Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Celtic Series ❯ Az Gwir a eveb d'ar Bed: Gorsedd ( Chapter 5 )

The Celtic Series II: Az Gwir a eveb d'ar Bed

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters. I do own a Gundam Wing Deathscythe Hell Action Figure Skill Level 2 and two GW DVDs though. :P

Pairings: 121, 3xR (will be explained.................. eventually! ::laughs maniacally::), 343

Warnings/classifications: AU, lime, OC's, shonen-ai

Author's notes: uhm… for once I don't really have anything to say… except… thanks to everyone who has reviewed! Although there weren't that many reviewers the last chapter… only two actually… was it that bad? Anyways, a big thank-you to CuriousDreamWeaver and fluffy-kins! (And uhm… is 'w00t' good or bad? ::confused:: if it's good, then thanks to emptyegobox too ::grins sheepishly:: )

Gorsedd means gathering, meeting, something like that (I had to return the book I found it in… and with my memory in holiday-mode I'm not sure at all if I remember correctly :P ). Sorry for not updating for so long, but I was kinda busy. Blegh… even now I'm in my summer-holidays I don't have time! ::pouts:: The last two pieces might not be very good, but I had to go to the horse-riding school (manege?), I work there during holidays. Anywayzz, I hope you like this part!

'blah' thinking
"blah" speaking
------ change of place, time or POV

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Gorsedd

"King Milliardo, Princess Relena, what a pleasant surprise!" Trowa said, trying to smile politely. "We were just having dinner in the Hall, do you want to join us? I'm sure there's room for another two guests." He motioned Quatre to make everything ready for the new guests. The page hurried to accomplish his task.

"It's an honour having you here, I'm sure my father would have appreciated it a lot." The two nobles from Connacht nodded politely at Trowa's words. "I will show you your rooms personally. If you'd be so kind as to follow me?" The young prince - he had just reached the age of nineteen - began to walk towards the area of the castle which contained the rooms for the guests. Many rooms were already occupied by other high-placed guest, who all had come to attend to the King of Kildare's funeral, but the castle was large, so they had managed to find suitable rooms for Relena and her brother.

Relena's room was at the south side of the castle, and therefore had a nice view of the nearby forest. Next to this room was the room that was appointed to King Milliardo. It was appropriately large for a royal guest, and furnished with a large bed. A can of water was standing on a table, for washing purposes, hastily placed there by one of Trowa's servants.

After Trowa had showed his guests their rooms, he took them to the main hall, where the other guests were now at the end of the dinner. No one, however, made a move to leave the hall; they were having animated discussions about all sorts of things.

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That evening, Trowa was pacing through his room, his fists clenched. The white-clad druid was patiently waiting in a corner of the large room, waiting for the prince to calm down and tell him what it was that was bothering him.

Eventually, the prince broke the silence. "I suppose there isn't any chance I'll be able to get out of this? Marrying Relena I mean?" As the druid didn't answer, he continued: "Look, I know I have to marry someone, because I'm the heir to the throne, but Relena? I really don't see why my father wanted me to marry her, there are so many other candidates, some of them far more suitable than her!"

This was probably the longest monologue Heero had ever heard from the prince - well, except for speeches in public that is. He now saw it fit to interrupt the brown-haired man's rant. "You already know which course of action is the right one, you said it yourself." Trowa didn't reply, and thus the druid went on: "It was your father's last wish. You promised him to fulfil that wish, and even now he's dead, it's not right to break you're promise."

Trowa's pacing slowed down. He flashed a fake grin. "Ah well, you're right of course." He sighed. "I guess I just wanted to hear it from someone else, that there is no way out." After a long silence, the prince continued. "I will go to king Milliardo tomorrow, to ask Relena's hand in marriage [1]. If her brother and she agree, we can announce the wedding tomorrow evening, now that many guests are still here."

The druid inclined his head slightly. "I think that is the right thing to do, my prince."

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And thus, the next day, after having had breakfast in the main hall, Trowa asked if he could have a word with king Milliardo, in private. The king, knowing what the question was going to be, agreed to this, and thus the two of them went to Trowa's room. Normally, conversations of this kind would have taken place at the royal hall, where the king settled administrative matters and solved problems of the inhabitants of his territory, but because Trowa had yet to be crowned he thought it best not to use that room.

