The Descended Shadow
Chapter VI
Treaties in Treachery
Disclaimer – Escaflowne is not mine; the characters and story are the property of Bandai entertainment. The story and characters of 'The Descend Shadow' or 'Shadows of the Past' are the property of Butchs Fan Fiction Forum . Before use of these characters or elements of the story please get permission from Butch Cassidy at butchsvideostopTiscali.co.uk
- Visit the Home of 'The Descended Shadow' at www.butchsforum.co.uk
- Character reference at the end of the Fan Fic. If you forget a character, remember.
………
It has been hundreds of years since the first Levi-ship took flight on Gaea. As all major new advances it was met with a deep hostility, the men who created it failing to live long enough to see the fruits of their hard works come to fruition. It may have taken time but eventually Levi-ships had become the most popular form of transportation in Gaea. Horses on land and ships on the sea were now unable to compete with the additional speed and capabilities of these massive flying machines. These new advances meant that it was only a matter of time before levi-ships were brought into use as instruments of war, and so they were.
Powered by the rare levi-stones, the use of these ships in war was of great risk, as the Levi-stones used to power them only existed in rare parts of Gaea. Although the Dragu-energists are rare, each nation in Gaea with its own form of dragon means that access to the power source for the Gymelefs was always possible. Each Levi-ship lost was of great consequence to a nation, possibly holding the balance between survival and utter obliteration.
There are still nations on Gaea, which refuse the use of these technologies, instead keeping to the more traditional forms of transportation and warfare. Depending on which nation a person may live traditions and technology may vary. An example being old Zaibach where all technologies were accepted and used, bringing great joy to its people, but also great arrogance, which in turn caused the Great War. The alliance nations have forbidden the use of these technologies in the hope that the same horrible fate would not be brought upon them. Unfortunately the cause of the war was not the technology but the arrogance it brought, an arrogance that can come from the heart of any man or nation.
There are few in the world immune to this, an arrogance which infects the souls of men, those few that are willing to give up all they possess for the realization of a single goal, a single dream. Alan Shazar is one of those few. As he stood looking through the window of the bridge, his mind was clouded, chaotic, each thought batting for his attention. Had times changed or had he just been too young and naive to see the truth. Back then it all seemed so simple, your enemies were your enemies and your friends could be trusted. With chivalry you could protect both yourself and those that you loved, but in the light of current events, could anyone truly be trusted? Who was behind this?
Perhaps if he had just listened to Dawn, they could have stopped this treachery at the root long ago… In the absence of light, darkness prevails. Was it his ignorance that caused this to happen, was it his fault?
He sighed heavily, his eyes may have been watching the scenery as it passed but he wasn't paying any attention to it. In fact he only came back to reality when he was approached from behind,
"Boss?" His visitor asked, "Are you listening?" Pulled from his thoughts Alan recovered himself,
"Yes, yes, of course I am"
"What should we do then?" The visitor asked.
"About what?" Alan asked, having not been paying attention.
"About the Fanelian Levi-ship that is signalling to dock?" He replied,
"Fanelian Levi-ship?" Alan asked, turning he looked out the side of the bridge and for the first time noticed the large Levi-ship along side them. The design didn't look like a Fanelian ship but the flag clearly bore the symbol of the winged Dragon, proclaiming for all to see the nation that the ship belonged to. Turning back to the man Alan addressed him,
"Let them dock of course. Whatever they want it must be important for them to follow us all the way out here. You can welcome them to the crusade personally Ort"
He smiled,
"Sure thing boss, and if anyone causes trouble" He said twirling his knives skilfully, clearly showing off. "I'll thank them personally" Alan raised an eyebrow,
"I'm not convinced it's the others I should be worried about" Alan told him.
"That hurts Boss, it really does" Ort replied sarcastically.
"Just go already," Alan told him. Putting away his knife Ort made his way to the door of the bridge and passed on through.
Alan slowly made his way over to the side of the Levi-ship's Bridge and looked up at the ship to their side. It was a large ship that dwarfed the crusade in terms of size. Paile had taken command of the crusade since Gaddes's departure, and it was he who came up beside Alan. He joined him in looking up at the much larger ship.
"Is there something wrong sir?" He asked politely, Alan turned his back on the ship for a moment to see who had addressed him before bringing his attention back to the Fanelian ship.
"Not really, I just feel a little uneasy" Alan answered, something just didn't feel right, but whether it was something about this ship or himself he couldn't work out. Scanning his eyes across the hull of the ship, the harpoon launchers caught his eye… people were active there.
"Paile get us out of here!" Alan ordered him anxiously. Paile didn't understand though he didn't hesitate to carry out the orders but unfortunately it was too late. A series of powerful impacts had smashed into the side of the ship. Grabbing onto the ships wheel Paile attempted to pull the ship away but they were caught.
Rising Alan spotted at least a dozen ropes connecting the Fanelian ship to the Crusade,
"What's going on?" Paile yelled to Alan, who was still watching the moments of the ship. Alan turned and bolted to a small stair case at the side of the bridge,
"Isn't it obvious, they're not Fanelian's" Alan told him, "As soon as we're cut free, get us out of here" Paile laughed and Ok'ed with his fingers,
"Sure thing boss"
.
Ort pulled himself back to his feet, he may have been outside but he couldn't see a thing, the dust blocking his sight.
"Draw your swords!" He yelled into the cloud of dust, as he removed his own from its sheath. It wasn't long before the dust cleared from the air, allowing them to see once more. A gangway had now been placed between the two ships; a large number of unpleasant looking people gathered at the other ships end, dressed in Fanelian armour. Walking the gangway, a single man bridged the gulf between the two ships. He may have appeared young; but his eyes told a different story, they were old… and cold. He had long white hair so straight it looked unnatural, and he wore a long black coat with blood red seams, running around it. The clothes he wore beneath this however were all white, right down to his shoes. To his side rested a long thin sword still housed in its sheath.
Two other members of the crusade's crew came up beside Ort in order to block their side of the gangway. Ort cleared his throat,
"Go back, obey or we will make you leave" The man smiled as if amused by the threat and continued to walk undeterred to the crusade. Ort laughed, and leaned over to one of the crew members,
"Confident isn't he" He whispered into their ear, "Incapacitate him, I want him brought in for questioning" The crewmember merely nodded and secured his sword. The man continued unabated, eventually stepping onto the crusades deck. The crewmember to the left of Ort stabbed his sword at the man. At the last possible moment the man ducked back, too late to stop the attack, his sword passed into the man to Ort's right. He yelled in pain as his enemies' sword was thrust deep into his shoulder. The man kicked his feet out from under the crewmember to his left thus throwing him to the ground along with the other crewmember that he was now connected too. Both men hit the ground with a crash
The man straightened leaving only him and Ort facing each other. He patted his coat, which had become slightly creased. Ort tightened his hand around his sword angrily. One thing he couldn't stand was people who showed off, and he hated it even more when they could afford to.
