Disclaimer : I do not own Escaflowne. My writing is simply for the enjoyment of my readers and myself.
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Everlasting Love (The Rebuilding of a Nation)
Chapter 17 ~ Trials and Tribulations
It is early morning and a light mist blankets all the ground, kissing everything it touches with dew. Everyone is asleep except for a few guards who are keeping watch at their posts for any sign of trouble. Individual tents have been erected and segregated so that men sleep on one side and the women on the other. Among this still and quiet order a little squirrel-like creature scurries across the campsite and pauses beside one of the tents for a moment. A soft moan startles the animal and it darts away. Inside Folken is tangled within his sheets moaning and shivering. He tosses and turns for several moments before jerking awake with a start.
It takes a few seconds for Folken to remember where he is. Slowly he untangles his sheets from his sweaty body and rises to his feet. Grabbing a soft, off-white tunic he pulls it on before shuffling outside to get a drink of water. The cool morning air breathes against his face and he pauses in his steps to inhale deeply for a few moments. " You're up early." Folken turns around to see Allen take a sip of water from a goatskin flask. " Everything alright?" The handsome Centurian knight asks in a tone that sounds almost uninterested. Folken blinks a few times to rid himself of any sleepiness that still lingers in his eyes. " I need a drink." He answers quietly. Allen nods before taking another sip from his flask. " How is everyone in Austuria?" Folken asks while he lowers the bucket into the mouth of the well. Allen lowers his flask. " They're fine." He states casually as he unbuckles his sword belt and sets it down on the stone edge of the well. Taking a seat on the edge, Allen finishes his flask of water and gazes around the camp watching out for anything unusual. Folken pauses to look Allen over, flashes of the young knight hugging his long-lost sister to himself flashes within his mind. Without thinking, he speaks. " How is your sister?" At this Allen frowns, sets down his flask, slips off the edge of the well, and picks up his sword belt. " My shift is over." Allen answers coldly before giving Folken a stiff bow and walking away. " Allen…" Folken raises his hand and tries to apologize but the Austurian knight keeps walking and Folken can only watch him leave before shaking his head and pouring himself a cup of water. The early morning sun begins to rise higher in the sky and small rays of light begin to materialize in the misty air. Folken takes a sip of water and sets the cup down. I didn't have the right to ask him that Folken scolds himself with frustration and rolls his head around in an effort to get rid of a crink in his neck. It does little to relieve the tension he feels in his muscles. Folken yawns and has to fight his natural instinct to release the wings of his heritage.
Taking another sip of water he starts when someone pats him on the back. Turning around Folken finds Amos smiling at him kindly. " An early riser I see." The older man states warmly before lowering the bucket into the well. Folken lowers his cup. " Good morning Amos. Did you sleep well?" Amos turns and gives him a half shrug. " As well as one can sleep when one is sleeping on hay and sticks." He replies with a chuckle. Folken smirks and nods sympathetically. " Ready for another day of hard labor?" Amos grins as he pulls the bucket back up. Folken chuckles despite himself and shakes his head. " Are you?" He counters. Amos laughs. It's a clear, almost contagious laugh and Folken finds himself fighting to keep a straight face. " Well, well, well. If it isn't the loud noise makers outside ready to wake up the world with their talking!" Folken and Amos turn around with wide eyes to see Mizook walking up to them. The wolf-man smirks and shakes his head. " Relax! I'm just kidding!" Folken half turns to Amos and shakes his head. " Well, I better go make myself useful." Amos nods. " Yes. Don't over-exhaust yourself, young man." Folken pauses in his steps and looks back at the him. Surprise and tenderness glints within his eyes and he nods. " I'll be careful. The same to you." Folken replies before continuing back to his tent. Mizook yawns and shakes his furry head. " He doesn't talk much does he?" Mizook states to Amos who simply shrugs and drinks his water in silence, watching as people begin to emerge from their tents in order to have their share of water before the line is too long.
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Van awakens to the sound of many voices chattering. He blinks blearily and flips off his wool blanket. Stumbling over to the tent flap he peeks outside. Van blinks a few times trying to get his eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight and spots the well on the other side of base camp. He sighs at the line already being formed as early risers wait their turn to retrieve their share of water. Van yawns and turns back into his tent, allowing the flap to fall down again. He stretches and prepares for another day of hard labor. A soft snore causes him to glance in Merle's direction. The young cat-girl is sleeping comfortably on a straw and stick bed that Van had prepared for her the night before. One of Merle's paws is poking out from the blankets and Van gently tucks it back under the warmth of their shelter before making his way to his own bed and getting dressed.
