~···*···~
~ Epilogue. Forget-me-not~
~ True Love
His lips curved upwards in a smile as his eyes wandered outside, resting on the six people in the garden. It was a splendid spring morning, the birds on the tree branches chirping happily their melodies to the sun, and Aston Manor was more full of life than ever.
Grava Efud Aston sipped his tea contentedly, marveling at how perfect the world was that April morning.
His small keen eyes stared again at the three couples in the garden. They seemed so happy… and to think he'd nearly strangled that happiness with his plans of marriage…
"Ah, the young people who're full of hopes and dreams…" the words were soft, coming from lips who'd already lived their life and that now pleasantly watched others do the same.
Grava turned around and greeted Yuri with a small smile. Since he'd learnt that they had an old fortuneteller living in the house, he'd been fairly interested in knowing her and talking to her. He'd always been a curious man, and any kind of art, science or knowledge unknown to him appeared as terribly appealing. The noble had discovered in the flower girl's grandmother an unending source of surprises, an incredible amount of experiences and a wisdom and insight that he'd never seen in anyone else before.
"Did you know about this?" he asked quietly, waving his hand to take in the young couples down below. "When Mr. Schezar came in here saying that he wasn't marrying Millerna… one could say I felt young again," he smiled, remembering the time when he'd done something quite similar to marry Therese. "After they told me all of the story, I felt at once that I had been too close to ruining too many lives…"
Yuri smiled, slowly sitting on an armchair. "They make you feel young, don't they?" the green-eyed woman sighed, her hands resting on her lap. "Actually, you were close, aye, but you shouldn't take all the blame for that… it was partly their own fault."
Grava cocked his head to a side with a puzzled look. "Their fault?"
"Everybody is responsible for their own actions," the green-eyed woman said. "Luckily, they decided to take charge of their lives' course. And you see what's come out of it," she waved her hand towards the garden with a smile. "When people are true to their own selves, this is what often happens: they're happy. 'Twould be pointless to say that they were victims of society; as you've seen, one is only a victim as long as one wants to."
The Aston noble nodded reflexively,
amazed at how much someone like Yuri, who'd lived so differently from aristocrats,
could understand them so perfectly well. Or, he thought, perhaps
it's not nobles she's only talking about… it's about all human beings.
"Doesn't it make you feel envious, seeing how much they love each other?" he commented pensively, as down in the garden Dryden said something that made Millerna laugh. Hitomi, sitting on a swing that hung from a high branch of a chestnut tree, joined their laughs, her white dress fluttering in the air with every gentle sway.
"Sometimes, Grava, we mistake these
concepts…" Yuri said with a wise grin.
"Love is a temporary madness that
erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it does, you have
to make a decision. You have to work whether your roots have become so
entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should part," the fortune
teller declared.
"Because this is what love is. Love
is not breathlessness, it's not excitement, neither the promulgation of
promises of eternal passion. That it just being 'in love', which any of
us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when
being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate
accident."
He stared at her, feeling every word hit him with undoubted truth.
"Some day…" she smiled dreamily,
and a wistful expression flickered across her face for a moment, making
her seem twenty years younger. "Some day, those young men and women down
there will understand what love really is, after years of living day after
day with the person they've chosen," Yuri said serenely. "I don't envy
them anymore, Grava. I know what love is, I've loved much throughout the
years I've lived and wouldn't change it for their young and newly found
affection.
Does an old gardener envy the roses
for their youth? I am a mere observer, I guide them when they need advice,
because it's nearly all I have left. And hope to see them discover, together,
what true love really is.
Did you want to go back to the first
time you met with Therese ten years after having married her? Were you
happier then than afterwards?"
He stopped to consider it for a minute, then shook his head. "No. I think I grew to love her a little bit more every day."
Yuri smiled. "That's why I don't envy them, Grava, but instead watch them lovingly, knowing that they've just started walking, and the path ahead them is very long. I'd like to see them when they discover what true love is, and then they'll look at these days and will realize that one can never say 'I can't love you more than what I do now'."
"How can you be so wise, old woman?" he asked affectionately, looking at her as the mother he never had. She sketched a wistful smile and sighed.
"Because I have lived, loved, and learnt from it. And I still believe that there are many things to learn, and many things to experience."
Yuri turned to the young couples down in the garden and shook her head. "Look at them. They're no more than little young flower buds unscathed by the years. Just married, expecting children… they're setting the foundations of their future."
