Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Journey of a Thousand Miles ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

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Journey of a Thousand Miles

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"

-Confucius-

Part 7

It was early in the afternoon on a beautiful sunny spring day and I was bored to tears. My cousin and Zechs had left soon after breakfast for a trip to Chesterfield and weren't expected to be back until the evening. I really wished that I could have accompanied them, but the Duke wouldn't allow me to skip out on my lessons again after I had missed a few days of tutoring the week before.

Finally I decided to take a ride though the countryside. Once I had left the gates of Rosehill manor behind me, however, I changed my mind and headed over to Zechs' estate.

A short time later I rode up the paved road leading to the mansion. I dismounted and tethered my steed to a pole just as Zechs' brown-haired servant stepped out of the stable.

"Trowa." I gave him a polite nod, which he answered in the same curt manner.

"It's nice to see you again, Quatre. If you are looking for Master Zechs though, I'm afraid he won't be home until later this evening."

I nodded. "I know. Actually, I am here to see you. I thought that perhaps you would like to come over and make good on your promise to play some music with me."

"As much as I would love to, I'll need to finish my chores first."

"Perhaps I can help?" I offered. "I'm bored anyway and that way you will be done faster. Just tell me where I can find another pitchfork."

"You want to help clean the stables?" Trowa looked at me up and down for a moment, skeptically. "Have you ever done anything like it before?"

"Every day," I told him as I took off my coat.

He snorted.
"You don't believe me?"

"Oh no, I'm sure Duke Khushrenada makes you work all day long. That seems just like him," he replied sarcastically.

"I'm not talking about the duke." I gave an exasperated huff. "Before I came here I lived with my aunt and uncle. It was cheaper for them to keep me around than to hire a stable hand, I suppose."

"I'm sorry, Quatre, I didn't mean to offend you. If you truly want to help, I would be a fool not to accept your offer." He smiled slightly as he handed me his pitchfork. "Take this one, I'll get myself another one."
Half an hour later the stables were clean and the horses nibbled happily on their hay.
"Is there anything else you have to do?" I wanted to know.

Trowa shook his head. "No, that is all for now. Thank you for your help. Let me show you were you can clean up while I go and get my flute."

*****

"Are you sure this is all right?" Trowa asked; hesitant to he follow me into the house. "His Excellency won't mind if I come in?"
"He won't," I assured him. "I asked him and he said it was fine for me to invite a friend over."

"Perhaps, he was referring to a friend of your own social status," he remarked quietly, "and not to his lover's servant."

I frowned as my head snapped around. "What's that supposed to mean? Trowa, I think you still have a very wrong impression of me. To tell the truth, you and I are not that different. Treize and I may be first cousins, however I do not share his aristocratic bloodline. My family never had much money or power. So, if not for the duke's influence, you and I would be very much on the same social level. Besides, I was raised to judge people by their conduct, not by their wealth and status."

He chuckled in quiet amusement and I gave him a baffled look.

"I always manage to say something that sets you off, don't I?"

I gave him a sheepish grin. "I'm sorry. I hope you don't think I'm really hotheaded, because I'm usually not."
"Oh, I see. So, it's only me who brings out that quality in you?"

"You really enjoy teasing me, don't you?" I snorted in good-natured humor, as I led the way into the music room. I moved two chairs next to each other and put the music stand between them so that both of us could read the notes.
"Please, have a seat." I offered as I started looking through my music sheets. "I have to admit, I haven't played a duet in a very long time. We should probably start out with an easy piece. Beethoven's Ode to Joy, perhaps?"
"Perfect, I have played that one before." Trowa nodded.

I found the right sheet, put it onto the stand between us and picked up my violin.

"Should I lead?"
He gave another nod. "Please, do."

I was surprised how easy it was for the two of us to harmonize our tune. It was quite amazing, really. It seemed like we had been playing together forever. After Ode to Joy we moved on to a few more challenging pieces, and before we knew it an hour had passed.

"That was lovely. I think we deserve a break. Would you care for some refreshments?" I asked, and as Trowa nodded I suggested. "Let's go and sit outside for a while."

"Sounds like an excellent idea." He smiled and I couldn't help but notice how attractive his smile was.
I asked Xander to bring us a pitcher of lemonade and showed my guest to the patio.

"Quatre, may I ask you something?"

"Certainly!" I nodded.
"You mentioned earlier that before you came to live with the Duke, you stayed with your aunt and uncle…What about your parents? Why aren't you living with them?"
I hesitated.

"You don't have to answer of course, if that's too personal a question." he spoke quickly, apparently afraid to have said something wrong again.
"My parents died two summers ago in a house fire."
A sudden wave of sadness washed over his face. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories."

"No, it's all right, really." I assured him. "The duke taught me that talking about all the pleasant memories I have of them helps me cope."
As we sat sipping our lemonade I told Trowa about my family and myself; about the death of my parents and how I had been passed around between my relatives until I finally ended up with Cousin Treize.
"And that's very much it, the story of my life," I said as I re-filled our glasses. "Your turn now."

"I beg your pardon?" Trowa gave me a puzzled look.

"Your turn to talk about yourself," I clarified.
"Oh, yeah, I suppose that's only fair." He stared into his drink for a moment, lost in thought. "My parents are dead too. They died when I was only three or four years old, so I have really only few memories of them. They were performers in a traveling show. In a circus people rely on each other and help each other out. After my parents' death the circus people became like a family to my sister Catherine and I - they fed us, clothed us and provided for all our needs."

"So, you were traveling around from town to town? That sounds fascinating. You must have seen many different places."