Van pauses for a moment to gently rub the shiny, smooth surface of the red pendant hanging from his neck. He closes his eyes and releases a sad sigh. If only I had told her… He berates himself silently. If only I had told her…then maybe…maybe things would be different. Releasing another sigh Van pulls on his short leather boots and ducks out of the tent and into the early morning sunlight. Making his way to the well he gets into line. By now it has developed into a long string of people and he rests a hand against his hip. Guess I'll have to learn to get up even earlier. Van stands patiently behind another young man in his late teens with golden-honeyed hair that reaches down to his shoulders. The young man casually glances behind himself and starts when he recognizes who is standing behind him. " Good Morning Your Majesty! You can take my spot. I'm finished." He says while picking up his cup of water. Van nods with a smile, " Good Morning and thank you…?" The young man pauses with surprise. The king wanted to know his name! " I, uh…my name is Kyle…your majesty. And you don't… have to thank me" He stammers. Van grins and lays a reassuring hand on Kyle's shoulder looking directly into his eyes, " I'm glad to meet you Kyle. Have a good day alright?" Kyle smiles and nods emphatically. " Okay!" He says as Van gives his shoulder a quick squeeze and walks over to the mouth of the well. Kyle turns to his buddies who are slacked jawed and pat him on the shoulder when he finally reaches them. " Did he actually talk to you?" Asks one of his friends. Kyle just nods and takes a quick gulp of water. " What did he say to you?" Another friend asks. Kyle just smiles and shakes his head, " He said, 'have a good day.'" His friends laugh and chat excitedly with each other as Kyle glances back at Van before heading over to his horse. " Wow…" He whispers to himself in awe.
" Hey Kyle?" Kyle looks up to see his younger brother, Edwin, staring down at him from atop his horse's back. " Should we see if anyone needs any more dragon look-outs?" Kyle gives Edwin a confused look. " Huh?" Edwin rolls his eyes and gestures to the retreating forms of their friends and men at arms who are entering the forest's edge. " The dragon look-outs…" He says again, slightly agitated, " remember?…" Kyle mounts his horse. " Oh yeah…wouldn't it be great to have a chance to be the look out for a change?" Edwin smiles at him as they trot up to the crowd that is forming around an individual with long blond hair. " Gather around everyone!" The man yells. " Whose that man?" Kyle asks after watching the people before him for a few minutes. " Oh, he's a knight from Austuria. I heard that he's a personal friend of Princess Millerna and our king." Edwin states. " Really?…" Kyle murmurs with interest. The two brothers make their way to the crowd, steering their horses to just outside the crowd's edge. The Centurian knight with long, blond hair waits patiently for everyone's attention. His hair floats around him like a yellow mist whenever the wind blows against it and when he is certain everyone's attention is focused on him he continues. "Today we will be dividing into six separate groups. Each group will have its own dragon look-outs and each group will work on a different tower in separate locations." " Excuse me sir, but how will we know which group to work in?" Someone asks from within the crowd. The knight lifts up a hand as if to say, " Just a moment please." He bends down and Gadeth hands him a bucket filled with different colored stones. Then, he slowly rises to a formal sitting position on his horse while raising the bucket for all to see. " Today, before any of you go to a group, come up here and pick a colored stone. There are six different colors and each one represents a specific group. The color you choose will dictate what group you will be assigned to work with today." Kyle smiles at his younger brother. " Sounds like a plan to me." Edwin nods.
As everyone waits their turn to grab a stone Van prepares his horse and mounts. " Master Van!" Van turns at the sound of Merle's voice. In her hands she carries a small leather flask. " Here!" Van smiles at her gratefully. " Thanks Merle. I would have forgotten my water." He states while taking it from her outstretched paws. " That would have been a bad thing." Merle nods in agreement. Van ruffles her hair affectionately before sitting upright again and tucking his flask securely to his saddle. Directly across from him Folken emerges from his tent with tools for cutting and stripping wood in his arms. He silently begins handing out the tools to men who will be working with him in their newly assigned group. Van watches his older brother for a few moments, silently wondering if it was his imagination that Folken looked more exhausted this morning than he did last night. But Van's musings are cut short when his eyes meet Folken's gaze. Folken nods to him, the beginnings of a faint grin stretching his lips. Van blinks in surprise and turns his horse in the opposite direction. Folken lowers his gaze and closes his eyes for a moment before continuing on with his responsibilities.
