Shadows Of The Past
Chapter VI
Twin Angels Flight
Disclaimer – Escaflowne is not mine; the characters and story are the property of Bandai entertainment. The story and characters of 'The Descend Shadow' or 'Shadows of the Past' are the property of Butchs Fan Fiction Forum . Before use of these characters or elements of the story please get permission from Butch Cassidy at
.........
"Sadako!" Hitomi screamed. She sat bolt upright in her bed, the beads of sweat dotted her forehead and her hands felt clammy and cold. She had just seen the same death of her daughter at the hands of some shadowed assailant; she began to shiver as the images continued to flood through her mind of the look of fear and shock on her daughter's face. Although it was only a vision and may never come true, the image of the fear on Sadako's face shook Hitomi to the core of her being. This is because the hardest thing that any parent can ever witness is the death of their own child, even if that child has not yet been born.
Hitomi pulled back the covers on the bed and placing her feet on the floor of the room, walked over to the small dressing table at the end of the room, she lifted a small glass of water and then walked to the window. Opening it she sat down on the chair that she had tripped over just a month ago while trying to escape Merle and that horrible dress. The sun was just beginning to rise whenever she sat down beside the window, her hands still cold and shivering with fear. She took a small drink of water in order to try and calm her nerves and then looking out and lifting her head up to look up at the light of the early morning sun. As it rose it began to shine in onto her. Warming her body with its glow, helping to take her mind off what she had just seen. As she looked out over the city once more as the light bounced off the many houses below and off the tall outer defence towers of the castle as they stood looking out over all of Fanel, the tall and silent guardians of the city. The thought of these remindedher of Dawn and of the last council they had all attended together. She then started to giggle as she remembered the look on Gaddes face as he bolted out of his chair in shock and slight fear.
She longed to see a familiar face but she did not want to disturb anyone from their slumber and it was in this moment that Hitomi thought she could hear a faint knock on the door to her room. At first she ignored it, dismissing it as simply her mind playing tricks on her but then the sound came again followed by someone whispering.
"Hitomi, Hitomi, are you alright"
The voice sounded familiar and then Hitomi replied.
"Merle, is that you"
"Yes its me, can I come in?" Merle replied.
Placing her glass on the window ledge, Hitomi made her way over to the door and opened it and sure enough there was Merle standing but instead of having a large grin the way she normally did. She instead had a look of concern and walking into the room turned to Hitomi and said.
"Are you okay Hitomi, I heard your scream"
"I'm fine Merle, I just had a nightmare that's all" Hitomi said as she smiled weakly.
"Are you sure you're okay" Merle asked again concerned.
"I'm fine Merle honestly, just a little shaken up that's all" Hitomi replied.
She then walked over and sat down again beside the window and took another drink from the glass and when she had finished, Merle said with a grin.
"Hey do you want to go down and raid the kitchen, there'll be no-one there"
"Lets do it" Hitomi replied.
"Ok, I'll check that the coast's clear while you get changed" Merle said.
"Ok" Hitomi replied.
Merle then left while Hitomi dressed and when she had finished dressing it was not long before Merle returned and crept back into the room.
"Ok the coast's clear, lets go"
Merle and Hitomi then crept down through the corridors being careful not too wake anyone and then down the spiral stairs that led to the royal kitchens. It was here that Merle cooked them up some breakfast, which they then ate, while they talked and laughed about funny experiences that they had both had. Once they had finished eating they decided to go for a walk around the gardens still talking as they walked until finally they started to meet some of the people who were now beginning their duties at the castle. They passed the large training arena and saw a few of the soldiers training and then they began to make their way back until they came to the large marble fountain where they decided to give their feet and legs a rest for a while.
After a while Von came out into the gardens and then seeing Hitomi and Merle made his way over to the fountain a small smile on his face as if he was still laughing about something. Then seeing the look on his face Merle asked accusingly.
"What are you smiling about?"
"Well it would appear someone was in the kitchen when they shouldn't have been last night" Von said, and Merle smirked, "You wouldn't know anything about that now, would you Merle"
"Me, now what would I be doing down in the kitchens Von, really" Merle said innocently as she stood up and began to walk away.
Von just laughed and walked up to Hitomi and kissing her on the cheek said "Good Morning".
"Good Morning" Hitomi replied as she smiled back at him.
"Hitomi there's an errand that I have to do this morning and I was wondering if you would like to come with me" Von asked.
"I'd love to but where do you need to do" Hitomi replied.
"Now you'll just have to wait and see, won't you"
Von then led Hitomi down to the stables where they were met by the head stable hand Gercop who informed Von that his horse was already saddled and ready to go. Von thanked him and then led Hitomi down through the stables until they came to the last stall in the stable and stabled here was a dark brown horse and it reared its head and neighed as it saw Van and Hitomi approaching.
