Authors Note: Hello^^;;; How ya'll doing? Nikki here with yet another chapter. YAY!! ::screams:: Well, I would love to thank the people who have reviewed. I've noticed the difference in the number of people since I had changed the rating. Well, some were asking about Hitomi and the pairings. In order for me to do that, I'll have to shorten a chapter and give you the details in the ending "Authors notes". Unless you want me to add a prologe... your choice. Why don't you tell me by reviewing and I'll figure it out from there. OK? Shall I continue??

Disclaimer: Do I have to type it?? It's too harsh to say... OK, OK I don't on Escaflowne. ::screams:: My eyes!! I cant look at this anymore!

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Lost Princess, Hidden Emotions

~*-ReCaP-*~

"Come on, Merle. She's not that bad. You like her, but you don't want to admit it."

"Sure, I like her... when she's asweep."

*

"B...Balgus..."

*

"Save it, your highness. I don't want to hear anymore lies." *

"...Stop moving. I'm here to help you."

*

"HEY! Where did you go?!"

*

Underneath, Marea faced a large blue figure, large enough to crush Fanelia's castle. Marea had no choice. She fainted.

~*-EnD rEcAp-*~

Chapter 4:

Night began to settle as the fair sun hid behind mountains and seemed to sleep it's light away. Darkness that showered with stars then filled the sky. Birds that sat on branches of tall trees suddenly shook and flew away. In the depths of the night, a whosh of wind forced trees to make and open path for a large flying figure of a mechanical knight. As the wind blew, a soft breeze seemed to lick the cheeks of the sleeping girl in the cock-pit of this mechanical giant. Marea's eyes opened slowly, then they opened widely at she looked around her.

"Where am I?" she finally spoke, struggling to move in the clustrophbic space and startling the pilot boy.

"Alseides. Don't worry, we'll be landing once we reach the Zaibach Empire." the boy spoke, his face in the shadows, although his eyes gleaming forward towards his location.

"We're... flying?" Marea breathed. The boy smirked.

"Here we are..."

Soon, the flying knight hovered over another clearing and landed roughly, causing the knight to shake and nearly loose balance. Lights flickered inside the cock-pit, Marea stared at each one. The boy looked back, his face still in shadows.

"Sorry, my landings aren't quite mastered yet." He clicked one of the many coloured lights and the screen infront of him opened causing the moons' bright orbs of light to gleam down on Marea's face. She squinted her eyes from the back of the dark and tight fitted cock-pit and managed to climb out behind the boy, but not as effortlessly.

Once on the ground, Marea looked back at the knight figure. The tall, human-like machine was of a dark maroon and blue colour. On corners and shoulders, rust began to form on it. Marea looked back at the boy. He was looking up at the knight as well, but turned away when he noticed that Marea was looking at him.

^He's so mysterious. Why is his face always in shadow? It's like he doesn't want me to see who he is.^ Marea thought. Eventually, she turned back to look at the knight.

"It's a guymelef." the boy answered her unsaid question. "It's used in the same way as to you would use yourself on the battle field." he said meekly. Marea turned back and smiled to what she thought would be his face, but the boy had turned his back to her and began to walk off down through the field. She forrowed her brows in question but followed him.

As she walked, a large squeeking sound could be heard, forcing Marea to cover her ears and run over to the boy who seemed uneffected. She frowned at him and looked back at the knight with her hands still to her ears. Surprisigly, the giant seemed to be floating into the air and suddendly diappeared behind and invisable wall. Marea gasped and then tugged at the boy's shirt with one hand. The boy then, amazingly, pushed the girl further ahead of him.

"Stay back!" he yelled over the rusty sound that continued. Just then, what seemed like bubbles of colours, formed a large flying... castle? Marea's eyes widened.

^And my mother thought riding Rose was bad. Wait until she finds out about being taken away by a mysterious boy, then travelling in a huge human- like giant and now facing a flying castle. That would probably be the most rehearsed story she ever heard in her life.^

*~ Unknown Soldier in Shadows ~*

With a little difficulty from Marea's stiffness, the shadow faced boy managed to lead her inside the flying castle. During this time, he assured her that the place was safe and she was there to live and she could choose to leave when she wanted.

