I really didn't remember what Treize's estate looks like. so. Just leave it
to imagination, ok? Besides, feel lucky I didn't do a bubble bath scene.
hehehe. OMG!!! I SHOULD have done a bubble bath scene!!!! That would have
been SOOO great! Why didn't I think of that earlier???? *sniffle* Oh well.
There are always other fanfics waiting for a rose-scented kick. hehehe.
*******************************************************************
CHAPTER THREE: IN SLEEP THEY WILL COME
The air was eerily quiet that summer's evening, as Lady walked across the gardens of the Khushrenada Estate. The scent of hundreds of blossoming roses, so intoxicating, crept around her, teasing her nostrils when the wind swept by. She was going to find Treize, she realized, or why else would she be intruding into his summer garden? But why? What was she planning to say to him? What was drawing her to this place? Reasoning, she decided she was only visiting, for whatever other sad excuse she had, this was the best.
Treize stood quietly tending a rose vine beneath the cherry tree, stopping only once to taste the sweet fruit that hung temptingly above his head. She smiled at the way he looked around before picking the fruit, as if it was someone else's garden, and he was but a mere thief. Her quiet laugh did not go unnoticed, for he turned around to face her, a contented smile across his face.
"A visitor?" he asked, grinning. Already Lady felt the blush creep onto her cheeks. "Well, what have we here? Such a beautiful rose did I find today amongst the others..." he whispered, approaching her gently. "I must send my appreciation to the gardener." She looked at him, surprised, half hoping that he was referring to her as that rose, and half hoping he was talking about some plant that just happened to be next to her. "Or was it the angels who decided to place such a beauty before me?" he whispered, before leaning down to kiss her softly, his lips just barely touching hers.
Lady froze, unable to react, but this just prompted him to take the kiss deeper. Love, she thought, almost horrified by the notion. No, she could not.She could not let herself fall in love with him. Not here, not now, not during this bloody war that threatened the future of both of them. She quickly pulled away, Treize allowed a smug smile to creep across his face knowing he had caused this discomfort.
"But what angels would send me a rose that rejects me so quickly?" he murmured, and Lady, her gaze meeting his, felt herself step forward into his reach again, unable to resist. Madness, she thought. But such sweet madness...
Suddenly the wind grew strong; a storm swept over the sky so quickly there would be no time to seek shelter. Lightning struck the trees just across the garden, but before Lady could move, the fire had spread, surrounding her. The smoke engulfed everything, and coughing uncontrollably, Lady fell to the ground, using the last of the air in her lungs to scream.
"What's the matter, Lady?" The icy voice had returned. "Do you not like fire?" Laughter rang through the clouds, so evil that even the plants, dying around her, shuddered. "Come, Lady. This garden can be ours forever. All you have to do is say yes. Yes, and step into the shadows with me."
"NO!!!!!" she screamed, jumping to her feet and running against the force of the fire itself. "No!" But the smoke grew too thick, and she collapsed onto the ground. "No."
*******************************************************************
The thin wail of a baby woke Lady from her restless sleep. Leah, she thought immediately, and went to the young child's care. It had been but another dream, she concluded. Another dream. But it was more than just a dream, more than she wanted to accept. These were memories from her past, sweet memories that were destroyed by the devastation of Treize's death. It was something that could not be helped. It was something she was going to have to live with.for as long as she could hold out, then fate would. Lady shook her head. This was mad. There was no such thing.was there?
*******************************************************************
August 8, 204 AC
"Momma! Come look at this!" a young girl's voice called happily from the gardens. Lady smiled and put down her computer tablet. "Momma!" the girl called again, and Lady joined her amongst the summer flowers. Leah, who was now a high-spirited seven-year-old, was crouched down beside a small rose bush Lady had planted earlier in the summer. The girl seemed awe- struck.
"Well, Leah, what did you find this time, love?" Leah looked up, a smile blooming across her face like a sunflower.
"Look at this rose," she whispered, as if not to hurt the plant.
