Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ When Escaflowne Rescued Trilladen ❯ The Gifts That Children Bring ( Chapter 29 )

Chapter Four

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The Gifts That Children Bring

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Mugwa's hollow graphic crystals were burrowing in the earth and one by one were reaching their destinations. Freid was the first to witness the eruptions with scenes of their children being stolen by wolf men and Ispanian soldiers. The next region was the out skirts of Asturia, where settlements and outposts spotted the land. Those crystals were of amethyst color and displayed the horrific destruction of Palas, their capital, their jewel, their identity and pride.

What of the royal family? Were all the people killed in that one vast explosion? Only Basram had such technology. Why would they use their ultimate weapon so unexpectedly and without provocation? There were those few warriors who fought in the Great War that could remember such an incident before. But the target had been Zaibach. There wasn't a soldier who survived that war that didn't think such a weapon should be used and that there was no honor in the use of it.

Now their own were destroyed by Basram! The country's patriots stirred the peasantry and the merchants and the tradesmen and craftsmen. Wise and weathered old soldiers who had served their king and country fell out of retirement and the soft life. The outrage poured into the people of Asturia like an epidemic that fed on the need for revenge. They would declare war on Basram. They would use the city of Palas as their rallying cry and they would have satisfaction!

This sentiment spread throughout the land and gained the momentum of an organization. Old soldiers put forth their efforts to be leaders. Though no one knew if any of the royal house survived, grief had settled into a bitter rage. Battalions were formed in villages and cross roads. The mountain people, traditionally a harsh people, were used to train the soft and the weak. While merchants and their sons searched the land for any signs of the knights Caeli. Generals would be called forth to lead and without a king, this would take time. But there was a king and he was on his way home.

Dryden and Millerna soared through the clouds on an air cruiser. They did return to Asturia. They stopped in the vicinity of Vren to seek out Alan Schezar. But they found only a fort and small battalion of soldiers guarding a ghostly empty countryside. It was there though that they were able to establish headquarters and sent dispatches through out the land for every able bodied person to come to the aid of the king and queen.

The news of this spread like a wild fire and an excitement grew in the land of Asturia. They would have their revenge. Basram would be no more. One small village after another sent their men to Vren and the coordination of a nation about to go to war began to take shape. Espionage and subterfuge, murder and sabotage were employed to insure an equally devastating retaliation.

All happened under the rule of a reluctant king who thought war was senseless and wasteful. But he could not control the anger of his subjects who would act with or without him. He had no choice but to organize a military machine. Millerna grieved for her father and her sister, but she too did not want war. She wanted answers that hopefully Allen could give, if only he could be found.

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The Duke of Freid, acting monarch to Asturia laid there by the rotting corpse of Helliese. Her soul had long fled this horrific scene and recruited the help of Cerise, but Chid didn't know that. He only knew that he was too tired to move and waited to die. His nostrils were accosted by the odor of her decaying body, but he was too week to gag.

A peace of sorts settled into his subconscious. The festering parasite that nestled in his sinus cavity had no direction or purpose. Once Mugwa had left and written the young royal off, he no longer conveyed his will to the tiny demonic spider. No venom surged through young Chid's head controlling him with the intense pain it caused. Chid was free to contemplate his death.

He knew that death would overtake him soon, and he had so many regrets, both as a young pre-teen male and as a ruler. His thoughts turned to his father, the late duke and Chid could only vaguely hope that he wasn't a disappointment to his father. He thought of his mother, her gentle beauty and her passionate eyes still etched firmly in his mind. Unwillingly, he thought of Allen Schezar. That gallant sword master who had come into his life.

He remembered the horrible nightmare of Allen killing his mother and a hard heated knot formed in his chest. The nightmare was still very real in his mind, but reason had taken over and he felt remorse for the past two days. He was responsible for so much loss of life. Tears stung his unopened eyes. Helliese was dead, the capital of Asturia was destroyed, many fine pilots were dead because of his actions.

With superhuman will the young royal rolled over and away from the smell of the corpse. He didn't want to empty his stomach only to choke on it. He finally gagged and the task nearly cost him his consciousness. So weak, he was face down in his own bile. Tears washed his eyes and he rested a moment. He must move. He must not die. His forehead was throbbing with pain. Mucus oozed from his nostrils and the horrible reality that he would sneeze struck him as a task he couldn't endure. Sneeze he did.

And then he sneezed again and again. Finally, the horrible spider with two reptilian eyes that was lodged in his sinus cavity flew out of his head smack dab into the contents of Chid's stomach that was in a pool around his face. The parasite drowned in the stomach bile. Chid's eyes opened and he saw his own blood and vomit consume the evil little creature. The intense pain in his forehead was gone, but he was still too weak to do anything more than move away from the mess and lie down and wait to expire.

May the gods forgive me for these past few days. I will pay for them with my life. Then he fell into an unconscious state.

