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
Let the games... Err, retrial begin...
"Bound, Bonded and Betrayed"
Chapter 60
"Duo, you are here on retrial for the attempted rape of the Princess Relena. Do you admit to this crime or do you deny this crime?"
Prince Heero's voice rang out clear and loud as he answered for Duo. "We deny this crime."
There was a low murmuring of voices throughout the Throne room as Heero spoke on behalf of his slave. He glanced across from the corner of his eye to where the princess sat and noted the look of anger on her face. He was well aware that his wife still insisted Duo was guilty and wanted the slave dead, but she didn't know the evidence Heero had uncovered to refute her claim and the other, rather interesting information he'd gathered and pieced together as to why she would make such a vile claim.
Everyone soon fell quiet though as the head elder spoke again. "It is my understanding that this crime was put to trial very recently, but the trial was not conducted in a fair and reasonable manner. At the request of King Treize, my fellow elders and I are here to listen to both sides of the story, hear any evidence put forth by both sides to support their claims and make a decision based on the facts and evidence presented. Neither myself or my fellow elders have anything to gain from the outcome of this trial and will make a fair and just decision based purely on what is presented. Before we commence this retrial, are there any persons here that object to the manner in which this retrial will be conducted?"
No one said anything, everyone seemed to accept that this was the fairest way to conduct Duo's retrial.
"Then we will proceed. Princess Relena, although I have a copy of the statement you made to Captain Chang immediately after the alleged crime took place, I would like you to tell us in your own words, once again what happened on that afternoon of the alleged crime."
All eyes turned to the princess who didn't look very happy at all. Her complexion was pale, her lip quivered a touch and her eyes appeared watery. Dorothy rose a little from her place kneeling next to her mistress and placed a hand on her mistress' arm. Relena gave her a grateful look.
"Take your time, princess," the head elder said softly. "It is perfectly alright if you wish to have your maid beside you to comfort you through what I expect to be a very difficult time for you."
"Thank you," Relena replied and turned to look to Dorothy, exchanging a few words with the maid. Dorothy rose up from her kneeling position, crouched beside Relena and placed a comforting arm around the princess' shoulders.
Taking a deep breath, Relena began to speak. "The slave had been tidying up in our marital chambers. I asked Dorothy, my maid, to go to the barracks and request an officer come speak with me in regards to a trip I wished to make into town to purchase some items for the baby. Dorothy departed to carry out my request and as I was feeling tired I decided to go through to the bed chamber and rest whilst I waited for her to return." Relena paused for a moment appearing to gather her composure.
When she resumed speaking, there was a quaver to her voice. "The slave entered the bed chamber a few moments after I had retired. At first I didn't take much notice of his presence, I thought he'd come in to see if there was anything else I wanted or wished for him to do. It soon became clear that wasn't the case." Relena reached for the goblet of water sitting in front of her and took a few sips.
"When a slave usually enters a room that is occupied by someone other than another slave, it is protocol for the slave to kneel and bow their head. He didn't do that which I thought was very unusual. When I questioned him in regards to his lack of protocol and what he wanted, he didn't answer at first. Then he looked me in the eye and began to approach me on the bed with a sort of predatory look on his face." Relena's voice hitched a little and Dorothy rubbed her shoulders.
Heero turned his head and stared hard at his wife, but the princess wouldn't meet his eyes, instead, she lowered her eyes to her lap, took another, hitching breath and continued.
"When he got to the edge of the bed, he stopped and stared right at me. H- H- He said... He..." Relena let go a small sob.
"It's okay, mistress. Just take your time," Dorothy soothed.
Relena sniffled for a moment, dabbed at her eyes and then continued, her voice even more shaky. "He said he wanted me, that he could make me feel much better than my prince ever could. I was shocked at first and moved away from him, across the bed. I told him to get out, to leave me alone, but he... He wouldn't listen. He started to climb onto the bed after me. Oh god, I was so scared!" Relena's voice raised a little and she began to shake.
