Episode 5: Earnestness
The party had all gathered in Millerna's study. The night sky shone through the windows of her chambers, familiar stars were flickering across a slightly shifted sky and the terrace was lit by the light of the Mystic Moon. There were twelve of them; Hitomi and her Lunar companions: Amano, Yukari, Jiai, Yosu, Koneko, Daiji, Suru, and Hakai: The knight Caeli, Allen, his sister Celena, and the Queen herself, Millerna Aston. There was a warm fire in the hearth and lamps glowing around them. On any other night, this would be a cheerful setting, but in their earnest mood, it only seemed to tighten the room and cast a contrasting glare on all their faces. Allen stood by the mantle, having placed his sister in the high-backed chair Millerna had been sitting in before; the girl was hidden in shadow, the flames of the fire blocked by the seatback. Millerna sat in another chair, and Hitomi, Yukari, And Jiai on the sofa. Hakai was on the fireplace, poking the embers with a stoker. Suru was next to him, her dinner dress folded neatly beneath her as she stared at the ornate rug, her blue eyes blank. Amano was leaning on the back of the couch while Koneko made herself comfy in front of it. Yosu was on the arm above her head. Daiji pulled over the desk chair and sat backwards on it, his arms crossed across the top. It was he who spoke first. "So why are we here?"
"We need to compile our information." Amano reported. "Then we're off to Fanelia."
"But we missed dessert." Koneko announced.
"There are more important things than dessert." Yosu told her.
"It was going to be face-pudding anyway." She sighed. A couple heads were shook and someone breathed a sigh.
Allen got the ball rolling. "So where do we start? How did this all begin?"
"It began last night." Hitomi started. "I was asleep when I received a vision of… wait.. it Started before that. Van had always come to see me. He couldn't stay for long, but he'd appear outside my window or at the train station wearing my pendant with his wings open. A month ago, though, he stopped coming. I'd never see him, and I missed him terribly. I mean, if he really was missing me, he would be transported to Earth and see me. So I was worried that he didn't love me anymore."
"Is that what's got you so worried?" Millerna asked.
"It gets worse." Jiai assured.
"Last night I had a vision." Hitomi continued. "I was Van's wings breaking, and then my pendant being pulled from his neck. There was a young woman who pulled the chain until it broke."
"Did you see who she was?" Allen asked.
"No, all I could see was her chin and her hand." Hitomi answered. "But I – " She recalled the image Yosu had seen when he established his connection with Van. "I have an idea who they are…"
"Who do you suspect?" Millerna asked.
"Well, before that, I need to tell you that when I found each of my friends, they experienced something about the person they are connected to. This gave me a window to a lot of the problems going on. When I connected Yosu, he saw a woman in the throne room with Van. He said…" She couldn't finish so Yosu stepped in.
"I was in Van's head and could see through his eyes." He said in Van's voice. "There was a young woman there with me, him, I thought it looked like Hitomi… I think he thought she was Hitomi."
"What do you mean by that?" Allen asked.
"It's simple." Amano said. "Just like I am connected to you, Hitomi is connected to the girl in the throne room."
"What is this connection thing, exactly?" Allen demanded. "I don't understand."
"We don't either." Amano answered. "All we know is that it exists."
"I'm confused." Allen persisted. "How do we know this isn't nonsense."
"Just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it isn't true." Amano replied. "You need to be more open minded."
"What are you implying?" Allen defended.
"Gentlemen…" Millerna interrupted, calmly. "Let's not stray off the subject…we are worried about Van."
"I think
this is on subject." Allen told
her. "I want proof that these visions
are real."
"Why would we be here if they
weren't?" Yukari cried.
"How could we be here if they weren't?" Jiai added.
"Couldn't you connect him the other way?" Daiji suggested. "The connection should be mutual."
"I don't know." Hitomi answered. "If Earth people developed connections to Gaean people then it may only be one way."
"Well, Amano, tell Allen what your vision was and then he'll understand." Millerna offered.
Hitomi hesitated, remembering that Amano's vision had been on of private matters for the knight and his sister. "I don't know if that's really appropriate."
"Why not?" Allen asked.
"Its sort of personal." Hitomi answered.
"We all know." Daiji said. "What's the problem?"
Hitomi glanced to Millerna. "Well, Allen may not want –"
"Just do it already!" Allen cried. "If it is all as bad as you are making it out to be, I'll be thoroughly convinced of your accuracy about this mess."
"Okay." Amano began. "I saw you in your room at night. You were on the floor with your back to the door and your head was in your hands while there was screaming and laughing and stuff breaking on the other side." Allen's eyes cast down into the fire. Amano continued. "And I could feel how you felt… You felt responsible for whatever was going on. Like you failed to protect Celena like you promised…"
"Alright!" Allen snapped, seeming to have taken his words with an uncomfortable rawness. "Okay, I believe it."
"Great." Koneko grinned. "Now we can got get the Cat Girl out of jail!"
"What?" Millerna asked. "I thought we were talking about Van."
"Koneko showed us that Merle is imprisoned in Fanelia castle." Hitomi clarified. "We don't know why, but we have to rescue her too."
"So two rescues?" Allen asked.
