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
Archive:
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
Sorry for the length of time between chapters, still trying to find a job, attending interviews and doing courses to improve my qualifications, which doesn't leave a lot of writing time. Add to that a severe case of tennis elbow which saw all writing come to a painful, screeching halt and you have the current story of my life. I just hope it gets better as I don't think it could get much worse!
Thanks for your patience!
"Bound, Bonded and Betrayed"
Chapter 77
Duo was fast asleep when Heero returned to the Healer's chambers. The young assistant relinquished her chair to the prince and with a curtsy, she left the prince alone with his slave. Sally and Trowa arrived a few moments after Heero, Sally popping her head through to the chamber Duo was in and smiling when she noted the prince by the slave's bedside, gently holding Duo's hand.
Moving back into the main area of her chambers, Sally set about putting together the medicines and supplies that Duo would need during his recovery. Trowa followed alongside, taking the things Sally handed over and placing them in a neat stack on one of the tables.
"I think that is all," Sally muttered, looking over the pile of bottles, jars, containers, bandages and gauze.
"I will pack it all up and carry it through to Heero's chambers," Trowa offered.
"Thank you. I will just let the prince know we are going to take these supplies through and prepare the chambers for Duo," Sally said, handing Trowa a large, wooden box to put everything in.
Trowa nodded and began to pack the items into the box.
"Your Highness?" Sally said, stepping quietly into the small chamber.
Heero looked up. "He's looking much better than he did before," Heero stated, the relief evident in his tone.
"Yes, he is, but he still has a long way to go before he makes a full recovery. Prince Trowa has kindly offered to help me take through the medicines and things he will need during his recovery to your chambers. If you have no objection, we will go there now and set everything up for Duo."
"Of course. Feel free to do whatever you need to make the chambers suitable for his recovery. I will remain here, with him. I don't think he should be left alone."
Sally's mouth quirked up into a grin. She knew Duo wouldn't be waking up for some time yet, the sleeping aid she'd given him in order to align the broken bones in his leg would keep him out for several candle marks yet. "As you wish, Sire. We will return to move him once everything is ready."
"Thank you, Sally."
With a nod of her head, Sally left the prince alone with his slave and with Prince Trowa at her side, the pair went to Heero's chambers to make it ready for Duo's convalescence.
#
There wasn't a great deal to do in Heero's chambers to ready them for Duo's arrival, mainly setting up the medicines and things that would be needed to aid his recovery. Once they were finished, Sally gave the set up an approving nod and turned to the younger Prince.
"I will go and check on Miri and the baby Prince before returning to my chambers. Would you mind speaking with Captain Chang and arranging a couple of guards to assist with Duo's moving to Prince Heero's chambers please?"
"Of course. I will check on Quatre first though and meet you back at your chambers shortly," Trowa replied.
"How is Quatre? I can stop by and check him too if you wish?"
"I don't think that will be necessary, he's just exhausted himself with the rush to fetch you and the shock of the situation. He should be perfectly fine once he's rested."
"As you wish, but if you have any concerns at all, feel free to fetch me."
"Thank you."
Trowa left to check his own slave, leaving the healer free to attend to the nanny and child.
# # #
"You have both been very lucky," Sally said, putting the jar of ointment back into her basket. "There's nothing more than a few scrapes and bruises and the salve will help them to heal quickly. The young prince is in perfect health, not a mark on him thanks to you."
Miri settled her skirts back over her cleaned and dressed knees. "It is the slave who should be thanked," she said quietly. "If it were not for him then this outcome would be very different. Is he going to be alright?"
"Duo has a broken leg, bad bruising to his chest and arm and a cut to his head, but I expect him to make a full recovery in time."
"Thank the Lord for that," Miri sighed. "He is one very brave young man and I owe him not just my life, but that of the young Prince too."
"He most certainly is brave and has endured a lot in his short life," Sally murmured, her mind thinking back to the battered and abused slave that had arrived at the castle just shy of two summers ago. "He has come a long way since coming to Colonia."
"I do not know all of the details of his arrival here at the castle, and it is none of my business either, but from what little I have heard, he has suffered more in his life than any person should ever have to. He is such a kindly soul and deserves much better than what he's endured," Miri replied.
"That he does, but unfortunately, most of the time our station in life is already decided for us upon our birth."
"That it is. You are a wise woman, Mistress Healer."
"I don't know about that," Sally chuckled, "Just common sense and living in reality. Now, I'd best be getting back to Duo and arranging for him to be moved to Prince Heero's chambers for his recovery."
"Thank you again, Mistress Healer. Oh, would it be alright if I visited young Duo? I would like to thank him for his selfless act."
"That will be fine, although I'd leave it for a couple of sunrises. He's going to be a little, shall we say, 'out of it' for a while as he will be on some fairly strong pain medications."
