Slave to Love Part 18
Dawn
Down into the dungeons they were pulled. Duo was being carried in Heero's arms, finally finding peace in the blackness of painless unconsciousness.
"Why are you here?" Quatre asked Lady Une.
"I was plotting with Duo, about Dekim's death." She sighed. "I was fed up of being his doctor."
Sally snorted, her hand resting on Duo's forehead checking his temperature. "How you think I feel? All I have done these past few months is care for those he and his bloody men have raped!"
The dungeon fell into silence and the only thing that could be heard was Duo's uneven breathing.
Heero lowered his head; his messy hair covered his eyes that were threatening to spill tears.
"I failed." He whispered.
"No you haven't." Relena tried to reassure him, her own shivering body was being held by Dorothy.
"I have!" Heero snapped. "My Father is dead, my Kingdom is falling to pieces and Duo is trapped in a world of pain and there is nothing I can do about it! I'm powerless to help anyone!" The tears did come then, but Heero didn't notice them and the others looked away not wanting to see Heero cry.
"Shh." Duo's hand raised and touched Heero's cheek drying the tears there. "It'll be alright. We've survived worst." Duo smiled his hand moving to dry the other side of Heero's face.
Slowly Heero nodded and reached down to help Duo in to a sitting position and he hugged Duo tightly, burying his head in the soft chestnut locks. Duo's arms curled around Heero's waist and hide his own face in the croak of Heero's neck.
"So, you gonna tell us how come you are still alive?" Trowa suddenly asked and Heero lifted his face.
"After Dekim took control of the palace, my father told me to run and find a safe place to stay until such a time I could return here and reclaim the throne as mine. But the get away wasn't clean cut. Dekim sent his men after me, they had an advantage due to the fact they were on horses and I was on foot."
~Feet pounded across the dirt track, the sound of hooves got nearer and nearer and Heero threw himself the last few meters into the forest. The horsemen rode by before skidding to a stop and turning back to make they way into the forest after Heero.
Heero picked himself up, dusting off the leaves and mud before starting to run again. He jumped over tree roots and ducked behind bushes all the while trying to lose the men on horses.
How long he ran he didn't know but soon his legs became weak and he slowed, a stabbing pain formed in his stomach and his muscles protested as he forced himself to keep running. His lungs threaten to give out and he couldn't breath in enough oxygen. Finally he collapsed unable to continue, unable to move.
"Would your father give up?" A voice asked and Heero raised a weary head to look at the man standing before him.
"You are?"
"My name is Odin Lowe. I was a close friend of your mother, Heero Yuy."
The sound of approaching guards made both males jump. Heero crawled to his feet and straggled forward tripping on a tree root snapping his ankle as he fell down again.
"Shit." Heero swore in pain and Odin walked forward.
"Young Princes don't use that kind of language. They stand up straight and tall no matter how badly they are hurt and fight till the death."~
"And that's what I did." Heero sighed, his hand stroked Duo's braid.
"But..."
"I didn't get very far before I collapsed again, this time going straight into unconsciousness. Next thing I knew I was in some strangers bed being forced to drink water."
~Water flowed into his mouth and some how Heero managed to swallow it.
"Odin, he's awake!!!" A female voice called from beside Heero's bed.
Heero blinked a few times focusing his eyes. He was in what appeared to be an attic. The walls were plain and wooden, the floor bare and the bed he was in was no more than a wooden bench, that in the palace was used to sit on, and a few wool blankets over him and under his head to keep him comfortable. There was a woman in her mid 40s beside the bed holding a wooden bowl of water, there was something oddly familiar about her but Heero couldn't place his finger on it. She had deep Prussian eyes and long dark brown hair pulled back into a loose bun. Then the man walked in.
Odin Lowe, if Heero's memory served him correctly, was the man's name.
"I'm glad to see you have finally woken up my prince."
"I'm not a prince any more." Heero replied in a toneless voice.
"Dekim rules your Kingdom...yes but you rule the people's trust and lives still."
"What of my family?" Heero asked.
"Don't tell him Odin, not yet!" The woman pleaded.
"Your father and his lover are dead, slain by Dekim's hand."
"Duo?"
"Who is he?" Odin asked.
"My Slave."
"The braided one whose beauty is said to be greater than the Goddess Venus herself?"
