closure was within the elf’s grasp, smiled and shook the king’s hand. “Of course. We will definitely return once everything has been sorted out.”

Daryan had already saddled Geeter up and was waiting for Klavier and their guide, who would show them out of the forest. He remained silent until the forest was behind them and they were riding north again.

“Looks like we managed to get further north than we’d planned to be by now,” he murmured, surveying their surroundings. “The forest ended up being a good shortcut. …Among other things.”

“You dislike the elves,” Klavier observed.

“Hey, I can’t exactly say that, can I? I only spoke to a couple of them. But I can’t say their king was that great. Not like our king’s any better, but you know what I mean.”

Klavier flinched a little. “…I apologise Daryan, but it still brothers me to hear people insult Kristoph so casually.”

The knight sighed quietly and looked away. “What will it take for you to realise that he’s not a good person?”

Shaking his head, the prince kept his gaze fixed on the way in front of him. “…I doubt that I will believe it until we reach Kurain.”

“You need solid evidence,” Daryan concluded.

“I do. He is innocent until proven guilty, Daryan.”

The knight laughed without humour. “You’re the complete opposite of your brother.”

Klavier’s smile did not reach his eyes. “Between what you and King Valant have said about him, I would suppose that is a good thing.”

“Definitely a good thing.”

“It seems that I have misjudged our travel time. I thought that we would be able to reach Hazakura mountain by the end of today, but even with this shortcut, we do not seem close enough. We should reach the base of the mountain in two days, rather than one,” Klavier said, changing the subject. “Once we do, it may take us some time to reach Kurain. Depending on how many of the rumours are true.”

“There was a dragon in that vision we saw about the Phoenix, wasn’t there?” Daryan asked, sounding excited rather than frightened.

“Perhaps it makes its roost elsewhere,” Klavier said quietly.

“You scared? Come on, we’ve never seen a real dragon before.”

“I would not like my first experience to be one where it is trying to kill me,” the prince replied. “I doubt that even Geeter could outrun a dragon.”

The grin on Daryan’s face faded. “…Fine. You’re right. Just take the fun out of dragons like that, won’t you Klavier?”

The prince laughed incredulously. “Are you sulking?”

Daryan didn’t reply and Klavier rode closer. “You are! Ah, I did not know you wanted to see a dragon so badly, Daryan. When we return to Ariadoney, I will find a dragon tamer somewhere for you. Better?

The knight grinned. “Only if you come with me.”

Klavier’s eyes sparkled with challenge. “Fine.”

“I’m looking forward to it already. We’ll get this Phoenix business over with, return home to Ariadoney and then…” Daryan trailed off with a frown.

“Is something wrong?” Klavier asked.

Daryan shook his head. “It’s nothing. So we’ll go home… find a dragon tamer and go see some dragons. That’s something to look forward to.”

By the time the sun was setting, they were beyond the village that Klavier had initially intended for them to stay at. They had passed it sometime in the afternoon and had decided to continue forward to save even more time.

“The next town should be close by,” Klavier murmured, frowning as he looked ahead. “We shall just continue forward until we reach it. Then we can stay somewhere for the night.”

Daryan nodded, keeping a close eye on Klavier. The further the sun set, the further the knight spread and the knight knew that the dark was not a good place for royalty to be – especially with only one person to protect them.

“Daryan? You have not said very much—”

“Shh.”

“Are you worried—”

“Shut up, Klavier. Highness. Sorry.”

The prince smiled at the apology, but Daryan didn’t see it, too busy keeping an eye on his surroundings.

The sooner they reached the next town, the better. Daryan knew that he was most probably being paranoid, but he still couldn’t see the lights of the town they were heading towards and it didn’t do anything to reassure him.

“Ah, there we go,” Klavier murmured. “I see the lights—”

Daryan had barely registered the sound of a blade being drawn before his sword was in his hand and he was parrying a blow.

“Daryan!”

The knight frowned, sliding his sword off the other blade and thrusting it at his assailant. They fell off their horse as they moved to avoid the strike, narrowly avoiding being trampled on by Geeter. He turned as he heard Klavier draw his own sword, his breath faltering when another mounted attacker swung a sword at the prince.

“Klavier—”

“Stop worrying about me and take care of yourself!” the prince shouted. “Behind you, idiot!”

Daryan turned a little too late to fully block a blow that went to his shoulder. He growled, his mail spreading the impact but stinging all the same. He didn’t need to look up to know that Klavier wasn’t paying attention to his own attacker. Daryan swung his sword, turning when he heard Klavier fall.

