Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Journey of a Thousand Miles ❯ Prologue ( Prologue )

Disclaimer: This story was written by a fan only for the enjoyment of other fans, without any monetary compensation. Gundam Wing and its characters are registered trademarks of Bandai Entertainment Inc.â„¢ and Sotsu Agency. All rights reserved.

 

 

This story is very different from my usual fics. It is my first POV fic and the first time I'm using Quatre as a main character. I hope you enjoy.

A special Thank You to Anne Olsen for beta-reading

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Journey of a Thousand Miles

 

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”

-Confucius-

Prologue:

 

I stood and watched as my personal belongings, my violin and two worn out travel bags, were loaded onto the stylish black and white carriage. When the driver was finished he came around to open the door for me.
“Are we ready to leave?” he asked.

I nodded soberly. I had already bid my good-byes earlier and there was nothing left to do. With a sigh and a last look back at the house where I had been living for the past five months, I climbed into the coach.

I should be used to that by now, I thought with a tinge of bitterness. Since the death of my parents, two summers ago, I had been passed around from relative to relative; a nuisance that nobody wanted to deal with for very long.
That was how I had eventually ended up here with my Aunt Sophia, who was my father's sister, and her husband. Aunt Sophia didn't seem to like me very much, though I never really found out why. Or maybe it wasn't me? Maybe she just didn't like children in general, and that's why she and Uncle Rupert didn't have any of their own. But of course, now that I had turned 13, according to Aunt Sophia, I wasn't really a child anymore and therefore was expected to help around the house and the stables. I'm complaining though, I was just grateful that somebody was willing to take me in, feed me and clothe me.
Most of my time, when I didn't do chores, I spent in my room, reading or practicing my violin lessons. Unless of course guests were coming for dinner, then Aunt Sophia would dress me up show me off, while making sure that everybody knew what a kindhearted woman she was for taking in her poor orphaned nephew. Oh, I hated those dinner parties, and so did Uncle Rupert I think, but we both knew better than to complain.

Aunt Sophia was a very controlling person who took the phrase “cleanliness is next to godliness” very seriously. In those few months I lived with her and her husband she fired no less than four maids for trivial things such as forgetting to dust the top of a cupboard. And since she couldn't fire me, I was usually sent to bed without dinner for any mistakes that I made.

No, living with Aunt Sophia was not much of a joy, but it still upset me when I learnt that I was going to be sent off to live with yet another of my relatives. And what was worst, a relative I had never even heard of.

 

::: Beginning of Flashback:::

 

We were sitting down for four o'clock tea when one of the servants brought a letter that had just been delivered.
“It's from Duke Khushrenada,” Uncle Rupert spoke as he cracked open the seal and unfolded the paper.
“What does his Excellency want?” Aunt Sophia asked. There was something in the way she said it that gave me the impression that she was not too fond of the duke.

“He has returned to England,” Uncle told her after a short moment of silent reading. “He is sending this letter to inform us that he is in progress of obtaining legal guardianship of Quatre.

“He is simply informing us, like we have no say at all in this? Who does he think he is?” Aunt Sophia sounded furious.

With a very unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach I asked, “Who is this Duke Khushrenada?”
“He is a distant cousin of yours, from your mother's side,” Uncle Rupert explained. “He has never been very close to anybody in the family, so frankly it surprises me that he wants to become your custodian.”

Aunt Sophia gave a very unladylike snort.

“It doesn't surprise me. Quatre is quite a handsome young man, don't you agree; a real treat for somebody like the Duke.”

“Sophia!” Uncle Rupert snapped. “That's quite enough.” It was the first and only time I heard my uncle raise his voice. He then turned to me and said, “Quatre, why don't you take your tea upstairs to your room so that your aunt and I can talk in private.”

“Yes, Sir.” I rose from my chair, excused myself and left, wondering what Aunt Sophia had been talking about and why her remark had made my uncle so angry.

 

::: End of flashback:::

 

Inside the carriage, on one of the soft cushioned seats I found a letter from the duke in which he apologized for not being able to come and pick me up in person, and a large box of the finest chocolates I have ever tasted. I had no idea how he knew how much I loved chocolates.

I still didn't know very much about this mysterious cousin of mine. I had learned that he came from a long line of aristocrats and that he was extremely wealthy; he owned not one but two estates in the south of England and a few more around the world. He had built a very successful export and imports business and was very well educated. Yet despite of all that it seemed as though he was considered a black sheep in the family, and that really confused me.

The journey to Rosehill Manor, my cousin's estate, would take nearly three days. Every evening we stopped at an inn to eat and spend the night and in the morning we would leave at the break of dawn.
When I wasn't watching the beautiful countryside I occupied myself with a novel I had brought along, a tale about a young boy my age and his adventures at sea. I was still a little anxious, but I couldn't help the increasing feeling of excitement. The closer we came to our destination, the more excited I became.

Suddenly the carriage slowed down and I opened the window to peer out, the wind tousling my hair.

The driver looked back at me, with a friendly smile.

“We are almost there,” he spoke, gesturing at something just ahead of us. “That's it, Rosehill Manor.”

I stuck my head out of the window eager to see my new home, and gasped in awe.

Rosehill Manor was magnificent. A large, exquisitely decorated mansion surrounded by beautifully manicured gardens, set upon a small hill overlooking the countryside. I think I fell in love with the place right then and there.

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T.B.C.

 

Author's Note:  Feedback is greatly appreciated, constructive criticism is welcome :-)