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Zire releases a sharp puff of air to blow his fur away from his eyes as he returns to mixing a concoction of mud, clay, and tar in order to create a building mixture for the fort he has been assigned to work with today. To his left Mizook is doing the same, but the wolf-man will not stop complaining and Zire is ready to stuff the mixture he's working on into his companion's mouth. " Why do we always get stuck with the messy, boring jobs?!" Mizook whines. " Why does everybody else always get to have the fun jobs?!" Zire rolls his eyes and shakes his head. " Will you stop complaining? If it weren't for us king Van wouldn't have anyone to rely on for making blocks that will help this structure stand for centuries." Mizook glances at Zire with a frown. " Yeah right!" He barks sarcastically. " I'm not stupid! I know what you're trying to do." Zire pauses and looks at him with a deep frown. " And what would that be?" Mizook lifts his snout high into the air and refuses to answer his cousin's question. Zire shakes his head and resumes mixing. " I can't believe they expect us to make these things all day!!" Mizook begins again, this time even more upset than before. " If you don't shut your trap I'm gonna make you eat walnuts Mizook and I'll keep shoving them down your throat until you barf!!" Zire barks with unchecked anger. Mizook stares at his cousin with large eyes and shuts his mouth instantly. " That's better!" Zire replies.
Just then, Gadeth walks by carrying a heavy block of the dried mixture in his arms. He sets it down on a strong raft-like mat created out of cut-down logs. Then, several men and wolf-men alike pick up thick ropes that are tied to the ends of the log mat and pull it up the small hill to the fort sight. Once they accomplish this it is up to the men already working on constructing the fort's wall to pick up the heavy blocks of mixture and set them in appropriate places within the wall's structure. Then it's back down the hill to repeat the process all over again. Gadeth begins to whistle as he passes two other young men, who are also carrying blocks in their arms. " How can he be whistling at a time like this?" Edwin asks his older brother. Kyle shakes his head and sighs as he finally sets the block down on the log mat. " I don't know Edwin and quite frankly I don't care. If you're so curious why don't you go ask him?" Kyle states harshly before turning and walking back to the piles of blocks still waiting to be lifted and carried up the hill. Edwin frowns. " Sheesh! You don't have to be rude." He mumbles to himself. Suddenly there is a sound like rumbling and Edwin glances around before jumping in surprise when a large tree comes rolling down the hill. " Kyle look out!!" Edwin screams. Kyle dives out the tree's path and hisses when one of its branches cuts his leg as it tumbles into a nearby river with a resounding splash. Suddenly, the sound of many men screaming and hollering fills the air. Edwin looks up at the hill and feels his blood run cold as he watches someone's head come rolling down to hit his feet. An instant later he's running over to Kyle. " Kyle! Kyle!!" He screams. Kyle turns around, having heard the screams of other men as well. " What's happening?" He asks with complete confusion.