“Get up!” Daryan yelled at him, catching the reins of Klavier’s horse to steady it before dismounting and fighting off the attackers that were moving towards Klavier. There were four of them. Daryan concluded that they could be fought off, reaching a hand down to help Klavier up without turning away from the others. “Come on, Klavier. Let’s see if that sword training paid off.”

They stood back to back, watching their attackers for any sign of movement. Daryan could feel Klavier tensing up and frowned, tightening his grip on his sword and lunging forward. He caught one of the attackers off guard, managing to disarm them and knock them unconscious. Intercepting another before they could move any closer to the prince, swinging his sword at them.

Klavier fought off one of the attackers, frowning as he concentrated on remembering everything Daryan had taught him about sword fighting. He froze when he heard a howl of pain, feeling a rush of relief when he realised it was not Daryan but one of their attackers. Daryan had broken the man’s arm, hitting him in the face with the hilt of his sword before turning to the final two.

With a look of determination, Klavier managed to overpower the one that he was currently fighting, pushing him to the ground and placing a foot on his chest.

“B-Boss…” the man on the ground looked at the fourth one and Daryan’s eyes narrowed.

“Boss, eh? …You’re the one in charge of this little attack?” the knight raised an eyebrow at the one standing before him, clearly a few years younger than him. “You… boy?”

The boy smirked. “I’m Wocky Kitaki, heir of the Kitaki Clan. You’d better hand the prince over if you don’t want trouble.”

Daryan snorted, “And how much trouble do you think you can cause?”

Klavier spoke up, “What do you intend to do with me?”

“Hold you hostage,” Wocky replied. “King Kristoph would pay a pretty sum to free his little brother.”

Daryan looked unconvinced, glad that Klavier couldn’t see his expression. He stepped between Wocky and Klavier, glowering at the bandit. “You won’t get your hands on him.”

“Why do you need the money?” Klavier asked, peering over Daryan’s shoulder.

Wocky frowned and looked away. “The Clan needs money. It doesn’t matter why. Our sentinels informed us that you were heading in this direction and I decided that it was the easiest and quickest way to get the sum we need.”

“Wocky, what do you think you are doing?” a deep voice asked from a short distance away.

Daryan’s grip on his sword tightened as he saw a large man heading towards them. Wocky had lowered his blade, turning slowly. “…What did you come out here for, old man?”

The man folded his arms across his chest. “I could ask the same of you, son.”

Klavier raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. The man turned, as though he only just noticed them.

“Ah. Prince Klavier, I take it? My apologies… has Wocky been causing any trouble?”

The prince blinked in surprise. “Ah… well…”

“He did attack us,” Daryan spoke up. He indicated the men lying on the ground around them. “With a few friends.”

With a sigh, Wocky’s father shook his head. “I should have kept you from finding out—”

“What are you talking about?” Wocky cut in. “I have every right to know!”

Klavier frowned in confusion. The Kitaki leader looked at him with an apologetic smile. “Sorry for my son’s actions. You are free to go.”

“If I may ask… why does your clan need money desperately enough to hold me for ransom?” asked the prince, raising an eyebrow. “Whatever it is must be extremely important.”

Wocky looked away with a frown. His father placed a hand on his shoulder before looking at the prince. “Perhaps we can talk about this elsewhere. Our main hall is not far from here and my wife is concerned as to where Wocky disappeared to.”

Daryan tensed, ready to tell Klavier exactly how bad an idea it sounded like to him. Noticing this, the large man smiled. “I swear on the honour of my clan that you will not be harmed by us.”

The prince considered it silently for a moment before finally nodding. “Fine. We will go with you. I am curious to hear your story.”

Leading their horses by their reins, Klavier and Daryan followed Wocky and his father to the large compound the members of the Kitaki clan stayed in. The main hall was a long building in the centre with sliding doors and straw mats covering the floor. While the Kitaki leader was a large man, his wife was the intimidating one. He took his seat beside her, turning his gaze back to the prince.

“Before we continue, allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Winfred Kitaki, the fourth head of this clan. This is my wife, Plum. You have already met Wocky.”

Plum frowned at the two men before her. “What are they doing here—?”

“I attacked them,” Wocky spoke up. “I meant to kidnap the prince. Didn’t work out as well as I’d planned.”

“Our clan has been trying to make money without resorting to… our usual methods. We are the kind of people who find ourselves drawn to battle after battle with rival clans. One of our most recent battles found Wocky inflicted with some kind of curse. A curse that will eventually kill him if we fail to find a way to lift it.”

“We have found a Shaman already,” Plum spoke, “He has the ability to cure Wocky but demands a hefty sum in return. No amount of brute force seems to work on him so… we have no choice.”

