Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ The D files: Dryden's Story ❯ Age 11: Eries (part 1) ( Chapter 3 )

[ A - All Readers ]

Hey, we are back! Thank you to everyone who sent a review! Wintermute, thanks for catching that error. Special thanks to those took the time to e-mail us nice long reviews. Note to Leila, point taken and acknowledged about the motivations of those who go into the field of medicine. We certainly don't doubt the existence of people who decide to be doctors for altruistic intentions. In fact, some of those people happen to be good friends of ours. However, we have had more than our share of run-ins with insensitive and unscrupulous doctors so we know from experience that not everyone who is a doctor becomes one for the betterment of mankind. Also, we mulled over your suggestion about character portrayal, and the result is that we completely redid the outline for this chapter plus the chapter nearly doubled in length. Hope you enjoy what we did with Dryden and Eries.

As is our practice, we have decided to again honor those who have been so kind as to leave a review by using your names in our story. So if you see your name, it's not a coincidence. (Mossygirl, this includes you--we had to use your other alias though ^_^)

Please note that all the words between the tildes are Dryden's thoughts. We were going to do it in italics, but we have had so many formatting problems with keeping the formatting in place after uploading it onto websites that we figured it would be just easier to do it this way.

~~~~~~
"Ready?"

She nodded.

The small gong clanged. The harsh brassy sound shattered the relative peace of the parlor. The reverberations lasted only briefly, quickly dampened by the ornate hangings, elaborate draperies, and overstuffed furniture of the royal family's private quarters.

On cue, Princess Eries knelt onto a flat, rectangular cushion placed on the blue velvet carpet. Her back was ramrod straight, her head up and attentive, and the folds of her auburn brocade dress neatly arrayed about her. Before her was a low table set with plates, bowls, and several silver spoons cast in the Freidan style.

"What comes first?" I prompted.

Keeping her eyes fixed forward, she responded. "Hand cleaning. A servant will provide a moistened towel for me to use before the meal."

Her answer satisfactory, I drew by her side. It was only then that she turned to face me. With a respectful nod, I presented her with a handkerchief. It was small and thin and dry; no self-respecting Freidan Head Steward would present such a thing to an honored guest at a banquet. Then again, I was not really a Freidan Head Steward, although I had to taken the time and excruciating effort to fold the cloth in the intricate manner of the best jasmine-scented serving linens of Godashim. Eries took the proffered cloth and with a practiced flick of her wrist, unfurled it and began going through the motions of carefully wiping her hands as if she were sitting at Duke Mahad's dining table.

With a quick pressing of palms to convey thanks, she returned the handkerchief to me. "What's next?" I asked.

"First course. Soup. Freidans use spoons to eat everything except for soup, which is to be sipped straight out of the bowl."

I set a bowl before her and she pantomimed drinking out of it. As I scrutinized her movements, I stifled a yawn. I had been drilling Eries since midafternoon, and it was the third watch of the night now. It did not help that my surroundings were conspiring against my efforts to stay conscious. The crackling fire in the parlor hearth filled the room with a drowsy heat. Outside, the last of the winter rains sent raindrops pitter patter, drumming a lulling rhythm against the window panes.

In two days, the seasons would turn, and it would officially be spring, but it might as well be called "wedding season." For whatever reason, this particular spring it seemed like everyone and their second cousin were getting married. In the Fassa contingent alone, there were ten singles preparing for matrimony, including six formerly thought to be "confirmed" bachelors.

And it was not just in Asturia. It was a bumper year for marriages all over Gaia, monarchs included. Those high-profile international weddings were the primary reason why I was burning the midnight oil with the Second Princess of Asturia. Scheduled within the next eight weeks were a number of royal weddings and a coronation, all occasions that required the attendance of a member of the House of Aston. King Aston, however, was in the midst of investigating an embezzlement scandal involving one of his Council members and the Palas Harbormaster. In addition to rooting out and punishing the troublemakers, he also had to remediate shoddy work at the all-important Palas Harbor that had directly resulted from the shenanigans. For him to leave for two months with affairs as they were was nigh impossible. The king's brother was the logical substitute; however Prince Nueva's in-laws, the Sennas, were also experiencing an avalanche of nuptials this spring, and familial obligations required their presence elsewhere.

So it was decided that the three princesses would go in their father's stead. Marlene was old enough (and certainly looked it), and Eries responsible enough to represent their country. As for Millerna, it was an opportunity for her to travel abroad and get a glimpse of what lay in her future, and her sisters were more than capable of chaperoning her.

Marlene was unconcerned by the assignment. For her, it was just another tiresome thing she had to deal with as a king's daughter. Eries was an entirely different matter. While Marlene held the attitude that she could always charm her way out of any faux pas that might arise, Eries was not about to grant herself that leeway. She held high levels of expectation for herself and was determined that her behavior be irreproachable.

Eries had arranged to meet with Lord Gyre, our etiquette tutor, for a refresher on the customs and social graces of the countries she and her sisters would be visiting. Unfortunately, at the last minute, she received a message saying that the instructor was incapacitated, having suddenly come down with a nasty flu.

Eries was distraught. She had been counting on Lord Gyre's help. Eries was an excellent student; she was the best note taker in our class --her work was even better than some of my father's scribes. However, although she had instructions meticulously printed onto paper, she was hazy on the details of fine nuances that could not be easily captured into words. It was one thing to know that Daedalians eat crassle with a spoon and fork. It was entirely another to know exactly how to manipulate the utensils without flinging oily crassle sauce all over the table.

Lady Miriam was unavailable, she and her family having already left for De Venus for the first of the Senna weddings. In desperation, Eries sought Marlene's help. However, Marlene had problems of her own. She was in the midst of packing for the trip and could not be bothered by her younger sister's frantic pleas.

That was where I came in.

If I do say so myself, she would have been hard pressed to find another person better qualified to act as substitute for Lord Gyre. When it came to learning, understanding, imitating, and remembering the idiosyncrasies and peculiarities that set each culture apart from each other, no one within our circle of acquaintances was more adept than myself. Indigo once remarked (rather snidely, too, I might add) that my talent for aping Lord Gyre's demonstrations only proved that I was part monkey. Well, better a well-schooled monkey than an ill-prepared princess. Then again, it was not like I was doing it to please anyone but myself. It was a kind of offshoot of my fascination of things foreign. Perhaps it was 'Nette's influence--her colorful depictions of the different peoples of Gaia were so exciting and alive that I could not wait to jump in and become part of the scene, too. At any rate, if you needed assistance with international manners and customs, salutations and diction, gestures and idioms, I was your man-- well, as long as it did not involve steering a partner around a dance floor to music. Admittedly, I was still dismal at that.