"But, why did you bring me here?" Marea asked him while walking in the poorly lit hallway. The flamed torches were small and little light was given. The walls were stone and from the light of the torches, they seemed wet. The boy looked back to her and smiled. The lit torches causing an eerie effect on the shadows of his face.

"Orders, but you did seem to come freely, so why ask?"

"Well, I'm a little confused. Everything is happenning so quickly. I don't know what to say or do anymore, I can barely think. You might as well tell me where we're going next." Marea spoke to the boys back once again. He seemed to take a while to answer, so Marea looked to her left and noticed cages although, all were empty.

"Umm.. is this the dungeon?" Marea asked quietly. The boy spoke then.

"Don't worry, I'll give you a tour later on after we meet with the Commander. Marea ran up next to the boy and walked at the same pace he was in. She shivered from the coldness of the hallway and from lack of her old blanket.

She looked up at the side of the boy's face. From the dim lighting, she noticed tanned skin that was covered under a bunch of dark brown bangs. From what she could see she, this boy was quite hansome. Marea smiled up at him again. The boy looked ahead of him causing Marea to frown.

"What's your name?" her voice suddenly came out after moments of silence. The boy jumped and stopped walking. He then faced her.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, I am new here. Might as well make one friend while I'm here shouldn't I?" Marea replied and blushed. The boy frowned, his bright blue eyes peering down at her through slits of his brown hair. His eyes closed and he chuckled with a smirk. He turned his back to her again and faced a steal wall. He turned his head.

"Have you ever been on a lift before?" he asked, seeming to refuse Marea's question. Marea frowned and shook her head, avoiding to speak anymore, herself. The wall opened and she could only see darkness from the boys side. Her eyes widened and she gulped while following in after him.

As the doors closed, bright lights filled the small space. Marea squinted and tried to adjust her eyes to fit the light of the room. She stepped back as she looked up, astonished at how high the castle seemed to be.

"Dont step back too far, there aren't any walls to lean against." the boy spoke. Marea gulped again.

"Y..you mean to say that the only thing supporting us now is this floor?!" Marea cried. The boy said nothing. Marea sat on the floor, feeling it would be safer.

She looked up again at the narrow path that the lift would take and then frowned when she noticed that they were still in the same place as they had started. The boy saw this and stepped infront the a little box. On it were two buttons and he simply pressed the top one.

A large humming sound filled Marea's ears and the floor she sat on seemed to shake. The lights that filled the place flickered on and off; each time becoming dimmer as they flickered on. The lift began to move leisurely. Marea gasped at the pace they were going in. She expected faster. She smiled and seemed to enjoy the trip. To Marea's demise, the joy ride ended too soon. The lights returned to their original brightness and the humming sound seized. The door opened infront of them and the boy walked out. Marea followed close behind him.

They entered another hallway, although this one was more elegant. The walls were made wood. The top half was painted a dark red while the bottom half was painted a dark wood colour. The torches were longer which made the hallway brighter than the one in the dungeon.

As two hallways crossed eachother, boys that seemed the same age as the boy, stood tall and stiff. They wore leathered jackets and parts of steal covered their forearms and shins. One held a spear in his right hand while the other kept a hand on the handle of his sword beside him. She shuttered as she passed by; the boys didn't seem to blink, let alone look down at them. She turned her head and looked at the shadowed boy infront of her. He wasn't wearing the same uniform as the others were, although his pants were of that black leathered material. his shirt was a pastel blue and it hung loosely on his shoulders. She also noticed the dark brown boots on his feet and a sword at his side as well. Marea then drew her attention at her own feet and realizing that they had turn a dark shade of brown from running in the dirt. She sighed, and decided that she would have to wash them up in the lavatory later on. Just the thought of a washroom sounded tempting. She had to go.

After some time, and more soldiers at the hallway intersections, Marea and the boy made it to, what seemed to be, a dead-end.

"Umm.. hey, why did we stop here??" Marea asked over the boys shoulder. He said nothing, but simply waited. The lost girl crossed her arms infront of her chest and tapped her barefoot on the red carpeted floor.

