**Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews J. I didn't think anyone was going to read this. Well here is chapter 2, I hope you enjoy it as well as you did the first two installments.**
Disclaimer: No, no…and no.
Chapter 2
Folken Strategos stood on the bridge of the Vione peering over the railing at the clouds swimming in the jewel blue sky below, his mind on Fanelia and the forthcoming attack. He pictured the green hills and pastures of his native land, and could practically smell the crisp clean air, unlike the cool refrigerated air of the floating fortress, or buildings in Zaibach.
Zaibach was a technologically advanced nation, far ahead of its neighboring countries in the areas of science and mathematics. Children in Zaibach knew nothing of running in the open meadows, fresh air, or swimming holes. They were brought up to live indoors with generated air, swimming pools, and gyms. The only children raised to know the outdoors, were the ones chosen to be soldiers.
Folken sighed, glad that he was not brought up as a child in Zaibach, but if he had been he would feel less anxious about what was about to happen. The young man that had been him, that had grown up in Fanelia and loved its land, had long since perished. He could never return to his old home again, he didn't belong there anymore. But still...sometimes... his heart still lingered.
His brother.
He tried not to think about the small raven-haired little boy he'd left behind 10 years ago. He wondered how the boy had turned out. Was he tall or short, fat or thin? Was he shy and quiet, or loud and rambunctious? What kind of a King would he be?
Van.
He knew he would be seeing the boy again, soon, but they would not be reacquainted with one another as brothers. No, no, they would be enemies, because he had become the man who ordered for his country to be sacked. He would be the man that was trying to steal the dragon away from him. He wanted the guymelef, Escaflowne, and he knew Van was not about to just hand it over to him.
He stepped away from the railing, letting the wind ruffle his hair a bit, before moving back towards his own personal quarters. He wasn't needed as of yet, and needed a glass of good wine as he tried to drown out his lingering guilt. He ignored the various soldiers that fell to one knee bowing to him as he passed.
He entered the long corridor that took him past the rooms of the Dragonslayers, and into the private hallway reserved for he and Dilandau... The whole hallway had once been all his, but he made room for Dilandau when he requested the presence of the Dragonslayers aboard the Vione. Dilandau was a refreshing slap in the face to Folken. He was rude, insolent, arrogant, cocky, and violent, everything Folken was not. The young man, though extremely trying, amused Folken to no end. He liked watching him at times, he observed how he behaved among other commanders, servants, superiors, and his own soldiers. The silver-haired boy was snooty to the other commanders, but made sure to show brash displays of bad temperament to frighten them from speaking against him. Servants, he treated as if they were invisible. He bowed to superiors, but usually with an insolent smirk, or a demonic gleam in his eyes as he did so. The only people Dilandau seemed to be civilized with, were his soldiers, though they also had to bear the burden of being the people who had to face Dilandau at his worst as well. He watched the boy teach them in a manner that fully convinced Folken that the boy was gifted, he could probably teach an ape to sword fight with the best of them. His soldiers received only the best; the best food, the best lodgings, the best training facilities, the best training hours, the best armor, and the best weapons. No one but Dilandau was to lay a hand on his Dragonslayers, no one but Dilandau could ever talk against one of them. The boy took care of his own, and in turn earned great loyalty from his men to him. The Dragonslayers would no doubt ride to the end of Gaea and back for their Lord Dilandau. When they gazed upon him the adoration and respect that shone in their eyes was blinding. It was clear they loved their leader, but it was even clearer that their leader loved them. His methods of discipline were harsh, sometimes brutal. He yelled at them, berating them for poor performances, slapping them, or issuing punches. But, what intrigued Folken, was the hidden meaning behind Dilandau's lashes of anger and frustration... he was afraid. The boy had been trained by the best, showing nothing but aptitude and great confidence in his own ability...but this was the first squadron of soldiers he had trained, and he'd grown attached to them all. He didn't want any of them hurt or killed, and so he worked them harder than any other team, and expected so much more from them in practice. He wanted them to be the best, just like him; that way they could take care of themselves.
He could hear the sounds of water running in the communal shower the Dragonslayers used, letting him know the young soldiers were preparing to go off on their first mission. He suppressed a slight cringe, and quickened his steps, frowning and slowing a bit as he passed Dilandau's slightly ajar door. Dilandau never left his door open. There were small noises coming from inside, that Folken had to strain to make out. He frowned slightly when he realized it was the sound of retching, and moved on to his own door.
He slipped inside his dim room, and sat in an armchair. A book was lying face down on the small table before him, it had been getting rather interesting before he'd had to put it down. He didn't feel like reading right then though, not when within the hour Fanelia was to be attacked. He really shouldn't care, he shouldn't be fretting over it. It was, after all, his call. He straightened his shoulders, and after second thought, reached for the book.
