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

Archive: gundam-wing-diaries

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


Again, sorry to make you all wait. Combination of RL, my Mum in hospital (she's okay now), and this ongoing pandemic... 'Nuff said.
Hope it was worth the wait. Enjoy!


"Bound, Bonded and Betrayed"

January. 2008 ShenLong

Chapter 84

The queen's words left Duo stunned for a moment, his brain scrambling to comprehend what the queen was saying. The prince wasn't much better, his mouth opened in shock, words completely deserting him.

"Forgive me if I appear insolent, Your Highness, but I fail to see how I can possibly be the cure. I have no understanding of healing at all and if the Mistress healer has failed with her great knowledge, then how could I, a mere..." Duo paused for a moment, searching for the words he needed. "I am but a former slave and I cannot see how I can possibly help."

Casting a quick, sideways glance at her son and noting the look on his face, the queen spoke quickly. "Ah, but you are wrong there, young Duo. The ailment my son suffers from is not so much of the physical sense."

Duo raised an eyebrow, clearly still confused.

"His is more an affliction of the heart and mind." Stubbornness too, she thought.

"Mother, there is nothing wrong with either my mind or my heart," Heero snapped, "and I take great offense that you should even think that, let alone state it out aloud!"

"Heero, shut up," the queen snapped back. "Ever since you released Duo from his slavery you have done nothing but shut yourself up in either your chambers or your study. You refuse to join your family for meals, citing some excuse, you hardly eat anything that is brought to you... Don't look at me like that, I have spoken with both the cook and Quatre so I know how much food is left on your tray. You barely see your son any more, you snap peoples' heads off if they so much as look at you the wrong way, you're not sleeping properly and have started to drink a bit more than is good for you. How can you possibly rule a Kingdom and look after the best interests of the people if you won't even look after yourself properly?"

Both Heero and Duo looked shell shocked at the queen's revelations. Heero because he'd not given any thought to how he was functioning of late or how it would be noticed by others, and Duo as this was a whole lot more than what Quatre had revealed to him.

Turning her attention back to Duo, the queen continued. "As you can tell, I am more than a little concerned for my son's health. When my son released you from your slavery it should have been a joyous occasion. I believe it was the complete opposite, and whilst I know my son is not the most articulate of people for explaining things, I do have reason to think this situation was not entirely all his fault."

Duo hung his head at those words. He knew he, himself was just as much to blame for having doubted his master's words and letting his mouth run away with him. The words he'd spoken that day and instantly regretted had come back to haunt him on a very regular basis. "It is not the Prince's fault, Your Highness. It is all mine," Duo said softly.

"No, Duo, it is not all your fault either. You are both to blame for this and whilst I can clearly see both sides of this mess, the fact remains that it needs to be cleared up before this Kingdom loses not only a future king, but a very valuable young Lord too. Yes, Duo, it has also come to my attention that you are not as fit and healthy as you were either and it all stems back to the day you were granted your freedom." The queen paused for a moment and partook of a drink to ease her throat.

"As I understand, from not just my own observations but from lengthy conversations with my second born and his slave too, words were exchanged between you two, words that were spoken in the heat of the moment and regretted immediately after. There has been a complete misunderstanding here and only you two can clear this up." The queen looked between the pair, neither Prince nor Lord willing to speak right then.

"I have said my piece and I will now take my leave of you both."

With those words, Heero's head snapped around. "Mother?"

"Yes, Heero, I said I would take my leave of you both; and I meant both of you. You and Lord Duo have a lot to talk about and it will take some time for you two to sort this mess out."

"But..."

The queen raised her hand as she stood. "I do not want to hear it, Heero. You will remain here for however long it takes to sort this misunderstanding out. Short of locking the pair of you in a room together, this is the best way I can think of to get you two to talk this out. You are both adults, so start acting like it. Heero you will not return to the castle until this mess is resolved, and do not try to sneak back or come back saying things are sorted out when they are not; trust me, I will know. Do I make myself clear?" The look the queen gave the pair told them both she was deadly serious.

"Yes, mother," Heero growled.

"Lord Duo?"

Still feeling shocked by the queen's words, Duo nodded, his voice deserting him temporarily.

"Good. Thank you for your hospitality, Lord Duo." The queen gathered her skirts and began to leave, Heero and Duo both jumping to their feet to escort her out.

