No, this has not been in the works for 12 years. But I had a little time this summer and decided to pick it up.

This is another sequel to The Lost Prince in which Trowa Barton learns of his true identity.

While his Gundam Wing name is not mentioned, Trowa Barton is, in this story, the man known as Trey.

This story focuses on the lives of his children and those of Duo Maxwell in the binary system, the Calabrian Empire.

It's romance and adventure with fantasy/science fiction elements.

I hope you enjoy it.

Part One: The Warlord

Chapter 1

Second Moon, Ulfynaeus

Calabrian Empire

"My lord, I give you my word on the honor of my father's house that I would never do anything to hurt or dishonor your daughter."

Lady Quynn of house Maxwell looked from Amyr, crown prince of the Calabrian Empire, who had just spoken the words in earnest to her father. How could Lord Duo resist that look in Amyr's warm light brown eyes when not a single person, herself especially, could deny Amyr anything?

But her father looked sternly at the young man standing humbly before him and for several moments there was only tense silence that lasted until the emperor, Amyr's father, spoke.

"I hope that he is sincere and that he understands the implication of making an oath on the honor of my house."

Quynn worried that Amyr had made a mistake by invoking his father's house, and she looked quickly at him. Amyr didn't bother using any charm on his father, because he knew that no amount of honeyed words was going to work on the most powerful man in the binary system. His father made no secret of his disappointment in the behavior of his eldest son, and while making a match with the daughter of his closest friend should be cause for celebration, he was openly suspicious of his motives.

"I know what I am saying, my lord father. I want all of you to understand the depth of my honorable intentions toward Lady Quynn. I want her as my wife."

"Are you sure this isn't some stunt to win your father's approval?" asked her father, Lord Duo Maxwell, the governor of the second moon, Ulfynaeus, voicing what the others were probably thinking.

But Quynn wanted to shout at him for even suggesting such a thing. She looked at her mother to see if she would scold him or at least give him the glare he richly deserved, but she was staring at Amyr waiting for him to respond.

"What do you expect him to say?" Quynn suddenly burst out, frustrated by their lack of faith in the man that she wished to marry. Did they also have so little faith in her judgment?

Her father shot her such a dark look that she bit her lip and had to check the impulse to step back. This was a male dominated society, and Quynn had difficulty adjusting to the radical change in the role of a female on Calabria. When she accepted Amyr's proposal, she also accepted his way of life even if she did not agree with it. If her outspoken, highly intelligent mother could be happy in such a place, then Quynn could be too. She wanted the deep love and devotion that her mother had found with her father, and Quynn knew she would only get that with Amyr. His parents were also happily married, so with such role models, how could they fail?

She knew her own feelings and she was sure of his. Quynn couldn't be happy with anyone but Amyr and if her father refused Amyr, Quynn knew her heart would break. She could never envision having the feelings that she shared with Amyr for any other man. When she had met him on a trip to Calabria to stay with her father, she felt an instant attraction that had erupted into deep feelings that she could not control. She all but fled Calabria to escape those feelings to return to the human solar system to finish her term of military service in the space defense where she served as a pilot.

Quynn had hoped that time and distance would help her forget the arrogant crown prince of Calabria. But none of the men she dated during their separation made her feel what he did. So when her compulsory military service came to an end, she volunteered to deliver a hyperspace craft purchased by the empire. When she landed at Edgeland Fortress, Amyr was there waiting to greet her. He had felt as she had during the months they had spent apart, and after just a few days together, they had decided to marry. Now she couldn't imagine a future without him and she knew that he felt the same.

"I would not use Quynn to earn respect from my father." Amyr didn't look at the emperor, but focused his attention on Lord Duo. Quynn wished she could do something to bring Amyr and his father together, but she supposed she would have to wait until Amyr proved himself in the emperor's eyes. Having spent so little time among the Calabrians, she did not know how he would go about doing it, but she assumed it would have something to do with swords and blood-letting.

"At least you have sense enough to know that ploy would never work with me," grunted Emperor Trey.

Quynn could see that Amyr was clenching his fists at his side, proving that he was not unaffected by his father's disdain. His mother did nothing to intervene between her husband and eldest son; she knew her place in this patriarchal society even though Quynn suspected the woman still carried a sword and could cut off body parts without even flinching. Lady Arora was as deadly as she was beautiful, but now she deferred to her husband as he decided the fate of their son.

