In a clearing among the Fanelian Forest where her parents had picnicked many times before she was born, Mecale Inara de Fanel sat with her back to a tree, reading a book. The book was old and worn, as was obvious by the battered cover. The title of the book was "Fairytales" and had belonged to her mother. She always read this particular book when she was trying to get away from everything. She had tried relaxing in the palace, but her nine-year-old, twin, cat cousins Dolyn and Zara had been bugging her to play hide-and-seek with them.
The main reason Mecale had fled the confines of the palace was because King Allen and Queen Millerna of Asturia and their children were arriving today for a visit. Mecale was very fond of the monarchs of Asturia and their daughter Kolena, who was a year younger than Mecale, Erika, who was fourteen and Alexia, who was ten. The problem with the visit was Allen and Millerna's son, Riley. At 18, Riley was a year older than Mecale and had been chasing after her since they were children. Mecale had told him countless times that she wasn't interested and yet he continued to relentlessly pursue her. He was pompous, arrogant and somewhat of a pretty boy. He was about as alluring to Mecale as a worm.
"Mecale!"
Mecale sighed as her cousin Siri's voice floated to her from the forest behind her. She closed the book and stood up just as Siri entered the meadow. The sunlight glinted off her dark brown hair, just like her father's, as she stopped in front of Mecale.
"There you are," Siri announced, "I've been looking for you everywhere!"
"Where did you think I'd be?" Mecale questioned.
"Good point," Siri acknowledged, "but it's a long walk out here! Couldn't you have hidden somewhere closer?"
"I'm not hiding," Mecale insisted, "I'm relaxing."
"Whatever you're doing, you're supposed to be in the palace," Siri reminded, "King Allen and Queen Millerna are going to be arriving within the hour."
"Yay," Mecale replied sarcastically.
"What's the matter?" Siri asked with a grin, "not happy to see Riley?"
"Am I ever?"
"No, I guess not," Siri commented. "You know, he'd almost be appealing if he wasn't such a…" Siri trailed off, searching for a word to describe the heir to the Asturian throne.
"Sissy?" Mecale offered, "Arrogant pig? Pretty boy? Should I go on?"
"No, I think that about does it," Siri chuckled, "but we'd better get back to the castle before my father sends the Army after us."
"Wouldn't be the first time," Mecale stated truthfully.
The two girls left the clearing and started down the long forest path towards the palace, chatting about various things on the way. Siri was only a year younger than Mecale and as a result, the two were very close. Mecale's birth had been terrible for her mother and consequently she had no brothers or sisters. Not that there was a shortage of companions around the palace. Her cousin Golan was more like her big brother than a cousin. Siri was like a sister and best friend and even Dolyn and Zara were like the little siblings she'd never have. Never once in her life had she wished she had brothers and sister of her own.
When the girls finally reached the palace, they were met by Hitomi, Merle and Adrina. All of them were dressed in fancy but casual dresses, obviously in anticipation for the King and Queen of Asturia.
"It's about time you two made it back here," Adrina scolded.
"Yeah, Van was about to send the Army after you," Merle joked.
"Mother," Mecale whined, ignoring her Aunt Merle's joke, "Do I have to be here when they arrive? You know that Riley is going to start bothering me the second he gets here and won't leave me alone until they've gone. This is torture! Why do you subject me to this?"
"Every royal has to make sacrifices to ensure the friendship of other countries," Adrina told her, "When you are Queen, there will be times when you must greet guest that you would rather not."
"And more likely than not that guest will be Riley," Mecale quipped.
"Quit whining and go get ready," Adrina ordered with a grin, "I had the servants lay out a dress for you."
Mecale sighed and made her way into the palace with Siri. The two girls went their separate ways when the main hall branched off into two different hallways. To the left was Folken and Adrina's wing of the castle and to the right was Van and Hitomi's. The back of the castle was where the servant's rooms were and the front of the palace consisted of communal places such as the dining hall, the main sitting room, etc. In the middle of the palace were guest rooms and also the few rooms where Zane, Merle and their children had taken up residence.
Siri disappeared down the right hallway and Mecale made her way down the left. She passed a few doors before reaching her room. She pushed open the door and found a dark red dress laid out on her bed. The sleeves were long and made of a dark red, see-through fabric. The bodice was form fitting and she could already tell by the drastic plunge of the neckline that it was going to show more skin than she would've liked.
Is it just a coincidence that this dress is Riley's favorite color? she thought as she closed the door behind her. She sighed. I doubt it.
Mecale lifted the garment off the bed and took it behind her changing screen. She reluctantly stripped off the rather plain, but comfortable, blue dress she had been wearing and squeezed into the blood red gown. Just as she had anticipated, the dress showed more than enough cleavage. As if the plunging neckline of the dress didn't draw enough attention, the purple dragon necklace her parents had given her at birth twinkled in the pale light. Of course, she could take the necklace off but that was unthinkable. She had never taken the necklace off and didn't plan to for this occasion.
