Escaflowne: Dreams of Destiny
Previously on Escaflowne: Dreams of Destiny
After his last - and final - failure, Rallin has become traitorous towards the Goshem army, his comrades all executed by none other then Hikeshi. As memories begin to surface from his past, Kirei spies Rallin and his guymelef, and goes after him, desperate to reconcile the friendship they had lost so long ago. Meanwhile, back in the peace of Freid, Van has a surprise up his leave for Hitomi...
"Rallin." Kirei's entire body was tense within the cockpit. "Where are your troops, Khristos?"
"Dead, Fanel. Dead for failing, dead because of me." Rallin's voice was completely emotionless. "I got three of the most loyal people I have known killed because of my failure."
"Why are you here, Rallin? Why have you decided to come here?" Kirei was confused now. Only minutes ago, he had been sure that the Rallin that he was facing was the same stubborn, battle-weary person he had fought on the battlefield. The Rallin with an intensity that would scare anyone who was not as strong off a battlefield - or get them killed. But now... he was so emotionless.
"I am here..." Rallin paused, hiding his face in shame. "Kirei Avan de Fanel. Ten years ago, we were as close as brothers, but your betrayal destroyed the vestige of trust I had in you. To repay that betrayal... I am asking you for a duel."
Hitomi sat happily in the soft light that came from the sun as she watched Van exercise his sword play. She had asked him if he would mind if she watched, and he had shaken his head no, unwilling to be apart from Hitomi for very long. It had been a few moments when...
"Van?"
He paused, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Yes, Hitomi?"
"Do you think..." she paused, "I could go back to the palace? It isn't that I'm tired, but I haven't talked to Chid properly since we came, and I would like to see how he is doing, and how he has been."
Van looked at her, his eyes smiling, and a small grin upon his lips. "Hitomi..."
Thinking he was going to say he was coming, or worse yet, that she would not go (Hitomi needed very much so to talk to Chid alone), she rushed on. "He was one of our dearest friends during the war Van, and there are things I'd love to tell him. And I'll be fine by myself..."
"Hitomi!" Van laughed, coming close to her. "Of course you can go. I'll accompany you just to the palace, and then I think I'll find Allen or Kirei and ask for a duel. Is that okay with you, dear one?"
She giggled as he wrapped his arms around his waist, thinking that she hadn't giggled like that since she was... a schoolgirl. "It's quite fine. I just didn't want you to worry."
"I will always worry about you Hitomi, whether it would be about your health or your happiness. You matter more to me than... anything."
Surprised by his confession, Hitomi blinked up at Van, eyes filled with tears of happiness. "I love you Van... very much so." She smiled, then wiped the tears from her eyes. "Now, let's head back."
"Betrayal?" said Kirei, "What are you talking about?" But before he could ask again, what Rallin meant, Rallin had closed the visor of Minuit and swung at Kirei.
"You should know, Kirei Fanel. The pain you caused me ten years ago was something I will never forget. And you will pay for it. There is no one to interfere with us now." Rallin moved in his melef until he was in a battle stance ready to attack. "Let us duel." Rallin swung the large sword towards the Ikari's chespiece - where the pilot would be.
Kirei too, swung Ikari's sword up to block the oncoming blow. "If you will not listen to reason now, then you must listen after I defeat you."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Fanel. Let the duel begin." Without another word from either warrior, they charged at each other.
Hikeshi looked in disbelief at his commander, General Adelphus. "My Lord General, you mean... we are not going to attack?" The enemy was just resting - resting! - and it was the perfect opprotunity to crush them all with one swift attack. And the General would not give him the go-ahead!
"If we attack now Hikeshi, what good would that bring to Zai- Goshem?" the General looked at Hikeshi with a glare, emanating a power that would intimidate anyone - even though he was talking to Hikeshi through a communications screen only, Hikeshi was still SOMEWHAT sacred to death of the man. "The Keeper is the only one who can reveal the keys - and the Gate of Destiny. If she is destroyed Gaea will come to peace and NOTHING we will do could stop it."
"Of course we could stop it my lord she is only-"
Hikeshi's voice stopped in its tracks as his eyes laid upon the cold glare in Adelphus' eyes. "You are forgetting she is the girl who ruined the victory of the Zaibach empire with her accursed visions and her power. And her emotions. She helped to singlehandedly take down the Emporer and change Gaea's future forever. And you believe that with one battle you will destroy her? You are a fool Hikeshi... Perhaps I should have kept Rallin as the commander as he never questioned my orders."
Hikeshi swallowed uneasily. "No, my lord. I will not do it again. We will only attack with your command."
The screen went black as the General nodded.
"There was something you needed, Hitomi?" Chid's gentle voice asked. He was still tired physically and emotionally from the war. Although he had not been permitted to enter a guymelef until he was fifteen years - this from his Aunt Millerna, Allen Schezar, and King Dryden - Chid had still entered the battle fighting with a sword - Allen had been training with him - and was now, consequentially, exhausted. There were so many memories to be held on the battlefield - some of which Chid desperately wished he could forget. In his mind's eye, Chid could see his father giving up and then being killed...
"Memories Chid?" Hitomi said this softly, sitting down beside the young ruler, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "The battle brought memories of the Great War to you too, it seems."
