Disclosure: I don't own any of the gundam names, assoications, affilates, blah, blah, blah. But I wish I did, so there.
A red and orange sunset cast splashes of color across a large window, which in turn displayed them in a display of red around the room. Quatre stood at the window and looked out into the sun without really seeing it. His mind was elsewhere, it had been recently. A call rang out from across the room.
"Quatre!"
One of his many sisters came bounding across the room at him, completely breathless.
"Oh, there you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!"
"Goodness! Slow down before you pass out."
He led her to a chair where she promptly began talking a mile a minute.
"So sorry to burst in on you like that, but I just had to find you and tell you what happened, Millie said it would be rude, but you would want to know, I said, but the she said that it was none of my business, but I said, it was your business, and that you had a right to know, but she-"
"Wait! Tell me what Marie?"
At that moment, another of his sisters ran in.
"Marie! I told you not to tell him!"
Now Quatre was getting upset.
"Tell me what Millie?"
"Nothing, Quat."
"It must be something if your not letting Marie tell me."
She remained quiet, and began to turn to walk away.
"Millie! I demand to know what's going on!"
"Quat, we don't even know for sure yet, so there's no point in getting you upset about it."
"You've already upset me, so you don't need to worry about that!"
He let himself calm down before continuing in a softer voice.
"Just tell me what happened. I need to know."
"Oh alright! Elana and I where going through the last of the remaining papers of Father."
The same dull ache came to Quatre again, the same as it always did when discussing his father.
"And we found some letters that had been written quite some time ago. They were in exchange to a man named Count Rothgar of England. He and Father had been discussing a union of our families and reached an agreement. A signed document was drawn up, and now sits in the safe upstairs."
"I fail to understand all this."
"Well, basically, you are betrothed to Miss Avarona Liv Rothgar, daughter of Count Rothgar."
"I'm what?"
"I know. When we found out, we immediately made calls to see if the papers were legit, and if they were final. They are both, and we weren't sure what to do."
"When did you find all this out?"
"Well…"
"When?"
"A couple of months ago. We figured it-"
"Whose 'we'?"
"Katrina and a few others."
He groaned. Having 29 sisters, all wanting to run his life for him, was becoming extremely tiresome.
"Why wasn't I told?"
"We didn't think you needed to know."
"This is a question of whether or not I'm to be married to someone I've never met before in my life, and you didn't think I needed to know?"
She squirmed uncomfortably, and then glared at Marie.
"I told you not to tell him!"
"It was a good thing she did. Now, the first thing we have to find out is whether or not her parents still approve of this, and if we can arrange a meeting with them."
"Well…"
"Don't tell me you've already done that."
"We already contacted Count Rothgar, and he sounded dead set in marrying off his daughter to you, maybe she's a bad kid or something."
"Why didn't you leave this for me to handle!"
"There's no need to shout!"
Quatre turned around and counted to ten. He usually had a lot of patience, but not for when his sisters ran his life for him. He calmly turned back around and addressed both of his sisters.
"From now on; for the rest of forever, I want to be notified of everything in Father's papers that you come across."
"But-"
"Everything! I don't care if its just a note for groceries. I will not have the lot of you running my life for me, I'm quite old enough to that myself, thank you."
He turned to his desk and pressed a button on his phone which rang for his secretary.
"I am now going to pen a letter to Count Rothgar, explaining things in a frank, but polite manner, and I'm going to ask him to come and see us as soon as possible."
Millie opened her mouth to say something, but the thought better of it, and shut it. Marie spoke instead.
"Jolly good, Quat!" then turning to Millie, "I'm leaving now, at the risk of trying his patience further than we already have today."
With that she flounced out the door.
Millie turned to Quatre as he sat down.
"I'm sorry if we've upset you Quatre, but we were only acting on your best interests"
"As much as I love and appreciate all of you, I'm capable of handling things myself. For the past three years after the war with OZ, I've been successfully managing affairs of the Winner family estate." He paused, searching for the right words "I don't mind the little things Millie, but this isn't little. Its something big, and it directly impacts my life. I would really rather have been notified of this earlier."
