AN/Warning: For those of you who are already ready to kill me and Folken, DO NOT READ THIS EPILOGUE! Skip to the next one, then come back and read this when you're not going to kill me, k? Just... don't kill the authoress, please. No authoress means no more stories!....And that is a BAD thing, so you can put the knife DOWN!! *coughcough IZZY-CHANcough*
Also, This was supposed to be the original epilogue- a FxC ending. However, after reading GeniusGirl's review, I had to agree Folken was completely out of line to ask her that soon, and that it really did kill all chances for Celena's changed affections. He screwed himself over, big time. Go you, Folken! .
That being said, here is a moderated version, since I can no longer do a FxC epilogue without feeling revolted. See? Forget the power of Atlantis, reviews have MORE than enough power to change the fate of stories! I'm also less likely to be killed for this one than the original, so it's all for the better anyway. This takes place several years after the last chapter.
~Aoi Hitomi~
"Momma! Momma, Look what Aunt Celena made me! Isn't it pretty?" The young girl was jumping up and down, light red curls bouncing up and down with the movement. Around her crown rested a garland of mixed wild flowers, somewhat wilted and falling out from her run through the fields. Behind her, a tall, slender woman with shoulder length blonde hair was jogging over to where the little girl hopped. Behind the woman was a young boy, clinging to her skirts with one hand while sucking his thumb with the other. The queen of Cyrielle bent down, scooping up the girl into a hug.
"It's lovely Alice! Did you remember to thank your aunt for making it?" The girl stopped bouncing in her mother's arms, and turned to the woman who now stood beside them. Her face spilt into another large grin, and she reached over to hug her aunt from her mother's arms.
"Thank you, Aunt Celena! I had lots of fun and I wanna play with you every day that you're here!! Right, Uncle Gaddess??" 'Uncle' Gaddess flushed, rubbing the back of his neck. However, he grinned sheepishly and nodded, making the crown the young girl had made for him slide onto his nose. Pushing it up, he replied with a smile.
"Only if the Lady Celena wishes, Princess. She does have lots of things to do. We can always find something to do if she's busy." The little girl wriggled from her mother's grasp, and jumped a few more times.
"But Uncle Gaddess, you don't like playing dress up or tea party!! Aunt Celena promised she'd play with me tomorrow!! Right, Aunt Celena?" Celena smiled, patting the girl on the head.
"I will be sure to take some time to play with you tommorrow. You are my favorite niece afterall. Tell you what, why don't you go find Pappa, and show him your pretty new crown?" The girl's blue eyes lit up, and she gave one more bounce before turning to the young boy still attached to Celena's leg.
"C'mon, Dante! Let's go see Pappa!!!" Grabbing the silent boy's arm, she went tearing off through th e palace's doors to find her father. Close on their heels was 'Uncle' Gaddess, not about to let his charge get out of sight. The two women laughed, settling themselves comfortably onto two of Anna's chairs. Anna poured tea from an awaiting tray as Celena smoothed the papers Anna had been reading out on the desk. Looking over the contents, she shook her head before sitting back down, accepting the hot tea.
"I don't know how you do it, Anna. Alice is as rambunctious as a boy, and then having to deal with matters of the country to boot? I'm amazed you're still sitting; I'd be passed out on the couch from sheer exhaustion." Anna smiled, sipping at her tea and nibbling on a cake from the tray.
"She is a very active child, but luckily Allen had his crew stay on with us. Gaddess, as you saw, is such a dear with her. He's going to be an excellent father. And, when I can, I spend time with her. She is much easier to handle when she's been at study and is half asleep. When she's at full energy, the only ones who can handle her are either Gaddess or Allen." A sigh, and the tea was once again consumed. Celena sighed as well, biting into a tart. She sipped tea after she finished it, then looked at her sister-in-law.
"He's done remarkably well, considering how much damage was done. I think he's grown to accept the fact that he'll never be a warrior again, but I think that's for the best. You don't need the worry of a kingdom, a child, and a warrior husband." Anna shook her head, gazing out the window.
"No, I don't... But I think he gets tired of this living, sometimes. I think he'd like to wander about again, protecting the kingdom with sword rather than treaty. But, as you said, he has done remarkably well. The boys he's been teaching have made impressive improvements since he started training them. I'm hoping that by teaching them, his boredom will be alleviated, if only by a bit. I think the fact that Anna wants to be a knight when she grows up bothered him a bit, but she does wonders to make him happy.
