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. "Home Again" is
a song from Carole King's 1971 album "Tapestry", and
it doesn't belong to me, either.
Author's Note: This is my first songfic, and, since I
used to hate the things, I won't make any promises
about its quality. Also, I have yet to see an episode
of Gundam with Dorothy Catalonia in it, and therefore
her portrayal in this story is based on other
people's interpretations in fanfic and such. So if
she's less-than-accurate, I apologize.
* * *
"Home Again"
by Christine Anderson
aka Anne Khushrenada
ladyune@gundmwing.net
Her hands stuffed into the pockets of her coat, her
head bent against the wind, Lady Une made her way
slowly along a city sidewalk. The sky was growing
dark, and night was not far off now. She was nearly
alone on the street, and she was glad of it. A light
dusting of snow covered the sidewalk at her feet, and
her boots slipped soundlessly through the soft
whiteness.
Inside her coat, protected from winter's chill winds,
were a dozen roses. Red, as he would have liked them
best. The thorns stabbed her as she'd known they
would, and yet she'd done nothing to prevent it.
Within all things beautiful, there was pain. It was
an important lesson, and not one she wished to
forget. She knew that by the time she reached her
destination, her blood would have stained the dark
blouse she wore, and though nearly invisible, it
would not be hard for her to see it, for there were
days, many days, when the sight of that blood was all
that told her she still lived.
*Sometimes I wonder if I'm ever gonna make it home
again*
*It's so far and out of sight*
One hand withdrew from Une's pocket, to brush a
strand of long brown hair back from her face. The
hand trembled as it moved.
As she continued her solitary walk, she was almost
certain she heard his voice, though of course it was
impossible. "Lady, the hour is late, and this night
is cold. You should be home, warm before the fire."
Home. Warm. Had those words ever had meaning for her?
She supposed they must have, and yet it was very hard
to believe that. His death had taken her world and
shattered it, had changed everything, irrevocably.
She closed her eyes briefly, as if to block the sight
of a pain that she could never, in truth, look away
from. Tears brimmed in her eyes, some spilling over
to her ice-cold cheeks, but she hardly noticed.
"No," Une whispered. "Not yet. Not yet..."
She forced her eyes open and kept walking. Placing
one foot in front of the other seemed very difficult,
and yet she did it. One step, and then another.
*I really need someone to talk to*
*And nobody else*
*Knows how to comfort me tonight*
Une withdrew her hands from the coat's pockets to
ease open the old wrought-iron gate. It creaked along
aged hinges as it moved, and she was careful to shut
it behind her before making her way silently,
respectfully, along the snow-covered ground.
The graveyard, always quiet, in this strange snowy
twilight, seemed a place where sound simply could not
exist. Une knew that she had never felt so lonely as
this. Yet still she hoped none would intrude upon her
here and now, that those well-meaning souls who
thought to share in her grief would have the sense to
keep themselves away tonight. It seemed that only
alone could she grieve for the one she had loved.
At the graveside she dropped to her knees, gloved
fingers tracing the words etched into the plaque. She
reached within her coat and withdrew the roses,
setting them gently upon the marker, above his name.
This done, Une sat back on her heels, holding her
head in her hands.
*Snow is cold*
*Rain is wet*
*Chills my soul right to the marrow*
Snow had begun to fall again, but Une hardly noticed
it. She could not take her eyes from the marker, upon
which her love's name had been carved.
A wind swept through the graveyard, and as it found
its way through Une's coat, it seemed to turn not
just her skin, but her very soul, nearly to ice. She
shivered, but found that she could do nothing to warm
herself.
"Perhaps to embrace death was all that you could do
in the end, Treize. But why- why must I grieve for
you so? You chose your own fate, as you always did. I
should be pleased that you died as you wished to. But
maybe I am selfish. I miss you so..." A sob escaped
her lips, and then she went on. "Treize, I am lost
without you. Your destiny cannot be mine, now. I
cannot do what you did, and yet they all expect it of
me. They expect so much, and I do not know how to
give it to them! I can never take your place,
never...
"Is it not enough that I have lost you? Must I, too,
know now that I loved you, and that I never told
you?" She buried her head in her hands then, and
wept, sobs shaking her chilled body.
*I won't be happy till I see you alone again*
*Till I'm home again and feeling right*
A man's voice cut through her tears, and for one
glorious, horrible moment, she thought that it was
Treize.
"He knew, Lady."
The tall, dark-coated figure of Milliardo Peacecraft
stepped from the ever-darkening evening shadows to
stand beside her, long blonde hair trailing after
him.
Une turned to look at him, her tear-stained face
drawn up towards the moon. "Cannot I even be left to
myself to grieve? Begone, Peacecraft."
Milliardo dropped to his knees beside her, unwrapping
the woolen scarf from about his neck. Ignoring her
protests, he said, "Here. You're freezing," and
placed the scarf around her neck and shoulders.
"I don't care," Une whispered.
"I know," Milliardo said. "When I heard you'd gone, I
knew this is where I would find you."
Une's eyes narrowed. "Very well. So you have found
me. Is there truly something so important that you
must follow me here, disturb me at Treize's grave, to
speak to me of it?"
Milliardo drew a deep breath. "Yes, Lady Une. There
is."
"What is it, then? Speak your piece and go."
"He knew that you loved him, Lady. He might never
have spoken of that knowledge to you, but trust me,
he did have it."
"How can you be so sure? You did not know every
secret of his heart, every thought he held to
himself."
"No, and nor did you. But we knew him well, both of
us. Since the days of our childhood he had been my
dearest friend. He knew, and even I knew that he
knew." Milliardo paused. "Why do you think so many
went to such great lengths to return you to him after
you were injured? Everyone knew what you meant to
him."
"But," said Une, "did he ever know what he meant to
me?"
