Chapter Seven
"Mistress, it is time for you to eat. Wake up Mistress."
Tara opened a bleary eye to see the girl standing a few feet away, a tray on the table behind her. "Go away, I am not hungry." she promptly turned over and pulled the blankets over her head.
All she wanted to do was sleep. That was all she could really do in this room here; she didn't wander very far, not wishing to bump into Dilandau or Folken once again.
"Come now, you must be a bit hungry."
She frowned as felt her stomach grumble slightly. "I'll live. I just want to sleep."
"That's all you've done for the past week. Time for you to get up."
"Fine, fine." she sat up, running a hand through her hair. "But I am not hungry. I've been meaning to ask, what's your name anyways? "
"My name?" the girl paused. "My name is Aurelia."
"All right then Aurelia, do me a favour and let me go and do something. What am I supposed to do? Just sit here like a fool? Better yet, you can go; I don't need a servant."
"I can't do that Mistress. I was asked to come and attend to you specifically." Aurelia paused. "Do you really wish for me to go?"
Tara started at the tray for a minute before she rose from the bed. "I don't know really. But if you are going to insist on staying, then don't call me Mistress when we're alone like this. It really does bother me."
"Very well then Mi...Tara. Shall you eat now?"
"Since you keep hassling me about it..." she sat down at the table. "Perhaps later I shall take a walk around and get a closer look at things."
"That is an excellent idea." Aurelia beamed as she took the cover off of the tray. "I can escort you to wherever you wish to go."
Tara smiled as she picked up the fork. She was just about to take a bite when she glimpsed a white edge poking out from underneath the plate. "What's that?"
"What's what?" Aurelia asked in curious voice.
"This." Tara pulled it out from beneath the plate. "It's a letter of some sort, sealed with a wax."
"May I?" Aurelia took it from her, inspecting the red seal. "I'll take this for you Mistress. It's nothing more than trash."
Tara gave her a doubtful look before she shrugged and turned back to her meal. 'I wonder who sent it.' She ate slowly, watching as her servant ducked out of the room for a few minutes, needing to take care of something. Her eyes wandered to where the folded paper sat on top of a pile of dirty laundry to be taken out of the room. Pushing away from the table, she walked over, picking her dagger up along the way.
"Now let's see who decided to write me a little something." she muttered as she slit it open and started to read.
Her eyes skimmed over the page as she flipped the blade over in her hand. 'So...' A disdainful cruel smirk came to her lips as she held her blade tip over the nearby candle and resealed the wax. 'I think I shall have to have a 'talk' with him when I am done here.'
The gentle sounds of the waves came up from the beach as she gazed down almost sadly. Every once in awhile, she would look up at the faraway cliff; the familiar shapes of the dragons were still there, now in a silent vigil until they came back. Their bulk was emphasized even more by the sun starting to sink behind the clouds; she had been here almost all day.
"Even then, I still have to consider what Allen asked me." she murmured to herself as she pulled up some straggling blades of grass. "But why does it. . ."
She gave a disgusted sigh, flinging the grass away down over the precipice of the small cliff. She watched as they drifted down the few feet, a sharp green against the beige-white of the sands. She didn't know why but there was something about Allen's request that troubled her; the implication of violence there was unmistakable. She had seen how badly the ship had been banged up, and something like that could only have stemmed from a fight. She gave a sigh as she rose and walked off, crutches in her hand.
"When I get back, I'll talk to Millerna about taking off this wretched splint. It's been doing nothing but hampering me for the past week. My leg is perfectly fine now."
She looked around before she bent her knee and banged her heel against the ground hard; not even a flicker of pain traveled up her bones. The only thing she could chalk it up to was the disgusting amount of rest that she had gotten. Off in the distance, as the tiny cliff descended into a hill, she could see the figures of Millerna and her courtiers down at the beach edge, enjoying a moment of tranquility.
She promptly took out her crutches and began to use them. Making her way towards the palace, she was hoping to make it unnoticed but when she heard her name being shouted, she had no choice but to turn and see Millerna come running up to her.
"There you are Storm. Allen said he saw you walking out here earlier."
"Did he?" she asked with the faintest tone of curiosity. "Did he want something from me?"
"No. How's your leg feeling? You need about two more weeks with it."
"Oh, my leg is doing fine. Perhaps you could take the splints off. . ."
Millerna laughed in a somewhat high pitched affair that made Storm wince imperceptibly. "You're kind of funny in a naive way. There's no way that the splints can come off now. You'll just be asking to break your leg again."
"Yes, foolish me." she said managing a smile on her face. "I've had enough of fresh air. I'm heading back to make myself useful."
"All right then. But I want you to take it easy."
