Title: Heboca
Author: bookwrm89
Prompt: Ladyhawke
Pairing(s): Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Jean D'Couer (John Hart), Ianto/Tosh (one-sided)
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: violence, angst, m/m, explicit sex
Spoilers: Mainly just for the movie Ladyhawke, although there are minor references to events in TW
Disclaimer: I don't own either Torchwood or Ladyhawke - they belong to the BBC/that man and 20th Century Fox/Richard Donner, respectively
Summary: Toshiko the Mouse, a pick-pocket & thief, escapes from the dungeons of Eryrau and meets a mysterious man on a magical, mystical quest.
Author's Notes: Written for the reel_torchwood fic challenge. Thank you to my wonderful beta's and handholders - cjharknessgirl , faithharkness , teachwriteslash and beth_mccombs - you all are fantastic friends and I love you!

***

Prologue

 

Bells sounded across the country from the city of Eryrau. Escape, they proclaimed. Alarm! Escape!

 

Gwyneth, Bishop of Eryrau, heard them in the palace and screamed for her guards. She dispatched them out to the surrounding villages and hamlets, demanding that they find the prisoner and bring back the thief's head.

 

Toshiko, a thief at times known as the Dormouse, heard the bells and crouched lower as she ran through the underbrush.

 

Echoes of the alarms resonated off the distant hills and generated a wild exultation in the heart of the dark figure sitting astride a large black stallion.

 

"Finally," he whispered, stroking the feathers of the fierce hawk perched on his forearm. "It is finally time for our revenge, my heart."

 

He lifted his arm, watching as the hawk took off and circled above his head; the bird's shrill cry mingling with the distant sound of the bells. 

 

A melancholy smile crossed his handsome face. "I miss the sound of your voice, love. It's been so long." His gaze was drawn back to the far-off walls of Eryrau and the looming church tower that dominated the city.

 

"Soon, Dewines*," he vowed, fingering the empty socket on the pommel of his sword. "Soon you will pay for what you've done to us."

Chapter 1

 

 

Toshiko stumbled along the riverbank; the frozen snow burning her bare feet. She wrapped her arms around herself, attempting to stay warm.

 

"Cabbage," she mumbled. "A nice hot piece of cabbage like my mother used to make…"

 

A chorus of howls drifted out of the forest, causing the small thief to try and walk faster.

 

Growling under her breath, she continued to talk to herself, "Wolf. Please, no wolf. Go find some sheep," she directed. "Mmm, a nice roast leg of lamb…"

 

The howling continued, sounding closer, and Toshiko broke into a shuffling run.

 

**********

"Go on, get out," Toshiko urged, herding the sheep out of the pen. As the sheep trotted away, she raised her voice and called, "Quick, they broke out of the pen."

 

During the ensuing confusion of dogs barking, sheep bleating and villagers yelling, she calmly grabbed several articles of clothing from the washing that was hanging out to dry. Spying a pair of shoes that would likely fit, Toshiko distracted the children sitting nearby and stole the shoes as well.

 

"She's stealing Mummy's shoes," the children exclaimed.

 

Toshiko laughed in reply and continued on her way, running down the rough track that ran out of the village.

 

*********

Wearing a boy's tunic and leggings, her hair cut short and her breasts bound, Toshiko entered the tavern and called for the best ale the landlord had.

 

"Yeah, yeah," the innkeeper grumbled, heaving himself to his feet and lumbering toward the ale barrels. "Show me your money."

 

"Copper, my friend," she assured, jingling the money pouch she'd stolen from a distracted guard outside the gates of Eryrau. "And the same for anyone that will join me in a toast," she called expansively.

 

"Let's hear your toast, then," a patron jeered.

 

Toshiko listened to the derisive laughter that rippled through the tavern and smirked. "We drink to a special person, my friend," she replied, taking her drink from the innkeeper. "Someone who has been inside the dungeons of Eryrau and lived to tell the tale," she boasted.

 

"Then you drink to me, little man," the stranger sneered. "I have seen those dungeons."

 

"A blacksmith, perhaps? Carpenter?" Toshiko scoffed. "But a prisoner, from inside Eryrau?"

 

The stranger moved a bundle off the table, revealing the helmet of the temple guard of Eryrau. "I never said I was a prisoner," he replied.

 

Toshiko's eyes widened in shock as several of the tavern's patrons threw back their cloaks to reveal a squad of guardsmen, including the captain of the guard, Jean D'Couer.

 

"You should've stuck to the woods, little mouse," D'Couer maintained. "You may have stood a chance." He turned to his men. "Get her."

 

Toshiko stood her ground as the first guard came after her. She waited until the man's hands were on her shoulders before throwing her drink in his eyes and darting away.

 

She used all of the tricks at her disposal during the ensuing chase, including climbing nimbly onto the vine-covered awning of the rustic tavern. When the soldiers began to poke their swords through the slats, quickly surrounding her, Toshiko realised there was no escape.

 

Captain D'Couer was slouched against a table, a bored look on his handsome face. He applauded desultorily; wordlessly indicating for Toshiko to come down.

 

She gracefully dropped to the floor, continuing to struggle against the guards that quickly surrounded her. Spinning around, she knocked a sword out of her way, gasping in dismay when the blade nicked the Captain's cheek.

 

"I'm so s-sorry," she stammered apprehensively.

 

D'Couer's cold eyes studied Toshiko dispassionately. Wiping away the blood dripping down his cheek, he glanced at the guard holding onto her.

 

"Kill her," he commanded.

 

Two of the guards dragged her, struggling and terrified, over to a beam supporting the latticed roof. Held firmly from either side, another soldier approached her, slowly drawing his sword.

 

Just as the guard drew back his arm to deal the killing blow, an arrow whistled through the air, embedding itself in the soldier's arm. His sword clattered to the ground as he clutched his arm and fell back groaning in pain.

 

Toshiko looked around at the guards taking cover and finally spotted her saviour. Framed in the archway of the tavern, the sun gleamed on his dark hair. Dazzling blue eyes stared watchfully at the guards; the crossbow in his hands cocked and ready for use, as one soldier learns the hard way when he tries to shoot the stranger with his own bow.

 

"You," the stranger growled at Toshiko. "Out."

 

Closing her eyes in relief, she walked dazedly toward the stranger dressed all in black. He gave her a small smile and handed her his crossbow as she passed. The sound of steel being drawn was almost hidden by the sound of D'Couer's voice.

 

"One of my men told me you had returned," D'Couer drawled, sauntering forward. "I wanted to cut his throat for lying because I knew you weren't that stupid."

 

Toshiko paused within hearing at the sound of steel ringing on steel.

 

"Captain Harkness," one of the guards breathed in wonder.

 

"Tomas de Brockless," the stranger, Harkness, acknowledged. His voice was tinged with affection for the man he apparently knew.

 

"Captain?" D'Couer's voice questioned derisively.

 

Sounds of fighting broke out, bringing Toshiko back to her present circumstances. Glancing at the crossbow in her hands, she discarded it with a look of disgust and ran for the tethered horses.

