Word from the author : Okay, the second chapter was ready, so here it is. Hope you enjoy !

Raiu : Jee, you've got to stop updating so fast. People will think it's a sign of the Apocalypse.

Are you implying that I update slowly ?

Raiu : No. I'm searching for a stronger word... How about at snail pace ?

Why you...!

Akari : Just ignore them and please read on.

.: The Sprite and the Warrior King :.

by cherry fantasy

Book one : Betrothed

Second chapter : The Elf prince

The Elders' Forest was the largest forest on the Wvern continent, as well as the oldest. It covered at least a quarter of the land. To the east, the forest's borders reached the sea. Its northern part rested at the foot of the Sangrin Mountains.

The inside of the forest was alive with ancient magic, and refuge to many creatures, be they hostile or peaceful. But what made the Elders' Forest so important was the two kingdoms built within : to the east was Lin, home of the wood Sprites, and to the south… Phenrir. The Elves' Kingdom.

Thankfully, considering their closeness, Lin and Phenrir had been allies since as far as one could remember. The Elves and the Sprites were in very good terms with each other. The journey between their two kingdoms was made on beaten-earth roads through the Elders' Forest, and took about four days on horseback if the conditions were favorable…

o0o

Heads turned to look at the silver carriage as it crossed the city of Vayle, Lin's capital. The vehicle was drawn by four white horses, and an escort of thirty guards followed it. The men's white and gold uniforms were easily recognizable.

The newcomers were Elves from the royal family.

"I'm so glad we're finally here." the carriage's occupant declared. "It's fortunate that our little gremlin incident didn't slow our progress too much."

"I apologize Master Quatre." said the man sitting in front of him. "We should've seen them coming."

"The gremlins are resourceful little creatures, Rashid." Quatre replied with an amused smile. "It's impossible to see them coming. They know this forest way better than we do. Besides, they're mischievous, but not evil. They just wanted to have some fun. No real harm was done, so it's alright."

"But…" Rashid insisted with a frown.

"No Rashid." Quatre admonished gently. "What happened, happened, and let's leave it at that."

"Yes Master Quatre." Rashid agreed obediently.

Quatre smiled and turned to stare at the city through the carriage's window. Vayle truly was a beautiful place ; from the smallest house to the tallest building, everything was made of finely sculpted wood, be it oak, cedar or silver birch, and many other kinds still. The gardens were among the most beautiful Quatre had ever seen, and the people among the most generous and hospitable.

In the centre of the city was a large, circle-shaped area surrounded with shops and restaurants ; Vayle's grand market place. There, one could find Lin's main attraction, what every visitor came to see : one of the oldest, tallest, largest trees of the Elders' Forest, growing right in the heart of the wood Sprites' kingdom. It was a purple willow tree, a real rarity even in this magical land. It wasn't really purple though ; more like black with dark violet highlights. Anyhow, the Sprites always took very good care of it, attributing it many great powers…

Quatre watched the scenery as it passed by, his expression thoughtful. With a sigh, he leaned against the carriage's window ledge and said :

"It will be great to see Duo again, but I must admit that I'm a little worried. I'm not sure how he'll take the news I bring him…"

"Lord Duo is a strong young man, Master Quatre." Rashid provided. "Stronger than he lets us see. He'll also have you to help him. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Let's hope you're right, Rashid. Let's hope you're right…"

o0o

Duo glanced over his shoulder with surprise when someone entered his room without knocking first. But his surprised look soon gave way to a brilliant smile.

The young man who stepped in the room was dressed all in white and gold, the richness of his garments giving out his royal status. His pants and his long-sleeved tunic were made of silk, and the golden belt around his waist was incrusted with rubies. Knee-length, white leather boots adorned his feet, and a sword was hanging at his side in its white sheath.

The boy had pale skin, pointed ears, beautiful turquoise blue eyes and shoulder-length blond hair. On his head rested an intricate, silver coronet.

Duo jumped on his feet and ran toward his friend, his long braid swinging behind him.

"Quatre !" he exclaimed happily when he reached him, almost tackling the boy to the ground with the force of his hug.

"Hello Duo." the blond answered more sedately, returning the hug with a smile of his own.

Then Quatre frowned.

You see, Quatre had a very rare gift called a space-heart, which allowed him to feel what others felt. He'd mastered this skill a few years ago with great difficulties.

What he felt from Duo right now didn't please him.

There had been this burst of happiness when his friend had recognized him. That was good. But now that this emotion had toned down a bit, Quatre could discern the other feelings underneath : confusion, anxiousness and overwhelming relief at his presence.

Quatre was a skilful diplomat, but he was never one to beat around the bush, especially when it came to a friend's welfare. Taking a step back, he looked Duo in the eyes and asked :

"Duo, what's wrong ?"

Duo started, then looked away with a nervous smile.

"That's not fair, Quatre." he said. "Using your space-heart on me like that…"

"I don't always remember to turn it off, Duo. But don't try to change the subject. What has you so relieved to see me ?"

