A/N: I've been too lazy to update in a long while, but I finally got around to it! Hope you like this chapter, itz long.
Disclaimer: I dunt own Escaflowne characters.
Chapter 12: Ambassador Of Zaibach
Rain.
Sheets of it.
Squinting through the grey curtains.
The smell of blood is in the moist air.
Death is thick and all around.
A form materializes.
Heart drumming, shaking legs take her towards it.
Cevena snapped awake, covered in cold sweat and gasping. She violently shook her head trying to shake off the dream.
She slowly pushed herself up on her elbows and winced as a ray of sunlight shone into her eyes.
She ran a hand through her messy black hair, so like her fathers. Folken had been busy with other matters and so she had dined with the Slayers last night.
Dilandau had been there also, but he had not given her any trouble other than shooting her glares here and there. The Slayers were all very friendly and she continually found it hard to believe that they were robots. She really should ask Folken more about how he had made them.
A light tap on the door interrupted her thoughts.
"Come in."
A Brown girl stood in the doorway. "Lady Fanel, when you are ready, the Strategos requests your presence."
She bowed and left.
Cevena still felt rather unnerved every time she was referred to as "Lady Fanel" and she glanced around her room looking for some clothes so that she could change out of her silk jammies.
The wardrobe was filled to the max with beautiful dresses.
Cevena gaped and swallowed. She was not wearing those frilly tents! Didn't women wear pants around here? She wondered, annoyed.
She stepped outside the room, looking for a Brown girl and nearly crashed into Chesta who was just passing by at the time.
They both exclaimed at the same time.
"Oh, sorry!" "Sorry"
Chesta was already blushing crazily, he stammered a "Did you sleep well?" but stopped as he saw Cevena eying the bundle of clothes he was holding.
Then he blushed even more as he realized he was still in his own pyjamas.
"Um, I was on my way to the showers." He stuttered.
Cevena smiled a little sheepishly at him. "Do you have an extra set of those clothes?" Chesta looked surprised,
"I have tons of these clothes, it's all we're allowed to wear!"
Cevena's eyes lit. "So. . . you wouldn't mind lending me those would you?"
The young blond shook his head, "Mind? Me? No, I wouldn't mind at all! You can keep these!" He looked like a tomato. He thrust his clothes at her.
"Oh, thank you so much Chesta! I owe you one!" Cevena cried as she took the black sweat pants and light blue tank top from him.
Chesta looked up at her with his innocent cornflower blue eyes, beaming. "Oh, this is nothing Cevena! I'm glad I could help you with. . . . " He paused, looking curious for a moment. "I'm glad I could help you." He finished lamely.
Cevena laughed, a bit self-conscious, "Oh, I just hate wearing dresses, that's why. Thanks a ton again."
He looked confused. "You hate wearing dresses?? But. . . you're a lady. And you looked lovely in that white gown yesterday!"
He was blushing again.
Cevena stared at him, amazed that robots could blush, but she just didn't have the heart to tell him that that "lovely white gown" she had been wearing yesterday was just a sick patient outfit borrowed from the infirmary.
"Why thank you Chesta. . . Thanks again for the clothes, see you around." She said simply.
He waved once, shyly and rushed on.
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Once again she stood before the cherubim carved door.
When she entered Folken immediately snapped his head up from the piles of paper he had spread before him.
"Ah, Cevena, I see you have taken care of your own clothing. I had a feeling you would not like the dresses that the Brown Girls ordered for you."
He looked highly amused. Cevena flushed.
"Oh no, they were very nice. . . it's just that dresses aren't my thing."
He waved his hands dismissively. "It's quite alright, in fact, one of the reasons I called you here this morning was to give you this-" He turned around and shuffled around under his desk.
"I must apologize for not giving it to you sooner, but I've been extremely tied up lately with matters of Zaibach. . . " He trailed off and then exclaimed. "Ah, here it is!"
In his hands he held a large Nike gym bag.
HER huge Nike gym bag.
Cevena let out a delighted gasp of surprise. "That's mine- How-? When-? Where did you get that from?!"
