Disclaimer: I do not own Tenkuu no Escaflowne or affiliated characters
Of Dragons and Destiny: Chapter I
Change the Stars
"Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them."
~ Shakespeare, "Hamlet"
"Come in!" the boy called, looking up from his desk at the sound of a knock at his door. He was expecting one of the household servants, a page perhaps, and was mildly surprised to see his father's private secretary standing in the threshold.
"Your father desires to see you," the man said, in a tone of voice that indicated this errand was beneath him, "Now."
The boy rose to his feet, leaving the book he had been reading open on his desk. He suppressed a sigh, mindful of the secretary's disdainful stare, and stepped past him into the dark hallway. His father's study was in the east wing of the manor house, so the boy had plenty of time to be wonder what in the world his father was doing that required his presence so late at night. Naturally he wouldn't call me earlier, during my study time; he had to wait until I was enjoying myself. It's always business before pleasure with him. "Education is simply too important," the boy groused under his breath.
"I'm glad you agree with me," his father noted softly, but his orator's voice carried quite well to his startled son's ears.
"Father, I…" the boy stuttered, blinking at the sight of his father's sturdy frame standing just inside his study, haloed by mellow gold firelight.
"Why don't you come in, Colin," his father said, turning from the door and making his way to his desk, expecting his son to follow. "Have a seat," he said without looking back, indicating a stiff high-backed chair that faced the desk. It was an order, not a request. Colin sat. His father took his own seat behind the ebon expanse of the desk and stared across it at his son. Colin felt, as he always did in his father's presence, that he was being examined for flaws by some impersonal and disinterested will who wished only to make use of him somehow. He met his father's gaze without wavering.
"How was Palas?" asked his father suddenly.
Colin could not have been more surprised if his father's desk had turned into a dragon.
"How was Palas?" his father repeated after several moments of silence.
I returned from Palas nearly a month ago. Why is he asking about it now? "It was…educational," replied Colin, unsure where his father's question would lead him.
"'Educational'?" his father echoed, a hint of mockery in his voice, "From your glowing letters about the program at the Academy, I would expect a more enthusiastic description. You were enrolled in one of the specialized training classes, were you not?"
"Yes, Father," Colin answered, determined not to rise to his father's tone. His father demanded perfect restraint in all of his sons and one had to be prepared to be tested whenever they spoke to him. "Captain Hamas, the Zaibach liaison officer at the Academy, scheduled an interview for me with the Commandant to that end the day I arrived. General Bevedere met with me and read over my file and I was enrolled in the Knight Caeli candidate program. I wrote home about it," he could not help adding.
"Yes, I read your letter. You were of the opinion that the Knights had a better training program than anything the Institute had to offer."
"Well, yes. After all, they are the most elite…"
"Very well," his father interrupted, "I was the one who requested that you send reports about the training, remember?"
"I do," said Colin. And you also said to skip any mention of anything else. "Were the reports satisfactory?"
"They were," his father said, nodding curtly. He stroked his bearded chin. "I was impressed with your progress and your accurate assessment; such impersonal observation is difficult to come by." Colin's heart swelled at this rare praise. "Unfortunately," continued his father, "you will not be returning to the Academy."
Colin felt as though someone had slammed an armored fist into his stomach. "Wh…what?" he gasped.
"Circumstances have changed," said his father, ignoring his son's incredulous stare, "Our interests require you to leave the Academy permanently." By including the magisterial "our," he meant the clan.
"What circumstances?" demanded Colin, almost leaping out of his chair.
"That is enough out of you!" his father snapped coldly, his black eyes narrowing dangerously. Colin clenched his fists and sucked air in though his teeth to calm down.
"May I know why I must abandon my studies?" he asked respectfully, though rage swirled like crimson fire in his eyes.
His father raised a critical eyebrow. "Better," he said, "You must never let yourself give into emotion like that. I have taught you better; passion only leads to confusion and mistakes. Calculation, Colin! How many times have I told you that?"
