23-Feb-2002
Twisted Fortune - An Escaflowne Fanfiction
By Bonnejeanne and Nixers
Contact: bonnejeanne@yahoo.com and nixerchan@aol.com
Warnings: Spoilers
Notes: Set a little over one year after Vision of Escaflowne's end.
Chapter Thirteen - Revolution and Revelation
Part 27
Merle was on the wall when she heard something, like a murmur from outside the castle, of a number of people in the streets commenting at the same time. Her head went up immediately and she saw the twinkle of sunlight off a wingtip. Her heart jumped into her throat and she stared for a moment longer before speeding off for the study.
She burst into the room without her now-customary light scratching, and grabbed the scholar's hand and pulled him out the door without so much as a by-your-leave.
Dryden allowed himself to be dragged a few steps by virtue of simply not immediately realizing what was going on. The next instant his impulse to stop or ask a question was quelled by the sight of the catgirl, whiskers forward and her face and posture a study of determined excitement. Quickly understanding the one thing that would inspire this reaction, he quickened his step, long strides easily bringing him even with the smaller catgirl.
Outside the commotion had brought similar attention. Kaerin, outside and on watch by the Crusade II, heard the excited murmurs and tones of the city burbling up and through the air. He glanced around once before his eyes scanned the sky. The sight of the white dragon circling above and closing distance inspired an almost painful thud of his heart. He swallowed once and whirled around, heading for the lines of the airship.
"Gaddes! Allen! You'll want to see this!"
The captain of the Crusade answered the hail instantly, almost as if he'd been waiting for such a call. He jumped down from the ship with a spyglass in his hand and lifted it, focusing on the circling dragon.
His reaction to what he saw there was to still to complete immobility for a few seconds, before tossing the spyglass to Kaerin absently and heading for the courtyard. There was only one place within the castle walls where the dragon-form could land easily.
Kaerin glanced after the departing swordsman with schooled surprise on his face. He held up the spyglass and focused on the guymelef. Gaddes' voice called down from the railings, "What's the news?"
"Escaflowne sir. North by northwest and circling fast. Two riders," Kaerin called back.
"Shit," The first mate breathed, out of the range of hearing of the Third Knight. He turned back to the crew. "Three of you with me. The rest, keep her warm and purring, just in case." The tone in the tall man's voice left no argument, and the Crusade's crew scrambled to carry it out as Gaddes leapt from the bow and took of, following in Allen's path.
Kaerin watched both him and the three bandit-like crew members follow hurriedly in the wake. He shook his head and followed at a more sedate pace, his hand drifting to rest comfortable on the hilt of his sword. "You'd think the people of this city went straight from crawl to run," he mused to himself, following the others off of the "airfield".
In the courtyard, Dryden was talking over the cacophony of the wind and crowd, giving instructions to the Captain of the Fanelian Guard to have the flat cleared of people. His eyes tracked the guards, who were already working at the task before ordered, and back to the sky, where the white dragon hovered bobbing in place by powerful flaps of the metal wings. /Two people./ He registered the fact with a powerful mix of both relief and worry.
Dryden became aware of a sudden presence next to him as Allen arrived. His eyes were trained on the sky like those of most of the others around. There was something in the swordsman's posture that radiated sense of sudden, intense but perhaps fragile hope.
Dryden spared a brief nod of welcome and a touch of acknowledgment to the swordsman's presence, not even attempting to talk over the events anymore. Before them, The white dragon's hind legs touched the ground, slowed by the drag of extended wings, but still sending a shockwave through the ground. The front followed, and the wings folded almost primly on the white guymelef's back as it crouched, allowing the riders a way down.
Van jumped down and turned, waiting for Serena. It didn't occur to him that she needed help but he was going to be there when her feet touched the ground and if his hands moved around to catch or steady her, it might be something other than a concession to weakness.
Serena paused a moment, standing still on the shoulderblades of the white dragon. For all the noise that had heralded their decent, there was now an energy filled, almost expectant hush. Some invisible hackles rose before she realized that the eyes and expectations weren't on her. At most, she had been given the most cursory of looks. She glanced down at the center of that attention, a flicker of fondness crossing her face before she swung herself down, with the athleticism, but not the familiarity of the other.