“So you hoped the ransom money would pay the Shaman?” Daryan asked.

Wocky nodded, but before he could speak, Klavier stood and removed one of his rings. Holding it out to Wocky, he smiled. “Take this to Ariadoney castle. Show my brother my ring and tell him that I am giving you the money you need for the curse to be lifted. That should make things easier for everyone.”

Wocky stared at the ring for a long moment before bowing low. “Thank you. Helping me even after I’d attacked you earlier… if there is anything I can do to repay you for your kindness…”

Klavier folded his arms across his chest. “Your attack did stall us from our journey. We were headed to Kurain, you see. We hoped to have reached the base of Hazakura mountain by tonight.”

“I’ll take you,” Wocky replied. “If you don’t mind riding in the dark, I’ll show you the way through our territory. We can travel until midnight and then we’ll rest for a few hours after we set up camp. We’ll part at sunrise and it won’t take you much longer to reach the mountain. Is that okay?”

Frowning a little, Klavier glanced at Daryan before looking back at the boy. “But is that okay for you? That curse…”

“It hasn’t affected me in any way yet. And considering that it’s behind this whole thing, I might as well do what I can to make up for it.”

“Daryan…?”

The knight nodded. “Yeah. That’s fine.”

Winfred smiled. “Thank you for your forgiveness. Perhaps you will allow us to feed you before you go?”

“That is not necessary,” Klavier replied with a smile. “I would prefer to leave as soon as possible.”

“I’m ready whenever you are,” Wocky told them.

By the time Klavier and Daryan had saddled up their horses, Wocky had gathered a handful of his men to accompany them.

“It’s safer to travel in bigger groups at night,” he explained as he led them through the winding streets of the clan’s residential compound. “Especially since we’re planning to set up camp. I’ll have my men keep watch while you rest.”

“Thank you,” Klavier murmured. “…Aren’t you worried about the curse?”

“I guess so,” Wocky replied with a shrug. “Just a bit. There isn’t much to worry about if we’re getting the money to remove it soon, though. There’s nothing I can do but live with it in the meanwhile. I’m not going to complain.”

Daryan made a sound of agreement. “I like the way you think.”

Wocky grinned at the compliment.

Once they left the residential compound, there were stretches of farmland that Wocky led them through. He explained that aside from fighting with rival clans, the Kitaki clan also focused on producing fine food. The farmland extended to the borders of the clan’s territory and by the time they reached the northern border the moon was already high in the sky.

“We’ll rest here,” Wocky announced as they slowed to a halt. His men quickly set up the tents and lit a small fire, taking their positions around the small camp.

“They’ll keep watch. You’d better get as much sleep as you can,” Wocky said to them.

Klavier nodded, thanking him sincerely before following Daryan into one of the tents.

The knight was removing his gauntlets and boots, arranging them in a pile beside his sword in its scabbard. Klavier sat behind him, doing the same to his own equipment before reaching out to run a hand through Daryan’s hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail.

“Not what you had in mind, was it?” the prince asked with a faint smile as Daryan leaned into the touch. “…Definitely not what I was hoping for.”

“You mean in terms of our travels or where we’re spending the night?” Daryan asked with a grin. “…Really, Klavier. Walking right into the Kitakis’ waiting arms like that. You make the strangest decisions and somehow, they work to your advantage in the end. It’s like a talent.”

Laughing softly, Klavier pulled Daryan closer. “Well, I only feel confident enough to take these risks when I have you with me.”

“Heh, good to know you’re relying on me to get you out of trouble.” Daryan sat up properly and turned away from Klavier. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll take my mail off and go to bed.”

Klavier watched in mild amusement as Daryan unbuckled his belt, taking his tunic off and arranging his mail on the floor beside his other equipment. Unbuttoning the collar of his undershirt, Daryan raised an eyebrow at Klavier with a grin. “What, do you need help undressing yourself?”

His hands were on Klavier’s belt, undoing it before the prince could even reply. He smirked at the way Klavier’s cheeks reddened, his fingers curling around the edge of the prince’s soft tunic and lifting it over the blond head. Klavier helped him take the mail off and they knelt before each other mouths hovering close to one another but neither of them willing to close the distance between their lips just in case somebody walked in on them, as unlikely as it was. Klavier bit his lip, his hands settling on Daryan’s arm and bringing them just a fraction closer.

“You’ll need all the sleep you can get, my prince,” Daryan murmured, smirking as he watched Klavier’s reaction to the feel of breath against lips. “And this is hardly the time or place.”