He handed the bag into her eager grasp. "Your mother brought it with her when she came with your father. I guess she suspected that you would not be going home with them."
Cevena's heart twisted. Her mother had known that she would choose Gaia over them even before she did. A sudden memory of the two of them surfaced. They strolled the aisles of Sport Check. "I want THAT one!" She had cried, a regular whiney 7-year-old kid.
"Cevena dearling, that one is much too large for you, you would hardly be able to carry it!"
But in the end, after a furious tantrum and tears her mother had finally given in. They had bought it and Cevena had only used it once, realized it was much too heavy and bulky for her and it had sat in the closet collecting dust ever since, until now.
Folken cut through her memories. "Cevena, the second reason I called you here is because I would like to propose something to you."
Cevena glanced at her uncle. "Really? And what would that be?"
She could sense her uncle's barely concealed delight.
"Would you like to visit Fanalia?"
Cevena practically jumped up. "Would I?! That would be awesome! Today?! Are we leaving today?!"
She babbled a bit in her excitement. But who could blame her, a chance to see her father's old Kingdom! HER kingdom.
Folken broke out into a wide grin then. "Not so fast there, Fanalia is not exactly that close to Zaibach, a trip like this needs careful planning."
Cevena's spirits fell a bit. "Oh, of course, that was silly of me!"
This time Folken laughed out loud. Cevena stared, a bit surprised but pleased that she was giving her uncle some amusement. "Don't look so crestfallen little niece! I have been planning this trip for some time now and we should actually be ready to embark at first dawn tomorrow!"
Although Cevena grimaced at being called "little niece", her heart fluttered in pure elation and she could feel excitement bubbling up inside her. "You'll be coming too of course?"
This time Folken's face fell. "I apologize, but I am nigh to finishing the establishment of the new Zaibach here, if I left now, things would be chaos. But you will not be going by yourself! You see there is one more thing I need to ask you. Would you like to be an ambassador for Zaibach?"
Cevena openly gaped at him. Blinking a few times, she barely remembered to close her mouth.
"ME? An ambassador? For Zaibach? No way! I don't know the slightest thing about diplomacy or political conduct! I'd. . . I'd probably start a war!"
Folken coughed into his hand to cover another laugh. "Cevena! Calm down! You will not be the only ambassador. As I said, you will not be alone. I shall be sending a party of representatives with you. They shall be handling most of the serious issues, your presence would be more of a peacekeeping one, a reassurance of sincerity. You see, you would have been the rightful princess of Fanalia now. You will greatly aid winning over the people of your father's lands."
Cevena let out a sigh of relief. "So I'm just there to be decorative! And while I'm there I'm free to do whatever I want?"
Folken tilted his head. "Yes, basically. . . "
"GREAT!" She pumped her fists up in the air. Swinging her huge bag over her shoulder she exclaimed, "I think I'm already packed for the trip! How long are we staying again?"
"Wait just a minute, Cevena! I'm not quite done here!"
Cevena turned. "The journey to Fanalia will be about 3 hard days on the road although you and the other diplomats will be riding in the coach. In Fanalia, the party shall be staying a week before returning. The trip should be very safe, but nonetheless you shall be travelling with your own personal body guard-"
"No, I don't think I need-"
He held up a hand to silence her complaint.
"The other diplomats will all have their own hired protection and so shall you. Anything could happen and if it should and I want you safe. And besides, you are already acquainted with this particular soldier."
"One of the slayers. . . ?" She inquired tentatively. Folken was shaking his head, "I want the slayers close by in case I need their assistance or in case they malfunction. . . No, I had someone even better in mind."
The hair on her arms and neck tingled and raised.
"Your body guard will be no less than the Captain of the Dragon Slayers, Dilandau Albatou."
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"You're fckin CRAZY."
"Funny, that's almost exactly what Cevena said."
Dilandau's aura of anger seemed to curl and permeate the room. Dilandau himself prowled about the room like a caged beast.
He stroked his scar agitatedly and growled, "I said you're out of your damn mind."
Folken sighed.
