Oh em gee! It's been months, hasn't it? I'd first of all like to apologize to anyone who checked back and saw that I hadn't updated. I'm so very sorry. My computer suffered a horrible fate over the summer. It died a very violent death at the hands of some malicious virus. D I'm still mourning the death and loss of all my original writings along with my fanfics. It took FOREVER to get the stupid thing working again. But now it is and I'm back! Yay for me! xD

I'd like to address a question that was posted in the reviews. I don't recall who, but someone asked if Trowa and Quatre were going to be in this fic. They will be in this fic. I simply haven't introduced them yet. xP

I've gone back and changed a few things. Most noticeable is the new introduction of chapter 1. I felt the other one was a little too abrupt. -;; This chapter will hopefully be much longer than the others. I think I write differently now… It's been a while, but I've still been writing. I don't know. I'm not sure yet, we'll see where it goes. P

Pairings: 1+2, 3+4, eventual 1x2x1 & 3x4
Warnings: Shounen ai/yaoi, fluff, AU, OOC-ish?
Disclaimer: Do I even need to write this part? If I owned GW, I wouldn't be writing fanfics for it. Duh.

Read on, my darlings!

The Betrothal, Part IV — By: BlackAmethyst

Mortimer Maxwell, king and high ruler of the Sanq Kingdom, was currently being assaulted by three of the royal caterers. The one to his left was adamantly demanding an answer to which cloth the king found most desirable. Another standing on his right was continuously shaking three different types of wine glasses in his face. The third standing in front of him wore a rather bored expression as he inquired about which foods were to be served during the main course. He blinked blearily at his three aggressors and tried in vain to focus on the subjects at hand.

After allotting an appropriate amount of time for their sons to recover from the initial shock of being engaged, both Kenji and Mortimer decided that it was high time for the two of them to be officially introduced and their betrothal made public. After some initial discussion, it was decided for the ceremony to be held in the Maxwell Palace. The monarch of Sanq had graciously accepted the responsibility, finding it to be a needed distraction to the anxiety of the impending meeting of the two princes. However, he had not considered all of the stress and aggravation that was sure to result in all the preparations needed for such a significant event. He somehow felt that he had been swindled by Kenji. The other monarch hadn't seemed all too keen on being responsible for the ritual, which Mortimer at first found odd but now completely understood.

That damn scheming, conniving bastard. Leaving me to handle everything.Mortimer chewed on his lip thoughtfully as the two men and woman in front of him continued demanding him to make a choice. Mortimer instead thought of the ways he could possibly exact his retribution on the other monarch when he and his convoy arrived the next day.

"Your Majesty!"

The king snapped to attention as the woman holding the cloth's face drew down into a sharp frown. He attempted to smile, but only managed something that resembled a pained grimace. "Yes, Helen?"

"You can't very well expect us to plan this event all on our own!" she rasped impatiently as she situated a gnarled hand on a protruding hip. "You've already delayed long enough. This is your son's future, my lord. It's very important!"

Helen was right, of course. Helen was always right. She had been with his family since he was a child. Helen was assigned to him as his nanny when he was young, and he had again bestowed that title on her when he sired his own children. She was a very thin woman, having spent her years as a working woman in many stressful occupations, mainly having to deal with Mortimer's adolescent misbehavior. But she was as dear to him as his own mother, and he earnestly valued her opinions and thoughts.

"Of course," he sighed. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and turned his full attention again to the three people in front of him. The task soon proved tedious, and he again lost his focus.

"Mortimer!" Helen stamped to accentuate the reprimand.

"A-yi-yi," he muttered as he rubbed furiously at his temples.

"Here," came a honey voice to his left as a soft hand was placed on his shoulder. "Let me help."

Mortimer turned to face the newcomer and a genuine smile spread across his features. Sable, his loving wife and best friend, had come to his rescue. She regarded the three caterers with mild interest. She considered each briefly before giving her answers. In five seconds, she accomplished the task that Mortimer had been trying to complete for the past fifteen minutes.

After the three had gone about their business, she turned to face her husband. "Hard day at work, dear?"

Mortimer slumped in mild relief. "Thanks so much. I don't know what's wrong with me." He rubbed absently at his face. "I feel so distracted lately."

"You're concerned for Duo," she affirmed. He nodded glumly. "We all are. Has he talked to you lately?"

"He's been avoiding me like the bubonic plague."

Sable observed her husband's slightly askew hair and his ragged look. To any other person, it would seem as though the king were taking this in stride, but those who knew him could tell by his slightly disheveled state that he was extremely distraught.

His gaze suddenly locked onto her. "Do you think we did the right thing?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she sidled up to him and placed her head on his shoulder. Finding solace in her touch, he wrapped his arms around her and held her near. He allowed himself to relax a bit and let his thoughts drift with the growing concern he felt for his son.