The two brothers watch in growing horror as a large shadow covers their bodies. Kyle feels his knees grow weak and his mouth go dry as a huge dragon lowers its massive head and opens its mouth. Edwin glances behind him and pulls his brother to the ground where they both scurry under the crack of a large boulder only a few feet away. The dragon releases a low bellow and then proceeds to wreck the place. It knocks over all the blocks that Mizook and Zire had worked so hard on for the past three hours. " Awe…now why'd he have to go and do that for?!" Mizook nearly shrieks. Zire turns to look at the dragon in horror before yanking Mizook down behind a stack of blocks that have just finished drying. The dragon turns, its massive tail swinging high above their heads. The large lizard makes its way up the hill and soon the sound of men screaming can be heard again. Zire and Mizook make their way over to Edwin and Kyle. " Let's go get help before these animals kill us all!" Mizook whispers to them with fear. " For once I have to agree with you." Zire states and turns to lead the frightened survivors back to base camp. But before they have a chance to get very far a second dragon spots them as it shuffles out of the forest. It roars furiously and charges as soon as it sees them. Kyle and Edwin turn and watch in horror as the animal spreads out its wings and lower its mouth, opening it wide to release a fireball in their direction. " Look out!!" Zire shouts to them. Kyle dives back behind the boulder while Edwin turns and runs up the small hill, his fear blinding him from seeing any other danger at the moment. " Edwin!!" Kyle shrieks. " No!! Don't go up the hill!!" But his younger brother is already out of sight and Kyle can only hope that he found a safer place to hide and wait for help. The second dragon turns and glances up the hill before shuffling closer to the stacked blocks that stand directly in front of it. Kyle gasps as the large animal makes its way closer to the boulder that he has decided to take shelter behind. Oh no! He worries and prepares to run if need be. The dragon suddenly pauses in its steps and sniffs the air. It shakes its head like a dog would when trying to rid itself from water. Then, without warning a third dragon stomps into the clearing, directly behind Kyle who whirls around in terrified shock. " Aahh!!" He screams as the dragon moves in his direction. Kyle drops to the ground and covers his head with his arms in a feeble attempt to protect himself. From their hiding place in the forest's shelter, Mizook and Zire watch on in horror. " Come on! Let's go!" Mizook whispers to Zire urgently. " If we stick around here for too long we'll be next!" Zire is reluctant but finally has to agree and the two wolf-men turn and make a hasty escape.
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Folken wipes his brow with his forearm and with one powerful heave, manages to lift a fallen tree trunk. " That's it!" Gadeth yells to him encouragingly. Folken feels his muscles tremble under the heavy weight of the dead tree trunk and he glances down to see whether or not his fellow companions have finished pulling out from underneath all the bricks they had discovered just a few moments before. " Okay! We got it all! You can let down now!" Someone shouts and Folken gladly releases his hold on the tree trunk and watches it fall back to the ground with a dull thud. Making his way around Folken stoops down and begins to pick up a few bricks to carry over to the new sight for the church. Allen stoops down in front of him and their eyes meet for a moment. Allen's deep blue eyes glint with an unmasked bitterness and Folken has to look away. After a moment Allen rises and falls into step with a few others who are walking away with armloads of bricks. Folken rises to his feet and fights back a wave of guilt. Just my luck that fate would have me working side-by-side with the one man who probably hates me more than my own brother. He tells himself bitterly.
As he continues on to the new church site Gadeth falls in step beside him. " Nice work back there." The young man states with a cheerful smile. Folken glances at him. " It wasn't anything phenomenal." He replies. Gadeth shrugs. " Well, no one here could have done it as easily as you can with your mechanical arm and all." Gadeth explains. Folken sighs. The two finally reach the church site and set their bricks down on an orderly pile. As soon as this task is finished everyone retreats into the shade of the nearby tents for a cup of water. Folken pauses in his steps to frown at his metal hand. A small twig had somehow managed to tangle itself between two of his metal fingers. He untangles it carefully, so as not to tear a wire, and lets it fall to the ground as he enters the tent's cool shade. Glancing around he spots princess Millerna and Merle serving water to the tired and thirsty men. But before he can make his way over to receive his share something catches his attention.
Folken turns and looks out towards the forest, in the direction of where the sixth group is currently working. They were sent to begin the reconstruction of the south-east tower. Folken scans the forest's edge for a few moments before convincing himself that he didn't really hear anything. It was just his extreme exhaustion playing tricks on his mind. But suddenly he hears something again. This time Folken steps out from under the tent and lifts his hand in an effort to shield his eyes from the sun's rays. The small sound he thought he heard begins to gain volume and Folken finally makes it out to be a shout…no…screaming? Folken frowns and watches with rising curiosity as the trees finally yield the shape of a young man with dirty blonde hair that reaches down to his shoulders. Folken only hesitates for a second before hurrying over to help the poor man reach the shelter of the tent.
