The Lilac Princess
Part Two
Mazes and Mothers
By Lady Dante
"Finally!" said Milliardo as he burst out of the forest pulling Noin along behind. He was pleased to see he had made it back to the mansion grounds, the back corner of the east garden to be exact. "See that statue? That's my great-great-," he paused as he counted, "great grandfather, King Milliardo II. He's the one who first decided that Cinq should be a pacifist state." Noin looked up at the sculpture as they passed and then back at her companion. "Father says he was a great man and that's why he named me after him," he said solemnly, "He wants me to be a great man too." Milliardo fell silent, contemplating his namesake and his father. Noin watched him as they walked on in silence, a little concerned that her chatty friend was suddenly quiet. Unconsciously, the little girl gripped the young prince's hand a bit tighter, prompting him to look back at her. She grinned and began swinging their hands in rhythm with their steps. Milliardo smiled back and continued the history lesson.
"That one is of my grandmother Alicia. She was a doctor and she started a hospital for kids who got hurt in wars and had scars and stuff and...that one isn't anyone in my family, it's from Greece. Mama brought it with her when she came here to marry my father. She wasn't Greek though, she's from Belgium... oh and this is neat, you'll like this," he said stopping by the Greek statue and gesturing toward a towering hedge, "It's a maze, Mama won't let me go through it by myself, she says I get lost too much as it is, but," he leaned towards Noin conspiratorially, "between you and me, I went in a couple of times and I..." He was abruptly cut off by the distinct sound of his mother's voice,
"MILLIARDO..."
"...uh-oh..."
"STEFAN..."
"...busted..."
"NICHOLAS..."
"...this is not going to be pretty..."
"PEACECRAFT!"
It was definitely not a good sign that his mother had used his entire name. She only did that when she was really mad. Noin, startled by the sudden appearance of a big person, darted behind the statue, trying to tug Milliardo along with her. "It's O.K., she's only mad at me, not you." He decided to be brave and turned to face his mother.
"Hello, Mama," he said as brightly as he could. "Don't 'hello, Mama' me, Milliardo," she said calmly, but firmly, "Where have you been? Pagan was upset when he discovered you were missing...again." She was standing with her hands on her hips, a stance that told the boy she meant business.
"I went for a walk" he responded meekly.
"Mm-hm, where did you go for this walk?"
He smiled sheepishly and said, "Well we walked in the garden for a while..." The stern look his mother was giving him made him look down at his feet and mumble, "and in the forest..." Queen Katrina sighed and shook her head. Stepping forward, she knelt in front of her wayward son, and said in a softer tone, "Milli, you promised..."
"I know Mama, I'm sorry, but I made it back this time without getting very lost, and I wouldn't have found her if I hadn't gone for the walk..."
"Found whom Milli?" interrupted Katrina, a little alarmed at the mention of a stranger. Milliardo's eyes lit up as he said, "The Fairy! She fell out of a tree and knocked me down and I didn't think she could talk, but she called me Zechs because I told her I was the 6th Marquise of Avann and that was the only thing she said..."
"Slow down, Milli, where is this 'fairy' of yours?" She disregarded what she assumed to be embellishments to her son's story and focused on the strange person who might have followed her son back to the estate. "Oh, she's over there," said the boy, pointing to the Greek statue, "I think she's afraid of you. She was afraid of me too, at first, but I used my magic smile and she liked me after that." The Queen suppressed a grin at his 'magic smile' comment. She had told him once that his charming smile worked magic on people the same way his father's smile had worked magic on her.
"Come along, Milli, we will talk of your imaginary friend on the way back to the house." Milliardo, hurt that his mother didn't believe his story, insisted, "She's not imaginary Mama, she's over there..." Katrina, still upset that her son had wandered away again, interrupted him once more. "Milliardo, we do not have time for this, it is starting to get cold and you neglected to pick up a coat in your haste to escape."
"No, I didn't," he responded petulantly, "I gave it to my friend because she was cold, and we can't leave her behind!" He tugged free of his mother's grip and ran behind the statue. To Katrina's great surprise, Milliardo emerged with a ragged-looking little girl in tow, wrapped in her son's overcoat.
"Where did you come from, little one?" asked Katrina.
"I told you, Mama, I found her in the woods," said the young prince, trying to smile his best magic smile.
"Can I keep her?"
*****End part two*****
Can't you just see little Milliardo smiling at his mother and asking to keep Noin? Was that cuteness overload?
Next episode: Queen Katrina tries to find out about little Miss Noin...
Oh yeah, the disclaimer thingy again...OK does anyone REALLY think I'm claiming to own GW? Do you SEE a life-size Zechs doll running around? All righty then...
