Winner of Best Battle Sequence '03
Change the Beast Warriors to knights, the bases to castles, Megatron to the Dark Prince of Migrazor and Optimus to the King of Axalone, and what do you get...?
Beast Wars Knights
By: Sapphire
Authoress' Note: For this fic to work, you'll have to imagine each of the Beast Warriors as humans fighting with swords and daggers instead of guns and optic lasers. The bases are castles and each knight has similar qualities to his transformer form. It is still set on prehistoric Earth, but the language is somewhat different. Enjoy!
A dry and bitter wind blew onto his face and he couldn't help but shiver a little. The sky above was grey and forlorn and although he usually preferred to be outdoors, he was eager to get back to Axalone for the warmth of his room and the fireplace.
Dinobot squeezed the sides of his horse, instructing it to run faster, as the light grey castle of Axalone rose into view. Periya, his white horse speckled with grey with a long silver mane, neighed and grunted, understanding his master's urge to get home. He too was not fond of this weather.
A short while later, Dinobot arrived at the canyon and stopped his horse. Across the canyon lay the castle, and he took out of his rug sack, a red flag and raised it high above his head. The canyon was not very wide, allowing the Maximals to build a draw bridge. The red flag was used to indicate a warrior's want to cross the draw bridge, so a few moments later it was lowered and Dinobot rode across.
The huge metal gates of the castle, with a Maximal symbol planted majestically in the middle, opened for him and he rode inside.
After he'd put Periya in the stables, he headed towards the castle entrance. He was aware of running footsteps behind him, but before the approaching man had spoken, Dinobot knew who it was. He could tell by the pace of the steps. Rattrap was very short and therefore had very quick steps.
"Hey, wait up, will you? Why are you in such a hurry? I just lowered the bridge for you, the least you could do is greet me!"
Dinobot snorted and continued on, ignoring Rattrap. He was hungry, tired and very cold.
Rattrap jogged beside him, having to work his little legs to keep up with Dinobot's long, powerful strides.
The door was already open and the two of them walked inside. Dinobot was grateful to feel the rush of warm air on his face. Rhinox had lit a roaring, homely fire in the entrance hall's grand fireplace.
"Dinobot. Back from patrol so soon?" Rhinox chuckled knowingly, looking up from where he was stirring the fire.
Dinobot smiled faintly and stood beside his large friend, holding his hands above the fire.
"How does Airazor?" he asked Rhinox.
Rhinox's smile faded and he sighed.
"Still very sick. I just don't know what it is she's infected with!"
Rattrap came up beside them both.
"Yes, well, when she and I stole into the Predacon castle, she went into Tarantulas's laboratory. I reckon she picked up something in there. Primus knows what he does in there...I mean, Dinobot, you saw Scorponok's corpse...?"
Dinobot felt his stomach churn and he held back shuddering. That had been a horrible discovery. He and Rattrap had been on patrol along the river which went past Migrazor and they had found Scorponok's dead body, floating in the river. Rattrap had pulled it out for investigation, and found his form to be littered with puncture marks made by needles, stitches here and there and his pale skin covered with spots. It was plain to see Tarantulas had used the poor soul as an experiment for...for something horrible. They knew the Predacon liked to play with diseases and bacteria, but they couldn't understand how Megatron would allow him to use his troops as guinea pigs. Rattrap was very lucky he didn't get infected with whatever it was Scorponok had died from.
"Yes, well, I'd like to think that Scoponok died of a disease he picked up in the wild, and the puncture marks were Taranrtulas' attempts to... save him." Dinobot grumbled.
Rattrap snorted.
"Huh. 'Doubt it."
Rhinox had heard quite enough and turned and walked away, looking increasingly worried. They both knew he regarded Airazor has a niece of sorts, and both of them realized their conversation had not helped matters.
Dinobot sighed a little sadly.
"I don't think it is wise to talk of such things, Rattrap, in our friend's company."
Rattrap nodded thoughtfully.
"Still, I really would like to find out what goes on in that black castle of Megatron's, because whether you like it or not, he may hold the key to Airazor's recovery. Perhaps without even knowing it..."
Terrorsaur was no décor designer, but he knew a dank, dark, dusty place when he saw one. He ran his finger along the wall and looked at it afterwards. About half a centimeter of dust was on his finger tip. He wiped it on the side of his leg with disgust, and then sneezed. After he had recovered, he turned to look at Megatron. The Dark Prince was sitting in his large, comfortable throne, cushioned with various animal furs, mainly from bears, wolves and rabbits.
"Do tell me, we are meant to be the 'bad guys', are we not?" Terrorsaur called across the large hall to his pondering leader.
Megatron, who had been deep in thought, shook himself out of his daze and cast an irritated glance towards Terrorsaur.
"That depends on which way to look at it," he said.
Terrorsaur dusted his hands and took out his sword from its sheath, and began playfully swishing it through the air in mock fighting moves. It was made of steel, but the helm was gold and encrusted with rubies.
"Yes, but," Terrorsaur continued, "technically we are the immoral, nastier, more ruthless faction so that makes us the 'bad guys', right?"
Megatron looked annoyed and was ready to finish this conversation before it went anywhere else.
"Oh, I suppose."
Terrorsaur grunted smugly.
"Then tell me this, why do 'bad guys' always have to live in dark, menacing, unfriendly looking places like this?" he asked.
Megatron rolled his head with a weary look at Terrorsaur.
"Because it speaks volumes to outsiders that we are dark, menacing and unfriendly people who will do dark, menacing and unfriendly things to them should they do try to invade, fight, or get in our way."
Terrorsaur blinked and stared at Megatron, and Megatron sincerely hoped that the Red Knight wasn't planning on taking this any further.
Terrorsaur broke out of his stare and shrugged.
