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Bound, Bonded and Betrayed	By : Deb Category: Gundam Wing/AC > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 13360 -:- 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
- 44
- 45
- 46
"Bound, Bonded and Betrayed"

Chapter 44

Leaving the princess' chambers, Wufei made his way to the healer's chambers first. He needed the healer to check the princess over and make sure that everything was okay with both the princess and the baby. If anything were to be wrong he had no doubt that Prince Heero would be very upset. The prince would be upset enough as it was when he returned and heard of what had transpired during his absence.
Thinking about the slave he had yet to talk to, Wufei thought it would be a good idea for the healer to take a look at Duo too. The slave was in quite the state and some of Sally's potions could help in soothing the slave. Having reached the door to the healer's rooms, Wufei knocked and waited.
“Enter,” came a voice from within and Wufei opened the door.
“Ah, Captain Chang,” Sally greeted. “Is your cold getting worse?”
“Healer Sally,” Wufei acknowledged. “No, my cold is fine. I am here to make a different request for your services.”
“I see, and what might that be?”
Wufei sighed and briefly explained to the Healer a little of what had transpired. “I would appreciate it if you could stop by and check the princess and baby, determine if all is well with them both.”
“Of course, I will go right away,” Sally replied and then frowned. “Captain? You said the princess claims that Duo tried to rape her?”
“Yes, she did and the evidence I saw when I entered the rooms backs up her claims.”
“Somehow I can't see Duo doing something like that,” Sally muttered. “He's never struck me as the type to use any form of physical force, in fact, he's scared to death of being flogged or beaten and I can understand why after all he went through before Prince Heero acquired him.”
“I know, it doesn't make sense to me either, but I have a duty to serve and protect and in this case, accumulate all the facts so the King can make an informed decision in regards to a trial.”
“I realize that, but I still can't see Duo doing anything along those lines.” Sally gave another sigh as she began to collect various bottles and jars, dropping them into a bag.
“I am on my way to the dungeons now to take Duo's statement-”
“The dungeons?! You have Duo locked in the dungeons?!” Sally all but yelled.
“That is usually where we put people who are accused of a crime whilst we investigate,” Wufei replied tartly.
“I realize that, but surely you could make an exception in Duo's case? He's not dangerous.”
“As much as it pains me to have had to do it, I'm afraid I am bound by the rules of the Kingdom and as Duo is accused of a crime he must be placed into the dungeon.”
Sally chewed on that for a moment and realized that Wufei was right, he didn't have any choice in the matter. “Fine. I will go and check the princess as requested. Once I am finished there I will come to the dungeons and check Duo too.”
Wufei raised an eyebrow but didn't question the healer. “That will be fine, but you will wait for me before attending Duo. I am going to speak with Duo now and get his version of the events. I will return to your chambers and speak to you shortly.” Turning, Wufei left the healer's rooms, he had a slave to talk to.
* * *
A soft knock at the door had Relena looking up from her book. “Dorothy, would you see who that is, please?”
Dorothy put her book down and got up from the armchair to do as her mistress bade. Opening the door a little she saw who was on the other side and raised her voice enough that the princess would be able to hear her. “Ah, mistress healer. Please, come in.” Dorothy opened the door a little more.
“Thank you,” Sally said and entered the chambers. “The Captain asked me to stop by and check the princess. I believe she has suffered a nasty shock?”
Hearing Dorothy speak, Relena settled herself in her chair and slipped back into her role of victim.
“Yes, she has,” Dorothy growled. “This way.” Dorothy turned and led the healer into the sitting room and her mistress. “Mistress, the healer is here to attend to you,” Dorothy said and dropped to her knees beside Relena's chair.
“Your Highness, Captain Chang asked me to stop by and check on you. I believe there was some form of altercation?”
Relena turned her shimmering eyes towards the healer. “Altercation?” she almost hissed. “That lowly piece of garbage tried to rape me.” The princess kept a slight tremor to her voice and added a terrified look to her features.
“Oh dear,” Sally said, softening her eyes and putting on a forced sense of compassion. “If you can, please tell me what happened.”
“I've already gone through it all with the Captain.” Relena's bottom lip trembled. “I don't know if I can go through it again.”
“It's okay, mistress, I'm right here with you,” Dorothy soothed and stood up to place her arm around the princess' shoulder.
“I realize it is very traumatic for you to recall, but if you could give me a brief description of what occurred, you don't have to go into details, it will let me know how best to help you,” Sally said, her voice patient.
“I'll do my best,” Relena sniffled.
“Thank you.”
