Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Forever Hidden ❯ THE AMBASSADOR ( Chapter 3 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Spider_Queen 
As an ambassador of Glongu, Lady Noin finds herself in a place she hasn't seen in years...
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / / Occult / Fantasy / Drama / Angst / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 09.23.2002 | Updated On: 09.23.2002 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 265 | Status: Completed
As an ambassador of Glongu, Lady Noin finds herself in a place she hasn't seen in years...
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / / Occult / Fantasy / Drama / Angst / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 09.23.2002 | Updated On: 09.23.2002 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 265 | Status: Completed
NOTE: Okay, it's been a while since I've posted on ff.net...let alone this story. I am not dead, and I am writing a lot more...however, I won't be posting for much longer on ff.net-the new polocies agrivate me too much. READ MY PROFILE FOR INFORMATION ON WHERE TO FIND THIS AND MY OTHER STORIES...I AM TAKING MY STUFF OFF FANFICTION.NET FAIRLY SOON! Thanks for the beta-reading, Ami. ^__^
Part 3:
THE AMBASSADOR
Like many people of action, the Ambassador of Glangu felt acutely uncomfortable in the heavy finery of her gown...however, like many people caught on the road for any period of time, she also felt deliciously clean as she strode confidently into one of the many reception halls of the Royal Songuus Palace. As expected, the hall was bustling with activity...it was, as she'd been told upon her arrival, the night of the King's betrothal and thus a night of great celebration.
For a moment, she paused in the doorway, her bright eyes scanning the scene before her, taking in the many man distinguished guests: highborn ladies clad rather awkwardly in traditional style Songuus dresses and gentlemen with their dress uniforms or robes. Servants easily recognizable by their red and yellow livery, wove skillfully through the crowd, bearing drinks and appetizers on silver trays.
His majesty, Wufei of the Chang family, was easy to find being the only man there dressed in white. Most of the lords wore darker colors that suited their positions or made some indication of to which family they hailed. The king was also surrounded by a large number of courtiers, fawning and speaking to him as he nodded in a distracted sort of way.
With a faint smile on her lips, the ambassador began to move over to where the king stood, her steps long and purposeful as she nimbly dodged the various mingling lords and ladies.
Wufei's dark eyes locked onto her almost instantly because she was rather distinctive in a gown of Glangu colors and cut. Smiling slightly the monarch politely disengaged himself from the swarm about him and made his way over to where she stood.
"Lady Noin," Wufei said with a faint bow as he reached ear-shot of the ambassador.
"Your Majesty," Lucrezia Noin greeted him formally with a deep curtsy. "Congratulations on your betrothal."
"Thank you," the king dismissed her words with a slight wave of the hand. "I assume that you are acting as ambassador of Glangu?"
"Very perceptive, majesty," Noin replied, nodding her head gently. "I was appointed this position only recently. I believe it was because of my time spent here previously, though I have little doubt that it also served as a convenient way to keep me out of trouble." A troubled smile spread over the dark haired woman's lips.
"Oh?" The king inquired, raising one dark eyebrow. "Have you been causing trouble for my dear friend Treize?"
Noin's smile faltered and she fidgeted slightly with the long silver gloves that encased her hands. "Not...exactly," she murmured, her voice dropping until it was hard to hear over the din of a hundred polite conversations. "Things have changed...there is much you should know."
"I see," Wufei replied, his eyes darkening and ice creeping into his voice at the unpleasant implications of his old friend's words. "Perhaps this isn't the time or place for such conversation." Noin nodded, relieved that she'd be able to have at least a little more time to figure out how best to put the bad news. "If you are not too tired, we could meet after dinner to...catch up?"
With the faintest smile, Noin inclined her head with acceptance. "I should not be too tired, providing we do not linger too terribly long..."
"Agreed." Wufei's eyes were beginning to travel once again. "I will send someone to your quarters to fetch you...I assume you'll want to change into something a little less formal." Noin smiled gratefully at this, unconsciously tugging at the gauzy fabric of her overskirt. "Dinner should be served soon. I ought to find my betrothed. Until this evening..." Wufei gave a last bow before he headed off into the crowd, leaving the ambassador on her own.