Soon after, and to Marea's surprise again, the wall shook and opened automatically. She gawked at the sight and a trinkle of sweat began to bead down her face. The boy walked into the darkness of the room. Hesitantly, Marea followed. The door closed behind her, causing her to jump. She turned and looked in the room. Darkness over whelmed it except from the only light that was given by the moons in the night sky from a large window that filled the width of the room. Infront of it, stood two chairs with a small table in the middle.

"Nissan, I'm glad you made it back." called a deep voice that seemed to fill the room. Marea ducked behind the boy and gripped his arm from fear. These actions didn't seem to attract attention from him.

The voice spoke again with a little amusement. "You brought the girl with you, aswell? Paras would be pleased." The boy bowed directly at something, although the room seemed empty. He stepped back and away from the Marea, leaving her standing in the dark alone as, he too, seemed to disappear.

"What is your name?" asked the deep voice politely.

"M... Marea." she stuttered. The voice chuckled and then a black figure emerged from the shadows. Marea gasped.

"There's no need to be afraid, my dear. I, above all, will not hurt you."

Marea stepped away as the figure stepped closer to her. She walked on near one of the chairs, and hoped that where she sat, she could see this man's face. She slumped on the chair and waited. The figure stopped before the light could hit him. She cursed mentally.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here to help you." he reassured her from the shadow he was under.

"A... a lot of people have been telling me that lately." Marea managed to say. The man chuckled again.

"I assure you, my help will be worthfull." The man stepped into the light and smiled down at her. Marea looked up to see a tall man, not taller than the samurai from Fanelia, and he had a head of spikey, ice blue hair. His face was long and smooth, with little purple tear drop under his right eye. A black cloak was what he wore, and from underneath, he revealed his hand and held it out.

"I'm not sure what Nissan has already told you, but this is the Zaibach Empire. From what you've seen is only the beginning, we are expanding more and more. Here, we collect lost or runaway children. They come freely and train to become soldiers for this empire. But I'm sure Nissan told you all that." the man explained.

"Who's Nissan?" Marea asked. The man stood up and looked back at the boy who shrugged.

"Never came across to mention it." he said, simply. The man turned back.

"The boy who brought you here is Nissan, and I'm sure he never came across to mentioning about the Empire either." he said, meaning to direct that to the boy who coughed somewhere in the darkness.

"Who... who are you?" Marea asked shyly. The man smirked and held out his hand again, offering it to her. Marea took it and slid off the chair. He walked her to the door which, again, opened automatically. As the door opened, a woman stood on the other side. Marea jumped at the unexpected sight.

The woman was small with long, straight, jet black hair, that reached her hips, and bangs that covered her temples. Her skin was fair, like Marea's, and her eyes held a blue orb. She smiled sweetly at the girl and then looked up at spiked haired man.

"Good Evening, Lord Folken." said the woman with a blush. The man called Folken looked down at Marea with a smile and then back at the woman.

"Maaya, I'd like you to meet Marea. She's new to the Empire and I wish for you to take care of her. The General will want to meet her soon, so I ask for you to help her get ready." he said nicely. The woman blushed yet again and took Marea's hand gently.

"As you ask, Lord Folken." Maaya turned and walked away with Marea at hand. While walking, Marea looked back at the man for the last time. She noticed that his pupils were surrounded by a reddish-brown orb. A colour that seemed too familiar. Folken turned and walked back inside and stood beside the boy who was watching her walk away. The boy named Nissan.

~*-NeXt TiMe-*~

Marea is bathed and ready to meet the General, finding out some shocking news of what she is to do and how she must look. Van is depressed at what he had done and takes a trip to the Fanelian Memorial with a little trinket that he hopes will be found by a lost princess. A silver haired boy is introduced to Marea, not appearing to be as good as he looked. Marea's head is spared by someone whom she least expected.

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Author's Note: Yay! I finished it!! Wow, this seems to be my favourite chapter so far. My cliffhanger note seems intriging as well. I guess I'm in a good mood^^. Well, next chapter will be on its way soon. So I hope you can wait a while. Catch ya later. I'm off! Please Review!!

::poof!::

*~Yuuki Nikki