Leviathan's Daughter
GoldenEagle
Author's Note: I'm too tired to do Author's notes... *groans*
Chapter Thirty-Four
"It's amazing how easily, and often, you seem to lose your prisoners." Millerna muttered coldly and bitterly as their group was back together again, striding quickly down a long hall, in search of the same girl who had disappeared, and reappeared, the night before. Allen couldn't help but feel the slightest pinch of annoyance at the princess.
He had woken that morning only to find that Persephone had gone missing again. Of course, he couldn't hide this fact when he had come to a private breakfast with his friends, the girl neither being there nor with him. "We'll find her." He said through tight lips.
"Why don't you ask someone if they've seen her?" Hitomi asked brightly. Allen stopped so quickly that she almost ran into him. He gave off a big smile.
"Of course."
A pair of green eyes rolled in exasperation. "Just like men..." She muttered. "Never asking for directions..." Van caught her words, but the only reaction it caused was the slightest twitch of his lips in amusement.
Allen grabbed one of his passing men by the arm. "Hey, Yonarin. Have you seen the girl that came in last night? Tall, red haired, blue eyes, and on her left eye-"
"There's a weird feather scar covering it up." The man interupted, laughter in his voice. "Of course I've seen her. You're a little late for the fight, though, Boss."
"Fight?"
"Yes. Your girl has been sparring man after man in the training room, and is still undefeated. If you hurry, you may get to see the end of her and Gadeth's fight. They've been at it for about thirty minutes or so. One of them's bound to lose beat at some point."
Millerna smiled broadly at what she thought would be a good time to get in a few words about their new visitor. "Yes, well, we *all* know who's going to win. After all, Gadeth is well known for his skill."
The man smirked at her. "Yeah, but you haven't seen the way this girl fights. Like a demon, I tell you. Like a dancing flame, she is."
************
Merle wrinkled her nose at the strong smell of sweat that permeated the room. Then she cringed at the loud crashing of metal. She turned her gaze up to see a large group of men, laughing and whooping at something in the center of the tangle. The cat girl followed her friends quietly, too filled with suspense to make much noise.
Allen pushed through his own men, a few of them giving a light hearted greeting. He couldn't help but ignore them as he took in the spectacle within the middle of the crowd.
The men had backed off, leaving a large circle in the center of their mass. And their, circling each other with swords drawn, was Persephone and Gadeth. Allen took the appearance of his man in, his being rushing with surprise. Gadeth was soaked with his own sweat and he was taking in as much air as possible with each short breath. His eyes looked out from beneath raven black bangs as he focused on his opponent. Persephone.
Now, the girl's appearance was similar in condition to his, but there was a certain aura that radiated off of her in waves. There was a pressed smirk on her face, her eyes intent. Sweat soaked the white shirt, Allen's shirt, which she wore, and her suede pants, which she had apparently gotten off of one of the all to eager men, were dark with her perspiration. Her hair hung in wet curls around her red and glowing face. Glowing. Her eagerness lit her face up. But what you could feel was the strongest of all. Their was the feeling of certain conquest, a knowledge that she would win. And their was the mischievous look that danced in her eyes as she moved gracefully and lithely around her exhausted apponent.
Allen didn't even catch sight of when she first moved to attack, but he saw the end result. Metal screamed as the blades hit, the crowd broke into cries of excitement, and Gadeth and Persephone, two warriors with two very different intentions met, eye to eye, as the swords they held screeched and squealed against each other. It was Persephone who pulled back quickly, leaving Gadeth stumbling forward slightly.
It was then that the Demon, as the men called her admiringly, caught sight of the Heavenly Knight and his party, staring at her. She flashed him a wild grin, much like a snarl, before she met her adversary again. Her moves were hypnotic as she raised her curved blade over her head, her body moving in a strange, mystical movement, a dance perhaps, before the graceful smoothness of it released a powerful movement, much like a spring. Persephone's blade flashed in an unexpected direction, taking Gadeth off guard.
Allen's throat clenched as he saw the man raise his sword, too slowly, to fend of the blow. The knight's mind flashed in angered emotion in the millisecond it took for her sword to come down. 'What the hell is she doing?! She's using her blade. She'll kill him!' "Gadeth!" Allen cried out, other voices echoing his as some of the men saw the disaster unveiling before them.