"That's him."~
Duo blushed and hid his bright red face in Heero's chest.
"It's true Duo, don't be embarrassed by it." Quatre laughed and Duo bowed his head.
"It's not just your looks Duo, it's you." Heero whispered. "The way the room lightens when you enter, the way your heart goes out to those in need. The way you love so freely without really questioning it. The way you love life. The way you look after those you love and the ones you call Friends." Heero kissed Duo gently. "And I love every inch of your soul."
"And I love yours too Heero."
The two stared lovingly at each other for a few minutes and then Heero kissed Duo again.
"So what happened next?" Everyone else asked, ruining the sappy romantic moment.
"Odin explained what had happen the two months I had been out cold."
~"He's been made Dekim's slave." Odin whispered, watching as Heero's face remained straight but deep in his own Prussian eyes pain laced through them.
"I have to go back." Heero whispered and he stepped out of bed not realising he was naked or just how weak he was. As soon as his bare feet touched the wooden floor a wave of dizziness hit him and Heero collapsed on to the floor.
"Back in bed." The women ordered Heero.
"NO! I must, must save Duo." Heero breathed out struggling to rise again.
"Your friends risked their lives to save your life. They believe you to be dead and fight Dekim in their own battle to honour the memories of your fallen family." Odin snapped at Heero. "Especially your slave. Rumour has it he has tried to kill Dekim many times."
And Odin and his wife April, went on to explain all that Heero had missed.~
"I spent the next few months working up my body strength and then finally I returned here to hear Relena was having a baby. Dekim's child."
"I forgot!" Relena gasped, her hand covering her mouth.
"He can't. Not even Dekim can kill an unborn child."
Relena met Duo's gaze. "Unless he knows."
"Knows what?"
Everyone glanced between Duo and Relena and Duo took a deep sigh and detached himself from Heero's arms, hissing in pain as he moved his sore body.
"The child isn't Dekim's." He said simple. "Relena refused to have his child."
The rest of the group guessed the truth.
"It's yours? You are the father?" Heero asked.
"Yes."
The truth sunk in. "That's great!" Heero suddenly said.
"You're not mad?"
"No, we'll have an heir." Heero reached out and drew Duo back into his arms and then reached out to touch Relena's hand.
They fell silence again and then Duo looked up.
"Lady Une?"
"Yes?"
"Whose head was it?"
Everyone looked at Duo. "Nani?"
"The head. Dekim showed me a head and said it was..." Duo broke off and buried his head into Heero's chest. Heero hug him tightly.
"Shh, it's alright. I'm here. I'm alive."
"It wasn't anyone's head."
"Huh?" Duo looked through a gap in Heero's arms. "What do you mean?"
"It was an illusion." Une explained. "I'm a witch. I created an illusion to make it real."
"That's gross." Relena said.
Duo opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the door opened and Dekim walked in smiling.
"Dawn."
* * *
The morning sunrise couldn't of made the world look light for the 9 that were pushed and pulled into the town square. Heero kept his hand fixed firmly over Duo's but Dekim pulled them both apart leaving Duo sobbing for Heero.
"Victory has never tasted sweeter." Dekim purred in Heero's ear. "Well, actually it did, when I first got to taste Duo. Now that victory was sweet."
Heero grinded his teeth together and growled.
"Laugh now Dekim. You won't get a chance to again."
"HEERO!!!!"
Duo looked as Heero skidded to a stop and turned to face a woman in the crowd.
"April!"
The woman pushed forward and raced to Heero where she pulled him into her arms. "Odin has a plan. Trust us and free yourselves." She whispered in his ear and placed something steel against his back before sliding the dagger carefully down his shirt.
"Get back old bat!" A guard pulled April away from Heero and she cried out for him. But Heero was pushed forward, away from her.
"Be safe my child." She whispered as they were pulled on to the platform dead centre of the town square where a year ago Duo had been caught by peasants and Heero had saved Duo from being burnt alive. April disappeared into the crowd.
Duo gulped as he watched Quatre be pulled forward and stood on a stool. A rope was placed around Quatre's neck and pulled tight, not tight enough to cut of Quatre's airway but tight enough so that when the stool was kicked away and Quatre would be hanging there it would tighten to cut off Quatre's airway and kill him.
"Duo."