Had I caught wind of Eries' predicament, most likely, I would have garnered some entertainment out of it-- forced her to play a game of catch-me-first-if-you-want-my-help or something like that before getting down to work. As it was, I did not get the chance.

I swear, that girl was part cat. I did not even hear her coming. And in a palace library that was quite a feat. One moment, I was contentedly browsing through the stacks, and the next moment Eries was right in my face. She frightened me so badly I thought I was going to have a heart attack. My heart did not stop, but I did scream and send several books crashing down, making a racket loud enough for the entire building to hear. She did not so much as flinch but, with a "HiDryden,yougotamoment?Goodlet'sgo", grabbed me by the sleeve, and dragged me, still gasping and clutching my chest from the scare, out of the library. I knew there was a reason I nicknamed her "Sniper" ; however, on occasions like this, I thought she derived a little too much enjoyment out of living up her nickname.

Having captured me, she proceeded to have me help her review the finer points of foreign etiquette for the next several hours. It was probably a good thing that we did. She spent the first half hour struggling to hold a pair of chopsticks properly and then the next hour trying to manipulate the things well enough not to look an imbecile at a Chingre banquet. As for me, it was not so bad--actually it was kind of fun. As I said before, I enjoyed this sort of thing, and besides, I liked Eries. Plus, she did go out of her way to make it worth my while as evidenced by the stacks of now empty dessert plates piled up on one of the parlor room tables.

However, it was very late now, and even having been fueled by the best delicacies the king's personal cook could offer, I was exhausted.

Eries finished playacting through her Freidan feast, and I nodded approvingly. "Good. You're all set now for Mahad dal Freid's coronation ceremony and anything that Freid can throw at you."

Relief flickered briefly over Eries' face before replaced by a slightly anxious look. "Are you sure we have not left out anything?"

"See for yourself." I handed her her notes, which we had been using as a guide for our review. As she scanned the rows of neatly printed instructions, I stretched and yawned hugely. "Well, I guess we can call it a night."

Eries' head snapped up. "No, wait. There's still one more country we have to review."

I looked askance at her. Ticking off my fingers, I recounted aloud those places we had reviewed today. "Basram, Chezario, Chingre, Daedalus, Nasshafa, Catalina. Six weddings. One coronation, Freid." I wiggled seven raised fingers at her.

Eries shook her head. There's... one additional stop on the trip. Fanelia."

"Fanelia?" I racked my brain trying to recall what major event was taking place in the neighboring kingdom. "What's going on there?"

"Nothing." Eries seemed a bit uncomfortable as if she were uncertain about making me privy to this information. "We'll pass by it on the way from Basram so Father thought it would be a good opportunity for us to visit. Visit and maintain good relations, that sort of thing."

I raised an eyebrow, "Any negotiations? Ceremonies? State dinners? Anything of that sort?"

"Umm, not really..."

"Oh. Well, then, what are you worried about? We don't have to spend time going over Fanelian niceties for that. Think of it as a vacation-"

"Yes we do," Eries insisted. "I'll be representing Asturia and it just wouldn't do-"

"-for you to goof up in front of everyone yeah, yeah, yeah- I KNOW that, but for crying out loud, lighten up, Sniper!" I snapped, dropping all formalities and reverting to her nickname. "You're just going to be a guest of another royal, not on display to be picked apart by elite busybodies." I was cranky and growing irritated with her obstinance.

"But-"

"Look, I'm tired. If you were really honest with yourself, you'd admit you're tired, too. It's LATE. You have to fly to Catalina. Tomorrow. Get some rest. You'll need that more than another dress rehearsal."

"I don't think you really understand the importance of-"

"YES I DO! And I also understand this. Fanelia has got to be one of the most laid-back places on the planet. As long as you're not trying to attain knighthood there, which I highly doubt in your case, you'll be fine."

"But-"

"Their greetings are simple, their table etiquette is easy, and fentlar is essentially a no-brainer."

"Fentlar?! What's that?" Eries' voice bordered on panic.

Ooops, I did it again. As I mentioned before, I have a penchant for things foreign. That includes words and phrases. All of Gaia speak a common language, but each locality has lingo unique to its area. Since becoming an apprentice in the Fassa headquarters, I had collected a number of expressions and had a growing tendency to use them to liven up my speech. "Fentlar" was a Fanelian term for "obvious common courtesy." With the amount of Fanelian traffic that passed through our country, it was not uncommon to hear that particular term in Asturia; I knew that Eries had to be exhausted if she was mistaking it for another elaborate custom.

I was about to clear up the misunderstanding when I was seized by a sudden inspiration.

"What do you mean you don't remember fentlar?" I asked, feigning exasperation. My testy response sent Eries diving back into her notebook in a frantic search for a reference to "fentlar."

~~Wow, she's really falling for it!~~

"Give me that." I snatched the notes out of her hands and grabbed her wrist. "It's easier if I show you." I led her to an open space in the parlor all the while shaking my head as if in disbelief and loudly muttering, "Fentlar! How can you forget that?! It's the most basic thing." This was absolutely evil of me, but I could not stop myself. It had been so long since I had been able to pull a fast one on Eries, and the opportunity would probably never arise again.

"Now pay attention," I ordered sternly. Eries did so, her entire being taut and focused, waiting for my commands.

~~It's almost as if she's asking for it... ~~

"Fentlar is a formal Fanelian apology," I continued. "Knowing Millerna, you had better be ready for this just in case she accidentally breaks something or gets into a fight with another child.There's some specific phrases you have to use, but the most important thing is the bow. Don't worry. It's not too hard, it's similar to the 'Lowly Toad' Freidan meditation stance."

Eries nodded, all ears to my prevarication. I could not believe how easy this was.

~~She's not even questioning any of this...~~

"First," I instructed, "bring your arms up above your head. No, no- don't swing them up in front of you, bring them up the sides- yes, that's it."

