Sí Beag, Sí Mór
Part 3
Every instinct in Heero's body was screaming at him to make sure Duo was all right. Standing over the
Unseleigh boy and doing nothing almost physically hurt him. And quite frankly, his reaction to seeing Duo lying
there, unmoving, was frightening him. He had to struggle to shove those instincts aside in order to give his men
their orders.
"Wufei, head back to the palace," he ordered. "Inform the king of what has happened. We can expect
retaliation for this. Go quickly. We may not have much time."
The dark-eyed sidhe nodded and, casting one last look at Trowa, took off in the direction of the Seleigh
city.
"The rest of you, fan out. Watch the border. If you see any activity, report to me immediately. Do not
engage. Is that clear?" Heero continued, facing his men.
The Seleigh warriors either voiced their assent or nodded before taking to the air in various directions. Only
Trowa remained behind.
"What are you going to do with him, Heero?" he asked, nodding to the still form of the Unseleigh prince.
"I'll take him to the king, but I want to question him first."
Trowa merely looked at him impassively. "Are you sure that's such a good idea?"
"We have time. It will take a while for the Unseleigh army to mobilize. I want to see if there are any others
nearby before deciding on a course of action." He was lying through his teeth, and Trowa looked as though he
knew it.
The green-eyed sidhe walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't do anything stupid,
Heero," he said as he fluttered his wings and took off.
Heero let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He quickly knelt down beside the unconscious boy
to check for injuries. There was a large bump on his head but otherwise he seemed to be fine. Heero turned Duo's
arm to look at the crescent moon shaped mark on the inside of his elbow. Two tiny stars lay underneath,
indicating Duo was the second born child of the previous monarch.
'K'so! Not only do we capture a prince, but he's the bloody Heir-Apparent to the Unseleigh Court,' he
thought angrily to himself as he fingered the mark gently. He knew the current Unseleigh king didn't have any
children, and until he did, Duo was next in line for the throne. 'The Unseleigh court is not going to be happy about
this. For that matter, neither will King Merquise if we go to war over this boy.'
A low moan broke him out of his thoughts. Heero brushed chestnut bangs away from Duo's face as the boy
stirred. Slowly, violet eyes opened, blinking up at him.
"What... happened?" the Unseleigh prince asked dazedly as he tried to focus up at Heero.
"You were hit by a tree branch," Heero explained softly. "Can you sit up?"
Duo nodded, wincing. Heero placed one hand underneath the boy's elbow and helped him into a sitting
position. He watched confusion play over Duo's face as he realized his hands were tied in front of him. He looked
up at Heero with questioning eyes.
"Do you remember what happened, Duo?"
"No, I... " His voice trailed off, his eyes widening as he remembered. "Quatre! Hilde! Where are they?"
"We caught you and your friends in Seleigh territory."
"Where are they?" the Unseleigh prince demanded, his eyes turning cold. "If you've hurt them... "
"Baka," Heero interrupted. "They got away. You didn't. What were you doing in Seleigh territory anyway?"
Duo blinked. "Seleigh territory? This area is part of the borderlands and is supposed to be a neutral zone."
Heero's eyes narrowed. "No, the borderlands begin on the other side of the pond."
"Not according to our maps," the prince snapped, violet eyes flashing in anger.
Heero sighed inwardly. This would them nowhere. "It's a moot point anyway. No one is allowed to enter the
borderlands. Why were you there?"
Duo looked away guiltily. "We were only having a little fun." He looked back up at Heero. "Why did you
attack us anyway? Surely you don't think three Unseleigh children were going to invade your lands," he asked
bitterly, tugging at his bonds.
"For all we knew, you could have been part of an advancing invasion force, your Highness," Heero snapped
back. He grabbed Duo's arm and pointed to the mark. "Why didn't I see this before?"
"Glamour," Duo explained, rolling his eyes. "Honestly, did you really think I'd let you, a Seleigh warrior, see it
that day? I may as well have had the words 'Unseleigh Prince, Kidnap Me Now' written on my forehead."
"Baka," Heero said again, his gaze softening. "Your forehead is too small for all that to be written there."
Duo almost smiled. "So, um... now what? I'm rather new to this whole prisoner thing. What are you going to
do with me?"
"I don't know," Heero said honestly. "Had you been... less royal, we'd probably have tortured you for
information."
Duo raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"
"Like why you kissed me." Heero blinked. He had not just said that. Had he?
A blush stole across Duo's face. 'He's utterly adorable when he blushes,' Heero thought, then frowned.
'Blessed Danu, I just used the word adorable. What's wrong with me?'
