It's time Chapter 27, an escaflowne fanfic

Celena shivered at the cold voice in her head. She couldn't control him much longer and yet she was the one to lead these people? How was that possible? Celena could feel her body starting to change as she neared the awe inspiring city that had been so much the center of attention.

"I'm coming out." A cold voice said out loud.

"No." Celena was fighting back. She didn't want him released and yet there was no stopping it.

"Analous get her away from here! Dilandau is being drawn out by the mere presence of this place." Van ordered him. "Be careful, Dilandau was a blood lusting murderer, but don't kill her."

Vanel smiled and headed back to the back of the room seeing if there was anything else of interest. There was a porthole created that was just about completely closed up. "Oh no, you'll lead me to where I need to go." He said to himself not sure where this was going to lead him. It was painful going through this porthole but it led straight into a special room. She had just been in here but when he was about to leave the room he found that he couldn't leave the room without being caught.

"Who are you? Why do you impersonate one of my people?" A woman had ripped Loanna robes off. Loanna remained silent. "You mock me by your silence." Princess Najeh was saying. "Ahhhhhhhh………" Najeh clutched her head as if some great pain was running through it. "Take her away from here."

Najeh stood up, "What was that?" She stumbled into the room.

"I know someone's here."

'Don't you know? The time for your true power to come out is about to be revealed.' A voice said in her head.

"What do you mean?"

'The chosen one has been training you on the use of your powers. He doesn't know the full extent but you will have to work with the Temple of Atlantis.'

"The Temple of Atlantis, you have to be kidding me?'

"Yes the chosen one has already told you this.'

"He may well have but you do realize that the Chosen One has a name right?" She thought of all the times he had grimaced when he called her that. Oh he didn't do it always physically, however it had been done mentally. He always tried to keep a tight control on what was going on around her and him. She also knew that for some reason he was scared.

'I see you have chosen.'

"What do you mean by that?"

'You have chosen the one to take as your husband.'

"You should know that I can't take a husband. I have a people to lead once they are found again."

Loanna was becoming worried about him. He had closed himself off for the last two days. The only time he had opened up was when he had been training her. However, then he would completely clear his mind because he wanted her to concentrate on what he had told her to do. Her power had grown but she wasn't sure how much or what was next. Let me see if I can catch him unawares.' She had never tried to do this someone without looking them straight in the eye but she could at least try.

She kept up with them while they all walked and opened her mind. She reached out but she reached beyond Vanel. She saw naught but black voids with little white light that were almost imperceptibly impossible to see. All but one, unlike the rest of the group where no emotions lie, there was confusion here. The little white dot was a little bit bigger. There was question as if to wonder of this was right. She gasped as the blackness tried to completely over take her.

"What's this I see?" A sorcerer looked into the water pool that kept them connected with their workers.

Another watched with interest. "This girl who is she?"

"I think it's time to start finding out."

-Hitomi-

The table was cold but she knew that she wasn't g going to be seeing her husband before the ball. Her son was here, she knew it and she could feel him. There was a new power building up but that power was going to be beaten because of this. Meiden wanted power but he wasn't getting it from them. There were only two people that he could draw the power of Atlantis from now and they were her husband and her son. They were both here.

The table was cold and she felt tears drop down her eyes knowing what was coming and knowing that she would fight it in every way possible. 'Please Van, remain safe."

Najeh stood up, "What was that?" She stumbled into the room.

"I know someone's here."

-Vanel-

Vanel tossed and turned. The scene had changed and there was fear all through the air. He was being beat to a bloody pulp while Loanna lay passed out tied to a chair. She was pale and he could not get to her no matter what he did. Whether she was really dead or not was left to be determined. What happened here? Where was he?

The room spiraled to reveal no edges whatsoever. It had a perfect diameter all around and there was no one in the room currently. That was until he looked up to see his Okaasan watching with tears streaming down her eyes. 'Okaasan, I don't know why but you can't see this.'

The vision ended and Vanel had to sit for minute. Loanna lifted his head to give him some water. "I'm fine."

"You're so fine that you were flying on air." She muttered.

"Oh great, it appears when the time comes all will be revealed."

"When the time comes it won't matter." She whispered. (Chapter 16)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Escaflowne series. I only own the plot and the DVD's. I'll talk to you later. Arigato and ja ne!

Chapter 27

Analous took Celena's arm and had begun to lead her away from the area. He had heard about Dilandau many times. He was used now to scare children into submission when they didn't want to mind. His own mother had used that on him but when she had used that when they had been in front of Lord Van in his younger years Lord Van looked every bit the formidable menace that you could against an enemy. He could still remember the king's expression. The expression still sent shivers going down his spine.

Of course running through these caves was completely out of the question as it would draw unwanted attention to them. He would just have to hope that he remembered the way out and that Dilandau didn't make his appearance. He would have to do more than that. He had to pray.

