Twisted Fortune - An Escaflowne Fanfiction
By Bonnejeanne and Nixers
Contact: bonnejeanne@yahoo.com and nixerchan@aol.com
Warnings: Spoilers, mild violence
Notes: Set a little over one year after Vision of Escaflowne's end.
Chapter Seven - Red Feathers and DragonFire (cont.)
Part 15
For the most part, things in Fanelia settled into an uneasy peace. The presence of Allen and his ship had the effect of reassuring most of the people. There was also something about Van himself - he was known to have disappeared at various times in the past and returned, even returning unexpectedly, so with the alarm of imminent attack from Zaibach assuaged a bit, people were concerned but almost accepting.
That left those who were closest to the king to worry about his well being, as well as Allen to worry about Serena. The eight-man crew of the Crusade took turns on watch in the Sanctuary, and the city guards took care of watching the skies. Allen shadowed Dryden, who spent time trying to gather and correlate the information they had, which was sketchy and unreliable. Merle was a shadow of her former bubbly self, but her stubbornness and determination were evident whenever someone seemed to flag or give in to unproductive hysterics. She was becoming the young woman she had played at being the night of Serena's arrival, though not in the pleasantest of circumstances. As things settled into the uneasy calm, she stayed in proximity to Dryden, but did not invade his space in the carefree manner she'd once done. However she made sure he ate and drank and even forced him to rest at intervals, pulling the books out of his hands if need be. On the morning following the disappearance, it was evident she didn't follow her own edicts, however... Dryden found her curled on the study couch. She'd never gone to her own room.
Dryden often admitted to himself that he'd have long since flagged if not for the catgirl. As much as he rankled under Allen's constant scrutiny and pointed questions, the frustration of so many dead ends was taking their toll. Most of the events that had occurred were without precedent, and the accounts by now had been retold and exaggerated to the point that there was hardly any recognizable truth to them. There was only that lingering feeling that all the pieces were there, waiting for the keystone, like a single phrase that would make the entire translation clear.
As Dryden stood in the study, Merle's tail twitched and then she suddenly sat up with a little sneeze.
Blinking, she looked at the scholar for a moment, her eyes sleepy-stupid. "Van-sama..."
Almost as a reflex he'd found and handed to her a kerchief. "Merle, you should get some rest as well. Don't make yourself sick again."
She focused on him, taking the kerchief as much in reflex as he handed it to her. "Dryden-sama..." she said. "Oh... I had a dream. Van-sama was in a nasty place and... and a boy with red eyes saved him..." she said, her voice soft and troubled.
After Hitomi, Dryden was not so quick to discount dreams. He looked at the catgirl with concern. "That sounds like the descriptions I'd heard of Dilandau."
Still slightly immersed in the fading dream, Merle didn't seem to hear him. "... and Van-sama was crying because someone woke up from a dream, but no one could see his tears..." she shivered and then scrubbed her face with the silk, finding comfort in its scent.
Dryden watched, a bit unsure of what the bounds of their relationship in the aftermath in the Sanctuary allowed. With some hopeful hesitation, he sat down next to her on the couch and attempted to put a comforting arm around her.
As soon as he reached the arm around her, she crawled into his lap, resting her face against his chest, closing her eyes.
He reached up and smoothed her fur gently, trying to sooth the girl back into sleep, forgetting at least for a little while the tasks set for him.
She was quiet for a few moments but not asleep. Without lifting her head, she said in a small voice, "Why didn't you do that before?"
"I didn't know if you'd let me."
"I thought you didn't want to any more," she said, and pressed the handkerchief to her cheek.
Gently he scratched behind one of her ears in a familiar, absent gesture. "I didn't mean to give you that impression, honestly."
"Oh," she whispered. She stayed where she was. Then she whispered, "I wanted to sleep with you."
Dryden blinked, before managing to tell himself that it was more innocent than he thought. "The door is always open," he offered quietly. "I don't want you to have any more nightmares."
Sighing softly, she clung to his lap for a little while longer. Then she scrubbed her face again with the silk and leaned up to quickly brush her tongue over his chin. Then she climbed out of his lap and stretched, giving him a quick look over her shoulder. Tucking the handkerchief in her smock, she moved gracefully for the door. "I'll bring breakfast," she said over her shoulder. She opened the door and looked up, then added, "For three," and disappeared, as Allen opened the door wider and came in.
