You see love a tight thorny thread
that you spin in a circle of gold.
To have me, to hold me a token
for all to see: captured to be yours alone.
Time, Sarah McLachlan
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( One ) _________________________ The Gardens of Eden No More
She decided to remain on the balcony.
She looked out across the ocean of ornate evening gowns and black tuxedoes below her. Swirls of blazing colors and glittering jewels mingled with scents of exorbitant perfumes and cologne filled the extensive Renaissance ballroom. The soft light from the line of great French crystal chandeliers gave the room a mild heavenly glow. She watched the dancing couples moving elegantly around the center of the polished wooden floors. The small symphony gathered at the far end of the hall was playing Vavaldi, but the endless chatter obscured the delicate chamber music.
Men, both young and old, with designer tuxedoes adorned with platinum-diamond cufflinks and watches were everywhere. There were even more women dressed in the finest gossamer and chiffon gowns embellished with millions of dollars worth of gemstone jewelry. The women gathered in groups laughing and gossiping about their supposed acquaintances or of the latest fashionable styles. A sort of condescending deportment was thick in the air. She did not have the heart to join them.
"I thought I would find you here," a clear masculine voice said from behind her.
A pair of bemused sapphire eyes met her gaze as she turned to face the speaker. A soft smile settled upon her lips. "You mustn't sneak up on people like this, Eriol," she said in her silvery soprano.
He gave a short chuckle. "Come," he said as he took her hand. "Join me in the ballroom. The guests would worry if they do not meet their lovely hostess tonight."
She laughed. "Of course, my dear. How thoughtless of me." She allowed him to guide her to the spiral staircase leading back to the ballroom.
"They are here tonight," he suddenly said.
She stopped in the middle of the staircase and pulled him around to look at him. "Oh?" her voice fluttered and her honey eyes flickered slightly in the dim light.
The symphony finished the last chords of Vivaldi's Summer and, after a brief paused, the sound of Mozart's Symphony No. 41 traveled through the ballroom. She waited for him to say more.
"I invited them to dinner tomorrow evening," he told her. His azure eyes held her. "I do hope you won't mind," he added.
The words hung in the air for a fleeting moment. "No, no. That's fine," she replied. Her voice returned to its earlier tone and she dismissed his statement with a light wave. She started down the velvet carpeted spiraling staircase again.
He was not convinced. "Chantal," he called to her. "Please. Allow me to introduce them."
She stopped at the bottom step and looked up at him standing above her. She raised one elegantly gloved hand and beckoned to him. "Let us join them then," she called up to him sweetly.
He was at her side shortly. He placed a hand on her small waist and directed her across the ballroom. They stopped at several banquet tables to greet familiar faces and associates.
Her snow-white evening gown of the finest Italian chiffon made faint sweeping sounds as she walked. Showing off her pale back, the strapless dress hugged her courtly form flawlessly. A Victorian diamond studded choker hung around her elegant swan neck. Her cinnamon hair was held gracefully high with an array of two-carat diamond clips. She did not wear a lot of make-up like many other women present. Her curving lashes were naturally long and dark. Her lips were of a soft blush-rose.
"You look exquisite, mon chere," he whispered to her ear.
She gave a light laugh. "You flatter me, Eriol," she said as he led her to a small group of three at the far corner of the ballroom. Three pairs of eyes settled upon her as they stepped closer.
"Eriol-kun!" one of the woman of the group exclaimed. The woman had the most brilliant emerald eyes. Her genuine smile seemed to hold with it the light of the world. She was dressed in a loose rose colored spaghetti strapped evening gown, which glittered with her every movement. She wore a single ruby pendant the size of a large pearl. Her amber hair was neatly piled atop her head. "We were just beginning to think that you have forgotten about us."
Eriol chuckled. His midnight eyes danced. "Sakura-chan," he bowed and kissed her hand. "I wouldn't dream of being so absentminded."
