Disclaimer: Some parts of this story take place in medieval Europe. Please excuse my historical inaccuracies. I did absolutely no research before I wrote this.
Synopsis: Cagalli is a modern-day college student. In her last year, she begins to experience recurring dreams of being a young lord in medieval Europe. Past and present collide as familiar faces begin to pop up. Now she must solve the mystery of who killed her in the past before it's too late. AxC
Ch. 1: Memories
It was cold... so very cold.
The room was sideways, and in the nebulous haze of his mind, he realized that he was lying flat on the icy stone floor. Beneath him, he could feel a warm liquid beginning to pool around his body. His blood was draining from the wound on his chest as he tried to gather his thoughts. He was going into shock. In the back of his mind, he knew that the injury was fatal. He was not going to make it.
From above him, he heard the sound of panicked sobbing. Though he could not see who the person was, instinctively, he knew, and the knowledge sent a rush of emotions into his wounded chest. Anger, sadness, hatred, and betrayal... The negative emotions swirled intensely within his bleeding heart, and with the last of his dying breath, he croaked, "You... Why..."
The sobbing became louder now, more desperate and laced with hysteria. His vision was blurring, his breath was coming in ragged pants, and he heard his still sobbing killer turning hastily in an attempt to flee, the footsteps receding. There was a muffled grunt and a clang that barely registered in his dying mind as a candle holder was knocked over in his murderer's haste to escape. The flame from the candle caught on the heavy curtains, sending them up into flame and casting the chamber in a harsh orange glow. The flames spreading, catching from curtain to curtain and consuming the vast tapestries and rugs adorning the room, was the last image burned into his eyes as he slipped away into the darkness of death...
Cagalli awoke with a start. For a moment, she panicked as she took in the darkness of her surroundings, but immediately relaxed when she realized she was in her room. Sitting up, she glanced across to the other side of the room, at the bunk bed where her roommates, Lacus and Miriallia, were sound asleep. The sound of their steady breathing soothed her, and she settled back and glanced at the digital alarm clock on the nightstand beside her bed. In glowing green numbers, it displayed the time: 6 am... She still had two hours before her first class of the day.
Cagalli shuddered as her dream replayed in the mind. She had been a man. For some reason, she knew this. It had been so lucid, and the vivid sensation of dying unnerved her. She could still feel the icy surface of the knife plunged deep into her heart and the cold chill that had come over her body as her blood slowly left her. Anger and denial boiled within her veins at the thought of her murderer's treachery.
Her murderer... Cagalli could not remember who it was. All she knew was that it had been someone very close and dear to her, which explained the overwhelming emotions she had felt at that person's betrayal.
But she was being ridiculous. It was only a dream. She wasn't dead, whoever had murdered her didn't exist. It was simply a nightmare, most likely brought on by apprehension from the fact that school was starting again today. After a long and relaxing summer, she was not ready to return and complete her final year in college. She was quite ready to graduate and get a job. Though the thought of leaving the relative familiarity of school and venturing into the world of adults as a functioning member of society frightened her, she was eager to start working and earning money. Perhaps then her real life would finally begin.
Though it was still quite early in the morning, Cagalli decided to get up and start the day. There was no use trying to go back to bed; the nightmare had unsettled her too much. Slipping out of her twin-sized bed as silently as possible so as not to wake her slumbering roommates, she padded over to her closet and quietly grabbed a pair of jeans and a T-shirt before making her way to the bathroom to freshen up. It was a new school year and a new beginning. Though Cagalli didn't enjoy school nearly as much as her twin brother Kira did, she still couldn't help but feel a small tingle of excitement. It was her last year after all, and she wanted to make the most of it.
As she got dressed, Cagalli contemplated her past three years attending Orb University, a fairly large and reputable public university. She had been absolutely ecstatic when she and her brother both received their acceptance letters. It had been her number one choice, and she had worried that she would not be able to get in because Orb University was one of the top universities in the nation, and her high school grades were not as good as her brother's. But she had succeeded, and entered as a business administration student while her brother majored in computer engineering.