"Hitomi this is Tare" Von said as he stroked Tares head and neck.
"I've never ridden before" Hitomi said slightly anxiously.
"There's nothing to worry about, you'll be riding on Tare with me and I won't let anything happen to you. You can stroke his mane if you'd like" Von said as he urged Hitomi forward. Slightly cautiously, Hitomi made her way into Tare's stall although the horse never moved once and then placing her hand on Tare's head began to cautiously stroke his mane. As Hitomi stroked his head she began to feel more at ease, as Tare responded to her touch and even neighed softly a few times, which made Hitomi laugh. Von then helped her up into the saddle and then climbing up himself and sitting down took Tare's reins and then asked Hitomi
"Are you okay"
"Fine, I feel more at ease now" Hitomi replied.
"Ok then, lets go" Von answered and with that they set off and were soon out of the castle and riding down through the city passing some traders as they began to set up their stalls ready for a new day. After a short time they had come out of the lower city and were now crossing the river and coming into the second city that was nearer to the outer walls of the city. As Von began to spur Tare on faster, she clasped her arms around his waist slightly tighter afraid to let go in case she would fall. This did not seem to bother Von as he just smiled at her and reassured her of how he would not allow her to fall. Encouraged by Von's reassurance, Hitomi slowly lifted her head in order to gaze at the surroundings.
They were now coming to the outer most walls of the city and all along the walls, Hitomi could hear the cry.
"Open the gates, the king approaches, open the gates"
As they were passing through the gates Von lifted his hand in acknowledgment and the guards then repeated this in acknowledgement to Von.
Once they had passed through, Hitomi could hear the hinges of the large wooden gates creaking as the guards closed them over once more. It was then that Hitomi looked up and saw the vast mountain ranges of Fanelia with their peaks reaching into the clouds and for a moment she was struck by their sheer majesty.
"Their beautiful aren't they, it's as if they touch the very heavens themselves" Von said.
"Yes they are" Hitomi replied in wonder.
They continued to ride on as the sun still hung in the sky still not fully rose in the sky shone down brightly over all the land and for a short time they rode on in silence and then Von began to tell Hitomi some of the history of Fanelia and of its myths and legends. Things such as the first coming of the dragons to Fanelia and the legend of the great warrior Tarnan who along with his king and a group of knights under his command fought a yearlong battle against forces who sought to invade Fanelia and plunder its lands. It is said that they held them back at Fanelia's borders by constantly harrying them from the cover of the forest and the mountains. Even back on earth Hitomi had always loved to listen to her fathers many stories of the many myths and legends of the world and it was as she listened to Von's stories that she remembered her father reading these same kinds of stories to her nightly as a child. It was just as Hitomi was about to ask Von where they were going that Von told her.
"Were getting close now"
They then came to the edge of the forest and Von continued to ride forward through the forest taking many twists and turns but it seemed to Hitomi that it was almost as if Tare already knew the route to take. They rode on passed a large fallen down tree, which Tare cleared effortlessly and then, continued on forward before taking a turn to the left that led them to a small clearing. Hitomi then became aware of something in the distance and as they came closer she realised that it was a house. Finally Von said.
"Were here" and then stopped Tare just beside the house and stepping down first offered Hitomi his hand which she gladly accepted as she now felt stiff from all the riding. Von then helped her down and then taking Tares reins led him around to what seemed to be the back of the house and stroking Tare's head he undid the bridle and then the saddle. At the back of the house there was a small trough of water, which Tare thirstily drank from, and then going to the saddlebags. Von produced what appeared to be two small drinking canteens and gave one to Hitomi. Once they had both had a drink, Hitomi asked curiously.
"So where are we Von?"
"This is Dawn's home" Von replied after taking another drink of water from the canteen.
"I don't understand, I thought Dawn lived at the castle" Hitomi asked confused.
"He does, but he still uses his home here whenever he comes back from long journeys or whenever he just feels like coming home" Von replied.
"Ok, but why are we here" Hitomi asked curiously.
"Ah, I was wondering when you would ask that. Well there are two reasons, the first is that I promised Dawn before he left that I would keep an eye on the place for him and the second is that after all the studying and research that we have done over the past month. I just felt that it was time I got you out of the castle for a few hours and saw something of the land that I call home" Von answered.
"Thank You" Hitomi replied. Von just smiled and said.
"Look, you wait here Hitomi while I go in and make sure that there's no-one else around. Then once I'm sure it's safe I'll come back and get you, okay"
"Okay" Hitomi replied.
