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

Lost Dreams

Chapter Eight

The next morning Duo dressed with care.

He had spent the remainder of the night, after the assassination attempt and after he literally bared his soul to Heero and Trowa, in the archives. Trowa, two Royal Guards, and Hellas had kept him company – and everyone involved had sworn to never tell Wufei that both Trowa and a dog had spent the night in the Archives.

It had been surprisingly restful – the two guards had remained silent and kept their posts by the archive entrance. Trowa had picked up some ancient tome, propped his feet up on one of the research tables, and quickly became absorbed in whatever he was reading. Duo had spent a few hours prowling the stacks, walking off his anxiety and frustration, before finally settling down with a with text on the lost kingdom of Ios.

No one had made any comment to Duo's admission of guilt during the Inquisition, and he couldn't help but feel that both men were judging him, likely as harshly as Duo was judging himself.

It was dawn before Heero tracked them down to announce that Duo's quarters were clean again, and he reluctantly returned to them, accompanied by the two guards.

It was impossible for Duo to sleep – he could smell the recent deaths in the room even if the evidence was gone – but Hellas quickly curled up between his legs, her small head resting on his knee, and was asleep in moments. Which left Duo alone with his thoughts for the next few hours.

Heero planned to inform the King and Solo of the assassination attempt later that morning, and Duo had demanded to be present. He had been surprised that Trowa also wanted to be there, since the Sentinel had little stake in Theran affairs. Perhaps he just wanted to make sure that his sleep was uninterrupted in the future?

Duo was convinced that his father and brother would overreact, and make this an excuse to declare war on Mysia. As much as Duo hated the Mysians, he had meant every word when he had spoken to Trowa when he first arrived – he did NOT want the freeworkers and commoners to suffer because the Theran royalty wanted to go to war. He planned to tell everyone exactly that.

He dressed in a rich blue velvet doublet and breeches, hoping to convey the image of a cool and confident prince. He didn't want them to feel that he needed protection or that he was weak – he needed to be strong.

Before going to the meeting, Duo took Hellas down to the Royal Stables, where one of the stable boys had promised to keep an eye on the dog, and the rest of the litter, during the day.

His guards then escorted him to the King's private study, a room that Duo had not been in for fifteen years.

He was the last to arrive – Solo was leaning against the massive marble fireplace, a scowl firmly fixed on his face, while Gregory and Trowa were both sitting in chairs before the fire, and Heero stood at attention towards the side.

"How are you?" Gregory asked as soon as Duo walked into the room. The concern in his deep blue eyes ate at Duo. While he had made his peace with Solo, Gregory had much to answer for, and Duo had yet to open up to his father.

"Perfectly fit," Duo assured him. He looked at Heero. "I assume you've already told him, then?"

Heero frowned, but then nodded.

Duo sighed.

"It's not that big of a deal," he said, turning back to Gregory.

"Not – Duo, a Mysian assassin entered the palace and tried to kill you!" Solo shouted.

"And failed, miserably. He managed to kill two of the Royal Guard – and that is a tragedy."

Gregory frowned.

"Duo, your life is worth –"

"Don't you dare say my life is worth more than theirs," Duo interrupted, his voice quiet and strained as he tried to keep from shouting. "Don't you dare. I may be your son, I may be the future king – but those men are Therans. THEY are the reason any of us matters at all – I don't give a damn about keeping me safe, I care about the fact that this situation led to the deaths of two good men and it's likely to lead to more."

Trowa was regarding him strangely. If Duo didn't know better, he would say that the look in his sharp green eyes was one of respect.

"They threatened the livelihood of those same Mysians by attacking you," Gregory said, his voice patient and a little patronizing. "We must strike back to show that we will not tolerate it."

"If we strike back now, we'll just be signing the death warrants for more Therans. We can't start a war because one man tried to kill me!"

"I think Duo has a good point, Father," Solo spoke up, his voice sounding tired. "I'd like nothing more than the chance to shove a blade down Treize Khushrenada's gullet, but what if this entire assassination attempt – aside from killing Duo – was also a ploy to provoke us into war?"

Gregory frowned, but Duo shot his brother a grateful look. Solo winked back at him.

"So you think we should do nothing? We've already disposed of the evidence – perhaps we should simply cover it up? That would feed disinformation to them… perhaps cause Treize to doubt himself…" Gregory mused.

"No," Trowa spoke up. All eyes turned to him.

