Here is the second half! Reminder, I don't own Escaflowne, just the plot line and few scattered characters.
Enjoy!-EmpKaylenatye
Chapter 12: The Circle Continues (Part Two)
Van and Dilandau seemed to be locked in an intricate dance as they battled on the forest floor. The Dragon Slayers stood still in their ring around the combatants, ready should their leader fall. Whit each clash of sword and shove, Van felt the impact through his bones.
"You can't win Dragon!" yelled out the madman. "I have been fighting you for three years and now I'm free to unleash my hatred against you. You will bow down to me!"
"I will never let someone like you win!" yet Van felt himself tire even after the strong words. He felt them move round and round the ring and at every pass more of his energy faded.
"I know your weaknesses King of Fanelia. You will see me defeat you."
Concentrating on Dilandau, Van failed to notice the Dragon Slayers behind him warm up their weapons getting ready for the signal to pin Van to the ground. As Dilandau moved Escaflowne into position, Vione raised his cannon to the ready position.
"You seem to be tiring king." laughed Dilandau.
Van bit back a retort that he knew would only fuel his opponent. However, it was true; he had begun to feel fatigued under the harshness of Dilandau's blows. Suddenly Dilandau raised his sword high giving too perfect of a shot for Van, but in his gut something didn't feel right. Before he could maneuver himself out of the way from the potential blow the Dragon Slayer behind him fired his cannon surrounding Escaflowne in metal bonds.
"No!" shouted Van as he fought against the bonds.
"Ha, ha, ha, yes king! You will die!"
As Dilandau's sword came swiftly down Van turned his head away from the deathly blow to come. The sound of metal being torn came to Van's ears, but when he opened his eyes he was surprised by the sight before him. Sherazade stood in front of him holding Dilandau's sword still while a small army of Astoria guymelefs had surrounded the Dragon Slayers. Two guymelefs had thrusted their swords into the Dragon Slayer behind Van stopping the enemy cold.
"Dragon Slayers, retreat!" came Dilandau's voice.
The Dragon Slayers left the battle in hast not wanting to end up like their comrade. One of the guymelefs that had struck the Dragon Slayer holding Escaflowne cut the cannon off the old Zaibach guymelef making the hot liquid spill from its chambers. With the metal bonds dissipating, Van could turn around to see his savors. He saw Sherazade standing with ten Astoria guymelefs behind him.
"I found these men having a training session not all that far away from here. I guess the Dragon Slayers didn't think about where their enemies might be." said Allen from his open cockpit.
"Well, I'm certainly glad that someone keeps them training hard." Van breathed in deeply from the exhaustion of the fight.
"We better head to the castle, I have a feeling there will be someone on pins and needles waiting for us to return."
Van nodded and followed the troop of guymelefs as they lead the way to Palas.
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Hitomi was livid. She paced the floor of her guest room angry at the way that Dryden had ordered Merle, Ilya, and herself to stay put. She kept reliving the argument that she had had with her 'cousin'.
"Why couldn't I have gone with Allen! Allen would have protected me from anything should I be in danger, and there was even a troop who could have taken out any of the Dragon Slayers. Van is my betrothed, fighting for his life out there and I can't be there for him!" Hitomi's temper was beginning to peak.
Dryden stood unflinching in the assault, "It would do us no good if both the king and the to-be-queen of Fanelia were killed." He waited for his words to sink in. Hitomi stopped pacing for a moment, "If for some reason Van couldn't have held off the Dragon Slayers they are most likely on there way here. You need to be safe and that is why I'm confining you to this room. There will be two guards outside of the door so don't get any ideas."
Merle watched as Hitomi paced the room in worry over Van; Ilya had curled up in her lap and had fallen asleep. It had taken a long time for her to accept that Van and Hitomi were meant to be together. She had accepted Hitomi as a big sister, like she thought of Van as her big brother. Hitomi had stood with Merle as they watched Escaflowne become encircled by the guymelefs. Ilya had stayed curled around Hitomi as she held the little girl in her arms. The to-be-queen was silent up until they had spotted the training guymelefs not far from Van. Hitomi and Merle both begged to be left with Allen, but Dryden and Millerna held them back.
Hitomi couldn't take it any longer. Her nerves told her that she couldn't wait locked up in a little room. Investigating the door, Hitomi could hear the two guards talking with one another just outside the door. Walking away, Hitomi decided to have a quick look in the bathroom. Opening the door she saw the seat for the chamber pot, the wash basin, and the servant's door. The servant door was shorter than a normal door, and blended with the paneling. Peaking back into the sitting room, Hitomi saw Merle's own head dipping ever so slightly. 'Now's my chance! I can use the servants' passage to get to the outside and wait for Van. Merle will watch Ilya for me. I just can't wait here any longer.'
