02-May-2000
Title: JOURNEY - Part 1/?
Author: Lady Murasaki (sylver_wind@yahoo.com)
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is NOT mine. I'm not making any money
off of this. If you sue, you'll get my dirty socks, so don't
bother.
Notes: I've decided to take a break from Second Chances for a while because
I've encountered a slight writer's block O.o So here's a little
something I came up with...Let me know whether you like and whether I
should continue, k? I'm planning to...Oh, and I'm wondering whether
I should pair Duo up with Relena or with an original chara. I kinda
like 2+R, so I might stick with that, but once again feedback is
requested. Enjoy!
Warnings: some angst, AU, OOC abound
Feedback: C&C, onegai? Even flames will do ^_^
Once upon a time on a far away island, there lived a king who had an only son, named Duo. The young prince was the classical example of a "golden boy." He was very handsome - violet eyes and a mop of chestnut hair, intelligent, easy-going, and he had a great sense of humor.
In other words, the prince was everything that a future ruler of the country should be. He also had a wonderful gift - the ability to make friends with almost anyone he met. Because of these qualities, everyone who knew Duo adored him. It seemed that the young man could do no wrong, he was successful in any endeavor he chose. Everyone thought that the kid was a chosen one with the fates. Until a terrible tragedy struck.
Duo had been engaged since he was a little boy. He was to marry lady Mara - a girl from a high noble family with close ties to the royal family. Duo and Mara were hopelessly in love and they couldn't wait until the prince's 18th birthday when they would get married. Finally, the long-awaited year arrived and the wedding day was set. But several months before the ceremony there was a deadly epidemic in the kingdom that claimed hundreds of victims. Lady Mara was one of them.
She had always been of delicate health and, although her family had tried to protect the girl, there was no escape from the disease. She succumbed slowly, growing progressively weaker every day. Duo sat by her side day and night, watching his beloved slowly wither away. Then, one night, Mara fell asleep never to wake up again. Duo, who had fallen asleep in a chair by her bed, found her in the morning, a serene smile on her emaciated face, skin already grown cold.
The death of his bride wrought a tremendous change over the young prince. Instead of the cheerful and open person he had been before, Duo became quiet, sullen, and withdrawn. Nothing held his interest any longer.
All he wanted was to die so that he could join his beloved in the afterlife. But even that was denied him. Duo prayed that he would catch the deadly plague as well, but heaven, which had been so generous before, turned a deaf ear. He might have considered suicide, but the thought of his elderly father stopped him.
Duo couldn't bring himself to deprive the old man of the only family he had. And so Duo stayed, but his existence could hardly be called living. He didn't cry, no. Maybe if he cried it would have been easier to overcome the loss. But Duo didn't.
Instead, he held it all inside, becoming more and more withdrawn with each passing day. Duo stopped attending public events, and broke off all connections he'd had. His friends tried to help him, but he just pushed them all away. It was as if with Mara's death Duo's very soul was taken and replaced with a cold, unfeeling rock. Months passed since Duo's loss but nothing changed. He still shunned company and the only place he was comfortable in was the enormous palace library. Duo would closet himself there for hours.
It broke the old king's heart to see his only son suffer so, but there seemed to be nothing he could do to help. The king's advisors suggested introducing the young prince to other women in an attempt to make him forget his beloved, but the young man would have none of it. He insisted that he'd remain faithful to his fiancée.
Then, one day the old king had an idea. Maybe, if the boy went on a trip of some sort, he'd heal faster. Maybe a change of scenery would help.
Also, he'd be away from the places that held painful memories, at least for a while. The king called his son one evening and offered his proposal. To make the idea more acceptable to the youth, the king pretended that this was to be an expedition to investigate the foreign territories and possibly acquire new allies for the country.
Their neighbors were considered barbarians and no one really knew anything about them. The king thought that making an alliance with them would be a good deal for the nation. To his great relief and joy, the young man agreed to head the expedition. A month later, a ship was outfitted for long travel and Duo sailed out. His father came to see him off, secretly hoping to see the smile back on the boy's face when he returned.
Duo's journey was a long one. Over the course of next months, he visited a dozen different countries, both on the mainland and on the islands; each populated with different people and practicing different customs. Duo found that most people that his fellow countrymen had called barbaric were actually just as learned and advanced as his own people, even if in differing ways. Duo observed their customs and traditions and, because of his natural amicable disposition, he made many new allies for his country.
He sent letters to his father informing him of his progress. From those letters the old king saw that some of the youth's depression had lifted, but he was still far from well. And so the king wrote back telling his son to keep going with the mission.
A year passed and Duo decided it was time to go back home. Although he was still grieving over his loss, he felt confident enough to be able to face his demons. Besides, the crewmembers were missing their families. So, one day, Duo's ship left the port of yet another island nation and headed home. They were scheduled to arrive home in about three weeks.
Unfortunately, the best-laid plans go awry when fates intervene. Two days after leaving port the ship was caught up in a horrendous storm. At times, the sailors thought they would never see land again, for the vessel was on the verge of capsizing. However, it was not their turn yet because, after tossing them around for two days, the winds finally calmed down.
Battered and barely afloat, but they were still alive, and within sight of some land. Sometime during the storm, they completely lost their direction; therefore, Duo had no idea where they were. According to his calculations, however, they weren't supposed to be anywhere near land. But here it was, coming up fast in front of them. Since the ship needed some major repairs, and they had to replenish the supply of food and drinking water, Duo decided to head to this mysterious land. Several hours later they reached it.
Since Duo didn't know where they were and whether the land was inhabited, they had to sail along the coastline to try to find a decent harbor. As the ship rounded the shoreline, Duo took in the sights of this unexplored territory he seemed to have discovered. The spirit of adventure was slowly waking within him after having slept for so long. From what he could see of it, this country was beautiful - mountains covered with forests gently sloped off toward the ocean, separated from the water by a wide strip of golden sandy beach. Standing in the bow of the ship, Duo drank in the gorgeous view, feeling strangely happy for the first time in so long.
Something about the very air made him feel at peace. Finally, they found a suitable nature-made harbor and cast anchor there. Taking six or seven sailor with him, Duo set off in a small boat to investigate. Meanwhile, since they'd be staying here for some time, the rest of the crew began to build a temporary camp on the beach.
End Part 1
So, didja like it? Hate it? I'll be waiting C&C's!!!!
(:./murasaki/journey1)
