A different world...

Dissclaimer: I do not own any of the Escaflowne characters, nor do I own Varun, he’s property of Pyro_kittie_13. I’m sorry if I missed any errors, I’ve tried the best I could. Other then that, please enjoy the fic, and leave a line of what you think if you have the time.

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Chapter 1: Everything begins...
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Ann’s heart was beating hard in her chest it felt like it was going to leap out any moment. She was scared out of her mind, and her body was sore and drained of all its strength. She had been calling out for help, and yelling at the guards to let her go, now she had no voice left to cry out with, and she had very little hope left.

She closed her blue eyes and thought back at the day she got captured, she had been making her way trough Austaria, trying to get out of the city feeling the tension from the Zaibach soldiers around her. She didn’t want to get caught, and she had almost made it too, she had actually made it out of the city but she was spotted, and recognized as a wanted criminal. She had been left with no choice but to run back into the city and was faced with even more guards.

Her mind had gone into overdrive when she was surrounded, she had snapped, she had fought the soldiers with her liquid metal blade. She had killed without hesitation, anything that came close she slashed at, it had taken the soldiers some time, but they had managed to overpower her. She had been dragged away, screaming her lungs out for someone to help her. But the people in the streets had only looked at her with sorrowful eyes for a moment before they turned away.

Ann opened her eyes again and looked around the cell once more. She was chained to the wall, her right arm tightly shackled, to make sure that she wouldn’t be able to use her blade. She felt a tear roll down her cheek and the tilted her head towards the floor.

Her clothes were torn and dirty, and the goggles on her head were broken. The last of her hope was draining away and she whispered out with a strained voice.

“...Varun...where are you...”

Varun had heard about the incident soon enough, he told her not to go! He told her! Why did that foolish woman not listen to him?! Oh, but he was going to hide her, she would have been all right, he would have disguised her, kept her safe, no one would question, but she panicked! And now he was close to panicking. He has been talking the king, useless. The only thing Grava was good for was grovelling....so he took a more direct approach, he decided to talk to the master of guards.

Ever since the invasion, the taxes were high, the people unhappy, and his job threatened because of so many soldiers walking the streets...he could bribe him....but it was Zaibachian soldiers that guarded her...it was not too easy to bribe them....And so far, he was not even getting to see her....!

Time has passed, it was late night and he was exhausted, but after he paid a good sum of money and talked the head into letting him in, he was at least allowed to see...Oh gods, she was in such a poor shape....The cell was opened for him and he was right beside her, wiping the tears out of her face, holding her the best he could, stroking her face....\"Oh Ann....I\'m so sorry....I\'m so sorry.....\" he was just as devastated as she was, she was his friend.

Ann heard the door to the cell open but she didn’t have the strength to look up. Suddenly someone was besides her, at firth she was afraid and tried to get away until she felt the gentle hand stroking her tears away. She looked up and her spirit lifted just a little, she wanted to hug him, to feel something familiar near her. To cling on to him and have him save her, but she was chained to the wall behind her. She felt more tears roll down her cheeks, she leaned her head against his shoulder and cried.

“I was almost out of here... I should have stayed... I’m sorry... you were right...” Her voice could almost not been heard, it was raspy from all her yelling. She looked up at him with terrified eyes.

“...they’re going to kill me... carve me open and get the device out... I know it... I just know it. I can tell...” Her words held the same fright as her eyes, she felt in her heart that they were either going to kill her or start up with the experiments again. She didn’t know what she feared the most.

\"Now...now, don\'t speak such nonsense...if they wished you dead, they would have killed you on the spot...\" Too much trouble for someone who was not a political criminal, nameless girl’s did not get executed publicly....

\"I\'ll get you out of here....I swear...somehow...I will...\"

Ann just looked at Varun for a long moment then let her head fall to rest on his shoulder again.

“...I wish you’re right...” She shifted a little, trying to get more comfortable, but it was an impossible task.

“You shouldn’t risk your own safety Varun... I’m a nobody, no one will miss me... you have a family...you shouldn’t put yourself and them in danger because of me... ” She looked up at him and gave him a small smile.

“...but I’m happy that you came... thank you...”

\"You are my friend....remember?!\" he hissed almost angry, the rage building inside him was not for her though, it was for Zaibach...

\"Remember Ann?! I promised I won\'t leave you! I promised Ann, I don\'t break promises!\" he was dead serious, if it killed him, he was not leaving this woman behind!

Ann was shocked at what he said. Things he did still shocked her even after knowing him for two years. She looked up at him with confused eyes and shook her head a little.

“You can’t...” She whispered.

“...How are you going to be able to get me out of here? You don’t fight, you don’t kill... how are you going to get me out of here?” She asked in a scared voice, she didn’t want to get her hopes up. She didn’t Varun, one of the kindest persons on Gaia, to get killed because of her.

Silver eyes stared down at her for a few moments....
\"I\'m going to appeal to /him/...\" he flinched, an appeal could mean a hell of a lot of wealth paid from his pocket just for it to be read out....

\"I can not reason with these men....I will appeal to the new Emperor....and if I must, I shall go there...I /will/ get you back...no matter what it takes...\" he was almost suicidal in his unshakable determination to save her.

Ann shook her head, her hair whipping at her face then almost glared at Varun.

“You can’t! You’ll get killed!” She started to chough, her voice not capable of yelling anymore.

He stilled her head with his hands and pressed his lips against her forehead....

\"Quiet Ann....please don\'t say a word...these men hate you...if they know what I\'m trying to do....they\'ll stop me before I am even out of these dungeons.....\" he paused for a moment....

\"Trust me....have a little faith, just trust me....\" he wished he could believe in his own words as much as he made them sound like he did.

