Mmm…. Erm, this might seem a little pointkess to you guys except for one thing…
---and you're right because it IS pointless. I'm sorry, my mind's working halfway right now and I didn't want to make you guys wait for two weeks before I posted.
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CHAPTER XXI
"Four."
Gaddes narrowed his eyes over the edge of the cards he was holding high up close to his face, the angle in his jaw tight.
"Bull." He said quietly.
"Oh, are you sure?" Hitomi teased, looking at him out of the corner or her eye. "Mmm?"
Gaddes reached over to turn the card upside down, but Makarios won him to it, flipping it quickly.
"Damn." Gaddes said, looking at the four as if the card had committed a great offense against his Asturian honor. He looked at Hitomi to grin at her and found her blinking at the card.
"What?" he asked, eyes narrow again, suspicious.
"Oh? Erm, nothing." She smiled.
Gaddes looked at her, then at the card, the at Makarios looking innocently away.
"You weasel!" he cried, and reached over to grab the boy, but Makarios slipped off the bed into the floor and moved away laughing loudly. "Com here, you little rat! You don't cheat on me twice!"
"This was the third!" Makarios replied grinning, and rounding Allen's chair, he sought protection behind Dryden's.
Gaddes simply leant over, grabbed hold of his shirt and dragged him out. "I'll make sure Allen recruits you and then I'll make youre life impossible, kid."
"Oh yeah, that's likely." Makarios laughed.
"And I pay this man to protect my borders." Dryden sighed dramatically.
At the cry of 'weasel' Stelius looked back at the house arching an eyebrow, turning and leaning his waist against the wooden railing.
"What's going on in there?" he asked.
"Hitomi's teaching them some wierd card game. It's actually very funny." He grinned. Then he got serious again, folding the letter Stelius had come over to give him. "Are you angry at me?" he asked.
"Angry is a strong word." Stelius replied. "It's true I wish you would have handled it differently, but I should have been in the Meeting with you as well, so I can't lash at you, even if hypothetically speaking I had the authority."
Van smiled slightly. If Vargas had been like a father to him, Stelius was certainly some sort of older brother or uncle. He had the authority; he even used it sometimes. But he never took advantage of it. That was why he trusted him so much.
"When's the Trial?" the man asked.
Van gave him the letter. "Five months from now, here."
"That's about enough time to prepare a defense." The man nodded, reading it quickly.
"Yeah, but what about Meridiana?" Van ran his hand through his hair, sighing. "I was supposed to go there, and somewhere this year."
Stelius groaned slightly. "That's a problem—but if I had to priorize, King Van..."
"No, I know." Van said quickly. "Yes, I have to protect Fanelia first. That's over everything else. It's just—I don't know." He sighed. "Everything was going right, you know? And then it fell apart. And I hate the feeling of someone else having power over Fanelia."
"No one has power over Fanelia." Stelius replied. "If they push us out of the Board, then we deal with it. We don't need them. You're our King, we follow your lead."
"I'm a kid sometimes." He said harshly.
Stelius nodded. "Yes, you are, and I don't deny that more than once I've wanted to hit you—but It's all the process of growing up, and you're still in the middle of it, as much as you want to think that you left that behind that day in the forest when you slayed the dragon." He returned him the letter and turned to rest his hands on the railing just like Van was doing, and smiled down at him. "Besides," he added. "that's what you have us for. Maybe you could even listen to some of the things we say." He arched an eyebrow. "Also, not everything fell apart. The Opening was great. And we all care about Hitomi."
Van smiled a genuine, heartfelt smile at him. Stelius got those often, because honesty was rettributed with honesty in Van's case, but this sort of unveiled smiles were still rare in the young monarch, and Stelius remembered them well.
"Speaking of which" he added. "When will you marry?"
Van leaned over and rested his forehead on his folded arms over the railing. He shook his head, sighing.
"I can't wait anymore." He said wearily.
Stelius thought about that. "I hate being this blunt, but do you mean physically?"
"Also." Van acceeted. "But most importantly, I want her to be my wife and the Queen of Fanelia, and I don't want to have to watch myself when I'm with her in the city or—I want to..."
