-In the Hour of Chance-
He was laying in the plush bed in that uneasy state of half sleep where the world around one's self feels more fake then the dreams at the edge of conscious when at last the bell tower in the peaceful town below let out the sound he'd been waiting for. It tolled once, the cry of metal lonely as it rode through the chill night air, and Duo carefully crawled out of his castle supplied bed for the last time. One way or another, he wouldn't be seeing this room again. He's either have the prince and flee with him, or he'd be caught… And in that case he thought he'd be seeing another room in this castle. Something small, cold and damp, and with a set of bars supplying the only view.
Quietly, he set about dressing himself in a hurry. Only fifteen minutes until do or die time and he didn't plan on being late for the crucial event. He pulled on some of his tighter clothes, hoping the lack of loose fabric might help with some of the unstoppable noise, and tucked the rest of his things into the faded backpack he'd acquired. Right in the middle of his remaining clothing, he placed the pretty jewelry box and protected it with more soft articles. After checking it a few times to make sure it didn't jiggle too much, or make any obvious sounds when he walked, Duo slipped it over his shoulders and headed to the door. There he stopped and turned back.
Cool amethyst eyes scanned over the regal room, testing perhaps to see if he'd miss it and if he had any regrets about the situation he'd set in front of himself. After all, it wasn't too late for him just to put his stuff away, crawl into bed, and pretend like he'd never had the idea. The soft bed and rugs were tempting, but as his gaze fell on that sad mural, all doubts resolved themselves. He wasn't going to let the prince become another two dimensional piece of art in this tomb people called a castle. That girl would stay alone in her dying world. There would not be even one more casualty of the king's greed and temper. Quatre was getting out of here, and it was going to be tonight.
And with his priorities again placed, the braided youth turned and opened his door… And found himself confronted with the very sharp ends of two swords.
Heero and Wufei looked at him quietly from behind their blades, their faces deadly in their seriousness, and for a moment Duo was sure he'd just arrived at the end of his very twisted line. And I never even got to touch the prince, how's that for ironic? Then the metal drew away from him and while Wufei looked down the hall cautiously, Heero motioned him out and pulled him close with one arm to whisper into his ear. "Don't ask. Trowa told us. Give us whatever stuff you plan on taking with you, and we'll bring it down to the back entrance for you. That way you don't have anything else to juggle until you've gotten out, trust me, you won't need the added hassle or risk. We can't supply you with a horse or we would have, but we have already placed an extra bag out there with some food in it, and a few blankets."
Duo was stunned. The kind gesture, and the support of some of the only friends he'd made up to this date, staggered him. They knew what he was doing, and knew that their king would probably be furious… But it seemed they also understood it had to be done. And that they were willing to put their own lives at risk to help him; he suddenly felt like crying. Indeed, his voice was tumbling out shakily as he pried his bag free and handed it over to Wufei's waiting grasp. "Y-you guys, this… I don't know how to say thanks. This means-"
But as the tears built up in Duo's eyes, Wufei turned back and scolded roughly, "Don't start that now. You have no time for such pointless displays. We know, and you're welcome. Now go and save him, and for the gods sake, see to it that he is happy and well cared for or I'll find you and cut out your heart without another thought."
That was enough of a warning to get Duo's head to bob quickly in response, and even Heero's dark eyes looked a little surprised at his lover's words, but he knew Wufei meant well and was only telling the dry truth as he so often did. As the chestnut haired being started scrubbing all traces of dampness from his eyes, Heero leaned in and continued to whisper. "We've also left that bottom door unlocked for you. The king won't suspect a thing so don't worry, he's presume some idiot left it open going in and out, or that you are that just good at picking locks. Either way, it will save you some time. All the things shall be -right- in the doorway, in a bag leaning up against the wall. Now you have to go, and be careful. Wrap him up as you travel and be patient if he is scared. Good journey."
He listened silently to the kindness of Heero's words, and then to the advice… Though most of it was stuff he would have already done if the need arose. And then the prophet took his cue and began down the dark halls.