Von then turned and walked around the corner to the front door of the house and taking the key from his pocket inserted it into the lock and twisted it but to his surprise, the lock was already open. Quickly placing the key back in his pocket, Von drew his sword and slowly pushed the door open. Cautiously he walked in through the doorway and at first saw no signs of any other movement as the front corridor was cloaked in darkness, the only light streaming in from the downstairs windows. He continued to move cautiously and silently through the doorway, his sword drawn and his ears straining for the slightest sound of other movement. He was now fully through the doorway and still he could not hear or see any signs of other movement either from downstairs where he was or from the upstairs rooms. Even his own breathing, which he was keeping to a low now seemed deafening in his ears. He continued to walk slowly down the hall when suddenly he felt something strong strike to his wrist, so strong that it knocked his sword right out of his hand. Then before he had time to react he felt a strong punch to the side of his face, so strong that it sent him crashing into the nearby table, the small glass vase falling and shattering on the floor. As Von lay there amongst the broken wood, his back slumped against the wall, his mind and senses reeling from the impact of the blow. All he could see still was darkness except for the light from the windows and the light that was now coming in through the open doorway.
He then became painfully aware of the point of the cold steel that was pointed into his throat; his mind was still reeling unable to believe the quickness and the efficiency of the attack. All Von could think about as he tried to focus on what had just happened was the hope was that there was only one attacker and that Hitomi was okay. Von was about to place his hand to his now throbbing head when suddenly he felt the tip of the blade be pointed deeper into his neck and slowly he put his hand back down. He then became dimly aware of a voice speaking to him and at first he couldn't make it out through the ringing in his ears and then he heard the voice saying louder this time.
"Who are you and what are you doing trying to attack my home". With this the attacker stepped out of the shadows and into the light of the open doorway and as they did. Von began to regain his senses especially upon seeing who the attacker was and then coughing slightly he laughed and said.
"It's no wonder you never get anyone to come out here if this is how you welcome your guests". Upon hearing Von's voice the attacker withdrew their sword and offered Von their hand and then helped him to his feet. "Von are you okay"
"Well I'm not going to die if that's what you mean" Von said with a laugh.
Hitomi then came running to the open doorway and upon seeing the two figures silhouetted in the light ran in and quickly asked.
"Dawn?! What happened?!"
As Hitomi came closer into the hall of the house she could see that Von looking like he had just fought with a dragon and Dawn standing bare chested as he held his sword.
"Here follow me there's a table and some chairs through here" Dawn said as he led them through a door to their left that led into a room that seemed to be connected onto a kitchen and in which there was a large rectangular wooden table, around which were placed six chairs.
"Here sit down here, Von" Dawn said as he pulled out one of the chairs from the table and helped Von over to it with the help of Hitomi.
"What happened" Hitomi asked again.
"I'm sorry, I'll have explain in a moment as there's something I need to do" Dawn replied as he made his way back out through the doorway.
"What was that all about" Hitomi asked.
"I have no idea, all I know is that the house was already open and when I came in to investigate, I got jumped and then next thing I know my sword has been thrown from my hand and I'm lying on the ground where I've just been knocked through a table" Von said.
"Once I heard all the noise, I wasn't sure what was happening" Hitomi said quietly.
"I didn't mean to scare you" Von said as he kissed her hand.
Hitomi then sat down in the chair that was beside Von as they waited for Dawn to return and as she looked around the room she noticed a large painting hanging on the far wall. It appeared to be some sort of portrait as it portrayed a man and woman standing with a young boy. It was as Hitomi looked at this painting and the people who were portrayed in it that she realised how similar the young boy looked to the tall man who stood behind him and of how much this man resembled Dawn. This was because the man had the same brown coloured hair that Dawn had as well as a face that showed someone who may have been wise beyond his years. Hitomi was then struck by how beautiful the woman who stood beside him was, as she had long red hair and unlike the man who stood beside her who appeared to have blue eyes. She appeared to have greenish blue eyes and her face was young and fair and to Hitomi's eyes showed no signs of worry or sorrow. The young boy on the other hand seemed to be a combination of both these people as he had the brown hair of the tall man in the picture while having the same eyes as the woman in the picture as they were not blue nor were they green but rather a combination of the two.
Hitomi then began to wonder if maybe this was Dawns mother and father before they had passed away although these thoughts were interrupted when Von noticing what Hitomi was looking at said.
"I see you've found Dawn's family portrait"
"So those are Dawn's parents" Hitomi asked.
"That's them" Von replied.
Hitomi then continued to look around the room while Von rubbed the side of his face where Dawn had punched him. A few moments later Dawn returned now fully dressed in a pair of blue trousers, a white long sleeved shirt, and his soft leather boots. Although he was not alone as just behind him stood a young woman with long black hair and then as Dawn walked forward she moved to his side.
"Von, Hitomi, this is Noriko Veila a friend of mine from Cesario, she has come as a messenger of her father. Noriko I would like you to meet my close friends Von Fanel and Hitomi Kanzaki" Dawn said.
