Oh my GOD!!!  Look it's another chapter!!  Can you believe it?!?!!?  Hope you all liked the story so far.  I'm busting my butt to get more chapters out so you won't be bored with this story.  Anyway, I'll chat more with you in Author's Notes.  Thanks by the way for the reviews and I hope you'll like this next chappie, but first the standard disclaimer.

I DO NOT in any way own the characters, original plotlines and anything else that has to do with the Vision of Escaflowne.  I DO however own anything else that has to do with my story, Vision of Escaflowne: Homecoming.  I give all my praises to the original creator, the original animators and everyone else that got together to put such a great story in our hands.  Thanks!!!

Now on with the show!!!

Vision of Escaflowne: Homecoming

Chapter Fourteen: And It All Begins

~ One day away from Freyd ~

             Tamra stood watching the clouds pass by as they sped on towards Freyd.  The airship they had decided to use had a self-camouflaging device on board.  It made them look as if they were part of the scenery.  Smiling to herself, Tamra walked over towards the guymelef bay.  It had been a while since she had had a good practice inside her guymelef and Tamra found that she couldn't wait till they began the battle.  Deciding to look for Chelsea, Tamra made her way out of the guymelef bay and into the heart of the ship.  Maybe Chelsea would want to spar with her.

            Inside the bridge, Chelsea sat at one of the tactical stations going over the battle plans.  They still had a whole day before they reached Freyd and Kirok had already warned them that Freyd would show a large resistance.  The Largaras Staff was their goal.  If they happened to meet Myami and her band of warriors, they were advised to not engage that team.  Chelsea had other plans though.  If Tamra and herself were able to defeat Myami and retrieve the pendants, Kirok would praise them and eliminate Dorser and Nigel.  Chelsea had every intention of engaging Myami and her friends in battle.  It was just a matter of time.

~ Airship ~

            Myami sat quietly by herself in the captain's study.  Millerna, Dryden and Allen had left a while ago to prepare the rest of their friends for their arrival in Freyd.  Dryden had offered to tell everyone else of their destination.  It had relieved Myami of that responsibility and she had smiled in thanks to the kind king.  Dryden and Millerna had incredibly understood once explanations were made, but it was Allen's reaction to the situation that left Myami still contemplating what had happened.

            Leaning back in her chair, Myami sighed.  It had already been two hours and they had only three more hours before they reached Freyd.  Hitomi and Pristelle had awoken about thirty minutes ago.  Hitomi had yet to come and see her and Myami was hoping that she would soon.  She knew that Hitomi could feel the apprehension building inside her and that she was probably staying away to give her time to deal with her troubles.

            On the bridge, Tardus had gone to one of the rooms to catch some sleep, leaving Van in charge of the helm.  Everyone was on the bridge, Ryley and Yil operating the tactical positions while Pristelle, Hitomi, Millerna, Selena and Merle chatted at the one table in the room.  Dryden was looking over the tomes that had been delivered to Yil, making notes on a pad next to him.  Allen was the only one not with the group.  He had gone to stand on the deck, preferring to be alone with his thoughts. 

            Millerna glanced at the doorway of the bridge, "I wonder what Allen is thinking."

            "What do you mean, Millerna-sama?" Merle inquired.

            "Well, he did get pretty upset with Myami," Millerna thought for a bit, "It just seemed that there was something else behind it all."

            Hitomi, Millerna and Selena knowing the truth behind Allen's anger turned to one another.  Selena stood, "I think I'll see how he is."

            They watched as Selena made an abrupt exit.  Pristelle pulled her auburn locks away from her face, "She's a good sister.  Hope things are all right with Allen.  We need everyone's full concentration if we're going to defeat Kirok."

            "She's right," Merle began, "I wouldn't want what happened to Yarfan to happen to Freyd.  That destruction is uncalled for."

            Millerna turned to Hitomi, "What do you think, Hitomi-chan?"

            "I don't know," Hitomi stood, "As far as I know, we have a good chance to prevent total annihilation, but we may have to face the reality that Freyd may still be hit hard." Smiling she pushed her chair into the table, "I'm going to sit with Myami a bit.  She's been alone in there for too long."

            The other women nodded and continued on in their conversation as Hitomi made her way to the captain's study.