The footman opened the carriage door and set the small step as the Queen approached. Pausing, Queen Une turned and placed a kiss to Heero's cheek. "Sort this mess out and come back to us, my son."

"Yes, mother," Heero sighed, understanding the double meaning to the words.

"Lord Duo."

Duo stepped forward and bowed "It has been both a pleasure and an honor to have you visit my humble home, Your Highness."

"Thank you for your kind hospitality. I trust you will both be able to work this matter out?"

"I will do my best Your Highness."

Taking her son's offered hand, Queen Une stepped up and into the carriage, settling herself into her seat for the trip back to the castle. "I hope that when we next meet it will be in much better circumstances, Lord Duo. Heero, I will send a guard with a horse later so that once this is all sorted out, you can return to the castle."

"Yes, mother."

"Farewell for now."

Closing the carriage door, the footman jumped up beside the driver and the carriage began to move. The Queen gave a small wave before reclining back into her seat for the journey back to the castle. Shaking her head she could only hope she hadn't gone too far with her words and that the two of them would be able to converse civilly, not kill each other and sort this mess out.

###

The two men stood and watched the carriage disappear down the dusty track, each lost in their own thoughts.

Duo's mind was racing with the information the Queen had enlightened him with and if he was being completely honest with himself, he hadn't realized just how much his words had cut the Prince. Oh he'd known he'd hurt his master, but had never thought his words would have had this depth of effect on the man. Duo was no fool, he knew his issues and lack of trust stemmed from much of his time as a slave and whilst he'd done his best to believe his master and trust again, the fear was still just too ingrained for him to overcome. Now it would appear he had been given a chance to explain himself and sort this whole mess out.

That's if his master would hear him out.

Despite being granted his freedom, Duo still thought of his prince as his master, and probably always would.

Heero's mind was also whirling with thoughts. He'd no idea that he'd been spiraling so out of control. Yes, he had been deeply hurt by Duo's words and had retreated into his work as a way of dealing with the pain, but he hadn't thought he was falling so deep into darkness. Having his mother point out all she had observed made him take a step back and really take a look at his life as it currently was.

He didn't like what he saw.

When he really thought about it, he could see just how badly he'd been treating those whom he loved, that burying himself in his work had done nothing to ease the pain and guilt; if anything it only made it worse.

His mother was right, they needed to talk and needed to listen. As much as it would probably hurt him further, he needed to give Duo the opportunity to explain his words, his reasons for saying them and once that was done, maybe he could let his former slave know just how much those words, the lack of trust had cut him.

He glanced out the corner of his eye towards Duo, noting the other man locked deep in his own thoughts. He gave a soft sigh. For the first time in his life, Heero was unsure of himself, unsure of how to proceed, unsure if they could resolve this and let life get back to normal.

But life would never be normal again for him, his mind responded. Not without Duo in it.

But he had been given a chance to try and make things right between them and even though he would never demand that Duo return to the castle as his slave with him, maybe he could still have Duo in his life as a friend – that's if the slave could forgive him.

Turning his head to look at his master, Duo frowned. Those blue eyes he loved so much were a virtual storm of emotion. If they were to sort this mess out he needed to be completely open and honest with his former master, leave nothing out and maybe, just maybe the prince could forgive him and they could remain friends.

Knowing it would take some time for them to talk this out, Duo thought about the grain they were currently threshing and the work still to be done on the holding before the sun went down. As much as he didn't want to leave the two farm hands to deal with it all, he knew he had no choice.

Clearing his throat when it became apparent that the prince wasn't about to initiate any form of conversation, Duo spoke. "My prince, I will need to speak with Marcus and Anric to make sure that they are okay to continue with the threshing and seeing to the animals. I have a feeling this will take a while to sort out."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know my mother was bringing me here and now I have caused disruption to your day's work," Heero replied.

"My prince, it is not an issue at all. I will speak with them now," Duo said softly and turned on his heel to walk back to the grain shed.

With a sigh, Heero trailed along behind.

#

Without going into too much detail, Duo explained to the two farm hands that he would be indisposed for a while and left them to continue with the threshing. Knowing that the work would continue to be done, Duo headed back to the cottage and the talk that he and his former master needed to have.

Returning once more to the small sitting room, Duo topped up the refreshments and sat awkwardly in one of the chairs. He still couldn't get used to being seated with his former master present – all his in-ground training told him he should be kneeling at his master's side.

