As promised to Mayuko and Sierra nearly a whole year ago, in return for their buying some lovely Tales badges for me. They gave me several guidelines to follow, and a few themes to put into the story here and there. This time I swear I won't abandon my writing ^^;
So this fic is dedicated to them.
EDIT: This chapter has been edited for details and other plot points.
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Transfigured Ephemera
o.o.o
Chapter I: Nea Arhi
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Estellise struggled to move her bag towards the cab. It wasn't so heavy that she could not lift it, but it was bulky, and collided consistently with her legs as she walked.
The man in front of her settled her trunk into the boot with a thump. Glancing back at her, he neatly took the bag from her secretly grateful hands. Heaving it onto one shoulder, he moved to the cab and tossed it in.
"Um, thank you, Mr Lowell," she said politely, marvelling inwardly at how he managed her heavy luggage as easily as if they were sacks of feathers, while wincing slightly at his cavalier treatment of her belongings.
"Just call me Yuri. Formality makes my neck ache," he replied. Cracking his knuckles, he slid in on one side of the cab and motioned for her to do the same. She picked up her fencing sabre and did so, pausing to stare one final time at the castle that had been her home for the past sixteen years. The small wooden sidedoor had been closed the moment she entered the cab, creaking slightly from disuse.
No looking back, she reminded herself sternly. Here I go. Taking a deep breath, she shut the door, and with a purr of its engine, the cab began to move.
When her cousin Ioder had first told her that she would be moving to quiet little Shizontania for a while, she had been thrilled and excited, albeit a little apprehensive. Finally, she had a chance to taste the freedom that she had only dreamt and read about previously. It frightened her a little, too. Never before had she been allowed outside the castle walls for more than a day. Never before had she ventured beyond the borders of Zaphias. Never before had she imagined that she would be able to leave the castle and start a new life far away.
Ever since she borrowed her first book from the castle library, a fiction about the tales of a brave and adventurous pirate girl, she had dreamed of stepping out of the castle to explore the world around her. She devoured the books that detailed lives of people so different from herself, of places so faraway from her, of things she had never known existed before. She had always wanted to see those things and visit those places and experience those lives herself. The feeling of a brand new world opening before her was like turning the cover of a brand new book... only better. Her years in the castle, filled mainly with deportment, ettiquette and academical education, seemed monotonous and bland compared to the books, and the thought that now she, too, would be able to experience something wonderful...
Where would she go? What would she see? Who would she meet? Excitement, curiosity, apprehension, happiness, hesitancy... Estellise could not describe the multitude of emotions tumbling about inside her. It was bewildering, because she had never felt like this before. And the man sitting beside her compounded that bewilderment.
As the cab drove out of the castle's side gates, Estellise stared at Yuri Lowell out of the corner of her eye. He was a mystery, and she wasn't quite sure what to make of him, yet. Her excitement from hearing that she was to leave the castle had grown in leaps and bounds. No more maids to pick up everything she dropped, no more ladies-in-waiting frowning at her, no more servants bowing to her every few steps, no more bodyguards dictating her every action... Wonderful images of her living as a normal human being flitted through her mind; she baked cookies, went shopping, held sleepovers, and did spring-cleaning, while a kindly, matronly guardian stood behind her smiling benignly.
But then Ioder mentioned that her guardian was male. And three seconds after meeeting him, those ideas had been pushed aside by bewildered uncertainty. She had no idea who he was, or why he had been chosen as her guardian. Tall, dark haired, with an inscrutable expression on his face. Estellise found herself constantly wondering what he was thinking. Did he welcome her sudden intrusion into his life? Or did he resent having to look after her?
The idea of asking him directly popped up for half a second, then fizzled and died. It would not be polite, and he might be pressured into giving a false answer in deference to her rank. Although she had no idea why he agreed to take her in, she was determined not to be a bother to him, and to be as helpful and friendly as possible so that he would, hopefully, see her as a positive addition to his household.
That decided, she settled happily into more comfortable thoughts and began to dream of Shizontania. She had seen pictures of it, and read about it in books and brochures, but places were constantly changing. Peeking at Yuri, who was staring out of the window, she felt that it was a safe enough question to ask.
"What is Shizontania like?"
Yuri turned to look at her, a little thoughtfully.
"What are you expecting it to be like?" he said, surprising her with a question of his own.
"Um, well..." Her mind sifted rapidly through the information that she had picked up. "Quiet, peaceful... But full of fun and activities, interesting shops and amusement parks... a place where everyone knows everyone else?"
Yuri stared at her for a while. Then he grinned. It was the first real expression she had observed thus far, and Estellise was delighted to see that he could smile.
