Drink in the Moonlight
Disclaimer: I own nothing of "The Vision of Escaflowne. Otherwise, Folken and Eries would somehow be together.
Note: Happy New Year!
I've been surprisingly productive and I've written this chapter earlier than I expected so I hope I'll be able to keep up the pace for the rest of the story. For now this will be the last chapter set in the present time and it will introduce several flashback chapters since you're probably interested in how Eries and Folken got together in the first place. But I've also tried to keep Eries' life in Fanelia interesting and I've included one of my favorite characters, in a way. We will be seeing some of Folken in the next chapters as well.
I hope you enjoy this chapter and I will try to post the next one as soon as I can.
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Throughout her stay in Fanelia, Eries maintained a lively correspondence with the people dearest to her in Asturia and around Gaea. She and Millerna wrote to each other often, keeping updated on what each one was doing. The youngest princess was careful not to let their father know that there were still some strong links of communication between them because she knew he would not approve. She had often told her sister that she would easily brave the king's displeasure but Eries advised that it would be wiser to simply avoid trouble.
And while Eries had made some new friends among the people in Van's land, she still had contact with a few old friends who remained loyal to her. She would also occasionally receive some charming letters from her nephew in Freid who constantly expressed his concern for her and had even invited her to live with him in the duchy. Eries enjoyed writing and receiving all these letters since she never had so much time for them when she was still in Palas. The effort of writing now was more rewarding because she already knew the people who valued her friendship and love and she did not need to bother with those who only pretended to be friends.
Van had worried at the start that in spite of all his efforts to make her feel welcome, Eries was still lonely. But she assured him that she was not and that she was perfectly content with her situation. And when the young king saw the bundles of letters she would receive regularly (most of which were from Princess Millerna), he stopped worrying. She was not just resigned to her present circumstances, she thrived in them. And the more he watched her, the more he realized that the only thing missing in her life was his brother.
The young king often gazed at the sky, not only to turn his thoughts to a certain girl on the Mystic Moon, but also to try and search for his brother. He now joined in Eries' certainty that Folken was alive and that he would return someday. Sometimes, Van would silently address his brother and hope that his words would reach Folken wherever the latter may be.
"You must not keep her waiting long," he said once, "We all miss you terribly, but she misses you most of all."
But Van believed that Folken was not intentionally delaying his return. The time was simply not just right. Because seeing how much Eries loved his brother, Van knew that Folken would not allow himself to be parted from her for even a moment longer than necessary.
One day, both Eries and Van received letters with one strange request. This was from Allen Schezar, who was a good friend to them both, and only dared to ask this of them because he felt like he had no other choice.
Eries read her letter carefully and considered all the consequences. The decision, however, was not hers to make and she immediately went to discuss the matter with Van. She found him in his study, also poring over the letter seriously, his brow knitted in thought.
"I thought I should speak to you about this at once," she said, "since you are more concerned in this issue than I am. What do you think about Allen's request?"
Van re-read the letter and thought about it carefully.
"Allen wants to send his sister to live here under our protection?" Van repeated the request as he tried to figure out what to do.
Eries nodded and waited for his response. Van was puzzled and echoed his concerns to his sister-in-law.
"If this person was anyone other than Celena Schezar, there would be no problem," Van commented and Eries understood him immediately.
"But then again," he added hesitantly, "if this were anyone other than Allen asking me this favor, I would instantly refuse it."
Eries now saw that despite everything that had happened, there was a strong and deep friendship between the king of Fanelia and the Knight Caeli. Perhaps this was the bond Allen had hoped to appeal to in making his request.
"He wrote you as well," Van asked, looking at her, "and I suppose he seemed just as desperate."
"He would not have dared write you about this if he wasn't," Eries replied calmly.
For the letter had been written in a tone of great anxiety and urgency.
"I know that this is much to ask of you," Allen had written, "but I am running out of options and there is no one else I can trust with such an important matter."
"What do you think?" Eries asked the young man, "I'm sure Allen would understand you completely if you refused."
But she could see that Van was having second thoughts and that somehow, he still wanted to help his old friend.
