Quest for the Khushrenada Blue Lotus Rose
Does someone in Chile REALLY want more of this written? Or are you just really confused by chapter 1?
...Anonymous reviews are allowed you know =P Or I guess you can just keep... doing what your doing...
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Two Trieze Doves & a Godrick in a Pear Tree..!…Nightmare before Christmas anyone? Gundam Pilots go on a Dungeon Style Adventure! Features the story of the "original" Khuβhrénir's! Treats for the YAOI lovers out there!
This is AU of my AU and completely fantastical… Chapter 1: very elaborate introduction to set the scene for this story with a lot of information… you ARE now warned. Chapter 2 gets more fun and things get back to my usual style.
(((Hey hey hey! Worlds worst delay monster here! I HAVE GOOD NEWS! Though while some might give me those exasperated sighs...
I HAVE POSTED the Gundam Wing / Cowboy Bebop crossover Sequel to By The Roadway!
Never mind that it's out of order and BTRw has been stuck on ch9 of 22 for the past several months... ITS MORE ACTION, and Vicious action at that! Hopefully I will finish any and all of these little projects, I know my life wont be complete till I do! So go check it out, being one of two of it's kind means very little traffic passing by to notice it...)))
NOTE:: (((which you can skip)))
GUNDAM WING blah FAN FICTION fine print, NOT MINE! YET WRITEN BY ME so I get no moneys and you get free advertising and promotion…
…that's dumb: I'm so illustrating my own manga/comic in the next year or few with all original content…
So this year, in my area, Halloween was canceled due to a freak storm dropping a ton of snow on us and causing havoc with the leaves still on the trees over burdening the branches and causing them to tear off and destroy all the telephone/power lines, Hence the choice of riffing off a Christmas song…
We all KNOW you can't CANCEL Halloween… so we'll just consider this the longest Halloween ever! Lasting from the day it should have been till…. When ever we like? I'm awesome with excuses, it's terrible. ::facepalm::
Speaking of excuses: Yes Trieze lives, I wanted to hold off till BTRw was done so that would seem more of a natural progression… but what the hell, did you really NOT expect that from me? THIS FIC does give a DIFFERENT excuse as to why he survives so it doesn't QUITE give away how that all goes down in the final chapters of BTRw:
: So never fear – it's not really a spoiler.
I'm going to be rapid-fire posting the chapters for this, so check back often and you can send me angry letters if there isn't something new (or it done), it's not going to be that long and should be finalized within the week. And don't worry the action starts up soon enough! I just love telling stories first though!
Things might get a bit OOC, but this is supposed to be fluffy and fun; it is a TREAT to MY SELF =P! Everything in TPoYI and BTRw count in this EXCEPT Nitro Mudo doesn't exist in this one & no crazy Z-PLCs stuff (anyone making a sad face shouldn't worry – you get to meet other "fun" "people" AND THERE'S MAGIC NOW!), but this does not effect anything in BTRw or it's sequels…
And yes, yes this first chapter is very long and has just a lot of information in it without a lot of action...))
::NOTE:::
AC 197… October 30th… A Thursday Night_
Duke Trieze Godrick Khushrenada the XIII; former World Sovereign and General of the Earth Unified National Guard had SOMEHOW miraculously turned up a year after his supposed death at the end of the Eve War – averting yet another worldwide disaster as his Daughter attempted to claim his former title.
Now, dressed in an all black suit with a red tie of the finest of European tailoring complete with a $24,000 pair of handmade Italian shoes, he leaned casually against the host's podium in the waiting area of one of the most expensive restaurants in Luxemburg,
"Reservation for thirteen" The woman barely looked up from her furious work of coordinating the various buzzers and pagers as well as adjusting the digital seating chart.
"…Under what name?" Trieze couldn't help grinning; he loved catching people by surprise.
"Khushrenada"
"And how is that spelled?"
The woman was showing all the signs she had been working in overdrive for some time, it often happened to his Lady Une.
"O…Z…"
The woman stopped her scanning of the registry and looked up,
"How do you get K… OH! My most sincere apologies your Excellency!" She stepped out from behind the stand to bow to him, her face turning completely red. "It's been quite a busy night! Your table is ready and waiting, have all of your guests arrived?"
