*AN- Ok.... Anyone who hasn't read "Through the Glass", I can guarantee you won't have a clue as to what's going on. Go read that, then come back here. For those of you returning, or those who don't want to be bothered with 12 chapters of TTG, here's the overview: After visiting Van Fanel a year and a half after 'recovering' from an illness, Celena Schezar begins having bizarre dreams of a psychotic pyromaniac but incredibly hot boy about her age. After using her feminine whiles, she discovers that this is in fact her alter ego, the infamous Dilandau Albatou, fused with her by the sorcerers of Zaibach at the tender age of about, I'm guessing blindly here six. Deciding she doesn't want to have split personalities nor lose her other half, she goes on a quest to reverse the spell using the forbidden magic of Atlantis, and bringing a certain schoolgirl back to Gaia. After battling with a sorcerer, reviving the dead, and dealing with overprotective older brothers, we find our heroine on the brink of a new adventure, if you can call it that. What perils await our heroine? Will she ever come to terms with her Oni-sama? Will Gaia be able to gain true peace? Will Folken ask Celena out on a date? Set about seven months after the end of TTG/ eight after the descent of Hitomi. ^.^ Fellow Otaku, Dilly-fans, psychotic fangirls, Escafans, reviewers *especially* all of you... ^_^ fellow writers, poor lost souls who ended up here by mistake, and even the everyday normal people, all this and more I give you in:

Reflections of the Heart

"Allen! How many times must I tell you, that belt does not go with that overcoat! How am I supposed to get everything ready when you don't do what I say?" Celena Schezar was on the brink of losing her temper and calling the whole thing off to go sit in her room and sulk; eating chocolates and ignoring Allen's attempts to mollify her sounded very appealing, in fact. Not only was he being completely unreasonable and utterly childish in his refusal to get into something more appropriate, he was supposed to be helping her prepare for the arrival of the royal Princess Auriellanna of Cyriell, who was to be arriving within the hour. Queen Millerna herself had asked Celena to see to it that the Princess was greeted with nothing short of a full blown welcoming ceremony, and at the time, Celena had been more than happy to accept. Life at the mansion had been getting boring, and Jajuka's manner reminded her of Allen when he was being overbearing and overprotective. The Crusaders were scared shitless of her or, more likely, her 'evil twin' who had promised to hunt down any who touched her, and none of them would spar with her- not that Allen wanted her sparring anyway. The Princess' fleeing to Asturia marked dark times for Gaia, but for Celena, it had been a sign from above; an answer to a prayer to get her out of the house, and away from her everyday, boring life. However, when Allen had heard, he'd insisted on coming to 'help' her, and was now proving to be more or else hindering her. The Crusaders had given her no trouble, docilely putting on what she'd given them with a minimum of fuss. This was probably due to her infamous temper and sharp tongue, but she really didn't care, so long as things were done the way she had planned them to be done. Allen, on the other hand, seemed to have forgotten his earlier promise to aid her however he could in the preparations. Apparently, his promise didn't include wardrobe, which for him was his usual blue overcoat with it's irritatingly large white puffy-sleeved shirt and black pants that made his sauntering gait the focus of half the ladies of Asturia's attention. Celena thought he looked stupid, and sneered at the sight of fellow members of her sex swooning as her brother passed. She wanted him to look respectable, she'd said. He'd replied in his naturally cool temperament and using his slinky 'ladies voice', no less that this was his uniform and he'd wear it to whatever official business he had, thank you very much. Allen then turned on his heel and walked off to safety, claiming he had to go check the progress of the Princess' airship. Celena was about to burst a vein on her head, wondering how much damage a well-aimed high heel shoe would do to her brother's retreating hair. As she lifted her foot to find out for herself, a firm hand clamped down on her shoulder.

"Lady Celena, you weren't thinking about running after your brother to do something rash, now were you?" She looked up at her 'donated' Slayer, Jajuka, and gave him a tight smile.

