'...' thoughts
One and Only Part 12
Once the cream was applied to Duo's burns and the elf had put his clothes back on; he, Quatre, and Sally went to join Heero and Trowa in the hall only to find that Wufei had joined them as well. After a moments discussion, the decision was made of go down to breakfast in the main dining hall where the new arrivals would be able to greet the king, something they had not been able to do the night before. However, they had only traveled a short distance before they began noticing the muffled whispers and pointed looks they were receiving from the people they passed in the halls, mostly servants. Setting a glare firmly on his face, Heero managed to send many of the gossipers running even as his curiosity grew with each new occurrence. Knowing that Duo had not eaten for some time was the only thing that kept him from stopping one of them to demand an explanation.
Unfortunately, the talk in the hallways turned out to be the least of their worries when they entered the large dining hall and all conversation stopped as everyone present turned to stare at them. Heero quickly felt his anger and irritation grow at their actions, especially since the unwanted attention was upsetting the longhaired elf as Duo moved closer and slightly behind him; his posture tense and watchful. Reaching back, he took the boy's hand in his own and gave it a reassuring squeeze before continuing toward the raised dais where Zechs and Lucrezia were sitting.
Sending a dark glare at the blonde princess sitting on Zechs' right side once they were standing in front of the table, the blue-eyed lord then turned his attention to the king before bowing deeply in greeting. "Your highness, it's good to see you again."
"And you as well Lord Yuy. We have missed your presence at the palace these last several months." Zechs said with a tight smile, he too had noticed the reaction of the people present in the room and was feeling unnerved by it.
"Forgive me but as you can see," Heero said with a look toward the braided prince, who by that time was gripping his hand almost painfully. "I had other obligations that needed my attention."
"Yes and for that we are indeed grateful, Heero." Zechs stated sincerely with a smile at the obviously upset boy.
"Yes, it is quite fortunate that you were able to find the little prince." Relena said with a smile. "I'm sure the elves will be most grateful for his safe return."
"Hn." Heero grunted, refusing to allow her to see how those words affected him. In the next instant, the conversation from one of the other tables drifted toward them, clearly heard even though the speaker was obviously trying to be quiet, and he felt Duo tense even further.
"I heard they're sleeping together and I don't mean sleeping either."
"Oh my, to think that a prince would lower himself to the level of a common whore."
"Well, wouldn't you do just about anything to free yourself from slavery?"
The drop of a pin would have echoed loudly through the hall as the violet-eyed elf spun around to stare open-mouthed at the speaker while at the same time she realized her words had been said much louder than she thought. Blushing deeply, she stammered an apology before standing and fleeing the room, her companion following close behind.
Slowly turning back to the dais, his shock and dismay plain in his expression, Duo could not help but see the satisfied smirk on Relena's face and he instantly knew who had started the rumor.
"That was totally uncalled for." Lucrezia stated as she rose to follow the woman.
"No, it's alright. I believe they were given the wrong impression of my relationship with Heero." Duo said while glaring darkly at the princess. Then, drawing himself up straight, he allowed his anger at her underhanded deceit to take over. "Of course, it's really no ones business what I and my fiancé," he said emphasizing the word. "do within our private chambers."
Beside him, he felt Heero jerk slightly at his words, not enough for anyone else to notice but since they were still holding hands, he could not help but feel it. Squeezing the hand in his own firmly in promise of an explanation later, he allowed himself to smile happily. "We had planned on keeping the engagement a secret for a little while longer but since everyone seems to be so interested, they might as well know the truth don't you think?"
The scrape of a chair on the stone floor was the only sound that greeted his statement as Relena abruptly stood from the table, leveling a dark glare at the braided boy. "You're lying." she stated through clenched teeth. "Heero is not engaged to you because he is marrying me."
"I think you should have discussed that with him before making the assumption, princess." Duo said, his smile growing at her reaction.
"Heero." she stated, turning her attention toward the blue-eyed man standing quietly beside him. "Are you just going to stand there and let him lie about you like that?"
Looking at the woman, Heero could clearly see the fury that was shaking her entire body. "Duo does not lie, Relena." he said simply before turning his attention back to the king and queen.
"A man cannot marry a man." Relena said, her voice rising slightly. "Therefore, he is lying."
