Recap / The Vision Of Escaflowne E 20 False Vows

• Aesop Amnesia: Hitomi, prodded by Millerna, does another Tarot Card reading despite learning she's creating futures and dark outcomes.
• Cliffhanger: Hitomi surrenders herself to Naria and Eriya to save Asturia.
• Internal Reveal: Millerna finally learns Hitomi's infatuated with Allen.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Hitomi and Millerna are both at fault for the disastrous wedding and Zaibach attack on Asturia. Yes, Hitomi tries to Screw Destiny and it instead creates the very future she'd foreseen in the Tarot reading. But, it's Millerna who pressured Hitomi for the Tarot reading even after repeated warnings and reminders of what they'd learned in Atlantis about the danger.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
  • Despite having wanted it for most of the series, Merle doesn't celebrate her vindication at being proven right about Hitomi.
  • Zaibach openly attacks their 'ally' Asturia. It's a sign that as their endgame approaches, any diplomacy or intrigue Folken or Dornkirk favored previously's out the window to achieve their goals.
• Origins Episode: Naria and Eriya's flashback sequence explores how they met Folken and why they're so loyal and devoted to him.
• Pyrrhic Victory:
  • Merle takes no joy in her catty remarks and warnings about Hitomi finally being vindicated. No matter how badly she wanted her rival to go down, Van's heartbreak wasn't worth the price paid.
  • Eriya (and by proxy Naria) finally getting to kiss Folken last episode...and realizing there was no love behind it and he felt nothing. Their dreams of a romance with Folken-sama can never come true (though their devotion remains).
• Screw Destiny: Brutally deconstructed. Hitomi tries this, emulating what she saw in Atlantis and their techniques for altering fate. It backfires catastrophically.
• Undying Loyalty: Naria and Eriya's devotion to Folken — the origins of which is explored in the flashback.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Millerna and Dryden's reactions upon learning of Hitomi's Screw Destiny.