Title: Locked, Barred, Guarded: A Story of Eries
Author: Aria Nereid Fassa a.k.a. Hitomi Eries (H.E.) Aston-Schezar
Disclaimer: Tenkuu no Escaflowne, Eries and most of these characters belong to their original creator Kawamori Shoji & co. Except for Sian, who is a figment of my own imagination.
Author's Note: Just when i had begun to despair of ever finding the beautiful Eries fanfic i had been seeking for so long...ta-dah--i discovered _The Circle's End_ by Sherline, followed by _The Secret Life of a Girl_ by Aerika S, both of which inspired me while writing this. Oh, and i listened to a lot of depressed/angsty chick music writing this, so if this seems overly-neurotic/Ally-McBeal-esque, you'll know why. Annie Lennox, Fiona Apple and PJ Harvey just seem to make me think of Eries and vice versa...And all the song lyrics sprinkled liberally throughout are my woefully inadequate substitute for illustrations. In my mind's eye this fic has gorgeous illuminations in the style of Alphonse Mucha, but since i can't draw worth a damn and can't get any1 to illustrate this for love or money, i make do with song lyrics. Most of my fics will prolly have BGM, or a soundtrack. My apologies to Hitomi's Tarot deck for thinking it was bent on Allen & Millerna being together, because as Aerika S pointed out in her review, that was just Hitomi being hysterical...Rating's been upped from G to PG because i realized it's going to get mildly kinky later on [heheheheheh]
"Prelude to an Overture Never Played"
Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, there was a young woman named Eries Aria Aston who just so happened to be a princess of the kingdom, called Asturia. One day (on the 12th of Green) she was out on the grounds of Castle Palas with her friend Sian, when she noticed her older sister, who'd been somewhat of a recluse lately, with a very striking man--he had blond hair of a shade more golden than her sister's, and her own, pale hair.
She nudged Sian in the arm. "Hey, who's that with Marlene?"
"Him? Must be the latest Knight Caeli, come to join the guard..." Sian Argosy squinted at the pair, blowing dark bangs out of her eyes. "S'posed to be some sorta genius swordsman..."
Eries tapped a finger against her chin. "Oh yes, now I remember! Allen Schezar--wonder boy of the military arts championship--he's only about our age..." Palas, capital of Asturia, wasn't called the City of Intrigue for nothing. The gossip network was very sophisticated, and Eries could be an excellent listener when she wanted, although she paid hardly any attention to the usual who's-doing-what-to-whom. She'd been elated when Uncle Nueva had suggested taking her to see the archery competition at the military arts tournament, but it'd been decided the excursion would be more beneficial for Marlene.
They watched with interest as the Princess Marlene and the knight stood next to each other and conversed in low voices. Sian sniffed, lifting her chin in the direction of Marlene and the blond man. "They're looking plenty cozy, don't ya think? Seems rather improper--"
Personally Eries was inclined to agree. But, with a small grin and an raised eyebrow, she again jabbed her. "You're a strange one to talk about propriety, you cross-dresser, you!" Sian's shirt-and-trouser outfits provided Eries with an endless supply of ammunition for teasing her, though she did admire Sian's audacity in wearing them almost everyday, especially since combined with her boyishly short haircut and an enviably lanky figure, Sian made quite a pretty "boy".
"I'll have you know, uppity lil royal personage," Sian began, in a snobby nasal tone, "women in pants are all the rage in Egzardia!"
The two broke out into stifled laughter, then remembered themselves and shushed. From behind some topiary they resumed furtive observation of Marlene and the blond man.
The knight, however, had apparently noticed them, because he seemed to gesture toward the topiary.
"Oi. Eri-ko, we're busted..." said Sian.
"So much for our brilliant career in covert ops. Nothing for it but to join the welcoming committee." She moved diffidently toward her sister with Sian in tow.