Ann clenched her eyes shut and bit into her lower lip. She wanted to yell at him not to do it. That she wasn’t worth it. But she also wanted to believe in him... she opened her eyes just a little, looking down at the ground.

“...don’t get killed...” She simply said in a hushed voice and closed her eyes again, she could hear feet move closer and she didn’t want to see Varun walk out of there.

Varun gave her a quick hug before a strong hand pulled him away, his time was out. He left, he arranged that one of his sisters visited once a day bringing her food and caring for her injuries while he tried to negotiate.

The written request never even reached Zaibach, letters, incoming and outgoing were intercepted easily, the situation was still not as stable, it took a while for all regions to become fully colonies of Zaibach, then there was a time when the power was really difficult to maintain, there were uprisings one after another, but finally, there had been peace for the past year.

Peace that was kept almost severely, anything that might be communication between rebels was intercepted and destroyed, he had to go there himself...but before he went, he wished to see Ann one more time, so here he was again, she looked better since the last time he saw her two weeks ago, thank goodness.

Ann had been surprised when one of Varun’s sisters came and visited her everyday. She was grateful but it also felt weird. But it lifted her spirits a little more. She was still chained to the wall, but she had gotten longer chains so that she could move her arms a little.

She was sitting, leaning against the wall when the cell door opened. She was expecting Varun’s sister again and was surprised when it was Varun himself. She smiled a little at him, and stood taking a step towards him. Fear was still evident in her eyes, but she felt a little better. But she still had a strong feeling that she would die some day soon, even if she wanted to believe in Varun.

“Hey...”

Varun came over quickly wrapping his arms around her most informally, a sign that he was in great emotional turmoil...

\"Oh Ann....\" he closed his silver eyes....

\"I wanted to see you....I\'m not sure when I will see you again....\" he sounded nervous, sorrowful, stressed, tired, so many things at once.

Ann wrapped her arms around him the best she could, a bit surprised at his actions, but brushed it away when she took note to his tone of voice. She looked up at him with questioning blue eyes.

“What do you mean? What are you planning to do?” She asked in a calm voice, she felt like she had to be strong, Varun usually didn’t act the way he did now.

\"No letter goes in or out of the country without being screened first.....\" he sighed....\"It\'s harder to screen a person for motives, I must travel myself.....\"

Ann’s eyes went wide and she shook her head.

“You can’t do that, that’s suicide.” She hissed and glared at him.

Varun shook his head...

\"I\'ll be ok....I\'ll come back to you....I promise...I\'ll come back....\" he held her close....this would be one hell of a journey, oh, it didn\'t help that he knew nothing about Lord Folken except that he was a traitor, murderer, that he was ruthless and would go to any extent to get what he wanted.....so far, he had the most horrible view of the man and he could not see how he will ever convince him to release his subject to him, but he would try.

Ann forced a smile and hugged him closer she would try to believe in him.

“You always keep your promises... so I’ll guess I’ll have to believe in you.” She said and looked at him.

‘I just hope that I’m still here when you get back...’ She thought to herself as she smiled up at him.

Varun stayed with her for the rest of their time there, telling her the whole plan, well, more like, whispering it into her ear. Once again though, his time was up and he was escorted none to gently out. From there on, she was for a while on her own, and so was he.

Varun had mostly ships that went to sea, unlike Dryden, who had mostly airships. There were only river ports in Zaibach, none of those rivers were deep or wide enough to support his ships. He had to arrange for transport which was not easy. None were too eager to take a passenger on board, it was to his surprise when while talking to someone in the restaurant about transportation he was overheard and a certain Zaibach soldier approached him.

The boy looked younger, around fifteen, he might have been older, but he looked so young because of his wide blue eyes and shiny blonde hair soft like a child\'s. The resemblance this man had to Chied was startling.

They talked, Varun paid and he had his transportation. It was even with greater shock that he discovered that the ship he was to travel on had royal Zaibachian insignias. What this ship was doing here, he didn\'t know, but it must be important....and the soldier that approached him....that boy must\'ve been a somebody after all. All that made him most uncomfortable. But he boarded the ship, he was given nice quarters and was now waiting to be off.

In the mean time, Chesta, the young man who pitied the other, knowing exactly how hard going anywhere at all has become together with Gatty and Miguel were heading for the dungeons. They were on political business here, ever since Dilandau changed into Celena, they had no commander, Folken was the only man they answered to, they\'ve all been promoted it seems.

Sometimes their jobs were much like being Folken\'s personal international lakeys, but it was tolerable. This time they had to bring something to Asturia, a cargo of some importance, but they didn\'t know what, and take something back. Gatty led them down....

\"This is where the woman is?!\" his voice was slightly cold, but Chesta recognised it simply being formal. These simple soldiers covered before anyone who wore the crest of the black dragon on the clasp that held their sweeping indigo cloaks in place on their shoulders. There had been some arguing, rude remarks from bystanders, Gatty ignored all of it as he headed right past them asking, no, not asking, ordering and demanding the key.

He was warned so many times that she was dangerous, but neither him, nor his companions, that despite the dislike of what they saw, retained a stony composure. The door was opened and Gatty walked in, armour clicking slightly against the dirty moist ,blackened by age, stone...Light green eyes focused on her blue ones....\"Unchain her!\" a direct order that allowed no argument. Chesta and Miguel waited just outside.

***

When Varun had left Ann had a bad feeling about all of it, and the way some of the soldiers would look at her... with pity, it was frightening. That sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach was coming back. She sat down on the ground and hugged her legs close to her body, she stared at the door, not moving.

She didn’t know how long it was, but before she knew it she could hear voices outside, her heart began to pound against her ribcage and her breathing becoming irregular. She was starting to panic...

‘...They’re here...’ She thought, her eyes fixed on the door.


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