"Analous you have to promise me one thing, if he makes an appearance you have to kill me." Celena whispered. She was having a harder time fighting it than she thought that she was going to have.

"You heard the king's orders. I can't do that."

"You don't understand! You have to because if I don't win this battle he will win and he will take up where he left off." Celena yanked his hand back.

"Only if I have to milady." He half promised her. It was against his nature to kill people but women were on the top of that list.

Celena sighed. That was the best that she was going to get and she knew it. Analous continued leading away, he hoped from Atlantis but he was no longer sure of the direction that he had come in. This place was a maze and he didn't know how he was going to get through.

Celena had almost stopped fighting him but not quite. When Analous turned around to see why there was a man in his arms with a scar on his left cheek and his left hand brushing the cheek. "He will pay for scarring my beautiful face." The look that the man gave him was colder than ice with a look that said he would do anything for a kill.

-Loanna-

Loanna was dragged off to the dungeons that she had previously walked through. It was strange all of this. Why was she putting faith in a man that irritated the living daylights out of her? The answer was simple. She trusted what her instincts and voices said.

Then the answer wasn't so simple either. She knew that as well. She knew that the voices that continued in her head were right. She had been love with him but she hadn't been willing to allow herself to admit it. How far was she willing to go to protect this one man?

'It will take all you have to protect him.'

'You know you're almost as irritating as he is.'

"Move." She knew that they weren't going to stop here though. They were going to take her to the torture chambers that she had seen in one of his suppressed visions she had found when she connected with him. 'You'd better be right Vanel Slanzar de Fanel; I have no desire to give you or my people away.'

His voice kept echoing through her head. "The only thing that they will get out of you is your name."

"So you're the one that has my sorcerers so curious. You will be an excellent addition to my people. That is after we have some entertaining fun with you. Strap her down." He waved his hand to the metal table.

Loanna gulped in fear. This wasn't going to end well in the least. She gave a silent prayer to the gods hoping that they would hear it. A shock went through her system that would have knocked her unconscious if she hadn't been fighting it. "You feel that? That is what you will feel if my questions aren't answered. If I get tired of you not answering my questions then I will not hesitate to make you one of my mindless little puppets and then put you in pain because you don't know the answers to what I need to know. It will eventually kill you, slowly but it will."

Loanna said nothing to the man. "Who are you?"

Loanna said nothing to him as his hand pushed down on the lever. "Why are you here?" The questions continued, "What do you want? What kind of powers do you have? Why are you not among my people?" The shock treatments continued. Something else had been brought into the room. "Lord Meiden, the fountain mirror you requested."

Loanna gulped, she knew that this could not be good. "Now maybe I will get some answers. Loanna thought back to her training with Vanel. "You must clear you mind." It wasn't what he meant but in this situation she hoped that it worked.

Thirty minutes passed and they were still getting nothing. The voltage that he had been using on her had gone up and she could no longer hold her head up. The girl could no longer keep her head clear and she was about to completely pass out. "Milord, take a look." They saw a young woman leading people out of a village in the darkest hour of the night. There were about twenty of the youth that were supposed to fulfill their Destiny. He imagined the youth that they had gone to pick up a few days later.

"She leads them. Find where she was taken from and take her to a cell. When she wakes up we will start again." Meiden left the room more than a little upset that she had fought against him so hard. What was he supposed to do with a stubborn leader?

-Normal-

Meiden left the current chambers and went to see how his sorcerers were doing with the queen of Fanelia. The last time he had checked on them they were having little to no luck getting a grasp of her soul. What was it about these people that made them so strong? Were they becoming immune to the use of these strategies?

"How is she doing?"

"She's alive but Lord Meiden, she continues to fight us even though she has become weaker. We will have to try something else. What do you have in mind?" Meiden asked touching the soft face of the queen.

"We need to use a soul reversal technique that has never been tried. It's dangerous and we have never used it before."

"Will it kill her?"

"No, she will survive and do your bidding." The lead sorcerer responded.

"So if I ordered her to marry me and become my queen she would?"

"Yes, she would though something like that may trigger her memories and her soul to come back."

"Do it." Meiden had an evil glint in his eyes. "Lady Hitomi will be my wife and the power of Atlantis will be mine."

The sorcerers nodded their head in understanding. They had traded one power hungry man for another but they thought nothing of it. The only difference was that this man thought nothing of human life and what his workers thought.

-Vanel and Princess Jonarc-

Najeh stood up, "What was that?" She stumbled into the room.

"I know someone's here."

Vanel didn't make a sound for fear of her finding him. He tried to shrink even farther behind the shelf but that just didn't seem to be working. However, one of his headaches had started and that could only mean one thing.