"Nice to meet you" Noriko replied as she stepped forward to greet them.
"It's nice to meet you too Noriko" Hitomi answered.
"A pleasure" Von said as he tipped his head in reply to Noriko's greeting.
Dawn then moved forward and pulled out a seat from the table which Noriko sat down in and then pulling out a seat for himself, sat down beside her.
"Are you back long" Von asked.
"No, we only arrived back here yesterday just after midday" Dawn replied.
"Dawn there's something I still don't understand" Hitomi asked.
"Yes" Dawn replied.
"Why did you attack Von" Hitomi asked curiously.
"Well how long do you have" Dawn answered with a laugh.
"As long as it'll take" Von answered.
Dawn then told them about all that had happened since he had arrived back in Cesario
"So you weren't able to find anything either Dawn?" Hitomi asked.
"I never said that" Dawn replied and continued the story, finishing with his finding of the tree of life.
"But why did you attack me earlier Dawn" Von asked.
"I heard someone approaching on horseback this morning and I was afraid that maybe more of the men who attacked us in Cesario had managed to follow us back here and were going to try and attack us as we slept. I didn't know it was you Von until you spoke" Dawn answered.
"I can't say that I blame you but did you have to punch me so hard" Von replied as they all started to laugh. Dawn then stood up and said to Von and Hitomi.
"I was just about to make some lunch for myself and Noriko, if you would like to join us"
Von then looked over to Hitomi who was now talking quietly with Noriko and replied "We'd love to".
………
After they had finished their lunch they had all retreated into the main living room of the house where Hitomi and Von sat down on a long cushioned bench while Dawn and Noriko sat in separate seats beside the warm glow of the fire that burned brightly in a fireplace in the right wall of the room. Then as a result of both the warm glow of the fire and the meal that they had just eaten, they each fell asleep with Hitomi and Von falling asleep beside one another on the cushioned bench. While Noriko soon fell asleep while sitting in her chair until finally Dawn who had been fighting the urge to sleep finally gave in and allowed his eyes to close, as his mind drifted through peaceful dreams.
It was Von however who awoke first and looking towards the fire he saw that it had now long since died out and so curious to see how long they had slept. He looked first at Hitomi whose head was now resting peacefully on his shoulder and then carefully lifting her head up off his shoulder he slid his body off the bench and laid Hitomi back down with her head now resting on a cushion. He then slowly stood up and made his way out into the hall trying not to wake the others. Then walking up to the front door and slowly opening it he walked outside taking in a breath of cool air as he stood looking up at the sky seeing that the sun was now hanging lower in the sky and was beginning to set as he began to stretch as his body as it felt stiff and sore from lying on the bench for so long. He then heard a noise behind him but did not move nor did he turn around, he just continued to look up at the sky. He then felt arms around his waist hugging him as he felt Hitomi's rest her head on his shoulder; he knew of coure that it was Hitomi because he had heard her soft footsteps coming up the hallway as he stood in the garden.
"I didn't mean to wake you" Von said.
"You didn't" Hitomi replied as moved to stand beside him.
"Did you have a good sleep?" Von asked.
"I did" Hitomi replied as Von placed his arms around her. They stood for several moments' in silence as they watched the sun set.
"You know we're going to have to leave soon if we're all going to return back to Fanel before it gets dark" Von said.
"I know but I would just like to stand here a little longer with you" Hitomi replied.
After standing silently together for a short time longer as they watched the sun begin to set they then made their way back into the house and down the hallway and into the living room. They saw that Dawn and Noriko were still sleeping peacefully as they sat in their chairs by the fireplace. Von then walked over to the chair where Dawn was sleeping while Hitomi walked over to the chair where Noriko slept as gently they woke them. It was Dawn who awoke first as he opened his eyes and sitting forward slightly looked at Von and then around the room.
"I guess we have to head back" Dawn asked urgently.
"Yes I'm afraid, the sun is setting and we need to get back before it becomes too dark that's all" Von said. Dawn then stood up from his chair and began to stretch as Noriko slowly opened her eyes and looking up at Hitomi said sleepily.
"Hitomi"
"Were all going to have to leave now Noriko if were to get back to Fanel before it becomes too dark to see" Hitomi replied as Noriko stood up.
"Would anyone like something to eat or drink before we leave" Dawn asked politely but none of them were really hungry so they left the room and began to get ready to leave. Dawn and Noriko went upstairs to gather their things while Hitomi went with Van as he went to attend to Tare. Once Von had fed and saddled Tare once more, he helped Hitomi up onto the saddle before climbing up himself and then riding around to the front of the house. It was Noriko who came out of the house first carrying some of her belongings and then Dawn came out and locked the door to the house. He then walked around to the side of the house along with Noriko and after a few moments they rode back to the front of the house. Now that they were all on horseback they rode away back through the forest following the same path that Hitomi and Von had used earlier. As they rode towards the entrance of the forest they could see that the sun had almost fully set and so they began to ride even faster until they were clear of the forest and were now approaching the outer walls of Fanel.