She nodded before she shooed Millerna back towards the beach. She started towards the castle, grumbling to herself. She made her way around to the large space in the back, where the airship was anchored down. On one side was the white guymelef and on the other, the black one. 'Hm.' She stood there for a few minutes, looking between the two suits before she spied Allen's familiar blonde figure, seated away in a dark pocket of shadow.
"Hi Allen." she said, making her way up to him.
"Storm," he looked up at her startled, his hand snapping something close immediately. "I didn't hear you."
"You didn't hear me clunking my way across here?" she asked with a genuine smile of mirth. "Just what are you contemplating?"
"Nothing; my concerns are not your troubles." he said rising as he tucked the rectangle away. "Did Millerna check on you today?"
"Nope. Neither did Van. I told him to get lost. I wanted the day to myself to think about things. Well, things that are immediate and that I can remember."
"Such as?" Allen asked, leaning back slightly against the thick rope.
"Things. All I can remember are these four lines that keep popping into my head. They just won't go away."
"Four lines? Are you dwelling on something a bit too much?"
She couldn't help but smile at his play upon her words. "Well, what were they? Ah yes, I remember now." she cleared her throat before she started. "Those blue eyes. Beautiful foolishness, I believed everything about you, was a miracle*."
"Very poetic." he said with a nod of his head.
'There it is again.' She only remained silent as her stomach did its weird fluttering again. "Maybe I should eat something. . ." she muttered once it calmed down.
"You haven't eaten yet?"
"No. I haven't eaten anything actually. I'm sorry to have disturbed you. I'm going to go and see about getting something to eat."
She started off quickly when she spied Allen's figure coming behind her from the corner of her eye. Storm simply glanced at him as he fell in step beside her.
"I haven't eaten either."
She started to smile but stopped as her gut suddenly started to twist upon itself violently. It felt like she suddenly had massive cramps. She paused, holding her side. A somewhat overwhelming sense of inevitable dread over came her she her brow furrowed in an effort to banish the feeling away.
"Are you all right?" Allen asked as he helped her straighten up.
"Yes, I am fine." she said in a somewhat breathless voice; where had that come from? "Maybe I should have eaten something earlier; my stomach is starting to wage war on me."
Allen gave a smile at her humor before his eyes fixed on something. "That's an interesting necklace you have there."
"Hm? This thing?" she looked down at the pink bauble. "It's nothing. It was given to me by someone close."
"A lover?"
"A friend." she said in something akin to sadness. "I don't think I could ever be bothered with love. Food is another story however."
Allen didn't say anything, simply taking the necklace up to inspect it closer before he left it to rest in its usual home. She cleared her throat before she started walking once more. Before they walked inside, she paused to look back at the sunset. An involuntary shiver passed through her as the sky was alight with reds and oranges, the clouds passing by like smudges of dark ash. 'It looks like fire.' She turned as Allen pulled her in gently; there was nothing to worry about. She would be gone by tonight anyhow, and Esturia would only be something to remember.
Tara gazed up at the massive red machines that stood in the hangar area, waiting for the command to go flying to wherever to do what was ordered of them. She took a hesitant step forward, almost in awe of the giants. Walking up to one, she ran a hand against the glossy surface; she could almost sense the mechanics behind them which made them run and do terrible or great things.
"It's almost like. . ."she shook her head as she continued to walk around the massive foot, hand never breaking contact with the shell. "But it wouldn't surprise me if that was the case."
She remained standing there, enjoying the sight of the machinery around her. This, by far, had to be one of the better highlights of her day, plus Aurelia wasn't around. 'Not yet anyways. . .' She chuckled with amusement to herself as she remember how she slipped away when she wasn't looking and proceed to go off by herself.
"Yes Lord Dilandau," the voice was followed by the sound of footsteps against the floor. "The preparations are almost completed. We can leave after sunset."
Tara looked up as the figures came in just as she ducked behind a leg. It would seem that she was somewhere she shouldn't be. 'Just what is going on anyways?' She peered out from her hiding spot to see Dilandau talking to who appeared to be a few of his men.
"Excellent. We'll flush them out tonight and Esturia will fall tonight."
'Esturia? Why are they after Esturia?' Her face went grim at the sound of delight in Dilandau's voice. 'Bleedin' sadist. . .' She watched as Dilandau paced around for a bit before he faced his men once more.
"Make sure everything is in working order. I want nothing to go wrong when we get down there. Absolutely nothing."
Tara felt goose bumps run over her skin at the tone in his voice, her stomach twisting upon itself in fear. There was absolutely no remorse in his voice what so ever. 'That city is going to burn...and there's no way I can help her this time.'
"Hey, what are you doing in here?"
She turned to find herself facing a flustered soldier who tried his best to look intimidating. Giving him a withering scowl, she walked out from her hiding spot. Dilandau turned as he heard the words. He crossed his arms with something of a cocky smirk, the scabs from her slap running across his right cheek in vivid thin lines.
