Warnings: Angst, violence, language, adventure, lemons, AU, fantasy, angst again.
A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update this – I was sick, and that led to me being completing unmotivated… but now I'm better and I'm back!
A/N #2: Okay, so there's some more major Duo angst this chapter, but then…things start to get better. I promise. I just wanted everyone to know that there IS hope on the very near horizon before you start reading further. And thank you, by the way, for that further reading.
Lost Dreams
Chapter Seven
Duo kept his early morning routine of practicing with Meilin. He appreciated the time she was investing in him, but even more so, it was the most relaxing part of his days. He enjoyed being able to focus all of his mental and physical energy on one task.
Nights were undoubtedly the worst part of his days. They were riddled with nightmares and memories and when he woke up – usually very early in the morning – his brain often felt hazy as he sorted through the dark visions.
Going through the sword exercises with Meilin was a wonderful opportunity for him to put everything aside, to clear his mind and just exist.
The morning after his visit to the temple he was feeling particularly in need of focus, but for an entirely new reason. Instead of his sleep being plagued with the faces of the dead it had instead been fantasies of Heero and Trowa that had woken him in a cold sweet.
He didn't know if it had been the drinking, the lewd poetry, or the casual way the two men talked about sex – but it was impossible for Duo to not picture the two of them together, as they had been by the river.
"You're distracted," Meilin interrupted his wandering thoughts with an angry sighed.
He forced visions of golden, naked bodies out of his mind and turned to her.
"I'm sorry."
"Yes, well, I if daydreaming is more important than learning how to properly defend yourself with a sword, then –"
"It isn't. I'm sorry." He repeated and then smirked at her still angry face. "You are going to be such a scary mother. So manipulative already."
She opened her mouth to snap back at him but abruptly closed it and looked past his shoulder.
Duo turned to see what she was looking at and couldn't help the frown that formed on his face.
Quatre Winner, the pale, blonde lover of his brother, approached them. His stride was jaunty and there was a bright, determined smile on his face.
"This can't be good," Duo muttered to Meilin.
"He's not that bad," she admonished him.
"Really? Then why do you–"
"Morning!" Quatre called brightly when he got closer.
"Good morning," Meilin returned politely.
"Hey," Duo muttered.
Quatre's smile remained firmly in place, clearly not swayed by Duo's lack of enthusiasm.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Meilin."
She shrugged.
"Don't be. He wasn't paying attention and there's no point in learning to do something wrong. We'll try again tomorrow morning." She nodded to both of them and then walked away.
Duo's jaw dropped at her abandonment. She knew he didn't want to have to talk to Quatre!
"I promise I don't bite," Quatre joked, pulling Duo's attention back to him. The blue eyes had a slightly amused gleam to them. "Well, I won't bite you," he amended. "Your brother, on the other hand, I –"
"Ew. Don't need to know. Ever." Duo winced at the mental image those words conjured.
Quatre laughed. It was a bright, rich sound and Duo felt himself immediately soften towards the other man.
"Now that," Quatre insisted, "was a perfectly normal reaction to information about your brother."
Duo frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Quatre shrugged.
"I mean that I've been watching you, and whenever anyone mentions anything about Solo – good or bad – you tense up and look like you want to run away."
"I didn't realize I was that obvious," Duo muttered.
Quatre snorted a laugh. "Yeah, I hate to break it to you – but you are just about as bad at hiding your emotions as your brother is – see! There it is again!"
Duo forced himself to stop frowning. He sighed.
"Okay, so I should…work on my reactions to information about Solo. Is that what you came out here to tell me?"
Quatre arched an eyebrow at Duo's tart words, but his smile was still firmly in place.
"Actually I wanted to offer my help."
"Help?" Duo echoed.
Quatre nodded.
"Solo's birthday is next week. I thought you might want my advice getting a present for him…"
Duo scowled. He had never really kept up with the dates of things from this life, even though Solo and Gregory's birthdays were both celebrated by all Therans. One year he HAD been in a free worker town during Solo's birthday. It had been one of the most depressing days he could recall that had nothing to do with death.
Quatre was still looking at him expectantly. Duo sighed.
"Yeah, I guess."
Quatre's smile widened.
