Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne or any of its characters.

She stared at the room, his room—Dilandau-sama's.

Spiraling downward from a sunlit window and ribbons of red, one could rose petals scattered over a large canopy bed. Scarlet sheets draped across the bodies of a man and women, tangled amidst feign love. She lay unmoving; blue eyes open in awe. White butterflies fluttered about an enormous sunroof; beautiful yet trapped. She blinked as beams of light flickered in between slits of transparent red fabric, crisscrossing its way down from the ceiling to the bed. Deré tilted her head slightly to study the sleeping figure beside her. She thought he resembled an angle, such soft features. So different than when he was awake. In this state, he seemed incapable of evil, veiled in purity. She gazed closely at his face, committing his characteristics to memory. A decision was made then, as a painful stab of empathy pierced her heart. I will help him, discover him, understand him. For reasons she did not know, she felt a compelling need to heal him.

The previous night was not one that she would like to remember. She had received a part of him. Everything he was burdened with, whatever it was, a portion of it had passed through to her. She felt it, a cascade of emotions. It was the feelings that his troubled mind could no longer harbor alone, and yet had no other way of venting. She wanted to know more. There is a reason for everything, so is the way of life. She wanted to find out who her master really was beneath his layers of pretense, deep inside. Under the moonlight he was silent, his touch harsh, his fingers gripping and raking her skin. But there was meaning, an explanation. It was all a language that she would come to know; his silent language. A massive mirror resembling a life-sized canvas occupied a wall, showing an image from a storybook. It was one of a girl and her lover, together in peaceful slumber with his arm around her waist. Their love bathed in sunlight, rose petals, and symbolic reds. It was a familiar scene from somewhere she could not remember.

Breakfast was fit for a king, never had she seen so much food in one place. Her stomach growled with desire, reminding her of just how hungry she was from the previous day's travel. They had rode non-stop from dawn till considerably pass midnight and upon arrival, Dilandau demanded sleep.

She watched him enter the room, his boots tapping lightly against the marble floor as he walked. Sitting down swiftly, Dilandau began his meal in silence. He neither spoke nor looked her way. It's as if nothing happened last night. She was disappointed, having looked forward to conversing with him. There were so many questions that she needed to ask him, about his childhood, his family; so many things. However, she also knew that it was not her place. He was thinking to himself, she noticed, eating automatically without tasting his food.

They were packing, she and Dilandau-sama. He had received a message soon after dinner from someone by the name of Lord Folken. Deré watched as Dilandau readied his luggage, his movements fast and simple, never hesitant. It's as if he's done this countless times and knows exactly what to bring. He glanced at her questioningly, "Are you finished?"

"Yes Dilandau-sama. I've gathered all the items you have given me." She wanted to add, where are we going and will we be coming back, but thought better of it. He didn't seem like the type to be questioned.

She waited for a reply but none came. Instead, he was scowling at the freshly made bed, scattered with fragrant rose petals. Furrowing his brow, he stopped what he was doing and summoned a servant. A youthful girl arrived in a hurry, her voice shaking as she spoke, "How may I serve you, Dilandau-sama?"

Deré watched in horror as Dilandau slapped the girl hard across the face. In the blur of a second, she was sprawled on the floor, her hand against the red mark that had appeared on her cheek.

"Tell Elizabeth, anymore of these silly flower petals on my bed and I'll be paying her another unhappy visit." A small grin and a wicked flame flickered in his eyes before he went back to what he was doing, ignoring the helpless servant.

The girl rose quickly, bowed, and left with tears trailing behind her. Deré felt a pang of sadness for the unfortunate girl and immense shock towards her master. But strangely, there was no fear. She continued to study him and his cold demeanor, realizing just how challenging the task before her was. She took one last look at the beautiful room and the rose petals on the bed. They would be leaving in an hour's time for the Vione—floating fortress of Zaibach.

Deré stretched her arms out, catching handfuls of clouds from the window in her room. So high! I feel like flying. Such Freedom, I feel liberated just thinking about it. Reaching for the sky, going somewhere, somewhere free of loneliness and despair, somewhere that didn't exist. There were layers upon layers of white and blue beneath her and for a moment, she considered doing it, leaping for freedom.

The Vione had many rooms and corridors similar to a maze-like labyrinth. She had been living here for a few weeks now, but all she knew and saw was her room. It was quite small, consisting of a double bed and a night stand with a lamp. There was also an adjoining bathroom. Deré walked about in the confined space. She was bored and debating with herself whether or not she should venture forth and leave the safety of the room. She decided to become more familiar with her surroundings, because in case something happened, she had better know where to go.

