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"Anywhere" -- Chapter 8: Tragic Kingdom
By The Last Princess of Hyrule
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"They pay homage to a king,
Whose dreams are buried,
In their minds,
His tears are frozen stiff,
Icicles drip from his eyes,
Welcome to the tragic kingdom . . ."
-No Doubt, "Tragic Kingdom"
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A nervous-looking young soldier entered the state chamber at the palace in Asturia to a group of anxious people, and bowed to them on shaking legs. His superiors were scattered around the study-sized room, some seated in high-backed chairs, others standing, all looking impatient or worried.
It was evening, and little light came through the room's only windows, which faced east toward the Floresta Mountains, giving an excellent view of the colorful sky. Burning candelabras sparkled around the room, but though they shed plenty of light, the atmosphere remained gloomy.
"Well, what news do you have?" asked a man seated behind a vast oak desk. His dark brown hair was tied behind his head with a droopy light blue ribbon, and he leaned his cheek against his hand with a bored expression.
"Still nothing, sir," the soldier answered. "We've combed all over, even as far as the borders, but there's no sign of it. A small village in the Floresta mountain range noted an unusual amount of flying activity over their skies a few weeks ago, but it's most likely just communication flights from Castelo Fort."
The room was quiet for a while. The soldier shifted in a nervous manner. Finally the man behind the desk waved him away. "Thank you. Have the teams remain on standby, and we'll let you know your new orders in the morning."
The soldier snapped to attention, bowed, and left the room. The state chamber was quiet again.
"I told you it wouldn't be there," said Van, who was standing with his arms crossed and his back toward the window.
"You know something, Van? Sometimes it pays off to look at every aspect of something before you make judgment on it." Dryden's expression was filled with irritation.
Millerna tried to make peace. "It was a good idea, Dryden," she said from her seat by the fire, "to look for Escaflowne here in Asturia, but--"
"--it wasn't a logical one," Dryden finished. "Look, it doesn't matter. Van was right."
"The last place Folken would take Escaflowne is anywhere in Asturia," Van continued bitterly. "And the first place is Zaibach."
"How are you even so sure your brother is the one who took it?" Millerna asked. "Maybe their two disappearances were just a coincidence."
"Escaflowne couldn't just get up and walk away by itself. It needs a pilot."
"Could Hitomi have taken it?" suggested Allen, who was leaning against Dryden's desk watching out the window.
Van turned to him. "She wouldn't be able to."
"How do you know?" Allen's gaze stayed outside. "She has a lot of powers we don't understand. Maybe one of them is piloting Escaflowne."
"Still . . ." Van's expression softened a little at the thought, but he was still a long way from admitting he could be wrong. "I don't think she would just take Escaflowne and run off like this."
"It's definitely not like Hitomi," Millerna agreed, looking worried. "She would have asked first and told us exactly what was going on."
"Unless she was really mad and wanted to get away without anyone following her," Allen put in. His tone was melancholy.
The others caught only the first of the two meanings in his statement. "What would she be mad about?" asked Van.
Millerna's worried expression deepened. "I hope this isn't still about the wedding. I wish she wouldn't blame that on herself. It wasn't her fault."
"I told her there was nothing she could have done about it," said Dryden. "If she still feels bad, she shouldn't."
"What does that matter? It only matters that she's gone, and we need to find her," Van said, his voice full of blameful regret. "Her and Escaflowne."
"And we have no idea where to look," added Allen.
"Yes, we do!" Van insisted. "Folken's taken them to Zaibach! Why doesn't anyone believe me?!"
"Van, calm down," said Dryden. "You're getting too worked up over this. If you turn out to be right, rash decisions won't help Hitomi."
Van took a deep breath and expelled it in a sigh. "Does this mean you agree to search Zaibach?"
It was Dryden's turn to sigh. "Yes, but only a small, discreet operation. I don't think taking a large army of Alliance soldiers into Zaibach will do us any good at this stage in the war. It'd be best to slip in and out unnoticed."
