The Heart of Ancar

By DragonMage

Notes: Ack, got this idea stuck in my head and, ah, well, I couldn't get it out so I had to do something about it, ne?

Chapter 1

"Come on, Heero! Let's go meet the new ambassador from Valorn!" Duo Maxwell exclaimed excitedly as he grabbed his friend's shirt with his gloved hands and began to tug insistently. "I hear he's not even Valornian!"

"What are you talking about, Duo?" Heero Yuy demanded irritably as he tried to disengage himself from his best friend's grip.

"Haven't you heard? Sank is trying to make peace with Valorn! Sooo Valorn sent an ambassador to work things out. Come on! We've been at war for how long?" Duo demanded, rolling his violet eyes heavenward. "For a soldier you sure aren't aware of things, Heero. For shame!"

Heero gave Duo a Look. "Duo, I am well aware of the situation between Sank and Valorn and I do know about the ambassador coming over. But what I don't know is why you should get all excited over it."

"Because! I wanna see how this new guy looks!" Duo said as if that explained everything.

"Duo, that's a stupid reason. We can see him anytime we like since he's going to be around for a while," Heero reasoned. "Now, let me get back to my excercises." Heero reached down and pulled his sword out of the ground and took a fighting stance, forcing Duo to release him and step back.

"Yeesh, that's all that matters to you. Fight, fight, fight," Duo said, glaring at his friend. "I don't see anything great about it. You already know you're good."

"Yes, but I want to be better," Heero said, as he swung his sword in a high arc and brought it down just as smooth.

"You're impossible. Ugh, fine, I'll go alone!" Duo threw up his arms and dashed past Heero to make up for lost time. He really did want to see this new ambassador. Through palace gossip he had heard a lot of interesting things about this one. Like for the fact he isn't Valornian at all but came from the Sanren mountains. Anyone who came from the Sanren mountains was worth a look. They were such secluded and isolated people that no one had ever seen one of those people in many, many years! It was exciting to hear that a Sanren person was going to be in Sank for a few months working out a peace treaty.

Duo skidded to a stop as he entered the palace and looked left and right before dashing right. He would take the side door out and force his way through the crowd. Yep, that'll work. He burst through the door and immediately began to shove and push through the nobles. All of them complained and started cursing him until they saw who he was. Immediately they made way for him and he soon reached the front with a comfortable space around him. Sometimes being feared was a good thing.

He watched excitedly as the gates were pulled open and a parade of horses entered the palace courtyard. He bit his lower lip and struggled not to jump up and down in his impatience. Gods, when was he going to see the Sanren??

Queen Relena stood in front of the crowd with her entourage of important court officials and mages surrounding her as well as some guards. She was dressed in her State Robes with her gold crown seated regally on her head. Her wheat colored hair was braided and wrapped around her head and tucked inside of the glittering crown. She had on some jewelry such as a three string necklace made of precious stones and earrings including her signet ring which identified her the ruler of the Sank Kingdom.

"Queen Relena, may I present Chang Wufei, ambassador of Valorn," the Captain of Guard announced in a booming voice so that everyone in the courtyard would know this person and who he is, as well as the queen.

A young man rode forward from out of the escort riders on a white mare. He was wrapped in a black robe with the hood pushed down. He had long hair that was tied back in a tail and exoticly shaped eyes made of the darkest obsidian color. His nose was proud and had the look of a noble or some sort of aristocrat, possibly even royalty from the way he carried himself. His lips were soft, pink that were very, very inviting. He had golden skin that shone under the warm Sank sun. To put it shortly, he was an absolute beauty made of the most exotic stuff that would lure any man or woman to give their hearts over without a second thought.

<No wonder some rumors say he is the lover of Emperor Treize,> Duo thought dazedly as he watched the young man dismount and walked towards Queen Relena, his cloak whipping around him as the wind suddenly picked up.

"Ambassador Chang Wufei, it is a pleasure to meet you," Queen Relena said in a throbbing voice that held much authority and respect for the young man before her even though they were probably the same age.

Ambassador Chang bowed formally, his movements swift and graceful and contained the same respect Queen Relena had for him. There was a collective murmur of appreciation among the nobles around Duo.

