Several hours later, when the sun slowly crept over the forest, a demanding wail broke across the morning silence. It was not that of an animal or a man, but of something much simpler and still more complex. It was that of a child; lost and alone, it had awoken from hunger and now cried out to the world.

In the same forest, another heard the cries. He stood where he was for a moment, listening and trying to be certain that he was truly hearing something.

Balgus by name, this man was in his early forties and still quite fit for his years. He was dressed in a samurai's garb. Mostly cloth with metal armor held in place by straps. A sword strapped to his side was his sole weapon.

It may have seemed a little odd to some for a man to travel alone with only a sword as his protection. With the way things had been going the last few weeks, with bandit attacks becoming a constant lately. They attacked anyone they came across. But he wasn't worried in the least of a challenge.

Not that there were many who would dare to challenge Balgus of Fanelia if they knew who he was. His swordsmanship was well known all over the face of Gaea and in the entire world, only two others were at the same level of expertise. If anyone tried to face him one-on-one, they'd soon find themselves in for quite a shock.

Balgus stood for a moment more, trying to locate the source. He had been listening to it for several minutes now. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but he was determined to find out.

Unsheathing his sword as a precaution, Balgus started on his way, using the cries as a guide. For the next few moments, he walked through the forest, listening and on full alert. Eventually, his search led him to a tree surrounded by thick brush and undergrowth.

As he drew closer, the cries certainly grew more intense and were definitely coming from the tree. On his guard, Balgus knelt down and used his sword to push the brush aside. What he found was a hollow at the base of the trunk that held something he had never expected to find . Within the hollow, lay a babe; an infant of Cats, one of the many species of Beast Men that roamed Gaea. It lay in a pile of dead leaves and grass, wrapped securely in a blanket. For a moment, Balgus simply stared down at the bundle, more than a little surprised by this discovery. This was most certainly not what he had expected to find.

When his initial shock wore away, Balgus sheathed his sword, reached into the hollow and carefully removing its occupant, who instantly grew quiet when it felt his hands. He held the infant gently, a female by his guess, watching her as she watched him. Her bright eyes already reflected a strong curiosity even at this young age, as well as the unmistakable demand for food.

Lying on top of the blanket, clutched in one small fist, was a necklace. Balgus took this from where it lay and the infant's hold, and took a moment to examine it.

The necklace was of simple material. Its string was a leather strip of good quality and seemed to be in good enough condition. On the end, there hung a long, cylinder-shaped stone. The color was sort of pinkish with a hint of black on one end. Its edges were somewhat sharpened and seemed to have been worn down on one side over a period of time.

It was unlike any piece of jewelry that Balgus had seen before. It was pretty enough, but definitely not something that a court lady would wear. He could only assume that it had belonged to whoever had left the kitten here. In respect for that, Balgus tucked it away into the pouch he kept tied to his belt, instead of tossing it aside.

As to how his discovery had come to be here, there was only one guess as to that and it was part of the reason Balgus himself was here. The day before, a group of bandits had struck and attacked the small town of Irini. In the process of looting and plundering the town, they had burned and destroyed nearly everything.

During the destruction, many lives had been lost. The bandits had shown no discretion when they plundered the village. Anyone who stood in their way was fair game and was slaughtered without a trace of remorse.

Among those killed had been a group of Cats that had arrived in the town some weeks before. Their exact numbers were uncertain, as they had only been seen in a single group publicly only twice, but at least seven had been found; five adults and two small children. All were dead. The others were unaccounted for, however many there were, and so there was no way to be certain of their fate. Though it was most likely that of the missing shared the same fate as they comrades and were dead somewhere in the forest.

So it was probably from among those this little one had come. Beyond that, Balgus could only guess. What he did know was that someone had gone out of their way to keep this child from being discovered by the bandits and now she was now alone. If there were any survivors of her group, then they would be long gone by this time and there was no way of tracking them down to return the young one. Which left him momentarily wondering what to do with the child; in the end though, it took little thought. He knew what had to be done.

"Consider yourself lucky, small one, and be grateful to whoever left you here. Thanks to them, you'll certainly have a better fate than those others," Balgus said to the bundle, to which all he received in response was another demanding whimper.