"Show her off." Stelius deadpanned.
Van glanced at him. "Well? And what's wrong with that, huh?"
"It's not wrong, it's just immature." The man laughed. "But no, listen. I'm perfectly willing to—"
The door burs open and Makarios collided to his father's side, grabbing onto his thick winter cape. "I'm in danger!" he cried.
Stelius' eyebrows descended to une sole straight line. It was inredible how much skepticism the man could show with one simple gesture.
"Your boy cheats at cards." Gaddess said amusedly, leaning against the doorframe.
Stelius sighed. "I'm going to let your mother deal with this, I'm too tired." He took his son by the arm and dragged him away.
"That kid's a handful." Gaddes said, closing the door and walking over to Van. The younger man smiled. "I bet some weeks with us at Fort Costelo would make him all straight." He smiled evilly.
"Yes, because your men are such a great example of soldiers who don't cheat, gamble, drink or disobey." Van teased.
"Hey!" Gaddes said indignantly. "We never disobey."
Van tilted his head, looking at him with a 'yeah right' glance, but he didn't have a chance to say anything because just then Amadahy and Topaz appeared right by them. Topaz was beggining to improve; he wasn't as pale anymore and he could walk on his own, albeit a little uncertainly. Being in the gypsy village of Proteo with all their healers appeared to be making wonders.
The man leaned on the railing by his King. "Brother's awake." He said quietly. Van satrightened, and Gaddes took the cue to leave them to themselves. Amadahy went inside the house to see Hitomi.
"How is he?" Van asked.
"Now they can treat his arm, so I suppose he should be fine." He smiled vaguely. "Urana hugged me."
"And how do you feel?"
"Hn. I think Hitomi was right." He said gently. "When I was in the woods, before I passed out, with all the dragons moving around, I thought that was it for me, and—" he smiled slightly. "I missed him then. I wanted my older brother to be there. I still haven't forgiven him" he warned. "But I don't uncontrollably hate him anymore"
Van slapped his shoulder in a friendly way. Topaz chuckled. "It's a beggining." The King said. "The rest'll come eventually. Now to some important matters" he added passing his arm over his friends shoulder and getting closer to speak more quietly. "You realize you're going to move to Agrava when Jasina leaves, right?" he asked.
Topaz paused. "I don't act impulsively. You should know this by now."
"Don't be stupid, what you did was complete impulse." Van replied. "But listen, I'm going to give you one last mission as your King, Topaz."
The man nodded.
"When you're in Agrava, keep a sharp eye on what's going on in Basram." Van's eyes were dark and narrowed. "They're setting Mikoh up to something, I know it."
"You want me to protect him?"
"No. Watch him. I'm not in a condition to do something if he's attacked—Fanelia's in far too many problems already, but if you're in Agrava, you can tell Jasmine, and she can do something. I don't know anyone that's a better spy than you, Topaz."
"There are several, but I'm at your disposal. I'll talk to the Basramian and Agravian Lords to keep them sharp, but I suppose I shouldn't tell anyone else."
"No." Van said. He paused. "I'll tell Hitomi." Topaz looked at him attentively.
"What do I do if Mikoh decides to kill Meloi?"
Van stared blankly. "No…" he said slowly. "Mikoh wouldn't kill him… Get rid of him, sure, but not kill him. If Meloi disappears, therefore, search for him somewhere you think Mikoh would hide him, but don't assume he's dead."
Topaz nodded. "Just one more thing. Even though I've married Jasina, I'm still loyal to you, and you can ask me anything, like any of your men."
"Even when you say that, understand that I cannot call to you like I did before. You're somebody's husband now, Topaz. Think about that."
The gypsy sighed. "I suppose that means 'don't leave your life behind for this mission', hmm?"
"I've always told you that, for every mission!"
"But now you mean it."
"I always meant it!" Van frowned.
"Selfrighteous little kid." Topaz chuckled. "Come on, let's get out of this cold." They entered the house.