"Sorry, this really is none of my business, as has been pointed out," he shot an amused look at Heero, who scowled back at him. Duo wondered if they had argued about this.

"Both my son and myself have long valued your opinions, Trowa. That you choose to share them is an honor that we – that I certainly do not deserve."

Trowa's shoulders tensed, but after a moment he shrugged.

"In any case, I think that all of you are missing the point. Mysia sent an assassin to kill Duo and he survived. He, single handedly, saved his own life."

Heero frowned.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that if you want to demoralize the Mysians, you've already got the perfect weapon. Duo killed their Grand Inquisitor and he killed their assassin. I think you should let everyone know about it. We all knew that they would try to kill him, and this won't be the last assassination attempt – but you can use this. The Therans need something to believe in. They need to know that spring isn't going to bring a meaningless season of battles against Mysia – they need to know that they have a prince - two princes – who want to fight FOR them, who will defend Thera with their very lives."

Solo arched an eyebrow.

"Are you saying we should advertise the fact that Duo was almost killed by a Mysian assassin in his own bedchamber?"

"I'm saying you should spread the word that Duo, by himself, defeated a Mysian assassin sent to kill him. Remind the Mysians that this is the same Duo who killed their Grand Inquisitor, and remind the Therans that this is the same prince they've waited for for the last fifteen years."

Even Duo was impressed with the plan.

"It will only encourage the Mysians to try again," Heero growled.

"Which they were going do anyway," Duo pointed out. "This at least puts them on the defensive – we need to show them that we aren't going to be tricked into a war and that we aren't scared."

Heero sighed.

"I've got plans to revise the guard protection. For all of you. I don't want Duo to ever have to save himself again. It isn't his job."

Duo frowned and opened his mouth to argue, but Trowa gave him a warning look.

Gregory sighed.

"Very well. Allow your men to discuss what happened, I'm sure word will filter through the palace and to whatever spies the Mysians have soon enough. I will mention it to a few of the guild masters at the meeting this afternoon." He looked at Duo. "I trust you to work with Heero to ensure that every possible precaution is taken with your life."

Duo looked over at the Captain of the Guards and then nodded.

"Of course."

"Then, come, we should break our evening fast in the hall together, so that everyone can witness your excellent health."

Gregory stood and swept from the room. Solo instantly fell into step behind him, but Duo hesitated, wanting to speak with Heero and Trowa, needing to know what they thought of him. But Solo turned, grabbed his shoulder, and propelled him forward.

"C'mon, little brother," Solo said. "We've got a show to put on."

Duo quickly realized that a show was exactly the best way to describe breakfast. Solo spent the entire time lounging back in his chair, cracking jokes about fire implements and Mysians. Several times he loudly warned Duo to stay back or to keep his temper in check – he even mockingly pleaded that Duo spare his life at one point.

It was incredibly irritating to Duo, and Gregory could barely manage to smile tolerantly, but the courtiers assembled in the hall ate it up. Before the meal was over it was clear that the tale of Duo defeating his assassin had spread among them and would no doubt spread through Thera by that afternoon.

He was more grateful than ever before to escape the hall and join Meilin for his morning fencing practice. Aside from giving him a single, concerned look, she didn't mention the subject of his brush with death.

Duo threw himself into practicing the intricate steps Meilin showed him, blocking out all else in the world and tried to concentrate on only his footwork.

He was so successful that he didn't realize Ralph had joined them until the man spoke up and startled Duo so badly he tripped and fell flat on his face.

Both Meilin and Ralph burst out laughing, and Duo glared at them as he picked himself up and brushed at the dirt and frost on his breeches.

"Sorry," Ralph said, still smirking, "I suppose I should be grateful we aren't near a fireplace, you might have stabbed me."

Duo narrowed his eyes at the Sentinel. He knew that he would likely hear those jokes for the next… forever, but it made him feel slightly dirty, to hear a man's death so openly ridiculed. Not to mention the deaths of the two guards who had lost their lives protecting Duo.

"I wondered if you wanted a sparring partner," Ralph added after a moment. He nodded at Meilin. "You have an excellent teacher, but some things… you just need to practice with another person."

Duo arched an eyebrow at Meilin, who shrugged.

"It would be helpful for you, and it isn't as though I can fight against you." She rubbed at her belly and then sighed. "And honestly, in a few weeks, I'm not sure I will even be able to help you. After she's born, I don't know – I'm not abandoning you, Duo, but –"

"I know," he interrupted when she started to look guilty. "I know." He looked back at Ralph. "And we did agree to a rematch," he mused.