" What is your name?" Folken asks the young man as they make their way to the tent. " K…Kyle." The young man gasps. Folken glances at Kyle and immediately concludes that something terrible has happened being that Kyle has blood all over his shirt and pants. His hair is matted with mud and dirt and numerous scratches are bleeding on his face. As the two finally enter the tent individuals immediately take notice and begin to crowd around in an effort to get a better look and see if there's anything they can do to help. "Please!!" Kyle cries. " Somebody has to help them!" Folken frowns. " Help whom?" He asks, now filled with worry for this man and anyone else who might have been with him. From across the tent Allen notices a commotion and pushes through the growing crowd to see what is going on. " What has happened?" Allen asks when he reaches Folken's side. Folken asks the young man the same question. " A dra…dragon…attacked my group!" Kyle manages to spit out. " Where?" Asks Folken grabbing hold of Kyle's shoulders. " The south…south east tower…over by the…the creek!" He cries out. Folken turns to leave but Allen grabs a hold of his wrist and stops him. " Where are you going?" He demands. " To go see what I can do to help." Folken replies tersely. " Now kindly remove your hand from my wrist." Allen frowns. " You're going alone?" Folken turns back to him, annoyance clearly evident in his voice. " I will go ahead and see what I can do to help while you bring reinforcements." " No no. Let me go instead." Allen replies. Folken shakes his head. " No. It's better this way." Allen tries to move forward but Folken moves to stand in his way. " The men here respect you more than they ever will me. Please. Do as I ask. Let us not make a scene at such an inappropriate time." Folken whispers urgently. Allen makes no reply and simply stares at Folken who stands before him silently, waiting for Allen to comply. Folken knows full well that Allen has been carrying a grudge against him since the day he testified against the handsome knight during the 'Great War.' Millerna makes her way over to Kyle and hands him a cup of water while Merle begins to dab at his cuts with a cool wash cloth. " Please…they could be dying!" Kyle begs, his large blue eyes filled with terror. Folken and Allen glance at the young man. After a few tense moments, Allen finally nods to Folken in agreement and watches him hurry to grab his sword from within his tent and disappear into the forest.
Turning around, Allen kneels before Kyle and sets a firm hand on his shoulder. " Do not worry, young sir. We will help your friends. Just rest now, you're safe." He states soothingly as Millerna steps up and silently begins to clean a nasty wound on Kyle's right arm. Allen glances up at Millerna, his gaze lingering upon her radiant face. She returns the glance and gives him a soft smile, her eyes shining with tenderness. " Be careful Allen. I don't know what I would ever tell Serena if you don't return." She says softly. Allen nods and with a quick bow excuses himself from her presence to recruit as many men as possible to join him as reinforcement in the forest. Amos enters the tent and snags Allen's arm. " What has happened?" Allen turns to him, his face an expression of urgency. " There has been an attack by dragons on the team sent out to work on rebuilding the south-east tower. " I'm recruiting men to join me as I will soon be heading to the site to help the survivors." Amos nods in mute horror. " Is there anything I can do to help?" The older man asks with deep worry. Allen shakes his head. " No thank you Amos." But just as Allen is about to turn away he thinks better and turns back to Amos.
" On second hand…" Amos looks up at Allen with eagerness in his eyes. " Can you tell me where I can find Van?" Amos nods and then frowns. " Why do you ask for him?" Allen lowers his head for a moment before replying. "Folken has already gone ahead by himself." Amos can't hold back a gasp of horror and quickly pulls Allen with him as he hurries over to two horses standing uneasily under a make-shift stall. " Where are we going?" Allen asks as he watches Amos climb onto the first horse. " To get Van! Hurry! He's on his way to the south-west tower. We might be able to catch up with his group. I know of a short-cut!" Amos yells over his shoulder as he urges his horse into a run. Allen leaps onto his horse and kicks its hide. " Yah!" He commands, urging his horse into a run as well. As Allen closes the gap between himself and Amos he spots Gadeth and maneuvers his horse so that it runs directly in front of his most trusted friend. " Gadeth!" He shouts. Gadeth looks up in surprise. " Get as many armed men as you can together and go help Folken rescue the survivors at the south-east tower site!" Allen shouts as he passes by. Gadeth watches Allen disappear into the forest after Amos before jumping into action and taking hold of his new leadership role with ease.
