Episode 8: Coldness
Hitomi watched Fanelia roll into view. Her eyes drooped despite the anxiety she felt inside. They'd stayed up all the last night sorting through Botheia's closet and sorting out costumes for Jiai and Yukari. They'd left Apiobathra early in Philos's merchant ship, the Thysia. Something about the thick forest below made her sad. She thought that it was probably because it reminded her of being with Van. She was so heartsick; she had been all this time, but was just too busy to recognize it. She wanted to have her dream again, the one where Van rescued her. It seemed like a very long time since she'd had it. She let her tired lids close and she leaned against the port windowsill. Sleep came to her with new visions.
She had wings. She could feel them extending from her back and holding her in the air, the feathers rustled in the wind as did her blazer and skirt. The roles had been switched, perhaps, she was going to save Van this time… but ahead rushed the black city again, its spires rising, springing from the earth into the expanse of endless sky. The fire of destruction shot up again, but this time, they were around her, and their flickering tongues ate the delicate layers of feathers on her back. She fell, the black scorched plumes scattering from her flightless appendages, and leaving a trail of death behind her.
Again she hit the ground, dust and angel feathers scattering in an uneven suspension. Before she looked up, she could hear the footsteps of the Guymelefs coming for her. No rescue.
Suddenly, she heard a woman's voice. "Get up! Hurry!"
Hitomi looked and saw a tall woman in a traveling hood that disguised her face. She grabbed her out of the dirt and pulled her away. Hitomi was running again; running way from the mecha as before. The melefs trundled on. They were unfeeling machines without faces, chasing her down. The lead suit stooped and grabbed her around the middle. Hitomi held fast to her strange savior's hand, but was pulled free. The hooded figure screamed and burst into a flurry of feathers that settled back to ashes. Hitomi couldn't believe what she'd witnessed. Rescue had come, but been defeated, and she was again being clamped by the iron fist of the enemy. There was nothing to do… she cried out.
"Hitomi…"
The girl was jerked awake, her heart pounding. She looked into Van's face in front of her, but this one belonged to Yosu. He gazed at her with concern, his brown eyes showing it.
"Are you okay?"
She swallowed hard on the after effects of the dream and nodded. "I'm fine, Yosu, why wouldn't I be?"
"You looked afraid in your sleep." Yosu explained. "Just laying there, you looked afraid."
She noticed then that she wasn't by the window, but on a bed. The noontime sun was shining through a window and she could see stationary treetops framed in it. "How long was I asleep?"
"I don't know, four or five hours?" Yosu answered.
She shook her head. "It seemed much shorter than that."
"Well, Gadess should be back at any time with word from Allen's friend." Yosu reported. "I thought I should get you up."
"Thanks, Yosu, I do want to know what's going on."
Philos appeared in the door, his Chesarian belts clamping his shirt and his sleeves to his body and his black-brown hair tied loosely behind his head. "Ah, so you're feeling better, Hitomi?"
"Yes sir." Hitomi answered.
"I know you'd end up napping sometime around here." He told her. "This has been hard on you, I'm sure."
"It has. I want to get Van out of there so badly. I can't stand it!" Hitomi cried.
"Don't worry about a thing." Philos reassured with a smile. "We're parked about three quarters of a mile from the palace. Gadess should be here soon enough. And you've come up with a near flawless plan! You'll have Van back before you see another day pass."
"You think so?" Hitomi asked.
"If we have the okay, the plan goes on tonight." He answered. "And there is no doubt that Allen's friend Hoden will participate. He's got a note from both Allen AND Queen Millerna obliging him. If he passes that, he's disloyal AND uncaring."
"Hey!" Amano peeked in. "People! Gadess is back!"
"Alright!" Philos grinned. "Let's see what he's got!"
The three of them headed out and down to the front room of the Thysia. There, the hatch had swung open and Gadess climbed up with a package under his arm. The eight of them: Philos, Hitomi, Yosu, Amano, Koneko, Jiai, Yukari, Daiji, and Amano: looked on anxiously. Gadess looked to them with a glint in his eye and triumph on his face. "We've got Hoden!"
"Alright!" Daiji said.
"Was he hard to convince?" Jiai asked.
"Not at all," Gadess reported, "the slightest hint that Allen and Millerna were involved swung him around totally."
"Allen does have a way…" Yukari said, looking distant. Koneko jumped in beside her and scared her out of it.
"So whatcha got!?!"
"I need a place to set all this down." Gadess said, firstly, messing with the bundle in his hands.
"The inventory room." Philos directed them to the side and through a door. The inventory room extended deep into the ship, but they stopped at a table just in the door so Gadess could unload and show them what Hoden had given them.
Everyone gathered around the table. Gadess unpackaged a bundle of clothes, what looked like armor, and some papers. He tossed Amano a blue uniform with the Asturian seal on the arm. "Here, these are for us. We can sneak in the back dressed as some of Hoden's men." He tossed Hitomi and Koneko two uniforms of a different kind, red with the Fanelian flag on them. "These two are for you girls so that you will not be suspicious moving around with Yosu." Finally, he tossed the orange-haired teen a bundle. "This here is the crown jewel…Hoden managed to get some of King Van's normal clothes for you. I had a feeling you were the same size." Yosu pulled out the red sleeveless shirt that had white laces up the front.
Hitomi took a start, the sight of the face and the shirt together brought back strong memories of its owner. She recovered and smiled to him. "With those and the wig we got from Botheia and there's no way they'll know you weren't Van!"
"Daiji, this is for you." Gadess said, handing him a piece of rolled parchment.
Daiji was surprised to have gotten something since his costume and lines had been all sorted out back in Chesario. "What is it?"
"It's a letterhead from Asturia." Gadess answered. "Write out your formal orders on it. It'll add to your believability."
Daiji unrolled it and noted the sword seal with the curving green dragons. "Cool."
"And most importantly," Gadess finished, "we've got a complete map of every floor in the palace. Every entrance, exit, window, and closet!"
"Excellent." Yosu said, confidently. "Let's get our ins and outs plotted right now before we do anything else."
Gadess nodded and rolled the map out on the table. "This chamber here is the throne room. They apparently still don't have the thrones finished. It's too bad everything else is practically done or we could use the gaps as access or possibly be disguised as workers, but only this far wing at the corner is still incomplete." He tapped the page.
"We could still use that." Amano said.
"It's out of the way." Gadess dismissed. "It'd be better to use the back door. This is the main entrance. Hoden will meet Daiji, Yukari, and Jiai here and escort them to the throne room. This entrance over here is where he said Amano, the Merle team, and myself should enter."
"Together?" Yosu asked.
Gadess nodded. "With four guards, Yosu will not be required to act as much. We'll part company inside. There, Merle team will take this hallway down to the dungeon and the Van team will take this hallway to the throne room."
"We'll have to memorize the way." Hitomi reasoned.
"I'll do it!" Koneko cried.
"I don't know how professional we'll look with you leading us, Neko." Yosu said.
"So Hoden will be waiting for us outside the throne room door. We will duck into this room here until Van comes out. Afterwards, he can escort us out without a problem. Hoden will return and take the rest of you out safely the way you came in."
"You're not outlining a lot about us." Koneko pointed out.
"You've got another Van to help you out." Amano recalled.
"Oh yeah…" Koneko remembered.
Hitomi looked up. She had a bad feeling growing inside her. "But what if something goes wrong?"