Without warning Ort fired his sword from the left at the man, though the man stopped it effortlessly. Knocking the sword away the man forced it out of Ort's hand. Raising his own with one hand the man brought it down on Ort, who blocked it with a knife he had freed. Ort smiled for a moment,
"You won't get me that easily," Ort boasted. The man just smiled seeing something that Ort didn't. Ort groaned involuntarily, feeling the pressure tear into his stomach. Looking down past the smirk on the mans face he saw his second hand had moved away from the knife he had implanted into him. He looked back up into the mans eyes, and saw only darkness,
"You were saying" The cold voice of the man sneered, Ort couldn't answer. Losing the power of his arm, his knife clattered to the deck, his whole body soon followed it. His body too weak to move, all he could do was watch as the man left him and dozens more crossed the bridge onto the crusade.
.
Grabbing an axe Alan went through the process of freeing the ship from its enemies. Each of the ropes that had hooked the ship took only a few good swings to break, but the time it took to break them all was becoming a problem. When he had broken the last rope, he wiped his head, clearing it of sweat. Dropping the axe at his feet he ran as fast as he could back to the bridge. Tearing up the stairs, he found the bridge the way he left it, with Paile waiting for his return. Paile looked to him for orders,
"Sir?"
"Go!" Alan ordered. Grabbing the wheel Paile forced them away from the Fanelian ship, leaving it far behind them. Alan continued onto the bridge, and sighed happily,
"That was too close" Alan commented, "You know I'm getting too old for this" Paile smiled happily,
"You sir?" He laughed, "Your still in your prime, it would take an army to take you down" A small whistling filled the air, and Paile chocked. The next thing Alan saw was Paile fall to the ground, a knife embedded in his neck. The man from the gangway stepped out of the shadow beneath the doorway onto the bridge,
"I would like to test that theory"
Alan ripped his sword from its sheath and aimed it angrily at the man,
"Who are you!?" Alan yelled. The man looked over to him, the smirk still on his face.
"I am Aosánach," He told Alan; lowering his sword to his side he took a step back.
"Aosánach, Aosánach of the four?" Alan stuttered, "You are he?" He nodded,
"I see that my reputation precedes me, you know Shazar, I had always hoped to meet you" Aosánach told him almost dreamily.
"And why is that?" Alan asked, anger beginning to swell in him.
"I've always wanted to test my skills against the invincible knight" He told him, Alan felt the rage begin to take him, his hand… no his whole body started to shake violently as he held it in, his frustration, his hatred, his utter contempt for the man who now stood before him. This man who had attacked his ship, killed his crew and now wanted to test his skills against the invincible knight.
"You really should have come to greet me yourself" He told Alan, "It was most rude, and you know I wouldn't have had to kill the rest"
"What?" Alan asked lost for words, "Explain yourself!"
"I only had to kill you, not your crew… so thinking about it, it's your fault their dead" Aosánach said mockingly. Bringing his sword back to his side Alan walked back onto the bridge. Kneeling over Paile's body, he closed his eyes and stood up again, his eyes raging. With a long concealed flame as he turned his gaze back to his enemy, the one person in his life that he could truly say he hated more than any other.
"You wanted to test the invincible knight, now is your chance" Alan told him; his face bowed… his expression unreadable. Rising his own sword Aosánach prepared himself for his chance to fight a living legend. Rising his head, Alan charged at the man, letting his anger control his actions he thrust his sword at Aosánach. However, as hard as he tried he couldn't seem to hit him, as Aosánach dodged every attack. Thrusting his sword forward at Aosánach he hoped that he could get him, catch him off guard somehow, but Aosánach jumped to the side avoiding the sword entirely. Seizing the opening Aosánach kicked Alan to the ground with a thud.
Alan groaned angrily hitting the ground; a hollow echoing filled the room. Turning around his eyes burning once more, Alan launched himself at his opponent, bringing his sword down on him. Aosánach however blocked the blade,
"Is this all that the great Alan Shazar has to offer? You disappoint me" He mocked. Alan allowing his anger to cloud his judgement once more. He forced his sword down harder onto Aosánach's, and so fell into his enemies trap. Using Alan's own force against him, Aosánach tilted his sword, causing Alan to lose his balance. In this moment of weakness, Aosánach sliced his sword across Alan's back, ripping into him and causing him to hit the ground again. Then stepping onto Alan's hand, he kicked his sword across the bridge.
"Now, may you always remember this Fanelian betrayal" He laughed deeply as he pointed his sword over Alan. The last thing that Alan saw was the bloodlust in his eyes, and he felt pity for him, for a man whose destiny was wrapped in blood could only end in sorrow. Alan had committed many wrongs in his life, but his soul was now at peace, the same however would never be said for his killer.
………
Darkness had fallen. Sadako sat alone under the black sky; apart from her breathing she showed no signs of life, failing to move more than an inch. Her eyes were clouded, her mind elsewhere. Her breathing slowly becoming erratic,
"Does that mean he's…" Her voice asked the un-answering forest. Behind her Von entered the clearing where she sat, but hearing her voice he stopped for a moment.
"Are they all…" She asked again, but still the forest offered no reply. Von came up to her, and kneeled down beside her.
"There is no sense on thinking about that" Von told her, looking into her distraught and fearful eyes.
"I can't help it! How could they have…" She started, just thinking about it made her shiver. It was soon after Von had grabbed her, they witnessed the Fanelian royal cruiser fall from the sky and plough into the forest below.
"They would want you to be strong. They would not want to see you cry" Von told her, his eyes firm. She faked a weak smiled,
"Alright" She told him.
"That's good," He told her with a smile, "Tomorrow we will know for sure, but until then we should not grieve"
Entering the fires circle, he built some of the wood he had collected into a small fire, from behind him he could still hear her breathing was erratic, she was scared for them… or was it that she was scared for only one person.
"He is a resourceful lad, I'm sure he's fine" He told her quietly. He wasn't even sure she had heard him but whether it was what he had said or the newly burning fire she seemed calmer. Sitting back he looked into the crackling flames. They were now alone… no backup, no help, and in Austria. What were they going to do?
"Does this mean what I think it does?" Sadako asked out of the blue, Von turned from the fire,
"Mean what?" Von asked innocently. Sadako looked unimpressed,
"You know what I mean" Von took a deep breath of air unsure whether it was warm or cool. He could see that her face was unusually stern,
"It does" Von simply told her, Sadako had already connected all the dots but to hear it from him was something completely different.
"So you are my father?" She asked again. Von slowly nodded,
"I am" Sadako looked down at the dirt by her feet,
"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked calmly. Von looked back into the fire,
"I didn't tell you because I didn't know" Von said, she couldn't understand it but Sadako felt rage spike within herself,
"Bull! You're telling me that you had no idea! None at all!" She yelled at him, the loud noise disturbing some of the birds resting in the trees above them. Von turned quickly from the fire and looked into her fiery eyes.
