Queen Iris was revising some papers, making sure everything was in order. Suddenly a young woman, about 21 years old burst into the room.
"Your majesty, the enemy, is coming from the East!" she said.
The woman, slim figure, tall, of long, curly aqua hair and lavender eyes, she was Queen Iris advisor, and Mamoru's fiancé, her name was Riha Shizana (she had been the first to believe Iris when they were all offered the opportunity of surviving).
"Calm down Riha, what is it?" Iris asked. "The enemy is supposed to be coming from the West, not the East, and not until tomorrow."
"I don't know Lady Iris, but it is coming, right now." Riha insisted. "A big, metal dragon."
"Dragon?" Iris repeated.
"The army is waiting for your order to open fire." Riha finished.
"Don't." Iris said seriously.
Riha was surprised.
"That dragon is no enemy." Was all Iris said before immediately walking out of the room and to the castle's entrance.
.---.
In the entrance Van had just landed with Escaflowne, and about a dozen soldiers were surrounding him with strange metallic spears that seemed to expel sparks from the tip.
"Lower your weapons." Someone ordered from behind.
The soldiers were really surprised when seeing their queen walking to them, immediately followed by Riha.
"Pardon the unannounced arrival your majesty." Van excused himself as he jumped off Escaflowne.
Behind him Merle too jumped off the metal-dragon, looking around her in fear.
"You are dismissed soldiers, everything's okay here. If I need you you'll be called." Iris said to the guard. "Riha, please go to Mamoru and take him the papers I just signed, he'll know what to do with them."
Riha nodded and walked away.
"Is everything okay?" Yu asked running outside the castle.
"Yes." Iris answered. "Please, could you order some tea for me and the guests?"
"Immediately." Yu nodded and headed to the kitchens.
"Come on, follow me." Iris told Van and Merle, and then added. "Don't worry Lady Merle, no one's going to do you any harm. You're safe here."
"Those sticks the soldiers had…" Merle began.
"They're electric-spears." Iris explained as they walked. "They're used to deliver energy-blasts to anyone that might touch them, we use them specially when there are problems with robots, the sudden burst of energy leaves them useless."
Meanwhile Van was looking around him. Most of the houses were made with stones and wood, but at the distance he could notice some metal things, and machinery.
"We work the technology and machines outside the capital, so as not to affect our citizens with any mishap that might happen." Iris explained Van's unasked wonder. "But anyway, you haven't yet told me what you are doing here in Kizanka, unannounced and uninvited, even without being in too many social gatherings I know that's considered rude."
"And I apologize greatly for that." Van immediately said. "But we were told by King Chid what was going on and it was my decision to come and help."
"I appreciate very much the intention, but am afraid I can't accept." Iris said.
"But Master Van is the best with Escaflowne, no one can defeat him, how can you not want his help!" Merle cried out.
"Merle…" Van began.
Just then they arrived to the study and Iris made them a motion for them to sit in some chairs. Yu went in, left the tea and retired again.
"Don't worry majesty." Iris said without giving much importance to Merle's comment. "I know she's right and that you are a very good warrior, and it's not useless pride, as you might be thinking. But the fact that you're the king of Fanelia, and Fanelia will need you. If anything might go wrong here in Kizanka, you have a kingdom to look after."
"Didn't we talk about this two days ago?" Van asked.
Iris nodded, she remembered well enough.
"And after that you still expect me too again sit back and do nothing to be of help?" Van felt somehow offended.
"It's not about sitting back..." Iris began.
"If it's about being a king." Van interrupted her. "You are a queen, you too should stay back, for your people."
"I wasn't born a queen, I wear a crown because they chose me to take this place." Iris said casually. "And if I were to be gone, they would chose someone else, as easy as that. So as you can see, I'm not as essential to this country, as you're to yours."
"You speak as you wished your death…" Merle murmured with a tinge of fear.
"Many times I've wished to die, to be reunited with all those persons I've lost." Iris spoke sadly, as if forgetting she had guests in the room. "But now is not one of those times. I have a kingdom to look after. And I'll do whatever I can for them, no matter the cost."
"Don't you think the cost might be less if you accept my help?" Van proposed.
