AN: This story is now rated PG-13 for violence (not really in this part ) and some swearing towards the end. The next part will deal with the fall of Cinq and will contain violence and strong language. This part starts off cute, though.
The Lilac Princess
Part 10
By Lady Dante
A Moment of Clarity…
The morning of his 6th birthday, Prince Milliardo Peacecraft was awakened by his 2-½ year old sister bouncing on his bed and chirping, "Happy! Snappy! Birth! Day!" She said one word per jump, over and over again, until her big brother grabbed her. Rena laughed and gave the prince a big hug. "Milli's all growed up!"
"Not quite, precious," laughed Queen Katrina. As Milli looked up, prepared to protest that he was indeed grown up, his mother snapped a picture of her disheveled son in his airplane print pjs and his equally rumpled sister in her pink footed pajamas. Milli's hair was sticking out here and there while Rena's pigtails had slipped to unequal heights.
"Maa-Maaaaa!" groaned the young prince. Rena clapped her hands and piped, "Gotcha!"
"Well there's one for the tabloids," Katrina said with an evil grin, "I wonder how much they will give me for such a scandalous photograph?"
Milli pulled his pillow over his head and groaned again. Rena, giggling, ducked under with him and asked, "What's matter, Mee? You look pretty!" She giggled again. Milli reached over and started tickling her. The baby princess squealed, calling for her mama. Katrina put down the camera and jumped on the bed like a hyperactive child. Rather than taking sides, she tickled them both mercilessly.
"Now THIS is one for the tabloids!"
Katrina looked up just in time to have her picture taken by King Stefan.
Milliardo and Relena both giggled, "Gotcha!"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Peacecraft family celebrated with a special breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes, chocolate muffins, chocolate milk, and various other combinations of Milli's favorite foods…most containing chocolate. Presents were next, beginning with a special drawing from Rena, progressing through the small personal gifts from the servants and finally the gifts from his parents. Aside from the obligatory model airplane kit, Milli also received a new collection of books and other such items. The best present was a small portable chess set with tiny game pieces made of alabaster and obsidian. The polished wooden box unlatched and folded out to form the board.
"Wow," Milli breathed, enthralled with the precisely carved chess pieces. "Let's play a game, Father!"
"Not now, son, you are expected at the orphanage soon and I am expected at the peace conference." At Milliardo's disappointed expression, Stefan added, "This evening, when you return, we will have a match."
"Thank you Father! Thanks Mama!" Milli grinned and shook his father's hand then turned and gave his mother a kiss.
After the family's private party, Katrina readied her children for the trip to the orphanage. Prince Milliardo obediently put on the formal white uniform he was expected to wear on such occasions, but grimaced as he did so. The thing was hideously uncomfortable and in his opinion, silly looking. He tugged at the tie a few times, trying to straighten it before his mother took pity on him and decided to help.
As Katrina worked on his tie, Milli asked, "Mama, I know I'm not supposed to play so much with Luie right now, but since it's our birthday, can we play at the party? I made her a special present and I don't want the other kids to be upset that Luie got an extra present, so I think I should give it to her in private and since it's a special day, I don't want to hurt her feelings by not playing with her." He didn't tell his mother that he had been secretly playing with Luie all along. As much as he disliked being dishonest to his mother, he felt it was worth it to keep his only real friend.
Katrina smiled softly at her son a moment. She was fairly certain that he had been playing as much with Lucretzia as he ever had, but she appreciated that it was difficult for him to hide his friendship. "Milliardo, your father has his reasons for all of this, you know that…" Milli nodded glumly. "Well, I suppose that after the formal ceremony and after you greet everyone, you may spend some time with Lucretzia." Milli thanked his mother happily and went to retrieve the special gift he made for his best friend.
It took both Ingrid and Katrina to dress Princess Relena. The little girl decided it would be fun to take off running after each piece of clothing was put on. So she kept running up and down the corridors in various stages of undress, chased by her mother and nanny. Her brother certainly didn't help any. First, Milli ran interference with the adults when the princess decided to bolt. Then he decided to teach the little girl how funny things looked upside down, showing her how put her head on floor, her frill-covered behind in the air and look through her legs. Relena decided to try this out in different areas of the house, such as the great hall… right in front of several ambassadors waiting to greet the royal couple. She decided that her brother was right. Even ambassadors were funny upside down.
