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Bound, Bonded and Betrayed	By : Deb Category: Gundam Wing/AC > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 13359 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing/AC, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 35
- 36
- 37
"Bound, Bonded and Betrayed" +
Chapter 35

Duo couldn't help but feel warmed by his master's defense of him, putting that haughty maid and the mistress in their place. His train of thought was soon cut off though as Heero stormed back into the bed chamber.
“Duo, fetch my clothing and run the bath for me,” Heero ordered.
“Yes, master.” Duo hurriedly got to his feet and fetched the prince's clothing. With clothes in his arms he darted through the door and along the corridor to the bathing chamber. Depositing the clothing, he covered the hole in the tub and set the water to run. With the bath filling, he fetched his master's jars and soap, set a couple of drying cloths by the side and arranged the master's clothing in a much neater pile. He was just turning the water off when Heero stepped into the chamber.
“Your bath is ready, master.”
“Thank you.” Heero moved to the side of the tub and allowed his slave to undress him. Soon enough he was in the water, feeling the warmth soothing away the aches and easing his annoyance a touch.
Duo stepped into the bath after his master had gotten comfortable and reached for the soap. He quickly cleaned his master, using firm but gentle strokes to wash away the grime. “Are you okay, master?” Duo tentatively asked.
“I am fine, Duo,” Heero replied, but his mind was still running with thoughts. Dorothy's presence in the hallway outside his study had piqued his curiosity. He couldn't think of any reason for the maid to be there. It was obvious she'd not just been passing through when he'd stepped out, he could tell from the body language and looks on both slaves' faces that something had been going on. Then there was the state of the marital chambers. He had never come back to the chambers and found them in such disarray before. The words Relena had started to speak when he'd entered the chambers also crossed his mind and he frowned as he tossed them around in his mind, trying to work out what Relena had been about to say. Things were not adding up to him and he didn't like it. He could tell there was a whole lot more to this, things going on that he wasn't aware of and the prince was someone who liked to know exactly what was going on around him.
To be a good king he needed to know everything about his kingdom and the people who lived and worked there. Heero secretly prided himself on being kept up to date with everything so it was unnerving to say the least that there appeared to be something going on under his very nose that he wasn't privy to.
And then there was Duo...
His lovely slave that tended to his every wish without complaint. Heero wasn't blind, he had detected a subtle shift in his slave over the passing weeks and whilst there wasn't anything specific he could put his finger on, there were some small things he'd noted. Duo appeared to be a little more tired than usual, some days his eyes held a shadowing to them and he lacked a little of his usual grace. Thinking he'd asked too much from his slave, Heero had made a point of getting Duo to do a little less on some days to give the slave a chance to get over his tiredness without letting Duo know. With his slave in the bath with him, Heero had the chance to properly observe Duo's body. It had been a while since he'd specifically 'looked' at Duo, but now he did, he was disturbed by what he saw.
When Duo had first arrived at the castle, he'd been starved and beaten. The tender care from the healer along with the good food had seen his skinny form heal and fill out, his personality blooming along with his health. Although Heero was certain to feed his slave whenever they partook of a meal together, there were some days when that just wasn't possible and Duo had been ordered to eat with either Quatre or the other slaves in the kitchen. Now that Heero had a chance to actually see his slave in all his naked glory, he couldn't help but notice Duo appeared to be losing some weight. Not a huge amount – he was nowhere near as emaciated as he'd been at the start, but there was definitely a loss of several pounds.
Heero wondered why and decided to do his best to find out exactly what was going on. “Duo?”
“Yes, master?” Duo paused in his ministrations for a moment.
“Are you well?”
The question confused Duo for a moment. “I feel fine, master,” he finally answered, not completely sure what his master meant with his question.
“When I am busy, are you taking your meals with Quatre or in the kitchens with the other slaves?” Heero continued to question.
Unable to lie to his master, but not willing to tell the entire truth either as he didn't want to suffer from the princess' wrath, Duo thought carefully how to answer. “Sometimes I eat with Quatre, other times I eat in the kitchens,” he hedged. “Is there something wrong, master?”
Heero frowned. Duo wouldn't lie to him, of that he was certain; but Duo was also very good at avoiding the truth. “You seem to be a little underweight,” Heero said.
Shit! How to get out of this one? “I have been busy, master and sometimes I don't get a lot of time to eat much,” he replied, hoping his master would cease in this line of questioning.