            Out on the deck of the airship, Allen was leaning against the railing.  The wind was swift and smooth as the ship cut cleanly through the atmosphere.  Allen had his slightly long locks secured with a tie as the wind caught stray strands of his hair and whipped them about. 

That was how Selena found her brother.  She watched his profile silently as she gathered her thoughts.  Selena knew that Allen was worried about Cid, but she also knew he was torn between being upset with Myami for not going to Freyd immediately and admiring her for going to Yarfan for her friend.  "Did you tell her why you were upset?" Selena's voice carried through the air currents as she began to approach Allen.

Allen turned his face away as he answered, "No.  She does not need to know why.  All she needs to know is that I am upset that we did not help Freyd sooner, especially since she knew what was to occur."

Selena placed herself next to Allen, turning in the direction that he was looking in, "Millerna and Hitomi both know why you got so upset.  And don't worry about Hitomi telling Myami your secret.  She won't."

"I know Hitomi won't reveal anything to Myami," Allen turned to his sister and sighed, "I lost my temper in there and I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to explain myself."

"She probably suspects something," Selena stated.

Allen smirked as he gazed at his sister's profile, "Yeah, she probably does.  Considering that Millerna and Dryden remained cool headed and concerned at the same time, while I was busy blowing off steam."

"What are you going to tell her?" Selena smiled at her brother as she turned to look at him.

"The truth." Allen simply answered.

Selena nodded in approval, "Good." She patted Allen's shoulder as she began to walk back into the ship, "Cid is 13 years old.  He may be a young king, but he is a good king and wise beyond his years.  We won't let anything happen to him.  Myami, probably most of all." (*note to readers* I know Cid was only five in the series, but for the sake of my story I made him eight there thus 13 in my story, which takes place five years later.)

Allen watched solemnly as his sister left him alone with his thoughts again.  Her words lingered as he once again turned to the wind to contemplate what he was going to do about Myami.

"Still trying to figure Allen out?" Hitomi asked as she entered the cabin and closed the door, "Don't concentrate too hard, might hurt to much," She indicated by tapping Myami's head as she sat down on the chair across from her.

Myami frowned at her sister, then with a mischievous smile, "Hurt to much, huh?  Speak for yourself.  You probably concentrate so hard on getting Van naked and willing that you cause aneurisms."

Myami was promptly smacked on the forehead so quickly that Hitomi was already sitting down again when her vision cleared.  "You deserved that." Hitomi grumbled as she crossed her arms, "You really are immature sometimes.  How did you get to be the older sibling?"

"Simple," Myami rubbed her forehead as she leaned back, "I was born first." Myami sighed, "Should I go apologize?  Should I have just gone on to Freyd with no care to Yarfan?  Yil could've waited.  He would've understood."

Hitomi listened to her sister's reasons, "You did what you thought was the right thing to do.  It was the right thing to do.  If we hadn't we wouldn't know what we know now about the enemy.  I know that we went there more for Yil's benefit than for anything else, but good things did come out of the visit."

"Thanks, Tom-Tom, I needed to hear that." Myami leaned her head back and faced the ceiling, "I'm glad you're around to keep me sane."

"Anytime," Hitomi smiled, "Now that we've gotten that all straightened out, what are you going to do?"

"Apologize, I guess.  I'm still trying to figure out how to get all of our guymelefs to Freyd in time.  We're going to need them."

"How much time do you think we have?"

"Half of a day, a full day at most, why?"

"Van has Escaflowne and Allen has Scherezade." (*note to readers: Am I spelling the name of Allen's guymelef right?)

"I know," Myami blew her bangs out of her face, "I've already approached them about their guymelefs.  They've sent messages to Astoria and Fanelia to send them to Freyd, but we have no way of knowing if they'll be there on time."

Hitomi raised a brow at her sister, "Whom did they contact?"

"Allen's band of outlaws.  They're bringing both guymelefs over by airship.  That takes care of Allen and Van.  It looks like the rest of us will just have to use the guymelefs that Freyd can provide." Myami rested her chin onto her right hand, "What do you think I should do?"

"Why are you asking me?" Hitomi asked, surprised that her sister would ask her about her opinion for a battle, "What advice could I give you?"

Myami grinned, "I'm asking for another point of view.  And don't count yourself short, Tom-Tom.  Your advice on any matter would be helpful."

~ Freyd ~

            "My King," An advisor bowed before Cid, "The city has begun the evacuation plans.  The royal army has been informed and they are preparing for battle."

