Lover's Twilight

Aqualegia, r1 p3

Exhausted, his fur wet and dirty, Alex somehow still managed to move forward on shaking legs, wanting to put as much distance as he could between himself and the Bishop. To make matters worse, he had run so far and fast that he had no idea where he was....

Suddenly the board beneath his feet tilted, under even his slight weight, and he found himself slithering, then falling sideways to land in a pile of soft hay. As he lay there he could feel the lassitude of depleted energy creeping over him, and he was sorely tempted to burrow deeper into the mound, to make himself a nest in which to curl up and go to sleep. However, he knew that resting now wasn't a good idea, he urgently needed food, and to keep on the move, if he was going to make good his escape.

Hearing the nickering of horses nearby he warily inched forward until he could see through a knothole in the floor. His nose twitched and wrinkled as the smell of the stables assaulted his senses, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he realized where he was. For here was the potential for both salvation and disaster, and, for a moment, he wondered if the fates were laughing at him.

The hay loft was over the stables of the palace guard, who were probably currently employed searching the palace for him. Still, this would probably be the last place they would think of looking for him, especially now that Captain Skinner was no longer in charge of them.

Moving round the knothole he looked at as much of the stables as he could in the dim lamplight, for there were animal, as well as human, predators he had to beware of in here. He would need to be very careful until he was sure that the area was clear of both.

Taking his life in his paws, Alex scampered down the stairs until he was level with the top of the stall walls, then ran along the tops until he was in the far corner of an empty stall, where the nosebag was hung. Dropping lightly into it, he munched on a few oats, then climbed out and let himself down on to the manger, where some partially eaten slices of apple and carrot had been left.

While he was munching on these delicacies, he heard two men come into the stables, one was talking loudly to one another.

".... carrying a bundle of clothes, Gino?"

Gino laughed heartily, then said, "You ought to have been there Marcus. First the rat bit the Bishop, then it went for Captain Hearne. Then the Prince implored it to run, which it did. Navarre cursed the Bishop, it was a true curse too, everyone felt it, and I have never seen his Grace so furious. He, in turn, put a curse on Navarre, and on the Prince, which surprised me. He turned Navarre into a wolf, and that was a sight to see, Hearne's squad trying to keep hold of the snarling animal. The Bishop dismissed Prince Fox, but he wouldn't leave without the wolf so Captain Hearne is even now escorting them out of the city. When they had left the Bishop's chamber, there was just the pile of Captain Skinner's clothes left on the floor, and the Bishop tells me to remove them so that's what I'm doing."

"What will happen to his horse and sword?" Marcus asked.

"I wasn't about to ask. I expect Captain Hearne will ask the Bishop about them when his Grace calms down."

Abandoning all thought of his meal, Alex followed the two men into the barracks. The man with the bundle opened a door at the end of the corridor and flung his burden inside. Alex squeezed himself under a door when they turned back towards him, and found himself in a small storeroom. He waited until the men had gone past, then went to Skinner's door and squeezed under that.

Changing back into human form, he rooted through the Captain's possessions and found himself some clothes, and some old sandals, to wear. He stuck the small knife that he found in his belt. Then he packed one Captain's saddlebags with some clothes, and took them, and the Captain's sword, to the storeroom. Here he took a small amount of trail supplies, and two small jars of honey which he packed in with the clothes so they shouldn't break.

Offering up a prayer, he boldly left the barracks and returned to the stable. He quickly saddled Skinner's horse, and fastened the saddlebags on the back. Putting on one of the guard's helmets and wearing the Captain's cape around his shoulders he swung up into the saddle and rode sedately toward the main gates.

With so many guards riding hither the thither, no-one challenged his right to pass through, and he needed all his self control to prevent himself from urging the horse into a gallop once he was outside the city walls.

Far ahead, he could see the torches of Captain Hearne's troop escorting the Prince and the Wolf away from the city, and he followed in their wake for a while, then swung into the cover of the trees as the troop turned back towards Aquila.

Alex prudently waited until the troop was almost back at the city gates before he left cover and cantered up the road.

He didn't have far to go. Illuminated by the full moon, Prince Fox was standing in the middle of the road, the Wolf seated protectively by his side. Drawing to a halt, Alex had second thoughts about dismounting when the wolf snarled at him.

Taking off the helmet, bowed from the saddle and said, "Your Highness, I have brought you food and clothing... all I ask in return is that you take me with you."

"Why should I?"

"Can we at least get off the road while we discuss this?" Alex asked quietly. "They will be looking for me soon, if they aren't already, and I would really rather not be found."