“I see. Duo, I won't have you skipping meals or eating less, I do not want you to get sick. Please make sure that you eat regularly when you’re not sharing meals with me.”
“I will, master.” Duo gave a silent sigh of relief and finished washing his master.
With the prince now clean, Duo was quick to dry him off and dress him, drying himself once he'd finished tending to his master. With instructions to clean up the bathing chamber then dress himself for dinner and return to Heero's chambers once done, Duo was left to finish his tasks.
* * *
Dinner had been a rather quiet affair, Relena still annoyed over Heero's earlier anger and Heero distracted with his thoughts in relation to Duo. The queen conversed with Relena, discussing the princess' pregnancy and her ideas for the nursery. Heero had shown Relena the royal nursery and given her the option of using it or selecting a room closer to their chambers to use. Relena had decided to use the current nursery after securing Heero's promise that she could redecorate it to her own tastes.
Knowing that the royal heir would have his or her own personal 'nanny' to attend to them, Relena couldn't see the need to have the child's nursery close to their chambers. Dorothy had agreed with her mistress, after all, the princess would need her rest and having the child with her or next door at all times wouldn't be beneficial to that.
Duo had his own thoughts on that, not that he would voice them. It was his opinion that the princess didn't want to take care of an infant. He would never know just how close to the mark he was with his thoughts.
While the queen and her daughter-in-law discussed color schemes, furniture and baby clothing, Heero was able to discuss the upcoming tax time with the king. All the areas of the kingdom paid taxes to the crown each year and those taxes varied according to the produce of that area. It was up to Heero and Trowa to determine if taxes should be increased, left the same or decreased each year for the relevant area.
This meant the pair would need to go out into the kingdom, visit many of the areas personally to assess how their subjects were fairing and gather information. That information was then brought back and the two would work with the royal advisors to set the taxes for the coming year and present their final figures to the king for approval.
“When do you plan on making your trips out?” King Treize asked.
“We thought it would be best to get underway soon. Probably in another two weeks,” Heero replied. “Trowa estimates we should have most of the kingdom covered within three to four weeks.”
“That sounds like a good plan,” the king stated.
“With Relena's pregnancy advancing, I would rather have as much of my official away duties finished as possible,” Heero said.
“That makes perfect sense, Heero. You should be here for when your heir is due to be born.”
“Thank you, father. I will let my brother know tomorrow that you approve of our plans.”
The conversation switched to more everyday things, Duo tuning it all out as he sat on his cushion next to his master's chair and let his mind wander over learning to ride well enough to accompany his master out as much as possible.
* * *
Lying in bed later that evening, Heero couldn't help but feel a little remorseful over his short temper with his wife earlier in the day and decided to try and do something about it. Relena was quietly chattering away about her plans for the nursery and the suggestions the queen had offered, carefully he leaned across, raising himself slightly and ignoring her questioning look, lowered his head and partook of a kiss.
With the princess still in a little shock from the sensuous kiss, he lowered his lips again and kissed her deeply. While his wife was lost in the kiss, Heero brought his hand up and gently swept it across the swell of her belly. He could feel the steadily growing bump under her nightgown and it sent shivers down his spine to know his heir, something he created was growing inside. He allowed his hand to continue upwards towards the swell of Relena's breasts and gently began to squeeze and fondle one.
Relena was so lost in the kiss that it took a few moments for her to register where her husband's hand was headed. By the time she realized what was going on and Heero's obvious intent, she broke away from the kiss, grasped his wrist and pulled his hand away.
“Relena?” Heero questioned.
“No, Heero,” she replied.
“But, Relena? We are married, I wish to make love to you, it is my right,” Heero stated. He was a little confused as to why his wife would stop him, she hadn't before, even though he got the distinct impression she didn't care much for their intimacy. His confusion was leading into anger and it showed in his short tone.
“I do not wish to indulge,” Relena snapped back. “I am with child and I do not intend to jeopardize this child just because you want to claim marital rights,” she stated in a firm tone.
That comment brought Heero up short. He'd not considered that any harm could possibly come to the unborn child if he were to make love to his wife. With information on that area sadly lacking, Heero had no choice but to concede to his wife's refusal. He would never forgive himself if any harm were to come to his child. He did make a mental note though to check with Sally the healer in regards to Relena's concern that sex would harm their child. “Fine,” he stated and rolled over, his back to Relena.
Feeling a sense of relief wash over her, Relena turned on her own side and settled in to sleep.