 

Trying desperately to calm one of the horses down enough to mount one and escape, she heard D'Couer's voice raised in frustration.

 

"Harkness!"

 

Hearing hoof beats coming her way; Toshiko abandoned the uncooperative horses and ran for the village gates. Looking back, she saw a large, black stallion bearing down on her; the stranger's cloak billowing in the wind behind him.

 

"No," she exclaimed. "No, no, no, no…"

 

Suddenly she was plucked from the ground and found herself lying across a saddle in front of the man. She felt the stallion's muscles bunch as it leapt to jump the closed gate in their path. Toshiko squeezed her eyes shut in terror, only opening them again at the jolt when the horse landed on the other side and galloped away.

 

Her last sight of the village was of a fierce hawk unseating two mounted guards as it flew past them in pursuit of the stallion and rider. Chapter 2

 

 

They had been riding for hours. Toshiko was no longer draped across the front of the saddle; she now rode astride the black beast, situated behind Harkness and clinging to the back of his cloak.

 

A rustle of feathers drew her attention to the ferocious looking hawk perched on Harkness' forearm. It had settled there soon after their galloping escape from the village. Periodically, the bird would take flight, wheeling this way and that in the sky - almost as if it was searching for pursuers – before coming back to Harkness, clicking its beak as it preened its feathers.

 

"There must be someone home," Toshiko spoke quietly eyeing the small cabin they were approaching. "There's smoke."

 

"We'll spend the night here," Harkness decided. "And continue on in the morning."

 

They watched as a woman in a ragged dress scurried to the house, sounding an alarm that was strangely bird-like in nature. She took refuge behind her man and peered at them nervously around his arm as he hefted a vicious axe in his hands.

 

"Good afternoon, Sir, Milady," Harkness began. "My comrade-in-arms and I need lodging for the night."

 

The man shook his head, a threatening scowl on his face. "No. You're not welcome here."

 

"We'll gladly pay for it, of course," Harkness stated pleasantly.

 

Toshiko shook the pouch attached to her belt to emphasise his words. The woman's eyes widened at the jingle of money and she poked her man, making encouraging sounds in her throat.

 

Pushing his wife further behind him, the man nodded and replied, "You can sleep down there. In the barn."

 

"Thank you," Harkness responded, urging the stallion in the direction indicated.

 

They dismounted as the strange couple eyed them suspiciously before disappearing into the crude cabin that was their home.

 

*********

"Bloody annoying man," Toshiko muttered, grabbing another stick of firewood and thrusting it into her bundle. "See to my horse. Don't disturb my sleep. Who does he think I am? His servant? Well, I'm not."

 

She dropped the bundle of wood she'd collected. Standing still in the middle of the woods, she stamped her foot.

 

"He wants something from me, I know it," she declared. "Whatever it is, I won't do it."

 

As she turned to leave, a sound from the underbrush startled her. She tried to dismiss it as just a rabbit or something else small.  When the rustling seemed to follow her, however, she decided to try a little misdirection. Calling out to imaginary friends with large swords, Toshiko ran as fast as she could back to the dubious safety of the barn.

 

She stopped running and turned around to see if anyone was following her when she reached the homestead. Resting against a tree, her relief didn't last long. 

 

Moonlight gleamed on the curved blade of an axe as it swung toward her head. Screaming in terror, Toshiko ducked away and stumbled toward the barn. The mad woodsman lunged after her, bringing the axe up to swing at her again.

 

Toshiko froze in horror as a ferocious snarl echoed across the clearing and a large, black shape burst into sight. The shaggy beast leapt at her attacker, powerful jaws closing on the man's throat.

 

"Captain," she screamed, turning away from the grisly fight. Growls and panicked shouts followed her as she ran to the barn. "Captain, help! Sword. Need the sword."

 

She fumbled with the latch to where Captain Harkness was sleeping. When she finally got in, the stable was empty. Toshiko was panting in fear and rushed to the Captain's saddlebag. Grasping the crossbow, she ran to the window overlooking the clearing.

 

Struggling to bend the bowstring back to ready the weapon, the small thief muttered to herself, "Wolf, wolf. No. No wolf. Make the wolf go away."

 

Grunting with the effort, the weapon was finally cocked and ready to fire. Trembling fingers slotted the arrow into place and Toshiko raised the bow, preparing to shoot the wild animal outside.

 

A hand reached out and pushed the crossbow off target. Squeaking in surprise, Toshiko turned around to see a tall figure wrapped in a dark cloak.

 

"Captain, thank God," she sighed. Looking into the face of the person standing before her, she realised her mistake.

 

Eyes the colour of a calm summer's day appraised her silently. He was tall, almost the same height as the Captain. His skin was pale, as if he'd never seen the sun.  High cheekbones, a nose with just the hint of an upturn at the end and finely arched eyebrows combined to take Toshiko's breath away.

 

The Captain was gorgeous, glowing with life, but this man was beautiful. 

 

"Wh…" Toshiko began to speak.

 

"Shh," the stranger hushed her. He turned and walked toward the door of the barn, his eyes on the macabre scene outside.

 

"No, don't go out there," Toshiko cautioned frantically. "There's a wolf! A big wolf. And a dead man."

 

"I know." His baritone voice was tinged with the lilting accent of the land. 

 

The plaintive cry of the wolf floated through the air. He moved to the door, tread barely heard; only the rustle of his cloak over the straw marked his passing.

 

"Sir, please," Toshiko begged.

 

The only response she received was the haunting call of the wolf.

 

"Maybe I'm dreaming," she murmured to herself. "My eyes are open. Which means maybe I'm awake and dreaming that I'm asleep."

 

Toshiko tilted her head, considering what she'd just said. "Or, maybe I'm asleep, dreaming that I'm awake, wondering if I'm dreaming."

 

"You are dreaming." The mysterious man's voice drifted to her from the clearing.

 

Gasping in surprise, Toshiko ran across the barn and clambered up the rickety ladder to the loft. Crouching next to the flimsy barrier of the wall, she peeked out over the moonlit tableau below.

 

The cloaked man walked directly to the wolf, who whined in greeting. His hand reached out to caress the thick pelt of the wolf's head before they turned and disappeared into the trees.

 

Toshiko threw herself back into the hay and closed her eyes. "I have not seen what I've just seen. These are magical, unexplainable matters and I beg not to be a part of them."


Chapter 3

 

 

A lone horse and rider galloped across the plains, changing horses frequently on his way to Eryrau.

 

*********

 

Thunder rolled overhead and mist shrouded the forest. Wrapped in a dark cloak, the Captain walked ahead; hawk perched on his wrist and sword strapped to his side. 

 

Toshiko followed, leading the Captain's great, black stallion.   Subdued by what she had witnessed the previous evening and surrounded by the oppressive gloom of the forest, she had been silent most of the day.

 

"We'll stop now," Harkness's voice startled her out of her reverie. He looked around, shivering. "What a grey day for travelling."

 

She watched him settle at the base of a tree, leaning back against the trunk and wrapping his cloak tighter around him. Toshiko led the horse to another tree and tethered it securely.

