Flame, Deliverance and Conquest
Following Ash, Betrayal and Bloodlust
... Yeah so it's another crappy title... I'm no good at making up titles for uber-long stories...
Disclaimer: Same as always. I don't own the Esca characters, but you know who the original characters are, and they're mine! ALL MINE!! GYEAHAHAHA!!
A/N: This is a sequel to a fanfic called 'Ash, Betrayal and Bloodlust' which was written quite a while ago... The story is about an girl who has a run-in with Dilandau when he and the Zaibach army destroy her village. She escapes however, and is chased by Dilandau. Hopefully soon I'll be heavily editing it for grammar and style as I've grown a significant amount as an author since having written it.
So yeah! For those of you guys who read 'Ash'... you've probably forgotten all about me by now... but here's the sequel! That's right! I'm back! Took me long enough... --;...
This story won't be centred around Taiahna however. gasp That's right my friends. We shift the focus of this fic to her children. But don't worry. I believe there is some unfinished business between Dilandau and the mother of his children that I will have to see to in this prologue...
Either way...
Enjoy!
And PS, bear with me if the beginning is a little boring, it gets better later in the prologue. There's all this crappy explaining to do, so sigh, yeah. But trust me... it's worth getting through for the reunion... :D
PS. This chapter is motherbleeping LONG.
PPS. Yeah, no idea where all my tabs when. If anyone knows how to fix that, let me know, I use WordPerfect. Thx in advance.
Warning: Graphic sex. W00t. Lol.
O0O0O0O
A soft, hot wind rustled the silver hair of a man lying in bed. His sheets had been thrown off of his upper body earlier that night in an attempt to elude the effects of the oppressive late summer heat. Sweat beaded the form of his nearly naked body and shone in the pale light of the sickle-shaped moon. His eyes were squeezed shut as though experiencing a measure of discomfort. He was dreaming again... about her.
The outline of a woman's form, lying in bed.
Her long red hair fanned over the pillow.
A rise of the sheets depicting the swell of a pregnant woman's stomach.
A hand pressed gently to it, and a surge of pride as a kick was issued from within.
'A fighter... like his father...'
The images from this point are somewhat garbled;
A black-haired demon- then the rush of wind and a final, deadly impact.
The man's eyes snapped open as he grasped for his sheets, breathing hard, his insides having gone suddenly and inexplicably cold. His eyes, a shade of deepest garnet, were opened wide and glittering wetly in the night.
"Taiahna..." he whispered raspily, "Her name is Taiahna..."
O0O0O0O
Not long after midnight, a woman wrote in slightly untidy cursive into a diary by the light of a candle stub. Her long, red hair had been swept over her shoulders to avoid any contact with the ink of her writing or the wax of the candle, which was now guttering because of the wind pushing itself uninvited into the small bedroom, causing the shutters of the window to offer a bang, slightly muted by decorative curtains. She stood up, closed the window, and began to write again.
Red, 8th Moon
The night is calm and warm, but I just can't bring myself to sleep. The children are silent, and have been in bed for hours. Even Douglas' snores are somewhat more repressed than usual.
The woman sighed, looking around distractedly, and then forced herself to write on.
'As incredibly strange as this sounds, I feel as though something is going to happen, and anyone I'd be fool enough to tell so would tell me I was mad. I don't know what could be making me so anxious. I haven't had a hint of a vision for nearly three years now. I see no reason for them to start up again. Unless he's back maybe-'
The woman gasped at her last sentence. It was scrawled hastily and rather more messily than the rest of her words, as though she'd wanted to free the admission before some inner force could quash the notion. She crossed out the sentence angrily, and glared at herself in the mirror above the writing desk, her brown eyes shining as though daring herself to let slip another such unfounded fear. She sighed, and continued her diary entry.
'Well, maybe I'll try some sleep after all.'
She closed the book and put away her writing tools. Yawning widely, as if her body was also trying to convince her to sleep, she tiptoed across the room to the bed she shared with her husband, Douglas, and curled up next to his sleeping form. Slipping her arms around one of his, tanned and muscular from working in the forge, she pulled herself closer to him, needing emotional comfort more than comfort from the summer heat.