He kept to the sides as most he could, using what little shadows were there to aid him hiding in a shroud of dimness. Though after just a little while he realized he probably didn't need to. The halls were peaceful in the dead of night, no steps coming from anywhere and most certainly no alarms being raised in the darkness. As he drifted closer to the prince's own hallway, he wondered vaguely if that was something else his guard friends had down for him or if this was just the usual. It wasn't like he'd made a habit of sneaking out in the middle of the night… And now that he thought of that, how fitting, the temptation had been quelled by the worry of being spotted and attacked as a trespasser before he could explain about curiosity. I must be insane.
In any case, getting to the East Halls of the castle proved easier to venture through then he could have ever hoped for, but as he went down that last narrow structure towards his final destination he felt a nagging thread of concern despite that fact. Unlike most of the regal and decidedly empty places he'd snuck through tonight to get here, this place didn't have the feeling of peace they did. The hall seemed to be holding it's breath in anticipation, and a low hum of energy was nearly audible in the air around him. It brought back a fragment of some strange dream- (Oh god, the roof's going to come off! I'm going to get him, then lose him because I could hold him!) - but he wasn't sure of what exactly. Most likely, he was just finally feeling his nerves kick in as he drew closer to his main reason for being here.
One. Two. Three… Four. His eyes counted the doors on the left side of the hall until they came to rest on that forth closed opening, and then he could only stare for a moment. Somewhere behind that slightly faded door, so odd in itself really since the rest of the castle looked so clean and fresh, lay a small and innocent soul. The prince was probably asleep at this hour, curled into bed and dreaming, maybe even of a world he thought he'd never see. His blonde hair was likely laying tousled across the fluffy pillows, sweet pink mouth slightly open as he shifted in sleep, and one pale hand entwined in his blanket as if to provide an anchor to his real-life room. That vision was real enough in Duo's head that he actually stumbled back and had to brace himself against the wall with a soft groan.
When love hits, it goes all the way and with a knock-out punch. He just leaned there quietly and looked over the door as if expecting it to open and invite him in, granting himself a few seconds to gather himself. After all, there'd be no point to going in there then really seeing that and freezing up now would there? This was his one and -only- chance, and if he messed up or showed even one sign of hesitation, he'd be caught. Either the prince himself would start to scream or maybe even Trowa was still in there, and although that man had been helpful up to know, he didn't doubt that his every movement was being judge by the brunette. One mess up and he felt certain Trowa'd be all too happy to label him inadequate as a savior and have him hauled away. After all, Trowa had the luxury of waiting an eternity to pick who he next saw fit to rescue his helpless ward, didn't he?
That bitter thought clicked something sadly true in his mind. In the darkness of the hall, Duo's violet eyes widened until the whites looked like silver coins in the moonlight drifting in through the stained windows. No wonder the man had been so torn between helping him and letting him foul this up on his own… He was in love with the prince, as surely as Duo himself was. That undeniable (at least in his mind) love gave Trowa the knowledge that the prince -shouldn't- be trapped here, but at the same time made him so leery and protective of losing what little contact he had. If that was the case, Duo had to give him some heavy credit. Trowa'd forgone his own heart to do what was best for the angelic looking boy, and that took a lot of effort. It was every saying about loving something and setting it free if you really cared for it in it's worst circumstances. And even with the blonde more or less forced to stay cupped in Trowa's guarding hands now, the silent and brooding young man had chosen the best option for him in the end. It was devotion on a level Duo wasn't sure he'd witnessed before.
As much as he congratulated first himself on figuring it out, and second Trowa for his on untold actions, he also fit that nudging of worry and envy. With the way the brunette had acted, Duo didn't -think- that Trowa had ever gotten his affection return, didn't really think the so called guardian had ever gotten up the nerve to tell his little unwilling captive, but how could he be so sure? What if the prince knew about this fellow's love? And worse… What if he returned it full heartedly and Duo was just going in there to break apart what could potentially be a happy couple? Yes, Quatre was still imprisoned even if he did love Trowa, but in that circumstance it was no longer isolation and any company almost always made whatever burden seem less. So now aside from the worry of being caught and the certainty of punishment, he had a gamble about whether he was truly 'helping' the boy any more or just being selfish.
