Author's note: I don't own Gundam Wing or its characters. I also do not own any of the songs used in this story. I'm a student; it won't do you any good to sue me.
The Right Choice
Noin rushed to her rooms. Quickly she began to throw practical clothes into a bag with her few prized possessions. The nineteen year old stripped her dress off and threw it in a corner. A pair of black pants were pulled on. She removed several linen bandages from hr dresser and wrapped them around her chest over her bra. People always said she looked like a boy.
After finishing dressing, Noin opened her window. Slipping the bag's strap over her shoulder, she climbed into the old oak tree. From there it was easy to slip off the manor's grounds. She would not be sold into marriage like a slab of meat.
***
Wufei Chang, the captain of the Royal Guard of the Sanc Kingdom, was annoyed. He was trying to find a replacement for a guard who had just retired, but everyone he interviewed was completely incompetent.
"Sir, come see the new arrival. He's beaten everyone who has challenged him so far," one of his lieutenants called.
Wufei made his way over to the spectacle. The youth was tall and slim with short raven hair that fell into his violet eyes. And a feeling told Wufei that "he" was a she.
"What's your name?" he called.
"Noin."
"Hand to hand, first to fall loses."
Noin fell into a fighting stance. Fifteen minutes later Noin went down, but she brought Wufei down with her. Someone tossed Wufei a towel.
"Would you be interested in a job?" he asked her.
She nodded and he led her over to his office.
"Now Miss Noin," he began; she sighed.
"I thought my disguise worked," she said.
"It does; I just have had some experience recognizing girls in disguise. Now I'm willing to hire you whether you're female or not; do you want to stay a man?"
"Yes please. I'd rather not be recognized."
"Alright then. You'll be guarding Prince Milliardo, he prefers to go by Zechs Marquise, and his younger sister, Relena."
***
Zechs notice the new guard right away. He was Zechs' age with raven hair and violet eyes.
"You're the new guard?"
"Yes sir."
"What's your name? It seems kind of rude to just call you 'hey you'."
"Noin sir."
There was something about Noin that attracted Zechs. He seemed like a nice, caring, understanding guy. After a week or so Zechs and Noin had become good friends, and Relena was beginning to think of Noin as a second brother. Noin shared many of Zechs' interests and had a similar sense of humor.
Zechs had a feeling that there was more to Noin than what he seemed, but he never pressed Noin about it. He respected Noin's privacy. Noin was gradually opening up to Zechs. He learn that Noin's family had been massacred when he was eight, that Noin had been the only survivor from his family, and that Noin understood him better than anyone else.
While running an errand in the city, Zechs was attacked. Noin shoved Zechs behind him. The man's knife cut through Noin's shirt but did not touch his skin. To Zechs' surprise a pair of curves appeared. Noin knocked the man out then looked down. She blushed beet red.
"Here," Zechs pulled off his coat and handed it to her.
"Thank you." There was a slight pause, "The only lie I told was that I was a guy."
"What's your real name?"
"Noin," she smiled. "I was born Lucrezia Noin, but I hate my first name."
"If you don't mind my asking, why did you disguise yourself as a man?"
"I don't mind; besides, I owe you an explanation. I wanted to make sure my family did not find me. I will not go back and have my entire life lived as they dictate it."
"Does anyone else know?"
"Captain Wufei does."
"Well, we can keep this our secret, or if your family does show up, I can offer you royal protection."
"Would you? I think I'd like that. I've hated lying to everyone."
"I think we can manage it."
The friends Noin had made did not mind that fact that Noin was actually a woman. Relena was thrilled. This was better than having another brother. It was much more fun to have someone like an older sister to confide in.
"Noin."
"Yes Zechs?"
The two of them were sitting on the roof above his rooms. Zechs was trying to avoid several ladies who all were intent on marrying him.
"You told be your family had been massacred when you were eight."
"And then I said that I was afraid my family would find me, I know. The people who died when I was eight were not my family by blood, but they were more my family than those I do share blood with. I'm ten years younger than the next youngest child in my family. My parents didn't really know what to do with me, so they sent me to live with some friends of theirs when I was two. I lived with them until they were killed."
"I'm sorry," he could see tears tumbling down her cheeks.
"It's okay."
