Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Estrela and her people, so please don't sue me or use them. There, I think I'm done here. *stalks off into shadows mumbling about carrots*
AN/ I got a review! I got a REVIEW!!!! *Does a little dance, then glances around nervously* Anyway, thank you all who read, whether you reviewed or not! Here is chapter three, which really shouldn't be out yet because I should have been doing my Health project today instead of editing this. . . I hope you all appreciate my sacrifice, I now have a very busy Sunday, or the wrath of Mr. Arbuckle to look forward to *^_^* Enjoy!
~Gabe~
Chapter Three - Introductions
"Presenting King Goau, Ruler of all Fanelia, Balgus Ganesha, First Samurai General of the Fanelian Armies, The wo. . ." The young herald was cut off by a rough voice,
"Blast it man, the Queen knows who it is!" Balgus snapped, a bit harsher than he had intended. His head was throbbing severely, the bruises on his face had begun to turn dark purple, making his large scars even more pronounced, and the lump on the side of his skull had grown until it was now about the size of his fist. The herald seemed a bit put off, but was silent after the look Balgus gave him.
Queen Varie stood from her throne and managed to take a few steps forward before she was nearly crushed by the Kings strong arms around her. She looked up into his warm eyes, and smiled, a special smile, saved only for her love. Breaking the embrace the King offered his arm to his Queen as they made there way back to their thrones. Balgus and the wolf men continued to stand where they were until the King and Queen were seated, then, after a deep bow, moved off to the sides of the great hall, Ruhm and the wolves slipping into the back, Balgus joining the three other samurai generals to the right of the throne. Estrela was watching all of this, trying her hardest to disappear behind the older prince, who still held tightly to her arm, as they stood to the left of the dias, with young Van squirming in the arms of the governess sitting on a small stool next to them.
"Now stop that!" The plump woman scolded the young prince, "Hush, the King is speaking!" This seemed to settle Van for a moment, as King Goau turned to his wife, slight smirk lightening his face,
"So, my Queen," He began, deep voice echoing through the vast hall, "Did anything of interest happen during my absence?" The Queen sent a small glance in the direction of the wounded Balgus, and said,
"I could ask you the same, dear husband. . .pray what has happened to the good General?"
"A small scuffle in the wood. We had just come upon the camp of a band of dragon poachers, recently abandoned, when we were alerted by the good wolf men of a presence in a nearby tree. Balgus was brave enough to climb the limbs and try to flush the creature out, and the fiend attacked him, it was truly heroic. . ." The King was interrupted by poorly contained laughter from the pack of wolf men near the great doors, and was finding it difficult to suppress a chuckle himself as Balgus stepped forward, face slightly reddened under the bruises.
"It was truly nothing, my Queen. A young girl, though well trained. She gave me a few kicks as I tried to pull her from a branch, and disappeared through the trees. Did manage to secure myself a trophy, though." He added ruefully, holding up the soiled boot with his left hand.
"This girl," The Queen began, before sending a fleeting glance at Estrela standing uncomfortably with her son, partially obscured by the shadows, "You would not have happened to have seen what she looked like?"
"Why yes I did, you majesty, but only a bit. She was cloaked, you see, in dark brown. I did see her hair however, as she fled. White like an old woman's, though she seemed no older than Prince Folken. It was quite long, tied back in a braid. From what I saw, her skin was not pale, though not dark, almost honey coloured, and she dressed as a man, in breeches, dark, perhaps black or dark green. I did not see her face clearly, so I can tell you no more." He bowed slightly as the Queen peered intently at him. She seemed to debate something in her mind, then her gaze shifted to the shadows beside the thrones,
"That is quite good, thank you Balgus. Folken, please bring our guest forward." Estrela was so dumbfounded, listening to her own description, that she did not even notice as Folken lead her out of the security of the shadows until he had stopped directly in front of the dias. She could feel every eye in the hall, wolf man and servant alike, drilling into her back, while the scrutinizing gazes of both the King and General Balgus caused her to flush a brilliant shade of crimson. She quickly disengaged herself from the Prince's arm, and proceeded to touch her fingertips to her forehead, then to her lips, and finally to her heart before falling to both knees before the thrones, the same odd bow she had preformed in the garden earlier. Folken bowed as well, though not near as elaborately as Estrela had done, a simple bending at the waist. He made no move after that, clearly planning to stay beside the kneeling girl, before a hard glance from his father told him otherwise. Sending a fleeting wink at the figure on the floor, Folken grudgingly retreated back to the shadows next to the thrones. Estrela was alone.
The King sat silently, studying the woman kneeling before him. A quick glance at Balgus confirmed that this was indeed the girl from the forest, complete with long white braid, dark brown cloak, and missing boot. But why was she here? Before the King could inquire however, the Queen spoke up, her voice soft yet powerful as it echoed though the great room.
