The Prince and The Assassin chapter 10 part 01/10
Chapter 10: Up Above the World So High, Like a Diamond in the Sky: The End
Part 01 of 02
~*~
Duo held Heero’s bangs away from his face as he threw up for the third time that morning. “Heero, you have to calm down.”
“But what if she doesn’t forgive me? What if she never wants to see me again?” Heero wiped at his mouth and pulled the chain washing away that morning’s breakfast.
Sighing, Duo helped his lover get to his feet and move toward the sink. “Trowa said she had agreed to come to the castle, didn’t he?”
Rinsing his mouth out, Heero could still feel his legs shaking. “I haven’t seen her in twelve years, Duo.”
“I hadn’t seen you in seventeen years, Heero, and now look at us. What difference does it make?” Duo scowled at his pale green lover.
Rolling his eyes, Heero leaned heavily against the king’s shoulder. “The difference is that you’re not my mother and that we had never met before, Duo. That tactic won’t work.”
He knew his lover was right. It had been a month since Duo had sent Trowa and Quatre to retrieve Heero’s mother and they had just received a pigeon informing of their traveling party’s imminent arrival. He knew he had to see his mother at least to tell her that her only son wasn’t dead.
“Heero?” Duo stroked his fingers through his lover’s hair.
Pulling away from the comforting embrace, Heero squared his shoulders and laced his fingers with Duo’s. “I’m alright now, love. Let’s go.”
Together the two men left their chambers and headed toward the entrance hall.
*
Sylvia could feel her legs shaking as she was escorted by Prince Trowa and Sir Quatre up the castle steps. The journey from Nippon had been long and tiring, but the two young men had made it as easy on her as possible and for that she was eternally grateful.
Along the crossing of the sea and the trails over the land she got to know her two companions rather well and had grown to like them, but no matter how many times she asked or she pleaded with them they never divulged anything about her son to her. It would seem that the King of Sanq had sworn them to secrecy and they would not break that promise.
The huge castle doors were pushed open by the guards and the two young men led her inside with comforting smiles.
The moment they crossed the threshold Sylvia felt her stomach drop out of her body with fear. Could this new King Maxwell simply have forced her to travel half way around the world to tell her that her only son was dead? That he was some sort of criminal and they needed her to stand witness at his execution? Or was it something more benign; perhaps even pleasant that this young king had to say?
Trowa lead her gently into the Hall and toward the dais where Sylvia saw King David James Maxwell sitting expectantly on his throne, with a single pony tailed, stern faced man standing at his side.
Stopping in front him, Sylvia composed herself just enough to bow low before him, but the wringing of her hands and her worried frown never ceased.
Duo watched Heero’s mother with a mixture of sympathy and pure happiness. She was slight and fair, but her deep blue eyes were unmistakably the same as her son’s. Finally the rest of their happy ending could begin. “Lady Sylvia, welcome to the Kingdom of Sanq.”
She straightened up and gave him a tentative smile. He was handsome like everyone else of this land she had encountered. Stunning actually, his eyes were smiling violet and kind and his hair was long and silken looking. But despite his pleasant demeanor she was thankful that Trowa and Quatre had stayed on either side of her, near enough to draw some measure of comfort from. “Thank you, your Highness, I am honored you invited me.”
He smiled brightly at her and leaned forward in kind concern. “I trust your journey went well. Did Trowa and Quatre take good care of you?” He smirked at the men standing next to her.
Sylvia glanced at them as they sighed and rolled their eyes in seeming annoyance. “Yes, your Highness. They made sure I was as comfortable as possible.”
“Good.” Duo’s eyes twinkled at her merrily. “I was afraid I would have to behead them if I was to learn otherwise.”
Sylvia felt her heart drop into her stomach. She started to protest, “Oh no, your Majesty-!”
“He’s just kidding, Lady Sylvia.” Trowa cut her off with a reassuring smile. “David wouldn’t do that.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t?” Duo smirked at his brother rather evilly. He was about to open his mouth and say something more when Quatre cleared his throat reminding him of the purpose for this audience.
“Oh, right.” Sylvia watched the king grin rather embarrassedly then turn his attention toward her. “Lady Sylvia, do you know why I have asked you here?”
She felt a nauseous mixture of hope and trepidation sizzling in her belly. “You have news of my son?”
“Yes.” Duo smiled gently at her trying to comfort her, her face had lost all color. “I have news of your son.”
A small whimpered sob escaped her throat and her knees shook dangerously. For a month she had been praying and hoping and now she would finally know. “Oh, please, Sir. Please tell me that he lives!”
Duo’s face softened as his heart began to ache for her. “Yes, Ma’am. He lives and is quite healthy as well.” He could hear Wufei on his left snort, but he ignored him.
“How…” Sylvia could feel tears of relief and happiness trailing down her cheeks. “How do you know of him? How did you come to give me this blessed news of him?” Her voice shook. “I haven’t seen him twelve years.”