Grava smiled, nodding slowly. Yes indeed… a future that was full of promises and dreams to accomplish.
And they had all their lives ahead to do so.
~···*···~
~ A relationship is like a rose,
How long it lasts, no one knows.
Love can erase an awful past,
Love can be yours, you'll see
at last.
To feel that love, it makes you
sigh,
To have it leave, you'd rather
die.
You hope you've found that special
rose,
'cause you love and care for
the one you chose ~
~···*···~
Owari
Thanks to all o' ye *hugs all
reviewers* THANK YE!!
blonde-hitomi: *grins widely* thanks so much!! Ahh *sighs dreamily* I also replayed Van's last act in me mind quite a few times *blushes*… 'nyway, thanks so much fer reviewin', me was so happy! ^___^
fireangel621: *sobs* I also ask meself the same question fer 'bout… 20 times a day… why can't there be more Vans around?? T_T but again, how could 'Tomi not pick the wise route, I mean, hey it's VAN we're talkin' 'bout *snorts* if she doesn't pick 'im, there are 'bout 10 million girls in this world who'd take him fer her -_-U so… thanks so much, an' if ye figure out some way te get rid o' yer history teacher tell me, me wants te do same thing with ol' Biochem one U
snow blossoms: lol!!! *giggles* me parents 'ave also asked me more than once if I felt okay, I think they've started doubtin' me sanity… (somethin' I solve tellin' them I have none ^^) so, it was okay? I was a lil bit apprehensive, ye know, coz they didn't all get t'gether until the last minute, an' was sooo relieved te know that it had seemed good enough an' believable *grins* hehehe… I also like the end o' the lemon, sorry if it was too descriptive fer ye *sweatdrops* but it was me first try an' had never read an Esca lemon before… oh well, all in all thanks so much fer reviewin' the chapters ^____^, I'm so flattered that ye think it's a 10/10 *blushes*… so, epilogue out, thanks again fer bein' a wonderful reviewer!!!
Rhapsody's Song: *grins like mad* mwahah! Good ol' 'Kari ^____^ I love her too, it's such a fantastic chara te write 'bout… Ah, I didn't say it but one can figure that Allen's parents reconsidered what they'd done an' took it back *winks* so he's not disinherited 'nymore *grins* … thanks SO much, aye, finally this is the end *sighs* an' they'll be together til the end o' times… *nods fervently* how could I not get them together, I'd be haunted by angry readers in me dreams forever more! *sweatdrops*
Burnt Ashes: *looks pityingly
at poor hat an' burns threads* aha, o' course it couldn't be complete without
the mistletoe, even though I s'pposed I wouldn't get the season… when I
started writin' this I already thought o' lookin' up the flower seasons
an' such, but it was way too much work so I didn't… actually, when's
the real mistletoe season?
^^ that's why I added the lemon
later on an' up te the reader, coz fer some it might work better with,
te some without. *grins* I also liked the endin' there, but when I wrote
the chapter I had no time te finish it like that… so well, aft all there
was somethin' good 'bout the lemon *sweatdrops* thanks again fer reviewin'
^____^!!
Tevrah: ^__^ thanks a million!!
dreamingofflyingaway: *blushes an' bursts out laughin'* blimey, so that endin' has the same effect on the rest o' ppl as well as on me! xD I also do that ev'ry time I read it *sweatdrops*… so honoured te 'ave this considered as a masterpiece *bows te floor* thank ye too so much fer supportin' me from the beginnin' an' review even with homework (*mutters with ye* God knows I know what's like *grumbles some more*) an' basketball (cool!! Ye're in a team? Best o' lucks girl! ^^) an' band (also play an instrument or somethin'? *takes hat off* no time fer livin' either, ne? *sighs*).
