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Groggily Hitomi sat up in bed. She hadn't slept well the night before. With the changing of the seasons the nights were growing colder and colder. The Bearl Princess had gotten into the habbit of getting up during the night to put more wood on the fire. Of course Lotti would have been more than willing to do that task for her but Hitomi never asked. Lotti needed a good nights sleep more than she did with the way things had been going.
Princess Camilla had started drilling servants about their backgrounds and years of service, Lotti being the oldest had been questioned many times about her capability to continue doing her duties propperly. Hitomi had been outraged and after a rather nasty remark about Lotti's slow way of walking Hitomi's temper seemed to be the only thing keeping Camilla from bothering Lotti more.
The sad thing was that the other girls were so desperate for Camilla's approval that they let her fire and replace their servanst as she saw fit. Just one mistake, one small spill of a tea cup and a servant was sent packing. The new servants were of course under Camilla's command to obey their new masters while they resided in Fanelia but she was the one they truely answered to. Hitomi didn't have to be a Seer to know that fact.
Hitomi had pretty much learned to take care of herself as she grew up and that wasn't about to change no matter how many guards and servants Camilla tried to force onto Hitomi. The thing was that the more people there were around her the more chance there was that someone would see her go into her Seer state where all she could do was find a place to sit and let the visions take over.
Even with her refusal for additional guards Hitomi knew she was being followed everywhere she went. The thought of people spying on one another was almost enough for her to send one of her daggers in the direction of the 'shadows' she had gained recently. She wouldn't kill them of course. She just wanted to show them that she knew they were there. Van was the only thought that kept that urge in check.
The girls also seemed more than happy to talk about one another. Nothing was private and every word that was said had to be measured and thought carefully about.
More girls left at the end of the week and by the middle of the next more had arrived. A quite place was hard to come by and more often than not Hitomi found that she ended up back in her rooms just to have time to herself.
Van was always busy playing host to all the unwanted visitors and going over paper work with his Aunt's advisors to reassure them that he had Fanelia in working order befoire the snows would fall. Hitomi barely saw Van anymore. Once in a while he was able to sneek away and steal a few moments with her but something or someone always interrupted.
That one kiss was the only one they had. It was too risky to even stand too close with the amount of spies Camilla had placed around the palace.
"I must announce our intentions to wed within the week." Van had said quietly, stopping beside her one day in the gardens on the pretense of checking the outer walls for cracks, "I fear if I don't she will move in and claim herself regent. I will come to you in the early morning. Then, hopefully we can talk."
As he turned to give an order to one of his men Hitomi felt his hand brush her's and just as quick as she had felt it, he had walked away.
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Another dull lunch with a bunch of dull girls and Hitomi found that her head was begining to ache worse than it had that morning. She had been unable to find a safe spot to let the visions take her and she was too worried about her cousin barging in should she retreat to her rooms again.
The pain in her head would only get worse the longer she waited to See whatever it was that was waiting for her.
"Are you well?" Una asked from beside her, concern in her voice as Hitomi closed her eyes against the pain. Hitomi hadn't spoken for much of the day due to the pain.
"Just a head ache." Hitomi forced a smile as she opened her eyes, "I'll be fine."
"Hitomi use to faint when we were little." Gloria said from across the table, "Mother said she was too sickly to live for as long as she has."
"I am not sickly." Hitomi almost growled as Camilla looked her way.
"Then why did you faint?" Gloria pushed, "You wouldn't talk for days and then when you would it was nonsense."
"I was a child. Children often say nonsense things." Hitomi straightened her shoulders, hating once again that her cousin had always been too watchfull and always ready to use what she could against others.
"There is no mental illness in your family is there?" Camilla asked, looking as though someone had just suggested she lick the floor.
"None that we know of." Gloria smiled, "At least not on my mother's side. My Uncle's eldest, dear Hitomi's brother Darien has shown that he too carrys odd habits and ways with him in his life."
Hitomi wanted nothing more than to jump acros the table and scratch Gloria's eyes out with her daggers, "Darien is quite healthy. Taking a wife that was not born a royal is not a mental illness. Nor is his work to better our people's teachings."
"He's spending his time finding ways for traders to learn how to manage their own shipments. Doesn't he know that all is he is doing is taking away profits he could use when he became King of Bearl?" Gloria leaned forward, a smirk on her lips, "A bleeding heart is sweet and all but it will just run the kingdom into the ground."
"Hold your tongue before I cut it out of your head." Hitomi felt her anger flood through her and even Gloria flinched at the fire in her words, "Just because you have no heart for the people around you does not mean that they do not matter. A kingdom filled with strong citizens will only grow more strong. The people keep the Kingdom going, not the rulers. Darien has seen the potential to place Bearl higher in trades than it has ever been and you will not speak so lowly of your future king or I will see to it that you allowence from my family is stopped. We will not support an uloyal in the family."