Trowa nodded, giving me a slight smile. "It was a very unrestricted life, and I did enjoy it very much"
"Then, what happened?" I wanted to know.
His facial expression changed in an instant and he became very serious. "I was about eleven years old, we were performing just outside London, when I came down with a bad case of influenza. At first Catherine tried to take care at me in our trailer, but as my fever and chills became worse I was taken to St. Martin's hospital. The first days I was so sick I was barely conscious, but I remember her visiting me and sitting by my bedside. I also remember when she told me that the circus was moving on, but that I wasn't well enough to leave the hospital yet. She was crying when she told me that she would come back for me as soon as she could."

I stared at him, shocked. "Are you saying they just left you behind? That's terrible."

Trowa shrugged. "There was really little else they could do. You have got to understand, Quatre, that everybody in the circus depends on the money that's made from their performances. But people won't come to pay for the same show over and over. So the circus needs to move on in order to survive. I know my sister didn't leave me because she didn't love me, but because she had no other choice. After spending several more weeks in the hospital I was taken to an orphans' home. Shortly after I turned twelve I ran away hoping that I would be able to find the circus and catch up with them somewhere. But it wasn't that easy. I always seemed to be a few steps behind, usually arriving in a town were they had played after they already moved on. That's how I eventually ended up in Chesterfield."

"How did you support yourself?" I asked. It was hard to imagine what it must be like to be all alone with nobody to take care of me. I couldn't help but feel sympathy for Trowa.

"I did any job I could find, working mostly for a warm meal and a place to sleep, and sometimes when I couldn't find work I begged or stole." He didn't look at me, obviously ashamed at that admission. "I was a fairly good pickpocket, or at least so I thought until I met Master Zechs."

::::Start Of Flashback:::: Trowa's POV

It was late afternoon and I was roaming the streets. I didn't like to steal, but for the past few days I hadn't been very lucky in finding any kind of work. The elegant East District of Chesterfield, where the wealthy people came for shopping and entertainment was a good place to find easy prey.

I walked down the street observing my surroundings, checking out each and every person that passed by, until my eyes fell upon a young gentleman with long, blond hair. He was standing on the other side of the street, perhaps waiting for somebody, paying little attention to anything and anybody around him. To me he looked like the perfect victim.

I crossed the road and strolled down the sidewalk at a leisurely pace, pretending to check out window displays as I approached him. He was standing with his back to me. I waited for the perfect moment. Taking one last look around I moved closer. I reached into his coat-pocket, grabbed his purse and pulled my hand back in a fraction of a second. To this day I'm not sure how he could have even felt it. But evidently he did, and he moved faster than I had ever seen anybody move. His spun around, his right hand closing around my wrist with bruising force before I could pull away.

"I believe this belongs to me," he spoke calmly as he pried the moneybag from my fingers.
"Fine," I retorted. "You've got your money back; you can let me go now."

"So that you can go and steal from other people? I think not."
I tried to twist myself free. "Let go of me."

"Do you really think it's wise to draw any more attention?" he asked, an irritated sparkle in his ice-blue eyes.

I swallowed, my mouth suddenly gone dry and ducked my head a little, as he looked me up and down. His expression softened somewhat, and without an explanation he directed me toward a nearby bistro.

Still keeping his iron grip on my wrist, he pulled me to a table.
"Sit down."

He ordered a roast-beef sandwich and a glass of milk. When it was brought he put the plate in front of me.
"Eat," he demanded.
I stared at the food, then at him with a mixture of surprise and suspicion before taking a bite from the sandwich.

"Why are you doing this?" I wanted to know.
"Because I have been in a very similar situation as you not too long ago."

Looking at him and his expensive, custom-made clothes, I snorted in disbelief.

"I'm Zechs Merquise, by the way. What is your name?" he asked after a few moments.
"Trowa, Trowa Barton," I replied. "Are you going to turn me over to the police, Sir?"
"That might depend."
I frowned. "Depend on what?"
"Why don't you tell me a little about yourself? I'm curious to why it is necessary for you to be out on the streets stealing."

I shrugged. There was really no reason for me not to tell him. When I had finished, my story as well as my sandwich, he looked at me thoughtfully.

"Do you have any skills other than those of a pickpocket?"
"I'm rather good with animals, Sir. I have helped take care of the horses and other animals in the circus since I was small."

"Is that so?" For some reason my answer seemed to please him. "Trowa, what would you think about working for me? I need somebody to keep the stables clean and take care of things around the house. I won't be able to pay you much, but at least you will have a roof over your head and three meals a day. And perhaps I can be of help in your search for your sister."

"Are you serious, Sir?" I gave him a baffled look. "Aren't you afraid I might try to steal from you again?"
"See, Trowa, I believe that in general people are good." He gazed at me intensively for a long moment before he added. "Don't prove me wrong."

::: End of Flashback:::

I smiled as Trowa finished his story. Now I understood why he was so loyal to Zechs. And it didn't surprise me at all that Zechs would help somebody in need.
"Did you ever locate your sister?" I wanted to know.

Trowa smiled as he nodded. "I did, indeed. With the help of Zechs and Duke Khushrenada we tracked down the circus. It turned out that Catherine was looking for me as well. She had kept her promise and came to pick me up, but by that time I had already run away from the orphanage. I haven't seen her yet, but we write to each other quite frequently. The circus is traveling in Northern Europe now, but they will come back to England this winter."

"Oh this is wonderful. I'm so glad for you. Do you want to back inside and play some more music?"

Trowa shook his head. "I probably should be going now. It is getting late, and Master Zechs will be home soon."

I nodded understandingly. "But you got to promise me that we will do this again some day."

"That's an easy promise to make. I enjoyed myself very much. Thank you, Quatre."

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T.B.C.

Author's Note:

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