Ralph chuckled. "We'll put that off for a while, until I've seen all of your moves and know how you fight." He winked at Duo.

Duo snorted. "As if that will help you."

He spent the rest of the morning going through the footwork again, but this time with Ralph opposite him, and it helped enormously, just having an opponent to focus on as he moved.

By the time they stopped for lunch, Duo was able to put last night's events at the back of his mind. They would have stayed there, safely tucked away, if Quatre hadn't tracked him down in the archives that afternoon.

"Duo, are you okay? I've been looking for you since Solo first told me after breakfast."

Duo frowned at the man as he sat down across from him.

"I'm fine. He didn't hurt me."

Quatre rolled his eyes.

"I know that. But that doesn't – Duo, a man tried to kill you. In your bedchamber. Two men died to save you."

"I was there," Duo hissed. He swallowed against the sudden lump in his throat at the thought. He needed to ask Heero who the guards had been. Maybe there was something he could do for their families?

"You're allowed to be upset by it," Quatre continued.

"I'm not," Duo assured him. "I feel perfectly fine. It happened, it's over."

Quatre's face fell, and Duo knew he had lashed out at him in anger, when Quatre had merely tried to be comforting. He sighed.

"I appreciate your concern," he added. But he couldn't deal with, not in these circumstances, and not right now, when all he could think about was the dead weight of those guards in his arms.

He rose from his chair and left the archives, Quatre and the pile of books on his table, and made his way up to the battlements.

It was bitingly cold up, with the freezing air needling his skin and the wind blowing strong. Within moments he felt numb, and it was exactly what he wanted.

"If you freeze to death they Mysians will laugh their asses off."

Duo looked up at the sound of Heero's voice.

The Captain approached him and handed him a fur lined cloak. Duo frowned at it.

"For the cold," Heero explained.

Duo started to wrap it around himself, but noticed that Heero made no move to leave. He also hadn't brought a cloak for himself. Duo sighed.

"If you're staying you might as well take some of this, it's big enough for both of us," Duo pointed out. He unclasped the neck of the cloak and held one side up. After a moment Heero joined him. They had to press together to fit, Duo's left side and Heero's right touching from shoulder to knee.

"The first time a man under my command died I was a few years older than you," Heero said after a few minutes of silence. "We were on campaign in the South."

"The Guards were?"

Heero shook his head.

"No. Every Guard is drawn from the army. You have to commit four years to protecting Thera before you can be deemed worthy to protect her rulers. I was leading a scouting unit – just six of us in all – along the edge of the Mysian encampment. We were ambushed and Steven, my second, was injured almost immediately." Heero shook his head. "He shouted at us to escape while he stayed back to fight them off. I tried to help him, I wanted – I should have been the one to die for my men, not my men for me." Heero closed his eyes and Duo resisted the urge to reach out to him. "It was a hard lesson to learn."

"What lesson?"

"That as a leader of men you have to sacrifice some to save the rest."

Duo frowned.

"It's not the same."

"Yes it is. Thom and Gary knew that by guarding your life they might lose their own. They accepted that risk and they were proud to have the honor of protecting you."

Duo opened his mouth to argue.

"Don't think back on their loss as something you could have prevented. It wasn't."

"It isn't right for those men to die for me. I'm nothing!"

"You're their prince. You are everything."

Duo shook his head.

"They had the courage to die for their beliefs, Heero. I – you've seen me now. You know that I'm a coward."

"I told you before, I won't tolerate you insulting my prince," Heero growled.

Duo scowled, remembering how Heero had attacked him for insulting Solo.

"I'm not Solo. I'm –"

"You were seventeen!" Heero interrupted, practically shouting. "You were being tortured and you were a child! You were completely alone in the world. Everyone you have ever known was dead – or hundreds of miles away in Thera thinking you were dead. Of course you repented! You were a child," he repeated. "You should have been here, learning bad pick up lines from Solo and dodging tutors. You should never have been in a Mysian dungeon."

Duo shook his head. "But I was. And all those people who died – who died because of me– I turned my back on them!"

"No, you didn't. Those priests sacrificed their lives to keep you safe. They knew, the moment they offered you shelter, that their very lives would be forfeit if the Mysians found them. They knew that just by worshiping their God they would be killed. They gave their lives. You didn't ask, and you didn't take. They gave."

