Many people may be sad to know that I am not dead (sorry folks, keep dreaming), and in fact have decided to continue this poor story. Why? Not a damn clue.

Disclaimer: Tenkuu no Escaflowne is property of Bandai and Sunrise, all rights reserved. I am in no way affiliated with these companies, and am not making a profit by writing this novel. Any similarities between my work and that of any other fan-author is purely coincidental. "Not Enough" song lyrics are property of Flaw, all rights reserved.

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"Broken"—Chapter 16: A Cruel Angel's Thesis

By The Last Princess of Hyrule

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"Wake up your life,
You may never get the chance to make things right,
Rather than lie,
Take a moment to reflect on what's gone by,
It's a mistake,
There's no reason I should be so full of guilt,
Significant break,
So you severed all the ties that we have built . . ."

Flaw, "Not Enough"

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Folken lay on the sofa with his arms crossed behind his head, staring blankly up at the ceiling. Dusk had fallen over the city of Palas, but the prevalent clouds masked the sky and the usual beautiful sunset with a gloomy cover of rain. He listened to the gentle plink, plink, plink of rain tapping on glass window panes and waited for something to happen. Hours had passed—long, tiresome, boring hours—and still Hitomi had not returned.

He sighed. Without Hitomi around, he didn't know what to do with himself. When they lived on the Zaibach border (how long ago that was), there was always something to do—repairs to the broken-down farmhouse, travels to a nearby village to buy food, or simply spending time together. It was work, but with purpose. However, now that they lived in Asturia in the country's richest household, all of those tasks were taken care of by servants, even Hitomi's happiness. He was no longer necessary.

Folken rolled his head to the side and looked out the window. I'm not jealous, he told himself again, even though he knew that he was. Everything was different in Asturia, including Hitomi. The only one who hadn't changed, it seemed, was him. No, Folken thought, she isn't different; she's the same person she's always been . . . Try as he might, he couldn't convince himself that this was true. She acts more now the way she did when she interrupted me in the library and lost her necklace . . . as if she didn't even know me any more.

She really has become a different person, the person she used to be before she met me. That person was the one who had tried to protect her friends by running away from them, the one who put aside all thoughts of herself for others, for Van, Millerna, and Allen. How could he have forgotten about them? He and Hitomi would never have met if she hadn't been thinking of them first.

Folken closed his eyes and expelled a frustrated sigh. I have to stop thinking like this. I knew she would want to come back here eventually—why wouldn'' she want to reunite with the friends she gave up everything to protect? He opened his eyes and looked around. Of course, Hitomi still wasn't there.

"Gods, where could she be?" he asked aloud, even though he knew there was no one in the room to reply. "I knew I shouldn't have let her go anywhere alone," Folken went on as he sat up, "I don't feel sick—" and world rushed against him with the sudden movement. "—Not that sick."

He pressed a hand to his forehead and turned to the fire, which was burning cheerfully to drive off the winter chill that leaked through the stone palace walls. The way this sickness had come out the blue disturbed him, and he had to keep reminding himself that it was most likely nothing. People got sick all the time, and these symptoms didn't necessarily mean the same thing was happening to him again. He was thinking too much into things again, as Hitomi kept accusing him. He promptly put the thought out of mind, crossing his arms and looking around at the rest of the room instead.

"This is it," he said. "This is what life is going to be like from now on." The thought made him even more depressed. Folken scowled. "Days without sun in a country ruled by an aging tyrant. Reminds me of the last place I used to live. I don't understand why Hitomi tried so hard to save this place. All said and done, Aston isn't much different from Dornkirk. He just doesn't have the means to control more than this little country."

He walked over to the window. Rain rushed in sheets down the smooth panes, distorting the view of the cityscape. "Hitomi was right about fate, though. It doesn't matter if someone controls it, or if it's left to its own devices—it goes in the same direction anyway. Gaea is headed to the same end no matter how it gets there. People are going to fight, rape and kill until there's nothing left."

A heavy silence passed over the room, and Folken suddenly realized what hed said. He stood stricken, watching the rain fall. Since the day the empire was destroyed, the day Hitomi told him she loved him, he'd struggled to shut away that malicious nature. But how easy it was to slip back into that mind without even knowing it.

Folken shook his head. I can't keep thinking this way or something bad is bound to happen. Aston may be the same as Dornkirk, but that doesn't mean someone can't make him listen to reason. He looked out the window in silence for several minutes, lost in contemplation. I guess that's why that rebel wanted Hitomi's help so badly. She could make Aston listen—I don't doubt it. She isn't a goddess, but she certainly has the influence of one.