She brushed her clothing self consciously, habits coming back to her, before stepping up to Van's side, affecting the presence of a Lady, even as her eyes scanned the crowd, nervously, hopefully, for distinctive blonde hair.
Van's hand moved around hers as naturally as the next breath. He turned and raised his other hand in a greeting to the crowd of his people, and called, "My leaving was unplanned but productive - Fanelia is better protected now. My thanks for your courage!"
There was no overt indication or even distinct voice that could be picked out from the gathering, but there was a *change* in the air, as with those simple words unspoken fears were laid aside in the infections manner that crowds have, far better and faster than a hundred rational arguments could have. The collective sounds of relief and approval rivaled that of welcome.
As Serena scanned the crowd her eyes were drawn to a small group at the edge of the courtyard near to the castle buildings, around whom the crowd pressed but with an air of respect. The tall, dark-haired Dryden was flanked by a catgirl who seemed somehow older, perhaps even an inch or so taller than the last time Serena had seen her, and on the other side, the blond hair she'd been seeking. Blue eyes met hers across the distance and through the turmoil, eyes without a hint of anything but heartrending relief and quiet joy.
Serena was indecisive a moment, before squeezing the hand that held hers. She turned to Van and gave him a quick hug, whispering a promise in his ear with the gesture. "I will be back." With another smile to Van, she made her way across the courtyard, seemingly not noticing the gazes of the catgirl or merchant. She stopped in front of Allen, eyes downward.
"Oniisan..." she said, the quiet tone somehow carrying. "I didn't mean to worry you."
With her eyes down, she didn't see but felt first as the tall swordsman lifted her in an embrace that was tight with suppressed emotion. He simply held her close for a moment, then set her back on her feet.
"Forgive me, Serena," he said, his voice as low as hers, "Try. By the gods I thought I'd never see you again..."
She didn't respond immediately, just dropped the overcoat and embraced her sibling again, trying to put into gesture where words were failing her. "I'd always come back and see you, no matter what." Her words were accompanied by a gentle tug on one of his long locks of hair.
Allen held her, nodding after a moment with a smile and eyes a little too bright. The smile softened to a more serious expression. "Even if I drove you away from me, Serena? Then I'm luckier than I deserve, little sister."
She stepped back, meeting his blue eyes seriously. "You didn't drive me away. I just took a little of what I wanted, something I needed. Besides, I kept my promise.... I didn't get into trouble until the NEXT day."
Allen almost managed to swallow the sudden outburst of laughter, letting only one quick breath of sound escape. He hugged her tightly once more without answering, then murmured in her ear, "As you say, little sister, but you're being very generous. Now's not the time but perhaps soon we can talk of it... if you will."
"Wish," she corrected absently. After a moment she nodded, felt more than seen by her brother. In a tone of humor, but edged with a hard promise, she said, "Of course. But if you draw that sword, you'll see how fast my generosity disappears."
Allen drew back, his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes, his golden brows drawing together. "Why would I do that, Serena?" He suddenly glanced over her shoulder, then back, as if guessing a meaning he'd missed initially. Then he simply shook his head.
"I wondered that the first time," she murmured, not meaning for the words to carry. As if suddenly realizing the audience, she smiled brightly at Dryden.
Allen took her hand and moved to her side, to allow her to turn and face the rest of the courtyard, but as he did so, he leaned close to her ear and murmured, "I found *half* your dress in his quarters, Serena... I know I was wrong but give me credit for the natural feelings of a brother!"
Her shoulders shook with a giggle, even as her pale face flushed. "Oops?" she fidgeted, squeezing his hand. "Van wasn't there," she offered, "I needed a place to change."
Allen simply squeezed her hand with a single raised eyebrow, content with having made his point.
As Serena and her brother were meeting, Van stepped towards Dryden and Merle. His eyes met those of the merchant prince quickly in acknowledgment but moved to Merle and darkened slightly in concern. It was the first time she hadn't run to him immediately and as he looked at her, her expression and posture, he could see the mark of the past days on her, making changes in the little sister he knew. Her eyes met his, just as shining as ever, but after he'd taken four steps, she suddenly bolted towards him and jumped, landing against his chest, to be caught in his arms automatically. She buried her face in his neck, her cries of "Van-sama!" repeated, but soft enough to be muffled by the crowd and his shoulder. He stopped and stroked her back reassuringly, waiting until the small storm eased. Not knowing what to say to ease her distress, he carried her with him as he closed the space between himself and Dryden, glancing over to Serena and Allen to see them embrace. His eyes softened, and he stopped next to Dryden, turning his gaze to the tall scholar.
