Marked for Death Part 2
An hour later found Duo and Heero at the stables. As Duo went about setting up the supplies he would need for his own horse - no one would even look at him if he asked for help - Heero stood off to the side tugging at his new clothes.
When he'd arrived he'd worn little to nothing, a tunic that was slit up the sides to show off his legs and was baggy at the top to show off his chest. It was the type of clothing people raised to be professional 'bed warmers' wore, and he had to admit it wasn't all that uncomfortable. But now Duo had given him a different set of clothing for the horse ride. The baggy pants were just a bit too long, folding up around his ankles, yet he was allowed to keep a baggy top with no sleeves, thankfully. But the clothing made him feel choked and restricted... he just wasn't used to ever wearing so much.
Heero glanced up to see a large black stallion step out of the stables, Duo holding the reigns. A side pack was attached to the flimsy saddle near the horse's rear, providing them with enough space to carry simple tools and supplies. It wasn't too full considering Duo planned on being back before nightfall. Duo's long sword hung at his side, well out of the way of hitting the side of the horse.
Duo offered a hand down to Heero... who reluctantly reached for it.
"You've never ridden a horse before?"
Heero shook his head.
Duo clasped his hand around Heero's wrist and pulled him up to sit behind him, his legs resting comfortably on the saddle packs. Heero swallowed and fumbled around for something stable to hold on to.
"Just wrap your arms around my waist and hold on. I would have gotten you your own horse but since I figured you didn't know how to ride... Just hold on and I promise I'll make sure you don't fall."
Heero nodded and carefully placed his hands around Duo's waist, holding on lightly. All the while he cursed himself angrily. His job, his whole purpose in life was supposed to be touching people and letting himself be touched to please them... so why was wrapping his arms around this boy's waist so difficult? Thankfully his new 'master' didn't seem to be bothered by his skittishness. Heero counted himself quite lucky on that point.
A snap of the reigns and the horse jerked forward, jumping into a steady pace down the road. Instinctively Heero tightened his arms around Duo's waist, burying his face in Duo's back as he caught his breath. The horse below him moved quickly, the hooves making a constant rhythm to be followed and soon Heero grew used to it. He silenced his surprise and slight fear enough to open his eyes and glance around them. It wasn't long before he found himself smiling very quietly as the trees flew by and they moved into the town. He was starting to understand why royalty seemed to like their horse rides so much.
The day passed quickly with Heero spending most of his time on the horse's back, watching as Duo asked around. Once out in the city many people did speak with Duo, but not before glancing around worriedly. Were they looking for palace guards? Was it really that much of a crime to speak with a Shadow?
Some greeted Duo with great smiles, some with hugs, and some with just nods. There were many that didn't speak with him and even ignored his questions, but then that didn't seem to bother him. He seemed quite used to it, actually. A good amount of boys his age greeted him with smiles and waves, calling out his name, but their smiles were tempered with eyes of sadness. One thing Heero did notice is that all these boys who seemed to know Duo didn't recognize him at first, and all worked in low jobs. The type of jobs that only orphans were desperate enough to take...
He finally gathered up his courage to ask about it when Duo was back on the horse, and they were heading out of the town and it was well past midday. His arms were once again wrapped around Duo's waist, and he tightened them just slightly.
Duo seemed to get the hint. "We're stopping up here. I'm hungry and tired... if I remember correctly there should be a waterfall just over this hill and past a thin line of trees. I used to go there as a kid with my parents. Almost there."
Heero didn't give him any response and only waited. Soon, just as Duo had said, they came to a small line of trees which grew very close together. The horse made its way through the trees easily enough and suddenly they were standing in a large clearing, surrounded by trees on three sides and a hill on the fourth. A small waterfall curled down the hill, trickling into a small stream, the crystal clear water shimmering in the sunlight. Heero couldn't help but stare.
Duo jumped down off the horse first, then lifted Heero down to the ground, receiving no protest from the boy. Duo grinned and walked the horse to the stream, where he dropped the reigns and the horse began to munch on the grass.
"I haven't been here in a lifetime it seems!"
Heero walked slowly to the stream, eyeing the clear water. It was beautiful, almost too beautiful to be real-
"You were gonna ask something?"
Heero's head jerked up and he glanced at Duo in surprise, then realized that yes, he had indicated that. Frowning slightly he dropped his eyes to back to the stream.
Duo took a seat on a rock near him and slowly began to remove his black leather boots. It was so odd. Heero expected the boy to say something, to command him to speak, or at least to urge him on. But instead Duo just sat there; waiting patiently as he carefully set his boots aside and undid the buckle for his sword belt.
"Your... family..." Heero said softly. He took another deep breath and glanced carefully at Duo, through his bangs. "Where...?" He was perfectly capable of creating full sentences, but getting used to talking to someone who was supposed to be his master like they were equals was still something he was trying to get a grasp on. It was going to take time.
