Escaflowne: The Legacy

By coolpriss

…A girl in search of her identity…a puissance quietly bidding its time…as it awoke, it claimed her…she who lacks in spirit…yet holds their hearts…

The Empire Reborn

"I would advise you to stay here in your room for the time being," she told her quietly, with that melodious voice of hers. "Master Janus may want to see you later." She bowed lightly, then turned and left the room.

She stared at the closed door for a little while before looking around her room. It was huge--on her right was a long wall of shelf filled with thick, leather-bound books, with a small door at the end, which was probably her bathroom. On her left was a large glass window, half-covered with thick, dark drapery, allowing only little light inside her dark room. Beside the window was a long, dark table with elaborate carvings, and a chair, with an identical design. On top of the writing desk was a gold-and-silver candleholder, similar to the luxurious chandelier hanging above the room, as well as the torches on the four corners of the room. Her four-poster bed was in the center right of the room, and beside her was a small table, matching the longer one, with her breakfast on top.

She got down from her soft bed and made her way to the window. She pushed the heavy, velvet curtains aside, letting the blinding rays of the sun inside. She shielded her eyes for a moment, then searched the outside. She couldn't see anything but the sky. She leaned closer to the window, looking down this time, and saw lush, green land that seem to stretch forever.

She frowned. "I'm in an aircraft of some sort?" she murmured. She walked back to her bed. She sat down, pulling her legs up. She glanced at the food laid on top of the table. "I'm not really hungry…" she hugged her knees. "I wonder what they're doing right now…maybe they're getting ready for school…do they even know I'm gone?…What would mom and dad think?…How would aunt Hitomi explain this to them…I don't even understand what's going on…oh, aunt Hitomi…please help me…I wanna go home…" She rested her forehead on her knees. Tears were falling from her emerald eyes. "I just wanna go home…" she whispered, as she wiped her damp cheeks on the sleeve of her uniform.

~~~***~~~

The basement of the palace was bustling with people. Injured. Crying. People with torn and half-burnt clothes, caught off-guard by the surprise attack of the enemy. The Palace of Fanelia was rebuilt with a special basement structure intended for this kind of emergency. The huge empty hall that was specially allocated for the evacuated Fanelians was now filled with cots, blankets, and lots of tired and downhearted people. Miraculously, the castle was barely touched. Only the uppermost part was wrecked, but the rest of the building remained intact.

"Your Highness," he touched the man's back, bent in front of a crying young girl. "It is best if you rest for now. You need some sleep."

Van didn't even look up. Instead, he talked to the sobbing girl. "It's okay, little one. We'll find your mother…"

Large, watery green eyes looked up at him. They searched his reddish-brown ones, looking for any sign of assurance. He smiled softly at her. The child's eyes shone with trust and hope as he wiped away her tears.

"Promise?" she whispered.

"Promise."

"And my dolly too?"

Van smiled. He nodded.

"My King…" the adviser tried again, this time with a more urgent voice. "Please…you need to rest…"

Van was about to mutter something back when someone kneeled beside him. Merle smiled warmly at the young girl. She extended her hand (or was that supposed to be a paw?! ^.^ ) slowly towards her. The child looked at her reluctantly at first, then reached for her hand.

"Don't worry, everything's going to be fine," Merle reassured her, kissing lightly the soft, red hair of the little girl. The young one nodded.

Van looked at them for a while with understanding.

"Hubert is right, Lord Van," Merle turned to him. "You go and get some rest. We'll take care of them."

Van rubbed his tired eyes, with dark patches underneath them. He stood up and glanced at his faithful adviser. "Alright," he murmured. He looked back at the two girls behind him. Merle nodded, and the little girl smiled. The old face of their king lit up for a second, then he turned and walked back towards the main hall of the castle.

~~~***~~~

"What do you think of her, Candella?" he asked her as she entered the huge laboratory of the ship. He turned and looked at her, his golden eyes watching her carefully.

"She's the one, " the woman replied as she glided her way to the sorcerer's table and set the tray down. "But it may take a while…"

He smiled. "Time is not necessarily a problem," he stood and walked near the beautiful woman. "As long as everything gets done perfectly." He reached out to touch her long, shiny black hair when another man entered the room from the other side. He let his arm drop to his side as he eyed the bald sorcerer with small, beady eyes warily.

"What is it, Senna?" he ran a hand over his yellow eyes, trying to mask his annoyance.