"And the pleasure is mine as well, Queen Relena," Chang said as he rose from his bow. His Sank was near perfect except for a slight accent that made his speech all the more enduring. Duo could already hear the single--and even married!--woman sigh in appreciation. Hmm, maybe there was a reason why the Sanren people chose to be isolated from the rest of the world. If they were all just as beautiful as the one before the court of Sank right now none of them would ever get a rest from eager suitors of all kinds, never mind mixed blood.

Queen Relena smiled reservedly and turned to the crowd around her. "Know this! Today is the beginning of a peace we have all longed for! And we owe this chance of peace to Ambassador Chang who had volunteered his services even as he knew the risks of it!"

Duo knew that Queen Relena was laying it on a bit thick but the people seemed to like it as they cheered and clapped their approval. He watched as the ambassador smiled courteously at Queen Relena, and she smiled back.

Servants appeared out of nowhere and soon the procession was moved inside and the nobles dispersed. They all wanted to stick around but the guards were soon waving them away saying that the ambassador was going to be received by Queen Relena and they didn't need to be disturbed by nosy people.

Duo stuck around for as long as possible, watching as the queen and ambassdor spoke with each other while moving inside with guards and servants surrounding them as a protective shield. If any hater of Valorn was to try and assassinate the ambassador they'd have to get through the crowd first *and* risk hitting Queen Relena instead. It was clear that the ambassador was to be protected in every measure to make sure that nothing ruined the tentative peace between Sank and Valorn.

When he could see no more, Duo walked back into the palace, a huge smile on his face as he went in search of Heero. Gods, he had to tell his friend about everything he missed! Well, it wasn't much but Duo knew he could talk about how the ambassdor looked like for hours on end. Yes, like almost every other person in the crowd, he was absolutely smitten by the young ambassador. He was far too beautiful to not be noticed! One thing for sure, he had a face that no one could forget. And he was a Sanren! A Sanren! People who have not been seen in the longest time! He wondered how Valorn was like, having a Sanren amongst them. Was it normal? Or was he just as exotic in Valorn as he now is in Sank?

With a burst of impatience, Duo started running. He flew down the hall, past servants, nobles and anyone who got in his way. He ran to the training yard where he *knew* he would find Heero. He ran through the door and skidded to a hazardous stop as he whipped his head around, looking for any sight of Heero. His braid slapped against his back and he nearly got choked by his own hair in his haste.

"Heero!"

Heero stopped working and stabbed his sword into the ground. He watched as Duo ran towards him, his braid whipping in the air and nearly catching some of the trainees in the face. He almost rolled his eyes. Sometimes Duo wasn't aware his braid was just as dangerous as his hands, those of which he kept gloved so he didn't do anything he didn't mean. Heero remembered when Duo first came to the Sank palace. It had been about three years ago when they were both thirteen and Queen Relena was still Princess Relena. Duo had been under attack by some bandits who thought he actually carried some money on him and a traveling mage had tried to help him fight off the bastard bandits. The thing the mage didn't expect was to see men die just as Duo touched them with his hands. It had been horrifying but the mage knew that Duo had been just afraid of his power and needed help. He had taken Duo back to Sank and Duo was finally given the training he needed to learn his strange and deadly power and how to contain it. As long as his bare hands didn't touch anyone he couldn't kill, thus leading to why he always wore gloves except when he bathed.

Heero hadn't expected to make friends with Duo, the boy with the power of death. Everyone in court feared him because of his power. He could kill just by touching anyone with his hands. What if they provoked him and he decided to unleash his power on them? They didn't dare risk it. When Duo killed, it *seems* like natural death but it isn't. Only a powerful mage of healing would know whether or not the deceased had died naturally or by Duo's hands. Duo could easily get away with the murder. But Heero hadn't been afraid. In fact, he had found himself intrigued with the boy and caught him one day in the garden, talking to the frozen flowers because he was lonely. Heero's heart unexpectedly went out to him and they started talking. Before long, they were the best of friends.

"You should have been there, Heero!" Duo shouted excitedly as he came to an abrupt stop in front of Heero, his braid dancing behind him.

"And why is that?" Heero asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"He's a Sanren, Heero! They haven't been seen in the longest time! He's...amazing," Duo breathed in amazement. His violet eyes were dancing and he had the silliest grin on his face. "Truly! It's no wonder there are some rumors about him and the Emperor of Valorn."