"I'm sorry to put you through this again, Your Highness. We can take a break if you wish?" the head elder said softly.
"No, no, it's okay. I'll be alright in a moment. It's just very upsetting to have to remember it all again," Relena replied, making sure to look at the elders directly and put a look of suffering on her face.
Heero wasn't buying it for a second. At his side, Duo was keeping his head down and ears open. He could feel his own anger rising at the lies the princess was telling, but he knew he had to trust in his master who said he'd gotten enough evidence to prove the princess was lying.
"As you wish, Princess Relena. You may continue when you are ready." The head elder looked to his counterparts, each having a look of concentration and compassion on their respective faces.
Having dabbed at her eyes again and accepted some comforting from Dorothy, Relena began to speak once more, the tremble still in her tone. "As I said, he climbed onto the bed after me and started to grab for my clothes. In his haste he started to tear my dress, I pushed at him but with the size of the baby I was no match for his strength. He forced me to lie down and ripped at his own pants..." Relena's voice hitched again, "Then he... He tried to force himself onto me. That's when I started screaming. I hit out at him, tried to push him away, but he was too strong. He tried to cover my mouth to stop my screaming and I did my best to bite him. It was horrible! I was terrified he was going to hurt me or the baby, or both." Relena's voice had steadily risen until she was almost hysterical and shaking.
"Mistress, calm down," Dorothy soothed and wrapped the princess in her arms, offering comfort. Relena latched onto her maid, a few sobs escaping her form. "I think you should take a break," Dorothy suggested.
"No, I need to finish this," Relena sniffled.
"Princess, we can take a break if you need one," the elder offered kindly.
"I appreciate your kindness and understanding, but I'd rather get this over with," Relena replied. "There isn't much more to tell anyway."
"Very well, you may continue when you're ready."
Wiping at her eyes and blowing her nose, Relena took a brief moment to try and steady herself and then continued. "I heard voices and screamed louder. He must have heard them too as the next thing I knew, he jumped off me and cowered in the corner of the bed chamber. At that point the Captain and my maid came running into the room. Once they realized what was going on, the Captain took him away and said he would be back to find out exactly what had happened." Relena's face was covered in tears, her voice cracking and hoarse by this stage and the elders all looked a little uncomfortable at the distress shown by the princess.
"Thank you, Princess Relena. I understand how hard that must have been for you. We will take a short break so you may recover your composure."
"Thank you," Relena whispered out.
"We will continue in one candle mark."
#
"Are you feeling any better, Your Highness?" The elder asked once everyone was back in the Throne room.
"A little, thank you."
"Then we will proceed. We have heard the statement from the Princess in regards to what occurred. Now we will hear from the slave, Duo, his statement in relation to the event," the head elder declared and turned his attention in Duo's direction.
Kneeling on the floor beside his master, Duo couldn't stop the trembling. He wasn't looking forward to this at all.
"Duo?"
Duo raised his head slightly at the sound of his master's voice calling him. "Master?"
"You may rise to your feet and tell the elders what happened," Heero said gently. A small smile appeared on his face. "Just tell the truth, Duo, you have nothing to fear if you tell the truth."
Rising slowly to his feet, Duo contemplated the words. He always told the truth, he never lied, and look where that had gotten him last time. But this time your master is here with you and has evidence to prove you are telling the truth, his conscience told him. Knowing he had no choice and that the end result couldn't be any worse than that of the first trial, Duo sighed softly, kept his eyes lowered and began his version of what had occurred.
"I had finished cleaning up the bathing chamber as the princess had requested and returned to the chambers to await further orders. The mistress had partaken of lunch and sent her maid to fetch someone from the guard to talk to her about going into town. I asked the mistress if she wished for me to return the dishes to the kitchens, but she declined." Duo paused for a moment to calm the rising fear.
"Go on, Duo," Heero encouraged.
