A/N- Thanks to Joan_of_Arc for giving me this idea. Heero will be in part of this chapter so you know what's going on in his head. Thanks again to Joan_of_Arc. Oh, and Hilde and Noin are in this chapter. Enjoy.
The Prince and the Peasant: Part 17
By: RurouniGirl
Duo sighed for the thousandth time that day. He was bored out of his mind. Zechs had come by to see him that morning and now Duo had nothing to do.
He rolled over onto his side and stared out the window. Soon he found his mind turning to thoughts of Heero. He wondered where his koi was at that very moment.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Heero sighed as he leaned back against the wall of the stable. He had just finished cleaning out the stalls.
When Duo's father had thrown him out of the kingdom, he had wandered around for months before coming to the palace of King Treize's kingdom. He had gotten a job as the stable boy and all around errand boy. That meant he got to clean the stables and do any other job that was lying around waiting to be done.
He turned as a young girl ran up to him, calling his name.
"Heero!" she called. "Noin needs you."
He nodded. "Thanks, Hilde. Tell her I'll be right there."
Hilde nodded and ran off to deliver the message to Noin. Noin was the palace housekeeper. She was in charge of all the servants and assigning chores to each one. She was also the one who had taken Heero in and taken care of him.
When he had first arrived, he had been a complete wreck. He hadn't eaten anything in weeks and had lost a lot of weight. He had spent months wondering around in a daze. He had grown depressed to the point where he didn't even want to get up in the morning.
Hilde and Noin were the ones that had pulled him out of his depression. He still had his bad days, but nowhere near as bad as when he had first been thrown out of kingdom, and away from the one he loved.
He had told Hilde and Noin what had happened and they had been very sympathetic and understanding. They tried their best to cheer him up and keep him busy so he wouldn't get depressed. And it had worked. For the most part.
It was the nights that got him. No one was around to keep him from feeling depressed. He would lie in bed thinking about Duo. He would remember all the times they had spent together. And he usually ended up crying himself to sleep.
He snapped out of his reverie and hurried to the kitchens to find Noin. She was directing the cooks on how to prepare the night meal. She turned toward him and smiled.
"Hello, Heero," she said. "If you don't mind, I have a job that I need you to do. To tell the truth, you're the only one I can trust with this."
Heero smiled. "What can I do for you?"
She smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Heero. If you could just take this basket of food to the orphanage, I would really appreciate it. I usually make a point of taking a basketful of food every week, but this week I have to much to do and have no time."
Heero took the basket. "Don't worry about it. I'll deliver it for you," he said.
He drew in a deep breath as he exited the kitchens and stepped out into the fresh air. He hurried to get his burden to the orphanage. Once he had delivered the basket, and after much thanks from the headmistress, he slowly made his way back to the palace.
It felt good to get outside and breath the fresh air deeply. He stopped as he heard the sound of a trickling brook. He gulped and held back the tears that threatened to fall. He slowly approached the brook. The water swirled around small rocks and gently lapped up against the bank.
Heero stripped off his clothes and waded into the cool water, letting it swirl around him. It reminded him of the day he had met Duo. He had been swimming in the brook when Duo had come up and stood on the bank. He had looked incredibly lonely so Heero had invited him to come into the water with him. It had been the best day of his life.
Tears began to trickle down Heero's cheeks at the memory. It was the best memory he had, but it also served to remind him that he would probably never see Duo again.
He stood there in the cool waters of the brook and sobbed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Duo turned his tear stained face away from the window as he heard the door open. He smiled half-heartedly at Zechs.
"Hi," he said hoarsely. "Where have you been?"
Zechs came over and sat on the bed. "Duo, are you all right?"
Duo nodded. "Oh yeah. I'm fine," he replied. "Just...not one of my good day, you know?"
Zechs nodded and pulled his cousin into a tight embrace. Duo wrapped his arms around Zechs and began to sob.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Zechs quietly closed the door to Duo's room, careful not to wake the sleeping boy up. The prince had cried himself to sleep.
'At least he's getting some sleep,' Zechs thought. Duo hadn't gotten much sleep in the past few weeks. At least now he was getting a little rest.
Zechs spent the next few hours wandering aimlessly about the palace. He was still at a loss. He hadn't been able to think of a single plan.
He sighed and decided to go see how Wufei and Quatre and Trowa were doing. The guards were being very rough with them. The last time he had been down to the dungeon Trowa had a black eye, Quatre had a nasty looking bruise on his cheek, and Wufei had one or two broken ribs.
He had had a small talk with the king about the guard's treatment of the boys and the king had agreed to have a talk with them about how roughly they treated the prisoners.
The three boys looked up as he once again approached the cell. It was beginning to be a habit for him to visit the dungeon at least twice a day. Of course, Wufei probably had something to do with that.
He smiled as he saw the young soldier and Wufei smiled back. Both boys cheeks turned a crimson red but neither seemed to notice.
"How are the ribs?" Zechs asked.
Wufei shrugged. "Better," he replied. "How is Duo?"
Zechs shook his head. "Not doing to well. He cried himself to sleep."
Quatre sighed. "We have to do something."
Trowa nodded his agreement and the four young men set to work trying to come up with something. They were startled out of their thought as Wufei drew in a sharp breath. They all looked over at him.
Wufei looked at them and a grin spread across his face. "I have an idea," he said.
