This is the sequel to "Leading Up To This Point". It'd be better if you read that one first. ^_^ Some of the thing mentioned in that story have been passed on. The rating is PG, but it might go up. It depends.
Mainly on you. This'll take me awhile to write, because I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. So feel free to make requests in what you want to see. Within reason. In other words, you can't say: "I feel Allen is a pansy, and want him to die a horrible, horrible death!" and expect it to happen, because it won't. This is a Millerna and Allen fic after all. On the other hand, I may get him get beaten up really badly.
That's all for now! Enjoy my sequel!! ^_^
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Millerna was awakened by someone pulling on her hand, gently rousing her from her peaceful dream of that day's earlier events, Van and Hitomi's wedding. She opened her eyes to see her five year old daughter, Pandora. Sitting up and rubbing her eyes, Millerna yawned as she asked her daughter what was wrong.
"I... I had a nightmare again, mommy..." the little girl answered. She looked very much like her mother: long blonde hair, and clear blue eyes. The young princess nervously twiddled her fingers. "I... I realize I may be getting old for this... but could I possibly sleep with you and daddy?"
The young Queen of Asturia smiled down at her daughter. She pulled the small child into her lap, stroking her hair in that motherly manner that made their children feel safe, special, and warm. "Of course you cam, Pandora honey. Tell me, what was this dream about?"
"I dreamed that I was running along and I was running, and running, and running, and I just kept running, never stopping. Then, there suddenly was this wall I almost ran into and I stopped, but I still wanted to run because there was something behind me that wanted me to run away from it and I was really scared! But then I turned around, and whoever it was wasn't there anymore, so I felt all better but it was only for a little while because that was when the person who was chasing me suddenly appeared behind me and grabbed me and I was even more scared and then I felt pain, and I fell out of bed, and my sheets were all in a tangle and it was like a monster had come out and grabbed me and I got even more scared, and I came in here to see you and daddy." Pandora explained, using those runaway sentences children talked with.
She laughed, setting her daughter into the bed and covering the blankets over her. "Well, Pandora, I think that you managing to make it from your room all the way across the hall all by yourself was very brave of you."
A hand suddenly covered hers, a rich voice speaking out. "I'll say. And you must be very healthy too, to have been able to run so far in your dream." Millerna looked over to see her husband, Dryden, was awake and had been listening to his daughter's tale as well.
Pandora smiled sleepily, tired from the excitement she'd just gone through in explaining her dream. "Oh, daddy, it was only a dream. I didn't really run a long time, but it was still very far..." she yawned once, promptly falling back asleep.
Dryden smiled at Millerna. "Isn't it amazing how she can be so scared, energetic and childlike one moment, and the next she's comfortable, tired, and almost manages to speak like an adult?" He watched his wife smile back at him, making Dryden reach out to caress her face. "Millerna..." he whispered, leaning over to kiss her gently on the lips.
"EW! Daddy and mommy are kissing!!!" Pandora's high pitched childlike voice cried, not quite as asleep as her parents had originally thought.
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Hitomi stared up at the Mystic Moon, still in her wedding dress. Her green eyes starting getting wet as she suddenly realized something. Arms wrapped around her waist, and Hitomi leaned back into them. "My parents weren't there. They didn't see me get married." she reminded him.
Van rested his chin on her shoulder, rocking her gently. "I wouldn't worry about that. If you want, we can go back there. We could do the wedding ceremony your way, then we'd both be pleased." Van bowed his head, pulling at the shoulder of her dress to expose a bit of her skin. He kissed in gently, speaking in between them. "You and I can go there whenever you like. Besides, I'm sure your parents would want to see our children."
"Children..." she sighed contentedly, both to herself and because of Van's touches. "I'd like to have you for myself for a few years, but it's a Queen's first duty to provide an heir, isn't it?"
"Yes." he freed a hand, beginning to undue the knots that laced up the back of Hitomi's wedding dress. "But, we can still wait a little while before that happens. I'd like to have you to myself to, Gods know I waited long enough to hold you again."
She spun around in his arms, catching a deep blush plastered all over Van's face. The sight made Hitomi smile brightly, and reach out to brush some of Van's dark hair away from his eyes so she could see them clearly. As they brought their lips closer to one another into shy little kisses that blossomed into something both of them had been longing for, they didn't need words between them to say what their hearts felt.
*****
Merle and Allen sat together on the roof, staring out into the bright expansion of stars. Merle was laying flat on her stomach, her legs swaying back and forth along with her striped tail. She sighed happily. "Everything is back to rights now, Allen. Van and Hitomi are married, the Council is happy and will quit bringing up Van's need for a Queen, Fanelia has both peace and a ruler beside her King... I can't help but feel there won't be any excitement from now on."
Allen looked up at the Mystic Moon, Hitomi's home, laying down on his back. "Oh, I wouldn't say that Merle. I mean, there's everything Hitomi is going to have to learn to do to become Queen yet, all the guests are still staying here so I'm sure there'll be bound to be something there. Also, there's that race coming up in a week. We'll all be staying to watch you race.
The cat girl blushed, thinking of the races. For an entire week, people fought against one another in racing and games. It was a Fanelian tradition that Van had reawakened, now that Gaea was back in an era of peace. The point was to keep people healthy, so they didn't become fat and lazy. As the blush vanished, Merle smiled. "With Hitomi here, it looks as though I'm going to be losing my spot as gold medalist."
"Don't sell yourself short, Merle." Allen responded quickly. "You still have a shot."
"Oh, yeah? How? I mean, we're talking about the girl who jumped more then eight feet from the Crusader to a Zaibach floating fortress." Merle pointed out, sounding both bitter an practical.
"Van may keep her up late at night." Allen turned over and winked at Merle. Their heads were both on the same level, so he was glad to see that she gave the response he'd anticipated.
Figuring out what he meant, Merle blushed again. 'Allen does have a point though, that's what newlyweds do.' She looked back up the stars, her tail waving proudly as she sighed. "I'm really proud of getting them together. I just wish... I mean, I'm not in love with Lord Van, but I still can't help but feel a little bit jealous. They have something so special...." Merle didn't bother saying the rest out loud. 'And I don't have anybody...'
Allen nodded understandingly. He knew exactly how Merle felt. "Merle... I pray that we both that something special." A shooting star, unnoticed by both of them, flashed by and quickly disappeared into the vast numbers of glorious stars.
***To Be Contiued