This fan fic makes reference to the Escaflowne movie AND t.v. show, plus ideas of my own(duh). Please be fair in criticisms. Post any in the guestbook. If you wish to post this on your own site, rather link this page to it and please ask before you do. Thank you. The link is for mp3's of music from the movie(found on the Tsubasa no Kami site), but I would appreciate(and so would the webmistress of the Tsubasa no Kami) if you would not download them. You may listen to them in order to get the feel of the story, but if you wish to HAVE the songs, do as every honest fan of anything would do: buy CD's! Also, visit the second link to see the fan art made for this fanfic. There will be areas in this story where people will be speaking telepathically. Like thought areas, these will be in Itallics.
Whoo! I posted my fanfic on FanFiction.net, and by doing so, I have recruited yet another member for WhiteMagick Studios. Her screen name is Shinguji Sakura-chan, and she wrote the most hilarious reviews. They are listed in order from chapter 1 onward in yellow.
Chapter 1
Hmm. Not much to say yet, since the plot isn't all laid out yet. I'll leave it at this--Interesting; I look forward to seeing how the plot will unfold in future chapters.
Chapter 2
Reading and reviewing at the same time...
Well, how was she supposed to know he was royalty? Hitomi did the same thing!
I think your idea about Gaea being discovered between Neptune and Pluto (or wherever it was...) is terribly creative. I've never seen anyone do THAT before.
Hooray for short people!
They could wear veils to cover their hair. Mirana had a veil-like garment in the Palas bazaar.
Hey, Van knows her? Ooh, the transfusion thing was a cool idea.
*Throws a bucket of cold water on Van* Cool it, dude! You two just met! Sort of...um...well, you know what I mean! *Throws another bucket on for good measure*
Oh! Blue hair! Cross-dresser! Blue hair! Cross-dresser! *Huggles Elijah* Sorry 'bout that! *Pulls out towel and dries drool off Elijah*
*Whacks Elijah* Keep your hands where they belong! *Throws a bucket of water on him too* Hey, you two just met too! *Throws another bucket of water on Elijah*
This chapter was a far improvement from the first. Much more interesting. ^_^
Chapter 3
Okie-dokie, here we go! *Throws another bucket of water on Van just 'cause I don't like him*
At least CHRISTINA has some sense of decency! *Waves harison threateningly at Van* Keep them wandering hands under control, boy!
Nincompoop. I love that word. Nobody ever uses it anymore.
Van, you wimp! *Sticks tongue out at Van* (I still haven't been able to forgive him for killing the Ryuugekitai...hey, is Dilandau gonna pop up in here at all? Is he? Is he? Is he? *bounce bounce*)
I don't think Christina and Van did anything wrong or immoral that night. He needed comfort, she gave it, in a not-sexual way.
Okie, I'm still confused about Christina's connection with Gaea. Could you explain what's going on? Stupid Sakura, so dense...you probably said it and I just forgot.
Oh, Elijah's from another planet?! *Drool* You can't have him, Melanie, he's mine! *Pounces on Elijah*
Whe! There's another chapter up already! *scampers off*
Chapter 4
Celena the Royal Guard! Yea! But...Sakura want Dilandau back!
"Not all short-haired girls are from the Mystic Moon, Millerna. There could be a number of reasons for her having short hair." Perfect! That's right along with Mirana's thinking, the ditz. *Mutter mutter*
Elijah Esteban Lowell...what a cool name!
There Allen goes, letting loose that smile again. You'd better keep that smile on a leash, dude, or you'll be getting buckets of water just like everyone else!
Yeah, yeah! Let's go to Elijah's planet! Especially if there are more blue-haired cross-dressers like him!
*Mocking voice* Oh, of course, Mirana, they MUST be in style...blah blah blah...*rants for several hours about how stupid styles/trends are*
Ne, you switch tenses in the middle of this chapter...
*Dumps a bucket of ICE water on Elijah and whacks him with the harison* I TOLD you, dude, watch them wandering hands!
*Pulls out whip and addresses all the male characters* Okay, everybody listen up! The next person I see grabbing buttocks or genitalia or otherwise placing hands where they do not belong is gonna get it! *Snarls, bares teeth, and generally tries yet fails to be creepy and scary*
People really shouldn't let themselves get scared off by your Mary-Sue warning; this plot is quite interesting!!
A/N: The Phoenix Guardian's role:
M�lanie, the Pheonix Guardian in my story, has something to do with planet Senik (which is not Pluto, it's a planet close to Pluto. I can't remember what it's official name is, but it's still being debated as to whether it truly is a planet or not. It is a planet that exists.) I'm putting that the things we see in Fire Emblem (mainly Fire Emblem 7) happened several millenia ago, when our Solar System was a binary one. Meaning two suns. One went SuperNova, and shoved Senik far away, till it was in orbit around the sun we know, but so far from it that it's as cold as Pluto. However, the technology being more advanced than ours, even then (this was a few centuries ago, LONG after the events in Fire Emblem 7 take place [obviously after, because there is NO electricity seen in Fire Emblem]), they were able to see the other sun slowly degrading, and created domes to protect the people. It started with a dome per village, then per territory, then per country. Now there are tunnels connecting each dome, therefore each country. But they have special suits so that they can explore outside the domes when necsessary. This will be very important to know for a story which Sorakh is working on.Also, due to their advanced technology, they have been able to partially cloak their planet. In otherwords, we, with our less advanced technology, are unable to see that there are life forms on this planet. Plus, think about this: The Voyager Spacecraft observation sattelites never picked up on this planet before. Did the people of Senik want to found suddenly?
The Tsubasa no Kami's role:
Coming soon!
Tsubasa no Kami and Phoenix Guardian
A girl with a blue knee-high skirt and black strap top stood on the bleachers. She also had a transparent blue shirt with only one button that fastened at the area of her collarbone. Her brown hair stopped just below her ears. Her name was Christina, and the bleacher she was on was facing a soccer field.
