Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Beyond the Moon ❯ The Long Ride Home ( Chapter 10 )

Well, this chapter came out longer than expected. Things happen here, but I think Dilandau gets a bit out of character. Okay, more like.. way out of character. Also, I would just like to tell you all that in my little Escaflowne world, Dilandau and Celena are two different people. It's obvious they are; they just have a few slight physical similarities. His hair is silver, hers is white, straight, curly.. they've always just seemed like two different people to me. Anyway, enough with this rambling. I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed; it helped me pump out this chapter in a day and a half! ^_^ On with the fic!

Beyond the Moon

Ten

Dilandau was gone. His mind had shut off, and everything around him seemed surreal. He almost laughed when he saw Allen charge at him full speed, sword drawn.

"Hey you bastard! What are you doing here? Coming to take me back to your sister?" Dilandau mocked, his legs giving way. He collapsed to the ground, laughing at the knight standing in front of him. Allen had his sword pointed at Dilandau's throat, and his eyes were narrowed dangerously. But yet, the albino continued to laugh maniacally, pounding one fist on the ground.

And some tiny part of his mind knew that he had lost it all over again.

***

Allen blinked. He should have been angry, he should have cut the damn man's head off. Maybe it was how much his sister cared for the crazy fool in front of him or maybe it was just whatever honor he had left, but he couldn't bring himself to harm the cackling Dilandau. Every time the albino brought his red eyes up to look at Allen, his laughter would redouble.

It was then that the knight noticed Van. He was lying a little higher on the slope, his head pushed forward to his chest, the back of his collar a bit torn and pulled out in front of him. He was covered in dirt and pine needles, and a huge wooden splinter protruded from his arm, covered in caked, dirty blood. Pushing past the laughing ex-general in front of him, Allen made his way towards the fallen king, kneeling down to examine his arm.

Grasping the splinter firmly in one hand, Allen anchored his bicep down with his other and pulled. The wooden sliver came out with a loud squish, allowing blood to gush freely down the unconscious Van's arm. Wary of the king's plight, Allen grudgingly ripped the puffy shoulder of his coat, tearing free a long strip of white cloth. He tied it tightly around the wound, the blood freely soaking the pearly material. Allen glared at the tear in his coat, then looked over at Dilandau.

He was gone.

Blinking, Allen lifted Van's torso, putting his arms in a headlock and dragging him down the hillside and over the wreckage of the carriage. His horse stood not far off, nonchalantly nibbling at some bushes lining the road. The knight whistled, the large stallion immediately giving his master a glare for interrupting his meal.

Getting up onto the saddle with a still unconscious Van slung over his back, Allen spurred the gray stallion on down the road towards Palas. Hitomi was gone; maybe she had gone to Palas for help, and Allen would see her walking down the side of the road, or maybe she was kidnapped. Having no pretext to aid his decision, the knight decided to carry Van to Palas and seek medical treatment before the king died of blood loss or infection.

There was one thing that Allen had been forced to learn in his time alone: common sense. If he couldn't find Hitomi right then, and had no leads, he would have to deal with the present problem. His heart beat fiercely in his chest as he held onto Van with one hand, the other pushing his reins high onto the stallion's neck, his legs digging into his mount's sides.

Having no idea as to where Dilandau had disappeared to, Allen had to ignore that plight as well; if the albino had any mind left, he would have gone back to the one place he, or any part of him, had ever called home. The knight could be assured that Jajuka would defend his sister if it came down to it. Dilandau was completely out of practice; everyone had improved in the past eight years except for him.

As the knight pressed on towards the capital, the sun slowly began to peek over the distant hills, the once midnight sky lighting up in a brilliant orange, casting a warm glow over the country.

***

Hitomi opened her eyes, for what seemed like the millionth time that night. The candle had burned out long ago, and she was confronted with total darkness. Looking around frantically, Hitomi blinked as a weak yellow light began to run along the walls, illuminating the cave. Unable to turn around due to her bindings, Hitomi deduced that the entrance to the structure was somewhere behind her. She lay back down, groaning at the soreness in her muscles. She felt sleep deprived, worse than any of the all-nighters she had pulled while attending the university.