Closing the bathroom door, Hitomi pried open the knob-less door with her finger nails. She had to strain her eyes a bit in the weak tunnel light. The candles that were lit in tiny alcoves were spaced far a part. Moving quickly, there were very few who could have identified who she was. Mostly the servants were hurrying about their chores to notice someone else in the dark tunnel. Smells of fresh baked bread came from an adjacent tunnel. Deciding that it would be the best start into the castle, Hitomi ventured down the short passage.
The heat from the kitchen fires was the first thing that Hitomi felt as she stepped out into the room. Kitchen maids and cooks worked around various pots and work tables. Seeing a chicken being freshly chopped was enough for Hitomi to quickly leave the kitchen. Finally out in the main hall Hitomi made her way to the front gates. She was feeling very proud of herself for the fact that no one had noticed her until she saw her come around the corner heading to the kitchen.
"Arch-Duchess Hitomi Ki-Aijou, what a pleasant surprise to see you here in Palas!" Lady Serra sauntered over to the lady.
Hitomi kept her eyes from rolling as Lady Serra neared her. "It is nice to see you as well."
"So what brings you to the kingdom of Astoria?" drawled Lady Serra.
"Queen Millerna and I are good friends. She thought that after the ball, I deserved a short break near the blue ocean. What brings you to Astoria from the mountains?"
"Oh, my scientists are working on a project that some of the research is located in the famous library of Palas. It was a good pairing when Millerna finally gave Dryden permission to marry her. The sheer number of resources here are astounding." Hitomi could see the vague enthusiasm in Lady Serra's eyes.
"By the way, where is King Fanel? I would figure the two of you would be inseparable at this time."
Hitomi debated how much she could tell the woman, "We had a bit of difficulty getting here."
"Oh?" Hitomi could hear the dryness in her voice.
"There is nothing you need to worry about Lady Serra. I'm sure Van has taken care of the matter completely. If you will excuse me, I'm going to go greet him as he comes."
As she began to leave Lady Serra called down the hall to her, "I hope that he returns before nightfall. Apparently the Mystic Moon will be full tonight and there is no telling what dangers come out from it's light."
Hitomi was only slightly nerved by the comment, but continued to walk down the hall.
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Van watched the guymelefs in front of him open the gates to the armory part of Palas. Around the training grounds were many soldiers and other guymelefs practicing their skills against one another.
"Allen, I'm surprised that with the end of the war the guard would be more lax, but it looks as if they are training for a second coming."
"King Dryden didn't feel like being caught off guard after the last war." Allen answered simply.
The two larger guymelefs walked up to special holding racks. Mechanics surrounded the two famous guymelefs, specifically awing over the legendary Espano guymelef. They hustled to lock the guymelefs into place so they could begin their work. Van waved them away from Escaflowne saying he would be taking care of his own guymelef. Walking away from the hanger the two were discussing the new training facility as Dryden and Millerna came up to them.
"You came back!" cried Millerna.
"If he didn't there would have been a very angry wife-to-be trying to come and kill Van herself." Laughed Allen.
"You better believe it!" huffed Hitomi from behind the royal couple.
"Hitomi! How were you able to leave the room?" Dryden's jaw seemed to hit the ground.
"Don't every try and keep me away from a battle. I may be scared of the fight, but at least I know what is going on." Hitomi walked around to Van who embraced her tightly.
"I was worried." Whispered Hitomi barely loud enough for Van to hear.
"You must be exhausted," said Hitomi a little louder, "Let me take you back to our room."
As Hitomi lead Van away Millerna turned to Dryden, "I told you she would get out no matter what."
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As Hitomi lead Van into their room, he began to feel weary from the day's events. Van could barely take off his shoes before he landed face first onto the bed. Hitomi looked around the room seeing where Merle and Ilya went, but figured that the two had retired to their own room.
"Would you like me to give you a massage before bed?" Hitomi had begun to change into her night clothes. Van could only grunt an agreement from his prostrate position on the bed. Silently giggling, Hitomi went over to the bed and began to rub his back. Feeling as if she couldn't get enough leverage, Hitomi decided to straddle Van's legs. The sudden weight on the back of his legs startled Van, but he soon forgot all about it as the knots in his back were being worked away.
"Would it be easier for you if my shirt was off?" said Van slightly muffled through the blankets.