He offered her his handkerchief which she accepted. After wiping away her tears, Noin said, "I think the coast is clear."
Several days later Noin found herself guarding Relena. It was raining out, and the princess was bored.
"Noin," she said suddenly, "do you know how to swing dance?"
"Yes, why?"
"Well, I've always wanted to learn."
The girl dragged Noin to one of the smaller ballrooms after collecting her friend Hildie. After showing the girls some relatively easy steps, Noin went to put on some music; none of the realized they were being watched. Noin leaned against a wall as she watched Relena and Hildie dance. Zechs left his corner and tapped her on the shoulder.
"May I?"
The two of them began to dance. They didn't notice the two younger girls had stopped dancing to watch them. After several minutes Zechs stopped.
"I don't know anymore."
Noin grinned at him, "That was fun."
They suddenly became aware of their watchers.
"Oniichan, I didn't know you could swing dance," Relena said; oniichan, the Japanese tern for beloved older brother, was Relena's pet name for Zechs.
"You never asked," he tweaked her nose.
Both Noin and Hildie laughed. While the king and queen were good parents, they were often busy. Zechs had grown up looking after Relena, and the two of them were very close.
"Is anybody here?" Duo stuck his head in the room. Duo was a young nobleman who had joined the Royal Guard. He and Hildie had been dating for awhile now. When he saw them, Duo entered the room followed by Heero and Quatre. Heero was probably the single most dangerous person in the Royal Guard. He was from Japan, and that was about all anyone knew about him. He was also devoted to Relena and in charge of her security. Quatre was a young nobleman. While he wasn't in the Royal Guard, he did work with them and was in charge of suppling them.
"Wufei's getting Sally, and Trowa's getting Cathy, and we were wondering if you four would like to join us for a game of capture the flag."
"Sure," Relena replied.
The others joined them.
"Sure," Relena replied.
The others soon joined them.
"So what are the teams?" Sally asked; she was a master healer though she was only eighteen.
"Guys verus girls," Duo replied.
"Hey, no fair! There are more of you than us," Hildie exclaimed.
"Fine," Relena said. "We get to choose which half of the palace is our side."
"Which side do you want?" Wufei asked.
"East side."
They found two bright pink blankets to use for flags. The jails were designated by a blue strip of fabric attached to their entrance. Both teams had twenty minutes to hide their flags. The game began. Noin surefootledly crept into enemy territory. She and the other girls had figured out a plan. Cathy and Hildie would guard the jail and the flag. Relena would play bait and lure the guys into their territory, so Sally could capture them. Noin was to infiltrate the boy's side, steal the flag, and bring it back to the girls' side. Once they had the boys' flag, they would take both flags to the entry hall; that would signal their victory.
Noin heard a yell of 'kisama' ring out. Sally had captured Wufei.
"One down, five to worry about," Noin thought.
She had a couple of close calls and was aware that Duo and Quatre had also been capture. Noin found the boys' flag stuffed in a closet. She was almost back to the girls' side when Zechs spotted her. He might have been able to sneak up on her if she hadn't caught sight if his platinum blond hair disappearing round a corner. Noin broke into a run. She caught hold of the grand staircase's rail and slid safely to the girls' side.
"I think we won," she told him. "Unless you, Heero, or Trowa have our flag."
"You don't have worry about that. I just captured Trowa five minutes ago, and Relena just got Heero," Sally said appearing in the doorway.
Zechs walked over to her and extended his hand to Noin, "Congratulations. Ladies."
He then snatched her uniform jacket which had been left hanging on the banister and dashed off.
"Zechs!"
Noin gave chase. When she finally caught up with him, Noin tackled him, and they went down in a tumble. Then Noin tickled him without mercy until he relinquished her coat.
"Uncle!"
She shrugged the coat back on and offered him a hand up. As she pulled him up, their eyes met, and they stood frozen staring at each other. The moment was broken by the arrival of the king and queen who were in search of their son.
"Ah Milliardo, there you are," the king said.
"Miss Noin," the queen acknowledged Noin's presence; she was rather fond of the young guard.
"Milliardo, you are now at an age to be considering marriage," King Stephen said. "Now I know you've never been really interested in girls, so your mother and I have arranged a bridal conference. We've contacted as many of the eligible ladies as possible. They'll come here and be judged on a verity of things. You'll be presented with a dozen finalists to choose a bride from."