Christina watched the runners on the soccer field. She missed being on the team, though she wouldn�t admit it. She just wanted to fade away. She couldn�t see any reason for being. What did she have to live for, even if she hadn�t dropped out? No boyfriend, no career choice, nothing. The most she had was her friend, M�lanie. She plopped down on the bleachers and sat facing away from the field, so that she was facing the length of the board she was on. She took out her Tarot cards, and dealt them out in Celtic cross fashion. This was her favourite draw, and the most precise, since it required many cards to be drawn. When she was done, it looked something like this:
1.Her in the current situation
2.(lain horizontally on no.1)Positive forces helping or obstacles blocking
3.Message from her higher self
4.Preoccupations of her subconscious
5.Past events influencing the now
6.State of relationship with others
7.Psychological state
8.Unseen forces influencing situation
9.Hopes and/or fears
10.Outcome of the matter
The Magician reversed: Deception, loss of direction, dampened senses. That sounds like me, all right.
Christina put her cards back in their box and put the box in her book bag. She looked up at the sky, and saw the full moon. A rare sight for mid-afternoon. Then, she thought she saw something else near the moon. It looked like a replica of earth. But as suddenly as it had come, it disappeared. Strange.
�Hey, Chris!�
She turned, and saw M�lanie running towards her.
�Hey, Mel.�
�Why are you always being so glum? Cheer up, will ya?�
Christina looked at her friend. Always so positive, so optimistic. She then looked down her own front to look at the heart-shaped locket she had. She had had it since she was little, but she couldn�t remember where she got it. Her parents and any other relatives she asked swore they hadn�t given it to her. She couldn�t even open it. Sometimes, late at night, she had visions of herself as a little kid, along with a boy her age. The boy had messy dark hair, and was wearing a red tank top with off-white shorts. There was another one, but older, with blue-grey hair. He looked about the age she was now. Sometimes, random thoughts accompanied these visions. When she would see the two boys together, the word brother came to mind. There was also a beautiful woman whom she assumed to be the boys� mother. Long blonde hair, with an angelic air of grace and gentleness. Once, she saw herself with a needle in her arm, and a red fluid flowing through a tube connected to the needle. And there was one where she was in a bed with the pretty woman sitting on the side of the bed, and Christina had the distinct feeling of pain. Her back ached horribly; there was wetness on her face. She was crying. Then suddenly, the pain was gone, and the pretty woman�s face was full of shock. Nothing after that. The only other thing she remembered was a song. A sweet, enchanting song that the pretty woman would sing to help her fall asleep. A song in a strange language she couldn�t understand.
�Hey, Chris! Stop wool gathering, will ya? I said I have something to tell you.�
�Huh? Oh, sorry, Mel. I was just thinking.�
�What about? How you miss being on the track team but won�t admit it?�
�That�s not true.� She did miss it, but she wouldn�t tell anyone. Not even Mel.
�What did you want to tell me?�
�Something I saw on the Internet. There was a new planet discovered.�
�I thought I had already told you that.�
�No, not on the other end of the solar system near Pluto. It�s between Earth and Mars. And it�s inhabited, too. They�re trying to design a new spacecraft so that they can go meet the inhabitants. They decided to call it Gaea, since it looks a lot like earth, but not the same geographical formations. You did know that Gaea is another name for Earth, right?"
�Whatever. If they find little green men like what people thought was on Mars, the press are gonna have a field day. Who�s working on it?�
�Well, Canada, Japan, China, Russia and France are working together to make one that should be ready to have a crew complement of 5, one person from each country, in two years. But the U.S. and England are trying to get one done for next year.�
�Wow. Just like with the attack on Iraq. U.S. and England hand in hand, and the rest say bad idea. Except this time it�s a race.�
�Yeah, something like that. Wanna go for a milkshake or something?�
�Yeah, okay. How about we go walk in the woods after? I feel like getting away from traffic for a bit.�
�Sure.�
A little later, a vanilla milkshake in Christina�s hands and a chocolate in M�lanie�s, the two girls were walking in the woods that separated their school�s area from the maintenance yard where school buses were brought for repairs and check-ups. The woods were peaceful, and there was a certain clearing where there was a kind of carpet of soft green moss covering the entire area of the clearing. They sat down on the carpet, sipping their milkshakes.
�Christina, what were you thinking of awhile ago?�
�Something that happened when I was little, but can�t really remember completely.�
�A traumatising thing?�
�No. Not really, anyway. There were two boys. One my age, and the other one who was as old as I am now. And a woman. A woman who looked like a goddess. I think she was their mother. And she would sing a song to help me fall asleep.�
�How much of the song can you remember?�
�Not much. Which makes sense since it was a long time ago, and it�s in a strange language. It doesn�t matter, anyway.�
�Chris, you�re always being so distant.�
�Yep.�
�Chris!�
�What?�
�Your locket!�
Christina looked down. The tiny pink stone in the middle was glowing brightly. Then, a bright cylinder of white light surrounded the clearing, enveloping her and M�lanie. The clearing disappeared from sight, and then Christina saw images flash in her mind. A girl with shorter hair than her own, in a kind of school uniform. The girl disappeared. She then saw a bright light, pure energy, it seemed, split in two, and entered two separate babies. Then the two babies changed: one was herself, the other was the girl in uniform. Then she saw the girl crossing a street, a car skid out of control. The girl was hit. The light came out of her, then, and she saw herself again. The light entered her body. It was like one soul split and then came back together when the other girl died. Christina saw the boy with black hair, but he was older. He was hugging the schoolgirl, who was alive in this vision. He had the same kind of shirt, but long pants instead of shorts. Then he was in the air. He was wearing no shirt, but had white wings out and was carrying the other girl�s body. He was crying, hard.
She saw his brother, also with no shirt but with black wings and a metal arm. His hair was now totally grey. He slashed an old man, struck again, but hit something other than the man. Something hard that broke the sword and sent a piece in his direction. He was wounded. She saw him lying on the floor, a pool of blood around him. Then she knew sweet nothingness.
