1 Knight of Fanela
Hey! I'm back. Yeah I think you know what this story is about if you've read the one you're supposed to read first. (confused yet? Check out Van&Hitomi's Marriage listed under my profile [author search- i am cari]) Um, I apologize, this is kind of stretching the limits of Escaflowne. It's about Van and Hitomi's 1st son. If you read my first fic, about them getting married, then that has the listing of all the fics to come. I don't know if that's confusing or whatever. ARGH. I'm confusing myself! Anyway, read on. (sorry guys, I forgot my medicine)
Remember: Wasurenaide hitorijanai, hanaretemo te wo tsunaideiru.
&Cari (scared-confused-angry? Email me! -tsubasa_no_kami@juno.com) AIM: cari is a ninja, spn cmbstication
& Julian stormed out of the palace, his stomach complaining for breakfast. With his sword by his side, he marched into the markets of Fanela and bought a loaf of bread. He gulped it down and continued toward the end of town. The townspeople, after glancing at his face, hurriedly whispered to their friends and other people that the crown prince had had another fight with his parents again, and would Fanela ever see peace in its royal families? Julian ignored these whispers and took the left fork in the road that led out of town; it led to the forest and sanctuary. He swiped an angry hand through his hair and thought of his father's angry face; today, their argument had been about Julian's rise to the crown. He had, for some reason, claimed he didn't want to be king of Fanela. This had triggered a harsh memory in Van's brain of Folken not becoming King and Van had started gesturing violently and shouting about destinies not being fulfilled and pasts coming back to haunt him. He had finally exhausted himself and flung himself in his chair, whereas Hitomi, who had been standing quietly the entire time came forward to rest a hand on her angry husband's shoulder and ask Julian gently why he didn't want to be king. Julian shrugged and in a moment of extreme anger cried to his parents that he hated his life and hated Fanela. That was when he had run from the palace and heard his mother comment quietly, "Van, my heart, he is like your brother, but do not be so harsh on him; Julian will find his way and it will be glorious." Julian felt his anger subside and in its place, shame and love filled his mind; his mother was so calm and right about everything, he felt guilty about yelling at her. He stroked his sword and unsheathed it. It glimmered in the sun and swung easily and with grace. Julian focused his attention on a nearby bush and let his mind clear of all thoughts. He closed his eyes and focused his anger on different spots of the bush; he could "see" where the plant's vulnerable parts were. He opened his eyes slowly, then with lightning quick speed and agility, sliced the bush in several different places. In a matter of seconds, the plant was reduced to a naked twig.
&Diana stared at the young man who had just killed a bush with anger. She watched sadly as he stood upright, and wiped sweat on his shirt; he looked so alone and unhappy. "Hello." She commented. The man turned around and saw her, he immediately became wary and replied, "Hello?" Then he sank into a kind of half bow and hoping she didn't recognize him, quickly stood up again; he recognized her, she was princess of Palas; Allen's and Millerna's eldest daughter. "What were you doing?" she asked, obviously, she didn't know him. He relaxed and responded, "Training." She nodded and asked, "Why?" He stared at her calm, deep honey brown eyes and shrugged, "Why do you care?" he asked her. Diana was taken aback: she was just making friendly conversation, wasn't she? "I…I'm sorry. I was just…" He shook his head violently, "No. Why apologize? You didn't do anything wrong. What are you doing here?" Diana looked at his intense steel gray eyes and blushed slightly. "I…I'm going to visit my parents in Palas." He smiled a bit, "You live there?" Diana glanced down and back up at him, "No. Well…I don't know. I didn't want to be there anymore so I left…but I didn't like where I was going…so I just moved all over the place, but I'm still not happy. I mean…" She looked up at him and found him studying her intently; Diana blushed again. "Sorry. I told you too much. It's not your problem." He again stared intensely at her, "It's ok. You don't need to keep apologizing. Can I come with you? I...need to get away too." He sheathed his sword and stepped towards her. Diana stared at him, was he serious? She wouldn't mind the company…especially not handsome company…but his eyes sacred her; they were too keen, too intent, too interested. "I would like you to come," she replied quietly.
&Julian kept a steady pace next to the girl. He didn't know her name, nor she his. He didn't really care, but it might come in handy. "What is your name?" he asked as he glanced down at her. She looked up at him and smiled, "Diana. And yours?" Julian thought quickly; if he told her his real name…would she recognize him? "People call me Tory." He replied quietly. Diana stared at him for a moment. "Tory? Is that your real name or a nickname?" Julian shrugged and smiled, "Neither." Diana laughed too and said, "Where are you from?" Julian looked straight ahead and replied, "I don't know. Or care." Diana stopped walking and cried, "What's that supposed to mean?! Have you forgotten your memory or something?! Do you need a doctor?! Why did you make me take you along?!" Julian crossed his arms and took a stance, "Oy…" he muttered as Diana shrieked crazily in the background, "Look. It's ok. Don't go crazy or anything. Let's just get to Palas." Suddenly, a big hand reached out from behind the tree Diana was standing near and grabbed her. "Wahhh!?" screamed Diana as a large, dirty, fat man grabbed her and pinned her against him. Another slim, handsome man jumped down from the trees overhead and called to Julian in a nasally voice, "Eh! Give us your possessions or the girl gets it." He pulled a knife from his boot and offhandedly tapped it against Diana's throat. "Pretty thing." He muttered and turned back to Julian, "Well?" the man called again.
&Diana watched as Tory drew his sword and advanced towards them. She felt a stab of pain as the thin man pricked her neck with the knife; she cried out. Tory froze and watched the slim man. "Nuh-uh, boy. Just give us the goods. Don't want your pretty friend getting hurt now do we?" Diana closed her eyes and said to the man, "In my bag. There are three necklaces. All of priceless jewels. They're yours." The man grabbed her small cloth handbag and dumped it out. The necklaces, all in satin cases, clunked out and fell on the ground along with some money and a handkerchief. The man grabbed the cases, ignoring the money and nodded to the big man. He let Diana go and turned to leave. "Eh-eh…you forgot about the boy, my big friend." The fat man turned around again, with an evil smile. "Yes." He chuckled and ran towards Tory. Tory tensed at the man's approach.
& Julian sprang from his crouch with amazing height and dodged around his opponent. He ignored everything else and focused on making this beast fall. The surprised man turned and lumbered toward Julian. Julian swung his sword toward the man's chest and felt interference. His sword caught on the man's flabby stomach and sliced a deep cut along the man's abdomen. Julian cried out in frustration--the man was supposed to die now! He raced behind the man and slammed his sword into the place between the man's shoulder blades. Immediately, the man began choking on his blood and collapsed. Julian left him for dead. He turned and saw the slim man in front of Diana. Julian raised his sword and prepared to charge them.
