Genre: AU/Fantasy/Drama

Pairings: 1x2, other

Disclaimer: Don't own nothin' but these words

Warnings: Yaoi, lemon, violence, slavery, cruelty, possible OOCness

A/N: I had one of my reviewers (Hi) leave me a note that I felt deserved a response (no profile, so I'll reply this way). I appreciate your honesty! This chapter is dedicated to you. And yes to your question, Heero and Duo still have enormous adversity facing them. As for Heero's dad, all of you will learn soon why he is the way he is. So sit back and enjoy.


The Queen of Corai

(Thirty years ago)

"Your Highness, ought we travel so far from the castle? It grows dark rapidly, and we don't know our way through these mountains."

Kazuhiko Yuy, twenty years old and heir to the throne of Corai, cast his manservant a Look. "Don't be a coward, Odin. And don't tell me what to do. Father blathers on about how dangerous these woods are, but it doesn't look so scary to me."

"This forest spans almost one-hundred leagues," Odin said, "and it is never traveled-there are no roads through it."

"It'll be fine, old man," Kazuhiko snapped. "If you want to go home, then go. You can explain to my father why you left me alone."

Odin's face schooled into resignation. "I will stay with you, of course, my prince."

"Then move your horse," the prince said, digging his heels into his own mount's sides.

The bay stud leaped forward with a snort, plunging into the dense forest that was simply called the Southern Forest. In a surprisingly short period of time the canopy blocked out the last rays of sun, sending them into relative darkness. Kazuhiko, curiosity spurred by years of people whispering about it, rode on without fear and a healthy dose of recklessness. He was the prince of a much-feared nation. What reason had he for being afraid?

The answer to that rhetorical question came a dozen hoof-beats later. A dark shape came hurtling down out of the branches, too blurry to even make out. Young and full of his own strength, Kazuhiko felt the thrill of a fight rather than fear. He reached at once for his bastard sword, but the shape was impossibly fast. He had enough time to see glowing red eyes before it was on him, hear Odin yell his name, and all went black.

o8o o8o

He wasn't sure what woke him. The incessant sound of water dripping? The feel of something dragging over his face? Or the fact that he was freezing cold? Perhaps all three. His eyes snapped open, and he bolted upright only to fall back with a faint groan. Pain assaulted his head so sharply his vision grayed alarmingly, and he had to fight to stay conscious.

"Easy," a soft, feminine voice murmured. "You've been through a gergregore attack. You're lucky to be alive, actually."

At the moment, Kazuhiko didn't feel lucky. He managed to peel his eyes open, and he immediately reassessed his opinion. He felt lucky indeed. His companion was simply the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She looked his age, maybe a little younger. Her eyes were the verdant hue of spring leaves just opening to the warmer sun. Her skin was the soft, near-translucent glow of a pearl. Her hair was the soft brown of new bark, dirt after a spring rain, the coat of a new foal just dropped by his mother. Every time she moved he thought he saw hints of gold and green. Her soft, full lips curved up in a sensitive smile, and her dark lashes were so long they brushed her flawless cheeks each time she blinked.

"Who are you?" he asked, coughing lightly at his dry throat.

She handed him a crystal goblet of water and helped him drink. "My name is Celaewahan," she said, "though my friends and family call me Celae. You may, as well. What is your name?"

"Kazuhiko," he said, "crown prince of Corai." Boastful and proud in his attempt to impress her.

To his surprise, her green eyes shuttered. "I see." She rose, and he finally saw the source of dripping water. It poured out of a crack in the stone wall, and he realized they were in a natural hollow in the land. She filled the goblet with this water and set it near him. "You are welcome to stay until you are strong. Then you must leave. This is no place for you."

He couldn't understand her tone. Why wasn't she impressed by his title? Every woman he had ever met immediately fawned and fussed when she found out. What was different about this one? "Wait," he said, not ready to see her go. "Ah, where am I?"

"In my village," she said, "deep in the . . . Southern Forest."

"I didn't know there was a village here," he said, frowning.

Celae looked at him, and her green eyes were chips of emerald ice. "And when you leave, you will never speak of it again." A warning and a threat.

Kazuhiko swallowed. It sent a shiver up his spine, and he couldn't say why. "Must you go?" Then, because that sounded too much like a plea, "I'm used to better treatment."

