MY FIRST CHALLENGE FIC! YAY! Ok… XD lol I've been reading these Gundam Wing/AC fics by Clara Barton, and I just recently read her pro and there's a challenge to write a Gundam Wing fic based off Rapunzel, whether it be a twisted version of Tangled, my own twisted version or based off the actual rapunzel story. And I'm all like I WANNA DO THAT! Now here it is…

The Challenge: Write a Gundam Wing/AC Rapunzel Fanfic.

Limits/Guidelines: Absolutely NO 3x4, Trowa must be a front character (does not have to be Prince). Duo must be Rapunzel.

Personal touches: Heero is Prince… (Hard core 1x2 fan people sue me). OCs (I'll keep them to a minimum. Promise)

Mission: Accepted

Once upon a time there was a magnificent and peaceful Kingdom. This Kingdom was in the middle of both mourning and celebration, for though they had lost their Crowned Prince and Queen to sickness. The Queen before her Death had given birth to a second son. The town and Castle were decorated in the beautiful, royal color of Purple in celebration of the new Heir's birth. Only the Castle, had the somber touches of black to mourn the passing of the woman and child the King had loved more than anything, even his own Kingdom.

The King, known to all as King Maxwell stared softly at his son with a soft sad smile on his face. The baby as if knowing his father's pain, was quietly staring back up with a soft smile of his own, as if to say 'Though it's not my fault, I'm sorry all the same.'

King Maxwell sighed gently lifting the boy, "You are so much like your mother." He cradled his son with a solemn expression.

"Forgive me my son, but I cannot lose you either." He gently stroked the young Prince's forehead pushing away soft and fluffy chestnut bangs. "You're young enough not to remember your birth, and though we will celebrate it, you will not know we celebrate you. Forgive your Father," At this he kissed the very spot he had just touched. "But I must lock you away until you're ready to take the throne. You are far too precious for this Kingdom to lose."

He kissed the top of his Son's head, wrapped him in a black and purple woolen blanket with the name Duo stitched into it before handing him over to a young woman who appeared to only be of fourteen years. Her attire was that of a simple maid. Her hair was in a twist to the right of her neck. Her eyes gleamed with a hidden agenda as she stared at the child. The King in his grief stricken state did not notice. She cradled the child and smiled gently down to him, the little Prince made a tiny little growl and sneer at her as if he knew her intentions. At the King's voice she looked up.

"Gothel, you remember what to do, Correct?" At her nod he motioned for her to leave. The minute she left the King collapsed into the cushioned chair near the crib that both his sons had rested. He sighed regretting not for the first time his decision to send his youngest son away. He looked to the ceiling. He continued to stare with an anguished look on his face, not seeing the ceiling but his wife with a look of distress on her face. A look she often wore when she worried. Her long and soft chestnut hair in a long braid down her back, her light Violet eyes glittering with the emotion she expressed so openly. The King's anguish only worsened.

"Forgive me love though I regret it the longer he is not in my arms I believe he will be safe. I cannot lose my last memory of you. He will be very much like you I believe, like how our son Solo was much like me. He has your eyes love, those beautiful purple eyes." The King laughed sadly placing a hand over his eyes rubbing them. He continued to speak to his wife as if she were there.

A young girl of only six watched her King with solemn and hard eyes. She knew of the maid's intentions. She also knew that the King was right this new prince would be a lot like her Queen, in more ways than the ones the King was aware of. She knew of the Queen's story, and happily ever after. If she had a say in it she would make it so the Prince had the same ending as his mother. She had the perfect 'Prince' in mind too. Her mother had given her a little brother not even a month earlier. She would mold him into the perfect 'Prince' for her King's son.

As the years passed Duo grew up knowing nothing of his royal lineage. Gothel raised him in a tall narrow tower. He knew her as his mother and she never told him any different. Duo was now fifteen years, he knew because every night the sky would light up with more stars than normal, and his mother told him the castle town did that in celebration of their Prince's birthday and that he should feel special that he was born on the same day as the Prince of Liria, or as many of the locals called it, L2.

Liria was one of five kingdoms, all ironically starting with the letter L. L1 or Lera was a small kingdom that didn't have a ruler for twenty-one years. Then out of nowhere the Crowned Princess and her younger brother pop up and claim the throne. He didn't know much of the details, only what his mother told him. Then there was L3 or Larton another small kingdom but the royal family was well known for its, aggressive, ways in court. Even Duo knew and he was stuck in the tower all his life. His mother never spoke of L4 or L5 but in Duo's opinion they never mattered since they weren't really active in anything his mother taught so he didn't really care for them.

The kingdoms were referred to the way they were because of the similar names. Everyone just started referring to them as their first letter and in the order of them first showing up. L1 being the oldest Kingdom, and L5 being the newest, Duo assumed, after all his mother was the one to tell him all of this. His mother would never lie to him, would she? Duo at times wasn't really sure that she spoke the entire truth.

