The Legend of Liocorna
Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne!!
I am soooooooo sorry, that it took me so long to write this chapter, but I finally found a way to transfer my Chapters from my Laptop to my PC at home. Again, I am sorry and if you need further explanation, please read the disclaimer that I posted with my other story in the 7th chapter (As long as I Live). Now, read and ENJOYYYYYYYYYY…
Chapter 13: On the Way
An eerie silence lay across the capital of Freid as the sun stood still high in the sky. No dogs ran around, no children played and laughed in the sandy streets, not even one soul was out today to do their daily shopping or to gossip with their friends about the newest talk straight from the palace servants, as it was always assured to be.
The citizens of the proud and normally friendly country called Freid had already been evacuated some hours ago and where being mostly shipped towards the neighbouring countries or in extra for such an emergency build underground caverns to keep them all from harm. They had enough food and water down there to last them for several weeks if necessary. The different entrances were easy to defend from the inside and could be blocked by boulders through a difficult but simple to use mechanism.
Also, the Duke Chid had discussed this for with quite a while with his Captains and advisers and they all had come to the decision to give their enemy a very warm "welcome"...
Explosive powder once gotten through a trade with Zaibach had been put on and around the city walls and a few docent Guymelefs where stationed near the palace walls. This gave a very big advantage for a surprise attack on the foe and an easy to defend station.
But the main stream of the army where accompanying their young Duke and his friends to the Temple of Fortuna, for it seemed rather obvious that the main attack of the still unknown enemy was the temple with it's hidden draconian powers deep within.
There was a rumour going around the foot soldiers as they polished there weapons in the hangars of the ship, that the King of Fanelia himself would try to awaken the ancient and great power so they would easily triumph over their foes, since it was common knowledge of his dead mothers heritage. But a much greater rumour on board the ships was, that the long lost seer from the Mystic Moon, the girl who had helped win the war against Zaibach many year ago and had then gone back to her home planet, was with the Duke and the rest, aiding them once more with her supernatural powers of foresight and maybe even more still unknown. This rumour was especially welcomed since it gave the soldiers the confidence they would probably need for their upcoming battle. A battle, that could decide the future of all Gaia and the Mystic Moon, but they didn't know that. Even if they had known, the reassurance that the seer would protect them and that the King would drive away the enemies was all they needed to know. How very true it was in many ways...
~~~~~~~~~~~~ On the bridge of the Duke's ship~~~~~~~~~
"Finally, we will be arriving at the temple in a short while. Maybe then we will finally get some answers… What do you think of all this Hitomi? How do our chances against the enemy stand?"
Dryden turned his face towards the figure standing beside the fanelian King after his question had hung in the room for a few seconds. She had taken of the hood of her cloak, showing her shining green eyes and the white headband around her forehead. She still wore her cloak thought, as if wanting to shut out the world outside with it. They all felt and saw the changes in her, especially since she had recovered from her bad injuries already completely. Even as she was just now standing there at the window beside them she had an almost strange sort of calmness around her and yet a slight fear and uncertainties flickered now and then in her eyes like the rays of the sun sparkling on the surface of a smooth running river. Her voice was only a little above a whisper, yet everyone heard and understood her words clearly as if trapped in a enchanting spell:
"I do not know Dryden. Everything is shrouded in mystery before me, like a thick unmoveable fog. Sometimes a see a flash of light in front of me, then a hint of blackness, a fire burning for eternity and blood raining from heaven. Then there is nothing around me and yet there is something there warning me of..."
Hitomi suddenly held her head in both her hands, breathing coming out in small ragged breaths as she gasped in evident pain. The Vision or what ever it was she was experiencing seemed to hit her with such force, that Hitomi staggered backwards only to be caught by her beloved standing beside her and pulling her back to him:
"Hitomi! Is everything okay? Did you see anything?"