And in the last second, too quickly for an untrained eye to catch, the knight saw the blade turn, hitting the man in the side with flat end. A sigh of relief left the blonde haired man's lips as he saw Gadeth fall, cradling the stinging wound, but not bleeding, not dead. Allen moved forward to his friend, passing a victorious Persephone by without thought. "Are you all right?" he asked the man on the ground before him.
He was astonished to be met with a wide, exuberant grin, though through slight panting. "She's majestic, Allen. A creature of legends." He laughed and coughed at the same time. "Never did I dream of the day when I would be conquered by a woman, Allen. Never did I imagine I'd meet such a being of beauty and raw power."
The knight looked up at the girl above him, her eyes staring down at him in a strange manner, a power hungry smile cracking her face. He shuddered, a strange mixture of fear and lust hitting him. Demon, indeed.
***************
"I want you to come with us to Virdania." Allen said, looking into the reflection of Persephone's eyes in the mirror as she combed out her clean, wet hair. She was wrapped in a robe and had tied it firmly around her slender waste. Allen had been trying to get together and talk with her, but she had been cleaning up, and hadn't wanted to keep the knight waiting longer, so she had asked him to come in, thinking that the man of character could handle talking to her as she finished getting ready.
Yet, at his words, she froze, arms still raised, her brush still in her hair. "Virdania." She said quietly. Why did it sound so familiar? She shrugged and continued on, meeting Allen's gaze in the mirror as well. "Why? What are you doing there that has anything to do with me?"
The knight sighed before explaining, his gaze never leaving hers. "We are seeking a kingdom that may protect us from Zaibach and Asturia, which both are seeking out Van and his guymelef." Persephone paused as she nodded, already knowing of Escaflowne. She continued on. "On the outskirts of Virdania, there is to be a small festival. The king of that country is going to meet us there in private, to discuss an agreement and refuge plan. I'd like you to come for your skill. You are a very well trained warrior and we could use your experience if anything should go wrong."
Persephone turned away from the large mirror on the wall and picked up a smaller one from her dresser, examining her face critically. She spoke in destraction as she stared into the mirror and passed Allen. "Why would something go wrong?" Still she held the small object in front of her. Allen didn't bother to turn as she walked behind him.
"The king is very jumpy. He may make a mistake... Plus, Zaibach seems to be everywhere these days..." Allen sighed wearily. "But most of all, I'm worried about the king. He is very young, and his country took a serious blow when their capital fell not too long ago." The knight's eyes shined over in remembrance and a strange, thoughtful smile creased his face as he looked into the shadows of the room. "I had only visited the capital once. Corinth was very beautiful. It was the shining jewel of Mirama-" Allen jerked out of his chair as he heard a loud crash behind him.
He turned to find Persephone pale behind him, the small mirror she had been holding laying in shards at her feet. He rushed forward, pushing her back gently so that she wouldn't be cut on her bare feet. He turned to look at her again, but had found that she had receded into the shadows, out of sight. "Persephone, are you all right?" He asked quietly, trying to penetrate the darkness.
"I'm fine, Allen. Perhaps you should leave. I still have a lot to do to get ready." Her voice was expressionless and final. Allen knew well enough that it was his cue to leave.
"I'll be right next door if you need anything." He said before leaving. Persephone sighed and stepped into the light. She was shaking visibly, her face pale.
"Calm down, Perseph. Just calm down." She whispered to herself urgently as she tried desperately to take control of her body before it could go into the full spasms, the painful and terrifying seizures. She sat down on her nearby bed and winced quietly as she picked a large shard of glass out of the side of her foot. A trickle of blood ran down the side of her foot and collected at the end of her big toe before gravity grasped it, a large, crimson drop hitting the rug below. Persephone looked at the collecting stain on the white material below her, trying to hold back the memories. But in the end, it all came back.
'...streets, filled with blood, screaming, death...' Persephone's mouth tightened, her teeth grinding as another convulsion hit her. '...the fire she brought, destroying it all. Corinth, in flames. An entire town, gone by her own deeds...' She felt darkness edging in on her as the seizure tried to take full hold of her violently, and she squeezed her eyes shut, gripping the material of the bed beneath her with trembling hands. But then a peace flowed over her at the next visions and she relaxed, only the slightest bit of a small shiver passed all over her body. '...feathers, wings, an angel. Pulled back from death, wakening her, embracing her...' She let out a choking sob, one last vision engulfing her before her guilt and misery backed down. It was a concerned face, a king dressed as a court jester, a smile just for her, a look just for her, a love just for her... A tear streamed down Persephone's face.
'...Folken...'
Author's Note: Whaddya think? Please Read and Review!