"I'm sure Van will be able to get her out when we meet up with him." Hitomi said.
"It sounds to me like Van is being held as well." Allen observed. "If he is in trouble, as you sensed, and hasn't left by his own will…He has to be being kept there."
"But he wasn't in bondage." Yosu objected. "He was just sitting there."
"He thought that the new woman was Hitomi, though." Allen replied. "And Hitomi's vision had her with the Atlantian Pendant. Maybe she's used its power to cast a spell on him."
"The pendant is the power of wishes!" Yukari cried. "And Hitomi is connected to the chick with Van, so she probably has feelings for Van, too."
"She must have used the power of Atlantis to hypnotize Van into staying." Jiai resolved.
"And then she was jealous of Merle, so she got Van to lock her up." Yukari continued.
"And that's why she's in jail!" Koneko cried.
"Sounds plausible to me." Allen nodded.
"I told you I felt like that girl was trouble." Yosu said.
"So we need to find a way to sneak in, get Van and Merle, and then sneak back out." Hitomi summed up.
"But that would leave Fanelia without a king again." Millerna reasoned. "And make us kidnappers."
"Yes," Jiai chimed in, "there's also the possibility that the other Hitomi is using Van to gain power and when we remove him the country will be left in her hands."
"If she does not have his consent, she shouldn't gain any power should she?" Yukari asked.
"If its anything like a business or a company, she would have to be written off as the legal representative in Van's absence or else control would have to be transferred to the second in power or split among the highest ranking delegates." Daiji said.
"In Fanelia, they have always had the strict tradition of only Fanels in control." Millerna announced. "I don't think Van would sign someone off as easily as that."
"But if he's hypnotized…" Yukari recalled.
"Then his advisors and statesmen wouldn't approve." Millerna continued.
"And Anyway, if she is written off, she would be required to include the delegates and statesmen in any decisions made about the country." Allen said. She only has absolute power if Van is there, so getting him out is essential."
"We'll take one of the royal ships and leave tomorrow morning." Millerna resolved.
"No," Allen said, turning to Millerna, "I don't feel you should come."
"Allen!?!" Millerna cried, outraged.
"You can't get involved – ! There's too much to risk!" He insisted.
"You have no right to decide things for me!" She shouted, elevating to fighting again. "First you tell me you don't love me, and now you feel like you have the right to decide what I should or should not do!"
"Its not about that!" Allen cried, but everyone was staring at him. "Well…its not entirely about that! My point is that you are worried about removing Van as King of Fanelia, but you're removing yourself as Queen of Asturia! You are more important here!"
"I want to be involved!" Millerna insisted. "I'm still 16 years old! I want to go on another adventure with all of you!"
"What about Asturia!?" Allen cried.
"What about Celena! You're leaving her!"
"She's coming with me!"
"Your Majesty, wait!" Koneko interrupted, jumping to her feet. Allen and Millerna turned to look at her. She dragged Suru up with her. "Su and I overheard people talking while we were hiding this afternoon. They were talking about our plans to go to Fanelia and said that we strangers from the Mystic Moon shouldn't be allowed to get there!"
"When did you hear this?" Hitomi asked.
"When we were hiding in the library. They were talking." Koneko answered. "They didn't know we were there, and they didn't want anyone else to hear them."
"Who were they?" Jiai asked.
"One, I'm nearly for sure was Mr. Haman." Koneko answered. "And I think the other could be the head of the palace guard dude."
"That's outrageous!" Millerna cried, in shock. "Why would Haman be against all of you?"
"And Seguir seemed so nice." Daiji said.
"They were talking about a 'master'." Koneko detailed. "They said that the master sent them orders."
"if Haman and Seguir are against us, then that decides Millerna's location." Amano said.
"Yes, she's got to stay." Allen said.
Daiji straightened. "WHAT!?!"
"If she leaves, then Haman is the one everyone will turn to for leadership." Allen said.
"But if she stays, she's in danger!" Amano cried.
"If Haman and Seguir are following orders form someone dangerous, Millerna could be conquered or even worse, killed, while we're gone!" Daiji added.
"Well, if she comes then she'll be in even more danger!" Allen argued.
"But she'll have us to look after her!" Amano replied.
"If you leave her here, she's defenseless." Daiji reasoned. "She will have no choice but to bend to whatever Haman wants her to do, and if Seguir is in on it too, then even her palace guard are corrupted. I say we take her!"
"If you cared about Asturia, you'd have her stay!" Allen shot at him.
"If you cared about Millerna, you'd let her go!" Amano challenged.
` "I don't want to stay!" Millerna interjected.
Daiji pounded his fist on the top of his chair back. "I'm taking her! I don't care what anyone else says!"
Yukari felt she had to break this up. "But why would they care about us getting to Fanelia? Even if they are taking orders from someone else, as far as we know, there si only one girl who is the problem."
"Maybe the other Hitomi is acting under their 'master''s order's too." Yosu suggested.
"That's a good idea." Jiai agreed.
"Well, now we have a criminal mastermind." Koneko cried. "This is so neat! We're going to save everyone from world domination!"
"This did get very serious and a lot bigger and more dangerous in a very short time." Hitomi muttered.