One turn left, two right, then another two left, or was it right? Confused and lost, she let out an exasperated breath. Maybe exploring hadn't been such a great idea. She couldn't remember which way she had come and it felt like she was going around in circles, having passed the same storage room many times, or was it a different one? Giving a frustrated pout, she headed for a nearby balcony. But it was already occupied. A tall figure in a long black cape, wrapped around his entire body, turned to face her. Deré found herself taking a step back, not knowing what to do. Pale green, spiky hair and a tattoo defined his face; on his right cheek, a single purple tear. She wondered about its significance, a symbol of loss; sadness?

"You must be the girl that Dilandau brought." She couldn't tell whether he approved or disapproved as he spoke his words with an expressionless face, or maybe it was just that he didn't care. But since he had called her master by only his name and with no formality, she supposed that his man must either be one of his close friends or also a high ranking individual. She hoped that this person was Dilandau-sama's friend, because he seemed like he really needed one. "Yes, my name is Deré."

"How old are you, Deré?" He posed this question in a friendly manner, even though his face remained vacant and his tone of voice unchanged; very different from the demanding tone of Dilandau-sama. As she felt more at ease with him, she explained her situation and the reason she was ignorant of her age.

"I see. And so you have accompanied him here. I believe you to be approximately sixteen or seventeen, judging by appearance of course. However, we all understand that appearances can be deceiving." And with that, the man walked away. "I am Lord Folken. I look forward to chatting with you again."

She stood there, dumbfounded. That was Lord Folken, the one who had requested Dilandau-sama! How strange he is! Why was he standing here all alone? Oh! I forgot to ask him the way back to my room! She hurried off after scolding herself.

While wandering, Deré crept into her mind's space again. I feel that all the people around me are unhappy. Dilandau-sama for certain. I see the way he treats his slayers, those poor boys who must fight and kill. He is cruel, punishing them for the slightest error. They are so loyal to him and continuously trying to impress him, protect him. They must understand him much more than I do. It's strange though, when he comes to me in the night, his eyes glisten as if they were damp with unshed tears. He talks in his sleep, incoherent mutterings, but it's always something about loneliness . . .

After an extended period of time, Deré eventually found the way back to her room. She was exhausted both physically and mentally. Sitting beside the window, she leaned her back against the wall and shut her eyes. Quietly, listening. Such a beautiful day today, with clouds of snowy white resting on a sheet of light blue sky. In the background, she could hear the constant humming of the fortress' engine, deep and soft beneath her feet. As well, there was the occasional singing of birds atop the Vione. There must be a family of birds up on the roof. A mother and a father, and many, many brothers and sisters. It would be nice to visit them someday, before the children leave and fly off to find homes of their own. She paused her daydreaming as light footsteps approached her room.

Deré rose and moved towards the door as it slid open. Before her stood a tall, slender girl with silvery-grey hair and a face distinctively similar to that of Dilandau-sama. Except, she had large blue eyes instead of his blood-red ones. But what intrigued her was the girl's attire; she was wearing black armor with a tint of red, the exact opposite of her master. Who is this girl?

With a happy smile, the nameless girl invited herself in and hopped onto the bed. Casual and energetic, she asked, "Deré right? You made Dilly-chan really worried." She laughed and pulled her feet onto the bed, sitting cross-legged, "He thought you had escaped and sent me to investigate."

The girl was bouncing cheerfully up and down, leaving Deré speechless. And not only did she call her master Dilly-chan, but she was also bouncing on the bed! This is the first cheerful person I've met since Eden! And Dilandau-sama had thought she escaped! Why would she do such a thing? But anyway, Dilly-chan! Deré opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.

Suddenly, the girl stopped bouncing, her face serious, "Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry, are you a mute? He forgot to mention that. I was waiting for you to ask me my name, but oh well, I'll just pretend you did! It's Celena!"

With that, Celena smiled some more and nodded her head. "I'm so happy! There hasn't been anyone to play with since, since . . ." she thought a moment, "since FOREVER!" Deré laughed and it felt wonderful. She hadn't laughed for days. She's so cheerful and carefree, so unlike him, unlike all of them. There is such a big contrast that I can't begin to explain it. This girl, she is so sweet and wonderful, she makes me want to laugh and dance and sing! Oh, how long since I've last sung! But her thoughts were interrupted as the door slid open once more.

