'...' thoughts
One and Only Part 14
As the dawn crested over the eastern horizon, Heero found himself slowly emerging from sleep, feeling remarkably rested for it to have only been a few hours as he stifled a yawn so as not to disturb the slumbering elf. However, when he blinked his sleep-crusted eyes open, he realized his assumption had been wrong upon finding beautiful violet pools smiling down at him with a hint of mischief twinkling in their depths. Smiling a soft smile at those luminous orbs, he reached his right hand up to trail knuckles down the longhaired elf's pale cheek, reveling in the way the boy nuzzled into his touch.
"Morning." Duo whispered softly, as if afraid to break the stillness of the moment. "How are you feeling?"
"Morning to you too, and shouldn't I be asking you that?" Heero replied, a hint of real worry creeping into his voice as his mind replayed the events of only a few hours ago, causing warmth to fill his body even as his fears of having hurt his little love twisted his heart.
"I'm fine Heero." the elf stated. "Actually, I've never felt better."
"Hn." the dark-haired man grunted, but fortunately the previous smile had returned at hearing the boy's reassurance and he gently cupped the back of Duo's neck to pull him down into a deep kiss.
Releasing the boy only after several minutes of plundering those sweet depths, Heero pulled back and could not stop the smirk that crossed his face at seeing the dazed look on the boy's face. However, knowing they had failed to eat dinner after everything that had happened the night before and not wanting Duo to miss breakfast as well, he drug the reluctant elf from the bed and instructed him to dress while he did so as well.
As soon as he was dressed once again, the blue-eyed man headed through to the sitting room where he unbolted the door and stepped out into the hall. As was expected when he was in residence at the palace, there would always be at least one of the palace servants ghosting around nearby in case he was in need of something. Calling out from where he stood in the doorway, he was pleased when a young female servant turned the corner only a second later in answer. Quickly making his request that breakfast for him and the little prince be brought up to his chambers, he watched as she dipped a quick curtsy then hurried back around the corner before he returned to his chambers.
With breakfast now taken care of, he made his way back into the bedroom to check on Duo since he had not been waiting in the sitting room. Immediately upon entering the room, he found himself confronted by an extremely agitated elf who only seemed to be growing more and more frustrated as he tried to tame the seemingly endless tangles in his chestnut locks. When the elf suddenly drew back his arm to throw the brush, Heero rushed across the room and caught the boy's arm, deftly plucking the brush from his grip. "Let me." he said softly before laying the brush down on the bed. Then using his fingers, he gently began removing the most stubborn of the knots.
Almost instantly, Duo found himself begin to relax as the familiar hands worked their way through his hair and within only a few minutes his eyelids began to droop as the previous nights lack of sleep and Heero's ministration caught up to him. Luckily, when he began swaying on his feet, Heero realized his growing state of lethargy and moved them to the bed where he sat down before pulling the boy into his lap. Then, finally taking up the brush, the blue-eyed man proceeded to brush the silken tresses until they shimmered in the light before separating it into three equal sections and braiding it.
"Hair tie." he said softly to the elf who by that time was nearly asleep once again. Snapping himself awake, Duo managed to dig the tie from his pants pocket where he had stuffed it before beginning the arduous task of detangling his hair and handed it to the dark-haired man. Quickly tying the end of the rope of hair, Heero flipped it over the boy's shoulder before standing from the bed with the boy still cradled safely in his arms and headed toward the sitting room.
"I can walk you know." the elf said indignantly even as he wrapped his arms around the taller man's neck, nuzzled into the soft skin.
"I know, but I enjoy carrying you." Heero explained as he once again entered the sitting room. No sooner had he crossed the threshold however, there came a knock on the solid wooden door, and sitting the boy in one of the waiting chairs, he went to open it, not before receiving a delicious looking pout from the elf at being put down though.
Chucking softly at the look on him little lover's face, he pulled the door open to find two palace servants with heavy looking trays balanced on their shoulders. Quickly moving aside to allow them to enter, he watched as they setup their bountiful meal on the table before excusing themselves. As soon as they were gone, Heero took his own chair across from the violet-eyed boy and they proceeded to eat their fill while they discussed their plans for the day. More than once during the conversation, Heero was pleased and ecstatic to hear the sound of the longhaired elf's tinkling laughter fill the rooms.