Duo sat perched on a bench built into the circular stone wall of the northernmost astronomy tower. This was a safe haven for him. This tower alone had escaped the renovations of the palace over centuries, and was the only stone left in the structure. His legs were pulled up to his chest, his arms encircling them with his chin resting on his knees. A scowl was etched onto his features, giving him a look of murderous intent. The expression seemed to be a constant factor of Duo's behavior of late. So did slamming doors, heavy stomping, random objects being broken, and lashing out at innocent bystanders. Duo huffed and buried his nose between his knees, pressing his eyes into the caps. He knew he was being irrational and that most of his behavior was unwarranted, but accepting that didn't make him feel any better. How the hell did they expect him to act after being signed off to some foreign prince that he'd never met?

He glared at a particularly odd shaped stone placed near the right side of the bench he was sitting on. It had proved itself to be an object of interest to him since he first started to go to the tower to be alone a few days ago. It didn't resemble any of the other stones, as it had a different sheen when the sun hit it. It seemed glossier, and had a shape that reminded him of a disfigured doughnut, with an asymmetrical recess in the very center. Duo eyed it with rising interest, trying to determine the purpose of such an oddity among the normality of the other stone slabs surrounding it. With an idle upturning of his left shoulder, he decided that the object didn't merit that much attention.

Instead, he turned his gaze over the stone barrier and out onto the horizon. Smoke rising from sporadic factories dotted the sky. The landscape was strewn with houses and buildings of every shape and size. People buzzed along the streets in their own quiet business, unaware of the raptor gaze fixed on them from hundreds of feet above. Duo watched the free subjects of his homeland meander and banter in the market just outside of the main gates to the east. He silently envied the liberties granted them by being born as a simple citizen. They had the right to chose who they wanted to be their partners in life. Duo pined for that freedom. He hated being forced into a marriage with a person that he knew absolutely nothing about, save for that he was a prince like himself.

Duo again scanned the view laid out before him. He watched hawks dive into the cotton fields to the south and horses grazing in the foothills to the north. But his gaze was suddenly riveted to the west, were the sun was beginning to sink behind the glittering ocean. The sky lit up in a burst of hues. Oranges, reds, pinks, and yellows lined the sky as the sun made its decent. The sparkling water lit up in a blaze as the sun seemed to meet with the earth. Duo sighed and rested his elbows on top of the stone, cradling his face in his palms. Unknowingly, a smile stole onto his face. He adored sunsets, and found that this one helped to drain all the stress and anxiety out of him. In these moments of twilight, Duo felt most at ease. But the magic didn't last long—the sun all too quickly disappeared below the ocean.

Duo turned his gaze up, hoping to find a hint of stars in the now deep mauve colored sky. He could spot maybe two or three, but no more because of the garish lights of the city. He turned away and placed his feet on the ground, steadying himself before he stood to return to the castle below. He reflected on his behavior of the past few days, and the circumstances leading up to that behavior. He thought of the war and of the many events hinging on this union. He lowered his head so that his chin nearly touched his chest. Despite all his objections and rebellious actions, deep down, Duo knew that this was needed.

It still didn't mean that he liked it, but he decided to try and deal with it better.

With this new resolve in mind, he stood. Perhaps it wouldn't be as bad as he thought it would. Maybe Heero would be interesting and fun to be around. Even if they were nothing more than friends, it would make the situation at least bearable. Either way, he'd find out tomorrow. Convincing himself that he wouldn't judge the other prince before he met him, Duo made his way down the twisting stairwell of the tower and through the corridors to the lavish dining hall.

Having grown tired of being kept in the dark about his fiancée, Heero decided to confront the only person in the palace who seemed to have some sort of knowledge of the boy.

Dorothy.

Heero shuddered at the thought of having to deal with the deranged woman, but deemed it a necessary action.

He trudged slowly through the corridors, making a list of the questions he wanted to ask in his mind. So many questions raced through his mind. There were so many things he didn't know about this boy who he was to share the rest of his life with. His feet led him to Dorothy's door before he was quite ready. Drawing a deep breath and slowly releasing it, he lifted a hand and gently rapped the back of his knuckles on the frame.

A soft voice bid him enter the room. He hesitantly twisted the knob and stepped over the threshold into Dorothy's chambers.

Dorothy sat at the end of her bed with her gaze fixed absently on a book resting on her lap. Her strange eyebrows were drawn down in concentration of whatever she was reading. A waterfall of pale blonde hair was pulled back from her face by the ever present band and cascaded around her shoulders to pool around her. Heero stepped apprehensively forward and closed the door. After a few moments of silence, he cleared his throat to make himself known.

Dorothy's eyes dragged up to him, as though she had only just acknowledged his existence.