She thought back to her freshman year, and smiled slightly to herself as she remembered how she had met Lacus and Miriallia on the first day of her orientation. They had immediately clicked, as though they had known each other their whole lives, and they had stayed together ever since. Not to mention, Lacus was currently dating Kira. Cagalli remembered how from the moment the two had laid eyes on each other, they had immediately been drawn together as though it was fate. Even now, after three years of dating, they were still as passionately in love as when they had first met.
Glancing at the time on her cellphone, Cagalli noted that it was only 6:30 am now. She had time to spend a little more time on her hair and make-up today. Cagalli peered at her face in the mirror and pursed her lips. Her reflection stared back at her, a little more sophisticated and feminine than how she had looked three years ago as a freshman, when she had been a disheveled tomboy who never spent more than five minutes getting ready in the morning. Cagalli studied her face a little more carefully. Her appearance had vastly improved from before, though she knew she could never be as beautiful as Lacus. At least she wasn't mistaken as a boy anymore, though she was still definitely a tomboy. Sometimes, Cagalli felt that she should have been born a man. Going through puberty had been an awkward experience, and she had been unused to the sudden widening of her hips and the appearance of curves which she had tried to hide with baggy men's clothing. Cagalli winced as she remembered how ungaily she looked and felt in high school. At least she was more comfortable in her own body now and had finally grown used to being a woman, but in the back of her mind, she always had the nagging feeling that she was really a man on the inside.
Cagalli finished up the final touches of her hair and makeup, and walked to the kitchen to make breakfast. She still had plenty of time before class, and she decided to mix some pancakes for Lacus and Miriallia to have for breakfast later. The apartment was soon permeated with the sweet smell of maple syrup and pancake batter, and Cagalli could hear the sounds of Lacus and Miriallia shifting in their beds from the bedroom. They would be awake soon, though they both did not have class until noon.
After wolfing down the last of her pancake, Cagalli grabbed her backpack and keys and headed out. Her first class of the day was a general education course. Though she was a senior, she still had to finish up her philosophy requirement before she could graduate. She was taking the course with Kira this semester, and Cagalli was looking forward to it. Rarely did she ever get to be in the same class with Kira, as he was in the engineering department and she in business administration. Though they were siblings and did get on one another's nerves every once in a while, Kira was still the sweetest, kindest person Cagalli had ever known. The had been inseparable as children.
Reaching the lecture hall where the class was being held, Cagalli decided to wait outside for Kira to show up, which he soon did with a friend in tow.
"Cagalli!" greeted Kira, "You're earlier than me for once."
Cagalli grinned back at her brother, a handsome brunette with a lean build, tanned skin, and gentle violet eyes.
"I just happened to get up earlier today."
"You were that excited for school?" chuckled Kira, "You're still such a kid."
Cagalli lightly punched her brother in the arm as her eyes slid past him to the blue-haired stranger who had been standing there quietly observing.
The moment her eyes made contact with the stranger's green ones, Cagalli suddenly felt a jolt of recognition. He seemed to have felt it too, judging by the startled look in his eyes as he peered back at her. Cagalli felt a sudden influx of longing and intense sadness, and for a moment, it felt as though her heart had plummeted down to her stomach. Slightly stunned by the profound familiarity of the stranger and the odd emotions that had suddenly began swirling within her, Cagalli could not help but stare at Kira's blue-haired friend, who stared back just as intensely.
"Oh, right, I haven't introduced you two yet," said Kira, following Cagalli's gaze.
The two immediately broke their mutual scrutiny and turned to Kira.
"Er, Cagalli, this is my friend Athrun. He's also studying computer engineering" began Kira, "And this here is Cagalli, my sister."
Quickly trying to hide her shock, Cagalli stuck out her hand. "Nice to meet you."
Smiling softly, Athrun grasped her hand in a firm handshake. "It's funny how I've never met you until now. I've known Kira since freshman year, and he's always mentioned he had a sister, but he's never introduced me. But you do seem really familiar... "
Cagalli nodded in agreement. She studied Athrun's face. It was definitely an attractive face; his features were soft, almost effeminate, and he had beautiful green eyes fringed by long lashes. However, he was tall and lean, and the way he carried himself was self-assured and masculine. Cagalli was sure she had never seen him before because she would definitely have remembered someone so good-looking, though she still could not quell the nagging sense of familiarity. There was something about the gentleness in his manner that reminded her of someone from a long time ago...
