The Dragon Priestess

AvalonReeseFanFics

A/N: Happy Sunday my wonderful readers and welcome to another update! How are we liking the new chapters? Still enjoying the updates! Leave a review to let me know and I'll see you guys next Sunday!

Chapter 11: The Diabolical Adonis pt. 2

Allen had been the one to carry her in, apparently, as her fake husband had been too busy with Merle.

Brooke couldn't even be mad at him, the cat girl definitely needed more attention than she did. And she knew that Van had known Merle longer, and he had thought her missing maybe even dead, so he would want to take care of her. It just kinda sucked because it looked weird. Simply because he had been so adamant about lying about their marital status.

Allen and Van had taken their prospective sick people to the same sick room. Brooke got the bed by the window while Van was forced to put Merle on the bench meant for visitors as there was no other bed in the room.

Both of them were doting on their patients. Both pressing cool clothes to their foreheads. She couldn't help but find herself sleepily blushing. To have such a handsome young man paying attention to her, taking care of her, it made her feel special.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to him as he went to dab that cloth in the water again. "I'm way too much trouble."

Allen smiled kindly at her. "It's no trouble at all," he said. He glanced back to where Van was caring for Merle. "Someone needs to tend to you, bring your temperature down."

She could tell that he thought it was terrible that Van hadn't paid a spec of attention to her since her collapse, but that was fair. Allen didn't know the whole story, and Merle was just as sick as she was. In fact, Merle probably needed Van more. Who would have taken care of Merle if Van had been fawning over her?

Allen was quiet for a moment before he suddenly asked in a low whisper: "He's not really your husband… is he?"

On the one hand she wanted to tell Allen the truth. She did. Because he deserved that much. And maybe a little bit because he was cute and she wanted to make a move, older man or not.

But… on the other hand, she didn't want to be disloyal to Van. She still wasn't sure what Allen's intentions with either of them were, and she knew enough of the world to know that just because he was being nice now didn't mean he had their best intentions at heart. Stuff like that didn't change if you left your planet, you know? People had shitty motives no matter where one went in the universe.

So instead of answering his question she turned to window where she could see the earth hanging in the sky.

When she wouldn't answer him, Allen followed her gaze to the moon and the earth hanging in the sky right outside her window.

"I bet your mother is really worried about you."

Brooke turned back to him. "Nope. Don't gotta mom."

Inwardly she groaned. Why the hell did she say it like that?

"Oh? Are mothers not a thing on the Mystic Moons?"

"No… they are. Mine just died when I was little. My… my whole family did. So I'm on my own. Living that Orphan life, you know?" She was going for humour and by the look on his face he hadn't got the joke. "That was… that was a joke… it was supposed to be funny but… yeah, I'm not really that funny I guess…"

"No, it's not that… I uh… I too lost my mother when I was still very young."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Brooke whispered softly. And that would explain why he wasn't into the whole orphan joke. He wouldn't be if he lost a parent.

"That's alright. It was a long time ago."

But that didn't make her joke less offensive. What could she say to make it better?

"I imagine… that uh… she was really pretty."

"You're right," he said after a moment's pause and a soft smile shot in Brooke's direction. He then turned to look out the window as if he expected his mother to be there.

"My mother was so very beautiful. She was such a gentle woman and she loved flowers. One day my sister was spirited away without a trace. After that day, my mother wasted away and then she…"

He sort of broke off there, no longer was he softly smiling at his memories, now he was full out frowning. Well this conversation had taken a turn for the sadder. How the hell had she brought them here?

After this she was never making another orphan joke again.

"If my sister were still alive, she'd be about your age," he whispered and then he leant out and grabbed her hand.

"You know, it's strange… I don't know why I'm telling you all this."

Yeah, why was he telling her all this? Was he just comfortable with her? Did he feel an instant connection like she did?

Brooke couldn't take it, she was uncomfortable with this kind of contact because she had no idea why he would be holding her hand. Especially since he was older and more attractive and she was clearly interested.

That wasn't how the world worked up on Earth. When awkward girls like Brooke liked a guy, they rarely liked her back.

So, she went straight for humour even though she already knew he didn't get her jokes, clearly because she had literally just tried one a few seconds ago and instead of laughing he told her his tragic backstory.

"Yeah if my sister were still alive, she'd be my age too… she was my twin though…"

At that Allen laughed and Brooke smiled. Aww… he got that one… and he liked it. That was a good first step.

But it still made her frown when Van left the room, not moments later, without a single word to her.

Van had been trying to take down Merle's fever. A fever that refused to go down. That couldn't be right, right? It was obviously very bad but he had no idea what to do.

At least until he found the seed.

Van knew poison when he saw it.

