From:   [email protected]
Date: Mon Jan 1, 2001 12:54pm
Subject: A Silver Feather Ch. 5


~ I finally got this chapter out! This last week has been sooo 
hectic. I hope this chapter helps explain a few things. I understand 
that some people are confused. Sorry! Please review! I'm beginning to 
think no one's reading this!

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne.

A Silver Feather Caried on the Winds of Fate
By: Penybright
Chapter Five
	
        Later that evening, Maureyn found herself wandering the vast 
halls of the palace looking for her brother. To her, every hall 
looked the same, immense columns of stone and marble. The torches in 
the wall sconces cast eerie, flickering shadows as they sputtered and 
crackled. Maureyn spotted Van as he turned around a corner, and 
quickly followed in pursuit. She snagged the sleeve of his shirt, 
causing Van to stop in his tracks. He turned to see who had bothered 
him, and saw his sister looking at him sternly.
	"This place is a labyrinth. I've been wandering around for 
hours looking for you!"
	"Why?" Van asked simply. Maureyn opened her mouth to say 
something, then shut it. She sighed and tried again, this time 
succeeding.
	"Do you know where I can find Allen?"
	Van quirked one eyebrow up in questioning amusement. Maureyn 
sighed again and hit Van playfully on the shoulder.
	"Just answer my question, please."
	"Tell me why you want to see him, and I'll tell you," Van 
countered.
	"I want a rematch," Maureyn stated solemnly.
	"What!?! Why would you... Are you insane?"
	"Maybe a little, but that's beside the point. I believe a 
rematch is justified. There is no way I could have won that easily 
against him. He was holding back. I'm not sure why, and that's his 
own business. I just want a rematch."
	"Maureyn," Van sighed, "can't you just let this go?"
	"No."
	"Maybe you did win. You yourself told me that you're used to 
handling a much heavier blade. Maybe..." Van trailed off when he saw 
Maureyn shaking her head grimly. "If you want a rematch, it will have 
to wait. Allen returned to Asturia with Serena."
	"Very well," Maureyn nodded. "Goodnight, brother," she said 
softly, turning and walking back to her own room. Van shook his head 
as he watched his sister disappear down the shadowy hall. He rubbed 
his temples and with a tired sigh, retreated to the sanctuary of his 
room. 
	Once the door was shut behind him, Van allowed his posture to 
slip. He made his way over to a large, plush leather chair, sinking 
into it. Tilting his head back, he looked up at the ceiling, studying 
it. There was a motif of intricate scrolls and lines meshed together 
in a complex design. Just looking at it made Van dizzy, so he turned 
his attention  to the rest of the room. 
	To his left was the door he had just entered through, and to 
his right was the door to his bedchamber. In the corner sat a large 
wooden desk piled with parchment and odds bits. A high-back chair 
apolstered in dark green velvet sat before the desk. Van took one 
look at the desk and groaned. There was so much that had to be done 
yet, and on top of everything else war was approaching. Van ignored 
the rest of the plush furniture scattered about the room, and went to 
his well earned rest.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
	Maureyn slipped quietly into her dark room, reaching over to 
light the small lamp found on a table beside the door. She looked in 
awe at the splendor around her. She still couldn't belive that she 
was a princess.
	"Royalty. Not a word I commonly associate myself with," she 
mumbled, sitting down on her bed. One week. She had one week to 
prepare for her coronation and presentation to the populous.
	"I can't belive this is happening to me. Why did my parents 
abondon me? How did I end up on a totaly different world? And what 
does all this have to do with my destiny?" Maureyn asked the 
unresposive wall. "Why me?" she sighed.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
	Van tossed an turned fitfully in his sleep. His dreams were 
plagued with scenes of death and horror. The ashes of cities burning 
in hellish flames assaulted his vision. Cries of pain and horror 
bombarded him as he struggled against his nightmare. Everything was 
so vivid, it seemed almost real. His mind screamed out for the 
torture to end, and surprisingly it did.
	Everything became cool, and a sense of peace settled over him.
	"Van."
	Van turned to identify the speaker, and discovered his mother 
standing before him.
	"Mother?"
	"Yes Van, it's me."
	"Why are you here mother?" Van asked, bewildered.
	"I have come to tell you some things that you should know."
	"Maureyn," Van stated. Varie nodded.
	"She is your sister, and a great responsibility rests on her 
shoulders."
	"Why didn't you ever tell me I had a sister?"
	"It was not for you to know at the time. She was sent away 
for her own protection."
	"I understand," Van replied, though he really didn't.
	"Watch over her well, my son. She is headstrong and stubborn. 
Maureyn will do anything to accomplish her goal, and that is what I 
fear," Varie said sadly. "Sleep well, Van," she whispered, and was 
then gone.