Trieze was more then pleased and hardly offended – it was so boring when a red carpet coated every bit of ground you walked on. He slipped his arm around Lady Une's waist,
"Mostly, I'm sure the stragglers will be quite capable of showing themselves in," He winked passing her a substantial tip, "You certainly don't need to be taking any extra troubles for a bunch of free-loaders."
Laughing he looked back over his shoulder to appreciate Milliardo's dry glare as he waited patiently with Noin and the others:
Relena, Heero, Hilde, Quatre, Catherine and of course, Mariemaia; Who was dressed in an ankle long black pleated skirt with the inner folds dyed maroon and a matching maroon blouse and black jacket combination with black beret to top it all off.
(You know what everyone else would wear! This is just a prelude/setup scene, you know me and 'dinners' I'm trying to get on to the point so I'm NOT embellishing this any more then to introduce who's appearing in this story right now and a gist of what brings them here, we'll get "into" all the characters later... OTHERWISE this scene could really get out of hand and take forever!)
Duo, Trowa and Wu Fei's shuttle from the Colonies had been mysteriously delayed. They arrived soon after Trieze had perused, and then finally picked out a selection of the fine wines available and the order they should be brought out to the table – an extensive process involving the head waiter and several assistants. Since this wasn't the first "reunion" dinner they'd held, it had the others wondering how unavoidable the late-comer's "shuttle delay" really was.
The former Oz Colonel had felt compelled to extend each of the pilots an apology package; a few individualized gifts as well as the promise to oblige any favors they should ever request of him. Wu Fei, whom of course flatly refused any of it directly and only came out of respect to the other 4 pilots, had been heard to grumble about how it was all just a stunt to try and remain relevant in a world that thought he was old news.
Catherine and Hilde had both been a little skeptical at first, but considering the trail of zeros after number on the check Trieze Khushrenada had sent as an advance for helping fill in as care-takers for his daughter, they had both come to enjoy trading off the responsibility in-between their regular jobs at the Circus and Scrap-yard respectively; Because of it they did get full access to personal transport to make it easier to get back and forth between Earth and the Colonies after all.
(Seating counter clockwise: 13, 11, m, H, 2, C, 3, 4, 5, 1, R, 9, 6)
Tonight's dinner was actually a special request from Duo Maxwell:
He INSISTED his American heritage be honored appropriately and for his most favorite "traditional" celebration nothing short of a "thousand dollar" steak and a stay in the most expensive (and sppoooky!) "hotel" he knew would do: that "hotel" being the Khushrenada Castle… it was HALLOWEEN after all!
…The appetizers had come just as Duo was finishing his explanation of what exactly this "Halloween" nonsense was all about… (((For those who didn't know…)))
"…So since they were so paranoid about being "unchristian" the whole idea of having a harvest festival was forbidden in most of the thirteen original U.S. American Colonies. No one really knows exactly how it all started but someone had the idea of changing the holiday into that of a symbolic "banishing" of devils, witches and other unholy creatures – usually in the form of children dressing up as all sorts of frightening things and going door to door to collect "treats" or "devil's pay" followed by a large community bon-fire gathering."
He some how managed to devour an entire buttered roll without missing a beat; even in a gothic morticians style tuxedo Duo still managed to flaunt his street-slicker ways.
"Calling free things given to children "Devil's Pay"… I can relate to that sentiment…" Trieze sipped at the Sauvignon Blanc from Bordeaux that he'd chosen as the starter.
"It doesn't sound like they really changed the celebration at all…" Trowa was taking more time with his own piece of bread.
"Well yeah that's the point, people never change. Though, over time the costumes really branched out and ever since it's always been kind of a huge masquerade festival with a typically morbid theme. Ya know…"
Duo gave Hilde's hand a grateful squeeze next to him; ever the willing accomplice, she had indeed given him a complete "under the table" status update on exactly how much longer the three had before Trieze was finished with his obsessive pre-dinner ritual (that required most of a restaurant's wine cellar's contents to be thoroughly scrutinized before it could be completed),
"…my favorite part is that it was always a time to tell spooky stories, like about zombies, ghosts, haunted houses, vampires or evil witches…OH! Of course insane serial killers too, that's some of the most twisted stuff; especially because it's usually based on a true story!"
He of course couldn't help grinning at Trieze and Milliardo with that last part. They were sitting next to each other with their fiancé's to the left and right of them at the large round table they were all sitting at situated in its own dining section.