"Rise my dear," She began, motioning to the girl. Never lifting her head, the girl stood, though hesitantly, "Husband, may I present the Lady Estrela das Sombra, a traveler seeking sanctuary and Royal protection in Fanelia." The King seemed a bit taken aback, but recovered quickly and addressed the woman, who still stood silent and unmoving before him, the features of her bowed head obscured by long bangs.
"Lady, why do you seek refuge in Fanelia, and why did you attack my man in the woods?" The woman's voice was gentle, but laced with an underlying panic as she replied,
"For that incident, my King, I apologize with all my heart," She spoke with a slight accent, one which Goau could not place, "I did not realize who you were, Your Majesty, until you walked through those doors. When you ran across me in the forest, I feared for my life. Again, I am exceedingly sorry. My purpose here, as the good Queen has already explained, is to request sanctuary within your country your Majesty. I request this because I believe that the kingdom of Fanelia is a good and righteous place and that her King is fair and just. I could think of no other place to go where I would be as safe as within these walls, no other place where I would not be shunned and hated for my race." She lifted her head for the first time, large black eyes raising to meet the King's own gaze. A murmur ran through the small group of generals, silenced almost at once by a glare from Balgus.
"You are . . . Cisne?" The King asked quietly, trying to mask the shock in his voice. No one had reported seeing a Cisne in over one hundred and fifty years, and they were never, ever seen outside of the forest. Contact with them was so rare that they are sometimes thought of as only myth, or perhaps extinct, but Estrela's presence here proved otherwise.
"Yes, your Majesty." She said quietly, head bowing once again. The King paused, then let out a great breath and shifted on his elegant throne, the gold inlay on the rosewood arms cool against his palms. When he finally began, his voice was surprisingly warm, with no trace of humiliating pity many people Estrela had met in the past seemed to smother their words with, the kind which she had found could hurt her as much as the hate in other's voices when they found out what she was. What he said surprised her as well, as much as the Queen's welcome had done earlier,
"Well, we will need to know more of your history before we allow you to stay here indefinitely, which is a tale best saved until later. For now, you may remain here in the palace, under my protection, though you will have slightly limited access until we know more about you." Estrela raised her head once again, but this time astonishment and delight were the only emotions evident on her youthful face.
"Thank you, your Majesty," She said, wonder in her soft voice, as she once again preformed the strange bow, but this time bending only at the waist, not kneeling to the floor.
King Goau then rose from his throne, a small smile brightening his features and addressed the entire room,
"If there is no more urgent business to contend with at the moment, I would quite enjoy spending some time with my Queen, and children. . ." When no one spoke up, the King offered his arm to his Lady wife and they left the dias, and continued through the large doors Estrela had entered before, young Van and the nursemaid in tow.
Estrela was so overcome with joy, the joy of finally being accepted, for however briefly, that she didn't even notice as Folken approached her, placing his hand lightly on her arm, causing her to jump. He grinned at her startled expression and offered her his arm once more. Her hesitation to accept was less evident this time, but it was still present, and unsettled Folken. Did she not like him, perhaps even fear him? Why? Folken glanced at her lightly tanned face, her delicate features, her eyes. . . They were. . .different, unique, but beautiful beyond words. He felt lost in their inky depths as she raised them to meet his own of dark garnet. She blushed under his gaze, eyes dropping once more to the floor. He spoke softly to her as they approached the large wooden doors,
"Why do you hesitate to take my arm, and refuse to meet my eyes? Do you dislike me?" His voice was filled something that Estrela could not recognize, and when she dared a glance upwards at his face, he seemed oddly flushed.
"I am not used to the attention, your Maj. . .Folken" Her eyes shifted from the floor to gaze straight ahead, unfocused, "Most people will not touch me, and I have learned to try and hide my eyes. . ." She trailed off, pain entering her features once again. They were now in a long, dimly lit hallway, its pale walls divided into several sections by the many beautiful tapestries and paintings adorning them and the huge velvet draped windows, which brought in the light of the newly risen moons. Folken stopped abruptly before one of these gorgeous windows, forcing Estrela to halt as well, and peered up towards the twin satellites, glowing brightly in the sable heavens. Then he turned back to face the lady on his arm, his free hand raising to gently cup her chin. He then lifted her head gently, compelling her eyes to meet his own. The moonlight glinted off her ivory hair, only to be soaked up into the depths of her dark eyes, those eyes. . . He let out a shaky breath before he spoke, and when he began, his voice was no more than a whisper,
"You will never have to hide your eyes here Estrela, I will make sure of that. You need not fear my touch, or anyone else's, and I certainly don't fear yours. I will not hate you for what you are, nor fear you because of my ignorance. The people you have met, these who have instilled such dread in you, they were not men, they were animals, and you should not fear me, or anyone else here, because of them." Estrela said nothing, but her eyes did not leave his when he dropped his hand. All of the shame and pain had left her face, and she raised a slender hand to brush an unruly strand of pale teal hair away from his eyes, fingertips lightly brushing his brow.