Shaking his head, he kneeled down and set the infant on the ground again. Her eyes threatened a renewed set of wails, but he ignored that. Reaching into his pack, Balgus pulled out several lengths of leather strap that he had recently bought. Laying them out, he arranged the straps in a series of patterns; some of them lying slanted while others lay off to the side, waiting for another purpose . With that done, he picked up the infant again and set her among the straps. Working silently, he soon tied the straps here and there, attaching them at various points to the blanket. It took a few moments of work and a little bit of ingenuity, but eventually, he managed to create a makeshift sling out of the blanket and straps.

Satisfied with his work, Balgus picked up the sling and strapped it to his back. For a moment, the infant was a little surprised by this new experience and started on a new round of protesting wails. Apparently, she wanted to held in someone's arms, like she always had, not to be carried on their back. But Balgus kept her where she was, despite her protests.

He walked about a bit, allowing his little passenger to adjust to the difference. It worked. After a few moments of movement, the infant soon became quiet. It was different from what she was used to, but she adapted to it quickly.

When his new cargo was sufficiently calmed, Balgus moved on. He returned the remaining straps back to their place in his pack and set off. He wanted to reach his destination by nightfall at least, and there was a long road ahead for both of them between now and then.

As for the infant, she simply lay quietly in her sling. Hunger was still raging within her and would continue to grow worse until she received some kind of nourishment. But that would be soon, instinct was somehow telling her. For now, she was content to enough to know that she was with someone. The warmth of another person, even a stranger, was ample replacement for now.

It wasn't the same warmth she had felt up to this point though. That warmth had been filled with love and caring, and other things that she couldn't yet understand. This warmth had none of that. It was a little caring, but only out of concern. Not like the one that had provided everything she had ever needed.

Dimly, in her own innocent way, she remembered the one that had given her that original warmth. A face was in a haze of others that paraded through the young one's memory. There were many, but this was one of the main ones. It was always smiling or doing something comforting. Now it had gone somewhere and she didn't know where or why. **************** Balgus kept pace for the rest of the day, stopping only once in late morning at the first farmhouse that he came to. There, he purchased some milk for the infant, who had begun to wail again as their journey progressed. Under the instruction of the farmer's wife, he fed his charge and kept extra bottles for later usage.

After leaving the farm, Balgus continued his journey. On his way, he went through fields and small plots of trees that littered the landscape. He met with few other travelers; a merchant and his guards, and a peddler or two that went from town to town. They offered the occasional wave but little else. Not surprising. And other than these, he and the child were alone on the road.

Their solitude ended when Balgus' hiking brought them to the gates of a city near twilight. It was small compared to some of the others that Balgus had been to in his time, but it was the one that he preferred above all others. Within the walls surrounding the city, hundreds of houses were built next to each other, sheltering the people who made their homes there.

The gates themselves were great wooden structures that stood more than thirty feet into the air. They had stood there for nearly a century, being made of a good sturdy hardwood that required little repairs through the years.

Stopping before them, Balgus cried," Ho!"

At his cry, a pair of faces appeared on the wall above. They were guards on sentry duty. In daylight they would have recognized him instantly. But in the near darkness, it was impossible for them to be sure who they were speaking to, so they were very cautious.

"Speak. Who goes there?" one of the guards called.

"Balgus!" he called back.

"Balgus? Welcome back, sir. We've been expecting you. Find the ones responsible, sir?" called the guard.

Balgus shook his head, answering," Only the few that were foolish enough to remain behind. The rest managed to escape."

"Too bad, sir. I heard from some warriors who returned earlier that there was a great deal of loss in Irini," the guard called," Lower the gates!"

Before him, the gates opened to reveal the kingdom of Fanelia. The streets were quiet now as nightfall finally fell and so was his charge. During the course of the day, the babe had been extremely fussy at times and had been very trying on ever his patience. Now, sated with the extra milk Balgus had given her before they arrived and her own drowsiness, she was asleep in her sling.

