Title: Locked, Barred, Guarded: A Story of Eries - Chapter 3.5...oh, okay, make that Chapter 4
Author's Note: This is a peculiar situation i attempt to write in this chapter. It just came to me and i wanted to give it a shot, even if it's prolly a very stupid idea. Yes, this is the kinkyness i mentioned in Chapter 1's A/N. bwahahahahaaa!
"Intermezzo"
Everyone was lookin' / But I saw you first
--"Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)", John Mellencamp, _Mr. Happy Go Lucky_
Days after "the ballroom incident," as Eries now thought of the dance she had with Allen-san, she was in the otherwise deserted library again, reading a genetics text smuggled out of Zaibach. The subject fascinated her. It had explanations for her features being dissimilar to her mother's and sisters'. She had arrived at the conclusion that elfin ears and the odd spotty birthmark were recessive traits, and she was a genetic "sport"--or something of the kind. She was in a slightly irascible mood, however. Millerna, then Marlene's lady's-maid, then a pageboy with a message to deliver to Marlene had all stopped by to ask where the eldest princess was. So when she heard someone make a slight throat-clearing noise behind her, she didn't take her eyes off the book but said testily, "Am I wearing a sign that says 'Ask me where Marlene-hime is?'"
"Not that I can see." Allen-san replied, with a laugh.
_Cool, that's the ticket,_ she said to herself, before twisting around in her chair to look at him. "Oh, it's you," she said coolly. "My mistake, it's just I've been universal Marlene locator all morning." She mustered an off-handed pleasantness, in case he might somehow guess she had stupid dreams about him at night. _And in the daytime too, come to that..._ the perverse imp that lived in her head added evilly. _Argh!_ she shoved the imp off of her train of thought. Then, as though the idea had just occurred to her, she said, "_You_ wouldn't happen to know where she is, would you?" _Yes, put him on the spot instead._
He shrugged noncommitally, glancing off to the side, but he recovered and gave her a long, assessing look. It made her insides stew. She squirmed inwardly at that blue gaze upon her. "Eries-hime, may I ask you something?" He side-stepped her question with one of his own.
She wondered what was on his mind. "Ask."
"Are you and Sian...ah..."
"Are Sian and I what?" demanded Eries, wishing he'd get to the point.
"Are you and she...like, well...yuri[1]?"
[1. yuri = female x female in Japanese.]
_So that was why he kept giving us those strange looks!_ On the one hand, Eries was a bit put out that he made that assumption, and really, it was none of his business in any case. But on the other hand, the sheer absurdity of it forced her to suppress a laugh. The imp was back. In full force. _What, does he think that because I'm not falling all over him like Marlene is?_
"Ah. Figured that out, did you? You know what, would you please do us the honor of being biological father of our child someday?"
"Er." He was such a pretty color scheme when he was flustered. All gold and pink and blue and pale; it was like looking at a painting of a cherub. Only he was more like a cherub grown into a seraph, the kind that heralded tidings of great joy. And seraphs never had the look of bewilderment that was on his pretty face.
"It's not what you're thinking," she laughed. "You wouldn't have to come near either of us. The Zaibach have reportedly developed a way to start babies in test tubes. It's quite efficient, really." Eries was mildly astonished at the utter nonsense she was spouting.
Allen's jaw had gone slack and he was just staring dazedly.
"Think about it, will you? There's no rush," she said airily, as though she asked men to donate their genetic material everyday. Before she completely lost control of her facial expression, she stuck her nose back in the book. "I have to read some more about it; we'll just get back to you for your answer one of these days." This last was said dismissively, and Allen-san apparently got the hint because he'd started backing away from her.
Looking up from the book, she found that he'd gone. She put her head down on her arms and chuckled til she hiccupped.
The next day, the princesses were attending an recital by a small group of talented young music scholars whose education was financed by a trust fund established by the royal family. It was nominally Marlene-hime's project, as she was the one with some musical talent. Two of the palace guard, including Allen-san, were on security detail to the three princesses.
During the intermission, Eries was in the lobby saying hello to a young musician she had become friendly with in the course of her involvement with coordinating arrangements for the event, as Marlene had been a little...distracted. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Allen-san standing off to one side, watching her with an expression that made it seem as if she were some suspicious character rather than one of the people he was guarding.
"We look forward to your solo, Leowen." The pre-pubescent prodigy she'd been talking to smiled shyly and bowed before he went off to rejoin his fellows.
