Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ When Escaflowne Rescued Trilladen ❯ When Griffins Attack ( Chapter 17 )

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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

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When Griffins Attack

Music filled the great room inside Fanelia's Palace. Outside in the garden the quiet whispers of a couple filled the air like rainfall. It was a gentle showering of love and hope between two very different people. They only had to look up in the sky to see a storm of destruction heading their way, but for now, they were content as the griffins soared ever closer and closer. As the heavens grew dark with these ravenous creatures, an alarm sounded taking away all joy, replacing that with confusion and then dread.

Folken looked up and swore. He was quick on his feet and hoisting up the dazed and bemused cat woman, child. "Merle, quickly, follow me. Don't look back." Holding her hand as he ran he relentlessly pulled her forward, his fear for her life acute and suffocating.

Not quite understanding, only sensing his panic she moved with cat like grace to keep up with him. She heard a thopping of wings just above her head and a lion's growl. She screamed and fell and terror thinking it would swallow her whole. Tears of fear ran down her cheeks. Folken fell down on top of her to take the brunt of the assault, yet it never came.

"Brother, bring Merle, the castle is under attack. EVERYONE, GET BACK INTO THE GREAT ROOM, BAR THE DOORS!" King Van shouted. Hitomi waited fearfully at the entranceway. He rushed back to her and corralled her inside. "You must stay inside and never leave General Shinyo's side. He is charged with your safety while we are apart. I go to Escaflowne. I love you." With that he left.

Hitomi wondered at his words, "He is charged with your safety while we are apart." Does that mean he still intends to leave without me? He wouldn't do that! Not after what I told him! How could he?

General Jarvis and Shinyo went to either side of their new queen and firmly escorted her to a darkened corner of the room. There were no windows, the ceiling was low, the doors were far away, and a small banquet table standing against the wall could be used as a shield if necessary. Screams coming from without penetrated the walls and set the guests in a panic.

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Van raced toward the holding cell and scrambled up the sleek body of his legendary guymelef, the Escaflowne. the head seal was released with a hiss and gush of metallic smelling air. He secured his body into the great metal giant armor and advanced for battle. Surprisingly, Allan was waiting in his own guymelef. Precious lives hung in the balance and the knight was trained to defend and protect life. They stomped into battle together.

Like pesky mosquitoes needling away at a person's sanity, the sheer numbers of griffins buzzing above the palace made Van's skin crawl. Remembering that their spilled blood was liquid acid that would corrode any surface, he wished to take his battle else where and an idea formed in his head. Griffins are created hungry, only to eat. He ran his guymelef into the cattle fields, and lifted a cow with the hands of his guymelef and squashed it until it exploded. Cow's blood sprayed Escaflowne in a blood bath that incensed the monsters and they made chase. Allen was right behind and kept his guymelef clear of blood as he let Van become the bait and he the hunter.

As fast as he stomped on the creatures more were there to replace them. The ground sizzled with acid blood and the smell was toxic and stifling. Allen ignored these warnings as the feet of his guymelef began to erode. Gears become exposed at the soul of the metal feet. His sword was starting to look like Swiss cheese.

"There are too many of them. We can't kill them all!" Allen searched the grazing field for any sign of cattle, but they had already been devoured. Frustrated and fearful for the populace he raced back toward the castle as Van made his first real discovery.

The back of Escaflowne had two griffins licking the blood droplets that were smeared on it and two more were wrestling for position to get the best shot at Van's semi-exposed face. He used Escaflowne's hands and snapped the neck of the first one that got too close for comfort. The beast lay dead at his feet, no blood spilled, no poisoned ground to scoop away from the clean soil.

"Allen, break their backs or snap their necks! Put your sword down and kill them with your guymelef's hands!" Van shouted, but Allen had already figured out the game. Both warriors put their hand to hand combat and wrestling skills to use, but still there were too many. They could fight for hours and still only be made sport of while griffins left unattended preyed upon the people of Fanelia. They needed a miracle.

They had one. Helliese calmly stepped out of the great hall in her healer's white robes, completely unconcerned that four griffins were already vying for her first blood. She raised her arms high above her head and shouted words only she truly understood.

"ING HA RAM NA SOAR, RAM NA SOAR! SI DI HUMA NA ING!"

Griffins landed, or dropped like flies, some fell from rooftops, others dove to the ground only to land gracefully at the ugly old witch's feet. Their growls turned to a higher pitched howl that turned into the screams of humans in dire agony. Many did not survive the transformation because the torture was too intense as bones snapped back into place and skin replaced fur and cartilage popped back. Claws retreated into nails, paws into hands, fangs sank back into the gums of human mouths crying out in pain. Blood and naked terror was replaced by a great wailing of a victimized people of Trilladen.

