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?

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


My apologies for the delay between chapters. RL is still hammering me and now I have the added stress of trying to find a new job. Unfortunately, this means my writing is pushed to the bottom of the list. Thank you to all who have left a review and my apologies to those whom I have not replied personally to. I do appreciate all your feedback. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this latest chapter.


"Bound, Bonded and Betrayed"

January. 2008 ShenLong

Chapter 72

It was three sunrises later when Heero received the news he'd been anxiously waiting for. The priest sent word that the archbishop had been informed of his wish to have his marriage annulled and was speaking with the church elders in relation to the matter.

After much discussion between the church hierarchy, a request for a meeting between themselves, Prince Heero and Princess Relena was requested. Heero was more than happy to attend the meeting, the Princess less so.

Questions were asked and answered, Heero remaining his calm, stoic self throughout the ordeal. Relena sniffed, sneered and snapped her way through the entire meeting, causing eyebrows to rise on several of the priests' faces at times with her scathing comments.

By the time it was all over, not one of the church elders – the archbishop included – had any doubt in their mind that the request for the annulment be granted. The archbishop himself had a hard time reconciling the sour, selfish woman that had appeared before them now as the same woman that had stood in the cathedral of Colonia just one summer before and shyly took her vows of marriage.

They agreed unanimously that the marriage be annulled as soon as possible; not just for Prince Heero's sake, but also for the sake of the people of Colonia. During the discussions they had had their eyes well and truly opened to just how vindictive and nasty the princess could be. No one wished to have such a self centered woman on the throne as their queen.

The parchment was duly drawn up and signed by all concerned, releasing Heero from the bonds of marriage. Five sunrises after he'd approached the church with his request he was holding his copy of the parchment in his hand along with a copy for Relena.

"Master." Duo greeted when the prince stepped into the bed chamber. He laid the shirt he was folding upon the bed and dropped to his knees.

"Ah, Duo," Heero said, the excitement clear in his tone.

Unable to help himself, Duo raised his eyes and looked curiously at his master. The prince was smiling – widely. "Master, forgive me if I am speaking out of turn, but, are you alright?"

"I've never been better, Duo," Heero replied, the grin widening further. Seeing the curious and confused look on his slave's face, Heero leaned forth and pulled Duo to his feet, enveloping him in his strong arms and seeking out his lips.

When he was finally released for air, Duo could only blink at his master, the heat of the kiss having stolen all coherent thought from his mind.

"It's almost over, Duo," Heero said in a low voice. "The church has granted the annulment and I have the parchment here. I am no longer wedded to the Princess Relena. I'm a free man again."

"Then that is excellent news, master," Duo replied, the joy clear in his tone.

"Yes, yes it is," Heero replied. "I only have to drop this copy off to Relena and the one from the scribe relating to the laws of Colonia and my heir remaining here and she can be on her way."

"I don't mean to be disrespectful, master, but when do you think that will be?" Duo questioned cautiously. He knew he was probably speaking out of turn, but he was also well aware of the Prince's desire to be rid of the princess as soon as possible.

"I will have you check with the scribe now to see if the parchment is ready. If it is, bring it back to me straight away, if not, find out how long it will be before it is ready. Once I have that parchment I can advise the castle guard to put the arrangements into motion and for the carriage to be ready to take the princess back to Sanq the following sunrise."

"As you wish, master," Duo readily agreed. "I will go now."

"Thank you, Duo." Heero released his slave with one last kiss to attend to the errand.

With the kiss still tingling on his lips, Duo all but ran from the room to seek out the scribe, Heero's chuckling following him out the door.

# # #

"When can I see my mistress? Has she given birth yet? What is going on?" Dorothy demanded when Hilde entered the maid's temporary 'cell'.

"I'm sorry, I am not allowed to speak of anything to you," Hilde replied, her tone clipped.

"Why not?" Dorothy snapped. "I'm locked up here like some petty criminal and no one will tell me what is happening with my mistress!" Dorothy hadn't seen the princess since the visit that led to Relena going into labor. The maid didn't know the heir had been born or that the prince had requested the priests begin the marriage annulment already.

