A/N: Due to the lack of interest you readers are showing for my fics, this will probably be the very last chapter I update here. I'm sorry I don't update weekly. If I did that, my chapters would be very short and the overall fic would be crap. The lack of feedback is not my only annoyance. I'll still write fan fiction. I just wont be posting it on here. If you still wish to read this fic or any others that I am writing you can find them at jade-lil-pixie. deviantart. com

Chapter 10: Ups and Downs

A soft breeze blowing gently across Myranda's bare skin awoke her. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she wondered how long she had been asleep. She laid there on the hard dirt ground lost in her thoughts. She remembered falling and Van caught her.

She slowly sat up and gazed at the elegant white feathers, which came to rest around her. She looked over her shoulder before turning her body around completely. Van stood before her, glorious white wings spread out. Her mouth hung open as their beauty captivated her. Van however didn't seem too proud of them she noticed.

"It was you…"she said in a quiet voice before trying to stand up. Van looked at her confused. She glanced at his wings before looking to his face. "I never thought that it would be you…"

"What do you mean?" He finally asked.

"Before I came here, I had a dream. At one point I was falling and someone with wings caught me. I never saw their face…but wow…it's you!" She ran a hand through her hair in disbelief. Van looked away and remained silent. Myranda raised a brow and wonder if she had said something wrong. "Van, what's wrong?"

He furled his wings and turned away from her. "These…they're not something to be proud of." Myranda titled her head and took a step towards him. "They call us demons, the Draconians, descendents of the people who destroyed Atlantis." Her mouth opened but no words came out. " My mother was the last full blooded Draconian. When she and my father met, many tried to separate them. The world hates us and would be happy to see us die."

"So what." Myranda said firmly. "That was a long time ago. You had nothing to do with it." Van turned to face her, his eyes wide with shock. "And besides, I think they look nice." She added and felt her cheeks blush slightly.

Miguel helped Brodie over to the bed. She sat down with her head in her hands. She wished more than anything she hadn't seen those images. When she finally raised her head, she looked at a worried Miguel. Like a hammer to her gut, another one of those premonitions hit her.

Her mossy green eyes widened and her jaw hung low. "You're gonna die…" she said in a whisper.

"I'm what?" He asked baffled.

"You're gonna be captured first then when you escape this guy…he can change forms…but he'll kill you…" Miguel stood still and silent. What was one to say? The girl had just predicted his death!

"I think you've lost your mind." He said with a forced laugh and sat down beside her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and tried to find the right words.

The door slid open and in walked an unimpressed Dilandau. Miguel immediately removed his hand from her shoulder and jumped to his feet. "What is going on here?" Dilandau asked.

Brodie jumped to her feet and embraced Dilandau tightly, causing him to stumble backwards a step. When she loosened her grip she looked up into his crimson red eyes. "Don't go after the Escaflowne." She begged. "All of the slayers will die!" she tried to hold back her tears but wasn't doing so well. "He'll slaughter them all…they don't stand a chance!" Dilandau pushed her away. Miguel had made his escape already. He didn't want to be around his commander when he was in a bad mood. Brodie balled her fists to control her anger. "Dilandau! Listen to me!" He kept his back to her as he unzipped his armored jacket. "Me and my friends, before we came here we all had these freakishly similar dreams. They all came true! We all dreamt of the attack on Fanelia, we all knew that eventually we would all get separated. I was the first, Emma was next and then Myranda. And now…."

"What do you mean when we came here?" Dilandau asked as he slowly turned to face her. Brodie gave herself a mental kick. She hadn't told him yet that she wasn't of his world.

"Well…you see…we're not from the east. We're from Earth-er the…"She paused, trying to remember what Van and Allen had called their home. "The Mystic Moon." She approached him and caressed his right cheek gently. "Please, you have to believe me." She began to softly trace his scar. "I know exactly how you got that. When you went to attack Van someone warned him…I saw that…" He knocked her hand away.

"You're from the cursed place?"

The rich smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the library air, awaking Emma pleasantly. She sat upright and stretched her arms out. She hadn't had such a peaceful and worry-free sleep in what seemed like ages. "Would you like some coffee?" Dryden offered as he set the silver tray down on the table. His presence startled her momentarily.