"I am sorry, Father," Colin apologized, bowing his head so that his father could not see the anger in his eyes, "I will not be so disrespectful again."
"See that
you don't," his father counseled, "Your interests and ours are better served if
you have complete control of yourself."
"Yes, Father." There was a pause. "Am I to know the reason for my leaving the
Academy," he lifted his head, "or is it unfitting for me to question you?" He braced himself for a blow for his
impertinence. But I must know why…
"Ordinarily, yes," stated his father unexpectedly. He heaved a sigh and ran a tired hand through his brown hair. Colin noticed, for the first time, the gray streaks that ran through it and the lines that creased his father's tanned face. He is...old. Colin found that he was more frightened of this fact than any rage his father could have shown him. His father was an indomitable pillar of strength, the patriarch of their clan, as stern and cold and unrelenting as the harshest frost. If Colin were to picture his father, it would be as a living statue hewn from the heart of a glacier, pure, flawless, having a cold fire of its own. But now, there was a weakness, an uncertainty…
"Father…?" Colin whispered. His father looked at him and the mask of winter-hardened will fell over his features once more.
"You are the first of your brothers not to enter into government service," he told Colin unnecessarily, "As you know, politics is the life blood of the Delios clan; without it, we would be weakened, the influence we enjoy would disappear, and our strength would dissipate like heat from dying coals, leaving us open to our enemies. And we do have enemies, Colin, powerful ones. It is a testament to our strength that they would pursue our destruction so ardently.
"I have worked hard to strengthen our position, and in turn, your brothers have done their duty for the clan by beginning their pursuit for new positions of influence that will benefit us. It is the sacred charge of all those born to Delios to give themselves for the sake of the clan, to keep it strong and make it stronger."
"Yes, Father," Colin said as his father paused significantly. I know my duty as a son of Delios. It has been my first lesson and my life as long as I can remember. "Delios, then Zaibach," you have said more times than I can count.
"You are now fifteen years old," said his father, "and in less than a month, you will be sixteen. It is time that you consider yourself a man, with a man's responsibility to his family. You do not have the gift for politics that your brothers have; despite my best efforts, you are too honest, too…pure for the arena of intrigue." The ghost of a smile on his father's lips tempered his harsh words. It took Colin a moment to realize that there was envy in his father's voice. "Songs and stories of knights, nobility, and honor have always fascinated you, ever since your mother, may her spirit be at peace, sang you lullabies. You were her last and I didn't have the heart to tear you away as soon as I had with your brothers. Nevertheless, you were born for a reason." His father's voice became stern once more. The spring thaw that had come from his mother's memory slid back into winter. "I realized that there had to be another way for you to fulfill your destiny. So I encouraged you to continue with your high ideals and set them on a practical course. The Institute and the Academy were means to an end, Colin, you must realize that."
"To what end?" asked Colin. His heart was in turmoil; never before had his father been so open with him, treating him more like a son and less like a subordinate fit only to obey orders. His mother might as well have not existed as far as his father concerned and Colin had only vague memories of her: the scent of lavender, a laugh, the way her eyes changed colors in the light, much like his own. But never had his father been so honest about the nature of what Colin had assumed was his own path in life. Am I no better than my brothers then, a tool of my clan's…no, Father's ambition? Is everything I believe, that honor is higher than ambition, that sacrifice is nobler than survival, is it all a lie?
Unaware of his son's inner torment, Colin's father answered, "To achieve glory for our clan, of course. Strength is tantamount, but glory is something our family has lacked for some time. It is good to embody the higher ideals that everyone lauds but in practice do not fulfill. The Knights Caeli are the most elite fighting force in Gaea, but more than that, they are the recognized symbol of chivalry."
"Then I should stay with the Knights," Colin protested, "I have already been chosen as a squire to a Knight. Sir Bjorn…"
"Is a decent, honorable man you admire. I understand. You were the youngest candidate in a century to be chosen as a squire, if I recall."
"Yes."
"I was very proud to learn of that, Colin, though I did not tell you at the time. It is a difficult thing for me to remove you from such a promising course, but it is necessary."