Lady smiled. "It is beautiful. Such a perfect rose." Leah smiled again.
"The angels must have put it here." Angels. It sent the thought of that wretched dream flashing through her head.
"Yes, angels," Lady sighed. Why had she not been able to forget that horrible dream? That memory?
"I want to give it to Marie before she goes off to college, Momma. Can you pick it?" she asked hopefully. Lady nodded and went to get her garden clippers.
Marie had been pleased to see such a gift - the perfect rose, as a farewell before she left for college. The next week she would be leaving, but before then, she thought to enjoy the company of her little sister. With Lady's approval, Marie took Leah out for the day, and Lady, alone without the burden of looking after a curious, mischievous seven-year-old, found herself quickly falling asleep.
*******************************************************************
Lady was at a celebration, but for some reason, her memory failed her, and she could not remember what the celebration was about. All the guests were members of the aristocratic society she had become all too familiar with. Some she could recognize, others she could not, but she skimmed her gaze over the ballroom as couples danced in time with one of the old waltzes she had learned to dance to as a child. Suddenly, she realized that she too, was dressed like them, wearing a beautiful silk gown she didn't remember she ever owned. But before she could think anymore of it, she spotted His Excellency out on the pavilion, and instinctively, she walked towards him.
Treize was leaning over the railing, wondering where on Earth his Lady could have gone. She was never late for anything. Never. Maybe she wouldn't show at all, he mused, remembering the surprised look she gave him when he asked her to accompany him to the gala. Fingering the soft petals of a rose, whose vine was growing up around the railing, he waited patiently.
"Mr. Treize?" she asked timidly. He lifted his head and turned to face her, his lips curving upwards into a smile of approval and admiration. Taking her hand, he bent to kiss it, whispering softly when he straightened.
"Stunning, my Lady.You look absolutely stunning," he said, taken breathless by her appearance. She reddened a bit at the neck at his complement, but managed a quiet thank you before he turned around again. Picking the rose he had been looking at for quite a while as he waited, he pinned it like a corsage to her dress. "Like an angel, my Lady.You're more beautiful than I could ever have imagined." Again, she flushed.
"Thank you for such kind words, Excellency." She smiled, but the silence dawned upon them for what seemed an eternity.
"Well," Treize finally said, "why should we stand here so idly while the others enjoy themselves so? Would my Lady care to dance?" Lady smiled again and Treize offered her his arm, leading her out onto the pavilion's dance floor. There they glided across the floor in perfect synchrony, as if they had danced with only each other since the beginning of time itself. Her tension eased with the music, and Lady found that this was quite a pleasant place to be. The air was lightly scented by the fragrance of a garden after a spring rain, and it soothed her nerves, which had become so taut when she first realized she was here.
"I was worried you would not show, Lady," Treize confided softly, breaking into her thoughts, "But I know that you have never let me down, not once." A roaring thunder erupted in her ears, the ballroom filled with terrified screams as it all went up in flames. She felt Treize's grip on her tighten, those bony fingers once again wrapped around her arms. "You have never let me down, Lady." he hissed. "Please don't start now."
"Let go of me!" Lady screeched, tearing herself out of his grip. She whirled around to run, but the fire had closed in. Silhouettes of people, panicking, fighting for their lives within the flames. Suddenly, a great feeling of anger snapped through her. She spun around, looking Treize straight in the eye. "Why?" she demanded, her voice nearly as icy as his. "Look at those people!" she cried, her hand gesturing to them, the people who had long since stopped screaming, and now lay lifeless on the ground, silhouetted by the amber flames. "Why do you do this? Why do they have to suffer as well? Tell me!!"
Treize only grinned, those sapphire eyes glowing with a sheen of evil. He laughed at his Lady's allegations. "You are so blind, my Lady," he mocked. "They do not suffer. They are not here." The bodies disappeared as soon as he said the words. "Only you are really here. You and me, Lady. Come into the shadows with me.I have been waiting."
Lady backed away from his outstretched hands, turning to run, but she had no where to go.