"Excellent. I thought we could go into the East Market and look through a few shops and the stalls."
Duo arched an eyebrow.
"Sure my jailer will approve of that?"
Quatre smirked.
"Heero has relaxed his orders about you – he doesn't need to accompany you, but we do have to take two guards."
Duo shrugged off the feeling of disappointment that announcement created. As annoying as he found it to be escorted everywhere, he was starting to enjoy Heero's company.
Quatre started off in the direction of the castle gates, and Duo fell into reluctant step behind him. When they reached the entrance to the fortress Duo instantly noticed the two guards standing off to one side, chatting to the regular sentries.
He glared at Quatre.
"You set this up ahead of time?"
Quatre shrugged.
"I thought it would be better to be prepared." Quatre smirked. "Plus, when there's something I want, it's damn near impossible for anyone to resist me."
Duo opened his mouth to argue, but the bright look on the blonde's face had him shaking his head instead.
Quatre signaled to the two guards, who walked over and greeted them.
"My prince," they said to Duo with a bow. They turned to Quatre. "Prince."
"We're heading to the Eastern Quarter," Quatre informed them. "And I'm sure no one is actively trying to kill Duo yet, so if you wouldn't mind, please be inconspicuous and give us space."
"Of course," the guard responded.
Duo looked at the blonde with a new sense of appreciation. He had just commanded those guards as though HE was their Captain. The look on his face and tone of his voice were firm and authoritative. It made him wonder about the dynamics of Quatre and Solo's relationship. From appearances, Quatre looked pleasant and … sweet. But Duo could see, even now, that the blonde had an iron will.
"So," Quatre said brightly, turning back to Duo once they were through the gates and walking towards the Eastern Quatre, "Solo thinks you're going to die a virgin and the throne of Thera will be empty."
Duo almost tripped.
"I – what?"
Quatre shrugged.
"He thinks you're a virgin," he paused and looked to Duo for confirmation.
Duo briefly debated telling the other man to go to hell, but the look of determination in those bright blue eyes had him reconsidering. He sighed.
"Yes, I am."
"Nothing wrong with that – all of us were virgins at some point in our lives," Quatre assured him.
Duo chuckled at that logic.
"Therans are a bit…well, sex is something Therans engage in very frequently," Quatre continued. "I'm not suggesting it's unnatural or wrong for you to be a virgin, but… it is strange for a prince of Thera to be sleeping alone at night."
Duo frowned.
"What if I'm not interested in anyone?"
"Because the priests told you not to be?" Quatre asked.
Duo rolled his eyes.
"No – I mean, yes, but… it's complicated." He remembered the words of the priest yesterday, his admonition that Duo had to live and love. He sighed. "But mostly no. It has nothing to do with religion. Not anymore."
"So you just haven't seen anyone sufficiently interesting to capture your attention?" Quatre suggested.
"No, my attention's definitely been captured," Duo muttered and then instantly flushed.
"Oh really?" Quatre looked triumphant.
"It doesn't matter. If Solo is so concerned with me making heirs for the kingdom I don't need a lover anyway, right? Should I, what, start courting someone?" He frowned at the very thought. He knew almost no one in the Theran court. He couldn't even recall the names of any women.
"What about Hilde?" He asked, latching on to the ONLY woman he remembered – and certainly the most interesting.
Now it was Quatre's turn to stumble.
"Um, first, you're a little young to be worried about producing heirs – Solo's just being obnoxious and he's worried you're a eunuch. Second, Hilde Scheibeker? She's…trouble."
"Oh?" That only intrigued him more. Quatre sighed, clearly realizing his mistake.
"Her father is the Duke of Antioch."
"Please don't me that doesn't make her my cousin or something," Duo begged.
Quatre laughed.
"No, no. I keep forgetting that you don't know so much about Thera. The Duke of Antioch is an elected position. It's held for life and it's a very high honor. It is the duty of the Duke to protect Antioch during a siege, and during peace times he acts as a mediator between the various guilds and residents of the city. Conrad Scheibeker was a great general in the Mysian army, but he retired his command when Hilde was born. When the last Duke died he was almost unanimously elected to fill the role."
