Fairy Tales Book 2 - The Seven Princes
Part 1
Duo didn't exit his room until the lunch bell was rung. Lunch was always an informal party when there were so many guests coming. It would be a standing buffet with music and chatter. Many of the guests would not have arrived yet so it made it easy for people to arrival. Duo made sure he was one of the final to arrive.
He stood at the top of the ballroom stairs and smiled at the butler who turned to the room and announced.
"His Royal Highness, Prince Duo Maxwell of the Outiche Kingdom."
There was a mumble throughout the room as Duo made his way into the crowd. There was no one he was looking for really, he greeted as he made his way through to the lunch table but never stopped to say anything more than one or two sentences.
It wasn't until he reached the table that he saw a friendly face.
"Ohayo Relena-Sama."
The young princess turned, already a smile gracing her face, but Duo had never seen her yet without a smile.
"Prince Duo, its good to see you even under unfortunate circumstances."
"The same. How have you been?"
"I'm ok. I'm worried about Millardo, he spends day in, day out either locked in his room or with Treize in the Allied Lands. I haven't seen him properly in many months."
"Men do strange things, I can count for that."
She laughed. "So, how are things with you? I know losing a uncle can't be nice but other than that."
"Yeah. I'm just taking things as I go."
"That's probably the best way to take it. If you ever need anything I'm here to listen."
Duo grinned at her. "Is that all you are offering?"
"Duo Maxwell!" she squealed and hit his arm gently. "Behaviour like a gentleman."
"I do, most of the time."
She gave him that look, the look that spoke saying that she didn't believe him.
"Ok, some of the time, but I get lead astray by others."
"Others?"
"Yes."
"Example."
"Yuy. Heero Yuy."
Relena giggled. "Oh, when will you two realise?"
"Realise what?"
"That you would a perfect couple, and a cute one," she winked and walked off, leaving Duo with a wide-open mouth. She strolled over to where her brother stood and began to talk to him but the blond shooed her away and she walked off looking hurt.
Duo began to pick at some of the sandwiches on the table in front of him as he surveyed the room.
His father was talking to the Chief Chang, lord of the wastelands. Further away was Heero speaking to a member of the Maganac. The Maganac were the forty men who guarded the White Sands resort, and its Royal Family. And talking off the White Sands Family, the Prince had just been introduced into the room.
Duo hurried through the crowded room and was the first to reach the young Prince.
"Quatre?"
The boy turned.
"Duo, it's good to see you, my friend."
The blond Prince hugged the brunette. "It's been a while."
"You haven't been to visit us."
"I've been busy."
"What? With Heero?"
"What are you suggesting?" Duo asked as they strolled together towards the glass doors and out on the balcony that over looked the water garden.
"There are rumours about the amount of time you two spend together and according to some maid he spent last night in your room."
Duo snorted. "And how is Prince Trowa?"
Quatre Raberba Winner was not one to be outdone. "Oh, I know he is well, I know the same way you know Heero is well."
"Both you and Relena have said to me that me and Heero would make a cute couple."
"That's because Duo, you would."
"If that is so, than how come he plans on marriage?"
"Perhaps you are the bride."
"He says he hasn't chosen yet."
"He's watching us at this very moment. I noticed that since I entered the room, he's been watching you."
Duo glanced over his shoulder and caught Heero's eye. The Lowe Prince excused himself and began to make his way towards Quatre and Duo.
Quatre smiled at Heero.
"Good afternoon, Prince Heero."
"Master Quatre," Heero bowed his head slightly. "How are you?"
"Oh, we're fine. We were just talking about you."
Heero only looked mildly interested. "Indeed, what about?"
"The rumours that have been spread about the Land. The Prince of the Outiche and the Lowe Lands."
"What about us?" Heero asked coldly, his narrowed eyes showing his suspicion.
"They say you two are to be wed, or else already wed and no one knows."