Difficult for you? Colin could not help the spark of resentment that flared up at these words.
"A year ago, even before you left for the Academy, my department became involved in a secret project that required joint efforts with both the Ministry of War and the Sorcerers. The Emperor himself set the guidelines and monitored our progress with great interest, for what we would accomplish has bearing on his intentions for the destiny of Zaibach. The reason I am telling you this is because I want you to be a part of it," his father said.
"I thought you hated the Sorcerers," Colin remarked, "What sort of project…?"
"The time is right for Zaibach to affirm its destiny as Gaea's one superpower," stated his father, holding up a hand to forestall Colin's question, "I might deplore the methods of the Sorcerers, but take care in remembering that your cousin, Ketal, is one of them. Without their organization…"
"We're going to war," interrupted Colin, the purport of his father's statement finally dawning on him, "Zaibach is…all the preparations, the escalations in diplomatic tensions, the break with Basram, all of it…we're going to war!"
"Yes," his father answered heavily, "The Emperor has declared that now is the time for us to seize control."
"What of our alliance with Asturia?" Colin asked breathlessly, "There was some uneasiness at the Academy when we broke off relations with Basram, but there was nothing to indicate that relations between Asturia and Zaibach were anything but friendly. In fact, just before I left, Ambassador Einur spoke at the Academy about broadening the student exchange program between the Royal Academy and the Institute to include cross-training for up-and-coming guymelef pilots! He spoke with me afterwards and asked how my studies were proceeding. There was nothing…he…"
"The ambassador is unaware of the coming war," his father informed him, "Einur is a skillful politician, but he shares too close a friendship with his Asturian counterpart, Ambassador d'Morney, for us to risk informing him. D'Morney is a shrewd observer, and it has been all that we could do to conceal the truth from him."
"But he's right here in the capital!" Colin exclaimed, "You'd have to modify…his memory." Colin's father could not meet his son's eyes. "Father, you didn't allow the Sorcerers to…I thought you would never approve of such a thing!"
"At this time, what is good for Zaibach is good for the clan," his father said, "I will hear no more on this! As Minister of Internal Affairs, I am the one man in all of Zaibach who has the power to resist the Sorcerers' attempts to gain control of the Empire. Emperor Dornkirk and his lieutenant aware of their intrigues, yet they do nothing to control the Sorcerers' rampant disobedience of the restraints the Assembly has put on them. The Assembly might as well not exist as far as they are concerned. It is up to me, so do not take that high and mighty attitude about things you have no concept of!"
"Yes, father." Colin was once more the subordinate, his father the patriarch.
"In time, you will understand why we do what we do," his father said, gazing at his son. Colin's eyes, so much like his mother's, were lowered and they did not see the mask slip again. It pained the minister to destroy such idealism. Idealism was weakness, but the boy's mother had had an innocence that refused to be shaken by the brutality of the harsh, cold world around her. Whereas her husband had crafted the core of iron and ice in his soul, she was eternally of summer brightness and warmth. Colin, of their four sons, was most like her and kept her memory alive simply by living in the purity of the virtues she had taught him. There had to be a way…
The hard mask once more hid the father's compassionate eyes.
"Colin, look at me," he said sternly. Colin obeyed and the father noted that some of the pure light had gone out of his son's eyes. "The project I was involved in is nearing completion. The purpose of it was to create an elite fighting force whose sole purpose in the upcoming war would be to eliminate a stray element that spells certain doom for Zaibach in the Emperor's calculations. After the war is over, this group will be elevated to heroes of the state and they will take the place now held by the Knights Caeli. Only the best young men of Zaibach, the most skilled, the most dedicated, the most honorable, can be part of this unit. The Dragon Slayers will become the most respected and most feared soldiers on Gaea once they fulfill their purpose and they will continue to serve the Empire into the future the Emperor has planned for us. I want you to become a Dragon Slayer and bring glory to the clan. Your place among them is practically guaranteed.
