 |
| Eternally Betrayed ``Dragonslayers! Report to the throne room at once, Lord Dilandau has an announcement to make!``screamed Lord Folken to us. We Slayers immediately left our common room. I`m sure we must have all been thinking the same thing: What had we done now? There remained nothing to do but enter Lord Dilandau`s chamber and face whatever it was he had in store for us. As we entered, we noticed right away that there was a new person in the room. He looked about our age, with scruffy brownish hair that stuck out in thirty different directions and shifty-looking blue eyes. I was already put off by his strange appearance, and I could tell my friends were disturbed by his presence also. ``Dalet, who is that weird boy? Is he lost or something?``I whispered. ``I don`t know, Gatti. Think we did anything to him unknowingly and now we`re being punished for it?``Dalet whispered back to me. I shrugged, as if to say who knows? We knelt before Lord Dilandau and awaited his news. ``Loyal Slayers, it has come to my attention, what with our failures at capturing the guymelef Escaflowne, that we do not have enough Dragonslayers. So, let me introduce to our newest member, Stephane.`` The scruffy-looking boy nodded to us. We were shocked. What was Lord Dilandau thinking? Had his standards dropped since we joined Zaibach? Or was he simply drunk, letting this...person...join our elite team? I exchanged looks with Dalet and Migel. The three of us stuck out our tongues and pretended to gag. Chesta glanced over at us, and started laughing. Pretty soon we were all clutching our sides, laughing hysterically. That is, until Lord Dilandau slapped us across the face. ``Why are you laughing, Gatti?``he asked me. ``No-no reason, sir,``I said, trying very hard not to laugh again. ``Are you criticizing our newest member?`` ``No sir,``I replied, keeping an excellent straight face. ``Good, because he is going to be your roommate from now on.`` I shuddered. Oh great, this should be just peachy. Migel gave me a sympathetic look. ``Make sure you treat Stephane with the utmost respect. Show him to your room, Gatti. Dismissed!``said Lord Dilandau. The Dragonslayers left the room with our new recruit in tow. Once out of Lord Dilandau`s earshot, I walked over to Migel and Dalet. ``Ok you guys, you`ve both been my best friends since we were 10. Help me through this, ok? I think I might have a hard time living with Werewolf Boy over there,``I said. ``No problem, good luck!``they replied. I motioned for Stephane to follow me, and we left the company of the other Slayers. ``Ok, well, welcome to the Vione. I`m Gatti, and you`ll get to know the others soon,``I said, trying at least to be polite. ``Yeah, whatever,``he spoke in a tone that clearly said, I don`t care. We entered my room, or should I now say, our room, and he put his bag on the bed. ``Sooo...where are you from, Stephane? Why did you join the Dragonslayers?``I asked, wanting to end the insufferable silence. ``None of your business,``he replied in an condescending tone. ``Ok, what is your problem? We just met, and we have to live together and already you`re being a jerk? I think you`re going to find living with the Slayers hell unless you shape up your attitude,``I said, starting to really dislike this little brat. He looked at me with those uncaring and cruel blue eyes. ``Should I be scared? Come on, at first glance you look like a girl. You expect me to be scared of someone who hasn`t decided what gender he is?`` That did it. Yelling loudly, I jumped on him and started pounding him. He weakly tried to hit back, but I wasn`t a Dragonslayer for nothing. By the time the other Slayers, alerted by my cries of fury, came to see what was going on, I had him in a chokehold and his face was a mask of blood. Chesta and Viole pulled me off of him and held me back. ``I swear, I didn`t do anything. He just jumped on me. I only want to be friends,``Stephane said in a whimpering voice. I almost broke Viole`s arm as I tried to punch him again. He was lying to my best friends about what had happened! Why that... ``Whoa, Gatti, calm down man. The kid is new, he didn`t do anything,``said Dalet. I felt hurt. They didn`t believe me, I could see it in their faces. I flung Chesta and Viole off me and left the room, slamming the door behind me. ********** Over the next few days, it got worse. Stephane would do or say something mean, and I would beat or yell at him, and every time he put on an innocent face and I`d have all the other Slayers lecturing me about how I should leave the guy alone. It just bugged me so much how my closest friends in the world believed a newcomer over me. It hurt, I guess, but what was I going to do? I had to sit there and take it. One afternoon, I was sitting in my room, kind of lonely because the other Dragonslayers, Stephane included, had gone somewhere to practice fighting. I refused to go, because I was starting to feel sick whenever around a liar like Stephane. Anyways, as I was sitting in my room, thinking, a soft knock sounded on the door. ``Can I come in?``said Lord Dilandau. I motioned with my hand for him to sit. ``Now, Gatti, why aren`t you with your friends? Why are you sitting in here alone?