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Allen and Van both ran at a maddening pace to reach the dock to suit up. Within moments they had jettisonned away from the floating fortress in stealth cloak and latched onto the mother ship just as it ascended into the heavens and disappeared. Surprisingly, the ship didn't speed up as everyone thought.

The sky seemed to move around the ship twisting open into a funnel. A sense of being inert hovered through and around the mother ship as space and distance whirled past it. Allen and Van both felt it and almost broke silence in the confusion of it.

Within a short span of time the ship's hazy background of sky and land stopped being a blur and slowed to a stop. The sky just below the ship twirled into a dark opening and the ship lowered itself into its own airspace. Allen had never been to the Ispanian capital. Very few, in fact, have. The people of Ispania have always kept to themselves except to do business, which was infrequent simply because of the exorbitant cost of doing business with the mother ships sent from the plant factory.

Only a few privileged royal families and the extremely wealthy have ever interacted with anyone from Ispania.

Below the mother ship, a long glistening metal arm that could bend and retract and extend itself in any direction latched onto the belly of the ship. Yet it was enormous. It cast a dark shadow over the booming metropolis that was the Ispanian capital. It was simply an elevator shaft to bring the crew to ground.

Allen watched this incredible display of superior technology with detachment. His heart was crushing under the heavy weight of his anxiety for his son and his wife. My son, Chid. He's dying. I feel it.

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Princess Edwina was grateful to have to worry about someone else rather than herself. Hitomi leaned softly into Edwina's right side and fell soundly asleep, seemingly un-phased by her dire circumstances. She slept like a baby. The princess tenderly nestled the sleeping queen's head in the crook of her neck and took stock of their situation.

Still aching from Allen's injuries, though healing very smoothly, she gingerly rubbed under her left breast to feel the ribs that were knitting back together. She thought of Allen and regret hollowed out her heart and ate through her stomach. Allen's son is missing and she is kidnapped. Celena is still terribly sick from her trauma of enduring fate alteration. His life seemed to be in shambles again and she was the reason for it. With a singleness of mind and yearning of heart she wished she could see him again.

Her pendant began to glow with power. She sensed it first rather than seeing it. This astounded her, that she sensed its resurgence of power. Perhaps this is how it is with Mugwa! But how can he be so sensitive to the pendant's power? He doesn't have one of his own.

Allen felt a warm light surround him and ease him away from his control panel. Drifting through time and space he landed at Princess Edwina's feet. She saw him materialize in front of her and her eyes went wide with wonder! I did this! How?

"Edwina!" He could barely speak her name his voice was so choked with emotion. He cupped her face in his hands and put his forehead against hers. Unshed tears of relief and gratitude washed his eyes. "My love!" He spoke softly to her.

"I did this! But I am not sure how, except that I wished I could see you and tell you how sorry I am for this whole mess."

"How do you feel? Are you strong enough to move? Van and I have guymelefs riding on top of this monstrosity. We could escape."

Just as he said that the doors swished open and Allen immediately recognized them as the refugees brought on board. "You! But why?"

The two young men of Freid leaped forward to constrain Allen, but they were no match for Allen. Within moments both were lying unconscious on the floor. Just then the woman heavy with child stumbled in. She was bleeding and in hard transitional labor. Allen would no more hurt her whatever crimes she had committed, than he would hurt an infant.

Princess Edwina spoke up. "You must let me help you or both you and your child could die."

The woman was weak, but her spirit was fierce. Panting she firmly rasped out these words. "We have nothing to live for. Our children were kidnapped while we slept. Wolf men and Ispanian soldiers have taken them away from us. We will not rest until we have retrieved our young, or each of us will die trying. You fight young men of Fried, knight, as if it were the honorable thing to do. Yet there is honor only on our side of this holy war. We will save our children!"

Allen was astounded. The people of Freid were a valiant and spiritual lot. The country itself was considered the soul of all whom dwelled on Gaea, for they kept the faith of old Atlantis close to their hearts. Now they were warring with an ally, the wolf men pack and Ispania herself. No one ever declared war on Ispania. It was foolishness to go up against them. Yet here were simple peasant folk engaging in bold tactics of war against a super power. Allen could not but believe in her sincerity and felt even more baffled. What would Ispania want of the children of Freid?

His heart felt the sharp pain of knowing his own child would soon be dead. Edwina saw his face and felt torn between the dying woman who had kidnapped her and her desire to help him. Then an idea struck her.

"Allen, if I could bring you to me, maybe I can send you to him!

He looked up into her face with hope and urgently whispered. "Please try, beloved!"

"I am going to need Hitomi's help, I think. Hitomi!" She spoke into the queen's ear and gently nudged her. "Please wake up! We need your help!"

Blurry eyed and taking in deep breaths of waking air, Hitomi rubbed her eyes and looked up to see Allen. She pulled herself away from Edwina feeling a little confused. And then she remembered being shoved along by the strangers who set them down here.

"What is it?"