"I missed you ?" Duo said with a grin, glancing uncertainly in Quatre's direction.

"Duo." came the stern reply.

"Oh, alright !" Duo exclaimed with a huff. "Let's just… sit down first, okay ?"

With a nod, Quatre followed Duo toward his bed. When they were both seated on the soft mattress, Duo took a deep breath and said without looking at his friend :

"For starters, I really did miss you, you know ? A lot…"

He then glanced aside hesitantly, waiting for a reaction. Quatre just smiled and passed a comforting arm around Duo's shoulders. Squeezing gently, he replied :

"I know, Duo. I missed you too. But I can feel that something is bothering you. If you tell me what, maybe I can help."

For a moment Duo said nothing, merely staring down at his lap. Quatre waited patiently. Finally, Duo spoke up :

"It's… It's this wedding, Quatre ! I won't back out of it or anything, but… Now that it's so close… I'm starting to realize that it will be quite a huge step for me, that it will change a lot of things, and I think I'm getting a bit… scared…"

"Oh, Duo…" the blond said, tightening his hold around his friend.

Suddenly Duo stood up and started to pace back and forth before the bed, wriggling his hands as the confession escaped his mouth in a rush of words :

"I don't even know the man, Quatre ! I mean, I heard about him of course, but whose to say those rumors are true ? And even if they are… I'll be married to him, for crying out loud ! Even if Odin Lowe really is strong and smart and handsome, it doesn't mean he will treat me right ! I'm not asking for him to fall in love with me or anything, but I'll be bound to him for the rest of my life ! What if he doesn't like me ? What if he thinks I'm ugly, or stupid ? How will he treat me then ? Will he just leave me there like a decoration article… or worse ?"

"Duo." Quatre tried to interrupt, feeling that his friend was panicking.

"Maybe he'll send me away right after the wedding so he doesn't have to bother with me any longer than necessary ? Our union is merely political, after all. Nothing is forcing him to actually live with me, you know ?"

"Duo." Quatre tried again, but the braided Sprite still wasn't listening.

"If he sends me back home I guess it won't be too bad, but what if he doesn't ? What if he sends me to some isolated place I've never been to before ? Then again, he might just lock me up. You know, confine me to my quarters indefinitely and order me to be quiet while he goes back to his duties, denying my existence."

"Duo !" Quatre repeated more firmly, rising to his feet.

"God, what if he decides to have me killed ?! It would be easy for him, I'm sure ! Just slip poison in my drink or pay an assassin to get rid of me discreetly. After the wedding, he'll have power over both of our kingdoms even if I die !"

Duo was still in the middle of his rant when Quatre suddenly grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to stop pacing. Then the blond Elf raised his hand… and slapped Duo right across the cheek.

Duo just stood there, stunned, his head still half turned to the side because of the blow. There was a moment of silence, then Duo slowly turned his head around to look at Quatre, one hand coming up to touch his reddening cheek.

"Quatre…?"

"Get a hold of yourself, Duo !" the boy said harshly.

Duo flinched. Seeing this, Quatre softened his tone a little, but kept it firm as he added :

"Nobody will have you killed, or lock you up, or send you away. What in the world gave you those ludicrous ideas ?"

Duo just lowered his head and stayed silent.

Quatre's heart dropped when he noticed that Duo's lower lip was trembling. He couldn't see them, but he was sure his friend's pretty violet eyes were filling with tears right at this moment. Duo seldom if ever cried, but when he did it was the most heartbreaking sight in the world. Quatre knew, because he'd been one of the very few to see it.

He remembered it, that one time, at Hellen Maxwell's funerals… He'd been there. He and Duo had been friends for that long. In fact, back then, Quatre had been the one to console Duo. Lord Maxwell had been way too lost in his own grief… And Quatre knew one thing : he never wanted to see his friend cry like that again.

Pushing back those painful memories, Quatre gently took Duo's hand and led him back toward the bed. When they were both seated once more, the young Elf pulled Duo to him and started speaking in a voice that he hoped was appeasing :

"The day of your wedding is approaching, Duo. It's a very important event that will bring many changes in your life, and it's making you nervous. That's normal, especially in your situation. It's also normal to feel a little scared."

Duo just nodded, not looking at him. Quatre pursued softly :

"Odin Lowe was a good man. My father knew him personally. He would've never done all those things you imagined, Duo. He was a bit too serious, but he wasn't a bad person. He would've respected you, if nothing else, and made sure you were happy. And Duo, on a lighter note… I doubt it's possible for anyone to think you're ugly. Those bards who came here and fell under your spell, some of them made a halt in Phenrir, you know ? I've learned about two hundred different ways to say that your eyes are violet."