***
Van Fanel sat on the grass at the edge of a lake. The reconstruction of Fanelia was almost finished. As he watched the sun�s reflection on the lake, something brighter appeared. A cylinder of light. He jumped up, hopefully. Hitomi! He thought, No, Hitomi�s dead. But, who could this be? Suddenly childhood images flashed through his mind. His brother and himself playing with a girl his age. A girl with shoulder-length, chestnut hair. A girl landed in the water in front of him, and once she realised she was in water, she swam for shore. Another girl appeared in the middle of the lake, but she didn�t seem to realise where she was. She simply sank.
�Christina!!!� the first girl yelled.
Van swam out to where the girl had disappeared. He took a deep breath, and dove. There was ample light under water, but he couldn�t see the girl. How far had she sunk? Then, he saw her figure struggling futily to get to the surface, but she didn�t have enough air to do so. He swam to her, grabbed her arm, and pulled her to the surface. They both took a deep breath when they broke the water�s surface, but the girl was so weak she very nearly fell under again. Van managed to keep her head afloat, and brought her to shore. The girl lay down on the grass and started taking deep, heavy breaths.
�Mel� bag� inhaler��
The first girl looked around, and stopped her gaze on a black bag. She ran towards it, and brought it to the half-drowned girl, who started digging through its pockets to pull out a thick turquoise disc-type thing. She put her thumb in a curve which interrupted the circle of it, and pushed it around till a kind of mouthpiece emerged. There was a small click, and the girl put the mouthpiece in her mouth. She pulled back a trigger, and took a deep breath from the little object. A few minutes later, she was breathing better. Van was confused, but the girl looked almost exactly like the small child in the mini-vision he had had.
�Would you two please tell me who you are?�
***
Christina first became aware of the boy, looked at him, and gasped. The boy from her dreams. Her first thought was Oh My God. Her second one was, He�s Hot. Her third one was, I�d Better Answer Or He�ll Think I�m a bakka.
�My name is Christina, this is my friend, M�lanie. And you are?�
�I am called Van. I am king of this country: Fanelia.�
�Uh� I�m in the presence of royalty?�
�Well, yes.�
Christina felt so embarrassed. Royalty, and she hadn�t even tried to be respectful. She got up, and bowed before him.
�Oh, you don�t have to do that. You�ll be my guests for as long as necessary.�
�Necessary?� Mel said hesitantly
�Well, until we can send you back to the Mystic Moon. That is where you�re from, right?�
�Actually, we�re from earth. What planet is this?�
�Well, we call it Gaea. For some reason, no one on earth can see it.�
�Uh, actually, it was discovered recently. And people are trying to build a spaceship to get here and visit to see what species inhabit it. New ones, or ones we find on earth. That kind of thing.�
�Well, you�ll find a bit of both. There are humans, of course. But there are also creatures called cat-people. They�re like humans, but they have fur, tails, fangs, and their ears are placed at the same place as humans, but they�re made differently. And they have claws.�
Christina decided not to be left out of the conversation.
�I have two cats at home, but they are just cats. They walk on four paws, and their ears are on top of their heads. And they�re small enough to pick up. They don�t talk or anything, but they have their own ways of telling me things. If I�m petting them and they like it, they purr. If they prefer to be left alone, they start moving their tail. If they come to me for attention, they�ll stroke themselves against my leg. My cats are pretty affectionate, but one of them just hates being picked up. So I tend to just pet her as she passes by, or if she�s lying down somewhere. I talk too much, don�t I?�
�No, I find it interesting. What are their names?�
�Griselle is the one who hates being picked up, and Mistigrette tolerates it.�
�Um, can we go dry off? I'm starting to feel cold.�
Christina and Van turned towards M�lanie
�Sorry, Mel. I guess I got carried away.�
�I can get you some clothes to wear while these ones dry up. There was another girl from the Mystic Moon who used to visit and I had some clothes from here put away for her so that she wouldn�t stand out. They look like they�d be a perfect fit for you, Christina. But your friend is a bit short. They might be too big for her.�
�Oh, that�s okay your majesty. I don�t mind.� Mel seemed to be rather taken by Van, but Christina felt something more. Being with him made her feel so comfortable. Like she had before.
I�ve been with him before. That�s why. But there�s something else. It�s like there�s a bond between us. But how? I haven�t seen him since I was a little girl. Why do I feel this way?
The three kept silent on their way to the castle.
***
Van was right. The clothes were a perfect fit. Almost like they were made for her. It was a beautiful dress. A lavender purple with sky blue pleats and a matching blue sash. The dress was a backless. Christina felt almost like she was royalty herself. But she quickly shook the idea out of her head. She left the room, which Van had arranged for her, to see M�lanie coming out of hers.
�I knew they would be too big, but this is ridiculous.�
Mel�s dress, white with pink pleats and sash, was long enough that M�lanie could sweep the floor just by walking.
�Here. Use the sash to tie it up higher, like a belt.�
Christina helped M�lanie to tuck some of the skirt of the dress up under the waist part, and tied it tightly with the sash. She looked a little big, and she still had to hold up the hem a bit, but at least it wasn�t sweeping the floor much anymore.
�Van said to go to his study after we were done.�
�And, where is that?�
�Let�s try this way. If we get lost, we can ask for directions.�
Somehow, Christina was able to direct them straight to the study. Obviously, her subconscious had the �map� of the castle from when she was little.
She knocked, a little toc-toc-toc on the door, and a voice from inside said:
�Come in.�
Christina and M�lanie walked in. Van was sitting in a squashy armchair near a roaring fire.
�Please, sit down.� He indicated two other armchairs near the fire, so that the three of them surrounded it. The girls sat down, and Van closed an old-looking book he was reading.
