Well here we are chapter 13. Yeah other than I only own my stuff I have nothing to say so: I only own my stuff everything else belongs to someone else. ~Avalon



Chapter 13: Your Move



With shaking hands the commander activated the weapons "Weapons Activated."

"Your move princess."

Van, Hitomi, and Kali were in flight mode in Escaflowne. Maya and Dawn both had stolen Guymelefs and with help from Van through the intercom they managed to get the things out of the hanger and were now below them on the ground. When all of a sudden the sky darkened and the ground shook.

"Maya, what was that?"

"I don't know. Van?"

"Yeah."

"We have some problems down here."

"We have some up here too."

"Hitomi?"

"No, but the sky's gone black as night. You?"

"The earth is shaking."

"Ground quakes?"

"Yeah sure."

Listening to all this Kali was beginning to get nervous she knew that Flaim was behind this in some way. Hitomi's stomach tightened in fear.

"Look!" Hitomi cried out

"That's Fanalia's Flag!" Van stated.

"And Freid's.and Ausuria's! It's the cavalry!" Maya shouted over the intercom.

"No need to shout Maya. It hurts my ears."

"Sorry Van."

"In. Repeat Escaflowne and the Guymelefs on the ground please come in."

"Allen?"

"Van! Are you ok? Who is that with you?"

"We're all here Allen. Hitomi Van Maya and Dawn, we're all here and ok."

"Princess!" Relief poured into Allen's voice when he heard the princess. Then a new voice came over the intercom, Hitomi's stomach again tightened in fear.

"Rebel forces, this is Prince Flaim Starfire. I demand that you surrender and that Princess Satrfire her guardians, King Van and Queen Hitomi be handed over to us."

Gaddes told the prince where he could stick it and most agreed that it was not, given his autonomy, physically possible.



"I want his head on a platter! Attack the rebels with everything we have! Dilandau!"

"Yes Prince?"

"Kill them all!"

"Gladly." Dilandau turned and left. Folken remained however.

"Prince was that wise? We all know how Dilandau can get."

"Think I care? Years ago the blasted King of Fanalia made sure that my mother never became queen! It was her birthright not Ryol's! Now Fanalia will pay for that with the death of his line! Be silent or I will destroy that bloodline completely! The would be Neo-Queen will also pay for thinking that she could take this away from me! Let them all die!"

Folken remained silent a plan forming in his head. What he could get from the texts said that the Princess, Flaim's mother, was quite obsessed with becoming queen and cared not for the people she ruled. Folkens father decided to make sure she could not harm the people of Gaia and between the two of the choose to lift Ryol above the princess, with his support behind the prince, Ryol became King and his sister, Linda, was forever banished for her crimes against the people in her bid for power. Now it seems that Flaim has inherited his mother's lust for power and her disrespect for the people that she would have ruled.



Weather was getting rough and Escaflowne could no longer fly.

"Maya, Dawn we can no longer fly hold your position we must land!"

"Alright Van we'll wait for you here."

"Hang on tight it's going to be a rough landing."

Once on the ground Van Hitomi Kali Maya and Dawn grouped together.

"Any idea about what's going on here?" Hitomi asked

"None what so ever." Replied Maya.

"We've got to find out what's going on and stop it quick!"

"No reason to state the obvious Kali." Said Dawn.

They all looked around them, a hopeless effort they knew but one they made anyway. Then Flaim spoke over the com again.

"Princess, dear cousin. By now you must want to save the lives of Gaians well should you wish to do so the weapon that is responsible for this is outside my complex. You should know that you alone can stop it and if you don't it will tear apart this world from the crust out, and if that isn't enough to get you here your precious earth will suffer the same fate as they are right now suffering the same conditions. You can only save one world by destroying these weapons or you can give your self up and save both. Which one will it be?"

"I have to go." Van Maya Dawn and Hitomi all launched themselves between her and the complex that held Flaim.

"No you fool you can't!"

"Van I must!"

"Kali-"

"No Maya. I can end this I can save both worlds all he wants is me!"

For once Dawns voice worked "Kali he'll kill you."

"A small price to pay for the lives of everyone on both worlds."

"Kali please."

"Hitomi.I must.I have to do this."

Hitomi nodded she pulled Van out of the way. "I believe in you. I'm with you always."

Maya and Dawn moved out of the way too.

Maya spoke first "Kali.good luck. Please come back to us."

Dawn came forward and hugged Kali "I'll always be with where ever you go."

Kali turned to Van. "You can't do this alone."

"I won't be alone I'll have you by my side in spirit won't I?"

"Yes, I wish it was more than that."

"Thank you for everything Van."

With that she left. They all watched her retreating back. She never turned around, she never looked back, never said another word. They all wanted her to come back alive but in each of their hearts they knew that they would never see her alive again. Hitomi's stomach twisted again it was then she realized that it wasn't her stomach it was.