For almost two minutes he'd stood there arguing to himself, trying to draw a conclusion out of a place in his mind that seemed reluctant to give him one. When he finally moved, it was because of one striking and hopeful realization. Trowa loved the prince, he was -sure- of that just from there brief meeting, or at the very least he cared extremely much for the boy. But Quatre didn't know or didn't return it. If he had, the serious man never would have come to his room with the information. If he had the blonde's love, Duo found it made no sense for Trowa to be trying to help in getting him sent away. …Unless Trowa was a lot stronger and colder then he was already giving him credit for because Duo certainly didn't think he could do that.
But in any case, it gave him the hope enough he needed to continue on his self appointed quest. He stepped away from the firm comfort the wall across from the door provided, one shaky step first then several more confident ones that brought that faded wooden portal closer. It felt like he was watching the hand that reached from the door from someone else's body altogether, seeing through different eyes that pale night-lit arm travel the unforgiving distance through the still air and finally brush the cool metal handle.
His breath stopped in his chest as his fingers closed around the knob, guilty and expectant eyes drifting to the right and left as he waited for the guards that surely must come running to take him away from that bold trespass.
Nothing came. Nothing even moved in this dead hall. The stored up air came out of him quietly and a small grin slowly crept unto his lips, then Duo began slowly turning the handle. When it clicked in it's chamber as a single it was completely open, the profit raised his hand and set it on the center of the door, pressing gently and then stepped back quickly as the door swung open on the prince's chamber…
The room was still lit at this late hour, and that was the first thing that shocked Duo. The next thing that sent his heart beating faster within his chest as his eyes drifted across shadowy things was the child-like quality to the chambers.
About the same size as his own (complete with those doors he could only guess led to a private bath), this room seemed neatly scattered with toys, dolls for the most parts, then a rocking horse at one end, what looked like tin soldiers resting there at the foot of a large and beautiful dresser. A child's ball was resting in one corner against the glass of the window, the light hitting it's strange glossy surface reflecting dull red unto the floor.
But even as his mind fixed on all this toys, other little details of a more grown-up being were slowly seeping into his awareness. On a large book shelve that sat besides the bed, there were several pretty dolls sitting there and staring blankly out, but between their pale and motionless limbs lay a stack of tomes Duo didn't think he'd ever understand even if he had the time to get through such thick old things. There were stacks of poetry and history. And on the other side of the room lay a beautiful chess set, it's pieces not on the original spots, but in various places that suggested some intense game had taken place not too long ago.
A paint easel stood on the floor next to the large colored window, the little pots resting on it's sill all still strangely open, a brush set aside that was still damp with paint as if it'd only just been discard though the seat in front of it was clearly empty. The surface of the canvas had an intricate picture on it that Duo could barely make out from his distance. It looked like some beautiful winged being slipping into or out of an oddly green sea… But it most certainly wasn't a child's piece of art. It was something Duo expected to see on sale for a great price in one of the many markets he'd passed through. And somehow the style seemed so familiar to him…The way the fabric of the creature's-- angel, it's definitely an angel --tunic seemed to flow around the delicate legs reminded him of something he thought he'd only just seen. And the way there wasn't really a halo at all, but yet the style of how the painted sunlight seemed to reflect off the creation's white gold hair suggested it was highly possible one was there.
For a few moments he just stared at that, letting the rest of the room sink in, then something shook him out of his observation. Someone was in the bathing room, he could hear the running water… And so much more important than that. Someone was laying on the bed only a few feet from the painting he was staring at.
Slowly the violet that made up his eyes moved off the fantasy of the art and towards that subtle movement in the mountains of blankets that covered the large bed. He looked over the uneven ridges of thick comforters and plush blankets… And as his eyes rose, he found himself staring into a pair of wide cerulean sea eyes.
But even as he heard the startled gasp he gave from somewhere far away and he looked over the beautiful face attached to those amazing eyes, he realized something else that sent his heart plummeting downward.
