For all shounen ai fans who, like me,

love a good dose of fantasy, adventure, magic and romance combined !

Enjoy the fic !

WARNINGS : Yaoi, shounen ai, boys love, call it as you will. There's quite a lot of it in this fic. Don't like ? Don't read. This is your only warning. What else...? Hmm... Well, fantasy, magic, probably some Relena-bashing... Also expect some OOCness. Not a lot of it, but still... Now you can't say I didn't warn you.

Pairings : 1x2 (HeeroxDuo, main pairing), 3+4 (Trowa+Quatre). Maybe others... I don't know yet...

Word from the author : Greetings folks ! Yeah, your sight is good : this is indeed another new fic of mine. Can I help it if I'm being assaulted by plot bunnies ? I'm not kidding : they don't leave me alone until I pay attention to them and write their ideas down. I'm just a poor victim, really.

Raiu : If you're a victim than I'm the Virgin Marie.

Raiu ! Blasphemy !

Raiu : Right back at ya darling.

Akari, please take care of the readers while Raiu and I kill each other.

Akari : My, they're so violent... Well, I hope you like the fic, everyone !

.: The Sprite and the Warrior King :.

by cherry fantasy

Book one : Betrothed

First chapter : A rose among lilies

::knock::knock::knock::

"Come in" a voice called out elegantly.

An expertly carved oak door was pushed open as a young girl entered the room, a silver tray of food balanced on one hand. She had short black hair, and wore a sky blue dress with a white apron.

"Oh, it's just you Hilde !" the occupant of the room exclaimed.

"Well, sorry to disappoint" Hilde replied, a dark eyebrow raised in amusement. "I can leave if my humble presence is such a bother to your lordship"

She stroke a pose, one hand on her hip and the other still holding the tray, trying her best to look insulted. Her expression betrayed her though : her midnight blue eyes were shining with mirth and a grin was tugging at her lips.

Her interlocutor laughed and stood from the dressing table he'd been sitting at.

"Don't be mad Hilde" he said with a smile. "I thought it would be Quatre. Father told me he was supposed to arrive today. It's been so long since I've last seen him !"

"Only a year Duo" Hilde reminded him with a grin, moving to set the tray down on a small dinning table that stood in front of one large window.

"Well, a year is too long" Duo stated stubbornly.

Hilde shook her head indulgently, smiling.

Duo was a wood Sprite. So was she, for that matter. Their pointed ears showed that, as did their slightly tanned skin ; and of course, there was the tell-tale birthmark just behind their right shoulder, a small green leave sparkled with gold.

But Duo wasn't just any ordinary wood Sprite. For one, his father, Lord Maxwell, was one of the four High Lords who ruled over their small kingdom. Add to that, among those four Lords, Duo's father was the most popular, as well as the richest. He was a brave and honest man, and the people loved him.

For two, Duo was… well, famous, for lack of a better word. Tales of his beauty had long spread well beyond their kingdom's borders ; ever since the boy had turned 14, bards from all over the continent travelled to the Kingdom of Lin, just to see him. Hilde couldn't count anymore how many songs and poems Duo's fair features had inspired.

Duo was 17 now, and his fame hadn't diminished. If anything, it had increased.

It was true that even for a wood Sprite, Duo was extremely beautiful. Of course, by nature, like the Fays and the Elves, their race tended to be quite pleasant to look at. But Duo had something more... Maybe it was his silky long hair, a breathtaking mane of chestnut brown streaked with shades of red and gold, the locks falling all the way to the back of his thighs. Maybe it was the unique violet of his eyes, framed with long dark lashes. Maybe it was his natural grace, inherited from his mother. Maybe it was his kind heart, or his contagious smile. Maybe it was a combination of all those traits.

Whatever it was made Duo a rose in a garden of lilies ; still just a flower among other flowers, but attracting all the looks anyway.