As if on cue, Princess Edwina ran out of the doorway and looked into Helliese eyes. The old witch was crying openly at the tragic scene before her. People naked and bruised, dying and bleeding as the transformation took its toll racked through them. When the princess looked at the ground littered with her dead or dying people she cried out in anguish and ran from one to another. Some of the stronger ones who had survived, mostly men, were vomiting up the blood and bones and flesh of someone from Fanelia that rested uneasily in their stomach.

Horrified and tortured by the smells of this scene, some, though naked and trembling, simply lay there wishing for death rather than wonder at the indignity and obscene nature of their experience. Tragedy had once again struck the nation of Fanelia. Helliese ignoring her own grief at the suffering she saw before her immediately set out to help those that she could. Soon others that had been safely hidden inside homes and the palace followed her lead. Everyone in the capital said a prayer of one sort or other. This was only just the beginning though.

General Jarvis escorted Hitomi out of the hallway into the main courtyard of the castle where she saw men and women strewn about naked and dying or suffering terribly. She blocked her ears from their cries and closed her eyes. It was too much for her. She had seen the face that had done this to these people and hers. It was the same one that was hunting her child. She didn't feel equal to the task of standing up against him, pregnant and vulnerable, and if Van left without her she would feel completely alone in her predicament. Reason told her that he was going to try and save her and all that they loved, but her heart felt far from intrepid.

The general watched her reaction with concern. He knew she was with child and felt protective of her. "Your majesty, let me take you somewhere away from this horrible scene. You must think of your health and this is too upsetting for you in your condition."

Hitomi hadn't quite realized that General Jarvis was speaking to her. She was not at all accustomed to the title and felt self-conscious. Sensing more than hearing that he was addressing her she turned to him with a look of anguish marking her beauty. She put her hands down from her ears to listen to him as he repeated his concern to her. Once she realized that he intended to take her away from this horrible scene she felt ashamed. What kind of queen leaves her people in such distress? Taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders she told him that she would stay and help, which he protested in concern, of course.

Walking with purpose down the four stone stairs that lead to the general courtyard she quickly barked orders to a guard close by to her. "Bring me as many blankets and sheets and coats as you can find. Some of these people could be going into shock from their injuries. You there, give me your cloak!"

She knelt down by her first patient as she took the guard's cloak and covered a shivering exhausted woman too frail to care that she was naked. Hitomi carefully wrapped the cloak, a brown woven fabric, to offer warmth and comfort. Hitomi put her arm under the woman's head. She was blonde and had eyes the color of amber, but they were glazed as a fever had already set in. She whimpered as tears fell from the outer corner of her eyes. Hitomi used her free hand to check carefully for broken bones and to check her pulse. She couldn't find one. As if confused as to why a pulse couldn't be found, she looked up the woman's face and saw a peaceful look of death eyes that gazed up at the heavens.

Hitomi cried out as she realized she had held this woman in her arms at her dying moment. Anger swept through her. She had to help stop this somehow. She reverently laid the woman's head down on the ground and only had to walk three paces to get to her next patient, so littered was the courtyard. Helliese looked up to see the new queen of Fanelia tend to those in need with a look of approval in her eyes.

The evening wore on as those who were spared the terror nursed those who survived and buried those who died. Out of two thousand souls who had been transformed by sorcery into mindless hungry griffins, only three hundred and twelve had been able to endure the agony of returning to their human forms. Helliese knew that most would not live long after becoming human again, but she had no choice. Still, in the morning, as she dropped down onto her bed to rest, she cried herself to sleep like a young schoolgirl.

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Yukari quietly but quickly walked down the corridor to Merle's room. She slid the door open and stepped inside soundlessly to sneak up to her bed. The catgirl was purring in her sleep. Well, no time for sweet dreams, I'm going to have to wake her.

"Merle! They're leaving! Allen, Van, the generals, even Amano! They are leaving on the Crusade. The sails have already unfurled! Folken is looking for Princess Edwina, because he is ready to leave too. We have to stall him, while I find Hitomi! " Yukari was gently shaking Merle awake who complained and rolled over.

Feeling annoyed and determined Yukari huffed and stomped her foot like a bad tempered mule. "Bad kitty! Wake up! Everybody's got some sweet dream to occupy them while they sleep and Amano doesn't even hear me when I talk to him! It's not fair! You hear me, you little cat brat? Wake up! No hunks for your entertainment! Time to join the miserable and disregarded!" Yukari pulled at the sheets underneath Merle and lifted them up which made Merle slowly roll toward the edge of the bed.

"Do you mind? I haven't slept at all last night!" Merle growled at Yukari.

"At least you got to hear sweet nothings. Folken's leaving...with Edwina when he finds her!"

"He couldn't leave now, he would have told me! You must be mistaken. He would say goodbye first. Let me sleep." Merle put a pillow over her head.

