Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Asturia: Love and Duty ❯ ch 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Still don't own Escaflowne -wahhhhhhhhhhh!!! Not fair!!

Millerna fans probably didn't like the end to Ch.1 too much. Sorry, but she's still dead. Hey, this is A DRAMA after all. Right? Right? It's all good, right? (R and hS frantically dodge tomatoes thrown at them.

If it makes you feel any better, no one dies in this chapter.

RahS.

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[Soundtrack 2, track, A Far Cry]

It was a beautiful day in early autumn. It contrasted sharply with the solemn mood in Asturia. Allen stood, in formal uniform, in a row with other members of the Honor Guard. On signal, the Guard drew their swords for a final salute as the horse-drawn hearse passed beneath their blades. It didn't seem quite real to Allen. If anything, he should be saluting Millerna at her wedding, not her funeral. His heart ached as the hearse passed by him. In the carriage, lay the body of a friend who had always been so full of life, it didn't seem possible that she could be dead. Allen was also haunted by a sense of deja vu. Memories of losing Marlene flooded his brain. It was almost as if he was losing her again a second time.

It had been a freak accident, so the Pyrene messenger had reported. Millerna had been on her way to inspect a number of villages in the mountainous region of the country. Her caravan had been traveling on some mountain roads two days after a particularly heavy late summer storm. As they had traveled up the road, the slope adjacent to the road had suddenly given way, and a mudslide had taken out part of the road and swept some of the travelers down a steep slope. A few members of the caravan that had been at the rear managed to survive, but Millerna had not been one of the fortunate ones. There had been nothing anyone could have done to prevent it. There had been nothing anyone could have done to save her. Both Asturia and Pyrene knew that. So in the end, Pyrene was only able to send back its regrets--and the body of the Crown Princess of Asturia.

Crowds of mourners had lined the streets en route to the cemetery. Somewhere in the crowds was Serena. She had been badly shaken by the news. The previous day, Allen had taken Serena to Millerna's wake. Serena had fallen completely apart when she had seen Millerna's body so cold and so still. Weeping, she had fallen to her knees beside the casket and had to be carried from the chapel. Allen had struggled to keep his own emotions in check as he tried to comfort his sister. He had misgivings about allowing Serena to attend the burial, but she had insisted. A small group of her friends had assured Allen that they would stay with Serena and keep a close watch on her. He knew that they all cared deeply for her and he knew how fond Serena had been of Millerna so in the end he finally consented.

In addition to the Asturians , a number of representatives from other countries had also come to pay their final respects to the Crown Princess. Hitomi and Van had been among them. Allen had spoken with the couple at the wake. Although they had formally been rivals for Allen's attention, Hitomi and Millerna had grown to become good friends. Allen could see that Millerna's passing had deeply affected Hitomi. Van had been solemn. However, he was also on his guard, and sporting a black eye, the product of a scuffle with Dryden.

No one had taken the loss of Millerna harder than Dryden had. When the news of her death had reached him, he had gone out of his mind with grief. He didn't think that life was worth living without her. His colleagues and employees had had to restrain him from doing harm to himself. Dryden had had to be sedated for the trip back to Palas. However, in mid flight, the sedative had worn off, and if it had not been for the attentiveness and dogged efforts of his rat-assistant, Dryden would have succeeded in throwing himself off of the balcony of his levi-ship. Once he was back in the capitol, his father, Meiden, kept a close watch on him at all times. Despite those precautions, Dryden succeeded in breaking away from those watching him. After a furious chase, Dryden had made it to the top of one of the towers at the royal palace and jumped. He would have succeeded in killing himself, but Van, who had recently arrived from Fanelia, had noticed the commotion from the palace courtyard. Van had spread his wings and flown up to break Dryden's fall. Dryden, not wanting to be saved, had struggled with Van as Van tried to slow their descent. The two of them had ended up falling quite ungracefully, in a flurry of feathers and cursings, but with only a few bruises to show for it. Van had actually ended up in worse shape than Dryden. After that, Eries and Meiden had personally asked Van to keep a watch on Dryden. Between Van's watchful eye and Hitomi's calming influence, Dryden had made no more attempts to take his life. Still, for the burial procession, Meiden had arranged for a few additional escorts to accompany Van, Hitomi, and Dryden. Just in case.

The hearse was followed by the surviving members of Millerna's family: Eries, King Aston, and Sid. Sid had arrived from Freid the night before. Dressed in mourning, Sid was trying to keep a brave face, but Allen could tell that he was on the brink of tears. After all, Sid had suffered many losses during his very short life, and he had been particularly fond of Millerna. Allen's heart ached at the sight of him. More memories and more regrets. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to reach out and comfort that little boy that was his son. But, it was impossible. Under the circumstances, he could only watch him from a distance.

