OOPS! My bad! Hehe. Yes, appendixes are on the right side. I was thinking their right, my left, ya know. If anybody wondered, yes, I can't tell the difference between left and right. I'll go back and change that soon. ^_^ Right now, I wanted to do a nice little chapter involving mainly VanxHitomi fluff. Why? Because I can. And also because I love them. And because a certain somebody complained about them not being in the last Chapter. What!? You mean you didn't think I would right that wrong? Please!
Oh, and another little thing. Yes, I realize that (more often than not) my stuff is wrong. Reason being? Well, for one I haven't yet seen the entire Esca series. I refuse to watch the edited ones on tv because they have been slaughtered. (This won't apply if I need a quick fix of Anime.) So, I am patiently waiting to get them unedited, but at 35 each, it takes a while. Especially because I am too busy writing fanfics to get a job. ^_^
~~~~
Day 3 After the Wedding, two days until festival.
"So, Millerna operated on him, and everything was all right?" Van asked in his 'I'm cool, nothing phases me' voice he tended to use to hide being nervous.
"Yes," Merle answered as they continued to walk down the hallway. She continued talking, spying Van and Hitomi holding hands. She just barely managed to suppress a smile. She was so glad Lord Van was happy. "So Hitomi, are you nervous about your first day on the Fanelian Council?"
As the Queen of Fanelia, Hitomi had a seat on the Council, right beside her husband's. The Council was also made up of advisors, like Merle, and other Fanelian people who lived and worked in political positions in the Royal palace. These positions including treasurer, social director, prime minister, so and so forth.
"Nervous?" Hitomi gave a broad smile, her voice more than overly sarcastic. "No. Not at all. I mean, I've never done anything like this before so..."
Van silenced her with a quick kiss on her lips, and he tightened the grip he had on her hand, as if to lend her some of his own strength. His fingertips brushed the back of her hand. "Hitomi, you can do this. You're strong enough that even if you had no idea what was going on, you could still get yourself through it. And don't forget what you learned from Earth. In Kol-lege. Remember? You took Politics and Debating. You'll do great, Hitomi."
She smiled back at him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Thanks, Van. I know I can do well when you're their to encourage me."
Merle didn't mind holding hands. Smooching, cuddling, flirting.... that was all okay and *good*. But too much sap was too much sap! Merle started making choking sounds and faked dying. Van and Hitomi just laughed... though Hitomi really did look quite red in the face. Her angry shade of red. Merle winked at her from on the ground.
It was good, having Hitomi as a friend.
~~~~~~
Everyone in the council was staring at the treasurer. All formal business was taken care of, and now there was just one topic left. Before the meeting, the council had voted Lady June to take care of it. She was the most tactful and polite, and would probably hurt Queen Hitomi and King Van's feelings the least.
She blushed as red as her hair, coughed, pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose, and shuffled her papers. When the other council members started shooting her death glares for stalling, she decided enough was enough. Lady June took a deep breath. "King Van, Queen Hitomi. As you both now, one of the reasons the Council continually urged for King van to get married, was because he was over twenty years old. You are 24 to be exact, King Van."
Van groaned, and let his head fall into his arms on the table. He knew what was going to be said, and he could already feel his temperature go up. "Thank you Lady June, I had forgotten how old I was." he murmered sarcastically.
"La- Queen Hitomi, you may not know this, but the life expectancy on Gaea is about 70 years of age. Also, one of the first duties of the Royal Couple is to produce an heir to the throne..."
Hitomi gave a rather confused looked, and turned to look at Van, who had his face burried under his hands and arms, as far as possible.
Lady June took a deep breath. "ThereforewetheCpuncildemandthatyoutwospendasmuchtimetogetheraspossiblesothatQueenHitomicangetpregnantandgivethepeopleofFaneliaanheir!" she blurted out. Lady June sat back down in her chair, eyes closed in relaxation as she smoothed back her red hair. "And, we've also arranged a honeymoon for you which will take place in 10 days, that way King Van can go after the annual festival week."
Hitomi continued staring at them, her face flushed and cheeks looking like tomatoes. Her jaw swung about three inches longer then humanly possible. "I... I... I'm supposed to have a kid as soon as possible?" she asked.
