Disclaimer: Escaflowne does not belong to me. Nikki, Harumi, Mia, Tatiana, and Kyle do.
Chapter Seven
Hitomi shook her head. "No, not that one either." She and the other girls were looking at wedding gown patterns with the court seamstress. It was the fifteenth dress she'd refused. There were plenty of others to choose from, but the seamstress was getting fed up. She couldn't say anything, being Hitomi was going to be Queen, but she glowered at her when her back was turned.
"What about this one?" Merle suggested.
"No! I mean, they're very pretty dresses," she said, catching the seamstress before she could put on a fake smile again, "but none of them seem right."
"You're pickier than I was when I got married." Millerna noted.
Hitomi shrugged apologetically. "I know, but…"
Merle thought for a moment and suddenly got a brilliant idea. "I'll be right back."
"Where are you going?" Hitomi asked, but she was gone already. She and Millerna looked at each other and shrugged.
Merle ran back into the room. A white gown was hanging from her arm. The top was a button-less vest, with a long skirt sewed to the inside.
Hitomi gasped. "Merle, it's perfect. Where'd you get that?"
Merle grinned. She knew she would like it. "It belonged to the Queen. Van gave it to me when I got married, but it didn't fit. Unfortunately, it was meant for wings, not a tail." She pointed to the small slits in the back. "We can sew them up."
"Merle, I couldn't…" Hitomi protested.
"I have a feeling she'd want you to wear it."
Hitomi hesitated for a moment. "Well, if you really think…"
"Try it on," Nikki urged.
"I guess there's no need for me anymore," the seamstress said. She picked up her sketches and left the room, muttering "waste of time" under her breath.
Hitomi slipped the dress over her head. "You look beautiful," Harumi breathed. The others nodded in agreement.
"We just have to take care of some accessories," said Millerna. She put the pendant around her neck. "That's better."
"Wait. One last thing." Hitomi expected Merle to rush out of the room again, but she simply picked up a box in the corner. "The royal jeweler just finished it this morning."
"We have a royal jeweler?" Harumi said, impressed. "Cool."
Hitomi opened the box and lifted out a god tiara. It was simple, but elegant: jewel-less. The front was wider than the rest and came to a point in the middle. It looked like something out of a fairy tale. Hitomi placed it on her head.
"Now you look perfect," Nikki said.
Hitomi gazed in the mirror. "You think so?"
Before they could respond, Van poked his head in the room. Harumi ran in front of him, blocking his view. "Don't come in here!"
"Why not?" he asked, slightly hurt.
"Because you're not supposed to see the bride in her wedding dress before the wedding."
"I never heard that."
"She's right Van," Hitomi said. "Mystic Moon tradition. You can't see me at all the night before the wedding either. It's bad luck."
He sighed. "I guess we need all the luck we can get."
Tatiana clucked her tongue. "Don't be a pessimist."
He shrugged. "I need to talk to Merle. I'm forbidden to do anything without her permission."
"What's the matter?" Merle came over to him. "I'll be back soon." She followed him down the hall.
"I'd better go find Chid. We still have some music things to take care of." Harumi left with Tatiana at her heels.
"I'm going to go supervise Allen and Eries," Millerna said. She and Celena went to catch up with the others.
Hitomi was left alone with the children. She smiled at them and then something occurred to her. "Shouldn't you be in bed?" They shrugged guiltily. "Come on, I'll tuck you in." They followed her reluctantly.
* * * * * *
Later that night, Celena tossed in her bed. She bit her lip to keep her from screaming allowed. Sweat rolled down her cheeks and she whimpered softly. In the daylight, she could fake it, pretend nothing was wrong, so well that she'd believe it too. But at night there was no escape. At night, her guilt tormented and tortured her.
"Lord Dilandau… Lord Dilandau… Lord Dilandau…" Faces swarmed in the air, perfect one moment, strewn with blood the next.
A little girl was crying huddled in a corner, her face buried in her arms. "Don't leave me alone!"
"Celena." A dog-faced man patted her back. She felt safe again. But then he started to drift farther and farther away
"Jajuka!" she cried. "Jajuka!" But this time her voice sounded different. It was deeper. The little girl lifted her head, but she wasn't a little girl anymore, instead she was a young man. His eyes gleamed with rage. They were evil eyes. He gave a cold, cruel, laugh.
"Lord Dilandau," a number of voices chorused. He proceeded to slap and abuse every single one of them. And yet they stood up again, only to be beaten back down.
The scene changed. It was a dark alley. "Lord Dilandau," a boy squeaked out. A doppleganger came from behind, putting both hands around his neck and choking him.
"Miguel!" Celena screamed out. But the boy he called out for did nothing.
The scene changed again. The ground was a pool of blood. The dragon charged at the guymelefs, demolishing each one and the man inside. Yet the ghosts surrounded him, saying, "Do not hurt Lord Dilandau."
"You killed them!" Dilandau screamed.
"He didn't kill them," Celena's voice echoed in her mind. "I killed them. They were loyal to me. They died because they were loyal to me. Me… me… me…."
Celena sat up in bed, gasping for air. She sighed, relieved. It was a dream. But it wasn't really a dream. It really happened. The Dragon Slayers were dead, every single one of them. Even Jajuka, the man who had cared for her before she became Dilandau, that awful monster. They were gone. But the guilt would never go away.
* * * * * *
Nikki was tucked snugly in bed. There was a slight smile on her lips; she was dreaming happy dreams. At least they were at first.
Everything went black. "Where am I?" Nikki wondered. Then, all of a sudden, she found herself somewhere else. It was dark, but it wasn't night yet. There was no fog. Not a cloud was in the sky, but something was blocking the sun: a big black building, a castle in the sky. She gazed at it in awe until she heard the sound of crashing metal. She tried to cry out, but not a sound came out of her mouth. Two giants were fighting each other amidst rocks and rubble. One giant was white and appeared somewhat familiar, almost friendly. The other was completely black, though somewhat similar in shape. The giants were evenly matched. She turned her eyes; not sure she wanted to see the results. But when she turned, she saw more giants. A red one was on its knees surrounded by the others with their swords pointing at it. They seemed frozen in time, neither attacking nor withdrawing.
Then rocks came falling out of the air, but she wasn't sure where they came from. Her family and her new friends were there. The rocks were showering over them. No one moved, there was no where to go. There seemed like nothing she could do. Only the white giant seemed capable of saving them, but how? She feared it would be too late. They would all die. Just like her parents.
Nikki's eyes flew open and she screamed aloud.
To be continued…