Sid walked alongside of the litter that carried King Aston. Physically, King Aston was in terrible shape. When Millerna had run off in search of Allen a few years earlier, the shock of her disappearance had caused King Aston to have a mild stroke. Although his mental faculties had not been impacted, he had never physically completely recovered from the stroke. As a result, he had had to take a more peripheral role as first Dryden and then Eries took over the bulk of his responsibilities. King Aston had been making slow progress in regaining some of his strength back. But the news of the death of his youngest daughter had caused a serious downturn in his health. Within hours of hearing the news of her death, he had suffered yet another stroke. His condition had barely stabilized last night. Though his speaking capabilities were now badly affected, Eries and his doctors could tell that he was insistent upon attending her funeral. His caretakers had been reluctant to risk the king's health. In the end, they had given in to his request. Now, he , escorted by his doctors, was accompanying his daughter to her final resting place. Allen glanced at King Aston. Aston's face looked wan and sickly. He wondered if it had been prudent to let King Aston come out. He also wondered if the king would survive this blow.

Walking close behind the litter was Eries. Allen had not spoken to Eries since her visit to Serena. Immediately after they had reached the palace, Eries had been rushed off to meet with the messenger from Pyrene and then she had been occupied with caring for her sick father and preparations for the funeral. He wondered how she was doing. He knew that she had raised Millerna for most of Millerna's life and been like a mother to her. He looked at her face as she came by and saw--nothing. Her face was drained of emotion. It was as if she had turned to stone.

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After the burial, two of Serena's companions, Alexandra and Reina, had come running up to Allen. Serena had passed out during the funeral and was running a high fever. With the help of Serena's friends, Allen quickly got his sister home. Over the course of the next few days, Serena passed in and out of consciousness, sometimes coherent , sometimes delirious. Allen stayed by her side the entire time, as did Oski who whined mournfully every time his mistress moaned. Allen only slept a couple of fitful hours every now and then on the sofa in Serena's room. Even then, Allen did so at the insistence of Nell and Alexandra, who took turns helping him care for his sister. In addition to running the household and extra errands to get supplies for Serena, Nell would sometimes stay late to watch over Serena. Alexandra was a neighbor of the Schezars. A widow in her late forties, she managed her estate on her own and was well-respected in high society. She had known both Allen and Serena as children, and she was one of the few in Asturian society who had not snubbed nor ostracized Encia when her husband Leon drained away most of the family fortune and then finally disappeared. She came by to help nurse Serena as her schedule allowed. Allen was grateful for the help.

A few of Serena's other friends also came by to inquire after Serena. However, most of their visits were brief. Most of Serena's friends were members of the court, and matters at the palace were still chaotic in the aftermath of Millerna's death and Aston's illness.

Serena's condition worsened alarmingly on the 8th day of her illness. As Allen watched his sister tossing and turning, her body hot to the touch, it was difficult for him not to anticipate the worst. Especially after having seen Millerna at her funeral. He had known that her life would be short, but it was agony for him to watch her suffer so much.

However, Serena managed to pull through. Ten days after she had fallen ill, about an hour before dawn, Serena's fever finally broke. Drenched in sweat, she opened her large blue eyes, focused on Allen's anxious face beside her, and softly but clearly called his name. Allen thought that his heart would burst at the joy of having his sister back with him again.

Serena did not know how much time had passed since she fainted at the funeral. She did know however that she had been ill for very long while. Even in her weakened condition, she was restless and eager to get out of the room that had been her sick room for the past several days. So much so that she asked Allen to take her outside immediately. Please, she insisted, I'm stifling in here. Allen hesitated. He wasn't so sure if he should be taking her outside so soon. The silent plea in her eyes changed his mind. After helping her change her soaked clothes and wrapping her in a light cloak, he picked her up and carried her out of the house with Oski at his heels.

It was still dark outside, but the night was clear and there was a full moon. As he stepped onto the pathway leading away from the house, he felt her relax and heard her let out a long sigh. Leaving the house also felt good to Allen after being indoors for the last few days. Perhaps it was not a mistake after all to take her out.

Allen took the path that they always did when they walked together. Serena's latest illness had taken its toll on her: she weighed little more than a child, and, to Allen, she was so light that it seemed as if the wind would pick her up and carry her away. She said little, but Allen noticed that her eyes were drinking in the sight of every building, tree, creature, view that they passed. He guessed that after having such a close brush with death, everything that this life had to offer took on new significance and had become more precious in her eyes.