Her wounds had begun to heal well and she was no longer in pain from them. The scabs had formed and mostly fallen off. Now healthy, pink skin replaced the red wounds; although there would always remain scars.

"It is not for me to speak of the happenings within the castle. Prince Heero has forbidden any of the staff attending to you to speak of anything regarding the castle and its affairs. If you have a problem with that, I suggest you take it up with the prince himself." Hilde set the tray down on the small table, picked up the previous one and made for the door. She wasn't afraid of the maid, more angry for what she'd put poor Duo through and ultimately, her prince.

"I demand to know what is going on!" Dorothy yelled, but it fell on deaf ears, Hilde having slipped through the door and the guard that had accompanied her, locking it securely.

Frustrated, Dorothy was tempted to pick the tray up and toss it against the wall, but that would only result in her going hungry, having a mess to clean up and still no answers to her questions. She wisely chose to pummel the daylights out of the thin mattress instead.

"What was all that about?" the guard asked Hilde as he closed the door on the ranting from the woman inside.

"Just miss high and mightier than thou demanding she be able to speak with the princess, wanting to know what was happening within the castle and getting angry when I refused to tell her anything," Hilde replied, the scorn in her voice clearly evident.

The guard chuckled. "Serve her right. The sooner she is gone from here the better for everyone, I think," he stated.

"Amen to that," Hilde replied.

# # #

"Enter."

Duo opened the door and dropped to his knees, the scribe looking up from the table he was busily working at. "Yes?"

"My master, Prince Heero has requested I collect the parchment you were copying for him."

"Ah. I am almost done with it. It will only take a few moments for the ink to finish drying and then you may take it back to the prince," the scribe replied.

"Thank you. I will wait then," Duo said.

"Take yourself over by the fire whilst you wait, it is much warmer there," the scribe instructed.

"Thank you." Duo got to his feet and moved across to kneel by the fire. With summer coming to an end, the afternoons were starting to get much cooler, much quicker. The castle, being made of stone, tended to be quite cold at times and Duo was more than happy to wait by the warmth. The heat of the fire accompanied by the scratching of the scribe's quill soon had Duo feeling quite drowsy and more than once he jolted awake after nearly toppling over.

A soft chuckle to the side had him turning his head.

"The ink is dry and the parchment ready for you to take to the prince," the scribe informed the slave with a smile. "Not before time too, if I do say. I think if you were to remain there for much longer you would possibly fall into the fire itself and then I'd have an irate prince after my hide."

Duo felt his face heat up, and not from the fire either. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to almost doze off," he said as he got to his feet to approach the desk.

"It's quite alright," the scribe chuckled again. "Here you are." The scribe handed over a small cylinder, the parchment rolled up inside it. "Take it straight to your master."

"Thank you." Duo took the offered cylinder and quickly left the room.

#

"Master, I have the parchment for you," Duo said, dropping to his knees beside Heero's desk and offering the cylinder.

"Thank you, Duo." Heero took the cylinder and extracted the parchment from inside, reading it over quickly. "Excellent," he muttered, rolled the parchment back up and put it back inside the protective cylinder. "I will go immediately to speak with my father and advise him that all the necessary paperwork is now complete. Once that is done I will need to visit the princess and hand over the documents to her. All that will remain then is to pack up the princess' belongings and anything else she wishes to take with her and she can be on her way at sunrise."

"Do you wish for me to accompany you, master?"

"No, I will speak with them by myself, Duo. If I have need of you I will send for you. For now you may go to the nursery and assist with the care of Prince Odin."

"As you wish, master," Duo replied, a bright smile on his face. He simply adored the new prince and loved nothing more than to help out with the babe any chance he got.

"I can see I have a rival for my slave's affections," Heero said wryly.

Duo blushed. "No, not at all master," he hastily replied.

