Warnings: Angst, violence, language, adventure, lemons, AU, fantasy, angst again.

A/N #1: So, this is me, which means that Trowa and Duo are going to be involved. There will be more pairings, but I'd really rather let them develop than paste them all over this.

A/N #2: The POV will switch between characters – likely MOSTLY between Heero, Duo, and Trowa.

A/N #3: I'm not sure if anyone even reads these things, BUT, if anyone out there does: can I offer/request a challenge/trade? This fic was supposed to be a Tangled/Rapunzel thing, but it was immediately derailed – for the good. However, I really love the idea of a 2x3 Rapunzel fic. So… if anyone out there loves me and wants to write one, I will gladly accept any challenge you want to offer me. Seriously, I will write any GW fic you want me to - AU, canon, 1x2, 3x4, 1xR for that matter (although, seriously, please no?). Anyway… all you writers out there, give it a thought?

Lost Dreams

Chapter Five

Duo had never slept well. For as long as he could remember he had been plagued with nightmares. As a child – and even in the rebel camp some nights – he often woke up screaming.

And now he had another fifty faces to add to those who haunted him whenever he closed his eyes.

The first few days of his return to Thera had passed in a blur. Once Trowa had convinced him to stay, Duo had made an effort to study his surroundings. He spent the daylight hours trailing after Solo or Gregory, meeting courtiers and officials, but he couldn't bring himself to talk much with either man. There was simply too much Duo wanted to say, and he was afraid that even polite small talk would open the floodgates.

But the nights he spent on his own, wandering the palace corridors and discovering secret passages. His third night back he discovered the Royal Archives, and the echoing stacks were the only place in the entire palace that he felt at home.

He wandered the towers of books until he figured out the cataloging system, and then he pulled out a stack of books on the Sentinels and buried himself in them.

It was very late when he heard voices and saw the flickering light of a lantern moving through another part of the Archives. He immediately blew out his candle and waited, heartbeat thundering.

He wouldn't put it past Heero to have sent his guards to track him down in the middle of the night – the Captain had ordered his men to escort Duo everywhere on the palace grounds, and he even had two guards posted around the clock at his chambers.

But as the lantern approached, Duo could make out two voices, and neither belonged to Heero – or Trowa.

"… voice is the only thing that quiets her, " a woman was saying.

"Him," a man said.

"No, our daughter is not a 'him' and you need to accept that fact, Wufei. Hm, how about the farming treatise of Aripo? That should be put her right to sleep."

"Very well, wait here."

There were footsteps, and then the lantern came closer. Duo cursed as he realized that the bizarre archival system had placed the history of the Sentinels on the same row as Agricultural history. He scrambled to his feet, but was too late.

The lantern light washed over him and Duo froze.

"Good evening, Prince Duo."

He didn't recognize the man, but Duo didn't recognize anyone among the palace courtiers yet. The man was a few years older than Duo, and his exotic features were curtained by loose, shoulder length black hair.

"Er, hello."

The man smirked.

"Reading in the dark?"

"Yeah, you know, trying to keep my eyes sharp…" Duo scratched at the back of his neck.

"I'll leave you to it, then," the man said and pulled out a slim volume from a shelf. "Just be sure to put those back when you're done? I'd hate to think that you have as little respect for books as your brother does."

"Oh, no, of course." Duo quickly reshelved the books, and the two men stood looking at each other.

"If you're having trouble sleeping, my wife assures me that the sound of my voice puts anyone to sleep – even our unborn child who insists on dancing in her belly all night."

Duo frowned. He didn't know who this man was, but he certainly wasn't a member of the Royal Guard, or a Sentinel, or any of the dozens of courtiers he had been introduced to over the last few days.

"Who are you?" Duo asked, but nevertheless followed him out of the row.

"I am Wufei Chang, and this is my wife, Meilin."

He placed the lantern down on one of the long research tables and it illuminated the features of a woman just as exotic looking as Wufei.

"Good evening, prince," she said, and her tone was more amused than patronizing.

"But… who are you?" Duo wasn't sure he wanted to hear a bedtime story from one of his father or brother's cronies.

"I'm one of the few remaining hostage princes," Wufei said, looking slightly amused, "as is my wife."

"Hostage princes?" Duo sat down across from Meilin.

"Hm. You probably don't know about us – you were too young, and I doubt palace gossip filtered as far out as the Western Wood."