The funniest thing was how the Sprite himself reacted to it all. Duo thought that all this ceremony about his looks was exaggerated and embarrassing, although he did put up with it in public, for his father's sake. In private though, he didn't refrain from complaining about it to his friends. Hilde would know. She was one of Duo's closest friends.

True, she was just a maid. Her family had served the Maxwell's for generations. But Duo had always treated everyone with equal kindness, servants included. There wasn't a soul in the household that wouldn't give up a limb for him. Hilde was one of those.

Duo had befriended her when she'd first started working here ; both of them were only 10 at the time. Since then, they'd grown very close. In fact, Hilde had had a crush on Duo for a while, up until last year when she'd realized that the love she felt was more that of a sister for a brother. She knew Duo held a brotherly love for her as well. Now, she was content with that.

Good for her too… because Duo was already betrothed, and not to just anyone either.

Coming back to the present, Hilde finished setting her friend's dinner and turned around, giving Duo a quick once-over.

He was dressed in black from head to toe, of course. In Lin, the darkest the colour, the higher the status. Black represented royalty. There was also the fact that Duo greatly favored that colour. His present attire was casual, as he had no other obligations for the day : leather boots, fitting pants and a loose long-sleeved shirt. The shirt had a large collar that laced at the front. The only hint of another colour on his person was around his neck : a chain with a cross-shaped pendant, both made of silver. Duo's long hair was bound in a braid, the rope dangling in his back.

"Well don't you look handsome ?" Hilde told him with a wink.

Duo rolled his eyes, grinning. This was just common playful banter between them.

"Flattery will get you everywhere, my dear" he shot back.

"Don't I know it" Hilde said with a chuckle. "Well, I have to go back to the kitchens. Enjoy your meal Duo, and don't forget to say hi to Quatre for me when you see him !"

"Sure. Why don't you join us tonight when your duties are over ?"

"I would love to. See you tonight, then"

Duo nodded with a smile, then sat down to eat. Hilde gave one little bow and exited the room.

o0o

Duo kept a thoughtful expression on his face as he ate. In fact, he had had way too much time to think today. Hundreds of things were swirling around in his head, but it all really came down to one in particular : his approaching marriage.

Since birth, Duo was betrothed to His Majesty Odin Lowe, the Fay King. The reason behind it was a political arrangement, like many other weddings among royalty.

The whole thing was rather complicated, but the simplified version went as followed :

Of the nine kingdoms dispersed throughout the Wvern continent, the Fays' kingdom, Eleah, was probably the most powerful, mainly due to its Great Army. Also, the Fays outnumbered the other races by many, which was quite an advantage. And like most mystical beings, they knew magic, which was only an added bonus.

King Odin had taken an interest in the wood Sprites and their Kingdom of Lin because of the way it was so strategically situated : in the eastern part of the Elders' Forest, near the sea and practically on the borders of three other kingdoms, Eleah included. In Lin, trade was flourishing and natural resources abounded.

Alas, the Kingdom of Lin wasn't that large, the wood Sprites not that numerous, and although their army was good, all that had really protected them up until now was the ancient magic of the Elders' Forest. That kind of magic gave trouble even to the best Elven Mages, known for their near-limitless powers. Even so, if they had really tried, the Fays could've probably conquered Lin by force with the aid of some allies.

But King Odin of Eleah was a good king, who preferred to avoid battle if things could be settled in a more peaceful way.

Such is how his and Duo's betrothal came to be. What better way to peacefully unite two kingdoms than a royal marriage ? After consideration, Duo's parents had accepted, as had the other three High Lords of Lin. A contract was written and signed by both parties. It was agreed that this alliance would greatly benefit both Lin and Eleah.

Duo was told that he was chosen because at the time, the other three Lords either had children who were already promised to someone, or no children at all. Duo, only child of Lord Maxwell, was born just at the right time, apparently. The age difference between him and Odin was of little consequences, considering that both their races lived ridiculously long and kept a youthful appearance for most of that life. The fact that they were both men wasn't a problem either. In Wvern, same gender unions were as common as their male/female counterparts.

