Disclaimer: Oh how I wish I owned Esca, but I don't! All original characters are MINE however.
A/N: In this chapter we'll learn a little more about Mira's past. R&R! Well enjoy! Flashback ^_^
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 25: Silent Tears
Mira lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. The ceiling was white and had draconians painted all over it. She wondered why, but they were beautiful, so she decided not to ask.
She heard a knock on the door and she said in a drowsy voice, "Come in."
She was shocked to see Queen Hitomi enter.
"Milady." She said, dropping down on one knee, for although she wasn't Zaibach's ruler, she was a queen after all. Mira felt very embarrassed, she was in her nightdress, and Hitomi was in all her royal splendor.
"Come now, no need for that." Hitomi said, smiling at the bewildered girl.
"I come to you as a friend. I know what it's like to come to an unfamiliar land, away from your family and friends. I came all the way from the Mystic Moon to be with Van. I never told this to Van, but sometimes I'd cry myself to sleep at night, because I missed them so. But sadly, when I went for a visit, there was no one left to miss. They're all dead. All I have left is my family here on Gaea, which I am grateful to have." She said, sadness reflecting in her voice.
"The Mystic Moon?" Mira asked in wonder.
"Yes, a long time ago..."
"Forgive me for being forward, but do you love Daren?" Hitomi asked quietly.
"Well...umm...I..." Mira was a deep crimson hue, and she didn't look like she'd ever speak again.
"I think I know." Hitomi smiled at the tongue-tied girl, before leaving her to her own devices.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"That was odd." Mira whispered into the empty room.
"Queen Hitomi knows stuff like that." Ria commented as she leaped out of her hiding place.
"How long have you been here?" Mira asked in frustration.
"Long enough..." And Ria smirked.
"You have a 'thing' for Lord Daren, don't ya?"
"He's just a friend!" She protested.
"Yeah. Sure. My mother had the same problem pairing up Lord Van and Lady Hitomi, and trust me, I won't give up till I see you two married..." And she scampered away.
"Wow. The people here sure like to rush into these things." Mira observed and sighed.
"I wonder if Dad has even noticed I'm missing. Gatty and Chesta probably know by now." She smiled thinking of her favorite Dragonslayers. They had told her everything she knew about her mom, she didn't remember much, she had only been a few years old when she had passed on...
It was a beautiful summer day; the forests seemed to be alive in all their splendor. It was a special day. Gatty and Chesta were in the Dragonslayers dorm room, making sure their blue and black uniforms weren't wrinkled, it was after all, a big day for their commander. They had all chipped in and bought a house for Dilandau, his wife-to-be, and of course the Dragonslayers. It was nestled in the forest, away from all civilization, in the dense undergrowth of Zaibach. They ran outside, knowing that they would be late, if they didn't hurry up. They made it just in time, and took their place on the side of the aisle leading to the front of the clearing. Lady Selena emerged and progressed her way down the aisle. She was simply beautiful, and Lord Dilandau seemed stunned by her glory. She reached the altar and the service began. It was very long and tiring, but finally it ended, and they kissed. And Selena Schezar became Selena Albatou.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"She's beautiful..." Dilandau commented, holding the tiny baby in his arms.
"Her name's Mira. Mira Leona Albatou." The exhausted Selena replied, before falling into a heavy slumber.
"She has your eyes, Selena." He commented to his sleeping wife.
"I love you Selena, and I love you too Mira." He said, and he hugged the tiny girl.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Moero! Moero! My little silver flame!" Dilandau chanted as he spun Mira around in his arms.
Selena smiled, but kept insisting, "She's a little girl, not a flame!" And rolling her eyes.
Mira giggled wildly, when suddenly, Dilandau lost his grip on her and she went flying through the air.
"MIRA!" The frantic mother screamed, as Dilandau had his rare 'afraid look' on. He ran faster than he knew he could run and caught her before she hit the ground.
"Daddy! You saved me!" She cried out excitedly, giving him a hug.
"But he's the one who let go of you and put you in danger in the first place!" Selena protested.
"Oh well, no harm done." Dilandau commented. He had a couple scratches, and his coronet was hanging at a weird angle, but otherwise, he was fine.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dilandau awoke one morning. He stretched and smiled at the sleeping Selena. He put on his shirt and boots, but his sword and coronet were missing.