Philos looked gravely to her. "It won't"
* Escaflowne *
Seguir stood in the Fanelian melef hangar; alone except for the guard posted nearly unconsciously 100 feet away. The bronze-haired 35-year-old glanced with his green eyes to the stationary, finding him without response. The Asturian let out a depressed sigh and looked up to his pale olive Guymelef. 'Pravada, you've been something I've been able to rely on for twenty years now, but now that I've hit my toughest time, even you can't help me out. Maybe… Maybe I should just leave.' A lump formed in his throat and in the pit of his stomach. He glanced up toward the door. It was dark in that hall, the afternoon sunlight poured into the hangar from behind him. Not even a bright Fanelian day could mask the pain he had. The thought of Ayen started his eyes watering. He hung his head and put his hands on his hips, leaning forward so that what tears might emerge would not stain his cheeks. The silently waving whips of his hair stood off from the part over his forehead. Seguir steeled his emotions, and rolled his shoulders to ease his tightness. 'No, I can't give up that easy. I won't leave; I cant when I'm so close to her. They drove me off once: I won't leave now without a fight. Something's happening around here. She needs me, and I need her. I'll bide my time… there must be something to keep me here. Some excuse…' He looked up at the melef catching the sunlight in a strip across its shoulder. The soldier noted an imperfection in the greenish armor. 'Pravada…perhaps you can help after all.
Seguir climbed up onto the melef, triggering the lever to open the hatch. Every surface was decorated in metal ridges and curving leaf patterns. Angled leaves clamped the breastplate entrance to the body. They folded out with a hiss of steam and let the door swing open. He stood looking into the cockpit. The Pravada was old, much older than the newer, factory-made Guymelefs such as the Oreaides and Alseides of Zaibach, or the Maginot of Asturia. It dated back to the Ispano-era melefs, though it was not of their make as far as he knew. It had been his great grandfather's.
He unbelted his green hip-cape that stood stiff in the Asturian style about his calves, and tossed it into the cavity to store it. Next came his matching shirt, which looked like two at first glance, but was truly a stitched olive-colored chest with the lighter green collar and puffed sleeves attached. There was a band around each wrist that matched the mid-tone greens. Shirtless, he clambered in his belted white pants out to the shoulder, where the flat, angled metal flight boosters folded out of the body. The heat of the thrusters had left black scorch marks on the upper arms. With an exterior maintenance file, he began wearing away at the damage. A Fanelia guard walked by and noted him there. "Sir Nadeje!?! Is that you, Sir!?"
He looked down, for a thirty-five year old he was very well built, and the muscles on his back and shoulders gained definition in his work. He let the file lower to his lap. "It's me."
"The soldier seemed surprised. "Sir!? We have men who could do that for you if you'd like!"
"No thank you." Seguir replied. "When it comes to the Pravada, I like to do it myself. It helps me think. And I'd like to get her in shape before I head back to Asturia."
"Right sir." The soldier agreed. "Whatever you like." He moved off to continue his rounds.
Seguir let his strong shoulders sag. 'Trapan says I have to go back to Asturia. But then I will never see Ayen again, I'll just continue being that oily creature's message boy to Haman while he keeps her hostage. I don't like her being alone with him here. She's only fourteen with that lunatic controlling her every move. A girl shouldn't have to live with this. Not with what they've done to us already. Trapan gave me every indication that he will never have us together in the same place again. And even as we are now, he wouldn't let her look at me.' Seguir scowled as he continued his work, trying to clean, but not damage, the fine details of the cast metal. 'He's a monster. He's not even a man I don't think. He's too cruel to be a man. I hate being under his control, but I hate how he treats Ayen the most. I feel for her constantly.' He sighed. 'How can I be pressured into letting my daughter continue in this way? Threats suppress my good intentions. If I were to go against the Master's orders, a worse fate would come to her. She suffers because of me, and that's wrong. It's cruel. I won't stand for it anymore. If only we could escape…' He paused. 'Escape? Why not? He thinks I should be leaving anyway. He won't know what we've done until he can't find us. We could hide out. I don't know where we'd go or what we'd do, but at least it would be better than this...' her realized he'd stopped filing and stared at the chips of green showing through the black. He took heart. 'We deserve better than this.'
* Escaflowne *
Time was running down. Hitomi and Koneko were getting into their costumes, ready to carry out their plans. The sun was setting outside the Thysia. The Fanelian solder uniforms were made for men, and were uncomfortable for them to wear. Hitomi did the best she could to look normal in them. She picked up her helmet, not quite ready to put it on, they would move out after dark and she still had some time to go. Koneko hopped on one foot. "Ack! Hitomi!?! Could you help me with this!?! This stupid belt-thong thing wont go on!"
"Its not supposed to go through your legs, Koneko." Hitomi said.
Koneko stopped mid-hop, her foot halfway through one of the loops. "It's not?"
"It's a sash!" Hitomi smiled. "Hold on, I'll fix it." She came around to the back of the 12-year-old and began to right her, buckling the shoulder belt in the back. "You got the path memorized?"
"Right. Right. Down. Left. Long Hallway. Down. Right." Koneko recited. "I got it."
"Good, we're counting on you." She said, finishing up. "You're set. Let's see how the others are doing."
Daiji was getting suited up in the next room, his diplomat outfit consisting of borrowed clothes in reds and blues, and looked halfway between Asturian and Chesarian with puffier sleeves and a couple extra belts. Philos, Yukari, and Jiai were giving him a hand, the girls already dressing in variations of some of Botheia's formalwear. He seemed uncomfortable with so many people swarming around him. "Can I help you guys at all?"
"Just stay still." Yukari commanded. "I gotta change your hair."
"You can't wear these." Philos said, taking the sunglasses off his face. He examined the plastic black rims. "I don't even know what these are made of."
"Overpriced Petroleum solution." He answered.
"Do you know your lines?" Jiai asked.
"I've been sent to check up on the state of repairs and the sufficiency of the Asturian aid." He answered. "And I'm only dropping by because I'm already late for a formal engagement in… in…" He turned to Philos. "Where am I going?"
"Egzardia." The Chesarian answered. "If you forget, just say 'East'"
"Do you have your orders written out?" Jiai asked.
He pounded his forehead with the heel of his hand. "I forgot about that completely! It'll take me a second…"
"I'll do it." Jiai volunteered.
Yukari stood on a chair behind him and grabbed a chunk of his bangs. "Don't move."
"Ow!"
Hitomi came in. "Everything under control?"
"It's coming together." Philos replied, belting an over cloak across Daiji's chest. "We're cutting it kind of close."
Yukari was wearing Daiji's hat so that her hands were free to mess with his brown hair. It was too big for her and she had to cock her head to one side to see. She pulled out the hair band keeping his low ponytail back and left his hair down, putting the hat on top.
Hitomi advised against it. "Don't do that. He looks like Dryden."
"That's bad?" Yukari asked.
"Van knows what Dryden looks like." Hitomi answered.
"Okay." Yukari pulled the body of his very wavy hair up off his neck, meaning to hide it under his hat. "How's this?"
She rejected that as well. "Now he looks even more like Dryden."
"I was under the impression I looked like Dryden no matter what you do to me." Daiji voiced.
Hitomi had to give him that, he looked more like his connection than anyone else in her party. "Well, yeah, but we can hide it as best we can. Pull his bangs up, Dryden's never seen without his bangs."
Yukari bunched it all up under the hat and Jiai came forward with the Asturian parchment just as Gadess and Amano entered in Asturian uniforms. "I'm done with it! I tried to make my longhand look more formal, do you think I did a good job?"
"Let me see." Gadess requested. He peered over her shoulder and was shocked. "Whoa! You and the Queen have very similar handwriting. Its nearly identical!"
"Freaky." Daiji stated, but his head was yanked around as Philos belted his collar up.
"Tell me if I'm choking you."
"You're choking me."
Yosu came in wearing Van's clothes. "I need some help getting this wig on. I can't put it on straight without orange sticking out."