The council nodded.
"And... And Van and I are... um... obligated to spend as much time together as possible so that I'll get pregnant?"
"The more times you two do it, the greater our chances!" Merle pipped up, enjoying the looks on Hitomi's and... well... Van's face was burried in the table, but his neck sure was red!
Hitomi stared at them all a moment longer, before leaning back in her chair, arms behind her head, and smile all over her face. "I see nothing wrong with this!"
~~~~~
Millerna turned without the person behind her even having making a sound. "Allen." she smiled at the Knight of Caeli. "Please, sit down." she gestured to the sofa and waited for him to sit down before she sat down beside him. Millerna put a friendly hand over his gloved one. "Allen, I wanted to thank you for coming to tell me about that man yesterday."
"It was no problem, Queen Millerna." Allen answered, his voice as unemotional as ever. She instantly sensed something was wrong.
"Allen?" Millerna leaned closer, trying to spot it in his eyes. He turned his face away.
"It's nothing, Queen Millerna." She bit her lip in response. If nothing was wrong, she was a monkey's uncle!
Silence overcame the two for a long time, and she felt Allen stand up to leave, but she held his hand tightly. "Listen, Allen, I've been thinking. Cheid... Cheid is my nephew. He's been an orphan since he was five. He's finally old enough to take control of his country from the Council, and I think it's time that he... that he found out who his real father was!"
Allen stiffened again. He slowly shook his head no. "Like you said, he's been an orphan since he was five. That's nine years, Millerna. Why tell him his father still lives? Then he will just have to go through losing his father all over again."
Millerna stood up, and forced Allen to look at her. "Have you talked to him lately, Allen? Damn it, at least *ask* him about his father! I think that you might change your mind if you do."
Somebody coughed at the door, and Dryden stepped from out of the shadowed doorframe. Millerna instantly blushed, and dropped her hands from Allen's face. She had to wonder how much Dryden had heard, while Dryden had heard nothing and was wondering once again the exact relationship between Allen and Millerna. Though he trusted his wife completely, and he was no longer wishing ill-will towards Allen, he was still slightly jealous of the realtionship they'd had in the past. What he would have given to have Millerna chasing after him, back then, instead of her longing over Allen Schezar.
Allen was the only one who remained cool. He bowed to them both. "I was just leaving." he stated, following through as he left.
Dryden shut the down, and flomped down into the seat across from where his wife had been sitting moments before. "People who keep secrets can be burned by holding them too long, Millerna." He cautioned.
"And people who eavesdrop in doorways tend to hear what they don't want to." she retorted, adding, "And get reputations that are undeserving." she looked at her husband through the corner of her eye. "Although sometimes they are right on the mark."
The two stared at each other a moment longer before Dryden stood up and pulled his wife over unto his lap, chuckling heartily. "You are so cute when you're feisty, you know that?"
~~~~~
Van's face was still burning from the Council meeting that had let out only half an hour before. He walked down the hallway back to his room, which was to be no more than a confinement area for him and Hitomi for the next ten days of their lives. "I mean, really, I think that my Council should get some more tutoring for biology. People can't do these things 24/7 after all!"
Hitomi smacked Van lightly on the head, before she pushed him against the wall, and ordered him to shut up. To Van, it was as good as hard physical slap. "Van, we've been apart for so long, let's not look a gift horse in the mouth okay? This? This is a like a dream come true for me! We're supposed to spend as much time together as possible, and that's what I've always wanted!" her voice softened, and she slipped her arms around his waist. "Besides, we can sneak out. We're not confined to your room, and even if we were, at least it's a gorgeous room! We... we can go down and go swimming! Go for walks in the woods, and don't forget how much time you spend in the city. I would love to go and meet the people of Fanelia with you, Van!"
She buried her head in his chest, feeling his arms return her hug. "And even if we didn't do any of that stuff like going on walks, I'd be happy just to stay like this with you." Even at the slightest touch, her heart would take off like a wild horse. Being held in Van's arms was more than enough for the young Queen of Fanelia. She just wished that she knew how to tell Van. Hitomi looked up at his face, and knew she needn't bother to try.
~~~~~ To Be Continued