“I know.” Duo could feel his throat tighten as he imagined the amount of pain she must have been in. “Your son has done me and this kingdom a great service. He has saved my life and the lives of countless others when he stopped an attempt to assassinate me and usurp my throne.”
Her son was a good man. Sylvia could say that now without a shadow of a doubt. He had saved lives and was healthy and alive. She smiled brightly and clutched at her chest as though her heart would swell right out of it. “Where…? Where is he now, your Highness?”
Duo was so excited to bring so much joy to this beautiful woman in front of him and his wonderful lover that he thought he might jump out of his skin. “He is here, Lady Sylvia. Would you like to see him?”
It was like all her dreams had come true. If it was a dream she didn’t want to ever wake up. “Yes. Oh God!” She sobbed in a mixture of such nervousness and happiness she could barely breathe. “Yes, please.”
Standing up in one fluid motion Duo looked to the right side of the room and into the dark shadows of a corner drawing every eye in that direction. Sylvia stared with bright teary eyes at the man stepping into view.
Heero slowly almost cautiously stepped out of the shadows and into the sun light streaming from the windows, his eyes trained unwaveringly on his weeping mother. The picture she made was eerily like the one he had seen the night he had left her, but at the same time completely different. Despite the tears, she was beautiful and completely his mother even twelve years later.
Her hair had grayed, her skin had wrinkled around her eyes, but she was undeniably his mother and Heero stopped mere paces away from her almost afraid to come too near.
Sylvia was at once struck with just how much her little boy had changed. He looked just like his father: dark, handsome. His eyes were her deep blue, but unlike hers they held a shadow behind them that she at once recognized for what it was. Heero, her Heero had changed so much in twelve years, but the one thing that hadn’t changed was the fact he was her son and she recognized him immediately.
She covered her mouth with her weathered and delicate hand in a sharp gasp and whispered tentatively, “Heero? My son?”
That was all it took before Heero was closing those last few paces and sweeping his mother up into his arms and burying his face in her neck. She still smelled just as he had remembered: of mountain air and the blossoms of a mountain Loral.
“Mama!” He could feel tears pricking at his eyes as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held on tightly. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry.”
“No.” Sylvia soothed as she felt and heard just how much her little boy had grown. His body was all hard muscle and his voice was deep, rumbling through her body. “I thank you. Thank you for finally coming back to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Duo watched Heero and his mother embrace for the first time in twelve years and couldn’t help the swell of happiness in his chest and the prick of tears at his eyes. To see his lover this happy made everything seem simply wonderful.
*
The room was uncomfortably silent and Sylvia glanced from King Maxwell toward her son for the millionth time. After reuniting with her child, her son, King David had ushered the three of them into his private dining chambers where a massive meal had been prepared and spread over the table.
With their tears dry and their reassurances of life made, Sylvia couldn’t bear to loose contact with Heero and David had readily suggested that mother and son sit next to each other at the small table. So they sat, Sylvia and the King across from each other and Heero at the head between them.
Once their seats had been taken and their plates had been filled the uncomfortable silence had descended upon them. So many questions filled Sylvia’s throat but none of them had made it to her tongue yet. Heero continued to hold her delicate hand so gently as if he might snap her fingers and just picked at his food.
Sylvia watched as the King watched her son with steadily growing concern before he finally turned his gaze toward her and gave a hesitant smile.
“Lady Sylvia,” Duo started, “I trust every thing at your home is um… good?” Normally forcing conversation wouldn’t bother him, but he could practically feel the uncertainty and anxiety wafting off his lover. He knew Heero was worried about his mother’s reaction to his life, but Duo was determined to keep his lover from hiding.
She smiled at the King in relief. “Yes, very good, thank you. A few of the young village boys help me out during harvest and do the harder work I can’t.” Sylvia was so nervous and so thankful she didn’t have to start the conversation she almost missed the look of guilt and regret that flickered over Heero’s face. Almost.
Apparently, Duo caught it as well because Sylvia watched in a little astonishment as the King reached over and laid a comforting hand on Heero’s arm, giving it a small squeeze before letting go and turning his attention back to her.
Suddenly, Sylvia’s words were no longer lodged in her throat and popped off her tongue like skipping rocks. “How did you travel all the way to Sanq, Heero?” How had her little boy been surviving half way across the world without her?
Heero’s shoulders tensed and his fingers tightened fractionally around hers before he released his hold on her and pulled his hand back into his lap. “I haven’t been in Sanq for long.” He finally said. “I’ve been moving around for, maybe, six or seven years.”
Her brows furrowed in confusion. “What have you been doing all these years? How have you made a living? How did you end up here?” It all came rushing out like a flood. All her years of not knowing, of mourning, of dreaming about her little twelve year old son struggling back to her over the mountains in the cold. It was almost too much for her at that moment.
Duo clutched at Heero’s forearm and squeezed almost painfully. His lover needed to tell her. For himself and for her. “Heero.” He met his lover’s panicked blue eyes with a small reassuring smile. “It’s alright. Tell her.”