Her eyes were slightly glazed over but yet she seemed to see everything around her as her gaze drifted slowly over the rest assembled on the bridge, sending an ice-cold shiver down their spine. The look she gave them was haunting, it was not one you could expect of a normal human being her age or even decades older, but rather one of someone who has seen over centuries pain in many forms and many ways, knowing want can be and must be done to stop it, showing great wisdom and power. Her voice still seemed to be hers although the calmness and the immense hidden strength behind the words she now spoke was unnerving to all of them (a pair guards standing in the doorway even attempting to draw their swords only to notice their hands shaking to much from fear):
"There is a darkness ahead of us, ahead of every single one who now is with me in this room. You may be all strong in body and mind with great friends to trust, but this is a darkness every one may has to defeat on their own, in their own way. You may not even realise it until you have driven it away or it has swallowed you whole for it will attack in many different ways; by the heart, the inner mind, the things you will soon see, the things you have already seen, the things you feel, the things you decide or even from the very depth of you own soul, your essence of live.
It is spreading itself with great care, trying not to be noticed. It has been born through only one single person's hatred, by his disbelieves and misjudges, by his long banishment of the outside world and his great loneliness through that banishment. He longs to destroy and yet hopes to safe something that shouldn't and will probably never be again. The things he thinks he has seen for the future by the unknown gods themselves have crazed him. Nothing will be able stop him if the powers do not manage to grow back together as one at the right time in the exact right moment of the last battle. Only then may the old come together again and the power may leave to rest in the hearts of the planes of the old and new land. Only then, the peace everyone here seeks can be attained and will hold as long as the wish of human kind stays strong in the hearts of men. I…"
She seemed to want to continue to tell them everything they had to know, but the same force as before must have hit her for she staggered once again back as if someone had punched her in the face. And again Van caught her with great care in his arms as Hitomi tried to control her ragged breathing. The room every single one was silent. Only the engines from far down of the inner ship could be heard quietly through the open doors.
No one knew what to say, all contemplating on what Hitomi had just said to them but it somehow made no sense to them, at least most of the parts. The thought of such a darkness as Hitomi had tried to explain was frightening, even to the Knights of Heaven, Allen Schezar. He had seen many deaths and other cruel things but to know that someone or something would be or was just now at the moment trying to gain control of him or somebody else he held dear to him was nearly bringing him to the brink of panicking but he caught himself at the last moment. He was determined not to lose to anything that brought danger to his friends and he saw the same emotions reflected on his comrades.
They eventually all came out of their trance like state to the fullest as a soldier strode through the door, bowing deeply and bringing the message of their soon arrival at the Fortuna Temple. Every ones thoughts instantly drifted to their soon to see destination. Only two remained in their embrace a bit far of from the rest, who now stood near the windows or even retired to their small rooms.
Van had turned Hitomi around so he could look at her and embrace her tightly. Her hands slowly came around his upper torso, head resting on his chest while he rested his chin on top of her hair. They just stayed like that, reassured through the feeling of being close together in each other's arms. She let out a small sigh, snuggling closer to him for comfort. He rapped his arms more securely around her petit frame:
"Everything okay again? How are you feeling?"
"Fine. Maybe a bit shaky on my legs, but okay. When will we probably arrive?"
"It should only be a few more minutes. What are you going to do once we get there?"
"I'm not quite sure myself. I think I'll have a look inside the temple again. Maybe, just maybe there is something there that can help us."
"What about the power still within the temple? Could it help?"
"I don't know if that would be a wise idea. That person in my vision may only have managed to use the power after he… he… killed you, but we don't know what the power will do when we release it now. Your people normally used to be gifted to use the power from birth but you yourself never really used it. The power may be not so much as it was in the beginning, but it is still much for one person, since it once all Draconians got their power on Gaia from here."
