Chapter 3 - The Day After
Celena was still asleep when the Crusade landed on the grounds of the Schezar estate. Allen had spent the entire night explaining to the indignant council of Asturia that no, King Van Fanel and Hitomi Kanzaki were not with him and no, he did not know where they were, and yes, he had last seen Van flying Escaflowne towards the capital of Zaibach. It was dawn, now that the councilmen agreed to send him home to rest thanks to a very haggard Princess Eries adjourning the council for the night.
The few servants of the Schezar family were tired and irritable as they led their lost mistress into her room, something Celena noticed and reacted to with grim silence. Allen was afraid that this would lead to complications in the future, but stayed behind for a few moments to talk to his second-in-command.
At Allen's request, Gaddes kept watch on Celena throughout the night as Allen was dealing with the irate council of Asturia. He only told Gaddes that the girl in Dragonslayer clothes was his sister, who had long ago been kidnapped by Ziabach. He did not elaborate on what she had been up to over the years, and Gaddes was prudent enough not to ask.
"She slept badly," he told Allen. "Kept calling out for someone named 'Jajuka.'"
Allen had his own thoughts on the identity of Jajuka, but once again, did not confide in his friend. "Thank you, Gaddes. Tell the men that they are relieved of duty for the night, and convey to them my apologies for keeping them so long."
"Eh, they don't mind. They were damn curious about your sister, though."
"Let them be curious."
Gaddes linked his hands behind his neck and grinned. "Heh. Mysterious as ever, boss. See ya."
Allen waved at Gaddes' disappearing figure. His eyes lingered on the disappearing Crusade before he turned to enter his home, where he took a few moments to smooth things over with Mrs. Hill, the venerable head of the Schezar family servants. She assured him that he was not to worry about waking her, and that she had seen to young mistress Celena's sleeping habit and would presently schedule a tailor as soon as she could find one. She seemed a bit ruffled about that, and Allen sincerely thanked her for her kindness. This which mollified the housekeeper enough that she promised him an especially large breakfast to welcome him and his sister home.
After Hill headed for her quarters to prepare for the coming day, Allen made a direct line for his sister's chambers. He almost barged in as he used to when they were children before he remembered that she was now a lady, and he a gentlemen, and thus bound by rules of protocol. Instead, he knocked.
"Come," said his sister, and Allan entered.
Celena had changed into a simple sleeping shift Allen recognized as one of his own.
"Mrs. Hill tried to give me this thing so sewn up with lace and ribbons that I couldn't lie down without feeling lumpy," Celena informed him "This is better, even if it isn't what I asked for."
"You appear to be wearing one of my sleeping shifts."
"I told you, I didn't want the thing. Hill brought this when I asked for some clothes."
"I see," Allen conceded, biting his lip to avoid lecturing her on the protocol of Asturian ladies concerning the procuring and wearing of men's clothing. "That gown was one of our mother's."
"I don't know how she slept in that thing."
Allen smiled. "Mother preferred her clothing to have a few frills. I suppose you prefer simpler clothing?"
"I like certain frills, I guess," admitted Celena. "You know, jewelry and stuff. I just hate things you can't even sit in comfortably."
"There will be a fitting session whenever the tailor is available. When you see her, you should let her know that you prefer minimal frills to your wardrobe."
"Why not today?"
"You should rest today."
Celena seemed to flinch at the word. "I slept ten hours straight on the Crusade. I've rested enough."
"We need to take things slowly," he said.
She sat up in bed and looked at her brother, her words coming quickly. "I feel like I've been asleep all these years. Everything in my head is like I dreamed it, or dreamed that I was seeing it, like I wasn't there half the time. I woke up and I saw the Scherezarde and I knew you were in there and I remembered, and I can't-"
"Celena, we must-"
"Don't lock me up. Please."
Allen's first impulse was to argue with her. To inform her that her sudden reappearance in Asturian society was a delicate matter, to be handled with the utmost care lest the already fragile reputation of house Schezar be once again called into question. But when he looked at the expression in her eyes a memory from his earlier days as an apprentice of Balgus tugged at his thoughts.