"That's because I didn't want you to start putting the moves on my sister," said Kira, cutting off her thoughts. Turning to Cagalli, he warned playfully, "You better be careful of Athrun. He's a total player. He's already gone through two girls in this week alone."
"That's completely untrue!" protested Athrun, blushing. For some reason, he desperately did not want Cagalli to misunderstand. "You know I haven't dated anyone since Lacus!"
Lacus? Cagalli's ears perked up at the name. Interesting. So this is her ex.
"Who said anything about dating? Must I remind you of the Hawke sisters?" teased Kira slyly, raising an eyebrow.
Athrun looked adorably flustered now. Exasperated, he turned to Cagalli. "Don't listen to what your brother is trying to imply. They only asked me out and I said no."
Cagalli laughed. "Don't worry, I understand. But still, two girls asked you out in one week? And they're the Hawke sisters at that? I can't say I'm not impressed. You player."
Cagalli and Kira snickered as Athrun groaned in defeat.
"I'm not going to talk about this anymore. I'm not in the mood to be double-teamed by you twins. We need to get to class." Athrun turned and marched into the lecture hall with Cagalli and Kira following close behind.
However, as Cagalli settled into her seat beside Kira, she could not get over an unsettling feeling of unease. Something about Athrun made her recall her dream, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She knew that he must have felt it too by the way they had looked so oddly at each other, but it made no sense. Cagalli was sure she had never met Athrun before today.
Feeling a little lightheaded by the many thoughts swirling in her head and the distant memory of the dream, Cagalli found her eyelids growing heavy. The lecture hall was warm, dim, and stuffy, and the professor was monotonously droning on about the class sylllabus...
Cagalli felt overcome by a sunny feeling of happiness and warmth. She was on a magnificent black stallion and riding astride through a grassy field. Pollen tickled her nose and the sun was warm on her hair and back. It was a lovely spring day; the harsh winter months had just passed. Ahead in the distance, looking quite spruce and cheerful in the bright yellow sunlight, was a large stone castle. Her home. Jaunty little pennants waved winsomely from the turrets. Beside her, on a mule with a dead boar strapped to its back, was a handsome young man whom Cagalli recognized as her manservant. She felt a rush of affection for him. They had grown up together and were as close as brothers, though he was of lower birth. He was always pleasant company and his disposition was kind and faithful.
Looking over her, the young man smiled and spoke, "Good work catching this boar, Milord. Your father will be pleased."
In the back of her mind, Cagalli registered that she was a man named Ailwin.
Ailwin/Cagalli responded with an amused twist of his lips, "I told you already to call me Ailwin when it's just the two of us. Anyway, you're too kind Geoffrey. You take no credit for yourself. If it hadn't been for your keen eye, we would have lost track of the beast."
Geoffrey grinned back. "I'm flattered, Ailwin."
The rode on again in silence, before Geoffrey spoke again. "Ah, look, Lady Sabina and Lady Isabel have come out to greet you." He pointed into the distance, and Ailwin could make out the long dark tresses of the two ladies as they made their way down from the castle.
As the two came closer, Ailwin could make out more clearly the two girls, who were both dark-haired beauties, though Lady Sabina's hair was closer to the color of burnt sienna, whereas Lady Isabel's hair was more like ebony.
Ailwin and Geoffrey dismounted from their steeds to greet the ladies, who had broken into a run. Their long curls flowed out behind them, and they clutched at the bright wildflower garlands in their hair to prevent them from flying off. Red-faced and panting slightly, they stopped before Ailwin and greeted him enthusiastically.
"How was the hunt, brother?" asked Lady Sabina.
Ailwin smiled down at his sister. "We caught a boar."
Geoffrey nodded. "Aye. You should have seen Lord Ailwin. He shot the boar cleanly between the eyes with a single arrow. It's a monster of an animal too."