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The forest is eerily silent and Folken releases a nervous sigh as he runs for the south-east tower while unsheathing his sword. Folken makes his way carefully through the forest until he comes upon a quiet creek. The tower site should be around here somewhere… He thinks to himself as he gingerly climbs up a steep hill. He is suddenly stopped in his tracks by two men with wild eyes who nearly run right into him. They stumble to a stop. " Where are the others?" Folken asks softly so as not to attract any unwanted attention. One man, the taller of the two, speaks up. " They are all trapped in the fortress. We were lucky to get away alive when the dragon's tail knocked down part of the wall that is still under construction." He whispers. Suddenly Folken and the two men look up when they here the rustle of nearby bushes and trees. " Oh no!" Whispers the second man. " He's coming for us!" Folken turns his attention back to them. " Run back to base camp." He orders. " What about you and our team?" Asks the first man. " Don't worry, we will be there soon. Now go!" Folken commands urgently. The two men scurry down the hill and disappear into the forest as Folken warily sneaks closer to the site where the tower stands. He crawls low to the ground and hides behind a large boulder.
Peeking around, he scans the area to see where the dragon is currently located. His eyes are met by a very large, hind foot and suddenly Folken realizes that he is right under the dragon's belly. Well…this is convenient. He tells himself as he raises his sword to thrust it deep into the dragon's soft underbelly." But just as he prepares to lunge the dragon moves and Folken has to duck and roll to avoid getting stepped on. He turns around and now finds himself facing the dragon's back. It is digging the ground with its front claws, searching for something. Folken watches in silence as it snorts in frustration and picks another place to dig up dirt. It does this three more times before realizing its being watched. The dragon turns to Folken and immediately spits fire into the air. Folken jumps out of the way and dives into the nearby river in a desperate attempt to avoid the ball of fire hurtling towards him. After a few moments, the dragon resumes it's digging with new determination. Taking care to crawl out of the river as silently as possible, Folken silently sneaks up behind the tower and peeks in through a hole in the wall large enough only for one man to squeeze through. " Hello?" He whispers. " Hello!" Whispers someone back. " How many of you are in here?" Folken asks. There is a pause before he receives an answer. " About ten." " Ten?…What on Gaea happened to the rest of your team?" Folken asks with great concern. " They were eaten or burned alive." Comes the answer. Folken shuts his eyes for a moment digesting this information. " Are we going to get some help?" Asks the voice. Folken refocuses. " Yes. Just be patient, help will be here soon." The dragon turns around and Folken rushes back to the shadows of the trees and watches the large lizard continue it's odd behavior.
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Two hours later Folken is still crouched in his hiding place among thick shrubbery with Gadeth at his side. Gadeth had managed to gather eighty men, all armed, and bring them to the site. Folken was thankful to have some companions but his heart twists in silent anguish for the terrified men still trapped within the tower base. " What are we going to do?" Gadeth whispers to him with frustration. They had already tried to distract the dragon from its digging by having individuals try to lure the large lizard away from the tower, but that idea didn't work. Then they tried to frighten the animal by shouting and throwing rocks and spears, but that didn't work either. Now they are tired and running out of ideas. Folken frowns, deep in thought. Gadeth frowns, hungry and mad. The dragon continues its digging and the men in the tower continue to wait. " At this rate we'll all starve to death before this stupid lizard finds whatever its looking for!" Gadeth mumbles. Folken glances at him with a raised eyebrow. " You haven't eaten yet?" Gadeth shakes his head miserably. " Allen caught me before I could fill my belly." Folken nods and looks about himself in search of something. Gadeth watches him for several moments in curious silence. Finally, Folken stops when he finds what he is looking for and turns back to Gadeth. " Here. Eat these. They will give you strength." In Folken's hand are small nuts and berries. Gadeth looks up at Folken in surprise. " Where did you get those?" Folken points to a small bush and sapling tree which are growing behind him. "Oh. Thanks!" Gadeth replies before accepting the food handing to him and gulping them down.
" What do you think that lizard is doing?" Gadeth asks Folken after a few minutes of silent munching. Folken shakes his head, completely baffled. " I don't know. It's behavior intrigues me." " I don't care for its behavior at all." A third voice replies. Gadeth and Folken turn around abruptly to see Van and Allen creeping up beside them. " What has happened?" Van asks no one in particular. Folken takes the liberty of answering his brother. " Several men are trapped within the tower's base and this dragon has been tormenting them for several hours. It has already killed many and then began digging for something of apparent importance." " Hm." Van muses quietly for several moments before silently motioning for his group of sixty men to split up. " What are you going to do?" Folken asks softly. " Maybe we can attack it from opposite sides and drive it away." Van replies. " Sounds like a plan to me!" Gadeth replies and smiles at Allen who has remained quiet thus far.
