Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Silent Secrets ❯ A troubled King ( Chapter 1 )

Silent Secrets

Disclamer: I do not own Escaflowne, only the charaters, that I made up myself!!!

This will be my first attempt tp write a fanfiction, so be nice!! *g*

Chapter 1: A troubled King

"Lord Van! Come back her this instant!"

A 17 year old catgirl was yelling frantically at a boy, gallopping away on his black steed, her flowing pink hair tosed by the wind like a flame from a candle.

The boy she was chasing after had unruly raven black hair, which was falling in his reddish eyes and he didn't even intended to lissen to the poor girl, who could not keep up with his horse any longer.

"Don't worry Merle! I just need a time-out and those advisers are driving me nuts!! I promise, I'll be back before it gets dark" - "But you're supposed to be with Princess Esmeralda and show her the town! And Queen Millerna and King Dryden with their son Aron and Knight Allen Schezar with his sister Celena are coming in 2 days!", called Merle after him.

But Van already couldn't hear her anymore.

He rode straight to the forest of his kongdom and vanished behind the trees.

When Van had been stroding through the forest for nearly 1 1/2 hours, he came to a clearing with a little pond.

It was early summer and the gras was lush and green. Birds were singing up in the trees and their young ones were screaming for food.

This was Van's hidingspot, when the advisors pestered him to much or he just needed time to think.

His older brother Folken had shown him this beautiful place and only he kenw of it.

Van's face showed pain, when his thoughts began to drift to his lost family.

He had lost his older brother at the age of 12, becaus of an accident and Van's father had died of a rear deases, when he had been 16. His mother had left Van half a year later to join her husband and her eldest son.

They had left Van alone to rule a whole kingdom and one of the strongest and richest on Gaia, too.

Fanelia wasn't a very big country, but had beautiful lush green forests and the temperature was normaly very nice, not to warm or to cold.

The last 25 year, there had been a rich harvest and Fanelia had a mine, full of Diamonds and a Dragon-Gravyard had been found three years ago.

Fanelia maybe didn't have one of the strongest armies, but it had an Alliance with Asturia, Freid and Zaibach, all very big and rich countries, whose monachs all all were good friends of Van:

Actually, Queen Millerna had taken the throne of Asturia at nearly the same time as he had to take the one of Fanelia, because Millerna's father had retreated of illnes.

She had married the rich merchant Dryden a year befor that and her father was now taken care of, by her older sister, Princess Eries, who seemed to be together the knight, Allen.

Her older sister, Marlene, had married the Duke of Freid, but had died when she had given birth to her son, Chid.

Freid and Zaibach, from which the second one named of them was ruled by Dilandau (yeahhh, you heard right!! Dilly's a King!!!), had a big amount of 'melef-units, while Asturiahad many Levi-Ships and the Kinghts of Celi, like Allen.

As for Fanelia, there were the Dragons.

The dragons and other mystical creatures (so it is said) lived in the woods of Fanelia and kepted all kind of intruders at bay.

There have only been sightings of dragons, but some people belive, that there are other creatures in there, like unicorns and trolls (where I'd rather meet a unicorn, than a troll ;-) ).

Becaus of all this, Fanelia was also called "The Green-Dragons-Gem".

Van lay on his back, locking at the clear blue sky and chewing on a strand of gras.

His horse, Arrow was is name, was drinking at the pond and enjoying the cool water at his hoves.

While he lay there, Van thought about the mess, he had gotten into now.

Van would be getting 20 in four months and his advisers werepushing him into getting married and produce an heir (" What if something happens to you, my Lord Van!").

That was also the reason, why Princess Esmeralda from Hearim was here. The advisers had invited many other noble women befor her, but Van had out them all down.

Now his advicers had invited Esmeralda and tried to convince him, that she was perfect for Van and Fanelia (" You would make a wonderfull couple, my Lord Van!").

Princess Esmeralda was qite a beautiful woman.

She ahd a slim figure, long blond hair nearly going down to her ankles, ocean blue eyes and breast, you couldn't overlook just like that.

Every man stared after her, whenshe walked around the castle or the gardens and she knew it.

And that was, what Van didn't like at her: Her attitued and behavior against other people of lesser status than herself or a rich noble.

He had watched Esmeralda treat the servant and other people in the castle like dirt and she had prbably flirted with every other male noble in the castle she had found.

But when she knew, that Van or the advisers were around, Esmeralda behaved like a little angel, who couldn't hurt a fly.

Man she couldn't even ride proper wthout nearly killing the poor horse, she was riding on!!! (in this story, every noble must know, how to ride a horse)

>How could they have ether thought, that Esmeralda was the right one for me and that I would marry her?!? If I marry someone, than out of love, just like Mom and Dad!<, Van thougt to himself.

>But that will probably never happen. And if there is someone out there for me not even the stars could tell. Why did you have to die brother, Dad, Mom?? I miss you.<

His mother had once told Van, she had met his father, when he had on a trip throughhis future kingdom. They had just stared into each others eyes and had know, they were ment to be together.

Even after the advisers had told Van's father, that he was the future king and had to marry a princess and that it wasn't proper, if he took the daughter of some military commander (low status) as future queen, he had still taken Van's mother as his wife and they had had Folken and Van.

They had all been happy together.

But that was in the past and they were all dead now.

The only one that was left, was Merle.

Van ahd found the catgirl when he had been 5 years odl on a ride with his father.

She had just laim there, on the side of the path, half hiden under some bushes, unconciousnous.

Merel had been badly injured and they had taken her back to the castle. There, the healers had taken care of her. When she had regained conciousnous, Merle had told them, that outlaws had attacked their village and that her mother had saved her by giving away her own live.

Van's father had sent out troops emediatly, to stop the outlaws and Merle ahd stayed from that day on in the castle.

She had somewhat becomr a sister for him and would always try to chear him up. She was the only one, who understood him and didn't try to push him into marrige or other things linke that.

Seeing, that it would soon get dark, Van sighted and stood up. He went over to his horse and started to get ready to go home when suddenly, Arrow neight, becaus something he seemed to have seen something behind Van at the edge of the clearing.

Van whirled around and gaped at what he saw......

That's it for now, maybe a bit short, but I'll go on as soon as possible. Bye!!!