A/N Sorry I haven't written in a while, I've been stuck doing rehearsals
for the senior production at my school (we were doing Romeo and Juliet & I
was a citizen- go me!!!) But now it's all over so I can do whatever the
hell I want. Thanks for your reviews- Morgana is a witch. The next chapter
will be longer, I swear! Enjoy.
Chapter Eight
Passion
Passion, such a beautiful trait. Morgana smiled in satisfaction (something she does a lot, ne?) as she watched the sorcerers brewing their magic, taking their instructions from an ice- cool Folken. Too bad his too cat followers couldn't take a hint or two from him, they could've come in handy. Oh well, she would see to them later. They weren't really needed anyway.
The fortuneteller had changed from her green flowing gown into plain black robes, much more practical for her...work. She looked down into her hand, stroking the strands of raven black hair lying neatly in her palm. Taking a knife she cut a few strands of her own silky locks and tied it with the black ones.
"Bring the dragon to me," she murmured in a velvety whisper. "Bind him to me, make him a slave of my heart."
Ah, passion. What a beautiful thing indeed.
"Van, are you okay?" Hitomi asked in concern, as the prince clutched his stomach in agony. She winced as she heard the sound of him retching. She sighed. "I guess not..."
Van stumbled down next to her and leaned against Escaflowne, exhaling loudly.
"I'm sorry, I'm just not feeling good. Maybe I just need rest. Don't worry about me, really," he insisted.
"Yeah sure, just a little bit of rest," Hitomi said, trying to be cheerful. Oh no, this was not right. People like Van were not sick for no reason at all. Something was not right here.
She massaged his shoulders gently. "Get some rest Van, you need to save your strength."
The prince rested on her, eyes drifting close. Very soon he had fallen asleep. When Hitomi saw this, she laid him gently on the ground and then got out her pendant, to find out what was wrong with him her way, no matter what he said.
"So," Celena said conversationally as she dined with the Dragonslayers. "I heard you guys were supposed to be on the bad side."
"Totally and completely untrue," Viole said at once. "We may be bad sometimes but we're not evil."
"Neither is Emperor Donkirk, in case you were wandering." Chesta explained. "In fact, his technology has helped an entire village to prosper. Now that village has expanded into a city."
"Zaibach," Celena guessed correctly.
"Yes," Miguel replied, "But it is a good place, or at least it used to be until Strategos came."
"Stra- Strategos?" Celena looked at them in confusion. "I haven't heard this name before."
Guimel cleared his throat and beckoned them to come closer. "I heard from someone on the Vione that he was taken in by Emperor Donkirk, after he found him injured in a forest. That person said that he had been wounded fighting a dragon, the dragon which must be slain by ritual by the heir to the throne of the Fanelian Royal Family."
"What has Fanelia got to do with any of this?" Celena asked, baffled.
"They say that Strategos was the eldest prince of Fanelia, who ran away and deserted his country after failing to slay the dragon." Gatti told her, in a hushed voice, checking to see if Dilandau was around. Their boss didn't like to talk about Folken.
"We Dragonslayers and us on the Vione know Strategos is the prince of Fanelia. In Zaibach he is known as Lord Folken." Dallet said solemnly.
"What did he do that was so bad?" the girl asked tentatively.
"I'll tell you what he did."
The group jumped at the new voice. Dilandau came out from his hiding place in the shadows and proceeded towards their table. Miguel and Chesta made room for him and he sat, looking Celena straight in the eye.
"Lord Folken," he said, spitting the name out in contempt," Is a sorcerer. And like all sorcerers he's no good. He performs experiments by day and night, always for the worst. He dabbles in the black arts, he has no soul whatsoever."
"Oh," was all Celena could say.
"Emperor Donkirk cannot do anything to stop Folken, he is too powerful. We ourselves won't have anything to do with him anymore. We still serve Emperor Donkirk, travelling around Gaea and keeping watch over the goings on." Dilandau told her. "And Allen," he said after a pause. "But that's just for amusement's sake."
Gatti leaned back, head cocked to one side. "I feel sorry for those two twins though, Naria and Eyria. Folken treats them like slaves."
Dilandau frowned. "I have bad news. It seems as though Lady Morgana has returned to Zaibach, and has intentions towards the twins, and Van Fanelia."
"What, we have to do something!" Celena exclaimed.
"I know, that's what we're going to do," he replied.
"How?" they all asked in unison.
Dilandau looked at them. "Simple. We split up."
It wouldn't go away, the damn lump wouldn't go away. Allen examined himself in the mirror, his hair was still pink (he couldn't get it out) and his forehead was blue and purple with tinges of red. Ugh, his perfect complexion was ruined.
Millerna had kindly offered to make him a compress with healing oils on it for him. True, it stank and it hurt, he seemed to think it wasn't doing anything but Millerna said that it was meant to be painful.
The princess sat watching the 'best swordsman in Gaea' wincing from the stinging oils on the compress. What a wuss.
"Everyone will laugh at me when we get to Freid," Allen whined, combing his silky pink locks. "I'm never going to use that shampoo again."
Millerna put on a sympathetic face. "Don't worry, maybe we'll meet Dryden on the way and maybe he might be so kind as to lend you one of his hair bows."
It was dark, but an unbearable heat filled the air. It was stuffy- hard to breathe.
I'm seeing what Van's seeing, Hitomi thought. Oh no, he's really sick.
The sweet smell of roses came drifting towards her, and a voice, silky and rich. Morgana. She knew it; she knew that sorceress was up to something.
Hitomi found herself drawn to the smell, to the sound, following them blindly. They made her dizzy, yet she wanted them so much.
Suddenly with a start Hitomi wrenched herself away from this vision. She had almost gotten too caught up...