"So what's going to be our course of action?" Yosu asked.
"If there are people in this palace planning to sabotage our mission, I say we should move quickly." Allen said.
"Tomorrow then?" Millerna asked.
"No!" Yukari cried. "Haman and Seguir were there at the table when we decided that! They'll be prepared."
"Then we should throw 'em a curve and leave now." Daiji said.
"Now?" Hitomi asked.
"They'll never be expecting that." Amano agreed. "Let's do it, is everyone willing?"
"I'm not goin' no where in this!" Hakai cried, tugging on one puffy sleeve.
"We'll run up and change. We've got to get our stuff anyway." Amano replied. "Anyone else?"
Daiji undstraddled the chair. "I'm ready for anything."
"I'm ready too." Millerna said.
Jiai looked to the mantle. "Allen? Do you and Celena need anything?"
He shook his head. "No, we can leave now."
"Then it is decided." Millerna announced, standing. "All those who need to return to the guest wing, do so, but be casual. As Mr. Daiji said, we're 'throwing them a curve'. We don't need to draw attention to ourselves. We'll meet you outside the guest wing on the terrace."
Everyone nodded and got up, heading for the doors to the garden, so that they could return to the northeast wing along the terrace and avoid the interior guard and suspicion concerned there. Amano came around and grabbed Hakai out of the embers, giving Allen a disapproving look as he passed. Allen took it with disdain. When they'd left, Millerna turned to Allen. "I have to change and pack. Would you go out and get a carriage or a wagon to take us up to the Levi-ship docks?" He nodded, accepting his formal appointment, he bent to pick up Celena, who'd fallen asleep, but Millerna bade him to stop. "You can leave her here, let her sleep."
Allen was wary. "I'd rather not."
"You'll be right back," Millerna said, "just hurry." He looked torn, but turned toward the door. She stopped him just short of leaving. "And…Allen…" He turned. She looked ashamed and played with her wavy blonde hair. "I'm sorry for what I said. I was emotional. I know that you care a lot about Asturia, and Celena."
"And you." He said. She got tears in her eyes again. He turned to leave. "It's alright, don't mention it again."
* Escaflowne *
It had been hard keeping everyone quiet on the stairs. The anxiety of sneaking around was one that some found wore heavily on their nerves. When they did get up the stairs and to their rooms, they moved with haste to change back into the clothes they'd arrived in. She threw on the tan blazer with black collar and tied her neck bow haphazardly. This time, she hadn't brought anything with her to Gaea, just her friends. Once she'd pulled on her Nike's she poked her head back into the hall. No one else had changed so quickly. She recalled how long it had taken the boys just to get dressed. She couldn't stand waiting in her room, so she moved out onto the balcony.
The nights of Gaea had a brilliant blue glow that her home seemed to lack. It was because of the beauty shining from the Earth in the sky. She could see the normal moon as well, but it wasn't nearly as glamorous next to the shine of its mystic twin. There had been a time when she'd stared at the Earth longingly, but now she barely noted its presence past the peace it cast on the city below. Over the mountains on the outskirts, she knew Fanelia lay somewhere. She sighed.
A hand came from behind and took her shoulder. She suddenly got another flash vision…the eyes of the child she's seen before being rushed away form the Guymelefs…large, innocent, frightened, and deeply green… She caught her breath and threw her hand up to her heart. The owner of the hand appeared next to her, his brown eyes concerned under his forking orange bangs. "You okay?"
She swallowed her fear and stored the vision, the nerves in her spine tingling still. "I'm fine, Yosu, you just startled me."
"Oh, okay." He leaned on the railing and looked out to where she'd been staring. His school uniform was navy blue and zipped up the front with a high collar. He played with his hands, seeming uncomfortable. "He's out that way?"
"What?" Hitomi asked.
"Van." Yosu said. It was strange hearing Van's voice say his own name. "He's over those hills?"
She nodded. "Somewhere…."
He took a deep breath and turned to her. "Look, Hitomi, I feel strange like this… this connection thing."
"What do you mean?" She asked.
He leaned back on the banister. "I don't know… I just met you, really, but… maybe it's the connection to Van… but I feel like I should be something to you… a protector, a boyfriend, a king…" He shook his head. "Van is quite a guy to live up to…"
"Yosu," Hitomi reassured, "I'm not asking you to be anything you don't want to be. But, whether it's the connection or not, I can see Van's nobility in you. They met eyes and she faltered, blushing and turning to lean on the banister too. "I mean, the way you look out for Koneko… you do a great job at being an older brother. That's something Van really has never had to be… He was the younger one… and while Merle is younger, they grew up as friends, not siblings. And Koneko treats you differently than how Merle would treat Van. I think you've proven that you can be just as good a guy."
He turned his head, but didn't look at her, just the wall on the far side of her. "I think the connection has me feeling like I should be in love with you."
Hitomi didn't know what to say to that, she brought her hand up to feel for the pendant she wasn't wearing. She felt like she had to say something, but was spared when Koneko appeared in her blue and red sailor-like school uniform, her eyebrows cocked. "Oooooh, Yosu, Mom's gonna be maaaad!"