"It's not my intention to be rude, but I suggest that tomorrow at first hour you leave to your kingdom, things might get ugly after noon." Iris said standing from her place.
Suddenly something shook violently the earth. Merle fell from the chair she was sitting in, Van had some difficulties in remaining straight in his sitting place, and Iris had to hold onto the column next to the wall so as not to fall.
Seconds afterwards everything was back to normal. Iris immediately pushed some buttons in a strange device on her wrist.
"Riha! Yu!" she called.
Seconds later both women burst into the room. The later still looking a little dizzy.
"What happened?" Riha asked.
"That's exactly what I want to know." Iris replied. "What was that?"
"Besides it being the worst earthquake I've felt in my whole life…" Yu began. "Susumo went to investigate."
A few minutes later Susumo entered the place, followed immediately by Mamoru and two of the guards.
"What happened?" Yu was the first to ask her husband.
"An explosion, in the South road." One of the guards said seriously. "Our communications with any kingdoms in that direction is impossible, and the following shaking left the East road in bad shape too. So you could say we're completely aisled from the rest of Gaea."
"And the people?" Riha asked.
"As the Queen Iris had already ordered for them all to be brought into the capital, they're all fine." Another guard said. "Just some scared, but we're already sorting that out."
"So we just have to take care of the roads." Iris murmured.
"It seems just as if we had been aisled on purpose." Susumo commented. "As if someone wanted us to be completely alone."
"A war tactic." Van step in.
"But who did it?" Yu asked.
"Our enemy." Susumo answered.
"What makes you be so sure?" Iris asked.
"The explosion." Mamoru finally stepped in, everyone turned to him. "It was caused by a bomb, a KR-47."
"What!" Iris cried out. "It's impossible."
"No it isn't. And you know it." Mamoru insisted.
"Not again…" Iris murmured, collapsing into her armchair, she seemed to be lost in thoughts, in painful memories.
Flashback
She stood up violently, accidentally throwing back the chair in which she had been sitting just a few seconds before. She had just seen it clearly in her mind, the same death and tragedy she had been dreaming for weeks, the nightmares that made her prefer being awake, than seeing it again and again. But there was one difference, this time it had been no dream.
"Miss, are you alright?" a woman asked her worriedly.
But just before she could answer the ground under them shook violently, throwing almost everyone around to the floor. She had to hold tightly to the desk before her so as not to fall.
All the girls began screaming in panic. Some tried to stand up and run, but it seemed impossible. Others wondered how an earthquake of that magnitude was possible in that place. And some more wondered if it had really been an earthquake.
And just then something called their attention, smoke, thick black smoke coming from near the limits of their city.
"Is everyone ok?" the same woman that had worried for her asked everyone around.
Some answered affirmatively, others remained silent, afraid.
She just roused to her feet and ran as fast as she could with just one thing in mind: to reach home.
'Mom…Dad…please be ok…please let everything be alright…'
But in the bottom of her heart she knew not everything would be alright.
End of Flashback
"Iris!" Yu cried out running to her side. "Are you alright?"
She didn't get an answer, she didn't even hear Yu speaking to her, just one thing was on her mind, one image, as clear as the day: a metallic cylinder with red letters that clearly read: KR-47.
"Sister!" Mamoru called kneeling next to her.
"What's happening to her?" Susumo asked.
It was well known for them this wasn't the first time Iris got in that kind of trance-state.
"She's remembering." Mamoru said sure of himself.
"Remembering?" Riha asked. "What?"
"The day our family died. Along with most of our friends." Mamoru explained.
"The day panic filled our city, and everyone said the Apocalypses had begun." Susumo added understanding.
"The bomb." Yu finished for them.
The others nodded.
While Van and Merle just stood there, not quite understanding what was happening.
Flashback
She was running as fast as her body could take her, faster than she had ever run. The adrenaline and anxiety coursing through her body giving her a speed she didn't know she possessed.
Suddenly she stopped abruptly. She was standing just a few meters away of what used to be her neighborhood, but from it, nothing was left but ruins.
'No!' her mind yelled in panic as she sprinted off again.
She ran between rocks, ashes, and half-burned pieces of wood, until she finally reached what used to be her house…nothing was left.