………
When they returned to the castle the night had already dropped its veil and now everything was cloaked in darkness save for the few small lights that sparkled both in the castle and below in the city itself. Once they had eaten, Von was called away by his advisors who said that they had urgent matters that they needed to discuss with him. Hitomi, Noriko, and Dawn were now left in the large dining hall by themselves as they talked some more between themselves until it was late and they decided to retire to their rooms and get some rest. They continued to talk as they walked up the corridor near the top of the castle where the main bedrooms were located although keeping their voices low so as not to wake anyone who may have already retired to their rooms. It was Hitomi's room that they reached first and so after wishing her a good night, Dawn and Noriko continued to walk down the long corridor as Dawn had said that he would show Noriko to her room. As Hitomi stood in her doorway watching them leave she could see the small flame of their candle grow smaller and smaller as they walked away. Hitomi then closed the door as she entered the room and when she walked over to her bed to sit down she saw that lying perfectly across the bed covers was a dress. Hitomi marvelled at its beauty as she felt the softness of the cloth that it had been made with and the beauty of the colours as they intertwined to form different patterns.
She then noticed that attached to just the top of the dress there appeared to be a note and so carefully removing it, she walked over to the small dressing table at the bottom of the room. Then sitting down she was now able to see the note clearly as the light of the candle shown on it and she could see that was addressed to her and so carefully breaking the seal she opened the letter and began to read:
My dearest Hitomi
This was one of the dresses that I asked the royal tailor to have specially made for you but unfortunately he was only able to complete it until just recently. I hope that this dress is okay for you and granted that I can stay out of Radians way before he catches me for another meeting, I will see you in the morning.
With Love
Von
Once she had finished reading the note she carefully folded it up once more and placed it in a small drawer in the dressing table and then walking back to her bed she lifted up the dress and placed it carefully in her wardrobe. She then dressed for bed and blowing out the candle on the dressing table, climbed into the bed and pulled the covers up around herself. The only light in the room coming from the moon as it shone in through the open window as Hitomi laid her head down on the pillows and closed her eyes as she remembered Vons parting words in his note.
………
At first she dreamed of Von and of how they were walking through the royal gardens laughing and talking as they held one another close. She then began to dream of Von unfurling his wings as the feathers showered them both as if they were petals and then of Von with his wings now fully unfurled smiling back at her. Running into his arms he held her close as his wings surrounded them both but then Hitomi began to feel something strange as all of a sudden they were showered with feathers once more and then she felt them as Von released her from his embrace. Two great white wings that were not much different from Von's own wings and then together they flew up into the sky and began to soar across the land taking in the breathtaking beauty of the land below her. Hitomi then felt a sharp pain as she began to fall suddenly unable to recover as she felt the searing pain in one of her wings. Above she saw Von soaring downwards as quickly as he could in order to catch her and as she did all those years ago when she had fallen into the pit at the dragons graveyard as she stretched her hand outwards in attempt to be with Von once more before she fell to the ground.
As the pain grew she felt herself passing out as she fell into darkness but then she opened her eyes she thought that she had awoken from her dream only to find that she was now lying in Vons arms as he carried her upwards. She then felt the pain leave as she flew beside Von once more when all of a sudden the sky turned black and turning around she saw that Von was no longer beside her. Panic took her as she began to search the earth and the skies for him only to found nothing and then she saw it, the one thing that she had hoped and prayed would never happen again. Fanel was in flames and as she flew higher and higher to avoid the flames that raged all about her. She saw to her even greater fear and horror that the lower levels of the castle were on flame as a fierce battle raged within them.
As she flew nearer and nearer to the lower levels and saw the battle that was raging below and the bodies of all those who had been killed men, women, and children. She began to cry as she screamed at the battle below.
"Please stop fighting! Please! STOP IT!" Hitomi screamed as she sat bolt upright and then burying her face in her hands began crying. Then feeling something soft touch her shoulder, Hitomi looked up and saw Von looking at her with a soft smile as he sat just beside her on the bed. Then wrapping her arms around him Hitomi asked with fear in her voice.
"Am I still dreaming?"
"No, whatever you saw, it's over now" Von replied as Hitomi buried her face in his chest and began to cry as she held him tightly in her embrace, afraid that if she let go then he would disappear as he had done in her dream. Von simply held her close as she clutched to him tighter and tried to comfort and reassure her that everything was okay. Even though his own heart was breaking as he had never seen Hitomi in so much pain before although he didn't show it. Although he asked her what it was that she saw that had upset her so, she refused to talk about it and so Von did not push the matter any further. Then whenever Hitomi had finished crying, she simply lay there in his arms glad of the comfort and peace that being with him brought to her. Von kissed her softly on the forehead and said.
