Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ By the Hand of Destiny: Book One; The Journey to Destiny ❯ Chapter 12: Destiny ( Chapter 12 )

What is love, that rare quality that fills one with joy and binds two spirits together? Or is it a tool, perverted and used to control. The very act when forced onto another can have the power to shatter ones soul.

Omadon makes his move, causing pain to those close to Destiny in his quest for power and destruction. How many must suffer because of her secrets and abilities. How many will die because of actions taken against this woman.

Destiny faces the inability to love or be loved, the reality of false love, and the knowledge that she is truly a possession to be used by the strength of a man.

Is this her fate OR the beginning of her own destiny?



Chapter Twelve: Destiny

Written by Fanilia

We did finally get to use the bathing pool, Kuja and I, but that was a very short-lived experience. After returning to the Vione and hearing of my performance at the training room, Folken had chosen that time to burst in on us. He had ordered the poor Slayer out of not only the pool, but of the room. Kuja barely had time to grab his things to cover himself as he exited, dripping wet and mostly naked.

I could still see the look on both men's faces, Folken angrier than I'd ever seen him, and Kuja; he looked as if he wanted to put himself between the two of us as a shield. But he was also a trained solider who knew not to question an order once he had received it. So I was again left alone to face the consequences of things I'd been forced into.

"How can I protect you when you demonstrate your abilities in front of so many here? He spoke harshly as he handed one of the large white towels to me so I could leave the pool. "Do you want Omadon to remove you to Zaibach; that's what will happen if he becomes aware of your true potential? Destiny, those sorcerers answer only to the Emperor. They do things that even I have no real knowledge of."

Folken had understated his meaning for my benefit. I could feel it in him without the aid of a link. His emotions were strong, and close enough for them to hit me the same as a spoken word. Folken had said 'true potential', but his emotions said true danger. He felt that I would be considered a danger to Zaibach. And as a danger I would be eliminated to ensure I couldn't be used for the benefit of those opposed to Zaibach's will. I didn't know whether to be angry at him for withholding his real meaning, or touched that he didn't want to frighten me overly. As the uncertainty coursed through my mind the insanity I held there tired to emerge. I concentrated on getting it back under control while I spoke. My thoughts should have been on my reply to him, but they were not.

"Potential, danger is what you're afraid of! Would they really kill me?" As I voiced my question I realized my mistake.

"Destiny."

"No." I was cold, wet, and embarrassed at the thought of the guards seeing Kuja exiting my chamber as he had. I was at my wardrobe having pulled out clothing while attempting to hold the towel in place.

"Destiny!" He said again, his tone so stern that I lost what little control I had over my anger. The towel dropped, and as I bent to pick it up I saw a small smile tug at Folken's lips. In the back of my mind I could almost hear the insanity of Dilandau laughing at me. With out thinking I first launched my clothing then my self at Folken. The bundle hit him square in the face moments before I made contact. We both went down with a loud thud. The clothing went flying again, hit a vase, and sent it to the floor with a crash. I landed on top of the man in a most unladylike position, and to make matters worse our lips had briefly touched. I froze as I felt the emotions that came from him. He was not angry, but amused. My eyes widened in surprise, and then grew larger in shock as I heard the door to my chamber crash open. Folken quickly rolled over on top of me, covering me with his own body as the guards entered. "Get out." He ordered. As the door quickly closed I let out the breath I had been holding in.

"It was your fault." I mumbled.

"I don't seem to remember doing anything."

"I saw that smile."

He almost chuckled as he looked down into my face. I was blushing; I could feel the heat spreading through out me.

"No matter what you may think of me, Destiny, I am still a man." He rolled off me and stood extending a hand to help me up. I ignored it as I stood up with as much dignity as a woman whose clothes lay in a pile with broken vase pieces could. I went back to the wardrobe and dressed quickly all the time aware that his eyes never left me. I told myself that this was my punishment for what I had done, but the little voice in the back of my mind told me otherwise.

I moved slowly and sat down by the window. Folken came over to sit across from me. "I can't seem to keep things from you can I?" He had told me before that our conversation concerning the Old Ones and my past was not over. I knew that now was the time he had referred to. I felt that he wanted to know more; he wanted to know everything. I would have to tell him most of it, but not everything. I still had my plan for that sorcerer and he would surly stop me if he knew. I had either read his emotions right or he knew my thoughts as if I had spoken out loud. "The Old Ones, Little One, tell me more about them."

"It is as I told you before, the Old Ones just are. They gave me a reason for being after I left my village. The beings that I have influenced for them; it has always been to just push them in the right direction. I have never become involved in any other way until now. The ones I influenced already had the emotions and desires in them; I just showed them the path. What occurred after that was their destiny playing out; not their destiny being changed."

"I see, but your still changing events, even if only a little. And that will change the outcome of their destiny. You're being controlled; you just can't see the ones pulling your strings."

"Maybe you're right, but what is a life without meaning; I had none. And that to me is worse than being dead." I reached out to lay my hand on his metal arm. I knew he had felt the same way once himself; that arm was the reminder he carried of the time. "Things have changed since I became directly involved. I don't know, maybe it was my destiny to come here." I sighed withdrawing my hand and laying it on the table in between us. He reached over to cover it with his metal hand to show me that he had indeed understood my meaning. "Before you began experimenting to determine what I could do, I thought I knew the limits of my abilities. To reach out with my mind to others, to influence the emotions I found there. But now I feel…"

"What? What is it that you feel?"