"She said she'd heard that I gave my master a good back and shoulder massage. I have given my master a massage in the past, but I don't know if it was good or not," Duo said softly. "She said her shoulders and back were aching from carrying the baby and ordered me to follow her through to the bed chamber and give her a massage. I didn't want to give her a massage, I know the rules, the protocol and it isn't done for a male slave to touch female royalty, especially without an escort. When I tried to protest, the mistress said she would have me flogged for disobedience. I didn't want to go with her, I didn't want to touch her without an escort there, but I didn't want a flogging either. I didn't see that I had much choice and so I reluctantly followed her into the bed chamber." Once more Duo paused, this time to wipe away a couple of tears that had managed to trip over his eyelids.
Seeing the distress beginning to mount in his slave, Heero reached out and gently grasped Duo's wrist, giving it a warm squeeze of encouragement. From his place on the floor next to his own master, Quatre did his best to give Duo a sympathetic smile.
"What happened then?" the head elder asked.
"The mistress moved upon the bed and ordered me to massage her shoulders. I crossed the room to the bed and began to do as she had ordered. I hadn't been massaging for long when all of a sudden the mistress began to scream and tear at her dress. I stopped massaging immediately, I didn't know what was happening. S- S- She made a grab for my pants and tore at them. I was so scared and confused, I began to back away from the bed and the mistress, and as I did the mistress began to scream louder. I didn't know what to do so I ran for the corner of the room and managed to wedge myself there. That's when the Captain and the maid came running into the room."
Duo took a deep, shaking breath and let it out slowly. When he next spoke, his voice was almost a whisper. "All I heard then was the mistress screaming that I'd... I'd... I'd tried to rape her." Duo raised his hands to his still bowed head, covering his face as his shoulders shook.
"Shhh... It's okay, Duo." Heero's voice broke through the horrible scenes playing through Duo's mind and he gratefully latched onto it. Strong, gentle arms pulled him close into a warm embrace. A hand stroked over his hair, soothing him. "Come, kneel by my side," Heero ordered, Duo obeying as his natural instincts to serve along with his training kicked in.
He knelt at the side of his master, the prince resuming his seat and resting a comforting hand upon his head, fingers gently stroking through his hair. To the side Duo could see Quatre looking at him, sorrow in every line of his face and tears running down his own cheeks. Once again he was reminded just how much his master and fellow slave cared for him. A hand squeezing his shoulder had him peering through his bangs to see who had offered the comfort and felt warmed when Prince Trowa gazed at him with a reassuring smile.
"Thank you, Duo," the head elder said. "We have listened to both sides of this alleged crime, that of the victim and also the accused. We will take a short break and when we resume we will hear testimonies from any witnesses and offer both parties the opportunity to put forth any evidence they may have to prove guilt or innocence." The head elder looked to the rest of his fellow elders and then the King and Queen for their approval, receiving nods in the affirmative.
Everyone stood as the King and Queen departed first, the elders next and then the remainder of the people within the Throne room made their way out. Prince Heero waited until the princess and her maid had left before standing and turning to his brother.
"I am assuming that when we return the Captain and the princess' maid will give their testimonies to what they witnessed," Prince Trowa remarked.
"I believe that would be correct," Heero replied. "They are the only supposed witnesses, although neither one of them actually saw anything transpire. When they both arrived, Duo was in the corner and Relena was screaming her head off on the bed – or at least that's what I've inferred from their statements."
Trowa couldn't help the smile. "Screaming her head off?" he questioned with a raise of his eyebrow.
"You know what I mean," Heero huffed. "Anyway, once they have had their say it will be up to Relena to offer up any further evidence she may have to prove that she is the victim here. Once that's over with I will have my chance to prove Duo is completely innocent of any wrongdoing and that all this was a set up to get rid of Duo due to Relena's jealousy." Heero's blue eyes gleamed.
"Things might get ugly," Trowa stated.
"She should have thought about that before trying to get rid of Duo." Heero turned on his heel, indicating the conversation was over with. "Duo, come with me. I feel the need for a strong drink before stepping into the lion's den."
"Yes, master."