The little pink tornado was finally subdued and dressed properly. In the midst of struggling to put on the child's shoes, Katrina was called away to meet privately with King Stefan. "Duty calls…" shrugged the queen apologetically to the beleaguered Ingrid. The older woman simply rolled her eyes and responded, "I want a raise."
Katrina, still smiling at the thought of the elderly nanny trying to tie Relena's shoes, breezed into her husband's study. She found Stefan talking with Damon, who appeared to be in an uncharacteristically serious mood. The queen remained by the door so as not to disturb their rather heated discussion.
"Your Highness, I understand your point, but I must insist…"
"No, Captain, I must insist. I will remain."
Katrina frowned at the cryptic comments and the use of Damon's rank. As formal as Stefan was, he rarely referred to Damon by his rank in private…unless there was a serious problem. She decided it was time to make her presence known.
"Stefan?"
Both men looked up and greeted her rather solemnly. Katrina waited for the two to explain what was going on and why she had been sent for, but both men hesitated. "I assume something important has happened, so why not just tell me and get it over with?" Katrina carefully regarded her beloved husband and the young man she regarded as another son. Neither looked pleased as they glanced at each other and back. Damon took a deep breath and spoke formally.
"Your Highness…you, Prince Milliardo and Princess Relena will be leaving this evening."
"Leaving? What…" She was halted as her husband raised his hand.
"Please, Katrina, let him finish."
Damon nodded at the king and continued, "There have been several threats made against your family since the peace conference started three days ago. Most were your usual nuts-wanting-attention notes, but I have confirmed that at least one threat is valid. Also… I can't prove it yet, but I believe the Alliance is planning an attack on Cinq within the next week. As a precaution, your family will be moved into hiding until the plot can be dealt with. King Stefan," Damon paused and glanced at the king, "will remain in Cinq." Katrina's eyes grew wide with alarm as she looked to her husband.
"Stefan, I will not be separated from you…"
"My love, please," Stefan started as he hurried to his distraught wife, "the children need you and our country needs me. Everything will be all right…"
"You do not know that!" Katrina interrupted tearfully.
"I'll be staying behind…I'll protect him, Your Highness." Damon tried to sound reassuring. "You and the kids will go stay with the Dorlians in St. Petersburg for the time being. That area hasn't seen trouble for quite a while and you'll be safe there. As soon as we take care of things, you can come back."
Katrina nodded. It was a great deal to take in at once. "Why was I not told?"
Stefan responded. "I did not want to worry you more than necessary, my love. The only people, other than the three of us, who know of our plan are Pagan and John Dorlian. Few people know that Pagan was once an Imperial Guard and it will not be noticed if he escorts you to the safe house. Dorlian is here for the conference and is known to be a personal acquaintance. It will not seem out of the ordinary for my wife and children to visit an old friend… Katrina," he turned his wife so that she was facing him, "we can not tell anyone, not the children, the staff, no one. When the time comes you are to take the children and leave. No baggage, no goodbyes…just leave." Katrina nodded, unable to speak. She closed her eyes and fingered the chains around her neck that held the locket and cross she had shown Milli. Stefan pulled her into a loving embrace, trying to offer her what reassurance he could. She sobbed quietly against him.
Damon silently slipped out of the room and left his friends to say their goodbyes, silently saying his own as he walked away.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The remainder of the day progressed on schedule. The royal family met with various officials who wished to pay their respects to the young prince. Milliardo endured them remarkably well. He decided he could put up with all the grownups for a while if it meant having chocolate birthday cake later. Relena, however, kept trying to see how everyone would look upside down.
Two hours before the party, Damon left for the orphanage to see to the final security arrangements. A very excited Luie met him at the door. "Captain Damon!" she said, jumping up and down. She immediately held her arms out to Damon, waiting to be picked up. The captain scooped up the little girl and swung her around, to her great delight.
"Merry Christmas, Luie!"
"It's not Christmas!"
"It's not?" Luie giggled and shook her head. "Hmm," Damon pretended to be puzzled, "Happy New Year?"
"No, silly!" she giggled gleefully.
"Oh…I know! It's…it's…Saint Basil's Day!"
"Nuh-uh…It's my birthday!"
