Beyond Aeaea
DISCLAIMER: The Vision of Escaflowne is not legally mine but the visions of this story are.
NOTE: Now, the real fun begins. For me and for you readers, hopefully. But not really for our favorite characters (except some, you'll know what I mean). If you've read some of my stories for Avatar, you may know that I'm not particularly good at writing action sequences. They always work out better in my head than when I attempt to put them in words.
But an action sequence is necessary for this chapter, and you will see me attempt to make it as entertaining as possible. I'll also try to turn down the violence but with Dilandau in a scene, you can have certain expectations. Just a warning.
I'm working on a really tight schedule now as I'm in the hellish period which is comprised of the last two weeks of the semester. And my professors have somehow seen fit to dump all requirements on us at the same time. I can only say ¡Que horror ! (to insert some of the Spanish I'm learning at school). I'm really busy as hell.
But I'm not abandoning this story for anything. I resolved to finish it by the tenth of October and by hook or by crook I will! Because beyond that date, there is so much still to be done in my messy, cluttered life.
Don't worry, I won't be sacrificing quality of writing for other things but please do forgive some errors I might make in my zeal to get this completed. I delayed long enough in updating this so I'll make sure I get it finished (as well as other stories that I've left on hold) before I even start thinking of writing a new story.
I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Chapter Eighteen
"And so now you can see why Lord Dilandau isn't a member of the diplomatic corps," Eries commented with an amused smile, "his level of frankness would spark wars between even the most benevolent and pacifist of countries."
Millerna smiled timidly at this comment while Dilandau crossed his arms smugly, not taking offense at all. Eries smiled at the two before her, relieved that things were going rather smoothly.
"I don't mince my words," the young captain replied candidly, "it's a colossal waste of time, and I hate wasting time. I prefer to settle everything out directly and clearly, and the battle field's the best place for that kind of thing."
"But do you really think that violence will solve everything?" Millerna dared to ask.
Eries watched this exchange carefully. She and Folken had had similar arguments with the young soldier before and she already knew the outcome of such a suggestion.
"Hmmph, it gets things done more often than not," Dilandau replied coldly, "and you can depend on armed struggle for more straightforward results than long, boring negotiations."
Millerna stared at him in shock and some fear as well. The younger princess was growing restless around the frighteningly fascinating soldier and she was not really sure how to conduct herself.
"Casualty count doesn't bother Dilandau as much as it does most people," Eries explained, "and you have no idea how much Folken and I have tried to convince him to have a little more regard for human life."
"If you die in the battlefield, you have no one else to blame but yourself," Dilandau said harshly, "those who are weak and incompetent do not deserve to survive."
Millerna shuddered at this thought but saw that he was perfectly serious about it. She wanted to argue further but the deadly flash in his blood-red eyes warned her to keep her mouth shut. Eries, for her part, was looking at the soldier gravely but did not seem very surprised by his outburst.
The older princess was already accustomed to Dilandau's line of thinking and she was now mostly concerned with distracting them all from such serious reflections.
"So much for your philosophy in life," Eries added, trying to clear the air, "a leisurely trip like this one is hardly the occasion for such grave discussion."
"Really, Lady Eries," Dilandau teased, speaking with a lighter tone, "I would have thought you were more than used to serious discussions."
"I am," Eries replied, "which is why I'd like a break from them now, if you please."
"Your call," Dilandau answered with a shrug, "right now, my main concern is finding a way back to the Vione to train some more."
"We'll arrange for that as soon as we get to the rest house, I assure you," Eries, "so in the meantime, I ask that you conduct yourself in a more gentlemanly manner in the presence of my sister. Not everyone is used to your unique personality, you know."
Millerna listened in shock at the way her sister addressed the fearsome fighter. Eries did not seem the least bit intimidated by him and was perfectly at ease speaking to him as she would a younger brother. And in observing the banter between them, the younger princess only admired her sister even more, for having earned the respect and esteem of someone as fierce and unyielding as Dilandau Albatou.
"Really, Lady Eries?" Dilandau asked, raising his eyebrow mischievously, "and since when have I ever exhibited any gentlemanly qualities, pray tell?"
He pronounced one of the words with a clear distaste.
"Well, you do have a point," Eries replied calmly, eliciting some chilling laughter from the young man.
"Oh no," Millerna added in embarrassment, "you needn't make any changes on my account. I'm sure my sister was just teasing."
"If that is true, then it is a great surprise to me," Dilandau answered, "for I have always known Lady Eries and Lord Folken to be the most serious human beings ever to walk this planet."
From then on the conversations became less serious, and all three were able to endure each other's company with more ease.