The lighter mood he'd been in was damped a bit at the swordsman's appearance, but the merchant smiled and nodded to the other man, without rising. "Good morning Allen. Sleep well?"
"No," the knight answered. He glanced around the study as if unable to see it. "I spent all night asking myself... what I would do if she were gone for good."
Dryden lost a bit of his brittle politeness under a touch of sympathy. He made no comment or attempt to answer seeing this as far too private for him to intrude.
Allen didn't seem to expect an answer. He finally sat in the chair that had become 'his'. "Damned dragon," he muttered under his breath.
"Dragon?" Dryden asked, unable to help himself. Whether Allen was blaming Van about all of this or if it were a more tangible subject of his study, he couldn't help but think either was important.
"Yes.. the damned dragon in the market. If not for that cursed beast, she'd be home now," the swordsman answered. He knew it was a pointless sentiment but he was worn with worry and waiting.
/And busy trying to leave again,/ Dryden thought, wisely keeping to himself on the matter. "Surely it couldn't have done anything but slow them down, it was crippled," he said. He wasn't expecting much, but it was better than Allen's silence.
Allen snorted. "You didn't see it... it moved damned fast for a cripple," he said, remembering the thing rearing up. He'd a feeling he'd been nearly crisped. "How the hell did Fanel learn to talk to the damned things? I thought the kings of Fanelia were supposed to kill them?"
"There's been a strict policy on not harming the dragons since the end of the Fate wars. If possible, no one kills them, much less the king." /Talks to them? I know he spent a lot of time in the woods with them, it would explain how he managed to get the beast out of a city that large.../ Slowly a separate idea began to slide together for Dryden. "....How exactly did he talk to the dragons?"
Allen looked at Dryden sharply, but answered the question. "The story from the marketplace was that he jumped into the pit and charmed it. In front of a crowd. They somehow got it on a wagon, and down the road without it biting both their heads off... when we found them... the damned thing came charging at me as if I..." he stopped for a moment, his thoughts spinning, "As if I was threatening its young..."
Dryden audibly groaned at the first part of the news. Impulsive, dangerous and could have gotten Van killed. He knew he shouldn't have been surprised though. Still the dragon's behavior was odd, by all the accounts that he'd read. In fact all of them had seemed to be acting abnormally, from the one that spooked the stables to the ones Merle had to hide from where Van was taken...
"What do you think..." Dryden said slowly, as if tasting the idea for its validity as he said it, "Of asking the dragons what happened? If.... if they can talk like Van seemed to be able to do... there's few others who'd know what goes on in those woods..."
Allen stared. "What do I think? I think you've been staring at books too long and you've gone mad... or are you saying you know how to talk to the beasts yourself?"
"Not a clue," Dryden said, standing up and pulling a scarf around his shoulders and tying his hair up quickly. He had the same excited air about him that he had when first seeing Escaflowne. "But I don't see anything else working."
Allen was about to say something biting when the door flew open and Merle came in, followed by two men with trays. "Breakfast!" she announced with a touch of her old cheerfulness.
Dryden blinked, stopping short for a second. "I certainly hope not!"
"Huh?" Merle blinked, as the men set down the trays of hot beverage and plates of food.
"Oh, and food! Thanks Merle-chan." he said scooping up a plate with one hand. "I'll probably need that. I should be back soon, please watch over our guest, I'm afraid he's far too temperamental for this little adventure," he rambled halfway out the door.
"Fassa!" Allen growled.
Merle blinked, grabbing a fishroll from a plate and scampering after Dryden.
Half an hour and a half a plate of breakfast later, Dryden was wondering if perhaps it wasn't as good of an idea as he had thought when it struck him. Never the less, he sought out a good place in the deeper parts of the Fanelian woods to settle in to wait, still holding to that burst of energy he'd always ridden when a new idea or discovery struck him.
Not taking any chances, Merle found a place on a nearby tree limb to curl up and wait. Having no idea what Dryden was trying to do, she refused to stay back at the castle with the grim Allen. There were limits to her sense of responsibility.
In the meantime Dryden had settled, leaning against another tree, running through all the precautions normally used with dragons during the rebuilding. Be armed, and stay calm were the major ones. He gave no thought to the first as he could hardly wield a dagger without risk to himself, he was content that he'd manage to get through whatever encounter unscathed, even if with no more information than he had before.