Duo snorted again and turned his back on his two friends in favour to gaze out at the water and not see the look of disgust in Heero's eyes.
"I can say for certain that we are not wed..." Quatre added a silent 'yet' on to Heero's words, seeing the hurt look that HHHHHhhhhHeero was giving Duo.
"I see, well maybe later. Oh look, there's Trowa and Wufei!"
Duo looked around to see the two boys approach.
Trowa Barton was Crown Prince of the Elvin People who lived deep in the Great Forest, where exactly the boarders to their land was, no one knew seeing as the Great Forest covered almost a third of the land.
Chang Wufei was the Prince of the Wasteland; his father was still talking to Solo.
These five Princes had all been born within twelve months of each other. Wufei was the oldest, followed by Heero and then Trowa and Quatre was the youngest. Duo was the fourth to be turning sixteen in a few weeks time and after that it would just be one month until Quatre was born. There had never been anything said about the timely births of the Princes but they had been friends from a very young age. Spent summers at Quatre's home and winter's at Duo's, until the age of ten where they began to travel around the land, always together in pairs of three. In fact, their parents claimed that the children's first words were not the normal one, but were indeed each other's.
Wufei was the first to speak, Duo being the first word.
Trowa than spoke next, calling Quatre, Kater instead of Quatre but the meaning of the word quite clear.
Heero's first word was Wufei and which was quickly followed by Trowa and Duo.
Quatre spoke before Duo did, in his sleep as he laid curled up against Trowa he mumbled the older boy's name.
It was Duo who made the most fuss over his name. He had woken one night, according to Solo, screaming from a nightmare and had sobbed Heero's name over and over. Odin seconded that by having to wake Heero and take the small child over to Solo's palace and the two babes stayed with each other for six months straight, and if either was removed from the other's sight they would cry for the other. It had been hard to finally decide to separate the two, but as Duo would joke, the separation became far easier as they grew up.
As Solo turned from where he was talking to Wufei's father, he spotted the five Princes. He nodded in their direction causing the Chief to look to.
"It can't be denied," he spoke. "They are something special."
Odin appeared beside them, with Catherine too. Catherine was Trowa's older sister, having taken her mother's place when she died. Her father was too ill to leave home to attend the funeral wake, so she and Trowa had come alone. She smiled at the boys.
"I wonder what this war will do to them."
"Hopefully it will make them grow stronger as a friendship group," King Raberba spoke. The five Royal Heads watched the Princes as they joked.
There was a certain air between Trowa and Quatre, the two had been dating for a while now and there was a wedding planned to happen on Quatre's sixteenth birthday. There was also something between Heero and Duo, although it was less noticeable because Duo seemed to have something with all the members of the group. Wufei was the loner of the group, tending to watch more than take part but Duo was always ready to drag the boy into a fight.
"Let's hope," Odin whispered, "that they can save us."
There was no comment from the others.
* * *
"Can we go now?" Duo asked Heero, his violet eyes pleading. Heero gave a nod and excused them both as they strolled along the balcony and into the dining room which although had people in, was not as full as the ballroom.
"Prince Duo!"
Duo turned on automatic.
"Cousin," he greeted as Treize Khushrenada grabbed him in a surprised hug.
"I hope you are well, but you do look it."
"I'm very well, thank you. I'm sorry to hear about your Father."
Treize waved his words away. "Don't be, the man would have loved this."
Heero didn't say anything. He had never liked Treize and the older man didn't like him. At this moment in time, he really didn't like the way he was looking at Duo.
"I hear you will be sixteen soon, found a lucky spouse yet?"
"No, I haven't really thought about it," Duo lied, well aware that Heero had just placed a hand on the small of his back. The comforting feeling it brought made him think back to Quatre and Relena's words, would he and Heero make a good couple? There was something between there, wasn't there? Or was he reading Heero wrongly?
"Well, take a long good think about it. I wouldn't want to have the wrong kind of blood enter your family, after all the Maxwell Family."