In silence, Balgus made his way through the streets of Fanelia. Here and there, he came across a few who were still out. They offered quick greetings when they recognized him, which he did in return. Then each went about their own business and Balgus did the same.

Eventually, he reached his destination; his home when not traveling. Before him, a castle rose far above the city of Fanelia. It had been constructed generations before, in the early days of the kingdom. The castle itself consisted of the same white stone that the homes were built of, only several layers thick for protection. It was also several stories higher than others, the highest thing in the kingdom in fact. Surpassed only by a great tree that rose even higher than the castle and that was at the heart of the forest behind the castle.

He stood there for a moment, gazing up at the castle. Since he had first started his travels, this was the place the Balgus most considered home. It was here that he had found men who he respected and who could be counted on to protect his back in battle.

Moving on, Balgus passed through the castle gates unchallenged. The men on duty knew him by sight and offered no resistance. They saluted as he went by, though quite a few had other looks on their faces when they saw what he carried on his back.

"What possessed him to bring that thing into the castle?" whispered one of the guards," There's no telling where that thing's been. " Balgus, still well within earshot, chose to ignore the man for now. He was one of the new arrivals who had come in during the last few weeks. Young and brazen, this soldier, probably the one named Garth from the accent that he used, really had no idea how things could go or why some men would do certain things.

Garth would learn of such things soon enough though. If he wanted to remain a member of the palace guard anyway. As head of Fanelia's samurai, Balgus would not tolerate otherwise for very long.

His thoughts drifted away from young Garth and back to his own business. There was still much for Balgus to do this night before he retired. He had to report to the King on the status of Irini and he still had to consider his small charge's future.

In regard to the kitten, that part was at least partially in his mind. From the moment he had found her, Balgus had known that it was his responsibility to find some kind of home for this child. For the moment, he didn't have any permanent plans for her, but he knew of a temporary one.

Among the servants, there was a middle-aged woman who acted as official nurse and caretaker for the young children of the servants and anyone else who needed a sitter. Molly by name, she offered no objections to age or rank of a child, only that it was understood that once they were placed in her care, that she took full responsibility for them and would take no outside objections. A little stern at times, Molly enjoyed what she did and was well liked by those she cared for. Which was why until a more permanent solution could be found, Balgus believed that Molly was the best choice to care for Fanelia's newest guest.

The little one's care would have to wait for the moment though. Before she was taken to Molly, Balgus knew that he had to report to the King of his return. Once that was done, he could excuse himself for a short time and deliver the child to Molly . Plan in mind, Balgus made his way to the staircase that led to the upper chambers of the castle. There, on the third floor, he would find the rooms of his Majesty, Goua Fanel, King of Fanelia. Who had been waiting for some time at this point.

"Balgus?" a voice asked from the shadows as he turned a corner.

At the call, Balgus halted and turned. In the lamp light of the hallway, he could just make out someone in the doorway there. A woman in her mid- thirties stood in the doorway. Her dress was that of a court lady of high rank but still vastly different than what most of them wore. It was green silk braided with a few strings of pearls and a sash of gold tassel. Elegant yet simple, especially when compared to those of other women who attended the royal court of Fanelia.

Yet that was how one could best describe both the dress and the woman who wore it. For this woman was no ordinary lady of the court. She was the Queen of Fanelia herself; co-ruler of the kingdom, comfort and advisor to the King and mother of his children.

Varie by name, she never went out of her way to draw much attention to herself. Which was easy enough to see by the way she dressed. As Queen, she could have the most expensive and extravagant gowns in the kingdom. Instead she chose to wear more simple ones that were still elegant but not too overdone as some.

Stepping out of the doorway to her rooms, the Queen asked," Do you bring good news of the town?"

Balgus always felt uncomfortable in the company of the Queen, despite his Lord's love for her. He always gave her the respect that was due to her rank and he knew her to be a good person. But the matter of her heritage and race still bothered him at times even after all these years and he was a little uneasy speaking to her alone.