"If Hitomi and Escaflowne are in the capitol, as they probably are, it's going to be impossible to get them out without anyone noticing," Allen pointed out. "When we were there, we escaped with half the Zaibach army on our tail and the other half alerted to our presence."
"So what do you propose we do?" asked Dryden sarcastically. "Hell, we've listened to everyone else's ideas."
"Send a small group to scout out the location of Hitomi and Escaflowne. In the meantime, start gathering an army on the border. When the scouts report back with the situation, you'll have all the resources you need to make a good decision."
"That's good," said Dryden. "But what if Zaibach figures out what's going on and decides to try another sneak attack like they did at Rampant?"
Allen watched the two moons rising slowly above the mountain tops. "I'd make sure I was ready."
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"But what if it failed?"
The King of Egzardia was stressed and worried, sitting slumped forward in his throne with his face buried in his hands. His attendants scurried around in a hectic mess trying to find any way to solve his problem, but no one could figure out how.
"Your Majesty?" A woman with hazel eyes dressed in green, the one the King had sent to visit the Lady Hitomi earlier in the day and came back a failure, entered the throne room. "There is a man is here to see you."
King Ezara didn't bother to look up. "Send him away. I'm not seeing anyone."
"Sire, it's the man who told you about the Lady Hitomi."
"Very well," he said with a tired sigh as he sat up. "Send him in."
Dilandau entered the throne room escorted by the woman in green. "Your Majesty," he addressed the King respectfully with a deep bow.
/Dilandau, I don't like this./
Celena, with her strong ability to differentiate between right and wrong--which Dilandau lacked--had taken an instant dislike to his plan to capture Hitomi. Dilandau expected she would, and never intended to tell her about it, but she found out the instant he thought it up. It was then that Dilandau realized it was impossible to hide anything from Celena. After all, she was in his mind.
/./Shut up././
/This is wrong./
/./Shut up!/./
"Well," said King Ezara. "To what do I owe this unexpected visit?" They had had a very similar unplanned visit several days earlier when Dilandau arrived at the palace boasting a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the King to get his son back. Without his Zaibach uniform, the Egzardian monarch didn't recognize Dilandau, and held a conference with him without hesitation.
"I heard the Lady Hitomi refused your generous offer." Dilandau spoke with carefully practiced courtesy. "Very unfortunate."
/Don't you even try this, Dilandau./
/./Celena, if it bothers you that much, concentrate on something else././
"Yes, it was." Ezara glared at Dilandau. "Look here, it's been a trying day, and if you're only here for idle talk, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to come back another time."
"No," Dilandau assured him. "I think you'll want to hear this."
/Don't!/
King Ezara watched Dilandau expectantly, his expression melting from weary sadness into interest.
"The Lady Hitomi's powers expand far beyond her ability to call souls from death," Dilandau began. "Didn't I tell you?"
"No, you failed to mention it at our last meeting." Ezara looked suspicious.
"Oh dear, it must have slipped my mind." Dilandau gave a pitiable expression, then went on. "Well, powerful sorceresses like the Lady Hitomi don't bend easily to authority. They're very strong-willed and mindful of their actions. If your request didn't sit well with the lady, she would refuse."
"And she did."
"My point exactly."
"So, what do you propose I do?" asked King Ezara. The overtone of his words was calculating.
"I'm not quite sure. It all depends on how badly you want your son back . . ."
/Dilandau, I'm serious. This is a terrible idea! Someone is going to get hurt!/
/./Then that's their problem././
The King looked pensive.
"If I were in your place, Majesty," Dilandau continued, "I would try to find a new way to persuade her. When dealing with sorceresses, it's best to be a little . . . forceful."
"Are you suggesting I ride to her doorstep with a small army?"
Dilandau smiled. "It wouldn't hurt."
This assurance lightened the King's mood tremendously. Ezara never hesitated to use force to get what he wanted in the end. He regarded Dilandau with a fierce smile, the smile of a powerful man who was beginning to regain his former strength.
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It was dark when Hitomi ate a late dinner alone in silence, looking and feeling very crestfallen. Only a few hours had passed since Folken left, and already the loneliness threatened to drive her out of her mind. All she could think about was how much it strangely hurt to see him go, and how she wished she could have found a way to make him stay. I wish I could just forget the whole thing.
