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


"Bound, Bonded and Betrayed"

Chapter 48

"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."

The words hit Heero like a thunderbolt. Duo was to be put to the sword? His heart lurched in his chest, the room began to spin and it was only the steel grip he had on the bannister that stopped him from falling down the stairs. "What did you say?"

"Duo is to be put to the sword at dusk this eve." Quatre repeated, the tears running down his cheeks.

Seeing both his slave and his brother were having trouble with comprehension and words, Trowa took charge of the situation. Reaching for Quatre, he pulled the slave to his feet. "Brother, go to my room now. Out here is not the place to discuss this. Quatre, accompany Heero, I will be with you in a moment."

The words penetrated both Quatre and Heero's minds, Heero nodding and turning to retrace his steps, Quatre following behind. With both men moving away, Trowa stepped further down to address the innkeeper's wife who had been watching the proceedings with interest.

"I will require breakfast in my room, enough for three. Some wine, cheeses, cold meats and bread should suffice."

The woman nodded. "As you wish, sire."

"Alert the stable too and have them prepare our horses. We shall require a small amount of provisions, wine skins and water skins too. You will be well compensated if you can do this quickly."

"Certainly sire. All will be done as you request."

"Thank you." With that taken care of, Trowa took the stairs two at a time; he needed to get to the bottom of this, and quickly.

#

Mind grasping to make sense of what Quatre had said, Heero stumbled his way up the stairs and to his brother's room. Opening the door he stepped inside and aimed for a large armchair where he collapsed into it.

Quatre followed the prince into the room, his tears still flowing. He was so relieved at finding his master and the crown prince but knew that time was of the essence here if they wished to save Duo.

Striding into the room, Trowa shut the door, noting his brother in one of the chairs and Quatre kneeling by the bed. He moved to the other chair and motioned for Quatre to come to him. The blonde rose up and shifted to kneel at his master's feet.

"Quatre, what is this news you have come to tell us?" Trowa asked and placed a hand upon the blonde's head.

"Master, it's Duo," Quatre began, his breath catching as he fought to bring his emotions under control. "I do not know the full details, but he was accused of trying to rape the princess-"

"He what!?" Heero sat bolt upright in his chair, unable to believe what his ears were hearing.

Quatre cringed a little.

"Brother, please. Calm down a little and let Quatre finish his story, then we can decide what to do."

A knock at the door interrupted them, Quatre rising from his kneeling position to go and answer it. A young slave stood on the other side, a tray balanced in front of her. He let the slave into the room directing her where to set the tray and then escorted her out. He returned to start serving the food to his master only to be stopped by Prince Heero.

"We can serve ourselves, Quatre. I need to know what happened."

"As I said, I don't know all the details, but I will explain as best I can what I do know. I caught up with Duo in the kitchens, we were going to have our lunch together but he said he couldn't as he had to take lunch to the princess. He left with a tray and I finished my own lunch. I returned to your chambers, master and I was filling your decanters when I heard the mistress' maid and Captain Chang pass by, moments later I heard screaming and yelling coming from down the hall. I went to see what was happening and I heard the princess yelling that Duo had tried to rape her." Quatre paused, his voice cracking as he recalled the events that had transpired.

"Go on," Heero encouraged through gritted teeth.

"Duo was arrested and charged, Captain Chang followed the law and reported to the King the offense and the King ordered a trial. I do not know what happened at the trial, I thought it would take a couple of days for the trial to take place, but the King dealt with it there and then. All I know is that Duo was found guilty of the charges and sentenced to be put to the sword. He was also given a flogging..."

By this stage Heero's face had gone from anger to pure rage.

"Sire, master, I'm positive that Duo didn't do anything, he's too gentle natured."

"There is more to this, isn't there, Quatre?" Heero stated, his blue eyes blazing.

"Yes, sire. There is a lot more to this than you are aware of and I promise you I will tell you everything I know, but we need to return to the castle and save Duo." Quatre turned to Trowa. "Master, I left the castle without permission to come and find you. I have ridden all night and it will take some time to get back. Duo is to be put to the sword at dusk..."

"There is no time to waste," Heero said and stood up. "Quatre, I thank you for your loyalty to me and to Duo. There will be no punishment for leaving the castle without permission. Now, let us be on our way."

Trowa stood and grasped his brother by the arm as Heero made to leave. "Brother, I have requested provisions and our horses be made ready to travel. Leave our belongings, I will have the guard that accompanied us take care of packing everything up and bringing it back to the castle."