She watched the exchange with a slight frown on her brow. For the first time she wondered just what her son’s relationship with the King was.
Turning to look his mother in the eyes, Heero took a deep breath to steady him self. No matter how his mother reacted he knew that Duo would always be with him. “After I… killed him I left.”
Heero watched his mother’s eye cloud with sadness, but forged on taking comfort in the weight and warmth of Duo’s hand on his arm.
He told of his painful and long journey over the mountains to the nearest town, how he was taken in and nursed by an old man that went simply by J. When he explained how J had trained him to be a killer, he watched a single tear slide down his mother’s cheek.
Not wanting to cause his mother any more pain he didn’t tell her about his first job or the jobs after. By the way her eyes closed when he glossed over it he could tell she was thankful.
Finally he got to his traveling to Sanq at the request of a client to assassinate the crowned prince.
Sylvia gasped and darted fearful eyes toward Duo.
He smiled reassuringly at her and waved a hand dismissively in the air. “It’s alright, Lady Sylvia. I already knew Heero was going to assassinate me. He’s not in any danger from me.”
She relaxed at this and turned back to Heero waiting for him to continue.
Heero suppressed a chuckle at his lover’s words and felt him self ease back into the comfort he was giving. “I didn’t realize it was Duo who I was supposed to assassinate until I had very nearly plunged my dagger into his chest.”
“And he missed, thank God.” Duo grinned and rubbed his scarred upper arm absently.
The look that passed between the two young men didn’t escape Sylvia’s keen eyes but she didn’t comment on it. “What happened after that?” She also neglected to point out that Heero hadn’t explained why he had stopped himself from slaying the King, then a prince.
“I was imprisoned of course.” Heero shrugged. “I was sure I was going to be executed until Duo came down and pulled me out of the dungeons.”
Sylvia shivered at the thought of him shivering in a cold dark cell awaiting death. But noted once again the hole in his story. Why had the prince not chosen to execute him?
“Once I convinced him he wasn’t going to be beheaded, we all devised a plan.” Duo continued, getting into the flow of their very abridged tale.
“We all?” Sylvia asked.
“Yeah,” He grinned, violet eyes twinkling with amusement. “Trowa, Quatre, Wufei, the stony faced guard from before, and Heero and me.”
“Oh.” Sylvia chuckled. She was beginning to like the King. He wasn’t nearly as intimidating with that mischievous smile on his face. She could tell he must have been a hell raiser when he was a child. Not that he was much of an adult as it was. He was obviously a few years younger than Heero and just barely old enough to be able to command the authority needed to hold the throne of one of the largest kingdoms on this side of the world.
“So we planned on a way to overthrow Duo’s uncle and expose him as the traitor and murderer that he was.” Heero explained.
“Obviously everything worked out.” Sylvia smiled then let it slip off her lips when she saw the look that the King cast her son. “What happened?”
“It was nothing-”
“Nothing?!” Duo cut him off with a look of hurt. “You nearly fucking died.”
“What?!” Her heart thudded in her chest and she grabbed at Heero’s arm and scanned her eyes over him just like she had done the first time he had been placed in her arms and she counted all his fingers and toes to make sure they were all there.
“Mom.” Heero blushed and patted her hand comfortingly. “I’m all right now. I have been for quite some time.”
“Well, what happened?” She asked.
“My uncle, bastard that he was, tried to kill me with his ornamental sword. Heero pushed me out of the way and got…” he swallowed roughly, the memory still haunted him, “got stabbed instead.”
Sylvie gasped and tightened her hold on Heero’s arm almost painfully. Besides the thought that her son had almost died was the realization that he had almost died trying to protect his young King across from her. Just what was their relationship?
“But you’re alright now?” She asked.
He smiled at her and squeezed her fingers. “Yeah, I only have a scar to show for it.”
Duo snorted and scooted almost unnoticeably closer to Heero. “Trust me, Lady Sylvia. If that fucker wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him all over again.”
A curious smile turned up her lips. “Why did you spare his life if it was your job to um… assassinate him?” She felt it was time to satisfy her curiosity about this young man’s relationship with her son.
Heero and Duo froze and glanced at each other uncertainly. They hadn’t been able to decide whether it would be a good idea to reveal everything about their relationship so soon on top everything else and had just resolved to walk that bridge when they came to it. And it would appear that they had come to it.
But that didn’t stop them from hesitating.
Sylvia lifted her hand from Heero’s arm with a slight smirk and reached across the table to snag a grape from a rather ornate bowl. Popping it into her mouth, she watched as both young men’s faces paled then blushed. “Why don’t you tell me the rest of the story, Heero-dear? I get the feeling there is something you’re not telling me.”
She watched as her son, all grown up, blushed furiously and squirmed in his seat. The King leaned away from him and watched her with something she never thought a man of his authority and power would ever look at her with; fear and pleading plain as day in his deep violet eyes.
Sighing, she couldn’t keep them afraid like that. “You love him, don’t you Heero?” She asked her son as he froze and watched her with something akin to hope. “That’s why you didn’t kill him. You had fallen in love him.”
