An AU Escaflowne Fanfic by Kian

~*~

Chapter 1 - The Lighter

The heavy, old wagon rumbled through the city gates in a caravan of similar rickety, old wagons. There was nothing particularly exceptional about the wagon or its contents, but it must be noted that here the careful weaving of time begins to bear the fruit of its painstaking labor. For at the reins of the cart was a young woman with apple green eyes and short, wavy brown hair. The only thing peculiar about her at first sight was the small, black symbol tatooed onto the right side of her face, where the cheek bone and jaw bone met in front of the ear. In that symbol there was an entire heritage, a whole way of life, making the young teenager much more than she appeared. And so begins our tale...

~*~

Van Slanzar de Fanel grinned inwardly as he watched the confused palace guards disappear around the corner. Quietly whistling, the young man wandered down the alley, emerging on the other side into an enormous crowd of market-goers. The hustle of the mid-morning was relaxing to him as the sun warmed his cheeks and the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth grew slightly.

He didn't stick out in the masses of busy people with his plain red shirt and leather breeches, but his intense crimson-brown eyes made the people nearby inclined to give him a little space. The young man watched as children scurried away from their parents in pursuit of some bauble, as lovers strolled lazily together in the heavy daze that their affections produced, and as aging grandmothers walked arm in arm with their grown daughters performing mundane chores in contentment that they were still needed and wanted. This was what he loved about the people of Fanelia.

His feet guided him to a small stand at the corner of the city square opposite the ancient public temple. The wooden frame was decorated with elaborate tapestries and exquisite throws. As Van approached, he ran into a wall of strawberry colored fur that squealed his name happily. When the cat- girl detached herself from him, Van smiled down at her with the affection of a devoted brother shining in his expressive eyes.

"Merle, how's business?" he asked in a self-possessed baritone voice.

"It's okay. My sisters have sold three tapestries today and I just sold my first throw!" she blushed furiously when she told him of her achievement.

"That's wonderful, Merle. Which one was it? The red and gold?"

"Nope, the blue and yellow one..." she trailed off as another, older cat- girl called to her from the stand.

"Merle! We need your help over here!"

Merle bounded back to her place behind the make-shift counter and Van followed in a relaxed stride.

"Hello Naria, Eriya," he nodded his greetings to Merle's older twin sisters.

When their parents had died nine years before, the three cat-girls came under the wing of the royal household because their family had been loyal stewards to the crown for four generations. The good queen had ordered that the girls be given a formal education as well as the opportunity to learn profitable skills. The twins had taken a liking to weaving and had moved outside palace walls into the city three years ago to support themselves with the profits of their trade. They could still enter and navigate the palace without any trouble from the guards, but their pride as cat-folk demanded that they begin to live independently from the royal family. An added bonus was that, unlike in the higher circles of court, animal people were accepted and treated equally amongst commoners.

Van chatted with the girls between sales, picking up inconsequential village gossip and relaying inconsequential court gossip in turn. Palace guards nearly spotted him twice, but he managed to blend into (or under) the scenery enough that he wasn't caught. It wasn't until Eriya noticed the new arrivals that Van let down his guard.

"Naria, look. It's the outsiders...," murmured Eriya as the slow procession of carts wheeled past on the opposite side of the wide street.

"Well, at least we're already set up. It'll be nightfall by the time they're ready to see business," replied the twin.

Merle was just as entranced by the procession of "outsiders," a slang term for those people who did not live in the country's capital, as her sisters. Her eyes picked out an oddity in the common procession and, intoxicated by her discovery, she excitedly pointed it out to her sisters.

"Look! That girl's a Lighter! See her? Look!"

Van's eyes followed the invisible line made by the insistent finger to find a young girl in dark leather pants and a long cream colored tunic perched on the riding seat of a humble, roofed wagon. And sure enough, she had the signature mark of the Lighters.

The Lighters were an old tribe that rivaled the Draconians in legendary fame. They were blessed, or perhaps cursed, with the gift of sight. Their psychic abilities had scared and angered leaders for generations, but most people were simply awed by the power the Lighters possessed. It had been a Lighter prophecy that had brought down the age of the Draconians, and another Lighter prophecy that had joined the hands of King Gou and Queen Varie. Nobody really knew much about them, and the Lighters never seemed to want to explain themseves. Rarely were the Lighters seen outside of their home in the mountains amongst the dragons, and Van had never expected to see one, particularly a young and good looking one, pop up in the middle of the city market.

