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


And the retrial continues... *evil cackle*


"Bound, Bonded and Betrayed"

Chapter 61

"Mistress Healer, would you please stand?"

All eyes in the Throne room turned to where the castle healer was seated. Raising her head, Sally stood and squared her shoulders. She kept a neutral look on her face as she turned to face the prince. "My prince," she said with a curtsy.

"Mistress Healer, you have been a healer at the castle for some time now. Is that correct?"

"Yes, sire. I came to the castle as the healer when I was in my eighteenth summer once I had completed my training," Sally replied. "That would have been eleven summers ago."

"I would think that during that time you have treated several of the castle residents for many and varied ailments?"

"Yes, sire. During my time here, I have seen and treated a lot of different things. During that time I have also expanded my knowledge and experience in healing and continue to do so on a daily basis."

"Would it be safe to say that you are one of the Kingdom's most experienced healers?"

Sally blushed a little. "Yes, sire. I have been elevated through the levels set down by the Healer's Guild and am now ranked as one of the Master Healers."

Standing to the side of the elders' table, Captain Chang was having a hard time keeping his face from showing any form of emotion. He had to silently praise the prince for this line of defense. It was a stroke of genius in Wufei's opinion, the prince establishing the Healer's credentials before questioning her would leave no doubt in anyone's mind that the Healer knew her craft extremely well and was very experienced in treating anything from serious battle wounds to a mere scratch.

"Then one could safely say that you would know exactly what you're doing when treating a person?" Heero asked with a smile.

"I would hope so," Sally replied.

"On the day of the alleged altercation, did Captain Chang request that you attend to both the princess and the slave?"

"Yes, sire. Captain Chang alerted me to the situation and asked that I attend the princess first and then the slave."

Heero turned to look at the elders. "I am sure you have all read the medical report and statement given by the Healer to Captain Chang?" The elders nodded by way of reply. "I intend to go back over the report and statement, clarifying and questioning certain points."

"You may proceed, Prince Heero," the head elder replied.

"Thank you." Heero turned back to Sally. "When you attended the princess, according to your report you found her to be a little emotionally distressed and prescribed a herbal mix to help to calm her nerves. Is this correct?"

"Yes, sire."

"Correct me if I am wrong, Healer, but when a woman experiences a traumatic event such as this, surely one would expect a lot more emotional and mental trauma to be evident? You stated there was some emotional distress but made no mention of mental distress."

"That is true, sire. When I first checked the princess she did appear to be quite upset and when I asked her to explain exactly what had happened she didn't want to talk about it. I can understand her reluctance given the type of event that had just occurred; however, that didn't seem to stop the maid who seemed to be a little pushy, repeatedly asking if it was necessary that I question the princess, something that I found to be quite unusual and by that I mean it isn't the place of a slave or maid to question those above their station. As I explained to them both, I needed to know exactly what had happened in order to be able to treat the princess accordingly. The princess, as I said, was quite upset at first but did, reluctantly tell me what had happened. When I asked further questions, mainly to clarify a point so I knew exactly what to look for when performing the physical exam, she got quite angry and very short with me. I do realize that people react in different ways when suffering a trauma of some kind, but it has been my experience that women who have been raped or suffered an attempted rape generally appear very scared, frightened and bewildered. The princess didn't appear to be any of those hence my lack of reference to mental distress in my report."

"And when you attended the slave in the dungeons, what did you find there in relation to his emotional and mental state?"

"Now that scene was the complete opposite. When I stepped into the dungeon to examine Duo, he was a complete mess. He was in shock, shaking, scared and there was a look of terror in his eyes. He found it difficult to relate what had happened and yet he did his best to talk to me. It did have me questioning exactly who was the attacker and who was the victim here."

"Why would you say that?" Heero pressed, determined to plant the seed of doubt as to Relena's claim in the minds of the elders.

"Sire, I am a Healer of the body and have limited experience with healing of the mind; and the mind is a very complex thing, however..." Sally paused for a second, then continued in a very loud and firm tone. "However, Duo's reaction appeared to be that of a victim, the way I would have expected the princess to react given the accusations. Duo was definitely terrified, it was clear in his eyes and his body language. Anyone that got too close and he would flinch away, try to make himself as small as possible. Sire, that is a classic reaction of someone who has experienced violence against themselves and I have seen and treated several people in the past that have experienced such things."

