A/N: I know that it has been an incredibly long time since I have updated. Since that I need to refocus the story a little bit so if you are confused just yell at me, but know that it will make sense soon. Thank you for the reviews and keep writing them.
Chapter 19: Waiting for the Right Time
The stars had been out for hours and the two moons had nearly finished their rotation when the Crusade landed outside of Fanelia's gates. Everyone went to their rooms. Those who didn't have one were escorted to guest rooms. One person didn't feel the need for sleep and so took a walk through the castle gardens. Folken wandered around letting his feet take him where his memory directed him.
The waning moonlight led him to the temple of the dragons. Here his ancestors prayed to their dragon gods. He smiled bitterly knowing that the cursed dragon armor had once resided inside the walls and it was his goal to obtain the armor. Now his brother controlled the beast and Folken was glad not to have the responsibility. When he was training to become Fanelia's next king his teachers burned the ideals of his lineage into his memory. Folken looked above the alter seeing the old stone tablet that no one knew how to read since it was in draconian, but everyone knew the meaning by heart. 'To never waver from duty of country and let no tyranny enter the land.' That was the basic meaning. The ideals had lost their way in Folken's heart while in the service of Dornkirk. It wasn't until he had first rejoined his brother that they had started whispering to him again. It was those ideals that had given him strength enough not to give into Lady Serra.
"I see you can't sleep either." Van moved to stand beside his brother. He also looked up at the stone tablet that rested in its spot. It was a wonder the alter and stone tablet had not been destroyed during the war three years ago. Most of the temple's north and western side had not been touched and everything else had been rebuilt according to the old records.
"I never thought that I would see Fanelia like this again. Your love for your country runs deep into the soil brother." A chilling breeze had blown his long hair over his eyes. He used his metal hand to push it out of his way. The little moon light shined off of the metal and made Van turn towards him.
"You were supposed to rule." Van said bluntly.
Folken shook his head, "By birthright yes, but I never really wanted the obligation. I was too much of a follower and a watcher. I couldn't lead people or make things happen like you Van. I don't feel like I even belong here anymore."
Van put a hand on the mechanical shoulder, "You are always welcomed home brother. No one here will accuse you for your decisions, least of all me."
"Thank you."
Van looked around at the temple from the dais where Escaflowne appeared to the pillars holding the dome above the ground. This had been his refuge during the years before he became king. It was the place that made him feel safe and it was also his place to think away from the palace.
"Lady Serra now knows that the next pillar is in the Mystic Valley. If Dilandau remembers anything, he will know how to get there. Where you able to read far enough ahead to know the final pillar's location?" Van began to wander down the western side of pillars with Folken following him.
"Thankfully yes, but it is that information has me still awake. The final pillar was said to be in a temple of it's worshipers. Since the pillars were made by the draconians, where would the temple be on Gaia?"
"Maybe the pillar is in Freid. We could ask Chid if he has seen it or look through his library to see if it passed through his kingdom."
"I don't think that it is there. The key to their knowledge was stored in the Fortona temple; I don't think that the draconians would have put both of those in the same place."
Van thought about where the next pillar might be, but nothing seemed to be popping out at him. As far as he had been told, Fanelia was the last place to worship the dragons. While he continued to walk, Van let his left hand brush up against the pillars as he had as a child. The stones were dirty from the dust created by the newer parts of the temple. When he had reached the length of the wall something felt wrong to him. He stopped and looked back the way he had come.
"What is it Van?" Folken had just followed Van lost in his own thoughts, he now stood by his side looking back as well.
Van quickly walked back the same way, this time holding out his right hand as he passed the pillars. Folken followed with a confused face.
"When you," Van halted for a moment, "left Fanelia, I would come here to play. I don't know how many times I ran my hands against these pillars counting each one."
Van looked Folken straight in the eyes. "There is an extra pillar on this side."
Folken looked over at the eastern side of the temple and counted six pillars. When he looked over at the western side he could clearly see two pillars standing close together. Both men rushed over to the pillars.
"You don't think that the final pillar would be here." Asked Van. Folken only shrugged his shoulders.
"There is only one way to find out. I'll dust off the left one, Van, you take the right."
Both of them brushed off the dust on the lower part of the pillars, but it was a shout from Van that made Folken stop. With the pinkish light of morning coming over the horizon Folken was able to just make out the draconian inscriptions.
