Disclaimer: I do not own nor claim to own the characters involved in the Bastard! series, they belong to Kazushi Hagiwara. I only claim ownership of Elira as she is of my own creation as well as any spells that are read here. Spells are read in Latin even though the translation is not perfect.

Haunting Melodies

Chapter 3 - The Ice Lord

Silver drops fell from the swollen clouds above, her feet were covered in mud, and yet she pushed onward. Moving from one home to the next in an effort to help as many of the people of the lower town as she could. What she didn't know was that there was someone else present as well, someone who could sense her ability to use water magic. Crimson eyes were warm to those that thanked her while a smile graced her lips but the surge in power didn't go unnoticed to the healer. She was trudging through the rain with her hair matted against her face. My power is stronger...is it because of the rain? Does my power increase when I'm around a water source? Is it because I use water magic that it becomes stronger when water is readily available? There were many other questions bouncing around in her mind but she couldn't think on it for very long as she reached the last house. It was abandoned, she knocked a few times, pushed the door open, and ventured inside. It was cold, dusty, and smelled of decay. Immediately she put a hand up to her nose, to block the stench, but it still permeated.

"Something is off about this house," came her quiet whisper. It was then that she felt a draft, something had passed by her, and she could feel a presence behind her. Not wanting to turn around, Elira pressed forward into the house. The stillness was beginning to unnerve the composed woman, she could still feel that presence behind her, almost pressing against her, until she happened upon a room. The door was open and inside lay the decayed remains of the prior owner of the house. His skin had shriveled against his bones, eye sockets were gaping holes, and his was tongue hanging out of his mouth. Elira bit her lip to keep from screaming, the presence behind her was pushing, and she couldn't take any more of it. The woman turned around to face that creature and she stared into the stoney eyes of a ghost. Its hair was floating around the decayed visage, bony hands hung at its side, and it floated there wearing nothing but chains around its ankles and what looked like a burlap sack over its very source of the disease that plagued the lower town had made its presence known. Its bony hand reached up towards her face, instinctually a flurry of spells were released all at once, the small house was torn asunder by the sheer force but the body of the deceased owner was kept in perfect condition.

The creature howled in agony as the rip tide current of water tore at its ghostly limbs, the creature eventually turned into nothing but dust that was carried away on the water current that Elira had created. She was breathing heavily, her hands were shaking, and she could barely control the tears that wanted to escape her eyes. But before all of that, she used her magic to make a grave for the owner, once it was created, and sealed off; only then did she turn around to see a pale man on a white horse with icy blue eyes staring at her. Elira quickly curtsied then rushed off as fast as she could through the streets of the lower town, yet there were the hoofbeats behind her. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Her mind went in loops until she reached the castle doors once more. By then she was soaked through but she didn't care, her feet carried her straight to the doors that would lead to the party, and she couldn't bring herself to open them. Once more she bit her lower lip, she needed to talk with Geo, or at least someone to get her mind off of what she just occurred.

Elira sighed in defeat, she turned around, and sauntered away from the room; back to her own room not realizing that the man who had seen her in the town was now watching her in the castle. She entered her room, closed the door, removed her coat, and placed it by a window. She removed her shoes and immediately began using a cloth to wipe her feet clean. Once that was finished, Elira removed her dress, it hit the floor in a wet heap, and a few images passed through her mind. Images that consisted of swirling bubbles, a falling mast, and screams. Elira placed her hands over her ears and crouched onto the ground, she stayed like that for some time before the images and noise faded. There were tears in her eyes, the woman wiped them away, and proceeded to dress in a nightgown.

Once under the warm cover of her quilt, she let out a sigh, wiped her eyes once more, and closed them. Her mind was filled with darkness until that ghostly face made an appearance, Elira sat up, and rubbed her eyes. "There's no way that creature can survive all those spells..." The woman sighed once more, placed her body back on the bed, and closed her eyes once more. This time she kept the image of the waves lapping at the sand in her mind. It calmed her down and her body slowly slid into a deep sleep.