"What do you think?" he turned the question to her.
"I did say that I would look after her when she first came back," she replied honestly, "but that was before my own situation changed and before we even knew that she and Dilandau Albatou were so inexplicably linked."
A slight tension filled the room at the mention of that name and there was a sharp intake of breath from Van. But Eries felt that it would be better to get it out as soon as possible instead of letting the shadow hang over them indefinitely.
"Do you think," Van asked gravely, "that there's still a chance that he may come back?"
Eries considered this carefully. She did not know much about Dilandau and Celena's situation except what Allen and Folken had told her. She had seen Celena transform into a young man but she had been just as perplexed as Allen.
"I never really understood what had happened to Celena," Eries began slowly, "and unfortunately, even Folken could not explain the matter completely since he had not been directly involved in the … experiments that had been done."
She paused and considered her next words carefully. Despite everything, she was inclined to accept Allen's request if Van would consent to it. Not only did she feel that she owed Allen this and that she had a fondness and sympathy for the sister, who was undoubtedly confused and lost, but she also knew that should Dilandau resurface, Folken would have wanted to save him somehow. How to convey all this in a way that was also sensitive to Van's feelings was a great challenge to her.
"To be perfectly honest," she continued, "I think that since he was never really killed, there will always be a chance that he might come back. If Celena comes here, that is a risk we will have to take."
She paused again and watched Van's reaction. He looked slightly alarmed but also relieved at her honesty. It was clear that he had had the same fear.
"But I also think," she added cautiously, "that if such an event occurs, it would be better for it to happen under our watch and guidance rather than in a situation that neither we nor Allen can control. That way, any danger that may arise, can be quickly contained. We would at least know where Dilandau would be and we would be spared the worry of wondering when he might strike if he simply ran wild in the unknown."
Eries concluded her argument and waited for Van's response. She hoped that he would consider her words seriously and that there might still be a chance for his consent. She did not want to add that another purpose for watching over Celena and anticipating Dilandau's return would be to give the latter a second chance at life. If he proved that his experiences had somehow changed him and if he was shown mercy for the very first time, there might still be hope of reform. That was a small chance she was willing to take. Now, however, was not the time to talk of mercy to Van but Eries hoped that it would come.
But whatever else may happen, it would always be beneficial for them to know where Dilandau was and what he was up to.
"You've given me sensible advice, as usual," Van replied gravely, "and I shall think on your words very carefully before I make my decision."
"Thank you," Eries answered respectfully, "and know that I shall support your decision, whatever it may be."
"Thank you," he said with a smile, glad that at least he would not be alone in taking responsibility for what was to come.
After a few days, a reply was sent to Allen Schezar. And a few days later, the knight himself arrived in Fanelia to escort his sister.
Allen's gratitude was overwhelming and he constantly expressed to Van how much he was indebted to the young king for doing him this huge favor. The knight also thanked Princess Eries profusely, knowing that she surely had a hand in convincing Van to accept Celena.
"Rest assured," Allen told them, "that should any … unpleasantness… arise, I shall take full responsibility for the consequences."
"I shall depend on you for that," Van replied but not unkindly. They were good friends, and he understood as well as Allen did, the value of family. After all, he had also lost a sibling for a significant amount of time. Allen stayed for a few more days, just to get Celena settled in, and then he needed to leave again to fulfill his duties. He hoped that all would be well before he went on his assignment and he was fortunate that Van and Eries were so receptive of the girl. He constantly expressed his gratitude and indebtedness to his friend.
Eries took charge of taking care of Celena and introducing her to the people in Fanelia. Fortunately, the secret of Celena's past identity was known only to Eries, Van, Allen, and Merle so the others did not treat her differently. Van was able to convince his feline friend to keep the secret so as not to cause any unnecessary trouble.
And though Merle was suspicious of Celena at first, she soon found herself warming to the girl in spite of everything. Celena was a shy and timid young woman who wondered at everything she saw around her. She marveled at the beauty of Fanelia and often expressed her admiration of the country to Van.