"That's amazing," murmured Lady Isabel. She was looking at Lord Ailwin adoringly, causing Geoffrey to smirk mischievously in his direction, his black-green eyes twinkling. Lord Ailwin rolled his eyes at his manservant. He remembered how Geoffrey had once mentioned that Lady Isabel was madly in love with him, though Ailwin had never thought of Lady Isabel romantically, and as far as he knew, Lady Isabel most likely didn't either. They had grown up together, as Lady Isabel's parents had died of a strange illness when she was but a child. Ailwin's parents, the Lord and Lady d'Eu, had kindly taken in Isabel as her mother and father had been close friends.
"We made wildflower garlands for you and Geoffrey," said Sabina gaily. She draped a string of colorful blooms around Geoffrey's neck, and nudged Isabel.
Blushing slightly, Isabel reached up to array hers around Ailwin's neck. Ailwin lowered his head slightly to allow her to do so.
He gazed down at Isabel. "Thank you very much Isabel. They're lovely." Ailwin gently took her hand and kissed it in a knightly manner as he tried to ignore the stifled snorts from Geoffrey and Sabina.
As Geoffrey led the horses away to the stables, Ailwin accompanied the two young woman back to the castle where his parents were waiting.
"Wh-what?" Cagalli awoke with a start. Kira was prodding her quite roughly in the shoulder. She slapped his hand away. "Stop that!"
Athrun was staring anxiously down at her. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Kira sniggered. "Don't worry about her. She always falls asleep during lecture. Last time, she started snoring and the professor stared at her the whole time he was lecturing."
Athrun chuckled in amusement.
"Hey!" scowled Cagalli, slightly mortified. "I do not snore! Anyway, I'm just tired because I woke up a little earlier than usual this morning."
"Well, you missed the whole lecture," said Kira. "But don't worry, we didn't cover anything important other than the syllabus. Anyhow, let's get going! Lacus just texted me. She wants to meet up at the Treehouse and grab some smoothies."
Sighing, Cagalli stood up and stretched, feeling slightly conscious of Athrun's eyes on her. However, he quickly looked away when she glanced back at him.
They headed to the Treehouse, as the university student center was so affectionately called, where they met up with Lacus. Cagalli noted that Lacus and Athrun seemed to greet each other with their customary friendliness, despite being ex-lovers. Cagalli remembered Lacus mentioning once that she was still good friends with her ex-boyfriend, though it was interesting that the aforementioned ex-boyfriend was now best friends with the current boyfriend.
"Lacus is meeting up with someone out on that patio because she's selling him her textbook, so I'm going with her. We'll be right back," said Kira to Cagalli and Athrun.
"Er... okay," said Cagalli, somewhat unwillingly. She watched Kira and Lacus head out, and then turned to Athrun.
Now finally alone, the two stared awkwardly at each other.
"So... ah, Kira tells me you're in the business administration department," began Athrun. "What are your plans after graduation?"
"Probably try to get a job. I've been sending out applications," said Cagalli, eager to keep the small talk going to conceal their mutual discomfort. "You?"
"Probably grad school," shrugged Athrun.
There was another awkward pause as the two stared at each other.
Suddenly, Athrun chuckled.
"What's so funny?" asked Cagalli, curiously.
"I just remembered how you were drooling in class," laughed Athrun. "You were asleep pretty soundly."
"I was not drooling!" scowled Cagalli defensively. "Don't tell me you've never fallen asleep in class!"
"I've never. And you have a bit of dried drool on the corner of your mouth," said Athrun mischievously.
"What? Why didn't anyone tell me?" Cagalli reached for a napkin and began scrubbing furiously at the corner of her mouth as Athrun laughed loudly.
"Don't worry, it's gone now," smiled Athrun. His gaze was teasing, and there was a twinkle of mischief in his bright emerald-green eyes. Cagalli was suddenly reminded of the young man from her dream. Her heart fluttered. Geoffrey...