"I am the hairmaster! Let me do it!" Yukari volunteered. She hopped off the chair and went over to help. Koneko lended a hand as well. Hitomi stood with a trembling heart at the oddity of seeing all of Van there with spiky orange hair. AS the girls went to work on him, the only part that was Yosu disappeared under one of Eythymia's dress-up wigs. Hitomi nearly began to cry; from the outside he was all Van. She remembered again her vision dream: Van flying down and becoming Yosu just in time to rescue her. This was too bizarre, having it reverse itself in real life.
Yukari patted the imperfect black-gray mop down into a side-part and turned to look in his face. "You up for this?"
He blinked his Van-brown eyes and nodded with determination. "I'll do it for Van and Merle. And Hitomi." He looked to her, but found her spacey, and trembling with her hands pulled up in front of her chin. He was startled at her state, coming back more concerned. "Hitomi? Are you okay?"
She couldn't help herself. She was overcome with heartache, and her emotions were confused. Deep inside, her fluttering adolescent heart leapt with joy at the sight of her long lost love, but her head knew it wasn't him. She tried to tell herself that it was Yosu locking eyes with her, but her deepest desires were putting up a fight and refused to give in. She tried gallantly to suppress it. She pushed back her memory, back, back, trying to cover it in anything else to hide it from her mind. Then, all of a sudden, a new vision appeared. One she hadn't seen before: A strong, broad-shouldered man with white feathered wings flew down with his arms out, ready to grab her quickly and take her into the air. He rushed forward faster than the wind, his eyeless face set on her and his strong wings beating up the reddened sky.
Then there was Van…Yosu…Van staring at her intently. She didn't know if this was real or a vision. She covered her eyes and fell to her knees. She didn't want to see anymore.
Yosu moved quickly to her, wanting to help, but Jiai caught him and kept him back. Yukari came through instead. "Hitomi!"
"Jiai!?! What's the deal…!?!" Yosu objected.
"Its you she's having trouble with." Jiai told him. "You look too much like Van. Don't make it worse!"
Yukari pulled Hitomi's hands from her face. "Hitomi! Hitomi! It's okay! It's okay! It's Yosu! Its just Yosu!"
The girl on the floor couldn't stop trembling. She could feel some sort of dread in her heart…for some reason… death…. Hitomi shook out her head but it wouldn't go away. There seemed to be nothing she could do to escape the vision and the despair. Yukari got her by the shoulders.
"HITOMI!?! HITOMI!?! Snap out of it!!!"
She focused on Yukari, and the feeling of her grip on her arms. This was real. She resurfaced, warily, into the room. "I-I'm alright now... I was just… overcome."
"You're going to have to get over this if you are going to work with Yosu." Yukari warned. "Do you think you are up to it?"
"I can do it." Hitomi assured. Everyone watched her carefully. "I can do it."
* Escaflowne *
Ayen sat with Van in the throne room. She was in a queen's throne, back straight, eyes alert. Van looked over. "Hitomi? Why are you so rigid? Relax."
She tried to make it look like she was relaxing. "No reason!" then returned to her watch. Trapan's visit to her room the night before had done more than make a point. She'd become desperate. She'd spent the entire day waiting for 'The Eyes' to appear. She didn't know what she looked like, exactly; all Ayen knew was that she and 'The Eyes' were doubles. The same. If she could find Hitomi, the real Hitomi, she was sure she'd recognize her the minute she saw her same green eyes staring back at her. She'd devoted every conscious moment to this task; even laying aside her duties over Van to make sure The Eyes didn't interfere. Trapan had warned her that by letting Hitomi and company leave Asturia, he'd decided to cut all chance of she and her father reuniting. That was Seguir's mistake, but she and he counted as one to Trapan, and he would use one to punish the other. That meant the two of them had already failed once in this pivotal hour, and she knew what would happen if they filed again: Trapan had threatened her saying she would never see her hero again. While eternal separation would be bad enough, she could sense in his greasy, slippery voice that he was hinting at death. If she let The Eyes interfere, he would kill her father. No. She couldn't let him down, not again, not with these kinds of stakes…
Outside, Operation Rescue was in full swing, and the Diversion team was in place. Daiji, Jiai, and Yukari were psyched up. They'd left the other five at the ship, Yukari with a kiss from Amano, and come around to the front of the building in elaborately disguised Cheso-Asturian formalwear. Daiji took a deep breath, ready to sink into his role. He looked to the girls flanking him. "You ready?"
They nodded. Jiai touched his arm. "Are you?"
"We'll see." He said, shrugging in his last moment as himself. "Ready or not, here we come." With that, he became steely and the other two swallowed hard as they marched around and up to the front gate of the unfinished palace. A red-clad guard stopped them at the door. "Hold it, who are you?"
"I am Sir Biao, Asturia-Egzardia dignitary and representative of Queen Millerna Aston." Daiji answered. "These are my attendants Fu and Yuan. We were instructed to audience with the king."
"You look Asturian, but you dress isn't Asturian or Egzardian!" The guard observed, cockily. "Plus I had no word you were coming!"
"Wait, Soldier!"
The guard whirled around to find a heavy-set man with a pale blonde mustache and blue uniform appear down the walk. He saluted immediately. "Commander Hoden!"
Their rendezvous stepped up to Daiji. "Do you have official orders, sir?"
"Yes." He answered. "Fu, produce the papers."
"Yes sir." Jiai said, her acting timid. She pulled out the parchment Hoden had given them at the start and presented it stiffly to him.
Hoden took it in his large hand and scanned it. "This is from the queen, herself." He said, his acting much better than hers. "This proves their honesty. I am sorry for the delay. I will escort you to the throne room personally at once." He turned to the guard. "Quickly run ahead and pass the message that the Queen's consorts have arrived."
"Y-Yes sir! Rightaway!" The guard dashed off.
As soon as they were alone, Hoden turned to them. "Seijitsu?"
"Hoden." Daiji answered, not dropping his character. "Will this be sufficient?"
"Yes, and with the message being passed soldier to soldier, the whole castle will know you are here in five minutes."
"Good." Daiji agreed. Jiai looked into his face, surprised at the dramatic change taken place there.
Hoden nodded, set his brown eyes and turned to the others. "Let's go."
On the other side of the building, the Merle and Van teams approached in formation. Amano and Gadess, dressed as Asturian soldiers, went first in order to hide how small Hitomi and Koneko were in their Fanelian uniforms. Yosu, as Van, was in the middle, supposedly being guarded by the others. They stepped up to a rear entrance where two guards were talking amongst themselves.
"Did you here? Some important guy is here! Commander Hoden is making a big deal out of him!"
"Where's he from?" The other asked.
"Asturia." The other answered.
"Don't we have enough from Asturia? That huge load of soldiers are still hanging around and it was yesterday right, that those Maginot Melefs came?"
"Maybe he's with them," the first said again, "but that's not the point. The guard in front said that this guy had two chicks with him!"
"Asturian?"
"Nah, their names sound Egzardian." He said. "Fu and Yuan, I think. And from what I hear, they're young and pretty."
"Hot?"
"I'm guessing."
The second soldier whistled. "I hope they stick around! I wanna see them if I can! We never get hot foreign chicks around here! That guy's gotta be one lucky sucker."
Hitomi recognized the names Philos had given the diversion team, and took heart that at least their end was moving along as planned, even though she saw Amano's shoulders scrunch when he heard them talking about his girlfriend. Now all she had to do was hold it together and keep from staring at Yosu while Gadess was bargaining their way in. If it worked right, Yosu wouldn't have to say a word until they got to the dungeons. They approached along the wall and the two guards stopped their chatter. "Who goes there?"
"It's alright," Gadess replied, "Two Asturian Solders and two Fanelian. We are escorting the King."
"The King!?!" One cried. "THE king!? King Van!? Where!?!"
"Here." Yosu stated. Amano and Gadess weren't expecting him to speak up and moved aside so that he could step through. The two soldiers changed their tune in an instant.