Keeping a straight face, I continued to lead her through the movements of the "fentlar.""Now do a full bend at the waist."

Eries obediently jackknifed.

"Good. Ok, now bend your knees."

~~ Maybe I shouldn't. Maybe it's too mean. ~~

"Like this?" Eries lowered herself into a crouching position.

~~ Naaaah.~~

"Yes, and put your hands to the ground as you come down. Yeah, right there, good. And you want to make sure you keep your head bowed down so drop your chin."

Eries did so, curling up into a ball. "Like this?"

"That's PERFECT!" I lunged forward to shove her hard from behind, sending her rolling head-over heels.

I howled with laughter. It had been ages since I had seen the Second Princess of Asturia look so undignified. Her unexpected tumble sent her sprawling, her hair and petticoats all awry.

It didn't take her very long to recover though.

"DRYDEN FASSA!!!" Livid was an understatement.

~~Oh boy, I'm in for it now...~~

Eries scrambled to her feet and, with a rage burning in her eyes, sprang after me.

~~... but it was soo worth it.~~

Still laughing, I ran with the furious princess hot on my heels. Round and round the parlor, I went, dodging sculptures and plants, leaping over tables, skirting about bookshelves and divans. Maintaining such a speed while laughing so hard was difficult, however; and I finally stumbled after failing to negotiate around an end table. I went flying onto a sofa with a thump, and Eries pounced on me there.

She flailed at me with her tiny fists, and that only made me laugh harder. Eries was small for her age, while I was taller than most boys two or three years older than me. Seeing the diminutive princess assault gargantuan me just made things more hilarious. Her blows did not really inflict damage, but my abdomen was starting to hurt from all my guffawing.

That, if anything, made her madder. She grabbed a huge leather bound atlas from a nearby bookstand and began whaling me with that.

"Ouch! Hahahaha-hee- hey! Hahahaha- That hurts- You can- Ow! Do some serious - hahahaha- damage - snort - hehehe with that - haha - Ow!"

~~Oh man, she's really mad. She's going to kill me. But at least I know I died for a good cause.~~

"What is going on here?!"

Abruptly, Eries ceased her attack. I looked up to see Master Norwey, the head butler of the royal family's private residence, storming in through the door with a distinctly disagreeable look on his face.

"Why, nothing at all," Eries replied sweetly

I blinked. Impressive! In a flash, Eries had gone from avenging fury to innocence itself, sitting properly on the other end of the sofa with the atlas opened and spread out on her lap. I could not say as much for myself, still in defensive position, awkwardly half on and half off on the sofa.

Norwey was unconvinced, fixing a skeptical eye on me as I clumsily pulled myself back into a decent posture. He crossed his arms in front of him menacingly. "So what was that racket?"

"Dryden was demonstrating for me and got carried away," answered Eries smoothly.

Norwey scowled at me. I did not really like him much. Even on his best days he was a stuffy fuddy duddy. The slightest hint of anyone having a good time seemed to make him cantankerous.

"Young Fassa," he sniffed. "You need to be mindful of your place. It is late. If you cannot remember that this is the royal residence and not a playground, perhaps you should go home."

What a fine suggestion! Exactly what I had in mind. Eries' face paled. But I was not such a monster after all.

I plastered a winning smile on my face. "I am terribly sorry, Master Norwey. It won't happen again," I apologized obsequiously.

"It had better not," growled the grumpy old servant. With one final glare in my direction, he collected the empty dessert dishes into a tray and exited the room.

Once he was safely out of earshot, I sidled next to Eries, who was pretending to be engrossed in her book.

"Your book's upside down, Sniper."

Eries slammed the atlas shut and gave me one final whack. "Dryden Fassa, you're impossible!" she seethed.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry for flipping you-"

"No you're not sorry. You enjoyed that!"

"Well, actually, yes, you're right. I'm not really sorry." I smirked smugly. "I enjoyed it, and I'd do it again, too."

"However," I continued, ignoring Eries' withering glare, "it wasn't without due cause. I have been here for AGES helping you without complaining, and I don't think it's unreasonable for you to let me go now so I can get home before dawn. Norwey apparently agrees with me. So give me a good reason to stay, or I'm leaving."

My ultimatum took all the wind out of the Eries' sails. Turning away from me, she suddenly became very quiet.

I did not have time for this. "Well? If you don't have anything to say, I'm going." I got up to leave.

"Wait!" I halted. "Wait," she repeated imploringly.

I turned and leaned back on my heels to wait for her response. "Well? I'm waiting." I said impatiently.

Eyes downcast, she replied in a small, small voice. "There's nothing going on in Fanelia. But it's not a simple visit either. I'm... to be betrothed to Prince Folken."

I gaped, dumbfounded. Eries?! Betrothed?! Marlene was older by three years, and Aston had yet to decide on a match for her. I opened my mouth to say something, but all that came out was an inarticulate, "B-b-b-b-b-b-b-"

"The word is ' betrothed', Dryden." Eries looked up with a resigned smile on her face. "I'm a princess. It was bound to happen sooner or later." She shrugged.

I could relate. After all, my father had been wrangling to secure my bid for Princess Millerna's hand for what seemed like years now. But still...

"But you're only eleven!" I cried out, finally finding my tongue.

"I said I'm to be betrothed to him. I'm not going there to marry him... at least not yet." Eries wrung her hands in her lap uncharacteristically . "The betrothal won't be made official until Prince Folken passes his rite of kingship, and no one knows exactly when that will happen. They have to wait for certain signs before it can take place so it could be months from now."

"But," she continued, her voice quivering. "Father wants me to go there and meet him. I... I'm..."

~~... she's scared.~~

I felt like a complete heel. Added to the responsibilities for trip, she also had the pressure of meeting her future husband. And who knew what he was like? He might be a decent fellow or he could be a complete jerk. No wonder she was so concerned about getting everything just right. For her it was more than just making a good first impression on the fellow royals in the neighboring country. They were her future in-laws!

I knew that Eries was mature behind her years, but seeing her huddled anxiously in the parlor, I wondered if this was pushing the limit. She just seemed too young, too little to have to face this right now. It certainly was not a situation I would want to be in, and I dwarfed her in comparison.

But none of this was in our hands. Much larger forces were in control, and there was nothing we could do about that.