Feeling confused and somewhat annoyed by the strange feelings that were welling up in her chest again, Cagalli tore her gaze away from the ridiculously captivating green globes located in his skull to focus on her drink. However, in her nervous haste, she accidentally knocked it over instead, and it spilled over the front of her shirt.
"Crap!" cursed Cagalli staring at her shirt, which used to be orange but now sported a large pink strawberry-flavored mess.
"Here," Athrun grabbed a wad of napkins and reached over to help mop up the mess, when he suddenly stopped and turned a brilliant shade of red. The spill was located on her chest, and his hand hovered for a few seconds over her breasts before he clumsily stuffed the napkins in her hand instead and turned away, utterly embarrassed.
Cagalli too, had turned a shade of pink rivalling the smoothie on her chest. She silently cursed Athrun for making the atmosphere turn awkward. For the few seconds that his hand had been hovering over her breasts, a strange tingle of electricity had passed between the both of them and the sexual tension had almost been palpable.
Damn him for being so good-looking, thought Cagalli, gritting her teeth. There's no use being attracted to him; he probably only dates Lacus-type girls.
"Thanks," mumbled Cagalli in response to the napkins. She managed to wipe off most of the smoothie, though a large, wet stain still remained on the front of her sighed. "I don't think this is going to come out."
Athrun shook his head sympathetically. "Maybe if you rinse it out with some water now you might be able to get most of it out."
"It's alright," sighed Cagalli. "I didn't like this shirt much anyway."
"Here," said Athrun. He unbuttoned his cardigan and handed it to her. "You can at least cover it up with this."
Gratefully, Cagalli took the garment and pulled it on. "Thanks, I owe you one."
"It's no problem at all," smiled Athrun cheerily.
Kira and Lacus returned just then.
"Hey so I have a class in a bit so I'm going to go fir-" He stopped mid-sentence as his eyes fell on Cagalli's attire.
"Why," demanded Kira, his eyes narrowing dangerously at Athrun, "Is Cagalli wearing your cardigan?"
Nervously, Athrun avoided eye contact with Kira as he tried not to think about how he had almost touched Kira's sister's boobs.
Lacus giggled, amused by how over-protective Kira was being.
Hastily, Cagalli interrupted. "I spilled my smoothie on my shirt so Athrun is lending me this for now until I can get changed," she explained.
"Oh, okay," said Kira, mollified. "Well in that case I'm going to go now."
"Don't forget to come to the Lion's Club meeting tonight," called Cagalli to his retreating form.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure he comes," smiled Lacus.
"You're in Lion's Club?" asked Athrun, directing his question at Cagalli.
"I'm the president, actually," replied Cagalli, a little proudly. "I started it freshman year with Lacus and Miriallia. We're a community service organization, and we do stuff like volunteering at senior homes and elementary schools, holding fundraisers, and generally trying to be useful to the community. You should join!"
"I'll consider it," said Athrun, smiling. "Kira's been trying to get me involved for the longest time, but I've always been too busy."
"We're having our orientation for new members tonight. You should stop by, at least to pick up your cardigan!" said Cagalli enthusiastically.
"Okay. Just text me the time and place later," said Athrun. "Can I have your number?"
"Sure. Give me yours too," said Cagalli, pulling out her cell phone. She tried to ignore Lacus's giggling. She had a fair idea what was going through Lacus's head right now, and she wanted to crush the thought as soon as possible.
"Alright, I have to go now. I'll see you two later tonight," said Athrun. He flashed the two girls a quick smile as he left.
The moment was out of sight, Lacus turned to Cagalli.
"He's totally interested in you!" tittered Lacus excitedly. Cagalli rolled her eyes. It was just as she suspected.
"Isn't he your ex-boyfriend?" countered Cagalli.
Lacus airily waved the comment away. "We dated throughout high school, but we weren't serious. When we met, we immediately felt a connection, and we mistook it for love. But I didn't realize that our feelings were only that of deep friendship until I met Kira. We're just good friends now."
"Oh. I see.." said Cagalli.
Lacus gave a tinkly laugh. "In all the years I've known him, that's the first time I've actually ever seen him voluntarily ask for a girl's number. He's pretty popular, but he's a bigger dork than Kira so he doesn't really socialize with girls."
