Oooh, this chapter ended up being too long. There's a sort of cliffhanger at the end, but at least Van's intentions are clear now.
I hope you enjoy
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CHAPTER THREE
It seemed to Hitomi that lately, everything that happened started with her waking up.
In all rationality, anything always started by the person waking up. That's when the day started. But Hitomi had been awakening to startling things lately, and while she did appreciate the change, she felt it keenly.
She could only hope she didn't babble in her sleep, since people seemed to be around her all the time while she slept.
Now it was Karyn that was standing by her bedisde, smiling at her. Hitomi blinked the sleep from her eyes and sat up stiffling a yawn. She stole a glance at the window and saw it was day outside, although apparently cloudy and rainy.
"Yes, it's raining." Karyn followed her gaze and said. "I meant to take you to town and buy some jewelry and capes there, but I don't want you under the rain."
"Can't we take a coach?" Hitomi suggested, eager to see the new, reconstructed Fanelia.
"Hmm, maybe. But right now, you get yourself out of that bed and into that door right there which is the bath room. I have your bath ready, and then we have a lot of things to do."
Hitomi nodded and slipped from below the covers. Her feet touched a fury carpet by the bedside that she hadn't noticed before when she came in. Karyn pointed to the slippers by the rug and she put them on, and followed her to the bath room.
It was great and spacious, tiled in white. The bath tub was in the middle of the room, an elegant, long legged thing without any adornments, following the already familiar simple style of the Castle. Karyn stood by the bathtub and arched her eyebrows at Hitomi's hesitation.
"Um, I can—you know, I can bathe myself." She said, and smiled embarassed. Karyn's eyebrows fell slowly to form a cynical straight line above her half lidded eyes.
"You seem more than capable, to be sure. But it's the way of the Castle to have someone accompany you at all moment to make sure you're safe and sound. And it's my place as your maiden to help you in your bath."
"Well, what could possibly happen to me in my bath tub?" Hitomi laughed nervously.
"You could slip and split your head, for starts." Karyn deadpanned. "You're quite clumsy, for what I gather. But it's all the same" she added lightheardtedly, moving towards the door. "I can leave if you'd like." Hitomi nodded thankfully. "I'll just call Topaz and tell him to stand guard here; it's either him or me, you see."
Hitomi's smile faded. "Fine. But don't look." She said grudgingly. She shed her sleeping shirt and pants, slipped quickly out of her panties and got in the bath tub carefully as to not slip and get hurt. And make a fool of herself.
The water was just the right temperature, like she liked it. She had always bathed with water a little too hot. Her skin flushed at the heat, but Hitomi welcomed the tingling sensation. She noticed now that there was a smaller fireplace in the wall. It was probably what Karyn had used to heat the water, and also it served to heat up the room.
She did wonder where they got the water; she couldn't imagine her sleeping through a number of coming and goings through her own bedroom to get the buckets there.
"I can." Karyn answered flatly. "You sleep soundly, child." Well, at least that was more delicate that 'you sleep like a rock', but it wasn't much more of a praise. "In any case, you wouldn't have; there's a cistern over this roof, the water falls from that faucet right there and I fill the buckets with it. It's rain water; good for the skin."
Despite Hitomi's rather vocal protests, Karyn did help her bathe in the end. She rolled her eyes at her and finally accepted Hitomi could wash her own body, but she helped her with the hair. Hitomi had left her hair grow, something she was a little happy about now. It went a little below her shoulders and curled at the ends beautifully. The color hadn't changed.
Hitomi couldn't help her mortification when Karyn told her proper ladies let their maidens do their job without giving them a headache. Nevertheless, Hitomi dried herself off with the towel. She then let Karyn slip the fury edged bath robe over her shoulders and close it tightly with the string around her waist.
