The Ties That Bind
By Siren
YAY!!!!!! VAN AND I ARE BACK TOGETHER!!!!!! Sort of. Wow, Van kissed ME. And it was sweet. I hope everyone enjoyed this series so far. Anywho, in this episode, I have more confrontations with Millerna, I get a new outfit, and I get into a few fights. Also, there will be some fluff. Plus, I made a new character for Merle, because she deserves a hot cat-guy. ^_^ So...........ENJOY MINNA-SAN!!!!!!!! P.S.-There MIGHT be a song-fic part in this one. I dunno. I liked my last ep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Run
I'm sitting in my room, lying on my bed, staring at the cieling, trying to decide if this afternoon really happened. (For those of you who skipped the previous ep.) I was outside, on a bridge. Van and I had gotten into a fight, and weren't talking. I met the Royal Pain in the Ass (literally), and than...Van kissed me. We both apologized for our behavior, and he kissed me. It was soft, and sweet. The perfect kiss. He was stuttering, which I found absolutely adorable, so I shurt him up by kissing him. Afterwards, we walked to Millerna's castle. Apparently, he had calmed her down, and persuaded her not to have me executed. He walked me to my room, and hugged me. As I suspected, Merle ended up sleeping in his room tonight. Though she's mad that she missed our moment. On my bed were a fresh change of clothes from Millerna. A night gown. Not exactly a pair of sweats and a tank top, but it'll do. The rain stopped, and it's a clear night. I've tried going to sleep, but I'm too excited. I can't wait until I see Van tomorrow. I wonder how he'll act. I wonder what he'll do. What he'll say. Okay, now I NEED to sleep. Okay, close eyes, and breathe in....and out.... .......I can't sleep!!!!! Groan. I stand up, and walk to my door. I see Van's room just a few doors down. He's probably asleep. Dammit, I should be sleeping. Why am I so hyper right now? Ugh. I need to find something to beat up or something. Maybe Hitomi knew what she was doing with the whole 'running' thing. I walk back into my room. My clothes from today are dry. I put them on, and walk out of my room. I start to creep past Van's room, but stop. Hmmm....maybe Van isn't asleep. Hmmm....if I run in these boots, it'll wake up the whole castle. ......Then I probably WOULD be executed. Or at least piss of the royals. ......Ha, who needs to think about it? I run down the hallways, my boots thudding on the floor. I hear a door open, and turn to see Van standing outside his door, staring at me wearily. Oops. He was asleep. "Are you trying to wake up the entire kingdom?" he asks. I shrug, still feeling hyper. "Maybe. Were you sleeping?" Van stares at me, his eyes half-closed. I smile. "Don't bother to answer that." Van shakes his head. "Why are you so giddy?" I shrug. "I dunno. Just am. I can't sleep, so I figured that I could burn off the energy by running." Van rubs his eyes. "Do you have to run so loudly?" I smile again, and notice that he's shirtless. So the king sleeps without a shirt on. My smile grows. "Well, I don't have to be loud. I could burn off all this energy by doing other things. Like kissing..." Van looks more awake now. Hm. I could have fun with this. I clasp my hands behind my back. "But seeing as how you're so tired, I guess that'll have to wait until tomorrow," I say innocently. "No it doesn't," Van says. he still looks a little tired. I take a few steps toward him. "Oh really? But you look so tired. And if you don't sleep, you'll be all cranky." I take another step toward him. "And a cranky king..." I take another step, so that I'm face to face with him. "...is an unhappy king. So...." I give Van a light kiss. "...You should probably get some sleep." Van's eyes are still closed. "Sleep?" I nod. "Uh-huh. Sleep." Van opens his eyes. I look past him, and see Merle curled up on is bed. "So, Van-sama, you probably get back in that bed." I kiss him on the cheek, and walk away. