There is still a bond between Van and Hitomi, but
will it help or will it hurt. Princess
Terrial hears more than she should, including Van's feelings for Hitomi. Her true loyalties come out. And Van tells
why he has never brought Hitomi back to Gaea. Please read and review Fanilia
The Crusade has been traveling east across Fanilia
and the lands of the wilds nearing the Bosram boarder. Two more days and they meet up with the
convoy from Zieback. Allen and Amano
have been spending a lot of time with sword instruction. Amano is turning out to be an intense
student and a quick learner.
Dryden has all but locked himself in the room he converted for his research. Mr. Mole visits him at various times.
Millerna and Yukari have become friends and are
joined at times by Merle when she can get away from her "companion" duties with
the Empress. Everyone has something to
do or someone to be with, except Van. He spends a lot of his time thinking and sitting in the guymelth bay on
Escaflowne. Van is in the bay, having
awakened from another dream this night.
Van: "Folken, I have had another dream, does this
mean I am getting closer to the dragon?
He thinks back on the dream. It was filled with dragons, on the land and
in the air, all coming to join the green dragon. Fire filled the sky and spread across the land. Mountains burst forth with fire and smoke.
The land and the air were on fire. Van
is abruptly brought back from his thoughts as the pendant begins to glow, the
green glow he experienced a few days ago. The glowing grows brighter, and then flashes in bright white light. Van grips his arm in pain and slumps forward
unconscious.
A short time later Allen and Amano enter the
guymelth bay. Allen is talking about
the history of the giant fight machines.
Allen: "The
guymelths are as old as Gaea; Escaflowne is one of the oldest, made by the
Ispano clan with knowledge from the Atlantecians.
Allen is still talking about the history of the
guymelths and doesn't notice Amano staring at Escaflowne.
Amano: "Is that Van on Escaflowne? Hey something's not right, Allen look."
The two rush to Escaflowne and Van. Van is slumped over sitting on the giant's
knee. Allen and Amano struggle to get
him down.
Allen: "Quick, go get Millerna, and have her bring
her bag. She's a healer."
Amano runs from the bay, as Allen examines his
friend. There is a deep slash across
his upper arm. How could this happen?
Van is still unconscious, He has been moved to the
crew sleeping quarters and Millerna is tending to his arm.
Millerna: "It's a strange wound, it won't
close. Where did you find him?"
Allen: "In the guymelth bay on Escaflowne."
Millerna: "Did you check Escaflowne?"
Allen: "No, but I should have, I'll go do it now."
Amano: "Check the armor, do you think he was cut
that deep on the armor?"
They are heading back thru the hall to the bay as
they speak.
Allen: "No. Its Escaflowne, I told you that the Ispano clan made it. The Ispano guymelths are cursed. Van bonded with Escaflowne and when the
armor is damaged so is Van. The armor
can even kill its pilot if the damage is severe enough. Hitomi unknowingly used
her power to allow him to bond, and now Escaflowne's pain is his pain.
They enter the bay to examine the guymelths
arm. It is damaged, but the damage is
also strange, as if from the inside. Both Van and Escaflowne have damage not of their own.
Allen heads strait for the communications
tube.
Allen: "Gadis, get a repair grew to the guymelth
bay at once. Escaflowne is damaged; I
want it repaired within the hour.
Gadis is on the bridge of the ship alone at this
time at night. He jumps at the sudden
sound of his commander's voice over the tube.
Gadis: "Yes sir!"
He then opens a second tube calling to the crew the
orders. The men don't have to be told
twice, crew men rush to the bay to begin. They all know the importance of damage to that guymelth.
When Allen and Amano return to Millerna with the
news, Yukari has already arrived. She
was concerned when Amano was gone so long. Being in this strange land has begun to get to her, as has the fact that
Hitomi has yet to be found.
Allen: "You were right, but the damage to
Escaflowne is also strange. I have a
repair crew working on it now.
Yukari: "He's so still, what if he dies, we might
never find Hitomi or our way back home."
She lays her head on Amano's shoulder, and he holds
her.
