Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Shadow Lands ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: Don't own….damn…

Rating: R

Pairings: Relena + Heero, Duo x Heero, Relena x Dorothy, Solo x Lily

Warnings: Relena Bashing, AU, Yaoi, Yuri, Magic

Summary: Heero, Emperor of the Yuy Empire, has his own share of problems, the neighboring country of Sanq is declaring war, his wife is having affairs, and worse of all, his fifteen year old daughter and heir to the throne is kidnapped. Soon a thief enters the picture and promises to lead Heero to his daughter, but love is blossoming and soon, everything will make sense…

Please Read & Review! Flames Are Welcomed!

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Chapter One

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Emperor Heero paced the throne room. He was a tall, slender man, and very handsome for someone his age. He had short, dark brown hair that no matter how hard you try, it still had that just rolled out of bed effect. His eyes, of what a site to behold! For his eyes were deeper than the darkest oceans and at the moment, showed a look of deep concentration, yet his facial expression showed no emotion.

The neighboring country, one of his allies had turned on him. They attacked the villages and Heero feared, that soon they would declare war on him. His country was in great peril. Even though his wife, Relena, had come from Sanq, it made no difference now that the marriage was arranged to declare peace between the countries, was faltering. Ever since the birth of Heero's only child, the Empress had begun to cheat on the Emperor, and Heero felt that the war was being caused by his wife.

Although Heero did love his wife, in was more in a friendship sort of way. In fact, it was safe to say that the Emperor preferred the male species more than the women….

The large oak doors swung open and an oriental man entered. Heero stopped his pacing and looked at his most trusted advisor, Wufei, who had bowed so low, that his nose almost brushed the floor.

"Your Highness," Wufei's voice gave an urgent tone. Heero merely waved his hand, signaling for Wufei to begin, "I've come to ask approval to send three guards into the village, Milord."

"And what are the guards for, Wufei?" Heero's low monotonous voice rang off the throne rooms walls.

"We have reason to believe that a band of thieves has entered the village."

"Yes, yes," Heero's voice hinted the manner of boredom and showing somewhat a sigh of relief that it wasn't Sanq attacking, "Bring them to the fort for questioning, we want to make sure that they are not from Sanq."

"Yes, Milord," Wufei bowed again before exiting the room. Heero turned, and leaving the room from a tapestry that held the Emperor's insignia, a green shield with a black dragon and three swords, one going through the middle of the shield, the second bent at an angle and the third was bent at an angle, too. On the middle sword, a crown was perched on the top of the hilt showing royalty. On the left sword, the hilt was replaced with by an eagle, showing courage. And the right sword, the hilt was the head of a wolf, representing loyalty. The black dragon represented bravery and the shield represented logic.

Heero walked down the hidden passage, and stopping in front of a door he knocked twice before pushing open the door. It didn't take long for Heero's eyes to adjust the dimly lit room, and when he did, he had to stifle a laugh.

An elderly man, who was beyond his death date, had been tied and gagged to the chair. Sighing, Heero drew his dagger and stepped behind the man to cut the ropes. The ropes fell to the floor and aged hands bulled the gag from his mouth.

"Thank you, your Highness," The old man replied.

"I take it the lessons bored her," Heero stated.

"Yes, yes," the elderly man, who had taught Heero's daughter state matters, including History, strategy of war, and court manners, and he had even went through the same thing, when he had tutored Heero. His name was Jove, and he was a short, plump, balding man, with silver white hair and a long crooked nose. He was dressed in a brown tunic and a dulling yellow cloak. Around his waist he carried a drawstring pouch that had been laden with coins and other valuables. Heero helped Jove from his chair.

"Thank you, thank you," Jove stood to his full height, coming just below Heero's chest, and began to bustle around the room, picking up books, parchment, quills, and the remains of his bounds.

"Her progress?" Heero questioned, stepping back to avoid being trampled by the man.

"Oh, very, very good," Jove replied, shuffling pages of parchment, "She's excelling in everything I've taught her. She now speaks seven different languages and can write and read them, too." Jove handed a stack of parchment to Heero, who merely glanced at them before setting them down on the table.