"What the hell's going on?" Dilandau wondered aloud. He walked down the corridor to Mira's room, to wake her up, but she wasn't there.
He walked into the kitchen to see a handful of Dragonslayers seated around the table. Mira was wearing his coronet and sword, which were both too big, and kept slipping down.
She ran around the kitchen going, "Moero! Burn!" And she laughed diabolically, slapping the slayers as she went around the table.
If she hadn't sounded so much like him, he would've laughed. The Dragonslayers had their backs to him, laughing at Mira's performance. Gatty sat frozen in fear when he saw the commander. He nudged Chesta and Migel and they turned around pale as milk. Dalet and Viole didn't notice their friends' fear while they laughed as Mira slapped a toy catgirl and sent it sprawling across the room.
"Ahem." Dilandau interrupted in a cool manner.
"I'll take those, if you don't mind Mira."
"OK Daddy!" She happily replied, handing him the coronet and sword. The Dragonslayers seemed to be on "Pause mode," until Lord Dilandau left the room. They breathed a sigh of relief and looked with confusement at the young Mira.
"How can you stand up to Lord Dilandau like that?" Viole asked.
"He's my daddy! He'd never hurt me!" The little girl replied, giggling as she ran out the door.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Selena, don't you dare leave me! Selena! I can't raise Mira and Philon without you!" Dilandau cried out angrily to his dying wife.
"Oh Dilandau, you're killed so many, you've seen so much blood. But now, when it's someone dear to you who's dying, you think it's wrong."
"I really couldn't help it, but I fell deeply in love with you, my lord, my love..." She whispered, kissing him tenderly.
"SELENA!" He choked out in a desperate manner, filled with anguish. But it was too late, Selena was gone.
"Mommy! Mommy! Don't leave me Mommy! I love you Mommy, don't leave me!" Screamed the sobbing Mira, shaking her mother, trying to wake her up from her eternal sleep.
A silent tear fell from Dilandau's eye, but he quickly wiped it away. Selena would not have wanted him to cry. He covered her with a sheet and walked away, leaving his sobbing daughter, and small son behind.
'How could you just leave me like that Selena? How could you?'
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
'The little girl in the gray frock, it couldn't be Mira,' The Dragonslayers thought as they lowered Lady Selena into her grave. She showed no emotion, she had cried herself dry. Lord Dilandau had a look of regret etched over his features.
Migel started to toss a red rose into the grave, but Dilandau-Sama barked, "Stop!" Migel had a look of bewilderment on his face as Diladnau said, "Selena hated blood, red roses reminded her of it." And he tossed a bouquet of white roses into the grave.
"Mother, loved flowers," Mira began, "She loved these," She said gesturing at the pink and white blossoms, "Just like grandmother. Uncle Allen told me that their name means, 'one who cannot be forgotten.'"
"Goodbye Mother." As she dropped the bouquet into the dark tomb.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mira walked in on her father in the kitchen. He drained a goblet of wine in a single gulp. There was a scowl plastered on his face. He hadn't smiled since mother had died.
He acted as if Mira didn't exist, when he wanted her he'd say in a cold tone, "Get over here girl!"
Like he had forgotten her name. His cold heart that had begun to melt when Selena was with him, but now it had begun to freeze over again.
"Father?" She whispered, calling him, "Daddy" was a long gone privilege.
"Father, will you help me with this?" She asked, holding out her rusty sword. She had left it outside by mistake and it had rained. She had been sparring with Gatty when she heard her father's screams and ran inside to help. The sword had remained outside, forgotten.
"I thought that MY daughter, would have the sense to never let her weapon leave her side!" He angrily commented, while a tear ran down her cheek.
"Ask one of those incompetent Dragonslayers to help you, girl." Silent tears trickled down her cheeks, as she walked out the door.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mira ran up to Garry and Chesta who were chopping wood.
"Father's screaming again." The little girl reported.
"Did he take his medicine?" Gatty asked, getting down on one knee to be eye level with her.
"No, he said that medicine's for baka weaklings!"
Chesta sighed, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"Was my mom pretty?" Mira asked out of the blue.
