Disclaimer: I don't own the G'boys, I just borrow them from time to time to play with and return them a whole lot happier, ne? Written for pleasure not profit.

Rating: NC 17

Warnings: Sap, angst, bondage, slavery, Yaoi, Lemon, lime, het, violence, dark, fluff, AU, OOC.

Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 1xR, 2xR

Betaed by Karina *snugs*

Summary: Heero is the eldest son of the King of Colonia. His 21st birthday is approaching and as tradition dictates his betrothed is soon to arrive. However he is also bound by tradition to select his own personal slave. The events that unfold lead him down a path that not only tests his sanity but his humanity and love as well.

Author's Note: This fic was started back in 2004 and has languished on my hard drive ever since, only sporadically being added to when I have the time (and the muse the inclination) . Updates will be far between, but rest assured, it will be finished. Feed back is most welcome as are honest critiques. Flames will be dealt with as I deal with all flames – with sarcasm.

Commenced July 2004 – published January 2008


Many thanks to all of you out there who are reading and hugs to all who have left a review. I do appreciate all your feedback. :-)


"Bound, Bonded and Betrayed"

Chapter 47

The pain, stress and mental exhaustion were beginning to catch up with Duo and he hissed in agony as Sally applied the salve she'd made to his back.

"Here, Duo, drink this."

Duo managed to raise his head a little to see a goblet in front of his nose.

"It will help to soothe the pain and relax you," Sally said softly.

Raising his head a little more, Duo allowed the goblet to be pressed against his lips and tilted slightly. The liquid inside began to trickle into his mouth and he hastily swallowed it. Once the goblet was empty, Sally moved it away.

"That should start to take effect in about half a candle mark, Duo," she assured him. "Try to get some rest, the salve on your back will numb the wounds so be careful not to lie on your back or move around too much."

"Thank you," Duo whispered. "But I don't understand why you're taking care of me. Tomorrow eve I will be put to the sword, so why bother with my comfort?"

"Oh, Duo." Sally's heart cracked. "This should never have happened in the first place and I wish there was something I could do to change it all, but I can't. The only thing I can do is try to ease your suffering and make you as comfortable as possible."

"What will be, will be and no one can change what has happened. The King and the law have spoken and I have to accept that. I'm not afraid to die, in fact, I welcome death, for then I will no longer have to suffer this life of cruelty and slavery." Duo said the words so softly Sally could hardly hear them.

Sally had to turn away, moisture gathered in her eyes and her heart felt like a heavy lump in her chest. Unable to stay and witness the slave's acceptance of his fate, Sally stood and hastily packed her things away before leaving the room, a hand over her mouth to stifle the sobs.

# # #

Night had come swiftly, Quatre had no inkling as to how long he'd been riding for or how much further he needed to go. With the fall of darkness he'd had to slow his pace quite a bit, the forest tracks were difficult to navigate during daylight, at night they could be treacherous and the last thing Quatre needed was for Rocky to catch his hoof in a tree root or rabbit hole.

The gelding plodded on at a slow but steady trot. His eyesight was a lot keener than his master's which was fortunate given the terrain they were traveling through. The earlier, fast pace his master had required had taken a lot out of the gelding and the slower pace was welcomed. It gave Rocky the chance to catch his breath a little and conserve some of his energy supplies.

The track opened up into a clearing with a stream running through it. Quatre drew rein, bringing the gelding to a halt and paused for a moment. He waited until the horse had caught his breath before allowing the animal to drink from the cool stream. Whilst Rocky drank and grazed a little, Quatre closed his eyes and brought forth what he could remember of the maps of the area into the forefront of his mind.

He had traveled this way before on a few occasions with his master, but it had been a little while since he'd last been out this way. The track he was currently following was familiar to him and he gauged he was about half way to Altron and where he hoped to find his master and Prince Heero.

Looking skyward, the twinkling stars shone back down on him against the inky backdrop. It was a beautiful night, a little on the cool side but clear of any clouds. Unfortunately, Quatre didn't have the time to appreciate it. Locating the moon and relevant stars, he used them as his navigation, having learned the art of reading the sky from his younger days with his desert tribe. The nomads had used the stars, sun and moon to navigate by for years.