"No, Jajuka, would I do something like that? I was just going to perform a little science experiment." The dogman lifted an eyebrow.

"Science experiment?"

"I wanted to test the velocity of a satin and brocade shoe thrown over an increasing amount of distance at a dense and throughly frustrating object , taking note in wind factors, temperature, and of course the fact that I can't see his head through all of his hair." Jajuka sighed, shaking his head and hoping he'd be able to stall her long enough to allow her brother time to get out of range. Celena had a good throwing arm to go with her temper, and it was best not to be on the receiving end of either. He tried smiling, putting both hand on her shoulders to make her look at him alone.

"Lady Celena, I know you've been under much pressure these past few months, and that this appointment by Queen Millerna has been especially trying for you, but-"

"YOU! Stop picking your teeth!! Gaddess, get them to stop wiping their boots on their pants!! Honestly, you'd think you all grew up in a dragon's nest!" Gaddess shrugged, doing as he was told, and muttering under his breath about wishing he'd stayed a bandit under The Boss. 'The Boss' flinched under his sister's shouting, then scurried off to the sighting tower, hoping to find the ship in view. The only one, in fact, who did not wince under her command was Jajuka, who lifted a hand to turn her head back towards him.

"Celena, *relax*. You've done a superb job, everything is running smoothly, everything will be fine- no, everything will be exquisite. The Lady Millerna knew what she was doing when she gave you this assignment, you've proven that. But what *will* ruin the Princess' arrival would be if you were to lose your temper and say something you might regret later. Or, if she came down the ramp and found that her welcoming committee had been obliterated because none of them lived up to your expectations. They'll be here very soon; you need to work on calming yourself down." She pouted, giving the dogman.... puppy eyes... AN hehe.. ^_^;;

"Are you calling me rash, Jajuka?" Her mentor gave her a look that told her she'd have to do better than that, and she sighed, releasing herself from his grasp and running her fingers through her hair absently. "I'm sorry... I'm just a little tense, is all." Actually, she was more than a little tense, but that was apparent. The dogman didn't comment, however, for which she was grateful. The reason for her agitation was a cumulation of many things, but the recent turn of events had increased her anxiety. Cyriell had fallen at last to the sorcerers, hence the fleeing of the Princess. Zaibach was next in line, and she hadn't heard from anyone in weeks. Oh, the boys had been keeping in touch with her, sending her shadowgraphs and letters, cookies came every so often from Chesta, and damned if she didn't get a love letter from Maverick every other day. Chesta, Dalet and Maverick had even found time to see her when visiting their families, and she'd been relieved that Allen had been not only civil, but a rather pleasant host. She'd even gotten letters from Fol-, no, Emperor Folken- in which he wrote pleasantries, stories about his court, the goings on in his empire, and praising the achievements of the Slayers. The name, 'sorcererslayers', was a mouthful on it's own and stupid to boot. It had been one of the few things Dilandau and the counselors had agreed on, and the name was shortened to Slayers. As for Dilandau, well... let's just say he was on her 'most wanted' list, as he'd broken off contact several months ago and hadn't bothered to reply to her letters. That hurt her the most; she began to think how he'd forgotten her after all they'd been through, and didn't even have the decency to send back her letters to let her know he didn't want anything to do with her. The boys had all assured her, it was just that their General was busy and he didn't have the time to write to her. She didn't think that was the only reason, but they insisted nothing else was going on, which made her even more suspicious and paranoid. She'd come up with several theories, her favourite being that he'd taken a lover upon his return to Zaibach and he didn't want to think about her. She was enjoying her moping and wallowing in self pity so much that she didn't realize immediately that her brother had rejoined them and was talking to her rather rapidly, pointing at the airship that had magically appeared out of nowhere. She looked at him for a moment, then broke into a grin.

"Thank you for changing, Brother!" He gave her a resigned smile, hugging her to him. He allowed himself to be squeezed, sending a surreptitious look of thanks over to Gaddess. The man in question was fixing the swapped belt in place, then gave 'The Boss' a grin. Allen looked back down at Celena, smiling more cheerfully.

