Disclaimer: I don't own escaflowne unfortunately =(
A/N: This is just a bit of a shorter version of the longer version of my plans for my sequel to The Story of Escaflowne. Yep, I'm making a sequel. The idea was suggested to me by cRiMsOn ShAdOw. Now, on with the story!
The Three Dragons
A girl clad in black and red ventured through the thick forest in the depths of the night. The red armour she wore on her chest and shoulders seemed to get heavier with each step. A few strands of her thick silver hair broke free of her braid and stuck to her pale face.
She clenched her fists into tight balls the further she walked. Her legs ached with pain and begged for rest. However she wouldn't stop. She was determined to achieve her goal.
'I won't stop . . .' She thought with great determination. 'I am Pyrena Albatou . . . daughter of Dilandau Albatou . . .Albatous don't quit!' She stopped for a moment to catch her breath then carried on. Her breathes were deep and laboured. The sight of a fallen tree looked inviting enough to rest on but she couldn't stop, not now.
"Rena, you don't have to do this alone . . ." Her friend's word echoed through her mind. 'I'm sorry Cadell, but this is something I have to do on my own."
As Pyrena came to a large open clearing, she gazed up at the crystal clear sky. Not a cloud was in sight to hide the two moons. Her attention was on the blue moon which the people called the Mystic Moon. Her mother was from there but she called it Earth.
She could still remember all the stories her mother had told her as a child about Earth. At times Pyrena would wonder why her mother left Earth if it was so "great". There was a simple answer to that; it was a hard choice but she had to follow her heart which lead her to Dilandau, Pyrena's father.
"Mom . . " Pyrena whispered before falling to her knees. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks. 'Don't worry, I'll have the three jewels soon . . .hopefully . . .'
Slowly, Pyrena stood up and continued onwards. When she was in about the centre of the clearing, she sensed another presence. Promptly she stopped and looked around very carefully. Her only light source were the two moons high in the sky, but they weren't enough.
Her right hand slowly grasped the hilt of her sword. She was ready to draw, all she needed was to see what she was up against. The sound of branches breaking and snapping brought her attention to her right, there was nothing there but she could feel the creature coming closer.
A sly grin came to her lips and she carefully unsheathed her sword. Finally she had found what she was looking for. She held her sword firmly with both hands, ready to strike.
From the thick trees emerged a dragon. Its scales were a mixture of green and brown, the perfect camouflage for a forest dragon. The beast stood at least twenty feet high, as high as most trees in the forest.
Pyrena looked in awe at the beast. 'It's a lot bigger than I thought . . .' Its size may have been intimidating but that wouldn't stop Pyrena from slaying it. Her ruby red eyes narrowed as she gripped the sword tighter and ran towards the dragon.
She slashed her sword downwards on the dragon's head. To her surprise nothing happened, not even a scratch was left behind. Pyrena charged at the dragon again but still nothing happened. 'Why isn't this working?!' She continued to attack the dragon but to no avail.
Pyrena backed away from the dragon to catch her breath and to come up with a new strategy. As she moved away, the dragon held its head up high. Its chest began to glow a bright pink. Pyrena's eyes widened in fear. She knew what the dragon was going to do.
Quickly Pyrena ran out of the beast's way. The dragon brought its head down and expelled a ball of flames from its mouth. Even though she was out of the way, Pyrena could still feel the heat of the fire. 'Maybe I should have asked King Fanel for some tips in dragon slaying.'
The dragon's large green eyes stayed focussed on Pyrena who was crouching in the tall grass. The beast growled and moved in a quick pace towards what it hoped would be it's next meal. Pyrena stood up quickly and dashed away from the dragon. 'If I don't come up with a plan soon, I won't be able to help my mom . . .' The dragon turned its head swiftly and watched Pyrena.
Pyrena gripped her sword tightly and charged at the dragon's side. Although there was no damage, the dragon shrieked loudly and knocked Pyrena away with its long and powerful tail. Her body was thrown against a near by tree like an old rag doll. As she tried to stand up, she paused to catch her breath. 'There's no way to get through those scales!'
Pyrena looked back at the dragon glaring daggers. As she observed the wild beast she realized something. The underbody of the dragon had no scales whatsoever. She now had a bit of a plan. All she had to do was get underneath. But how would she do that without getting killed was her main problem.