“I… I know that,” Klavier replied, sounding distracted, his eyes still fixed on Daryan’s. “I just…”

“Just…?” Daryan licked his lips, chuckling at the way Klavier twitched when the tongue brushed against his own lips.

Klavier tightened his grip on Daryan, making an impatient sound. His patience snapped and their lips met in a hard kiss as they held onto each other. Daryan pushed Klavier down onto the beds that had been laid out for them and moved to kiss the prince’s neck before pulling away.

“We need to rest, Klavier.”

Sighing with disappointment, Klavier reached a hand out, pleased when Daryan moved closer, pulling the covers of the makeshift bed over them both. Curling up against the knight, he shut his eyes and let himself sink into a deep sleep.

*

Daryan woke before dawn, finding Klavier’s arm around him. He smiled, trying to ignore the sting of disappointment as he thought of how rare it was to wake this way. Carefully disentangling himself from the prince, he sat up to see Klavier blinking his eyes open.

“Daryan…?” he sounded sleepy, his hands seeking familiarity.

“Right here,” the knight replied quietly, running his fingers through Klavier’s hair.

“Mmm,” smiling and resting his head down again, Klavier shut his eyes. “Did you sleep well?”

“I did. …You don’t need to wake up just yet. The sun isn’t up yet. I’ll wake you later.”

Getting dressed, he slipped out of the tent as Klavier fell asleep again. He nodded in greeting at Wocky, who seemed to be on watch. The campfire was smaller than it had been earlier, but Daryan sat in front of it anyway.

“You’re up early. Sunrise isn’t for a while,” Wocky commented.

“I’ve slept enough.”

Wocky nodded and they were silent for a while before he spoke again. “So you’re the prince’s bodyguard?”

“Technically, I’m a knight,” Daryan replied, “…But yeah. Something like that.”

“Out of choice?”

Daryan grinned. “Mostly.”

“You’re good friends, then.”

“He’s the most important person I have,” the knight said, his gaze fixed on the burning cinders. “I was an orphan, just wandering the villages and trying to survive as best as I could when his father found me. He must have seen something in me if he thought I was worth turning into a squire. Then the prince happened to run into me one day. We were the same age, he was lonely because his brother was becoming too busy for him, so…”

Wocky nodded in understanding. “That explains it.”

“What?”

The younger man grinned. “When we ambushed you earlier to try and capture the prince, you seemed ready to take all four of us by yourself. You left them alive, but…”

Daryan chuckled and shook his head. “I wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for Klavier. I wouldn’t kill in front of him, but if anything had happened to him, that would have changed. No one is allowed to touch him. If they even think of hurting him…” he trailed off and frowned, as though he was trying to dispel a thought.

“Is something wrong?”

Daryan looked away. “The sun’s about to rise. I’ll wake the prince.”

He walked away before Wocky could reply. Klavier was stirring as Daryan entered the tent.

“Time to go?” the prince murmured, sitting up.

“As soon as you’re ready,” Daryan replied, putting his gauntlets on and picking up his sword. “I’ll wait outside.”

“…Daryan?” Klavier’s voice was soft and he had a small frown on his face. “Is something the matter?”

Daryan raised both eyebrows and then laughed. “What makes you think there is?”

“Your eyes are telling me that there is. You are keeping something from me. Am I correct?”

The knight was silent for a moment and then looked away. “It’s not important.”

“Clearly, it is important enough for you to keep it from me even if I ask. And I can see it is bothering you. What are you hiding, Daryan? Tell me.”

“No.”

Klavier sighed. “I hate pulling rank when I am with you, but as your prince—”

“Damn it, Klavier. You might be my prince… my lover… but that doesn’t mean you have to know every thought in my head!”

There was a stunned silence, then, “…Did I do something wrong?”

“What… no! Look, there’s nothing wrong. It’s not you… I’m not angry at you Klavier. We’re fine.”

“Fine…” Klavier repeated and sighed. “You worried me. I was afraid that something had happened between us and it was my fault and…”

He trailed off when Daryan leaned forward and kissed him. “I’m sorry for worrying you. But you know that if I have a problem, I’d let you know.”

Klavier chuckled. “True.”

“Ready to go, then?” Daryan straightened up and left the tent as Klavier dressed and equipped himself. Walking outside, he found that Daryan already had their horses ready.

Turning to Wocky with a smile, the prince gripped one of the younger man’s hands in both of his. “I hope the curse is lifted as soon as possible.”

“So do I,” Wocky replied and grinned. “I’ll be fine, your highness. Thanks for your kindness.”

