Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters do not
belong to me, but to the good people of Sunrise,
Sotsu, Bandai, and quite possibly various others,
whose names I cannot possibly keep track of, but who,
I'm sure, know exactly who they are.

* * *

"Crafting Peace"
by Christine Anderson
aka Anne Khushrenada
ladyune@gundamwing.net

"I think I'm starting to hate him," Relena Peacecraft
said with a sigh.

"Who?" her brother asked, although he was fairly sure
that he knew. It was often better for Relena if she
could talk things out, as if she could give voice to
them and let them go.

He wished, always, that it could be so easy for him.

"Heero," she said.

Milliardo nodded. "Ah. You and Heero live in
different worlds, little sister. You can't hate him
for what he is."

"But-" Relena sighed. "I want peace in this world,
more than I want anything in the world. But..." She
paused, shook her head. "I understand why Heero
fights, and there are days I wish I could join him.
War is easy. Hell, but easy. Peace is hard."

"Yes," Milliardo agreed. "And your joining Heero's
fight would gain nothing. There are too many fighting
already; one more wouldn't make any difference."

"Dorothy doesn't think so."

"And nor does Treize," Milliardo replied. "It can be
very hard to disagree with one's friends, Relena."

"Dorothy," Relena replied, "is not my friend."

"But she can be," Milliardo replied. His eyes turned
momentarily to Noin, and he nodded slightly. Noin
nodded back.

"Relena," said Noin.

"You're ganging up on me again," Relena said in soft
complaint. "You shouldn't be able to do to that to a
princess."

"On the contrary," said Noin. "A princess may need it
more than anyone else. Do you know what Romafeller's
greatest weakness is?"

"Tubarov's ego?" Relena quipped.

"Clever girl. But no, their biggest problem- and
their greatest weakness -is the fanatical devotion
they have to their cause. Because of that, they'll
never see any middle grounds or compromises. And you
will." Noin's faith in the truth of this statement
was plainly visible in her eyes.

"But if they won't listen, then what-?" Relena began.

"They may not ever listen, Relena, but someday they
will see. And if they see enough of the truth that
it's impossible for even them to deny it... then
what?"

"The Sank Kingdom could live again," Relena breathed.
She turned from the room at a run. "Pargan! Ready the
car, please. I'm going out."

Milliardo turned to Noin again, raising an eyebrow in
question. She shrugged in reply.

"I don't know what she's up to this time," Noin said,
"but your sister has a habit for casting tact to the
winds and cutting straight to the heart of the
matter. That quality will make her a very good queen
someday."

"If it doesn't get her killed first," Milliardo
muttered. "Pargan-"

"I'll take good care of her, Mister Peacecraft,"
Pargan promised.

Milliardo settled back into his chair. "You should go
with her, Noin. Pargan thinks he is protection
enough, but..."

Noin shuddered. "I'm going to take that gun away from
him."

"Oh?" said Milliardo. "I thought you were taking him
out to the shooting range, to practice."

"I did." Noin sighed. "Milliardo, he's-" *Hopeless,*
she thought, but never had a chance to say.

"Noin," Relena called, appearing once again in the
doorway, her uniform jacket now in place. "Are you
coming?"

"Yes, Relena, just a moment."

Milliardo took her hand briefly. "Take good care of
my sister, Noin."

"Yes, sir," Noin replied with a smile, before turning
to follow Relena.

As they made their way out towards the car, Noin
asked, "So, where did you have in mind to go,
Relena?"

"I," said Relena, "am going to see Treize
Khushrenada. I am going to put an end to this awful
war once and for all!"

* * *

"Excuse me, Your Excellency?"

Treize Khushrenada turned towards the sound of the
servant's voice, snapping closed the leather-bound
volume he was reading. "Yes?"

"I am sorry to disturb you, sir, but you have a
visitor."

"A visitor?" Treize asked, replacing the book upon
the library shelf.

"Yes, sir. An emissary from the Sank Kingdom."

*Damn,* thought Treize. *My dear Lady, I had hoped it
would be you. But perhaps- Milliardo?*

"Well," he said. "Show him in, please."

"Her, sir."

Before Treize could react, the servant departed,
returning momentarily with two young women in tow.

"Your Excellency, Princess Relena Peacecraft, of Sank
Kingdom, and her guardian, Miss Lucrezia Noin."