It was, as the minutes stretched long, getting to that encounter that seemed to be the difficulty. Logically, if calm soothes them, then excitement would draw them near, but he wasn't sure he was willing to risk being unable to calm the dragon down after it had been riled up.
Merle took a catnap. After waking, looking around and seeing no change, she mentioned, from the safety of her perch, "Van-sama says they mostly sleep during the day. They're active more in the morning and toward dusk. Think you missed em."
"Mmm unfortunately so do I, I don't suppose he mentioned where they tend to nap?"
"Deep woods. Dark caverns. Away from people," she said. Sitting up she began a feline toilet. "Could come back after lunch."
"All troublesomely far to walk," Dryden said with a touch of frustration. "I only hesitate on that suggestion because I get the feeling it will be more difficult to slip Allen a second time.... though his expression was rather worth the effort."
Merle jumped down. "I'll get a basket. We can picnic. You stay here."
Dryden laughed then kissed the top of her paw. "It sounds delightful, lady Merle. If all else fails it will be a pleasant day spent."
Merle blinked a bit shyly at him and then quickly scampered off to procure the picnic basket.
Third Knight, Kaerin Tomant was not dragging his feet. At least, that's what he'd managed to convince himself. He was merely taking the journey from the Crusade II to the Sanctuary at a stately pace.
He wasn't looking forward to his shift there, to watch over a guymelef that hadn't moved in who knows how long. But the other men had taken their turns and he was honor bound to aid Allen in whatever way possible.... It was just that he would rather be keeping the company of Allen and the tall man who acted as Regent over the country. There were more chances of gathering information there on the whereabouts of Van.
He simply wanted to find the king, do his job, then go home.
Approaching the double doors of the massive building, Kaerin admitted to himself that Fanelia wasn't so bad. A little on the quiet side, if you excused the construction work, but it wasn't the atmosphere of Pallas that suited him so much better.
Rapping sharply on the entranceway, there was a long pause in which the heavy door was pushed open and Keo's scarred face appeared. Recognizing the Knight, the Crusade crewmember waved him inside.
"Shift's over huh?" the other man asked. Kaerin inclined his head slightly.
"As it seems." He squinted a bit into the dim halflight of the Sanctuary. "Any change in the charge?"
"Not so much as a damned rat squeakin'" the other man said with a large shrug. He waved and made his own exit with a gruff well wishing.
Kaerin nodded absently as the door closed, slowly walking towards the back of the shrine to get a better look at the famed guymelef. It was not what he had expected.
Still a pristine white, the huge machine stood in an almost lifelike pose, giving a strange aura of consciousness. The machine was fashioned more like a suit of southern armor styles than any melef he'd seen before; like it was meant to wrap around a giant, than to house a mere man.
"So this was the demon at Freid," Kaerin mused, craning his neck to view the faceplate of the mecha. After a moment's lingering study, he leaned against the wall facing the machine, settling in for some hours of boredom.
Dryden was dozing. The small blanket with the long-since eaten picnic lunch pushed to the side, made a remarkably comfy place to rest, as they waited for the possible 'activity' of the dragons at dusk. The thick vegetation made a softer resting place than he'd have guessed, once covered by the blanket. Very soft. In fact the little hummock under his cheek felt as soft as silky fur...
A soft rumble in his ear lulled him, keeping him in a pleasantly relaxed state. Dryden didn't realize that during his nap, he'd ended up with his head pillowed in Merle's lap, but the catgirl was extremely content, reaching a gentle paw to brush back a tendril or two of his thick, wavy hair.
Awareness of these facts came to Dryden, a little at a time, until he was frozen, his face hot in a full blush. With many babbled apologies to the catgirl, he attempted to sit up and excuse his unconscious actions.
Merle sighed, looking at him with a kind of resigned patience. "Okay, Dryden-sama," she answered his apologies. Her eyes were a little more frank. 'I liked it and you moved... hmmph.'
Still blushing brightly, he coughed, attempting to regain a touch of composure. "What time is it, do you think?" he asked, angling his head, trying to approximate where the greatest brightness was behind the nearly complete roof of leaves above them.
"Maybe... two, three hours before full dark?" she guessed, shrugging. She crawled over and began shoving things into the basket haphazardly.