"Perhaps in your culture it isn't permitted, but elves do not have that intolerance." the longhaired elf explained, giving the dark-haired man's hand another squeeze. "A marriage such as ours will be is just as welcomed as one between a man and a woman."
Stepping back abruptly, Relena clenched her fists at her side before turning and stalking from the room, knowing that if she did not, her anger would cause her to say something that she would regret.
As soon as she was gone, Zechs turned a bright smile toward the newly announced couple. "Well, I guess that congratulations are in order then, Heero."
"Yes and thank you." the blue-eyed man said before turning pleased yet confused Prussian eyes toward the boy standing beside him.
"Definitely." Duo stated with a smile for Heero before turning his attention back to the human king. "I hate to impose, but would it be possible to have our breakfast sent up to our room? All this attention is making me a little uncomfortable I'm afraid." he admitted.
"It's no imposition at all." Zechs answered before mentioning for one of the servants to carry out the elf's request.
Turning to their four companions, Duo blanched slightly at the stunned looks on Quatre and Trowa's faces while Sally and Wufei's expressions reflected only their worry for the small elf. Giving his two long-time friends a reassuring smile in an attempt to ease their fears without actually saying anything, he then turned back to Heero before motioning toward the door. With a nod, the young man led him from the large room and back toward their chambers.
It only took a matter of minutes for the two to arrive back at Heero's suite of rooms and they were more than pleased to find the servants exiting his private chambers as they entered the hall. Dismissing and ignoring the looks the servants gave them, they entered the room to find a full breakfast set out in the sitting room. His stomach growling at the sight of the food, Duo walked over to the table and sat down, Heero following close behind.
"I'm guessing you want to know what happened just now, huh?" the braided boy said after filling his plate with the various foods.
"That would be nice." Heero said with no small amount of curiosity. "Not that I'm not pleased, in a weird sort of way, but why did you tell everyone that we're engaged?"
"Well, because technically we are." Duo said, his hand stilling where he had been spreading jam over a slice of bread as he kept his eyes fixed firmly on his plate.
"Duo," Heero said softly, instantly recognizing the signs that the elf was beginning to withdraw inside himself again. "you don't have to be afraid to telling me anything, you know that."
"I know." the elf whispered as his hands dropped into his lap where they began plucking at the hem of his shirt. "I just don't want you to be angry with me."
"Why would I be angry with you for wanting to marry me?" Heero asked perplexed. "If anything, I'm flattered."
"But I almost...." the boy said before taking a deep breath, knowing it was time to tell the man the truth about what had almost happened between them that morning. "There's a reason I've never gone all the way with anyone before." he explained, still not looking Heero in the eye. "For elves, sex is a sacred act that is only shared between a bonded or married couple. See, elven marriage or bonding ceremonies are very simple and it's only after the couple sleeps together, and I don't mean sleeping either, that the ceremony is considered to be complete."
Sitting back sharply, Heero could only stare across the table at the small elf who was looking more and more miserable by the minute as his mind swirled chaotically. The realization of what exactly had almost happened that morning caught him squarely in the jaw and he felt his heart skip a beat at the fact that if Relena had not interrupted them, he would now be married to the beautiful boy who owned his heart.
"Duo." he breathed.
"I'm sorry." the elf stammered as tears began rolling down his cheeks. "I know I should have--"
"Duo." he said a little louder.
"--said something before we went that far but I didn't--"
"Duo!" the man exclaimed causing the elf to flinch and Heero was immediately out of his seat to kneel at the boy's side, taking both hands into his own. "I'm not angry. If anything, I'm a little more disappointed that we were interrupted."
At the man's words, Duo's head snapped up causing fresh tears to escape and trail down his pale cheeks. Reaching up, Heero brushed them away before leaning in to kiss the boy gently. "Now I plan on making it even more special." he whispered.
"Oh Heero." Duo said, wrapping his arms around the man's neck and burying his face there as he cried happily.
"Shh, don't cry." Heero said as he rubbed the boy's shaking back. "You should be happy."
"I am." came the elf's muffled, tear-choked reply.
Sitting back on his heels, Heero gently drew the elf out of his chair and into his lap as he simply enjoyed the sensation of holding the small body close.