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He sat on the cold bathroom floor with his knees to his chest trying to breath deep and even to lull the large waves of nausea washing over him. His head throbbed as it rested against his knees, and the constant tremors running throughout his body wasn't helping the situation at all.
It was getting worse.
He groaned as his stomach gave a lurch, and moved to lower his head once again over the porcelain bowl. He heaved and choked, but nothing was expelled for he had nothing more to offer to the porcelain god. He felt horrible, like he was dying...
"This is our Dilandau Albatou we're talking about here. If anyone can survive it, he will. If he dies, we'll know better for our next Alteration, but it will be shame to lose such a beautiful specimen."
He shuddered, the memory itself bringing on another bout of dry heaves.
He wasn't dying, no, no, he couldn't. He was Dilandau Albatou, and he still had plenty of things to do, Death would have to kindly wait.
"Lord Dilandau?"
He tensed at the voice. Who dared to enter his room without his permission...but he couldn't exactly growl and deliver slaps with his insides trying to escape from his oral cavity. He swallowed hard, and waited for the vertigo to pass before sitting back, and turning his head toward whomever had spoken to him. "Are y... The team is ready, sir," Gatty stood in the doorway to the bathroom staring at him with a strange mix of concern, fear, puzzlement, and professionalism on his face. Dilandau wanted to chuckle, he hadn't known such a combination was possible.
The team was ready, and undoubtably waiting for him to join them, to lead. This was what they had been training for, and here was their test run. He shakily got to his feet, flushing the toilet, and walking toward Gatty who stepped out of his way. He was only half dressed. He hadn't had a chance to strap on all of his armor before the combined body pain, and nausea became too much for him. He had spread the rest of his costume across the bed, and went to retrieve it. A sharp pain doubled him over the bed, his face hoovering over the armor. He heard Gatty make a small noise, but say nothing. Good soldier...
Another cramp...he bit his lip to stifle a moan. He wanted to curl up into a little ball clutching his stomach, buried under a pile of blankets. Fanelia, he reminded himself, Fanelia! He tried to dredge up a confident smirk to meet Gatty with when he straightened, when another bolt of pain shot through him.
Gods...
"Gatty."
"Yes sir?"
"You're in charge of the raid on Fanelia today. You will lead the others to the location, and destroy it."
"Destroy it, sir?"
"Did I stutter?"
"No, sir."
"Dismissed soldier...oh, and one more thing, Gatty."
"Yes sir?"
"Don't embarrass me."
"No sir!" Gatty lingered a little longer before leaving, but Dilandau didn't bother to look up to meet the worried blue eyes of the blond. After the door had closed, Dilandau stripped out of the armor he was wearing, and threw the armor he had yet to put on, on the floor. He climbed into his large bed burrowing under his blankets; then curling into a tight fetal position.
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"Gatty, you're back, alone. How far is Lord Dilandau behind you?" Shesta studied Gatty's preoccupied expression.
"He's not coming," Gatty said quickly to Shesta, then in a loud voice aimed to the other 4 elite Slayers, "Listen up, Slayers! I'm in command this morning, and you will all be taking your cues from me. The order is to destroy Fanelia, unless Lord Dilandau, Lord Folken, or myself say otherwise. Any questions?"
"Yeah... where's Lord Dilandau? I thought he was coming? He has to come on our first mission; it's what we've all been working for," Viole was frowning.
"He said he was coming last night. Did Lord Folken summon him to do something else today? That's rather rude of Folken if you ask me," Miguel said dryly.
"That's Lord Folken, Miguel. Do not disrespect your superiors," Shesta snapped, then turned to Gatty. "Is everything alright, Gatty?"Gatty had been uncharacteristically quiet as the other Slayers had complained about their lack of proper leadership. He looked to Shesta, his mouth a pressed into a thin line, debating on whether he wanted to tell what he had witnessed or not. Lord Dilandau was sensitive about showing weakness, and Gatty felt he was pleased when he entered the room and spoke as if everything were perfectly fine instead of questioning his health. He chewed his lip as he pondered over what he had seen.
He'd knocked lightly on the door, because it was partly ajar. When he'd received no answer he cautiously opened the door a little further to peer inside. If Lord Dilandau was in the bathroom, he would leave and return in 10 minutes time. The light to the bathroom was on, the door open. Gatty had been about to leave when he'd heard the disturbing noises of someone being ill. He couldn't just leave... though he probably should have, it would have been more respectful. Instead, he went and stood in the doorway stifling the instinct to want to kneel beside his leader and offer him some comfort.