Relena related to Sally what had transpired, keeping it brief and refusing to go into too much detail. The healer listened intently, nodding in the right places and drawing her own conclusions.
“And you tried to fight him off?” Sally questioned.
“Yes, I did. It wasn't easy though with the baby and all. I tried to get as far away from him as possible, but he forced me to lie down. I tried to push at him, hit him and shove him away, but he started to tear at my clothes. Then he tore his own pants and began to force himself upon me. I started to scream and he put his hand over my mouth. Then I heard Dorothy and managed to scream louder. That's when he jumped off the bed and the Captain came into the room.” Relena began to dab at her eyes again and added a few hitches to her breathing.
“I'm sorry to put you through that again, Your Highness, but I now have an idea of any injuries that you may have sustained. If you would come through to the bed chamber I would like to examine you and make certain that all is okay.” Sally stood from her chair and picked up her bag.
“Okay,” Relena grudgingly replied and allowed Dorothy to help her up. Slowly she made her way through to the bed chamber and sat upon the bed.
Sally set her bag down and rummaged through the contents. Noting her patient now sitting on the bed, she turned and gave a reassuring smile. “This won't take long and I'll be as gentle as I can.”
After several minutes, Sally was satisfied she'd gone over her patient as thoroughly as she could and placed a couple of items back in her bag. Withdrawing a couple of packets, she turned back to the princess. “All is well with the baby and I can't find anything of concern physically with you either. I have some powders here that I'd like you to take, just mix them with warm water and drink it down. I will explain the proper procedure to your maid and she can make it up for you.”
“What is it?” Relena asked suspiciously.
“They are simply to soothe your nerves, help with the shock of the attack and let you get some rest,” Sally replied. “I need you to take a dose now and another before retiring this evening. Another dose in the morning and you should be feeling much better. I will call by again tomorrow and check on you, meanwhile if you have any concerns at all, please send for me.” Sally closed her bag and with the packet in hand, turned to Dorothy to explain how to mix the powders up.
Task completed, Sally bowed to the princess and took her leave, her mind a mix of troubled thoughts.
* * *
Having spoken with the healer, Wufei headed for the dungeons and the accused slave. Approaching the cell that Duo had been locked in, he nodded to the two guards stationed on either side of the door.
Both guards had stood to attention when they spotted their captain approaching. When he stopped in front of them they saluted sharply. “Captain,” they said in unison.
“I am here to speak with the accused,” he told them.
“Yes, Captain.” The guard on Wufei's left turned and pulled a key from his pocket to unlock the door. “Please knock when you are finished, Captain and we will let you out,” the guard stated.
“Thank you.” Wufei stepped into the cell and paused. The door closed behind him and he heard the lock scrape back into place. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the darker interior and when they did his heart ached. Duo was curled up on the small cot, knees hugged to his chest and tear streaks adorning his sweet face.
As much as Wufei wished to console and comfort the slave, he couldn't. He had a job to do and if he were to see justice done, he needed to gather all the facts and make certain the right person was punished. “Duo?” he called softly and walked towards the cot.
Duo had heard the door open and peeked out from under his bangs to see who was coming into the cell. He could make out the shape of the Captain silhouetted against the light that came in from the open door. He trembled and barely hung on to his composure. The door closed again but the Captain remained. He heard his name called softly and despite his physical and emotional state of upset, his training kicked in and he found himself scrambling from the cot to kneel on the floor, his head bowed. “Captain, sir,” he whispered.
Reaching the kneeling slave, Wufei extended a hand and caressed the chestnut head, his heart twisting when the slave flinched. “Duo, I have come to take your statement on what happened,” he said quietly.
Duo nodded but remained kneeling on the cold floor.
“Come, sit on the cot with me and we can talk,” Wufei commanded,
Obeying the order, Duo rose and sat on the edge of the cot, the Captain sitting next to him and pulling out a quill, ink bottle and sheaf of papers. “I have spoken with the princess and taken her statement in regards to the events of earlier. Now I need to take yours and get your version of what happened.”
“Why bother,” Duo stated. “I am but a slave and no one takes notice of a slave. You have the statement from the princess so why bother taking mine? Either way I will be found guilty and put to the sword.”
Wufei sighed. “I know it is difficult for you to understand, but here in Colonia we do things a little differently to other kingdoms. Everyone is entitled to a fair trial and that starts with taking statements.” Wufei raised his quill and dipped the end into the ink pot before looking pointedly at Duo.
