A/n: I wanted to re-write this chapter because there was so much more that I wanted to put in it. The chapter I had was short and choppy. I realize now that with a little more effort, I could make a bit more sense out of it, and possibly a bit more entertaining. Enjoy, all.
Disclaimer: You know as well as I do that I do not own Escaflowne. This is regarding all chapters.
The Dragon and Her Slayer
One
It was a dark night - the clouds in the sky tainted a crimson red, the two moons in the sky above shining dully - while the battle raged on below.
All he could think about was her and her damned ability to see his invisible Dragon slayers. How was she able to see them, and why was she helping Van Fanel of all people? She should have been on Zaibach's side. They could have avoided this whole war in the first place, and he wouldn't have to be screaming orders to kill. Not that he minded, though.
This was all a very good excuse for a war. They needed that Earthian woman to complete the Fate-Altering machine and get it to change Gaea forever. Without her, their plans would fail and nothing would work.
However, he thought as he lit another row of houses on fire, Folken had recently told of his new plans. He said something about taking control of Hitomi and Allen's bodies, ultimately making Van jealous so that he would hand over Hitomi without batting an eyelash.
But the Van Fanel, King of Fanelia that everyone knew kept his word, no matter what the circumstances. So he kept up his fighting, clinging to the last Dragon slayers that he still had with him, and laughed the whole time, trying to block out the image of Hitomi and Van.
~*~
A black shadow enveloped his dreams as he tossed in his bed clothing. Sweat dripped from the end of his silvery hair as he thrashed. Fire engulfed his friends - his slayers - and they were killed, one by one, by the hands of Van, that bastard.
The darkness had a light around it, and he suddenly heard the soft beating of wings. Who could this be? Surely it wasn't Van. There were feathers… but they were black and looked sickly…
Suddenly the outline of a tall man could be seen amidst the commotion. The man strained to hear, but could only hear the rustling of those wings. As soon as it had started, the wings stopped, frozen in time.
From the side, a dragon screamed. It ran at the man with wings but stopped, feeling no fear or anger. The dragon looked around, sniffing the air. Something wrong was here, in its presence. He had felt this before.
The dragon ran towards him, teeth bared and mouth agape. He tried to move, but found he was frozen to the spot, unable to run away from this death-implying creature.
It stopped. Right before the dragon could lunge, it halted mid-sprint and laid down on darkness. The man with wings appeared from behind him and patted the creature. Somehow it knew not to go any further.
The man spoke to him. "Gaea is once again in great danger."
That voice! That was Folken?! He had…wings? When had this come about? It was a dream, so the man he considered almost as close as a brother could have the ability to have angel wings if he wished it. Folken continued.
"There is a threat which needs to be extinguished. It is that of the last dragon. It needs to be destroyed before it destroys Gaea. The only way this will happen is if the two strongest men from this world go after it and erase it together.
"But these men, coincidentally, are rivaled enemies. They would die before joining sides and getting rid of something so horrible together. That is their downfall.
"There is but one other alternative. If one of the men should fall in love with this dragon, they will release it and it will die, ceasing to be nothing like a threat.
"You happen to be one of them.
"It is your fate, Sir Dilandau. It is your destiny."
~*~
