Disclaimer: Tenkuu no Escaflowne is property of Bandai and Sunrise, all rights reserved. I am in no way affiliated with these companies, or any legal proceedings concerning Tenkuu no Escaflowne. This story has been written purely out of enjoyment, and is not intended to make a profit, steal ideas, or offend anybody. Any similarities between my work and anyone else's is purely coincidental. "Ready To Fall" song lyrics are property ofMeredith Edwards, all rights reserved.

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"Anywhere" -- Chapter 2: Ready To Fall

By The Last Princess of Hyrule

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"I get a feeling I can't explain,
Whenever your eyes meet mine,
My heart spins in circles,
And I lose all space and time,
And now that we're standing face to face,
Something tells me it's gonna be okay . . ."
-Meredith Edwards, "Ready To Fall"

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The cockpit of the red guymelef whooshed open, and Dilandau stumbled out, scowling and rubbing his neck.

"Damn thing," he muttered under his breath.

This landing had been one of his less graceful, which struck him as odd; Dilandau hadn't crashed a guymelef on a landing in a very long time. He was one of Zaibach's more prestigious pilots. The thought of faltering on a flight was hurtful to his pride.

"Lousy damn forest," he grumbled. "Can't find a decent place to land."

Dilandau looked around distastefully. Where the hell am I? The thick forest he was standing in looked from the sky like it probably extended for leagues. I have no idea what country I'm in anymore, much less how to get back to the Delate. I'll never figure out what direction I'd have to fly in with this mess.

He sighed, and sat down on one of the red guymelef's derelict limbs. I guess I'll have to stay here overnight. It was too dark to fly anymore, even if he knew where he was going. Dilandau couldn't read the stars like a map the way most travelers could, and he couldn't see them anyway. The only things he could see through the dense foliage were Gaea's two moons directly above him.

Dilandau lay back with his arms folded behind his head, staring up at the sky. The Mystic Moon looked brighter than he remembered. Its marbled blue and white surface glowed alluringly. Suddenly, the image of the mysterious girl from the Mystic Moon jumped to his mind. I wonder what life is like up there. Probably a lot better than down here. A familiar old longing surfaced in Dilandau's mind, and he wished he could have a life there, or anywhere other than here.

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Hitomi followed the pendant's direction through the palace, which was a slow and tedious process. Each time she came to a place where the hallways intersected, she had to stop to check the direction she should take. Eventually the pendant led her to the circular courtyard she had been running in earlier that evening. Hitomi swung it once more, and whispered, "All right, what way should I go now?"

It beat twice and stopped, pointing southeast. In that direction, Hitomi could see the sleeping outskirts of Palas nestled against a rolling mountain range covered in lush forest. She sighed. It would tell me to take the hardest direction.

It was at this time that Hitomi started to realize she hadn't thought this plan through very well. She didn't think to consider by what means she would travel once she was outside the city. It would be too difficult to make trek on foot, and hitching rides would be out of the question because she didn't want to be recognized. The only thing left to do was steal a horse.

Hitomi walked out into the courtyard, looking around. Where are the stables? she wondered. She was about to consult her pendant about their location when a familiar voice drove the idea from her mind.

"What are you doing out so late?"

She turned to see Folken sitting at the edge of the fountain. Was it the darkness playing tricks on her, or did he look amused to see her like this, looking so lost and confused?

"I'm . . . taking a walk," she lied, then added on second thought, "Why are you here?"

"I came out to enjoy the city." He stood, gesturing around him. "Palas is very beautiful at night."

The courtyard was bathed in moonlight from the two glowing moons above it. Thousands of glittering stars framed them from behind, each a brilliant diamond set in the darkest velvet sky. Hitomi couldn't help but admire it. She had to agree--Palas at night was very beautiful.

"So, tell me the truth," said Folken. "You didn't come out here with your necklace and that bag just for a leisurely stroll, did you?"

Hitomi frowned. "What I do with my things and my time is none of your business."

"You're right, it isn't, but if you're leaving, let me offer you some advice: Stay off the main roads. Anyone who sees you in those clothes will become suspicious, and bring you right back here." He eyed her knowingly. "And I think I can safely assume you don't want to attract attention to yourself on this journey."

Hitomi looked away, ashamed for being snappish. "Thank you. I'll remember that."