~*~
Dinner was an elegant affair, filled with small portions of mouth watering dishes and meaningless talk between the dozens of guests. For her part, Noin ate enthusiastically, having become accustomed to the limited selection of food on the road, but she engaged in little conversation, listening instead to the gossip of the nation. Most of the talk revolved around Wufei's betrothal. The woman he was to marry, a Lady Meiran, wasn't well known in the Songuus kingdom, being a princess of Rosian. Her reputation, however, was one of forcefulness and a war-like outlook to life. Noin somehow had a hard time picturing the scholarly king married happily to the pretty woman that the courtiers described.
By the time dessert was brought around, the ambassador had had her fill of talk and found herself yearning to leave. She was incredibly grateful when Wufei bid his guests a good-night and retired, his bride to be leaving only minutes afterwards.
Though many of the courtiers lingered after their king's departure, Noin swiftly left, returning to her spacious quarters to slip out of her constraining formal wear and into a warm bath.
She'd forgotten completely about her engagement with Wufei, when the knock on the door came. Cursing under her breath, the pale skinned woman quickly threw on a robe and opened the door just enough to peer out into the hall.
"Madam Ambassador?" the middle aged, blonde woman spoke softly from the other side of the heavy door.
"Yes?" Noin replied, her eyes taking in the woman quickly, then straying rudly back into her own room, searching for something easy to wear.
"My name is Lady Une-I'm his Majesty's assistant. I'm here to escort you to see his Majesty..."
"Yes, of course," Noin responded softly. "If you would hold on just a moment..." sliding the door shut on Lady Une, Noin hastily grabbed a dark brown pair of pants. She had them halfway on before she realized that they were what she'd been wearing throughout most of the week and a half journey to Songuus, and therefore wreaked of horse and sweat. Disgusted, she tugged them off and flung them across the room before she began a frenzied search for something clean. One did not keep a king waiting-even if you were old friends with him.
It was a full five minutes before Noin once again opened the door, running a hand through her short, damp hair and leaving her room a scattered mess. The clothing she had found were far from perfect-the dark blue pans were ripped in a couple of spots and the gray tank-top was actually what she usually slept in...but they were clean and covered her.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Noin apologized to the aggravated looking lady.
"It's quite all right," Une replied with curt politeness and an icy tone to her voice which made it clear that Noin's delay was not 'quite all right'. Behind her glasses, intelligent eyes surveyed Noin's attire with disapproval, but Une said nothing more save "This way" as she started down one long corridor.
The king was waiting for Noin in a small library, engrossed in a book on ancient war tactic. He closed the volume and stood when he heard the two women enter.
"Lady Noin," Wufei greeted his old friend formally, dark eyes scanning her as she gave an awkward curtsy. "That'll be all, Une."
"Yes, Your Majesty," the cold woman said softly, leaving the room and gently closing the heavy door behind her.
As soon as his servant had departed, Wufei's manner changed noticeably. Though he did not smile, his expression warmed considerably to his guest. "How have you been, Noin?" Wufei asked, seating himself and gesturing for her to do the same. "It's been a long while since we've spoken last."
"Yes," Noin agreed, lowering herself into a red cushioned chair opposite where the king sat. "And a lot has happened. Not just for me but for Glangu and his Majesty as well..."
A thoughtful frown flit over Wufei's features. "Yes, I suppose it must've. Oddly enough, we hear little from Glangu these days, and I haven't spoken to Treize since shortly after he lost his wife in childbirth."
Leaning forward in her chair, Noin fixed a serious gaze on the young monarch. "Then I am certain I can tell you some things you do not know." Wufei nodded for her to continue, and Noin too a deep breath. "After losing both his wife and child in childbirth, his Majesty slipped into a deep depression. He lost interest in all things, including running his country...he grew weak and sick, barely eating or leaving his quarters. The only people that saw him on a regular basis were his niece Relena Peacecraft and his advisor, an older man known simply as J. Over time, Treize disappeared completely from court, relying on J to inform the people of his state decisions. Now Treize is close to death...I've seen him only three times over the past year, and each time I am amazed at how hollow and pale he seems...It is certain that he is near death, and when he dies J will seize his thrown. J has already announced his engagement to Lady Relena, the heir to the Glongu thrown, and changes in Treize's policies are already showing themselves. The taxes are now nearly triple what they were seventeen years ago, when Treize was fully in control, and foreign relations grow more stressed. J has been "recruiting" peasants and farmers from the city and surrounding area, building up the armed forces.
