AN: Here is chapter 9 for you.

Disclaimer: I only own Arathnia, and the characters from there. I do not own Escaflowne, even though I wish I did.

* mark dream sequences.

- mark visions.

The Past, Future, and Somewhere in Between

Chapter 9 Scorpigal

The airship named the Crusade crashed into the forest below, shredding the bottom on the ship almost completely off. It continued to slide across the ground, ripping the sails from the sides and pulling the levistones loose from their bindings. It skidded to a halt just about twenty feet from where it had crash landed. Thankfully, no one appeared to be injured from their abrupt landing. As Reeden had predicted, there was no possible way that their group could fix the damage themselves. It was way to extensive. Instead, the group gathered their gear from the wrecked ship and piled it outside. Without a word spoken, they began the long trek to search for some shred of civilization. Somewhere where they could eat, rest, and think of some plan of action. After all, they were still in Arathnia, and would be stuck in Queen Brahne's influence for a while at least. At least now it would be easier to keep a low profile.

The group had been walking in silence for hours, upon hours. Over hills, through trees, and over small mountains. The sun was falling from the sky, causing the sky to darken significantly as time went on. They still had a while to go and the group grew weary, restless, and very hungry. They stopped for a rest a top of a small rocky plateau in what appeared to be a valley. It wasn't a very lush valley either, but it seemed rather quiet and safe enough. Allen groaned sitting down on one of the rocks. He looked out in the distance and noticed a yellow gleam coming from down in the valley.

Allen looked at his map. "That's funny, there is no village in this valley on the map," He stated looking back down at the yellow lights.

"Well, apparently the map is wrong," Gaddess concluded also staring down at the small village below them.

"Are we still in Arathnia? I feel like we should be out of it by now with how much walking we've done," Reeden asked looking around at the other members of their small group.

Van sighed, "Don't remind me," He groaned running a hand through his messy hair.

"I think our best bet is to go down there so we can get something to eat, drink, and have a bed for the night," Hitomi suggested, rising to her feet again. She ignored the tired cries from her legs and feet from the strain of walking all day.

"We do not even know where we are!" Allen snapped at her, his blue eyes blazing. She was taken a back. He had not been quite this snappy before. Not when she was here last. Allen looked away from her with a sigh. "I mean, how can we relax if we don't know where we are? What if this place is under Arathnian control?" He explained disagreeing with the seeress practical decision.

"Who cares," Yukari piped up massaging her feet to help alleviate some of the pain within the tired muscles. "I'm tired, and I am going," She continued as she placed her shoe back on her foot. Without a response, she grabbed her stuff and stormed off in the direction of the small village.

Hitomi sighed at her stubborn friend. "Come on, let's just go. What harm could it do," She said following after her best friend.

Van nodded stiffly, "She;s right. What have we got to lose? Let's go," He ordered shouldering his own bag. He began to follow the two girls down the steep hill towards the small village. It would only take about twenty minutes to reach it, and he eager to get some form of rest. Merle, and General Avanon followed their lord loyally with no questions asked.

"Are you crazy!" Allen yelled as he reached out to grab the king's arm and pull him back up the hill. However, Van was already too far down.

He groaned turning around to face the knight. "Allen no on cares!" He yelled back as the other members of their group began to follow him down the hill. "We're going. If you don't want to come, that is your problem."

Celena placed her hand on her brother's arm, "Come on Allen."

Allen stared down at his comrades as they trekked on towards the small village that was hidden in the valley, ignoring him. He sighed and followed them reluctantly. Celena was close behind him. He turned to her, "I hope you know what we could be getting ourselves into," He mumbled as they descended their perch on the hilltop.

