Beyond Aeaea

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

NOTE: Friends, welcome to the penultimate chapter.

I just had to write that because I wanted to use that word. But all jest and vocabulary aside, the story is nearing the end, and I am doing all that I can to meet the deadline. By hook or by crook this thing will be done!

I'm currently swamped with school work and whatnot but I managed to slip this in. A little less action this time (at least from Dilandau's end). He's caused enough trouble for one story, I think, and we need to calm him down before the final events take place.

Though this is the penultimate chapter, I already have some mixed feelings about writing it. The story has been on my drafts and on my mind for so long that I'm a bit sad to see it (almost) end. But then again, I'm also happy and relieved that I can complete yet another long story so that I can move on to finishing the other incomplete stories and writing a new one-shot or two.

But that's thinking too much ahead. I think I'll be happy enough just to be able to post this chapter on time. You can be sure of when the last chapter will be posted though. I will not waver, not when I've come this far and worked this hard (and now have become this dramatic about stuff.) I hope that what leads to the ending will be satisfying for you all.

So thanks for continuing to support this and hope you like this chapter.

Chapter Nineteen

"WHAT?"

A metal fist banged against the table, and in an uncharacteristic show of emotion, Lord Folken demanded to know the current location of his wife.

"Our contacts at the royal rest house said that there has been an unusually long delay in Lady Eries' arrival," the terrified soldier stammered, "and that traces of her carriage have not been found in the direct path of the house."

Folken frowned at this news. He had long learned to trust in his instincts when it came to matters such as these and he had a strong feeling that something had gone very wrong.

She had left the palace in the early morning, just as they had planned. And the trip was meant to be a short and comfortable one. But where could she be?

Eries was in danger. And he was not there to protect her. This was utterly insupportable. Something had to be done.

The soldiers facing him trembled in fear. No one had ever seen the usually calm and composed Strategos display any emotion at all. And yet there he was, clearly incensed at what he was hearing.

Everyone had learned to expect violent displays from Dilandau but this one from Folken was all the more bone-chilling because of its rarity.

Folken closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He couldn't afford to appear too emotional at that moment; he could not take this risk. He steeled himself to listen to the report more in his usual manner, and he saw the frightened soldier calm down as his face settled into the cold, expressionless mask that everyone was accustomed to.

"Proceed with the report," he instructed calmly, "have they made any further attempts to find her?"

"A search part has been sent out," the soldier replied, "but the woods are thick and treacherous, and night has fallen. They hope to find her soon."

Folken nodded, seeming more like his old self, though his brow was knotted in concern. It was impossible for him to reach Asturia as fast as he wanted to. They were too far away. But he could not rest until he knew that his family was safe.

"Alert me at once if there is any news of her," he ordered the soldiers, "and tell those who have been sent out not to rest until they have found her!"

"Yes, sir," the soldier replied obediently.

The rest of the subordinates were dismissed and they left the room in a hurry, eager to be as far away from the frightening Strategos as possible. Any man would be upset by such news as they had had the misfortune of giving, and now that they saw how Folken was not completely immune to emotions, they knew that he was still hiding the extreme anxiety that he felt. None of them wished to be in such a situation.

He paced the room in agitation. But what could he do so far away from everything. And he couldn't abandon his task just yet, not even for such an emergency, although he wanted nothing than to be on the search party himself.

Emperor Dornkirk had grown suspicious about the depth of the relationship between Folken and Eries. And Folken could not risk his superior's displeasure. Especially not now.

"Where are you?" he thought silently and frantically, remembering Eries' calmly smiling face.

"Please be safe," he wished hard as he racked his brain for some explanation of these unexpected events.

His reverie was interrupted by a knock on the door. Hopefully and hastily, he gave permission for the messenger to enter.

The young man did so hesitantly, no doubt having already heard of Folken's earlier outburst. But the messenger was relieved to see nothing but the usual calm and stern face of the Strategos before him.

But he was still painfully aware that the serene expression could change the moment he heard the message.

"What news?" Folken asked immediately.

"Sir," the messenger began nervously, "it's about Lord Dilandau."

Folken frowned. The mere mentioning of that young captain's name was enough to give one cause for worry. Why did Dilandau have to cause mischief at such a stressful time?

"Well, what about him?" Folken asked slightly impatiently, rubbing his forehead in exasperation.

"Lord Dilandau's gone missing," the soldier finally blurted out.

Folken's eyes widened at this but as he listened to the details of this latest escapade, he grew more relieved. For the first time, he was thankful for Dilandau's delinquency.