'Besides,' she comforted herself, sliding into sleep, 'I know better than that.' She remembered the impossibility of her worry and moved back toward her own side of the bed, partially peeling off the unnecessary blankets in the seasonal warmth.
'Van promised me Dilandau wants nothing more to do with me.'
She smiled slowly and drowsily at this reassurance, and finally drifted into dreams.
O0O0O0O
Dilandau walked barefoot down the cold stone floors of the fortress he had lately called his home. He wore only a pair of loose black pants of some cottony and easily breathing material. His naked and muscular upper body gleamed magnificently in the first rays of sunlight to kiss the great and mighty mountains that surrounded the fortress. At the age of twenty-one, the warlord's growth had come to a stop. He stood barely shy of six feet tall with shoulders just wide enough to suit his height. All of his lankiness was gone, and he had filled out to perfection. Two words to describe the young man's appearance: Solid Muscle. These words went along with other sets of two such as Utter Grace and Unchallenged Power
Yes, General Dilandau Albatou was a man once more. But unfortunately, not quite a whole one. A slight problem had arisen with the difficulty level of bringing the general's soul back into an 18 year old body. The soul of the donor body had been quite successfully removed, but the clash between the two souls had all but stripped the warlord of his memories. There was quite a long period of anxiety in which the Zaibach sorcerers wondered if they would have to kill him themselves and try again, possibly bringing his soul into the body of a child and raising him once more. Luckily for them, Dilandau's memory was returning, albeit slowly. It had been nearly three years since he had died, throwing himself from the window of Taiahna's tower room.
Large parts of his last life still eluded him. Other memories came back more strongly, such as the scar given to him by Van Fanel, causing Dilandau to continue his nervous habit of stroking his right cheek, though the skin was now unblemished and alabaster white as the rest of him. Other memories that had been quick to return had been erased by the sorcerers, who worried that they might interfere with Dilandau's retraining, and his retraining of the newly resurrected Dragonslayers in turn. One of these memories had been Taiahna.
While delving in the young lord's mind for ways to unlock important trapped memories, a sorcerer had found another memory about ready to spring: Dilandau's promise to return for his child.
All the necessary adjustments had been made, and the sorcerers had breathed freely once more, knowing now that their most important general would not traipse off to discover the whereabouts of his firstborn child. Unfortunately for said sorcerers, the silver-haired warlord had been dreaming about her non-stop, and this had prompted many questions, most of which the sorcerers could not answer in the case of sparking the return of these memories.
Also unfortunately for said sorcerers, Dilandau had just learned her name through a dream, and in a place ruled by magic as Gaea was, there was power in a name. His memories having returned, Dilandau was seeking out the new leader of the sorcerers to vent his wrath for concealing from him a part of his mind. A sneer crept onto the warlord's full lips as he tried to contain his rage. Reaching the bedroom of the man he intended to seriously injure, he threw open the double doors.
"CALDER! HOW DARE YOU KEEP HER FROM ME!?" he roared.
The object of Dilandau's rage, who was sitting at a large wooden table in the centre of his windowless room, was manipulating a deck of cards by candlelight. He looked up calmly from what he was doing, his thin face a study in neutrality. Amusement flitted briefly through his yellow-green eyes as he tucked a lock of his long, brown hair behind his ear, taking care not to tangle it in his glasses. The head magician's shaggy hair and sly smile gave him a somewhat feline appearance.
"I'm sorry Lord Dilandau." he answered in a low, warm voice. "I can't begin to imagine what you're going on about."
This comment only further provoked the general's anger.
"You know I'm talking about Taiahna." he all but snarled in reply, "Where is she? And why didn't you tell me about her sooner?!"
Calder shrugged, and then returned to shuffling his cards, each having upon it an arcane symbol. He drew a card from the centre of the deck.
"A serpent devouring itself." Calder announced, holding it out to Dilandau. "You seek to serve your own ends, but will utterly destroy yourself."