"Do you think you could help me send Allen to his son, Chid? Otherwise, I think he'll die."

The ground began to spin around and the walls faded away as Hitomi had a vision of Chid lying in a pool of blood by a tall Camphor tree where Helliese's body was slumped and rotting against it.

"Oh no! Oh Helliese! She's dead! When did this happen? And Chid! He'll die soon! Allen, you've got to do something! I know where he is! I know!"

"Then send me to him! Please Hitomi! Your majesty! You have power."

"I think that you and I could really focus hard and send Allen where you know where to send him. We can do it together."

Hitomi remembered how she and Van had concentrated hard to make Escaflowne move and help them escape from the heart of Zaibach during the Great War. But this was different. She would have to really believe in herself. She straightened up and squared her shoulders and nodded.

Together the two young royal women held hands and closed their eyes and concentrated. Like a miracle Allen was once again engulfed in a beam of light and disappeared.

The two women then turned their attention to the woman in labor. With two of their captors unconscious and having no way to get out or bring someone in, it was left up to the two of them to help the woman unless someone happened to come in.

The woman was lying on the floor. Her breathing was fast and pained. Beads of sweat washed over her face, neck and torso. Her shabby dress clung to her soaking wet. Blood and amniotic fluid gushed out from between her legs. Suddenly she screamed and her legs moved apart. Hitomi lifted her soiled dress and Edwina held the woman's shoulders up.

"I can see the baby's head! It's coming out! She's going to have to push!"

Edwina looked at her helplessly. "I don't think she has the strength. You must reach in and help the baby out!"

"And to think I get to go through this in just a few short months! I don't know if I can do this!"

"You've got to try or they'll die!"

Hitomi looked at her hands, wondering how clean they were. She moved them to either side of the baby's head, still locked in the birth canal. Trying to push her fingertips in against the bloody walls of the woman's vagina didn't seem to want to work. There was no give and her hands were not getting a secure grip on the baby's head. "She's got to push!" She yelled.

"What's your name?"

Breathing hard and exhausted, the woman replied, "Stephanie. I'm Stephanie. My husband is one of the men who helped kidnap you."

"Stephani, you've got to push! Your baby and you will die if you don't try."

"I can't!" she sobbed in defeat.

"Please try! Save this one child of Freid first!" Edwina whispered in her ear.

With a fierce determination born of a mother's love she took in three gulps of air and then bore down and pushed.

"The head's out! Oh God, it's purple! We're too late!" Hitomi sobbed.

"No, it's okay. just help the baby now if the head is out." Princess Edwina instructed her

"Right!" Hitomi splayed out her fingers and took hold of either side of the baby's head and tugged. The baby didn't budge. Then she tried another technique. Holding onto the baby's head just under it's ears with one hand, she followed the babie's spine with her other and first got ahold of the neck, then one shoulder. "Tell her to push if she can."

"Stephanie, you're almost there. Just push!" Edwina encouraged.

Stephanie stopped crying and pushed again and then fainted. But it was enough! Amidst blood and fluid the baby eased out with Hitomi groping awkwardly to hold on to the infant, and pulled at different points of the baby's anatomy.

"Oh, it's a boy! A beautiful boy!" Hitomi exclaimed. "It's not breathing and it's still purple!" She began to rub the infant on the stomach and back while he lied on her lap and soon it was crying, quite put out with the whole situation.

"Stephanie! You have a son! Stephanie?" Edwina spoke and looked down at her patient. Instant regret and sadness washed over the princess. The young mother was near death. She closed her eyes and said a fervent prayer for Stephanie.

"Edwina, How do I cut the umbilical cord?"

Shaken out of her reverie the princess looked around and noticed the two young men of Freid held sharp weapons in their hands. Gently easing Stephanie's head to the floor, she went over to one of them and pryed loose a small knife. With it, she cut the sleeve of her gown into a long strip. Walking over to Hitomi who was holding a loudly crying baby, she tied the strip of cloth around the umbilical cord close to the baby and then cut the cord a little farther out.

"Stephanie is going to die, isn't she?" Hitomi stately softly. While holding the baby, Hitomi moved to put the wailing infant in the arms of his mother. Edwina walked around behind the dying mother and propped Stephanie's shoulders up again on her knees and reached down and put Stephanie's arms in a cradle like position to hold her new son. Hitomi gently laid the crying baby in the arms of his mother.

Hungry and annoyed the babe nuzzled against the bosom of his mother, smelling her. Barely breathing, Stephanie opened her eyes and looked down at her son. Tears fell like diamonds from her eyes at her new treasure. His nuzzling and crying prompted her to let down her milk. Weakly she tried to expose her full breast, but was too weak. Hitomi helped her and undressed her torso enough to give the baby suckle. He quieted down as Hitomi helped Stephanie support her baby.

An instant later, she expired, a peaceful look on her face. Both young girls cried out together when Stephanie took her last breath.

"She didn't get to name him." Hitomi spoke through in between sobs.