Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ To Mend the Rose ❯ Return to Zaibach ( Chapter 13 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

[AN Hello everyone! Here I am again, with the promised chapter 13. I plan to finish this fanfic with two, or maybe three more chapters (the third would be a short epilogue). And no, there probably won't be a sequel. I have a lot of other fanfics planned, and a sequel would ruin this fic anyways. Sorry 'bout that!

Disclaimer:

I do not own Escaflowne. I may own various wall-hangs and posters and DVDs and plottlines, but I don't own the rights. Sorry, ravenous lawyers. Besides, you guys should know: fanfiction is excellent promotion. ^_^ Thats why doujinishis are tolerated in Japan. Oh, and I own Enmu. And Fred the Vicious Rubber Attack Chicken.

Fred: *grrrrrrr*

Feye: ^^;; ONWARD!

TO MEND THE ROSE: RETURN TO ZAIBACH by Feye Morgan

~*~*~*~*~

"I am NOT dying my hair BLUE!"

"Would you rather it pink?"

"I would rather you leave my hair ALONE!"

One day before the merchant transport headed for the Zaibach capital was due to depart, a bizarre exchange was taking place in Dryden's study.

Allen sighed, exasperated. "Look, your hair is a -beacon-. If we don't dye it, then it doesn't matter how else we disguise you; you'll be recognized as soon as you set foot off the transport!"

Dilandau merely folded his arms obstinately and glared. "No."

"You will."

"No I won't."

Allen's eyes narrowed. "And what about Tenshi? I thought you agreed to this whole operation because of her."

Dilandau's ruby eyes burned. "I did. And I intend to go through with it even if it costs me my life." He leaned forward slightly. "But I am NOT DYING MY HAIR!" he shouted.

Allen was about to open his mouth for a retort when the door to the study opened. Dryden poked his head in, and was met by two equally hostile gazes. His eyes widened. His head disappeared to be replaced shortly by one with unruly black hair. Van eyed Dilandau.

"Is there a problem?" the king asked.

"Yes!" two voices chorused in reply.

Van raised his eyebrows and entered the room. Dryden followed and closed the door behind him. The two newcomers waited for an explanation.

Allen spoke up first. "He refuses to go along with the costume. He's being completely unreasonable!"

"It's not the costume I object to!" Dilandau snapped. "And I am NOT being unreasonable! -You're- being unreasonable!"

"It's just hair dye!" Allen snapped.

"It's BLUE!"

"So WHAT?"

Blazing red eyes sending a death glare were the only answer to this.

Van rolled his eyes. Dryden stared amusedly at the two quarrelers. The king looked at Dilandau. "Do you really have to make it this difficult?"

The albino merely glared fiercely.

Van sighed. "That's a yes." He looked at Allen next.

The blonde knight didn't give him a change to open his mouth. "We have to disguise his hair, Van! It's one of his most distinctive features, aside from his eyes."

Van nodded. "He's right, Dilandau."

"I. Am. Not. Dying. My. Hair. Got it?"

Dryden had been quietly musing by the door. At this point, he spoke up unexpectedly. "What about a blue wig?" he proposed.

Dilandau eyed him suspiciously, but said nothing. The merchant took this as an encouraging sign and continued. "It wouldn't change your real hair; just your appearance for the time. As soon as we're done, off it comes. I can get my hands on quite a variety, and I know some would look convincing on you."

The youth pondered this for a moment before nodding slowly. "Okay..."

Allen glared at the merchant spitefully, who merely brightened. "Well, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Allen glowered even more darkly. Dryden chuckled. "Oh, don't bother to thank me Allen; I know I'm brilliant."

Allen choked. Van looked between the two and decided it would be best to intervene before the knight went for Dryden's throat.

"So, what next?" he piped up. He eyed Dilandau critically. "What do we do about his eyes?"

Dryden frowned. "That is a problem."

Allen seemed encouraged by the fact that his rival was stumped. "What about glasses?" he spoke up.

The other three people in the room blinked slowly. "Glasses?" Dilandau finally asked.

Allen nodded. "There wouldn't be real lenses in them, so you'd be able to see fine, but glasses can really change a person's face, as well as hide their eyes."

