This is not finished ) Yet.
Title: Revenge part 2
Author: Dilandau
Warning: Disturbedness
Spoilers: little-none
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He was burning. He could see the orange tongues of fire dancing around his charred body on the insides of his eyelids. He could smell the distinct odor of burning flesh. He could feel the flames eating away at his skin. He tried to scream, he rolled around to put the fire out, he cried out for mercy. All that he could hear was the crackling of the flames, and that laugh. That laugh that had haunted his dreams since he had been captured by his brother, and tortured by Dilandau. He opened his eyes to see the garnet orbs reflecting the orange flames back into his own eyes, and one pale hand holding the ornate blade stained red with his own blood. He screamed. He yelled, he begged for mercy. He also woke up.
The boy's eyes shot open, and he quickly scrambled to a siting position in his bed. He smoothed back sweat soaked tresses, and turned towards the door where an anxious looking Hitomi was standing. "Van..Are you all right?"
"Y..yes.. I'm fine." He cleared his throat, cursing that tremor in his voice. Hitomi crossed the short distance between herself and the boy king of Fanelia, sitting near the foot of his bed, gazing upon him with worried eyes.
"If there's something wrong.you would tell me, right?"
"There are some things that aren't meant to be told." he murmured, his voice sounding hoarse even to himself. The girl nodded, shifting her gaze to the floor.
"You will never tell us what happened in the Fortress will you? You don't have to, I can see it pains you deeply." Van closed his eyes tightly, his fists clenching and unclenching. How he wished that he could tell her, tell someone, but he knew that once they all knew, they would be disgusted. Revolted of the weakness of their king. It was unfair. The king of Fanelia becoming scared of the dark, scared of the life giving fire because of some madman. Someone he knew he could beat with ease.
"I wish I could tell you Hitomi. I really do. I just can't right now. Maybe in the future, but not now." He ran his hand down the new scar on the left side of his face, feeling how the flesh rose and fell on either side of the scar tissue. Hitomi nodded, watching the way he traced the scar mirroring his enemy's. It was no mystery to her that Dilandau had done that to the boy, it was only what else he had done to upset Van so. She rose from he seat, giving the boy king a reassuring smile. "I must be going now, but if you ever need someone to talk to. Just come to me." With that, she turned and left the boy alone again with his memories.
The next day.
Van opened the door to his room, looking both ways before walking out into the deserted space. He froze as he heard the sounds of footsteps, turning in time to see Allen appear behind him, looking at him curiously. "Van, I was just coming to see you. You've hardly come out at all for the last few weeks, and I decided to take the initiative to see if you were okay." With that, he put a hand on the boys shoulder, giving it a friendly squeeze. Van's eyes widened as he jumped back, stumbling and falling to the floor.
"Please.."
"Please what? Van, are you feeling quite all right?"
"Yes.I'm sorry, I don't know what's gotten into me.." He brushed himself off before standing up, still a good deal away from the other man.
"Van, you are acting quite strange. Is there anything-"
"Allen, I'm fine.. It's just the stress." The older man shrugged and walked off after giving the boy a concerned look. Van sighed, running a hand through his chocolate brown hair. During those few seconds, he hadn't seen the longhaired knight, but the pale nightmare that had been lurking within his mind day and night. He closed his eyes, leaning against the wall, breathing in and out slowly. The only reason he lived was because of Folken. He vaguely remembered him carrying his smoldering body to the infirmary, smoothing away his tears. He didn't remember much after that. The next coherent memory he had was on the Crusade with his friends and the crew looking worriedly down at him. He stood up straight again, straightening his shirt. It was no use dwelling on the past after all. With that last thought, he continued on his way.
In the Floating Fortress..
Dilandau charged into the quarters of the dragon slayers and himself, not trying in the least to mask his fury. He shoved the nearest dragon slayer out of his way, which happened to be Dallet, and stormed over to his bed. He had just been to the infirmary for his necessary physical when he had spotted a file on the desk labeled "Van." He had responded smugly at first, picking up the folder and flipping through it idly, looking for the death report so he could gloat back to his dragon slayers. He blanched when he saw that the boy was alive and for the most part well. Seeing this, he had burst from the infirmary, seething with anger and muttering under his breath.
"Damn Folken, ruining everything.It was so perfect, oh yes, it was so perfect. But no. He had to take care of 'baby brother.' Where do his loyalties lay? With Zaibach, or with his cock sucking whore of a brother." He smirked, yes, he meant that last insult quite literally. He chuckled to himself as he walked down the hallway, remembering his last encounter with the little dragon. His thoughts darkened remembering how the boy was SUPPOSED to die, but now it seemed he lived.
