Magic Knight Rayearth Fan Fiction ❯ The Glaciers' Widow ❯ Qui tu es? Ego sum Primus inter pares ( Chapter 7 )

~*Qui tu es? Ego sum Primus inter pares*~

*Who are you? I am the First among the equals*

Alcyone and Arosa wished a happy birthday to Prince Ferio with a deep bow. Ferio smiled kindly to the two women and thanked them. The Countess and her daughter bowed again and took themselves off. Kleph peeped quickly the list and announced:

" Dessin Houojii, Duke of Casale Cavuzzi, and his daughter Fuu Marguerite Gabrielle Houojii-Van der Graaff, Baroness of Acquaviva!"

Everybody gasped hearing that name, and to nobody escaped the Duke's too garish smile while he grabbed his daughter's fingertips. The Duke said the words of circumstance, while Fuu, bowing, said in her tongue without raise her eyes:

" Ecilef onnael 'pmoc, prince."

Ferio smiled softly at the girl: how he wished to embrace her and cover with kisses her cerise lips! How he wanted to declare there, before the whole court, that that was the woman he loved! How he wished to hear her voice pronounce tender and warm words of love! Ferio approached her and grabbed her hand, raising her.

" Stand up Baroness: thy ankle has gotten well since few suns and it dost not help to force it. I would wish that, until thou won't be perfectly restored to health, thee avoided these ceremonies: they just harm thou."

Fuu froze hearing those words, but above all hearing that voice, and inside her she thanked Presea to have properly powdered her face or anyone would have seen her cheeks reddening. Swallowing slightly, Fuu raised her glance and crossed the Prince's amber and wistful eyes: after an along instant of dismay, she freed her hand from his hold and she found suddenly interesting her father's shoes.

" May I... may I ask how do thou have known about my ankle?"

" An pretty singing bird brought me the news this morning: if I have known it before, I would visit thou."

This time Fuu didn't reply and with a nod, she joined Hikaru and Umi.

After him hopes to custom, the supper began. Before sit at table, Umi introduced Fuu to the party:

" This is Lantis Alfred La Croix from Rizzitello, Sol Zagato's younger brother; Ascot Phillip Fisher from Gorgofreddo, Sephiro's best zoologist; Eagle Vision, Prince of Autozam, and his companions, Geo Metro and Zazu Torque -they were Prince Ferio's friends at College; Dal Lafarga, captain of royal guards; Caldina Le Etoile, Queen Rosaura's lady's companion and our dear friend; Primera Sylph, Sol Zagato's cousin and finally my uncle, Madoshi Kleph of Trullia, Prime Minister of Sephiro."

Fuu bowed to everyone with a smile. Kleph took her hand and kissed it.

" It is a honor meet thou, Baroness. Thy father has spoke often about thou and thy grace: his words don't make thou justice."

" My father is very good, Sir, and often he is inclined to idealize me too much: I am neither more nor less pretty than any other girl."

" This isn't true," Geo said flirting and winking " thou art a modest girl, and the modesty adds charm to a woman."

" Thou would mean that the Baroness is more charming than Kuu?"

Ferio asked teasing with his usual grin, even if his eyes showed a badly hidden jealousy. Geo started hearing his girlfriend's name and he laughed scratching the back of his head:

" Well, Kuu dost not have comparisons! It's a pity that she hasn't been able to free herself from job: we would have more fun! Ah ah ah!"

" Thou mean that /thou/ would have more fun, Geo old & $£%^*!"

Zazu clarified giggling; Geo looked sideways at him and punched his head and the others began to laugh. Fuu sweat dropped and wondered if that was a normal behavior.

For a strange circumstance, Fuu had sat just opposite Ferio: Emeraude sat at her left and Hikaru at her right. The girls chatted happily amid the different courses and told about parties, dances and guys: Fuu felt a little bit uneasy in such topics, also because Ferio didn't miss each oh her gesture and fling her fiery looks. Ferio watched ecstatic the girl, totally taken by her vision and he didn't take care about what his friends said: every so often - when he could- he lengthened a leg under the table just to be able to graze her offended ankle, and each single touch that he was able to steal her, it filled his heart with serene and total happiness. Then Fuu became stiff and bite her lower lip lowering her look, she then made herself comfortable on the chair and moved the legs and this made her feel mostly uneasy: Ferio's was not wickedness, but wish to be able to touch the beloved woman, and when Fuu reacted at his touch, he felt something crack inside him. Desperate by her indifference, Ferio said:

" I have noticed that thou eat much little, Baroness: in this way thy ankle won't ever be restored to health."

Fuu raised the eyes and looked him for a long time, she then said:

" I'm flattered that thou worry so much about my health, but these art too personal questions. Besides I am accustomed to less spicy foods."

" Therefore isn't the supper to thy liking?" Emeraude said worried " If I knew it, I would have ordered to cook foods of thy country for thee."

" Don't misunderstand, Highness:" Fuu answered with a weak smile "everything is delicious, it's just that I'm not accustomed! My nurse says that it dost not make sense go in a foreign land and claim to eat the same food cooked at home."

" I heard about some very good sweets that thou do in Llayamana; if I don't remember badly, they should be called... shcattaghiet."

Geo said cutting a piece of meat. Fuu smiled:

" Ah, scattaghiate! They art the cakes for Winter's Solstice's celebrations. But the best art those for Spring's Holiday."

" How I wish to be there...."

Geo sighed thinking about cakes. His friends laughed again, and this time Fuu smiled too. When Ferio saw the small and weak smile, he felt more stronger the desire to embrace her strongly: he decided that for the end of the party, he would have realized his little wish.

After the supper, the guests were collected in the open space and began the dances. Suddenly Emeraude clapped her hands and exclaimed:

" Dear Fuu, this afternoon thou promised me that thou'd have sung a ballad for me! Please, before the next dance begin, sing again for me!"