"Thank you for being here," he said, meeting the tall man's eyes.
Dryden nodded, relief and concern warring a moment as he glanced at the stain on Van's shirt, then was masked again under the merchant's customary air of bravado. "Well, the walls didn't crumble. Small gifts of the gods," he said. His eyes flicked to the catgirl being cradled in the king's arms, another pass of lighter emotion flashed. "It's good to have you back."
Van nodded. Keeping his voice pitched only for the two of them, not concerned for Merle's hearing, he said, "It's a brief stay. I have something I have to do, to make sure it's finished. I need Escaflowne given some small repairs, and then we leave again. It'd be best if it were before nightfall."
The name of the guymelef caused another reaction, but not as easy to identify. "It gives us time to talk, if you aren't too weary." Dryden glanced at the siblings, an eyebrow raised at her attire, even without the coat it was distinctive. "Will she be staying?" he asked.
Van met Dryden's eyes. "*We* leave," he repeated quietly. He glanced at the sandy-haired girl and the emotion in his eyes would have been obvious to a blind man watching from a mile away. "Will she be staying?" he repeated Dryden's question, somehow changing its meaning. "I don't know. But whatever happens, I won't leave her side... *whatever* happens."
A troubled look set onto the merchant prince's face, but he nodded. Deciding this wasn't the place, he said, "I'll talk to the smithmaster. You might want to take out the energist first?"
Van tilted his head, his eyes searching Dryden's. He sensed something in the other man's tone that hinted at things unknown to him. "Do you advise it?"
"Wholeheartedly," he replied, the statement carried a firm urgency in it than would seem necessary for what pains could possibly come from repairing the scratches in the armor plating.
Van nodded. He stroked Merle's hair and set her down, and she went willingly enough, her paw sneaking out to tuck itself in one of Dryden's hands.
Van turned and crossed the space to the white dragon and the melef began to change back to the walking form, as if obeying a thought. Van jumped into the cockpit and Escaflowne walked majestically towards the Sanctuary, and several guards jumped without orders to open the great doors.
Going inside, Van had the guymelef sit on its throne, and then jumped out. Standing easily on the dragon-god's thigh, he reached towards the red jewel.
Serena felt a sudden flare against her chest.
A few moments later, Van emerged from the Sanctuary. He absently wiped a sudden beading of perspiration from his face and walked back to the small group without any appearance of concern.
Serena glanced at her brother quickly before freeing her hand and stepping toward the king. Her concern hidden, but one hand had wrapped around the pendant at her neck. "Van?" she asked.
He smiled slightly, but reassuringly. "I wonder if the Ispano intended to make an argumentative machine?" he said lightly.
Another voice broke into the conversation, unnoticed in the reunions. "I didn't think the beast would be put down so easily," Kaerin said, his gaze even, regarding the king.
Van turned sharply. His eyes swept over Kaerin quickly. "Do I know you, sirrah?"
In response, Kaerin drew his sword and gave a salute. He slid it back into his sheath before any around could consider it a threat. "Am I so easily forgotten?" he said. "Again, I shouldn't be surprised, you've crossed so many blades."
Van's eyes widened in surprised and his cheeks darkened slightly. "Forgive me," he murmured, returning to his less vocal habits of old. "I wasn't myself that day. Sir Knight."
"Kaerin Tomant, your Majesty," the Heavenly Knight said without censure, inclining his head. "There was no harm done there that day."
Allen was watching this exchange with a slight frown. Kaerin's words had startled him almost as much as they had impacted Van and he was looking at the young knight with a few suspicions running around in his head.
"Pardon me, Kaerin, I'm afraid I'm going to pull rank on you. I have words to exchange with the King," Allen said smoothly, releasing Serena's hand with a reluctance only she could feel.
Kaerin flashed the Knight a polite smile. "I was thinking to excuse myself anyway. For what is reputed to be a backwater country, this land has given me more starts than I'd have imagined." He gave both a full bow and stepped back once before straightening. "My leave then," he said, turning in the direction of the crowd again.