"I would not lie to you" He told her sadly, "Anyway how could I have known! You were born and raised on the Mystic moon" Sadako felt the air suddenly rush out of her argument. Solemnly she said,
"I'm sorry… I just don't unde…" Von cut her off,
"There is nothing to apologize for. This has been a shock to us both"
For a moment the only sound was the crackling of the fire,
"Tell me about her… My mum I mean" Sadako asked, Von looked back into the fire. It had been so long since he had last seen Hitomi, but he had never forgotten even a moment of the time they had shared together. That time was precious to him, more precious than life itself.
"She was the kindest person you could ever hope to meet" Von smiled, talking about her made the memories all the more vivid, "In her time here she never did anything but good for those she came into contact with, even those who would wish her pain" Sadako laughed, bringing herself closer to the fire,
"That sounds like mum alright" Sadako said happily, "Alan said that she hated war, and refused to fight… that's not the mum I know" Von nodded understandingly.
"Alan was right; she never liked to fight and never supported war. Even in the Zaibach war when there was no other way she didn't want it… she was just that sort of person… and that was one of the reasons why I loved her"
"Then why did she change?" Sadako asked,
"It was a month or so after she had come back to Gaea, her second trip" Von told her, "I was with her and all of a sudden she became tense, scared even. I asked her what had happened but all that she would say is that she wanted me to teach her how to fight with a sword. She never did tell me why though" Von then turned his gaze towards the stars far above the trees.
"You know your mother is a legend here, there have been many silly rumours about her and her help in the war with Zaibach" Von informed her, "Most of these where false… fabrications. Only last week I heard that the great Wing Goddess Hitomi destroyed the Zaibach army single handed before defeating emperor Dunkirk, with her lance of Glory"
"Why do they make these stories up?" Sadako asked, joining him in his star gazing,
"Why? Because people want someone that they can look up to. There were many heroes who fought that day but the people wanted to know that something more was on our side. So they turned Hitomi into this godlike character who is on our side… in good or ill"
"Most of these may have been false but one at least was true. Your mother had the ability to see the unseen" Von turned to see Sadako's perplexed expression, "In other words she could see what was going to happen before it did, she was able to see into the future"
Sadako stopped breathing for a moment, 'she saw them as well, those same horrible visions… and they are of the future' she thought to herself but Von's voice broke in again,
"On many occasions she saw terrible things happen but the future she saw however was not always set in stone… she and the people of Gaea could change the horrors from becoming real"
The vision of her and Nimura's deaths began to play though her mind again and again… this meant that the future could be changed, that it would not necessarily happen but how could they change it?
"Another speciality of your mother's was that she was willing to sacrifice her own happiness for someone else. I think what she saw that day was you Sadako or some great horror that would befall you in some time to come... and that is why she ignored her own feelings in order to protect you" The words hung in the air, as Von placed some more wood onto the fire before returning to looking deep into its flames.
"Von… I want you to be honest with me" Sadako asked, "What is going on?" Von didn't answer; instead he concentrated on the crackling flames. Sadako placed her hand onto his shoulder and he turned away from the fire,
"Please tell me…" She asked again. Von sighed and nodded slowly,
"You have a right to know"
He leaned back,
"When in Palas Alan and I went to see the King, an old friend of ours called Dryden. As soon as I mentioned Zaibach I knew something was wrong, he lost his normal good-humoured nature. This feeling only became worse when we were dismissed. A feeling that has now been proven correct, he sold us out…" Von told her, Sadako taking in the details.
"So what's that mean?" Sadako asked, Von smiled ironically.
"It means that whatever this is, it goes right to the top. They even went as far as to try to kill us all… Cancer goes right to the heart. Now whatever happens, we must tread carefully, they have tried to kill us once and I doubt very much that they will have any qualms about trying again" Von continued, answering her question. Von then bowed his head,
"I didn't mean to get you caught up in all this Sadako. This is a disaster that has been in the making for a long time, unfortunately I was just too blind to see it coming"
"It is what happens now that counts" Sadako told him "Save your blame for those who are responsible" Von gave her a reassuring smile,
"Whatever happens we had better get some sleep. We have a long trek ahead of us tomorrow" Von reminded her, to which she answered sarcastically,
"I always did enjoy a good bit of cross country"
………..
A perfect feeling of serenity consumed Sadako's whole being, as the warmth of the air made her skin tingle. For those few brief seconds she was perfectly content, free from the world, free from everything. Then the feeling was gone… replaced by a loud rumbling sound.
Opening her eyes she watched a large truck drive right towards her, she instinctively ducked. For several seconds the sound was unbearable, but it then started to lessen and finally disappeared completely. Opening her eyes again she found that the truck was gone and she was left cowering in the middle of a road, several cars parked on either side. Her heart was pounding, from a mixture of fear and disbelief. 'How could I be back?' she thought. She stood up in the middle of the road, buildings to one side and the sea to the other. Within the water sat a large rock, too small to be an island, too large to be ignored. It was close to the shore, almost like you could reach out and grab it. She knew this place; it wasn't that far from where she lived. Rising from her defensive crouch Sadako crossed the road over to the sea. Leaning on the protective fence she looked at the rock more closely… she was there, wasn't she?
She smiled, hardly believing it, she was back! She was breaking into a run when a girl walking on her side of the road caught her eye. She was young, only 7 or 8 with long brown pigtails. She wore a normal junior school summer uniform, which appeared too big for her by at least 2 sizes. She was looking at her feet; her eyes were red, she had obviously been crying. In her arms she carried a few large books and looked as if she was having trouble carrying them herself.
Sadako stood one hand on the fence, watching in disbelief as the young girl approached. She was looking at herself. A wave of mixed feelings hit Sadako, seeing her younger self brought back many memories and feelings of that unhappy time in her life. She looked at the little girls red eyes, and touched her own.
"Has it really been this long?" she asked herself quietly.
The little girl stopped only a few feet from where Sadako now stood and turned to look at the rock, piercing its way out of the water proclaiming itself to all. The girl watched the rock, transfixed, and a smile curled itself onto her lips. Sadako watched her, the little girl oblivious to her presence. She remembered looking at that same rock every single day. When she was very small her mother had bent down next to her and told her that any time she felt sad or scared, she would come to that rock, and it would take those fears away.
All of a sudden Sadako became aware of other voices. A group of girls were coming up behind the little girl. She was still unaware that the group was there. They stopped spotting the little girl and several of the girls started to giggle amongst themselves. The girl at the front of the group came right up to the little girl and bashed her books from her hand. The little girl tried her hardest to catch the books but they fell under the fence and embedded themselves in the muddy embankment
"Sadako, are you WELL?" The girl asked, mocking her. The sniggering from the girls grew even louder, and one even made a silly face and pretended to die. The girl looked down at where her books had fallen, ignoring the other girl. She then grabbed the little girls arm and turned her around to face her,
"Hey! Are you listening to me?" She asked angrily. The little girls face remained emotionless, but she took this as a victory.
