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Trials and Tribulation
Episode1 chapter2
Rab stood on a porch over-looking the palace garden. He was to leave tomorrow morning to meet Allen. He frowned. Allen had the reputation of being a playboy. That fact often distorted his priorities. That dragon hunt a few years ago was a perfect example. Instead of watching Van's back as he was supposed to be doing, he was flirting with one of his girlfriends. A women had no right to be on a dragon hunt anyway. The dragon attacked from the rear. Three people had been killed an Van injured before the dragon was subdued. Although Van maintained that it wasn't Allen's fault, Rab knew otherwise. After Van was carted off to see a healer, Rab walked up to Allen and spoke these six words:
" I'll never forgive you for this."
Rab had hated him ever since.
Van sighed. Rab had left two days ago. He was due back with Allen tomorrow afternoon. Somehow, He wasn't very excited. The heart-ache inside him was growing bigger by the day. He cursed himself for not having the courage to tell her how he felt. He longed for the day when he could hold her in his arms once more.
" Hatomi......." he whispered.
Th King held the pendant that Hatomi had left him. It hung limply from his hand. Gradually, he became aware that the pendant was glowing faintly. Van held it up to his face. The pendant suddenly swung toward the southeast. Van was somewhat mystified. To the southeast was a place called The Mystic Forest. When the wind blew through the Forest, some strange noises come forth. One brave soul wandered into the forest once an came back with the tale of how there were holes in the trees that caused them to moan when the wind blew.
" I wander if........" Van thought.
**FLASH**
Van rushed to the window to see a bright, blue light settling in the center of the Mystic Forest. One thought was uppermost in his mind, pounding like a hammer.
" If only......" he thought as he raced for the stable.
Hatomi got to her feet an rubbed her rear-end.
"That trip is somewhat rougher than I remember," she thought " Not to mention the fact that it was totally unexpected." She sighed. She had been studying in the park with her friends.....
"MY FRIENDS!!!" she glanced around uneasily. She was alone. "Alone, at night, and on Gaea. Not a very good position." She was just getting up the courage to wander around when their was a dull thumping noise in the distance. She turned around to see a horse an rider approaching. It was too dark to see who it was, but something about how he sat in the saddle seemed familiar. It couldn't be. She couldn't be that lucky.
" Van?" she asked.
" Hatomi!!"
They both made a mad dash for each other and Van gripped her in a crushing hug.
" I missed you so very much." Van whispered.
Hatomi couldn't answer. She was crying. He held her until her sobs subsided. When she stopped, Van held her out at arms length and they looked each other over. She looked the same. Almost. She was a few inches taller, and her brown hair reached just below her shoulders.
" I thought you might have forgotten me." Van said.
" Forgotten you? I wanted to come back so much." They looked in to each other's eyes until a low growling noise jerked them out of their reverie.
"What was that?" Hatomi asked, a little frightned.
" Just the wind in the trees, I think. Sounds friendly doesn't it?" Van asked trying to make a joke.
" Friendly?" Hatomi echoed, remembering that her friends were missing. Van saw at once something was wrong.
"Problem? " he asked.
" My friends landed somewhere else!" Hatomi exclaimed.
Van looked startled. He peered around, seeing only darkness.
"I'll send out a search party in the morning." he stated.
" But we can't just leave them out here!" Hatomi screamed.
" Be reasonable. Even if I did send my men out tonight, things get awful confusing in the dark. People could get hurt, namely your friends."
Hatomi looked at the ground. Van was right and she knew it.
" First thing in the morning?" her voice sounded squeaky.
" I promise"
The search parties had been out since dawn. So far they had found nothing. Van and Hatomi ate a meager breakfast in a private dining room.
" Don't worry." Van had said, " I'm sure they will turn up." That was hours ago. Both Van and Hatomi were getting discouraged. If they landed in hostile territory........
Three knocks sounded on the door.
"Enter." Van said tonelessly.
" Sire, the party from Austuria has returned and is at the lower gate."
" Why haven't they been admitted yet?" the King asked.
" They have two strangers with them. The Generals won't let them through." the messenger replied.
" Where did these two strangers come from?" Van asked.
" According to Rab, they suddenly appeared in a flash of light and.........."
The messenger got no further. Van and Hatomi had dashed through the door. When they reached the lower gate, they found Rab in what seemed at a distance to be a polite conversation with two of the Generals. That is, until they got close enough to here the words.
"Let me in dammit!" Rab was talking under his breath, trying not to loose his temper.
" Protocol demands that we......"
" I have been standing here for the past three hours waiting for your protocol, now open these doors or I'll do it myself."
Allen stood off to one side, a look of intense amusement on his face. His expression turned to profound amazement when he saw Hatomi.
" Hatomi!" Allen exclaimed giving her a quick hug. They turned to find Van grinning at solemn expression on Rab's face.
" Now, now, you three." Van chided.
Everyone froze. No one except Allen had seen the King approach. Van laughed at the embarrased looks.
" Open the gates General." Van ordered.
" Yessir."
Van turned to Rab.
" Where are these strangers of yours?"
Rab made a face that seemed to be a cross between a frown and a smile.
" Hiding inside my guymelef." (thanks Dilly, for the correct spelling) " They seem to be scared of just about everything."
Hatomi, who didn't wait to here the end of Rab's answer, was poking around his guymelef. She found Yukari and Amano huddled inside. Surprised beyond words, they allowed Hatomi to drag them outside.
" What next?" Amano asked after introductions were made all around.
Rab grunted. " Let's eat."