As he came out of sleep, Dryden had the odd impression, half remembered, that he'd been wakened by distant thunder, but there seemed no indication of clouds beyond the trees and the air did not have the anticipation of a rainstorm.
He rubbed one of his eyes with the back of his hand, fighting off a yawn. The nap had reminded his body of how little he'd slept lately and his previous rush had deserted him. "Merle," he asked, frowning to himself. "Did you hear anything earlier?"
She turned and looked over her shoulder at him quizzically. "Mmm? Maybe... boulders rolling down a hill faraway..." She stopped and turned, her muzzle pointing into the deep forest. Her ears twitched, moving back and forth alertly. She frowned. Backing up until she bumped into him, she said slowly, "Something's... coming..."
Blinking off the last of his sleep, he stood up, putting himself between Merle and the direction of whatever seemed to be alienating her. "Something reptilian, I hope?" he asked.
Merle grabbed his tunic and pulled him back with her, around the large old tree they'd been settled under. Her nose twitched.
"Dragon," she said in a low whisper.
"Calm," he said, trying to take his own advise. "That's what Van said." His eyes widening, he swallowed as he could make out a shadow, a brief flash of copper-brown scales before it disappeared quickly behind the trunks.
He could hear the rumbling sound now, and it *did* sound like 'boulders rolling down hill,' but it seemed much louder than it should, as the volume increased. It seemed to come from more directions than where he'd seen the flash. It seemed...
Merle squeaked and all but went up the tree. "They're all over!!"
_
In the Sanctuary, Kaerin was close to dozing on his feet. Whatever seemed to set some of the Crusade crew on edge about the Ispano guymelef, he had no superstitious associations with the artifact. That would change, however.
His doze was abruptly broken by the sound of metal hinges moving and then the impact of a heavy foot impacting the tiled floor. Looking up, Kaerin saw a blaze of red, and flashes of green, as the metal giant came fully to life and began striding across the wide Sanctuary floor.
"Sweet Jeture!" Kaerin swore, frozen for a second, watching the giant. The vibrations of its massive footsteps shuddered through his joints, spurring him into action keeping himself in out of the giant's path, backing in front of it, towards the door.
Backpedaling with one hand clenched around his drawn sword, he was painfully aware of the danger the machine could pose to him and how little he could do to prevent its advance. Belatedly, he realized Allen had left no further instructions beside watching the machine and to report the slightest of movement.
The guymelef continued to cross the Sanctuary and approached the huge double doors which were obviously constructed to allow for its passage. One metal arm lifted and struck the doors in the center, sending them crashing apart.
In the woods, Dryden and Merle could only huddle in the fragile protection of the sturdy old tree's trunk, as a full-grown adult dragon moved past them, doing little more than rolling a surprisingly green eye as it passed, flattening undergrowth and shaking the ground.
They were hit with the strong musk of the beast, but it was only the beginning, as another beast passed the other side of the tree, and beyond and around them on all sides they saw, felt and heard the great creatures, all moving with powerful and uncanny speed. Their passage and weight were enough to rock the ground with tremors and shake the trees like a hurricane. There were too many to count and they were all heading in the same direction - straight for the castle.
"They're..... It's an army of them," Dryden said, his word's swallowed by the cacophony around them. The direction began to worm its way through his shocked state. "We have to stop it..." he stared at the earth dragons passing by, unstoppable and forceful. "Or warn them..."
Merle blinked at Dryden's words, her fur all but standing on end. "How?! We'd be lucky to *keep up* with them... or unlucky..." She yelped as another dragon went by their tree, scraping it slightly with the end of its whip tail.
Wood chips and bark went flying as the ancient tree wobbled under the force. Dryden's eyes widened as he watched the trunk slow its protesting sway to settle safely. "Merle!" he shouted over the roar around them. "Can you go from above? The trees are close enough..."
"Leave you?!!" she screeched, her expression a flat refusal.
The flat turned to pleading, as she recognized the validity of his need to do *something*. She hesitated, looking at him longingly.
"I'll be fine! They don't care about me," Dryden said, watching another pass within feet of their position, tail swinging in agitation, as much to balance its uneven and powerful gait. "Just be careful! No risks!"
Merle whined unhappily, but planted a hasty kiss on his cheek, and then climbed the big tree so rapidly she was almost out of sight in seconds. He could see her bounding along a limb far above, and then a spring and leap, landing on a limb of the next tree and she was gone, tail swirling behind her.