"Happy Birthday, sweetie," he laughed and gave her a big hug. "I might have a surprise for you some where…" Without waiting for confirmation, Luie started rifling the man's coat pockets for her present. Damon often brought her a special gift when he visited. Over the past year, aside from his official visits with Katrina and Milliardo, Damon had started making regular visits to Luie in his off time. He had grown truly fond of the child and earned the little girl's trust. They discussed many things, such as what her life was like at the orphanage, what was going on at school and, occasionally, she would talk to him about her nightmares. He gathered as many clues out of their talks as he could, determined to solve her mystery and bring her home.
Luie gasped with excitement as she pulled a tiny book out of Damon's pocket. It was a small children's Bible with her name embossed on it in silver letters. The little girl traced her name with her finger and carefully opened it. There was something written on the inside cover.
"Can you read that?" Damon asked.
"Yes," she said quietly then read the inscription out loud, " 'Presented to Lucretzia by her friend Damon on the occasion of her 6th birthday. Do your duty and leave the rest to God.'" Luie looked up, smiling. "Thank you Captain Damon! It's beautiful!" She flung her arms around the man and hugged him affectionately.
"You're welcome, kid." He laughed as the child squeezed the stuffing out of him.
"You spoil that child, Damon." Sister Marguerite, having heard the commotion, came in to check on Luie.
"Yeah, like you don't," Damon smirked. Luie giggled behind her hand. "Besides, it's her birthday and it's a BIBLE. That's not spoiling, that's religious instruction…I thought you'd approve of THAT!"
"Yes, well…" She smiled and turned her attention to Luie, "Why don't you go see if that will fit in your treasure box."
"Yes, Sister ma'am!" Before she left, she turned around and executed a nearly perfect wink. She didn't even have to hold her other eyelid open. Damon winked back and said, "Getting better at that, Luie!"
"I've been practicing!" she said as she started upstairs.
"And put on some shoes while you're up there!" Marguerite called after her. She was answered by a giggle and the sound of bare feet slapping on the hardwood floor. The sister turned back to Damon and noticed a change of expression. The normally jovial young man looked rather concerned…and sad.
"What's going on, Damon?"
Damon looked back at Marguerite blankly and shrugged. "I'm here to finish up with the other guards before the party starts."
"Of course you are." She could sense there was more going on, but decided to allow the young man to speak in his own time.
Damon looked down and scuffed his feet before responding. "Sister…," he hesitated a moment, rubbing his head, "Sister, I can't discuss security details with anyone… not even a nun," he smiled weakly and continued, "but…I might not be able to see Luie for a while…and, uh…I just…" He took a breath and looked up. "You know, if I was married and things were a little different around here, I'd adopt that kid."
"Yes, I know." She placed a comforting hand on her young friend's shoulder. Obviously something important was about to happen, but he couldn't talk about it. Damon had always taken his duty to the kingdom, and especially the royal family, very seriously. He had sacrificed much and would gladly give more if it was necessary, but Marguerite sometimes wished the young man would take time to consider his own happiness.
Damon, putting on his clown's mask once more, smirked, "So, Marguerite. When you gonna quit this nun stuff and marry me? We could take Luie and run off to Australia or something."
"Damon Pallidino, do you know what happens to people who flirt with nuns?"
"We get our knuckles rapped with a ruler," he grinned.
"Damon," she said, crossing her arms.
"Sorry, Sister Sledge."
Marguerite gave him an affectionate, but none too gentle, punch in the arm.
"Hey!" he exclaimed, rubbing his arm, "pacifist nation…remember?"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The day's festivities started off with a formal reception line. Traditionally, the royal family first greeted each child at the orphanage then moved on to the visiting diplomats and finally members of the nobility. Milliardo and his mother moved down the line speaking briefly to each child. Relena, safely trapped in her mother's arms, waved at each child merrily. When they arrived in front of Lucretzia, Rena giggled and blew a kiss to the older girl. Luie grinned and waved back. A light cough from Sister Marguerite sobered the girl up and she curtseyed to the prince, crossing her eyes at him as she stood up straight again. Milli bowed in return, biting his lip to keep himself from laughing.
