A/N: Hikari: Oh, my... It's the last chapter. Beside the epilogue...s. Betaed once again by the wonderful dawntodusk. And once again there's some Defade's translations. Enjoy~!
Chapter 11: That Shining Era
The horizon was slowly but surely bleached by the rising sun. With it the whole world seemed to just light up in bright luminance. That moment, just before the world woke up to the golden sphere's rays, everything was still. That moment, everything was silent.
Within that world of light a patch of darkness could be seen. And within that darkness, two figures could be found, each contrasting each other as the white clad woman embraced the darker toned man tightly. Unlike she feared, the man didn't move. He didn't push her away, nor did he tell her off. He just stood there, unmoving. But she knew he wasn't simply keeping still. She could sense the battle going on within his mind. She could feel darkness trying to take control again, but being fended off by something else.
Märchen… No, März was fighting for his life. He was fighting for the chance to step out into light once more. He was fighting for his freedom.
Elisabeth helped the best she could every step of the way. Whenever the darkness strengthened, she would slightly tighten her embrace. She said nothing. Words had lost their meaning, even if she had known what words to choose. Instead she remembered.
She remembered that time at the window, the moment she realized what it was like being locked up in a birdcage.
She remembered their adventures in the forest, the moon shining down on them, lighting up their way.
She remembered the wild roses they had found under the starry sky, their scent, their feel, even their thorns.
She remembered the times they laughed together, the stories of the outside world he would tell her.
She remembered the times he would listen to her worries and always find the right words to comfort her.
She remembered the promise under the setting sun.
For the first time in years she let the barriers she had built around those memories crumble, fall apart to pieces, and let them flow free, filling up her mind, hoping that some of them would reach her loved one. Concentrating she found her most loved memories of that time.
The glorious sight of his silver hair glowing in the moonlight.
His lovely eyes looking at her with understanding far beyond his age.
His boyish smile that overflowed with self-confidence.
The adorable tilt of his head when he couldn't understand something.
The feel of his lips over hers…
Picture after picture, emotion after emotion, Elisabeth only now fully realized how much she had missed him. Only now she understood how great part of her life he had been, how large part of herself she had shut away with the memories of him. He was her wings, the one who set her free, and the one who showed her the beautiful silvery world outside the castle. He was the one she loved over everything else.
All of these memories, these feelings, these pictures... The more she remembered the more tears fell down her cheeks, accompanying the ones she shed before. Not just for sadness either. All the repressed emotions came out all at once, nearly making her fall to her knees. But she didn't, for her will to aid März, to help him like he had helped her, was far stronger. So she tightened her embrace once more.
And suddenly the darkness flared once more.
/FBW\
He remembered. He remembered everything. Everything he had wondered about, the pictures that the feelings had lacked, the things he hadn't been able to explain. It all came back to him. The forests he had seen with his mother, the places they had visited, the people they had met. He remembered that certain forest, the one they had played in.
They? He had to think about that for a moment. Who else was there? When he viewed the memories, all he saw in her place was light. Her? So that person was a girl. But who was it? Who belonged to the place of that light?
Light… That thought clicked something in his mind. Not the light of day. Not the light of the moon. Not the light coming from a flame. It was not real light that could be seen, he realized. No, it was a feeling.
The question remained, what feeling was it? And for whom did he feel it for? As he tried so hard to remember, he felt darkness trying to overwhelm him again. Ido. Suddenly he knew for sure that he would need to remember. That memory was the key, the weapon he would have to use to win his freedom. Why else would the cold darkness of impulses try and keep him from remembering?
So he concentrated. Who was it? That girl, who was she?
Something kept knocking at the back of his mind, trying to make itself known. He grasped it in desperation, hoping for a clue for this riddle.
And all he saw was light. Bright, blinding, radiant light that seemed to overwhelm him in Ido's place. Such a familiar light… Light! She was… That girl was his light! The light he had searched for all this time! That light, that feeling, he knew what it was. And then he knew, he knew who the girl was.
Her name was…
/FBW\
All of the sudden Elisabeth felt the man's arms move. They were rising. And the darkness was still there! Oh no, he hadn't lost the fight, had he? Had her love not been enough? She closed her tearful green eyes in sorrow and waited for those arms to push her away. Was this it? The end of their battle for freedom?
