A/N: Hikari: I... I can't even say how sorry I am... I hope this page-longer chapter will make you happy enough not to kill me... Once again used Defade's translations~!


Chapter 6: The White Bird and the Moonlight

One summer night, after the darkness had wrapped itself around a vast castle, and the last of the birds' sounds died out making way to the humming of the wind, a flicker of a flame moved by the said wind could be caught by observant eyes from somewhere in the castle.

In the open window of the bottom floor a small, blonde girl looked up to the sky with her green eyes. The moon was full, and the warm night wind played among the leaves of the trees in the garden. She could even spot some small animal making its way towards the forest one could see on the edge of the castle grounds.

Despite the calmness and beauty of the scene, the girl sighed sadly. It was a world she could only dream of being part of. She felt so alone… There was no one she could talk to about these dreams of hers truthfully, or anyone that cared at that. She turned her back to the window taking a few steps into the room. But what was she supposed to do about that? Sitting down to a chair she sighed again. What was she doing here anyway? It was way past her bedtime.

She shook her head slightly. Isn't it obvious? She couldn't sleep. There were multiple reasons why she couldn't. First of all her brother was displeased at her again, and she couldn't figure out exactly why. And it bothered her. Secondly she was having nightmares. They were always, always the same, though all she ever remembered was the feeling they had: she felt cold and afraid, and it was as if the darkness around her seemed to want to devour her…

She shook her head again, this time more fiercely, trying to get rid of the memory of the nightmares. It was bad enough for them to haunt her when she was asleep, she didn't want that when she was awake also. For the third time she sighed.

"Will you please stop sighing all the time!" The girl startled at the voice from the window. Blinking once, twice, three times she stood up.

"W-Who's there?" It was barely an audible question, but it was the best she could manage at the moment. Apparently it was enough, as suddenly two small hands reached up to the windowsill, followed by a pair of arms and finally a silver haired head of a young boy. He had an amused smirk on his face.

"Isn't it polite to introduce oneself before asking the other's name?" The sentence could have made her feel irritated, but the playful sound of his voice soothed her before that happened. Instead she smiled shyly.

"You're the one who's intruding, aren't you?" she said, talking in much more audible voice than before. The boy seemed to think about this for a moment before he looked up to her again.

"Point taken", he said and practically jumped on the windowsill. Then he attempted a mocking bow. "März von Ludowing, at your servi-AUGH!" A loud thump could be heard as the boy, März lost his balance and fell into the room. The girl gasped.

"A-Are you okay?" Her voice trembled as she took a step towards him to see if he was hurt. März however just rubbed his head.

"…lost my balance…", he muttered with an embarrassed blush rising up to his cheeks. The girl blinked again before a smile crept to her lips. She raised her hands over her mouth to keep in what was coming from inside her, but as she looked at the boy at her feet and remembering the comical fall, she couldn't help herself: she started laughing. It started as a giggle, then another and then she burst to an all out laughter. März tilted his head before also smiling and joining her in laughing.

When they finally stopped after a while, the girl had sat down to the floor next to März. As they caught their breaths the boy looked at her.

"Your turn", he said smilingly, and she knew he meant that it was her turn to introduce herself. With a deep breath she smiled and told him her name.

"Elisabeth… Elisabeth von Wettin."

/FBW\

Many long years after that night, on a beautiful day in the middle of a garden of wild roses, the girl, now turned to a woman, sighed in fondness of the memory she had just shared with the man next to her. Märchen looked thoughtfully at Elisabeth as he went through the story in his mind. What was the odd nostalgia he got from it? And that name… März von Ludowing, why did it sound so familiar? As if he had heard it many, many times before, but...

He turned his attention back to Elisabeth as she chuckled once more.

"He was the first friend I ever had", she said with that same warm-yet-sad smile she had on throughout her story. It made Märchen wonder. What had happened to this März? He decided not to ask, at least not yet, as Elisabeth continued her tale.

"He lived in the forest with his mother. I remember how we used to leave the castle at nights to play there…"

/FBW\

As the stars filled the darkened sky to accompany the silvery moon, a pair of children made their way through an overgrown forest, the boy guiding the girl.

"There…watch your steps", März said as he held Elisabeth's hand while leading her past a particularly tricky spot.

"Yes!" She only smiled as she stepped over the root März had meant. Still the boy had a worried glint in his eyes.

"Are you doing okay? Not scared?"

Elisabeth shook her head, both to say no and at his worry.

"No. I'm really excited right now!" She let go of März's hand taking a few steps ahead, "Since the forest…the world is so huge!" She whirled around to smile widely at the boy. Of course she had known that there was much more to world than the castle, she had been to other towns once or twice, but seeing the forest, the trees, the grass, all the kinds of different plants and flowers… It was like a different world entirely!

März smiled at her enthusiasm as he took her hand once more.

"Well, I'll bring you to a nice spot today", he said while guiding her deeper into the forest, "Let's go!"

"Yes!" And the two laughed as they continued on.

/FBW\

"Look!"

The call echoed in the nightly forest as März approached his companion holding something in his hands, careful not to crush the thing. As he reached Elisabeth he opened his hands to show what he was holding.

"Wow! What is it?" She asked in wonder as she took a look.

"A beautiful flower." Beautiful indeed, it was a wild rose, cowered in dew which glittered in the moonlight as März gently held it up, so the girl could see it clearly.