'Princess Najeh was looking at one of the stalls in the Fanelian market place when she felt something that was out of place but she couldn't see anything so she just went back to looking.

Looking over her shoulder again she headed to where her mother had been a few minutes ago. Chances were that it was nothing but she had probably learned to follow her instincts being a princess. If she hadn't then she probably wouldn't survive. Besides she wouldn't have anything to worry about. Her parents as well as the Fanelian king had guards all over the place. He even doubled up the guards when he knew that there was other royalty besides him and his family.

Something seemed to grab her from behind and then placed a hand over her mouth. No one was really paying any attention to her as they wandered the streets going about the day's business. They disappeared and she had passed out. When she awoke she found herself in an unfamiliar room. Only to find that she was going back to sleep but Vanel saw people in large capes and straight black leather like suits. Najeh was hooked up to a bunch of machines and while one wire turned blue another was turning a reddish black. It was like there was something being replaced. "She has already met the chosen one. This will be the only way to try to counteract what he could have possibly done." One of the men said to another man the looked familiar but he could not quite place.

"How did this happen. You assured me that they wouldn't even be able to get beyond the Mystic Moon."

"She has become stronger milord. The child that she bore is more powerful than either of the Atlantean parents. He is the last of the true born Atlanteans that hold the power of sight and flight."

"He doesn't know how to use those powers though."

"We hope that is the case milord because once you bring the Atlantis family completely together there is no stopping them from destroying your well laid plans."

'The human will is stronger than Lord Meiden has taken into account. Your family must complete this task to be complete Vanel.'

"Grandma?" Vanel looked the direction of the voice.

'You must show yourself to her now while she can help you. Soon they will find her and redo what they have done and only the one that she loves can bring her out of this.' His great grandma appeared beside him.

'Trust your instincts, child, they will guide the way you should go.'

Vanel took a deep breath and stepped out of his hiding place. Princess Najeh looked at him and everything that had happened flashed before her eyes.

"Najeh you have to wake up." He pat her cheek hoping that it would work.

Najeh looked at him with everything flashing before her. "Princess you have to tell me where they are keeping Loanna and my mother." Vanel demanded.

"Prince Vanel it's been a while." She had to think for a minute on the intricate halls through the area. "I don't have long." She quickly drew a map for him to follow. They'll find out that all my memories have resurfaced.

"I know. You've done all you can without getting killed just try to hang on long enough for me to get to Loanna. She's the closest. Don't worry someone is going to be at the ball that's supposed to save you. I wish you luck." He paused at the door, "Sorry hime about earlier."

That was all she heard before he went out the door. Najeh drew a blank on what he was apologizing for but she figured that she would ask him about it after all of this was over.

Vanel went through the halls until they were almost deserted. Hiding in the shadows he saw Loanna being dragged through them. She looked pale and as if they had depleted all of her energy.

'Loanna, how are you holding up?"

'Van where are you?'

'I can see you."

'What did they do to you?'

I don't know. All I know is that they hooked me to a machine and sent a shock of energy through my body. I think that they know I am the rebel leader.'

'Don't worry. Neither of us knows exactly where your people are. They will not be able to get that information. Remember try to keep your head clear.' Vanel ended the conversation as she was dragged through the door.

'Just hang on Loanna. I promise that I'll get you out of there.' He eyed the torches that were beginning to come on in the halls. He wouldn't be able to sneak in they way he wanted. He would just have to use the most classic way of getting around. "Well when in Rome…" He muttered under his breath. After he suited up he was praying that his mother was going to survive whatever they were putting her trough. 'Okaasan I'll get to you as soon as possible.'

Vanel tried to wander out nonchalantly from the shadows. The guards were watching the back of the ones that had just marched past them. Throwing all of his frustrations into the punches that he had after the tapped them on the shoulder, he knocked them out cold.

The young man kicked in the door managing to pull out the two knives that he had hiding and killed the two sorcerers that were in the room with her. Loanna was trapped on a metal table with her head hanging down and she was barely breathing. She was even paler than she had been a few minutes ago. Playing with the controls was a bit tricky. None of them were labeled and he didn't want to give her another of the shocks that she was telling him about. Finally he found the switch that he needed to get her out of there. Loanna was about to fall but he had managed to catch her before she did. "You were right. All they got out of me was my name." The young rebel leader in his arms wouldn't have survived another attack like the onslaught that they had been doing to her.

Vanel turned to be greeted by a white haired man. "Well, what do we have here? If it isn't Prince Vanel Kanzaki Slanzar de Fanel, you know they told me that you looked just like your father with exception of your eyes. Somehow those match both your mother and fathers."

-Dryden and Millerna-

They hadn't wanted to but they had placed Wasuremono in front so that he could possibly help to lead them to this place.

