Okay here's another chappie.
If you read this story PLEASE REVIEW IT. I accept anonymous reviews.
Enjoy
Oh yeah and I don't own Escaflowne...
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"I do hope I'm not interrupting anything." A smug voice sounded from behind Van.
The raven haired boy turned to face a man standing in the doorway of Alegus' study. His eyes narrowed as he recognized who it was.
"Bhelok."
Van folded his arms across his chest, glaring at the richly man dressed man. Every inch of his wardrobe was chosen specifically to show off his wealth. The man donned elaborately embroidered evergreen robes that fell loosely to the floor. His exceptionally long amber hair was tied neatly behind his head to reveal a blemish free face.
"Oh so you do remember me Lord Van. I am so glad. It is wonderful to see you again." The man's voiced insincerely as he let his cane rest on the floor. "I just dropped by to wish you good luck at the tournament today."
Van cast his eyes down in response, not bothering to thank Bhelok for his well wishes. Van remembered the last time he had had the misfortune of running into the man. It was a few years ago, when Van was still somewhat new to the throne. A guymelef tournament had been held in Fanelia to rally the peoples' spirits.
~~~Flashback~~~
Cheers erupted in the stadium as a massive sword reduced yet another guymelef to a heap of smoldering metal. Van frowned as he watched the scraps of his latest opponent get cleaned off the arena.
"Too easy," he murmured to himself grimly.
It didn't take a blind man to see that Van was dominating the tournament. No one could hold their own in a battle against the silver dragon melef, Escaflowne, and it was beginning to get on Van's nerves. He hadn't had a real melef battle since Dilandau. Silently he wished that the silver haired maniac was still around, at least then he could go all out for once.
The last pieces of the destroyed guymelef were now off the arena floor; the final bout, the championship battle could now commence.
Van got Escaflowne into a battle stance as his opponent stepped onto the field. His eyes widened at the sight. His adversary was a metallic green and he wore a large black cape that wrapped itself around the form; and it was big, very big. Van had never seen a guymelef that large before and it made him wonder if one man was even capable of controlling something of that size.
A red flag signaled the start of the battle.
Van immediately raised his sword and charged his challenger; having decided that the lumbering machine would not put up much of a fight. The melef was much too big to move with any kind of speed so Van was sure he could dismantle it with a few quick, well positioned thrusts.
Escaflowne raced towards the other melef, spinning around at the last second to strike at the giant's back. Sparks flew as the dragon was sent flying into the arena wall.
Half the spectators fell silent as they watched their king get struck down, while the other half whistled and howled upon realizing that the giant guymelef was as tough as he was intimidating.
Van confusedly shook his head. Where had that speed come from? His opponent had managed to block his attack and send him crashing into a wall without him seeing it coming. The young king knew now that he had greatly underestimated his enemy but he would not do so a second time.
Within a flash Escaflowne was up, its sword extended, ready for the next attack. This time Van would let the giant make the first move.
He waited but the other melef did not budge.
"Come on! What are you waiting for? Come and get me!" He taunted.
A silence fell over the crowd but nothing happened.
"Let's go. Are you scared?"
Still there was no movement and Van was getting annoyed. It seemed he would have to attack again but this time he planned to keep an eye on where his adversary's arms were.
Escaflowne leapt into the air to come at the giant from above. Once again its attack failed.
Van coughed as the dragon was rammed harshly in the stomach by an enormous fist. He crumpled to the ground and rolled away from the other melef before it could pummel him once more. Van didn't know how, but he and Escaflowne were getting severely whipped by an almost inanimate object.
The crowd was thoroughly enjoying this final battle even if Van wasn't. His last two attacks had failed miserably...but not quite. As he was making his second retreat, the young king had managed to peer under the giant's dark cloak and he could've sworn he saw two sets of arms. The next time Van attacked, the cloak would come off. He would make sure of it.
Although the spectators were no longer cheering for him, Van sucked up his wounded pride and attacked the giant guymelef one last time.
Escaflowne dashed forward swinging its sword above its head. Van's final blow would be a combination of his last two failed attacks. Leaping into the air, Escaflowne dropped its arm as it twisted away from the other melef. A fist shot out from under the cloak but missed Van by a mile. Landing on one knee, Van raised his weapon, thrusting upwards in one fluid motion.
A large black cape fluttered to the arena floor. The crowd let out one long gasp.
Van's adversary was not one guymelef but two. One was facing Van while the other stood looking in the other direction. It was for this reason that Van could not sneak up on his opponent. There were two melefs watching each other's backs. One was manned by Bhelok and the other by a man that Van had never bothered to learn the name of.
~~~End of Flashback~~~
"You will be competing won't you?"
Van was brought back to reality by Bhelok's voice.
"Uh...yeah."
"You don't seem very sure of yourself. You're not getting cold feet are you my king?" Bhelok inquired amusedly.
"No." Van scowled. "But what about you? Are you competing?"
"I have given up Guymelef fighting." Bhelok raised his nose as if disgusted by the mere thought of it. "I am far too rich and civilized for such things. I will however be attending the competition to pursue some investments." He hinted that he had placed some wagers. Van knew full well that they were all against him so he did not waste his breath asking.
Van loathed the ornately dressed man and he was not about to let him get away with his snobbery. "I see." He mused. "You're too afraid to face me without your girlfriend." The young king taunted.
Bhelok stared coolly at Van in attempt to show that he was not bothered by the boy's comment but Van knew that his statement had hit the mark. He could see rage boiling in the man's eyes.
"Highness." He bowed his head lightly in salutation and turned on his heel, walking quickly out the door.
Alegus, who had remained silent throughout the entire conversation spoke up.
"Perhaps you should go prepare for the tournament sire."
"Yeah...you're probably right. Good bye Alegus."
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Van left the old man's study and headed down the hallway, all the while worrying about the upcoming competition. He hadn't used Escaflowne since his battle with Bhelok and he hoped that he was still connected to the silver dragon. In any case he would find out soon enough.
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I was gonna put Dilandau and Allen in this chapter but that didn't seem to happen. Oh well, the next chappie will have the boys.
R&R!!!!!!