"I wouldn't want to rain on your parade. Let's go take our places, shall we? I believe our guest will be descending within a minute or so." She bounded forward, happy to finally have everything the way she'd planned it. She took her spot next to Allen by the red carpet two of the men had setup, and watched in excitement as the ramp for the princess was lowered, and the escorts filed down to form an arch at the bottom. Celena felt elated- she'd heard only good things of this princess; everyone said she was a very sweet and easy to get along with young lady, as well as talkative and vibrant. She was supposed to be very lovely as well, which had probably been another reason Allen had so hastily agreed to help her. As long as things went as planned, Celena didn't care if the girl had three heads and the wings of a Draconian. She was eager to meet a royale so close to her own age, and reportedly so alike her. She smiled happily, and clapped her hands together, watching as the Princess of Cyriell stepped out into the morning light. The soldiers banged their swords together, holding them high, and he first in line shouted,

"Her Majesty, the Princess Auriellanna of the Kingdom of Cyriell!"

...Well, I can't say that my first impressions of the Princess were completely accurate- or inaccurate, for that matter. She *was* lovely; her red hair was done in a way that caught the light and gave the illusion of a crown of light about her head, her face was smiling and merry, though her sparkling green eyes hinted at acuity and mischief. Her gown was in the latest fashion; simple lines in plain fabrics, but with a low cut bust line and slits on either side of her dress covered by layers of bright green and blue satins and silks. The sleeves of the gown had been altered to match Asturian fashion, and her crown glittered with its many gems and brilliant gold work. She looked like an angel, and I would no have been surprised if one told me she had the blood of Atlantis in her veins. Needless to say, I was not the only one to think this- if I as another woman thought her beautiful, imagine what the men thought!! All of them straightened up to a height that I would never have been able to get them to attempt, sucking up guts and overall trying to look macho. Allen instantaneously snapped into his 'knight of Heaven' mode- I could almost feel the personality clicking into place and see his charm oozing off of him. The princess saw him, and then was suddenly down at the bottom of the stairs, talking rapidly and enthusiastically- I swear, she must have teleported to the bottom; I've never seen anyone get off an airship so quickly. I'd barely been able to get myself prepared to speak to her when she was already being kissed on the hand by Allen and laughing as though they were old friends. I managed to keep up with her quick chatter though, a fact that I am still very proud of. Her dialogue went something like this:

"Why, hello, you must be the escorts the Queen told me about- she said that you'd be taking me to the palace and I'm awfully glad, we've had a long journey. I mean, it's not like I don't enjoy flying about in airships, it's rather breathtaking if you ask me, but I've been so worried because of all the things that have been happening and the crew has already risked so much that I think we're all emotionally drained. I, for one, can't wait for a bath and a change of clothes- I mean, dresses are nice enough, but I love the style your Queen wears- it's so much more free, you know what I mean? Well, I suppose you wouldn't, Sir.... Ummm.... what did you say your name was? " Allen opened his mouth to speak, but she snapped her fingers, grinning like an idiot did I say, 'like'? I meant, ' like the idiot she was'. I didn't get a very good first impression of her, can you tell? "I remember now! You're Sir Allen Schezar, Heavenly Knight of Asturia, and you" she pointed at me before gluing her eyes back on my Brother, "must be his little sister, Celena Schezar, the one everyone talks about! I can't wait to get to meet you both, I've heard so much and I can remember visiting the country when I was younger but it's been so long since I've come that I'm sure things have changed- Sir Allen, would you take me on a personal tour of the city one day if your busy schedule allows it? I'm sure you know everywhere fashionable and I know that dear Millerna would let me steal you away for an afternoon- that is, if you wanted it..." And the wench- I mean, Princess- batted her eyes at Allen, but I could tell she was assessing him with scrutinizing detail, and was impressed with what she saw. Allen, for his part, was doing a very good impression of a puppy- he was enamored with the woman without even knowing her full name. Then again, he always *did* have a thing for Princesses.... He gave her a lady-killer smile, and kissed her hand again, then clasped it in his own.

