Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Beyond the Moon ❯ Escaping Duties ( Chapter 12 )

Wow, this chapter came out a lot longer and a lot later than I ever expected. APOLOGIES ALL AROUND! ... *Note: This "official" Escaflowne site says that Chid is five earth years old in the series, but I have serious trouble believing a five year old could be as intelligent and sure of himself as Chid was, so I determined that he was ten years old. That may be a bit old, I'm sorry, but it suits my purposes. Anyway, I really liked how this one turned out. I'd really like to thank everyone for reviewing and keeping my spirits up. If you read the Inuyasha fic I'm working on right now, I've been in a really angsty mood lately. There's a bit of fluff in this one... I'm very happy people are liking my Celena/Dilandau pairing. Ever since I read my first C/D, I was obsessed. Woo, ramble! Just read. *rolls eyes and walks away mumbling incoherently*

Beyond the Moon

Twelve

Hitomi stared slack-jawed at Chid, who smiled warmly at her. He had certainly matured; he towered over her, and his grown out blonde hair was tied back in a sloppy ponytail. His kind, blue eyes and long, smooth face was a perfect imitation of Allen, or what the knight might have looked like in his late teens.

"I apologize for my less than justified kidnapping of you," Prince Chid amended, bowing slightly. Hitomi merely stared at him. "I hope you can forgive me, Lady Hitomi. It was all necessary, I can assure you." Smiling, Chid patted her shoulder with one hand. Hitomi nodded, then looked up and smiled back.

"You've grown up so much," she commented with wonder, experimentally touching one lock of blonde hair that fell in front of his unblemished face. Chid blushed slightly, but soon recovered and took her hand in his, kissing it lightly.

"And you have grown more beautiful," he responded, smiling with a characteristic charming Schezar smile. Hitomi stopped that train of thought, focusing more on the problem at hand.

"Why exactly am I here? Van must be worried sick!" Hitomi worried. Chid put a hand on her shoulder, nodding at her.

"All will be answered. First we must take care of you, then we can talk about Van," he replied, motioning towards the stairs. "You must be famished! One of the servants will get you washed up, then we can eat, alright?" Chid smiled at her as an over-dressed, female servant stepped up to them. Hitomi nodded grudgingly, and was led away, her mind even more confused than before.

***

Allen raced down the halls, no longer worrying about someone seeing him. He hadn't run into a single soul since he left the dungeon, although he had a suspicious feeling that he was being watched, despite how fast he ran. He searched every room for Van, but had not found him so far.

If the guards had taken the injured king to be healed, he would most likely be in the medical ward, which resided on the other side of the castle. Allen stopped at the entrance hall, panting. Where was everyone?

Allen jumped out of his skin when he heard the sound of rattling. Looking around the corner, he had to stifle a yell of surprise as a servant woman went careening past him, the tray in her arms rattling loudly. She merely zoomed past him, as if she was completely unaware of the knight staring at her. She disappeared around a corner, the jangle of her platters slowly tapering off.

Allen blinked in confusion for a few moments before turning back on his route, his strength renewed. The castle had a few comfortable rooms they used for hosting guests, but when the new right wing was built, the guest wing had become a housing for those injured during the Great War. Though things had calmed down recently, what had been dubbed the "medical ward" still remained for the injured and sickly when doctors residing in the castle could care for them.

The sun filtered in with an excruciating brightness through the skylights residing in the main hall of the castle's southern wing, momentarily blinding Allen as he frantically looked into each room.

He did a double take just before slamming the door to one of the larger, more exquisite rooms. Looking around the room again, Allen spotted a familiar black head of hair poking out from under thick quilts. He had subconsciously noted the strange lumps in the bed, but this new revelation pushed him into the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

"Van?" Allen asked, walking closer. The sleeping figure shifted, the head slithering out from beneath the heavy comforter, revealing a familiar chiseled, tan face and a pair of fluttering chocolate eyes.

"Wha.. Allen?" Van muttered groggily, opening his eyes fully. The knight nodded, hastily kneeling in front of him. The king blinked, sitting up slightly and rubbing his head. "Where am I again?"