Yosu blushed quickly but responded in an instant. "Nothing happened!"
"People only say that when something DID happen." Koneko said, shaking a finger. "She's already got a boyfriend, home wrecker, don't get sweet on her."
"You've been watching too much TV." Yosu told her, but she just smiled at him.
Jiai and Yukari showed up in the same uniform as Hitomi. "What's going on?"
"Nothing." Koneko sniggered.
Amano came out in the male version of their uniforms; a tan blazer and pants with a black tie. He looked solemnly around. "So what are we going to have to do from here?"
"We've got to sneak down to the docks somehow without being spotted." Hitomi answered. "It's the royal guard that we're hiding from so it's going to be difficult."
"How are we going to get Millerna out then?" Jiai asked.
"I'm sure Allen has a plan." Hitomi assured.
Amano rolled his eyes. "hmph…Allen."
"What's wrong, Amano?" Daiji asked, appearing from the hall back in his khaki slacks, white tee shirt, and red dress shirt buttoned over it. "Allen not what you expected?"
"Yeah," Amano sighed, "he's not what my first impression made him out to be."
"He's had a hard life." Hitomi said.
"Well, whatever," Amano shrugged, "I can't believe he was going to leave her behind."
"Go get your cousins, we're ready to go." Yukari told him and he obeyed. The young man reached Hakai's door first and rapped on it. "Hey!" His call was sort of a stage whisper. "Hurry up!"
"I'm coming! Don't think I WANT to stick around here wearing girly sleeves!!!"
"Just hurry up." Amano replied. He moved on to Suru's door. "Suru? Come on out! We're leaving!"
"I'm coming." She appeared n her jeans and a baggy blue sweater with random pink specks. She had her paper doll with her. Hakai appeared moments later in his gray shirt and darker jeans, a navy blue strip printed across his chest. He seemed suspiciously pleased with himself. Amano glanced into the room he'd left to find the boy's rich clothes ripped apart and scattered in frayed pieces throughout the room. He could spot pieces of mustard yellow and puffy white in the most inaccessible places, he didn't even want to begin to figure out what had happened. The 17-year-old shook his head and closed the door to hide the scene and pretend like he'd never seen it.
Amano turned to everyone on the balcony. "Let's get out of here."
Hitomi nodded and moved in front to take the lead. They headed down the stairs, quietly, not wanting any notice to be made of them. They moved down to the first floor and out onto the terrace, where as promised, Allen was waiting. He 'psst' and beckoned them over. "I've got a wagon. We're going to pretend that you are coming with me to take Celena home. Millerna's hidden on the floor. Don't step on her."
"Good plan." Daiji whispered. "Fast plan."
"Let's go." Allen turned and led them out over the stone-slated palace deck way and down a set of moonlit steps to the modest little wooden wagon he'd procured. The knight got in the front seat; Celena was next to him, changed into a simply green riding dress, but wearing a riding hood to hide the change. He took up the reins to the camel-looking Gaean horse and turned back to where everyone was still standing below. "Sit around the walls on the bench."
Millerna peeked her head out of the back. "Hello everyone."
"Millerna!" Allen cried, hoarsely. "Get down! You don't know who might be watching!!!"
"Ooops!" She disappeared along the floor again under a heavy black cloth. "Don't step on me!"
"We've been warned." Amano replied. Hitomi climbed up and sat along the front, at Millerna's head and behind Celena. The others filled in, Yosu next to her and behind Allen, Koneko next to him, then Daiji and Jiai next to him. Yukari and Amano were on Hitomi's other side with Amano's charges; Suru and Hakai.
Allen turned around to issue some last instructions. "Now be wary, but be casual. We're going to have to pass the guard at the gate, and its got to look like nothing's wrong."
"We'll try." Jiai said.
Yukari looked to him. "Don't worry, we'll make it."
Allen studied her face, then turned back to the horse. "Alright, we're leaving." He lashed the reins and they started leisurely around the corner of the castle. There wasn't supposed to be a road along that side, but they intercepted one of the bridges over the moat and crossed to the outer wall. Their wagon arrived at the gate at a steady walk that seemed to take eternity for its passengers who sat in constant struggle over their appearance. When the gatekeeper finally addressed them, Hitomi felt her nerves were rubbed raw and couldn't help fidgeting in her seat and playing with her hands. Yukari reached over and stopped her from messing with the hem of her skirt. Allen hailed the gatekeeper. "Please open the gate! I need to leave for the night!"
"Who's that!?" The gatekeeper asked, moving from the wall along the ground to the wagon.
"Sir Allen Crusade Schezar VIII, Knight Caeli of Asturia." The blond replied.
"Oh! Sir Allen! Of course!" The gatekeeper said, rushed. "I didn't recognize you in the dark! I'm sorry. Please state your business."
"My sister needs to return home. She isn't well." He answered.
The guard looked over the others in the wagon. Hitomi swallowed hard while he as inspecting them. It wasn't a lie, Celena wasn't well, and they all felt like they were doing a good job being convincing. But the gatekeeper was concerned with something a little more obvious. "Aren't these the visitors from the Mystic Moon? Why are they in your wagon?"