"Oh, Lady Selena was lovely. She had ash blonde hair and blue yes, like your eyes Mira. Your father was so deeply in love with her. It broke his heart when she died; he just couldn't take any more death. It hurts him, because every day, you look more and more like your mom, Lady Mira." Chesta explained.
"Why do you call me Lady? Should I call you Lord?" She asked in confusion.
"We call you Lady because it's a title of respect, and your father's our commander. And besides, you are a lady, Mira..." Gatty said, smiling at Dilandau-Sama's daughter.
"Oh."
"Well thanks Lord Gatty, thanks Lord Chesta!" And she ran back towards the house to her father's cries.
"Lord Chesta... it has a nice ring to it..." Chesta playfully commented to Gatty after Mira had left.
"She is a truly remarkable little girl..." Gatty commented.
"If only Lord Dilandau could see that..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mira awoke late one night to a blood-curdling scream. She thought that maybe Philon was having a nightmare again, he had had many nightmares since mother died. It had been fine when Philon was born, but then several years later, the illness had caught up with her, and she couldn't survive it. She went into her little brother's room to find him not in his bed. This made her blood run cold. She ran out the door towards the forest, and a yellow eye gleamed in the moonlight. She had screamed seeing the bloody body of her brother, lying nearby, blood covered the spikes on the dragon's long scaly tail. 'He went out to prove himself to father, that he was HIS son...' She thought in mourning. 'Oh mother, this is all your fault...' And she weeped as the dragon turned away, satisfied with the chaos it had caused.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As she began to softly cry in remorse and self-pity for the tragedy that was her life, Daren walked in.
"Mira, what's wrong?" He softly asked, cradling her in his arms.
"Sad memories." She replied, crying into his shirt.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: OK, I know that was sad, but face it, she has a sad life. It'll get better though. Sorry for all you Hitomi & Van lovers out there, I had many chapters with them as the main characters, now the next generation is taking charge, although they will have bigger roles again later on... And I couldn't resist adding Dilly-Chan, Chesta, and Gatty! * sweatdrop * I hope you enjoyed this chapter, gotta go! R&R! Arigato and Sionara! ^_^
~Trunks Gal~
A/N: In this chapter we'll learn a little more about Mira's past. R&R! Well enjoy! Flashback ^_^
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 25: Silent Tears
Mira lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. The ceiling was white and had draconians painted all over it. She wondered why, but they were beautiful, so she decided not to ask.
She heard a knock on the door and she said in a drowsy voice, "Come in."
She was shocked to see Queen Hitomi enter.
"Milady." She said, dropping down on one knee, for although she wasn't Zaibach's ruler, she was a queen after all. Mira felt very embarrassed, she was in her nightdress, and Hitomi was in all her royal splendor.
"Come now, no need for that." Hitomi said, smiling at the bewildered girl.
"I come to you as a friend. I know what it's like to come to an unfamiliar land, away from your family and friends. I came all the way from the Mystic Moon to be with Van. I never told this to Van, but sometimes I'd cry myself to sleep at night, because I missed them so. But sadly, when I went for a visit, there was no one left to miss. They're all dead. All I have left is my family here on Gaea, which I am grateful to have." She said, sadness reflecting in her voice.
"The Mystic Moon?" Mira asked in wonder.
"Yes, a long time ago..."
"Forgive me for being forward, but do you love Daren?" Hitomi asked quietly.
"Well...umm...I..." Mira was a deep crimson hue, and she didn't look like she'd ever speak again.
"I think I know." Hitomi smiled at the tongue-tied girl, before leaving her to her own devices.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"That was odd." Mira whispered into the empty room.
"Queen Hitomi knows stuff like that." Ria commented as she leaped out of her hiding place.
"How long have you been here?" Mira asked in frustration.
"Long enough..." And Ria smirked.
"You have a 'thing' for Lord Daren, don't ya?"
"He's just a friend!" She protested.
"Yeah. Sure. My mother had the same problem pairing up Lord Van and Lady Hitomi, and trust me, I won't give up till I see you two married..." And she scampered away.
"Wow. The people here sure like to rush into these things." Mira observed and sighed.