Night fell, but still the rain did not stop. According to spiritualists, days like this were fateful days. Folken had the good fortune of knowing a few of these windbags while working in Zaibach, men who loved to make vague predictions to please Emperor Dornkirk. He could imagine what they would say about the Girl from the Mystic Moon on this day—"the heavens weep," they'd claim, "because Gaea stole their favorite daughter, and Gaea will soon rape her of all her glorious innocence—"

Fortunately, the spiritualists' prediction was cut short as the door slammed open behind him and Folken whirled around. All the unfavorable thoughts left his mind when he saw Hitomi and Van in the doorway with Millerna supported between them, her arms over their shoulders. They were all drenched with rain, panting, and Millerna shook uncontrollably.

'Help,' Hitomi mouthed breathlessly as she and Van struggled to keep Millerna on her feet.

Folken rushed forward to take Hitomi's place, but the princess scowled and pushed him away. "I don't need help from the likes of you," she spat, her voice hoarse.

Folken took a step back. "What the hell happened?" he asked, staring at Millerna as she shoved her support away and staggered toward the fireside, falling forward onto the sofa.

Hitomi steadied herself with her hands against her legs, shaking her head. Van rubbed his aching shoulders and straightened, looking at the princess. "That's exactly what I'd like to know. What in hell is going on?"

Millerna lifted her head and swore profusely at him. Van and Folken shared looks of amazement that the princess even knew so many words, never mind that she normally didn't even swear under her breath.

Folken walked over to Hitomi and placed a hand on her back. "Are you all right?"

Hitomi nodded, straightening. "Take that off," she said to Millerna. "The cloak. After what you did to Celena, I should have just left you for some Asturian guard to find."

Millerna sat up, scowling with a proud, very princess-like look on her face, and said nothing.

"Or then again, maybe I should just let you keep it and ask someone to escort you back to Allen's house," Hitomi continued in a threatening voice Folken had never heard her use. "I'm sure he'd love to know more about yours and Celena's little secret."

Still silent, Millerna pushed back the dripping hood, undid the clasp, and flung the black cloak to the floor. Millerna's image unwrapped with the fabric and revealed Dilandau behind its mask, his face set with an expression identical to the one the princess wore.

"They switched," said Folken.

"Celena . . . and Dilandau . . . switch?" Van stared at Dilandau in disbelief, his lip curling in disgust.

"They're two different souls sharing the same body," Hitomi explained, her eyes always on Dilandau. He didn't do anything. "While one of them is in control, the other is still conscious in their mind at the same time, and they can switch places that way. Celena told me."

"Not that it's any of your business," Dilandau added. "Or anyone's."

Van stared at him, looking sickened. "That's messed up."

Dilandau sighed and rolled his eyes. "Well, if that's the way you feel, Van, now would be an opportune time for you to leave."

Hitomi let out a tired breath and leaned against Folken, closing her eyes. He put his arm around her waist. Van shut his mouth and stood his ground. Dilandau's scowl deepened.

"What kind of stupid mistake did you make this time, Dilandau?" Folken asked in exasperation. "Didn't you say you'd try a little harder to make things work if someone ever gave you a second chance?"

Dilandau turned to Folken and stared at him for a moment, then suddenly smirked. "Me? Sounds more like something Celena would say. Maybe you should be talking to her about all this, since she was the one who made the mistake to mess with me. But, oh wait." His smile widened. "You can't."

"Maybe you should let her go so we can," Van threatened, one hand on the hilt of his sword.

Dilandau noticed and laughed. "You'd like that. But, you know I'd never agree to do anything you liked."

"Dilandau, please," Hitomi started, her eyes still closed. "We mean well; we're just concerned about Celena."

"Of course you are, but I don't care." Dilandau yawned, struggling to his feet, his legs still shaking beneath him. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have places to be."

Hitomi opened her eyes as he walked over to the door. "No, you don't. Without Celena, you have no one."

"I know." He looked Hitomi up and down, as if examining her for the first time, then smirked. "That's why I can go anywhere I want."

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Late that night, hours after both Dilandau and Van finally left, Hitomi lay awake in bed, staring outside at the sky where a few stars shone through broken patches of the thick cloud cover. Folken was asleep on the couch by the dying fire, but Hitomi couldn't seem to keep her eyes closed. She rolled over and over under the covers in a restless fit, trying to find a comfortable position that didn't exist.