Surprisingly the normal grin on Duo's face didn't fade away. Instead he wrapped his arms around one knee and rocked slightly, leaning back and forth in a slow motion as his eyes traveled over the stream and up the waterfall.
"They're dead," he said in a normal voice, almost as if he were making a comment on the weather. Heero blinked in surprise at his tone but said nothing else.
Duo continued after a moment. "They died in one of the Burnings. There was a huge one in our city... a lot of people lived in the older part of the town and thanks to a little fire that got out of hand a lot of kids were left homeless that night. I think I was one of the lucky ones, to be picked as the prince's Shadow... but sometimes I'm not so sure."
For a moment his expression did change to sadness, but it faded back to a grin quickly as he stood up and stretched. In one fluid movement he removed the dark purple shirt he wore and tossed it over one of the rocks, leaving him bare-chested. Heero stared in amazement and horror at the crisscrossing scars which covered his entire back beneath that shirt, the brand of a slave burned into his right shoulder. Then he blinked and Duo was gone, the braided boy having jumped into the water with a loud yell of enjoyment.
"Ah! It's colder then I remember!" Duo popped his head above the water and swept his long bangs from across his eyes, grinning at Heero. "It's not that bad though... come on, it feels good after spending all day in the city and on a horse."
For a moment Heero considered it, but then he shook his head. Instead he just removed his own baggy pants and boots, contenting himself to sit in the oversized shirt, which acted much like the tunics he was used to, and let his feet dangle in the cold water.
"Suit yourself." Duo said with a laugh, once again disappearing under the clear water.
So many scars... Heero wondered if showing them off had been intentional, but it seemed like it wasn't. Before him Duo moved around in the water happily, dunking his head under and coming back up again for air, only to disappear once again. Heero watched him swim over and sit under the waterfall, laughing as the water rolled over his skin. It was a rather small waterfall as they go, but it was perfectly sized for one human to stand under.
Heero's mind moved back to the scars and he frowned. He knew all slaves were branded when they were young, the mark burned into their back right shoulder where the mark was permanent, even cutting it off wouldn't cover it completely, because the scar would show. The only exception to that rule were those who were raised like he had been. Those raised for their bodies had no marks, instead they were raised to be completely dependant on their masters, so even if they did run away the idea was they wouldn't be able to survive on their own. That was the idea.
But the mark of a slave wasn't the only scar which covered Duo's back. Heero had seen the rest of the marks, long straight lines crisscrossing over and over again to create a strange net-like pattern over his entire back. Heero knew exactly what those marks were. Duo had been whipped. And he'd been whipped many many times.
Was that what it meant to be the prince's Shadow?
He couldn't understand it. How could Duo be so happy all the time? In the two days that he'd known the boy, no even less then that, all he'd seen was the boy grin and smile and laugh. Occasionally his expression would turn serious but then he would suddenly be smiling again. Heero shook his head lightly. The happiness had to be a mask. He just couldn't fathom the idea that someone could be so cheerful after living a life that would leave so many scars, literally. Duo must actually hate the prince for every thing he'd been put through.
Heero pulled his feet out of the cold water and stood up, glancing around the field. He watched the horse for a moment, noticing the large animal as it munched happily on the grass. His eyes moved over the trees, climbing the rocks until he was looking at the top of the waterfall.
His eyes widened and a chill flowed down his spine.
"Heero?"
Beside him, still in the water, Duo must have noticed Heero's movements. Heero made a point to remember that thought, that Duo had quite an eye for detail.
Lifting his arm he pointed to the top of the waterfall.
Duo quickly stumbled out of the water to stand next to him and let his eyes follow to where Heero pointed. His own eyes widened and Heero heard him mutter a soft curse.
Before Heero could stop him, Duo was dashing forward. Using his bare hands and feet he expertly climbed the rocky side of the waterfall, better then most animals could. Heero paused for a second and scanned the sides of the waterfall. It didn't take him long to find a simpler route, across the river. Wading through the water quickly, not caring about his wet clothes, he climbed up the other side and met Duo at the top.
He found Duo kneeling by a body, lying face down in the water. From below he'd only seen the body's arm, hanging over the top of the waterfall, but now he saw it was an older man, wearing rich fabric that was crusted with mud. His body had caught on a line of rocks, keeping him from washing further down stream.
Duo jumped into the water, careful to not let the current pull him over the fall, then grabbed the arm of the man and pulled him up onto the shore next to Heero. Both boys helped turn the man over, and Duo covered his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Oh yuck..."
The man's face had been beaten pretty badly, either from a large blunt object or simply floating along and hitting many rocks on the way. His skin was pale, washed out of almost all color. The eyes were in the worst shape of all, apparently having become fish food somewhere along the way... But Heero's eyes were drawn to the large gash which crossed the man's chest, splitting his clothes to show the pale skin beneath.