The carriage ride with the temperamental young captain had not been as tense and awkward as Eries had anticipated. She knew Dilandau enough to expect some trouble but he seemed either too tired or too bored to bother about stirring up any mischief.
Besides, Eries knew that he had a grudging respect towards her and would no longer attempt to harm her or anyone with her. The key lay in keeping him as occupied as possible without raising the possibility of an armed struggle.
They had spoken of many things during the ride, and somehow time had passed in a relatively pleasant manner.
But the more Eries observed Millerna around Dilandau, the more nervous and worried she became. She had hoped that when her younger sister saw more of his true nature (which he would never bother to hide), Millerna would be dissuaded from any infatuation for him.
At that moment, ill-advised though it would be, Eries preferred Millerna's crush on Allen Schezar. But then again, even with someone as chivalrous and honorable as Allen, there was still some risk of heartbreak on the young girl's part. It was a frustrating thought, especially for the affectionate older sister.
Eries was certain that at least, Dilandau would reject Millerna outright and never lead her on. And hopefully the girl would recover from such an event very quickly.
But the older sister didn't want to anticipate too much anxiety. It was possible, after all, that she supposed more than what was there. Eries shook her head. Now was not the time to over analyze and worry over an unlikely event.
Instinctively, she laid a hand on her large belly, stroking it gently and reminding herself of the new responsibility she would have to take care of. There was so much to look forward to.
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Later on, as the ride settled into a comfortable pace and silence, an abrupt sense of dread settled on all three passengers.
Dilandau's instincts were the most trained to pick up on the inexplicable signal. Crimson eyes narrowed, he immediately placed a hand on the hilt of his sword.
Seeing him react thus, Eries was on her guard as well. Millerna looked confused and nervous but dared not utter a word.
Eries and Dilandau exchanged a knowing glance and then waited in suspense for what was coming.
A few moments later, the carriage halted. The three passengers looked at each other in alarm, and Dilandau clutched the hilt of his sword tightly.
A shadow fell over his face and a sinister grin was forming on it. Millerna's eyes widened at this sudden change and Eries merely looked at the young soldier gravely. At this point, she could only be relieved that he was on their side, and she hoped that he would not make too much of a mess.
She was puzzled by the attack, and tried to think of all the political motives that would provoke such an unwise move. She could think of no one to whom her existence was a particular threat. She was frightened now more for her child's sake than for her own, and for once she was extremely grateful that they had bumped into Dilandau along the road.
They heard loud, gruff voices and the hooves of horses outside the carriage. There was the muffled sound of their coach man trying to negotiate or beg the strangers for his life. More shouts and orders were heard and the distinct clinking of swords and other weapons.
Dilandau was listening carefully to their surroundings and he could already estimate the number of their assailants. He looked with disappointment at the two women with him.
He already knew that the coach man was not to be relied on. The man was probably already dead.
Between the two princesses, Eries would have probably been less useless. But in her condition, she was as much of a liability as Millerna was. Dilandau frowned, and hoped that neither would get in his way.
He was growing more and more excited and was merely waiting for the perfect moment to unleash his rage. He didn't care how many there were out there.
"I will slaughter you all," he thought darkly.
"Sister, what do we do?" Millerna whispered frantically.
"No matter what, you must remain calm," Eries whispered back, "and don't get in Dilandau's way."
"Wise words, indeed," Dilandau said authoritatively, "and also make sure that you do everything I tell you, is that clear?"
The two princesses nodded.
"I trust you on this," Eries told him. He made no answer.
Eries exchanged a look with her sister.
We have to trust him, she said silently, he's the best protection we've got.
"Get the goods!" someone shouted, "get rid of the target now!"
Someone else grunted in reply and the door was being opened.
And in a flash, Dilandau had jumped out of the carriage, his sword out, slashing at will, and immediately causing a fatal injury the person who had been opening the door.
There were shouts of surprise at the appearance of the soldier. In a moment, Dilandau had slashed a bit more, creating distance between the attackers and the carriage. Dramatic as ever, the captain stood on the roof of the carriage, challenging the attackers and also surveying their forces.
"I thought they were unarmed!" someone cried out incredulously.
"Where's the pregnant one?" another asked.
"It doesn't matter, just get rid of the boy as well!" cried a stocky, dark, bearded man who seemed to be the leader.
"Boy?" Dilandau answered, cackling maniacally, "well, I am younger than you lot, after all."
He looked around him at about a dozen ugly armed bandits, half of whom were riding horses. They were dirty and crude and not well-trained assassins. In a glance, Dilandau knew that they were nothing more than hired thugs, cheap ones, at that.
