Duo
(A fanfiction loosely based on the book "Tatsinda")
By Ninetails
I never believed in love at first sight
Never believed 'till I saw you that night
You were the vision I'd been longing to see
But what could an angel ever find in me?
Part 1
The mountains of Nepharim1 soar high up through the clouds, but unbeknownst to the outside world, the Nepharim mountain range encloses a valley that sheltered an enigmatic race. The Nephim people were distinguishable because of the sameness of their features: golden skin, dark-brown hair, and an easy, but sometimes haughty disposition. They were renowned as beautiful and mystifying creatures, but their most exquisite feature though is their Cobalt2 blue eyes, which seemed to shine with an unearthly glow. They live in houses made of opaque glass-like cobblestones mined deep in the heart of the Nepharim. When hit with the sun's rays, the whole thorp glowed with an iridescent light, sometimes producing an aura akin to the Nephim's shade of eyes. It was a sight to behold. But alas! No human eye has ever beheld the kingdom's exquisite beauty. The mountains surrounding it prevents anyone or anything from coming through, perhaps withy the exception of the Trollocs3, the Nephim's worst and only enemies.
Alarid4 and Nyneave5 were Nephim husband and wife who live peacefully at the edge of the Nepharim forest, in the capital city of Arad Doman6. Alarid was a master woodsman, most renowned in the entire kingdom, and his wife stayed at home, one of the best weavers in the realm. They lived a peaceful and contented life but there was one thing missing: a child.
One day, while Alarid was hunting for some game, he spied an enormous eagle hovering around the forest. When he took a closer look, he saw that clamped tightly on the eagle's beak was a white cloth; he could also hear the unmistakable cry of a babe.
When the huge bird alighted on a nearby rock, the hunter stealthily moved his way nearer to the bird. The eagle observed its surroundings with its sharp eyes, but Alarid, being the cunning woodsman that he is, was as visible as the wind. Then when the bird dropped its burden on a clump of moss, he shot the animal with his trusty bow and took the bundle home, quite troubled with its sudden silence.
The couple was overjoyed to find a baby boy wrapped tightly in the bundle, but they were a bit surprised with the infant's features. Beautiful chestnut curls framed an angelic face, with eyes that looked like amethysts when gently illuminated, alabaster skin that was a sharp contrast to the golden-skinned Nephim. They disregarded his peculiarities and lovingly raised him as their only son.
Alarid brought Duo7 with him in his excursions in the great forest to teach him his knowledge of it. Duo immensely enjoyed those explorations, especially when his father told him stories of his own childhood in the woods. He soon became his foster father's prime student in forestry. At home, Nyneave would delicately tend his hair and sing to him Nephim songs of old. The couple was so transfixed with his unique hair that they allowed it to grow knee-length.
Duo's hair was exquisite, chestnut highlights sparkling, thus Nyneave often wove it into a characteristic braid. Duo made his parents' life complete and full of joy, but it was a different matter with the village people. His coloring was very different from the traditional dark brown and blue. Oftentimes at school, classmates would tease him to no end because of said peculiarities. He was, therefore, very lonely when being noticed by his classmates.
Except for one. Prince Heero was the sole heir to the Nephim kingdom. He declined being educated by tutors and favored more the learning experience with his fellow citizens. "To have their feel and be a better leader to them," he reasoned to his exasperated father. The prince was always the one to defend Duo from their classmate's teasing. He was the only one who stood up for him. He was also very good-looking; he had dark-brown unruly hair typical for any Nephim, rosy lips that were perpetually unsmiling, and cobalt-blue eyes that had an enigmatic gaze.
In Duo's heart sprang a bud of – something – for his prince, which he quickly tried to bury. How could the prince ever notice such an ugly, unsightly boy such as he? For that was his perception of himself; being an ugly, deformed outsider.
One day, while in a festival, one of his classmates teased him about his braid. "Hey, Duo here has such a girly braid! Why is that, Duo? Trying to hide you odd hair?" then he tugged particularly hard at Duo's braid, thus causing the band that was holding it to snap. His hair was then loosened, wavy chestnut tresses framing his heart-shaped face.
He then thought that he couldn't take any more of it. Duo, by nature, wasn't violent; his father taught him to always smile and be carefree, to enjoy life and love. But even a laid back child such as he had limits. Much to his ignominy, tears started to leak out from his tightly closed eyes from the sting caused by the tug to his hair. He felt himself slumping down onto his knees.
Suddenly, the deep soulful voice of his prince commanded the boys to stop their teasing. Duo looked up to find piercing, concerned blue eyes gazing at him. "Are you alright, Duo?" Heero asked worriedly while handing the other boy his handkerchief.
"Y – yes, I am. Thank you, your highness," the forlorn boy whispered, taking the offered silk cloth and bowing his head, unable to look at the beautiful boy because of sheer mortification.
"Those unsightly fellows better not bother you again. Please stop crying," the prince said, then he took Duo's hand and lifted him up to his feet. A thrill coursed through their veins at that single touch.