********************
The two days following Duo's announcement concerning their engagement turned out to be relatively quiet, as the entire population of the palace seemed to be too shocked to make any further comments. Heero found himself even more grateful for the quiet during that time as it gave him the time and space he needed to prepare for the senate meeting as well as allowing plenty of time with the violet-eyed boy.
On the morning of the third day since his arrival, the dark-haired man was up and dressed well before dawn, leaving the boy sleeping peacefully in the large bed. He was gratified to see Wufei already approaching his door as he was leaving since the constable would be staying with Duo until he returned from the meeting. Giving his black-haired friend a nod in appreciation, Heero walked down the hall, stopping at Quatre and Trowa's room to collect the auburn-haired man before continuing.
"Are you ready for this?" Trowa asked softly once they had entered the main hallway.
"No." Heero answered with a snort. "But I don't have much choice now do I?"
"Unfortunately, no." Trowa smiled as they rounded a corner on their way to the senate chambers.
********************
As was normal, it did not take long for Heero to reach the end of his patience with the other members of the senate. Each new discussion they brought up seemed to be even more inane than the last while each thought his or her problem was of prevailing significance. Therefore, within only two hours time, the blue-eyed man was prepared to walk out of the chambers regardless of whether the meeting was finished or not.
Luckily, the senate recorder chose that moment to announce that there was only one more item to discuss, meaning he only needed to survive one more debate before he could return to his chambers and his longhaired love. With a sigh, he turned his attention toward the man in the center of the room.
"The next item open for debate was submitted by Lord Septim, requesting the number of household slaves allowed be increased from four to ten." the recorder read and immediately Heero sat up straighter in his seat. He had been adamant when the law setting the number of slaves a person was allowed to own was passed that it be written so that it could never be amended, therefore, how was it now before them again. "I now open the floor for debate."
Instantly, the entire room erupted in conversations as many of the members voiced their support of the amendment. Instinctively, Heero had known that most if not all of the other senators supported the slave trade and while some were far more lenient masters than most, he had had no doubt that they would all jump at the chance of increasing their allotted workforce. Standing resolutely from his chair, he waited for the recorder to recognize him.
"The floor gives way to Lord Yuy." the man spoke and silence quickly filled the room.
"I would like to know the reason for this request?" Heero asked formally. "And I would also like to know how a law that was written so that it could never be changed has been brought before us for amendment?"
A ripple of murmurs traveled through the gathered senators before Lord Septim stood from his chair.
"The law is old and outdated." he stated haughtily, not even waiting for the recorder to recognize him to speak. "And therefore needs to be amended to reflect the current times."
"If I am not mistaken," the dark-haired lord countered. "the current times, as you have named them, do not call for the use of slaves at all since more than enough people are willing to fill those jobs as employees."
As would be expected, this statement caused an outbreak of arguments to fill the room as Septim turned a contemptuous stare toward the blue-eyed man.
"I was under the assumption that since you had recently purchased a slave yourself that you no longer fought against the trade?" the man said with a sneer.
Trowa, seeing his dark-haired friend quickly losing his temper at the other man's words, stood to address the question. "Lord Yuy freed a slave, he did not purchase one."
Once again, the room erupted in outrage, as many members were quick to condemn the young lord for his actions, citing that it would cause other slaves to become disobedient once they found out that such a high lord had freed his. After only a few seconds of listening to their contemptuous words, Heero's anger reached the breaking point.
"Enough!" he bellowed, instantly quieting the room. "The proposal before the senate has no merit since the original law cannot be amended, meaning that only a decree from King Peacecraft himself can change it. And as that is not the case here, this senate meeting is now closed."
That said, Heero turned and stalked from the room, leaving them in stunned silence as Trowa hurried to catch up with him.
"I must admit," Trowa said with a smile once they were far enough from the room that no one could overhear. "that was the most exciting meeting I've been to in quite a while."
"Hn." Heero grunted as he continued walking briskly toward his chambers. "They are a bunch of pompous, arrogant, insufferable, asses."
"I could not agree more." the auburn-haired man stated, his smile growing even larger.
By that time, they had reached the hallway leading to Heero's private chambers and were a little surprised to see one of the palace servants exiting the room. When the man turned and saw them approaching, he hurried to meet them before bowing deeply.
"Lord Yuy." he greeted formally. "His highness, King Peacecraft, requested that I inform you that a ball is to be held tomorrow night in honor of the elf prince's return and he sincerely hopes that you and your... fiancé will attend."