"So… the problem is that she's not nobility?" Duo hazarded. " Because that doesn't mean shit to me."
"No, well, yes, that is a problem. The bigger issue is that Hilde…" Quatre sighed and looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know that Wufei and Meilin have a very unique relationship, yes?"
Duo nodded in agreement, but he wondered where this could be going.
"Among the nobility marriage is viewed as a partnership, and a tool for creating heirs. It is incredibly rare and very… odd to have a couple view each other as lovers, as well as spouses."
"Doesn't work that way with commoners," Duo pointed out, having lived nearly his entire life among them.
"Exactly," Quatre agreed. "Commoners do marry for love and for lust and it is very rare and odd for them to have same sex lovers."
"Okay…" Duo had no idea how this related back to Hilde.
Quatre sighed.
"Hilde is, well… she's odd. She's a commoner, but she, ah, her preference for female company is very well known in court. She has been the lover of many of the noble women."
Duo's eyes widened at that information.
"No way?"
"Yes. Her views on marriage and men are… not very positive."
Duo grinned.
"I like her."
Quatre rolled his eyes.
"You cannot pursue her." He frowned. "Are you… do you prefer women to men?"
Duo shook his head.
"I don't think so." He tried to picture Hilde naked, but aside from having no frame of reference, he couldn't muster much enthusiasm for the mental exercise. But calling up his memory of Heero and Trowa… "I prefer men," he concluded.
"If you do prefer women, it would be odd, but not bad. I'm sure Gregory would start negotiating to find you a wife –"
"No, really, I prefer men. And Hilde – I'm not kidding about her. I like her."
"Okay," Quatre hesitantly agreed. "If you're a virgin, what makes you so sure you prefer men?"
Duo's face flushed. He couldn't very well tell Quatre that the sight of Heero and Trowa's naked bodies was permanently etched into his mind and was one of the very few good things that plagued his sleep.
"Ah… so someone has caught your eye," Quatre surmised. "Who is it?"
"It's not – it's not like that. It would never happen." Logistically, Duo really didn't think there was any chance either man, let alone both, would ever develop the same fixation on him that he had for them. Not to mention the fact that they were completely wrapped up in each other. Duo had no idea how three men would engage in physical acts – he barely had any idea of how two would.
"Maybe I can help," Quatre suggested.
Duo snorted.
"What, you'd just go up and ask the two of –" he snapped his mouth shut. "Aren't we here to get Solo a present, anyway?" He demanded.
Quatre's blue eyes were almost comically wide, but after a second he shook himself.
"Yes. Um… right. He enjoys hunting. Perhaps a new falcon?" Quatre suggested and nodded towards a storefront decorated with carvings of birds in flight.
Duo frowned.
"No, he's already got hunting falcons, right?"
Quatre nodded reluctantly.
"What doesn't he have?"
Quatre sighed.
"Honestly? The man has damn near anything he could ever want or think of. At least, materialistically." Quatre's blue eyes were sharp as they met Duo's. "You know, Solo sleeps terribly."
"Please don't let this be a set up for more sexual innuendo," Duo begged.
"I've shared his bed for three years now – but I know this isn't a recent thing. Nearly every night he wakes up, sweating, panting, crying out your name."
Duo swallowed against the sudden lump in his throat.
"Solo loves you. His very life is devoted to protecting you – because it is his duty, but also because you are his brother. When you were kidnapped, something inside him died." Quatre shook his head. "He blamed himself for your kidnapping – even before he knew you did." Quatre's eyes were hard and angry now. "And he knows that you can't – won't forgive him. He's sleeping better, now that you're back, but when he looks at you… I wish you could see his face when you turn away from him."
Duo frowned.
"I'm grateful that you came back, that Solo can now fufill his destiny, but I swear to the Gods, Duo, if I have to spend the rest of my life looking at him looking at YOU with so much despair and longing…" Quatre shook his head. "I have no idea what life you have led, but I do know that you have an immense future. I ask only that you allow Solo the same."
Under Quatre's frank blue stare Duo felt a wave of shame. He wanted to be angry with Quatre, wanted to argue and point out that his own sleep was plagued with nightmares and memories of deaths so gruesome that nothing would ever blot them out. But there was truth in Quatre's words, and Duo prided himself on never turning his back on the truth.
