*.....* denotes thought or internal struggle
~~~~ denotes scene breaks
------ denotes flashback
[1, 2, 3, 4...] denotes author's notes at end of fic
Society's Mirage Part 3
High Sea Prisoner
Violet eyes flashed with impatience mixed with eagerness. A charming grin was etched on the face of the owner of those same eyes, matching the mischievous twinkle. Answering grins were arising from the members of the crew belonging to violet eyes, their captain's perchance for mischief and excitement running through the crew like adrenaline.
The first mate of the ship walked over to join his captain, his eyes running appreciatively over the fine figure the young sheik cut. Clad in his preferred outfit of black silk and breeches, the young man was a figure of mystery and danger.
The young man's attention was diverted by the approach of the first mate and he quietly asked, "Is all ready?"
The first mate bowed in respect and answered, "Yes, we are prepared. But are you sure you want to do this? Won't it harm the negotiations with the Sank Kingdom?"
The other shook his head and said, "No. Queen Relena accepted my proposal and Quatre's gift at the formal meeting last week. I have been lingering in this country merely on a visit, as part of good faith. However, my departure today will not arouse immediate suspicion from anyone, considering that I have been dropping hints for a few days. And I doubt they would even think to link my departure with his disappearance."
The first mate merely snorted and raised an eyebrow.
With a soft chuckle, the sheik acquiesced and said, "Okay, maybe they won't link the two for a few days. And by that time, we'll already be on our way. Besides, Dorothy will keep the young queen busy, since I know Relena is still flustered with the fact that Quatre gave her a concubine as a present."
With a laugh, the other said, "I still can't believe she accepted her! I can still recall Queen Relena's look of surprise when Dorothy came sashaying up to the throne."
With an incorrigible grin, Duo added, "I told Quatre it might not be a good idea."
The two men shared common laughter as they remembered the flustered blush that had adorned the queen's high profile as she had attempted to come up with a polite way of refusing Sultan Quatre's 'gift'. Unable to find a decent way to reject the proffered girl, Relena had merely closed her eyes, nodded, and then given a shaky speech of thanks.
The two men's rapport was abruptly interrupted by the arrival of the helmsman bearing important information. Bowing formally, the young sailor said, "Sheik Duo, we have spotted the Wing sailing off the port side. Your orders?"
Duo allowed a wolfish smile to cross his face, a predatory gleam flashed over his eyes. "Excellent. He's right on time, as usual. Prepare to move out. We're going hunting."
The first mate quirked an eyebrow and said, "The prey, milord?"
"A royal catch," came the answer.
~~~~~~~~
Prince Heero sniffed the tangy salt smell of the sea, enjoying the wind that lightly slapped at his face. The familiar sounds of the squawking birds and the loose flapping of his mainsail were more of a home to him than the most lavish of palaces. He was more comfortable among the unpredictable waves of the sea, than in the storm of politics in the court.
The mainsail of his ship bellied out as it caught the full wind, and Heero allowed the sloop to continue on its starboard tack. A rare burst of laughter escaped his lips as the bow of his boat sliced through the trough of a wave, spraying a salty mist into his face. With a gentle grip, he steered away from the wind to slow his speed down, content to let his boat glide smoothly in a course parallel to the rocky shore.
As the peaceful rocking of his boat on the waves lulled him into a pleasant daze, he thought back onto the humorous proceedings of Relena's court. Rare mirth bubbled from within as he remembered Relena's outrage and shock after the ambassador from Manasia presented her with his unusual 'gift' from the Sultan Quatre. While he agreed that the transferring of a human being like chattel bordered slightly on the barbaric, he knew as did Relena, that not all societies developed the same and each culture had its own customs. It was a wise diplomat who could graciously accept the differences and see beyond primary prejudices to the possibilities that lay behind.
However, thinking about the ambassador from Manasia caused a streak of annoyance to briefly pass through his mind. Upon first sight, the cheeky ambassador had taken him aback with his rather unique appearance. But the man had appeared to be pleasant and intelligent enough, if a bit... energetic.
However, the man had grown to be annoying in the few days that Heero had known him. He had consistently been underfoot, always figuring out where Heero would be, sometimes before Heero knew himself. For some odd reason, the braided diplomat had decided to chase after Heero, whether the young prince wanted it or not.
Flattered by the relentless pursuit, and a bit flustered by Relena's teasing innuendoes, Heero had decided he had had enough and needed to put an end to the diplomat's games. He had sought out the sheik in the palace's grand gardens one evening, much to the other man's surprise. In a cool tone of voice, he had demanded to know what kind of game the sheik was playing and what he wanted.
The answer he had received shocked the sea foam out of him.
Heero knew he was naive, to a certain point, but he couldn't believe what Duo had told him. As he stared at the cloudless blue sky, he pulled him face into a scowl. His sail suddenly luffed wildly, forcing him to push quickly at the tiller. Regaining his control of his small boat, he resumed his musings.
Heero, having grown up mostly an orphaned prince, had been raised according to the principles of his closest advisors. For years he had been bred to believe that it was his duty to preserve the throne of his kingdom, and to do so he must marry a suitable princess. These principles had been strongly enforced and he had grown up believing that attraction between two men or two women was wrong.
Although he had felt a brief initial attraction to the visiting sheik, his discipline had swiftly crushed that line of thought. It wasn't right and shouldn't be encouraged. So when he learned that Sheik Duo wished to have a brief affair for the duration of his visit to Sank, Heero had quickly disabused him of that idea.