"There's something I want to show you but we'll have to go soon before the sun rises" So lifting her head up, she simply smiled and nodded as she wiped away the tears.
………
Von sat on the steps of the castle courtyard as he waited for Hitomi to come down from her room. He was still worried about what she had saw in her dreams that had scared her so much but he knew that Hitomi would tell him whenever she felt ready although he hoped that his surprise would help take her mind off of those things. It was not long before Hitomi came down to where Von was waiting and to his surprise she was wearing the dress that he had left for her just the night before. The sight of her wearing it as she walked down the steps towards him made him feel as if his breath had been stole away and then Hitomi seeing his reaction began to smile and laugh.
"You don't like it then" Hitomi said and started to laugh as she sat down beside him.
"I think you look… beautiful" Von replied.
"So what was it that you wanted to show me" Hitomi asked curiously.
"Do you trust me" Von replied as Hitomi looked at him slightly puzzled and then he asked again to which Hitomi replied.
"Of course, I trust you with my life" Then stepping off the ledge Von walked into the courtyard and began to unfurl his wings, the silhouette of which Hitomi could only see as it was still quite dark outside. Hitomi then walked forward into the courtyard to meet him as he walked forwards to meet her, his wings now fully extended leaving a small trail of white feathers. Then lifting Hitomi into his arms as she placed her arms around his neck he flew upwards, first passing the battlements, then the entire castle itself until finally they landed on the mountain top high above the castle. Von then placed Hitomi carefully back down onto her feet and then together they stood as they awaited the arrival of the early morning sun. It was not long before the sun began to rise and when it did it was even more beautiful than Hitomi could have ever imagined as firstly it sent an orange glow across the sky as if banishing the dark. Then its rays passed over the forest as it slowly made its way across the land until it had left the forest and was now approaching the outer walls and then made its way over the small houses and fields and so it made its way over the land until it came to the small river that ran down through the city.
The river then began to sparkle and glow as the rays touched the water making it appear to Hitomi that the rays were dancing across the river. The rays then passed over the many houses below the castle bouncing from roof to roof before finally they came to the castle itself. It was then as the rays illuminated the castle from the great banners bearing the royal symbol of the dragon to the great towers built for the defence of the city. That the sheer beauty and grandeur of the castle was revealed until finally the suns rays had passed over all Fanelia. Hitomi had stood in silence and awe as she looked out over all of Fanelia now revealed in all its majesty and glory.
"I thought you would appreciate this Hitomi"
"Von it's beautiful, thank you so much" Hitomi said as Von merely nodded his head in acknowledgement and then together they turned back to look out over the city. Hitomi then looked up at the sky which was now a light blue mixed with a pale orange glow that came from the early morning sun. Suddenly the images from her dream flooded her mind and so powerful and strong were they that whenever she looked out over the sky once more she could only see darkness and whenever she looked down at the city she could only see the death and destruction from her vision.
"No! Please! Not Again! Please Don't Make Me See Them Again!" The tears filled her eyes and her voice trembled with fear as she screamed to the sky. She then fainted unable to cope with the visions any longer as she felt herself falling into darkness. Von watched helplessly as Hitomi cried out in pain as she staggered backwards towards the edge of the cliff and suddenly passing out fell backwards off the edge.
"HITOMI!" Von screamed his voice now trembling with fear as he ran forwards and jumped off the edge of the cliff face as his wings burst out once more. Beneath him he could see Hitomi as she fell faster and faster as he dived downwards as fast as he could. Hitomi was now falling faster and coming perilously close to the castle below. Von straightened his body and his wings even more as he dived down faster and faster in order to try and make up the distance between himself and Hitomi.
Then when Hitomi was mere metres away from certain death, Von reached out his arms and caught her as he turned in the air and extended his flattened wings once more as he began to fly back up to the mountain top once more. Looking down at Hitomi as she lay motionless in his arms, her eyes closed, Von feared the worst but still continued to fly upwards until he was standing on the mountain top once more. Walking forward as his wings returned inside his body once more he kneeled down and then sitting with his legs drawn up slightly cradled Hitomi in his arms. Gently he pushed back the hair from her eyes as he tried desperately to fight his fear and the tears that threatened to blind him as he said softly.
"Hitomi, please wake up, Hitomi" but when he saw that Hitomi was lying motionless in his arms he bowed his head and said "I love you" as he began to cry as he held Hitomi as close to him as he could as his heart felt like it had been tore apart.
For what had felt like an eternity to Von, he had cradled Hitomi in his arms until softly he heard her whisper.