"Oh yes," Milliardo said. "If he knew anything at
all, he knew that."
"But why did he never-?"
"Because that was his way, Lady. He loved you, and in
another time and place he might very well have given
up all that he fought for, to be with you, to embrace
the peace of the world with you. But there was none
other to lead the fight he knew would have to take
place, and with you at his side..." Milliardo paused,
seeming a bit choked up. He coughed, and cleared his
throat, before going on. Une wanted to reach out a
supporting arm to him, but did not. "He said to me
once that you made the darkest times bearable to him.
Because of what you were to each other. Because of
your unshakable faith."
"Yes," said Une bitterly. "My faith. I had faith once
that he would lead this world, that it was his
destiny to lead it. I loved him, Milliardo, and I
loved him well. But- tell me, was my faith so
misplaced?"
"No, Lady. He *could* have led the world, and chose
not to. You, now, have the same choice."
"I?" Une asked, surprise clearly evident even through
her grief.
"Who better, Lady?"
Une shook her head. "I cannot replace His
Excellency."
"No one can *replace* him, Lady," Milliardo said.
"But you are the one he would have wanted to succeed
him. Would you deny his wishes?"
"No, I-" Une's hands trembled as she reached up to
adjust the scarf. "But I can't. Truly, I can't."
"You can," he replied. "You are perhaps the only one
of us who is strong enough to do what must be done,
now. Certainly you are the only one whose heart is
still pure enough."
Une laughed bitterly. "My heart is not pure,
Milliardo, but broken, shattered, beyond repair."
"Perhaps," Milliardo answered. "Perhaps. I think it
quite possible that you will never love another, not
as you loved Treize, but the Earth needs you, Lady.
Treize loved the Earth, and he loved you. Perhaps it
is that you need each other, now."
"This from the man who tried to destroy the world
Treize so loved?" Une asked.
Milliardo smiled ruefully. "Exactly what I meant when
I said that you were the only one whose heart was
pure enough. Mine certainly is not. I have done too
many things, and I cannot now wash the blood from my
hands. But you, Lady Une..."
But still Une shook her head. "Relena. Her heart is
certainly more pure than mine."
"Relena has made her choice already, Lady. She has
chosen not to rule, but rather to take up the mantle
of her foster father, to fill in his place, as a
diplomat of sorts. The work suits her, she says, and
I agree."
"Then I will choose, as well, to do other work."
"And run away from what must be done? From what
Treize would have you do? No, Lady Une. You cannot.
Someone must choose to lead, to truly *lead*, and
only you are left to do it."
Une turned away from him then, gazing down upon
Treize's grave. She sighed deeply. "Damn you,
Treize," she whispered, her tone somewhere between
amused and angry. Then she turned back to Milliardo.
"He spoke to you of this, as well?"
"In a manner of speaking, he did. He wanted you to
understand the role he would have you take in the
event that he did not survive the final days of the
war." Milliardo withdrew a handkerchief from his
pocket, and dabbed at his eyes. "Excuse me, Lady."
"No, cry all you wish," Une said, feeling suddenly
very badly for having meant to send him so rudely
away. In her grief she had forgotten that she was not
the only one who had known and loved Treize
Khushrenada.
"He thought, of all those with the skills necessary
to lead the world, only you might have the courage to
do what must be done, to take the first step."
"I don't understand," Une said.
"Yes, you do. With a few simple words, you brought
the war to its end. If that does not take courage,
Lady, then I don't understand courage in the least."
"I only did-" Une began, and stopped. *I only did
what Treize would have had me do,* she thought. *DAMN
you, Milliardo Peacecraft.*
"You see?" said Milliardo. "Now, Lady... listen to
me, please. I know that while I loved Treize, I did
not love him as you did, and I cannot know the depths
of your grief. But I would like to remind you that
you are not so alone as you seem to think yourself,
and that you need not face this alone."
"I would not have any of you think me weak, least of
all if Treize meant for me to lead this world into a
new era. A weak leader will do nothing to improve any
situation."
"There is a difference, Lady, between pain and
weakness. I would have thought Treize would have
taught you that."
"That," said Une quietly, "and far more."
*Snow is cold*
*Rain is wet*
*Chills my soul right to the marrow*
Snow began to fall in earnest then, quickly piling up
along the walkways and grounds of the graveyard, as
well as on the streets and sidewalks beyond it.
Milliard Peacecraft stood, and offered his arm to
Lady Une. She stared at it a moment in absolute
silence, too shocked and rattled by the conversation
that had just taken place to even think of standing,
or of moving at all.
Poised on the brink of indecision, once again she
thought she heard Treize's voice. And though it was
as impossible now as it had been the first time, she
could not deny that it certainly sounded a great deal
like something Treize might have said to her. Perhaps
she simply recalled it from earlier days?
"Lady, my dear lady. Such strength, and stubbornness,
and courage. You've made your point, now show that
you are wise as well as courageous and strong."
Une shivered against a chill that was only half-
imagined. "Did you hear something?"
Milliardo shook his head. "No, Lady Une." *I hear my
own words, Lady, as you hear yours, and I think, that
they are mine alone, as yours are meant only for your
ears.* Again he offered his arm. "Allow me to escort
you home, Lady."
"I believe I can find my own way," she said as she
stood, brushing snow from her shoulders.
"I suppose you can. Back to that dreadfully drafty
apartment, where you will sit in the dark and watch
the snow out the window?"
"It is home," Une said simply.
Milliardo shook his head. "It is not. Come with me,
Lady."
And, though she was uncertain why, she allowed him to
take her arm and lead her away. But she paused, and
Milliardo stopped with her, as they neared the gate.
Une turned back, kissed her fingertips, and let her
breath drift across them, just before the wind caught
it and carried it back towards Treize's grave.