One day while wandering the outskirts of Pallas, he and Balgus found a dog stuck in one of the traps set for poachers on the king's lands. Allen could not say for how long she had been trapped there, but he had never seen an animal so emaciated. There were innumerable clawmarks on the soft dirt walls of the pit. Her paws were caked with pus and dirt, and she had chewed much of her own fur off out of frustration or boredom. And then there were the flies.
She did not whine as Balgus drew his sword. When Balgus beheaded her with a thick thud, Allen had to turn away so he could vomit
"Some things aren't meant to be kept in cages," Balgus told Allen, cleaning is sword. "It's a mercy we found her when we did."
"Mercy?" Allen had yelled at his stoic master. "You killed her!"
"For a creature such as that, death is better," said Balgus. "Come now. She needs to be buried."
Allen hadn't understood. But now, looking at the expression in his sister's eyes, he finally had an inkling of what Balgus meant then, and what Hitomi meant when she told him off in front of the refugee church when he ordered her back to the castle, to safety.
"I promise you," he said, taking her hand, "I have no intention of keeping you in a birdcage."
"Good," said Celena, breathing again. "Then we should see about getting me into some clothes."
Allen laughed, and Celena gave an unsteady grin. "You can use mother's clothes, if you like, until we can get you a fitting. But they'll have to air out for a while."
"I guess I'll just go around in this, then."
"As long as we keep the curtains closed, I'm sure no one will object."
Celena smiled, and the sun rose over the mountains, spilling light into her room. "Thank you," she said.
"Anything for you, my lady," Allen said with a bow, and he was rewarded with an unmistakably girlish giggle.
"If you'd care to join me for breakfast...?" Allen offered his sister his arm.
"Okay," she said, and got to her feet with a little less unsteadiness than when she took those few steps on the battlefield, but she did not use her brother's arm as a guidepost. Arm in arm, they made their way toward the dining room.
Merle sighed and slid to the ground outside the Asturian council chambers. It had been a whole night and Van and Hitomi still hadn't returned to Zaibach. To make matters worse, she'd missed the emergency Council meeting when the fleet first arrived, so she still didn't have a clue where they were.
It wasn't fair! Leaving her alone like that while Hitomi ran off to help Van. She, of course, knew where Hitomi had gone, and was certain that she and Van had found each other there at the capital of Zaibach, but no one ever bothered asking her anything. Well, Millerna had asked her if she was okay, once, and brought her something to drink that really calmed her nerves, but that didn't count. Millerna was sort of a friend, even if she was a stuck-up princess.
Anyway, the Council members were still discussing boring trade agreements while Dryden tried to dissuade them from being too ruthless, and Merle's eavesdropping was just not paying off.
She was almost ready to give up until another meeting, when she heard one voice say, "That Schezar was hiding something when we were interrogating him last knight, I'm sure of it."
"Why are you so sure?" asked Dryden, mildly.
"Because I know he is!" the voice snapped. "He was evasive when we asked him if he'd been transporting non-military personnel."
"That's right, he never gave us a direct answer," said another Councilman, thoughtfully.
"Who Allen Schezar did or did not transport to Pallas is none of our business. He was quite direct when we asked him whether he had King Fanel or Hitomi Kanzaki on board the Crusade," Dryden pointed out.
"He knows something," the first voice said, stubbornly. "Reports from the field indicate that he was the last person to see King Fanel before he disappeared."
Eries answered this time. "I assure you that King Fanel will appear before the Alliance when he arrives in Asturia. And may I remind you, gentlemen, that he is sovereign of his country, and not subject to our control."
A cacophony of arguing voices broke out, rendering one indistinguishable from the next. It didn't matter to Merle, though. She'd heard what she needed.
"Allen," she seethed, "I'm going to claw your eyes out!"
Van and Hitomi shielded their eyes from the sunlight reflecting off the water of Pallas' gleaming canals. It was indeed midday, as Van had predicted, and Hitomi was ravenous.
"I'm so hungry!" she declared. "Let's land outside the city and find something to eat first, please?"
"I'm sure the council wants to meet with us," Van said dubiously.
"I can't deal with the council on an empty stomach," she groaned.