The boy in the bed was not the boy he'd seen in the hall or each night in
He was laying in the plush bed in that uneasy state of half sleep where the world around one's self feels more fake then the dreams at the edge of conscious when at last the bell tower in the peaceful town below let out the sound he'd been waiting for. It tolled once, the cry of metal lonely as it rode through the chill night air, and Duo carefully crawled out of his castle supplied bed for the last time. One way or another, he wouldn't be seeing this room again. He's either have the prince and flee with him, or he'd be caught… And in that case he thought he'd be seeing another room in this castle. Something small, cold and damp, and with a set of bars supplying the only view.
Quietly, he set about dressing himself in a hurry. Only fifteen minutes until do or die time and he didn't plan on being late for the crucial event. He pulled on some of his tighter clothes, hoping the lack of loose fabric might help with some of the unstoppable noise, and tucked the rest of his things into the faded backpack he'd acquired. Right in the middle of his remaining clothing, he placed the pretty jewelry box and protected it with more soft articles. After checking it a few times to make sure it didn't jiggle too much, or make any obvious sounds when he walked, Duo slipped it over his shoulders and headed to the door. There he stopped and turned back.
Cool amethyst eyes scanned over the regal room, testing perhaps to see if he'd miss it and if he had any regrets about the situation he'd set in front of himself. After all, it wasn't too late for him just to put his stuff away, crawl into bed, and pretend like he'd never had the idea. The soft bed and rugs were tempting, but as his gaze fell on that sad mural, all doubts resolved themselves. He wasn't going to let the prince become another two dimensional piece of art in this tomb people called a castle. That girl would stay alone in her dying world. There would not be even one more casualty of the king's greed and temper. Quatre was getting out of here, and it was going to be tonight.
And with his priorities again placed, the braided youth turned and opened his door… And found himself confronted with the very sharp ends of two swords.
Heero and Wufei looked at him quietly from behind their blades, their faces deadly in their seriousness, and for a moment Duo was sure he'd just arrived at the end of his very twisted line. And I never even got to touch the prince, how's that for ironic? Then the metal drew away from him and while Wufei looked down the hall cautiously, Heero motioned him out and pulled him close with one arm to whisper into his ear. "Don't ask. Trowa told us. Give us whatever stuff you plan on taking with you, and we'll bring it down to the back entrance for you. That way you don't have anything else to juggle until you've gotten out, trust me, you won't need the added hassle or risk. We can't supply you with a horse or we would have, but we have already placed an extra bag out there with some food in it, and a few blankets."
Duo was stunned. The kind gesture, and the support of some of the only friends he'd made up to this date, staggered him. They knew what he was doing, and knew that their king would probably be furious… But it seemed they also understood it had to be done. And that they were willing to put their own lives at risk to help him; he suddenly felt like crying. Indeed, his voice was tumbling out shakily as he pried his bag free and handed it over to Wufei's waiting grasp. "Y-you guys, this… I don't know how to say thanks. This means-"
But as the tears built up in Duo's eyes, Wufei turned back and scolded roughly, "Don't start that now. You have no time for such pointless displays. We know, and you're welcome. Now go and save him, and for the gods sake, see to it that he is happy and well cared for or I'll find you and cut out your heart without another thought."
That was enough of a warning to get Duo's head to bob quickly in response, and even Heero's dark eyes looked a little surprised at his lover's words, but he knew Wufei meant well and was only telling the dry truth as he so often did. As the chestnut haired being started scrubbing all traces of dampness from his eyes, Heero leaned in and continued to whisper. "We've also left that bottom door unlocked for you. The king won't suspect a thing so don't worry, he's presume some idiot left it open going in and out, or that you are that just good at picking locks. Either way, it will save you some time. All the things shall be -right- in the doorway, in a bag leaning up against the wall. Now you have to go, and be careful. Wrap him up as you travel and be patient if he is scared. Good journey."
He listened silently to the kindness of Heero's words, and then to the advice… Though most of it was stuff he would have already done if the need arose. And then the prophet took his cue and began down the dark halls.