"If you don't mind, can I ask where you plan to go?"

She turned back to him. Folken was standing in the center of the courtyard watching her, as if measuring his head her chances of success.

"No," she said, then suddenly changed her mind. "I mean, I don't know. I'm not sure where I'm going."

That feeling resurfaced, the comfort in his presence, the willingness to tell him what she was troubling her. What was it about him that made her feel like this? Folken's eyes were calm and patient as he waited for her to continue. Maybe it was his eyes. Hitomi could feel reassurance in them, somewhere beneath the layers of mask-like indifference.

"What will you do?"

"What?" Hitomi snapped out of her contemplative trance.

"When you figure out where you're going," Folken repeated. "What will you do when you get there?"

"I'm . . . not sure," she admitted.

"If I may, this doesn't sound like a very well thought-out plan."

"No, I guess not."

He was so polite when he talked to her, but not the same type politeness the citizens of Palas showed her. He was being respectful not to irritate her, not because he was afraid she might do something horrible, but because he simply didn't want to upset her.

Folken smiled slightly. "Perhaps the idea wasn't a good one in the first place."

She picked up on his hint--that she shouldn't leave at all. Hitomi shook her head. "No, I have to leave. I can't stay here anymore."

"Any particular reason?"

Hitomi pursed her lips. "Look around you. I have more reasons than anyone."

"More than I?"

Hitomi was startled by the sudden coldness in his words. Folken was no longer smiling--his face was contorted with a scowl. Somehow she knew, however, that he was angry with himself, not her. Suddenly she felt embarrassed again, like a child who said too much, and only later realized what effect her words had on people. For a long time they were silent, then, as she was turning to go, he spoke.

"The stables are this way," he said, and turned to lead her to them.

Hitomi looked back. He was already past the fountain, and almost across the other side of the courtyard when he looked to see if she was following. "Well, you are taking a horse, aren't you?"

"Yes," said Hitomi, and hurried to catch up with him. "Yes, I am."

"Have you ever ridden one before?"

"Well . . ." She hesitated. "Once or twice . . . I think . . ."

Folken sighed. "And you plan to travel around Gaea by yourself?"

"Yes. I have to go alone. I'll just end up hurting anyone I bring along."

"Then I'll go."

Hitomi stopped. "What?"

"You can't travel by yourself. You need someone."

Her temper flared. "You're just like Allen. I can look after myself. I don't need someone to take care of me."

"I wasn't suggesting that," said Folken patiently. "I only said you need a guide--someone who knows Gaea better than you."

"I'll be fine by myself."

Folken frowned, but before he could say anything, an idea came to his mind. He clasped his hands behind his back and smiled. "All right, then. Go ahead. I won't stop you."

Hitomi looked at him suspiciously for a minute, then turned away. She walked to the end of the courtyard, then stopped, and looked around. The stables were nowhere in sight, nor did she have any idea where to look for them. She turned back to Folken, realizing the point he was trying to make.

"Okay," she admitted. "I guess I can't do this alone. Will you help me?"

He smiled.

-x-X-x-X-x-

When they reached the stables, Hitomi was disappointed to find them well guarded. The odds of her being able to discreetly steal a horse in the first place had never been in her favor, and now they were much worse. Asking for one wasn't even an option. The former Strategos of Zaibach and the Girl from the Mystic Moon out in the middle of the night to go for a casual ride would raise more than a few questions.

Hitomi leaned back against the wall she was peering around. "Great, now what?"

"We'll find something else," said Folken, walking away up a dirt path leading in the opposite direction. Hitomi followed.

"What else?" she asked, but he didn't answer.

For several minutes they walked in silence. During that time, Hitomi began to doubt her decision to let him accompany her. The silence as they traveled felt awkward; Folken was less social than she had originally thought. At first she wondered if it was just the company around him that he disliked, but it appeared to be part of his nature. And it was beginning to make Hitomi uncomfortable. She was just about to say something to break the silence when she noticed a familiar bend in the path.

"I know where we are," she stated, looking around.

To her left, on the upward slope of the hill, was a tall, quiet windmill with four motionless blades attached to a large open base. Shifting the weight of her bag, Hitomi pulled out her pendant, and held it in front of her. I wonder . . . The stone swung back and forth several times before pointing to the windmill.