Hitomi ate quietly. It was silent not only in her room, but outside on the streets as well, which struck her as odd. In her experience, a thick, urban city like Tenue never slept; it only drifted between loud and louder periods of activity. But even her smallest movements seemed magnified past their normal volume. It was as if the city was holding its breath in anticipation of some event.
A sudden knock at the door seemed like an explosion, and Hitomi jumped. She stood up quickly, and placed a hand over her chest to slow her rapid heart as she opened the door. So there was another person alive in Tenue. For a fleeting second, Hitomi wondered who could possibly be paying her a visit at that time of night. Waiting in the hall was the King's messenger, the woman in green.
Hitomi's heart sank. "Can I help you?" she asked coldly. "I'm in the middle of something right now."
"This is important. His Royal Highness, the King of Egzardia, would like to speak with you."
"This couldn't wait until tomorrow? It's pretty late."
"No. You'll have to come with me now. He is waiting outside."
The woman's commanding tone was so different from her pleading that afternoon. It caught Hitomi off guard, and she found herself agreeing to accompany the woman before she knew it.
As they walked down the dimly lit corridor of the inn, Hitomi noticed that there was no light filtering out from under the other rooms. Her apprehension grew with each step. She was beginning to realize that the King's messenger was a much more capable person than she first thought. I should have taken her offer while I had the chance. I've got a really bad feeling about this . . .
They slipped out of the inn and onto the street to find it crowded on all sides with people. Some were soldiers in formation--probably the King's escort--but most of the people were average citizens attracted by the growing crowd. Everyone hoped to catch a glimpse of what was important enough to bring the King himself to the streets in the middle of the night.
King Ezara stood out in the open, flanked on both sides by two fully armored soldiers, their swords drawn. He wasn't anything like Hitomi was expecting--fat, bald, and remarkably similar to King Aston. Ezara looked like a great king in his prime whose grief had worn away his proud nature and left him a faltering, frail man. But in his eyes she could see strong determination; the fighter's spirit was not quite dead.
"My Lady Hitomi." King Ezara stepped toward her, and the chattering of the crowd immediately died away. "I assume you know why I'm here."
Hitomi bowed respectfully. "Yes, Your Majesty."
"I was hoping you might give me the honor of explaining in person why you refused my offer. I wish to understand better."
"I thought I was clear when I told your messenger," said Hitomi. "It is nothing against you, Your Majesty, but the request itself goes against my morals." Dealing with a king was very similar to dealing with the principal at school. As long as she acted with respect, and made sure she answered every question with what he wanted to hear, everything would go smoothly. The only difference was replacing every "sir" with "Your Majesty."
King Ezara frowned. "I was hoping that since you've had a chance to reconsider, you might have changed your mind."
If Hitomi had only followed this rule instead of listening to her heart, she would have been saved a lot of trouble. But she was stubborn when it came to her ideals, and even the authoritative figure standing over her could not make her go against them. "I have, Your Highness, but my answer remains the same."
"Perhaps, my lady, you don't fully understand how much my son means to me." Ezara, who was trying his hardest not to lose his temper, spoke through gritted teeth. "Without him here, it's as if a part of myself has been stolen away. I simply cannot go on without him."
"Your Majesty, I sympathize with your plight, but even for you, I won't interfere with the flow of fate."
The King took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "I must ask you to reconsider. I do not wish to interfere with your judgment, and I don't want you to make a decision you'll later regret, so please . . ."
Hitomi looked around and warily took a step back toward the inn. The circle of soldiers that surrounded her and King Ezara was shrinking. "I don't think I understand," she said, trying to buy herself more time while she looked for a way to escape.
Ezara saw right through her ploy. "I won't let you refuse, my lady."
Hitomi tensed, and her heart began to pound as the soldiers closed in on her.
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Stuck in the thick of the crowd outside the circle, Dilandau tried hopelessly to force his way to where the action was taking place. Unfortunately, everyone else seemed to have the same idea. There was a lot of pushing and shoving going on, with people jostling those around them left and right in a nonsensical pattern.