Duo arched an eyebrow. To his knowledge, no one outside of the Heero, Trowa and his Sentinels, and Gregory and Solo had connected Duo to the rebel he had been.

"The kingdoms of Hellas have long been at war with one another," Wufei started.

"Tell me something I don't know," Duo muttered.

"The sheer tonnage of what I know that you don't is staggering, I wouldn't even know where to start," Wufei mused, a concerned look on his face.

Duo was momentarily startled, and then he laughed.

It felt like the first time he had laughed in years. He had to wipe tears from his eyes and catch his breath.

"Oh, you're funny."

Wufei's lips twitched upwards.

"Don't encourage him," Meilin muttered, but she shot Wufei a fond look.

"But these hostage princes?" Duo prompted after a moment.

"Yes. Gregory decided that he would try to build alliances with several kingdoms, and cow his enemies by taking the kingdoms princes as hostages. So, the two eldest children from every royal family were… invited… to grow up at this court. It started after Solo was born, and most of the princes were his companions growing up. However, a few of us didn't come along until later – closer to your birth. Meilin and myself are only a few months older than you."

"Pretty young to be starting a family," Duo pointed out.

"We… let's just say that our kingdoms have been at war for even longer than the Mysians and the Therans. Getting married and having a child was the only way for us to prove that we loved each other and would not be separated."

Wufei reached across the table and squeezed her hand.

"So what happened? Did the idea work?"

"Do you see Thera surrounded by allies?" Wufei asked. He sighed. "Like many brilliant ideas, it was a complete failure. The Mysians refused to hand over Milardo, the eldest royal child, so Gregory had him abducted. When Relena was born he did the same. Even Thera's allies didn't like the idea of handing their children over. Only Kos and Ios willingly sent their children to this court. They understood what Gregory was trying to do – he wanted the children raised together so that as adults they would remember their childhood friends and hesitate to go to war. He also wanted to ensure that his children held sway over all others."

"By the time you were born," Meilin continued, "all of the kingdoms – except for Kos and Ios of course – were ready to declare war in order to get their children back. The Mysians actually did declare war, but it took four years for them to figure out that the best way to get their children back was to take Gregory's. So they hired mercenaries who stole back Milardo and Relena, and also took you."

"Yeah, I remember that part," Duo muttered.

Wufei arched an eyebrow, but continued. "In any case, after that, most of the princes were allowed to go back to their kingdoms. The prince of Ios remained, and the prince of Kos – Sylvia, and both myself and Meilin."

"Why?" Duo asked. "Why did the two of you stay?"

"Well, we were five at the time, so it wasn't so much OUR choice," Meilin pointed out. "But our kingdoms were at war with each other and… they rather forgot about us. By the time they remembered that their future rulers were still hostages in Thera they had nearly wiped each other out, and Wufei and I decided we didn't want to return."

"So… who's ruling?"

"Our parents are still alive. Maybe in a few years, once they understand that they are missing out on their grandchildren, they will understand that we have infinitely more in common than we have apart." She tossed her hair over one shoulder. "Gregory has given us leave to stay here as long as we desire."

"What about Kos and Ios? I don't even know where Ios is – and I can't believe the Sentinels would allow their future Queen to be raised away from them."

"You don't know where Ios is because it doesn't exist anymore. They Mysians invaded two years before your birth and they destroyed everything. Ios was a small kingdom, just an island in the Southern Sea, and the Mysians enslaved the free workers, slaughtered the royal family, and salted the lands. There's nothing left there. The entire island is abandoned. One massive grave." Wufei shook his head. "Anyway, when the Mysians invaded Ios, the Sentinels decided they'd had enough of Sylvia being raised in Thera and they demanded their future queen be returned to them. The prince of Ios went with her." Wufei shrugged. "And that was that."

Duo frowned. He wanted to accuse Gregory of inciting massive destruction and destroying Thera's allies, but he had to admit that the idea had been a good one, and he wished that it had worked out better than it had.

"At least we still have Kos as an ally," Duo muttered.

"We? So you won't be abandoning Thera to go back to wandering the Western Wood as an outlaw?" Meilin asked.

"No, I'm staying." Duo propped his head up with one hand. "I'm just… I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do."

Wufei and Meilin exchanged glances.

"I'm sure that Solo and Gregory will –"

"I don't care what they want me to do! I'm not going to be some idiot on a throne who just sits back while Solo goes off and wrecks havoc. I'm not going to allow more innocent people to die just so he can finally feel like he's a warrior or whatever. I just don't know what else I can do."