"Now" the maiden said guiding her to the dressing room. There were three more women there, that rose for their seats and bowed their heads at her respectfully. "What she will need is everyday clothes, special occasion gowns, traveling things; a full wardrobe really. And then we have to think of the gown she'll use for the announcement two weeks from now. "
Hitomi saw them taking measurement strings and such from their bags and start takings numbers down. Hitomi was so intent on looking at everything they did with puzzlement that she didn't think f what Karyn had said for a while.
The older woman of the three, whose name was Ariadna, extracted a light blue fabric from a solid case and put it against Hitomi's skin. "I think this would work, M´lady. We'll make some green garments, but we don't want everything in your wardrobe to be green, as pretty as it looks with your eyes." Hitomi readily agreed with her judgement. "First off the undergarments though; we have to make those. Now, shed the robe—Don't be silly, ma'am, we're all ladies here."
Hitomi glared, but obeyed. She was horribly uncomfortable standing there while they took measures to her naked body, but there was no helping it, she supposed. Finally they extracted from a bag carefully folded clothes and helped her to them.
Hitomi was comfortable to discover they weren't nor extravagant nor strange. They were a simple tight white, strapless white shirt and white skintight shorts.
Above that went a white skirt, that settled perfectly on her hips but had so much fabric Hitomi was sure it could have been a tent. The hem was laced with delicate embroideries that reached down to her ankles. In a moment of illumnation, she realized this was the petticoat.
True enough, they worked the fabric around her and the skirt to make the new dress. They repeated this form several times with several different fabrcis, textures and colors. Quite honestly, by about the tenth dress she was fed up with it. It was a tedious thing; she just stood there and lifted her limbs, or not even that, because they did it for her. She felt like saying "I want to be a real girl", but she didn't think they'd take the hint.
That struck a chord; she realized they really never had heard of Pinocchio, and if it weren't from her, they never would.
But although it seemed like the morning passed tediously by for Hitomi, the whole process actually only took an hour. So it was about ten in the morning when she was finally dressed in a light blue dress that fitted her well. It had princess cut below her breasts, and Hitomi was actually very happy she had a rather small chest, or otherwise it would have called for much unwanted attention. The cleavage was modest and correct, and the only thing that incommodated was that the sleeves clung too much to her arms, but she supposed she could get used to that. The blue hem was a little higher the the underskirt and the embroideries showed up beautifully under it. It was very delicate.
"Well now" Ariadna said. "She can wear that today. By tomorrow we'll have more everyday wear for her done. We'll see more into the special occasion gowns later, and about that announcement, we'd better devote more time to it; it's important. Maybe the day after tomorrow? You wake her up early." She said to Karyn. The maiden nodded.
It was then it hit Hitomi.
Announcement? Two weeks from now? He hadn't even asked her and he was announcing his marriage to Fanelia already!?
Hitomi's languid good humor evaporated like a waterdrop falling on fire.
Van was going too far with this. Hitomi would have clear some points when they met for lunch. It was just so… presumputous of him! What was he thinking?
"That's settled." Karyn said, as she closed the door of the bedroom behind Ariadna and her assistants. "Now, M´lady, let's talk a little about manners before you meet with the Council."
Hitomi, who had previosuly been fuming about how Van had better have a very good explanation for all this, suddenly went blank. She looked up at Karyn and swallowed. "Er—Council? Today?"
"Yes, yes, M'lady. King Van didn't tell you? It's in half an hour."
Hitomi glared dangerously. "It must've slipped his mind." She said between her teeth. Karyn glanced at her, worriedly. She had the feeling the girl was getting closer and clsoer to the point she did become a handful.
But she thought she could work it out. Lady Hitomi was a calm girl, all in all, from what she could gather. Carefully steered, perhaps her moods could be swayed, like King Van's sometimes could. Thankfully attempting at directing her into one mood wouldn't be as scary and perilous as doing it with him.
So Hitomi sat in the chair to her desk, and Karyn carefully and patiently explained how a girl should maneage herself in front of men, either strangers or acquaintances. Never to cross her leg over the other, always your hands in your lap, back straight but not stiff, head up, look into their eyes, etcetera.