"Maybe you're just as crazy as your mother" She told the little girl before freeing her arm. The group walked on, leaving Sadako alone again. She remembered this; she was bullied a lot when she was younger mainly because of her mother. She hated them but it was many years before she fought back. She just took it every day, and even sometimes she resented her mother
Sadako watched helplessly as the little girl slipped under the fence and one by one the books reappeared on the side of the road, mud incrusted on their covers and pages. Next the little girls head reappeared as she pulled herself back up, mud now on her clothes and in her hair. Picking up her books, she took a last look at the rock she walked on passed Sadako and slowly disappeared down the road out of sight once more.
………
Sadako awoke from her dream, and shivered. The fire had long since died out, leaving only its burnt wooden frame. She sighed as the dream still remained fresh in her memory, a chapter of her life she would rather remain closed.
"So your awake at last?" Von asked. Rising off the ground she opened her eyes. Next to the burnt out fire, Von sat holding his sword. He sheathed it and stood up. Sadako too got to her feet, and stretched.
"We going then?" She asked. Von smiled and kicked the remaining frame of the fire spreading burnt wood around the place.
"Yes" Von answered simply, "We have a lot of ground to cover today"
The sun beat down upon the trees as they slowly made their way past them, some which had stood for a hundred years or more. They had stood through the rise of kings, the fall of nations, but some things where always constant. Most of the way appeared clear enough but Von did have the opportunity once in a while to hack through the undergrowth as it blocked their path.
They had walked for hours when Von came to a slow stop, Sadako who hadn't been paying full attention to what she was doing nearly walked into him,
"Why have we stopped?" She asked. Von turned and smiled,
"Feel like a rest?" Taking a step to the side, Sadako's eyes meet with a small lake dotted with rocks throughout, with trees walling it all the way up to its shores. The continuing sunlight made the water sparkle like crystal, not a ripple to be found on its perfect surface. Sadako returned the smile,
"Maybe we should take a break" She commented happily, and stepped forward jumped onto the first stone in the water. Von watched her happily
She jumped to the next rock, her arms raised for balance as she jumped the gulf. Sitting down she pulled her socks and shoes off. Von came out from the shade and jumped to the first rock. Sitting, he laid back and enjoyed the warmth of the sun. Several large ripples dispersed into the water, as Sadako happily dropped her feet into the warm water.
"Von?" Sadako asked, slowly moving her feet underneath the relaxing water.
"Yes",
"What are we going to do?" She asked. This was the question that he feared she would ask the night before, as he wouldn't have had an answer but now he did. He raised himself up on the rock, and looked over to Sadako. She was watching him,
"There is no chance the ship could fly, so we're in luck that we crashed here," Von told her, as she stared blankly at him,
"What do you mean?"
"Well it just so happens that we are within a day or so of the fort of Alan Shazar" Von answered, but Sadako's face became even blanker if that were possible.
"Alan may not be in residence but they will be able to give us aid" Von continued, as Sadako's blank face melted away. She returned to kicking the water, but Von could definitely sense a sad aura about her.
Von wanted to approach her, to comfort her but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Before he would have done it in a heartbeat, but now… he no longer knew how to act around her. He said nothing had changed but if he didn't even truly believe that himself. How was he to act around her, how was he to act towards her, how?
"Von what is that?" Sadako asked fearfully, her voice almost cracking.
Opening his eyes, the reason for her fear became evident to him, as he found himself looking deep into one large amber eye. Von knew instantly what it was but still surveyed its large scaly body and vicious looking fangs. Whatever the reason it was looking straight at them,
"Sadako, stay still and calm yourself!" Von told her anxiously, they had little time before it would attack.
"Remain calm! With that thing!" Sadako rebutted, Von growled angrily, they didn't have time for this.
"It is attracted by heightened emotions! If you don't calm yourself it WILL attack!" He told her. Taking a deep breath, Sadako closed her eyes. She found it easier to calm herself when she couldn't see it, though she could still feel its monstrous presence in the very air. She didn't know how long she had sat there, her eyes closed, putting every ounce of her energy into calming herself, a contradiction by nature, but eventually Von placed his hand onto her shoulder and she opened her eyes.
"It's gone" Came Von's encouraging voice, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Once she had recuperated a little her inquisitive side took control once more,
"Von, what was that?" She asked, not entirely sure if she wanted to know the answer. Von looked back in the direction it had gone,
"That was a dragon. Well… a land Dragon to be more precise" Von told her,
"But don't they only live in Fanelia?" She asked, remembering her mother's stories, which included some information on the dragons of Fanelia.
"That was once the case but the present connections between Fanelia and other countries have made it easier for them to spread. Though I had no idea that they had come this far, this deep into Asturia"
"I think I have lost my appetite for a break" Sadako told Von, he nodded in agreement.
"Yes, if there are dragons about it would not be wise for us to remain in the same place for too long. In daytime anyway" Von added and with one look back at the artistic lake they continued onto their goal.
………
They made their way across the floor of the forest almost silently. The only sound to be heard was the squelch of their feet in the mud and undergrowth as they passed through. They both knew how much danger they were in as even the slightest noise could alert another dragon to their presence. After a very long time Von risked breaking the silence,
"I feel like a kid again" Von whispered, the happy tone in his voice concerned Sadako a little.
"Are you happy to see those beasts again?" Sadako asked, keeping her voice to the lowest audible level possible.
"Well, its good luck in Fanelia to see a dragon" Von told her, with a smile though Sadako couldn't see it, "And even luckier if you live to tell the tale" Sadako's heart suddenly missed a beat, her eyes widening in disbelief,
"Wh….Wh…." Sadako stuttered, Von's smile widened.
"Don't worry, I'm only kidding" Von told her, "Stay back and a dragon is far from dangerous, let alone lethal" Sadako relaxed though she still challenged Von on the taste of his joke,
"That's not funny Von!" She told him angrily, louder than she should have. Von chuckled for a moment before falling silent again; a moment later he stopped dead in his tracks. Sadako came up beside him and why they had stopped became evident.
Sadako could hardly believe the sight that lay before her eyes, one of total devastation. They were standing on the edge of a clearing, charred by fire, trees torn from their roots and others crushed into the ground circumnavigating the clearing itself. At the far end of the long clearing the crushed remains of the royal Levi-ship sat, buried into the mud along with foliage it had ripped up itself on impact. The ship itself appeared to be crushed; some parts still smoking as if the fires had only recently burnt themselves out. She could hardly bring herself to believe that this was the same ship she had been travelling on only twelve hours earlier.
It was Von, who took the first steps into the clearing,
"Come on, we must hurry" He reminded her. She nodded and joined him. She felt a shiver go down her spine; it was almost as if something was warning them not to enter. She ignored it and continued on, following Von deeper into the clearing, each step bringing them closer to the downed ship.
Following Von it soon became clear to Sadako that he knew where he was going and soon enough they were standing in front of what looked like a doorway into the crashed craft, though it was at an angle. He directed her to step back, as he shoved his sword into the side of the door and wedged it open forcefully, his sword unceremoniously becoming the lever for their entry. With the door open he prepared to go in,
"Sadako, find a safe place to hide and wait for my return" Von told her raising his sword to the darkness.
