|
"Prince Duo"Written By: t-shirt Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters are
copyright to Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, and associated parties.
I make no money with this fic. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: AU/Fantasy/Adventure, Angst, fluff,
sap, lemons… lots of lemons but usually of the non graphic variety,
light language Beta'ed by Mechante Fille ^_^ *snugs* Pairings: 2x4, 1x2x4, 5xM, 5x4, mention of 5x4xM,
1x2, 3x4, 1x2x3x4 Summary: A young slave finds more than his freedom
when he is purchased by the prince of a neighboring kingdom. " Prince Duo" Ch 7
He invited him for a walk when they stopped for lunch and made love to him by a small stream under a willow tree. It had cheered him up a little but he was nowhere near his usual, jubilant self. Duo explained how the stone worked as a locator device and taught him how to perform the spell. The result had been a fiercely passionate coupling that had set them back two hours. Hiiro didn’t really understand the magic but the way it made Duo look was more than he could handle. The prince explained later that it was some sort of odd fetish on Hiiro’s part because there was nothing in the magic that had anything to do with the human sex drive. Duo apparently already had many protective spells on his person and belongings but he was more than happy to have the few extra his new choker afforded him. Things like being silent and scentless when you’re hunting came in quite useful. The braided boy wasn’t the happiest of creatures when they’d finished their talk but he was at least smiling again. Duo had opted for the group to camp out in the woods near the castle instead of going to the palace that night. Hiiro had the feeling he just didn’t want to sleep in the bed he had shared with Quatre for the past two years but it didn’t bother him, he liked the open air. Sally had returned to her own camp, leaving the three boys and one dragon to the solitude of the woods. Nataku lit them a nice fire and laid her head within the camp with Wufei leaning back against her cheek and Hiiro found himself captivated by the way the flames reflected in her deep green scales more than once before she cracked one, huge eye and caught him staring and he gaped because he could’ve sworn she chuckled. Wufei elbowed her. “Behave,” he admonished. “You’ve no business flirting with the prince’s consort.” “Partner,” Duo corrected. Wufei raised a brow but didn’t comment on Hiiro’s smile and grimaced when Nataku”s thick, forked tongue slipped from between her lips and tickled the side of his face. Hiiro couldn’t help his curiosity any longer. “What’s it like being in love with a dragon?” Nataku opened her eye to stare at him as Wufei chuckled, “Indescribable.” “How did you come to be together?” Hiiro asked while Duo snuggled up under his left arm and was resting contently against his chest. “Nataku is the deity of my clan,” Wufei explained. Hiiro snorted. “You sleep with your god?” “Goddess,” Wufei corrected as the dragon belched and smoke rose from her lips. Hiiro looked at her, she grinned back. “She claimed me on my thirteenth birthday and we’ve been together ever since.” “Where is your clan now?” Hiiro asked. The sadness in Wufei’s eyes was reflected in the dragon’s as he replied, “Gone. Barton sold them to the work pits. They’re all dead by now.” Hiiro let that subject lie. “And how did you come to be in the service of our fair prince?” he asked, changing the subject. Wufei looked at him like he had gone stupid or something. “He bought me,” he retorted as if it should be obvious. Hiiro looked at the dragon again, curious as to how the boy had ended up on the auction block with her around and Wufei seemed to get the idea. “I was taken with my clan. We didn’t find each other again until a year after Duo bought me.” “Ah,” Hiiro replied then a sudden curiosity crossed his mind. “How long have you known each other?” “Since we were fourteen,” Duo supplied. “I bought him as my first consort.” “You’re lovers?” Hiiro gaped. He had quite liked sharing the prince with Quatre but the thought of Wufei lying with them set his hackles on end. “We were lovers,” Duo corrected. “Until she showed up,” he grumbled, indicating the now openly grinning dragon. “She’s a possessive little lizard to say the least.” Steam rose from her lips as she parted them in a huge grin and glared at Duo through slit eyes while Wufei smiled and crossed his hands behind his head in smug satisfaction. Hiiro caught her eye and smiled, pulling