Duo often made jokes about the two being deranged psychopaths considering the roles they had played trying to end the war. (…But wouldn't dare test Lady Une's humor in such a way - mostly because it wouldn't be a joke in her case!)
The two exchanged weary looks; even if the matter had been settled to the world's satisfaction, the two almost brothers had never really come to an actual conclusion after the war as Trieze had "exited" the final conflict early. (…with Wu Fei's assistance of course.) The 02 pilot's allusions to the past never helped anything.
"I," Trieze cleared his throat as he 'moved on' from the tense moment, "in fact would have a few TRUE stories that might be along those lines…"
"Oh yeah?" Duo's eyes were alight with gleeful skepticism; he knew the Ex-Ozzie could never resist a contest in any form.
The waiter returned to see if they were ready to order and of course Trieze insisted on being last since he was having such a hard time making up his mind in the end saying:
"You know what? I'll have the Steak Tartare… all this Peace has me craving something …bloody," he winked at Duo, "It is in the holiday spirit after all."
"…Of course, any excuse..." Milliardo muttered as he took a significant sip from his own wine glass, at least Trieze's laborious considerations for wine quality wasn't all for show.
"Okay, what about these stories of yours, huh? What are we talking about here, the day WE first came to Earth? Bet that was a scary surprise!" That comment made a few people laugh around the table.
"Oh humbug, no. We KNEW that was going to happen for a while, Mr. Maxwell. Don't kid yourself. …I would actually be referring to some of the strange goings on at my own family's estate… You know… the Castle you insisted on spending the weekend in? I suppose you might as well be warned now it's not a place where you should go wandering off on your own…"
He trailed off busying himself with spearing a sausage wrapped in bread with a miniature fork; goading Duo to pry further… Trieze did love being the center of attention after all.
"Oh REALLY? And why would a strong young GUNDAM pilot like myself have any cause to worry?"
"I once had that same attitude… that was before my father caught me wandering the upper halls of the west wing and warned me never to go near the door to the western tower…
…You see…
…The western wing of the castle would be the older of the two additions, even if it underwent some of the most renovations when it came time to "technologically" upgrade the fortress. The eastern being the more recent, and with more extensive gardens along that side, more preferable to my tastes – the entire castle was designed for SEVERAL families AND an entire community of servants to be able to comfortably live there after all; the three of us hardly need all of the extra space now…
The original center structure itself was built by the very First Trieze Godrick Khushrenada on the site of the ruins of a previous strong hold – rumored to have been a gothic structure massive beyond comprehension; it was such so an entire mountain had been carved out to form it and when it collapsed it left behind the lake that now rests at the bottom of the cliff behind the estate: a testament to the vastness of the halls that had been contained under the soaring arches. Halls which were said to have been witness to some of the most vial sins ever to be committed in those far ancient days and the floors washed with the blood of innocent virgins so often that God could no longer bare to allow the structure to stand and did smite it down himself! (secret crossover!)
The door to the western tower is always kept locked as it contains some of the most important records regarding the history of the Castle's original construction as well as other artifacts – including a small shrine to the one who had commissioned the west wing's construction: Godrick Trieze the Fourth. His love of academia being the reason he designed it with the massive six story library that could double as an entertainment hall before the east wing was added with its beautiful marble work ball room…" ((This is where you first meet EPYON in the series!))
"Wait… so let me get this straight… your whole family history book is just filled with 'Godrick Trieze' and 'Trieze Godrick's?"
Duo didn't care if it was good wine or not, it was free for him!
"No there were a few others, like an Alfred once… and Peter Sinclair Khushrenada who changed his name from Godrick Trieze the 6th, just to give it to his own son a few years later. It's a Tradition started by the founders of the Khushrenada linage – the last born with the title of Khuβhrénir. Perhaps I shall tell you about that later, but back to this…
…I was always one to be skeptical of my father's motives, so cautioning me against something always perked my interest. So OF course, at the next available opportunity, I found myself outside that supposedly locked door… and it was ajar.
Naturally, I decided this had to all be part of some elaborate plan of my father's, and went on up the stairs.
It was much like I expected it to be – an old tower study that was a museum to the various family treasures that were kept there. I couldn't help but find myself looking over a massive text that was left on display; it was the personal notes of my ancestor, Godrick the 4th, from his life-long research of the estate's history.