"You've been reading tourist booklets," he said.
"Well, yes..." she admitted. "The library doesn't really say much, beyond its history and founding, a few events, festivals, and the bombing incident three years ago. And the internet doesn't really have anything at all."
"Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but those descriptions fit only one or two parts of Shizontania. Very few tourists bother to visit, thanks to the bomb incident, so there was no reason to spin out elaborate descriptions or put much truth into those brochures."
"Oh... Then, what is Shizontania really like?"
"You'll see," Came the reply, with the lopsided grin again. "It's gonna be a long ride. Get some sleep."
When he mentioned sleep, Estellise suddenly realised that she did feel tired. No doubt her lying awake in bed the night before dreaming about Shizontania was one of the reasons... And she had been so busy preparing for the move that she had had no time to feel tired. Leaning back, the pink haired girl closed her eyes.
o.o.o
Yuri eyed the elaborately designed bodhi blastia on her wrist, and the fencing sabre lying loosely between her fingers. Ioder had said that she was good with it... but how good was good?
"Apparently not good enough for them to trust her with her own safety, huh...?" he muttered. He could still remember bits and pieces of the conversation they had shared in the tiny alcove off the throne room.
"...because, as the next heir to the throne, she's a likely target for whomever wants you dead?" "Something like that, yes. And trying to hide her amongst court officials would be like trying to hide a rabbit in a cage of lions."
"So, since I have no visible connections to the Empire..." "...or to any of the senators..."
"No one would dream of looking for her in Shizontania."
The idea of babysitting a young girl seemed like too much trouble. Especially since the girl in question was a noble. Ioder had insisted that she wasn't one of the haughty, self-satisfied twitterers that fluttered about wasting money, and what he had seen of her thus far didn't seem bad. Before, however, Yuri hadn't been too eager about it.
It was partly because Ioder asked him, and partly because Flynn looked like he didn't know whether to be happy with that decision or not. However, they hadn't told him the truth behind their worries yet... and that was the main reason he agreed to look after Princess Estellise.
o.o.o
When she awoke, the first thing she saw was the pink and orange sky through the window of the moving cab. She sat up straighter and looked about her in wonder.
Unlike in Zaphias, none of the buildings were over five storeys tall. There were trees around every corner, in every street... where the dark blue figures of Imperial Knight members were absent. Clusters of shophouses were scattered here and there, all facing the main street that they were currently driving down. People were walking along both sides of the road; mothers with prams and toddlers, school children returning home, office workers knocking off, and others' whose story she could only wonder at.
To one side, there was a wide, green park. To the other side, there was a cobbled town square. Rising high above all the other mall buildings was a lone clock tower, with two bells above it. Nothing as spectacular as the ones in Zaphias, but it was stately and elegant. Next to it stood a small chapel, its stained glass windows winking and sparkling at her.
Ice cream parlour, bookstore, two shopping malls, the school campus, post office, Imperial Knights' station house, several smaller schools, one or two banks... the cab sped past them, two swiftly for her eyes to drink in everything, but Estellise made a promise to return and explore everything.
Shizontania was bathed in golden light from the setting sun. The cloudless sky, wide, open and brilliant with hues of amber and cerise, stretched endlessly in every direction.
Like the freedom she now had.
Glancing at her enraptured face, Yuri said, "I take it you like the look of Shizontania?"
"It's beautiful!" Estellise exclaimed fervently, turning to him with her green eyes shining, her lips unable to keep from curling into a smile. Excitement, once again, was soaring within her, and she could hardly keep herself from laughing out loud in pure joy.
Yuri smiled back at her then. A smile very different from the grin he had shown earlier. It was filled with pride, friendliness, and... was that a hint of sorrow?
"Glad you like it."
As swiftly as it had appeared, it was gone.
Before more than few minutes had gone by, the cab stopped in front of a cluster of small, pale grey buildings. They sat near an apple orchard, some distance away from the main road, with a tiny driveway and four carpark slots.
"You live here?" Estellise asked, opening the door of the cab and looking about her with interest.
"Yep. Come on, get your stuff out." Yuri ordered. "You'll have plenty of time to look later."
A little surprised at being addressed in such a manner, Estellise hurried to the back and took the lighter bags that Yuri handed her. He lifted her heavy trunk and another bag, motioned for her to close the trunk, then nodded to the driver, who nodded back gratefully and then sped away. Estellise blinked, then felt a little embarrassed. No doubt the driver had been waiting impatiently while she stood and gaped at her new home. Did Yuri realise that, then...?