 

"I could use some rest after what happened last night," she grumbled. "That wolf could've killed me, but it didn't. It tore the farmer's throat out and left me alone."

 

She settled on the ground beneath the stallion's head and looked at the Captain. His head rested against the tree trunk and his eyes were closed. Toshiko could tell he was listening intently, however. There was a certain tenseness in his frame that indicated his interest in her words.

 

"There was more," she continued. "There was a man. A beautiful man with deep blue eyes; almost like a bird's. And his voice – the sultry tones of a fallen angel."

 

The Captain's startled gaze flew to her face. "He spoke?" There was a yearning note in his voice. "What did he say?"

 

"I asked if I was dreaming and he said I was," Toshiko exclaimed indignantly.

 

Chuckling softly, the Captain stroked a finger down the hawk's back.

 

"I'm not mad," she protested. "You have to believe me when I tell you these things."

 

"Oh, I believe you," the Captain replied, glancing at the hawk. "I believe in dreams." He paused. "Tell me, did this man have a name?"

 

"Not that he shared with me," she answered. "Why?"

 

Sighing heavily, the Captain leant his head back and murmured, "Well, he might wander into my dreams.  Wouldn't it be nice if I could call him by name and pretend that we've met before?" Glancing once more at the hawk, his eyes took on a wistful expression, a fond smile on his face. "I've waited a long time for such a man."

 

A deep-seated tension Toshiko hadn't been aware of eased at the Captain's murmured words. So that's the way it is, she thought, watching him close his eyes and drift to sleep.

 

"I have to be out of my mind," she whispered as she wrapped her cloak around her and curled up like the mouse that was her nickname. Toshiko fell asleep and dreamt of a man with magnificent blue eyes.

 

*********

 

While the fugitives slept in the far off forest, Gwyneth, Bishop of Eryrau, sat in her courtyard.  Musicians played a peaceful melody and a handmaiden danced for her pleasure.

 

A commotion across the garden drew her attention away from the graceful dancer. The dishevelled form of Captain D'Couer moved hesitantly towards where she was waiting.

 

"Have you found the thief Sato?" she asked indifferently.

 

D'Couer bowed his head. "She is not in my custody at this time," he replied.

 

Gwyneth turned sharply and snapped, "Then why are you invading my garden, unwashed and unshaved? Do you think I'm hiding her?"

 

"No, Your Grace, I don't," D'Couer replied, an insolent tone in his voice. "I have other news for you."

 

Gwyneth's eyes narrowed at his tone. Perhaps promoting the man she'd been sleeping with hadn't been the best idea. They'd both been spurned by the same man and had come together in mutual frustration and anger. She'd thought by promoting him to captain of the guard that he would be more willing to help her quest for revenge.

 

D'Couer's cunning eyes watched her from beneath his lashes. He knew what she was thinking and that he was treading along the razor-thin edge of insubordination. He didn't care, though. She was just the means to an end.

 

"Harkness has returned," he stated slyly, secretly enjoying her shocked reaction.

 

Her gaze hardened and flew to his face. Reading the truth of his words in his eyes, she nodded slightly. "Walk with me," she commanded.

 

"The thief, Toshiko, is travelling with Harkness now," D'Coeur explained. "My men are combing the woods for them."

 

"And the hawk?" Gwyneth questioned intently.

 

D'Couer looked puzzled. "A hawk?"

 

"Yes, a hawk," the bishop replied impatiently. "A very…spirited hawk travels with him at all times," she sneered. "This hawk is not to be harmed."

 

"Not harmed? That isn't like you, Your Grace," D'Couer mocked. "It's just a hawk, after all."

 

"It's not ‘just a hawk', Captain," Gwyneth barked. "It's important to Harkness and I want to witness his suffering when it is killed."

 

"Now that sounds more like the ruthless bishop I know," D'Couer said sardonically.

 

"Go," Gwyneth commanded the Captain. "And remember, if either Harkness or the hawk dies before they are in my presence, a new Captain of the Guard will preside at your beheading."

 

D'Couer watched her stride away, a disgusted look on his face. "Someday, putain*," he murmured. "Someday you will pay for all the misery you've caused."

 

**********

The Bishop of Eryrau paced her chamber, waiting for the huntsman, Rhys, to be shown in. She knew this would take a delicate hand to manage properly. 

 

Should she use her position and command him to trap the wolf? No other explanation except for her command? Or perhaps go for vulnerable and afraid? No, that could undermine her authority and raise too many questions.

 

A soft knock sounded on the door just as the perfect scenario presented itself to her mind.

 

"Enter," she directed.

 

The woodsman called Rhys nervously entered the room behind a young serving girl.  Dismissing the girl with a wave of her hand, Gwyneth gazed at the rustic man before her.

 

The hunter bowed awkwardly. "Your Grace," he murmured. "I am humbled to be called into your presence."

 

She held out her hand, allowing him to kiss her ring of office. "I have heard marvellous things about your skill as a hunter," she commended. "It is said that you can track and kill just about any animal, even the wolf."

 

"Aye, I can hold my own with the beasts," he replied with modest pride. "There's not many that get away once I decide to hunt them."

 

"Good," Gwyneth said. "I have a task for you. A dangerous task, to be sure, but one I think you'll be able to handle with no problem."

 

"Any way I can be of service, Your Grace," Rhys declared.

 

"We live in difficult times," Gwyneth began, choosing her words with care. "This famine has prevented the people from paying their proper tribute to the church. I raise their taxes, only to be told there is nothing left for me to tax. Imagine…" She could see a stubborn glint appearing in the hunter's eyes and stopped her tirade. 

 

"I'm sorry," she apologised, the words sticking in her throat. Remember, Gwyneth, he's a backwoods yokel. He can't possibly understand how difficult things are for you. She continued in a more reasonable tone of voice, "But last night the Lord Almighty visited me in a dream. He told me that Satan's messenger is travelling amongst us."

 

She laughed to herself at the look of terrified alarm that crossed the huntsman's face. It was so easy to manipulate these simple peasants.

 

"B-but, how can I help, Your Grace?" Rhys' brow wrinkled in confusion.

 

"This messenger has a familiar," Gwyneth said slyly. "A large black wolf that travels with him everywhere he goes. They travel by night, only by night. Their sun is the moon. They daren't show their faces in the daylight."

 

"A black wolf familiar?" Rhys asked. "But what am I to do?"

 

"Capture the wolf," the Bishop commanded. "If you trap it and bring it, living, to me the messenger will follow and I can vanquish them both."

 

"You want me to capture the wolf and bring it to you alive, while Satan's messenger tracks me?" he exclaimed. "Begging your pardon, Your Grace, but that sounds like a suicide mission to me."

 

"You'll be working for God," she snapped. "He will protect you."

 

Rhys ducked his head in submission. "Aye, if it's God's will that I do this. How do I find this wolf, then?"

 

"Find the messenger. As I said, they only travel at night. The messenger has skin like porcelain and the eyes of a bird – clear blue in colour." She paused and looked directly into the huntsman's eyes. "Find the messenger and you will find the wolf. A black wolf. The wolf who loves him."