The carriage was completely surrounded.
"Such a cowardly tactic for attacking a lone pregnant princess," Dilandau taunted them harshly, "you must really be so incompetent as to need all these people to finish the job."
Seeing the flash of madness and menace in the boy's blood-red eyes, the bandits hesitated before attacking him. Even the leader seemed disturbed by his presence.
"Don't just stand there, you fools!" the dark man commanded after a moment, "take him down, he's alone and doesn't stand a chance!"
The others seemed reassured by this logic. One threw a spear at the soldier which Dilandau easily evaded. He caught the spear in the air and threw it right back at the astonished bandit.
"I'll show you how much I can do, you ignorant thugs!" Dilandau shouted, raising his sword.
While he wasn't in the mood to do anything heroic, Dilandau could not stand being underestimated, especially by such low class, ugly goons. He unleashed a fury on them such as they had never seen, because his pride had been hurt and because he had long wanted some hands-on combat.
"The best thing about this sparring session," he thought with sadistic glee, "is that I don't have to show any mercy."
The wild look in his eyes and the incessant cackling was enough to chill the blood of even the hardened criminals. Dilandau stabbed and screamed at horses that were frightened by his presence and fled from the scene, rearing up and dumping their riders on the ground.
As he began to stab and slash at some more bandits, the others had enough presence of mind to try and enter the carriage again. But Dilandau was too fast for them.
One unfortunate bandit, armed with a crossbow, opened the door but soon felt Dilandau's sword go through him.
"Don't you dare turn your back on me, you filthy scum!" the captain cried out.
But the door had been opened and the two princesses watched with wide eyes as the stabbed bandit fell before them. Before the body collapsed to the ground, Eries managed to grab hold of his crossbow.
"Princess Millerna!" Dilandau yelled even as he was busy dueling with another bandit.
"Y-yes," the nervous younger princess replied.
"Drive the carriage, NOW!" Dilandau ordered.
"But what about you?" Millerna asked.
"I said NOW," Dilandau shouted and Millerna could no longer argue, "you're both in my way, so get out!"
Eries nodded to her sister. Had the circumstances been different, Eries would have taken the reins herself but she would have to rely on her sister for this.
"Go," Eries told Millerna, "I'm sure he knows what he's doing."
Nervously, the princess got out the door and saw the bloodshed but Dilandau was covering her so none of the bandits could reach her. She averted her eyes quickly and got on the empty seat of the coachman.
Taking the reins in shaking hands, she raised them and drove the horses forward. Only a few of the bandits were left to pursue them but they needed to get away as fast as possible.
Millerna felt conflicted about leaving Dilandau behind but his orders had been clear. And he seemed to be enjoying himself during the fight. She would not question him.
Dilandau readied his sword eagerly. He would not ride the carriage; he would never run away from a fight like a pathetic, whimpering coward. He would face these filthy rats and annihilate them completely.
"They're getting away!" cried the leader to the few remaining lackeys, "after them!"
The bandits scrambled to obey orders but Dilandau was in front of them in a flash.
"Haven't you idiots realized," the captain said sinisterly to the shocked thugs, "that I'm your only opponent here?"
They had no choice but to engage him in combat, and they found that they were hard-pressed to win even against only one soldier with only a sword as a weapon.
Even with the diverse array of weaponry used against him, Dilandau had been victorious in thwarting them all. And now, when there were only four of the bandits left (including the leader, who had grown more and more distressed by the damage caused to his forces), Dilandau was relishing an inevitable victory.
The bandit leader realized that he would have to get rid of Dilandau before he could easily pursue the two princesses. But seeing how all his men were being defeated by the lone soldier, he was growing more and more nervous. Never had he encountered such a vicious adversary.
"You're a monster!" he exclaimed, sweat pouring down his fat face, at the frenzied captain.
"Some would say so," Dilandau commented with a shrug as he continued fighting with gusto, "so FEAR ME!"
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Meanwhile, a short distance away, the carriage of the two princesses continued to move forward. Eries stuck her head out the window to check how things were going.
"Sister, we can't just leave him there!" Millerna shouted to her passenger.
"I know," Eries replied, "which is why you're going to turn this carriage around?"
"Really?" Millerna asked though she was already pulling the reins, "was this part of the plan?"
"No," Eries answered with a shout, "but it's a move neither the attackers nor Dilandau ever anticipated so we should be all right. We have the element of surprise on our side."
It was a rather crude and reckless tactic but Eries was not really in the position to think of another way. And Millerna was certainly too distressed to do much as well.