"Have you decided to grace yourself with my presence?"
She didn't say anything as she simply stared at him. After a few minutes, she took out the letter that had sat in her pocket all day and held it up before him, allowing him to get a good look at the seal. Then she promptly ripped it in half, leaving the pieces to flutter to the ground at his feet. She didn't wait to see his reaction as she strode away, a sick feeling suddenly taking hold in her stomach. Making outside, she leaned heavily against the wall, head bent, struggling to keep her bile down before it rose up to much. 'Storm, just don't get killed.'
Storm stared up at the blank white ceiling of her room, the moonlight from the large window, before she sat up in the bed. Throwing back the covers, she started to undo the bandages from around her leg; the splints were the next thing to go, virtually being lifted out of grooves in her flesh. Sliding out of the bed, she walked around the room experimentally before she did a few laps around it.
"Good as new." she said with a smile as she walked to the window and opened it. "Brrr...it's slightly chilly tonight."
Ignoring that, she leaned out slightly trying to find a foothold to a close ledge. She spotted it a few feet away, making her place her feet on the icy ledge. Edging her way out, she placed her foot on it before she found herself virtually plastered against the wall now feet away from her window.
"Oh, you dumbass." she groaned, leaning her head against the wall. "Why didn't you just tie the sheets together and shimmy down them?"
She grumbled her inactive mind all the way down until she made it onto a parapet, she ran along the tops until she found another place to climb down. It took her at least a full hour, but she had made her way down to the courtyard inside.
"Now the easy part." she thought with a grin as she started walking.
Stealing through the gardens was easy enough; there was enough cover from the trees, shrubs and large statues. Her real challenge came when the open stretch of twelve feet lay before her; and she was not the best runner. Stretching as silently as she could, she placed herself in the launch position; at least this way, she could gain some of the speed she would desperately need.
She started off with some speed that rapidly dwindled away, leaving her running at what seemed to be a sluggish pace. Her heart started to beat even faster; she could hear voices from behind her. Adrenaline did the rest for her, making her feet pump faster. She ducked behind the alcove breathing hard as the voices now entered the courtyard. 'That was close.' A sigh of relief was breathed and she continued on, making her way down to the beach unnoticed.
"Finally out where I don't have to answer to anyone." she said in a quiet voice. "Absolutely no one."
She started running, as a sudden intoxicating feeling burst out from her; it seemed like she had been in that castle forever. The sand kicked up behind her in tiny sprays, the water almost touching her feet. She almost felt like a bird, able to fly away to the skies and never look back.
When she started up the hill, she paused to look back at Esturia, the lights in the homes of it citizens glowing through the windows like a postcard. Storm frowned slightly before she continued up. 'Postcard...whatever the hell that is.' From her vantage point, she could see the amorphous shapes of the dragons, perched like gargoyles. She gave a slight giggle, causing on of their head to turn, the eyes glowing demon-like in the light.
"It's only me silly." she called up.
The effect was instantaneous. Both dragons took flight at the same time, flying down to her, sniffing suspiciously. She laughed as their muzzles pressed into her stomach and behind her knees.
"I'm all right, would you stop already! I'm ticklish!"
Cork and Glide left off, but still crouched around her protectively. She scratched them both on the muzzle with a smile.
"Yeah, I missed you guys also. What do you want now Cork?" she asked as the dragon pushed its head against her once more.
She looked to see if there was a problem; there hanging from its jaw was her sword, the gold hilt gleaming dully. She disentangled it from his teeth, drawing the blade and looking it over; still as sharp as ever when she tested the edge against the fingertip; it did draw a tiny bead of blood.
"Well are you guys ready to go and stage a rescue? We have to start searching for Tara." she asked as she buckled the sword back onto her hips.
She looked up sharply as Glide and Cork growled suddenly, their pupils closing to narrow black slits. Storm stroked their muzzles in an effort to get them to calm down. There must have been something that set them on edge, but she couldn't see it.
"What's there you two?" she asked in a whisper; her stomach was making the same twisting that had made her eat very little. "What can't I see?"
She followed their line of sight; they were gazing right down at Esturia. 'What could be down there in Esturia?' Her hand closed around her hilt instinctively; the dragons wouldn't be like this for no apparent reason.
"Ah." she said as she felt Glide's wing muscles twitch. "Wait and see; then we can act if need be."
Both gave a discontent growl as they settled themselves down, coiled like springs. Nothing really prepared her for when a loud crash came from one of the city's sections. Large clouds of smoke billowed out, masking the attackers.
"Oh dear Gods..." she gasped as she caught a gleam of red for a split second. The dragons nudged her again insistently but she shook her head. "We have to wait. I have the feeling jumping in like that wouldn't be a good idea."