GoldenEagle
Author's Note: I'm too tired to do Author's notes... *groans*
Chapter Thirty-Four
"It's amazing how easily, and often, you seem to lose your prisoners." Millerna muttered coldly and bitterly as their group was back together again, striding quickly down a long hall, in search of the same girl who had disappeared, and reappeared, the night before. Allen couldn't help but feel the slightest pinch of annoyance at the princess.
He had woken that morning only to find that Persephone had gone missing again. Of course, he couldn't hide this fact when he had come to a private breakfast with his friends, the girl neither being there nor with him. "We'll find her." He said through tight lips.
"Why don't you ask someone if they've seen her?" Hitomi asked brightly. Allen stopped so quickly that she almost ran into him. He gave off a big smile.
"Of course."
A pair of green eyes rolled in exasperation. "Just like men..." She muttered. "Never asking for directions..." Van caught her words, but the only reaction it caused was the slightest twitch of his lips in amusement.
Allen grabbed one of his passing men by the arm. "Hey, Yonarin. Have you seen the girl that came in last night? Tall, red haired, blue eyes, and on her left eye-"
"There's a weird feather scar covering it up." The man interupted, laughter in his voice. "Of course I've seen her. You're a little late for the fight, though, Boss."
"Fight?"
"Yes. Your girl has been sparring man after man in the training room, and is still undefeated. If you hurry, you may get to see the end of her and Gadeth's fight. They've been at it for about thirty minutes or so. One of them's bound to lose beat at some point."
Millerna smiled broadly at what she thought would be a good time to get in a few words about their new visitor. "Yes, well, we *all* know who's going to win. After all, Gadeth is well known for his skill."
The man smirked at her. "Yeah, but you haven't seen the way this girl fights. Like a demon, I tell you. Like a dancing flame, she is."
************
Merle wrinkled her nose at the strong smell of sweat that permeated the room. Then she cringed at the loud crashing of metal. She turned her gaze up to see a large group of men, laughing and whooping at something in the center of the tangle. The cat girl followed her friends quietly, too filled with suspense to make much noise.
Allen pushed through his own men, a few of them giving a light hearted greeting. He couldn't help but ignore them as he took in the spectacle within the middle of the crowd.
The men had backed off, leaving a large circle in the center of their mass. And their, circling each other with swords drawn, was Persephone and Gadeth. Allen took the appearance of his man in, his being rushing with surprise. Gadeth was soaked with his own sweat and he was taking in as much air as possible with each short breath. His eyes looked out from beneath raven black bangs as he focused on his opponent. Persephone.
Now, the girl's appearance was similar in condition to his, but there was a certain aura that radiated off of her in waves. There was a pressed smirk on her face, her eyes intent. Sweat soaked the white shirt, Allen's shirt, which she wore, and her suede pants, which she had apparently gotten off of one of the all to eager men, were dark with her perspiration. Her hair hung in wet curls around her red and glowing face. Glowing. Her eagerness lit her face up. But what you could feel was the strongest of all. Their was the feeling of certain conquest, a knowledge that she would win. And their was the mischievous look that danced in her eyes as she moved gracefully and lithely around her exhausted apponent.
Allen didn't even catch sight of when she first moved to attack, but he saw the end result. Metal screamed as the blades hit, the crowd broke into cries of excitement, and Gadeth and Persephone, two warriors with two very different intentions met, eye to eye, as the swords they held screeched and squealed against each other. It was Persephone who pulled back quickly, leaving Gadeth stumbling forward slightly.
It was then that the Demon, as the men called her admiringly, caught sight of the Heavenly Knight and his party, staring at her. She flashed him a wild grin, much like a snarl, before she met her adversary again. Her moves were hypnotic as she raised her curved blade over her head, her body moving in a strange, mystical movement, a dance perhaps, before the graceful smoothness of it released a powerful movement, much like a spring. Persephone's blade flashed in an unexpected direction, taking Gadeth off guard.
Allen's throat clenched as he saw the man raise his sword, too slowly, to fend of the blow. The knight's mind flashed in angered emotion in the millisecond it took for her sword to come down. 'What the hell is she doing?! She's using her blade. She'll kill him!' "Gadeth!" Allen cried out, other voices echoing his as some of the men saw the disaster unveiling before them.
And in the last second, too quickly for an untrained eye to catch, the knight saw the blade turn, hitting the man in the side with flat end. A sigh of relief left the blonde haired man's lips as he saw Gadeth fall, cradling the stinging wound, but not bleeding, not dead. Allen moved forward to his friend, passing a victorious Persephone by without thought. "Are you all right?" he asked the man on the ground before him.