“I’ll see you again sometime,” Daryan said with a nod, climbing onto his horse and waiting for Klavier to lead the way.

With one last wave at Wocky, they were on their way. The sun hadn’t completely risen yet and Klavier did the calculations as they rode, estimating that they would reach the case of the mountain before midday, which gave them time to rest before they began their ascent.

“You seem to have gotten along with Wocky well,” Klavier commented with a small smile. “It makes me happy to see you make friends.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? I’m not any good at making friends?” Daryan asked with a grin.

Klavier laughed, “To be entirely honest, it is not one of your strengths. We wouldn’t be so close if I hadn’t latched onto you the way I did when we were younger.”

“If you weren’t so damn hard to get rid of, you mean,” Daryan smirked.

“Well. I would like to think that you would not want yo get rid of me by now,” the prince replied with a mock pout.

“You’d be right. No one else lets me tease them nearly as much as you do, Klavier.”

“And I would hope that is not your only reason for wanting me around—” he abruptly stopped speaking, frowning at something ahead of them.

“More trouble?” Daryan immediately reached for his sword with a frown.

“No… wait,” Klavier raised a hand before Daryan to stop him. Clearing his throat, he spoke up. “There is no point in hiding when I have already noticed you. Show yourselves.”

There was rustling in the bushes ahead of them and two figures walked out, both short and evidently younger than the prince and knight. The boy held a bow in his hands, a handful of arrows in the quiver that was strapped to his back. Behind him, the girl watched them carefully.

“Do you mean us harm?” Klavier asked and the boy jumped a little, doing his best to make his bow look as unthreatening as possible.

“Ah! No, no, it’s fine. We were thinking that perhaps you were and… it’s fine if no one’s hurting anyone else, right?”

Daryan raised an eyebrow, ready to comment on the boy’s utter lack of confidence, but Klavier chuckled quietly.

“Of course. What is your name?”

The boy stammered until his companion spoke up for him. “This is Apollo and my name is Trucy. We’re travelling together because Polly is looking for a mentor. He’s a magician’s apprentice, you see? But he doesn’t have a magician to be an apprentice for. And I’m going to Kurain because I’m looking for someone named Phoenix.”

“Trucy!” Apollo’s eyes were wide. “That isn’t something you tell anyone. Especially not someone who looks so much like King—”

“Looking for the Phoenix, hm?” Klavier interrupted. He looked from Trucy to Apollo, eyebrows raised. “And why is that?”

“That isn’t any of your business,” Apollo replied.

“I do not recall asking you… Forehead.”

“My name’s Apollo. It isn’t that hard to remember—”

“Watch it,” Daryan warned, frowning at Apollo. “You’re speaking to the prince of Ariadoney. He has better things to do than remember names.”

“I was just teasing,” Klavier said quietly. He turned to Trucy with a charming smile. “So would you like to tell me why a little girl like you is looking for the Phoenix, of all people?”

“My daddy told me to!” she replied cheerfully. “He told me to find the Phoenix if anything happened to him. …He disappeared a few years ago, but I’m still looking. I found Polly the other day and he told me to try looking at Kurain, so that’s where we are going!”

Daryan’s eyes widened and he quickly reached out, gripping Klavier’s shoulder.

“Daryan—?”

“A word.” The knight glanced at the two others and gave them a forced smile. “…Excuse us.”

They rode a short distance away and Klavier turned to Daryan with a frown. “What is wrong?”

“That girl. Trucy? Did you look at her ears?”

Klavier looked confused. “Was there something special…?”

“They were pointed, Klavier. Like the Gramarye elves. What did Valant say? That Zak had disappeared with his daughter after meeting the Phoenix? And now a young girl who resembles those elves is looking for the Phoenix because her father told her to. What do you think of that?”

The prince’s eyes widened in surprise. “…You think she is the daughter of Zak…? It… it makes sense if I think about it… What should we do? Take her to the forest?”

“She wants to meet the Phoenix, for whatever reason. Why don’t we take her with us? …Who knows what will happen once he returns. Perhaps she won’t have another chance to see him.”

Klavier frowned. “Do you have to be so negative?”

“I’m just stating a fact. It’s a possibility and you know it. If he wants to go to Ariadoney, Kristoph isn’t going to welcome him with open arms.”

Sighing, the prince looked away. “True. …We had better get back before those two think that we have left.”

Apollo and Trucy were still where they had been and Klavier smiled charmingly.

“How would you like to come with us, Miss Trucy? My knight and I were making our way to Kurain as well. …Forehead, you can come too.”

Apollo twitched at the nickname. He gave Trucy a despairing look, finding that she was too busy staring at the prince.

