Ollen70: Sorry for the Secret of Evermore reference in the beginning, but it just seems to fit well with all of the stuff about fate and destiny that Escaflowne deals with, so please bear with me.

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne or Secret of Evermore. And now you know.




Chapter Thirteen - - Never Leave Me

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The Show of Life

Devil: Woe be woman, whose fate it is to serve.

Mephista: May thy tongue shrivel that it spews such falsehoods.

Devil: Ah, but does not a man pull thy strings? We are all but puppets of greater powers.

Mephista: Puppets? As in the show of life?

Devil: Truly, birth doth draw wide the curtains. And woman, are thy lines not scripted?

Mephista: In that I can be no one but myself. I can only say my lines.

Devil: So sad, to be so constrained.

Mephista: It is I who feel for thee. Thine own role and fate has ever been written, while mine own changes with each breath. Yea, tho puppet I be, it is hope, faith, and Love that pulls my strings.

Devil: Woman, mine ears do sting from thy tongue. I shall away, in search of easier folly!

Excerpt from Secret of Evermore
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No one was stunned by the news that the Escaflowne guymelef had destroyed enough energists to power an entire nation for fifteen years single-handed. Folken did manage to wonder how a thing might be done when Dornkirk told him that it would come to pass, since drag-energists were composed of an isotopic element that had crystallized, much as carbon did to become diamond. Because of this, energists were remarkably hard, only reacting in the near-perfect conditions found in the reaction-chambers of guymelefs or levy-ships.

With the slight foreknowledge afforded them by whatever visions Dornkirk could convince out of the Destiny Prognostication device, the Vione and the dragon slayers made haste to move just west of where the ruined mine was, in a region not far from the small country of Freid. This would prove to be a massive convenience, if Dilandau did not fail once again, since Freid would soon play a very large part of their plan. In fact, as soon as the Escaflowne was safely under their control, the fortresses of Zaibach would begin their assault and all things would be in place. Even now, the Alseides guymelefs of Dilandau's dragon slayers were stationed in the vast forest below them, already confirming visualization of their target.

Van,' Folken thought privately, this was meant to be.' His brother would come to him again and they would unite. Who could stand against the last two Draconians left in the world if they chose to fight side by side? The fortune allocation would not be interrupted by anything. Even that girl wouldn't be able to interfere any longer.

There was something incredibly unsettling about her, causing him to be relatively certain she had something to do with the destruction of the mine. No guymelef could simply cause an energist reaction like the one that had taken place, shaking the ground for miles in all directions. It must be the work of the girl, causing some sort of union between Van and the Escaflowne. No one else had been able to use it the way Van had so far. There was simply no other logical explanation - Folken was left with the distinct feeling that he would have to deal with her sooner or later, and was not looking forward to that. Anyone who could manipulate destiny, especially unwittingly, was not to be taken lightly.

But now, even if the girl was present, things were still in their favor. The girl could somehow see through the stealth cloaks and that irked Folken to no end, but it was Van who showed a stroke of genius by luring all of the slayers into the river where the the water they displaced would give away their positions. At this Folken was proud and annoyed all at once. Though incredibly outnumbered, his younger brother had already shown an irritating knack at getting out of seemingly hopeless situations.

The darker part of him was fed up with these occurrences and almost wished Dilandau would simply kill him, ending all of the pain that the raven-haired boy's appearance was always certain to prompt. Folken rarely let himself wander into this type of thought, and when he did it was fairly easy to quash it. Hadn't he done all of this so far with Van in the middle of his thoughts, or at least others like him? Now was not the time to second-guess that, or to descend to Dilandau's level. If the fall of Fanelia taught him nothing else, it certainly served to prove that death, in any form, solved nothing for the living. It was not their tool and using it as such could lead to disaster if not done very carefully. Some part of him was certain that Dornkirk was too close to overstepping himself, and that the truths he had just made himself aware of would become much more unpleasantly clear.


Commander, the dragon slayers have captured the target. The Vione helmsman, a heavier man with a full beard and mustache called over to him from his station on the command deck.

Excellent. Take us down. We'll retrieve the dragon ourselves.

Yes sir.

Before the descent could even begin, the helmsman called out again.

Levy ship closing in from Nortra quadrant.

At this Folken couldn't keep himself from promulgating a small cry of dismay. the only way a vessel could have concealed itself for so long in the Nortra quadrant was to travel through a very narrow, very treacherous ravine.

Dilandau! What's going on down there? Folken called into his receiver with more urgency than he'd intended, but he doubted if Dilandau even heard him. The captain's voice came in over the com system, but the words were obviously not intended for him.

It's just my luck, Allen Schezar!

So the Levy ship was the Crusade. That explained several things. It was unlikely that there were any vessels south of Baslam that could make the voyage, nor any crew insane enough to attempt it.

Freid convoy approaching. The man said again, his voice as iron as his armor.

That's not good. Folken rose, standing in front of one of the few windows on the deck so that he could see the incoming vessels of Fried, black in the starlight.
That's enough. Dilandau, fall back now. Some ships from Freid are approaching. If we're spotted, they might catch wind of our plan.

Came the snarling cry from the com. Just when things were getting interesting!