It was not long before the reached that village. They were not surprised to find that it was very small. The houses were made of wood with thatched roofs, and small windows. Most of the houses windows were actually broken. They were more like cabins than they were houses. There were some small shops and small stalls were merchants could set up shop as they passed through. They also had some stable where they could see some horses stored inside. There was also a small hanger with enough space to only house one or two small airships. It was most likely a trading post of some kind rather than a town. Whatever it was, it was not a very wealthy place. However, they could not afford to be picky. It was easy enough for them to find the Inn. It was the largest building in the whole place. Their group piled into the tall building. It was then that they realized that the Inn also doubled as a tavern. It was a welcomed sight. It would be easy to find something to eat, and drink as well as find a place to sleep. Their group made their way into the tavern. The walls were stone as well as the floor. There was a cold draft that floated in from the outside, but it was better than nothing. Thankfully the tables and chairs were wooden, offering some relief from the hardness of the stone. The light inside was dim, but it suited the dingy tavern. It wasn't the classiest of places, but again they could not afford to be picky in times like these. sitting down at one of the two tables that were large enough to seat their entire group with little or no difficulty. It seemed that not many large crews passed through this small town.

They had not been seated long before one of the few barmaids made her way over to them. She was a hefty woman and appeared to be somewhere in her forties. She was not very attractive either. Her long stringy red hair was pulled back into a bun, some of the stands were graying. Her eyebrows were very thick making her look slightly manly. She was rather short, and she had a gigantic mole on her cheek right beside her nose. It was hard not to stare at it. Her eyes were nearly black, and she eyed the group with suspicion. "What can I get ya?" She asked, a scowl on her face. Her voice was deep and scratchy. She did not appear to be very happy to see them. She stuck her nose down at them, crossing her arms under her ample chest.

"Some water and some wine would be greatly appreciated miss," Mendelev spoke up for their group, smiling at the unattractive barmaid. He threw in a bit of his charm, hoping that she would be more pleasant.

"Coming right up," She spat turning abruptly to go and fetch their drinks.

"Excuse me Miss," Van spoke up causing her to stop and turn back around. She did not looked to pleased. She crossed her arms again, tapping her foot on the stone floor. "Can you tell us where we are?" He asked wanting to know where they had ended up.

She scoffed, glaring at him like he was an idiot. "Scorpigal," She spat as if she were disgusted. "It's a small merchant town near the edge of the Arathnian border," She explained .

"Thank you," was Van's reply. She simply nodded and left their table shaking her head as she meant. He could have sworn she heard her mumbling something about stupid people, but he wasn't too sure.

"She was pleasant," Yukari mused leaning back against her chair. Her voice was filled with sarcasm.

"Definitely," Celena agreed almost instantly.

They remained silent for a few minutes, enjoying the reprieve from the elements. It wasn't long into this silence when the front door of the tavern was thrown open violently. This made the whole group jump from the loud bang of the door. A tall cloaked figure walked into the tavern. The figure's broad shoulders, posture, and sheer height told them that it was definitely a man. This was some what of a relief to them. Most of Arathnia's warriors were women. His boots clicked against the stone floor. His steps were very heavy. His face was completely hidden from view, covered by the hood of his cloak. Hitomi couldn't help but eye the man's right arm. It was mechanical. Something about that arm seemed very familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. He walked over to the table in the back corner, by the back room. He sat with his back against the wall, leaning back against his seat. His eyes seemed to scan over the tavern. He stopped over their table, looking at them for a minute before turning away to stare straight a head at the wall. He never reached up to lower his hood. This action confused her immensely. Most people lowered their hoods once they entered a building.

"Your drinks," The barmaid's raspy voice called breaking Hitomi out of her thoughts. She placed a wooden tray down on their table, roughly.

"Thank you," Allen said picking up the wooden pitchers and stack of metal glasses that came along with them. He placed them on the table, clearing off the tray.

"Anything else?" She asked rudely, hefting the heavy tray back up onto her arm.

"No we're alright thank you," Van stated waving her off. He was annoyed by her obvious hostility, that much was obvious.

Without another word, the barmaid stalked off. Their group watched as barmaid walked towards the back room. Suddenly, the cloaked figure reached his metal arm out taking a hold of the barmaid's wrist. She jumped in surprise, and glared at the man. He said something to her, and she visibly paled. He spoke to low for them to hear, but whatever he had said to her, caused her to force a smile. He released her wrist from his grasp, and she nearly ran into the back room away from the man. Van raised an eyebrow, and looked towards his General with confusion. Mendelev shrugged taking a sip of his glass of wine.