The general stalked the rest of the way to the table, and snatched the card from the magician's long fingers. The green serpent, on a field of gold, was indeed doing as Calder had described. Dilandau glared at the magician before throwing the card to the table.
"So you think seeking her and my child would mean my death?" he spoke acidly, more a statement than a question. Calder recovered the mistreated card and replaced it in his deck. Only then did he speak.
"Firstly, I don't 'think so', I've been told so." He gestured to his deck of cards, his eyes having grown colder. "And secondly, you of all people, Lord Dilandau, should know that there is a very large difference between simple death and utter destruction."
The cat-eyed magician removed his glasses, cleaning the rectangular lenses on the sleeve of his simple rope. He then flipped another card and chuckled to himself, meeting the warlord's burning gaze. "The Feast of the Fallen takes place in Fanelia two weeks from today. The one you seek will be there."
The magician placed the card upon the table, sliding it towards Dilandau. Pictured upon the card was a rose, crushed and dripping with blood.
"It seems your desires will be granted."
Dilandau turned and left the room without another word, closing the heavy doors behind him. He walked quickly down the hall, biting his lip, his eyes now bright with excitement and darting about restlessly. The first small giggle escaped his lips as he entered his room. He clamped his hands over his mouth, trying to stem the flow, but as always his laugher defeated him, echoing off the stone walls of his room and through the quiet morning. He strode to the window, pushing his silver hair back from his face and grinning into the rising sun.
"Daddy's coming."
O0O0O0O
Above, the night sky was blanketed in a layer of thin clouds, stars peeking shyly through gaps here and there. Below, the fairground was ablaze with the torches of revellers and mourners alike. The Festival of the Fallen had come. Van had created the holiday at the end of the last Zaibach war in memory of all those lost.
Taiahna woke from her nap, dressed and walked to the window. She opened it and let the cool night breeze blow through the room. Looking down from her high perch, she breathed a sigh, which was carried away on the wind. The lights below shone brightly, illuminating the fairgrounds and all the people milling about. From her current height the whole scene seemed to have been built in miniature; each figure painstakingly crafted and set loose in a tiny, glittering world.
Douglas was walking the fairgrounds with the children: blonde-haired Kaethe, red-haired Liam, and brown-haired Bryna. Her twins resembled their parents in miniature as well. Aidan was a good-natured child, soft-spoken and polite. He would, however, become aggressive when challenged. Kaethe, on the other hand, had a fiery disposition and would rage when provoked. Both children were quite intelligent. At the age of two, their personalities were beginning to crystalize in their most elemental forms. Douglas' own child, Bryna, was a little older than the twins. She resembled her sturdily built father more than her slight and fragile mother, who had passed away the previous year. She was a sweet girl, but demanding, and got on quite well with both of the twins.
After the children had seen and done what they wanted, they would be left with Hitomi in the children's play area so that Taiahna and her husband could explore the festival on their own. They would also descend to the sanctuary to pay respects to those lost. Douglas was due to fetch her at any moment. Tai heard the door creak open, and she smiled, continuing to gaze at the beautiful scene below. Everything sparkled as though a host of starts had wandered towards the Earth, eager to share in the exciting night.
"Isn't it lovely?" she asked.
Footsteps approached her, hardly making a sound. Douglas must have removed his boots in the hall. Perhaps he hoped to stay a while with her... time away from the children was so rare she shouldn't wonder this must be the case.
A hand caressed her jaw while another slid around her mid-section- a gloved hand. Her body stiffened.
This was not her husband.
The young woman tried to swing around, but the man's hands, once so soft, became as stone. She turned to strike at the man, but he held her fast.
"Who are you?!" she shrieked, "What do you want?!" The answer came in the form of a deep, familiar chuckle. Taiahna moaned in recognition. In truth, she had known him from his touch.
"Oh Tai... " a voice breathed into her ear, causing her stomach to twist uncomfortably, "how could you have forgotten me?" She turned abruptly to face the speaker.
It was Dilandau Albatou, the chief character of her nightmares.
