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"The Ancient Kingdom "Written By: Jewel of Hell Disclaimer: Don't own nothin' but these words Rating: NC 17 Warnings: Yaoi, lemon (copious amounts, probably), slavery, magic, nekos, some smut, sap, peril, abuse, AU/Fantasy/Drama Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 4+2, 3+1, 5x6, 6+2, 5+1 (good grief!) Summary: When Heero, son of the Warrior
King, conquers the kingdom Sheneva and executes the king, he finds
something unexpected " The Ancient Kingdom "
Differences The day that Wufei arranged for the masquerade, Heero made himself scarce. He didn't want anyone bothering him with obnoxious questions. So he took the papers Trowa had given him about Sheneva's major noble houses and stole into the room converted to infirmary. The last two days had been very, very good to Quatre. The golden Myda had put on some weight and his neck was almost completely healed. His eyes were bright and fierce. Heero smiled at him as he walked into the room - Duo was sound asleep. "Sorry for the intrusion," Heero said, closing the door and throwing the lock. "I have need of some privacy and solitude." Quatre looked . . . flattered by the words. "Duo and I talked about the things you asked us," he said, sitting up from his boneless sprawl. Heero took his seat, spreading out the papers. He gave Quatre a pleased smile. "I'm glad. Did you remember anything useful?" "Yes," Quatre replied, languidly stretching. "Duo overheard a conversation. It wasn't long after . . . that human -" so much venom - "had beaten Duo unconscious and choked me out with that damn collar." Heero's fingers twitched, as if imagining them around that man's neck. "I almost wish I could bring him back just so you could have the satisfaction of killing him again," he muttered. The look of dark glee on Quatre's face told him how much those words meant to the Myda. "Duo regained consciousness and he heard that human talking to another. A lighter voice. Female." Heero frowned. A woman who was close to Grascien . . . "She reminded that human that if he killed us with his sick games, we would be useless to his ultimate plan." Interest piqued now, Heero leaned forward. "And?" "That human said he wouldn't have gone all the way to Wythiera just to accidentally kill his 'precious pets' at home." The look on his face spoke eloquently of how he felt about that. Heero drummed his fingers on the table top. "Anything else?" "No," Quatre replied, ears lowering the slightest bit. "Duo blacked out again after that. But . . . it confirms your suspcions. That human did go there for an actual reason." "That's something, at least," Heero mused. "The voice was female, hn? Do you think Duo would remember it if he heard it again?" "Probably," Quatre confirmed, sliding off the bed with easy grace and approaching the table. "Do you know who it could be?" "There are very few women in this castle with any kind of influence," Heero said. "Narrowing it down would be easy." Quatre paused by the table, looking down at Heero's spread papers. "What are these?" Heero sighed and leaned back in his chair. "The joys of being a leader," he muttered. "Family trees, of sorts. These papers outline the nine major noble houses of Sheneva." "Noble houses?" Quatre inquired, ears perking in curiosity. Heero smiled faintly. "A king and queen rule a country. Nobles are the . . ." he paused, not sure how to put it into simple terms that wouldn't make it more complicated for a wild animal. "Commoners are the laborers and workers. In a Wolf pack, the alpha is equivalent of king. The beta would be the nobles. And everyone else the commoners." Quatre nodded. "I see." "On your islands, had you ever met any other mystic beings?" Heero asked. Quatre all but beamed at him. "No. We sometimes interact, but Duo and I were both pretty young. We hadn't gone far outside our territory, and our clan is pretty small." Heero tapped the table top. "I have a favor. I could use a fresh perspective when dealing with these nobles." The gold Myda tilted his head to the side, the inquiry obvious. "Nobles can be the most obsequious, deceptive, back-stabbing part of a kingdom," Heero explained, scowling just to think about it. He looked to Quatre to find the young Myda giving him a blank look and smiled. "To put it in clearer terms, they're too afraid to be predators for themselves, so they make their weaker packmates do the hunting." The look that crossed Quatre's face spoke volumes of his disdain. It was cute and made Heero smile. "Predators who won't hunt are worthless," the Myda spat. "Indeed," Heero mused. "Not all nobles are like that, but part of the reason I'm planning this masque is to weed out the ones who are." o0o 0o0 Leaning on the table with his elbows, Quatre eyed the papers. "The Great Houses," he read. Heero looked a little surprised, but not shocked. "You learned to read?" Quatre snorted. "Normally we don't - there's no need. But during our captivity, I learned. Both of us learned. It's not hard. What are the Great Houses?" The