Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Under The Same Stars ❯ 1.3 The After-Taste Of Freedom ( Chapter 3 )

A/N: I bid you welcome to the superb third chapter, in which our heroine Celena consciously decides she wants to become a fictional character and Allen reveals his Seeing abilities (spooky o.O)... I think I'll add a dragon razing half of Pallas next time for kicks, this chapter's boring! (Dil-sama cheers) u.u
I took some time in posting because I did some rewriting to start clearing up things about Dilandau. From what you told me in the reviews, I got the impression his coming into scene confused a few people, and since there's still some chapters to go before I really start talking about him, I'm leaving you with some hints from Celena's `extra' insight.

 

Hope you all continue to enjoy! Au revoir!

 

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Part 1 : Innocence
Chapter III : The After-Taste Of Freedom

 

Knocking at the door of her own house came to Celena as a particularly odd thing to do at the time. She stood at the front, looking at her feet and waiting for someone to come. Those shoes were beyond saving. Earlier, she'd told her rescuer that they'd reached her house, but at that point it had just been starting to appear. Now, her feet were sore with the painful discovery of how deceiving distances could be.

 

A servant opened the door, recognised her immediately and stepped aside for her to enter. “Lady Celena, are you well?” She nodded with a smile, realising how she must look under all the dirt. He lingered there for a few more moments, trying to locate anyone else who might have been accompanying her. “Master Allen has been waiting for you since yesterday afternoon. He's quite worried, I must say... I just managed to get him out of his study for lunch.”

 

Celena wanted nothing more than a hot bath and perhaps some sleep on her nice bed, but she had to reassure Allen first. She knew he'd react like this. “Could you show me to him, please?” She asked and the man guided her towards the garden without delay.

 

Her brother sat in the terrace reading some letters, while finishing his meal. The high noon sun shone on his hair, turning it into a cascade of light and his elegant pose told much about the kind of man he was. But not all. The sword resting by his belt completed that tale.

 

“Onii-san!” She called and three paces later he was holding her shoulders and looking her over, concern written across his features. “Don't worry, I may be filthy, but I'm all right...” That seemed to soothe him.

 

“Celena, what happened to you?” He paused, unsure, guiding her to a seat next to his. “You poor thing. Sit, eat, you must be exhausted from the look of you! I was about to go out searching... tell me everything!”

 

She was more than happy to comply and thankfully sat on a cushioned chair, recalling with dread the stiff seat at the carriage. Maybe that was why he didn't like carriages, she thought humourlessly at the back of her mind. It had been a pretty uncomfortable experience, especially aggravated by the rush of blood to her cheeks whenever her stomach growled. Her respect towards men who had to drive those things for a living had doubled.

 

She told Allen all about what she'd gone through in her trip up to present time, from what had befallen her driver and escort to the way she'd left the carriage up the road and walked down to the house. For some reason, though, she held back on the descriptions of her saviour. Red eyes were an unusual trait and she didn't want Allen to form an ill opinion of him just because of that. Jichia knew how she'd reacted to it! Celena had been sure he was some demon come to reap her soul away. Of course, she was also familiar with her tendency to act before thinking, and thinking stupidly before acting.

 

“It's a shame he didn't tell you his name. I would have liked to thank him for saving my little sister and bringing her home unharmed. I'll report that attack in Palas as soon as I have the chance, though! I'll have some soldiers search the woods for those scoundrels! Teach them a lesson myself if I can.” Celena smiled, and placed a comforting hand over her brother's. The love and care he felt for her were things she would never grow indifferent to, no matter how many times he demonstrated them. The next thing he asked, however, straightened her face in a flash. He wanted to know more about what had gone wrong with the Edissi's son. She gave him a curt reply and wasted no more time in excusing herself to her bedroom.

 

Allen made no protest, even agreed, and soon she was in her bedroom on the upper floor, unfastening her dress and flopping down on her bed, while pleasant sounds of a maid drawing water came from the private bathroom. Her muscles felt so heavy she could swear there was lead in them. In the meanwhile, she stared at the ceiling she knew by heart, ornamented with small paintings of flowers and birds, and went through everything again in her head. She sighed.

 

It was over now, her little adventure was over and she doubted she'd ever go through something like it again or see her rescuer once more. Time to go back to reality, Celena... It had felt strangely good, like it had been the first time she'd ever been alive. And not just because of the rush of adrenalin her fear had spurred. She'd imposed her will - only on small things, true, but even that she wouldn't have managed under normal circumstances -, she'd shouted at her rescuer, called him mad and even insulted him!