"Hitomi. I was hoping we could talk, but this new threat..." Chid closed his eyes. Only ten years old, and already he was forced to worry about the lives - and deaths - of an entire country.
"It isn't fair for you," Hitomi said to him, looking at him sadly. "Back on Earth, the Mystic Moon, a boy your age would only have to worry about growing, and learning, and playing. But things are so much more different here. You have to control an entire country. I can't imagine anyone else doing the same thing."
"It is my destiny Hitomi, just as you told me five years ago. I can only be grateful that Freid did not get get destroyed - as Fanelia did, however strong the country was. Is. It seems fortune is on my side, despite all the hardships."
"So you are alright then Chid? You must tell how you have been over the last few years. I missed you, young one, just as I miss my brother now. You remind me of him, the same age, although his is less serious and eloquent than you."
"I will gladly tell you all about the last years in Freid, if you will tell me how you were and are, now, Hitomi. And about the Mystic Moon. From what Van has said, it sounds interesting."
"It's a deal."
Their duel had been going on for an hour now, neither Kirei or Rallin gaining the upper hand. Each forceful strike was met with a strong defense, and their battle didn't look like it would ever end. They were fighting out their aggressions, and even though anyone that should be unfortunate enough to be caught in crossfire would die, between the two of them, it was a strange form of therapy.
"I still cannot, even after ten years, believe that you killed them. I trusted you with my life, and with theirs. And you killed them - without even a thought!" Rallin lunged at Kirei, and help him, Minuit's sword at the entrance to the cockpit.
Kirei was very still in Ikari. "Whose deaths have you mistakenly laid at my blame, Khristos? Whose deaths caused the downfall of our friendship?"
Rallin held the sword very still. "When we were young, you knew of the only family I had left. My dear sister, and little brother. The only two aside from I to survive the fall of the Khristos name in my homeland. How could you have killed them? Mika and Eneal. There were the two dearest to me and you had them executed!" Rallin brought the sword away for a moment only to swing it back at full force.
Ikari's sword met it with a clang. "Killed Mika? And Eneal? How could I? I loved them as my own siblings. The people who killed them - it will kill you once you know."
Rallin paused again. He brought the sword down. "If you are telling me the truth, I will listen. If not, you will die, Fanel."
"Agreed."
Allen found Van just moments after the young King had left Hitomi to talk with the young Duke. "Something on your mind, Van Fanel?" Allen's rich voice broke the king out of his thoughts. Although the Knight Caeli and the King were comrades, there was an underlying sense of discomfort between the two. They were still friends, but they would never have the companionship that came between best friends.
"Actually, yes Allen. Something, a question really, has been on my mind for the last few days."
"And what would that be?"
"I'm going to ask Hitomi to marry me."
For once the knight was stunned into silence.
"How long do you think you will be on Gaea this time Hitomi?" Chid looked at Hitomi, feeling relieved that everything he had needed to vent about was finally out of his system. After five years. One of his dearest friends had returned, and Chid hoped she would be here for a long time.
"I honestly don't know, Chid. I would love to stay but..."
"But?"
"I love Van, but I'm not sure if I'm meant to stay here. If I could, I'd stay forever." The look in her eyes stopped Chid from asking Hitomi what had made her want to give her world up.
They had stepped down from their melefs. "I never did it, Rallin. How could you think?" Kirei looked at the sullen man in front of him, someone who had lost everything.
"You were the only other person besides me to know of their whereabouts. Who else could it have been, Fanel. And even if it were not you, I want proof to back up the claim."
"I only have one thing..." said Kirei, looking down. "When we found you were gone, and that Mika and Eneal Khristos were dead, these was only her necklace. And this crest." From one of the pockets inside his out coat, Kirei pulled out a thin gold chain with a locket at the end, and a seal. "These are rightfully yours."
Rallin looked at the objects in his hand in shock. The necklace was truly his sister's... And the seal on the note. It was the old seal of Zaibach. And it was the new seal of Goshem. "I... I never knew..." Rallin looked at Kirei in shock.
"I'm so sorry, my old friend. But I'll, We'll, help you in any way we can. Should you wish to fight against Goshem... you are welcome."
Rallin only nodded.
Hello!
I did this chapter in about 3 hours, so that's pretty good. And now I can finally go to all the good stuff. The war for all you politcal/action lovers, and for the romance lovers (like myself)... hehe. Van's proposal. Goodness knows how long it's going to take to lead up to THAT, since right now I've finally got over my small hump of writer's block (did any of you even notice? Do I post chapters fast enough for you?). So it's all good!
And as for a QUICK recap, here is what's happened so far:
1. The
first two keys of destiny, the Silver Key of Prosperity, and the
Golden Key of Life have been found. All that's left to be found
is the Jeweled Key of Peace
2. The enemies' leader has been revealed to be the former general
of Zaibach, Adelphus (remember, he never did die in the series)
3. Rallin has turned traitor towards Goshem, and has found out
that Kirei really didn't betray him - Goshem did.
4. Van and Hitomi are together, and Chid is coping well for being
a ruler at ten
I hope you didn't think this chapter was too short! I NEEDED the conversations (thus the title). It doesn't sound like a whole lot does it? But there is a LOT more coming, so I hope you'll keep reading (and reviewing!!).
Always Yours,
Angelic1090
03.23.2001
*It's coming.... Chapter 13 awaits my typing!*