"Because I am the son of a minister?" Colin asked dully.
"No," his father said firmly, "The Knights Caeli have served as a model for the Dragon Slayers. Captain Hamas has supplied us with reports as to how the Knights are trained, but you provided an insider's appraisal. You were trained by them and you will find that the Dragon Slayers' training is based on the same basic principles, only slightly modified to adapt them to the Slayers' particular mission in the coming months. Since you were the best student in the candidate program, you should have no trouble at all."
"Except being accepted by the other Slayers," Colin noted, "With the war so close, am I correct in assuming the training program is already under way?"
"Basic training will be completed in two days time," answered his father, "You will report to your commander right after the commencement ceremonies at Fort Prolieato, where final training will be completed."
No matter how good I am, I will be resented. Basic training was the most exhausting and painful experience in my life. It also gave me deeper friendships than I could ever hope for. I will come to them as an outsider, a privileged son of an influential clan. If Father thinks I will ever be anything different to them, he fails to understand the word "comrade." "Brothers we are, though no blood be shared between us, for we would gladly give our life to each other and know that its gift would have no better love than if it was given unto the angels." "If it is your will that I should do this, then I accept it," Colin said, rising, "Good night, Father."
Colin returned to his room in a daze. Not be a Knight? The words buzzed in his mind like a swarm of carrion flies. He dropped into the chair before his desk and laid a hand on the leather-bound volume he had been reading. But his eyes did not return to the words for some time. Instead, Colin stared at the night sky visible through his open window. The lights of the city in the valley below and the pollution from the factories drowned out all the starlight, leaving only a gaping black void that seemed in danger of dropping right on top of him. I wish it would.
The steady breeze admitted by the open window had turned back the pages of the book in his absence, all the way to the title page. When Colin chanced to look down, the hand-illuminated characters, shining like gems on the cream-colored paper, might as well have been mocking him:
The Rolle of Honour
A Historie of the Knights Caeli
It had been a gift from the knight he served as the youngest squire in a century, Sir Bjorn Mazar, presented in conjunction with an award from the Academy itself. Sir Bjorn had signed his name beneath the title, "…so that you don't forget your old master when you become the Grand High Commander," he had said as he placed the book in Colin's hands. Colin had to laugh at this statement, for Bjorn himself, far from old, had only been knighted two years before at the worldly age of twenty. Then again, the Knights always did seem to have a certain aura about them that made even the youngest more dignified then his actual age. As for the ambition of being Grand High Commander…well, we both knew that could never be; Asturians alone could be in the Company of Twelve and only an Asturian could achieve that highest rank…
Colin picked up the book and drifted over to the open window, his hand out as if to close it against the encroachments of the night. The lights of the city spread out in a man-made display of garishness that made an attempt at celestial beauty. Colin lifted his eyes to the void of the heavens and was surprised to notice the two sister moons, near setting, shining with a brilliance that defied the city below. For some reason, they had always seemed farther away in the city. In Palas however…
Memories like delicate butterflies danced before his eyes.
"There are so many of them!" Like diamond sand on black velvet.
"What's the matter, Delios, never seen the stars before…?"
"Colin, I don't think I can move it. It must be broken!"
"Hang on, Zev, we'll get you out of here in no time. Here, take my cloak, it'll keep you warm until the others can get the rope down to us…" I hope they hurry. Gaea, it's cold...
"For conspicuous gallantry and disregard for his own personal safety to save the life of a comrade…" And scaring the sense out of himself in the process…
"See you in six weeks, Squire." Instead of a farewell as I boarded the airship for home…
"So sorry, Sir Bjorn, but destiny, and my father, dictate otherwise," Colin said aloud, trying to break free of his less-than-useless reminiscing that left a bitter taste like coal dust in his mouth. He glared down at thick book in his hands, feeling its weight as if each page were of lead. It contained all the legends and realities of the Knights Caeli, from their founding over thirty generations ago, springing from the root of the ancient (and some say mythical) Company of Immortals, to the present age. It included pages of histories in miniature on the principle noble houses whose sons had been Knights, going back at least ten generations, the most notable being the Bevederes, the d'Morneys, the Schezars, and the Mazars. And one particular family, almost at the very end and limited to two pages because they were not of Asturia. Colin's fingers flew through the well-thumbed leaves and found them without even having to look down.