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Standing outside the castle, I smile. The sky is beautiful, and covered with stars. I inhale the air deeply, and sigh. It's so peaceful at night. "Oh great, it's you." Huh? I look up, and see the pain in the ass herself, Millerna. She looks bored, and annoyed. Well, I'm not too happy to see her either. "Hello to you too." Millerna yawns, and rests her head on her perfectly manicured hand. Ick. "What are you doing out at this hour?" she asks. If this is her attempt at a conversation, I suppose I should try to be nice and play along. "Can't sleep. What are you doing up? I mean, aren't royalty required to sleep at least twelve hours?" Millerna looks down at me in disgust. "Royalty can do whatever they want. And if you must know, I too, cannot sleep. I'm afraid that my thoughts are keeping me awake. I smirk. "Darn thoughts. Dontcha just hate 'em?" Millerna huffs, and looks away. She sighs. "If we're going to chat, than why don't you come up here? It'll be easier than just looking down at you every two seconds." An invitation? From the princess? Huh. Maybe she doesn't have friends. "Fine." I walk back inside the castle, stopping by Van's door. I can here Merle purring peacefully, and Van snoring lightly. Giggling, I make my way to Millerna's room. I knock on the door, and the blonde opens it. "Hey," I greet. Millerna steps aside, and lets me come in. "Have a seat. I want to talk to you," she says. I nod, and sit down on her desk chair. She sits on her bed, and stares at me. I hate it when people stare at me. "Um, so...what do you want to talk about?" Millerna crossed her arms over her chest. "Who are you, and where did you come from?" Um, okay. "My name's Nicole, and I'm from Ear--, I mean, not from around here. Why?" Millerna raised an eyebrow. "Allen likes you. He told me what you knew of him." My eyes widen. "He told you _everything_?" Millerna nods. "He told me that you knew that I liked him." Uh.......what? He didn't tell her about him and Marlene? Well, of course he wouldn't. Part of him loved Millerna. He wasn't ready to tell her about his past. "Uh, yeah, I told him about your feelings for him." Millerna's eyes narrow. "Are you trying to steal him from me?" My eyes widen, and I start laughing. Millerna's furious. "This is not a funny matter!" I try to get my laughter under control. "I'm sorry, honest. But I wouldn't try to take Allen from you! I don't even like Allen!" Millerna sighs with relief. Hm. Was I competition or something? Hahahaha, no way. "So, you couldn't sleep 'cause you thought I was competition?" Millerna looks at me with worry, and quickly covers it with arrogance. "No. Of course not. I am, after all, a princess. And you are...well, not." I smile. "Besides, I already have a guy," I tell her. Millerna smiles. "Oh really? And who might this unfortunate man be?" My smile grows. "Van Fanel de Fanalia." Millerna gasps. "Van-sama? B-but he's a king, and you're..." "Not?" I finish for her. Millerna looks flustered. "Well, yes. Kings cannot court commoners. It's a known fact." I smiled mischeviously. "Oh really? So they can't date common people, but princesses can date knights? I thought you had to marry a prince." Millerna pales. Gotcha. "Well, it's uncommon, but...oh, alright, it's unheard of." I nod. "Okay than. I'll keep your affair with Allen a secret, if you do the same for Van and I." Millerna smiles. "Alright." we shake hands, and I stand up. "Oh, and dear? Tomorrow, I shall have to find you some suitable clothes. After all, a lady cannot court a king if she does not look the part." I smile. Maybe I misjudged the princess. "Okay." I walk to the door. "Even if those men's clothes suit you well enough." I walk out of the room. Okay, maybe I didn't misjudge her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mmm....morning. Morning is so very nice. I open my eyes, and the rays of light shining into my room. I stand up and stretch. Suddenly, I feel two arms wrap around my waist. "I was waiting for you to wake up. Millerna said she wanted to take you shopping." Hm. Millerna and shopping. The two seem to fit together so perfectly. "Mm. Clothes. God, I hope she doesn't make me where a dress. I really don't like wearing dresses." I turn around in Van's arms. "So, Van Fanel, what are you doing in my room this morning?" I ask with a smile. "Well, I'm not tired anymore," he says with a smile. That's right, I owe Van a kiss. "My, my. Aren't we the suggestive one this morning." "Hey, I went back to bed last night for you." I nod. "Yes, you did. And I can see that you're not cranky or anything, so I was right." I tilt my head and give Van a light kiss. "Um, Nicole?" I break the kiss, and see Millerna at the doorway. I wave from Van's embrace, and smile. "Morning, Millerna." Van releases me, and turns to greet Millerna. "Good morning, hime." Millerna smiles. "I can see that." Van blushes furiously. "Um, Millerna, do I have to wear a dress?" I ask, frightened of the possible answer. Millerna shrugs. "Not if you don't want to. I don't wear dresses sometimes. Now come, we should get to the market before it gets crowded." I nod, and turn to Van. "I'll see you later," I say, and give him a quick kiss. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"How about this one?"