First she makes me attend the arrival and then she has me dress like a whore. Why is my mother doing this to me?
After finding the shoes that went with the dress next to her bed, Mecale ran a brush quickly through her hair and looked at herself in the mirror above her vanity table. Like always, the two blue streaks on either side of her face stood out against her chocolaty brown hair. When she was a child, she always hated the strands of odd colored hair. People would always tell her that she looked exactly like her mother, except for, of course, the two pieces of pale blue hair that framed her face. Mecale loved and respected her mother more than anyone and had always enjoyed it when people compared her to her mother. When people pointed out the one difference between mother and daughter, the blue locks, Mecale began to despise them. When she was six, she had cut all the blue hairs from her head, hoping they would never grow back. They did, of course, but in the meantime she had been left with two bald spots on either side of her head. Now Mecale had come to love the odd streaks of color. They were one of the things that defined her and made her unique. They were also the only physical trait that told she was her father's daughter.
There were, of course, other things that she had inherited from her father, such as his calm and collected demeanor. Not many things upset Mecale. Unfortunately, Riley was one of those things that did. She turned away from the mirror and decided that she had better get going before her mother came looking for her.
She left her bedroom and headed down the corridor back towards the main hallway. When she reached it, she saw Siri waiting for her. When she saw Mecale, her dark eyebrows arched and green eyes met lavender ones.
"Whoa Mecale," Siri joked, "Isn't that dress a little revealing?"
"Tell that to my mother," Mecale frowned, "she's the one who picked it out."
"I wish my mother would let me wear dresses like that," Siri commented.
"No you don't," Mecale grumbled and tried to adjust the neckline of the dress, "I feel like I'm going to fall out of this thing!"
"Don't do it after the guests arrive," Siri teased, "If you think Riley chases you now, just think of how bad it would get if he saw the goods."
"Oh please." Mecale rolled her eyes and the cousins headed to the front sitting room where everyone was gathered to await the guests. Everyone looked up as they entered.
"Wow Mecale," Merle joked, "Nice dress."
"Don't you think it's a little…much?" Hitomi asked gently.
"I don't think it's enough," Folken replied, "I think you should go put something more decent on." Mecale was happy to oblige but her mother spoke before she had the chance to leave.
"Oh be quiet Folken," Adrina ordered, "the dress looks lovely on her and besides, I didn't hear you complain when I wore it."
"That's different," Folken insisted, "you're my wife, she's my daughter."
Mecale looked back and forth between her parents as they argue over whether or not she should change into something else. In the end, Adrina won and Mecale was forced to keep the dress although the fact that it had belonged to her mother made it more appealing to her, even if she was supposed to be wearing it for Riley.
Mecale sat down on one of the couches in the room to await the arrival of the guests. She had barely settled into the cushions when she was pounced on by Dolyn and Zara.
"Will you play hide-and-seek with us now?" Dolyn asked.
"Yeah, will you?" Zara echoed.
"You two leave her alone," Merle ordered, "she has to wait here for the guests. She can't go running off with you."
"It's okay," Mecale smiled, eager to escape the fate that awaited her, "I can go play with them." She started to get up.
"Sit!" Adrina said briskly.
Mecale sighed forlornly and sunk back into the couch. The twins climbed up next to her, one on either side and sat quietly, which was quite uncharacteristic of them.
The two cat twins were perfect mixtures of their parents. Dolyn, who was older by three minutes, had his father's green hair, his mother's blue eyes, his father's spotted markings and his mother's dark fur. Zara was just the opposite. She had her mother's pink hair, her father's gold eyes, her mother's striped markings and her father's pale fur. The only thing the nine-year-old twins shared was their mother's sense of mischief.
As the adults chatted and the children sat silently by, thinking of all the other things they could be doing at the moment, a messenger came into the parlor. Once he had everyone's attention, he relayed his message.
"The King and Queen of Asturia's entourage has just entered the city."
Folken thanked the messenger and everyone moved outside to wait. As they stood in front of the palace, more than one knight or stable boy who passed them let his gaze linger on Mecale a second longer than it should have. She was constantly tugging on the neckline of the dress, hoping to pull it up to cover a little more flesh. Every time she managed to succeed, the dress would just slip down again.
"It looks fine," Siri assured after seeing her cousin's struggle.
"That's easy for you to say," Mecale grumbled, "You're not the one flashing the entire courtyard."