When no one said anything for a few minutes, Quynn couldn't take the silence any more. "So what is the hold up? Let's get this over with."

Her father looked sternly at her again, but before he could say anything, Quynn's mother left her place beside the emperor's wife and taking Quynn's arm, escorted her to the door. "A female may be present in the meeting between the males of her house and those of her prospective mate, but she must only observe. You told me that you could follow custom, but I can see that you cannot, so you must leave."

Quynn felt guilty for her behavior because it did not reflect well on her father, but she was annoyed by the proceeding. "I didn't realize they were going to rake Amyr over the coals," she whispered to her mother furiously.

Her mother's gaze met hers. "You are young and in love for the first time. Your father is only trying to protect you from what could be a disastrous match." Trynity Stryfe did not add that he must also protect the honor of his house. There was little that bent Calabrians out of shape more than the suggestion of dishonor to one's house and her father had worked hard to earn his place in the empire. Taking a mate from the human solar system instead of a Calabrian woman from an imperial house was certainly not the least of his infamies. Quynn had sensed that even the emperor who had known his mother on Earth did not approve of her father's choice to marry the woman he had always loved.

Her mother opened the door and gave Quynn a little shove. "Let us determine his suitability to be your husband. We already know how you feel." Before she could argue that Amyr felt the same, the door closed and she heard the lock slip into place.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to keep your mouth shut."

Quynn turned around to see her two brothers waiting. Stryfe had arrived with her from the solar system and had recently received the post of scribe for the emperor while Taeron was the imperial guard responsible for keeping Amyr safe, a position for which he had trained hard his whole life. Their father, although now the governor of the second moon, was Emperor Trey's imperial guard, so Taeron was proud to follow in his footsteps to serve the emperor's son.

For the past year Taeron had spent nearly every moment with the crown prince and had been called on to protect him several times. There were those among the imperial nobility who did not approve of the changes that had slowly transformed the empire. Once a world of warring houses held together by a ruthless emperor, the Calabria ruled by Trey was peaceful. Despite the resulting prosperity, dissenting lords had sent challengers expecting to defeat Prince Amyr, but none had gotten past Taeron. Quynn remembered when she had met her half-brother and they had spoken of how his sword had not been used to take a life. Now it had drank the blood of many and he had earned a reputation that ensured Amyr's safety.

Stryfe had spoken when she entered the hall, so Quynn glared at him, although she felt more censure from her Calabrian half-brother. "I didn't take it literally when they told me I wasn't allowed to speak."

"You wanted this," he reminded her. "I told you that you wouldn't like the lifestyle of a Calabrian woman, but you said…"

"I know!" she snapped irritably. She was anxious about what they were saying inside her father's office that she could not hear and she wished she had not left Amyr alone to face her parents and his own. At least when she was in the room he had an ally.

Sighing, she looked at Taeron, who was standing with his back against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. "Don't you ever relax?"

"I am relaxed. If he gets himself killed in there, there's nothing much I can do about it." Taeron's lips were tilted in a half-smile that reminded her of their father when he was not being an overbearing warlord.

Quynn dropped down onto a padded bench seat near him. "I had hoped that Amyr would have settled his differences with his father by now."

Taeron didn't respond.

Quynn looked at him. "You don't approve of our marriage either, do you?"

"My duty is to protect the crown prince." Quynn noticed that he had not given her an answer. Taeron was an imperial guard first and a brother second.

"He doesn't have too many fans here," commented Stryfe. "I read in father's morning news reports that the zenoite chieftains are opposed to your marriage to him."

Quynn didn't want to hear about more opposition to her marriage. She wondered if Stryfe would be writing about the opposition in his account to the emperor, but she did not ask because she did not want to give him ideas. "I know he has made mistakes, but he has changed."

"Can a leopard change its spots?" asked Taeron without a smile.

She glared at her Calabrian half-brother. "What do you know about leopards? There aren't any on Calabria or in this whole damn binary system for that matter."