Taiahna tried to scream, but a hand was quickly clamped over her mouth. She couldn't stop her body from shaking as she met his blood-red gaze, full of lust and insanity. Tears she did not want to shed gathered, threatening to spill over and reveal her fear. It was far too late to hide it now.
"Oh" sighed Dilandau in mock sympathy, "have I surprised you? Frightened you?" His grin widened. "I am so sorry about that, really." He barked a short laugh. "We're going to have lovely evening."
The warlord made a motion toward the bed with his eyes. Taiahna screamed beneath his hand, struggling against the other that kept her pinned. What strength! Dilandau, amused by this vain attempt, moved her against the wall to the left of the window and immobilized her with the weight of his body. The pitch of Taiahna's muted screams rose to a new level of urgency.
"Shhh..." he whispered, trying unsuccessfully to quell his laughter. "It's ok... I'm not going to kill you... per se..." Taiahna's cries died off as she looked up, his terrible eyes meeting her own. With a smile, and a calculated use of strength, he struck at her neck, and the world was gone, pulled from under her feet.
The young man chuckled to himself once more as be began to tie her limp body to the bed. No, he wouldn't kill her. What he had in store would be more amusing by far.
O0O0O0O
Taiahna woke, her head aching terribly. She mumbled something incoherent to herself as she tried to remember where she was, what had happened, anything to give her a clue as to what was going on.
It all came back to her in a sudden flood of memory. Her eyes snapped open, the light of the room momentarily making the pain in her head worse. Blinded thus, by pain and light, she tried to sit up, only to discover her arms were tied together at the wrist, and we attached by a lead to something above her head; was it the headboard of the bed? Another mournful, wordless sound escaped her lips. As the room came into focus she saw Dilandau perched on the edge of the bed. How had this happened? How had Dilandau returned? Van had assured her of the impossibility of these events. Unless... unless Van had lied to keep her from worrying, perhaps while he kept her protected. But if so, his protection had failed miserably, and so here she found herself at the mercy of a madman.
What had she ever seen in this terrible man, this unbalanced and volatile creature? How could she have been so naive as to believe that there really was good in everyone? The hardest part about the reunion was that she couldn't deny how fully she had truly desired him... She could no longer hold back her tears.
Dilandau turned to face her, his infuriating grin dancing about his features, a queer light in his garnet-hued eyes.
"Oh, don't cry dear. The worst is yet to come..."
O0O0O0O
Three men in dark leathers walked independently of each other about the fairground. The wove through the joyful throng, always maintaining awareness of each others' whereabouts. Somewhere a bell tolled, its sound barely audible above the din. As if signalled, the three men turned simultaneously to face the castle. There they stood, statue-like, as the crowds of people laughed and spoke and swarmed around them; three dark stones in a tide of many souls. A light flashed in one of the high windows- once, twice, three times. All was going according to plan. The men resumed their walking, their paths converging on the corner of the fairground containing the children's play area.
O0O0O0O
Douglas whistled, impressed, as he ushered the children into their section of the play area. It was divided into areas based on age group, and filled with toys and equipment. The children's eyes lit up at the small wooden castle that had been created for this very occasion. The bounced and squealed joyfully as Hitomi approached.
"Well hello there, little ones." she greeted them, enfolding them all into her slim arms. They looked at her expectantly. "Go play." They giggled happily and ran off.
Douglas sighed, smiling. "It's not an easy job, keeping track of those rascals."
Hitomi laughed softly. "I imagine it's not." She patted her own very pregnant belly. "I suppose I'll know soon enough!"
The two conversed at some length about the challenges of parenthood, as they watched the three children play, all the while supervised by a host of volunteers who had been handpicked by Hitomi.
The bell tolled, and Douglas started, realizing he was going to be late to get Taiahna. He said his goodbyes to Hitomi, who wandered off to supervise the children. He turned toward his destination. Standing before him were two men, leather-clad. The one on the right, a young man with an honest face and straw-blonde hair, spoke first.
"Follow us. Don't say a word."