"Well educated, high bred girls don't look to the floor." Karyn said when they finally left her room and headed to the Council Room. "But that doesn't mean you can be impertinent, so look into their eyes, but don't be insistent. Lowering them to the table or their hands or chest is correct, but don't go as far as the floor, child. A simple bat of eyelashes will suffice as well, or a tilt of the head. You have amazing eyes, so don't doubt to use their alluring strength; make them look at you. Don't be too shy, and don't be too bold. Show them you have character and that you know what you want."
The recommendations kept coming, but Hitomi was distressed. She wasn't high bred, she didn't have the faintest clue at what she wanted, and she felt her character dwindling with every step she gave. She didn't need to reccur to her Seer powers to foresee the dark ahead.
The hallway Karyn led her through was wide and spacious, lined with high windows and doors. It was well illuminated and transmited calmness and peace, but strength. The whole Castle was designed like this, in a distinctively masculine vibration.
At the end of the hallway a larger door dominanted the sight; it was solid and strong and it sported the Fanelian Crest on the centre of the double doors. Two guards were standing at either side, with swords in their hips and speers in their hands.
"That's the Audience Room." Karyn supplied when she stared at it. "King Van's there right now, meeting with everyone in Fanelia that has a problem important enough that he needs to deal with it himself. He has audiences every morning, until a little before lunch. That' how he passes his morning, you see; wakes up early in the morning, meets with the Council, then goes to the Audience. Takes off a day every now and then, but lets know long before."
"That's very polite of him." She glared at the door. Oh, so he let know before, did he? Hitomi couldn't have fathom him doing such a thing for the life of her. One would think a man like that was coherent in his behaviour as to do the things the same way in every aspect, now wouldn't one?
That's when Karyn realized she hadn't steered her in any direction whatsoever. Pity. Either the Council barred away her moodiness of King Van was in for a bumpy lunch.
She might be handful to him.
At the right of the Audience door there was a smaller, but nevertheless bautiful door that led to the Council Room. Karyn smiled reassuringly at the increasingly nervous girl and knocked heavily on the door.
It opened more sooner than Hitomi had liked, but to her, the mere fact that it opened was too soon, so she didn't dwell on it. She was invited in by a tall, dark haired man wrapped in a light black cape and with a black cloth over his head. His eyes were big and a blue so light they almost seemed white. Quite impressive. The balck unruly hair fell over them in a light courtain.
"Ah, Topaz." Karyn said lightly. "I was wondering where you had sneaked off to. "Lady Hitomi, this is Topaz Aradine, your personal guard."
Hitomi bowed her head gently and he made a deep bow from his waist, ducking his head. Then she turned to the great round table that dominated the room. It was made of polished oak and had not a mark on it, nor any crests. The Council room was square, and had stone walls like the rest of the palace. In the wall exactly opposite to the door two large wooden, carved chairs stood on a platform. To the sides, othe two chairs similar but smaller stood o their own, on the floor. There were doors inn the side walls that lead to somewhere Hitomi didn't know.
There were twelve men in the Council room gathered around the round table. They were all older than Van, mostly young adults of around forty or fifty years old. None of them were armed, she noticed, though some looked like they were used to sporting swords and weapons.
Hitomi noticed Topaz standing behind her to her right, already falling into his bodyguard role, and took from that confidence and safety. His tall, thin but confident frame, despite how dark and silent he was, made her feel better.
The men looked at her, but she didn't sense hostility or deslike. They were just sudying her objectively. She was thankful the dress suited her so well.
Finally a man approached her. He was taller than the rest, with short dark brown hair that stood up messily and a short beard. He had a criss cross scar on his left cheek, but despite it, he was a handsome, poweful looking man whose presence filled the room. It was clear by the other's attitude that he was in command, at least now, and probably always.
