Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Asturia: Love and Duty ❯ ch 18 ( Chapter 18 )

Why do we torment Allen so? Because he is such a glutton for punishment. Really! He's just asking for it! But we are not entirely horrible people. Read on.

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[soundtrack 2, track 7, Cradle Song]

Allen squared his shoulders and entered the palace grounds. This time, he resolved, he would not run away. This time, he would face things like a man.

Brother Rei and Allen had been close on Sid's heels when he had bolted for Dryden's room at the royal family's quarters. So when Sid charged through the door, Allen had gotten a glimpse of Eries' head close to Dryden's just before Sid ran up to embrace her. Brother Rei had smiled; he thought it was cute to see his young charge reunited with his distant relative. If Sid had been a puppy, the massive bodyguard mused, the young Duke would have been wagging his tail off. Allen , on the other hand, had felt his stomach bind itself into a knot. It was one thing to mentally decide to accept the situation. It was quite another to see it before him. Although he hated to admit it, he was envious: envious of Dryden who had obviously gained Eries' favor and attention, envious of Sid for being able to openly show his affection for Eries. How he wished he could have run to her as well...

He had excused himself, saying that he wanted to go speak with Sir Timothy, and quickly exited the building. Shortly thereafter, he found his fellow Caeli, headed for the dungeon to prepare for the interrogation. Allen told him that the princess was already meeting with the Freid delegation. Allen then requested that he be excused to go home for a brief respite and a chance to change from his travel garments, which he had been wearing over the last several days, into his uniform. Sir Timothy nodded. "But be back tomorrow morning. We may need your help then. Oh, and we already notified Sgt. Masterson that you will be here indefinitely while this is being resolved." Wolf was probably stupendously underwhelmed by the prospect of having to manage the bedlam at Fort Castello without his commander, but that was the least of Allen's worries at the moment.

Allen retreated back to the Schezar estate to compose himself. He was not able to maintain a false front as well as he had hoped. For a long time he stood heavy hearted, studying the remnants of the season's small wishes in the garden.

When morning came, he donned his uniform and strode toward the palace with a sense of purpose. He had a promise and a duty to fulfill. This time--this time, he would endure.

-=-===-=-==-

One of Timothy's assistants, who also happened to be one of Allen's former students, recently graduated from the Academy, informed Allen about the findings of the interrogation and readily answered all of the Caeli's questions regarding the resulting aftermath. Fortunately, the doppleganger's co-conspirators in Palas had been few . However, there was the whole matter of the doppleganger's international network to be dealt with. Messengers had already been sent to those countries whose governments, according to the prisoner, had been infiltrated. The king and princess had called for a meeting to be held in two hours with the Council and the heads of the military to determine what Asturia's next steps should be.

Two hours... Eries was probably in her study preparing for the meeting at that very moment.

Deep in thought, Allen stepped out of the Palace Guard's office in the government affairs sector and collided into Reina. Both apologized profusely. Despite the serious atmosphere around them, Lady Reina was in tremendously high spirits. Curious, Allen inquired as to the reason behind her cheerful mood.

Reina smiled broadly. "Annette --she's awake! Earlier this morning, her fever broke and she woke up. We were all so worried that we would lose her, but she's out of danger now. It's still bad. It hurts her just to breathe, but she's back and here to stay." She glanced at her timepiece. "I'm sorry. I'm extremely late, if you will excuse me." With that, she scurried off, almost skipping in her gladness, in the direction of Eries' study.

Allen felt a twinge of guilt. Over the last couple of days, he had been so wrapped up in his own emotional maelstrom that he had not spared a thought for Lady Annette, whom he held in high regard and who had been such a good friend to Serena. He remembered how shocked he had been to see them all so badly hurt that night.

In a few minutes, he was at the royal family's quarters to see Annette and to wish her well on her recovery.The guards on duty admitted Allen and directed him to the room on the ground floor where she was recuperating. Another guard stood at attention at the door to Annette's room. Aston certainly had tightened the security in the building. The two men saluted each other. Just as Allen stepped forward to knock softly on the door, it opened.

"Allen?"

It was Eries.

Both of them took a step back in surprise. Eries stumbled and would have fallen had her bodyguards not been right behind her. They helped the princess regain her footing. She was startled, but she did not seem unpleasantly so.

Allen's collar suddenly felt too tight. It took a moment for Allen to remember why he was where he was. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before he could get the words out. "I... er... Annette... Reina told me that Annette was awake. I came by to visit," he stammered.

"Yes," replied Eries, her voice a low whisper. She and her bodyguards quickly and quietly exited Annette's room and closed the door behind them. "Annette was awake," explained Eries, "but she's sleeping now. And it's probably for the best. She's still weak and she has a long road before her. But the doctors have every hope that she will recover enough to resume her old duties."

"I'm glad. That's wonderful news." The conversation stalled. Allen found himself torn between wanting to draw even closer to her and wanting to run out of there.