Douglas frowned in confusion. Something was wrong. Very wrong. He needed to reach the children. He began to turn, when his wrist was gripped by the youth on the left. The man, brown-haired and pale-eyed, stepped forward, pointing the tip of a dagger at Douglas' stomach. He then proceeded to speak:
"Listen man. Follow us, don't say a word. This will ensure the safety of your life, and of your daughter's."
At this, the cold, crushing iron fist of Fear gripped Douglas's stomach. Part of him refused to believe this could actually be happening. What could they possibly want? Douglas regarded the men. He stood about half a foot taller than either of them, and he was broader as well. He was incredibly strong from a lifetime of work in the forge, but had little real skill when it came to fighting. Fear was soon followed by rage. He would fight. He tensed his muscles, made a fist with his right hand and prepared to move forward.
Something pricked the side of his neck. It was enough to distract him. 'What on Earth?' Surely this evening was too cold for insects. The two men in front of him were joined by a third. Douglas reached to pull a needle from his neck. Realization dawned upon him. He had only time to utter one word:
"No-"
Suddenly the air seemed to constrict him, and the sky grow dark. The men in leathers began to multiply. Three, six, twelve; too many to count. They were dancing before him. They were hovering above him. They were reaching toward him. All was silent.
O0O0O0O
Dilandau began to move toward her, the hunger of so many years written plainly in his eyes. Her mind was full of fear, confusion and unanswered questions. He removed his black leather surcoat. She need something, anything, to keep him at bay for a few minutes longer. Douglas was due to arrive any time now.
"Wait!" she cried in fright as he approached her.
Dilandau paused, his fierce concentration breaking momentarily. He frowned. "And why on Gaea should I do that?" The grin snaked its way back onto his lips, turning one corner, and then the other as it widened. "I have everything I want, laid out before me." His eyes flashed in anticipation with a dash of lunacy. His mood darkened suddenly. "This had better be good."
Taiahna paused, and swallowed, hesitating to meet his eyes. She had always wanted to know. When would she be granted such a chance again?
"Out with it!" he snarled impatiently.
She swallowed back tears, yet again, and forced herself to speak: "Did... did you ever love me?"
A low laugh issued from the back of his throat as he came to sit on the edge of the bed. "I thought you'd never ask." He removed his black gloves and stroked her cheek. "Not all of my memories have returned, but I know this: There was a time when I thought I could have come to love you. For the most part, I was attracted to you for your body, your power and of course," he smiled again at the memory, "because you were forbidden to me."
"Why are you doing this?" she inquired pleadingly.
Dilandau stood and continued to partially disrobe. When he next looked at her, the lust floated again in his blood-veiled eyes.
"Because I want to."
He bit at his lips expectantly as mounted the bed.
"And because I owe you the eternity of suffering you had intended for me."
O0O0O0O
Three men in dark leathers half-supported, half-dragged a man through the fairgrounds. They took turns meeting concerned questions with smooth answers.
"He's overindulged, the great oaf! We're taking him inside to lie down."
"A minor scuffle is all, m'am! The lout went and got himself knocked unconscious."
"He's fast asleep, sir, as sure as the Creator is good. We couldn't wake him. Every now and then he looses a snore or two something powerful!"
As soon as they entered the palace they headed for the lower storerooms, the route memorized flawlessly by each of them. They found the room they wanted, unlocked it, and slipped inside, dropping Douglas abruptly in the far corner.
"Chesta, he'd have knocked you senseless if I hadn't stuck him!" joked the third man, with long, straight, dark hair.
Chesta frowned. "You won't tell Dilandau will you Viole?"
The two of them looked to the dark-haired and pale-eyed man. "Miguel?" pled Chesta, "You won't, right? Promise me?"
Miguel rolled his eyes, and responded. "I wouldn't do that. You know better. And for the Creator's sake, quit that childish tone. It's almost time to meet the general."
Miguel locked the door as they left the room and walked ahead, the other two Dragonslayers trailing in his wake.
Viole mocked him jokingly in nasally voiced whispers behind his back, "Quit that childish tooone." Chesta snorted in an attempt to hide his laughter. Miguel turned and glared. The three walked on. Business as usual.