"I feel as if I am a monster, different from other beings. I can't allow myself to love someone; my emotions would be too much for another to handle." I thought of Demitri, how we had never done anything but mate when I needed it. And of the Slayer Kuja who had thought that he didn't need my abilities to make love to me. But my abilities were a part of who I was; to deny them was to keep a part of me at bay. Tears were slipping from my eyes; I couldn't stop them as I continued. "Now I know I will always be alone. I know my abilities make me too different. I can feel them screaming for release even now."

"Now, but why? I know you mated with that Slayer here last night."

"We didn't link, he wouldn't allow it. He didn't feel he needed help to make a woman feel pleasure. To him it was just sex. He did not understand what I truly needed."

"Why was he here? Why not Demitri; the elf knew what you needed."

"Lord Dilandau forbid it. Demitri spoke, without his leave to do so, in the training area and was punished for it. He saw Demitri's possessiveness over me and so sent another in his place. He did it in front of his men. I felt as if they all knew what was going to happen. And those who didn't surly do now. I feel like the Vione's resident whore." I glared at the man across form me. "And as for what happened in the training room before that; none but a few there know for certain that I can't handle a sword. I'm sure they thought I was just toying with that woman Slayer, Hell, before the fight started in earnest. Besides she did deserve a chance at me; Dilandau had been right in that." Folken reached up to touch the wound on my neck, my gift from the resulting encounter.

"You told me once that you are now Destiny; who were you before?" The question surprised me, but it had been so long since I had heard the name of who I was. My father loved the Mystic Moon. He said that where he came from the name for the moon was different. He gave me that name. The names meaning was simple. It met 'the ground beneath your feet'. It was his reminder of a faraway place in another life. "My name was Terra." My voice sounded far off, even to my own ears, as memories of my father appeared in my mind. He was the one man that truly loved me without any restrictions. Folken had wanted to give me a pleasant memory, one to take with me to where he was about to send me and he had. I felt the pinch in my hand as he injected me with the substance that again made me sleep. I could hear him speak as the world faded.

"Sleep now Little One, things are changing."



I don't know how long I was out, but my dreams, when they did come, where not the nightmares I had been experiencing. They were bittersweet and sensual dreams of a man bathed in the light from the Mystic Moon. It gleamed off his magenta eyes and lit the lone teardrop adorning his solemn face.

I was awakened by a rough, foul smelling hand covering my mouth; keeping me from crying out as I tried to do so. I struggled to get out from under the hand, but its mate pushed down hard on my chest pinning me into the bed.

"His Lordship wishes to see you, girl."

This had to be a dream or maybe even a nightmare. I wondered how anyone could get into my chamber past the guards. I reached out with my mind to find the guards stationed outside the door. At first I found nothing. Then I felt it; the last emotions of a being leaving this world to journey to the next. I turned my head in the direction I felt them in. I swallowed hard as both the sight and the feeling of the men assaulted me. Both of my regular guards were in the room with me; one lay dead on the floor, the other was just moments from joining his companion. As his life slipped away I took from him the emotions of his departure. I didn't know at the time why I did it, but I pulled it to me to keep till I had need of it.

I knew without a doubt who had sent the guard for me; the man wore the insignia of the sorcerer on his uniform. I wanted to hide, to draw my mind in and stay there, safe. But the insanity that I held in my mind was screaming for release. It wanted to take control. It would protect me from what was to come. I could see no choice if I were to survive; I released the mental hold I had on those emotions to free them into my mind. The fear, hatred, and pain mixed with my own emotions, welcoming me, becoming for a time a part of me.

I stopped struggling and relaxed into the bed; letting my body show the guard that he had control.

"Good girl," he grinned maliciously. "Now I will release you, but try to scream or anything else, and I will make you pay."

"I will come with you." He heard me say after he removed the hand from my mouth. He released his hold a moment later. I sat up swinging my feet off the bed and headed for the wardrobe at the other side of the room. I was dressed in one of the sheer gowns I normally slept in. I pondered for but a moment at how I had gotten into it. I pulled it up and over my head as I walked, letting it drop to the floor; knowing the guard was watching intently. His mind was full of the things he wanted to do with and to me. He wondered how long he could delay my arrival at his master's quarters without being punished. I had no doubt that what he would do would cause me pain and humiliation.

"There would never be enough time for all the things you want to do to me." I ignored his sharp intake of breath as I pulled the black, dragon style dress from the wardrobe. I could feel the shock in his mind as I spoke again "The punishment from your master might be worth it, but then again."

I smoothed the material of the dress down my body in a suggestive way, and then reached up to unfasten the restraint holding the braid in my hair. It swung free in loose waves down to my hips, as I combed the plaits out with my fingers. I approached the guard and laid one hand on his chest,

"This is for you," I cooed as I entered his mind and released the emotion of the man dieing into his head. His face contorted as I smiled sweetly up at him, making sure our eyes met. "This and more should you ever so much as touch me."