Milliardo smiled, but all trace of the smile was gone
by the time she looked at him oncemore. They departed
the graveyard together, and it was Une who closed the
gate behind them.
"We aren't going the right-" Une began, but Milliardo
silenced her with a look.
"But we are, Lady. Watch."
They walked along the street a while in silence, and,
after a time, Une noticed the sidewalks around them
growing more distant from the area in which she
herself lived. But she did not question it, only
watched as the ever-growing crowd of people passed by
to either side, and was unable to help smiling at the
pair of boys, one blonde-haired, the other with
auburn locks, pitching snowballs at one another along
the avenue.
Milliardo followed her gaze and smiled with her.
"Lady," he said.
"Hmm?"
"I have heard rumors that you are raising Treize's
child..."
Une nodded, her thoughts turning at once to Treize's
beautiful, brilliant daughter, Mariemaia. "Yes. There
was no one else, and I thought it would be what
Treize would have wanted."
Milliard nodded. "Yes. I believe he would have been
pleased." He glanced back once again at the two boys.
"Seeing those children made me think of it. Perhaps
someday my children, and you daughter will play
together as those two did. It was something Treize
and I spoke of in our youth."
Une nodded slowly. "Your...children?"
"You seem surprised, Lady. Soon, perhaps even
tonight, I mean to ask Noin to marry me."
Une smiled gently. "That's wonderful, Milliardo."
"Yes." Milliardo nodded. "She and I have spoken about
this, and I thought I would ask you..."
"Yes?" Une asked.
"Mariemaia's family is mostly gone, is it not?" At
Une's nod he went on. "I thought, since her father
and I were as brothers in our youth, that perhaps I
might stand in as Mariemaia's uncle? Only with your
permission, of course."
Une looked thoughtful for a moment, and then she
nodded. "I think that is an arrangement which Treize
would have been pleased with, and I know that it
pleases me."
"Thank you, Lady."
They continued on in silence again for a time, and
Une watched as the avenues and the buildings along
them became more and more familiar. But she said
nothing, only walking with Milliardo, turning as he
directed her, watching the snow fall and the people
hurrying through it, thinking of Treize, and
Mariemaia.
At last they reached their destination, and Une
gasped and drew back. "No!"
Milliardo held fast to her arm, quickly shaking his
head. "Lady Une, please... A moment."
Une, mutely gazing up the stone steps to the wide
double doors of Treize Khushrenada's ancestral home,
lights glowing beyond its windows, nodded. "A moment
only."
"Mariemaia found Treize's will among some papers
yesterday. She brought it to me because she did not
want to upset you with the sight of it. She and I
found something rather interesting when we read over
it, and I thought you should know..."
"Know, what?" Une asked.
Milliardo gestured up the steps. "This is yours,
Lady."
"You're joking." Her tone said clearly that she did
not find the joke to be particularly amusing, but
knew that he could not possibly be serious.
"No. I'm not. Nearly everything he owned, in fact, is
yours now. Yours, or Mariemaia's."
Une, numb from shock now as much as from grief,
simply shook her head, but Milliardo was going on.
"You know, of course, that financially Treize was
very well off." At this Une nodded; she'd been aware
of that much, at least. "The bulk of his money is now
yours, with some set aside in trust for Mariemaia,
and a small bit for Dorothy Catalonia, for her
education and such."
Une shook her head again, amazed. "He always did take
care of everything, didn't he?" she asked softly.
"Everything, and everyone that was important to him,
yes." Milliardo gestured up the steps again. "Shall
we? There are a few more details of the will I should
tell you about, and there are some things which I
think that you should see."
Mutely, Une nodded, not trusting her voice, and
Milliardo escorted her up the steps. She looked upon
the ancient dwelling with a newfound sense of awe.
*Better to call it a museum or a castle, than simply
a home,* Une thought as she walked with Milliardo.
*But a home it was. And, apparently, a home it shall
be again.*
Milliardo knocked once upon the door and eased it
open. Standing in the front entrance hall was
Treize's butler, and the head of the house staff,
Marcus McGovern. At the sight of Une and Milliardo,
he beamed, and stepped forward to take their coats.
"Lady Une," the old man said warmly. "It is good to
see you."
Une nodded. "And you, Marcus."
McGovern exchanged a look with Milliardo; both
nodded, and Milliardo gestured Une to precede him
down the corridor, towards the closed doors leading
to the great hall. Uncertain as to what in all the
worlds might be going on, Une approached the doors,
and then, with a deep breath, threw them open.
And gasped in shock.
The great hall was ablaze with candlelight, and
standing before the hall's table were a group of
extremely familiar faces; Mariemaia, Dorothy
Catalonia, Relena Peacecraft, even Trowa Barton and
the other former Gundam pilots. As Une stepped into
the room, they began to applaud.
"What- what is this?" Une asked.
"It's a welcome home party, Lady Une," Trowa
explained.
Une shook her head, still rather in a state of shock.
"Welcome- home?"
Relena sighed, shooting an exasperated look at her
brother. "Didn't Milliardo tell you, about Treize's
will?"
"Yes, but..."
"Oh, honestly," said Dorothy. "Here." She thrust a
jangling key ring into Une's hands. "House keys.
Relena-" Relena handed her something which was made
of gold and glittered in the light, and Dorothy stood
on her toes to place it upon Une's head.
"What-?" Une asked again.
"*Enough*," said Dorothy. "Ladies and gentlemen, I
present to you, Her Highness, Lady Une. Queen of the
World."
"*Damn* you, Treize," Une swore softly, tears of joy
mixed with tears of sadness streaming down her
cheeks.
