Wufei: The stable boy

Wufei: The stable boy? Snorts
Trowa: You will pay.
Quatre: I think it's sweet!
DUO THE DISCLAIM-Y-THINGY!

Duo: Fireside owns nothing. Not one iota of Gundam. We all belong to our respective creator and she is in no way making money off of this. She requests that no one sue her. She only owns the ideas, the plot, and the stupidity. Oh, and her dreams about Heero and I kissing.
Heheheheheheheh…IT'S PRETTY, OKAY?!

Chapter Two: In Which The Princess And Her Friends Start Their Adventure

The former pilot of the Deathsythe awoke the next morning to the sounds of Sally Po telling Mariemaia to finish her juice. He glanced up to see a somewhat in the pink looking Kushrenada sitting up against her pillows. He was, to say the least, ecstatic.

"Mimi! You're all better!" he crowed, as he hopped up from his chair, "That must've been SOME cold to have…made…what?" His exuberant cries were silenced by a grave look from Sally.
"She's not better yet. She'll be on complete bed rest for at least six months, maybe more. It wasn't a cold Duo. It's some form of tuberculosis, she must have contracted it while we were on L2." Sally's words were that of a doctor, not a friend, though her eyes glistened with tears. "I…I'd like you to stay, until she's better. For company you see."

He did. The only thing that she'd be able to do was sit in bed and listen to his stories, but he'd make them some wicked stories! He smiled and nodded his consent.

"Oh THANK you Uncle Duo!" Mimi hollered and she flung herself at him.

"Mariemaia! You get back in bed this instant! Duo still needs to gets his immunization and THEN he can come back and sit with you, am I understood, young miss?"

"Yes, Sally." Dejectedly she lay back against her pillows, her little lips drawn into a pout. Duo laughed at the idea of where she'd gotten the pout, Treize maybe? As he laughed he was watching Sally ready his immunization. After the immunization, Sally INSISTED that Duo eat something, and then she INSISTED he shower, and the she INSISTED that he at least get a more comfortable chair to sit in, and the she was told to stop INSISTING things or Duo INSISTED he'd knock her upside the head because he INSISTED he had NO qualms with beating up a "chick who INSISTS on every little thing". At that point Sally stomped off muttering something about a "Wufei Shaped Punching Bag" and Duo was left "insistence less" and quite proud of himself.

"Now Mimi," he chuckled as she stormed off, "Where was I in our story, huh sweetie?"
The copper haired child smiled as she thought back, "You were talking about the Princess and her super-cute brother, Uncle Duo!" Duo's features softened at the look in her eyes.
"Ah yes, the princess and the count." Mariemaia closed her eyes and waited for him to start the story.

"Well, The young Princess Mariemaia's birthday was approaching and the whole Capitol was abuzz with gossip over what the party would be like! One of the servants could swear on her gran's grave that the emperor had commissioned a whole new ballroom to be built while another said that it was going to be held in the gardens and lit with fairy lights!" As Duo's voice faded into her mind, her mind painted the images of a splendid castle settled amongst a bustling city. In fact, she couldn't even hear him anymore, his words simply became a dream that she was thrust into. His words melted into images as her imagination took over…

Duo Maxwell grinned to himself as he ran down the stone corridors of the Oz Palace. He'd finally found the PERFECT birthday present for his little czarina. He had a feeling in the tips of his fingers and toes, a buzzing tingle, which told him something would be special about this birthday! Then again, what birthday wasn't special, he thought to himself? His heavy footfalls rang out in the cavernous halls. His black tunic flapped against his chest with no sash to keep it from fluttering about in the wind. Without a word he skated to a stop in front of Mariemaia's playroom.

Pushing open the door, he was greeted with a familiar sight. The beautiful murals that adorned the walls of the room depicted four of the five kingdoms. The north wall showed the Dain Mountain Range, the Lake of La Rhou, and Selk Forest. A vast dune covered desert swallowed the south wall, in the middle laid the stunning city of Ba'al. The east wall was painted in various inks on fine silk, the Temple of the Dragon and mythological beauty of the orient adorning them. The last wall, the west wall, showed the White City in Sanq rising from lush green farmlands and rolling hills of wildflowers. The ceiling itself was parted in half, one side illustrating the sun and clouds with even a few birds while the other depicted a beaming crescent moon and a sky full of glimmering stars.

A miniature carriage sat in the middle of the room. Made of rosewood with golden leafing along the edges, downy velvet cushions, and reins made of the softest leather, it had seen many adventures. The "Chariot", as Mariemaia had proclaimed it, had seen imaginary ogres, thought-up fairies, and make-believe dragons a thousand times over. And it was there that the young princess now sat, head in hand and book on knees.

"Duo!" she exclaimed as she saw him enter, "Did you hear? Papa said I could invite the villagers to my party! Oh, it's going to be so much fun!" She rushed to her companion's side and hugged his middle.
"I did hear! I also heard that we would be getting visitors from almost every kingdom! And I have good news that surpasses even that, my darling Czarina!"
"Oh! Tell me! Tell me, tell me, and tell me! Oh, please?" she hopped about in little circles as she pleaded with her cohort.

"I heard from a little birdie that our good friend, Lord Quatre, has just arrived in the city walls and is on his way to come play with us at this very moment!" His grin widened as her eyes did and they both let out a small scream as they grabbed hands and rushed from the playroom.

The Story Continues On Another Night…