Chapter six
A feather was tickling her nose. Clarissa didn't realize where she was, "Stop Vaughn, I want to go back to sleep." She suddenly opened her eyes and sat upright tring to pull away from the ropes that held her.
"So, it's finally awake," said a voice from the shadows.
"It? IT? EXCUSE me, but I am not an 'it'!" Clarissa exclaimed.
"I will call you whatever I wish," the voice was very snake-like, "So, you know King Vaughn of Fanelia?"
"Yeah, so what's wrong with that?"
"Exactly the specimen I wanted."
"Specimen? What a sec, you think I'm going to go through your little tests like a lab rat? I don't think so. Just because I'm from the Mystic Moon doesn't make me anymore liable for your stupid tests," Clarissa made clear.
"The Mystic Moon? We'll have to take this one back to the lab," the voice was laughing as it walked away.
Specimen? Yeah, right, Clarissa thought. It was still night. A fire crackled in the distance, and she could hear some people talking. Great, just great. Clarissa then realized that she was in a cage. "Great! You @$#^%&$*($#&! Why'd you have to choose me? Huh?"
"You know there's no use calling names," someone said behind her.
"Well, what are you supposed to do? Sit and rot?" Clarissa answered, she turned around, putting her back against the bars of the cage.
"Your bleeding," She looked down at her arm that had blood all over it.
"Oh, great! Now it's probably gonna get infected and it's all my fault because I didn't notice it. You know, now it hurts."
"I can help with it," he tore a peice of fabric off of his shirt and tied it around her wound.
"Thanks. Now what do we do?" she asked.
"Well, if you want out, you'll have to work with me," he said.
"Fine," Clarissa agreed, "Well, I can get out on my own, but I suppose I can help you. I mean no one deserves to get locked in a cage. Plus, I don't know my way around Gaea. You've already heard I'm from the Mystic Moon. I don't want to be a lab specimen. I'm Clarissa."
"My name's Tren," he said, "So how are you going to get out?"
"Well, first, when my eyes ajust to the dark, I can see what's holding us in here," she paused, "And that would be now. So just a chain? Not too hard."
"Well, yeah, not too hard with my sword, but without it, I'm useless."
"Ok, well that's nice. I guess it all depends on me now."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"It's my power, something I got stuck with. I've never used it when I wasn't mad. I never had a purpose to use it. It just came and scared everyone off when I got mad."
"You want to try it?"
"Not sure, maybe,"she yawned, "I'm tired of thinking, maybe a dream will tell me something."
"I'm not sure it's such a good idea. It's nighttime, when you wake up, it might be morning. We'd have to wait another day."
"Ok, I'll try," she agreed. Clarissa concentrated her energy on unlocking the door. Suddenly there was a click as the chain broke. They crept silently out into the night.
~~*~~
Vaughn knocked on Clarissa door the next morning. "Clarissa, I'm really sorry. I know that you want to stay, but we agreed to leave today. We have to leave, Clarissa," he paused for a moment, "Clarissa? You there? Clarissa?" He turned the door knob. Locked. "Clarissa, I'm sorry, but would you open up the door!" No answer. Vaughn busted the door open. "Clarissa?!" He noticed she wasn't here. The bed didn't even look like it had been slept in. The white linen only looked like it had the slightest wrinkle in it.
Something made him cold though. A breeze from the open window brushed against his skin. Clarissa liked to look out the window. She probably left because of me. Not letting her have her way. He walked over to the window, shutting it. Well, I can't let her run on her own. She doesn't even know how to nagivate in Gaea. Vaughn noticed something on the wood next to the window. Blood. Clarissa's? Someone else's? Kidnapped? Maybe Vaughn was worrying, but there was plenty of other things to worry about.
Allen made his way down the hallway, looking for Vaughn. If they were going to leave, it had to be now. He came walked past Clarissa's room, but then backed up, realizing that Vaughn was there. Vaughn was standing in front of the window. "Where's Clarissa?" Allen asked.
"She's gone. Someone kidnapped her."
"Well, they couldn't've gotten far. I'll send out a search party for the surrounding areas," he sighed, "Vaughn? You gonna be ok?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'll be fine." Allen left the room. Vaughn still stode at the window staring out into the city below. Where are you? Clarissa, I don't wnat to lose you like I did Hitomi. He walked away from the window, following Allen to help with the search party.
~~*~~
"Try not to leave a trail. They'll find us eaiser if you do," Tren stated.
"I'll try,"she promised. It would be a lot harder for Vaughn to find me, too, "So were are we going."
"Anyplace away from here. Can't stay in the same place for too long." They kept walking in the forest brush.
"Why don't we go to a city? There's lots of people there, and they wouldn't really recognize us," she suggested.