The stubborn young captain's misdemeanor was proving to be a blessing in disguise. For by the description of the path Dilandau had taken after he had crash landed yet another Alseides prototype, it seemed like the soldier was heading directly towards the route of Princess Eries.

"I'm certain they bumped into each other somehow," Folken thought with a greater sense of composure.

He knew well enough that for all Dilandau Albatou's antagonism towards people in general, the silver-haired soldier had developed a grudging respect towards both the Strategos and his wife. And at times, Dilandau had even shown a protective stance towards Eries, which had surprised the couple when they spoke about it. But Eries wasn't going to complain about that.

The young messenger finished reciting all his information and awaited further instructions awkwardly. But to his relief and surprise, he saw that the Strategos was not at all bothered by the news he had had to relay. For some strange reason, Folken even seemed glad that Dilandau had caused trouble on that day.

"That will be all, then," Folken told the messenger, "since he got lost in the area where my wife was supposedly lost, it would be best to simply inform the search party to look for Dilandau as well."

"Yes, my Lord," the messenger said with a bow.

"Very well," Folken said curtly, "just do what I asked you to and keep tabs on our search party or if you hear any problems which might have come about."

"Yes, sir," the messenger answered timidly.

And the messenger was quickly dismissed and he left the room promptly.

As the door closed, Folken sighed deeply. This did not mean that he was no longer worried about Eries, he was. But the knowledge that Dilandau would at least be around to somehow protect the princess was a burden lifted from the Strategos' tense shoulders.

"I never thought I'd say this," Folken thought, wishing that he could somehow contact the other soldier wherever he may be, "but I'm going to trust you on this one, Dilandau. I will try to find you all as soon as I can but while you wait, I hope you take care of my family."

Folken walked towards the window and tried to ascertain their current location. There was still a long way before they reached the Asturian territories. Until they arrived, Folken would not be able to calm down.

He felt frustrated with himself for not being able to do anything for his family, for having to rely on others to fulfill the responsibilities that were his as a husband and soon, as a father. He did not want to let anyone down, and he wanted a chance to prove how, undeserving though he felt about his current happiness, he was willing to do everything in his power to maintain it.

Once again, Folken frowned and clenched both fists. He needed to find her, he needed o get back to her. Memories flooded his consciousness as he struggled to maintain an appearance of calmness and composure.

"Please be safe," he repeated his prayer, "and wait for me. I'll find you, I swear I will. We will be together again."

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Night had fallen on the woods and the symphony of night noises now resounded. Already the sky was filled with the patchwork of light from the stars that shone brightly as well as the two moons that watched over the land. A chilly wind blew through the trees, rustling the leaves, and whispering soft secrets.

But somewhere in the middle of the darkness, a small fire blazed, illuminating the makeshift camp where three lost travelers had chosen to spend the night. The carriage was parked in one corner, while the three passengers gathered around their only source of warmth.

Although they had veered far away from the road and had gotten quite lost in the woods, none of them seemed worried.

Eries, in particular, was her usual calm self because she was confident that as soon as the dawn broke, she would know how to find the way to their destination. Millerna was not so familiar with the surroundings but the older sister knew them well. There was no need to worry about that.

Besides, the greatest threat to their safety had already been eliminated. Dilandau had made sure of that. He had left no survivors in the great funeral pyre of bandits.

The two sisters were bothered by his methods (though Eries was a little more tolerant). But both princesses were wise enough not to question him about them. He had calmed down much since they had left the site of their attack, and was now only waiting for morning so that they could be on their way.

Luckily, Eries had brought some food with her which they managed to share. It was a small but adequate dinner, and they had all eaten in silence.

"Are you all right, sister?" Millerna asked in concern. She knew how well Eries could conceal distress and discomfort if she chose to do so. And with the baby due any day soon, the younger sister was worried.

"I'm fine," the older sister replied truthfully, "I'm just waiting patiently for the sun, so that we can be on our way."

"Surely by now the people from the rest house must have noticed the delay in your arrival," Millerna said.

"Yes," Eries answered, "and if we're lucky, the search party they surely sent out might stumble upon us tonight. But it is of little consequence, we can find our way back. For now, I think we all deserve the rest."

It was only then that Eries actually admitted being physically exhausted. It had been a taxing day, to say the least, and she was relieved that Dilandau had agreed to take a break for the night. Eries was beginning to feel the full weight of the life that throbbed within her, and she needed as much rest as could be managed.

Fortunately, the afternoon's skirmish had made Dilandau tired as well, more than he was willing to admit. Eries and Millerna were extremely grateful for bumping into him.

"For once, his troublemaking in Zaibach was actually beneficial to others," Eries thought.

