Disclaimer: I love Escaflowne, but it isn't mine. But Varomi, Daren, Rune, Raena, Ruvan, Aryria, Leonzar, Hope and Memory ARE MINE!
A/N: Lot's of explanations in this chapter! Remember: * Vision * Thoughts Enjoy! ^_^
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Chapter 20: It happened so long ago...
Hitomi had taken Varomi into another room to talk and Raena had been left alone with Van.
Van was the first to speak. "What happened to you?" He sadly asked her, seeing her sad eyes, and short blue hair. Not to mention the scars on her back he noticed through the thin material, he knew she must have many emotional scars as well.
"It happened so long ago. I don't suppose you remember when 'the old palace' caught on fire when you were four?"
"Of course I do!" He exclaimed.
"When the palace caught on fire, of course Folken was the first child evacuated, after father and mother escaped. Then, you came out. But a fiery beam fell over the entrance and no one could get inside to save me. Mother screamed and told them that they had to get in to save me. But they just told her to be grateful that the rest of her family had gotten out safely. They had to tie her to her horse to keep her from going back inside to get me.
Once the fire had been put out a few days later, I was presumed dead. But some Asturian merchants came by and heard someone crying they found me in the rubble, hungry and bruised, but alive. One of the merchants was sad, for he and his wife couldn't have any children. He volunteered to take me home, not knowing of my royal heritage. They took me in, and I grew up thinking that he and his wife were my parents. But one day, when I was helping 'my father' thatch the roof, I fell off, but I didn't crash, and two snowy white wings emerged from my back, saving my life. They decided that I was a demon and sent me out to live in the streets.
I was a beggar for a few years, and finally got a job at a well-to-do merchant's home. He asked me about my family and I told him of the two 'parents' that had abandoned me. He then inquired about the pendant I wore around my neck. I told him I'd always remembered having it, even when I was very small and took it off my neck to show it to him. He noticed the inscription on it, 'Varie.' He told me that, that was the name of the late queen of Fanelia, then he dismissed it as a coincidence and I carried on with my chores.
But I decided that she must be my mother. I looked into the matter and found out that my mother, father, and older brother were dead, but my youngest brother was living and reigned as king of Fanelia. I discovered that his daughter, my niece, had disappeared. During my small amount of schooling before I was kicked out, I had learned about the Zaibach sorcerers and how they used kidnapped children for their experiments. I decided that this must have been the fate of my young niece.
I falsely joined Zaibach and was asked to look after a girl who had been recently kidnapped. I was led to a dungeon-like room. Where a small girl sat on the floor crying.
I asked the little girl her name and without any hesitation she told me, "I am Varomi Arlene de Fanel, Princess of Fanelia."
I gasped, but to make sure that the child was telling the truth I asked her who her father was and she replied, "Van Slanzar de Fanel."
I then told the child, "I am your father's sister, your Aunt Raena."
We spent many happy times together, picking flowers, catching butterflies, and that sort of thing. Then, the sorcerers sad I was getting too close too the child and they took her away from me. They used their black magic to turn her into a boy and sold her to a wealthy landowner as a servant." Then she spit, saying, "But more like a slave. When she watched her friend being beaten to death, she turned back into Varomi. The landowners sent me, a Zaibach messenger, back to get her fixed.
But instead of returning her to the sorcerers, we started towards Fanelia. Long ago I had to sell my pendant that belonged to mother to a merchant, since I had been so poor. We traveled for months to get here, and now, brother, I've finally found you." And she fell unconscious in his arms, from the strain of her exhaustion.
Van vaguely remembered a sister...
"Mother! We can't leave Raena, she'll die!" Cried little Van.
"We have no choice dear." Varie sadly replied, and Van could hear his baby sister's cries, echoing across the valley.
"Oh sister, I'm so glad you made it." Said Van, hugging his weary sibling.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"...So you're saying that woman is your aunt?" Hitomi asked her daughter, thinking of the blue-haired woman in a new light.
"Yes mother. She cared for me this whole time." Varomi said.
"And you don't remember where you've been for the past 3.5 years?"
"No." Varomi replied, for she remembered nothing of her boyhood.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"What all the ruckus about?" Daren muttered to a passing servant.
"The princess, she's returned Milord." A flustered maid reported, ringing her apron in her hands.
"What?" He gasped, stepping backward in surprise.
"It's true, she just appeared out of the blue with a strange woman." And the maid hurriedly ran down the hall.
"Ruvan, Ria, Leo! (Leo was spending the summer with them.) It's Varomi!" And the four friends dashed down the corridor. Daren threw open the door and the startled Hitomi and Varomi turned in surprise.
