Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ By the Hand of Destiny: Book One; The Journey to Destiny ❯ Chapter Three; Destiny ( Chapter 3 )

Destiny has begun her mission to influence the destiny of those shown to her by the Old Ones, but there is a price to be paid for the abilities she possesses. And there is a new danger. Unknown to her, her abilities have come to the notice of others. She has always been an outside force only influencing, but now…

Chapter Three; Destiny

Written By Fanilia

I slowly refocused on the fire as my mind filled my body with life once again. I was beyond tired, hardly able to remain sitting up straight. As I slump forward Demitri wrapped his arm around my shoulders to steady me. I hadn't even noticed his approach, but his warmth was comforting, the experience of leaving my body made me, as it always did, feel so very cold.

"The bedroll is ready, Destiny, you need some sleep."

"I know, the other the one, the one known as Hell, won't encounter the man she is to meet till after the sun is past high this next day." I replied in almost a mumble as Demitri helped me to the soft blankets spread out over the ground. I lay down with a sigh, only slightly aware of the man lying next to me, giving me his warmth.

"Sleep well Destiny, my love."

The sun was still low in the sky when I opened me eyes to the swaying of the leaves on the trees. It was much warmer than it had been; and my body drank it in greedily. At least this day I wouldn't have to travel so far to do the work required of me. She was much closer, Hell, here in Zaibach. And of the two women she was the unstable one, so much pain and need. But then she was nothing compared to the man she would encounter, Dilandau Albatou the leader of the Dragon Slayers. This man scares and confuses me. I had heard of the Dragon Slayers and their notorious leader, but till I experienced his flavours in my dream, I never believed a being could be so strangely evil. Most of his mind was strong with bitter flavours, but there was in the mix, a small knot of sad, lonely, trapped emotions separated and held tightly in check by the rest of his mind. I had never felt anything like it before.

"Are you hungry? I have a stew simmering by the fire and the water is still fresh and cold."

"Thanks Demitri, I am starving," I answered as Demitri extended his hand to help me up. He looked tired, and I realized he hadn't slept with me, he had stayed up to guard me, and needed sleep as much as I need the food he was serving me. "Eat some with me, then you get some sleep and I will guard you. Today may be even harder than last night, even as close as we are."

"Harder, why?"

"It's the man I will have to encounter today, his mind is rooted in evil. I will tell you his name, I know you have heard of him, but when I do I don't want to hear anything about me not going."

"You sound as though you have to influence Dornkirk himself, no one could be that bad."

"He is the leader of the Dragon Slayers of Zaibach, Dilandau Albatou." A dead silence filled the time after I spoke his name. And for a time Demitri sat next to me as he opened and closed his mouth several times, but he didn't say any of the things I knew were reeling through his mind.

There was something else that disturbed me about my journey to Palas last night. It felt as if someone or something had noticed me as I folded time and space. I would have dismissed the thought completely, but I had felt it again on my return journey. Maybe it was the Old One's checking on me, but then again the experience had a mechanical tang to it, something I would never associate with gods of any kind.

This day I wouldn't have as far to travel, and if that same feeling invaded me again, maybe I could home in on it like I did to Blade and find out more. Demitri had been asleep for the past few hours so I had kept my mind spread out in the surrounding area, not as far as I should, but far enough.

The stream was on the east side of the glen and I used the time Demitri slept, not only to clean up from our meal, but also to bath and wash my hair. The stream was very cold, and the chill still lingered even though I built up the fire.

Demitri stirred as he woke and sitting up he pushed the tangled web of his thick hair from his face.

"Boy I needed that." He smiled at me as he stood moving closer to the fire. "I dreamt of magic again, I learned to focus and free my mind the way you do and together we went in search of the Mystic Valley to unlock the magic of Atlantic."

"Was the woman with the wings in it this time?"