"That's what I was planning to do."
"You don't talk much do you?" Clarissa was getting bored. There was something about Tren that he didn't want to tell her. Secrets. We all keep them. Some are more dangerous to know than others. Vaughn had secrets, too. Clarissa looked out into the distance. It's really getting warmer in the forest. She squinted looking out at the horizen. It was really hard to see anything in the forest. The sun was almost up, and Clarissa could see Tren's face clearly. He had blonde hair, and his sword was slung across his back at an angle. It was bigger than most of the swords she had seen before. It looked really heavy, but she didn't recognize the metal it was made from. The sword seemed to shine and glisten in colors of white and blue, unlike any other sword she had seen. Must be really powerful, she thought.
"Only when I have to."
"Huh?" The end of the shrubbery was in sight. They walked out onto the grass, some spots of the grass darker than others. Clarissa could faintly see a city in the distance. "There's a city in the distance," Clarissa informed, "Tren? Would it seem weird if I..., never mind. It would seem weird."
He didn't say anything. Clarissa didn't even know if he actually cared. He probably didn't it was a stupid idea anyway. Forget it, Clarissa told herself. They neared the edge of the city. It was early morning, and the sun was reflecting off the window panes in the houses.
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Clarissa announced.
"Shut up!" They walked into the city, trying to act like common civilians.
"Oh, shit!" Clarissa spoke. She saw the people that were looking for them. Looking in all the directions, with swords at their sides. She grabbed Tren's arm. "Don't act suspicious, they might notice us. Just walk really slowly this way." She turned him in a different direction, but the soldiers had already noticed them. They rushed over to Clarissa and Tren. Clarissa expected to be captured on the spot, but Tren already had his sword in his hands and was massacring the soldiers off like cats on mice.
Clarissa felt someone grab her around the waist from behind, putting her over their shoulder and carrying her off. "Tren!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. He turned around to see what the problem was, but was instantly knocked out by the last soldier from behind him. Clarissa realized that she was the only person that could do something. She had to protect herself. She looked for a weapon on the person that was carrying her away. She couldn't find anything at all, and decided to kick the person in the stomach. They doubled over in an amount of pain. They ran off down the corridor, out of the town. Clarissa ran over to Tren, picking up a dagger from a dead soldier, stabbing the last one.
Clarissa knelt over the unconscious Tren.
~~*~~
"Any luck with the search?" Vaughn asked. They were still in Melaso, trying to find Clarissa. It was still ealry morning. Vaughn knew that they're would be anything yet.
"No nothing, we're almost to the town of Keln." Someone came to Allen on horseback reporting news.
"We've found an abandoned campsite. Fire's still burning. No one's in sight. Following the tracks even now." The reporter spoke.
"Thank you," Allen sent him off, "You think this kidnapping has anything to do with our 'mysterious' enemy?"
"Probably, can't see why we can't suspect whoever this might be. They're our enemy anyway you look at it."
"Well, whoever it is, there's something going on. But first we have to find Clarissa," Allen suggested.
"Yeah, keep searching."
~~*~~
"Tren!" Clarissa yelled. She still nelt over his unconcous body, trying to get him to wake up. "Tren?!" She gasped heavily out of weariness. She could hardly breath now beacause of the fighting and yelling. Clarissa collapased on Tren out of exaustion.
There they lay, amide the dead soldiers. Both of them unconcious and no one to help them.
Too bad I woke up, Clarissa thought, Once I open my eyes, that will be the end. Then I'll have to get on that plane thing and fly to another town. Vaughn, why'd you have to do this? Clarissa was thinking she was still in Melaso. Still at the castle, but she had much more to worry about than getting on the airship and leaving. She had to get back to Vaughn, well maybe she didn't, but it felt like she did. Right now she was stuck with Tren. And the last thing she could remember was her trying to awaken Tren, but she couldn't. Tren! Clarissa suddenly thought. She opened her eyes, to find that.....she was in the town's inn. She wasn't in Melaso anymore. Oh great, now I'm sounding like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz! 'Well, we're not in Kansas anymore'. I haven't even been to Kansas! "Tren?" Clarissa asked.
"Hmm?" he asked.
"What happened?"
"I don't know. When I woke up, you were unconcous. Clarissa, no one's here."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that no one's here. No one. In the whole town. In any of the houses. No one."
"Well, that's strange, but Tren? We have to go to Melaso."
"It's gonna take us five days on foot. Are you sure you want to go?" He informed.
"I'm not sure."
"You don't like traveling?" He asked.
"I haven't decided yet. It's just that we really need to go to Melaso. Tren, I got kidnapped from there. You know I'm not from there, but I need to go back."
"So, there's one thing I have to know. What happened? I thought you were gone."
"You thought I was dead?" She asked surprisingly.
