Title: The
Ice Prince or Such a Marvelous Rose
Author: Meiran Chang
( bonking_bishies @ swirve.com )
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: DorlianXSylvia,
1+R, 6+2, 3+4, 5+Dorothy, 6x9, 2xH
Warnings: shonen ai,
AU, fairy tale, angst, verrrrrrry mild self-insertion in, like, the
last sentence. I made Dorlian a total OOC wuss >_<. Also, I've played
fast and loose with family relationships and situations.
Comments: Ohhhhh pretty
please? --> bonking_bishies @ swirve.com
Archive: 6X2ML Archive
can have it. Otherwise,
please email me, I don't bite.
Disclaimers: I do
not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters, they belong to Bandai and
Sunrise and the American rights are owned by Cartoon Network. Please don't
sue me, I'll just cry a lot. Also, the original story of "Beauty and the
Beast" is by Mme Leprince de Beaumont and not mine either. I don't own anything
except... the original portions of this piece of fiction...whatever
they are.
Dedication: To the
6X2ML, because they're darlings all and the inspiration
for this fic.
The Ice
Prince
Chapter XVI
Duo jumped at the unexpected interruption and looked up at Zechs
for explanation. Zechs looked irritated and said loudly, an arm around Duo's
shoulder, "Dorothy, go away."
"Dorothy?" Duo queried.
"Why so rude, o noble prince?" taunted the high, sly voice. It seemed to
come from closer than before.
"You'll see, Duo," Zechs sighed.
A delicate fairy fluttered into the room. She had long blonde hair and vivid,
electric blue eyes. Forked grayish eyebrows rested above her eyes. She wore
a plum schoolgirl's outfit and a pleated white skirt, had fragile gossamer
wings, and looked altogether too pleased with herself. She crossed her legs,
hovering in mid-air, tilted her head to one side, and said with an insolent
smile, "Hello, Zechs. Are you glad to see me?"
"No," Zechs said frankly. "Why are you here?"
"Don't I have a right to check up on my favorite princeling, all grown up
and in love?" The fairy fluttered closer, around the two of them. Duo pressed
closer to Zechs, an arm around his love's waist, eyeing her warily. She stopped
in front of Duo and peered into his eyes.
"So you're Duo," she said, with another catty smile. "Well, I'm Dorothy.
It is a pleasure to meet you. Wufei's told me all about you."
"Wufei?"
"Oh, if I know him," she said airily, "he'll be here soon. He has a special
interest in you, you know."
"Oh."
Dorothy fluttered around the room, inspecting it. "Very classy, Zechs!"
she called out. "I like this shade of green over here, near the window. Of
course, I would have chosen a good, solid pink." She giggled.
"Maybe even a daring touch of black! Or would that be too angsty for you?"
"Were you the fairy who turned Zechs into the Beast?" Duo wanted to know,
irritated.
The fairy flipped around, eyes alight, clearly delighted by the question.
"I'm so glad you asked!" she cooed. "Yes, I am, and I must say, I've never
had a finer, more exquisite moment, magically speaking. I even have reasons
this time. Two, even! Number one," she held up a long-nailed finger, "was
to temper him. Put him into the fire and see if he would melt or become steel.
He'll be a much better ruler now. He's gone through bad things and come out
all right."
"Thank you, I think," Zechs said.
"Oh, you're welcome, dear," Dorothy said with another of her feline smiles.
"Anyway, reason number two," and she brandished two fingers in the air, "was
so that he'd meet you, Duo!"
"Did you think of that reason just now," Zechs asked, looking pained, "or
is it true?"
Dorothy pouted exaggeratedly. "Fairies can't lie, you silly boy. Of course
it's true. You were moping around too much to be healthy, sweet prince! I
figured that if I put you in here and prevented you from aging, you'd find
your true love soon enough. And then your boy would steady you and make you
an even better sovereign."
"He was a fine ruler already," Duo shot back in defense. "I read about him
in school, and everyone loved him. You didn't have to put him through so much
pain!"
"But if I hadn't, you would never have met him. He would have been past
your time," Dorothy pointed out with a simpering smile.
"This is true," Duo conceded.
"Don't argue with her, love," Zechs whispered as Dorothy returned to remarking
on the interior decoration. "She's raving mad. I think it's best for us to
sit down until she's quite done."
Duo shrugged. "All right," he said, and sat down on the sofa. Zechs sat
beside him, watching Dorothy through half-lidded eyes as she prattled on
and on.
"Dorothy!"
The new voice was a man's voice, assertive and strong, though a little high.
"Dorothy, you idiot, where are you?"
"Wufei, love," the pink fairy trilled, "I'm right here with Duo and Zechs!"
Another fairy burst through the door, looking highly irate. He had almond-shaped
obsidian eyes, a bronze, handsome face, dragonfly wings, and thin lips pressed
tight in annoyance. Duo at once felt that he knew him. "Dorothy, you brainless
donkey, what are you doing here?" the male fairy snapped.
Dorothy looked wounded and flitted to a piteous stop. "I was just chatting
with Duo and Zechs, darling. What kept you?"
"I had to step in for Mathilde," the white-clad fairy sighed. "Poor Cinderella
nearly went into cardiac arrest. I don't think she'd ever seen an Asian before."
Dorothy giggled.