The older of the two women stood a half-step back
from the younger, a pistol on one hip and a slim
rapier upon the other. Treize immediately recognized
Lucrezia Noin, and he nodded in familiar greeting.
The servant seemed a bit taken aback by her being
armed in the presence of Treize, but he knew that if
Noin had come to kill him, he would be already dead.
Knew, as well, that if she'd come to kill him, she
would not have brought the princess of the Sank
Kingdom with her.

And it was that princess, Noin's protectee, whom he
focused most of his attention upon. So long as he was
not a direct threat to Relena, Noin would not pose
any threat to him.

Relena Peacecraft had all the fire and passion of
Milliardo at her age, but without the latter's
cynicism or bitterness. Relena was what Milliardo,
his eternal friend, could have been if circumstances
had been different.

Treize bowed from the waist. "Princess Relena. It's a
pleasure to see you. Won't you sit down. Might I
offer you something? Tea?"

"That would be lovely, thank you," Relena replied as
she took the seat Treize offered her.

Treize gestured towards the servant. "Tea for the
Princess and I, please." A seasoned military
commander as well as a born aristocrat, he knew
better than to offer something to Noin; she would
only politely refuse, to keep her hands free and her
attention focused entirely where it belonged, upon
the young girl with whose protection she was charged.

After the servant had brought the tea and departed,
Treize poured for his guest and then studied her over
his cup.

"Well," Relena said as she set her cup upon the table
after sipping politely. "I realize you are quite
busy, Your Excellency, so I will waste as little time
as possible."

"Time spent in the company of my dearest friend's
sister is never wasted, my dear. How is your brother,
might I ask?"

"He is well, sir," Relena said. "But I did not come
here to discuss my brother."

*Of course not,* Treize thought. *They have trained
you well, my dear, but there are things only the
years will teach you to truly understand.*

He nodded. "You, too, must be busy, Relena."

"Yes," she replied. Then, heedless of the
consequences, she went on. "This has to end, Your
Excellency. It *must* end, before more good people
die for nothing."

Treize smiled at her. "I find your perspective very
refreshing. Of course you know that what you suggest
is impossible."

"I know no such thing," Relena replied.

"Then you are naive, for what you suggest *is*
impossible."

"Is it?" Relena asked. "Don't you want peace?"

*If she only knew what a complicated question that
was,* Treize thought. Aloud he said, "What I want is
immaterial. If a single person's determination could
have ended this war, it would have been over and done
with years ago. I do admire your determination, make
no mistake about that. However-"

Relena cut him off. "I have seen the power that one
voice has, Your Excellency. I have seen what one
voice can do. I have seen what five can do. I have
seen what a nation can do. And I can only imagine
what a world can do. But it has to start somewhere,
sir. *It has to start somewhere.* Join me, join Sank,
and help me stop this horrible war."

Treize's smile was amused now, and little more. *Ah,
Milliardo, my friend. What a charming idealist she
is, this sister of yours. I see now why you all love
her so. And because I love her also, I will not hurt
her in this if I can help it.*

"Some," he said aloud, "have known little else
besides war. Think, if you would, of your friends,
the Gundam pilots."

"They fight," Relena said rather flatly, "because the
peace-loving leaders of this world were destroyed."

"They fight for revenge," Treize countered. "And
revenge does not suit itself well to peace. In the
world you envision, your friends would be outcasts."
A pause, pregnant with meaning. "As would I."

"No!" Relena exclaimed. "Your Excellency, you are
just the sort of man my kingdom needs." She dropped
her voice, deep blue eyes seeming to plead with him.
"Join us. Join the nation of your birth- Yes, I know
the truth now. Your father served mine. My brother
and I owe both you and he our lives. I know that much
has changed since those days, and yet you are still
my brother's childhood friend, a man grown of the boy
whom your father trained to take his place."

"Relena," Noin began, but Treize waved her to
silence.

"No, Miss Noin, I would like her to continue. Go on,
Relena."

Relena sighed. "You're only humoring me, aren't you?
No one takes me seriously- no one! I am not a child
anymore, Your Excellency- in your own way you saw to
that, you and Lady Une. When she killed the man I
knew as my father, the little girl too young to
remember Sank as it was, died with him." Blue eyes
met blue, and Relena did not look away. "I am Relena
Peacecraft. Relena Peacecraft! My father- my true
father -was a king, and one day I will be queen.

"My fathers, both of them, were dedicated to peace.
As am I. I have always been dedicated to it, though I
didn't always understand it. I will see this war end,
Your Excellency. I will."