But I would do what I could.

I placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You'll be fine. You'll be ready. Because I'll make sure you are." I gave her an encouraging smile. "Come on, Sniper. We don't have much time left."

Gratitude shone in her eyes. "Thank you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Giddyap!"

"Ow! I heard you! You don't have to kick me."

"Then move! You're too slow!"

As I picked up the pace with a Crown Princess perched on my shoulders, I made a mental note never again to mix alcohol with Penalty.

Spring was nearing an end, and I was at Tanglewood. Prince Nueva had commissioned an expansion of the estate, and, as it was completed just about the time his family and his three nieces returned from their respective travels, he thought it was a good enough excuse for a gathering at the villa after being away from Palas society for so long.

Tanglewood was filled to capacity with the royals and their guests, who had come today to admire the new sculptures and explore the paths and flowered nooks of Tanglewood's latest garden addition. The Prince had arranged for entertainment, complete with music ensembles and dancers, and the festivities lasted well into the evening. There were, of course, refreshments, tables replete with gourmet delicacies fit for a king--or, at the very least, a prince. The king himself was absent, having other obligations that prevented him from leaving the capital.

To our delight, Prince Nueva invited my agemates and me to sample a little bit of vino. The contents of the tiny crystal snifters did not quite agree with Thor; much to the Prince's amusement, Thor sputtered and choked on the unfamiliar beverage and refused to have anything more to do with it. The rest of us, however, enjoyed it immensely. I thought it was delicious. I savored every drop in my glass and polished off the remainder of Thor's vino for good measure.

Not long after that, Helga, Lord Lamirah's seven-year-old daughter, suggested we play Penalty, and I made the mistake of joining in on the game. I thought that the game was okay, but it was not a particular favorite of mine. However, for some reason, I was extraordinarily eager to participate at the time.

When it came to Penalty, I sometimes won, but rarely was I so inept as to wind up the loser. Tonight I lost, and I lost abominably. Each one of us who had had a taste of Prince Nueva's samples played worse than usual, but my performance was abysmal. My brain felt like it was misfiring, and my reflexes were slower than a three-legged turtle.

So here I was now paying the Penalty to the winner, Millerna. She decided that what she wanted was for me to be her "horsie" for the rest of the night. Consequently, I spent the remainder of the garden party carrying her from place to place on my shoulders and having to listen to her babble about everything from how fat the Chezarian king was to the latest puppet show at the bazaar.

Mercifully, my sentence was nearly over. Twice already we had headed for her room to have her turn us back downstairs, once because she suddenly wanted a snack and the second time because she realized she had forgotten her shawl in the garden. But now, it seemed like she was ready to turn in for the night.

Man, Millerna could really talk your ear off. Not only that, she jumped around from subject to subject with no apparent rhyme or reason. At her insistence, I had just begun a detailed explanation on cheese manufacture when she suddenly shifted gears and wanted to know if there were dragons nearby.

"Dragons? I think not. There haven't been dragons in Asturia for centuries." The bedroom she and Eries were sharing came into sight, and I picked up the pace, eager to be rid of my loquacious passenger.

"Van says there are dragons really close by in his forest."

"Who's Van?"

"He lives in Fanelia."

"Oh, I see." By then, I was only half-listening, as we had finally reached our destination. My hands were full so I tapped the door with my shoe.

"He says they're HUGE!" Millerna plowed ahead eagerly, unfazed by my lack of interest. "He says they're the size of 20 horses. And they've got wings and can fly, too."

"Oh." I fidgeted, willing to Sniper to hurry up and collect her sister.

"They've got sharp teeth, too. Oh-oh-oh plus, they breathe out fire--Hi, Sister!"

To my relief, Eries finally opened the door. From the look on her face, she seemed a little unnerved by the topic Millerna was enthusiastically expounding upon. She quickly composed herself though. "Hi Dryden. All right, Millerna, it's time you got off."

"Awww..." Millerna whined, clearly displeased at having to let me loose.

"Millerna, Dryden's more than paid his Penalty and it's time for you to go to bed."

With Eries' assistance, Millerna slid off my back and onto the floor. "Now don't forget to thank him."

"But I won! He's supposed to do- "

"Millerna..."

"Fine." Millerna scowled defiantly at her sister before turning to me. Bobbing a curtsy, she said with artificial sweetness, "Thank you very much for the ride, Dryden."

I bowed in turn. "My pleasure, Princess." Truthfully, it had not been a pleasure, but my response was probably as sincere as her thanks.

Duty done, I exited the villa. The grounds outside were deserted, guests and servants alike already having turned in for the night. It was time for me to do likewise, but I lingered outside.

I was not sure if it was the vino or having to carry Millerna around or both, but whatever the reason, I was feeling uncomfortably warm. The cool evening breeze felt exceptionally wonderful on my overheated body. Instead of heading for my bed in the guest house, I settled onto a nearby stone beach beneath a trio of ancient trees. I stretched, easing out the aches in my shoulders and enjoying the feel of the wind in my hair. The quiet sounds of the dark countryside were a welcome contrast to Millerna's endless prattle. The peacefulness of the scene settled over me, and I relaxed.

Just as I was musing on how perfect the night was-

-it got better.

A noise roused me from my reverie, and I looked up. My breath caught.

Standing in a balcony just above me were Lavender and Marlene. Bathed in the light of the twin moons, they looked ethereal, enchanting creatures from another time, another world. Their nightgowns and tresses fluttered gently, caught in the breeze.

Lavender stretched out a slender arm, gesturing towards the Mystic Moon. Marlene smiled, nodding in agreement. The two cousins were admiring the night sky together. As they spoke in hushed voices, waxing romantic about the stars, the sky, and the moons above, I sat spellbound.

Until last year, I had been all but oblivious to the charms of the female persuasion. I mean, how girls looked registered in my brain, but did not really REGISTER, if you know what I mean.

Then came that day after my accident that Lavender visited me. And I NOTICED. And I could not help noticing after that. Whenever a pretty girl was around, I would watch her from the corner of my eye, appreciatively eying the swell of her bosom, the curves of her body, the sway of her hips. Occaisionlly, it was so distracting it was nigh impossible to concentrate. If there had been any winsome females to ogle at the Fassa office, I would have accomplished very little at my apprenticeship.