"I don't know how," he admitted in a quiet voice.
Quatre's face softened, but he remained silent.
"I worshipped him, when I was a kid – I remember that. And when I saw him in the throne room that day it was… I have this one memory, this one really great memory of him. Everything else is just bits and pieces, but he used to swing me up onto his shoulders and carry me around outside, in the orchard, so that I could pick apples without help." Duo shook his head. "I saw him and I remembered that - that perfect fucking memory and I wanted to forget everything that's happened between then and now. I still – I can't, Quatre. Of course he deserves to be happy – my father too. They aren't bad men. But I'm not – I'm not who they want me to be, and I can't be. I'm not their prince. I'm not good enough for him, Quatre. I'm not good enough for him to look at me like that, or for him to wake up crying my name."
The blonde man looked appraisingly at him.
"Well," he said after a moment, "that's just bullshit. From the moment Solo first heard rumors about you – about a rebel named Duo Maxwell who not only managed to kill the Grand Inquisitor but also managed to give Trowa a run for his money, Solo has been proud of you. He doesn't want you to forget your past or abandon who you are - you are their prince and you are good enough for Solo, and for Gregory, and for Thera. And for Trowa and Heero."
Duo narrowed his eyes at the other man.
"I can't say that I blame you," Quatre continued, his voice now teasing, "those two are beautiful to look at. Not much for conversation, unfortunately, but in bed you don't necessarily need to do much talking."
Duo glared at him.
"Perhaps we should go gift hunting another day," Quatre suggested. "There was something I wanted to show you, anyway."
Duo regarded him suspiciously.
"Come on, I'm not going to take you to a brothel or anything – unless you want me to?"
Duo glared and Quatre laughed.
"I'm guessing Heero and Trowa don't know of your… interest in them," Quatre surmised as they turned and started to walk back to the palace.
"No," Duo growled, "and no one else ever needs to know."
"Why not? It's nothing to be ashamed of. Like I said, they're beautiful men."
"I'm not ashamed, but there's – there's no point in it, now is there?"
Quatre shrugged. "They aren't monogamous. It's true that they've been lovers for…ten years now I suppose, but they've been with other men on occasion."
Duo frowned. For some reason the idea of Trowa and Heero with someone else didn't feel right to him. Those two were so finely tuned to each other that he simply couldn't imagine one without the other.
"Trowa's gone for most of the year," Quatre continued. "He visits during the warmer months, but he only lives here during the winter. I suppose they have some agreement to –"
"I'm not interested in one of them," Duo snapped, unable to listen to Quatre hypothesize about it any longer. "I want them both. I… it's not about sex."
Quatre arched an eyebrow.
"Not entirely," Duo amended quickly. "It's just… have you seen them together?"
"Having sex?" Quatre asked in amusement. Duo glared at him.
"No, just, together. Talking, or fighting, or just… walking beside each other."
"Yes," Quatre answered.
"There's this air of completeness about them – like the two of them are this single unit that is perfect and completely self-sustaining. I want… I want to be a part of that. I don't want to share their bed, I want… I want to belong."
"To them?"
"With them," Duo corrected. "I don't belong to anyone," he insisted.
"Duo."
He looked over at Quatre, taken aback by the change in his tone.
"Quatre?"
"I'd like to be your friend. I know that I'm your brother's lover and you don't entirely trust me, but… I'm a good friend and you need a friend."
"I've got Wufei and Meilin."
"Also good friends," Quatre assured him.
"Why?" Duo asked. "Why do you want to be my friend?"
"I like you. You are nothing like Solo, and yet… I like you."
Duo hesitated for a moment.
"I'm not really… I haven't had friends before now."
Quatre's blue gaze was sharp.
"No friends?"
"None who lived for very long."
"Well," Quatre assured him, "I'm not going anywhere. Not unless your brother fucks me to death anyway."
"Argh! Again! Seriously, I do not need to know!"
Quatre laughed.
"Follow me," he told Duo and gestured towards the castle in front of them.
"Please please don't be showing me something to do with you and Solo and sex," he begged as he followed Quatre inside and towards the royal quarters.