"Oh! King Van!?! What are you doing out this late at night!?!"
"Yes, Sir! There's a visitor waiting for you inside! We just heard word!"
"I've heard." Yosu replied, his voice identical to Van's in every way, even down to the impatient undertones. "I was surveying. These soldiers came to find me and report on it. Now let us inside."
"Of course sir!" They moved aside and let the party pass through. Yosu let out a sigh as soon as the gate doors were closed behind them. Before they knew it the five of them were walking down the great wooden halls of the Palace. The carpet stretched out straight in a long line with several hallways branching off. There were plaques of Fanelian royal seal and portraits of various important people… Hitomi noticed one of Van and his older brother Folken when they were younger. She stopped to stare. Van was awfully cute. He looked to be three or four, and his 15-16 year old brother looked innocent and happy. She remembered how Folken had died. She'd been there when he killed the evil Dornkirk and fallen because of his injuries. It made her sad seeing how happy these two had been before everything had happened…that same guilt was threatening to purge her mind again.
"Hey Hitomi!!" Koneko hissed in stage whisper. "Come on!"
She realized what she should have been doing and jumped back into formation. Gadess glanced down the hall ahead and the ones on either side of the paneled four-way intersection to be sure no REAL guards were watching. Convinced they were safe, he turned back. "Okay. Here's where we split."
"What happened, Yosu?" Amano asked. "I thought you were trying not to act as much as possible."
"I don't really know." Yosu replied. "Something just kinda came over me and I knew how to speak."
"Well, whatever it is, milk it for all its worth." Gadess said. "As of now, you three are on your own."
"We'll make it!" Koneko smiled. "I memorized it!"
"When you've got Merle, head back to the ship." Amano told them. "We'll met you there with Van."
Hitomi stopped, realizing that she would have no idea what was going on with Van's recovery. It scared her. Yosu grabbed her elbow. "Hey! Hitomi!"
She breathed again, and everyone dismissed her panic as the same old lovesickness. Amano smiled a warm smile at her. "Don't worry, Hitomi, we'll take good care of him."
She nodded and Gadess and Amano marched off down one hallway. Yosu looked to his two Fanelian uniformed companions. "Okay, we get to the dungeons, and ask them…"
"Order them, your majesty." Koneko corrected, as casual as if they were going to class at school.
"Order them…" Yosu complied, "to release Merle."
"What if they ask why?" Hitomi thought aloud.
"The word of Daiji and company is all over this place." Yosu replied. "We'll say we wanted to get Merle for the audience."
"YOU'LL say YOU wanted…" Koneko pointed out again.
"And that's sort of weak. Say Daiji requested her." Hitomi suggested.
"Okay, what was Daiji's alias?" Yosu asked.
"Oooo…something with a 'B'." Koneko said, frowning.
"Sir Biao." Hitomi answered. "And Jiai is Fu and Yukari is Yuan."
"Whoa!" Koneko said. "Good memory!"
"Let's hope yours is the same." Yosu said to his sister. He looked at the two of them with determination. "Let's go."
The true Van was on his throne with Ayen Nadeje on his left. The throne room was abuzz with servants and soldiers anxious to see this royal consort. Hoden arrived and lead the three mock-dignitaries into the room. The throne room of Fanelia was dramatically different from that of Asturia. While high ceilinged like Millerna's court, the room was much shallower, only about a third of the size of the cavernous region of the Asturian palace. And were the stone columns and open arches made Millerna's throne room seem airy and giant, Van's was closed and wooden with thick posts reaching up to cushion the ceiling. Van's throne was elevated and he leaned forward to watch them approach between the crowds of advisors, palace servants, and Fanelian and Asturian soldiers. Ayen leveled her eyes at Daiji suspiciously, her hand reaching up and finding the pendant around her neck. She felt like there was something wrong.
Hoden stopped and bowed. Half coaching and half intuition dropped the consort to one knee, his head bowed. Yukari and Jiai followed his lead and curtsied to the floor, remaining there until he signaled them to rise. He waited, his eyes on no one, listening to Hoden's introduction. The second in command straightened and addressed the king. "Your majesty, Sir Biao, Asturia-Egzardia consort to Queen Aston has arrived."
"I don't remember hearing anything about a consort." Van said.
Yukari stared stiffly at a point on the rug and Jiai struggled hard to keep form looking up. Hoden continued. "He still requests audience, sir."
"Thank you, Commander." Van said. Daiji raised his head as Hoden bowed and moved off into his hall. The king looked to the man on the floor. "Welcome, Sir Biao. Explain why Queen Millerna sent you."
Daiji got to his feet, followed shortly by the two girls. "I was to meet the recent deployment of soldiers but was delayed a day due to repairs. I have come to receive word on the adequacy of Asturian Aid to your kingdom."
"Millerna sent someone of your importance for that?" Van asked, still skeptical.
"I am one of several consorts to Egzardia." Daiji answered. "I was on my way back to my post there, but was rerouted by the Queen to audience with you." Van gave him an unconcerned look and the true Daiji glimmered through the mask. "She is very concerned about you, your majesty. The Queen is afraid that your palace's unfinished stated equals an insufficient amount of security for your person and your kingdom. I am just to confirm that she's done enough for you."
Van bought it now; he leaned back in the chair. "Sounds like Millerna." Ayen cast him a quick look. Her uncertainty was still obvious and she couldn't believe he accepted a stranger so easily. Yukari started when she got her eyes on Ayen. She did resemble Hitomi very strongly, but more telling was what she saw in Ayen's face: desperation. The girl on the throne set her appalled expression with a new look of determination and shot her eyes back to the three below. She caught Yukari's stare dead on, causing a strange, suspended feeling to rise in Yukari's head. She felt dislodged, like she had a fever, and wobbled off balance a little, recovering sharply. Ayen's green eyes nearly forced Hitomi's face to mind. Staring at her, the Earther could nearly see the ghost of Hitomi hang about the girl's head. She closed her eyes and snapped her head away, trying to get the vision out. Ayen furrowed her brow and stared at her still.
In the back, Hoden made his way out and into the hall. He saw Gadess and Amano making their way up the corridor, nodded to them, and headed into a room off to the side. In a couple minutes, the two of them marched inside to meet him. Once in, they shut the door. Amano slouched against it and sank down. "Man! This is harder than I thought!"
"We had to fake our way past three sets of guards." Gadess reported. "They stopped us every time. The Fanelians really must be tired of having your men around."
"My men are equally as tired." Hoden reported. "They are tired of following the orders of the Fanelian officials."
"So is everything going okay?" Amano asked. "Yukari and Daiji, and Jiai are alright?"
"They're doing fine." Hoden answered. "How are the others?"
"When we left them all was in order." Gadess replied.
"Are you ready?" Hoden asked.
"We'll take care of it." Gadess assured.
"I'll go and get him." Hoden stated.
"Right. Right. Down…" Koneko verbally directed as she lead her two teammates through the winding red and mahogany hallways. They reached the bottom of the stairs, the two dressed as soldiers in front. Yosu checked up and down the hall, letting his Van-ness slide a bit. "Neko, are you sure you know where you're going?"
"Sure, Yosu!" Neko grinned, walking backward. "Right. Right. Down. Left. Long Hallway. Down. Right!"
"Good, now lead us there without talking." Yosu told her. "We're still undercover you know."
"Ah, don't sweat it." She answered. She came to another intersection. "LEFT!!!"
"We're doomed." Yosu said.
"Don't give up yet." Hitomi assured them, but she still had the bad feeling she'd gotten before. It was as if she was expecting something to go wrong and she could still sense a feeling of death hanging around this operation. Not being able to keep track of Van was killing her. She had no choice but to follow Koneko as she made her way about. They turned the corner and the twelve-year-old ran ahead, her helmet slumping to one side.