She noticed motion above the fireplace, and looked
up. There, upon a ladder, stood Lucrezia Noin, the
only close friend Une had noticed missing from the
gathering. Noin was taking down an oil painting, one
of Duke Dermail which Une knew Treize had always
loathed, clearly intending to replace it with another
painting resting at the foot of her ladder. Une
squinted at that...
"Is this alright, Lady Une?" Noin asked, lifting the
second painting and hanging it upon the wall. It was
a beautifully done oil of Treize himself, smiling out
at her from the canvas, dressed in his OZ uniform.
"Yes, it's perfect. Where on Earth-?"
"What good is money if you never spend it?" said
Dorothy. "We had it commissioned some time ago, but
Treize thought it was a tasteless display of ego, and
so refused to hang it. After Mariemaia found the
will, we fetched it out of storage."
*Till I'm home again and feeling right*
*I wanna be home again and feeling right*
"I..." Une began, but was unable to finish. She
simply looked about the room, at her...her guests,
she supposed. Though she had not herself invited
them, she was glad indeed that they were there. Even
those who had once been her enemies, she now was
ready to welcome with open arms.
It was, surprisingly, Dorothy, who stepped forward
and broke the awkwardness of that moment. Perhaps,
Une thought, because she was the least comfortable
with such displays of emotion. When Dorothy stepped
forward, she slipped her arms around Une and hugged
her close.
"Lady..." was all she said, perhaps all that she
*could* say, but her tone conveyed what her words
could not, and Une hugged Treize's cousin tightly.
"Dorothy," she said kindly. Quietly, she added, "He
was a good man, Dorothy. One such as we may never
know again. It is perfectly alright to mourn his
loss."
When Dorothy stepped back she was furiously swiping
at her eyes with her sleeve, her expression as much
as daring anyone to say a thing about it. No one did.
"I truly don't know how to thank you, my friends,"
Une said after Dorothy had stepped back.
"No thanks are necessary," Relena told her. "You are
going to do what I can't, and that's thanks enough
for anything, isn't it?"
Une sighed.
"You *are* going to, aren't you? I thought
Milliardo-"
"Milliardo was very convincing, Relena. But these are
not easy decisions to make."
"I think," said Dorothy, "that it is what Treize
would have wanted. We all think that. He says as
much, in- Well, here, look." She produced a thick,
folded piece of paper from the pocket of her blazer,
and handed it to Une.
She unfolded it carefully, and scanned the words upon
it, reading quietly aloud as she did so. "I, Treize
Khushrenada, Duke of Romafeller, Commander-in-chief
of-"
"Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera," Dorothy said
quietly.
"Would the Duchess Catalonia care to be silent now?"
Une asked sharply.
Dorothy took a step back, and bowed. "Yes, Your
Highness."
"-being of sound mind and body..." She skimmed along
for a few moments in silence. "To my beloved Anne
Galadeon, whom the world knows as Lady Une, I
bequeath the Crown of Terra. To no other would I
entrust this, dear Lady. You have strength enough for
it. Only you..."
With trembling hands she returned the will to
Dorothy, who took it and laid it aside upon the
table.
"There's other stuff there you should read," the girl
said, "but later. Lady, will you..."
"It truly is what he wanted," Une said softly, one
hand reaching up to stroke the crown upon her head.
"It truly is."
All around the room, there were solemn nods. Dorothy,
carefully studying her feet, eyes downcast, looked
rather ashamed. "Lady Une, I apologize. I believe I
spoke too soon when I gave you the crown."
"Perhaps you did," Une told her, "but it is something
that still needs to be done formally in any case."
She removed the crown from her head and set it on the
table, beside Treize's will.
"But you *will* accept it now?" Dorothy asked.
"Yes. Thanks in no small part to this-" Une tapped a
fingernail upon the folded paper "-and to the efforts
of all of you..."
Dorothy shook her head. "We've all done only what we
can, Lady. Your part in things was the hardest to
do."
Une nodded. "I suppose you are right, Dorothy."
"Of course I'm right," Duchess Catalonia said.
Relena sighed, burying her head in her hands.
"Dorothy-"
Mariemaia glared between the two of them from her
wheelchair, small hands upon her hips. "Tell me
something, Lady Une," the girl said.
"Yes, Mariemaia, what is it?"
"Are you going to be alright now?"
Une walked slowly towards the girl, kneeling beside
her chair. "I think...that I am going to be sad for a
very long time. Your father meant a lot to me, and I
miss him."
"I know that," Mariemaia replied. "But we all came
together here tonight because we want to help you.
Not just because we want you to be Queen- although I
think everyone does."
Une smiled softly. "I understand, Mariemaia, and I am
glad that all of you have come." She hugged Treize's
daughter gently, and Mariemaia returned the embrace.
Just then, Marcus McGovern stepped into the hall.
"Lady Une, honored guests... Dinner is served. If
you'll all come with me into the dining room?"
"Of course," Une said. "Shall we, my friends?"
She started off down the hall, pushing Mariemaia's
wheelchair before her, and the others followed.
The red-haired girl glanced back over her shoulder at
Une. "Lady?"
"Yes?"
"You aren't going back to that dreadful apartment,
are you?"
Une laughed softly. "No, child. I'm not." She turned
to regard Milliardo Peacecraft and Lucrezia Noin, who
stood arm-in-arm beside the great hall's door. "I am
home now, Mariemaia."
* * *
Home Again
Carole King
Sometimes I wonder if I'm ever gonna make it home
again
It's so far and out of sight
I really need someone to talk to
And nobody else
Knows how to comfort me tonight
Snow is cold
Rain is wet
Chills my soul right to the marrow
I won't be happy till I see you alone again
Till I'm home again and feeling right
Snow is cold
Rain is wet
Chills my soul right to the marrow
I won't be happy till I see you alone again
Till I'm home again and feeling right
I wanna be home again and feeling right
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. "Home Again" is
a song from Carole King's 1971 album "Tapestry", and
it doesn't belong to me, either.
