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"Do you need anything, Miss Marie?"
"No, Raymond, thank you." Marie replied. Raymond nodded his head and left the room that overlooked the courtyard. Marie plopped down into the nearest chair and watched him walk out into the courtyard, heading right up to George. He had been fencing all day long, against whoever he could. The Rose Gundam stood nobly in the background, shining as the late afternoon sun hit it's back. As soon as Raymond made his way out, he and George started a match.
Marie sighed and smoothed the flowing material of her pink sundress. She had let her hair stay down, not bothering to pull it into it's usual ponytail.
"You never cease to amaze me, mon chevalier." she said to herself as George dodged a thrust of Raymond's foil. His hair swung to the side as his head jerked in the opposite direction, then his entire body lunged forward and struck Raymond's suit in the shoulder.
Marie's thoughts trailed back to the events that had occured three years ago, at the end of the 13th Tournament. They had arrived back in France with a badly battered Gundam Rose that needed extensive repair. George had stayed at the palace, upon the King's request, since then. "But we rarely cross paths." Marie said to herself, watching as George took off his mask and wiped the sweat from his brow with an arm.
He was as handsome as he had ever been- maybe even more so. But even so, he was the same George from three years ago. The same George that had saved her from Chapman (then later had taken a battering from John Bull Gundam in order to protect her), and the same George that had blushed crimson when she kissed his cheek after the tournament.
Marie let her chin rest in her hand as she watched the two continue. He thoughts still lingered on the 13th Tournament, but now of a more somber moment. She could remember clearly the moment she and Raymond had arrived where the Rose Gundam was lying in shambles, after being attacked by Devil Gundam. The cockpit looked like hell- it's front panel was smashed in and dented, and the interior was torn apart. But all Marie saw was the still body of George, haphazardly lying on the floor of the cockpit. She and Raymond had pulled him out and laid him on the ground outside, but neither had seen his chest rise or fall throughout the entire time. Both of them must have been panicked, because George was in fact alive, but at the moment he was dead to them. All she could do was stare, her hands clasped tightly together near her heart. When George finally moved slightly, the both of them had lunged forward towards him, ecstatic that he was alive. Marie backed away and let Raymond reach George first, because tears had begun to tumble from her eyes. She didn't want George to see her cry, she was sick of being his weakness, his damsel in distress.
Still deep in thought, Marie didn't notice when George opened the door to the room and walked in, still carrying his fencing foil and face mask.
"Miss Marie, it feels like it's been a while." he said, startling her. He blinked at her with a confused, but amused look on his face. "Did I frighten you?"
"...no." She replied after a moment. "You just surprised me. I rarely see you anymore, save for social gatherings..." Marie looked down at her feet as George nodded. "You're right." he said. "We do rarely see eachother." She stood from her chair and walked from the room out to the balcony that overlooked the courtyard. Gundam Rose had begun to shine crimson in the setting sun.
"Rain and Domon should be arriving tomorrow." she said after a moment, attempting to break the silence. George simply nodded, trying to think of something to say. The balcony under them gave a small groan, but it was too quiet for either to notice.
"Rose Gundam looks gorgeous in this light." she continued akwardly, walking to the edge of the balcony. "It always cheers me up to see it." George nodded and smiled.
"You're right, it does look quite amazing," he said. "I am glad it is my partner, I couldn't have asked for a better one to defend my country with." Marie looked over to him and smiled slightly. "It suits you."
With that comment, the balcony gave a sudden groan, then lurched towards the ground as it snapped in half, carrying Marie with it.
"Princess!" George shouted, diving at the edge just in time to catch Marie's forearm. Her took her hand with his free hand and pulled her up, helping her steady herself once they were on solid ground. "Are you alright?" He asked anxiously, holding her at arms length and looking her over. Marie nodded, then smiled up at him.
"Thank you so much, George!" she said happily, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. 'This is the George I know... he really does care about me, doesn't he?' she thought with a smile. THey released and George smiled back at her. "Of course," he said with a slight bow of his head. "anything for my country's princess."
