Heir
Trowa POV
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It’s been almost two weeks since that Shinigami kid left. I wonder if he’s dead already. He probably is. After all, they only taught him how to read and write so that he could read how they tortured, raped, and murdered his kind for centuries. What a bunch of sadists.
“Get out of the way, moron! The prince is coming and you aren’t supposed to be seen.”
I put my shovel down and begin walking out of the stables. If the prince is coming, I’d better make myself scarce and go to the kitchen, where he’d never go. I wonder if the apprentices know that I can understand them perfectly well. They act as if I’m dumb and mute but I don’t care. There’s no one worth talking to around here anyway. The only person I would have been slightly inclined to talk to is probably dead now, so I shouldn’t think about it.
Hiding in the kitchen is extremely boring. I’d rather be outside, taking care of my animals and breathing fresh, clean air.
Oh, what’s this? One of the priests is looking for me down here… I wonder why… I haven’t done anything to get myself punished, well at least not yet.
“You, numbskull, get over here. You’re wanted in the office,” he said.
I nod and follow him. This guy, Zeeks? Yeah, I think it was what the kid called him. This Zeeks person is the dumbest person alive and he calls ME a numbskull. Poor guy can barely tie up his robes straight, how the hell did *he* become a priest? I guess that Deikim guy needed a lacky and well, you don’t want a goon who’ll think for himself and turn on you, so it makes sense.
Now, back to the case at hand. I’m led through the monastery until we reach the heavy mahogany doors of the main office. Why do priests have offices anyway? I guess I’ll never know. The room is quite lavish. In fact, the room almost looks like it should belong to royalty and not some lowly priests. Wasn’t there some vow that they were supposed to take that dictated they live in near poverty? The rest of this place fills that vow, the place is serviceable, but there aren’t any commodities and the like, but here? The place is bedecked with rich fabrics and carved furniture. Something doesn’t seem quite right.
I’m forced to kneel in the presence of my prince, wait, no, he’s the king now. I keep my eyes on the floor but I do notice another person with him. A boy- no, young man- he seems a little younger than me but not my much. Why was I brought here to begin with? Can’t they just let me go outside where I belong?
“Everyone out. The only people I want in this room are my advisor and the whipping boy.” the king said. He does sound the part. Only a king can command people like that. With the door slamming to make sure we had privacy, I’m left alone with these two people I don’t know.
“Stand.” I’m not going to argue with the will of a king so I do it.
Then the little blonde on comes to me and says, “We’re going to take you away from this place, but you must be willing to leave it.”
I give a little shake of my head. I can’t leave this place. I’m bound to it.
“We know about the geis placed on you.”
I guess the startled look showed on my face a little bit because he smiles at me now.
“We can’t remove the spell, but we can change it.”
Change it? Sounds interesting, I raise an eyebrow to show I’m interested.
“You’ll still be bound but this time you’ll be bound to me.”
I cross my arms and make a little “humph” sound. That’s about as much as I can speak with this stupid geis they put on me.
“You’re not so willing to leave this place?”
No, I AM willing to leave this place, I’m just not sure I want to go with the people that killed the Shinigami kid.
“Duo said he really wanted for you to be out of this place. He said that they hurt you a lot and now that he was free, he wanted you to be free too.”
I stared at the little blonde person. The Shinigami kid was alive? What would I have to do if I *did* go with these guys?
“Are you interested?”
I nod, yes.
“Do you have any questions?”
I nod again.
“Go ahead and ask.”
I shake my head and put my hand at my throat.
“You can’t speak?”
I shake my head. No, I can’t, at least not any more.
“Were you born like that?”
I shake my head.
“Can you read or write?”
I indicate I know a little, Duo had tried teaching me.
“Hurry it up you two! We haven’t got all damn day,” the king sounds impatient.
“Do you want to come with us? Or do you want to stay here?” the little blonde asks.
I take my time to look around me and step forward, my hand out, offering a hand shake.
The little blonde smiles at me and takes my hand, “It’s settled then.”
I feel magic flowing through me from his hand and my vision begins to swim. Images are blurring and my throat is beginning to burn.
-------------------
I wake up in a carriage which is funny because I thought that the prince usually rode on horseback rather than in a carriage.
“Where am I?” The sound of my own voice startles me and I look around to see where that sound could have come from.
The little blonde smiles at me and speaks, “You are on your way to King Heero’s castle. You are now bound to me instead of the monastery. Don’t worry though, you’ll have all the liberties you want. The situation is only temporary until we can figure out how to completely remove the geis.”
I swallow and nod. Feeling my vocal chords work again after so many years is an odd sensation.
“I thought you couldn’t speak,” King Heero asks.
“I couldn’t. The ability to speak was taken from me when I became a prisoner of the Brothers.”
“Hn.” Okay, he’s obviously not talkative. I wonder what he’s done with Duo.
“I know the priests called you Nanashi, but ‘No Name’ can’t be your name. Do you remember your real name?” Blondie is kinda cute, trying to come up with some small talk.
“Trowa.”
He smiles at me then, and I’m beginning to like his smile, “Trowa.” His smile widens a bit and he nods just a little, “My name is Quatre Winner. I’m King Heero’s advisor and sometime mage. The truth is, I need help with the latter. I never have time to care for my herbs and they always end up dying on me. I was hoping you’d be able to help me with that.”
I think I smile a little because his eyes seem to brighten. “Sure, I’ll take care of them for you.”
I don’t know what’s wrong with me because all of a sudden, I’m beginning to feel little butterflies in my stomach. I’m not sure I dislike the feeling, but it seems to be connected to Quatre’s happiness. Maybe it has something to do with my being bound to him? Maybe what I’m feeling is happiness for pleasing my … master?
----------------
“Trowa!!” I’m assaulted by a thirteen year old bundle of energy as I get down from the carriage. He jumps on me and clings like an overgrown spider monkey.
“Hey kid, they been treating you all right?”
He “eeps!” and jumps off as if I’ve burned him and is looking at me as if I’ve grown a third head. “You’re talking! You’re really *talking*!!”
I let a tiny smile slip by and he clings again.
“This is amazing! I thought you couldn’t speak!” he then smacks the back of my head, getting all huffy. “All this time you could speak and you never even did more than grunt in my direction!”
“Duo… I *couldn’t* speak. My new master changed that though…”
“Master?” he looks at King Heero, but he shakes his head ‘no.’
“He’s technically mine now, Duo,” Master says.
Duo looks at him pleadingly, “You won’t hurt him, will you, Quat? You won’t keep him locked up or in chains or with collars and leashes and stuff, right? You won’t whip him and abuse him and humiliate him in public-”
“Duo! I thought you knew me better than that.”
“Okay…”
Duo then went to King Heero’s side, kissed his cheek, making the king blush and took his hand. Come to think of it, Duo looked really well. His hair was beautifully kept and braided down his back and he was wearing black pants and boots with a black shirt and a violet tunic that matched his eyes. On his left breast, there was the royal crest embroidered in silver thread, making him appear like royalty himself. Duo looked truly happy for once in his life. The painted smile he wore for the priests had disappeared as if it had never existed.
The son of Shinigami is… free.