"D.. Dilandau-sama?" Chesta had asked, staying out of range of his infuriated captain.
"Chesta.?"
"Yes Dilandau-sama?"
"Do you want to die?" Chesta flinched and shook his head vigorously, moving as far away as he could.
"No sir, not really."
"Then Shut up." Dilandau lay on his back, starring up into the darkness, his right eye twitching as he fingered the folder next to him. "Oh Van.." He thought to himself. "Next time we meet, you'll wish you had died, you'll wish you were never born." His laughter echoed throughout the Fortress, and the Dragon Slayers shuddered and drew close to one another.
Folken paused as he drew near to the dragon slayer's quarters, chills running up and down at the sound of that laugh. He shook his head, opening the door glancing at the huddle of dragon slayers before addressing their captain.
"Dillandau?" The laughter abruptly stopped as the boy lifted himself from his bed to look at the older man.
"Yes..Folken-sama?" Folken cleared his throat, not liking that gleam in the albino's eye.
"You need to go out. Take a guymelef and fly around somewhere, I believe it would do you some good. Go alone. Leave your Dragon Slayers here to rest." Dilandau stretched, before sauntering over towards his commander.
"Yes. I believe I shall. But if you ever help that draconian whelp again."
"Is that a threat?" Dilandau shrugged, turning to look at him out of the corner of his eye.
"Interpret it how you want, I'm leaving." With that he bypassed his commander, and walked down towards the hanger, leaving Folken and his dragon slayers to stare at his retreating back.
Van tossed and turned in his bed, finally sitting up, blaming stress on the lack of sleep he had been having for the last few days. Of course, he only admitted to himself that it was the nightmares that came with sleep that kept him from it. He rose from his bed, feeling that just laying there wasn't going to help anything. Maybe he'd take Escaflowne and take a late night "walk" so to speak. He walked down to the hanger, touching the cool metal of the ancient guymelef, smiling to himself. After escaping from the confines of the Crusade, he hovered in the air, watching it make its lazy way towards the east. He in turn started flying in the opposite direction, promising to be back by daybreak. He closed his eyes to listen to the quiet hum of the guymelef, relaxing in the familiarity of the scene. If it was his lack of sleep, or the ease he felt while in the Escaflowne, or even both, he didn't know. But soon he found himself in the most relaxing sleep he had had for weeks.
Flying in his guymelef, Dilandau smirked to himself, trying to imagine the look on his commanders face. "Serves him right." He muttered to himself. He had the stealth cloak activated on his guymelef so no one would see him, which was probably why Van didn't notice him. "What's this..could it be..Escaflowne?" Dilandau trailed after the guymelef slowly, observing the mecha from close behind. "Yes..it is. What is Van doing alone flying at night? No matters, all the better for me." He laughed, his face contorting into an evil grin. "Oh Van, I'm going to make you mine."
Van was awoken suddenly and violently by a series of jolts and flashing red lights. He cursed under his breath as he tried to regain control of the Escaflowne and to find the source of the problem. He looked around his surroundings, but nothing was to be seen. It had grown strangely silent, and the lights had stopped flashing. Van shrugged, blaming it on wind turbulence. A few minutes later, the guymelef experienced another violent impact, this time Van knew it wasn't just the wind.
"What..what the. " He suddenly realized where he had seen this situation before.
"Stealth cloaks.. Oh shit no." He couldn't see the guymelef without Hitomi's help, so he did the only thing he could do, fly top speed back towards the Crusade.
"You better fly faster Van." Dilandau snickered, firing another shot at the quickly retreating mecha.
'Oh gods no." Van whispered, feeling the despair of the situation. A few more shots and direct hits, and Van couldn't feel anything. The Escaflowne made it's spiraling decent into a forest, spreading flames on impact. The silhouette of Dilandau's guymelef appeared next to the fallen Escaflowne looking for all it's worth like the devil standing over it's prey back shadowed by flame. The echoes of laughter resounded throughout the forest amidst the sounds of crackling wood.
Van woke up hours later, his eyes adjusting to the dark room he found himself in. His arms and legs were bound to what felt to him like a bed, and as his vision improved he found he was right. A rather big bed with black satin sheets. He groaned as he leaned his head back on the pillow, testing the strength of the ties on his arms. They weren't chains, but they weren't gauze scarves either. The door opened as a crack of light flooded the room with dim light. Two people entered the room, one was definitely Dilandau.
"You bastard, where am I?" Van snarled, testing the bonds on his arms yet again. All fear had left him as the adrenaline rushed through his veins.
