Disclaimer: Escaflowne does not belong to me. Alexa, Alex and Oriana (and Sada) do.
Love and Misunderstanding
Van, Hitomi and Merle were in the gardens behind the castle in Freid. Van was blindfolded, trying to locate them with Hitomi's pendant. Unfortunately, he wasn't having any luck.
"Come on, Van," Hitomi encouraged him. "You can do this. You've done it before."
He took off the blindfold. "I know, I just can't concentrate." He wiped the sweat from his eyes. "I have this weird feeling. I don't know what it is."
Merle groaned. "Not you too!"
"Oh, don't be such a scaredy-cat," said Hitomi. "Why don't we check?" She took out her tarot cards, spread them out on the ground and studied them carefully. Van was glad of this, because after her experience with the doppleganger she wasn't very willing to use her powers.
"So?"
"Well, first of all, there's no death card this time, thank goodness."
"That's a first," Merle said.
"Yeah… hmm."
"What is it?"
"According to these cards, someone from your past is coming. And what is supposed to be a happy reunion will be tainted by hate and prejudice."
Merle shuttered nervously. "What do you mean, 'hate and prejudice'? What's going to happen?"
"I'm not sure. I don't think there will be peasants with burning torches or something like that. But there may be some fighting, verbally though. This card here says you have to be careful when you judge somebody because you may misunderstand them. Your closest friends will try to help you as best they can, but they have to face their own demons as well."
"What's that mean?" Van asked her.
She shrugged. "I don't know. I just read them. Sometimes I don't know what they're talking about."
"When's this person supposed to come?"
"Well, it may be more than one person. Very soon. Perhaps within a day or even less."
"Well, we might as well continue. There's no use waiting for them to show up. They'll come when they come."
Hitomi nodded. "Right."
* * * * * *
They practiced until dinnertime. Everyone was already seated at the table. Merle nudged them as they entered. An unknown girl was sitting with her back towards them, talking to Prince Chid. She had jet-black hair down to her shoulders. Two pieces were braided and tied with a pale blue ribbon. She stood up and turned around upon their entering. Hitomi noticed that her eyes lit up when she saw Van. And his did too. She felt an odd pang. Not an unfamiliar one, as she had experienced it with Allen and Millerna, but it was strange having Van make her feel like this: jealous. She tried to shake it off. That was ridiculous, feeling jealous about Van. But it wouldn't go away so easily. It was about to get worse.
Van bowed. "Lady Alexandra."
She curtsied back to him. "Your majesty." They laughed and hugged. Once more Hitomi felt that awful pang. She looked over at Merle. The cat-girl didn't seem to mind at all. She was looking at the door and back to them, hopping impatiently.
After what seemed like an eternity to Hitomi, they let go of eachother. Merle took this as her opportunity.
"Is Lord Alex here too?" she asked.
Lady Alexandra nodded. "He's with the horses. You know how picky he is when it comes to taking care of his animals: only the best. He'll be here in a minute."
As if on cue, a boy walked in. He looked almost exactly like her. His pants had bits of hay stuck to them and his hair looked like it had been chewed up in some places. His face was full of scares and scratches, which looked as if they came from sharp claws.
"Merle!" he exclaimed. She ran to him and licked his face. Unlike Van when she had done that to him, this boy didn't seem to mind. She latched onto his arm and followed him up to the others, staring up at him with googly eyes.
Hitomi was awestruck. She didn't even behave like this with Van. And this boy seemed to be pretty affectionate with her too. Hitomi didn't know whether he liked her or just wanted to adopt her as a pet.
Lord Alex greeted Van with the same warmth as Alexandra did, except verbally. "It's really good to see you. We've been so worried."
Alexandra's eyes became sad. "Thank goodness you're safe. I'm so sorry we weren't there."
"I'm glad you weren't," Van said.
"Are you all right?" she asked. She put her arm around him.
"Yeah, I'll be okay. But thanks." He gave her a sad smile.
