GAIA: Tales After The War of Destiny
A Vision of Escaflowne Fanfiction
by Derry [email protected] (Email the author!)
Disclaimer: Characters that you don't recognize are my creation but the
rest are owned by Sunrise, TV Tokyo and the creator of The Vision of
Escaflowne.
Kami-sama, Esukafuroune to Kawamori Shouji tame ni arigatou
gozaimashita!
To the readers: otanoshimi ni! For those who have read this before, note
that I have made some slight changes in the story. Phrases in between
square brackets like this [ ] are expressed as thoughts. Flashbacks are in
between these brackets << >> .
**********
Memories
[So many people...] wondered Careia as she looked at the
bustling people that went about their business, preparing for the annual
festival that celebrated the day that the divided villages had formed into
one country called Asturia. The air was filled with laughter, the heavy
scent of anticipation filling her nostrils like incense.
She tore her thoughts away from the coming festivities as she
stood in her uniform, knowing that soon, she was to don the clothes of a
Heavenly Knight of Asturia. She had come a long way for her to be what
she was about to be, and the thought made her look to the sun. The
window to her small room, which was on the west side of the chapter
house, invited the orange orb's dying rays within, reminding her of a day
like it almost two years ago.
<<"Careia!" called Lavie. "Don't you forget your promise!
Don't you forget me, okay?"
<<"No! I won't forget my promise!" she shouted back.
<>
"Thinking deep thoughts, Cerin?" a voice interrupted her
reverie.
Cerin. That was the name she took up upon entering Asturia's
borders. The first time she arrived, most of them had automatically
referred to her as a 'he', seeing immediately her trousers and the sword at
her hip. She had known what to do when she got to Asturia: she wanted
to be a knight, a position where her former skills would be used to the
fullest. She had been fully confident that her past affiliations would not
be found out and so quickly established a few connections that would
help her get into Asturia's ranks. They just assumed that the newcomer
was male and "Cerin" was born. Well, she rather preferred things to be
this way.
Yet despite her good life in Asturia, Careia still felt wary with
her fellow soldiers. So when Balthos entered that day, Careia turned, her
hand reflexively reaching for the sword at her hip. She was so engrossed
in her thoughts that she did not hear the Knight Commander who stood
by the doorway come in. She abruptly straightened and greeted formally
the older Knight.
"Good evening, Lord Balthos."
"No need to be formal, young man," he said as he waved his
hand at her greeting and motioned his right hand in permission to come
in. Careia nodded. The Knight Commander left the door slightly open
and declined the seat she offered him.
"May I ask what occupies your thoughts as you look at the
sun?" Lord Balthos asked the squire.
"Just memories, sir," she replied simply.
"For a young man, you brood too much. While the others go
out to drink and have their share of women, you stay here in your room,
reading all these books," he said, making a sweeping motion with his
hand on the small but book-filled shelf that stood on her small desk. A
chair was neatly placed in front of it. A small bed sat on the left of the
table, and beyond the former was a short wooden closet with its intricate
carvings. "For a Knight-to-be, you, by far, are the most different that I
have met."
Careia tilted her head slightly sideways. "Different, my Lord?
How am I different from those who have been in your command, sir?"
The Knight Commander was an imposing man. He had a
sturdy build that intimidated most people but his eyes were that of a man
who had seen enough death to be weary of it. His brown hair, which was
cut short, was only marred by streaks white at his temples. The man
looked at her intently and said, "Let us not talk here, Cerin. I have some
things to tell you from the Queen and I think we should talk as we go."
"All right, sir," answered Careia. She followed the man out of
the room, her left hand resting on the hilt of her sword. She closed the
door to her room behind her as they entered the hallway. It was filled
with light from the setting sun--the building had been designed in such a
way that was very much like a two-storey square building. Looking
beyond the chapter house's rooftops, Careia saw a glimpse of the castle
not too far away.
