Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Tarnished by the Past ❯ Tarnished by the Past ( One-Shot )

This is a reflection of the past of my character Leighanief Dos Amious. If any of you have read my "Trial of Time." This is basically and separate portion of that story. If any of you haven't read I and like this perhaps you'd like to read it ^^

Enjoy

Peace out

Nick

Tarnished by the Past

By: Nicole Gagnon

A pair of deep hazel eyes watches me closely; when I blink and then look back to them… they still stare. They belong to a young female with dark brown chestnut hair; it blackens to a coffee bean colour as the light from the sun fades behind the trees, and under the hilled horizon. The young face has a bitter maturity to it, perhaps one that had been forced into adolescence or matured through necessity, not desire. One of the greenish brown eyes was decorated with a large vertical scar running through it, though it appears the wound had not damaged anything but the eyelid a small bit. She looks around sixteen perhaps seventeen and has a beauty to her that seems somehow past skin-deep, but you are required to look past her weather worn expression. Her hand rises up and brushes back a lock of her hair and then fixes a strap on her tattered tank top. Sadness looms around her and as she lowers her hand to the ground, a tear slides down her cheek from her scarred eye and falls from her chin.

The image of the female I look at becomes a blur and ripples as the rings from the tear drop distort the smooth surface of the water. A reflection shows only truth. Wise words someone had told me once, a man that I hardly knew, my father. I bring my hand to my chest and look away from the calming reflection. My fingers curl around something under my shirt and I feel a little better even with its indirect touch. I unhitch the chain at the back of my neck and pull out an amulet from underneath my shirt. It is large enough just to sit comfortably in the palm of my hand and it also opens into a locket, but I do not open it… I do not need to, to remember how I got it, or who gave it to me. A cyan blue tear splashes onto the locket's golden surface and everything seems to play back in my mind…

The sun shines brightly down on the field, the tall grass seeming golden, as it sways gently in the breeze of the warm day. A young girl, looking around five years old, plays in the field. She smiles almost as brightly as the sun shines, and she chases butterflies. An older female watches from the shade of a tree, her mother. The woman smiles at the childishness of her daughter and waves to her from a far. The child pushes back some of her long chestnut hair and then waves back to her mother cheerfully.

A young boy watches from behind one of the trees that surround part of the field. He looks a little older than the girl and has large curious eyes. The little girl resumes chasing around the butterflies; she catches one gently in her palms and looks at it in her hands. The boy shifts a little behind the tree and the girl looks up catching the movement from the corner of her eye. She smiles and trots over to the boy with an innocent trust.

"Hello, who are you?" she says with a childish smile.

He smiles back, "Greetings, I'm John. What do you have there?" He looks at her hands a little more closely.

"A butterfly." She opens her palms a bit so he can see, "What are you doing behind the tree?"

He looks at the butterfly for a moment then raising his chin says very proudly, nonetheless still keeping his own innocence, "I am practicing my stealth, so I can be a good dragon hunter!"

The girl chuckles lightly, and he looks a little disappointed, "What!? I'm serious."

She keeps smiling, "I'm sure you'll be great! Want to come hunt butterflies with me?" She over emphasizes the word hunt, but didn't mean much by it.

He nods, "Okay, I'd love to Milady." He does a small playful bow and follows her as she skips back into the field.

They both go over to the girl's mother and the young girl introduces John to her mother. Then they return to aimlessly chasing butterflies around. The woman watches them closely for a while then begins reading her book, as they frolic around.

The little boy, John, pulls the girl to the side and whispers something in her ear. She looks ups and shallows hard, "But Johnny, don't you think it's a little high?"

He snorts, "Not for me, I've climbed bigger before. What are you scared?" His tone a little insulting, but he sighs as she pouts, "Don't worry, I'll help you, and if you fall I'll catch you."

The girl lightens up a bit and nods, still worried though, "You promise?"

He smiles and nods, "I do, I really do."

He gives her a leg up and she starts to climb up the tree. He follows closely, staying true to his word that if she slipped or lost her grip he'd be there. She continues up, pretty well to the topmost that would allow because of their height and sits down on one of the branches. He comes up right after and sits next to her. "See easy as pie!"

She smiles widely, "Yeah and look how high we are! We're even taller than that tree over there!" She points at another tree which is indeed smaller.

John gets up and makes his way over to another branch. The wind had slowly been picking up over the time they had started and was now blowing in small jolts although they had not realized.

The girl watches him and frowns a bit, "Be careful Johnny. Why don't you just come on back?"

"Nah, come on I'm fine, watch I can even do this." He starts hopping on the branch. Not hard really but even to make the tree rustle.

"Johnny, please!!" she begs to him.

"I'm fine, really I -" He doesn't finish his sentence though as the wind picks up again and it pushes against the tree. He slips and makes a yelping sound as he grabs on to the branch with his hands. The girl's eyes widen as she opens her mouth to let out a scream but can't. Instead she holds on tightly waiting for the tree to stop swaying.

John's feet dangle in the air, no branches beneath him that could provide any help. He shouts up to the girl "Help me, please!"

She pushes her fear and hesitations away, and hurries over to the branch trying to step lightly. She slides slowly across it as her heart pounds in her chest, but his fingers slide slowly as well. His one hand slips and he tries to get it back on the branch. She grabs his wrist and pulls his hand back onto the branch, then tries to pull him up further. Another wind gust blows and a cracking sound breaks the air; they and the air become deadly silent as they look at each other with a doomed fright. The branch cracks again and she frantically tries to pull him up.