Queen Katerina squeezed her son's shoulder as she passed. She knew this would be a shock for him, but it was for the best. She and her husband left him to absorb the news.
"There's a vase on the table you can throw if you want," Noin told him once his parents were out of earshot.
He shot her a tight smile, "Can we get out of here?"
"Sure. Where do you have in mind?"
Five minutes later the two of them were seated on a wide branch in the oldest tree on the palace grounds. They sat in silence for awhile before Noin spoke up, "It's not the idea of marriage; it's being forced to marry, isn't it?"
He nodded, "I wouldn't mind getting married someday. But I want to marry someone I care about, a friend at the very least, hopefully someone I really do love. I don't want to be tied down to one of those girls without an original thought in their heads. You know, the ones are perfect models of everything a lady should be. Their parents proud of what a catch their daughter made; who consider me some kind some kind of prize to be own. I don't want that; I want an equal, a partner."
He cut himself off before he said 'someone like you'.
The girls started to arrive the next week. Only a few of them seemed very nice to Noin. There were a couple girls who seemed rather shy and sweet, and two who were wonderful and would rather be anywhere else. Zechs did his best to avoid all the girls. He did pretty well until his father came up with the idea to throw a ball. Noin and Relena had filled him in on who he would want to avoid and who was safe, but he still was dreading the event.
A knock on his door as he struggled with the tie that went with his formal uniform.
"Come in."
It was Noin. She wore a simple yet beautiful gown of wine colored somewhere between violet and burgundy. It was sleeveless and had beadwork that started at the collar and trickled down the bodice. Silver earrings graced her ears, but they were the only jewelry she wore. Noin looked stunning, but incomplete somehow.
"Relena wanted me to remind you that you've got five minutes before you need to be in the ballroom," she told him.
"I'd be ready except for this blasted tie I have to wear."
"Here," Noin reached over and quickly tied the offending tie in the proper bow.
"You look beautiful by the way."
A dark blush stained her cheeks, "The dress was Relena's idea. She insisted on dragging me through every shop in the city until we found it."
"You made a good choice," and she had, but it was still missing something. "Hold on a moment."
He rummaged through the music box on his dresser that contained many of his keepsakes. Finally he found it, a large silver locket embossed with climbing roses of white and rose colored gold; it had been his great-grandmother's.
"There," he said as he placed it around her neck, "now you're perfect."
She looked startled and stammered a thank you. He grinned and offered her his arm. Her blush deepened, but she did accept. Noin managed to recover enough to tease him back. Just as they reached the ballroom doors, Noin removed her hand from his arm, and they were joined by Relena.
"Noin, you look wonderful. I knew that the dress was perfect for you," the princess exclaimed.
Noin grinned and said, "You two better get in there; they're ready to start."
Relena reached up and kissed Noin on the cheek, "I'll see you later."
Noin looked startled by that action. Zechs grinned at her, "I think you've been adopted."
She blinked then laughed, "You'd better get in there too; I'll see you later."
The woman shot him a smile and disappeared into the shadows. He felt an odd pang as she left but shook it off.
***
Noin slipped into the ballroom a few minutes after Zechs had entered. Her job was to mingle with the guests and keep an eye out for trouble. There were uniformed guards who would take care of things if trouble did happen, and if worse came to worse, she had both a dagger and a gun on her.
She saw that Duo and Hildie were up to something over by the punch bowl and made a mental note not to try the punch. Relena had retreated from the flock of admiring noblemen to hide in a quiet corner with Heero. Wufei had been convinced to dance by Sally. That didn't surprise Noin; it was pretty obvious that they shared a mutual attraction. Well, obvious to everyone except the two of them. Cathy, Trowa, and Quatre stood with a cluster if young nobles who were discussing the current political gossip. The woman spied Zechs dancing with one of the bride candidates. This one wasn't so bad. Meriel was just doing this because her parents had asked her to; she didn't care if she was chosen or not.
"Hey stranger."
Noin turned around to see two women standing behind her. The petite on with flaming hair was Dana Scully. Her attire was a blue dress a few shades darker than her eyes accented by a tiny gold cross. The other woman was taller. Sarah Mackenzie also wore a blue gown, but hers was much darker. Her chestnut eyes were warm as she greeted Noin.