"Allen, may I speak with you please? Now?"

Nervousness surged up Allen's gut, but he maintained his composure and answered in the affirmative.

Eries turned to her two guards. "You are dismissed for now. If your superior asks, let him know that I am meeting with Sir Allen and he will escort me to the Security Meeting in the Aluralas Hearing Room. You'll meet me there and resume your duties then." The two guards saluted and left. Eries smiled at Allen. "Shall we?" She gathered up the skirts of her green velvet dress and proceeded to lead the way down the hall. Meekly, Allen followed her limping figure. He wanted to offer his arm for support. Or just sweep her up into his arms…

With a start, Allen realized that Eries was not leading him to her study in the government affairs sector, where she conducted most of her business. Nor were they going to one of the cozy parlors on the ground floor of the royal family's residence, which members of the royal family used when meeting privately with closer acquaintances or friends. Instead she led him up the stairs towards her suite.

Thoughts chased each other crazily through his head as he climbed the purple carpeted steps.

Why is she treating me so familiarly? She loves Dryden, doesn't she?

Allen was a confused jumble of nerves by the time they reached her door and entered her suite.

Although he had been in the royal family's residence several times on duty, he had never been invited to any of the royal family's suites, save those secret, nocturnal visits to Marlene so many years ago. Now he stood uncertainly in her private sitting room. A few paces before him stood in the object of his heart's desire. The flat crocheted ivory lace collar on her round-necked dress did nothing to hide the bruises on her face and neck. Allen flinched inwardly at the sight of those marks. The dread, the anxiety, and the bittersweet relief that he experienced that other night washed over him like a wave.

"Allen, I never got the chance to thank you for saving me," began Eries. "And Natal as well. Sid, he can't stop talking about the two of you."

Allen bowed. "I was simply doing my duty, as any soldier would."

Eries' gaze dropped to her hands folded before her. Her tone was thoughtful. "That night, when the doppleganger chased me, I thought it was the end. I was willing to die, to destroy myself--for Asturia's sake. But I was so scared... terrified--terrified of dying, and then, when he caught me on the bridge, terrified of what would happen next. But now, I'm glad he did. Otherwise, you wouldn't have had the chance to save me, and I wouldn't be here now."

"I owe you my life. And Asturia is greatly indebted to you as well. But..."

Allen nearly winced at the sound of that last word. "Sir Wintermute, Dryden, and I have been piecing together what happened that night--" Allen's heart pounded. He knew what was coming next.

"--and there's something that doesn't quite make sense to me. You told Sir Wintermute that you were here in Palas to observe Serena's Remembrance. That has been confirmed by Sgt. Masterson."

"But Serena's birthday isn't for another two months."

"I will always be grateful for that twist in fate that crossed our paths, that saved my life that night." She raised her head and looked Allen straight in the eye. "But what I'd like to know now is, why have you come back to Palas, Allen." Her blue eyes were intense. They were not harsh or accusing. Instead they were questing, trying to seek out the truth.

On the way back from Freid, Allen had thought of a number of plausible excuses for his behavior, reasons for his presence in the capitol that he could offer to her. He had convinced himself he would be able to lie to her. But, now, being asked so directly by her, he realized he could not withhold anything from her. Others saw only the façade of the perfect knight that Allen presented to the world. However, Eries had been there for almost all of the major turning points in his life. His secrets, his past, his mistakes--she knew the truth behind all of it. He had never been able to successfully hide anything from her. He was unable to do so now.

He could only tell her the truth.

But not just yet. Choosing to sidestep her main query, he blurted, "It wasn't entirely a coincidence."

"Excuse me?" Eries was clearly puzzled.

[Lovers only, track 20, Story of Escaflowne]

"Natal didn't run away," he said shame faced. "I saw you leaving the palace that night, and I followed you." After four days of hard riding across Asturia, Allen had arrived at the capitol after midnight. He was elated to have made it back in the time he had and impatient for morning, when he could arrange to see Eries. He was far too excited for rest. He decided that, instead of going back to his estate to retire for the duration of the night, he would go to the palace directly and wait there. As Allen's weary mount picked its way up to the palace, he saw someone leaving the palace grounds by means of a side path.

His heart had skipped a beat. He knew it was her. She was in dark clothes, a hood was pulled low over her head, and darkness obscured her features, but he knew beyond a doubt it was her.

"Followed me?" Eries was incredulous. "But I--I was--how did you recognize me?"

"I would know you anywhere, Princess." Allen said the words with more feeling than he had intended. He felt the blood rising to his face and turned away from Eries to hide his embarrassment.

Forcing his tone to stay neutral, Allen continued his narration. "I saw you leaving the palace. It was dark. You were alone, unescorted. I presumed you had your own reasons for going in such a manner, but I was concerned for your safety. I didn't feel right about letting you go off like that."

"So you followed me." Her tone was not outraged or denunciatory as Allen had anticipated.