Even the king decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and to treat her like family since she had proven to be a gentle soul. Van figured that this was her true nature and any malice of Dilandau had been effectively trapped within her or even destroyed completely. For the moment, there was nothing to fear.
Celena flourished in her new environment and soon gained a pleasing reputation among the people. She was a kind and gentle soul, lovely and unassuming and she had some of her brother's charm about her despite her shyness. Everyone grew fond of her and she became very happy in her new home. While she missed her brother a lot, she was not lonely because Eries constantly accompanied her and she even became close friends with Merle, who was less on her guard with the girl since she sensed no great danger from her.
Eries was also glad to have another companion whom she treated like a younger sister. Celena grew to love the princess dearly and spent as much time as she could with her. They spoke of many things but the war was never discussed. There was also a large gap in Celena's memory, which gave her occasional headaches. But trying to remember was too painful and she decided to stop. Somehow she knew that to attempt to unlock the past would only bring back much unpleasantness and she was far too happy at the moment to relive any forgotten horrors. She confided all of this to Eries who comforted the girl as much as she could and agreed that it would be better for Celena to look to the future instead of trying to delve into the murky abyss of the past.
While Celena was determined to let go her past, she grew more curious about Eries', particularly the latter's relationship with Van's elder brother. Eries was five months pregnant at this point and everyone awaited the baby's arrival with great anticipation. Naturally, Celena wanted to learn more about the child's father and how he and Eries had gotten together. Eries found it ironic that this young girl had no idea of what Folken was like when her other self, Dilandau, had known Folken for the past ten years. But Eries kept silent about this and thought that it was probably for the best that Celena had not even the slightest memory of Folken or of anything from Zaibach. This ignorance, at least, was a sign of Dilandau's absence.
Blossoming as a young woman, Celena grew interested in romance and imagining her dear friend in one greatly excited her.
"What was he like, your husband?" Celena would ask inquisitively, "And how did he win your heart? Was it a long courtship?"
Eries was quite surprised at such an aggressive interest in her personal affairs and had it been anyone else, she would have refused to answer such questions. But there was a purity and innocence in the girl's eyes that won Eries over. Besides, thought she, perhaps it was time to tell the story to someone.
"Well, it certainly wasn't a conventional courtship," Eries replied with a wistful smile, "And I certainly did not make it very easy for him, the poor man."
"Did you have to go through many trials and hardships?" Celena asked.
"Yes," Eries replied gravely, "It was a very difficult and sometimes painful journey, but we made it through very satisfactorily, I think."
"Oh, please do tell me the story," Celena asked, and then added shyly, "Only if you don't mind my asking such private questions, of course."
"Not at all, my dear," Eries reassured her, "I would be very happy to tell you about it."
But before she could begin, they were joined in the room by Merle and Van.
"What are you two talking about?" the cat-girl asked cheerily, "I hope you're not planning to leave me out of anything."
"Of course not, Merle," Celena replied with a smile, "In fact, you're just in time. Lady Eries was just about to tell us about how she and Lord Folken fell in love."
"Oh, how exciting!" exclaimed Merle, "I'd really like to hear about that."
"Well, I suppose I should leave you ladies to it, then," Van said awkwardly as he tried to take his leave, "I was just checking to see if you were all right."
"You're welcome to listen, if you want to, Van," Eries invited with a smile, "it is about your brother, after all."
Van looked away uncomfortably and shifted his feet but it was clear that he was intrigued by the topic. He had always wondered about Eries and Folken's relationship but never had the audacity to ask Eries about it. And now at last was an opportunity to satisfy his curiosity. Nevertheless, he wanted to show some reluctance in order to appear mature and dignified. He was a king, after all, and he had to keep up appearances.
"Oh, come on, Lord Van," Merle protested, grabbing the young king's arm, and pulling him to sit beside her, "Stop pretending you're not interested. I know you want to hear about this as much as I do so stop trying to act so cool."
The young man was about to protest but a look from Merle silenced him and he settled down to listen. There was no point in pretending he didn't want to hear the story.
"Well, I didn't quite expect an audience," Eries said, looking at the three figures gathered around her, "but I suppose it is quite a story. Now, let me see, where do I begin?"