Nago had told her they were going to leave in the morning; where to, Hitomi had no idea, but she expected the doppelganger to be in for her at any moment. Closing her eyes, Hitomi waited for what seemed like hours, her mind wandering out of her body. She wondered what Van was doing right then; he was probably in Palas, looking for her. She still had no idea how the doppelgangers had taken her from her carriage; she had fallen asleep on Van's shoulder, and woken up to Nago's face.

Hitomi let out a deep sigh, thinking back to Allen and his family. She wondered how Celena and Dilandau were managing. Hitomi knew how Celena felt about Dilandau; the two had shared a body for the past twelve years of their lives, so it was only natural that Celena would feel closer to the albino than anyone else in her life, including her brother or Jajuka.

Hitomi knew her chance of being found by Allen or Van was next to nothing. Will I ever see them again? she wondered, staring at the ceiling of the cave, which had lit up with the morning sun filtering in. Suddenly, the orange sun creeping onto the rocks was split by a tall shadow, which loomed over her. Hitomi winced, looking for the source of the interruption.

"Get up, girl," it commanded, still not coming quite into her view. Hitomi pulled on her legs, whose feet were still bound to the ground.

"Can't," she informed the creature. Denongo moved into her view, stooping down. He took out a long, silver knife, slashing the ropes and barely missing cutting off her feet. Inhaling sharply, Hitomi sat up, shaking her numb legs.

"Come on, we're leaving as soon as you get up," the doppelganger informed her, his face a stone mask. Hitomi nodded, using the dirty ground as a support platform to get herself onto her knees. From there, she got to her feet, using what felt like wooden stubs to walk haphazardly after Denongo, who had retreated out the front of the cave. Hitomi observed that the entrance had been merely feet away from her head, which might have been useful had she known before.

The morning sun overwhelmed her, its bright light causing her eyes to scream in pain and a wave of nausea to overtake her. A long-fingered hand suddenly caught her arm, steadying her as she wobbled on weak knees. She looked up, shrinking back as Denongo's emerald eyes bore into her.

"Be strong," he told Hitomi quietly, releasing her arm and looking back up at the rising sun. His pearly body seemed to soak in the orange light, his skin alive with a golden hue.

"Dengo!" Looking up, Hitomi saw Nago trotting towards them from the forest and into the clearing where they stood. In each hand she held the leathers of two tall, gazelle-like creatures with large bags hanging from their backs. They had long, curved horns, and their eyes were wide and nervous.

"Nago," Denongo replied, bowing in respect. Nago smiled at him, putting one of the four or five foot creatures in his hand. She walked over to Hitomi, motioning towards the gazelle-animal.

"This is a benza. I'll give you a boost," she told her, crossing her hands at the benza's flank. Hitomi nervously put one foot in the doppelganger's grip, vaulting onto the surprised animal's back. Nago steadied it, jumping up in front of the human woman with ease.

After that, the world became a daze to Hitomi. The ride on the bounding animal caused her stomach to rise in her throat, so she began to focus on anything else; the fleeting green of the trees, or the shadows that passed over her as they rode through the forest. Naturally, her mind wandered to Van, and she briefly wondered what would happen if she fell off the bounding beast right then. Maybe she would be trampled and left, and Van would find her and take her back to Fanelia, and they would live happily ever after.

Happily ever after, she sighed. She had always had the feeling in the pit of her stomach that their relationship was doomed. He was a king, and would probably only be allowed to marry if it were to a princess, to ensure political alliances. Although his father had married a non-political figure, he did not seem to have that kind of swaying power on his advisors. Despite the fact Hitomi had saved Gaea from certain self destruction, she was still not in the good graces of much of Fanelia's royal house.

But Hitomi knew worrying over it would never help matters. Everything would come out all right in the end, as Folken had once told her. But how would be the question.

***

Celena stared out her window as the sun rose. Her face burned from the hot tears which still stung her eyes, and her clothes were torn and her hair disheveled. Her nose was pressed against the window, and her arms were crossed over the sill as she sat on the floor. She had a view of the hills through her bay window, unobstructed by the trees that surrounded much of the house.