“That would be so kind of you!” she gushed and Klavier smiled at her again.

“We should really get going,” Daryan commented, looking at Klavier. “We have a schedule to keep.”

“Ah, this is true. Do you two have horses…?”

“Polly had one, but it ran away,” Trucy informed them cheerfully, completely oblivious to the embarrassment on Apollo’s face.

“Well, we’ll have to share horses then,” Klavier concluded, looking at Daryan.

“Ooh! I want to ride with the prince!” Trucy said excitedly. “Can I, um… Prince… I don’t know your name.”

Klavier laughed. “I am Klavier. And this is my knight, Daryan.”

“Prince Klavier! I want to ride with Prince Klavier!”

Daryan looked at Apollo. “Looks like you’re with me and Geeter, Forehead.”

Apollo stared, amazed at how a word that was a teasing nickname from Klavier sounded like an insult from Daryan. The knight did not offer to help Apollo up, so he carefully climbed on by himself. The horse grunted, threatening to buck.

“Whoa, Geeter. Just put up with this guy for a while, alright?”

“I feel so very welcome,” Apollo muttered, shifting uncomfortably.

“Just consider yourself lucky that the prince is as nice as he is. These saddles weren’t made for two people, so that’s about as comfortable as you’re going to get.”

“Are you always this charming?” Apollo asked.

“Is everything alright?” Klavier asked, looking their way. He had helped Trucy onto his own horse and sat behind her to ensure that she was comfortable and safe.

Daryan smirked. “We’re fine, Klavier. Let’s go.”

Apollo made a startled sound as Geeter began to move, looking for something to grip onto. Not particularly wanting to hold onto Daryan, he gripped the edged of the saddle instead. It seemed as though the knight was choosing the most uncomfortable path possible, even though he was directly following Klavier and Trucy, both of whom looked much more comfortable.

“Ah! I see it there!” Klavier called as they passed through the trees and Hazakura mountain into view. He turned to Daryan with a bright smile. “Just a bit further and we should meet the Phoenix.”

The knight tried to smile at the thought, but looked away instead. Apollo cleared his throat and spoke quietly so that only Daryan could hear.

“You aren’t looking forward to meeting the Phoenix, are you?”

“…That’s none of your business, kid.”

“Why are you following him to Kurain if you don’t want to?” Apollo pressed. “Doesn’t he know that you’re not all that willing to meet the Phoenix?”

“Shut up, Forehead,” Daryan muttered and Apollo was almost convinced that Geeter didn’t like him either when the horse threatened to buck again. The knight ignored the way Klavier was giving him a concerned look, fixing his gaze ahead of him. “…Don’t meddle with other people’s business when you don’t know anything. It makes you annoying, for starters.”

“Almost there!” Trucy announced cheerfully and Klavier laughed at her enthusiasm, pushing the unease out of his mind, resolving to speak to Daryan later.

They slowed to a halt once they reached the vase of the mountain, scanning the place for a path they could take. The prince frowned, unable to find one.

“Are we on the wrong side of the mountain? Perhaps the path is on the other side…” Klavier spoke quietly, sounding unsure of himself.

“Hey look, that thing there… is that a path?” Trucy pointed at a small dirt track that led up the mountain.

“Not as wide as I was expecting,” Daryan muttered, but urged Geeter onward. “But if it’s wide enough for Geeter, it doesn’t matter..”

They followed the trail, surprised when it stopped at a small hut.

“What’s this?” Apollo looked confused. “I thought this was supposed to lead up the mountain.”

“Ooh look. Is that a dragon?”

Klavier looked up, eyes widening as he saw the dragon flying in their direction. “Daryan…!”

“Wait.” The knight was watching the dragon as well. “That’s the one from… before. You know.”

Klavier blinked in surprise. “…True. It is.”

“It isn’t going to harm us,” Daryan said, sounding more confident than he felt. “We stay.”

“If we get eaten, it’s all your fault,” Apollo mumbled, gaze fixed on the dragon as well.

It flew close enough for them to hear the beating of its wings, finally perching on a rocky edge of the mountain. A figure climbed off, heading in their direction. He looked at the four of them as though he was checking something and finally nodded in greeting.

“Prince Klavier. I trust that your journey here was not a difficult one?”

Klavier frowned. “…How do you know me?”

“More importantly,” Daryan cut in, “…Is that the emblem of Ariadoney on your clothes? You’re… dressed like a knight, but I know you aren’t. Who are you?”

The man chuckled, “You are both on your guard, I’ll give you that. I am Miles Edgeworth, I once served Ariadoney as a knight. Before the crowning of King Kristoph.”