"I love you too Von"
"Hitomi" Von said almost in disbelief and lifting his head up, he saw that she had lifted her head up from his shoulder and was now smiling weakly back at him. In that moment Von felt that if his heart could have beaten any faster then it would have surely burst out of his chest. Then holding her close as he fought back the tears he said. "I thought I'd lost you"
"I thought I'd lost you too" Hitomi replied as she looked up at him and saw the fear lift from his face as it was replaced by utter joy. Hitomi then lifted her hand up and began to caress his cheek as he took her hand and began to kiss it gently whenever a tear rolled from his cheek down onto her hand. Then leaning in closer to one another they shared their first true kiss as they began to kiss each other passionately as they expressed their true feelings for one another. They both felt that they never wanted the moment to end and wished that they could be lost in it forever where no-one could ever touch or hurt them ever again. Then together they sat on the mountain top as Hitomi resting her head against Von who simply held her close as they watched the people below them begin to leave their homes as they moved around the streets below. After a short time they decided to leave the mountain top and so standing up Von walked over to the mountain edge and peered over in order to see if there were any people below in the gardens.
When he was sure that the there was no one in the gardens he made his way back over to Hitomi who was sitting with her legs drawn up underneath her chin as she rested her head on her knees. She smiled back at him as he knelt down in front of her returning her smile and once more they began to kiss as Von lifted her up into his arms. Then as Hitomi placed her arms around his neck, he began to unfurl his wings once more as they burst out from his back and through his shirt and then walking forward to the edge of the mountain. He began to fly upwards slightly until he was far enough away from the edge of the cliff and so began to descend into the gardens below to a spot on the edge of the gardens that was just out of the view of others.
Carefully Von set Hitomi down on to her feet once more and then hand in hand they walked back into the main gardens. As they came nearer to the gardens entrance they passed a few of the men and woman who tended the gardens who smiled and greeted them as they passed and Hitomi and Von in return wished everyone they met a good morning. Then they walked back up the path to the castle and made their way to the kitchens where they were greeted by the cooks who asked them what they wished to have for breakfast as they were aware that the king and the lady Hitomi had not yet eaten. Once they had told the cooks what they would like if it was not too much trouble, the cooks simply smiled and said that it was no trouble at all and that they would bring the food shortly to the dining room. So once more Von and Hitomi made their way back through the castles corridors until they reached the dining room where they were surprised to see that there was no one around. So sitting down they began to talk as they waited for the food to come and it was during their conversation that Hitomi asked something that took Von slightly by surprise.
"Von, there's something that I want to ask you"
"Okay" Von replied.
"Von, I was wondering of you would teach me how to fight" Hitomi said.
"Hitomi, what do you mean?" Von asked slightly confused.
"I'd like to learn how to fight with a sword so that I may learn how to defend myself and others should I need to" Hitomi replied.
"Are you sure about this Hitomi, its just that you've" Von said as he took a pause before saying "Well it's just that you've always been against violence of any kind".
"Please don't ask me to explain" Hitomi replied. Von smiled and then taking Hitomi's hands in his own said.
"Don't worry, I'll teach you how to wield a sword but first I'll need a few days to prepare everything so that I can teach you in peace away from prying eyes"
"Thank you" Hitomi replied.
"Its okay but now there's something I'd like to ask you" Von said.
"Okay" Hitomi replied.
"How would you feel about being trained by two people instead of one?" Von asked.
"That would be fine" Hitomi answered.
"Okay then, I'll talk to Dawn later and see what he says" Von replied.
"That would be great but do you think he'll mind" Hitomi asked slightly unsure.
"Knowing Dawn, he'll probably ask you if you're sure that you want to him to train you instead of someone like Alan" Von said as he started to laugh slightly.
"Really?" Hitomi asked slightly surprised.
"Oh yes, you see even though he's confident in himself and his abilities, Dawn's still very modest and doesn't like to boast the way some swordsman do" Von replied.
At that moment the doors opened and a young lady entered followed by several more ladies each carrying a tray of freshly prepared food. Once they had finished eating their breakfast, they had sat and talked for a short time when they heard a short knock on the dining hall doors.
"Come in" Von called back and then the doors opened and in walked a young man who appeared to be no older than sixteen, dressed in the uniform of the castle guards. He walked forward to the dining table and bowing respectfully to Von and then to Hitomi said.
"Sire, I am sorry to disturb you when you are dining with the lady Hitomi but you asked me to tell you when Alan Shazar's ship arrived in port" the young man said.
"Yes, has he arrived" Von asked.
"He has sire, he's with Radian in the conference room" the young man replied.
"Well could you please tell him that I will join him now in a few moments" Von said.
"Yes sire" the young man answered.
"Thank you, Onoír" Von replied as the young man bowed to them both once more and walked out of the dining room closing the doors again as he left. Once Onoír had left Von turned back to Hitomi and was about to speak whenever Hitomi said.