& The slim man ran from in front of Diana to behind her and then darted back into the woods, her necklaces with him. Julian, without a second glance at Diana, took off into the woods after him. Diana stared at the dead, fat man in the path before her. She felt her knees give in and she sank to the ground. Tory killed like an animal. Diana glanced into the woods but didn't hear anything. She gathered her goods back into her bag and moved to the side of the road, crouching next to some bushes. She made a small fire and waited for Tory. It grew dark and she saw the moon and stars clearly.
& Julian wiped his sword on the man's prone body and picked up the necklaces. He sheathed his sword and started in the direction of the road. It grew dark and late, but Julian was unaware of the changes as he was still on his adrenaline high. He trudged steadily towards a flickering light off the path. He saw Diana huddled next to a log, her knees drawn to her chest. Julian suddenly returned to his normal self as he saw her head sink onto her chest as she fell asleep. "Diana." He whispered, as he neared her. Her eyes snapped opened and she stared blearily at him. "Ehrghelhmty?" she asked in sleep talk. Julian smiled at her un-focused eyes. "Did you wait up for me?" he asked as he dropped onto one knee beside her. She nodded and closed her eyes again, flopping over onto her side, one arm behind her head, the other resting on her thigh. Julian chuckled and laid down on the other side of the fire. Diana was cute.
& Diana opened her eyes slowly and felt a drip on her nose. She sniffed and listened to the pattering of all her little brothers and sisters running around her room. She rolled over and tried to pull her comforter over her head but only found her dress. "Gimme ma blanke' ba'" she muttered and turned on her stomach. Her cheek scratched against cool, wet dirt and twigs. "Geroff me!" she cried and sat up quickly, expecting to find dirt and twigs on her pillow that her siblings put there. "Wha..?!" she mumbled as her eyes tried to focus on the wet, muddy, world around her. She felt her scratched cheek and noticed it was a bit bloody. "I don't understand.." she muttered to herself and tried to lie down again, expecting the mattress to be there. "Diana. Get up…you're getting dirty." Diana jerked up into a sitting position at the voice and cried, "Huh, what do you...who are…what the mother--." A young man leaned down and stared at her, "Wake up Diana." Diana's eyes suddenly slid into focus and she grinned, "Sorry…I'm not a morning person." She stood up, stretched, and brushed off her dress, when a few drops landed on her head. "What? It's raining." Tory nodded. Diana looked up through the trees and smiled as a few drops of rain landed on her cheeks and nose. She glanced at Tory and smiled. He swallowed and frowned. "What's wrong?" she asked him as he stared hard at her, "You look like you're crying…but you smiled." He murmured as his penetrating gaze raked over her wet cheeks.
& Julian wasn't aware his gaze made Diana so uncomfortable, nor did he realize his gaze was so powerful. Indeed, many girls of Fanela sighed over Prince Julian's eyes, which made them "melt." He leaned over the fire and covered it with dirt. The rain would take care of the rest. They should probably keep moving so no more thieves-if there were more-would catch them. He didn't like the look on Diana's face, she looked sick. "Are you ok?" he asked as she ran a hand over her forehead. "Yeah…just tired." She looked at Julian, "I'm okay." They started down the path. The rain stopped. Julian kept looking at her, she was like his sister, Sora. Sad, beautiful, mysterious Sora; Hitomi always watched the girl, and would take her away for days to teach her things. Julian, and especially Dilan, were sometimes jealous when this would happen, because Sora would emerge with a secretive smile on her face and Hitomi would nod to King Van, who would smile also and pat Sora's head. King Van was especially proud and loving of Sora, everyone in the kingdom knew she was the apple of his eye. Julian colored slightly and turned away quickly as Diana turned to him. "Whatcha thinkin' `bout?" she asked cautiously; he seemed shy. He shook his head, his face still pinker than it should be, and mumbled, "Nothing important." Diana smiled and replied, "Anything's better than silence, we have a long journey, what were you thinking?" Julian glanced at her.
"My sister. You remind me of her. But you're older." He made sure he controlled the volume of his voice, talking about his family made him upset. Diana sensed this and said, "Do you have a lot of brothers and sisters?" He shook his head no, "I have a younger sister and brother. She's three years younger than me, he's three years younger than her. That's it." He stared at the road ahead, "How about you?" She snorted loudly and said in an annoyed voice, "Which ones do you want? I have nine other brothers and sisters! My twin, who's a guy, then there's the triplets who are 2 years younger than us. My middle sister who's a year younger than the triplets, the other set of twins who are 2 years younger than my sister. My middle brother who's a year younger than the twins, my younger brother is a year younger than the middle brother. My younger sister, she's 2 years younger than the little brother, and when I left home, my mother was pregnant again. I left 4 years ago. She probably has a million more kids." Julian stared at her. "Who are your parents?! Could they afford-"
"Shut up! I know you know I'm princess of Palas!"
"What? You're--"
"I said shut up! I COMMAND you to be quiet!"
Julian shut up.
"You respect authority…I like that."
& Diana was surprised. She hadn't meant to reveal she was princess but it was obvious now, maybe it would come in useful…He was silent, maybe he didn't care. She liked Tory-he was nice, didn't try to impress her, and he didn't care she was a princess. Or did he? "Did you like being a princess?" he asked suddenly. She was caught off guard; "What? Oh! I…it was okay I guess…I mean all that…that…" Diana balled her hands into fists and cried, "I hated it! It was so dumb! I didn't have any purpose but to sit around and look pretty! Mother ran everything with dad, and my brother learned how to become a ruler but me…I had to sit and learn music and writing and all sorts of bullshit. I hated it. And the suitors! Holy mother, they brought so many pretty boys in that didn't have any brains and they were all skin and bones and stupid and GOD! You should not go through something like that! If you ever get into a house of royalty,…get out. You. Will. Hate. it. Period." She stared ahead, tears stinging in her eyes, why had she told him that? But it didn't matter, once they got to Palas she wouldn't see him again. She hoped he wasn't a gossiper. He shook his head again, "I don't know…might be kind of good, don't have to work or anything, could lounge around with your wife everyday and have fun with your kids…"
"They seem to like it." He added in a mutter. Diana stopped walking. "Who likes it?" Tory ignored her and noticed a break in the trees; the forest had ended and they were approaching a field. "Look. We're near Palas," He told her. Diana ran after him and tugged on his shirt, "Who likes it?" she demanded again. He looked down at her and smiled as he watched her frown, "Nothing. If we hurry…we could make it by night." She finally stopped tugging his shirt and nodded. "I don't want to spend another night in the open."