"I wonder if Dad has even noticed I'm missing. Gatty and Chesta probably know by now." She smiled thinking of her favorite Dragonslayers. They had told her everything she knew about her mom, she didn't remember much, she had only been a few years old when she had passed on...
It was a beautiful summer day; the forests seemed to be alive in all their splendor. It was a special day. Gatty and Chesta were in the Dragonslayers dorm room, making sure their blue and black uniforms weren't wrinkled, it was after all, a big day for their commander. They had all chipped in and bought a house for Dilandau, his wife-to-be, and of course the Dragonslayers. It was nestled in the forest, away from all civilization, in the dense undergrowth of Zaibach. They ran outside, knowing that they would be late, if they didn't hurry up. They made it just in time, and took their place on the side of the aisle leading to the front of the clearing. Lady Selena emerged and progressed her way down the aisle. She was simply beautiful, and Lord Dilandau seemed stunned by her glory. She reached the altar and the service began. It was very long and tiring, but finally it ended, and they kissed. And Selena Schezar became Selena Albatou.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"She's beautiful..." Dilandau commented, holding the tiny baby in his arms.
"Her name's Mira. Mira Leona Albatou." The exhausted Selena replied, before falling into a heavy slumber.
"She has your eyes, Selena." He commented to his sleeping wife.
"I love you Selena, and I love you too Mira." He said, and he hugged the tiny girl.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Moero! Moero! My little silver flame!" Dilandau chanted as he spun Mira around in his arms.
Selena smiled, but kept insisting, "She's a little girl, not a flame!" And rolling her eyes.
Mira giggled wildly, when suddenly, Dilandau lost his grip on her and she went flying through the air.
"MIRA!" The frantic mother screamed, as Dilandau had his rare 'afraid look' on. He ran faster than he knew he could run and caught her before she hit the ground.
"Daddy! You saved me!" She cried out excitedly, giving him a hug.
"But he's the one who let go of you and put you in danger in the first place!" Selena protested.
"Oh well, no harm done." Dilandau commented. He had a couple scratches, and his coronet was hanging at a weird angle, but otherwise, he was fine.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dilandau awoke one morning. He stretched and smiled at the sleeping Selena. He put on his shirt and boots, but his sword and coronet were missing.
"What the hell's going on?" Dilandau wondered aloud. He walked down the corridor to Mira's room, to wake her up, but she wasn't there.
He walked into the kitchen to see a handful of Dragonslayers seated around the table. Mira was wearing his coronet and sword, which were both too big, and kept slipping down.
She ran around the kitchen going, "Moero! Burn!" And she laughed diabolically, slapping the slayers as she went around the table.
If she hadn't sounded so much like him, he would've laughed. The Dragonslayers had their backs to him, laughing at Mira's performance. Gatty sat frozen in fear when he saw the commander. He nudged Chesta and Migel and they turned around pale as milk. Dalet and Viole didn't notice their friends' fear while they laughed as Mira slapped a toy catgirl and sent it sprawling across the room.
"Ahem." Dilandau interrupted in a cool manner.
"I'll take those, if you don't mind Mira."
"OK Daddy!" She happily replied, handing him the coronet and sword. The Dragonslayers seemed to be on "Pause mode," until Lord Dilandau left the room. They breathed a sigh of relief and looked with confusement at the young Mira.
"How can you stand up to Lord Dilandau like that?" Viole asked.
"He's my daddy! He'd never hurt me!" The little girl replied, giggling as she ran out the door.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Selena, don't you dare leave me! Selena! I can't raise Mira and Philon without you!" Dilandau cried out angrily to his dying wife.
"Oh Dilandau, you're killed so many, you've seen so much blood. But now, when it's someone dear to you who's dying, you think it's wrong."
"I really couldn't help it, but I fell deeply in love with you, my lord, my love..." She whispered, kissing him tenderly.
"SELENA!" He choked out in a desperate manner, filled with anguish. But it was too late, Selena was gone.
"Mommy! Mommy! Don't leave me Mommy! I love you Mommy, don't leave me!" Screamed the sobbing Mira, shaking her mother, trying to wake her up from her eternal sleep.
A silent tear fell from Dilandau's eye, but he quickly wiped it away. Selena would not have wanted him to cry. He covered her with a sheet and walked away, leaving his sobbing daughter, and small son behind.