They hadn't failed him yet.

Deciding Rocky had had enough time to recover a little, he turned the gelding's head and rode once more onto the track and into the night.

# # #

Hilde returned to the kitchens with the tray from the princess' chambers in her hands. Her mind was troubled, running over and over the snippet of conversation she'd overheard when arriving at the chamber door.

The news of Duo's being charged and found guilty of a crime had spread through the castle like wildfire and left all the staff and slaves alike completely stunned and in shock. The exact details of what the crimes were had not been leaked and rumors were running rife. Some said Duo had been caught stealing from the mistress, others said he'd been insolent. Some even went as far as to say that Duo had struck the princess or her maid.

Regardless of what the rumors were, everyone agreed it was something completely out of character for the shy, abused slave they had all come to know and love.

Hilde had heard the rumors, along with Noin and the rest of the kitchen staff and all were convinced that this couldn't be true, that it was some sort of sick joke and that Duo was perfectly fine and wasn't going to be executed.

Unfortunately, they soon realized that Duo had indeed been found guilty of some crime that was bad enough that the King had been left with no choice but to sentence the young slave to the sword.

Cathy had been dispatched from the kitchen with a tray of food for Duo, the quiet maid shaking in her shoes when she'd reached the dungeons and spotted the guards standing at the door. She'd managed to keep herself under control and taken the tray inside for Duo. What she saw broke her kind heart and drew forth an endless stream of tears.

Hilde had just set the tray down and was beginning to unload the dirty dishes when Cathy returned from the dungeons. The poor maid was a weeping mess, Noin moving swiftly across the kitchen to envelop the girl in her matronly arms and do her best to soothe her and learn what was wrong. Hilde stood to the side, helpless to know what to do.

"Hush, child," Noin soothed. "What on earth has upset you so?"

"Oh, Miss Noin, that poor slave, he's – he's – It's just terrible," Cathy said though her sobs.

"What's terrible?" Hilde asked, not sure she really wanted to know.

"They – they've beaten him, flogged him by the look of it. His back... It's all cut up and bruised!" Cathy went into another round of hysterical sobbing.

Hilde's hand flew to her mouth, her heart restricting in her chest with that bit of information. "No," she whispered.

"It's true, I saw his back with my own eyes and it was horrible." Cathy turned her face and held onto Noin even harder as her tears continued to run unchecked.

"How could the King do this? Duo wouldn't hurt a fly," Hilde said, her voice trembling a touch.

"The King has to obey the law, the same as everyone else," Noin stated. "We don't know what the circumstances surrounding this decision are, but you can bet the King wouldn't have made this decision lightly. As much as we may not agree with the decision, we do not have all the facts and besides, it is not our place to say if punishment is deserved or not regardless of what we may think."

"But, it isn't fair!" Hilde protested.

"That may well be, but unless you want to find yourselves being disciplined too, I'd suggest you keep your opinions to yourselves," Noin said. The cook herself was deeply saddened to hear of what Duo had been subjected to and found it very hard to believe that he could have done something bad enough to warrant this kind of punishment. But she dare not voice her opinions lest she be overheard and found guilty of treason.

The cook's words sank into Hilde's mind and warred with her sense of justice. Did she speak up, let Noin know what she'd overheard? Or did she keep silent? In the end she decided to keep things to herself. Who would believe her anyway? She was just a maid, another slave in the castle and she didn't want to end up being accused of treason and lose her life. With Cathy starting to calm down a little, Hilde returned to her work, the unease at keeping her secret settling like a lump of lead in her chest.

# # #

Rocky was getting tired, he'd been on the move for most of the night and wanted nothing more than to return to his warm stable and hearty feed of oats. Quatre was also tired, he'd been riding for most of the night.