"Cerin," the man began. "I must confess that when you arrived
here almost two years ago, I didn't believe you would make it this far. At
that time, I already judged you as one who would not rise to be a
Heavenly Knight. However," he paused, his eyes narrowing, "it seems
my good judgment has failed me this time."
"And now, sir, does that make me different from the others,
sir? Aside from my different habits?" Careia returned quietly with
respect.
The man glanced at her as they turned the corner and went
down a flight of stairs. "To be honest, Cerin. You are probably the
smal--um... most lithe among all the men here. You are not exactly what
many men would call ideal to be a knight but your bravery and
determination changed that. When you came here, you have proven
yourself skillful with the sword and with a guymelef. We do not know
much of your past--that you have kept to yourself and we have not
pressured you to tell us. In a country ran by the economy, where you
came from does not really matter as long as you do not make trouble."
They walked across the yard and into the doorway that led
towards the castle. Careia remained silent. Even as he said those words,
she heard the unspoken request about her past. She guessed what he
wanted to know but he was not sure whether she would tell him or not.
Lord Balthos was a fair and just man but he was thoroughly Asturian.
Before the war, he had been a merchant _and_ a Heavenly Knight of
Asturia. He fought in the War of Destiny and even lost a son because of
it. For a man who had lost a son to a Zaibach soldier, yet was still able to
accept one who might have been from enemy ranks... that took a rare
kind of goodness. Many of the men in the chapter house had suspicions
from where she might have come from but refrained from asking out of
friendship. But even then she was not sure if the Knight Commander or
her comrades would understand the things that one day she might need to
tell: her former duties under the Zaibach empire or even the truth about
her gender.
Telling Lord Balthos even one of her secrets would
immediately disqualify her from becoming a Heavenly Knight--and that
was the last thing she wanted. Careia knew nothing else that might put
her skills to the fullest except work for their Royal Majesties as a
Heavenly Knight, or if need be, even as an intelligence agent.
She stopped in her tracks. She decided to be blunt to Lord
Balthos than to tiptoe around the issue. Since he arrived in her room, she
knew he was prepping her for something. "Are you asking me to tell you
my past affiliations, sir?"
The man stopped and noticed her absence beside him. He
turned to look at her with a serious and commanding gaze and said,
"No."
His answer puzzled Careia. [Then what does he want? What is
he building up to?] Then aloud she said, "I don't mean to be rude, sir, but
I am confused. What is your point if you are not asking me if I was from
Zaibach or not?
He watched her for a moment and said, "The keenness of your
mind is another thing that sets you apart from the rest. Were you born a
nobleman?"
"No, sir." She didn't bother to expound. [Better to leave him
guessing], she thought.
He nodded. "Come. Let us go to my office chambers. I have
something to show you."
Careia followed the man as they went through the halls of the
palace. Many servants and butlers came in and out of doors, some
carrying laundry, others carrying cleaning tools. They turned into a
darker hallway, where the sun's rays shone through tall windows. They
reached a tall door and entered.
Lord Balthos motioned for Careia to sit on a chair across the
wide desk. She did so as Lord Balthos went behind the desk, sat down
and crossed his hands over it. "We have been watching you, the Queen
and I."
Careia couldn't cover her surprise. "The Queen? I didn't even
know she knew about my existence."
The man chuckled. "Many had thought that the Queen was not
interested in the affairs of the state, and they learned the hard way. But
yes, the Queen knows quite a bit about you and has asked me to monitor
your progress."
Careia felt her blood chill in suspicion and fear. [Does she
know about me? Has someone recognized me and had reported to the
Queen about my past involvement with the Zaibach empire and made her
suspicious of me?] If that were true, then all the effort she'd made would
have been for naught.
"Wh...why, Sir?" Careia asked carefully. She molded her face
to betray nothing of her thoughts.
"You have shown your excellent skills in fighting and also a
brain behind that face. Also, you have risen to a high rank for one so
young, and an immigrant at that."