"We could… help you," Wufei said slowly. "We know the customs of Thera better than most, and –"

"And what Wufei is trying to say, is that he knows literally everything and if you want someone to teach you how to get around whatever Solo and Gregory have planned for you, he's the best advisor you could hope for."

"And you?" Duo asked.

She shrugged.

"I'm one of a handful of people who can actually defeat Solo in armed combat." She rubbed her rounded belly. "Not at the moment, of course. I can teach you exactly how your brother thinks, and I can teach you how to defeat him."

Duo frowned. "I don't want to fight him. I just don't want to be their puppet."

"Exactly," Meilin agreed, "which is why you need to compete in the tournament and defeat him. Prove to Solo that you aren't the poor, starved rebel that you look and that you're worth taking notice of. Show both he and Gregory that you have a will and strength to rival their own. It's the quickest way to earn their respect. You need to enter the duel and win."

"Okay," Duo said after thinking it over for a few minutes. "I'm in. Teach me."

Duo spent as much of the next three days as he could in their company – meeting Meilin in the courtyard for fencing lessons early in the morning, sitting with Wufei for hours in the afternoon learning the recent history of Thera, and just how the kingdom had changed since he had been kidnapped, and evenings talking strategy with both of them.

It managed to give his days meaning, and he appreciated the fact that he no longer woke up each day at dawn and contemplated running away. Yes, Trowa had convinced him to stay, but everything since that day had shown him only that his initial instinct to run had been correct. Now, Meilin and Wufei were giving him the hope that he COULD change things, and he was grateful.

He had seen little of Trowa or Heero since their return, only catching sight of them at random times- meals, in passing in the corridors, or often one or both of them in Solo's company.

It was more than a little irritating that the only two people in the entire kingdom who knew anything about Duo were, in fact, friends of his brother. He knew it was ridiculous to be jealous – after all, it wasn't as if the two were amazing conversationalists, or even had much respect for Duo.

But he wouldn't have minded the opportunity to look at them more. There was something about the way that they moved that he couldn't keep his eyes off of them. Duo was convinced they were the most beautiful men he had ever seen, and maybe it was just a need to punish himself, but he wanted to be near them, to soak in their golden beauty.

He eventually got his wish the evening before the tournament. He was in the middle of his usual evening wanderings, before he planned to meet Wufei and Meilin in the archives, when he came across the two of them in the Winter Garden.

They had set up a ring of lanterns that Duo estimated to be roughly the same size as the circle that competitors would use the following day. Meilin had explained to him that the two opponents would fight until one was forced from the ring, or was faced with a killing blow. The duel would use wooden blades, but Heero and Trowa were practicing with the real thing.

Duo crept close enough to get a good view, and spent the next hour watching as they seemed to dance around each other. It seemed that both were anticipating the moves of the other, and the fluid way they reacted made it clear that they had done this countless times before. It was hard to see which man had the advantage, and Duo wasn't sure that either one did.

Eventually they stopped, coming to some mutual, silent agreement and stepping back from each other.

Trowa was sheathing his sword when Duo started to creep away.

"Leaving so soon?" Trowa called out.

Duo froze in his tracks and then turned and walked towards them, adopting an air of casual indifference.

"No point in staying to watch if you're done," he said.

"I'm going to assume that the guards at your door have no idea you aren't in your quarters," Heero said with a sigh.

Duo sneered. "Don't worry, they're just as clueless as they have been every night this week. I'm telling you, with guards this poorly trained it's no wonder I was kidnapped in the first place."

He saw Heero flinch and he frowned at the look of anguish on his face.

"The deficiency is entirely my fault," Heero said, his voice terse. He glanced at Trowa and then back at Duo. "Thank you for the criticism, my prince." He bowed to Duo and then stalked out of the garden.

"What's with him? It was a joke!" Duo looked after the Captain in dismay.

"His father died trying to defend you from the mercenaries who kidnapped you," Trowa said, his voice mild. Duo watched as the Sentinel doused each of the lanterns save for one, which he used to light the path as he walked to Duo. "And Heero takes his duties very seriously. They aren't a joke to him. You marauding about the castle because it amuses you is one thing – but consider that Mysia WILL send assassins after you, and Heero can't protect you if he doesn't know where you are."

"I can protect myself," Duo assured him, but he felt a wave of guilt. He hadn't meant to insult Heero.

"Yes. Clearly." Trowa's gaze was shadowed in the dim light of the lantern, but Duo could make out the censure in his eyes. "Far be it from me to disagree with a prince. Who I've twice taken captive."