Hitomi was even more surprised. Van rarely acted this way towards anyone. Usually it took a long time for him to open up. At least it did with her. She didn't have the faintest idea who this girl was. A childhood sweetheart, perhaps. That didn't seem like something he'd have. But she really couldn't think of any other explanation.
The pair sat down next to eachother at the table. Hitomi was on the other side of him but he took no notice. They were deep in conversation throughout dinner. No one seemed to pay much attention to them, except for Hitomi. She strained to hear them, but their voices were only whispers. They left as soon as they finished. Merle and Alex had also gone off on their own. Hitomi excused herself and followed. She wasn't sure why, but she wanted to keep an eye on them. They went into the room Van was staying in, leaving the door open just a crack. Hitomi staged herself at the door and tried to listen. Unfortunately, her weight pushed the door open and she fell headfirst into the room.
"Hitomi!" Van exclaimed. "Are you all right?"
She nodded and stood up. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Hello," Alexandra said to her.
"Uh, hi."
"Oh, right, how silly of me. Alexa, this is Hitomi. Hitomi, this is Alexa."
"Nice to meet you," Alexa said politely.
"Um, likewise."
"What's the matter?" Van asked her, noting the puzzled expression she had on her face.
"Oh, nothing," she replied.
"You're a friend of Van's?" Alexa asked.
Hitomi shrugged. "I guess so."
"Where are you from?"
"Well, uh, I'm…" Hitomi still didn't have an answer for that question.
"She's from the Mystic Moon," Van said. Hitomi gaped at him. She couldn't believe he told this girl. Millerna and everyone knew now, but she was a stranger. And yet, Van was telling her Hitomi's secret.
"You are?" The girl looked fascinated. "Oh, what's it like?"
"It's okay, I guess. Um, where are you from?"
Van and Alexa burst out laughing. "No wonder why you look so confused. Hitomi, this is Lady Alexandra Nicolette de Fanel."
"Fanel? But that means she's…"
"My cousin," Van finished.
"Your cousin. Oh, I'm sorry. I thought…" Hitomi blushed.
"You thought what?" Van asked her.
"Well, I assumed you were, um…" Hitomi searched for the right way to put it.
She didn't need to. Alexa started laughing again. "Oh, no wonder why you didn't seem to like me. Don't worry, you have no competition from me."
Now Hitomi was even more confused. "Excuse me?"
She stopped laughing. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you two were… Oops. I guess we both were victims of misunderstanding."
Van just stared at them. "Honestly, I thought both of you knew me better than that."
"Well, I suppose it just took us by surprise, seeing eachother, so we didn't know what to make of it," said Alexa. "Usually the only girl you're in the company of is Merle."
"Yeah, but still. I mean, you should…"
Van was interrupted by a knock at the door. Millerna entered.
"Don't you want dessert?" she asked. They shook their heads. "You look like a bunch of tomatoes," she commented. Then she left.
"We aren't that red are we?" asked Hitomi.
"Yes, you are," Van said.
"Hey, you're probably the worst of all of us," Alexa retorted.
"Yeah, well, anyway. What else has been going on?"
Alexa sighed. "I think we've been halfway around the world already, going from country to country."
"For what?" Hitomi asked.
"Marriage negotiations. Mother's obsessed with them. The things we had to go through to get out of it. And the worst part is they don't even know about it until we get there, but they still almost agree. Mother wanted Alex to marry this princess. We managed to get her to hate him. They practically through us out." Alexa looked sad. "But it was close. I don't want either of us to get married yet. Alex can be a pain, but he's still my twin. I couldn't bear to live apart from him. And now…" her voice trailed off. She didn't seem to want to talk about it.
Van put his arm around her. "Where is your mother, anyway?"
"She's in her room resting. All this traveling has become too much for her. I'm sure she'll be glad to see you."
Van made a face. "Yeah, right."
"Van," she began to say. Then she remembered Hitomi.
"It's all right," he said. "She knows."
"I know what?" He pointed to his back.
