"It is fortunate that their ages are so near."
"That is true, but it seems to me such a poor match for the princess."
"Aye, I agree with you. You know what I've heard regarding this? Rumor has it that the king does not love her as much as he does for his other daughters, and that is why he has agreed to such an arrangement."
"But I hear the intended comes from a royal family himself."
"The intended? The intended comes from Fanelia, a kingdom of little consequence."
"If perhaps the Princess Eries acted more like her sister, the Princess Marlene, then maybe her engagement would have been more prudent. Princess Eries does not smile as often, does not sing or dance for anyone…" with this the voice trailed off as the servants went about their work, arranging the possessions of Princess Eries for her journey to Fanelia, gossiping quietly with each other.
The ten-year old Eries leaned against the wall of her room, overhearing every word that the servants uttered regarding her engagement, her quiet eyes brimming with an unexplained sadness. She was not quite sure of why she had to leave Asturia and live in Fanelia for one year, for the only explanation given to her was that it was part of the arranged marriage, for her to be able to be familiar with the surroundings and the kingdom she was marrying into. The concept of marriage itself was very unclear to her, and she did not understand why her engagement showed to everyone, even the servants, that her father was not fond of her as much as he was fond of Marlene. Eries had always suspected it, but kept silent about it. But to hear her own chambermaids discuss about it…
She turned upon her heel and fled blindly down the hall, for suddenly tears were there in her eyes, and she did not like it. She did not like crying, not at all, and she especially did not like it when she did not know exactly why she was crying. She ran to the gardens, where she had always been when she had always found solace before. She flew below the arches of roses, towards the lake. When she raised her eyes she saw that someone was already there, in her favorite spot in the garden.
It was Princess Marlene. She heard the sound of the approaching footsteps, and turned around to welcome the newcomer. She smiled when she saw her younger sister coming, but it faded when she saw her face more closely. Without a word, she opened her arms, and Eries gladly came into her arms, pressing her face against Marlene.
"Eries, why do you cry?" Marlene asked softly, concerned in seeing her quiet sister in such a state.
It took a few moments before Eries could answer, but when she did it came with a stinging bitterness. "Marlene, why do I have to leave? Why do I have to leave for so long? Does father hate me so much to send me away to a land I have never even heard of before?"
Marlene laughed and pushed her sister at an arm's length, and smiled at her. "I do believe my wise and thoughtful sister makes silly misapprehensions once in a while." She laughed merrily, shaking her head. Eries stared at her with wondering eyes. "Come, let us sit for a while, and tell me your doubts and questions."
"Answer this one first." Eries pleaded, her tears ceasing at last.
Marlene smiled ruefully and laughed again. "Eries, you are not being sent away by father, or anyone else in the court. Your leaving is not anything new. The royal family has been doing it for many years now, as a part of the marriage process. You have come to an age where you must go and meet your intended, and see for yourself your future home with him."
"So…so you have gone also, when you were as big as me?" Eries sniffled.
Marlene's smile dimmed somewhat at this question. "Yes." She answered softly. "I have. Do not worry too much on this journey, Eries." She went on, smiling again encouragingly to her sister. "You still have a long way to go in learning what marriage exactly means. For now, just enjoy the trip. Fanelia is a very beautiful kingdom, and I know you will like it there, being the lover of trees and nature that you are."
"But…but I heard that it is not so. They say it is a kingdom of very little consequence…" Eries said softly, although her heart was a little cheered by the prospect of seeing new woods and forests. "They say that I am marrying into a royal family that is not as good as ours…"
Hearing this, Marlene laughed and hugged Eries. "And who are 'they', whose opinion matter so much, my dear Eries? The gossiping servants who fixed your things?" with this Eries blushed, and said no more. "Don't listen to them. Come, let us sit down, and I will tell you all that I could of Fanelia. Although it is very unlike our own kingdom, it is an old kingdom, and many tales are woven around it. Would you like to hear it?" when Eries nodded, Marlene took her hand and led her to a bench under a shady tree and here she began. She told Eries of the people, that they were a fighting people and defended their borders from the roaming dragons, terror of their lands. She told them of Fanelia's warrior kings, and their valiant deeds and courageous acts, and how they had always been an aid to the other kingdoms in times of greatest need. But Eries was most interested in the story of Escaflowne, the gift from the sky, the heirloom of their kings, and how it was said to be sleeping in a great rock, to be awakened if the king so wished. In hearing Marlene speak of Fanelia so highly, the words of the servants were forgotten, and Eries grew fascinated with Fanelia, and from the moment thereon, loved it as she loved her own country.
When the sun dawned upon the new day, it was time for Eries to leave, and her family and all of those with royal blood and the members of the court gathered to be see her off. Then Marlene came up to her and hugged her, wishing her luck on her journey, and slipping her necklace and clasping it around Eries' neck, she smiled, and her smile was what Eries thought of whenever she yearned for home in Fanelia. "You bring the kingdom of Asturia with you." She whispered, and Eries nodded, knowing the full meaning of her words. She bowed low to her father as a final farewell, and boarded the ship, and sailed away.
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A/N: This is just the intro, just the intro…sorry if it's a little…out of whack…-_-; later chapters will improve, I promise.
A/N (part two): Whatever possessed me to write an Eries/Folken story, I don't know, but hey! It's not gonna kill anyone, right? ^_^; I just have to remind you that it's not gonna be a happy ending, as I will be following the storyline of Escaflowne (so no, Folken will not live again and such). Yes, Allen will be here too, and maybe we'll get to see some action on him as well. Just what kind of action, am still not sure…(not the hentai one, ok?)