He had remained quiet from the time he had spoken of the Mystic Moon coming into alignment with Gaea. Millerna only prayed that whatever god was out there had people's best interest in mind.

Dryden was still trying to remember if he had read this prophecy before. He had devoted as much time to the written word as he could when he wasn't helping to ruin the kingdom. That hadn't equaled too much time lately.

The road that they had taken led o u t of the forest and around on the edge of a rocky precipice. Rocks could be heard bouncing down the sides but you never heard them land. Millerna gulped. She had been on a lot of adventures but walking on a rocky cliff didn't top as the most exciting of them. She would have felt safer in a levi ship. They were all mentally tired when they reached a hill that would lead away for, the precipice that they walked.

The sight before them though was the most breathtaking sight to be seen in the known world. A beautiful city could be seen sparkling in the sunrise. There were tall buildings surrounded by a wall. The city looked vaguely familiar even from the far away distance. It was almost enough to forget that they had headed out after they had heard a distant piercing scream. "It can't be…. Can it? Millerna asked under her breath.

I think it is." Dryden held his wife close to him.

-Loanna/Vanel-

Loanna found herself tied to a chair while Vanel had been strapped down and was unable to move. They might have only been able to get a name out of her but what could they get out of him. Vanel had never said what they would get out of him. He assured that because neither of them knew the location of her people that they wouldn't get the information out of either of them. So what would they get?

The family of Atlantis these people would try to destroy or control. Once they were all in the same vicinity of each other Atlantis didn't stand a chance. The question for her was how she actually fit into all of this. Her inner voices had all but told that she would have to work with the temple of Atlantis. Loanna was betting that was Queen Hitomi. She didn't get why when Vanel had all the powers of the Atlanteans. The gift of sight and of flight but she knew that she knew he would serve his purpose.

"Ah, so you awoke hime. It seems that my people made a mistake ion not getting their hands on you all those years ago. You have brought the one thing that will insure that my plans don't destroy." Meiden looked at the woman with vacant eyes.

Loanna just glared at him and tried to look into them to see if she could get answers. The problem was though that the only thing that she saw was greed and lust, the desire for more power and that of another man's wife.

"I couldn't get any answers from you let me see if I can get answers from this one. He wouldn't want to see you hurt now would he. He goes out of his way to make sure that you don't get hurt."

At the words she shot a worried look to him. His eyes were glazed but she could still sense that he was conscious enough to see and hear her. 'You mustn't tell them anything. You mustn't give up, Vanel.'

His head hung down after that. "Well shall we begin?" Meiden pushed one of the levers up. "When you don't answer my questions you will get a shock. If the question is repeated the girl will the shock until one of you dies or my questions are answered. In the process I will draw out the power that resides in your body after each and every shock to your system." Meiden gave an evil laugh that had Loanna shivering.

"Why would you want to rule the worlds?" She asked him silently.

"Why, hime, because this world owes me that."

The questions went on and Vanel had already received several shocks from not answering the man's questions. The last jolt it seemed caused him so much pain that he screamed and his wings tore out from his back flapping and trying to get away from the table. His mind had given up but his body hadn't. "It seems you have reached near the end of your endurance. Your family is a thorn in my side. Your mother has fought but now that she has had her soul reversed she shall become my wife and create a new power of Atlantis."

Vanel heard and processed what the man had said. He could see it all happening if he could not stop this fate but the results were terrifyingly dangerous. Vanel snapped out of the shocked state that he had been in and looked at Meiden. "You keep your hands off of my mother."

-Loanna-

Through the entire questioning she had been working on undoing the ropes to free herself. She knew that she wouldn't have a lot of time and that she couldn't take a lot more of these shocks that kept running through her system. Vanel however looked as if he had been given a far stronger dosage than she had to endure and was definitely looking worse for wear. Meiden was paying little to no attention to her as Vanel's wings tore from his back and he gave an agonizing scream. When Meiden had pulled the leer to shock her she had just placed the cold metal circles on his back. It shocked him just enough he let go of the controls.

"You little fool! How dare you do this to me!" He tried to tackle her but she side stepped him and sent him floating into the air.

"You will not be torturing people any longer. Your lust for power has made you something other than human." Loanna took to the controls trying to figure out what controls would return his ever increasing power drainage from him. "Just hold on I hope I have this right." She pulled the lever.

-Hitomi-

Hitomi was led to a room that she didn't see and instructed to rest before it was time for the ball. When the time came she would server her purpose. She walked into the darkness of the room as if she had been there before.

This chapter I have to say was really hard to work on. There was so much going on I had to do it in spells and hunt down previous scenes as reminders. Gomen for taking so long on it. I hope to finish this before school starts if not soon afterwards. I hope you enjoy the chapter and the cliffhangers that I left. Some of them a little better than others. I'll talk to you later. Arigato and ja ne!