Hitomi found that she was standing and her dagger was in her hand, pointing at Gloria across the table. The room was silent and Hitomi's own heartbeat filled her ears. Her head was light and her body felt like it was on fire.
"Do you always attack members of your own family with weapons?' Camilla asked calmly from the head of the table.
"No." Hitomi slid her dagger back into place, "On accasion I attack those who ask stupid questions aswell."
"How dare you." Camilla stood as Hitomi turned for the doors, "You will not speak to me in a such a way. I am your elder and your lack of respect-"
"Do not speak to me of respect when you hold none for any, not even your own nephew." her only thought was to get out of that room. She hadn't even turned to face Camilla as she spoke and once she was in the hall she could hear guards following her.
Her head throbbed and her vision blurred as she reached the stairs. For a moment she thought she was going to faint. Her knuckles were white from holding onto the railing and distantly she knew people were talking to her.
"Don't touch me." she growled, seeing someone get too close.
She forced herself up the strairs slowly and felt relieved that no one seemed to be following. Obviously someone must have told the guards about her daggers. One thing she could say for Camilla's men, they weren't as stupid as she had thought them to be.
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The outrage over Hitomi's behavoir only added to Van's stress. The last thing he wanted to do was listen as his aunt went on and on about the danger that Hitomi no doubt was. She said the girl was unstable and clearly dangerous. Camilla said that she was saddened by the fact that Van had not been there to personaly see the disgacefull way the Bearl Princess had acted.
Van was just happy that it had been one of his own men to find Hitomi in the hall. She had fainted just feet from her own room and the man had carried her in and alerted Lotti to the situation.
Lotti had later spoken to Van quickly, filling him in on what had happened and why. Van was stunned but also thankfull that Hitomi's eyes had been closed when the guard found her because Lotti told him she had been in a vision for the entire night. She hadn't allowd anyone into the room, not even Van because the depths of this vision were unlike anything she had ever seen Hitomi go through.
When the next night came and Lotti still would not let Van see Hitomi he found himself pacing his room. His thoughts were everywhere from how he was suppose to convince Hitomi that he still wanted to marry her to how he would have a room built just for her to go to when she felt a vision was oncoming. He knew that somewhere in the conversation he was dying to have with her she would try to tell him that she was too much trouble to have as a wife and too much of a weakness. But he was determined to have the first say.
He would tell her that there was no one else he wanted by his side and that she was only one fit to be Fanelia's queen and that even if she refused to marry him, he would spend years trying to convince her that she was one.
"She's awake." Van spun around and saw Lotti standing in his doorway. He'd been so lost in thought that he hadn't even heard the door open.
"I'll be right there." Van ran over to his desk and then out the door.
Hitomi was sitting up in bed when Van entered. She looked like she hadn't had anything to eat in days and there were dark shadows beneath her eyes.
"Will you grab the wash bowl?" she asked Van in hoarse voice.
Van hurried to do as she asked and wasn't surprised to find that Lotti had left them alone.
"I cut myself when I fell." she pulled back the sleeve of her nightgown to show a shallow cut that ran up her forearm. Blood had dried and crusted around the cut, making it look much worse than it realy was.
She didn't look at him as he picked up the wash rag and started to gently clean away the dried blood. Neither spoke and Van could feel how tense she was beside him. He took his time and was as tender as he could be with the wound.
Instead of placing the rag in the water when he was done he placed a box in front of Hitomi, "I love you." he said, seeing her confusion, "And that's the ring I have been dying to give you for the past few days, ever since it arrived from the jewelers."
"And you're still giving it to me?" she ran her fingers over the smooth wood of the box, "After everything?"
"After everything. I love you and will always do so no matter how many people you threaten in my home or how many times you faint in the hall way due to one vision or another." Van reached out and opened the box when it seemed that she wasn't about to do it herself, "I always swore that I would die alone and old before I'd ever marry someone I didn't trust. Turns out I got lucky though because not only do I trust you but I have found that I can't imagine a life without you."
Van held up the ring. Even in the dim firelight it was dazzling. One square emerald surrounded by tiny diamonds.
"Saphires have been more of a traditional stone around here seeing as Fanelia's colors are blue and gold but when I saw this stone all I could see were your eyes." Van smiled at the memory. The jeweler was afraid that Van had lost his mind and repeatedly asked if Van was sure he didn't want the saphire.
He got worried when Hitomi didn't move or say something so he turned, ready for whatever excuse she was going to throw at him only to freeze when he saw tears in her eyes.
"Will you marry me?" he whispered, hoping it was the right thing to say.