"Lady Virineia told me about them," explained Taeron. The emperor's mother had treated Taeron like a grandson when he lived among the imperial first family because his father had refused to acknowledge him. She wasn't surprised that the human woman who had been trapped on Calabria many years ago would give Taeron an education about the home system of his father. Lady Virineia had returned to Earth married to Quynn's grandfather. While the emperor's mother taught at the Cinq Kingdom academy, Ivan Stryfe commanded an army of engineers that had built the hyper-space craft Quynn had piloted to Calabria.

Quynn turned back to Stryfe. "Why should the chieftains oppose marriage between me and the crown prince? Do they prefer to marry their own daughters to him?"

"Hardly," muttered Taeron.

She kept her eyes on Stryfe rather than respond to Taeron's sarcasm. Taeron was an overbearing Calabrian, like his father.

Stryfe seemed reluctant to look at her. "From what I understood of the report, the most powerful among them, the zenoite Meridon, has stated that the daughter of Lord Duo is wasted on Prince Amyr."

Quynn knew of Amyr's history with Meridon. The old chieftain had refused to recognize Trey's reign because he had not wielded the blade that had ended his father's reign. Even worse, many of the tribes who had rallied to stand with Meridon had been harried by Crown Prince Trey upon the orders of his father during his reign. The rebellion had been the last significant challenge to the emperor and when Meridon had been defeated, the emperor gave him the choice between giving his oath of loyalty or exile to the second moon. When he chose exile and his enormous tribe had been transported to the moon, Quynn's father had been given the task of ruling in the emperor's name. Many tribes of the Wastelands and hills had chosen exile, and while known as zenoites because of their refusal to acknowledge the end of his reign, they had little love of that emperor either. But, like all Calabrians, they respected his strength and viewed Trey's benevolent rule as a sign of weakness. Quynn thought it more likely that Meridon was still angry that Amyr had attempted to seduce one of his daughters during the time that Amyr's father had sent him to the moon to govern in Lord Duo's place when his imperial guard had gone to the solar system with Princess Shamara to rescue Prince Dagan of Bayman. Quynn had heard her mother remark that the old zenoite was the most stubborn male alive and that he could neither forgive, nor forget.

But how could the chieftains on the moon believe her wasted on the heir of the emperor, the most powerful man in the binary system? "Why…why would they…?"

Before she could form the question she did not want to ask and did not want to hear the answer to, the door opened and her mother motioned for Taeron and Stryfe to enter. She didn't know enough about their society to gauge whether it was good or bad that the males of her father's house were called inside. Quynn wiped her hands nervously on her skirt now as she waited alone in the corridor. These long skirts were good for something. This manner of dress was yet another thing to get used to when she had worn knit pants and shirts in the colonies that were easier to move in to do her job as pilot and military officer. That clothing would shock the imperials although many women at Trey's court often wore gowns of clinging fabric that was every bit as revealing.

She was not alone for long as she waited because further down the corridor Amyr's younger brother, Prince Staefyn rounded the corner. Seeing her, he stopped, glanced in the direction he had been heading, then turned and came to her instead. Close in age to Taeron, he could often be seen tagging behind Amyr and Taeron, but he was not quite part of their intimate friendship. Quynn liked Staefyn as if he were a younger brother, saw him in the same light that she did her Calabrian brother. He was as handsome as Amyr, but he did not quite have that quality in him that attracted females of which the crown prince had a surfeit. Calabrian males could be quite threatening, but Staefyn made her feel comfortable.

He came to her and took her hands, and he raised them to kiss with a brush of his lips. "You will be the most beautiful of my sisters."

She felt herself blushing and his touch was pleasantly warm, but she was conscious of how his holding her hand might be perceived, especially by the chieftains of the second moon whose views on women were beyond backward. Quynn had rarely seen their women because they were seldom allowed to leave the camps scattered on the moon. She knew that her mother sometimes visited the camps as a healer, and when she did, she wore concealing robes and veils covering her from head to foot so that she did not offend the men. If any of those men saw her holding Prince Staefyn's hands, they might consider her behavior dishonorable to her father's house. And having heard that the men of those tribes had given unfavorable opinions about Quynn's proposed marriage to Amyr, she now drew her hands away from his brother, but she smiled at Staefyn.

"I have not seen much of you since my return." When she first arrived, he had been en route from a visit to his sister, Chaela who was now married to Prince Avar of Teralon. Since his return she had caught a few glimpses of him, but she spent almost all of her free time with Amyr, Taeron always nearby to protect him and to chaperon her, and Staefyn seemed disinclined to share their company.