At least know she knew what was wrong with Van: Morgana was trying to entice him over to her side. Well, she would see about that. She wasn't going to let some witchy sorceress steal her prince, just wait and see!
Chapter Eight
Passion
Passion, such a beautiful trait. Morgana smiled in satisfaction (something she does a lot, ne?) as she watched the sorcerers brewing their magic, taking their instructions from an ice- cool Folken. Too bad his too cat followers couldn't take a hint or two from him, they could've come in handy. Oh well, she would see to them later. They weren't really needed anyway.
The fortuneteller had changed from her green flowing gown into plain black robes, much more practical for her...work. She looked down into her hand, stroking the strands of raven black hair lying neatly in her palm. Taking a knife she cut a few strands of her own silky locks and tied it with the black ones.
"Bring the dragon to me," she murmured in a velvety whisper. "Bind him to me, make him a slave of my heart."
Ah, passion. What a beautiful thing indeed.
"Van, are you okay?" Hitomi asked in concern, as the prince clutched his stomach in agony. She winced as she heard the sound of him retching. She sighed. "I guess not..."
Van stumbled down next to her and leaned against Escaflowne, exhaling loudly.
"I'm sorry, I'm just not feeling good. Maybe I just need rest. Don't worry about me, really," he insisted.
"Yeah sure, just a little bit of rest," Hitomi said, trying to be cheerful. Oh no, this was not right. People like Van were not sick for no reason at all. Something was not right here.
She massaged his shoulders gently. "Get some rest Van, you need to save your strength."
The prince rested on her, eyes drifting close. Very soon he had fallen asleep. When Hitomi saw this, she laid him gently on the ground and then got out her pendant, to find out what was wrong with him her way, no matter what he said.
"So," Celena said conversationally as she dined with the Dragonslayers. "I heard you guys were supposed to be on the bad side."
"Totally and completely untrue," Viole said at once. "We may be bad sometimes but we're not evil."
"Neither is Emperor Donkirk, in case you were wandering." Chesta explained. "In fact, his technology has helped an entire village to prosper. Now that village has expanded into a city."
"Zaibach," Celena guessed correctly.
"Yes," Miguel replied, "But it is a good place, or at least it used to be until Strategos came."
"Stra- Strategos?" Celena looked at them in confusion. "I haven't heard this name before."
Guimel cleared his throat and beckoned them to come closer. "I heard from someone on the Vione that he was taken in by Emperor Donkirk, after he found him injured in a forest. That person said that he had been wounded fighting a dragon, the dragon which must be slain by ritual by the heir to the throne of the Fanelian Royal Family."
"What has Fanelia got to do with any of this?" Celena asked, baffled.
"They say that Strategos was the eldest prince of Fanelia, who ran away and deserted his country after failing to slay the dragon." Gatti told her, in a hushed voice, checking to see if Dilandau was around. Their boss didn't like to talk about Folken.
"We Dragonslayers and us on the Vione know Strategos is the prince of Fanelia. In Zaibach he is known as Lord Folken." Dallet said solemnly.
"What did he do that was so bad?" the girl asked tentatively.
"I'll tell you what he did."
The group jumped at the new voice. Dilandau came out from his hiding place in the shadows and proceeded towards their table. Miguel and Chesta made room for him and he sat, looking Celena straight in the eye.
"Lord Folken," he said, spitting the name out in contempt," Is a sorcerer. And like all sorcerers he's no good. He performs experiments by day and night, always for the worst. He dabbles in the black arts, he has no soul whatsoever."
"Oh," was all Celena could say.
"Emperor Donkirk cannot do anything to stop Folken, he is too powerful. We ourselves won't have anything to do with him anymore. We still serve Emperor Donkirk, travelling around Gaea and keeping watch over the goings on." Dilandau told her. "And Allen," he said after a pause. "But that's just for amusement's sake."
Gatti leaned back, head cocked to one side. "I feel sorry for those two twins though, Naria and Eyria. Folken treats them like slaves."
Dilandau frowned. "I have bad news. It seems as though Lady Morgana has returned to Zaibach, and has intentions towards the twins, and Van Fanelia."
"What, we have to do something!" Celena exclaimed.
"I know, that's what we're going to do," he replied.
"How?" they all asked in unison.
Dilandau looked at them. "Simple. We split up."
It wouldn't go away, the damn lump wouldn't go away. Allen examined himself in the mirror, his hair was still pink (he couldn't get it out) and his forehead was blue and purple with tinges of red. Ugh, his perfect complexion was ruined.
Millerna had kindly offered to make him a compress with healing oils on it for him. True, it stank and it hurt, he seemed to think it wasn't doing anything but Millerna said that it was meant to be painful.
The princess sat watching the 'best swordsman in Gaea' wincing from the stinging oils on the compress. What a wuss.
"Everyone will laugh at me when we get to Freid," Allen whined, combing his silky pink locks. "I'm never going to use that shampoo again."
Millerna put on a sympathetic face. "Don't worry, maybe we'll meet Dryden on the way and maybe he might be so kind as to lend you one of his hair bows."
It was dark, but an unbearable heat filled the air. It was stuffy- hard to breathe.
I'm seeing what Van's seeing, Hitomi thought. Oh no, he's really sick.
The sweet smell of roses came drifting towards her, and a voice, silky and rich. Morgana. She knew it; she knew that sorceress was up to something.
Hitomi found herself drawn to the smell, to the sound, following them blindly. They made her dizzy, yet she wanted them so much.
Suddenly with a start Hitomi wrenched herself away from this vision. She had almost gotten too caught up...
At least know she knew what was wrong with Van: Morgana was trying to entice him over to her side. Well, she would see about that. She wasn't going to let some witchy sorceress steal her prince, just wait and see!