He left as soon as he found it. He had a hunch that someone could help him with the poison, but he wanted to be sure before he panicked everyone.

He had planned, originally, to at least tell Brooke where he was going, but she was busy laughing with Allen. And he was busy trying to not be annoyed by that and would soon be busy attempting to find a cure for the plant that had poisoned Merle.

He went to the dungeon to see the mole man because Van figured that he'd know all about what he was looking for and where he could find some as soon as possible.

When he got there the man was fast asleep on a small pallet. He didn't rise when Van made his presence known and by the fear was pulsing through his veins so he wasn't the most polite when waking him up.

In fact, he simply stooped down, grabbed the man by his whiskers and yanked him up.

The man came too, practically screaming in agony. When Van finally let go he was rubbing his cheek and groaning.

"Oh for crying out loud, that's gonna leave a mark," he grumbled to himself. Then he caught a good look at Van and immediately stopped. "Oh! It's you, young King, tell me what brings you down to the dungeon?"

"You live in the forest so you know about glar leaves, right?"

Van was certain the man did, because anyone who lived near or in the forest knew about them. So if this guy was as good as he said he'd know all about them. He'd know where Van could find some.

And Van was rewarded, because, while the man was surprised, he simply had to dig through his coat to come back with the dried leaves.

"You know about these?" he asked as Van snatched them from him. Of course it wouldn't make sense that a pampered Royal would know about something like this, Van was just grateful that he did know.

"My bother told me about them. He said that they could neutralize most poisons."

Van left the mole man to go to his discarded food dish. He sat down in front of it, crumbled the leaves in his hands and then went to try crush them up into a powder with the hilt of his sword. But he couldn't get the bowl to stay still. He tried a few more times before sighing to himself.

He then snapped: "Hey, old man, come over here." But when the mole man didn't move, he added an extra stern: "Hurry up! Hold this bowl," so he knew that Van meant business.

The man eventually made his way over, crawling on his hands and knees to cross the short distance and as he did he mumbled to himself, except, of course, they were in a dungeon so Van heard every word.

"For a kid he's got a lot of attitude."

Normally Van would have been angry, especially because he had a good reason for being snippy. He had two sick people upstairs, both of which probably needed this anti-poison cure, and the guy was taking, way to long to help him.

The man gripped the bowl and Van began to crush up the leaves in earnest. He didn't want to admit it, but it was making him anxious being away from Brooke. He didn't like leaving her alone with Allen, even if he didn't have a choice.

Allen had left Brooke once he was certain that he had brought her temperature down as much as he could. While he had been with her, he had ordered his men to prepare for battle, in particularly for a surprise attack. Now that he was free to go about his duties, he went to see how it was coming along.

He rode his horse with Gaddes beside him, on his own horse, watching as everyone got ready for what Allen was certain would be an inevitably fiery battle.

"Looks like you believe those old wives' tales, too, Commander."

Allen decided to play coy, he simply turned to Gaddes and asked: "What makes you say that?"

"Well these emergency combat preparations, for one. What that girl from the Mystic Moon said has you worried, huh?"

It did have him worried. But only because she had correctly predicted Fanelia as well. He wasn't an expert in people from the Mystic Moon, he had only met the one, which was Brooke, so he didn't know what they were capable of. Maybe seeing the future was common up there.

He wasn't going to say that though. He didn't want his men to be afraid of her. Fear drove people to do crazy things and he didn't want her to get hurt because of a few superstitions.

"What has me worried is the madness in Dilandau's eyes. His thirst for blood is reflected in them."

Gaddes took that in carefully before asking: "You don't think that the Ziabach's are going to attack us, do you?"

He did. He really did. He'd bet his Knighthood on it.

"They showed up because they knew that the Escaflowne was here. When they attack us, they will make sure that there is not one structure left standing."

"They wouldn't go that far!"

"I wouldn't put it past them. No survivors means no witnesses," Allen reminded him and a strange dark realization dawned on Gaddes.

"Gaddes, I want you to prep the Crusade."

Surprise lit up on his friend and second in command's features. He hadn't been expecting that, probably because the Crusade was an emergency vehicle, meant for supply runs and retreats. If Allen was asking it to be prepped it meant that he was expecting them to lose and that was surprising.

Gaddes left to do as he was told and that left Allen to stare out at the valley below their outpost. If Van and Brooke were to be believed Dilandau and his men had the ability to make their guymelefs invisible which meant that Allen wouldn't see them coming, and probably wouldn't be able to see them where ever they were hiding down there as they prepared for their attack.

All he could wonder was when Dilandau would come and if he'd be able to hold him off at all.

Brooke eventually made herself sit up. She felt better now. Her head wasn't pounding, she could finally breathe right, but she still felt a little hot. Like she was still trapped in the fire, but that also could have been the warmth of the room and the amount of blankets Allen had piled onto her.