"But many of the men in the chapter house are still better than I
am," Careia reasoned.
"Don't be modest when you don't have to be. You are one of
the best that Asturia has ever produced in the history in its ranks. If you
were in the war, you surely would have been an asset."
Careia wasn't sure if he would be happy to know which side
she had been an asset for. Probably not.
"If I may ask, what does the Queen want me for, my Lord?
There must have been a reason aside from what you mentioned why I am
here now at Queen Millerna's request," said Careia.
The Knight Commander leaned forward on his desk, his hands
together. "Do you know of the secret assassination attempts against the
Royal Family?" asked Lord Balthos, his eyes never leaving her face,
constantly watching her reactions.
Careia frowned. "There have been rumors, but they say it is
only that."
"What do _you_ think?" he suddenly asked. He came a bit
closer as he awaited her answer.
"Sir. My opinion does not really--"
He cut her off. "Forget that. I want to know what you really
think."
Careia did not answer immediately. "When there is smoke,
there's a fire."
"Why?"
Careia paused before answering. "After the Zaibach empire
had fallen, many of its followers and countrymen were left disillusioned.
Many felt betrayed by Fate and by who tried to control it, the Emperor
Dornkirk who is now dead. When people experience defeat in something
they truly believed in, or when they realized that they had immense
power then compared to what they have now, people would tend to cling
to the past, or to a dead belief that they still had that power."
"Go on, " the man prompted, his face thoughtful.
"I believe that there now exist factions that still yearn for a
victory but they lack effective leaders, and therefore cannot stage a
massive attack on Asturia. Like most humans, many of these groups
would try to look for a scapegoat for their defeat. Some of them blame
the emperor. Ironically, some even blame fate. But I believe that
whoever is attempting to kill their Royal Majesties would also try to kill
King Van Fanel, Allen Schezar, and even his sister, who is said to be the
former infamous Dilandau..."
"How do you know of this?" the Knight Commander
demanded, his face indignant.
Careia inwardly groaned. She spoke too much. "Uh... as I said
sir, rumors."
Lord Balthos sighed and said, "It is hard to keep that a secret
once found out." He paused then said, "Those particular rumors are true."
Careia was glad she didn't have to fake an expression of
surprise.
Although Lord Balthos thought she was surprised in truth, the
reason behind it was that she had not expected him to admit it.
Lord Balthos rubbed a hand over his face. "Go on, Cerin."
She nearly stammered. "Well sir, I just have one more thing to
say. I think they believe that _they_ were the ones that had given them
their cruel fates. I have to admit that they are not too far off the mark,"
finished Careia.
"Do you think their actions are justified?" pressed the Knight
Commander. His face had gone very serious and his body, Careia saw,
was tensed. She suddenly wondered why all these questions were aimed
at her.
[It's almost as if I'm being interrogated] she thought.
She answered his question. "No, I don't think so. But then, I
cannot blame them either because they are living another illusion. They
are blind to the truth and they try to keep themselves that way. But I
always believed that killing was never something to justify." [Well, not
always] she conceded.
The Knight Commander nodded. He suddenly announced,
"You can come in now."
Careia watched in surprise as one of the panels in the wall to
her left open. From there, Queen Millerna, dressed simply in a light blue
blouse and tight black trousers, stepped out.
"Your majesty!" cried Careia. She quickly kneeled before the
lady and kissed her hand.
"Surprised, I see," observed Millerna. When Careia had last
seen the queen, Careia had just arrived in the country. During that time,
Dryden, her husband, had returned from his long voyage throughout Gaia
to help those affected by the war. She had been very beautiful and
radiant at the return of her husband. Soon, the couple had renewed their
vows and Dryden was crowned King with Millerna as Queen of Asturia.
Millerna motioned for Careia to stand.
"Your majesty, Cerin Argas has passed the test," announced
Lord Balthos formally.
