Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Unspoken ❯ Chapter 3

Unspoken:

Book I of the Lost Love Arc

Chapter Three

 

Fandom: Sailor Moon/Gundam Wing

Genre: Drama, Angst, Romance

Pairing: Hotaru/Duo

Rating: X/NC-17

 

Summary: Set during the Silver Millennium, Unspoken is a tale of duty, devotion, and loss—and, of course, unrequited love.

 

*

 

It can't be true, Duo thought once more as he braided his hair, fresh from the shower. Three days after the King's announcement, and the young prince still couldn't come to grips with the reality of the situation. He would be a king someday, but not high king. Surely, not high king.

 

He had known since his birth that one day he would be king of Janus, his home—one of the moons that orbited the planet Saturn and was a part of its empire. They were like the provinces on the planet itself—each ruled by a king, but each king answering to the high king, owing fealty to him.

 

But the prince was only twenty. The time for him to step up to kingship hadn't been anticipated for quite a few years. Damn divinations. It had to be false. The logical part of Duo's mind said, however, that divinations were never false. But why him? The indigo-eyed man admitted to himself that he didn't openly exude the qualities of a good king.

 

Nor would his marriage to the princess be a good example of a loving, passionate union. Oh, Duo was sure she would put up a good public façade of it, believable at the very least, but the cold, distant princess of Saturn would never truly be in his heart. It simply wasn't possible—the prince liked his women lusty, busty, and wily. Hotaru appeared more introverted and levelheaded. Aside from his observation of her on the practice field—which showed her to be a good and experienced fighter, and quite intolerant of boys being boys.

 

Dressing to face the day, Duo resigned himself to spending it at Saturn's castle, with his future wife and father-in-law.

 

*

 

Any other day, and Hotaru would be off on her own, visiting the other senshi on their various planets—though, truthfully, she didn't often visit the inner planets; the princess preferred to be closer to Saturn, should something happen—or meandering the marketplace with someone in tow, or sneaking off to see whatever lover had caught her current fascination, like a bird with shiny objects. Any other day, and the crown princess of Saturn would be out on the practice fields, putting the strutting young men facedown in the dirt.

 

Instead she was sitting in one of the informal parlors, idly sipping at coffee while listening as her future in-laws and her own father planned out her wedding. “Hotaru, dear, what do you think about holding it in the gardens here?” asked Rosaria, the Queen of Janus, her future mother in-law. So far she'd discovered that the woman was sickeningly romantic and was convinced that every other woman was the exact same way.

 

Hotaru, having practiced the same response for over an hour now, shrugged and gave a noncommittal humming noise. She wondered once more if slitting her throat would be inappropriate while pretending to enjoy time with her future `family.' Janus' King, Leyton, seemed largely unconcerned with anything save monetary issues—the dowry price, who was paying for the wedding, how much they were to budget on the event. At least his constant interrupting of his wife saved the princess from having to listen to all her frilly, frou-frou ideas.

 

From the corner of her violet eyes, Hotaru noted that Duo seemed equally unconcerned with the topics under discussion, and wondered if he too had put a bit of whiskey into his carafe of coffee. The prince and she were the only two coffee drinkers among those present, and since they'd immediately seated themselves on opposite sides of the room, the servants had seen the sense in giving each of them their own to refill their cups at whim. Immediately when her back had been turned to the rest of the room at the sideboard, Hotaru had poured the contents of her flask into the carafe and mixed it, smiling as the strong scent of coffee overpowered the whiskey. The gods knew that was the only reason she could sit there so nonchalantly as her future was planned for her.

 

The princess wondered, idly, if Duo felt as resentful as she. Gods knew he was not her first choice—he could only feel the same about her. Would it be appropriate to pull the prince aside and apologize? Though what fool would feel bad about being granted the power of a deity? No, Hotaru decided, she wouldn't apologize.

 

She decided then and there to make it a point to confront Duo though and let him know where he stood in the pecking order once they were married. He was to be a figurehead, that was all—and whatever else Hotaru damn well told him to be at whatever time. The prince could continue with his lifestyle so long as he was discreet about it.