prince shifted back in his chair, stretching his long legs under the table. "The most influential nobles." Not a single iota of fear made the prince hesitate. Quatre found himself purring as he glanced at the document. "Houses Dagain, Jorvalle, Beryl, Isoav, Aroshe, Bandermaier, Redknoor, Gossyn, and Withen," he read. His brow furrowed into a frown. "This is a lot of names." Heero snorted. "Yes, it is. All of them have some relation to the Grascien House, which was the current ruling House." "That human's surname?" "Yes. The only member left is Princess Relena." Extending his claws, Quatre lightly drummed them. "She is a woman close to the him," he mused. "Could it have been her Duo heard?" Heero looked to the side, eyes watching the fire for a time. "That occurred to me. I will give him the chance to tell me if it was. When I take over a kingdom I always remove the monarchy and create a new position of regional governor. Typically I put the former king or queen in that position, or in this case their child. If Relena was somehow involved in her father's plot, she will not be made governor." Quatre's eyes burned as his claws dug into the tabletop. "Is that all?" Cold cobalt eyes met blazing aqua. "No. For the crime of enslaving a Mystic being, she will be imprisoned. The punishment for her would be stripping her of her title and exiling her. Because the two of you were tortured, I could within my rights have her put to death. If in any way she participated in your abuse, that's exactly what I'll do." Appeased and satisfied, Quatre relaxed again. "I'm hungry." Heero eyed him a moment. "Are you strong enough to go hunting? I'm sure you could use both the exercise and the hot blood." A bolt of pleasure shot through Quatre. "I believe so." Then he hesitated. "Duo . . ." "I won't leave him alone. Go on. If anyone tries to stop you, just bite them." That said without even a hint of mockery. Quatre gave him a savage grin and left, secure in the knowledge that Duo would be safe with this powerful man. In the halls, no one tried to stop him. Servants gave him curious looks - he was wearing only a white silk robe. But he ignored him and they didn't try to bother him. He exited through the kitchen, momentarily distracted by the warm smells wafting through the air. The thought of running and chasing down his meal steadied him. Outside, he dropped the robe behind a thick shrub and transformed. He broke into a quick trot, warming his muscles to the idea of a full run. He hadn't had this kind of activity in a long time, and he wasn't as strong as he used to be. Nor as fit. Under Heero's protection, that would rapidly change. After some distance he spend up into a slow run, then a full sprint. He ran until his legs burned and his chest heaved, heart pounding. Collapsing into his side, he panted laughter. He felt delirious he was so glad to be out and running again. The sun beat down on him hot and heavy, and he basked quietly for some time. Eventually he rose and started hunting for game. Even though Duo was safe, his little friend would probably feel more at ease with him around. o0o 0o0 Duo wasn't sure what woke him, but when awareness settled in he decided it was the rustle of parchment. The sound was soft and almost soothing, so he didn't immediately open his eyes. After a moment he realized only a human would be making those sounds, so he opened them. But it was the Warrior prince, and he relaxed again. For awhile he watched the young human reading his documents, and eventually he grew curious enough to sit up. He trilled an inquiry before realizing Heero wouldn't understand. "Quatre went hunting," Heero said anyway, answering Duo's question. Maybe he can understand. "Oh," he said. "What are you reading?" Heero smiled faintly. "Something that bored Quatre. This is a . . . documentary of sorts, of the Great Houses of Sheneva." That didn't sound interesting, so he didn't inquire. He carefully sat up, pleased to find the lash marks liberally covering his body twinged only a little. Yawning, he stretched and looked down at his splinted leg. "Heero?" "Hn?" "Will you help me walk around the room a few times?" Perhaps he was bored by what he was reading, too, because he set it aside immediately and rose. "How does it feel?" he asked as he moved to the bedside. "Sharp pain? Or dull?" "Dull," Duo replied, reaching up for him. Heero took Duo's wrist and pulled his arm around his neck. Duo grabbed onto his shoulder with the other, tensing only a little when Heero's other arm went around his waist - and only then because it hurt a bit. The splint and bandage were so heavy he couldn't lift his leg at all. Heero carefully placed it on the floor, and Duo's tail lashed to find his balance when he was suddenly standing. A wave of dizziness momentarily blinded him, but Heero held him steady. "You okay?" Duo nodded. "Mm hmm." Then he hissed a little. "I'll be so glad when this thing heals!" Heero chuckled, then he actually leaned over and nuzzled Duo's ear with his nose. "I'm sure you will." Ducking his