"She doesn't hate you or your mother because of that. She's a little cold to you, but you're still her nephew. She cares about you."
"I'm not so sure about that."
"It's true!" she exclaimed, exasperated. "Don't you believe me. Damn. Why are you so unwilling?"
Hitomi, meanwhile, was thinking about her tarot cards. "Remember, Van, misunderstanding? Hate and prejudice? Someone from your past? You can change it, if you change your attitude."
"You don't understand," he said sharply. "You don't know her."
"No, she doesn't, but I do. So you should listen to me."
"How do I know she hasn't made you hate me, too?" Van walked out and slammed the door behind him.
"He's so stubborn. Why can't I make him understand?"
Hitomi sat down next to her. "What's the problem?"
"Van believes my mother hates him because his mother was a Draconian," Alexa explained. "She doesn't, but he won't change his mind." She frowned. "His mother felt the same way. It's sad really. All that she went through marrying my uncle made her so… cautious or something. And she passed it onto Van. " Alexa started to cry. "We have nothing against them. We loved all of them. But they couldn't see it. We really did."
"It's okay," Hitomi said reassuringly. "I believe you. Van just needs to get it through his thick head. He will one day."
"I hope so." She sniffled. "And soon."
* * * * * *
Merle and Alex were in the royal stables. He was showing her one of their horses. "Isn't she great?"
Merle nodded in agreement. And she was. She had a silky white mane with chocolate brown eyes. She looked extremely well groomed. "You must take good care of her."
"Yeah, well, I've raised her since she was a filly. Actually, she's going to be Alexa's. Right now, no one really rides her. I'm just waiting for the right time to give it to her." He patted her head. "That may be soon."
"What do you mean?" Merle asked.
"Well…"
* * * * * *
"You see, this card, the Ace of Serpents, means courage. So you have to be brave and stand up for yourself."
Alexa nodded. She had asked Hitomi to give her a tarot reading and, although reluctant at first, she agreed. Alexa seemed very worried about something, aside from Van.
"Thank you, Hitomi. I hope I can."
"Your welcome."
"Hey, Hitomi?"
"Yeah?"
"Have you ever done a reading about Van?" she asked.
Hitomi nodded. "Just before. Why do you ask?" A memory tugged at the back of her mind: when Yukari had asked the same thing about Amano.
"Oh, I was just wondering. What did it say?"
"It foretold of your coming and all the other things I said before."
"Hmm. But it didn't say anything about you?"
"What do you mean? I wasn't really focusing on me at the time. Why would I?"
"Well, maybe you should."
"Why do you think that?"
"Oh, I don't know. You just seem to go good together."
Hitomi laughed. "Me and Van? I don't think so. We're just friends."
"So then the cards will say that, right?"
She stopped laughing. "I guess so."
"Than what's the big deal?"
"Well, I…" Hitomi hesitated. She knew why she didn't want to. But she wasn't sure if she should tell her.
"What's the problem?" Alexa asked.
"Can you keep a secret?" she asked her.
"Of course I can. Tell me."
"Okay. You see, since before I met Van, I've had this dream. I was falling. And then someone with wings flew down and saved me. I couldn't tell exactly who. I wasn't able to see his face. I thought it was Allen at first, because…" her voice trailed off.
"Oh, I see," she said, understanding. "But it's Van, so you're confused now."
"Extremely," Hitomi agreed. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do about it. I mean, Van's my friend, but, up until recently, we weren't that close. I never thought of him that way. But he's changed a lot. Much different from the insensitive jerk he was when I first met him. He's so sweet now that sometimes he scares me. And I really liked Allen, so… But I saw him kissing Millerna." She sighed.
Alexa thought for a moment. "I have to see this Allen. I wasn't paying attention before."
"Okay. He should be with the Crusade." They stood up and walked out into the hall.
"On the way, I want you to tell me every single thing that's happened since you got here. Don't leave anything out."
* * * * * *
Allen's men were making repairs to their ship when the girls approached them.