Cresting a hill, Quatre slowed Rocky and heaved a sigh of relief. Dawn was starting to break, bathing the sky in pale pink and orange hues, a sliver of blue slowly making its way up the horizon. Down in the valley he could see the small farm holdings dotted about and in the distance a few twinkling lights that could only be the village of Altron.

"Thank goodness," Quatre muttered. Now all he had to do was get to the village, find the inn and hopefully his master and Prince Heero were there.

"Come on, Rocky," Quatre encouraged the gelding. "Just a little further and you can have a long rest."

Sensing the renewed urgency in his master, Rocky drew his legs under him, called on the last of his reserves and galloped down the track and into the valley below.

# # #

"Good morn, mistress," Dorothy greeted, pulling the heavy drapes back from the window.

The princess blinked open sleepy eyes and yawned. "Good morn, Dorothy," she replied.

"Here, let me help you to sit up." Dorothy slipped an arm behind the princess, easing her forward and pulling the pillows up behind her. "I have breakfast waiting for you if you're hungry?"

"That sounds wonderful. Thank you, Dorothy." Relena settled herself more comfortably in the bed whilst Dorothy fetched the breakfast tray.

As they ate, they discussed to coming events of the day.

"I wonder if the King will order a public execution of that slave or if he will keep it private?" Dorothy mused.

"I think he will keep it private."

"That piece of filth should be executed in public, he deserves to have everyone witness his demise," Dorothy snapped.

"I agree with you, he should be humiliated like that, but as the execution is to take place this eve, there isn't enough time to arrange for a public execution."

"I suppose not," Dorothy replied and helped herself to a piece of fruit. "Mistress? We will be attending, won't we?"

"Of course we will. I want to make sure that gutter trash loses his head to the sword."

"Good."

# # #

Checking his tunic was clean and smoothed down, Wufei picked up his sword and scabbard, strapped the weapon to his side and with one last check of his person, left his room and the barracks. He swiftly crossed the small space from the barracks to the main castle and entered.

Keeping his attention focused on the task at hand, he marched through the castle hallways and to the King's chambers.

"Captain Chang," the guard outside the King's chambers greeted.

Wufei returned the salute. "I have a meeting with the King," he announced.

"Yes, sir. If you will wait a moment, I will send word to the King that you are here."

"Thank you."

The guard disappeared for a moment, returning swiftly with a slave in tow. "If you will accompany the slave, Captain?"

"Thank you." Wufei nodded to the slave and followed him inside the door and into the sitting room area of the King's chambers. Walking through the sitting area, the slave took the Captain through to the King's study where Treize sat behind a desk.

The slave dropped to his knees as they entered. "Captain Chang is here to see you, sir," the slave said.

"Thank you," the King said, rising from his seat and dismissing the slave who scurried from the room. "Captain," he greeted Wufei.

"Sire," Wufei responded with a sweeping bow.

The King gestured to a chair which Wufei sat in and then took his own. "Captain, as much as it pains me, we need to discuss the arrangements for this eve's execution."

Risking the fact that he himself could be severely punished, Wufei spoke his mind. "There shouldn't even be an execution, Your Highness," he said curtly.

Treize sighed. "I know, but my hands are tied, Captain. We have been over this before and there is nothing more I can do. The slave has been tried and found guilty, the law is the law and he will be put to the sword."

"I know he's been found guilty, Sire, but what did you expect? He didn't get the chance to build a defense and prove his innocence," Wufei countered.

"And I had to honor the princess' request to have the charges dealt with privately and quietly," Treize replied.

"Whilst I understand that, sire, don't you think that Prince Heero should have been present? This is his slave after all. I cannot see why the trial couldn't have waited until the prince had returned," Wufei stated.

"As I said before, I am not above the law, Captain and I am duty bound to the kingdom and her people to serve and protect them. I agree, it would have been better to have waited until my son had returned, but what is done is done. At the end of it all, the slave has been tried and found guilty of his crimes, now we need to deal with the punishment and aftermath."

"Sire, I respect you as a person and as my King, and I will serve you to my dying breath, but I want it known that I do not agree with this, that I oppose the manner in which this trial was conducted."