I've tried on at least 10 outfits. None of them had that something that I was looking for. They were all to prissy and proper. Finally, I stand up and grab a few articles off the rack. I put them on in the back room, and look in the mirror. Perfect. A pair of brown, worn, leather pants, leather boots, a belt that hung at my waist, a white, cloth shirt, and a brown, leather corset. Everything a girl needs to kick some ass. I walk out, and Millerna gasps. "B-but that isn't lady-like!" I nod. "That's the point. I don't wanna be some proper little lady. I wanna be me. And, I wanna look like a girl that no one wants to mess with." I smile at my reflection. That's right Gaea, I look like a badass. Woo-hoo!
Walking through the market, I recieve gasps fom the women, and stares from the men. Millerna quickly assures people that I'm not from here, explaining my strange choice of clothing. I return to the castle, and the first person I run into is Allen. He studies my choice of clothing. "Well, that's very...origional." I shrug. "At least I can move around in this. I can't exactly run in a dress." Allen nods, still dumbfounded. I smile, and continue my search for Van. I see him in the castle courtyard, speaking with...the King of Asturia?! "We are sorry to have learned of your situation, Fanalia. You have our deepest sympathies." Van nods his thanks. "Zaibach though...is our allie. They wish to obtain your dragon, and the girl." Van's eyes widen, than quickly narrow. "What are you planning to do?" The King sighs. "I'm not sure. But we will protect you. We shall disguise Escaflowne as one of our own, so it doesn't draw attention. As for the girl...we shall try to protect her. But we cannot promise anything." Van sighs, and rubs his forehead. "Okay." The king puts a comforting hand on Van's shoulder, and walks away. I look at Van in dismay. Zaibach is still hunting us? I swallow, and walk over to Van. "Hey," I greet quietly. Van turns around, and smiles. "Interesting choice of clothes. Your idea?" I nod weakly. "Yeah." Van frowns. Oh crap, I hope he doesn't know I'm kinda worried. "Are you okay?" I plaster a smile on my face, and nod. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" I wrap my arms around his waist, and rest my head on his chest. "I have you," I say quietly. I know Van's frowning, but he wraps his arms around me, and doesn't push me to tell the truth. I have to protect him. I won't let anyone else die. I'll run away tonight. Escaflowne can be hidden, I can't. I tighten my embrace. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've stolen a leather satchel from Gaddess, and I've braught it back to my room. I know Van is concerned. I've distanced myself from him most of the day. I walk Merle's room, which just so happens to be Van's. Being the cat-thief she is, I know she must've stolen SOME weapons. I look through the small bag she travels with, and smile. A dagger lays at the bottom of the bag. I take it, and slide it into my boot. Glancing over at Van's sleeping form, my resolve falters. I'll be leaving him behind, possibly forever. I inhale and exhale deeply. I walk over to Van's bed, and swallow. "I'll stop Zaibach. I promise." Kissing Van's forehead lightly, I leave him room, and my world, behind.
Leaving the castle is easy. Everybody there wanted me to leave anyway. I'm the freak. The cursed one. The exit was a welcomed sight to me. The sooner I finished what I've set out to do, the sooner I could return to Van. Once Zaibach is stopped, I'll tell him everything. I'll tell him what I know, and how I know it. I'll tell him of my world, and of my life. I glance up at the sky above me, where my world hangs in the sky. My family is sleeping now, and I wonder if they miss me. Hm. I wonder if they even notice that I'm gone. Argh. I shake my head, forcing the negative thoughts away. Of course they miss me. My family loves me. I squint in the darkness, and head to the entrance to Asturia. I hear footsteps behind me, and tense. It's probably just a drunk going home from the local tavern, but I remain alert. I can see the gates of Asturia shining in the moonlight. The footsteps are louder now, and I know I'm being followed. I narrow my eyes, and stop walking. "Who's there?" I ask in annoyance. I don't want anything to slow down my mission. "Dilandau-sama wishes to speak with you."
I cock an eyebrow, and turn around. Dilly wanted to talk to me? Well, normally I'd be happy to chat with him, but I don't think he wants to talk about future fanfics. "Tell Dilandau that I'll be seeing him soon anyway," I say. Three figures step into the faint light that the moon gives off. They're dragon slayers, probably sent by Dornkirk or some other Zaibach guy. "You will come with us now, if you ever wish to live to see Van." I flinch, than think about it. Here I am, journeying to Zaibach, when I have a free ride standing right infront of me. I just hoped I wouldn't be bound and gagged when I got there. I smile. I was hoping for a bit of action anyway.