"Mac, Scully, you two doing okay?" Noin smiled; these were the two who would rather be anywhere else. They both had their own careers. And their own love interests. Noin had talked with them for quite awhile and then had gone and talked with Zechs and Relena who had pulled a few strings. Scully and Mac were now out of the running as bride candidates. The three of them had also conspired to set up a surprise for Scully and Mac.
"We're fine," Scully replied.
Noin's smile grew wider, "You'll be better than fine in a moment."
She made a beckoning motion with one of her hands. Two men appeared behind Mac and Scully. They happened to be Harmon Rabb and Fox Mulder coworkers and friends of Mac and Scully.
"I don't suppose I could have this dance?"
"Mulder!" Scully whirled around, "I'd love to."
Mac also turned. Her mouth formed an o of surprise at Harm's flyboy grin. They too headed out onto the dance floor. Noin grinned with satisfaction.
An hour and a half later she was far less amused. Nothing had happened. Well except she'd had to fend off unwanted advances several times. During a lull Noin slipped out onto the wide balcony which was surprisingly empty. It was a warm summer night with a slight breeze that made it comfortable. There was no moon, but the sky was alight with stars. She leaned against the rail.
Footsteps echoed behind her. Noin spun around hand going to her dagger.
"Oh, I didn't know anyone else was out here," Zechs said.
Noin breathed a sigh of relief, "Hey."
He joined her by the rail, "I'm taking a short break."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, I'm hiding for as long as I can."
The breeze carried the music from the ballroom to their ears. A mischievous twinkle appeared in his eye.
"My Lady Noin, may I have this dance?" he executed a courtly bow.
"Of course your highness," she replied dropping into a deep curtsy.
They began to waltz around the balcony. Noin became aware of their closeness and how intensely blue his eyes were. As the music faded away their steps slowed. Zechs leaned down toward her. Their lips met in a soft, sweet kiss; thought became impossible.
"We can't," she whispered when they broke apart.
"I know," he rested his head against hers.
***
The scene was watched with great amusement by a group of ladies.
"Sh! They're coming inside," hissed Relena.
Hildie tossed a small camera to Cathy who managed to snap several shots of Zechs and Noin before they awkwardly parted.
"Relena, what do you know about Noin?" Katerina asked.
"Not much. Her family was massacred when she was eight, but that's about all anyone knows about her."
"Who was her family?"
"I don't know. My guess would be nobles though its hard to place her in any category by the way she acts."
"I'll have to look into that," the queen thought.
***
After a very awkward goodbye, Noin found a replacement and excused herself from the ball. She padded through the empty halls. One of her hands crept up to touch her lips. The kissed had been wonderful. Even magical. It wasn't her first kiss, but it definitely was her best.
She shook her head. She was not falling for her friend. Okay, maybe she was. But she wasn't going to let that affect things. They were friends, and she knew that anything more was not in the cards.
Noin took that time to return the locket to Zechs' room and scribbled a thank you before she sought her own bed. But the next evening, she found the locket sitting on her pillow with a note:
Noin,
Please keep the locket. You'll get more use out of it than I ever will.
Zechs
Along with the note was a photo taken at the ball. With scissors and shaking hands, she clipped the picture of herself and Zechs so that it fit in the locket. She left the picture of a young Zechs holding baby Relena on the other side.
The locket a permanent became part of Noin's attire. She wore it underneath her shirt at all times. Because of their schedules Noin and Zechs barely saw each other for the next week. When Noin finally got a break, she found herself wandering into the music room. While Noin could only plunk out a few notes on the piano, she could sing and enjoyed doing so. Looking at the music she began to sing.
Making my way downtown
Walking fast
Faces past
And I'm home bound
Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
Making a way through the crowd
Suddenly the piano came in just where it was supposed to.
And I need you
The piano came in again right on cue.
And I miss you
And now I wonder
Her voice trailed off.
"Go on; your voice is lovely," Zechs said from his seat at the piano.
She smiled, "Okay."
If I could fall into the sky
Do you think time would pass me by
Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles
If I could just see you tonight
Noin let the last note of the chorus die away.
"I didn't know you played," she said into the silence that followed.