his braided lover possessively closer. “You weren’t left wanting,” Wufei reminded them, leaning his head back on his companion’s shimmering scales. A dark shadow passed over the prince’s face and he was instantly sorry he had said it. “Trowa will be good to him,” he reassured the saddened prince and Duo nodded. They talked quietly until the fire burned low then settled in to sleep for the night. Hiiro had woken at one point though uncertain why and saw Nataku’s huge head hovering over Wufei’s sleeping form. He watched quietly as she parted her lips and slipped her thick tongue out drawing it up the length of his torso until he groaned and arched into the touch then she stopped and let her huge, slit of a pupil round on the wakened Hiiro. He knew she could tell he was awake but she opted to ignore him as she slipped her tongue under Wufei’s body and wrapped him in the soft flesh, picked him up in her mouth and carried him off into the woods. Hiiro hadn’t realized he was squeezing Duo so tight until he moved in his arms. It had been one of the most erotic things he had ever witnessed watching the dragon silently seduce her prey and Duo had apparently picked up on the increase in his body heat as he crawled up over him to take advantage of it and Hiiro lay back under his tender care and let him for the better part of the remainder of the night. Wufei didn’t rejoin them in the morning. They broke camp and went back to the palace, bathed and prepared for the imminent arrival of their ’guests‘. When they arrived Hiiro and Duo were napping in each other’s arms in the main hall on a pile of pillows. Hiiro was amazed that the young prince was so laid back considering the weight of his office. Then again, the boy had never let it bother him before…he actually seemed to be looking forward to the confrontation. Hiiro had taken a great deal of pleasure in seeing the look on Barton’s face when he saw them piled up together. He had killed the man’s favorite plaything when he had tried to hold him down so that Barron could rape him when he was in his service. The man hadn’t appreciated it much but had been too frightened of Hiiro to do anything but pay the auctioneers to take him back. Now his eyes spit fire as Duo lazily stroked Hiiro’s chest and smiled in greeting. “Lord Barton,” Duo grinned. “To what do we owe the pleasure?” “You know very well why we’ve come,” the man growled. Duo ignored him completely turning to the tall platinum blond by his side instead. “You grow more lovely each and every time we meet,” he told the young man. “I hope the journey was enjoyable?” Zechs smiled and shook his head in fond toleration. “It will be a cold, wet day in hell when I can compare to one such as yourself, fair prince,” he replied, bowing low and Duo chuckled. The man was almost as good at this bullshit as he was. “When you’ve finished fawning over each other,” Barton ground out and Zechs inclined his head indicating he had the floor. “Six nights hence your men attacked Lunardia Keep, murdering Lord Tsuberov and laying waste to the ancient citadel. Do you deny it?” “I do not,” Duo replied absently, dropping a grape in Hiiro’s mouth. Hiiro played his part well, sucking on his fingers as he withdrew. Barton paused for a moment then regained his balance. “This is an act of war!” he growled. “You’ve gone too far this time…” “This was an act of retaliation,” Duo corrected, sitting up a little taller in the pillows. “Since you are so very well informed you must already know that he had taken my consort prisoner.” “It is my understanding,” the man sneered triumphantly, “that the boy was found abandoned on the road. I suspect this was all planned so that you could claim a rescue to justify your crime. We all know your policies on the current slave commodity.” “As we are aware of yours,” a smooth, female voice broke in. “Lady Relena!” Duo crowed, jumping from his nest and snatching the girl into a bear hug. “I thought you’d returned to your manor what with my unexpected absence.” “As well I should,” she glared. “However, I have remained. What’s this all about?” “Oh,” Duo grinned. “Lord Tsuberov stole my consort so we killed him and took him back.” She stared at him. He grinned at her and Hiiro felt better and better all the time. “Where is he now?” the girl asked. “Yes,” Barton sneered as if he had only just realized the blond boy was missing. “Where is your little whore?” Duo’s eyes narrowed as did Hiiro’s and the man took a shaky step back. “Considering recent events,” the prince replied