"Good, well thank you," Heero said, turning to leave, "I'm sorry about her tying you up."

"No problem," Jove smiled, yellowed crooked teeth showing, "she's done very little compared to what you have done to me and your other tutors." A slight smirk graced Heero's face as he exited the room and disappeared down another hidden corridor behind a tapestry.

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Young, Princess Lillian of the Yuy Empire, or as she liked to be called Lily, sighed as she felt a tug on her boot as she began to climb the wall. She looked down and tried to release her foot from the vine that had begun to twist around her ankle. She had forgotten that this wall had Snaring Vine planting at the base. Sensing that the vine was not about to surrender, for it had just tightened it's grip and was slowly traveling further up her leg, Lily risked fate and now hanging by one hand, drew a dagger, a gift from her father, and cut the vine from her ankle.

A small hissing noise escaped the plant from below, and quickly sheathing the dagger, Lily climbed to the top of the wall and jumped the fifteen feet to the ground.

"The gods be damned if anyone saw that," Lily muttered under her breath. She was a spinning image of her father. Tall, slender, deep Persian blue eyes, and the dark brown hair that unlike her fathers, was quite tame. She had pulled it earlier from her braid, allowing her waist length hair to cascade down her back in curls. Lily looked around, and seeing that no one was there, entered the forest and followed the well known path to the East Village.

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Relena looked down at her latest lover, a simple kitchen maid, Dorothy Catalonia, and sighed. Although Relena did love her husband and daughter, she was lonely, she still missed her home, the Kingdom of Sanq. Even though she was no Empress, but took the title anyway from her husband, she had no duties, like she did when she was the former Princess of Sanq.

Relena had spent the first few years of her marriage, wondering the halls and busying herself with needlework and knitting. Even though needlework, sewing, and knitting had became a hobby, she was stilled bored.

After three years of her marriage with Heero, she had given birth to their beautiful daughter. Yet that was the end of a romantic life with Heero. When she thought about it, she doubted that Heero would of married her, if it had not been his father's, Emperor Odin's dying wish that his son married the Daughter of the King of Sanq that peace prevailed over the two fighting countries.

After the birth of Lillian, Relena and Heero had begun to drift apart. Heero spent his time in his study or the throne room or spent time helping tutors train his daughter in combat. Relena, meanwhile, spent her time in the comforts of another woman, Dorothy Catalonia. Although both women knew their relationship was illegal, they still presumed one.

Relena never really considered herself close to her daughter and often tried desperately to get her daughter interested in more womanly things. She spent each Saturday and Sunday teaching her daughter needlepoint and manners. Even though, despite her tries, her daughter never grew closer to her than an acquaintance.

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Duo Maxwell, a well known thief commonly known as Shinigami, wove in and out of the crowded streets of the East Village. His amethyst eyes scanned each person as he passed by them. He pulled the hood of his cloak closer to him as he made an attempt to hide his long chestnut trademark braid. People have always mistaken him for a common thief while he was really a mage, like the rest of his band of thieves.

At the age of thirty, Duo had received the title as the leader for the group of thieves after his best friend, Solo had been killed by a man of the Sanq army. Duo now sought vengeance, along with Solo's only son, to bring the downfall of the Sanq kingdom.

Duo glanced over his shoulder at his best friend's son, Solo Jr., who now, after his father's death, was known as Solo, making sure the nineteen year old boy still kept up with him. However, it seemed that Solo had seen something else, and was pursuing a dark cloaked figure through the crowd.

Solo, looked like both his mother and father. He had his father's dark black hair that fell just below his shoulders and was often untidy in a handsome way. However, his eyes were the color of the evergreen trees and often twinkled when he laughed. It was a shame that his mother had died bringing him into the world, for she was a beautiful woman and often kept the band of thieves in line and had taught them how to control their magic. Yet now, after her death, the thieves were taught by her brother, an exiled wizard from a kingdom far away, Trowa Barton. Trowa also took in the parental duties of watching over his nephew and taught him all that he could to the boy, hoping secretly that someday, Solo would take over his position as the Thieves's mage and teach their offspring and his how to use magic and become one with the elements.