“Yes.” He finally breathed. “When we met, we didn’t know what each other was.” He explained after a pause. “I thought Duo was a kitchen servant.”
“And I thought Heero was simply traveler looking for job.” Duo said as he smiled so very tenderly at Heero that it made Sylvia’s chest ache with the memory of her own love dead these twelve years.
“We would sneak around to see each other, all the while not knowing.” Heero twined the fingers of one hand with Duo’s and smiled just as tenderly back at him. “When I was told the timeline for the assassination was pushed up to prevent my target from turning eighteen I knew I had to tell him.”
Eighteen? Sylvia jolted. Duo was that young? But not even that, Heero had just said that they had met and been… in love since Duo was seventeen. That was six years of difference between them.
“I had been wanting to tell him I was actually the prince for some time so we met in the forest.” Duo finished for Heero. “It uh… wasn’t a particularly happy night for either of us.”
“What happened?” She had said that phrase more times than she could count in the last couple of hours, but she had to know. Twelve years of not knowing was quite enough.
Duo glanced at her guiltily. “When Heero told me what he was and who he was supposed to kill, I sort of freaked.”
Sylvia nodded. That was understandable. Finding out your lover was supposed to kill you must have been somewhat traumatizing.
“I ran.” He finished, head down and hand clasping painfully at Heero’s.
Heero lifted their hands up and placed a chaste kiss on the back of Duo’s before he turned back to his mother and finished the story they had started.
Sylvia watched and listened. It was very apparent that the events that followed had affected them massively. It was very apparent that their love was stronger now for it.
His words fell into the room and faded as the silence returned. They were waiting for her judgment. Would his mother approve of them together? Or would she react with scorn and reproach?
It took a surprisingly short amount of time for Sylvia to make up her mind about how she felt. This wasn’t perhaps the life she would have chosen for her only child, but she forfeit any right to choose for him when she let him walk out of their home twelve years before. It was blatantly obvious just how much in love Heero and the King were, how much they had risked together and just how painful it would be to loose her son for a second time if she should try and condemn them.
Slowly she rose from her seat, Heero and Duo rising as well, fear and uncertainty harsh in their eyes. Sylvia walked around the table till she stood between them facing the king and looking directly into his wide violet eyes.
It surprised her just as much as it did Duo when she suddenly wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into her embrace with deceiving strength. He looked over her shoulder to his lover who looked back just as surprised.
Sylvia closed her eyes against the sting of fresh tears tightened her hold on him. “Thank you, Duo.” She said using the name her son had called him. “Thank you for bringing Heero back to me. Thank you for… loving him, when I couldn’t.”
Closing his eyes, Duo finally wrapped his arms around his lover’s mother holding her almost as tightly as he buried his face into her shoulder.
“No problem.” He chuckled a little wetly as tears of happiness started to string at his eyes. “He’s not as much trouble as you would think.”
They both laughed and Sylvia pulled away from him to wrap an arm around her son bringing him into the embrace. “My little boy!” She gasped with a bright smile, as everything started to sink in. “I still can’t believe it! You’re all grown up!”
“Mom!” Heero blushed but couldn’t help but chuckle as both his lover and his mother turned their irresistible smiles on him. He was doomed and he didn’t mind one bit.
“Please tell me I know everything I need to know.” She pleaded jokingly as all three of them resumed their seats and started to finish their meal with renewed vigor. “I don’t think I could take much more at the moment.” It was true the journey hadn’t been easy and the emotional upheavals of the day had taken their toll on her no longer quite as young body.
“Actually…” She glanced up as Heero and Duo looked at one another in silent communication before Heero looked back at her with a faint blush on his cheeks. “We’re hoping that you would like to stay for a while.”
Duo elbowed him gently in the ribs spurring him on. “I mean, at-at least until after the wedding.”
She frowned in confusion. “Wedding?” She hoped it wasn’t what it sounded like. It was common knowledge that a king needed an heir and given her son’s relationship with the king that was impossible. Could Duo be getting married to fulfill that need and they wanted her there to be with Heero through it? “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”
“Heero didn’t want to get married until he could see you again. So we were hoping you would be there, to celebrate it with us.” Duo explained nervously. He sincerely hoped she would wish to stay and be there with them. It wouldn’t be much of a celebration if she refused. Heero would be heart broken.
A light flickered on in her mind and she felt her self relax. “You’re getting married?”
“Yeah.” Duo grinned. “I wouldn’t be able to run this place without him.” He smiled lovingly at Heero. “He’s a life saver.” Literally.
A smile blossomed on her face as she watched them and warmth flooded her heart. “I would like very much to be there.” She said and reached to hold both their hands. “Do you need any help planning it?” She asked a little hopefully.
They all laughed and the conversation picked up with a happy ebb and flow of love for the rest of the day. Everything was wonderful. Everything was perfect. Sylvia thought as she watched her son and his lover smiled at each other. She had waited twelve years for this and she finally had it. And it was better than she could ever have imagined.
