Part One

Thanks to RB, this time, for a wonderful idea that allows me to get some 13x6/6x13 in here. ^..^ 3-27-01

Heero flicked his eyes towards Trowa, who was leaning easily against the stonewall of their rooms. “Did you pick up anything last night?” he responded with his own question.

Softly Trowa let out a breath of air. “There was a strange tenseness within that group,” referring to two of the royal children and their friends Meiran and Dahlia, “when the Lady Dahlia was about. As if something would be given away.”

“Trowa, when you were alone with her previously, did she seem nervous?” The younger prince bobbed his head in a brief affirmative. Heero paused momentarily to run a plan through his mind. Then, having approved of it, he nodded towards Wufei, “You will try to find Prince Quatre again, see what type of information you might find. Possibly ask Meiran for the training facilities since it seems she is quite familiar there.”

“Locate anything you might find on Lady Dahlia so that we may know what was being hidden last night. I will find the other royal heirs - and if at all possible, the king. At the latest, we will meet two hours prior the beginning of tonight's ball.”

In the small study beside the King's chambers, the three royal heirs and Meiran waited nervously. Meiran had finally calmed down after the first ten minutes and was meditating quietly, sitting beneath the window. Relena was nervously flipping through a large tomb set out on the table and would glance up at her brothers to see how they faired. Duo was muttering and pacing, Quatre watching him worriedly.

As it so happened, the previous night Duo had taken his flight from the uncomfortable situation and dashed through the gardens, not paying much attention. His mask had been slipping from his face and finally he gave up and just tore the damn thing off, considering also leaving his slipper-shoes behind. As swerving around a corner formed of bushes he tripped forward to bump into an all-too-familiar, tall man.

Turning deep red, Duo murmured a hasty apology and started running off when a firm grip rested on his elbow.

Having known he could do nothing else, Duo turned dutifully around, face bowed. “S-sorry… sir… I…”

With a sigh, the man removed his own mask - a silver half helmet that covered the top of his head and fit over his ears before tracing just under his eyes and down his nose. “I suppose this would be some sort of game, hmm?” Gloved fingers rubbed his temples before cool, blue eyes gazed down at the boy. “There is other business for me to attend to tonight. I trust you to be waiting in my study with your brother and sister… and I assume, Meiran.”

Zechs looked him over again. He shook his head, feeling a headache coming on. “I don't even think I want to know…” he muttered softly before slipping back on his mask. “At least put on that silly, female mask of yours. I do not believe you'd like to be recognized. Return to your rooms as soon as possible.”

And hence the four had ended up in the study early that morning, waiting for when they would be directed in to see the king.

“But it sounded so fun,” Relena pouted. She had fulfilled her challenge. “Besides, we still have to find something that you and Meiran must do.”

Just as Duo was about to add his piece to the conversation the study doors open and a maid announced they were to enter his Majesty's rooms. Swallowing, Duo took the lead with the others shuffling after. They walked through the doors and came into the sitting room with tall, almost floor to ceiling, windows before them. Deep maroon velvet covered the chair and couch situated before the unlit hearth. Along the walls hung large, intricate tapestries depicting a wide variety of scenes.

Zechs stood before one of the large windows, hands clasped behind his back. When the doors once again closed he looked over his shoulder, nodding a greeting. “Good morning. Please, sit.” They obeyed and waited for the pale-haired man to come away from the window and begin his interrogation. For a while all was silent until finally Zechs turned and looked each of them over.

He had a beautiful face for a man, narrow, ice eyes and pale bangs falling into and framing his face. The way he held himself was self-confident and prepared, usually appearing indifferent. As he asked his question, one pale eyebrow rose. “Well, would someone care to explain why my eldest heir was running, quite literally, around in a dress? Unless I was somehow terribly mistaken, I know Duo to be a boy.”

Flushing deeply, Duo stared at his toes, not wanting to be the one to explain. Meiran did her best to keep her face blank but the beginning of a scowl couldn't be erased. “Oh it was stupid of us to do such a childish activity, your Majesty, but we played… dare… And the Princess had her challenge and then…”

“Challenged Duo,” Quatre continued, carefully meeting the king's eyes. “And, my King, he was challenged to wear a female costume each of the nights of the ball. I'm sorry, we were being foolish!”

Whatever the reaction was, Zechs hid it by turning, once again staring out the window. “Well, that would not explain why my heir was sprinting through the gardens as if a pack of wolves were on his heels.”

“Uh… I, uh…” Duo's eyes widened and he grew redder. He hadn't told anyone about the incident that had occurred. He didn't understand it at all. `Is that really what Relena and Meiran go through with someone? Get swept into dancing and then next thing you know, you're being kissed?'