Kanberry: *grins* haha, aye aye, quite fast ^^U these are me only updates that come fast ^^U all the rest are quite slow… aha! Flower meanin', well, it didn't take that long but quite some patience, coz I had huge lists o' flower meanings an' had te select the ones I'd be usin' an' such -_-U so in some ways it was tirin', but worth the effort ^^… glad that ye liked the endin', me eyes were a bit watery when I was writin' it, imaginin' what it would be like te be loved to intensely *sighs wistfully* 'nywhoo, thanks fer leavin' such nice reviews, they always make me smile! ^__^
Athar-Luna: *blushes an' grins
from ear te ear* now that I think o' it, Allen drunk is a very funny
image *giggles*… woow, I really did all that?? *is astonished an' very
flattered*… I'm glad te read that I could write down feelings an' sensations
that way ye said, it makes me feel incredibly… full, in a way, as if I
had gotten te transmit what I tried te. Dryden is definitely the man *hugs
Dry* an' Van is just… perfect (a word that fer me is eternally linked te
Van Fanel *grins*). ^___^ I also thought I couldn't let Milly run away…
it's so damn hard te say goodbye te ev'rythin' ye love even fer a while,
must be awful if one must be away forever *shakes head* so nono, it all
had te end well ^^
*sighs* ye don't know how happy
ye make me sayin' that ye could feel his fear, an' even happier that ye
liked the lemon *hugs* no way, porn? Really? Thank goodness I 'aven't read
many o' those ones… I think such a scene would mar the innocence an' purity
o' their love, as ye pointed out *grins*
Heh, I'm also sad that this is the
end… but well, hope ye like the epilogue, an' it's been an immense pleasure
te read each an' ev'ry single one o' yer reviews ^____^ thanks so much!!!!!
sqeekers: *grins like mad* oooh gosh! ^___^ I was soo happy te see ye'd liked it! Hah, I know the feelin' o' bein' happy an' sad at the same time, it also happens te me with this.. so now it is truly over *sighs* it's been my privilege te 'ave ye as a reviewer, I'll really miss yer reviews *grins* thanks tons fer bein' there since the very beginnin' ^____^
Prince(ss) of Hell: here be epilogue! *grins* thanks so much ^^ an' I hope the sites an' lists were useful te ye ^___^
SabineballZ: lol! *grins like mad* o'course they are happy! Don't fairytales always end "And they lived happily ever after"? ^_^ an' this is a fairytale, so endin' also applies here ^_~ did ye like the epilogue? It wasn't exactly what ye'd said, but it was already written down ^^U… hope it didn't disappoint ye 'nyway *grins* thanks tons, love all o' yer reviews an' ye were me very first reviewer, thanks so so much!!!
dawnsama: *sweatdrops* uugh!! Sorry 'bout that chappie 9 thing… ye see, the thing went like this ^^U: I posted chappie 8 an' saw that some parts o' the end notes had been mercilessly chopped, so I posted it again… only that instead o' "replace chapter" I clicked the wrong box an' ended up addin' a new one… then o' course had te delete the first chappie 8 I'd uploaded *shakes head* an' o'course I couldn't take the author alert thingy back once I'd done it >. sorry! Lol, glad that ye liked the fluff ^__^ I completely agree with yer chosen words an' hope epilogue lives up te the expectations *grins* thanks a million fer reviewin' what I write, it makes me feel important te know I'm in someone's author alert list ^^U…
Rose Jade: aha, this is last chapter *sighs* thanks fer yer kind words an' o' course I'll e-mail ye if i start 'nythin' new... even though I don't think I'll 'ave time te start more stories until summer, just finish the ones I've already started. 'nyway, I'll tell ye if I do *grins* thanks again so much!!
Starry Eyed: aaaah me fav
reviewer *hugglez tightly* I nearly posted the chapter this mornin', but
I just had te wait fer yer review *grins widely* in Spanish we 'ave a sayin'
that goes like this, "Lo bueno se hace esperar", which means that what's
good takes its time te come ^___^ an' yer reviews are worth ev'ry single
minute o' waitin' ^___~… must e-mail ff.net 'bout that review thing *grumbles*
it 'appened te me with the first review I left fer Dee -_-U but I hadn't
saved it so it was all lost *sobs*… an' I didn't find out til a month later,
so o'course I didn't remember a word o' what I had written *growls* was
so angry…
Lol! *sighs* 15, so true… here we
say 15 is "la niña bonita", the pretty girl ^_~ definitely not so
young *bursts out laughin'* but ye know what? I've been studyin' Esca's
chronology fer years… an' reached the conclusion that is Van was born same
year as Tomi, he was 16 in the series, coz they happen late May, early
June, an' so Van would already 'ave his 16 (b-day the 12th o' March)… odd,
ne? well, that is Hitomi is 15 an' has te turn 16 in December… an' now
ye ask, who's the crazy person who checks their age years? -_-U well, that'll
be me… *looks sheepish*
Lol!!! the nicknames *bursts out
laughin'* so funny! I really tried te write 'bout the kind o' relationship
I'd like te 'ave but never will *sobs* not fair! I can't call me dogs those
names -_-! *hugglez Naria* aah, that's because common sense an' males seem
te be incompatible until they turn out te be 20 or 22… well, there are
some exceptions (told me ye've got one at home) but they're very uncommon
xD… ahaa!! Hat off fer Bil, really!! Blimey, left me impressed there *nods*…
but heh, yer brother doin' it doesn't mean it's uncommon, it only means
yer bro is uncommon too *sweatdrops* I also feel bad fer Allen really…
that's why I needed Celena there ^_~
*falls off chair in uncontrollable
fits o' laughter* aaahh!! I won't be able te stay serious at mass
ever again!!!! xDDDD (I'm tryin' the nail thing but ^^U it doesn't work
fer me either Y.Y…) omg *goes look piano legs an' bursts out laughin'*
sink me, so funny! could I emigrate te yer English class, aye aye? XDDD
diriidiriii *does a jig* (mwahaha!