Author's Note: This is my first songfic, and, since I
used to hate the things, I won't make any promises
about its quality. Also, I have yet to see an episode
of Gundam with Dorothy Catalonia in it, and therefore
her portrayal in this story is based on other
people's interpretations in fanfic and such. So if
she's less-than-accurate, I apologize.
* * *
"Home Again"
by Christine Anderson
aka Anne Khushrenada
ladyune@gundmwing.net
Her hands stuffed into the pockets of her coat, her
head bent against the wind, Lady Une made her way
slowly along a city sidewalk. The sky was growing
dark, and night was not far off now. She was nearly
alone on the street, and she was glad of it. A light
dusting of snow covered the sidewalk at her feet, and
her boots slipped soundlessly through the soft
whiteness.
Inside her coat, protected from winter's chill winds,
were a dozen roses. Red, as he would have liked them
best. The thorns stabbed her as she'd known they
would, and yet she'd done nothing to prevent it.
Within all things beautiful, there was pain. It was
an important lesson, and not one she wished to
forget. She knew that by the time she reached her
destination, her blood would have stained the dark
blouse she wore, and though nearly invisible, it
would not be hard for her to see it, for there were
days, many days, when the sight of that blood was all
that told her she still lived.
*Sometimes I wonder if I'm ever gonna make it home
again*
*It's so far and out of sight*
One hand withdrew from Une's pocket, to brush a
strand of long brown hair back from her face. The
hand trembled as it moved.
As she continued her solitary walk, she was almost
certain she heard his voice, though of course it was
impossible. "Lady, the hour is late, and this night
is cold. You should be home, warm before the fire."
Home. Warm. Had those words ever had meaning for her?
She supposed they must have, and yet it was very hard
to believe that. His death had taken her world and
shattered it, had changed everything, irrevocably.
She closed her eyes briefly, as if to block the sight
of a pain that she could never, in truth, look away
from. Tears brimmed in her eyes, some spilling over
to her ice-cold cheeks, but she hardly noticed.
"No," Une whispered. "Not yet. Not yet..."
She forced her eyes open and kept walking. Placing
one foot in front of the other seemed very difficult,
and yet she did it. One step, and then another.
*I really need someone to talk to*
*And nobody else*
*Knows how to comfort me tonight*
Une withdrew her hands from the coat's pockets to
ease open the old wrought-iron gate. It creaked along
aged hinges as it moved, and she was careful to shut
it behind her before making her way silently,
respectfully, along the snow-covered ground.
The graveyard, always quiet, in this strange snowy
twilight, seemed a place where sound simply could not
exist. Une knew that she had never felt so lonely as
this. Yet still she hoped none would intrude upon her
here and now, that those well-meaning souls who
thought to share in her grief would have the sense to
keep themselves away tonight. It seemed that only
alone could she grieve for the one she had loved.
At the graveside she dropped to her knees, gloved
fingers tracing the words etched into the plaque. She
reached within her coat and withdrew the roses,
setting them gently upon the marker, above his name.
This done, Une sat back on her heels, holding her
head in her hands.
*Snow is cold*
*Rain is wet*
*Chills my soul right to the marrow*
Snow had begun to fall again, but Une hardly noticed
it. She could not take her eyes from the marker, upon
which her love's name had been carved.
A wind swept through the graveyard, and as it found
its way through Une's coat, it seemed to turn not
just her skin, but her very soul, nearly to ice. She
shivered, but found that she could do nothing to warm
herself.
"Perhaps to embrace death was all that you could do
in the end, Treize. But why- why must I grieve for
you so? You chose your own fate, as you always did. I
should be pleased that you died as you wished to. But
maybe I am selfish. I miss you so..." A sob escaped
her lips, and then she went on. "Treize, I am lost
without you. Your destiny cannot be mine, now. I
cannot do what you did, and yet they all expect it of
me. They expect so much, and I do not know how to
give it to them! I can never take your place,
never...
"Is it not enough that I have lost you? Must I, too,
know now that I loved you, and that I never told
you?" She buried her head in her hands then, and
wept, sobs shaking her chilled body.
*I won't be happy till I see you alone again*
*Till I'm home again and feeling right*
A man's voice cut through her tears, and for one
glorious, horrible moment, she thought that it was
Treize.
"He knew, Lady."
The tall, dark-coated figure of Milliardo Peacecraft
stepped from the ever-darkening evening shadows to
stand beside her, long blonde hair trailing after
him.
Une turned to look at him, her tear-stained face
drawn up towards the moon. "Cannot I even be left to
myself to grieve? Begone, Peacecraft."
Milliardo dropped to his knees beside her, unwrapping
the woolen scarf from about his neck. Ignoring her
protests, he said, "Here. You're freezing," and
placed the scarf around her neck and shoulders.
"I don't care," Une whispered.
"I know," Milliardo said. "When I heard you'd gone, I
knew this is where I would find you."
Une's eyes narrowed. "Very well. So you have found
me. Is there truly something so important that you
must follow me here, disturb me at Treize's grave, to
speak to me of it?"
Milliardo drew a deep breath. "Yes, Lady Une. There
is."
"What is it, then? Speak your piece and go."
"He knew that you loved him, Lady. He might never
have spoken of that knowledge to you, but trust me,
he did have it."
"How can you be so sure? You did not know every
secret of his heart, every thought he held to
himself."
"No, and nor did you. But we knew him well, both of
us. Since the days of our childhood he had been my
dearest friend. He knew, and even I knew that he
knew." Milliardo paused. "Why do you think so many
went to such great lengths to return you to him after
you were injured? Everyone knew what you meant to
him."
"But," said Une, "did he ever know what he meant to
me?"
