Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Where Sunrays can't reach you ❯ Interlude ( Chapter 13 )

Interlude: Thoughts of a Lady.

She tapped her fingers on the keys of her computer. Her nails were short of course. It wouldn't do to have long elegant nails in the military. She had wondered why women choose to have those, as they were so impractical. On her screen were reports on resistance groups against the Alliance in the Sanc kingdom. Those groups have been active for many years and she had read about them before. Now that OZ was liberating the Sanc-kingdom from the Alliance military, it was necessary she would be even better informed on their workings.

It surprised her how many operations they had carried out in a highly professional way. Wasn't this supposed to be a peaceful country? A smile formed on her lips. Lady Une was not a fool. Even the most peaceful of people could turn in war-thirsty barbarians in certain circumstances. What hadn't surprised her was how the Sanc kingdom was chosen amongst the first countries to be freed of the Alliance. Not that it was because of a militaristic reason; the Sanc-kingdom had hardly any strategic importance. It's because of him.

From the first moment she heard a Zechs Merquise was going to arrive at Khushrenada castle, she had been suspicious. She couldn't find much data on the man and had suspected him to be an assassin. She had tightened security and staid up lots of nights to ensure His Excellency was safe. Quickly she became aware of his interest in the young man, which turned into infatuation, which turned into something even worse. The moments they were alone made her nerves almost pop. She had been deadly afraid that upstart was going to murder His Excellency. When she had guarded his door she sometimes heard them talk. She couldn't hear everything, but she did catch the name the colonel uttered.

Milliardo.

It was a name only appearing in Northern-European countries. She knew Zechs was out of the ordinary or else he wouldn't go through so much trouble to cover his identity, so she went looking through all kinds of files on her computer. Famous assassin groups, anti-Alliance figures, their families. Soon she found out the Sanc-kingdom had had a prince called Milliardo. No pictures of him could be found on the Universal Wide Web, but there were some in the files of the Romefeller Foundation. It was a young boy with a serious face, hair the same color of pale white that hung beneath Zechs' mask.

Milliardo Peacecraft.

The man who had worked his spells on Treize.

Treize had had discreet affairs before. Those had always been a one- or two-time thing. Some of those she had even helped in covering up. But never, NEVER had he fallen in love. She rubbed her chin. It did hurt. She had accepted the fact that he might never love her like she did him. What kept her going was their goal, for which they strived so hard, together. Talking with him in the evening was the highpoint of her day. Showing her dedication, her hard work and passion for what they were going to achieve. She had been grateful to his Excellency beyond words. He was the one who pulled her out of a dull life of nothingness in aristocracy. During many centuries not much had changed. It was still expected of highborn ladies to marry a lord and do nothing besides bearing children.

Since Zechs Merquise had come his Excellency had been more distracted. It felt like he took her place. It wasn't longer our goal, but theirs. She mistrusted the man and the way he seemed to play with his Excellency enraged her. Sometimes he came to his Excellency himself and at other points he kept his distance. It was this that convinced her he had a secret agenda. For how could anyone want to run away from him?

Now it must have been Zechs who had convinced him to liberate the Sanc-kingdom. There was nothing she could do about it though. Zechs had been with the forces guarding the earth in space and was under direct command of a major. But even though the two men had been separated for months, his Excellency hadn't forgotten about Zechs. With his soldiers he was nothing but determination, with aristocrats nothing but charm, but she had seen his somber look in the evenings as he stared longingly at the skies.

With all the antipathy she had felt for this Zechs, she always acted in a way his Excellency could never disapprove of her. Even if that meant helping the lieutenant. Her scientists had fused atoms to a molecule that gave a violent reaction with oil, which had been dumped in the great reservoirs of de La Ferre's ill-guarded oil-refineries. That particular assignment had given her much joy for she remembered all too well how he had always made life hard for his Excellency. But that was not all she had done.

Her investigators had found out Yui Mikage had sabotaged Zechs' Mobile Suit. Why? Something as infinitely pathetic as envy probably. She never could understand those brazen officers, with nothing but ambition for themselves. Lady Une had taken care of the man himself, shooting him as he begged for mercy. If there was one thing that was required in an army it was discipline and the man had made a true disgrace of that. She wondered if Zechs had thought she had been behind the sabotage. Probably, proud man.

Still nothing seemed to matter to those two. They only looked at future obstacles, but never to those of the past. A dangerous way to live. What had started to trouble her just before the lieutenant left was how Zechs had never tried to assassinate his Excellency. There were so many times he could have done it and still… It can't be that he has developed feelings for him, can it?

Her communicator switched on. His Excellency.

He smiled.

"Good evening, Lady."

"Good Evening, sir. Any orders?"

"I would like you to postpone the occupation of the royal castle, until I am done there," he said.

He wants to be alone with him and his past.

"Shall I arrange for lieutenant Merquise to be taken there as well?"

He looked at her a little surprised, but then smiled acceptingly. He knows I know.

"Yes, Lady."

"Your Excellency? Be careful, Mr. Chang's actions clearly proved there are capable people who want to kill you," she said.

He nodded and she wanted to break the connection. But he gestured for her to stay on for a moment.

"You do know more than you let on sometimes, don't you Lady?" he said. Then he broke the connection himself.

A content smile formed on her lips. It was just like it used to be for a second. Him teasing her with her rigidness and well-informedness. Don't you dare destroy him, Zechs Merquise.

To be Continued.

Well I loved writing Lady's perspective on everything, hope you liked reading it. Next time Zechs and Treize meet again in the Sanc kingdom, where it's not just Milliardo's past that catches up with them.