Fortunately for Heero, Duo was too flustered to notice the confused look on his face.
"I... well, I don't really know, Heero," the braided prince replied, avoiding Heero's eyes. "I'm sorry if I
offended you in any way. It's just... from the moment I saw you, I felt drawn to you somehow. I still feel that
way. By rights, I should be terrified out of my mind right now, but I'm not. I can't explain it."
Heero nodded. "I feel the same way. Since I met you, I haven't been myself either. I can't close my eyes
without seeing your face, feeling your lips against mine... " He buried his hands in his hair and grimaced. "And I
certainly don't open up and talk like this to my closest friends, let alone my enemy. Something's not right."
"What could it be?" Duo asked innocently. Great Mother, how Heero hoped Duo was innocent of this. His
head jerked up as he remembered what had happened the first time they touched. That magical jolt - his eyes
narrowed dangerously as he turned his gaze back to the prince.
"How did you do it?" he demanded, grabbing Duo's arm and yanking him forward so their faces were only
centimeters apart.
"D... do what?" the prince asked, fear creeping into his eyes for the first time.
"The day we met, you put a love spell on me. That's why I haven't been able to stop thinking about you."
"Heero, I don't know what you're... "
"Quiet!" the Seleigh warrior shouted, squeezing Duo's arm tighter. "Why did you do it? Did you think that by
getting me to fall in love with you, I'd betray my people, my cousin, my king? Was that your plan? To use me to
invade our lands?"
Silver tears began to pool in Duo's violet eyes. He shook his head vehemently. "No! I swear by the Blessed
Mother that I did no such thing! You know love spells don't work!"
"A coercion spell then."
"Will you stop?" Duo all but yelled as one tear slid down his face. "I didn't place a spell on you! And I can
prove it."
"How?"
"I'll willingly let you place a truth spell on me."
Heero sucked in his breath. That was a dangerous thing Duo was asking him to do. By placing the prince
under a truth spell, Duo would be forced to answer every question truthfully. Heero could ask him anything about
the Unseleigh court and Duo would have to answer. He could risk betraying his clan just to prove he wasn't lying
about this.
"Are you sure?" Heero asked.
Duo nodded nervously. He knew the dangers, yet wanted to do it anyway. Heero almost didn't want to do
it. Anyone who would risk betraying his own people like that had to be telling the truth. But it might be a trick. He
had to be sure.
"Alright then. Just relax." He put his hand on Duo's chin and tipped the boy's face up. "On my life, I swear I
won't ask any questions that would cause you to betray your people."
Duo's eyes widened in surprise. He licked his lips nervously. Heero groaned silently at the sight. For a
moment he almost hoped Duo had cast a spell on him. At least then he could explain all these strange feelings he
had toward the young prince.
He moved to sit in front of Duo with his legs crossed. Clearing his mind of all thought, he began chanting the
little spell to call the air elementals to him. The spell itself was easy to learn, but using it was difficult. If the one
on whom the spell was cast submitted willingly, then anyone with magical ability could perform it. However, if the
subject resisted, then only a master mage could force it on a person. Air elementals would not stay where they
were not wanted. Only a master could make them surround an unwilling participant.
Heero was no master mage. He could not have forced the truth spell on Duo. So the fact that the prince
was willing had surprised him greatly. Perhaps Duo was telling the truth. In a moment, he'd find out.
As he finished the spell, a light blue aura surrounded Duo. The Unseleigh prince was now completely under
the truth spell and effectively immobilized. He would not be able to move and would be forced to answer any
question truthfully. If he tried to lie, the 'aura' would darken, letting Heero know he was trying to conceal the
truth. Heero took a deep breath. It was time to learn the truth.
"What is your name?"
"Duo Maxwell."
"What is your rank?"
"Second son of the Khushrenada line and Heir-Apparent to the Unseleigh court."
"What were you doing in Seleigh territory?"
vDuo's eyebrow twitched. "We were not in Seleigh territory." So. He'd been telling the truth about that. He
really didn't believe he and his friends had been on Seleigh lands.
"The day we met, did you place a love spell on me?" Heero held his breath, almost afraid to hear the
answer.
"No."
"Did you place any kind of spell on me?"
"No."
His shoulders sagged in relief. At least Duo hadn't been the one to do whatever had been done to him.
"Were you aware of any plan to put a spell on me?"
"No."
"Are there any plans to invade Seleigh lands?"
"Yes."
Heero's eyes darkened. "Elaborate."
"You have me captive. King Khushrenada will be planning to invade your lands to get me back."
Heero grunted. Of course. "Were there any plans to invade before you got caught?"
"No. We've been enjoying this fragile peace between our clans."