"And just look how I wasted their sacrifice!" Duo started to stand, but Heero pulled him back down.

"You killed a man responsible for the torture and death of hundreds. You have honored their sacrifice and you will continue to do so. They knew that you were a Theran prince. They knew that one day you would have the chance to avenge them, to make things right. You couldn't have done that if you had died at the hands of a Mysian executioner. How would your death have honored them?"

"They wanted you to live," Heero continued, not waiting for Duo's response. "I promise they did."

"I don't want people to die for me," Duo said. He looked at Heero. He needed him to understand.

"And that's why they will want to," Heero replied. "You care that they died for you. You value human life and you value the lives of Therans so much. That's how it's supposed to be. They are your people, but you are also theirs. You have to give them the honor of fighting for you and for themselves."

"But they don't know – they don't know how painful fighting can be."

"You do," Heero pointed out. "Let your experience guide you. Follow your emotions, but don't let fear cripple you. You aren't a coward – you aren't afraid for your own life, I know that. But you're terrified of people dying for a cause that you don't believe in. You."

Duo snorted.

"Well, yeah."

"I'll say it one last time, and then I really might have to kill you. Don't insult my prince. I will defend his life and honor with my own, and I won't sit here and listen to you tell lies about him. My prince in honorable, and brave, and a damned tricky fighter. He's passionate, and he loves his people. He has earned my respect."

Duo swallowed hard at the look of seriousness in Heero's blue eyes. After a moment he had to look away and shake his head.

"You know, I should have you brought up on insubordination or something. You can't threaten to kill me and say you'll defend my life in the same sentence," Duo joked.

Heero rolled his eyes.

"We should go inside before you freeze," Heero suggested.

Duo took off the cloak and gave it back to the other man.

"Thank you."

"Of course, my prince," Heero said and there was something about the way he said MY that sent shivers down Duo's spine.

That night, hours after Duo had retired to his bedchamber, he found that he couldn't sleep. His thoughts were no longer plagued with guilt over the deaths of the guards – he would never forget their sacrifice, but Heero was right. He could not allow himself to be crippled by fear.

Instead, all he could think about was the sound of Heero's voice, which naturally drew his thoughts to his memories of Heero and Trowa together.

The door to his chamber suddenly opened, and Duo reached for the dagger under his pillow.

His heart racing, Duo waited for his guest to walk into his line of sight.

"Sorry to bother you," Trowa growled.

Duo relaxed when the Sentinel stepped closer to the bed.

"Um…" he noticed the bundle of clothes and weapons in Trowa's arms.

"Heero insists on guarding you himself tonight."

"Really?" When Duo had entered his chambers hours ago he had recognized Alex standing guard with another man. He wondered when they had switched and Heero had taken over.

"Our bed is freezing without him in it."

Duo frowned, but before he could ask Trowa what that had to do with him, the Sentinel deposited his bundle on one of the chairs by the fireplace. He drew his sword from the rest of his belongings and laid it down on the floor on the opposite side of the bed from Duo before starting to strip.

"So you're sleeping with me?" Duo guessed. He fought to keep his gaze on Trowa's face.

The Sentinel looked amused.

"Yes."

"Okay…"

"I don't snore," Trowa assured him. Once naked he climbed under the blankets and immediately encountered Hellas, who had claimed that side of the bed as her own.

Trowa smirked and shifted the puppy over so that she was closer to Duo.

"Heero doesn't mind?" Duo asked, looking towards the door. HE would certainly mind, if he was Heero. But then – why? It wasn't as if either man viewed him as anything more than, at best, an acquaintance, and at worst, a burden. They didn't' fantasize about him naked, especially now that they had actually seen him naked.

"Oh, he minds very much," Trowa assured him. He pulled the blankets up to his chin and laid down on his side, facing Duo.

"Really?" Maybe Duo had been wrong.

"He thinks having me in here will interfere with his precious guards schedule that he's concocted.

"Oh." Or he had been right all along. Duo sighed. "Right. Well, if an assassin does try to kill me in my sleep, I wouldn't mind some help."

Trowa chuckled.

"I'll keep that in mind." He rolled over. "Good night."

It seemed that within moments the Sentinel was asleep, but it took Duo far longer. He actually envied Hellas, who, from her spot between them, had stretched out so that her cold, wet nose was buried under Duo's braid and her back legs were stretched out to touch Trowa's back.