Traveling through the trees would have been child's play for the catgirl under normal circumstances but the passage of the huge beasts below and around added a peril to the game as smaller trees just gave up under the assault, one of them falling to the ground almost under her paws as she leaped quickly for the next. One slip would put her under the thundering monsters, an occurrence she'd not survive.
Merle felt as if she were carrying Dryden's urgency with her, and she moved faster than she'd ever done, coming up on the edge of the trees just behind the first of the dragons to break that cover.
With a wild spring, she made it to the ground and then sprinted, cutting almost between the legs of the dragon ahead of her as she went faster on her light four paws, somehow making up the stride of the huge creatures with sheer speed. She was concentrating so hard on reaching her goal that she had no idea at all what she would do when she got there.
In the deep forest, the last of the dragons passed, a small one with a slower gait, favoring on leg, turned to stare at the merchant with bright yellow eyes before following the rest of the dragons. Dryden slumped back against the tree, relief taking the breath from him as the last of the tremors subsided into a distant rumble.
It was short-lived, as wide eyes and strawberry hair framing orange fur sprung to mind. He took off toward the city, praying for her safety as much as that of the city.
The outward crashing of the doors of the Sanctuary were the first sign the folks in the castle had that something strange was taking place. The silver-white guymelef strode out into the courtyard, pausing, and its form seemed to incline upwards, as if it were looking at the sky.
The first reaction from castle folk was to scatter, the second to call Van's name. Escaflowne was walking, he must be in it...
The second indication the castle folk had of something *very* unusual going on was the feeling of the ground shaking under their feet. Tower lookouts simply stared in momentary disbelief as the flood of dragons seemed to pour from the arms of the forest. Not a single one of the three sentries could think of what to say for whole minutes, until one finally cried out, "Dragons.... DRAGONS!"
Sliding on the floors, Kaerin turned the corner in the palace hallway into the study. "Allen!" he called, throwing open the door, eyes on the edge of panic.
The swordsman was standing at the wide window looking out, trying to discern what was going on as he saw people running towards the courtyard, and then saw some of the same people running *away* from there. He whipped around when Kaerin entered. "What is it?!"
Kaerin was stopped over, one hand still on the doorknob as he struggled for breath. "Escaflowne! It left, it just got up and LEFT..... and there's dragons, ....like an army of them. No one can Find Merle or Dryden..."
Allen's eyes had widened at the first sentence... the mention of dragons passed by him for the moment. "Escaflowne? Van... is Van there? WHO'S PILOTING?"
Kaerin shook his head, eyes wild. "No one! I was on guard, no one came in.... There was a flash and a terrible noise... and it just went through the damned doors. Everyone thinks that Van's back, but I swear the machine's empty."
Allen's blue eyes widened as well, but he wasted no further time, heading for the courtyard at top speed.
Merle somehow made it to the castle only yards ahead of the dragons and whipped into the gates, which were being closed by panicked hands. Panting so hard she could scarcely talk, she skidded to a stop, seeing the metal form of Escaflowne poised in the courtyard. Her heart leapt and she thought instantly of Van, but something didn't feel right. Something felt very... wrong. The gates were almost closed and the dragons were bearing down on them, with no signs of slackening their forward motion.
Suddenly, Merle jumped up to the platform where the gate winches were, and screamed with all the breath left in her, "NO!! OPEN THEM! NOW!!!" And she jumped up and tried taking one of the levers herself, though she was far too spent to budge it. Adrenaline flared through her body and it budged an inch, but the next minute the guards manning the gate decided for some reason to follow her lead and the gates were pulled open, just as the dragons reached them.
It was an action which, at the least, saved the gates. The dragons would have gone through them, splintering them in an instant.
People scattered further as the beasts poured into the courtyard. At the same moment, Allen arrived, with Kaerin on his heels, along with half the crew of the Crusade, who had a nose for trouble and had followed the yelling.
Escaflowne had tilted as if surveying the sky, and the red energist flared, as the giant machine began to transform.
Allen stopped, the sight stunning him even though he knew of the story of the previous time that guymelef had moved on Van's remote command. The intelligent movement of the pilotless guymelef was too eerie for a man who piloted one himself. He looked around frantically and saw Gaddes not far away, with half a mind to order the Crusade be ready to take off, but events were just moving too quickly. He was all but knocked off his feet with the ground shaking as the dragons poured into the courtyard.