"Very well, Captain, your protests have been noted. Now, we need to get back to the matter at hand, the arrangements for this eve."

"Yes, sire."

# # #

Sally gave the guard a curt nod as she waited for him to open the door to Duo's cell. Slipping inside, her eyes quickly adjusted to the darker interior and she moved across the floor to the small cot her 'patient' lay upon. The anger again raised its head when she looked upon the bruised and battered back of the slave and sent a silent thanks to the executioner for at least not applying his full strength to the whipping.

"Duo?" she called softly, not wanting to startle the young slave. It looked like he hadn't moved at all overnight.

"Mistress Healer," Duo whispered and turned his head, raising it a little to see her.

Setting her basket of remedies on the floor, she perched on the edge of the cot. "How are you this morning?"

"I am as well as can be expected for a slave who is to die this eve," Duo replied, the bitterness in his tone quite evident.

"Oh, Duo," Sally said, her heart breaking yet again. "I really wish there was something I could do."

"It's okay, Mistress Healer. I'm sorry for speaking so freely and bitterly, I have no ill will towards you."

"You have every right to be bitter and angry, Duo. This is completely wrong. I just wish there was something, anything I could do to stop this from happening." A hand to her arm had Sally blinking back tears and she looked down to see Duo watching her, a soft smile on his lips.

"This isn't your fault, this isn't Wufei's fault, or the King's fault. It's just the way of things."

"No, Duo, this is the fault of that high and mighty princess," Sally growled softly.

"Mistress Healer, do not speak ill of the princess or you could find yourself in trouble too and I don't want that to happen."

"I can't believe that you're so willing to forgive her. She's the reason you're here and sentenced to the sword! I know you didn't do anything, Duo, but I can't prove it without more time to gather evidence," Sally said miserably.

Duo sighed. "Be that as it may, at the end of the day, I am but a slave, my life has no value or meaning other than to serve. No one believes the word of a slave and especially not against that of a princess. Don't be upset for me, I will go to my death knowing at least a little happiness; but I do have one regret..."

"What is that, Duo?" Sally was struggling to accept what Duo was saying, that he had accepted his fate so easily.

"I would have liked to have seen my master one last time."

Whatever reply Sally was about to give was silenced by the sound of the door opening. Both looked towards the door, Duo stiffening in fear, Sally annoyed at being interrupted.

A small figure carrying a tray stepped around the heavy door. Hilde curtsied when she spotted the healer. "Sorry to interrupt, mistress, but I have food for Duo," Hilde said.

"That's fine," Sally said and let her tense shoulders relax a little. "Bring it here, please."

Timidly, Hilde crossed the room and set the tray on the small table. "I will leave you and return later for the tray."

"Actually, I would like for you to stay," Sally said and then explained when she saw the look of confusion on the maid's face. "Duo may require help to eat and I could do with some assistance to dress his wounds."

"Then I will stay."

Between Sally and Hilde, they managed to get Duo into a semi reclining position on the cot without hurting him too much. Noin had wisely sent a bowl of broth, some fresh bread and cheeses for Duo and Hilde carefully spooned the broth into his mouth. As she worked her sad eyes watched the shy slave, recalling how reclusive and afraid he'd been when the prince had first brought him home. Hilde was a soft hearted, kind person and she, like many of the other castle slaves and staff, had done all she could to help the new slave adjust to life at the castle.

The state Duo had been in when he arrived had shocked everyone to the core, Hilde unable to accept that some master's treated their slaves in such an abusive manner. She'd never seen anything at all like it and now, seeing Duo's back, knowing the pain he must have suffered during the flogging, she found it even harder to accept that her own King had been responsible for ordering such a punishment. Once again she warred with the knowledge she held, torn between speaking out or holding her silence.

# # #

By the time Rocky and Quatre entered the outskirts of the village, the sun was making its way over the horizon with the promise of a warm day. It was still early, only one or two villagers making their way out of their abodes and setting off for their day of work.