"Mmm. Okay, since you asked nicely."
Quatre opened the ornate door to a room several yards down the hall from Duo's own. He cautiously followed the other man inside.
"Come on," Quatre said, sounding impatient, and tugged on Duo's arm. "Echo's litter are ready to be given homes, and we wanted you to have first pick."
"Echo?" Duo repeated.
"Our setter. Great hunting dog." Quatre led him into a bedroom and indicated a pile of fur near the fireplace.
"A dog."
"Yes, a dog."
"You want me to…you're giving me a dog?"
"Yes. If you want one – they're about fourteen weeks old, perfect age to meet their new master."
"I've never had a dog."
"Well, we can fix that," Quatre assured him and gave him a shove in the direction of the dogs. "Here, sit down and in no time you'll be covered in puppies."
Duo frowned but did as instructed, sitting down on the rug by the fireplace, just out of reaching distance of the setter and the litter of nine puppies.
The dam, Echo, regarded him with intelligent brown eyes. Her coat was a mottled mix of brown and white fur, and it looked soft enough that he was tempted to move closer and touch her.
Quatre joined him, sitting on the other side of Echo, much closer to her than Duo, and ran a hand over her back.
"She's harmless, unless you're river fowl. Or Solo's leather boots," Quatre told him.
Duo was still unconvinced, however, especially after the dog yawned and revealed massive teeth.
"The Mysians use dogs to hunt out secret temples," he said.
"The Mysians could take a ray of sunshine and turn it into a weapon," Quatre muttered.
Duo arched an eyebrow at the bitterness in his voice.
Quatre sighed. "It's not that Zechs and Relena – the prince and the Queen – are evil, they're just surrounded by evil advisors and they want to rule all of Hellas."
"I'd beg to differ on the evil part," Duo muttered.
"You'd know better than me," Quatre agreed.
They fell into silence, Quatre still running a hand over Echo's back, and Duo staring at the litter uneasily, convinced they would attack him at any moment.
Sure enough, it was only a short time later when first one, and then three more, wandered over to him and started to sniff and then nip at his clothes.
"Hey!" He scooped up one that seemed intent on shaking either itself or Duo's breeches to death.
He held the solid brown puppy up to his face and regarded it. He noticed several white flecks across her cheeks and on her belly, almost an inverse of the pattern on Scythe, his horse.
"You," he decided, "are a trouble maker."
Her wriggly brow knit together at his words, as though she were trying to decipher his meaning, and then she nudged her head forward and swiped her tongue across his nose.
"No more fighting with my pants," he told her and set her back down.
Instead of tottering back to her brothers and sisters, the pup stayed by his side and whenever any of the others got too close or tried to grab his breeches she jumped on to them and wrestled them away before returning to his side.
The second time it happened he reached down and petted her.
"Good girl," he whispered. She rolled over and he tickled her belly until she started to kick him and nip at his fingers. He let her use his hand as a toy, tugging on her little legs and then waving his fingers just out of reach. She yipped in delight at the game.
He had no idea how much time had passed, but when he next looked up, Quatre was gone.
"Quat –" he turned to see Solo sitting on the bed. He frowned. "This is your room?"
Solo nodded. "Our room – Quatre shares it with me."
"I… didn't realize."
"Or you wouldn't have come inside?" Solo guessed.
Duo scowled and then shrugged.
"Probably not."
Solo sighed and rose from the bed. He approached Duo and the dogs slowly, as though afraid of startling them. He sat down in almost the exact spot that Quatre previously had. Most of the puppies tottered over to him, stumbling in their eagerness to greet him.
Duo was gratified to see that his companion barely stirred. She had settled against his foot and was blinking her eyes slowly, clearly fighting sleep.
"I'm sorry for that," Solo said.
"Me too," Duo admitted.
Solo frowned at him.
"I am," Duo insisted. "I wish – I want– hell, Solo, I don't know anymore."
"You don't have to stay," Solo said after a long moment of silence. "Here. In Thera. If you… if you want to go, I won't stop you. You deserve to make your own fate."
Duo snorted. "And what about you? Don't you deserve to be free also?"
Solo shrugged.