�There�s going to be a royal gathering in Asturia next week, and I can�t leave you alone here, because I�m the only one who knows where you�re from, and I wouldn�t trust anyone else with the secret except for friends of mine who knew the girl who would come here, but they�re all in Asturia as well. However, there�s a boy our age who arrived on Gaea a few months ago, and I would trust him with my life. I�ve told him the whole story, and he could go in with one of you, while I�m with the other. His name is Elijah. He�s not from the Mystic Moon, but from another planet we have been having trade agreements with for a little while. It�s the last planet in the solar system. They have amazing technology that keeps them alive in the extreme conditions. Anyway, what do you think of the plan?�
�I think it works, but why can�t we just be your guests?�
�Because everyone except the people who know me well will think you�re both my mistresses. That would be harmful for your reputations, since you would be seen as whores. I�d be okay, because it�s apparently okay for a leader to have as many mistresses as he likes. But if it seems like you two are whores, Gecko men might try to get a hold of you. They kidnap girls and women to be sold as sex-slaves. But if it doesn�t look like you�re my mistresses, they�ll know not to touch you. How does it sound, now?�
�Like the best plan we�ve got. But what if we draw attention to ourselves? Are there many girls here with short hair?�
�Unfortunately, no. Not that short, anyway. But I�m sure we�ll think of something. M�lanie, Elijah is in the garden, so you can go meet him right away. I�ll be with Christina. Just go straight down the hall till you find a staircase, and go straight down. That�ll bring you to the entrance hall. Go behind the stairs, and you�ll see the doors that lead to the garden. I have some other things to discuss with Christina.�
M�lanie left, and Van turned towards Christina.
�I handed you the backless dress for a reason, which I�ll explain in a moment. But first, I need to ask: Do you remember coming here when you were little?�
�Just bits of images. Not much.�
�Do you remember having a sore back?�
�Yep. That was awful.�
�Do you remember having an injury before that, which you received when you first arrived?�
�No, but I remember having a needle in my arm, and something red was in a tube connected to the needle. It might have been blood. A transfusion, maybe?�
�Exactly. Your arm was broken, and the bone had broken right through, rupturing several arteries. You had a very rare blood type. AB-. However, both me and my brother had it. So they took some blood from me, a little more from my brother, since he was older, and made the transfusion as soon as your arm was sewn up. I know this because I�ve found my mother�s journals, and they talk about you. A week after, your arm was healed, but the bone was still fractured. One day, your back started aching. You said you remember that. My mother would stay up and tried all known ways to stop the pain, but it kept coming back. One day, wings sprung from your back. Afterward, you didn�t have any back pain. But you didn�t know what had happened to stop it and my mother didn�t tell you. Apparently, Folken knew as well. No one ever told me, probably because I was too young.�
�Whoa, stop for a minute. Wings? Like an angel would have?�
�Yes. My mother was a Draconian, and she passed it on to me and my brother. By using our blood for the transfusion, you became a Draconian as well.�
�Wha?�
�Now is the time to prove it. I handed you a backless, so that you could spread you wings without ripping your clothes. Give it a try.�
Christina found it too ridiculous to believe, but she figured she could at least try. She got up, and stood in a part of the room where there was lots of space. How do I do this? Are the wings in my back? Okay, lets try jerking my shoulder blades back fast and hard.
She did so, and she felt as though something was released from her. A marvellous feeling. Like when you have your legs folded up during a long trip and you finally stretch them when you get out of the car. She looked down, and saw a few white feathers on the floor. She somehow managed to flap her wings. She gave a huge flap, and it felt wonderful. It felt exhilarating.
�See? You look wonderful, Christina. Like an angel, if I may borrow the term.�
By this time, Van had walked around to be in front of her.
�Pull them back in, I want to show you something.�
Christina hunched her shoulders, and the wings went back in. Feathers were all over the place.
�Don�t worry. The whole kingdom knows I�m a Draconian. The servants will probably think they�re mine.�
Van led Christina out the main door, to a mountain. A grassy mountain with wild flowers. He led her halfway up, and after Christina had caught her breath, pulled off his shirt and spread his wings. Christina spread hers, Van took her hand, and helped her get into the air. They soared up high, and Christina felt pure ecstasy. Then, Van pulled her close to him, and kissed her. A soft, warm kiss. Christina felt high as the clouds, when they were only as high as the hill. This was what she was missing in life. The feeling of freedom, and love.
***
In the garden, M�lanie had found Elijah sitting on the edge of a fountain. He was staring at a kind of rose bush in front of him, but looked up as she approached. Her immediate thought was: Chris can keep Van, this guy is much better. He had blue hair, and was cross-dressed. Which M�lanie simply loved. And his eyes were a rare blue which made her even happier.
�I�m M�lanie. Van said that we�re supposed to be together for the royal gathering.�
�I�m Elijah. Daresay, I never expected to find such a beautiful girl in all the galaxy. The girls on my planet are okay, and I haven�t seen enough of Gaea to judge the ones here, but it would seem the best place to find one would be the Mystic Moon.�
He got up, took M�lanie�s hand in his, and bent forward to kiss it. It took M�lanie an immense amount of control not to giggle.
�Thank you, Elijah. We�d better get to know eachother to make sure we don�t foul up when we arrive in Asturia.�
�Excellent idea, Milady.� Oh�my�god. He�s treating me like a princess. And he�s hot. And a crossdresser to boot.
They talked, and talked, and talked for hours. M�lanie didn�t seem to mind that now and then he would steal a glance down her dress. He was hand-talking, and accidentally brushed her bosom more than once. She didn�t say a word, except when he asked her about herself.
�You know, M�lanie��
�Oh, please. Call me Mel. All my friends do.�
�Alright. Mel, I�ve never felt this comfortable with a girl before.�
He slowly leaned towards her while he talked.
�And, I really enjoy your company. And I think I�ve fallen in love with you.�
Here, her grabbed her from behind fast to pull her close. He kissed her passionately, with a hunger. She just let him be. Her head was spinning. She couldn�t think straight. It was just her and Elijah in a mass of emotions. When he pulled away, their cheeks were flushed, and their eyes full of passion.
�Elijah, I love you!�
They kissed again, and got up to walk towards the castle.
Poor Chris. I�m actually in love with my escort and he loves me. Hers will just be for show.
***
They were back on the ground, and Van was kissing her while rubbing his hands all over her.
He had always wanted to do this with Hitomi, but he didn�t have the chance. Here was someone else he loved, and he wasn�t gonna miss the chance.
***
Christina was feeling a bunch of emotions she thought only possible for people in romance novels. Suddenly, it felt as though her brain clicked on, and she pushed Van slightly so that he wasn�t kissing her anymore.