The gray light of morning had appeared by the time their route along the seashore took them by the edge of the cemetery. The Asturian burial grounds were a long, gentle grassy slope that faced out towards the ocean. It was as if the Asturians, knowing how much their kin had loved the ocean during their lifetime, gave them a view of their beloved waters in their eternal resting place.

Serena spoke quietly, "Look, it's Hime-sama."

Allen stopped and looked in direction that Serena gestured towards. There indeed was someone at the cemetery, but he was unable to recognize who it was standing in the dark cloak among the graves. Still, he did not doubt Serena's judgment. Serena was so fond of Eries and had spent so much time with her that she was extremely familiar with her habits. More than once, Serena and Allen had been in some public place, and Serena had accurately pointed out to Allen a princess incognito.

Allen wondered why Eries was out there at such an hour. When he and Serena visited their mother's grave, they would occasionally also see Princess Eries there paying her respects to the deceased members of her family. But that was always in broad daylight. In the gray light of early morning, she seemed infinitely sad, a living specter among the dead.

Allen set Serena gently down on her feet next to him. They stood there together, their arms wrapped around each other's waists, both for physical support and for comfort. For several moments, brother and sister watched Princess Eries, who did not move at all from what Allen recognized to be Millerna's grave.

Allen was getting concerned about Eries when Serena spoke. "Onii-sama, I don't think it's good for her to be alone."

"Yes, we should probably go up there and check on her," Allen agreed.

Serena shook her head. "Hime-sama needs someone to be with her right now. But it shouldn't be me."

"Why not? You're much closer to her than I am after all. I'm sure you would be more of a comfort to her than me."

Serena spoke seriously, "Hime-sama is probably sad and overwhelmed right now. She needs somebody strong to be with her. If she sees me, she will just be reminded of another person that she will lose."

Allen studied his sister's face as he considered her words. Finally, he nodded his head slowly. He had his misgivings about leaving Serena and approaching Princess Eries by himself, but something about Serena's gaze was telling him that she was right.

He picked up his sister and walked up the slope into the cemetery. He located a low stone bench and set Serena down on it carefully. Oski hopped up onto the bench next to his mistress and snuggled next her. As he arranged the folds of her cloak around her, he asked, "Are you sure you will be all right by yourself?"

Serena smiled, patting the bear-dog next her. "I'll be fine. After all, I have Oski here with me. " Oski woofed at his name. "Now go and check on Hime-sama."

Allen continued up the slope and then turned to go down the row of graves where Princess Eries was. Although he had not called out to her, neither was he hiding the crunch of his footsteps on the fallen autumn leaves. As Allen came closer, a breeze picked up. The gentle wind blew such that Allen could hear her voice. He hadn't expected Eries to be carrying on a conversation with Millerna. That surprised him.

But not nearly as much as what he heard when he finally got close enough.

" … not supposed to be there. You can't be dead. How can you do this? To all of us. This is all your fault!!!"

Allen stopped momentarily. He hadn't anticipated anger. Was this Eries? He had never heard such uncontrolled emotion in her voice before. Eries always voiced her thoughts, spoke what she thought, never gave a false opinion, but she always did it in a reserved controlled manner. Even the time that she had reprimanded him for his behavior towards Millerna. He wondered if he should approach her at all, or leave her alone. He looked back at where Serena was sitting. She was watching him intensely, and she gestured for him to move on. Seeing that, he turned and moved on.

The angry voice continued " And now I'm trapped. Trapped in Asturia. Trapped in your shadow. You're Sid's favorite. You've always been Father's favorite. When you were away, he was always asking after you. I'm the one who takes care of him, but he's never so much as given me a, "How are you today, Eries?"" The tone turned more bitter. "And now, all he does is cry on my shoulder for his beautiful baby girl."

Something clicked inside Allen's brain. In Asturia, succession was not based on age, as it was in most countries. The heir to the throne was completely up to the discrection of the reigning monarch. When Aston had chosen Millerna as the Crown Princess, there had been the official words about how Marlene and Eries were better equipped to serve Asturia abroad, etc.etc. But there had also been a rumor that Millerna was chosen simply because she most resembled the late Queen and was Aston's favorite.Allen, having been the subject of many unfounded rumors, had ignored it. But apparently, there was some truth to it.

"This isn't fair. You've always gotten your way. You've always managed to find a way to do what you wanted. Now you're gone, in a blaze of glory."

The anger returned. "I don't want to be queen!" she exclaimed wildly. The sharpness of her tone stopped Allen in his tracks a second time. "Do you hear me? I can't stand being looked on as second-best. That's what I am here. And I'm tired of playing all their games. But now there is no escape for me, is there?"