The smile faded from Marie's face as his words sank in to her. 'his country's princess...' she thought to herself. She stepped away from George and backed towards the door. He looked at her with a confused expression. "Miss Marie Louise?" He asked slowly, but she only waved it off. "It's nothing, I'm fine. Again, thank you for saving me, Monsieur De Sand. Au Revoir." she nodded a goodbye to him and turned fluidly, then briskly walked off the balcony just as the palace guards and passing gardeners noticed the broken balcony.
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"So you say she just turned and walked away?" Domon asked as he lounged on a big, plush armchair. It was the day after the incodent with the balcony, and George couldn't get Marie's behavior off his mind. The two were sitting in Domon's guest room, talking about the events of the other day. "That's right. And she called me Monsieur De Sand. She never calls me by my last name. I don't understand what I did to upset her." "hm..." "And there's one more thing..." George said seriously.
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"He said what?" Rain asked, wide-eyed. "He said 'anything for my country's princess.' Those are his exact words." Marie said quietly. She and Rain were sitting in Rain's guest room, Rain was in a chair and Marie was sitting on the bed. "I'm sure he didn't mean that that is the only reason he saved you, Marie..." "But he did! And that is the only reason he has ever rescued me. I am the Princess of France. Someone he needs to protect for the honor of his country, am obstruction, a weakness, Rain!" Marie let herself fall backwards onto the bed, feeling her hair bounce off the matress around her head. "He will never see me as anything else. And how could he? The only thing I am good for is being kidnapped. Je suis up poupée. C'est tout que je suis." Rain didn't understand the french that had just flown from Marie's mouth, but she could see that the girl was upset. Rain turned to look out the window, trying to think of some good advice. A strange reflection it's it glass surface caught her attention, but by the time she whipped her head around to look it was too late.
"Who..." Rain trailed as she stared up at the stranger in front of her. His hand was clasped over Marie's mouth and his arm was tightly wrapped around her arms and torso, preventing her from moving. His face was hidden under a strange mask. "Domon!" Rain shouted as the figure grinned and dropped a note at Rain's feet, then dissapeared out the window with Marie. Marie managed to pull her face away from her assailant's hand quick enough to shout "George!" But his hand clasped over her mouth too quickly for anything more to be said.
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"You think the balcony was fixed?" Domon asked a serious looking George. George nodded, a look of deep thought on his face. "Later last night I went down to inspect the rubble. There was a perfectly symetrical line of holes where the balcony had split... someone had created a weak spot on the balcony so that if any extra weight was added, it would collapse. That balcony is the near only Marie's room... I think I will need to keep a closer eye on her."
No sooner had George finished his sentence that a shout rang out from close by. "That was Rain!" Domon exclaimed, recognizing his name. He and George started down the hall, when another voice was heard from out the window. "George!" Marie cried. George got to the window in time to see the kidnapper speed away, taking a bound and gagged Marie with him. "Marie!!" George shouted, lunging to jump out the window. Domon grabbed him before he could. "You'll never catch them that way." he replied in a calm voice. Rain was next to him, holding a note out to George. It was a letter, written on a beautiful piece of stationary, but sealed with a blood red blot of wax. George tore open the note and began to read.
Avec grand plaisir,
Jean-Pierre Mirabeau
George crushed the note in his hand after reading it, then threw it to the ground in anger. "George, what did it say?" Rain asked anxiously. George turned to her, his face dark and his hair covering his left eye. "Mirabeau has taken Marie. He will meet me at the Arc of Triumph at midnight, and will bring Marie with him." He said with such anger that Rain was startled. "I'll come too." Domon broke in, clenching his right fist. George nodded, and the three of them took off running towards the Gundams.
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French Translations-
mon chevalier= my knight au revoir= goodbye Je suis up poupée. C'est tout que je suis. = I am a doll. Thats all I am.
The letter reads:
With great pleasure,
Jean-Pierre Mirabeau