She looked at him. "That is precisely why you will never be welcome here." And she left.

o8o o8o

He didn't see Celae any more that day. A boy perhaps fifteen brought him a flavorful meal and hot tea, and he was once more left alone. By then he felt a little better, and he got out of his bed. He found himself right on the outskirts of a large clearing, and houses were built around and among the trees. A beautiful arch of branches and vines marked the center, which he supposed was the village square. He headed toward it. A large bonfire crackled in the darkness, and many were gathered around it. Kazuhiko noticed how beautiful each of them was, in an otherworldly way. It wasn't long before they saw him. They stopped moving and all turned to look at him.

"Good evening," Kazuhiko greeted them, holding his head up.

A man looked down at a child no more than eight. "Go get Celaewahan," he said, and the child scampered off.

"Who are you people?" Kazuhiko asked, looking around. There had to be at least a few hundred people here. Why didn't anyone in Corai know of them?

"That is for the princess to tell, if she does at all," the same man said in a frozen voice.

Kazuhiko drew himself up. "Do you know who I am?"

"Yes," came a familiar voice, "and that will impress no one here, Prince." Celae strode forward, absolutely resplendent in a gown of green gossamer. She looked at the others. "Sefandri," she said, and they all began moving away.

"You're a princess?" Kazuhiko demanded.

She sighed. "Yes. I am princess Celaewahan Crystalwater, daughter of Queen Nahairan Crystalwater, ruler of the Krisandi Nation."

"Krisandi-?"

Celae silenced him with a look. "None of this matters. Once you leave here, we will close the Gates behind you, and you will never find this place again. The only reason I brought you here was because I found you after the gergregore attacked you. You would have died, and I couldn't allow that. But come morning, you will leave. You are not welcome here."

For some reason, her words and the tone stung the prince. None would dare speak to him so at home. What was different about her? "What's that?"

"It's a powerful creature of shadow," she replied. "It shouldn't have even been on this continent, but it has been captured and returned home. Please return to your hollow. You are not to enter the village. Humans do not belong with us."

Humans? Why does she separate herself? She's just as human as me.

She watched his face, and a cold smile flitted across her lips. "I know what you're thinking. My people are not humans, prince. We're nymphs."

Nymphs. Creatures of beauty and mystery, as tied to nature as any flower, tree, or fern. Legend, nothing more. He stared at her, expression of mixed surprise and disbelief. "They don't exist."

She raised an eyebrow, and finally the faintest hint of a smile curved up her lips. "And what if I said where I come from, humans don't exist?"

Blink. "That's absurd. I'm right here, so obviously they do exist."

She lifted one shoulder in a liquid shrug. "And so am I right here."

He flushed. He peered at her a little closer and saw her ears were raised into a slight point. Despite that she didn't have wings or horns or a tail or the like, she didn't look human. She was too beautiful.

"I don't want to leave in the morning," he said. "I want to get to know you."

She shook her head. "It is not possible."

o8o o8o

Duo watched Kazuhiko's face as the king spoke, entranced by the moving emotion. "That's how you met your wife?"

The man smiled softly. "Yes. Not exactly a fine first impression, I know. But for some reason, the moment I met her I changed. Not dramatically and not all at once, certainly. But somewhere deep down, where I wasn't even aware, I changed. Celae was beautiful and fiery, passionate and good. She didn't allow me to stay that time, but I came back again and again looking for her. I didn't see her again for two years. During that time I had done much soul-searching, wondering how I might convince her to stay with me a little longer the next time."

Duo couldn't help smiling, caught up in the story. "What happened?"

He snorted. "I was attacked again. I was injured worse the second time, but the result was Celae rescuing me. I was happy. This time around, I did my level best to make a better impression."

o8o o8o

"You have a penchant for trouble, don't you?" Celae murmured, carefully rubbing a sweet-smelling salve into the ugly wound.

Kazuhiko winced. "I don't go looking for it," he protested. "It just finds me once in awhile. Still, I'm glad."

Her green eyes met his. "Why?"

"I wanted to meet you again," he said with bald honesty. "I've thought about you a great deal."

She looked surprised. "Indeed? I confess, I had forgotten about you." Her tone wasn't cutting, but the words still stung.

"I'd been thinking, what could I do to make you notice me if we met again," Kazuhiko went on.

"Getting yourself chewed on by monsters is not the best way to make me notice you," she said with a faint grin. "There are safer ways."

Pleased by mirth she hadn't shown to him last time, he grinned right back. "It was the first thing that came to mind."

A small laugh fell golden off her lips. "You're a strange boy, Kazuhiko. Why would you go out of your way to see me again? It's been two years, and our last meeting wasn't a friendly one."