"Couldn't that be put down to Duo's past though? It's a well known fact that Duo was badly treated and abused before he came to the castle," Heero stated.

"You might say that, sire, but when you take a look back, Duo has been here almost a full, seasonal cycle now. At first he was very wary and skittish around people, but after a while he began to settle down and fit into his role here. When I first treated him upon arrival at the castle, he couldn't help but flinch and shy away from me. That gradually diminished as he began to realize and understand that he wasn't going to be abused here and when I have had to treat him in the recent past, he's never flinched away from me, nor has he shown any sign of being uncomfortable or scared in anyone else's presence that I am aware of. The person I spoke with and treated in that dungeon was not the Duo I know. That Duo was one that was suddenly very frightened, cowered if you so much as raised your hand to scratch an itch. That is a clear indication of abuse or how a victim reacts after a traumatic event."

"Thank you for that explanation, Healer." Heero picked up one of the parchments and glanced at it before focusing on the Healer again. "I have noted in your medical report, there is no mention of physical trauma to either the princess or the slave. Why is that? Surely if - and I do mean if - there was a physical altercation, and the princess did state that the slave had forced himself upon her and she'd tried to fight him off, there should be some evidence of that altercation?"

The seeds of doubt had been planted, now Heero fully intended to see those seeds grow.

"You are correct, sire. In every case I have ever treated that has involved physical interaction, whether it be from the battle field, brawl, sparring match or even a friendly wrestle, there has always been some form of physical evidence of such an encounter."

"Given that the princess said there had been a struggle, surely there should be some form of evidence to support that?"

"Yes, sire, as I said, regardless of the type of physical altercation, there is always some form of evidence."

"Could you elaborate a little on that?"

"The type and severity of the physical evidence depends on the altercation itself. By that I mean if two soldiers had met in a battle one would expect quite severe wounds, bleeding, bruising, even limbs or body parts missing. If it were a simple fist fight then there would be evidence such as bruising, cuts and minor injuries. Someone pushing another away or trying to restrain another would also leave behind some form of bruising or further injury depending on the amount of force used."

"As I said before, I noted your report failed to mention anything at all in regards to bruising or injury on the princess' body. Could you explain why?" Heero requested.

"When I examined the princess I paid particular attention to looking for any form of bruising or injury given the alleged nature of the crime. I checked very carefully, especially around the shoulders, arms and wrists as they would be the most common areas to be affected. I did not find any areas of damaged skin to back up a claim of being in an altercation."

"So there was no evidence that Duo had pushed, grabbed, restrained or struck the princess?"

"The princess' clothing was torn, but that was the only sign of violence of any kind. There were no marks at all on the princess' skin," Sally said honestly.

"And what of Duo? The princess said she had tried to fight him off, bite him. Surely there should be some type of mark, bruising or the like on Duo if that was the case?" Heero looked up from his notes.

"I would expect to find some evidence of a fight on Duo, but again, I found nothing other than a couple of old bruises, but they were on his arm, leg and shoulder," Sally stated.

"How can you tell if the bruises are fresh or old?" Heero queried.

"In my experience, a fresh bruise tends to be a sort of red to blueish purple in color. An older bruise tends to darken as time passes and then fade, sometimes there is some yellowing there too. In Duo's case, the bruises on his body were already beginning to fade which meant they had to be at least a few days old. When I asked Duo about those bruises he told me he'd knocked himself against the furniture. Given the placement of the bruising, the fading of it and the size, it matched up with what he'd said and I saw no reason to question him further."

"Was there any physical sign at all of an altercation between Duo and the princess?" Heero asked.

"There was no physical evidence at all that I could find to back up the claim of Duo having forced the princess to the bed or of the princess having fought to free herself. The only evidence I could see was that the princess' dress was torn and also Duo's pants."

"Would you swear to the crown that there was no physical evidence on either person that indicated a violent struggle of any kind had taken place?"

"I would swear to it, my prince."