He made an elegant bow and stood towering over her. His eyes were a deep blue tinted with green. "Allow me to introduce myself, Lady Hitomi." He said with a deep slow voice. "My name is Stelius Korinder, and I am King Van's appointed Second in Command. I welcome you to our Council Room; know that you will always be warmly received within these walls. For now, you shall take my seat, and I will introduce you to the rest of the Council."
"Oh, I—" but she interrupted herself. He was offering his hand. She placed hers above it and noticed how very delicate it looked in his warrior, strong hand. And so pale! He gently led her to the table and helped her to a very comfortable chair. The men around the table looked at her politely.
Hitomi made a quick glance at Topaz, standing by the door next to Karyn. His eyes and the top of his nose were the only visible parts of his face, between the high collar of the cape and the cloth over his hair. He caught her gaze, and tilted his head to the side invitingly, as if asking if she wanted something. Hitomi shook her head imperceptibly and straightened back to look at the the gentlemen gathered around the table.
Right n fornt of her across the wood stood a man as tall as Stelius, with ashen blond hair that fell to his shoulders in locks. His eyes were grey and deep set over a long strong nose, and his jaw was firm. The features in his face were perhaps too sharp to be considered beautiful, but he was very masculine. And the warm, honest light in his eyes made Hitomi feel at home.
The man closest to Hitomi was an older gentleman with a long white beard that was braided and eyebrows so long they made him look like an old languid angora cat. His eyes were a deep green under the eyebrows, much like Hitomi's, only older and wiser. It was him that turned to her and smiled warmly and broke the silence.
"I am Phillip Argusson, Head of the Council. I would shortly present them all to you, Milady, but you would not catch their names, and at the moment it is not necessary for you to stress yourself on it. I will only introduce to you the ones you are most likely to be in contact with, for they are the closest to King Van. Lord Stelius has spoken for himself; indeed he is King Van's Second in Command, and he directs the country as Regent while our dear King is on road. The other gentleman in front of you is Hiko Remerin, and he is Buseiou or High General; he is the head of the Fanelian Army." The man bowed his head, the ashen blond her moving silkily over his shoulders. "As for the rest, some diplomats, some politians, King Van has obligations with us, but you'll seldom see any." He smiled at her.
Hitomi smiled gently, batted her eyelashes delicately and tilted her head with the utmost elegance. Inside, she was screaming. What the hell had Van told them? Were they sure she was going to be their Queen? She was very much tempted to telling them Van had explained nothing, nothing at all, to her! To her, of all people!
But instead she watched as Phillip Argusson gave them all lead to seat, and stole a glance at Stelius Korinder as he paced very slwoly around the table, not taking the last seat that remained empty at Hitomi's left, arms crossed over his chest. He didn't look at her, but kept looking down to the floor, apparently more attentive of what was said that what he could see in her.
"Well, Milady, I wouldn't want you to think of this as an examination or interrogation." Phillip Argusson said softly. "We only mean to get to know you better, for it is quite possible we you will be joining us permanently soon."
Unless I murder your King first, that is, Hitomi thought fuming to herself, as she nodded gracefully. Her body seemed to be in automatic pilot, for although she hard what he was saying, she scarcely knew how she responded; the only thing in her mind was how bad she was going to scream at that arrogant winged brat when she saw him, not matter how beautiful he was.
But perhaps she was letting on more than she thought, because after catching her gaze with his, Phillip Argusson steered the conversation away from whatever he had first intended it to be, and focused on speaking to Hitomi of how they had reconstructed Fanelia over the extent of the last five years.
That did interest Hitomi, and she willingly pushed her anger to the back of her mind were it would be stored for later usage (and she would use it) and listened intently to his words. His voice was rough and slow, scratchy, but somehow soothing.