"I guess it's a good thing that Kos is our ally, then," Duo muttered.

"Indeed." Trowa sighed. "You can't sleep, can you?"

Duo started to argue, but the look in Trowa's eyes told him that the Sentinel wasn't going to use the information against him.

"No," he sighed. "These damn feather beds are too soft."

Trowa nodded. "Makes it too easy to dream."

"Yeah, gods I see their faces as soon as I close my eyes and..." Duo shook his head. He couldn't believe he was talking about this with the near-stranger.

"Those rebels you buried?"

"Them and others. I could go the rest of my life without seeing another body and be a happy man."

Trowa sighed. "We didn't tell them about the massacre."

"Thanks for that."

"You should, though. They deserve to know about the life you've led."

"They deserve ? They deserve to know that I was responsible for the deaths of fifty innocents? They deserve to know that I've –" Duo cut himself off and shook his head. He wasn't about to stand here and spill his sorry life story to Trowa. No matter how much he seemed to actually care about Duo, he was still Solo's, still a believer in the Theran cause – and Duo couldn't share those dark secrets with a man he didn't trust. "They don't deserve shit," he finished and stormed off.

Duo entered the outer hall the next morning feeling vaguely nauseated. He didn't know if it was nerves – he was terrified of being a complete embarrassment to himself, Wufei, and Meilin – or if his lack of sleep was finally catching up to him. Either way, it was an effort to greet Gregory and Solo with anything approaching politeness, and enthusiasm was impossible.

Gregory's throne had been moved to a small dais overlooking the outer hall, and a ring of white chalk had been drawn on the marble to indicate the playing field for the tournament duels.

It seemed that most of the court had assembled to see the tournament. The duel was open to anyone who cared to enter, but Meilin had warned him that the field would be a narrow one – Solo, Trowa, and Heero were notorious warriors and over the years, in various tournaments like this one, they had developed a reputation of horribly embarrassing their competitors.

The herald standing beside Gregory announced that twenty eight warriors had entered the field, and that he, Duo would be the first to compete – and against Ralph.

Duo met the Sentinel in the ring and grinned.

Ralph smirked.

"This should be fun," Ralph promised.

"Looking forward to it," Duo agreed.

The fight was over all too quickly, however – Duo was able to trick the Sentinel into stepping outside the circle within five minutes through a series of feints that left the Sentinel stumbling backwards until he tripped and fell over, outside the circle, onto his back.

There was good natured laughter from the court, and Duo chuckled as he helped the Sentinel back to his feet.

Ralph shook his head.

"That was embarrassing," he muttered.

"Maybe you and your leader should start a club of Sentinel's I've embarrassed," Duo suggested.

Ralph looked like he wanted to say something, but instead he sighed and held out his hand.

Duo shook it.

"We'll have to have a rematch sometime," Duo suggested.

"You're on," Ralph promised.

Duo retired to the side of the hall and stood with Wufei and Meilin.

"Well done," Meilin congratulated him. "You ended it too soon for anyone to see what your fighting style is really like – and that's your main advantage against Trowa, Heero, and Solo."

They watched as the rest of the first round concluded, and then Duo was called up again to face a new opponent.

The man he faced this time had short, dark hair and dark eyes that sparked with challenge. His opponent looked even younger and slighter than Duo and was dressed in baggy canvas trousers and a loose shirt that was belted at the waist.

The boy bowed to Duo and then immediately started to attack, battling Duo to almost the edge of the circle within just a few steps.

Duo had to sidestep a blow to even remain on his feet, and he followed through on the motion and turned around behind his opponent, prepared to attack from the rear, but the boy turned and met Duo's blow with his wooden sword.

He had to move quickly to avoid a counter-attack, and they spent the next few minutes dancing across the circle, both battling for the upper hand and neither able to get the advantage over the other.

Finally, however, Duo was able to slip in under the boy's guard and delivered a blow to his wrist that sent the boy's sword flying out of the circle.

The boy looked ready to continue the fight even without his weapon, so Duo simply thrust his sword into against his chest, right above his heart.

Duo's eyes widened as he encountered soft flesh.

"You're a girl?"

The boy – or girl sneered.

"Yes, obviously."

Duo blinked in surprise, and then he grinned.

"Good fight."

She looked furious for a moment, but then she returned his grin.

"It was," she agreed. "I'm Hilde Schiebeker."