 

Yes, that suited her just fine. After all, her entire life had been a steady climb to the pinnacle of ruler-ship. The princess was more than prepared for it.

 

*

 

Duo watched the gathering with slightly glazed eyes, already feeling a headache form between his eyes. His mother, though he loved her dearly, had never been accused of being an intellect in all her life. She was more socialite than anything else, and was damn determined that his wedding be the most memorable event of the year.

 

He couldn't have cared less.

 

“Get out.” The voice that spoke the words was glacier cold, and everyone looked to the crown princess in utter shock. She looked, if he were to describe her in that moment, like a man about to step out onto a battlefield. “All of you.” Her face was deathly serious, and as she stood, Duo was reminded of Dennin's story and of watching her spar with Princess Makoto. He wondered, vaguely interested, if she would throw them all out of the room bodily.

 

“I have some words to share with my future husband,” she continued on, and he doubted that only the most skilled listener would have heard the slight sneer to her words.

 

“But…but the wedding plans…” His mother protested, looking absolutely stunned that the quiet, young girl who'd sat so very politely for the past hour was abruptly ordering them all about. “…will wait. It is my wedding, much to my own dismay, and by god I will plan it so it suits my fancy.”

 

Duo was somewhat in shock himself. This whole time she'd uttered nothing but noncommittal noises, and now Hotaru spoke out. How presumptuous, how snooty of her… “Now, if the King and Queen of Janus would please exit the room, so I may speak privately with my fiancé. Have you seen the full extent of our palaces' gardens, yet?”

 

“N-no…” His mother stuttered, while his father gruffly spoke, “Now see here, young lady…”

 

“Mother, Father…” Duo startled himself by speaking, “I think it would be a good idea for you to take a tour. I'll join you once the princess and I are finished. I do believe that we have quite a few things to say to each other before this whole wedding business really gets rolling.”

 

He nodded as he saw the princess give him a small smile of gratitude, and then she turned to her father. “Dearest father, I know you must growing tired. If you should wish to retire and take a bit of a rest, I will see to entertaining our guests.” Something passed between the old high king then and his young daughter, a subtle measuring and judgment. Then the high king nodded and stood, saying to the King and Queen of Janus, “Leyton, Rosaria, if you'd care to come with me, I'll arrange a tour of our gardens. The only one I'd recommend you stay away from is my daughter's personal garden—it is filled only with night-blooming flowers and plants, and will not be of much interest during the day.”

 

Thus the kings and queen left the room, leaving the Princess of Saturn alone with him for the first time ever. She was silent for a long while, watching the door close carefully, and servants unobtrusively exit the room, while she nodded at them, pleased by their silent obedience.

 

“So…” Duo prompted, “You wanted to speak to me in private. What is this all about?”

 

Hotaru remained silent as she topped off her cup of coffee, and reseated herself. She took a delicate sip from the china, then set it down. Her unsettling violet eyes locked on him with something hard in their gaze. “The rules.”

 

“Pardon?” Duo asked, not sure if he was hearing correctly. “The rules?”

 

*

 

“Yes, the rules,” Hotaru found herself responding succinctly. “I imagine you are as dissatisfied with this match as I am, but there is nothing to be done for it except make it work as best we can. To do so, we need to establish rules so as not to…step on each other's toes, so to speak.” Her lips curved into a small smile at the expression, which she'd picked up from her last lover.

 

“Oh, I understand now. You're absolutely right, of course.” Her smile widened as Duo nodded his head in agreement.

 

“Now, I am well-aware of your reputation,” Hotaru began, “And that, in and of itself, is unacceptable. When we step up and take the throne, I want none of that. You may continue with your affairs, shall we say, so long as it is discreet. Simply put, I never want to have to hear about them. Ever. I will not be the subject of gossip and have my credibility sullied because you can't control yourself.”

 

Duo frowned, his lips compressing into a thin line of distaste. “So you're telling me what to do already? We're not even married yet, princess.” She shook her head, strands of black silk sliding over her shoulders. “But in the eyes of the people, we already might as well be. And don't think they're not talking about it—they are. They know your reputation as well as I do, and it's already starting to reflect on me—I can see it in their faces when I walk down the street, or even around the palace. I will be high queen, and you will be high king. Do you really want your own people to speak poorly of you?”

