ESCAFLOWNE WEEK 2017, Day 4: Connection / Gravitation
Mislaid Possessions
NOTE:
Given the prompts, I had to write this for Folken and Eries. But I also wanted to go for something not overtly shippy so I went with this and it was a lot of fun to write. Thought it ended up longer than I expected.
Though this is a one-shot, it follows the same theme as "Literary Preferences" : Folken and Eries are huge book nerds. And that's always fun to work with.
Some of the circumstances in this fic may be a little bit far-fetched, but please just go with it. I tweaked the timeline a bit and added some details that hopefully don't seem too out of character. I've also continued the theme of feathers being used as bookmarks and we know that Eries is well-versed in the symbolism of flowers, so I tried something with that.
Enjoy and please let me know what you think!
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"They say that the second princess is fond of reading," the councilman told Lord Balgus.
"Then, there are a few volumes of Gaean history in the library that she might enjoy," Balgus replied impatiently. It was a few years after Prince Folken's disappearance and there was much still to do. The grizzled warrior was focusing on the training and education of young Van but he understood the importance of maintaining good ties with Fanelia's allies, and this duty included sending the occasional present to King Aston's daughters.
"Choose the best-looking ones and send them to Asturia immediately," Balgus instructed. He wanted this particular task accomplished promptly so that he could focus more on domestic affairs. There was already more than enough of these to worry about.
Princess Marlene would receive a beautiful Fanelian dress, Princess Millerna a doll, and Princess Eries three books from the Fanelian royal library. So the packages were sent out, the social obligations kept, and no more was said about it.
All three princesses were greatly appreciative of these presents, more so because it looked like some thought had been put into them. Marlene made sure to use the dress during the next social occasion and Millerna began playing with the doll and dressing it up like a patient during her medical role-plays. And Eries immediately began reading her new books.
One was a collection of Fanelian poetry and two were volumes about the history of Gaea. Eries browsed through them eagerly, admiring the fine condition of the leather-bound tomes. She read some passages from the poetry book before trying to tackle the more complex topics in the history volumes. Other people would have thought that such subjects were far too profound for someone her age but the princess had always been and advanced reader, and she was glad that the Fanelians had managed to give her something that matched her true interests.
As she turned the pages of the second history book, she saw that a certain chapter had been marked by a long, white feather. She held the feather carefully and wondered where it had come from and why it had been left in the book. She realized with embarrassment that the book might have belonged to someone else in Fanelia and then had been mistakenly sent to her. She examined the book again and noticed the initials F.L.F. marked discreetly in the corner of the title page, exactly like she would mark her own books.
It did not take much investigation for her to conclude that the books she had received had been part of the collection of the eldest prince of Fanelia. And considering his tragic fate, Eries considered returning the books, feeling somehow that she had no right to them. But upon greater reflection, she realized returning such gifts would cause even more awkwardness between Asturia and Fanelia and she dared not risk that. So she decided to keep the books but to handle them with more care and reverence than she already did with her books, out of respect for their previous owner.
She never removed the white feather from the chapter it marked but she often re-read the passages of that chapter. Some of these were more philosophical than historical but she appreciated the insights. She was intrigued by what the prince had decided to mark with such a unique item and the more she read, the more she felt she might have understood something about him, even though they had never met.
"A balance must be struck between order and chaos if this world is to survive," the chapter began, "There cannot be a state of only constant warfare or of constant peace. All conflict is inevitable but this does not mean that they cannot be resolved. Long-lasting peace is possible but this will never be a permanent state."
The entire chapter continued in this vein, providing examples in Gaean history of the various wars and conflicts that had eventually reached their conclusions. There were periods of peace in the middle but these would always be broken by new clashes. The author seemed to argue that the best way to deal with all this was to understand and accept that this would always be the way of the world.
Eries often reflected on that particular chapter, and she sometimes found herself twirling the white feather in her hand as she pondered. She agreed with some of the author's points and she admitted sadly that for as long as Gaea had existed, there had always been wars and bloodshed. She considered herself fortunate that she had not lived through anything so harrowing yet, but when she remembered the sad fate of the young Fanelian prince, she knew that he had fallen prey to the inevitability of tragedy.
She often wondered what he had thought while reading such a chapter and how much he had agreed or disagreed with the author. Why would he mark this particular passage with the feather when there were other similarly interesting insights in the rest of the book? What had struck him so particularly about this idea? How would he have applied any of these concepts had he ascended to the throne of Fanelia?