Miles spit the word as though it were an insult. Klavier frowned. “You are speaking of my brother here…”

“And if you are on your way to Kurain, I would suppose that you know exactly what kind of man your brother is,” Miles answered casually. “And in answer to your earlier question – I now work here as a dragon tamer. Depending on the wishes of the High Priestess, I either chase away outsiders with my dragons, or allow them passage.”

Daryan nodded. “Ah. So the rumours of fierce dragons who will catch and eat unsuspecting travellers—”

“Are exaggeration, of course. My dragons would never harm anybody else I commanded it.”

The dragon behind him snorted as though to confirm Miles’ words. Klavier’s horse pawed at the ground nervously while Daryan’s remained still. Miles looked over his shoulder with a small smile. “This is my oldest, most faithful dragon. Wendy is not particularly fond of many people. Perhaps you would like to meet my other companions”?

“Yes,” Daryan said before Klavier could speak. The prince smiled at the eager look on his knight’s face.

“Follow me,” Miles said, leading the way past the cabin. “I have a younger dragon, Ema, perhaps she can fly us up to Kurain. She is not as.. volatile as Wendy tends to be. It would be best if you left your horses here – just in case they are frightened. I have a makeshift stable over here; it should do.”

Leaving their horses in a small wooden stable, they followed Miles to find a dragon and two dogs. One of the dogs perked up at Miles’ arrival and came running. Smiling, Miles patted his head.

“This is Gumshoe, one of my hounds. The other one sulking over there is Larry. Ignore him, he is in trouble.”

“And this must be Ema?” Klavier asked, slowly walking towards the dragon. “She is a beautiful creature.”

The dragon roared at Klavier, making him stumble backwards. Daryan caught him by the shoulders, laughing. Walking forward instead, the knight held a hand up to the dragon. She sniffed and then grunted, lowering her head enough to allow Daryan to pat her.

“Ah, she seems to like you,” Miles observed. “…Though I cannot say the same for the prince.”

Klavier tried not to sulk. “Daryan has always been interested in dragons. This is his first time seeing one.”

“Can I pat her too?” Trucy asked. Apollo looked as though he was going to object, but she was already walking towards the dragon. Ema seemed to have no problem with the extra attention, looking to Miles for approval.

“We will fly up to Kurain. It will save time and I am sure you would like to reach the village as soon as possible.

“Ah… with Ema?” Klavier asked, looking unsure.

“Oh, she will behave. You need not worry about that.”

Ema grunted in disapproval when Klavier approached her, but otherwise remained still. Miles muttered something to her and she spread her wings, flying in a low circle before making her way up to the top of the mountain.

“Mister dragon tamer?” Trucy asked, “…Are you scared of heights?”

Miles laughed awkwardly, trying to be less obvious of the way he gripped onto the dragon. “It helps to be careful, correct? …Besides, your companion in the red tunic looks frightened himself.”

Apollo looked uncomfortable at the sudden attention he had gained, but the dragon began her descent before he could say anything.

“Ah. Kurain,” Miles looked at the village with a faint smile. They found a woman waiting for them and Miles jumped off Ema’s back, walking towards her. “Just on time, Maya.”

The priestess laughed. “Of course you are. You’ve been looking forward to this as much as I have. No… more than I have. Isn’t that right?”

Simply smiling in response, Miles looked past her to the village. “So when is he going to… return?”

“Within the hour. In the meantime…” Maya turned to Klavier and dipped into a low bow. “Welcome to Kurain, your highness. I… apologise for contacting you in the manner that I did. And to have dragged your knight into it, however inadvertently…”

“No need to apologise, High Priestess,” Klavier replied, returning the bow. “If he hasn’t seen what I had…. I would have told him myself. I keep nothing from him.”

Maya looked at Daryan with a raised eyebrow. “He must be loyal.”

“I would trust him with my life.”

“So, is the Phoenix here?” Daryan asked to shift the subject away from himself. “…That’s why you wanted the prince here, right?”

“Patience,” Maya said, though she didn’t look very patient herself. “While we wait, I’ll show you to the room you will be staying in until we leave.”

It was a large room with sliding doors, reminding Klavier of the Kitaki main hall. There were already four beds laid out on the floor – he didn’t even feel the need to ask the high priestess how she had known that Trucy and Apollo would be there as well. A girl was in the room setting things up, looking hardly any older than Trucy. Her eyes brightened when she saw Miles standing at the door with Maya and ran over to join them.

“Mister Edgeworth! If you are here with all these strangers, does it mean that it is time for the Phoenix to come back?”