Hitomi felt panicked and tried to explain herself, but her nervousness had delayed her reflexes. Yukari spoke quickly for her. "Allen is a good friend of Hitomi's. We felt bad that he had to go home, so we offered to accompany him."
"P-Plus he promised us a tour." Amano added.
The others gave him a look, but Jiai covered his tail. "I've heard…from so many people that Asturia is so pretty…by night!"
The man seemed convinced. He unlocked the door and swung open the gate, tipping the hat of his uniform. "Then good evening, Sir Allen, and I will keep my eye out for the other's return."
"Thank you." Allen said, and the wagon moved out of the courtyard and away from the palace. When they were out of earshot, everybody let out a sigh of relief.
Yosu slouched. "That was close."
"Smart thinking, Yu." Amano congratulated, putting his arm around her. "I love it when you're assertive like that."
She giggled, but shoved him. "You didn't help! Why'd you add that tour bit in there!?"
"Sincerity?" Amano offered. "To make it sound real?"
"It was real enough without your input." Yosu told him.
Allen remained silent and focused on the road. Millerna pulled the cover off of her head and sat up. "That worked well! I was so scared we'd be found out!"
"Don't talk so loud, Millerna, there are patrolling soldiers all around the streets. If they overhear, it's the end." Allen said, quickly and quietly.
"I'm tired of being under the rug." She answered.
"What does it matter anyway?" Yukari asked. "Jiai has her voice."
"You sound a lot like her too." Daiji told her. "Maybe we should all be quiet."
"Good idea." Allen whispered.
"Just as well." Jiai said, dreamily. "It's great just staring at the sky. Asturia really is pretty at night." They rode in silence, several staring at the stars with Jiai. It calmed their fears, and it was their fortune that they didn't run into any more of Seguir's guardsmen. They made their way along the seaside moors; water bound boats tied and clunking against the wood with the ocean waves. While these were fine, the party was moving over land, so they headed up a hill to where the Levi-ship docking pad was tucked into the bluffs. There were several royal yachts, barges, and flagships, but the place was mostly packed tight with private or commercial vessels. There must have been dinner guests from further off than just Palas, because as Allen looked, he'd never seen the Levi-Ship dock so full. The bluff tethers were all full, the ships sandwiched together tightly, and the seaside tethers were also full, creating somewhat of a long thin horseshoe of ships stretched out like a tunnel before them. At the head, he spied a line of guards in royal uniforms. The knight made quick judgment, stopped them while they were still a ways off, and climbed out, taking Celena up in his arms.
"What's wrong?" Hitomi asked.
"It's guarded." Allen said. "There's a lot of wealth stored in those ships. I think we'd have better luck if we sneak onto one form the outside instead of riding straight in."
"You realize that we don't have a crew, right?" Millerna asked.
"We'll have to manage." Allen answered. "I have some flight experience from captaining the Crusade. Speaking of, its too bad we can't pick my crew up, they typically sleep on it."
"You rebuilt the Crusade!?" Hitomi asked, remembering the fate of Allen's private ship from the Zaibachian war.
"Yeah," Allen answered, "Gadess and the others wanted to. They practically live on it now because of all the work. It's mostly done, but it's moored pretty deeply in there as of two days ago. It'll be faster and easier to grab one of the royal yachts; they're in better condition. We'll just have to fly it ourselves." Accepting this as the way it would be, they all snuck up closer to the air dock and found it even more heavily guarded than Allen had imagined. There were four men at the entrance and pairs spread along the two rows keeping watch.
Amano whistled. "How are we going to get on these?"
"We need a diversion." Yosu stated.
Daiji looked a little mischievous. "I've got an idea…"
Everyone looked to him. "What is it?"
"You'll see. Be right back." He hurried off the way they'd come.
Millerna stared with anxiety. Allen watched a little more annoyed over his sleeping sister's head. "What's that guy think he's doing?"
The man arrived back at the wagon and lined the horse up with the entrance to the docks. With no warning, he wound up and smacked the beast in the behind. The hitched horse freaked out and ran break-neck down the road toward the guards. The rest of the party watched it pass. Amano frowned. "What in the world!?" But the wagon did the trick. The horse didn't stop running until every guard had leapt for cover, seeing the crisis, they all ran to catch the mad horse as its wagon bounced violently on its wooden wheels and its eyes glinted in fright and light of the moons.
Daiji returned, sniggering. "How was that?" Millerna grinned.
Allen turned to everyone else. "Come on!" They ran and made it into the docks, unnoticed in the ruckus, but hid along the bluffs so that none of the soldiers would catch glimpse of them as they returned to their posts. Millerna glanced quickly around at the back end of the ship they were hiding under. "This is the Valiant. I was my father's yacht. We can use it." She walked around it. "its riding awful low, though, there might be something wrong. The belly is touching the ground." She found where the gangplank was supposed to drop and tried to open it. She tried several times, going through the motions she was pretty sure the crew would go through whenever her family would take this ship out. Still she couldn't open the door. Afraid that her noise would alert the guards, she moved back to the group. "It's sealed!"
"What do you mean?" Allen asked.
"I mean; it's locked." She answered. "We should have thought to bring a key."