The green eyed lady giggled softly. Eriol turned to the man standing beside her. "Li-san," he addressed him.
The man had strangely familiar fierce brown eyes and messy chestnut hair. He was dressed extremely well in a black tuxedo of an indescribable material. He was tall and almost towered over the two women standing beside him.
"Hiiragisawa-san," he said simply and gave a light nod.
"Daidouji-san," Eriol turned to the woman with lustrous ebony hair. Something inconceivable flashed through his blue eyes. "It's good to see you again," he bowed, perhaps a bit more deeply than customary, but he did not touch her.
The young woman only smiled. She had dazzling lavender eyes with a touch of midnight gray. She wore a dark violet high neck dress gown of wispy satin. She did not wear any jewelry except for the single amethyst chain intertwined elegantly with her long raven hair, which sat loosely aloft her head. While such a sullen ensemble would diminish most beauty, her enigmatic splendor was accented by the dark hues. Her pale skin was a sharp contrast to her dark lashes and her ambiguous countenance.
Eriol suddenly turned away from this vision of cryptic lavender. He took her hand and pulled her closer to the group. He smiled almost boyishly. "I would like you to meet Chantal Minerva," he announced to the group. "My fiancée."
Chantal smiled with all the warmth she could muster as the three pairs of eyes exchanged astonished glances. "Eriol have told me so much about you all," she said in her majestic tone. "It is an honor to finally meet you."
The tension in the air was thick that it was fit to be served on bread. She felt quite odd; being studied so meticulously. Three pairs of eyes glanced from her to Eriol and back again.
She could understand their disbelief. She did not expect Eriol to tell them about her earlier. She did not expect them to accept her relationship with Eriol either.
Finally, it was Sakura who broke the dreadful reticence. She stepped forward and took Chantal's gloved hands into her own. "I am delighted to meet you!" she exclaimed in her sparkling voice. "Any friend of Eriol-kun is a friend of our own." She smiled with reassuring warmth. Her green eyes gleamed with sincerity. She turned to the browned haired man to her right. "Isn't that so, Syaoran?" she raised one elegantly arced eyebrow.
"Yes. A pleasure," he said in a callous tone. His brown eyes flickered dangerously and he looked as though he wanted to hit someone. He steadied his glare at Eriol, who seemed to be impervious to it all.
Just as the raging silence was about to envelop them once more, Tomoyo stepped forward. "Pleased to meet you, Minerva-san," she spoke for the first time that night. Her voice was the voice of a thousand angels and it seemed to ruffle through the air. She smiled in her own captivating way, which was sure to make men swoon.
There was a sort of discreet desperation in the way she held herself that moment. Her amethyst eyes fluttered from Chantal's golden orbs to Eriol's glacial blue ones, only her gaze lingered within those cerulean depths more than she usually allowed.
Chantal returned that smile with her own soft, tantalizing laugh. "Thank you," was all she said. She looked at all of them amiably. She did not say more, for there was nothing left to say.
Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata suddenly began in the background. The soft ominous piano chords sounded through the air bringing with it a new uneasiness. The buoyant, gay images of the ball seemed to fade away suddenly. All that's left now was a hollow torture within a sea of purple, blue, gold, and red.
Chantal knew then --- standing in this circle of five, within the tangled strings of fate --- that paradise was no more.
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Author's Notes: Please keep in mind that the romance between Eriol and Tomoyo comes much later. 'Forsaken' is more of a portrait of Clow/Eriol and Cecilia/Chantal as opposed to Eriol and Tomoyo. However, Tomoyo does play a huge role in this story. There was some appalling foreshadowing throughout this first chapter, especially between Eriol and Tomoyo.
Just to be clear, Chantal (the woman in white) is a character of my own creation. She is one of the major characters in this story.
Please don't give up on this story now! I know you must all hate me for giving Eriol a fiancée and leaving Tomoyo out. You will see where the plot takes them in the next few chapters.
Please review before you leave.