Miri nodded. "I understand. I will ask Prince Heero when I see him next when would be a suitable time to visit."
"That's a good idea. Now, I'd better be off." Picking up her basket of now depleted supplies, Sally left the nanny and went back to her own chambers and the injured slave.
# # #
Word soon spread like wildfire throughout the Colonia Kingdom about Duo's selfless act in saving the nanny and baby Prince. Whilst a large number of the population of the kingdom had been attending the festival, only a small minority had witnessed Duo's heroics. As was customary, the tale was told and retold amongst the population and with each retelling so the story became a little more distorted.
Whilst the part about Duo pushing the nanny and child out of the way of the stampeding horse remained reasonably close to the truth, the injuries suffered by Duo, Miri and Prince Odin ranged from minor bruising, cuts and scrapes to Miri and the Prince being seriously injured and Duo having been killed.
Word of the tales being told made their way back to the castle and with Prince Heero being completely occupied with looking after his slave and being available to Miri and his son, it fell to the King to squash the rumors and set the people straight.
King Treize sat down with his advisers, Captain Chang and the royal scribe to work out a statement that would then be distributed by the royal guard to the population of the Kingdom. Once the King was happy with the statement, copies were made and guards sent out to the many towns, villages and the Capital to advise the subjects that the baby Prince and his nanny were perfectly fine and that the slave, whilst injured, had been treated and was expected to make a full recovery.
This did serve its purpose in calming the people and settling their minds, however, it also brought with it another 'little' problem.
The people of Colonia loved and respected their King and royal family and once they had the facts of the accident, many decided to take it upon themselves to let the Royal family know how much they were thinking of Miri, Prince Odin and Duo and wishing them all a quick and safe recovery.
Gifts began to trickle into the castle within three sunrises of the accident.
By the fifth sunrise, it had grown to a flood.
By the seventh, it was a tsunami.
Unfortunately, Prince Trowa found himself tasked to sort through the many offerings.
The many gifts varied from fresh produce to handmade items, simple bunches of flowers to garments and Trowa needed Quatre to help him get through it all. The majority of the fresh produce was passed on to the kitchens to use as there was far too much of it and it would spoil before the recipients could possibly get through it. The flowers were distributed throughout the castle, several bunches and arrangements making their way to Miri and Duo's chambers. The remainder of the offerings were distributed according to the item and its suitability to those they were intended for.
When Quatre began making several visits to Duo with the gifts, the young slave was overwhelmed. Prince Heero was similarly stunned.
Young Duo just could not get his head around the kindness and generosity of the people of Colonia. Many he had met through his duties as Prince Heero's slave, but they were a small minority compared to the population in total and the number of gifts and well wishes he received. Many times he was reduced to tears over the sheer amount of gifts, kind thoughts and get well wishes.
The Prince was also warmed and humbled by his people. It reinforced what he already knew of the population – that they cared deeply for their Royal family. His heart swelled with pride that they should have taken Duo, Miri and Prince Odin so close to their hearts.
It also had his mind tossing around a thought.
# # #
It had been four sunrises since the festival and Duo's accident and the young slave was starting to recover as well as could be expected. Despite his broken leg and the bruising to his chest that made some movement rather painful, Duo was trying to do his best to convince his master to let him up and resume at least some of his duties.
The prince would have none of it though.
Lying in the bed all day and night was starting to tell on the usually active slave and he couldn't help but fret over his inability to look after his master.
"Duo, get back in that bed immediately," Heero ordered. He'd decided to take a break from his work and check on his slave, just as well too considering that Duo was doing his best to try to get out of the bed.
"But, master..." Duo began to protest.
"No, you are injured and need time to recover and heal. I am perfectly capable of looking after myself for a while. My brother has kindly offered Quatre's services should I need them and I did manage before you came into my service," Heero stated as he strode towards the bed with the intent of tucking Duo back in.
"But, master, it isn't Quatre's place to look after you and you shouldn't have to look after yourself either. It is my duty to take care of you."
"And you do; but for now you need to heal first," Heero stated firmly, bodily putting Duo back into the bed.
"But if I don't perform my duties, I'm no good to you," Duo said. "And I don't want to be sold," he added in a whisper.
Heero caught the whisper and turned to look at his slave in the eyes. His heart ached when he saw the misery etched there and the tear that rolled down Duo's face. Gently he cupped the slave's cheek and wiped the tear away with his thumb. "You will not be sold," he breathed, adding a smile to his words whilst inside he felt as though a knife had been driven through his heart. After all this time, Duo still thought that Heero would sell him, despite all the turmoil they had been through. "Duo, you are indispensable to me and I have no intention of ever selling you so put that silly notion out of your head. Once you are better you can resume your duties, but for now what you need is to rest and recover. Besides, I don't fancy having the healer after me for allowing you to work when you are not ready for it."
