A Series of Well-aimed Nudges
Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne and the only profit gained from this piece is personal gratification and reviews.
Note:Fair warning, this is an extremely cheesy crackfic. I'm writing this for a Romance prompt so I have a very good excuse to make this as cheesy as possible. I've included three of my main Escaflowne ships: Van and Hitomi; Millerna and Dryden; and, of course, Folken and Eries. I wanted a silly one-shot that focused on more than one pairing although, as you will see, some stories are more developed than others.
I enjoyed playing around with the characters so they will not be acting strictly like themselves. But, all in good fun. I hope that this little piece will amuse you, nonetheless, and you will not cringe too much.
Please do let me know what you think!
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Zaibach was defeated and Gaea was at last on the road to true peace. Through a last-minute adjustment in the Zone of Absolute Fortune, Folken Fanel survived his fall and was reconciled with his brother. The girl from the Mystic Moon no longer endured painful visions and was happy to stay in that strange and wondrous world for a bit longer.
A large international conference was being held in the capital of Asturia to discuss the way forward. All leaders of the alliance were present to express their views on how to recover from the devastation of the war. More than the political repercussions of the past events, there were other, more personal issues left unresolved. But it was a time for people to come together, in more ways than one.
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Folken Fanel was calmly walking down the halls of the palace when he bumped into a fuming Hitomi Kanzaki. He suspected that his brother was somehow responsible for the frustrated expression on the girl's face so he decided to confirm his theory.
"Anything the matter, Hitomi?" Folken asked concernedly.
"It's your brother," the girl confided with an exasperated sigh, "sometimes he can be so infuriating!"
"A family trait, unfortunately," he conceded, "so I must ask you to be patient with him."
"I know," she admitted, "but sometimes, I don't think he appreciates what I've done for him. It's not like I'm asking for too much. I'd just like to know that he actually likes my staying here and not just because 'he needs my power.' Really, he can be so clueless."
"You know he means well even though he has difficulty expressing it," Folken defended his brother, "he just doesn't know how to act around you sometimes. And I'm afraid being emotionally clueless is written in the Fanel genetic code."
Hitomi smiled at this and could not help but agree. However, she was too polite to say so out loud.
"Well, he'll learn to better eventually, I suppose," Hitomi said, "but for now, I will just have to be more patient."
"Rest assured, he cares a great deal about you," Folken told her encouragingly, "and he knows he is lucky to have you by his side."
Hitomi blushed slightly at this praise and her expression brightened. Seeing how he had smoothed the situation over effectively, Folken decided to give the girl a final nudge.
"In fact, I just saw my brother some minutes ago," Folken added, "pacing back and forth in the garden, muttering something about what an idiot he was and what stupid things he told you. He seemed very remorseful."
"Really?" Hitomi asked hopefully.
Folken nodded. The best part was that this was absolutely true. He had seen his brother in such a state and he had wondered how he could make things better. An exceptional opportunity had been given him and ever the wily Strategos, he decided to make the most of it.
"Well then," Hitomi declared, her spirits much improved, "I think I shall take a stroll in the garden."
"Wonderful idea," Folken agreed.
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In another part of the palace, the youngest princess of Asturia approached her older sister. She had just come to a decision about her feelings on a certain scholar and she wanted to clear things up with him before she lost her nerve.
"Sister, have you happened to see Lord Dryden around?" Millerna asked, "There's something I need to talk to him about."
"I think he's in the library," Eries replied coolly, "I saw him searching for some old journals about the history of Gaea."
Millerna seemed pensive for a few moments and looked down at her feet in apprehension. Eries watched her sister curiously. After some more internal debate, Millerna shook her head and decided to turn around.
"Oh, well," the younger princess said, "perhaps another time then."
"Millerna?" Eries called her sister in that knowing way of hers, "I thought your concern was rather urgent."
"Well, there are things we need to talk about," she said, "and some things that I need to admit to him, but I don't know how. And maybe now isn't the best time. I mean, if he's busy…"
"You must not delay telling someone the truth," Eries counseled, "Every moment spent hesitating is a moment wasted."
Eries had an inkling of the evolution of her sister's feelings towards Dryden Fassa and the older princess was fairly certain that now Millerna was looking at him more favorably. But considering their complicated history together, the young princess was not sure how her admission would be received. Fortunately, Eries had it on good authority that Millerna's change of heart would be more than welcome. She simply needed to convince her sister to go ahead with it.
"Besides, you need not resolve everything at once," Eries added gently, "but it's important to take the first step. Otherwise, you might never have another opportunity."
"You're right, sister," Millerna replied gratefully and with firmer resolve, "and I assure you that this time, I will follow your advice."
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Later that day, Princess Eries came across Lord Folken Fanel standing on a balcony overlooking the royal gardens. She greeted him and he responded with a respectful bow.