With a near silent groan, Heero suppressed the desire to scowl at the man before him. Zechs was well aware that he despised balls and any such type of gathering as well. However, knowing that it was being held in Duo's honor meant that he really did not have much choice since he would not allow the elf to go alone.
"I will have to discuss it with Prince Duo first, so I will send my answer later this afternoon." Heero stated and the man bowed once again before hurrying off. As soon as he was gone, the young lord turned to his green-eyed friend only to find the man smiling softly at him.
"What?" he asked with a glare.
"Nothing just that I happen to know that you hate those things." Trowa smirked.
"And that hasn't changed either, but if Duo wants to go, then I'll go." Heero said before starting down the hall toward his room. "I'm sure that you'll be attending as well even though you hate them just as much as I. After all, Quatre wouldn't miss one for the world."
Without looking back at his tall friend, the dark-haired man entered his room with his only desire being to spend the rest of the day with his violet-eyed love.
********************
When Heero entered his room following the senate meeting, he was instantly assaulted by one very excited, chestnut-haired elf since the servant had already told him about the ball, leaving Duo nearly beside himself with glee. Unfortunately, since they did not have the proper attire for attending the dance, they then had to spend the rest of the morning as well as part of the afternoon at the tailor's, hampering the dark-haired man's plans of spending the day alone with his love. However, seeing the excited look and extremely happy smile on the small boy's face made the whole thing worthwhile. In the end, no matter how much he had loathed the preparations for the event as well as the thought of the event itself, he found he could not have been more pleased with the reaction both he and the violet-eyed elf received when they entered the large ballroom the following evening, arm in arm.
As would be befitting a member of the nobility, Heero had gone with a simple style of clothing, which included a pair of black pants with supple ankle boots and a deep blue tunic with long sleeves that reached to mid-thigh and had elegantly detailed, silver embroidery along the sleeve cuffs as well as the hem. His eternally messy, chocolate brown locks had even been combed into partial submission and his family crest was proudly displayed over his right breast. In striking contrast to his simple style, Duo had managed to put together an outfit that resembled the clothing worn in the elven court consisting of a pair of charcoal grey pants with knee high black boots. A dark red vest with a high neck and no sleeves reached to his waist and over top, he wore a knee length black coat, which he left unbuttoned. His hair was out of the normal braid and cascaded around his lithe form with the sides pulled back enough to show off his ears. Overall, they both looked stunning and everyone in the ballroom stopped to stare as they walked in.
Moving them both quickly through the crowd, Heero led them toward the dais that the king and queen were sitting on, noticing that even though the elf had been extremely excited about attending the ball at the beginning, the reality of having so many people around him was causing his fears to resurface. Slipping his hand down the boy's arms until he could lace their fingers together, Heero gave the hand a reassuring squeeze, earning him a grateful smile from that angelic face.
Upon reaching Zechs and Lucrezia, Heero saw that not only were Treize and Wufei standing beside the dais but also Quatre, Trowa, and Sally; all of them watching their arrival intently. Giving them all an appreciative smile for their show of support, he quickly bowed to Zechs. "Your highness, I want to thank you for throwing such a magnificent gathering for Prince Duo." he said formally.
"Heero," Lucrezia scolded softly. "you know very well that you don't have to use such formalities with us. We are friends after all."
"Of course, my queen." Heero smirked at the title causing the dark-haired woman to scowl at him.
"Is everything alright, Duo?" Sally asked as she watched the elf with concern.
"I... Yeah, I'm just a little nervous with all these people." Duo said softly before turning pleading eyes toward the man beside him. Giving him a nod and his hand another squeeze, Heero turned back to the others.
"If you'll excuse us, I think Duo needs some space to calm down."
"You're not leaving are you?" Zechs asked.
"No, we'll just find a quiet corner until he feels up to rejoining the party." the blue-eyed man reassured the king before pulling the boy away from the dais.
Luckily, it did not take long for the elf to calm down once they were out of the crowd of people and soon he was once again beginning to enjoy the ball going on around him. Smiling softly at the almost childlike fascination that the elf was displaying toward his people's dances, Heero was just about to ask the boy if he wanted to try for himself when he felt him suddenly still as his entire body tensed. Turning to see what was wrong; he felt his heart twist painfully at the absolute horror that was written over that delicate face. Not knowing what could have possible frightened the boy so badly, he gently took hold of his shoulders before turning him so he could look him in the eye.