"Yes," half sitting up Van took off his shirt and lay back down. This time Hitomi sat on his tight butt and continued to knead at his skin. As he continued to relax, Van found himself tightening in other places from Hitomi's touch. Hitomi was also aware of herself as she massaged Van; her lower areas began to rock of their own free will.
Feeling her movements Van could no longer contain himself. Suddenly turning over, Van held on to her hips keeping Hitomi on top. Feeling his hard member, Hitomi moaned. Reaching down Hitomi pulled away the ties holding his pants and let the hard member meet with the cool air. Slowly rubbing the sensitive shaft, Hitomi watched as Van's eyes rolled back in pleasure. Hitomi menstruation felt so good that Van found it hard to control himself. He felt her own head growing between her legs and decide to do something about it. Grabbing her waist, Van slightly picked her up maneuvering her over his erection. Seeing her nod slightly Van let her slide down and take him in fully. It wasn't long before Hitomi responded to the new sensations. Soon low moans were given by both parties as they rubbed hard against one another. Feeling about to topple over the edge, Van thrust hard sending both lovers over. Exhausted from the physical activity Hitomi collapsed on to Van's stomach.
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The trees and flowers had always seemed vibrant in Folken's dream, but now the forest held a color of gray. Swiftly running to their meeting place, Folken found the blonde sitting on the fallen log. Even her skin seemed to lack its healthy color.
"Ilissa, what's wrong." He walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her delicate frame.
Her voice came out breathless and tired. "I have spared your brother some extra protection for a time. I can't be long because I have another dream weaving to do."
"You can't be doing this to yourself Ilissa." He had reached out, prepared for her to flinch away, but she didn't move. His hand gently cupped her chin as she was forced to look up at him.
"I'm afraid the destruction will come if something isn't done."
Ilissa pulled Folken's metal right hand down to her lap and opened his fingers. She placed a trinket into his hands before closing it.
"I meant to return this to you when I had the chance."
Tears were evident in her eyes as she searched his stone face, but before he was allow to respond, Ilissa had faded and so did the dismal forest. Opening his eyes Folken looked at his right hand to see it clenching something. Letting the object fall into his lap Folken felt his heart clench for the first time in years. The trinket was a thin chained, antique gold necklace with tiny glass beads attached at a few points. It was a gift that he had given his elusive love years ago before the trial to become king. Even in the low light he could see them sparkle like her eyes when she smiled at him. 'I will never see those eyes again. I let her go, how could I have been so wrong…' Folken continued to berate himself in his prison, feeling the weight of the chains crushing his heart.
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The windows were left open to bring in a cool breeze from the night. A hint of salt water mixed in with the gardens outside. Van and Hitomi lay in bed holding one another just letting their lives unwind for a moment before sleep would over take them.
"What a horrible day." Hitomi said with a sigh.
Van kissed the top of her head as he pulled her closer, "Oh, I don't think it was all that bad."
Hitomi playfully swatted a hand that was creeping along a very ticklish stomach. "You know what I was talking about." Van nodded his head and started to gently stroke her arm.
"I just can't believe that Dilandau is alive. Are you sure it was him?"
"I can never forget that laugh." Van's body seemed to stiffen around Hitomi.
"I'm sorry I shouldn't have brought that up. It was amazing that Escaflowne seemed to appear right when we needed it."
"I think that the dragons are connected to this some how. There isn't much that we know about them. All that we know are some basic habits that can be observed from afar." Van bent to kiss her head again. "Don't worry about that now. You have other, more enjoyable things to think about, like the wedding."
Hitomi groaned and buried her face into Van's shoulder who only laughed at her reaction. When Hitomi removed herself from the brooding position, she propped her body on her elbows to look at Van.
"Ilya said something today that I think you should know."
Van looked at her with serious eyes, "When I found her on the deck, she said that the bad men are here. Ilya said that before to me the morning after you had found her. You don't think that her family was attacked by the Dragon Slayers?"
"It would make sense, but when you told me about her talking to someone who couldn't be seen, I just can't help but think that she is keeping us from something." Hitomi nodded an agreement before nuzzling back into Van's arms as they drifted off to sleep.
A shadow moved away from the window sill and hopped up to the roof. Going unnoticed by the guards on the ground, it crept above the guest rooms until coming to one with the balcony doors wide open. The shadow stopped by the bad where Lady Serra sat dressed in a night robe with documents strewn around her.
"My lady, she is the girl from the Mystic Moon."
"Good, alert the Dragon Slayers and send my son to me in the morning."
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Keep reading and thank you for the reviews!
EmpKaylenatye