"Of course, Princess -"

"Oh! Just call me Anna!!" Another one of those damned charming grins.

"Of course, Anna. Please, call me Allen. May I help you to the carriage? I'm sure Queen Millerna and Lord Dryden are anxious to meet you." Gag! I made a mental note to never allow Allen near another skirt again, and found myself literally in the wake of their dust- they were almost to the carriage before 'Anna' turned back to see me still standing by the red carpet, ready to give my welcoming speech, and she gave me a wave to beckon me over. I think I started growling, because Jajuka gave me a look that said I should stop, and the men were giving me wary glances. I decided the two could wait for my arrival in the carriage, and turned to glare at the men.

"I want you all to keep your clothes clean until dinner tonight. You're going to need to look presentable when we're in the capital, so don't get dusty. If you fall off your horse and get anything ruined, Gods help you if I see you!!" There was a loud,

"Yessir, Ma'am!!" and I turned on my heel to go off to the carriage. Once I was there, I found that not only were they gazing into each other's eyes with extremely goofy expressions on their faces, they'd also forgotten to leave space for me. I pondered between making them squeeze together to allow me on, or stealing Allen's horse and trotting alongside. If I went in with them, I'd be able to monitor them, but it'd be a very tight fit. On the horse, I'd be able to ride in comfort, but those two would have no supervision, and I wasn't sure I trusted Allen alone with any female, even if it was for just a few hours with people all around. My decision was made for me, however, when 'Anna' stuck her head out the window and looked at me cheerfully.

"You've got them all under your thumb, Lady Schezar, I'm impressed! You'll have to tell me how to do that as we ride; I had been under the impression that it was Allen who was in charge! Have you ever thought of becoming a general?" I had to grin at that- apparently my history hadn't reached the darling Princess' ears. I opened my mouth to ask her if she'd ever heard of Dilandau Albatou when Allen cut me off.

"A woman as a general? Really, Anna, you're too much. Celena, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm afraid there isn't room for you in the carriage- I'm not sure how that happened, but I'm sure you won't mind riding beside us? Good! We'll see you there then!" With that, he closed the door with a click, and I was left dumbfounded and alone outside the carriage. Gaddess winked down at me from up in the driver's seat, and I scowled in return, deciding I wouldn't allow the Princess to hear my extensive vocabulary. Instead, I tore off the skirt part of my outfit leaving me in pants, threw the dratted material at Gaddess, then jogged off to get Allen's horse. The carriage had begun to roll away, and Allen's men were trotting alongside, leaving me in their dust. The horse had been un-tacked and stabled, because we'd thought we'd all be able to stay in the carriage. Luckily for me, I knew how to tack a horse, but even better, I knew how to ride bareback. So, I slipped a bridle over the horse's head and clambered up, deciding that this day had not gone quite as I had hoped. I steered the beast outside, and found that Jajuka, bless him, had stayed behind to accompany me on the trip up. I gave him a smile, and asked nonchalantly,

"Up for a rough ride, Jajuka? We're going to take a short cut!" With that, the hors started off down the road, and then cut across several fields that happened to be in our way. Jajuka was with me every stride, and when we'd been riding for a few moments he commented on my skills for finding paths that seemed to be quicker, though a bit more interesting than the road. I don't know why he complained, I mean, it was only a couple of barren fields and a forest where we nearly got chucked off the horse with low branches. I rode in silence, going over what had happened that day. The Princess of Cyriell had arrived, and instead of being a sweet and charming companion she was being whisked away to the castle of Asturia by my brother, who was probably doing everything he could to make her swoon and ogle over him. Not that she needed much encouragement. I *could* have galloped up and ridden by the carriage, but I wanted to get to Millerna and tell her what had happened before everyone else got there. The Princess' arrival was supposed to be subdued, and I wasn't sure that the arrival of Allen in a carriage with a gorgeous woman would go off well with any of the noble women attending court. Plus, I wanted to find out what Millerna really thought of the Princess and if *that* was the reason why she hadn't wanted to greet her. Stick an airhead on me, would you, Millerna? I'd thought we were better friends than that.

