Beyond Aeaea

DISCLAIMER: The Vision of Escaflowne is not legally mine but the visions of this story are.

NOTE: I'm glad you all liked the last few chapters. Since those were relatively light-hearted, a more serious chapter is called for. And this is it. After all, Zaibach isn't in the business of happiness and humor. And this one is a bit cheesy as well, I have to warn you. Please don't' cringe so much while you read this.

Hope you aren't bored by this little thing and thank you for your continuous support.

Chapter Thirteen

After the incident at Palas, things went smoothly for the couple in Zaibach and life settled into a strange peace.

King Aston and his court no longer bothered his second daughter for details about her marriage. And General Adelphos and the other officials of Zaibach decided not to stir any trouble with the wife of the Strategos. So Eries' position was secure and the rest of her days were relatively quiet and stable.

But as expected, Folken was continuously teased by Dilandau about the little scene he had made in the Asturian court. Only the young captain, however, had the audacity to do so.

The higher officials and generals dared not insult the Strategos to his face but Folken was well aware that they all had many a laugh at his expense when they thought he could not hear them. He paid them no mind. Let them enjoy the joke because he still had no regrets about his actions. For all their snickering, they still had nothing to take against him.

Besides, after that incident, the work piled up for both spouses and they were soon too busy tending to their duties to spend any time on idleness and humor. Soon, even Dilandau had no time to tease them as he was preoccupied with his combat training and testing out the new models of Alseides. An air of hustle-bustle filled the floating fortress as preparations were being made for Emperor Dornkirk's sublime plan. The glorious future he had predicted was just within reach.

Naturally, Eries had to be involved in the work as well since she was also a member of the Zaibach Empire. And for her part, she enjoyed the new experiences she was acquiring as a member of the diplomatic corps. She was tasked to help in negotiations with Asturia and the other allies of Zaibach. There were new norms and protocols to learn as she continued her work but she was not averse to gaining more knowledge. And the lady was also growing more curious about her husband's line of work and the interesting individuals who comprised the relatively new empire.

The unique episode at the Asturian council was soon forgotten and set aside when the couple proved that they had done nothing to damage their reputations as hard and efficient workers. They accomplished all their duties accordingly and promptly and their superiors could not complain about results.

Eries had been formally introduced to Emperor Dornkirk only once and it was not even in person. Like many other citizens of Zaibach, the most she was able to see of the aged leader was his face on a large screen. He had spoken in a very formal tone to her and she had paid her respects. She already noticed how learned he must be and how much he seemed to know about Gaea.

But she was still slightly unnerved by the figure on the screen with the suspicious raspy voice and long hair and beard. Not a lot was known about the Emperor outside of Zaibach and Eries had hoped that she would be able to unlock some of the mysteries about Dornkirk now that she was a member of Zaibach society.

Unfortunately, very few were truly taken into the Emperor's counsel and even some Zaibach officials had never even spoken to the Emperor in person. Eries considered questioning Folken about it but when she saw how busy he was with the tasks given by the leader, she decided to defer her inquiries to a more convenient time.

In her spare moments, Eries would often write to her sister, telling Millerna of the latest developments in her life, and inquiring after the latter. After that brief meeting in Palas (right after the 'scandal' in court), Eries had not been given the opportunity to see her sister again. But she was careful (as expected) in her letters about mentioning her doubts and suspicions about the shady dealings of Zaibach.

Eries had no proof but she was certain that her correspondence was being monitored and she was cautious enough not to give away crucial information about political matters in her personal letters. She would limit her stories to some interesting observations about Zaibach culture, and a thing or two about unique characters (such as Dilandau). And, of course, she would often go into detail about the merits of her dear husband, also a way to reassure Millerna that all was well with her.

Millerna was only too glad to receive letters from her sister and ironically, they seemed to communicate more frequently than they did when Eries was still in the palace. The younger princess enjoyed reading Eries' accounts of life in Zaibach and she was relieved to learn that Eries was doing well. It came as no surprise to Millerna that her older sister was successful as a politician. However, she was more astonished to read about how happy Eries was in her marriage.

After that bizarre episode at court, Millerna had begun to wonder about the nature of her sister's relationship with the Strategos. They were certainly both more formal and refined than the Duke of Freid. And both were more reserved than Marlene had ever been.

But why did it seem that theirs was a genuinely loving relationship? Millerna wanted to understand this although she did not dare question her sister too much about it. Eries' stories were enough to keep the girl satisfied on boring days. And Eries' happiness gave the youngest princess hope for her future.

But the deeper Eries' delved into the motives and plans of Emperor Dornkirk, the more suspicious she became. The prudent princess was never one to pry or snoop around but she was a keen observer and perceived a great many things about the way things were being done in Zaibach.

She was perceptive enough to have suspicions about this whole plan of "Destiny Prognostication." Emperor Dornkirk seemed to be a shadowy, dubious figure, and yet so many of his people trusted him. The most she learned were vague ideas about some "ideal future" although she could not quite imagine what the people in Zaibach would do to achieve something so ambitious.

There were certain things that made Eries uneasy, however, and doubtful about the level of non-violence involved in the Emperor's plans. The military technology developed by Zaibach was unparalleled and more and more advanced guymelefs were being constructed and calibrated every day.

Although it gave her a sense of pride to know that Folken was the genius behind some of the most innovative inventions of the empire, Eries was still worried by the number of weapons being produced. If Zaibach really had no intention of waging war, then why waste so many resources on this.

"It could be that they are trying to assert their military dominance," she thought, "by producing advanced weapons and training elite soldiers, Zaibach is showing the world that it is a force to reckon with."