As soon as Pyrena was on her feet, the dragon ran towards her. This caught her completely off guard. 'I need to buy myself some time! But how!?!' She didn't panic and did what her instincts told her to do, she ran into the forest. 'Hopefully that'll slow it down.'
It seemed like her idea was working. The dragon couldn't move as easily through the forest. When Pyrena looked over her shoulder to see how far away the dragon was, she tripped over an up grown tree root. She cursed to herself and desperately searched for her sword that had fallen out of her grasp.
When she finally found her sword, a horrible odour filled the air. Pyrena put a hand over her mouth and nose to block out the horrid smell. Her hand however couldn't block out the powerful odour which smelling like rotting flesh. Then it hit Pyrena. She turned over so she was sitting on the ground and there it was. The dragon stood towering over her.
At first Pyrena was struck with fear and ready to beg the gods to spare her life. However, she was in the perfect position. A smile crept to her lips. She lifted her sword and thrusted it into the dragon's body. She held it there as the dragon cried in pain and agony while thrashing about.
Thick green blood sprayed everywhere and completely covered Pyrena. When Pyrena thought she had held the sword there long enough, she removed it from the dragon's chest and got away quickly. The dragon fell onto its side and let out one last cry of pain.
Diligently Pyrena moved over to the massive beast and cut open its chest to reveal its heart. Ever so carefully, Pyrena cut open the heart and stuck her hand inside of it. She cringed as she hand searched the chambers of the heart.
When she pulled her hand out, she was holding a jade jewel. She put the blood coved sword back into its sheath and smiled victoriously. 'Well one down, tow more to go.' As she turned her back to the deceased dragon, it began to disappear. First the blood then its scales and organs followed by its skeleton. Pyrena only noticed this when the blood from her clothes and skin seemed to evaporate.
Instinctively, Pyrena turned around and watched in astonishment as the dragon disappeared before her. there was something hypnotic about the sight for Pyrena. She was quickly brought to her senses though when a bright column of light descended from the heavens and completely surrounded her.
Her grip on the jade jewel tightened as she feared she may drop it. She went to run but seemed frozen in place. She couldn't move or even think straight. Slowly her body was lifted from the ground and into the sky above.
"Nurse, how is she doing?" A feminine voice asked.
"Her body seems stable, for now." a woman replied.
Everything before Pyrena was blurred. She blinked her eyes a few times in an attempt to clear her vision but it didn't work unfortunately. 'What . . .what happened . . .? Where am I . . .?' she tried to open her eyes again only to be blinded by a bright light above her. Naturally her hand rose from her side and to her face to block out the strong light.
"Dr. Zicari, the patient is awake." a tall slender woman with shoulder length wavy hair looked up from her note book and waked over to Pyrena's bedside.
"How are you feeling?" the doctor asked.
Pyrena looked at the woman dumbfounded. "Where am I?" she demanded in a crackled voice.
"You're at the Children's Hospital. A woman found you unconscious in the park."
"Who are you?" Pyrena demanded in a more clearer voice.
"I am Dr. Zicari but you may call me Chelsea. Now, do you mind telling me who you are?" Pyrena eyed Chelsea suspiciously before answering.
"Pyrena . . .Pyrena Albatou." At the sound of Pyrena's surname, Chelsea turned to the nurse and gestured for her to leave.
"Who are your parents?"
"Why should I tell you?" Pyrena snapped back.
To Pyrena's surprise, Chelsea didn't seemed affected or bothered by her reply. "I need to know in order to contact them." Pyrena looked at Chelsea with narrowed eyes and a stiff upper lip. "Don't worry Pyrena, you can trust me." Chelsea smiled genuinely at her patient.
"Fine . . .My parents are Sarah and Dilandau Albatou. Are you happy?" Pyrena spat.
"Where are you from?" Pyrena sighed and folded her arms across her chest.
"I'm from Ziabach. Happy?" Chelsea removed her glasses and smile.
"As a matter of fact I am. And let me be the first to say welcome to Earth." Pyrena looked at the doctor confused.
"E-Earth . . .? I'm on the Mystic Moon?!" Chelsea nodded in response. "Wait, why aren't you all freaked about me being from another planet? My mother said people of Earth would normally freak out."
"That's true but I'm a friend of your mother's. I went to school with her up until she left to go to Gaea about . . .hmm . . .I'd say twenty years ago."
"Wait! Are you my mom's nerdy friend?" Chelsea could only laugh.