The Gods really did hate him, he decided, to present him with such temptation. Having Trowa in his bed, naked, inches away – and completely uninterested in him in any way – was akin to torture.

The next morning he woke to find Trowa and his belongings gone. He squashed his immediate feeling of disappointment and forced himself to put the man out of his mind as he went through his morning ablutions.

On his way to find Meilin, however, Trowa intercepted him near the Royal Stables.

"I thought I'd show you how to shoot," Trowa said. He had a bow and a quiver of arrows in one hand, and a canvas target slung across his back.

Duo frowned.

"I'm not…I haven't ever used a bow."

"Then it's time you learned," Trowa assured him. "Therans don't have a great tradition of archers, but in my experience, the more weapons you have at your disposal, the better your chances of surviving."

Duo found himself nodding along with that sentiment.

"Come on." Trowa leapt one of the pasture fences and Duo followed him. "We – my Sentinels – use the far pasture as an archery range when we stay here."

"Why don't Therans have a tradition of archers?" Duo asked as they walked.

Trowa shrugged.

"No one has a tradition in it quite as strong as Kos – well, Ios did, but now only Kos seems to care about it. Archers can attack from a distance – they're an excellent defensive unit, especially with high walled cities like Antioch."

"What do we use instead?"

"Pikemen," Trowa sneered. "Idiotic defensive unit. You have to put them outside the city walls, so immediately they are cut off from support. And they can't attack – only defend. With archers you get both defensive and offensive capabilities."

"I've been reading about the fall of Ios," Duo said. He noticed Trowa's shoulders immediately stiffen. "Edessa, the capital, was under siege for six months before it fell."

Trowa nodded. "They say the archers finally ran out of arrows – they'd used everything they could find to make new ones, even bones from the recently dead."

They reached the far pasture and Trowa set up the canvas target against one of the posts.

He handed the bow and an arrow to Duo.

"Show me how you think you shoot an arrow," he said.

"You might want to stand behind me," Duo muttered.

Trowa smirked but moved to stand a few feet behind Duo on his left.

With a sigh, Duo tried to imitate the stance he had seen the Sentinels use that day he had attacked the caravan. Most of them had been on horseback, but a few had been on foot. He fit the notched end of the arrow to the string and pulled it back. He was momentarily shocked by how much effort it took to draw it back to his ear. His arms wobbled as he fought to keep the bow steady, and then he released the arrow.

It landed a dozen feet away from the target, closer to one of the Sentinel's horses than to the canvas.

"Okay." Trowa looked like he was struggling to keep a straight face.

Duo glared at him.

"The amount of sarcasm and irony you put in one word is overwhelming," he muttered.

Trowa actually chuckled at that, but he stepped forward.

"It wasn't the worst first attempt I've ever seen," he said. "Now, draw the bow again."

"Do I need an arrow?" Duo asked.

Trowa shook his head.

"Not yet."

Duo sighed and turned away from Trowa. He spread his legs apart and drew the bowstring back as far as he could.

"Let's start with your stance. You can relax your arm for now."

Duo did as instructed and waited for more direction, but instead he felt Trowa step up behind him.

The Sentinel nudged Duo's legs further apart with his own legs.

Duo swallowed hard at the feeling of the other man's body pressed against his, and then he momentarily forgot how to breathe when Trowa wrapped his arms around Duo.

"Try to relax – you're tensing your muscles too much," Trowa instructed. His hot breath was just above Duo's ear, and he shuddered at the sensation.

Trowa put each of his hands over Duo's.

"Draw back the bowstring – I want to feel how much tension you are using," Trowa said.

Duo swallowed hard and followed directions. The feeling of Trowa's warm body wrapped around his and his long fingers skimming over Duo's was not helpful for his concentration.

"Hm. Okay, this time, just relax, I'll do the work. See if you can feel the difference."

Trowa guided Duo's hands back together and then pulled the string back again.

"Can you tell the difference?" Trowa asked.

Duo nodded. He didn't really trust himself to speak.

"Okay, let's try this with an arrow."

Trowa stepped away, and Duo drew in a deep breath. His comfort quickly evaporated however, when Trowa stepped back behind him and adopted the same position.

"Again, I'll do the work – just try to feel what I'm doing," Trowa said.

Duo thought that if Trowa said 'feel' one more time, he couldn't be held responsible for his actions. All he wanted to do was feel. He wanted Trowa's hands on his bare skin, his lips covering Duo's own, and his strong, muscled body wrapped around Duo's.