head, Duo couldn't help it and started purring. The physical affection felt good. He made a half-hearted bite at Heero's jaw, which made Heero do it again. Giggling, Duo nipped at him again, this time connecting lightly - but of course it was a dry bite, and his teeth didn't break the skin. Heero mock-growled at him, pushing Duo's head under his chin and squeezing him until he squeaked. "You're not fierce at all," Heero teased. "And I'd heard Myda are such terrors." Duo, encumbered as he was by the splint, couldn't do much about his current predicament. He bit Heero's collar bone. "Just wait until I'm free of this thing," he threatened, "and then, I'll show you how terrifying we are." Heero snorted. "I'm sure you will. Why don't you focus on walking, kitten?" A pleasant feeling warmed his chest to hear Heero call him that. When Grascien had leered at him, calling him kitten, he'd wanted to rip the man's throat out. When Heero called him that, he couldn't even define how it made him feel. Warm. Safe. Cherished. Home. It should have been unsettling. For some reason, it was not. Heero helped him make several circuits around the room. The only reason he had to stop was because of the damned splinted leg. It was so heavy dragging the thing around exhausted him. Heero eased him back down onto the bed. "In only a handful more days, these marks will be gone completely," he mused, brushing the backs of his fingers over Duo's arm. "I'm glad you won't have any scars, kitten." "Why?" Duo asked, head canting to the side a little. Which made Heero smile and stroke his ears. "Physical scars would have been a visible reminder of your imprisonment, right?" After a moment Duo conceded that indeed, they would have. Flopping down onto the bed, he rolled onto his back and put his head in Heero's lap. "How long do you think it'll be 'til this leg heals?" "Wufei told me another two weeks, maybe," Heero replied, now caressing Duo's ears in long strokes, pausing to scratch around the base. In moments sleep threatened to overtake Duo again. He was hungry, but it felt wonderful to be touched without the threat of pain or the fear of that human interrupting. He'd almost forgotten what it felt like, to be this safe and content. He basked in the attention for some time, then he tilted his head back to gently bite Heero's fingers. "I'm hungry," he demanded. Heero looked amused. "I suppose even in your wild clans, your family would hunt for you in this pathetic state, hn?" Grinning, Duo wriggled around to bite his wrist. Heero easily grappled him down to the bed, holding him down and petting his ears. "You're a feisty wretch, aren't you? Lucky me you're not a fully grown monster like Quatre, otherwise I'd be as so much history." Duo burst into giggles. Quatre returned not long later, carrying a partially consumed animal. It looked like some kind of small deer, and Duo sat up in interest. It smelled fresh and wonderful. Quatre dropped it on the floor, which made Heero give him a long look. "You know the servants are going to have a fit, right?" Quatre just shook himself and transformed. "Do you have a knife?" he asked, "to cut this thing up?" "Not with me," Heero said. He looked down at Duo. "Could this impatient kitten wait until I returned with one?" Moving to the edge of the bed, Quatre looked down at him, too. "I don't know. Are you an impatient kitten, Duo?" Giggling, Duo latched onto Heero. "Yes!" he chirped. o0o 0o0 Quatre felt warm inside as he watched Duo interact with Heero. He almost couldn't believe it, that this relaxed kitten was his Duo. Not even a trace of anxiety remained, and this was a human from whom he was currently begging attention. He was still young, and of course all Myda kittens loved attention. Duo, who'd always been the baby of their clan, had been especially spoiled. He was acting right now like a kitten at home among his clan, demanding his elders pay attention to him and give him their love and adoration. In fact, Quatre thought with a private smile, he was acting the way young females did right before they sexually matured- and found a male to whom they were attracted. "If you can get this little beast off me, I'll go get a butcher knife from the kitchen," Heero said. Transforming, Quatre hopped up onto the bed and nudged Duo off. He went easily, purring and wrapping his arms around Quatre's neck. If Heero nursed this attraction, separating them wouldn't happen so freely and easily in the future. Well, that was the future. And who knew if anything would come of it. As Heero left, Quatre returned his attention to Duo. "I like him," Duo said at once, body wriggling beneath the gold Myda. "He acts like a Myda." "He acts like a Wolf," Quatre corrected, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Myda and Wolves were considered the most compatible of Mystics. Both were family-oriented beings. "What have you two been doing while I was hunting?" "He helped me walk around the room a few times," Duo replied, not even trying to roll over onto his stomach. His tail twitched lazily on