Duo had to smile at that. The thought of the healer chastising the Prince and heir for allowing Duo to wait on him hand and foot was rather funny. "I understand, master, but I can't stand lying in here all day. There has to be something I can do that won't affect my healing."
"How about you come sit with me whilst I work? I would appreciate the company," Heero suggested. "Maybe you could write a thank you note to the people for the many gifts they have brought and I can have one of the guards put it up on the Royal notice board in the capital?" Seeing Duo's downcast face at that suggestion had Heero worried. "Duo? What's wrong?"
"I can't write, master."
"Ah." Heero could have smacked himself for his lack of thought. Of course Duo wouldn't be able to write, he was a slave, had always been a slave and slaves were not taught to read or write. "Okay, what about drawing a picture or something? Or think about what you would like to say and I can have the royal scribe write it for you?"
It still didn't sound much like work to Duo, but he happily agreed. Anything was better than lying in the bed all day with nothing but the four walls to look at.
Heero carried the slave through to the sitting area of his chambers and placed him in a chair by the fire.
"Master?" Duo questioned as he was placed in the chair. It was completely unheard of for a slave to have such liberties. Chairs were for the master, a slave's place was on the floor beside his master.
"Duo, you are healing and in no fit condition to be kneeling on the floor beside me. Protocol and training be damned. I am the Prince, heir to the throne and if I want my slave to sit in a chair then so be it and woe betide anyone who should question my decision." A blanket was tucked around Duo and his broken leg set resting on a foot stool. Heero fetched a few sheets of parchment and some pieces of charcoal, setting them on the small table next to Duo. "Comfortable?"
Duo nodded, not daring to question his master further but feeling rather proud of his master for his beliefs.
"Now, you sit there, feel free to draw something if you wish and keep an eye on the fire for me. If it starts to burn low, let me know and I will put some more wood on it," Heero said. "I have work to finish, but having your company here with me will make it that little bit more tolerable."
"Thank you, master." Duo sat for a moment, settling into the chair and getting more comfortable. Once he was sure his master was busy with his work, he picked up a piece of parchment and a small bit of the charcoal. His mind wandered for a little while, deciding what he'd like to try to draw to say thank you to the people for their generosity. Visualizing the picture in his head, Duo began to sketch.
#
The sun was starting to dip lower in the sky when Heero decided to call it a day on his work. He stretched, feeling his spine pop and muscles ache. Not having heard anything from his slave in a short while, Heero glanced across the room and smiled to himself when he noted that Duo had fallen asleep.
He got up and walked quietly across to his sleeping slave, intending to gently wake him, but when he stood beside the chair he paused for a moment. The parchment Duo had been drawing upon sat on his lap, the piece of charcoal having fallen to the floor from lax fingers.
Heero's eyes widened when he took in the picture. Knowing that Duo couldn't write, he'd expected a simple picture, something along the lines of stick figures or a scene drawn clumsily. He hadn't expected this! It was simply beautiful.
There on the parchment was a drawing of himself cradling the baby prince in his arms and Duo kneeling beside him.
Duo had captured each person in exquisite detail, Heero's unruly hair, the fall of his robes, the hint of a smile on his face as he looked at his son. The baby prince was smiling, that toothless grin and crinkled eyes all captured perfectly. Even the sketch of Duo himself, kneeling with his head slightly bowed was like looking into a mirror.
"Master?"
Heero jumped at the sound and looked to his slave. Duo was blinking open sleepy eyes. He smiled at his slave and held out the parchment. "Duo, this is..." Heero paused, looking for the words he wanted to express himself.
The pause had Duo fearing he'd done something wrong. "Master? I didn't mean to offend you with my picture. I can put it in the fire-"
"NO!"
Duo cringed back in his seat with the volume of Heero's voice. "I'm sorry, master."
"No, Duo. I'm not upset or offended," Heero began, choosing to ignore the slave's cowering. "I was trying to find the words to describe what I think of this picture. Duo, I had no idea you could draw so well. This picture is simply beautiful, you have captured Prince Odin perfectly; even myself. You have a very special talent."
The blush that appeared on Duo's cheeks with the praise had Heero smiling even more.
"Why didn't you tell me you could draw?"
I didn't know I could, I have never drawn anything before other than a little playing around with a stick in the sand."
Heero shook his head. "Well, you most certainly can draw, far better than anything I've ever seen before. Your attention to detail puts the painters that have been commissioned to paint the royal portraits to shame," Heero said as he studied the picture intently.
"I thought everyone could draw like that," Duo whispered.
