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"A Hidden Heart "Written By: Hemlock Inyx Disclaimer: This chick does not own any of the
Gundam Wing characters because they belong to Bandai and Sunrise.
I am borrowing them for this fict and will return them in good (if
somewhat sticky) condition.This fict is written out of love and not
for profit, don't sue. Thanks and enjoy! Rating: NC 17 Warnings: yaoi, lemon, midieval alternate universe,
some angst, violence Pairings: 5x2, 4xH, 13xS Summary: They called him Milliardo's Dragon. A warrior bold as the Chinese legend, his temper as fiery; Lord Chang Wufei was the prince's right hand. Men of power quaked at word of his arrival, for he was the sword to carry out Milliardo's judgement. 'Twas rumored he'd do any deed at the prince's bidding, avenge any slight to his master's name. Only Milliardo had the might to direct the Dragon's fury, to shape thr form of his vengeance. Or so the prince believed. But shrouded deep beneath that scaly hide, the dragon's true nature slumbered. Obscured by fire. Hidden from harm. Burried beyond reach of pain. Until he met him. The boy with the power to free the heart of the Dragon.
"A Hidden Heart "
Chapter 16 If he could keep his legs off the bed, Wufei thought, he just might survive this torture without robbing Duo of his virtue. Though it would be a near thing. He desired Duo more than he'd ever wanted any other person in his life. Duo’s hands were never still. He touched him constantly, running his fingertips through his hair and along the edge of his jaw, nibbling at his lips. He managed to untie the neckline of Wufei’s shirt without his noticing until Duo ran his fingers across his chest. // Why does he permit me to kiss him so passionately? And why is he practically undressing me? He has to know where this will lead. Even if he doesn't, I do. // Wufei broke off the kiss, lingering over it, reluctant for it to end. But this time, he resolved, this time they'd go from passion to reason without anger or hurt feelings. "You smell so sweet," he murmured. "Like flowers." "Lilies," Duo whispered. "I love the scent of Lilies." Wufei nuzzled the soft skin below Duo’s ear, making him shiver. "Do you like that?" "Yes." He sighed. "Can't you tell?" "Yes. But I like to hear you tell me what you like." Duo’s eyes looked huge. "Tell you?" A tide of pink swept up his neck and into his cheeks. "I don't know if I can do that." "I wish--" The door creaked open, accompanied by the sound of Sally singing. Wufei grabbed the edge of the sheet and yanked it over Duo's body; pulling so hard it came un-tucked. Sally tripped over his boots and tumbled to the floor. She sat up, cursing, and tossed a boot aside. "What are you doing here?" she demanded. "Duo, is he forcing his attentions on you? For if he is, I'll set Treize after him-- No, I'll take care of him myself." She got up off the floor and straightened her dress, indignation written in her face and stance. "He's a decent lad, Wufei. I'll thank you to--" "That’s enough, Sally." Wufei remained kneeling on the far side of the bed, though he would have preferred to stand. However, that might prove embarrassing--to Duo, at least. His body hadn't recovered from his kisses. And he knew that despite his sister's protestations, nothing much shocked her. This was for Duo's benefit, not his. He chuckled. "Is this turnabout on purpose? It seems to me that I walked in on you and Treize once. And you were doing a hell of a lot more than kissing, if I recall correctly." He stroked his fingers along Duo's flushed cheek. Sally's face was nearly as red, he noted. "At least I had the decency to knock first. Can you say the same?" Duo gently pushed Wufei’s hand aside and sat up, tugging the sheet with him when he got off the bed. "I'm sure she never expected to find you here, Wufei." His eyes downcast, his face still delightfully pink, Duo picked up a robe from the foot of the bed and slipped it on, tying the belt before he turned toward him. "I was surprised to find you here," he admitted. Sally stood watching them for a moment, then picked up his boots and held them out to him. Seeing no help for it, Wufei took them and slipped them on. "Duo and I have things to do," she told him. "I'm certain you can find some way to occupy yourself until dinner. Treize is waiting for you in the hall, I believe, if you'd care to join him." It seemed she had the morning mapped out--for each of them. "Anything else?" Wufei asked dryly. "Am I permitted to dress, or eat, before I take up my agenda?" "Yes, milord Dragon," Sally said, with a laugh and a formal curtsy. She turned to Duo. "You cannot allow him to go his own way too often. He becomes unbearable, awestruck by his own power." Wufei returned to Duo's side and laid his hand on his arm. "Don't let her bully you," he warned. He bent and kissed him softly on the lips. "She knows all about how power can corrupt, believe me." Scowling at his sister, Wufei sent her a mocking salute. "Until dinner," he said as he left the room. As soon as Wufei left, Lady Sally began to bustle about the chamber, a fact that Duo appreciated greatly. It gave him an opportunity to collect himself. He'd been mortified when Lady Sally entered the room and caught them. His face still felt as though it were on fire. He didn't know how Wufei could be so calm, so quickly. Perhaps he'd had practice, Duo thought