Near the end of the line Duke Dermail and his very bored grandnephew, Duke Treize Kushrenada, waited for the young prince. The elderly duke, disapproving of the Cinq custom of treating commoners with the same deference as the nobility, voiced his objections to his young protégé. 12-year-old Treize, who did not care much for the old man, pretended to agree. In actuality, he wasn't even listening to his uncle. Years of being subjected to the ramblings of the snobbish duke had given the boy a great deal of practice in the art of appearing attentive.
The royal party finally reached the end of the line and greeted the pair. The old duke had, of course, met the royal family several times, but this was the first time Treize had been allowed to accompany his uncle outside of their homeland, Luxembourg. The boy had met the amiable queen once when Mrs. Katrina, as she insisted Treize call her, visited his mother. This was his first meeting, however, with the young heir. The prince was about half Treize's age—and height, a fact the older boy found vaguely amusing. He bowed to Prince Milliardo Peacecraft and engaged in light small talk with the queen. She seemed pleased with his manner, he noted and, just to ensure he was demonstrating a sufficient amount of charm, Treize formally greeted the young princess as well. The baby became shy suddenly and buried her face in her mother's shoulder.
With the tedious formalities finally out of the way, the crowd was seated for a special program presented by the children at the orphanage. The highlight was a performance by a little girl with very long, dark hair and unusual violet eyes. Treize was quite impressed to hear such a beautiful voice springing from such a tiny child. As young as Treize was himself, he had nonetheless ceased to be impressed by much of anything long ago. The young duke was surprised to find that he enjoyed the child's rendition of a simple French folk song as much as the operatic selections he usually preferred. Treize turned to his uncle to make a comment to that effect, when he noticed that the old man was staring intently at the little girl. He seemed to know the child, or at least recognize her from somewhere. Duke Dermail's expression changed from surprise to a mild, spiteful amusement. Treize decided to find out who that child was and determine why the old duke seemed so pleased with himself. Treize didn't like the old man to know something he didn't.
After the recital, Duke Dermail ushered his nephew towards the stage to meet the performers. Treize could see that the old duke was trying not to appear anxious, but it was obvious to the boy that his uncle was determined to see that child. They made their way through the crowd and found that the young prince was already talking to the little girl.
"Your Highness," the duke started as he bowed to the queen, "that was a lovely program, was it not?"
"Yes, quite lovely," the queen replied politely. "There are some very talented children here," she added smiling down at the girl.
"Ah, yes indeed. Perhaps you could introduce us to your little songbird?"
"Of course," Mrs. Katrina seemed a bit surprised at the duke's request. He was a notorious snob. "Duke Dermail, Treize, this is Lucretzia."
The little girl nervously curtseyed, glancing at the boy prince first. "Pleased to meet you, sir."
"Lucretzia is it? What a lovely name…are you Italian then?"
The child looked up at the queen with a hint of fear. She seemed unsure how to respond, so the queen did so on her behalf. "I am sure you will understand that the child does not enjoy speaking about her past, Duke Dermail…" Before the old duke had a chance to ask any more painful questions of the shy girl, Mrs. Katrina took his arm and guided him towards a group of noblemen near the punch table. The younger duke admired the queen's skill and tact. Treize noted that an Imperial Guard remained behind, but kept a respectable distance so that the children could speak freely.
With the adults more or less out of the way, Luie and Milli immediately started talking with more ease. Treize looked on for a moment, amused by the ramblings of the 6-year-olds, before interrupting.
"You have a lovely voice, Lucretzia."
The children looked up at the older boy, a bit embarrassed by the fact that they had forgotten he was there. The little girl shyly responded with a quiet "thank you," and curtseyed again. She wasn't used to so many big people. It made her nervous. Particularly that old duke. He looked at her funny…and now this older boy smiling at her…Luie didn't know what to make of him. She looked over at Milli who seemed to be trying to figure the other boy out as well. He frowned. Luie guessed he couldn't understand this Treize boy either.
The three spoke for a few more minutes, Treize smiling pleasantly as they did so. He somehow managed to get Luie to tell him not only that she didn't know where she came from or who she was, but also that she could speak eight languages. She normally avoided such discussions, especially with strangers, but the older boy seemed nice…even if he did smile too much. Treize finally bowed and excused himself. Luie and Milli watched him go, both puzzled. They looked back at each other and shrugged.
"I got a present for you," Milli said handing her a gift bag, "Mama helped me with it a little, but I did most of it."