"A number of us believe that J is actually poisoning Treize very slowly, that Treize isn't in control even of his own mind, but most of the loyalists, as we call ourselves, have either met untimely deaths, gone missing or have been reassigned to remote posts outside of Glongu. J's plans seem to be accelerating and we have no doubt that as soon as Treize's breath is still, J will declare war on one or more of the neighboring countries. J is a sadistic, sadistic man who has proven time and again that he thrives of pain, death and suffering."
Noin stopped with an exasperated sigh, leaning back in her chair as she watched for Wufei's reaction.
"I see," Wufei said slowly, a troubled and thoughtful frown dominating his features. "I hadn't realized it had been so long since I'd had relations with Glongu...or that things could have degraded so much in that time. Thank you, lady, for the information...I will use what resources I have to find out if your theory is true." Inclining her head, Noin said nothing. "And now, if that is all, I believe it is time to call an end to this meeting. It is late and there is much to think of..."
"Of course," Noin said with a small smile. "I will be requiring an official time to speak with you before too long...though, I warn you, I will be speaking what I was told to, much of which is likely lies."
"Of course." Wufei stood in a distracted way. "Can you find your way back to your quarters?" Noin nodded. "Then I bid you a good night."
"Good night, your Majesty," Noin returned, swiftly leaving the king to his musings. Once outside the small study, Noin leaned against one wall, taking a deep breath in an attempt to release all the tension that had been building throughout the unofficial meeting. She was exhausted, the ambassador realized numbly as she shoved herself off the wall and started back to her room. It would be good to get a full night's sleep in an actual bed.
Thankfully it only took a few minutes to reach the rooms which were assigned to the Glongu ambassador. The doors were unlocked, which was fine considering how many guards patrolled those corridors at any given time, and so Noin slipped right in. The moment she was in a the room, the numerous candles lit, casting wavering light over the mess that Noin had left in her wake. She sighed, shaking her head with annoyance. Since she was so tired, she shoved a few shirts off the bed and collapsed, ignoring the mess scatted about the room. Without conscious thought, the woman willed the candles out and within minutes she was fast asleep.
~*~
Dark eyes snapped open and her lithe body tensed instantly under the covers of her bed. Had she heard something? It was still dark, the wizard candles still out...but something was wrong in the room.
Noin forced her breathing to remain steady and concentrated on listening. There it was-a faint scuffle of feet on carpet...or, more actually, of feet finding one of many piles of discarded clothing that was scattered about her room. Sliding a hand silently out of the bed and between her mattresses, Noin gripped the small dagger she'd stashed there after being assigned the rooms. There was an almost inaudible curse that told Noin what she needed to know-the intruder, whoever he might be, was growing uncomfortably near her bed.
Tensing her body, Noin rolled rapidly to one side, away from the intruder and off the bed. With her quick movement, the candle's were instantly lit-a fact that Noin had been counting on, but the intruder was taken completely off guard and temporarily blinded. Blinking rapidly to adjust her eyes to the sudden light, Noin sprang to her feet, brandishing the dagger in the intruder's direction.
The intruder, dressed in all black and carrying the red-hilted, curved dagger of one of Wufei's guards, was taken by complete surprise when Noin leapt agilely onto the bed, sliding across the slick sheets to ram her well muscled body into his. Hitting the floor heavily, Noin sat on the assassin's chest, forcing the air from him. Without too much difficulty, the dark haired woman grabbed the man's dagger and forced her own blade under his throat.
"You picked the wrong ambassador to come after," she growled, her instincts and mannerisms returning to the long years she had spent training with kings and guardsmen. Below her, the helpless assassin squirmed in an ineffectual attempt to break free of her hold. With an almost sadistic grin, Noin pulled one hand back and rammed the butt of her palm into the man's nose. Spurting blood, his head knocked against the floor with a painful sounding crack. The struggling body went limp below her.
