Mobile Suit Gundam Fan Fiction ❯ The Pea Conspiracy ❯ Princesses, Princesses and More Princesses ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: All Gundam Wing references and characters belong to Sotsu Agency, Sunrise and Bandai. As far as I know, the Princess and the Pea is fair game for writing fodder and aside from that, this story is barely based on it.

A/N: As this story is a Christmas present for Ladybug Oblivion, I let her pick the scenario. She wanted "The Princess and the Pea" with Duo and Wufei as the leads, she gets "The Princess and the Pea" with Duo and Wufei as the leads.

The Pea Conspiracy
-Princesses, Princesses and More Princesses- Prince Quatre, Heir Tertiary to the Throne of Peacemillion, allowed himself the luxury of a minute yawn as he leaned ever so slightly to each side in an attempt to stretch out his aching back muscles. He calculated that the risk of being caught doing something so uncouth was next to nil, as all eyes were riveted toward the front of the throne room, specifically on the figure of his elder brother, Heir Primus Prince Duo.

"Bored?" came a nearly inaudible whisper from his left.

He smiled. Of course, if he were caught, his twin would be the one to do it. "Bored hardly describes the abject level of tedious dullness that I'm currently enduring."

She gave the merest hint of a laugh. "Don't use big words, Little Brother. They don't suit your innocent looks."

Quatre did his best not to snort. The girl was only four minutes older although she insisted on treating him as if those four minutes were years. "So sorry, Dear Sister. Perhaps I should start responding to your questions with 'goo goo ga ga'?"

"Good boy." Alright, so Relena treating him like a child was still marginally better than Relena treating him like a dog.

"This is ridiculous. Duo's been of age for nine months. How can no worthy bride be found in nine months of searching?"

The conversation paused as the twenty-third prospective bride of month number nine was introduced. This one went by the name of Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi of Genovia. She was about sixteen, with light brown hair, skin as light as cream and she wore the most sincere smile Quatre had seen all night. When the herald proceeded to list her lineage, the prince allowed his attention to return to his sister.

"What's wrong with him?"

"I'm not sure I follow," replied Relena, her tone suggesting that she followed just fine and was only milking her little brother for amusement.

"I said, what's wrong with Duo? Princess Amelia looks like a happy, fun person to be around." He gestured to the princess in question and then to his brother. "And Duo's not paying her any attention at all. I'd bet my left arm that he's sleeping up there."

"But his eyes are open," protested Relena.

"When has that ever come between Duo and a nap?"

"That's a point," she conceded.

They paused again for the next introduction. Princess Garnet Brahne ap Alexandria was dark headed, dark eyed and fair of skin. Her well-practiced smile gleamed with kindness as she introduced herself, curtseying low to her potential husband-to-be. Duo didn't even twitch.

"Now, that's just rude. He has to be sleeping."

"You're just jealous that he's in the generously upholstered throne and is able to fall asleep when you're stuck standing for hours on the drafty sidelines, aching with fatigue."

"Damn straight!"

"Quatre! Shameful!" she admonished without any fire behind it.

"What, sister mine? I learned it from you."

"Well, that's true, but I never use vulgarity in public."

Number twenty-five was up. The pixie of a girl was introduced as Scarlet Alora Tears, fourth heir to the throne of Tears. The enormous deep-blue eyes were the first feature Quatre noticed on the pretty young thing. The next was a wave of raven hair falling down to the middle of her back and the only adjective that he could place on her smile was "delicate."

"Shinigami's Burning Scythe! How could he ignore someone as cute as that?"

Relena chuckled. "Don't tell me you're in looove?"

"Please. This is about Duo, not me."

"Maybe Duo doesn't go for princesses?"

"It's not like he has a choice in that matter."

"Look on the bright side, there's only one more left."

"Until next month."

"True."

Quatre felt a sense of dread descend and it took him only a second to realize that the dread had nothing to do with next month's ceremony and everything to do with Relena. "You're being awful agreeable today. What's going on with you?" Relena remained silent. "Relena?" Still nothing. "Tell me or I'll let it slip to Duo who 'accidentally' turned his black mare into a bleach blonde."

"You wouldn't!"

"Try me."

There was a moment of silence and then, "Okay. Heero's training camp is over and he's due back tomorrow morning."

"Heero?" Quatre asked, resisting an almost overwhelming need to roll his eyes. "'Lena, the guy doesn't know you exist."

"He does too," she protested without conviction. "I'm the princess."

Sometimes his twin could be so dense. "Knowing that the princess exists and knowing that you, the person, exist are two different things, Relena."

"Oh, hush," she said mildly. "I'm sixteen and in the crush of my First True Love. Give me my moment." Okay, maybe she wasn't as slow as he gave her credit for. She'd upgraded herself from slug to tortoise.

"Hmm... What's this?"

The question brought his concentration back to the audience floor, where four exotically beautiful men were carrying a gold and red silk bedecked litter. They brought it to the exact center of the floor and set it down with extreme care. A man following the litter-bearers gently brushed King Howard's herald aside. The man stepped forward, bowing first to King Howard, second to Prince Duo and third to the curtained litter. He then slipped open the sheer silk to reveal the most beautiful woman Quatre had ever laid eyes on. Her skin was porcelain, her slanted eyes like polished onyx, her lips as red as blood and despite the fact that she wore no expression at all the entire assemblage held a collective breath either in awe of her beauty or in appreciation of her wealth. Upon her head she wore an ornate gold and jewel headdress that was probably worth more than the entire kingdom of Peacemillion and that didn't even get into the rest of her outfit. She was swimming in silk and jewels.

The man spoke in a clear, though slightly accented, voice. "The empire of Shenlong presents to you, Prince Duo, Heir Primus to the Throne of Peacemillion, Meiran, ninth daughter of Chang Xu."

And Duo proved that he'd been awake through the entire proceedings by rising and granting Princess Meiran a full court bow.

"I think Duo dear has made his choice, Little Brother, whether he'll agree with me or not." Quatre had to leave that cryptic statement without comment as King Howard rose and addressed the audience with a pre-practiced speech.

To be continued...