Duo stared out his small window sighing. The scenery was the same as always the bright sun would shine all day lighting up his little room atop the tower. When Duo finished his chores he stared at the sky playing with the end of his long braid. The setting sun created a soft orange glow across the hidden valley the tower stood in. Duo smiled enjoying the view. He laughed when he felt a tug closer to the base of his head as his pet bat Scythe scurried away from the waning light.

"Still afraid of light, ay Scythe?" Duo smirked turning his head down towards his little flying friend, "I didn't know bats were such cowards."

The bat shivered indignantly and shot out from under Duo's hair and fluttered around his head. Duo laughed half heartedly blocking the attacks. Scythe getting tired of attacking Duo latched onto the top of the window with a very bat like huff. Duo chuckled and smiled admiring Scythe.

Scythe was small for a bat. He was your typical black bat but with a tiny white colored scythe shaped birth mark that you could only see when he folded his wings. Duo wanted to name him DeathScythe but Scythe didn't much like the Death part of Death Scythe, so Scythe was the little bats name. A noise down below caught both occupants' attention, neither of them recognized the two young men who tumbled into the small clearing.

Trowa Barton, crowned prince of Larton, didn't know whether to laugh or groan at his friend's antics. Who would have thought that Heero Yuy, the stoic younger brother to Queen Ara Yuy of Lera, would be suicidal enough to piss off the King of L4? They were chased for God knows how long in that dizzying forest that connected all five Kingdoms into this very spacious glade with what looked to be an abandoned tower smack dab in the middle of it. Trowa decided on groaning and throwing a rock at his friend when Heero started chuckling.

"Careful Heero, they might hear you, and not only would we get caught it'll also ruin your reputation of being the heartless younger brother to the Saint Queen." Trowa smirked as Heero rolled his eyes.

"Don't let Ara hear you call her that, she'd have you tossed in the dungeons, Crowned Prince of Larton or not. You know as well as I she'd be the first to say she's far from being a saint." Heero stated dusting himself off, his voice was very flat but Trowa, having known Heero for quite some time, knew that he was having fun. The enjoyment of seeing his friend stretch in the sun was short lived when the two boys heard a noise. They immediately got up and concealed themselves as a woman entered the area and made a beeline for the tower.

Heero and Trowa looked to each other in confusion as neither of them could see a door to the tower.

"Duo, darling! Mummy's here!" She called, the boys' eyes widened as what they assumed from the name to be another boy peeked out his head before tossing down a long braided rope of hair. Trowa's jaw dropped as his eyes widened knowing it took forever for him to convince his grandfather to let him grow his bangs to the way they were. To think that boy was MADE to grow out his hair just to get in and out of that tower. Trowa couldn't believe it. Heero was in a similar state of shock, not over the young man's hair, it was actually a fad right now in his kingdom to grow your hair long. No, Heero noticed the young man's eyes though he couldn't see from his position their color he could recognize the mixed look of loneliness, longing and strongest of all boredom no matter the distance. His sister wore it often enough.

"Trowa, do you see that?" Heero asked in a hushed voice.

"Yeah, his hair's insane." Trowa said impressed and doing his very best to keep hidden. Heero rolled his eyes remembering as to why he and Trowa were friends, they both had a thing for long haired males and both had a crush on an old friend of Ara's when they were younger, the man had long since left their minds when he started sneaking around with the Crowned Prince of L5*. Not that they didn't approve, they felt sorry for the Prince. Being in an arranged Marriage with someone you couldn't love was torturous for both sides.

"I'm not talking about his hair," Heero hissed glaring at his friend, though he did have to admit that it was most likely longer than it looked, it was braided for crying out loud.

Trowa glanced at his friend in curiosity, "Then what are you talking about?"

Heero smirked, which if you knew him, and Trowa unfortunately knew him well, meant that he was planning something. Something dangerous, if Trowa read the glint in Heero's eyes right. He had that same glint when he dragged Trowa into the L4 palace, offered a threesome to the young Prince, did said threesome and was caught by the King of L4. Which in the end landed them here, Trowa knew one day he'd get himself killed sticking around Heero. Trowa narrowed his eyes at his soon to be dead friend.

"Oh, no!" He cried crossing his arms into an X position and spreading them wide a second later. He leaned into Heero's face glaring harshly into his friend's eyes, "Whatever you have going on in your head, shut it down."

Heero continued to smirk, "C'mon Trowa, it's my birth-"

"Don't you dare finish that, that's how you got me to go with you to L4 and have sex with its Prince," Trowa growled like a cornered cat.

"Yeah, he was good wasn't he?" Heero licked his lips remembering that roll in the sheets.

Trowa groaned leaning back and rubbing his eyes, "How does Queen Ara not know this side of you?"