The Seleigh warrior looked deep into Duo's amethyst eyes. "Do you know what happened when we first
touched the day we met?"
"We received some kind of magical shock."
"Do you know what caused it?"
"No."
"Do you mean me or any of my people harm?"
"No."
Heero sighed in relief. Duo was innocent. And while he was happy about that, he still had no idea what was
happening between them. Why were they attracted to one another? Why could he think of nothing but that kiss?
And why did he crave the Unseleigh boy's lips underneath his once more?
He was about to dismiss the truth spell when he suddenly had an evil thought.
"Duo, when you kissed me, was that your first kiss?" He shouldn't be asking the young prince this... he
should be dismissing the truth spell. But he wanted to know. He wanted to know if Duo was as affected by all this
as he was.
Duo's eyes narrowed. "Yes." He didn't look too happy by having been forced to answer that question.
Heero moved closer, entranced by the fire beginning to stir behind those beautiful eyes. "Did you... think
about me after you went home?"
The 'aura' around him darkened briefly. Duo didn't want to answer. "Yes."
"How much?" He moved closer still.
The blue glow turned very dark. Heero could tell the Unseleigh prince was getting angry. "Nearly every
waking moment... and sometimes in my dreams."
"And what were we doing in your dreams?" His face was so close, he could taste Duo's sweet breath.
The prince swallowed nervously as he stared up into Heero's cobalt eyes. "K... kissing," he stammered, his
wings fluttering unconsciously.
vHeero brought one hand up to run fingers down Duo's face. The boy's skin was so soft. "Was that all?"
"No."
The Seleigh warrior ran his hand through the chestnut bangs that framed Duo's heart shaped face as he
cursed the literalness of the truth spell. "What else were we doing?"
Duo emitted a strangled sound in the back of his throat as he tried not to answer. "T... touching."
vHeero trailed his fingers down the braided prince's throat. "Touching? Like this?"
"M... more." Duo was now visibly trembling.
"You want me to touch you more?"
"Yes," the Unseleigh sidhe said, his eyes opened wide in surprise. "No, I mean... In my dreams, we touched...
more." He glared at the dark-haired sidhe leaning over him. Heero could see the promise of payback written in
those eyes. He knew there would be hell to pay when he released Duo from the truth spell. But for the moment...
he had the boy right where he wanted him.
"Duo, before I release you from the spell, I have one more question." The braided prince just glared at him
some more. "You gave me my first kiss. Would you like me to give you your second one?"
"Y... yes."
Heero smirked as he leaned forward. Duo was still glowering at him as he brushed his lips lightly against the
prince's. The truth spell still held the braided sidhe immobilized. He leaned forward again, pressing harder. While he
himself was inexperienced at kissing, he'd accidentally walked in on Trowa and Wufei enough times to know the
dynamics of it. He ran his tongue over Duo's bottom lip, encouraging the boy to open his mouth. As he did, he
mentally dismissed the truth spell, releasing Duo from his immobilized state. The Unseleigh prince gasped as
Heero's tongue swept into his mouth. He leaned into Heero, bringing his bound hands up to clutch at the front of
Heero's tunic.
Duo tasted sweeter than honey nectar. As his tongue moved lazily in the young prince's mouth, he realized
the only thing softer than the boy's lips was his hair. He dug both hands into the chestnut locks at the back of his
head. As the kiss progressed, Duo surprisingly became more aggressive. The Unseleigh prince pushed Heero so
that the Seleigh warrior was sitting back on his heals, no longer leaning over him. His tongue began to war with
Heero's for control as the kiss heated in intensity. Again he felt the tingling sensation he'd experienced the first
time Duo had kissed him, only this time it was stronger. It was a heady sensation. Heero was quite willing to
drown himself in the young prince's mouth when an approaching noise caused him to push Duo away.
The violet-eyed sidhe was out of breath, panting slightly. Heero longed to take him back in his arms and kiss
him until he turned as blue as his ridiculous wings.
"Heero," Duo said murmured plaintively, "what's happening to us?"
"I wish I knew," Heero replied as he regretfully got to his feet, pulling Duo up with him. He reached down and
drew a knife from his boot. Quickly, he sliced through Duo's bonds, setting the Unseleigh prince free.
"What are you doing?" Duo asked, astonished at Heero's actions.
"Setting you free. A life for a life. My debt to you is repaid."
Pain flashed through Duo's eyes. Heero reached up to cup the prince's cheek. "I don't want a war to start
over you. Go home," he whispered gently as Duo nuzzled his hand.
"What if I don't want to go?" the braided boy whispered, bringing his own hand up to cover Heero's.
