The Symbol of Power,Prologue(sequel to Symbol of Temptation)

[Litia-sama]

AN: Well, here it is. It's short, but it's here. I am FINALLY able to work on this project, which I have been longing to do. There's no telling how long it will take me to update it, but my goal is to wrap it up into 10-12 chapters of drama, angst, and romance out the yin-yang. Oh, and you can definitely count on some mega plot twists.

Disclaimer: Yadda yadda I don?t own Gundam Wing and so on.

The Symbol of Power
Prologue

Sometimes, I want to laugh at the scandal. All the speculation about the circumstances surrounding my wedding use to make me tired, even angry, but now I simply find it amusing. At the time, my only thoughts were about my family and my beloved husband-to-be. Fear ruled every action I took as a bride. I wanted to be married, safely, as soon as humanely possible. With a great amount of help, I got my wish. But the ceremony?

I will never forget the moment I realized that my groom was not the man I loved. It was so shocking. Everything had been so carefully planned out, but once I stood next to him at the alter, it just felt wrong. There was nothing about the man at my side that put me at ease. Carefully, I studied him out of the corner of my eye, wondering what had changed. The past few months had been hell on my emotions, not knowing who to trust. But, I knew I could trust him. So why did it feel like he was a total stranger?

Then I remembered. My brother?s words, his warning that Alex Sinay could be anyone around me. Anyone at all. When I looked into my groom?s eyes to say, ?I do,? I just knew. I knew it was not him.

And I fled.

In the days that followed, the media was buzzing with rumors about what had happened: I had been blackmailed into the marriage, and decided to flee my troubles at the last possible second; I was pregnant, but not by the groom, and I wanted to marry the father instead. Even after we rescheduled the ceremony and had been married for many months, the press still continued to put forth absurdities regarding our relationship. My very credibility as a politician was called into question, due to my ?inability to follow through with important decisions.?

If they only knew what I had gone through. If they only knew the horrors of having everyone you love ripped away from you, purely to satisfy the sick desires of an obsessed man. A man, to my most sincere satisfaction, sits unhappily in prison to this day.

Yet, he can still affect me. On several occasions, he has been allowed to give interviews to the hungry reporters just dying to expose my secrets. More than once, he made claims that we had been lovers and shared a child together. Laura, my niece, was the name he gave them. However, my dearest and most protective brother put a stop to Alex?s ramblings by ?misplacing? the recent psychiatric exams labeling Mr. Sinay a narcissistic, paranoid individual who is as likely to lie in order to gain attention as he is to take a breath of air. Milliardo claims that he has no idea how the press got ahold of these documents.

My husband, of course, denied any knowledge of the documents? existence when I asked him if he had any theories regarding their obtainment. Perhaps there was a mole in the Medical Examiner?s office? Anything was possible.

Indeed, anything was possible. That?s what had been going through my mind when I received the letter. A private warning, direct from my dear friend Quatre, regarding Mrs. Katherine Sinay. Apparently, she had been visiting with his colleagues, inquiring about his connection to me. She gave no reason for her interest in our relationship, but she did not speak to Quatre directly, and that is what troubled him. Could she be related to Alex? If so, what are her objectives? We can never be too cautious, he reminds me. I know this all too well.

The news slips from my mind as I go about my days living peacefully and happily with my beloved husband. My beloved Heero. But, I am soon on my guard again when I receive news of Alex?s attempt at an appeal. Heero points out that Mrs. Sinay is most likely trying to discredit the witnesses, more specifically, Quatre and Milliardo for their close connection to his capture. In order to ensure that Alex stays in prison, Milliardo suggests that we have Alex tried for the murders of Mr. and Mrs. Dryek, the murder of my mother, Mrs. Darlian, and the attempted murder of my husband, Heero. But, in order to prove him guilty, they would need the testimony of one key person. A witness, one whose word is unquestionable, whose reputation is respectable, and whose connection to Alex is merely that of a victim. A victim whom all of these crimes had circled around.

Me.

[teardropdangel]

Oh wow. I'm loving this.