Noin sighed, standing up and retrieving the man's dagger. Leaving the intruder lying unconscious on the floor, the ambassador went to the door and called into the hallway for guards. Within minutes, the would-be assassin was dragged away leaving only Noin's life-saving mess and a few drops of blood on the carpet in his wake.
Beta's note: This stuff is great! I hope to see lots of reviews, people! Come on. I know you've got more energy then you seem to! haha. Great job again, Harm! Ami
Part 3:
THE AMBASSADOR
Like many people of action, the Ambassador of Glangu felt acutely uncomfortable in the heavy finery of her gown...however, like many people caught on the road for any period of time, she also felt deliciously clean as she strode confidently into one of the many reception halls of the Royal Songuus Palace. As expected, the hall was bustling with activity...it was, as she'd been told upon her arrival, the night of the King's betrothal and thus a night of great celebration.
For a moment, she paused in the doorway, her bright eyes scanning the scene before her, taking in the many man distinguished guests: highborn ladies clad rather awkwardly in traditional style Songuus dresses and gentlemen with their dress uniforms or robes. Servants easily recognizable by their red and yellow livery, wove skillfully through the crowd, bearing drinks and appetizers on silver trays.
His majesty, Wufei of the Chang family, was easy to find being the only man there dressed in white. Most of the lords wore darker colors that suited their positions or made some indication of to which family they hailed. The king was also surrounded by a large number of courtiers, fawning and speaking to him as he nodded in a distracted sort of way.
With a faint smile on her lips, the ambassador began to move over to where the king stood, her steps long and purposeful as she nimbly dodged the various mingling lords and ladies.
Wufei's dark eyes locked onto her almost instantly because she was rather distinctive in a gown of Glangu colors and cut. Smiling slightly the monarch politely disengaged himself from the swarm about him and made his way over to where she stood.
"Lady Noin," Wufei said with a faint bow as he reached ear-shot of the ambassador.
"Your Majesty," Lucrezia Noin greeted him formally with a deep curtsy. "Congratulations on your betrothal."
"Thank you," the king dismissed her words with a slight wave of the hand. "I assume that you are acting as ambassador of Glangu?"
"Very perceptive, majesty," Noin replied, nodding her head gently. "I was appointed this position only recently. I believe it was because of my time spent here previously, though I have little doubt that it also served as a convenient way to keep me out of trouble." A troubled smile spread over the dark haired woman's lips.
"Oh?" The king inquired, raising one dark eyebrow. "Have you been causing trouble for my dear friend Treize?"
Noin's smile faltered and she fidgeted slightly with the long silver gloves that encased her hands. "Not...exactly," she murmured, her voice dropping until it was hard to hear over the din of a hundred polite conversations. "Things have changed...there is much you should know."
"I see," Wufei replied, his eyes darkening and ice creeping into his voice at the unpleasant implications of his old friend's words. "Perhaps this isn't the time or place for such conversation." Noin nodded, relieved that she'd be able to have at least a little more time to figure out how best to put the bad news. "If you are not too tired, we could meet after dinner to...catch up?"
With the faintest smile, Noin inclined her head with acceptance. "I should not be too tired, providing we do not linger too terribly long..."
"Agreed." Wufei's eyes were beginning to travel once again. "I will send someone to your quarters to fetch you...I assume you'll want to change into something a little less formal." Noin smiled gratefully at this, unconsciously tugging at the gauzy fabric of her overskirt. "Dinner should be served soon. I ought to find my betrothed. Until this evening..." Wufei gave a last bow before he headed off into the crowd, leaving the ambassador on her own.
~*~
Dinner was an elegant affair, filled with small portions of mouth watering dishes and meaningless talk between the dozens of guests. For her part, Noin ate enthusiastically, having become accustomed to the limited selection of food on the road, but she engaged in little conversation, listening instead to the gossip of the nation. Most of the talk revolved around Wufei's betrothal. The woman he was to marry, a Lady Meiran, wasn't well known in the Songuus kingdom, being a princess of Rosian. Her reputation, however, was one of forcefulness and a war-like outlook to life. Noin somehow had a hard time picturing the scholarly king married happily to the pretty woman that the courtiers described.