& Julian mentally stabbed himself in the hand, he had almost let slip about Fanela. He had to concentrate on getting her to Palas. Then maybe he'd go home. Or wander some more, it didn't matter, he didn't feel like going home anytime soon. He had silently made a promise to keep her safe and get her to Palas; perhaps King Allen would feel indebted to Fanela and give them something, like a son, then Sora could marry the son and he wouldn't have to come back. Julian noticed Diana fingering her cheek, it was a bit scratched from this morning and because she was irritating it, it had started bleeding again. "Don't do that." He chastised her. He reached for her hand, to make her stop, but she started stroking it with her other hand, "Hey!" he cried and grabbed that hand too. Diana laughed, they were tangled up and she used his hand to scratch her cheek. "Ew!" Julian quickly pulled away and wiped his hands on his pants. She laughed again, "Don't tell me what to do, Tor-ee." He frowned at her, "Seriously, you shouldn't irritate it, it might get infected." She shook her head, "You worry too much." He shook his head also, and muttered something she couldn't hear, but she could bet it was something nasty.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing."
"Tell me!"
"No."
"YES! I command you to--"
"NO."
"TORY!"
"I SAID NO! ARE YOU DEAF?!"
"ARE YOU DEAF?!? I SAID I COMMANDED YOU--"
"GO EAT YOUR FACE!"
"MAKE ME!"
"ALRIGHT! I WILL!"
Tory grabbed her arm and shoved her. She stumbled back and caught herself before she fell.
"Gonna play DIRTY, huh?!" she screamed at him.
She wrapped her arms around his stomach and threw him on the ground.
"HEY!" he cried as she landed on top of him and rubbed dirt in his face. He grabbed the back of her head and pulled her off him.
"Don't like being BEAT, don't like being DIRTY?! HUH, PRETTY-BOY TORY?!?" she taunted him.
"I'll SHOW you how to fight!" he shouted and rushed her, she was just another enemy.
He knocked her to the ground and she landed with her skirts around her waist, dust rising from where she sat, and a surprised look on her face. Julian blushed automatically at the presence of a lady's bare legs but Diana dove for his leg and tripped him with her arms. He came crashing down and suddenly, she was on top of him again, this time rubbing mud on his cheeks.
"Awww….you look like an UGLY UGLY MUD PUDDLE!"
"GEROFF ME!"
"Make me!"
"FINE!"
He rolled over and now HE was on top. He grabbed her shoulders with one hand and with the other could rub dust in her eyes…her eyes…her…her pretty, brown eyes that had fire glowing in them and her flushed cheeks. He stopped and stared down at her. He was aware that his breath was coming faster and she was staring at him like she wanted to tell him something…he swallowed.
"EXCUSE ME YOUNG MAN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO THAT LADY?!"
Julian jumped quickly to his feet and faced a troop of soldiers with a commander on a horse; the commander had addressed him.
"I was just…we were…um.."
"We were making out. But you don't need to tell my parents that Gaddes." Diana had gotten up and was brushing off her dress. She went over to the horse and touched the commander's leg.
"Princess Diantha?" cried the man, he jumped from his horse and caught her in his arms. Julian watched uneasily. She laughed. "Yes, Gaddes. This is my er…friend I met on the road. He's been protecting me." Gaddes felt he shouldn't tell the princess this was the Crown Prince of Fanela and by the look on the boy's face, he didn't want to. "Your parents are waiting. Come. I brought a horse…I didn't expect the…er…a friend would be with you." Diana smiled at Julian, "We can ride a horse together, I think. But I get front!" Julian swallowed cautiously and nodded, "I…yeah." Gaddes cocked an eyebrow, "Wow. You're the first one Lady Di has wanted to ride a horse with, consider yourself lucky, lad!" Diana punched Gaddes and he leaped onto his horse, chuckling. "We'll accompany you to Palas, Lady." She nodded and mounted her horse then motioned Julian to hop on after her. He squared his shoulders and grabbed the saddle, mounting behind her. He searched for a place to put his hands then settled for grasping her lightly around her waist. Diana smiled.
& Diana tried to break away from the main roads, because she didn't want to be seen with Tory riding on her back. When they were a couple minutes from the castle Tory whispered, "I have something to tell you…and I didn't really want to come to the castle with you…do you think…?" he trailed off. Diana gave a brisk nod, "When I come into the courtyards, you hop off the horse and take my horse to the stables. Act like a stable boy. When I can, I'll come down and say good-bye." Julian gave a grunt to acknowledge her statement but then muttered, "My sword…" Diana shrugged. He nodded and watched as the heavy gates opened to welcome the princess home. Diana sighed slightly.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I almost beat you…too bad." She smiled as she remembered his steel gray eyes looking down into her, for one glorious moment, she had almost beaten him.