Hitomi threw her arms around Van's neck, knocking him back on the bed as she laughed even while crying.
"Is that a yes?" Van laughed.
"That is a yes." Hitomi burried her face in Van's shirt and held onto him as if her life depended on it.
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The greeting Hitomi recieved at lunch was a bit cold to say the least but she ignored the glares and whisperes and took her seat next to the beaming Una.
"Thank the Gods you are back!" the dark haired Princess hissed, "The other have done nothing but question me about what I know about you and when they didn't want information I was completely cast out."
"Good to know someone missed me." Hitomi laughed but covered her mouth when Camilla shot her a look, "So nothing has changed while I was ill, I see."
"Not a damn thing." Una sighed and Hitomi choked on her water as other girls glared at Una's use of language, "Anything new with you?" she asked, ignoring all reactions to what she had said.
"A few things but I will tell you later." Hitomi smiled, not looking in her cousin's direction.
Gloria was staring at her, which of course was nothing new but the look of intense concentration was deffinitely a change.
Una chatted about how the other's had been acting as lunch was held up. No one was about to serve the food when Van wasn't there. And at last Una said something that Hitomi could see was bothering her.
"That cousin of your's has it out for you." Una sent a glare at Gloria and the chubby blond quickly looked elsewhere, "Not that she's overly fond of me or anything but she realy seems to hate you."
"I'm use to it." Hitomi shrugged and then with a smile added, "Can you keep a secret?"
"Of course I can." Una smiled at Hitomi.
"Ok, then." Hitomi took a deep breath and said quietly, "What I'm about to tell you is huge. You can't react. Gloria is watching and I won't ruin the surprise."
"I promise. I won't yell or even smile." Una looked excited, her pale eyes big, "Just tell me!"
Hitomi took Una's hand and laid it over her own, the left one to be exact and watched her friend's eyes as Una's fingers felt the ring beneath the table.
"No reaction." Hitomi reminded her in a whisper, "Van is going to announce it."
"How can you tell me this and then tell me not to do anything?" Una demanded, looking ready to burst, "I can't wait to see your cousin's face!"
Their eyes were locked and Hitomi couldn't help the smile that escaped and she quickly tilted her head to let her hair hide her eyes.
"I could always prick you with my daggers to keep you distracted." Hitomi suggested and Una laughed loudly, pulling her hands away from Hitomi's.
"Um, no thanks." she laughed harder, "I'll stay quiet."
When Van walked in Una's giggles grew to be so much that she had to clamp both of her hands over her mouth as everyone stood in greeting.
"Shut up." Hitomi hissed mainly just so she wouldn't look at Van. She knew that with just one look it would be plainly written on her face that she was completely in love and she couldn't have Gloria seeing that.
"I have an announcement." Van beamed around at everyone, his eyes skipped over Hitomi like they had planned and he began walking around the table, "As you all know I am in search of a wife. Not only a woman who will be Queen but a woman who will be by my side always." he smiled around again, pausing for effect, "I have found that woman."
Hitomi rolled her eyes as she heard sighs and giggles run down the rows of seats. She was excited but not about to drool over the ring on her finger. No, she had done all her drooling the night before.
"I apologize, Aunt." Van bowed to Camilla and kept walking, circling, "But I felt this was a choice I had to make on my own."
Hitomi heard him getting closer and could see how tense Una had become next to her. When Van's hand fell to her shoulder she lifted her left hand and laid it over his.
The silence was deafening and everyone was staring at her ring.
"This can't be!" Camilla yelled from her seat.
"It is." Van insisted with a brilliant smile, "I have found love, Aunt and in a few weeks I will wed Hitomi Kanzaki, Princess of Bearl."
"You- you bewitched him!" Gloria flew to her feet, "You've forced him into picking you!"
"That is not true." Van said before Hitomi had even opened her mouth, wich was probably a good thing, "My eyes are as clear as ever, are they not?" he asked leaning across the table for Gloria to look if she felt like it, "Not clouded by an enchantment or any other silly story book thing."
His hand squeezed gently and Hitomi smiled as she announced, "We wish for you all to be here for the wedding, to see for yourselves that is indeed true love."
Though it had been Van's idea to invite them all and their families to keep peace among his allies, Hitomi was not thrilled at the idea of spending more time with all the girls now staring at her in disbelief.
It would be a true test of her patients and skills when it came to dealing with annoying people. She just kept telling herself that it would be good practice for when she was indeed Queen of Fanelia.
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A/N: Sorry there was such a wait. I've no real excuses except for the fact that my Boyfriend came home for the holiday weekend and we went to the Fryburg Fair and then we even looked at rings, and yes I mean the big shiny ones. :) So I've been a little distracted. Not to mention being retrained for Borders is odd and exhausting.
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