"Hmm," Alexa said, in response to what Hitomi had just told her.
"Hmm what? You keep saying that."
"Sorry, I was just thinking."
"So what's your diagnosis?"
"I think you really like Van, but you're still infatuated with Allen. It's my opinion you should go with Van. But I'm biased, so don't go by me."
She was walking backwards as she said this and walked straight into Gadeth.
"Oops, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed.
"It's all right. No harm done." He smiled at her. She turned bright red.
"Where's Allen?" Hitomi asked.
"He's in the ship. I'll see you later." He went into the castle.
"Come on," said Hitomi. Alexa stood frozen in place. "Uh, hello? You in there?" She snorted. "Talk about a tomato."
Alexa snapped out of it. "Huh? What? Oh, right. I'm coming."
"And I thought I was boy-crazy."
"What are you talking about?"
Hitomi rolled her eyes. "I sure hope I don't act like this."
* * * * * *
"Yeehah!" Merle yelled. She jumped off her horse. "That was so much fun!"
Alex grinned at her. "I told you. I can't believe you never told me you couldn't ride."
"Well, we didn't have many horses. We had no use for them, anyway. I think this has been the most I've traveled in my life."
"Yeah, we do it all the time."
"I still can't believe Alexa…"
"Shh!" He hushed her. "No one's supposed to know."
"Relax. Nobody's around."
"I'm not taking any chances. Let's take the horses inside. You'll help me feed them, right?"
Merle nodded. "You'll have to teach me how, though."
"No problem." He took the saddle off his horse. Not a difficult task as it wasn't that heavy, but Merle was watching him like he had just lifted a two hundred pound boulder. Van had absolutely no chance of competing with Alex. She awed in everything he did. She had always wanted to tell him how much she admired him, but she always hesitated. Now was the perfect time when no one but the horses could hear.
"Lord Alex?" she began.
"Yeah, what?"
"I, um, I just wanted to say that, I think you…"
"I what?"
"Well, I just…" She couldn't go through with it.
"Merle, what's the matter?" he asked. "You can tell me."
"I can't!" she cried. "You'll laugh at me."
"Of course I won't. Tell me."
"Okay, I, well, I like you," she blurted out.
Alex stared at her. "Beg your pardon?"
"I said 'I like you'."
"Well, I like you too. What's so difficult about that?"
"I mean I like you."
"Oh, well, Merle, I…"
"I knew this would happen." She burst into tears. "Why does everyone treat me like what I think doesn't matter? I have feelings too, you know. Just because I look like a cat doesn't mean I'm not human."
"I never said…"
"I don't want to hear what you have to say!" She ran out of the barn.
* * * * * *
"He's nice. And cute. But I wouldn't trust him, not like this."
"Yeah, I know. I've seen it with my own eyes. But he can change," Hitomi said.
"Yes, but you may not make him."
"You're so pessimistic."
Alexa shook her head. "I'm not pessimistic. Allen may be a good guy and all, but I wouldn't trust him as a husband or a lover, well, that's a bad example. Trust me, I know about these things. I've been husband hunting for a while now." She sighed. "And it may all end here."
"What do you mean?"
"Most of this journey has been to find Alex a wife. But now… Mother wishes to propose a marriage between me and the king of Freid. I don't want to marry him. He's so much older than I am and he has a son. I don't want to be separated from Alex or any of my friends and family. Why can't mother see it? I want to marry for love, if at all. I don't want to be forced to."
Hitomi patted her back reassuringly. "Maybe you should tell your mother that," she suggested.
"How can I? She won't listen. She doesn't understand at all." She started to cry.
"You have to try."
"You don't understand either," she sobbed. "Leave me alone."
"Fine, I will. But think about it." Hitomi walked out of the room.
* * * * * *
Van had been wandering around the castle grounds for about an hour. Finally, he decided to give up and went back to apologize. He tripped as soon as he walked in the door. He heard a loud hiss.