"Von its okay, go and speak with Alan and we can see each other again later"
"Will you meet by the fountain later" Von replied as Hitomi smiled and said.
"Yes" Then standing up from the dining table they made their way back out into the castle corridors and while Von made his way towards the conference room. Hitomi decided to go and explore the library and it was not long before she was walking towards the large entrance into the library. She spent the rest of the morning in the library, reading books about Fanelia's history and was both surprised and slightly taken back while reading one such book. As the chapter she was reading described the war with Zaibach and how King Von along with Hitomi the Foreseer, the girl from the mystic moon, the kings one true love defeated the emperor Dunkirk in order to restore peace to Gaea. It then told of how in order to maintain that peace, Hitomi made the ultimate sacrifice by returning to the mystic moon, there was an even an illustration of the pillar of light returning her to the mystic moon.
Reading the chapter, Hitomi had remembered her first meeting with Dawn over a month ago when she first arrived and he had believed her to be as she was described in the chapter that she had just read. She suppressed a giggle as she remembered Dawns obvious embarrassment at the time as he had got lost in the moment and forgotten the true story of what happened as told to him by Von. After having some lunch with Merle, Hitomi decided to retire to her room and try and get some rest as she had not being able to get much sleep that day. Not long after resting her head on the soft pillows she fell into a deep sleep and so slept through what was left of the afternoon and part of the evening. She had slept relatively peacefully except for one dream that she was unsure was a vision or a memory and in it she saw Escaflowne destroying Fanelia as it fought in what appeared to be a war of some kind.
Hitomi however did not wake up as her body was too tired and weary from lack of sleep and so once this dream was over she experienced more peaceful dreams and when she awoke once more it was because of what she thought was someone knocking on her bedroom door. When she looked out the window she saw that it was now starting to grow dark and so standing up once more, she walked over to the door and opening saw that it was Von who had been knocking but his expression seemed grave.
"Hitomi, I need to talk to you" Von said silently as Hitomi showed him in and then closed the door once more as Von sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Von, what's wrong?" Hitomi asked concerned as she sat down beside him.
"Hitomi, I'm….." Von paused and then looking up at Hitomi and seeing how concerned she was said.
"Hitomi, I'm going to fight in the final battle against Erráre"
……
End of Chapter Six
Sundance
13.08.04
……
Author Message: -
Firstly I would like to thank all those readers who have read this story from its earliest chapters and continue to read it. I would also like to thank everyone who has reviewed the past five chapters of the story for their kind and honest reviews as these reviews are greatly appreciated as it is always nice whenever someone takes an interest in your work especially if they are enjoying reading that piece of work. I really enjoyed working on this chapter as it was a chance to work with just Hitomi and Von as every other chapter had a mix of different characters whereas this chapter focused mostly on them. Something I must also explain just in case it may have caused confusion is when Hitomi and Von kiss on the mountain top and the reason this may have caused confusion is because I described it as their first true kiss.
The reason why I described this as their first true kiss was because they never really kissed in the original series nor have they ever really kissed at any point in the chapters leading up to this point. This was deliberate as I felt that their first kiss like Dawn and Noriko's first kiss at the end of the previous chapter should be special so that they would remember it always. Focusing solely on Von and Hitomi was fun as it meant that I was able to show even more just how much they loved and cared for one another. I also enjoyed all the scenes at the start with Merle as they allowed me to show more of Merle's tender, caring side as well as her sense of fun and adventure as I always enjoy writing Merles scenes because they are just so fun to do. It's actually for this reason that I'm looking forward to chapter 9 as it is in chapter 9 that I get to write some of the things I have planned from the beginning as well as allowing me to finally write one of my favourite scenes that has been planned for a long time.
All I will say about this scene is that it should be quite funny as it involves Merle, Dawn and Noriko as it also leads into the next scene with Merle and Dawn but I'm afraid you'll just have to wait in order to see what happens. Oh yes before I forget, the reason why this chapter is shorter than the previous chapter is because there are no action scenes as it is mainly a character based chapter. Well I guess that's it for now but don't forget my good friend and collaborator Butch has his own story which runs parallel to this and tells the story of Hitomi's daughter Sadako twenty years after the end of my story. Now both these stories can be read separately or together but I would recommend that you read Butch's story Descended Shadow as well. As there are revelations and events that happen in Descended Shadow that have a direct effect on my story in the same way that there are revelations and events that happen in my story that have a direct effect on the Descended Shadow.
Well that's it for now, so until Chapter 7 enjoy the story and please if you have any questions about either this story or Butch's story Descended Shadow please send them to the usual e-mail address at Also please feel free to leave a review about this chapter and tell me what you thought of it and how the story in general is going as well as leaving any questions that you may have.
Sundance