"An honor to meet you." Duo dropped his sword to his side and gave her a short bow.

"Likewise," she assured him and bowed lower.

She left the circle, and Duo retreated back to the side again.

"Who is she?" He asked Meilin and Wufei.

"Trouble," Wufei assured him.

Duo started to ask for more details, but then Trowa and Solo stepped into the circle.

Their fight was long, and it was clear that they were as used to each other's moves as Trowa and Heero were, and it looked more like a choreographed dance than a duel. By the time it was over, Duo was in awe of both men. Solo won by forcing Trowa out of the circle, but the duel had been close enough that Duo was sure that, if they were to fight again, Trowa could just as easily win.

Heero's fight was less evenly matched – he faced one of his Lieutenants, and the fight was over before it barely started. Heero moved fast to disarm the other soldier and had him at sword point barely three minutes into the fight.

Duo whistled in appreciation, and then groaned in despair when the herald announced that he would face Heero next.

"Good luck," Meilin muttered as Duo moved to the circle.

"You'll need it," Wufei added.

"Thanks." Duo glared at the man, but he only shrugged.

Heero bowed to him, looking vaguely uneasy at the prospect of facing Duo. He once again felt a wave of guilt for his careless comment last night, and he wished that he could apologize for it. Somehow he doubted the proud soldier would be willing to accept any apology from him, however.

They started slow, cautiously circling one another and testing out their movements.

But suddenly Heero changed the pace and started to strike out, forcing Duo to fall to defense.

Heero almost managed to force Duo out of the circle, but then Duo sidestepped a blow and used his momentum to lash out and change their footing, forcing Heero to fall back and put up his guard.

One of Duo's blows swung just a little too wide, and Heero managed to push in, closing the distance between them and grabbing Duo's sword arm.

Duo caught the momentary hesitation in Heero's eyes and he snarled.

"Don't you fucking dare let me win!"

He jerked free and shoved his shoulder against Heero's chest, sending the other man staggering back a few feet.

With a few furious slashes of his sword he managed to beat Heero back to the edge of the circle and then lashed out, landing a solid kick into his gut, and sent the soldier sprawling out of the circle.

There was a moment of stunned silence from the on-lookers, and then wild cheering.

Duo approached the other man and held out his hand.

Heero looked at the hand as though contemplating whether or not it was a trick, but then he accepted it.

Duo pulled him back up to his feet.

"I don't want anyone to die for me," Duo said, "but I'd be damned happy to have you fight alongside me."

"It will be an honor to serve you," Heero responded.

He sighed.

"Just don't try to punch me again," he muttered.

Heero's lips twitched, and then he burst out laughing. Duo had to smile along with him, a bit taken aback by just how rich the soldier's laugh was, and how attractive he looked when he was smiling.

"But the gag?"

"Try it," Duo dared him.

Heero smirked and then bowed to him before moving off.

"It seems that the two princes of Thera are the last warriors standing," Gregory spoke up.

The king was smiling, and looked to be enjoying himself just as much as if he had won Duo's fight.

"The final match will be held this afternoon," the herald announced.

Duo watched as the courtiers trickled from the hall, no doubt to take part in the midday feasting before returning to watch him fight Solo.

He saw Heero and Trowa walk out together and felt a momentary flash of envy. They had an easy companionship born of years of trust – and no doubt years of sex – and Duo realized that he had NEVER had that. He had never known anyone long enough to feel that comfortable around them.

Wufei and Meilin approached him.

"You did well," the scholar informed him.

Duo smirked.

"I fought dirty."

Wufei shrugged. "Yes, but there are no rules against it. It seems only logical to use any weapons at your disposal – including your feet. Come, let's get lunch and Meilin can tell you all about Solo's weaknesses."

His wife gave Duo a predatory grin.

"If I can't fight, at least I can help you beat him." She ran a hand over her rounded belly. "At least, if I train hard enough, I will be able to compete in the summer Hellas games."

The Hellas games were, Duo had always thought, the clear demonstration of just how insane the Therans and Mysians truly were. For one month every summer they – and all of the neighboring kingdoms – set aside their conflicts and sent their best warriors to compete in a series of games. Duo had never attended them – the priests at the temple felt they were a ridiculous waste of time, and since the entire event was dedicated to the God of Life, it was an insult to their own god – but as a child he had dreamed of winning them. It was a dream he had long ago abandoned. It was ridiculous to fight for sport, and he felt more than a little disgusted by the tournament he was currently engaged in.