            Cid nodded, "Good.  Is there anything else to report?"

            "Yes, Sire.  An airship bearing Astoria's colors is headed this way.  It is about an hour away." The advisor looked up to his king.

            "It's too soon for Aunt Millerna to be arriving.  I wonder if Allen has his men coming to help as well." Cid said more to himself than to his advisor.  Cid stood and walked over to the table that the defense plans were laid out on.  He gestured for the advisor to leave, "Keep an eye on the airship.  I do not think that it is Aunt Millerna and Uncle Dryden, but I also do not think that the approaching airship is an enemy.  Let me know when they are closer."

            Cid already had his eyes on the defense plans as the advisor bowed in obeisance and left the room.  Freyd wasn't an easy country to defend.  Its borders were far and gaps of distance separated the major towns.  Cid sighed and dropped himself heavily into the chair behind him.  The main city and surrounding towns were evacuated, sent to seek shelter in the caves.  Most of the remaining towns were also evacuated, in case the new threat decided to completely obliterate Freyd and its countrymen. 

            Guymelefs were made ready and the ground troops were dispersed along the city and its main gates.  All they had to do now was await the arrival of his aunt and her friends.  Cid sent up a silent prayer for hope and victory.  They would need all the help that they could get.

~ Kirok's Forces ~

            "At our current speed, we are about three quarters of a day away from Freyd," the helmsman reported to Chelsea.

            Chelsea placed her hand on the man's shoulder, "Is there any way we can travel any faster?"

            "No, ma'am," the soldier replied, "Not unless we got rid of excess weight."

            "Explain." Chelsea's voice took on a hard edge.

            The helmsman gulped, "We are weighed down by the Graveler, guymelefs and supplies.  In order to move faster we would have to dump some of the extra weight, which I am sure you do not want to do."

            Chelsea released the man and held her hands behind her back, "That is something I'm not willing to do.  Master Kirok would be upset with me if we decided to do such a thing.  Very well then, keep me posted on our progress."  Chelsea began to walk away and the soldiers in the helm area all breathed sighs of relief.

            Tamra shook her head as Chelsea passed her and turned to follow her comrade, "Still badgering the staff." Tamra grinned as she lightly scolded her friend, "Where are we going?"

            "To the guymelef bay," Chelsea answered, "As much as I would like to get to Freyd sooner, I would not want to upset Master Kirok by deliberately relieving ourselves of important items."

            "I agree.  So what are we going to do in the guymelef bay?" Tamra inquired as they reached the doors that led to the bay area.

            "Practice.  I find that I'm wound up from all the waiting.  Care to join me?"

            Tamra patted Chelsea on the back, "I've been itching to do some practicing.  I'd love to."

~ Airship ~

            "We're almost there," Millerna breathed out as she looked out onto the expanse that was Freyd's capital city, "You can see that they've brought out their guymelefs."

            Dryden placed his hands on his wife's shoulders as he too stared out onto Freyd, "We're only half an hour away.  It seems that Cid has taken your warning to heart.  By now the city and its towns must be fully evacuated.  Cid has seen to the safety of his city and its people, as I'm sure he has seen to the safety of Eries."

            Millerna turned into her husband and wrapped her arms around his waist.  She looked up into his brown eyes, "I know he has.  My worry is for the city, Cid and for us," Millerna laid her head on her husband's chest and sighed as Dryden's arms encircled her, "I am not too sure that we will be victorious."

            Dryden could only hold his wife as he too harbored the same doubt that she did.

            Myami and Hitomi had retreated to the practice room, which had been set up to look like a small version of a dojo.  They were in the middle of an intense workout, each taking her frustrations out on the other sibling.  Moving in a graceful, yet deadly ballet, the two siblings were unaware of their surroundings.  So unaware that they did not notice the small audience that was beginning to form at the front of the room.

            "How long have you two been here?" Selena whispered to Van and Allen.

            Allen didn't take his eyes off the two fighters, "About an hour.  Van was in here first though."

            "I came just a little bit before Allen walked in," Van stated, also not moving his gaze away from the sisters, "What's up?"

            Selena, a bit entranced by the display of martial arts, took a moment before she answered Van, "Yil sent me here to let Myami know that we'd be arriving in Freyd shortly."