Slowing Rocky to a trot, Quatre scanned the town street ahead, desperately trying to locate the center of the village which is where he most likely thought the inn would be. He searched around in vain, getting more and more frustrated with himself by the minute. He had to locate the inn as quickly as possible and see if his master was there. Time was running out for Duo, the dark cloud of Duo's impending date with the sword weighing heavily on Quatre's mind.

Turning down yet another dusty street, Quatre's eyes scanned the area ahead, tears threatening to fall over his eyelashes when he again drew a blank.

"Now what's got a pretty thing like you all upset?"

The voice startled Quatre and he inadvertently pulled hard on Rocky's reins, the gelding coming to an abrupt halt with a stamp of his hoof and shake of his head. He looked around to locate the source of the voice and spotted a woman standing on the stoop of a cottage, broom in hand and looking at him.

"Why such a sad look on a pretty face?" the woman asked.

"I – I need to find my master, it's a matter of urgency," Quatre replied.

"Your master?"

Quatre nodded. "He's supposed to be staying at the inn here in the village, but I've been looking everywhere and I can't find the inn."

"Is that all? I can direct you to the inn."

"You can?" Quatre felt a wave of relief wash over him.

"Of course. It's not all that easy to find if you don't know the village," the woman stated. "Come, follow me."

Quatre dismounted and leading the gelding, fell into step alongside the woman. He was taken along a couple of streets, made a few turns and then there, just up ahead was the sign for the inn. "Thank you," Quatre said to the woman, "I would never have found it without your help."

"You're welcome," the woman replied and turned to retrace her steps.

Taking a firm hold on Rocky's reins, Quatre broke into a jog, pulling the horse behind him. Moments later he arrived at the inn, a stable boy coming to the yard when he heard the sounds of hooves.

"Can I help you?" the lad asked.

"Could you hold my horse for a moment please? Or tie him up somewhere? I need to speak with the innkeeper and see if my master is staying here."

"Of course. I'll tie him up in a vacant stall." The lad took the gelding's reins from Quatre and began to lead the horse towards the stables.

Seeing that Rocky would be okay for the moment, Quatre glanced around and located the door to the inn. He crossed to it and stepped inside. It was dark and quiet, Quatre's eyes taking a moment to adjust. When they did he made his way through the maze of tables and chairs to the bar counter and rang the small bell there. A few breaths later a woman stepped out, drying her hands.

"Can I help you?"

"My name is Quatre and I'm looking for my master." Seeing the frown appearing on the woman's face, Quatre hastily continued. "My master, Prince Trowa and his brother, Crown Prince Heero are supposed to be staying here during their travels out to this section of the kingdom. I need to know if they are here yet or if not, have they already left or are they yet to arrive?"

"How do I know you are not some bandit or assassin?" the woman said in a clipped tone.

Shit! Quatre hadn't thought about that. He was so used to people knowing who he was that the thought of someone not recognizing him hadn't entered his mind.

"I promise you, I am Prince Trowa's personal slave and it is of utmost urgency that I speak with him or Prince Heero if they are here." Quatre was getting desperate.

"Is that so," the woman stated.

"Please, I am not deceiving you. I have ridden all night from the castle to find my master-"

"Now you look here-"

"Quatre?"

The blonde spun around when he heard the familiar voice call his name and nearly wept when he saw his master half way down the stairs. "Master!" he cried and charged across the room, climbing the stairs and falling to his knees at Trowa's feet.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," the woman began only to have Trowa cut her off.

"It's fine. He is my personal slave, although what in all of Colonia he is doing here, I have no clue." Trowa reached down and touched Quatre's head. "Quatre? What is wrong?"

Quatre looked up into the kind face of his master, tears of relief at finally having found him running down his cheeks. "Master, I need to speak with Prince Heero, it's a matter of extreme urgency."

"What is it, Quatre?" Prince Heero questioned as he appeared behind his brother on the stairs. He'd been dressing when he'd heard the noise out on the stairs and come to investigate.

"Prince Heero, you need to return to the castle immediately. Duo is to be put to the sword at dusk today for something I am convinced he didn't do."

tbc...