"Oh yes," Milliardo said. "If he knew anything at
all, he knew that."
"But why did he never-?"
"Because that was his way, Lady. He loved you, and in
another time and place he might very well have given
up all that he fought for, to be with you, to embrace
the peace of the world with you. But there was none
other to lead the fight he knew would have to take
place, and with you at his side..." Milliardo paused,
seeming a bit choked up. He coughed, and cleared his
throat, before going on. Une wanted to reach out a
supporting arm to him, but did not. "He said to me
once that you made the darkest times bearable to him.
Because of what you were to each other. Because of
your unshakable faith."
"Yes," said Une bitterly. "My faith. I had faith once
that he would lead this world, that it was his
destiny to lead it. I loved him, Milliardo, and I
loved him well. But- tell me, was my faith so
misplaced?"
"No, Lady. He *could* have led the world, and chose
not to. You, now, have the same choice."
"I?" Une asked, surprise clearly evident even through
her grief.
"Who better, Lady?"
Une shook her head. "I cannot replace His
Excellency."
"No one can *replace* him, Lady," Milliardo said.
"But you are the one he would have wanted to succeed
him. Would you deny his wishes?"
"No, I-" Une's hands trembled as she reached up to
adjust the scarf. "But I can't. Truly, I can't."
"You can," he replied. "You are perhaps the only one
of us who is strong enough to do what must be done,
now. Certainly you are the only one whose heart is
still pure enough."
Une laughed bitterly. "My heart is not pure,
Milliardo, but broken, shattered, beyond repair."
"Perhaps," Milliardo answered. "Perhaps. I think it
quite possible that you will never love another, not
as you loved Treize, but the Earth needs you, Lady.
Treize loved the Earth, and he loved you. Perhaps it
is that you need each other, now."
"This from the man who tried to destroy the world
Treize so loved?" Une asked.
Milliardo smiled ruefully. "Exactly what I meant when
I said that you were the only one whose heart was
pure enough. Mine certainly is not. I have done too
many things, and I cannot now wash the blood from my
hands. But you, Lady Une..."
But still Une shook her head. "Relena. Her heart is
certainly more pure than mine."
"Relena has made her choice already, Lady. She has
chosen not to rule, but rather to take up the mantle
of her foster father, to fill in his place, as a
diplomat of sorts. The work suits her, she says, and
I agree."
"Then I will choose, as well, to do other work."
"And run away from what must be done? From what
Treize would have you do? No, Lady Une. You cannot.
Someone must choose to lead, to truly *lead*, and
only you are left to do it."
Une turned away from him then, gazing down upon
Treize's grave. She sighed deeply. "Damn you,
Treize," she whispered, her tone somewhere between
amused and angry. Then she turned back to Milliardo.
"He spoke to you of this, as well?"
"In a manner of speaking, he did. He wanted you to
understand the role he would have you take in the
event that he did not survive the final days of the
war." Milliardo withdrew a handkerchief from his
pocket, and dabbed at his eyes. "Excuse me, Lady."
"No, cry all you wish," Une said, feeling suddenly
very badly for having meant to send him so rudely
away. In her grief she had forgotten that she was not
the only one who had known and loved Treize
Khushrenada.
"He thought, of all those with the skills necessary
to lead the world, only you might have the courage to
do what must be done, to take the first step."
"I don't understand," Une said.
"Yes, you do. With a few simple words, you brought
the war to its end. If that does not take courage,
Lady, then I don't understand courage in the least."
"I only did-" Une began, and stopped. *I only did
what Treize would have had me do,* she thought. *DAMN
you, Milliardo Peacecraft.*
"You see?" said Milliardo. "Now, Lady... listen to
me, please. I know that while I loved Treize, I did
not love him as you did, and I cannot know the depths
of your grief. But I would like to remind you that
you are not so alone as you seem to think yourself,
and that you need not face this alone."
"I would not have any of you think me weak, least of
all if Treize meant for me to lead this world into a
new era. A weak leader will do nothing to improve any
situation."
"There is a difference, Lady, between pain and
weakness. I would have thought Treize would have
taught you that."
"That," said Une quietly, "and far more."
*Snow is cold*
*Rain is wet*
*Chills my soul right to the marrow*
Snow began to fall in earnest then, quickly piling up
along the walkways and grounds of the graveyard, as
well as on the streets and sidewalks beyond it.
Milliard Peacecraft stood, and offered his arm to
Lady Une. She stared at it a moment in absolute
silence, too shocked and rattled by the conversation
that had just taken place to even think of standing,
or of moving at all.
Poised on the brink of indecision, once again she
thought she heard Treize's voice. And though it was
as impossible now as it had been the first time, she
could not deny that it certainly sounded a great deal
like something Treize might have said to her. Perhaps
she simply recalled it from earlier days?
"Lady, my dear lady. Such strength, and stubbornness,
and courage. You've made your point, now show that
you are wise as well as courageous and strong."
Une shivered against a chill that was only half-
imagined. "Did you hear something?"
Milliardo shook his head. "No, Lady Une." *I hear my
own words, Lady, as you hear yours, and I think, that
they are mine alone, as yours are meant only for your
ears.* Again he offered his arm. "Allow me to escort
you home, Lady."
"I believe I can find my own way," she said as she
stood, brushing snow from her shoulders.
"I suppose you can. Back to that dreadfully drafty
apartment, where you will sit in the dark and watch
the snow out the window?"
"It is home," Une said simply.
Milliardo shook his head. "It is not. Come with me,
Lady."
And, though she was uncertain why, she allowed him to
take her arm and lead her away. But she paused, and
Milliardo stopped with her, as they neared the gate.
Une turned back, kissed her fingertips, and let her
breath drift across them, just before the wind caught
it and carried it back towards Treize's grave.