It was very late at night, or should I have said early in the morn. I could tell by the way the moons hung low in the sky and the horizon was just starting to show the colour of the approaching sunrise. I looked at it through the view ports in the corridor we travelled. The guard stayed a step or two away from me, his eyes never leaving my form. His fear of me was so strong it pushed at me like a barrier. The insanity in me revelled in it. So this was the thrill Dilandau felt, at the fear he inspired in so many; it was very seductive in a dark way.

We walked on for a time then he slowed and steered me into a darkened corridor, off the main one. I'd never been down this way before and I felt its darkness was a clear reflection of the man I was about to be presented to. I wondered if Dilandau had arranged for me to be brought here, as I had wanted him to, or if Omadon had taken the initiative himself? I guessed it didn't really matter. I was there and that sorcerer was going to pay, not only for what he had done, but also for what he was planning too.

The guard stopped at a closed door. He knocked twice then opened it when the word 'come' issued from the voice of the room's occupant. He held it open as I entered but didn't accompany me in, closing the door as he took his position outside. The short, darkly cloaked sorcerer approached me from the other side of the chamber. As he did I widened my eyes schooling my features to give him the impression that I was very afraid to be in his presence. I slowly linked to his bitter mind, coaxing his emotions so he felt sure he had me terrified.

"Good, I see you have arrived, I feared Gregory would have detained you for a while, I know I would have." It was an empty threat; one met only to scare me further. He had no desires for me or any other female in that way; his emotions saw me as nothing more than a tool to be altered to his use. He placed an arm around my shoulders and led me across the main chamber and through a door into the room he did his work in.

I held back. Again it was to reinforce the impression of how much I feared being taken into that room. He smiled a self-satisfied smile as he produced an orb from the interior of his cloak; one similar to the orb Folken had used to confuse me. He held it out to make sure I knew exactly what it was as he spoke.

"Lord Folken had thought to with hold information about you; but I have other ways of gaining the knowledge I seek." I could see those other ways in his mind; he had hurt Caz to obtain much of that information. I felt a sickness build inside me as I knew and understood exactly what he and that inhuman guard had done to that sweet, kind servant. The insanity in me fed on the feelings; that I had been the reason Caz had been hurt in 'that' way. Anything that happened to Omadon now would never be enough.

He noted my expression with another smile as he continued to speak; holding out the orb like a talisman. He thought that just the sight of it was enough to control me. He was like an actor in a very bad play, and he enjoyed the sound of his own voice as he spouted his lines to me, his captive audience. He kept his hand close to the orb ready to activate it should I make a sudden move, but since I hadn't he continued with his narrative filling me in on his evil plans.

"When I am finished with you, you will be as loyal as the she bitch you already are. I have heard of your ability to fulfil a man's desires in the bed. You're the ultimate seductress, but I will control your body and your desires. I will use them to complete the task Dilandau should have. By the time the other arrives it will be done, and that woman will be dead. I guess then you will have outlived your usefulness, but fear not, I have already promised you to him as partial compensation for the trip." He was in love with his plan; but it was the other that made me stifle the shudder threatening to make me tremble with real fear even with the insanity coursing through me. The other he was referring to, I could feel it in the sorcerer's emotions, he was but a shadow of true evil. Could it be the shadow man from my dream? The one who killed Blade using a sword that resembled the dragon?

"He enjoys the hunt almost as much as the kill. Too bad for him the killing will already be done." He rambled on as the scene played out in his mind. "It's so simple; when I have finished with you, you'll do anything I command. You'll take Dilandau to your bed influencing him to help you kill the woman, Hell. The task he should have done when she first encountered him. It will be seen as nothing more than a mere lover's triangle gone awry, no one will remember it a month from now. The power my enemy thought to gain when that woman's brother came into power will be gone. All his carefully laid plans for control for all these years brought to a swift and total end by me!"

All this was to kill a woman who didn't even realize the implications of her true heritage. I could see he was done with his play and ready to start with the part he considered fun. He started to reach for the orb to activate it.

"No." I commanded and instantly his hand stopped, unable to move any closer to the object. My mind surged inside his, letting him know I was there, "If I'd been in your place, I'd have activated that thing before I had even stepped foot into the chamber out there. You never had a chance, you know. No?" I chuckled lightly, "You didn't know, did you?" A truly evil grin spread across my normally tranquil face. Now he was the one to revel the fear he felt; his face loosing what little colour it had. I could feel all the flavours of his small emotions as he fought a loosing battle to push me from his mind.

It was then that I noticed something of great interest; his mind had a great knowledge of magic, both that of light and dark. He had the knowledge but not the spirit to use it and so it lay there, completely useless to him. But to the right person that knowledge could be of great value. I understood why most men of magic were never great wizards. Most like Demitri, and the ones who trained him, chose just one side of magic. They learned either the good or the evil. To be a true wizard both sides had to be embraced to bring a balance to the wielder of that much power. The spirit had to be strong or the user would be swallowed up by that very power which he tried to control. I decided not to just give Omadon the insanity he had caused in Dilandau; I would make a trade instead! I would take the knowledge he possessed of magic, and give him the insanity in its place. I felt it was a fair trade, but the hard part would be to keep Omadon under control until I was safely back in my own chamber. I had to distance myself from him and what was about to happen here. If I didn't, no one, including Folken would be able to protect me from the outcome.