By the time dessert was brought around, the ambassador had had her fill of talk and found herself yearning to leave. She was incredibly grateful when Wufei bid his guests a good-night and retired, his bride to be leaving only minutes afterwards.
Though many of the courtiers lingered after their king's departure, Noin swiftly left, returning to her spacious quarters to slip out of her constraining formal wear and into a warm bath.
She'd forgotten completely about her engagement with Wufei, when the knock on the door came. Cursing under her breath, the pale skinned woman quickly threw on a robe and opened the door just enough to peer out into the hall.
"Madam Ambassador?" the middle aged, blonde woman spoke softly from the other side of the heavy door.
"Yes?" Noin replied, her eyes taking in the woman quickly, then straying rudly back into her own room, searching for something easy to wear.
"My name is Lady Une-I'm his Majesty's assistant. I'm here to escort you to see his Majesty..."
"Yes, of course," Noin responded softly. "If you would hold on just a moment..." sliding the door shut on Lady Une, Noin hastily grabbed a dark brown pair of pants. She had them halfway on before she realized that they were what she'd been wearing throughout most of the week and a half journey to Songuus, and therefore wreaked of horse and sweat. Disgusted, she tugged them off and flung them across the room before she began a frenzied search for something clean. One did not keep a king waiting-even if you were old friends with him.
It was a full five minutes before Noin once again opened the door, running a hand through her short, damp hair and leaving her room a scattered mess. The clothing she had found were far from perfect-the dark blue pans were ripped in a couple of spots and the gray tank-top was actually what she usually slept in...but they were clean and covered her.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Noin apologized to the aggravated looking lady.
"It's quite all right," Une replied with curt politeness and an icy tone to her voice which made it clear that Noin's delay was not 'quite all right'. Behind her glasses, intelligent eyes surveyed Noin's attire with disapproval, but Une said nothing more save "This way" as she started down one long corridor.
The king was waiting for Noin in a small library, engrossed in a book on ancient war tactic. He closed the volume and stood when he heard the two women enter.
"Lady Noin," Wufei greeted his old friend formally, dark eyes scanning her as she gave an awkward curtsy. "That'll be all, Une."
"Yes, Your Majesty," the cold woman said softly, leaving the room and gently closing the heavy door behind her.
As soon as his servant had departed, Wufei's manner changed noticeably. Though he did not smile, his expression warmed considerably to his guest. "How have you been, Noin?" Wufei asked, seating himself and gesturing for her to do the same. "It's been a long while since we've spoken last."
"Yes," Noin agreed, lowering herself into a red cushioned chair opposite where the king sat. "And a lot has happened. Not just for me but for Glangu and his Majesty as well..."
A thoughtful frown flit over Wufei's features. "Yes, I suppose it must've. Oddly enough, we hear little from Glangu these days, and I haven't spoken to Treize since shortly after he lost his wife in childbirth."
Leaning forward in her chair, Noin fixed a serious gaze on the young monarch. "Then I am certain I can tell you some things you do not know." Wufei nodded for her to continue, and Noin too a deep breath. "After losing both his wife and child in childbirth, his Majesty slipped into a deep depression. He lost interest in all things, including running his country...he grew weak and sick, barely eating or leaving his quarters. The only people that saw him on a regular basis were his niece Relena Peacecraft and his advisor, an older man known simply as J. Over time, Treize disappeared completely from court, relying on J to inform the people of his state decisions. Now Treize is close to death...I've seen him only three times over the past year, and each time I am amazed at how hollow and pale he seems...It is certain that he is near death, and when he dies J will seize his thrown. J has already announced his engagement to Lady Relena, the heir to the Glongu thrown, and changes in Treize's policies are already showing themselves. The taxes are now nearly triple what they were seventeen years ago, when Treize was fully in control, and foreign relations grow more stressed. J has been "recruiting" peasants and farmers from the city and surrounding area, building up the armed forces.