Duo followed Meilin and Wufei as they skirted the crowd moving towards the Great Hall and instead went directly through the kitchens. Wufei prepared a basket of food, while Duo grabbed a bottle of cider and three glasses.

They made their way to the Winter Garden, and Duo was grateful for the peaceful atmosphere and the company of the married couple.

"He outweighs you by at least fifty pounds," Meilin said after they had all settled down and started to eat.

"And he's about six inches taller than me," Duo muttered.

"So you have a much lower center of gravity – use it to your advantage."

Duo nodded thoughtfully.

"I noticed when he was fighting Trowa that he doesn't watch his back too well."

Meilin nodded.

"Yes – it's one of his few weaknesses. He never seems to think that an opponent would dare to strike him from behind. He's too… honorable, I suppose, but really it's just stupidity. The only honor in a battle is winning it."

Wufei snorted.

"That isn't true and you know it – you above all others know that the way the battle is won is the only path to honor."

She shrugged. "If we're talking about a war, then yes, but personal combat – the very nature of it suggests that the individual is –"

"No, no, you're completely wrong. If –"

"Hey!" Duo interrupted their argument. "You two can fight about this later, for now… let's just focus on the important issue here. Me."

Wufei rolled his eyes, but Meilin grinned and returned to planning out the battle.

By the time that the crowd had reassembled after lunch, Duo felt confident that, at the very least, he wouldn't make a fool of himself.

Facing off against his brother was… not something Duo had ever dreamed of doing. Then again, he had thought he would never see him again.

He knew that it wasn't fair, but he just couldn't seem to forgive either Gregory or Solo, and he desperately needed this chance to show at least Solo just how angry he was.

The herald called the court to order, and Gregory gave his blessing on the fight.

The two brothers bowed to each other, and Solo had barely risen when Duo lashed out, immediately forcing him on the defensive.

Solo meet his every strike and lunge with elegant parries, but Duo refused to give him the opportunity to attack. He knew that Solo outweighed him, and if he allowed the other man any advantage, the fight would quickly turn and he would be faced with defeat.

He could tell that Solo wasn't taking this entirely seriously – he was smirking slightly, as if the entire affair was an indulgence for his little brother – and that only drove Duo to more aggression.

Duo feinted another blow to Solo's front guard before dropping to the ground and rolling behind him, he came up and, before Solo had a chance to turn, delivered a stinging blow to Solo's spine with the flat of his wooden blade.

Solo hissed in pain, and when he turned to face Duo there was a determined look in his eyes.

"Ready to take me seriously?" Duo taunted him.

Solo didn't answer, but instead adopted a lower guard and delivered a series of lunges that Duo barely managed to parry in time. The last one he had to block with his forearm, and the force of the blow had him staggering back.

"I take every fight seriously," Solo assured him.

Duo sneered and lunged forward, landing a solid hit against Solo's side before Solo body checked him and sent him sprawling to the ground.

He lunged for his sword, but Solo stomped down on the wooden blade just as he lifted it and it splintered in two.

Duo jerked it free and rolled out of the way to avoid the swing of Solo's still intact sword.

He lashed out with his legs, scissoring them between Solo's, and sending the other man flying onto his back.

Duo leapt to his feet and kicked Solo's sword out of his hand. He held his own broken sword at Solo's throat, resting one jagged edge against his jugular vein.

He waited until he had Solo's full attention and the prince's furious eyes were focused on his.

"You said you'd find me," he said, careful to make sure his voice didn't carry. "You promised you'd never lose me."

The anger and humiliation went out of Solo's eyes.

Duo swallowed against his own emotions.

"I waited, every day, for ten years. I waited for you to find me. But the Mysians found me first, Solo. They kept their promise and they had their revenge."

Duo tossed aside his sword and turned to face Gregory. He bowed to the king, and then he walked out of the room, a wave of gossip following him.

Up Next: Heero has to deal with TWO angry princes.

-0-

Some facts about this fantasy world:

There isn't actually any magic. It's really just kind of a medieval-ish place, with a small pantheon of gods. The gods will be explained more as we go, but they don't really interfere with life – it's a lot like our own contemporary religions.

Thera and Mysia are ancient Greek cities/islands/states and I'm definitely stealing a bit from Greek mythology as I craft this.

As for technology: again, very medieval, except that I gave them running water – because, let's be honest – running water is AWESOME and truly necessary to even think about the Gundam boys being super hot and having lots of sex.