"Yes," she answered and ran her hand through her hair. "Did I fall asleep here?"

He chuckled as he poured her a cup. "Actually we both did." Emma quickly felt her cheeks begin to burn. "Here." He handed her a cup and took a seat on the adjacent lounger. Emma took a sip and squinted her eyes as she swallowed.

"Wow that's strong!" Dryden chuckled at her reaction

"I must apologize, I'm so use to it that I tend to make it strong."

Emma took a smaller sip and smiled. "It's good. I just wasn't expecting it too be so strong." With another sip, she slowly found herself acquiring a taste for his strong blend. It most certainly woke her up. By the time I finish this cup I'll probably need to run around for a good hour, she thought with a slight grin.

"When you're finished we'll be going into town. I have some business to take care of and I'm sure you'd probably like to get some fitting clothes." Dryden said after he drank the last of his coffee and poured himself another cup.

Myranda held onto Van's torso as he flew the Escaflowne through the brisk night air. Merle slept peacefully at Van's feet. Myranda was still in a bit of shock from what had happened. "So Van," she began, getting his attention. "Is that why you've been acting…nice, to me and my friends?"

Van raised a brow. "Nice?"

"Ever since Merle called me a demon from the curse place, you've been acting less…rude." Van remained silent, not wanting to answer. "I'll take your silence as a yes." Myranda said with a bit of a grin.

As Van flew the Escaflowne, something caught his eye. He frowned at the sight of the large floating fortress in the distance. "So much for flying to Fried." He grumbled. "We're going to land." He said and gave the sleeping cat a bit of a nudge, waking her up. Once landed, he transformed his guymelef and helped Myranda and Merle onto its shoulders. They would have to travel through the forest in order to make it to their destination unnoticed.

Merle's ears twitched slightly. Her cerulean eyes darted around. "Lord Van…" she said in an uneasy tone.

"Something's not right here…" Myranda said as she felt her stomach begin to churn. The soft glow of the pendant caught her eye. She held the stone in the palm of her hand and her eyes went wide. "Someone's following us." She whispered.

Van went on edge. So much for plan b… "Hold on tight!" she shouted before breaking into a run. Myranda and Merle held on tightly.

"Van! There's one in front of you!" Myranda shouted. She didn't understand it, but somehow she could see the invisible guymelefs. Van moved out of the way just in the nick of time. A stream of liquefied metal shot past them. "To the left!" Myranda shouted and closed her eyes quickly.

There has to be some way out, Van thought as he ran in the Escaflowne. He couldn't fight back if he couldn't see whom he was fighting. Also, having Merle and Myranda onboard didn't make things much easier. Perfect! He thought as he spotted a clearing ahead. His grin grew as he spotted a pond. When he reached the water's edge, he knelt down and told Merle and Myranda to hide.

"Cleaver little Dragon." An eerily familiar voice spoke over the radio. "But you're still out numbered!" The enemy guymelefs disengaged their stealth cloaks. They would be useless in the water. Merle and Myranda hid behind some bushes and watched the fight pursue.

Brodie watched Dilandau and the other Dragonslayers battle the Escaflowne below. She gnawed on her fingernails. She didn't want either side to lose. But only one would have to come out as the victor. Her eyes widened in delight as they came across a familiar looking red head.

She felt a wave of relieve knowing that Myranda was all right and still alive. However, the relief was short lived when she couldn't see Emma. She knew her friend was alive, she could feel it but where was she? Was she in some sort of danger?

Her brows knitted together as images flashed through her mind. She saw Miguel's death once again. Her stomach churned and she fell to her knees. "Not again…"she whimpered. She didn't want to see anymore of that horrific sight.

Myranda's brows knitted together as a strange feeling overcame her. Something felt different. She followed her instinct and looked to the sky. She could faintly see the floating fortress hovering overhead. "Brodie…" she felt a smile pull at her lips.

She couldn't explain it. She just knew that's where her friend was. She felt more than relieved knowing that she was alive. Now all she had to worry about was Emma's safety and whether or not Van would be able to get out of this battle unscathed.

She looked back to the battle in the water with worry. However, her nerves calmed as reinforcement arrived. His timing was impeccably perfect. Allen's sudden appearance threw off the enemy and gave Van the upper hand.