"The House of Delios," the heading blazed in words of gold. And just below that, his family crest, the silver talons of a dragon grasping a gold chalice on a field of crimson.
"The House of Delios of Zaibach…" the history began. Colin had memorized the pages and said the words aloud as he stared up at the silver and blue-green orbs that dominated the shroud of night.
"…And finally, Sir Cairnor Delios, Knight Caeli of the Second Rank, who served his father country as military envoy to Asturia and Basram. Slain during the Treaty of Alliance by Basramian insurgents who had intended to assassinate the Asturian and Zaibach ministers of state, Lord Vincence d'Lamas and Lord Sarlas Mator. Sir Cairnor was informed of the plot minutes before it was put into effect. He held off the efforts of ten skilled swordsmen who assaulted the ministers' carriage they had isolated in a side street in Helfast long enough for the People's Garrison to arrive and arrest the assassins before succumbing to numerous mortal wounds. Both men survived the attack because of Sir Cairnor's sacrifice and devotion to the tenants of knightly honor."
Sacrifice and devotion to honor…did great-uncle Cairnor act this way because it would bring glory to Delios? Our contributions of blood to the Knights had indeed lessened as time went on; I would have been the first in three generations. I cannot believe that all of them were of the same mind as my father. At least one…there had to have been one who believed…
"Bring me Men who prize Honor above Ambition and Courage above Pride, and I will make them Warriors without Equals."
The words that had been engraved above the gates of the Academy obliterated any lingering doubts about whether he should become a Knight. If at any time his strength had flagged or his pride had taken hold of him, he had but to remember the might and humility those words had inspired in him as he had gazed up at them for the first time.
But never again. Tears stung his eyes and blurred light and dark together into twilight. Unbidden, his fingers clawed the pages, tearing them from their place. Lies, lies, lies! There is no such thing as Honor! It has no place among men, it is something we only pay lip service to when glory is what we seek! All lies… The book tumbled from his nerveless hand. Clenching the pages in his fist, Colin shuddered and fell to his knees as burning waves of despair coursed through him. Taking the two pieces of parchment in his hands, he prepared to rip them to shreds. But he could not do it. His dreams had turned to ashes and what he held in his hands was the last vestige of those dreams. He made his decision.
The pages were laid out on the desk like the crumpled wings of a butterfly. Colin smoothed them as well as he could, using the binding of the book, but they would forever be marked. The boy reached into his tunic and brought forth a tube of polished ivory that dangled from a leather thong about his neck. The dragon whose ivory scales curled around it stared at him with its single ruby eye. Colin drew out the silver stopper and used his finger nails to draw out the rolled piece of paper that was inside.
His mother's poem fell to the ground unheeded as Colin swiftly folded the pages in half lengthwise and then rolled them into a single small roll. The parchment was placed in the seal case and the silver stopper was replaced.
"You'll keep them safe, won't you," Colin whispered to the dragon, "You'll protect the honor of my ancestors until one of my descendants can claim it." He stared at the dragon's ruby eye until it seemed to wink at him. The ivory seal case was returned to its former place.
"As for these…" Colin said, picking up the discarded poem and the book. He looked about his room, briefly considered the fire in the fireplace, then looked once more to his desk.
The secret drawer at the base of the desk sprang open at the touch of the small bronze lever. The book and the poem were laid in there, on top of some old poems Colin had written and hidden from his father and the drawer was shut on them for the last time. Colin wrenched the lever out of its socket and threw the piece of metal out his window.
It was finished. Everything that might deter him from his chosen path had been locked away, to be forgotten. Breathing heavily, Colin collapsed on his bed and stared up at the blank ceiling.