            "Hey guys," Merle popped her head in the door, "I was wondering where everyone was." She looked up to see what they were staring at, "Wow," she breathed in awe.  Merle closed the door behind her and stood next to Selena silently.

            Myami and Hitomi, oblivious to their observers, continued on.  Myami was testing Hitomi's limits as she pushed and pushed more onto her sibling.  Hitomi, for the most part, was defending herself valiantly, occasionally throwing in a punch or kick, only to be deflected at the last moment.  It was frustrating Hitomi to no end, but it was also prompting her speed and improving her abilities.  Plus Myami was no easy opponent and Hitomi knew that her sister was going easy on her. 

            Myami grinned as Hitomi's movements became quicker and more precise.  The punches and kicks that Hitomi were throwing were getting closer and closer to hitting their marks and they would have had it not been for her own fast reflexes.  Myami stuck her tongue out at her sister, hoping to provoke Hitomi into losing her concentration.  All she got was a growl from Hitomi as she began to push Myami back with a combo of hits.

            "Enthralled?" Tardus' voice interrupted the quartet, "It looks as if they'll be at it for another ten minutes.  I suggest that you get yourselves onto the bridge.  You can see Freyd from here."

            Selena and Merle both nodded but continued to watch the two fighters.  Allen and Van provided not even a hint of response.  Tardus shook his head and placing a kiss on the top of Merle's head he left to go to the bridge.  Two minutes after Tardus' exit, Yil opened the door to the practice room, "Selena?"

            "In here," Selena responded without turning her head.

            Yil quietly shut the door and stood behind Selena, "You and Merle need to come to the bridge.  Millerna-sama is looking for the both of you."

            When Yil received only nods from the two women, he shook his head and placed his hands on either of their shoulders.  Practically dragging them out of the room, Yil closed the door as he began to lead them down the hallway.  All Selena and Merle could do was to let Yil drag them out, but their eyes never left Myami and Hitomi until the door had been closed.

            Alone again in the room, Van and Allen continued to watch on as they noticed Hitomi begin to tire out.  It wasn't too long after that that the two women stopped and bowed to each other.

            "That was amazing!" Hitomi grinned with the afterglow one would get from a good workout, "I haven't trained like that in forever."

            Myami threw a towel in Hitomi's direction as she wiped the sheen of sweat from her face and neck, "Glad you liked that.  We'll get to do more of those, I promise." Myami turned in Allen and Van's direction, "What did you two think?"

            Allen and Van snapped out of their stupor.  Van began rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous fashion and Allen clasped his arms behind his back as he looked to the ceiling trying to find a reason why they were both there.

            "Well?" Myami prompted.

            "It was … " Van began.

            "Well, you see we were … " Allen started.

            Hitomi giggled at the guy's nervousness, "Onee-chan is only asking what you two thought of the exercise.  Not why you were here."

            Allen and Van both had the grace to blush at Hitomi's observation.  Allen smiled and slapped Van on the back, "Your moves are flawless.  Its absolutely an amazing thing to watch."

            "Yeah," Van intoned, "This was the first time that I've gotten to actually see Hitomi practice.  She told me about how she was taking up self-defense, but I didn't realize it was something so graceful."

            "Thanks, Van-chan," Hitomi smiled brightly at Van before kissing him softly.  After releasing him, Hitomi began to pull him towards the door, "Come on, let's get to the bridge.  I think we're about ten minutes away from Freyd."

            Van waved to Allen and Myami and let himself be led out of the room.  Myami made her way over to the one window in the room and stared out towards Freyd, "I'm glad we have this moment alone.  I've been meaning to speak to you." Myami turned to Allen and leaned against the window's frame, "I want to apologize about earlier.  My reasons for going to Yarfan before Freyd were mostly selfish reasons.  I should have informed everyone and we should have come to a group decision about where to go first."

            Allen walked up to Myami and stood next to her, "You're not the only one who has to apologize.  I'm sorry too.  I lost my temper in there, not realizing that you were considering everyone's feelings.  Going to Yarfan was the right decision.  Yil needed to say good-bye and we did get important information concerning the enemy's weapon."