 

“I suppose you have a point,” he conceded reluctantly. “Okay, so no public affairs. What else?”

 

“I'm well-aware that you have been raised to be king since your birth,” Hotaru stated. “However, I've also been reared to be a ruler, and as I was the only child, I was raised to handle the duties of a king as well as those of a queen.”

 

“So…?” The Prince of Janus was clearly confused. Hotaru sighed, wishing he could read minds and not knowing how to state what she needed to politely. “If you so wish, you can be a figurehead and nothing more.” Fuck politeness. “I can handle the duties of ruling on my own, should you prefer to have ample time to carry out your affairs. In layman's terms, I am offering you an out, Prince Duo. I cannot get you off the hook of marrying me, nor can I get you off the hook of providing an heir to the throne, but I can relieve you of your kingly responsibilities.”

 

“I…I'll have to think about it,” Duo responded hesitantly, clearly thrown off guard by the offer…such a selfless offer. Honestly, the only reason Hotaru had put it on the table was to stave off any political disasters having a king in the midst of things might cause. Men were always so problematic. “You may do so, prince, but keep in mind that I need your answer soon. Once the wedding plans begin, I will not have much spare time to talk…unfortunately. My father wishes this to be over with as soon as possible.”

 

“Now, about this `providing an heir' business?” Janus' prince questioned, looking apprehensive. Hotaru sighed, rolling her eyes. “You really didn't think you'd marry me and be done with it, right? Duo, don't be ridiculous. An heir to the Saturnian throne must be provided. Meaning, yes, you're going to have to sleep with me until I'm with child. After that, rest assured, you'll never have to touch me again.”

 

The poor prince actually looked baffled, like a lost little boy. “But…?”

 

Hotaru's face actually softened in sympathy, and were she nearby, she might have offered some form of comfort—a pat on the hand, perhaps. “I'm not some silly little girl, Duo. I have no misgivings about the nature of our union, and neither should you. It is duty. As queen and king, it will be our duty to see that the royal line continues on. Make no mistake, I've less desire to lay with you than you have for me. But I know what must be done.”

 

Duo swallowed convulsively, and she could actually see his Adam's apple bob nervously. “Yeah, but…kids, wow, I never even thought of that.” He sounded dazed, she noted, and realized that she'd delivered quite a blow to him. Still, Hotaru shrugged her slim shoulders, and responded, “Yes, but it's a part of the life of nobles, such as ourselves. Carry on the family name, leave a legacy, blah blah, yadda yadda, so on and so forth. It's just one of those things where you've got to suck it up, get it over with, and move on. Kind of like this marriage deal.”

 

The prince of Janus laughed nervously, responding quickly with, “Yeah, I know what you mean…”

 

“One other thing,” Hotaru said as she rose once more, “No matter how we feel about each other, I always want us to look good in public. Not necessarily loving or affectionate, but…friendly. Agreed?”

 

“Agreed,” Duo responded and stood as well, “Now, should we go meet up with my parents?”

 

“Yes, I believe I've got two wounded egos to soothe,” Hotaru quipped and led the way out of the drawing room, trusting that the Prince of Janus would follow her.

 

*

 

“You told him that?!”

 

Hotaru laughed quietly as she brushed her hair out of the stiff confines of the day's up-`do. “Yes. I needed to make clear how things will proceed from this point.” She looked to the source of the voice, sprawled out over her own bed, hair also unbound and clad in a nightgown.

 

Long, fiery red hair and electric blue eyes marked Marle for what she was, while her snow-pale skin also denoted a…discrepancy in her parentage. Most of the nobles of Hotaru's generation barely noticed Marle's existence, but the two misfits, even among the senshi, had formed an instantaneous bond one long ago evening at a masque on the Moon. Both princesses had been entirely too bored with the event, having gone unnoticed the entire night. An hour after they'd met, the two girls had escaped the party and went causing trouble in the capitol city's slums.