with a frown. "I trust it's not my brother who displeases you," Lady Sally said, placing a tunic and undershirt on the rumpled bed. "You must not take our taunting and teasing to heart. My brother is very dear to me, though he doesn't like me to show it. We snipe and jape, but it means nothing." "I understand," Duo said. But he wasn't certain he did. Such experience was far beyond his experience. He hadn't spent any time with people his own age. All he knew was the more impersonal, formalized ritual of the church. "Tell me of your life at Saint Winifred's." "There's very little to tell, milady." "Please, call me Sally. We are cousins, after all. And who knows, perhaps we might someday be more," Sally said with an odd smile. Duo wasn't certain what she meant, so he smiled in return. "Though I never intended to join the priesthood, my life at the church was very structured. It was an endless series of days, each like the one before." Duo finally felt comfortable enough to take a seat on the bed. "I've had more excitement in the weeks since I left than I had in the fifteen years I lived there." "You must have been desperate, to leave the church on your own. You were fortunate to have made it to the Sank castle safely. It’s a dangerous world for a young man traveling alone." She looked away for a moment, her face sad. "It’s dangerous for anyone." Duo didn't know what to say in response. "Everywhere I went, people were kind. Of course, I wore a novice's habit for most of my journey. Evidently nuns don't make very good victims, since they have nothing to steal." "Weren't you concerned some man might mistake you for a true woman and try to steal your virtue?" Duo had to laugh at that. "Milady, the only man who has even come close to trying is the Dragon. And he is too decent to take what he knows he should not have." Sally snorted. "If you allow him into your chamber as you did this morning, your virtue won't last much longer. He's a man of deep passions, though from what I've seen, he doesn't usually pay much attention to that appetite," she said frankly. Eager to change the subject, Duo picked up the lovely dark red undershirt, but he hesitated. He wasn't used to dressing in front of anyone. "Let me help you," Sally offered. "Sometimes the lacing can be difficult." “It’s not necessary. I'm used to doing for myself." Indeed, the idea of having servants---or anyone--help him with such basic tasks seemed foreign to Duo. But then, nearly everything about life in the outside world seemed strange. Sally sat down beside him on the bed. "You're not an anonymous boarder at Saint Winifred's any longer, Duo. You are the son of two noble families. As such, you must become accustomed to servants. You'll find that there are any number of duties and obligations to go along with the benefits of our station. One of those duties is to provide work for our dependents." She picked up the undershirt. "I came to help you today, instead of sending a page, because I didn't think you'd be comfortable with a servant's help. But that will change, I am certain." What objection could he raise? Duo appreciated Sally's consideration. It would be churlish to refuse her help. Duo slipped out of the robe and allowed Sally to assist him into the undershirt and Tunic. "You're right," he admitted once he saw the laces running from armpit to hip on each side of the tunic. "I'd never be able to lace this up myself. The clothes I wore at the church weren't so complicated." His life hadn't been so complicated, he thought later in the day. Duo had accompanied Sally as she attended to her morning duties. He couldn't help but be amazed at the number and variety of the details Sally was responsible for. After visiting the kitchen and the infirmary, and inspecting the weaving, they'd met with the priest. All before midday. And Sally had said they had far more to do in the afternoon. The faster pace at Ashby frightened him. // Was this how a nobles lived? // Church life had not prepared Duo, but then, why would they have expected that he'd ever need to know how to manage a household such as this? Although he was surprised Milliardo hadn't planned for that, as well. They joined the others in the great hall as the gong called everyone to dinner. Seated at the high table between Wufei and Lord Treize, Duo felt as though all eyes were upon him. As Wufei handed him the wine goblet they would share, he asked, "Is it always like this?" "What do you mean?" "Does everyone always stare?" Duo glanced up from their trencher. "They'll likely stop, once they're used to you." He took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "Did it ever occur to you that they might be staring because you're beautiful?" "Me?" Duo met his gaze. "Do you think so?" // Is he blind? // The Norman style of dress, with its tightly laced tunic, became him well. The dark red and black silks brought out the reddish tints in his braided hair, and intensified the violet of his eyes. But the image that clung to Wufei’s mind was the way he'd looked this morning. Duo’s hair spread out over the pillows, his silk shirt slipping off one lovely soft shoulder... Wufei picked up the goblet and drained the wine, hoping to cool his ardor. However, that wasn't likely to happen with Duo seated at his side, smelling of flowers and smiling at him. By the time the meal was over, Wufei feared he'd not be able to