Once Upon A Time…
Chapter 1: Running From The Past
'Mama…Papa…I…don't leave me…I don't want to be alone anymore…please don't leave…'
The rain plummeted down to earth, plastering her hair to her face. Lightning lit up the sky, and thunder crashed and echoed through the clouds. Two horses rode out…and never returned.
The young Princess awoke with a start, and rubbed her tired eyes. A fire crackled in the hearth, and the room was stuffy and hot. Going to the window she flung it open, and inhaled the fresh spring air deeply.
A flock of birds startled by the window being opened, took flight, and disappeared to the south on soft wings.
The door behind, burst open and a guard entered, bowing.
'Princess, your mother is waiting.' He said, 'I am to escort you to see her.'
The Princess inclined her head, 'I'll be out in a moment.' The guard bowed again and left.
Turning back to the window, she closed it gently, and left the room.
The Queen sat up in bed, gasping for breath, sobs ripping at her throat. Taking deep breaths, she got a grip on herself and lay back onto the soft pillows.
*It was the same dream again. A memory really. A dream in a dream. She remembered the scene in her bedroom, just before the Theatre Ship had arrived. She had fallen asleep, only to have nightmares of the night her real parents had been killed. The first part wasn't that nightmare…no; that nightmare had been replaced by another bad memory…one that happened after the scene in the bedroom. The Queen thought it was strange how the mind linked similar events throughout time, to form a nightmare which hurt so bad.*
A servant came into the room with a trolley of food, and began bustling around by the fire. She debated whether to feign illness and stay in bed for the rest of the day, however, the servant had already come over and pulled the drapes around her bed open before she had decided.
The sunlight hit her eyes, and the evil look she was directing at the servant was marred by the way her eyes refused to open to more than a squint.
'Good morning your Majesty. You're breakfast is ready. Doctor Tot is waiting in the next room, whenever you're ready to see him.'
She attempted a disapproving frown which wasn't much more successful than the evil look, 'Doctor Tot is our most valued friend and advisor, don't leave him sitting out there alone. Send him in.' The servant bowed and quietly left.
Muttering to herself about getting new morning staff, the Queen rolled out of bed and stumbled over to the deeply cushioned chair placed in front of her breakfast, and also conveniently in front of the fire.
Pulling her pale yellow dressing gown on, she began to tuck into her breakfast.
'Good morning your Majesty.' Said the cheerful voice of Doctor Tot, as he came into the room, 'How are you feeling this morning?'
Giving him a mocking frown she waggled her finger at him. 'Do I have to tell you every day that you don't need to be so formal, Doctor?'
The kindly old man smiled at her, and sat down in the opposite chair.
'Well your Majesty, I wouldn't want you to forget who you are.'
She laughed, 'C'mon, don't tease me first thing in the morning, I can't cope with it.'
'You never were much of a morning person, Eiko.'
'True.' She said, smiling wryly. 'Anyway back to your original question….yes I'm fine on this beautiful spring morning. And may I enquire about your health, Doctor?'
'Now who's being formal?' He said, his eyes twinkling.
'Huh, not me.' She replied, and began to voraciously attack her breakfast. 'So, what brings you to see me so early?'
'Well I have some good news.' He replied, smiling again. 'Their Royal Majesties King and Queen til Alexandros will be coming to Lindblum in time for the Festival of the Hunt. And they'll be bringing a whole lot of family and friends.'
Eiko's eyes sparkled, and she clapped her hands with glee. 'Wooohoo!…' Remembering herself, she coughed slightly, and sat back, resting her hands on her lap, the perfect poised young woman…except for the grin on her face she couldn't conceal.
Tot laughed, 'Nice try Eiko, you're certainly much better than you were when you first started trying to teach you etiquette.'
She rolled her eyes at him, 'But the lessons were so boring I just wanted to go outside and climb trees with my moogles back then.'
'Admit it Eiko, you still want to do that now…' He teased her.
She sighed melodramatically, 'Yeah, I wish……So, that's Garnet and Zidane…and the Vivi brothers…Freya and Fratley are coming over from Burmecia, and I guess Steiner and Beatrix are coming with Zidane and Garnet right? Oh! And Amarant and Lani said they were going to come didn't they?'
Doctor Tot nodded, 'Yes, it sounds like the whole gang will be here again.'
She sighed suddenly and stared at the flames dancing in the hearth, 'Yes they'll all be here…except for one. Poor Vivi…'
'Yes, I know you all miss him. Try not to think about it Eiko.' Making his way to the door, Tot smiled fondly at her. 'Just try and think of the good times. Now…I have some matters I must attend to, I will take my leave your Majesty.' The door closed with a gentle thud.