"Not what I ment."
"Oh, you thought I was kidnapped! No I kicked that guy in the stomach and ran of to stop the other soldier from killing you. I tried to get you to wake up, but nothing worked. I was so tired. I mean all of the walking and fighting and yelling your name. I was sure you would of heard me, but I collapsed."
"Oh, so, why do we have to go to Melaso?" Tren asked curiously.
"They're waiting for me there. They've probably already sent out a seach team to go find me. Maybe it won't take five days, maybe we'll run into them."
"Whose 'they'?"
"A lot of people. Umm, Vaughn, and Millerna, and Allen, everyone that escaped with us from Fanelia."
"Oh, Lord Vaughn, figures."
"What do you mean 'figures'," Clarissa asked.
"He's the one that found you. I suppose with the collum of light and everything, he thought it was Hitomi."
"Hitomi died."
"Whatever. Why would I care?"
"I dunno. Maybe because you're going to come with me to Melaso?" she begged.
"Yeah, but first we need supplies. You go search some of the houses for food."
"Isn't that stealing, Tren?"
"Not if they aren't here. Just go find food unless you want to starve. You getting on my nerves the way you want everything your way."
"Sorry, it's just that sometimes I act too serious. I never want that to happen."
"It's good to be serious. Now go get food!" Gosh, he's probably the violent type. Jerk. She walked out the door to go search for food.
The town was quiet. Clarissa knocked on one of the doors, but then she realized what Tren had said, no one was here. The door was unlocked, so she went in. It was like everyone had disappeared. Dirty dishes were left by the sink waiting to get washed. Clarissa looked in the cupboards looking for some food that would last a long time. The meat was rotting, it was like they had been gone for over a month. There was some crackers and other stored food, but everything else seemed to have gone bad. Clarissa searched other houses looking for more, but there was only the same thing. There was things in the market that were still left out, like they hadn't even planned to go anywhere, but they had to.
She ran over to Tren. "Tren?"
"Find anything?" he asked looking around like he was trying to find something. Clarissa ignored it though.
"Some stuff, most of the food wasn't any good. I tried to find something, but there wasn't much. Just enough to last five days, but I don't think that it'll take that long to get there."
"Good, ok, tell me if this feels too heavy," he said, giving me a sword.
"No, not really," I lied.
He took it away from me, "Ok, then you get the daggers." He knew it was too heavy for me. Why'd he give it to me in the first place?
"Ok?" I questioned the decison, but took the daggers from him anyway, "Lets go."
"You sure you want to go?" Tren asked.
"Tren, at this point, I can't do anything else." They headed off to Melaso.
~~*~~
"Vaughn," Celena seemed to be reading Vaughn's mind, "We'll find her," she spoke confidentally.
"I know, but how long? How long will it take?" Vaughn asked.
"I'm not sure, but you can't rely on one day for them to find her."
"I'm not worried about finding her," Vaughn explained.
"Oh, you're worried about her, aren't you?"
"I'm not sure. I don't know where to go."
"Vaughn, I'm sure she's ok," Celena assured him as she walked out the door. Vaughn was left to think. Where was she? Was she ok? How would we find her? Just then a messanger ran into the room. Vaughn looked up.
"We just got into the town of Keln. There's five dead soliders from what we know, but they're the only people there, dead or alive."
to be the same way it used to be when... never mind."
"Ok, I'll tell you," Tren sighed, "Two years ago, when I was seventeen, I got captChapter seven
"Are you sure we're going the right way? We should of caught up with them by now," Clarissa asked.
"Don't yell at me, I toke the shortcut," Tren admitted.
"Tren! How do I know that you're not leading me in the wrong direction?"
"Well, I guess you'll just have to trust me."
"So it won't take five days?" Clarissa asked.
"It will if you keep walking at that pace."
"Tren! Tell me the truth!"
"It will only take a few hours to get to Melaso, but we could get sidetracked."
"Oh, well, good!" They didn't talk much for the rest of the walk. It only took a few hours to get to Melaso, and they didn't get sidetracked. Tren and Clarissa arrived at the palace gates.
"You don't understand! You have to let me in. They're looking for me. There's no use looking because I'm here. Just let me talk to Vaughn." Clarissa was negotiating with the guard at the gate. "Just go get him! I have to get back." The guard dissapeared into the castle. "Thank you!" Tren leaned on the wall. "Yeah, and, you coming too?"
"What makes you think I'm going to come?"
"Well my mind tells me that you are, satisified?"
"Well, are we going to go in, or not?" he asked.