"Thank you, brother." Heero was glad to have his younger sibling there, Trowa was a calm, steady influence and his unflappable nature was what was needed in a situation such as this. He thought about the things that needed to be done, unlike Heero who only wanted to get back to his slave before the unthinkable happened and get to the bottom of it all. "I will meet you outside in a few minutes." Heero left his brother and slave to get themselves ready to travel.

"Master?"

Trowa looked to his slave. "Yes?"

"I rode Rocky very hard last eve to find you, I don't think-"

"Leave Rocky here to rest. One of the guards can ride him back to the castle. I'll have one of the guard's horses readied for you."

"Thank you, master."

"Now come, help me finish dressing so we can make haste back home."

# # #

Wufei stepped out from the barracks and into the smaller courtyard where several guards were busy setting up a small platform. As the King had stated, Duo would be put to the sword that eve and the preparations had begun. When an execution was to take place, it was usually carried out in the town square in the city just below where the castle stood. Although that usually depended on the crime.

Some executions took place in the courtyard behind the barracks, these were ones that the King didn't think his subjects needed to be aware of for whatever reason. It was here that the King had decided Duo would meet his fate. It was bad enough that he'd been left with no alternative but to find the slave guilty; he didn't need to publicly humiliate the young slave as well.

The mood amongst the guards was a somber one, none of them could believe that Duo could have committed a crime in the first place, let alone a crime bad enough to be executed. None of the guards took any pleasure in setting up the platform and preparing the area.

"Captain!" the guard said and saluted as Wufei walked into the small yard.

Returning the salute, Wufei paused and looked around. "Is everything being set up?"

"Yes, sir. Everything is under control," the guard replied.

"You may carry on." Wufei dismissed the guard. Standing in the courtyard, Wufei closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He could practically feel the unrest in the air, the animosity bubbling below the surface. This was something that clearly wouldn't end with Duo's death.

Once his prince learned of the trial and demise of his slave, Wufei held no doubt the prince would call for a further investigation and demand to know why the trial hadn't waited until he'd returned. As much as Wufei wanted to approach the King and delay the execution, he knew he was fighting a losing battle.

Chang had spent most of the evening going through all the scrolls and books relating to the kingdom and her laws, looking for something, anything that he could use to delay the inevitable.

And had come up blank.

He simply had to face it...

There was nothing more he could do.

# # #

"Shall I fetch lunch for you, mistress?" Dorothy asked, noting the position of the sun and feeling the emptiness in her stomach.

Relena marked the page she was up to and set the book to one side. "I think that would be nice. I am feeling a little hungry."

"Anything in particular you would like?"

Before Relena could answer, there came a knock at the door. The two women looked to each other, Relena frowning. "I'm not expecting anyone," she said.

"I'll see who it is." Dorothy moved to the door and opened it just a fraction. She spotted a slave waiting on the other side. "What is it?" she barked.

"I have a message for the princess from the Queen."

"Really? And what would that message be?"

"The Queen has requested that the princess join her in her parlor for some refreshments as soon as possible," the slave said.

"Wait one moment," Dorothy said and leaving the door slightly ajar, she returned to her mistress and passed the message on.

"I wonder what she wants?" Relena muttered. "I suppose I'd better go. Let the slave know to tell the Queen we will be there shortly."

"As you wish, mistress." Dorothy returned to the waiting slave and passed on Relena's message. With the departure of the slave, Dorothy returned to assist her mistress to change into something more suitable for an audience with the Queen.

# # #

By the time Trowa was dressed and had gathered up the few belongings he couldn't leave behind, Quatre had fetched the head of the guard that was accompanying them for Trowa to speak with. Having given the guard his orders and a brief explanation as to why their hasty departure, he left the guard to carry out those orders and quickly left the room in search of his brother.

Prince Heero was already in the courtyard, mounted up on Wing with a couple of bulging saddle bags and an impatient frown on his face. Quatre was holding his master's horse and one procured from the guard detail.

Taking the horse's reins from Quatre, Trowa addressed his slave. "Is everything I requested packed?"

"Yes, master," Quatre replied.

The innkeeper came out the front and approached Trowa. "Your Highness, I trust you have all you need for your journey?"

"Thank you, we do," Trowa replied as he swung himself into the saddle. Settling himself on the stallion's back, Trowa reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag of gold coin. He counted out a few and handed them over to the innkeeper. "I trust that will cover our rooms, the care of our horses and provisions?"

Taking the gold coin, the innkeeper counted it and a wide smile crossed his face. "That is more than enough, sire."

The guards will finish packing up and will follow on behind us shortly. Please see to it that they have enough provisions for the journey back to the castle."

"I will, sire. God speed."