"Someone killed him."
Heero nodded at Duo's words, he swallowed. "Who?"
Duo moved quickly, pulling at the cloth around the man's neck. His hand shook as he pulled out a long chain, a ring attacked at the end. He muttered another curse and snapped the ring from the man's neck.
"One of the king's messengers! Stay here, I'm going to grab the horse."
~*~
Duo raced down the side of the waterfall as fast he could, his foot catching so that he tumbled most of the way. Landing on the grassy ground he jumped up and raced for the horse, completely forgetting to check and see if he'd hurt himself. He wasn't worried about himself at the moment. Instead his mind flew over the possibilities of what he'd just seen.
Someone had killed one of the king's messengers. One of the king's messengers that Wufei had sent out in search of his father! That could mean any number of things, most of which could have been mere coincidence, but at the same time something in the back of his head told him this wasn't a coincidence. But he didn't know! He had to find the other body to be sure... if there was another body.
Jumping on the horse he maneuvered it through the trees, leaving their discarded clothes forgotten on the grass. He quickly found another route to ascend the hill without so many slippery rocks and which wasn't nearly so steep. There had to be another body, he had to find it to be sure. He just had to.
The horse reached the top of the waterfall and Duo urged him across the top river where the water was shallow. Grabbing Heero's arm he pulled the servant boy up onto the saddle then kicked the horse into a gallop, racing along the side of the river. His bright violet eyes scanned the edge of the shore, looking for something... anything...
"There."
Duo pulled the horse to a halt as Heero pointed away from the shore, toward a cluster of trees. Both boys jumped off the horse and raced to the body, but they found this one dead as well. Not to mention that the land around him was splattered with blood from the battle which had killed him.
The body lay sprawled across the ground, this one with several thrashes, a good number of which distorted his face so he couldn't be identified. Whoever had killed this man and the other messenger didn't do a very good job of cleaning up his mess. Instead they'd just abandoned the body to rot and left the scene; they hadn't even tried to dispose of the body to hide the act.
Duo swallowed and pushed the man over onto his back. Gritting his teeth he slipped his hand beneath the shirt in search for the same chain and ring. A moment later he found the chain and snapped it away from the man's neck.
"Another messenger?" Heero asked softly as he approached.
Duo nodded and pocketed the ring and chain. Then he lifted the sword and dug it hard into the ground. "Help me... help me bury him. There's a smaller sword in the side saddle pack... we can't just leave them lying here."
Heero wordlessly followed the order. Taking the small sword from the pack he knelt next to Duo and both boys set to work.
~*~
By the time they were done the sun had long since set past the horizon. A large crescent moon lit the path before them as they rode back toward the castle. Both boys were covered with dirt and mud from the work of digging large enough holes for both bodies, and didn't have the energy to take the time to wash themselves off. Their clothes which had been abandoned on the shore were now stuffed in the side packs, nearly forgotten.
Duo perched on the saddle, doing his best to keep from nodding off from the steady rhythm. Heero was curled quietly in front of him, riding normally, but his head was slumped forward and he nearly slid off the horse a few times. Smiling softly to himself Duo gently pulled the boy back so he could rest his head against Duo's chest. Was it just his imagination or did the small servant boy snuggle closer to him?
He really didn't understand the servant boy. Heero acted timid and as if he were made of glass, yet his eyes didn't hold the innocence one would expect from such mannerisms. The way he'd reacted around those dead bodies... he hadn't even flinched. Anyone raised as a servant being so timid wouldn't be exposed to such sights would they? But then whatever Heero's training had consisted of it wasn't physical punishment. No, physical punishment in his case would have damaged his body. It wasn't fit for a bed warmer to have the scars of being whipped crossing his body...
Duo blinked as he realized something. When he'd taken off his shirt Heero must have seen his own scars! He was so used to them and so used to people not noticing him that he hadn't thought of the impact they might have on Heero. Yet he couldn't remember the boy really reacting to his scars.
Heero's behaviors completely confused him. But then they were both new at this friendship thing. At least Heero had opened up more to him today, despite the morbid circumstances. He was making progress, slowly yet surely.
The castle gates opened for him, allowing them entrance, Wufei must have ordered them to acknowledge him when he reached the gates. Duo led his horse into the stables and glanced down at the sleeping boy in his arms. Heero looked so peaceful, it was a shame to wake him...
"Heero?" Duo said softly.
The boy's eyes fluttered and drifted open, glancing around for a moment with a hazy confused look, then they widened and his entire body grew stiff. Dropping his head his body trembled slightly.
"I apologize, I did not mean to fall asleep."
