Chapter Six:

Taking the blanket Heero hoisted it on the horse. He could hear Prince WuFei and King Chang talking behind him. "Okay, everything is set. Two days ago I sent message that I grew ill and could not go. So they will not be expecting me. Do you have your things ready, son?" King Chang asked while the rest of the horses were being prepared.

"Yes father." WuFei replied sliding his sword in its holster. "I am going to be going as a loyal Knight of Myena." He walked over giving the horse a carrot. "Sir Heero will be coaching me on what to do to be him and I will be coaching him on what to do to be more like me." Prince WuFei's eyes did not meet his fathers. He did not wish to be friendly with his father right now, he was still disappointed in him for his lack of honor.

King WuFei sighed. "Here." He slipped off his royal ring and handed it to his son. "Keep
this, then when you get there give it to Heero to give as a greeting gift." WuFei's eyes
grazed over the royal ring and then back to his father. "Have Heero give it to Princess Relena
and not to King Peacecraft. Then it will be accepted as a greeting gift and it will stay in
the family."

WuFei nodded in understatement This was perhaps the most expensive piece of jewelry that the
Chang family owned. It was also a heritage piece, so it must only be given to the wife of the
wedded prince. "Are you sure that this will work?" Heero said walking over to the two. "What
if they figure this out?" His sapphire eyes quizzed them.

Making a quick prayer the priest who was standing next to them replied for the King. "In great
hopes my son." The old man said. "This will work out fine, and they shall not find out the
truth, and if they do, may the gods bless us enough to have them find out after the marriage is
done."

King Chang nodded and WuFei slipped the ring on his finger. "Are we ready?" He asked Heero.
Heero nodded in response. "Sir Duo is late, as usual. As soon as he gets here we shall be
underway."

"Then I guess we shall be underway!" A cheerful voice said behind them. "Good morning King
Chang and Prince WuFei." He gave a quick bow smiling broadly. "Shall we be getting off now
for our adventure?"

Heero grunted. Leave it to Duo to find something as dishonorable and as difficult as this to
be exciting and happy. If they were found out before Sir Heero and Princess Relena were wed
they would surely be killed, and their kingdom would probably come under quick attack. This was
a very dangerous mission. Why Duo was being cheerful and go-lucky was beyond Heero. But then
again, Duo was always like that.

"Let us go." WuFei ordered. "I'd like to get there within the next few days. The longer we
stay here the longer it will take before we arrive, and the longer it will take before Sir
Heero marries this unna and our kingdom gets saved." He glared at his father. "Without honor."

King Chang sighed. "Son, this is the only way. Unless you have another way we can get this
done and save our honor, and our lives, and our kingdom I would like to know it at once."
WuFei was silent. He could not think of a way to do all three of those. If they were to
confess they would be able to salvage little honor, but not as much as before. And WuFei
doubted highly that they would ever be able to have their lives. Surely they would be killed,
and the kingdom taken under siege.

"Let us go." WuFei said quickly.

After two days of traveling the rough terrain the Myenaian Prince and company were starting to not
enjoy their trip. For the whole of the first and a half days it rained, hard. The rain had
continued even when they set up camp, all of that making them slow down in the travel too.
This was not an enjoyable trip so far.

"Are we there yet?" Duo asked for what must have been the millionth time already. "My
leggings are all wet and I am hungry."

Heero's eyes narrowed at the braided knight. "Hn." Was all he said. Heero was definitley
becoming very tired of this. Since he had arrived Duo did nothing but talk. Since the rain
started he did nothing but complain. Why couldn't they pick someone else to come along with
them to do their dirty deed? Heero grunted. He knew why, no one else wanted to do the deed
that was needed to be done. Because no one else was brave enough, or stupid enough in Duo's
case.

"What exactly is your job with us Sir Duo?" Said the old priest who was also getting tired of
hearing the young man complain. Of course he wouldn't say that right out. But you could hear
it in his voice. He was really starting to get annoyed.

Duo gave a smirk. "If I told ya, I'd have to kill ya!" He said laughing at his own joke.
WuFei rolled his eyes and answered for the priest. "Sir Duo's job is top secret, Priest. No
one but my father, Sir Heero, Duo, and I know. And that is how it shall remain."