" Princess, speaking with respect, I doubt the others share thy whish."

" Nonsense! Thou have such a beautiful voice, I am sure that they will like it! Won't thou?!"

Umi said peeping half threatening her friends. A little bit frightened, they nodded sweat dropping. Fuu sighed and looked her father: Dessin nodded with an encouraging smile, urging her to grant Emeraude's little request. The Baroness sighed again and began to sing a ballad. Ferio listened the girl's voice sing a tale of love and death, and oddly he recognized himself in the ballad's chorus.

Yet each man kills the thing he loves,

By each let this be heard

Some do it with a bitter look,

Some with a flattering word,

The coward does it with a kiss,

The brave man with a sword!

Some kills their love when they are young,

And some when they are old;

Some strangle with the hands of Lust,

Some with the hands of Gold;

The kindest use a knife, because

The dead so soon grow cold,

Some love too little, some too long,

Some sell, and others buy;

Some do the deed with many tears,

And some without a sigh;

For each man kills the thing he loves,

Yet each man not die.

Arosa looked disgusted the scene, torturing with anger one of her ribbons.

" Look her, how she gives herself airs: she looks as if butter wouldn't melt in her mouth! Who dost she believe to be? Just because she has a nice face and hums a little bit, she pretends to conquer Ferio and his friends! Mom, do something: that damned Fuu will ruin everything!"

Arosa whispered to her mother. Alcyone shook her head and answered:

" Now we could do nothing: until Fuu will have Princess' protection, nobody will touch her. Besides thou forget that between five suns she will go back to Acquaviva, and that we won't see her until next Spring. Fuu isn't a threat, not for now."

After the song and some dances, Ferio wanted to dance with Fuu. Blushing furiously, Fuu had replied that Arosa would have replaced her with pleasure, also because for her the moment had come to go back in her tent.

" Come on, Baroness! Be rational: I have danced with thy sister till a minute ago! Thee could grant me a little little dance."

" I am sure that my father wouldn't agree!"

Ferio arched an eyebrow and said to the Duke:

" Duke, would thou grant me the honor to dance with thy daughter?"

" Majesty, it isn't necessary ask it. Fuu, it isn't wrong in dancing: I want thou to have fun for once."

" But father! I... I can't!"

" Why?"

The father asked.

"..."

" Why?"

Ferio asked looking the girl. Fuu opened her mouth to tell something, then she closed it; she then reopened it, closed again it and she finally exclaimed:

" My ankle! Yes, I couldn't dance with my ankle in these conditions!"

" Fuu-chan, don't behave like a child: thou art almost an adult woman and those whims... must I remember thou that today Prince Ferio's birthday, that he is our host and that dance with him is a way to thank him for his hospitality?"

Dessin said with a smile. Fuu bit her lower lip: it looked as if even her father plots against her. At the end she gave her hand to Ferio, whom brought her in the open space's center.

Ferio hold Fuu as tightly as possible, with a hand on her back and the other tighten hers. Fuu felt fearfully uneasy and didn't dare look his face: what bothered her wasn't dance with a man, but how that man made her felt. Fuu felt quite empty, as if inside her body there was just her heart.

' Why I feel so weird? Why I have the impression that my heart is about to break out, and I sense it beats with so much vehemence inside me? Why I feel in this way only when I am with him? God of Skies! How I would wish this dance never end!'

" Why thou don't look at me, Baroness Fuu?"

Ferio's peaceful, almost wound voice swayed Fuu from those thoughts. Fuu jumped and looked the Prince's eyes for an endless second, she then decided to concentrate her attentions on his cloak's knot.

" Why should I look thou, Highness?"

" Because I /want/ look thou: I couldn't do it if thou deny me thy look. The eyes are made to look and to be looked: and thine art the most beautiful eyes that I ever seen!"

" Why do thou have fooled me?"

" Do I fool thee? I don't understand!"

" Thou won't understand, but thou know well what about I am speaking. Today, and the other sun in the strawberries' clearing, why don't thou have told me thy name? Even before, thou could avoid to touch my accident and to invent that foolish tale. It was so childish."

" May I say that I have wanted to made thou a surprise, Fuu?"

" It dost not seems to me that I allowed thee to call me by name: there is an etiquette, respect it."

" I never took care of the etiquette. If I want call thou Fuu, I call thou Fuu. Thy name is so beautiful to pronounce and listen, it seems the sound of leaves moved by wind. Fuu... Fuu... I'd pronounce it for whole suns."

" Thee art.... the more insensitive man that I ever known! Thou art intolerable; thy behavior is intolerable too! And also indecent: how have thee dared to... touch me during the supper?! Ouch!"

Fuu exclaimed shutting her eyes for the sudden pain. Ferio tightened her with more strength and he asked worried:

" Is thy ankle aching?"

Fuu nodded breathing deeply. Ferio laced her arm around his neck to support her and he accompanied her to the table. Scowling himself to have wanted to dance with her at all costs, Ferio began to massage her ankle.

" I'm sorry, Fuu: thou were right and I wrong. I shouldn't have insisted so much."

" I just stumbled. Here what happens when I'm not listened: it's fair that thou feel remorse, Prince."

Fuu grumbled harshly. Ferio watched her intensely, wounded.

" Why art thou so harsh with me, Fuu? I... I..."

" Thou what?"

" I love thee Fuu-chan, thou don't know how I am suffering because of thou...."

Fuu watched amazed Ferio, as stunned. She didn't react when he took her hand and set it on his cheek. Fuu was about to reply, but she suddenly saw Arosa run toward a man in the shadows.

================================== TO BE CONTINUED =================================

"The Ballad of Reading Goal", Oscar Wilde, 1898