"In that case, it's probably just because he doesn't see me as a girl," said Cagalli. "He probably sees me as the female version of Kira or something."
"Don't be silly," responded Lacus, smiling demurely now. "He's definitely interested. You'll see."
The rest of the day passed by in a flash. Before long, it was evening, and Cagalli soon found herself standing before a few dozen new Lion's Club recruits.
As president, Cagalli gave a short introduction, and introduced Miriallia as vice president and Lacus as secretary. The Hawke sisters, a beautiful junior named Lunamaria and a lovely sophomore named Meyrin, were treasurer and events coordinator, respectively.
After showing a short slide on the club's past activities, Cagalli excused everyone to get a few refreshments and to mingle.
"We have a lot of new members this year," grinned Miriallia over her plastic cup of soda, quite pleased.
"Mostly because Lacus was the one handing out the flyers this year," smirked Cagalli, nudging her pink-haired friend.
"Oh, don't be silly," replied Lacus, blushing slightly. Though it was true, of course. Lacus was the loveliest and nicest and had the unique ability to make boys go weak in the knees with a single smile. What someone like Lacus saw in a humongous nerd like Kira, Cagalli would never know.
"Well, thanks to you we managed to get a good number of boys this year," giggled Lunamaria, glancing over the crowd. Her eyes lingered on a surly-looking black-haired freshman who was slouching near the back, scowling. "I'm going to go talk to them."
Cagalli shook her head. Flirtatious and beautiful, Lunamaria was always harboring micro crushes on boys, but she always lost interest the moment said boys began to show interest in return.
"There goes Lunamaria, doing her thing," sighed Miriallia, shaking her head. "She's incorrigible. I thought she would have learned her lesson by now after the last time she had to get a restraining order when that guy she was hitting on turned out to be a creeper."
"Honestly. How do you manage to live with her?" said Cagalli teasingly to Meyrin, who had been quiet this whole time. Meyrin simply smiled weakly and shrugged. She was shy and never talked much.
"Oh look, she's back, with two boys in tow," said Miriallia. Lunamaria was heading back toward them, followed by the scowling black-haired boy she had been eyeing earlier, and another darker-skinned freshman who sported an unruly mop of brown hair.
Smiling, Lunamaria reached them. Gesturing smilingly at the two boys, she said, "I want you guys to meet Shinn and Ahmed. They're freshmen and-"
Cagalli did not hear the rest of her sentence. The moment she laid eyes on Shinn and Ahmed, she was once again struck by an intense feeling of deja vu, not unlike what she had experienced when she met Athrun. Her eyes slid to Shinn's face, and with a shudder of half fear and half recognition, she took in his red eyes that seemed to burn with an intense hatred for her. The pure abhorrence emanating from his body was directed at her specifically, but for some reason, his animosity was also familiar. The emotions that were welling up with Cagalli's chest at the sight of the two boys proved too much for her to bear, and she collapsed to the ground in a dead faint. Shinn's glaring red eyes were impressed in her mind as she sank into darkness.
It was suppertime.
Ailwin was enjoying his meal with the rest of the family, though his appetite was somewhat diminished due to the presence of Terric, his cousin and longtime rival. Ailwin cast a sidelong glance at Terric, who was seated diagonally across from him. His face was twisted up in its customary glower, and he was staring murderously down at the roasted bird before him. Ailwin usually tried to stay out of Terric's way, but Terric seemed to consider it his duty to taunt Ailwin at every opportunity. Ailwin's patience with Terric was quickly running thin, though he understood why Terric hated him so. Back in the day, the castle had belonged to Terric's father. However, Terric's father had died of the same plague that had taken Isabel's parents, and so the inheritance had passed down to his younger brother, Ailwin's father. Naturally, Terric felt robbed of his inheritance, and viewed Ailwin as the unlawful usurper of what should have been his. Ailwin understood Terric's feelings, but it was hard to sympathize with him. He made no effort to be sociable.
