The Way Things Were

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne in any way or form. However, any original characters (i.e. Daleth, Himitsu, etc.) are my property and I ask that you do not take them without permission. The plot is also mine and the same rule applies.

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The Way Things Were

Chapter 8

"Go around the back! Be careful near that tail!"

"You, in the front! Watch out for fire!"

The once quiet evening in the forest became a battlefield as the countless soldiers tried to subdue the lashing of the powerful dragon. Himitsu released her might once more in a blazing ball of flame, and scorched a few soldiers who weren't quick enough to dodge the burning inferno. The grass had ceased to be green, covered by pools of spilled blood from the dead and the dying. The smell of seared flesh filled the once-pure air, and the many forest animals that were nearby had scattered long before the confrontation even began.

Daleth stood in the outer ring of trees and watched the skirmish with cold eyes. Disdain flashed across his features as another bunch of idiotic soldiers were burnt to death.

Fools, he thought malevolently. They're all fools.

Having had enough of the fruitless massacre, although he couldn't of cared less if all of the soldiers died, he decided to step in and end the bloody confrontation. Even though he did not care for these men, he knew His Excellency would not be pleased to learn that an entire squadron of his men had been left to die. Throwing back his dark cloak, he bounded down the slight hillock and down into the death pit. He could see the dragon was gathering energy to blast another ball of fire, and as it roared its head back, its lungs inflamed, he landed right in front of it and held up his hand. The soldiers that were scrambling to get away from the assault turned back to stare at him with wide eyes as if he were insane. He saw the dragon's eyes shift to look at him, and he continued to stand and stare right back with dauntingly unafraid eyes. Then suddenly, without warning, the eyes of the massive dragon misted and dulled, lolling backwards into its head. The colossal body began to teeter and sway, and then the gigantic scaly mass fell backwards to lie sprawled on its back. A few soldiers had to move to prevent being trapped underneath the immense mass. The vibrations through the ground shook the trees from their very roots.

Daleth brought his hand back down to his side calmly, and moved closer to inspect the seemingly unconscious creature. Its eyes were not completely closed, and its breath came out in puffs of white smoke. Satisfied, Daleth turned and started to walk away. He had other things to attend to than to play dragon slayer all day. It was bad enough that he had to interfere in the first place.

Silence hung as all the soldiers about stared dumbfounded, their eyes shifting between the nonchalant redheaded man and the large dragon lying unconsciously on the bloody grass. Daleth found it almost amusing how null these men were. As he walked past an older man dressed in a general's uniform, the only one that seemed to still be coherent at the time, he acknowledged him with his eyes and walked briskly past him. After he was a few steps behind the man, he decided to stop and speak.

"General Aolus, I trust you'll take care of this matter," he said it in a stoic tone, not as a question, but not as an order either, never turning to face the other man. The sound of shifting armour let him know that the General had turned to face him.

"Of course, sir. I apologize that you had to step in." The sound of the armour once again let him know that the man was bowing to him, and he nodded without turning, then continued to walk away.

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The brilliance of the light stung her eyes, and she squinted them until they were almost shut, fighting the urge to bring her hand up to cover her face. She had not been permitted to enter the dance hall during the day, so she had no idea what the place would look like, or that the lights would be so blindingly bright. From on her left, she heard her name announced, and after her eyes adjusted to the new intensity of the light, she opened her eyes fully and was finally able to take in her surroundings.

Her breath hitched in her throat; everything was so sparklingly beautiful! The grand staircase on which she was standing curved out at the bottom, and she could see that the stairs and handrails had been so diligently polished that she saw her reflection in them. The majestic crystal chandelier hanging overhead twinkled luminously in the raised ceiling, its radiance lighting up every possible dark corner in the enormous room. Candles had been lit in a row all along the side walls, creating a soft glow in their own space in contrast to the luminosity of the large chandelier. The back wall was mostly a large glass door ranging from the ceiling to the floor that led to a balcony, accentuated with chicly expensive floral patterned curtains. This night, the floor-length curtains had been drawn back, held in place by gold tassels, boasting a magnificent view of the starry night sky. She saw long tables aligned along the walls under the candles, covered with a pure white tablecloths, upon them mounds and mounds of different foods and desserts that sat tantalizingly, just waiting to be eaten. White and light pink flowers, which were found only in Fanelia, were put up in measured distances along the top of each wall and flower trees were put at the foot of the stairs and beside each table.

She felt she could stare at the scene before her forever, but the sound of enthusiastic applause snapped her out of her reverie. Her eyes now trained to the guests, all in the middle of the dance floor, all eyes looking at her, and she gave a small modest curtsy, smiling brightly, and then proceeded down the stairs. She saw her Mother and Father there, holding hands and both beaming at her fondly. Her Father extended his hand to her, and she took it gratefully. Any form of support that she could gather at the moment, she was grateful to have. He led her through the crowd, and they parted for the Royals to make their way to the balcony. The servants, even whom were given special uniforms to wear, opened the double glass doors for them, bowing as they did so. Varie felt the cold evening chill whip at her face, and for the second time that night, her breath hitched in her throat again. But as she saw the City Square, all thoughts of breathing left her completely.