The Seleigh warrior swallowed hard. "Please. Go. Let's not send our clans headlong into a needless war."
Duo choked back a sob, but nodded. "Could we... meet again?" he asked hopefully.
Heero hesitated. Meeting again could be dangerous for them both. But he wanted to... even if it was only to
figure out what was happening to them.
"When the moon is full, under the willow tree on the far side of the pond. Meet me there three candlemarks
after dark." The buzzing of approaching wings grew louder. "Go Duo. Now."
The Unseleigh prince reached up to place one last, fleeting kiss on Heero's mouth before fluttering his wings
and taking off through the air. Heero stared after him, feeling an aching hole in his heart as he watched the boy
fly away. He shook his head to clear his thoughts as he slipped his knife back into his boot. He shouldn't be having
feelings this strong for someone he had just met, let alone an Unseleigh prince. He needed to find out what was
happening to them and quickly before either one of them got hurt.
The sound of buzzing wings grew louder still until Trowa landed gracefully next to him. He gazed at Heero
dispassionately with one visible emerald green eye. "Where is he?"
Heero returned his look with a steady gaze of his own. "He managed to free himself from his bonds. He used
some kind of spell to keep me from moving and took off."
Trowa glanced at the severed ropes on the ground. "I do believe, Captain Yuy, that that is the first time
you have ever lied to me," he said, a hint of bitterness in his voice. "I placed a geas on him. He can't use
offensive magics against us."
"That will be the official version of what happened, Barton. You will tell no one of the geas," Heero ordered.
"And the unofficial version?" the green-eyed sidhe asked angrily.
"I let him go."
Trowa exploded. "What in the nine hells did you do that for, Yuy!? An act like that could be considered
treason!"
"Stand down, Barton!" Heero yelled back. He could see the cords in Trowa's neck straining as the
green-eyed warrior restrained himself from further outbursts. "You and I both know what will happen if we had
taken him to the city. The Unseleigh army would be on top of us like madmen, trying to rescue their precious
prince. We've not had a major incident between our clans in two summers. This would have launched both our
peoples into a needless and bloody war."
Trowa looked at him for a long moment before nodding reluctantly. "I can see your point. I was worrying
about that myself. But I will still have to inform the king of your actions."
"Don't bother. I will tell him myself. And frankly, I think he'll agree with me," Heero replied, relieved that
Trowa wouldn't be going after Duo.
Duo... he could still taste the beautiful prince on his lips, feel the softness of his silky hair...
"Heero, are you listening to me?" Trowa asked, snapping him out of his daydream.
"Forgive me, Trowa. I have a lot on my mind."
The green-eyed warrior narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "There's more going on here than you're letting on. I
want to know what's bothering you."
"It's nothing," Heero lied as he stepped away.
Trowa reached out and grabbed his arm. "Dammit, Heero. I thought I was your friend. What is going on?"
Heero looked at him for a moment before answering. "I want your Oath that you will not tell a single soul
what I am about to tell you. Not even the king."
"You know I can't do that, Heero. If it concerns the welfare of the clan... "
"You have my word of honor that it does not. It concerns only me and the Unseleigh prince," Heero
interrupted, staring him in the eye.
Trowa stared back at him in contemplation for a minute before drawing his sword. Holding it in front of his
face, pointed end up, he swore his Oath. "By my word and hand, I swear I shall tell no one what you tell me."
Heero nodded in acceptance. Trowa sheathed his sword again and waited for him to speak.
"I let the Unseleigh prince go because I owed him my life."
"What? When?"
"About seven days ago, while on patrol near the borderlands, I... got caught in a spider's web." Heero's
eyebrow twitched as Trowa smirked in amusement. "Duo found me and freed me. Then he helped me wash the
webbing off."
Trowa's eyes widened as he put two and two together. "He's the one who kissed you. And he's why you've
been so distracted these past few days."
Heero nodded, avoiding Trowa's gaze for the first time.
"What are you doing, Heero?" Trowa said, grabbing his friend's shoulder.
"What do you mean?"
"You can't fall in love with an Unseleigh prince!"
Heero shrugged off his hand. "Don't you think I know that?" he snapped as he turned away. "Look, we'll
discuss this later. I've got to get back to the palace and stand down the army. You and the others keep patrolling
the borders just in case. If you see anything suspicious, let me know."
Trowa sighed but nodded. "Fine. But we will talk about this later. And remember what I said." With those
final words, he took to the air and zoomed away.
'I know I can't fall in love with an Unseleigh prince, Trowa,' Heero thought as he too took flight, but in the
direction of the palace. 'The problem is... it may already be too late.'
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