"I hope you know that the hero never goes anywhere without a fight," I warn. "We weren't expecting anything less," one of them sneers. I shrug, and rush at them. Bad move. I mentally slap myself. Number one rule of fighting: never EVER rush headfirst into a fight. One of them back-hands me across the face, sending my soaring to the ground. I hit the ground with enough force to knock the breath out of me. I caugh, and stand, grasping my stomach. Above me, I hear thunder crash, and lightening strike somewhere in the forests outside of Asturia. Rain begins to fall, taking away any advantage of seeing them that I once had. I lash out at the darkness, and to my delight, strike flesh. Someone cries out, and I smile. "C'mon, boys! Uncle Dornkirk isn't gonna be happy if I escape!" I taunt. Someone grabs me from behind, and forces my arms behind my back. I cry out as my muscles strain at the sudden pull. I curse loudly, and thrash in my captor's hold. Suddenly, I let the world slip away, and allow my instincts to take over. I kick and thrash wildly, blindly, at anything and anyone. I twist myself in the man's arms, finally freeing myself. I run to the gate, pushing the muscles in my legs to the limit. I can hear them running after me. I choke on a sob as I feel the muscles in my knee begin to tear, but I push myself to move on. My legs feel as like they're on fire, and the ice- cold rain hits my skin like knives. I feel myself craving for warmth and safety, but I know that there are none of those comforts with me. Something zoomes by me, and I feel something strike the base of my skull. I cry out, and fall to the muddy ground beneathe me. I reach to where I was struck, only to find my fingers covered in blood. My blood. I try to push myself up, only to feel a pressure on the middle of my back. "Stay down, wench!" My hair is soaked by the rain, and my arms are slick with mud. I struggle, only to feel him push harder. I cry out, shocked to hear the ferocity in it. The man flips me onto my back, and shines a light into my eyes. I quickly turn away, partially blinded. He pins my arms above my head, and I stare up at him.
I see a fist coming towards me, then my world becomes black.
2 Be Continued...
By Siren
YAY!!!!!! VAN AND I ARE BACK TOGETHER!!!!!! Sort of. Wow, Van kissed ME. And it was sweet. I hope everyone enjoyed this series so far. Anywho, in this episode, I have more confrontations with Millerna, I get a new outfit, and I get into a few fights. Also, there will be some fluff. Plus, I made a new character for Merle, because she deserves a hot cat-guy. ^_^ So...........ENJOY MINNA-SAN!!!!!!!! P.S.-There MIGHT be a song-fic part in this one. I dunno. I liked my last ep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Run
I'm sitting in my room, lying on my bed, staring at the cieling, trying to decide if this afternoon really happened. (For those of you who skipped the previous ep.) I was outside, on a bridge. Van and I had gotten into a fight, and weren't talking. I met the Royal Pain in the Ass (literally), and than...Van kissed me. We both apologized for our behavior, and he kissed me. It was soft, and sweet. The perfect kiss. He was stuttering, which I found absolutely adorable, so I shurt him up by kissing him. Afterwards, we walked to Millerna's castle. Apparently, he had calmed her down, and persuaded her not to have me executed. He walked me to my room, and hugged me. As I suspected, Merle ended up sleeping in his room tonight. Though she's mad that she missed our moment. On my bed were a fresh change of clothes from Millerna. A night gown. Not exactly a pair of sweats and a tank top, but it'll do. The rain stopped, and it's a clear night. I've tried going to sleep, but I'm too excited. I can't wait until I see Van tomorrow. I wonder how he'll act. I wonder what he'll do. What he'll say. Okay, now I NEED to sleep. Okay, close eyes, and breathe in....and out.... .......I can't sleep!!!!! Groan. I stand up, and walk to my door. I see Van's room just a few doors down. He's probably asleep. Dammit, I should be sleeping. Why am I so hyper right now? Ugh. I need to find something to beat up or something. Maybe Hitomi knew what she was doing with the whole 'running' thing. I walk back into my room. My clothes from today are dry. I put them on, and walk out of my room. I start to creep past Van's room, but stop. Hmmm....maybe Van isn't asleep. Hmmm....if I run in these boots, it'll wake up the whole castle. ......Then I probably WOULD be executed. Or at least piss of the royals. ......Ha, who needs to think about it? I run down the hallways, my boots thudding on the floor. I hear a door open, and turn to see Van standing outside his door, staring at me wearily. Oops. He was asleep. "Are you trying to wake up the entire kingdom?" he asks. I shrug, still feeling hyper. "Maybe. Were you sleeping?" Van stares at me, his eyes half-closed. I