"I love them both so much, Celena. It makes me wonder how I ever survived before they were in my life." Celena smiled, finishing her tea.
"We Schezars do tend to make things more interesting. It runs in our blood to be different, I think." Celena looked out the window again, silently sipping her tea. It came as no surprise when Anna decided to prod a little.
"Celena.... You know that Emperor Folken would have accepted you, even if you didn't love him in return." Celena sighed, remembering why it was she didn't come to visit her relatives so often. Every time she'd come down, Anna had demanded to know why she had refused Folken's offer. It didn't matter that she'd first advised against it, then for it; Anna simply wanted her to be happy. Celena appreciated that fact, but always replied in the same manner of fashion:
"Except that I refused, and he married Eries. Anna, I know he loved me, perhaps even still does, but I couldn't feel the same way. Not even in a hundred years would I be able to fully return that affection. We are friends, with a very close and trusted relationship, but a friendship. Nothing more. Eries and Folken are a good match. They both have very reserved manners, and they have respect for each other. More importantly, I think they've fallen in love. They would never admit it- Folken especially- but.. The way they look at each other, sometimes gives them away. And I'm happy for them. So please, Anna, don't bring it up again." The Queen opened her mouth to do just that, but she was interrupted by a soft voice from the door.
"Anna, she is a Schezar. It is our fate to go against what others expect of us. Leave her be." Celena smiled and stood, going over to her brother. He smiled, kissing her head and walked over to the chair beside Anna. He took the proffered tea, murmuring between sips.
" When I heard that you have taken on a protege, Celena, I had expected a girl. I didn't expect the young boy that shadowed you. Does he speak at all?" Celena smiled sadly, shaking her head.
"He rarely speaks, even for me. He's getting better though. The poor dear didn't say anything for the longest time, so I didn't even know his name until he'd been with me for over a month. It's a shame, he's such a sweet thing." Allen raised his eyebrow, refusing the cake Anna tried to feed him with a smile. He took a sip of tea instead, then furthered his questioning.
"But Celena, where did you find him? You go off to wander for two years, which surprised everyone enough. But then, when you come back, you've got a child tagging along. You say he's not your own, but you've avoided saying where he came from since you've arrived. Nothing can shock me, Celena. Just tell us the truth." Celena sighed, a distant look forming in her eyes.
"I found him on the battlefield, Allen." Dead silence filled the room. No one had to ask 'what battlefield'; apparently, though, that location had not occurred to either Anna or Allen. Celena continued, oblivious to the quiet.
"He was just sitting there, all alone on the rubble pile. I thought for a moment he was a ghost, he was so pale. But when I approached, he didn't disappear or attack. He just... watched me. He didn't seem afraid or upset, he just... was. I asked him where his parents were, and he shook his head. I told him he shouldn't be out there, and he shrugged. The only time he said anything was when I asked his name. He told me it was Dante, then said nothing more.
" I made camp that night, and when I awoke in the morning, he was gone. I looked for him, but he was nowhere to be seen. Three days later, he was curled up next to me when I woke up. He hasn't been far from me since. Alice has been very helpful in that aspect. I haven't seen him this happy when he's away from me for several months." She smiled warmly, biting into another tart as Anna and Allen stared. Anna was the first one to break the silence.
"Well, you certainly make a loving mother, Celena. Alice has made him laugh, yes, but he is happy when he's with you. I can see it in his eyes; he loves you like his own mother." Celena smiled, although it was half hearted.
"I'm not though. I don't know what she was like, I don't know anything of his past so I can't help him fight off all of his nightmares. I don't even know how old he is, let alone what his people were like. There's something... oddly different about him. He looks to be about three, but sometimes he acts like he's older than I am. He's got a stillness in him, that completely belies his cheerful disposition. He doesn't usually play with other children, he'd rather watch them from afar. And they avoid him too, though they don't ever say why, or try to hurt him.
To make things even more exciting, I think he might be half-draconian. It's faint, but sometimes I think I catch a glimpse of a birthmark on his forehead. I thought that after we'd stayed here for a bit, we'd go to Fanelia, so that I could ask Van if he could tell. I wish there was more I could do for him, I just... don't know what." Anna smiled, reaching over to squeeze Celena's hand.
"But that is something you learn as you go, Celena. You learn what you can do, and then you do the best you can. Dante is a fine boy, he just needs someone to help him recover from his past. You are that someone." And he, in turn, will help you heal your own wounds, and move from the past. It was not spoken aloud, but all three knew it was implied. Celena smiled sadly at that, nodding and finishing her tea.