Millie sighed, and suddenly looked much older than she really was.
"I know Quat. Its just that I'm so used to taking care of you that I forget I don't need to." She turned to go "I do however, hope that you'll continue to let me give advice."
"Goodness, its not as if I'm castrating you from the family, Millie. Of course I want your advice, and I will still need your help."
She brightened at that, and after bidding him goodbye, left the room.
Quatre pulled his fingers through his hair with a sigh. She was the most emotional of all his sisters, and it was easy to hurt her feelings. He smiled ruefully. Maybe to easy. His secretary, A tall wiry man with large eyes, arrived and began writing down the letter that Quatre dictated to him.
"Dear Count Rothgar…no, scratch that, Jacobsen, I don't want to sound to informal. Lets start with 'Dear Sir: I am writing you because I have just recently been notified of my betrothal to you daughter. Albeit my sisters have undoubtedly spoken with you previously, I think it would be beneficial to both parties, for us to discuss this face to face. Therefore I am cordially inviting you and your family to spend a week or so at my residence here in Toulouse, France. I hope you will be able to come. I hope to receive notification of your plans soon. Sincerely, Quatre Raberba Winner, Son and Heir to the late patriarch of the Winner family.' How does that sound, do you think?"
"Very good sir. Shall I type it up and send it out?"
"Yes, thank you."
"Will you be requiring anything else today sir?"
"No, that will be al Jacobsen."
As he exited the room, Quatre leaned back into his chair and pondered what had happened in the last hour. He blew hair out of his eyes in frustration. He was 19, but wasn't that still to young to get married? Yes it was. "I have no desire to get married now, or possibly ever." He decided. "Her name does invoke my curiosity, though. Avarona Liv Rothgar. This will definitely prove to be an interesting little adventure. As he leaned back in his chair it occurred to him how much he detested adventures.
Avarona was tired of waiting. She had been sitting outside her father's office forever, and it was annoying. She leaned back and closed her eyes, trying to find patience. She had arranged a meeting with him four days ago. She should have been shown in right away, but that awful secretary had said she would have to wait, because her father was busy. She opened her eyes again and focused on the many plaques and certificates her father had framed on the wall. She sighed. Just because he was a Count, and just because he had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and just because he was the richest man in Great Britain, did not give him the right to ignore her like this. Over the years he had been pretty much absent from every major event in her life. Her first school play, her fifth birthday, graduation from middle school, everything. It was as if he didn't care about her. He sent her presents, and visited her and her mother often enough, to be sure, but he wasn't a father to her. She had had a hard time accepting that when she was younger, but now she was older, she understood that the country needed him more than she did, and she would just have to settle with having her mother and her two older brothers for a family. She smiled at the thought of her mother. how her parents possibly got along was a mystery to her. Her mother was laid back, laughed a lot, and ate even more. She was a full-bodied Italian with a taste for fun. Her father, by sharp contrast, was strict, boring, and quiet. The two of them were obviously still in love, even after over 20 years, but how they ever came to be would always escape her.
"Avi, your father will see you now in his office."
"Thank you Mrs. Wattle."
Avarona walked with her head held high and her steps purposeful. She knew exactly why she was here, and she was going to make sure her father knew her feelings. She walked in to him, hunched over papers and writing. At 57 years old, he was far past his prime, but was showing no signs of slowing down. He glanced up at her and smiled.
"Avi, dear. Please sit down, I'll be done in a moment."
Avi sat down and waited. Finally he put down his pencil, and leaned forward.
"Now, sweetheart, what can I do for you?"
"Father, I want to discuss my betrothal to Mr. Quatre Winner, if you please."
"What is it you want to say?"
"I don't want to marry him."
He looked at her for a long moment before replying.
"Why not?"
"Well, for one thing, sir, I've never met the man in my life, and for another, I'm much to young to be married."
"Nonsense. Its perfectly normal to be married at a young age. Your mother was 17 when she married me, and your only two years younger than that."