"I'm content here. I have Quatre, I have my duties and my friends. This is my life, but it doesn't have to be yours. If you would rather live out there, I… I can help you."
Duo frowned and then shook his head.
"There's nothing for me out there. Solo, I shouldn't have said that – I should never have told you that I waited for you to find me."
"Was it a lie?"
"No," Duo assured him, unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "Every stranger who came to the temple I always ran to see, hoping it was you."
"I deserved it," Solo said. "I did. And… at least you thought of me, remembered me."
Duo swallowed hard at the sincerity in Solo's voice.
"Why did you stop?" Solo asked.
"What?"
"You said you waited ten years for me – why did you stop?"
Duo shook his head.
"It's not – it's not your fault."
"Nor is it my right," Solo added. He sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't know where to begin with you. I want – I need to know who you are. You're my brother and you've been gone for fifteen years. That's time I'll never get back, but I want us to have a future. I want you to have a future."
Duo gently lifted the puppy on his foot and held her in his arms. The feel of her soft, warm body was amazingly soothing.
"The Mysians came, that's why I stopped waiting for you. I was fourteen, almost fifteen, and Father Maxwell had me hide the younger kids in the hills overlooking the temple. He wouldn't let me stay, wouldn't let me help. I couldn't get to everyone, just the youngest kids – the rest… they waited for ME to come back for them, but I was too late and they died." He shook his head. "They died because they waited for me. And I realized… I couldn't wait for you, Solo. It wasn't that I gave up on you, or that I stopped believing you'd find me. But I couldn't wait. I had to do something."
"So you became Duo Maxwell."
"Yes. I got the kids to the nearest free worker settlement and then I hooked up with some rebels. I've spent the last five years doing what I could. It's never enough – it's damn near pathetic, what I've done, but I couldn't wait any longer."
"I understand."
Duo looked up at him.
"It's not about you," Duo clarified.
"I know," Solo agreed. "I wish I'd had the courage to do the same. I've spent the last fifteen years waiting for you– word that you were dead, or some insane chance that you still lived. But I haven't done anything. I haven't been the prince I should have been, or even the prince I could have been." He sighed. "I just… I wish we could just start over."
Duo regarded him for a moment and then set the puppy down in his lap. He held out a hand to Solo.
His brother regarded it warily for a moment, but when Duo waved it in his face he accepted it.
""Hi, I'm Duo, your insanely witty and damned impressive little brother."
Solo smirked.
"And I'm Solo, your ridiculously good looking and amazingly good in bed older brother."
Duo winced and Solo chuckled.
"Seriously, what is it with you Therans and sex?" He muttered.
Solo gripped his hand tightly when he started to pull away.
"You have every right to be angry with me, for as long as you want," Solo told him.
"No, I don't. You're my brother and I love you. That's what I thought about, every day for the last fifteen years – not that you didn't come find me – but that I loved you and I missed you."
Solo cleared his throat.
"So, what are you going to name her?" He nodded at the dog in Duo's lap and released his hand.
He frowned and looked down at her. He hadn't realized it, but he HAD chosen her – or rather, she had chosen him.
"Hellas," he decided.
Solo nodded.
"A good name. She helped bring us back together. Perhaps we can help bring the land of Hellas back together as well?" Solo suggested.
That night, Duo snapped awake in the middle of a dream about Solo, Quatre, and Heero jousting.
Hellas whimpered, and as she did so kicked Duo. Her sharp little claws dug into his side and he shifted away from her and then frowned.
What had woken him?
He surveyed the dim bedroom. The fire was a low, orange blaze behind the iron gate, but it provided enough light that he could see the outlines of the room's furniture. Everything looked to be in place, and there was no movement in the room.
He sighed and rolled over onto his back. He reached out and ran a hand over the dog's soft fur, hoping to soothe her back into sleep. He had no hopes for his OWN return to sleep. The novelty of having the soft, warm body pressed against his side had certainly helped him fall asleep in the first place, but once awake, he knew from experience that it was nearly impossible for him to fall back asleep.
After a few minutes of petting her, Hellas was sleeping again. Duo carefully rolled away from her and got out of the bed.
He stoked the fire back to life and stood in front of it, enjoying the feel of the warmth on his face.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw a shift in the shadows and he spun around.