They had already started before she left, Hitomi recalled. They had began by reconstructing the houses and hotels and the places were the people gathered to talk and be happy; the squares, the bars, the restaurants. Then, the bazaar and the stores. In the begginning Van had opposed to the Castle being reconstructed before the houses of the city, but after a few weeks, he had realized that the Castle under the ancient tree was a symbol for the Fanelians, and had complied to begin the works, as long as the houses still took priority. As the Council and the general population strongly opposed to his working manually on the construction sites, Van devoted himself and part of his army to regain from dragons the parts of the city closest to the forest. It was by far the most perilous work, and more than one had wished they'd said yes to his helping on the houses, but there was no stopping his decisions by this point, and in any case, Van didn't intend to fight and kill them.
Hitomi was touched to hear he had followed Folken's words. He had stood before the dragons firmly and with his sole precense and determination, lead the one by one back into the depths of the forest beyond the city borders. Stelius stopped here his walking to look at her briefly and nod.
"Yes, I was tempted to throw him in a cellar and keep him there when he did it the first time, but we all grew used to it. He's a puzzling man sometimes, but surely you know that, Lady Hitomi."
Hitomi thought she could add a number of adjectives to 'puzzling', but she smiled.
And then it hit her how disgustingly unfamiliar to herself she was being. She wasn't like this at all! She didn't smile and tilt her head! She didn't quietly comply to other people's whims! What the hell was she doing? The shock of the realization hit her so strongly she blinked and her smile faded, but she didn't recompose it. Instead she stared intently into Stelius' clear eyes.
He surprised her by nodding his head. She blinked.
"I'm sorry" Hitomi said, turning to Phillip Argusson with fierce eyes. "I don't think we should go any further with this discussion. I need to have a word with King Van before anything else is said. You might be making a mistake or moving too quickly."
Phillip stared, awestruck. There was a tense silence in the room and Hitomi was painfully aware that she was the cause of it, yet again. But she looked at Stelius, and felt oddly comforted by what she saw in his eyes; something very similar to acceptance and understanding.
He nodded again. He seemed to catch more than he let on just by looking into her eyes, and Hitomi suddenly understood why Van would trust this man so much; he was sharp as a scalpel. He had known the languidly complacent girl that sat before him wasn't Hitomi Kanzaki from the beginning. Probably because Van had talked to him about her.
"I believe I start to understand what is happening." He said with his deep voice. And Hitomi believed him. "I'll tell him to have lunch in the smaller chamber by his bedroom. It's more private."
Hitomi nodded in agreement and smoothly rose from the table. She stared hard at Stelius, as if the rest of the room was empty. "I know he means well, but he's doing it the wrong way."
Stelius agreed with his head. Hitomi gestured to Phillip with her head, then glanced at the others and bowed politely, and finally turned and left the room. She became aware of Topaz following her closely and stopped midway, in front of a window. He drifted to a stop a some steps forward and turned to look at her.
"I want you to be honest." She said flatly. "Did he ask you to protect me, or did he ask you to guard me?"
Topaz blinked slowly. "He didn't ask me either." He said finally. "I volunteered. But maybe the answer you want is this: he was looking for someone who would keep you safe and make you feel it. Someone not himself." He added as an afterthought.
Hitomi understood Van felt more relieved when she was with him. He was a practical, uncomplicated man; he'd always rather do things himself instead of delegating them, and Hitomi's personal safety was very valuable to him. She understood that. She really did. But like he had done more than once, he assumed too much and took things too far. He wasn't doing any better than Allen's 'keeping her in a golden cage' and she grew more angry every moment.
Her silent bodyguard contemplated her coolly. "If I'm allowed" he said after a moment. "You might want to clarify things before jumping to conclusions. Van has always been known for doing things on his own and assuming the rest will either understand or let him act. He's grown used to it with the years of ruling, and he might not understand that you don't see things the way he does. There is a probability he has assumed you know exactly what he pretends."