She had never thought she could ever witness anything more beautiful than the dance hall she had previously been in, but one glance at the City Square and she couldn't believe she had ever had that thought in the first place. It felt like the entire populace of Fanelia were below them, each face looking up expectantly at the royal house. She had never seen anything so full of life! There were lights everywhere, and the usually dull square became bright and bustling. Vendors had set up their stalls, and it became a mini bazaar as people bought food and gifts and enjoyed themselves. It was a swirling sea of colour, from the many frivolous decorations, to the people themselves.

Her mind was trying to take everything in at once, and she felt somewhat overwhelmed. It was unbelievable how much trouble everyone went to, just for her birthday. It was for that one moment, just once, when she felt truly privileged to be born royal. These loyal, hard-working people, who all thought of her as a goddess and loved her so much, went and did all this extra work just to make her birthday special. Her father made a brief speech, of which she did not hear due to her trance-like state, and all too soon she was dragged back inside to greet all the guests. She mingled for a while, all the time her eyes searching for Gabriel, the one person who could save her, but found that he was nowhere in sight. She thought dinner would never arrive, but finally the clear ring of the silver bell sounded, and everyone piled into the dining room. Varie sat down somewhat dejectedly, already tired but in a way enjoying herself. She couldn't wait to get into the square and play games and eat cotton candy and be a normal girl.

Dinner was a big 5-course affair, and by the time dessert was taken away, Varie but jumped out of her seat and rushed to get outside. Her thoughts of having fun were cut short when she heard the orchestra start up a waltz.

The dance, her shoulders slumped. How could I have forgotten?   

Instead, she led the way to the dance floor, and all eyes turned to her expectedly. It was a custom in Fanelia for the host or hostess to start the dancing, but Varie found that she had no dance partner. Just then, someone tapped her softly on the shoulder, and turning around she found that she was staring into the handsome face of Gabriel.

"May I have this dance?" he smiled charmingly, bowing to her and holding out his hand. Varie didn't answer him, but she curtsied politely and took his offered hand. They waited for the perfect rhythm, and then started swaying to the music. Soon after, the other guests joined in and the young couple were lost in the middle of the crowd.

Varie felt herself blush as Gabriel's hand tightened possessively around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She could feel the soothing heat radiating off his body, and felt his firm muscles beneath the trim tunic that he wore. She was relieved when he let go of her to twirl her around, putting some distance between them, but then they were even more intimate than before, with her having her back turned to him and he had both arms around her waist. She felt his breath on her neck, and had to suppress a shudder of excitement. Being near him felt so good, but something inside her stirred.

Why does this feel… wrong?

They twirled once more, and ended up in the position they had started in. He looked her straight in the eye, smiling at her. She smiled back brightly, smothering her feeling from before.

"You're tired." His melodious voice interrupted her thoughts. She quickly turned her eyes to him.

"Just a little," she said with a sigh. "Is it that obvious?"

"Not really," he assured her. "It was just a presumption." She smiled back at him weakly.

"How is it you know me so well, Gabriel?" she asked, half-jokingly. He leaned in closer, and whispered almost inaudibly into her ear.

"Instinct."

That one word caused her to shiver, and she pulled away from him, wide-eyed. He had seemed so different a moment ago, but when she looked at him again, he was the smiling man she thought she knew. Finally, the song ended, and she removed herself from his arms and curtsied, although her heart was racing. She turned away from him, walking as fast as she could without seeming in a hurry, and darted out of the dance hall, heading straight to her room. Her echoing footsteps provided her no comfort, and as soon as she was out of sight, she burst into a full-blown sprint. Pushing her bedroom door open with both her hands, she burst into the room and slammed the door behind her. She rested her back against the cold wood, taking gasping breaths and trying desperately to calm herself, sliding to sit in a heap on the floor. It was then her senses perked up, and she sensed that something wasn't right. Looking over to the other side of the room, she saw a looming hooded figure silhouetted against the moonlight streaming in through the open window. It turned to face her, and let out a bone-chilling laugh.

"What's wrong, Princess? Not enjoying the party?"

The figure pulled out a long gleaming knife, the sharp blade glittering in the light, and Varie barely had time to react before the figure lunged at her.

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Author's Notes: Another cliffhanger! This chapter actually turned out very different from what I had originally planned, but things change. I'm really sick right now, and I've lost my voice, so if this chapter was disappointing, I'm sorry. Don't mind all the errors I've probably made; they'll be fixed later. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed: Lovely T, Meghanna Starsong, Raye-Rei (I think it's cool that both our characters are named Varie, too!), Feier (miss ya lots!), and my renewed reviewer, DestinyBabee. Hope you guys liked this. It's been sitting half-done for so long now, and I've finally finished it. It's funny; I write better when I'm sick. Lol. Anyways, enough babble. Enjoy and review!

Until next time,

~Seeress