Allen opened his mouth to speak, but the door to the study burst open at the moment, and a small figure ran into the room. Dante, grass-stained and dirty, raced to Celena's side, tugging at her sleeve and holding up a small bouquet for her to take. His large green eyes sparkled happily ,oblivious to the downy platinum blonde bangs falling into them. Celena smiled lovingly, brushing away the fallen strands of hair while taking both boy and bouquet into her lap.
"Thank you, Dante, they're beautiful!" The boy hugged her fiercely, then his eyes fell upon the treats on the table. His eyes went wide, and he turned back to look at her, question unsaid but plainly visible on his small round face. She smiled again, kissing the top of his head.
"You may have one, love, but only one. Dinner will be soon, and I don't want you to spoil your appetite." He beamed at her, grabbing one of the cakes and taking small bites, relishing each one. Allen and Anna watched with amusement, Celena holding him comfortably in her lap. She cast a look in Allen's direction, and his former unease at her taking in the orphaned child seemed to have diminished somewhat. Letting out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding, she absently began to run her fingers through the boy's hair. She was absorbed in her own thoughts, and started when a soft voice interrupted them.
"Celena-kaa-san?" She looked down at the young boy whose eyes had grown into that irresistible puppy face, and felt herself softening from both methods.
"Yes, Dante?" He hugged his "Kaa-san" harder, then put the puppy face back to work. Celena could see Anna grinning happily in the background, and noticed Allen's own face of surprise. Then, her attention went back to Dante, who was growing more and more adorable by the moment.
"Can Dante have another?" She laughed, hugging him tightly.
"Dante, next time say, 'May I have another cake?' But yes, you may. Just one, mind you now." He beamed at her, grabbing another of the small sweets before settling back into her lap, this time focusing his gaze on Allen and Anna. They looked back at him, and several moments of relative quiet passed over the group.
"DANTE!! Dante, where'd you gooooooooooooooo???" Alice's high voiced pierced the silence, and Dante shot up at it. Shoving the rest of the cake down his mouth and chewing as quickly as he could, he jumped down, laughing, and ran off in the direction of the princess' voice. Allen raised an eyebrow at his sister.
"Kaa-san? I thought you said-" Celena sniffed, eyes tearing up, though there was a smile on her face.
"He's never called me that before. It's always been, 'Celena-nee-chan', or 'Miss Celena'. Never... mother. I guess he thinks more of me than I thought he did." Anna laughed, getting up.
"Well, he's certainly adorable, Celena. If you hadn'y adopted him already, I might consider it myself.
" I'm glad you've come to stay with us, even if it is for a short time. Next time, you cannot allow two years to pass before you see us again! And you must keep us informed of how things are with you- Alice will want to write to Dante, I'm sure. Now, we must go and get ready for dinner- as you said, Celena, it is almost time. I think I'll go collect Alice before I do anything else, though; I'm sure Gaddess would appreciate the break. I'll see you in a bit." With a peck on her husband's cheek and a nod to Celena, Anna left the room, leaving the two siblings alone.
"Celena..." She flinched, recognizing the sound of his voice, and knowing no good would come of it. Instead, he sighed and hugged her tightly.
" Don't do that again, do you hear me? I was worried sick about you." She looked up at him, surprised. He wasn't upset about..? He laughed, reading her mind.
"I'm not upset about the boy. Anna is correct, he is in no better hands than yours. And it is good to see you smile again. I don't know if you realized it, but this is the first time since you left after the war that you've smiled. I'm glad that you've found some happiness at last, Celena. Just don't.... Don't be a stranger. You did say you wanted to visit your nieces and nephews as often as possible, didn't you? And Alice and Dante seem to get along very well. It would be good for both of you to visit more than once every two and a half years, you know." She smiled, laughing.
"I promise, I promise! I will not forget to write you again brother. I do not regret my years of wandering, however. I needed them." He nodded, and opened the door for her. She walked through, and they made their way down the hall in companionable silence, enjoying each other's company. Celena paused as a pale form launched itself into her arms, nestling his face into her shoulder. She smiled and hugged him, resuming her walk with Allen. Her brother was amused, though he said nothing. After a few more steps, she looked over the child's head to her Oni-san.
"I think, that after we visit Van and Hitomi, we will go home. I grow tired of traveling, don't you, Dante?" The boy nodded, mumbling into her shoulder.