 

"Does this messenger have a name?" Rhys asked quietly.

 

Gwyneth's voice was like ice when she answered, "His name is Ianto."
Chapter 4

 

Toshiko raised the unwieldy sword to her shoulder and clumsily swung at the thick branch, barely making a mark on the tough bark. Cursing under her breath, she raised the sword for another attempt.

 

A hand reached out and grasped the blade just below the guard, stopping her forward motion. Startled, she let go of the weapon and stepped back with a low cry.

 

"This sword has been in my family for five generations," Harkness growled low in his throat. "It has never known defeat, until now."

 

He pointed to a large diamond at one end of the cross-piece. "This jewel represents my family name. This one," he said, pointing to the sapphire on the other end of the guard. "Is our alliance with the Holy Church in Rome."

 

"And the middle one?" Toshiko asked quietly. She watched as the Captain stroked his fingers over the ruby in question.

 

"My father's," he responded. "For protecting our country during an invasion. I lost my brother and my father to that invasion. My mother died of melancholy a few years later."

 

He stared into the heart of the jewel, the deep red glow reminding him of blood; the blood of those he'd lost. Reminding him of the beauty of the one that he'd just as good as lost. The one he was travelling to Eryrau to avenge.

 

Flipping the sword over, he fingered the empty setting in the centre. He looked up into Toshiko's anxious brown eyes.

 

"I didn't steal it, Sir," she rushed to explain. "Please, you don't think..?"

 

"No," the Captain assured her. "This is mine to fill." He walked away studying the weapon in his hands. "Each generation is called upon to follow its own quest."

 

Toshiko stared at the back of the man who had rescued her from certain death. Maybe this was her chance to find out why he'd rescued her. "What is your quest, Captain?" she asked.

 

"I must kill a woman," was the deadly reply.

 

"D-does this walking corpse have a n-name?" she enquired nervously, noting just how isolated they really were.

 

Harkness turned around, a dangerous smile on his handsome face. "Her Grace, Gwyneth, Bishop of Eryrau."

 

Stunned at the revelation, Toshiko stammered out a reply, wishing she was anywhere but where she was. "I see. Well, y-you obviously have a lot to do and I've been enough of a burden." She began to back rapidly away from the clearly mad man in front of her. "I hope our paths cross again someday."

 

"I need you to help me." 

 

The Captain's voice stopped her in her tracks. She spun around and demanded, "Me? Why me? How can I help you to kill the Bishop?"

 

"You are just the person I need because, milady, you're good," the Captain grinned boyishly. "You are the only person to ever escape from there and I need you to guide me into the city."

 

"Not for the life of my mother, even if I knew who she was!" Toshiko exclaimed. "It was luck, pure luck that got me out of there. A once in a lifetime thing." She threw up her hands in exasperation. "I fell down a hole and followed my nose."

 

The Captain watched her speculatively. "I have waited almost two years for a sign. When I heard the warning bells of Eryrau, I knew it was time to fulfil my destiny. You, Toshiko the Dormouse, will be my guiding angel."

 

"Sir, there are strange forces at work in your life," she said. "Magical ones that surround you and the truth is they frighten me. You've given me my life; I can never repay you for that."

 

"Oh, but you can, little mouse," the Captain murmured. "You can and you will."

 

"I have no honour and never will have," Toshiko declared. "I don't think you are the type of man to kill me for being what I am."

 

She paused, watching the Captain closely. When he showed no signs of stopping her, she turned and started to walk away.

 

"But," she proclaimed. "Better that than to return to Eryrau."

 

Her escape was stopped cold when the Captain's sword whistled past her shoulder to bury its point in the trunk of a tree next to her. She watched it quiver in place and contemplated her options. Looking back to where the Captain sat on a fallen trunk, Toshiko saw his eyebrow quirk in challenge.

 

Reaching out to stop the unnerving movement of the sword next to her, she sighed and stuttered, "I'll – I'll just g-gather some w-wood for the fire, shall I?"

 

**********

 

The moon was full in the sky, playing hide and seek in the clouds. A wolf howled in the distance.

 

Bent low to the ground, a figure rushed through the brush, chasing a small rabbit. The animal darted into a bush at the base of a tree and the figure hurled itself to the ground, reaching an arm in to capture the small mammal.

 

"Gotcha," he murmured in satisfaction.

 

"Sir?"

 

The light voice startled him, allowing the rabbit to escape.

 

"Milord? Up here," the voice continued.

 

Looking around for the source of the mysterious voice, the man noticed that his planned dinner had escaped cleanly.

 

"Oh, damn it!" he exclaimed.

 

"Do you remember me?" Toshiko asked hopefully from her enforced perch in a tree.

 

Panting from the chase, the man chuckled softly. "What are you doing up there?"

 

"What am I doing?" she repeated, struggling against the ropes that bound her wrists. "Yes, you might very well ask that. The Bishop's guards, a dozen of them, we had a terrible fight."

 

"So why didn't they kill you?" the man queried dryly as he stood up. He brushed his tunic off and turned to face the little thief perched above him.

 

"Another good question," Toshiko reiterated, thinking fast. "I asked them the same thing."

 

"And?" the stranger asked, smirking at her predicament.

 

"And what?" Toshiko tilted her head in confusion.

 

"What did they say?" the man finished suspiciously.

 

Widening her eyes, the thief put on her best apprehensive face and replied, "Ah, they said that they wanted to save that honour for the Bishop herself."

 

"Oh, I see," he said, sarcastically raising his eyebrow and crossing his arms across his muscular chest.

 

"They're coming back," Toshiko warned.

 

The mysterious man chuckled again. "They are, are they?"

 

"Please, milord?" she begged, looking up into the tree. "A giant owl examined me quite closely not five minutes ago."

 

Still grinning, the stranger rested his hands on his hips and peered up at her.

 

"Please?" Toshiko implored sweetly.

 

Laughing loudly, he strode to the tree she was tied to and used his knife to cut her free.

 

"You're very kind," she teased saucily, climbing stiffly down from her roost in the tree branches.

 

The nearby howl of a wolf distracted the young man for a moment. He turned to search the woods, unconsciously rubbing his arms. Turning back to where the little thief had been standing, he saw that she had quickly disappeared.

 

Her voice floated back to him from the forest, filled with smug laughter. "Thank you very much, milord. Tell the Captain that he ties a wicked knot!"

 

"Oh," he sighed, leaning against the tree and running his hands through his dark hair. "Jack's going to kill me."


Chapter 5

 

 

The hawk's shrill cry greeted the Captain just after sunrise the next morning. He sat astride his black stallion, arm held up for the hawk to perch on.

 

"Good morning," he welcomed as the bird landed on his wrist. The hawk twittered to him and he smiled widely. "Let's go find Toshiko, shall we?"

 

*********

 

Hidden in the rocks above a small campsite, Toshiko watched for possible traps. Smoke was rising from a deserted fire and she frowned when she saw no one tending to it. Deciding that it would be safer for her away from the area, she crawled backwards slowly. Until she ran into an immovable object.