*
Continue on to Part 02
Part 01 of 02
~*~
Duo held Heero’s bangs away from his face as he threw up for the third time that morning. “Heero, you have to calm down.”
“But what if she doesn’t forgive me? What if she never wants to see me again?” Heero wiped at his mouth and pulled the chain washing away that morning’s breakfast.
Sighing, Duo helped his lover get to his feet and move toward the sink. “Trowa said she had agreed to come to the castle, didn’t he?”
Rinsing his mouth out, Heero could still feel his legs shaking. “I haven’t seen her in twelve years, Duo.”
“I hadn’t seen you in seventeen years, Heero, and now look at us. What difference does it make?” Duo scowled at his pale green lover.
Rolling his eyes, Heero leaned heavily against the king’s shoulder. “The difference is that you’re not my mother and that we had never met before, Duo. That tactic won’t work.”
He knew his lover was right. It had been a month since Duo had sent Trowa and Quatre to retrieve Heero’s mother and they had just received a pigeon informing of their traveling party’s imminent arrival. He knew he had to see his mother at least to tell her that her only son wasn’t dead.
“Heero?” Duo stroked his fingers through his lover’s hair.
Pulling away from the comforting embrace, Heero squared his shoulders and laced his fingers with Duo’s. “I’m alright now, love. Let’s go.”
Together the two men left their chambers and headed toward the entrance hall.
*
Sylvia could feel her legs shaking as she was escorted by Prince Trowa and Sir Quatre up the castle steps. The journey from Nippon had been long and tiring, but the two young men had made it as easy on her as possible and for that she was eternally grateful.
Along the crossing of the sea and the trails over the land she got to know her two companions rather well and had grown to like them, but no matter how many times she asked or she pleaded with them they never divulged anything about her son to her. It would seem that the King of Sanq had sworn them to secrecy and they would not break that promise.
The huge castle doors were pushed open by the guards and the two young men led her inside with comforting smiles.
The moment they crossed the threshold Sylvia felt her stomach drop out of her body with fear. Could this new King Maxwell simply have forced her to travel half way around the world to tell her that her only son was dead? That he was some sort of criminal and they needed her to stand witness at his execution? Or was it something more benign; perhaps even pleasant that this young king had to say?
Trowa lead her gently into the Hall and toward the dais where Sylvia saw King David James Maxwell sitting expectantly on his throne, with a single pony tailed, stern faced man standing at his side.
Stopping in front him, Sylvia composed herself just enough to bow low before him, but the wringing of her hands and her worried frown never ceased.
Duo watched Heero’s mother with a mixture of sympathy and pure happiness. She was slight and fair, but her deep blue eyes were unmistakably the same as her son’s. Finally the rest of their happy ending could begin. “Lady Sylvia, welcome to the Kingdom of Sanq.”
She straightened up and gave him a tentative smile. He was handsome like everyone else of this land she had encountered. Stunning actually, his eyes were smiling violet and kind and his hair was long and silken looking. But despite his pleasant demeanor she was thankful that Trowa and Quatre had stayed on either side of her, near enough to draw some measure of comfort from. “Thank you, your Highness, I am honored you invited me.”
He smiled brightly at her and leaned forward in kind concern. “I trust your journey went well. Did Trowa and Quatre take good care of you?” He smirked at the men standing next to her.
Sylvia glanced at them as they sighed and rolled their eyes in seeming annoyance. “Yes, your Highness. They made sure I was as comfortable as possible.”
“Good.” Duo’s eyes twinkled at her merrily. “I was afraid I would have to behead them if I was to learn otherwise.”
Sylvia felt her heart drop into her stomach. She started to protest, “Oh no, your Majesty-!”
“He’s just kidding, Lady Sylvia.” Trowa cut her off with a reassuring smile. “David wouldn’t do that.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t?” Duo smirked at his brother rather evilly. He was about to open his mouth and say something more when Quatre cleared his throat reminding him of the purpose for this audience.
“Oh, right.” Sylvia watched the king grin rather embarrassedly then turn his attention toward her. “Lady Sylvia, do you know why I have asked you here?”
She felt a nauseous mixture of hope and trepidation sizzling in her belly. “You have news of my son?”
“Yes.” Duo smiled gently at her trying to comfort her, her face had lost all color. “I have news of your son.”
A small whimpered sob escaped her throat and her knees shook dangerously. For a month she had been praying and hoping and now she would finally know. “Oh, please, Sir. Please tell me that he lives!”
Duo’s face softened as his heart began to ache for her. “Yes, Ma’am. He lives and is quite healthy as well.” He could hear Wufei on his left snort, but he ignored him.
“How…” Sylvia could feel tears of relief and happiness trailing down her cheeks. “How do you know of him? How did you come to give me this blessed news of him?” Her voice shook. “I haven’t seen him twelve years.”
“I know.” Duo could feel his throat tighten as he imagined the amount of pain she must have been in. “Your son has done me and this kingdom a great service. He has saved my life and the lives of countless others when he stopped an attempt to assassinate me and usurp my throne.”