"Here they come!" Hitomi announced suddenly and pointed to the city below. A plume of dirt could be seen moving down through the middle of the city. It rapidly approached the palace and slowed as it entered the gates until the entourage finally came to a stop in front of the palace. Everyone hurried over to the carriage to greet the guests and Mecale shuffled reluctantly behind.
A servant opened the carriage door and the youngest princess of Asturia, Alexia, exited first. Next came Erika, the middle daughter, then Kolena, the oldest daughter. All three girls were blonde with blue eyes and looked almost exactly like their mother. After the three princesses had exited, Queen Millerna gracefully stepped out of the carriage, followed by King Allen. Last (and definitely least in Mecale's opinion) Riley stepped out of the transport. The second he was clear of it, his eyes began to search the crowd.
Riley looked very much like his father. He had the same blue eyes and golden blonde hair, although he wore his much shorter than the ex-knight, usually about down to his shoulders. He was by no means an ugly man, even Mecale would agree to that, it was his personality and constant pursuit of her that made Mecale dislike him.
Once the Royal Family of Asturia was clear of the carriage, greetings rang out and hugs were exchanged. The adults all crowded around each other and expressed their happiness at being together again while the children formed their own groups. The twins and Alexia were talking excitedly near the entrance of the palace. Mecale, Siri, Kolena and Erika were standing in between the younger children and the adults. The four girls had been friends since childhood and were usually found together during such visits. Riley was standing near the adults with Golan an the two were chatting.
After a few minutes, the adults made their way into the palace and the children followed. When the girls started for the entrance, Mecale heard Riley fall into step next to her.
"May I?" he asked and held his arm out to her.
"Get a life, Riley," Kolena told him.
Riley glared at his sister and then smiled down at Mecale. Knowing her wouldn't give up, Mecale looped her arm with his and he led her into the palace with the others.
This is going to be a long day, she thought.
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That night at dinner, the four families gathered in the dining room for a huge feast in honor of the Schezars. The adults were at one end of the table and the children were at the other. Golan and Riley marked the transition between the adults and their children. Luckily for Mecale, she had managed to sit next to Golan but was still right across from Riley. Next to Mecale sat Siri, then the twins. On Riley's right side sat Merle and on his left side were his sisters. The food was served and everyone began to chat.
Earlier, Mecale had managed to steer clear of Riley and avoid a conversation with him, but now it was impossible to dodge him and she waited for the inevitable. Sure enough, as soon as the food was served he began to talk.
"That is a beautiful dress, Mecale," Riley complimented, "It looks absolutely stunning on you."
"Thank you," Mecale mumbled without looking up.
"And it's even my favorite color," Riley continued, "did you plan that?"
"My mother picked it out," Mecale informed.
"She has very good taste in clothing," Riley said.
"I'm sure she'd appreciate that," Mecale stated. She noticed that none of the other children, except for the three youngest, were talking. They were all listening to herself and Riley.
"Mecale my darling," Riley started and Mecale cringed. She thought she heard a chuckle from Siri, but she wasn't sure. "I was thinking that tomorrow we could go shopping in the village. What do you say?"
"I'd love to Riley, but the girls and I already decided that we're going to go for a horseback ride into the mountains," Mecale told him. She saw the confused look on Kolena's face and hoped she wouldn't say anything.
"Oh." The disappointment in Riley's voice was obvious. "Well, I guess I will come with you then."
"Actually Riley," Siri interrupted, "it's kind of a girl thing. You understand, don't you?"
"Of course." The frown on Riley's face showed his immense disappointment. He wasn't used to not getting his way.
"Don't worry Riley," Golan grinned, "that'll give us time to spar."
"Yes," Riley agreed with a forced smile, "that would be delightful." It was a widely known fact that Riley hated fighting. While he was blessed with his father's natural talent, he never had the ambition to better himself with a sword.
Riley continued to pout about his rejection for the rest of dinner and didn't say much to anyone, giving Mecale and Siri the chance to catch up with the Princesses. After dinner, the three youngest children were sent to bed and everyone else moved to the sitting room to chat some more. The adults once again formed their own group while the children talked amongst themselves or listened to what the adults were saying. Riley had recovered from his pouting spell and was now shamelessly flirting with Mecale, who pretty much ignored him.
They had been in the sitting room for about half an hour when suddenly Riley stood up and began to clap his hands. "Excuse me," he called out, "may I have everyone's attention?" The conversations stopped and all eyes were on the young prince. "I was going to do this tomorrow but I just can't wait any longer." Riley's eyes fixed on Mecale. "I have been chasing after Mecale since we were children. Tonight, I believe it is time to end the chase." Riley smiled down at her. "Mecale Inara de Fanel, will you marry me?"
The room was so silent that if someone had dropped a pin the impact of it hitting the carpeted floor would've sounded like the roar of a dragon. Mecale stared up at Riley, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, trying to comprehend what he had just said. Finally, she said the only word that came into her mind.