Duo just smiled. "Don't worry about it. You looked quite tired. We're back now. Do you have enough energy to walk back to the room?"
Heero nodded slowly, keeping his eyes on the ground.
Duo got off the horse first, sliding off the saddle with practiced ease, then he reached up and helped Heero down to the ground. The servant boy immediately grasped the side of the saddle as a wave of dizziness hit him and he steadied himself. A moment later he let go and straightened up, glancing timidly at Duo though his bangs.
"I'm not mad at you for drifting off to sleep," Duo said as he locked the horse in its stall. "I could barely stay awake myself."
Heero swallowed and nodded, apparently accepting the explanation.
"I need to go talk to Wufei... why don't you head back to the room and get some sleep? You look about ready to collapse."
"You don't want me to accompany you?"
Duo shook his head. "No, I need to talk to Wufei alone. I'll see you in the morning."
Heero nodded and bowed slightly, then headed off toward the main part of the castle. Duo took a moment to lean against one of the support poles in the stable. His entire body ached from the digging, but at least it had dulled to a steady throb. He really needed sleep, but this couldn't wait.
~*~
The sun had set and dinner was long past over, but Wufei just couldn't quite make himself leave the table.
The candle flames burned low, nearly reaching the polished holders with their short flames and wicks. Across from him sat a single chair, still pushed in as no one had sat there during the meal. All other plates were cleared away save for his and the one sitting across from him. It was the place where Duo sat while King Chang was away... the place Duo was finally allowed to have at the table.
As children Duo had always had to live off of Wufei's things. Part of the training in the Shadow system made Wufei share the food from his plate, which he would have gladly given all of to Duo if it made the boy happy. But no, Darrin and his father had never allowed him to be that generous, for the king always had to maintain an air of power, even if it was unfair.
Wufei was always given a seat at the table and a plate full of rich food, all he could ever eat. Meanwhile Duo was forced to sit on the floor next to his chair, treated much like the hunting dogs that occasionally collected the table scraps the other nobles would toss to the ground. Duo wasn't even given a plate... and he could only eat when Wufei offered him food. And even then for every piece of food he gave Duo he received glares of disapproval... as if it were not proper to take pity on those lower then him.
He'd hated it. He'd hated seeing Duo so thin while he always could walk away with a full stomach. A few times he tried to sneak food for Duo, but that always resulted in them being caught by Darrin and Duo being whipped as punishment. So, instead, Wufei learned to ignore the glares and gave Duo a fourth of his meal, which seemed to be acceptable, even though he wished he could give the boy more.
One of the first things he'd done when his father left was ordered an extra plate added to the table for Duo. The night that King Chang left was the first night Duo had been allowed to sit on his own chair at the table with his own plate. Even then Duo had only picked at his food, intimidated by the other nobles, but he soon got over it and cleaned off his plate two full times.
But now the plate sat across from him, still covered with food untouched.
Where was Duo?
He said he'd be back before the sunset... but that was hours ago...
Wufei sighed and dropped the fork that was in his hand.
Behind him he heard the door slide open and someone step in. Turning his eyes widened as he saw Duo standing there, covered nearly head to toe in dried mud. His shirt was gone and dirt smudged his face and skin, a few pieces caught in his hair which was falling out of a very untidy braid.
Wufei jumped out of his seat and nearly raced over to his friend. "Duo! What happened?"
Duo wordlessly reached into his pocket and pulled out the two chains with the rings hanging at the ends. He frowned as he held them out for Wufei to see.
Wufei had no trouble identifying them. They were the signet rings worn by royal messengers from his own castle. The only messengers that had been sent out recently were the ones he'd sent after his father...
"They're dead. Murdered. We found one in the river and another further up stream." Duo leaned back against the wall near the door, his exhaustion clearly showing. "I meant to get back sooner but we had to bury the bodies... I didn't want to leave them for the wild animals..."
Wufei nodded and placed a hand on his Shadow's shoulder, mindless of the mud. "It's all right. You did give me quite a fright though."
"They were murdered, Fei. Someone didn't want them to reach your father."
Wufei nodded once more and a very serious frown crossed his face. "This is bad news. Best not to say anything though until we learn more. Don't worry. Go back and get some sleep, then we'll talk more in the morning."
"Sorry to make you waste all that lovely food," Duo said, nodding toward his spot at the table. "It looks absolutely delicious, but I doubt I have the energy to even lift a fork right now."
"No worries. You know there will be enough to make up for it tomorrow morning. Now go get some sleep. You need it."
Both boys left the dining room, heading down the hall toward their own rooms. Neither noticed the shadowy figure who'd been watching from the servant's doorway. For that person too, disappeared into the night.
TBC...
Akuma: Where's the lemon! I want a 2x1!
Heheheh! Gomen ne Akuma... there won't be one for quite a while ^_^;;;
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