It was twilight by then. They started walking, and as they passed by a secluded spot, the prince slipped his fingers into the exquisite mass of Duo's hair. "You hair is very lovely. You should wear it down more often," he whispered in an intimate voice, fingers massaging the other's scalp.
Duo found himself being drawn so slowly towards the lovely prince. And suddenly, their lips touched; soft were the lips of his prince, his long eyelashes were feathery against his cheeks, skin soft and warm and fragrant. He was drowning in that intense contact. It was a brief second, a timeless eternity, a multitude of emotions. And as sudden as the magical moment came to be, their contact was severed.
They looked into each other's eyes for a brief second, when suddenly, the prince's servant announced that the king had summons for him. The prince told the servant to prepare for his departure. As the servant hurriedly went back to give them some privacy, Heero once again ran his fingers through Duo's silky hair. Tugging it one last time and slowly turning around, the prince gave Duo a final piercing look before walking away into the Royal Coach.
Duo felt weakened to the knees. He slumped down once again and happily stared off into oblivion, unconcerned with anyone passing by. That encounter would forever be etched into his heart.
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Duo had considerable skill in weaving, and his work was renowned all over the capital. And yet, he grew more discontented as the years went by. He was happy with his parents, but he felt that something, or someone, could make him happier.
The prince was very close with his subjects, so he would venture into the village everyday to check on the daily activities, troubles, and experiences in his would-be realm. when he would go into these little trips, somehow, he and Duo always meet. this was quite a treat for Duo, but what a bittersweet thing! He could see most of the village girls crowd around the prince, preening and trying to make him notice them.
Whenever their eyes met though, he saw something deep inside that flickered and fuelled his conflicting thoughts. But then, there was no hope, a prince would never care for a commoner such as he. There were rumors that a duchess from a faraway place has already begotten the prince's attention.
Another incident added to his grief. while hunting alone amongst the Great Forest, Alarid encountered a Trolloc and was able to kill it; but his life was the bounty for such a just cause. He was then regarded as a hero among the capital.
Soon after, Nyneave, overcome with grief, weakened and followed her beloved husband. This tore Duo's heart and all he could do was wallow in despair. Heero heard of this and tried his best to console the distraught Duo. He even offered a place in the palace for him, but Duo declined. The house held such sweet memories for him.
TBC
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Author's Notes and disclaimer:
Got this term from the book Many Waters by Madeleine L'engle. A great book, I tell ya! Nepharim is the term for what we may call the fallen angels, as opposed to the Seraphim.
I ain't really sure what Heero's eye color is supposed to be. I checked, and both Prussian and Cobalt are of the blue hue. (sweatdrop)
Okees, I got Trollocs from Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series. I am proud to have all 9 books and I can't wait for more! Trollocs are the half-human, half-beast minions of the Shadow created by the Forsaken…. Just leave it at that.
Got the name Alarid from Many Waters. He's one of the Seraphim whose host is a beetle or a camel, sorry, I forgot.
Nyneave is one of the principal characters in The Wheel of Time. Let's just say she's a very powerful woman, and quite temperamental too.
Um, a place in The Wheel of Time books.
Why did they name him Duo?! No idea. Care to tell me why? Hehe….
The quote from above was from a text message forwarded to me. Or maybe it was from a book of sayings. I find it hauntingly beautiful.
Sorry for the wrong grammar and such. I know I made Duo and Heero WAY OOC, but I had to fit them into the story so…. I know, it wasn't an excuse but who cares? I'm the author!!! Nyahaha! I think I made Duo sort of a crybaby in here. GOMEN!!!!!
I wrote this fic about two years ago. Tragically, my pc broke down so all my files were kaput. Good thing I always print my fics, I just had to root around my room to find my hidden fics. I had to type all of them all over again. Oh well, good opportunity for revisions, ne?
The characters of Gundam Wing sadly aren't mine. Terms, names, and plot aren't mine too. Is anyone out there familiar with the book Tatsinda? I read it when I was in the 5th grade and it stuck with me; it was a very, very beautiful story, with beautiful colored illustrations. Tatsinda is the heroine, with blonde hair and brown eyes, in comparison to the white hair and blue eyes of the … I forgot the name of the race… Waaaaaaaaaahhh!!!! I forgot the author too!
Okees, sorry 'bout the chapter confusion! I was uploading new replies to reviews when I accidentally mixed the chapters up! I actually put chapter 2 in chapter 1! Argh! Stupid me! The motherboard of my pc got a little (okay, make that a LOT) screwed up and we got it fixed, thus all my ficcies are gone. Whee. Oh well, at least I got some of them uploaded at this site, ne? Argh. Okay, thanks to all the reviewers!!!
Replies to Reviews:
Well, since I accidentally deleted chapter 1, and I had to upload it again (I saved it in a diskette when my pc was being fixed), I didn't quite saved the replies I previously did to your reviews. I'm so sorry if I'm too lazy to answer your wonderful reviews again, but I'm sure you've read them already so…. Waaaaah!!!! Gomen nasai!!!!!