Heero remained awake for some time, the erection between his legs gradually diminished, but he knew he'd need relief, and soon. His mind switched to his slave sleeping in the small room off their bed chamber and his anger started to bleed out. He knew his slave would never refuse him; and not because he saw it as his duty. Duo was always willing to accept his master's affection and return it with even more fervor.
With thoughts of his long haired slave spread out beneath him, Heero finally drifted off into a restless sleep.
* * *
“That's much better, Duo,” Quatre praised as he carefully observed Duo mounting Lily and settling comfortably into the saddle.
“It feels much easier too,” Duo replied as his feet slipped properly into the stirrups and he took up his reins.
A stable boy appeared leading Quatre's horse Rocky. Quatre took Rocky from the stable boy and swung himself into the saddle with an ease born of years of riding. Seeing the questioning look on Duo's face, Quatre filled the other slave in on his plans for their riding lesson.
“You've had just over a week's worth of lessons and are doing very well, Duo. Our masters will be riding out into the kingdom in another week and from what my master has told me, both you and I will be accompanying them. I think it's time to start taking rides out and around the castle grounds, I can still teach you as we ride, you can practice as we go and it will give you the chance to see how you cope with the open areas and being in the saddle for longer periods of time,” Quatre explained. He kept his intentions of 'grilling' Duo about the princess and maid to himself.
Duo felt a little apprehension at the thought of riding around the castle grounds and the obviously longer lesson time. He knew the mistress wouldn't be happy at all with him as the longer he spent learning to ride, the less time he was available to wait on the princess and her snooty maid. “Did my master say it was okay for me to take longer lessons?” Duo asked, needing some form of clarification that he wouldn't be in any trouble.
“Yes, he did,” Quatre replied. “Now, ask Lily to walk on.” Quatre turned Rocky and began to walk from the courtyard towards the castle entry.
Applying his legs to Lily's sides as Quatre had taught him, Duo asked the mare to walk forward. Once she was walking, Duo's mind again turned to the princess. Since his master's outburst at her, things had settled down a touch. Oh the princess had been sure to blame him for it all and had taken her anger out on Duo when she'd gotten the chance, although she'd been very careful how she'd punished Duo. It had become quite the game of cat and mouse, Duo knowing she'd only use and abuse him when the prince wasn't around and Duo doing his best to try and keep as far away from the princess and her maid as he could when his master wasn't there or needed him for whatever reason.
Quatre carefully observed his fellow slave as they rode out from the castle courtyard and into the meadows surrounding the stone structure. The day was warm, a gentle breeze carried the scents of the forests and grass as the sun played across their skin. He could see Duo relaxing as they left the castle behind and decided that today he would get some answers.
“Push her into the trot,” Quatre ordered and kept Rocky just to the side and still walking. He wanted Duo to do this all by himself. If he pushed Rocky into the trot then no doubt Lily would also increase her gait – and not because her rider asked her to.
Shortening the reins a little more, Duo gave the mare a push with his legs and she broke into a smooth trot. Bouncing in the saddle for a few strides, Duo managed to pick up the rhythm and settle his body in time to it, rising up and down and saving his backside from bruising.
“Very good, Duo,” Quatre praised as he pushed Rocky into the trot and brought the gelding alongside.
“It's not too hard once you get the hang of it,” Duo replied, his face a mask of concentration.
“The more you do it, the easier it becomes until you don't even have to think about it, it all becomes second nature,” Quatre smiled. “See, your body is already following the movement without you even knowing,” he added as he noted Duo's face relaxing and his body following the natural movement.
Duo gave his fellow slave a wide grin. “Do you think I'll be riding well enough to accompany Prince Heero when he has to ride out?”
“I'm sure of it, Duo,” Quatre reassured, happy to see the smile of pleasure on the other slave's face.
They rode for a while, Quatre stopping every now and then to correct something with Duo's posture or show him something. After a little while the sun began to get hotter and Quatre decided they needed a break. He turned Rocky towards the forest and the shade of the large trees, slowing to a walk and meandering along a leaf strewn path. He came to a clearing which had a small pond and dappled light.
“It's beautiful,” Duo exclaimed softly when he saw the area.
“We'll stop here and have a break and some lunch,” Quatre announced and slid from Rocky's back.
“Lunch?” Duo questioned but also dismounted.
“Yes, lunch. Noin packed us a picnic lunch.” Seeing the questions beginning to form in Duo's eyes, Quatre was quick to reassure. “I have already spoken with your master and he was happy for you to enjoy lunch on our ride. You have nothing to fear, no punishment will be forthcoming,” he said before Duo could put voice to those questions.