"I don't like this place," Merle stated her ears flattening. "It doesn't feel safe."

"I don't like it either little lady, but it's out only option right now," Mendelev spoke up, downing the rest of his glass of wine in one big gulp.

Van opened his mouth to comment, but he was interrupted by the door to the back room being thrown open. A short dark haired man ran out, looking like the devil was after him. He had a heavy beard, and was rather chubby like the bar maid. He rushed over to the cloaked man's table, nearly tripping over his cloak. He bowed heavily, nearly touching the floor, before sitting down across from him. The bar maid soon followed after them, placing a pitcher on their table as well. She seemed rather nervous, and she even poured the wine into the glass for the cloaked man. He waved his metal arm in thanks, and dismissing her at the same time. She picked up the pitcher, and hustled away, disappearing into the back room once more.

"I don't like the looks of that man," Yukari whispered to Hitomi. There was no need sicne whispering to Yukari wasn't actually very quiet. She had spoken loud enough for everyone at the table to hear her.

Celena nodded in agreement, her eyes narrowing at the man. Her eyes shifted colour again as she appeared to be deep in thought. Allen stiffened at this. "Something about it seems very familiar," She mused, the slight change in the tone of her voice evident. None of them realized to gravity of her statement.

"Definitely," Van said firmly, agreeing with the knight's sister. He then returned his gaze into his glass of wine. He was clearly very deep in thought.

The door to the Inn burst open again, but this time, no one jumped. This time, it was obvious it was a woman who had barged in. The small group watched as she walked into the dark light of the tavern. She wore the royal blue cloak that bore the Arathnian crest. Once the the door behind her slammed shut her violet eyes scanned the room quickly. Her eyes seemed to skip over them, like she had not seen them. Her eyes landed on the cloaked figure and the man seated with him. Surprisingly, she smiled and sauntered over to the table were the stout man, and the cloaked figure were seated. She sat down in the vacant seat beside the cloaked man without invitation. It was as if they had been expecting her presence. However, unlike her company, she lowered her hood. To their complete surprise, the woman was Galaxia. She was not dressed in her typical Arathnian armor, but regular clothes, similar to what she had seen General Delenair wear. Her golden hair spilled down past her shoulder's framing her face in a complimentary way.

Hitomi could see the rage in Van's eyes as he stared at the small group seated in that back corner. His blood began to boil as his eyes narrowed at the knight. Just being in the presence of a Knight of Arathnia made him feel uneasy. He was considered a traitor in Arathnia, and that was punishable by death under Queen Brahne's rule. However, she was also a king, and he assumed that was why he still lived. If Queen Brahne wanted him dead that bad, he would be. His rocky departure from Terra, and near immediate landing in this small town led him to believe that the Queen had something planned for him. This did nothing to help his nerves. He was on edge and everyone at the table could sense it. He stood from his seat, but Allen pulled him back down.

"Are you trying to draw attention to yourself? Are you trying to get us killed?" He whispered harshly, gripping the younger man's arm tightly to keep him from rising again.

Van rolled his eyes. "Do you always have to be such a worry wart? You are my friend not my advisor. I am a king in my own right so stop telling me what to do!" He spat venomously, ripping his arm out of the knight's grasp. He leaned back against his chair, remaining seated much to everyone's relief.

Merle's ears laid flat again, and she glared angrily at Allen. It was obvious that she greatly disapproved of the way Allen was treating her king. "Yeah Allen," She retorted.

