Bookends (no pairing)
Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2005 10:07 pm
One-shot
So, the idea for this fic came from a website I ran across last year, which stated that Mrs. Dorlian was a spineless ninny and served no purpose and was perfectly incorrigible for disappearing from her daughter's life and allowing her to traipse all over the world alone. Or something like that. I might be paraphrasing. Anyway, as I was feeling rather rebellious, I decided to write a fic in support of Mrs. Dorlian. This is the result.
Disclaimer: I own neither Gundam Wing nor the song Bookends, which is by Simon and Garfunkel, and which is a fabulous song.
Bookends
Late April, AC 195
She heard from the government that her husband was dead long before her daughter came home. This gave her time to sit in her room, completely alone, and cry - mourning for her husband, lamenting the event they?d both known might someday come.
Some time later her daughter arrived home and she went to meet her, and there her heart sank further. She knew, from the look on the girl?s face, that she was about to lose her daughter as well.
Time it was, and what a time it was, it was
Mrs. Dorlian had half hoped her husband hadn?t told Relena their secret yet, but in her heart she knew that he would have if he?d had the chance. Now, looking at the girl, she knew he had; her daughter was looking at her with a mixture of sadness and longing and compassion that spoke volumes.
Most of all, though, Relena looked older. She seemed to have aged ten years since last she?d been home. Mrs. Dorlian could see that the terrible weight of her father?s death and the great secret of her past were sitting heavily on the girl?s young shoulders.
Seeing her daughter so affected, Mrs. Dorlian felt a sudden rush of anger toward the assassin. What right had that person to take one man?s life and affect others so terribly? What right had they to tear the family apart? Most importantly, what right had they or anyone to cause one young girl to have to bear such anguish and mature so quickly? The silence in the hall seemed to grow tenser until finally, unable to bear it any longer, Mrs. Dorlian left to go to dinner, her daughter trailing behind her.
The dining room wasn?t much better. It seemed wrong, somehow, to sit in their usual spots around the table, eating like they always did, knowing all the while that everything had changed and could never be the same again.
A time of innocence, a time of confidences
She?d always known that the day would come when her adopted daughter would find out the truth about her past. She?d just never thought it would be so soon. Suddenly, she felt like she didn?t know her daughter anymore. It wasn?t the fact that Relena was adopted that was causing the rift between them. It was the fact that she was a Peacecraft, the princess of a lost kingdom, that had changed both of their lives forever.
The mother figure in her desperately wanted to keep Relena close to her and never let her out of her sight again. The politician?s wife and noblewoman in her, though, knew that the bullet that had killed her husband had shattered their peaceful lives irreparably. She knew that she could no longer keep her daughter in their sheltered world.
Long ago, it must be, I have a photograph
She knew all this, for she knew, above all, that more people than just they two would find out about the girl?s heritage. Those people would want her to step into the political spotlight, some hoping she would reunite them in pacifism and lead them out of the war, others wanting to use her in their plays for power. Their pushing, and the innate sense of duty she knew Relena would feel toward her dead family, would someday pull the princess out of hiding and into the harsh world of men.
And in that day, Mrs. Dorlian knew, Relena would either have to become hard and wary, losing her youthful innocence and naivete, or be used by those more powerful than she and then swept out like so much rubbish. The thought brought tears to her eyes. What was even worse was that she herself could do nothing. She knew little of political machinations, and even if she did, she was no one- the little-seen wife of a government figure of marginal importance. If anything, her interference would ruin Relena?s image and hurt her chances of being taken seriously- and taken seriously Relena would need to be, if she expected to survive. Mrs. Dorlian blinked hard, but tears continued to pour steadily down her face.
The silence at the dining room table was suddenly broken by Relena?s voice. ?Don?t cry, Mother,? she said softly. ?No matter what happens, I will always be your daughter.? Mrs. Dorlian smiled at her daughter, knowing in her heart it could never be true.
Preserve your memories, they?re all that?s left you
Early July, AC 195
Mrs. Dorlian stood in the front yard of the mansion, eyes on the sky. Though it would profit her nothing, she wanted, somehow, to see Relena off. The one-time princess was, at present, taking off in a plane bound for Antarctica; there was some sort of letter she needed to give to someone . . . Mrs. Dorlian shook her head. She didn?t even know for sure why Relena was leaving.
A distant rumbling caught her attention, and she looked up to see the plane she knew to be Relena?s soaring over her head. Her gaze followed it wistfully across the sky, and as it disappeared over the horizon, she blew a kiss after it. ?Goodbye, Relena,? she whispered, knowing it wasn?t just a farewell for one trip. Their paths were different now, and she knew it was goodbye forever.
?No matter what happens, I will always be your daughter.? Relena?s words echoed in her head, and she smiled at the memory.
She knew, though, as she always had, that her words weren?t true- could never be true.
She?d lost her husband to the war.