�What�s wrong?�
�I don�t think we should be moving this quickly. If we do this now, we might not like each other as much later. I love you, Van, and I�d like this to last.�
Van smiled.
�I understand.�
Christina smiled back. They got up and started walking back down the mountain.
***
The two couples got back at about the same time. The sun had set, and supper was laid out in the dining hall.
Christina had never tasted such wonderful food. M�lanie neither. They each sampled everything. The drink was wine, and while M�lanie took hers without hesitating, Christina was a little apprehensive. She leaned towards Van, and asked:
�This isn�t very strong, is it? It�s just that I never drank alcohol before.�
�Oh, no. I never have very strong drinks served here. And it�s not straight, there�s water in it, too.�
�Phew.�
Christina drank her wine, which tasted a bit like soda pop. She felt slightly light-headed after the meal, but she could still walk straight. The boys left the girls at the doors to their rooms, and then Van walked down the right hall, while Elijah took the left. As soon as the boys were out of sight, M�lanie followed Christina into her room, and the two sat on the bed.
�Chris. You�ll never believe what happened: I love Elijah and Elijah loves me. We even kissed.�
�Well, same thing for me. Van kissed me, and I honestly thought I would die of happiness.�
�Oh! Good. I was feeling bad cause I thought that for you two it was still only show.�
�Nope.�
Mel giggled, and got up.
�I better go to my own room, now. Night, Chris.�
�Night, Mel.� Thank God for that.
"Thank God for what, Mel?"
"I didn't say anything." Man. thought Christina. This is weird.
"Ohmygod!"
"What, Mel?"
"I heard you say something, but your lips didn't move!"
"What, are we telepathic?"
"Maybe. Maybe there's something about this place that brings out powers in people. Think something that's not easy to guess, and try to make me hear it." Elijah is butt-head nincompoop.
"He is not! Take that back!"
"Whoa! Mel! I was kidding! I just wanted to see if you'd hear it, remember?"
"Oh. Right. Isn't this cool? We can talk to eachother telepathically!"
"Definitely. Well, good night. I wanna talk about this after some good shut-eye."
"'Night."
And Mel left closing the door behind her.
Christina opened the closet which Van had said was at her disposal, and found a white nightgown which buttoned up to her throat and went down to her ankles.
She undid the zipper that led to the top of the small of her back in the back, and let the dress drop to the floor. She also removed the lingerie, and put it all in a box Van had said was for laundry, then pulled on the nightgown, walked toward the bed, and slipped between the sheets. She fell asleep relatively quickly, but woke up suddenly, because she thought she heard someone cry out. She got out of bed, and went out in the hall. Christina heard it again, coming from down the right hall, except she seemed to be hearing it with her mind, more than her ears. She walked quickly, stopping when she noticed guards in front of the very last door. They hadn�t seen her. She turned back, tried to keep in mind the number of doors between her room and the guarded one and went to her room. Christina forced out her wings, ripping a hole in the back of the nightgown, opened the large window, and jumped. She flew in the direction of the room, and when she stopped in front of what she hoped was the right one, she sighed in triumph. Trying her best to stay in the air without making to much noise, she silently opened the window, stood on the sill, retracted her wings, and stepped inside without a noise. Christina walked towards Van�s bed, and sat on the side. Van was still making sounds.
�Muh�Mother. Please�don�t�don�t cry. Mother.�
Oh. She should have guessed. Poor Van. His parents must be dead. Why else would he be king? If his parents were still alive, they�d be ruling instead. The fact that�s he�s king must mean that they�re both dead. Suddenly, the song his mother would sing simply came to mind, and she sang.
�Win dein a lotica
En vai tu ri
Si lo ta
Fin dein a loluca
En dragu a sei lein
Vi fa ru leshtai am
En riga lint..."
�Mother!� Van suddenly jumped forward and caught her in an embrace, and then cried in her shoulder.
�Shh, shh. It�s okay. I�m here."
Christina felt a little guilty as she whispered this, but then Van fell asleep, and his breathing was more regular. She felt better now that she was able to make him feel better. She laid him on his pillows, tucked him in, and walked back to the window.
Stupid guards. They didn�t even notice there was a second voice in the room. They probably fell asleep. Imagine if I was an enemy here to assassinate Van?
She stood on the window sill and spread her wings.
***
Van felt happy. His mother�s spirit had visited him, sung to him. He opened his eyes for moment, in time to see a winged figure fly away from his window. Then he fell asleep.
When he woke up the next day, and saw his window open, he was confused. Then he saw feathers around the window. Hadn�t it been a dream? And how could a spirit leave feathers?
Christina!
He jumped out of bed, ran out of the room, waking the guards with the ruckus, and ran till he was in front of Christina�s room. He went in without knocking, but without making a sound. Walking up to the bed, he could see the rip in her nightgown, exposing her back. Her window was open, too, and there were feathers around the bottom. His first thought was anger. How dare she impersonate his mother like that?! But then he remembered. She had said she loved him. He was probably crying in his sleep, which woke her up, and she could only think of one way to ease his sleep. She did it to help him. Because she loved him. Such a kind girl, and creative, thinking of something like that. Wait. How did she know the song? He�d ask her later when she woke up. Van went back to his room to get dressed, and then went to his study to continue reading his mother�s diaries.
***
When Christina woke up, she had totally forgotten the past night�s events. She put on a new dress, white with a yellow sash and pleats, also backless, and went to the study. She wanted to know more about Draconians, and the study was packed with books. Chances were she�d find something about them. When she got to the study and saw Van, she suddenly remembered what she had done. She felt her cheeks turn hot. She felt so ashamed. She had pretended to be his mother. A tear ran down her face, which she wiped away quickly. She cleared her throat, and Van looked up from his book.
�Christina! Good morning. Did you sleep well?�
�Very well. Thank you. Um, Van? I did something last night, and I feel really bad about it, so I think I should tell you.�
�Pretending to be my mother? I already figured that out. A spirit wouldn�t leave feathers, so I went to your room while you were still asleep, and I saw the rip in your nightgown.�
�Van, you have to understand." A steady stream of tears began to decend her face. "I just wanted to make you feel better. You seemed so upset, thrashing around in your sleep... �
�It�s okay, Christina." Van interrupted. He got up and wiped her tears. "The fact that you did that for me, proves that you care about me because you worried. The fact that you admitted it proves that you�re loyal and honest. Those are rare qualities, and you have them all." he kissed her then, a full kiss on the mouth, tongue and all.
