A Vow of Protection
"Milliardo! Please come down here!" Katrina called. Six-year-old Milliardo Peacecraft ran down the stairs, a childish grin on his happy face.
"Yes, Mother?" Milliardo said, the young prince struggling to stand still.
"Your friends will be arriving soon. I want you to go clean yourself up for when Treize and Dorothy get here." Queen Katrina said.
"But, Mother! Dorothy's a girl! And girls are icky!" Milliardo exclaimed.
"Oh, you'll change your mind about that some day. Now go wash up!" The queen smiled and kissed her son's snowy locks.
"Eww! Cooties!" Milliardo called out as he ran toward the wash room. On his way there, the prince saw his father and some of his advisors. Milliardo bowed to his elders and continued through the hallway.
"Where are you off to in such a hurry, my son," King Peacecraft called.
"Mother gave me cooties and now I need to wash them off!" Milliardo told his father. The adults laughed as the little boy continued his long journey to the wash room.
"Cooties, hmm? That Milliardo's got quite the imagination," One of the advisors said.
"Yes," Said another, "What I'd give for a pair like Relena and Milliardo."
"They are some thing, aren't they," King Peacecraft said.
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"What are we going to play, Prince Milliardo?" Dorothy Catalonia said, the four-year-old trying to hold the prince's hand. Milliardo quickly pulled his hand away.
"Don't call me 'prince'. I don't like it," Milliardo said, "And don't touch me! You have cooties!"
"We could play 'wait on me hand and foot'," said eleven-year-old Treize Kushrenada.
"Why? I don't want to wait on your hands or your feet, let alone the rest of you. That involves touching you. And you have cooties!" Milliardo said.
"But you said only girls have cooties," Treize said.
"I made my point!" Milliardo laughed. After a long moment Treize realized what the prince meant.
"Excuse me, Milliardo, but I am not a girl!" Treize tried to defend himself.
"It's your word against mine, Treize," Milliardo snickered, "And I have proof that you are."
"How can you have proof?" Treize yelled at him, losing his temper with the younger boy.
"These," Milliardo said, pulling some photographs out of the deep pockets of his coat.
"Let me have those!" Treize ordered, lunging at the pictures in Milliardo's hand.
"No. They are mine, and I do not want your cooties on them!" Milliardo said, taking the photos out of Treize's reach.
"Please, Milliardo, let me see them." Treize said, trying to calm himself.
"I'll tell you what the pictures are of," Milliardo said, gloating in his victory over the older child, "This one is of you trying on your mother's scarves. This one is of you picking flowers. This one is of you reading a girly book... You know those romance novels that girls read. And THIS one is of you kissing a boy!"
"How did you get them?" Treize lost his temper again.
"I asked you cootie-covered cousin, Dorothy, to get the pictures for me," Milliardo said, putting the pictures back in his pocket. Then he happily watched as Treize chased Dorothy around the room.
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Prince Milliardo quickly sat up in his bed. Something was wrong. There was something in the air. Smoke. Milliardo could smell smoke in the air.
"Mother? Father?" Milliardo cried out. Another voice was crying out. Milliardo climbed out of his bed and ran into the adjoining room.
"Relena! Are you okay?" Milliardo asked, helping his two-year-old sister out of her bed.
"What's happening, Millie?" Relena wondered out loud.
"I don't know, but I'll protect you until we find father," Milliardo told her, trying to be brave.
The Peacecraft children slowly crawled through the castle, keeping low to the ground to avoid breathing in smoke. Milliardo noticed that it was much brighter, and much warmer downstairs. Relena gasped.
"What is it, Relena?" Milliardo asked. He was 'sush'ed by his sister and she pointed across the room. Milliardo looked and saw two soldiers feeding a large fire with the furniture of the castle.
"We have to find Father," Milliardo said, urging his sister to move on. They made it into a large room. Milliardo stood up, and helped Relena up to her feet.
"Relena, I hear some one coming. Find a place to hide." Milliardo ordered. His sister nodded obediently. Milliardo took cover behind a curtain while Relena looked around. She crawled under a table as a person entered the room.
It was one of their father's advisors. He had spotted Relena. Milliardo watched cautiously as he saw the man pick up Relena and take her out of the burning castle.
"I will watch over you, Relena," Milliardo said in his mind, "I will protect you. Always."
