Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Where Sunrays can't reach you ❯ Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The numerous festivities for Relena's birth had come to an end some months ago. Milliardo disliked those visitors, who could change their expressions within a small instant. Their faking made him nervous. One of them had been different. A man with short brown hair and a regal air and he tried to find out who he was. To his surprise he learned that this Treize Khushrenada was only 11 years old. He had the air of a very old man. Milliardo had wanted to know more about this peculiar character, but all he was able to learn was that he belonged to a very old aristocratic family. The strange thing about Treize was that he hadn't smiled when he was supposed to and neither had he muttered one of those hollow greetings, which Milliardo was already so used to.

Still despite his curiosity for this young aristocrat, Milliardo was glad the whole circus was over. Now he didn't have to put up with being the perfect prince anymore. But he wasn't completely at ease. His father seemed worried and he hadn't seen his mother in over a week. The birth of Relena had been harsh for her. After the ordeal she had been in great danger, but after months of rest and care and relapses she was finally beginning to recover. She was at the hospital, where they investigated her extensively. I miss you, Mummy. If only he could talk to her and hear her gentle voice, he would feel better.

However the man, whom he knew only as the chief of security, had persuaded the king to forbid him to see her. When Milliardo demanded a reason from him, he had only said it would be a security nightmare right now. The prince wondered what he had meant with that. He knew something was happening, but he also knew he wasn't going to find out what if his father didn't want him to.

He walked to Pagan's office, hoping he would be up for some fencing practice. Instead of Pagan he found his father there.

"Good day, father."

"Ah good day my son, are you looking for Pagan?" the king asked. Milliardo hesitated. He knew his father didn't like him to partake in any kind of fighting practice. Yet he was unable to lie to the man he so respected.

"Yes father."

"Well he isn't here, he's gone with Relena," the king said quietly.

"Oh? Where is she going to, father?" Milliardo asked surprised.

"She is going to stay over with some...friends of mine for a while, you will soon join her." Milliardo noticed the sad expression on the face looking down on him and knew better than to question.

His father now smiled sadly and said: "Why don't we play a little game of chess?"

He nodded and followed his father to his study room. The king gestured for him to sit down and he did so on the huge wooden table next to the small window.

After about 45 minutes of playing chess, young Milliardo noticed his queen was in danger. He sighed, and tried to protect her by taking one of his father's horses. The move was apparently a bad one as the king immediately took one of Milliardo's towers. Two turns later his queen was in danger again.

"Always remember Milliardo, brutal attack will get you nowhere. Deliberation and sacrifice will bring you much closer to eternal peace."

Milliardo nodded earnestly and looked at the board to see how he could put this advice into practice.

Suddenly the door swung open. Mr. Heiwa stood in the opening, breathing heavily. "They are attacking milord!"

The king stood up at once. "What!? It was estimated that we would at least have a month before they could move in."

He turned to face Milliardo. "You have got to go, my son."

An attempt at a smile formed his lips. Then he faced Mr. Heiwa again.

"Take him to the jet."

"Sir!"

Milliardo didn't want to leave his father, but he was aware protests wouldn't do any good, so he followed Heiwa.

Sounds of a far away bombing reached his ears. In shock he realized people from his country were dying because of those. Personal was running to all sides, alarms took most of their speech away from Milliardo's ears. He run after Heiwa through a corridor. The sound of the bombing began to overpower those of the alarms. They had by now reached the underground hall, where a small plane was waiting for them. Heiwa climbed up to the cockpit and opened its door. Milliardo knew he had to follow Heiwa inside it, but something made him hesitate.

Father....

When he turned to face the plane again, it was gone. So was Heiwa and two of the room's walls. Quickly he looked at the ceiling, which seemed dangerously unstable.

He ran back through the corridor and ended up in a kitchen somehow. A female cook looked at him like he was a ghost, muttering

"Poor, poor child."

This confused the young prince even more. He ran up the stairs leading to his fathers study room. When he entered he heard his father discussing something with an officer Milliardo had never seen before.

"The Catherina Duvough Medical Center has been totally destroyed.... I am sorry my liege."

His father grasped the table for support.

"God."

Only then he noticed his sons presence.

"Mother, is she dead?" Milliardo asked with a soft, unnatural voice.

The king just stared at him, dazed and unable to comfort him. But he realized he had to protect the child from suffering the same fate as its mother. He grabbed his arm and pulled him to the door.

"I shall keep at least our children safe... come Milliardo," the king said as he looked at the ceiling.

They brushed past the officer as the king guided his son through their castle. Gunshots could be heard very close by. Are they already in here? Milliardo felt like in a dream. Rapidly he put foot in front of foot.

Mother, mother, have you gone away?

Suddenly a door swung open at the other site of the corridor they were in. His father quickly pulled him into a different direction, past another door. The king stopped for a second to reorientate. Then the door behind them opened and three men in black uniforms entered. They walked to the king and one of them pointed a gun at his front head. They didn't seem to have any particular interest in Milliardo and only grinned at his father.

"Ha, I just knew we would be the first to find you, our division is in for some promotion," one of them said while he readjusted his coat.

"I will report!" another said eagerly and ran out of there.

Automatically Milliardo went for the door to his right and disappeared into the room behind it.

"Hey! Where did the kid go?" one of the two soldiers asked.

"Aaah let him be, we just need this one, I just hope for him he won't fall in major Zerones clutches," the other replied with a smirk.

It was to be his last. A second later a fencing sword stuck through his heart and he flipped over.

"Dietrich! What happen..." The other said as he was cut through his neck.

Milliardo had protected his father; he couldn't lose him like he had his mother. He sighed with relief when he realized he had been in time. When he saw the look on his fathers face a different kind of anguish took over. Utter shock was in the king's expression. Milliardo insecurely reached out for him to find reassurance, but his hand was brushed away.

He realized what he had done. From the first moments he could remember his father had spoken of the necessity of peace, of the many joys of kindness and above all of the beauty of life. Milliardo pulled his hand back, but his face still begged for forgiveness. His father's expression no longer expressed shock, just disappointment. It was worse. While they looked at each other like this for an instance, the door swung open again. The king quickly grabbed him and carried his son while he run up a stairs.

There seemed to be no way out for the both of them. The king heard footsteps approaching from both upstairs and downstairs. He made his decision. His father opened up a hatch Milliardo didn't know existed. Without taking time for a goodbye or another word he threw his son in. Milliardo fell down about 12 feet. He immediately tried to get up. His whole body felt sour and his consciousness was slipping away. He struggled to stay awake. Then his father's scream of death reached him from above.

"No...NO!" he believed he had screamed the words, but it had only been whispers. Then he finally passed out.

To be Continued