I drew in a deep breath and centred all my energy on the trade. The insanity separated from my emotions, and as it detached it's self from my mind; I let it flow into, and imbed itself into its new home; the mind of Omadon. At the same time I surrounded the man's knowledge of magic and pulled it from his startled mind to bring it into my own. I was trembling with the mental effort it took to accomplish the task. I took his memory of what he had done to Caz and amplified it; twisted it around so that where he had felt pleasure from the experience then, now he felt pain and degradation. There was a thin sheen of perspiration on my brow by the time I had finished. I commanded him as he had said he would command me. My mind told his to summon the guard to return me to my quarters; that he had indeed finished with me.

We walked silently to the outer chamber where he called to the guard and ordered him to remove me. I kept the link to him as we left; feeling my energy drain more and more the further we went from his chamber and the closer to my own.

When we rounded the corner to my chamber I could see Lord Dilandau and several Slayers, including Demitri, standing there waiting for us.

"It would have been wiser to dispose of the guard's bodies before you removed Destiny from her chamber. That mistake will cost you your life. Remove him." Dilandau ordered, his hand resting conceitedly against his hip as two of his men seized the guard, removing him with more force than necessary but less then he deserved. I leaned heavily against the wall as Dilandau stood there watching first the guard's removal and then turning his glare to me. "I trust all went well with our friend. It took quite a while to arrange that little meeting!"

"I will be fine as soon as I can release him to his own end." I answered in an exhausted whisper.

"What do you mean, woman."

"Did you expect me to be any where near when my present takes over? I want to live!" I replied as my knees began to buckle under me. I didn't have much strength left and I was wasting it talking instead of getting into my chamber and breaking the link to that sorcerer.

"Demitri, get her before she falls." Dilandau ordered watching as I struggled to remain upright. I could see as Dilandau had that Demitri had almost made a move to help me when I first showed signs of collapsing, but he had waited for the order from his commander. He had learned his lesson in the training room that other time well indeed. Already he was beginning to bend to Dilandau's will!

Quickly he moved forward, lifting me up into his arms as he pushed open the door with his foot. Dilandau closed the door behind us and I could vaguely hear the sounds as he and his men left. He had a guard to torture to death waiting for him, and I knew he would see to it that the man perished. He was, after all, a loose end in our plan to rid ourselves of that evil sorcerer.

"I think Dilandau may be developing a soft spot for you." Demitri mentioned as he crossed the space to gently lay me on the bed. He was trying to lighten the situation, which just showed me I must have looked as bad as I felt. I gathered my energy again to follow the link I still maintained to Omadon. The man still stood in the room in the same spot I had left him. His mind had an idea of what would happen to him once I broke the link. It struggled to keep a hold of my energy as I withdrew from his mind. As I left the room my energy was aware of the strangled sounds coming from the sorcerer as he sank to his knees holding his head in agony.

I was on the verge of loosing conscience as I drew my energy back into my being. Demitri had finished undressing me and was just returning with my gown. It was the same one I had let fall on the floor before leaving with that guard.

"No, burn it." I whispered, "That foul excuse for a man touched it."

"He didn't do anything to hurt you did he Destiny?"

"No he didn't hurt me, Demitri." My friend covered me with the soft throw from the end of my bed and adjusted the pillows beneath my head. He was about to stand, to get undressed himself, and join me. He knew I needed his strength, but I had other needs so I laid a hand on his arm to stop him. "Not yet, I have something for you. I need to give it to you now. I'm to weak to hold it from the rest of my mind for much longer." Demitri didn't understand what I was talking about, but as he looked into my eyes he saw the importance reflected in them. Again I gathered what little energy I had left and linked to his mind. I talked to him as I did, explaining what I was giving him. "To be a magic user, as you were trained to be, requires only one kind of magic; but to be a wizard is to embrace and balance both the light and the dark. I know that you have the spirit to use the knowledge I am now giving you, Demitri." I released the hold I had surrounding the knowledge I had taken from Omadon, and sent it to Demitri's mind. He was overwhelmed by the vast scope of what I gave him, swaying slightly as it enveloped him. He knew in an instant, what years of learning had only just scratched the surface of. His learning had consisted only of the light magic's, but now he had all the knowledge of a true wizard. I knew in my heart that he had the spirit required to balance that power, to embrace both the light and the dark. Whether he continued on the path he lead now, using his new skills for the Zaibach Empire, I couldn't say. He was so lost in his own thoughts that I had to nudge him to again get his attention. "Demitri you have to do something for me and it must be done now, please."

"What is it?" He answered, still only half listening to me.

"The servant Caz, I need you to find her." I could see Demitri smile at the mention of her name, but that same smile froze and then vanished when I spoke again. "That Sorcerer Omadon, he tortured her to get information about me. She was in here almost daily, and she saw more than I realized. He let that guard have his way with her as he watched, perverted man. They both hurt her, the guard hurt her body, and the sorcerer hurt her mind." Again I had to put a hand on Demitri's arm this time to restrain him from leaving before I finished. "I can't help her right now, but you can. You can heal her body with a trance and you can heal her mind by making her forget." He turned to look directly at me, his violet eyes hooded as he tried to control his emotions.

"If she's been hurt that badly, she won't let me near her, you know that."

