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" Last of the Royal Lovers "Written By: trowas_lil_troublemaker Disclaimer: I don't own the characters they belong to their original copyrighters. The story and concept however are mine. Pairings: ?X3; RX3; 4+3;
3+1; 2+1; 5+13 " Last of the Royal
Lovers" Chapter 7
The laughter was light and pure as the three children chased a white rabbit in the garden. They were each about three and would have at least two more years of fun before their training would begin. Lord Heero stared at the children as they played. He tried to remember a time that he was allowed to have such fun. . .but it had been so long that he had forgotten. One of the servant children reminded him of Duo. He wasn't sure why. . .perhaps it was her braid. The royal jester's mane flowed longer than any other servant in the palace. Thinking of his friend brought guilt. He detested the fact that the innocent servant was caught in the middle of the quarrel. . .but at the same time, it would not have taken place without him. The prince has always been obedient to his father, no matter if he agreed or not. He could not recall a time that he had verbally addressed that disagreement. Now he wished he would have held his tongue. He had let his anger get the best of him and by doing so, he placed the life of his friend on the line. Surely his father would blame the jester rather than him for his outburst. He could only pray that the king does not seek to rid the jester in hopes of rectifying the prince's mistake. He would never forgive himself if something ever happened to the braided boy. He had summoned for his friend with the intention of keeping him at his side for as long as he could. Even with the presence of the guard, it would be worth it to know that he was well and unharmed. He heard his mother approaching from behind, but he remained seated among the flowers. "My little prince. . .we need to talk." "I have nothing more to say." "Indeed you have said more than enough in the throne
room. You bring much disgrace to your father. How can you forsake
him for the likes of a jester?" "You sought to control me so that father may still rule once I become king." "This is not true. The jester planted such thoughts
in your mind. Your father and I love you with every beat of our heart." "He was more than a friend, he was the only person in this palace that cared for me because of who I am. Not my title. I refuse to allow you to use me as a puppet any longer." This was followed by a hard slap. The prince closed his eyes and kept his face turned as the stinging fade. Though he could not see his mother's tears, he heard them well in her voice. "Stop it! Do not talk as such! You know not what you speak. You are blind to what is truly happening around you. You speak poorly of your father because you have been tricked into such acts." "I speak poorly of my father because my words hold true. Today he has proven it to me by keeping a proclamation that has no meaning. He could not answer my plead with justifiable evidence, rather hearsay and paranoia." "He loves you as I do. We do not wish for harm to come to you." "If your love for me is as pure and true as you say, then why is your first physical contact a harsh slap?" He glared into his mother's eyes, silently demanding an answer. "You are in hysteria." "I am calm, collected, and well within my reasons. It is father that has allowed the crown to go to his head, not I." With that, he stood. Just as he turned, he viewed the jester's approach. "You can tell father that regardless if he disposes of the jester or not, my mind will remain as it is. . .my actions will not waiver." The queen watched helplessly as her son met with the jester half way. The braided boy's eyes danced to the queen for only a moment before giving the prince his full attention.
"Will this work?" He asked softly and Wu Fei motioned for his silence. The wizard then kneeled, picked Sally from his shoulder, and placed her on the floor. She crawled quickly toward the guards before the spell could take full affect. The closer she came to the guards, the larger she grew in size. "Halt!" One guard called as he heard someone approaching. He did not expect to find a man-sized dragon before him as he turned. Both guards stared at the beast with fear consuming them. They were too frightend to even move, until Sally released a horrendous roar, that sent both men running. "I think I like this." The dragon chuckled as her friends approached. "It is fun to watch them scamper." "Alas, you must return." Wu Fei apologized and ran his hand along her snout. Within seconds, she had returned to being three inches long. "We will keep watch." He informed the blonde boy. Quatre nodded and slightly pushed the door open. Once he did not hear any movement or voices inside, he stepped fully into the room and closed the door. The royal lover was sitting at the bed side, a shackle encircling his neck kept him from fleeing. The room was drafty enough, but to be sitting naked on the cold floor was surely uncomfortable. He walked fully into the room and kneeled before the restrained servant. "I am aware that you wished