The silence was thick in the air, both men knowing the conversation needed to be had, but neither one quite sure exactly how to get things moving. Finally, Duo cracked and setting his goblet down on the small table, he cleared his throat and fixed his gaze on the floor. It would be much easier for him to talk if he wasn't looking directly at the prince.

"I am so sorry for the words I spoke, I had no right to say the things I did and you have every right to be angry at me. I am not making any excuses for my behavior, but maybe, after I explain why I reacted the way I did, why I spoke without thinking, you may be able to understand a little and possibly see it in your heart to grant me a little forgiveness."

Still deeply hurt by the words that Duo had spoken that fateful day, Heero was curious to know why, after all he had done for Duo during their time together, the slave should not have had any reason to doubt his word. "I am listening," he said quietly and sank deeper into the chair, trying to keep his posture open and non threatening.

"For as long as I can remember I have been a slave. I do not remember my mother or my father, I have no recollection of where or when I was born or the circumstances surrounding my birth. My earliest memories are being in a large house where I ran errands for the cook. From there I had many different masters. Whilst I was still young I was mainly a house slave, helping with the many chores and in one case, helping the mistress with her children. Those early days were not so bad, I was treated fairly and provided with food and warm clothing. As I grew older though, things began to change."

Duo reached for his goblet and took a long drink.

"How do you mean, change?" Heero asked quietly.

"The work became harder, more physical and I found myself struggling to complete tasks. I was sold several times to different masters due to my so called laziness..."

"But that would not have been your fault," Heero interrupted. "Any master should know that a mere boy cannot be expected to carry out the same tasks as a fully grown man."

"As true as those words may be, not everyone thinks the same way," Duo replied, lost in his thoughts for a moment. "There are many different types of master out there, whilst a large portion of them are fair, there are also many that are not. They have paid for a slave to work and work hard and that's what they expect. They do not care for excuses, the work has to be done and regardless of age or physical ability, every slave is expected to do their fair share. Those that do not find themselves on the wrong end of the whip."

Replacing the goblet back on the small table, Duo glanced at his master, noting the frown on that handsome face. "As I was sold from place to place, the work got harder and the masters became even more cruel in their punishments. Most days would incur a whipping or stroke of the birch, and after a while it became the norm for me. The beatings I could accept and suffer through as the pain only lasted for a few sunrises; it was the other punishments that really tore my soul."

Heero felt the pain in his chest growing with each word Duo spoke. He'd had a pretty good idea of the pain and suffering Duo had gone through – or so he'd thought. They had spoken a little of Duo's life prior to coming to the castle and Duo had opened up a bit to Quatre too. With Duo's current revelations of his earlier life, it would appear Heero really knew very little of what his slave had endured. "Other punishments?" he whispered, not sure if he really wanted to hear it but knowing he needed to in order to fully understand Duo's lack of trust in himself and reasons for speaking such harsh words.

Swallowing hard and taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Duo nodded. He really didn't want to have to relive some of the horrors he'd faced, but it was necessary if they were to clear the air between them. "Physical beatings were pretty much a common, everyday occurrence; it kept the slaves in line and made them work harder." Seeing the look of angry horror on Heero's face, Duo shrugged. "It's how it is."

"But it shouldn't be," Heero growled.

"No, it shouldn't, but that's the way things have been for a very long time and I'm afraid that most masters now see it as their right to beat their slaves regardless."

"Then things need to change," Heero said firmly.

"Yes, they do and I'm certain that when you rise to the throne, you will do everything you can to abolish this mistreatment," Duo soothed. "Beatings one can handle, the pain does go away, but the other punishments..." Duo lowered his head. "Most masters would feed us one meal a day some gave us two, but those masters were few and far between. The food, if you could call it that, was mainly a sort of broth, sometimes there were vegetables in it, but most often it was just a watery soup. Occasionally we would get lucky and have some bread as well. It was not uncommon for masters to refuse to feed a slave either and depending on the work, the slave and the master, you could often find yourself having just gotten your bowl of food and about to eat, only to have it taken away from you."

"That is disgusting!" Heero growled.

"There have been many times when I was given food, only to have it removed before I could even get so much as a bite of it."

"But that is inhumane," Heero protested.