It was some time later, after the pilots had all returned to the fortress and the Vione had withdrawn behind the mountains that Folken made for the lounging chambers, anxious to fix the problems that had risen in their endeavor. The invasion of Freid would be taking place too soon for these kind of difficulties.

Dilandau followed him into the rooms, feigning haughtiness as he sat at the table and poured himself a glass of wine from the uniquely wrought bottle nearby, passing it roughly to Folken when he was finished. Though not exactly pleased with his company, Folken knew it was necessary. The next few days would be absolutely critical, especially after the unfortunate loss of one of the dragon slayers.

The dragon has fled the field. It was an aphorism, not any sort of gibe, but he doubted very much if Dilandau could tell the difference.

Ha! Do tell.

Along with their prisoner. Folken went on, ignoring the interruption as was customary whenever he was dealing with Dilandau. Instead he focused more on the bottle in his hands, running his fingers over the smooth glass but making no move to pour any for himself. No matter how strong the wine was, he was certain it wasn't strong enough to take him away from his cares.

There is nothing to worry about. The haughtiness returned ten-fold, Dilandau's nose making a perfect forty-five degree angle with the ceiling. You see, Miguel is one of my men. He would sooner die than talk.

Perhaps. But don't forget that Freid has Plactu. He didn't bother masking his annoyance at the captain's shortsightedness. Folken found speaking with anyone other than perhaps Naria and Eriya to be trying.

Who's that?

Plactu is... a priest, who is a master of hypnotic suggestion. He can use those techniques to extract information from the furthest recesses of the mind. It's been confirmed that he's already on his way to Godashim.

This is not acceptable! Dilandau cried, knocking his chair over with a grating crash as he stood. He'll ruin our plans!

Folken, having no use for the captain's tirade, simply closed his eyes. He muttered under his breath.

Huh? What did you say? Suddenly Dilandau clasped his hands to his nose, backing away from the table. Oh, what's that smell? Folken would have liked to do the same, but kept his composure for the sake of his rapidly appearing friend. The chemicals Zongi used to seemingly become invisible - the same used in the stealth cloaks - were highly noxious and thoroughly unpleasant, to say the least.

Dilandau backpedaled and whirled his arms, almost overbalancing in his surprise as he noticed Zongi standing beside him.

But he's a Doppleganger! Dilandau protested, voicing the biases of many in the Zaibach army. Folken learned more and more how few trusted the masters of disguise, but Zongi was still his friend, and likely the most skilled spy he had ever known. If anyone could avert total disaster because of Dilandau's carelessness, it was Zongi.

I have a task for you, Zongi.

Ah, what is your wish? I live to serve you, Lord Folken. The reply was more servile than what Folken was used to, and he assumed Zongi must have done it out of sheer malice for Dilandau, implying subtlety that the captain had none who would not second guess the silver haired man's orders. Dilandau caught on at once, face reddening.

Folken didn't have to explain anything else to the Doppleganger or Dilandau, who still eyed the gray-skinned creature with considerable distaste. Zongi was immensely intuitive and had already overheard most of the conversation, having been concealed in the corner at Folken's request. With those matters solved, he made for his private rooms. Everything had been done, so there was no need for him to be awake any longer than absolutely necessary. His dreams of late had been troubling, but not enough to discourage him from using rest as a sort of escape. The coming days could prove to be hard for everyone.


The eventual invasion of Freid came and went almost exactly as it was meant to. The dragon escaped once more, though it was of little consequence. With the power spot of Freid, the ancient machine of the Draconians and the son of the late duke in their hands, Zaibach was now closer than ever to reaching its aims. Though Dornkirk had wished for the slayers to lay low and hopefully lure the Escaflowne in over time, Dilandau had disobeyed a direct order and pursued it anyway, which was one more reason for Folken to curse the memory of the captain. Folken's heart felt heavier, as he recalled the recent loss of Zongi at the captain's hand.

Dilandau had never bothered to explain his reasons, beyond that he believed Zongi had betrayed them, but Folken knew there was no love lost between Dilandau and many of the demi-humans. That must have been why Dilandau killed him out of hand, and Folken wasn't sure how to feel. Zongi had trusted him implicitly, yet in the end Folken wasn't able to save him.

Walking into the Fortuna temple, past the still-smoldering guymelefs of the fallen priests, he wondered truthfully if there was anything he would be able to do for Van. As much as he had cared for Zongi, almost in a patriarchal sense, his concern for Van was stronger. Would that be enough, though? Dilandau was just as determined to exact his revenge, and Van would undeniably be better off dead than in his hands if Folken once again proved unable to protect him.

Looking up at the ancient destiny device before him, Folken felt the latent power inside of him respond to the machine, wanting to feel its force for the first time in generations. It was that force that all of Dornkirk's musings appealed to, and for the first time in months he felt more certain that he was doing the right thing by aligning himself with the empire. The time was drawing near when all the suffering he had experienced would never visit another living inhabitant of Gaea. They were out to change the world for the better, and they were going to succeed.



Ollen70: I may edit this at a future date and add a little more onto the last few paragraphs, because I'm aware that I sort of blow through the whole Red Fate episode. I haven't actually seen it before, so I did my best off of the summaries I found online.