icily, “he has been given over to the protection of certain individuals that will see to his safety.” “Absurd!” Barton barked. “This is another of your tricks! If the boy was truly taken against his will then produce him and let us hear his testimony.” “That is not possible,” Duo replied. “However, we can provide evidence supporting our claim.” He motioned for a servant to bring the evidence in the form of a small jar of liquid. “What’s this?” the man demanded. taking it from her. “That is the aborted seed of my consort. Your friend,” he sneered, “had succeeded in impregnating two of his breeders before we reclaimed him.” “This proves nothing,” the man snarled, tossing the vial into the air. Zechs reached out and caught it before it could crash on the stone floor. “The prince’s consort is a unique individual,” he said icily. “It will be easy enough to test the prince’s evidence.” Barton stared at the young man open mouthed then snapped his jaw shut and turned on the prince again. “I suppose you know nothing of the raids on the slave trains that move through your forest?” “There are many who have taken refuge in those woods that detest your policies. Perhaps you should find another route?” the braided prince gleamed. Relena was watching him with an appraising eye. “It is your responsibility to see to it that your roads are safe to travel...” the man began but Duo cut him off. “It is every man’s right to protect his kin,” the prince barked. Hiiro could see he was loosing his battle with his temper. “This kingdom will no longer tolerate the passage of slave trains on its land.” Hiiro saw for the first time the regal breeding in the boy and felt his chest swell with pride. “You can’t do that!” Barton balked. “You’re not King yet you upstart little...” “Lord Barton!” Relena snapped warningly and he shut his mouth but continued to glare. “Please,” Duo said in a suddenly pleasant tone. “Make yourselves at home. Enjoy our hospitality. However, when you return you will inform King Treize of my decision. No slave commodities will pass though these lands again.” Hiiro realized what that meant. Duo’s land bordered the mountains and the sea was on the other side. That meant most of the slave trade had to pass over his land in order to make it to the Nobara Kingdom. He was essentially shutting them down. Barton looked as if he might pop a vein but he kept his mouth shut, turned on his heel and stormed from the hall. Relena let out a huge sigh while Zechs favored the prince with a small grin then turned and followed his companion. Duo didn’t miss a beat. “Now,” he said, turning back to where Hiiro still lay in the pillows “Where were we?” he inquired, leaping into the pile. “Duo!” Relena snapped. “Huh?” he replied as his head popped up from under the pillows. She sighed and pressed her fingers to her forehead as if it hurt. “What are you doing?” she demanded. “Um... well,” he replied. “I was just about to ummph!” he gasped suddenly, disappearing back under the pile. She growled in frustration and stormed out of the hall mumbling something about boys and their libidos. “You’re amazing,” Hiiro smiled softly as he pulled him close under their pile of pillows. “Not so much,” Duo blushed and kissed him. “We really should fill Lady Relena in though. She’s gonna have a cow when she finds out we left him with the elves.” “Why is he so important?” Hiiro asked. finally getting around to the question that had been bothering him for some time. Duo went quiet for a moment then rested his chin on Hiiro’s chest. “Most people know he’s part water nymph. Well, anyone of importance anyway. What they don’t know is his true name. He’s the last living descendant of the Winner Dynasty.” Hiiro whistled low. “But they died out long ago.” “That’s exactly what they wanted people to believe,” Duo sighed. “Their fortune had grown to the point it had stolen their lives away so they hid themselves in the Great Deserts and went back to living normal lives. The fortune is still there though. Only members of the royal family were permitted access to it and even then only during certain periods of the year. Their family was slowly killed off by men that wanted the fortune for themselves. A man who controlled that much wealth could easily rule the world. Barton caught wind of it and began taking his people for the slave markets in the hopes of finding him and forcing him to reveal the treasure but Rashid sold him to me before he was discovered. No one thought twice about a sultry little water nymph being bought by an upstart