"Duo, sometimes you're worse than any palace gossip," Heero drawled as he pulled out a rag from his backpocket and wiped the sweat off his face. "I swear palace life is not good for you."

"Hmph. Like you care. But you're going to see him anyway and you're going to agree with him: he's beautiful!" Duo looked of himself that Heero became curious.

"How does he look like?" he asked.

"Oooh...You have to see him to really see how exotic he looks!" Duo went into great detail of how the young ambassador looked like, getting the attention of the trainees around them. They all gathered around Duo and listened as the young man recounted everything he had seen and heard about the ambassador of Valorn. Before he knew it, Heero was very, very curious about seeing this ambassador. He did seem to be an interesting sort from the way Duo described him. But then Duo had the bard's talent of making potatoes interesting but Duo refused to become a bard, saying he wanted to be a mage since there was a bit more glory in that kind of life. Duo lived for attention and fame.

When he finished his vivid description of the ambassador it was time for lunch and everyone dispersed to get some good food in their system. They were also all buzzing about Ambassador Chang and Heero was positive that the ambassador was going to be the talk of the mess hall for a few days.

"Are you going to eat in the mess hall today?" Heero asked Duo.

"I think I will," Duo said cheerfully. When he had first came to the palace he had been afraid of new people due to his past. He had never been treated as human because of his power and Duo had a slight fear of people he didn't know very well. His own village had treated him like an animal, making him scared to use his powers in anyway. The only reason why those ignorant people had kept him alive was because they thought he was a god of some sort and if he died some terrible curse would be laid on them. It had taken a while to get over his fear but Duo had an incredibly desire not to let things get him down, and soon he was socializing and getting to know people. He was still shy and fearful when in a very, very large crowd but he was quickly getting over that.

"That's wonderful. Come on, we better get there before they eat everything in sight," Heero remarked.

"Well, we can't let that happen!" Duo agreed. "I'm a growing boy and I need my food!"

"You always need your food, Duo." Heero grabbed his sword out of the ground and started for the mess hall with Duo jogging after him.

"You know, sometimes I'm not sure if you're really my friend. Do friends insult friends?" Duo demanded, looking wounded.

"That didn't hurt you," Heero said matter-of-factly.

Duo shot him an annoyed expression. "I don't know *why* I associate with you. You have no manners whatsoever."

"Not when it comes to you, Duo," Heero told him with a slight smirk.

"Hmph! I am--"

"Oh, don't start with that nobility crap, Duo," Heero said, rolling his eyes. "I *know* where you come from and you are *not* some lost son of a rich family somewhere in the west."

"Ah, but a man can dream, can't he?" Duo asked wistfully.

"Where's a man? I don't see one."

*whap!*

"Oh, shut up!"

~*~

Chang Wufei sighed in relief as he closed the heavy door to his Valornian ambassador suite behind him and leaned against it. Gods, it had been nerve-wracking talking to Queen Relena and trying to ignore the strange looks he had been getting. Oh, he knew why they were looking but did they have to be so obvious about it? Gods above, he was mentally and physically drained. It had been a long trip to Sank on horseback and he was aching in places he never knew he could ache in!

He reached up and pulled off the horsehair he had used to tie back his hair and closed his eyes contently as he felt his hair fall free. He liked having his hair loose because it was comfortable and it didn't hurt his scalp. The only reason why he had it tied back these last two weeks was because he wanted to make a good impression with the Sank escorts. He wanted to look authoritive and confident so they knew Valorn wanted this peace agreement as bad as they did. They had been at war for far too long and it was about time some sort of peace was made! Even if it was only tentative in the beginning. Besides, another reason why he had tied it up was because he was afraid of strange looks from some of the escorts. He knew how he looked like when his hair was down and Treize had only told him so many times how attractive he was, as well as Zechs! He flushed slightly at the memory of their compliments and walked over to the open door of his bedroom.

His things had already been dropped off inside of the bedroom and he only had to unpack and go to the bath that was waiting for him in another room. He ruffled through his things and found a change of clothing and made his way to the bath. He wasn't going to let it go cold when he could do the unpacking some time later.