Her son was a good man. Sylvia could say that now without a shadow of a doubt. He had saved lives and was healthy and alive. She smiled brightly and clutched at her chest as though her heart would swell right out of it. “Where…? Where is he now, your Highness?”
Duo was so excited to bring so much joy to this beautiful woman in front of him and his wonderful lover that he thought he might jump out of his skin. “He is here, Lady Sylvia. Would you like to see him?”
It was like all her dreams had come true. If it was a dream she didn’t want to ever wake up. “Yes. Oh God!” She sobbed in a mixture of such nervousness and happiness she could barely breathe. “Yes, please.”
Standing up in one fluid motion Duo looked to the right side of the room and into the dark shadows of a corner drawing every eye in that direction. Sylvia stared with bright teary eyes at the man stepping into view.
Heero slowly almost cautiously stepped out of the shadows and into the sun light streaming from the windows, his eyes trained unwaveringly on his weeping mother. The picture she made was eerily like the one he had seen the night he had left her, but at the same time completely different. Despite the tears, she was beautiful and completely his mother even twelve years later.
Her hair had grayed, her skin had wrinkled around her eyes, but she was undeniably his mother and Heero stopped mere paces away from her almost afraid to come too near.
Sylvia was at once struck with just how much her little boy had changed. He looked just like his father: dark, handsome. His eyes were her deep blue, but unlike hers they held a shadow behind them that she at once recognized for what it was. Heero, her Heero had changed so much in twelve years, but the one thing that hadn’t changed was the fact he was her son and she recognized him immediately.
She covered her mouth with her weathered and delicate hand in a sharp gasp and whispered tentatively, “Heero? My son?”
That was all it took before Heero was closing those last few paces and sweeping his mother up into his arms and burying his face in her neck. She still smelled just as he had remembered: of mountain air and the blossoms of a mountain Loral.
“Mama!” He could feel tears pricking at his eyes as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held on tightly. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry.”
“No.” Sylvia soothed as she felt and heard just how much her little boy had grown. His body was all hard muscle and his voice was deep, rumbling through her body. “I thank you. Thank you for finally coming back to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Duo watched Heero and his mother embrace for the first time in twelve years and couldn’t help the swell of happiness in his chest and the prick of tears at his eyes. To see his lover this happy made everything seem simply wonderful.
*
The room was uncomfortably silent and Sylvia glanced from King Maxwell toward her son for the millionth time. After reuniting with her child, her son, King David had ushered the three of them into his private dining chambers where a massive meal had been prepared and spread over the table.
With their tears dry and their reassurances of life made, Sylvia couldn’t bear to loose contact with Heero and David had readily suggested that mother and son sit next to each other at the small table. So they sat, Sylvia and the King across from each other and Heero at the head between them.
Once their seats had been taken and their plates had been filled the uncomfortable silence had descended upon them. So many questions filled Sylvia’s throat but none of them had made it to her tongue yet. Heero continued to hold her delicate hand so gently as if he might snap her fingers and just picked at his food.
Sylvia watched as the King watched her son with steadily growing concern before he finally turned his gaze toward her and gave a hesitant smile.
“Lady Sylvia,” Duo started, “I trust every thing at your home is um… good?” Normally forcing conversation wouldn’t bother him, but he could practically feel the uncertainty and anxiety wafting off his lover. He knew Heero was worried about his mother’s reaction to his life, but Duo was determined to keep his lover from hiding.
She smiled at the King in relief. “Yes, very good, thank you. A few of the young village boys help me out during harvest and do the harder work I can’t.” Sylvia was so nervous and so thankful she didn’t have to start the conversation she almost missed the look of guilt and regret that flickered over Heero’s face. Almost.
Apparently, Duo caught it as well because Sylvia watched in a little astonishment as the King reached over and laid a comforting hand on Heero’s arm, giving it a small squeeze before letting go and turning his attention back to her.
Suddenly, Sylvia’s words were no longer lodged in her throat and popped off her tongue like skipping rocks. “How did you travel all the way to Sanq, Heero?” How had her little boy been surviving half way across the world without her?
Heero’s shoulders tensed and his fingers tightened fractionally around hers before he released his hold on her and pulled his hand back into his lap. “I haven’t been in Sanq for long.” He finally said. “I’ve been moving around for, maybe, six or seven years.”
Her brows furrowed in confusion. “What have you been doing all these years? How have you made a living? How did you end up here?” It all came rushing out like a flood. All her years of not knowing, of mourning, of dreaming about her little twelve year old son struggling back to her over the mountains in the cold. It was almost too much for her at that moment.
Duo clutched at Heero’s forearm and squeezed almost painfully. His lover needed to tell her. For himself and for her. “Heero.” He met his lover’s panicked blue eyes with a small reassuring smile. “It’s alright. Tell her.”
She watched the exchange with a slight frown on her brow. For the first time she wondered just what her son’s relationship with the King was.