"Thank you, Mistress Healer." Heero dared to glance across to where his wife sat and noted the paleness of her skin. She looked completely shocked by the evidence the Healer had just given.

Not wanting to give anyone the opportunity to try to find an argument against the Healer's findings, Heero quickly carried on. He directed his words to the elders, keeping them short and to the point. "Elders, having listened to the Healer and her evidence I am sure you can see why I felt the need for a retrial. Given that there were no witnesses to the alleged crime, the lack of physical evidence that a struggle took place and the emotional and mental state of the alleged victim and perpetrator, I believe the slave, Duo, is completely innocent of the crime he has been charged with. Not only that, but I have reason to believe that this whole alleged attempted rape was a set up."

"That is preposterous!" Relena snapped, unable to control her anger any longer. "Just because there aren't any bruises and my reaction was one of anger, not cowering, does not mean he didn't try to rape me!"

"Then you are saying it's your word against his." Heero replied slowly, turning to look at his wife. "The word of a princess against that of a slave?"

"He tried to rape me! For that he should be put to the sword! Does the word of a common slave mean more than that of royalty?" Relena snarled.

Kneeling on the floor with his head still bowed, Duo couldn't help but shake as his master and mistress exchanged angry words. His master had done all he could to prove his innocence, but at the end of the day it looked like it would come back to that same thing: the word of a royal against that of a slave.

Narrowing his eyes, Heero snapped back at his wife. "It does when the word of a slave is the truth!"

"Truth?! Are you saying that I am lying?" Relena demanded.

"Yes."

The entire Throne room fell silent.

"As if having a slave try to rape me isn't bad enough, my own husband is saying that I lied about the entire thing. That I made it up?! That is just ridiculous."

"Why is that ridiculous?"

"Because it is! Why would I make something so horrific up?"

"Why would you? I'll tell you why." Heero's eyes turned deadly as he rounded on his wife. "Because you are jealous of Duo and his role as personal slave to me. You are so jealous that it's turned to hate and you would do anything, including lying about an attempted rape in order to be rid of him."

"I would never-"

"I beg to differ," Heero cut her off.

"Why would you say that?!" Relena's voice cracked a little. "I haven't done anything other than treat him as the slave he is."

"And that included running him ragged doing chores for you, expecting him to wait on you and your maid hand and foot? Setting him up to make mistakes so he would be punished? Planning ways and means with your maid to be rid of the gutter rat?" Heero snarled.

Relena's mouth gaped open as stunned shock played over her face.

"That is a lie. You – you can't prove any of that because it's not true," she whispered.

"Yes I can." Heero gave a smirk.

Kneeling beside her mistress, Dorothy felt the cold sweat break out on her skin, her heart rate increased and her breathing became erratic.

"I don't believe you," Relena sniffed.

Quatre dared to glance across at Duo, the other slave returning the look. Duo was pale and trembling, Quatre not much better until a hand descended to his head and gently stroked his hair. Looking up into the green eyes of his master, he relaxed a touch with the soft words his master spoke.

"Trust in my brother, sweet Quatre."

Quatre nodded and lowered his eyes once more, but not before giving Duo a reassuring smile.

Despite the trembling of his limbs, Duo was curious to know exactly what his master was going to produce to back up his claim. He had a pretty good idea, but wasn't sure if it would be acceptable to the elders.

"Elders, it had been brought to my attention on a couple of occasions that my slave was being used and abused. I have spoken with the people concerned and taken statements from them." Heero paused and looked directly at the elders. "It is my intention not only to prove to everyone here that Duo is innocent of the crime he has been accused of, but to also prove that the motive behind the accusation was to remove Duo from the castle and my life, a set up if you wish by my wife and her maid that stemmed from jealousy and almost cost an innocent man his life."

Giving the elders and everyone else in the Throne room a moment to digest his words, Heero snuck a glance at his wife and maid, pleased to note that neither one of them were looking particularly comfortable at this point. He also looked to his brother, Trowa smiling in encouragement. Lastly, his eyes traveled to Duo, his sweet slave still kneeling obediently beside him. He dropped a hand to the head of chestnut and gently ran his fingers through the locks. "Have faith, Duo," he whispered.