The woman by now has stood up, and looks around longingly for her child. The cracking sound catches in her ears, and she looks up to the canopy of the trees. Her eyes trail quickly around until she spots the colouring of the boy's orange shirt, and hastily runs across the field towards them.

The girl still tries to pull him up, but the branch finally gives way and they start to fall. The girl screams and John brings her into a hug as his scream was caught in his throat from fear and shock. Tears stream down the girl's face as her scream stops and the back of her shirt rips. Her eyes suddenly portray a distinct determination. The seconds that passed seemed to feel like minutes for them and then the descent stops. The girl and the boy hover about three feet from the ground, as two pale blue feathered wings flap in the air softly and yet strongly. The girl's mother reaches the tree and holds out her arms as the girl descends herself and John into her mother's arms.

John opens his eyes as he feels them going into the arms of the adult and he rubs the tears from his eyes. "Are we dead?" He looks over to the young girl as the woman shakes her head comfortingly. His eyes widen and he tries to get out of her grasp. He gets down to the ground and backs away fearfully, as he points a hurtful finger at the young girl, "You… you have wings!!" His finger trembles as he shakes his head in disbelief.

The woman puts her child down and gives her a look. The girl brings her wings into her backside, back through the holes in her ripped shirt and then she hugs her mother's leg.

The woman leans forward slightly and holds her hand out to the boy, "It's okay, young one, there's nothing wrong…"

John just shook it, he shook his head fiercely. I remember that more clearly than anything else. The girl watches… I watch from behind my mother's leg, for I was that little girl… I do not even like to admit it to myself most of the time true as it may be, but this image runs through my mind often.

He shakes his head and slides a foot back as my mother extends her hand out further. I cling on to my mother's dress and watch him as his eyes are a blur of tears and colour. His eyes are afraid; a piercing wide stare, but it's not just that… when he looked at me in the tree his eyes were scared and pleading for help but now… now they are terrified… of me. I just tried to help! Why?! Why is he looking at me like that, like some sort of monster!

My mother says softly to John, so as not to be threatening, "Young one, please do not fret."

John takes a full step back, his head still shaking exaggeratedly. "Just stay away!" he shouts, his tone practically a sob. He turns quickly and begins to run away as fast as his small legs could carry him.

My mother straightens her back again and I can see her expression become worried and tired. I think she knew we didn't have long before the boy told someone. She picks me up and I let go of her dress half way up so I can hug her around the neck. She holds me with her one arm and I can feel her start to run. I hold on tightly and keep my eyes firmly shut. I'm not sure how we got back but I could feel her hurried pace and the excitement of the atmosphere, and though I wasn't actually running I could still feel the burden my mother was carrying. As I feel my mother slow I open my eyes and look a little ahead to the house.

Marena opens the door and waves to us quickly. She saw us coming and I guess knew something was wrong by the speed of my mother. We enter the residence and Marena shuts the door quickly. I hear her anxious voice but I don't look at her because I had buried my face into my mother's shoulder cloth again.

"What's wrong my child?" she said nervously.

My mother explained what had happened while I tried to be invisible knowing this was my fault. Marena listens carefully and offers my mother some tea, but I hear her refuse, since she is still holding me. She talks more with Marena about something I don't quite hear or understand. Something about nobles and John's clothing. One word I do catch onto is "search" and that makes me tremble terribly. I feel about ready to cry, but I don't because I know if I start I wouldn't be able to stop. But the fear overwhelms me and I hold my mother tighter looking for and needing her comfort. I hear some shuffling as Marena looks out the window and then I guess says something else to my mother, but before I knew it my mother and I rush into darkness and we were in the closet behind the homemade book shelf.

I look at my mother from my new position on her lap. It is dark but I can still see her worry and sense her fear. "Mommy? What did I do wrong? Why… why was that boy afraid of me?" My voice is trembling as I hold back tears. I know some of the answer, but I don't understand… it is so confusing.

She looks down at me and tries to smile, but I know it is forged, "Shh… baby it's okay. I'm proud of you for helping that boy, but you must understand that people fear what they don't understand…."

I nod though I still do not completely understand this all, "Are they stupid?"

She does not answer though, but completely shushes me as a rhythmic banging start at the door. I hug my mother tighter and she wraps an arm around my body. I can't help it but I begin to quake a little and let out a little whimper when the latches make a clicking sound and the voices of men can be heard. My mother fiddles with something around her neck with her free hand but finally hands me a golden locket. Even in the dark its smooth surface seems to shine. I hold it close and she hugs me just as close. Somehow the fact that my mother gave me this, comforts me greatly, and I remember she had always said it was something very precious… something my father had given her before he passed away… the man I had hardly known, but still miss painfully.

My hand touches something cold and wet and my eyes fly open a panic in my heart, but I soon calm as I realize my hand had just touched the surface of the water I was sitting beside. I look around expecting the darkness of a small and horrifically enclosed closet even if there was water, but no… I sit where I did before in the midst of many trees and vegetation. I look down to my hand that clasps the locket. So many horrendous memories in which I looked to a mere piece of metal for comfort… it is foolish I know but despite that I put it back around my neck and then under my shirt; it is hidden away safely near to my heart. I get up slowly flexing the sore muscles on my body. Perhaps I had sat too long, but I'm not even sure how long I was there.

With a sigh and a heavy heart I look to the north and I begin walking. Walking to the very place I thought I had finally left for good, where there are no villagers, no town or people to look down upon me, and so I walk towards the very place I hate, but yet go in search of comfort… in an empire of cruelty.

I spread my wings and take to flight

Swooping down to save your life

When we land, you run in fear

And I run too…

When villagers grab their hunting gear

~ Nothing left but a tarnished piece of gold. ~