little…” Hiiro put his hand to his lips to stay the insult, making Duo grin. “Anyway, you already know the rest.” Hiiro finally understood why it was so important that no one know who the blond really was. He was already in enough danger just because of his fey blood. If anyone found out about his connection to the Winner fortune they’d stop at nothing to get to him. Satisfied that he had been brought up to speed he let the subject drop as Duo started to nip at his ear lobe and distracted as they were, neither of them heard the scurrying feet of the small boy that ran from the hall. It was evening when Silvia climbed the steps of the great hall. She hadn’t seen the prince’s face since the night he had accepted her into his service and she was a bit giddy with anticipation. It had been a rare treat for her to be selected to deliver the message. Usually, the closest she got to the palace was the servant’s entrance at the kitchen. Her mind flashed on memories of the young monarch. He was just so beautiful and full of life. She recalled the words he had said to her that night, the look in his exotic companion’s eyes, but still. She couldn’t stop her hands from trembling as she entered the long hall but there was nobody there. “Prince Duo?” she called, her gentle voice echoing off the high stained glass set in the walls. Her heart raced as something stirred. “P...Prince Duo?” she called again, approaching the place where she had heard the sound. The evening ray’s of the sun shown through the colored glass windows casting a strange hue over the room. There was a low groan and a shifting in the pile of pillows and her eyes widened as the prince’s head rose sleepily from beneath the mound to peer at her for a moment before she regained her balance enough to speak. “L…Lord Zechs has requested an audience with you, Sire” she said softly. He looked at her bleary eyed for a moment as if processing the information then nodded and rubbed his eyes with one hand as he yawned and she smiled. He was the cutest thing she had ever seen in her life. Her smile faltered into something more of mild shock when another hand rose up and slipped behind his head pulling him back down into the pile. The pillows moved about for a minute as soft, muffled sounds rose from the depths then she heard the light laughter that had so easily captured half the hearts in the kingdom. A moment later he emerged with the exotic boy from the tavern and she understood. The smile returned. The prince really was just too damn cute. “I’ll receive him in my chambers in half an hour,” Duo informed her as he stumbled out of the pile with Hiiro following behind and she curtsied and hurried from the room. “Your chambers?” Hiiro asked objectively as they made their way toward the end of the hall. Duo peered sideways at him and grinned. “Jealous?” Hiiro slipped an arm around his waist and pulled him close to playfully confirm, “Absolutely.” Duo laughed. “I have a feeling he would like to keep this meeting as discrete as possible. King Treize has proven to be more of an ally than a foe in the past but he is bound by the policies and laws enacted by his late father.” “A prisoner of the throne,” Hiiro intoned. “Right down to his arranged marriage to Queen Une,” Duo replied. “Scary thought,” Hiiro mused. “Hn,” Duo agreed. They stopped by the kitchen where Duo proceeded to charm cakes and nectar out of the cook and arrange for a snack to be brought up for his guest then retired to the prince’s chambers. The fire burned merrily in the hearth as it always did. Hiiro wondered if they kept it that way when the prince was known to be in the castle since no one but the cooks really knew they were coming. Duo was a bit subdued as he moved around the room gathering bits and pieces of his life with Quatre and storing them in a chest. A bit of clothing; a pair of slippers and his favorite comb. All went in the little gilded chest that had housed the young blond’s things while in the prince’s care. Hiiro went to him and slipped his arms around his waist, pulling him tight against his chest to comfort both his prince and himself as they shared the pain of missing their companion when Zechs arrived at their door. “A pretty portrait for a King,” the young man said softly, breaking through the soft haze of memory that had surrounded the boys. Duo smiled and pulled away from the warmth of Hiiro’s arms. “Welcome,” he said, offering his guest a seat and taking one himself. Hiiro went to stand beside Duo’s chair. He wasn’t comfortable sitting when the