# # #
"As we arrived at the door to the marital chambers, the maid was about to open the door when a loud scream was heard by us both," Captain Chang stated. "We both looked at each other before I grabbed the door handle and pushed it open, entering the sitting area. I looked around but couldn't see anyone. Then there came shouting. I think it was something like 'get away from me, you animal' and another scream. It came from the direction of the bed chamber and so I rushed inside. When I entered, I saw the princess huddled on the bed, up against the headboard and clutching her torn dress to herself. Duo was huddled in the corner of the room, his pants were torn and he was visibly shaking. That was when the princess pointed at him and said he'd tried to rape her."
"Thank you, Captain Chang," the head elder said.
Chang nodded and resumed his seat.
The head elder glanced to his sheaf of parchment and raised his head. "Would the maid, Dorothy, please stand and tell us what she saw."
Dorothy raised herself from her knees beside her mistress and made sure to keep her head bowed as she spoke clearly to the elders. "I was returning to the chambers with the Captain of the guard as my mistress had requested. As I went to open the door I heard a scream. I looked to the Captain and he pushed his way inside. I followed behind but couldn't see anyone in the immediate area. Then I heard my mistress shouting and scream again. I don't recall what it was she said, I was too concerned for her well being and ran behind the Captain into the bed chamber." Dorothy paused for a moment, adding a slight hitch to her voice when she continued on. "It was awful, my mistress was all scrunched up on the bed, her clothing torn and in great distress. That... that foul slave was in the corner, his pants torn and it was clear to everyone exactly what it was he'd been trying to do to my mistress. He should be-"
"Thank you, Dorothy. That will be all," the head elder said, cutting the maid off.
Dorothy didn't look at all happy with being interrupted, but she closed her mouth and dropped again to her knees, making sure to send poisonous glares in Duo's direction.
"Were there any further witnesses to the alleged attack?" the head elder asked.
"No, sir," Captain Chang replied.
"Very well. We have heard the statements from the alleged victim, accused and the two witnesses. Princess Relena?"
The princess looked up, making sure to put on her soulful eyes and add a tremble to her lip. "Yes?" she questioned quietly.
"Do you have anyone else or any further evidence to present to back up your accusation of rape against the slave known as Duo?"
"I would have thought the statements that have been given by the Captain and my maid would be enough to have that slave put to the sword for what he tried to do to me," Relena stated, barely keeping the growl from her tone.
"Yes, we have heard the various statements, but now is the time to present any further evidence to back up your claim," the elder replied, his tone sharp. He and his fellow elders were here to listen to evidence, statements and then make an informed decision; and they took that responsibility seriously. A man's life was at stake here and the elders would not pander to a princess. They didn't care if people involved were royalty, commoners or slaves, when accused of a crime, in their eyes everyone was on the same footing and had the same rights and opportunities to present evidence to back up or refute the claim.
Relena scowled and bit her lip. It seemed her charms were not quite working as well as she'd thought they would. "No, I have no further evidence," she said, tone clipped.
"Very well. Prince Heero. Does your slave have any evidence to present in his defense of this claim?"
Glancing from under his bangs, Duo caught the evil smirk that crossed his master's face before the prince wiped it off and stood. "Yes, sir. I have evidence to refute the claims and prove Duo's innocence in this matter."
"Thank you. You may begin your presentation of evidence." The head elder took a seat, picked up a quill and waited for Heero to begin his defense of Duo.
"Captain Chang, would you stand please?"
Wufei stood and fixed his gaze firmly on the Prince.
Pulling forth a couple of sheets of parchment, Heero scanned his notes and then began to speak. "Captain Chang, when you were returning to the marital chambers with the maid, you mentioned that the maid was talking loudly and continued to talk, increasing the volume of her voice the nearer you got to the marital chambers. Is that correct?"
"Yes, sire. I found it to be quite annoying and couldn't understand why she needed to speak so loudly. She was right beside me, not out in the courtyard and I could hear perfectly well."
"Would you say that by the time you reached the marital chambers that given how loud her voice was anyone inside the chambers would have been able to hear her?"