Merle darted up to the castle wall, her attention moving rapidly from the courtyard, to the forest, looking back and forth, trying to spot a dark-haired figure running from the woods.
The sound of metal moving against metal fought with the sound of dragons roaring as Escaflowne transformed to flight mode. The dragons moved around the metal giant, surrounding it, focusing their attention on it, circling, jostling each other absently as more of the giant creatures poured into the once-wide space, packing it. People hung out windows and clung to battlements and balconies as they watched the incredible events unfolding.
Dryden managed to make it across the distance, staggering to the gates covered with forest loam and twigs, courtesy of a late hatchling. The sight that met his eyes was almost too much to take in all at once and it was far from stable.
Escaflowne, in dragon form, reared up and the wide, white wings lifted to beat, to throw the giant into the air. The dragons roared as one, deafening the humans within half a mile's proximity. The beasts reared, facing inward, facing the guymelef almost as if confronting it. The red energist sparkled and flared with power, but as if in answer, a glow began to build in the chests of the surrounding dragons, the sight causing screams of terror from those who knew what that glow prefaced.
Others, including Allen, were simply too caught up in the sight to think of what might come next. The flaring of energy filled the courtyard with heat, but to the amazement of those knowledgeable watchers, the flames did not follow. Instead, the energy seemed to build, ringing the guymelef. Escaflowne's energist flared again, as if defying or challenging, and the dragons roared again.
Here and there in the throng, a few creatures threw their heads up and back, spouting flames in into the sky, as if relieving an overload of heat, but most kept their mouths shut in fierce grimaces, snapping closed over the roar. The flare of heat and energy battered the guymelef and seemed to counter the energy from it.
Pulsing, Escaflowne's red energist began to take on the rhythm of the beasts around it, as if the long-dead dragon at its heart was responding to its fellows, defying the impulse of the machine. With a screech, the mecha transformed back into its standing mode with an almost tangible sense of being forced.
The dragons pressed forward, and the pulse built again. Then all the beasts roared, and most of them spewed fire into the skies above, releasing their energy and all but singeing the towers and battlements black.
Above, a sudden wind whipped up, and clouds boiled in seemingly from no where, as if summoned by the heat. Escaflowne's energist pulsed, and then died down to a dim spark, not deactivated, but forced back into an uneasy slumber. Then the first drops of rain fell, hissing as they hit the heated bodies of the dragons. For a moment longer the beasts poised. Then, as if a spell were broken, they began to drop down and move towards the gate.
Small paws pulled Dryden out of the way as the dragons began leaving the courtyard, snapping and jostling at each other, but heading back to the forest as the rain poured down on the castle.
Almost unconscious of the fact that his life had been most likely saved, Dryden stared down at the lumbering forms passing below his feet on the platform. Massive muscles worked and slid beneath heated scales, still steaming slightly from the cool rain pouring down unnoticed on the awestruck watchers.
Across the courtyard, still standing mute, and ears ringing from the display, Gaddes collapsed on the steps, angling to look at Allen, "I hope that don't happen every day. Not sure my heart could take it," the man muttered.
Allen nodded absently, only half hearing his second. He moved forward, heedless of the rain, looking up at the towering form of Escaflowne, like a metal statue in the rain. Something about the mystery he'd just witnessed had reached him on an inexplicable level. He stared up, wondering what had just happened. Had Van called for the melef? But if so, why would the... the dragons have denied it to him? It was beyond understanding. He shook his head.
"I was wrong," he said aloud. "I was wrong. This... whatever this is... it has to play out."
"Boss?" Gaddes asked, pushing rain drenched bangs out of his face. "You know something we don't?"
Allen shook hid head, turning from the guymelef. "No, Gaddes," he said. "I know nothing at all. But I'd be more the fool than I am if I didn't recognize... the hand of... of Gaea herself in this. We've seen it before, we just didn't recognize it most of the time. We were agents, my friend," he said with a strange quirk of his mouth. "When we participated in the actions that stopped Dornkirk and his Fate machine. We were agents. And it seems she has need of us again."
Gaddes turned, chilled by the unfamiliar look on his captain's face, to regard an even less comforting sight of Escaflowne, standing sentinel in the unnatural rains.