The princess noticed Allen had turned away from her now. Holding her gown carefully so as to minimize the cloth's swishing, she padfooted in her lady's slippers til she was standing directly behind him. She didn't really think she could sneak up on a Knight Caeli undetected, but it seemed like fun anyway.
"Eries-hime?" Allen said before turning to face her.
"Can't fool you today, can I?" she sighed mock-ruefully. "Speaking of fooling you..."
"You didn't really mean what you told me in the library yesterday?" said Allen hopefully.
"I was messing with your head, man!"[2] She grinned. "It's so easy I'm ashamed of myself. Whatever made you believe you could ask me such an impertinent question?"
[2. Eries says this much like P.G. Wodehouse's Bertie Wooster would to some random chappie.]
Allen shrugged his broad puff-sleeved shoulders and his blue eyes seemed suddenly guileless. "I'm not sure myself, it just seemed to me that we could talk about personal matters and it would be alright."
Eries felt humbled by this explanation. and tentatively cleared her throat before replying, "Yes, well...it is, rather. You just caught me by surprise that time."
"So you and Sian aren't--"
"Actually...you might just have something there," said Eries, letting her gaze fall upon some distant, invisible point. "Sometimes when she wears her pants outfit with this one particular green vest she looks quite dashing--" she stopped as the startled-deer look on Allen's face caused her to break into incoherent chuckles.
"You're messing with me again, aren't you." It was a comment, not a question.
Eries smiled up at him by way of reply. "Allen-san, how about we make a deal? Do not ask me questions like that unless you _really_ need the answers, alright?"
"Deal," he said agreeably, looking skyward. "May I escort you back to the royal box, Your Highness?" He offered his arm.
"Certainly, Sir Knight," answered the Princess, putting one hand in the crook of his elbow. As they walked back, she asked, "How did you know it was me?"
"Sound of your footsteps," was the reply.
"Really?" _Impressive._
Marlene-hime gave them a strange look when they got to the box. Eries pretended not to notice. There would be time enough for talk with Marlene when they got back home.
[A/N: This chapter's still being written, i'm just posting it because it's been so long since i updated this, and i really want to keep it up, i'm just having trouble with it, is all. {shrug}]
~next chapter: "Sarabande"~
Author's Note: This is a peculiar situation i attempt to write in this chapter. It just came to me and i wanted to give it a shot, even if it's prolly a very stupid idea. Yes, this is the kinkyness i mentioned in Chapter 1's A/N. bwahahahahaaa!
"Intermezzo"
Everyone was lookin' / But I saw you first
--"Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)", John Mellencamp, _Mr. Happy Go Lucky_
Days after "the ballroom incident," as Eries now thought of the dance she had with Allen-san, she was in the otherwise deserted library again, reading a genetics text smuggled out of Zaibach. The subject fascinated her. It had explanations for her features being dissimilar to her mother's and sisters'. She had arrived at the conclusion that elfin ears and the odd spotty birthmark were recessive traits, and she was a genetic "sport"--or something of the kind. She was in a slightly irascible mood, however. Millerna, then Marlene's lady's-maid, then a pageboy with a message to deliver to Marlene had all stopped by to ask where the eldest princess was. So when she heard someone make a slight throat-clearing noise behind her, she didn't take her eyes off the book but said testily, "Am I wearing a sign that says 'Ask me where Marlene-hime is?'"
"Not that I can see." Allen-san replied, with a laugh.
_Cool, that's the ticket,_ she said to herself, before twisting around in her chair to look at him. "Oh, it's you," she said coolly. "My mistake, it's just I've been universal Marlene locator all morning." She mustered an off-handed pleasantness, in case he might somehow guess she had stupid dreams about him at night. _And in the daytime too, come to that..._ the perverse imp that lived in her head added evilly. _Argh!_ she shoved the imp off of her train of thought. Then, as though the idea had just occurred to her, she said, "_You_ wouldn't happen to know where she is, would you?" _Yes, put him on the spot instead._
He shrugged noncommitally, glancing off to the side, but he recovered and gave her a long, assessing look. It made her insides stew. She squirmed inwardly at that blue gaze upon her. "Eries-hime, may I ask you something?" He side-stepped her question with one of his own.
She wondered what was on his mind. "Ask."
"Are you and Sian...ah..."
"Are Sian and I what?" demanded Eries, wishing he'd get to the point.