 

Reaching back, she felt fabric and strong muscles. Turning her head, the young thief opened her mouth to scream at the sight of the distinctive red tunics of the Bishop's guards.

 

Pulled roughly to her feet, she was dragged down the hill to the large tent pitched on the open plain.

 

"Well, well. What have we here?" It was the guard that had taunted her in the tavern; D'Couer's second-in-command, Andrew of Daffyd. Grabbing Toshiko's tunic, he pulled her close and leered down at her. "We're a long way from the sewers now, little rat," he sneered.

 

"Couldn't prove it from the smell of your breath," Toshiko muttered.

 

He backhanded her for her insolence. He smirked as he watched her wipe a trickle of blood from her lip. Jerking her close again, he asked, "Where is Harkness?"

 

"Harkness, Harkness…" she pretended to think. "Oh, yes! Big man? Black horse? I saw him riding south, toward Eryrau."

 

"Ha," one of the guards snorted. "Then we should ride north, Sir."

 

Toshiko glared at the man. "It's not polite to assume someone is a liar when you've only just met them."

 

"And yet…" Andrew narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "You knew we would." He laughed scornfully. "We ride south," he told his men.

 

Rolling her eyes, Toshiko mumbled to herself, "So much for telling the truth. How am I to learn any moral lessons if people keep confusing me like this?"

 

The guard who had captured her urged her toward his horse as the others began to break camp.

 

**********

 

Soaring high above the grassland, the hawk's shrill cry floated on the wind. The Captain's black cloak billowed in the breeze as he rode the stallion at a steady pace on the road to Eryrau.

 

He was uneasy as he approached the tiny settlement. As if attuned to his moods, the hawk glided in to light on his arm. Slowing his horse, he proceeded with caution; hand on the pommel of his sword.

 

A muffled cry sounded from close by, alerting him that not all was as it seemed. He lifted his arm to encourage the hawk to take flight.

 

Movement to his left had Harkness reaching for his crossbow, cocking it as he brought it up and aimed at the guard bearing down on him.

 

Shooting the first guard in the chest, he used his crossbow to knock another guard off his horse. He turned and saw two more guards with crossbows aimed directly at him.

 

A rock flew through the air and hit Andrew of Daffyd in the side of the head. Startled, the guard jerked back just as he pulled the trigger on his crossbow. 

 

The arrow flew high into the air. The Captain kept his attention on the two guards until he heard the scream of the hawk above him. Looking up, he saw the arrow had pierced the bird's body and the hawk was plummeting to the ground.

 

"No," he roared, his voice full of pain at the thought of losing his companion. He barely felt the burn of another arrow imbedding itself into his shoulder.

 

The guard who'd shot him spurred his horse for the Captain, raising his sword high above his head.  Overwhelmed with anguish and fury, Harkness grasped the shaft of the arrow in his shoulder and pulled it out. 

 

Thrusting the point into the stomach of the guard trying to kill him, his attention went back to the hawk. Falling out of the air, it landed heavily in the field. He saw Toshiko run towards the fallen raptor and turned his gaze to the remaining guard.

 

Drawing his sword, he stared coldly at the man he used to lead. He saw Andrew's emotions change from defiance to uncertainty and finally to fear.

 

Prodding his horse forward, Harkness raised his weapon. Seeing the Captain's implacable countenance, his opponent turned his own mount and galloped away.

 

Turning to where the hawk lay, he dismounted and approached the wounded bird slowly. He thrust his sword into the ground and dropped to his knees as the hawk chirruped in pain.

 

"Easy, easy," he soothed, gently stroking the creature's quivering feathers. He looked around for help and spotted Toshiko approaching hesitantly. "Get me a cloth," he demanded. "In my saddlebag. Hurry!"

 

He leant closer, caressing the injured bird's head. "Shh, it's all right," he whispered brokenly. "It's all right."

 

Toshiko ran back with a piece of linen in her hands, her face tight with concern.

 

Taking the cloth, Harkness gently started to wrap it around the hawk, whispering the entire time. "You'll be all right. It's okay, you're not going to leave me. Shh, you'll be just fine."

 

Lifting the swaddled bird, the Captain stood up and strode to Toshiko. Holding out the bundled hawk, he commanded, "Take him. Find help for him."

 

"Me, Sir?" Toshiko stammered, stepping back. "I…"

 

"You're the only one I have," Harkness pleaded.

 

"But, Sir, the poor thing is done for!"

 

The Captain grasped her tunic. "Don't you say that," he spat. He looked away for a moment. "Follow that road. You'll find a ruined castle," he instructed. "There's a monk there, named Owain. Give him the hawk and he will know what to do."

 

"Sir, I don't think you understand.." Toshiko began.

 

"Get on my horse," Harkness ordered.

 

Shaking her head, Toshiko said, "You're the only one that can ride him."

 

"You will do as I tell you," the Captain snarled. "Get on my horse. Now!"

 

Bowing her head in acquiescence, she turned and mounted the stallion standing nearby. She accepted the wounded hawk and grasped the reigns.

 

"Know this, Toshiko the Dormouse," the Captain advised with a feral look in his eyes. "If you fail, I will follow you all the rest of my days. And I. Will. Find. You. Now, go!"

 

Toshiko nudged the stallion with her heels and gripped the reigns tightly. Harkness slapped the horse to encourage it to go and watched as stallion and rider disappeared into the distance with their precious cargo.

 

Dropping to his knees in front of his sword imbedded in the ground, he grasped the cross-piece and rested his head against the hilt.

 

"Please," he whispered. "Please don't take him away from me, too."

Chapter 6

 

 

Toshiko tried to soothe the injured bird as the horse galloped across the plains. She shifted her arm slightly, cringing as the hawk chittered weakly.

 

"Shh, Heboca, you'll have help soon," she crooned. "The Captain told me where to find someone to make it better."

 

The sound of her voice seemed to calm the wounded animal so she kept talking to it.

 

"This is a strange situation," she mused. "So much mystery surrounds the Captain. And who is the man that only appears at night?"

 

She sighed as she once again envisioned the pale skin and haunting blue eyes of the unknown man she'd only seen twice.

 

The sun was sinking low on the horizon when Toshiko finally saw the ruined castle on a hillside. Her heart leapt at the sight and she looked down to share the discovery with her injured companion.

 

"There it is," she soothed. "We'll be there soon." She attempted to calm him down by stroking his head with her finger, but the hawk had other ideas. Toshiko yanked back her hand with a yell.

 

"Ouch! Well, that's gratitude for you," she sniped. "All right then, let this Owain fellow watch you die. I have my own life to look after."

 

She urged the horse up the hill towards the battered gates of the castle. Reaching the walls, she called out for someone, anyone, in the castle.

 

"Hello? Hello?" Her voice bounced back off the decrepit walls. Looking down, she noted that the hawk's chirps were getting weaker. Panicking, she yelled louder. "For pity's sake! Hello?"

 

A rough voice finally answered. "Hello, hello. What do you want down there?" The slight figure of a man stumbled into view, holding a wineskin and dressed in a wrinkled, stained monk's robe. He took a large swallow of the drink contained in the skin.