Suddenly, their trance was broken by a slightly raised voice from the direction they had come from. Balgus approached the pair from out of the shadows, his bruises and scars clearly visible in the moonlight.
"Prince Folken," He began, his voice deep, "I will escort the Lady Estrela to her quarters, you should go and greet your father."
"There is no need for you to trouble yourself Balgus, I will only be a moment." The Prince's voice betrayed nothing of what had just happened, although he still seemed a bit flushed.
"I insist my Prince," Balgus's voice was not harsh, but he seemed to get his point across, "Your father is looking forward to speaking with you. He is with your mother and Prince Van in the first garden." Folken seemed slightly irritated with the samurai, but quickly collected himself and put on a stiff mask of composure.
"Of course, General Balgus," he said, a slight edge in his voice. He released Estrela's arm, but kept hold of her elegant hand, bowing stiffly at the waist, and bringing her long fingers gently to his lips, "If you will excuse me, my Lady Estrela." He caught her large eyes with his own before releasing her hand and striding silently into the shadows. Estrela's gaze lingered for a moment on the darkness which Folken had disappeared into, before shifting to the scarred face of the samurai. His expression was hard, but his eyes betrayed a warmth which calmed her nerves and relaxed her mind. She seemed startled when he spoke up, as if she didn't expect him to acknowledge her,
"Lady, I will show you to your room now." Unlike Folken, the samurai did not offer her an arm, instead he turned and walked briskly into the shadows, in the opposite direction the prince had gone. Estrela had to dash to catch up to the large man, but once she did she had no trouble matching his pace, her long muscular legs equaling his own huge strides flawlessly. For a few moments neither spoke, but then Balgus took the offensive once again,
"I am curious lady," He said, glancing down at her petit frame. She wasn't quite as tall as the older prince, but her lean body betrayed finely toned muscle. Balgus painfully remembered the kicks she had so fiercely dealt earlier that day, and found what he had seen of her strength and speed truly amazing, "Who was your teacher? I had heard that the Cisne were a peaceful people, abhorring violence in all forms, and yet your performance today, and the sword at your hip seem to demonstration otherwise. . ." She gazed up at the General, trying to decide how much to tell the large man. When she began, her voice was low, the memories seeping into her mind causing her throat to contract,
"It is true. My people are peaceful. I learned how to fight after I had left them. It was difficult to find someone willing to teach one of my kind, but my master was unique. He was a doppleganger, Lid Vieta. I trained with him for years, he was truly incredible. His speed was phenomenal, you could barely see him move when he fought, and his strength. . . as a rule, dopplegangers are three or four times stronger than a normal man, but my master was at least twice that, probably more. I learned everything from him, trained with him, watched him. . . it was the happiest time of my life. But then one night, he left. I awoke one morning to find him gone, along with all of his things, except this sword." She motioned to the blade at her hip, and then paused beside a large window and brought the sword out of its sheath, allowing the samurai to examine its craft. He made no move to touch it, but his eyes seemed to study every inch of its long, slightly curved blade, the ripples of the folded steel clearly visible in the moonlight. Its grip was wrapped in what looked to be sliver wire, the guard was made of an odd black material, gleaming in the dim light, and not appearing to be wood, metal or stone. Carved into it were small vines and leaves, inlayed with more sliver. The pommel was a small orb of this black substance, a large silver leaf visible on its top. The craftsmanship appeared to be excellent, and the sword itself was the most beautiful thing the old samurai had ever seen.
Replacing her blade in its sheath, Estrela grinned at Balgus's expression, "Beautiful, isn't it?" Balgus blinked, the woman's voice bringing him out of his reverie.
"Yes. . .incredible" He blinked again, and then resumed his walk. Estrela chuckled softly as she followed.
AN II/ This is for Lola, thanks bunches for your review, I feel all warm and squishy inside. . . ummm . . . wait, forget that, a little bit ewww. . . *cough* After I read your comment, I looked back at this chapter, unedited and burning a hole in my floppy, and I found it quite interesting that you figured out that there would be a doppleganger in this story sooner than I did, *^_^* Heck, I was on the fifth chapter before I went back and filled that in, Hitomi moment, ne? Thanks again, your support really means a lot!
Peace and Love
~Gabe~