Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Gundam Wing and the Quest for the Holy Grail ❯ The Twelve Daughters ( Chapter 9 )

Chapter 9: The Twelve Daughters

“Man!” Duo complained. “These guys gotta learn how to drink. I'm bored.”

“I'm hungry,” said Roku.

“Good idea.” Duo beckoned to a passing servant. “Hey! Have you got anything to eat?”

“Of course, sir,” the young woman said and she hurried out.

A short while later, she returned with sliced ham, bread, cheese, some apples and two meat pies.

“Ah!” Duo said, rubbing his hands together. “Just a light snack to tide us over until lunch.”

“Yum!” Roku declared.

They split the food.

“Mama doesn't usually pass out from drinking,” Roku remarked.

“I think Mama is still tired from last night,” Duo said.

“Mama and Papa Trowa were very naughty.”

“Well, sometimes a fellow just needs that.”

“Is that why you and Papa Heero took so long to come to bed last night?”

“We don't need to talk about that.”

“Ok.”

After their snack, Roku noticed that a couple of the dogs were poking their noses back into the main hall. He growled softly.

“Excuse me, Papa Duo,” Roku said. He slid off the bench and slunk away toward the uncertain dogs.

When the explosion of roaring, yelping, thundering paws, screeching of claws and toenails on stone floors, the crash of dishes being dropped and squealing servants failed to wake anyone, Duo gave up. He found a relatively clean and empty spot on the floor and went to sleep.

He woke up to the soft voices of young women talking quietly.

“Have you ever seen such beautiful hair on a man before?”

“Never, it's utterly gorgeous!”

“I want to touch it.”

“Careful, you'll wake him.”

“You already woke me,” Duo grumbled. He opened one eye.

Four beautiful maidens stood looking down at him.

“Oh, sir!” one said in a soft reverent voice, “won't you let me brush your lovely hair?”

“Oh yes!” added a second. “It has become mussed. We can re-plait it for you.”

Their eyes gleamed hungrily.

Duo sat up and pulled his braid over his shoulder. The braid had become a little frayed. He frowned suspiciously at the maidens.

“Are you some of Duke Moreby's daughters?”

“Indeed we are,” said one, who appeared to be the eldest.

“I thought your father didn't allow you around men?”

The four young women smiled.

“He does not, if he's aware of it. But our good father is blind, so upon occasion we venture out unbeknownst to him.” At Duo's raised eyebrow, she blushed. “Think not that we are wantons, sir!” she exclaimed. “It is only curiosity that we indulge.” She looked around. “But forsooth, we should not stay here among so many gentlemen. Will you not accompany us back to our chamber and let us do your hair?”

“I'm not sure that would be a good idea.”

“But we must be fair to our sisters, who were too shy to venture forth with us and thus will have missed the opportunity to view your beauty, if you do not return with us.” She blinked at him with large, dark eyes. “Oh, will you not have pity on them, sir?”

“Well, I suppose it can't do any harm.” Duo stood up. “I was hoping for a chance to speak with you anyway.”

“Even so. We can speak while we do your hair.”

The four young woman guided Duo upstairs and into their private apartment. It was, not surprisingly, a good-sized apartment, occupying one whole floor of one side of the castle. When Duo entered with his four escorts, there was a flurry of girlish squeals.

“Eugenia!” cried one, “that's a man!”

“Of course he is,” Eugenia, the eldest, replied. “But look at his hair!”

This stopped all the squealing and attempts to hide cold. Almost as one, the other eight daughters crowded forward with exclamations of amazement and delight. Then they caught Duo's hands and pulled him forward.

“Sit here, sir!” they cried and pushed him down onto a pile of soft cushions.

They crowded around him. Eugenia untied the ribbon at the tip of his braid and unbraided his hair, while dozens of other hands reached in to stroke and caress the long, smooth waves as she freed them.

“It's so soft!”

“It's longer than mine!”

“I wish my hair were this thick.”

“We should wash it!”

“Yes, let's do! Fetch warm water, soap and oil!”

“Take off your shirt, sir, so it does not get wet!”

“Aye, the silk will stain.”

“Hold on there!” Duo cried, but it did little good. Twelve pairs of hands stripped him out of his shirt in no time at all.

“Oh, my! Look at how muscular he is!”

“His skin is so smooth!”

“I had no idea men were so handsome!”

“Now ladies…” Duo tried again.

“Lie back, sir, and let us wash your hair.”

They propped him up with several pillows so that his head was hanging over empty space and they could pile his hair into a large basin. Duo was fairly certain that getting his hair washed did not require quite so much caressing of his chest and arms, but it was pretty hard to supervise the hands of twelve maidens at the same time.