Now feeling awkward, he watched as she began threading a needle with suture thread. "I . . . at first, all I could think about was your beauty," he admitted, wondering why he felt ashamed. "I've never seen anyone like you, Celae. Then, I kept wondering why you had been so cold to me. Eventually I decided it must have been something wrong with me. I tried to figure out what. Then, I decided I wanted to find you again so you could tell me so I could fix it so that you would stay in my life. Somehow." He blushed, trying not to fidget.

She watched him in silence for a time. "Stay in your life in what capacity?" she asked quietly.

A lover and a wife, he thought immediately. "Any capacity," he replied. "Friend, confidant, hell, I'd settle for pen-pal."

She laughed again, soft and low. "My home is far from here. We use this forest as a kind of gateway to this continent. But the Krisandi Nation makes its home in a land far south of here, and across the Pangor Sea. It is unlikely we will see each other again. I have no plans to return to here."

Desperation, hot and swift, filled him. "Then at least spend this time with me while I recover," he pleaded. Somehow, he had to convince her.

She gave him a level look. "While you recover," she promised.

o8o o8o

Now laying with his head pillowed on Frost's flank, Duo stared at Kazuhiko in avid delight. "I can't believe it. You married a nymph. I thought they were legend."

"So does everyone else," the king agreed. "No one ever knew Celae's true identity. I kept it hidden, and on the surface she looked enough like a human to pass." He drew in a slow, deep breath. "She was the love of my life. I tried to change so much for her, I wanted to make Corai the kind of place she could be proud of. I was too naive."

Duo's heart ached for the man. He reached up and scratched Frost's ears. "That makes Heero half nymph," he murmured. "Do nymphs have any special abilities?"

"Many," Kazuhiko said. "They can use magic, to a limited degree. Heero can, as well. If he had been taken to Navrane, he would have been perhaps a Yellow. Possibly a Green."

Duo's eyes widened. "But . . . how did he keep it hidden?"

"Celae kept it hidden," the king answered. "Nymphs, unlike humans, embrace magic. Celae learned it from a very young age, and since she didn't come to Corai until she was an adult, she could already shield herself. When Heero was born, she shielded him as well, and taught him how to do the same when he was old enough."

Duo remembered the few times Heero had ever exerted control over his magic. With the exception of the restriction, it hadn't been the collar that allowed that. It had been Heero's own innate skill. Things certainly made more sense now. No wonder Heero was so tense all the time. Not only did he have to maintain his frozen facade, but he also had to shield himself at all times so none would ever learn the truth about him. He closed his eyes. If I can, I'll have to learn how to do that. I'm certain I could shield him more easily than he could himself, and it would be one less thing for him to worry about.

"I worry about him, Duo," Kazuhiko said abruptly. "In so many ways he looks so much like his mother. He was a gentle boy, quick to smiles and laughter. Celae adored him, and unlike most queens she raised him herself. He was only ten when she died." He ran a hand over his face. "He began to watch me. He has always been exceptionally bright, and when he saw how the Council of Nine controlled me, he realized he could not be like me. It was then that he changed. In fact, he became like I was as a youth. Cold and arrogant, utterly self-serving. When the Council began to scry, that was when I lost him altogether. He could no longer be himself with me, and he certainly could not block the scrying himself. That would have led the Council straight to his secret. However, it was what sparked the idea to travel to Navrane and buy a sorcerer. I'm very happy you're a Black, Duo. You'll be strong enough to protect him, and yourself."

Duo closed his eyes as Kazuhiko stroked his hair. "Couldn't Heero use his position to . . . teach people tolerance toward sorcerers?"

The man sighed. "I don't know. It is doubtful. The fear is old and deeply rooted. It is easier to change laws than mindsets." Then he sat up straight. "Would you care to get out of this room? Celae had beautiful gardens, and I'm sure you've yet to see them."

Smiling, Duo rolled off the bed. "I'd love to." With Frost on one side and the king on the other, he headed out of the bedchamber.

o8o o8o

Relena looked up in surprise as King Kazuhiko walked into the garden with the young sorcerer Duo. The king leaned on Duo's arm as though weak, which was undoubtedly the case. Poison made a body weaker. Sharing a private smile with herself, she rose and set her book on the beautifully carved bench. Smoothing a wrinkle from her dress, she glided to them. Prince Heero's large black hound raised its ears when she approached, giving a warning growl. Relena ignored the thing.

"Good afternoon, Kazuhiko," she said, nodding, "Duo. Today's a fine day for a little stroll in the gardens. Are you quite certain you're up to it, Kazuhiko? You look somewhat pale."

"I'm all right, Relena," the man said, giving her a ghost of a smile. "Duo is young and strong, he's been helping me."