Van thought for a moment. "They probably haven't seen us coming yet, unless they've placed a lookout, and they've no reason to absolutely need us in a council session..."
"We'll only be gone one more hour. What's one more hour?" Hitomi said, her head running away with concern over her own hunger.
"Okay," said Van. "We'll fly low from now on. I'll look for a safe place to land."
Instead of aiming for the usual old barn where Escaflowne was usually stored when not in use, Van swept low around the south of the city and aimed for the forests in the lower reaches of the Chatal mountains around Asturia. This was an area generally favored by the old families or nobility for their home estates; a secluded area where they were unlikely to be disturbed known as the Nobles' Aerie.
After Escaflowne was situated, Van made a suggestion. "We'll walk to the nearest home and knock on the kitchen door. Servants would be more likely to give us food than the stuffed sleeves who live around here."
"Stuffed sleeves?" Hitomi said, laughing. "You just made a joke!"
"Don't act so surprised," he muttered, pushing through some of the thicker and lower tree branches. They could see the outline of a modest estate ahead, and the promise of food at the end of that walk was mouthwatering.
The estate was made up of two houses, it seemed. The main one, larger and decorated with many huge and airy windows, had all the curtains drawn, which Hitomi considered odd. She knew by now that natural light and open windows were quite important for warm days like this in Asturia. The sea breeze was all that could be counted as a natural air conditioning system. The second house, much smaller, looked like a carriage house which no longer housed a carriage. In the distance, however, Hitomi thought she could see a stable.
"Why do you think they've got the windows closed?" Hitomi asked.
Van shook his head. "Maybe the owners aren't home. I hope they've just gone to town, otherwise the cooks might not be in the kitchen."
Hitomi's stomach growled in fierce protest. They reached the back door, and through it, they could hear the unmistakable sounds of lunch being prepared within. Van knocked.
A few seconds later, a young man with neatly arranged dark hair opened the door. "Do you have any business here?" he quipped.
"We'd like to speak with the Head of Household," Van said. The boy raised one eyebrow at Van's shirtless state, bowed, and shut the door.
"What happens now?" Hitomi whispered, though there was no need to do such a thing.
"We wait for the head servant and then we ask permission to eat in the kitchen," he replied in a normal tone.
"I hope he comes soon," she whispered back. About a minute passed before the back door opened again. Looking back at Hitomi and Van, her red, graying hair secured in an elaborate bun, was obviously the highest ranking servant of the estate.
"How can I help you?" she said in a slightly haughty voice, eying Van as if he were doing something quite improper. Which he was, if you looked at it bluntly, seeing as he wasn't wearing a shirt. Hitomi noticed that he was trying very hard not to scowl.
"We haven't eaten since yesterday, and we'd like to request your permission to eat in the kitchen," he said.
"Eloped, have you?" she declaimed, one eyebrow arched. Before Hitomi or Van could protest, she continued with, "Well, nothing for it now. I don't know what happened to your shirt but I suppose you're small enough to fit into some of the master's old clothes. And you, young lady, your clothes are in a right state, and I don't know what I can do for you now the master's sister has returned. Come inside, and we'll see what Cook can spare. You can sit over here at the servant's table; thank heaven I sent Susan off to market and Peter's tending to the front room. I'll be back in a moment with a shirt for you, young man," she finished. And at that, she all but marched out of the kitchen and into the main house.
It seemed to Hitomi that she said this all in one breath; she certainly didn't notice the housekeeper pausing at any time to breathe. Across from her, Van sat in a rather nice old wooden chair, his arms crossed, looking sullen.
"Cheer up, Van. I think she means well."
Van shrugged, and continued to look sullen. Hitomi sighed and sat back in her chair, watching the cook maneuver between several pots and pans at once. The smell of herbs mingling with simmering vegetable was almost intoxicating. She tried not to drool.
"It's a good thing the master still had these at the back of his closet," said the housekeeper, charging back into the kitchen. She handed him a white shirt with the puffed sleeves common to Asturian fashion. "There now, you put that on and I'll go speak with Cook. She's making mushroom crepes with a heavy cream sauce today, an old favorite of the master's sister, and Cook always makes more than she needs. There now, you look much smarter now, young man. When you're done, ask for Hill and I'll send you on your way with a bit of food for later. Here, tie this around your waist," she handed him a long red sash.