“It's… not interesting…” he squeaked. Quatre leveled him with a `I don't believe you' stare. Glancing at the others, Duo braced himself and squeezed his eyes shut. “Um… I went out to the gardens with Heero and was just showing him about… We stopped by the po-pond…”

As the pause lengthened, nearly everyone leaned forward. Zechs merely narrowed his eyes in suspicious amusement, already guessing. He glanced over his shoulder with a smile slowly dawning on his lips as he watched the poor boy build up his courage.

“And he just leaned in a kissed me!” he finally burst out, going beet red and biting the inside of his cheek.

Quatre and Meiran looked to each other, then to Duo, then back to one another, and towards the king. By that time Zechs was chuckling softly but easily was able to get that under control. He turned and strolled over to his eldest heir and rested his hand on the boy's shoulder.

“That must have been interesting. Does explain to you how things may get out of hand. No one recognized, I assume, or else I would have already heard.” He looked over the other three. “No more games of dare while the ball takes place. Duo, you will not wear those feminine clothes again. Understood?”

After the confrontation with Zechs, the four headed to the lower floors of the palace to have some breakfast. Poor Duo was being hounded about his earlier revelation.

Since he was being treated as such, it was a huge relief to come across one of the boys from the previous night. Wufei, to be exact.

“Good morning,” the young lord greeted, bowing politely. He made an obvious double-take of the flushing Duo, then remarked, “I do not believe I have introduced myself to you, sir.”

“Ack, skip the formalities, please,” Duo made a face and grinned. “Would you care to join us for breakfast?” `Please.' “My companions have mentioned meeting you last night. I regret that I couldn't make it to the ball…”

Wufei accompanied them willingly and hence saved Duo from any more humiliation and questioning. They spoke over breakfast and the young lord expressed his interest for viewing the training grounds. Meiran immediately offered to show him about since almost all of her free time was spent there. Like the close friends they were, the three heirs also decided to tag along.

Meiran and Quatre exhibited the collection of weapons to Wufei, who seemed thoroughly interested, since they were best with general weapon information. Relena was not one for fighting and so took a seat on an empty bench outside of large battle ring where duels were often held.

Duo took up his favored and most-used weapon, a personally crafted scythe, and took up his exercises within the dueling ring. With fascination Relena watched. No matter how many arguments she got in with her brother, she could never hate him when watching his obvious skill with his movements with the scythe. It was like a dance, his practicing moves, and he swung the weapon in an elegant curve while ducking low and turning about.

For a long while she watched, loosing track of what the others were doing, and came back to reality when she noted that someone else was standing close by. She glanced up, finding Heero watching Duo's practice.

“Oh, good morning, my Lord!” Relena greeted, smiling up at him as she stood. From the corner of her eye she noted that Duo had stopped.

Slowly Duo came forward, carrying his scythe easily beside him. “Hello, let me introduce myself as the Crown Prince, Duo. And you?” Relena silently applauded, with a bit of awe, at how calm Duo managed to keep himself - not even flushing.

Making a face, Duo asked, “Why do I always end up repeating myself? No titles, please.” He smiled wildly. “Well, Wufei is down here on tour, would you care to join him?”

“That's quite all right,” Heero responded, watching as Duo moved to put his scythe away on a side rack.

Relena smiled prettily at the young lord. “Would you care to see something else of the palace? We have… lovely gardens,” the mention caused Duo to stiffen momentarily but he recovered quickly. “And large libraries, music rooms… most everything.”

“Oh shut it,” Relena muttered, taking Heero's arm and walking with him towards the doors. Duo grinned and followed after.

“When I mentioned the name I received interesting reactions,” Heero remarked. The other two looked at him, questioning. “I let the Crown Prince and Princess take me to the archives - I found helpful information there - and I mentioned the lady. Duo began blushing and walked off to the other side of the room while Relena stammered for an answer.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Wufei murmured, “I wonder if…” He shook his head. “Never mind. From Meiran and Quatre I picked up enough information to relay. Do we need to stay here longer, or could we leave now?”

Trowa raised an eyebrow. “Is this all we need? I had thought a war was about to break out, and all we bring back in little pieces of information? Heero, what do you say?”

Having the attention on him, Heero paced towards the window, staring out it silently. His thoughts varied from plan to plan. One option kept persisting that he focus on it and he finally gave it. Turning back to the others, he announced, “We will try our utmost to complete this task.

Throughout the evening Heero had been keeping his eye on the king's gleaming mask. Everything would be put into action once the man was alone. He caught their chance many hours into the ball and quickly he signaled Trowa and Wufei and they made their way casually towards the balcony where Zechs had disappeared.

The king had removed his mask and held it under one arm while surveying the gardens silently. In a few moments he was moving down the polished stairs and moving to walk along a path. As soon as he was moving down the path, the three Oz princes followed after silently.

