The Mermaid's Gifts
NOTE: This is my gift for my Escaflowne Secret Santa partner, jenniferstolzer.
It's my first time writing a fic focused on Dryden and Millerna so hope you forgive any characterization inaccuracies. And it did not turn out as fluffy as I had hoped but I tried.
I've also taken a lot of liberties with Gaean culture but I hope everything still seems plausible. And I've added some of my ideas about mermaids in Gaea because that brief glimpse of Sylphiel when we first meet Dryden has always fascinated me and I wish we could have explored more of the non-human races on Gaea.
I also did a little bit of research on the stuff that was mentioned here so nothing is totally ridiculous. But sorry if it becomes a bit nerdy. And it turned out longer than I expected.
Hope you like it.
Happy New Year!
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"Lord Dryden has returned, your Highness."
Millerna Aston looked up from her the report she was reading and her expression brightened. Trying not to sound too eager, she thanked the servant and asked him to prepare her horse.
"I shall greet Lord Dryden at the docks," she explained and the servant bowed and left to follow her instructions.
The Asturian princess immediately arranged the files on her desk and straightened her dress and fixed her hair, suddenly conscious of her appearance. She hadn't seen Dryden for several months, not since he left for a trade expedition on his newest sea vessel. And though he maintained contact by sending regular reports, none of these correspondences contained anything other than business matters. And as much as she appreciated his commitment to improving the Asturian economy, Millerna had been hoping for something more.
More than a year had passed since the war ended and the heir to the Asturian throne had still not completely sorted out her feelings about her former betrothed. That she had feelings for him, she was certain, but everything else was more muddled and complicated. He had promised to give her space and to distance himself from her, probably for both their sakes, and she had appreciated this gesture.
He had embarked on an indefinite sea voyage which he called a trade expedition, to cement trade relations with the neighboring countries. Successful merchant that he was, this task was something he was sure to excel at. And Millerna was appraised of the results of his negotiations. But she had not expected him to be gone for so long.
And she had already begun to admit that she missed him.
Millerna had realized, only after his prolonged absence, of course, that all things considered, she had enjoyed his company. And had the whole betrothal issue not hung above their heads every time they interacted, she believed they might have gotten along much better.
He was charming, that she could not deny, and handsome too. But he was also extremely knowledgeable, both a learned scholar and a man who had seen much of the world, had adventures she always wanted to experience. She envied him this freedom to explore the unknown, to go beyond the borders of her kingdom. And yet, she found that he was always willing to share his experiences, to tell her stories about the things he had seen and done. And what could be misconstrued as arrogance, she learned, was a self-assurance that came with having achieved much in his life by his own merits.
Dryden Fassa had many admirable qualities, and Millerna Aston was looking forward to knowing more about him.
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The aforementioned merchant disembarked and breathed in the refreshing, Asturian sea breeze. He smiled, satisfied with the knowledge that his latest expedition had been a productive one.
"It's good to be back," Dryden thought, gazing at the familiar structures greeting him upon his arrival.
It had been a fairly lengthy journey and he was eager to get some rest. He gave some instructions to his rat-faced clerk about the unloading of the cargo he brought back. There was still so much to organize. Dryden was in the midst of discussing the upcoming tasks to be accomplished when he heard a familiar voice.
"Lord Dryden."
The merchant looked up in surprise to see the smiling face of the youngest Asturian princess. Millerna had just gotten off her horse and was approaching Dryden's ship.
"Welcome back," the princess said cheerfully. She had very nearly said "Welcome home" but had recovered in time. She tried not to show how pleased she was to see him but he could not disguise his delight at seeing her.
"Thank you, your Highness," he replied courteously, "It is very kind of you to welcome me yourself. I am honored."
Millerna nodded in acknowledgment. "We have not seen each other for some time," she said softly, "and I wanted to make sure that you returned safely."