& Julian hopped down from the horse and helped Diana down. She squeezed his hand slightly and whispered, "Don't leave without saying good-bye." Then she was gone, being swept up in the crowd of soldiers escorting her to the palace. He watched her black hair sway as she climbed the steps of the castle and noticed the dust streaks on her dress, he had caused her to become unsightly for her parents. He mentally kicked himself and led her horse, no their horse, into the stables. He ignored the other stable hands that were busy with the horses and ignoring each other too. Should he go home? Should he stay? He got a brush and gently brushed the horse's mane and sleek coat. He listened as he brushed. The stable boys were talking about the new knights who were going to be interviewed personally by the king, to become the new Knights of Austeria. The king himself had once belonged to this great regiment and had followed the codes of chivalry extremely closely. Julian looked up as two of the stable hands began to get more excited and talked loudly. "I heard you get to fight the king himself! And you have to be able to pilot a guymelef! The king will fight you both in man-to-man, and melef to melef! I don't think I'd be able to withstand a test such as that!" Julian looked down again as a smile crossed his face; this would be a perfect opportunity to test his skills and to stay away from home longer. He could easily take on Allen in swords, or so he thought, and melef wouldn't be that hard. His father had taught him how to pilot Escaflowne and other cavalry guymelefs. He tightened his hand on the brush, he would become a knight of Austeria and leave Fanela forever. He might become a great knight, and be the king's right-man. And Diana would be proud of him, which would be neat. Then maybe she could become a knight, since she didn't like being a princess and they would be the most famous knights in the history of Austeria. He smiled again and nodded to himself, it would be perfect. He had his sword, all he needed was a place to stay, a job, and some money to buy armor. "Hey. Are yeh the new stable hand?" asked a rough voice. Julian looked up quickly, "Umm…do you need one?" The man who had addressed him was dirty looking, with a grungy red beard and twinkling brown eyes. He smiled and the sides of his eyes crinkled. "Yeh! Didn't you see the sign?" he jerked his big calloused thumb towards a door where Julian saw a poster calling for new stable-hands. Julian nodded firmly to the big man and stuck out his hand, "I'm the man." The big man laughed and shook Julian's hand. "I'm Doryken. I'm the head of this stable. There are two other stables but yeh'll be workin' under me. Yeh can live atop the stable with the other stable-hands. This here's tha' children's stable. It's where the kids come to ride, 'specially Lady Diantha. Have yeh come to stay or are yeh just lookin' for a job for the summer?" Julian stared up at the giant man and said, "I'm going to try and become a Knight. That's why I'm here. And I needed a job and stuff, so this is great. I'm Tory by the way." Doryken smiled and stroked his bushy beard thoughtfully, "I reckon you're the man to become a Knight. You're from Fanela, ain't yeh?" Julian swallowed and narrowed his eyes, "What if I am?" Doryken laughed, "No need to get all in a flutter, step into my office if yeh please." He gently shoved Julian into his 'office', which turned out to be an empty stable with high walls and a thick door. Inside were three wooden chairs and a small desk. Doryken took his place behind the desk and motioned for Julian to sit down. He leaned back in his wooden chair and placed his folded hands on top of his large, leather clad stomach.
"How did you know I was from Fanela?" asked Julian cautiously, he didn't want to reveal EVERYTHING. "Yeh're accent. Everyone knows Fanelains talk funny. But yeh got a kind'er funny Fanelian accent. Kinda like these kings and queens in th' palace, high and mighty with perfect grammar and such. Besides, I been to Fanela before, beautiful country, and I seen the King and Queen, and their sons and daughter. Why aren't yeh in Fanela, Prince?" Julian stood up straight, to his full height of 5'11" and replied in a determined tone, "I'm not prince Julian. I'm Tory and I'm going to be a Knight of Austeria. You can't reveal my secret, Doryken, please! I need to stay here. I don't want to become king--" Doryken held up a giant hand, "Yeh can't run from your responsibilities, Tory. Yeh have to be king, what will happen to yeh're country? What about yeh're parents, and yeh're people?" Julian stared at him with pleading eyes and whispered, "Please, Doryken…"
"Yeh have to go back."
"But…"
"Yeah?"
"I'll make a deal with you. I'll stay here for a bit, get used to Palas and its people. I'll try to become a Knight of Austeria. If I make it, you get to keep what I've earned as a stable-hand. If I don't, you still get to keep what I made from being a stable-hand and I'll go home. Either way, you win."
Doryken closed his eyes reflectively and stroked his beard. He loved money…and the boy didn't seem to be so troublesome, he'd be useful and such.
"Alright," Doryken sighed. Julian smiled triumphantly. "I won't let you down, Sir." Doryken shook his head and smiled, "If yeh're going to be a stable-hand yeh'll have to look like it…we'll change yeh're hair color and get yeh some clothes. I'll call one of the hands to tell yeh where the room is. Work starts today. Come in here so we can dye your hair." Julian nodded and followed Doryken. A half-hour later, he was dismissed, this time as raven-haired boy. Doryken chuckled to himself as Julian left, "Not Prince Julian! Heh heh, that boy. I can't wait for my money. He'll make it alright."
& Julian stepped out of Doryken's room and was greeted by the sight of a young female, about his age, holding a small pitchfork. "Are yeh the new boy?" she asked as she eyed him, his stable-boy clothes and his sword. He nodded. "I'm Kira. I'm ta take ya to the common room and show yeh around. Yeh'll be working next to me." Julian nodded again and fell into step with her. She had thick brown hair that fell to her waist. It was pulled back with a leather wrap and there were several braids in it to keep it off her face. Her almond eyes were a shocking gold-yellow color. She was wearing tan pants that were tucked into shin-high leather boots, and a forest-green shirt that was tied up to mid-chest and was left open to reveal her thin neck and curved chest. She was also wearing brown leather gloves that were badly stained and a bit ripped. "Yeh got a name?" she asked after a couple minutes of silence. Julian glanced down at her, "I'm Tory." She nodded and eyed his sword again, "Yeh here to become a knight?" He was a bit startled but he replied, "Yes. I'm probably not going to be here for long." Kira laughed, "Who is? I'm trying to become a knight too, but I don't have a sword as fine as that!" They were going up a large spiral staircase and encountered a burly teenage boy. He was dark-skinned and was taller than Julian. "Hey Kee-raaa…when are yeh gonna let me touch those beautiful buns of yours?" Kira shoved him hard enough that he tumbled down a few stairs and called after him, "When horses can talk and I can fly!" Julian smiled as he heard a roar of laughter below them. "I can arrange it honey! Just come up to the roof with me!" Kira shook her head and said, "That's Ron. He's a complete perv. We all love him though." They walked into a large wooden room with bunk beds along one side and old broken chairs, couches and tables along another. Some boys were playing flutes or strumming guitars. Others were clustered around gambling games. Julian could see a few girls scattered throughout the gathering, but not as many as boys. "The boys and girls share the same dorm, just to let you know. But everyone's practically related. Doryken doesn't allow affectionate displays in the stables so you'll probably see all the stuff you don't want to in here, or on the roof. I believe your bunking with Dirn." She pointed to one bunk with a thin, blond boy sitting on the top bunk who appeared to be asleep. Julian smiled at Kira and said, "Thanks. I'll see you around." She smiled too and joined a group of girls and boys who were gathered around one redhead boy who was talking animatedly. They were waiting to go downstairs to start their workday. Julian walked over to his bunk and was pleased to see a small trunk at the foot of his bunk, everyone had one, with a lock. He took of his sword and scabbard but left his belt on and locked them securely in the trunk. He then stood up and spoke to Dirn; "Hi. I'm Tory. I'm your new bunk-mate." Dirn stared at him for a second through half-opened eyes then closed them again. "`Lo." He mumbled. Julian decided to let him sleep and he made his way to the staircase, preparing to start his new life as a stable-hand.
