Chapter 7: The Playboy and the Princess

Eries forced herself to sit with all the poise and grace her inner turmoil would allow as she listened to the gentle music floating through the dining hall and tried hard to ignore the fact there was a massive guymelef sitting at one end of the table. To any observer she appeared calm and collected but her mind raced again and again to the poison that sat in her room, the seal still unbroken. It was one thing to talk about killing someone; it was a little more difficult to actually do it.

King Aston sat at the far end of the table focusing most of his conversation upon Meiden since the young Fanelian king seemed more interested in studying the tablecloth and fingering the stem of his goblet than making polite conversation. It was truly an odd gathering of people for the meal considering Eries herself rarely ate in the presence of King Aston.

Sitting directly across from Eries was an exotic looking girl with short brown hair and shockingly short skirt. Next to her was Allen Schezar, who Aston had once sworn never to let back in Palas or near any of his daughters. Or for that matter any woman again. His natural charm didn't seem to have been dampered one bit after his time in the swamp. Both Millerna and the foreign girl were swooning and casting glances at him all during the meal. Millerna openly flirted with him all night, tossing the fact that she was already engaged to Dryden Fassa and that her fiancés father, Meiden, was seated next to her.

Eries had to work hard to suppress a laugh when she saw what her little sister had chosen to dress the girl in. One of Marlene's old dresses, and Eries knew for a fact that it was one of Allen's favorites. Millerna's ignorance of their sister's relationship was astounding. And her infatuation with the knight infuriating.

"Ah, Escaflowne, it's beauty is almost enough to take your breath away," Aston said.

"Almost as lovely as maladies Millerna and Eries," Meiden said.

Millerna laughed, and Eries tried not to roll her eyes. She only appreciated the fact that Millerna was seated between her and Meiden. He'd always made Eries uncomfortable and the strong smell of spice and perfume that seemed to hover around his body were almost overwhelming to her sensitive nose.

She gazed somberly across the table letting her eyes rest upon the Knight Caeli. Allen met her cold look with his own guilty glance.

Stay away from Millerna; she tried to tell him. You'll only hurt her and yourself.

Allen turned his blue eyes away from her and didn't look at her again for the rest of the meal.

"You didn't go to the bazaar with me this morning, Allen" Millerna said. "You should come to my quarters later so we can talk."

Eries's insides squeezed together at Millerna's words picturing another Chid running around the castle in nine months. "Allen, Millerna has been engaged to Meiden's eldest son," Eries said.

"Sister!" Millerna cried, flying to her feet.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but that was what you were going to talk about, right?" Eries didn't bother to make her tone match her words.

Millerna pouted and sat back down. "I haven't given my consent yet."

Eries mentally rolled her eyes. Millerna was such a child. Only thinking about herself, and never about the good of the people. Allen wouldn't make a good king; even if Eries lost the throne to Millerna she wouldn't give it over to Allen. She'd have to have a talk with him later.

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

The only sound that Eries made that night in her fury was slamming of her bedroom door. Her shoes hadn't even sounded as she fled away from Knight Caeli before her tongue took her places she might regret. Talking to that man was like talking to the wall. How could she reason with him when he wouldn't even acknowledge the truth?

Millerna would end up like Marlene and there would be another Chid. Another Eries.

And she couldn't forgive him for that.

Marlene had been old enough to make her own choice, but what choice did Chid have? Years ago Eries had returned to Fried to see Marlene and her infant son. She'd known as soon as she saw the boy that Allen was his father. There was no way he could have been Duke Fried's.

The duke knew it as well and it made him tough on the boy telling him that he would never be a good duke if he didn't give up his childish ways. Eries saw her own life playing out again. A childhood marred by pain, cut short by the desire for justice. A father figure consumed with jealousy.

Eries sat down upon the edge of her bed and looked out over the dark city. There was something very different about Mohad from Grava, though. Marlene said Mohad loved Chid or wanted to love him. Grava would prefer her dead.