Milliardo smiled, but all trace of the smile was gone
by the time she looked at him oncemore. They departed
the graveyard together, and it was Une who closed the
gate behind them.
"We aren't going the right-" Une began, but Milliardo
silenced her with a look.
"But we are, Lady. Watch."
They walked along the street a while in silence, and,
after a time, Une noticed the sidewalks around them
growing more distant from the area in which she
herself lived. But she did not question it, only
watched as the ever-growing crowd of people passed by
to either side, and was unable to help smiling at the
pair of boys, one blonde-haired, the other with
auburn locks, pitching snowballs at one another along
the avenue.
Milliardo followed her gaze and smiled with her.
"Lady," he said.
"Hmm?"
"I have heard rumors that you are raising Treize's
child..."
Une nodded, her thoughts turning at once to Treize's
beautiful, brilliant daughter, Mariemaia. "Yes. There
was no one else, and I thought it would be what
Treize would have wanted."
Milliard nodded. "Yes. I believe he would have been
pleased." He glanced back once again at the two boys.
"Seeing those children made me think of it. Perhaps
someday my children, and you daughter will play
together as those two did. It was something Treize
and I spoke of in our youth."
Une nodded slowly. "Your...children?"
"You seem surprised, Lady. Soon, perhaps even
tonight, I mean to ask Noin to marry me."
Une smiled gently. "That's wonderful, Milliardo."
"Yes." Milliardo nodded. "She and I have spoken about
this, and I thought I would ask you..."
"Yes?" Une asked.
"Mariemaia's family is mostly gone, is it not?" At
Une's nod he went on. "I thought, since her father
and I were as brothers in our youth, that perhaps I
might stand in as Mariemaia's uncle? Only with your
permission, of course."
Une looked thoughtful for a moment, and then she
nodded. "I think that is an arrangement which Treize
would have been pleased with, and I know that it
pleases me."
"Thank you, Lady."
They continued on in silence again for a time, and
Une watched as the avenues and the buildings along
them became more and more familiar. But she said
nothing, only walking with Milliardo, turning as he
directed her, watching the snow fall and the people
hurrying through it, thinking of Treize, and
Mariemaia.
At last they reached their destination, and Une
gasped and drew back. "No!"
Milliardo held fast to her arm, quickly shaking his
head. "Lady Une, please... A moment."
Une, mutely gazing up the stone steps to the wide
double doors of Treize Khushrenada's ancestral home,
lights glowing beyond its windows, nodded. "A moment
only."
"Mariemaia found Treize's will among some papers
yesterday. She brought it to me because she did not
want to upset you with the sight of it. She and I
found something rather interesting when we read over
it, and I thought you should know..."
"Know, what?" Une asked.
Milliardo gestured up the steps. "This is yours,
Lady."
"You're joking." Her tone said clearly that she did
not find the joke to be particularly amusing, but
knew that he could not possibly be serious.
"No. I'm not. Nearly everything he owned, in fact, is
yours now. Yours, or Mariemaia's."
Une, numb from shock now as much as from grief,
simply shook her head, but Milliardo was going on.
"You know, of course, that financially Treize was
very well off." At this Une nodded; she'd been aware
of that much, at least. "The bulk of his money is now
yours, with some set aside in trust for Mariemaia,
and a small bit for Dorothy Catalonia, for her
education and such."
Une shook her head again, amazed. "He always did take
care of everything, didn't he?" she asked softly.
"Everything, and everyone that was important to him,
yes." Milliardo gestured up the steps again. "Shall
we? There are a few more details of the will I should
tell you about, and there are some things which I
think that you should see."
Mutely, Une nodded, not trusting her voice, and
Milliardo escorted her up the steps. She looked upon
the ancient dwelling with a newfound sense of awe.
*Better to call it a museum or a castle, than simply
a home,* Une thought as she walked with Milliardo.
*But a home it was. And, apparently, a home it shall
be again.*
Milliardo knocked once upon the door and eased it
open. Standing in the front entrance hall was
Treize's butler, and the head of the house staff,
Marcus McGovern. At the sight of Une and Milliardo,
he beamed, and stepped forward to take their coats.
"Lady Une," the old man said warmly. "It is good to
see you."
Une nodded. "And you, Marcus."
McGovern exchanged a look with Milliardo; both
nodded, and Milliardo gestured Une to precede him
down the corridor, towards the closed doors leading
to the great hall. Uncertain as to what in all the
worlds might be going on, Une approached the doors,
and then, with a deep breath, threw them open.
And gasped in shock.
The great hall was ablaze with candlelight, and
standing before the hall's table were a group of
extremely familiar faces; Mariemaia, Dorothy
Catalonia, Relena Peacecraft, even Trowa Barton and
the other former Gundam pilots. As Une stepped into
the room, they began to applaud.
"What- what is this?" Une asked.
"It's a welcome home party, Lady Une," Trowa
explained.
Une shook her head, still rather in a state of shock.
"Welcome- home?"
Relena sighed, shooting an exasperated look at her
brother. "Didn't Milliardo tell you, about Treize's
will?"
"Yes, but..."
"Oh, honestly," said Dorothy. "Here." She thrust a
jangling key ring into Une's hands. "House keys.
Relena-" Relena handed her something which was made
of gold and glittered in the light, and Dorothy stood
on her toes to place it upon Une's head.
"What-?" Une asked again.
"*Enough*," said Dorothy. "Ladies and gentlemen, I
present to you, Her Highness, Lady Une. Queen of the
World."
"*Damn* you, Treize," Une swore softly, tears of joy
mixed with tears of sadness streaming down her
cheeks.