~END PART 1~
Hey! I'm back. Yeah I think you know what this story is about if you've read the one you're supposed to read first. (confused yet? Check out Van&Hitomi's Marriage listed under my profile [author search- i am cari]) Um, I apologize, this is kind of stretching the limits of Escaflowne. It's about Van and Hitomi's 1st son. If you read my first fic, about them getting married, then that has the listing of all the fics to come. I don't know if that's confusing or whatever. ARGH. I'm confusing myself! Anyway, read on. (sorry guys, I forgot my medicine)
Remember: Wasurenaide hitorijanai, hanaretemo te wo tsunaideiru.
&Cari (scared-confused-angry? Email me! -tsubasa_no_kami@juno.com) AIM: cari is a ninja, spn cmbstication
& Julian stormed out of the palace, his stomach complaining for breakfast. With his sword by his side, he marched into the markets of Fanela and bought a loaf of bread. He gulped it down and continued toward the end of town. The townspeople, after glancing at his face, hurriedly whispered to their friends and other people that the crown prince had had another fight with his parents again, and would Fanela ever see peace in its royal families? Julian ignored these whispers and took the left fork in the road that led out of town; it led to the forest and sanctuary. He swiped an angry hand through his hair and thought of his father's angry face; today, their argument had been about Julian's rise to the crown. He had, for some reason, claimed he didn't want to be king of Fanela. This had triggered a harsh memory in Van's brain of Folken not becoming King and Van had started gesturing violently and shouting about destinies not being fulfilled and pasts coming back to haunt him. He had finally exhausted himself and flung himself in his chair, whereas Hitomi, who had been standing quietly the entire time came forward to rest a hand on her angry husband's shoulder and ask Julian gently why he didn't want to be king. Julian shrugged and in a moment of extreme anger cried to his parents that he hated his life and hated Fanela. That was when he had run from the palace and heard his mother comment quietly, "Van, my heart, he is like your brother, but do not be so harsh on him; Julian will find his way and it will be glorious." Julian felt his anger subside and in its place, shame and love filled his mind; his mother was so calm and right about everything, he felt guilty about yelling at her. He stroked his sword and unsheathed it. It glimmered in the sun and swung easily and with grace. Julian focused his attention on a nearby bush and let his mind clear of all thoughts. He closed his eyes and focused his anger on different spots of the bush; he could "see" where the plant's vulnerable parts were. He opened his eyes slowly, then with lightning quick speed and agility, sliced the bush in several different places. In a matter of seconds, the plant was reduced to a naked twig.
&Diana stared at the young man who had just killed a bush with anger. She watched sadly as he stood upright, and wiped sweat on his shirt; he looked so alone and unhappy. "Hello." She commented. The man turned around and saw her, he immediately became wary and replied, "Hello?" Then he sank into a kind of half bow and hoping she didn't recognize him, quickly stood up again; he recognized her, she was princess of Palas; Allen's and Millerna's eldest daughter. "What were you doing?" she asked, obviously, she didn't know him. He relaxed and responded, "Training." She nodded and asked, "Why?" He stared at her calm, deep honey brown eyes and shrugged, "Why do you care?" he asked her. Diana was taken aback: she was just making friendly conversation, wasn't she? "I…I'm sorry. I was just…" He shook his head violently, "No. Why apologize? You didn't do anything wrong. What are you doing here?" Diana looked at his intense steel gray eyes and blushed slightly. "I…I'm going to visit my parents in Palas." He smiled a bit, "You live there?" Diana glanced down and back up at him, "No. Well…I don't know. I didn't want to be there anymore so I left…but I didn't like where I was going…so I just moved all over the place, but I'm still not happy. I mean…" She looked up at him and found him studying her intently; Diana blushed again. "Sorry. I told you too much. It's not your problem." He again stared intensely at her, "It's ok. You don't need to keep apologizing. Can I come with you? I...need to get away too." He sheathed his sword and stepped towards her. Diana stared at him, was he serious? She wouldn't mind the company…especially not handsome company…but his eyes sacred her; they were too keen, too intent, too interested. "I would like you to come," she replied quietly.
&Julian kept a steady pace next to the girl. He didn't know her name, nor she his. He didn't really care, but it might come in handy. "What is your name?" he asked as he glanced down at her. She looked up at him and smiled, "Diana. And yours?" Julian thought quickly; if he told her his real name…would she recognize him? "People call me Tory." He replied quietly. Diana stared at him for a moment. "Tory? Is that your real name or a nickname?" Julian shrugged and smiled, "Neither." Diana laughed too and said, "Where are you from?" Julian looked straight ahead and replied, "I don't know. Or care." Diana stopped walking and cried, "What's that supposed to mean?! Have you forgotten your memory or something?! Do you need a doctor?! Why did you make me take you along?!" Julian crossed his arms and took a stance, "Oy…" he muttered as Diana shrieked crazily in the background, "Look. It's ok. Don't go crazy or anything. Let's just get to Palas." Suddenly, a big hand reached out from behind the tree Diana was standing near and grabbed her. "Wahhh!?" screamed Diana as a large, dirty, fat man grabbed her and pinned her against him. Another slim, handsome man jumped down from the trees overhead and called to Julian in a nasally voice, "Eh! Give us your possessions or the girl gets it." He pulled a knife from his boot and offhandedly tapped it against Diana's throat. "Pretty thing." He muttered and turned back to Julian, "Well?" the man called again.
&Diana watched as Tory drew his sword and advanced towards them. She felt a stab of pain as the thin man pricked her neck with the knife; she cried out. Tory froze and watched the slim man. "Nuh-uh, boy. Just give us the goods. Don't want your pretty friend getting hurt now do we?" Diana closed her eyes and said to the man, "In my bag. There are three necklaces. All of priceless jewels. They're yours." The man grabbed her small cloth handbag and dumped it out. The necklaces, all in satin cases, clunked out and fell on the ground along with some money and a handkerchief. The man grabbed the cases, ignoring the money and nodded to the big man. He let Diana go and turned to leave. "Eh-eh…you forgot about the boy, my big friend." The fat man turned around again, with an evil smile. "Yes." He chuckled and ran towards Tory. Tory tensed at the man's approach.
& Julian sprang from his crouch with amazing height and dodged around his opponent. He ignored everything else and focused on making this beast fall. The surprised man turned and lumbered toward Julian. Julian swung his sword toward the man's chest and felt interference. His sword caught on the man's flabby stomach and sliced a deep cut along the man's abdomen. Julian cried out in frustration--the man was supposed to die now! He raced behind the man and slammed his sword into the place between the man's shoulder blades. Immediately, the man began choking on his blood and collapsed. Julian left him for dead. He turned and saw the slim man in front of Diana. Julian raised his sword and prepared to charge them.