"Just for fun. I don't really like to preform much."
"You're quite good."
"I could say the same about your singing."
"Thanks."
"Do you know Country Roads?" he played the opening notes.
She grinned, "Of course."
They spent the rest of the afternoon messing around with music. Noin convinced Zechs to sing. It turned out that he had a nice tenor voice. He found out she could play guitar and convinced her to play a few songs. They were quite unaware of the people who stopped in the doorway to watch them. Most left with smiles, but a few seethed with anger.
And as he spoke
He spoke ordinary words
Although they did not feel
For I felt what I had not felt before
You'd swear those words could heal
And as I looked up into those eyes
His vision borrows mine
And to know he's no stranger
For I feel I've held him for all time
"Prince Milliardo?" they were interrupted.
Noin looked up to see Lady Silvia Noventa standing in the doorway. She was very beautiful with wavy pale blond hair. Her silk gown matched her pale blue-green eyes. Noin wished she could sink into the floor.
"What can I do for you milady?" Zechs said.
"I'm afraid I'm a little lost."
"Where were you headed?"
"The gardens. I must have made a wrong turn somewhere."
Zechs made a slight face only noticeable to Noin. He got up from the piano and offered his arm to Silvia, "I'll just see you there then."
Noin fell in step behind them. After all, it was her job to watch Zechs' back. Once they reached the garden though it seemed that Silvia was not about to let Zechs out of her sight. Finally Noin came to the rescue.
"Excuse me your highness, but you do have a meeting with Captain Chang in five minutes. If you want to be on time, we need to leave now."
"Thank you for reminding me. Milady," he nodded to Silvia and turned away Noin falling in a step behind him.
Once they were out of Silvia's sight, Zechs dropped his arm around Noin's shoulders and grinned at her, "You are a lifesaver."
"Just doing my job," she replied mischievously.
He tousled her hair, "You're a sweetheart."
She smiled, but inside her heart was beginning to crumble. She had fallen for her friend, and it would hurt to lose him.
"'Lena, the others, and I are going swimming; do you want to join us?" he asked oblivious to her inner turmoil.
"Sure," she replied; anything for time with him.
***
Zechs found himself making just about any excuse to spend time with Noin. He would admit it in his heart that he was falling for his friend. But he said nothing; it would only hurt her for nothing could come of their relationship.
***
Noin leaned against the rail of the terrace. While she wore her uniform, she was not on duty. Scully and Mac had asked her to meet them here.
"So why did you want to see me?" she asked when they arrived.
"We wanted you to be the first to know," Mac replied.
"Know what?"
In response both women offered Noin their left hands. A single diamond tear set in gold adorned Mac's ring finger while a heart shaped garnet outlined in gold and silver circled Scully's. Noin grinned, "So the boys finally popped the question. Do I get an invite to the weddings?"
"Of course silly," Scully answered.
"Congratulations you two."
"Thanks. We're staying here until the conference is over. The weddings will probably be a couple months later," Mac informed her.
After they had left, Noin let her mind wander. She heard the clack of high heels behind her. Suddenly a hard shove sent her tumbling down the stairs. With a sickening crack her head hit a stone step, and her world went black.
***
Relena wandered across the terrace. She was bored and looking for something to do. She started down the stairs to the garden then stopped in shock. Noin lay sprawled across one of the steps.
"Heero!" she screamed as she flew down the steps. In a moment he was by her side. Noin was breathing and had a pulse, but there were no other signs of life. Relena's scream had also brought Duo and Hildie to her side; they had been walking in the garden. Hildie offered to go find Sally while Duo searched the area for intruders. Sally arrived with Wufei and Hildie on her heels.
After examining Noin, she said, "She was a concussion, and she might be in a coma. We need to get her inside to someplace she can rest.."
"Her quarters are on the other side of the palace," Relena paused, "but there are a couple of extra bedrooms on Zechs and mine's wing. We can put her in one of those; it's closer."
"And safer," Duo added. "I don't think this was an accident."
"Neither do I," Wufei replied darkly. "Neither do I."
Once they had moved Noin, there wasn't much else Sally could do. She suggested that one of them stay with Noin at all times. Relena volunteered to take the first shift. Her blue-green eyes were troubled as she watched her friend. There was a soft knock at the door.