Duo felt Heero pressed against him blocking his view of Trowa being hung up. He looked up at the Prussian eyed prince.
"Odin is here to help us, we must free ourselves. As our hands are tied it will be hard to do but we must try!" Duo nodded and a lone tear fell down his cheek. Heero bent down and kissed it away and slid the dagger April had given him to Duo. "I trust you Duo. You can save us all."
Duo gulped and nodded.
"Come on." A burly guard grabbed Duo by the arms and tugged him back.
"HEERO!" Duo's foot connected with the man's shin and he howled in pain letting go of Duo who ran forward, his lips met Heero's in a passionate kiss. "I can't, Heero I can't." Duo mumbled against Heero's lips.
"Be brave my love." Heero kissed Duo again, their tongues met and danced together.
"I love you Heero." Duo whispered as two guards this time pulled him away from the prince.
Duo was lifted up on to a stool and a rope placed around his neck. His eyes met Heero's and Heero smiled a sad small smile.
"I love you too." Heero mouthed to Duo and Duo shut his eyes and grabbed the handle of the dagger in his hand as it pressed into the small of his back.
"ONE!"
Duo opened his eyes, all of them where tied and ready to be hung.
"TWO!"
Duo noticed the others looking frightened and suddenly wondered why he wasn't. His hand gripped the dagger harder and it pressed deeper into his back.
"THREE!"
"Duo." A word of encouragement from Heero and one last glance.
"NOW!"
The stools were kicked at the same time and Duo felt his head jerk back as the rope tighten and he fell a few inches.
Duo's hands worked quickly, he had always been good at getting out of tight spots. He had to do this. Everyone was relying on him.
Somewhere in his mind Duo registered an angry voice yelling through the crowd that it wasn't right to kill a woman expecting a child and somewhere a knife came flying through the air and cut the rope holding Relena and she tumbled to the ground.
Duo's hands felt sweaty as he flipped the dagger over and into the rope. "Fuck." He crocked as the dagger cut deep in to his hand but his hands were free and that was all that mattered.
He raised the dagger and cut the rope holding him in the air. His feet hit the wooden decking and his knees gave way.
"Get up." He yelled silently to himself and he struggled to his feet.
"GET HIM!"
The crowd suddenly jumped into action and Duo saw everything clearly.
His friends, all part from Relena were slowly being strangled to death. The crowd had turned into a mob and was attacking Dekim and his men. Gripping the dagger tightly Duo walked awkwardly forward, one hand tugging at the rope still cutting his air supply off. Black dots covered his vision as he reached Wufei and he cut the rope at the base of Wufei's neck, freeing Wufei completely from the death trap as he also cut the ropes around Wufei's wrists. Wufei wheezed and turned to take the dagger cutting the rope that was around Duo's neck.
"Take it... free them." Duo gasped as he hurried to where Relena was and pulled the knife that had cut her down. He freed her completely and started the task of freeing the others.
Heero removed the rope from his neck and smiled at Duo. He rubbed his neck trying to restore feeling to it. He was breathing in deep mouthful of the morning air, they all were.
"HEERO!"
They turned to see a man drag Dekim forward.
"Odin."
"I brought you this piece of shit."
Heero walked forward and placed a hand on Dekim's shoulder. "Looks like my kingdom is mine again."
Duo walked forward as well. This man had been his tormenter for the past months and there was something he had been dying to do.
Dekim stared at Duo, the beauty suddenly looked dangerous and he was holding a dagger in his hand.
"W-w-w-what are y-y-y-you going-g-g-g to d-d-do to m-me-e?"
Duo drew back the knife and slashed deep into Dekim's stomach twice to foam a cross of red over it.
Duo stepped back and Heero drew the boy into his arms as Dekim slowly bleed to death.
"It's over." Heero whispered into Duo's ear.
"Everyone ok?" April asked, joining her husband on the platform.
"HEERO! HEERO! HEERO!" The crowd chanted their Prince's name. Sorry. Their King's name.
"I can't." Heero said and the crowd fell silent.
Out of the crowd came a voice. "MARRY HIM!!!"
Heero raised his eyes to that person, it was a girl, it was...
"Hilde." Duo breathed the name of his former mistress.
"Marry Him Heero!"
And Heero did just that.
TBC...
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