Relena transferred her attention to Duo. The boy really was a pretty slip of a thing. The Council would crush him. "What a sweet young man you are," she said with a smile. "And walking your master's dog at the same time. Did Heero really give care of the beast to you? She must outweigh you by fifty pounds."

Duo's eyes darkened as if he sensed insult. Then it passed and he gave her a shy smile. "It's only twenty."

It was a better reaction than all-out resistance. Relena rewarded him with a laugh. "I'm glad your circumstance hasn't deprived you of your sense of humor, pikura. I'm sure many, having a master like Heero, would begin to crumple under the strain."

A very telling emotion flickered through Duo's indigo eyes: resentment. "This is the rest of my life," he said with a minute shrug. "Refusing to accept it accomplishes nothing." He looked up at the aging king and smiled. It was a shockingly sweet expression. "I take happiness as I find it."

Relena could not have prayed for a better opening. She smiled, reaching out and brushing her fingertips over his cheek. "I understand that. If you find your duties becoming onerous, I hope you will feel comfortable coming to me for reprieve. I know better than some how . . . difficult it is to cope with Heero's coldness."

The boy practically glowed. "Thank you, Miss Relena."

She laughed. "Aren't you an angel? Relena is fine. I, too, enjoy these gardens. More's the pity that the late queen is not still with us to tend them. I've been told they bloomed most brilliantly under her tender hand."

The king stirred. "They did," he agreed. "Duo, might we sit for a spell? My old legs aren't as sturdy as they once were."

Duo made a soft sound of sympathy and guided him to a bench. Relena quickly followed, moving to Kazuhiko's other side to help ease him down. Anything to show Duo she was kind and tender-hearted. Kazuhiko barely glanced at her. For the most part, Relena ignored him as well.

"What does pi-cure-ah mean?" Duo asked, kneeling down to pet Frost.

Relena tried not to smile at how carelessly he disregarded his fine breeches, settling into the dirt. "It means doll-face," she replied. "With all your flawless, porcelain skin you look just like a pretty doll." She laughed lightly. "You're certain to make the ladies of court insanely jealous."

Duo, the lamb, blushed. "Thank you, Mi-ah, Relena."

This was a fine atmosphere growing, and Heero chose that moment to ruin it. The Black Prince strode into the garden like a thunderhead, bringing darkness with him. His magnificent carriage was bested only by the fiery anger in his stunning cobalt eyes. He disregarded Relena, unleashing the full power of that furious glare on his slave. Duo cried out and went down as though physically struck, and Relena knew he'd used the collar to punish Duo.

"I told you to wait for me," Heero said, tone shockingly flat for the fury in his eyes.

"Heero," Relena soothed, pleased for yet another chance to show Duo her kindness, "surely punishing him is too harsh? He came, after all, at your father's request. And he is cooped up in his room so often, surely you can't deny him the chance for a little fresh air?"

The anger cooled in Heero's eyes to frozen scorn. "Surely you can't mean to tell me how to handle my own slave. Relena."

Said that way, her name sounded like an insult. She refused to take the bait. "Of course not, prince. He is, as you say, your slave." Let him wonder at that emphasis. "Duo, Kazuhiko, I bid you both good day." She dropped the barest hint of a curtsy to Heero and glided out of the gardens. On the outside she exuded cool disapproval.

On the inside, she was practically singing with glee. You do get things right occasionally, Heero.

In her sitting room, Sylaena Glewhyn, Beria Shondric, and Dorothy Catalonia waited for her. At Relena's entrance Dorothy rose and poured her tea. Relena accepted the porcelain cup, sinking down beside Beria. "Thank you, Dorothy."

Beria shifted to face Relena more directly. She held up a small glass mirror with a smile. "That was a beautiful exchange."

Relena nodded. "I could almost kiss the fool prince. I want the three of you to reach out as I did. We have the benefit of being women on our side. I suspect Duo has received precious little maternal warmth over the course of his life, and it is to that he will respond quickest."

"Heero is quite doing our job for us," Dorothy remarked.

Relena smirked. "Indeed. Will you run fetch Wufei? I should like to know what put the boy in such a foul mood. Sylaena, will you go round up the rest of the Council? I have something to discuss with everyone."

When the other two women were gone, Beria smiled and covered Relena's hand with her own. She brought it to her lips and kissed each knuckle. "Now, my dear, tell me what's truly on your mind."

Relena's smile matched, and she leaned forward to kiss the woman on the lips. "You know me too well. But our time is short. Listen carefully . . ."