"Come in."
"Relena, what's going on? Quatre said something about Noin being injured, but..." her brother's voice trailed off as he saw the figure on the bed.
"We don't know what happened. Heero and I found her on the terrace. Sally says she should be fine if she comes out of the coma. There was no one else in the area when we found her."
Zechs reached over to brush her bangs out of her eyes; Relena smiled at the tender gesture, "It's not your fault you know."
"It's not yours either."
The two siblings sat in silence together.
"You're in love with Noin, aren't you?" Relena finally said.
"I am. And it's the worst part of this whole bridal conference thing. I'll never be happy with the choice I'm allowed to make because my heart belongs to someone I can never have."
"There's got to something we can do."
"Mother and Father won't be talked out of it; the think it's one of those for your own good things."
"Life sucks."
"I know."
Three days later, Noin still had not woken. Zechs watched the steady rise and fall of her chest that was one of the few signs of life. He held one of her hands and talked to her about anything he could think of. His hopes and dreams, growing up with Relena. He told her that he loved her even though she couldn't hear him. He apologized for not being able to pursue a relationship with her.
He was in the middle of telling her about tricking a rather annoying tutor into thinking Relena had been kidnaped when her fingers tightened around his. Noin's eyes fluttered open, and she groaned slightly, "Did someone get the number of the truck that hit me?"
Zechs stared at her in shock. Noin surveyed her surroundings then looked at him, "Where am I?"
Sally opened the door, "Zechs, your shift is up; why don't you for get some sleep?"
"Sal, what is going on?"
The woman did a double take then immediately began to check Noin over. Zechs shook off his shock, "You've been in a coma for three days Noin.'
"What?"
"Relena found you out on the terrace, and we brought you here because it was closer than your quarters," Sally explained. "Do you remember what happened?"
"Someone pushed me."
"Who?" Zechs wanted to know.
"I don't know; I didn't see them. I heard someone in high heels come up behind me, and then I was falling down the stairs."
Zechs and Sally traded a look.
"I think you're fine Noin, but I want you to rest for the next few days. I'm going to get you something to eat and find the others. We have some planning to do."
It didn't take long for everyone to gather. They decided that for the time being it would be safer for Noin to stay where she was instead of returning to her quarters. Both Wufei and Duo suspected one of the bride candidates.
"I just wish there was a way to keep you out of sight and still let you do your job," Wufei said.
Maybe there is," Relena spoke up. "All the bride candidates think Noin's a woman right?"
Noin grinned, "So we go back to the masquerade of me being male. It might work. It sure beats being stuck here all day."
"Well, you're not going anywhere until I'm satisfied your alright," Sally said. "Understood?"
"Yes mother."
"The only problem I see," Cathy spoke up, "is that when people here the name Noin, they'll immediately connect it to the real you."
"But I won't be just Noin anymore like they're used to. Most people don't know if that's my first name or my last," Noin replied. "I'll be Noin Salinas to everyone now."
"Salinas? Where did you come up with that name?" Duo asked.
"It was my foster family's surname."
"Oh."
The name seemed slightly familiar to Zechs, but he couldn't place it.
"I think we'll permanently assign Guardsman Salinas to bodyguard the prince and princess," Wufei said. "That's probably the safest position for you."
When Noin finally returned to duty, she didn't see much of the bride candidates. Of course that was because she was with Zechs or Relena most of the time, and the avoided the candidates like a plague. But her time with Zechs was bittersweet. He was the best friend she ever had and the only man she was likely to love. And she was counting down the days until she would lose him.
***
Katerina Peacecraft smiled with satisfaction. She had found the answer, and it was the best possible outcome. Now how to get her husband's cooperation? Stephan himself solved that problem for her.
"Kat dear, what have you been up to in the archives? You seem to be spending all your free time there."
"I was looking into something. I have a question for you though. If there was a young lady who had the right qualifications but had been overlooked as bride candidates, could Zechs choose her?"
"You have someone in mind," it wasn't a question.
"The Salinas' youngest daughter."
The man looked pained, "Darling, we both know that all of the Salinas family was killed in that massacre. Otherwise we wouldn't be having this bridal conference. The original plan of Milliardo and his future bride having grown up together and becoming friends would still be on."