Author's Notes: Okay, so what did you think? Did you like it when I added Heero's point of view to the story? Please review and let me know. RurouniGirl
The Prince and the Peasant: Part 17
By: RurouniGirl
Duo sighed for the thousandth time that day. He was bored out of his mind. Zechs had come by to see him that morning and now Duo had nothing to do.
He rolled over onto his side and stared out the window. Soon he found his mind turning to thoughts of Heero. He wondered where his koi was at that very moment.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Heero sighed as he leaned back against the wall of the stable. He had just finished cleaning out the stalls.
When Duo's father had thrown him out of the kingdom, he had wandered around for months before coming to the palace of King Treize's kingdom. He had gotten a job as the stable boy and all around errand boy. That meant he got to clean the stables and do any other job that was lying around waiting to be done.
He turned as a young girl ran up to him, calling his name.
"Heero!" she called. "Noin needs you."
He nodded. "Thanks, Hilde. Tell her I'll be right there."
Hilde nodded and ran off to deliver the message to Noin. Noin was the palace housekeeper. She was in charge of all the servants and assigning chores to each one. She was also the one who had taken Heero in and taken care of him.
When he had first arrived, he had been a complete wreck. He hadn't eaten anything in weeks and had lost a lot of weight. He had spent months wondering around in a daze. He had grown depressed to the point where he didn't even want to get up in the morning.
Hilde and Noin were the ones that had pulled him out of his depression. He still had his bad days, but nowhere near as bad as when he had first been thrown out of kingdom, and away from the one he loved.
He had told Hilde and Noin what had happened and they had been very sympathetic and understanding. They tried their best to cheer him up and keep him busy so he wouldn't get depressed. And it had worked. For the most part.
It was the nights that got him. No one was around to keep him from feeling depressed. He would lie in bed thinking about Duo. He would remember all the times they had spent together. And he usually ended up crying himself to sleep.
He snapped out of his reverie and hurried to the kitchens to find Noin. She was directing the cooks on how to prepare the night meal. She turned toward him and smiled.
"Hello, Heero," she said. "If you don't mind, I have a job that I need you to do. To tell the truth, you're the only one I can trust with this."
Heero smiled. "What can I do for you?"
She smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Heero. If you could just take this basket of food to the orphanage, I would really appreciate it. I usually make a point of taking a basketful of food every week, but this week I have to much to do and have no time."
Heero took the basket. "Don't worry about it. I'll deliver it for you," he said.
He drew in a deep breath as he exited the kitchens and stepped out into the fresh air. He hurried to get his burden to the orphanage. Once he had delivered the basket, and after much thanks from the headmistress, he slowly made his way back to the palace.
It felt good to get outside and breath the fresh air deeply. He stopped as he heard the sound of a trickling brook. He gulped and held back the tears that threatened to fall. He slowly approached the brook. The water swirled around small rocks and gently lapped up against the bank.
Heero stripped off his clothes and waded into the cool water, letting it swirl around him. It reminded him of the day he had met Duo. He had been swimming in the brook when Duo had come up and stood on the bank. He had looked incredibly lonely so Heero had invited him to come into the water with him. It had been the best day of his life.
Tears began to trickle down Heero's cheeks at the memory. It was the best memory he had, but it also served to remind him that he would probably never see Duo again.
He stood there in the cool waters of the brook and sobbed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Duo turned his tear stained face away from the window as he heard the door open. He smiled half-heartedly at Zechs.
"Hi," he said hoarsely. "Where have you been?"
Zechs came over and sat on the bed. "Duo, are you all right?"
Duo nodded. "Oh yeah. I'm fine," he replied. "Just...not one of my good day, you know?"
Zechs nodded and pulled his cousin into a tight embrace. Duo wrapped his arms around Zechs and began to sob.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Zechs quietly closed the door to Duo's room, careful not to wake the sleeping boy up. The prince had cried himself to sleep.
'At least he's getting some sleep,' Zechs thought. Duo hadn't gotten much sleep in the past few weeks. At least now he was getting a little rest.
Zechs spent the next few hours wandering aimlessly about the palace. He was still at a loss. He hadn't been able to think of a single plan.
He sighed and decided to go see how Wufei and Quatre and Trowa were doing. The guards were being very rough with them. The last time he had been down to the dungeon Trowa had a black eye, Quatre had a nasty looking bruise on his cheek, and Wufei had one or two broken ribs.
He had had a small talk with the king about the guard's treatment of the boys and the king had agreed to have a talk with them about how roughly they treated the prisoners.
The three boys looked up as he once again approached the cell. It was beginning to be a habit for him to visit the dungeon at least twice a day. Of course, Wufei probably had something to do with that.
He smiled as he saw the young soldier and Wufei smiled back. Both boys cheeks turned a crimson red but neither seemed to notice.
"How are the ribs?" Zechs asked.
Wufei shrugged. "Better," he replied. "How is Duo?"
Zechs shook his head. "Not doing to well. He cried himself to sleep."
Quatre sighed. "We have to do something."
Trowa nodded his agreement and the four young men set to work trying to come up with something. They were startled out of their thought as Wufei drew in a sharp breath. They all looked over at him.
Wufei looked at them and a grin spread across his face. "I have an idea," he said.
Author's Notes: Okay, so what did you think? Did you like it when I added Heero's point of view to the story? Please review and let me know. RurouniGirl