O0O0O0O
Taiahna took a deep breath, and then another. She looked up at Dilandau, now nude from the waist up. He was gorgeous. Tall, muscular; pale as a statue and perfect as a god. It made her hate him all the more.
"Well," she said, in the steadiest tone she could muster, "if you're going to rape me, just do it already."
"Lady, I am only too happy to oblige you." Dilandau leered and drew his dagger, grabbing her dress roughly and cutting it up the centre. Taiahna began to loose a cry, which was silenced by a backhanded slap from Dilandau.
"Do that again, and you start losing toes."
She screamed at the top of her lungs.
Dilandau lunged forward, and with a flash of his dagger, slashed open the scar on her right cheek.
"That," he said, quivering with rage, "was a warning. I don't need your toes to fuck you, and if you scream again I will cut them off." He moved to the far side of the room where his surcoat was, and reaching into a bag from which he withdrew two long lengths of black cloth. To her surprise, he gagged her. "But I'm sick of listening to your pleading, so be grateful."
He stopped a moment to admire his handiwork. There she was; her eyes wide with terror, her breasts heaving. She squirmed to hide herself, but everything she possessed was laid bare for his pleasure.
Dilandau motioned to the second length of cloth.
"This one is just for fun..."
He blindfolded her. Taiahna screamed through the gag and thrashed for a moment on the bed.
"Anticipation is a terrible thing, isn't it?"
O0O0O0O
Chesta, now changed into peasant's clothing, approached the children's play area. He had always been told he was the most innocent-looking of the Dragonslayers; the perfect candidate for the most underhanded of jobs... He milled about the area, smiling at the helpers, blending in perfectly. An older brother perhaps.
Surely this wouldn't be as easy as his lord expected it to be. There had to be at least a hundred children here. Chesta went through his mental checklist. The child was male, Dilandau knew as much. Whether this fact was supported by intuition, stubborn pride or actual information Chesta knew not. In any case, it narrowed the field. Dilandau was also certain the child would be recognizable, either with his mother's unusual shade of hair or his father's temperament.
Suddenly out of the corner of his eye Chesta spotted a flash of red. He smiled and turned towards it. Luck was perhaps on his side. Playing with two girls was a young boy, maybe a little older than two. His hair was the same bloody red as Taiahna's. The Dragonslayer could see no other red-haired children the right age. Luckily, he had one other piece of information; the child's name was Liam.
He closed in to confirm.
O0O0O0O
Darkness.
A pair of lips brushed her right ear.
"You want release, but can't control the chain of events."
A pause. Silence.
The voice was in her left ear now.
"You're terrified..."
Taiahna whimpered as she felt a hand wrap carefully around her throat and a tongue run up the edge of her ear.
"But you want me." The grip tightened. "You want me like you've never wanted any other man. Not even your precious husband." The word 'husband' was saturated with contempt.
She felt a weight settle onto the edge of the bed as the hand around her throat moved down between her breasts. She tried to struggle away, but another hand gripped her right arm and held her fast.
"I'm going to make you hate yourself..." laughter, "I'm going to make you want me."
He began to caress her. She could feel his hands, his tongue, his warm mouth moving over every inch of her. She never knew when or where it would come. She did everything she could in her mind to keep herself from enjoy it, but her body responded against her will. She moaned through her gag, soon shuddering to climax with a muffled scream.
Another pause, and then a rustling of fabric.
Before she could react he was kneeling between her legs, gripping her thighs to keep her from kicking. Her cries, as before, were nearly inaudible. As she felt him enter her aggressively she threw back her head. At this moment she felt his mouth at her neck, and a stinging pain. Surely he was leaving a garish mark upon her.
"Mm, you feel amazing Tai..."
Dilandau laughed again, and spoke while thrusting into her. She could hardly concentrate on his words.
"You're going to compare this night with every other intimate moment you have with your husband for the rest of your life." He thrust again, hard. "We're too well-matched, you and I."
'Oh Creator,' she prayed, 'I hate him for everything he's done but I hardly even know why it's wrong to want this anymore...'
Deprived of sight and the ability to speak, Taiahna felt lost and assaulted by the personification of Lust himself.