Trowa opened the door, so that the king, since he - for now at least - had a higher rank, could enter the room first. He entered the room too and closed the door carefully. The prince walked towards the comfortable chairs that were at the left side of the room, positioned in such a way that they weren't exactly facing each other, but in a manner that the interlocutor could be seen easily, without straining any muscles. Trowa had found that this way of talking often had the most results, being right in front of one another often had a threatening effect on some people. Not that the king would be intimidated by a young prince as he was, of course, but it also worked the other way around.

After asking the king politely to sit down on one of the chairs, he also sat down. Somehow, he was still feeling a bit nervous, although his rational part told him that this conversation was inevitable and that worrying wasn't going to change a thing.

The king on the other hand, though he was only three years older than Trowa and had become king after the tragic death of his father, was quite relaxed. A small smile was tugging on the corners of his mouth as he waited until the young prince would finally speak.

And so, after clearing his throat, Trowa began to speak, trying not to look at the floor as his first impulse was, but to look at the king. Looking away would make him seem unsure, and although he was feeling that way, he wasn't about to let the longhaired king know that. "Your Highness," he began, "I presume you know why I have asked to have a private conversation with you."

Milliardo nodded affirmatively.

"I… What I wanted to ask you, is if I could have the honour of marrying your sister, Relena."

The king of Connacht rose from his chair, but didn't speak for a while, which made Trowa quite nervous. Eventually he said, inclining his head slightly: "The honour is all ours. The alliance between our countries will make our lands fare well, and - more important - I think you will be a good husband for my sister. I will talk to Relena as soon as I can, but I don't think she will object. In fact, I think she will be delighted."

At these words, Trowa cringed, invisibly, he hoped. He didn't even want to marry that girl! Oh cruel fate…

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"Dear guests," the soon-to-be king said, when everyone had gathered in the main hall for dinner. "In this time of grief, there is also good news." Well, not good news in his opinion, but for most people it would be. "Princess Relena of Connacht has agreed to marry me." Relena, who had been sitting next to him, rose from her chair, blushing modestly as he took her hand.

The people in the hall applauded, congratulations coming from all directions. When the noise had subsided, Trowa continued: "The wedding will take place after the crowning. If you want to stay here until then, it's possible, but I understand it if you want to return to your kingdoms."

At that moment, servants who had been waiting for the prince to finish his speech entered the hall, the trays they were carrying filled with the most delicious foods. The general mood in the hall, which had been cheerful already, got even better, especially when the wine proved to be excellent.

As dinner went by, Trowa engaged in a conversation with his fiancée and her brother, about the things that had to be arranged for the wedding. The druid, the cap of his white cloak obscuring almost his entire face, was sitting on Trowa's right-hand side as usual. He hadn't said a word during dinner, and - as Trowa absently noted when his thoughts were wandering off - he had eaten nothing at all. The prince mentally shrugged. Probably some weird druid-habit…

When dinner was finished, and everyone had returned to his or her temporary quarters at the castle - he had escorted Relena to her quarters - he collapsed on his bed. What an awful day. The only thing he wanted right now was to sleep, in the vain hope of waking up from this nightmare.

But the torture wasn't over yet. Seemingly out of nowhere, the druid appeared.

"How did you get here?" he asked, tiredly.

The white-clad druid slightly raised his eyebrows, in surprise or amusement, that wasn't to tell. "Through the door, milord," he answered smoothly.

'Whatever…' Trowa sighed. Trying not to sound too impolite, he asked: "Did you want to ask me something?"

The druid, who either hadn't noticed the gruff tone or pretended not to have noticed, replied: "I came to ask you if there is anything I can do for you. I know this is a hard time, so short after your father's - may his soul rest in peace - death, and all the commotion about your marriage et cetera. You're still young, very young if you don't mind my saying so, and already you have to rule a country."

The prince tried to stifle a yawn. "The only thing I want right now, is a long night of sleep." Expecting the druid to leave after these words, he found himself surprised as said person spoke: "I can make you a potion, which will give you a good night's rest, and will make you feel refreshed tomorrow morning."

Trowa nodded, almost not able to keep his eyes open. "That would be very appreciated."

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"Heero!" Someone with a long braid dissociated himself from the shadows of the forest that had been hiding him and entered the open spot. After kissing the person who had just appeared out of thin air, he asked: "How's everything going?"

"Everything's going as planned. Prince Trowa's gonna marry Relena in a week, at the same day he'll be crowned king." He sighed. "Are you sure he is the one who has to become High King? He doesn't seem too strong right now, actually, he was so tired that I gave him a sleeping-draught to make him sleep well and feel better in the morning."

