Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Where Sunrays can't reach you ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2.

After the few months since he had visited the Sanc-kingdom, Treize was still fascinated by the boy. He had realized it was the young prince after he had closed the door of Relena's room. How could a prince of that wonderful land have a face so full of sorrow? What was it inside him that gave someone with such a life that bewildered stare?

The nightingale started to sing after Treize had closed its cage. He looked at where the moon was supposed to be, but clouds kept its rays from reaching him. It was nice to enjoy some time in the garden at the end of another day of training. Most of his fellow students were about 15 or 16 years old and it had been hard to compete with them, especially when they were practicing fighting skills. To compensate for his lack of physical strength he had put all of his efforts in becoming much quicker then the rest of them. All of his intense training started to have effect. Already he had defeated some of his fellows in hand-to-hand combat.

He looked up when Zachary hurried towards him. He had been like a mentor to Treize in the beginning, giving him advice and acting like a big brother. However since the day Treize had taken his top spot in the shooting class he had been less friendly.

"Hey Treize, have you heard? They have finally done it!" he half-shouted.

"Done what, Zachary?" he asked puzzled.

"Attacked that snake hole, it was about damn time."

A creepy suspicion fluttered through his head. "Where?"

Zachary rolled his eyes. "The Sanc-kingdom of course, I heard they almost nuked it," he said proudly, like he had dropped the bombs himself.

A knot formed in Treize's stomach, but he had already learned how to keep his thoughts from manifest ting in his expressions.

He smiled and answered "Aah it's about time, when did they do it?"

"About a week ago, it has now been officially stated at a press conference."

A week already! They always kept this kind of news from the world. They probably have a whole lot of nasty things to cover up.

"Is the royal family exiled?" Treize asked.

He noticed that Zachary wanted to roll his eyes again but he only said "No, the king committed suicide what I heard."

They looked at each other; both knowing very well that was probably not what had happened.

"Well" Treize said, "I am going for my bed now, must be fresh for tomorrow."

"Yeah it's already beyond bedtime for you," Zachary replied. Treize didn't even notice the insult, all he could think of was the prince of Sanc.

The better part of his night he spend preparing. In the morning he called one of his servants at Khushrenada-castle. He asked him about affairs in the palace and after a few minutes asked him to call him back in half an hour, saying he was needed somewhere for a moment. Most of the students had gathered in the practice-room, but fencing-lessons hadn't started yet.

"Telephone from Khushrenada-castle for Mr. Khushrenada" a monotone voice said over the intercom. Treize was just having a conversation about birdseed with Serena Wortheringscale and his face formed a worried expression.

"I hope it's nothing grave?" Serena asked.

"Well it's just that.... oh nothing to worry about," he said with an obvious fake smile, deliberately making her think something very grave was going on at home.

He spoke with the servant for a few minutes, hung up and went to the councilor to request for a week of.

"What's going on, Treize? You have never skipped classes."

"I know and I am sorry but I...uhm..."

The councilor sighed and placed a stamp. At least young Khushrenada had come and ask for it, unlike some of the snotty aristocrats attending this school. Treize booked a flight with a stop at the Republique of Ceronia, which lay next to the Sanc-kingdom.

Instead of remaining in the airplane to Luxembourg, Treize got off at Leadona-airport, near the capital of Ceronia. Getting a vehicle proved to be even easier then he had imagined. Close by the airport a guy in his forties was just unloading his car from his groceries. Treize opened the door next to the drivers seat without hurry, started the car and drove away. He didn't bother to look back at an undoubtedly cursing man. By the license plate he could later track him down to send some compensation for the car and the bother.

Treize reached the highway without being pulled over. He had learned how to drive some years back, when he was hardly able to reach the gas petals yet. Still none of the countries he had visited had police officers that would allow a 12 year old to drive a car and he didn't have any illusions it was different in Ceronia. They would let him through if he would prove he was from the John Richford academy, but Treize preferred to steer clear from any delays.