“Ladies,” Duo said, “what do you know about the Holy Grail?”

“We attend church regularly, sir, so we know of the Holy Grail,” Eugenia assured him.

“Would you by any chance know where it is?”

They all laughed.

“No one knows that, sir,” Eugenia said.

“My companions and I are on a quest for the Holy Grail,” Duo said. “We've come across information that indicated you fair maidens might know something about it.”

“Us?!” one of the youngest daughters squealed. She giggled. “How could we? We are hardly ever allowed out.”

“That's right,” said another.

The daughter rinsing his hair managed to pour half of the water down his face and chest. As Duo gasped, the other daughters giggled and began wiping the water off with their bare hands.

“That's ok!” Duo exclaimed, “I can do that!” He tried to catch the hands that were sweeping pooled water off his lower belly.

“Oh no!” one daughter cried. “Your pants are wet. We should remove them.”

“Absolutely not!” Duo cried.

The resulting struggle was a little comical, but Duo was not amused.

“Let me remove your boots!”

“Leave my boots alone!”

“His stockings are caught in his trousers.”

“Take those off, too.”

“What pretty feet!”

“His underwear is silk lace!”

“How beautiful!”

“How revealing!”

“So that is what a man looks like!”

“Stop that!” Duo attempted to cover his nether regions, which were, admittedly, not particularly well hidden by his lacy underwear.

“Where did you find such a beautiful undergarment, sir?”

“See how nicely it fits his buttocks.”

“Wait a minute!” Duo tried to cover his butt and his privates at the same time. “This is most unseemly!”

“The silk is so smooth,” one daughter noted as she slid her hand along Duo's hip.

“Keep your hands to yourself, woman!”

“I imagine such a garment must feel wonderful against the skin.”

“It does, and I'll keep it on mine, thank you very much!”

“I want to try them!”

“So do I!”

“Me too!”

“STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!” Duo shouted, to no avail. Twelve pairs of hands divested him of his underwear in nothing flat. Duo tried to cover himself with his hair. “Give that back!”

But for the moment, he was being ignored. Really ignored, as the young ladies began hiking up their skirts so they could try his underwear on and model them for their sisters. Duo got a hefty eyeful.

Eugenia and two of her sisters turned to Duo.

“So tell me, sir, are all gentlemen as handsome as you?” Eugenia asked with a coy smile.

“No, but you're seeing a damn sight more of me than a proper young maiden should.”

She looked him up and down. “The sight is most… stimulating.”

Duo paled. “No it's not!”

“But a man as lovely as you must be proud of his appearance. Why don't you lie back and let us appreciate your beauty?”

“I don't think so!”

Eugenia pushed him over into the cushions and her sisters caught his arms.

“Miss Eugenia!” Duo exclaimed, “I don't want to have to hurt you, but you really need to stop right there!”

Eugenia straddled his hips.

Duo gasped. “Ok, this is really starting to go too far…”

She began to rub her bottom back and forth on his privates.

Duo groaned and closed his eyes. “This is not good…”

“Oh my!” one sister exclaimed. “Look at that! What's happening to him?”

“It's just as Gift described!” said another.

Duo's eyes flew open. “Gift?! Did you say Gift?!”

“Yes,” said the daughter. “Do you know our dragon?”

“Yes, I know that bloody dragon!” Duo groaned again. “Miss Eugenia, I really think you need to stop doing that.”

“As you say,” Eugenia said breathlessly. She stopped and lifted up onto her knees. Then she sat back down and Duo gasped aloud.

“Oh, lord!” Duo moaned. “I'm going to hell for this…”

“Oh, sisters!” Eugenia gasped. “You have to try this! Gift was right. This is most enjoyable!”

Duo closed his eyes with a groan. “There are twelve of them…”

Sometime later, in the main hall, Wu-Fei sat up with a start. He looked around in confusion and then nudged Heero awake.

“Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Heero rubbed his eyes blearily.

“I thought I heard someone shout something about a dragon.”

“I heard it, too,” said Damodin, sitting up from where he lay with his head on Hagrimore's stomach.

“So did I,” said Quatre. He looked around. “Where's Duo?”

“He went upstairs with the pretty ladies,” said Roku.

“What?! When?”

“About midday.”

“It's getting dark,” Quatre noted.

Roku nodded. “He's been gone for awhile.”

“That was him,” Trowa said suddenly.

“What was him?” asked Quatre.

“What we heard, it was Duo. He was broadcasting.” Trowa glanced toward the ceiling. “Something pretty traumatic must have happened to him.”

“Let he who is prepared to sacrifice all learn the secret that they hold,” Quatre quoted. “Duo's learning the next trial in the quest.”