"Duo? What's wrong?" Heero asked softly as he pushed Duo's bangs back out of his eyes. However, the elf simply stared at him and the dark-haired man could clearly see the tears beginning to gather in those wondrous, violet orbs. Quickly feeling his own fears rise at the boy's inactions, Heero dragged him into his arms and held him close. "Please talk to me, love. Tell me what's wrong."
Instead of speaking though, the boy shook his head frantically as he clutched at the front of the blue-eyed lord's tunic; his small body beginning to tremble noticeably. Although he had no idea of what had frightened the boy, Heero did know that he needed to remove Duo from the ballroom and he needed to do it quickly. Therefore, he began searching the crowd for any sign of either Wufei or Trowa, knowing he could not simply leave without someone informing Zechs since the ball was being held in Duo's honor. He was so completely intent on his search; he did not hear Lord Septim approach until the man was standing only four feet away.
"Lord Yuy." the man said in his normal, condescending tone and Heero felt the small body in his arms still completely, even to the point that the dark-haired man had to concentrate to determine if he was still breathing. "I must say it was a pleasant surprise to see you at the senate meeting yesterday, we had missed your presence over the last couple of months."
"As I'm sure Trowa Barton has told you, I had other obligations that needed my attention." Heero said shortly, hoping the man would take note of the harshness of his response and leave.
"Yes, so he did." the man said with a nod before his attention turned toward the longhaired elf cradled in his arms. "And who might your companion be?"
That simple question seemed to send a shockwave through the elf's body, releasing him from the utter stillness, and causing the trembling to returned, only much more pronounced as his hands tightened in Heero's tunic. Feeling his own anxieties increase; the dark-haired man turned a dark glare toward the older lord.
"I don't think that's any of your business." he stated firmly.
"The rumor is that he's your fiancé." Septim said, as he casually looked the boy over. "I must admit, he's very... quiet and docile. You seem to have trained him very well."
The words the man spoke along with the elf's actions finally added up in Heero's mind and he found himself turning an incredulous stare at the other senator. However, by that time Septim had slunk off, blending into the crowd easily. Quickly turning back to the small form in his arms, the blue-eyed man wrapped his arms more securely around the boy's trembling body.
"Duo," he started softly, afraid of what he was about to ask but knowing he had to make sure of his suspicions. "Was that the man who kidnapped you?"
There was a brief moment when Heero thought the boy was not going to answer before the small head nodded slightly. Instantly, he felt a cold chill run the length of his spine to think that he had allowed that monster so close to the elf. Once again and this time with much more urgency, he began scouring the crowd in search of his friends, luckily spotting Wufei within a few seconds and quickly catching the other man's eye. As if sensing something was wrong, the young constable excused himself from his conversation before going to Heero's side.
"What's wrong, Heero?" he asked, finally seeing the barely controlled fury in the young man's face as well as the tremors that were passing through Duo's body.
"It was Septim." Heero hissed as he unconsciously began running one hand through the elf's hair.
"What do you mean? What was Septim?" the constable asked in confusion.
"He's the one who kidnapped Duo." the dark-haired man snapped and watched as his friend's dark eyes widened visibly.
"Heero?" a voice called from the blue-eyed man's far side and he turned to find both Trowa and Quatre approaching quickly, the blonde doctor rubbing vigorously at his chest.
"I'm going to find Treize." Wufei said and disappeared without another word as he went in search of the king's general.
"Heero, what happened?" Quatre asked anxiously, the feel of the violet-eyed elf's fear nearly overwhelming him.
"Quatre, I need you to take Duo back to our room." Heero said, but instantly regretted his words when the longhaired boy began shaking his head frantically as he wrapped his arms tightly around his neck. Cursing himself for not realizing that Duo would react badly to his intentions of leaving, Heero once again tightened his hold on the boy, trying to say without words that he would stay with him.
"Heero?" Quatre asked once again.
Shaking his head at his friend, Heero quickly swept the boy up into his arms. "Find Wufei, he'll explain what's going on. I have to get Duo out of here." the blue-eyed man stated before turning and striding across the ballroom, ignoring the stares and whispers as he passed on his way to the door.
TBC...
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