            An awkward silence hung between the two companions, as neither person had anything else they could think of to say.  Allen turned to Myami to say something and Myami turned to Allen at the same time.  Their hands bumped into the other's hand.  Suddenly the atmosphere in the room changed.  Myami didn't know if it was from how close her and Allen were standing next to each other, or the fact that they had come to an understanding between them.  Myami lifted her green eyes to Allen's blue ones, a question in her gaze.  Allen moved a little bit closer to Myami.  There had always been an underlying note of attraction between them, one that they both ignored for the sake of their quest, but at this moment it seemed the most acute.  Allen reached out and brushed away a lock of Myami's midnight black mane.

            Seeing the question in Myami's eyes, Allen let his hand caress her cheek and verbally responded to her silent inquiry, "I don't know."

            "I'm confused around you," Myami leaned into the warmth of Allen's hand, "Something draws me to you but it doesn't give me any answers as to why."

            Allen let his hand fall away from Myami's face.  Pulling her into his embrace, Allen lay his forehead against Myami's, "I can understand that.  Ever since I've met you my feelings are torn between wanting to get to know you and being frustrated with you."

            "Are you frustrated with me now?" Myami laid her hands on Allen's chest and, with their foreheads still touching, she looked into his eyes again.

            Allen smiled, "No."

            No other words were said as Allen leaned into Myami and kissed her.

            Back on the bridge, Tardus just finished explaining the communications systems to Millerna.  Freyd and every other country in Gaea had these rudimentary systems installed to communicate with their ships that they used for trade.  Millerna sat down at the control panel and awaited an answer from Freyd.

            "Aunt Millerna?" Cid's image appeared on the small screen.

            "Hello, Cid," Millerna smiled warmly at the image, "Is the landing pad clear?"

            "Hai, Aunt Millerna.  Let Allen and Van-sama know that their guymelefs arrived about an hour ago.  Other than that you're clear to land." Cid grinned and signed off.

            Millerna stood and turned to their group, "It seems that we've been cleared.  Let's land and get things started."

            Affirmatives resounded through everyone as they prepared to land.  Hitomi held Van's hand, "Escaflowne's arrived."

            "I know," Van grinned, "Hopefully, Escaflowne and Scherezade will make a difference."

            "Speaking of Scherezade, where's Allen?" Dryden looked around the people on the bridge.

            "He and Onee-chan must still be talking." Hitomi offered.

            "Or fighting," Selena sighed, "They're so hard-headed.  I only hope that something good comes out of whatever argument they may or may not be having."

            Merle put an arm around her friend, "It might not be that bad.  At least they're not killing each other."

            Hitomi and Selena chuckled at Merle's comment just as Allen stepped onto the bridge.  Immediately all eyes turned to him.  Allen caught everyone's stare and raised his hands in defense, "What did I do?"

            "Nothing," Ryley patted Allen's shoulder, "Where's Mya-chan?"

            "She's out on the deck," Allen answered with a slight tinge of color to his cheeks.  It would have gone unnoticed if it hadn't been for Tardus watching Allen's face.

            Tardus nudged Pristelle and whispered, "Look at Allen's cheeks."

            Pristelle peered at Allen's face and noticed the light pink color.  Pristelle turned curious eyes to Allen.  Allen caught Pristelle's questioning gaze and shrugged in response.  He and Myami had agreed to keep their kiss a secret for now, not wanting to add any more confusion to the mix.  They were both still unsure of each other and their own feelings that keeping the moment under wraps was a good idea.  Pristelle shook her head and whispered to Tardus, "I telepathically asked him why he was blushing.  It seems that he's keeping something from us.  I have a feeling that it involves Mya-chan."

            "Let me call her then," Tardus winked at Pristelle, a mischievous gleam in his eye.  Tardus turned on the speaker system that ran throughout the ship, "Myami, please come to the bridge."

            Up on the deck, Myami groaned loudly, "Allen!  I knew I should have gone to see everyone first!"

~ Landing Pad ~

            The travelers filed out of the airship and followed Dryden and Millerna to meet King Cid.  The guards of the castle followed the procession closely, as they were led from the landing pad to the throne room.  Inside the throne room, Cid stood to meet his aunt and her friends.

            "Welcome to Freyd, my friends," Cid walked over to his aunt and uncle.  Cid embraced Millerna, "Although I do wish you were visiting under other circumstances."

            Millerna smiled at her nephew, "It's good to see you.  These are my friends Myami, Tardus, Pristelle, Ryley and Yil." Each person bowed to Cid as they were introduced, "Of course you remember everyone else."