 

Great. He's a drunk, Toshiko thought to herself. Still, this is what the Captain had ordered her to do. She looked up and explained why she was there. "I've been told to bring you this bird. It's been wounded."

 

"Oh, good shot," the drunken man exclaimed. He motioned her forward. "Bring it in, we'll dine together."

 

Toshiko was horrified. "We can't eat this bird," she insisted.

 

"Well, why…oh God, is it Lent again?" the monk spluttered.

 

"This is no ordinary hawk, Father," she clarified. "It belongs to a man named Harkness."

 

Even from that distance Toshiko could see the monk's face go pale.

 

"Mother of God," he muttered, before waving his arms frantically, pointing toward the gate. "Bring him in! Quickly, quickly."

 

The monk grasped the handle of the windlass and began to lower the dilapidated drawbridge.

 

Toshiko dismounted carefully, trying not to jar the hawk as much as possible. "Stay," she told the stallion before walking up to the gate. 

 

"Up here, Lass," the monk called. "Hurry!"

 

As she approached the dishevelled cleric, Toshiko saw the fear and regret on his face. His glance took in the shaft of the arrow rising cruelly out of the bird's breast.

 

"This way," he muttered. "Follow me." 

 

Keeping her eyes on the ground to avoid stumbling on the rubble strewn everywhere, Toshiko almost ran into the man when he suddenly stopped at the edge of a rickety bridge. She looked at him questioningly.

 

"Be careful, now," his gruff voice instructed. "Stay to the left. Always to the left."

 

Rolling her eyes at the state of disrepair the place was in, she followed him across the bridge carefully. On the left. They finally arrived at the destination the priest was making for. Toshiko entered the room still cradling the hurt bird in her arms.

 

Father Owain pointed toward the pallet and blankets across the room. "There," he said. "Put him over there."

 

Toshiko gently laid the hawk on the bedding, making soothing noises under her breath and the bird cried out in pain. Standing up reluctantly, she turned to the monk that had come up behind her.

 

"Now leave us," he commanded, eyes never straying from the wounded bird.

 

"C-can't I help?" Toshiko stammered.

 

"Go out, lass," he grated.

 

Looking back down at the hawk, she nodded, turned and left the room. As she left she saw the priest kneel next to the bird and strained to hear the quiet words he spoke.

 

"Don't be frightened," he told the injured animal. "Harkness was right. I know what to do."

 

*********

 

A short while later Toshiko watched as the priest locked the door and walked off muttering to himself. Making sure he was out of sight, she jumped lightly down from the broken wall she was crouching on and picked the rusty lock on the door.

 

She hesitated, her hand on the latch, when she heard a wolf howl mournfully in the distance. Slowly opening the door, she latched it behind her before turning to look at the bed in the corner.

 

Her eyes widened in shock at the sight that met her eyes. Instead of the wounded hawk, she saw the mystery man from the other night. 

 

He was lying on the pallet which had been dragged next to the fire. His skin gleamed like alabaster in the firelight, his modesty preserved by a large animal skin thrown across his torso. The shaft of an arrow was sticking out of his shoulder.

 

He lifted his head to see who had entered the room and Toshiko ducked her head and turned to leave. She'd reached the door when he spoke.

 

"Jack…is he…?"

 

Toshiko turned her head slightly and answered, "He's fine." She watched as relief flooded the young man's face. "He's just fine, milord."

 

She turned to face him, not daring to get any closer. "There was a terrible battle, but Captain Harkness fought like a lion." She paused, wondering if she dared bring up anything else. Curiosity won out and she stepped closer.

 

"The-the hawk was struck," she continued watching him closely. "You know that, don't you?"

 

"Yes," he whispered, clenching his fists in pain.

 

Toshiko stood next to the pile of skins that he rested on. "Are you flesh?" she asked. "Or are you spirit?"

 

Blue eyes regarded her, suffering plain on his face until he turned away, murmuring, "I am sorrow."

 

Choking back a sob, the little thief turned and ran out of the room, brushing past the priest on her way out. Once in the cool night air, she leant against the wooden doorframe and closed her eyes, silent tears running down her cheeks.


Chapter 7

 

 

Toshiko brought a cup of ale to the priest, trying to forget the sound of the young man's scream as the arrow was pulled from his body. She shivered as a wolf howled in the distance.

 

"It's him, isn't it?" she asked. "The wolf. Somehow it's Harkness."

 

"Drink," Father Owain directed. "Drink. Forget."

 

"An hour ago you were drunk and you remembered," Toshiko insisted. 

 

Owain looked at her curiously. "What do they call you, lass?"

 

"Toshiko Sato," she replied.

 

"Ah. His name," Owain began, tilting his head to where the young man lay. "His name is Ianto ap Joenns. His father was the Viscount Joenns, an intemperate man. He died in Jerusalem, fighting with King Richard."

 

They seated themselves next to the small fire Toshiko had built in the courtyard.

 

"Ianto came to live with a cousin, I think, in Eryrau," the priest continued. "I'll never forget the first time I saw him," he said. "He was fencing with another young man, laughing; his blue eyes sparkling with life."

 

Owain smiled in remembrance. "All the ladies of the court were a little in love with him, but he showed no interest in anyone. His heart was already lost, you see." Owain paused and took a sip of his ale. "To the Captain of the Guard."

 

"Harkness," Toshiko breathed, her own cup hovering just below her lips.

 

"Aye," the priest continued sadly. "They had to keep their love a secret. Many would condemn it as unnatural and wrong. It didn't help that the Bishop of Eryrau wanted Jackson Harkness for herself."

 

"The Bishop was in love with the Captain?" Toshiko exclaimed in surprise.

 

"Yes, as near as that evil woman could come to it," Owain admitted bitterly. "Her passion was a sort of madness and Harkness would have nothing to do with her."

 

He stared into his cup morosely and threw a branch into the fire.

 

"Her Grace knew nothing of their love, although she saw it grow stronger every day." Owain sighed. "Until…"

 

Toshiko waited for him to continue. He drank deeply, finishing his ale and allowing the cup to dangle from his fingers. When he remained quiet, she stood up and grabbed the wineskin, refilling his cup.

 

"Until..?" she encouraged.

 

"They were betrayed," he said, his voice wooden and eyes full of regret. He sighed. "They shared the same confessor – a weak and foolish creature. One day, in a drunken confession to his superior, he committed a mortal sin."

 

Toshiko's heart sank at his words. She placed her small hand on his arm, encouraging him to continue.

 

"He revealed the lovers' secret vows to the Bishop," he murmured. "He didn't realise what he'd done at first. Or the terrible revenge the Bishop would take. Her Grace seemed to go mad. She lost what little sanctity and reason she had left. She swore if she couldn't have Harkness, then no one would"

 

He shook his head at the memory of Gwyneth's anger. "Harkness and Ianto fled from Eryrau. But the Bishop followed them, never more than an hour behind them."

 

Throwing the rest of his drink into the fire, Owain looked Toshiko in the eyes. "She is an evil woman; and a powerful one. She's feared throughout the land and rejected even by Rome herself. She called upon the powers of Darkness for the means to damn the lovers."