"I would have to say that anyone in any of the chambers along the hallway would have heard her."
Across the room, Relena turned to look down at Dorothy, the maid keeping her face lowered, but there was a very nasty scowl in place.
"You said you heard a scream and entered the chambers. There was no one present in the sitting area but you heard some yelling and another scream which led you to the bed chamber, correct?"
"Yes, sire."
"Please repeat for me what you saw when you entered the bed chamber," Heero requested.
"As I said before, when I entered, I saw the princess huddled on the bed, up against the headboard and clutching her torn dress to herself. Duo was huddled in the corner of the room, his pants were torn and he was visibly shaking."
"So you did not see Duo attempting to force himself on the princess?"
"No, sire. Duo was cowering in the corner."
Relena felt her temper beginning to rise and she clenched her fists.
"Did you see Duo attempting to touch the princess in any way?"
"No, sire."
"Captain Chang, could you please tell me what Duo looked like when you saw him in the corner?"
"His pants were torn, he was shaking and when I approached he put his hands over his head and appeared to try and shrink into the corner, as if to protect himself from a beating. When I spoke to him and managed to get him to look at me, he was terrified. I have never seen that look on anyone's face before and I have to admit, it upset me to see him so frightened."
"What happened then?"
"The maid went to comfort the princess and I removed Duo from the chambers, taking him to the dungeon to wait for me to return later to find out his side of what had happened."
"Captain, you returned to the chambers to speak with the princess and take her statement, correct?"
"I did, sire."
"But something didn't seem right, or so you said when I spoke with you upon my return. Would you please explain what it was that set off your suspicions?"
The Captain stood tall, looked the prince in the eye and spoke clearly. "When I explained to the princess that I needed to take a statement of what had happened, the princess was very annoyed. She seemed to be more upset by the fact that Duo was entitled to a trial and not immediately condemned. She accused me of doubting her word, of believing a slave's word over hers." Wufei continued to explain the exchange that had taken place whilst doing his best to take the princess' statement. "Sire, it is my understanding that people react in different ways to crimes committed against them, but the princess seemed more angry about Duo not being immediately charged than with what allegedly happened."
"After you had spoken with the princess and taken her statement, what did you do then?"
"I sent for the healer to attend the princess and make sure that she was alright. I also asked her to attend to Duo when she'd finished with the princess. Then I went to the dungeons to take Duo's statement." Wufei briefly explained how he'd taken Duo's statement and that he couldn't dispel the feeling that Duo appeared to be more of the victim than the perpetrator.
"Once you had all the statements, you took the accusation to the King?"
"Yes, sire. I explained to the King what the alleged crime was, gave him a brief run down on what had happened and under the circumstances, he followed the law which states that both parties were to present before the King for a brief hearing to decide whether or not the charges should go to trial."
"The King called for a hearing?"
"Yes, sire, he did. The hearing was held in this very room and the King declared it should go to trial and that the trial would be held three sunrises later."
"But that didn't happen, did it?" Heero pressed.
"No, sire, it didn't."
"Could you please tell the elders why the trial wasn't held three sunrises later?"
"The princess requested that the trial be held immediately. She stated that given her condition it was bad enough that she'd had to endure the crime against her; to have it go to trial meant more people would know and she would be humiliated. She did not wish for that to happen. The King agreed that it would bring further distress to her and decided to hold the trial immediately. I did protest this as the accused was not given any time at all in which to build any form of defense or gather evidence to support his possible innocence. As the slave's master was also absent and knew nothing of the alleged crime it didn't seem right; in fact, it went against everything I've ever been taught is honorable and just."
"Thank you, Captain. You may be seated." Heero turned to look back at the elders. All appeared to be listening intently as to what was being said and making notes. "Elders, I have another person I wish to call forth to present evidence to further confirm Duo's innocence."
The head elder stood. "You may call them, Prince Heero."
"Thank you." Heero turned slightly, cast his eyes over the room and stopped when he got to the person he sought.
"Mistress Healer, would you please stand?"
tbc...