-::::::-

Dawn approached the kingdom, Elira was already awake, and adorned in a pale yellow dress. The amnesiac woman floated through the castle quietly until she reached the room of the Great Priest. She noticed that it was open so she entered, her shoes made the slightest noise on the stone floor, and it was then that she realized Geo was talking with someone. Both of their voices were quiet and she couldn't hear any thing of what was said except that it had something to do with her. Elira composed herself and rapped her knuckle on the wooden door. "Geo?"

Brown eyes darted over his shoulder, "One minute Elira."

"Okay," came her reply.

The voices were hushed once more and the person that the priest had been talking with finally appeared. It was the man from before, with the icy eyes, and she averted her gaze from him. He looked at her briefly before leaving the room and her own crimson eyes looked at Geo's brown ones. "Sorry about that, it seems that you two have already met." She nodded, "That's Kall-su, the Ice Lord."

"I see."

Geo looked at her, "What happened in the lower town?" Elira looked at him and explained everything that occurred in the lower town. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "I see but you're not hurt right?" She nodded and he gave a relieved sigh, "That's good. At least now the threat has been eliminated." Elira nodded once more and stood while Geo sat at his desk, "So, is there anything else that you wanted to discuss today?"

"Not particularly."

"Well we don't have any one right now so you're free to do what you want." Elira nodded and left his room, she traveled through the halls, and managed to find her way into the garden once more. "What are we going to do if those of the Southern Kingdom decided to attack us? What will happen to our peace?" Geo only shook his head at the information that Kall-su had brought to him and he continued looking at his scrolls. "I will have to inform the king of this development soon."

Meanwhile, Elira found herself quite content with the garden, the scent of the flowers relaxed her, but the image of that creature's face made her shiver. And yet she knew that there were far worse things than such a ghastly being hovering around the surface of the world. A sigh escaped her parted lips but her energy was soon revitalized as she took in a deep breath of a flower. Lips curled into a smile at the scent, it was so comforting, just like the waves, and her fingers gently stroked the velvet texture of the petals.

"You like them?" The voice startled her, she turned around quickly to see the prince standing there, and she curtsied to him in her yellow dress. He chuckled, "Don't worry about it. I love the serenity of this place. I always try to come here to be alone."

"Then I shall leave."

Lars blinked at her, "No it's alright. I should have voiced it differently. What I meant was that I come here to be away from my sister. Right now my father is searching for suitors for her." Elira blinked a few times and tilted her head in confusion, "He's looking for someone to be her husband." At this, Elira nodded in understanding before turning around to look at the roses once more. The prince smiled and stood next to her, "It's peaceful here right?"

"Yes. It's so relaxing like watching the waves roll in and out on the sand." Lars smiled while she continued, "Is is alright to be talking with me so freely?" Crimson eyes gazed up into his dark green eyes and a warm smile spread across his face as he nodded. An equally warm smile was returned to him, one that made her irises twinkle, "That's good. I was wondering if I had been doing something wrong."

"Don't worry about it. I'll take the fall for it."

"Ah but I can't have you getting hurt now can I?"

"But you could heal me right?" It was a few minutes but the pair soon laughed together at the long winded joke. Lars looked down at the silvery aqua haired healer, "You have a beautiful laugh Elira." She replied the same thing to him which made the prince chuckle. "So how did you come to be here in Metallicana?"

"I was found by Yoko and Dark Schneider on a beach. Other than that I don't remember anything."

"Amnesia is a tough battle."

Her visage turned his way as she replied, "What will be, will be." Lars nodded to her and the two of them simply spent some time admiring the flowers although he watched her as she inhaled the scent of different ones. It seemed that she was genuinely curious about how each flower smelled and this made Lars smile at her. He realized that everything she did was childlike, as if it was the first time she had encountered such prince followed her around the garden and it was apparent that she didn't seem to mind one bit. Lars watched Elira once they reached a bench, she took a seat, and he sat down next to her. "Your sword is familiar to me."