Standing up and stretching Eiko went over to her dressing table to get dressed. She sat down and scrutinised the reflection in the ornate mirror.
A young woman stared tiredly back. Long indigo-blue hair fell over her shoulders, and stood out against the yellow of her dressing gown. The pearly-white horn which protruded from her forehead, shimmered as the sun hit it. Her eyes betrayed her though. They were the eyes of a woman much older than 18 years.
Eiko sighed to herself and began to pull clothes and make-up out of drawers. She remembered when she'd first been forced to start acting like a member of the royal family, how her mother sent servants in the room to help her get dressed in the morning. All of them had been sent running down the hall with Fenrir on their heels. Papa had wanted to have 'words' with her about that. Even so, ever since she had dressed herself for all but the most special occasions when she wore the most uncomfortable dresses which had to be done up by someone else.
Dressed in her most comfortable clothes, she stepped warily out of her suite. Almost instantly her Chief of State appeared and began to babble about the difficulties in co-ordinating the Festival of the Hunt and the arrival of special guests, and also, for good measure, he waffled about tiling the roof, re-cobbling the streets, and a new design for a battle airship.
After walking to her study with him waffling down her ear, and then spending the next half-an hour with him talking, she was beginning to wish she'd gone with her first instinct to stay in bed.
The irritating little man finally left, and Eiko breathed a sigh of relief. Opening the window to get a breath of fresh air, she disturbed the birds from the balcony a short way below, and was reminded of her dream.
A knock at the door made her jump, and she turned away from the window resignedly. But something made her stop.
*C'mon Eiko, how many days have you had off since they crowned you?It's about time you had a chance to be alone for awhile, instead of being stuck in a hot stuffy office all day.*
Going back to the window she looked at the balcony protruding from the floor below. There was ivy growing down the wall beside her window…
Pulling herself up onto the window ledge, she got a grip on the ivy and began to half-slide, half-clamber down the wall to the balcony below.
The apartment, which the balcony connected to, looked deserted, and Eiko had been taught by Zidane how to pick locks. Once she was inside, she began to feel uneasy. The suite of rooms didn't look so deserted after all…just weird. Strange piles' of old scrolls and books covered every surface. Strange glass containers full of coloured water, and strange things, which Eiko was thankful, she couldn't see in the gloom. There was a glass menagerie, which held some strange little creatures that skittered and hid under the foliage. Eiko could barely believe she was in her own palace. Whoever lived here was seriously weird…
The creaking of floorboards alerted her to the fact that someone was coming. Backing away from the sound, Eiko stepped on something soft and furry, which screeched and then went mental, and scratched her leg to pieces. A door across the room was flung open as the cat disappeared into the shadows again.
'Thief! I'll teach you to break into my suite!' A bolt of lightening earthed itself into a strange steel contraption just beside Eiko, and she briefly stared at it's molten remains, before her body took over and propelled her towards the only other door in the room.
She flung it open and dived through, landing on her flat on her face, just as a ball of flame hit the opposite wall. Jumping up and turning, she slammed the door shut, and charged down the corridor at random. Eiko had the feeling that stopping to explain she was in fact the Queen would not go down well, and that she might well be a charred heap before she finished what she was saying anyway.
Finally, she stopped out of breath after running down a flight of stairs, and listened. She couldn't hear anything, and sighed in relief. Even so, it paid to keep moving. Examining the door next to her she realised it must lead outside, and so gladly opened it and stepped out into the sunshine.
The flowers were just beginning to bloom in the garden, and the white marble seemed to glow inwardly as it reflected the light.
Eiko felt her heart sink as she realised where she was.
The black clothing that everyone wore stood out against the creamy white of the marble they'd built the garden with.
Weeping and sobbing, people had laid wreaths in the centre structure and had stood waiting.
Dry eyed and pale, she had steadily walked through the assorted nobles and peasants, and had reverently laid a wreath of pure black roses and white lilies at the bottom of the central pillar in the open top structure.
Head bowed she had stood there, and she had read the plaque so carefully engraved with, 'Here lies their Majesties, Cid and Hilda tol Lin'Bluria. Gracious rulers, kind friends and loving parents.'
It had suddenly began to rain, and she had stood unblinking and unmoving as the first drops had run down the plaque and dripped on the flowers below, until the guests ran for cover, and a deluge soaked them.
A lone figure stood, dressed all in sopping wet black, indigo hair falling out of its tight bun, rain mingling with the tears which had finally come, until Doctor Tot had finally come out and led her gently back inside.
Well I try not to think about you
And I know I can get on without you…
But it all seems so hollow
Maybe you'll come back tomorrow…