"Merle! What are you doing here?"
"Oh, sorry, Lord Van." She sniffled. "I'll move." She was sitting right in the doorway.
"Merle, have you been crying?" Van was a little surprised. Merle usually didn't get upset easily. Mad or annoyed or worried maybe, but he rarely saw her cry. "What's the matter?"
She wiped her eyes. "Lord Alex…" She buried her face in her hands.
Van moved them away. "Alex? What'd he do? Tell me and I'll go beat him up." Merle managed a tiny smile. "What happened?"
"I… I told him I liked him. But he didn't say he felt the same way about me."
"He didn't?" Now Van was even more surprised. He had always thought he did. "Well, what did he say?"
"I don't know." She gulped. "I ran out before he could say anything else."
"That wasn't a very smart thing to do." Van handed her a handkerchief. She blew her nose. "Maybe he would have if you'd given him a chance."
"Than what should I do?" she asked.
"I think you should go back and talk to him. See what he has to say."
"Okay." She stood up and gave the handkerchief back to him.
"Before you go, have you seen Alexa?"
Merle thought for a minute. "She's probably upstairs talking to Hitomi."
"Good, I'd better go apologize."
"For what?"
"It's a long story. I'll tell you later. Go find Alex."
"Okay." She scampered off back to the stables and he went inside.
* * * * * *
Alexa was wandering now herself. She stopped at a small pond. A pair of ducks was swimming around, side by side. She threw a stone in the water, carefully so it wouldn't disturb them. They were happy. They wanted to be together. They weren't told who to be with, they chose eachother themselves. She wished she could do that. In her heart, she knew Hitomi was right. Her mother was stern and strict, but she loved her children very much. She didn't want to be separated from them any more than they did. They were all she had since their father died.
Alexa heard footsteps coming up behind her. She turned to tell Hitomi or Van to go away. But it wasn't either of them. It wasn't Alex or Merle either. It was Gadeth. She gave a little gasp seeing him.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I startle you?"
Alexa shook her head. "No, I was expecting someone else, that's all." She turned away from him. She didn't know why he made her feel so lightheaded and dizzy. Common sense would have told her what the symptoms meant. But her common sense seemed to have flown a million miles away and she had no intention of getting it back.
"What are you doing out here all alone?" he asked.
"I just wanted to be," she replied. She took off her shoes and wiggled her bare toes in the water.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. Sometimes you just need to get away." He sat down next to her.
"What are you doing here?"
"Same as you," he said.
"How come?"
"The other guys were getting on my nerves. You?"
She shrugged. "I'd rather not talk about it."
"Oh."
"It's nothing against you," she said quickly. "I just don't want to discuss it with anyone."
He nodded. "I understand. But, if you ever do…"
"I will. Thank you." She smiled at him. Now it was his turn to look away. He gazed up at the Mystic Moon.
"I wonder what it's like up there," he thought aloud.
"Huh? What?"
"On the Mystic Moon."
"Oh." She sighed longingly. "I imagine there's a lot more freedom. People can have more of a choice."
He looked at her questioningly. "How so?"
"They just…" She paused. "They can choose what they want to do with their lives. Where they want to go, who they want to be with… I mean, maybe not everyone, but most people."
"You can't do that here?"
Alexa shook her head. "I suppose some people could, but not me."
"Why? Who do you want to be with?" he asked softly. He edged closer to her.
"Gadeth, I…" She held her breath. He kissed her deeply. Slowly, they pulled away from eachother. She stood up.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"Come on, let's go for a walk."
* * * * * *
Van walked into Hitomi's room. He spotted her leaning on the edge of the balcony. She appeared to be straining to see something.
"What are you doing?" he asked her. "Where's Alexa?"
Hitomi pointed down below. Alexa and Gadeth were walking through the gardens, hand in hand.
"How sweet," he laughed.
She slapped his arm lightly. "Boys can be so… so… unromantic." She sighed. "Too bad it won't last."
"What do you mean, 'it won't last'?"