 

Toshiko's eyes were wide, transfixed by the story she was being told.

 

"In her fury and frustration," the priest continued. "She struck a dreadful bargain…with the Evil One."

 

They both jumped as the wolf's lonely cry sounded again, closer this time.

 

"The dark powers of Hell spat up a terrible curse and you have seen it working," Owain told her. "By day, Ianto is the powerful hawk that you brought me. And by night, as you've already guessed, the voice of the wolf that we hear is the cry of Harkness.

 

"Poor, dumb creatures with no memory of the half-life of their human existence." A single tear rolled down his face. "Never touching in the flesh. Only the anguish of a split second at sunrise and sunset when they can almost touch – but not."

 

"Always together," Toshiko faltered. "Eternally apart."

 

Owain nodded in resignation. "As long as the sun rises and sets; as long as there is day and night. And for as long as they both shall live."

 

A mournful cry called in the darkness.

 

"You have stumbled onto a tragic story, Toshiko the Dormouse," Owain sighed. "And now, whether you like it or not, you are lost in it with the rest of us."

 

He rose unsteadily to his feet and stumbled away into the darkness, leaving Toshiko staring into the dying flames of the fire and listening to the desolate cry of the wolf.


Chapter 8

 

 

Toshiko sat with her back to the wall, watching Ianto sleep. His sleep was restless. His head tossed in agitation; sighs and whimpers filled the air. She wondered what he dreamt of. Was it a nightmare, full of fear and anger? Or was he dreaming of being held in the arms of his lover?

 

A frown wrinkled his brow and a low moan sounded in his throat as he opened his eyes and tried to sit up.

 

"Don't," the little thief cautioned softly. "Don't try to move about, you'll start bleeding again."

 

Slumping back onto the bed of skins, the young man studied her with solemn blue eyes. Ianto took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

 

"Tell me your name," he entreated.

 

She smiled bashfully and looked down. "Most people call me Toshiko the Dormouse."

 

"You travel with him, don't you?" Ianto asked quietly.

 

"Yes," she replied, nodding slightly. She felt like she should say something else, but wasn't sure what.

 

Ianto smiled briefly at her, his eyes full of longing before turning his head away.

 

"'You must save this hawk,' he said," Toshiko began. She wanted to do something to ease the sadness in those melancholy eyes. "'He is my life. My last and best reason for living.'"

 

Her shoulders slumped as his gaze remain fixed on a dark corner of the ceiling. Not giving up, she continued, "And then he said, ‘One day, we'll know such happiness. Happiness that most people can only dream of.'"

 

"He said that?" Ianto asked. He turned his head to look at Toshiko, a gleam of hope kindling in his eyes.

 

She nodded, smiling brightly. "I swear it on my life."

 

Toshiko watched as a tender smile curved his lips and his eyes began to shine with quiet delight. Grinning to herself, she grabbed her heavy tunic and stood up. 

 

As she opened the door, a soft voice behind her whispered, "Thank you, Toshiko the Dormouse."

 

*********

 

"Does he know?" Toshiko asked, stepping down to where Father Owain sat gazing unseeingly over the parapet.

 

"Know what?" Owain replied.

 

"That you were the person that betrayed them," she stated, struggling to put the warm, homespun tunic on over her head.

 

Ignoring the truth of her words, the priest climbed up to where Toshiko perched on a ruined wall. "There will be an end to it at last," he pronounced. "God has shown me how to undo the mistake that I made. After two years, He has brought us together again."

 

Sighing in annoyance, Toshiko smoothed her tunic down and looked crossly at the baffling cleric. "That is a singularly unenlightening response," she groused. "Are you drunk, again? Make yourself clear, if you can."

 

"I have found a way a way to break the curse," he breathed, a smile transforming his plain face to almost handsome. "And the time for Harkness to confront the Bishop and begin his life again."

 

"He intends to confront Her Grace," Toshiko replied sarcastically. "He plans to kill her with his family sword."

 

"But he can't do that," Owain exclaimed. "If he kills her, the curse can never be broken…"

 

The sound of horses from the road below drew their attention. Hearing the shouts of several men, they realised that the Bishop's guards were approaching.

 

"Go, quickly," Father Owain snapped. "Take care of Ianto and find a place for you both to hide."

 

Toshiko rushed toward the room where Ianto rested. She could hear the guards demanding entrance in the name of the Bishop and Owain's mocking reply, but her attention was focused on helping the injured man that had been entrusted to her care.

 

"Milord?" She nudged the sleeping man gently, not wanting to cause further pain to his shoulder. "Milord, please."

 

Ianto frowned slightly at the sound of her voice and stretched, not quite awake.  "What is it?" he asked sleepily.

 

"Shh, don't talk," Toshiko cautioned him. "Just come with me."

 

As they ran, looking for a hiding place, they could hear soldiers' voices shouting and the sound of falling bodies. They grinned at each other as they realised Father Owain had several traps prepared for the unwary visitor.

 

"Hurry, in here, milord," Toshiko urged, guiding Ianto to a door in one of the disused towers. 

 

Running inside, she almost pushed him up the rickety staircase. Bursting out onto a walkway between two towers, they saw two guards knock Father Owain out and head their way.

 

"Go back," Ianto hissed, thrusting Toshiko behind him toward the door they'd just come through.

 

A shout from the guards alerted them that they'd been spotted as they hurried up the winding stairs. Reaching the top, they crawled through the trap-door onto the turret.

 

Toshiko kicked out at the soldier that had grabbed her foot in an attempt to stop them escaping. She gave a satisfied smirk when she felt bone give away beneath her heel and heard the man yell as he fell back down the stairs.

 

When she emerged on the roof, Ianto slammed the trap-door down and looked frantically for another escape route. Toshiko rushed to find a way to block the trap-door, but before she could, the other guard started to come through.

 

Leaping on top of the door, she managed to push the guard back down and latch the door shut. She ran to look over the parapet, hoping for an escape route or a place to hide.

 

"They're after me, little mouse," Ianto murmured hoarsely. 

 

"Don't be too sure about that," Toshiko scoffed. "You're not the only one the Bishop is after."

 

Ianto stood up and backed away from the trap-door. "I need a weapon," he muttered, grasping a stone embedded in the wall and trying to pry it loose.

 

Toshiko crouched over the door to make sure the latch was holding. The guard below poked his sword through a crack in the boards and caused her to stumble back to avoid being stabbed. 

 

Her momentum carried her crashing into Ianto, who was still bending over trying to wrest a stone out of the wall. Already in a precarious position, Toshiko's weight knocked him further off-balance and sent him plummeting over the edge of the tower.

 

"Ianto!" Toshiko screamed. She rushed to the side and looked over to see the young man dangling by his fingertips from the ledge. She braced her feet against the wall and reached down to grasp his hands.

 

"Toshiko, don't," Ianto gasped. "You'll be pulled over, too."

 

"I won't let you fall," Toshiko panted, struggling to help him. She made a small sound of distress as his right hand slipped off the ledge and out of her reach. Holding his left hand in both of hers, she could feel his weight starting to pull her over the edge.