When they had arrived in the town, Dryden took Emma to an old friend of his. For many years he had done business with their family. They owned a tailoring business that became popular among the aristocrats within Egzardia thanks to his help.

As Dryden opened the door to the store, a bell chimed alerting the middle-aged woman behind the wooden desk. "Ah Lord Dryden!" she said in a lighted voice. "It's good to see you." She walked around the desk to properly greet the young merchant. "What brings you here?"

"This lovely creature needs some proper clothing to wear." He said stepping aside to reveal a blushing Emma. The woman looked Emma up and down. "I leave her in your skilled hands." He said with a wink. "I have some other business to attend to. I'll be back in an hour or so."

Emma stood nervously in the store. "So what might your name be?" the woman asked in a sweet tone.

"Emma." She answered quietly. I just hope she isn't as cruel as Millerna was back in Palas.

The woman smiled warmly at her. "I don't bite deary. Feel free to look around and if you see anything you like just give me a yell." The woman disappeared behind a stack of books and papers at her desk. Emma bit her lips and ventured through the store, looking at all the different gowns and outfits hanging on the walls.

A few dresses had caught her attention quickly. She glanced at the price tags and her eyes widened. Some of them cost more than she did. Dryden had eventually told how much he had purchased her freedom for. I wish Myranda and Brodie were here…they could help me narrow down my choices.

"You can try anything on if want." The woman's voice made Emma jump. "Lord Dryden wont be back for a while. So go ahead, pick anything." Emma looked around the store quickly. The woman raised a brow and waited. "Here, I'll get you started." She grabbed a dress and lead Emma to the changing room. "You can never really tell what looks good until you've tried everything." She smiled and winked before closing the curtain. "I'll find ya some other gowns and if you need any help at all, just give me a shout."

Emma looked at the pink pastel gown and cringed. She rolled her eyes and undressed. She tried to be optimistic as she put on the gown. She gazed at her reflection in the mirror. She tilted her head to the side and picked the dress apart. The colour was horrendous and she was officially not a fan of the empire waistline.

"How are ya doing in there?" Before Emma could say a word, the curtain was yanked open. "Hmm…pastels aren't your friend…nor are the high waistline…here are a few other styles." She handed Emma a pile and closed the curtain. This is going to be a long day…

Brodie paced back and forth in the slayers' lounge. She had run away from watching the battle. She could only hope for the best. Her pacing came to a half when the metallic door slide open. Her presence startled a few of the slayers who entered.

"Where's Miguel?" She asked them as they all sat back on the sofas, obviously exhausted from their battle.

"His 'melef got damaged and couldn't escape." Chesta answered. Brodie bit her lip and ran out of the room. She dashed through the hallways looking for Dilandau. She spotted him just as he was about to enter his room. She ran harder and pounced on him, almost knocking him off balance.

"What the hell?" he yelled.

"I told you!" she shouted. "I told you he would get caught!"

"Miguel can fend for himself." He said in a grumbled tone and pried her off. Brodie's fists shook. She wanted to hit him but she had a relatively good idea where that would lead to.

"He's going to die if you don't do something!"

For once Myranda had been grateful for the knight of Cali's existence. If he had not shown up when he did, the battle would have ended differently. They were lucky they had managed to escapes unscathed. Unlike Van and Merle, her mind could not be at ease. What happened in the forest had her more confused than ever.

She could see the invisible guymelefs. She didn't understand why she could. She hadn't tried to dowse, it just happened. Her brows knitted together as she rested her head in her hands. She just wished she could find an answer to all her questions.

"Myranda." She lifted her head slowly to look at the unwanted company. Princess Millerna stood before her with an almost sympathetic look on her face. "I thought you might like to have this. It was your friend's." She held out the navy blue bag, which Myranda didn't hesitate to take. "I had a feeling that we would meet once again."

"Thanks." Myranda said in a mumbled voice.

"Your welcome," the princess replied before taking her leave. Myranda opened the bag and began to go through its contents. A smile pulled at her lips as she came across the digital camera. She took it out and turned it on. She quickly went through the few pictures Emma had taken. Her smile grew as an idea came to mind. I wonder if I could get Van to show his wings for one picture…Emma would love to see that.