As he slipped into the soothingly hot water, Wufei thought back to the reason why he was here to begin with. When Emperor Treize first took his throne, Sank and Valorn were already fierce enemies. Throughout the line of emperors of Valorn, none had tried to make any peace with Sank and Treize knew that the hatred between Sank and Valorn was probably too deep to make any kind of amends. But when a messenger mage came to Valorn to request a peace treaty, Treize knew that it was the perfect chance to finally end all the blood shed that had spanned over thousands of years. No longer will blood soak the borders of Sank and Valorn if this peace agreement is reached.

Although everyone had been shocked when Emperor Treize had chosen Wufei as the ambassador. Hell, Wufei had been shocked! He wasn't even Valornian yet Treize trusted him to make peace between the lands. Wufei had thought Treize had lost his mind. No way will Sank accept an agreement that was made from someone not of Valorn. But Treize trusted him and made sure that the messenger mage knew that Treize was sending one of his most beloved to make peace so that meant *something*. But Wufei still had thought it was a stupid risk. Why couldn't Treize pick another ambassador who *was* Valornian? Zechs for instance! Zechs would make a good ambassador what with his smooth talking and natural charm, *and* Zechs was also a beloved of Treize in a much more intimate way than Wufei. While Wufei looked to Treize as an older brother, Zechs looked to Treize as a lover.

But despite arguments from both Wufei and Zechs--Zechs feared for Wufei's life since he thought Wufei was still pretty young and shouldn't take such a risk--Treize refused to back down. Trieze had taken Wufei aside a few days before the boy had to leave and explained everything to him. When Wufei had heard his reasons, he knew that Treize was just afraid for him as Zechs was but he also knew this was a good risk to achieve peace.

"I love you, Wufei and I know this is a very dangerous thing to do but I trust in you. I know you can do this. You have a level head and you won't lose you calm while you're there. You're going to be faced with many things over there and I'm afraid Zechs won't be able to keep his calm like you can," Treize had said seriously as he gripped Wufei's hand. "Please, understand I don't want you hurt but I know you can do this."

"I understand, Treize. But I truly doubt Zechs does," Wufei had said, frowning. "He's not happy about this and while I'm gone he's going to give you hell."

Treize had smiled and kissed Wufei on his forehead. "I know, child. But I'll be all right. Zechs will scream, complain, accuse and try to hit me but I'll be okay."

"Just don't let him near your sword collection," Wufei had chuckled.

<Treize, Zechs, I miss you both,> Wufei thought as he slowly washed his hair. <As much as I want to go home and crawl into bed with you two, I'm going to stay here because I promised to do this and I *will* do it. We'll have peace, Treize, I swear.>

When he was thoroughly clean, Wufei stepped out of the bath and wrapped himself in a soft robe left out for him. He dried his hair and body before slipping on his black tunic over a white shirt and black pants. He walked barefoot into his bedroom, his hair was still wet but he didn't care much for it. He found his brush and began to comb his hair through. When his hair was free of tangles, he placed the brush down on a near-by dressing table and left it down. He ran his fingers through his wet locks and stretched like a cat. Hmm...he was tired. Maybe he should take a nap. There were going to be no meetings until tomorrow so he was left to his own devices.

He walked over to the window and pulled it up. Warm air immediately filled the room and he breathed deeply, tasting the different air here in Sank. It was nothing like Valorn's air which was sweet and cool. Sank's air was a too warm and it stank of the city, which wasn't all that far from the palace really. He grimaced and decided to leave his window closed. He slammed it shut and walked over to his new foreign bed. He flopped down on it and winced as he felt his chest connect with a rather hard bed. Ugh, it was nothing like his own bed or Treize and Zechs's bed which was nice and soft, filled with downy feathers and made of the most smoothest silk. <This place is horrible! I can't believe people sleep on these things! This bed must be made of pure wood covered by fancy cloth!>

He sat up and massaged his poor abused chest. <Hmph. Next time I try that again.> He tested the pillow and found it satisfactorily soft. He laid down on it and sighed as he felt his body blissfully relax. <Hmm...this is nice, even if the bed is made of stone.> He closed his eyes and started drifting off when he heard a knock on the door. He sat up and frowned. Who could it be? He thought he was going to be left alone till the meetings started.

Slipping off the bed, Wufei made his way over to the door and pulled it open. He was surprised to see a young man standing there with a tray of what looked like food.