I really wasn't surprised when my father managed to sneak up behind me, as he always had an uncanny way of knowing when I was up to something I shouldn't be. He asked me;
"What are you doing here, boy?"
So of course I was honest and told my father I was merely curious why the door would be kept locked to begin with; Asserting that I was doing nothing wrong even if he'd told me to stay away. …It was strange the way he stood there thinking over what I'd said before responding;
"Boy, if your father instructs you not to do something – it is wrong to do it. But… Since you are up here…"
For the next hour or more he started telling me all sorts of stories about the castle's history, and pulled out several volumes in order to answer a few of my questions…"
"Whoa, whoa… ok as frightfully boring as those formal ball things you go to all the time can be, I really don't see how father-son bonding time over some history books is anything scary…"
Duo was ready for the main course already.
"Well you see… that's just it… MY father… came up the stairs looking for me after he'd already searched the rest of the castle. The man I had ASSUMED to be my father for quite some time with no indication that he was anything other then flesh and blood," He snapped his white gloved fingers together, "Gone. As if he had never been there to begin with. Leaving me alone in a room that was now completely scattered with said priceless records and a half-assed excuse about some ghost! A cruel sense of humor apparently runs deep in my family's blood!"
"I think recent history already proved that…" Milliardo wasn't about to miss opening as wide as that. Trieze appreciated the predictability even if it made both Une and Noin sigh.
"HA! How do you know your father didn't set up a hologram?"
"Even the best holograms can't PICK UP things – that's usually the biggest give away."
"I have a way scarier story then THAT...
((Actual local folk legend in my area… Thanx DJ Yess ^_~ Raw Rotations Friday's midnight-3am for live stream WXCI . org THE BEST commercial FREE radio station ever with music 24/7 and DJ's that still spin up vinyl along side the newest sounds in EVERY genre - EXCEPT POP! but there is the Sushi Sampler with DJ Moto if you want some good Japanese Pop!))
…there was this crazy old tree that grew next to this stretch of country road. For some reason the local farmers would always see dead squirrels and other small critters hanging from the branches and assumed that it was just the crows dropping road kill and it getting caught in the limbs.
Then one night a pair of teenagers, girlfriend and boyfriend, were riding in the back of a limo on their way home from the homecoming dance. The guy had given the limo driver an extra tip to make sure he took the longest rout possible; so the kid wasn't really concerned when they ended up stopped on the side of a road and the driver claimed that there was something wrong with the engine and he'd have to go walk to the nearest house to use a phone.
Hours passed before the two realized something was out of place. The guy, feeling responsible for the detour, which probably was the cause of the issues, insisted that his girlfriend shouldn't get her dress dirty and that he would go by himself and to see if he could find out where the driver had gone.
She fell asleep waiting for him to come back.
When she awoke, there was the flashing of police lights and an odd back and forth scraping on the roof of the limo… When she opened the door, the cops frantically urged her to come over to them as quickly as possible and not look up or behind her… both the driver and the boyfriend were hanging by their feet above the limo, skinned and decapitated!
…Even though the tree was cut down within the next few months – not one of the men hired to do the work lived to see their next birthday, each dying by unnatural means."
Trieze scoffed,
"THAT is hardly believable in the LEAST, a murderous Tree? More likely a wandering psychopath and happenstance…"
"Even if it wasn't the tree, you got to admit it's a good story! I mean come on, is there really anything interesting about why your family is obsessed with the names Godrick and Trieze?"
"Well it has always been one of MY favorite stories…" he had quite a mischievous grin on his face, "…for reasons that might become obvious. It really isn't very morbid or frightening… but you could certainly say it has a bit of a twisted nature to it… it is the story of how my own family line came to leave the Christian church in a somewhat of a 'Henry the 8th' fashion and start their own religious traditions based on reviving the custom of ancestral veneration."
"Your ancestors murdered too many wives and got kicked out so they insisted they be worshiped like gods by their children?"
Both Trieze and Milliardo laughed at that… …just for different reasons.
"Oh no… no, no, it's a far better tale then that… (((The MAIN event…)))
…The last two sons of the Khuβhrénir namesake were identical twins born merely hours apart whilst the fortress in which their family resided was under siege – supposedly the reason the midwife was unable to keep track of which was the true eldest!