"You asked for it!" Yukari lifted the sheet up high and Merle plopped down on the floor, well she did land on her feet.

"What is your problem! Can't you see I'm tired to the bone?" Merle screamed.

"Maybe you can't hear me. FOLKEN IS LEAVING NOW! That garbage scow of a floating whatever is about to drift off without us! And if I am not mistaken, I believe you should take last night as your official goodbye, because Van left without saying goodbye to Hitomi. He just went off Allen, leaving me with this letter. Allen was with him and didn't seem too perplexed about the whole thing." Yukari shouted.

"He left Edwina at the great hall where every early bird is up and eating breakfast. And she's eating like a pig. I had to yank her away from the table to get her to hide from Folken to give me some time to get you and find Hitomi. I think she stayed in the chapel, because they converted it into a hospital of sorts. I need you to wake up now and let's go get Hitomi! Hurry!" Yukari was worse than a drill sergeant.

Grumbling about frustrated females in heat, Merle got up and headed for the door with Yukari. "Remind me to punch you when we have a chance to talk. Either that or we gotta put a love potion spell on Amano, maybe Helliese can help with that one. She's a witch, you know."

They scampered down the corridor into the bright morning sunlight. The last of the transit carriers were being loaded up with soldiers and supplies as Folken strode quickly to his personal one, Princess Edwina in tow. Glancing at her coconspirators, she mouth a silent "I'm sorry!" at them as she was shepherded up the stairs to the small cubicle built on top of a levitation rock. As for Folken, he purposely did not look in Merle's direction, fearing he would loose resolve to leave her safely behind. He knew Van had done the same thing.

The propellers revved up from the engines and the rock drifted higher the minute Folken was inside. The two girls broke out into a fast run toward the chapel to get Hitomi. There were only two transit carriers left and they could waist no time. They scrambled up the steps to the doors, slid them open and quickly walked inside. Merle spotted her first. She was sitting next to a young man, her head was resting on her arms that rested on the cot were lie. He slept fitfully, his chest rising and falling peacefully.

The girls ran to her as quietly as they could and gently shook her shoulder. "Hitomi!" They hoarsely whispered. "Wake UP!"

Hitomi's head jerked up, her eyes blurry, her hair was tousled, her wedding dress in ruins. The blood and muck from last night's caring for the injured and dying was a written testimony of just how hard she worked. She was dazed and confused, but she looked at Yukari for reason and understanding.

"Van's gone! He left with Allen and the generals in the crusade! Amano went with them! None of them said good bye to us. I could just smack them all!" Yukari was in a rare mood indeed, which was terribly infectious, for Merle's ears were straight back revealing how mad she was.

"He wouldn't! I thought I made him understand! We talked before the wedding. I told him about the vision I had! I thought he understood that we needed to stay together! I thought he understood!" She was in denial that he would just leave her, after the horrible night of tending to dying and shrieking people. Tears of frustration immediately welled up in her eyes. "Are all men so pigheaded?"

"Of course they are! But they thought they were doing the right thing. Shows you how daft the whole lot of them are. Positively obtuse! I thought I told you that already! Oh no, it was the Princess I told that to. Was it her? Which one of you was it? I'm getting too old" Helliese grumbled.

No one knew when she had suddenly popped in, but they were glad to see her. "They left us without so much as a farewell! I could just smack them all!" Yukari repeated.

"Ah, it was you I told that too. Maybe the Princess too. Yes, now I feel better. You know, that Amano fellow has a good heart, but he suffers from tunnel vision. Doesn't have beans for brains, if you ask me." Helliese piped in. "Well girls, let's go. We have a world to save, because you can believe the men are going to want to fight with those oversized toybots with the growing swords and the stomping and the yelling and the manly gesturing. They'll never learn. Mugwa could turn them into dust with one spell spoken. He's just toying with them. It's you he wants, my girl" She nudged Hitomi with a knowing look as if to warn her.

Hitomi shuddered. "We would be stronger and safer if we had stayed together, but there's no telling those men of yours anything. So we'll just have to catch up with them. Let's go." Helliese ushered the group of girls into the morning light and marched right up to the last transit carrier. She mumbled something indiscernible and they were completely ignored as they walked up the stairs and stepped off the plank into the carrier with a group of scary looking men armed to the teeth. Yet none of them seem to notice them.

"Why aren't they chasing us off?" Merle asked in wonder.

"Because to them we are invisible." Helliese said matter-of-factly. "Can't hear us either. I still got it!" She chuckled.

"Wow, could you teach me that?" Merle asked with now found respect.

"No, you already got Folken jumping through hoops as it is. It's him I feel sorry for!" Helliese laughed. "He doesn't know who he's dealing with. None of them do." Helliese chuckled while shaking her head. "Heaven knows they're gonna get more than they bargained for."