the bed. "I only got tired because that bandage is so heavy." "Your whip-marks are almost completely healed," Quatre noticed, nuzzling Duo's ears. There was a knock on the door, and a few moments later it opened. Quatre, who had been expecting Heero, felt his hackles rise when he saw it was Heero's tall older brother, Trowa. Tensing, he bared his fangs and hissed. Duo reacted to his displeasure immediately, rolling awkwardly onto his side to sit up as best he could. Quatre, while glaring at the human, was still pleased to see it. Duo hadn't acted this alert in a long time. His ears were straight forward, pupils a bit too large, and the threat of aggression rolled off him in slow waves. Angry, but not out of control. Which was how Quatre felt. Trowa paused, glancing at them both. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I was looking for Heero." Quatre didn't quite manage to fully swallow his low growl. "He's not here right now," Duo snapped, his top lip curling up slightly. Quatre crouched a little lower over Duo when the human didn't take the hint and started approaching. This time he didn't stop the growl, low and soft and a crystal-clear warning. Duo echoed it with a hiss, claws sliding out of their sheaths. The human stopped, and Quatre watched him closely. Was he an idiot for coming where he was not wanted? All that soft energy rolling off him would get him killed. Sure, he was good-looking for a human. That would mean nothing to a predator. Duo abruptly huffed. "Weak," he dismissed the man, curling down on the bed under Quatre. Quatre panted laughter. o0o 0o0 Heero had a soft, near-smile on his face the whole way down to the kitchens. What a wonderful turn his day had taken. Given a little time to himself, he pondered Duo's reactions to him. Were he a human he would say the kitten was flirting with him. Did Myda flirt? He thought about how wild animals went about showing their attraction. He discarded those visuals just as quickly. Myda weren't dumb animals. There would be emotion attached to their mating. Not the drive to reproduce. Was Duo attracted to him? He knew the kitten wasn't sexually mature. Wufei had told him another several months. But like a teenager he would be curious about it - the act of mating. He tried to imagine kissing Duo. It was the first time he'd ever thought about kissing a boy. It wasn't repugnant. On the contrary. Because it was Duo he found the image to be quite enticing. After all, Duo was young and stunningly beautiful, all that soft cinnamon hair, those likewise colored ears that felt like velvet to the touch, and a long, thick tail. Which, he realized with a little frown, he'd never touched. Well, that was easily remedied. Duo's most arresting features, though, were his eyes. Rich, dark, and deep, they looked like limpid pools of indigo shadow. He'd seen them flashing with aggression and fear, distrust, playfulness, and happiness now. How would they look, darkened with desire? That image was even more enticing. Wiping the grin off his face, he extracted a decent-sized butcher knife and made his way back up. In the hall he passed Trowa, and his brother had a bemused expression on his face. "What is it?" he inquired. Trowa barked a short, soft laugh. "They think I'm weak." Heero frowned. "They?" "The Myda," Trowa elucidated with a rueful smile. "They dismissed me." Able to visualize what it must have looked like, Heero bit back a grin at his brother's expense. "They'll warm to you. Will you come back and remind me when it's time to get ready for the masque?" "Of course," Trowa acquiesced. Heero continued on. He knocked only to let the two cats inside the room know he was there. They were curled up on the bed, Duo's back to the door, but when Quatre rose with a cute trill that sounded like an inquiry, Duo lifted his head and immediately broke into a sunny smile. "What took you so long?" he demanded in a sweet voice. "I'm hungry!" Though in wild form, Quatre's face still looked like he was laughing. Heero eyed them both. "You'll have to be patient while I butcher this thing." They both watched while he started, Quatre with curious interest and Duo with keen interest. Now it was Quatre who laid down and closed his eyes, looking ready to doze off. Duo nudged Quatre off him, leaning up on his elbows and licking his lips. He was so irresistibly cute Heero paused and leaned up to kiss the tip of his nose. Duo jerked back, eyes startled. Heero smirked at him. "That's what you get when you lower your guard." Duo smiled an incredibly sweet smile. "Do that again?" With a bit of a purr. Happy to oblige, Heero leaned up to do it again. For his troubles, Duo nipped the tip of his nose. Heero jerked back. Duo laughed at him. "That's what you get," he quipped. Snorting, Heero reached up and ruffled his ears. "I thought you were hungry." Trilling, Duo eagerly watched him. Smiling to himself,
Heero continued his task. As he fed Duo the first bites, he imagined
a pleading, squirming kitten in his arms and found the image very
pleasing, indeed.
tbc |