"I think we should go inside," she suggested skeptically to Folken, latching the pendant around her neck again. He followed her in.

As Hitomi expected, the windmill was abandoned. Its decrepit interior showed recent use by something or someone other than pigeons, and it was not hard to tell what it was, even in the dark night. There was only one thing lurking in the dark shadows of the windmill aside from the two of them: the silent, waiting form of a massive guymelef.

"Escaflowne . . ." said Folken in astonishment.

Hitomi frowned, pulling off her pendant again. "I don't get it," she said as she swung it. "This thing was supposed to tell us where to go. It always works." The pendant stopped, pointing directly to the Escaflowne. "Why isn't it working now?"

"Maybe it is." Folken walked slowly toward the white guymelef. "Maybe it's saying we should take Escaflowne."

Hitomi's eyebrows furrowed as she tied the pendant around her neck. "And how are we supposed to go about that?" she asked in a somewhat sarcastic tone. "It isn't like either of us can even open it, much less--"

Folken placed his hand on the red energist, and the cockpit flew open.

"--fly it . . ." Hitomi's comment died away in her amazement. "How'd you do that?"

"It opens to anyone with the right blood," he said as he climbed inside.

Hitomi wondered about the "right blood" for a moment as the Escaflowne stood, and left the shelter of the windmill. Then she remembered what was happening, and went out after it.

"Hey, wait a minute! What about me?" She ran up, and knocked on one of the metal legs with the flat of her hand. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Back up!" Folken called down to her.

For a moment she held her ground, staring up at the massive guymelef, then a loud hiss of air and a resonant clang above startled her. She relinquished her determination not to be left behind in favor of not to be crushed as the Escaflowne shuddered, and a cloud of dust rose up. The metal joints collapsed on themselves in a quick, automatic fashion, and as the dust settled, the guymelef stood over Hitomi in the form of a white dragon.

Folken, seated at the controls, scowled at her. "Did you really expect me to leave like that?" His tone was cold and accusing, and he glared at her for a moment. "Well?"

Hitomi hesitated.

"It would be better not to wait all night to go," he said. "So if you want to get out of here, come on."

Silently, she pulled herself up the Dragon's massive limbs to Folken. "I'm sorry," she murmured as she sat down behind him.

Folken pulled one of the cords, and the Dragon lifted into the air. "You might want to hold on," he advised, his tone a little more gentle, "or you could fall off."

Hitomi linked her arms around his waist. Folken pulled the cord on the left, and the Dragon banked left, spiraling steeply upward into the night sky.

Folken and Hitomi's flight passed in silence, but Hitomi was too distracted by her own thoughts to notice any awkwardness. Her mind wandered back to her meeting with Shesta, the golden haired Zaibach soldier with a vivid memory of his own death. It was a common conception that a person's last minutes of life were the ones they would remember clearest, but how did anyone know? Dead people couldn't come back to talk about it, and the living couldn't speak to the dead.

They were flying faster now. The air so high up was very cold, and it bit mercilessly at Hitomi's exposed skin. It reminded her of the haunted look she had seen behind Shesta's eyes. She shuddered.

Hitomi didn't doubt her ideas about life and death. The dead and the living didn't interact; it was as simple as that. The spirit of Shesta-or whatever it was-must have been a trick. Maybe, Hitomi reasoned, I just fell asleep and had a weird dream. She could remember many occurrences at home when she'd had a dream she thought was real, but never anything quite like this.

The beautiful Asturian countryside rolled out beneath them, dark shadows of trees, hilltops, and tiny homes and villages. It was like a small model done in lifelike detail. If only it were just lifelike, and not truly life. If only she were with Yukari looking at this model country in a store window. If only, if only . . .

Hitomi watched the stars still high above her in the dark sky drifting lazily past. She could swear she saw them moving, or maybe it was just the exhaustion taking over her mind. It was hard to keep from yawning every minute. I can't fall asleep. Of all the things to do, that'd be the worst. It'd be a really painful fall back to Gaea. I can't let myself . . . fall . . . asleep . . .

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"I can't keep pretending,
That I don't even know you,
When at sweet night,
You are my own,
Take my hand . . ."
-Evanescence, "Anywhere"

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TO BE CONTINUED . . .

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