Due South – Epilogue
 
by KatiKat
 

When they arrived in the City, the sun just started to climb over the top of the hills that held the town tightly in their fist. It was a beautiful morning, it was warm and the sky was clear and deep blue. The king's fleet formed a long column with the Emperor's flag ship sailing first into the large bay. Peacemillion parted from the rest of the ships and headed for the smaller dock at the left end of the bay that served for repairs.
 
The crew and the passengers of the Peacemillion were all standing on the deck watching the town as it grew before their eyes. The white buildings and narrow streets, white palaces and green gardens of the City's nobility... The higher the residences lay, the richer they looked. And on the tops of the hills fortresses stood, tall, proud and dark, guarding the town and bound together by a long row of ramparts.
 
"It's beautiful," Duo whispered. He was still rather pale and there were deep shadows under his eyes, but the sight of their destination managed to lift his mood finally. He leaned into Heero who laid an arm around his shoulder. "Isn't it?" He turned to his lover.
 
Heero nodded. "Yes, it is."
 
"That's our home," Treize pointed with his arm to a large complex of buildings not far away from the Emperor's palace. Never before had the General's new friends actually realized how rich or important Treize was.
 
"I expected the City to be bigger," Heero admitted as he gazed at the capital of Oz.
 
"More and more people move to the City every year, but the town can't grow in size anymore. Behind those hills," he pointed at the range of mountains surrounding the City, "the Great Desert lays. There is nothing but sand and hostile ground. The hills keep all the water that comes from the sea, so nothing can get past the mountains."
 
"So the only way to reach the City is by water?" Duo asked, laying his hands on the railing.
 
Treize shook his head. "No. Caravans pass through the desert regularly. But going by sea is much more comfortable."
 
The door leading under the deck opened with a loud creak. The three men turned around. Trowa and Milliardo, who was holding little Zechs, stepped on the deck.
 
"It was nothing to worry about," Trowa assured the Count. "As I suspected, your son just had a mild case of colic. He will be alright." He caressed the baby's face with the back of his fingers.
 
Treize approached his mate and smiled at him. "That's good to hear."
 
Milliardo nodded to him, rocking the sleeping child in his arms. Then he turned to their friends. "Now that we reached the City, have you decided what you'll do next?" he asked, curious.
 
"We will find an inn to stay for a while before we find a place of our own," Heero said.
 
Trowa shook his head. "That won't be so easy. The City is overcrowded as it is. There won't be any houses or even rooms free, I'm afraid."
 
Treize threw the healer a curious glance. "You seem to know a lot about the City. Have you been here before?"
 
Trowa's face went blank. "I passed through."
 
Milliardo poked his mate in the ribs gently, and when Treize looked away from Trowa and gazed at his lover, he raised his eyebrows. The Count nodded.
 
He cleared his throat. "We wanted to make you an offer. All three of you," he added. When the young men gave him their full attention, he continued. "We will need a caregiver for Zechs. To have a healer at home isn't bad either and I think that the place of the weaponsmith is still free too." His eyes moved from Duo to Trowa and ended their journey on Heero. "We are not offering you charity. As you know, we've found ourselves in a rather... uncomfortable position." He glanced at Milliardo who lowered his head. "And we would feel safer if we knew that there are people we can trust in our home."
 
Duo looked at his mate. "Heero?" he asked.
 
Heero fixed his eyes on Treize for a moment, then turned to the braided young man by his side. "What do you want, Duo?" he answered with another question. The hopeful look Duo gifted him with told him everything. He knew that Duo and Milliardo grew close after the killings and he would hate to tear his mate away from a place where he felt safe. And it didn't really matter to Heero where they lived as long as they stayed together. He squeezed Duo's shoulder, then looked at the noble pair. "We accept your offer. Thank you." He bowed his head slightly.
 
Treize turned to the healer. "Trowa?"
 
Trowa was gazing at the pier where the Emperor and his court were leaving the ship amidst the cheering of the masses. His eyes found the man following the King closely. Even from such a distance he could see his expensive robe glittering in the sun, his cap adorned with feathers... He felt anger boil in his insides, and at the same time, an ice cold chill ran up his spine.
 
Without tearing his eyes away, he said: "I will stay... for a while at least," he added softly.
 
Treize followed his gaze to the Emperor and Dekim Barton walking down the pier. When the men disappeared into the crowd, he turned back to the healer, his gaze suspicious. But before he could say something, the ship dropped anchor and the sailors started to shout and mill about, making further conversation impossible.
 
They finally reached their destination... But what would await them there?
 
The End