& The slim man ran from in front of Diana to behind her and then darted back into the woods, her necklaces with him. Julian, without a second glance at Diana, took off into the woods after him. Diana stared at the dead, fat man in the path before her. She felt her knees give in and she sank to the ground. Tory killed like an animal. Diana glanced into the woods but didn't hear anything. She gathered her goods back into her bag and moved to the side of the road, crouching next to some bushes. She made a small fire and waited for Tory. It grew dark and she saw the moon and stars clearly.
& Julian wiped his sword on the man's prone body and picked up the necklaces. He sheathed his sword and started in the direction of the road. It grew dark and late, but Julian was unaware of the changes as he was still on his adrenaline high. He trudged steadily towards a flickering light off the path. He saw Diana huddled next to a log, her knees drawn to her chest. Julian suddenly returned to his normal self as he saw her head sink onto her chest as she fell asleep. "Diana." He whispered, as he neared her. Her eyes snapped opened and she stared blearily at him. "Ehrghelhmty?" she asked in sleep talk. Julian smiled at her un-focused eyes. "Did you wait up for me?" he asked as he dropped onto one knee beside her. She nodded and closed her eyes again, flopping over onto her side, one arm behind her head, the other resting on her thigh. Julian chuckled and laid down on the other side of the fire. Diana was cute.
& Diana opened her eyes slowly and felt a drip on her nose. She sniffed and listened to the pattering of all her little brothers and sisters running around her room. She rolled over and tried to pull her comforter over her head but only found her dress. "Gimme ma blanke' ba'" she muttered and turned on her stomach. Her cheek scratched against cool, wet dirt and twigs. "Geroff me!" she cried and sat up quickly, expecting to find dirt and twigs on her pillow that her siblings put there. "Wha..?!" she mumbled as her eyes tried to focus on the wet, muddy, world around her. She felt her scratched cheek and noticed it was a bit bloody. "I don't understand.." she muttered to herself and tried to lie down again, expecting the mattress to be there. "Diana. Get up…you're getting dirty." Diana jerked up into a sitting position at the voice and cried, "Huh, what do you...who are…what the mother--." A young man leaned down and stared at her, "Wake up Diana." Diana's eyes suddenly slid into focus and she grinned, "Sorry…I'm not a morning person." She stood up, stretched, and brushed off her dress, when a few drops landed on her head. "What? It's raining." Tory nodded. Diana looked up through the trees and smiled as a few drops of rain landed on her cheeks and nose. She glanced at Tory and smiled. He swallowed and frowned. "What's wrong?" she asked him as he stared hard at her, "You look like you're crying…but you smiled." He murmured as his penetrating gaze raked over her wet cheeks.
& Julian wasn't aware his gaze made Diana so uncomfortable, nor did he realize his gaze was so powerful. Indeed, many girls of Fanela sighed over Prince Julian's eyes, which made them "melt." He leaned over the fire and covered it with dirt. The rain would take care of the rest. They should probably keep moving so no more thieves-if there were more-would catch them. He didn't like the look on Diana's face, she looked sick. "Are you ok?" he asked as she ran a hand over her forehead. "Yeah…just tired." She looked at Julian, "I'm okay." They started down the path. The rain stopped. Julian kept looking at her, she was like his sister, Sora. Sad, beautiful, mysterious Sora; Hitomi always watched the girl, and would take her away for days to teach her things. Julian, and especially Dilan, were sometimes jealous when this would happen, because Sora would emerge with a secretive smile on her face and Hitomi would nod to King Van, who would smile also and pat Sora's head. King Van was especially proud and loving of Sora, everyone in the kingdom knew she was the apple of his eye. Julian colored slightly and turned away quickly as Diana turned to him. "Whatcha thinkin' `bout?" she asked cautiously; he seemed shy. He shook his head, his face still pinker than it should be, and mumbled, "Nothing important." Diana smiled and replied, "Anything's better than silence, we have a long journey, what were you thinking?" Julian glanced at her.
"My sister. You remind me of her. But you're older." He made sure he controlled the volume of his voice, talking about his family made him upset. Diana sensed this and said, "Do you have a lot of brothers and sisters?" He shook his head no, "I have a younger sister and brother. She's three years younger than me, he's three years younger than her. That's it." He stared at the road ahead, "How about you?" She snorted loudly and said in an annoyed voice, "Which ones do you want? I have nine other brothers and sisters! My twin, who's a guy, then there's the triplets who are 2 years younger than us. My middle sister who's a year younger than the triplets, the other set of twins who are 2 years younger than my sister. My middle brother who's a year younger than the twins, my younger brother is a year younger than the middle brother. My younger sister, she's 2 years younger than the little brother, and when I left home, my mother was pregnant again. I left 4 years ago. She probably has a million more kids." Julian stared at her. "Who are your parents?! Could they afford-"
"Shut up! I know you know I'm princess of Palas!"
"What? You're--"
"I said shut up! I COMMAND you to be quiet!"
Julian shut up.
"You respect authority…I like that."
& Diana was surprised. She hadn't meant to reveal she was princess but it was obvious now, maybe it would come in useful…He was silent, maybe he didn't care. She liked Tory-he was nice, didn't try to impress her, and he didn't care she was a princess. Or did he? "Did you like being a princess?" he asked suddenly. She was caught off guard; "What? Oh! I…it was okay I guess…I mean all that…that…" Diana balled her hands into fists and cried, "I hated it! It was so dumb! I didn't have any purpose but to sit around and look pretty! Mother ran everything with dad, and my brother learned how to become a ruler but me…I had to sit and learn music and writing and all sorts of bullshit. I hated it. And the suitors! Holy mother, they brought so many pretty boys in that didn't have any brains and they were all skin and bones and stupid and GOD! You should not go through something like that! If you ever get into a house of royalty,…get out. You. Will. Hate. it. Period." She stared ahead, tears stinging in her eyes, why had she told him that? But it didn't matter, once they got to Palas she wouldn't see him again. She hoped he wasn't a gossiper. He shook his head again, "I don't know…might be kind of good, don't have to work or anything, could lounge around with your wife everyday and have fun with your kids…"
"They seem to like it." He added in a mutter. Diana stopped walking. "Who likes it?" Tory ignored her and noticed a break in the trees; the forest had ended and they were approaching a field. "Look. We're near Palas," He told her. Diana ran after him and tugged on his shirt, "Who likes it?" she demanded again. He looked down at her and smiled as he watched her frown, "Nothing. If we hurry…we could make it by night." She finally stopped tugging his shirt and nodded. "I don't want to spend another night in the open."