He was astonished to be met with a wide, exuberant grin, though through slight panting. "She's majestic, Allen. A creature of legends." He laughed and coughed at the same time. "Never did I dream of the day when I would be conquered by a woman, Allen. Never did I imagine I'd meet such a being of beauty and raw power."
The knight looked up at the girl above him, her eyes staring down at him in a strange manner, a power hungry smile cracking her face. He shuddered, a strange mixture of fear and lust hitting him. Demon, indeed.
***************
"I want you to come with us to Virdania." Allen said, looking into the reflection of Persephone's eyes in the mirror as she combed out her clean, wet hair. She was wrapped in a robe and had tied it firmly around her slender waste. Allen had been trying to get together and talk with her, but she had been cleaning up, and hadn't wanted to keep the knight waiting longer, so she had asked him to come in, thinking that the man of character could handle talking to her as she finished getting ready.
Yet, at his words, she froze, arms still raised, her brush still in her hair. "Virdania." She said quietly. Why did it sound so familiar? She shrugged and continued on, meeting Allen's gaze in the mirror as well. "Why? What are you doing there that has anything to do with me?"
The knight sighed before explaining, his gaze never leaving hers. "We are seeking a kingdom that may protect us from Zaibach and Asturia, which both are seeking out Van and his guymelef." Persephone paused as she nodded, already knowing of Escaflowne. She continued on. "On the outskirts of Virdania, there is to be a small festival. The king of that country is going to meet us there in private, to discuss an agreement and refuge plan. I'd like you to come for your skill. You are a very well trained warrior and we could use your experience if anything should go wrong."
Persephone turned away from the large mirror on the wall and picked up a smaller one from her dresser, examining her face critically. She spoke in destraction as she stared into the mirror and passed Allen. "Why would something go wrong?" Still she held the small object in front of her. Allen didn't bother to turn as she walked behind him.
"The king is very jumpy. He may make a mistake... Plus, Zaibach seems to be everywhere these days..." Allen sighed wearily. "But most of all, I'm worried about the king. He is very young, and his country took a serious blow when their capital fell not too long ago." The knight's eyes shined over in remembrance and a strange, thoughtful smile creased his face as he looked into the shadows of the room. "I had only visited the capital once. Corinth was very beautiful. It was the shining jewel of Mirama-" Allen jerked out of his chair as he heard a loud crash behind him.
He turned to find Persephone pale behind him, the small mirror she had been holding laying in shards at her feet. He rushed forward, pushing her back gently so that she wouldn't be cut on her bare feet. He turned to look at her again, but had found that she had receded into the shadows, out of sight. "Persephone, are you all right?" He asked quietly, trying to penetrate the darkness.
"I'm fine, Allen. Perhaps you should leave. I still have a lot to do to get ready." Her voice was expressionless and final. Allen knew well enough that it was his cue to leave.
"I'll be right next door if you need anything." He said before leaving. Persephone sighed and stepped into the light. She was shaking visibly, her face pale.
"Calm down, Perseph. Just calm down." She whispered to herself urgently as she tried desperately to take control of her body before it could go into the full spasms, the painful and terrifying seizures. She sat down on her nearby bed and winced quietly as she picked a large shard of glass out of the side of her foot. A trickle of blood ran down the side of her foot and collected at the end of her big toe before gravity grasped it, a large, crimson drop hitting the rug below. Persephone looked at the collecting stain on the white material below her, trying to hold back the memories. But in the end, it all came back.
'...streets, filled with blood, screaming, death...' Persephone's mouth tightened, her teeth grinding as another convulsion hit her. '...the fire she brought, destroying it all. Corinth, in flames. An entire town, gone by her own deeds...' She felt darkness edging in on her as the seizure tried to take full hold of her violently, and she squeezed her eyes shut, gripping the material of the bed beneath her with trembling hands. But then a peace flowed over her at the next visions and she relaxed, only the slightest bit of a small shiver passed all over her body. '...feathers, wings, an angel. Pulled back from death, wakening her, embracing her...' She let out a choking sob, one last vision engulfing her before her guilt and misery backed down. It was a concerned face, a king dressed as a court jester, a smile just for her, a look just for her, a love just for her... A tear streamed down Persephone's face.
'...Folken...'
Author's Note: Whaddya think? Please Read and Review!