Allen stood up, looking around the room. "Palas. I don't know what happened, but... I'll tell you later. We have to get out of here," he said forcefully, looking sternly at Van, who was still struggling to sit up.

"I agree... just what is going on, if you don't mind obliging me?" the king asked, finally managing to sit up and shove the heavy blankets off himself. Allen swiftly looked away at the completely un-modest Van got up, struggling to stand on his shivering feet.

The knight busied himself with getting Van's pants off the grate where they hang, the fire that had been drying them gone out. He threw them over his shoulder, though he had to admit he wasn't much better off; he had rushed out of the house wearing nothing but his loose pants, un-tucked boots, and nothing beneath his knightly coat.

Allen turned around a few seconds later to find Van looking at what was left of his tattered, bloody, royal jacket. "No time to lament," the knight began, opening the door. "But we have to get out of here, now." Van nodded hastily, having a bit of trouble moving on his feet. Allen involuntarily supported the lagging king with one arm, the two slowly moving into the hall and back towards the main entrance.

It didn't take them too long to get down the still deathly silent hallways to the entrance hall, which was annoyingly illumined with the noonday sun. One of the gigantic, oak doors was slightly ajar, and an absence of any kind of human besides the two escapees made it easy for Van to begin slipping through the crack in the door.

Allen knew it was too easy. It wasn't a small voice in the back of his head telling him something was wrong; it was a giant foghorn going off in his brain, his eyes darting suspiciously in every direction. Never in his life would the knight have guessed he would be running out of the dead Fassa castle like an escaped convict, not in his wildest dreams. But lately, it seemed everything was unbelievable.

The alarm in Allen's head began to grow louder as Van pushed his way through the door.

"Allen." Spinning around, the knight was stopped in his tracks by the sensation of cold, hard steel pressing against his throat.

***

To say I was surprised was an understatement. First, an immensely matured, late teen Chid had greeted me after my hostile trek, and second... the castle. The very walls were high and intricate, painted with images of trees and nymph-like doppelgangers prancing about like cheribs. Long, thickly-woven tapestries hung from golden rungs on the ceiling and walls, depicting beautiful, silver and gold designs, the background fabric colors ranging from deep maroon to sunny yellow. I stopped briefly to touch the soft weave of one, before the servant woman tugged on my shoulder insistently and I followed her down the hall.

I was dying to get back to Prince Chid and get my questions answered, but when the servant woman began pouring the bath, just the chills the warm fog sent up my spine convinced me to rest my tired muscles. The woman hurried out, leaving me to the large, elaborate tub, which was complete with small, wax hearts lining the rim of the tub. I climbed in, sniffing one of the white and red objects as I settled into the soothing water. The smell of them, which appeared to be vanilla for the white ones and a rosy scent for the red, lulled my mind into a momentary calm as the pleasantly temperate water sloshed about my cold, bruised skin.

I was pulled out of my pleasurable reverie by a knock at the door. "Hmm?" I replied, opening my eyes.

"Ma'am, the emperor requests your audience in half an hour's time," the woman called.

"I will be out momentarily," I responded, ducking my head into the warm water to thoroughly soak my dirty, clingy brown hair. I noticed some soaps and shampoos on a little rack just in arm's reach, and took the most pleasing-smelling one.

I was out of the bath a few minutes later, an elaborate, flower-woven towel wrapped under my arms and tucked snugly at my chest. I wrung out my hair on the floor mat, putting it in a short-lived bun as I exited the bathing area.

The bedroom I had been assigned was almost indescribable. It was obviously the master bedroom of the wing, being at the far-most end of the hall. Exquisite chandeliers hung from the elaborate, domed ceiling, and long, beautiful carpets covered the half tile, half wood floor. I rubbed my eyes, unable to take in the glorious vastness of my sleeping quarters.

"Your wardrobe, milady," the servant woman called, standing beside a tall, wooden dresser. She opened the doors, allowing me a view of the immense walk-in closet that was available to me.

I could barely utter an, "Oh.. my.." as I came closer, peering meekly inside. "Just pick something for me, okay?" I requested, blinking rapidly and taking a step back. This was incredible, even to the standards Millerna had introduced me to.