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Solo Maxwell sprinted down an alley trying to rendezvous with the woman he had caught a glimpse of. He let the hood of his cloak down to reveal his handsome face as he entered the crowded streets once again. He stopped, and even though he didn't need to stand on his toes, he did to peer over those that were slightly taller than him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the woman he had been chasing and began to dodge people as he made his way through the crowd before a hand grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back into the alleyway.

"What are you doing?" Solo's guardian, Duo asked.

"Nothing," Solo lied, trying once again to spot the woman.

"Don't lie," Duo smirked, "you're not good at doing that." Duo sighed, "Go, meet me in the square in an hour's time." Duo gave Solo a playful push and watched his godson speed off toward the cloaked figure who had disappeared down an alley leading to a marketplace.

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Lily had entered the market place rather quickly, considering that it had been a three mile walk to the village. She had entered through the east gate and had managed to get past three guards she had met on the roads.

Lily wondered down the market place. The smells of fresh baked breads and pastries reached her nose, the clinking of coins rung in her ears, and the beautiful woven fabrics graced her eyes as she wondered down the less crowded street. Villagers called to her, begging her to buy their merchandise, but each time she smiled and replied, 'I'm just looking' and continued on her way.

It wasn't long when Lily realized that the sun would set in a few hours time that she turned around to leave before bumping into someone that was trailing not far behind.

"Sorry," Lily apologized, sidestepping the dark cloaked figure and began to briskly walk away when they grabbed her hand. Her senses rocketing to high, Lily spun around, the hood of her cloak falling back to her shoulders.

"No, it's my fault," replied the offender as he tried desperately to drag Lily off the streets down an alley. Although, to Lily, the man's attempts to drag her down a dark alley frightened her more. Her free right hand reached quickly inside her cloak and grasped the dagger, preparing to fight the man if needed.

Solo had finally caught up to the cloaked woman and had been walking behind her for quite some time when she had turned and ran into Solo. It wasn't long before Solo's hormones kicked in that Solo wanted to speak to this beautiful woman ¾ no, girl¾ that he had begun to drag her away from listening ears.

Solo could feel the girl's heart beat increasing each time he got closer to the alley, and by the time they were in the alley, her pulse was rapid that Solo feared the girl would soon have a heart attack if he haven't of let go of her the time he did.

"Sorry about that," Solo apologized, taking a step towards the girl as she took a step back, slowly retreating to the wall. Solo looked her over: he noticed that her Persian blue eyes had traces of fear entwined in their depths, her dark brown hair was wind blown, giving her an exotic look, and her hand had grasped something hidden within her cloak, which Solo knew to well to be a dagger.

"My name's Solo," Solo stuck out his hand, hoping that the girl would take it as an offer of friendship. Solo noticed that even though the girl carried herself as someone of high status and appeared more mature than her age, she couldn't be that old, he'd say around fifteen, four years younger than him. The girl looked at the offered hand, her stare made the offered hand looked like a snake about to attack. It was a few moments before the girl's right hand eased out of her cloak and shook Solo's hand.

"My name's.." Lily began, she wondered if it was safe to give a stranger her name. She knew that giving her rank of status to a stranger would mean expulsion, she decided to use the shorted form of her name, "…Lily."

"That's a beautiful name for a beautiful person," Solo blurted out, and realizing what he said, him and Lily both turned dark shades of red. Silence fell among them and Lily turned to leave before Solo, once again, grabbed her hand.

"Don't leave," Solo pleaded.

"I'm sorry. I have to go," Lily stated, wrenching her hand from Solo's grip, "I have to get home…"

"I'll give you a ride," Solo said, "I have a horse waiting not to far from here, I'll give you a ride…"

"No!" Lily said, and realizing that she had yelled at the offer, "Sorry, no. It's quicker for me to walk."

"When can I see you again?" Solo asked. This caused Lily to blush more that what she had done earlier.

"I'm sorry, I don't know," And with that said, Lily turned and disappeared into the thinning crowd, making a route toward the castle walls where she had climbed over. She told a passing maid to bring food to her rooms and to have someone tell her parents that she would not be joining them for dinner and retreated into the confines of her chambers…