"Something I truly regret," said Staefyn, his smile charming. "But I will be able to see you often when you have exchanged vows with my brother."

"I think I heard Taeron say that you have been courting a woman in the sacred hills."

For a moment he seemed disconcerted, and then his cheeks grew pink and when he looked away for a moment, she thought of how different he was from Amyr. Before he had begun courting Quynn, Amyr would have bragged about his conquest in the hills, but Staefyn was more discreet in his behavior. "I have not begun to court her officially." He raised his dark green gaze to hers. "She does not yet realize how I feel about her."

She was suddenly embarrassed by his awkwardness. Was he reaching for her hands again?

The door to her father's office opened again and her mother appeared. "You may come back in."

She expected Staefyn to congratulate her or at least stay to discover the outcome, but when she turned to him, she found that he had already gone. She truly hoped that the woman that he cared for returned his affection because Staefyn deserved happiness. He was the son that made his parents proud, the modest prince that cherished his mother and could often be found at his father's side. Amyr could learn much from his brother.

Mentally shaking her head, she chided herself for her disloyal thought about Amyr's behavior. Who could say that Staefyn would be any different if he had been born first?

Sighing, she wiped her hands again in the folds of her elegant Calabrian gown as she followed her mother inside.

No one seemed to be pleased.

No one except Amyr.

He smiled as he came to her and took her hands. "They have agreed!"

Quynn wished their parents would look a little happier about it.

"Amyr wants this done as soon as possible," said Lord Duo stiffly.

"Probably so you won't come to your senses and change your mind," remarked the emperor aloud.

"I won't change my mind!" blurted Quynn as she squeezed Amyr's hands tighter. "I don't know why you four, of all people, can't understand our feelings."

"Don't worry about me," said Amyr softly. "I don't need their approval when I have yours."

"I prefer to give my approval to those that earn it," said his father with a direct stare that Amyr couldn't hold. When Amyr looked away, the emperor made a sound of disgust and walked out.

Amyr's mother stopped to hug and kiss Quynn's cheeks. "I will pray to the gods to give you happiness." Quynn was heartbroken that her wishes didn't seem to extend to the son she didn't even look at as she walked out.

Quynn looked up at Amyr's face. He didn't show any sign that their indifference to his happiness bothered him. "I will make you happy," Amyr told her softly with a gaze that made her heart beat faster and her knees nearly buckle.

"We have no doubt of that," said her father, his tone obviously a threat. "The oath will be done here tonight at the supper banquet. The chieftains will be invited to attend to witness."

"Then tomorrow we will go to Calabria where you will exchange vows before the imperial nobility," added her mother. "Following that, you and Amyr will perform the bonding ceremony in the palace plaza for the people to see."

"Why can't we just do the whole thing here?" she asked with frustration. She wasn't sure what the bonding ceremony entailed, but she assumed it was something similar to a human wedding. She smiled shyly at Amyr. "I don't want to wait another day."

He raised her hands to his lips and kissed them both, then moved closer not taking his gaze from hers. "I do not want to wait another moment to be joined with you, but we cannot risk offending the nobility, and Lady Larya is on the surface with my uncle waiting to prepare the celebration."

Quynn felt her insides melting as she gazed into his pale brown eyes. "I will try to curb my impatience." Nobody would dare ruin any plans Lady Larya would be making for the ceremony at the imperial court. Taeron's mother was more intimidating than the emperor.

Before Amyr could say anything else, her mother hooked an arm around Quynn's and gently drew her away from him. "There will be plenty of time for cow's eyes after you have been wed. Larya anticipated the result you wished and provided a lovely gown for you to wear tonight. You should try it on so that any alterations can be made before this evening."

She barely had a chance to look at Amyr again before her mother rushed her out. "Mom! Can't I have a little more time with Amyr?"

"There are still details to work out. Your father and the emperor have negotiated the marriage contract, so now they will inform Amyr of the details."

She paused by her brothers before leaving and Taeron gave her a grim look before he crossed the room to stand near their father.

Stryfe hugged her. "Congratulations! I know how you feel about him, so I am sure that the two of you will be as happy as our parents."

With a glance past him to where Taeron stood, Quynn wondered what it meant that the man who knew Amyr best did not wish her well.