"Tsk tsk, Van, such language for a King. Don't worry, no one will hurt you here. You should be thanking me." This last comment was accented with a laugh, and the other figure in the room stepped closer to the struggling boy.
"What's his age? He looks young for this business." The voice was feminine, yet cold sounding and harsh.
"He's 15, but he's in good shape." The woman nodded, brushing a few strands out of the bound boy's eyes.
"He is rather good looking. I suppose we could make an exception. Most of our boys look younger then the age we tell our clients."
"Clients, what? What is this place?" Van exclaimed, lashing out against the bonds that held him in place.
"Hush now boy, we'll take good care of you here." The woman smirked before straightening up to face the pale teenager standing next to her. "We should be going now, Dilandau-sama."
"Yes, good bye Van, I shall be checking up on you shortly." With that, the pair exited the room, leaving Van alone in the darkness with his thoughts. The boy let out a shaky breath, wondering what the captain of the dragon slayers had in store for him this time.
Soon after Dilandau and the mysterious lady had left the room, a dark colored man had entered the room, sticking a small needle into the boy's neck. Van soon passed out. He awoke in an unfamiliar room, flooded with light and the air heavy with the scents of herbs and spices. He stood up finding that his arms and legs had been left un-bound, but a thick collar was fastened around his neck. He took a quick glance around the room, finding himself to be alone. The room had a deep pool in the center, and an open ceiling letting a cool breeze enter. There were miscellaneous bowls and bottles of unknown substances lining the pool, which was probably where the delicious aromas were coming from. He stood up to walk towards the ornate wooden doors, framed by vines in full bloom. It was then he realized that his cloths were not the same ones he had been wearing when he had been first captured. Instead, he found himself to be wearing a flowing robe that reached only to about mid-thigh with what felt like nothing to be underneath. Letting out an undignified yelp, he scrambled to pull the two pieces together, taking a quick glance around to room to make sure he was truly alone. It was just then that the double doors opened, letting in two young girls, and one much older lady. The two girls looked to be in their teens, not so much older then Van however. They were both exotic and beautiful, and their clothing scarce. The older woman was dressed not so richly, but her face hinted at once being beautiful as her two younger companions a long time ago.
"Hello Van," The two girls had said in unison. "We are Felicia and Erin." They both gave a small bow, and the older woman stepped up to get a closer view of the young man.
"And most people around here call me Jo. I used to be as young and beautiful as my two daughters, but now age has taken it's toll, and I am now a mere servant woman. Come boy, to the bathing pool." She made a motion for the boy to follow her and the two girls to the pool, and he had no choice but to follow. "Since you are new to the Palace, you must go through the proper rights."
"The Palace? Where am I?"
"You are in the Palace, a glorified whore house to put it bluntly. You my boy, are going to be one of the keys. In other words, you are to become a sex slave."
"A.. WHAT???!??" Van stopped dead in his tracks, about to bolt for the nearest door out.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you boy. That collar around your neck will give you a nasty shock if you try to leave this place. It will not kill, but will keep you in excruciating pain."
"This can't be.I am the King of Fanelia, not some common whore."
The old woman chuckled, giving the boy a look up and down. "And what a fine fellow you are. If I was about twenty years younger, I would have given you a lesson or two on the proper way to greet someone in the palace, but at being the age I am, I shall have to let my two daughters do it for me. And besides young man, you aren't any common whore. You are a key. You're at the top of the line my boy, coveted and treasured. You also cost a fortune as well."
"No, no. This cannot be." Van shook his head, standing still in shock. The old woman took pity on the boy, and gave him a small push towards the pool. The boy obeyed, stepping into the lukewarm water. His cheeks turned a light color of pink as he felt his robe lifted away, leaving him exposed, save for the water now up to his waist. He sighed as the deep aroma of spices became stronger as the two girls behind him massaged the substance into his hair. He blushed stronger at finding them as equally unclothed as he.
"Now Van, you will experience what the Palace offers first hand. Think of this as.a welcoming gift."
Several hours later, Van lay on his stomach, exhausted as the one of the girls, Felicia he thought was her name, rubbed oil into his back. She leaned in close to grab his lips in a violent kiss, biting down on his lower lip before retreating, smiling coyly at the younger boy. "Now you stay here Van. We'll be back soon." She gave him one last kiss before following her sister and mother out of the room, leaving Van on the table, nearly asleep. The door opened, but Van took no notice. He only realized something was wrong when his hands were violently tied behind his back, and his legs fastened to the table he was lying on.
