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 VI
Dorlian let Wing set her own pace as they made their way back to the cottage.
The only reason he'd even found Wing was because in the mare's hurry to flee,
she'd gotten her reins tangled in a thorny bush just outside the manor. At
least she still allowed him to ride. Dorlian's thoughts were glum.
He could see a small figure sitting in front of the cottage, watching the
road, and from the way the setting sun glinted off the purely golden hair,
it had to be Quatre. The youth waved vigorously and rushed inside, presumably
to fetch his siblings. As Dorlian and his still-skittish mount approached
the place, Relena and Duo both rushed out of the house to greet him, while
Quatre helped him dismount and unobtrusively led Wing away.
Duo grabbed his father's hand and dragged him inside, talking animatedly
the entire time about what he had missed when he'd been gone. Relena, far
too dignified to indulge in such obvious excitement, forced a mug of hot
drink into Dorlian's free hand. Duo sat his father down in the sitting room
and he and Relena took turns telling Dorlian everything that had transpired
while he'd been gone, though Dorlian found it difficult to concentrate. After
a little while, Quatre returned and kissed his father in welcome before stepping
back and surveying the man with worry in his clear turquoise eyes.
"Be quiet, Duo," Quatre told the younger boy sternly, cutting off Duo's excited
chatter. "Give him a chance to talk. Can't you see that Father isn't well?"
"Oh? Pardon me, dear older brother," Duo huffed, shooting his sibling
a mock-injured look that Quatre bore stoically. The boy then looked quizzically
at his father, who had only slumped in his chair. "Father? Is... uh..." Duo
faltered a little. "Is something really wrong?"
With a deep sigh, Dorlian handed his son the black rose that had brought
him such grief. "Here is the rose you wanted, Duo. I have paid a terrible
price for it."
As succinctly as possible the father told his children of the worthless cargo,
the hidden manor and the Beast's impossible demand. The room was silent.
Relena fidgeted nervously, Quatre bit his lip, and Duo was uncharacteristically
still, looking down at the rose lying in his hands. His long bangs shadowed
his eyes.
The young man touched a petal of one of the flowers, then looked up. "You
don't have to die, Father," he said. A small black petal drifted down to
the floor as Duo fixed his father with an unreadable expression. "I'm going
in your place. Willingly. Happily. Tap-dancing, even. The Beast will love
me." He cracked a tiny smile.
His father's jaw dropped open and Duo had the dubious pleasure of seeing
his father sputter. "No -- most certainly not, Duo. You're my youngest
son! You're only seventeen years old! How can I let you go into that evil
monster's hands?" The man stood up and glared down at his son. "How can you
even consider such a foolhardy thing? Throwing away your life for one foolish
old man? Losing the last few years of my life won't -- "
"Father," Duo interrupted softly, leaning forward, "listen to me, and listen
to me carefully. First of all, I have been an adult ever since I left White
Fang and took on the responsibilities of a household; I think I'm pretty
capable of making my own decisions. And second of all, you cannot and will
not leave this house without me." He laughed a bit, as if the thought were
ridiculous by virtue of existence. "If you try to leave at night, your noise
will wake me, and I will follow you. I'll wake if you try to tie me up. I
already rise with the dawn, so that option's out. Father, I will not allow
you to be killed if I can do something about it, and from what I hear, I'm
the only person who has any sort of power to change the outcome of this
situation!"
Duo was clearly serious and his voice had risen with his conviction. As Dorlian
knew from experience, Duo was unrelentingly obdurate when the mood seized
him. His son stood up, the rose falling lightly to the floor, and took Dorlian's
hands in his own. "You are my father," he said, voice low and intense. "I
love you. I'd rather die at the Beast's hands than know my inaction doomed
you to an early grave." Duo paused for a moment, then added, "I'm going tomorrow."
There was a beat of stricken silence before Quatre, Relena, and his father
all began arguing with him at once, appealing to his good sense and playing
shamelessly on the fear he had to be feeling. All their arguments were in
vain. Duo refused to change his mind.
His father tucked Duo in and kissed him goodnight for the first time in nine
years, and the family went to sleep that night with heavy hearts. Duo only
lay in bed until dawn came, listening to the familiar sounds of his night
like crickets chirping and Quatre snoring and trees crying in the wind.