He kept to the sides as most he could, using what little shadows were there to aid him hiding in a shroud of dimness. Though after just a little while he realized he probably didn't need to. The halls were peaceful in the dead of night, no steps coming from anywhere and most certainly no alarms being raised in the darkness. As he drifted closer to the prince's own hallway, he wondered vaguely if that was something else his guard friends had down for him or if this was just the usual. It wasn't like he'd made a habit of sneaking out in the middle of the night… And now that he thought of that, how fitting, the temptation had been quelled by the worry of being spotted and attacked as a trespasser before he could explain about curiosity. I must be insane.
In any case, getting to the East Halls of the castle proved easier to venture through then he could have ever hoped for, but as he went down that last narrow structure towards his final destination he felt a nagging thread of concern despite that fact. Unlike most of the regal and decidedly empty places he'd snuck through tonight to get here, this place didn't have the feeling of peace they did. The hall seemed to be holding it's breath in anticipation, and a low hum of energy was nearly audible in the air around him. It brought back a fragment of some strange dream- (Oh god, the roof's going to come off! I'm going to get him, then lose him because I could hold him!) - but he wasn't sure of what exactly. Most likely, he was just finally feeling his nerves kick in as he drew closer to his main reason for being here.
One. Two. Three… Four. His eyes counted the doors on the left side of the hall until they came to rest on that forth closed opening, and then he could only stare for a moment. Somewhere behind that slightly faded door, so odd in itself really since the rest of the castle looked so clean and fresh, lay a small and innocent soul. The prince was probably asleep at this hour, curled into bed and dreaming, maybe even of a world he thought he'd never see. His blonde hair was likely laying tousled across the fluffy pillows, sweet pink mouth slightly open as he shifted in sleep, and one pale hand entwined in his blanket as if to provide an anchor to his real-life room. That vision was real enough in Duo's head that he actually stumbled back and had to brace himself against the wall with a soft groan.
When love hits, it goes all the way and with a knock-out punch. He just leaned there quietly and looked over the door as if expecting it to open and invite him in, granting himself a few seconds to gather himself. After all, there'd be no point to going in there then really seeing that and freezing up now would there? This was his one and -only- chance, and if he messed up or showed even one sign of hesitation, he'd be caught. Either the prince himself would start to scream or maybe even Trowa was still in there, and although that man had been helpful up to know, he didn't doubt that his every movement was being judge by the brunette. One mess up and he felt certain Trowa'd be all too happy to label him inadequate as a savior and have him hauled away. After all, Trowa had the luxury of waiting an eternity to pick who he next saw fit to rescue his helpless ward, didn't he?
That bitter thought clicked something sadly true in his mind. In the darkness of the hall, Duo's violet eyes widened until the whites looked like silver coins in the moonlight drifting in through the stained windows. No wonder the man had been so torn between helping him and letting him foul this up on his own… He was in love with the prince, as surely as Duo himself was. That undeniable (at least in his mind) love gave Trowa the knowledge that the prince -shouldn't- be trapped here, but at the same time made him so leery and protective of losing what little contact he had. If that was the case, Duo had to give him some heavy credit. Trowa'd forgone his own heart to do what was best for the angelic looking boy, and that took a lot of effort. It was every saying about loving something and setting it free if you really cared for it in it's worst circumstances. And even with the blonde more or less forced to stay cupped in Trowa's guarding hands now, the silent and brooding young man had chosen the best option for him in the end. It was devotion on a level Duo wasn't sure he'd witnessed before.
As much as he congratulated first himself on figuring it out, and second Trowa for his on untold actions, he also fit that nudging of worry and envy. With the way the brunette had acted, Duo didn't -think- that Trowa had ever gotten his affection return, didn't really think the so called guardian had ever gotten up the nerve to tell his little unwilling captive, but how could he be so sure? What if the prince knew about this fellow's love? And worse… What if he returned it full heartedly and Duo was just going in there to break apart what could potentially be a happy couple? Yes, Quatre was still imprisoned even if he did love Trowa, but in that circumstance it was no longer isolation and any company almost always made whatever burden seem less. So now aside from the worry of being caught and the certainty of punishment, he had a gamble about whether he was truly 'helping' the boy any more or just being selfish.