"I'm rather certain I know what he pretends." Hitomi answered him, more calmly now. Topaz's cool character was soothing. He was very rational. "And I agree he's known for that, but it still doesn't justify the way he handles things. I'm not a doll or a puppet; if he wants something he ought to tell me instead of have me guess it. Especially before telling everyone else."
"I'm not so sure he's actually said it." Topaz replied. That puzzled Hitomi. She was going to ask him, but the Karyn came rushing down the hallway to them and took Hitomi gently by the arm, leading her away.
"We better move. Stelius had the Audience cut short and King Van's in the Council room with the rest. He'll be going to the dining room soon, and we shouldn't be standing here when he does."
Hitomi felt crossed, but decided she didn't want to have a fight with Karyn at the moment. Besides, what Topaz had said puzzled her. What had he meant by that?
They made their way back to the Royal Wing and entered the door besides Van's bedroom. It was a comfortable, nice place with a huge window that opened to a balcony from hwre you could see the city of Fanelia in all its extention, and the forests and the mountains that enclosed the valley beyond them.
It wasn't snowing, because it wasn't winter in Fanelia yet, but the winter was coming, and the air was very cold. So Hitomi couldn't go out and admire the sight in all its wild beauty. She contented herself with standing by the widnow with her back to the door and grabbing her elbows, curiosuly aware of Topaz's soothing presence by the door on the wall that didn't connect to Van's bedroom. Karyn was gone to help the servants with the meal.
The door opened a few minutes later and Van came in, dressed just like she ahd seen him that very morning, and wearing also a wide grin. Hitomi turned to him and saw him hesitate, but he recomposed himself with admiring speed and sat down at the table, looking as relaxed as if he ahd just taken a hot bubble bath.
He reclined back, a hand over the table and the other over the back of the chair, and grinned at her. Hitomi didn't kno if he was trying, but it sure looked seductive to her. So she returned a proportionally icy glare.
He didn't flinch. His eyes glinted with amusement. Hitomi knew she was getting closer to the point she usually hit him. After all, she did it when he was acting like a complete jerk.
"My increasingly accurate sense of the female mind tells me you're upset." He said tilting his head in a lovely way.
"Accurate indeed." Deadpanned Hitomi.
He arched his eyebrows, nodded and sat up in the chair, as if ready to face a storm. As if? He was facing a storm. He just was unconscious of how bad it was. And as attractive as his self confidence was, he was only making the situation worse.
"Okay. What did I do?" he asked, and looked at her with attentive brown-red eyes.
Hitomi burst. "What do you reckon? Think, Van! What could possibly had upset me? Show me how sharp you've become."
Van didn't even attempt to hide his shock, which struck her as odd, since he had always been one to try to hide his emotions. He blinked confusedly and sat back in the chair, starign at her with a frown.
"I don't understand you. I thought I was doing it right that you'd be happy. In what did I go wrong?"
"Oh Van, you did things right. You only forgot to talk to me!"
"We talked this morning." He replied, now clearly confused.
"That wasn't talking. That was you making me feel mortified. It doesn't qualify. You had a hundred things to tell me and you didn't."
"I had a meeting, I told you. I didn't have much time—that's why I wanted to have lunch with you. So we could talk."
Either he was more dense that he looked, or he was playing dumb very well. None of the options made Hitomi's anger quiet down, so she glared fiercely at him and decided she'd better be straight.
"Why didn't you ask me first?" she deadpanned. "Why did you just go ahead and give me the Queen's room, and sent me to the Council? Why making an announcement in two weeks when you don't even know if I'll say yes? You can't just assume I'll do it just because you want me to, Van! You're being obnoxious, horribly proud and unabashedly presumputous! I'm not your pretty pet, you know!?"
Van was frozen. He didn't catch anything to say, his thoughts ran so quickly through his mind as he struggled to understand what exactly he'd done wrong. He couldn't pinpoint it.
"Ask…? Hitomi, I… It seemed appropiate, but—I don't understand what you wanted me to ask you. Did you mean to live in the city then? I just thought you'd like it more here, close to me and Merle—I'm sorry I didn't ask you… is that it?" he was at a complete loss.
