Golden Days

Summary:
She was afraid of what he wanted in return for the money, the food and the assistance Dryden Fassa of Torushina has graciously given them. What Dryden wants from her is not what she was expecting.

Warnings:
light mentions of sex trafficking

Disclaimer:
I do not own Escaflowne, nor the characters presented in this fanfiction. Characters, setting, and references from the movie belong to Bandai/Sunrise, and Kazuki Akane and Ryuta Yamaguchi

Based/Inspired by:
Valentines Day! Also Escaflowne the Movie: Girl on Gaea. The lack of interaction between Dryden and Millerna or even her backstory.

Author's Notes:
Just wanna wish everyone a happy Valentine's Day, and if you dont celebrate it, I hope you take this day to appreciate your ships and enjoy them!

She had the poise of a warrior, a genuine queen in the skin of a princess.

Millerna was more than the image of her on the surface. Those three inches of princess hid a goddess a queen with purpose. Though that's what she believed, everyone still called her "princess". Though she kept that title to hold onto hope that one day her father would come back to power, she knew better.

Allen used her name, and so informally. She had wondered if he was in love with her, or if that love was familial. Had he replaced his sister with her, or was he waiting for the terrible war to be over to confess his feelings?

Millerna touched the bone under the curve of her neck, the collar bone. She knew every bone, and that was partly thanks to him.

Dryden.

He was the sole beneficiary to the Abaharaki, and he poured that money like it was honey on bitter bread. In the beginning she had believed that he had an ulterior motive. Paying the abaharaki like he had was because of her, the sole royal line to her dead country. She was profitable. She was beautiful, she could get him lots of money. She couldn't sing, but she could dance for his patrons. She could give her body to him, or to others for him. So every piece of gold, every expense he poured on them, the more anxious she had become.

She had splashed her wine against his face when they were alone together for the first time. He had put his hand on her shoulder, to get her attention.

He seemed bemused, licking his lips and laughing at her violent reaction to him. He pushed a small stack of books into her ribs. "You wanted this?" He asked.

She was fourteen, and looked down at the relic of a book about basic first aid, with a healer's manual and herbal guide with confusion. She took them and sat and spent most of the night flipping through them. He had left her for some time, only to come back to offer her some tea and talk.

Dryden had the best tea, and he knew how to make it so much better than Allen.

She remained cautious, she didn't want to have this blessing be one with a motive. She left the books with him, only to find them in a messenger's hands later.

For two years she refused his kindness, she didn't trust a merchant who gave things away for free.

"I just want the pleasure of your company." He said, touching her face. He traced the lines on her face from the tears she shed. He had grabbed her shoulder, pushing the material back on her shoulder.

She had gotten the idea in her head that she was the one who had to pay him back for all the money. For all the books and food and the nice rooms that he graciously gave to them.

"Even if you want to be alone, I just want to give you that happiness." It was the softest she had ever heard him speak.

She shook her head. "Y-you can s-stay." She said between sobs.

He laughed. "Good, I enjoy speaking with you, it's nice to have someone with more than half a brain."

She laughed, rubbing her eyes.

She loved coming to Torushina, no longer did she have the fear that she'd be trafficked to the highest bidder. They would spend late nights together when everyone else slept. She'd untangle his hair from the rats nest of an "up-do" he had attempted.

He taught her currency, trade secrets and haggling tricks while they drank tea.

Their relationship had grown, and was only known to the two of them.

Millerna laid her head down on her window panel, she hadn't seen him in nearly a year. They stopped going to Torushina for a while. She'd missed his card games, and tea. She missed staying up until dawn reciting the favorite recipes she'd found. She missed his enthusiastic bantering about some new scroll. Or his complaints about Allen's 'frivolous spending' and how she needed to lasso the knight.

The city was coming to view, they had to head back thanks to their terrible luck with some black dragon clan troops that set up traps in the west. Which killed half their cattle, and destroyed their water pump system.

She knew Dryden was going to be upset. She was just happy it wasn't going to be with her. She even grinned when Allen tried to explain the story to the others as it was going to be told to Dryden. Allen was going to alter some details, not that she'd betray Allen and let Dryden know. She knew that Dryden was too smart to trust Allen's explanations.

They arrived to the once beautiful estate, now missing a section of it. There were bits of wall and furniture and books strewn about. It had been a recent attack.

Dryden's head council had greeted them and explained the situation. They were attacked in the night and there was little to say about the one who caused it. A merchant friend had come in and ended up detonating while in the study with Dryden.

When they found him, he had mostly suffered scrapes and bruises. There was a look of death in his eyes when he glanced towards Millerna, and couldn't keep his focus on her more than half a second.