"W..What?? Who are you??" Van couldn't see his assailant for he was behind him, but her soon heard a buzzing sound, followed by white flashes of pain streaking up his spin to his brain. Van thrashed in his position, white hot sparks flying from his inner thigh, hot tears threatening to fall down the boy's cheeks. It stopped abruptly as it had started though, and he was soon released and the unidentified person stepped out of the room. He whimpered, looking down at his injured thigh, blanching as he saw what looked like to be a little dragon, curled into the shape of a key. It was a traditional Asian dragon, black and white scales contrasting with his tanned skin. He traced the winding shape of the dragon with one finger, wincing as pain shot through the still tender skin. It was then that the two girls returned with the old servant woman, and they rubbed and kissed the pain away.
" Now Van, that is the mark of your key. The Dragon Key. You are now owned by the Palace, and there are some rules you will need to know." All the boy could do was whimper softly and nods, watching the tongue of one girl trace the delicate lines of the twisting dragon. "The first rule is that you always obey your master and superiors. Punishment is torture, and or death. The second rule is that you are not to rape, or be raped by anyone other than your master. Punishment for this offense is death. The third rule is that you stay within the grounds of the Palace designated for the slaves. Punishment torture and or death. The final rule is that you are not to fight, sleep with, or show affection for any slave or master except for your own. The punishment for this is also death. Do you understand?" The boy nodded again.
"There seems to be many death penalties." "Yes, that is the way the Palace keeps its inhabitants in line. I trust that you will obey them all, It would be a shame to let such a handsome young man like you go to waste." With that, she gave a soft chuckle before rising, motioning for the two girls to follow. "A page will come for you in a few minutes. He will bring you cloths and bring you to your quarters. I hope to see you again Van." With that, the three women left the room, leaving Van alone to his thoughts.
Soon the door opened again, and a small boy entered the room. In his hands was a pile of cloths, and on his wrist he carried a small key. "Master Van?" The boy asked, his boyish smile keeping in place as he approached the boy. "My name's Rao, and I'll be escorting you to your room." Van gave a small smile back, it was hard not to for the boy was smiling so brightly as if nothing was wrong with the world. He quickly turned around, putting on the cloths that had been given to him. He found that he had been given black silk pants with slits up both sides, and a white lace-up vest as a shirt. He turned around to meet the approving gaze of the page, still smiling, but now with a hint of something else in those eyes.
"Master Van, You look wonderful.. I'm sure everyone will just Love you here." He gave the older boy one more look over before turning around, holding up a black and white iron key iron key, mirroring the shape of the tattoo on Van's thigh. "Right this way Master Van, I'll escort you to your room." As the pair made their way through the dark hall leading from the bathing room, Van couldn't help but notice the strange, almost hungry looks he received by key's and masters alike. He remembered the rules that had been so clearly dictated to him though, keeping his gaze on the floor ahead. His fists clenched and unclenched, he was supposed to be thinking of escape. Dilandau couldn't do this to him. What would Folken say when he found out? His nails dug into his skin, leaving tiny crescent shaped marks, and his teeth clenched. And then, he bolted. He ran as far as maybe ten feet, when searing white flames seemed to eat away at his flesh in a ring around his neck. He opened his mouth in a silent scream, oblivious to the people standing around him. And then it stopped, leaving him curled in a fetal position on the floor with many stares focused on him.
"Oh Master Van, you can't do that. Come on, I'll get you to your room." The boy helped the still stunned Van to his feet, pulling him along the hallway. After walking a good five or so minutes, they stopped at a grand entranceway, done in the style of maybe ancient China. The black lacquered doors had inlays of great dragons, and the boy page wasted no time in fitting the key into a small, barely visible keyhole in the door. The doors swung open easily, not making a sound as if they had been just greased. Van stood there, a look of awe crossing over his shocked features. This room was like nothing he had ever seen before. It was better then his room at home, that was for sure. Candles dimly lighted the room, and the strong smell of incense wafted from deep inside. From where he was standing, he could see a huge king sized bed with inlays of more dragons on the headboard, following the theme of the rest of the room. Overstuffed pillows were thrown carelessly on the bed and on the floor, and velvet blankets covered both. There were low Asian styled tables on the floor, and paintings of Chinese Mountains decorated the walls.
"Beautiful isn't it?" The young page said, smirking at the look plastered across the young king's face. He sauntered inside, pausing at the bed, turning to look over his shoulder at the older boy, still standing near the door. "This is where you'll be entertaining your. guests.. master Van. My advice to you is to keep it neat. And no more running away." With that, he bowed to the young king before exiting the room, smiling cheerfully at him as he left.
Van sighed softly, left alone yet again. He walked over to the bed, sitting down, holding his head in his hands and moaning softly. He leaned back on one hand, feeling it sink into the soft plush.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@.@;;; Strangeness.