"Oh. It's you, imôto-san," said Marlene as they walked up to her. "May I present Allen Schezar VIII, our new Knight Caeli. Allen-san, she is my sister, the Princess Eries, and her friend Sian Argosy. Sian's father is Riding Master here."
"Word of your fine swordsmanship precedes you, Allen-san. We are fortunate to have such a skilled addition to the guard," Eries said, determined to be as gracious as she knew how, to make up for their faux pas. Allen Schezar took the hand she held out to him, and bent low over it, his blue eyes looking up at her face. "It is an honor to serve the court, Your Highness," he murmured. Eries felt her heart skip a beat. She dismissed it as a palpitation, even though she never had a palpitation before, having enjoyed fine health all her fifteen years. Glancing at her sister, she saw Princess Marlene's brow--which caused the kingdom's swains to praise its alabaster purity, in iambic pentamenter, no less--marred by a small but definite crease.
When the knight let go, Sian caught his hand and gave it a quick shake. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Allen-san." Her voice was still somewhat nasal, as if she was holding her breath in. Eries looked at her, concerned, and gave her the "let's skedaddle" signal, darting her expressive eyes to the side. "Please excuse us now, we were just on our way elsewhere. We're sorry we interrupted." Her friend had already started moving away with a little bow to Marlene and the knight. Eries strode to catch up and linked arms with her best friend. "Something wrong, Sian?"
Sian put a hand on the region of her heart. "Got charm coming out the orifices, that one."
"Oh, so you noticed it too?" Eries grinned impishly up at her friend.
Sian rolled her eyes. "Did you see the expression on your sister's face? She's quite taken with him. Eri-ko, that guy's trouble."
"Tell me something I don't know." Eries risked a glance over her shoulder at the pair and was surprised to see Allen was also looking in her direction. Half a moment later his gaze slid smoothly back to Marlene.
I'm one of sixteen vestal virgins / leaving for the coast / and though my eyes be open / they might as well be closed
--"Whiter Shade of Pale", Annie Lennox, _Medusa_
~next chapter: "Courante"~
Author: Aria Nereid Fassa a.k.a. Hitomi Eries (H.E.) Aston-Schezar
Disclaimer: Tenkuu no Escaflowne, Eries and most of these characters belong to their original creator Kawamori Shoji & co. Except for Sian, who is a figment of my own imagination.
Author's Note: Just when i had begun to despair of ever finding the beautiful Eries fanfic i had been seeking for so long...ta-dah--i discovered _The Circle's End_ by Sherline, followed by _The Secret Life of a Girl_ by Aerika S, both of which inspired me while writing this. Oh, and i listened to a lot of depressed/angsty chick music writing this, so if this seems overly-neurotic/Ally-McBeal-esque, you'll know why. Annie Lennox, Fiona Apple and PJ Harvey just seem to make me think of Eries and vice versa...And all the song lyrics sprinkled liberally throughout are my woefully inadequate substitute for illustrations. In my mind's eye this fic has gorgeous illuminations in the style of Alphonse Mucha, but since i can't draw worth a damn and can't get any1 to illustrate this for love or money, i make do with song lyrics. Most of my fics will prolly have BGM, or a soundtrack. My apologies to Hitomi's Tarot deck for thinking it was bent on Allen & Millerna being together, because as Aerika S pointed out in her review, that was just Hitomi being hysterical...Rating's been upped from G to PG because i realized it's going to get mildly kinky later on [heheheheheh]
"Prelude to an Overture Never Played"
Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, there was a young woman named Eries Aria Aston who just so happened to be a princess of the kingdom, called Asturia. One day (on the 12th of Green) she was out on the grounds of Castle Palas with her friend Sian, when she noticed her older sister, who'd been somewhat of a recluse lately, with a very striking man--he had blond hair of a shade more golden than her sister's, and her own, pale hair.
She nudged Sian in the arm. "Hey, who's that with Marlene?"