With a nod to the innkeeper, Trowa turned the horse's head and rode across to his brother who was fretting to be on their way. Quatre was also mounted up and waiting for Trowa to join them.

"Is everything settled?" Heero asked.

"Yes, all is taken care of."

"Then let us be off, we have wasted far too much time already." Not waiting for a reply, Heero turned the horse in the direction of home and dug his heels into sensitive flanks. Wing bounded forward into a steady canter, holding the pace until they were clear of the village and then speeding up into a fast gallop.

As the village gave way to open fields and then forests, Quatre noted where the sun lay in the sky and sent a silent prayer that they would make it back to the castle before dusk.

# # #

Arriving at the Queen's parlor, Relena knocked softly and waited for the door to open. A maid answered and bid the princess to follow. She entered the parlor, Dorothy behind her and when she spotted the Queen, she curtsied as well as she was able given her pregnant state.

"Relena, my dear," the Queen greeted. "Come, sit down."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Relena replied and took a seat in one of the comfortable chairs.

The maid poured the tea, handing a cup to the Queen and one to Relena before leaving the royals alone. Dorothy made sure her mistress was comfortable before kneeling at the side of the chair.

"How are you, Relena?" the Queen enquired, sipping at her tea.

"I'm coping alright," Relena replied, "although my back does ache quite a bit at times."

A slight frown crossed the queen's face. "And how are you given the attack on you yesterday?" To Queen Une, Relena didn't appear to be all that upset for someone who had suffered an attempted rape on her person.

"Oh, that," Relena said. "The healer has checked me over and gave me something to settle my nerves which helped a bit. It wasn't a pleasant experience at all and I'm glad that slave will get what's coming to him, he deserves it for what he did to me."

"I see." Queen Une sat back in her chair and changed the subject. "Have you finished setting up the nursery for the baby's arrival?"

Happy with the change of topic, Relena spoke at great length of the changes she'd made, the items she had purchased for the baby along with many other things related to the future heir. Queen Une sat back and let her daughter-in-law chatter on, keeping her thoughts to herself.

# # #

With the preparations in the courtyard completed, Wufei entered the castle. He had a few arrangements that needed to be taken care of before the eve. It was every condemned prisoner's right to speak with a man of the cloth and make their peace before they were put to the sword. Wufei also intended to pick Quatre up on his way and let the blonde slave spend some time with Duo. He knew how close the two slaves had gotten and he thought it only fair he allow the two to spend some time together.

Stopping at the doors to Prince Trowa's chambers, he knocked and waited. After a few moments, he knocked again. When there was no response, Wufei opened the door, knocking again as he did so and stuck his head around the door jamb. "Quatre?" he called out.

When no one answered, he walked inside the chambers and looked around. There was no sign of the blonde slave. Wufei shrugged, thinking that Quatre was probably either in his slave quarters or in the kitchens. Closing the door to the prince's chambers, Wufei headed for the kitchens.

#

"I'm sorry, Captain, I haven't seen Quatre at all today," Noin said in answer to the Captain's question.

"I see. Has anyone seen him?"

"No one has seen him since last eve," Noin said once she'd finished questioning everyone that was currently in or around the kitchens.

"That's strange," Wufei said.

"I do hope he's not ill," Noin said with a frown. "Have you checked his quarters? Or spoken to the healer?"

"No, not yet. I will do that now. Thank you." Wufei turned and left the kitchens, heading for the slave quarters.

The slave quarters held no sign of the blonde slave and Sally hadn't seen him since the previous day either. Wufei had an uneasy feeling about it and sent for a couple of his guards. Unable to continue searching for the slave himself, Wufei left instructions for the guards to locate Quatre and bring him to the dungeons as soon as they found him. With the guards searching for Quatre, Wufei continued on his way to speak with the priest.

# # #

Duo looked up from where he was sitting on the edge of the cot when the door to his cell opened. His eyes widened a touch when Wufei stepped in and a sliver of fear ran down his spine. It wasn't dusk yet.

Another figure entered behind the Captain, Duo recognizing the priest from the way he was dressed.

Explaining why the priest was there and Duo agreeing to speak with the man, Wufei left the pair alone to talk.

# # #

Wing was blowing hard, sweat matted his coat from head to tail, but still he galloped on. Heero knew he was asking a lot from his horse, but he dare not slacken the pace. Duo's life depended on him making it back to the castle before dusk.

