(~~ denotes flashback~~
//are kinda like surreal thoughts...mostly my own//)
Voices. So many voices that I can’t recognize. I can feel the hint of anxiety hanging like a cloud throughout the room. But, this isn’t my room. Slowly I crack open my eyes to the bright fluorescents. Figures I can only assume are human scurry about me and you can actually taste the bitter tension radiating off their bodies. I move my lips to speak only to find that my body will not obey my order. Suddenly, I lack the ability to even breathe.
“He’s lost too much blood, he’s going into hypovolemic shock,” a man states from right next to my head.
This isn’t right, I am not suppose to be the one here dying from blood loss. I am the lightning count, the invincible Zechs Merquise. I am not the one who was supposed to loose that battle, and I should not be the one here fighting for my life. In such a lowly battle, the valiant should not fall. Not that I deserve to live either.
I have battled for years, taking lives with barely a second thought. Fighting within a mobile suit takes the persona out of the participants. They are huge metal monsters whose soul is the human being within it. I could only imagine how war was waged before machines. Back when you had to face your enemy.
I wasn’t always this way. There was a time when my life wasn’t lived to kill. There was a point in time when my life was filled with happiness. But, that time feels like a lifetime ago. I can barely recall the faces of my parents. They were kind people dedicated to the sanctity of peace. My father a noble man and king of the Sanc Kingdom. My mother was a free spirited woman who devoted her life to her country and then to her family.
~~ The warm summer breeze carries the scent of the sea to my chambers. Standing by the open window I breathe in the fresh smells of the morning before pondering what activities the day will bring. Yesterday had taken me to the palace’s garden. I spent hours trying to loose myself in the well-manicured “forest”. I could almost imagine the creatures that could dwell in such a place.
‘Today will be just as wonderful’, I promise myself as I take off running down the hall. I pass by expensive tapestries from the 18th century and bright ornaments scattered slightly out of reach, but only one of those pieces catches my attention. It reaches for me and draws me closer. I tentatively touch the gleaming metal. I admire the precise lines that create the razor sharp edge. The delicate quality that creates the deadly but noble instrument causes a shiver to run down my spine.
“Master Milliardo, you shouldn’t be touching that,” a highly familiar voice states from behind me startling me out of my reverie. As I quickly turn to face Mayle, a woman who has been working in the palace since before I was born. “Your father would be most upset if he knew that you took a liking to that hateful weapon.”
“But Mayle, if father hates war so much why does he have this weapon here?”
“I never ask your father why he does such things. Even though I have worked here for so long, I’m sure he wouldn’t hesitate to put me out of a job. Now you, young master, must make your way into the dining room. You know how angry your father gets if you don’t eat a proper breakfast.”
I steal one last glance and the sword before continuing on my morning journey. I only make it half way to my destination before I am stopped by a soft sound. I tiptoe my way to the door that was blocking the sound from me and gently push open the door. The sight that greets me makes my smile grow even wider. I watch as my young sister holds her arms open wide beckoning my mother for a warm embrace. The bright grin on her face could light up the entire room. Ever since she was born she has always seemed to be the perfect child, always happy and did whatever she was told. I, on the other hand, always found myself on the short end of my father’s temper.
Turning from the scene I resume my travel to the dining room where I am sure my father is still sitting, waiting for me to join him. He did that every morning, I assume it’s because he wants me to feel like he’s a part of my life even though I barely ever see him. He is usually off in meetings with political leaders. He tries his best, but it’s not like having a real father there. I always wish for a storybook father, one who will take you out to the park or play a game with you. Instead I have to find my entertainment by myself or with the swarms of palace workers. Mayle was the one who usually spent time with me since she has practically replaced my father in my life.
I finally arrive at the dining room where I find my father sitting at the head of the long oak table. His hands support his head as he eyes me from across the room. “You’re late this morning Milliardo.”
It is at this time that I realize that my father was not sitting there alone this morning. “I apologize father, it was wrong of me to keep you waiting.”
“Milliardo, I’d like you to met Senator Darlian.”
“Pleased to met you sir,” I state with a bow before turning to take my place in one of the high backed chairs.
“What a fine boy you have your majesty,” Senator Darlian states to my father, as if I’m not sharing the room with them. “I was wondering if I could discuss the issue of the Alliance Military with you. It seems that their attacks are getting closer to our kingdom. I’m afraid that if we don’t take action now we’ll find ourselves as the next target. We can’t stand against a force like that.”
“We will continue with the present course of actions Senator. If we continue to negotiate the Alliance will see that we are right in our course of actions and therefore not attack us. It is only a matter of time before pacifism spreads through out this world.” My father is so adamant about his beliefs that he can’t imagine why one would not adopt them for their own.
“But your majesty, does it not bother you that your people might be attacked?”
“I understand your concern, but I know that that will never happen Senator. The Alliance will come to their senses soon. In the mean time, I hope that you find some more pressing issues to discuss with me.”
“Yes sir.” I can tell that the Senator is extremely upset from the meeting as he sulks out of the room. I have no understanding of the conversation, but I can tell that my father is not in the best of moods either. I had barely begun eating my breakfast when my father tells me to leave. Confused, I leave the table sparing my father a last glance before exiting the room.