"Long Hallway!!!"
"Doesn't she understand the danger we're in?" Yosu demanded. "Neko! Get back here! You're gonna get caught!"
"Don't freak out!" Koneko called back.
"Seriously!" Hitomi agreed with the 'king'. "Who knows who can hear you!? You're blowing our cover! Please settle down and get back in formation!"
"Okay, okay." She sauntered back. "But you're taking the fun out of it."
Hoden ran into the throne room in a panic. "Your Majesty! Your Highness! King Van!"
Van straightened. "What is it!?!"
"You are needed! Hurry!" He answered.
Gambero, the Fanelian captain of the Palace Guard stepped forward between the Asturian and the throne. "What is it Hoden!?! Don't disturb the king while he's in the middle of an audience!"
"This requires the king's immediate attention!" Hoden answered.
"What's Wrong!?!" Van roared, impatiently.
Hoden had come prepared. He knew exactly what to say to get Van to accompany him. "It is your brother's gravesite!"
Van was on his feet in an instant. "Folken!?!"
"Someone's vandalized it! I felt I needed to tell you."
Van was exasperated. His bare shoulders were shaking with shock and fury. "W-Why was there no guards!?! How could this happen!?!"
"I don't know sir! I've sent a squad down already-!"
"Nevermind!" The king leapt down from the throne platform in a single bound.
Gambero stepped forward. "Your Highness!"
"Stay Captain!" He shouted as he passed.
Ayen jumped up too. "Van!" But he didn't hear her. He charged straight past Daiji and company on his way out the door with Hoden. He'd reacted just the way the man had expected and as soon as he was out the door, Hoden grabbed him and threw him inside the meeting room to Amano and Gadess. The larger man covered his mouth as Hoden closed the door behind, leaving no trace of where they'd been for those in the hall.
Inside, Ayen stood uncertainly. She stared about at the stunned room, looking from Gambero to the door, and finally stepping with a hard and accusing eye on Daiji. He stood with his arms folded, waiting for someone to notice that he and his party were still there. Jiai tried to hold the same level of detachment as him, but Yukari was stuck. She hadn't been able to focus on anything for the past five minutes but trying to get the image of Ayen out of her head. Ayen looked to her, her head being held in one trembling hand and her eyes purposely avoiding the fourteen-year-old's gaze. That settled it. Ayen knew that these three had something to do with this…it was all a plot to spoil Trapan's plan. That's when she realized: The Eyes! Her double must be there too. But where? She felt like she had to keep an eye on the "consorts", but was that more important than keeping track of Van? For the sake of both she and her father, she had to follow the king. She remembered Trapan saying that if anything happened to Van, they would be punished. Ayen had no time to lose. Following Van, the girl bolted for the door. The already shocked crowd saw her out with their eyes. She hit the door and threw it open with her shoulder. "Van! VAN!!!"
The palace hanged dramatically in just turning a corner and going down the stairs. Koneko had guided the Merle team to the prison of Fanelia castle. The dungeon, like the palace, was mostly wood, but the cells themselves were made of fitted stone and iron rods. Hitomi paused on the stairs, causing the other two to stop, Yosu behind her and Koneko turning to look from in front. "What's up, Hitomi? Everything okay?"
The girl had had another wave of uncertainty wash over her, and a growing thought was swelling in her head. This was a desperate time. It was as if she had just realized the danger they were in, even though she'd known it all along. Her senses became alert for any new stimuli. Her heightened ears picked up a voice from down the stairs. It was young, and faint, but she heard it clearly as it let out a long sad sob. "Lord Van!?!"
"I hear her!" Hitomi reported.
"Merle!?!" Koneko asked, excited. "You hear her!?"
"She's still locked up." Hitomi answered. "She's calling for Van."
"She's calling for Yosu." Koneko said. "I'm so excited! Let's go and get her out now!"
"We're going to have to talk to guards." Yosu said. "Be professional"
"Okay, okay, let's go."
Hitomi tightened up and went down in formation step by step. The closer they got to the bottom, the clearer Merle's forlorn and pleading voice.
"Lord Van!?!"
Sure enough, at the bottom of the stairs, a prison guard was posted. He looked up indifferently, gruffer than the normal Fanelian solders and seemingly tired of Merle's whining. "Whaddaya want?"
"I am King Van. I want you to release Merle." Yosu replied, shortly and sharply.
Down the hall, the cat ears on the thirteen-year-old girl perked up, recognizing his voice. She jumped up against the bars, straining to see. "Lord Van!?!"
"Your Majesty!" The guard said, coming to attention. "I had no word you were coming! I expected you to be audiencing with that guy!"
"Word or not, I want you to let her out." Yosu replied.
"Of course!" The man said. "I'll get her out." He sauntered down the line of cells. "It's strange. When your girlfriend threw her in here, she made it sound like you never wanted to see her again."
"My business is my own." Yosu said, pointedly.
As they stopped, Hitomi spotted Merle's large blue eyes peering out at them. Her face was worn, and blackened with long-suffering and lost hope. Still, the large ears poked up through her pinkish hair and her face shone with the sight of Yosu coming to her. "Lord Van! You came to get me! I knew you didn't mean it! I knew it was all that chick's fault! I knew you'd come and get me!"
Yosu had gathered from the guard that Van's attitude toward the girl had turned cold, so he dropped his head, although inside, he would feel how happy Merle was to see him. She really was very much like Neko.
Koneko, this moment finally come, was nearly bouncing in anticipation. Hitomi was sure that if the twelve-year-old girl had a tail, it would be whipping back and forth anxiously. Merle's dark brown striped tail was moving about under her smock-like dress as she watched the key slide into her lock and the door swing open. The minute her way was free, the girl sprung form the cage like a bird and threw her arms around Yosu, tears on her furry cheeks. "Lord Van! Lord Van! I knew you'd come! I knew it!" It only took her a second to notice that he wasn't returning her sentiments. She stopped mid-cuddle and pulled back form him, a studious look on her face. "Hey! Something's up here!"
Yosu knew that the girl was about to blow their operation wide open and those cells along his left and right did not look very inviting. He snapped his head to the guard. "Leave us a moment!"
"Of course sir!" The guard took off, moving back to his spot against the wall near the entrance.
Merle continued her inspection. She sniffed at Yosu with her cat sense of smell, and circled around him, checking him from all angles. "Hm… It looks like Lord Van, it smells like Lord Van, it sounds like Lord Van, but what's weird about it - for some reason, you're not Lord Van!"
"You're right." Hitomi said. She took off her Fanelian helmet and Merle took a start, her ears springing up. "Hi Merle, it's me, Hitomi."
Merle was not nearly as pleased to see her as Hitomi thought she would be. The cat girl conducted much the same inspection of her as she'd done of Van. "You say you're Hitomi? Are you the REAL Hitomi or Fakey Hitomi?"
"I'm the real Hitomi." The girl answered, warily, not expecting to have to defend her identity. Merle grabbed a chunk of her hair and pulled on it. Hitomi flinched and grabbed her wrist. "Ow! Stoppit!" The cat girl got up in her face and stared at her sharply.
Finally a verdict: Merle hopped back to the souls of her feet and smiled. "You ARE Hitomi!! You've got her hair and you talk like her too!" She jumped and gave Hitomi a quick hug. "Hitomi came to rescue me from Fakey Hitomi! Hooray!" Then she turned to Yosu. "Then who's Fakey Lord Van?"
"This is Yosu…" Hitomi introduced. "He's dressed as Van so that we could get you out."
"Where'd you get him?" Merle asked. "He's almost exactly like Lord Van!"
"That's a long story." Hitomi said.
Koneko couldn't stand it anymore and jumped forward. "Hey! I'm Koneko! You're the cat girl I'm connected to! We finally got you out of jail!"