"Get Hell to go with you, Caz likes the woman Slayer. If Hell is with you, Caz will allow you to help." I sighed again as I kept going. I had to finish before my strength deserted me completely. "You know what spell I'm talking about, the one you offered me not long after we first met. I want her to forget all that was done to her by those men, but more importantly she needs to forget me as well. Even the small amount of knowledge she posses could cause her to be in danger. I won't have her hurt again because of me!

"But Destiny I can't use that spell, you know it requires two to make it work, one to forget and one to remember."

"Yes I know. That's why I chose not to let you do the spell on me. But you'll have Hell there, she can handle the memories; she has seen death and worse in her line of work."

"But Destiny she would also have Caz's memories of you. Giving her that information could be dangerous too."

"Hell's already figured a lot out on her own. What she will learn will only confirm what she already suspects. You must go now, I fear what Caz may do to herself if you don't get to her first."

"But you?"

"I'll still be here when you return. I'm not going anywhere." I said still giving him a show of being stronger than I really was. Demitri bent down to plant a small kiss on my brow; then stood and quickly left the room. I sighed as the door closed behind him sinking deeper into the bed as my body and mind gave in to the loss of so much energy. I hadn't lied to Demitri when I told him I'd still be here when he returned. But I knew that I was very close to making the journey to the next life as those two guards had done in this very room not so long ago.



I don't remember how long I'd lain there when Folken entered my chamber. The sun lit my room brightly, but I did not acknowledge it or feel its warming presence. Even in my state I could feel his fury. He had two dead guards and a third screaming, as he was tortured in the dark below of the fortress. He had just received word that the Sorcerer Omadon had gone mad, locking himself in his quarters. He also knew that the servant to these rooms was ill, being attended to by the Elf, Demitri.

Everything he was planning to say vanished when he saw me curled up, trembling violently; so close to death that my body had already started growing cold in readiness.

"Destiny?" I didn't reply so he grabbed me and turned me to face him, "By the gods, Destiny, link with me now before it is too late." He commanded as he shook me to bring me back far enough to understand what it was he wanted me to do. But did I want to come back, or would the journey to the next life end all the pain. No, I knew it was not in me to give up and take the coward's way out. I linked to him and received the strength to bring me back. I could feel my body warm against his touch as the strength flowed into me. He laid me back into the softness of the pillows and handed me a glass telling me to drink it all. The liquid was slightly bitter but I did as I was told, damn that compulsion. I handed him the emptied glass leaning back again into the softness of the pillows and turned just as his head descended to mine. I realized he was going to give me the other that he knew I needed; my release. I never allowed our lips to meet, rolling away from him and leaving the bed to make my unsteady way to the wardrobe to find a gown to cover my nakedness.

"I can't let you do it, Lord Folken. I have been with Demitri and then with the Slayer Kuja; I can't keep changing partners. I feel like I truly am what I told you before, the whore of the Vione." I staggered slightly as a wave of vertigo momentarily passed through me, and I could have sworn as I glanced at the embers of the fire in the hearth that there were Dragons dancing in the small flames; still licking the remaining wood.

As I turned with a fresh gown in my hands, I both saw him and felt Folken through the link, which still connected our two minds. He stood by the bed having removed his clothing; arms open in welcome to me. But it was what I felt from his mind that made me drop the gown to the floor forgotten. He was unsure that I would come to him, both wanting me to and afraid that I would. I smiled as I covered the space between us to stand; my face turned up to look into his intense eyes. I was rewarded by a slight smile as his head descended to mine, our lips meeting attentively. The kiss was tender at first, and then deepened as passion filled each of our beings. My eyes had closed as my body melted into his hold. He brought both his arms around me, one so soft and warm, the other cold and hard. The combined feeling stormed my emotions making me desire him so badly. I vaguely heard that little voice in the deep reaches of my mind telling me to look deeper into his mind. It warned me not to take what was offered at face value; but the need stirring in me overrode the voice and silenced it.

My kiss became deeper as my mind sent him the longing I was feeling at his touch. I could feel the passion building in his mind; releasing the restraint he held at all times on his own emotions. To my surprise wings, of the purest white, burst from Folken's back. I couldn't so much see them as feel them as they emerged; the pain and the pleasure he felt made my eyes fly open as feathers swirled about us and littered the floor and the bed. I heard his sharp intake of breath as he waited for me to pull away from him repulsed by the fact that he was Draconian. But I felt no such feelings as I reached out a hand to lightly caress the wing closest to me. The feeling which surged through him and to me was like nothing I had ever felt before; his wings were more sexually sensitive then even the arousal of his body pressed against mine.

My thoughts blurred completely as pure emotion took over while we began to explore each other, touching and caressing. At some point I realized that the bed was now beneath us, but I couldn't recall having ever lain upon it. Folken's wings had re-entered his back and I rubbed my hands over the places they had been amazed at the soft unmarred flesh there. I allowed them to travelled lower to feel the bones of his hips. He pulled my hands away as he slid down my form his lips trailing down my now damp flesh. When they reached my navel I felt a heat and burning surge between my legs, as my body there grew wet in readiness of what was surly to come next. I could barely control myself when he began to suck lightly on the very nub of my sex while his hands travelled up my thighs in a slow steady motion. Again I thrilled from the combined feelings, one hand warm, the other so cold. There was no coherent thought left in me by that point; I had in a way been reduced to that which I truly was, pure feelings and emotions.