In a cold tone of voice, he had informed the taller man that nothing in the seven seas would convince Heero to sink to that level of depravity and sin. With that, he had swiftly left the gardens and tried to avoid the man all together. He had confided what happened to Relena, one lazy afternoon spent riding her thoroughbred stock, and she had merely shaken her head but kept her thoughts to herself. She had her hands full with dealing with her 'gift' from Sultan Quatre. Besides, once Heero had decided something, usually nothing short of a miracle could convince him otherwise.
But obviously Duo did not realize that, for the braided diplomat had just increased his efforts, despite Heero's cold glares and shoulder.
It was only on his daily afternoon sails on Wing that Heero managed to escape from his unwanted pursuer. Reminiscent of his escapes from his tutors and advisors, Heero often found his only peaceful time was aboard his personal sloop. Luckily, Duo seemed to understand that his time to sail was to be taken alone and he didn't bother him during that brief span of time in the afternoons.
But Heero was receiving a respite now because the diplomat from Manasia was leaving. He had been dropping hints for the past days that he was returning to his homeland with glad tidings of their peace treaty. Heero had been briefly disappointed, though the heavens knew why. After all, it wasn't like the braided man meant something to him, right? Heero had to reassure himself several times that he was GLAD that the other man was leaving. And even now he wasn't sure he had managed to entirely convince himself.
Heero was pulled from his thoughts again by waves slapping sharply against the bow of his ship. He looked up to see a large sailing vessel in the distance, its waving flag signifying its owner to be a visiting dignitary. He shaded his eyes against the sun, trying to make out the lines of the ship.
He gave a whistle of admiration as he recognized the cruiser from seeing it at the Sank Kingdom's dock. It rode high in the water, its many square-rigged sails tautly full as it rode close into the friendly wind. Several gun mounts were on the starboard side and he knew that there were matching sets on the port side. Unfurling the royals and topgallants were several sailors perched high up the mast, letting all and sundry know that the ship was well crewed.
Heero felt a sudden urge to see the cruiser more closely before it entered the high seas, disappearing from his sight all together. To do so, he jerked upon his own tiller, bring his own boat high into the wind. Easing in the sheets, his mainsail bulged as it gained more and more support from the wind.
As the strong wind drew him closer to the large ship, he could make out more sailors on the quarterdeck. He wondered who the captain of the ship was, just who was commanding and issuing orders to his sailors and helmsmen. Suddenly, as his boat drew closer, Heero could make out the name of the ship, painted in bright, green letters on the bow. Shock ran through him as he realized that the ship he had been staring at was the Zero.
His own crew aboard the Mercurius had mentioned to him their awe of the massive ship, the luxuriousness of the Manasian cruiser. He knew that if Noin and Sally were envious of the ship, it was truly a work of art. The ironic fact that it belonged to the same diplomat he was trying to avoid was not lost on him.
*K'so, I would have to see him leave, wouldn't I?*
Cursing his luck of fate, Heero grew wary as he realized the cruiser was overtaking him. If he wasn't careful, the ship would end up cutting in front of him, possibly upsetting his own boat. Knowing that the huge vessel must have a blind spot, Heero flew into action lest his precious Wing be rammed.
Jerking his tiller sharply, he tacked to the right towards land. With agonizing slowness, his sail caught the wind and began to sluggishly pull him towards the shore. Despite the strength of the wind, it did not pull him back to shore as swiftly as it had pulled him out.
Hearing a man's shout behind him, he brought his head around for a brief moment only to see the cruiser bearing down on him. The ship was large enough to blot out the sun for a brief moment, and Heero's eyes widened as he felt a flash of fear.
Suddenly, another voice, vaguely familiar, cut through the air. Heero heard, "Veer off! Hook the ropes and haul him in!"
Heero's mouth fell open as he saw several sailors hanging precariously from rope ladders over the side, each holding a thick looped rope. Heero's shock increased as he heard a whirling sound over his head only to learn that the looped ropes had been thrown to encircle his mast and the bow of his ship.
The ropes grew taut and his ship was secured. However, when the ropes were drawn in, Heero was suddenly thrown backwards as he lost his footing. Falling backwards, Heero felt pain spike through his head as it connected with the tiller. His vision and hearing swam for a bit, allowing him to vaguely hear the familiar voice shout, "Pull him close in! Steady now!"
That was the last thing Heero heard before he gave in to the overwhelming darkness.
~~~~~~~~
Duo grinned in appreciation as he beheld the unconscious man in his arms. For a brief moment he had panicked when he saw Heero sprawled on the bottom of his boat unconscious, and Duo had ranted at his crew. However, the first mate had managed to calm him down when he got Heero on the deck, saying that the prince had just hit his head and had been knocked unconscious.
His worry abated, Duo apologized and then thanked his crew for their swift work. Turning to his first mate, he ordered crisply, "I'm taking him to my quarters. Send the ship's doctor to me and then see to his boat."
Howard ran his hand over the top of his nearly baldhead and said, "Are you sure you want to do this, Duo? You know how important Wing is to him. This is not gonna endear him to you."
Duo sighed and answered, "I know, but it can't be helped. If we are to be pursued, this will at least delay them for a bit."
"When they find his boat smashed on the rocks, they'll believe he's dead," Howard reminded him.
Duo effortlessly answered with, "Yes, and we will fix that once he has accepted his situation with me."
Howard gave a great bark of laughter and said, "You're ruthless, you know."
Duo gave him a cheeky grin and said, "Naturally. You know me, Howard. I always get what I want."
Duo gave a nod to his first mate and then turned to head towards his cabin. As he glanced at the young prince in his arms, he allowed a satisfied smile to cross his face. *Yes, I always get what I want, and now I have you.*
TBC...
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