At last count, I was infatuated, to varying degrees, with 25 girls. However, leading the pack by leaps and bounds, were Marlene and Lavender. Their forms were flawless, like the painstaking work of some master craftsman. Their movements were graceful, their voices sweetly enticing. They walked like goddesses amongst mere mortals, and I was content to grovel at their feet. If hard pressed, I would have to admit that Marlene was the more beautiful of the two. Lavender, however, possessed a liveliness that often eclipsed her more morose cousin.

These were, of course, thoughts that I had never disclosed to anyone. After all, whom had I to confide in? The thought of sharing this with Mother was just plain weird. Telling one of the girls risked gossip, confiding in Annette risked possible condescension I was not comfortable with.

And the other boys? I doubted they would understand. They had yet to show the faintest interest in girls. Given the choice, they would much rather go on and on about the virtues of their steeds than talk about which girls were cute.

Well, that was not quite right. There were boys who lavished attention on girls, but they were Haim' s age and more likely than not to just laugh at me and tell me that Marlene and Lavender were out of my league.

For now, though, I was content just to look upon their lovely countenances in the moonlight. As I gazed, I suddenly remembered why I had so eagerly joined in on the Penalty game: Lavender had agreed to play. When I saw her cheerfully accepting Helga's invitation to play, it just seemed like the perfect opportunity to obtain the impossible: If I won the game and she came out the loser, she would have to submit to whatever Penalty I asked, even if it were to kiss me...

I shook my head vigorously in an attempt to clear it. I had to have been severely addlepated to entertain thoughts like that. Even as thought-impaired as I was now, I knew that I would never be so bold as to do that in my right mind. Not to mention, if Father ever got wind of it, he would have my hide. My focus, as far as he was concerned, was to be on Millerna and no other. No, I might be sharp with my tongue and cutting with my remarks, but when it came to acting out on these inexplicable feelings those girls stirred within me, I was a complete coward.

And I supposed it suited a coward to be doing what I was doing, adoring the objects of my desire from a distance in the darkness.

Or at least I had been . To my utter dismay, Lavender and Marlene withdrew into their room, and pulled the glass-paneled door shut with a click.

With a groan, I flopped back against the bench. Disappointed, I stared up at the stars twinkling in the gaps between leaves of the branches above me and wished that I could be studying another set of heavenly bodies entirely.

"Too bad," I thought, gazing up at the criss cross of branches. "Too bad there's no way I can get any closer... or higher."

And then, seemingly in the blink of an eye, I was.

I do not have any recollection whatsoever of how I climbed that tree. Maybe that was a good thing; I have never been particularly skilled at climbing, let alone in the dark. All I knew was that one moment I was studying a particularly sturdy-looking limb above me, and the next moment I was straddling it and stealthily scooting forward on it.

No wonder Annette always impressed on me the hazards of mixing alcohol with business. If I was doing this after one drink, who knew what I would agree to after multiple ones?

At the moment though, I was too excited about other things to dwell on how vino altered my judgement. From my new vantage point, I was level with the balcony doors. Luckily for me, the girls had not drawn the curtains. Even better, I was hidden, cloaked by darkness and a screen of leaves.

I smiled. What a delightful view. Marlene was sitting at the vanity, and behind her was Lavender, brushing Marlene's gloriously thick golden curls. As she drew the brush along the shining strands, I wondered what they would feel like between my fingers. Would the texture be as soft and silky as they appeared? Though I could no longer hear them with the door shut, I could see them conversing, Lavender's lively gesticulations and Marlene's more languid responses. Lavender smiled and laughed as she played with Marlene's blond locks, and I wondered how it would feel to have that smile flash just for me. What it would be like to feel Lavender's rosy lips against my skin or my own lips. And--what it would feel like to be close to her. Not like the contact we had in our dance lesson with our bodies hid under gloves and layers of clothing and our movements strictly regulated by the rules of the dance. But to be able to touch her the way she was now, clad in only a thin lacy nightgown with her long, dark mane loose, to let my hands roam freely over her, her hair, her face, and those parts forbidden ...

It was a sweet torment to be there, gazing at those two who were so far beyond my reach (though I was not quite sure exactly what I would do with them even they were within my reach). But it seemed all too soon that Marlene blew out the candles and my beauties went to their slumber. I continued to stare into that darkened room long after the lights went out. It was like lying in bed after waking from a particularly beautiful dream and hoping, wishing, trying to return to it.

Unfortunately for me, the moment had definitely ended, and it was time for me to go. I made my way back to the trunk of the tree and paused, trying to figure the best way down. It had been different earlier, when the lovely visages of the two cousins had driven all hesitation from my mind. Now all I could see was the considerable distance between me and a potentially painful landing.

As I deliberated from my woody perch, I heard something. Footsteps. There was someone outside on the lawn! The rustle of steps in the grass grew louder. A cold sweat broke out over me. What excuse could I possibly come up with for this? What if I was caught, exposed as the guilty peeping tom I was? What if it was Prince Nueva? He would surely suspect--no, he would KNOW-- that I had been gazing lustfully at his virgin daughter and niece! Icy dread gripped me at the thought of an enraged father's vengeance. I clutched the tree trunk tightly and hoped fervently that whoever it was would just pass by and not notice the thunderous pounding of my heart.

~~Keep going, just keep going. Don't look up. There's nothing here to see.~~

To my dismay, whoever it was did not just pass, but approached my tree until he was directly beneath me. Eyes squeezed shut, scarcely breathing, I froze, certain I was going to be discovered. With my luck, he would probably knock me out of the tree first and ask questions later.

Seconds passed, but in my panic they seemed like eons. Just when I thought I could not take it anymore I heard:

"Well?"

My eyes snapped open. Wait, that was Indigo's voice.

I glanced down. To my astonishment, it WAS Indigo. And she was not alone. Beside her was Eries, her pale hair washed gray in the moonlight. Wrapped in cloaks, the two girls were sitting on the very bench I had occupied not too long ago.

The girls looked like they were about to launch into an intimate tete a tete. Propriety dictated that evesdropping was not a very gentlemanly thing to do. But there was no simple way for me to excuse myself. However, I reasoned, I had been there first. So, really, they were intruding in on me, even if I had been sneaking looks at their sisters. Therefore, all I honestly could do was quietly sit there, and wait out their chat.