There came a time much later where he entered me slowly stroking as the emotions in me soared in response. It was at that point that I realized that I must be in love him to allow him to affect me at such a level. The shock of that one thought made me still, which drew Folken's attention. He stopped, smiling at me as he brushed the hair from my face and captured my lips with his again, having felt in his mind what I had just realized in my own. He started his slow rhythm again bringing his hands to my shoulders, sliding them down my arms to grasp my hands and pull them above me on each side of my head. His thrusts came deeper and faster, his eyes never leaving mine till finally they closed and with a low growl from deep in his throat. His body pushed into mine as deep as he could as his release came sending shudders through his body.

With his release my emotions seemed to take on a life of their own. I felt the surge of both his body and of his mind, and I knew that my release was almost upon me. I couldn't stop it even if I had wanted to. I feared that the intensity of it would cause us both harm. But as if the energy, that was me, knew this also; I felt my energy form the sphere I used when leaving my body. The energy, that was me, broke the confines of my being leaving only the smallest link to me. Then it drew Folken's minds energy into a sphere, one like mine. My energy pulled it from his body, but left the light link to him as it had to me. My energy surrounded his and as my body began to convulse in release; our energies for a brief moment combined. The emotions of both myself and of Folken became one. The intensity of the whole experience made me cry out; there being no words to describe the beauty of the feeling. It was as if a new world had briefly been showed to us both. Then our energies again separated and returned to our own bodies as Folken collapsed on top of me. He rolled off, wrapping his warm flesh arm around me to pull me close as he fell into a contented sleep.

I withdrew the link to his mind and settled myself in the curve of his body to contemplate what had just happened. I had always thought that I couldn't love because of what might happen if I did; but I had just found out that I could love and be loved in return. The thought made me smile as I drifted off to sleep.

Unsettling dreams began to disturb me as soon as sleep came. That voice of warning that I had not listened to influenced my dreams. They were sensuous and full of longing, but I couldn't capture the reason for them. I instinctively reached out with my mind to locate Kuja on the other side of the door; my mind wanted to link with him to drive the dreams away as it had many times before. But Kuja wasn't there on guard duty. My mind moved instinctively to the man sleeping next to me. The link was gentle, as not to wake him by letting him know I was there.

I felt it as soon as we linked; his mind was full of satisfaction. He had the woman where he wanted her; the combination of the compulsion, and of the Mating Fire, the drug given to her had done it… No it had been given to me! He had just conducted another of his experiments to see what I could and would do. The love I felt was really a combination of the compulsion to obey him, and a drug in the drink he had given me. An altered drug tailored to coincide with the use of my abilities and keyed to him. I felt sick and defeated at the realization that I had just been used again. My spirit had been raped as my body was used to give pleasure willingly to that man. The surge of emotion in me was so strong that it woke Folken, alerting him to my presence in his mind. I tried to move away from him, to escape. He knew what I was going to do and rolled on top of me, pinning me to the bed beneath him.

"Why?" I whispered as tears slid down my face.

"I had merely wanted to see how far your emotions would take you. But when I returned to find all the damage you had done uncontrolled I felt I had to take it a step further. I know that you recognize the compulsion and the love you feel as what they truly are. Destiny you are but only a woman, and someone was bound to take control of you; I just made certain that that someone was me. I have to cover the damage done to Omadon and that means that you will have to leave the Vione for a while. Had I not done this I'm sure you would have influenced the emotions of those with you and disappeared. But you won't disappear now because I forbid it. You do understand me, don't you? You won't use your abilities to leave me; and you won't lay with that Slayer Kuja again. You are my possession." He spat the last of it at me, his words full of what appeared to be anger as he finally released me. He grabbed my leg and held it up for me to see the tattoo on my ankle. It was a purple teardrop identical to the one under his eye. "Some men mark their possessions."

Why hadn't I let death steal me when I had the chance; this was much worse than death could possibly be. I now belong to him in the eyes and law of Zaibach as a possession. I knew not of the laws surrounding such things; but had no doubt the great Lord did. Before I had feared that the Old Ones had forsaken me, but they had done worse; they had sold me to the unnamed one himself. Folken dressed and as he left the chamber he stopped at the bed. He bent down to lay a cold kiss on my cheek. "Mine." He whispered into my ear. Without a backwards glance he left the chamber and me in it.



Preparations were made swiftly for my departure from the Vione. Folken had left right after his declaration, sure in the fact that he would have the upper hand in his dealings with me. I had been unable to leave the bed. I felt a piercing defeat that radiated in my every thought and movement. First Omadon had affected me more than I was willing to admit; then there was the knowledge that Caz had suffered because of me. I had wanted to help her myself; but the drain on my energy had just been too much. My thoughts were disturbed when I heard the sound of voices raised in the hallway. I wondered what could have happened now so I did as I always had; I reached out with my minds energy to find out. It was Hell; she was there and wanted entrance to my chamber but the guards had other orders. Her minds state was clamouring so loudly that I immediately regretted getting her involved in healing Caz. Again I had harmed another with out realizing it. She had experienced the same ordeal as Caz; the emotions were from the long past but now they had been refreshed by helping Caz in my stead. If I had known…

I could feel Hell was about to do violence to the guards, and I couldn't let that happen. I reached to both their minds desperately seeking out the necessary catalyst I needed to make both sleep. I could feel Hell's surprise as both closed their eyes and slid to the floor sound asleep. They would now never know or at least never mention Hell's visit to me; which I knew would be for the best. I considered getting up quickly and dressing but decided against it. Better to be totally vulnerable since it might just save me from some of that violence I knew she was capable of.