"This is the same writing as the other pillars, but why is there another pillar next to it?"
"When the builders came to restore the temple this pillar must have confused them so they put in another one next to it. Why don't I remember seeing this?" Van scratched at his head.
Folken pointed up to the top of the pillar and Van followed his lead. "It looks like there used to be ring holes up there. This pillar might have been covered by a tapestry for decades and it was finally torn down during the war."
Van shook his head. He turned to look at the slowly coloring sky. "Well, now all we have to do is destroy this pillar and Lady Serra will not have any way of turning on her weapon."
"I wouldn't use brute force on the pillar. Only the draconians know how much power is stored within one of these. Let's see if we can't find out any more before we hide it. It might work out better leaving it in plain daylight."
Van had walked to the outer part of the temple when he realized that Folken was no longer following him. "Aren't you going to get some sleep?"
Folken shook his head. "I have slept enough for one life time. I will sleep when I need it. I'll go to the library to see if I can't find something left by Dornkirk."
"Alright then, I will see you shortly since I don't think I will be able to sleep well knowing that this thing is here."
Van headed back through the gardens and to his chambers. He had nearly forgotten about the others when he saw Hitomi asleep in his bed. Moving around quietly, Van removed all but his underclothes and gently eased underneath the blankets. Hitomi felt him move and raised her head.
"Van? I was worried about you."
Bending over, Van kissed the woman's golden crown of hair before pulling her to his chest to lay down. "Don't worry beloved, I have good news for you in the morning, for now lets get some sleep."
Hitomi just numbly nodded her head against his chest before returning to sleep with Van shortly following.
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The Dragon Slayers had seen the smoke from miles away, but when they landed in the courtyard of the fort none of them had seen that much destruction since the war. Dilandau calmly walked up to his men.
"The dragon came."
"What!" said a shocked Gatti.
"It doesn't matter, right now we need to go and retrieve the final pillar for my mother. We will get revenge once the weapon is assembled. In three hours we will head out to the Mystic Valley in Asgard. Get the necessary equipment I will not wait for anyone."
Dilandau strode away towards his room when Lady Serra crossed along the half destroyed ramparts. She spotted the returned Dragon Slayers as they were walking towards the barracks.
"Chesta!" Looking up at her, Chesta nodded his head a broke apart from the group. He used the stairs to get to where she stood.
Chesta kneeled before her, "My Lady?"
"I need you to go on a mission for me."
"Where to my Lady?"
Lady Serra pursed her lips, "I need you to go to Fanelia and retrieve any information that you can. Use any means necessary to bring back the information. If you can, do not alert the king."
"Any means necessary?"
Lady Serra bent down and tapped on Chesta's chest. A metallic sound came from the body underneath the cloths. "Use what I have given you."
"Yes my Lady."
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Ilya silently opened the bedroom door that she and Merle shared. Slipping out into the hall she made her way around to the gardens passing many servants starting the day as the sun had just begun to rise. She went to the fountain in the garden hoping that today would be different. Taking off her necklace, Ilya let the pendant sink into the water as she held onto the string. Chanting a few words out loud she let the feeling of magic wash over her as it traveled down the necklace to the now glowing stone. As the water around it glowed brightly a few more words were said before the light faded.
Waiting pacently Ilya stared into the water.
"Ilissa, will you answer me?"
The water just cast back her reflection bent by the flowing water.
"Ilissa, please answer me." Tears started to fall down her face. Irritated Ilya sat hard on the edge of the fountain trying to wipe off the flow of tears.
"Why are you crying?"
Ilya jumped at Folken's voice. She looked up at him with pouting lips.
Folken sat next her on the fountain. "You look a lot like someone I know."
"I don't want to talk to you." Ilya got to her feet, but was stopped by Folken grabbing her arm.
"You must know Ilyssa."
Ilya's face flushed red. "You have no right to address my sister like that!"
"Would you let me talk with her?" Folken let the little girl rip her arm away.
"Never!" Ilya felt the pressure in her back swell and she let her body explode from the emotional turmoil. A flurry of white feathers sprouted from her back ripping through her night gown. There the little girl stood clutching her pendant and her white feathered wings spread behind her.
