Name: Van Slanzar de Fanel
Alias : a/n
Race: 1/2 Human, 1/2 Draconian
Gender :Male
Age: 15 years(born April 12)
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5'5" or 165 cm
Weight: 112.4 lbs or 51 kg
Status: King of Fanelia
Van Fanel is the young king of Fanelia, the second son of King Goau and Queen Varie. Varie was a Draconian, winged people descended from the people of Atlantis. The Draconians were stigmatized and believed to be bearers of bad luck. At a young age Van was cautioned against carelessly showing his wings, a mark of his Draconian heritage. When Van was 5 years old, his father died of unknown cause and his older brother, Folken was required to claim the kingship. In order to do, he first had to slay a dragon, but he never returned and was presumed that he had either died fighting the dragon or lost his nerve and fled. Van's mother grew ill from worrying about Folken, and went out into the night to search for him in the forest where he was supposed to complete his task. Her body was never found. Balgus, a trusted knight of his father's, returned after a long absence and became Van's surrogate father.
When Van was fifteen, he performed the rite of dragonslaying. During his battle with the dragon, however, he and the dragon were mysteriously transported to Earth, where he first encountered Hitomi. After he killed the dragon, he was taken back to Gaea, with Hitomi being transported with him. During his coronation as King, the Zaibach Empire attacked Fanelia. Van activiates the kingdom's greatest treasure, a Guymelef named Escaflowne. To activate the system, Van forms a blood pact with it, tying his own life to Escaflowne when he is piloting it. Though Van wants to protect his kingdom with the powerful machine, he is forced to flee his kingdom with Hitomi, only to learn later that Fanelia was burned to the ground by Zaibach.
During the beginning of the series Van was frequently told that his attacks weren't "aggressive" enough, Van's reasoning being that he didn't like bloodshed or the thought of killing someone. After he stated this, he was told that as a king of Fanelia this was not an appropriate point of view and that he would have to fight regardless of his feelings. However, as the anime progresses and Van's misfortune only increases, he becomes bent on revenge and begins to enjoy battle to the point of engaging in a seemingly "fight to the death" match with his comrade Allen. Yet, his love for Hitomi proves stronger than his love for battle and he eventually removes Escaflowne's energist stating that he would like to see a future where Escaflowne isn't needed.
His destiny and Hitomi's are linked, and he is initially dependent on Hitomi's clairvoyant abilities, which save his life more than once. He also holds a grudge against Folken for leaving his native kingdom of Fanelia for Zaibach and Dornkirk for his grand ambitions. As a child, he always admired Folken.