Finally, she got up and snuck outside to a small circular courtyard with a fountain where she could always get her mind off of things. A bitter feeling of nostalgia passed over Hitomi as she started out in a slow jog, trying to keep away the memory of the bright stars that past summer night and the man watching her from the shadows. After a few laps, she fell into a steady rhythm, thinking no further than the heavy beating of her heart, the burn of the cold air in her lungs. Among the things she didn't notice was that there was a man watching her, but not the one who had been there before.

"Hitomi?"

Hitomi stopped with a jolt and looked up to see Van leaning against one of the pillars. "You scared me," she gasped, sitting down at the fountain's edge to catch her breath.

"What are you doing out here so late?" he asked.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Mmm." He rolled his shoulders in a tired motion and walked out into the open yard. "Neither could I."

"What made you decide to come out here?" asked Hitomi. "I thought I was the only one who knew about this place."

"It was pretty hard to find, believe me," Van replied, casting a pitiable look in her direction. "I remembered you mentioning it once before, so I thought I'd go look for it since I had nothing else to do. I had no idea the palace was so big! It doesn't look that bad from the outside, but inside, it's a hive."

Hitomi laughed a little and nodded. "I know exactly how you feel. The only reason I ever found this place was by accident. I just wanted to get away from everybody . . ." She stopped short.

Van nodded silently.

Unwilling to discuss the topic, Hitomi changed the subject. "Van, why haven't you gone back to Fanelia yet?"

Van looked at her in surprise, as if he'd expected her to forget his plans to restore his home. "Well," he started, shifting uncomfortably. "It's a long story. You don't want to hear it."

"Sure I do," Hitomi assured him. "Otherwise I wouldn't have asked."

Van stood in silence for a few minutes, collecting his thoughts, while Hitomi thought nothing of his hesitation.

"Well," he finally said. "With the war, there's been a shortage of supplies, you know? And people who can work and rebuild things. And I don't know where my people are, anyway." Nervousness was evident in his short, broken sentences and the way he wouldn't look at Hitomi when he spoke. "A lot of them lost their lives in that first attack. But I'm sure there are more out there like Merle who got away in time. But I don't know where they are. So, I thought I'd wait in Asturia until I could find some workers and take them back to Fanelia with me. And then . . ." Van trailed off, glancing at Hitomi for the first time and realizing she wasn't buying it.

Hitomi smiled reassuringly. "Hey, you don't have to make up stories with me. I'm not judging you."

"Yeah." Ashamed, he turned away again. "I don't know what I was thinking. I mean, I can tell you about anything . . . right?"

She nodded. "Anything at all."

Van looked down at the ground, then up at the sky, his face filling with distress again. He stood like that for a long time, enough to make Hitomi start worrying too.

He must be keeping a really important secret or something, she thought. I know he knows he can tell me anything—I'm not like all the people on this planet who get so upset when things aren't the way they thought they were. Her mind wandered toward Allen and the things he said to her that afternoon. She always knew he disapproved of her love for Folken, from the minute she first saw him when he arrived to meet her return in the courtyard—this courtyard.

"You know what?" Hitomi said suddenly, breaking the silence. "A lot of important stuff has happened in this courtyard." She smiled. "For some reason, whenever I come out here, something happens that changes my life. There must be something special about this place." She leaned back and looked up at the stars. "You know, this might be the only time I've ever come here that something important hasn't happened."

She wanted her casual comment to relax the atmosphere around them and comfort Van enough for him to tell her what was troubling him. But all it seemed to do was make him even more reluctant. Hitomi sighed with inward frustration. I'm really not good at this consoling thing. Helping people really isn't my strong spot.

"Okay," said Van suddenly. "I'll tell you the truth." He took a deep breath. "There really has been a shortage of supplies and workers since the war ended, but that's not really the reason I stayed in Asturia. I was . . ." A flush rose to his cheeks. "I was waiting for you to come back."

"Oh, of course," Hitomi said brightly, nodding in agreement. "I forgot; I still had Escaflowne, and you needed it, didn't you?"

"No, it's not just that . . ." Van trailed off and looked away, back in contemplation. Hitomi was about to settle into another period of pointless musing when he suddenly blurted out, "Hitomi, I love you."

Musing wasn't too pointless after that.

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Review if you want, but I think my original readers have all gone on to better things.

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TO BE CONTINUED . . .

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