"So, you decided to stay after all?" Hitomi was asking. The gypsy Lord Amadahy Chitsa nodded.
"If my Lady allows it, there is something I would like to look into before I return home."
"Of course you can stay, but I'd like to know what's bothering you." Hitomi said.
Amadahy moved his head. "I wouldn't say it's exactly bothering me… but it does intrigue me."
"What about your clan, though? Everyone else is set to return within the next few days, did you leave someone else in charge?"
"I did, I left my oldest daughter, Akena."
"In that case I'm certainy there should be no problem about you staying, I would offer you the Castle, but I assume you dislike such closed places, Amadahy?"
The man looked genuinely surprised. "Oh Whatever implies that, Milady?"
"You looked awkward and stiff in the little while before the Meeting, and you didn't want to stay indoors right after it."
Amadahy's long mouth curved in slow smile. "Watchful eyes you have, little Lady. Indeed, I dislike stone walls. I will stay here with Proteo, and lend a hand in the reconstruction of Tremin's village."
"Okay, then come visit at the Castle some time, will you?" Hitomi smiled honestly.
Van saw something in this man's behaviour that didn't match the usual style of the gypsies he had seen in the last few days. This man, he kept secrets. The strangest thing was, the other Lords seemed to work around him rather than with him like they ahd always shown. While they were all friends and knew each other well, Amadahy was singled out as a stranger. It was not likely that this was due to a recent naming; it was evident Amadahy had been Lord for a long time.
"Only if we stay in the Gardens." Amadahy smiled smoothly at his Lady. "I shall leave you to your friends, Milady. Should you need me, you know where to find me."
Hitomi nodded at him. Amadahy moved to the door, and on the way slightly patted Moriko's forehead. The dragon followed him with his amber eyes, attentive.
"How are you feeling?" Van asked after a moment.
Hitomi arched an eyebrow. "The same whay that the last time you asked me, which was half an hour ago. It's just broken ribs, Van. I'm not dying."
Van sighed, walked over to ther bed and flopped over face down on the mattress at her side, as long as he was. Hitomi smiled and ran her hands through the silk soft black strands. Van's eyes closed and he seemed to purr.
"So, it's just us now." Dryden said smiling. "Like the old days."
"You know, except the obvious changes." Gaddes said, glancing over at Hitomi as she petted Van's hair gently.
Allen smiled, and dropped a card in the tablle. His sister glanced at the card, picked it up and dropped a different one, and the room was in silence. Van fell asleep.
There was a kncok to the door, and the King wope up inmediately, and sat up to a more respectable position. The door opened, and in came Merle.
"Hey!" she chirped. "Everyone was here without Merle! You're bad friends!"
Van laughed. He shifted back to lean his back against the headboard of the table and laced his long fingers with Hitomi's.
"Alright, so do you all want to hear about Meridiana or what?" Merle asked, plopping on the couch and crossing her long legs elegantly, smiling.
"Oh, yes, go ahead." Millerna said, passing by Dryden to join her in the couch, but her husband caught her hand and pulled her back, sitting her on his thighs. Millerna looked at him frowning, but he smiled wolfishly, and she had to smile back.
Merle started with describing a great white city made of marble and cilver by a great sapphire blue bay of the Sea. The city, called Domino, was the capital city of the Empire of Meridiana, and the principal prot of entry. The borders to enter Meridiana were heavily guarded with Ispano made guymelefs, all capable of transforming, but all only about half the size of Escaflowne.
"That's even smaller than my Scherezade." Allen observed, curious. "Escaflowne gigantic; why would Ispano built such small things?"
"I didn't get much info on the guymelefs because the Meridians don't have permission to use them unless there is an Imperial Order. I only know they are indeed from Ispano, that they can transform into animals and that they are only used in case of direct threat to the Meridian borders, but otherwise kept deactivated in hangar in the houses of those who own them. Mansur had one, but like I said, he can't activate it unless the Empress tells him, so I didn't see it move."
Eries shufted in her chair. "About this Mansur, Merle," she said cautiously. "what can you tell us of him?"