"And so I noticed." She turned to Careia whose face was calm
but her eyes bright with curiosity. "I am sure you want to ask me
questions like... why I had to hide?"
"Yes, if I may?" Careia asked politely.
Millerna smiled. "You are too polite. Go on. Ask.
"Your majesty, why?"
Millerna walked across the room to the seat next to Careia's.
"Why did I request for you to be here? Well, aside from what Lord
Balthos has said here I needed someone to protect a friend. Someone
who can defend and protect another and also had the brains to do what
needs to be done." The woman looked keenly at Careia. "Why all this
secrecy? We were not sure who were our enemies and we needed to
make sure that you aren't one of them."
"But how can you know I'm not one of them with just those
questions? They were not exactly incriminating," reasoned Careia.
Millerna smiled. "I have my ways," she mysteriously replied
and curiously fingered the pendant that hung on her neck. "My husband
will make an announcement tomorrow just before the tournaments are
held. We are sure that it will bait our attackers to attempt for our lives
again."
Careia wasn't sure she heard right. "Are you saying you want
them to ATTACK you?" she said, incredulity obvious in her voice. "I
have to admit, your majesty, that is quite a bold plan to lure them here."
"That is not it at all. My husband has invited the King of
Fanelia to come."
"King Van Fanel?" exclaimed Careia, rising midway from her
seat. "Has his life already been attempted and nearly successful that he
has to come here for safety? I did not think my guesses would be very
accurate."
"But they are. There has only been one attempt on the Fanelian
King's life but once is too many. Allen Schezar's sister, Serena, 'the
former infamous Dilandau' as you put it, who was brought to Fanelia to
safety, had also been a target of those attempts. But it seems that
Fanelia-or any country as far as we are concerned-is not as safe
anymore."
Careia couldn't help but protest their dangerous plan. "But
Fanelia is a small country. If there are any who could have attempted to
kill the King, all would recognize the former Zaibachian," reasoned
Careia. "The country is such that everyone almost knows everyone else."
"But think again, Cerin," replied Millerna, a finger raised to
make a point. "The War uprooted many families. The Fanelian people
have expanded in terms of immigrants, and King Van is not one to
decline help from those who need it. He, most of all, knows what a lost
home, and loved one means to a victim of war."
The door suddenly opened. A man of considerable height
came in, dressed shabbily in simple clothes. A white ribbon tied up his
hair and a pair of glasses was perched on his aquiline nose.
"Your Majesty!" said Lord Balthos and Careia in unison.
Careia kneeled immediately, her head bent down.
"Bah! Forget the formalities. Sit down. Both of you,"
admonished Asturia's most unusual King. Unlike his predecessors, he
was a man that did not care much for appearance or for other people's
views of him. He was rich, by his own efforts, and he was a scholar as
well. His attitude was one of a relaxed and satisfied man who did not
seem to care much for what happened around him. However, King
Dryden _did_ care about what happened around him so that he rarely
missed anything. Although his manners take some getting used to, he
was obviously a man that took his responsibilities seriously. He was well
loved by the people and especially his wife.
The King walked to Millerna and laid a chaste kiss on her lips
that embarrassed the queen. Careia and the Knight Commander carefully
looked away.
"Dryden! Please!" admonished the Queen.
The King chuckled and sighed. "You have already told Cerin
my plans?"
"I was just about to finish when you came in."
"Ah. All right then." He walked one corner of the room
behind the desk and carried a seat next to his wife. Careia moved in to
help him but the King waved her away. "Don't mind me. I'm not an old
man yet that I can't do things on my own, eh?"
Careia just stared at the man. [I wonder how Asturia would
have fared if Dryden had been King when Folken first arrived here?
Asturia just might have won then.]
When the other two sat down once more, Careia decided to
comment. "If I may speak sir," she said. The King nodded. "Your plan
is very bold sir. Do you intend to end it here? Is that the reason you
called for the King of Fanelia to come?"