He suspected there would be massive controls at the border with Sanc. The choice was between trying to find a hole in their security or to enter by going by the book and be registered. The first option seemed to time-consuming. He didn't know what had happened to the young prince, but if he were still alive he couldn't afford to lose time like that if he wanted to keep him that way. A sigh escaped his mouth and he continued driving in the direction of the border.

He just showed his I.D. at the two officers that stopped him there. They saluted politely but send surprised looks at each other. What's a youth of such rank doing here?

Driving Ceronia highways had been easy, as there had not been many cars on the road in this morning, but the silence in the Sanc kingdom was very bizarre. Driving over roads through the forests, Treize saw absolutely no one. At one point he drove past a village. It was completely burned down. He tried not to look at it, but couldn't avoid the smell from reaching his nose. It was the smell of death. Especially since he had such fond memories of the lively, friendly Sanc that he had visited this was aching. The night before he had used some time to study maps of the kingdom and now he went straight for the capital. It will be already about 6 pm once I reach it.

He would have, were it not that huge parts of the road closer to the city had been destroyed. Treize had to ride through sandy roads with only his sense of direction to guide him. When he finally arrived, he was surprised to see how many of the Alliance troops had already left. There was no sign of any civilians, but he couldn't believe they were all killed. They will probably be used as something no more then slaves in some backward construction site or mine. A group of seven soldiers were dragging a girl with them. She was bruised and beaten, her eyes looked at his for a moment, not begging for help, but apathetic and without feeling. He knew what they had done with her and averted his eyes. He realized those soldiers, drunken and on a high would not listen to a 12 year old kid, Khushrenada or not.

He followed the directions of a passing sergeant and reached the temporary headquarters of the Alliance forces. Instead of knocking he opened the door and put up an air.

"Who is the highest officer here?" he demanded.

The young receptionist looked surprised first because there was a kid in front of her, then saw his academy clothes and obviously inhumanly expensive jacket buttons and directed him to the second floor, after sending up a message.

The lieutenant there was already past thirty but treated him with much respect.

"You're from the Richford academy, aren't you?"

He looked at the I.D. Treize had brought with him. "Nice to meet you, Your Excellency."

"Likewise," Treize replied, both fully aware he hadn't even asked the lieutenants name.

"I would like to see the reports on the conquest of Sanc."

The lieutenant wanted to say it was forbidden for him to hand them over, even to a Khushrenada, he wanted to say it could cost him his job, but remembered what had happened to his sister. She had been only a sergeant yet, when she had finished a triple shift of guarding. Then some aristocrat had asked her to stop by at his office. She had made a sarcastic comment and refused. He had never seen Isabel again.

The lieutenant pulled on his sweater and led the boy to the archives on the third floor.

"What you are looking for is mostly still on the table there to your left."

Treize nodded and just before the lieutenant disappeared again said: " Don't worry, I will be discreet."

Now he could find out what happened to Milliardo.

After briefly going through lots and lots of reports on used battle tactics, mistakes, demotions and promotions he found something about casualties. Most of it was about Alliance troupes, but two were about the Sanc civilians. Many had died in their houses when they collapsed because of the bombings, others had died in fires and some because of gunfire. A shock went through him when he read about the collapse of the hospital and the death of the queen. <So he lost both his father and his mother in a single day.> Treize couldn't imagine what that could be like. His father had died before he was born. His mother was still alive, but lived at the castle of her forefathers. Treize had no recollection of her. He had only learned through servants-talk that her marriage to his father had been forced. Her family had huge debts with the Khushrenada's and was forced to give the young duke their daughter as a wife. She had wanted to get away immediately after his death, but was forced to stay another couple of months until the Khushrenada-heir in her womb was born. She had cursed the child inside her and left the castle two days after his birth, physically exhausted but mentally in top spirit. Treize had never learned why exactly she had hated the Khushrenada's so much.