He had been there that night, when his Lord and King, Goua of Fanelia had found the Queen. That night, they had been preparing for a final battle and Balgus and the King had gone off to talk alone. At the time, Balgus had been preparing for something himself. Once the war was won, he planned to leave Fanelia and go out into the world, in order to hone his own skills to their full potential. The King had tried to dissuade him but with little success. When he knew that Balgus' mind was made up, Goua had wished him luck instead and asked him to return to Fanelia once he had accomplished his goal.

Before Balgus had a chance to answer, a strange melody had filled the air around the two men. They were quite surprised and had stood there for a moment, trying to understand if it were real or if it was a trick of the night. When they went to find its source, they found it to be quite true.

The melody was the song of a young woman who stood alone near the shore of a lake. They had watched her from the shadows for a moment, not sure if they wanted to catch her attention just yet or not. That was when they discovered what the woman truly was. Still singing, she braced herself as a pair of wings sprouted from her back and she turned to face where they stood in the forest.

Anyone who lived on Gaea had heard of the winged people, known as Draconians. They were the descendants and cursed destroyers of Atlantis. They were considered demons, creatures to keep well away from because of the bad luck and ill fate that brought upon any who associated with them. A fact that Balgus had known quite well when he leapt to defend his King.

It was not a feeling that Goua had shared. He had no fear of the Draconian woman, of Varie. In fact, he held quite a different feeling with her. A feeling of sudden and intense love. A love that Varie returned, for she swore that it was prophesied that she could wed no other but Goua of Fanelia. Which was what happened.

Though many had objected to it, Goua, who had fallen greatly in love with the Draconian woman on sight, returned to Fanelia with Varie and wed her. Now she was his Queen and the mother of his two sons, Folken and Van. So far, Varie had proven to be a good Queen and mother, but mostly kept to herself, since there were still those who had uneasy feelings toward her and what she might represent.

Despite his own uneasiness, Balgus still bowed respectively and answered," I am afraid not, Your Majesty. There was a great deal of damage done to the town before our forces arrived. We managed to capture a few of those responsible, but most of the band escaped."

"That is unfortunate. Have you told Goua yet?" said the Queen.

"No, Your Majesty. I have only returned to Fanelia in the last while and was on my way to see him, before I attended to some personal business," answered Balgus.

It was at this moment that his young passenger decided to awaken. Hunger was growing in her again and woke her from the peaceful slumber that she had fallen into. She began whimpering once more and then started crying.

Balgus sighed inwardly and wished that the child had had a better sense of timing. The last thing he wanted at the moment was to draw the Queen's attention to what he carried. But it had already happened. Varie was already trying to glimpse over his shoulder, to see what he carried.

"What is that you have, Balgus?" asked the Queen.

Seeing no other alternative, Balgus simply slid the sling off of his back and held the infant before him. She was still whimpering, but had stopped her crying. Her whimpers were more than enough to convey the hunger she was feeling.

"Oh," the Queen said with surprise.

She stared at the bundle that Balgus had for a moment, as if she weren't quite sure what to make of it. Then, to the warrior's surprise, she walked up to him and held her arms out to him. He couldn't believe it. She wanted to take the infant for herself.

Balgus was a little uncertain if he should or not, but there really wasn't any reason to keep the Queen from having a closer look at his charge. So, sling and all, he handed the child over to the Queen.

She looked at the small child in her arms with sympathy and pity. Instinctively, from her own years of experience, she began to rock the child gently and soon the whimpers were quiet. A small wonder in Balgus' eyes. He had been carrying the child all day and the only way he had been able to comfort the young orphan was by feeding it.

Then again, he was a warrior and not a mother. He knew nothing of such things. All he knew was how to fight with honor and how to train the others to do the same.

"Does the child have a name, Balgus?" asked Varie as she turned, child still in hand, and reentered her rooms with Balgus following right to the doorway.

"If she does, then I am afraid that I do not know it, Your Majesty. I found her in the forest near Irini, a day's walk from here. She was alone and there was no trace of anyone else, besides this necklace," Balgus replied as he pulled the charm from his belt pouch.

He held the trinket out for the Queen to see. In the candlelight it seemed to wink slightly as it swayed in his grasp. Varie looked at it and then back at the babe in her arms, the sadness in her eyes growing.