smile. "Don't bother to answer that." Van shakes his head. "Why are you so giddy?" I shrug. "I dunno. Just am. I can't sleep, so I figured that I could burn off the energy by running." Van rubs his eyes. "Do you have to run so loudly?" I smile again, and notice that he's shirtless. So the king sleeps without a shirt on. My smile grows. "Well, I don't have to be loud. I could burn off all this energy by doing other things. Like kissing..." Van looks more awake now. Hm. I could have fun with this. I clasp my hands behind my back. "But seeing as how you're so tired, I guess that'll have to wait until tomorrow," I say innocently. "No it doesn't," Van says. he still looks a little tired. I take a few steps toward him. "Oh really? But you look so tired. And if you don't sleep, you'll be all cranky." I take another step toward him. "And a cranky king..." I take another step, so that I'm face to face with him. "...is an unhappy king. So...." I give Van a light kiss. "...You should probably get some sleep." Van's eyes are still closed. "Sleep?" I nod. "Uh-huh. Sleep." Van opens his eyes. I look past him, and see Merle curled up on is bed. "So, Van-sama, you probably get back in that bed." I kiss him on the cheek, and walk away. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Standing outside the castle, I smile. The sky is beautiful, and covered with stars. I inhale the air deeply, and sigh. It's so peaceful at night. "Oh great, it's you." Huh? I look up, and see the pain in the ass herself, Millerna. She looks bored, and annoyed. Well, I'm not too happy to see her either. "Hello to you too." Millerna yawns, and rests her head on her perfectly manicured hand. Ick. "What are you doing out at this hour?" she asks. If this is her attempt at a conversation, I suppose I should try to be nice and play along. "Can't sleep. What are you doing up? I mean, aren't royalty required to sleep at least twelve hours?" Millerna looks down at me in disgust. "Royalty can do whatever they want. And if you must know, I too, cannot sleep. I'm afraid that my thoughts are keeping me awake. I smirk. "Darn thoughts. Dontcha just hate 'em?" Millerna huffs, and looks away. She sighs. "If we're going to chat, than why don't you come up here? It'll be easier than just looking down at you every two seconds." An invitation? From the princess? Huh. Maybe she doesn't have friends. "Fine." I walk back inside the castle, stopping by Van's door. I can here Merle purring peacefully, and Van snoring lightly. Giggling, I make my way to Millerna's room. I knock on the door, and the blonde opens it. "Hey," I greet. Millerna steps aside, and lets me come in. "Have a seat. I want to talk to you," she says. I nod, and sit down on her desk chair. She sits on her bed, and stares at me. I hate it when people stare at me. "Um, so...what do you want to talk about?" Millerna crossed her arms over her chest. "Who are you, and where did you come from?" Um, okay. "My name's Nicole, and I'm from Ear--, I mean, not from around here. Why?" Millerna raised an eyebrow. "Allen likes you. He told me what you knew of him." My eyes widen. "He told you _everything_?" Millerna nods. "He told me that you knew that I liked him." Uh.......what? He didn't tell her about him and Marlene? Well, of course he wouldn't. Part of him loved Millerna. He wasn't ready to tell her about his past. "Uh, yeah, I told him about your feelings for him." Millerna's eyes narrow. "Are you trying to steal him from me?" My eyes widen, and I start laughing. Millerna's furious. "This is not a funny matter!" I try to get my laughter under control. "I'm sorry, honest. But I wouldn't try to take Allen from you! I don't even like Allen!" Millerna sighs with relief. Hm. Was I competition or something? Hahahaha, no way. "So, you couldn't sleep 'cause you thought I was competition?" Millerna looks at me with worry, and quickly covers it with arrogance. "No. Of course not. I am, after all, a princess. And you are...well, not." I smile. "Besides, I already have a guy," I tell her. Millerna smiles. "Oh really? And who might this unfortunate man be?" My smile grows. "Van Fanel de Fanalia." Millerna gasps. "Van-sama? B-but he's a king, and you're..." "Not?" I finish for her. Millerna looks flustered. "Well, yes. Kings cannot court commoners. It's a known fact." I smiled mischeviously. "Oh really? So they can't date common people, but princesses can date knights? I thought you had to marry a prince." Millerna pales. Gotcha. "Well, it's uncommon, but...oh, alright, it's unheard of." I nod. "Okay than. I'll keep your affair with Allen a secret, if you do the same for Van and I." Millerna smiles. "Alright." we shake hands, and I stand up. "Oh, and dear? Tomorrow, I shall have to find you some suitable clothes. After all, a lady cannot court a king if she does not look the part." I smile. Maybe I misjudged the princess. "Okay." I walk to the