Gallant. yeah, right!
this is the mixed blessing episode because on the one hand we ahve the entrance of the villains, including my silver-haired counterpart Dilandau, but on the other hand, we have Allen. Ick.
When the story opens this time, Hitomi and Van have landed on opposite ends on the same forest. Hitomi is accosted by a strange moleman, and Van comes running to ehr resce. Poor kid...he's beaten to it by Allen Schezar, Knight Caeli of Asturia, and David Bowie in Labyrinth look alike. In a brief battle, Allen knocks out Van and takes the king and Hitomi to his fortress. Along wit his poor, poor, pooor owl. If you had to follow Allen around, wouldn't you be a poor thing, too?
Meanwhile, we meet the devilish evil pyromaniac leader of the zaibach empire's elite fighting group, Dilandau. his troops, the Dragonslayers, are in charge of stealth missions from teh evil empire under the command of Strategos Folken. Folken is given orders to send Dilandau and his troops to capture Escaflowne. However, while there, Dilandau makes the mistake of insulting fanelia-which makes sense, since he's so totally ruthless and plus had no idea Van was there-which results in Van trying to challenge him, and Dilandau's discovery of Hitomi. Allen manages to cover for her by claiming she's his new lover from the east, kissing her (ew!!!!!!I feel sick! Dilandau's expression says it all!), and dismissing the Dragonslayers.
Van hears of Fanelia's total destruction, tries to leave in Escaflowne to rebuild teh counry, and is challenged to a guymelef fight by Allen in exchange for freedom from the fortress. Van looses....which is stupid, Allen's waaaaay too preened to be that good of a fighter...and Hitomi has another vision in which the fortress burns to the ground.
My final thought? I feel really sorr for Allen's owl.