"NO!" she cried out in deep pain.
She walked through the remains, trying to keep her hopes, but it was impossible not to despair when watching such a sight. And then she saw it, the less thing she wished to see. In between the ashes laid a golden necklace…her mother's necklace.
She couldn't even scream, she was in absolute shock, her body collapsed to the ground in deep pain, and she cried, cried as she never in her whole life had cried. As she understood it all: she had no one left in the world, she was alone.
End of Flashback
"Alone…" Iris whispered.
"What?" Yu reacted when listening to her voice.
"Alone…" she repeated.
"What is she saying?" Susumo asked.
"I have no one." Iris continued.
Mamoru kneeled next to her, and listened intently:
"Alone…I'm completely alone…"
"No, you aren't." Mamoru denied. "You have me, I'm your brother, and I'll always remain with you. And you have Yu, and Susumo, and Riha. We'll never leave you alone."
Iris began crying in her brother's shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably at the memories.
"I swear I'll never forgive the responsible of making my sister suffer in such a way." Mamoru said angrily. "When I have the first opportunity to kill him I will, I won't doubt, I'll kill him with my own bare hands."
Yu continued soothing her, helping Mamoru calm her pain and tears. Susumo just stood behind them, same as Riha, there was nothing they could do.
The guards had already left, as if sensing that what was going on was a bit personal.
Van didn't know what to say. He had never imagined someone like Queen Iris could have gone through so much. When he first met her he saw her as a cold, calculative woman who had everything anyone could wish, who didn't care what others think; after talking with her he discovered she did had feelings, deep inside a stone-covered heart, just like his, and that she was really mature and centered to her age, just what a good queen should be. But he had never imagined seeing her like this, so fragile, so vulnerable…so…human.
.---.
Next morning the castle was submerged in movement. Everyone running from one place to the other. While Queen Iris supervised everything and at the same time insisted to King Van that he should leave her kingdom before it was too late.
"You must leave at once!" Iris insisted for the umpteenth time in the last hour.
"No." Van replied.
"Don't you understand you'll likely be killed if you stay here?" Iris said getting desperate. "It's too dangerous."
"They won't kill us." Van assured her. "I'll pilot Escaflowne and we'll be able to defeat them all."
For a second Iris's eyes darkened, but it was just an instant, and nobody seemed to notice.
"And when Escaflowne is damaged you'll die." Iris insisted. "Even with al the technology we have here, we aren't from Ispano, we won't be able to repair Escaflowne and…"
"How do you know Escaflowne was made by the Ispano clan?" Merle asked.
"And that if Escaflowne is damaged I get hurt too?" Van added.
Iris suddenly stood silent, not knowing how to answer to those questions.
"As I already said before, I have my ways of knowing things." Iris finally said. "And I can tell you, the enemies that will be here in a short time are worst than Zaibach, maybe even than Lord Dornkin. Even if they don't have an "Alternating Fate" Machine, they have the worst weapons you will ever imagine."
"If it is so what makes you think you'll be able to stand a chance, alone?" Merle asked.
There was an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds.
"Because our technology has the same base." Iris answered.
Van and Merle didn't know what to say. Merle, being as impatient as she had always been, began pacing around the room, and got distracted by a strange metal device with buttons.
"What's this?" Merle asked pushing one of them.
Suddenly a small light turned on in a machine in the side of the room, at the same time some strange music filled the place.
"Yay!" Merle cried out scared.
"What's that?" Van asked at the same time.
"It's music." Iris answered. "Like the ones you play with instruments, just that this one is recorded in a disc, like this."
She took out a small box and showed them the shining disks.
"Wait a minute…" Van murmured suddenly. "I know I've seen disks like those before."
"What?" Merle asked.
"Yes." Van insisted. "When we were on Asturia, Hitomi bought one that looked just like those, she said it was a CD and that they were popular on Mystic Moon. Here in Gaea we have never used any of those."
Merle turned immediately to Iris, eyes wide, mouth opened, waiting for an explanation.
"That means you are…" Merle began. "…from…from the Mystic Moon?"