& Julian mentally stabbed himself in the hand, he had almost let slip about Fanela. He had to concentrate on getting her to Palas. Then maybe he'd go home. Or wander some more, it didn't matter, he didn't feel like going home anytime soon. He had silently made a promise to keep her safe and get her to Palas; perhaps King Allen would feel indebted to Fanela and give them something, like a son, then Sora could marry the son and he wouldn't have to come back. Julian noticed Diana fingering her cheek, it was a bit scratched from this morning and because she was irritating it, it had started bleeding again. "Don't do that." He chastised her. He reached for her hand, to make her stop, but she started stroking it with her other hand, "Hey!" he cried and grabbed that hand too. Diana laughed, they were tangled up and she used his hand to scratch her cheek. "Ew!" Julian quickly pulled away and wiped his hands on his pants. She laughed again, "Don't tell me what to do, Tor-ee." He frowned at her, "Seriously, you shouldn't irritate it, it might get infected." She shook her head, "You worry too much." He shook his head also, and muttered something she couldn't hear, but she could bet it was something nasty.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing."
"Tell me!"
"No."
"YES! I command you to--"
"NO."
"TORY!"
"I SAID NO! ARE YOU DEAF?!"
"ARE YOU DEAF?!? I SAID I COMMANDED YOU--"
"GO EAT YOUR FACE!"
"MAKE ME!"
"ALRIGHT! I WILL!"
Tory grabbed her arm and shoved her. She stumbled back and caught herself before she fell.
"Gonna play DIRTY, huh?!" she screamed at him.
She wrapped her arms around his stomach and threw him on the ground.
"HEY!" he cried as she landed on top of him and rubbed dirt in his face. He grabbed the back of her head and pulled her off him.
"Don't like being BEAT, don't like being DIRTY?! HUH, PRETTY-BOY TORY?!?" she taunted him.
"I'll SHOW you how to fight!" he shouted and rushed her, she was just another enemy.
He knocked her to the ground and she landed with her skirts around her waist, dust rising from where she sat, and a surprised look on her face. Julian blushed automatically at the presence of a lady's bare legs but Diana dove for his leg and tripped him with her arms. He came crashing down and suddenly, she was on top of him again, this time rubbing mud on his cheeks.
"Awww….you look like an UGLY UGLY MUD PUDDLE!"
"GEROFF ME!"
"Make me!"
"FINE!"
He rolled over and now HE was on top. He grabbed her shoulders with one hand and with the other could rub dust in her eyes…her eyes…her…her pretty, brown eyes that had fire glowing in them and her flushed cheeks. He stopped and stared down at her. He was aware that his breath was coming faster and she was staring at him like she wanted to tell him something…he swallowed.
"EXCUSE ME YOUNG MAN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO THAT LADY?!"
Julian jumped quickly to his feet and faced a troop of soldiers with a commander on a horse; the commander had addressed him.
"I was just…we were…um.."
"We were making out. But you don't need to tell my parents that Gaddes." Diana had gotten up and was brushing off her dress. She went over to the horse and touched the commander's leg.
"Princess Diantha?" cried the man, he jumped from his horse and caught her in his arms. Julian watched uneasily. She laughed. "Yes, Gaddes. This is my er…friend I met on the road. He's been protecting me." Gaddes felt he shouldn't tell the princess this was the Crown Prince of Fanela and by the look on the boy's face, he didn't want to. "Your parents are waiting. Come. I brought a horse…I didn't expect the…er…a friend would be with you." Diana smiled at Julian, "We can ride a horse together, I think. But I get front!" Julian swallowed cautiously and nodded, "I…yeah." Gaddes cocked an eyebrow, "Wow. You're the first one Lady Di has wanted to ride a horse with, consider yourself lucky, lad!" Diana punched Gaddes and he leaped onto his horse, chuckling. "We'll accompany you to Palas, Lady." She nodded and mounted her horse then motioned Julian to hop on after her. He squared his shoulders and grabbed the saddle, mounting behind her. He searched for a place to put his hands then settled for grasping her lightly around her waist. Diana smiled.
& Diana tried to break away from the main roads, because she didn't want to be seen with Tory riding on her back. When they were a couple minutes from the castle Tory whispered, "I have something to tell you…and I didn't really want to come to the castle with you…do you think…?" he trailed off. Diana gave a brisk nod, "When I come into the courtyards, you hop off the horse and take my horse to the stables. Act like a stable boy. When I can, I'll come down and say good-bye." Julian gave a grunt to acknowledge her statement but then muttered, "My sword…" Diana shrugged. He nodded and watched as the heavy gates opened to welcome the princess home. Diana sighed slightly.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I almost beat you…too bad." She smiled as she remembered his steel gray eyes looking down into her, for one glorious moment, she had almost beaten him.