Hell pushed the door open with such force it crashed into the wall with a resounding crack. I saw she met to strike me first and talk later, but seeing me with only a blanket wrapped around my small frame made her hesitate. Striking me was one thing, but if she were to be found beating on a naked woman she would never be able to explain. And explanations as to why she was in the state she was would only bring her more pain.

"I'm sorry I had to be like this, but I don't enjoy pain, and you were going to give me lots of it. I am going to dress now and then we will speak." I stood going over to the wardrobe to remove a tunic and breaches, letting the blanket fall to the floor as I dressed. I then returned to find Hell sitting on the side of my bed. She was staring at the far wall her eyes distant; reliving the past horrors of her life as well as the recent ones to Caz's. I stood directly in front of the woman and after a time she blinked; then without any warning she slapped me hard across the face. "I guess I deserved that." I wiped the blood from the side of my mouth as I spoke. "I am stronger now; I can take the memories from you." The gleam in her eyes told me too late that I had said the wrong thing; this time she hit me so hard that I landed on the floor pain shooting through the entire side of my face.

"You bitch! You think it's so easy to remove what I see; believe me it isn't. Do you honestly believe that you could handle what I'm seeing?" Hell hissed at me in seething anger.

"I wouldn't just see it, I would feel it. It would become a part of me as have other things you would never understand." I had known the feelings of death and of insanity, and I had the feelings and the memory of Omadon's pleasure at watching what that guard did to Caz. Nothing could be worse than that man's perverted pleasure.

"And do you not think it hasn't become a part of me also?! For god sakes Destiny I feel trapped with scenes and feelings on all sides. You may tell me that you understand, but in truth you have no comprehension of my suffering. Perhaps you have an idea, but you have no clue to the depth it truly is." I looked at her with sad eyes.

"I have Omadon's memories of it."

"Memories of the pleasure of watching her suffer. I feel the pain of Caz's entire experience. I can hear that spineless coward as he watched her beg him to stop. Do not think this makes any comparison." Hell was up and pacing the floor now; her movement's jerky as her agitation grew.

"The man climaxed as if it were him doing what the other one was, and in his mind he was, it was almost as bad as his plans for y…" I had said too much, but did I stop soon enough. I would know soon as Hell spoke.

"Do to whom, Destiny." Hell asked as one of her brows raised, and her gaze fixed on me.

I couldn't tell her the truth, not yet, her feelings for Dilandau were strong, but there was still a barrier around her heart that needed to be broken.

"You."

"And what was I to him?" I could see the shudder course through her body at the thought of that evil man. "What plans did he have?" I took a deep breath, a partial truth would have to work; at least I hoped it would.

"Your female, and you are becoming a Dragon Slayer, Omadon would not let that happen. He planned to use me to end you. He thought he could make me his servant; his slave to do his bidding. He was very detailed in his plan." I stopped to look directly at Hell. She had stopped pacing and was staring at me in open disbelief. "I was to influence Dilandau with my abilities, to seduce him and make sure we were caught in the act by you. He wanted you to see Dilandau's betrayal of you and then we would kill you together. Your last look at this life would be Dilandau's pleasure at ending it."

"As if Dilandau could kill me!" She was laughing at the mere thought of it.

"He would have done it and thought it his own idea! And Omadon would have been there to watch." Again Hell's penetrating stare was directed at me,

"And tell me, would you have gone through with it? You are somewhat of an enigma to me Destiny. I do not see you in any given role on this fortress. Of what I have heard you have bedded a fare few of the men residing here, rumour dictating that list includes even Lord Folken himself. Then there is the fact that every time something happens it leads back to you. What is your purpose here? It cannot be a mere coincidence that you were found in the forest; I find it highly doubtful."

I hung my head, Folken had been untrue till now. But Demitri had warned me this might happen, and I knew Hell had suspected for some time about occurrences here.

"I am different, Hell, a slave doing the bidding of my masters; then passed to new masters. And as for bedding men here, in a matter of speaking it is true, but not for the reasons you believe." I knew my answer wasn't an answer, but I needed time to think.

"That doesn't answer my question, Destiny. You are very apt at eluding the truth. What about it frightens you so?"

That question I did have an answer for!

"Death! My abilities cause my own emotions to grow; if my body doesn't find release they would kill me. Demitri understood this and till I came here he was my lifeline, but it is different when I mate, as you well know from experience. I never wanted to come here, but again those who pull the strings felt different. It is the nature of the beast that I am. They say that destiny is what you make it. Well destiny is what I make it."

"And so how many have managed to pull your strings?"

"Here or before? I have been doing what is required of me for a long time, but now it is Folken whom pulls the strings. He has seen to it!"

"Has he now!" Hell chuckled. "And you followed your orders like a lamb to the slaughter, I bet; or should I say a whore to her bed."