door. "Even if those men's clothes suit you well enough." I walk out of the room. Okay, maybe I didn't misjudge her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mmm....morning. Morning is so very nice. I open my eyes, and the rays of light shining into my room. I stand up and stretch. Suddenly, I feel two arms wrap around my waist. "I was waiting for you to wake up. Millerna said she wanted to take you shopping." Hm. Millerna and shopping. The two seem to fit together so perfectly. "Mm. Clothes. God, I hope she doesn't make me where a dress. I really don't like wearing dresses." I turn around in Van's arms. "So, Van Fanel, what are you doing in my room this morning?" I ask with a smile. "Well, I'm not tired anymore," he says with a smile. That's right, I owe Van a kiss. "My, my. Aren't we the suggestive one this morning." "Hey, I went back to bed last night for you." I nod. "Yes, you did. And I can see that you're not cranky or anything, so I was right." I tilt my head and give Van a light kiss. "Um, Nicole?" I break the kiss, and see Millerna at the doorway. I wave from Van's embrace, and smile. "Morning, Millerna." Van releases me, and turns to greet Millerna. "Good morning, hime." Millerna smiles. "I can see that." Van blushes furiously. "Um, Millerna, do I have to wear a dress?" I ask, frightened of the possible answer. Millerna shrugs. "Not if you don't want to. I don't wear dresses sometimes. Now come, we should get to the market before it gets crowded." I nod, and turn to Van. "I'll see you later," I say, and give him a quick kiss. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"How about this one?"
I've tried on at least 10 outfits. None of them had that something that I was looking for. They were all to prissy and proper. Finally, I stand up and grab a few articles off the rack. I put them on in the back room, and look in the mirror. Perfect. A pair of brown, worn, leather pants, leather boots, a belt that hung at my waist, a white, cloth shirt, and a brown, leather corset. Everything a girl needs to kick some ass. I walk out, and Millerna gasps. "B-but that isn't lady-like!" I nod. "That's the point. I don't wanna be some proper little lady. I wanna be me. And, I wanna look like a girl that no one wants to mess with." I smile at my reflection. That's right Gaea, I look like a badass. Woo-hoo!
Walking through the market, I recieve gasps fom the women, and stares from the men. Millerna quickly assures people that I'm not from here, explaining my strange choice of clothing. I return to the castle, and the first person I run into is Allen. He studies my choice of clothing. "Well, that's very...origional." I shrug. "At least I can move around in this. I can't exactly run in a dress." Allen nods, still dumbfounded. I smile, and continue my search for Van. I see him in the castle courtyard, speaking with...the King of Asturia?! "We are sorry to have learned of your situation, Fanalia. You have our deepest sympathies." Van nods his thanks. "Zaibach though...is our allie. They wish to obtain your dragon, and the girl." Van's eyes widen, than quickly narrow. "What are you planning to do?" The King sighs. "I'm not sure. But we will protect you. We shall disguise Escaflowne as one of our own, so it doesn't draw attention. As for the girl...we shall try to protect her. But we cannot promise anything." Van sighs, and rubs his forehead. "Okay." The king puts a comforting hand on Van's shoulder, and walks away. I look at Van in dismay. Zaibach is still hunting us? I swallow, and walk over to Van. "Hey," I greet quietly. Van turns around, and smiles. "Interesting choice of clothes. Your idea?" I nod weakly. "Yeah." Van frowns. Oh crap, I hope he doesn't know I'm kinda worried. "Are you okay?" I plaster a smile on my face, and nod. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" I wrap my arms around his waist, and rest my head on his chest. "I have you," I say quietly. I know Van's frowning, but he wraps his arms around me, and doesn't push me to tell the truth. I have to protect him. I won't let anyone else die. I'll run away tonight. Escaflowne can be hidden, I can't. I tighten my embrace. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've stolen a leather satchel from Gaddess, and I've braught it back to my room. I know Van is concerned. I've distanced myself from him most of the day. I walk Merle's room, which just so happens to be Van's. Being the cat-thief she is, I know she must've stolen SOME weapons. I look through the small bag she travels with, and smile. A dagger lays at the bottom of the bag. I take it, and slide it into my boot. Glancing over at Van's sleeping form, my resolve falters. I'll be leaving him behind, possibly forever. I inhale and exhale deeply. I walk over to Van's bed, and swallow. "I'll stop Zaibach. I promise." Kissing Van's forehead lightly, I leave him room, and my world, behind.