 

"Toshiko," his deep voice was calm. "Let me go, little mouse."

 

She could hear the soldier pounding on the trap-door, but the sound seemed to be coming from a great distance. Her entire world was focused on the feel of his hand in hers and the resigned serenity in his blue eyes.

 

"Tell Jack…" His hand slipped and Toshiko could see that his shoulder was bleeding again. "Tell Jack that I lo…"

 

"Nooo!" Toshiko screamed as his hand slipped out of hers and he fell through the air. 

 

Tears blurred her vision as she watched him plummet to the ground, his yells echoing in her ears. The rising sun shone into her eyes, distorting his image, making it look like he was surrounded by feathers. 

 

She blinked and when she opened her eyes again, the hawk soared up into the sky, his wild cry rebounding from the distant hills. Toshiko gazed in wonder at the miracle she'd just witnessed, only coming back to herself when she heard the trap-door crash open behind her.

 

**********

 

Silence greeted the Bishop's guard as he crawled out onto the empty turret. He approached the parapet and cautiously looked over the edge.

 

Toshiko sat astride a stone gargoyle that jutted out from the castle wall. Her eyes where tightly shut and her arms spread against the rough stone of the wall, vainly grasping for a handhold.

 

"Where is Ianto ap Joennes?" the guard demanded.

 

"He flew away," Toshiko replied wonderingly.

 

"Don't lie to me," the guard insisted, raising his sword threateningly. "Now tell me where he is."

 

"I'm not lying, he flew away," she replied irritably while cringing away from the weapon and covering her eyes.

 

The soldier raised his weapon and prepared to bring it down on her head. Suddenly there was a whistling sound and a wet kind of thud. Toshiko lowered her hands from her eyes in time to watch the guard topple over the parapet, a cross-bow bolt buried in his chest. 

 

She searched the hills looking for her saviour and saw the hawk wheel across the morning sky to light on the Captain's arm. He sat astride his big, black horse, the weak autumn sunlight catching the highlights of his dark hair.

 

Drained, Toshiko half-heartedly waved at the man who had saved her life twice now and slumped back against the wall.

 

"Thank you," she whispered. "But what took so damn long?"


 Chapter 9

 

 

Hearing voices, Toshiko ducked into an alcove and watched the scene unfolding in front of her.

 

Father Owain sat on a pile of rubble and drank from his wineskin. Captain Harkness sat astride his stallion, stroking the hawk's feathered head with his finger.

 

"I have to say, there have been times these past two years where I wished you were dead, Owain," Harkness growled to the other man. "But for this…" His gaze softened as it turned toward the hawk. 

 

"Thank you," he murmured. "He means the world to me."

 

"I'm the one that should be thankful," Owain replied. "To have the chance to redeem myself and save both you and Ianto. God has shown me how to break the curse and set you free."

 

"What are you talking about, you drunken lout?" the Captain demanded. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You've betrayed us once already. I warn you…"

 

The priest stood up and made his way to where the Captain sat on his horse. "In three days time, the Bishop will hear the confessions of the clergy in the cathedral in Eryrau," Father Owain interrupted. "All you have to do is confront her, both of you as men and the curse will be broken."

 

"That's impossible," Harkness said flatly.

 

"As long as there is night and day? No," the priest agreed. "But in Eryrau in three days time there will be a night without a day and a day without a night."

 

Toshiko frowned in confusion at the cleric's words. What could they mean? Still, after everything she'd seen since meeting up with Captain Harkness, she wasn't about to discount any possibility.

 

"Go back inside, you fool," the Captain spat. "Go back to your drink."

 

"You think I'm drunk?" Owain roared. "I'm telling you that God has forgiven me. He has shown me…"

 

"He hasn't forgiven you." Harkness glowered at the man that had ruined his life in a fit of pride. "If anything, He's made you insane."

 

Even from across the footbridge, Toshiko could see the priest's shoulders slump in defeat. Darting out, she ran across the bridge and called out to the Captain.

 

"Sir? Sir!" she shouted, trying to get the man's attention. She patted Owain on the shoulder as she passed and murmured, "It's alright, Father."

 

Running after the departing rider, she called out again. "Sir?" She saw the Captain heave a great sigh as he pulled the stallion to a stop. His wintery blue gaze turned to her, one eyebrow raised in question. 

 

"H-how's your shoulder?" she stammered.

 

The Captain looked away, his glance lingering on the hawk. "I'm in your debt," he muttered.

 

"Me, Sir?" Toshiko was incredulous. She looked down shyly. "No, oh no. H-he wanted me to deliver a message, Captain."

 

Harkness's gaze flew back to her face. Suspicion, hope and a terrible longing filling his cobalt blue eyes.

 

"He wanted me to tell you that he still has hope, Sir," she continued. "He still has faith in you. He said that, in spite of everything, he wouldn't change knowing you, loving you, for the world."

 

A tender smile crossed the Captain's face at her words, transforming him from the solemn, former captain of the guard to a young man in love.

 

"You're free to go," he said quietly.

 

Toshiko nodded. "I know that, Sir."

 

"You may do as you like," the Captain assured her.

 

"Yes, Sir," she averred quickly, thinking fast. "Will you and Milord Heboca be continuing toward Eryrau, then?"

 

"Milord Heboca?" Captain Harkness asked, amused.

 

Toshiko just grinned up at him.

 

Rolling his eyes, the Captain answered her question. "Yes, we will."

 

"Well," she said mischievously. "It just so happens that I'm heading in that general direction myself."

 

"Really?" Harkness drawled, a smirk twitching the corners of his mouth. "Then you better grab your things, I'm leaving right now."

 

"Yes, Sir," Toshiko replied, smiling brightly. "Right away, Sir."

 

She turned to sprint back to the castle, catching the Captain's grin from the corner of her eye. She glanced behind her as she neared the priest.

 

"Owain," she lowered her voice. "I'm leaving with the Captain. Follow behind us."

 

**********

 

Running behind the Captain's horse, Toshiko contemplated her hastily made plan.

 

"What if the priest is right?" she called. "About breaking the curse? If you and Ianto could face the Bishop together, as men…"

 

"You will not talk about this to me again," the Captain ordered. "Not to me and definitely not to Ianto. Understood?"

 

"Yes, Sir," she sighed.

 

**********

 

Dusk was approaching as thunder rumbled overhead. Toshiko looked up at the darkening sky from her seat on the stallion's back.

 

"Looks like it's going to be a big storm tonight, Captain," she commented. "We're going to get soaked."

 

"Find shelter," he directed. He lifted the arm that the hawk was perched on, urging the bird to go to Toshiko. "It's almost sundown."

 

"How can you tell?" she asked, looking at the sky.

 

He chuckled. "After so many sunsets?" He held the bird up to her. "Take care of Milord Heboca. He's stubborn, but he needs someone to look after him. He takes care of everyone else but himself."

 

Toshiko nodded and urged the horse forward.

 

"Tell him," the Captain paused. "Tell him I love him."

***

Next part of Heboca.