"You're leaving me behind?" Sadako asked disbelievingly. Von groaned,
"It's not safe. The ships structure could collapse any moment," Von told her,
"If that's the case then you shouldn't be going in either, and besides two people could get the survivors out faster," Sadako told him, backing him into a corner.
"I can't guarantee your safety" Von said forcefully,
"Nobody asked you to!" Sadako barked back, "I'm coming Von" Von turned back to the darkness angrily and stepped through it,
"Fine, but stay close to me. I don't want you getting lost"
Sadako followed him closely though neither of them spoke. Walking into the dark corridor Sadako felt uncomfortable, but she buried the feeling. Someone must have survived, at least one, at least him. The corridors, which would usually be bathed in light, were now dark, the windows buried underground, the corridor now at an angle. Sadako had to fight to keep her balance, and to keep up with Von. She was pretty sure he was angry with her. She knew he only had her safety at heart but she was not that fragile. She could take care of herself and anyway it was the other people that he should be worried about, that is unless he had lost hope in finding anyone alive.
Each step echoed deafeningly around the empty halls and rooms of the ship. Sadako could feel her heart beating in her chest, the cold air-cooling her down to her very soul. The ship felt like a tomb, the souls of the dead stomping the corridors. The debris that littered the corridors, and the stained walls made the ship look like it had been abandoned years before, even though it had only been a short number of hours.
After a short time, which felt like an eternity, they stopped in front of a doorway, the only thing in their way before the bridge. Von took a deep breath of the cold air and placed his hand onto the round handle. He twisted his hand to open the door. They were bathed in light as the bridge opened up to them, the light streaming in from the gaps that used to house the glass of the windows.
Von took the first steps into the room, still holding onto the wall, as the floor was still at an unnatural angle. Debris was everywhere, embedded in the wood of the walls, floor and roof, even more had gathered at the bottom of the ship, forced there by the angle of the floor.
Von surveyed the room one question plaguing his mind. 'Where was everyone?' He turned to see Sadako too was taking in the destroyed room,
"Sadako?" Von asked, catching her attention. She pulled her eyes from the damaged bridge, and looked towards Von.
"I check up here, you do down there" He told her motioning, she nodded,
"Sure".
As Von made his way upwards, Sadako sank deeper into the buried side of the bridge. Although it was only a short distance she could feel the light going, the windows that were meant to supply on this side of the ship now buried under the earth. She kept her hold onto the wall all the way down. She then slowly checked through some of the debris that littered that side of the ship. She couldn't explain why, maybe something caught the corner of her eye or maybe it was something else but all of a sudden she turned her attention to a small spot of debris several feet away from her. Buried within the rubble she thought she saw eyes staring back at her. Leaping towards the rubble she started to dig frantically, attempting to free the poor soul underneath.
"Von, get down here!" She called anxiously.
She dug deep into the pile,
"You'll be free in a minute," She reassured them,
As the pile shrunk she froze her breathing becoming erratic, the eyes were not right, they were dead eyes. She backed off, her breathing becoming louder as she knocked into something. Turning around she saw to her relief that it was Von,
"What is it?" Von asked, Sadako simply motioned to the pile of debris. Crossing over to the pile Von leaned down next to the face that had emerged. Lowering his fingers he felt their neck for a pulse. He slowly shook his head, as he closed their eyes for the last time. "The captain went down with the ship," Von muttered silently under his breath before standing up and turning to the now still Sadako. He could sympathise with how she must be feeling, though it had been a long time since he had last reacted like that to a dead body.
"This your first time?" Von asked kindly. Sadako whose eyes were now glued to the captain's lifeless body slowly shook her head. Von sighed,
"The first one you knew" Von corrected himself and Sadako nodded. One may see many bodies and be unfazed but when you knew the person in life, it was always a different story.
"Does this mean…" Sadako asked, her eyes finally advancing from the captain into Von's eyes, "…That they're all… all…" She couldn't get the word out though the fear was still the same. Did this mean that they were all died, were they really standing in what was now a mass grave, did this mean that Nimura was dead as well?
Her breathing, which had calmed a little before, now became erratic again as these thoughts crossed her mind, were there more bodies around them? Looking around she scanned the debris, her eyes piercing as if she was trying to see through the material itself to what was hidden below.
"ARE THEY ALL?!" She yelled, her voice now echoing around the empty bridge, she began to shake as she started to panic, her eyes still looking into the different piles. Which housed the dead? Which housed Nimura?
Von placed his hand on her shoulder. She looked up and he saw right through her distraught eyes. Embracing her in a hug, he covered her with reassurance. She felt calmer in his arms, as if her soul was at peace. She had never felt such a feeling before, 'Is this a fathers love' she thought. When she had stopped shaking, Von let her go, and looked towards her face,
"Are you Ok?" He asked. She nodded reassuringly,
"I'm fine, now" She replied her voice barely audible.
Von smiled,
"That's good, there are others for us to find. Survivors"
"You think the others could still be alive?" She asked, it was now clear to her that he had not given up hope. As Von nodded, the bridge suddenly darkened as if the day had now turned to night before their very eyes. A loud hissing roar, echoed inside the bridge, and looking up they saw that a large eye was looking down on them; it was the eye of a dragon.
They both froze, Sadako tried her best to hide her fear but it was too late. They fought to keep their footing as the beast forced the ship flat again. Sadako quickly grabbed onto Von's arm to stop herself from falling. The monsters eye now focused on the two figurers moving within the bridge, before advancing. Its tremendous size allowed it to rip through the walls of the bridge as it moved towards them, firing shards of wood deeper into the bridge.
Drawing his sword Von pushed Sadako back, behind him,
"Take cover," He ordered her, in the same way that he would order a subordinate. Sadako couldn't believe what she was hearing,
"You mean your going to fight it?!" She asked, her voice awash with shock, "You can't be serious!" Von just smiled as the beast continued its advance,
"It been a while, but I'm sure I can still take one of these beast's" Von told her confidently, "But please Sadako stay back" Sadako did so but grudgingly, she didn't like being protected. Then taking cover in a small alcove at the back of the wall, she watched as Von attempted to hold his own against the massive beast.
Von watched the beast; waiting for the last possible second before he would launch his attack on the creature. It was bigger than the last one he had fought but he was confident that he could take it out, though if he did, would he only end up bringing more to them? Quickly scanning the bridge again, his main obstacles became clear to him, the movement or lack of it that would be open to him because of the cramped sides of the room and roof. He wouldn't be able to come up behind the beast either or it would go for Sadako, and she had no experience fighting such an animal. No matter what happened, it was going to be a quick fight, but whether that would be for good or ill had yet to be seen.
Von took a deep breath, and when the last possible second had arrived he seized it. Raising the Fanelian Royal Sword high in the air he prepared to do battle with the monster. It had stopped only a few feet from him, opening its mouth with a tremendous-hissing roar that was deafening to the ears.