The End
"Milliardo! Please come down here!" Katrina called. Six-year-old Milliardo Peacecraft ran down the stairs, a childish grin on his happy face.
"Yes, Mother?" Milliardo said, the young prince struggling to stand still.
"Your friends will be arriving soon. I want you to go clean yourself up for when Treize and Dorothy get here." Queen Katrina said.
"But, Mother! Dorothy's a girl! And girls are icky!" Milliardo exclaimed.
"Oh, you'll change your mind about that some day. Now go wash up!" The queen smiled and kissed her son's snowy locks.
"Eww! Cooties!" Milliardo called out as he ran toward the wash room. On his way there, the prince saw his father and some of his advisors. Milliardo bowed to his elders and continued through the hallway.
"Where are you off to in such a hurry, my son," King Peacecraft called.
"Mother gave me cooties and now I need to wash them off!" Milliardo told his father. The adults laughed as the little boy continued his long journey to the wash room.
"Cooties, hmm? That Milliardo's got quite the imagination," One of the advisors said.
"Yes," Said another, "What I'd give for a pair like Relena and Milliardo."
"They are some thing, aren't they," King Peacecraft said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"What are we going to play, Prince Milliardo?" Dorothy Catalonia said, the four-year-old trying to hold the prince's hand. Milliardo quickly pulled his hand away.
"Don't call me 'prince'. I don't like it," Milliardo said, "And don't touch me! You have cooties!"
"We could play 'wait on me hand and foot'," said eleven-year-old Treize Kushrenada.
"Why? I don't want to wait on your hands or your feet, let alone the rest of you. That involves touching you. And you have cooties!" Milliardo said.
"But you said only girls have cooties," Treize said.
"I made my point!" Milliardo laughed. After a long moment Treize realized what the prince meant.
"Excuse me, Milliardo, but I am not a girl!" Treize tried to defend himself.
"It's your word against mine, Treize," Milliardo snickered, "And I have proof that you are."
"How can you have proof?" Treize yelled at him, losing his temper with the younger boy.
"These," Milliardo said, pulling some photographs out of the deep pockets of his coat.
"Let me have those!" Treize ordered, lunging at the pictures in Milliardo's hand.
"No. They are mine, and I do not want your cooties on them!" Milliardo said, taking the photos out of Treize's reach.
"Please, Milliardo, let me see them." Treize said, trying to calm himself.
"I'll tell you what the pictures are of," Milliardo said, gloating in his victory over the older child, "This one is of you trying on your mother's scarves. This one is of you picking flowers. This one is of you reading a girly book... You know those romance novels that girls read. And THIS one is of you kissing a boy!"
"How did you get them?" Treize lost his temper again.
"I asked you cootie-covered cousin, Dorothy, to get the pictures for me," Milliardo said, putting the pictures back in his pocket. Then he happily watched as Treize chased Dorothy around the room.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prince Milliardo quickly sat up in his bed. Something was wrong. There was something in the air. Smoke. Milliardo could smell smoke in the air.
"Mother? Father?" Milliardo cried out. Another voice was crying out. Milliardo climbed out of his bed and ran into the adjoining room.
"Relena! Are you okay?" Milliardo asked, helping his two-year-old sister out of her bed.
"What's happening, Millie?" Relena wondered out loud.
"I don't know, but I'll protect you until we find father," Milliardo told her, trying to be brave.
The Peacecraft children slowly crawled through the castle, keeping low to the ground to avoid breathing in smoke. Milliardo noticed that it was much brighter, and much warmer downstairs. Relena gasped.
"What is it, Relena?" Milliardo asked. He was 'sush'ed by his sister and she pointed across the room. Milliardo looked and saw two soldiers feeding a large fire with the furniture of the castle.
"We have to find Father," Milliardo said, urging his sister to move on. They made it into a large room. Milliardo stood up, and helped Relena up to her feet.
"Relena, I hear some one coming. Find a place to hide." Milliardo ordered. His sister nodded obediently. Milliardo took cover behind a curtain while Relena looked around. She crawled under a table as a person entered the room.
It was one of their father's advisors. He had spotted Relena. Milliardo watched cautiously as he saw the man pick up Relena and take her out of the burning castle.
"I will watch over you, Relena," Milliardo said in his mind, "I will protect you. Always."
The End