Millerna.. that would give me another thing to ask Chid about. She had changed a little too much in eight years for my liking.

"As you wish," the servant woman replied, taking off her hood as she stepped into the closet. I tilted my head, watching as the meek-looking doppelganger brought out a long, light green robe, complete with white tassels and long strands of hair beads. She lifted the dress up to me, nodding.

"Put this on," she requested, slipping her hood back on. I nodded, taking the elegant robe and waiting as the servant woman left the room.

After I had put on the robe, I called her back in. She smiled appreciatively, then fingered my hair with her long, sky blue hands. "You have good braiding hair," she commented, taking the strand of alternating black and emerald beads. "Just the right color, too."

Taking two locks of my shoulder-length brown hair, she slowly beaded each small, intricate braid with a fine, hand made bead. Each one was painted with little circles and diamonds, giving them a very symbolic look.

I had learned one thing from living with Millerna for a week or so in Palas; Gaeans had strange customs with mirrors. They rarely had one in the open, unless it was a special kind of wall-hanging mirror. Although royalty usually knew better, most people were still superstitious about keeping mirrors out where they could be seen or where they could reflect too much natural light. I had never quite been sure why, but it didn't surprise me when the servant woman lifted one of the maroon tapestries hanging from the far wall and delicately removed a standing mirror.

Gathering up what egotism I had, I announced to myself that I was beautiful. The robe clung in just the right spots, and the low, loosely bound neckline did me much justice. With it, I no longer wanted to inquire of the whereabouts of my old clothes; I hoped they burned them. My hair had fanned out from the shampoo, flowing in smooth, shiny curls around my shoulders. The beads hung in front and behind my ears, and beautifully complimented my eyes.

"Wonderful!" I cried, smiling at the woman looking me over. "If I do say so myself," I added humbly. She nodded and turned.

"We're going to be late if we don't hurry," she announced, giving me a pair of modest moccasin-like shoes. I slipped them on, following the servant woman out the door and down the hallway.

The dining room was almost as intricate and glorious as my very bedroom. It was a vast expanse of high, stone walls and wide, many-colored tapestries. Animal heads, swords, and old cloaks adorned the fine workmanship, and an immense, granite-like fireplace lay on the other end of the hall opposite the doorway. A long, wood table filled most of the room, complete with almost medieval-looking chairs lining it. The two main chairs on each end of the table were high and furnished with red fabric.

Sitting near the fireplace was Prince Chid, who wore a long, elegant, emperor's gown. He wore no crown beside his mane of shiny blonde hair, which was aglow in the fair firelight. He sat up in his chair, smiling at me.

"Lady Hitomi, you've arrived!" I blushed at our lateness. "But, it is all made up for in your beauty! You look wonderful. Please, come and sit," he added, winking. I nodded, walking towards him. "Don't sit at that chair," he instructed, pointing at the other head chair. "It's too far away. We will be the only ones dining tonight, until my lords arrive."

Sitting in the chair indicated to me beside him, I bowed my head slightly to him. He responded in like manner, smiling widely. Yes, this most definitely was Prince Chid.

"You have grown so much," I commented, tilting my head to examine his now smooth, yet chiseled features. He looked so much like Allen, but also so much like... himself. He would never be like Allen. "But if I may be so bold so soon... What are you doing here? Or more importantly, why do you need me here?"

Chid sighed, his smile disappearing. He barely noticed as the first appetizer-like course of our meal arrived. It was something that resembled black, charred wings, with the edges fried in a very butter-like substance. The smell almost made me vomit, but I had nothing in my stomach to throw up. I merely turned an interesting shade of olive and carefully put one into my mouth.

"My apologies will never be enough for what you have been through to get here," he began, closing his eyes. I wanted to tell him it was alright, but it wasn't. "No, it isn't alright," he continued, answering me. "I'm sorry I had to take you in such a way, but I had to deal with you and you alone." Chid paused, his gaze drifting away from me and to the fried wing-thing he held in his fingers. I was surprised that he wouldn't be using some kind of extravagant utensils, but he had never seemed like the type. He still reminded me of the small child he had once been.