My thoughts travelled back to just a few hours earlier, I had indeed been the lamb. Or was I the whore; either way I had been led to my bed and made into little more, no less than that man's mistress. And the worse part was that if I but thought of Folken my body would begin to feel the strings of longing for him to be in me again. I would not show how close she was to the truth, or how much hearing it hurt.

"Believe what you like, but you haven't asked the most important question yet."

"And what prey is that? You obviously wish me to ask it or you would not have mentioned it in the first place. Tell me, what is this important question?" This time it was my gaze that was directed intensely at the woman Slayer.

"Why would I, if I knew how evil Omadon was, why would I allow myself to be taken to him?" Silence followed my question as Hell moved closer to me.

"Why then. Why would you allow it?"

"Revenge." I stated backing away from Hell's advance "I had taken something from Lord Dilandau that day I became trapped in his mind. Yes I said trapped. Didn't you ever wonder about the man? He seems so young, but his experience is so much older." I watched as Hell's eyes narrowed; her thoughts centred on what I was saying. "I took memories from Dilandau. Memories of what the Sorcerers and of what Omadon had done to him. He had buried them, as they were almost worse than being raped. I gave them back to the one they belonged to. I gave the pain, the needles, and the fear back to Omadon. Dilandau knew of my plans, the revenge was for both of us."

"What is this? Another of your mind tricks, trying to confuse me to save your sorry hide?" She spoke to me with her back turned, her hands clenched into fists.

"No Hell, I wish it were; you were right, I am never anywhere without reason. Dilandau will never have those memories to haunt him, and Folken is as we speak covering up what I have done. The only loose end left is the guard, and I think he is the reason you came to see me." Hell turned back toward me; her face set in a smirk.

"You are right in that assumption. I intend to make him pay for both Caz and myself. The pain inflicted will be returned times three. I learnt how to suppress these particular images long ago, but now..." She shuddered visibly, her eyes taking on the far away look of someone lost in the past. "It will take a long time to overcome this; that I know. Dealing with that solider will just help to ease it for now."

"He is below deck. I don't know exactly where, but you will find it; just follow the screams. Dilandau is with him now." I gave her a sad look. "Your life is full of choices, for that I am envious of you. Mine is out of my hands." I said as I pulled up slightly on the leg of my breeches to revel the tattoo there. The purple teardrop showed of my status as a possession.

"Choices? Fewer than you think Destiny." Hell sighed and closed her eyes. "Our choices in life are few and as time passes they seem to dwindle in size."

"Some men mark their possessions for all to see, some mark them in ways that can't be seen; don't become marked, Hell." I was speaking of her experiences at the hand of the one that had hurt her so; I just hoped she understood.

"You speak as if it is not to late, Destiny. I was marked long ago and that cannot be changed. Even now I still bear it."

"That is because you have allowed it. You have the power to free yourself from those kinds of marks, and you will."

"I am a possession; I do not deny it, although I do in front of him and even if I did what then. I have been tied down for to long Destiny." She said as she took a step back. "I told myself when I was young that I would never be controlled by a man again, but in a man's world we must simply adapt to our situations; you should know that as well as myself. And we must take the opportunities laid before us. For instance that solider will feel the wrath of a woman very shortly, and he will wish to god that it was still Dilandau with him, for I will be far less forgiving."

I could tell Hell would not listen to anything further from me. I wasn't her friend, only the focus of the problems that had occurred since I had arrived on the Vione. She would never realize that I had needed to talk to someone that wasn't interested in how my abilities could be used. I had to take some of the pain she felt; I had to pay her back.

Hell was finished; she stood ready now to leave. I couldn't let her leave with the emotions of the rape so raw and painful, they would affect her and that was a danger to the new feelings she was just starting to have in connection with Dilandau. Chances were I'd be struck again, but I knew what was needed. I used my ability to enter her mind; the only problem was her mind was holding on so tightly to her experiences she was actually keeping me from them. I stood in front of her blocking the way, causing her to look at me confused as I leaned closer. She never saw it coming when our lips met in a soft and gentle kiss; the action shocked Hell just enough to let my mind fully latch onto the experience of both her rape and that of Caz's. I didn't take the memories, but shared them with her. I had been the reason Caz had been hurt; I dissevered to feel her pain and I had also been the reason Hell was now reliving her past, so long buried. She hadn't told me what she had planned for the guard, but now I knew. I should have been repulsed, but instead I rejoiced, and to make certain she would go through with it I gave her some of my strength. The strength of a female was born of passion, unlike a man whose strength was physical. It wasn't the safest thing to do, but I did it just the same. Hell pulled away violently as I released the link between us,

"You bitch, what was that for." She spoke the words harshly, but already knew the answer as she could feel the power my passion had lent to her.

"I can't hit hard enough. You'd better go and do what needs to be done; I'm sure the guards will be waking soon."

She turned only once as she went through the door, closing it behind her. When I was sure she was gone I crumpled to the bed, my mind flooded with the memories of that which had never been done to me. I had never known anything but passion; even the passion that was mixed with the betrayal I had so recently experienced at Folken's hand. Such violence, as those two had been subjected to, anything done to that guard would never be enough.



Destiny received fates harsh blow.