0.2
They were children together. In a time when innocence blanketed politics and lineage, they had actually become friends.
The world never knew that in the shadow of the three towers long forgotten to time, its future forged ties that could never be kept.
He remembered the first time he saw a single spot of yellow on the castle walls. He had never seen someone with golden hair and thinking his territory was being invaded he called out to the intruder, calling him to come out else he kill him then and there.
It was a girl. And beside her barely three years old was a little boy with the same flaxen tresses.
He stood proud and tall, nine years old and a prince. Again he called her to leave his palace.
"Oh Heero you silly boy!" she called from behind. Catherine was thirteen then and she carried a two year old Duo in her arms. Duo struggled from her hands and ran toward the boy with the sky in his eyes.
"Hello." He smiled. "You look weird." The other boy blushed.
"I am Catherine. And these are my brothers, Heero and Duo." She smiled at the other girl that seemed to be Heero's age.
"I am Princess Relena and this is my brother Prince Quatre." She put such emphasis on her title that the older girl chuckled amused.
"She is a Princess too you know!" Heero called from over her sister's shoulder.
"Oh are we gonna play Princesses now? Will you be my prince Quatre?" Catherine called to the boy being inspected by her youngest sibling. He blushed once more. "If you get any redder you will turn into a radish!"
"Prince Quatre is shy." Relena said intervening.
"Ah so it seems." She said gathering Duo in her arms. "Well looks like you are my Prince again Duo-bear." She planted a kiss on his cheek.
"No I want to be king!" he said frowning.
"But I don't have a Prince! I don't want Heero to be my Prince." She added her voice low. Duo giggled.
"I can be the Prince." Said a soft voice. All of them turned to the little boy, his cheeks still furiously red.
"Ok, then Duo is the King!"
"Who am I then Catherine?" asked Heero jumping on her back and patting Duo's head.
"You will be Princess Relena's knight." She said pushing him off her shoulders.
Heero frowned but came close to the already blushing Princess.
"Radish people! Radish people!" Duo chanted; Catherine looked at the two blushing siblings and laughed before reprimanding Duo.
***
The sun had almost set when they decided to end their game. Duo had fallen asleep in Heero's arms and they were sitting on the grass trying to catch their breaths. They had not yet fed and Catherine decided it was time to go home.
"We have to leave now. Our brother is waiting for us." She said getting up.
"Yes we better leave as well. They might be trying to find us already." Relena said looking worriedly at Quatre who was slowly nodding off also.
"May be tomorrow we can play again? But I'll be King!" Heero called as he ran toward the western gate. Duo looked up woken by Heero's running and he began to cry.
"Heero!" Catherine called.
"Hush Duo." Heero put Duo down and wiped his tears away with his dirty hands soiling the poor baby's face. "Come on now, don’t cry! Catherine is gonna kill me!" he said shrinking from the angry girl's glare.
"Come on Duo, I'll carry you!" she said picking up the still sobbing child. They began to walk away, Catherine wiping Duo's dirt smeared face with the hem of her blouse while Heero clutched her skirt and walked behind her.
"Tomorrow then!" Relena cried waving to her playmates. They looked at her even Duo who had stopped crying. And they waved back.
***
Trowa looked at his siblings, all soiled beyond recognition. He sighed; he would probably get a sound scolding if he brought them back looking like that.
"What happened to you? I have been waiting here for an hour!" he said dismounting.
"We were playing." Catherine said setting Duo down.
"I hope you did not go beyond the three towers or Papa will have my head!" he said stripping Duo's clothes.
"No we didn't." Catherine smiled innocently at her eighteen-year-old brother.
"Heero! Stop splashing around in the water and take your clothes off!" he called.
He began bathing Duo in the water having trouble because the little boy followed Heero's example and began splashing around as well. Catherine took off her dress and waded in the clear river alongside her two brothers and began washing herself before taking pity on her eldest brother and began bathing Heero. When they were finished he dressed them in the spare clothes he knew they would need. They mounted the two horses, Catherine with Duo seated in front of her and Trowa with Heero clinging on his back.
"Let's go I am hungry." Heero muttered. Trowa nodded and began to ride.
Notes: ok for all incest-phobic I can't help you there, in my reality incest is tolerable! Besides I have a really nasty one coming up, heh I suggest you get used to the idea right now