Suddenly slamming his knife down on the table and standing up, Terric stormed out of the room. Ailwin knew that it was because Terric was still upset that he had beaten him at archery that afternoon. Terric was never one to lose gracefully. However, no one else seemed to notice Terric's impetuous departure; nearly everyone had already become accustomed to Terric's frequent outbursts.
Ailwin's grip tightened around his fork. Just because Terric had lost didn't mean that he had to take his anger out on everyone! It was time the ungrateful brat learned a lesson.
However, Geoffrey, who had been standing at the ready behind Ailwin's, noticed his anger.
"Ignore him," whispered Geoffrey. "There's no use in going after him. You'll just make things worse."
"I suppose you're right," muttered Ailwin moodily, as he stabbed a chunk of meat on his plate, "But that doesn't mean he should get away with being such an arrogant prick."
"So what do you think of that, Ailwin?" said Lord d'Eu, suddenly raising his voice to address his son. The entire table turned their attention toward him.
"Of what, father?" asked Ailwin respectfully, looking up.
"Your birthday is in a fortnight! What say you of having the traveling troupe that's passing through to perform at the celebration."
Isabel and Sabina, who were sitting across from him, turned hopeful eyes on him.
"That sounds like a fine idea," said Ailwin, smilng at the two girls. They smiled gratefully back.
"Oh, it'll be lovely!" gushed Lady d'Eu. "And we'll invite the Altards and the d'Escalles! Their daughters are lovely and I'm sure we'll be able to find a suitable match for you. It's about time you were wed."
Ailwin sighed. His mother had become increasingly aggressive lately in persuading him to take on a wife, though he did not feel ready to be married yet. No lady had caught his eye, and the only woman whom he was closest to that wasn't a relation was Isabel.
Ailwin stole a glance of Isabel, who seemed a little downcast at all this marriage talk. Her parents had died and her inheritance had gone off to a distant male relation, who had selfishly kept the money for himself. As a result, she had no property and therefore no dowry. The only valuable possession she could call her own was her name. She was a highborn lady, but no practical highborn man would marry a woman with no family or wealth. Her best bet would be a convent. However, she had had a recent marriage offer from a very old, but very wealthy baron, and the Lord and Lady d'Eu were pressuring her to accept the offer. Nevertheless, Isabel had refused, which had greatly displeased the Lord and Lady d'Eu, though Ailwin was secretly glad Isabel had turned him down. He cared greatly for Isabel as a sister, and the old baron had been quite lecherous and repulsive. Isabel would never have been happy with him.
Isabel was now staring unhappily into her lap, and Ailwin could not help but pity her. Her beauty would go to waste in a convent, but the Lord and Lady d'Eu seemed to be formulating plans to send her away to one. Sabina and Ailwin would soon be marrying others, and Isabel would very quickly have no place in the castle.
Cagalli awoke with a start. She could still remember the dream very clearly. She wondered why she kept dreaming of this "Lord Ailwin." Ailwin, Geoffrey, Isabel, Sabina... Terric... All these names seemed very familiar to her, yet Cagalli was sure she had never met these people in her life. It was odd that she was having such vivid recurring dreams.
"You finally awake?" came a soft voice from above her. Cagalli started and realized that she was lying on someone's lap. Blinking her eyes to focus, the face of a certain blue-haired young man swam into view.
"Athrun!" gasped Cagalli in shock and slight horror as she scrambled to sit up. Looking around her, Cagalli realized that they were sitting on a bench right outside the classroom in which the Lion's Club meeting was being held. "The meeting!"
"It's over already," soothed Athrun. "Me and Kira came in just as you fainted. Miriallia and the others finished up the meeting for you and went to return the projector and the other stuff you borrowed. Kira and Lacus decided to go get his car so they can give you a ride home, and they asked me to stay with you."
"I see," muttered Cagalli. This was probably all Lacus's idea to leave her alone with Athrun, no doubt about it. Still feeling disoriented, she shook her head to clear her thoughts.
"Are you okay?" asked Athrun. He looked down at her with concern, and reached up to brush a strand of blonde hair away from Cagalli's face.
