Title: The Little Cinder Boy
Author: Angst Faerie
Rating: T.
Disclaimers: I don't own Gundam Wing nor do I own Cinderella written by the Grimm brothers. I do own Jacob.
Notes: This is in Trowa's point of view we'll see Quatre again in the next chapter.
I would also like to thank all the people that left reviews. I didn't think I would get as many as I did. It helps considering all the times I changed it. I also told myself I wouldn't make Relena out to be the pink wearing Heero stalker I see her but I sort of did to add a little humor. I promise later on she will settle down and have a very important role in the story. R&R!
Chapter 2: Prince Trowa
Trowa Barton was alone in his room. He had just finished his morning lessons and was getting ready for lunch. Hilde, one of the castle servants, had informed him earlier that his father was going to be joining him today, and that was extremely unusual for Trowa. You see Trowa was no normal 17 year old boy, he was a Prince. His father, Triton Barton, was the King and ruler of the lands surrounding Lynnet. Trowa had spent his entire life in Lynnet, but was only allowed to travel to certain places and never without his guards. His mother Larisa had loved this village the most out of all the others in Triton's kingdom so of course they stayed there. Sadly Trowa's mother passed away three years ago from an ailment. Trowa grieved for a while however, he wasn't really that upset since she barely spent any time with him.
.
Trowa was lost deep in his thoughts when there was a soft knock at his door. "Come in the door is unlocked," Trowa said.
.
The person that happened to walk in was none other than Hilde. To Trowa Hilde was one of his favorite servants, she was reliable, trustful, and even warned him ahead of time if he was in trouble. All in all Trowa could call her a friend. Hilde had short dark hair that in certain light took on a violet hue. Hilde and her mother came to Lynnet four years ago to start working at the castle.
.
"Your Highness your father is waiting for you." she curtsied then left the room. 'Here goes nothing,' Trowa thought as he turned and left the room too.
.
He wondered down the vast hallway, paintings of past Kings littered the walls. Trowa reached the grand staircase where the Barton family portrait stood above the ballroom door. Trowa was only five when it was done, but he could never stand to look at it. It wasn't that it was a badly done painting; on the contrary it was very beautiful. Trowa couldn't stand the thing because He was in it, Dekim Barton.
.
Supposedly Dekim Barton was Triton's cousin and they were really close as kids. Dekim even ended up living with Triton and his parents. When Triton became king he actually gave Dekim one-fifth of his land to rule. Trowa, however, couldn't see any goodness in Dekim like his father could. He only saw a nasty, greedy man that couldn't be trusted.
.
Shrugging it off Trowa descended down the stairs and went through the door on the left into a large dining room with a huge table in the center. His father was seated at the end waiting for him. Trowa took a seat next to his father, said his greetings then ate in silence. Finally after a nerve racking twenty minutes Triton spoke.
.
"Trowa as you may have noticed your eighteenth birthday approaches."
.
"Yes it is father. What are you getting at?" Trowa said nervously and trying to get straight to the point.
.
"To the point as ever I see. I'm just saying at the ball you should really start looking for a bride."
.
"Father. . ." Trowa started to say.
.
"No objections Trowa. I won't be around forever and you need an heir. Besides I already had the invitations sent out to the families with fine daughters." said Triton.
.
"I really don't want to rush this sort of thing." Trowa argued as he set his utensil down.
.
"You no longer have a choice, I have waited long enough as it is. I'll give you the week of your birthday to choose the bride you want. If you don't then I'll choose one for you myself."
.
"I can't believe. . ."
.
"Believe it Trowa. I'm starting to lose my patience. Is that clear?" Triton stated raising his voice.
.
"Yes father." replied Trowa with his eyes cast downward.
.
"Well I have to go. Keep in mind our deal Trowa." Triton got up and left while Trowa sat there silently fuming. Having lost his appetite he decided to go find Heero instead.
.
Heero Yuy was appointed as Trowa's personal bodyguard at the age of fourteen, Trowa was the exact same age as him and laughed the idea off as a bad joke. That was until Heero saved his life. A few days after Heero arrived; while Trowa was out hunting he happened across an assassin sent to kill him. Trowa would have been as good as dead if Heero hadn't been there. Heero apprehended the assassin single-handedly. They would have found out who sent him if the assassin didn't drink poison and kill himself. Later on Trowa learned Heero had been in intensive training since he was eight. By the age of thirteen he was even better than some of Lynnet's royal guards. From then on out Trowa only felt safe when Heero was with him. They even became close friends, but that was expected considering how much time they spent together.
.
Trowa stormed into the library and saw Heero sitting at a desk reading. "Heero we need to talk."
.
"Hn." Was the only reply that came from Heero.
.
"I only have a few days left before I am forced to choose a bride and off to be married." Trowa said pacing back and forth in front of the desk Heero was sitting at.