"Whowhat?" Merle asked.
Yosu interrupted. "We'll explain later. For now, let's get out of here and back to the Thysia."
"Right." Hitomi agreed.
"Wait! What about REAL Lord Van!?!" Merle cried.
"Gadess and Fakey Allen are taking care of him." Koneko replied. "They're meeting us on the ship!"
"Lord Van's being rescued too!" Merle said with elation. "This is a dream come true! Let's get to that ship!"
Hitomi sighed. At least Merle was fee and would cooperate. She wondered about Van, though. Would he agree so easily? That feeling was in her again. She took a deep breath and replaced her helmet. She couldn't worry about it now. She had to get her side of the plan finished and let Gadess and Amano do their jobs, even without her help.
Amano threw his helmet off as Gadess released the king from his grip Van whirled around, reaching for the sword he'd neglected wearing since Ayen had arrived. As his hand grasped around nothing, he could nearly see it lying across a chair in his room. He gritted his teeth and set his brown eyes ablaze, staring daggers through Gadess. "Who are you!?! Are you the vandals!?! I'll kill you!"
"Don't worry, your highness." Hoden assured. "There aren't any vandals."
"What!?!"
"Chill out." Amano said. "We just need to talk to you!"
"Who are you!? This is a crime! Kidnapping a king! I'll have you all celled!" Van whirled around, trying to keep an eye on all of them at the same time.
Gadess took off his helmet. "Don't think us wrong, but this is the only way we could think of to get you alone."
Van stopped. "Gadess?" He dropped his guard and looked more hurt than enraged. He looked to Amano and Hoden. "So you told me someone was desecrating my brother's grave only to get me out of the throne room!?!"
"You told him WHAT!?!" Amano cried, staring accusingly at Hoden.
"How else would I get home out and alone?" Hoden defended. "It was all I could think of that would work the first time. He would never come if I changed my story while he sat there!"
"Why didn't you just say 'King Van, I need to speak with you alone' or something!?!" Amano cried. "That's the most coldhearted thing I've ever heard. You don't tell someone a lie like that! It's disgusting!"
"We're sorry for what Hoden said to you, Lord Van." Gadess said. "But believe me, we would never have tried to trick you if it wasn't truly important."
"I'd never listen to anyone who told me a lie. Especially a lie like that. Except that it's you, Gadess. Is Allen involved in this?"
Gadess nodded. "Allen is involved. He is waiting in Chesario with Queen Millerna, his sister, and two others."
"That's a lie. Millerna is in Asturia. She just sent that man here to meet with me, and the Maginot to assist my defenses!"
"Daiji, Jiai, and Yukari are with us." Amano said. "They made up that story to divert the guard's attention away from the rest of us."
"The rest – ?" Van asked.
"There is another team freeing Merle from your dungeon."
"Merle!?" Van seemed like he'd just realized Merle had been absent from his side. "Merle…was in the dungeon…how?"
"This is a big deal." Amano said. "The girl you think is Hitomi has been hypnotizing you with the power of Atlantis."
"How can you make an accusation like that? Especially against Hitomi!" Van cried.
"We've got the REAL Hitomi." Gadess said. "She brought with her eight people from the Mystic Moon to help you."
"I – what?" Van was confused and bombarded.
Amano stepped forward. "I came with her. He's telling the truth."
Van finally gave Amano his full attention. "Who are you?"
"My name is Amano Susumu, I go to school with Hitomi on Earth."
"Amano…" Van racked his memory for the name. "I've heard that name before."
"Probably when Hitomi talked about Allen." Amano answered. "I'm connected to him. She mistook me a couple times for Allen the same way she mistook Allen for me. She'll explain the whole thing to you when we hook up again."
"I remember!" Van announced. "You're exactly right! Hitomi did mistake Allen for a boy named Amano a lot of times. She would always talk about the Mystic Moon." He thought. "She hasn't talked about the Mystic Moon at all since she's been here…"
"Hitomi's probably already on the Thysia." Gadess stated. "And we need you to come with us."
"You want me to desert my country!?" Van cried. "Again!?!"
"It's more important than you know." Amano assured. "There's some bad stuff going on. I think we've decided that it's some sort of world domination plot or something. The point is you're being used.
"Used."
"The girl you think is Hitomi." Hoden clarified. "She's using you to control Fanelia."
He seemed struck down, dumbfounded, and confused. "I don't know what's right or not anymore!" Van ran a gloved hand through his disheveled black hair. "I'm confused."
"Believe us." Amano insisted. "We've got to go and get back to Chesario. We'll explain everything on the way, once we're all together again. Just seeing us all will probably explain it to you."
Van took a deep breath, his judgment hindered. He doubted, now, the identity of the girl he'd been living with for the past month. The more he remembered Hitomi, the less this girl seemed like her. His heart was torn. "My better judgment is telling me not to go. I can't leave the country again, not after all that happened before when I left. Still my gut tells me to believe you and leave. I'm just not sure which one to obey."
"Your country will be fine." Hoden assured. "I'll see to that."
"I don't know if I like you!" Van accused.
"Come on, hurry." Amano pressured. "We've got to go!"
"Millerna has been shoved from her own country." Gadess recalled. "This is better fro the long run. We'll come back when we figure out what's going on. We might be facing another series of events like what happened earlier."
"Alright!" Van agreed finally. "Alright! I'll go!"
"Glad to hear it." Gadess sighed. "My cousin's airship is parked in the woods out back. We'll meet up there with the others."
"Let's go." Amano ushered. "We've got to get out of here. My nerves are shot." He turned to Hoden. "Make sure Yu and the others get out safe. And do a better job then you did for this."
"Roger that." The mustached man nodded. Amano and Gadess replaced their helmets and took off for the back door with the King in escort.
Ayen shot through the halls. She knew the way Van would have to go to get out to the Royal Cemetery, but in her frenzy, she couldn't find the right halls. The posted soldiers still asked no questions as she ran around and around the maze of formal corridors. Portraits of the king, his family, his friends, his advisors and other monarchs of the past seemed to be staring at her. In every face she could see Trapan glaring down at her, his teeth bared, ready to eat her alive. She was mortally frightened of that man, and remembering his threats from the night before made her search for Van just that much more desperate. "Van!?! VAN!?!" The soldiers stared on. It was as if they were against her, too. None of them spoke a word to help her in her search. Her stomach clenched so tightly she could feel it in her throat. Panic stripped her of any self-control and she forgot about where she was supposed to be going. Her Hitomi-green eyes darting madly, she raced about the halls. "VAN!?!"
Yukari was feeling detached from herself. She could barely feel her own hand on her eyes as she saw again and again Hitomi and Ayen on the same head and in the same face. It was like…seeing two sides of the same mirror. The more she thought about it and tried to figure it out or forget about it, the more disconnected she felt until finally she realized something; the last time she had witnessed something like this happening was sitting in her living room when she'd seen Allen…and with that, she was gone.
Jiai let out a scream as a pale, glazen eyed, Yukari collapsed to the red throne room carpet, dead to the world. Daiji spun around, dropping the act, more important matters at hand. He pulled her head up off the floor and held her in one arm. Jiai stooped over his shoulder. "Yukari! Daiji what happened!?"
"Its another one of those connection relapses!" Daiji announced, checking her pulse. "this isn't good. How'd they bring her back before? Call her name!"
"Yukari!" Jiai called. "Yukari!!!"
"Yukari!" Daiji shook her and gained no response. He looked up sharply to the crowd, some advancing toward them. "This isn't working. We need to get her out of here now!"
"How!?" Jiai cried.
"Hey! What's going on!?!" Gambero called, running forward.
Daiji quickly grabbed her up. "Run, Jiai!"
"But – "
"We can't explain this! Run!"