As she passed him, Van studied her more intently. She had eyes the color of spring fields and boyishly short light brown hair. Though a smile was tugging at the corners of her mouth, there was a distinct ambience of sadness surrounding her. Lastly, Van noticed a small, polished stone the color of a summer sunset hanging on an antiquated chain around her throat. She seemed common and strangely arresting at the same time.

Her eyes flickered in his direction and locked with his gaze for a few seconds and that brief moment stood still, inhumanely long and yet it ended sharply as a large hand came crashing down on Van's shoulder.

The contact shocked him out of his reverie and he turned to meet the amused face of his older brother, who was dressed no more formally than Van.

"You know, you should really stop doing this to Mother," he grinned.

"Wha?" was all the once cool and collected young man could manage.

"Never mind now. C'mon, I have to get you back before you make any more of the guards humiliated."

As his brother nodded their goodbyes to the cat-women, Van turned back to the street, only to see her cart disappear around a corner. Folken pulled him in the opposite direction, away from the only thing Van would be able to think about for the rest of the day.

~*~

She hopped down lightly from her place on the cart, unharnessing her horse from the cumbersome yoke and tying him to a heavy ring bolted onto the side of the wagon. Softly humming to herself, the young woman unloaded the wagon of dozens of large packages wrapped in cloth and waxed leather to protect the contents from the elements. Stacking them carefully, she began to set up a stand directly in front of her small "home".

She absently touched her tattoo as she thought back to her entrance into the city and all the staring people, especially the raven-haired boy. She smiled slightly at the thought of her eyes locking with his. She knew he was the younger prince of Fanelia, her visions had pointed him out to her long ago. Her shoulders drooped with abrupt fatigue as she remembered more of what her visions had shown her.

After finishing the booth and placing buckets of grain and water within the horse's reach, the Lighter entered the back of the wagon and crawled into her bed, falling asleep within minutes.

Her subconscious was haunted by its normal phantoms. The clan was gone and her village was burning. A deep understanding of loss and loneliness was settled in her stomach. She had been running from something, as evidenced by the gnawing of fear in her mind. Metal glinted as the abstract arm swung down at her. Thrown off her balance, she was falling and a voice that sounded hauntingly like her own screamed. Then above her was the winged- one, stretching his hand down to her. And as her hand nearly grasped his, the young woman woke up.

Very little light was coming into the wagon through the window slits near the roof by now. She figured it must be a little past dusk, only a couple of hours since she had arrived. Stretching the remaining soreness from her travels out, the Lighter opened the small door at the back of the wagon and hopped to the ground. Her horse whinnied at her in greeting and she stroked his neck as she passed by him to the booth she had set up earlier.

From underneath the makeshift table, she pulled up four of the packages and carefully unwrapped them, revealing four large stones cut in half circles that gleamed dark green and rich brown hues off their smooth surfaces. The Lighter touched them reverently as she cleared the packaging away and checked for nicks or scratches in their surfaces. Smiling satisfactorily, she sat back and waited for the people to start arriving.

~*~

Van strode down the halls, flanked by Folken and the Chief of Palace Guards, Allen Schezar. As the throne room doors were thrown open for him, Van was greeted with the sight of his father and mother seated in their places, with Balgus at Gou's elbow. Van walked to the foot of the small dais and went down on one knee, crossing his arm over his chest in salute. Standing again, he got ready for a speech.

"Van...," began his father in a stern voice.

"Knight Allen, how many times has it been now? Twenty? Thirty, that my son has escaped you? How do you account for this?" interrupted the Queen in a voice that held an amused ring to it.

"I...," began the blonde man, thrown off by the Queen's inquiry.

"Varie, how can you place the blame on Allen? It is our son who cannot handle his responsibilities," said Gou as he turned to his wife, not noticing Van's flinch at his words.

"What responsibilities can a eighteen year old have, Gou? Honestly, his situation is different from Folken's. He has no matters of state to attend to, he has completed his necessary schooling, he practices his swordsmanship with Balgus everyday, and he does not cause any trouble in the city. Do you expect him to sit in his chambers twiddling his thumbs all day, Gou?" the Queen said in a sarcastic, but good-natured way.

As the King made strange noises in the back of his throat while trying to come up with something to say back to his wife, Varie turned to her son. Smiling gently, she motioned for him to come to her. Van approached with a sideways glance at Folken, who was chuckling quietly.

"How are the girls?" Varie asked curiously.

"They're doing very well, Mother. Merle has sold one of her first blankets and the twins are not finding any shortages of homes for their tapestries."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it. Now, get along with you. I know you don't want to miss the fair in the city tonight. I heard there are some interesting Outsiders down there," Varie softly shooed her son away before her husband could get another word in.

