Watching the two boys come in, Duo realized he wasn't at all overdressed. He could tell who Quatre was because the blonde wore jewelry and bangles much like his own, except his colors were varying shades of blue. Trowa, on the other hand, had an outfit similar to Heero's, although he wore it in dark blue, and his top included a more modest neckline. And his hair! Only half of his face was visible behind the loose shock of hair.

Trowa jumped nimbly from his horse, then turned and helped Quatre down from his own mount. Before releasing him, Trowa adjusted one of Quatre's earrings and gave him a tiny kiss, successfully drawing a blush and coloring the pale features. Hand in hand, Trowa led his concubine forward at an easy pace so Quatre wouldn't slide in his cloth slippers.

Heero stepped forward and came closer than Duo would have expected to a smile. "I trust you had a safe journey."

Trowa smiled slightly. "Safe enough...thought not entirely uneventful. We did have one sandstorm..." His look promised a story that would have to wait until they were rested.

Heero suddenly put his arm around Duo's waist and coaxed him ahead another step, presenting him to his brother. "This is Duo, my concubine. He is entirely trustworthy."

Duo blushed furiously at being shown off and singled out, and his eyes lowered when he noticed the looks of stunned surprise on the faces of their guests. Please, let the earth just swallow me now! he cried inwardly.

"'Entirely trustworthy' so soon?" Trowa asked. "You've had him for less than a week."

Heero raised one eyebrow. "Your stargazer is remarkably accurate."

Quatre ducked his head shyly. "It was a boring trip," he admitted. "I could do nothing but cast fortunes the entire way."

"Did you know he saved my life?" Heero said, a note of pride coloring his usual monotone.

This time they both openly stared.

"We can discuss things better after dinner," Heero said, turning and indicating a door to the right. "You must be hungry after such a long trip."

"Starving," Quatre said before he could stop himself.

Trowa merely chuckled at his concubine's slip. "Will we four be the only ones dining?"

Heero shook his head, but before he could answer, Quatre gasped for joy and ran towards the main hall.

"Wufei!"

They all turned and spotted the sorcerer, dressed in familiar white, as he wrapped the blonde up in a soft embrace. From the way they regarded each other, Duo could easily tell they were close friends.

"It's been a long time, little prince," Wufei whispered.

"It's not the same at the court without you," Quatre responded. "I miss your light shows."

Duo choked down a giggle before it got too loud, but Wufei still heard him. He broke back from Quatre before Trowa could get jealous and gave him a wry smile. "I'm afraid you missed one of my best, but that can wait." Not bothering to hide his look, he glanced over the blonde's clothing. "I'm glad you look well. Blue always suited you."

Quatre smiled and walked back with him. "I'm just happy you're feeling better. A shock like that could knock anyone out for awhile."

Wufei gave him an irritated look. "Could you at least pretend there are some things you don't know?"

Trowa smiled at the pair. "My little angel has developed a bad habit of prying into people's astrological casts. Hopefully you can make him a few new games to occupy his time."

"Have you already solved the ones I sent to you?" Wufei asked.

All of them moved into the dining room and sat down at the small circular table, Wufei opposite to Heero with the concubines seated at their master's right side. Duo kept his eye on Quatre, waiting for the social cues and praying he wouldn't make any mistakes.

"I've had a lot of spare time recently," Quatre said, answering Wufei's question. "Our country has actually been peaceful for awhile, and Trowa hates for me to ride without him."

"I worry," the tall boy said simply. "No faction in Corazon would hesitate to kidnap you to get to me."

Wufei stared out the window for a minute. "I wonder if I could create a spell to help with that..." he murmured. "A spell to track someone..."

"Better yet," Trowa interrupted, "a spell to transport Quatre back to the castle when I call him. Last week he was missing for three hours before we found him, sleeping in the apple orchard." He gave an appraising look at Duo, staring him over with a small smile. "Does your little lover give you that problem?"

Duo smiled shyly and wanted to speak, but he had a feeling Heero didn't want him to respond to that.

"No," Heero said, "he's been a model concubine." He reached his hand over beneath Duo's jaw, lifting his face a bit. "I've only had him for a few days, and he's already totally devoted to me."

"Did you really save Heero's life?" Trowa asked him directly.

Heero nodded once at Duo, giving him permission to speak, and Duo nodded with a growing smile. "I really didn't do that much. It was late at night, and we were both asleep, and then I heard this sound at the window and when I looked I could see this guy coming in. I made the lights come on and knocked the knife out of his hand, and then Heero woke up and kept the other guy from killing me."

"You charged an assassin?" Wufei gasped.

Duo glanced nervously at all of them. Heero was the same, but Quatre and the normally unflappable sorcerer were disturbed. Even Trowa's calm demeanor was shaken.

"Was that bad?" Duo squeaked.

Wufei sat back and shook his head. "No...I simply did not know the details of the attempt..."

"That's amazing..." Trowa commented. "Not just that you would defend your master so selflessly, but...that you had the courage to face an assassin like that."

"He wasn't a very good assassin," Duo replied. "I could hear him, after all. He came in all wrong and didn't even think about the light the moon was giving off."

"That was stupid--" Trowa cut himself off, but it was too late. The others had noticed his slip and were either smirking or smiling at the gentle joke. Duo, of course, had no idea what they were laughing about.

"Are you still cutting off heads of state at night?" Heero asked.

Trowa sighed and gave a non-committal tilt of his head. "Yes, but not as much as I would like. Quatre never lets me hear the end of it when I go out."