He was burning. He could see the orange tongues of fire dancing around his charred body on the insides of his eyelids. He could smell the distinct odor of burning flesh. He could feel the flames eating away at his skin. He tried to scream, he rolled around to put the fire out, he cried out for mercy. All that he could hear was the crackling of the flames, and that laugh. That laugh that had haunted his dreams since he had been captured by his brother, and tortured by Dilandau. He opened his eyes to see the garnet orbs reflecting the orange flames back into his own eyes, and one pale hand holding the ornate blade stained red with his own blood. He screamed. He yelled, he begged for mercy. He also woke up.
The boy's eyes shot open, and he quickly scrambled to a siting position in his bed. He smoothed back sweat soaked tresses, and turned towards the door where an anxious looking Hitomi was standing. "Van..Are you all right?"
"Y..yes.. I'm fine." He cleared his throat, cursing that tremor in his voice. Hitomi crossed the short distance between herself and the boy king of Fanelia, sitting near the foot of his bed, gazing upon him with worried eyes.
"If there's something wrong.you would tell me, right?"
"There are some things that aren't meant to be told." he murmured, his voice sounding hoarse even to himself. The girl nodded, shifting her gaze to the floor.
"You will never tell us what happened in the Fortress will you? You don't have to, I can see it pains you deeply." Van closed his eyes tightly, his fists clenching and unclenching. How he wished that he could tell her, tell someone, but he knew that once they all knew, they would be disgusted. Revolted of the weakness of their king. It was unfair. The king of Fanelia becoming scared of the dark, scared of the life giving fire because of some madman. Someone he knew he could beat with ease.
"I wish I could tell you Hitomi. I really do. I just can't right now. Maybe in the future, but not now." He ran his hand down the new scar on the left side of his face, feeling how the flesh rose and fell on either side of the scar tissue. Hitomi nodded, watching the way he traced the scar mirroring his enemy's. It was no mystery to her that Dilandau had done that to the boy, it was only what else he had done to upset Van so. She rose from he seat, giving the boy king a reassuring smile. "I must be going now, but if you ever need someone to talk to. Just come to me." With that, she turned and left the boy alone again with his memories.
The next day.
Van opened the door to his room, looking both ways before walking out into the deserted space. He froze as he heard the sounds of footsteps, turning in time to see Allen appear behind him, looking at him curiously. "Van, I was just coming to see you. You've hardly come out at all for the last few weeks, and I decided to take the initiative to see if you were okay." With that, he put a hand on the boys shoulder, giving it a friendly squeeze. Van's eyes widened as he jumped back, stumbling and falling to the floor.
"Please.."
"Please what? Van, are you feeling quite all right?"
"Yes.I'm sorry, I don't know what's gotten into me.." He brushed himself off before standing up, still a good deal away from the other man.
"Van, you are acting quite strange. Is there anything-"
"Allen, I'm fine.. It's just the stress." The older man shrugged and walked off after giving the boy a concerned look. Van sighed, running a hand through his chocolate brown hair. During those few seconds, he hadn't seen the longhaired knight, but the pale nightmare that had been lurking within his mind day and night. He closed his eyes, leaning against the wall, breathing in and out slowly. The only reason he lived was because of Folken. He vaguely remembered him carrying his smoldering body to the infirmary, smoothing away his tears. He didn't remember much after that. The next coherent memory he had was on the Crusade with his friends and the crew looking worriedly down at him. He stood up straight again, straightening his shirt. It was no use dwelling on the past after all. With that last thought, he continued on his way.
In the Floating Fortress..
Dilandau charged into the quarters of the dragon slayers and himself, not trying in the least to mask his fury. He shoved the nearest dragon slayer out of his way, which happened to be Dallet, and stormed over to his bed. He had just been to the infirmary for his necessary physical when he had spotted a file on the desk labeled "Van." He had responded smugly at first, picking up the folder and flipping through it idly, looking for the death report so he could gloat back to his dragon slayers. He blanched when he saw that the boy was alive and for the most part well. Seeing this, he had burst from the infirmary, seething with anger and muttering under his breath.
"Damn Folken, ruining everything.It was so perfect, oh yes, it was so perfect. But no. He had to take care of 'baby brother.' Where do his loyalties lay? With Zaibach, or with his cock sucking whore of a brother." He smirked, yes, he meant that last insult quite literally. He chuckled to himself as he walked down the hallway, remembering his last encounter with the little dragon. His thoughts darkened remembering how the boy was SUPPOSED to die, but now it seemed he lived.