for me to leave you. . ." Quatre spoke, and Trowa turned from his friend. "But I can not. I can not bring myself to not worry for you. Especially now that I am aware of your fate." His sapphires traced the lean frame and landed on the welts claiming the side. "They have beaten you again." Seeing the marks brought tears to the storyteller's eyes. "What have you done wrong this time? There was no way you could view the prince like this. . ."Trowa remained silent as he tried to distant his mind from the blonde's presence. "Do not distance from me Trowa. I may not be able to save you, but you do not need to go alone. . .and you will not for my mind and heart will forever be with you. Even if I can never lay eyes on you for as long as I live." "Sally, is this truly wise?" Wu Fei wondered
as he sat crossed legged in the hall with the small dragon sitting
on his knee. "Would Quatre's presence not bring more pain to
Trowa's heart?" "You must continue to concentrate Wu Fei. We have less than three weeks to hold this together. You are young and possess great power, but you may also grow weary from your inexperience. . .do not let this happen, or all will be lost." The young apprentice closed his eyes and heaved a relaxing sigh. He visualized in his mind what the two guards had looked like before they fled in fear. Once he had a picture in his mind, he slowly opened his eyes to behold the result. "Excellent." Sally encouraged. "But I
believe the one on the left should be wider." "No, no. He was much more hefty." "He was not." "Sally, my memory serves me well. This was his
size." "Do not argue with me lizard. This is his height, his weight, and I even recalled the color of his eyes." "Is that why he has none?" "Easily cured." Wu Fei snapped as he stood in front of the guard and pushed the helmet close. Just to make it less odd, he closed the other guard's as well. They stepped back and viewed the guards from head to toe. "I still say he is several pounds less." "Silence, the king is at hand. Hide yourself."
Sally waited until Wu Fei ducked into the nearest room before sliding
under the door. "Quatre, the king is coming." The blonde
leapt to his feet and prepared to leave. "No, it is too late
to go this way." "The balcony." Trowa suggested. Quatre nodded. He quickly unlocked the doors and stepped out. He then closed them back, and Trowa re-locked them before returning to his spot. Wu Fei watched from the partially closed door as the king stood in front of the two guards. The wizard waved his hand and either guard kneeled in the presence of the king. "I wish no interruptions." The king informed and Wu Fei controlled the men to nod. "Yes my lord." Though the wizard mouthed the words, the guards were the ones to speak. He then commanded the one on the left to open the door. "You appear thinner today." The king commented as he stared at the guard and entered. "The diet has been kind to you." Wu Fei wrinkled his nose at these words, and made a note to not mention as much to Sally. If the small dragon ever learned of this, she would not let him forget. Suddenly, his attention was averted to soft crying behind him. Curious, he turned to behold a small child huddling in the corner. The child appeared five, her small knees were hugged to her chest. The small face was buried in the depths of the tiny knee caps. His heart went to the child as he walked over to it. As he kneeled before the kid, he come to realize that it was a little girl. Her tear-filled eyes rose to look into his. At first, she feared the wizard and looked to escape, but there was nowhere to go. "I wish you no harm." Wu Fei spoke soothingly to the girl, but she still feared him. "Do you like magic?" He questioned as he extended his hand. Slowly, he waved his other hand over the outstretched one before cupping them together. When he pulled them apart, a tarantula appeared, causing the girl to nearly scream. He placed his free hand to prevent the sound from being fully heard. He quickly closed his hand and when he reopened, a butterfly rested inside. The girl calmed as the butterfly took flight to land on her nose. As he removed his hand, the child started laughing. Quatre stepped back as the king entered the room. The afternoon had reclaimed the rain from that morning. The blonde bangs were quickly matting to his forehead as he stared at the glass doors. "Now what Sally?" "I will fetch Wu Fei. We will go to the courtyard and he will levitate you to the ground." The small dragon prepared to slide under the door. "Sally, wait. What if he can not?" Quatre whispered as he kneeled next to the lizard. "There are few spells that Wu Fei can do properly everytime. I assure you that one of those is levitation. Trust in him." She disappeared under the doors. Quatre could hear the king's deep voice even through the glass. "You shame me lover." Trowa stared at the ground without responding. "I will give you one last chance to train the child to your ways." "I will not." At that moment, he noticed Sally under a nearby chair, and his fear of Quatre being discovered enhanced by tenfold. "You wish to have the child's death on your shoulders?" "Better her death than her