"You seem to be in good spirits tonight, Lord Folken," Eries remarked, standing next to him.
"It has been a very productive afternoon," Folken answered somewhat proudly.
In response to Eries' raised eyebrow, he gestured towards the garden. Once she saw what he was pointing at she understood completely.
Van and Hitomi were walking among the flowers and bushes, all smiles and hand in hand, with Hitomi leaning her head on his shoulder happily.
"All your work, I presume?" Eries commented to Folken.
"I cannot take full credit for it," he conceded, "but I'd like to think I was somehow involved in producing such a favorable outcome."
"I think I know what you mean," Eries acknowledged, as she gazed towards the next building.
Folken followed her line of sight and instantly understood what she meant.
Visible through a slightly open window were the figures of Princess Millerna and Dryden Fassa pleasantly engrossed in a book. The scholar seemed to be explaining something excitedly to his companion while she looked on in interest and pleasure.
"I believe congratulations are in order, then," Folken observed to his companion. Eries shook her head.
"Just like you, I was barely involved," she said, "but I am very pleased with the result."
The two older siblings shared stories of their little victories, but little did they know that they were becoming the objects of an internal conspiracy. Their standing together, exchanging rarely seen smiles, and engaging in pleasant conversation gave certain observers reason enough to hatch a very elaborate plot.
Or perhaps something a little less complicated.
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"I am so pleased to hear that you and Lord Dryden have reached a better understanding," Eries commented to her sister as they walked down one of the palace halls. Millerna had been recounting her conversation with Dryden from a few days ago and Eries listened eagerly to every detail.
Millerna had chosen that particular hallway for them to pass because it had several large windows, which opened out into a lovely view of the palace gardens. Since the weather had been very mild for the past few days, some of these windows had been opened to allow the cool breeze to refresh the palace interiors.
Eries was just about to make a remark to her sister about the upcoming royal ball when she was propelled out the window by an extraordinary and unexpected force. She was so shocked by this development that she barely heard the shouts from within the hall.
"What have you done?!"
"You weren't supposed to push her yet! Neither of them is in position!
"This doesn't lead to the balcony!"
"Well, you could have told me that earlier!"
"I was TRYING!"
All the while Eries felt herself succumbing to the pull of gravity, plummeting to what she felt certain was her death. She was too shocked to scream and she tried to resign herself to the idea that her life was about to end. But somehow, that was a terrifying prospect and she struggled against it violently.
Then, just as she was about to lose all hope, she caught a glimpse of two large white wings. She felt two strong arms encircle her waist and she instinctively put her own arms around her savior and held tight.
Folken tried to make their descent as gentle as possible and even when they stood on terra firma he held her close, trying to steady her. They stood that way for a few moments, their hearts beating wildly from the sudden exertion. Eries trembled as she tried to make sense of what had just happened, of how she had come so close to death and escaped it all in a single moment, it seemed.
Once they had both caught their breaths, Folken leaned back to take better look at the princess.
"Are you all right?" he asked in undisguised concern, "What happened?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Eries replied shakily, "one moment I was talking to my sister and the next I was falling to my death. But you saved me…thank you...thank you."
She clutched at his arms gratefully and struggled to compose herself. This incident had given her insight into her own heart and she now could not deny that it was more than gratitude that she felt towards him.
Even the usually unruffled Folken was overcome with emotion. He held her in a tight embrace, almost reluctant to let her go.
"I am only grateful I happened to see you just in time," he told her warmly.
"You would have saved anyone in the same predicament," Eries whispered to him gravely.
"You're right," he agreed, "But I could not bear it if you ever came to any harm."
Eries eased out of the embrace so that she could look at his face. In a moment of utter vulnerability and brutal honesty, his eyes revealed all his true feelings and he had no intention of hiding them from her. She smiled at him tenderly and decided that this was as good a moment as any to show him that his feelings were returned.
Quickly and decisively, she took his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his. He returned the kiss with equal fervor, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him. And so they remained for quite a while, indifferent to their surroundings as they indulged, for the first time, in their own desires.
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"Whew, that was close," Merle said with a sigh of relief, "but it all worked out in the end, didn't it?"
"You nearly got her killed," Hitomi scolded her, "and I'm sure Millerna will try and kill you for this."
The princess in question had hurried down to make sure her sister was all right. In concocting their little scheme, she and Hitomi had failed to take into account just how volatile Merle could be.
"Desperate times call for drastic measures," the cat-girl remarked with a shrug, "wasn't that what Millerna told us?"
"I don't think this is what she had in mind," Hitomi answered with a sigh.
"Well, you have to admit it was pretty effective," Merle commented nonchalantly, "You both said that they needed a little nudge."
"You and I define 'nudge' very, very differently," Hitomi replied with a shake of her head.
-FIN-