A/n: This chapter is a flashback of the 'made up' past. If this had happened, Escaflowne would have had a sequel! Just warning you that I'm twisting some of the original plot for my own story's sake.

The Dragon and Her Slayer

Two

"Van."

The cold, dark voice poisoned the room around him, sending chills up the small of his back.

"Brother."

The two stood face-to-face, staring each other down. The younger stood shorter than the elder, and looked much more defiant in his attitude and posture.

"Is there a reason you called me here? There is important business I must—"

"There is no business more important than that of which I am about to inform you of." Folken's eyes narrowed at his brother's huff of anger and roll of his chocolate brown eyes. He watched his young sibling – now aged fifteen – shift his weight to another foot and listen with only one ear.

"Do you see that girl?" Folken's metal arm reached out and pointed to Hitomi, who was off in the distance. Van nodded, but shrugged.

"Hitomi is in danger."

"She has always been in danger," Van answered, but Folken shook his head.

"No, this is a different danger. She is going to be part of a plan far more perilous than that of Atlantis." His dark brown eyes flashed in the harsh candlelight, and he lowered his head.

"It is not known whether or not she will survive this time, and Zaibach has everything to do with it. Dilandau will cause her much suffering with dreams and visions of fire. She will become diseased and non-coherent eventually and will die… alone and on Earth."

Van roared at his brother, anger surging through him. "No! She cannot be put through that amount of pain! I will not let her go back!"

"Van, you must. She has to return to the Mystic Moon… It is her home."

"But she cannot return if she is destined to that kind of fate! There is no way I will allow this nonsense to occur!"

The sound of Folken's slap echoed around them. Van reached up to his cheek and pressed against the reddened skin there.

"Listen to me now, Van. Gaea will return to normal after she leaves and Fanelia will be rebuilt. You will be the King of a great country. But in the meantime, Zaibach will gather its forces together and become strong again, this time lead by Dilandau himself.

"There will be many other changes, though. Dragons of all kinds will be slaughtered, because without them there cannot be guymelefs like Escaflowne. But one – the last remaining – will flee to the Mystic Moon and change its form to that of a human.

"I do not know if it will be lad or lass, but this is for sure. Dilandau and some of his recruits will be following it, and plan to kill it. You must go before they do, capture the dragon, and make sure it does not fall in Dilandau's hands. And do not, do not kill it."

Van looked at Folken, wide-eyed and terrified, at the news of the future. He didn't know how Folken could have obtained this kind of information, but considering the recent plans with the Fate-Alteration Machine, he did not question.

"And Van, dear brother. I will leave you, too, soon. You must understand… You will understand, in time."

The soft tap of leather on wood surrounded Van's senses as Folken left him. He looked down at the candle, then over to where Hitomi lie asleep. He hoped that what Folken said was not true.

And he certainly hoped that Hitomi would never be in as much danger as she was right then.

~