"Come with me Lady.please."
"NO! NO!! I will not go with you!" she screamed, and just as she said those words, the pavilion began to collapse on itself. The marble columns cracked and crumbled, the ceiling gave way, its rafters buckling and bending, and glass from the skylight showered down upon her, and she screamed again.
"I can save you, Lady. all you have to do is come with me." She looked at him though the smoke. "Let me save you, Lady."
"NO!" she yelled furiously. And she ran beneath a collapsing rafter, looking at Treize one last time before stating coldly, "If fate wants me dead, let it be so, but I will not go with you, to wherever you may wish to take me. I will not." The rafter gave way, and it all went black.
*******************************************************************
Lady woke up later that afternoon, just as Marie and Leah were pulling into the driveway. Suddenly, from impulse, she realized there was something she had to do. With a face that was not quite happy, but not sad either, she met her two daughters on the first floor landing.
"Is something wrong, mother?" Marie asked when she saw Lady leaning against the railing with a sober look.
"Marie, you are leaving for college next week, right?" Marie nodded. "It has been such a long while, but perhaps this way, we can put everything in the past behind us. We will go up to your parents' graves, and we will say good bye, one last time. And then we will leave them to rest in peace." Her gaze drifted from Marie, to Leah, then back to Marie again. "Do you understand what I am saying?" She paused for a moment. "We must all visit them one more time, and then we will put this behind us. We will never go back to that cemetery again." Maybe then they will leave me to rest in peace as well, Lady thought.
Marie nodded in agreement, this sudden reminder of the tragedies that occurred such a while back stuck open the wounds in her heart. "Come now, get ready. A shuttle we can take this evening and reach the colony by early morning. We will pay a visit to your Aunt Sally while we're there." Lady gave them a smile and a hug, wondering why she had been possessed to do such a thing. Maybe they truly would leave her alone. Maybe they would stop haunting her dreams.
*******************************************************************
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Did anyone notice yet that Une spends her life sleeping? Well, I guess
if you're stuck in a fanfic like this, you probably would want to
escape any way you can. hehehe. But what no one knows, is when Une is
actually sleeping. Remember: all is not as it seems. I'm going to get
locked away as a psycho for writing this, aren't I?
*******************************************************************
CHAPTER THREE: IN SLEEP THEY WILL COME
The air was eerily quiet that summer's evening, as Lady walked across the gardens of the Khushrenada Estate. The scent of hundreds of blossoming roses, so intoxicating, crept around her, teasing her nostrils when the wind swept by. She was going to find Treize, she realized, or why else would she be intruding into his summer garden? But why? What was she planning to say to him? What was drawing her to this place? Reasoning, she decided she was only visiting, for whatever other sad excuse she had, this was the best.
Treize stood quietly tending a rose vine beneath the cherry tree, stopping only once to taste the sweet fruit that hung temptingly above his head. She smiled at the way he looked around before picking the fruit, as if it was someone else's garden, and he was but a mere thief. Her quiet laugh did not go unnoticed, for he turned around to face her, a contented smile across his face.
"A visitor?" he asked, grinning. Already Lady felt the blush creep onto her cheeks. "Well, what have we here? Such a beautiful rose did I find today amongst the others..." he whispered, approaching her gently. "I must send my appreciation to the gardener." She looked at him, surprised, half hoping that he was referring to her as that rose, and half hoping he was talking about some plant that just happened to be next to her. "Or was it the angels who decided to place such a beauty before me?" he whispered, before leaning down to kiss her softly, his lips just barely touching hers.
Lady froze, unable to react, but this just prompted him to take the kiss deeper. Love, she thought, almost horrified by the notion. No, she could not.She could not let herself fall in love with him. Not here, not now, not during this bloody war that threatened the future of both of them. She quickly pulled away, Treize allowed a smug smile to creep across his face knowing he had caused this discomfort.
"But what angels would send me a rose that rejects me so quickly?" he murmured, and Lady, her gaze meeting his, felt herself step forward into his reach again, unable to resist. Madness, she thought. But such sweet madness...