"I guess you could say that. Now, do you know how to get back to Gaea?" Pyrena shook her head no.
"Nope. Do you?" Chelsea shook her head no sadly.
"Well, until we figure out how, you can stay with me." Reluctantly Pyrena accepted Chelsea's offer. She had no other place she could go.
A week had gone by and still Pyrena was stranded on Earth. Chelsea tried to help figure out how she even landed on Earth but she could come up with no logical answers.
When another week had passed, Chelsea decided to enroll Pyrena at the local high school.
Pyrena's reaction, though, surprised Chelsea. She figured Pyrena would put up a fight but she
didn't. When she asked Pyrena why she was okay wit it, her reply was simple "I've never been in one so I want to experience going to this 'high school'. Also I want to see if it is anything like my
mom said it was like.
On her first day starting at school, Pyrena was the centre of attention. Her natural silver hair and ruby red eyes fascinated all her peers. Everything went fine on her first day. However the same couldn't be said by the end of the week.
Pyrena was in her phys ed class when all hell broke loose. The school jock provoked Pyrena to the extreme with his sexist remarks. He claimed 'girls' couldn't be as strong as a man.
"Women are weak and will always be!"
When Pyrena heard his remark, her blood boiled and she slowly lost her self control. "What the hell did you say?" Pyrena yelled sternly and completely disgusted.
The football jock turned away from his so called friends and came face to face with the silver haired beauty. "I said women are weak and it's true. That statement was a large mistake.
Pyrena said nothing. She clenched her fist into a ball and threw a forceful blow to the jock's face. He stumble backwards and brought his hands to his now disfigured nose. Deep red blood dripped down his 'perfect face'. "So women are weak? I'd say men are weak. Look at you! I broke your nose and you're crying like a little girl" The jock gathered his pride and took a swing at Pyrena. She dodged the attack and kneed him in the gut.
Pyrena would have continued her attacks if the gym teacher had intervened. "Alright! Break it up you two!" the teacher shouted. "Pyrena go down to the office and see Mr. Diggens. Mark go see the school nurse."
"Yes Ms Reg" Pyrena muttered as she left the gymnasium.
Since it was Pyrena's first wee at school the principle, Mr Diggens, went easy on her. Instead of a harsh punishment such as suspension he simply made a phone call to Chelsea and requested Pyrena see the school social worker. It was with that phone call Chelsea realized which parent Pyrena took after. There's no doubt she's Dilandau's daughter. Not only does she look like him, she has is temper as well. Chelsea thought to herself as she listened to the principle rant on and on to her over the phone.
After the quiet dinner that night, Pyrena went straight to her room in the large and spacious apartment. She sat down on the queen size bed and sighed 'When will I go home?' How will I get home? I hope it's not too late. Her thoughts were interrupted, as an green glow was being emitted by the jade dragon jewel
Cautiously Pyrena stood up and walked towards the glowing jewel which sat on the low dresser underneath the window. She grabbed the jewel with a shaky hand and slowly lifted it. As she held it in her pale hand, images of a blue dragon struck her mind. The dragon was in the city terrorising the people. The dragon looked like the first dragon she slew, but there were some differences. First of all the scales of the dragon varied in shades of blue with a hint of green. However, unlike the other dragons this one was more slender and short. But what it lacked in height, it mad up for in length. Pyrena could only guess it was over forty feet long.
"Pyrena" Chelsea called from the other side of the door" Is everything alright?"
"Oh ya. Everything is fine"
Pyrena put the jade jewel back on the dresser and walked to the open closet, adjacent to the dresser. She pushed aside the clothes Chelsea had lent her and took out her clothes. Diligently, Pyrena slipped on the black leather trousers and the short black sleeved tunic. Next she carefully put on the red armour over her red knee high boots and strapped on hew sword.
When she finished dressing herself, Pyrena grabbed the jade jewel and carefully placed it into a brown leather pouch attached to her belt. She could feel the presence of the dragon near her. She could feel it in her bones
Chelsea knocked on the door to Pyrena's room. She had a gut feeling that something wasn't right. "Pyrena are you alright?" she asked hiding her worry from the young tee.
When no reply was giver, Chelsea grabbed the brass door knob and turned it slowly. As the door inched open, Chelsea could clearly see Pyrena, standing by the window, gazing up at the night sky. "Pyrena....?"