"Alexa's mother wants her to marry the king of Freid."
"Oh. Poor Alexa," he said.
"Don't tell her I told you, though."
"I won't," he promised.
They were almost out of sight. She leaned even more forward to see them.
"Don't spy," he scolded.
"I can't help it. It's like a soap opera or something." She tried to lean further but lost her balance and nearly fell over. Van caught her just in time.
"Um, thanks," she said. She moved away a bit.
"Ah, your welcome." He let go of her. Something fluttered out of Hitomi's pocket. It was one of her tarot cards. Van picked it up and gave it to her. She looked at it and laughed softly to herself.
"What?" he asked. She showed him the card. "I don't understand."
She blushed. "The Lovers," she said simply.
* * * * * *
Merle stepped into the stable hesitantly. "Lord Alex?" she called.
"Over here." He was in one of the stalls grooming his horse.
"Can I, um, talk to you?" she asked.
"Why? So you can run away again when I have something to say?"
"I'm sorry, I know it was stupid of me."
He snorted. "I'll say."
"Okay, I got it. You're mad at me. But look at things from my point of view."
"Fine." He sat down on a bale of hay. "I'm listening, unlike you."
"Well, it's just that people sometimes don't treat me like a person. They act like I'm just an object or something and they don't think I have feelings."
"So you assumed that I don't either."
"Yes, I'm sorry. I know you aren't like that. Please forgive me."
He thought for a moment. Then he smiled. "Yeah, I guess… Oh, and Merle?"
"Yeah?"
He kissed her on the cheek. "I like you, too. Can you wait until you get older?"
She just gaped at him for a moment. Than her face broke into a wide grin. She was just about to hug him when an extremely harried-looking young woman ran in. Alex recognized her instantly as one of his mother's handmaidens.
"Sada, what's the matter?" he asked.
"Your mother's awake," she replied. "She requested to see Lord Van. I suggest you go to her chambers quickly." Merle and Alex exchanged a look. Sada was one of the few who knew about Van's relationship with his aunt. Though they, for the most part, were civil to eachother. Everyone expected all hell to break loose at any moment. Van's refusal to believe that she actually liked him, as well as his loyalty to his mother, was the main cause of this. And their mother, who was known to most as Lady Oriana, had a tendency to avoid looking at him all together when she spoke to him. This aggravated him even more. Merle and Alex rushed into the castle immediately.
* * * * * *
Hitomi, Alexa and Van were standing by the door when they came in. Alexa was wringing her hands nervously and talking very fast.
"Van," she was saying, "just show a little compassion towards her. Please. She can tell you don't like her."
"Well, I can tell she doesn't like me either."
Alexa sighed. "We've been through this already. If anything, do it for me. I have enough to deal with."
Van frowned. Then his expression softened. "All right. I'll try." He pushed the door open and they filed in. Lady Oriana was sitting in a chair staring out the window.
"Mother?" Alex said. "Van is here."
She turned to them. "Oh, hello. How are you? I hope you are well."
He nodded. "And you?" he asked politely.
"Fine, fine." She turned back towards the window for a second. "It's been a while hasn't it?"
"Yes. Two years, isn't it?" Van said.
She nodded. "You've certainly grown up a lot." She turned away again.
"I suppose I have." She didn't reply. Van felt his blood boil. "You haven't changed at all." Hitomi put her hand on his arm.
"Beg your pardon?" She still wouldn't look at him.
Now he was really angry. The camel's back was broken. It may not have seemed like much, but had been coming for a long time. "Why won't you look at me? Am I that frightening to you?"
"Van, I…"
"Why must you hate me? Every time I see you, you treat me like some undesirable object that you don't want near you. I'm still your nephew, even though I'm half Draconian." They heard a door slam. Merle had went to shut it just before he said 'Draconian.'
"Van, I don't hate you." She looked up now. Her eyes were brimming with tears.
"Than why do you act like you do?"
"I don't. You've never given me a chance. I don't hate you or your mother."