"I don't think that'd do it, Your Highness!" Koneko called. Everyone looked over to what she was inspecting. She'd found why the Valiant was riding so low, it had been secured to the stone floor by thick chains and huge iron padlocks, three keyholes in each. "Not unless you brought a lot of keys."
Millerna rushed over. "The ships were never secured like this! Not even the most valuable royal flagships!"
"Every one of these is chained!" Jiai observed, scanning the line extending from them. At every ship, there were four huge locks with three keyholes attaching the ship tightly to the ground via thick, round, heavy chains.
Hitomi began to fret. "What are we going to do!?!"
"Hush! Don't panic!" Allen bade. "I know for a fact that I didn't tack the Crusade down like this! We just need to find our way to it without getting caught."
"How far back did you say that was?" Amano asked.
"Near the end." Allen replied. "I've been here for months, so I got a spot that wasn't used as often. I had no idea I'd be making a secret escape."
"You need to plan for these things." Daiji said.
"We're going to have to be quiet." Allen said, ignoring the sarcasm. "Follow me."
"Hsh!" Yosu snapped. Everyone froze as he indicated a guard that had just returned to his post a couple feet way in front of the Valiant. They all hushed up, their hearts in their throats. Hitomi knew that if they were caught, it would be the end of everything. Van would remain under the control of her Gaean counterpart, she and her friends would be stuck at Asturia castle, or worse…with Haman and Seguir working for a criminal mastermind, she might end up seeing her friends punished for what they were doing now. Everyone had started moving and she swallowed her fears from her head and let them slosh around in her gut.
Hakai pouted. "This is so boring."
"Hush!" Amano scolded sharply.
"We've been sneaking around all night!" Hakai replied. "There's got to be a faster way to find this ship." He stopped in front of one of the huge chain and locks, and followed it with his reddish eyes up to the flat wing of the anchored vessel. "I know how!" With a battle cry, he leapt up onto the chain and began climbing it up like a monkey. The chain clanked on the metal of the wing and the entire vessel, being smaller than the valiant, shook visibly as he scaled it. The nearby guards whirled around.
"What's that!? Someone's there!"
"Who's back there!?"
Allen's eyes dashed around. Soldiers were running up from all stations. All reason was dismissed. "Run for it!"
No one argued and everyone broke into a sprint along the back of the ships. Amano dashed up the chain after his cousin. "Hakai!!!"
Allen was hindered by Celena in his arms. Eh stopped and everyone looked to him. "Keep going tot eh Crusade! Split up so that you can't get caught as easy!"
"What does the Crusade look like!?!" Yukari cried.
"It'll be the one not chained!" Hitomi yelled. She headed on, searching the line. Jiai came up behind her.
"Where is it!?"
"I can't see it." Hitomi answered.
"You girls!" One soldier called from around the side of a ship. "Come out of there!"
"Yipe!" They ran further, but the guard followed them. Hitomi skidded to a stop when she found another one headed straight fro them. Jiai bumped into her from behind. "What do we do!?"
Hitomi grabbed her hand and ducked under the belly of one of the smaller ships that was floating at least five feet from the ground. "This way!" They climbed out into a bath of moonlight that shone off their beige blazers and alerted the soldiers standing guard down the way. They ran up, holding halberds with glinting blades. Jiai clung to Hitomi, but the girl was strangely calm. At the end of the line, she could see the shoulder-mounted Levi-stones and the nose of the Crusade. The shouts of the two soldiers coming from behind them, and the new, armed ones approaching from ahead shocked her back to the present. She unhitched Jiai form her arm and shoved her toward the opposite line of ships. "Run that way! It'll be harder for them to catch us if we split up! Make your way to the back!"
Jiai started but turned back. "What about you!?"
"I'm going the same way! Just run!"
Jiai didn't stick around to be told a third time, she ran off and disappeared behind a sail barge. Hitomi switched on her track run and took off back along the bluffs and toward the spot where she'd seen the Crusade. The two guards with halberds took off after her. She had them behind her, her heart pumping in her head and the pounding of her feet filling her ears. She ran along the stone wall, the shadows of the towering vessels enveloping all in front of her. To her left, chain after chain dashed by. Every vehicle was tacked to the ground by these chains. She pulled her eyes away, keeping them trained for the rear of the Crusade. The soldiers weren't far behind her. Their lances slowed their running, but she could hear them when she'd focus on them. Her heart kept hammering against her ribs and panting rawed her throat. The anxiety of trying to find the ship without being caught sloshed about in her gut with her fear. Finally, she spotted one of the rudder tails of the Crusade.
Two more ships to go…the target eased timidly into view. One more ship. She was there! But she stopped cold on sight…The ship was draped in the same thick, heavy, unbreakable tethers that all the ships around were subjected to. There was one draped on the inside of each Levi-stone. Their only hope of escaping sagged to the floor like a man tacked to a dungeon wall and pressed by his arms to the cold stone; unable to fly.
Despite the shattering of her hopes and the heavy thudding sound of them as they hit her gut to mingle with her fears; the shouts of the approaching guards made their way to her ears. She couldn't keep running. This was where she was supposed to be, and she couldn't' defend herself against the armed soldiers. Panic struck her anew.