Luie pulled a small watering can out of the bag, brightly painted with various flowers. "Oh, thank you! It's pretty! And now I can help water the flowers…I couldn't before because the can was too heavy and Sister Marguerite said it wasn't a good idea to give a kid a water hose…but now I can!" She finished by giving Milli a hug. This embarrassed the prince slightly when he noticed Damon chuckling a few feet away.
"Um, you're welcome."
Luie giggled at him, picking up a box by the stage and handing it to him. "Sister let me make you a special present, too."
The boy eagerly plundered the contents and pulled out a wooden glider. "Cool! It's like the one we saw in the book."
"Yup! I had to get Captain Damon to help me cut the pieces out of wood and Sister helped me with the glue so I didn't get my fingers stuck."
They continued to chatter for a time and tried out the toy plane. When they thought they could ditch everyone, they snuck off to retrieve the bucket Luie had hidden earlier and filled it with water. Together they carried the bucket up to the bell tower, giggling all the way.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Duke Dermail strode into the courtyard smugly. He considered the last bit of information he acquired, very pleased with himself. Not only was the plan progressing smoothly, he had just discovered the presence of one of the little runaways. "Two birds with one stone," he muttered with vile amusement. He had not been able to get additional information from anyone about the child, but her face was confirmation enough. There was no mistaking who she was.
Dermail was forced from his reverie by the appearance of Lt. General Diego O'Neguil. It occurred to the old man that politics truly did make strange bedfellows. The duke turned to greet the younger man, listening carefully to his news before making the general aware of the child. They agreed that retrieval of the child should coincide with the implementation of their plan to destroy Cinq. The peace conference provided them an excellent opportunity to effectively wipe out all real Alliance opposition. In the ensuing confusion, it would not be difficult to take the child.
The two spoke quietly for a while longer, carefully checking to see that they were not discovered. It was imperative to the Duke that no one see him with an Alliance official. His fellow members at Romefeller would not approve of his participation in a plan to wipe out the entire royal family, even if it would simplify their own schemes. Stefan Peacecraft's dogged devotion to the outmoded idea of total pacifism was a roadblock. True and lasting peace was only possible through carefully created order. A strong hand was needed to create and maintain such order. The old duke saw his collaboration with the Alliance as a necessary evil. His help now would eventually lead to the realization of Romefeller's plan to replace the Alliance with their own organization, ensuring that those who were born to lead would regain power. The true rulers of the world, the aristocracy, had been relegated to second place long enough. It was time the birthright was reclaimed.
After the general left, the old duke paced the courtyard for a time, congratulating himself.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Milli and Luie finally managed to haul the bucket of water up to the belfry and the prince pulled the balloons out of his pockets. He was actually surprised his mother hadn't caught him hiding those earlier. They decided to let the balloons fall on the empty courtyard, just to see the splash. The two schemers set about filling the balloons as best they could from the bucket, managing to slosh water on the floor and each other in the process. The children stood on their toes and looked out over the railing. They were about to throw the balloons when they noticed two grownups talking in the courtyard. One was the old Duke Dermail that Milli and Luie had endured earlier. They didn't recognize the other man. He was a little younger and dressed in an Alliance uniform. The men were too far away for the youngsters to overhear their conversation, but Duke Dermail seemed pleased about something. That couldn't be good. Milli and Luie looked at each other and grinned. This was all just too tempting…
"I'd think about that before you drop those."
The unexpected voice startled the children and they whirled around. They saw a figure standing in the shadows on the other side of the old bell. The figure stepped forward into the light. It was the older boy they met earlier, Treize Kushrenada. "You must weigh the consequences against the potential gain," he began as he dropped the cigarette he had been smoking and crushed it under his boot heel. "As much fun as it would be to drench the old…" he cleared his throat, "gentleman…the potential for getting caught is great."
"Not really," Milli responded evenly, "there's another set of stairs that go down the other way. By the time they get up here, we'll be gone." He calmly surveyed the older boy, trying to determine if he was a friend or foe. He didn't have any more luck determining that now than he had previously.
As this exchange progressed, Luie, still holding the balloon, looked back down at the old duke. Actually she was looking at the other man. The one in the uniform. He was wearing clothes like the angry people she remembered from before. The old man seemed pleased by whatever the other man was telling him. She didn't like the old man and the other one frightened her. Luie looked at the balloon in her hand and back down at the men.