"Sadly no, I've missed her, but then if the dream didn't change from time to time, I might start to think I had an obsession." His eyes twinkled as he teased me, both of us knew full well that the Mystic Valley was his greatest obsession, second only to increasing his knowledge of magic.

"There's stew left and I gathered some winter berries from by the stream, lets eat before it gets cold."

The meal was quieter than usual, both Demitri and I deep in thought, I knew he was concerned about my journey later today. Dilandau was one person I would never willingly enter the mind of, but then I wasn't ever very willing to enter anyone's mind.

As we finished the meal Demitri gathered the plates, setting them aside to be dealt with later. He pulled his shirt up and off as he walked over to where I sat on my bedroll by the fire. The look in his violet eyes was a familiar one. It had been a long time since we had spent any time in a village, and although his build was small like that of a youth he was definitely a man with the needs of one. I did not love Demitri and he didn't love me, but that wasn't always necessary especially in the existence in which we lived. The elfin people all had a very strong sexuality about them and Demitri was no different. Those long slender fingers were made to bring pleasure to a woman. He always enjoyed the extra feelings my abilities brought to the bed, but also he would give me, through my ability, some of his strength, strength that he knew I would need.

Demitri extended his hand to help me stand, and I did there before him in the bright light of the glen and the soft shadows of the swaying trees. A small smile spread across his face as he reached up to push the sleeves of my gown down and off my shoulders. The gown dropped down and the bodice slid till it caught momentarily on my hips then cascaded down the rest of the way to lie in a pool at my feet. A pink flush spread across my face and I lowered my eyes, a familiar shyness taking a hold of me.

"No, look at me Destiny." Demitri whispered as he lifted my chin to raise my eyes back to his face. He leaned forward capturing my lips with his as one of his hands roamed down my back to cup me below the hips. I sighed and leaned into him as the kiss deepened, his tongue slipping into my mouth. We stood there a long time just kissing and soon I found that my hands had begun to wander across his back, and then up into his hair. I reached down to tug on the waist of his pants as a chuckle escaped his lips. "Sometimes I think you need this more than I do." He teased since he knew very well my need was always greater than his.

He swept me up into his arms and then laid me down on the bedroll, he stood removing his pants, and then he joined me. He lay next to me and continued to kiss me as his hands slowly explored my body, gently messaging my breasts till I could feel the need growing strong in them and spreading through out my body. I let my hand travel down his chest to his stomach and as I felt the muscles there contract, I reached lower wrapping my hand around him. That was the moment I opened to him with my ability, gently entering his mind and linking our emotions together. I could feel what his hand was feeling as it caressed my flesh, and he could feel how hard he grew in the grasp of my hand around him. We shuddered one being as the pleasure coursed back and forth through our linked minds. He rolled on top of me and entered me slowly till he filled me completely. The rhythm was slow at first, and then as our passions grew it became faster and deeper. Demitri grabbed my wrists pulling both of my arms up over my head while staring deeply into my stormy green eyes. His next kiss was the deepest I'd ever experienced from him making my head reel and adding to the emotions coursing back and forth between us. I could have gone on like this forever and for a long time we did. When release came it exploded through us, I knew what he was experiencing as I could feel the same. He felt his release surge through his body, then he felt my release as it racked my body, but he also felt it from my minds side as his release brought me to the edge and over. Then the ultimate feeling for a man, orgasm as experienced by a woman. We collapsed together our sweat glistened bodies completely spent.

Demitri and I laid together for a while as the world returned to us. Smiling he reached over to brush the hair from my face. In my mind I could feel it as he started to give me some of his physical strength through our link. Strength he knew I would need today in my journey. It wasn't enough to cause him any harm, but enough to make my task easier than it would have been. I always felt guilt at my need to draw strength, but I had to in order to keep my body from burning out. The mating was my way of giving back for what I took, a trade, 'Do not take unless you are willing to pay the price.' It also was the thing I required to continue, a way to release the build up of emotional energy my mind drew to it. I withdrew from his mind leaving first the impression in it that he had just been kissed by invisible lips.