& Julian hopped down from the horse and helped Diana down. She squeezed his hand slightly and whispered, "Don't leave without saying good-bye." Then she was gone, being swept up in the crowd of soldiers escorting her to the palace. He watched her black hair sway as she climbed the steps of the castle and noticed the dust streaks on her dress, he had caused her to become unsightly for her parents. He mentally kicked himself and led her horse, no their horse, into the stables. He ignored the other stable hands that were busy with the horses and ignoring each other too. Should he go home? Should he stay? He got a brush and gently brushed the horse's mane and sleek coat. He listened as he brushed. The stable boys were talking about the new knights who were going to be interviewed personally by the king, to become the new Knights of Austeria. The king himself had once belonged to this great regiment and had followed the codes of chivalry extremely closely. Julian looked up as two of the stable hands began to get more excited and talked loudly. "I heard you get to fight the king himself! And you have to be able to pilot a guymelef! The king will fight you both in man-to-man, and melef to melef! I don't think I'd be able to withstand a test such as that!" Julian looked down again as a smile crossed his face; this would be a perfect opportunity to test his skills and to stay away from home longer. He could easily take on Allen in swords, or so he thought, and melef wouldn't be that hard. His father had taught him how to pilot Escaflowne and other cavalry guymelefs. He tightened his hand on the brush, he would become a knight of Austeria and leave Fanela forever. He might become a great knight, and be the king's right-man. And Diana would be proud of him, which would be neat. Then maybe she could become a knight, since she didn't like being a princess and they would be the most famous knights in the history of Austeria. He smiled again and nodded to himself, it would be perfect. He had his sword, all he needed was a place to stay, a job, and some money to buy armor. "Hey. Are yeh the new stable hand?" asked a rough voice. Julian looked up quickly, "Umm…do you need one?" The man who had addressed him was dirty looking, with a grungy red beard and twinkling brown eyes. He smiled and the sides of his eyes crinkled. "Yeh! Didn't you see the sign?" he jerked his big calloused thumb towards a door where Julian saw a poster calling for new stable-hands. Julian nodded firmly to the big man and stuck out his hand, "I'm the man." The big man laughed and shook Julian's hand. "I'm Doryken. I'm the head of this stable. There are two other stables but yeh'll be workin' under me. Yeh can live atop the stable with the other stable-hands. This here's tha' children's stable. It's where the kids come to ride, 'specially Lady Diantha. Have yeh come to stay or are yeh just lookin' for a job for the summer?" Julian stared up at the giant man and said, "I'm going to try and become a Knight. That's why I'm here. And I needed a job and stuff, so this is great. I'm Tory by the way." Doryken smiled and stroked his bushy beard thoughtfully, "I reckon you're the man to become a Knight. You're from Fanela, ain't yeh?" Julian swallowed and narrowed his eyes, "What if I am?" Doryken laughed, "No need to get all in a flutter, step into my office if yeh please." He gently shoved Julian into his 'office', which turned out to be an empty stable with high walls and a thick door. Inside were three wooden chairs and a small desk. Doryken took his place behind the desk and motioned for Julian to sit down. He leaned back in his wooden chair and placed his folded hands on top of his large, leather clad stomach.
"How did you know I was from Fanela?" asked Julian cautiously, he didn't want to reveal EVERYTHING. "Yeh're accent. Everyone knows Fanelains talk funny. But yeh got a kind'er funny Fanelian accent. Kinda like these kings and queens in th' palace, high and mighty with perfect grammar and such. Besides, I been to Fanela before, beautiful country, and I seen the King and Queen, and their sons and daughter. Why aren't yeh in Fanela, Prince?" Julian stood up straight, to his full height of 5'11" and replied in a determined tone, "I'm not prince Julian. I'm Tory and I'm going to be a Knight of Austeria. You can't reveal my secret, Doryken, please! I need to stay here. I don't want to become king--" Doryken held up a giant hand, "Yeh can't run from your responsibilities, Tory. Yeh have to be king, what will happen to yeh're country? What about yeh're parents, and yeh're people?" Julian stared at him with pleading eyes and whispered, "Please, Doryken…"
"Yeh have to go back."
"But…"
"Yeah?"
"I'll make a deal with you. I'll stay here for a bit, get used to Palas and its people. I'll try to become a Knight of Austeria. If I make it, you get to keep what I've earned as a stable-hand. If I don't, you still get to keep what I made from being a stable-hand and I'll go home. Either way, you win."
Doryken closed his eyes reflectively and stroked his beard. He loved money…and the boy didn't seem to be so troublesome, he'd be useful and such.
"Alright," Doryken sighed. Julian smiled triumphantly. "I won't let you down, Sir." Doryken shook his head and smiled, "If yeh're going to be a stable-hand yeh'll have to look like it…we'll change yeh're hair color and get yeh some clothes. I'll call one of the hands to tell yeh where the room is. Work starts today. Come in here so we can dye your hair." Julian nodded and followed Doryken. A half-hour later, he was dismissed, this time as raven-haired boy. Doryken chuckled to himself as Julian left, "Not Prince Julian! Heh heh, that boy. I can't wait for my money. He'll make it alright."
& Julian stepped out of Doryken's room and was greeted by the sight of a young female, about his age, holding a small pitchfork. "Are yeh the new boy?" she asked as she eyed him, his stable-boy clothes and his sword. He nodded. "I'm Kira. I'm ta take ya to the common room and show yeh around. Yeh'll be working next to me." Julian nodded again and fell into step with her. She had thick brown hair that fell to her waist. It was pulled back with a leather wrap and there were several braids in it to keep it off her face. Her almond eyes were a shocking gold-yellow color. She was wearing tan pants that were tucked into shin-high leather boots, and a forest-green shirt that was tied up to mid-chest and was left open to reveal her thin neck and curved chest. She was also wearing brown leather gloves that were badly stained and a bit ripped. "Yeh got a name?" she asked after a couple minutes of silence. Julian glanced down at her, "I'm Tory." She nodded and eyed his sword again, "Yeh here to become a knight?" He was a bit startled but he replied, "Yes. I'm probably not going to be here for long." Kira laughed, "Who is? I'm trying to become a knight too, but I don't have a sword as fine as that!" They were going up a large spiral staircase and encountered a burly teenage boy. He was dark-skinned and was taller than Julian. "Hey Kee-raaa…when are yeh gonna let me touch those beautiful buns of yours?" Kira shoved him hard enough that he tumbled down a few stairs and called after him, "When horses can talk and I can fly!" Julian smiled as he heard a roar of laughter below them. "I can arrange it honey! Just come up to the roof with me!" Kira shook her head and said, "That's Ron. He's a complete perv. We all love him though." They walked into a large wooden room with bunk beds along one side and old broken chairs, couches and tables along another. Some boys were playing flutes or strumming guitars. Others were clustered around gambling games. Julian could see a few girls scattered throughout the gathering, but not as many as boys. "The boys and girls share the same dorm, just to let you know. But everyone's practically related. Doryken doesn't allow affectionate displays in the stables so you'll probably see all the stuff you don't want to in here, or on the roof. I believe your bunking with Dirn." She pointed to one bunk with a thin, blond boy sitting on the top bunk who appeared to be asleep. Julian smiled at Kira and said, "Thanks. I'll see you around." She smiled too and joined a group of girls and boys who were gathered around one redhead boy who was talking animatedly. They were waiting to go downstairs to start their workday. Julian walked over to his bunk and was pleased to see a small trunk at the foot of his bunk, everyone had one, with a lock. He took of his sword and scabbard but left his belt on and locked them securely in the trunk. He then stood up and spoke to Dirn; "Hi. I'm Tory. I'm your new bunk-mate." Dirn stared at him for a second through half-opened eyes then closed them again. "`Lo." He mumbled. Julian decided to let him sleep and he made his way to the staircase, preparing to start his new life as a stable-hand.
~END PART 1~