Trials and Tribulation
Episode1 chapter2
Rab stood on a porch over-looking the palace garden. He was to leave tomorrow morning to meet Allen. He frowned. Allen had the reputation of being a playboy. That fact often distorted his priorities. That dragon hunt a few years ago was a perfect example. Instead of watching Van's back as he was supposed to be doing, he was flirting with one of his girlfriends. A women had no right to be on a dragon hunt anyway. The dragon attacked from the rear. Three people had been killed an Van injured before the dragon was subdued. Although Van maintained that it wasn't Allen's fault, Rab knew otherwise. After Van was carted off to see a healer, Rab walked up to Allen and spoke these six words:
" I'll never forgive you for this."
Rab had hated him ever since.
Van sighed. Rab had left two days ago. He was due back with Allen tomorrow afternoon. Somehow, He wasn't very excited. The heart-ache inside him was growing bigger by the day. He cursed himself for not having the courage to tell her how he felt. He longed for the day when he could hold her in his arms once more.
" Hatomi......." he whispered.
Th King held the pendant that Hatomi had left him. It hung limply from his hand. Gradually, he became aware that the pendant was glowing faintly. Van held it up to his face. The pendant suddenly swung toward the southeast. Van was somewhat mystified. To the southeast was a place called The Mystic Forest. When the wind blew through the Forest, some strange noises come forth. One brave soul wandered into the forest once an came back with the tale of how there were holes in the trees that caused them to moan when the wind blew.
" I wander if........" Van thought.
**FLASH**
Van rushed to the window to see a bright, blue light settling in the center of the Mystic Forest. One thought was uppermost in his mind, pounding like a hammer.
" If only......" he thought as he raced for the stable.
Hatomi got to her feet an rubbed her rear-end.
"That trip is somewhat rougher than I remember," she thought " Not to mention the fact that it was totally unexpected." She sighed. She had been studying in the park with her friends.....
"MY FRIENDS!!!" she glanced around uneasily. She was alone. "Alone, at night, and on Gaea. Not a very good position." She was just getting up the courage to wander around when their was a dull thumping noise in the distance. She turned around to see a horse an rider approaching. It was too dark to see who it was, but something about how he sat in the saddle seemed familiar. It couldn't be. She couldn't be that lucky.
" Van?" she asked.
" Hatomi!!"
They both made a mad dash for each other and Van gripped her in a crushing hug.
" I missed you so very much." Van whispered.
Hatomi couldn't answer. She was crying. He held her until her sobs subsided. When she stopped, Van held her out at arms length and they looked each other over. She looked the same. Almost. She was a few inches taller, and her brown hair reached just below her shoulders.
" I thought you might have forgotten me." Van said.
" Forgotten you? I wanted to come back so much." They looked in to each other's eyes until a low growling noise jerked them out of their reverie.
"What was that?" Hatomi asked, a little frightned.
" Just the wind in the trees, I think. Sounds friendly doesn't it?" Van asked trying to make a joke.
" Friendly?" Hatomi echoed, remembering that her friends were missing. Van saw at once something was wrong.
"Problem? " he asked.
" My friends landed somewhere else!" Hatomi exclaimed.
Van looked startled. He peered around, seeing only darkness.
"I'll send out a search party in the morning." he stated.
" But we can't just leave them out here!" Hatomi screamed.
" Be reasonable. Even if I did send my men out tonight, things get awful confusing in the dark. People could get hurt, namely your friends."
Hatomi looked at the ground. Van was right and she knew it.
" First thing in the morning?" her voice sounded squeaky.
" I promise"
The search parties had been out since dawn. So far they had found nothing. Van and Hatomi ate a meager breakfast in a private dining room.
" Don't worry." Van had said, " I'm sure they will turn up." That was hours ago. Both Van and Hatomi were getting discouraged. If they landed in hostile territory........
Three knocks sounded on the door.
"Enter." Van said tonelessly.
" Sire, the party from Austuria has returned and is at the lower gate."
" Why haven't they been admitted yet?" the King asked.
" They have two strangers with them. The Generals won't let them through." the messenger replied.
" Where did these two strangers come from?" Van asked.
" According to Rab, they suddenly appeared in a flash of light and.........."
The messenger got no further. Van and Hatomi had dashed through the door. When they reached the lower gate, they found Rab in what seemed at a distance to be a polite conversation with two of the Generals. That is, until they got close enough to here the words.
"Let me in dammit!" Rab was talking under his breath, trying not to loose his temper.
" Protocol demands that we......"
" I have been standing here for the past three hours waiting for your protocol, now open these doors or I'll do it myself."
Allen stood off to one side, a look of intense amusement on his face. His expression turned to profound amazement when he saw Hatomi.
" Hatomi!" Allen exclaimed giving her a quick hug. They turned to find Van grinning at solemn expression on Rab's face.
" Now, now, you three." Van chided.
Everyone froze. No one except Allen had seen the King approach. Van laughed at the embarrased looks.
" Open the gates General." Van ordered.
" Yessir."
Van turned to Rab.
" Where are these strangers of yours?"
Rab made a face that seemed to be a cross between a frown and a smile.
" Hiding inside my guymelef." (thanks Dilly, for the correct spelling) " They seem to be scared of just about everything."
Hatomi, who didn't wait to here the end of Rab's answer, was poking around his guymelef. She found Yukari and Amano huddled inside. Surprised beyond words, they allowed Hatomi to drag them outside.
" What next?" Amano asked after introductions were made all around.
Rab grunted. " Let's eat."