For almost two minutes he'd stood there arguing to himself, trying to draw a conclusion out of a place in his mind that seemed reluctant to give him one. When he finally moved, it was because of one striking and hopeful realization. Trowa loved the prince, he was -sure- of that just from there brief meeting, or at the very least he cared extremely much for the boy. But Quatre didn't know or didn't return it. If he had, the serious man never would have come to his room with the information. If he had the blonde's love, Duo found it made no sense for Trowa to be trying to help in getting him sent away. …Unless Trowa was a lot stronger and colder then he was already giving him credit for because Duo certainly didn't think he could do that.
But in any case, it gave him the hope enough he needed to continue on his self appointed quest. He stepped away from the firm comfort the wall across from the door provided, one shaky step first then several more confident ones that brought that faded wooden portal closer. It felt like he was watching the hand that reached from the door from someone else's body altogether, seeing through different eyes that pale night-lit arm travel the unforgiving distance through the still air and finally brush the cool metal handle.
His breath stopped in his chest as his fingers closed around the knob, guilty and expectant eyes drifting to the right and left as he waited for the guards that surely must come running to take him away from that bold trespass.
Nothing came. Nothing even moved in this dead hall. The stored up air came out of him quietly and a small grin slowly crept unto his lips, then Duo began slowly turning the handle. When it clicked in it's chamber as a single it was completely open, the profit raised his hand and set it on the center of the door, pressing gently and then stepped back quickly as the door swung open on the prince's chamber…
The room was still lit at this late hour, and that was the first thing that shocked Duo. The next thing that sent his heart beating faster within his chest as his eyes drifted across shadowy things was the child-like quality to the chambers.
About the same size as his own (complete with those doors he could only guess led to a private bath), this room seemed neatly scattered with toys, dolls for the most parts, then a rocking horse at one end, what looked like tin soldiers resting there at the foot of a large and beautiful dresser. A child's ball was resting in one corner against the glass of the window, the light hitting it's strange glossy surface reflecting dull red unto the floor.
But even as his mind fixed on all this toys, other little details of a more grown-up being were slowly seeping into his awareness. On a large book shelve that sat besides the bed, there were several pretty dolls sitting there and staring blankly out, but between their pale and motionless limbs lay a stack of tomes Duo didn't think he'd ever understand even if he had the time to get through such thick old things. There were stacks of poetry and history. And on the other side of the room lay a beautiful chess set, it's pieces not on the original spots, but in various places that suggested some intense game had taken place not too long ago.
A paint easel stood on the floor next to the large colored window, the little pots resting on it's sill all still strangely open, a brush set aside that was still damp with paint as if it'd only just been discard though the seat in front of it was clearly empty. The surface of the canvas had an intricate picture on it that Duo could barely make out from his distance. It looked like some beautiful winged being slipping into or out of an oddly green sea… But it most certainly wasn't a child's piece of art. It was something Duo expected to see on sale for a great price in one of the many markets he'd passed through. And somehow the style seemed so familiar to him…The way the fabric of the creature's-- angel, it's definitely an angel --tunic seemed to flow around the delicate legs reminded him of something he thought he'd only just seen. And the way there wasn't really a halo at all, but yet the style of how the painted sunlight seemed to reflect off the creation's white gold hair suggested it was highly possible one was there.
For a few moments he just stared at that, letting the rest of the room sink in, then something shook him out of his observation. Someone was in the bathing room, he could hear the running water… And so much more important than that. Someone was laying on the bed only a few feet from the painting he was staring at.
Slowly the violet that made up his eyes moved off the fantasy of the art and towards that subtle movement in the mountains of blankets that covered the large bed. He looked over the uneven ridges of thick comforters and plush blankets… And as his eyes rose, he found himself staring into a pair of wide cerulean sea eyes.
But even as he heard the startled gasp he gave from somewhere far away and he looked over the beautiful face attached to those amazing eyes, he realized something else that sent his heart plummeting downward.
The boy in the bed was not the boy he'd seen in the hall or each night in