I think I'll ask me parents if it would be okay if I finished me college
course in Ireland or Scotland ^___~) I definitely can't wait te read the
mistletoe thing, LOL!!! Now ye've got sittin' on the edge o' me seat wantin'
te read it *nods wildly* aaahhh… I also want a Van *sobs* d'ye think we'll
be able te find 3 o'em at the same time fer all the teddy club? An' some
with certain pre-requisites fer b-teddy *winks* so that we can also feel
the most beautiful girls o' the world in a guy's eyes… (an' love that guy
back, never forget that -_-U)
Heheehee… aye! Risked it an' jumped
off the cliff *bursts out laughin'* an' finally posted it! Some liked it
a lot, some I bet were blushin', an' some preferred the fic without it…
but well, ye liked it an' I like it too an' that's enough fer me ^___________^
Ahh!! Never heard much o' "The Corrs"
before??? *smacks ye* will 'ave te send ye a full list o' all the songs
ye must listen to!! Forgiven not forgotten, Erin Shore, Dreams, What can
I do, In Blue, an' soo many more… ^_~ Irish sound, Celtic music *grins
like mad* ooh I know, I'll try te get ye the song "She doesn't see him"
some way… tell ye if I get it *winks*
Hope ev'rythin' went well with aunts
an' uncles ^__~ sorry if I wasn't much centered on the phone, was still
a lil bit out there *sweatdrops* lol!!!! I'll some time let ye hear me
singin' *winks* not exactly as well as Brightman, but hey how could ye
think I'd forget ye if I ever become famous? *giggles* I'll certainly ask
ye te write some lyrics fer me, with yer amazin' talent fer poetry! *hugglez
sis madly*
Impatiently waitin' fer yer e-mail
or yer call… I fear ye'll some day get bored o' me *sweatdrops*… dedicated
epilogue, dearest b-teddy, te ye ^_~ will never be able the thank ye enough
fer all the smiles yer wonderful reviews 'ave brought te me face since
the very beginnin', from the bottom o' me heart, thanks you so, so much
*hugs til ye turn a pretty rainbow* (actually, that must happen around
ye ev'ry time it rains… ye're a bright sun yerself ^_~) (lol! we gave up
the short thingy o' turnin' a single colour with ev'ry hug an' jumped te
bein' colourful all at the same time xD)
AN/ Isn't the final poem just
beautiful?? Rob Cella ^^ an' I also quoted Cap¡n Corelli's Mandoline's
definition o' love, so beautiful… 'nyway, this is the end ^^ though I don't
quite like the ending, I was so exhausted I didn't 'ave time nor spirits
te finish it any other way, an' I'm lazy an' 'ave no time te change it…
but me proof readers *hugs teddies* liked it, so it stays like that
*sweatdrops*
When ye start a story, ye think
how wonderful it'll be t finish it, an' when it does, even if on one hand
ye're happy that ye've done it, ye're sad, coz ev'ry fic an' story takes
a part o' ye with it… an' I've already "finished" this story twice *sighs*
one fer writin', the other fer postin'… an' I feel a lil bit empty, knowin'
that it's not there 'nymore… but well, in the insane jumble o' ideas that
me mind is, one can never feel sad fer long *grins* now I'll focus on me
other stories, basically "Ashes" an' "Natsu", but college work goes before
that U_U so I 'ave noo idea o' how often I'll be able te write *sob sob*…
Shiddles…. 'nyway ppl, this one
is finally over *sad smile* I've loved ev'ry single moment o' this story,
an' loved all yer reviews, thanks so much.
So, until next time, some day, in some other story *grins an' bows te readers* bebye! *takes off pirate hat*
Ryuu ^^