Violet eyes dared to look up at his master, Duo finding both comfort and reassurance in his master's face. He gave a tiny smile.

"Prince Heero, my fellow elders and I are very interested to hear what proof you have that this crime was a set up of your slave. Please proceed." The head elder, who had stood up to address the prince, resumed his seat and looked expectantly at Heero.

"Thank you." Heero picked up several parchments from the table and turned to Duo. "Duo, will you please take these parchments to the elders?"

"Of course, master." Despite the trembling, Duo rose to his feet, took the offered parchments and walked to the elders table where he placed them in front of the head elder. Task complete, he returned to kneel once more at his master's side.

"Elders, those are copies of the statements I have taken from the witnesses. The first one relates to a conversation overheard between the princess and her maid. The identity of the person that overheard the conversation will remain confidential for now, but suffice to say, they have been a member of the castle staff for some time and have always been reliable, honest and completely trustworthy. Similarly, the second statement is also from a highly valued member of the castle staff. I will begin with the first statement."

The elders had all received a copy of the statements and were glancing through them as Heero spoke. Indicating the first statement, they all brought forth the parchment in question.

"The first statement is the relation of a conversation overheard not long after the trial for the alleged attempted rape took place. I quote..." Heero picked up his own parchment and began to read. "It was just after the trial had been held. I went to the princess' chambers to collect the dishes from the evening meal and couldn't help but overhear what the princess and her maid were talking about. The princess and her maid were discussing the trial and saying how well it had gone and how pleased they were with the outcome. Especially since they had managed to have it all dealt with before Prince Heero came home. They said that by the time the prince returned that gutter snipe would be dead and the prince would realize that he didn't need a slave to look after him, that the princess and her maid would be more than capable of taking care of him. The maid complimented the princess on her acting skills, said that no one would dare question the attack. The princess agreed, stating her performance would leave no doubt in anyone's mind that she had been attacked by Duo and that once he was dead she would be able to completely relax."

Relena's stomach dropped to the floor. "That kitchen slave," she muttered to Dorothy. "I'll see she's properly dealt with once I become queen, if not sooner."

Dorothy didn't dare reply, she had a sinking feeling that things were about to get a whole lot worse.

Not bothering to look to see the princess' reaction, Heero pressed on. "The second statement also relates to an overheard conversation between the princess and her maid along with observations made over several sunrises prior to the alleged crime. I quote: "I started to become concerned in regards to Duo and how he always seemed to be busy. I know he has his chores to do for the prince, but it seemed he was always doing something. Before, we would sometimes share meals together or spend a little time in our quarters, but that began to stop. When I asked Duo about it he told me to leave it alone. It was obvious that something was bothering him but he didn't want to talk about it so I respected his request and didn't ask him again. I did start to think more and more about it though and the more I thought, the more I realized that this behavior had started to happen not long after the princess arrived with her maid and the wedding took place. When the prince's boots went missing and then turned up all dirty again, I had to tell the prince what I knew, that I had seen Duo carrying the cleaned boots back to the prince's chambers. When I learned it was the maid that found them and that they were dirty I began to suspect something more was going on. I thought more and more about Duo's constant absence from meals and the things we used to share and had my suspicions, but no proof." Heero paused for a moment to take a drink of water.

"It was not long after that I was in the library and I overheard the princess and her maid talking. I heard them talking about Duo and how they were trying to wear him down in the hope that with him being so tired he would make mistakes and be punished for them, that Prince Heero would see how useless he was and get rid of him. When I confronted Duo again about his always being busy, I told him what I knew, what I'd overheard and he finally confided in me. He asked me not to say anything to anyone because if the mistress found out, she would surely have him flogged. It was after that I decided to try and help him all I could, I started to assist him with his chores once mine were done so he would have everything finished by the time the prince returned. I also tried to stay with him as much as possible so the maid or princess couldn't do anything bad to him. Several times though the maid came to find Duo and he had to go to the princess. Unfortunately, I couldn't always be there for him."

Heero looked up from his parchment to the elders. "When I questioned Duo in relation to this, he admitted that he'd been doing extra chores and that the reason he hadn't spoken up about it was because he'd been threatened with either a flogging or being sold."

