Breaking All the Rules

 

Chapter One: The Emperor’s Escape

 

 

Disclaimer: I don’t own Gundam Wing.  I do own a bunch of new original characters, include the Emperor Xerxes…so on and so on.

 

Author’s Note: Hello, folks.  For a change of pace I wanted to do something that had some fun in it.  Canta Per Me was really nice and everything, but I’m kind of tired of doing sad stuff.  Anyway, it took a while to start this thing because I had to find names for my new original character (he belongs to me by the way ^_^).  I also had to use a scifi book to come up the name of the Empire in question.  Honestly, I’m not even that good with coming up with names.  I wanted to do another story that most people haven’t seen before.  Without much further ado, let the new story begin.

 

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            The Cyndal Empire’s main country was located in the South Pacific of Earth.  The island was further off than most of the islands in Asia, and the country was a combination of Eastern and Western influences.  The country itself was small, but extreme wealthy.  What made Cyndal an empire, were the businesses that the country and its emperor owned throughout the globe.  The Cyndal Empire established itself the old-fashion way by claiming lands all over the world before the After Colony time line, but later on they let the countries they had conquered have their freedom, in favor of building a business empire.  The world was actually quite relieved that the royal family let their land empire go because the Cyndal Empire wouldn’t be that involved in the politics of the world. 

 

            During, the year 177 A.C., Emperor Balthasar Xianrui married Countess Adela Yarden, and three years following, they produced one heir, their son.  Six years after the birth of their son, Empress Adela died in a car accident because she was speeding too fast on a turn near the coastline during a storm.  Her husband was devastated by the loss of his wife, but he continued to function for the sake of their son.  Four years later, he died after a long two year battle of cancer, leaving his son to become emperor at the tender age of ten. 

 

            Emperor Xerxes Balthasar Derek Kyne Basil Vasilis Yarden Xianrui of the Cyndal Empire was now seventeen years old, and he had been ruling the empire for the past seven years.  Or so the public at large thought.  Actually, it was the council who ran things, but they still needed the head of the empire to properly run things.  Never in all the hundreds of years of history of the Cyndal Empire has there ever been a child emperor, so Emperor Xerxes was in a class all his own.  He was highly intelligent, impulsive, and he had boundless energy.  However, his own council didn’t take him all that seriously because they had run things for so long that they didn’t think their emperor could do it.

 

            The Emperor hated it.  He hated a lot of things.  He hated most of his six names, and he hated the fact that almost no one in the palace took him seriously.  The council was making all the decisions for him, and he thought that he was more than capable of making some of the decisions of the Empire.  He thought about it and told them about Relena Darlian-Peacecraft being vice minister, and about Quatre Raberba Winner who was the wealthiest young man in the Colonies.  Both of them were the same age as the Emperor Xerxes Xianrui.  That was the name that he was referred to on a regular basis, so most people don’t know his full name, which suited him just fine.  He was sitting through another uncomfortable council meeting, one where they talked, and he didn’t.

 

            “Emperor Xerxes, we have some plans to discuss.  Now that everything has been resolved with the Barton Foundation.  We have some new things to discuss,” ventured the head of the council carefully.  The entire council was bracing itself for an explosion from Emperor Xerxes.

 

            “What about?” asked Xerxes in an eternally bored tone with an eyebrow raised.

 

            “You are seventeen years of age and the last of your line.  You have no heirs following after you in case, God forbid, something happens to you,” said the head of the council.  This wasn’t a good sign if he was the only man talking because that meant that the rest of the council was afraid to say anything.

 

            “Let me guess.  I have to get married,” supplied Xerxes, maintaining his bored tone.  The council smiled nervously; the topic was about marriage, but not exactly what the Emperor thought they were talking about.

 

            “Um…yes.   It is about your marriage, but you see…” trailed off the head of the council as he tried to cushion the blow, not for the Emperor, but for the council; they were well aware of his temper, even if he had a lot of patience and tolerance, he still had a temper that drove the fear of God into them.  His temper only verified the stereotype of being a red head and his amber eyes were steady, but they threatened to ignite at any moment.  “Please tell me what you’re trying to say right now,” commanded Xerxes.

 

            “You see we have made arrangements for you to marry,” said the head of the council rather quickly in one breath.