"Home, Kaa-san!" With a laugh, Celena kissed the boy on the cheek, and walked back to their room to prepare for dinner.
~Owari~
...The Heck?? Who on earth is Dante?? *bonks self on head* Oh... I feel the urge of a sequel to this coming on... I need to lie down. First, however, ANs!!
So, what did you all think? Personally, I'm proud of my two stories, I didn't know how they'd go but I think they went pretty smoothly, except for a few typos... I admit, Reflections wasn't what I'd hoped it to be, but, so it goes... You know that I love hearing from readers, either through reviews or email! Drop me a line, I'm always encouraged by what people say about my stories, and I usually get my ideas from random comments. ^_^ I loved writing these stories, so lemme know what you think: SirLadySketch@hotmail.com
Anyways, I hope you all liked "Reflections of the Heart" as much if not more as "Through the Glass" you DID read TTG first, didn't you? Riiiiiight....
This AN/Q& A is divided up into a couple of different sections:
1.Questions
2.Song Titles/ track info
3.Bloopers, random fun stuff and anything I feel like adding maybe a drinking game later on?
Ok, let's move to the questions/ comments, shall we?
1**Q** Why was Folken/Celena even implied? Did not my threats of death and all it entails not keep you from even THINKING of making this kind of fic?? I HATE YOU! YOU SUCK!
**A** ...Why does everyone hate Folken??? Give the guy a break, he said some stupid things, but after Dilandau died, where else could Celena go than to him or on her 'finding oneself' journey?? You didn't expect a suicide or a hermitage, did you? C'mon, now, really!!
2**Q** Yeah, that's another thing!! WHY?? WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY??? DILLY DIDN'T DESERVE TO DIE!! I HATE YOU!!
**A** Again, it needed to happen. Sorry guys, but this is the way I wrote the fic! *shrugs* Everyone hates poor Florken-sama... I love Dilly too, but does that mean I'm gonna let him live to see Celena marry a guy he hates? Do you honestly think that he'd want to watch her everyday, knowing that she'd given herself to another? Not bloody likely! He'd either kill Folken, or himself; knowing the former would make Celena miserable and get him into heaps of trouble, he'd do the latter. I just... removed the problem!! *ducks sharp objects being thrown at her*
3**Q** Well... I still hate you, but you've got a chance to redeem yourself. Any new fics in the lineup? You were lying about there being no Sequels to the sequel, right? You've got another in mind, right? RIGHT???
**A** EEP!! ...Actually, kinda.. I've got several things in mind, and yes, two of the stories tie into this. They're prequels to these two, not Celena centered, but a Millerna/Dryden fic.
The DxM fic is called, "Looking for Love"-going with my whole imagery with the mirror and looking thing, you know. Why them? I suddenly got this really funny vision of Allen dragging Dryden back to Asturia, then dumping him in front of King Aston and co. What did he and Millerna go through to see past their differences? In it, I plan to go into their relationship, set immediately after the series- I don't know if you all remember, but I said Millerna helped Celena recover, so yes, Allen and Celena will be in it, but NO, I repeat, NO, DILANDAU WILL NOT! Pre-TTG, so Celena's still a little out of it.. She'll be more childlike, less independent, and more naive than in these two. I call them her schizophrenic years! It'll be fun! ^_^
The other one? …Hehehe
But, before I get to work on those, I've got a couple other things in mind- A one-shot about Sora from the movie, a Fushigi Yuugi fic I've been wanting to write forever, plus, I've got a Lord of the Rings fic written, so all I hafta do is type it up, and then there're all the other stories I've never quite finished... ^_^;; Plus, I've got my original fic going on the sidelines, and poor Aiden has been feeling unloved due to the lack of attention to his story. I might post a preview, then again, might not. Dunno yet.
And, while I know I've been swearing that there will be no sequel to this story.. Let's just say I've got some characters that would fit in one nicely, if a story were to make itself known to me... ^_^
4**Q** You didn't even mention Dilly!! You barely mentioned Folken! What the heck are you thinking????
**A** ....Heck, you've got me. I've no idea where that came from, it just happened. *mumbles* great, now I've got another kid to add to the list of potential sequel to the sequel fodder... Bugger.
5**Q** Hey, didn't you say there was another ending?? WHAT GIVES??
**A** Hehe... *evil grin* And here is where I say, " Look to the next chapter...."