The King burst out laughing. "Well! He is certainly a fast
one!"
Careia couldn't help but blush slightly. "Sir, I am just humble a
knight-to-be."
"And modest too!" the King roared. Suddenly, he circled an
arm around his wife and said slyly to Careia, "I should watch out for you
and find you a wife of your own, eh? Your charming words just might
captivate my wife."
"Your Majesty!!!" Careia exclaimed, feeling mortified beyond
redemption with his comment. However, her thoughts ran rapidly. [I
have handled kings and leaders of other countries before but this king
puts me off-guard easily. He is not one to go against--which his plan
certainly proves.] She couldn't help but admire him. [He's very good.
Very good. I think Asturia is very lucky to have this man as king.]
"Let's get to business, shall we?" Millerna said sternly. "Let me
get to the point. There shall be tournaments that will demand the
participation of the Fanelian King and also Allen because they are heroes
from the war. Allen is very reluctant to do so--he does not want to leave
his sister now that there are those attempting for her life--but if he does
not join, the people of Asturia shall wonder about his absence. Their
speculations might lead to confirming the rumor about the attempts.
They'll panic. Van, who also wishes to stop the attempts, has agreed to
join in the tournaments also. That way, we can somehow confine most
of the attempts in the arena only. We shall be posting guards
everywhere, but they shall be there for 'decoration'."
Careia tapped a finger to her lips in thought. "Lure them into
the arena where they can get a target on all the heroes all at the same
time, and catch them once and for all," she murmured.
"Exactly," replied Millerna. "Van and Allen can handle
themselves. But now, Serena is left on her own and if no one protects
her, Allen will not join. If Serena is killed, the rumors will get out of
hand and panic will erupt. Because Allen is now a hero of Asturia, they
will pressure us to act on the situation. _We don't want that to happen_.
If we refuse, there just might be a civil war. As you well know, things
can blow out of proportion that way. Out of friendship, Allen has agreed
to my offer, albeit with great reluctance, to give Serena a personal
guard."
Careia guessed the rest. "And I am to be that person?"
'Yes," answered the Knight Commander. "Usually, to knight a
person as a Heavenly Knight, he has to prove his skills and bravery in
fighting. However, we'll make yours a special case. If you successfully
prove yourself in protecting Serena Schezar, then we shall knight you
right away."
"And if I fail?" Careia countered.
Dryden answered the question. "Make sure you don't. Or else
we just might plunge Asturia into another war."
*********
He had survived the war.
He couldn't believe he was still alive to this day. With a
twisted smile he looked around the well-furnished room. Blood was
splattered over the walls and the stench of death was beginning to
permeate the air. He did not care really. Their death was necessary even
if they had screamed otherwise.
There was a young girl on one corner, a knife to her back. A
man lay near her, his hand stretched out to his daughter, in an attempt to
save her--but he had failed anyway.
[What a man would do for his child] he thought indifferently.
He gazed at the corpse near his feet. She was obviously once a beautiful
woman; her face--if one could still call it that--was turned at an awkward
angle, and her bloodied dress had pieces of her torn insides.
He frowned. [They did not have to be that messy] he thought
clinically. [A quick kill is always better.] He felt anger build in his chest
that threatened to burst. His frown deepened as he thought savagely [If
only Dornkirk was just as wise! We would have had the whole of Gaia
at our fingertips! Damn his senility!]
"Sir, we have cleaned the house," an young scarred man
reported. The word 'clean' did not sound fitting.
"Good. Call the others. We'll use this place while waiting for
Baytoru to arrive."
"What shall we do with the corpses, sir?"
The man thought for a minute. "Burn them."
"Yes, sir!"
When the other man had left, Kiel bent down and looked at the
dead woman. He caressed her cheek. He went near, his eyes staring into
dead ones and whispered, "Death is such a beautiful thing, isn't it?"
*********
End of "Memories"