Heero had a feeling that dig was at him, especially by the way Treize was now glaring at him. So he made it even worse when he lent forward and whispered in Duo's ear. Immediately Duo lost all attention on Treize and focused on Heero.
"Oh, thank you," Duo replied and he turned back to Treize. "I have to do something. I'll speak to you tomorrow."
"Duo, will you join me tomorrow, leading my father's coffin up to the King's Head? You were a second son to him, I know he would have wanted it."
"I would be honoured. Good afternoon."
Duo gave a slight bow to the man and let Heero led him away.
"Where did you want to go?" Heero asked as they left the lunch party behind them.
"The chapel. I thought if I wanted privacy then I should do it while everyone is at lunch."
Heero gave a nod and held Duo's hand as they walked slowly through the palace and out into the grassy courtyard. They crossed the courtyard and headed up the hill towards the small church that sat on top of it. Heero told himself that he was only holding Duo's hand because he wanted to offer the boy comfort. What Treize had said was true, Duo had been a second son to James, and they had always been close. James had been Duo's Godfather as well as Uncle. He tried to ignore the fact Duo's hand fitted his so perfectly or the slender figures that held his own so tightly.
Duo stopped outside the door that was slightly ajar.
"Is someone in there?"
"Hello?" Heero stepped to the door and pushed it open slightly. A young girl jumped at the door creaking. "Who are you?!"
"I'm sorry, sir," the girl sobbed, "I only wanted to say goodbye."
"Who are you?!" Heero demanded again.
"Shh, she's just a kid."
Duo let go off Heero's hand and stepped forward.
"I'm Duo, who are you?"
"I'm Mara. Just a servant, sir."
"This is sacred ground, you shouldn't be here."
"Heero be quiet. Listen Mara, take the time you need. Just let us know when you have finished."
"I've finished, sir, please don't punish me."
"I'm not going to punish you. Do you know where the kitchens are?"
The girl nodded.
"Well go to the kitchens and ask for Hilde. Tell her Duo sent you and that I said she would make you a special cake."
"Thank you," Mara edged around Heero as she made a break for freedom. She disappeared down the slope.
"Who do you think she was?"
Duo shrugged, "I don't know. Let Hilde take care of her."
Duo had finally focused on the open coffin.
"I'll be outside," Heero informed Duo, but the braided boy didn't hear him. Heero let himself out and shut the door. He then sat down on the grass and waited.
Heero was still waiting fifteen minutes later. He was bored now, his hand gently playing with grass blades.
"Yuy, what are you doing here?"
Heero looked up at Millardo.
"Millardo, I'm just waiting for Prince Duo. He asked me to come here with him."
Millardo looked down at Heero and then up at the chapel. "So, Duo is still in there?"
"Yes."
"I'll return later," and without a goodbye, he left.
Millardo and Relena were brother and sister and they were cousins to Heero. Millardo was too close a friend to Treize to be actually nice to Heero but Relena and Heero were good friends, something Millardo found annoying.
"Look what I found."
Heero's head snapped around at Duo's voice. The door to the chapel had open and Duo was draped in shadow but in his hand he held a white lily.
"Where did it come from?"
"It was laying on the coffin. She, Mara, must have put it there. His favourite flower was lily, it reminded him of his wife."
"Could have been Treize."
"No," Duo shook his head; "there is a red rose in his hands, that's from Treize. I'll just put this back."
Duo disappeared again before returning, stepping out into the sunlight. His eyes were red and he shut the door with a sigh and let against it.
"Are you ok?"
Duo looked up and it was if he was seeing Heero in a new light. Suddenly the need to be beside something that was alive overcame Duo and he walked towards the beautiful Prince.
"Will you do something for me?"
"Certainly."
"Kiss me."
TBC...
Heehee, evil cliffhanger! Thanks to all the reviewers and encouragement from people, please keep it coming. I'll update again soon.
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