 

Of course she hadn't done that bit on purpose, nor was she particularly proud of it, for that matter. She felt guilty over what she'd said and for causing him hurt, after all, she was more grateful to him than he'd ever know. She sighed. What must it be like, being him? I wonder if people always react that way... with fear. Probably not, I must the only one who's silly enough to overreact that way because of such a little thing.

 

“Lady Celena, the bath is ready. I'll take these clothes downstairs for repairing and cleaning now, if you don't need anything else?” The woman was indicating her dress and shoes and Celena let her be on her way. The water was just the right temperature and granted delicacies of special salts and bubbles. She closed her eyes and focused on the little ripples and soft foam around her. It was bliss.

 

What must it be like, to live like that stranger did? He'd said he was an adventurer, but now that she though about it more carefully, there was something that didn't fit there. Wouldn't he need to have a better sword if that was the case? And she somehow had the feeling that those eyes held a different story.

 

And his voice... Everything he'd said was still printed freshly in her memory and she thought about the power behind the tones again. She'd never known a man capable of conveying such strength with simple words, except perhaps Allen, but only when he was talking to his men or something like that. Then again, all the other men she could say she'd ever been in close contact with were either servants or nobles, who'd never had to do a thing in their lives... much like her. And another little paradox about her red-eyed sprang to mind. He'd told those thieves he didn't do heroics, yet he had stepped in to save her when everything was against him.

 

Strange man, indeed, but no matter, I'm probably just being silly again. He was free to do as he pleased, go wherever he felt like. Wasn't that a dream come true. How many lands had he seen, how many people did he know? She could have asked him, but it was just like her to only think of these things when it was too late. She still couldn't believe she hadn't even asked him his name.

 

She'd read a romance once, where the main character's sweetheart was someone like that. He'd take her to a million places - cities built upon lakes, snowy mountains and palaces in the most exotic of lands, with a fair amount of candlelight here and there evidently - and all the while, he would tell her about some episode he had gone through, and each tale was better and more exciting than the last.

 

She stopped to catch her breath and reminded herself that that was only a book, written purposefully for the hearts of romantic young ladies like herself. Her adventure, if she could even call it so, was over and her own romance story would never be like that. This had to have been the closest she'd ever get to it in her life and now was time to put it behind her and go back to being Celena.

 

Making up her mind to stop thinking like that, she stepped out of the water and went to bed, determined to let sleep wash away what the water could not. She'd never felt this caged before. Now that she'd been allowed to have a sip of freedom, the after-taste was a bitter one. She hid her face beneath the pillow...

 

She opened her eyes some time later to find Allen gently stroking her hair. “Sorry for waking you, you must still be very tired, but I have some good news and thought they'd cheer you up.” He was whispering and she smiled lovingly at him.

 

Times like these were when she loved him best. He wasn't a Knight Caeli then, just a brother who cared deeply for her. He had an uncanny ability to see right through her moods, though figuring out the causes behind them was a different thing altogether. Celena's guess this time was that he thought she was upset because of Elric's `refusal' combined with the emotional stress from the attack. She was surprised to find, however, how right he was about her tiredness. She had needed that sleep more than she'd cared to admit to herself.

 

“I've received a letter from the Princesses. They've invited us to go to the Palace to attend the celebrations that are to be held in honour of the Fanelian Prince. He'll be arriving in a week from now for a formal visit of our country. Isn't it wonderful?”

 

Her eyes lit up, it was more than wonderful. She was a great friend of princess Millerna, the two of them having a lot in common, but unfortunately the royal title kept her too busy most of the time for them to meet. This would be a grand opportunity to see her again, catch up with their talk and, who knew, perhaps even go to the town's bazaar together. She was sure that the invitation included her and Allen staying as guests in the Castle during those days.

 

Of course, there was also the downside, but Celena refused to consider it too much. Allen was bound to try to introduce her to every eligible man around, but the celebrations the Asturian Royal Family held were always so grandiose, it would certainly be worth it.

 

“My, it certainly is! I can't wait to see Millerna again! There are so many things I have to tell her. When will we be leaving, brother?” Her joy was so contagious that Allen laughed.

 

“Don't worry about that, I want you to rest and regain your strength for now. Go to sleep, we'll talk some more at dinner.” Kissing her forehead, he left her to her thoughts once more.

 

When King Aston organised a celebration, it was usually something worth beholding. They were always several days' long and he somehow managed to come up with something new each time, a surprise treat for those attending. The usual fireworks, dinners and balls were in order of course, and sometimes even a tournament in the great Palas Coliseum for the men to entertain themselves.

 

She didn't know much about the Fanelian culture, though, just that there was some sort of a close relation between the small country and the dragons that wandered the valleys near it. A yawn overwhelmed her and she went back to sleep, deciding to go down to the library and look for some books about that country later.