"Hm. Sounds good enough to me."
Just then, Blackarachnia came walking in, in her usual arrogant but seductive way. Terrorsaur rolled his eyes and went out. Lovely as she was, Blackarachnia was her own women and she and Terrorsaur just didn't get along.
Megatron raised an eyebrow.
"Well, what do you have to report, my lady?"
Blackarachnia had been on scout duty for two days now and Megatron was anxious to hear what she'd learned. Blackarachnia always came back with juicy information, because she was sneaky and clever and often learned of happenings in the Maximal castle.
Blackarachnia came up to him and, somewhat sarcastically, knelt before him.
Her low cut dress made her kneeling position quite revealing and Megatron cleared his throat.
"Arise and speak, maiden."
Blackarachnia did this and said: "Well, while making my usual eaves-dropping rounds, I learned through the squire Cheetor and the White Knight Tigatron that Lady Airazor is gravely ill. Neither seemed to know what her illness was, although if you ask me, I expect she's sick with what Scorponok had."
Megatron pondered aloud.
"Yess, perhaps you're right. I'm quite aware that she and Rattrap broke into out castle some days back, and from Tarantulas's report, one of them had been shuffling through his lab, probably Airazor. She didn't know it was quarantined because of the virus clinging to the air inside. Oh, dear, poor thing," he said mockingly.
The truth was Tarantulas and Scorponok had developed the virus, but an accident in the lab allowed it to get free and while Tarantulas wasn't in the lab at the time, Scorponok was and he caught it and died from it. They were intending on using it against the Maximals, but thanks to Scorponok's clumsiness, no one could enter Tarantulas's lab. Megatron had banished Scorponok, allowing him to take a medical kit and he had died somewhere out in the wild. Waspinator had found his corpse washed up on a river bank a week later...or what was left of it.
"Hmmm. Then they're down one soldier, as are we. Which works nicely for what I have planned for them."
Blackarachnia's eyebrows shot up in curiosity.
"And what's that?"
Megatron arose from his throne and walked to one of the castle windows behind him. It looked down into a large courtyard. Blackarachnia came up beside him and let out a gasp, followed by gleeful laughter.
Megatron grinned sinisterly and the two of them gazed down at the two inventions Tarantulas and Inferno had been building these past few weeks.
One a long, portable ramp/bridge, the other a very large catapult.
Optimus put a hand on Airazor's forehead and with his free hand, he found hers and held it tightly. She was lying on her bed, above all her covers and despite the cold, she was sweating profusely.
She was terribly pale and weak, and coughed up blood from time to time.
Rhinox and Tigatron were on the other side of her bed, both looking at her with concern.
Airazor had just finished a fit of coughing, and was now looking with dull eyes toward her king.
"Optimus...am I going to die?" she whispered.
Tigatron turned away, his eyes squeezed shut and Rhinox put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Optimus swallowed hard and felt his heart skip a beat. It was a question he had been dreading to be asked.
He shook his head.
"Airazor, we are going to do everything in our power to cure you of this illness. All we ask is that you fight and hold on until we find a means of doing so."
Airazor closed her eyes and held her burning throat. Two tears were squeezed from under her eyelids and they rolled down her white cheeks.
She managed to nod slightly.
Optimus continued to hold her hand and sat on a chair beside her bed long after the others had gone. He stayed there with her for two hours, comforting her until she had fallen asleep. Usually Tigatron would do this for her, but the poor man was sick with worry and weary from many sleepless nights, that Optimus and Rhinox insisted he get some rest.
Once sure she was totally asleep, the king slipped his hand from hers and exited her room, being careful to close the door quietly.
He sighed and walked down the empty corridor. The candles lining the walls were almost out, and had burnt down to stubs. It was only about 8 in the evening, but it seemed as if everyone had gone to sleep. He didn't blame them. It had been a long day. Everyone had been trying to do there best to help Airazor, whether it be cleaning her room, giving her medicine, watching her or talking to her.
He turned the corridor and almost walked into Cheetor.
"Ah, I'm not the only one awake at this hour. Pray, do tell, why do you look so flustered, my good soldier?" Optimus asked.
Cheetor's eyes were wide and he was panting.
"I came to tell you that I've had another of...those dreams. This one was quite vivid and rather disturbing, my liege."
Optimus perked up at this.
"Speak softly as Airazor is resting, and let us talk in the main hall."
The two of them walked towards the hall while Cheetor spoke quickly but quietly.
"Well, you remember that twice before I've had dreams which have predicted things a day or two before they happen?"
Optimus nodded. Cheetor had the gift of being slightly psychic, although at first Optimus didn't believe his dreams to be more than co-incidence, but when they came true in such accuracy on both occasions, he was now more inclined to listen to Cheetor's dreams.
"A few moments ago, I awoke after dreaming that Megatron and his troops came with something to our castle. It was like, a great black dragon, with Tarantulas on top steering it. Tigatron was on draw bridge duty and he came outside to investigate and...oh, it was horrible, my King. The dragon...it spat a huge ball of fire which killed Tigatron, and then I awoke, frightened and nervous."
They had reached the entrance of the hall by the end of Cheetor's speech, and Optimus's face had grown long and worried.
"But surely, Cheetor, there are no such things as dragons?"
Cheetor stopped walking and looked down sadly at his feet.
"I...I suppose, but-"
Optimus put an arm around Cheetor and said softly: "We're all very worried at the moment, Cheetor. I think your dream came more out of fear for Airazor and Lord Tigatron."
Cheetor paused for thought.
"You are probably right. I'm...over reacting. Good night, my king."
Cheetor turned around and left, and Optimus couldn't help but get the feeling the Golden squire was disappointed with his leader's reaction. Still, Optimus couldn't imagine a dragon attacking the castle. They didn't exist...surely.