Forcing himself into an immediate run, Von skidded underneath the front legs of the beast. Bringing his sword up behind his back he fired it into the monsters left leg with all the strength he could muster. The beast let out a deafening roar of pain as the sword cut deep. Von rolled out from under the beast as it struggled to stand upright on its damaged leg. Then spotting the creature that had caused it so much pain, it raised its tail in defence. Von quickly jumped to the side as the monster brought the full force its tail down where he stood, its spikes tearing into the wooden floor of the bridge. However, his sword was knocked from his hands and was sent skidding across the floor to the opposite side of the bridge, where it was lodged in the ships control wheel.
Von pulled himself to his feet as the beast prepared to strike again. Running for the control wheel, Von managed to avoid the beast's tail a second time, the beast now roaring in frustration. Grabbing for his sword he tried to pull it from the wheel, but found that it was too deeply lodged. Turning around, he quickly dodged the tails strike for a third time by jumping to the side, however one of the tails spikes sliced his arm. Von let out a groan of pain, as he was been thrown back by the close impact of the tail on the control wheel, causing it to shatter and sending his sword flying far behind the beast.
Cradling his wound Von backed up against the back wall almost next to where Sadako had been watching on helplessly,
"Sadako give me your sword" He ordered her, never taking his eyes off of the advancing beast.
"You can't continue to fight!" Sadako told him; she couldn't believe that he still thought he could win,
"Not without a sword I cant!" Von told her, continuing his demand,
"That's not what I meant!" She told him, "You can't fight now, our only hope is to run" Von groaned angrily, as he placed more pressure on his wound.
"And what would you suggest we do!" He told her angrily, "Our only choice is to fight it!"
Upon hearing Von's harsh words Sadako drew her sword and raised it aloft,
"Then I will fight it," She told him, Von fired his injured arm out in front of her,
"Oh no your not!" Von told her, "Now please give me your sword; we're almost out of time"
Sadako forced Von's hand down, he groaned angrily as she placed pressure on his wound.
"I don't take orders from you Von, I don't care if you are my father" She told him harshly, stepping out in front of him to face the beast. 'It wasn't his job to protect her, but it was now hers to protect him' she thought. Sadako then calmed herself and held her sword aloft in front of her face, and took a deep breath.
Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of the metallic glint of steel. The beast then roared in pain and started to thrash its head from side to side as if it was trying to dislodge something. With a crash and a groan, the something smashed into the ground below her. She couldn't believe her eyes, as she watched Nimura pull himself to his feet. Still keeping his eyes on the dragon he appeared not to have even noticed Sadako. Still roaring in pain the dragon struggled to remain on its feet before falling on to the ground shaking the ground, the steel blade of Nimura's sword now gleaming from where it had been lodged in the dragon's head.
Nimura kept his eyes fixed on the unmoving body of the creature that he had just killed, before finally relaxing his shoulders.
"Nimura?" Sadako asked from behind him, his eyes widened as he turned to her,
"Sadako?" He asked, hardly believing his eyes. Dropping her sword Sadako threw her arms around him and embraced him in a powerful hug.
"I thought you were…" She started; still holding him tightly as she buried her face in his shoulder. Nimura nodded, as he saw Von advancing towards them.
"You're not the only one" Nimura whispered quietly to her. Von smiled at them,
"Welcome back Nimura"
………
The warm fire crackled, shadows dancing as the light flickered around the outside of the crashed ship. Sitting around the fire, Von, Sadako and Nimura, each remained quiet as they each sat round their own corner of the fire. Nimura rubbed his hands together, and held them up to the fire. A lot had happened… once the dragon was gone; it was Von and Nimura who went about the grim task of burying the dead, paying their last respects to the captain who had died in service to his king. It was nightfall before they were finally finished, and they would have been in a fix if Sadako hadn't started the fire. It was Von, who spoke first breaking the silence,
"Nimura?" Von asked grabbing Nimura's attention from his cold hands. Nimura looked up at Von's face now obscured by the flames of the fire.
"What happened after Sadako fell?" Von asked, it was then that Nimura realized he had not yet told them. He took a deep breath and prepared himself to relive the events of the previous day.
"It was right after you left that I manned one of the Harpoon cannons and tried to hit that ship, but it was just too fast for any of us to hit it. It wasn't too long before the captain realized that we were going to go down. So he ordered everyone to get off the ship and into the drop ships. Soon enough it was only the captain and I who were left, the ship continuing to fall. It was as the black ship was running that I hit it" Nimura told them, as Von and Sadako listened intently
Nimura sighed for a moment,
"I don't know if it was the force from falling or the speed of that ship but the cannon was ripped straight out of the deck and with me on it. I ended up being caught up in the top of a tree, but as soon as I managed to get free I headed to where the ship went down. When I arrived this afternoon, I found a dragon was attacking the bridge and heard voices. So I came to help, little did I know it would be you, though I am glad it was" Nimura finished the story. Sadako smiled happily,
"After we found the captain, we… or I assumed that everyone was dead" Sadako told him, "I guess that's what drew the dragon to us"
"How we ended up like that, isn't important, all that is important is that Nimura turned up when he did" Von complemented him. Nimura laughed,
"Imagine my shock, finding the powerful Von Fanel had been defeated by a mere land dragon. You must be losing your touch" Nimura joked. Taking it in jest Von continued,
"Watch it kid, I still have the power to teach you a lesson, your father couldn't even beat me! So what hope do you think you would have?!" Nimura smiled,
"Yeah right you never beat him either!" Nimura told him, Von looked away down heartened,
"Well that's not how I remember it" Von told him. At the mention of father Sadako prepared herself to tell Nimura about her discovery. She was about to speak when Von shook his head directly to her. Nimura watched them suspiciously but decided to ignore it.
"Well, welcome to the club Sadako" Nimura greeted her happily; he wasn't at all surprised by her blank expression.
"Club? What club?" Sadako asked clearly confused, Nimura laughed.
"Your now one of the few of us who know Von's little secret" Nimura told her, "Of him being draconian born"
"I thought you had forgotten that little fact myself Nimura" Von told him, "But seriously Sadako you cant go round and tell people about this" Sadako strained her memory trying to remember what her mother had told her about the Draconian's. Whoever these people were, she too was now one of them.
"Why not?" She asked, unable to remember anything important. Nimura sighed,
"It is sometimes so easy to forget how much you don't know" Nimura told her, "You see, the Draconian's are considered to be really bad omens here, not only that but most people believe them to be a cursed people. Let's just say that, if people knew about Von things would be more difficult for him. And we'll leave it at that" Von nodded agreeing, as Sadako held back the urge to ask several more questions that she had bobbing around in her head.
The camp went quiet again, though only for a few moments as something suddenly occurred to Von,
"Wait a minute; you said that the rest of the crew were let off in the drop ships?" Von asked, and Nimura nodded seeing exactly where he was going with this one.