Dryden nodded. He experimentally took off his own glasses, and blinked at the sudden loss of sight. "Is it true?" he asked.

The others looked at him. Van nodded. "It is."

Dryden replaced his glasses. "I have some of those as well. There has to be a pair that would match you."

Dilandau nodded, and waited.

"What about the costume?" Van asked.

"Our object is to make him as invisible as possible. He'll be dressed as one of the accountants, since every transport is packed with them. Zaibach isn't expecting him to come, so hiding him in plain sight as one of the actual merchants wouldn't work. He has to be able to slip in and out as discreetly as possible."

Van blinked as Dryden snickered slightly. "Accountants?"

"Remember the rat-person who followed me around when we first met?" Dryden explained. "He's my accountant. The clothing me wore is similar to what Dilandau will be wearing."

Van blinked and stared at Dilandau, trying to envision the youth in those clothes. His lips twitched.

Dilandau glared. "Don't you -dare- make a sound," he warned.

Van turned his head away to hide the grin blossoming on his face.

"Okay, so we're set." Dryden clapped his hands together. "I'll go find a wig and a fitting pair of glasses." The merchant left with a flourish.

~*~*~*~*~

The next day, early in the morning, Dilandau was ushered quietly into Dryden's study once more. Allen pushed the clothing into his hands, and Dryden set the wig and glasses on his desk.

"Get changed, quickly. We're getting into the transport before anyone else does," Dryden said. "A couple of merchants on board whom I trust know about this. Don't worry; they've been informants of mine for years, and on much more risky ventures than this."

Allen raised an eyebrow in askance.

Dryden waggled a finger at him. "Don't ask," he grinned toothily.

Dilandau and Van rolled their eyes. Allen blinked at them. "You two are starting to act alike," he remarked, not sounding pleased.

Van and Dilandau looked at each other with equal expressions of horror and distaste. They looked back at Allen.

"We are NOT!" they protested in unison. They started and glared at each other.

Dryden snickered. "Come on, Van, Allen. Let's give Dilandau some privacy."

The two youths shot each other a parting distasteful look before the albino was left alone.

Dilandau sighed and began to dress, his mind wandering as he did so. He thought of the mission he had ahead. It was dangerous, very dangerous. If they were caught, everyone involved would be in grave jeopardy. Asturia would be in hot water with the Council, and Millerna would likely be forced to jail Allen. Van was a king, so who knew what would happen to him. His influence as a ruler would undoubtedly be permanently damaged, however. Dryden...Dryden's estate and belongings would be confiscated, and he himself either jailed or executed. More likely the former than the latter, considering the influence of his father. But, then, who knew what Meiden might do, even to his own son. Everyone knew how twisted the man was. And Dilandau...Dilandau would be captured and given to the madoushi again. A fate worse than death.

And Tenshi would go unavenged as the little children continued to suffer.

~I will not fail~ he thought determinedly. Dilandau shaking fingers stilled slightly. ~Tenshi will guide me. I'll be all right~ Dilandau folded his old clothed neatly and placed them on the floor. He picked the wig up from Dryden's desk and sought out a mirror to help him put it on.

It was incredible, how his reflection metamorphosed before his eyes. Cropped silver hair and curled bangs disappeared beneath chin-length, curly dark blue hair. Strangely enough, it complimented the shape of his face quite nicely. Now he had to deal with his pale skin. Van had given him a bottle of dark oil, made from some plant that grew in Fanelia. It would darken his skin to a nice light nut-brown. He shook his head as he opened the bottle and rubbed some on his hands and up to his elbows, despite the long-sleeved clothing. It wouldn't do if one of the sleeved slipped down to reveal pale skin. He marveled at how changed his hands looked; they could have passed for Van's.

Van. Dilandau frowned and began to apply the oil to his neck and face. Allen had said that they were alike just now. That hadn't been the first time, either.

But, although the boy grudgingly admitted that Van was not the monster he had previously thought of him as, he still disliked him.

A lot.

Dilandau -really- did not appreciate being told that the two of them were alike.

Van was a nasty, arrogant, brash little brat.

Dilandau paused, and reviewed his previous thought.

~Nope. I'm not a brat,~ he thought decisively and resumed oiling his face.