`` I just had to talk to someone. I told the entire story to Lord Dilandau, all about how Stephane was being a jerk and my friends all believed him instead of me, how I felt so betrayed. The entire time he listened with an understanding look, and when I was done, he said he understood and believed me, and that he`d have a talk with Stephane after our next attack. I felt greatly relieved. ********** The dawn of the next day brought with it our newest attack. We were to burn Freid in the hopes of discovering the secret treasure of Freid. We set out in our guymelefs, with Lord Dilandau leading us. We reached the city of Freid in short time and, with the use of our stealth cloaks, we commenced burning the city to the ground. We were enjoying an easy battle, when an enemy`s guymelef that I recognized as the barbarian Allen Schezar`s joined the fray. I had fought him once before and knew what and experienced fighter he was. Lord Dilandau called retreat, and so we flew back to the Vione victorious. It was only back on our flying fortress that we realized Migel was missing. No one could remember seeing what happened to him. I and Dalet were especially upset, we had been a trio for a long time. So we headed back to our rooms, quite depressed. As I sat on my bed, worrying about my best friend, Stephane walked in. I sighed. Great, another problem to worry about. ``Awww, is the po widdle Gatti wowwied about his widdle fwiend Migel?``he said in a baby voice. Something about the way he said that made me suspicious. I launched myself at him and held him down. ``What happened to him? I`m pretty sure you know, I seem to remember you being closest to him in battle,``I said menacingly. He whimpered, and I tightened my hold. ``Ow! Ok, ok, his guymelef had been damaged, and when Allen arrived, it was too late. He`s dead,``Stephane said in an uncaring voice. I got off him, shocked. My best friend, Migel? Dead? It couldn`t be true. It just couldn`t...I sat down, and tears started slipping down my cheeks. Dilandau and the oter Slayers came by, and asked me what had happened. Stephane explained to them, in a sweet, sympathetic voice that Migel was dead. Dalet and Chesta came over to me immediately, both crying also. Dilandau and the others looked quite saddened too. That night, I cried myself to sleep. I was sleeping on the floor in Dalet`s and what had been Migel`s room, I couldn`t bear being anywhere near Stephane. It must have been quite late when I woke up suddenly to Migel`s voice. ``Gatti...Gatti, wake up. You must listen to me,``the voice said. I looked around and saw, sitting on his bed, Migel. Only this wasn`t the human Migel, it was like a spirit of a sort. ``Migel! Oh, Migel, I miss you already!`` He smiled a sad smile. ``I cannot stay here long, but you must know the truth of my death. I was not killed be chance. While we were burning Freid, I and Stephane were talking. I told him that he was a liar and a jerk and I didn`t believe his lies anymore. He admitted everything to me then, and I turned away, disgusted. He launched his crima claw at me while I had my back to him.`` I felt hot fury rising in me. That little...he`ll pay, I thought. I nodded to Migel, got up and dressed in my Slayer`s uniform. I quickly woke up everyone, and dragged Stephane outside. ``You are a traitor and a coward! Meet me in the guymelef combat area in ten minutes. We will settle this, once and for all!``I screamed at him. Followed by the loyal Slayers, I headed to get my melef ready for battle. ********** Ten minutes later, we were in our guymelefs, ready to fight. The Dragonslayers stood silent on the ground. They dared not comment on our fight. I think they understood it was personal for me. ``FOR MIGEL!``I screamed, and the battle commenced. For a new Slayer, he was quite good at handling his guymelef. He slashed at me with his sword, but I blocked it and hit him with my sword, slowing his left side. He launched the crima claw, and I was hit, but not badly enough for me to stop. Then he tripped me. I fell, and as I was lying there he raised his sword to finish me. I closed my eyes, there was nothing I could do. ``Gatti! Don`t let him win! I believe you, and I believe in you. Show him who`s the greatest Dragonslayer!``came Migel`s voice into my head. I felt a new surge of strength, and I blocked his strike. I stood up, slowly overpowering him with my sword. Just as he realized he was going to lose, I screamed, ``You have betrayed Migel, and all the Slayers! To hell with you, traitor!`` Then I leaned close and whispered, ``Scared of me now, Stephane?`` And with those words, I sliced his guymelef in half. He fell out and landed on the ground, lifeless. I exited my guymelef, exhausted. The other Dragonslayers congratulated me, and then parted as Lord Dilandau entered the room. ``What is going on here!!!!!`` I had them all sit down, and explained the entire story to them, with the help of Migel`s spirit, who just had to tell everyone that he was happy where he was, and to always remember him. As dawn broke out over Gaea, his spirit floated away, calling to me, ``I believe you, and I believe in you.`` The End <> Dilandau <> Fanstuff <> Site <> Sign <> Contact <> a.s.c.e.n.d |