He ended his speech with a wink and a friendly nudge toward his friend. He waited a moment, and… Ah, yes, there it was : the little smile growing on Duo's lips. Cheering internally, Quatre added on a kidding tone :

"I'm getting a bit jealous, you know ? 'I' haven't got anyone to sing around that I'm nice, beautiful, unique, graceful, kind, generous, breathtaking, angelic, exceptional, lovely-"

"Oh, shut up !" Duo suddenly cut him off, laughing and pushing him away playfully.

Quatre gave himself a mental pat on the back ; it seemed he'd succeeded to cheer Duo up. This was confirmed when the Sprite turned to him with a big smile and said :

"Thank you Quatre. I feel much better now. I guess you're right, I was just being silly and scaring myself over nothing… Is that what they call getting wedding jitters ?"

Quatre just rolled his eyes and grinned.

"Well, anyway…" Duo continued on a more casual tone. "I noticed you were a bit late. Nothing bad happened to you on the road here, I hope ?"

"Not really." Quatre said. "We just met a little group of troublemakers."

"Huh ?"

"Gremlins, Duo. Apparently they decided we would be fun to play with. They ambushed us, jumped on the carriage, danced around the horses and gave hell to each of my thirty personal guards. Abdul got soaked from head to toe, Hashim's hair is now neon green, and Auda will never look at scented mushrooms the same way again… to name only a few. I was the only one untouched because Rashid categorically refused to let me out of the carriage. Anyhow, the horses refused to advance until the gremlins were all gone, which took about two hours… when I finally remembered the sleeping spell my mother had taught me."

By the end of Quatre's tale Duo was laughing his head off, holding his stomach and almost tumbling down the bed in his hilarity.

"Oh my God…" he said with a chuckle when his laughter calmed a bit. "I can just see it happening : the great Maguanacs, personal Guard of His Majesty the Elf Prince, defeated by a few little gremlins. Boy… Rashid must've apologized a hundred times !"

"A hundred and twenty-two times, in fact." Quatre corrected, sending Duo back into laughter.

Actually, Quatre wasn't only an Elf prince… he was the only one. He had twenty-nine sisters, all older than him, but no brothers. His mother had died giving birth to him, and his father, who'd loved her deeply, had sworn he'd never remarry. So, being the only prince, even if he was the youngest of his siblings, Quatre was the official heir to Phenrir's throne. In other words, he was to become the Elf King after his father. It was a lot of pressure, but Quatre was handling it very well.

The Maguanacs were his personal Guard (more like his personal army, to Duo's opinion). It counted three hundred Elves in total, but only thirty of them were part of his immediate entourage. Those thirty, with Rashid as their Captain, were chosen amongst the best, and they followed Quatre around everywhere. Duo found it quite funny…

Quatre listened as Duo laughed himself hoarse, a grin on his own face as he remembered the scene with the gremlins. He could honestly say that Rashid and his Maguanacs had never faced a tougher enemy.

The blond Elf came back to the present when he heard Duo's laugh falter. Curious, he glanced at his friend and found him frowning, a confused expression on his face.

"Duo ?" he inquired with concern.

The Sprite turned to him, his frown deepening as he spoke :

"Hum, Quatre…? I just realized… that you talked of King Odin in past tense. Why is that ?"

Quatre's heart missed a beat.

Damn… It seemed he couldn't put it off any longer. Hopefully Duo wouldn't take it too badly… Well, all he could do was try to break it to him as gently as possible.

"Quatre ?" Duo urged him, looking anxious.

"Duo." Quatre started calmly, searching for the right words. "I bring some… unexpected news to you and your father."

He paused. Duo stared at him expectantly. Clearing his throat, Quatre pursued :

"Duo… You won't be marrying Odin Lowe anymore."

"What ?! Why ?!"

"Because, Duo… King Odin is gone. He died a week ago."

Silence.

"But…" Duo said after a moment. "Does that mean that the deal is off ? That I'm not getting married anymore ?"

"No Duo, the deal is not off and you're still getting married."

Duo stared at his friend confusedly, as if wondering how that could be possible. Seeing this, Quatre thought it appropriate to elaborate :

"King Odin had an heir who will be crowned Eleah's new sovereign tomorrow afternoon. That man is your new betrothed. His name is Heero… Heero Yuy."

A/N : Yup, I gave Quatre long hair ! Shoulder-length blond hair ::winks:: I think it suits him. And just in case you were wondering : NO, there is no 2x4x2 in this fic. Duo and Quatre are just close friends.

So, is it any good so far ? Please, just let me know ! Aside that, third chapter is just about done too already, so it'll be posted any moment now. And here's a little spoiler : Heero finally makes an appearance !

Please review, I'd love to know what you think !

Pointers :

- The Elves' Kingdom is Phenrir ; it's situated in the southern part of the Elders' Forest. The wood Sprites' Kingdom, Lin, is in the eastern part, close to the sea.

- Lin's capital city is Vayle. Eleah's capital city is Corinth. Phenrir's capital city is Avalon. (Although the last 2 haven't been mentioned yet)

- Just a little reminder that the Fays, the Elves and the Sprites all have pointed ears.