Suddenly the wind grew strong; a storm swept over the sky so quickly there would be no time to seek shelter. Lightning struck the trees just across the garden, but before Lady could move, the fire had spread, surrounding her. The smoke engulfed everything, and coughing uncontrollably, Lady fell to the ground, using the last of the air in her lungs to scream.
"What's the matter, Lady?" The icy voice had returned. "Do you not like fire?" Laughter rang through the clouds, so evil that even the plants, dying around her, shuddered. "Come, Lady. This garden can be ours forever. All you have to do is say yes. Yes, and step into the shadows with me."
"NO!!!!!" she screamed, jumping to her feet and running against the force of the fire itself. "No!" But the smoke grew too thick, and she collapsed onto the ground. "No."
*******************************************************************
The thin wail of a baby woke Lady from her restless sleep. Leah, she thought immediately, and went to the young child's care. It had been but another dream, she concluded. Another dream. But it was more than just a dream, more than she wanted to accept. These were memories from her past, sweet memories that were destroyed by the devastation of Treize's death. It was something that could not be helped. It was something she was going to have to live with.for as long as she could hold out, then fate would. Lady shook her head. This was mad. There was no such thing.was there?
*******************************************************************
August 8, 204 AC
"Momma! Come look at this!" a young girl's voice called happily from the gardens. Lady smiled and put down her computer tablet. "Momma!" the girl called again, and Lady joined her amongst the summer flowers. Leah, who was now a high-spirited seven-year-old, was crouched down beside a small rose bush Lady had planted earlier in the summer. The girl seemed awe- struck.
"Well, Leah, what did you find this time, love?" Leah looked up, a smile blooming across her face like a sunflower.
"Look at this rose," she whispered, as if not to hurt the plant.
Lady smiled. "It is beautiful. Such a perfect rose." Leah smiled again.
"The angels must have put it here." Angels. It sent the thought of that wretched dream flashing through her head.
"Yes, angels," Lady sighed. Why had she not been able to forget that horrible dream? That memory?
"I want to give it to Marie before she goes off to college, Momma. Can you pick it?" she asked hopefully. Lady nodded and went to get her garden clippers.
Marie had been pleased to see such a gift - the perfect rose, as a farewell before she left for college. The next week she would be leaving, but before then, she thought to enjoy the company of her little sister. With Lady's approval, Marie took Leah out for the day, and Lady, alone without the burden of looking after a curious, mischievous seven-year-old, found herself quickly falling asleep.
*******************************************************************
Lady was at a celebration, but for some reason, her memory failed her, and she could not remember what the celebration was about. All the guests were members of the aristocratic society she had become all too familiar with. Some she could recognize, others she could not, but she skimmed her gaze over the ballroom as couples danced in time with one of the old waltzes she had learned to dance to as a child. Suddenly, she realized that she too, was dressed like them, wearing a beautiful silk gown she didn't remember she ever owned. But before she could think anymore of it, she spotted His Excellency out on the pavilion, and instinctively, she walked towards him.
Treize was leaning over the railing, wondering where on Earth his Lady could have gone. She was never late for anything. Never. Maybe she wouldn't show at all, he mused, remembering the surprised look she gave him when he asked her to accompany him to the gala. Fingering the soft petals of a rose, whose vine was growing up around the railing, he waited patiently.
"Mr. Treize?" she asked timidly. He lifted his head and turned to face her, his lips curving upwards into a smile of approval and admiration. Taking her hand, he bent to kiss it, whispering softly when he straightened.
"Stunning, my Lady.You look absolutely stunning," he said, taken breathless by her appearance. She reddened a bit at the neck at his complement, but managed a quiet thank you before he turned around again. Picking the rose he had been looking at for quite a while as he waited, he pinned it like a corsage to her dress. "Like an angel, my Lady.You're more beautiful than I could ever have imagined." Again, she flushed.
"Thank you for such kind words, Excellency." She smiled, but the silence dawned upon them for what seemed an eternity.