A solid mass dove out of the shadows and crashed into him. Duo toppled over and landed on the hard, cold stone floor. His skull cracked against it and he cursed.
His attacker was straddling his hips, and Duo could see only the glimmer of dark eyes glaring down at him. The rest of the man's face and body was wrapped in black.
His eyes weren't the only thing glimmering – Duo caught sight of the dagger just as the man swung it towards his throat.
Duo barely managed to catch the man's wrist and stopped the blade just as it touched his throat.
The man's other hand latched onto Duo's braid and wrenched his head to the side.
One hand still latched onto the knife, Duo lashed out with his other hand. He punched the man in the throat. The man gargled brokenly and Duo felt his grip relax on the knife.
Duo threw his weight forward and reversed their positions so that the man was now under him. Duo forced the dagger against his throat.
"Who are you?" He demanded.
"The man who will kill the Theran menace," the man hissed.
"Yeah, not going to happen," Duo promised. "Maybe you missed the part where I've got your own knife pressed against your throat?" Duo applied a little pressure, cutting into the flesh slightly.
"I've got more than one knife," the man replied. It was Duo's only warning before the man twisted to the side.
The knife sliced into his neck, but the man was still moving, drawing another, longer and much scarier looking knife, and lashing out at Duo with it.
Duo dove backwards and then ducked the man's next attack. He rolled to the side and grabbed for the iron poker by the fireplace. He got to his feet and held it in front of him.
The man laughed at him and lunged forward. Duo parried the attack with the poker. The man danced to the side and slashed into Duo's shirt. He could feel the drag of the knife against his side, but it felt like little more than a scratch.
Duo instantly swung the poker at the man's head, catching him completely off guard and knocking him to the ground.
"Who sent you?" He demanded.
"Better men than you."
Duo rolled his eyes and then kicked the knife out of the man's hand when he moved to attack Duo again. He pressed the sharp end of the poker against the man's heart.
"You'll need to be more specific than that," he said idly.
"Mysia will rise up and destroy you."
"So I'm guessing… the Mysians sent you." Duo pressed the poker harder, leaning his weight against it.
"And they will send more after me, you worthless heathen!" The man grasped the poker in both hands and shoved it into his own chest.
Duo instantly dropped the poker, shocked and incredibly disturbed that the assassin had taken his own life.
"Holy shit." He watched the body writhe for a moment and then still. Cautiously, he knelt and checked for a pulse. The man was dead.
He stared at the body for a moment, transfixed by the dead man and the sight of the iron poker rising from his chest.
Duo shook himself and stood. He needed to get the guards.
He opened the outer door of his chamber and had to leap backwards to avoid the two bodies that immediately fell inside.
"Fuck!"
He checked for a pulse on both guards, but they too were dead. Their throats had been slashed, and Duo's fingers were dark and sticky with their blood. He hastily wiped it on his shirt before gently closing their eyes.
There were now three dead bodies in his room, and Duo was sufficiently disturbed to decide to get Heero.
He was the sure the Captain of the Guard would know what to do – likely there was some protocol for this.
It wasn't the first time someone had tried to kill him – not even the fifth time – but for some reason he found himself on the verge of panicking.
When he reached the door to Heero's quarters he pounded on it until it opened.
Heero looked sleep tousled and was completely naked, but the sight of his golden, naked body and the sword he held in one hand somehow made breathing easier for Duo.
"Duo." Heero was scowling slightly, his blue gaze searching Duo's face.
"There are three dead bodies in my room and I don't know what to do with them. The guards were killed. An assassin from Mysia. Bastard tried to kill me but – fuck, Heero, he killed himself! I was standing there and he just grabbed – he killed himself!" Duo knew he sounded hysterical, but the image of that man stabbing himself kept replaying itself in his mind.
Heero's eyes widened and then scanned Duo's body.
"You're hurt."
Duo looked down and noticed the blood spattered over his shirt.
"I'm okay," he insisted.
Heero grabbed his arm and pulled him into the room before slamming the door closed.
"Let me see," Heero said.
Duo looked around the other man's quarters and felt an eerie sense of déjà vu.