"Brother!" Cried the girl as she ran into Daren's arms.
"Oh Var! I missed you so much!" The Daren excitedly told his lost sister.
"Oh, hi Leo." Varomi quietly added seeing her lifelong crush standing next to her best friends Ria and Ruvan. She planned to marry him, but she'd have to wait another five years at least. She sighed at the thought.
Leonzar thought that Varomi was even more beautiful than the last time he had seen her.
"Princess Varomi." He replied, kissing her hand, I'm very glad to see you again."
Suddenly, the twins toddled in squealing excitedly.
"Who are they?" Varomi asked her brother.
"Oh, they're our little sisters', Hope and Memory, they were born a couple years after you disappeared." Daren reported to his sister.
Varomi looked very happy that she finally had some female siblings and hugged the little girls.
"Who are you?" They asked.
"I'm your big sister, Varomi!" Varomi told the twins.
"YAY! We have a new sister!" Squealed the twins as they ran round and round Varomi.
"Well we're finally a family again." Van commented, as he entered the room.
"Speaking of family, we're getting a new edition..." Hitomi proclaimed as she smiled at her bewildered family.
Fourteen year old Daren smiled and said, "Congrats Mom."
"Well this is a shock." Van stated as everyone laughed at their father's surprise at the turn of events.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Later, Van asked Raena, "Would you like us to convert the guest room into your chambers, or would you like us to build you a more personal room?"
"Neither." Raena replied, "I'll be leaving now, but I'll visit often." And before Van could reply, she headed out the door.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
That night, Van and Hitomi sat in their four-poster absorbed in their private thoughts.
"Too much excitement in one day..." Van commented.
"First, out lost daughter shows up, then she brings along my forgotten little sister, then I find out I'm a father for the third time!"
"I thought you'd be excited about the baby..." Hitomi said, looking a little hurt.
"I am, but I mean, so soon..."
"Van! We haven't had a baby in nine years!" Hitomi protested at her husband's ignorance.
"I guess I consider the twins my daughters." Van stated with a sigh.
"We need to remember that they aren't ours Van. When they're older, we'll have to tell them who their real parents are..." Hitomi responded to her husband's comment.
"Do we have too?" Van asked indignantly.
"Van, they'll figure it out for themselves eventually..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: OK, we learned a lot now, didn't we? * Dismisses class until the next chapter * R&R! Arigato and Sionara! ^_^
~Trunks Gal~
A/N: Lot's of explanations in this chapter! Remember: * Vision * Thoughts Enjoy! ^_^
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 20: It happened so long ago...
Hitomi had taken Varomi into another room to talk and Raena had been left alone with Van.
Van was the first to speak. "What happened to you?" He sadly asked her, seeing her sad eyes, and short blue hair. Not to mention the scars on her back he noticed through the thin material, he knew she must have many emotional scars as well.
"It happened so long ago. I don't suppose you remember when 'the old palace' caught on fire when you were four?"
"Of course I do!" He exclaimed.
"When the palace caught on fire, of course Folken was the first child evacuated, after father and mother escaped. Then, you came out. But a fiery beam fell over the entrance and no one could get inside to save me. Mother screamed and told them that they had to get in to save me. But they just told her to be grateful that the rest of her family had gotten out safely. They had to tie her to her horse to keep her from going back inside to get me.
Once the fire had been put out a few days later, I was presumed dead. But some Asturian merchants came by and heard someone crying they found me in the rubble, hungry and bruised, but alive. One of the merchants was sad, for he and his wife couldn't have any children. He volunteered to take me home, not knowing of my royal heritage. They took me in, and I grew up thinking that he and his wife were my parents. But one day, when I was helping 'my father' thatch the roof, I fell off, but I didn't crash, and two snowy white wings emerged from my back, saving my life. They decided that I was a demon and sent me out to live in the streets.
I was a beggar for a few years, and finally got a job at a well-to-do merchant's home. He asked me about my family and I told him of the two 'parents' that had abandoned me. He then inquired about the pendant I wore around my neck. I told him I'd always remembered having it, even when I was very small and took it off my neck to show it to him. He noticed the inscription on it, 'Varie.' He told me that, that was the name of the late queen of Fanelia, then he dismissed it as a coincidence and I carried on with my chores.
But I decided that she must be my mother. I looked into the matter and found out that my mother, father, and older brother were dead, but my youngest brother was living and reigned as king of Fanelia. I discovered that his daughter, my niece, had disappeared. During my small amount of schooling before I was kicked out, I had learned about the Zaibach sorcerers and how they used kidnapped children for their experiments. I decided that this must have been the fate of my young niece.