Relena's anger had begun to get the better of her and she turned her icy gaze to Heero. "Those are just words, no proof whatsoever. Anyone could have made that up just to get at me and my maid. I already know a lot of the slaves and staff here dislike me, although why that is I'm not sure, I presume it's just jealousy on their behalf. But that doesn't change the fact that they made all of that up just to spite me and my maid."

"I agree, they could have been made up," Heero replied calmly.

"Then why are you even bothering?" Relena demanded sharply.

"The next two statements are not from any of the staff or slaves. The first statement is from my brother, Prince Trowa. I'm sure you are familiar with my brother, he has no reason to lie, nothing to gain at all from his statement." It took a lot of restraint on Heero's behalf not to show any form of emotion on his face as he delivered those words. He was pleased to see his wife blanch.

Then Heero played his trump card.

"The final statement is mine. It, along with my brother's statement are the recalling of a conversation that occurred between yourself, that maid and Duo when he was sent to fetch some items of clothing for me. My brother and I were in the attached slave quarters and heard everything."

Dorothy barely held the gasp of shock, fear running through her veins when she realized exactly what conversation the prince was talking about.

"And I have no reason to lie either." Satisfied that he'd put the fear of God into Dorothy and shot down his wife's protests, Heero turned back to the elders, picked up a parchment and stared right at them. "Both mine and my brother's statements are almost identical. We both heard the conversation that took place in the bed chamber. To avoid repetition I will only read out one statement and leave you to read the other yourselves. If you wish me to clarify any points I will be happy to do so."

"Please proceed, Prince Heero."

'Thank you. My brother and I were present in the adjoining slave chambers when Duo went to fetch some clothing for me from my marital chambers. During the time he was in the bed chamber, the princess and her maid were both heard threatening Duo. As best I can recall, the conversation went as follows." Heero took a breath and began to recite exactly what he'd heard coming from the other side of the door.

"My wife was heard to say and I quote, that Duo should have been dead by now, but that fool of a husband of mine comes racing in to save you like a damsel in distress. It's disgusting and perverted what you allow my husband to do to you, it's against all the laws of nature and you deserve to face the sword for tempting him in that way. He doesn't need you, he has me to look after him, I am the one married to him, I am the one that is carrying the heir to the throne. He doesn't need you! The maid's voice was heard next and I quote as best as I can remember; Have you forgotten already, gutter snipe? You were warned not to say anything to anyone. I will see you meet the sword for this. You attempt to rape my mistress, the future queen and then deny it all?"

"At this point Duo tried to deny having done anything at all but wasn't allowed to speak, the maid cut him off saying: 'Shut up you piece of garbage. We know all about you, where you came from, how insolent you were, always being beaten and flogged. Now we know why, trying to rape a defenseless woman. You might think you've beaten these charges, but I can assure you, you will be meeting the sword."

"Duo again protested his innocence, only to have the maid unleash another verbal assault. I believe the conversation was as follows: That's exactly what I would expect from you, you dirty excuse for a human being. Maybe you need a few more floggings to remind you of your place. You were warned before not to say anything, and if, and I mean if, by any chance you should manage to get away with raping my mistress I will be sure to make every waking moment of yours a living hell until either your master sells you or you beg your master to end your miserable existence. Watch your back, mouse, you can't always hide."

"At this stage of the confrontation Duo must have gathered the clothing he was sent to fetch and left the bed chamber as I heard the princess raise her voice to call out; 'My husband won't always be around to protect you. Your days are numbered'. I had heard enough and was preparing to leave the slave chamber when my brother stopped me. The conversation between my wife and her maid continued on. My wife said; 'If he does succeed in getting off the charges, Dorothy, we will have to make sure he is reminded of his place as a slave every waking moment. I want his life to be worse than the one he came from.' The maid, Dorothy's reply to this was; 'It will be my pleasure, mistress."

The silence in the room could be cut with a knife. No one dared to speak, to move as the gravity of what Heero had repeated sank in. Finally, Heero broke the silence.

"That concludes all the evidence and statements in favor of Duo's defense."

tbc...