"Come on," she said nudging Milli, "they'll leave soon…if we don't do it now, it'll be too late."
"We could get into trouble."
"Only if we get caught,"
"So…we just won't get caught…right?" he said, directing the last part towards the boy duke smirking in their direction.
"Do as you wish," Treize said with a bemused shrug, "but be prepared for the consequences." He casually walked out of the room and down the back stairs that Prince Milliardo so kindly pointed out. It was difficult for the older boy not to laugh as he left. From his vantage point on the opposite side of the tower, he saw the Imperial Guard Captain…Pallidino, was it?…approaching the tower. He would probably make it into the belfry just in time to see the two infants launch their missiles.
Milli watched the other boy leave and frowned. "I don't get him," he mumbled.
"Me neither," Luie responded distractedly. She was still looking at the men. "Come on! They're walking away!" For reasons she couldn't begin to understand, Luie really wanted to get those two. The idea of them getting drenched and looking foolish was very appealing.
The two lifted the balloons over their heads and prepared to throw on the count of three. "One. Two. Th…AH!" The children yelped in unison as someone caught them by their collars. They managed to keep hold of their balloons as they were turned around.
"What are you two doing?" Captain Damon successfully managed to sound firm. Mentally, he was laughing his lungs up. Water balloons. That was classic…
Wide-eyed Milliardo answered, "Uh…just trying something out."
"Right," Damon smirked and held his hand out, "Hand 'em over, guys."
"But," Luie began to protest. She really, really wanted to get that man in the uniform.
"No, Luie. This is not a good idea." He took he balloon. She scowled at him then looked back down. The other man was leaving. Just the old duke remained.
To be truthful, Damon would have loved letting them toss those suckers over the rail. He might have even helped…he probably would have helped…but there was too much going on. It was bad enough that neither child was aware of the plan to hide the royal family. They would be separated once again with no way of communicating or any idea of when they might see each other again. He didn't want their last few hours together to be marred by annoyed adults.
Milli put his balloon back in the bucket and sighed. "Captain…since we didn't really do anything, does Father have to hear about this one?" He was concerned that this might change his father's mind about meeting Luie. Milli might not get to play with her anymore…ever.
Damon, guessing what was passing through the boy's head, replied, "Nope. Just behave yourselves for the rest of the party, all righty?" The children nodded obediently. Somehow Damon didn't think what they thought of as 'behaving' and what he meant were the same thing. He decided to hang around them for a while. "You guys wanna take turns sitting on my shoulders?"
"Yeah!" they chimed in unison. Damon grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "Well let's go downstairs…"
Before he could finish the sentence, the two darted out, shouting, "First one down gets to go first!" Damon, yelled after them, "Hey! Be careful! Mrs. Katrina will fire me if you guys break your necks!" He chuckled as he started to follow them. He stopped and looked back out of the bell tower. The old duke, Dermail, was pacing the courtyard, looking very pleased about something. That was probably not good. Damon tossed the balloon up in the air and caught it a couple of times, wistfully wishing he could chuck it at the old…duke…
Damon successfully managed to keep the children out of trouble, finally depositing them in the keeping of Mrs. Katrina. Damon went off to speak with the guards he assigned to shadow the few Alliance officials allowed to attend the function.
The queen, trying not to let on that she was upset, made the most of the rest of the day with the children. When it was finally time to leave, Katrina bid Luie goodbye. She embraced the child, speaking to her in Italian. Luie and Milli could both see that Mrs. Katrina was a little upset, but didn't understand why. All they knew was someone they loved was sad and all they knew to do was give her a hug. The queen held the two tightly and gave them each a kiss before collecting Relena. She decided to give Lucretzia and Milliardo a moment to say goodbye.
"Thanks for my present. It's really neat."
"You're welcome. Thanks for my present. It's cool…when my father sees it, he's gonna know you're not bad and I know he's gonna let me play with you more and maybe you can come visit us at home."
"I hope so. It's kinda lonely here when you're not around…but Captain Damon visits sometimes and Sister Marguerite plays with me, too and she said that your father just wants you to be safe and that it's not because I'm bad or anything."