The man's arms rose higher and higher. Then, suddenly, against what she expected, they wrapped around her, returning her embrace. She heard a quiet whisper in her ear.
"Elisabeth…"
Following that single, simple name, the darkness around them and within him shattered into pieces, like fragile glass that was struck with a force powerful enough to grind stone to mere dust.
As the pieces started to fade out from existence, the two stood there, quiet, unmoving. They both were in a shock, neither could quite believe what had just happened. Elisabeth tried to comprehend the meaning of the crumbling darkness, while Märchen, no, März was overwhelmed by his newly received memories.
It is possible that they would have stayed like that for a long while, had it not been for the sudden rays of sunlight that passed through the disappearing void. The woman had her back towards the rising sun, but the man was facing it, and after spending so long in darkness he wasn't used to direct bright light. Thus he was startled by the luminance.
The moment he let go of Elisabeth in order to shield his eyes, she snapped out from her trance as well. Seeing her loved one shielding his eyes with a frown on his features frightened her.
"A-Are you okay?" Her voice was still a bit shaky because of the emotional turmoil. The man shook his head to get rid of the colors floating over his sight, scaring the woman for a bit, before smiling.
"I'm alright, the light just…" In fact he didn't know what to say about the light. It was new to him, the brightness of it, after such a long time. So… "I guess I will just have to get used to it once more", he said with a light chuckle. Elisabeth sighed in relief and smiled. He was back to normal. She thought so at least. Though it wouldn't hurt to make sure of it.
"Is… Is it gone? That… being?" The man looked at her for a moment, before nodding with a rather odd expression. It was like he had only now fully realized what it meant, which was not too far from the truth. He was free. He was free of Ido, free of revenges, free of all the tragedies. Free.
With that affirmation, Elisabeth looked behind her with eyes of hope that was just there, flickering like a dying flame. Following her gaze the man immediately knew what she was looking at, and before she could ask the question forming on her lips, he shook his head.
"She is already gone", he said in a sad tone, voicing out the obvious, painful truth. Saying it out loud was like blowing the flame out, as sorrow entered the woman's features. He hated to see her like that, even when he was feeling similar grief himself. To do something about it he, rather awkwardly as he still tried to keep himself from being blinded by the rising sun, closed the miniature distance between them once more, embracing the woman again in comfort as she nodded, acknowledging his statement fully.
"I know, I just…" She swallowed to prevent her voice from breaking. She had cried enough in her opinion, though her eyes and throat seemed to disagree. The feeling of the man's arms around her was soothing however, so she didn't feel as bad as she could had been feeling without him there.
Suddenly the man realized that he was still holding the baton in his right hand. He couldn't use it anymore, nor did he wish to, for he now realized that it was one of the chains keeping him captive. Releasing Elisabeth from his arms, his golden eyes looked around for a moment before landing on the well beside them.
With determination he took a couple of steps towards it. Then he forcefully threw the baton down into it, back where it belonged.
Suddenly, following the action, deep rumbling thundered over the castle grounds, and for a short moment the two almost believed Ido had came back. That belief was shot down by the sight they encountered when they turned around to face the castle itself. The magnificent building was slowly crumbling away, a fact that made Elisabeth stare at it in surprise and wonder. On the other hand, realization dawned upon her companion.
"The castle was Ido's creation, so now that it's no longer needed…" The baton had been the last bit of the darkness within the grounds, and sending it down the well… It made sense the castle wouldn't remain after Ido was gone. As he thought of this, the woman thought for a moment of those words, before her eyes widened in sudden understanding.
"Then… Those paintings…", she muttered, picking the man's interest.
"Paintings?" For a moment he couldn't see what she meant. Sure, there were a lot of paintings in the castle, Ido had had a small obsession with them, something about them affecting people's impulses, but he really didn't-. His eyes widened in turn. Unless… "You were in that room, weren't you?"
Before she could stop herself, Elisabeth blushed lightly, like a child caught doing something forbidden, and nodded carefully.