"I still think it's better to talk things out than just get rid of people," the blonde said in a weary voice. It was obviously an old argument between the two of them.

"You're an assass--?" Duo wondered before he could stop himself.

His question didn't seem to faze anyone, though, as Trowa merely nodded. "It's the fastest way to get rid of political impediments."

Heero glanced at Duo. "I'm afraid my brother was never one for patient negotiating."

"And it would be easier if I didn't have a blonde conscience sleeping beside me," Trowa said.

"I worry," Quatre quipped. "No faction in Corazon would hesitate to kill you to get the throne." His brow furrowed as another thought entered his head, and he looked straight at Duo. "But how did you know the assassin was coming in wrong...?"

"I thought you knew all about him?" Wufei asked.

Quatre smirked. "I'm merely a low stargazer, not a prophet."

"You're a profit to me," Trowa punned, making Quatre blushed again.

Duo repressed a chuckle at how often Quatre blushed. "I was...I was a thief before Heero caught me. Actually, that's how he came to catch me."

"You didn't just walk into his bedroom, did you?" Trowa laughed lightly.

"That's exactly what he did," Heero nodded.

Trowa blinked.

Quatre giggled at his lover. "Congratulations, you've startled him four times in one evening. No one's ever come close before. Of course, no one usually gets more than a few words with him, either."

"I told you slaves have more influence than most people," Wufei told him.

Quatre tilted his head in agreement. "In some ways more than others."

A richly clothed servant stepped into the room, and they fell into a hush, lest their comments were overheard. "Dinner is served," he said in a grave voice, and five more servants came in behind him, each carrying a covered dish that was set on the table. Another servant came out and placed glasses before each diner and filled them with wine for Heero and Trowa, and clear water for the other three. Duo kept his eye on Quatre while trying not to be too obvious about it, but the blonde caught his look. To Duo's relief, Quatre winked knowingly and moved a little more deliberately so Duo could easily follow along.

Heero and Trowa both removed their coverings first, revealing a serving of roasted ducks and rice, with sauces made from various fruits and a few vegetables on the side. Duo's mouth instantly started to water, but he forced himself to hold back and uncover his own dish when Quatre did. Wufei moved just as the blonde did. Their servings differed only in that they had no vegetables, and to Duo's delight they had just as much as the royalty did.

Duo had to watch Quatre closely, using the unfamiliar napkins and making sure he didn't drink from the finger bowl. His face, though carefully controlled, sometimes reflected the amount of frustration he felt trying to eat, thinking that it used more energy to "dine politely" than one got out of just eating.

"It gets easier once you get the hang of it," Quatre told him softly.

"How did you know...?" Duo wondered.

"I can feel your frustration," Quatre explained. "Actually, I can feel any emotion, as long as it's fairly strong."

"Wow..." Duo breathed. "It must be overwhelming when you and Tr--" he cut himself off, biting his lower lip.

He relaxed when everyone started laughing, but it was still embarrassing.

"Eventually you'll learn how to hold silent," Wufei reassured him.

"I hope not," Heero said bluntly. "I prefer it when people are completely honest."

"That'll be rare when you're king," Trowa said. "Everyone will rather flatter you or else spread lies behind your back. Or promise support one way and turn on you in the next moment."

Heero shook his head. "I know. I've seen that enough with King J. He was never able to control his kingdom, even at his peak. And now that I'm quietly investigating the officials in power, I'm finding more and more corruption throughout the city."

"It will be difficult to ferret out every rat in office," Wufei sighed.

"True," Heero acceded, but his simple answer seemed to tell everyone that the subject was closed. Some things were to be discussed only with Trowa and only in perfect isolation.

A long silence followed, broken only by the arrival of dessert in the form of fresh fruits. Duo's eyes grew as wide as saucers. He'd seen peaches and apples before, but only in a rotted, half-decayed state. The firm globes and bright colors seemed magical and otherworldly, but they tasted even better than he'd ever imagined.

"Trowa," Heero started. "Tomorrow I would like to speak with you in the library."

The tall boy nodded his agreement. "Understood. Can you have someone escort Quatre to the bathing room tomorrow morning? I'm sure he'll want a proper bath after all those sandstorms."

Quatre sighed and leaned back in his seat. "I only fell off the horse once, and that wasn't my fault!"

"What?" Wufei wondered. "You're the best rider I know."

Trowa smiled. "One of the storms came on us so fast we didn't have time to dig in. His entire guard was swept off their horses, and of course Quatre is so much lighter than they are..."

"Instead of riding in, I nearly flew in," Quatre sighed. "Sand was literally coming out of my shoes. I'll probably be tasting it for days."

"I'm sure you'll feel better once you're rested," Heero said. That was the cue for the dinner to end, and even though there was a little light chat afterwards, they were soon on their feet and heading to their respective rooms. Heero sent a servant with his brother, and Wufei, after one last affectionate look with Quatre, vanished to wherever Treize bedded with him.

Duo, lost in his curiosity, gazed at the tile designs on the wall until he felt a hand slip into his. He looked up at Heero, who pushed a few stray hairs back around his braid. The dinner slipped from his mind and he took a step closer to his master.

"Are you ready?" Heero asked in a whisper.

Duo swallowed nervously and closed his eyes. "Yes...I would do whatever you asked." He breathed in sharply as Heero swept him up into his arms and carried him down the hall.

"Good," he replied, kissing him. "Because you will."

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