"These are their terms then?" Relena looked up from the parchment, heart clenched in a vice. Her brother nodded.

"Apparently they don't understand the difference between a treaty and a terms of surrender." Noin stated, clearly annoyed. It was a feeling Relena knew all too well.

"You don't have to marry him, Relena. We can find another way."

"With their forces camped outside?" Relena pointed out the window. "We do not have time." She sighed. She always knew an arranged marriage was a possibility for her. Such things were common enough among the nobility, but this…

Her head spun. She knew nothing of this man beyond his blood-soaked reputation. She was no fool. She knew he intended to use their resources to continue to wage war with the remaining kingdoms which went against everything her kingdom stood for. If she married him, then Sanq would be party by proxy to the senseless violence. If she did not, then her people were doomed. Tears pricked her eyes but she refused to let them fall. When caught between a rock and a hard place the best thing one could do was make the most of things until a solution could be found. The terms of the treaty were clear but...

'If he can make terms for this forced alliance, then there might be a way…'

"Milliard, I need a quill and ink and some parchment."

"What?" Her brother's eyes widened. "What are you thinking, Relena?"

"As the intended bride, I am allowed by custom to make a few demands of my own in regards to our marriage. I intend to do so!" The page boy brought what she asked for and, wasting no time, she sat down and began to write.

"Your Majesty:

I hope this letter finds you in good health and good humor. I have read the terms and conditions you provided regarding the possibility of joining our lands through the bonds of marriage. While I shall agree to your proposals, I shall also make a few of my own…"

She continued to write until the page was full, being certain to phrase things as carefully as possible. If so much as one word was taken wrongly, then it could doom the kingdom.

'God grant me wisdom and fortune.' She prayed silently as she penned the last of the terms. She signed it accordingly and sealed it with wax which her brother stamped with his ring.

"See that this gets to the warrior king. Whatever his response, I shall still be departing our home as his bride, but I hope, for the sake of everyone in his path, that he needs my requests."

As the messenger made his way out to the hall, she felt her heart constrict even tighter. Her main hope hinged on the idea that the king could, in fact, be reasonable. He had opted to offer a peaceful solution of marriage rather than simply destroying her home.

"I hope I'm right about you, Heero Yuy." She whispered and watched out the winding as the messenger rode away.

Heero looked over the parchment sent from the princess and scowled. Her terms were not outrageous but nor were they to his liking.

"What does it say, Heero?" Quatre inquired.

"She agrees to be my bride."

"That's great! Congrats on the nuptials, buddy!" Duo chirruped.

"She made counter demands." All of his advisers stared at him.

"Really?" Trowa smiled. "Clearly she is not your average princess." Heero nearly groaned.

"She requests that for for our first year of marriage we do not wage any Wars but instead focus on growing our own resources in our home province with the aid of their best economists, agriculturists, and engineers. She thinks this will allow for a more stable alliance and only provide us with more of what we need in the future."

"It is not an unreasonable request." Quatre said as he looked over the letter. "She has quite an eloquent way of writing." She did. In spite of it all, Heero found himself looking forward to meeting her. If she was as beautiful as she appeared to be clever then…

"What is your reply?" Trowa asked. Heero frowned. It really wasn't an unreasonable request. And resting for a year would give his troops time to recover and to hone more of their skills. And after the rather more crude terms and conditions added into his own demands by Tuberov and Septum, it was hardly out of the question.

"Write back to the princess. Tell her that we agree to her added terms and that she may also feel free to bring as many attendants and personal effects as she pleases."

"That is very noble of you."

"If we are both to suffer this arrangement then she should at least be allowed to do so as comfortably as I can allow." The new document was quickly drafted, signed and sealed before Heeto watched the messenger speed away in a cloud of dust. He wondered, briefly, if this truly would be worth it, but something in his gut told him he was getting more than he bargained for.