Treize, amazed despite himself at the very passion
with which she spoke, rose from his chair. "Walk with
me, Relena."

"Your Excellency, surely you can't expect her to
trust-" Noin began.

"On my honor, Miss Noin, I tell you she will not be
harmed. Nor will any harm be allowed to come to her.
You see me as your enemy now, and I do realize that-
but I tell you that within these walls, I would die
to protect your princess. Anyone wishing to hurt her
will have to get through me first."

Noin nodded. "Then I'll wait here."

Gesturing for Relena to precede him through the door,
Treize turned back to Noin. "You may trust me, Noin,
if only in this one thing."

Relena waited for him outside the library, her
expression showing her disappointment. "I suppose
you're going to ask me to leave now," she said.

"Certainly not. You haven't yet spoken your piece,
have you?"

"Would it matter?" Relena asked. "You think me an
idealistic young fool."

"Idealistic and young, yes, but the idealistic and
the young have done great things. And you, whatever
else might be said of you, are certainly not a fool."
Treize shook his head. "No. On the contrary, I find
your idealism and frank ways of speaking to be
refreshing. If only those I deal with on a daily
basis could speak so plainly..."

Relena nodded. "You seemed surprised, that I knew of
your true history."

"I am surprised Milliardo remembered. You were both
very young then."

"And you only a few years older than my brother." She
paused, took a deep breath. "You risked your life to
help us then, and you were old enough to know how
dangerous that might be. I came here to ask you, no,
to beg you- to do it only once more. I say it again,
sir: Help me end this."

Treize was struck by the sudden desire to draw the
girl into his arms and hug her. She was so certain
that it could be only that simple...

"Tell me this, then, please. What is it that causes
you to think I have the power to do that anymore?"

"You are the commander of OZ. If anyone could-"

But Treize shook his head. "More and more, I lead in
name only. Romafeller has taken decisions like these
out of my hands. To be frank, even if I wished to
help you- and I cannot say absolutely that I don't
want to do that -I can't."

Relena sighed. "So I must take my words to Duke
Dermail, then. So be it." And she turned away,
starting for the library...

Treize caught her arm and drew her back. "No!"

"No?" Relena asked sharply, jerking away from him.

Taking her hands, Treize knelt before her. "My dear
child. I had suspected when you came here that you
thought to presume on my friendship with your
brother. Which is well within your rights, I believe-
one uses the tools one has available. But I tell you
this now, and hope that you will heed my words.
Dermail has not my long-standing affection for your
family."

"I don't understand," Relena said. "He is the true
leader of the faction opposing peace now. I must
speak to him."

"Then for the love of God, do so from a great
distance."

Relena still seemed not to understand what he was
getting at. "You spoke a moment ago of your wish that
people would speak more plainly. Speak plainly now,
to me."

"Dermail will kill you if he can," Treize said
flatly. "Surely you didn't think that Lucrezia Noin
was your guardian only for show purposes? No, her
duties are very real, and Sank's need for her and
those like her is great. Don't throw her life away by
taking unnecessary risks."

"What?" Relena whispered. "Kill me-? Kill Noin? But
why?"

"You, because you stand in opposition to him. Noin,
because she will stand between you and harm even if
the cost is her own life."

Relena buried her face in her hands. From there she
whispered, "No! I never wanted anyone to die for me,
never."

"I know," Treize told her. "I know."

Relena looked up at him, slowly. "Help me."

"I don't have that authority anymore."

"Yes, you do. In the eyes of OZ, you do." Relena rose
unsteadily to her feet. "All I ask is that you think
about it. *Really* think about it. Remember Sank as
it was, and your father, and mine."

She turned towards the library. "Noin?"

"Yes, Relena?"

"Tell Pargan to bring the car around, please. I think
we'll be leaving soon."

Noin nodded, and departed.

Once she had gone, Relena turned back to Treize.
"Will you do it?" she asked.

"I...will think on what you've said." Treize found
that his voice was hardly as steady as it had been.
How was it that such idealistic nonsense could so
make him question everything?

"That's all I ask," Relena told him. "If you wish to
speak again, you know where you can reach me. Or
Milliardo, if you would rather debate all of this
with him." She smiled. "You were born in Sank.
Someday you're coming home. I know that- someday you
will, too."

With that, Relena Peacecraft, the future Queen of the
Sank Kingdom, turned away. And Treize Khushrenada,
once OZ's most dedicated commanding officer, watched
her go, his expression thoughtful.