Fox nodded, and led the way through the woods, to a clearing by a stream, where he sat on a fallen log.

Alex had dismounted and followed at a safe distance, then halted at the edge of the clearing when the wolf growled. Putting the helmet and cloak on the ground, he unfastened the saddlebags and slowly walked forward, to show the contents to the prince.

Suddenly the wolf growled louder and bounded forward. Alex dropped the saddlebags, turned into his rat form and dived into the nearest bag, mere inches ahead of the wolf's snapping teeth.

Recognizing his little companion, Fox leapt forward and threw his arms around the Wolf's neck. "No my love, don't chase the little Rat. He was such good company for me when I was locked up in the tower."

The Wolf backed away, still growling in his throat, watching closely as Fox disentangled the little creature from the clothes in the bag.

After soothing him, stroking his downy fur, Fox set the Rat down, and said, "You'd better change back and get dressed, we'll all have something to eat and get some sleep. It's not a good idea to make important decisions in a hurry, when you're tired, or on an empty stomach."

Fox watched as the Rat became human once more, then dressed with graceful movements. He felt a stirring in his loins which was normally reserved for Walter and was forced to avert his gaze lest he act on this sudden intense attraction.

When the young man was dressed, Fox addressed him again. "I can't keep calling you 'Rat', what is your real name?"

"Alexius Krycek, though now I'm usually called Alex."

"Krycek? That's an unusual name."

"I was brought here from the north by some traders as a gift for the Bishop; an exotic because of my green eyes and pale skin, that was how the caravan master described me to the trader who bought me." Alex smiled wryly. He pulled the food he'd pilfered from the saddlebag, and handed it to the Prince, before continuing. "Until then I had been kept with an older brother, Timur, who told me that our family had been on the losing side of a war, and that we had been brought from the east." He sighed. "It was very strange here at first, because I didn't speak the same language." He stared off into the darkness, a small frown creasing the bridge of his nose. "I think I have forgotten my own now...." Looking sad, the young man turned away and stripped the saddle from the horse, leaving the blanket to keep the beast warm in the cold mountain air.

Fox didn't quite know what to say. In his lessons he'd learnt about war, and what was likely to happen to the losers, but being faced with the reality was a little disconcerting. Feeling that perhaps if would be better if he said nothing, he busied himself dividing the rations between the three of them, then concentrated on eating.

The Wolf gobbled the portion he'd been given, then lay watching the two very tired men, seated side by side on the fallen log, finish their silent meal.

Yawning hugely, the two men piled bracken against the log, then huddled under the blanket together to share their body warmth. After a while, the Wolf crawled forward to lie against the Prince's back to help keep him warm.

-oo00oo-

As the sky lightened, both Mulder and the wolf awoke. Pushing back the blanket, the Prince stroked the sable pelt until the edge of the sun came into view. In a few magical seconds as his bones shortened and those of the wolf lengthened, they looked into each other's eyes.... then, his white feathers tinged orange by the rising sun, a gyrfalcon rose into the air... circled the clearing once, jesses trailing from his legs... and flew away.

With a cry of anguish, Walter sat up reaching after his winged love... then turned and slammed his fist into the ground beside him, and found himself looking into the most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen.

Stunned for a moment, and with no memory of the events of the night before, his brow darkened. "Who the hell are you, and what are you doing here?" he roared, reaching for the interloper.

Alex abruptly turned into a rat, and with a frightened squeak, scuttled under the log next to him.

Walter's anger turned to amusement. "So that's what you really look like little rat." he said with a laugh. "Come back out, I won't hurt you." He chuckled again when a little pink nose poked out of a hole and twitched irritably at him.

After a while, the rat came back out as if nothing had happened, and sat grooming his fur, before changing back into the man. Getting to his feet, Alex collected his clothes and put them back on.

Walter cleared his throat, trying not to admire the graceful body, then said, "I expect you have already gone through this with Fox, but who are you?"

Alex, now fully dressed, got the remains of their food and divided it in half. He then sat on the log and told the Captain the history of his life, what little he knew of it, while they ate.

Later, while Walter was saddling his horse, he asked casually, "Do you usually... become a rat when something... startles you?"

Alex shrugged, trying for nonchalance. "I've never learnt how to fight, or use a sword, Captain; so to run and hide where my pursuers can't reach me has always seemed like a good idea."

Walter chuckled. "When we're well out of the Bishop's reach, I think I'll teach you, it'll help take my mind off other things."

Alex ducked his head and smiled. "Thank you...."

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