"Wow, you're right." Elisabeth's eyes widened as she admired the simple beauty of the flower. She had seen nothing the like before, as the castle gardens grew only the most refined types of roses and other flowers. Growing something like the one her friend held would be outrageous.

März held the flower higher and smiled playfully.

"I'll put it in your hair", he said making the girl first blink in surprise, before smiling yet again. She couldn't even remember the time she had smiled as much before meeting März.

"You would?" she asked, and as the other nodded, she leaned towards him, "Make it cute."

März chuckled at this before placing the frail flower in the girl's hair. "It fits you", he said smiling at the result, making Elisabeth blush slightly before laughing a bit.

"I'm really happy." In reality, she didn't mean just the flower in her hair, but the fact that she was here, with März, her only friend, who could make her laugh, take her to adventures at nights and listen to her whenever she was down. She was, for the first time in her life, truly happy, all thanks to the silver haired boy in front of her. Not that she had the courage to say it out loud. But, maybe someday she could tell him…

"Let's go over there next time!" März snapped her out from her thoughts unknowing that they were about himself. As he grinned, Elisabeth nodded happily.

"Yes!"

Maybe… someday…

/FBW\

"Did that day ever come?"

Märchen's question made Elisabeth stare at him for a moment, making him think that he had probably said the wrong thing again. As she sighed again, he was pretty sure about it. So, it was no wonder, that when she suddenly smiled more warmly, he was a bit shocked. And he was sent even further in confusion when she answered.

"Kind of." As the woman looked at him, she seemed to realize his confusion, as she continued.

"I didn't get to say all that to him, but… I think my message came clear", she said and chuckled slightly at the look on Märchen's features, when he still didn't quite understand her meaning.

"Well, you see… März and his mother travelled to place to place, I never found out why. But eventually they had to leave that forest to the next one", she explained, "So we had to say good bye…"

Märchen looked at her in wonder. Was that the reason she was so sad? Because he had left? No, there was bound to be more. He listened more intently. He had to know the reason. Somehow he just had to.

"As we did, I gave him my doll as a keepsake of myself and made him promise to come back for me", she said and chuckled again, "Maybe it was a bit selfish of me. But, as always, he smiled at me, and promised…"

Elisabeth decided not to tell the man about the kiss. It would had felt slightly awkward to tell him about it, so she kept that bit to herself. Other than that, she noticed that it felt so… easy to tell Märchen all this. It was like he was supposed to know this. Like he was supposed to understand it all. As she came to think of this, she stopped. Why was that? She had no explanation for it.

Märchen was having similar thoughts, but they fell on the back of his head as the mystery of this März boy gave no room for them. So he had promised to come back for her. So what had happened?

"So… did he?" he asked. As Elisabeth looked at him questioningly, he continued, "Come back I mean."

The sorrow that filled her eyes made him want to kick himself once more. Why couldn't he stop asking questions that made the woman sad? What kind of gentleman was he? Nonetheless she answered.

"No, he didn't", she said and as she noticed that the man beside her seemed irritated by this, she quickly continued, "It's not what you think! I'm sure he would have come back if…"

Märchen frowned as she trailed off. Elisabeth took a deeper breath at this point, as if she was going to admit something she had denied for years. A horrible realization came to Märchen. Could it possibly be that this März was..?

"…I-if… he had…" Suddenly a tear rolled down her cheek. "If he… had not… d-died."

Now Märchen didn't feel like kicking himself. He felt like jumping into the well some ways behind them, and never come out. How could he be so insensitive? No wonder she was so sorrowful. And for all he could tell, März hadn't only been her friend, no, she had loved the boy! And yet… and yet he came to think, how the boy had died? Luckily, or unluckily, however one would see it, he didn't need to ask. For suddenly they both came to realize that the day had already turned to evening. But this realization didn't come because of the red tint in the sky, nor the sudden cold wind making its way through the garden.

No, the reason for this was the eerie feeling of a petite figure coming from the castle doors, and the colder-than-ice stare of evenly icy blue eyes on their backs.


A/N: Hikari: I know, I know... I should be crucified for not updating for TWO FREAKING MONTHS! And now I left a cliffie! I'm a truly horrible author... I'm just glad I'm not His Highness! He has so many more fans than me (if I even can call you guys fans XD). But, enough blabbling and onto the reviews!

dawntodusk: I AM a psychic! Mwahahaa! For an example I can hear all the murderous thoughts my readers have of me~ *cough* Anyway, I know some of the phrases I write sound odd, even I have sometimes trouble understanding what I write ^^' But they make me seem professional, don't they? ...Yea... I should probably sleep more so I'd stop blabbling random things...

Syaoran's Sakura: ... -sama? That's... That's the first time anyone has called me with that in the end... I'm feeling quiltier by the second!

BraveNina: Ah, everyone's saying they love my stovy... I'm not worthy! And I don't mind your English, I understand you just fine ^^

And to everyone: You all mentioned Elise's absence, so I'm guessing you all were waiting for this dearly. Hope you all like this almost-Eliseless-chapter too~!

Now that I've finished my work, and the next con is coming in a few months (and I already have the costume for it), I should be able to update more often, but don't take it as a promise! I'm too unreliable to be trusted to update on time! But I can promise to try.

Again, sorry for the awful delay! Expect the next chapter earlier that that, and also, those who have been waiting for update for my other story, I finally know how to continue, so expect update there too!

Over and out!