Folken was not phased by her transforming. "Ilya, I must speak to your sister."
"No!" Ilya started backing away from Folken. "Do you know what happened when the war came to Gaia?" Folken shook his head. Ilya continued as if it didn't matter. "My sister watched over this planet for days on end. The destruction from the Zaibach Empire should have been what made her cry, but it wasn't that. She should have let that dragon to finish you off at the beginning instead of saving your life like she said."
"Ilyssa saved-" Ilya cut off Folken's question.
"Stop talking about my sister. All of my life she has taken on the responsibility of her actions and was stuck making sure that you didn't destroy Gaea along with that stupid old man!"
Losing his patience Folken let his own emotions surface as black feathers sprouted from his back as he stood at full height his shirt just holding on by threads. "You have no idea what happens during a war. Souls are twisted into false ideals and people are made to kill one another." He was surprised to see that Ilya did not back down, instead her eyes glistened with tears.
"Do you know what made my sister cry during the war? It was you that she cried over every time she saw your face in the Hall of Memories. I begged her to stop loving you, but she always said that you can only forgive the one you fall in love."
Folken let her words sting his heart before he continued. "Ilya, why were you sent here?"
"Someone needed to guide the key. My sister was needed on Earth so I came in her place to watch over them."
"Were you the one that called Escaflowne to the fort?"
Ilya calmed down a bit, "Yes, I heard the prayer and sent the machine to Hitomi."
"Why is Hitomi and Van so important?"
Ilya quickly realized that she had said too much and ran off. Folken watched her as she leaped into the air and her wings carried her off the ground and to the stables where she disappeared through one of the hay stack bays. Letting his wings melt away behind him Folken stood puzzled at what the little girl was hiding. He continued walking to the castle where he bumped into Hitomi frantically searching for Ilya.
"Have you seen Ilya? Van needs to talk with her."
Folken nodded his head, "I need to talk with you and Van alone about Ilya."
"Did you talk to her?"
"She knows something. I know a little of it, but I need to know what you and Van know so far."
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Yukari waited for the afternoon tea to boil on the little burner. It was when she started pulling out the tea cups that Ilyssa started to stir from her resting place.
"Are you feeling any better?"
Ilyssa nodded her head as she looked out at the pouring rain. Yukari was waiting for Ilyssa to say something, but instead she just stared outside. Deciding that while the professor and Amano were putting their data into the computer it was up to her to get some answers out of Ilyssa.
"Ilyssa, do you have any special powers?" Immediately Yukari felt ridiculous for asking such a bold question. Yet, Ilyssa just turned to her with a small smile.
"I guess you could think of it that way, we liked to think of our abilities as the extension of our minds. The ancients were really people that had used their intelligence to better themselves. They created machines that made their thoughts into reality, but soon they out grew that and needed to expand their powers."
They grew dragons to host their powers and regenerate their energy supply. Many things were created from the drag-energists like the tower that connected the two worlds. After the fall of the Atlantians, their secrets to controlling most of that power was lost and became mystical instead of logical. Everything that I was taught was only what was handed down from generations. Unfortunately that is how the old language was lost. My family bloodline's concern was to guard the gate and the weapon that rested within it."
"That is a great deal to hold on your shoulders alone." The professor said from the doorway.
"My younger sister and I have been full filling this duty since the death of our parents. I'm afraid that I may have made her grow up too fast because of the responsibility."
"Nothing can help that now. Are you feeling better?" The professor moved to sit back in his comfortable chair.
"Yes, my 'powers' had been drained from me."
Yukari reddened at the comment. "Where you able to enter the data into the computer?"
Amano nodded, "We have it in. Now all we need to do is to get to Stonehenge."
"I don't have enough power to get all of us there." Said Ilyssa.
"As wonderful of an experience as that would be, putting such a drain on you would put our efforts to waste if you cannot help us. I think that a plane trip is in order. I believe that I should be able to have tickets ready for all of us in a couple of days."
"All of us Professor Tomoe?" questioned Yukari.
"Why of course! I need both of my assistants to help put this tablet back together when we get there. Begin packing up the tablet pieces and I will go get us four tickets to England."
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Hitomi and Van waited for Folken in the study. It wasn't long before he arrived in a fresh set of clothes. He wore a plain white dress shirt and blue slacks. A blue vest coat matched his pants. By his look it seemed as if Folken was only a merchant instead of royalty. They sat around the coffee table that had a small spread of food and drink for breakfast.