Hitomi stared at him. What was he…?
They both realized at the same time. It hit them squarely between the eyes in the exact same second and they both paled and widened their eyes before their pupils contracted to shocked dots.
She had thought he'd ask her to marry him.
And he had never intended to.
Hitomi saw him sitting straight in his chair very slowly and grab the edge of the table. She noticed every muscle in his body was tense as a bow string. Now more than ever he reminded her of a black panther about to leap at his prey.
She darted to the door. She had a the advantage because she was straight in front of it while he had to get up, round the table and follow. She could make it out before him, and once in the hallway she would be safe, if she ran like a demon.
She got to the door, grasped the handle, turned it and yank it open. It slammed back to the doorframe so quickly her fingers hurt from the yanking of the handle. She could feel Van standing right behind her, his chest almost flush against her back. His eyes were burning the back of her neck. His hand was splayed on the door above and to her right.
"Van, let me go!" she said, yanking at the door as strong as she could without leaning back and touching him. If she touched him she'd be lost. She was already panicking.
She was such an idiot. She had gotten it all wrong! Everything!
But Van didn't budge, silent as the wall istelf, only the wall didn't glare as hard as he did.
"Give it up, Hitomi." He said low. "I'm not letting you get out of here until we've cleared this mess." The tone was eerily calm, very much unlike Van.
Hitomi wanted to keep trying, but she let go of the handle. It was pointless anyway. Although she had never tried it, Hitomi was certain she could, if not outrun, at least match Van in speed. Just as certainly she could tell there was no way she could match him in strength.
Van turned to Topaz, who was politely staring at the floor with half lidded eyes. "Leave us." He ordered him. Topaz lifted his eyes and regarded him calmly. "Do it. I'll call you when we need you. Go." The authority in his voice left no room for debate. Topaz felt he had some ground, though, since he was her bodyguard; but he knew his sense of timing, and Van was in no mood to be pushed. Besides, they needed to clear this on their own.
So he nodded, and withdrew from the room into the next one where the servants stared intently at him as he stood blocking the doorway.
Van turned back to Hitomi and waited for a moment.
"Hitomi, I'm not going to talk to the back of your neck, and we're going to clear this, so please turn around and look at me."
Hitomi drew a weary breath, pushed back her tears and turned to face him. She was so embarassed by her stupidity she could barely hold his calm gaze, but she leaned against the door and stared at him. He didn't withdraw and they were still closer than she liked it, but she didn't dare push him away. She was afraid that instead of pushing him, she'd cling to his shirt.
Van sighed. He looked tired and sad. Hitomi felt like hitting her head against the door behind her, but didn't think Van would appreciate it.
"Hitomi—I'm sorry. Please listen to me. I know you don't want to, but please. I'll let you go later, but now you have to listen." He swallowed. "I didn't realize what I was implying with everything I did. Let me explain. I gave you the Queen room because I felt it was the only one you deserved. It's the best of the Castle, and I wanted you in here. The fact that its' closer to mine only played a part on it, although not small. I don't see you as anything but my equal, and I think you deserve as good as me or better. It's the best I can offer you." Hitomi felt tears burning in her eyes but kept staring at him, because he wanted to look into her eyes. "I told Karyn because I like her and she has a character similar to yours, and I thought you'd like to be with her, that you'd get along. I asked Topaz to protect you because I wanted you to be safe and be with someone you and I could trust equally. There's only five people in Gaea I'd eve trust your safety to, Hitomi; Stelius, Hiko, Allen, myself and Topaz. I didn't set you up with the Council; they wanted to meet you on their on behalf. They wanted to meet the girl that saved Gaea. All this, I did and allowed to happen because I thought it would make you happy. You'd be safe, you'd be with friends, you'd be comfortable. I didn't do it in any way to press you or to form inclinations into marrying me."