May I serve my clan well and may our true honor someday be reclaimed. The boy fell asleep.
"Father?"
"Ah, Colin, come in, quickly."
"Father, the airship is about to leave…"
"Yes, yes, I know, but there is one last thing I must tell you before you go. Shut the door and sit down. Last night, your cousin, Ketal, delivered some vital information to me that I've been trying to get my hands on for the last two weeks. It is your future commander's file."
"File? What sort of file? Father, does this have anything to do with your cooperation with the Sorcerers?"
"It has everything to do with it. Dilandau is the only reason why Sorcerers were included in the project in the first place. Take this."
"This file has the seal of the Sorcerers on it. Ketal took it from their lab?"
"From the most secure vault, I might add. Don't look at me like that Colin. I have every right to have the Sorcerers arrested for neglecting to give me the full contents of this file."
"But you won't because Ketal would be killed if you did."
"I'm not so cold that I would have one of my kinsmen murdered for no reason. In time, when the Sorcerers are not aware, I will strike the blow that will destroy them. For now, read the file."
" 'Name: Albatou, Dilandau. Rank: Captain, Special Forces Command (promotion pending). Serial number: 8902-65…' This is his military records. Other than that he's under the SFC, I can't see why this is anything more than classified."
"Turn to the red folder marked 'top secret'."
" 'Experiment No.: 000-89-23. Name: Albatou, Dilandau. Facility No.: 109.
SPI (Subject Prior Identity): Schezar,…Celena.' Celena Schezar?! But that's not possible! She disappeared ten years ago!"
"Look at the date."
"05-09-81. Gaea, that's…that's less then a month after she supposedly disappeared!"
"I was aware that you knew Sir Allen Schezar, but I was not aware that he had given you so much information concerning the disappearance of his sister."
"He never told me about it. Sir Bjorn did. He warned me not to approach Sir Allen on a particular day and then explained that it would be the ninth anniversary of Celena's disappearance! And all this time, she was here…"
"Colin, do you not understand what that file means? Celena no longer exists. It was from her that the Sorcerer's derived Dilandau."
"How? Did they kill her?! How do you get one person from another?!"
"Colin, sit down and listen to me! It was discovered that to arrive at Zaibach's ideal future, the entire course of a person's life, including their identity, had to be changed."
"I had heard rumors…children taken from the streets, orphanages, experiments so horrible that…"
"It is a necessary evil. None of those children had any future and others, well, they were not of Zaibach."
"How many died? How many were slaughtered for the sake of our future?"
"Do not concern yourself with them. Your task is to become a Dragon Slayer. I am only showing you this to give you some perspective on your commander. Read that attached report and you will understand."
" 'Subject shows sadistic and destructive tendencies that must be focused on efforts for the state if his capabilities are to be fully exploited. May develop emotional imbalance over time. Has shown instability under duress and in extreme cases, devolution to his SPI. Precautions will be taken to prevent this…' So, if I understand this correctly, Dilandau reverts to Celena if he is in danger. I thought he was the perfect warrior."
"You must understand that the Sorcerers were perfecting Fate Alteration technology at that time and it was only five years old. Dilandau has been the only fully successful result."
"Turning back into Celena doesn't sound like much of a success."
"That will only happen as a result of extreme trauma, both physical and emotional. Colin, I know I told you that you need to reject the Knights, but perhaps you can use some of their teachings to help your commander."
"Such as?"
"I might have scant knowledge of chivalry, but I know that it involves defending maidens somewhere. I want you…"
"To protect Dilandau as I would a damsel? Father, not only is that insulting to my future commander, it's demeaning to the principles of chivalry. But if that is your will…"
"It is."
"Then I will defend him by my oath as a kni…Dragon Slayer."
"Very good. Finish reading the file, then go to the airship. I don't you to be late."
"Yes, Father."
"And Colin…"
"Yes, Father?"
"Stop talking like a knight. You have no idea how many might take offense to that, including your commander. And you might want to pack those daggers of yours in some other place where they won't be found so easily."