"I need to know what you know of Ilya." Folken said hastily.
Hitomi looked confused, "Why?"
"She is with holding information about herself from you."
Van agreed, "From what I have been able to find out is that she was put here. She was sent to guard Hitomi and I because we are the key to something."
"Also, she talks to this woman named Ilyssa, who is her sister. I've seen her a couple of times talking with her." Interjected Hitomi.
"So she has been talking with Ilyssa." Folken thought the information over. "When did Ilya arrive?"
"Only a couple of weeks ago when Hitomi came through the pillar of light, what do you know?" asked Van.
"I knew her sister." Folken looked up to see their stunned faces, "While I was training to become king, I stumbled upon her as she was training to become the guardian of the gate."
"Guardian of the Gate, do you mean guarding the weapon the Atlantians built?"
"Yes, she was one of the last in the line the other being her sister who wasn't born until after I left Fanelia. She always talked about her duty to me."
"Can you still talk with her?" Van asked urgently. "If you could we could finally get some answers."
Folken looked at the ground, "I have lost contact with her and I don't think that Ilya will allow me to talk with her sister. However, if Ilyssa has sent Ilya there must be something terrible about this weapon that she doesn't want to see happen."
"I don't understand." Hitomi reached for the decanter and poured herself some juice.
"True draconians were taught the art of reading the desires of others. Ilyssa must be watching what is going on and decided to take action. She sent you through the pillar of light, Hitomi, along with her sister."
"How can she do that?" questioned Hitomi.
Folken only shook his head, "I never asked her how she was able to make things happen. Only Ilyssa knows why you two are important, Ilya is only following orders to help and watch."
"We need to make Ilya tell us what is going on." Stated Van.
"That would be unwise. The draconians never wanted to interfere with those who lived on Gaea. Only in rare occasions did they jump back into our history."
"Like your mother," Van and Folken turned to Hitomi, "She was destined to meet your father and marry him. Now Ilyssa is trying to let us solve this problem on our own, but gave Ilya to help us."
"Well, if she is able to enlist the help of dragons and transport Escaflowne when it is needed then I won't complain. I wish we could ask Ilya more about this." Van ran his hand through his black hair.
"For now we should give Ilya some room to be herself. She has already grown-up too fast, all we can do is allow her to help when she can."
"Lets hope that is all the help we will need." Hitomi reached for Van's hand. He grabbed a hold and squeezed her hand reassuringly.
Folken smiled at the small gesture. "I'm glad that the two of you have each other."
Hitomi blushed, "Well, I'm glad that we are together now. By the way you said that you had good news."
A small smile appeared on Van's face. "Yes, we found the final pillar. I guess that it has been sitting under our noses the whole time."
"That's wonderful, I'll go get Dryden and Allen and tell them as well."
Folken rose from his seat, "I'm off to the library to see if any more documents can be found about the pillars. Come find me if you decide anything."
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Lady Serra sat in her makeshift war room, the other one having been destroyed by Escaflowne. It frightened her to see the cursed armor up and moving again. Even more so because the armor was moving without the pilot until Van climbed in. Currently she stared into the fire trying to not let the day's events rule her mind. The second to last pillar was in Asgard and the dragon slayers were leaving within the hour to obtain it. She had sent Chesta to Fanelia with the intensions of gaining information on the final pillar. Without it the weapon could not be reconstructed and that would not do.
A quiet knock on her door and the creak of the hinges was all that she heard as the servant entered the room.
"What is it?" she snarled.
The servant handed over a parchment and quickly left the room in the same silent manner. Lady Serra opened the scroll to see a message from her laboratories.
"My Lady,
Upon further investigation of the broken statue we discovered several drag-energist embedded into the stone. We conducted a few more tests and found that the other statutes also had drag-energists. The same tests were performed on the pillars and we were able to find that they too had drag-energists implanted. Other than that these objects are made of ordinary stone."
The new information made sense to Lady Serra. A slow murderous smile came to her lips. "Now my dreams will be heard and obeyed."
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Yes, another long one and I hope that this isn't too boring. More action to come in the next chapter and a big thank you to all of my readers.
-EmpKaylenatye