Pyrena turned around quickly and avoided any eye contact. "Thank you Chelsea but," she paused and clenched her hand tightly to make a fist. A dragon is near and I need to slay it".
"A-a dragon?" Chelsea stuttered. Pyrena nodded. "Why do have to slay it? May I ask?"
"Because......because my mother is ill with an incurable condition. A woman once told me this may be a way to heal my mother. According to and old legend, a person must slay the three elemental dragons in this order. A forest dragon, a water dragon and a fire dragon. After you slay therm, you must take their heart jewels. When you have all three collected, you have to place them before the ill person.
"My parents don't know about it, because if they knew they wouldn't let me go. They'd say it's nothing but a fairy tale but I can't sit around and do nothing. I don't want to loose my mom....." Tears welled up in Pyrena's eyes, threatening to spill down her soft cheeks.
"Oh my....Oh my....."was all Chelsea could say. She then wondered why Pyrena had kept it a secret from her. But as soon as she put herself in Pyrena's shoes, she some what understood. "Well the I guess you should get going." Pyrena nodded and exited the room. 'Good luck Pyrena...'
Pyrena dashed through the city streets searching for the dragon. She completely blocked out the sounds of the Earth music that filled the streets as she ran pass the lively night clubs. She would let nothing distract her. She had a mission that had to be completed.
Pyrena finally came to a stop when she reached the central park of the city. The park seemed deserted but not completely. There were a few but not many people walking along the paved pathways. 'Where is it?' Pyrena wondered as she glanced around quickly.
Her teeth clenched together with frustration. She could feel the dragon's presence but she couldn't see it. "Dragon!"she yelled "Show yourself!"
As if on cue, the large fountain, began to overflow with water. The flow of water quickened and took on the form of a dragon. Then slowly, the water became the dragon Pyrena had seen in her vision earlier.
It didn't take long for Pyrena to draw her sword and get into a fighting stand. As soon as the dragon completed its transformation, Pyrena attacked with a great forced. "Come on dragon! Fight me!"
The blue dragon looked at Pyrena, then away, almost like it didn't want to fight. Pyrena raised an eyebrow in confusion. 'What is up with this dragon?' she wondered.
The dragon laid down on is side and fell asleep. Pyrena was shocked beyond belief by the dragon's strange behaviour. Was the dragon planning something, or did it just not want to fight? Pyrena approached with caution, holding her sword firmly, and ready for any aggression.
She walked up to the sleeping dragon. She admired its beauty and walked straight to its chest. She held her sword with both hands and said a quick prayer to the gods before driving the sword into the dragon. The dragon didn't move or even cry in pain.
Pyrena drove the sword in all the way to the heart. Sapphire blue blood poured out of the dragon and pooled around Pyrena's feet. She withdrew her sword from the beast and stepped back. For some odd reason, Pyrena couldn't help but feel remorseful for slaying the dragon. "What needs to be done has to be done....." she muttered before cutting the beast open and plunging her hand into its chest.
When she pulled out her hand she held a deep blue jewel. She smiled with relief. Her task was almost over. As she observed the beauty of the large jewel, it began to glow a strange blue aura. Pyrena's eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
Then it happened. The same column of light descended from the heavens above and surrounded Pyrena. She got the same feeling of weightlessness as the light slowly lifted her off the ground.
"Pyrena? Pyrena? Can you hear me?" A boy dressed in khaki breeches and a green sleeveless tunic asked as he kneeled down beside Pyrena. "C'mon Pyrena, wake up!" he begged as he then began to shake she.
"Ah! Hey! Stop it!" Pyrena shouted.
"Thank the gods you're still alive!"
"Of course I am Cadell. Have you forgotten who you're talking to?" Cadell shook his head no and helped Pyrena to her feet. "Where am I?" she asked her raven haired friend.
"We're just outside the walls of Fanelia."
"Alright, you go back to the palace. Tell my father I'm all right." she bent down and picked up her fallen sword and the sapphire dragon jewel.
"Why can't you?" Cadell asked.
"Because I still have to do something before I go back."
"Huh? what? where ya going?"
"There's still one more dragon I need to slay." Pyrena sheathed her sword and put the jewel in the leather ouch with the others. "Oh and say hi to your parents the king and queen!" Pyrena shouted as she ran off into the distance, away from the city.