Duo just shrugged. "Well, would you feel any better after four nights of no sleep, having very many guests at your castle and having to marry someone you don't like? And that at his age! No, I think he'll do just fine. And remember, he has time to get used to his being king; at least four years, I'd say. And…" the braided half-Fomoiri winked at his companion, "he has your help."

The druid, who had taken off the cap of his cloak, smiled slightly.

"Hey, I was thinking…" Duo continued. "Maybe I'm going with you to the Upper-World, just for the wedding. One more druid won't attract attention, don't you think? Not that I don't trust you, of course, but I just want to see that prince and the other people who will have an important role in Erin's future for myself." He smiled. "Until now, I've only seen them in visions and other images."

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A week later, Trowa was to be crowned. Kings and other noblemen had come from entire Erin to see this event. What made it even more spectacular, was the fact that the prince wouldn't only be crowned, but would also marry princess Relena of Connacht the day after the crowning.

In the shadows of the main hall, one person, dressed in a long, white robe, was watching the scene. The hall looked completely different than it had done before: the large tables had been shoved to one side of the room, creating some sort of platform on which the crowning took place. Chairs had been placed in rows, the most important guest sitting on the front row. King Milliardo of Connacht was, of course, sitting very near to the stage, his sister Relena, a veil covering her face, was sitting next to him, watching her future husband as the druid performed the rituals.

When Heero came to the last part of the ritual, a collective intake of breath was to be heard: now the prince would be given a geasa, a vow he'd always have to hold true to, because if he didn't it would cause a certain death.

"Prince Trowa of Kildare, now is the time that I will impose (?) a geasa upon you." The druid went silent for a while, the tension in the hall was rising. "You will have to swear… never to be unfaithful to your future wife, Relena. If you do betray her, no matter the circumstances, you will die."

Many of the guests blinked or looked at each other in confusion. What kind of geasa was this? Most vows were much more complicated and more ambiguous. This one was just too… easy it seemed.

After Trowa had sworn not to betray his future wife, one of the servants handed Heero the crown, which he placed on Trowa's head. "From now on, you will be the king of Kildare, until the day of your death. May that be a long time."

The guests applauded.

If anyone had looked at the white-clad person, who was still watching in the shadows, he or she would have seen an expression of satisfaction on his face. Everything was still going as it should be. The other druid left the platform and walked towards his hidden companion.

Meanwhile, the new king cleared his throat and began a speech, saying that he was going to try his hardest to be a good king and bring prosperity to his country. His speech was rewarded with loud applause.

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"You may kiss the bride," the druid ended the ceremony. The king of Kildare and the princess of Connacht had both sworn loyalty to each other, in good and bad times and were now officially married.[2]

The king resigned to his fate and bend over to kiss his wife. He intended to pull back as soon as possible, without breaking the laws of decency, he hadn't, however, counted on Relena. The former princess, now queen, put her arms around her husband and kissed him enthusiastically back, much to the amusement of the people in the hall. Some of them couldn't keep straight faces and snickered when they saw Trowa's expression.

The ceremony was followed by a feast. Servants came to move the tables to three sides of the hall and placed trays with food on them. The chairs were put at the remaining side of the hall. When everything was ready - and that was quite soon - some musicians arrived and began to play; a merry melody suitable for dancing.

Trowa and Relena were, as tradition dictated, the first ones to enter the dance-floor. Soon the other guests followed their example. Almost the only ones who didn't dance, were the two druids - well, only on of them was a real druid -, who were talking with lowered voices.

"I kinda pity him," the one who had just performed the wedding-ceremony said.

Duo, his face hidden by the cap of his white cloak, raised an eyebrow in question. "Why?"

Heero sighed. "He doesn't like her, and now he'll be stuck with her for the rest of his life! Not to mention that she will try to kill him."

"Shush!" His companion looked around, checking if no one had overheard that statement. Fortunately, no one had. Duo released his breath and said, in thought-speak: 'I know, but we can't meddle with the future too much, and he promised his father!' He also sighed. 'Look, we can protect him from her so that he can become High King, but I have no idea what would happen if he'd marry someone else! The outcome may be far worse than this…'

End of part two

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And, tell me: should I continue? Advice, ideas, comments & criticisms are always welcome! Please review if you liked it! (or if you didn't, but please keep it polite :P ) And uhm… whatcha think: should I skip the next 4 (or so) years and continue where Tro is gonna be High King, or should I put some more chappies in between where Tro is just king?