The gates closed again, creaking and moaning loudly at their rough and frantic treatment, not minutes earlier. As wood met wood with a final and solid thunk, Dryden finally managed to pull himself out of the stare he'd locked himself in.
He turned slowly, eyes sweeping over the courtyard, lingering on the mecha for a moment, surrounded by the gouges left by the Dragon's claws and muscles, then finally fixing on the anxious catgirl behind him. Dizzy with gratitude to whatever fortune, he pulled her into a brief hug, unmindful of the mud and rain staining his clothes.
"You got back," he said, happily, lifting her into a spin for a second.
Merle threw her arms around his neck and clung to him. Her heart was still beating a mile a minute but the relief of his safety, hers, and some unexpected lift from the mysterious events in the courtyard filled her with buoyant happiness.
"Let's..... let's NOT do that again. The dragon part." Dryden said, a bit breathlessly. "Trip me or something next time I suggest it."
Merle giggled, settling against him. "Okay," she agreed. Then she wrinkled her nose. "But it *was* exciting!"
"It was that..." he said, nodding, turning his gaze briefly from the catgirl to Escaflowne. "Though their excitement wasn't over us."
Merle nodded. Her expression sobered. "Worried about Van-sama," she said in a more subdued voice. She looked at the mecha as well. "It was like, he was calling... only not."
"As am I," he said quietly. If whatever had set it into motion was a good thing, the dragons would never have done what they did. The reconstruction had proven that they had no true malice... they merely reflected that they had felt around them.
Merle continued to stare at the mecha. "Dryden-sama... how many dragons have died to make Escaflowne live?"
Looking down at the catgirl soberly for a moment, he realized what she was asking. "The Fanelian succession is centuries old... though not every ruler has used it."
"So... it... it kind of.... owes them," Merle said, wrinkling her forehead.
"Kind of," he reaffirmed, still uncomfortable with the sheer.... intelligence of the machine's display. It was almost like watching a pitched battle between the dragons and the white melef.
Dryden saw someone else move to look up at the melef and recognized Allen. After talking with Gaddes, the blond swordsman turned and looked at Dryden on the gate platform. His expression was different than it had been for the entire time he'd been there. He was no longer angry. The worry was still there, yes, but the anger... was gone.
Dryden frowned slightly and disentangled himself from the catgirl, giving her hand an apologetic squeeze. "Something's... odd," he offered her as an explaination, looking distracted. He jumped down from the platform and approached the Knight at Escaflowne's massive feet.
Allen watched him approach. His mouth curved ever so slightly as he said, "Fassa, I don't know what you did, but I'm impressed."
"So am I, on both counts," Dryden said, brushing back damp hair. "In truth, I was looking for ONE dragon..."
"You've always tended to overindulgence," Allen replied offhandedly. He was actually making a joke.
"I'm not sure which is more disconcerting; being caught in a stampede, returning to see that display, or witnessing Allen Schezar discover humor," Dryden said dryly.
"I didn't discover it, I've always had it," Allen said. "Just less recently. But... let's start afresh. No more demands. I'm here to help in whatever way I can. Serena.." he turned and looked off to some distance. He was silent for a moment and then he said, with a touch of sadness. "I've lost Serena for now. There's no point in continuing to fight it. I can feel that she's gone."
Dryden dropped his gaze, relief warring with regret in the tall man, as the realization of what had caused the change in the swordsman sunk in. "It's hard to deny now," Dryden said quietly. "It was easier to hope when it was all just rumors."
Allen looked back, his blue eyes clear. "Zaibach's taken her. And him. I don't know what their purpose is for Van, but they can't have more than one for my sister. They've lost their leader, their chief of staff, and all but one of their high generals. Dilandau Albatou would be a jewel recaptured. And a weapon rearmed."
Dryden made no outward sign assent, the logic was too secure for any response to be an outright lie or redundant in the face of it. "Van... has always been more than a match... but he won't harm her, not now that he's met Serena. He'll bring her back," Dryden said, with faith. He'd seen the young man come out of the impossible before.
"He'll try," Allen said, his face becoming grim. "But how often have we left too much on that boy's shoulders? They're capable, I agree. But the strongest blade has a breaking point. We have to find a way to help him. The last time he was in the hands of Zaibach, he had his brother to watch over him. Folken wasn't a model sibling, but there's no doubt in my mind he afforded Van his protection, however unwilling at times. With Folken gone, no one among his captors will have any love for that boy."