He didn't seem to take any notice of her sudden disquiet. Sticking one hand into his pocket, he thrust a set of keys towards Estellise.
"Rightmost staircase, third floor, door on the left," he instructed. "Use the key with reddish marks on it."
"All right." Estellise walked up the creaking stairs wonderingly. The walls were grey and slightly yellowed with age, but they looked clean nevertheless. The wooden banisters were smooth, though sticky in certain areas. Each stair felt slightly higher than what she was used to, and narrower. A brown mackerel tabby blinked at her sleepily from a fluffy doormat on the second floor, its green eyes following her as she walked past it.
The door was made of oakwood, with slight grooves carved in simple designs on it. Inserting the key, Estellise had to struggle with it for a moment before the lock turned and the door opened. She slipped in, removing her flat slippers at the sight of a messy pile of shoes scattered just behind the door.
The apartment was small, and surprisingly neat. The doorway led immediately to a sitting room, with a small television set, a low coffee table, and two grey blue couches in it. Beyond that was a tiny kitchen, with an even tinier bathroom. The corridor to the kitchen had two more wooden doors leading out of it, one on either side, facing each other.
"The right one's yours," Yuri said, walking up from behind her. When she pulled open the door, he dumped her luggage on the floor and beckoned her in.
Like most of the rest of the apartment, the floor was tiled in plain ceramic squares. The walls were white, with three sliding windows at the far end. A bed with two pillows and a comforter, a floor rug, and a teakwood wardrobe. A small vanity set with drawers and a couple of wall shelves completed the room.
"Probably not what you're used to, but it's good enough considering the peanuts the landlady charges," Yuri said cheerfully.
Estellise threw him a startled look. "She charges you peanuts? Does she really like them so much?"
Yuri opened his mouth, then closed it, and shook his head. "Never mind. I'll leave you to your unpacking and all. Have fun."
"Uh, right." Estellise felt a little bit puzzled, but she didn't dwell on it. As Yuri turned to leave the room, she called out to him. "...Yuri?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. I think it's a great room."
Yuri raised one eyebrow. "Say that again in winter when the heater breaks down, or in summer when you're roasting in here. And when the bugs and rats are climbing all over you at night." When Estellise's eyes widened in alarm, he chuckled. "Just kidding. Mostly." He shut the door behind him.
Estellise fought an urge to grab the nearest object and throw it at him, and she heaved a sigh even as her lips smiled reluctantly. It was funny.
She took a deep breath and sat down on the white stool at the vanity. This was her new room. This was now her home. This was the new life that she had started. There were no sounds of traffic, no chatterings from servants and soldiers as they hurried about. Only the calls of birds as they prepared to roost, and the occasional shout from a group of children somewhere.s
For a few months, she would be part of this world.
o.o.o
Halfway through her unpacking, when she was placing a framed photograph of herself and Ioder on the beside table, the door opened and Yuri poked his head in.
"Hungry?"
Estellise jumped at his voice. "Yuri! You really should knock first!"
"Sorry." He didn't sound the least bit sorry, she thought, slightly cross. He held out a plate of sandwiches. "Figured you'd be tired and hungry and wouldn't want to wait for food, so I just knocked this up quickly."
"You made this?"
"Yep."
Estellise hesitated. It would be the first time she ate something that wasn't cooked by the castle chefs and tested for poison... She lifted one of the sandwiches and took a bite.
"This is really good!" she exclaimed. It had beef, lettuce and tomato in it; while simple, the different taste of each ingredient complemented the rest wonderfully. The tomato was especially juicy, and the beef wonderfully tender.
"Yeah yeah. No need for flattery," Yuri said, waving it off.
"No, I think it's really delicious," she insisted. "Really."
Yuri looked a little taken aback at her earnest tone of voice. "I... see." Then he grinned. "Well then, remember that taste! Next time, it'll be your turn!"
Now it was Estellise's turn to be taken aback. "Um, I'm sorry... I've never cooked before," she admitted.
"Everything stems from experience. If you do it yourself, you'll soon learn," Yuri said. It was the first time anyone had ever asked her to do anything herself, and Estellise found that she liked the idea.
"...All right. I'll do my best to learn to cook!" she replied with a smile.
Yuri grinned back.
"I look forward to it. Welcome to Shizontania, Estelle."
No longer Her Royal Highness Princess Estellise Sidos Heurassein. For now, she was just a normal citizen of Terca Lumireis.
She was just Estelle.
"Nice to meet you, Yuri!"
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Speech from the final part with the sandwiches was partly adapted and translated from the Japanese TOV Drama CD by me. Tales of Vesperia belongs to Namco Tales Studio.