Part Two
Mazes and Mothers
By Lady Dante
"Finally!" said Milliardo as he burst out of the forest pulling Noin along behind. He was pleased to see he had made it back to the mansion grounds, the back corner of the east garden to be exact. "See that statue? That's my great-great-," he paused as he counted, "great grandfather, King Milliardo II. He's the one who first decided that Cinq should be a pacifist state." Noin looked up at the sculpture as they passed and then back at her companion. "Father says he was a great man and that's why he named me after him," he said solemnly, "He wants me to be a great man too." Milliardo fell silent, contemplating his namesake and his father. Noin watched him as they walked on in silence, a little concerned that her chatty friend was suddenly quiet. Unconsciously, the little girl gripped the young prince's hand a bit tighter, prompting him to look back at her. She grinned and began swinging their hands in rhythm with their steps. Milliardo smiled back and continued the history lesson.
"That one is of my grandmother Alicia. She was a doctor and she started a hospital for kids who got hurt in wars and had scars and stuff and...that one isn't anyone in my family, it's from Greece. Mama brought it with her when she came here to marry my father. She wasn't Greek though, she's from Belgium... oh and this is neat, you'll like this," he said stopping by the Greek statue and gesturing toward a towering hedge, "It's a maze, Mama won't let me go through it by myself, she says I get lost too much as it is, but," he leaned towards Noin conspiratorially, "between you and me, I went in a couple of times and I..." He was abruptly cut off by the distinct sound of his mother's voice,
"MILLIARDO..."
"...uh-oh..."
"STEFAN..."
"...busted..."
"NICHOLAS..."
"...this is not going to be pretty..."
"PEACECRAFT!"
It was definitely not a good sign that his mother had used his entire name. She only did that when she was really mad. Noin, startled by the sudden appearance of a big person, darted behind the statue, trying to tug Milliardo along with her. "It's O.K., she's only mad at me, not you." He decided to be brave and turned to face his mother.
"Hello, Mama," he said as brightly as he could. "Don't 'hello, Mama' me, Milliardo," she said calmly, but firmly, "Where have you been? Pagan was upset when he discovered you were missing...again." She was standing with her hands on her hips, a stance that told the boy she meant business.
"I went for a walk" he responded meekly.
"Mm-hm, where did you go for this walk?"
He smiled sheepishly and said, "Well we walked in the garden for a while..." The stern look his mother was giving him made him look down at his feet and mumble, "and in the forest..." Queen Katrina sighed and shook her head. Stepping forward, she knelt in front of her wayward son, and said in a softer tone, "Milli, you promised..."
"I know Mama, I'm sorry, but I made it back this time without getting very lost, and I wouldn't have found her if I hadn't gone for the walk..."
"Found whom Milli?" interrupted Katrina, a little alarmed at the mention of a stranger. Milliardo's eyes lit up as he said, "The Fairy! She fell out of a tree and knocked me down and I didn't think she could talk, but she called me Zechs because I told her I was the 6th Marquise of Avann and that was the only thing she said..."
"Slow down, Milli, where is this 'fairy' of yours?" She disregarded what she assumed to be embellishments to her son's story and focused on the strange person who might have followed her son back to the estate. "Oh, she's over there," said the boy, pointing to the Greek statue, "I think she's afraid of you. She was afraid of me too, at first, but I used my magic smile and she liked me after that." The Queen suppressed a grin at his 'magic smile' comment. She had told him once that his charming smile worked magic on people the same way his father's smile had worked magic on her.
"Come along, Milli, we will talk of your imaginary friend on the way back to the house." Milliardo, hurt that his mother didn't believe his story, insisted, "She's not imaginary Mama, she's over there..." Katrina, still upset that her son had wandered away again, interrupted him once more. "Milliardo, we do not have time for this, it is starting to get cold and you neglected to pick up a coat in your haste to escape."
"No, I didn't," he responded petulantly, "I gave it to my friend because she was cold, and we can't leave her behind!" He tugged free of his mother's grip and ran behind the statue. To Katrina's great surprise, Milliardo emerged with a ragged-looking little girl in tow, wrapped in her son's overcoat.
"Where did you come from, little one?" asked Katrina.
"I told you, Mama, I found her in the woods," said the young prince, trying to smile his best magic smile.
"Can I keep her?"
*****End part two*****
Can't you just see little Milliardo smiling at his mother and asking to keep Noin? Was that cuteness overload?
Next episode: Queen Katrina tries to find out about little Miss Noin...
Oh yeah, the disclaimer thingy again...OK does anyone REALLY think I'm claiming to own GW? Do you SEE a life-size Zechs doll running around? All righty then...