"Dilandau, this is not only for Cevena. I know your skills are unrivalled in the land. Van is no longer in Gaia and I'm sure you're much more adept than that pretty boy Shezar by now! Yes, you would be the ideal guard for her, but that is not the only reason I want you to go."
Dilandau whirled around and slammed his hands on the desk, fixing his fiery eyes onto Folken's own crimson eyes.
Folken didn't blink.
"I want you to reconcile yourself with Fanalia, and the rest of Gaia for that matter, and I also hope that if you learn to like Cevena, you might finally be able to move on from your pointless hatred of Van. It's about time I reintroduced you to the world."
"The hatred ends when the Dragon is dead or when I am. He took my Slayers from me."
His tone was edgy and forced.
Folken shook his head, sighing. "Dilandau, I know that you don't think of the android slayers as your own and although you do not believe me, I must tell you again that I was not trying to "fool you" when I created them."
Dilandau resumed his agitated pacing. "You're damn right those robots didn't fool me." He clenched and unclenched his fists.
Folken opened his mouth to speak but Dilandau whirled around to face him again. "Fine, I'll go! I don't want to hear your lame excuses and pathetic arguments. But I'm only doing this so I get a fckin break from you.. . .you and those machines."
"Dilandau-"
The commander stormed out of the room like a typhoon, carved wings and faces forcefully slamming against the outer wall.
The strategos was left alone in a room still echoing with the ferocious force of Dilandau Albatou's rage.
He sighed again. He was such a volatile young man . . . .a very wounded volatile young man.
If only he would let him explain about the Slayers. It was as if he were afraid that if he talked about them, he would be consumed by his grief, as if talking about them would release the carefully built barrier that he held around his heart.
Whenever the slayers were brought up, Dilandau exploded in his face and stormed away.
But sooner or later, Folken nodded to himself decisively, he would tie him down if he had to and tell him the truth about the Slayers.
Cevena had been literally bouncing around the Vione the whole rest of the day and night. Sporting her new, or rather old, Earth clothes.
She had eagerly unzipped her Gym bag once she reached her room. Her big and comfy Bootlegger hoodie had been right on top of the pile of clothes that her mother had packed her. She had briefly sifted through her various Wet Seal jeans and spotted her favourite TNA zip up sweaters and cargos.
She sighed like a yawning cat, bathing in the sun, in pleasure and contentment after changing out of Chesta's Dragon Slayer black sweats and tank top and into own her utility cargos and tie top.
Although she grudgingly noted that Chesta's sweats were more comfy then her own clothes, at least her clothes were well, her own.
The day passed quickly, she went to look for the slayers, realizing that they were actually her only friends in the dark and quiet fortress. Folken was considered more as a parent/guardian figure than an actual friend, the Brown girls were virtually non-existent and Dilandau. . . she shuddered; too bad that where the Slayers were, that jerk would not be far.
She found them all in training room once again though this time she waited quietly until a break was called to chat with them. Dilandau had coldly ignored her, although she caught him shooting her glares and scowls the whole time she was there. She had ignored him, and she wondered once again what in hell had Folken been thinking when he had decided to place HIM as her bodyguard.
She held back a smirk. Dilandau must be suffering far more than she, he loathed her and now he had to protect her at all costs.
As if catching her thoughts, Dilandau's scowl seemed to deepen.
She dined in the hall with the Slayers that night; Folken had been swamped in his office dealing with the final preparations for the trip.
Dilandau seemed determined to ignore her through out the whole night and Cevena was happy to pretend he did not exist either, but the death glares were definitely on her nerves by the time she politely retired from the table and to her room.
Folken summoned her again that night, the two of them chatted comfortably for a couple of hours going over the things she would need to bring, the travel route, back ground info on the other ambassadors that would be going with her, dangers, some common Gaien etiquette, more history and countless other tid bits that she would need to know through out the whole venture.
Head whirling with foreign policies and names of the present rulers, politicians and chancellors of Fanalia, Asturia, Palas and Fraid she had gleefully put on her La Senza flannel PJs and jumped into bed.
She had been worried about falling asleep because of all the excitement but the moment she closed her eyes, she dropped of the edge and into deep slumber.
