Standard disclaimer applies

Standard disclaimer applies. I don't own Escaflowne and I'm not lucky enough to personally know those who do. I'm just borrowing the characters.

Altering Fate: Prologue_________________________________________________________________________

Van sighed in exasperation and ran a hand through his hair. The ashes he dislodged didn't help his mood much. They only served to remind him of the past day. Of Fanelia.

Fanelia, it's lush forests and beautiful cities burned to the ground. Her people were, scattered, his kingdom was lost, and to top it all of, HE was lost!

And it was all that girl's fault. Well, Van couldn't blame the destruction of his country on her, but she was definitely responsible for their being lost.

"Judging from the stars, this is definitely Geae," he said mostly to himself. "But where?" This question was directed towards the figure sitting half in shadow at the base of Escaflowne. "Well," he demanded. "Do you know?"

"Know what?" Her reply was muffled slightly because of how her head rested on her arms. Van frowned.

"Where we are of coarse what did you think I was asking girl."

"Hitomi," she said in response. "My name is Hitomi." This only made the young king frown more deeply.

"Yeah, so?"

"People have names for a reason, Van." She stressed his own name to make her point and lifted her head to lock eyes with him.

Yet again, Van was startled by the color and intensity of her eyes, and was lost in their depth for a moment. But only for a moment. He recognized the look on her face. Hitomi had worn that expression when she slapped him after the dragon slaying right.

Wisely, he didn't press the matter. For one, he was unaccustomed to being slapped, and two, she could hit pretty hard for a girl.

No, not a girl. Van inspected her more closely. She looked to be at least fifteen rotations. That made her more of a woman that a girl.

"Well, come on. Get up," Van commanded her, extending a hand to help her up. Hitomi looked up at him without her previous expression of anger, wearing one of surprise instead. Unknowingly his eyes softened just a bit as she tentatively put her small hand in his large one. "If we're lost," he continued walking over to Escaflowne and climbing into the control chamber, "the best way to be found is to pick a direction and start walking until we find some people. Why don't you sit up here? That way I won't have to worry about you getting left behind."

Van knelt down and lifted Hitomi up gingerly and set her on his guymelef's broad shoulder. "It's going to be difficult to navigate this swap," he said casually. "It might take us a few days, maybe a week. It all depends on the condition of the ground." 'Great,' he thought bitterly. 'Stuck for who knows how long in who knows where with some girl from the Mystic Moon. This is going to be such fun.'

* * * * *

A shadowed figure knelt by the deep tracks in the ground. A 'melef had been here recently. Hmm. Interesting. Two sets of tracks began suddenly along with the depression from the 'melef, but one set ended abruptly with no signs of a struggle. That meant the owner of the vanished footprints was probably being carried by the 'melef's pilot then.

Oh, well. He would track them down. He had time, and he didn't like to leave a mystery like this unsolved.

To be continued...____________________________________________________________________________

Well, there it is. I've been torturing myself with the idea of writing a fanfic for half a year now. However... Please, (down on knees) help me! I have writers block and I don't know what to do next! If anyone out there has an idea, feel free to tell me.