            Cid smiled in greeting, "I'm glad you're here to help.  So what do we do now?  I've already evacuated the city and the surrounding villages.  I've also taken care of dispersing the soldiers throughout the city.  The guymelefs are at the ready and Van-sama's and Allen's guymelefs have been made ready as well."

            "It seems that you've taken care of everything," Hitomi glanced over to Myami, who nodded, "The only thing left is the Largaras Staff."

~ Half a day away ~

            Tamra finished her shower quickly.  Toweling herself off in her private chambers, Tamra thought back over the practice battle with Chelsea.  They had long ago updated the technology that Zaibach had used in their guymelefs to create programs that allowed them to feel and experience an actual battle without their guymelef moving, in order to sharpen their skills.  When Kirok had found them, Chelsea and Tamra were introduced to the multitude of inventions that had been at the center of his empire.  Taking the left over pieces from the extinct country, Kirok was able to rejuvenate the technology and take it to greater heights as he integrated magic into the circuitry. 

            It still amazed Tamra that they had a weapon like the Graveler at their disposal.  A large vehicle, shaped almost like an armadillo, it was resistant to all magics and could withstand large amounts of energy attacks.  One would think that because of its bulky appearance that it would be slow and hard to maneuver, but that was not true of the Graveler.  Its agility and speed were equal to that of a guymelef. 

            The Graveler also carried its own arsenal.  Energy beams and what could only be described as razor claws equipped the beast of a machine.  It could also be a subterranean vehicle, able to tunnel deep underneath its victims and cause enormous amounts of destruction as it would emerge from within Gaea.  Tamra marveled at the power that Kirok had created.  With such a tool, they would not fail.

            In Chelsea's private chamber, Chelsea lay quietly in the dark.  She had just finished showering and the anticipation for battle was beginning to eat at her.  She had seen the video feed of the practice sessions that Dorser used to have with Myami.  Myami's style and knack for quickly learning techniques, propelled her to the top.  Her only equal at the time was Dorser, and even he seemed to have a hard time with some of the things that Myami used to do.  It had become a ritual for her to watch the old recordings, in order to somehow better her way of fighting.  Just as all the students did under Kirok's tutelage.  He recorded all the sessions.  He wanted them to be able to learn from their mistakes.  From Chelsea's point of view, Kirok was using the videos to humiliate the less worthy students.  It was just his way.

            Chelsea laid an arm over her eyes, to block out what little light was left in the room.  She and Tamra had had to live in the shadow of Myami ever since they moved their way up the ranks.  Myami and her friends, known as "The Betrayers" to all of Kirok's followers, were a formidable group.  It was obvious that Kirok held her in a class above the rest.  He both loved her and hated her.  Chelsea had long ago admitted to herself that she was jealous of the woman. 

            Finally relaxing to the lull of the airship, Chelsea closed her eyes for a short nap.  The practice she had had with Tamra took a lot out of her, as they had pushed each other to their limits.  Chelsea was glad for a friend like Tamra.  Without her she would not have made it through.  Pushing all the wayward thoughts away, Chelsea turned over and found sleep.

~ Island of Indemnity ~

            "What else can be done with this godforsaken place?" Nigel grumbled out as he stood overseeing the excavation team.  He had been up at the site a half-mile away from the entrance of the cave since that morning.  Dorser had taken over the job of delegating the cave site as the workers were beginning to dig around the entrance of the cave, in search of any writings that may have been buried under the sands.  Nigel sat down under the shade of the lean to that had been put up.  At the table before him were the beginnings of a catalog that categorized the items that had been found at his excavation site.  Dorser had a similar set up at the opening of the cave.

            Nigel turned the papers over, occasionally reading over the more interesting pieces of history that were left on the island.  One paper caught his eye.  It was under the large stack to the right of him and it held a detailed drawing of a mirror.  He'd seen an item like it before, but he could not remember where.  Folding the page in half, Nigel tucked it away within his coat.  It would come to him, where he had seen the item before, but for now he had to stick with the menial task of watching over the workers.      

            Nigel groaned, "What I wouldn't give for a good fight right now."

            At the entrance of the cave, Dorser was more involved with the excavation than Nigel was.  Dorser had ventured to read the markings on the outside of the entrance, sometimes walking into the cave to compare his notes to the writings inside the cave.  Like Myami and Yil, he possessed a gift with languages.  The ancient writings fascinated him.  He was having a hard time translating a lot of the text, but he had limited resources on the island. 