prince dealt with matters of state. “I trust his Majesty is well?” Duo asked. “He is troubled,” Zechs informed him. Three servants arrived and left plates of breads, cheeses and fruit along with pitchers of nectar and fresh water then backed out and left the men to their business. “You really stirred up a hornets nest when you attacked Lunardia Keep.” “The scourge took my consort,” Duo reasoned angrily. Zechs nodded understandingly then his eyes traveled over Hiiro appraisingly. “You may speak freely,” the prince assured him. He looked Hiiro over again, taking in the suddenly stony visage and the glitter in his dark blue eyes and relented. “Barton is preparing for war,” he told them. “He’s already gathered his armies in the south. Treize has no control over these forces as you well know.” “How many?” Duo asked. “Ten thousand strong,” the blond man replied and Duo cursed. Even with Sally and the elves they were badly outnumbered. He needed more men. “I fear you may have been mistaken by moving before your coronation,” Zechs went on. “There are men in the west that would serve a true King but without the crown you’ll have a tough time convincing them.” “There was no choice.” Duo reminded him. Zechs’s blue eyes traveled thoughtfully over Hiiro again. “You have less than a month. Barton intends to attack before your birthday. He’ll not wait until after you’re crowned. Have you anything to offer in this matter?” he asked Hiiro openly. Hiiro thought about it for a minute. Did he? He was a man lost in this strange world, his family gone, his homeland over the sea. What could he offer other than his sword arm? Duo seemed to understand his train of thought and brushed the question aside. “Crown or no we’ll have to try,” he said, pouring them all a mug of nectar. “What of Lady Relena?” Zechs asked, receiving his glass. Duo cocked a brow at him. “Does she worry you?” he asked through a lopsided grin. “I fear for her safety,” he replied. Duo snorted. “I fear for the safety of any man that would oppose her,” he chuckled. “You should visit her before you leave. I’m sure she would be more than willing to welcome you in her chambers.” Hiiro got out his puzzle board again and made a note as the prince grinned at Zechs’s suddenly solemn face. He knew that the blond was King Treize’s bed partner and wondered what connection he might have to the Countess. Talk turned to more mundane matters after that. Zechs told them of the trials he was having keeping Treize out of their rose garden. Apparently, they’d been caught several times by the Queen over the past few weeks. A fact that had the woman dead set on ripping up each and every bush. Hiiro had relaxed a bit and slipped in behind Duo, pulling him half in his lap and letting him feed him tid bits off the food tray while they talked. Zechs watched them carefully. Hiiro knew when he was being assessed. It didn’t really take long before the man began to question them. “I see you’ve managed to tame the wild beast,” he grinned as Duo fed another grape to his companion. “It wasn’t so difficult,” Hiiro smirked, sucking the longhaired boy’s fingers as he chuckled and pulled them away. Zechs shook his head. “You left quite a reputation for yourself in Nobara,” he informed him. “Hn,” Hiiro grunted, bending down to nibble at Duo’s neck. “I understand you killed Lord Barton’s favorite male?” the blond asked, one brow raised. “It will take more than one muscle bound slave and a lightening rod before anyone ever takes me like that again,” Hiiro retorted. The sudden glint in his eye and sharpness of his tone bore witness that he meant every word. Duo turned and gazed at him curiously and Hiiro paused. Had he not known how he felt and why he had refused to allow Duo to take his body all this time? He was a bit taken aback. Why had he never pressed him about it? Zechs nodded “Pity,” he said softly, lying back on the couch, one hand behind his head, the other holding his mug. “It’s late” Duo interjected softly, stretching his arms. “You’re welcome to stay if you like.” Hiiro wasn’t quite sure how to take that. He tensed
a little wondering just how far Duo’s ’hospitality‘
went when the man nodded and sat his cup on the table then curled
up on the couch and snuggled in. Duo stood and led Hiiro to the bed
where he stripped them both and slipped under the covers but Zechs
never stirred and Hiiro wondered if he had already fallen asleep or
was just being polite enough not to gawk. Either way he pulled Duo
close and drifted off into a light slumber.
~ * ~ tbc... |