"Thank you, Van."
"But I do have one question: How did you know the song?�
�The first few nights I was here, I was too homesick to sleep. Your mom would sing to me to help me fall asleep.�
�"Well, that explains it. I was still half asleep, though. Would you mind singing it again for me sometime?"
"That's a possibility."
"For now though, I should instruct you on how things are gonna be in Asturia. We have to make sure that no one notices you're not from Gaea. Shall we begin your, uh, 'lessons'?"
"Bring 'em on."
The week passed fairly quickly, but somehow, Christina managed to learn enough to be inconspicuous during the stay in Asturia. Elijah was teaching M�lanie at the same time, because she had to pretend to be from his planet.
***
M�lanie was pacing her room back and forth. The day had arrived. They were going to a royal gathering. She was expected to behave like a princess before all of Asturia, and during a high-class party. Luckily, when it was just her, Christina, Elijah, Van and Van's friends, she could 'take off her royalty mask' and such. During the week, when they weren't at 'princess lessons', Mel and Chris had gone through the wardrobe that had once belonged to Hitomi and chosen who would have which dresses so that Van could send the ones which Mel had picked to be altered to her size. M�lanie was looking out the window which overlooked all of Fanelia when Elijah walked up to her.
"Fanelia is beautiful, isn't it?" Mel said
"Yes, extremely. One would never find such beauty on my world. The natural state of the planet is too cold, since it's too far from the sun to get any real heat. It didn't used to be so far, though. No one knows what happened that changed the orbit. Anyway. I love coming here. It's almost like my sanctuary. Van is a most excellent host, and a great friend."
"Well, I don't know if you knew, but according to Christina, he's a great kisser, too."
"Oh, I knew about their little relationship. The first night, after we left you two at your rooms, Van gave signal for me to follow him. We went to his room and he told me about how he felt towards Christina, and it sounded as though he was describing a goddess. I told him how I felt towards you, and I probably gave the same impression."
Mel was swallowing his words as though they were the water of life. Then, not thinking about what she was doing, she jumped around his shoulders and pressed her lips to his.
***
Christina was sitting in the garden, having a tour of it with the gardener, Misha, along with Merle, whom had been visiting some friends in one of the small villages found in the woods, named Adom. She would be returning there for while Van and the others were in Asturia. Christina hadn't told Merle about her relationship with Van, because she had immediately gotten the impression that Merle was infatuated with him, due to the way she jumped into his arms when she first arrived.
"This is an apple rose bush. The reddest roses of all the species. We have a pink kind, too, right here called cat-nose rose. Do pardon the expression, Merle."
"Why would I mind such a pretty flower having a cattish name?"
"Of course. These blue ones over here are called fickleberry roses, for they produce the sour fruit in the autumn. Sour if taken straight off the bush, that is, but it is used to make pies, juices, and all kinds of pastries which actually taste quite sweet. I know a juice recipe actually. Perhaps I could show you how when you return?"
"I'd like that, thank you. My grandmother was a really good gardener, so I thank you for giving me this tour."
"Oh, no problem at all my dear girl. An old woman like me loves showing people the ways of her skills."
"Christina, can I talk to you for a minute?" said Merle
"Uh..."
"Oh, you two girls go on and have fun. I'll just be tending the Icoberry bush further on in back."
And she left.
"Christina, you do realise that Misha guessed you're from the Mystic Moon, don't you?"
"Well, how? Do I still stand out that much?"
"Not really, but Christina isn't a name found around on Gaea. She's really clever, plus she knew about Hitomi."
"Oh, shit. What am I supposed to do in Asturia? Use an alias? Hitomi is the girl that came here before, right?"
"You mean Lord Van didn't tell you about her?"
"Not really."
"Well, they fell in love near the end, but then they were seperated when Hitomi went to earth. She died last year. She got hit by something, I can't remember what it was. Something only found on the Mystic Moon. People use them to get around, I think."
"A car?"
"Yeah! That's it!"
"Poor Van. He lost his parents, his mentor, his brother, and the woman he loved."
"He tries to lead a happy life anyway. And having a new girlfriend helps matters."
"Huh?"
"Don't play dumb. I see the way you look at eachother. I don't really like it, But I'm willing to tolerate it, for Van's sake."
"Hey, there!" Christina turned to see Elijah and Mel standing on the steps leading out of the garden.
"Are you two girls done gossiping?" asked Elijah
"Christina, it's time to leave!" Mel shouted.
"On my way! Do I look okay, Merle? No dirt on the dress? I really shouldn't have come out in this dress, it's the one I'm wearing to go to Asturia."
"No, it looks fine. Hitomi would wear that one for important gatherings, too."
"You mourned for her, too, didn't you?"
"Yes. I didn't like the fact that Van wanted her instead of me, but she was very nice. I better go get ready, I'm going back to Adom. See you when you get back!"
"Bye, Merle."
Christina went into the castle, to see Van waiting at the front door, but M�lanie and Elijah were nowhere in sight.
"Mel and Elijah are already in the transport. The bags have been sent there, too. I came up with a story if anyone asks about your short hair: You were sick and had a bad fever, which resulted in your hair being cut so that it wouldn't be too heavy and make you perspire too much."
"Sound good."
"I'll tyr to think of a name between here and there. You'll know it because I'll use it to introduce you to the others."
Christina nodded in agreement.
She walked up to Van, and put an arm around the one he was offering.
***
A few hours later, when they arrived in Asturia, Mel was amazed. So many people. It was amazing. It was like a dream city. As they pulled up to the palace, Mel poked Christina awake.
"Hrm? What?"
"We're he-ere."
"Huh? Oh!"
She quickly got up and looked out the window at the palace. It was beautiful, but there was something about the one in Fanelia that was better than this one. She didn't know what. She just liked it better.