Heero chuckled and ran his fingers through Duo's bangs. "I'm only teasing you, Duo. I am happy though that you are willing to assist with my son and he seems to be very comfortable with you."

"I would protect him with my life, master, the same as I would for you," Duo replied quietly and sincerely.

The soft words brought a warmth to Heero's chest and a lump to his throat. Slipping his arms around Duo's shoulders, he pulled the slave into his lap and kissed him deeply. "I am so very lucky to have found such a lovely, loyal, trustworthy and willing slave," he murmured.

"I am the lucky one, master. If you had not taken me in I would surely be dead now," Duo whispered.

The pair sat in comfortable silence for a moment, each thinking about what could have happened if Heero had not stumbled upon his slave that fateful day. Eventually Heero broke the silence. "I will be off now, Duo. I will come and find you in the nursery later. If I have need of you before then I will send for you." The prince released his slave and stood, gathering the parchments together.

Duo scrambled to fetch his master's cloak, holding it out and slipping it around the prince's shoulders before fastening it at the front clasp. "Good luck, master," he said with a smile.

"Thank you," Heero smirked back and with a turn, he left the chambers.

Duo checked the chambers were tidy before departing for the nursery and the new prince.

# # #

"My son," King Treize greeted.

"Father," Heero replied. "I wish to inform you that the priests have annulled the marriage. I have my copy of the parchment here. The scribe has also finished copying the Colonian law in regards to my son and heir remaining here in Colonia."

"I see," replied the King. "Has the princess been informed of the annulment?"

"Not as yet, Father. I intend to speak with her once I leave here and give her her copy of the ruling along with the one relating to the law and my son. Once I have done so we will no longer be wed and as such there is no reason for her to remain here in Colonia; she can return to Sanq as soon as transport can be arranged."

"Very well. Once you have made the arrangements for the princess' departure I expect you to let me know, and as she has upheld her side of the agreement, I will have that maid of hers released to accompany her back to Sanq."

"Father? A request if I may?"

"What is it, Heero?"

"May I ask that the maid not be released until the princess is aboard her carriage and departure is imminent?"

Treize raised an eyebrow. "Why would that be?"

"I do not trust that maid at all and I would feel a lot more comfortable if she were to be escorted straight from her room to the waiting carriage. It may appear I am being paranoid, but given her history I'd rather not give her any opportunity at all in which to cause anyone any further grief."

"I see your logic," the King agreed. "I will wait for you to inform me when the princess is ready to depart and I will send a guard to fetch the maid and escort her directly to the waiting carriage."

"Thank you, Father."

"How is the wet nurse coping and have you had any luck in finding a nanny yet for Prince Odin?"

"Miri is coping well and Odin is thriving under her care," Heero replied with a smile. "I haven't found a nanny as yet, but..."

"Yes?" the King prompted.

"Duo is doing an excellent job assisting Cathy and Miri in the care of Odin. I realize that Cathy will need to return to her other duties as soon as the princess leaves and I was thinking of asking Duo to take a more active role in Odin's care."

"Do you think that's wise? He is your personal slave after all and if he's looking after the child too that won't leave a lot of time for him to take care of you. It wouldn't be fair to expect him to continue to look after you and the child without running himself into the ground," Treize stated.

"I do understand that, Father and I was going to ask Miri if she would be interested in taking on the role of Nanny to Odin with Duo's assistance as she's excellent with her care of him. You should see Duo with Odin, father. He has a natural way with children and Odin appears to be very happy in Duo's care. I think he would be honored to have a role in Odin's care."

King Treize chuckled. "It would seem you have already made up your mind, my son. Speak with the nurse first and then make your arrangements. Either way I wish you luck."

"Thank you, father."

"I suggest you speak with your wife now and once you have everything arranged for her departure, let me know. I will speak with Wufei and have him select several guards to accompany the princess back to Sanq. Have you notified King Stephan or Prince Zechs of Relena's return?"

"Ah, not as yet. I was going to send a messenger ahead of the princess to inform them of her return."

"Then I suggest you do so pretty quickly, Heero."