"D.. Dilandau-sama?" Chesta had asked, staying out of range of his infuriated captain.
"Chesta.?"
"Yes Dilandau-sama?"
"Do you want to die?" Chesta flinched and shook his head vigorously, moving as far away as he could.
"No sir, not really."
"Then Shut up." Dilandau lay on his back, starring up into the darkness, his right eye twitching as he fingered the folder next to him. "Oh Van.." He thought to himself. "Next time we meet, you'll wish you had died, you'll wish you were never born." His laughter echoed throughout the Fortress, and the Dragon Slayers shuddered and drew close to one another.
Folken paused as he drew near to the dragon slayer's quarters, chills running up and down at the sound of that laugh. He shook his head, opening the door glancing at the huddle of dragon slayers before addressing their captain.
"Dillandau?" The laughter abruptly stopped as the boy lifted himself from his bed to look at the older man.
"Yes..Folken-sama?" Folken cleared his throat, not liking that gleam in the albino's eye.
"You need to go out. Take a guymelef and fly around somewhere, I believe it would do you some good. Go alone. Leave your Dragon Slayers here to rest." Dilandau stretched, before sauntering over towards his commander.
"Yes. I believe I shall. But if you ever help that draconian whelp again."
"Is that a threat?" Dilandau shrugged, turning to look at him out of the corner of his eye.
"Interpret it how you want, I'm leaving." With that he bypassed his commander, and walked down towards the hanger, leaving Folken and his dragon slayers to stare at his retreating back.
Van tossed and turned in his bed, finally sitting up, blaming stress on the lack of sleep he had been having for the last few days. Of course, he only admitted to himself that it was the nightmares that came with sleep that kept him from it. He rose from his bed, feeling that just laying there wasn't going to help anything. Maybe he'd take Escaflowne and take a late night "walk" so to speak. He walked down to the hanger, touching the cool metal of the ancient guymelef, smiling to himself. After escaping from the confines of the Crusade, he hovered in the air, watching it make its lazy way towards the east. He in turn started flying in the opposite direction, promising to be back by daybreak. He closed his eyes to listen to the quiet hum of the guymelef, relaxing in the familiarity of the scene. If it was his lack of sleep, or the ease he felt while in the Escaflowne, or even both, he didn't know. But soon he found himself in the most relaxing sleep he had had for weeks.
Flying in his guymelef, Dilandau smirked to himself, trying to imagine the look on his commanders face. "Serves him right." He muttered to himself. He had the stealth cloak activated on his guymelef so no one would see him, which was probably why Van didn't notice him. "What's this..could it be..Escaflowne?" Dilandau trailed after the guymelef slowly, observing the mecha from close behind. "Yes..it is. What is Van doing alone flying at night? No matters, all the better for me." He laughed, his face contorting into an evil grin. "Oh Van, I'm going to make you mine."
Van was awoken suddenly and violently by a series of jolts and flashing red lights. He cursed under his breath as he tried to regain control of the Escaflowne and to find the source of the problem. He looked around his surroundings, but nothing was to be seen. It had grown strangely silent, and the lights had stopped flashing. Van shrugged, blaming it on wind turbulence. A few minutes later, the guymelef experienced another violent impact, this time Van knew it wasn't just the wind.
"What..what the. " He suddenly realized where he had seen this situation before.
"Stealth cloaks.. Oh shit no." He couldn't see the guymelef without Hitomi's help, so he did the only thing he could do, fly top speed back towards the Crusade.
"You better fly faster Van." Dilandau snickered, firing another shot at the quickly retreating mecha.
'Oh gods no." Van whispered, feeling the despair of the situation. A few more shots and direct hits, and Van couldn't feel anything. The Escaflowne made it's spiraling decent into a forest, spreading flames on impact. The silhouette of Dilandau's guymelef appeared next to the fallen Escaflowne looking for all it's worth like the devil standing over it's prey back shadowed by flame. The echoes of laughter resounded throughout the forest amidst the sounds of crackling wood.
Van woke up hours later, his eyes adjusting to the dark room he found himself in. His arms and legs were bound to what felt to him like a bed, and as his vision improved he found he was right. A rather big bed with black satin sheets. He groaned as he leaned his head back on the pillow, testing the strength of the ties on his arms. They weren't chains, but they weren't gauze scarves either. The door opened as a crack of light flooded the room with dim light. Two people entered the room, one was definitely Dilandau.
"You bastard, where am I?" Van snarled, testing the bonds on his arms yet again. All fear had left him as the adrenaline rushed through his veins.
"Tsk tsk, Van, such language for a King. Don't worry, no one will hurt you here. You should be thanking me." This last comment was accented with a laugh, and the other figure in the room stepped closer to the struggling boy.