"Well how old is Mr. Winner?"
"What a rude, unnecessary question. He is nineteen."
"Exactly my point! He's five years my senior!"
"Stop shouting, I can hear you fine." He added with menace, "And I don't appreciate what I'm hearing."
"Sir, this isn't fair. This was decided before I was even born-"
"Which is why you will abide by my rules, and why I will not change my mind." He stood and looked down at her from his great height. "I am your father, and Mr. Winner Senior, and I have agreed about this long before either you, of young Quatre came along. It is a good match, and will strengthen our family ties, and theirs."
"So that's what I am? A bargaining chip!"
He looked down at her fiercely.
"You are sorely trying my patience, my dear, and I am tired of arguing with you about something that has already been decided."
"But-"
"No! I have already told you my decision, and if you have any sense, you will leave this office now, before you vex me anymore."
"Sir, I-"
"Now, Avarona!"
Avi stormed out of the room. What a lout he was! She was forced into marrying a man she had never met before, just because his family wanted royal blood, and her family wanted connections and wealth. Before she left the waiting room, however, her father poked his head out the door.
"We will be leaving in one week to go and visit the Winner family at their estate in France. We will be staying for a month or so, to sort things out, and plan when the wedding is to be held. You should start to pack."
And with that he shut the door, and Avi ran from the office, with tears of fury pricking the corners of her eyes.
Back at home, Avi snatched things from her drawers and shoved them into various suitcases, as her maid hovered nearby to help. There was a slight knock on the door, as her mother entered the room. She curtly told the maid to leave the room, and then faced Avi with her hands on her hips.
"Your father called and told me what happened."
"Call him back and tell him I think he's a bloody lout."
"You can do that if you want, but I'm not scraping your remains of the floor."
"Mom, its not fair-"
She cut her off, "Life never is. You have to suck up the parts you don't like, and rejoice when you get lucky."
"What if I don't want to."
"Oh, honey, that's your fault. Frankly I don't care what you do about the parts you don't like, short of going outside the law, and disobeying us."
"Why do I have to get married? Its stupid, and I haven't even had my sweet sixteen yet!"
She sat on the bed with a huff, and struggled to remain calm. "And now, Father's telling me we're going to visit my fiancé, without even consulting me first!"
"Where does it say he has to consult you on anything?"
Avi remained silent. Her mother came around to bed, and sat beside her.
"I have personally had the pleasure of meeting Quatre briefly during the war with OZ. believe it or not, but he was one of the famed Gundam Pilots who kept the world from teetering into extinction, and out from under Treize Cushrenada's thumb. He is sweet, and thoughtful, and strong. Emotionally and physically. His family is big, and they are stable. All of these make him a good match for you. Also, the world has not been the same since the war, and many things are still uncertain. Your father has a lot of control over Great Britain, and that makes you a prize in the eyes of many unscrupulous people." She paused, and looked at Avi to make sure she was listening. "one of our fears, has been that you might be forced into a marriage with someone who would want to control the government, or even start a second war. If you are married to Quatre, not only will it erase that fear, but it will also further stabilize both countries, and possibly the world."
"If a my marriage is important as all that, then how come I wasn't told until last week, when a letter came asking if father was still serious about me marrying this Quatre guy?"
"One, we didn't want to worry you, and two, you simply didn't need to know. It was being taken care of, and we knew you would react this way anyway."
Avi's cheeks burned, and she looked at the ground furiously. Her mother grasped her shoulders, and said earnestly.
"Promise me you will give him, and this marriage a chance. Promise me that you will trust me like you always have. I have never let you down, Avi, and I never will. Quatre is amazing, and I'm sure with time you will grow to love him. Promise me that, love."
"I…promise."
"That's my good girl." She stood to leave. "I need to finish packing too," with that she left leaving Avi to her thoughts.
"That's that then, I guess. Maybe if won't be so bad." She reassured herself. "Maybe I will like him." She turned back to her packing, when suddenly, an uncomfortable thought hit her. What if he didn't like her?