It was strange… Duo had lived with the knowledge of his betrothal all his life, but after seventeen years, he still wasn't sure what to make of it. He wasn't angry or reproachful about it, nor was he happy or excited. It's as if he couldn't see it happening any other way. He'd known about it since he was old enough to understand. To him, this wedding just seemed like the next logical step. And to be perfectly honest, he'd never really thought about what would happen to him afterwards… until yesterday.

It's as if reality had waited for that precise moment to just crash down on him, leaving him confused and nervous.

It's not that he didn't like Odin Lowe, or that he was afraid of him. In fact, he barely knew anything about the man : just that he was the Fay King and that, according to gossips, he was smart, honorable, strong and handsome. Nothing scary or repulsing there, obviously. But Duo and him would be married, for God's sake ! Duo understood the good it would do to their respective kingdoms, but what about him ? Not that he expected Odin to fall in love with him or anything. He wasn't asking that much. This was but a marriage of convenience after all. But how would the Fay King treat him ? Would he be kind to him, or would he merely make sure that his needs were met before forgetting about him and going on with his life ?

Duo's existence promised to be quite sad if the latter was true.

But the young Sprite wouldn't back out even if it was so. He knew that Lin needed this alliance, and that its people were counting on him. Duo wouldn't, couldn't let them down. He would honor their trust and play his part without complaints.

Try as he might though, he couldn't help being nervous. The wedding was only a month away now… Before the end of this week, Duo would leave Lin and travel to Eleah, where the event would take place, and where his future husband would be waiting for him. An escort would accompany him of course, as would Hilde, his father and Quatre.

Unfortunately, as the time to leave neared, Duo's anxiousness grew.

"Mother, if only you were here… You always knew what to say to comfort me…" Duo whispered, leaning back in his chair with a sigh.

Sadly, Hellen Maxwell wasn't there anymore. She had always been rather fragile ; that she'd given birth to Duo and survived had been a miracle in itself, a proof of her inner strength. But time had caught up to her, and she'd died of illness when Duo was barely 8 years old. He and his father had been devastated. They had loved Hellen with all their hearts, and losing her had been painful. Even now, nine years later, they still mourned her.

After his wife's death, Lord Maxwell had become very protective of his one and only child. Duo greatly resembled his mother, and not only physically : she too had been kind and fun loving, always ready to help those in need. One could see Hellen while looking at Duo. But although he may have looked fragile and delicate to some, Duo was actually the complete opposite. He was strong, inside and out, and while he wouldn't force that knowledge upon him, he hoped that one day his father would see it too.

Coming out of his musings, Duo fingered the silver cross around his neck. It had belonged to his mother. It was his treasure… Today though, for some reason, it didn't bring him any comfort.

"At least Quatre will be here soon" he said out loud.

He looked forward to seeing his friend again. He'd missed him, and the young Elf was also quite good when it came to comforting Duo. Somehow, Quatre always seemed to find the right words to appease him.

So, why did he have this nagging feeling that Quatre's arrival would only be the first link of a long chain of problems…?

Pointers :

- In the world where my GW characters evolve, there are 3 continents : Seinh, Lorh, and Wvern. Duo and the others are on the Wvern continent, which is the largest of the 3.

- On Wvern, there are 9 kingdoms. The Fays' Kingdom is Eleah ; it's the most powerful, and the largest. The wood Sprites' Kingdom is Lin. You'll learn about the other kingdoms as the story progresses.

- The Kingdom of Lin is not ruled by one single king ; the power is shared between four High Lords (isn't that what they call an oligarchy ?). Technically, the 4 Lords are equals, but it's possible for one to be more popular than the others (as is the case with Duo's father). Their children are in equal status with princes and princesses of other kingdoms.

- In this fic, representants of each race are born with a specific birthmark. The Fays have one, the Elves have one, etc... For the wood Sprites, like Duo and Hilde, it's a green and golden leave on the back of their right shoulder. As with the kingdoms, you'll learn about the other marks as the story progresses...