Already she had taken two off of her bed.

Eventually Merle sat up too and immediately Brooke perked up.

"Hello again," she called to Merle who turned narrowed eyes of distrust to her. She glared at Brooke and Brooke found herself frowning. She had thought that they had started to become friends, but now it seemed like they had regressed.

Merle looked at her a little harder and then her tail went straight up in the air. Her head whipped back from where Brooke was laying to her and Brooke realized right away what Merle had realized.

Brooke had gotten the bed while Merle had gotten the bench.

"Did you want to come join me?" Brooke asked before Merle could get accost her over it, even though she had nothing to do with the allocation of the beds, she had been asleep at the time. "I don't mind sharing."

Merle hit her with that dark narrowed glare again as if she didn't believe Brooke. So, Brooke moved over, shifting until there was enough room to fit Merle in beside her and then pet the bed carefully.

"It's only fair. And the bench can't be that comfortable."

That narrowed gaze never left her but after a momentary pause Merle scampered up out off of the bench and to the bed. Once she was sitting down, Brooke did her best to tuck her in so they were both covered and then she too hunkered down in the bed.

"I'm very glad you're okay," Brooke said once she was comfortable.

"Sure, you are," Merle growled.

"No seriously, I am! We got separated and I told Balgus but… I guess he didn't find you," Brooke whispered. "I'd give you a hug to prove it but I don't think you'd like that."

Merle crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh yea, I'm sure you did. I think we both know you ran off with Lord Van the second you could. Taking him all the way here as if I wouldn't find him."

Brook turned to Merle with a surprised look on her face. "I didn't take Van anywhere, that beam of light did all of that…"

"Those beams of light only started showing up when you did, so obviously it was you."

Brooke blinked her eyes. Was that true? Had she caused that beam of light to appear and take her to Allen? She had wanted to get away from all the blood and gore she had been witnessing.

Jesus what was happening to her?

She pulled herself out of her thoughts, looked up and found a face was centimeters away from hers. Brooke shrieked, throwing the blankets up and over her head like the blankets were going to save her from the attacker.

From under the blanket she heard: "Oh, Lord Van!" and only then did she peak out from under them.

The mole man was dazed and on the floor at Van's feet, having apparently fallen back when Brooke had started screaming. Brooke turned to the door and sure enough Van was standing there.

He approached Merle's side of the bed without saying a single word to either of them. And Brooke found herself bristling.

"Where the hell have you been?" she snapped to him. "You have a couple of sick people here!"

He didn't even give her a second glance, he simply dipped his finger into the bowl and started to paint Merle's arm with it.

"You made that ointment just for me?" she asked and Brooke swore she saw a half smile.

Ah so that was what he was doing. Okay so maybe he had a good reason for running off after all. Would have been nice if he had communicated that. Shouldn't a fake wife know where her fake husband was going? Especially if she was in a sick bed.

Van tied up the wound on Merle's arm to which Merle turned a triumphant smirk Brooke and then stuck her tongue out at her.

Merle was so distracted by showing off the medicine Van had made just for her that she didn't notice Van get up and round the bed. But she did notice when Van suddenly ripped the blankets off of Brooke and subsequently Merle.

Brooke cringe, but she didn't yelp until Van put a hand to her skirt and lifted it. And he was rewarded with a swift kick to his thigh causing him to drop the fabric.

"What are you doing?!" Brooke hissed. "I'm not really your wife!"

"Wait? Wife?!" Merle nearly shouted.

Van ignored her though. "You have scratches all over your calves, you idiot," he hissed back at her. He sat down on the foot of the bed and then slowly pushed the skirt up. Sure enough, there were scratches along her ankles and lower calves. She must have gotten them while walking through the forest last night. How had he even noticed them?

He grabbed an ankle and held on tightly, he wasn't wearing his gloves and his bare skin on hers was doing something to her. Sending a tingling sensation up her legs. A sort of shiver of excitement she had never felt before.

"Hold still," he chided as she tried to squirm away. "Some plant poison got into the scratches, this will help the fever."

Brooke stopped squirming and let him covering her scratches with the medicine he made. That was actually awfully sweet of him.

See, when he was nice, like this, she loved having him with her. Why couldn't he always be like this?

The nice moment between them was essentially shredded, though the second that grating sense of awareness flashed through her. And with it came the heat and the pounding head ache. She didn't know how she knew it, but she did, without a shadow of a doubt.

"They're here! The invisible giants are here!"

Van abandoned the medicine already rushing for the door. Brooke wanted to follow him but her head was in agony again, and she found that her hands were pressed to her temples to try and numb the pain.

Whatever was happening to her was making her premonitions more powerful. And she didn't like it.