“Papa Duo's being naughty. A lot.”

Everyone who was awake stared at Roku.

“Twelve maidens!” Damodin whispered, awestruck. “That's far beyond my capacity.”

“I don't think Duke Moreby will be happy about this,” Hagrimore said. “Mayhap we should wake our companions and be prepared to make a hasty departure when Master Duo is finished.”

“Good idea,” said Trowa. “I'll just go out and have a chat with the horses.”

Percival was decidedly dismayed when he learned what was taking place. “This is a most unfortunate turn of events!” he exclaimed. “We came under Duke Moreby's roof in good faith, and now…”

“It's not your fault, Sir Percival,” Quatre assured him. “I'm sure Duo has a good reason for deflowering the duke's daughters.”

Percival hung his head. “Oh, dear lord!”

Duke Moreby chose that moment to make his reappearance. “Gentlemen,” he said, “I have thought long and hard upon your request, but I fear I cannot accede to it. But I do not wish to seem an inhospitable host. You must all stay for dinner.”

“You are most kind, Your Grace,” Percival replied in a voice that squeaked unexpectedly, “but we do not wish to be a burden on your household. We have already partaken of your most excellent wine, so we will just be on our way…”

“It's that bloody dragon!” Duo announced as he staggered into the room. His clothes were in disarray and his hair hung loose about his shoulders. “They were all thinking it. That wretched beast told them that the good Lord kept no secrets from his chosen children.”

“And Gift told us that dragons were God's gift to the world,” Wu-Fei concluded. “Gift is the next trial in the quest.”

“What are you gentlemen talking about?” Duke Moreby asked in confusion.

“It is nothing, sir!” Percival said quickly. “Let us not trouble you any further. Good day, Your Grace.” He beat a hasty retreat for the door.

The knights and pilots followed quickly, with Wu-Fei and Heero supporting Duo between them.

“I may never have sex again!” Duo groaned. “They were animals, I tell you! Once wasn't good enough for them. Oh, no! Everyone had to have TWO turns. I can barely walk.”

“He says that now,” Heero remarked, “but how much you want to bet he's complaining about not getting any three days from now?”

“That's a sucker bet,” Wu-Fei replied.

“I'm not kidding!” Duo complained. “I got nothin' left. Just empty sacks.”

“Twenty-four times?!” Damodin exclaimed reverently. “Now there is a standard to which I can only aspire.”

“I would not have believed it possible,” Hagrimore agreed.

“Well, the prophecy did say he would have to sacrifice all,” Quatre noted.

“And what a sacrifice!”

“Can we stop talking about this?” Duo grumbled. He had to be helped onto his horse.

The party thundered out through the gate and headed back for the inn at Hammersly.

“Do you suppose the dragon is still living in the same cave?” Wu-Fei asked.

“I imagine so,” said Hagrimore. “We can head out that way tomorrow and have a look.”

“This is his fault!” Duo exclaimed. “That damn dragon is the one who told the girls about sex. It seems he likes to sit outside their window at night and tell them stories. He owes me! Bloody dragon!”

“Quit complaining, Duo. Lots of men would be happy to suffer your fate,” Trowa said.

“Aye, your friend is right, Master Duo,” Damodin agreed. “The virgin daughters of Duke Moreby are legendary. Your conquest will go down in the annals of history as one of the truly great acts of this age.”

Duo gave him a sour look. “It's going to take me hours to get all the tangles out of my hair,” he said mournfully.

“I'll help you, Papa Duo.”

“Thanks, Roku.”

“I have a feeling this next trial is not going to be so easy,” Wu-Fei said.

“You call that easy?” Duo grumbled.

“Gift is not likely to just tell us what we want to know. We may have to fight him.”

“Fight a dragon?!” exclaimed one of the knights. “That seems somewhat foolhardy.”

“I did it before,” Wu-Fei said. “It shouldn't be that bad.”

“You said he was just playing last time, Wu-Fei,” Duo pointed out.

“Well, yeah, but why should this time be any different?”

“Maybe because he knows us and because I intend to kick his golden dragon butt from here to the Dover Strait.”

“Maybe Trowa and I should talk to Gift first,” Quatre said. “You two seem to have issues that might interfere with reasoned discourse.”

Duo snorted.

“I must agree with Master Quatre,” said Percival. “We shall all proceed to the dragon's lair tomorrow, but perhaps just a few of us should actually approach the dragon.”

The other knights agreed with this rather quickly and Heero rolled his eyes. “I'll accompany you, Sir Percival.”

“As I expected, Sir Heero.”

“Fucking dragon!” Duo muttered.