Dryden smiled. "All is well, as you can see," he told her reassuringly, "and once I finish organizing things here, I was planning to call on you in the palace. This expedition has been quite an adventure and I have many stories to share that may be of some interest to you."
Millerna's face lit up at this. "Very well, I shall leave you to it," she said, "and I look forward to seeing you again soon. I am curious about these adventures you speak of."
"I hope that they will not disappoint," Dryden said humbly.
"I'm sure they won't," the princess replied.
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Sure enough, Dryden Fassa wasted no time in presenting himself at the palace. After making the necessary courtesies to King Aston, and the members of the council, he sought out the company of the youngest princess.
He found her in one of the rooms recently converted into a small laboratory, to help with her medical studies. She had somehow convinced her father and sister to let her pursue what she felt was her true calling. And once convinced, Eries was determined to provide the means by which Millerna could become a competent doctor. When Eries was supportive, she was thorough about it.
Dryden knocked on the door and Millerna gestured for him to enter.
"Come in, come in," she said with a smile.
He watched as she hastily scribbled some notes on a large ledger before tidying up some vials and diagrams on her desk. She was always so diligent and he admired her for it. He was both eager and apprehensive about being alone with her but on balance, he decided that he enjoyed her company too much to avoid seeing her. All the awkward feelings could be set aside for some friendly interaction, he thought.
He had brought a package with him, a small, intricately engraved wooden chest containing gifts especially for her. He knew that it was somewhat of a bold gesture but when he explained that the gifts did not come from him alone, hopefully she would not refuse them.
"Well, Lord Dryden," Millerna said cheerfully, "are you here to regale me with stories about your expedition?"
"Inasmuch as you can be regaled, Princess," Dryden replied, "I don't pretend to have experiences more interesting than yours."
"You're being too modest, I'm sure. And you're probably not here to tell me the details about all the trade negotiations and quantities of raw materials."
"I could if you wanted me to."
Millerna made a face and Dryden laughed.
"Of course, I'm here to tell you about the more interesting aspects of my trip," he continued, "the amusing people I met, the breathtaking locations I saw, and some other interesting stories."
And so Millerna listened, enthralled, as Dryden gave her a vivid account of sailing through the occasional typhoon, enduring the raging waters of the seas even with the advanced technology of his ship; he told her of the various cultural eccentricities of the people from coasts of Daedalus, their penchant for spicy seafood, for one thing, and their tales of legendary sea monsters who roamed their waters.
He talked of briefly traveling through the mountain ranges of Cesario in order to find rare spices and herbs and of meeting the people of Basram, with their colorful national attire and intriguing belief system. He also mentioned a short trip to visit the ruins of the Zaibach Empire and he told the princess of how the survivors were rebuilding their land under the watchful eyes of representatives of the alliance, in order to prevent any future conflicts.
While some of these things could easily be read in books about the regions, Dryden's animated manner of telling stories was completely engrossing and Millerna almost felt that she had been there with him (and sometimes, she truly wished she had been.)
Her wistful glances did not escape Dryden's notice and as much as he enjoyed entertaining her, he also wished he could offer her more than just stories.
"You should come with me next time," he almost blurted out but he realized that this might not seem ver appropriate. But how he wished he could invite her.
After exhausting most of his more interesting stories, he showed her the wooden chest. Millerna stared at it curiously, admiring the intricate carvings.
"This contains gifts for you, my lady," Dryden said gravely and before the princess could protest, he clarified, "from a colony of mermaids not far from our shores."
"Mermaids?" Millerna asked, immediately intrigued.
Dryden nodded, pleased by her reaction. "I had the honor of making the acquaintance of one of their kind recently," he explained, "and on the return journey, she spotted my ship and swam over to exchange pleasantries.
I told her about my voyage and about the things I had seen. But all of this was nothing compared to getting a glimpse of the mermaids' community. For my friend had soon invited more of her kind to greet us and to show us their hospitality.