And now she?d lost her daughter as well.
fin
So, the idea for this fic came from a website I ran across last year, which stated that Mrs. Dorlian was a spineless ninny and served no purpose and was perfectly incorrigible for disappearing from her daughter's life and allowing her to traipse all over the world alone. Or something like that. I might be paraphrasing. Anyway, as I was feeling rather rebellious, I decided to write a fic in support of Mrs. Dorlian. This is the result.
Disclaimer: I own neither Gundam Wing nor the song Bookends, which is by Simon and Garfunkel, and which is a fabulous song.
Bookends
Late April, AC 195
She heard from the government that her husband was dead long before her daughter came home. This gave her time to sit in her room, completely alone, and cry - mourning for her husband, lamenting the event they?d both known might someday come.
Some time later her daughter arrived home and she went to meet her, and there her heart sank further. She knew, from the look on the girl?s face, that she was about to lose her daughter as well.
Time it was, and what a time it was, it was
Mrs. Dorlian had half hoped her husband hadn?t told Relena their secret yet, but in her heart she knew that he would have if he?d had the chance. Now, looking at the girl, she knew he had; her daughter was looking at her with a mixture of sadness and longing and compassion that spoke volumes.
Most of all, though, Relena looked older. She seemed to have aged ten years since last she?d been home. Mrs. Dorlian could see that the terrible weight of her father?s death and the great secret of her past were sitting heavily on the girl?s young shoulders.
Seeing her daughter so affected, Mrs. Dorlian felt a sudden rush of anger toward the assassin. What right had that person to take one man?s life and affect others so terribly? What right had they to tear the family apart? Most importantly, what right had they or anyone to cause one young girl to have to bear such anguish and mature so quickly? The silence in the hall seemed to grow tenser until finally, unable to bear it any longer, Mrs. Dorlian left to go to dinner, her daughter trailing behind her.
The dining room wasn?t much better. It seemed wrong, somehow, to sit in their usual spots around the table, eating like they always did, knowing all the while that everything had changed and could never be the same again.
A time of innocence, a time of confidences
She?d always known that the day would come when her adopted daughter would find out the truth about her past. She?d just never thought it would be so soon. Suddenly, she felt like she didn?t know her daughter anymore. It wasn?t the fact that Relena was adopted that was causing the rift between them. It was the fact that she was a Peacecraft, the princess of a lost kingdom, that had changed both of their lives forever.
The mother figure in her desperately wanted to keep Relena close to her and never let her out of her sight again. The politician?s wife and noblewoman in her, though, knew that the bullet that had killed her husband had shattered their peaceful lives irreparably. She knew that she could no longer keep her daughter in their sheltered world.
Long ago, it must be, I have a photograph
She knew all this, for she knew, above all, that more people than just they two would find out about the girl?s heritage. Those people would want her to step into the political spotlight, some hoping she would reunite them in pacifism and lead them out of the war, others wanting to use her in their plays for power. Their pushing, and the innate sense of duty she knew Relena would feel toward her dead family, would someday pull the princess out of hiding and into the harsh world of men.
And in that day, Mrs. Dorlian knew, Relena would either have to become hard and wary, losing her youthful innocence and naivete, or be used by those more powerful than she and then swept out like so much rubbish. The thought brought tears to her eyes. What was even worse was that she herself could do nothing. She knew little of political machinations, and even if she did, she was no one- the little-seen wife of a government figure of marginal importance. If anything, her interference would ruin Relena?s image and hurt her chances of being taken seriously- and taken seriously Relena would need to be, if she expected to survive. Mrs. Dorlian blinked hard, but tears continued to pour steadily down her face.
The silence at the dining room table was suddenly broken by Relena?s voice. ?Don?t cry, Mother,? she said softly. ?No matter what happens, I will always be your daughter.? Mrs. Dorlian smiled at her daughter, knowing in her heart it could never be true.
Preserve your memories, they?re all that?s left you
Early July, AC 195
Mrs. Dorlian stood in the front yard of the mansion, eyes on the sky. Though it would profit her nothing, she wanted, somehow, to see Relena off. The one-time princess was, at present, taking off in a plane bound for Antarctica; there was some sort of letter she needed to give to someone . . . Mrs. Dorlian shook her head. She didn?t even know for sure why Relena was leaving.
A distant rumbling caught her attention, and she looked up to see the plane she knew to be Relena?s soaring over her head. Her gaze followed it wistfully across the sky, and as it disappeared over the horizon, she blew a kiss after it. ?Goodbye, Relena,? she whispered, knowing it wasn?t just a farewell for one trip. Their paths were different now, and she knew it was goodbye forever.
?No matter what happens, I will always be your daughter.? Relena?s words echoed in her head, and she smiled at the memory.
She knew, though, as she always had, that her words weren?t true- could never be true.
She?d lost her husband to the war.
And now she?d lost her daughter as well.
fin