Miles chuckled, looking at Maya. “You did not tell her?”

The priestess rolled her eyes. “Please. I would have been inviting an endless amount of chatter of how I must be so happy that Nick’s finally returning… how does that sound to you?”

Miles laughed, but Klavier was sure that he saw the man twitch a little. “Fair enough.”

Maya looked at the others with a smile. “This is Pearl, my cousin. She’s second-in-charge at Kurain, so if you need anything and you can’t find me, look for her.”

Trucy was already settling down on one of the beds, emptying her pockets of her belongings. Daryan watched in amazement, quirking an eyebrow.

“How do you fit all of that in your pockets?”

“With the help of my magical—”

“Trucy has some skills with magic,” Apollo interrupted hastily.

“Magic?” Pearl looked curious, walking to Trucy and sitting beside her “Will you show me?”

Maya glanced at Miles with a smile that did little to hide her excitement. “We should finish making the final preparations. Would you like to help?”

“Need you ask?” Miles grinned. “Tell me what I need to do?”

“Ah, is there anything we… I can do to help?” Klavier asked eagerly.

“Your part comes once the Phoenix returns to us,” Maya said with a smile. “Until then, simply enjoy yourself in our quiet village. I will make sure to call you once it is time.”

Klavier nodded and then caught Daryan’s eye. They left the room to explore the village and Apollo watched them go, sitting on one of the beds with a small sigh.

“Polly? Why don’t you join them?” Trucy asked, looking up from her myriad of magical equipment.

“It’s fine. I don’t think the knight particularly likes me,” Apollo replied. He watched the figured walking into the distance, walking closer than truly necessary. He shrugged a little. “They probably have important things to talk about anyway.”

*

“Seriously Klavier. Just because there’s no one around it doesn’t mean that we won’t get caught.”

“Shut up for a moment. Please.” The prince was sitting under a tree, leaning back against Daryan’s chest. “Humour me. It has been far too long since I have been able to enjoy your company without having to worry about fulfilling some sort of duty. If we have nothing to do until the Phoenix returns… however that will happen… I would prefer to spend that time like this. Really, Daryan, the moment we return home, we are both going to shirk all responsibility and just disappear for a day. À la Zak Gramarye.”

Daryan sighed heavily and rested his chin on Klavier’s head. “I don’t think that’d be possible.”

“Why not?” Klavier looked up at Daryan with a small frown.

“We’ll have to deal with… everything that comes with bringing the Phoenix to Ariadoney. There’ll be… Kristoph to deal with, among other things.”

Shutting his eyes and trying to ignore his frustration, Klavier shook his head. “I hate being a prince.”

This made the knight chuckle. “No you don’t. You love the attention. The power. The fact that you don’t have to deal with the responsibility your brother does.”

“You knew me far too well,” Klavier said, laughing and taking one of Daryan’s hands in his.

Daryan tensed when he heard footsteps and Klavier moved a short distance away so that they were no longer in each other’s arms by the time Apollo reached them.

“The High Priestess is calling. I think it’s time.”

“Ah, thank you Forehead,” Klavier said with a smile, getting to his feet and waiting for Daryan to stand as well. The three of them walked back to the guest room in silence, finding Maya waiting for them.

“Oh good, you’re here. It’s time to go wake the Phoenix up. This way; Miles is already waiting on us.” Her eyes were shining with anticipation as she led the others up a winding path to a small shrine.

“There you are,” Miles greeted them at the entrance of the shrine and Maya produced a key to unlock the shackles holding the door shut.

They walked inside, immediately noticing the increase in temperature. Maya stopped in front of another door with three locks and smiled. “Well. He is the Phoenix. Who knows what would have happened to the shrine without its wards. He could’ve burned it to the ground by accident.”

Klavier frowned a little at the memory of the fire magic the Phoenix had used in the vision he had seen back in the castle library. He shook his head and pushed the worry out of his mind, reminding himself that the High Priestess would be more than capable to handle the Phoenix.

Taking a green stone from her robes, Maya held it to the locks and shut her eyes with a small frown of concentration.

“Is that his magatama?” Miles asked, once the locks fell away.

“My magatama. I gave it to him, remember?” the priestess laughed. “Of course, he didn’t need it by the time he… went to Ariadoney. He left it with me.”

Klavier was confused by the conversation, but did not press it. Daryan looked uncomfortable, but didn’t return the glances that Klavier gave him. The door finally began to open with a low rumble and the prince found himself standing a little straighter and feeling eager to finally meet the Phoenix.

*

- Part Three -