And she was also flattered by some of his protectiveness. She had known before that he did not despise her as he did most other people. But she had not expected that he would come so eagerly to her defense.

But then again, Eries also knew that Dilandau delighted in any excuse for armed combat. He had clearly enjoyed himself that afternoon. And she knew him well enough not to remind him of his heroic acts. She made sure not to be too enthusiastic about her gratitude, and only hoped that her sister would follow suit.

Another matter continued to plague her though, and that was the motive for the attacks. The grisly men who had come were clearly hired thugs and formidable mercenaries even. It had just been their bad luck that they had crossed paths with one of the most dangerous swordsmen in the land.

The leader had refused to admit who had sent them and Eries pondered on the possible suspects. But though she had her fair share of critics in the past, none of them seemed stupid enough to make an attempt on her life. They would not achieve much even if they did manage to get rid of her. And if they were discovered, there was so much more they stood to lose.

On the other side of the small "camp", the fierce young soldier brooded in silence. He too had been pondering on the bandits and their possible employers. Dilandau knew that the snobbish Asturian politicians who disapproved of some of Eries' decisions would not lower themselves enough to hire such uncivilized goons. Whoever had hired them clearly saw the princess (and maybe even her child) as a threat. It was hard for Dilandau to imagine how this could be possible.

But more than anything, the captain was dangerously upset about the cut that the bandit leader had managed to give him on his arm. The young man continuously stroked the small wound, irritating it and causing it to throb.

"It stings, it stings, and it stings,"he muttered repeatedly, "this blemish on my perfect arm. I was too merciful to that piece of filth. I should have made him suffer a lot longer."

So engrossed was he with stroking his wounded arm that he did not notice the younger princess hesitantly approach him.

Millerna had been watching him shyly and finally got the nerve to go and talk to him. Eries was deep in thought and the younger sister did not want to bother her. But Millerna had grown a little desperate for someone to talk to and she had decided that now was as good a time as ever to initiate some conversation with the mysterious and dangerous young captain. She doubted that there would ever be another opportunity like this after they resumed their normal lives.

Even if the afternoon's attack had been a frightening and stressful experience, Millerna was still somehow glad for the excitement. She hardly had adventures in her life, and she decided that this was a great one.

Earlier, she had managed to express her thanks to Dilandau for saving her life, though in a very unexpected way.

She had been so angry at him when he had expressed indifference about her death tot the bandit leader who held a knife to her throat. But then she realized that it had been a great bluff, and an effective one at that.

Millerna had blurted out a soft, shy, "Thank you for saving my life" to which Dilandau had replied with no more than a curt nod. But that had been exciting enough for Millerna.

Now, however, she had convinced herself that she would exert more effort in talking to him in what might be the only opportunity to do so.

"Thank you again," she managed to mutter softly, "for saving us all."

Dilandau paid no attention to her this time and continued to stroke the throbbing cut on his arm.

"You're hurt!" Millerna cried out in realization, and rushed to his side.

The young man was surprised by the company.

"It's nothing, just a scratch," he replied, "a blemish, a blight on my perfect skin."

Millerna looked at him curiously. This was the first time she had met a man so concerned about his appearance. His vanity almost seemed feminine.

"Stop stroking it," Millerna managed to say, her doctor's instincts somehow flaring up, "you'll cause an infection."

She extended her hand towards the wound but Dilandau immediately brushed it away.

"Who said you could touch me?" he cried out defensively.

Millerna gulped but was not afraid.

"I just want to take a look at it," she said.

"Why," he asked, "are you a doctor?"

"Well," she answered hesitantly, unsure of how much to reveal, afraid of what his reaction might be.

Would he ridicule or oppose her medical studies, just like everyone else had? She decided to take the risk because she was curious about his reaction.

"I've been studying to be one," she continued shyly.

"Hmm?" Dilandau replied not with ill-will but genuine surprise, "and they allowed you to do that?"

"Not really, no," Millerna explained, "but I've been studying nevertheless."

"Hmmph," Dilandau said, "I don't know what's wrong with your stupid politicians. They ought to let you learn something that is infinitely more useful than any silly formal etiquette and other unnecessary princess duties."

Millerna looked at him with wide eyes. That was the closest to praise she had ever received from anyone other than Eries (who had eventually approved of this study choice after seeing that it did have merit). And coming from Dilandau, anything in way of a compliment was highly appreciated.

"Thank you," Millerna said gratefully, "I'm so glad you think so."

"Hmmph," Dilandau replied nonchalantly.

But after that, he allowed her to clean his wound and bandage it properly. Nothing gave Millerna more pleasure, and she reveled in the experience of being close to him without fearing violence or animosity.