suffering." The king roughly seized the chain, and pulled Trowa to his feet. He smacked the royal lover before grabbing his jaw harshly. "Train her." "I will not." "You do not realize what I can do to you for your insolence." "I care not." Quatre stepped to the glass doors as he could see Trowa and the king perfectly. Tears slid from his eyes as the king threw Trowa to the bed and wasted no time in taking him. The blonde placed his hand on the wet glass as he watched the man he hated take the one he loved in a way that he never could. He slid to his knees and cried for his love. "Wu Fei." Sally appeared in the room and beheld the wizard performing parlor tricks for a small girl. "Wu Fei, this is not a time for amusement." Sally hissed and both the girl and apprentice looked up. "Dragon!" The little girl's big blue eyes widen at the sight. "Where is Quatre?" Wu Fei wondered as Sally advanced toward him. "He is trapped on the balcony. There is not a moment to waste." "The dragon talks." The child clapped her hands together as Wu Fei placed Sally on his shoulder. "Hurry, to the courtyard before he is discovered." As the wizard stood and left the room, he was unaware that the child was following him. "Did I not say this was not wise?" Wu Fei scolded and entered the courtyard. "Had you not been arguing, I would have heard the king sooner." They stopped under the balcony to find that Quatre was not in sight. "Did the king discover him?" "I will see." Wu Fei walked to the wall and placed his hand against it. Sally scaled the bricks easily. It was then that Wu Fei noticed the girl behind him. "Make the dragon come back." She pleaded and Wu Fei panicked. "Were you not to stay in the room?" "I did not like it there." "What is your name?" "I have no name." Wu Fei's heart sunk as he realized what he had done. "Quatre, we must go." Sally appeared on the railing to behold Quatre kneeling at the doors. "Then go. I wish to stay." He whispered softly. "Let the king find me. Perhaps he will be kind and keep me and Trowa in a place that he can no longer touch us." "Quatre, you are not making sense." She approached her friend as she was now aware of what was happening inside the room. She could hear what the storyteller had seen. "Go, leave me Sally. I wish to be found." "I will not. Would Trowa forgive you for such acts? Quatre, Trowa cares for you because you are full of life, how much would it break what is left of his heart that you surrender easy? He would not want you to do this, which is why he is doing what he is." "He does not have a choice. He is not the royal lover, but the royal victim. The king is now raping him by forcing himself with or without a desire of acceptance. This is not right. This is not how is should be." "Your words are true, but it is because of you that Trowa has lasted as this. They have beaten him severely, but remains fighting to live because he does not wish to hurt you." "He lives for the prince." "He is not ignorant. He knows he could never have lord Heero. He knows what he is, but he also knows of your love. He knows that when everyone was done with him that he still has your friendship. How long will he last after you give up Quatre?" He was silent as he thought about her words. Sally glanced up to find Trowa staring at him. "Quatre, look at him." "I can not stand what that monster is doing to him." "Quatre, look at him. Swallow your fear and your pain and look at him." Slowly, he raised his eyes to meet Trowa's. The emeralds were fell of fear for him. . .begging him for escape. Though the king was kissing him roughly and pounding his body fiercely, the tears in his eyes were from the fear of Quatre being caught. "Do you truly want to give up on him?" "I do not. . .I will not." "Then walk toward the railing." "I do not want to return." The small girl cried. Wu Fei stared helplessly into her face. "I have seen what happens if I stay." "What you saw was punishment for not doing as you are told." "Wu Fei." The wizard looked up to the storyteller. "Are you sure of this Sally?" "Trust him." Quatre nodded and closed his eyes. Suddenly, he felt his body lift from the balcony. Sally jumped onto his leg and crawled to his shoulder. "Just relax and you will become lighter to him. The lighter you feel, the easier it will be on him." A few moments later, his feet hit the ground. The blonde opened his eyes to witness Wu Fei fall to his knees. "Wu Fei, are you well?" Quatre dashed to his friend's side and kneeled. "I am fine. I need only to rest." "Dragon come back." Before Sally could react, the small child scooped the dragon in her arms and hugged tightly. "Who is the child?" Quatre wondered as he studied the blonde haired girl. "She is to be Trowa's replacement." Wu Fei whispered. "She followed me and must be returned before she is missed." "The king is a great disgust. How can he do such a thing to a mere child?" "She is of the same age as Trowa when he began his training." Repulsion filled Quatre as he looked back at the balcony. "Will lord Heero find much pride in carrying some traditions?" "Only time will hold the answer."
to be continued Chapter
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