Her heart pounding, the girl with the blackish curls ran to the back door. Daiji was right behind her, his arms full. Yukari's head bounced against his arm, her brown eyes milky and frozen wide. Gambero suspected something the minute they bolted. "Hey!?! Get back here!"
The hallway stretched before them. Jiai lead, trying hard in a fevered panic to remember which way they had come. She ran in her borrowed dress down the hall in the opposite direction Amano and Gadess had taken. The stone-faced guards stood like statues. She didn't realize that hey were even alive. An intersection: Jiai's aquamarine eyes were watching in fear and desperation. Gambero's yells could be heard behind them. Left. She darted about. Was that painting familiar or did she just wish it were? Daiji's hat came undone and fell off, his wavy hair falling into his face and down his back.
The captain of the guard alerted those along the walls. "Men! Get them!"
The soldier statues previously thought to be decoration sprang into action, heeding their commander's orders in their own frenzy. Jiai skidded to a stop as a line approached from up the hallway. "Ahhh! Surrounded!"
"Not yet." Daiji ran past, his speed the same. He barreled through the line of soldiers, slamming one to the floor with his shoulder. He had to stop and balance himself. "JIAI!"
"Coming!" They kept running, guards behind them and time running out for the girl in the man's arms.
Amano, Gadess, and Van had no idea anything was going on. They passed out the back doors with little question. All Van had to do was scowl at them and the guards backed off. He wasn't exactly in the most pleasant mood at the idea of leaving. Hoden had headed back to escort the diversion team back out of the palace, and the king and company picked through the woods. Before long, the Thysia was in sight, it's Levi-stones protruding from the treetops and its extended wings slicing through the branches. Philos was waiting on the gangplank, his weak chin in his hands and his knot fraying. He jumped up when he spotted them. "Gadess!? Have you got him!?"
"Mission Complete." Gadess answered.
Amano tore off his helmet. "Thank goodness!"
"Philos, this is King Van of Fanelia." Gadess introduced. "Lord Van, this is my cousin Philos Hroas."
Philos bowed. "Your Highness."
"Mr. Hroas." Van greeted, without enthusiasm.
Philos straightened. "Philos if you would, your highness."
"Van." Van corrected. "Where is Hitomi?"
"They aren't back yet." Philos answered. "You three are the first team. Did everything go well?"
"Perfect." Gadess answered. "Like clockwork."
Amano sank down against a tree. "I'm not cut out for that. Running a race for competition is one thing, but sneaking around all over….I thought I was gonna have a heart attack or something.!" He glanced over his shoulders into the trees. "I hope Yukari's okay."
"I hope they all are." Philos said. "I know how you feel, Amano. My nerves are about shot as well."
Yosu, Koneko, Merle and Hitomi were leaving at about the same time as Ayen had started searching and Yukari had suffered her attack. The guards at the back door stopped them. "Your Highness!? Where are you going at this time of night!?"
"My business is my own." He replied, employing his all-purpose royal excuse. "Let us pass."
"Yes sir!"
The assemblage marched out and through the grounds until they reached the forest. There the young man sighed heavily. "We made it."
"Its so great to be free!" Merle cried, jumping. "I haven't been outside for weeks! I love it!"
"You remember the way to the ship, don't you Neko?" Yosu asked.
Koneko jumped back. "I was supposed to keep track of that too!?"
Yosu hung his head "Oh boy"
"Don't worry, Yosu!" Koneko reassured. "I'll find it! It may be dark and in a forest, but a ship the size of the Thysia can't be THAT hard to find can it!?"
Yosu glanced back to her. "That's not all that reassuring, you know that."
Hitomi stepped through he first two trees and suddenly stopped. She felt more uncertain than ever and had an overwhelming urge to find Van. Something had happened to him, she was sure. She stared back at the castle like it was a looming monster, hungry for him. He was in danger and she knew it. Perhaps she could stop Yosu and connect him to see if Van was all right. She glanced to the other three, but they were already far ahead, becoming lost in the trees and underbrush. She had to take care of this herself. All her fifteen years of better logic eluded her and she took off at her sprinter's pace back towards the castle.
Jiai and Daiji had found the entrance at last! A palace full of guards were on their tails, but once through the main gate, they would have no problems making their way back through the woods. The soldiers in pursuit saw them disappear out the main doors, the gate guards rushing after them. Gambero's voice shouted over them. "They must be headed for the hangar! We need Melef support! Get out the Maginot!"
The pilots were raced word, and in turn dashed to the Asturian mecha without fail. Seguir watched them enter from where he sat on the shoulder of the Pravada in thought. He'd slid down to the cockpit when he heard the commotion. "What's going on here!?"
"Orders from Captain Gambero." One pilot shouted. "There's been an intrusion! He wants us to take action immediately!"
"Intruders!?!" Seguir was hit with dread. "The Eyes! Ayen!?!" He leapt down to the ground and shouted up to the pilots who were strapping into their suits. "Don't let anyone escape! Find every one of them! Do everything you have to to keep them from getting away!"
"Yessir!"
Seguir dashed up a stairway and out into the hall. He had to find his daughter! Trapan knew what was going on, he was sure. He knew all along that this was going to happen. He winced at the thought of what Trapan would do if he found Ayen first. This was severe. Large white and blue Guymelefs moved out of their hangar, their feet thundering and their short swords drawn. The quakes shook the dust off a kneeling suit not far down the hill…
Daiji weaved his way through the forest, working his way blindly back to the ship. Jiai was trying hard to match his pace, the sounds of scrambling machinery behind them. "D-Daiji!"
"There it is!" He broke through the underbrush and was confronted by four curious faces.
"What's going on!?!" Philos cried. "What happened!?"
Amano sprang up when he saw was Daiji was carrying . "Yukari!?!"
Daiji rushed her to him. "Its-" he was panting hard, "Its another arrest! Like before!"
Amano took her up and laid her on the ground, her face and shoulders held tight against his chest. "Yu!? YU!?! Yukari come on!!! Yukari! Snap out of it!!!"
"Daiji!?" Gadess accused. "What happened!?"
"We made a run for it!" He answered. "We had to split. She passed out right in the throne room! We couldn't wait around to answer questions!"
"Yukari!?! Yukari wake up!" Amano pleaded. "Don't let this be for real!!! Come back! You can't die! You can't! Please!" Tears were running down his face. "Please! Yukari!?! It's Amano! Come back to me!!!"
Jiai gasped and the others turned as the fogginess faded and the brown eyes blinked. Yukari moved her head and looked to the face of the man that was holding her. "Amano?"
"Yukari!?!" He hugged her tight. "Oh my gosh! Yukari, you're alright!"
"We've got to get out of here now!" Daiji pressed. "They've got ton-a guards after us and big fatty robots all over the place! They find us, they're gonna cream us to a pulp!"
"But the other team isn't back yet!" Philos said.
"Everybody get on board." Gadess directed. "We'll take off as soon as they get here!" Everyone thought that was a good plan but Van.
"Wait!" He cried. "We cant!"
"We can't afford to wait out here!" Gadess said.
"Don't worry your highness!" Philos called. "If everything gets warmed up, I can take her off in an instant!"
"I'm staying on the ground!" Van answered. "When Hitomi comes back, I'll be here to meet her! If something goes wrong, take off without me!"
"Van!?!" Gadess cried.
Suddenly, there was a rustle and the King turned as the bushes stirred behind him. HE stepped forward to find himself face to face with himself. Yosu looked up from the brush and met his own eyes, the most bizarre feeling rose about the two of them. He was cut and his wig was pulled askew, several spiky orange bangs sticking down over his face.; the two of them were frozen at first sight. Van tried to move, but couldn't, he was transfixed by this perfect likeness of himself. It was broken by Koneko who shoved Yosu sharply from behind.
"Hey! Move!"