Dilandau did not look joyful at all. "CELENA! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING! I TOLD YOU TO GO CHECK UP! THAT DOESN'T IMPLY FUCKING AROUND! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO REPORT TO ME SUBSEQUENT TO INVESTIGATING!"

He glared daggers at her and turned to Deré, "AND YOU! WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU! I NEVER GAVE PERMISSION FOR YOU TO LEAVE YOUR ROOM!" Deré felt like crying. She had never been accused in such a way before, much less by him who had always been gentle with her.

Unconsciously, she looked to Celena for support. "But Dilly-chan," Celena said in a whiny voice, "I found her and she was ok and I wanted to talk to her because I never get to talk to anyone and she looked really nice and I wanted to play with her cause I never get to play with anyone cause I'm always alone on the Vione with only Folken to talk to and you know he doesn't say a lot and I talked to Deré but I didn't know that she was a mute and . . ." Celena was bouncing up and down on the bed as she spoke her endless sentence.

"ENOUGH! I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR LAME EXCUSES!" Dilandau breathed deeply as if he were trying to be patient with a child, "I just wanted you to realize that, when I give you an order, you are to follow it. And when you have disobeyed me, DO NOT TALK BACK OR I WILL SLAP YOU! AND DON'T CALL ME THAT SILLY NAME! YOU ARE TO ADDRESS ME AS LORD DILANDAU OR DILANDAU-SAMA, sigh is that understood?" Celena dropped her head and stared at the floor, "Yes Dilly . . . I mean Dilandau-sama!"

Growling, he turned to leave but stopped as he remembered the reason he had been looking for Deré, "You are only permitted to leave your room with an escort. I don't want you wandering around the Vione in case of an attack. And the reason I have been searching for you is to inform you that there will be a feast tonight. You are to be prompt and ready by 7:30 sharp." Then, without another word, he turned and left.

"Yes Dilandau-sama." Deré mumbled quietly to herself. Celena hopped over to Deré and giggled, "So you can talk! This is great! It's obviously more fun playing with someone who can talk back, oh, and we're going to have SO much fun before the feast because we can play dress-up! I'm sure you don't have any dresses to wear, am I right? And I have a lot so we can pick out a nice and pretty dress for you. General Adelphis is going to be here too you know, and he likes it when we look pretty, oh, and so does Dilly-chan." Then, Celena grabbed Deré's hand and they were off.

How can she change her mood so fast as if nothing had happened! Dilandau-sama had just screamed at us and a second later she's completely alright and playful again. She even continued to call him Dilly-chan! Deré giggled inwardly at the thought of that silly name and the way he had reacted to it. She could never call her master something such as that. But Celena really is a bit strange. She seems so childish, as if she never had the chance to grow up. Maybe they're related, Dilandau-sama and Celena. Yes, that must be it. That must be why he tried to be patient with her. Dress-up? Deré grinned at the thought of one of her favorite childhood games. I haven't played dress-up for a very long time. Did I ever play dress-up? Yes I did, with someone, someone very dear to me. Who was it? I cannot remember.

She had just finished taking a shower and was drying her hair. The dinner gown laid before her brought a wry smile to her lips. It was made of black satin with a v-shaped, frilly neck-line that showed more than the comfortable amount of cleavage. The length was long and fitted, leaving little to the imagination and trailing behind her a pool of frills and lace. She hadn't wanted to wear something so . . . dark and exotic but Celena has insisted. In fact, all of Celena's dresses were either highly seductive and black or extremely cute and light blue. She had explained that it was because Dilandau-sama liked women dressed in black. But Celena herself, loved light blue. "It's so pretty, like the color of my eyes, I think they match, don't you? And it's like the sky on a sunny day when the sky is very blue, it's like this she pointed at her dress, and I love sunny days cause that's when I'm the happiest, but I think you should wear a black one because you're probably going to be sitting beside Dilly-chan so it would be better if you matched."

Celena had said that whole sentence without taking a single breath inbetween. She could talk endlessly. As the two had become better acquainted with one another, Celena had asked if it was okay for them to become best friends. It made Deré feel so warm and welcomed. The girl had been shy about it, questioning in a subtle voice with a hint of worry, while her eyes looked away. But of course, Deré had answered yes. She would love to be this girl's best friend! After all, she, herself had never had a best friend either. Then, a kind of connection had developed between the two and with celena looking very pleased, they continued their game of dress-up.

O4o86

Last revised: 02/23/05