            "At least this is taking up my time," Dorser commented to himself as he continued perusing the entrance of the cave.  Finally satisfied with his findings, Dorser walked back to his lean to and dropped himself into the chair.  He poured over his notes, catching words here and there, taking guesses at other words.  The entire cave seemed to be engulfed in spells. 

            Dorser looked over the documents that Chelsea had left for him.  They detailed the excavation efforts since Chelsea and Tamra's arrival to the island.  Being very detail oriented, Chelsea's notes were precise and organized.  It helped greatly with his growing notes on the cave's writings.  Dorser sighed and leaned back in his chair.  Staring up at the sky, Dorser mentally went over the timetable that everyone was working with. 

            Kirok wanted all the missing pages and the pendants in his possession within the month.  The lunar cycle of Gaea would end by this time with a spectacular planetary alignment.  The Mystic Moon, Gaea and Gaea's Moon would fully align.  This was the time designated by the old Ryujinbito writings in which Kirok would have to have all the spells translated and the pendants in the proper position to release the Immortal. 

            This timetable would make a tight schedule to retrieve the rest of the papers.  Then they would have to contend with Myami and her group.  Dorser's spy network had given him intelligence on Myami's friends.  What interested him the most was the intelligence on Myami's sister, Hitomi.  The fact that Hitomi was a hero of the Great War intrigued him.  He was already devising ways to use this information to his advantage.  Dorser was confidant that Chelsea and Tamra would fail and that he and Nigel would once again be sent out to retrieve the pages and deal with the betrayers.  As with all things, it was just a matter of time.

~ Freyd ~

            Cid stood out on his balcony.  His aunt's friends were good people.  Hitomi had returned and it seemed that all was going well for the group of companions.  He was truly grateful for all the help that they would surely provide for Freyd.  Cid sighed and rested his elbows onto the railing.  Placing his chin in his hands, Cid overlooked his country.  This was not the first crisis he had faced for Freyd, the first time being the Great War, but it would be the first time he would be facing total annihilation.  He had received the reports about Yarfan and Astoria.  Yarfan obliterated and Astoria somewhat saved by the fast thinking of Hitomi's sister and friends. 

            "What do you think of?" Millerna laid a hand on her nephew's shoulder.

            Cid had not heard Millerna approach, but did not startle at her touch, "I want to save my city.  But I also know that I have the reality of mass destruction to face."

            Millerna moved to stand next to the young man.  Folding her hands in front of her she overlooked Freyd, "Myami has informed me that their guymelefs will be arriving by the end of the day.  They were able to get a friend to deliver them quickly."

            "That's good news," Cid smiled at his aunt.

            "Do not be troubled," Millerna turned to go back into the castle, "We will do our best to keep Freyd safe."

            Cid turned to watch Millerna walk back into the castle.  He knew that everyone would do everything in his or her power to keep Freyd standing.  The battle was quickly approaching and he could not keep the anxiety out of his eyes. 

            Everyone was dealing with his or her anxiousness differently.  He had passed by Allen, Van, Yil, Tardus, and Ryley practicing their swordsmanship.  Hitomi, Myami, and Pristelle were practicing certain techniques with their powers.  Merle, Selena and Millerna were setting up areas away from the battle that would be used for the wounded.  Dryden was sitting in with his generals and advisors to give him breathing time.  

            Cid began to make his way back into the castle.  He took his aunt's words to heart.  He would not be troubled.  He would have faith.  With that resolve in mind, Cid joined his uncle, generals and advisors.  They would find a way.

End Chapter Fourteen

Author's Note:

Hey guys!!! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing.  I'm proud to say that we've reached 100 REVIEWS!!!! I'm so glad that you guys were able to help me hit that mark.  Now I know I may be asking for too much, but I'd like to be able to set another goal of 150 reviews.  I think it's viable.  So please don't forget to REVIEW!!! IT ALWAYS HELPS…EVEN IF IT IS TO FLAME ME!!!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.  I am working on Chapter 15, so no worries.  Things are progressing nicely for my story and I hope that you like what's been going on so far.  Thanks again and read on, review on, and come back for more.

THANKS SO MUCH!!! Stay tuned for Chapter Fifteen: The Battle For Freyd