Merle caught sight of Van and bounded out of the trees and into his arms. "Lord Van! You're free!"
"M-Merle!" Van cried as she purred and rubbed her face into his red tunic. This was a warm feeling he'd forgotten, and he smiled, forgetting for a moment the danger they were in. He gave his devoted friend a hug back. "Hi, Merle, I'm happy to see you free again."
"Mmm!" She was overflowing with happiness. "Lord Van!"
Suddenly he snapped his head up. "Where's Hitomi?"
Yosu and Koneko looked dumbstruck. "Hitomi!?" They whirled around.
Koneko ran a little ways back into the trees. "Hitomi!?!"
"She was right behind us, right!?" Yosu demanded, feverishly. "She made it out of the castle!?!"
"She's not here!?" Van cried.
"I don't see her anywhere!" Koneko called back. "Is she lost?"
"I'm going to find her!" Van announced, heading into the woods.
"I'm coming too!" Yosu cried, tearing off the wig. Van cast him a short tempered glance, but made no objections. The orange-haired boy turned to the two girls. "Get in the ship! We'll be back with Hitomi!"
"But Yosu - !?!"
"Lord Van!?!"
Koneko and Merle watched them disappear. The younger girl grabbed the cat's arm. "Come on, Merle, let's do what he said!"
Hitomi cowered along the palace wall, her short brown hair stuck against her face with sweat. Her helmet had been discarded long ago, and the world around her had exploded with malevolent activity. She made her was in the cover of night around to the unfinished section of the castle. Soldiers were heard shouting from in front and behind the tremor of the ground under the feet of the Maginot made her blood run cold. She remembered the sight of the mech suit following them in the Crusade, of the visions of the past where mecha rained destruction, but most of all, her reoccurring dream of being chased down and captured by Guymelefs. She remembered how there never was rescue from those dreams: it scared her to death.
She snuck around the corner of the unfinished wall, blue moonlight pouring over her face. She spotted the massive body of one of the Asturian melefs through the angled wooden planks of the scaffolding. She hurried inside the skeleton of the palace, her heart and mind set on finding Van. The Maginot searched the ground for one of the intruders to suddenly appear. The 15-year-old girl found a hallway just inside. Most of the lanterns and candles were blown out and those still lit flickered with the pounding footsteps. She stood in the doorway and looked down both halls, not knowing which way to go, but feeling the urgency. She had to search fast. "Van!?!"
"VAN!?!"
Was that an echo or did Hitomi just hear her own voice call out Van's name? She stopped to see, but her question was quickly answered as the voice came again, louder, and a fourteen-year-old with long red-brown hair and large green eyes ran around the corner. She stopped dead and locked eyes with Hitomi, her limbs shaking with adrenaline and her heart pumping fast. Ayen was glued to the eyes on Hitomi's face. She stuttered with finalization. "E-Eyes –"
Hitomi stepped back toward the door, a strange fear like seeing a ghost installing in her the urge to run. Her back braced against the plain wooden doorframe. Ayen's pair of eyes brimmed with tears. "It was you! This is all your fault! All of it! It was you all along!" Her lip quivered and her young, sleeveless shoulders shook in anger. "I don't understand. You're my double! Me! How could you!? How could you be so cold hearted as to do something like this!?! When you know how I feel – what kind of person must I be!?!" Hitomi couldn't speak, watching this strange reflection of herself break down with tears and sobs, her fists clenched. "How could you!?! HOW COULD YOU!?!"
A great pound of Maginot landed very close, wood splintering and cracking outside Hitomi's door and strips of the scaffold falling. Before Hitomi could do anything, a great hydraulic hand broke through the wall and the ceiling, pulverizing it and sending pieces flying. Ayen covered her eyes and her Fanelian skirt flew out with the force. A nightmare; Hitomi was taken up into the metal fist and off the ground. A fire had started in the hall from a fallen lantern. Up she rose, her body squeezed. Her vision come true. She screamed. "VAAAAANNN!!!!!!!!"
Van jumped at the sound of his name. He darted out of the woods and into the grassy palace grounds. Flame again was leaping from the roof of his home. They framed a giant made of glinting metal. The king could see from there, that it held a girl in its hand. "HITOMI!?!"
Yosu jumped out after him. "Where is she!?!"
"There!" Van pointed, then directed Yosu back into the woods. "Get back to the ship! Tell them to take off!"
"What are you going to do!?" Yosu demanded.
"There's only one way to save her!" Van cried. "We'll catch up! Just get the rest of you out!"
"Right!" Yosu disappeared.
Van made his way down the hill. There, the monuments of his mother, his father, and his brother stood undisturbed in a shaded cemetery. Their peace was disturbed, now, especially for Folken, his tombstone catching the reflection of the flames from the battle at the castle and burning like a live ember in its light. Van ran straight to his pinnacle and behind it. The back of Folken's grave had grown over with vines and trees. Van tore at the thorns until he'd cleared out a patch on the back. There, a perfectly square panel waited, and hidden behind it, its weight falling and breaking a hole in the earth, was the blood-bound energist hidden by Van half a year before. The king gritted his teeth as he reached in to remove it. "I'm sorry, Brother, your dream of a world without this will never come true…" Tightening his grip on the stone, he darted to the trees where the legendary Ispano Guymelef, Escaflowne kneeled silently. Van held up the energist and light shone from his hand. "Escaflowne! I am bound to you by blood! Awaken!" He plunged his hand into the armor, the energist taking hold of the workings and casting pink light on the king's face. With a groan, the hatch to the dusty melef dropped to permit Van inside.
Yosu arrived back at the ship and jumped up the gangplank. Gadess was waiting by the door. "Yosu!?! Where's Hitomi and Lord Van!?"
"Take off!" Yosu ordered.
"What was that!?" Jiai cried, hearing but not believing.
"Take off NOW!" Yosu roared. Merle was sitting by the door, but took off up to the cockpit and yelled in to Philos.
"Fakey Van says take off!"
"Alright!" Philos said, he threw a pair of heavy levers forward and the Thysia shot up into the sky. Several Maginot spotted it and headed out, but they were taken by surprise and quartered by the long, razor sword of a glimmering white and green warrior, its purple cape flying with sparks off its blade on metal. The people on the ship stared down.
Koneko cried out. "What's that!?!"
Gadess gasped. "Escaflowne!"
Van hacked at the Asturian soldiers, the Maginot falling on his way to Hitomi. The suit with the girl in its hand slashed its short sword at him, but Van and Escaflowne were one. He could nearly feel his blood flowing in the machine that extended from his body. With a mighty slash, the sword-wielding arm of the other was severed from its torso. Hitomi opened her eyes and saw the giant dragon armor attacking. She gasped and flinched at each blow. "VAN!?!" The captor melef backed away, no match for this god of war. He found the hand holding Hitomi ripped from the end of his arm. The girl tumbled down, coming free of the hydraulic grip. The flames consumed the ground below. She shut her eyes and reached out. Let this be her dream! Let her winged savior come down to her one more time! A Vision! The winged man swooping to get her. No rescue. "VAAANN!!!!"'
"HITOMI!?!" Without a conscious trigger, Escaflowne folded in on itself, the head becoming a neck, the legs becoming a tail, the cape being stretched into dragon wings and Van up top with the reigns. Hitomi fell down as he swooped under and was caught in his arms. Escaflowne's wing destroyed a pair of scaffold beams, and brought down another fiery section of the uncompleted rood. The dragon swooped up into the sky. Destruction and flame were again plaguing his country and again he ran way, but Hitomi was lying across the dragon at his feet. She looked up and passed out, her hair whipped about her face and her telling green eyes closed. The carousel chases itself in a circle and around it goes. This time he chased Chesario and the shape of the Thysia soaring along the horizon ahead.
To Be Continued….