'How could you just leave me like that Selena? How could you?'
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
'The little girl in the gray frock, it couldn't be Mira,' The Dragonslayers thought as they lowered Lady Selena into her grave. She showed no emotion, she had cried herself dry. Lord Dilandau had a look of regret etched over his features.
Migel started to toss a red rose into the grave, but Dilandau-Sama barked, "Stop!" Migel had a look of bewilderment on his face as Diladnau said, "Selena hated blood, red roses reminded her of it." And he tossed a bouquet of white roses into the grave.
"Mother, loved flowers," Mira began, "She loved these," She said gesturing at the pink and white blossoms, "Just like grandmother. Uncle Allen told me that their name means, 'one who cannot be forgotten.'"
"Goodbye Mother." As she dropped the bouquet into the dark tomb.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mira walked in on her father in the kitchen. He drained a goblet of wine in a single gulp. There was a scowl plastered on his face. He hadn't smiled since mother had died.
He acted as if Mira didn't exist, when he wanted her he'd say in a cold tone, "Get over here girl!"
Like he had forgotten her name. His cold heart that had begun to melt when Selena was with him, but now it had begun to freeze over again.
"Father?" She whispered, calling him, "Daddy" was a long gone privilege.
"Father, will you help me with this?" She asked, holding out her rusty sword. She had left it outside by mistake and it had rained. She had been sparring with Gatty when she heard her father's screams and ran inside to help. The sword had remained outside, forgotten.
"I thought that MY daughter, would have the sense to never let her weapon leave her side!" He angrily commented, while a tear ran down her cheek.
"Ask one of those incompetent Dragonslayers to help you, girl." Silent tears trickled down her cheeks, as she walked out the door.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mira ran up to Garry and Chesta who were chopping wood.
"Father's screaming again." The little girl reported.
"Did he take his medicine?" Gatty asked, getting down on one knee to be eye level with her.
"No, he said that medicine's for baka weaklings!"
Chesta sighed, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"Was my mom pretty?" Mira asked out of the blue.
"Oh, Lady Selena was lovely. She had ash blonde hair and blue yes, like your eyes Mira. Your father was so deeply in love with her. It broke his heart when she died; he just couldn't take any more death. It hurts him, because every day, you look more and more like your mom, Lady Mira." Chesta explained.
"Why do you call me Lady? Should I call you Lord?" She asked in confusion.
"We call you Lady because it's a title of respect, and your father's our commander. And besides, you are a lady, Mira..." Gatty said, smiling at Dilandau-Sama's daughter.
"Oh."
"Well thanks Lord Gatty, thanks Lord Chesta!" And she ran back towards the house to her father's cries.
"Lord Chesta... it has a nice ring to it..." Chesta playfully commented to Gatty after Mira had left.
"She is a truly remarkable little girl..." Gatty commented.
"If only Lord Dilandau could see that..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mira awoke late one night to a blood-curdling scream. She thought that maybe Philon was having a nightmare again, he had had many nightmares since mother died. It had been fine when Philon was born, but then several years later, the illness had caught up with her, and she couldn't survive it. She went into her little brother's room to find him not in his bed. This made her blood run cold. She ran out the door towards the forest, and a yellow eye gleamed in the moonlight. She had screamed seeing the bloody body of her brother, lying nearby, blood covered the spikes on the dragon's long scaly tail. 'He went out to prove himself to father, that he was HIS son...' She thought in mourning. 'Oh mother, this is all your fault...' And she weeped as the dragon turned away, satisfied with the chaos it had caused.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As she began to softly cry in remorse and self-pity for the tragedy that was her life, Daren walked in.
"Mira, what's wrong?" He softly asked, cradling her in his arms.
"Sad memories." She replied, crying into his shirt.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: OK, I know that was sad, but face it, she has a sad life. It'll get better though. Sorry for all you Hitomi & Van lovers out there, I had many chapters with them as the main characters, now the next generation is taking charge, although they will have bigger roles again later on... And I couldn't resist adding Dilly-Chan, Chesta, and Gatty! * sweatdrop * I hope you enjoyed this chapter, gotta go! R&R! Arigato and Sionara! ^_^
~Trunks Gal~