What if something was seriously wrong with him? Lord Dilandau wasn't the type to ask for help. "Gatty?"
"E...Everything's fine, Shess, don't worry about it. Lord Dilandau is taking care of other business, but..." he raised his voice so the others, who were listening in on their conversation could hear better, "that does not mean he doesn't care about our project. He told me not to embarrass him, and I don't plan to; so get your butts in gear! We'll be launching in 5 minutes!"
The hesitant, "Yes sir"'s he got were good enough for him. He watched everyone move towards their Alseides before entering his own. He slide into the cockpit, strapping himself in and giving himself a short motivational speech. Sure he could lead the troops in training sessions, and keep them in line when Lord Dilandau wasn't present, but could he lead them into real battle? He needed Dilandau's confidence to lean back on. He began to worry then, his captain had to know that. He knew they needed him, and he'd had every intention of coming. He wouldn't have changed his mind unless... Gods. He should have went to Folken, and told him something was wrong. Then at least someone would know, and maybe stay with him. Dilandau had strange objections to being alone for long periods of time.
It was too late to do anything now, he started as he heard the roar of many engines starting at once... T-45 seconds. He jerked himself to attention, even if he wasn't fully self-assured about his leadership skills outside of a practice setting, he couldn't show those under his command that. The hatch was opening... T-22 seconds.
"All systems go," Shesta's voice crackled over his communicator, as did Guimel's, Dallet's, Miguel's, and Viole's.
"Good."
T-6 seconds. The Alseid was beginning to pulse with energy just waiting to be released into the open sky. T-2....1......
He launched first, followed every 5 seconds by first Shesta, then Miguel, then Dallet, Guimel, and Viole. They flew in an arc formation over mountains and hills to their destination, Fanelia.
Gatty took a deep breath as they drew nearer to the designated point of decent; I won't embarrass Lord Dilandau. "Remember once you touch the ground switch to stealth mode."
"Yes sir," chorused over his speakers.
Alright... he began his decent, time to find us a dragon.
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Van Fanel knelt decked in royal armor a trifle too big for his scrawny adolescent frame feeling slightly silly. He gazed serenely upon the man presenting him with the royal Fanelian crest. "Rise Van Slanzar Fanel, King of all Fanelia."
His helmet slid down over one of his eyes as he rose carefully holding the sword in both hands. He wanted to grin, but he feared it would be inappropriate. He stood with his back straight biting down on the insides of his cheeks to keep himself from beaming, as his people cheered for him.
King, he was King now. He wasn't sure if he was ready, he wasn't sure if he wanted it, but he couldn't help the good feeling of accomplishment being coronated gave him. He'd done what his father would have wanted, what his mother would have been proud of, and what his brother... never had. He didn't have to bite down on his cheeks anymore, for the thought of his long lost older brother sobered him greatly.
His brother had gone out on the same quest he had to slay a dragon and bring back it's energist, but he'd never returned. The people thought Folken had run away, to cowardly to own up to his birthright, but Van would always believe that he had died fighting the dragon he sought to slay. His older brother would never run and leave he and his mother alone.
His mother...she'd disappeared just like Folken had. She'd gone to search for her missing son, and never came back. Van was left alone to be raised by the servants of the castle, a life that left him feeling rather empty, abandoned really. His father died, mother and brother disappeared, Van felt unwanted at times. After all, if his own family could walk out on him, how could he expect anyone else to want him around?
He was very solemn now, and stood still as the people before fell to their knees in deep bows to him. How much longer was this going to last, for he suddenly felt the need to be alone.
"Attack! We're under attack!" came a bellow from an approaching soldier. All at once chaos seemed to break loose. Van stood where he was, not joining the mad mob rushing about in a panicked frenzy.
"It's an invisible enemy! We can't see a thing, but our forces are being taken out right and left!"
"An invisible enemy?" Balgus questioned.
Van stood lost in the circle of arguing warriors, "Van," suddenly Balgus had him by the shoulders. He wanted Van to fight, he thought he was battle ready, "go to the shrine and get the Escaflowne. Then you take it, and the Lady Hitomi, and get to safety."
"What, and leave you?" He couldn't run away from battle, true he was a little relieved he was being excused from having to fight, but it wasn't right. This was his country, HIS country, and he was king! "I can't abandon my country Balgus!"
"Van, this is important, you will listen to me! Get the Escaflowne..."
"I can fight in the Escaflowne..."
"No! You get it, and you go, now!"
"But..."
"Now!"