"It must have belonged to someone who loved her a great deal," she said," Which means we will have to return it to her when she is old enough."

"We"? That was a little surprising. Balgus assumed that she meant the necklace should be return to the child by whomever took over responsibility for her care and rearing. But the tone that the Queen was using somehow suggested otherwise. Her next words confirmed as much.

"I think that we will keep her here. All children deserve a home, no matter what their origins are," said the Queen.

She rocked the babe in her arms, her own years of experience telling her exactly what rhythm to use. Reassured by the movement, the child remained asleep. She curled tighter into her blanket, dreaming away like any innocent and remaining totally oblivious of the conversation that would determine her future. "Are you certain, Your Majesty?" asked Balgus, recalling the reactions he had received for bringing the child, however little he believed they really mattered.

"Where else would she go, Balgus? There are no Cat tribes within miles of Fanelia who could, so that leaves us," answered Varie.

"As you wish, Your Majesty," nodded Balgus, bowing once more and a little surprised by the Queen's interest in the infant.

"Thank you, Balgus. You may go now," Varie said.

"Good evening, your Majesty," Balgus nodded.

He bowed one last time, and then moved to exit the room. Before going, Balgus took one last glance at the Queen and the infant. Both were totally oblivious of his presence now. The Queen was still rocking the child, keeping her asleep. He watched them for a moment longer, and then withdrew, but not before placing the necklace on a small table near the door, where it would be found soon enough. **************** Van could barely contain himself as he was led to his Mother's sitting room. Earlier that morning, just before the servant came to get him for breakfast, his older brother Folken had come to his room. Folken said that before they had breakfast, that Mother had something special to show them.

So they were off, with Folken holding his hand and Van hardly able to keep his excitement in check. His mind was racing as to what his Mother wanted to show them. Whenever she had a surprise, it truly was something special.

Maybe it was a new toy like the one he had seen when the traveling performers had come to the festival last month. Or maybe a sword like Folken was learning to use. Whatever it was, he most hoped that it would be the sword. Then he could learn to be a warrior, just like Folken.

When they finally reached Mother's sitting room, Van nearly burst. He was just itching to find out what Mother wanted to show them. Somehow though, he managed to keep his excitement and curiosity from getting too out of hand. No mere feat for a two year old known for his outbursts.

"Now you have to be very quiet, Van. You don't want to startle her," Folken warned him before they entered.

Which was strange. How could they startle their Mother if she already knew that they were coming? That made no sense.

Nonetheless, the boy did as he was told and remained quiet as they entered the room. When they did, he could see his Mother sitting off in a corner by the window. She sat in the familiar rocking chair that Van remembered from the nights when his Mother had rocked him to keep the nightmares away. It had been some time since that had happened but it still brought happy thoughts to the young Prince's mind.

Now she was sitting there again, rocking gently back and forth like she had done with Van and years earlier with Folken. But there was something else in her arms that Van had never seen before. It was small and he couldn't quite make out what it was. Could it be the surprise that Folken had spoken of?

Curiosity urging him forth, he let go of Folken's hand and moved over cautiously toward his Mother. He kept in what his brother had said and remained quiet until he was beside her.

"Wha' that, Mother?" asked Van, trying to get her attention," Brother said there was a surprise."

Varie looked up and smiled gently at her youngest child. He still looked back at her curiously and then at what she held . "This is what I wanted to show you. She's baby, Van. Balgus found her," answered his Mother, holding the bundle out for the Prince to see.

What he saw made Van's mind flood with questions, though he remained silent for once. It really was a baby, but one that was unlike any other that he had ever seen before. It looked a little Human, but couldn't have been. There was fur all over its face and huge ears that stuck out the side of the blanket it was wrapped in.

"She's all furry. How come?" asked Van in awe.

"The little one is a Cat, Van. One of the Beast People that Father told you about, remember?" explained Folken.

"Like Wolves?" asked Van.

"Yes, in a way, Van. But just a different kind of Beast People. There are many kinds living on Gaea, you know, not just Wolves," nodded Folken.