 

            “What?” asked Xerxes in a dangerous tone, his eyes are narrowed; the bored tone he had vanished instantly.

 

            “We’ve arranged for you to marry when you father died, your Highness,” continued the head of the council.

 

            “I was ten years old.  Are all of you insane?!  Who the Hell did you guys marry me off to?!” he demanded as his temper flared up.

 

            There came an uproar from the council as they tried to calm down their monarch.  Everyone tried talking all at once, while he refused to listen to any of them.  Xerxes had the feeling that things were going to get worse before they got better and thought that if he made a break for it, he wouldn’t have to hear it.  Before he could get out, the council managed to regroup and reorganized themselves.  “Please do not leave, your Majesty,” said the head of the council.

 

            “Why the Hell shouldn’t I?  I don’t even want to know who you set me up to marry!” exploded Xerxes.

 

            “We have arranged you to marry the Lady Isabella Marcella,” announced the vice vizer.

 

            “What?  Hey!  She’s my cousin!  And she’s eight years older than me!  That’s just sick!  I’m not marrying her!” said Xerxes in what sounded like he was in a panic. 

 

            “She has the blood lines, your highness,” said the head of the council.  The other eleven council members nodded in agreement. 

 

            “That’s because she’s my cousin!” argued the Emperor.

 

            “Please sit down, Milord,” pleaded one of the other council members.  Xerxes sat down and folded his robe clad arms over his chest.  He really wasn’t all that tall.  He was 5’9’ and lanky in build.  His red hair was short, but no one could say that he was unattractive.  In fact, he was rather handsome, and most girls would call him either “fine” or  “cute.”  He had a lot of charm when he wanted to use it.  He was everything that people expected royalty to be like.  However, he also had the ability to turn off all that and act like a normal seventeen year old boy when he wanted to.  And right now, he was acting like an isolate seventeen year old boy.   “You people are sick.  I can’t marry her.  She’s my cousin.  I think of Bella as my sister,” he said, shaking his head.

 

            “You are seventeen years old and in less than a year you will turn eighteen years old.  Now is the time to consider the future of the Cyndal Empire.  You cannot ignore your responsibilities nor your people,” said the vice vizer in an effort to reason with him.

 

            Xerxes sighed and groaned at the same time as he sank back into his chair.  They were going to keep talking even if he wasn’t going to say anything at all.  Why was he even there?  Why did they insist that he be there?  ‘I bet if I had a dummy dressed like me and put right in my seat, they wouldn’t even notice.  They’d just go on talking like this.  Hey!  Maybe, I can try that…then I wouldn’t need to be here,’ thought Xerxes.  “You know one day I’ll just leave and you’ll all be sorry,” he threatened, but the council thought that it was an empty threat and ignored him. 

 

            The meeting droned on for another horrendous hour.  His mind was numb, and he was incapable of any coherent speech.  He staggered out of the council hall with much effort as soon as the members rose to signal the end of the meeting and for him to leave the room.  He felt the heavy silk robes weigh him down.  They looked nice, but they were confining. 

 

He changed as soon as he got to his chambers, shedding the robes, in favor of a pair of plain tan slacks and just a white tee shirt.  He also took off his uncomfortable Italian leather shoes and put on a pair of Skechers ™ shoes.  He didn’t wear a lot of jewelry, but he wore a Swiss made watch, so he changed his watch to his digital one with a timer in it.  He also wore silver cuff earring on the cartilage of his ear and a jade bead bracelet for luck.  He raked his fingers through his thick red hair, messing it up on purpose.  Now, Xerxes looked like a normal seventeen year old boy.  He wasn’t even allowed to go out without any protection into the capital city’s marketplace.  The name of the capital city was Oslett.  Xerxes had to be driven everywhere because of how his mother died.  The limo had to be surrounded by guards on black BMW motorcycles with the royal seals on them.  So, conspicuous that he couldn’t even enjoy himself. 

 

Of course, Xerxes had a new problem.  He was going to be forced to marry his cousin.  ‘This sucks.  I can pick who I want to marry.  And I don’t want to marry anyone,’ he thought with a sigh.  He picked up a random book in his small private library in his chambers.  His mother had a degree in Literature, while his father had two doctorates, one in Political Science and one in Economics.  As the child of intellects, he inherited a love of learning from both his parents and the intelligence for it as well.  He wanted to go to college, too.  Not just for the learning experience, but to get away from home.  There came a knock at the door for him, and one of the menservants opened the door. 