stand without embarrassing himself. Simply listening to the soft murmur of Duo's voice as he answered Treize's questions kept the fire in his blood simmering. // Perhaps it’s time for this interlude to end. // They couldn't stay here. Wufei doubted there would be any danger from Milliardo, but it was a chance he'd rather not take. Especially since he'd learned that Sally was carrying her first child. The thought filled him with joy. For so long, her life had been dark with pain, until Treize had brought her into the light of happiness. For that alone, Wufei would have liked the German lord. It was good fortune, indeed, that Khushrenada had turned out to be a man he could both like and respect. He'd not repay them by putting their lives and their home in jeopardy. Once again Treize had brought up the subject of marriage. "He's beautiful, desirable, intelligent--What more could you wish for in a mate? And you'd be protecting him--and his sister." Wufei could see the benefit in it, to everyone else, but the person who might benefit least was Duo. Wufei might be wrong about Milliardo's intentions. Perhaps Duo could find a spouse who would be to his liking and Milliardo's. And Treize might be wrong about Duo's feelings for him. He desired him, to some extent. But as ignorant as Duo was about relationships, he might not recognize those feelings for what they were. Duo might, as many young people tended to do, believe that lust was something more, the courtly love the French blathered on about. How could he ask him to share his life, when he didn't know what that meant anymore? Depending on the degree of Milliardo's anger with him, he might not have a life to offer the boy. Wufei took Duo’s hand in his to help him up from the bench. "Will you walk with me in the garden, milord?" Duo looked surprised--at Wufei’s formal tone, maybe--but he nodded and let himself be lead outside. Sally had made a walled garden, dormant now, in a sheltered corner near the tower. They could speak privately there, without fear of being overheard. Despite the sun, Duo shivered, so Wufei wrapped his cloak about him and settled Duo on a bench. Too restless to sit, Wufei stood in the path before him, fighting the childish urge to dig at the crushed stone with the toe of his boot. He didn't know how to begin, but Duo solved that problem for him. "Will we be able to stay here long?" he asked. "I don't think so. Milliardo will look for us here eventually. Unless we leave the area altogether, there are few places where his arm does not reach." Duo glanced at the herbs scattered about the beds before settling his gaze on his face. "You should take me back, Wufei. Make your peace with your overlord. I've gotten what I wanted. I know now who I am. And I've gained a family besides. Don't you know how happy that makes me? It’s more than I ever dared hope for." Duo laid his hand on his arm. "It grieves me to know what you could lose, because of me." "I thought you wanted to meet your sister," Wufei reminded him. "Once some time has passed, perhaps it will be safe for Hilde to come to me, wherever Milliardo sends me. We'll have a chance to meet, to know each other." "Not if Hilde is dead," he said flatly. He steeled himself against the pain that darkened Duo’s eyes. Better to be cruel now than to watch him grieve for Hilde later. "So long as you live, Milliardo has a chance to gain Maxwell Abby. If I were to take you back, I can guarantee you'd be wed in no time--a matter of weeks, at most. And the woman or man will be of Milliardo's choosing, not your own. He'll want someone loyal only to him. If you're lucky, the person could be fairly young, and not too stupid, although I wouldn't count on that." Tears filled Duo’s eyes, tears Wufei knew he would not allow to fall. "Why are you doing this, Dragon?" He winced. For the first time, Duo said the name with the same degree of fear---or was it loathing?--he heard in others' voices when they spoke of him. He felt lower than a snake, but that didn't matter. Duo was all that mattered now. If he knew Duo was safe from Milliardo's plots and schemes, he didn't care if he loathed him. So long as he did not fear him. That Wufei could not bear. "In all my years of carrying out Milliardo's vengeance, I never stopped to consider those I might have hurt. But I cannot harm you, Duo. And if I take you back, fall in with his plan, I will." He turned his back on him and stared at a withered shrub. "There is only one way I can think of to protect you and Hilde." He whirled to face Duo, pinning him with his gaze. "Masquerade as a women and marry me, Duo. As your husband, it will be my duty to keep you from harm. And Milliardo will learn that even I have limits to what I will do for him." He looked and sounded so torn, Duo could not bear it. "Wufei, please." He held his hand out in supplication. "Sit here with me, so that we may talk." Reluctantly, it seemed, Wufei joined him on the bench, his shoulders hunched forward--though not against the cold. Duo could see the fire burning in his eyes. // But who is he angry with? Me? Milliardo? Or himself?. // How could Duo let him face life alone? Wufei considered himself unworthy of happiness, of a life of his own. Duo’s heart began to trip faster as he examined the opportunity fate had given him. He wanted Wufei’s happiness, more than his own. He would find a way to give Wufei what anyone