"It's called Heavy Metal and it uses the power of dragons." She tilted her head once more and this made him smile, "I have the blood of dragons running through my veins." Lars smiled as she seemed genuinely interested in what he was about to say. Lars began to explain about the Dragon Knight, the fight for survival against Dark Schneider, and the day that he was sealed away in Lucien. Elira stared in fascination at the story but he continued on about how Dark Schneider was freed, how he was a baby dragon, and the destruction of Anthrax. "It's been a long road of trial but we're all doing better now."

Elira smiled and looked to the sky, "It truly is fascinating, this world." Lars nodded in agreement as they sat there in silence with nothing but the wind rustling the leaves of the bushes. She stood up, curtsied to the prince, and stated with a smile, "I must be going. I have to help Geo." The prince nodded, stood up, took her hand, and placed a kiss on the back. The woman blinked a few times in confusion which made Lars smile.

"It's a thank you gift. Perhaps we could do this again sometime." She nodded, curtsied once more, and left the garden to return to Geo's side. Lars was left standing there with a smile on his face. "She is truly something else."

-::::::-

A low hum emitted from her throat as she made her way through the castle towards Geo's quarters. Her time with the prince was gratifying and she had come to know more about the world around her. Elira felt less of a stranger in it although there were still a lot of quirky people in it. Her mind had turned to all of the people she had met so far and they were all fascinating. I wonder if there are more people like them in the world? If there are, they may not be so kind. For some reason the thought dropped her cheerful attitude but she shook her head as if to shake away the thoughts. Elira returned to humming as she passed a man in the hall.

"Your humming is lovely," he stated.

Elira paused in her steps and humming to turn around; the man that was standing there was the one she had run into in the lower town. Her eyes blinked a few times before a smile appeared on her lips, "Thank you." She curtsied to him, "I am Elira."

"Kall-su." With that they parted ways which only left Elira more curious about the man. She had heard of him from Geo but his demeanor was far from any one else she had met. Kall-su stopped in his steps, glanced over his shoulder, and noticed that she had resumed her walk and humming. Piercing blue eyes continued to stare at her, the water aura was strong from her. "Interesting...her magic is strong, it feels even stronger than mine." The Ice Lord soon continued on towards his own destination.

The woman looked inside Geo's room but he was nowhere to be found, so she left, and decided to wander around the castle. During her exploration, she noticed a flash of orange hair around a corner, and Elira grinned. Yoko was around so Elira followed around the bend, intent on surprising the young woman, but when she popped around the corner, she saw that Yoko was pushed against the wall by the tall white haired male. Their bodies were pushed close to one another and Yoko's face was flushed, Elira immediately felt her own face heat up at the encounter, she stuttered, "S-s-sorry! I-I-I di-didn't m-mean t-t-to!"

"Here I thought you were so composed," stated the male cooly.

Elira's face brightened even more as Yoko retorted, "Rushe! Leave her alone!" The male turned to look at the orange haired woman in his grasp, he smirked, and began to kiss her passionately.

"Your friend doesn't seem to mind at all." His blue eyes looked over at Elira once more, the amnesiac immediately darted away while he laughed, and returned to nuzzling Yoko.

Her feet carried her quickly through the castle, her face was still beat red, she bumped into someone, and she stumbled backwards but managed to catch herself. Crimson irises looked up to see Lars, she curtsied to him and he looked at her with a worried expression. "Are you alright Elira?"

She stumbled along her words, "Um..I wanted to surprise Yoko..and..then..the man..her...against the wall.." Pale hands covered her red face and she ran away from Lars, he looked at her with a knit brow, and his dark green eyes focused on the direction that she had come from. Lars sighed, rubbed the side of his head, and made his way in the direction that Elira had just left. However Elira bumped into someone else, she curstied once more, and looked up to see the pale blue eyes of the Ice Lord. He simply stared at her and she muttered the same thing she had said to Lars, "Um..I wanted to surprise Yoko..and..then..the man..her...against the wall.." Kall-su simply stared at her, she covered her face with her hands once more, and was about to dart away. However he grabbed her elbow, fingers parted to let her crimson eyes peek through at his cold visage, and he gently tugged her in his direction.