"Yes, father. I will organize that as soon as I've finished speaking with Relena." Heero picked up the parchments and made for the door. "I will keep you informed."

"I would expect nothing less, Heero."

"Good eve, father."

"Good eve, my son."

# # #

"Your Highness," Cathy greeted and opened the door fully to the Prince.

"I wish to speak with the princess," Heero informed.

"The princess is by the fire, reading, Sire."

"Thank you." Heero swept past the maid and into the sitting area.

The princess looked up with a scowl on her face at having her reading interrupted. When she noted who her visitor was, she schooled her features into neutrality and set the sheaf of parchments to one side. "Heero," she greeted curtly.

"Relena," Heero acknowledged with a bow of his head. "I have spoken with the priests this morn and the marriage has been annulled," he stated flatly and reached into the pocket of his cloak to withdraw the parchments. "Here, this is your copy of the annulment and a copy of the laws of Colonia pertaining to Odin remaining here. As of now we are no longer wed and therefore there is no further reason for you to remain in Colonia. I have already taken the liberty of arranging for a carriage to be ready to return you to Sanq upon the following sunrise."

Relena's eyes narrowed as she reached for the parchments, removing them from their respective cylinders and reading over them.

"I would suggest that you begin to pack your belongings and anything you wish to take with you back to Sanq as soon as possible. I will have a couple of slaves assist with the task and once all is packed they will take it to the coach house to be loaded ready for transportation."

"So soon?!" Relena snapped. "I have quite a lot of things I wish to take with me and that will take some time to sort out and pack." Her eyes narrowed. "What of Dorothy? Your father gave his word that she would be spared to return with me. I will need her to help with the packing."

"My father will keep his word and your maid will return with you to Sanq, however..." Heero grit his teeth and prepared himself for the barrage he knew would be forthcoming with his next words. "However, your maid will not be released until you are in the carriage and ready to leave."

Relena's face darkened. "What did you just say?" she growled.

"Your maid will return to Sanq with you, but she will not join you until you are in the carriage and ready to leave," Heero repeated.

"How dare you! Dorothy has been locked up for long enough and will be released now! I will need her to assist me to pack my things, those so called maids have no idea how to treat my dresses. I demand that Dorothy be here to help me, it will take quite some time to sort through..."

Heero managed to tune out the princess' ranting, keeping his face passive and eyes fixed somewhere over her left shoulder. She would run out of steam – eventually – he hoped. By the time Relena was starting to wind down, Heero's right foot had started to fall asleep and he was developing a twitch in his right eye.

"You want me to be ready to leave by sunrise then you need to release Dorothy to help me. I refuse to have any of those other slaves or maids touching my things..."

"Relena! That is enough!" Heero shouted, his patience finally running out.

Relena's mouth snapped shut, more from the shock of hearing Heero shout at her than the actual words.

"My father has spoken, the maid will not be released until you are ready to leave. If you have any further argument on that I suggest you take it up with the King. In the meantime, I would recommend you start packing immediately if you have so many things you wish to take with you and do not want the help of the maids or slaves, it could take you some time to pack it all by yourself. The carriage will be ready at sunrise, anything that is not packed will be left behind." Heero turned his icy gaze up a notch. "Do you want the help or not?"

Fuming at the words and tone Heero had used to address her, Relena scowled when she realized he would not budge on this. "Fine!" she snapped. "I will need at least three maids and a couple of slaves. I do not intend to leave anything of mine behind! Send them to me immediately." She turned away from him, the anger bubbling below the surface.

"As you wish." Heero turned on his heel and left the princess to stew.

# # #

"Good morn, master," Duo greeted when Heero's eyes flickered open to greet the new day.

"Good morn, Duo," Heero replied, his voice still thick with sleep. He withdrew a hand from underneath the blankets and brushed a few tendrils of hair away from Duo's face. "You are very bright this morn," he said, studying the slave's smiling face.

"It is going to be a beautiful day, master," Duo replied, the smile growing wider.