Prince Trowa and Quatre were riding hard on his heels, both their horses also covered in sweat, but neither man was about to suggest a short stop. Quatre was doing his best to remain on his horse, the gelding having a rougher stride than Rocky did, but Quatre was also exhausted. He'd ridden hard all night to locate the princes and was once again in the saddle at a flat out gallop. His muscles were protesting, his mind fogging with the need for sleep but he doggedly fought against his body, forcing himself to stay with his horse.

The sun was high in the sky, relentless in its heat when Trowa managed to ride alongside his brother and demand a short stop. They needed to refresh themselves and their horses otherwise their horses would give out on them and then they would have no hope of making the castle in time. Heero couldn't dispute the logic and reluctantly drew rein.

They walked the horses to a stream, letting the animals catch their breath before allowing them to drink, and then it wasn't a lot of water lest the horses get sick. Whilst the animals recovered, the princes and Quatre drank from their water skins and hastily ate some bread and cheese.

"We have wasted enough time," Heero said and swung himself back into the saddle. Wing was breathing a little easier as were the other two equines and Heero wouldn't wait any longer.

Trowa and Quatre remounted and once more the three were riding hard and fast towards the castle.

# # #

"Mistress, I really don't think this is a good idea," Dorothy said again.

"Dorothy, I fully intend to be present at the execution of that gutter snipe."

"But, mistress, in your condition it isn't wise. It won't be pleasant and all that blood and gore could upset you. You don't want to put the baby at any risk, do you?" Despite her earlier agreeing with the princess to attend the execution, Dorothy was having second thoughts and under the circumstances, she really didn't think the execution was any place for a princess to be.

"I will be attending and that's the end of it. I want to make sure, see with my own eyes that he's well and truly gone. Now, are you going to assist me to get dressed or am I going to have to discipline you?"

Dorothy swallowed. "No, mistress, no discipline. I'll help you dress and accompany you if that's what you wish."

"I do. Do you think I should wear the red or maybe the blue?"

# # #

The guards searched the castle in vain for the missing slave. Quatre wasn't anywhere to be found and no one had seen him either. From the castle the guards moved to search the grounds, eventually turning up at the stables and speaking with the stable master. Enquiries there proved a little more fruitful, one of the stable lads admitting that Quatre had taken Rocky out for some exercise. He just didn't elaborate on when Quatre had left.

Satisfied, the guards reported the news back to Wufei.

"It seems odd that he would desert his fellow slave at such a time," Wufei said with a frown. "I know those two are close and I would have expected Quatre to have been a constant presence in the dungeons during Duo's last day."

"Do you want us to saddle up and search the surrounding area for him, Captain?" One of the guards asked.

Wufei paused for a moment and looked towards the sky. The sun was starting to drift lower on the horizon and dusk would be upon them soon. "No, leave it be, I'm sure he will be back shortly." Maybe the blonde slave couldn't accept that his friend and fellow slave was about to lose his life and this was his way of dealing with it. "Return to your posts."

"Yes, sir, Captain." The guards saluted and returned to their former posts, Wufei headed for the castle and the King.

# # #

The sun was beginning to dip lower on the horizon and Heero could feel the desperation rising within his soul. They were now riding through more familiar territory, the castle not too far away.

Prince Trowa and Quatre rode side by side, neither one spoke, reserving their energy for staying on top of their horses.

Exhaustion was darkening the fringes of Quatre's mind, his body felt detached, muscles frozen into place and his brain working sluggishly.

The three horses were also tired, sweat darkened their coats, lungs worked frantically to keep oxygen flowing through their bodies to their legs where it was quickly used up by rapidly tiring muscles.

Wing had had enough and started to slow his pace, letting his master know he didn't appreciate being ridden so hard for so long.

Feeling the stallion starting to flag under the strain of the gallop, Heero had to harden his heart and hope the horse would forgive him. "No, Wing, keep going," he said to his horse, the stallion flicking back an ear to listen but still slowing.

Torn between allowing his reluctant horse to slow down or getting back to the castle to stop Duo from facing the sword, Heero had no choice. "Move it, Wing!" he growled and drove his heels into the stallion's sides.

The sudden kicks to his flanks startled the stallion and he began to gallop faster once more. His master never kicked him! When he tried to slow down again, not only did he suffer kicks to his flanks from his master's heels, but the ends of the reins were used, striking against his shoulders and leaving him with no option but to increase his gait.

"Good boy, Wing." Heero ran a hand along the soaked neck. "I'm sorry, but this is for Duo, boy. Come on, give me everything you have," Heero encouraged the stallion.

Somehow, Wing managed to find that last bit of energy and surged ahead once more.

The sun was almost ready to dip behind the horizon, the light beginning to fade when they broke the tree line and the castle appeared ahead.

tbc...