********************
In a small, nondescript inn near the outskirts of Trasil, a hooded figure sat in the far back corner of the room, beady eyes constantly flitting across the room taking in the other clientele that where present; an untouched lager of ale sitting on the marred table. Anger and frustration could clearly be seen by the way the person sat, tense and obviously agitated. As it was, the person had been summoned there via messenger to meet a very important contact at six o'clock. However, that time had come and gone by nearly fifteen minutes and with each minute that passed, the agitation continued to grow. Finally, another hooded figure entered the bar and briefly looked around before spotting the dark corner table. Walking confidently across the room, they sat down in the only other available chair.
"You're late." a male voice complained as the new arrival drew the chair close to the table.
"You're lucky I showed up at all." came the feminine reply.
"If you didn't have a chance of returning my property, I wouldn't have." the man stated. "Although, I'm quite curious as to why you've come personally; I didn't think you liked to get so close to your little schemes."
"Enough." the woman demanded. "What I do, and why I do it is of none of your concern. You just need to know that only I have the means of delivering what you want, but only if you're prepared to meet my demands."
"I want to know exactly what are they first?" he questioned suspiciously. "Then I'll consider them."
"You know very well what I want." she snapped, her patience running thin. "When the elves arrive next week, you will stand with me against the king. That is all I ask."
"And if your plan fails, I will be the one taking the blame from Peacecraft, is that it?"
"What do you care? If I'm not mistaken, you already have your own plan in place. Although its quickly falling to pieces and right now, I'm the only one who can help you get it back on track."
The man grumbled under his breath for several long seconds, having realized the threat for what it was. "Fine, I'll go along with you, princess. But if I don't have the boy within four days time, I'll go directly to your brother and tell him everything you've just said to me. Am I understood?"
"Of course Senator." the young woman stated, her blue eyes flashing. "I will contact you before the end of your time frame to let you know when to come get your little pet."
"Very well, your highness." he sneered and stood to leave. "You have yourself a deal."
Smiling to herself, Relena watched him go before leaving as well. Unbeknownst to the woman, a pair of piercing blue eyes followed her as she left the inn, anticipated triumph gleaming from their depths.
********************
Much to Duo's, as well as Heero's relief, the next few days passed without incident, leaving them to spend the time simply enjoying each other's company. However, with the threat of Septim as well as an unnamed accomplice still hanging over their heads, Zechs felt it necessary to place two guards outside of Heero's door to insure the braided prince's safety.
At first, Heero had bristled at the thought that the king did not think him capable of protecting the small elf but after the first day, Trowa and Quatre were able to convince him differently. They argued that with the guards, he could let his own guard down, which in turn would allow him to concentrate fully on the little elf. The dark-haired man had almost immediately seen the advantage in that and relented.
Therefore, it was on the evening of the third day following the ball that Heero was called to the king's private chamber to discuss the elves' imminent arrival. Having no wish to sit in on the obviously boring meeting, Duo decided to stay behind in the room. He still needed to prepare a proper outfit to greet his father and the members of the nobility anyways.
"Are you sure?" Heero asked, his apprehension at leaving the boy alone showing in his voice.
"I'm sure Heero, and I'll be fine." the violet-eyed elf stated as he cupped the man's cheek. "The guards are right outside and I promise not to leave until you return."
"You promise?" the dark-haired man asked and could not help but cringe at the slight begging tone he had adopted.
"Yes, I promise. Now get going before they come looking for you." the braided boy said as he pushed him toward the door.
Sighing slightly once the door was closed behind the dark-haired man, Duo turned and leaned back against it before closing his eyes as he fought off the feeling of loneliness that assaulted him the instant Heero was gone. Finally, he gave himself a solid shake before heading back toward the bedroom to begin sorting through his clothes; anything to keep his mind occupied until the blue-eyed lord's return.
As it turned out, Heero had only been gone for a little over a half an hour when there came a knock on the door. Dropping the shirt he was trying to work into his outfit, he walked into the sitting room where he was greeted by Quatre who was being shown through the door by one of the guards.
"Hey Quat, what's up?" the elf said brightly
"Well, I figured you'd be a little bored with Heero gone and I thought we could go down to dinner together." the blonde doctor explained.
"I admit it's tempting, but I sort of have things to do." Duo said, a touch of disappointment in his voice. "Besides, I promised Heero I'd stay here until he returned."
"What exactly are you doing? Maybe I can help."
"I'm trying to find something to wear for when my father and the elven nobility arrives." the elf explained as he headed back into the room with Quatre following close behind.
"Why do you need something special to wear?" the young man asked before a loud gasp could be heard. "Duo, where'd you get all these clothes?"
"Some of them belong to Heero, but I didn't think he'd mind if I borrowed one or two." the boy explained. "And as for why I need an outfit, in our court, there's actually a special outfit worn by the nobility when they greet the king."