The atmosphere was heavy, the tension was so thick you could have cut it with a knife, and the silence was almost deafening. No one dared say a word. Until…
"Iris!" a voice cried out entering. She noticed the guests. "Sorry for the interruption your majesty, mi lady." She bowed in apology.
"What is it Riha?" Iris asked.
"Yu sent me to inform you that the ships have been spotted, they're about an-hour sound-speed from us." Riha answered. "The soldiers are on alert. They wish to know if there will be any change in the tactics."
"No." Iris answered. "We'll proceed as planned."
"As you wish." Riha nodded, bowed once more and left in silence.
"Excuse me my lord." Iris spoke. "But as you can see vital matters are approaching us, and I shall go take care of them. Maybe we should leave this conversation for later."
Iris was about to leave the room when…
"No."
Van's answered surprised both women.
"You have many explanations to give Queen Iris." Van said, so serious it scared. "And you should give them now."
Iris looked at him straight in the eye, almost as if feeling he was threatening her authority. Merle was almost sure she would kick them both out her kingdom, even with the war one step away. But instead the young queen just let herself fall on her armchair.
"Fine." She said, motioning for them to sit down as well. "You want to talk. Talk we shall. But I warn you, you might not like what I will say."
Van didn't like at all the way she spoke, but wasn't going to stay with the curiosity, so he just nodded, and waited for her to begin talking. If he had known ahead what he would hear in the following hour, he might have never insisted in her talking.
"It is true I once belonged to what you call the Mystic Moon, I call it Earth." Iris began.
With that sentence Van was reassured she was from there, just those who were called that moon Earth.
"My people too, most of them were once from there." Iris continued. "But that was a long time ago, very long. We came here five years ago, when we had no place else to go. Coming here was our last hope of salvation."
"Salvation from what?" Merle asked.
"From total destruction." Was Iris answer.
And with her words Merle felt the hairs of her tail straightening, as a cold chill ran down her spine.
"Six years ago on my planet began a terrible war." Iris explained. "We called it World War III."
"Three?" Van asked surprised.
"Yes." Iris answered. "Twice before there had been wars, world wide wars. It means that all the countries in the world are involved in it. Just like the Great War of Gaea. The thing is that this war was very different. We don't know exactly who began it, nor why, but when we knew it people were attacking each other, missiles detonated, buildings falling, entire cities burning, the whole world was coming down. The chaos was terrible, no one knew who to trust. Some people would be killed just because of accusing somebody of being the cause of the disaster."
Van gulped, things sure were bad on Queen Iris's former home.
"Then, it got worse." Iris continued. "The earth resented all the weapons used, all the bombs and explosives, and that was when natural disasters began. Earthquakes, inundations, tsunamis, terrible electric-storms, and many more things. Everyone said the Apocalypses had come, the end of the world was near. That was when the government of three countries: United States, Russia and Japan made a pact. They reunited their best workers and built a special ship that would be able to get a million people out of the Earth to be saved. In the rest of the years the things would get worse from one day to the other. And the government chose those who were to be saved; politicians, royalty, courtesans, scientists, artists, and other important people. In that time there was some kind of mafia, people who would kill others and get their place just to get an opportunity to save themselves. Justice was forgotten, the police didn't even care about it, you could steal something, or even kill someone and no one would do anything about it. When the results came, as you can imagine, I wasn't between the fortunate enough to be chosen. Susumo was though, but he declined. He loved, and still loves Yu too much to leave her."
Merle sighed almost dreamily, even with the terrible story, that detail of the true love between Queen Iris's lady-in-waiting and her husband was too cute to be missed.
"So you were all condemned to death." Van understood. "That's terrible!"
"It is." Iris nodded. "But we had gone as far as accepting it. It was our destiny to die with our planet. At least that was at the beginning. But when I saw Yu and Susumo together, understood what he had sacrificed to be with his beloved, I knew I couldn't give up, not yet. And so, it was then that it occurred to me the opportunity of coming to Gaea."
"How did you bring them here?" Van asked. "How did you even know Gaea existed?"
"Well…" Iris said, not quite knowing how to explain it. "Lets just say I'm not as normal as I seem to be."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Merle asked.