"What's his age? He looks young for this business." The voice was feminine, yet cold sounding and harsh.
"He's 15, but he's in good shape." The woman nodded, brushing a few strands out of the bound boy's eyes.
"He is rather good looking. I suppose we could make an exception. Most of our boys look younger then the age we tell our clients."
"Clients, what? What is this place?" Van exclaimed, lashing out against the bonds that held him in place.
"Hush now boy, we'll take good care of you here." The woman smirked before straightening up to face the pale teenager standing next to her. "We should be going now, Dilandau-sama."
"Yes, good bye Van, I shall be checking up on you shortly." With that, the pair exited the room, leaving Van alone in the darkness with his thoughts. The boy let out a shaky breath, wondering what the captain of the dragon slayers had in store for him this time.
Soon after Dilandau and the mysterious lady had left the room, a dark colored man had entered the room, sticking a small needle into the boy's neck. Van soon passed out. He awoke in an unfamiliar room, flooded with light and the air heavy with the scents of herbs and spices. He stood up finding that his arms and legs had been left un-bound, but a thick collar was fastened around his neck. He took a quick glance around the room, finding himself to be alone. The room had a deep pool in the center, and an open ceiling letting a cool breeze enter. There were miscellaneous bowls and bottles of unknown substances lining the pool, which was probably where the delicious aromas were coming from. He stood up to walk towards the ornate wooden doors, framed by vines in full bloom. It was then he realized that his cloths were not the same ones he had been wearing when he had been first captured. Instead, he found himself to be wearing a flowing robe that reached only to about mid-thigh with what felt like nothing to be underneath. Letting out an undignified yelp, he scrambled to pull the two pieces together, taking a quick glance around to room to make sure he was truly alone. It was just then that the double doors opened, letting in two young girls, and one much older lady. The two girls looked to be in their teens, not so much older then Van however. They were both exotic and beautiful, and their clothing scarce. The older woman was dressed not so richly, but her face hinted at once being beautiful as her two younger companions a long time ago.
"Hello Van," The two girls had said in unison. "We are Felicia and Erin." They both gave a small bow, and the older woman stepped up to get a closer view of the young man.
"And most people around here call me Jo. I used to be as young and beautiful as my two daughters, but now age has taken it's toll, and I am now a mere servant woman. Come boy, to the bathing pool." She made a motion for the boy to follow her and the two girls to the pool, and he had no choice but to follow. "Since you are new to the Palace, you must go through the proper rights."
"The Palace? Where am I?"
"You are in the Palace, a glorified whore house to put it bluntly. You my boy, are going to be one of the keys. In other words, you are to become a sex slave."
"A.. WHAT???!??" Van stopped dead in his tracks, about to bolt for the nearest door out.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you boy. That collar around your neck will give you a nasty shock if you try to leave this place. It will not kill, but will keep you in excruciating pain."
"This can't be.I am the King of Fanelia, not some common whore."
The old woman chuckled, giving the boy a look up and down. "And what a fine fellow you are. If I was about twenty years younger, I would have given you a lesson or two on the proper way to greet someone in the palace, but at being the age I am, I shall have to let my two daughters do it for me. And besides young man, you aren't any common whore. You are a key. You're at the top of the line my boy, coveted and treasured. You also cost a fortune as well."
"No, no. This cannot be." Van shook his head, standing still in shock. The old woman took pity on the boy, and gave him a small push towards the pool. The boy obeyed, stepping into the lukewarm water. His cheeks turned a light color of pink as he felt his robe lifted away, leaving him exposed, save for the water now up to his waist. He sighed as the deep aroma of spices became stronger as the two girls behind him massaged the substance into his hair. He blushed stronger at finding them as equally unclothed as he.
"Now Van, you will experience what the Palace offers first hand. Think of this as.a welcoming gift."
Several hours later, Van lay on his stomach, exhausted as the one of the girls, Felicia he thought was her name, rubbed oil into his back. She leaned in close to grab his lips in a violent kiss, biting down on his lower lip before retreating, smiling coyly at the younger boy. "Now you stay here Van. We'll be back soon." She gave him one last kiss before following her sister and mother out of the room, leaving Van on the table, nearly asleep. The door opened, but Van took no notice. He only realized something was wrong when his hands were violently tied behind his back, and his legs fastened to the table he was lying on.
