From: Leviathan Cross  [email protected]
Date: Sun Sep 24, 2000 4:09pm
Subject: Of Heaven & Hell (3/?)


Hello once again,

      Well here's part 3, sorry it's a short one once again, but a 
part is a part.  And please, I hate to beg for feedback, but I would 
like to know how I'm doing. Am I totally destorying the feeling Esca 
gives off? Does something not make sense? Please tell me.

**********************************************************
**
 Uteri sat upon a rock drawing in the sand of the cavern with the tip 
of her sword.  None of the men had approached her after her 
conversation with the being that lay behind the ring which was now 
empty.

Osaka had decided to think her options through before making her
first 
wish.  The Zaibach Empire had been everything to her, her life, her 
reason for being� and now it lay in shambles.  She remembered the 
anger she felt when one of her men had been cut down by 'the white 
dragon' during one of the last battles of the Great War. Not because 
she had any real affection for her charges, but because they were 
hers. She would be the one who was to decide if they lived or
died� 
not that snot-nosed brat, Van Fanel.

She drilled her sword harder into the ground as her rage took over.  
She needed something to cool her off. " Thaysis! Bring me a bottle of 
wine!" she ordered.

The man scurried to perform the task given to him. A few seconds
later 
he returned with a bottle and glass in hand.

Uteri snatched up the bottle paying no mind to the glass. She 
proceeded to rip the cork out with her teeth and take a swig of the 
bitter liquid.

It was obvious what she had to do.  Uteri couldn't exact her revenge 
without a plan� unfortunately planning wasn't one of her strong
suits. 
 There were three components that had always made up the Zaibach 
Empire; the brains, the brawn and the power.

The power once been in the hands of Emperor Dornkirk� but he was
gone 
now and a new source of power had been placed in her hands� but
power 
was useless without direction. She needed the other parts of the 
Empire, but they were now out of her reach�

The brains� Folken Strategos� was gone.

The brawn� Lord Dilandau� was gone.

Suddenly an idea struck her.  She turned to the ring behind her, her 
eyes glistening� maybe not�

************************************

Van sighed as he used his hand to prop up head.  This is what he left 
Hitomi for?  The petty squabbles that went on among some of the court 
of the reconstructed Fanelia were many and unimportant. 

His newly appointed generals were arguing amongst themselves about
how 
some trade routes had become ineffective and just slowed the progress 
of others which needed more attention.

This had been the third time this issue had come up and every time it 
had ended the same. The four men would start just a friendly 
conversation about Fanelia's economy, the conversation would escalate 
into debate, when they couldn't reach an agreement they would seek
out 
the King and drag the boy into the argument.  The main problem was 
that after they took him from what he was doing they would continue
to 
argue as if he wasn't even there. Every time he tried to suggest 
something the men would just keep talking as if he hadn't said 
anything in the first place.

It was quite infuriating for the young King. 'If they didn't want my 
opinion, why did they ask?' he thought. Usually when his opinion was 
ignored he would make his annoyance to the situation know, but
today� 
he just didn't care, sooner or later they would grow tired of the 
bantering and leave as if nothing had taken place. 

Van turned his gaze to temple that lay just outside the palace walls, 
the building that housed the sleeping Escaflowne and his brother who 
had past away a little over a year ago was beautiful and majestic.

'They both deserve that resting place,' Van thought sadly.  True, he 
would hate to have to reawaken Escaflowne because of a war but 
Escaflowne was more than a suit of armor� it was a link to his
love 
Hitomi.

Then there was Folken� his dear brother.  Yes he had belonged to
the 
Zaibach but had redeemed himself through his actions.  Van's heart 
ached when he thought that he never got to tell Folken that he was 
proud of him� that he forgave him.

Van's eyes started to mist over at the thought of his lost brother
and 
distant love Hitomi. He willed the tears not to fall. ' I need to get 
some air,' he thought to himself.

He pushed himself up from his seat and made his left the conference 
room.  The generals didn't even notice his departure. 
  
*********************************************
TBC...

~Leviathan~

P.S. Thanks to everyone who answered my question, I needed that info 
for the next part. Thanks again ;)