 

However, Marle was not some servant girl that Hotaru had befriended—far from it. She was the adopted elder daughter of Queen Serenity and her husband. But Marle already knew she would never be queen. For one year after the redhead had been adopted, Queen Serenity had achieved the highly unlikely and gotten pregnant. With little Serenity's birth, a true heir to the throne was born, and Marle had been raised to accept it. She was often dismissed and altogether ignored by the Moon's courtiers, and even most of the planets.

 

But it was a role that Marle had learned to accept. For when she was noticed, scandal was rekindled. The princess' coloring was not that of the Moon, or of any other kingdom, really, except one: the Sun. They were a mysterious and cloistered people, and their king, Valant, hardly left his home, never attending Alliance meetings or get-togethers. It was said that in the days of his wild youth, Valant had a passionate affair with a young, ambitious acolyte of the Phoenix temple.

 

This acolyte, upon discovering her pregnancy, was cast out of the order. Having no prospects, the then-King refused to acknowledge paternity on his son's behalf and the young woman was banished from the capitol city. No one knew or remembered the woman's name, except perhaps King Valant himself, nor what became of her. Except baby-Marle being dropped on Queen Serenity's doorstep was rather timely. Of course, none of the rumors could be validated due to a lack of information…still, it was something that made Marle wish to blend into the background.

 

“I can't believe you told your future husband `this is this, and that is that, get used to it',” Marle stated, still somewhat in awe. “What else was I supposed to do? Sit back and wait until it all blows up in my face?” Hotaru asked, raising one eyebrow in inquiry. “Well…no, but…wow. That's insane. You are an insane woman, and I love it,” the princess stated, laughter in her voice and facial expression.

 

Abruptly, the door was flung open and Maxine came stomping into the room, muttering about `pompous nobles' as she did so. “Ah, so I see you're enjoying Janus' royal pair as much as I am,” Hotaru cooed, a wicked little smile on her countenance. “Hush now,” Maxine snapped, “We don't speak ill of our future in-laws.”

 

“Perhaps you don't,” Marle replied, as cheerful as sunshine, and tossed her long red hair over her shoulder. “Now, missy, we try and always speak kindly of everyone, even if they are ignorant, frivolous people who have been isolated enough to think themselves the better of everyone,” Maxine scolded, clucking her tongue, and pulling back the bedcovers.

 

“Off to bed, both of you. His Highness said you could visit, princess, on the agreement that you would not keep Hotaru up all night. She has a full day tomorrow—“

 

“Maxine, every day for me is a full day…” Hotaru interrupted lazily, as she crawled into bed next to her friend.

 

“Regardless, I don't think it'd be wise to be staying up `til ungodly hours,” Maxine argued right back as she tucked the two girls in. “Now, go to bed, both of you.” With that, the maidservant strode out of the room and quietly shut the door behind her.

 

The girls waited ten minutes in complete silence before sliding off the bed, each on their respective side, and slipping their nightgowns over their heads, only to reveal both girls still fully dressed, sans socks and shoes. As silent as shadows, they pulled on those missing components, and slid out onto the balcony.

 

Marle climbed over the edge first and used the latticed vines to carefully pick her way onto the ground. She crouched, automatically hiding from the palace guards and keeping a look-out, while Hotaru followed her friend down. It was times like these she was grateful for her petite frame, knowing that if she were buxom and curvy the lattice-work would most likely not hold her weight.

 

On the ground, Hotaru crouched next to Marle, and they wordlessly formed a plan to get off the palace grounds—her garden. The princess of Saturn had actually designed the garden itself as a complex maze of night-blossoms, and not even the guards stationed in it knew its secrets. Hotaru did.

 

So the two rebellious princesses made their way through the garden maze, avoiding all of the guards within it, and then they were climbing over the castle walls and running full-out toward the seedier parts of the capitol, whooping with joy and relief as they went. That night, no one saw two rowdy nobles out for a bit of freedom pass down the street. All they saw were two girls dressed in trousers and tunics, headed towards their regular back-street haunts.

 

*

 

TBC…