When Van eyed it with horror and made no move to do as she asked, Hill sighed and said, "Very well, stand up, you must be one of the Councilmen's sons run away from home, I've seen it before; can't dress themselves at all. Don't worry, I'll mind your sword. There! Much better." she proclaimed, finishing off a knot in the sash with a flourish. The ends of the sash hung down his left side and fell all the way down to his knees. Van now looked every part the young and dashing Asturian noble, and Hitomi bit her tongue trying not to laugh. Van, it appeared, was desperately trying not to put his sword to proper use. Satisfied, Hill gave him a once over with her eyes, smiled indulgently, and bade him sit down again, which Van did with a defiant thunk.
Hill marched to the other side of the kitchen and to speak with Cook, who eyed the pair of them briefly before returning to her work. As soon as the housekeeper left the room, Hitomi burst out laughing.
"It... it... suits you..." she said, through her guffaws.
"We'll see who's laughing when the monster puts you in something worse," he muttered, as Hitomi shook her head, clutching at hear sides. She wasn't laughing at the way he was dressed. She'd seen Asturian finery enough times to cure herself of any quizzical thoughts on the matter. Van's outright indignation and ill-used expression were what was putting her into such a fit.
With a loud clank, two plates were put down in front of Van and Hitomi, along with a knife and fork and two napkins. The same young boy who had opened the door, apparently on Hill's orders, bowed to the pair of them and said, "Compliments of Cook, sir and madam."
Hitomi's laughter abated a little, and smiling through persistent giggles, she said, "Thank you."
The boy bowed once more, and returned to his duties at the front of the house. As soon as he left, Cook put two cups and a pitcher of water on the table, and without word, returned to what she was doing. Hitomi moaned with longing. Before them, a pile of beautifully sauteed mushrooms lay steaming in their crepe wrappers, drenched in light brown cream sauce. Without further ado, the both of them began devouring their meal. They were too hungry to speak, and Van, Hitomi thought, was also probably a little offended at her laughter.
Van finished first. He poured cups of water for both of them, saving himself for last. He sipped his water slowly and quietly while Hitomi finished the savoring last of her meal. It had been quite good. Hitomi didn't wonder why it was a favorite dish of the master's sister.
"That was amazing," she proclaimed.
"When you're hungry, everything's good," Van said, sipping his water, still looking a little moody.
"That sauce! It was like I achieved nirvana," she moaned.
"Nirvana?"
"Uh. Enlightenment. Sort of like an afterlife where you know the meaning of existence," she explained, badly.
"Sounds boring," Van said, and put his empty glass down on the table. "We should go soon."
"Just let me finish my water first." Van gave nodded and leaned back in his chair. She took that as a yes.
Then, in the distance, they heard a very loud crash and a faint yowl. Hitomi, glancing around the room, noticed that Cook had left during the course of their meal, and Hill was certainly not around, or they'd be sure to hear her exclaiming over the sudden noise. The two of them were alone in the kitchen.
"What was-?"
"Shh." Van put his finger to his lips, listening. A minute later, there was a loud giggle from the other side of the kitchen door.
"Come on, catch me! Or are you too slow?" shouted a female voice, and the door burst open. Standing in the frame was a very pretty girl with short, wavy white-blond hair. Her eyes were bright with excitement, and in one hand she held what looked like a pendant, but the charm was hidden in her palm. She was wearing a very elaborate dress that was a little too big for her. She seemed to have tucked the hem of her long skirts into a sash around her waist so that she wouldn't trip on it while running.
"I'm in the parlor!" she yelled, and turned around. With a half smile on her face, the girl looked at Hitomi rather curiously for a few seconds, before her gaze transfered to Van. He was staring back at her with his mouth hanging open.
"What are you-" he started, but before he could finish, the girl had drawn a very sharp kitchen knife from the carving block and dashed across the room to hold the tip of the blade to Van's left cheek.
She licked her lips.