"That, my lovely Destiny, could very well become my newest obsession." He teased as he stood to retrieve our clothing. But instead of giving them to me, he held them out in front of him. "Race you to the stream." He called as he turned and sprinted in the direction of the small body of water.

We ate again the small extra meal consisted of dried meat, cheese, bread and some more of the winterberries from by the stream. Again there was silence between us as the time drew near for me to do that, which must be done. It would be so much easier if the people I influenced were close so I could stay in my body, but it would also be much more dangerous. The time arrived and with a shudder, as I again thought about not the woman, but the strange man, Dilandau. The familiar trance as I drew in, energy forming in my mind and then departure.

I hovered above the glen, marvelling in the extra strength of the male coursing through and intertwining with my own energy. I thought again how we seemed to belong together; to bad I was unable to allow the emotion of mortal love to be part of my existence. No need to fold time and space, there was but a short distance to travel tonight. As I travelled to the location I knew both the woman and the man were now at, I felt it again. I was definitely being watched, but by whom or what? But again it would have to wait till I had finished, then I would check into it.

I found them both in a clearing not far from the glen; almost too close, Demitri and I would have to move once I returned. The sun was shining on the sweat covering the faces of two men sparing in the centre of a circle formed by other men. Fifteen of them in all and most were dressed in blue uniform armour. Each held a sword out in front them, tip down watching the two in the centre as their weapons collided, the sound ringing out through the forest. A lone figure stood apart from the rest, his armour was red, not blue, distinguishing him as the leader. He yelled orders at the two as they spared, the exercise meant to increase the soldiers division of concentration during a battle. This man yelling out the orders, he was most definitely Lord Dilandau Albatou, I didn't need any ability to know, it was in the way the man held himself above and away from the others.

It took only another moment to locate the other, the woman Hell. She was perched on the branch of an old oak almost directly above the man in red. Inwardly I congratulated her for getting that close to those men without being detected, she was good. I spread out to feel the emotions of all the people in the clearing, better safe than to have an outside element surprise me and ruin my work. Keeping a tab on that many emotions was hard, and I was again glad for the extra strength given to me by Demitri.

"Lord Dilandau," called a young man with shoulder length strait brown hair. "Lord Folken wishes us to return to the Vione." As the soldier spoke to his commander I could feel the shock rocking the mind of the woman, Hell, instinctively she was about to confront Dilandau and finish her job. Challenge him and the others couldn't touch her if she killed their leader, she was safe. I quickly slipped into Hell's mind and found there the seeds of an idea, one Hell had toyed with for a very long time. She wanted to be a part of this elite group of soldiers; she desired to be a Dragon Slayer. This was better than I could have hoped for, so all I did was to draw the idea to the surface and sooth down any doubts at this new plan. A game with Dilandau Albatou as the prize, then later there would be time to kill him and collect the other half of the bounty.

I watched as Hell jumped lightly down from the branch to land directly in front of the man she had been sent to kill. Her stance was sure and there was a twinkle of amusement in her chocolate brown eyes. Those men thought her a mere woman, and they would continue to even when she removed her cloak. Her clothing and weapons should have alerted them to the fact that she was skilled in mortal sword combat. Dilandau noticed, and secretly he marvelled at her courage to even confront him in the first place.

"Does anyone dare challenge this mighty warrior?" Dilandau commanded of his soldiers, he would have one of them kill her. I could feel that he had wanted to do it himself, but his fun would have been over with too soon. He would watch as one of his men did it, savouring the time more slowly. He gave a silent signal to his men, one that told them this would be a fight to the death. He wanted to see just how much of her was true skill before the end. He planed to enjoy every moment, and not telling the woman the fight would be to the death would be an added bonus when she finally figured it out.