"I really had hoped you wouldn't have seen that", he muttered, grimacing slightly. It did explain a lot. Like how she had ran away like that. He would probably not had expected anything else from her. He felt he had to explain when he saw the questioning look in her eyes. "Those paintings were… well, you could say reminders. Of the amount and nature of the tragedies I conducted. Ido has always been obsessed with number seven and apparently there had to be seven of those as well and…" He trailed off at the sight of confusion over her features, realizing that she probably had no idea what he was talking about. Which was very true. Right.
Suddenly his sense of normality was turned upside down. In the world he knew revenge and impulses, death and despair had been something every day, normal. Now, he knew, everything would be the opposite.
Luckily he wouldn't have to face the new world alone. The confusion was pushed aside by a gentle smile as Elisabeth understood the trouble he was having.
"Why don't you tell me all about it while we leave this place, März… Märch…" The man in question looked at the woman with an amused smirk. It really wasn't obvious what she should call him, for while his real name was März von Ludowing, for the past years he had been living as Märchen von Friedhof. He didn't even look just like either of them anymore. His features were still that of the conductor, but the light he had regained made him so much more like the boy she had fallen in love with all that time ago. He looked like a mix of both of them. He was both of them. Elisabeth thought for a while before bursting in a smile as radiant as the sun itself.
"I will just call you Mär", she said. Mär smiled as well, taking a step towards the nearest gate out from the grounds of the used-to-be castle, with a gesture that clearly said, "Shall we?". The woman nodded, but before they made any further move away from the place, she walked to the doll that used to be Elise. It was broken and lifeless, a miserable sight that made Elisabeth swallow her tears again. Gently she lifted the doll to her arms and returned to the man.
Mär looked at her with sad eyes, but smiled nonetheless. As they stated their way off the grounds, he looked up to the sky that was bleached with light gold. His eyes were already adjusting to the radiance. Quietly he thought to himself:
Mutti, the light… is warm.
A/N: Hikari: I'm seriously going to freaking cry. I can't believe it's the last chapter. I'm missing everyone already! Q^Q Well, I do have the epilogue left, so I guess I shouldn't cry yet. Ah, and not just epilogue, epilogues!
But before I go to that, I'm answering some reviews. For the second last time. Wow.
pika318: Thank you! I had been really nervous about both of those things. First of all whether or not I could pull off writing Therese, and, as I said before, I'm not used to writing climaxes. This is the first story that's gotten so far XD
dawntodusk: I owe you so much, thank you a million times! *hugs* And yes, glad you liked Therese written by me~ I really was nervous ^^" And the Yoiyami part! I just had to write it when I came to that spot. I was listening to Yoiyami at the time XD The hug.. I'm really glad I got it right ^^
WitchJuliana: I know, right? It was so hard writing that, since I've really grown to like her. At least this my version of her. And I'm thinking this is the happy ending you were hoping? ^^
About the chapter: Before anyone comes and smacks me in the face with this, yes, I know Mär is supposed to be dead. I mentioned nothing about it, because I couldn't figure out how to make it work so that I could give you the happy ending of Elisabeth and Märchen without too much confusion. So I had to "forget" that little fact ^^ Though if you want an explanation I have one ready, so do ask. I dare you! :D
This is officially the first long story I've ever finished! Of course there's the epilogues, but I'm considering the main part of the story over. Okay, you must be getting annoyed with me mentioning epilogues with a "s" in the end, am I right? Okay, I'm telling, before anyone decides to choke me.
My problem of 13 chapters solved itself by making me write two separate epilogues. Yes, two. There's the light epilogue, and then there's the dark one. But here's the thing: I'm only putting up one of them to the end of this story, the other I'm publishing on it's own. So you're getting to read them both, of course, but I have a problem, which I'm hoping to solve with your help:
Which one do I put up here and which one do I put elsewhere?
I'm asking you, for, in the end, I am writing this to you guys ^^ So you get to decide! I'm making the final decision a week from now, on Christmas Eve, so there's time until then. Note: the light one, which is currently the longer one of the two, has some actual plot, while the dark one has some... very SH:ish features that we have seen before in canon. That's all you get for now!
Now, before this get's any longer (because it's too long already), I'm ending this A/N here~!
Adieu~!
