When Escaflowne Rescued Trilladen
by Jean  [email protected]

Music filled the great room inside Fanelia's Palace. Outside in the garden the
quiet whispers of a couple filled the air like rainfall. It was a gentle showering of
love and hope between two very different people. They only had to look up in
the sky to see a storm of destruction heading their way, but for now, they were
content as the griffins soared ever closer and closer. As the heavens grew dark
with these ravenous creatures, an alarm sounded taking away all joy, replacing
that with confusion and then dread.

Folken looked up and swore. He was quick on his feet and hoisting up the
dazed and bemused cat woman, child. "Merle, quickly, follow me. Don't look
back." Holding her hand as he ran he relentlessly pulled her forward, his fear for
her life acute and suffocating.

Not quite understanding, only sensing his panic she moved with cat like grace to
keep up with him. She heard a thopping of wings just above her head and a
lion's growl. She screamed and fell and terror thinking it would swallow her
whole. Tears of fear ran down her cheeks. Folken fell down on top of her to take
the brunt of the assault, yet it never came.

"Brother, bring Merle, the castle is under attack. EVERYONE, GET BACK INTO
THE GREAT ROOM, BAR THE DOORS!" King Van shouted. Hitomi waited
fearfully at the entranceway. He rushed back to her and corralled her inside.
"You must stay inside and never leave General Shinyo's side. He is charged
with your safety while we are apart. I go to Escaflowne. I love you." With that he
left.

Hitomi wondered at his words, "He is charged with your safety while we are
apart." Does that mean he still intends to leave without me? He wouldn't do that! 
Not after what I told him! How could he? 

General Jarvis and Shinyo went to either side of their new queen and firmly
escorted her to a darkened corner of the room. There were no windows, the
ceiling was low, the doors were far away, and a small banquet table standing
against the wall could be used as a shield if necessary. Screams coming from
without penetrated the walls and set the guests in a panic.

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

Van raced toward the holding cell and scrambled up the sleek body of his
legendary guymelef, the Escaflowne. the head seal was released with a hiss
and gush of metallic smelling air. He secured his body into the great metal giant
armor and advanced for battle. Surprisingly, Allan was waiting in his own
guymelef. Precious lives hung in the balance and the knight was trained to
defend and protect life. They stomped into battle together.

Like pesky mosquitoes needling away at a person's sanity, the sheer numbers
of griffins buzzing above the palace made Van's skin crawl. Remembering that
their spilled blood was liquid acid that would corrode any surface, he wished to
take his battle else where and an idea formed in his head. Griffins are created
hungry, only to eat. He ran his guymelef into the cattle fields, and lifted a cow
with the hands of his guymelef and squashed it until it exploded. Cow's blood
sprayed Escaflowne in a blood bath that incensed the monsters and they made
chase. Allen was right behind and kept his guymelef clear of blood as he let Van
become the bait and he the hunter.

As fast as he stomped on the creatures more were there to replace them. The
ground sizzled with acid blood and the smell was toxic and stifling. Allen ignored
these warnings as the feet of his guymelef began to erode. Gears become
exposed at the soul of the metal feet. His sword was starting to look like swiss
cheese. 

"There are too many of them. We can't kill them all!" Allen searched the grazing
field for any sign of cattle, but they had already been devoured. Frustrated and
fearful for the populace he raced back toward the castle as Van made his first
real discovery. 

The back of Escaflowne had two griffins licking the blood droplets and two more
were wrestling for position to get the best shot at Van's semi-exposed face. He
used Escaflowne's hands and snapped the neck of the first one that got too
close for comfort. The beast lay dead at his feet, no blood spilled, no poisoned
ground to scoop away from the clean soil.

"Allen, break their backs or snap their necks! Put your sword down and kill them
with your guymelef's hands!" Van shouted, but Allen had already figured out the
game. Both warriors put their hand to hand combat and wrestling skills to use,
but still there were too many. They could fight for hours and still only be made
sport of while griffins left unattended preyed upon the people of Fanelia. They
needed a miracle.

They had one. Helliese calmly stepped out of the great hall in her healer's white
robes, cimpletely unconcerned that four griffins were already vying for her first
blood. She raised her arms high above her head and shouted words only she
truly understood.

"ING HA RAM NA SOAR, RAM NA SOAR! SI DI HUMA NA ING!"

Griffins landed, or dropped like flies, some fell from rooftops, others dove to the
ground only to land gracefully at the ugly old witch's feet. Their growls turned to
a higher pitched howl that turned into the screams of humans in dire agony.
Many did not survive the transformation because the torture was too intense as
bones snapped back into place and skin replaced fur and cartilidge popped
back. Claws retreated into nails, paws into hands, fangs sank back into the
gums of human mouths crying out in pain. Blood and naked terror was replaced
by a great wailing of a victimized people of Trilladen.

As if on cue, Princess Edwina ran out of the doorway and looked into Helliese
eyes. The old witch was crying openly at the tragic scene before her. People
naked and bruised, dying and bleeding as the transformation took its toll racked
through them. When the princess looked at the ground littered with her dead or
dying people she cried out in anguish and ran from one to another. Some of the
stronger ones who had survived, mostly men, were vomiting up the blood and
bones and flesh of someone from Fanelia that rested uneasily in their stomach. 

Horrified and tortured by the smells of this scene, some, though naked and
trembling, simply lay there wishing for death rather than wonder at the indignity
and obscene nature of their experience. Tragedy had once again struck the
nation of Fanelia. Helliese ignoring her own grief at the suffering she saw before
her immediately set out to help those that she could. Soon others that had been
safely hidden inside homes and the palace followed her lead. Everyone in the
capital said a prayer of one sort or other. This was only just the beginning
though.