else would consider his right. A home, a mate, another's heart. // Could love tame a dragon? // Duo smoothed his hand over Wufei’s back and shoulders in a soothing motion, until he felt the muscles beneath his palm relax. They sat there for a time in silence, the twittering of birds and the muted sounds of Ashby a restful accompaniment to their thoughts. Finally Duo could see that Wufei's face had settled into its usual lines and color had returned to ride along his sharply defined cheekbones. He watched his face, seeking knowledge of the man he would join his life with, even if he had to pretend to be a woman to do so. Wufei lifted his gaze to Duo’s face and caught him staring, sending a wave of heat over his face and neck. His onyx eyes, dark and intense, inspected him as carefully as Duo had done to him. His fingers crept up and stopped the restful movement of Duo’s hand, capturing his fingers and slowly carrying them to his lips. "Have you decided?" he asked, watching him over their linked hands. Wufei pressed a lingering kiss on his fingertips. "Will you be my bride?" "Are you certain you wish it?" Wufei nodded. "And you won't regret it?" "Never." That one word, so earnestly said, gave Duo the strength to decide. "Yes, milord Dragon, I will wed you." A surge of excitement fired his blood. "Whenever you will." His eyes never leaving Duo’s, Wufei lowered his head and brought his lips to bear ever so gently upon his. His kiss was a solemn vow, sealing their agreement with an irrevocable bond. Duo felt his flesh tingle where they touched--their mouths and the fingers of one hand--and felt an answering spark deep within him. He moaned from the intensity of it. "Will you be my mate in all ways?" Wufei whispered. "Will you let me make you mine, in truth?" Beyond speech, beyond thought, he nodded. "Will you wed me now, Duo? Before God and my family? Khushrenada's priest will marry us, so long as you're truly willing." He kissed Duo’s fingertips once again, his lips lingering as his eyes made promises of passion barely checked. Duo allowed him to lead him from the garden to go in search of his sister. They found Sally and Treize in Sally's sitting room--waiting for them, it seemed. Duo watched as the two men exchanged glances. Treize nodded, looking satisfied, then came forward and took Duo’s hands in his. "Are you sure, Duo?" Startled, he glanced quickly at Wufei. "He knows already, Duo," Wufei said. He wouldn't meet his eyes. "It was his suggestion." Duo felt his heart plummet to his toes, taking with it all his hope and joy. Marrying him was another duty to the Dragon, little more. Wufei could accept that he did want him--his body--but as for anything else... He'd be a fool if he looked for more. Resolution stiffened Duo’s spine--and his resolve. He wanted Wufei. He wanted to tame the Dragon, he thought, savoring the frisson of excitement dancing over his flesh. And if this was the only way he could get him, then so be it. Duo could be patient. He'd make him want more. "Yes, milord. I'm sure it’s what I want," he said, smiling reassuringly at Treize. He was surprised by the approval he saw in Treize’s eyes. He appeared to be genuinely happy for them. Sally embraced her brother, then came forward to wrap her arms about Duo, as well. "When will you do it?" she asked. "The priest is willing, once he's reassured himself that you're not forcing Duo into this." "Will there be any trouble because he has no guardian?'' Treize asked. "Or is he Milliardo's ward?" Wufei frowned. "I hadn't thought of that. I suppose there's no problem, so long as the priest's not loyal to Milliardo." "I'll stand as his guardian," Treize offered. "Since he's Sally's kin, that should satisfy the legalities. If it doesn't, Quatre should agree. He's Duo’s brother-by-marriage, after all." "So long as the marriage is legal and binding," Wufei said. "Otherwise, it’s all for nothing. Milliardo cannot be permitted to overturn it." Sally took Duo by the arm. "Come along, then, Duo. I've the perfect gown for you to wear. We'll meet you in the chapel before sunset," she told the men. "See that you're ready." The thunder of feet pounding on the stairs heralded a furious knocking at the door. When Sally pulled it open, a breathless man-at-arms nearly fell into the chamber. "Milord! It’s a company of Sankmen, a dozen or so, fast approaching the gates." "Do they look as though they've come to visit, or to fight?" Treize asked. "Fight, milord." "Damnation," Wufei snarled, striding over to the window and peering out. "Damn me for a fool. I thought we'd have more time." "Gather your things. Quickly," Sally said, heading for the door. "I'll collect some food and clothing," she told Treize. Duo watched everything unfold in silence. // We were so close! I can't allow this to go on. // "Wait!" he cried. "We cannot run forever. I'm sorry, Dragon." He met Wufei’s gaze. "I cannot marry you. I can't ruin your life this way. If I go back with them, they'll leave you alone." Wufei shook his head sharply. "It won't matter, lovely." Strong arms wrapped around Duo from behind, pinning his arms close to his body. Treize cursed when Duo drew back his heel and kicked him in the leg. // How can they do this? // "Wufei!" Duo screamed, before a callused hand covered his mouth. Wufei reached out and touched Duo’s cheek lightly. "I'm sorry, Duo. But I will not give you up." ~ * ~ |