***
The transport stopped, Van stepped out and held his hand out to help Christina get down. Elijah did the same for M�lanie.
Queen Millerna and King Dryden were waiting to greet their guests, and at their sides were knights Allen and Serena. Van remembered the day that happened all too well. Though Serena was a girl, she had such superb fighting skill that Millerna had accepted Allen's request at making her part of the royal guard. Now that Zaibach had loste their grip on her, Van had become good friends with her, and almost felt like she was the sister he never had.
***
Queen Millerna watched Van approach and was puzzled to see him escorting a short-haired girl by the arm. She leaned toward her husband's ear.
"Dryden, do you think that girl might be from the Mystic Moon?"
"Not all short-haired girls are from the Mystic Moon, Millerna. There could be a number of reasons for her having short hair."
"You're right, just wishfull thinking, I guess. I was so shocked when Hitomi died, she was such a kind girl."
"Yes, but right now, we have to smile and look like we don't have a care in the world."
"Yes, the boring part."
As Van and Elijah walked up the stairs with their 'guests of accompaniement', they bowed and curtsied before their hosts.
"Welcome! Thank you so much for coming to Asturia. We hope you enjoy your stay in Palas."
"It is we who thank you for your gracious invitation. You have already met Elijah Esteban Lowell, from (?), this is lady, also from (?), her name is M�lanie. My lady is Michia. She is from the far east, and I will go further into depth on her background later."
As he said that she was from the east, he winked at Allen. Allen understood. He had said that hitomi was from the east when Dilandau had asked about where she was from 3 years ago at Allen's castle. Queen Millerna clearly realised something was going on, so she made haste to invite them inside.
"We shall first go to the study," she said "So we may catch up on old times."
Once in the study(more spacious yet less cosy than the one in Fanelia), she dismissed any guards and ladies of the court, and bade her guests to sit.
"Now, Van. What's going on?"
Allen let loose a small smile.
"The two ladies with him and Elijah are not from here or from Elijah's planet. They are from the Mystic Moon."
"What?"
"Yes." said Van "This is Christina, however this one's name really is M�lanie. They appeared in the lake. Christina nearly drowned. I couldn't just leave them at my castle, and I thought you might like to meet them."
"Well, why didn't you just use the energist to send them back?"
Van figured he might as well voice his concern at last.
"I'm not sure if the energist will work to send them back. Hitomi seemed to be a special case, but I'm not sure if it will apply to them. They could end up anywhere."
"May I make a suggestion?"
Everyone turned to Elijah.
"When I return to my planet, I could take them with me and arrange tranportation to bring them back to earth."
Everyone looked thoughtfull. Allen looked confused.
"Why can't you bring them back before returning to your planet?"
"Well, that's because of our enemy problem. I'm sure you are all aware that though Zaibach has left you pretty much in peace, they haven't been the friendliest people to us. If I go to earth with them before returning home, Zaibach might think we're up to something. However, I could go straight home, get a smaller ship that won't be noticed as much by their sensors, and come in from the part of earth furthest away from gaea. However, earth does have sattelite technology advanced enough that they'd pick us up if we stay in the atmosphere too long. We'd have to wait for a time when gaea is facing the part of the earth furthest away from the girls' country, so that we won't have to stay too long. Well, what do you think?"
"I think it's the best plan we've got." Everyone turned to M�lanie as she spoke.
After a prolonged silence, Queen Millerna spoke up.
"Well, if both the girls are in agreement, then that would close the discussion. Christina?"
Christina nodded. It sounded like a plan that could work.
"We'll just have you shown to your rooms so that you may rest for a bit and freshen up before tonight's ball and dinner." said Millerna at last.
***************************************************************************************************************************
Christina woke up from her nap. Millerna said she would help her and M�lanie pick out perfect outfits for the occasion, so Christina sat on the edge of the bed and waited.
M�lanie was woken up by a knocking on her door, and someone coming in, smiling at her.
"Sorry to wake you, M�lanie-sama. But Queen Millerna says that you and Michia-sama are to go to her room where she will have dresses for you to wear at the ball."
M�lanie's brain was operating in slow as she had just woken up, and she was about to ask who the hell was Michia when she remembered where she was. Michia was Christina's alias, and Queen Millerna obviously found it nescessary not to tell any of her servants the truth about where Christina and M�lanie were from.
"Okay, I'm getting up."
The smiling girl led M�lanie down the hall to Christina's room, knocked, and opened it.
"Michia-sama. Her majesty Millerna requests both you and M�lanie-sama to her room immediately to try on some dresses for the ball tonight."
"On my way."
Christina came out of the room and both girls followed the smiling girl down the hall to a set of stairs. Leading the way upward, the servant brought them to the floor above, and down a hall straight to a pair of large double-doors.
Millerna is at the entrance of a giant walk-in closet, and greets the girls enthusiastically.
"Oh, hello!"
"Hello, milady." Mel says back.
"Greetings, Milady" replies Christina with a slight bow.
"Pardon me, milady," Mel says with some uncertainty "but...I have a question."
"Yes? What would it be?"
"Forgive my rudeness, but what's wrong with the dresses we have already?"
Millerna seems to ponder for a moment, then turns to the servant girl.
"Seekya, leave us please."
Seekya turns around and exits the room, closing the doors behind her.
"Well, I went through the dresses you brought with you, and am sorry to say that, considering the fact that we have guests from Zaibach visiting, we will have to find you something better, because the dresses that were made for Hitomi were from two years ago, and fashions have changed slightly. We want to make sure that you're not out of place in the slightest. In fact, Chris- sorry, Michia, we'll have to fix your hair so that it doesn't show to be short."
Christina looked a little startled.
"Oh. Ok. I guess."
"In other words," added Mel "we need better dresses. But I have to present myself as a Senikan like Elijah, correct? Did Hitomi have a Senikan dress?"
Millerna looked thoughtful
"I...do have one that she wore once in a gathering..."
"Senikan dress..." said Mel, seeming to be in a dreamy state "I wonder how it looks?"