"Come with me." Elira did as she was told to, her hands had since left her face, and it wasn't long until she realized that he took her to his room. She was sitting at a wooden table, there was a cup of tea placed in front of her, "Drink." Her hand picked up the cup, she lifted it to her nose, took a deep inhale, and sighed. "It's better if you drink it." Elira closed her eyes and took the first tentative sip, it slid down her throat smoothly, and she sighed happily. Kall-su nodded when she reopened her eyes, the redness in her face abated slowly. "Better?"

"Yes, thank you very much. I am terribly sorry for imposing on you."

"If I thought you were imposing then I wouldn't have brought you here."

Elira blinked a few times and chuckled while taking another sip of the tea, "It's lovely. It's very calming." Kall-su nodded as he watched her enjoy the cup of tea. When half of it had disappeared, Elira looked at him once more, with a warm smile. "Still, thank you."

"Schneider can be like that with Yoko. He used to be a womanizer but has since fallen in love with her." The woman with silvery aqua hair nodded, "It's not your fault that you came across that situation. It happens but next time be prepared for it."

She chuckled, "Oh don't worry, next time I'll be fully prepared!" He simply nodded, "But...Yoko called him Rushe and you just called him Schneider. What's his real name?"

"Gara, Arshes Nei, Abigail, and myself call him Dark Schneider as that is what we know him as but he was locked inside Yoko's friend Rushe so that's why she calls him that name."

"Oh I see. Prince Lars told me about that but I didn't understand until now." She nodded and took another sip of the tea, "Now I know."

"Do you know magic?"

"Yes, water magic. I can use it for healing and destruction." Kall-su simply nodded to her, she finished her tea, placed the cup on the table, and stood up. He watched her with mild interest as she curtsied to him. "Thank you for the tea and the conversation. I feel much better. If there is anything that I can do for you, then please do not hesitate to ask me, Lord Kall-su."

"No title is necessary."

Elira smiled at him and nodded, "Okay...Kall." He looked at her as she excused herself and left his room. Blue eyes traveled to stare at the cup sitting on the table. Kall-su sighed but removed it from his sight, wondering why he had even taken the time out of his day to help her.

Yet, the amnesiac found herself staring out at the ocean, the rough nature of the water fascinated her, and it was then that she heard a faint voice. Elira strained her ears to hear what that voice was saying but she couldn't understand it. She sighed in defeat, she was about to leave but a scream resounded in her mind, and she placed her hands over her ears. Once it cleared, her gaze returned to the ocean, the faint voice had returned, and Elira stared at the surface. She opened her mouth to say something and immediately unknown words formed into a song. The raging ocean calmed down and she closed her mouth, the voice was gone, and she scratched the back of her head in confusion. Elira shrugged and headed back into the castle.

-::::::-

A soft voice echoed around the empty halls of the castle, Elira had taken to perching herself on one of the open windows in the stairwell. She leaned her upper body on the sill, her face was peeking out into the evening light. She could hear the waves crashing against the sand somewhere, her voice carried out into the air but it echoed around the castle as well. Words that were indistinguishable but carried such a joyful tone. Elira yearned for the ocean, she could hear a voice out there calling her, so she responded to it by singing. She stopped and listened for a reply but nothing came, she could hear the waves soften out, as if they were content with her singing. Elira smiled and left her perch only to see Kall-su standing there.

"Good evening Kall."

"You were singing." She nodded, "Why?"

She fidgeted a little but replied, "I...heard a voice calling to me from the sea and I can hear when the water gets rough. So I sing to that voice in hopes of a reply."

"Do you ever get a response?"

"No but the ocean calms down. I can't really explain it but it makes me happy to sing." She smiled at him, Kall-su continued to look at her, and she felt a little embarrassed. "Forgive me, I have not told any one of this since I felt that it was my own issue to deal with."

"Don't worry, I won't disclose it to anyone."

"I appreciate it."

"Can you sing for me?"

Elira blinked and fidgeted once more, "I'm not sure...I've never sung for anyone other than the ocean and that was only recently...like this late afternoon."