Van shot Merle a warning glance, instantly refraining her from uttering another word. Silence once again washed over the table. It was a tense and slightly awkward silence. Merle sat quietly, biting her bottom lip. Her ears were perked up as she tried to pick up the conversation of the mysterious travelers in the corner. But from the disappointed look on her face, it was obvious that she was picking up nothing. Van kept stealing glances at Galaxia, glaring at her angrily. The hostility washed off of him in waves. It made Hitomi feel uncomfortable. Allen glared at Van, waiting for the young king to do something irrational. Yukari had crossed her arms over the table, and was currently resting her head a top of them. Her eyes were closed, and Hitomi could tell that she was trying to have a small nap. She shook her head disapprovingly at her best friend. Celena was staring blankly down at the glass of wine in her small hand. Gaddes was seated next to the blonde, and his eyes were glued on the younger woman. She shook her head, it was probably none of her concern. She could still see the rage in Van's eyes as he kept stealing glances over at Galaxia. Mendelev had leaned back in his chair, and looked the most relaxed out of all of them. He idly ran his fingers through his short, graying hair.

"I can't take it anymore," Van hissed slamming his hands down on the wooden table top. He stood up abruptly, causing his chair to clattered to the floor. "Galaxia!" He yelled, before anyone had a chance to stop him.

The knight in question turned her head to look at him. She slowly stood to her full height, and took a couple steps towards him. A smirk played across her lips. "Fanelia," She drawled out, her voice as smooth as silk.

Van quickly drew his sword, not trusting the woman as far as he could throw. "I know that you are here for me," He stated, his grip on his sword tightening.

She shrugged, "Actually, I am not," She replied surprising the whole group with her statement. "However," She began undoing the clasp of her cloak. "As a knight of Arathnia, I have a duty to meet our blade with mine," She stated placing her cloak on her vacant chair.

Van frowned raising his sword higher, outwardly showing his hostility towards the blonde woman. "Is that so?" He spat back.

She nodded drawing her own sword. "Yes," She replied, balancing her blade perfectly in her hand. She held it much differently than Van did. "And trust me Van," She continued spitting his name, "I will not be gentle," She stated coyly, the smirk never leaving her lips.

Van shifted forward slightly, but Mendelev grabbed his arm to stop him. "My lord, this is not wise. Withdraw from the fray before it is too late and you get hurt," He suggested, concern evident in his weathered face.

The king snorted and shrugged the General's arm off. "No," was his immediate reply.

Van raised his sword higher, and charged at furiously at Galaxia. She moved subtly, raising her own sword at such a fast pace, that Hitomi almost missed the movement. His sword slammed into hers, and the loud metallic clang rang throughout the tavern. To Van's surprise, she didn't budge an inch. Galaxia turned her sword moving it in such a way that it tugged at Van's sword attempting to pull it from his tight grasp. This action failed. In an instant, she swung her sword at the young king almost catching him on his side. He managed to side-step it, avoiding contact with the blade completely. He had not anticipated that a woman could wield a sword quite as well as a man. Galaxia was proving herself very well. Their swords clashed together again as he tried to hit her shoulder. She was way too quick, and he was slightly out of practice. The battle raged on furiously, and both partied remained unscathed. Hitomi watched General Avanon as his eyes followed the two across the floor, analyzing their moved, and studying their strategies. The cloaked figure also watched with interest. He had no sword at his side, like Galaxia had, but his metal fingers tapped the table nervously as he watched the two battle.

Van had almost gone down a couple times due to her incredible speed. Her size was definitely an advantage on most opponents. However, she became to cocky. She sidestepped, but he anticipated this, and swung his sword at her. Van's sword caught her side cutting a long and deep gash into her flesh, as well as her clothing. She hissed, almost dropping her sword. However, she swung at him violently. He jumped back a bit, but the tip of her sword grazed his chest, slicing him open a bit. But it was no where near as bad as he had hit Galaxia. Her side was oozing blood, and it was slowing her down greatly. Sweat covered Van's brow as he struck her shoulder, cutting another gash in her flesh. She cried out, falling to her knees. Her sword clattered to the ground, sliding a few feet away from the battle. Van smirked proudly, and raised his sword up over his head, preparing to bring it down on the knight and ending the battle.

"Van stop!" Hitomi and Merle both cried in unison.