"Hello, Ambassador Chang. I have your lunch," the young man said politely in a smooth, practiced voice.

"Lunch...?" Wufei stared at the tray and nodded slowly. "All right. Come inside and place it on the table."

The young man nodded and walked inside. He placed the tray on said table and bowed slightly to Wufei before leaving the room. Wufei closed the door behind him and went to inspect his...lunch.

On the tray was a thick slice of beef, thick soup made of gods know what, some sort of bread heavily buttered bread, red colored wine and something he could only guess was Sank's equivalent of dessert. It was a heavy clump of white cream on a piece bread that looked like it exploded in the oven.

<And I'm suppose to eat ALL of this...?> Wufei eyed the food and tried not to grimace even though he was alone. He wasn't used to such rich and strange food. Treize always made sure that the cooks made him something simple yet fulfilling since he never had a large appetite to begin with and he guessed he never will even though he was still growing. That and he didn't recognize what most of the food was on this tray except for the very basic. Valorn food and Sank food were so very different. While people in Valorn preferred pork and chicken, the people of Sank seemed to lean towards beef and thick sauce. Lots and lots of protein and fat, no doubt.

Wufei sat down and continued to stare at the food. He wasn't that hungry but he didn't want to insult the cook. It seemed like the cook had put some work into this to please him. <Okay, I can do this. I am now an ambassador. Ambassadors are suppose to adjust to new places and food. I can do this!> And with that thought made firm in his mind, Wufei reached out and started eating--slowly.

He managed to eat half of the beef before getting sick of it, some of the very thick soup, all of the buttered bread and half of the cream topped bread before he could eat no more. He finished off his wine and stood up, feeling as if he had eaten enough for two although he knew otherwise. He went back to his bedroom and closed the door behind him. He laid down--carefully--on his bed and closed his eyes. He sighed softly and drifted off to sleep.

~*~

"Are you positive about this peace agreement, Queen Relena? Do you trust those Valornians?" Dorothy Catalonia asked her queen as she undid Relena's braids later that night and combed them out.

"I don't know what to expect, Dorothy. This has never been done before," Relena said honestly. "But I think Chang Wufei is a good and honest young man. I believe this will work out with his help. Sank needs this peace agreement desperately. We don't have enough supplies to keep fighting along the Border anymore."

"I understand. But this is the first time peace has ever been considered in thousands of years! Do you think the people will be able to accept this? Many of them have lost family to the wars with Valorn," Dorothy said seriously.

Relena was silent for a moment. "I don't know whose fault those wars lay on but what I *do* know that it is time they end."

"How did these wars start?" Dorothy wondered.

Relena sighed heavily. "At first, it was Sank. Later on no one knew. Not even the historians. It's ancient history, really."

Dorothy's eyes widened in shock and indignation. "Surely not Sank! We could never do such a thing!"

"Not this generation. But our ancestors are a different story. Valorn was a very powerful country in the past--and still is today--and their land is rich and filled with many resources and precious stones and gold. Sank wanted that; Valorn refused to give over. Thus the wars began and the greed of people of later generations never ebbed. But soon it wasn't about riches anymore, it was over thousands of years of mutual hate. Everyone but a few have forgotten why we even hated each other to begin with. I only hope that this peace treaty will teach later generations to let go of their hate and see that life can be lived without hating Valorn."

"But that ambassador is not even Valornian. He is from the Sanren mountains," Dorothy said quietly, frowning slightly. "Why did Emperor Treize send such a person?"

"He is Emperor Treize's beloved," Relena said with a wry smile. "Didn't you know that? Because Treize sends him it tells me that Valorn is more than willing to reach this peace agreement, as we are. Why else would he send someone he loves dearly into enemy territory?"

"Are they...?" Dorothy trailed off, letting Relena finish the question.

"I haven't the slightest idea and I really don't care. It doesn't matter. What does matter is that this peace is reached," Relena said firmly. "And that it remains strong and truthful."

Dorothy nodded and finished combing Relena's hair. "I hope as well, Queen Relena."

"I know, Dorothy. I know."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*laughs* Ah, so...what do you think? It might seem 13x5-ish but it isn't. They're just close but not that close.

Started: April 14, 2001