Yukari: "Why are they so concerned about the armor,
Its Van that is hurt."
Amano: "Allen told me that the two are connected,
they bonded. So when the armor is
damaged, so is Van."
Merle and Empress Terrial both burst into the room,
running to Van's side.
Merle: "What happened to Lord Van?"
Millerna: "We don't know Escaflowne is damaged
too."
Terrial: "Escaflowne, I didn't know he brought that
war machine with him."
Merle looks directly at Millerna to silence any
further information she might let slip.
Merle: "He brought it to protect you, Empress,
incase the dragon returns."
Van moves, he is starting to regain
conciseness. He struggles to sit.
Van: "Hitomi! She's hurt. We have to find her,
now!"
Allen: "No Van, it was Escaflowne, what happened,
we didn't hear anything.
Van: "Its not me, It was Hitomi, I felt it I can
still feel it in my heart. We must be
getting close."
Terrial stands and silently leaves the room. She has heard enough. She will make sure this Hitomi is found, If
she can't have Van, then he won't have his Hitomi eigher. She must get word to the Three.
Merle: "Terrial is gone. She heard to much, I don't trust her."
Allen: "Go keep an eye on her, we will have to be
more careful, I don't trust her either, she could be more dangerous than she
looks."
Merle: "But I don't want to leave Lord Van, can't
someone else keep an eye on her for a while."
Van: "I'm Ok, please Merle, Allen's right she needs
to be watched."
Merle leaves, she will do what needs to be done,
but if anything happens to Lord Van, there will be hell to pay, and the Empress
will find out just how upset a cat can get.
Allen: "Why are you so sure it's Hitomi?"
Van: "I was alone, thinking and the pendant began
to glow, that strange green color again. There was a flash and I felt the pain, her pain. I could almost see her face and then she was
gone.
He reaches up to hold his arm. Takes a deep breath, then continues.
Van: "I haven't said anything about this till now,
but in the three years since Hitomi left, I have used her pendant to
watch. I have been waiting for the
right time to ask her to return to Gaea. But the longer we have been apart, the harder it has become to see
her. She will be leaving school very
soon and I'd planned to bring her back, to ask her to stay with me here. Three years ago we were both to young. I had a kingdom to rebuild, and Hitomi
needed her family to heal after what Zieback and Dornkirk had done to her. She had been used by not only them, but by
all of us. I wanted her to come back,
because she loved me as a woman loves a man."
Dryden has entered the room while Van was
speaking. He walks over to his wife and
takes her hand.
Dryden: "Van's right about the pendant, the power
of Atlantice is Hitomi's power. The
pendant is a part of her. It may very
well lead us to her. And also to the
dragon, I believe it follows her, follows the destiny of Atlantice.
Millerna: "Have you discovered more about the
prophecy?"
Dryden: "Yes, I believe I have. I've been studying some of the older texts
to help in deciphering it. They are
part of Gaea's history now. One in
particular I believe has to do with the War of Perfect Fortune. Hitomi is the holder of Destiny. She controls the power of Atlantice. That we already knew. You Van, are the descendent of the people of
Atlantice. The blood of Atlantice,
together the two of you the destiny and the blood, saved an entire world with
your love.
But the world is in danger again, and I think it
will take both you and Hitomi to save it. We need to find her even more than we need to find the dragon."
Van: "And soon before anything else can hurt her."
Dryden: "Van, There's more, the three dark lords in
the prophecy, I believe they may be
Zieback Sorceress. If they are behind this, they knew if the light of balance was destroyed
the dragon would come. They could also
have brought Hitomi here before you could and are trying to keep you apart.
The light of balance may be an energist. I found references to dragonmere in the text
also, but I've just started researching it.'
Allen: "Dragonmere only exist in tails told to
young children at bedtime. They aren't
real.
Dryden: "What about the stories about people from
the Mystic Moon. I've heard those as a
child too. All tales have some basis in
fact."
Van: "We know the light of balance has been
destroyed and that the dragons shadow has become. We need to know what the tainted lands are. As soon as we meet up with the convoy from
Zieback and the Empress is away, we will find Hitomi.