"A number of us believe that J is actually poisoning Treize very slowly, that Treize isn't in control even of his own mind, but most of the loyalists, as we call ourselves, have either met untimely deaths, gone missing or have been reassigned to remote posts outside of Glongu. J's plans seem to be accelerating and we have no doubt that as soon as Treize's breath is still, J will declare war on one or more of the neighboring countries. J is a sadistic, sadistic man who has proven time and again that he thrives of pain, death and suffering."
Noin stopped with an exasperated sigh, leaning back in her chair as she watched for Wufei's reaction.
"I see," Wufei said slowly, a troubled and thoughtful frown dominating his features. "I hadn't realized it had been so long since I'd had relations with Glongu...or that things could have degraded so much in that time. Thank you, lady, for the information...I will use what resources I have to find out if your theory is true." Inclining her head, Noin said nothing. "And now, if that is all, I believe it is time to call an end to this meeting. It is late and there is much to think of..."
"Of course," Noin said with a small smile. "I will be requiring an official time to speak with you before too long...though, I warn you, I will be speaking what I was told to, much of which is likely lies."
"Of course." Wufei stood in a distracted way. "Can you find your way back to your quarters?" Noin nodded. "Then I bid you a good night."
"Good night, your Majesty," Noin returned, swiftly leaving the king to his musings. Once outside the small study, Noin leaned against one wall, taking a deep breath in an attempt to release all the tension that had been building throughout the unofficial meeting. She was exhausted, the ambassador realized numbly as she shoved herself off the wall and started back to her room. It would be good to get a full night's sleep in an actual bed.
Thankfully it only took a few minutes to reach the rooms which were assigned to the Glongu ambassador. The doors were unlocked, which was fine considering how many guards patrolled those corridors at any given time, and so Noin slipped right in. The moment she was in a the room, the numerous candles lit, casting wavering light over the mess that Noin had left in her wake. She sighed, shaking her head with annoyance. Since she was so tired, she shoved a few shirts off the bed and collapsed, ignoring the mess scatted about the room. Without conscious thought, the woman willed the candles out and within minutes she was fast asleep.
~*~
Dark eyes snapped open and her lithe body tensed instantly under the covers of her bed. Had she heard something? It was still dark, the wizard candles still out...but something was wrong in the room.
Noin forced her breathing to remain steady and concentrated on listening. There it was-a faint scuffle of feet on carpet...or, more actually, of feet finding one of many piles of discarded clothing that was scattered about her room. Sliding a hand silently out of the bed and between her mattresses, Noin gripped the small dagger she'd stashed there after being assigned the rooms. There was an almost inaudible curse that told Noin what she needed to know-the intruder, whoever he might be, was growing uncomfortably near her bed.
Tensing her body, Noin rolled rapidly to one side, away from the intruder and off the bed. With her quick movement, the candle's were instantly lit-a fact that Noin had been counting on, but the intruder was taken completely off guard and temporarily blinded. Blinking rapidly to adjust her eyes to the sudden light, Noin sprang to her feet, brandishing the dagger in the intruder's direction.
The intruder, dressed in all black and carrying the red-hilted, curved dagger of one of Wufei's guards, was taken by complete surprise when Noin leapt agilely onto the bed, sliding across the slick sheets to ram her well muscled body into his. Hitting the floor heavily, Noin sat on the assassin's chest, forcing the air from him. Without too much difficulty, the dark haired woman grabbed the man's dagger and forced her own blade under his throat.
"You picked the wrong ambassador to come after," she growled, her instincts and mannerisms returning to the long years she had spent training with kings and guardsmen. Below her, the helpless assassin squirmed in an ineffectual attempt to break free of her hold. With an almost sadistic grin, Noin pulled one hand back and rammed the butt of her palm into the man's nose. Spurting blood, his head knocked against the floor with a painful sounding crack. The struggling body went limp below her.
Noin sighed, standing up and retrieving the man's dagger. Leaving the intruder lying unconscious on the floor, the ambassador went to the door and called into the hallway for guards. Within minutes, the would-be assassin was dragged away leaving only Noin's life-saving mess and a few drops of blood on the carpet in his wake.
Beta's note: This stuff is great! I hope to see lots of reviews, people! Come on. I know you've got more energy then you seem to! haha. Great job again, Harm! Ami