"They're in the back, most likely, but what if they aren't. No, patience is a vurtue, so we wait." The guard came back, and let us into the castle. As soon as he opened the gate, she ran into the castle, leaving Tren behind. She ran past most of the rooms, going to the gardens and the back gate of the castle. She came out of the balcony spotting the search party, and Vaughn, in the distance. She ran down the steps, almost tripping. Many people in the gardens looked at here when she ran past them.
She finally got to Vaughn, "Why'd you have to be so far away?" She asked. Vaughn turned around. He was surprised that it was Clarissa.
"Clarissa?" His eyes were wide. She huged him, "How did you get here?"
"I don't want to explain. I'm just glad that I'm back." She kept hugging him, until he stopped her.
"I'll call off the search party. Wait here, I don't want you to go running off again." He ran over to Allen, and told him to call back the search party, she's here. The walked back over to Clarissa.
"So what happened? How'd you get back?" Allen asked.
"It was hard, but someone did help me." Perfect timing, Tren came. "This is Tren," She said. No one spoke. Both Vaughn and Allen were taken aback. "What? Something wrong?"
"Well, maybe Tren should say something about this," Allen said.
"Tren? What?" Clarissa was confused.
"It's nothing," Tren answered.
"Clarissa, he's King Basram's older brother. He's been gone a long while," Allen turned his head to Tren, "How long was it? Two years?"
"Tren? Is it true?" Clarissa asked.
"Yeah, two years. I'm back," he simply said.
"Then what's the problem?" Clarissa asked again.
"Clarissa, people just don't disappear and reappear after two years," Vaughn explained.
"You guys, stop. It's not like he did anything wrong. Did you?" Clarissa was confused.
"Maybe we should have lunch," Allen said, "Just the four of us."
~~*~~
They sat at the dining table in the castle, waiting for their food to be brought out. Clarissa couldn't get it into her head.
"So where were you, Tren?" Allen asked.
"No! I don't want it to be like this! No interagation!" The all the forks on the table went straight up in the air, but safely landed back in the same place. "Sorry. But no interagation. Whatever Tren wants to tell us, he tells us. I don't want it ured from this castle. I don't know who captured me, and I'll probably never know, but somehow, I got away. I was running through the woods when I came apon a collumn of light. It extended far beyond what I could see. I ran over to it and walked in through the collumn of light, at least I thought I did, but I ended up on the Mystic Moon. I never believed that it was the Mystic Moon until I noticed the people, that's when I knew it was true. I knew that I never was going to get back, so I got a job, I don't remember where, but I got enough money that year to support myself. It was enough for me because I still had enough faith that I still thought that I would get back to Melaso.
"One day, I was walking through the city, and I noticed that there was a collumn of light. I ran over to it and stepped inside and I ended up in Gaea. Then someone captured me and I met Clarissa. We escaped that night, and went to a small town, I forget the name. A couple of soldiers came and tried to get us, but we killed them. One of them knocked me unconcous, and then I woke up, and Clarissa was unconcous, too. So I put her in one of the beds in the inn. No one was there, in the whole town. We left the next day."
"You went to Gaea? How is it that everytime a collumn of light appears, it's always near you?" Clarissa asked. Allen was inarticulate, so was Vaughn. Then the food came, "So that explains everything. It explains why you didn't freak out when you knew that I was from Earth." They ate their meal in peace, and went back to their rooms. Vaughn stopped Clarissa on her way.
"You might not want to be in your old room, they're putting up a new window," he explained.
"Where's my backpack?" Clarissa asked.
"I have it. I knew you'd want it," he paused, "Clarissa, I'm glad you're back." Vaughn smiled.
She hugged him again, "I missed you," she whispered, "All of the confusion makes my head hurt." She yawned.
"There isn't any other free rooms. Melaso's a very crowded castle."
"Oh, well, then you know what the only choice is," Clarissa said. She knew what the only choice is.
"Then you can sleep in my room, I have other things to do."
"Thank you," Clarissa said as she ran off to go get some sleep.
****Author's note- I just realized that something in Escaflowne is very wrong. I started thinking about the pendent and how Hitomi scribed for Vaughn. What's wrong is that you can't scribe for someone unless you have something that belongs to them in the same hand that you're scribing with. Thinking about him won't do much good. (I learned this from watching endless Charmed shows!)****
Clarissa tried to determine what had happened. It's obvious that he traveled to Earth at the exact same time that Hitomi traveled back, and I traveled in. That means that only people with pendents can open portals, but any one can step through. How come there's two pendents. What is this suppose to mean? I can't make any sense of it. Forget it. She sighed, I'm glad I'm back, though. I'm not sure what difference it makes having Vaughn here, but it feels good. It feels very good. I'm not sure what happened, but somehow, I mean more to him than I did before. Does he still love me? She laid back in the bed, closing her eyes. I hope so. Clarissa fell asleep, her pendent glowed warmly.
~~*~~