Their names: Godrick and Trieze Khuβhrénir. The father, unwilling to risk denying the rightful heir completely and invoking God's wrath (a very real thing in those days as I've already pointed out!), decreed that both would share the title of eldest and the responsibilities that came along with it.
The brothers, while notorious for their constant bickering, became quite effective at ruling over the lands that were left to them after their father's passing. They were each a genius in their own realm of expertise after all:
Godrick was legendary for his tactical prowess and raw strength on the battlefield. He had a natural talent for rallying an army in even the most hopeless of fights, easily turning around the worst of catastrophes; leading his men on with a Great Sword that is the center piece of the extensive collection of weapons my father passed down to me.
Trieze… was more a creature of the pleasures of court life; a bard's calling was more suited to him. It is said he had a mind for negotiation and intrigue and a knack to be able to understand and draw on the emotions of others to manipulate them as he pleased; his insatiable love of women is what earned him his own reputation…"
Milliardo didn't feel he had to point out his whole-hearted agreement on that assessment.
"…while there is an entire book written about the origins of the twelve stringed guitar that he played – the instrument itself unfortunately did not manage to survive the test of time and disappeared long, long ago…
The real trouble came about when the two brothers sought to repay the 'debt' to the neighboring lord whose father had been the one to besiege their home during the time of their birth.
It was a move that both brothers had wanted to make for years; each feeling as though they were half-cheated of their rightful inheritance because of the attack as they both believed themselves the true eldest! The benefits were numerous; an outright win meant doubling the size of their lands and the currently reigning lord had four unwed sisters from which the two brothers could each pick a bride!
Since they had carefully planned and waited until they finally had the allies and resources to attempt it, the "war" was so devastatingly one sided it left the opposing lord feeling so spiteful and humiliated at his own incompetence …that he murdered three of his sisters before taking his own life – leaving only the youngest and prettiest alive thinking her beauty enough to cause the two to turn on one another and tear their newly formed dukedom apart.
And he was almost right…
Supposedly the two fought for months! With words and fists and swords; there is mention of the two completely destroying the interior of their own fortress and the entire court resituating in a town outside the stronghold's walls in order to stay out of the dueling brother's way. Neither of the two could even agree if who ever was decided elder should even have the right to marry the Lady!
They did eventually agree on a way to settle the matter once and for all… and it seemed simple enough: they asked her to choose which ever she wished as her husband!
Now… while all of this hateful banter and fighting had been going on, in many ways the poor girl had just been kidnapped from her home after her four sibling's untimely deaths and then become the sole witness to the two conquering lords' extensive arguments: she could not find herself agreeing with either over the other!
Alas, since they were indeed identical twins, she could neither judge her choice on which was physically the better! – even stripped naked the virtues and failings of each balanced too perfectly for either to be preferable to the other; One with shorter hair and the other with longer, one heavy with muscles the other leaner but still as well built…
…and of course each was equally endowed where it counted most!
So the fighting resumed for several more weeks as the two tried to come up with the solution to their predicament. Until finally, there was only one conclusion that would be able to satisfy themboth equally… they both married her.
To do so, they were forced to leave the church and therefore change their family name from Khuβhrénir to the form that is now familiar to the world: Khushrenada.
ONLY one issue still remained… my favorite part… After whom would the first born son be named as they now shared both bed and wife? It was not as though the looks of the child would likely reveal the answer even over time…
By this point, they were weary from the constant conflict and their wedding night was only delayed by a few days before they found consensus.
Once again they fell on the logic that their Lady's pleasure should be the ultimate deciding factor in such matters of overlapping desires. The final solution being: Which ever came second, namedfirst… As they had only one son (and a myriad of daughters) it became part of the very first set of Traditional Family Rules that no male son would ever bear either brother's name without the others in order to honor them both equally…
…Considering that I have already given this answer away most thoroughly… can you guess which one was which?"
Trieze the 13th had a huge grin on his face.
…and while their night continues on to see them all to their beds to ensure they are up early for the adventures that await them on a supposedly "normal" Friday at the Preventor's Headquarters before a weekend "Halloween Vacation"…
…For you my dear reader this little story continues on… for sometimes ink fades and details of history are forgotten, both by chance… and by design… which is why it is always best to return to the source… …See there the light that streams forth from another world? We must be on our way! Hurry now, before the gates to "what was" are closed for good…!
CH2! Long ago in the Master Bedchamber of the Former Khuβhrénir Castle… (^_~)