A Muses Remembrance

A Scrapped Princess Drabble Collection

By Japyra

Summary: As the player strums his chords; one by one they come. Memories floating by, like candlelight in the night. And the fable 'Scrapped Princess' is called on again.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Repression:

Pacifica died the say she remembered Fulle.

Not literally, of course.

But her husband of two months found her standing stock-still in the yard; laundry basket still in hand. Tears ran down her face as though it was the last time those blue eyes ever intended to cry.

Leo ran over, and shook her; getting no reaction. And so his hazel eyes traveled to what his young wife was so fixated on. His blood curdled in realization.

It was a small wooden bath token; laying innocently on the folded clothes. She had stopped her habit of wearing it when they got married; but now...

Leo's gaze trailed from the memoir to the ashen face of Pacifica; and felt dread so powerful he had to swallow down the urge to vomit before he could speak.

"Dear... Pacifica," He called tentatively. "... You remember him; don't you?" He put his arm gently on her shoulder; trying to instigate a response.

It was as if his touch had been the un-freeze button; because suddenly she found her voice again and began wailing. The basket dropped form her hands and she fell with it; tumbling to the ground to grasp the fist-sized piece of wood.

"Pacifica!" Leo bent down to her sobbing form, hugging the bath token so close to her chest; as if to fuse with it.

Her cries wracked the air, like she was a woman drowning; and her balance slipped up so all her weight was leaning against the man beside her. For his part, he pulled one arm across her shoulders, cradling her blond head in his lap. They stayed like that until dusk; Leo whispering useless words of comfort to his partner; stroking her hair tenderly as she ripped her throat out to the sky.

Or at least, it sounded like that was what she was trying to do.

And slowly, she, like every other human being, ran out of tears and words. And by the time the sky had broken out in delicate lilacs and vivid oranges; she managed to speak.

"I killed him." It was a bare murmur, more of a stolen whisper than actual speech.

"Sh," Leo held her closer; wanting to ebb away her sorrow. "No you didn't."

"Fulle is dead..." Pacifica was shaking, her azure eyes rimmed and hollow. "...because he helped me. That means that if I hadn't met him... If I hadn't been on that ship...If I hadn't been born..."

Brown eyes gazed worriedly at her, frowning.

"He'd still be alive. It's all my fault Leo! Fulle is dead because of me!"

Each time she said his name she both treasured, and loathed it. It was like an addictive toxin that she never wanted to be released from.

"I was the one who went with him!" He was still the knight trying to save the princess. "I couldn't help him! That's why he's dead!" And it was killing him that there might be something he couldn't protect her from; some arrow he couldn't take for her. "It's my fault!"

Leo's entire body was tense under her; and it took him a moment to feel the low vibrations she was emitting, and even longer to hear the strange hacking sound. He leaned closer, and then it hit him.

She was laughing.

Pacifica flipped over, water draining slowly down her cheek as she stared up at her husband. A low, pathetic laughter escaped her lips as she moved a finger up to trace his jawbone.

"You will never learn, will you Leo?" The chuckles died softly and an unfathomable look darkened her face. "You'll always be the fool."

Her finger idled up to his cheek, circling the taut skin.

"I love him... and Fulle's dead now. So I marry you... How long can it last? I'm sick to be able to live like this after loosing Fulle. And how long will you last before I kill you too?" The embittered smile fell off in place of a sorrowful rage.

"PACIFICA THAT'S ENOUGH!" Leo hadn't realized he yelled at her until she blinked; stunned into silence. He felt tears sliding down his own cheeks as he leaned over the woman; kissing her forehead. "That's enough. I'm not going anywhere Pacifica. I'm staying here...with you. He... He would have wanted that too."

When Leo reached down to kiss her again; she wrapped her arms tightly around his broad shoulders and simply buried her face into his chest, trembling. The knight didn't move; allowing her to use him as a shelter. Yet even as he watched the last vestiges of light fade out of the sky; he knew.

Nothing would ever be the same.

"I love him... so I married you."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next Chapter: Expression of Love: The reason Shannon has a ponytail is something only he remembers.