"The girl from the Mystic Moon," the small sorcerer in a dark cloak began, with his high-pitched voice. "How are we to be convinced that she is the one we have long been waiting for?"

"The evidence you wish to see shall manifest itself soon enough," came the cold reply.

The man's small dark eyes regarded the taller, indigo haired sorcerer, before looking quaintly at the meek woman, staring at the floor.

"Very well," the old man's dark robe swept the cold, metal floor of the laboratory as he made his way to his desk, passing in front of the couple.

"If you have no more orders, my Lord, I shall proceed to my duties," he heard the quiet voice of the beautiful woman address the head sorcerer.

Janus closed his eyes and nodded.

~~~***~~~

"Escaflowne never answered to a summon not made by a King of Fanelia before," the familiar voice cut through his thoughts. He glanced at his side, as the man he regarded as his father almost all his life stepped beside him.

"Guess there's always a first time," he muttered, pawing the dark spot on his left cheek, his gaze turned back on the legendary guymelef.

"How did you get an energist, anyway?" Van continued, ignoring his tone.

The boy remained silent for a while. Finally, he sighed. "I got it when I killed a dragon, not long ago," he grumbled. "Now, don't go yelling at me," he added quickly. "It was only self-defense. I was passing by when I heard a couple of girls near the forest scream. Naturally, I went to investigate and that's when I saw the dragon attacking them. I had to kill it."

"Dragons don't usually attack people," Van frowned. "They only strike when provoked or in defense."

Basil shrugged. "Don't look at me. It was already raging mad when I got there. Ask those girls, if you're going to lose sleep over it."

"How long ago was this?" Van inquired, still uncertain on how that was possible.

"Two or three weeks ago."

About the same time I thought I saw Zaibach's floating fortress near Fanelia. Van's eyes lit with alarm. "Or when their territory is threatened," referring to the dragons. "I knew it," he murmured. "They're back. And they're out to destroy Gaea again."

~~~***~~~

"Homesick?"

Myaku's tear-stained face shot up from its rest on her knees. Her eyes studied the dark figure as it stepped closer. It was the man. The man with the expressionless, handsome face.

Myaku hugged her legs more tightly as the man took another step towards her. "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you…" he cooed. He glanced at the window and started to walk near it. "How do you like Gaea so far?" he turned to her.

"I…,"her voice squeaked. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I…wanna go home…"

"I'm afraid that's not easy, my Lady," he smiled his usual cool smile. "But you can make the Vione your home for now." He stepped closer to her. "We'll take care of you…you mustn't worry about a thing…, but we may need your help at times…would you help us?" He looked at her, his amber eyes piercing through her very soul.

Unsure what to make out of the situation, Myaku nodded uncertainly. The small smile returned on the man's lips, and he started to make his way to the door.

Upon reaching the door, he looked back at her. "As I said, the Vione is your home from now on. You are to be treated as a guest. You are free to do whatever it is you want. If anyone bothers you, tell them that you're my personal guest. If you need anything, you can talk to Candella. She'll be the one taking care of you." He bowed lightly and left her alone in that room.

Her head once again dropped on her knees. "I still wanna go home…please aunt Hitomi…take me back home…"

~~~***~~~

Dilandau watched from his throne as his men formed a single file before him. Janus has put him in charge of all their forces, and also a Captain of one squad. The best and most elite among all the other units. He sneered as the thought passed his mind. The best, huh? Nobody could be better than my Dragonslayers!

He stood up and walked to the nearest boy. He has an irritating pink hair and Dilandau recognized him as the messenger. Just like Gatti…"But NOBODY can replace GATTI!" he slapped the young man with tremendous force, he almost fell to the ground. "Or SHESTA…," Dilandau moved on, slapping the next one, with sandy hair and bright blue eyes. "Or MIGEL…" the act was repeated, as Dilandau screamed one by one the names of his dead comrades.

As his rage subsided, he turned to the men, all of which have identical red marks on their left cheeks. "Our next target is Asturia," he paced in front of the bowed heads. "We are going to attack Palas first, then Freid. You," Dilandau pointed at the pink-haired man at the end of the line. "Tell all the other Generals of our plan. We are to leave the Vione tomorrow afternoon. Prepare until then." The silver-haired captain/commander faced his men. He narrowed his deep red eyes. "Are my orders understood?" his voice took an unexpected soft turn.

"Sir!" the young men screamed. Dilandau smirked and unconsciously started caressing the scar on his right cheek. "You are to obey orders from no one but me, is that clear?"

"Not…not even from Lord Janus, s-sir?" a soft, shaking voice asked. Dilandau narrowed his eyes again and searched for the owner of the voice. It was the sandy haired one. He reminded him of someone…Shesta…He stared menacingly at the bright blue orbs for a while before slapping him again. Twice. Dilandau brought his face inches from the boy. "You are under my Direct command. You are to obey orders from no one but Me. IS THAT UNDERSTOOD OR DO I HAVE TO REPEAT IT AGAIN?!" his hand struck the young man's cheek again.

"Yes, sir! No, sir!" the shaking subordinate stammered.

Dilandau stood up straight, eyeing the other men. "Good. Now go!" He made his way back to his throne as his men scuttled nervously through the door. "Stupid fools," he muttered before resting down on his seat.