Millerna walks into closet, and walks out a minute later with two dresses. One is a silky pink, the other a rich, velvety blue.
"Oh..." Mel grabs takes the pink one "It's... oh, I'm speechless...Elijah will love me in this..."
"Mel and Elijah in a tree," Chris whispers behind Mel's back "k-i-s-s-i-n-g..."
"Actually, it would be F-r-e-n-c-h-k-i-s-s-i-n-g." corrects Mel.
Millerna raises a quizzical brow as she hands the blue dress to Christina, and Chris breaks the awkward silence.
"um, where would I go change?"
"Are you blind," inquires Mel "that you can't see the changing room in your face?"
"Oops." Christina says awkwardly, and blushes "I'll be right back."
"Seekya!" Millerna calls "you may come back now."
Once Seekya re-enters the room, Millerna gestures towards Christina.
"Could you help Michia?"
"Of course, Milady."
"Help?" asks Christina "with what?"
"With the dress, of course."
Christina blushes again.
"Okay." Christina goes into change room followed by Seekya
"Kekeke...Poor you..."
"Mel?" asks Millerna "If you would follow me into the bathroom, I will help you get into your dress."
"Of course...Woah. Are Senikan Princesses that pampered?
Later, both girls are in their new dresses, and Millerna has changed as well. M�lanie looks in a full-length mirror.
"I hope Elijah won't try and do something unprincly to me when I am in this dress..." "Mind talking a little louder Mel?" inquired Christina telepathically
"I'm not sure if Millerna heard you correctly. By the way, in case you couldn't tell, that was sarcasm. Meaning we have to behave like princesses and talk like them too, so cut down on the dirty talk."
Millerna leads the way upstairs to the main hall where Serena, Allen, Van, Elijah and Dryden are waiting. Elijah's eyes widen when he sees M�lanie.
"Milady M�lanie...your presence is as if the planet has stop turning to gaze upon you."
M�lanie surpresses a giggle, then each man offers their arm to their lady (minus Allen, he and Serena are bodyguards), and they walk into the ballroom.
"I see it is a very special occasion today." says M�lanie, trying desperately to start a conversation.
Elijah's face takes on a sombre look and explains.
"The current leader of Zaibach is here tonight as an honoured guest because tomorrow he is going to discuss non-agression treaties with me. I wouldn't trust him though. I wouldn't be surprised if his terms are completely unacceptable."
"Why the treaties?" asks Christina
"The Senikans are in desperate needs of energy to revive the lost King of Senik, Marth. He is Elijah's ancestor."
"Marth?" M�lanie thinks for a moment Haven't I heard of him before?
Elijah makes a semi-grab movement on Mel's butt and explains.
"He helped greatly in the wars of Caelin. I'll tell you all about it later."
"How interesting. I haven't learn about Caelin in years."
Elijah raises an eyebrow.
"You mean you've heard of Caelin?"
"Well, yes. I've read some of the latest technology made in Caelin."
"Oh. I see."
"Well? Shall we dance?"
Elijah smiles.
"I thought you'd never ask."
Elijah takes Mel's right hand in his left, and places his right hand a little lower than he should, while leading her in a revolving dance across the floor.
M�lanie pressed her head on Elijah's chest.
"Elijah...May this dance last a life time!"
Van clears his throat uncomfortably.
"Well...shall we imitate them?"
"Of course." Christina replies.
She places her hand in his, and he gets in a similar position to Elijha, except that he behaves a little more princely and simply has his hand on the small of her back.
"The stars are shining for us, so the dragons may not harm this world." Mel says, as though reciting a poem.
"You did know that Van, being a Draconian, is of the Dragon people, right?" Elijah says in her ear.
"Mamkutes are not like the dragons I speak of. Draconians, half-dragons...they understand humans. Not like the ones I have spoken of."
"Um... let's just dance. You can explain all of this to me later."
"Well...I need some time alone. Just...to get this all together of what is happening right now."
"I can't let you go off on your own. There's the danger of Gecko men."
"Huh?" Mel thought she heard something, then she hears it again, more clearly, and saw a brief image of a knight standing on the balcony. M�lanie...
"Elijah, did you see what I saw?" Mel asks as she forces Elijah to stop revolving.
"What did you see?"
"I saw a knight there! On the balcony...he spoke to me...did you see him?"
Elijah looks at her worriedly.
"I think you're a little stressed. Let's get you a drink to help you unwind." Saine
"I believe you're right. Perhaps I am simply imagining things..."
Elijah leads her to a seat, and grabs her a glass of champagne from a passing caterer.
"Thank you." she says after a sip. "But I must say, that knight reminded me of...you."
"You might wanna talk about this later when we can be alone. People might hear and get the wrong idea."
"Hmmm...perhaps." and she sips her champagne silently, while thinking. Who was he? He was so...dashing. Like a Prince, or a King.
Then, when she looks at Elijah again, she is shocked by what she sees.
"Elijah? You look very pale."
"Just a little tired, I guess." and he grabs another glass of champagne from another caterer and tries to drink it slowly.
"Hmmm..." I hope she's not refering to Him... thinks Elijah. Marth, my Lord...what do you see in this girl?
"Elijah, excuse me, but I'm going to get some air on the balcony, and I'd rather be alone."
M�lanie rises and goes to the balcony, mercifully devoid of anyone else, and sits on a bench in the far end of it, trying not to be seen by anyone inside the ballroom. Saine...
"Who are you?" M�lanie asks. Saine...
"Saine? Is that your name?" No. Then the image of the knight appears again. I am Marth Lowell.
"Marth...Lowell? Are you Elijah's ancestor?" Elijah... yes. I am his ancestor.
"You are? ...How can you speak to me?" You are the Pheonix Guardian. You will aid the Tsubasa no Kami when her strength wavers.
"Phoenix Guardian?" M�lanie's eye begin to glow amber "Is that...Saine?" Yes. Marth-sama..." her eyes are now pupilless and red "Where are you?" In the spirit world.
Yubiwa isn't mentioned in the story, but it could be nice for romance scenes. S�ra is mentioned throughout the story here and there. Black Escaflowne would be good for danger and fight scenes.