I told her as much when we arrived at the palace- ahead of Allen and 'Anna', I might add- and she drew me aside, in somewhat of a tizzy.

"Celena," she hissed, "I assigned you the greeting because I thought you'd be able to handle her! Where is she now?" I told her that she was probably off gallivanting with my brother; eloping to Fanelia, and Millerna went an interesting shade of red. "They can't do that!! Who gave her the right to flirt with one of our knights? I swear, she has such candor-!"

"Millerna, dearest, didn't you say you were over Allen? Do I have cause to worry here?" Miillerna sighed and smiled, pecking Dryden on the cheek as he put his arm around her waist. It was hard to believe that less than three years ago, Dryden had left her to go seeking fortune, only t return when he'd been brought back by my dear older brother under orders of the king. A few marriage counseling lessons and a real honeymoon had let them see beyond their differences, and now they were inseparable. Though Dryden still made a funny frowning face when Allen's name came up- I don't think he ever really forgave Allen for dragging him in and depositing him at the foot of King Aston, no more than Allen wanted to hear about how well Dryden did when he took over the throne after Aston's death. The two had reached a silent agreement of sorts; Millerna was Dryden's, Allen kept his job, avoid each other as much as possible. I'm getting sidetracked, aren't I? Anyways, Dryden always seemed to appear when Allen's name came up, and he was suspicious of his wife for continued harboring of affections- though she denied it, of course. Millerna briefed Dryden of today's bizarre occurrences, and her gave me a look that looked almost patronizing.

"And you didn't fight him at all, Celena? I'm amazed you backed down. When will they be here? I suppose we should be ready to welcome her, though I'm beginning to wonder why we ever told her she could come here-"

"Dryden! She's a cousin of mine! I couldn't throw out family in a time of need!!" They bickered with smiles on their faces for several minutes before they were interrupted by a quiet cough, and we all looked up to see the Princess Eries in the door.

"I'm sorry, Sister, Brother, Celena, but our dear cousin Anna seems to have arrived with Allen and his men. They're coming this way, and I warn you, she hasn't changed much since we last saw her. I'm going to be ill for the next few days, if you need me I'll be in my rooms." With that, the sleek Princess slipped away before her little sister could say 'you can't dump family', and I swore I heard Dryden mutter something along the lines of 'smart girl'. He gave Millerna a grin, held out an arm, and said in his swashbuckler kind of way,

"Well, shall we go meet our guests?" I, for one, didn't really want to, but I followed them anyway, and decided it might be prudent to enlist the servants' aid to keep an eye on my brother and the new guest, both of whom seemed to be getting along better than I'd hoped, or even wanted. Jajuka, the dear that he was, had told Allen I'd arrived but had felt tired and I'd be joining them all later, so I had the rest of the afternoon to clean up and wonder what I was going to do about the Princess.

**AN- Wellllll? How's that for a first chapter? I'm sorry minna-san, but between my being sick, my computer having several bouts of suicidal actions and thus hindering my usage of it, plus school starting up again, and then the ff.net issues... Well, let's just say I'm happy this is finally out. I've been having some problems planning ahead in this Flippin Magliss... I *could* just delete some characters and pretend I never mentioned them, but I guess it's too late for that, ne? Ah well. Let me know how you all like this, the next installment might be a while again because I'm supposed to be painting a mural for school and I haven't started yet... . I hate painting. 8x4 feet of blank board... @_@ Blehhhh........ Waii, I'm getting unfocused! Comments and Questions and Reviews and all that jazz appreciated, wanted, needed, gimme a line and lemme know whatcha'll think, nk? Jaa ne! ~SLS~ 09-0802**