 

A tall young woman in her mid-twenties entered the room.  Her golden blonde hair were ringlets that framed her oval shaped face.  She had high cheekbones, a narrow nose, an hourglass figure, and a pair of sapphire blue eyes.  She smiled at Xerxes when she entered the room. 

 

“I thought that I should check up on you, X,” said the beautiful woman.  He nodded as he tried to force a smile on his face.

 

“Hi Bella,” he greeted his older cousin.  They referred to each other by nicknames.  Xerxes called her “Bella” because he couldn’t say her full name when he was younger.  Isabella called him “X” because he said that he hated his name, but didn’t mind the X at all.  He knew that she came because the news was going to be broken soon that they had to get married. 

 

“I take it you’re not happy with the news,” said Isabella.  She wasn’t happy either.  She loved Xerxes, but as a younger brother.  When his parents died, she was eighteen years old.  It was her who got him to even go to his coronation which was the day following the burial of his father.  She smiled slightly at the memory because he refused to go.  Almost all the pictures of the day of his coronation had him scowling and pouting.

 

“What do you think?!” demanded Xerxes rather crossly, and then he mentally kicked himself because it wasn’t Isabella’s fault.  “I’m sorry,” he said immediately when he realized that he was at fault for yelling at her.

 

Isabella smiled at him because he really was a sweet boy.  She was there when he was born and watched him grow up.  Ever since his mother died, she was sort of like an older sister/mother to him.  The council was truly insane if they thought that she would marry him.  This wasn’t King Arthur and Camelot.  She really didn’t like the council either, and her father was a greedy man for agreeing to such an agreement in the first place.  Her mother always said that it was better to let her father think that he was in charge rather than let him actually make decisions.  Both the council and her father underestimated Isabella’s intelligence; they thought that she was stupid just because she was pretty.   Isabella was a very intelligent woman, but she never went to college because her father said, “There is no need to educate you in that manner, Isabella.  You are the next Empress.  You’re duty is to just look good and produce an heir for the Emperor.”  Luckily, her mother Lady Flora didn’t feel the same way as her father did.  She was a very intelligent woman who was the elder sister of Xerxes’ mother, and she put her daughter through some of the hardest and finest finishing schools in the world.  Isabella’s mind was nimble; she had the ability to access any situation and manipulate it in her favor.  She loved her cousin and wanted him to be happy. 

 

“You know that the council will never really understand your wishes and orders unless you force them to,” said Isabella.

 

“You’re my cousin, Bella.  No offense, but I can’t marry you.  It would be weird and…” trailed off Xerxes.

 

“And disgusting?  I always know what you’re thinking, cousin.  I mean I used to change you diapers” supplied Isabella.

 

“Yes,” he nodded and gulped at the mention of his diapers.  She smiled and thought about the situation.  With a situation as unreasonable and impossible as this, a weird solution was required.  The wheels in her head were spinning and weaving a plan.

 

“You know if you find someone else you wish to marry and insist that the council agrees, then they would have no choice, but to.  Of course, if you’re not here, then neither of us can get married.  Just something to think about, X” said Isabella thoughtfully.

 

“Hmm…if I wasn’t here…,” he said softly.  Oh, but could he really pull that off with so many people watching him?   There were guards everywhere for his protection, but to also keep him in the palace.  It was a glided cage.  However, he wanted to show everyone just once that he was capable of such actions.  Xerxes looked at his cousin as she maintained the calm, serene look on her face.  Isabella appeared as though she hadn’t said anything important at all.

 

“I should be going now.  I’ll leave you alone to read or do whatever it is you want to do,” said Isabella with a musical laugh.  Her sapphire blue eyes glimmered with humor and mischief. 

 

“Yeah, see you later, Bella,” said Xerxes.  ‘Maybe,’ he added mentally.

 

“Yes, goodbye, X,” said Isabella.  ‘And good luck,’ she thought as she left the room.