It hadn't stopped there, she wasn't allowed to see him at his bedside. She was not to look into the study where it had happened. She was pushed away from all parts of him.

She sat in her suite, feet pulled up on the bed, and her hair down around her shoulders. She only wore a night gown here, because here she felt like a real royal. Only now without seeing her dear friend, she felt even lonelier than she had when she was hundreds of miles away. She stood up and pulled her robe from the door and headed down to get water to clean her face and see if she could sneak some hot tea.

She could put the man out of her mind, it wasn't like she was betrothed to him. It would cross her mind, being married to the crown merchant of Torushina. Sipping tea all night reading books, dancing to music like a pair of heathens at festivals. She would make him old Asturian cakes that she knew by heart, and would eat many of the delicious foods that he gushed about. She'd be able to get fat and sleep and random hours of the day.

She couldn't put him out of her mind, she concerned herself with that look in his eyes. Was he ashamed of her and the rest of the Abaharaki for not protecting him? Was he going to cut them off because the war was too much? Did he find something out about her past that changed his feelings for her.

She shook her head and grasped the locked handle to his study, trying it over and over again as her eyes filled with tears. Things weren't supposed to change between them like this. She spent too much time afraid of what he wanted from her. She didn't realize that she took more than she gave, she stole so much of his time and energy and never gave any back. Her shoulder shook as she pulled hard at the door again, but it didn't give. She felt rejected by the house.

Her hair was pulled gently and she turned to great the unfortunate soul that would dare. She cursed in the half second that she didn't have her blade at her hip or nestled in her boot.

His brown eyes smiled down at her, his wide mouth curled up at each point like he was a cat.

She punched his stupid, handsome, tanned face.

Then instantly, and heartbreakingly, regretted it.

He had reeled back and much to her deep amusement, fell to his bottom on the ground. "What?" He held his cheek.

Her eyes still swam with tears but she turned her head. "I'm sorry, you didn't deserve that. But you worried me!"

"So you laid one on me?" He asked, baffled but bemused.

"Yes." She said. "You locked the study, and you wouldn't look at me all day."

"I was…" he started and stood up with her assistance. "To be frank, I 'd worried that you'd be upset with me for letting the study get so damaged."

Millerna shook her head. "No, I was upset that you were attacked, and then didn't talk to me. You are so much more important than books and tea!" She froze. "Oh goddess! I forgot you were hurt!" She reached up to him and cupped his face with her hand. "I am sorry."

He was slowly turning red at her touch, and he glanced away. "Your punch was definitely more damaging than the explosive that got detonated ten feet away." He smiled when he looked at her again. "But I think my heart might break with how beautiful you are right now."

Millerna stared up at him. "Dryden… I." She felt hot and pulled away, drawing her robe in more.

He laughed uncomfortably. "You are beautiful, but I don't mean to embarrass you my dear."

"I should go to bed, it is late." She wanted to get away before her heart burst out of her chest and made a mess when she decided to say the wrong thing. "I hope you gain your strength back soon Lord Dryden."

He took her hand. "Millerna, please. Only Dryden."

She looked at his hand and then his face. "Dryden, I…"

"I am not one for chivalry or anything, like Allen Schezar, but would it be so terrible if I kissed you right now." he had gotten closer.

"Yes." She breathed.

"Yes?" He stopped. "It would be terrible?"

Millerna went wide eyed and shook her head. "Sorry! No! Not terrible, but yes, you may have my permission."

They stood for a moment, frozen in their spot before Dryden leaned over and lightly kissed the corner of her mouth and pulled away. "You're still quite young my dear, and I could never kill that fire of warrior youth in you." He grinned, face flushed red like an apple. "Marry me when you're ready?"

Millerna's body went taut. "D-dryden?"

He smiled a bit dazed.

She swallowed hard. "If I feel the way I feel, and when this war ends.. I will call on you." She whispered, looking away a bit. "I must retire, Dryden."

"Goodnight, Millerna." Again he caressed her cheek and kissed the corner of her mouth.

She could feel his pulse under his fingertips, and knew it matched her own racing heart. She raced back to her suite and climbed under her blankets as if being chased. She knew that he had to have been delirious from healer's medicines.

Her heart fluttered under her sternum. She could feel it in her neck and head like she had ran for hours without breathing.

She cared for him, but only time would tell. She could not promise him something when she could die too soon.

Even then, she felt the desire to live well up in her heart.

I hope you enjoyed that short and sweet romantic bit of fluff! I enjoyed writing it while being kinda sick, so if its kinda off, I've been on pain killers for a few days and that's my story.

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend! If you enjoyed the story, please let me know!