Turning to look his mother in the eyes, Heero took a deep breath to steady him self. No matter how his mother reacted he knew that Duo would always be with him. “After I… killed him I left.”
Heero watched his mother’s eye cloud with sadness, but forged on taking comfort in the weight and warmth of Duo’s hand on his arm.
He told of his painful and long journey over the mountains to the nearest town, how he was taken in and nursed by an old man that went simply by J. When he explained how J had trained him to be a killer, he watched a single tear slide down his mother’s cheek.
Not wanting to cause his mother any more pain he didn’t tell her about his first job or the jobs after. By the way her eyes closed when he glossed over it he could tell she was thankful.
Finally he got to his traveling to Sanq at the request of a client to assassinate the crowned prince.
Sylvia gasped and darted fearful eyes toward Duo.
He smiled reassuringly at her and waved a hand dismissively in the air. “It’s alright, Lady Sylvia. I already knew Heero was going to assassinate me. He’s not in any danger from me.”
She relaxed at this and turned back to Heero waiting for him to continue.
Heero suppressed a chuckle at his lover’s words and felt him self ease back into the comfort he was giving. “I didn’t realize it was Duo who I was supposed to assassinate until I had very nearly plunged my dagger into his chest.”
“And he missed, thank God.” Duo grinned and rubbed his scarred upper arm absently.
The look that passed between the two young men didn’t escape Sylvia’s keen eyes but she didn’t comment on it. “What happened after that?” She also neglected to point out that Heero hadn’t explained why he had stopped himself from slaying the King, then a prince.
“I was imprisoned of course.” Heero shrugged. “I was sure I was going to be executed until Duo came down and pulled me out of the dungeons.”
Sylvia shivered at the thought of him shivering in a cold dark cell awaiting death. But noted once again the hole in his story. Why had the prince not chosen to execute him?
“Once I convinced him he wasn’t going to be beheaded, we all devised a plan.” Duo continued, getting into the flow of their very abridged tale.
“We all?” Sylvia asked.
“Yeah,” He grinned, violet eyes twinkling with amusement. “Trowa, Quatre, Wufei, the stony faced guard from before, and Heero and me.”
“Oh.” Sylvia chuckled. She was beginning to like the King. He wasn’t nearly as intimidating with that mischievous smile on his face. She could tell he must have been a hell raiser when he was a child. Not that he was much of an adult as it was. He was obviously a few years younger than Heero and just barely old enough to be able to command the authority needed to hold the throne of one of the largest kingdoms on this side of the world.
“So we planned on a way to overthrow Duo’s uncle and expose him as the traitor and murderer that he was.” Heero explained.
“Obviously everything worked out.” Sylvia smiled then let it slip off her lips when she saw the look that the King cast her son. “What happened?”
“It was nothing-”
“Nothing?!” Duo cut him off with a look of hurt. “You nearly fucking died.”
“What?!” Her heart thudded in her chest and she grabbed at Heero’s arm and scanned her eyes over him just like she had done the first time he had been placed in her arms and she counted all his fingers and toes to make sure they were all there.
“Mom.” Heero blushed and patted her hand comfortingly. “I’m all right now. I have been for quite some time.”
“Well, what happened?” She asked.
“My uncle, bastard that he was, tried to kill me with his ornamental sword. Heero pushed me out of the way and got…” he swallowed roughly, the memory still haunted him, “got stabbed instead.”
Sylvie gasped and tightened her hold on Heero’s arm almost painfully. Besides the thought that her son had almost died was the realization that he had almost died trying to protect his young King across from her. Just what was their relationship?
“But you’re alright now?” She asked.
He smiled at her and squeezed her fingers. “Yeah, I only have a scar to show for it.”
Duo snorted and scooted almost unnoticeably closer to Heero. “Trust me, Lady Sylvia. If that fucker wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him all over again.”
A curious smile turned up her lips. “Why did you spare his life if it was your job to um… assassinate him?” She felt it was time to satisfy her curiosity about this young man’s relationship with her son.
Heero and Duo froze and glanced at each other uncertainly. They hadn’t been able to decide whether it would be a good idea to reveal everything about their relationship so soon on top everything else and had just resolved to walk that bridge when they came to it. And it would appear that they had come to it.
But that didn’t stop them from hesitating.
Sylvia lifted her hand from Heero’s arm with a slight smirk and reached across the table to snag a grape from a rather ornate bowl. Popping it into her mouth, she watched as both young men’s faces paled then blushed. “Why don’t you tell me the rest of the story, Heero-dear? I get the feeling there is something you’re not telling me.”
She watched as her son, all grown up, blushed furiously and squirmed in his seat. The King leaned away from him and watched her with something she never thought a man of his authority and power would ever look at her with; fear and pleading plain as day in his deep violet eyes.
Sighing, she couldn’t keep them afraid like that. “You love him, don’t you Heero?” She asked her son as he froze and watched her with something akin to hope. “That’s why you didn’t kill him. You had fallen in love him.”