Celena looked up when she heard a familiar laugh. It was high pitched and hysterical, and was slowly coming closer. Despite everything that had happened, Jajuka had gone to bed an hour or so before, and was probably deep in slumber land.

She got up, quickly taking off her ripped nightgown and replacing it with a light dress and riding slacks. Celena opened the door to her room, slipping down the hallway and out the front door. The laughter was loud, but was practically muffled by the rapid beating of her heart. If she didn't know any better, she'd say that...

Dilandau was there.

He galloped around the front yard, frolicking about on Allen's prize sorrel mare and howling with laughter. Celena stared, awestruck, as Dilandau turned to face her, his red eyes gazing into her with what could have been defined as hysterical guilt. He was mad, absolutely mad.

Celena walked down the steps towards where he stood, having reined in his horse to a halt. They kept their eyes locked as she moved towards him, her feet making soft sounds against the grass as she approached. She reached his side, staring up at the suddenly very tall, very intimidating looking Dilandau. Suddenly, he chuckled, and reached one hand down to her. She grasped it without a second thought and was pulled onto the surprised horse in front of him. His arms clasped around her waist tightly, and the horse reared slightly before being reined in by Dilandau.

Celena gasped as he lowered his mouth to her ear. "Told you I wouldn't leave you," he said, his voice tinged with amusement. She was completely bewildered, and tears threatened to pour down her face again. Just what kind of game was he trying to play? "I told you so."

"Dilandau..." Celena murmured. Her voice was tinged by many emotions; sadness, relief, and a bit of anger. Dilandau tightened his arms around her waist, raising his head above hers and grabbing the horse's reins, spurring it into a sudden gallop.

"Celena," Dilandau began. "Will you help me?" Celena blinked in surprise. His voice was suddenly soft, and such humble words coming out of his mouth shocked her.

"With what..?" she asked. He pulled her closer to him, his fingers playing with the fabric of her dress. A blush rapidly spread to her face as she felt his face nuzzle her hair. He acted as if they had been apart for months.

"Your friends... Van and Hitomi. They're in trouble," Dilandau told her. Celena gasped in surprise. "Van, the idiot, thought I had stolen that Mystic Moon bitch-" a cold stiffening from Celena told him not to continue with that train of thought, "but I didn't. Your brother tried to kill me too, but... something snapped." Celena snorted.

"That's an understatement," she muttered, but closed her mouth when she felt a strong hand leave her waist and grasp her shoulder.

"Celena... I know you already hate me. I don't blame you; I would hate me too," Dilandau started, sighing. "I will admit, I hate them. I hate Van for what he did to me, I hate Hitomi for what she would have done to me. But you..." he paused. Celena reached up, putting her hand on his. That seemed to help him gain his confidence back, for he continued. "You never doubted me, you never hated me. You kept me going, kept me sane. Without you, I'm nothing except a raving lunatic."

"Dilandau," Celena said with assurance, squeezing his hand.

"No," he interrupted. She looked back at him in surprise, and found him focusing dangerously on the road ahead. "I don't deserve it. But your friends are in trouble; I can't help them. Only you can," Dilandau told her. Still not understanding, Celena sent him a confused expression. He shook his head.

"I have a bad feeling about this," he continued. "I found Van inside his destroyed carriage, and Hitomi was gone. He threatened me and marched me, but he was injured and didn't last long. I dragged him back, and your brother found us. I escaped back while he took Van back to Palas." Celena remained silent.

"So it's Hitomi that's gone missing?" she asked. Dilandau nodded.

"I have one lead; out of everyone in Zaibach who wanted her for one reason or another, the only ones left alive beside me was.. the doppelgangers," he said begrudgingly.

"Doppelgangers..?" Celena asked in confusion. Dilandau nodded.

"Zongi?" Celena shuddered.

"They'll kill her!" she cried, looking at Dilandau. He only nodded.

