Disclaimer- I DO NOT nor will I ever own Escaflowne- but I do own Angela
Authors Note- Yes I know that Dilandau is really a girl, but this was before anyone knew about him
Once long ago, before Hitomi Kanzaki came to Gaia, Van Slanzar de Fanel, crowned prince of Fanalia, fell in love. The girl, princess Angela of Ispanio, a neighboring country, was also in love with him. They had been best friends since they were kids and spent most of their time together. Once they had turned 14, Van had confessed his love to her and now he was to ask for her hand in marriage.
"Why is it taking so long? Why isn't he done yet?" The princess demanded, infuriated that Van and her father were taking so long.
"Well, miss, it usually takes a while to work out the details for such a sudden marriage." Said the disgruntled butler attending to her.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to blow up at you, I'm just worried that the marriage won't be approved, that's all." She was very worried about her father's decision.
She didn't have long to wait, though, because as soon as she said this, Van emerged, a grim look upon his young face.
"Your father wants to see you" He practically spit out the word father and Angela could swear he had tears in his eyes.
With that she quickly barged in and asked what happened.
Her father, however was undaunted by his daughter's behavior and simply said, "come with me" and walked out the back door of his chambers towards the garden.
Reluctantly, she followed her father into the one place she'd like to forget.
Even though the gardens held a hidden evil about them, they were still very beautiful. Ispanio was well known for its extensive variety of flowers. Each plot of land held a different type of flower-from orchids to roses. These botanical wonders were the main attraction of Ispanio and brought many tourists from all over Gaia to buy some of the beautiful blossoms. It used to be her favorite place to relax, just as the sun came up over the distant mountains.
She stopped to pick a white rose, her favorite flower.
"What irony, such a beautiful place for such ugly news," the king mumbled to himself. He walked to the fountain area and sat on a bench with a mermaid, the symbol of Ispanio, carved into it.
As he sat, he motioned for her to do the same. She took a seat on the stone dragon whose job it was to guard the mermaid from all harm. Both sat in silence for a few moments until the king spoke.
"I know you love Van and wish to marry him, but you need to know something. Lately, I've felt a war brewing between the nations on Gaia, and Zybach has become more and more powerful since the last Great War."
"I know, father, but we can handle them. All we have to do is become an ally to Fanalia and its forces. . ."
"That's not the point! The point is that if a war does erupt then I want to be on the winning side and that side is Zybach."
"What do you mean?"
"I have arranged your marriage to Dilandau of Zybach pending his 15th birthday."
"How could you do this to me?!!?"
"I'm sorry. It's just that as a princess, you have certain responsibilities to your country. One of those is avoiding chaos and war at all times."
"So you'll marry me off to some creep from Zybach just so you save your own hide?!?"
"I wish there was some other way, but . . . I'm just sorry."
"So am I. You know, I pity you. In the end, on your deathbed, you'll be alone because of the things you've sacrificed."
"That is my fate, I fear, but you can change yours. Pull Ispanio out of the gutter it's trapped in and make it more powerful than it's ever been." Once said, he got up, left the garden and headed towards his chambers.
Angela just sat there for the next few hours thinking about her now muddled future. Finally, she just gave up pondering the ways of the world and went up to her room.