"I know," Duo replied quietly. Lowering his eyes to the floor as his mind went back to the past, Duo continued in a quiet voice. "I have lost count of the number of times I was promised a decent meal, or a bath, easier chores, sometimes warmer clothing or maybe a dry place to sleep, At first I used to let my hopes rise with each promise, only to have them crushed when the promises failed to happen or were removed before I had a chance to savor even a tiny bit. I soon learned not to trust anything a master said." Duo fell silent, locked deep in his thoughts.

Heero also remained silent, his mind swirling with the information Duo had shared. No wonder he had trust issues! Heero had thought it would only take the matter of a few sunrises after rescuing the slave for Duo to see that Heero was not like other masters and would trust him. Knowing now exactly what Duo had endured and suffered through for most of his life he could clearly see how it would affect the slave's ability to trust. And when it came right down to it, Heero hadn't really given Duo any reason to trust him either. He'd promised Duo he would never be beaten whilst serving him and look what had happened there! Oh he knew it was Relena that had caused the flogging, but he should have been more perceptive, seen what was going on right under his nose and taken action before things had escalated as far as they had. It was more than abundantly clear that Duo hadn't trusted him at all and after hearing all of that, who could blame him? He'd been so blind to many things for so long.

"I'm sorry."

Duo looked up at the softly spoken words. "It's not your fault, my prince. Unfortunately it is just the way things are. It's a never ending circle though. Slaves are told they will be given something, be it better food, clean water or whatever in order to have them cooperate and work harder, but it never eventuates. At first you believe it, think that this master could be better than the last one, but it rarely happens. It doesn't take long for slaves to become resentful, to lose hope and along with that the physical strength as well as the mind begin to diminish. As the strength and ability to work fades so the slaves are sold on to even worse masters and the cycle continues until death ends it." Duo paused, his eyes distant as memories of years past played out in his head.

The prince also remained silent, he was finding his own mind whirling with all the information that Duo had shared.

Finally Duo sighed. "When you brought me here and asked me if this was a place I could be happy working and living at, I'm afraid I didn't stop and think before speaking. I truly believed that you had gotten tired of me..."

"Never!" Heero interrupted, "Why on earth would you ever think that?"

"I have spent quite a bit of my time in your servitude being injured and unable to fulfill my duties to you to the best of my abilities..."

"But, you were injured! I don't expect an injured slave to be able to work as hard as they usually do," protested Heero.

"Most masters do," Duo replied. "With my being unable to tend to you properly I am of no use and then bringing me here and asking if I could see myself working and living here, well, I'm ashamed to say I thought you had tired of me and just wanted to be rid of me and so had sold me. I realize now that I was totally wrong and although I can never take back those words I spoke in anger, I am deeply sorry for them, I didn't mean what I'd said and after explaining all this to you, I sincerely hope you can at least forgive me just a little and maybe, just maybe see it in your heart to possibly be friends." Having said his piece, Duo lowered his eyes to the floor as he reached for his goblet to whet his dry throat.

Heero let the words sink in for a moment, there was quite a lot to process and he didn't even know where to begin, but there was one thing he needed to address, and now. "Duo?"

The former slave raised his eyes and gripped the stem of the goblet tight. "Yes, mas...my prince?"

"Did you truly not mean all that you said?" Heero waited, his breath on hold.

Duo's brow creased in a frown. "Of course I didn't mean any of it," he replied. "You were always a kind and considerate master to me, the best a slave could ever have hoped for and I should never have doubted your word."

"I see, but there was something else you said..." During the course of their conversation the majority of what Duo had said in anger had come back to Heero and there was one part of it that he really needed to know if it was true or not.

Still frowning, Duo did his best to remember exactly what he'd said in the heat of the moment. And then it struck him and he began to flush. "I... I..." He swallowed, unable to form anything coherent as he wasn't sure what he should say.

"If I remember correctly, you said something along the lines of 'why did you let yourself fall in love with me'. Is this true or do you regret saying that too?" At first, Heero had been oblivious to the words, knowing they had been spoken, but his mind overlooking them as it focused on the anger instead. Now that he'd had the time to process all that had transpired those words came back to torment him and he needed to know if Duo had meant them or simply stated them in his anger.

"Ah." Duo was backed into a corner and he knew it. He'd never come out and lied to his master's face before and he wasn't about to start now. Slumping in his seat, he dropped his head and whispered, "I meant them."

tbc...