"Heero," she sighed softly, a slight smirk started to crawl onto her face. "To what do I owe this unexpected visit?"

Heero shifted uncomfortably. He hated talking to Dorothy. Her soft words and lingering glances made him feel dirty somehow. "I wish to discuss something with you."

"Really." She casually turned a page in her book. "What?"

The prince considered his words before deciding that a direct approach would probably be best. "I want you to tell me about Duo."

Dorothy's eyes again drifted up from her book. Her gaze fixed somewhere on the wall before her. "Duo," she breathed softly, the name sounding eerily like a soft plea. A wicked grin crossed her face. "Oh, yes. I know Duo."

"What's he like?" Heero asked. He was unnerved by both the fiendish look on her face and his own desperation to know more about the other prince.

A soft peal of laughter permeated the room. Dorothy's head swiveled to face Heero again.

"My dear prince," said she. "Why ever would I tell you something like that?"

Heero's jaw flexed as he ground his teeth together. "I simply wish to know more about the boy I am to marry. That is all."

Dorothy regarded him silently for a moment. Her lips twitched and she threw her head back and let out a low, malicious laugh.

"Oh, Heero," she said after regaining herself. "How I love seeing you squirm." She turned her attention back to her book. "No…" She scanned a few lines and flipped the page. "I don't think I'll tell you about Duo." Her gaze locked on to his with a nefarious gleam in her eyes. "I'd much prefer to see you sweat it out."

A loud grunt of effort rang through the air as a shining object arched in an indecipherable blur. It clanged together with its metal twin, sending shuddering tremors up the wielder's arm. Sweat trickled in a fine line down a sculpted bicep as the two males held their weapons crossed in a deadlock. A mouth parted to show gritted teeth as a feral growl rumbled deep from a throat. With a flick of the wrist, the heated male effectively dislodged his opponent's weapon. Chest heaving, the raven haired boy glanced to the side where his katana lay ten feet away. His adversary stood rooted in the same position after disarming him, with his sword held slightly out to the side.

The boy with the more angular features drew his eyebrows together and carefully studied his counterpart. Still panting from the exertion, he said, "You're really in a tiff over this, aren't you?"

The other boy lowered his sword and used his other wrapped hand to wipe the sweat from his brow. He made his way to the edge of the room and sat heavily down onto an ornately carved bench. He dug around in an ice chest and produced two water bottles. Tossing one to his cousin, he downed half the contents of his own.

"Did you talk to Dorothy?" The fine featured male asked.

The Prussian eyed prince scoffed harshly. He poured some water onto his hand before reaching back to rub it over his neck. "She wouldn't give me a straight answer."

The other male tilted his head slightly to one side. He sat beside his cousin and sat in quiet contemplation for a few moments. "What did she say?" he asked after a lengthy silence.

"Not much of anything." The prince stretched, resulting in a few popping joints. "She's enjoying hanging this over my head."

"She must have given you something to go on."

Heero jerked violently at the wraps on his left hand. "Only that she finds Duo intoxicating."

Wufei chuckled softly. "Are you frightened to meet him then, Heero?"

Heero glared at nothing in particular. In fact, he found Dorothy's adamant interest in Duo quite disturbing. She was not the kind of person to praise anyone lightly, and the fact that she fixedly adored Duo was more than cause for concern.

Heero ran through his conversation with Dorothy in his mind over and over, trying to piece together something about the boy that he was to be married to. No matter how many times he examined the discussion, he couldn't find anything more to it.

He had become increasingly irritable the closer the day of the introduction ceremony came. He was beginning to feel frantic, desperately seeking a way out of his predicament. It felt as though he was locked in a cage, and with every passing day, the bars were closing in on him.

Heero tipped the bottle of water over his head. He shook his mop of hair, flinging drops of water in every direction. Gently rubbing his thigh where his cousin had clipped him earlier, he asked, "Have you finished packing yet?"

Wufei was following his example by pouring water over himself. "Yes. When do we leave?"

"First thing in the morning, " Heero replied as he stood. He crossed the room and grabbed the sheath to his sword and tossed Wufei's to him. Stowing his weapon, he turned toward the exit.

"I'm going to go shower. I'll see you at dinner."

Wufei grunted in response, as he was currently preoccupied with polishing his sword.

Heero stepped out into the marbled hallway and cringed as his footfall resounded off the walls. He hated this hall. You couldn't walk in it without your footsteps reverberating in painfully loud echoes down the entire stretch of the corridor. Heero preferred to be silent in his movements. He didn't like for people to know when he approached. It felt like an infraction of privacy when everyone knew where you were.

