The Circle's End: Chapter 2
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http://www.mindspring.com/~sherline/animania/esca
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The return of Marlene had thrown everything into chaos. She had come back like a wind of excitement. She had been away for a time, and had missed the court.

Her return, though, had brought some sense of impending change. Marlene was old enough to begin matching. Marlene's beauty and liveliness made her quite the object of speculation, despite her protests to the contrary.

A number of potential suitors were thrown out. King Aston sought an ambitious match for his eldest daughter - and still in his prime - wasn't overly concerned about setting up Marlene to succeed him.

While all the court intrigues continued, Marlene was oblivious to the arrangements. Eries secretly observed Marlene and sensed something different about her. She laughed more gaily, took to parties more often, and would go traipsing around quite a bit - very different from some of her past behavior.

One lovely evening, Eries had walked in one of the remote gardens, looking to summon her sister to her father. As she rounded a rather large hedge, she suddenly happened upon her elder sister, flushed and in disarray.

"Marlene!" Eries ran to her, fearing something wrong.

"Eries!" Marlene looked surprised, her eyes darting around fearfully.

"Are you alone?" Eries stopped dead in her tracks, and regarded Marlene suspiciously. "Don't lie, tell me the truth."

Marlene straightened her clothes and looked at Eries almost defiantly. "If I was not, it is of no concern to you."

"Sister!" Eries felt her anger rise, "you are to be married off in a month and you are out gallivanting with some foolish man?!"

"Allen Schezar is not just any man!" Marlene hissed back. "You have no right to put down the greatest man in Asturia!"

Eries stared back at Marlene in shock. "Allen?" she whispered. Marlene had been with Allen? Her heart grew cold. "How did this come about?" she finally asked.

Marlene looked down, "I don't know."

Eries eyes grew dark. "Did he pursue you?"

"No." Marlene was adamant. "Allen is not so dishonorable. I have been commanding him to attend to me."

"I see, " Eries' hopes were rapidly spinning out of control, "and he did not return your affection?"


As Eries looked at Marlene's mysterious smile, she suddenly realized that Marlene and Allen did not have a simple flirtation, but were quite entangled.

"How dare you!" Eries stood up, her eyes flashing angrily. "On the eve of your announced engagement, you have given yourself over to someone you can not love! Where is your sense of responsibility and honor! Where were those things today?"

"It's not like that!" Marlene began to sob at her sister's harsh words, "I love him. I've loved him since I first saw him fight! I'd give up everything," she stood up and shook Eries, "-everything if I could!"

Eries suddenly slapped her. In shock, Marlene stopped crying and cradled her cheek. She suddenly caught a glimpse of the anger and jealousy on her sister's face. Eries quickly turned on her heel and fled the garden.

Marlene eyes dropped to the ground, "I'm sorry, Eries" she whispered , "I'm sorry."


Marlene married the King of Freid in a ceremony a month later. As Eries watched the ceremony, she could not help but wonder what Marlene and Allen had come to agree on. They had not run off, as she thought possible, nor had they made any threats to do so. As her sister exchanged vows with the King, Eries hoped Marlene could be happy again. But as she looked at the King's dark and grave persona, she felt uneasy.

Once Marlene had departed, Eries had inherited the role Marlene had filled on behalf of her sister. She turned her attention to running the affairs of court. She did an excellent job - but she, by nature quieter and more contemplative, could not fill Marlene's shoes.

Allen had already disappeared around this time, posted elsewhere on the periphery of Asturia, where rumors had it that the dragons of Fanelia were angry and encroaching into Asturia. Eries accepted this thought - rather than facing the possibility that he could be that heartbroken over Marlene.

And still, she continued to love him.