Eries watched this whole exchange with worry. Again, she was concerned about her sister's growing attachment to Dilandau. And after the afternoon's events, it was understandable that Millerna's admiration increase.

Eries was also surprised, though, that Dilandau had allowed Millerna to dress his wound. But she hoped that he would no longer encourage the young girl. He, at least, showed no attraction or interest in her sister and for this Eries was immensely grateful.

Even had his feelings been favorable to Millerna, which was highly unlikely considering it was Dilandau, the match would never be approved by King Aston. Though Dilandau was an impressive soldier and an up and coming officer, he would not be a suitable match for a princess of Asturia.

Besides, even if Dilandau's rank were higher, King Aston would not marry another one of his daughters to someone from Zaibach. Alliances needed to be made with the other countries as well.

But Millerna could be so stubborn and headstrong sometimes. And Eries knew her sister well enough to know that to openly dissuade her from doing something would only make Millerna more determined to do it.

Eries sighed and shook her head.

"Now that I think about it," Eries thought ironically, "those two have more in common than they think. Both are stubborn and hard-headed. And both are so eager to defy the authorities."

And Millerna seemed to be the only young girl that Dilandau tolerated to be around him for long.

"Oh, no," Eries thought, and then she shook her head further. She would find a way to prevent such an ill-fated match. And she would discuss the matter with Folken as well.

Remembering her husband, Eries could not help but look up to the sky, searching for the flying fortress that would surely have come if Folken had been nearby. The news of her disappearance and delayed arrival would have reached him now and Eries knew that he would be extremely worried.

But his assignment was far away, and it would take some time for him to get back to her. She smiled as she remembered him.

"By the time he arrives," Eries thought, "we will all be settled in the rest-house already."

She missed him badly though. There were so many things she wanted to talk to him about. And sometimes, she simply missed being with him.

Eries sighed and smiled. She had gotten so sentimental since her marriage, and so had he. But they were happy, and she began to wonder if it was their happiness that threatened someone enough to want to have her killed.

Nearby, Dilandau gave a loud yawn which grew contagious and soon the two princesses were eager to sleep as well. Millerna and Eries would sleep in the carriage, while Dilandau preferred to stay outside.

"Don't get me wrong," he said defensively, "I'm not your little body guard. It's just more comfortable out here than in the stuffy carriage."

"Suit yourself," Eries had replied, too tired to argue.

So they all retired for the night and managed to get a restful sleep. At the break of dawn, they were all up and ready to go.

"So how do we get out of here?" Dilandau asked, designating himself as the driver.

"There's a small stream nearby," Eries instructed, "if we drive along it that should lead us straight to the rest house."

"Simple enough," Dilandau replied, "hopefully, we won't have more unexpected delays."

It did not take long for them to find the stream Eries had mentioned and they proceeded to drive along it, Dilandau taking a furiously fast pace.

But after about two hours of travelling, the carriage came to an abrupt halt. Dilandau cursed aloud as he jumped down to see what was wrong.

"What's the matter?" Eries asked, opening the window. But by the volume and intensity of Dilandau's swearing, she knew that it would not be good news.

"We passed by a stupid bump in the road," Dilandau managed to explain through his frustration, "it damaged one of the wheels, and one of the horses sprained its leg. Damn it!"

Eries sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation.

"Maybe this wouldn't have happened if you weren't driving so fast," she was tempted to tell Dilandau but decided against it. To put the blame on someone would not improve their situation.

They would simply have to deal with the fact that they would be stuck there for a while.

But the princess was beginning to wonder if the forces of the universe really conspiring against them? If so, then she wanted to know what she had done to merit such treatment from Fate?

"What are we going to do now, sister?" Millerna asked worriedly.

"We have no choice but to wait here until someone finds us," Eries answered, "the carriage is useless now and even one of our horses is injured. Well, I suppose things couldn't get any worse."

And just as she had uttered those words, Eries felt a sudden stab of pain fill her entire body. Millerna saw this and knew at once what was going on and immediately tried to help her sister.

"I spoke too soon," Eries muttered with a small smile as she started to breathe heavily to try and endure her current condition.

Dilandau heard some cries inside the carriage and he grew very suspicious.

"WHAT NOW?" the young man asked in irritation. He was fast losing his temper with their inconvenient predicament and he couldn't imagine what else could possibly go wrong.

The carriage door opened and Millerna was helping a heavily breathing Eries out slowly and carefully.

"What's going on here?" Dilandau demanded angrily.

"My sister's water has broken," Millerna explained hurriedly, "she's going into labor."