"Van.I think I need a doctor."

He turned to Hitomi "Are you hurt?"

"No it's.AGH!"

"Hitomi!" Van grabbed her and gently laid her on the ground. "Our Child?"

"Yeah."

"But there's no doctor or anything!"

"Van I can't very well tell our child not to come! AGH! This child is coming doctor or no!"

Kali waked slowly towards Flaim, towards her death. She never faltered never stopped. Then before she knew it she was standing next to Flaim and his weapon.

"Welcome Kali." He spoke as if they had just run into one another at a party or something.

"Cousin.no I cannot call you that. No Starfire could do this to the worlds that are entrusted to us."

"Come now Kali you don't honesty believe in all that do you?"

"I must. One of us has to. I'm here now, your move I believe."

"Yes my move. Well it's quite a move too. I refuse to deactivate these weapons unless you defeat me in a duel."

"What!? A duel now of all times?"

"Yes." He drew his sword "Your move now."

She drew her sword. "I, Princess Kali Starfire, will defeat you! I will protect the worlds entrusted to me by my father, King Ryol."

Flaim launched at her the moment she drew her sword and she blocked him. The sound echoed through the empty landscape. Kali's ears finely tuned heard everything from the rustling of the leaves to the crunch sound that Flaims footfalls made on the ground. She launched the next attack, she used the same move she defeated Draco with but this time her opponent maintained his sword, the move cost her. The tearing of flesh and the searing pain crossed her upper left arm. The warm blood flowed down her arm.

"Bad move your non highness."

"This duel is far from over!"

"Glad to hear it."



"But Hitomi needs me!"

"Van the best thing you can do for Hitomi right now is look out for our forces. Hopefully they will have a healer with them that can help her."

Hitomi's voice carried out of the cave they had found "Van Fanel how could I ever let you do this to me!"

"As I recall you where there too my love!"

"Van I will never let you do this to me again! This is hardly the time to be joking! Agh! When I get my hands on you!"

"Ah perhaps I will go and look for our men." With that Van left leaving Maya on the verge of laughter. But she turned back and went into the cave.

"How far apart are the contractions?"

"Less then a minute."

"It'll be soon Hitomi."



Kali was bruised and bleeding from the encounter with Flaim but she was not going to give up unless she was dead. The heat the weapon was generating was making the duel more difficult than it should have been. Making them slower.

"AGH!" Flaim coughed up blood and as soon as Kali removed her sword he doubled over. He had missed a defense and Kali had put her sword through his left side.

"You cannot fight the duel is mine!"

"So?"

"Deactivate the weapon!"

"Never!"

"What!"

"You fool. I will destroy both worlds before handing them over to you!" A guymelef landed next to them. "Take me back!" Both left before she could do anything.



Van walked over the land when Dilandau stepped out from behind a rock

"Van I've been looking forward to this for a very long time." Dilandau attacked before Van could say anything. Van ducked and rolled drawing his sword in time to block the next attack from his opponent.

Flaim walked his halls refusing help despite the fact he was close to fainting. Then Folken stepped out of the shadows.

"Folken! Help me to the infirmary!" Folken stepped forward and drew a sword. "Folken.what are you doing?"

"Finishing what my father and Kali never could." Without another word Folken sliced Flaim in two. He walked to his body picked up a small object from the body, he then walked away leaving his followers to find Flaims corpse.



"Push Hitomi! A little more.there!" A cry from a newborn child filled the cave. Maya wrapped the child up in her cloak and handed the child over to Hitomi. "Congratulations Hitomi it's a girl. A princess."

"Uh Mai."

Maya walked over to Dawn "What is it?"

"Uh well look."

"Oh you have to be shitting me!"



Van and Dilandau fought neither gaining the upper hand. Then Van felt sudden elation an emotion from Hitomi. /The child's been born. I have to fight for my child, for Hitomi. / "We end this now Dilandau!" Remembering some moves that Kali had used he disarmed Dilandau. "Leave and never come back! Never threaten me or mine again and live." Van walked away. He never would have done that under normal circumstances but he did it for Hitomi and their child. Dilandau had other ideas silently he picked up his sword and launched at Van's unguarded back. /VAN! / The mental cry from Hitomi alerted Van to the danger he raised his sword and turned and caught Dilandau right through the heart. Van removed his sword from the now dead body and it slumped down. He stood there for a moment longer before he remembered that he had a wife and child waiting for him. Leaving markers for his troops off in the distance to follow he returned to the cave.



A lone figure came up to the palace gates in Fanaila. He stood at the entrance waiting for someone to come and talk to him. He didn't wait long.

"State your name and business."

"I have come to wait for the Royal Family and Princess Starfire. I have to speak to them both when they return."