Leaving the castle is easy. Everybody there wanted me to leave anyway. I'm the freak. The cursed one. The exit was a welcomed sight to me. The sooner I finished what I've set out to do, the sooner I could return to Van. Once Zaibach is stopped, I'll tell him everything. I'll tell him what I know, and how I know it. I'll tell him of my world, and of my life. I glance up at the sky above me, where my world hangs in the sky. My family is sleeping now, and I wonder if they miss me. Hm. I wonder if they even notice that I'm gone. Argh. I shake my head, forcing the negative thoughts away. Of course they miss me. My family loves me. I squint in the darkness, and head to the entrance to Asturia. I hear footsteps behind me, and tense. It's probably just a drunk going home from the local tavern, but I remain alert. I can see the gates of Asturia shining in the moonlight. The footsteps are louder now, and I know I'm being followed. I narrow my eyes, and stop walking. "Who's there?" I ask in annoyance. I don't want anything to slow down my mission. "Dilandau-sama wishes to speak with you."
I cock an eyebrow, and turn around. Dilly wanted to talk to me? Well, normally I'd be happy to chat with him, but I don't think he wants to talk about future fanfics. "Tell Dilandau that I'll be seeing him soon anyway," I say. Three figures step into the faint light that the moon gives off. They're dragon slayers, probably sent by Dornkirk or some other Zaibach guy. "You will come with us now, if you ever wish to live to see Van." I flinch, than think about it. Here I am, journeying to Zaibach, when I have a free ride standing right infront of me. I just hoped I wouldn't be bound and gagged when I got there. I smile. I was hoping for a bit of action anyway.
"I hope you know that the hero never goes anywhere without a fight," I warn. "We weren't expecting anything less," one of them sneers. I shrug, and rush at them. Bad move. I mentally slap myself. Number one rule of fighting: never EVER rush headfirst into a fight. One of them back-hands me across the face, sending my soaring to the ground. I hit the ground with enough force to knock the breath out of me. I caugh, and stand, grasping my stomach. Above me, I hear thunder crash, and lightening strike somewhere in the forests outside of Asturia. Rain begins to fall, taking away any advantage of seeing them that I once had. I lash out at the darkness, and to my delight, strike flesh. Someone cries out, and I smile. "C'mon, boys! Uncle Dornkirk isn't gonna be happy if I escape!" I taunt. Someone grabs me from behind, and forces my arms behind my back. I cry out as my muscles strain at the sudden pull. I curse loudly, and thrash in my captor's hold. Suddenly, I let the world slip away, and allow my instincts to take over. I kick and thrash wildly, blindly, at anything and anyone. I twist myself in the man's arms, finally freeing myself. I run to the gate, pushing the muscles in my legs to the limit. I can hear them running after me. I choke on a sob as I feel the muscles in my knee begin to tear, but I push myself to move on. My legs feel as like they're on fire, and the ice- cold rain hits my skin like knives. I feel myself craving for warmth and safety, but I know that there are none of those comforts with me. Something zoomes by me, and I feel something strike the base of my skull. I cry out, and fall to the muddy ground beneathe me. I reach to where I was struck, only to find my fingers covered in blood. My blood. I try to push myself up, only to feel a pressure on the middle of my back. "Stay down, wench!" My hair is soaked by the rain, and my arms are slick with mud. I struggle, only to feel him push harder. I cry out, shocked to hear the ferocity in it. The man flips me onto my back, and shines a light into my eyes. I quickly turn away, partially blinded. He pins my arms above my head, and I stare up at him.
I see a fist coming towards me, then my world becomes black.
2 Be Continued...