"Sing." She fidgeted once more and searched her mind for a memory of a song that she could use but found that they were all in a strange language. Elira took in a deep breath, ran her hands through her wavy hair, and let that breath out. Her crimson eyes traveled to the ocean, she thought of it and the voice, and somehow a song came to her mind. A smile graced Elira's lips, she closed her eyes, and began to sing in that foreign language. Kall-su listened closely, the language itself was strange but flowed wonderfully over her tongue, and he was entranced by it. Footsteps in the distance went unheard as Kall-su listened to Elira sing, those footsteps paused to stare at the singing form of the woman who had joined him in the garden. The prince hid behind the nearest wall, he could feel himself relax from her voice, and he began to wonder who she truly was. Elira's voice faded out gently, her eyes opened, and she averted her eyes. "It was beautiful. Thank you."

"You're welcome and have a good evening Kall. If you'll excuse me." She darted past him but he caught her arm. Her eyes looked into his pale blue ones. "If you're going to ask me what the song means, I'm afraid that I cannot tell you. I don't know." Kall-su released her arm and she briskly sauntered past him and the prince went unnoticed on the way out as she went to return to her own room for the evening.

The moment that she left the vicinity, Lars turned the corner to face Kall-su. Ice blue eyes locked with dark green ones and the sorcere of ice stared at the prince. "Why did you want her to sing?"

"To confirm something."

"Confirm what Kall?" At this the lord simply shrugged and moved past the prince. "Kall." He turned to look at the prince over his shoulder, there was a faint smirk on his pale face, "What do you know about her?"

"Something profoundly interesting."

"Then tell her. You know she has amnesia."

"No. It is for her to rediscover when she's ready."

"But why?"

Kall-su turned to face the prince, "You should never tell an amnesic something of their past, they may not believe it, and then it would be lost forever." Lars simply nodded as the Ice Lord left the vicinity. The prince looked towards the open window once more and thought back to the words Elira had sung, nothing made sense to him, but her voice held some sort of power. Of that he was certain.

Elira had entered her room, it was nice to be alone, and she could still feel the power from her song resonating inside of her, as if it wanted to burst through her body. She wrapped her arms around herself, afraid that her own limbs would be torn apart, and eventually that feeling of resonation abated. She sighed, headed for her window, pushed it open, and stared out at the moon that hung over the sea. A deep breath was inhaled of the sea air, the ocean was calm, she could feel it in her bones, and yet that only raised more questions for her. Elira rested her face on her palms while her elbows were rested on the sill. "Why do you call me?" She asked quietly, there was no response, "Who am I?"

Little did she know but the prince had been on his balcony, her words were carried towards him by the wind, and he knit his brow together. He whispered, "I wish I could help you Elira." Dark green eyes watched the mysterious young woman as she gazed out at the sea, the moonlight reflected off of her hair the same way it did on the surface of the ocean. Lars let out a sigh, ran a hand through his hair, and was about to turn away but her last question reached him. He stared at her and felt pity for the young woman, she was fighting a battle with no end, and there were no allies to help her out. "Except Kall doesn't want to share. I can understand but not even a hint? Would a hint hurt her that much?" He sighed and left the balconey only when Elira disappeared into her own room.

Kall-su was in his room with a book open, there was a picture sketched of a half human, half fish creature. His eyes scanned the text, it talked about the creatures beneath the sea, many names were given for them from different areas of the land but the one he found most interesting was the one called Siren. As the sirens sang to lure sailors into the ocean and call forth rough waves and he was sure this was what Elira was however there was some doubt. "She said that the water calmed down after she sang. What type of sea maiden is she? A Merrow, a Siren, a Mermaid? Or are all of these the same name for the same type?" He turned the page and there was no sketch to be found but the entry was even more fascinating than the last. Kall-su read the passage, it was informative for him, he closed the book, glanced outside his window at the still surface of the ocean, and let a smile grace his lips. "Something profoundly interesting huh? I would have to say that this exceeds my expectations, that is, if she truly is one." The Ice Lord held that smile on his face for some time before whispering, "Metallicana is blessed in more than one way for her to be wandering these halls."