"Wouldn't it be easier to have the tailors make the outfit?"
"Probably, but I don't want another new set of clothing. Not if I can put at least most of one together from what I already have." Duo stated as he once again started sorting through the various articles of clothing strewn across the room.
"What about your outfit from the ball?" Quatre questioned. "Why couldn't it be used?"
"Because it's not formal enough, unfortunately."
"Well, it sounds like you have your hands full." Quatre laughed.
"Believe me; elven pageantry is worse than anything you humans could come up with." the boy said with a grimace.
"What I don't understand is why." Quatre asked. "I mean, you're the crown prince not a member of the nobility. Why would you have to dress up like this? Shouldn't it be the other way around; except for your father of course?"
"Probably," Duo said with a nod of his head. "but right now I don't want to do anything that might upset my father."
"Oh?"
"Let's just say that I have a feeling he's not going to be too happy with some of my decisions." the elf stated, his eyes downcast.
"Ah, and you're hoping that by indulging in a little pageantry of your own, he'll be a bit more... lenient." the blonde man said with a knowing smirk.
"Yeah." Duo smiled sheepishly.
"Well, I guess I'll leave you to it then." the blonde doctor said with a smile of his own. "I doubt I'd be of any help since I have absolutely no idea what type of clothing you're trying to put together. But I promise to stop by later to see what you've managed."
"Thanks Quat."
"Anytime Duo." the young man said before turning to leaving, allowing the elf to return to sorting through clothing in earnest.
********************
Sitting at a small, round table in one of the outer rooms of the king's private chambers, Zechs, Lucrezia, Heero, and Trowa were enjoying a private dinner as they discussed the reason for their gathering.
"I'm afraid it won't matter much that Duo's actually here with us once they arrive." Zechs stated, his voice sounding weary. "The fact they had to travel all this way to retrieve him has undoubtedly raised their ire already."
"They should know that under the circumstances we couldn't have just sent him to meet them halfway." Heero argued. "It would've opened him up to being taken once again."
"Heero's right." Trowa said softly. "And besides, if his magic doesn't heal enough in the next week, he won't be able to return with them. Whether they arrive angry or not, they'll undoubtedly be very unhappy about that fact."
"Then there's the matter of Septim." Lucrezia stated firmly, a clear edge to her voice at mentioning the man name. "That he was allowed to escape will not be looked upon well."
"Treize, Wufei, and nearly the entire palace guard are looking for him as we speak." Zechs said.
"And what if he's already left Trasil?" Trowa asked.
"He won't" Heero stated. "Not without Duo at least; I don't think this 'master' whoever he or she is, will be too forgiving about Septim's inability to retrieve him. And I seriously doubt Septim has the courage to fail in this."
"I agree with Heero there." Zechs stated. "He won't leave the city as long as he thinks there's a chance of taking the prince back."
"So where does that leave us?" Lu sighed heavily.
"Right where we started unfortunately." Zechs answered, taking her hand in his and squeezing softly. "We hope they will give us a chance to explain what has been happening and with any luck, the fact that we found and have been caring for Duo will be enough to stop them from declaring war."
"What about Relena?" Heero asked with complete disdain.
"What about her?" the young queen questioned.
"How do you plan to keep her from the elven entourage?" the blue-eyed lord asked. "Or do you?"
"We'll definitely try to keep her from approaching them for as long as we can." the king stated. "However, unless she's locked up somewhere, which I would love nothing more, we can't keep her away forever. We can only hope to convince Thomas of our sincerity before she gets a chance to poison him against us."
"Dammit, there are just too many variables." Heero snapped as he slammed his hand down onto the table.
"I know Heero." Zechs said. "And unfortunately there's only one person who has the ultimate power to save us from a needless and bloody war."
"Duo." the dark-haired lord sighed and received three nods in agreement.
********************
Sitting heavily on the side of the bed, Duo surveyed the organized chaos that littered every available surface in the room. Up until that moment, he had not realized just how many things he had accumulated during his last few months with Heero. At the thought of the dark-haired young lord, a smile creased his lips and he reached over to pick up his cup of tea before taking a sip. Heero had been gone for nearly two hours, leaving him to have a quiet dinner by himself. Of course, when the blue-eyed man first explained where he was going, he had said is would take at least four, if not five hours before the meeting would be complete. Breathing a loud sigh, the longhaired boy stood to begin sorting through the piles once again.
However, before he could actually start, he heard the door to their chambers open then close again. Knowing Heero was the only one with the ability to walk in the door without knocking, he headed toward the sitting room to find out why he had returned so early.