She noticed motion above the fireplace, and looked
up. There, upon a ladder, stood Lucrezia Noin, the
only close friend Une had noticed missing from the
gathering. Noin was taking down an oil painting, one
of Duke Dermail which Une knew Treize had always
loathed, clearly intending to replace it with another
painting resting at the foot of her ladder. Une
squinted at that...
"Is this alright, Lady Une?" Noin asked, lifting the
second painting and hanging it upon the wall. It was
a beautifully done oil of Treize himself, smiling out
at her from the canvas, dressed in his OZ uniform.
"Yes, it's perfect. Where on Earth-?"
"What good is money if you never spend it?" said
Dorothy. "We had it commissioned some time ago, but
Treize thought it was a tasteless display of ego, and
so refused to hang it. After Mariemaia found the
will, we fetched it out of storage."
*Till I'm home again and feeling right*
*I wanna be home again and feeling right*
"I..." Une began, but was unable to finish. She
simply looked about the room, at her...her guests,
she supposed. Though she had not herself invited
them, she was glad indeed that they were there. Even
those who had once been her enemies, she now was
ready to welcome with open arms.
It was, surprisingly, Dorothy, who stepped forward
and broke the awkwardness of that moment. Perhaps,
Une thought, because she was the least comfortable
with such displays of emotion. When Dorothy stepped
forward, she slipped her arms around Une and hugged
her close.
"Lady..." was all she said, perhaps all that she
*could* say, but her tone conveyed what her words
could not, and Une hugged Treize's cousin tightly.
"Dorothy," she said kindly. Quietly, she added, "He
was a good man, Dorothy. One such as we may never
know again. It is perfectly alright to mourn his
loss."
When Dorothy stepped back she was furiously swiping
at her eyes with her sleeve, her expression as much
as daring anyone to say a thing about it. No one did.
"I truly don't know how to thank you, my friends,"
Une said after Dorothy had stepped back.
"No thanks are necessary," Relena told her. "You are
going to do what I can't, and that's thanks enough
for anything, isn't it?"
Une sighed.
"You *are* going to, aren't you? I thought
Milliardo-"
"Milliardo was very convincing, Relena. But these are
not easy decisions to make."
"I think," said Dorothy, "that it is what Treize
would have wanted. We all think that. He says as
much, in- Well, here, look." She produced a thick,
folded piece of paper from the pocket of her blazer,
and handed it to Une.
She unfolded it carefully, and scanned the words upon
it, reading quietly aloud as she did so. "I, Treize
Khushrenada, Duke of Romafeller, Commander-in-chief
of-"
"Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera," Dorothy said
quietly.
"Would the Duchess Catalonia care to be silent now?"
Une asked sharply.
Dorothy took a step back, and bowed. "Yes, Your
Highness."
"-being of sound mind and body..." She skimmed along
for a few moments in silence. "To my beloved Anne
Galadeon, whom the world knows as Lady Une, I
bequeath the Crown of Terra. To no other would I
entrust this, dear Lady. You have strength enough for
it. Only you..."
With trembling hands she returned the will to
Dorothy, who took it and laid it aside upon the
table.
"There's other stuff there you should read," the girl
said, "but later. Lady, will you..."
"It truly is what he wanted," Une said softly, one
hand reaching up to stroke the crown upon her head.
"It truly is."
All around the room, there were solemn nods. Dorothy,
carefully studying her feet, eyes downcast, looked
rather ashamed. "Lady Une, I apologize. I believe I
spoke too soon when I gave you the crown."
"Perhaps you did," Une told her, "but it is something
that still needs to be done formally in any case."
She removed the crown from her head and set it on the
table, beside Treize's will.
"But you *will* accept it now?" Dorothy asked.
"Yes. Thanks in no small part to this-" Une tapped a
fingernail upon the folded paper "-and to the efforts
of all of you..."
Dorothy shook her head. "We've all done only what we
can, Lady. Your part in things was the hardest to
do."
Une nodded. "I suppose you are right, Dorothy."
"Of course I'm right," Duchess Catalonia said.
Relena sighed, burying her head in her hands.
"Dorothy-"
Mariemaia glared between the two of them from her
wheelchair, small hands upon her hips. "Tell me
something, Lady Une," the girl said.
"Yes, Mariemaia, what is it?"
"Are you going to be alright now?"
Une walked slowly towards the girl, kneeling beside
her chair. "I think...that I am going to be sad for a
very long time. Your father meant a lot to me, and I
miss him."
"I know that," Mariemaia replied. "But we all came
together here tonight because we want to help you.
Not just because we want you to be Queen- although I
think everyone does."
Une smiled softly. "I understand, Mariemaia, and I am
glad that all of you have come." She hugged Treize's
daughter gently, and Mariemaia returned the embrace.
Just then, Marcus McGovern stepped into the hall.
"Lady Une, honored guests... Dinner is served. If
you'll all come with me into the dining room?"
"Of course," Une said. "Shall we, my friends?"
She started off down the hall, pushing Mariemaia's
wheelchair before her, and the others followed.
The red-haired girl glanced back over her shoulder at
Une. "Lady?"
"Yes?"
"You aren't going back to that dreadful apartment,
are you?"
Une laughed softly. "No, child. I'm not." She turned
to regard Milliardo Peacecraft and Lucrezia Noin, who
stood arm-in-arm beside the great hall's door. "I am
home now, Mariemaia."
* * *
Home Again
Carole King
Sometimes I wonder if I'm ever gonna make it home
again
It's so far and out of sight
I really need someone to talk to
And nobody else
Knows how to comfort me tonight
Snow is cold
Rain is wet
Chills my soul right to the marrow
I won't be happy till I see you alone again
Till I'm home again and feeling right
Snow is cold
Rain is wet
Chills my soul right to the marrow
I won't be happy till I see you alone again
Till I'm home again and feeling right
I wanna be home again and feeling right