"That means that the crew must be near by, somewhere in this forest," Von continued as Nimura nodded in agreement,
"I assumed that most would end up coming here. That's another reason why I headed in this direction" Nimura reaffirmed, "We could regroup and make our way to the nearest settlement together" Von involuntarily nodded, thinking the details over in his head,
"Alright, in the morning, you and Sadako head west. Approximately 12 miles from here you'll find Alan's fort, get some help and return. I shall wait here for people to come; then from the fort we can make it back to Fanel" Von informed them of his makeshift plan, Nimura nodded in agreement, though Sadako seemed unsure,
"Are you sure about us just leaving you here, remember you're wounded" Sadako reminded him, he just laughed it off.
"It's only a scratch" Von told her confidently, "There's nothing to worry about" Sadako remained quiet,
"Then it's decided, you can head out first thing" Von said slapping his hands together and stood up, "But first I'm going to get a little more fire wood. It's a cold night"
Before Von had even made it up he fell back down onto his knees. Keeling over he supported himself with one hand, the other covering his mouth as he coughed up blood. Sadako rushed to his side and supported him; bringing him back up from the ground.
"Von, are you alright?" She asked, her voice awash with concern. She felt his head and found that it was burning,
"You're burning up!" She told him, "Why have you been hiding this?"
Nimura quickly kneeled down next to them, and looked closer at the covered wound on Von's arm.
"Where did you get this wound?" Nimura asked suspiciously, Von looked away from his piercing gaze. Sadako looked from the retreating Von to Nimura,
"It was the dragons tail, one of the spikes," She told him. Nimura sighed angrily,
"Why didn't you tell me?!" Nimura asked Von angrily.
"I didn't think it was a big enough wound," Von told him, still keeping away from his gaze. Sadako's concerned eyes, now turned to near panic.
"What, what is it?!" She asked anxiously,
"Land Dragons use their tails to incapacitate their pray with a very potent poison," Nimura told her. Looking back, Von saw the fear in Sadako's eyes. It was those eyes that faded into black as he lost consciousness.
………
Nimura awoke with a start; the sweat running down his face, his breathing erratic. Calming himself he looked into the still burning fire in the centre of the camp and replayed the dream in his head. He couldn't understand why but more and more memories were coming back to him. Memories of times that he would rather leave buried. He cleared the sweat from his forehead and then sighed.
"Why am I haunted by these memories" He asked himself, disturbing the quiet night air. He didn't expect an answer but was surprised whenever he received one anyway,
"Because you haven't put your past behind you. What has passed, has passed, we cannot change it. Only when you put your past behind you will you know peace" Nimura quickly turned around to see Sadako next the unmoving figure of Von, watching him, her face only half visible in the light of the dying fire.
Nimura relaxed a little,
"How is he?" he asked looking over to the unconscious form of Von, Sadako looked to her feet,
"I don't know, he's still burning up with the fever. If we try to move him he may die, but if we don't do anything then he will die" Sadako answered, she had never felt so helpless before. It seemed that no matter what they did it would kill him. Nimura sighed, as he flattened his hair back,
"Why didn't he mention anything before!" Nimura asked angrily, "He knew what this could mean. How could he have been so stupid!" Sadako raised her gaze to Von,
"I don't know, but there is no point in complaining about what's happened" Sadako reminded him, "Why is no longer the issue, what we do now is"
Grabbing another piece of wood, Nimura placed it onto the fire.
"This decision can wait till the morning," Nimura told her, "You go ahead and get some rest and I'll look after Von"
"I don't need any rest," She told him, Nimura shook his head disagreeing,
"If you don't get any sleep then you too will get sick, and I can't deal with two invalids at once" Nimura told her compassionately, "Please Sadako, get some rest" Sadako slowly nodded, and laid down. She was beginning to get used to sleeping in awkward places.
………
Although her eyes were still closed, Sadako knew that it was morning already as she could feel the warm waves of the sun on her face. Slowly opening her eyes, the now well lit campsite coming into focus. The campfire had now burned itself out entirely, though it was still smouldering a little. Glancing around the camp she couldn't see Nimura, though Von was still asleep, his fever still burning fiercely.
Although she couldn't hear Nimura she was quite sure that she could hear him, for not to far away she could hear the sound of still water being disturbed. Getting to her feet she slowly tiptoed to where the sound was coming from. Passing a few trees on the edge of the campsite she could see that Nimura was kneeling, his face over a small pound, causing some ripples on the water. He remained still for a moment before splashing some of the clear motionless water on to his face; he cleared his eyes still unaware of Sadako's presence. Firing some more water on to his face he washed back his hair. Then standing up he shook the water back out of his hair. Ducking back behind a tree Sadako waited a moment before turning and heading back to the campsite.
Re-entering the campsite she crossed the wall of trees Sadako found a large figure dressed in a dark brown coat, most definitely a man leaning over Von. His straight white hair fell back over the brown coat. Drawing her sword she charged in haste, the man, whose features resembled those of a mole turned towards her.
"Get away from him!" She challenged the stranger. He smiled his beady eyes glinting.
"My young lady, are you the guardian of this sick man?" He asked, paying no attention to the sword in her hand, "I could help if you are in need"
"You can help Von?" She asked in disbelief though still keeping her sword held high, behind her Nimura returned, his hair still damp.
"Von?" The man reaffirmed looking down upon him, "Surly you don't mean… ah I see now. I guess I have no choice then but to help"
"Help? Who are you" Nimura asked, feeling like he had just entered into a story that was half way through the telling. The man nodded happily looking from Sadako to Nimura to Von.
"Me? My name is unimportant, though most people call me Mole Man" The man told them, Sadako watched him blankly,
"Don't you find that insulting?" She asked, unsure of where to stand with this strange man. He continued to smile stupidly.
"Not at all, it's who I am, but young Lord Von requires more attention than, my name right now" Mole Man reminded them, Nimura nodded though he was still unconvinced of the mans actions.
"Tell me, Mr Mole Man, how do you know Von?" Nimura asked, leaning down to Von, Mole Man answered,
"We meet along time back, when he was much younger mind you. Was it during that big war? Oh I forget"
"You can't remember?" Nimura asked suspiciously,
"Well I am an old man," He told them, pointing to his white hair, "Age is terrible for your memory"
Pulling a little Black and green herb from his pouch Mole Man, opened Von's mouth,
"If your memory's that bad do you really think you can cure him," Nimura asked. Mole Man placed the small herb into Von's mouth and closed it again.
"My personal memory may be going but I could never forget my medicine, taught by the beautiful queen Milerna herself. Anyway I would lose my livelihood" Nimura kneeled down beside him
"What is that herb?" Nimura asked, fascinated by the plant. He liked to think himself an expert with herbs but he had never come across that one before. Mole Man smiled,
"This herb will lower his fever enough for us to be able to move him, though it can only be found around here. In the fort I have some medicines that can kill the poison"
"How do you know about the poison?" Sadako asked, kneeling down on the opposite side of the man,
"A large dead dragon near by, large wound and a fever. It wasn't that hard to work it out young lady" Mole Man told them, Nimura shook his head,
"You mean you come from Alan's fort?" Nimura asked, bemused. Mole Man nodded,
"Yes, and we'll be able to move him there when the fever drops. Now while we wait, got any good stories?" He asked happily, Sadako and Nimura looked at each other disbelievingly before sitting down with the man. They got the feeling it was going to be a long day.