The old man sighed, his brow wrinkling more while doing so. "I guess I shall be satisfied with
just that then, Prince WuFei."

WuFei nodded. "You will."

"We need to get some things clear here." Heero said speaking up. "When we arrive WuFei will
be known as Nataku. That is the name of a legendary warrior. I will be called Prince WuFei as
you all know. Duo," He said, turning in his spot sitting on the horse to look at the violet-eyed man. "If you ever slip up and call me by another name then what I just said I shall kill
you myself. We have no room for any slip up at all."

Duo nodded smiling. Then again, he very seldom didn't smile. "Sure thing...Prince WuFei."
His smile broadened as the real Prince WuFei glared at him. "Hey, sorry, but you know." He
shrugged. "You're not the Prince when we get there, you're just one of the guys. So I should
start practicing now if I want to start treating Heero-Chan here as the Prince."

Swinging his horse around Heero reached out and hit Duo sharply on the head. "You call me
Heero-Chan again you will not live." He growled. "I am no girl and do not wish to be called
so." Duo nodded, rubbing his head.

"So what does this princess Relena look like?" Duo said trying to change the subject away from
him so he wouldn't get hit again. "I mean, I hear that she has been offered many marriages by
many men." He gave a rude laugh. "She must be a dog if she hasn't been married yet. I bet
when the men who came to offer to marry her they saw her, and ran!"

"Shut up Maxwell." WuFei snapped. "She may just be an unna but you show no honor in what you
are saying."

Duo sighed. Apparently this wasn't helping. The weather was bad, they had another day left to
travel until they got to the palace, and everyone seemed to be in a bad mood.

"Let's make camp." Heero ordered the other three men. "Priest, there is a stream over near by.
Go fetch the water." The old man nodded, dismounted from his horse and went to do as told.
"Duo, set up the tents. It may have stopped raining now but the clouds promise more soon." He
turned towards his cousin. "I'll go get firewood to start a fire."

WuFei nodded. "I'll tend to the horses."

They all worked quickly. The old priest came back with the water and the fire was quickly
built. When camp was set all four men sat around the fire making plans for the next day. For
that was the day that they would arrive at the palace.

"From my calculations we should be arriving around mid day." The old man said, rubbing his
hands before the fire. "Prince WuFei." He said looking at Heero. Earlier while making camp
they all had decided that since they were going to be meeting the Peacecrafts tomorrow they
should get used to calling Heero Prince WuFei, and Prince WuFei Nataku. "It would be wise to
get the marriage arranged as soon as we can when we arrive. I do not wish to be there for long
and I think I speak for all of us when I say that." Heero nodded. It would be in everyone's
best interest to be quick about marrying the Princess so they could get out of there. That, of
course, after Duo had done what he came along to do.

"Give this," WuFei said slipping the royal ring off of his finger and giving it to Heero. "To
Princess Relena as a greeting gift. We mustn't let anyone but her have it, so it stays in the
family." Heero nodded as he slipped the ring on his pinkie finger. It was tiny, and if the
Princess was to wear it she'd have to have small hands. Heero shrugged.

That night the rain came down hard. The wind howled and blew fiercely. No one got any sleep
for it was too impossible to do so in that weather. "You could look at the bright side."
Duo said laying in his bedding.

"And what's that?" The wet priest said. He was sleeping under a horrible drip, so now he was
all wet.

"At least we wont be robbed or under attack. I hear it happens often in these woods that we
are in. But with this weather, there is no way it would happen. They'd have to be crazy to
come out and try to steal from us!"

"Shut up Maxwell." Heero said rolling over in his bedding. "We have a hard day tomorrow and I
for one want to get to sleep."

Sighing Duo rested his head back down and turned onto his stomach. "Alight Hee..uhh..Prince
WuFei." He said catching himself. "I better get that down pat tomorrow."

The next day the weather seemed to have done a nice turn about. Unlike the weather for the last two days today it was as if rain was the farthest thing from it. The skies were a bright blue and no white or black clouds, or any clouds at all seemed to be within distance. After packing up the four men headed down the road towards the palace. It was definitley going to be an interesting day.