Van paid them no mind, and began to lower his sword. Suddenly, the cloaked man reached out and grabbed at hold of the blade of Van's sword with his metal arm. Sparks flew from the contact between the two metals. The action surprised Van, allowing the stranger to rip the sword from the king's grasp. He quickly grabbed hold of the hilt, and slammed the butt of the sword into Van's side. Van fell back onto his butt, clutching his injured side. He glared up at the cloaked man as his own royal sword was held at his neck.

"As a knight of Arathnia, I will no longer allow this foolishness to continue. Cease and desist Fanelia, or it will be your head on the floor," A deep, but familiar voice stated coldly stepping between Van and Galaxia, shielding her from him.

Hitomi and Merle ran to Van's side kneeling on the floor beside the fallen king. The cloaked man still held Van's sword terrifyingly close to the young king's neck. Van shifted his position, preparing to stand. The man growled and pressed the sword against his skin. He was not about to let the king go without a vocal surrender. Van glared at the taller man, obviously angry at his quick defeat, and the fact that it was his own sword being held at his throat.

"Stand down Fanelia!" He hissed, his grip on the sword tightening.

Hitomi's eyes widened hearing the man's voice for a second time. It dawned on her. She was surprised that Van had not clued in yet. She squinted her eyes trying to get a look at the cloaked man's face. But it was no use. "Folken?" She questioned taking a gamble.

Van's eyes widened, and his eyes flew back up to look at the cloaked man. Hitomi could see the recognition in his eyes, as she was sure it had appeared in her own. "Lower your hood," He commanded, through clenched teeth.

The cloaked man ignored his, "You are in no position to bark orders," He spat, back.

"I said lower your hood!" Van yelled in response.

The cloaked man sighed, and pulled his hood down with his real hand. The tall man was indeed Folken Lecour de Fanel. His silver hair had grown a great deal longer, and spilled down past his broad shoulders. The teardrop tattoo that had been on the left side of his cheek had been removed, but he was definitely the former heir to the throne of Fanelia. "Happy now," He spat, narrowing his eyes at the fallen king.

Van's eyes narrowed at his brother. "How, why?" He asked through clenched teeth.

Folken pulled the sword away from his throat, turning it around. He held onto the flat side of the blade with his metal hand. He handed the hilt of the sword towards Van. "I have my reasons," He replied as Van took the sword.

He turned away from them, turning his attention to the female knight behind him. He knelt down beside her, gingerly placing a hand on her uninjured shoulder. She shrugged his hand off and pushed herself up onto her feet. He sighed standing up with her. He ripped a part of his cloak off, and wrapped it around her injured shoulder, covering the rather nasty wound. "Are you alright?" He asked softly, resting his hand on her shoulder again. The other came to rest on her hip, just below her other injury.

Galaxia pushed him away, glaring at him. "I'll live," She hissed in annoyance. She turned her heal grabbing her cloak off of her chair. She stormed out of the Inn without a second glance. It was more of her pride that had been hurt, rather than her flesh.

Folken sighed, turning to follow the blonde's trail. Hitomi caught the look of extreme concern on his face. She rose to her feet quickly, and grabbed a hold of his real arm. "Folken..." She began softly.

His eyes met hers. The wine coloured depths were colder than she remembered. "You should leave," He said shrugging her arm off. "Get out of Arathnia while you still can," He stated calmly.

"Come with us Folken," She suggested. She couldn't help but smile at him. There was a something subtle about him that reminded her of Van.

He looked down at the floor beneath his feet, and then back at Hitomi. "I cannot," He stated. He said nothing more, and began to follow Galaxia's path. He walked out of the tavern, slamming the heavy wooden door behind him as he left.

AN: Ok, that was a lot shorter than I planned, but If I kept writing it would have been way too long for my liking. At least you have something to look forward to in the next chapter right? Sorry it took so long, I promise to have a new chapter up soon. Maybe within the next week or two. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was a bit hard to start, but I got through it.

Next: The Truth? Or Lies