/./Damn it!/./ Dilandau swore. /./This isn't working././
/I told you this was a horrible idea, but you don't listen./
/./It'll be fine if I can just get to the girl././
/You'd better get to her! You got her into this mess, so get her out of it./
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A soldier grabbed Hitomi's arm. "Hey, wait a minute!" she cried.
"I apologize for the use of violence on your delicate demeanor," said King Ezara. "But I can't lose this chance to get by son back."
"Let me go!" Hitomi yanked her arm out of the soldier's grip and spun back to the King. "You're crazy!"
Her outburst struck a nerve. "Seize her!" Ezara shouted.
All at once, the circle formation collapsed, and what looked like an army converged on Hitomi. She screamed and dove into the crowd without hesitation, hearing the soldiers crash into each other behind her.
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/./Shit. I can't see a thing././
Suddenly, the crowd lunged forward, shoving Dilandau roughly into the person in front of him.
/./Damn!/./
/What's going on?/
A scream exploded over the noise of the crowd.
/./That was her! I know it!/./
Dilandau pushed at what could have passed for an opening between two people if he were a lot smaller, but he didn't fit and they wouldn't budge.
/What are you going to do?/
/./I don't know! If I could get through, I'd bother thinking of something!/./
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Everywhere Hitomi ducked and dodged, hundreds of pairs of hands reached out for her. She could hear King Ezara ordering the crowd to grab her and bring her back, but she was much more nimble than most of the people around her and always managed to slip through their grasps. But no matter how far she went, in every direction there only seemed to be more and more people.
Unfortunately, there was only so long Hitomi could dodge before someone caught the back of her jacket and yanked her to a stop. The instant she wasn't moving, six more hands grabbed onto her.
"Let me go!" she screamed. "Let me go!"
"Stop struggling!" snarled someone beside her.
Someone help me! she prayed, her breath coming in quick, frightened spurts. Please, somebody help me!
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/Did you hear that?/
/./What?/./
/That voice. Didn't you hear her?/
Dilandau stopped. /./Don't tell me there's someone else in there with you!/./
/No, it's something else./
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Let me go! Hitomi screamed.
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/There! Did you hear her?/
/./That's her! That's the Girl from the Mystic Moon!/./
/How is this possible?/
/./I don't know! Listen, do you think you can speak to her?/./
/Me? Why can't you--/
/./Just do it, okay?!/./
/All right . . ./ Celena sounded doubtful. /Girl from the Mystic Moon!/ she shouted.
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A voice that wasn't her own exploded in Hitomi's mind, catching her off guard. She stopped struggling, and more arms tangled into the mess holding her captive. What the hell . . . ?
/Can you hear me? You've got to escape!/
There was someone talking to her. Who are you?
/There's no time to explain!/
You have to help me! I can't escape!
/Use your magic!/
What magic? I don't have any magic!
People took hold of the people holding Hitomi, as if that would help restrain her. There were people everywhere. People with weapons, people with torches, people shouting, people screaming, people leering. People everywhere, and not one she wanted to see. Someone get me out of here! Please!
"Maybe," said Folken, "if you wish hard enough, you'll succeed."
His words snapped into Hitomi's mind without warning. She didn't try to think about what might have triggered them, but squinted her eyes and focused her thoughts. She had no idea what her wishes could possibly to do get her out of this futile situation, but anything was better than helpless struggling.
Please, I want to be away from here! I wish I were anywhere but here!
Suddenly, the street exploded with a pillar of solid, brilliant light that shot down from the sky directly onto Hitomi. Her captors released her instantly, and the crowd pushed out, giving Hitomi and the pillar of light a wide berth. Enveloped by the light, she felt her body slowly rising, and kept her eyes shut tight so she couldn't see the astonished, fearful faces in the crowd. She didn't even open them to see the second pillar of light that descended a few feet away.
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"So by the morning's light,
We'll be halfway to anywhere,
Where no one needs a reason . . ."
-Evanescence, "Anywhere"
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TO BE CONTINUED . . .
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