While Eries did not possess Folken's talent for military strategies and tactics, she would make the most of what they had.
"What the hell are they doing?" Dilandau exclaimed angrily as he kicked a man to the ground and stabbed him, "I told you to get out of my way!"
He saw the carriage turn around and advance towards them and the young captain was exceedingly displeased. Too bad he could not punish those two women for insubordination.
The return of the carriage, as expected, took the bandits by surprise as well and they turned their attention to it and to the person inside, enraging Dilandau further, but giving him the advantage of their carelessness.
He cut down one of the bandits who had been running towards the charging carriage. And just as Dilandau was pulling his bloodied sword out of the poor victim, he heard Eries shout.
"Dilandau, GET DOWN!"
And the trained soldier did so immediately bending backwards flexibly, and just in time to see an arrow whizz just millimeters above his nose and into the chest of a bandit who had been about to cut him down from behind.
The filthy goon fell to the ground at once. Dilandau watched this with distaste before turning to face the carriage that had just stopped a few meters from where he stood. And he saw Eries waving at him through the open window, a crossbow in her hands. He would never admit that he was slightly impressed.
Crossing his arms in disapproval, he glared at her.
"That was a little too close for comfort!" he yelled at her, "you barely missed my face!"
"I trusted your excellent instincts and your amazing flexibility," Eries answered with amusement, "and you're welcome, by the way."
"Hmmph," he said in reply, shaking the blood of his sword nonchalantly, "when did you learn to use that thing anyway?"
"I picked up a few useful skills in Zaibach during my spare time," Eries replied smugly, "I'm not completely helpless, you know."
"Hmmph, whatever you say," Dilandau replied gruffly.
The two remaining bandits recovered from their shock and ran towards the carriage, brandishing their weapons.
Dilandau was able to get rid of the one who had charged straight at Eries. The unfortunate man suffered both at the crimson-eyed captain's sword and at the crossbow which the princess had managed to reload with great dexterity.
"HELP!" a scream was heard from the front of the carriage. Dilandau and Eries turned to see Millerna in the clutches of the bandit leader, and the only survivor of the massacre.
The frantic old man held the princess' arms behind her back and had a dagger pointed to her neck.
"Millerna!" Eries cried out in concern.
Dilandau rolled his eyes.
"You people have no imagination," he remarked in annoyance.
"Hand over the pregnant one if you want this one to live," the bandit threatened, pointing the dagger deeper into Millerna's neck.
The princess whimpered. And Eries stepped out from the carriage.
"So go ahead and kill her," Dilandau told the bandit indifferently, "I couldn't care less."
"WHAT?" Eries, Millerna, and the bandit exclaimed simultaneously.
And that moment of shock and hesitation was just what Dilandau needed to lunge forward, grab Millerna expertly from the bandit, and clamp a hand around the filthy old man's neck. The old bandit only managed to make his dagger slightly graze Dilandau's arm. A thin line of blood appeared beneath the torn cloth of the captain's sleeve.
Dilandau's eyes grew wide at the contact and at the stinging sensation.
"HOW DARE YOU MAR MY ARM?" the young captain screamed maniacally, his eyes filled with hate.
Dilandau dropped the princess roughly and focused on squeezing on the bandit leader's neck. The younger man pushed his enemy to the ground and the latter began to struggle and flail his arms, but to no avail.
The bloodthirsty captain proved so much stronger than the veteran mercenary had expected. It was so unfair; they had not been prepared to face such an enemy. It had not been part of the contract.
"Monster," the old man managed to mutter as he felt greater pressure around his throat.
"Die, fool," Dilandau muttered, "you will pay for damaging my perfect arm!"
Sword raised and ready to plunge into his enemy, Dilandau was then about to deal the fatal blow when Eries stopped him.
"Wait," the princess said.
"What now?" Dilandau asked in exasperation, but Eries held a hand up to shush him.
"Who sent you?" Eries addressed the dying bandit sternly.
Dilandau loosened his hold ever so slightly on the man, who sputtered and coughed.
"None of your business," he managed to mutter tauntingly. Eries glared at him.
"I've heard enough!" Dilandau screamed, taking his sword and plunging it into the heart of the last bandit standing.
The princesses winced and averted their eyes. Eries helped Millerna up and they both got into the carriage, shaken but silent.
At length, after cleaning himself up somewhat, Dilandau climbed into the driver's seat and took hold of the reins.
"Let's get out of here," he muttered gravely.
And as they drove away, a loud explosion was heard as the area where they had been fighting burst into flames. The two princesses looked out their windows in shock and worry while Dilandau merely smirked with sinister satisfaction.