He flipped through another pile of reports and just when he wanted to give up to search the city or something a man stepped in the door. He was in his early twenties and had a black moustache. He seems a little excited and this excitement seemed to grow when he saw Treize, dressed like he was.

"Good day," he said charmingly.

"Good evening." Treize replied, on his guard.

"Are you part of the administrative headquarters in Luxembourg if I may ask?"

"Yes" Treize lied "how do you know?"

"Just a guess, sir. I am Frank Blois-Stuart."

Blois-Stuart? He's English? Under other circumstances the random combining of two English dynastic names would amuse him.

The man waved the report "do you have any idea what good information is worth today?"

Treize was now even more interested in the contents of the report but kept his sullen stare.

"A lot, not just money, but also honor, promotion, fame," the man answered his own question, naming everything he thought could be interesting for a rich young aristocrat.

Treize fingered one of the diamond buttons on his jackets and replied, "I give a good prize."

The man shot him a smile that meant: we understand each other. "It's about the prince of Sanc."

Treize tried to keep his poker face and said, "continue."

"I was on night watch last night at the castle, I thought it very unnecessary as all the inhabitants were killed, but I have to do what I am told, aye?"

Treize nodded, impatient for the man to continue.

"Well, I heard a noise, it was like at a construction site or something. First I didn't pay any attention to it, but I kept hearing it. It was raining however, so I couldn't pinpoint exactly where it came from. Then suddenly there was a huge movement of rocks about 30 feet from where I stood. I started to walk over when this kid appears. His hair almost gave light in the dark, but it was dirty and tangled. He was holding a knife. Maybe he used that to clear a way through those rocks, I don't know how else he could have done it. His clothes were totally rippled and covered with dirt and blood. And that stare in his eyes... man, it was like one of those insane wild cats back at home. I just looked at him and then he suddenly throws a rock at my head. I could duck at the last moment, but he was already running over the courtyard. I fired at him of course, but if I hit him I didn't slow him down."

Treize gasped. <He's still alive!>

"Do you have any idea where he is now?" Treize asked.

"No, not really" the man admitted. "But if he's still alive he's probably crazy."

"Why would you think that?" Treize's voice was sharper than he had intended.

"Well, the place he crawled out of.... I would have gone mad if I spend only a few hours there, let alone several days."

Again Treize's voice was too sharp: "why?"

"The way out of it was blocked by a collapsed wall, but he apparently managed to struggle through the debris eventually. He was in a room that was used by the servants to throw the leftovers from the main-kitchen in. But in the hours after the attack bodies from the servants themselves were thrown in there to make some space in the castle."

Treize's hand shot to his mouth in shock when he realized Milliardo had spend days in a room full of dead people, whom he had known, was possibly friends with.

"I know, sir, the stench was awful when I entered, there was also a lot of vermin attracted to it." The man looked down for a moment.

"A part of me feels sorry for him, it wasn't just the stench and the bodies, but the temperature has dropped a lot since we got here, it has been raining even snowing the last few days. It could all come in because parts of the roof had collapsed, so he must have been freezing cold."

Then the man raised his head, no longer thinking of the Peacecraft prince.

"Well how about my reward, sir?" he asked, greed shining through his eyes.

Treize's thoughts were still with Milliardo, but he automatically took a bundle of cheques from one of his pockets. The man was no longer looking at him, but looked at a point of the ceiling above him. Treize knew he was going to sell his information to others; Treize's reward would be just a little appetizer. And why wouldn't he? If he gave the Alliance information about the Peacecraft-heir being alive, it would guarantee him a wonderful life in the army. But I can't let him, Milliardo will be safe only when assumed death. Treize turned his head to the door, pretending to notice something. The man turned to see what he was staring at, Treize took out his pistol, raised his arm and shot him through the head. A painless death, without fear. He walked over to the window and looked at the city and the woods lying behind it.

"You are safe for now."

To Be Continued.