It was calm, almost detached. He turned and saw her with a contemplative look on her face.

"Yes, I did." To make himself less conspicuous, he had tied off his mount to the nearest hitching rack he could find and followed the Princess on foot. Though she did take care to periodically check her surroundings, Allen was always a step ahead of her and remained undetected.

"I wonder," she said reflectively, more to herself than to Allen, "what the outcome would have been if I had noticed you."

Another deafening silence. Finally, she spoke again. "And you followed me until?"

"Until you reached the entrance to Dryden's leviship yard. I realized then that you were going to see your fiancee." Those last two words left a bitter taste on his tongue.

"I figured that you would be safe on his property, and that it would not be--appropriate for me to stay any longer. Your business with Dryden was obviously of a -personal nature," he said, alluding to her tryst with Dryden as delicately as possible. "So I headed back for town. But if I had known what was going to happen..."

"I know... unfortunately, none of us knew what was coming. I suppose we were all just extremely fortunate that you were still close enough to hear me."

"Yes."

"However." Allen's eyes widened as Eries took a few steps closer, stopping within arm's reach. "You still haven't answered my question."

"Allen, why did you come back?" Her voice was soft and low, but it demanded an answer.

Allen took a deep breath

This is it. No avoiding it now.

"I came back," he began shakily. It suddenly felt almost unbearable under Eries' searching gaze. Unable to maintain eye contact, he lowered his gaze to the floor. "I came back--I came back to tell you that you were wrong. About me. About why I left.I wasn't completely truthful with you. It wasn't because of Serena. It was because I was scared. I was scared of what I felt and scared of rejection. But that was wrong of me. It's too late now, but, even if I never have another chance, even if you decide to send me away after this, I want to say this to you now."

His voice was trembling uncontrollably, but he had to finish what he had started. Allen sank to one knee. His forehead brushed against the soft fabric of her skirt as he knelt, head bowed, before her.

"Eries... I love you. I was too foolish to realize it for a long time. When I did, I was too much of a coward to confess it. But I want you to know that you mean more to me than my own life."

"My life, my heart are yours."

Allen gasped. Eries was leaning over him, her head next to his. She was close enough for him to inhale the sweet scent of her and feel her breath blowing gently in his ear, and it sent shivers down the confused Caeli's spine. "I have a secret to confess as well, " she whispered. "That night, I was going to see Dryden. But I was going there to ask him a favor as a friend. I wanted to ask him to take me to Fort Castello. Because I had a message to give you. And that message is:"

"That I love you, Allen."

Her words struck Allen like a bolt of lightning. Stunned beyond belief, Allen felt lightheaded.

Eries loves me?

His heart began hammering erratically in his chest. Then Eries warm fingertips were gently tilting his chin up to look at her. Allen blinked. She was smiling.

Allen slowly rose to his feet with his eyes locked on hers. He was unable to believe that such a thing could possibly be. But there was no guile in her eyes. There was only a gentle heartfelt happiness and an infinite tenderness. "Tr-truly?" He stuttered, unable to believe it could possibly be true. Eries nodded, too overwhelmed with emotion to speak. But words were not needed.

Allen raised one hand to gently brush through Eries' bangs and caress the unhurt side of her face. He encircled Eries' waist with his other arm, drawing her nearer to him. In response, she wrapped her own arms around him. Allen had dreamed of this countless times. But this time it was real. All of it. The silky texture of her hair slipping through his fingers. The softness and scent of her skin. The warmth of her embrace. And above all, the love shining in her eyes. For him.

He lowered his head down to hers. Eries trembled like a leaf, but she tightened her embrace. Closing her eyes, she tilted her face up to meet his.

A thrill resonated through Allen's entire being. He had kissed many women before this, but nothing he experienced before could compare with what he felt in that moment. It was kissing for the first time. It was breathtaking. It was right.

When their lips parted, he opened his eyes to find Eries blushing, her eyes averted downward, almost shy now. To see her like this, for him, was unbelievable, was something beyond his wildest hopes. It was charming. To have her would make him the happiest man on Gaia.

Suddenly, reality intruded on their perfect moment. Eries is still engaged to Dryden. And my own past...

"Eries." The distress in his tone brought her to attention immediately. "What about your betrothal? And the council--"

Eries pressed a finger to Allen's lips to stop the flow of words. "Dryden has no intention of marrying me. He told me so even before I went to see him in his yard. As for everything else, if Van can defy his advisers for his love, so can I. As long as you are by my side, I feel like I can take on anything."

"Do you believe in me? In us?"

He did. Looking into the depths of her sapphire eyes, he felt that anything was possible. The torment that had overshadowed him ever since he left for Fort Castello lifted and dissipated. For the first time in a long time, hope kindled in Allen's soul. "Yes. With all my heart," he said, bending over to seal his pledge with a kiss.

[everybody say "Awwwwww…]

Owari (?)

:-)