Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Dragon's Bait ❯ Prologue ( Prologue )

Disclaimer: Escaflowne belongs to Bandai and all other respective owners. Dragon's Bait the novel belongs to Vivian Vande Velde.

Hitomi watched as the last of the flickering torches was engulfed in the highland mist. The frigid air of the Eve of the Winter Solstice whipped at Hitomi's dress as she vainly tried to free herself from the rope that held her to the wooden post. As the villagers had securely bound her to the pole before leaving her too her vicious death Hitomi had seen the deep red stains in wood and ground around her. She gazed down at her white dress swearing at the purity and innocence of the color and trying not to think of the fate that awaited her. Overcome by a wave a nausea Hitomi stopped struggling and leaned up against the post. Trying to catch her breath Hitomi cursed her fellow villagers in the Highlands of Freid and silently wondered how she had ever gotten the role of Dragon's Bait.

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Disaster had come on the autumn wind. Hitomi had heard the ominous warning and heeded its message. She knew the land was in turmoil and felt it's pain and grief. Hitomi the villager Seer was haunted with visions of the pain and suffering to come. She had felt the Duke of Freid's death in Zaibach's first attack and the uncertainty of the people at the crowning of the Duke's young son Prince Chied. Hitomi kept to herself the Duke's death and feigned surprise when the news came to their remote mountain village long after the Duke's passing. News came too that the small Kingdom of Fanelia's oldest heir Folken had mysteriously disappeared and his younger brother Van Fanel had rarely been seen outside the castle walls. Rumors came that the young prince was ailing from some strange disease and the country was instead being ruled by a solider loyal to the crown. Theses rumors were quickly forgotten by the villagers but Hitomi had heard and remembering the omen sent on the autumn wind she had kept her feeling of apprehension and ill will to herself.

It was six weeks before the Winter Solstice when they rode out of the darkness of midnight into Hitomi's village on mounts of pitch black and with swords of silver steel. The sound of thundering hooves had awoken the village. Hitomi had quickly slipped on a shawl and ran outside to see these uninvited visitors. Hitomi was one of the last to gather in the village square. Her friend Yukari had come running. "Oh Hitomi did you predict we were going to have such fine visitors" Yukari had looked at Hitomi's blank expression. "You mean you didn't predict this? They're Zaibach's finest. Elite Dragonslayers sent to slay Escaflowne. The leader is in a deep red color and he's kinda cute." Hitomi had looked at her friend in a daze wondering what Zaibach soldiers were doing here in the Kingdom of Freid. Hitomi had weaseled her way to the front where she watched as the white haired leader jumped down from his horse and walked into the tent of the village elders the sound of angry voices echoing behind him.

The leader had emerged moments later with a young apprentice in tow behind him as the tent woven of sheep wool slowly went up in flames. Other dragonslayers stood arrows poised at the entranceway in case anyone tried to escape from the burning tent. The leader had let out a maniac laugh as he watched as the tent was quickly reduced to ashes. Then glancing down at the apprentice the leader said a couple of words and too Hitomi's horror the apprentice looked up and pointed straight at her. Hitomi's gaze had caught the red slayers' and she had almost frozen at the lust and insane glint in his eyes. Hitomi had remembered the autumn warning and had quickly run into the hills and lost herself in the thick under brush where the horses couldn't follow. It was two weeks later when the Dragonslayers rode back into the village. The leader Dilandau, Hitomi had found out his name later, bearing a look of vengeance sat a top his horse stroking a bright red gash along his cheek followed by a greatly reduced group of slayers. As they rode out of town Hitomi had falsely believed she had adverted the danger. One week before the solstice when a merchants caravan came through the mountain pass bearing an Asturian princess and her entourage Hitomi thought nothing about it and consented to a Tarot card reading.

The reading had started easily enough. Hitomi talked about great love and wealth which had pleased the Princess Millerna immensely. It was when the last card Death was flipped over that Hitomi went into a trance and predicted disaster and ruin upon Princess Millerna and her household, that things went wrong. In a fit of rage Milernia ordered Hitomi to be put to death. At the trial no one had stood up for her, not even Yukari. It was decided that Hitomi would stand as the Dragon's Bait, as was tradition every Winter Solstice to appease the great Escaflowne and guarantee a safe year ahead. The villagers had forced her into a white dress and..................................

Hitomi was brought back to the present as a loud, blood curdling shriek filled the air. She glanced up and what she saw made her blood run cold. Their against the full moon was the image of a dragon. Hitomi watched as it circled and began it's decent. Closing her eyes Hitomi swallowed back her tears and forced herself not to scream.

A/N: Well that's the intro. I'm sorry if it seems bland or if I mixed up my tenses. I just want to see what you all think. Write a review or send me an email ladyequinox@hotmail.com telling me what you think. Feel free to add me to your MSN. I promise the story will get more intriguing but I don't want to say how and give away the plot but you might already have suspicions. I just gave this a glance over so if there are any major errors please email me so I can change them. Thank-you.