"Him? Must be the latest Knight Caeli, come to join the guard..." Sian Argosy squinted at the pair, blowing dark bangs out of her eyes. "S'posed to be some sorta genius swordsman..."
Eries tapped a finger against her chin. "Oh yes, now I remember! Allen Schezar--wonder boy of the military arts championship--he's only about our age..." Palas, capital of Asturia, wasn't called the City of Intrigue for nothing. The gossip network was very sophisticated, and Eries could be an excellent listener when she wanted, although she paid hardly any attention to the usual who's-doing-what-to-whom. She'd been elated when Uncle Nueva had suggested taking her to see the archery competition at the military arts tournament, but it'd been decided the excursion would be more beneficial for Marlene.
They watched with interest as the Princess Marlene and the knight stood next to each other and conversed in low voices. Sian sniffed, lifting her chin in the direction of Marlene and the blond man. "They're looking plenty cozy, don't ya think? Seems rather improper--"
Personally Eries was inclined to agree. But, with a small grin and an raised eyebrow, she again jabbed her. "You're a strange one to talk about propriety, you cross-dresser, you!" Sian's shirt-and-trouser outfits provided Eries with an endless supply of ammunition for teasing her, though she did admire Sian's audacity in wearing them almost everyday, especially since combined with her boyishly short haircut and an enviably lanky figure, Sian made quite a pretty "boy".
"I'll have you know, uppity lil royal personage," Sian began, in a snobby nasal tone, "women in pants are all the rage in Egzardia!"
The two broke out into stifled laughter, then remembered themselves and shushed. From behind some topiary they resumed furtive observation of Marlene and the blond man.
The knight, however, had apparently noticed them, because he seemed to gesture toward the topiary.
"Oi. Eri-ko, we're busted..." said Sian.
"So much for our brilliant career in covert ops. Nothing for it but to join the welcoming committee." She moved diffidently toward her sister with Sian in tow.
"Oh. It's you, imôto-san," said Marlene as they walked up to her. "May I present Allen Schezar VIII, our new Knight Caeli. Allen-san, she is my sister, the Princess Eries, and her friend Sian Argosy. Sian's father is Riding Master here."
"Word of your fine swordsmanship precedes you, Allen-san. We are fortunate to have such a skilled addition to the guard," Eries said, determined to be as gracious as she knew how, to make up for their faux pas. Allen Schezar took the hand she held out to him, and bent low over it, his blue eyes looking up at her face. "It is an honor to serve the court, Your Highness," he murmured. Eries felt her heart skip a beat. She dismissed it as a palpitation, even though she never had a palpitation before, having enjoyed fine health all her fifteen years. Glancing at her sister, she saw Princess Marlene's brow--which caused the kingdom's swains to praise its alabaster purity, in iambic pentamenter, no less--marred by a small but definite crease.
When the knight let go, Sian caught his hand and gave it a quick shake. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Allen-san." Her voice was still somewhat nasal, as if she was holding her breath in. Eries looked at her, concerned, and gave her the "let's skedaddle" signal, darting her expressive eyes to the side. "Please excuse us now, we were just on our way elsewhere. We're sorry we interrupted." Her friend had already started moving away with a little bow to Marlene and the knight. Eries strode to catch up and linked arms with her best friend. "Something wrong, Sian?"
Sian put a hand on the region of her heart. "Got charm coming out the orifices, that one."
"Oh, so you noticed it too?" Eries grinned impishly up at her friend.
Sian rolled her eyes. "Did you see the expression on your sister's face? She's quite taken with him. Eri-ko, that guy's trouble."
"Tell me something I don't know." Eries risked a glance over her shoulder at the pair and was surprised to see Allen was also looking in her direction. Half a moment later his gaze slid smoothly back to Marlene.
I'm one of sixteen vestal virgins / leaving for the coast / and though my eyes be open / they might as well be closed
--"Whiter Shade of Pale", Annie Lennox, _Medusa_
~next chapter: "Courante"~