"Except that we overlooked something. Their youngest daughter wasn't their daughter by birth. They were fostering her and negotiating to adopt her. In the will it clearly states that she was to inherit the title of Lady Salinas."
"What do you mean?"
"Take a look at these photos."
The first was of the Salinas family. The youngest child was labeled Lucia Salinas. The second was a picture of the Noin family taken last year. There the youngest child was called Lucrezia Noin. It was the same girl.
"She now goes by the name Noin Salinas. She's the guard who was in a come for several days."
"You mean the young lady Captain Chang had appointed as a bodyguard for Milliardo and Relena?"
"Yes."
"And Milliardo's in love with her?"
"Yes."
"Then my answer would be yes. Milliardo's welcome to marry her."
"We need to let him know before he makes his choice tomorrow."
"That can be dealt with in the morning; right now we need to figure out how to get the council to agree to more funding for schools instead of kicking back extra taxes."
***
Zechs nervously tugged on his jacket; it wasn't often that he wore full formal dress. He schooled his face into a solemn expression though it was hard to keep from grinning like a fool with the news his father had just given him. He surveyed that twelve final candidates carefully. Of all of them Lady Silvia Noventa and Lady Dorothy Catalonia were the ones most people thought he would pick. His friends suspected that one of them had pushed Noin.
After a minute of silence he announced to the entire court, "There is no lady here who I would ever marry."
With that he strode from the room.
***
Noin stood alone in the music room. Everyone else had gathered in the great hall to hear Zechs' decision, but she didn't have she heart to join them. She sighed as she stared out the window. She stood in the sunlight it cast. She was barefoot and not in uniform. A white shirt, black pants, and violet vest was her simple outfit. For once she wore the locket out in the open instead of hidden under her shirt.
She didn't know how long she stood there just gazing out the window. The plink of piano keys broke the spell. She turned to see Zechs, dressed in all his court finery, at his usual seat behind the piano.
"Sing with me," was all he said as he played the opening chords of the Rose.
A dozen songs later, Noin realized something. All of the songs they'd sung were love songs. She looked at Zechs and was caught by the intense emotion in his eyes. Her voice faltered and dropped off. He continued to sing keeping his eyes fixed on her own.
And you can tell everyone
That this is your song
It may be quite simple
But now that it's done
I hope you don't mind
I hope you don't mind
That I put it in words
How wonderful life is
While you're in the world
The song ended, and Zechs came over to her and took her hands in his.
"I made my choice Noin. I chose you."
She just stood there blinking at him. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Neither of them noticed they had an audience. Zechs decided that particular look on her face was incredibly endearing. He leaned down and captured her lips in a gentle kiss. When they broke apart, he slid a delicate silver ring that held a heart shaped sapphire onto her left hand.
"My Lady Noin, would you do me the great honor of allowing me to marry you?"
Noin stood there in shocked silence for a moment the, "Yes. A thousand times yes!"
Zechs kissed her again; a cheer broke out form the assembled audience. They both turned in surprise to the door which was packed with their friends. Relena practically bounced over to them and kissed Noin on the cheek, "Welcome to the family sis."
Dorothy and Silvia stood gaping in the doorway. They were cousins by marriage and had made life hell for many of the other bride candidates.
"You can't marry here; she doesn't have the qualifications," Dorothy screamed.
"When did you recover from that coma a put you in?" Silvia demanded.
Wufei's eyes narrowed; the had their answer of who had attacked Noin. Relena looked the two women squarely in the eyes, "I wouldn't have said that if I were you. If you start running now, you might get a head start on the angry mob for Noin's friends that will be after you."
Silvia and Dorothy traded looks and took off.
"Maybe they have some intelligence after all," Duo commented.
The gathering in the music room became an inprompto party which grew and expanded as news of Zechs' choice spread throughout the palace. Noin had made many friends among the palace staff since her arrival, and the too joined the revelry.
At some point Zechs and Noin slipped away from their friends and out into the gardens. They strolled together hand in hand enjoying their time alone. Faint strains of music could be heard from the palace, and they began to waltz together in the moonlight. As the tune faded away, they drew closer. Noin smiled up into Zechs' eyes, "I remember this part."
"Do you?"
The kiss they shared was warm, sweet, and guilt free.
Owari (the end)