"Oh," said Van quietly, never taking his eyes from the small bundle that his Mother held.

In his short life, Van had seen many babies. Some were the offspring of the castle servants or the samurais, while others were born to common folk who came to voice their concerns at court. There had even been a pair of twins who had visited once when their parents had come from a foreign country to discuss trade agreements.

He had never seen one like this before though. Those babies had all been normal, with nothing interesting about them. All they did was sleep, eat, and cry. He wasn't able to play with them and their parents had all been mean and his parents had scolded when he had complained about it. But the one before him seemed different somehow.

She looked like she would probably do all the boring things that the other babies had done and not much else. Even if she did though, at least this one had an advantage that the others didn't. Unlike the rest, who had all been wrinkled and dressed in silly clothes, this one was at least nice to look at.

Her fur and ears looked soft and fuzzy, like the newborn colts he had seen in the corrals near the palace stables. He kind of liked the light brown of her fur too, even though he really didn't approve of the infant's hair color. Pink of any shade had never really been his favorite color, but he guessed that it really didn't matter. It wasn't too much altogether and he could deal with it.

"Do you like her, Van?" asked Folken, to which his younger sibling nodded emphatically and brought light chuckle from both mother and elder son.

"She's visiting us, with her mother and father?" asked Van.

That brought an immediate silence to Mother and Folken. They looked first at each other and then at Van. Their expressions were filled with emotions that the young Prince really couldn't understand. There seemed to be a little bit of sadness, but mostly it was things that he hadn't seen before.

"She doesn't have any parents, Van. She's an orphan," Folken explained finally, after a nod from Varie.

"O'phan?" Van echoed," What that?"

"Orphan. It.it means that she doesn't have a family anymore. Balgus found her alone," Folken continued, clearly not wishing to explain this to the child when he saw the dismayed and stunned expression on Van's face.

"No family?" he repeated.

"But she won't be alone forever. We're her family now, Van. She will be staying here, with us," explained Varie before the boy could say anything else.

That certainly cheered the boy. If the baby was a permanent member of their family, then that meant that she wouldn't be alone. It also meant that he could be her big brother and teach her things like Folken did with him. Then he would really be more like the older sibling that he so idolized.

This suddenly brought something else to the young Prince's mind. If the baby was going to stay, then what were they supposed to call her? Neither his Mother nor Folken had mentioned a name yet. Did that mean that she didn't have one, like she didn't have a mother and father like her?

"Mother, what's the baby's name?" he asked.

His Mother shook her head and answered," I don't know, Van."

"She needs a name," Van insisted, this suddenly becoming more important than he had realized.

"Easy now. What do you think her name should be, Van?" asked Folken.

That question brought an immediate silence over Van and sent him into deep thought. Though barely 2, Van understood more than some people gave him credit for. He knew how important names were; they were what told everyone who you were and where you came from. Like his name, Van Slanzar de Fanel, which told everyone that he was a Prince of Fanelia. So when choosing a name, one had to be careful and make sure that it was just right.

So for the next few moments, Van was lost in thought. Folken watched him with an amused smile, remaining quiet so that his younger sibling could 'think in peace.' His mother had turned her attention back to their new charge momentarily, to be sure that she didn't waken just yet.

Names raced through the young Prince's mind as he tried to think. Each time a new one came into place, it was discarded as quickly as the last. None of what he had come with seemed to be just right. None of them worked for what he thought the new baby should be called.

Finally, it came to him. It was a name that he had heard one of the servants mention once not too long ago. At the time, he had barely paid attention, since there had been sweets to be snatched that day, but now, it stuck out in his young mind like the Mystic Moon on a clear night.

He looked up at his older brother and then to his mother. They looked back at the boy with patient curiosity. Things were quiet between the three of them for a moment, as Van worked up the nerve to say the name that he had chosen.

"Well, Van?" Folken said finally," What do you think the baby's name should be?"

Gathering his courage, Van stood firm and said proudly," Merle."



Author's Note: Hoped you enjoyed my first attempt at an Escaflowne fan-fic. It's not much but I'm proud of it. Thanks for taking the time to read it. Bye. (