"She does," Heero stated shrugging as if it was nothing new, "She just finds entertainment in it." He leaned back on his hands stretching his body and looking to the night sky. "She actually caught me in bed with the stable boy last year and laughed while she asked us to finish so that she could talk to me," Heero laughed a carefree laugh, "She actually stood there while we fucked each other to completion."

If he wasn't so controlled Trowa's jaw would've dropped, instead he chose to stare wide eyed at his friend for a few seconds then shake his head in disbelief. The royal siblings of Lera were a strange pair. To their subjects, the Queen was a kind, gentle woman who did anything for her people from giving them something as simple as a hug to a grieving family to allowing every orphaned child in the Kingdom a room in the Palace. She was called the Saint Queen by all her people. Heero was just the opposite, though all his subjects knew their Prince was not a monster, he gave a cold unapproachable air that chased away anyone who would want to get close to the Prince.

Within their own private circles the siblings were very different though. Heero gave his cold air because he was shy, and when with Trowa or anyone who knew him well there was a dangerous prankster just dying to cause trouble. Of course Heero's pranks were only funny to him and drove everybody but his sister insane. Trowa often wondered why he was friends with the man. Ara on the other hand, though happy to help her subjects in anyway, was a 'Blazing Ball of Fire' as described by her lover. Trowa thought it a fitting description. The only ones who really knew Ara were her lover and Heero, not many knew of her fiery temper whenever she was angered. The ones who didn't think her to be a Saint Queen were the criminals. Trowa witnessed one of her trials and wished to never again, especially after Heero told him that she's worse on them if her lover, Heero or one of the Orphans were harmed during the criminal act.

...

Duo sighed as his mother traipsed around chittering away about how well he's kept the place and that she's so happy to have a son like him. He's heard it before, and he knew that she wasn't completely honest in her speech. He didn't know what she wasn't honest about but he could hear it in her tone. Feeling a nudge at his neck by Scythe, he remembered he had something to ask her. Taking a deep breath he walked up to his mother his hands behind his back, confident jokers smile on his face, his rope like braid of hair swishing like a snake as it dragged on the floor.

"Hey mom," He started, popping up infront of her with his arms wide, "You really shouldn't go to town alone for so long." He pouted at her worry shining in his eyes, "I worry about you, you know?"

Gothel narrowed her eyes in soft suspicion unnoticed by her son as she nodded in response. 'What could this boy be getting at? Ugh, I hate that I have to wait til the brat is 18,' She thought as she listened to her "Son".

"I was wondering, if I could go with you next time to town? You know, to protect you." He asked grinning having confidence in her saying yes.

"Absolutely Not!"

Duo slumped, wincing at his mother's screeching denial unable to help his whine, "Why not?"

"Do you know how dangerous it is?!" She shrieked her eyes taking on a deadly gleam, something that Duo felt shouldn't be in a mother's eyes when keeping her son out of danger.

"But Mother you're out there all the time. I'm sure if I-"

Gothel cut him off with a wave of her hand and a "NO!" that screamed finality. Her angry stance caused Duo to flinch.

"You are to stay in this tower where you cannot be harmed, is that understood?" Gothel growled stepping menacingly closer, "If you leave ever..." She trailed off with a warning in her tone. Duo gulped getting the hidden threat. This is what made him believe there was more to what he got from his mother, but this very happening is why he never asked before. His mother was a woman not to be angered.

Gothel smiled and backed away as if she didn't just have a wall of dark fire behind her, "Now then, have you completed all your chores?"

Duo responded by helping her sit for dinner with his jokers smile.

*Ok, just to help you out, The Kingdoms are the colony clusters... now, Heero is L1 Colony Cluster, Duo L2, Trowa L3, Quatre L4, and *drum roll* Wufei L5... So yes, Wufei is the L5 prince and he does have a lover... and his lover is a long haired male... hmmm I wonder who it is... *impish smile* you'll just have to find out...

As for Ara's lover well, I did say I was keeping OCs to a minimum so her lover is of the Gundam Wing Cast... again you'll just have to find out... though I can only think of one member of the GW Cast that uses the eloquent description of "Blazing ball of fire."... or for a full reference "She's quite the blazing ball of fire, isn't she?" Now who in the GW universe talks like that?

And this is pretty FAR from when I first started and I know at the top it says no 3x4... and there technically isn't, basically Clara said they weren't to end up together, and they won't... (Spoiler Alert) I'm tossing Relena at Quatre. Anyways, I see Heero as very much living life to how he sees it, when there isn't a war tearing people apart and he's not depressed to the point of blowing up his cockpit with him in it... if you remember... there was an episode where he was absolutely elated and happy that he just did a summer sault onto his back and laughed then met the girl that would end up through no fault of her own send him down a spiral of depression... well I'm yanking that Heero out... I've seen and read so many fanfics that have him all moody and broody... *pouts* I want the life loving Heero, the Heero before the little girl and her dog... is that so wrong?