"Do you remember how Freid held that old relic, the one that bore the power of Atlantis?" I nodded. "Zaibach won it in the war, and created the Zone of Absolute Fortune with it using their Destiny machine. And now, that power has been reawakened." I lifted my gaze from my plate, staring at him with wide eyes.

"How..?" I asked quietly. Emperor Dornkirk was gone, the Destiny machine was gone! How could the power of Atlantis live on?

"I am still not completely sure. Hitomi, you have the pendant again, do you not?" Chid asked, motioning to my neck. I nodded, pulling it out from beneath the robe. I hadn't thought about it again since Van had returned it to me; I had no desire to return home, and hadn't even considered wishing myself away. I didn't want to invoke the power of Atlantis, but it looked like I was too late.

Chid took the pendant in his hand, looking closely at me. "Look at it, Hitomi," he commanded. I nodded looking down at the ruby pendant.

It was no longer ruby. It had faded to a dark, brown color, and looked almost dead, like Escaflowne's drag-energist had done so long ago. I touched it with one finger experimentally, and almost fell out of my chair when it suddenly lit up a bright cherry color. I stared at Chid quizzically as he released the pendant, turning his head thoughtfully.

"I am still putting the pieces together, and I was hoping you could help me," he said, closing his eyes. "I have much thinking to do, I'm afraid."

"Why aren't you in Freid?" I asked, the question becoming even more pressing.

"It took a long time to rebuild Freid after the Destiny War," Chid replied slowly, opening one blue eye to look at me. "Even now, it is still standing perilously on one foot. We were aided by Asturia and Fanelia, of course, but... I should be there. I turned away when my advisors began pressuring me to marry when I turned seventeen." Chid sighed, his eyes drifting back to my gaze. I nodded, patting his shoulder in assurance. *

"Then the emperor of the doppelgangers sent his duke Lord Denongo to find me. He was the only one aware of the rebuilding dangers to Gaea, and had been unable to reach any of the other major kingdoms. The throne of Asturia was being passed to Dryden Fassa, and he, on instinct, almost had Denongo executed for "war crimes." Since Freid was closer than Fanelia... I was roped into the charade when the emperor passed away.

"I am still in command of Freid, I am in close contact with the monks and priests, but things have been quiet and the people just don't respect the throne the way they used to," the prince turned his face to the table, where a second course had been brought out, which consisted of some still-furry roasted beast and some delectable looking beet-like vegetables. "There is talk of a democracy," Chid continued, sighing. "The doppelgangers are.. are a respectable people. I discovered that there were at least a hundred of them in Freid who died in the battle for the power of Atlantis."

I smiled at him, hoping to soothe his obviously troubled spirits. I felt much compassion for the young king; I now realized he was no longer a prince, or a duke's son. He ruled a country.

Then I remembered the question that had been bothering me since we left Asturia. "Chid... You are a friend of the Asturian royal house. When we visited, Millerna... she didn't seem herself. Even after eight years, you are still the same boy I remember. But she has changed, too much," I inquired, leaning my head on my arm, which was propped up. I speared one of the beet things with my fork, plopping it loudly in my mouth. Chid's gaze swiftly turned away from mine.

"Millerna always was such a volatile, cheerful princess... so optimistic, was she not?" he countered. I glanced up, nodding as I chewed. "She.. she and Dryden married in the summer of last year. He returned from his life of mercantilism when he heard King Aston was on his deathbed... He informed me he had grown weary of the lonely life, even as rewarding helping people was to him. Millerna took him back with more than open arms," Chid said, a small smile creeping onto his face. "But last winter, Millerna had a miscarriage. It devastated her, not only physically, but mentally."

I stared at him with disbelieving eyes. Even in my own time, with such modern medicine and technology, miscarriages were brutal both body and spirit. I couldn't even imagine what it would be like in the medieval-like conditions on Gaea. Chid put his head in his hands.

"She hasn't been the same since. I visited this spring, and Dryden told me that even now they were having trouble conceiving again, as hard as that is to believe," he continued, a slight chuckle staining his saddened voice.

Prince Chid looked up at me, his blue eyes soft, a small smile on his lips. I brightened a bit. "You can meet the lords tomorrow. It is only mid afternoon, but you look like you could use some rest still. I will conference with them tonight, and I will tell you the verdict tomorrow." I nodded, blushing slightly as he took my hand and kissed it. "Good day, Lady Hitomi. Van is a lucky man."