Van turned and bowed swiftly before he left the room, a broad smile crossing his face when he heard his father complain about lack of respect before the heavy doors closed behind him. The smile quickly turned mischievous as he quickened his pace down the halls to his rooms. The Grand Fairs took place only once every three rotations, bringing people from all over Fanelia to the capital city. Van hadn't missed one since he was old enough to walk. When he was younger, his brother took him, but now he went alone because Folken was wanted in court with their parents.

Shedding the formal garb he had been forced to don when he had returned this afternoon, Van tugged on the same, worn pair of rough deerskin pants and his shapeless red wool shirt. His sparring gloves covered his hands and he stepped into a plain pair of leather boots. Lastly, he stuck his money in between the gloves' walls and the back of his hands. This tactic was mildly uncomfortable, but highly effective against pick pocketing.

But his appearance and susceptibility to thieves was far from his conscious mind. Instead, his imagination was running through scenarios of how to meet the Lighter. Was she loud and pompous or shy and weak? Shaking his head slightly, Van shoved the examples out of his mind. The silent strength in her eyes that afternoon disproved both theories.

As he made his way down the hall lit by heavy, blazing torches, Van remembered what she looked like. The short hair and leggings were different to his royal eyes, but down in the city, many young girls had short hair and wore pants, particularly if they had brothers. It was odd, however, to see a young woman in something other than a dress, since most girls the Lighter's age were trying to attract husbands.

He dimly remembered her tanned facial features, but he could clearly recall her enigmatic green eyes. Her eyes tore right through him, they froze him in his place. They were eyes that screamed an unbearable sorrow and pain, eyes that carried hope and faith in their depths.

He was hurrying through the city streets now, running for reasons even he could not explain. He had to find the Lighter, that was all he knew. And from a window above the city, Queen Varie watched her young son weaving through the crowds with a bittersweet smile on her face.

~*~

She knew that she stuck out like a sore thumb next to the other street venders. She also knew business would be awkward until somebody broke the ice and came to her table. However, the Lighter was not unsettled by the people's response to her. It made her feel strangely confidant, like she had some sort of power over these people. Unlike the other vendors though, she could not lure customers over by yelling and forcing her merchandise underneath their noses. She had a different method in mind.

So instead of waiting for customers to line up, the Lighter went to find a brush in order to groom her horse.

~*~

Van saw her wagon long before he saw her. Figuring that she must be around someplace, he found a comfortable place to watch her booth from without being seen. Ten minutes went by and Van watched as the people peered at the booth from the corners of their eyes, but kept a wide berth of it otherwise. This behavior hurt Van somehow. It was then that a small girl with a tiny brown braid made her way over to the booth somewhat shyly. What the prince saw next touched his heart in a way he hadn't expected.

~*~

"Are you looking for something, small one?" asked the Lighter as she came out from behind the wagon, leading her horse with one hand and holding a stiff brush in the other.

She moved slowly while tying the horse to another metal ring on the side of her wagon and her voice was friendly and soft. The child at first shied away, but was captivated by the movements of the older girl as she slowly drew the brush over the horse's back in smooth, even swipes. After a few moments, the girl shuffled forward nearly to the Lighter's side. Without halting her work, the young woman threw out her enticingly sweet voice again to the child.

"Would you like to pet Caelum? He has a little itch right here..."

Her left hand lightly touched a spot of the giant horse's flank, just out of the child's current reach. After hesitating a moment longer, the little girl moved over and used her tiny little hand to pat the horse. Over the next few minutes, the child grew bolder until the Lighter lifted her up onto the horse's bare back and let the girl pat Caelum's neck while she checked the animal's legs with careful hands.

The little girl chattered eagerly with the Lighter for a while. Van gradually made his way to the stand, careful not to attract the Lighter's attention. There was something oddly familiar about the stones set out there, like deja vu. They were slightly larger than his closed fist, and though smoothly cut in an odd shape, they were unadorned. He moved to turn one over, trying to think of what the Lighter would sell them as. It took a moment for Van to realize he could not move the stones. They would not budge from their positions on the table. Van tried to move one by pushing it with both hands.

"It can't be this heavy," he muttered.

"It isn't."

The voice had changed its tone slightly from when it addressed the little girl. Van snapped his head up to meet the eyes of the tranquil Lighter on the other side of the booth. The little girl was on the ground again, toddling along beside the very tame horse. Van covered his shock fairly well, straightening.

"They're enchanted," he said evenly.