He withdrew a moment and Taiahna felt herself flipped roughly onto her stomach and then propped onto her knees before being roughly penetrated again from behind.
The assault ceased briefly as he perhaps savoured the moment, before grabbing her by the hair and tilting back her head. She could feel his warm breath on her neck as he whispered the sentence that almost destroyed her:
"And after I leave you here, tied to the bed for your husband to find, I'll be taking our son with me."
O0O0O0O
"You, boy."
The child looked up and smiled. He pointed to himself.
"Me?"
Chesta nodded.
"Your name's Liam right?"
The child looked about seriously for one of his female companions, but they were playing too far away.
Chesta smiled and spoke again:
"Don't worry Liam, I'm a friend of your parents."
This news relaxed the boy visibly. He must have been told not to speak to strangers. The blonde-haired Dragonslayer held out a hand to the boy.
"Your Dad wants to see you."
The boy, thinking Chesta must be referring to Douglas, the only father he'd ever know, took Chesta's hand happily, not understanding the danger.
'Too easy...' thought Chesta, imagining how he would be rewarded by his lord. A female voice piped up from the other side of the play area.
"Wait! Who are you?"
The Dragonslayer turned to see the speaker.
"'Tomi!" cried Liam joyfully.
Hitomi's eyes opened wide in fear and confusion, clearly recognizing Chesta, but not understanding how he could possibly be there. She pointed squarely at Chesta and screamed:
"STOP THAT MAN!"
Chesta picked up the child and ran for the busiest part of the fairgrounds. Guards who had been leaning relaxed against stalls retrieved their weapons and dove into the crowd, searching for Chesta, who ran as quickly as he could with the struggling child in his arms. Viole and Miguel emerged from the crowd to flank Chesta.
The three of them ran. The guards were becoming more and more numerous among the throng by the second. As soon as it was possible, Chesta passed the child off to Viole who drugged the boy and disappeared into a maze of booths off to the side. Chesta snatched a bundle of blankets from a nearby stall, the shopkeeper's cry drawing the guards closer. As they ran side by side, Chesta nodded almost imperceptibly to Miguel who sadly nodded back and melted back in to the crowd, heading for Viole.
'My error calls for a sacrifice...'
Soon almost completely surrounded by guards, Chesta protected the bundle of blankets until he saw Dilandau descending from a high tower window by a long rope. He watched as his lord met the other two Dragonslayers, stopping a moment to behold his son. He watched as his lord climbed onto his black charger and let Miguel and Viole off into the night. Only when he was certain they had escaped did he surrender the bundle of blankets.
The foremost guard opened the bundle carefully, seeing immediately that the child was no longer there.
"Search the grounds! Find the child!"
Chesta laughed to keep from crying. "The child is gone!"
'My lord is gone.'
The head guard moved forward, his sword in hand.
'And so I go beyond again... How long will it be before Dilandau summons me back? How long will he punish me?'
Van burst suddenly to the front of the guards on his large chestnut charger.
"Hold!" he cried, "If you kill him they can bring him back!"
At this, the blonde Dragonslayer fell to his knees, defeated. Tears gathered in his eyes.
'I only want to be by your side...'
O0O0O0O
The small red-haired boy is laid on the metal operating table in the Zaibach sorcerers' lab. He sleeps peacefully, dreaming of nothing, because his memory has been erased. His first words after the procedure, to the delight of his father, are "Gen'ral! 'landau!".
And so the General begins to mould the boy in his own image.
His son; his precious son.
O0O0O0O
OMG!! This is the end of the Prologue!!
Chapter 1 begins with Taiahna's daughter, Kaethe, setting out to find her brother.
She has all kinds of awesome adventures along the way. Including a run-in with pirates... That much is certain... We'll have to see where else she takes me! I've got a couple other ideas, but nothing I'm giving away :P
Hope you guys liked it!!
Please review :3
PS (again...) Escaflowne nerds like me may have noticed the night Taiahna is writing into her diary is DILANDAU'S BIRTHDAY:) Or so I've been led to believe...
Planeswalker