Allen's eyes narrowed and he suddenly looked around for Gaddes, finding the other man quickly in the crowd around them and close by. He used his eyes to indicate that he wanted the younger knight watched closely, revealing his sudden or perhaps renewed suspicions with the silent communication.
The first mate seemed to echo the sentiments. He didn't nod, but tapped a tall scarred crewmember. The two broke away from the crowd casually and without a backward glance.
That done, Allen turned back to Van who was watching the exchange from behind dark bangs. Facing the king squarely, Allen said, "I'd treasure a full explanation of certain events, someday, but what I really have to say to you, Van Fanel... is thank you."
Then the swordsman briefly, but firmly embraced the young king, whose look of surprise was almost comical. As he released the king, Allen murmured privately, "I let my emotions get the best of me, Van. You brought her back. That's more important than the rest. But I do want to know... what happened to you two."
Van answered the quiet words with a simple nod, but his eyes met the Heavenly Knight's blue ones in a silent promise.
Dryden took that moment to clear his throat. "Perhaps things would be advantageous to finish somewhere quieter," Dryden said, a bit wryly, turning to Van more directly. "I'll take care of things here."
Van nodded. "We'll go to the study," he said. "Join us as soon as you can."
"It wont be long," the taller man promised. A certain weariness seemed to have lifted, if temporarily, as he settled into a more accustomed role. More quietly, he looked down to the catgirl at his side. "Going with them?" he asked.
Merle nodded. "I'll get food," she said simply, certain that wherever Van had been, they hadn't fed him. Wrinkling her nose, she added, "And clothes... water..."
He smiled at her, fondness again softening his features, before he broke from the small cluster of friends and close acquaintances.
Serena took the declaration with relief, picking up the garment she'd discarded almost absently before drifting back, between Van and Allen. She glanced at both, a bit of a grin touching her expression. "You guys can do what you like, but I prefer a bathing chamber before the study."
Van grinned slightly.
Merle darted over and before Serena could react, pulled the overcoat from her arms and took her wrist in a firm grip and began tugging her along.
"Hey!" The exclamation was startled from her as she was pulled away from the comfortable presence of the two men. She glanced at the catgirl dragging her along, and her eyes flickered to the girl's other burden. "And give that back!" She said, a quick step allowing her to snatch at it.
Merle managed to keep the coat with slightly faster reflexes. "Come on!" she said. "You want a bath... I can get it going quicker. Will have this cleaned - won't take long. Come on... just come on, imouto-san!"
The Austurian girl glanced back over her shoulder, her eyes darkening a moment, before the last words had sunken in. Her resistance disappeared as she looked at the catgirl with surprised confusion, following with a slightly mollified expression.
Van watched Merle drag Serena off with a soft expression, having understood immediately the catgirl's body language enough to know she'd not harm or hassle Serena.
He glanced at Allen. "The study. I'll get the tale started, or you can."
The swordsman nodded, his eyes taking a moment to go over the king and mark the stains on his clothes as well, but without comment.
Merle pulled Serena through the castle to a familiar wing, but didn't stop at her old room. Instead she pulled her into Van's, after issuing orders to a household woman at rapid fire and handing over the coat with an admonition to have someone come and get the rest of the outfit.
Before Serena could do more that look around the king's larger, but characteristically spare room, a young man and woman bustled in with a large tub and cans of hot water and bustled out again. In no time, there was a steaming bath waiting and piles of fresh towels, as well as a robe, and the door was shut. Serena was alone with Merle, who perched on the bed as if she had no intentions of leaving.
The presence didn't cause Serena to hesitate, she'd had, at her brother's insistence, some attendants; it was more the reasons that she couldn't quite divine for the change in the catgirl. "You're helping me," she said, not enough of a question to take it out of the realm of a flat statement. The honest confusion was still apparent in her blue eyes.
Merle jumped off the bed and came up to Serena, looking into the taller girl's eyes searchingly. Then she did something which probably shocked Serena even more. She quickly hugged the older girl, busting into tears for a bare second or two and then moving away almost shyly, wiping her face with her paw. She jumped up on a wide window casement and curled up there.
"You love my brother," she said, looking out the window. She glanced back very briefly then away. "And he loves you."