"I told him that," Alexa murmured.
"Than why won't you look at me? And how come you rarely came to visit us?"
She sighed. "Well, in answer to your first question, I don't like to look at you because, in many ways, you remind me so much of your parents. And, as to the second, I wasn't welcome."
"Because my mother knew you didn't like her." Van wasn't quite ready to let go of his old belief.
"No, because my own mother didn't want me to." Van and his cousins gasped. This was new information to them.
"You see, long before you were born when your parents first got married, I was betrothed to a prince. I admit, I was a little cold to your mother when we first met, but not for that reason. I was jealous. Because your father was to marry whom he chose and I wasn't. Because he loved his spouse and I wouldn't. Your mother did believe the same as you, but eventually we got past that and to the real problem. We became friends."
"But, I don't understand," Alexa said, confused by all this. "I thought you loved Father."
She nodded. "I did. Your father and I met and fell in love. But I was betrothed to someone else. With Goau and Varie's encouragement, we eloped. Your grandmother was very angry with me. She no longer wished to see me and did not want me to mix with those that urged me to defy her. That was why I didn't come when you were young. I would have when she died, but your father was already dead then and your mother and my husband died soon after. I became too sad to come." Alex put his arm around his mother.
Although Alexa didn't want to hurt her mother while she was vulnerable like this, now was her chance.
"Mother," she began. "Alex and I don't want to be forced into a marriage either. By doing what you've been, you've become like your mother."
She wiped her eyes. "When did this come about?"
"We've always felt this way," Alex spoke up.
"Always? But why did you make no mention of it?"
Alexa looked at her in shock. "You mean we had a choice? You would've listened if we told you we didn't want to do this?"
"Of course. You should have said something."
"Then we've been going through this torture for nothing."
The entire group burst into cheers. Alex picked Merle up and swung her around the room.
"That was very weird," Hitomi said. "I think we all have communication problems."
"Yeah," Van agreed. "But, hopefully, not anymore." He and his aunt exchanged a smile.
* * * * * *
"I can't believe you're leaving!" Hitomi exclaimed. "You just got here."
Alexa hugged her. "I know. But we think it's best we spend some time together alone as a family. And get out of here before the king comes back." She grinned.
Hitomi laughed. "We'll act like you weren't even here."
"Don't go that far. You'll think about it, won't you?" she inquired, meaning Van.
Hitomi shrugged. "I don't know. I'm still iffy about that. Speaking of which, where's your lover boy?"
Alexa sighed. "I'm not sure. I told him everything this morning. He probably doesn't want anything to do with me now. I doubt I'll see him again."
"Oh, I wouldn't go that far." Hitomi grinned mischievously. "Here he comes now."
"Alexa!" he called.
"Gadeth, what are you doing here?"
He ran to her. "I came to say good-bye," he panted. "And to give you this." He pressed something into the palm of her hand. It was a garnet ring. "It isn't much, but it's all I've got."
"Gadeth, I… I don't know what to say."
"Just promise me I'll see you again."
She turned as red as the stone. "I promise."
Meanwhile, Alex and Merle were saying their good-bye.
"I don't want you to leave!" she whined.
Alex laughed and hugged her tightly. "I'll see you soon. Don't worry."
Lady Oriana approached Van. "If you ever need me for anything, don't hesitate."
Van hugged her. "I won't, Aunt Oriana. You'll visit when the wars over in Fanelia, right?"
"Of course. Nothing could keep me away now." She climbed into her carriage.
The twins said good-bye to their cousin. Then they got on their horses. Alexa was riding the new one Alex gave her.
Van put his arms around Hitomi and Merle as they waved good-bye. Then they started to walk back into the castle.
"Hitomi, I must admit," Merle said, "your predictions are amazingly accurate."
"Why, thank you, Merle."
"Do your cards say anything else about them?" Van asked her.
"Well, no. But I don't need them to predict that they'll probably have a happy ending." They all laughed.
The End.