Hitomi closed her eyes and leaned her head against the door. If only the earth would swallow her now… He would never forgive this. She hadn't understood him at all.
"I think I understand why you misinterpreted." Van continued, more softly, gently. "I didn't tell anyone but Stelius and Hiko what I meant to do, but many people realized on their own. Karyn among them. the Council too. The people of Fanelia think I want to marry you, and they thought I'd bring you back for it. The room, the servant, the dresses; they encouraged it, didn't they?" he chuckled low. "Hitomi, look at me, please." He added in a surprisingly pleading tone. Hitomi opened her eyes just so to please him; if it was for herself, she'd die right there.
"It would have been horrible of me to ask you to marry me after not seeing each other for five years. We barely know each other anymore. We've both changed. It would be insane." He leaned down and rested his forehead against hers, and it was so tender, so delicate, Hitomi felt the tears finally roll down her cheeks. He brushed them away with his left hand, very gently. "Why is it that I always make you cry?" he muttered, straightening and looking down at her with fierce eyes.
"I know what you're thinking. You are not stupid. You're surprisingly quick to assume that, but you're not." He took a deep breath. "I do intend to marry you, Hitomi."
She froze. Her eyes shot open and she stared. He was blushing! The actual old, typically Van-ish blush!
"But, you see—" he hesitated, smiled uneasily and continued. "I meant to court you."
Hitomi was blank. "W-what?"
"Yes; I wanted to, you know—seduce you. Make you fall for me." He laughed lightly, nervously.
Ah, here was old Van back from the dead. He was nervous, hesitant and embarassed. How cute.
"It's just" he said nervously. "I made the stupid mistake of asking Allen what he thought I should do, and he made even more stupid mistake of actually telling me. It made me—well, he told me things I didn't know. And I thought he was right. He ought to be, he's a ladiesman, but what I mean is—ah, damn." He breated in deep.
"Alright" Hitomi said wearily. "I know you want to say something. Out with it, Van. Just say it."
Van nodded firmly. "I'm really determined to make you my Queen." He said. Hitomi swallowed. "But, I wanted to court you slowly. Like I said, make you fall for me again. It's been so long, Hitomi… and, after all, as much as I respect your decisions, no; it didn't occur to me that you'd say no, so I figured if it was the only time we'd ever get to do it, I wanted us to enjoy it. Do it our way. Have fun while at it. And get to know each other again, see the changes in the other." He smiled slightly, his eyes bright. "I don't know if it sounds stupid to you, but I kind of like that idea. I'm not as smooth as Allen, but—I do my best."
Hitomi felt she could shatter in a hundred pieces. She wanted to fall into his arms and stay there nestled forever.
That was it. He wanted them to fall in love all over again. He was so… tender…
But she didn't cry. She sighed, unable to do anything else really, and clung to his shirt, and brought him close and hugged him tight. Van responded inmediately, pressing her flush against his chest and kissing her head gently.
"I'm sorry I confused you." He muttered. "I'm such a dork. I thought I was being sly. What an idiot."
Hitomi chuckled against his shirt. "You actually were. I was just being particularly dull."
"Honestly, I used to be straighter, and you used to be sharper. These new changes ar for the worse. We better revert back, Hitomi, and quick."
She laugh at the lightness in his voice. They were beginning to comprehend the happiness of the moment, and slowly soaking in it. He finally, atlhough reluctantly, pulled away, but no too far. He just braced his hands against the wood f the door, keeping her pinned there, and loomed over her.
Hitomi glanced at him wearily. "Are you supposed to be doing that?"
"I can't care any less what I'm supposed to be doing." He answered flatly and leaned down to brush his lips over hers.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It's not that I'm cruel. It's that the chapter it's too long. You gte the kiss in the next one. I promise; I like writing kisses
But, if you know what the word chaperone means… you'll find Topaz to be a wee bit annoying. --'
Namariel, out!