 

Xerxes picked up his book and flipped through it.  He closed it after fifteen minutes of mindless skimming.  Xerxes had a massive walkthrough closet in his chambers.  He went to the part of the closet that held his favorite clothes which were buried under formal wear like his robes, suits, and tuxes.  Unfortunately, Xerxes didn’t have a single pair of jeans to his name because they were deemed too causal for him.  He was lucky to even have sneakers like the ones he was wearing.  He found a pair of black cargo pants that he had a servant purchase for him from one of the high end fashion stores in the marketplace.  He didn’t even had a chance to wear them, and they were bought months ago; he was praying that the would fit him, so he tried them on.  He was elated that they still fit him.  He searched for a tank top in his underwear section, a pair of boxers, and socks (AN: yes, there’s an underwear section because he has a really big closet ^_^). 

 

Xerxes had to think quickly.  First of all he didn’t want to spend another day in the palace with the council deciding and planning his future.  Secondly, he had to get out before the announcement and preparations were made for the wedding.   Looking through the papers in his office near the council hall, he found the bonds that some of the money was in, and some other documents he needed.  He found those locked in the safe to which he knew the combination to.  He took out four slips of paper that were worth 20,000 pounds a piece.  Xerxes thought of taking a fifth one, but he decided that would be going too far.  He didn’t look forward to what the accountant was going to say in the morning, but he wasn’t going to be there. 

 

Soon, he was called to dinner which he had moved to his private chambers.  When dinner was done, he went back to his closet and packed a small black gym bag with the stuff that he gathered up.  He went to bed at the regular time around eleven o’ clock.  Around midnight, he got out of bed.  He went over to the closet and changed into the cargo pants with the tank top and a black short sleeve shirt that buttoned up in the front.  He tied the bed sheets together along with some extra sheets and pillow cases and threw them over the window sill of his room which was on the fifth floor.  He knew how high up he was and how long the sheets were, so he was sure that they would be close enough to the ground.  After that he took off, leaving through the double doors of his chambers.  He knew that the guards were on rotation and another set would be marching through the corridor at any moment. 

 

Xerxes ran until he got to the set of hidden stairs in the hallway that was used for quick escapes during attacks.  He walked until he got to the level where the old dungeon was.  He shuddered as he walked passed it because he was always afraid of the dungeons; he had heard stories about tortures in the old dungeons.  They were no longer use.  They hadn’t been used in centuries, still he moved quickly.  When he arrived to the catacombs that would lead to the parking garage he was happy.  He enjoyed looking at engines when he had the chance to sneak down there, but he never took the long way over there before.

 

He owned a BMW motorcycle that was top of the line, but he was hardly ever allowed to ride it.  ‘Sheesh!  I’m Emperor for God’s sakes!  Stupid council won’t let me do a lot of things.  I can’t believe that I let them do this to me!’ thought as he mentally kicked himself for not having a backbone.  He looked for where his motorcycle was.  He always had to wait for the limo to be brought out either to the front of the palace or to one of the other entrances, so that he wouldn’t have to lower himself and go to the parking garage.  It was the same way with his motorcycle.  ‘Oh Jesus!’ he thought when he saw that his motorcycle was locked and separated from the others.  He shook his head.  He looked at the lock with some frustration.  ‘I don’t know how to pick a lock!  The key’s got to be here somewhere,’ he thought frantically as he went to one of the lockers that was nearby.  He looked and looked; the keys were no where to be found.  There weren’t any keys anywhere.  In his search, Xerxes found some black electrical tape.  Looking at the tape musingly, he looked at the guards’ motorcycles, the ones that surrounded the limo every time he went out, they were black.  Black motorcycles and black tape.  The seals were prominent on either side of the motorcycles.  Walking over to the one of them with the electrical tape, Xerxes carefully taped over the seals.  ‘I’ll just scrape these off later,’ he thought.

 

Upon returning the tape, he found a mechanic’s jacket that he liked, so he took it.  ‘I paid for it anyway,’ he thought as he put on a helmet that was on a rack among rows of helmets.  He put it on and found the keys to the motorcycle in the jacket pocket.  He smiled as he inserted it into the ignition and waited for the cycle to warm up.  He had his small black gym bag and other documents he needed. 

 

Speeding off into the cool darkness in front of him throwing caution to the wind. 

 

‘Got to seize the day!  Carpe diem!’ he thought as he smiled. 

 

Chapter Two: Hello World…