But she would remember that she would never know the answers to these questions. Folken Fanel's thoughts would forever remain a mystery, marked only by a feather on a page.
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"Feel free to take anything from the library that catches your eye," the councilman had assured their distinguished guest, "You are welcome to any of the vast collection of books here in Freid."
"The Duke is very generous," the young Strategos of Zaibach replied cordially. He was on his first official visit to the Duchy of Freid and he had been overwhelmed by the hospitality shown to him.
There were those who attributed this newfound warmth to the duke's happiness in his marriage to the eldest princess of Asturia. And indeed, Folken observed that the stern ruler had been softened somewhat by his new circumstances, and no doubt the Duchess Marlene deserved all the credit for such a pleasant change.
The Strategos spent several hours browsing through the collection of books in the library at Freid. Most of these were on the history, religion, and military strategy of the territory. There was a section on literature and the arts as well that Folken found intriguing. And there were also quite a few books on Asturia which had no doubt been brought by the Duchess upon her marriage. Folken looked through these with great interest, and in the end, he selected a couple of books about Freid and one particularly fascinating volume on feminist theory that seemed to have come from Asturia.
As the Duke promised, Folken was able to take the books back with him upon his return to Zaibach. The visit had been far too brief but the Strategos was satisfied with the results and particularly with the items he had returned with. He had already amassed a large collection of books in Zaibach but he was never averse to adding more to this.
The Asturian book was of particular interest and as he flipped through its pages, he found one chapter marked by pressed flowers. Intrigued, he handled the flowers as carefully as he could, and noted that they were gladiolas. While he was no expert on the symbolism of flowers, he vaguely recalled something his mother had said about these, and how they represented strength and resilience.
He realized with some embarrassment that the book might not have been one that he was allowed to take with him. He examined the volume again and noticed the initials E.A.A. marked discreetly in the corner of the title page, exactly like he had marked his own books.
It did not take much investigation for her to conclude that this had been the possession of the second princess of Asturia, left in Freid no doubt during one of her visits to her elder sister. He almost felt like he had stolen something from her but to return the book to Freid now would have only caused more awkwardness.
He carefully replaced the flower on the pages it marked but only after reading some passages from those pages. The more he read, the more he felt that he began to understand something about the Asturian princess, despite never having met her. And he realized that the choice of flowers had been very apt.
"Women are no strangers to the injustice of this world," one of the passages read, "So most of the time they are better equipped to face adversity of all kinds. There is a time to rebel and a time to conform. And though the system is almost always rigged against us, there are ways by which we can make it work in our favor. One has only to be resourceful."
Folken read the book eagerly, admiring the style of the writer and the ideas she presented about empowerment and agency. He felt that by leaving this book behind in Freid, Princess Eries had inadvertently contributed to his own education, and for this he was grateful.
As he learned more about what she may or may not have agreed with, he hoped that there would be some opportunity for them to trade views in the future. But he knew only too well that there was too much work to be done and too many duties for them both to fulfill.
Nevertheless, every now and then he would find himself flipping back to the pages marked by the pressed flowers.
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For years they had both been aware of the true owners of the books that had made such an impression on them. But when their paths crossed again, the circumstances were not exactly conducive to a harmonious literary discussion. And with all that happened afterwards, it seemed that any such discussion would hardly have mattered.
But fate had a strange sense of humor. And after Folken sought amnesty in Asturia, many of his belongings had been recovered from the destruction of the Vione. And among those that had survived the wreckage, to his great surprise, was the book he he had taken from Freid all those years ago. He had kept it carefully sealed in a waterproof container, and he had considered it one of his more valuable possessions. And since it had resurfaced even after everything else around him seemed to have fallen to pieces, he decided that it was time that the book was returned to its rightful owner.
One day, he sought Princess Eries out in the royal library. It did not take long for him to find her, sitting quietly and lost in a book. He almost hesitated to interrupt her, since she was clearly enjoying some moments of peace in between the fulfillment of her many responsibilities. But his time was limited and he had decided that there was not a moment to waste.
As he approached her, he noticed that she had a book open before her that looked eerily familiar. What made him recognize it at last was the long, white feather that marked its pages. Folken stared at it incredulously for a few moments.
"Of course," he thought, smiling with amusement. A seeming coincidence like this should have no longer surprised him at this point, not after all that had happened.
Eries looked up from her reading and stared curiously at the former Fanelian prince. He gave her an awkward smile and showed her the book he was holding. She stared at it incredulously before raising her eyes to meet his.
"I believe I have something that belongs to you," Folken said simply.