Eries, though, was being reticent. After several moments, Indigo said, "You keep dropping hints, and then you bring me out here in the middle of the night, and now you have nothing to say?" Despite the words she used, Indigo's tone was coaxing and gentle.

"I- I just don't know where to begin," Eries said finally.

"Why don't you start off with elaborating a little more on that letter you sent me," suggested Indigo. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think your exact words were: I think I can find happiness here in Fanelia."

I was nearly startled off my perch. I had anticipated boring girl-talk, but now my interest was piqued Today was the first time that any of us had seen each other since the princesses and their cousins left on their respective journeys. During the party, I had asked Eries about her travels, and she had responded that things had gone well enough. She gave a brief overview of the grand ceremonies she had attended, thanked me again for my help, and told me about the antique books and scrolls she had brought me as a token of gratitude. Mention of my thank you gifts had driven every other thought out of my head, and I had not pressed her for additional details of her trip.

Eries spoke slowly and reflectively. "You know, when I arrived in Fanelia, that was the last thing I would have expected. To be honest, I was terrified."

"Because?"

"Because Fanelia is just so--different from here. The thought of spending the rest of my life there scared me at first. A lot. It's so--untamed. Most of the land isn't developed, and the capital is the only city. Our fleet barely fit on their landing port. And there's no hint of the ocean. Not even a large lake or pond around. Lord Vargas being in their greeting party did not help much."

"Who's he?"

"Fanelia's Head Brigadier General. He's the one who's one of Gaia's Three Master Swordsmen."

"Ah... the secret behind Fanelia's military prowess."

Eries nodded. "Actually, he is just as considerate as any one of our own knights, but he's very imposing. He's practically the size of a melef. And his scars..." She shuddered. "It was all I could do to keep Millerna from ducking underneath Marlene's skirts during the pleasantries."

Indigo sniffed. "Fanelia should have done a better job selecting their honor guard. It doesn't reflect well on them to have their security frightening guests like that, and gentlewomen at that."

Eries shook her head. "Lord Vargas wasn't part of the guard, he's one of the country's five Regents."

"Eh?"

Annoyed, I thought, "Indigo, do you NOT pay any attention in class!?" I nearly spoke the words aloud. However, I caught myself in time, remembering that I was not ACTUALLY part of this conversation.

Instead, I held my tongue as Eries explained, "When a Fanelian king dies, his heir officially succeeds him only after passing the Fanelian Rite of Succession. Because King Goau's heir was so young when he died, the welfare of the kingdom was entrusted to five interim Regents: Lord Vargas, Fanelia's other three Brigadier Generals, and the King's widow."

"The Queen--what was she like?" asked Indigo.

I strained my ears to catch Eries' words. I, too, was curious of her impressions of the person destined to be her mother-in-law.

"She's very beautiful, in kind of an exotic way," Eries began. "She was courteous and provided us with everything we needed and gave us run of the entire castle. But..."

"But?" Indigo echoed.

~~But?~~

"But she was always distant. Detached. It was very subtle, but it always felt as if she didn't really want to be doing what she was doing. Like she would just rather be somewhere else. She always saw that we were attended to, but only spent with us the absolute minimum time possible before excusing herself."

"Well, she is a queen. She probably had other state matters distracting her that she needed to attend to," Indigo reasoned.

"You would think that. But from what I learned, she doesn't play that active a role in Fanelia's affairs. When I talked to her and specifically asked her about the status of various matters, she did not seem to have a good grasp of what was going on and kept referring to me to one of the other Regents or to a councilor."

"Well, it's only been about two years since her husband died. It's probably hard for her, being a young widow, left with two children to raise and a kingdom to run and all."

"That's true..." Eries paused thoughtfully. "That's probably why she was treating me so oddly."

"Huh?"

"It's hard to describe, but it seemed like every time she looked at me, she was trying to size me up. As if she were trying to decide if I was worth keeping around or not."

"Eries, you deal with snobs all the time--"

"I know, but this was--well, it was just different. I couldn't just let it go the way I usually do. This time--this time, I really did feel less a princess and more like a slave being scrutinized on the seller's block."

That ruffled Indigo some. "Excuse me? Wasn't it Fanelia that approached Asturia about this whole marriage business?"

"Yes, and Fanelia does have slightly more to gain from a Fanelia-Asturia alliance. But, I guess she's just protective. Her children are all she's got left, and any mother would want to ensure her child's future. I suppose I can understand that."

"But you would think that her son wouldn't be able to do better than an Asturian princess though," said Indigo peevishly. Her bare feet kicked at the grass in front of her. "Fanelia doesn't seem very enticing to me, Eries. Backwater kingdom out in the wilderness, freaky warrior-Regents, and a possessive future mother-in-law. Humph. I thought you said you thought Fanelia would make happy."

"I did, didn't I?" Eries said mysteriously.

"So what changed your mind?"

"Hmmm, let me think... what would change my mind, I wonder?" She was getting a kick out of keeping Indigo in suspense.

"Eries!"

"You know, it's strange... the first person to make me think that I might like Fanelia wasn't anyone in the royal entourage. It was a little cat-girl."

"Cat-girl?"

"Uh-huh. Merle. Actually, she's more kitten than cat. When made our way through town, Lord Vargas rode right alongside us, and his presence was intimidating enough to keep the spectators respectful and at arm's distance. But, as we were entering the castle, I saw Merle by a parapet. Instead of running away, she waved to us and smiled right at the Brigadier General as if she knew him. When I asked him about her, he told me that he had found her two years ago, orphaned and alone, near a ravaged beastman settlement. He brought her back to the capital, and she's been living there ever since."

"When I saw her, how happy she was and how especially happy she was to see Lord Vargas, I knew that there was kindness there, and that maybe I didn't have to expect the worst."

"Merle, huh? So she was adopted into the Brigadier General's household? Or by one of the castle staff?"

"No, technically, she's a companion to Prince Van."

"A cat-girl? You're joking!" Indigo was astonished, as was I. I knew that, of Gaia's nations, Fanelia was one of the countries most tolerant of beastpeople. To have beastpeople integrated as a part of their society was expected, but a companion to a royal? That was highly unusual. And rather intriguing.