We had not really been prepared to engage with them but we shared what little gifts we could, some old navigational equipment that they found interesting, some jewelry and other baubles from the various places I had visited."
"How fascinating!" Millerna said with delight, "I've always wanted to interact with the mer-people. I've only heard stories but never met any of them personally."
"They are a peace-loving race and they keep to themselves for the most part," Dryden explained, "But they're also curious about other cultures and eager to share theirs. And on that note, may I present their gifts."
He then brought out several strings of deep-sea pearls as well as colorful shells of varying shapes and sizes. The princess looked at each item admiringly. Dryden then brought out a cloth sack containing various, less appealing looking items.
"Perhaps these would be of greater interest to you, princess," he said, laying out the gifts, "I told my friend, Sylphiel, of your medical studies, and she immediately decided to send these to you."
Millerna's eyes widened as she recognized some of the items from her medical journals.
"This is an extremely rare variety of seaweed!" she cried enthusiastically, "And it's known to have medicinal properties."
The thrilled princess also noticed other kinds of medicinal algae among the gifts Dryden had laid out. She immediately began to extol the virtues of each kind.
"This one has antibacterial and antioxidant properties," she said, pointing to one clump of algae excitedly, "and this one can be used as an anti-coagulant. This one can be used to treat thyroid disorders!"
She soon noticed other marine specimens that also served as natural cures to certain ailments. The mermaid had also sent a particular type of sponge that could counter a serious virus as well as a soft coral that had anti-inflammatory properties. There was even a vial of sea snail venom that could be used to make powerful painkillers.
Dryden simply watched in awe as the princess, unrestrained in her enthusiasm, happily described the virtues of all the gifts the mermaid had sent. The pure joy on her face was one he wished he could witness more often and he resolved to take every opportunity to make her this happy.
"She means a lot to you, this princess," Sylphiel had told him slyly, "You must do what you can to impress her."
"She isn't very easily impressed," he had admitted, "but any effort on my part to please her is well worth it."
"I should like to meet her one day," the mermaid had remarked, "she sounds like a fascinating woman."
"And so she is," Dryden thought as he watched Millerna continue to look at the gifts in awe. He grew even more grateful to Sylphiel for her generosity and ingenuity.
The princess soon grew conscious of his gaze on her and blushed, embarrassed by her outburst. But Dryden merely looked at her with admiration and encouragement.
"I do apologize for that little display," Millerna said, regaining some of her composure, "but I am grateful, so very grateful for all this. You must thank your friend for me. She has been most generous."
"I shall, indeed," Dryden replied.
"And I do really want to meet her," Millerna added, "and share some gifts of my own with her people. I am sure there is much we can learn from them."
"You're very right," Dryden agreed, "and I'm sure that something like that can be arranged."
Millerna nodded and continued to gaze happily at all of the gifts. She repeated her expression of gratitude which Dryden accepted modestly.
"It is an honor to be able to serve you in any way, Princess Millerna," he said softly.
Millerna blushed again at the tenderness in his tone. She steered the conversation to less dangerous waters, and for while they discussed some political issues and technical details of his ship. Dryden also mentioned his plans for another expedition.
After a while, Millerna asked what had been nagging at her mind ever since he arrived.
"How long do you intend to stay here before you leave on your next voyage?" she asked gravely.
"Once the cargo from my ship has been unloaded and duly processed," Dryden replied, "it will only take a few weeks for me to prepare to leave again. I may be ready to go by the end of the month."
"So soon?" Millerna asked, a hint of dismay in her voice.
Dryden looked at her curiously. He did not dare to ask if she wanted him to stay and he was not sure what to make of the sort of pleading look in her eyes. But he was also incapable of disappointing her.
"Nothing is set in stone," he said earnestly, "and I will stay as long as you need me, Princess Millerna."
Millerna's face lit up, much to Dryden's relief.
"Good," she said, smiling at him warmly.