Author's Note: The story is set after the television series.

Disclaimer: I do not own "Tenkuu no Escaflowne," its characters, or its story plot. They belong to their respectable owners and creators.

Memory of Yesterday
Memory I: Her Name

"So, you traveling from Palas or from somewhere closer?" an old voice croaked, interrupting the silent voyage.

"I'm leaving from Palas," the young lady sighed, resting her chin on her slender hand. She naturally swayed with the wagon, the jostling not bothering her in the slightest way. "Although, I wish I could have spent more time there. The merchants from Freid had just arrived, and they had brought many fine goods, or so I was told."

Riding a fur-laden wagon with twin cat girls sleeping in the back, an elderly man and a young lady conversed amiably to fight away the night's loneliness and silence. The beast children purred pleasantly as the wooden wagon rolled down the worn-down dirt road.

The travelers followed a route out of Asturia along her western borders near the fort Castelo. Against the night sky's darkness the two moons glowed brightly with Gaea's uncountable stars. The young maiden dreamily stared at the larger moon, the Mystic Moon, transfixed by the satellite's vibrant colors and enormous size. Home, she thought with wistful eyes. Why did the Mystic Moon make her think of home when she did not have one?

"Those young ones yours?" the old man asked curiously, pulling the lady from her daze. The wagon moved steadily forward as a large animal pulled the wooden vessel and took steady steps toward the set destination.

"Well, they don't exactly belong to me," the female traveler replied honestly while staring at the slumbering cat girls with a perplexed expression. "I found them half-dead on the roadside near Palas. After nursing them for a few days and giving them some new clothes, they wouldn't quit following me. They've been with me ever since. Frankly though, I don't know why." She pushed back her lengthy honey tresses from her eyes.

"Heh, I'm guessing you haven't had much contact with beast men before." The old man chuckled knowingly, very much entertained with the situation.

Blushing, the lady admitted with an embarrassed laugh, "I never had to deal with beast men before this, so I really don't know much about them." Regaining some of her composure, she asked, "But why do you mention it, sir?"

"Don't listen to this kooky old man," the wagon driver chuckled, brushing the issue aside. He redid and wrapped the reins around his wrinkled hands while readjusting his seat as well. "I don't even know why I mentioned it. I just know what I'm told."

The young lady's interest captured, she curiously questioned, "What have you heard, sir?" She only possessed some knowledge on beast people, and she never formally dealt with them or did business with them. Partially my fault, I guess, since not many people want to do business with a wandering stranger. "What do you know about beast men, especially cat people?"

"Well, it's only a rumor, but I've heard that when a cat person puts his trust into someone, that trust never disappears. It's like a love that never dies, and the bond is even stronger if a cat girl is involved," the old man explained, lighting his smoking pipe. "They're feisty and independent but fiercely loyal to those they love."

"So the reason why these girls are following me," the young lady motioned towards the sleeping felines, "is because they, for some odd reason, trust me and have formed this special bond with me?" When the old man nodded in reply, the woman sighed at the news. "Great. And here I thought that I had no relationships tying me down. I was definitely wrong." She felt slightly exasperated, her unused to traveling in a party. For as long as she remembered, she had journeyed alone and felt no aching loneliness because she could ponder and reflect without disturbance.

"That's not all." The old man's chuckling sent a wave of distress through the young woman, her dreading his next words. Could things possibly get even more complicated than they already were? "A cat girl, or any cat person for the matter, will call the one to he or she bonds 'Lord' or 'Lady', and she won't stop, no matter how many times you tell her to." The man chuckled as if remembering a fond memory. "I know, for a fact, that King Fanel of Fanelia has a cat girl of his own, Miss Merle, who does exactly that. The two are like brother and sister, and they have gone through a lot with each other, even through the Great Gaean War. Throughout that horrible war, the two of them were able to support each other in their greatest time of need."

Looking at the twin cat girls in the back thoughtfully, the young lady muttered, "That's a rather strong bond to have between two people." She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I won't be traveling alone anymore, and I guess I can get used to that. Maybe now I can talk to someone besides myself."

"It'll be an experience for you," the old man smiled, taking another look at the twin cat girls. "Being a mother doesn't sound so bad."

"A mother?" The emerald-eyed woman nearly jumped out of her seat from surprise. Shaking her head and waving her hands in protest, she denied, "Oh, no, I'm no mother. I'm barely an adult and can hardly take care of myself as it is." Stopping a moment, counting her fingers, and mumbling numbers beneath her breath, the young lady added, "And I'm only twenty-two rotations! I'm too—"

"Young to be a mother," the wagon driver laughed hardily, slapping his knee. "But you're too old not to be a wife. You have a sweetheart waiting for you in the next town?"

"Heh, that would be nice," the woman giggled. "Alas, I have no knight awaiting for my return. In fact, I have no man waiting for me anywhere. I'm afraid handsome young men don't fall for a strange traveler from unknown lands."

"I don't know. King Fanel has a history with mysterious women from uncharted lands," the old man hinted, elbowing his passenger jokingly. "Maybe you can sway his heart. The gods know Fanelia needs a queen, and the Fanelian Council is always searching for a suitable bride for their king."

Shaking her head with sympathy, the lady muttered, "Poor king, he must be vexed by all that drama. And I heard he was very young, no older than myself. Is it true he took the throne at fifteen rotations?"

"Aye," the man nodded. "Poor lad, being forced to grow up so fast."

After a few more miles, the old man's wagon came to a stop at a small village, just on the outskirts of Fanelia's border. Smiling at the familiar clothing and sights of Fanelian culture, the young lady grabbed her belongings and awoke her two traveling partners. The night had gone, and the sun just peeked above the mountains that separated other nations from the country of Fanelia. "Thank you, sir, for bringing us this far," the young lady smiled. She and the two cat girls jumped off the wagon with agile grace.

"Yes, thank you very much, sir!" one of the cat girls thanked, smiling a sweet toothy cat-like grin at the man. The other twin, the silver cat girl, followed her sister's suit and politely bowed as well. She then grabbed her younger sister's golden hand and followed the young lady down the road.

As the trio walked towards the mystical Fanelian forest, the old man suddenly called out to them, "Hey, wait, miss! You never told me your name!"

The young lady turned around, her long hair swinging around her. Her emerald pools gleaming with the new sunrise, she waved and called back cheerily, "It's Hitomi!"