.
"Deal with it"
.
Why wasn't Trowa surprised? "You know Heero you give such great advice." He said sarcastically.
.
"I'm just saying stop worrying about it and enjoy your last days. I'm sure it will work out." With that said Trowa stormed out of the library, all though as much as he hated to admit it, Heero was right. Trowa had best and try to enjoy the last of his days.
.
Unfortunately, it seems the days go by faster the more you are dreading something approaching. Tonight was the masquerade ball and the first of a long series of events Trowa's father had planned out, it seemed the festival for his birthday was to be a week-long event. No doubt to keep him surrounded by future potential brides. It wasn't that Trowa had a problem getting a girl to marry him. He was after all an extremely wealthy prince and quite attractive too.
.
Trowa looked himself over in the mirror he hadn't grown in a while, but he was still taller than Heero and was a pretty average height for his age. He was lean but not skinny all his time hunting and using a bow caused his upper arm and chest muscles to really show. Trowa had decided to wear his best hunter green, velvet tunic for the masquerade since he was told it brought out his brilliant emerald eyes. He also had chosen not to wear a mask to the ball like he was supposed to. Why should he when his brown hair that was short in the back but long in the front already covered half his face, hiding one of his eyes. The main problem to Trowa was that he never felt attracted to any of the girls he met and tended to ignore them.
.
Trowa was just finishing up attaching his sword and sheath to his hip when he realized that once again Heero was late. The day before Heero had gone missing for two hours. Trowa noticed he was missing when he was late to help him get his gear ready for the annual hunt. The annual hunt was a little tradition that the Royal families started where the women and daughters stayed at home and gossiped and the men went off hunting and show off their sons the day before the other festivities started. It was usually followed by a fest consisting of what they brought back.
.
Trowa didn't stay mad when he found out that Heero had gone to make sure the Duke Dekim arrived in a quiet fashion, however when Heero came back he seemed a little out of it. More like a lot out of it, he even missed a stag that was only fifteen feet away from him. Trowa asked him what happened and all Heero did was smile and reply "Nothing really."
.
Finally, Heero walked in. He was dressed as . . . himself? He hadn't changed at all and didn't even bother to at least put a mask on.
.
"Heero you do realize this is a masquerade ball right?" Heero looked nonplussed.
.
"I am well aware. What is your point?" Trowa sighed there wasn't any time for this.
.
"Never mind lets go or we will be late for the introduction ceremony." They left and headed for the ballroom. Trowa knew whether it was good or bad it'd be a long night.
.
Trowa was sitting in his chair by his father's throne greeting the girls that had the courage to approach him. Heero was to his right practically sleeping while standing up. He couldn't blame him he too was bored out of his mind. Then he heard his name called and saw, Dekim's nephew, Zechs Merquise. He was wearing a sort of a foreign military style custom and a mask that appeared to be metal and covered his eyes and the top of his head but allowing his mid back length blond hair to show. Kind of like a strange hat.
.
"Having fun yet Trowa?" Zechs asked.
.
"As much fun as you can have at one of these Lord Merquise." Zechs laughed at this and then called a girl and boy over.
.
"Trowa I'd like you to meet my wife Lucrezia Merquise she prefers to be known by her surname instead though, Noin, and this is my little brother Jacob."
.
Noin was dressed in a white dress with a cat eyed mask. She had short dark hair and it was styled in almost the same way as Trowa's. Jacob was shorter then Zechs and was more of a dirty blond then his brother. He was wearing all black with a red cape and white gloves, also a phantom of the opera style of mask. They said their hellos and Trowa headed off to visit more girls since his father seemed to be glaring at him from across the room.
.
Heero was heading over to Trowa when all of a sudden a girl threw her arms around his neck. Heero was looking at Trowa for help. As he got closer he noticed the girl was a blonde and was wearing a gown with so many different pinks mixed in it that it made you dizzy to stare at it to long. She also had butterfly wings with many pinks on it too attached to her back.
.
"Oh your majesty, you are so much more handsome in person." She shrieked her arms tightened around Heero's neck. He was beginning to turn blue. Smiling Trowa tapped the girl on her shoulder.
.
"You seem to be mistaken I'm Prince Trowa the poor fellow your strangling is my personal guard, Heero." The girl then turned and looked slightly upset.
.
"Forgive me your majesty it was a simple mistake I just assumed the better looking of you two was the real prince." Trowa was about to say something when he heard a laugh and the girl was pulled away from Heero.
.
"You will have to excuse my sister Relena she hasn't been right since she fell off her horse a week ago during riding lessons. I'm Dorothy Une the elder sister." Relena looked upset but then went on to stare at Heero like it hadn't happened. Heero seemed nervous again.
.