She steeled herself, watching as the red guymelefs made their way through the city, snatches of red visible to her eyes. It took a smack from her this time around as the dragons twitched to leave once more, Esturia's guymelefs coming out to defend the city, a white and black one in the mix. Watching was hard enough but the final straw came as she saw a guymelef cut down viciously, the spikes from the attackers reducing it to mere scrap.
"Let's go." she said jumping on Glide. "They obviously need help."
She tightened her legs around the dragon's neck, as it pumped its powerful wings and took off towards the battle. Glancing over, she saw Cork keeping pace with them, his teeth already clamping.
"No biting!" she yelled at him. "And try to get a scent. When you do, follow him and don't let up."
Cork gave a disgusted sort of snort before he veered away, banking to the left easily as he circled around and came in from the south. Glide flew right in, slicing an arm off an enemy's guymelef with unerring aim with sharp claws. Storm braced herself as Glide thudded down with a shattering roar, his tail swishing around, knocking out a few of the legs. The Esturian guymelefs fell back, the few remaining ones, falling into a defensive position around the castle.
'Good.' Storm thought before she kicked Glide twice. 'Let them get out of the way.' The dragon took to the skies once more, a deep sort of rumble starting inside.
"No! We don't want to burn the city!" Storm yelled at him. "Maim them only!"
"But I do!"
She twisted around at the voice to see a red suit materialize right behind them. Kicking Glide again once, he twisted sharply, his tail slamming into the suit and sending it crashing to the ground. 'Him. He's the one that caused this in the first place.' She gritted her teeth hard, resisting the urge to tell Glide to fry him to a crisp.
The guymelef rose, an arm pointed directly at them. When she saw a bright orange gout start from inside a barrel, she dug her heels in; Glide shot forward, missing the beam of flames narrowly. 'All right then; if you wanna play hard ball.' She motioned for Glide to head up to a safe vantage point. The dragon listened, the scene before them taking full shape. The suit took aim again, once more at them; then suddenly, Cork was before them, charging straight at the suit that took aim.
"Cork, no!" she yelled seeing another orange gout.
The dragon was ready, producing a large gout of flame that clashed against the one that was coming their way. Storm shielded her eyes, not wanting to lose her sight in top of things. When she opened them again, she saw the ruins of the houses burning, and spreading rapidly to the other houses that were still standing.
"Glide!" she called out loudly.
The dragon responded, slicing the suit before it to bits before it rose up, bluish coloured flames coming from its jaw. A loud hiss could be heard as the flames were extinguished, thick clouds of steam blanketing their battlefield.
"Higher Glide." she said, coughing and waving her hands.
Glide rose above the clouds, his wings beating some of the steam away. Off in the distance, she could see Cork, flying away after his quarry; there was no use in calling him back; she doubted the dragon would listen to her, was out of earshot, even for draconic hearing abilities.
"Land on the beach Glide." she said in a weary sort of voice.
The dragon set down a few minutes later and she slid off. She looked back at the city, the clouds of steam starting to dissipate over the remaining homes. She felt almost numb, watching the remains of the destruction that had happened there. 'This wasn't supposed to happen...' Feeling a gentle bump against her arm, she looked down to see Glide giving her a somewhat apologetic look.
"It's not your fault." she whispered, fighting the urge to not cry; why did she suddenly want cry? "We did the best we could...I suppose."
She sat down, her back towards the town. Glide settled himself down beside her. She didn't move until Glide gave a low growl in his throat. She looked over to see Allen with his crew standing in a loose group, Van just off to the side. She looked at them all before she looked back out to the sea.
Footsteps came across the sand, crunching slightly. When Allen came and crouched beside her, she still didn't say anything.
"Storm?"
"Those blue eyes..." she murmured. "He warned me of things like this."
"Who did?" Allen asked.
She didn't respond simply looking out at the sea.
"Did you wish to stay here in -"
"No." she said, cutting him off. "I want to go."
"Did you accept my offer?"
"Allen, I think it would be best if I stick with you for the meanwhile."
"All right then." he said, rising and offering her his hand.
Storm rose also looking at his hand before she turned away and started walking towards Glide.
"Storm."
She paused, hearing the demand in his voice; the following silence was thick with tension on his part as well as from everyone else watching. She didn't turn around, but she answered him. "I said I would stick with you, I didn't say I would join."
*These four lines are from the song "Aoi Hitomi" which is from an Escaflowne soundtrack - I can't remember which one - and is in absolutely NO way, my property; it's most likely Kanna Yoko's. And please, if you think I am making money off of this, I'll just laugh at you. I'm so poor I can't even buy Post-it notes to annotate my ISU book.