"I'm not. But from what I've seen, they're more like brother and sister than anything else. Prince Van's Millerna's age, and Merle's two years younger. And Millerna got along famously with both of them."

"Really? Well, that's remarkable in itself."

"Well, they did fight once. But that was only because Millerna wanted to take Merle back to Asturia with us. She was completely besotted by Merle's pink hair. Prince Van, of course, wouldn't hear of it. We literally had to break up a tug-of-war where poor Merle was the rope."

"That's a little more of what I was expecting." I nodded in silent agreement.

"Well, that was the exception. Other than that, Millerna was extremely well-behaved. Prince Van was a good influence on her. He's energetic, that's for certain, but he knows his manners. You should have seen the way he carried himself during the formal introductions. He's sweet tempered and very considerate and always looking for Merle. And it's so adorable the way he looks up to his older brother. I wish Millerna would look up to me that way."

"Speaking of older brother," said Indigo, stressing her words meaningfully, "I'd like to know what you thought of Prince Van's older brother."

"Yes... Folken..."

I blinked. She called him Folken. Not Prince Folken, but simply Folken, without the title. It was remarkable for her to speak of him with such familiarity, especially as he was four years her senior and they had only just met. But there was also the way she had said his name...

"Folken's--the most exceptional young man I have ever had the fortune to meet," she said shyly.

With a suppressed squeal of delight, Indigo nearly knocked down her cousin in an enthusiastic bear hug. "Oh Eries, I'm so happy for you!"

"Indigo, hush! You'll wake the entire villa!"

Amused, I watched Sniper alternate between trying to control her own laughter and struggling to wriggle out of Indigo's fierce embrace. Indigo had changed and matured in many respects over the last few years, but she had never lost her love of storybook endings. For the way she was carrying on, she was seeing "happily ever after" written all over Eries and her Fanelian Prince.

"What's he like!? What's he like!?" Indigo asked once she had calmed down some. "Is he cute?"

"Cute? No, cute's not the word. However, handsome... Folken definitely is handsome... and tall... and strong...."

Sniper, unlike Indigo, was not one to gush, but hearing her use such glowing terms to describe the young Fanelian Prince, she was coming pretty close to gushing. It was with a touch of envy that I listened to her describe his virtues. I wondered if I would ever affect anyone in such a way.

"--skilled with a sword. It was impressive watching him hold his own against Lord Vargas. But that's not his passion. He told me that, given the choice, he would much rather spend his time studying natural science than sparring in a dojo. But, he has his responsibility, his kingdom to protect, and so he has to learn to fight. Still, I doubt that he would ever fight if he could come up with a peaceful alternative. He's so gentle. And watching him play with Van was so touching. Folken has a lot of obligations but he spends nearly all of his free time with him, and Van practically worships him. And Folken has the sweetest smile..."

"He's special to you."

"Yes." Then, after a brief pause, she added, "And he makes me feel special , too."

"How?"

Eries reflected several moments before finally answering. "I love Marlene. I adore my sister, and I don't wish anything but the best for her. But when she's around, no one notices me--"

"Eries, that's not true--"

"Yes it is," Eries insisted. "I've always been in her shadow and always will be. This trip just made it all the more obvious. I wasn't Princess Eries. I was Princess Marlene's sister. And that was only when they did notice me. Even when she was indisposed she still drew more attention than I did."

"Indisposed?"

"Unlike Lavender, traveling doesn't agree with Marlene. She had problems throughout the entire trip. She had stomachache in Daedalus, headache in Basram, fever in Freid and so on and so on. Part of me felt bad for her, but part of me also wondered how much of it was real and how much of it was just her making excuses so she didn't have to be sociable. Every place we went she would make at most half her appearances and spent the remainder of the time convalescing in her room. Meanwhile, I was out doing my best to fulfill our obligations without her. But you know what? They'd either just brush me off or they would pepper me with questions about Marlene. ' What does she like?' ' What is she like?' ' Is the Princess Marlene betrothed yet?' ' Could you arrange for a private meeting with your sister?' ' Would you take her a letter?'"

Eries laughed bitterly while Indigo sat with her mouth shut, unable to think of anything to say. As hurtful as it was, it was the truth. In that kind of setting, Eries just could not compare to her older sister. I was not surprised that the highbrow adults had ignored her.

"Between cooing over how adorable Millerna was and being dazzled by Marlene, everyone we met hardly found me worth paying attention to... everyone, that is, except for Folken."

"I was so scared when Queen Varie took us to the castle to meet her sons. I was scared of what Folken might be like, but I was also scared that he would look at me and be disappointed. That he would see me as a poor bargain. That he would despise me and try to talk his mother into trying to arrange for Marlene instead of me. That he would ignore me and spent all of his time trying to get her attention."

"And?" Indigo gently prompted.

"And I was very pleasantly surprised. Yes, I could tell he was struck by Marlene's looks, but he gave all three of us equal attention during the formal introductions."

"Marlene retired to her room almost immediately afterwards, complaining of earache. I was expecting him to follow her, hover over her sickroom or something like that. But he didn't. Instead, he invited Millerna and me to join him and Van and Merle in one of the castle gardens. It wasn't long before Millerna was joining Van and Merle in their games, and while three of them played, Folken and I talked. At first, it was both of us just being polite. After all, we knew exactly why I was visiting. But the longer we talked, the more we relaxed, the more I enjoyed it, and the more I liked him."

"He wanted to learn more about me. And he actually listened to me. Really listened to me when I told him about what I liked, about my life, my lessons, about Asturia, my family, my impressions of Fanelia. And he took my questions seriously when I asked him about Fanelia--the land, the people, their concerns, their values. He even invited me to a council meeting to introduce me to some of their advisers when I started asking him about the particulars of Fanelia's administrative policies."

"Ugh, that's not romantic at all."

I chuckled inwardly. Romantic? No. But it definitely was Eries for you. And for her, it was probably reassuring and gratifying that Prince Folken both recognized and respected her intelligence and level of maturity.

As Eries continue to describe her week in Fanelia, it became apparent that the artless, insightful prince had won her respect and admiration as well. At length, Indigo finally asked the question that I knew was burning in her mind. "Do you love him?"

There was a long moment of silence. "Love... that's such a huge, heavy word." Eries sighed. "I don't know if it's love, or that I'm in love with him. But I can say that I'm very fond of him and that I already value our friendship deeply."