I moved my energy a little closer to the mind of Dilandau since I needed to be sure everything was going in the proper direction. The fight began between Hell and the Slayer and as Dilandau watched he was not disappointed at all. The woman had skill, immense skill for one as young as she appeared to be, but then he was young himself, at least his body was young; his emotions I could feel were an entirely different thing. He noticed everything about Hell from the way she held her weapon to the exotic colouring of her skin and the way her dark hair was platted to one side to keep it from hindering her at any time during the fight. I pulled back from his mind as quickly as possible, it had a strange almost unnatural feel to it, and the thoughts there were… I stopped my train of thought, not now, later maybe. But I was glad I wouldn't have to enter his mind all the way today, it wasn't necessary to influence him, he had already decided that Hell intrigued him and that he wanted to spend more time with her should she survive. He was also irritated by those very feelings. Someone would pay for this, and he had fifteen able bodies to take out his frustrations on once they returned to the Vione and only then when he had vented those frustrations would he report to Folken.

Although I was starting to feel my energy ebb, I stayed to make sure the fight between Hell and her opponent proceeded without the need to interfere again. A good thing I had stayed, for as the fight came to its conclusion, Hell having the upper hand, I could feel the over powering urge in the woman to kill her opponent. The lust for blood was so strong I could taste its bitter flavour strongly. Quickly I slid back into Hell's mind just in time to still the urge to end a human life. The blade of her sword stopped just as it made contact with the Slayer, Kuja's face.

With the outcome of this encounter already decided by Lord Dilandau, I gathered my energy back to its centre and began the return journey to the glen and Demitri. On the way back I had expected, no wanted to feel the sensation of being watched, but the feeling never came. When I arrived at the glen I discovered why.

I hovered over the glen to find a Zaibach patrol there restraining Demitri. A tall, cloaked man with spiked blue hair entered the clearing by the fire. He held in his clawed metal hand a strange glowing orb, something about it made me feel vaguely uneasy. He approached Demitri stopping a few feet in front of him.

"No I don't think you're the one, but your companion over there, she doesn't seem to know we're here, why is that?" His stare and that of everyone elses had gone to where my body sat tranquilly on my bedroll still in a state of deep trance.

"She's no one, a villager come to me for healing. I put her in a trance to aid in the healing. Leave her alone." Demitri shouted at the man as he struggled against the soldiers restraining him.

"Do you see this orb, young man, I built this based on a dream I had, and I never expected to be able to use it." He said in low hushed tones the hint of a smile almost coming to tug on his lips.

"Is this the part where I'm to ask you what exactly that thing is?"

"No this is the part where I show you what exactly this thing does."

Demitri flinched as the man touched the orb, but nothing happened to him, I on the other hand wasn't as lucky. Waves of confusion swept through my energy, leaving one thought only and that was a desperate need to return to my body.

I gasped from the sudden impact of my minds energy returning so quickly to my body. I shook my head trying to clear the confusion that still overwhelmed me. I could see a man as he approached, but he looked as though he stood at the end of a long tunnel. His hand reached out to cup my chin in his warm fingers. I felt myself rise to my feet, did I stand or did that hand lift me, I couldn't tell. He spoke to me then, the distance sounding words echoing through my head.

"So little one, it looks like you are the one My Emperor has sent me for. I am Lord Folken, Stratagos of Zaibach. You and your companion there are now the invited guests of the Zaibach Empire."

I tried to speak, but the words wouldn't form properly, Folken clearly noticing my inability to answer again touched the orb, then placed it inside his cloak. The confusion I felt immediately cleared leaving my mind and my abilities once again free. Before I could use those abilities to take action against my captor, Folken reached out and laid his metal hand on my shoulder. I felt the sharp pinch of a needle piercing my skin. As the world faded into darkness, I heard Demitri call my name as the man lifted me into his arms and I saw a purple teardrop under one of the most sadly intense eyes I'd ever seen in my life.

Destiny sleeps