Some ways into his walk, Zechs paused. Slowly he turned, eyes coolly focusing on his three, shadowed followers.

Wufei snorted softly, the first to approach. “I suggest you cooperate… or we will have to take some… undesirable measures.” Zechs smiled faintly but didn't move as the dark-haired boy approached. Trowa also stepped from the shadows.

As soon as the brown-haired boy was within range, the pale-haired man moved quickly to let his mask go flying. The movement was swift and unexpected, catching even the strictly-trained Trowa off-guard. In a hiss of pain he went to his knees, clasping a hand around the area of his left eye. In that moment of distraction, Zechs headed off down the path, cursing that the bushes were too thick at that point to cut through them and back towards the palace.

Heero and Wufei were hot on his heels, knowing that Trowa would be able to tend himself for the time being. Not they had to complete this mission and make sure no one else found them out. It wasn't the right time for that action.

Cursing fluently under his breath, Zechs stumbled through patches of flowers to gain some distance and attempting to make a wide arc back to the ball. `They're so damned fast!' Realization sunk in as he chanced one look back. `Yes, the princes of Oz [1]! Trowa, Heero, and Wufei…'

The last of the distance between them vanished and both princes tackled the king to the ground. It was quite a struggle, everyone receiving and doling out a punch and a kick or two. However the odds were in favor of the princes and Zechs was soon thoroughly pinned to the ground and being gagged. His ice eyes narrowed dangerous and he tugged at the grip he was in.

Breathing a bit harder than normal, Wufei dealt him another slap to his face. “Quit it, your Highness,” he hissed. “Or else we could let your heirs join in some sort of torture? Would you care for that?”

`What the bloody hell are they trying for?' Giving a low growl of warning, Zechs finished his struggles. Wufei held his arms together while Heero removed the rather thin, but effective and strong, cord from beneath his dress cape and used it to bind Zechs' hands.

Withdrawing a sharp dagger, Wufei urged the man to his feet and set him walking. “You are felled so easily, Sire. I suppose your kingdom shall be the same?” Heero's lips twitched with the beginning of a smirk as he led the king along.

They came across Trowa again near a fountain where he had damped his handkerchief and was getting rid of the blood covering his eye. Wufei removed his formal scarf and handed it over to his brother to use as a bandage.

“I tell you, you're just being foolish,” Relena scoffed, crossing her arms stubbornly as she followed along after her brother.

“Then why are you trailing after me?” Duo snapped, casting a glare her way. She made a face at him - very unladylike, he would add - and moved on ahead of him down the balcony steps.

“Well, if it manages to happen that your one in a hundred chance occurs - that something is wrong - then I would hate to have not done something.”

Rolling his eyes at her, Duo once again claimed the lead. “You just don't want to believe I'm right!”

“Do you want to be right?” she demanded. “Be right about something being horribly wrong? What if that `wrong' deals with someone injured… or… or killed, even! How could you hope for such a thing!”

Duo calmed her down, “No, no… I never said that.” He sighed. “Let's just check to make sure everything's okay out here…” He shivered. Something was nagging in his mind… and the way some of the path was disturbed within the garden… Frowning, Duo walked down the path slowly, then dashed ahead when he caught something gleaming in the moonlight.

“What is it, Duo?” Relena asked softly, scared. She approached her brother slowly as he bent down, slowly lifting up a familiar mask. Gasping softly, she felt her eyes tear. “What's happened? He's okay, right?”

“…There's blood here…” Duo clutched the mask and began running along the path, eyes alert. At a fountain he found the diluted tint of red - of blood. A piece of bloodstained cloth was still on the rim. He looked around. Off to the side was an obvious trail through plants where braches of small shrubs were destroyed and flowers were crumpled.

Too stunned and frightened to speak, Duo felt his hands go numb and heard the clatter as the mask fell from his hands and hit the ground. Relena was still some distance away, beginning to cry in fear. He had to move, he knew he had to, he knew he had to inform someone to try and stop whatever was going on… But he didn't know where to start, couldn't judge what exactly was happening. `Is he alright? Whose blood is this? Oh gods…'

“We've searched the area, Noin, ma'am. It seems there was a struggle with his Highness and his captors in another clearing. No blood was in that area and we believe it was not his Majesty that was hurt.”

Noin nodded, keeping a lookout on the heirs from the corner of her eye. Immediately when it was reported that the king seemed to be in danger a search party had headed off but it was too dark to see a thing. With the first light the castle was a bustle of rushing guards and soldiers looking for clues in the gardens and in the stables.

“There were three horses taken last night but after looking for all of the guests and counting all the staff here in the palace no one seems to be missing.”