"Anyway," the dark-eyed fairy said pointedly, and turned to Duo and
Zechs. He bowed formally. "My name is Wufei, and I apologize to both of you
for Dorothy's antics. Prince Zechs, none of us had any idea she was planning
to transform you into a Beast or we would have stopped her. Once the deed
was done, however, no one could reverse it."
Zechs nodded in understanding. "Forgiven."
Dorothy sniffed. "I did it for his own good, you know. Besides, don't you
think his story will make a delightful musical?"
"Shut up, woman. And Duo... I apologize to you as well."
"It's okay," Duo said, and grinned at the male fairy. "If it hadn't happened,
I probably wouldn't have met Zechs. And then where would I be?" Zechs
smiled.
"This is just out of curiosity, Duo, but... do you remember me?" Wufei asked.
"Obviously he doesn't, you fool," Dorothy said haughtily, clearly not having
forgiven him for telling her to shut up. "Otherwise he would have said something
by now. It's not in his nature to keep quiet about such things."
"And how did you come to be such an expert on his nature, you demented pink
monstrosity?" the other fairy retorted.
"I'll have you know that I've had my eye on the both of them for longer
than you have," Dorothy replied, crossing her arms. "I thought they'd mesh
well, anyway, and wasn't I right? Well, wasn't I?"
Wufei glared at her. She lifted her chin and stared back.
Zechs and Duo glanced at each other with raised brows as the temperature
in the room began to plummet.
"Um... Wufei?" Duo called, hoping to put a halt to their stubborn feud before
icicles began forming. The male fairy looked over at him.
Dorothy crowed, "Hah! I outlasted you that time!"
Wufei ignored her. "What is it, Duo?"
"I think I do recognize you," Duo offered. "I don't know where, but I know
I've seen you before."
Wufei looked pleased. "Let me tell you. Do you remember that dream you had,
the very first night you spent with the Beast?"
Something clicked into place in Duo's mind. He was ecstatic. "Oh, I remember!
You were that boy, the one who told me everything would be okay!" Zechs
looked appreciative.
"Did the dream help you at all?" Wufei asked. He shot another glare at his
partner, who was bobbing around the room again, cooing at shiny objects. "After
I got wind of what Dorothy had done, I felt the responsibility to do something.
Appearing in a dream was the limit of interference that was allowed."
"Yeah, it helped," Duo reassured him. "I told my father. It made him feel
better, too."
"That's good," Wufei said, satisfied. He glanced at Duo and Zechs. "You
two can handle it from here on in, right?"
"Yes," Zechs said, looking over his shoulder at Dorothy, who was now humming
to herself as she inspected a silver paperweight on the fireplace mantel.
His pale gold eyebrows knitted together as he added, in a softer voice, "Could
you please get her out of here? I can't hold ill will against someone
so mentally disturbed, but she's... she's..."
"Annoying?" Wufei supplied, smirking. "Of course. I'll take her away soon
enough. If you two ever need any help, please don't hesitate to call on me.
Zechs, you're an expert mage; you know how to contact the Board of Fairies."
Zechs nodded. Duo looked at him with respect; contacting the representatives
of another sentient species was very impressive magic.
"Very well then," Wufei said. "I give you my blessings, and this advice:
ride to the Maxwell farm tomorrow, and explain things to them. And Zechs,
please make peace with Duo's father. He's going to be your father-in-law,
you know. He's old enough to have been young when you were still the Heir,
so if you drop the fact that you're the lost prince, you'll find he'll warm
up to you very quickly." Wufei looked cynically amused. "He has always wanted
to return to White Fang. Relena, I predict, will be absolutely astounded when
she finds out who the 'foul Beast' really is, and Quatre will feel guilty,
and rightly so, until he gets over it. Be kind to them, Zechs."
"Of course."
"You, Duo, will have an easier time of it. Zechs's family will be so delighted
to have their son back that they'll gladly accept you. Oh," Wufei added hastily,
"this is all just guesses and advice, by the way. Not, ah, real predictions."
"Right," Duo said, and grinned. "I understand."
"All right. You two are set." Wufei glanced at his watch. "Just in time.
I have to attend Princess Aurora and Prince Charming's fiftieth wedding anniversary.
And so do you, Dorothy," he said, more loudly.
Dorothy, who had been playing with two ivory salt-and-pepper shakers in
the form of elephants, turned around, the shakers still in her hand, and
asked, "Can I keep these? They're very pretty!"
"Take them," Zechs hastened to say. "Please take anything you want."
And go, was the unspoken tag to that sentence.
"Oh, you're too kind!" Dorothy exclaimed, looking touched. "Truly you have
a noble heart, beautiful prince. But I'll just take these. Now shall we go,
Wuffle-muffin?"
"Wuffle-muffin?" Wufei looked scandalized. "What kind of name is that?"
Dorothy flitted over and hung on Wufei's shoulder, leering. "Don't you like
it, my dear manly wonder?"
"Never speak it again in my presence, woman," Wufei commanded, looking sour.
"Now come on or we'll be late."
"Of course, Wu-kitten!" Dorothy said sweetly. Wufei's right eyebrow twitched,
and he grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her away.
There was thoughtful silence for a moment. "That was very... educational,"
Duo offered, looking up at Zechs.
"Educational. Yes, I suppose that fits," Zechs said with a sigh. He got
up and brought Duo up with him, then gave him a gentle kiss. "Come, love.
It's late. Let's sleep. We're going to have a long day tomorrow."