He blamed Heero, for even putting it into his head that he should pursue the path that his emotions led him own. He seriously doubted that the Captain had been encouraging Duo to make a move on Trowa - or Heero – but now, that was all he could consider doing. Only his fear of rejection kept him in check.

"Ready?" Trowa asked.

"Yeah," Duo croaked.

Trowa notched the arrow and then drew their linked hands back in one smooth, effortless motion. He held the bow steady for a moment and then let the arrow fly.

Duo wasn't at all amazed when it landed in the center of the target.

"Now you try again," Trowa instructed. He handed Duo another arrow.

For a moment, Duo thought that Trowa would step away, but instead Trowa just pressed closer, so that his front was against Duo's back. His arms were looser over Duo's, but his hands remained resting just on top of Duo's. It was literally impossible to think about the bow and arrow.

"Fuck this." Duo dropped both into the snow and turned around in Trowa's arms.

The Sentinel's green eyes widened with surprise.

"What –"

Duo leaned up and kissed him. It was clumsy, and he knew his lips were probably freezing and chapped and he had NO idea what he was doing.

Trowa's lips were firm and warm and completely unmoving.

Realizing the futility of his gesture, Duo pulled away.

"I'm sorry." He stepped back, and Trowa allowed him, his arms falling away and leaving Duo feeling suddenly very cold.

Trowa arched an eyebrow.

"Sorry because you threw my second best bow into the snow or because that was probably the worst kiss? Of all time, ever?"

Duo felt his face flush. He bent to grab the bow and handed it back to Trowa.

"Sorry. I – yeah, it wasn't amazing."

Trowa looked expectant.

"It was my first kiss!" Duo practically shouted at him. "I'm sorry that it doesn't live up to your high expectations or –"

Duo was abruptly cut off by Trowa's lips descending onto his.

This kiss was very different from the first. Trowa's lips were still firm and warm, but they moved over Duo's, coaxing his own lips to part before he slipped his tongue inside Duo's mouth. Feeling the brush of it against his own, Duo leaned in, eager for more contact.

Trowa's hands moved to cup his face, and Duo realized that this was the most human contact – outside of torture – that he could ever recall having. It was significantly better than torture, however. Significantly better than anything he had ever before experienced.

He could smell the spicy hint of whatever soap Trowa and Heero both seemed to use, and Duo decided that it was his favorite scent.

Eventually, Trowa eased away, leaving Duo feeling a little dazed. He was gratified that Trowa's breathing seemed to be almost as ragged as his own.

"My first kiss," Trowa said after a moment, his lips quirking into a smile, "was horrible, too. I bit Heero's tongue accidentally, and when he jerked back he broke my nose with his chin." Trowa shook his head. "It took a little while before we were willing to try again."

Duo frowned.

"So how was mine worse? Neither of us is bleeding!"

Trowa shrugged.

"True, but at least then, with Heero, I felt something. Your kiss…" Trowa shook his head. "Nothing."

Duo looked away. Of course Trowa would think that breaking bones was more pleasant than kissing him. He doubted that second kiss had been much of an improvement for Trowa – after all, Duo was not Heero. Duo wondered why Trowa had even bothered to kiss him at all – maybe it was out of pity?

"Right. Well, sorry again. I –"

"You didn't enjoy it? The second time?" Trowa interrupted.

Duo glared at him.

"What the hell do you think? It was only the most amazing experience of my life, so, yes, I enjoyed it. But it doesn't matter. I'm not Heero, it meant nothing to you, you felt nothing, and – I don't want your pity!" He started to stalk off.

"Duo," Trowa moved to intercept him, catching his arm and stopping him. "It does matter. And it meant something, and I sure as hell felt something." He shook his head. "And it wasn't pity."

"Then what was it?"

"I – I don't know. You just looked completely miserable. I had to kiss you, to show you that it could be better."

"Thanks for the instruction. You're a great teacher." Duo pulled his arm free. He sighed." It's cold. Mind if we work on archery another day?"

Trowa's gaze was searching, but Duo kept his face blank. He wanted to put this entire incident behind him and never think about it again.

Except that he couldn't help but look at Trowa's lips and remember how they felt.

"Of course," Trowa said eventually.

"Great. Thanks." Duo turned on his heel and started back towards the castle. So much, he thought bitterly, for following his emotions.

Up Next: Quatre intervenes…again.

-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.