"It would be much better if I was the one who was dead," she said flatly.

Allen didn't like the sound of that. He hastened his footsteps to close the remaining distance between them.

"Then everyone would have what they wanted. Asturia would have its beautiful, charming princess. Father would have his favorite daughter back. You and Dryden would live happily ever after." She paused. "And I could finally stop struggling so much," she added, her voice softening.

Allen's mind spun. It was no secret that there was a great deal of pressure associated with the royal arena in Asturia. He hadn't realized how much Eries had resented it though. She never showed those feelings; she had never voiced a complaint or shirked away from her duties. It also never occurred to him that she wanted to leave the country so much.He now realized what a tangled web had precipitated upon Eries with Millerna's death.

"Dying is easy. Picking up the pieces, especially after you, is hard."

[Soundtrack 2, track 16, Hitomi theme]

"I just wish," her voice was wistful now. "I wish…I wish…I wish ...you were back. I'm sorry. It's just that it's so hard. I never should have let you go. I never should have let you leave Palas. "

"Why is it that I always lose everyone I love…"

"Princess Eries…" said Allen softly.

Eries gasped in surprise and turned to face Allen, now standing beside her. She had been oblivious to his approach. Confusion, grief, pain were plainly etched across her face. He could see her struggling to compose herself. Under normal circumstances, she would have recovered in a heartbeat. But she was too drained at the moment.

"Don't," said Allen gently," You don't have to pretend."

The reality of her situation began to sink in. The expression on her face was gradually replaced with something akin to shame and fear. Allen understood. What he had heard in that short walk across the graves could potentially put Eries into a very compromising situation.

"I heard everything. But I swear to you, Princess Eries, I won't tell a soul. Not even Serena," he promised.

Eries cast her eyes down, unable to meet his gaze. She began to tremble. Without thinking, Allen reached over to her and wrapped her a comforting embrace. Her trembling increased. Finally, she began to sob. Allen felt peculiar as he held the princess. He had comforted others before. But Eries was different. She was such a tower of strength. No matter what the situation, she would always stand firm and lend her strength to others. Even the time that Serena had turned to Dilandil and Jajuka's melef appeared out of nowhere, she had kept her wits about her. Allen admired Eries for that. If it had been Millerna, she probably would have fainted from the shock. But it was unreal for Allen to see Eries so vulnerable.

Allen, who had not shed tears upon hearing of Millerna's death, nor at her wake, nor when he comforted Serena, nor at the funeral, found hot tears streaking down his face. He grieved. For Millerna. For Marlene. For his mother. For Serena. For the unfairness of it all.

Serena watched them. She couldn't hear anything they said, but she saw every move they made. Allen held Eries for what seemed like several minutes. The pale light of dawn gave way to sunrise. The first golden rays of the day touched upon the figures of the knight and the princess, which cast a single long shadow. As if on cue, Eries broke away from Allen. They appeared to converse briefly, and then Eries left, hurrying in the direction of the palace. Allen watched Eries walk out of sight before turning back to Serena.

"We should go home. Nell will be wondering about us," said Allen when he returned.

Serena nodded. Allen picked her up and started toward home. Serena detected an unusual amount of thoughtfulness in her brother. She wondered what had passed between him and Eries.

Serena adored her brother. The only complaint that she had about him, though, was that he never volunteered information, especially about his emotions. It wasn't as if he was hiding it; he just never talked about it. If she asked, he would always answer truthfully to the extent he was able. He had even gone so far as to explain to her her Zaibach past even though it might have been easier just to lie about it. But Serena always had to ask first. Trying to figure out her brother was often like a game of 20 questions.

Judging by what had just happened, Serena decided not to pry. But seeing her grieving friend had brought a new concern to light. If this was how Eries reacted to her sister's death…

"Poor Hime-sama," said Serena.

"Mmm-hmmm," replied Allen absent mindedly.

"You're both a lot alike."

"Why do you say that?" asked Allen, staring at her, at attention now.

"You both have a lot of responsibilities and many rely on you. You both have a high sense of duty to do what's best for Asturia the country, but more so to do what's best for people. AND you find it very difficult to rely on others."

Allen stared at Serena for a minute. Then he smiled. "When did you get so smart?"

Serena remained serious, however. "Promise me-when I am gone-that you will let others take care of you. I've heard about what happened to you before. I don't want to be the reason that your life goes to waste. Don't be afraid to let others help you when it hurts. You do so much good -I want you to continue to do that. More than that, I want you to be happy. Whether I am here or not. Life's too short and too precious for you to waste it."

Allen hugged her close. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he whispered.

"I promise."