"I know where the main palace is; we can only try," he replied, wrapping his free arm around her in assurance. She nodded and lifted her head, staring ahead at the road. It was too much for her to comprehend at once; she would just have to let Dilandau do the thinking for now.

***

Allen exhaled deeply as he approached the city gates. The sun had come up only a few minutes before, and cast long, warm shadows over the world. Van was draped over Allen's back, one arm hanging limply over his shoulder, the king's head flopped back in a very uncomfortable-looking position.

The two guards standing at the gates eyed him warily. Allen raised one eyebrow.

"It's me, Allen Schezar, Knight of Caeli. Let me in," he commanded. One guard lifted his helmet, his black hair and green eyes catching the knight's attention. It was one of his very own men!

"This way, Lord Allen," the man replied, his face stone. The knight blinked in confusion.

"Thank you," Allen said coldly. The man stared at him, his eyebrows narrowing. The other guard approached the gates, opening them. The first guard remained silent, staring as Allen turned his gaze ahead, entering the city. The gates closed with an audible SLAM.

The knight's stallion had long ago tired out, and now plodded slowly through the deserted streets of Palas. Furrowing his brow in confusion, Allen proceeded towards the castle. Where was everyone? The city was usually bustling with activity even before sunrise.

The capital soon loomed above him, its flags lying limp. The air was dead, causing the hair to rise on the back of the knight's neck. He shivered slightly in the cold air, getting off his horse and catching the still unconscious Van somewhere in between. The main door opened, and a familiar man stepped out, dressed in a red guard's coat. Allen waved at him, propping the quickly fading king against his horse's saddle.

"Munos, my good man!" the knight called. The guard walked towards him excruciatingly slow, and stopped at the base of the front stairs leading up to the palace entryway.

"Sir Allen," Munos responded, bowing slightly. He straightened his red jacket, which was ornately decorated to show his position as lead of the Palas guard. Allen hoisted up Van again, wiping a bead of sweat running down his brow.

"Munos, I need to get this man to a doctor," the knight informed his friend, pointing to the still slightly bleeding king. Munos nodded and turned, whistling.

Two other guards, both dressed in a subordinate green, appeared from the other side of the palace terrace, where the entryway to the guard station stood. They cleverly weaved around Allen, taking the injured Van from him and lifting the king up between the two of them. Munos watched until the guards disappeared once more, then turned back to Allen.

"Come with me, Sir Allen. I have something I need you to see," Munos told him stoically, his face cold. Allen blinked in slight confusion then nodded, barely noticing the groom that appeared from nowhere to take his sweaty gray stallion.

"Sir Munos, what have you been up to while I was away?" Allen asked as the pair walked up the palace steps and into the wide entryway. Munos led him into the main hall, which was eerily deserted. Usually, even at that time of the morning, the palace was teeming with life. A sinister feeling was growing in Allen's conscious, making him wary of the silent hallways.

"Nothing of amazing importance, let me assure you," Munos replied, his voice flat and emotionless. Allen gave his friend a strange expression; the old captain's usually friendly and extraverted personality had completely vanished. Feeling that nothing would come out of the conversation, Allen opted for silence. Munos did not challenge it.

Despite Allen's immense knowledge of the Palas castle, the passages they walked down were becoming less and less familiar. When they finally stopped, it was in front of a large, wooden door that the knight only remembered walking past once or twice.

"Just where are we going?" Allen asked warily as Munos unlocked the rusty door.

"I believe it's something for you from the king," he replied, his voice giving away nothing. Allen perked up. Maybe it was some kind of elaborate surprise party? Dryden seemed just like the type who would do that. It made sense, anyway.

"I see," Allen replied, a slight grin tugging on his lips. He couldn't let on that he knew what was conspiring. He could see stairs lit barely by the natural light of the castle, but pitch blackness absorbed everything that was more than three or four feet down.

Suddenly, Allen regretted not being more wary of Munos as the guard's knee impacted the knight's back, sending him tumbling down the stairs. He didn't have long to think about it, of course, for he was knocked out cold when he landed head first on the stone floor. The door slammed behind him with an audible groan.