The darkness of the city below was interrupted by a small series of bright sparks that drew Eries's attention away from her broodings. Fire. And from the looks of it, being purposely set. What was happening out there? Had Folken spoke the truth? Was the King of Fanelia really as dangerous as he'd made him out to be or was there someone else down there torching the city?

Eries turned on her heels from the scene and ran off to find someone who knew what was happening. She didn't like feeling helpless. She wanted to gain control of something.

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

Everything had slipped though her fingers. Though Eries had tried to stop her, Millerna had run off after the Knight Caeli. His allure to strong for the young girl.

"You don't understand," Millerna had cried. "I love Allen!"

Eries was shocked. Was that what Millerna believed? Didn't she know the difference between infatuation and love? Someday Allen's little secret would come out. Someday he'd have to tell Millerna that Chid was his son. And then what? Millerna would be devastated. Eries wanted to kill Allen for leading Millerna on like this. But now, Millerna and Allen were in Fried. With that strange girl and the dangerous king. And Asturia's harbor had been occupied by Zaibach. That meant Zaibach was planning something.

"You're letting them attack Fried?" Eries screamed. Her rage had turned full boil inside her, and she would not sit quiet anymore. Let Aston get mad; let him beat her until she couldn't stand. She wasn't going to let him sacrifice Millerna. The girl might have made a foolish decision to run off after Allen, but Eries still felt responsible for the girl even when they were far away from each other.

"I'm not letting them do anything. Zaibach is her own nation," came his gruff reply.

"You're not trying to stop them!"

"There's nothing I can do. The treaty between Zaibach and Asturia must stand," King Aston muttered, not even looking at her as he spoke.

Eries leaned across his desk to get in the face of the despicable man. "Millerna's there! You know she is."

He refused to speak.

Eries sat back in her chair with a small whimper. "She's your daughter," she pleaded. "She's the only daughter you have left."

His eyes finally rose from the desk and for long time he gazed at Eries. "Don't you understand? This isn't about Millerna anymore. I must think of Asturia and her people. Zaibach will attack us if we break the treaty."

"Zaibach would not attack us."

"I'm not willing to take that risk."

"But isn't about the treaty or saving lives, is it? Everything is always about money and protecting your own skin. You don't want to loose Zaibach's business."

Aston rose; his anger now ablaze instead of Eries's. He slammed his fist forcefully into the his desk making Eries flinch. That fist was directed at her. "Such talk could be considered treason, Eries. Continue and I'll have you thrown in prison. Zaibach is the one who will attack Fried, not Asturia, and not me."

"You aren't willing to face the truth, are you? You're apathy will destroy Fried and it will destroy Millerna! Why won't you at least save her?"

"I can't!" Aston yelled back. "Now get the hell out of my face!"

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

One flick of her wrist and the seal was off of the poison. It was time. When his malice had only been directed at her she'd held back, she didn't want it to be a purely selfish venture, but now...

Fried. Chid. Millerna. They would all suffer at his hands.

Such a man didn't deserve to live.

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

With the meekest face possible Eries returned to King Aston's study. A wine bottle she carried in one hand its' cork already gone.

He looked up again as she entered the room.

"My lord, I must apologize to you. I was wrong." She poured the wine into Aston's empty cup. "I lost my temper and..." Her eyes follow Aston's hand as it brought the wine to his lips.

"And..." he prodded.

"And I understand we cannot jeopardize Asturia's future. Not even for Millerna."

Aston took a long sip of the wine and Eries smiled inside. It had begun.

"But it doesn't mean I don't care about Millerna," she continued.

"I'm worried about her too, Eries." He finished off his glass and poured himself another. It was all so easy, but there was still one more thing Eries wanted.

"Let me go to the Zaibach floating fortress," she begged. "I promise not break our treaty. Just let me save Millerna." But her mind was not resting on her little sister anymore. "I'll beg him for mercy. I'd do anything to save her."