There was a moment of silence in the room, then the soft pad of footsteps, audible to Merle's sensitive ears. A hand touched her furred shoulder with a hesitation that hinted that she wasn't sure of her bounds, of how fragile this peace was. Serena's voice was still a little surprised but in a kinder tone than any Merle had heard from the girl. "You are older than I thought."
Merle turned and looked at her, wide eyes shining with quiet sorrow. "I don't know you," she said softly. "But Van-sama does. And he's never wrong. At least his heart isn't. And I don't know who else you are. They told me... but I don't really understand. But it's not important. You're my sister now."
The words caused a thoughtful silence in the other woman. Serene turned, walking slowly back to the bath, her fingers testing the water without really registering the temperature. She frowned over one phrase in particular, remembering the sorrow and lamenting she'd occasionally glimpsed in the king.
Her back to the other girl, she unlaced her tunic, head lowered. "Can you regret what's right?"
Merle turned and looked at the other girl. She didn't pretend not to understand, trusting her intuition. "Wasn't wrong for him to love her. Was wrong for her... to go and not come back."
Serena shed the last of her clothes and slipped into the warm water, an unconscious sigh and relaxing of tension at the soothing heat and the washing away of a layer of dried sweat and grime. "Stupid anyway.. I can't imagine..." she paused, running her hand through her hair, catching the circlet and letting it drop to the floor with a metal sound. "What.... was she like?"
Merle jumped down from the window and came over, collecting the clothes. She took them to the door and out, then was back in a quick moment. Closing the door again, she paced slowly towards the tub. "Like?" she shook her head. "She could be nice. She could be... scary. She could be stubborn. She could be... stupid. She... cared for him," this last, very grudgingly. "But not enough."
Serena ducked under the water a moment, rinsing her hair while she thought. She saw herself a little too clearly in the first parts of that description. Surfacing from the shallow pool, she pushed wet bangs out of her face. She had no answer to the catgirl's words, and her mind couldn't wrap around a comment. Instead, she lifted the pendant, now glistening with beaded water. She couldn't make herself take it off.
"It was hers," Serena said quietly. "But it's familiar too. Do you know... where she got it?"
Merle reached the tub and absently handed Serena a little bag of sweet herbs mixed with grains that foamed in the water. She frowned and thought hard, remembering the strange events of the time a year before. Then she turned an odd look to Serena. "She said from her grandmother... but... her grandmother from a man... Allen-sama's father... yours...?"
"Chichue," she said quietly. She took the bag just as absently, involved in her own thoughts. The dreams, those vague splashes of randomness that she could remember, with more clarity these days. They were right, it would have been hers. It was her father's pendant. She broke sharply from the line of thought, focusing on the mixture on her hands, before looking at the catgirl. "You don't.. no you shouldn't attend on me. After all, I don't think that's what family does, even here."
Merle looked at Serena with gentle reproach. "In Fanelia, we all help each other. Not attending on. Helping. Till you know your way around." Then she dropped her wide gold eyes. "But if you'd rather, I'll go."
Serena shook her head, pouring then wetting a little of the mixture. "No, I didn't mean that," she said, brow furrowed and an unusual tone of apology in her voice. "I would just rather conversation than help." She smiled, catching the catgirl's golden eyes a little hesitantly. "We didn't exactly meet cordially before."
Merle nodded. "I know," she said matter of factly. "My fault. I didn't want Van-sama hurt. But..." her eyes looked into an invisible place. "...sometimes it can't be helped. I didn't know that. Didn't know love hurts sometimes, not then."
Serena watched the other, a slow creeping understanding coloring her eyes. With a more familiar half smile she said, "You could always get a step ladder and a rolling pin..."
Merle blinked, and then looked at Serena. She smiled wanly. "Might." Then she shrugged. "But... he loves someone else."
"Oh, I didn't know," Serena said, a frown overtaking her good humor. "I'm sorry. Seems she isn't the only stupid one," she offered. She gripped the sides of the tub and pulled herself out of the sudsy water, taking a towel from the pile next to the bath.
Merle's eyes flashed for a moment. "Not stupid!" she said, and then toned it down a little. "Millerna is beautiful and important and ... and SHE'S the stupid one." Merle jumped on the bed and curled up, but in a posture with some attention towards Serena. "Stupid, stupid, stupid. Already even *had* him, married! STUPID!" she said, allowing herself to go on a tangent. "But she don't deserve him! Only ... it makes him sad ... every time he writes..."