There was movement amidst the curtains on the bed, and then they moved aside to reveal Trowa. He was just as naked and tousled looking as Heero, and Duo forced himself NOT to think about the two of them together. Even though it was a much more pleasant mental image than the other one he was battling.
"Duo."
He looked back at Heero. The man had set aside his sword and was looking at Duo with determination.
"I'm fine," Duo repeated. He felt his side through the cut in his shirt. "He just nicked me. Barely a scratch."
"Show us," Trowa repeated Heero's request.
Duo scowled.
"I'm –"
"What are you hiding?" Trowa interrupted. He stood up and approached Duo. "The first night I met you, you were injured but you wouldn't take off your shirt to let me put any ointment on your injuries. You won't let the pages dress you, and you sleep with a shirt on. What are you hiding?"
Duo opened his mouth to argue, but the fierce expressions on both their faces made him pause.
"I need to see if you are injured before I can check your room," Heero insisted. "The cut might be deeper than you realize. You're likely in shock and –"
"Damnit." Duo pulled off his shirt in one quick, angry movement. "There. As you can see, it's nothing."
He glared at the two men, daring them to react to what he had revealed.
Their expressions were impossible to read, and he could only imagine what he looked like to them.
Trowa was the first to move. He stepped forward, but his eyes were on Duo's chest.
"What is that?" He asked, his voice low and deadly.
"It's the sign of the Gods," Duo sneered. "I've got the same thing on the back of my neck."
"I've never seen it…like that."
"Like that? You mean burned into a man's skin? Carved into his flesh?"
"Yes. Like that." Trowa's gaze met his own, and there was a simmering rage in their green depths.
"As far as I know I'm the only man alive with this mark," Duo told him.
Heero frowned.
"It's not… a religious thing?" He sounded doubtful. Duo knew how little both men thought of religion, but it was nevertheless insulting that Heero would even consider that this sort of torture was for the sake of the God of Death.
"Actually, I suppose it is." He clenched his shirt tightly in his hands, desperate to put it back on and cover up the mark, but he refused to give in to that instinct. "The Inquisition likes public executions, you know. Mostly it's burning people, but a few hangings also… those are mostly for the followers – the poor bastards unlucky enough to get caught at a secret temple service. But the priests – those they burn. If you're convicted of heresy they brand you. Minor offenses and you get a small brand, here," Duo gestured to his sternum, just below his throat. "But for those found guilty of actively believing, of serving the gods, you get sentenced to death. And just so the people watching you burn know what your crime was, you get this brand. First they burn it into your flesh, and then they cut it open and fill it with ink. Usually it's sloppy, hardly looks like a bird, much less an eagle in flight. But me, I was lucky. The Grand Inquisitor himself took an interest in me and… gave me this memento."
"You were sentenced to die." Heero's voice was a hoarse mixture of shock and anger.
"That's the punishment for proselytizing," Duo sneered.
"When did this happen?" Trowa asked.
"Two years ago. Took me awhile to meet up with the Inquisitor again, but I gave him a memento of my own."
Duo had tied the man up and carved an eagle into his forehead before killing him. The Mysians liked to lay out the bodies of their dead, dressed in white, their faces bare for the mourners to see. He had watched the funeral for the Inquisitor, and he had felt immense satisfaction when he saw the body was completely wrapped, head to toe, in white linen.
Trowa reached out and lightly traced the head of the eagle, just over Duo's heart. He forced himself to hold still. He desperately wanted to lean into the touch – the urge to do so was almost as strong as his urge to flee, and he found himself able only to stand, frozen in place.
"You're ashamed of it," Trowa concluded.
"I'm ashamed of a lot of things," Duo pointed out. He stepped back, unable to bear the firm and yet strangely gentle press of Trowa's fingers on his scarred flesh any longer.
"You shouldn't be," Heero argued.
Duo glared at him.
"This mark – the Mysians use it to mock the faith of the priests who defy them. The men who die with this carved into their chests are… martyrs. I'm not. They came for me, and they tortured me, and I repented. I cursed the God of Death and I turned my back on my God. And yes, I am ashamed of that."
Up Next: Duo's first kiss! (Sorry, it's going to be another Duo POV chapter too)
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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.