Van barely suppressed a growl, he looked up through the ill-fitting helmet to spy the young short haired girl from the Mystic Moon staring at him, her wide green eyes frightened. He sighed deeply, he'd brought her into this, and she did not deserve to die there. "Hitomi, come with me!"Together he and the strange girl ran to the shrine amiss the burning buildings, and screams of dying soldiers, and his terrified subjects. He was pleased the girl had remained silent, and followed him without plaguing him annoying questions. He pushed open the embellished doors to the shrine, and pulled the Drag-energist from his pocket. Running his thumb along the side of his sword he sliced his thumb, letting his blood run over the mauve tinted stone. He reached the center of the room, and held the energist high as it began to glow, "I, Van Fanel, king of Fanelia, bind myself by blood pact to thee, Escaflowne. Thou sleeping dragon awake!"
The circular patterns on the floor began to turn as if being wound by an unseen hand, as an eery light encased Van's shape and rose to the ceiling where a large stone ornament hung. Van an his guest watched as the Ispano Guymelef Escaflowne hatched from it like a baby chick from an egg. Van stood back, studying it in awe for a moment before shaking himself and moving to place the energist in the dragon's magenta liquid cavity. His arm passed through the cavity as if it were water, and it shuddered like gelatin.
Van stepped back and watched, quite pleased with himself and the energist began to pulse like a beating heat within the Escaflowne. The great machine hissed and the hatch opened to admit him. He was about to climb inside the cabin when the girl's voice stopped him. He'd forgotten she was still there, "What are you doing?"
What did it look like genius? "I'm going to fight them with Escaflowne. Go hide or something..." he didn't have time for her right then. In his mind he could still hear the screams of his soldiers and people, he couldn't just stand by and let his people die.
"But Van..."
"Go hide!"
He climbed into the guymelef, liking the feel of the strong metal structures fitting around his arms, and legs. It felt like the machine was made just for him. The hatch snapped closed and relaxed inside, ready to fight. He pulled the sword from its hilt, and held it in front of him getting himself use to its weight. "Van, to your left!" Hitomi shrieked. Was she still there?
"What?" He whirled to the left, seeing nothing at first, then suddenly a large arm appeared out of thin air and fired metal claws at him. He dodged just in time. "Van, behind you!" He turned again to block another invisible attack. She could see the enemy, but how?
He continued to let her guide his movements, keeping her insight to protect her from falling debris. "VAN!!" She was calling again, he struck and a large form hit the wall becoming visible for the first time. "A guymelef," he breathed. Now that it was visible he began to fight it with more ferocity. So this was what was destroying his land? This was the coward, he'd show him who he was dealing with. The thing tried to fire his liquid metal claws at him again, and Van kindly relieved it of its member. "Van behind you!"
Shit, there must be two in there with him, and still couldn't see the other. He didn't have enough time to turn fully around to block...but then he heard a loud battle yell, Balgus? Balgus leapt into the room bringing his heavy sword down onto the arm of the guymelef about to shoot out more metal claws right into the back of Escaflowne. "Balgus!" Van cried. What was he thinking, he had no guymelef?! He would be killed.
"Lord Van, take Lady Hitomi and leave this place!"
"Balgus no!"
"Your people need you Lord Van! As long as you live, Fanelia has hope, go reunite the people of Fanelia!"Van felt his eyes grow wet, Balgus.... his teacher, his surrogate father... if he left the man would surely die.. But his country, Fanelia... he couldn't let himself be killed, not then, and Hitomi. She had no one else, what would she do if he died... Biting his lip, he swung away from the enemy and lifted Hitomi with the massive hand of Escaflowne, then he ran....like a coward, away from battle, his mind crying out to Balgus.
He ran out into the heart of the city, staring at the destruction. The village was on fire, dead bodies littered the streets, the ruins were painted with blood that the bright orange flames licked at with hungry tongues. His gods....his gods....
There was a scream from Hitomi and he stopped, suddenly another large blue guymelef materialized in front of him, he turned to head the other way, but another blocked his path. Soon 3 more had materialized, all ready to do battle. He couldn't take on that many, especially if they could disappear...and not with Hitomi in his hand. What to do?
Hitomi was wailing below him, and he wanted to roll his eyes, but that would result in him taking his eyes off of one of his enemies. Maybe if he put Escaflowne in flight mode they just might be able to get away far enough for him to set Hitomi down somewhere safe, then he could fight. He still didn't stand a chance in hell, but at least the girl would be out of the way for the time being. He was about to set his plan into action when a strange light encased him and the Escaflowne. It was the same light that had transported him to the Mystic Moon earlier! He shut his eyes against the bright luminance, where was it taking them now?
Anywhere but here, he thought. Anywhere but here!
**Author's Note: Well did you like it, hate it? Think I should stick to Gundam Wing and Ronin Warriors? Please review and let me know J **