Still, that meant that he matched three out of four adjectives he himself used to describe the king. That was not very flattering.

Although, Van wasn't half as bad as he had thought before.

~Whatever would my Dragonslayers think?~ Dilandau froze, and his heart clenched. The thought had been unexpected, and it hurt. He bowed his head, studying the floor.

~I suppose it doesn't matter anymore,~ he thought. ~They're dead. Gone. They're...~ His eyes widened. ~They're with Tenshi...~

All of the sudden, he felt better then he could remember feeling over the aftermath of this friends' deaths. They were all right. Tenshi was taking care of them. Dilandau felt certain that they, too, would approve of what he was doing. He felt certain that they, too, were watching over him.

~Even in death, they protect me~

Dilandau refused to let them down.

He finished with the oil, and placed the pair of silver-rimmed glasses on his darkened nose. Dilandau looked up into the mirror at a completely alien reflection. He stared at the mirror. Slowly, a grin blossomed across his face. turned away, walked over to the door, and opened it.

Three very startled faces greeted him. They blinked once, very slowly.

Dilandau kept grinning. "Nice job, you guys. Now, let's get going!"

Allen and Van, too, had disguised themselves, but not quite as much (their faces weren't as distinctive as Dilandau's had been, nor were their images as well known in the present Zaibach empire). Allen had hidden his long blonde hair beneath a white wig and a fitting hat that went with his merchant-assistant's uniform. Van was disguised as a cargo hand. They, however, were still recognizable to someone who knew them as well as Dilandau did.

They would never have been able to identify Dilandau. In fact, they would have sworn that the person before them was NOT Dilandau, if they hadn't known otherwise.

Allen and Van shook themselves. "Right. Follow me," Allen said. "I know where it is."

"Good luck," Dryden told them gravely.

The three looked at him for a moment longer. The solemn moment was broken quickly, and the three disappeared.

Dryden watched them leave, and continued to stare down the hall long after they had vanished from sight.

Then, he turned and walked back into his study, closing the door. He smiled slightly at the person waiting for him. "The plan is still in motion," he nodded at his visitor. "They're on their way now. The transport hasn't taken off yet, but it will soon."

The person nodded, silently absorbing.

"Just as we planned, I want you to shadow them. Protect them. If something goes wrong, you are our only hope."

Another nod, solemn and determined.

"Do not let them see you," Dryden warned. "Stay close, but not -too- close."

A toothy, confident grin. "Don't worry. You have your trust in the right place."

Dryden nodded and smiled. "Good luck. Now hurry!"

The person disappeared, quickly and elusively.

*~*~*~*~

Dilandau pretended to look over charts and records as the transport sailed on its way over to the Zaibach capital. He was good at the math he had learned, but the chart in his hands included statistics.

Dilandau hated statistics.

Besides, he was here on a mission from an angel. All he had to do was fit in. And so, as he studied the scribbling on the chart, his mind wandered again. Absently, one hand drifted him to his chest to finger the small box placed carefully on the inside breast pocket of his overcoat. There was no way he was going to leave the box of rose pieces in Palas. He needed all the comfort he could get, and the box over his heart made it feel as if Tenshi was just that much closer to him, watching and protecting.

Allen and Van had gone off to mingle themselves. They had told him to stay put, and that they would meet back up with him once the ship landed. The youth hadn't found any reason to argue.

The trip to Zaibach was long, but Dilandau's mind passed the time easily. He thought of Van and Allen, and how much his opinion of them had already changed. He thought of Tenshi, her innocence and trust that had kept some part of his soul free and pure from the madoushi's corruption. He thought of his Dragonslayers, and of Folken. The world around him disappeared for a while as the boy found some peace in his musings.

Before he knew it, the transport was landing, and Van was shaking his shoulder.

"Come on, Dilandau. It's time."

~*~*~*~*~

[AN: In the next chapter, the action REALLY starts. ^_^ I would have made this longer, but it would have been ALOT longer, and would have ended at a cliffhanger. Not a good thing. ^^;;

So, I do hope you liked this update! I'm sorry it took so long...but at least it wasn't three months, ne? Happy new year, all, and don't forget to review! I need constructive criticism and happy, kind words.]