…......
Nimura stood looking off the deck of the Levi-ship. From their cruising flight he was sure he could even make out the remains of the Fanelian Royal ship. He sighed; it had been another long day. As Alan's fort slowly shrunk away into the horizon, he let his mind remember, reliving that day.
.
Nimura felt that his back was breaking, the unexpectedly heavy Von weighing it down. They had slowly made their way through the heavy underbrush until Mole Man had directed them to the main road running to the fort. Although they where now on a road, with Von they made slow progress towards the fort. He was exhausted but he refused to take a break, any lost time could mean the difference between death and life for Von. Sadako looked back and could see how much he was straining with the weight.
"How much further?" Sadako asked Mole Man. He looked up at the sky, and then back at the road,
"If we keep this pace up we should be back for mid-afternoon. Another thirty minutes or so"
Sadako looked back at Nimura struggling under the weight of the aged King. She took a step back to them,
"Nimura let me help," She asked, trying to take some of Von's weight onto herself. Nimura pulled him away from her,
"I'll handle it Sadako," He told her, stopping in his stride, "If I hadn't come, there wouldn't have been any trip, and he wouldn't have been hurt… I will bare the burden" Sadako nodded slowly, and they continued.
.
Nimura rubbed his shoulders remembering the weight they had held. The night air bit into his skin but he didn't really feel like he wanted to go inside yet, he was more comfortable outside.
.
Once they had gotten into the fort, they where summoned to go before the forts leader. They split up, Nimura going to the head and Sadako going with Von to be helped by Mole Man. He was escorted through the wooden fort, each of the basic corridors looked alike to him, he didn't know how anyone could know where they where going. Before long he was lead in front of a wooden door no different from the other and was directed inside, the guards who lead him waiting outside.
Entering he found himself in a simplistic room, several large chairs sitting together to a corner and weaponry of every kind crossing the walls, from every age of Gaea's history. One of the chairs was occupied; the man who appeared quite young. Behind Nimura the guards closed the door with a slight bang, which made Nimura jump. The young man waved his hand to one of the empty chairs, inviting him to take a seat. Nimrua took it.
"Now" The young man started, "Could you explain to me why you are here?" Nimura could hardly believe his ears; Von claimed this place had friends.
"Why do you need to know?" Nimura asked back, "And when can I see the man in-charge of this fort" The young man laughed,
"Your talking to him" The young man told him, leaning forward he offered his hand,
"I'm Areon, nice to meet you" Nimura took it though only to avoid offending him.
"You must remember our situation. What I'm I meant to think; all of a sudden three strangers come to my fort, one of which is king of an allied country. Don't you think I have the right to be curious?"
Releasing his hand Nimura leaned back in his chair,
"Alright, our ship was attacked as we returned to Fanel. The unmarked ship downed us, on our way here the king was injured" Nimura told him. The young man too leaned back in his chair,
"Alright… A ship will leave tonight for Fanel, you will all be on it" The young man told him, Nimura jumped to protest.
"You can't do that! More of our people are out there, we can't just leave them!" Nimura told him angrily no longer caring about respect.
"Please, there is no way we could keep someone as high ranked as Lord Fanel here. Once the rest of your men are gathered we shall send them too back to Fanel" Areon told him, "Anyway this is not a choice, it's an order. You are within Asturian territory" Nimura sighed openly defeated,
"I guess we have no choice then"
.
Leaning on the bar, Nimura looked down upon the fast passing forest. 'The good news was Von's treatment went fine, and according to Mole Man he should be up and about within a couple of days, So here we are, on the way back to Fanel' He didn't dare let his mind think about what was going to happen next. He felt someone comes up beside him,
"You like the view too, Nimura?" He asked, Nimura turned and saw a young Asturian soldier leaning on the bar beside him. His long blond hair was tied back. At first Nimura didn't understand why but he felt familiar until it dawned upon him,
"Evening Luke"
………
Back in the fort, Areon leaned back in his chair. He watched the Levi-ship fading into the distance, flying west towards Fanelia. He sighed,
"How would Alan have acted to this?" He asked himself, his voice carrying onto the open air. He closed his eyes for a moment but a loud knock on the door caught his attention.
"I told you I wanted left alone tonight" He reminded the door. A panicked voice returned,
"Sir we have just gotten some news, you will want to hear this!" Pulling himself from the chair he groaned angrily. Grinding his feet on the floor he made his way to the door. Pulling it open, he saw instantly that the man on the other side of the door was distort.
"What is it?" Areon asked, his anger replaced with concern.
"We have just gotten orders from Palas to take King Von Fanel into custody" The panicked man told him,
"What?" Areon asked shocked, "What's the crime?" He answered,
"The murder of Alan Shazar"
End Of Chapter Six
……
Butch Cassidy
10.05.04 (Euro Date System DD.MM.YY)
……
Author Message:
…Now NOBODY saw that coming! Alan's dead, their on their way back to Fanel and Asturia has made their loyalties known. What's next? You'll have to wait and see. Well that was it, The Descended Shadow Chapter VI. Another one late in releasing, and when it was shorter too! Now this chapter has had some radical events so I really do want people to tell me their opinions, which you can do through either a review on FF.net or by mailing me at the below address.
As always, if you liked the Descended Shadow try Shadows of the Past. Shadows follows the same single running storyline as the Descended Shadow but from Hitomi's return 20 years past. To get the whole story you should really read both, but I'm no preacher, each can be enjoyed on their own.
I'm not entirely sure when the next Chapter will be out, maybe a mouth and a half or so (Late June/Early July). Remember those side projects that I shelved, well they appear to have un-shelved themselves and trying to run them and keep the Descended coming out regularly is a 'fun' task. Anyway, until next time read as much as you can, prove that society isn't giving up on books and stories!
Butch Cassidy
Email – Butchsvideostoptiscali.co.uk
Website – www.butchsforum.co.uk {Butchs Fan Fiction Forum}
Cast #Ref part IV (Alphabetical) –
OC – Original Character
NC – New this chapter
Alan (OC) – Knight of Celia, friend to Von and Merle.
Aosánach - Member of the earlier mentioned and feared '4'Really skilled
Areon - In charge of Alan's fort when he's not around. A temp leader
Gaddes (OC) – Originally member of Alan's crew. No longer friendly with Alan
Hitomi (OC) – Sadako's mother, originally from earth
Luke – Sarah and Gaddes's son. Not in Fanel. Family refuse to comment
Milerna (OC) - Queen of Asturia, used to love Alan, now married to Dryden.
Mole Man (OC)- Mole Man likes shiny things, and some medical knowledge
Nimura - Originally leader of Rebel cell, now close friend of Sadako's
Ort (OC) - Member of the crew of the Crusade. Likes Knifes A lot
Paile (OC) - Replaced Gaddes as captain of the crusade.
Sadako – Hitomi's daughter, epicentre of the series
Von (OC) – King of Fanelia. Need I say more?