“Yes.” He finally breathed. “When we met, we didn’t know what each other was.” He explained after a pause. “I thought Duo was a kitchen servant.”
“And I thought Heero was simply traveler looking for job.” Duo said as he smiled so very tenderly at Heero that it made Sylvia’s chest ache with the memory of her own love dead these twelve years.
“We would sneak around to see each other, all the while not knowing.” Heero twined the fingers of one hand with Duo’s and smiled just as tenderly back at him. “When I was told the timeline for the assassination was pushed up to prevent my target from turning eighteen I knew I had to tell him.”
Eighteen? Sylvia jolted. Duo was that young? But not even that, Heero had just said that they had met and been… in love since Duo was seventeen. That was six years of difference between them.
“I had been wanting to tell him I was actually the prince for some time so we met in the forest.” Duo finished for Heero. “It uh… wasn’t a particularly happy night for either of us.”
“What happened?” She had said that phrase more times than she could count in the last couple of hours, but she had to know. Twelve years of not knowing was quite enough.
Duo glanced at her guiltily. “When Heero told me what he was and who he was supposed to kill, I sort of freaked.”
Sylvia nodded. That was understandable. Finding out your lover was supposed to kill you must have been somewhat traumatizing.
“I ran.” He finished, head down and hand clasping painfully at Heero’s.
Heero lifted their hands up and placed a chaste kiss on the back of Duo’s before he turned back to his mother and finished the story they had started.
Sylvia watched and listened. It was very apparent that the events that followed had affected them massively. It was very apparent that their love was stronger now for it.
His words fell into the room and faded as the silence returned. They were waiting for her judgment. Would his mother approve of them together? Or would she react with scorn and reproach?
It took a surprisingly short amount of time for Sylvia to make up her mind about how she felt. This wasn’t perhaps the life she would have chosen for her only child, but she forfeit any right to choose for him when she let him walk out of their home twelve years before. It was blatantly obvious just how much in love Heero and the King were, how much they had risked together and just how painful it would be to loose her son for a second time if she should try and condemn them.
Slowly she rose from her seat, Heero and Duo rising as well, fear and uncertainty harsh in their eyes. Sylvia walked around the table till she stood between them facing the king and looking directly into his wide violet eyes.
It surprised her just as much as it did Duo when she suddenly wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into her embrace with deceiving strength. He looked over her shoulder to his lover who looked back just as surprised.
Sylvia closed her eyes against the sting of fresh tears tightened her hold on him. “Thank you, Duo.” She said using the name her son had called him. “Thank you for bringing Heero back to me. Thank you for… loving him, when I couldn’t.”
Closing his eyes, Duo finally wrapped his arms around his lover’s mother holding her almost as tightly as he buried his face into her shoulder.
“No problem.” He chuckled a little wetly as tears of happiness started to string at his eyes. “He’s not as much trouble as you would think.”
They both laughed and Sylvia pulled away from him to wrap an arm around her son bringing him into the embrace. “My little boy!” She gasped with a bright smile, as everything started to sink in. “I still can’t believe it! You’re all grown up!”
“Mom!” Heero blushed but couldn’t help but chuckle as both his lover and his mother turned their irresistible smiles on him. He was doomed and he didn’t mind one bit.
“Please tell me I know everything I need to know.” She pleaded jokingly as all three of them resumed their seats and started to finish their meal with renewed vigor. “I don’t think I could take much more at the moment.” It was true the journey hadn’t been easy and the emotional upheavals of the day had taken their toll on her no longer quite as young body.
“Actually…” She glanced up as Heero and Duo looked at one another in silent communication before Heero looked back at her with a faint blush on his cheeks. “We’re hoping that you would like to stay for a while.”
Duo elbowed him gently in the ribs spurring him on. “I mean, at-at least until after the wedding.”
She frowned in confusion. “Wedding?” She hoped it wasn’t what it sounded like. It was common knowledge that a king needed an heir and given her son’s relationship with the king that was impossible. Could Duo be getting married to fulfill that need and they wanted her there to be with Heero through it? “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”
“Heero didn’t want to get married until he could see you again. So we were hoping you would be there, to celebrate it with us.” Duo explained nervously. He sincerely hoped she would wish to stay and be there with them. It wouldn’t be much of a celebration if she refused. Heero would be heart broken.
A light flickered on in her mind and she felt her self relax. “You’re getting married?”
“Yeah.” Duo grinned. “I wouldn’t be able to run this place without him.” He smiled lovingly at Heero. “He’s a life saver.” Literally.
A smile blossomed on her face as she watched them and warmth flooded her heart. “I would like very much to be there.” She said and reached to hold both their hands. “Do you need any help planning it?” She asked a little hopefully.
They all laughed and the conversation picked up with a happy ebb and flow of love for the rest of the day. Everything was wonderful. Everything was perfect. Sylvia thought as she watched her son and his lover smiled at each other. She had waited twelve years for this and she finally had it. And it was better than she could ever have imagined.
*
Continue on to Part 02