The slave gave a sigh and lowered his head. “I still don't see that it will make any difference, but okay. I had returned to the chambers after cleaning up the bathing chamber. The mistress had partaken of lunch and I was to take the dishes back to the kitchen. The mistress asked her maid to fetch someone from the guard as she wanted to speak to them about accompanying her on a trip to the capital to do some shopping for the baby.”
The quill in Wufei's hand scratched away at the paper as he took his notes. So far all appeared to match up with the princess' statement.
“The maid left and I remained awaiting the mistress' orders. I asked her if she wished for me to take the dishes back to the kitchens and she declined. She...” Duo swallowed.
“Go on,” Wufei encouraged.
“She said that she'd heard I gave my master a good back and shoulder massage and that she wanted me to give her one as her shoulders were aching along with her back from carrying the baby. I have given my master massages in the past, but I don't know if I'm good at them or not, but she insisted. I didn't want to do it, I know it's not proper for a slave - a male slave – he corrected himself, to touch female royalty. The mistress continued to insist, said I would be flogged for disobeying an order from her...” Duo's voice began to hitch again and a couple of tears made their way down his cheeks to be scrubbed away.
“What happened next?” Wufei gently coaxed.
“I didn't want to give her a massage, I swear, but I didn't want a flogging either. I followed her into the bed chamber and she sat upon the bed, ordering me to begin massaging her shoulders. I did and then all of a sudden she started tearing at her clothes and screaming. I didn't know what was happening. Next she turned and grabbed for my pants, ripping at them. I was scared and didn't know what to do. I began to back away and she screamed louder. I managed to get myself into the corner and then the maid and you came into the room.” Duo sniffled and scrubbed at his face again.
Finishing off his writing, Wufei locked himself in thought for a moment. Both statements were the same up until the princess left for the bed chamber, then the two stories differed. He frowned a little and looked up to Duo. “Did you try to defend yourself? Did you push at the princess or anything?”
“No,” Duo whispered, “All I did was try to get away from her.”
Something was tugging at the fringes of Wufei's mind and he knew he would need to go back over everything very carefully to find out what that nagging thought was. He capped the ink pot and gathered his papers together.”I will now go and speak with the king in relation to this matter. Once he has made a decision I will come and inform you of what is to happen next.”
Lowering his eyes, Duo heaved a sigh. “Thank you for listening to me and hearing my side of the story, even though it won't make any difference to the final outcome,” he whispered.
“You don't know that,” Wufei replied. “I will return later.” Turning, Wufei strode to the door and knocked, the guards opening the door and letting him out.
With the Captain gone, Duo curled back up on the cot and rocked himself as the tears coursed down his cheeks and misery settled into his gut.
* * *
Walking back through the castle halls towards the healer's chambers, Wufei's mind was running wild with all he'd heard thus far from the princess and Duo. From what he knew of the slave it did seem to be completely out of character for Duo to attack anyone. The slave shied away from anything violent and given what he knew of Duo's past and had witnessed himself on that day when the prince had found him, he could well understand why. There was something here that didn't add up, given he was the captain of the guard it was his duty to investigate and get to the bottom of it all. Given both statements though and the lack of witnesses, even Wufei had to admit, it wasn't looking good for Duo.
Arriving at the healer's door, Wufei took a deep breath and knocked.
“Enter.”
Opening the door, Wufei stepped into the chambers, his eyes scanning around until they landed on the figure of the healer bent over her table and working away at grinding something up in a bowl.
“Ah, Captain,” the healer greeted and placed the bowl on the table to pick up a cloth and wipe her hands.
“Healer Sally,” Wufei replied.
“How is Duo?” Sally asked and motioned for the Captain to take a seat.
Wufei sighed and took the motioned for seat. Ignoring the question for the moment, Wufei asked one of his own. “Have you attended the princess?”
“Yes, I have and all is well with the princess and the child...”
Wufei could detect a 'but' in there. “But?”
“She said that Duo forced her to the bed and she tried to fight him off.” Sally frowned. “If that is true I would have expected to find some evidence of a struggle.”
“The princess' clothes were torn,” Wufei pointed out.
“Yes, I understand that, but if you had been fighting off an attacker there would be some form of physical evidence of that. Things like bruising, scratches, marks left on the skin, that type of thing. During my examination I looked very carefully for evidence of a physical altercation, but I didn't find anything,” Sally said.
“I see.” Wufei thought on the healer's words for a moment. “There could be a possibility that any bruising hasn't shown up yet, or that D-” Wufei hesitated for a moment, “that Duo didn't grab her as such but pushed her and maybe used his body weight to pin her?”