"And how does he feel about you?"

"He likes me enough to promise to write regularly--to stay in touch and to get to know each other better. Beyond that... well, to be truthful, half the time he treats me like an emissary and the other half he treats me like a younger sister."

I could see that. Eries' keen intellect and political canniness juxtaposed with her physical appearance would certainly lead to that. Unlike her agemate Indigo, who was budding along quite nicely into womanhood (and incidentally had made my personal Top 10 List of Females to Fantasize About) , Eries had all the physique and sex appeal of a flag pole. I think I probably would be more disturbed if the 15-year-old prince had looked at her in any way other than a younger sister.

"But I know he's serious about this marriage business."

"How? What did he say?" Indigo pressed.

"The night before I left Fanelia, he took me aside privately. He asked me how I felt about the betrothal, whether I had fears or doubts about coming to Fanelia. Or about marrying him. He told me that while the alliance would be beneficial for both our kingdoms and that he would be honored to have me as his wife, he didn't want me forced into marrying him if I had serious objections."

"And?"

"I told him... I told him that I had come to like him and Fanelia very much and I had no reservations at all. After that, he became even more serious. He told me that he wanted to be completely open and honest with me. He wanted me to know exactly what kind of man I would be marrying. And so... he took a risk in sharing some things about himself that his advisers much rather would have had him keep under wraps."

"Eries--"

"Indigo, can you keep a secret?" Her tone was dead serious.

"If you ask me to, I swear I won't tell a soul," Indigo promised solemnly.

Eries spoke carefully. "I haven't told anyone else about this--not even Marlene. She kind of looks down at Folken already. She thinks he's unrefined and too much of a rustic. This would probably make her think worse of the match."

"Is it that bad?" Concern was plain in Indigo's voice.

"The fact that he didn't hide this from me makes him a better man than those who would look down on him for it," Eries stated flatly.

"Folken... He..." Eries' voice dropped so low that Indigo had to lean in to hear. As did I-

--and then I was abruptly reminded by the gut-dropping sensation of falling that I was not part of their conversation.

"Oh yes, STUPID," I thought , as I slipped seemingly in slow motion off my branch, "you're in a TREE." Twigs and leaves snagged at my hair, skin, and clothes as I fell. I flailed, trying to grasp something, anything. I managed to catch hold of a branch, and nearly dislocated my shoulder in the process. Unfortunately, the limb was too slender to bear the force of my momentum. It bent and then snapped, sending me plummeting to the ground.

"Oof!" I landed with a jarring thump, still clutching the broken branch. Well, at the very least had slowed my descent even if it had not broken my fall.

One would have had to have been blind and deaf not to notice an entrance like that a scant two paces away, and as it happened, the girls were neither.

They screeched in unison at my sudden appearance, complete with a small shower of twigs. Sniper, however, recognized me almost instantly and recovered swiftly. "Dryden?!" she exclaimed.

"Dryden?" echoed Indigo. Her fright was immediately replaced with ire. "Dryden Fassa, what in blazes--?!"

Instinctively, I backed away from the two, who were growing more furious by the second. As I scooted backwards on my hands, feet, and rear, I noted that I had apparently managed to survive the fall intact and unharmed. I just hoped that I would survive this next encounter intact and unharmed.

Quickly, I evaluated my options. Escape, either back up the tree or by running away, was out of the question; Eries outclimbed me, and Indigo outpaced me. That left either lying, playing dumb, or telling the truth. Try as I might, not even a single plausible fib was coming to mind, and I knew that just playing the idiot would serve only to incense the girls further. Well, they say honesty is the best policy...

I fervently hoped that that would be the case as Eries and Indigo marched menacingly towards me. I cowered slightly under Indigo's unflinching glare. "What do you think you're doing out here?!" she demanded.

"Er...well, I--"

Without waiting for me to finish, Sniper grabbed me by the lapels of my shirt. "How much did you hear?" Her voice dripped venom.

I swallowed. Maybe I could lighten this up a bit. "Ahh-- I just wanted to let you know, Sniper, that I'm very happy for you. And I told you that going to Fanelia wasn't something you had to worry--ACK!" Maybe not.

My flow of oxygen was abruptly cut off as Sniper, displeased with my answer, grabbed my cravat and yanked the knot up against my windpipe. Desperately, I tried to pry her hands off my neckwear-turned-noose, but her grip was like steel.

"Now you listen, and you listen good, Dryden Fassa," she snarled.

"*ack*ack*gasp*flail*" [Translation: I'm listening! I'm listening!]

"You will not to breathe a word of anything you heard to anyone. Understand?"

"*wheeze*struggle*" [Translation: Okay! Yes!]

"Not to any of the boys, not to Marlene, not even to your own mother. No one. You'll forget you heard anything tonight."

"*gasp*flail*choke*" [Translation: Done deal! Forgotten! Now let me breathe already!]

"Otherwise..." Eries' tone turned deadly. "If I find out you've crossed me--and I WILL--you'll wish you'd never been born." With that she shoved me roughly away from her. I fell hard against the ground but was only too glad to escape her stranglehold. My fingers scrambled frantically to loosen my tie, and my burning lungs heaved, sucking in grateful gulps of air.

Sniper, arms akimbo, disdainfully regarded my sprawled, panting form. "Do you understand?"

I nodded vigorously.

"For your sake, I hope you do. Indigo, let's go." With a final warning glare, the girls left in a huff.

Rubbing my poor abused neck, I watched them walk away. Once they were safely out of sight, I let out a sigh of relief and flopped spreadeagled onto the ground. Staring up at the twinkling stars above, I marveled at the ordeal I had just underwent. Apparently there was some truth to that phrase about women's scorn and hellish fury.

Girls. They're mighty attractive, but after an experience like that, celibacy becomes awful appealing.

~~~~~~

There is one more half to this chapter-- we just figured that >10,000 words is pushing ridiculous in terms of a posting and it has been awhile since we've posted. Plus, we promised Aerika that we would post something shortly after she updated 'Always.' we will post the second half as soon as Aerika posts her next 'Always' chapter ;)

As always, reviews are very very much appreciated!

Ron and his Sakura

ps we will most likely do the full 6 chpts for this fic. thx for your support!