"Heero? You're back early. How did things...?" he trailed off once he had passed through the archway and saw one of the guards standing just inside the closed door. "Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong your highness." the man said softly, his eyes looking haunted as he stared at the small boy. "Please forgive us, we don't have a choice."
"What do you mean?" the violet-eyed elf asked apprehensively as he backed away from the man who had taken a step toward him. However, the step backward placed him firmly against another solid object and when he spun around to see what it was, he found the other guard. Almost immediately, he found himself filled with panic and he dropped the teacup before turning toward the archway back to the bedroom, hoping he could find something to defend himself with once inside the room. Before he could take a step though, two strong arms wrapped around him, pulling him against one of the guard's muscled chests, effectively pinning his arms to his sides. "Let me go!" he exclaimed as he tried to twist his way free.
Unfortunately, the arms merely tightened in response to his demand and before he could scream for help, a rough cloth was pressed over his mouth and nose, a sweet smelling fragrance permeating the fibers. Feeling his senses begin to dull after the first inhalation of the drug, he pushed himself to fight harder, managing to lift his hands to claw at the arms that were wrapped almost painfully around him chest. However, only a few short seconds later, he felt the last of his reserves desert him in the face of the guards persistence as well as the cloying scent on the cloth. His last thoughts before unconsciousness overtook him were of his blue-eyed love and then there was only darkness.
********************
"That was an utter waste of time; three hours worth to be exact." Heero snarled as he stalked down the hallway toward his rooms, forcing Trowa to stretch his long legs in order to keep up.
"He only wanted to make sure we were all on the same page before Thomas arrived." the auburn-haired man stated.
"For all the good that's going to do. We don't know anything more now than we did this morning."
"True, but it put Zechs at ease and right now, that's all that matters."
"Hn." Heero grunted noncommittally as they turned the corner and came to a dead stop, causing Trowa to stop abruptly also to keep from running into him. Glancing around his dark-haired friend, the green-eyed man immediately noticed the reason; neither of the guards was present at the end of the hall.
"Don't jump to conclusions." Trowa said, placing a gentling hand on Heero's shoulder before the man could storm off down the hall. "Maybe he went out somewhere."
"He promised he wouldn't leave until I returned, and Duo never breaks his promises." Heero stated before shrugging the hand off and hurrying toward his chambers. "Duo." he called once he was across the threshold, immediately headed toward the bedroom where he was shocked to find the room in complete disarray.
"Heero." Trowa called a moment later and the dark-haired lord turned back to the sitting room where he found his friend standing over a spilled cup of tea on the floor, a piece of cloth held in his fingers with what suspiciously looked like blood splattered across it.
********************
When Duo finally managed to claw his way back to consciousness, he quickly found himself wishing he had remained blissfully asleep. His entire body ached as if he had been ran over by a horse and carriage, and at first, he could not remember exactly what had happened or where he was for that matter. However, he felt the panic finally began to set in when he tried to move and found his limbs restrained. Ruthlessly fighting down the fear as well as the sense of deja vu the situation brought to mind, he did his best to assess his immediate environment.
The first thing that he became aware of once he had calmed himself enough was the utter darkness around him, something he had noticed upon waking but had paid no attention to. The second thing was the straw covered stone floor he had been lying on and lastly were the thick ropes binding him. Whoever had left him here had been very thorough in their attempt to stop him from escaping on his own; his hands and ankles had been tied tightly with the thick rope then another length had been used to bind his ankles and wrist together at the small of his back, forcing him to bow his back uncomfortably. A noose had then been wrapped around his neck and from the feel of it, had been attached to his wrist bindings as well, meaning that if he squirmed around too much he could actually end up strangling himself. Lastly, a dirty cloth had been shoved into his mouth and tied behind his head to keep him from making any noise above a whimper.
Squeezing his eyes shut against the darkness, he fought to control his breathing while his thoughts spun out of control. Luckily, after several agonizing minutes, he was able to convince himself that the last few months at Yuy Manor had not been a dream and the room he now found himself in was not the one Septim used to keep him in as punishment. While the realizations did not ease his fear of what was happening to him, they did help him to calm his mind. Unfortunately, with the calm, other details of his imprisonment began to make themselves known, namely the skittering of small feet that seemed to scamper all around him. Involuntarily, he heard himself whimper and he squeezed his eyes even tighter as the first of his tears began to fall. Only one thought entered his mind at that moment as he wished with all his heart for his blue-eyed lover, "Heero."
TBC...
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