"Hitomi!"
She whirled around…a flash vision filler her head with the image of a tall strong man, wings unfolding form his back… when she actually saw with her eyes, it was Amano standing on the roof of the vessel next to the Crusade.
"Hitomi! They're behind you!"
"HEEEEYAH!!!" Hakai leapt from the ship with Amano and landed like a spider on the top of the flat stone, the Crusade dipping from impact and scraping the floor.
Hitomi called up to Amano. "This is it! But it's chained down!"
"Hold on!" Amano wound up and leapt after his cousin, who'd run off up the spine of the craft toward the cockpit where Hitomi spotted lights coming on. Amano climbed down over onto the flat edge of the wing. "Get up here! They can't get you up here!"
Hitomi had no better ideas. She ran forward and jumped up onto the chain. It was a lot longer of a climb than she'd thought it would be from the ground, but his arm was outstretched for her, encouraging her. She tried to reach back with one hand, but nearly slipped off the chain. She realized that she had no idea how to get up, and hung five feet from the ground with her hands in two of the links. The soldiers came out form the shadows into the Crusade's docking space. "There she is!"
"Hitomi!" It was Merle…or Koneko's voice that called her name, now, she appeared atop the same ship that Amano had come from. "Hurry and climb!"
"Koneko!?!" Hitomi cried.
"It's no sweat! It's just like the monkey bars on the playground!"
Hitomi began hand over hand to climb the chain. The guards were coming still, their blades waving in the air, but she focused on Amano, his hand just three feet away…a foot… a couple inches. She reached out and grabbed it. He pulled her quickly up onto the back of the ship and out of danger.
"Hooray!" Koneko cheered, then jumped down to the Crusade, herself, more catlike than spider like. The guards were on the ground yelling up at them. Koneko dropped down to sit next to Hitomi on one of the links. "So this is it? I thought Allen said that he wouldn't have these."
"Someone else must have put them on." Hitomi answered, then she remembered that the others were still out there running around. "Allen! And Jiai and Yukari and Yosu! They won't know the Crusade with the chains on it!" She jumped up and climbed over the top to join Hakai where he was performing an end-zone dance on the nose. Hitomi scanned the moonlit ground below for fugitives. She spotted Yosu headed her way. "Yosu!!!" Jumping up and down, she waved her arms and he looked up. "Over here! Get on top!" He dashed up and climbed the chain with relative ease, swinging himself up and onto the other wing. She ran to see that he was okay. He looked up.
"Where's Neko?"
"Right here, Yosu!" Koneko appeared, smiling like a kitten. "Were you worried about me?"
"Where'd you go!?!" Yosu cried.
Koneko answered simply. "Up."
Hitomi returned to watching for the remaining few. Yukari appeared as she crouched along the belly of a nearby vessel. She had Suru's hand and Millerna was right behind them. Hitomi called to them. "Over here!"
Yukari spotted her and urged Suru along. "Hitomi!"
"Climb up!"
Amano hung himself halfway off the wing. "Give me Suru!" Yukari and Millerna boosted the girl up to his hand and he pulled her on top. When he reappeared, Millerna got a leg up to him, and Yukari began to climb, making it with some difficulty and Amano's help, out of danger.
"What's this?" She asked, looking at the anchors.
Amano was glad to see her unhurt and gave the chain at his feet a quick glance before returning to her eyes. "A problem."
"Who's missing?" Yosu demanded, coming to stand next to Hitomi.
"Allen and Celena, Jiai, and Daiji." She answered quickly. She spotted her two guards with halberds rushing out from between two ships further down the row. She hadn't even thought about them or notice them leave.
Yosu took his wing as a lookout post, searching the shadows opposite the side Hitomi had come. There was no sign of anyone except the sounds of guards shouting. Suddenly, Hitomi heard something from behind. There was a creaking and the sound of metal slamming on metal. She whirled around to see light pouring out on the tails of the crusade first officer Gadess appear on the roof. "What the - !?!"
"Gadess!" She cried. She ran over; he was tall and strong with dark blue-black hair and dressed in typical Asturian garb. He recognized her closer up.
"You're - !!! But how!?!"
"We've got to get out of here!" Hitomi cried. "Unlock the ship from the ground!"
"I can't!" He answered.
"Hitomi!" Yosu called. "I see Daiji! And Jiai's with him!" Hitomi looked back and forth between Gadess and Yosu, then decided which was more pressing and joined the orange-haired boy on his wing. Gadess followed. Down below, the tall man in red was glancing from the cover of the neighboring ship, a scared and helpless Jiai hiding behind him. Yosu called. "DAIJI!!"
His head snapped up, and he seemed to e relieved. He reached back and pulled Jiai out.
"Climb up here, Jiai! The soldiers won't get us up here!" Hitomi called to her.
"I can't reach that high!" She cried, her voice trembling. Daiji grabbed her waist.
"I'll boost ya. Somebody grab her hand!"
Gadess got down on the wing and grabbed her up to safety. Daiji jumped and caught the chain, then Gadess's hand when it was free. The Asturian turned to Hitomi. "Who are all these people?"