Suddenly feeling embarrassed, Cagalli moved away and Athrun quickly withdrew his hand.
"I'm fine," mumbled Cagalli. "I don't know why I suddenly fainted. I've been feeling perfectly fine."
"You were probably just tired," said Athrun.
"Yeah," agreed Cagalli, though she wasn't really. She thought back to the last thing she had seen before fainting, and remembered Shinn.
Shin...
Something about him seemed so familiar. Terric... the thought came involuntarily to her head. The feeling of deja vu had been occuring a lot recently, and Cagalli wondered if it had anything to do with her recurring dreams and her fainting spell.
"Kira's here," said Athrun, interrupting her thoughts. "Let's get you home."
Athrun watched Kira drive off with Cagalli in the passenger seat and turned around to head back to the apartment which he shared with his friends Dearka, Yzak, and Nicol. He hoped Cagalli would be okay. She had seemed a little dazed and out-of-sorts when he had helped her into the car.
Athrun felt his face slightly heat up as he thought of Kira's sister. She had been quite a... surprise. Kira had frequently mentioned having a sister, and Athrun had imagined a socially inept and dorky female version of Kira. However, Cagalli was blonde with a slender and fit physique and fiery amber eyes. Though she wasn't beautiful in the conventional way, she was still pretty and her face possessed a certain charisma that drew Athrun in. Her large eyes were clear and steady, and she had a firm though stubborn set to her full lips that made Athrun stare at her mouth every time she spoke. The way she pouted was ridiculously cute, and Athrun couldn't help but want to tease her. All her different expressions fascinated Athrun, and he felt that he wanted to see more of her.
And her body... she was lean and toned with just the right amount of softness. Athrun hadn't been able to keep himself from staring as she had stretched after her class-time nap, exposing a bit of her tight flat belly. And then she had walked away from him and Athrun found his eyes following the sensual sway of her hips as she moved.
It was simply insane how attractive he found Kira's sister. Athrun couldn't remember the last time he had felt this way about a girl. Sure, after Lacus, there were other girls, but they had all been brief flings. Kira hadn't been entirely wrong in labeling him a "player" though it wasn't like Athrun actively went around womanizing. Women just seemed to be drawn to him naturally. Though his short liaisons had only occurred for a brief period after he had broken-up with Lacus in freshman year. After the last woman turned out to be completely insane, he had pretty much sworn off all women and concentrated on his studies instead.
Athrun sighed. Problem was, Cagalli was Kira's sister. Kira was extremely over-protective of her, which explained why he had not introduced her to him until now, after nearly four years of being best friends. Athrun had a feeling that Kira would not be pleased if he started putting the moves on her, especially given his freshman year track record with women. But those days were long over.
Nevertheless, even if he wanted to, Athrun had no clue how to hit on a girl anyway. Most of the women he had been with had always taken the initiative, Lacus included. Wooing Cagalli would be a new challenge, not simply because she was Kira's sister, but also because she was feisty, proud, and stubborn. Athrun shook his head. It was probably better to get to know her a little better first before he asked her out. He had only met her for a single day, and he was already fantasizing about her. This situation was definitely a first.
That night Athrun had a dream...
He was standing in a stone passage, staring out a window at the field below. Several dozen yards below him was a young man with straw-colored hair lunging and thrusting with his sword as he practiced his swordsmanship. Lord Ailwin... sighed Athrun mentally. He felt an intense longing for the young man below. He admired the determination and courage that always flashed from Ailwin's eyes, as well as his compassion and noble mien. But they could never be together.
Just then, Athrun's thoughts were interrupted by a maidservant.
"Lady Isabel?" called the maidservant.
"Yes?" said Athrun, turning around.
A/N: There you have it! Chapter 1. Please read and review! I appreciate any form of constructive feedback.
EDIT: PLEASE NOTE! I just realized that I accidentally wrote that Isabel is Ailwin's sister. This is a typo! Ailwin and Sabina are siblings. Isabel is simply a childhood friend that grew up with them. Ailwin and Sabina's parents intend to marry them off to other people. Sorry! This very nearly turned into an incest fic...