Van thought about Hitomi's words for a while. There was still plenty of the ancient power and to much for to control all at once without any training for a longer time being. At least not enough to end the upcoming battle victoriously for their own side. He leaned in a bit closer to her ear as he whispered:
"What about you? Can you do something to protect the temple? Maybe another barrier or other defences or…"
Hitomi's fingers softly brushed his lips to silence him. Van obeyed as he observed her. She did not make any other move except to look out of the corner of her eyes up to him as she quietly whispered back:
"I do not know how the barriers power would react to that uncontrolled one in the temple. It could increase it or, if we are not so lucky, reduce it. Besides I also don't know what might happen if I make myself seen to early…"
There was a few moments silence between the two, still unnoticed by the others who were to occupied with different things to take a look in the corner where they stood, half covered by shadows. Van had started to trace Hitomi's spine with his fingers, making her shiver slightly at the gentle touch. She closed her eyes again and began to hum softly that mysterious melody with those words that made no sense to him but enchanted him. His voice suddenly penetrated her humming:
"You know, that was the first time you admitted something about your powers. I didn't you would just start to speak about them so… openly."
She looked up at him, her eyes as bright as ever with that calm look she had had all the while during the journey. The calmness in her eyes seemed to protect her like an invisible aura and also soothed his inner mind, making it much easier to think then usually in such a situation.
"I do not think that it would have been very good to deny this still in front of you. After all, you already saw some of my powers when I healed your beautiful wings, my gorgeous Angel *a little blushing from Van* .*sigh* I just wish, I could tell you everything here and now, but something inside of me is still holding back, warning me that it could bring you into great danger, a danger from which I could not protect you."
"Great danger? Even more dangerous then now?"
Hitomi only nodded her head as she buried her head into the crook of his neck. Oh, how she wished that she had never got him and the others involved so much with all this. She smiled at remembering the outburst Millerna had had when Hitomi had finally gotten out of bed in Palas together with Van. She had rambling on and on of how she could have just run away not telling where she was heading and what she was about to do and that she had left them with a sulking Van at the hand and if she had ever tried to get that stubborn mule that called himself king up and going again at least a little bit. Her smile grew even wider when she had seen the funny look on Van's face at hearing himself being called a stubborn mule, sulking little kid of three, mister "my-love-has-left-me-so-I'm-going-to-do-no-more-kingly-work-untill-she-is-back" and many other things. She had also finally met Millerna's little daughter Lienna a gorgeous girl with the blond hair of her mother and the already all knowing smile of her father. Merle, of course, had hugged her to death and after she had teased Hitomi of Van staying all night in her room and what had probably happened, she had teased her back about her "boyfriend" Ress of which Van had told her about and who later had to hide from Merle's furry for a while. It had just been like in old times, times Hitomi had missed greatly.
A sudden movement of the ship brought the two out of their thoughts. They looked up and through the window, seeing a long plane of grass where the ship was about to land as many others who had escorted them as well. A bit of in the distance you could see the enormous stone temple with it's magnificent carvings. But even farther of at the mountaintops not far from the temple they could already make out figures of Guymelefs standing ready to fight.
The enemy had already arrived.
Chapter end.
Okay, so this wasn't very much and the information was probably totally confusing and there are still not all secrets lifted (and will not be in the next chapter surely as well *eg*), but I have managed to update and I once again hope you can all forgive me for the long wait. But as to cheer you up, I can already tell you that I got man new ideas for many new stories! May take some time to get them all ordered out and I have already started writing first chapters but firstly, I'm going to finish these two stories (this one and As long as I Live) then we will se which story will come next. Here are some titles for the stories I have got in mind, but I won't tell ya, what will happen in them just now.
Loved Enemy
Dragon Child, half-hearted Child
The Dream Marriage
Black Dragon Pirate
Not knowing what to think of it all
Souls drifting in Darkness
I think that were all stories so far and except for they are all going to be AU, the last one mentioned picking up the story line from one of the Esca-Episodes. Hope, that you will also read them when I bring them out into the open *g*. CIAO!!