"It is supposed to mean whatever you want it to mean." Iris answered.
The chose of words was too confusing for Merle to even try to understand it.
"It took me a while to convince everyone that what I was saying was true, not just some terrible hallucination." Iris continued. "Finally when thy believed me we got together, connecting our thoughts, our wish for a new opportunity to leave. And…we appeared on Gaea." She sighed. "To be true the reason for which I didn't go in person to ask for this lands was because I was currently 'out', in a state we call a coma. My body was there but my mind was somewhere else, almost as if I were asleep. I was almost sure I would never wake up."
"You knew that would happen to you?" Van asked surprised.
"Yes." Iris nodded. "Such a trip, from one planet to another, that couldn't even be seen, was too a hard task. And besides, a part of me was linked to the earth, which meant I knew everything that happened after our departure. How an atomic bomb turned half my country to dust. Then what was a prototype of massive-destruction, went wrong, and almost a third part of Asia was infected with a strange virus that killed every living creature in few weeks. Some preferred to kill themselves for the horrors they were living; others made desperate attempts, invading military headquarters, to get some kind of transportation to leave the planet. And finally, one day there was a massive earthquake, that finished destroying every little piece of life that was left in the world. It was truly the end."
Van had a lump in the throat, not knowing what to say, it was just too much. And it was then that he noticed Queen Iris was crying silently, it was obvious that for her it was even more difficult, because she had felt and seen it all.
"When the planet died I woke up, confused and scared." Iris continued. "Yu took care of me until I could finally understand we were safe. That's when I was chosen to be the queen of Kizanka, and I accepted. It's been very difficult for all of us to move on after the tragedy. Most of us lost family and friends back on earth before we could leave the place, either because they were already dead by the time we left, or because they thought I was crazy and refused to follow my plan." She sobbed a bit louder. "I still believe I would have given my life to save just a few more of all those poor persons that had to suffer everything in the end. But for some reason I didn't die, even when I was supposed to. The power I posses, was to protect those I care about, and as I already said it was tied to the life of my planet, so I expected to die when the planet destroyed itself. But I didn't. My brother is the only one, besides you now, who knows the true reason of my powers, and he believes something is keeping me alive; that there's something I must do before I can rest in peace. I believe it is this matters with our enemy, I must arrange everything, prevent them from destroying Gaea as they destroyed Earth. Just then will I be able to die peacefully."
"So, if I understood well, this enemy that will be arriving soon is…" Van began.
"They are those who were saved by the pact between nations." Iris finished for him. "Those who left Earth about six months before the last disaster stroke."
Van sighed, not knowing what to think. His last hopes where burning down, one by one. Merle looked at him, she could almost be sure she knew what he was thinking, it was pretty obvious.
"Excuse me." Van spoke again. "There's something I would like to ask you."
"What is it?" Iris asked as she slowly dried her tears.
"You know someone named Hitomi Kanzaki?" Van asked.
Merle sighed, she just knew he would ask for her.
Iris remained silent.
"You know what happened to her?" Van insisted. "Where she is? If she was saved, by you or by that pact?"
Queen Iris just looked at him straight in the eye.
"Why the sudden interest?" Iris asked.
"She's someone I…" Van was about to say love but changed his mind. "I care deeply about."
Iris sighed, almost imperceptive and shook her head slightly.
"I don't know." She replied standing up and going to the door. "Too much people, too much time. If you really are interested maybe you could go into the city and ask others, someone might just know that person you're looking for."
"And if she's not here?" Merle asked.
She knew her master too was thinking that, but wouldn't dare ask.
"You still have the hope that she'll be in the other ship." Iris replied "But I wouldn't keep hopes too high in that option."
"Why not?" Van asked.
"Because unless she was a very famous person in Earth and lived in a capital city, I doubt she was chosen." Iris explained. "And even if she was…we still are enemies."
Van was about to say something to that when she just exited the room.
Merle, with her very accurate hearing, could almost swear she had begun to cry again.
Hello!
One thing. You aren't liking this fic, or why do I get notice of so many hits and so little reviews. Critics are well accepted, as long as you don't try to offend me please I really need the reviews.
Don't forget, review!
Sayonara!