In a way, they were avoiding war by being the most prepared for it. No other country in Gaea would dare attack such a formidable force. And Eries knew how costly wars could be. No one would risk being completely destroyed by the armies of Zaibach.

And knowing Dilandau's character, Eries grew even more worried. She was lucky enough to be on his good side but she knew that he would only be too eager to destroy a country or two if given the opportunity.

"What have I gotten myself into?" she asked herself with a sigh one night. But as she gazed tenderly at the sleeping figure beside her, she forgot all her doubts.

In the past month or so, Folken was constantly being sent on trips all over the place to accomplish the tasks the Emperor gave him. He would not discuss his work in detail with his wife, not because he was forbidden to do so but because he did not want to burden her with tedious details.

And in fact, the more he continued working for Emperor Dornkirk, the more Folken doubted himself and the mission which he was working so hard to fulfill. In spite of all the preparation and planning, there seemed many flaws in the Emperor's logic which the Strategos was only beginning to see. Whereas before he had been so focused, so obsessed with following every order, now he was beginning to question some of the methods, even if he still agreed with the end goal. His feelings were growing more conflicted as time passed but he decided to suspend judgment for the moment.

Unbeknownst to Folken, the Emperor had noticed some subtle changes in the Strategos' behavior, and attributed these alterations to the presence of Eries. Dornkirk would not act on his suspicions just yet. But if Folken veered too far from the plan, then something would have to be done to re-adjust the circumstances.

Folken was used to taking long business trips all around but this time, there was something different. He found himself impatient to finish whatever task that was assigned to him so that he could return to the Vione, to Eries. In the nearly ten years that he had been in Zaibach, never had he felt that he had had a home there until now, knowing that someone he loved was waiting for him.

For both, it was the first time to feel the pining for someone else, and the yearning to see the other when he or she was gone. They found the situation almost laughable because neither had ever imagined being so sentimental. But there it was, and they soon ceased denying it.

And since they were both so busy, their time together was scarce and therefore, more precious. Neither wanted to waste their moments of respite talking about work.

For the two had finally admitted to each other that theirs was not just a marriage of political convenience. They had stumbled upon this truth one particularly quiet night.

The moon shone bright through the small window in the cold room with metal walls. Eries stirred from her slumber, suddenly aware that she was alone in her bed. Rubbing her eyes, the princess looked around for her husband but saw no sign of him.

There was however the familiar sound of his whistling coming from the next room. Tying her robe around her waist, Eries got up from bed and walked towards the small office-like room. She stood by the frame of the door for a few moments, gazing contentedly at the busy figure, bent on his desk in the bluish light, working on several documents and formulae.

She would have told him to get some rest but that would have been hypocritical. After all, there were some nights when she was the one busy working like this. So she decided not to interrupt him and just listened musingly to the familiar tune he was whistling. He was lost in his memories.

But it did not take long for Folken to sense that he was being observed. He turned to see his wife smiling at him from the doorway.

"I'm sorry," he said in slight embarrassment, "did I wake you?"

"Not really," Eries replied, walking closer to him and taking a chair beside him, "it was a beautiful song though."

"It's from Fanelia," he said rather sadly.

"Oh," Eries said with understanding, looking at him gently.

He rarely spoke of his past home though she knew that Zaibach could never replace Fanelia in his heart. He simply felt that he could not go back there after all the years, and after all that had happened. He could no longer be their prince.

A force of habit, Folken glanced at his metal arm gravely, an action which did not escape his wife's notice.

She immediately broke him away from his dark thoughts by putting her hand on his metal one. He looked up at her in surprise even though this was not the first time she had done such a thing. It always amazed him how someone could look beyond the hideousness of the metal appendage. It had taken a very long time for him to accept this modification of his body, and yet, Eries was able to do this faster.

Returning her gaze, Folken felt some of his troubles disappear and some burdens somehow lifted from his soldiers. He marveled at her power to give him such strength and comfort without even uttering a word. He gave her a grateful look.

They had developed a way of communicating so much in a simple glance, and it seemed that so many memories (both painful and sweet) seemed to fill that small space between them.

"I just needed to review a few things," Folken offered as an excuse.

But Eries could see that there was more to it than that though she would not question him further. He seemed too worried and too tired. He looked away from her for a while.

"I'm sorry," he said gravely.

"For what?" she asked.

"For dragging you into all of this," he replied, "into this scary, complicated country, and all the difficult work that comes with it, with this life."

"You have nothing to apologize for," she reassured her husband gently, "I chose this life on my own, and I have had no regrets."

Folken smiled slightly at her.

"I know you must be curious about all that's being done here," he then said to her, "and there is so much I would like to tell you, so much I wish I could explain."

"Shh," Eries said, raising a finger to her lips, "I know. And I'm thankful for your concern. But you really should not worry too much. I'll be fine and I'll manage on my own until I am ready to know what needs to be known."

"What would I do without you?" Folken asked in a slightly teasing tone.

"You'd work all night and get no sleep at all," Eries answered, matching his amusement with hers.

But turning more serious again, she squeezed (or at least tried to) Folken's metal hand affectionately.

"I may not fully understand what's going on here," Eries told him, "but I am not afraid because I am certain that you will do what ought to be done. And that's all that really matters. I trust you, Folken."

Folken looked at her intently once more before sincerely saying, "Thank you."

Eries merely smiled and nodded at this response. He then raised her hand to his lips gently, his eyes never leaving her face and returning that earnest gaze.

She trusted him. And so he was determined to do whatever he could to deserve that precious trust.