“I suppose so.” Sally closed her eyes for a moment. “If what the princess said about trying to fight him off is true then Duo should have some form of evidence to that fact on his body. Either way, if a struggle happened I would expect one or both to have some evidence of that.”
“I agree with you,” Wufei replied.
“Now, answer my question, Captain. How is Duo?” Sally's tone clearly told Wufei she expected an answer this time.
Lowering his eyes, Wufei spoke softly. “He's not good. He appears to be okay physically, but emotionally? He seems to have regressed back to something like he was when he first arrived here.”
“Take me to him, now.” Sally's voice brooked no argument and she rose to gather several things together.
“Of course.”
* * *
Hearing the sound of the lock releasing, Duo blinked open his sore eyes and tried to sit up on the small cot. Two figures entered the cell along with a little more light and once Duo's eyes had adjusted he could make out the figures of the healer and the Captain. Quickly he struggled to drop to the floor on his knees.
“No, Duo. Stay on the cot,” Sally said as she moved swiftly to assist the slave to rise. She couldn't help but notice the flinch when her hand connected with the slave's shoulder.
“Captain, Mistress Healer,” Duo whispered as he sat back on the cot.
“The healer is here to check you over, Duo,” Wufei explained. “You will cooperate fully with her.”
“Yes, Captain,” Duo replied.
“I will wait outside and give you some privacy to conduct your examination,” Wufei said to Sally and stepped back just outside the door.
With the Captain now out of the cell, Sally opened her bag and turned to her 'patient'. “Now, Duo, let me take a look at you...”
As Sally worked her way over Duo's body, checking him from head to toe for any sign of an altercation so her frown increased. Once her physical evaluation was finished, she sat on the cot next to the slave and spoke softly with him, doing her best to determine the slave's current state of mind. She didn't get a lot out of Duo, just the same statement that Wufei had gotten. With a gentle pat to his knee she stood up and fetched some powders from her bag. Spotting the jug of water and goblet on the small table, she poured the powder into the goblet, added some water and stirred the concoction until it dissolved. Returning to the shivering slave she handed him the goblet. “Here, drink this it will help to soothe your nerves a little.”
Meekly, Duo took the goblet and swallowed the liquid.
“Try to rest, Duo. I have to go now and give my findings to Wufei so he can take a full and informed report to the king.”
“Thank you,” Duo whispered. “Thank you for listening to me. I know it won't make any difference to the outcome of all of this, but I appreciate you trying to help.” Duo lowered himself to the cot and curled into a ball once more.
Sally's heart tore for the unfortunate slave but there wasn't anything more she could do. With a nod she picked up her bag, replaced the goblet on the table and exited the dungeon. The door closed behind her and Duo was once again locked in to dwell in his own misery.
“All finished?” Wufei asked.
“Yes.” Sally replied and the pair began to walk back through the castle to Sally's chambers. As they walked so Sally began to inform Wufei of her findings.
“Physically there isn't a lot. He's a little undernourished which surprises me as I know Heero doesn't neglect Duo and Noin generally feeds him snacks whenever he's around the kitchens. I did find a few bruises on him, only minor ones though and from my knowledge they don't appear to be too fresh. When I asked Duo about them he said he'd knocked himself a couple of times when cleaning the bathing chamber or other areas.”
“That is a possibility. Where was the bruising?”
“I found a couple on his arms and one on his shoulder.”
“What about his mind?”
“That is a completely different matter. He's feeling very lost, confused and alone, very similar to how he was when Prince Heero first brought him here. He did give me an outline of what happened and combined with his past I can well understand why he's so unstable emotionally right now.”
“Yes, he's very frightened and given the circumstances I really cannot blame him,” Wufei stated. “I will need your full reports on both the princess and the slave so I can take this to the king.”
“If you care to accompany me back to my chambers I can give you both reports now.”
“Thank you.”
“Given what you have so far, what do you think will happen?”
Wufei sighed. “I'll be perfectly honest with you. Based on the statements and your findings I have no doubt the king will call a trial. Once all the evidence is presented and both parties are able to have their say it will be up to the king to decide. Right now it isn't looking good for Duo, without any direct witnesses it will be difficult to refute the princess' claims.”
“If Duo is found guilty of the alleged crime he will be put to the sword, won't he?” Sally said quietly.
“I'm afraid so.”
The pair continued on towards Sally's chambers, behind them a door opened slowly and silently, a blonde head appearing around the jamb.
Quatre shook his head, blue eyes wide and fearful. “No,” he whispered. Somehow he had to help his fellow slave...
...but how?

~ * ~
tbc...
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Bound, Bonded and Betrayed