Treading as softly as possible, he traversed the extravagant hall. It was another reason Heero hated this hall. It served no purpose but that of getting from one point to another, and yet it was far too lavishly decorated for such a menial task. It wasn't even the main hallway, and it didn't lead to any exceptionally important rooms.

Heero seethed. He growled in the back of his throat at the repeating click of his boots against the marble.

"Growling at the floor again, Heero?"

Heero's head shot up. There, standing no more than ten feet in front of him, was his brother Trowa. He was fully donned in his personal gear. In his hand he held a long bow ornately carved with twisting vines; across his back was slung a quiver filled with a half dozen arrows. At his hip was his ever present sword. Heero's eyes widened slightly.

"How did—…" Heero cut himself off as he abruptly cursed himself at being distracted by such a trivial thing as his anger at the marble floor. Trowa could have easily been someone else. It could have been an assassin standing before him reading to take his life and he'd have been distracted and unarmed. An ideal target. But then again, Trowa was much more silent than Heero. His quiet movements had an eerie quality to them.

Secretly, it unnerved Heero.

Trowa apparently didn't see it as such a serious matter. He was shaking his head and laughing at his half brother. It wasn't a wide spread fact that Trowa and Heero didn't share the same blood. Few knew that Trowa was the child of their shared mother's previous marriage. Trowa's father was a mystery to the brothers. All that their mother would tell them was that Trowa's father had died in a raid during the war. Two years later, she remarried the king and Heero was born shortly thereafter.

"Looks as though you've just come from a sparring session with Wufei," Trowa said as he approached his brother. Heero nodded the affirmative. "Has he beaten you yet?"

"No," Heero again absently stroked his newly acquired bruise from Wufei. "He's getting better, though."

Trowa smiled. He clapped Heero on the shoulder. "It sure is good to be home. Back in the norm."

"It's good to have you back," Heero said as a genuine smile of happiness crossed his face. "I could really have used your company these passed few days."

Trowa's expression dimmed and his hand slipped off his brother's shoulder. "I've heard." His eyes narrowed as he surveyed his sibling. "How are you taking it?"

Heero rolled his shoulder in dismissal. "As well as any guy who just found out he's to be married to another boy for the rest of his life."

An uncomfortable silence weighed heavily down on them for the next few moments. Heero fidgeted as he searched for a way to change the subject.

"What was it like in the wastelands?" Heero asked as he continued walking down the hall.

Trowa trotted a bit to catch up. "Well," he began as he came up beside Heero. "They don't call them the Wastelands for nothing. The ground is all barren and cracked from the heat." His face scrunched up with disgust. "And there's this horrible, putrid stench."

"Sounds homely," Heero said as they turned a corner and came to an elaborate staircase. His personal bed chambers were up the stairs to the left, in a hall that wasn't made of marble. "Did you find anyone out there?"

"No," Trowa sighed. "But, then again, we never really expected to in the first place."

There had been rumor recently of a group of people being sighted in the wastelands, and not a small group of people, either. The wastelands lay far to the east, away from any form of civilization. The king had been baffled from the reports of such a large number of people in such a harsh climate. He dispatched a team to ride out and find out the reasons for them being there and to administer aid if needed. The group rode out as ordered and searched for days, but to no avail. Not a single person had been sighted.

"Doesn't make any sense, does it?" Trowa asked as he wrapped his fingers together behind his head. "Why so many people would be out there."

Heero grunted noncommittally as they approached the door to his bedroom. "As much as I enjoy your company," Heero stated as he opened the door. "I'd rather not have you follow me while I get into the shower."

Trowa chuckled slightly. "I'll see you at dinner then."

He turned to walk away, but Heero stopped him. "Will you be accompanying me to the Maxwell Palace tomorrow?"

Trowa looked dumbfounded. "Of course I'm going, Heero. What would make you think I wasn't?"

Heero gripped the doorframe, his knuckles turning white. "This is a really hard time for me. Wufei's going to be there, but it's not the same as having you there."

Trowa gave him a soft look. "I'll be there," he said gently, then turned and walked back toward the staircase they had just ascended.

Heero somberly watched his brother's retreating form, his footsteps undetectable on the carpeted floor. When he disappeared below the steps, Heero closed himself inside his chambers.

Whoo! Finally I update! It feels like it's been years. cries I'm so sorry for the delay! I hope that this chapter was an improvement. I took my time on this one. I tried to make it better. After going back and reading it, I realized that it had a much more serious tone to it. I didn't mean to do that intentionally, it just happened. I've had an inspirational explosion since I picked up writing this story again. It's now going to be much longer than I had originally planned… Or at least I think it will be. I may yet change my mind again. Look forward toward their meeting in the next chapter! I've been thinking so much about how I'm going to do it that I've started dreaming about it. oo;; Uh, yeah… Oh! And I had such wonderful reviews. Thanks so much! Please review again!