"Well," Treize finally said, "why should we stand here so idly while the others enjoy themselves so? Would my Lady care to dance?" Lady smiled again and Treize offered her his arm, leading her out onto the pavilion's dance floor. There they glided across the floor in perfect synchrony, as if they had danced with only each other since the beginning of time itself. Her tension eased with the music, and Lady found that this was quite a pleasant place to be. The air was lightly scented by the fragrance of a garden after a spring rain, and it soothed her nerves, which had become so taut when she first realized she was here.
"I was worried you would not show, Lady," Treize confided softly, breaking into her thoughts, "But I know that you have never let me down, not once." A roaring thunder erupted in her ears, the ballroom filled with terrified screams as it all went up in flames. She felt Treize's grip on her tighten, those bony fingers once again wrapped around her arms. "You have never let me down, Lady." he hissed. "Please don't start now."
"Let go of me!" Lady screeched, tearing herself out of his grip. She whirled around to run, but the fire had closed in. Silhouettes of people, panicking, fighting for their lives within the flames. Suddenly, a great feeling of anger snapped through her. She spun around, looking Treize straight in the eye. "Why?" she demanded, her voice nearly as icy as his. "Look at those people!" she cried, her hand gesturing to them, the people who had long since stopped screaming, and now lay lifeless on the ground, silhouetted by the amber flames. "Why do you do this? Why do they have to suffer as well? Tell me!!"
Treize only grinned, those sapphire eyes glowing with a sheen of evil. He laughed at his Lady's allegations. "You are so blind, my Lady," he mocked. "They do not suffer. They are not here." The bodies disappeared as soon as he said the words. "Only you are really here. You and me, Lady. Come into the shadows with me.I have been waiting."
Lady backed away from his outstretched hands, turning to run, but she had no where to go.
"Come with me Lady.please."
"NO! NO!! I will not go with you!" she screamed, and just as she said those words, the pavilion began to collapse on itself. The marble columns cracked and crumbled, the ceiling gave way, its rafters buckling and bending, and glass from the skylight showered down upon her, and she screamed again.
"I can save you, Lady. all you have to do is come with me." She looked at him though the smoke. "Let me save you, Lady."
"NO!" she yelled furiously. And she ran beneath a collapsing rafter, looking at Treize one last time before stating coldly, "If fate wants me dead, let it be so, but I will not go with you, to wherever you may wish to take me. I will not." The rafter gave way, and it all went black.
*******************************************************************
Lady woke up later that afternoon, just as Marie and Leah were pulling into the driveway. Suddenly, from impulse, she realized there was something she had to do. With a face that was not quite happy, but not sad either, she met her two daughters on the first floor landing.
"Is something wrong, mother?" Marie asked when she saw Lady leaning against the railing with a sober look.
"Marie, you are leaving for college next week, right?" Marie nodded. "It has been such a long while, but perhaps this way, we can put everything in the past behind us. We will go up to your parents' graves, and we will say good bye, one last time. And then we will leave them to rest in peace." Her gaze drifted from Marie, to Leah, then back to Marie again. "Do you understand what I am saying?" She paused for a moment. "We must all visit them one more time, and then we will put this behind us. We will never go back to that cemetery again." Maybe then they will leave me to rest in peace as well, Lady thought.
Marie nodded in agreement, this sudden reminder of the tragedies that occurred such a while back stuck open the wounds in her heart. "Come now, get ready. A shuttle we can take this evening and reach the colony by early morning. We will pay a visit to your Aunt Sally while we're there." Lady gave them a smile and a hug, wondering why she had been possessed to do such a thing. Maybe they truly would leave her alone. Maybe they would stop haunting her dreams.
*******************************************************************
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Did anyone notice yet that Une spends her life sleeping? Well, I guess
if you're stuck in a fanfic like this, you probably would want to
escape any way you can. hehehe. But what no one knows, is when Une is
actually sleeping. Remember: all is not as it seems. I'm going to get
locked away as a psycho for writing this, aren't I?