That brought a chuckle from Heero's throat. "No, Duo, most people can't draw very well, even myself. But you... " Heero paused for a moment. "If you can draw this well with a simple piece of charcoal, imagine what you could do with a proper set of painting utensils. This is a talent that should be nurtured and I will see to it that you are given appropriate supplies to draw or paint whenever you have the free time and wish to do so."
The smile that lit up Duo's face melted Heero's heart. "Thank you, master."
# # #
After seven sunrises, Sally had the carpenter fashion a pair of crutches for Duo to use and finally allowed the young slave to get up and do something other than lie or sit around.
Duo was ecstatic to have some mobility and independence back.
Heero was ready to have a heart attack over worry for his slave.
"Master, I am fine," Duo insisted. "It may take me a little longer than usual, but I can complete my tasks."
Biting his lip, Heero knew Duo spoke the truth and as much as he didn't like it, he needed to let his slave carry out some of his duties. "I know and I apologize for my over protectiveness."
"Master?" Duo couldn't quite believe his master was apologizing! It just cemented the knowledge that his master was not like all the others he'd had over the course of his young life; another reason for him to serve his master as well as he was able too.
"I trust you to know your limits, Duo and not over tax yourself."
"I promise to be careful, take things slowly and easy and I will stop and rest if things become too much for me, master," Duo stated.
"Good. I will leave you to tidy up and finish the tasks you are able to do. I will be at my desk; I have a lot of work to try to get through." Heero left the bed chamber to continue his work.
Duo gave a shake of his head and once his master had left, he set about tidying up and doing his best to make the bed up.
It took a short while for Duo to get the hang of the crutches and work out what he could and couldn't do, but once he'd figured things out, there was no stopping him. He quickly adapted to using them and whilst some things took him a little longer to complete, he was soon back to caring properly for his master.
As Duo's confidence grew, the thought that Heero had currently running through his mind also began to grow until it reached the point where Heero knew he had to do something about it. He decided to talk to his father and brother and see what their thoughts and reactions would be and whilst he felt joyous in one way, he couldn't help but feel depressed in another.
# # #
"I'm pleased to say that your leg is healing very well. The bruising on your chest is all but gone and that cut to your head has healed up nicely." Sally finished placing fresh bandages around the splint affixed to Duo's broken leg. "How does that feel?"
Duo moved the freshly splinted leg, pleased with how it kept his leg straight without being too restrictive.
"Those bandages aren't too tight or too loose?"
"It feels fine. Thank you Mistress Healer."
"You are most welcome, Duo. Now, do you need any more of the pain medication?"
"I still have a little bit left and I've not needed to take it for the past couple of sunrises," Duo replied, doing his best to pull his pants leg over the splint.
"Okay. If you do need any more or if that splint moves or starts to chafe, you come and see me straight away."
"I will."
"Right, I will leave you now. I shall come by to check the leg and splint again in another seven sunrises." Sally picked up her basket and headed for the door. Duo grabbed his crutches, pushed them under his arms and followed.
"Is everything as it should be?" Prince Heero enquired as Sally stepped back out into the sitting area of Heero's chambers.
"Yes, Sire. Duo is healing well and I have reset the splint on his leg. I expect he will be able to have the splint removed in another fourteen to twenty sunrises. Once the splint comes off, he will still need to use the crutches for a while and keep the leg bandaged for support. It will take some time for the full strength to return to it and he will need to go slowly and gently when he starts taking the weight on it."
Heero nodded. "I will be sure to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't do more than he should."
"Thank you, Sire. If you or Duo have any concerns, send for me immediately."
"I will."
"If there is nothing more, Sire, I'd best be getting back to my chambers."
"Thank you, Sally."
With a curtsy, Sally left the prince.
Duo entered the sitting area just as Sally left.
"Feeling better?" Heero asked.
"Yes, master. The splint feels much more secure now that the healer has redone it."
"Good." Heero stood up and placed a hand against Duo's cheek. Leaning in close, he captured his slave's lips in a warm kiss. Pulling back after the kiss, Heero smiled at his slave. "Quatre will be here shortly. I have an audience with my father and brother and Quatre has kindly offered to come and assist you with the tasks that are a little difficult for you to do whilst injured."
"That is kind of him, master, but I can-"
"I know you can, Duo, but I will feel much better knowing Quatre is here to help you," Heero stated, cutting Duo off. "I am not questioning your work, you do an excellent job taking care of me, but if you were to slip or injure yourself you would be waiting some time before anyone would know and could help you."
The prince's words did make sense and Duo had to agree it would be far better to have Quatre with him so that if he should have an accident at least Quatre would be able to get him help immediately. "I understand, master."
"Good, now come help me change into something more suitable for meeting with my father."
tbc...