Duo frowned a little but turned back to his horse to loosen the girth so Lily could also enjoy a break. “Easy for you to say, the princess will not see it that way,” he muttered to himself.
Quatre's sharp hearing picked up on the quiet words. Here was the opening he'd been waiting for. “Did you say something?” he asked, turning to look at Duo. He was well aware that Duo didn’t lie and was more than interested to see what answer he would give.
Startled by the question, Duo took a moment to compose his reply. “I was talking to myself,” Duo stated and turned back to his horse.
Quatre let it go for a moment, finishing off settling his horse and grabbing the small pack from the saddle. With both horses watered and now grazing in the clearing, the pair sat down to enjoy their lunch.
Opening the bag, Quatre pulled out bread, fruit, cheese and dried meats, setting it upon a small cloth. Duo had grabbed their water skins and lay them down on the grass. For a short while there was companionable silence, the two slaves enjoying their meal while the sun sent her rays through the tree canopies to warm them and the light breeze continued to keep them from getting too hot.
Once they had both eaten their fill, Quatre packed the leftover food back into the saddle bag and lay upon his back on the grass. Duo followed suit, relaxing in the warmth of the noon sun.
“Duo?”
“Hmmm?” Duo replied a little sleepily.
“When I asked you earlier what you'd said, you said you were talking to yourself.” Quatre took a breath and then plunged forth. “I couldn't help but overhear your words. What did you mean when you said that the princess would not see it that way?”
Crap, crap, crap! Duo couldn't lie, but he was terrified of telling Quatre the entire truth too. He had no doubt in his mind that the princess would carry out her threats and severely punish him; and whippings and beatings were something he'd rather not endure again.
Watching his fellow slave very carefully, Quatre could see a myriad of emotions flitting through those expressive eyes and across the sweet face. He could tell from his empathy that Duo was struggling with his emotions, wanting to speak up but the terror that seemed to fill him was strangling the chance of that happening. He thought he'd try to do his best to not only get the truth from Duo, but ease his friend's obviously troubled mind as well.
“Duo, you know you can talk to me about anything and I won't say a word to anyone,” Quatre reassured and placed a gentle hand on Duo's arm.
“I know I can, Quatre,” Duo struggled with his words. “But I can't, I just can't!”
“But why? If I can help you, you know I will.”
“Quatre, please, just leave it alone,” Duo begged, his eyes starting to tear up.
“I can't do that, Duo. There's something going on and it's affecting you badly. I can see it, feel it and I don't like to see you this way. Something's changed and it started when the princess arrived.” Seeing the small jolt from Duo's body at the mention of the princess, Quatre knew he was definitely on the right track.
“Has she abused you?” Quatre came out and asked, figuring he might be able to get Duo to talk if he was more direct with his words.
Duo looked up sharply. “No,” he said and then turned away again.
Quatre's empathy told him otherwise and he decided to go for broke. “You want to know what I think?” he asked, not waiting for Duo to respond. “I think the princess is trying to get rid of you.”
Duo's shoulders stiffened and then slumped “Why would you say that?” Duo asked, still not meeting Quatre's eyes lest the other slave see the clear truth in his own.
“Oh, there's several reasons,” Quatre said softly, “but the main reason I think that is because I happened to overhear the princess talking to her maid in the parlor a few days ago and she distinctly said it would appear that they were finally getting somewhere. Her maid also said something along the lines of it wouldn't be much longer before Prince Heero saw you for what you were and got rid of you.”
“They said that?” Duo whispered, keeping his head bowed. Whilst he'd had his own suspicions that the maid and princess were trying to get rid of him, he'd also had a small sliver of hope that he'd been wrong.
“Duo, I haven't said a word to anyone about what I've overheard and I don't plan to, but to help you, I need to know what's going on.” Placing a hand against Duo's cheek, Quatre managed to turn the other's slave's face towards him and look into those violet eyes. “Please, tell me?”
The weight of what he'd been enduring thus far was slowly but steadily wearing him down and Duo didn't want to carry that burden any longer. He trusted Quatre, the blonde slave had never hurt him, harmed him or done anything to get him into trouble before, so why should he start now?
Quatre held his breath, watching the anguish, despair and finally defeat pass through those eyes. He felt Duo slump a little in resignation and then the words he'd been hoping to hear were spoken.
“Okay.”
~ * ~
tbc...
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Bound, Bonded and Betrayed