Two groups of thirty individuals quietly make their way up the steep hill and crawl low to the ground when the dragon comes into view. Van scans the site for any one still alive. He is so intent on his spying that he doesn't notice Folken crawl up beside him. " Hey…" He whispers. Van turns in surprise and bites his lower lip to keep from yelling out loud. He returns his focus back to the dragon before speaking to his brother. " So how many are trapped in the tower base?" " There are about ten survivors inside." He explains. " Only ten?" Asks Van in a quiet whisper. Folken solemnly nods his head. " Damn!" Curses Van under his breath. The two lie flat on the ground as the dragon's massive tail swings above them and passes by. " What is that creature doing?" Asks Van, mainly to himself. "I believe it is looking for its nest." Folken replies. Van furrows his eyebrows. " I thought the dragons only had nests deep in the mountainous section of the forest." He says as the two silently sneak around to the tower. " Maybe the weather is forcing them to move." Folken suggests. Directly across from their hiding place Allen his group are clearly seen. They move with quiet swiftness to the tower base but are forced to retreat back into the forest when the dragon turns and roars at them. The large lizard walks over to inspect the side of the forest foliage that had hidden the humans from its view. " It looks as if our friends have finally managed to distract the dragon." Folken states with a half grin. " Now is our chance to help the men in the tower." He continues. Van motions to his group of thirty to join them as he and Folken quickly creep up to the tower base and help the men within the fortress climb out. Suddenly the dragon roars in anger. Everyone turns around, startled. " I think it found what it was looking for." Says Van as the dragon lifts a broken, aqua-blue egg in its mouth. " Is that an egg?" Asks one of the ten who were trapped in the tower. " It looks like it." Answers Van.
Everyone turns in haste to leave when the dragon suddenly begins sniffing the air. Without warning a second dragon suddenly steps out from the forest and looks right at them. It roars loudly and the first dragon immediately stops sniffing and turns to look at them too. " Run!!" Shouts Van to the men behind him. Folken raises his sword as the first dragon rushes up to him. Van stands a few feet to Folken's right and follows suite. Folken takes a deep breath to try and calm his rapidly beating heart as the dragon lowers its massive head and snaps at him. But it misses as Folken has already jumped out of harms way. Van runs into the middle of the clearing and swipes at the tail of the second dragon that is coming to help the first. " Van, look out!" Folken yells as the second dragon sends it's tail sailing through the air. Van ducks and the sharp tail tip narrowly misses his head. " Get under his belly!" Yells Folken as he struggles to maintain the first dragon's attention. Van runs and slides between the second dragon's hind legs. Folken continues to dodge the first dragon's fire balls and rabid snaps, parrying the dragon's claws with his sword. The second dragon whirls around and nearly stomps on Van, but he rolls out of the way. Van flips to his feet and thrusts his sword deep into the dragon's belly, ripping it open and causing all the organs to spill unto the ground in a shower of green goo. Van gasps as the contents of its stomach spill unto him and the ground. The massive animal howls in pain and collapses to the ground with a tremendous thud.
The first dragon turns around to see what has happened to its mate and Folken takes the opportunity to duck and roll underneath it's belly. The dragon sees him roll under and rises on its hind legs, lowering its head and spitting fire directly at the very surprised Folken. Van crawls out from under the guts of the second dragon and grabs his sticky sword, sneaking up from behind as Folken scrambles away from the fire blast as quickly as possible. The dragon growls in frustration as it sees Folken rise to his feet again. Van jumps on the dragon's tail and begins to run up to its back, but the animal feels him and abruptly unfolds its wings, flapping them furiously. It creates a tremendous wind, knocking Van off its back and Folken all the way to the other end of the site, right beside the fallen dragon. The two scramble to their feet and look up just in time to see the dragon fly away in great haste. After a moment, Folken steps over to the second dragon's head and hacks it off, just in case. Van tries to wipe his sword clean on the grass. " Nice hacking job." He says as he trudges over to the creek and rinses off some of the green goo that is now in his hair and on his clothes. Van rinses his face and pauses, his hands shaking. Folken observes his younger brother and notices blood. " Are you alright Van?" He asks with sudden concern. " I'm fine." Van says while he dips his sword into the river in order to wash off the blood. Van curses under his breath as his hold on the hilt accidentally slips and the sword falls into the creek.