"Are you and she...like, well...yuri[1]?"
[1. yuri = female x female in Japanese.]
_So that was why he kept giving us those strange looks!_ On the one hand, Eries was a bit put out that he made that assumption, and really, it was none of his business in any case. But on the other hand, the sheer absurdity of it forced her to suppress a laugh. The imp was back. In full force. _What, does he think that because I'm not falling all over him like Marlene is?_
"Ah. Figured that out, did you? You know what, would you please do us the honor of being biological father of our child someday?"
"Er." He was such a pretty color scheme when he was flustered. All gold and pink and blue and pale; it was like looking at a painting of a cherub. Only he was more like a cherub grown into a seraph, the kind that heralded tidings of great joy. And seraphs never had the look of bewilderment that was on his pretty face.
"It's not what you're thinking," she laughed. "You wouldn't have to come near either of us. The Zaibach have reportedly developed a way to start babies in test tubes. It's quite efficient, really." Eries was mildly astonished at the utter nonsense she was spouting.
Allen's jaw had gone slack and he was just staring dazedly.
"Think about it, will you? There's no rush," she said airily, as though she asked men to donate their genetic material everyday. Before she completely lost control of her facial expression, she stuck her nose back in the book. "I have to read some more about it; we'll just get back to you for your answer one of these days." This last was said dismissively, and Allen-san apparently got the hint because he'd started backing away from her.
Looking up from the book, she found that he'd gone. She put her head down on her arms and chuckled til she hiccupped.
The next day, the princesses were attending an recital by a small group of talented young music scholars whose education was financed by a trust fund established by the royal family. It was nominally Marlene-hime's project, as she was the one with some musical talent. Two of the palace guard, including Allen-san, were on security detail to the three princesses.
During the intermission, Eries was in the lobby saying hello to a young musician she had become friendly with in the course of her involvement with coordinating arrangements for the event, as Marlene had been a little...distracted. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Allen-san standing off to one side, watching her with an expression that made it seem as if she were some suspicious character rather than one of the people he was guarding.
"We look forward to your solo, Leowen." The pre-pubescent prodigy she'd been talking to smiled shyly and bowed before he went off to rejoin his fellows.
The princess noticed Allen had turned away from her now. Holding her gown carefully so as to minimize the cloth's swishing, she padfooted in her lady's slippers til she was standing directly behind him. She didn't really think she could sneak up on a Knight Caeli undetected, but it seemed like fun anyway.
"Eries-hime?" Allen said before turning to face her.
"Can't fool you today, can I?" she sighed mock-ruefully. "Speaking of fooling you..."
"You didn't really mean what you told me in the library yesterday?" said Allen hopefully.
"I was messing with your head, man!"[2] She grinned. "It's so easy I'm ashamed of myself. Whatever made you believe you could ask me such an impertinent question?"
[2. Eries says this much like P.G. Wodehouse's Bertie Wooster would to some random chappie.]
Allen shrugged his broad puff-sleeved shoulders and his blue eyes seemed suddenly guileless. "I'm not sure myself, it just seemed to me that we could talk about personal matters and it would be alright."
Eries felt humbled by this explanation. and tentatively cleared her throat before replying, "Yes, well...it is, rather. You just caught me by surprise that time."
"So you and Sian aren't--"
"Actually...you might just have something there," said Eries, letting her gaze fall upon some distant, invisible point. "Sometimes when she wears her pants outfit with this one particular green vest she looks quite dashing--" she stopped as the startled-deer look on Allen's face caused her to break into incoherent chuckles.
"You're messing with me again, aren't you." It was a comment, not a question.
Eries smiled up at him by way of reply. "Allen-san, how about we make a deal? Do not ask me questions like that unless you _really_ need the answers, alright?"
"Deal," he said agreeably, looking skyward. "May I escort you back to the royal box, Your Highness?" He offered his arm.
"Certainly, Sir Knight," answered the Princess, putting one hand in the crook of his elbow. As they walked back, she asked, "How did you know it was me?"
"Sound of your footsteps," was the reply.
"Really?" _Impressive._
Marlene-hime gave them a strange look when they got to the box. Eries pretended not to notice. There would be time enough for talk with Marlene when they got back home.
[A/N: This chapter's still being written, i'm just posting it because it's been so long since i updated this, and i really want to keep it up, i'm just having trouble with it, is all. {shrug}]
~next chapter: "Sarabande"~