/"Van-sama was in a nasty place and... and a boy with red eyes saved him..."/ Dryden swallowed a lump in his throat. "I've always endeavored to take as much as I could off of those shoulders, but I fear I'm not much help in this... If you still feel the need to go north... I will hold you to no obligations..."
Allen's blue eyes met Dryden's with a direct look. He nodded, but said, "At this point, I have no authority to fly the Crusade into Zaibach and demand anything. They will just deny his presence. There has to be a way to find out something, anything, or at least come up with a plausible excuse for going there. "
"At their first disappearance, we'd sent riders north, but have heard no word from them. It's still a reasonable amount of time.... If needed, I could give you authority as an ambassador of Fanelia, to inquire of why the guymelefs not only exist, but where seen here. That they cannot deny."
Allen's lip curled slightly. "They can and will. We have no proof. Eyewitnesses don't count, not in a situation like this. They *have* to deny it, their existence is at stake. It might be better..." he fingered his chin thoughtfully, "If we could come up with a story that allows them the opportunity to backpedal. Forget the reports of guymelefs. You have reason to think the... the king's gone mountain climbing or sailing a new airship, and might have gone down in their territory. Request their assistance in locating him. This lets them know that we are looking towards them, and gives them a chance to change their minds before things get ugly..."
Dryden nodded, feeling weary. "And here I'd thought I'd left the life of politics. It sounds like it will work... We've gotten word from both Asturia and Freid that they will support as they can, everyone else seems to just be watching. Though what they 'can' I doubt is much, for differing reasons."
"Write Asturia and thank them for the support... and request that they officially allow me to become your agent," Allen suggested grimly. "I'd rather not get home some day to spend another stint in the king's prison for my 'reckless actions.'"
"Easily done. I'll get a message to those I'd sent north with the change in their duty."
"When you write Asturia, send Millerna a note... thank her from me for letting my sister stay at her country retreat and tell her I will need to impose on her for a while longer. She'll understand," Allen said, with a touch of his own weariness.
Dryden nodded, a bit more subdued at Millerna's name. "It will be no great change," Dryden said, turning away to walk back towards the castle. "I've always sent two letters."
Allen surprised Dryden by falling into step with him. "I know," he said quietly. "Tell her also that I apologize for the... abrupt way I left her at our last meeting." He glanced at the Regent. "Do you think you'll go back one day?"
Dryden walked in silence a moment, his footfalls covered by the sound of the lightening rain. "I fancy not sometimes." He paused, a bittersweet smile on his face. "She hasn't waited, has she?"
Allen didn't answer right away. After a moment he said, "We aren't lovers. I care for her deeply but I've never been the right man for her and I've always known it. She believes it's about Serena... it's not. Too much has happened to me."
Dryden nodded, as if more to himself than to Allen's words. "But not for her lack of desire. You will always be her golden Knight. If anything, I might have pitied Serena, I'd always wondered why her note was sour around that name."
Allen sighed. He stopped and turned to Dryden, speaking in a low voice but the hallway was empty at the moment. "I lost my love, Fassa. And my son. I thought I had a second chance with a young girl from another world. But I learned from Folken, before he died, that my feelings had been manipulated by the cursed Fate device, as they tried to keep Hitomi and Van apart. I'm through looking for that in my life. Millerna will learn this, and look elsewhere. She's too much a woman to end up as Eries has. If you want to be her husband in truth, you have to act. But... don't mistake what you feel for her, as she mistakes what she thinks she feels for me."
Dryden shook his head. "There is no mistake... I knew, when I returned the ring, that I was giving back what was never mine. I cannot stop loving her, but in that, I can wish for her happiness with another, and hope that I have enough for my own."
"Then wish for her to find someone who can give her what I can't," Allen turned away from the conversation. He turned back for a moment to add, "And don't wait for yours to come to you. Go find it, and when you do, take it without regret. It takes but a moment to turn hesitation to lost chance." The words were not said harshly, though there was a tinge of strain in them, and the reinforcement of memory. He then bowed slightly to Dryden and headed off, to bathe, change and meet with his crew.
Dryden turned and headed towards his own quarters, suddenly mindful of his disheveled appearance. As he walked, his mind turned over the advice of a man he'd always been at odds with and remembrance of where a catgirl's lips has brushed his cheek in the courtyard.
THE END OF PART 15!