She walked all day and only stopped to quench her thirst and hunger. As she walked through the open field, she could have sworn she heard a woman singing but there was no one around. The closest village was miles away.
Pyrena tried to block out the angelic voice by thinking of mission. Try as she might, the voice wouldn't disappear. The voice seemed to get louder and put Pyrena into a trans like state. Little did she know, the angelic voice was leading her the Dragons' Nest.
The Dragons' Nest a place where few humans ever seen or lived to tell about it. It was the one place where most dragons thrived. Every type of dragon imaginable lived in the one place.
"Welcome Pyrena . . ."the angelic voice spoke.
Pyrena shook her head slightly and wondered how she ended up where she was. "This is the Dragons' Nest."
"The-the Dragons' N-Nest?!" Pyrena stuttered in disbelief.
"Yes, and I know what you want." To Pyrena's left emerged a large red and gold dragon. "You may now slay but I should warn you, I can have a bit of a temper."
Despite what was happening, Pyrena drew her sword steadily. "Alright then, should I make the first move or you?" Pyrena said with a sly grin.
The dragon charged forward with an open mouth. Pyrena ran out of the way then attacked the beast from the side. Even though she knew her sword was no match for the dragon's tough scales, she still had to try and tire the massive beast out.
The dragon moved quickly and tried to catch Pyrena with its large, razor sharp teeth. Pyrena leapt out of the way just in the nick of time. Again the dragon tried to take another strike but missed as its challenger jumper out of the way.
Pyrena panted for breath and prepared to run and attack. However, the dragon was too quick. Before Pyrena could do anything, the dragon hit her forcefully with its massive tail.
When Pyrena's body hit the trunk of a tree, she could feel a few of her ribs crack. Her body fell limply to the green forest floor. She gasped for air and tried to stand up.
"I . . .can . . .do . . .this!" Pyrena growled through her clenched teeth.
She stumbled to her feet and tried to ignore the sharp pains in her lower back. With both hands she held her sword as tight as she could. Beads of sweat dripped down her pale face and onto her red armour.
With a burst of sudden energy, Pyrena charged forward. She showed no signs of giving up yet or ever. Sparks flew as she slashed her sword across the dragon's scales.
Again the dragon tried to knock Pyrena away with its tail but luckily for Pyrena, she dodged the attack. As the massive tail passed over her head, Pyrena thrusted her sword into its soft and tender red flesh.
The dragon cried in pain and thrashed about. Pyrena desperately tried to get out of the way of the giant feet of the dragon. As she dodged the feet, she made her way around to the front of the dragon where she thrusted her sword deep into the dragon's chest.
Thick crimson blood sprayed in all directions. Pyrena withdrew quickly and backed away. She waited patiently for the dragon to stop its trashing and fall to its side.
When the dragon did stop and finally fall onto its side, Pyrena amd walked towards the giant beast at a slow pace. Like with the other dragons, Pyrena cut open the chest of the beast and stuck her hand into its heart. When she pulled her hand out, in her palm was the ruby jewel, the last of the three dragon jewels.
She put the jewel into the pouch and sheathed her sword. 'I . . .I did it . . .I did it!' she thought joyously. 'Now I can go home . . .'
It wasn't until day break of the following day that Pyrena finally arrived home. Cadell was thrilled to see his long time friend had returned alive. However, not everyone was as happy as Cadell. Pyrena's father wasn't pleased in the least bit.
Pyrena hung her head in shame as she stood before her father. "I'm sorry . . ." was all she could say.
"Go see your mother." Pyrena nodded and did as her father said.
A shiver ran down her spine as she entered the dim bedroom. She walked at a slow pace to the bed. when she reached the foot of the bed, Pyrena took out the three jewels.
Carefully she placed the three jewels in order in which she got them. First she placed the jade jewel, then the sapphire and finally the ruby jewel. 'Please let this work . . .please!'
A moan sounded from the sleeping woman's lips. "Mom!" Pyrena shouted as she ran and embraced her mother.
"Oh . . .Pyrena . . ." her mother spoke softly.
"I've missed you so much . . ."
Dilandau stood at the doorway and watched as his daughter and wife embraced each other. A rare smile crept to his cheeks. Although he rarely showed it, he really did care about his daughter and was truly proud of her.
A/N: Well hoped you enjoyed! I wont be writing the actual fic until February b/c I have a lot of major assignments I'm working on at the time and then I have exams. Lucky me -_-