"W..What?? Who are you??" Van couldn't see his assailant for he was behind him, but her soon heard a buzzing sound, followed by white flashes of pain streaking up his spin to his brain. Van thrashed in his position, white hot sparks flying from his inner thigh, hot tears threatening to fall down the boy's cheeks. It stopped abruptly as it had started though, and he was soon released and the unidentified person stepped out of the room. He whimpered, looking down at his injured thigh, blanching as he saw what looked like to be a little dragon, curled into the shape of a key. It was a traditional Asian dragon, black and white scales contrasting with his tanned skin. He traced the winding shape of the dragon with one finger, wincing as pain shot through the still tender skin. It was then that the two girls returned with the old servant woman, and they rubbed and kissed the pain away.
" Now Van, that is the mark of your key. The Dragon Key. You are now owned by the Palace, and there are some rules you will need to know." All the boy could do was whimper softly and nods, watching the tongue of one girl trace the delicate lines of the twisting dragon. "The first rule is that you always obey your master and superiors. Punishment is torture, and or death. The second rule is that you are not to rape, or be raped by anyone other than your master. Punishment for this offense is death. The third rule is that you stay within the grounds of the Palace designated for the slaves. Punishment torture and or death. The final rule is that you are not to fight, sleep with, or show affection for any slave or master except for your own. The punishment for this is also death. Do you understand?" The boy nodded again.
"There seems to be many death penalties." "Yes, that is the way the Palace keeps its inhabitants in line. I trust that you will obey them all, It would be a shame to let such a handsome young man like you go to waste." With that, she gave a soft chuckle before rising, motioning for the two girls to follow. "A page will come for you in a few minutes. He will bring you cloths and bring you to your quarters. I hope to see you again Van." With that, the three women left the room, leaving Van alone to his thoughts.
Soon the door opened again, and a small boy entered the room. In his hands was a pile of cloths, and on his wrist he carried a small key. "Master Van?" The boy asked, his boyish smile keeping in place as he approached the boy. "My name's Rao, and I'll be escorting you to your room." Van gave a small smile back, it was hard not to for the boy was smiling so brightly as if nothing was wrong with the world. He quickly turned around, putting on the cloths that had been given to him. He found that he had been given black silk pants with slits up both sides, and a white lace-up vest as a shirt. He turned around to meet the approving gaze of the page, still smiling, but now with a hint of something else in those eyes.
"Master Van, You look wonderful.. I'm sure everyone will just Love you here." He gave the older boy one more look over before turning around, holding up a black and white iron key iron key, mirroring the shape of the tattoo on Van's thigh. "Right this way Master Van, I'll escort you to your room." As the pair made their way through the dark hall leading from the bathing room, Van couldn't help but notice the strange, almost hungry looks he received by key's and masters alike. He remembered the rules that had been so clearly dictated to him though, keeping his gaze on the floor ahead. His fists clenched and unclenched, he was supposed to be thinking of escape. Dilandau couldn't do this to him. What would Folken say when he found out? His nails dug into his skin, leaving tiny crescent shaped marks, and his teeth clenched. And then, he bolted. He ran as far as maybe ten feet, when searing white flames seemed to eat away at his flesh in a ring around his neck. He opened his mouth in a silent scream, oblivious to the people standing around him. And then it stopped, leaving him curled in a fetal position on the floor with many stares focused on him.
"Oh Master Van, you can't do that. Come on, I'll get you to your room." The boy helped the still stunned Van to his feet, pulling him along the hallway. After walking a good five or so minutes, they stopped at a grand entranceway, done in the style of maybe ancient China. The black lacquered doors had inlays of great dragons, and the boy page wasted no time in fitting the key into a small, barely visible keyhole in the door. The doors swung open easily, not making a sound as if they had been just greased. Van stood there, a look of awe crossing over his shocked features. This room was like nothing he had ever seen before. It was better then his room at home, that was for sure. Candles dimly lighted the room, and the strong smell of incense wafted from deep inside. From where he was standing, he could see a huge king sized bed with inlays of more dragons on the headboard, following the theme of the rest of the room. Overstuffed pillows were thrown carelessly on the bed and on the floor, and velvet blankets covered both. There were low Asian styled tables on the floor, and paintings of Chinese Mountains decorated the walls.
"Beautiful isn't it?" The young page said, smirking at the look plastered across the young king's face. He sauntered inside, pausing at the bed, turning to look over his shoulder at the older boy, still standing near the door. "This is where you'll be entertaining your. guests.. master Van. My advice to you is to keep it neat. And no more running away." With that, he bowed to the young king before exiting the room, smiling cheerfully at him as he left.
Van sighed softly, left alone yet again. He walked over to the bed, sitting down, holding his head in his hands and moaning softly. He leaned back on one hand, feeling it sink into the soft plush.
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@.@;;; Strangeness.