***

Celena blinked rapidly, a soft voice breaking apart the wonderful dream she was having. It was something about Dilandau, her brother, Jajuka, and pink butterflies. Yes, it was wonderful indeed.

"Celena," Dilandau prodded, shaking awake the woman snoozing on his shoulder. His arm had begun to fall asleep, and the valiant horse they had been riding was getting ready to collapse where it stood. Celena opened her eyes, looking up at him. Her wide, blue irises had some sleepy-seeds still on them, and Dilandau couldn't help but smile as she yawned, making a high squeaky sound.

"Where are we?" she asked groggily. The orange tint of the late afternoon sun was making her dilated eyes hurt, so she closed them and stretched a bit.

"We've been following this trail for some time now; after they left the cave, whoever 'they' are were riding benzas. They moved very quickly, and your brother's horse can't go on for much longer," Dilandau replied, lifting a bit of Celena's weight off himself. "Also, my arm's falling asleep." Celena blushed, apologizing profusely. Dilandau merely shook his head and sighed in exasperation, climbing off the horse.

They had faithfully skirted the mountains for some time, and the already slightly waning sunlight was cut in a jagged line by the high, rocky cliffs above them. A small hill of grass continued off to their side, allowing for a soft chair when Dilandau planted his tired rear firmly on the silky grass.

Celena yawned again, climbing off the horse as well. The sorrel let out a sigh of relief, not even bothering to wander away. Celena made her way over to where Dilandau sat and flopped down beside him, stretching out on the grass. The albino cast her a sideways glance, raising one eyebrow. She giggled, poking him in the arm.

"Dilandau, where are we going?" Celena asked, looking up at the clouds. She could make out the shape of a dolphin-person in one especially large, intricate cloud, which was lit up on one side by the yellow sun.

"I don't know, really, but we seem to be heading in the general direction of Hudogar. It's the doppelganger's headquarters, you could call it. It supports my conclusion that doppelgangers kidnapped Hitomi, anyway," Dilandau replied, shrugging. Celena smiled up at him.

"Dilly.. why did you leave?"

Dilandau was completely caught off-guard by the question. He looked down at her, furrowing his brows. What could he tell her? That he was afraid of her? That he wanted to kill her friends more than keep his promise to her?

"You want the truth, Celena?" She nodded, her face becoming more serious. "Because I wanted to kill Van more than anything," Dilandau said harshly, looking away. Celena shrunk back, one hand taking a bit of his coat fabric in her hand. "But when it came time to... I couldn't."

"Oh Dilandau," Celena said quietly, her wide, blue eyes suddenly becoming misty. Blinking in confusion, Dilandau looked back at her.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. She smiled slightly at him, then yanked on his coat, pulling him to the ground beside her. Dilandau landed with an "OOF!", causing her to giggle. "What was that for?!" he demanded, glaring at her. She merely smiled and scooted closer, leaning her head on his shoulder.

For the first time in his life, Dilandau blushed.

"Oh, nothing," Celena replied, grinning evilly at him. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

His expression turned to one of wide eyed surprise as Celena turned, lightly kissing his cheek. "Tell me when it's time to go," she said quietly, leaning back against his shoulder and settling into the grass.

Dilandau nodded dumbly, staring up into the sky. It took him at least a minute to gather back his wits, after of which he took one arm, shyly putting it under her neck and around her shoulders. Celena let out a small sound, suddenly curling up to his side.

Dilandau sighed, leaning his head into the grass and pulling her closer. The woman he had been with - whether or not he was aware of her existence - for the past twelve years was now the most important being in his life. He stared up into the sky, letting out another sigh, this time one of immense contentment. His memories of blood, slaughter, and madness slowly faded out of matter and reason; no longer did he hold his own life and success above all.

Celena was all that mattered now. She had become everything for him, everything in the world he had left. Dilandau could not deny he would always want Van's death, that he would have a deep evil inside him, that he would ever be more than a general wanting revenge for the death of his men. But now, he had even more to work for, to live for.