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______This is years after an alternate ending to Escaflowne. Ziebach won. Dilandau distinguished himself in the final battle against the coalition, stopping the demon bomb from being dropped on the Ziebach front line. Dornkirk's fate machine worked perfectly: his wish for peace and order was strongest, even in the Asturian colony where the defeated nations evacuated. Five years later he died, and was replaced by Hiras Soufire, a man no one had heard of. It soon became clear he was exactly the sort of man Dornkirk would have chosen for Ziebach Succesor. (whether he was or not)

______Frederica Albatou was nervous. She was a tall, thin girl with long white-blond hair. .nothing fancy. A good idea here. Her father thought the King scowled at her less than other visitors. She hadn't noticed. The large room was high-up in the pyramdal Ziebach castle. One wall was a bank of slanted windows leading to a ceiling thirty feet up. Beyond battle-standards and lighting, the whole place was unadorned. The king was a gray-beard of middling height and build. In black riding clothes, he was a somber figure of iron on the throne. It was as if his body had wanted to sag from age but couldn't, wrinkled skin drawn underneath his cheeks, waist tight, and shoulders squared out.

*Is he really so cold?* Frederica Albatou stood in audience now. The king's appearance did seem to confirm rumors about him. He had risen from nowhere near fifty years before, in the years after the Great Victory when Dornkirk finally died. He had been a soldier, and there was some enmity between him and her grandfather, the first Lord Albatou.

______In her family worse things were known. King Hiras had killed her grandfather himself, but even her father did not know the details. The king seemed to favor them because of it. His large, liquid eyes encompassed her presence.

______"You are anxious." She blinked before realizing what he meant.

______"Sir, it is about the succession."

______Silence strained the air for seconds. "Nothing is known and....well it's for the good of Ziebach... and we know you appreciate good planning." She gathered thought. "My father makes a friendly question, in the interest of the continued prosperity of our great land, knowing full well he himself will not rule."

______A fitting heir to Dornkirk, Hiras Soufire was loveless, not even rumor placing him close to any woman, or man for that matter. Like Dornkirk, he could see the fates of things, though he rarely admitted it as he made proclamations and 'suggestions' that always turned out for the better. Peace, justice, and progress flowered under his hand. That was to what he was wed. His eyes were pools of thought and history. He seemed almost... sad.

______"Sir?" He breathed in, and was again unwavering. "It is important. I would not rest without safety assured." He paused. "You are not just a child for your father's errands. What does Ziebach need so urgently? Speak your mind." There was a genuine light in his eyes. She was stimulated.

______"You rule well, you care for us, but we feel no love. It will be a transition from one unknowable ruler to the next. Things have been good, but who knows when change will come? The commoners especially, don't know what to expect. Like Dornkirk, you begin and end with yourself, no history and no legacy save actions and official policy." She paused. "There is rumor, but what happened the last time? Dornkirk died. Hiras came with the support of the madoshi and that was that. Who were you before that? Hiras the dung shoveler? Or did you arise full-formed from a tank somewhere in the castle ready to kill Dilandau Albatou? Why..."

______She realized what she had said. No one was punished for speaking, it was another sign of Hiras' kind rule. Yet she had just accused him in front of others. The sparse court was silent. Hiras was himself, which was to say a rock.

______"Leave us."

______The few present departed the chamber. He rose and looked out the window at the capital city, the lights of evening beginning to come on. "To think, to think I was once not here."

______He turned to face her, eyes soft and encompassing. "Do you know I have not thought of that ever? I became, I was king, and I did right. But Dilandau... he was before. He put me here indirectly. Ah, right, only a minor house, no power to speak of, so why? You wonder this."

______She was petrified: he was right. A king who knew fates and could kill her here without anyone knowing. She nodded. "Your grandmother only knew the barest scrape of what happened. You were told at most I and Dilandau were enemies." He exhaled and looked lost. "You can't know I'm telling the truth. Dilandau was an ill man. He cannot be held accountable..."

______"For what?" He spoke animatedly to the empty chamber, "Did you know once I was simple. I was going to get married and have a family and I did not have big things weighing on my mind. It's been so long since..." he trailed off muttering. She politely waited several minutes before interrupting his thoughts.

______"Sir?"

______"Oh."

______At the question he grew sad and hard. He looked at the floor as he sat down, then continued. "He was an excellent pilot, all that part is true. He killed a great many people and laughed. He killed with abandon, with joy... I knew later he really needed help. But then. I was on the losing side of the Great Victory. My love was royalty of a resisting country. One of whom Dilandau hunted down; like a special prize, royalty was to him."

______"On that island, the island the nations fled to and I tolerate, you see why now. There I became a different person, and it was the renegade, yes, he was a renegade, Folken, who helped me every step of my path. Tragedy made me cast off my ignorance and hone my innate abilities. I learned science and war, and to predict fate without fear."

______"Folken led the last army that penetrated near the capital, and I was his lieutenant. Actually, we made it all the way. We smashed the Dragon Slayers and captured Dilandau. Folken...no, _we_ cured his madness and he walked away." She sat for awhile in silence. Neither of them spoke.

______"But what does that have to do with anything? How did you become king?" He stared a short time before answering. "It's not made up that Folken was a great man. He showed me that your grandfather was not my enemy. It was Ziabach. Dornkirk and his policies were guilty. The madoshi made Dilandau insane, and a great pilot through their meddling. Folken did something similar to me to help me exact revenge."

______"We struck swiftly and quietly. Folken killed Dornkirk, then was killed. I reordered the madoshi as we had planned, and suddenly I was in charge. Something in what Folken had done, I've known, made me feel responsible. I've thought of my old life, but I never saw a way back till now." He leaned forward, relaxed, and smiled.

______"Thank you."

______She was numb. This was all so different from what she knew. From what was proper. There was something though, soemthing else she needed to know.

______"But..."

______"The succession. The madoshi know. Ray Damm will rule tomorrow. He's a brilliant young man who loves this land. He'll make sure the madoshi and nobles elect a good ruler. I'll have the announcement made."

______"Tomorrow? But my Lord?" He seemed filled with a nervous energy as he got up from his throne and stepped back toward his private chambers. He exited and left the door ajar. He was opening a vault.

______"I'm leaving. Thank you child." She thought it meant she was dismissed. She opened half of the great doors leaving the chamber, and stepped out. The officials moved back into their places. A great white light flared and she stared at the commotion within the room, papers blowing and people yelling. And then it was gone.

Author afterword: Either this thing is STILL too complicated(umpteen revisions), or you should be feeling a distinct urge to mallet me, or see me roast over an open flame for a bit, or lock me up in a room with axe murderer Kasumi, or... Well. There's something interesting hidden in there. First draft written between 3 and 6 AM while procrastinating around October of 98.

And that's the news from Mobile Fortress Woebegone. Where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and the children have a natural talent for piloting mecha.