“That couldn't be right,” Noin responded, frowning. “I don't see how anyone outside of the palace could…”

Meiran burst into the room, rushing over, still wearing her practice wide-legged pants and loose shirt. “Have you accounted for who's gone yet! I can't find Wufei, went to check his rooms to see if he'd care to practice. No one was in there, a maid finally opened it up and none of his items were in the room either!”

“What?” Quatre and Duo stood up, questioning gazes on their faces. “You mean those three? But… why would - ?”

Relena answered this time, “Lords Heero, Trowa, and Wufei. They're from two families at the edge of the kingdom.”

“Check the guest list,” Noin ordered the guard before her. He saluted smartly and hurried off. “I don't recall those names at all on such a list but…” She paused, looking perplexed. “But those are the names of Oz's heirs… Haven't those tutors taught you information like this yet?”

Everyone's eyes widened, stunned. Quatre cursed himself softly and paced to the window, resting his head on the stone of the wall. How could that sort of information slip by? Of course he knew the names… they all did… why had it slipped their minds?

And with their carelessness their king and leader had just been kidnapped and who knew what was in store for him?

“Hn. I'm so glad you deemed me able to not wear that sickening gag any longer,” Zechs remarked sarcastically from his rather ungraceful perch, slung over Heero's horse on his stomach.

His eyes took in the forest around them in the dawn's pale light. Small animals were scurrying about as they went about with their day. A few birds were trailing behind Trowa and one even perched on his horse's head between the ears and tilted its head, almost in question, as it looked at the brown-haired prince. “Friends of yours?” questioned Zechs.

Trowa shot him a brief glance. “It won't mean a thing to you. I hope you know that your kingdom is about to perish.”

“Save your breath,” Heero said, entering the conversation. From his uncomfortable position, Zechs couldn't manage to maneuver to see the prince's face. “Your strength will be needed for yourself. Your kingdom is on its own, there's nothing you can do about it while in capture.”

The king nodded with an air of distraction. With a wave of his hand, the guard was off to return to his post. Rising from his seat at a large, mahogany table, the ruler moved casually towards the windows and pushed them open. He breathed in the air, a slight smile gracing his face, and looked down from his high window to the three approaching horses. The gates were opened quickly and three figures dismounted, then lifted off their human burden.

Behind him the door opened. He didn't turn, and obviously the intruder didn't care as they closed the door softly. On quiet feet a young woman approached, her soft, brown hair revealed through a gold netting sewn onto her maroon headband. In her pretty, deep maroon gown she approached the man at the window. “Have they arrived?”

The man let out a brief exhale of hair to suffice as a laugh. “I'm sure the information has been gathered. Heero is well enough adapted to know how to run situations like this.” Her turned. “Will you accompany to meet our company, my Lady?”

By the time the two reached the throne room four guards were accompanying the princes and their captive. Once the king and queen were seated on their thrones everyone bowed.

The Crown Prince nodded sharply. “Without their king as their guidance, Sank kingdom will be disorganized and in confusion. As we have already prepared, we could attack right now and easily take over.” When no reaction was given from the king, he continued. “Or, during the war most likely to occur, we shall have an important prisoner. And still, may I add, that his Majesty will not be able to guide his men.”

Sighing softly, the king shifted. “I can see your reasoning, dear Prince, but I don't suppose I can quite agree with anything yet. For now,” he motioned to the guards, “take our dear guest to a heavily guarded cell. Keep alert, I'm sure his tricks would fool even the best tricksters.”

As he was lifted to his feet, Zechs gazed through his bangs with icy eyes. “Don't think a war is so easily won. There are well-trained people in Sank and they surely will defeat you.” His voice was low, hiding something. “I've heard about you. Your love of the `beauty of war' will surely cost you.”

“My dear prisoner, do we need to have you bound and gagged within your cell?” His lips turned up in a smirk. `Truly an intriguing character… his eyes are quite defiant. He hasn't been mastered by anyone.' With that gained information, Treize, the ruler of Oz, truly smiled at the prospect of a challenge.

Being dragged the entire way out of the room, Zechs continued to glare with a cold stubbornness that wouldn't let up.

“Your report, please,” Treize finally requested once the throne doors were shut again. Wufei began relaying his information.

[1] This was so weird to write. O.O It just… sounds goofy. O.o;; I mean… “the princes of Oz”? *Sweatdrop*

BTW, RB helped me by replying with this tid-bit in reply to my cry for help with getting some 13x6/6x13 pairing in here *grin* And I quote:

“<evil grin> Oh I saw a way...<snickers>...what if three mischievous boys kidnapped a certain King, accidentally of course, and rolls him up in a carpet to throw at their poppa's feet.”

I assume this was planned as a joke but this was very inspirational. LOL And see, I used the basic idea of it!