Part 2
Diclaimer: Don't own 'em, don't sue. You wouldn't get nothin' outta this otaku but a couple pennies and some well-loved
novels. 'Sides I'll have 'em back fairly unharmed.
Warning: Shounen ai, AU, OOC Quatre, might have lime in latter chapters.
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Quatre regarded him disdainfully. "I know perfectly well where I am Prince Trowa. Now, do what you will with me. I do not like to be held against my wishes for long. Perhaps I will be released from this place in record time."
An almost naive confusion passed over Trowa's face. "You've been captured before? I am very sorry for the way my father's men treated you, and the courtiers as well. I am not yet sure why you were captured, but I will speak to my father and see that you are released."
"Sure, sure," Quatre snorted derisively and crossed his arms. "I've heard that one before, your highness. Don't mind if I don't believe you."
The young prince pursed his lips in frustration, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I speak the truth." His eyes glinted dangerously and Quatre's original analysis of the boy changed slightly. Trowa may actually be someone to contend with, maybe not so innocent as he had originally assumed.
Instead of starting a confrontation he really didn't feel up to, the blonde elf merely nodded. The silence drew out, all but the prince and the braided boys lover shifting awkward. Trowa kept his vivid green eyes locked to his own aqua ones, the look in the other boys' eyes unreadable. Quatre felt his stomach flip-flop and had to wonder at it. Trowa was making him increasingly uncomfortable and if that gaze didn't soon leave him he'd end up doing something he'd regret.
"So," he said lightly, voice strained only to his sensitive ears, sounding very much calm to everyone else. "Who are your friends highness?"
The prince started, as if surprised by the question. "Wufei Chang is our magician, Heero Yuy is an envoy from another kingdom and Duo Maxwell is a courtier; one of the few I actually like." He pointed at each in tern, the boys each giving him a slight as their name was mentioned.
"Can't say it's a pleasure meeting you, but...." he shrugged letting the sentence trail off. "I'm Quatre Raberba Winner. You all seem like a fine lot. Do you think I can go now?"
The prince looked hesitant before answering, "Sorry, but it's not up to me. My father is still King and this decision is up to him, but I can make you're stay here as comfortable as possible."
Quatre snorted. Trowa termed it as if he had been politely invited and now was not able to find a suitable way home, when in reality he had been bashed over the head during a nap and dragged, chained to the palace. He could still feel the lump on his head throbbing the manacles had left bruised around his wrists. Almost unconsciously he allowed his hand to feel delicately at the sensitive skin.
Apparently Trowa was more observant than even he had guessed. The tall boy's eyes widened and he stalked over to study the injury. "My fathers men did this. Come with me."
He grabbed a hold of the blonde's hand and all but dragged the boy out through a back servants door, other three following behind like loyal dogs. Quatre was contemplating wrenching his hand away when they stopped suddenly, entering a door to his left. The room was shadowed, the smell of herbs permeating the small space. Plants and roots hung from the walls, drying on their hooks as incense was burned around them. A few beds and a large worktable cluttered the room. A woman stood in the center of all this, grinding a flower into fine dust at the table. She looked over at them with kindly blue eyes.
"What have you gotten yourself into now, young prince?" Her voice was mischievous, giving the impression that the prince and his entourage was not an uncommon sight for her.
Trowa smiled. "It's not me this time, Sally." He tugged Quatre to stand in front of him. "Quatre had a little trouble with fathers guard and could use some attention."
"An elf," the woman's eyes widened just slightly. "I suppose I can do something for him. Come here lad, so I can get a better look at you."
Quatre stepped forward, face a cold mask of calm as he showed the healer his arms. The woman "hrm"ed softly, eyes his wrists critically. Then she turned and grabbed a jar of ointment on from the jar and dabbed it carefully on his wrist.
"The certainly weren't gentle with you, young one," she said disapprovingly as she recapped the jar and replaced it on the shelf. She eyed him, this time taking in his over-all appearance. With a sigh she left again, this time coming back with a wet cloth in her hand. "Put this to the lump on your head. It's not bleeding, but you're still bound to have a headache."
Quatre was slightly surprised that she had noticed the other injury, especially with his flaxen hair covering it. But then, he'd gotten used to a healers uncanny instincts, as his oldest sister had been a healer herself. Iria was one of the best friends he had and he didn't even want to think about what she must be going through. Yes, this had happened before, but that didn't mean that Iria was too happy about it. She'd probably be in a rage by now, cursing the entire human race for his disappearance. A usually calm young woman, Iria was always different where he was concerned. Of his whopping 29 sisters she was about the only one he could really say he care for. The others were all to concerned with their status in the Elfish court.
"Thank you healer," he murmured as he lifted the cloth to his head with a slight wince.
Sally smiled down at him, expression radiating motherly affection. "Think nothing of it. These ruffians visit me so often with some ailment or other that I've started leaving my kit out. They were just here yesterday in fact."
Quatre turned to face the group curiously. Duo was whistling innocently as Wufei glared at him. This made him even more curious. Of course he didn't voice this, turning his gaze to the prince instead. Trowa seemed to be a little more loose-tongued than the others. Come to think of it he'd hardly heard the others speak.
Trowa was grinning from ear to ear. "Duo decided that Wufei's room needed a little 'fixing'. What Duo considers fixing, is stringing up odd contraptions throughout the room. One happened to be a bucket of water over the door. Wufei slipped and nearly sprained his wrist."
Quatre almost giggled. He was seriously having trouble not feeling any kind of affection for these teenagers. They really seemed to be a nice group, but all of his past experience with the human race was screaming at him to run away. His instincts on the subject were saying a completely different thing. None of them had done anything to harm him and usually after being captured he'd have been at least beat up a little by the first hour. All he had was sore wrists and a bump on his head, fairly minor compared to others he'd received on other occasions.
His mind was starting to run a muck, changing some things he'd always viewed as absolute. Now he wasn't so sure. Maybe every human wasn't out to harm his kind. Maybe he could come to like one of the other race. Perhaps if he was careful and watched these young men for any signs of malice he could one day come to trust them.
TBC……
Shade: I revised a bit. Okay, I added a sentence. Thanks to Candy for pointing it out that Quatre never actually introduced himself. It'd been a month since I'd even opened the file let alone read it, so I didn't actually noticed it. I really need to start paying attention to these things.