Son of Unicorns

A Gundam Wing Alterverse

By Daemonchan

The Last Unicorn has been mortal, has known what it is to love...and to be loved. From one night of passion comes her half human son, Duo, a unique creature not quite of the Unicorn's world, nor that of Man.

Duo questions his heritage and quests to find out what it truly means to be human...

::author's caveat::

Ah, the reality of fiction...all I ask is a suspension of belief. If Lear and Amalthea could fall in love in a few days, who's to say they didn't...um...well, you know.

I have seen the movie enough to be able to quote a good chunk and I've read the book several times as well. Anything that has been changed is for the sake of this story, and the fact that it struck me that Duo and the Unicorn have the same color eyes.

Coincidence? I think not.

§ § § § §

She found him at the lake, once again staring into the silver waters as if the answers to all his questions lay there. His chestnut hair was wild, the ends jagged where he had been clever enough to shear it with a sharp rock so that it would not hinder his movements. His pale body shone in the moonlight, unable to mask his magical birth.

"Duo."

He stood quietly, his back still to her. "Amalthea."

She sighed as the name called forth old memories, forever ingrained into her soul. Images of a Prince, fair haired and brave, who died so that she might complete her quest to return magic to the world of Man once again. Her touch had brought him back to life, but only after she could no longer remain with him...grow old and die with him...

Regret swelled in her breast, an emotion she still found unfamiliar and terrfying. It was something she felt whenever she recalled the time she has spent as a human girl, desparate to find out what had happened to the others, the unicorns who had seemingly vanished from the face of the earth.

For a time she had been able to remain a unicorn on the inside, though she could feel herself slipping away every minute, each moment as the human body sought to take over her immortal soul. Day by day, what she had been slipped away from her, leaving only a very frightened human girl in its place.

Lir had banished that fear. For a precious time, Amalthea had been unafraid of her new humanity, and had forgotten that she had ever been an immortal Unicorn. New emotions stirred her soul and body and she fell in love.

A night...that was all it took for her to accept her mortality, to be willing to throw forever away for a few uncertain years with the man she loved. Lir had come to her that night, waking her from her foggy nightmares of the Red Bull as it sought to chase her down and take her to the other Unicorns, trapped forever at the whim of King Haggard.

He made love to her then, to banish the phantoms that haunted her every moment, waking and not. She had never felt such power...such passion, even as a unicorn. Her own body responded to his need and for a moment they were one.

The next day was the day they had chosen to confront the Bull, to find the other Unicorns before the last of them became too human to care.

Haggard's castle had fallen into the sea, the Unicorns had returned to the world. Schmendrick had changed her back, despite her protests and her wishes to remain human with Lir, the man she loved. She had returned to her forest, as immortal and magical as the day she had left but changed...still human in many ways.

It was many months later that Duo had been born, the child of Unicorn and Man. Unlike other Unicorn mothers, she felt the need to remain with him, and raise him until he was old enough to take care of himself. It was when he was nearly a year old that his talent took form.

Duo could change between human and Unicorn bodies.

The human form was much like Amalthea's had been. Inhumanly pale skin accented by large, violet eyes that reflected the forest in which he had been born and the animals protected by Unicorn magic. A pale star was the only mark on his body, in the center of his forehead where his horn would be.

Amalthea stared at her beautiful son, suddenly sad for him. He would never know his father; Lir must have died many years ago. Time passed quickly for Unicorns and hundreds of years could have come and gone.

Duo turned to his mother, smiling. "Why do Men have hands?"

The Unicorn smiled gently. She had tried to teach him all she had learned of Man in her short time but there were still so many things she did not know. She was human for a few days; Duo would be part human forever.

"I could not tell you. I am sorry."

The boy ran to his mother, throwing his arms about her neck. "Do not be sorry, mother. I just have so many questions..."

She turned to him, nuzzling the small of his back. "I know, heart. I wish I had your answers."

He giggled suddenly. "Perhaps I should ask a butterfly."

She laughed in return. "Perhaps you should."

Still the idea struck the Unicorn. She had once ventured into the world at the advice of a butterfly, a flightly creature at best, so full of the poetry of Man that it had been very hard to understand. Still, his words had sent her on her way and led her to her ultimate fate. Perhaps it would be the best way for Duo to understand his human half.

To learn from Man himself.

Unicorn found herself paralyzed with fear for her son's safety. She remembered how cruel Man could be, even to their own kind. But, she knew there was also good in the world, things like loyal friends and love. Duo had to learn of these things, good and evil, and she could not teach him.

She stepped back to face her son. Duo looked at her curiously, violet eyes wide and trusting.

"You must go into the world of Man, my son. It is the only way to discover the answers you seek."

Duo found himself wrestling with fear and excitement. To explore a world that he had only heard about in his mother's stories, to find out for himself what it meant to be part human. Still, there was fear of the unknown. Unicorn couldn't tell him everything...and that left many things to learn.

Excitement won over his fear. This was his chance to satisfy his curiosity. "I understand, Amalthea."

§ § § § §

It was much like the day she had left her forest. Unicorn stood on a grassy rise next to the man made road, staring down at her child. All the animals gathered to bid farewell to their beloved son, Duo finding it hard to leave behind everything he had ever known.

He stood on the road before his mother in his unicorn form, white coat gleaming. His silver hair streamed in the wind, whipping about his face and helping to hide the tears he could feel at the edges of his deep eyes. Amalthea had already said her goodbyes, she reared on her hind legs before dashing back into the protection of the trees, the animals following her.

Duo was alone.

His mother's advice rang through his head, helping to lend stength to his faltering steps.

Any man who sees you will take you for just a white horse. Man cannot see what he does not believe in. Remain a unicorn until you reach the town. There will be things called clothing draped over ropes. You must take a shirt, that has long tubes for your arms, and pants, even longer for you legs. It is considered improper to walk around without these things and you do not want to drawn attention to yourself.

Stay with the road. This will lead you to where you need to go. Trust that. And know that I love you and wait for your return.

Duo turned from the trees, settling his eyes upon the golden sunset. It was time.

He began to run, away from his home, towards his uncertain fate. To whatever came, good or bad. Soon he would know.

And soon he would regret.

End Prologue