"Well, he's obviously very rich. His great-great grandfather was an Emperor, so they're Old Nobles, and he goes to the Palace a lot because he's got some direct connection with someone close to or the Empress herself; either way, a lot of people go to his House to ask him things, and he's well known in the streets. He's in his late twenties, and I heard say he's supposedly considered one of the most beautiful men of Meridiana. In any case, there's something to him, that's for sure, and he's not only a pretty boy, 'cause he's got a lot of power and he navigates some tricky politics up in courts."
"Being a pretty boy usually helps navigate courts." Gaddes smirked. Merle smiled, but shook her head.
"He's not like that, he's all gentlemanly and sort—but anyway, the thing is he said if we needed anything we could contact him."
"What about the wheather?" Dryden asked randomly. Everyone blinked at him, but Merle answered.
Judging by her description, Hitomi figured Meridiana was some sort of tropical-like zone. Hitomi could only think of a mix between the Amazonas and New Zealand, because Merle decribed a country with mountains and beaches and lush emerald green jungles. In fact, there appeared to be a jungle in the Tigris Estate, Mansur's lands, where Merle had come visit once.
"From what I gather, the temperature maintains all year in that lines, some sort of perpetual spring like state that I don't mind at all." She grinned.
"I guess we'll miss the infamous Fanelian winter." Hitomi said, glancing at Van. He smiled vaguely.
"You'll be seeing many of those, don't worry."
"In any case," Eries said, standing up. "Before we go to Meridiana, we have to prepare a solid defense for the Trail."
Van turned to her. "I could use your help with that, Eries."
"You'll have it." The princess smiled. "I can either work here with you or in Asturia, for me is the same; but since we're staying for a couple of days, I guess I'll start going through some of the books on the library of your Castle. Which one of your Counselors do you think would me most hepful?"
Van thought about it for a second. "I'd go with Raito. As one of the guards at the Castle and he'll drect you to his office; he's always there." He smiled slightly. "You'll find him anytime. Tomorrow aftet the Audience I'll go help you too."
Eries nodded with determination. With her leading the defense team, Van and Hitomi felt much more confident. Although van could, in fact, put his mind to work effectively on such matters, Eries was more experienced, and much, much more objective and coolheaded. If she met with the situation of having to defend both Stelius and Folken, she would do so clamly and efficiently.
When she turned to leave, everyone else followed her lead. Although this trip to Fanelia could easily be taken as a small holiday, everyone did have things to do. So Van and Hitomi were left alone with Moriko, who was noisly sleeping curled by the foot of the bed, wings sheltering his face from the sunlight that streamed through the windows.
"Look." Hitomi said cheerfully. "Proteo gave it to me. It's a book about the history if the Clans, one of the few here is. He said it's a wedding present."
Van looked through the pages curiously and returned it to her. "It looks interesting, I'd like to read it when you're done with it."
"Or, I could tell you everything I read."
"And with what point and purpose, lady?"
"Mm, maybe I want to make you work for it." She teased.
"Oh." He leaned down and brushed his lips against her, his lips curved in a seductive smile. "And what would I have to do exactly?"
"Hn, I guess you could just do anything and I'll tell you what I like the most, and you can do it ag—" Van kissed her.
He slid his arm under her neck so she could rest her head more comfortably, and settled laying as long as he was at her side, kissing her lazily.
In a green grass hilltop in Meridiana, the Empress paused.
She turned slowly to face her nephew, thoughtful. "Eries Aston?" she asked delicately. "Are you certain?"
"Certain is a heavy word." Mansur replied. "It's not that I don't trust her, though. But I'd rather let her focus on protecting Fanelia. Bringing myself back up to the surface now would be—troublesome, for both of us."
"Then I suppose you would have to send an agent to Asturia?" she asked tilting her head.
Mansur shook his head gracefully. "I'm not concerned about Asturia. I'm more worried about Basram. But I don't have an agent there, which is why I wanted to ask you for a favor."
"Anything you need…but you are moving rather quickly now, as opposed to how cautious you usually are when it comes to spying." She observed, moving on towards the lake.