I falsely joined Zaibach and was asked to look after a girl who had been recently kidnapped. I was led to a dungeon-like room. Where a small girl sat on the floor crying.
I asked the little girl her name and without any hesitation she told me, "I am Varomi Arlene de Fanel, Princess of Fanelia."
I gasped, but to make sure that the child was telling the truth I asked her who her father was and she replied, "Van Slanzar de Fanel."
I then told the child, "I am your father's sister, your Aunt Raena."
We spent many happy times together, picking flowers, catching butterflies, and that sort of thing. Then, the sorcerers sad I was getting too close too the child and they took her away from me. They used their black magic to turn her into a boy and sold her to a wealthy landowner as a servant." Then she spit, saying, "But more like a slave. When she watched her friend being beaten to death, she turned back into Varomi. The landowners sent me, a Zaibach messenger, back to get her fixed.
But instead of returning her to the sorcerers, we started towards Fanelia. Long ago I had to sell my pendant that belonged to mother to a merchant, since I had been so poor. We traveled for months to get here, and now, brother, I've finally found you." And she fell unconscious in his arms, from the strain of her exhaustion.
Van vaguely remembered a sister...
"Mother! We can't leave Raena, she'll die!" Cried little Van.
"We have no choice dear." Varie sadly replied, and Van could hear his baby sister's cries, echoing across the valley.
"Oh sister, I'm so glad you made it." Said Van, hugging his weary sibling.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"...So you're saying that woman is your aunt?" Hitomi asked her daughter, thinking of the blue-haired woman in a new light.
"Yes mother. She cared for me this whole time." Varomi said.
"And you don't remember where you've been for the past 3.5 years?"
"No." Varomi replied, for she remembered nothing of her boyhood.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"What all the ruckus about?" Daren muttered to a passing servant.
"The princess, she's returned Milord." A flustered maid reported, ringing her apron in her hands.
"What?" He gasped, stepping backward in surprise.
"It's true, she just appeared out of the blue with a strange woman." And the maid hurriedly ran down the hall.
"Ruvan, Ria, Leo! (Leo was spending the summer with them.) It's Varomi!" And the four friends dashed down the corridor. Daren threw open the door and the startled Hitomi and Varomi turned in surprise.
"Brother!" Cried the girl as she ran into Daren's arms.
"Oh Var! I missed you so much!" The Daren excitedly told his lost sister.
"Oh, hi Leo." Varomi quietly added seeing her lifelong crush standing next to her best friends Ria and Ruvan. She planned to marry him, but she'd have to wait another five years at least. She sighed at the thought.
Leonzar thought that Varomi was even more beautiful than the last time he had seen her.
"Princess Varomi." He replied, kissing her hand, I'm very glad to see you again."
Suddenly, the twins toddled in squealing excitedly.
"Who are they?" Varomi asked her brother.
"Oh, they're our little sisters', Hope and Memory, they were born a couple years after you disappeared." Daren reported to his sister.
Varomi looked very happy that she finally had some female siblings and hugged the little girls.
"Who are you?" They asked.
"I'm your big sister, Varomi!" Varomi told the twins.
"YAY! We have a new sister!" Squealed the twins as they ran round and round Varomi.
"Well we're finally a family again." Van commented, as he entered the room.
"Speaking of family, we're getting a new edition..." Hitomi proclaimed as she smiled at her bewildered family.
Fourteen year old Daren smiled and said, "Congrats Mom."
"Well this is a shock." Van stated as everyone laughed at their father's surprise at the turn of events.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Later, Van asked Raena, "Would you like us to convert the guest room into your chambers, or would you like us to build you a more personal room?"
"Neither." Raena replied, "I'll be leaving now, but I'll visit often." And before Van could reply, she headed out the door.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
That night, Van and Hitomi sat in their four-poster absorbed in their private thoughts.
"Too much excitement in one day..." Van commented.
"First, out lost daughter shows up, then she brings along my forgotten little sister, then I find out I'm a father for the third time!"
"I thought you'd be excited about the baby..." Hitomi said, looking a little hurt.
"I am, but I mean, so soon..."
"Van! We haven't had a baby in nine years!" Hitomi protested at her husband's ignorance.
"I guess I consider the twins my daughters." Van stated with a sigh.
"We need to remember that they aren't ours Van. When they're older, we'll have to tell them who their real parents are..." Hitomi responded to her husband's comment.
"Do we have too?" Van asked indignantly.
"Van, they'll figure it out for themselves eventually..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: OK, we learned a lot now, didn't we? * Dismisses class until the next chapter * R&R! Arigato and Sionara! ^_^
~Trunks Gal~