"They're with me! And we need to get out of here!"
"We're locked down! They even sealed the hatch! We've been stuck here all night. They threatened that if we tried to leave, we'd be arrested."
"Arrested!?" Hitomi cried. "Who would have done this so suddenly!?" But she realized who had done it. Who was it who had heard them planning to leave just an hour or so beforehand? "Haman!"
"Where's Allen?" Jiai asked. "He's still carrying Celena!"
"ALLEN!?!" Gadess cried. "Allen's here too!?"
"Running away from these stupid guards." Daiji affirmed.
"There he is! I see him!" Koneko called, pointing. Allen appeared with Celena still in his grip.
Gadess couldn't believe his eyes. "It is Allen!" Without a second thought, he swung down to the ground and ran to meet him.
The blond was out of breath when they met. "Gadess! Get us out of here!"
"I would if I could sir!"
"Allen!" Yosu called. "Hurry and get up here!"
Gadess took Celena quickly and Allen whirled around, his hand to the hilt of his sword. The 16-year-old was passed to Daiji over the wing, but Gadess remained on the ground, running to the assistance of his boss. With the knight's sword drawn, the guards stopped in a semicircle around them. Their instructions were to stop whoever tried to board the ships, but most were unarmed and not ready to taste the blade of the master swordsman.
Hitomi was stuck above, fretting. Things seemed bad. Everyone was safe on top except for Gadess and Allen, but it would only be a matter of time before they'd all be taken down. The ship was chained down and the crew was trapped aboard. The guards would find a way up to them and then… The soldiers slowly closed in, stepping around the stone block where the chain was held to the ground by its three-key holed lock. That lock was the bar that completed the cage. The four locks connected the chains to the earth. If she could get rid of those locks, they'd be free. If two were broken, they could escape, but she could see as the guards passed it, that it was secure. But wait…as the man cleared out of the way, she could see the lock grove on the arm, like it was peeking out of the works, but definitely not locked. A window of opportunity was blown open wide. She took off running over the roof.
Yosu was too slow to stop her. "Hitomi!?! What are you doing!?"
She slid down the chain as far as she could before falling off and swinging to the ground. She shoved past the guard and to the lock. She yanked the arm and it came undone completely, but it was still linked between the chain and the moor. The weight of it was holding the tether in place. The guards were acting on her so Allen shoved through to defend. They were still in fear of his sword. Hitomi pulled as hard as she could. "It's unlocked!"
"What!?!" Allen cried in disbelief. "Did you say unlocked!?"
She strained, but her strength wasn't enough. "It's too heavy! I can't get it off!"
Those watching from above were amazed as well. "One of the locks isn't locked?" Yukari thought aloud. "What about eh others?"
"Looks stable!" Yosu said, staring towards the back corner.
Jiai ran to the other front lock. "This one looks closed!"
"WAIT!!!" Koneko cried. "That one down there!" The lock diagonal to Hitomi's was hanging open. Everyone rushed to see. Amano moved to dismount.
"I see it!" He dropped. Daiji came too, realizing that he was the biggest, if not strongest, one available. The guards were torn about who to arrest first. Gadess shoved through and took a hold of the lock Hitomi was straining on. Amano and Daiji both clasped the arm of theirs and counted off.
"One…Two…Three…PULL!" The two of them got it up and out of the chain links. The end of the thick metal went limp in failure and the Crusade tilted up to one side, free of its burden. The two men shook hands and climbed the hanging chain like a rope ladder. The soldiers were at a loss. Half the pack ran over to bark and see what had gone wrong. Gadess got ready to pull theirs while Allen's ship tilted dangerously. The passengers scrambled to the opposite wing, trying to weigh it down. Gadess's slid the metal up. The tight chain made it hard to move the lock completely off as it remained a strong link between the chain and the ground. Gadess took a deep breath and one huge shove that freed the link and the Crusade floated up to even out. The stones were on low steam and the ship floated slowly into the air, leaving the three on the ground behind if they did not act quickly.
Hitomi was frozen, not knowing what to do. Allen sheathed his sword. "Get on board!" Hitomi didn't move. "Up the chain!" She glanced up, the end was getting farther away from her. Gadess moved to grab it. He took the end and was pulled off the ground. "Boss!" Allen grabbed Hitomi up around the waist and shoved off he moor to grab the chain. Gadess's shoulder was a step, but he could climb no higher with only one arm at his disposal. The guards were too far to reach them, although the halberds of the two swayed very close.
Reeden, the lookout appeared on the roof. "What the heck is going on!? What's with all these people!?"
"Reeden!" Gadess called from below. "Tell them to stoke it!"
Reeden heard his superior's voice. "R-Right chief!" And disappeared back inside. The ship began to rise straight up in the air; the chains, their ends still attached to the ground, were raked across the inside of the Levi-stones. Allen, Hitomi and Gadess found themselves on an elevator that was chinking upward at a quickening pace. The wing came closer. She could see the others running across the top. Before she knew it, she'd been transferred from Allen to Amano, the chains had slumped off the ship in defeat, and the passengers on the back had been hurried inside, and whisked away into the night…
~To Be Continued~