"Yes… It's because Topaz Aradine will be moving to Agrava soon with his wife."
"Ah." She said, smiling softly. "That would be Van Fanel's agent, yes?"
"Most likely."
"I see you are following my request most dillgently."
Mansur tilted his head gracefully, accepting. Keeping track of Fanel's movements wasn't hard; he was too honest and upfront to have a good spying technique, and not knowing he was being closely watched, he didn't take care to hide his decisions.
It was rare to see Mansur den Tigris upset, let alone hear him raise his voice, but the Empress could tell something was troubling him. She stopped again, and he automatically imitated her.
"You and I could always speak freely, Mansur." She said gently.
He shook his head. "There is something wrong." He said. "Something that I am not seeing. I know it's there, moving right out of my eyesight. It is disturbing."
"You are the sharpest man I know of, Mansur. This is why I asked you to conduct this investigation. Is it that you need more eyes?"
"No. I trust my agents, they are good. That is not the problem. It's me, I cannot think of a reason Cesario would move so heavily against Fanelia and Basram. Cesan should know he will never be capable of filling the void Zaibach left behind."
"Is it not possible that Cesario is being manipulated?"
"Used, certainly." Mansur replied. "I know that. But manipulated… no, not likely."
"Have you taken any measures in case there is a war?"
"If it comes to that, I will move a division of the Meridian Imperial Guard to the battlefield and halt it inmediately." Mansur said with determination. "But that would be in the extreme case that I absolutely fail both your request and my duty as a Meridian, and if is me, such case is not likely."
The Empress smiled. There was a slight difference between self assurance and arrogance, and Mansur tithered precariously on the edge. But Meridians were keen on subtleties, and most especially the Empress. Mansur had been raised to be self assured and trust his abilities, and so he did.
"In any case, what is more pressing at the moment is to make sure there is no civil war in Basram. This is probably why Fanel has asked Aradine's help, and I concurr with him in this. If Basram falls, there will be no barrier between Cesario and the Southern lands of Fanelia, and whilst the Valley where the city lies is safe, the rest is not. Everything is twisting around that country, so I know that's exactly where I should not be looking,. Yet, I'm concerned."
"Do you think it is because of what happened six years ago?"
"With Folken Fanel?" he asked. "No. We both did what we thought was right, I don't regret the outcome. Folken didn't want me to help him, he wanted me to support him, and I disagreed with both his ways and his goal."
"I suppose so. I suspect you will need to use all your objectiveness in this case, Mansur."
"Such a thing is not difficult, my tutors trained me well." He raised his head, looking down to the lake. The surface rippled and he knew that the water serpent stirred in the nestle at the bottom. "I only need to outsmart whoever is engineering Fanelia's fall from grace, and—" he stopped midword, his eyes growning a little wide. The sunlight caught in them and they looked like liquid fire. "Of course… I think I know who is behind this." He paused. "But. I will not move yet. I will wait. Unmasking them right now would mean having poor proves agiants Cesario… I will do it in the Trial."
"Oh, that sounds good." The Empress said, not understandign anything that went through her nephew's head. "You can get to know van fanel before. He will be staying at your house, I understand?"
Mansur smiled widely at her. "Yes. That would be for the best. I must leave you, Aunt, I need to find the gypsies, I have to send a message to my agent in Fanelia."
"Go well." She said, and he bowed and walked away, leaving her alone in the hill.
She watched as the water serpent rose for the water to playfully tilt the sailboat Almas Blancas was in with Selina, the Empress' youngest niece.
Thet little girl was trouble for any relatively innocent boy. She was way too aware of her femininity for her age. To think she was only nine.
The Empress turned away to head back to the House, smiling. Luckily, Chid al Freid, who was very likely to come by along with Fanelia and Asturia, was no innocent child. Otherwise, he would he the perfect kind of creature that Selina would use to play.
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Erm, I'm not very thrilled about this chapter, to feel free to burn it. Next one will be better, I promise. It will also have a point. I'm kind of stuffed with exams at the moment, so it's hard to sit down and write. Next week will be more relaxed.
Namariel, out!