"Your name?"

The figure removed his hood.

"My Lord!" The gatekeeper quickly bowed "I.I thought you were dead!"

"I get that a lot let me pass."

"Right away. Open the gates!" The gates opened the figure walked through and made his way towards the palace and again pulled his hood up over his head.



Kali tried everything possible to deactivate the weapon nothing had worked. "Father, please help me I don't know how to save this world! How to save my friends." Tears slid down her face "Help me please."

"The sword Kali, the stone was meant to save this world and earth."

"Hello! Who's there?" Kali had never heard that voice before and didn't know what to think of it now. "Well what have I got to loose." She pulled out the sword and pointed it at the weapon, and willed its energy to put an end to the dreadful thing. The sword glowed, it's glow shot up into the sky when the light faded Kali was dressed differently instead if the shirt and pants she was now dressed in a snow white gown with a v-slit by her breasts and a belt around her waist that was made up of small flower-like circles attached by a chain and in the center of the flowers there was a blue gem that matched her sword, the belt went around her whole waist and three flowers fell down where it attached and a small bit of chain from the three flowers. The dress then flowed down to her feet. Full-length sleeves covered her arms, a slit on the inside allowed her free movement of her arms. She was once again wearing her tiara. She raised her sword for the second time. The pillar of light surrounded her giving her strength that she focused at the weapon using the sword a beam of light shot out at the device. She soon realized that she did not have enough strength to keep it up for long though.

"My friends, please I cannot do this alone I need your help."

Van, Hitomi, Maya and Dawn all heard her mental cry for help. Each of the stones in their possession glowed as they gave what strength they could to the princess.

The spirits of Van and Hitomi appeared to the right of Kali and grasped her sword hilt adding their strength to hers, Dawn and Maya appeared to Kali's left grasped her sword hilt transferring their strength to hers. A white light shot out of the sword hitting the weapon shattering it to bits. The light shot up into the sky, the imposed darkness vanished as the sun returned. The light shot up to the mystic moon, saving the earth from its fate and reawaking the long buried gate that connected the two worlds. The sun shone in the clear blue sky. "The time of darkness has been avoided. We did we saved the world.thank you my friends." Kali lost consciousness her body vanishing before it hit the ground. Maya, Dawn, Van and Hitomi all felt her loss, they knew she was no longer with them. From where each was they looked across the land in what once was the valley of the lost a glittering palace now stood.

"The Glitter Palace."

"Mai?"

"The Glitter Palace, home of the Starfires."

Van walked up, he saw Maya. "Maya-"

Maya held up her hand to forestall the coming questions "Hitomi's fine, tired but fine. You can go see her." Van quickly walked past Maya and Dawn who turned and followed him. He came back out to meet them as they walked in

"Twins?"

"Twins Van."

Maya walked up to Hitomi picked up the child wrapped in Dawns green cloak while Dawn picked up the child wrapped in Maya's purple cloak.

"Van" Dawn said "I would like to introduce you to your first born child, your daughter." Dawn handed his daughter over to him; he sat down next to Hitomi.

"And I" Maya spoke up "Would like to introduce you to your second born child, your son." She handed the young prince over to Hitomi.

"Our children Hitomi, our twin children."

Hitomi smiled. "Born into a world of peace like you wished Van." Van kissed her forehead. Dawn and Maya left them in the cave so they could be alone and have a family moment.

Fanalian forces arrived a short while later

"Maya, Dawn." Allen approached them "Where's Van and Hitomi?"

"They're inside. Hitomi's quite tired. She had to give birth out here."

"What? Hitomi gave birth to the heir!" He smiled "Well it's about time. So what is it a prince or a princess?"

"Both." Dawn stated smiling

"What?"

"What she means Allen is that Hitomi gave birth to Twins: A girl and a boy."

"Twins!"

"Yes and we should be getting them into a ship."

"Wait where's Kali."

They both hung their heads. "We don't know."

Dawn brought out the princess while Maya brought out the young prince. Van carried Hitomi in his arms.

Millerna, Dryden and Merle stood outside the Crusade waiting for them. Millerna stepped forward to congratulate Van and Hitomi while Merle went to see the children, Dryden and Allen stood off to the side not knowing what to do. When they reached Fanalia Hitomi and Van brought their children to see Fanalia

"This is your world my darlings one world The Mystic Moon and Fanalia. My hope for you for always is that your heart will be a part of each."

"There has never been a child born of the Mystic Moon and Gaia has there?"

"No and now there is two." The twins stared at Fanalia then back up the earth in the sky.



Well two chapters up at once I'm proud of myself. Well that's it for this Chapter there is still about 2 more to go before I finish so we're in the last stretch of my story. I hope that you have been enjoying it. Well I'll see you all in Chapter 14! ~Avalon