"What?"
Riley seemed a little unnerved by her lack of an answer and his smile faltered a bit. "I asked you to marry me, Mecale."
Mecale's gaze shifted around the room. Everyone except his parents seemed to be as shocked as she was. Apparently Allen and Millerna had known his intentions because they were both smiling. Mecale's gaze finally returned to Riley and she took a deep breath.
"Riley, I…" She trailed off, searching desperately fro the words. He smiled at her expectantly. "I need some time to think about this Riley. If you'll excuse me…" Without waiting for a reply, Mecale leapt from her seat and hurried out of the room.
She started to head for her bedroom but decided against it. Without a doubt, someone would be in within the next twenty minutes to talk to her. What she really needed now was to be alone with her thoughts. She turned around and headed out of the palace. She took off through the forest and towards the clearing.
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Mecale's sudden retreat broke the room out of the trance it was in. Everyone began talking at once, asking each other if they knew about Riley's intentions and wondering what Mecale's answer would be. After about five minutes, Siri stood up.
"May I be excused?"
Kolena and Erika jumped up next to her. "May we be excused also?"
They were granted permission to leave and were headed out the door when Adrina stopped them.
"Girls, could you check on Mecale? You know, make sure she's all right?" the brunette queen asked.
"Sure."
The girls left the parlor and headed down the main hall.
"She probably won't be in her room," Siri admitted as they turned down the left corridor.
"Why not?" Erika questioned.
"When something is bothering Mecale, she always goes up to the clearing in the woods," Siri informed.
"But it's dark out," Kolena reminded.
"It doesn't matter," Siri insisted, "If she's not in her room, that's where she'll be." The girls came to a halt outside Mecale's door and Siri knocked. "Mecale, it's me. Can I come in?" There was no reply so Siri opened the door and wasn't surprised to find the room empty.
"What do we do now?" Kolena inquired.
"Go after her," Siri replied and the girls headed back towards the main hall.
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Mecale reached the clearing and sat down heavily. Her mind was working overtime and yet no solution would come to her. She disliked Riley, despised him, but marrying him would do wonders for the economy of Fanelia. Asturia was one of the largest and most powerful countries in all of Gaea. Fanelia was one of the smallest. The economy of Fanelia was fair but hey would never be rich like Asturia. Most of the trade and imports Fanelia received were done as favors by countries who remembered Van, Hitomi, Folken and Adrina's part in the wars with Zaibach and sold them goods cheap or traded for things that were less valuable than what they could get elsewhere.
As these people got older and new rulers took over the countries, the trade and imports might not be as friendly as they were now. People forgot with time and may not want to supply Fanelia with goods at a cheaper price than other countries. By the time she was ready to take over as Queen, the entire country could be on the verge of an economic crisis. If she married Riley, however, Asturia would always be there to help Fanelia.
"What am I going to do?" Mecale asked in desperation. She folded her hands together and closed her eyes. "God, please, help me. Help me decide which chose to make." Mecale felt a warm sensation on her chest and opened her eyes. She was shocked to see that the purple stone in her dragon necklace was glowing. Before she could figure out what was going on, a bluish-white light surrounded her and she began to feel weightless.
"What's going on?!" she shouted as she floated off the ground. Suddenly, it hit her. The blue light, the one her aunt Hitomi had told her about. But why had it come for her? "No!" Mecale screamed, "I don't want to go! Put me down!"
The light ignored her and she continued to rise into the sky. She rose higher and higher until she was above the trees. Suddenly, the light disappeared into the sky, taking Mecale with it.
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Siri, Kolena and Erika stopped dead in their tracks as the bright column of light erupted from the forest and shot into the sky.
"What is that?" Erika gasped.
"Come on," Kolena urged and tugged at her sister's arm, "let's get out of here!"
"We can't," Erika insisted, "Mecale might be in trouble."
"The blue light," Siri murmured, "she's gone."
"What?!" the sisters exclaimed.
Without explaining, Siri turned around and dashed back towards the palace. Kolena and Erika didn't hesitate to follow her.
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Inside the sitting room, the adults were still chatting about the proposal when suddenly Hitomi's eyes lost focus and she gasped almost inaudibly. Van noticed the change first and leaned close to her.
"Hitomi, what is it?"
"Mecale…"
Hearing their daughter's name, Folken and Adrina turned to the light haired woman. They noticed Hitomi's trance-like state and crowded around her. This got the attention of the others in the room and everyone focused on the girl from the Mystic Moon.
"Hitomi, what's wrong?" Adrina urged, "is something wrong with Mecale?"
Hitomi moaned pitifully. "The blue light…She's gone."