The queen stepped forward and told Milli it was time to go. "O.K. Mama…well, see you at school," he called back to Luie as he ran to the car. She waved back and yelled, "Bye! See you at school!" They waved at each other until the car was out of sight.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Captain?"
"Enter." Damon looked up as the young guard entered the office, "Petrie," he nodded in greeting, "What do you have for me?"
"The consulate had one photo that fit your timeline." He handed the envelope over to the captain and waited for instructions.
"Good work, Petrie. Dismissed." The young man saluted and left. Damon sat down and took a breath and looked at the envelope. Damon had been having a bad feeling all day. Moving the family, securing the conference, and the appearance of one of Damon's former Alliance comrades put the young man on edge. It was bad enough that Alliance members were allowed to attend at all—he had argued against that—but the fact that Diego was one of them made matters worse. Add that to the look that smarmy old duke had given Luie and Damon's day was pretty much shot to hell. The old man had been asking about her, troubling enough, but Luie's reaction concerned him as well. So he was going back through everything.
The captain looked at the papers fanned out over his desk. Louie's drawings, the doctor's medical report, incident reports from refugee agencies and other documents. After returning from the party, Damon had taken the little girl's drawings out and studied them for the thousandth time, hoping to see something he missed. He had just reviewed the medical file and reread the incident reports. He sat looking at the sketches perplexed by the imagery until he picked up the picture of the boy. That was when it slowly dawned on Damon what he was looking at. He shuffled through the drawings and pulled out the self-portrait Luie drew. As he compared the two images, he had asked himself if what he believed could be possible. Noin. They were both noin.
Two hours later Damon sat looking at an envelope that most likely held proof of his theory. He opened it and pulled out the photograph. His heart sank. He was right. Looking at the subject immediately confirmed his suspicions. "My God," he whispered, "that poor baby." All the pieces finally fell into place. Damon knew who Luie was and where she came from. He stood and collected all of the information, carefully placing it in a folder stowed safely in his hidden file cabinet. The captain grabbed his jacket and prepared to meet with King Stefan. He had to tell the king, but if it was the last thing Damon did, he would see to it that no one else ever found out. Not Katrina, not Milliardo, not even Lucretzia…especially not Lucretzia.
He barreled down the hall, putting on his jacket and adjusting his uniform absent-mindedly as he went. The horror of what he just found out was starting to sink in. This was the very last thing Damon needed now. The royal family would be moved tonight…in exactly 2 hours and 23 minutes…and now he had to deal with the fact that Luie was... "Those bastards…" He rubbed his head roughly as he turned a corner.
The captain stopped dead in his tracks. "What the hell…"
"Damon, old friend. How have you been?" Diego O'Neguil's tone dripped with malicious intent. Damon surveyed the situation as quickly as he could, mind reeling at the possibility he was facing. Diego made it past security. The mansion was probably crawling with Alliance troops, or very soon would be.
What could he do now? Damon tried to formulate some plan, mentally picturing the location of the members of the royal family. Milliardo and Stefan were in the king's study playing chess. Katrina and Relena were in the garden, most likely in the maze and well hidden for the moment. The study was closest. He would get to the king first and plan an escape through the East Garden.
"Your security precautions might have worked, Damon, if your guards had been allowed to carry firearms. I don't know what you hoped to accomplish here without weapons. Those poor boys of yours didn't really stand a chance."
"Diego, you son of a bitch! What have you done!?"
His only response was a hollow laugh from his former comrade. Diego raised his weapon, pointing at full arm's length.
"I won't let …"
The rest of Damon's statement was lost in the sound of a gunshot.
++++++++++++++ end of part 10 +++++++++++++++++++++
O.K., this is getting more difficult. I have to remind myself that these people are just imaginary…and that General O'Neguil gets his in the end…[Thank you, Kalen, for giving me his name]. PLEASE NOTE: The next part deals with the fall of Cinq. Major character death. I can't believe I have to do that, but I guess I've written myself into the proverbial corner and now I've got to shoot my way out…so to speak…anyway, violence and strong language ahead.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for continuing to review! Please review this chapter as well. I know the chapters are getting longer. I'm trying to make them shorter, but it is difficult to edit this part. Anyway, please let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I'm imaginary too, so I don't need to say I don't own it and don't make money off of it…nyah!