Serena listened without comment as she dried off and wrapped the robe around herself. "No," she said after a long moment. "Not stupid, she's rather well learned. She tutored me a little while, but too rigid around me to be friendly. She, I gather, is a little like you. She has ... affections for my brother, but sometimes I don't think oniisan notices."
Merle's fur ruffled just a bit. "Not... like... me," she said emphatically. She shook her head for emphasis. "I don't put on airs."
Serena grinned a bit at that, nodding. "No, you don't." She looked around the room. "I didn't figure there would be spare clothes that would fit. So we're here until they dry I suppose."
Merle jumped off the bed and went to a large trunk. She opened it and began rummaging, then looked over her shoulder. "Want a dress? Or pants? Van-sama's things are in here... might fit you. Folken-sama's things, a few of them, are here too..."
"No dresses. I could go another lifetime without wearing one again," Serena said firmly, kneeling down beside the catgirl to rummage through the mixed articles of clothing. "He really has a thing for red shirts," Serena commented with faint amusement.
"Fanelian colors," Merle explained absently. "It's what they give him."
Serena nodded, well aware of the idea of being dressed like that. "At least it's a good color." She finally picked a red tunic and pants that seemed too long to belong to Van's, simple black leggings.
Merle nodded, not really paying attention. She scampered out of the room and came back quickly. She was holding a pair of boots.
They were new, simple, but soft black suede.
Serena accepted the boots with a smile and nod of approval before pulling on the leggings beneath her robe. The boots and tunic soon followed with a quick search for her circlet. Her fingers closed around the cool metal, but she seemed more inclined to just kept track of it than wear the jewelry. "I think that's it. We'd better go see what the others are up to."
Merle nodded and collected a small bundle of clothes from the chest, as well as a couple of the towels and moved out the door.
Meanwhile, Van led the way to the study, smiling shyly but comfortably as a number of people came up to him, not delaying him for more than a moment, with a brief word or a touch.
They made it to the study quickly enough, and found that Merle's orders had been almost as quick - a couple of women were laying out a small portable table with enough food for more than two people and a basin of steaming water and a stack of cloths had been set up in another corner. One of the women stopped and asked Van if she should send the healer, and she clucked disapprovingly when he firmly declined. In a few minutes Van and Allen were alone.
The Heavenly Knight seemed reluctant to begin questioning the king, and Van took the opportunity to removed his shirt and make a quick cleansing of sorts.
Outside, the crowds had dispersed with much less reluctance now that the source of the excitement and spectacle had retreated within the castle doorways. Dryden made his way through the disintegrating mass, only half mindful of polite urgings of the Fanelian guards. They didn't have as much trouble as might have been expected in other lands.
Of course, that didn't fool the merchant prince. The Fanelians, even those who'd immigrated managed to adapt to the mindset quickly, were stubborn and patient like stone. They would wait forever for the full story, but he'd bet, down to a man, each were determined to hear the full of it. He heard more than one remark about the bloodied shirt of the king as he passed. The quieter comments remarked, with confusion, of the uniform and dress of the "King's Lady."
Not seeing any reason to resist the urge, Dryden first went to the Sanctuary, nodding at the guard who'd temporarily taken up station at the smaller portalway. The private let Dryden pass with a tip of his hat.
Inside, air was still warm, heated from the presence of cooling metal and released steam. The wall hadn't been closed again, and Escaflowne sat, still and quiet. There was no light in the gemplate at its chest.
At that, Dryden felt an irrational relief. The text and Van's casual comment in the courtyard had stirred a worry again that uncoiled at the proof of the machine's dormancy. "Now," he said after one last glance at the machine, and turned towards the doorway again. "To keep it like that."
The conference with the mastersmith was brief but productive. The burley man had expressed his pride an honor to work on the guardian-god most prefusely, to the point of refusing payment or commission. The immediacy of the request posed didn't even stir a mild protest.
With a weariness and misgivings at the trust and attention placed on the guymelef he could no longer bring himself to think of as benevolent, Dryden made his way back to the castle grounds, with as much reluctance as that he felt in parting the company of the group. He still had one, less pleasant duty to perform.
THE END OF PART 27!