"In a way. It's a little complicated to explain. You were the last person I expected to try and steal from me," she replied.

Van winced, visibly mortified by her remark.

"I do not steal."

"You shouldn't either. You have enough."

The child tugged on the Lighter's pant leg, impatient with the staring contest between the two teenagers.

"What do they do?" she asked, pointing at the stones.

The Lighter relaxed and smiled at the girl. Picking her up and setting her on an overturned bucket, she gestured to the stones.

"I'll show you. Does your Mommy like necklaces?"

"Yes, but she lost her favorite one last rotation."

"Do you know your family house?"

"Charleby," she said after much thoughtful pouting.

The Lighter smiled at some inside joke, and turned to the closest stone. Placing her hands over it, the Lighter whispered inaudible words. A soft glow lit the core of her pendant and a twin light shone from under her hands. The light ceased, and the young woman took the rock into the palm of her hand. Opening the child's hand, the Lighter dropped a much smaller stone into the pudgy little hand.

The girl was dumbstruck as she looked at the now coin-sized version of the other stones on the table. Engraved in the middle of the reshaped stone was the family seal of Charleby. Beaming, the girl looked from the young woman to Van.

"It's pretty! How did you do that?"

The Lighter smiled again and leaned down close to the girl's ear. In playful seriousness, she met the gaze of the child.

"Magic."

The effect the half whispered word had on the girl was incredible. If at all possible, the smile on her dimpled face grew and she giggled as the Lighter stood up again.

"Thank you! I'm going to go give it to my Momma! ...um... How much does it cost?" the girl asked sheepishly, in some fear of what the price might be.

"For my little friend?" the young woman asked, putting on a show of contemplating the matter for a few seconds before answering, "15 doulath."

The young girl sighed happily before handing three little brown coins to the Lighter. The brown braid swung slightly back and forth as she skipped away into the crowd.

~*~

"How'd you do that?" brought her back to reality.

"Do what?"

"The thing with the stone."

"Easy. Any Lighter can manipulate dragon scales with a little practice."

"Dragon scales? These are dragon scales? How'd you get them?"

"For a prince, you really are daft. Dragons shed their scales every six rotations. And since Lighters are Dragon Tamers, we can collect and use them for all sorts of things. For instance, your castle is made of manipulated dragon scales, especially in the older parts, like the throne room or dungeons."

"You know who I am?"

"Of course, Lord Van. You stick out almost as much as I do," she replied turning away from him and returning to her work grooming the horse.

"I have no idea who you are, but..."

"Um, miss?" asked the hesitant voice of a potential customer.

"May I help you, sir?" the Lighter asked as she set her brush down and moved back to her position behind the counter.

"I'm interested in...um...well, the stones I guess," he said nervously.

"Very well then. How would you like your family shield carved, sir?"

And on it went for about two hours, people crowding around to get a look at the "magic" and buying custom made jewelry and ornaments from the young woman. Van was pressed into service to collect and manage the money, and he was more than happy to have something to occupy himself with.

Time passed and soldiers marched by the streets, dragging an arrested pick pocketer with them. Van recognized the group of five young men as part of Allen's special troop of soldiers, the Dragonslayers, named after the ancient rite of passage for a royal prince. One of the group, a silver haired young man about Van's age, strayed close to the Lighter's stand and called out to her.

"Hey, 'Tomi! Mom said you'd be coming to town."

"D! Hey, come by tomorrow,'k?"

"Sure thing. See ya tomorrow, 'Tomi!"

The young man raised his hand in parting, then disappeared with his companions. His friendly exchange with the Lighter sparked a flash of jealousy in the young prince.

"Friend of yours, 'Tomi?" Van asked quietly.

"It's Hitomi, thank you. I hate it when he calls me that. And Dilandau's from my village."

"Really. I'll just add him to a list of questions I have to ask you."

"And what makes you think I'll answer your questions?" demanded Hitomi in such a way that Van could not tell if she was perfectly serious or just being difficult.

"I am the prince, you know. I can make you answer."

"You seem to have forgotten something."

"Oh, and what's that?"

"I'm a Lighter," she said smiling evasively before turning away to the plentiful customers at her booth.

Van watched in slight shock. She most certainly didn't act like any girl he'd ever met. That wasn't saying much, since all the teenaged girls in court were delicate little waifs and Merle and her sisters didn't count. This was definitely someone worth the effort he thought as he accepted money from another customer. Watching her smiling face and her gentle exchange with the crowding people from the corner of his eye, Van failed to see the arrival of a blonde haired man bearing the royal crest on his tunic and a dangerous glint in his eye.