Folken walks over wanting to help, but Van's aggravated voice stops him in his tracks. " I got it." He snaps. Sensing Van would rather be left alone right now, Folken reluctantly decides to leave him be and walks over to inspect the nest. " Are you two alright?" Allen asks as he and Gadeth emerge from the forest. They are followed closely by their group of thirty men, all of which are wielding swords. Van rises to his feet. " Fine. How is everybody else?" " Frightened, but otherwise okay." Allen responds. Gadeth nods in agreement. Folken walks up and shows them a large piece of broken shell from one of the eggs. " These animals live near the rocky plains." Allen looks at him in surprise. " How can you be sure?" Folken points out the color of the egg. " This egg is designed to blend within its surroundings." Van and Allen exchange looks. " So…what does this mean?" Van asks. Folken throws the shell into the river and watches it float away. " Something forced those dragons to build their nest further in land." "You think we will have more problems with these overgrown iguanas?" Asks Van. " It could be." Folken responds. " This sounds like a situation we could use another opinion on." States Van as he re-sheaths his sword. Allen nods to the other men, indicating that everyone is ready to head back. " Do you guys think that Amos might know what's going on? He seems to know Fanelia pretty well having served your father and all…" Gadeth states. Everyone turns to look at him. " Gadeth, that is a very good idea. We should go see what Amos has to say." Folken replies. " Yes. Let's go." Van continues, taking the lead once again. The four friends make their way back to base camp in great haste seeking out Amos. The rest of their men return to their reconstructing after having something to drink and eat. For those who were trapped in the tower, Millerna and several nurses keep a vigil over their conditions and make sure that they rest.
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" I don't think that the dragon will be back." Says Van. "What happened today could simply be an isolated event." Agrees Allen. " I am not so sure." Replies Folken. " There is a chance that the second adult will return." " I have to agree with Folken." Adds Gadeth. Van looks at the three men before him and scratches his head in mild distress. " Well, what do you think Amos? What should we do?" Amos looks at each of the young men before him. " I believe we should continue as we have been with the exception that we now split teams so that there are look outs to warn of any impending danger. I also think it would be wise to bring weapons along so that if this happens again, the men will not be defenseless." The five sit in silence for a few moments contemplating Amos's idea. " Okay." Sighs Van. " Let it be done as Amos has suggested." Allen, Gadeth, and Folken nod their heads respectfully and leave the table to spread the word while Van and Amos remain to talk a while longer.
" What is on your mind Van?" Asks Amos. Van heaves a worried sigh and rubs the back of his neck before looking up at Amos's gentle eyes. " I can't stop thinking about the men who lost their lives today." Amos reaches out and grasps Van's hands. " Listen to me son. Their deaths were not your fault. There was no way you could have known. They chose to help. That was what they wanted to do." Van nods his head, unable to look at Amos's eyes any longer. Amos continues to hold Van's now shaking hands. " You're trembling Van." He says gently. Van tries to pull his hands away, but Amos grips them firmly. Van squeezes his eyes shut and begins breathing harshly. He tries to forget what he saw in the dragon's stomach. The remains of young men he had spoken to only a few hours ago. " It's okay." Van listens to the soft words Amos speaks to him. " It's okay." Van feels his heart beats slow down as the images slowly fade from his mind. " Just take deep breaths and try to relax." Amos says soothingly. He calls over a young maidservant and asks her to fetch him a cup of water for Van. " I really think you should lie down for a little while before you try to do anything else." Amos says. Van looks out at his rising kingdom and vows to himself that the deaths will not be in vain. Amos thanks the maidservant and hands Van the cup. Van drinks the cool water as Amos walks around the table and waits for him to finish. " Come along your majesty…" He says when Van is done, " Let's get you washed up and then you must allow me to help you find a mat to rest on."
For the next three weeks the rebuilding of Fanelia continues without any further disturbances and the kingdom begins to show promise of becoming what it once was. Everyone grows more excited as more homes and shops are reconstructed. The town church is completed and a bell tower is added. There are still a few homes on the outskirts of town that need to be completed and so Van orders that they be worked on next. Many Fanelian survivors return from neighboring kingdoms and dukedoms to help rebuild their homes. This encourages Van and his multiplying companions greatly.
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Chapter 18 soon to arrive.
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