~~~***~~~

"He hits us as if we're just some mosquitoes on his neck," the dark blue eyed soldier grumbled, caressing his bloated left cheek.

"Stop whining, you big baby," another soldier in blue armor shot him an irritated look. "You should be thankful you got only one lousy slap! Riel here got three more and he's not even complaining."

"Yeah, well, in case you haven't noticed, he's face is so swollen he can't even talk!" he retorted, his hand smoothing his chin-length blond hair, tied at the nape of his head, with a few strands hanging loose around his handsome face.

"What did he call you, Gnu?" the said boy tried to change the topic, knowing that the two would have additional black and blue marks on their faces within a few minutes. "Guimel?"

"No," the young man replied, shifting his annoyed light green eyes to him. "It's Migel. I think Emil was the one called Guimel."

"Yeah," the boy with thick, dark brown curls and gray eyes called out from behind. "That was me. I wonder where he got those names anyway."

"His men before us," a quiet voice joined the conversation. "They were called the Dragonslayers. They're all dead."

"How did you know, Keal?" Riel asked slowly, his cheek getting number by the second.

The pink-haired man just shrugged. "Rumors."

"I wonder why he keeps on calling me Guimel. Maybe I look like the guy." Then he shuddered. "Why are we talking about dead people anyway?"

"One thing's for sure," Takka, the one with the blond ponytail declared. "This Guimel guy has got to have straight hair. I do believe that you're the only one in the whole of Gaea with that kind of hair. Well, except for sheep of course!"

"At least it's not pink!" Emil retorted without thinking. "Oops. Sorry, Keal…"

"Ha! You got that right, man!" Takka roared with laughter. "Pink! Of all colors…!"

Keal's golden brown eyes stared blankly at him for a while, before disappearing wordlessly into the hallway, leading to the control room.

"He is one weird guy…" Emil looked at Riel, and the sandy-haired boy just shrugged. Gnu fixed the guffawing Takka a pointed stare. "Shut up, you ugly jerk!"

The blond stopped laughing and narrowed his eyes. "What did you just call me? Ugly…?!"

"What, are you deaf as well as ug--"

"What do you think of the captive?" Riel asked loudly as he grabbed Gnu's arm, cutting him off.

"Yeah," Emil chimed in, grabbing Takka's arm as well. "I think she's pretty cute. Wonder why she's here, though. Is she really from the Mystic Moon? What do you think…"

~~~***~~~

Help…

Her eyes flew open. She couldn't see anything but darkness.

What was that? Who's there?

Please…No…

It was a voice of a little girl. Slowly, light was surrounding her. She tried to focus on the blurred images in front of her.

No…

She felt her mouth open. The voice came from her, but it wasn't hers. She could feel tears on her cheeks. She tried to move, but she couldn't. No matter how hard she tired, her body wouldn't stir. It was as if the body wasn't hers.

Aaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!!

She felt her whole body jerk forward as the sharp pain of a needle shot through her left arm. She felt her heartbeat accelerate as the fluid mixed with her own blood. Her head was spinning. Her muscles ached--no, they throbbed. She could feel her mouth open as her lungs searched for more air. She felt her body slowly going numb. Then a scene suddenly flashed on her mind. It was a butterfly. She was trying to catch it. She thought she heard a voice from behind her. Then everything went black.

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A/N: There you have it. The first five chapters. What do you think? Thanks for reading and please, please review!! ;P