As Heero's brain came more alert, the words his slave spoke and the double meaning of them began to sink in. Smart slave, he thought to himself. Putting his words in such a manner that he couldn't get into trouble for them. "That it is, Duo." The prince stretched and allowed himself the luxury of cuddling his slave close and stealing several kisses.

After several moments, Heero thought he'd best get up and start his day. "Duo, go to the kitchens and fetch my breakfast. Once we have eaten I will require you to run me a bath and set out my semi formal clothes. We have much to do today."

"As you wish, master." Duo slid from between the covers and reached for his clothes, slipping them on quickly and leaving the chambers to do his master's bidding.

# # #

The princess had spent a very restless night and as a consequence, she was even more angry and annoyed than normal. As promised, Heero had sent several slaves and a couple of maids to assist in her packing and it was just as well given the amount of items she intended to take home to Sanq with her.

Aside from what she'd arrived with, she had added quite liberally to her wardrobe since being in Colonia and the sheer volume of clothing she now possessed was almost double what the Queen herself had. Besides the clothing and other items she'd purchased, there were numerous gifts from the people of Colonia too. Added to that were several wedding presents bestowed upon them and being the selfish person she was, Relena had no intention of leaving anything behind.

The slaves and maids had worked well into the night to pack everything up and only when the rays of dawn were starting to break across the horizon, did they finish. The princess had supervised the packing until late into the night, barking her orders, snarling and snapping at the slaves and maids alike, continuously finding fault with them and generally being as obnoxious as she could.

When she finally decided she was exhausted and needed to sleep, she left the slaves and maids with strict instructions and took herself off to bed.

It was a huge relief to the slaves and maids when she finally left them alone and they managed to get everything packed up a lot quicker without the interference and constant nit picking of the princess.

As the sun began to rise, the last item was packed and the group quickly left the chambers before the princess woke up. None of them wanted to be present when Relena got up – they were sure she would find fault with something so they made their escape while they could.

# # #

Dorothy was quite surprised when the door to her temporary cell opened not long after she'd had her breakfast tray delivered. Her surprise was soon replaced with a touch of fear when she recognized the person standing there.

"Get your things together now," Captain Chang ordered.

"Why? Where am I going?" Dorothy questioned as she stood.

"It is not your place to question an order," Wufei snapped. "Do as you are told or face the consequences."

Feeling the anger and humiliation rising, Dorothy did her best to squash it for the moment. Slowly she moved across the room to gather together her few belongings.

"I'd move a bit faster, my patience is very thin this morn," Wufei warned.

Dorothy began to pack up a bit quicker, her thoughts running faster through her mind than her hands with her packing. Not having much to pack up, she was soon finished.

"Come with me," Wufei commanded and turned on his heel.

With her things in a neat bundle, Dorothy filled her arms and followed the Captain. "Where are we going?" she tried again trying not to flinch when the Captain's dark eyes fixed her with a glare and two guards fell in to flank her.

"I am returning you to your mistress," was all that Wufei would say before marching off through the castle hallway.

The fear quickly turned to elation. She was going back to her mistress! A smile bloomed on her face. The smile soon faltered though when she realized the path they were taking wasn't leading to the princess' chambers.

"I thought you said I was returning to my mistress?" Dorothy snarled.

"You are," Wufei returned with a smirk.

"But, this isn't the way to my mistress' chambers."

"Correct."

"Then-"

"Your mistress no longer has chambers here at the castle," Wufei said, cutting the maid off.

"What?!"

Wufei declined to answer, instead he stepped up the pace, the guards hauling Dorothy along with them.

A small door opened, Wufei marching through and into the small courtyard at the rear of the castle. The guards pulled Dorothy out with them. For a moment the maid stood and blinked, her eyes taking a moment to adjust to the sunlight. When they did, she gazed around, her heart sinking.

A carriage and two wagons waited in the small courtyard. The wagons were piled high with boxes and crates. A familiar figure sat waiting in the carriage.

"Mistress," Dorothy whispered.

tbc...