Dorothy was a blonde too but her hair was slightly lighter and half was put up with a black feather in it, while the rest fell down her back in curls. She also had dark eyes that seemed cold and non-caring. She was wearing a black dress that went a little past her knees showing her boots that probably were expensive, completed with a mask covered in small black feathers too.
.
"So Dorothy," Trowa said. "I like your costume you're a crow right?" She winced slightly almost like he had insulted her.
.
"I like to think of myself more of a raven then a crow." Dorothy said calmly. She wasn't about to let her angry ruin her chances of becoming the next Queen. "My mother Baroness Une is over there talking to the Duke. She is twice widowed her first husband was none other than Baron Treize Khushrenada, and her second Lord Winner one of the wealthiest and most influential families in Lynnet." Trowa just nodded his head and pretended to listen to Dorothy. He knew what she was trying to do, build on her family's name so he would chose her for the connections her family had.
.
Trowa looked over to where Dekim was standing. He was dressed in his normal clothes except for the black mask he wore covering his eyes. Next to him was a tall woman, which he assumed to be the Baroness Une, in a tight red dress with an expensive brooch on the right side of her bosom. Her long brown hair had been tightly pulled into two buns on the side of her head. She was wearing glasses and to make up for the lack of a mask her faces was painted. Deep reds around her eyes and what looked like flowers and vines underneath.
.
Dorothy seemed to be pressing closer to him and it appeared Heero had left when he wasn't paying attention. Probably to lose Relena seeing as she was looking around for someone on the other side of the room.
.
"So you're Highness, I know it's weird for a girl to ask but would you like to dance?" Trowa felt her arms circling around his neck as if to keep him from saying no. He was starting to get real nervous.
.
"Hey Trowa, can you come over here for a minute, I want to talk to you?" Trowa felt himself rejoice inside as he apologized to Dorothy and walked over to a young Asian boy that was calling him over.
.
The boy was Wufei Chang the next emperor of a country across the ocean. His father had met the Chang's when discussing the new trade routes. It was at that time Trowa and Wufei first meet. Even though Wufei was a little arrogant the two decided to keep in touch through letters.
.
Wufei was shorter then Trowa and had a little of a darker complexion. He had shoulder length hair that was black with onyx eyes to go with. He was wearing green and white robes that were traditional of his country along with a short sword at his side. Wufei was also wearing a green silk mask.
.
"Why hello Wufei I see you are doing fine." Trowa said.
.
"I'm sorry if I interrupted anything important but from the look of it I thought if I let her get any closer you were going to be ill." Wufei smirked.
.
"I probably would have. So do you think you'll have to go through the whole pick a bride thing?" Trowa asked he had to know if he was the only one that had to go through this torture.
.
"No, I was betrothed so my parents chose my wife before I was even two years old. She is a poor excuse of a woman to begin with though. She'd rather learn to fight then how to take care of her husband as a wife should." Wufei was shaking with silent rage. Trowa knew that anything that could be considered dishonorable enraged Wufei. "Her name is Meilan," Wufei said answering Trowa's unspoken question. "She is over there talking to Lady Noin."
.
Trowa looked over. Meilan was a short girl with black hair like Wufei's that was pulled into two pigtails. She also had onyx eyes. Meilan had on traditional robes too but hers were violet and white and instead of a sword she had two daggers one attached to each of her sides. She was the only girl in the room that was wearing pants, but she had a real nice smile. Trowa could tell she was just what Wufei needed who else would be able to handle him maybe even help get rid of all of Wufei's stubbornness.
.
"What are you two supposed to be, Asian acrobats or something?" Wufei looked slightly offended.
.
"No I am the God Shenlong, and Meilan is supposed to be the God Nataku. I tried to tell her someone as weak as her could never be Nataku but she just told me to drop dead." Trowa laughed and Wufei just grinned.
.
Trowa talked to Wufei a little while longer till he was pulled aside by his father and threatened for not asking any of the girls to dance. So now Trowa was supposed to be looking for a girl to dance with. He could see Dorothy approaching from his right so he headed left. It was then he noticed Heero in the corner, probably still hiding from that Relena girl, but he had a strange look on his face staring towards the main doors.
.
Trowa turned and saw the back of a girl with a long braid trying to pull someone else through the door. She said something then started heading down the stairs into the ballroom. Trowa looked back at the door, someone else was coming in. Trowa gasped, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
.
A blond angel was standing at the top of the steps.
o.o.o.o.o.o.o
Finally finished, I just got my new laptop so I'll be able to update more often. Next chapter is in Quatre's point of view and will happen a little before this one right after he finds out Duo wants to sneak out. I hope I don't start confusing anyone with the time skips. After the next chapter I believe there won't be anymore. So bear with me. R&R!
-Angst Faerie