Chapter 25

When she felt the sense of weightlessness, Hitomi briefly thought she was flying or dreaming. Then a familiar scent filled her senses, a warm and comforting scent that she slowly stirred from her fantasy of flying and furrowed her brow in confusion. It was the distinct scent of leather and soap, along with the hint of pine needles and something wild. It was a comforting aroma she had come to know as Van's distinct musk.

Her sleepy mind focused well enough to realize he was carrying her to their room, yet again, from where she had fallen asleep in the library. She hadn't woken up many times during the past trips, but this time she did. Fighting down a smile, the woman allowed his scent and warmth wash over her like a freshly laundered blanket.

Van's arms didn't look strong enough to be able to manage her weight, but he did with little effort. Strong arms, handsome face, and gentle yet easily wounded heart. Hitomi's heart began to beat faster at her thoughts as she heard the doors to their room creak open.

There was sudden blast of cold air, causing both of them to flinch. It was like walking into snow! Van was not lead away from his original path as he laid her down gently on the bed. Not being able to take the sudden chill plus the loss of body heat, Hitomi cracked her eyes open. She watched as he closed the balcony doors, leaving the curtains open for the moons' light to filter through the otherwise dark room.

Everything felt like ice, even the bed, gradually she drew herself up into a sitting position, hands clutching her arms as she tried to push away the shivers threatening to overtake her body. By this time, Van had turned around, his eyebrows coming together as he studied his bride.

"It's freezing," Hitomi managed to push out of her mouth without her teeth chattering. "Didn't anyone light the fire?" She was too spoiled to having a nice warm fire to keep her warm in the cooling months she feared now she'd taken it for granted.

"They probably did, but the winds probably blew it out," Van explained, walked over to the fire place, and knelt down. "I'll start one in a few minutes." He picked up the flints resting by the mouth and began the process.

How wasn't he freezing? She'd rather sleep uncomfortably in the library where it was warm than freeze to death in a bed!

"Why don't you change why I do this?" Van suggested, not turning around.

"Y-yes." As she got dressed behind her screen, she had to slip off her shoes and put her naked feet on the bitingly cold stone floor. A shiver snaked its way up her body causing her to nearly double over from cold. A soft orange glow illuminated the thin material of the screen and she sighed happily to know that he had succeeded. After dressing she nearly ran to the bed to climb under the covers.

Sadly, the cold had seeped into the woven fabrics as well. It was like lying between two heavy blankets of snow. She curled tightly into a fetal position, wrapping her arms around her upper body tightly as the chills made her body tremble.

Van emerged from the bathing room and she couldn't believe her eyes. He was dressed in his normal night attire of loose fitting night pants. No shirt, just the pants. A viper of jealously bit her harshly as he climbed under the covers and adjusted himself to a comfortable position.

"You're not cold?" Hitomi asked through clenched teeth.

"A bit."

He wasn't human!

"I'm frozen solid and you are just a bit cold?"

Van turned his face toward her, his arms across his stomach. There was a blush creeping up his face from his bare neck to the hair line. He opened his mouth to say something, but he snapped it shut just as quickly.

Turning his face from her again, he found his voice, "You can lay closer to me if you'd like."

Hitomi's face instantly turned pink. At least his offer explained his blush! She wanted to immediately answer a firm 'no' because of her own embarrassment, but then, as another cold shock went through her, she reconsidered.

They'd been sharing a bed for many months; it wasn't so unusual to share one another's warmth, was it? He wouldn't try anything, would he? Yes, she admitted to being in love with him, but it didn't make her a fearless bed predator!

He still wouldn't look at her, but that was fine by her, she didn't think her nerve would stay if he did peek.

"A-are you sure?"

She heard him swallow, hard.

"Yes."

Slowly she uncurled herself and began to move from her designated 'side' of the bed and over to his. Hitomi felt extremely weird, as she slithered across the bed like a snake. When she was less than ten inches away, she stopped. Her nerve having thinned the closer she got.

She wasn't close enough to feel his heat, but her cheeks were like furnaces. He was only partially dressed, so she didn't know how close was allowed. He might flip out and spring from the bed like a startled rabbit if she drew any closer.

Van had been painfully aware of each and every movement, couldn't get his muscles to relax. He was prepared to feel her body next to his, but only for the sake of warmth. As a few flickers of the fire popped and hissed, he finally confirmed that indeed Hitomi wasn't coming any closer.

Being brave, he hesitantly faced her direction to inspect whether or not she was stalling or sleeping. The blush came back full force when he noticed her staring at him, with conflict in her eyes with as many inner battles his.

This was stupid. She was cold, he was cold. They'd either freeze together in the bed or be together and save themselves the pain of the cold.

"A-are you sure you don't mind?" She asked hesitantly. "I don't want to remind you of—," she bit her lower lip, wanting to curse herself. Now for sure she would remind him of her! Great! Just great! Mark one up on the 'dumb things to say' for Hitomi!

Van's blush went away quickly. Sighing, he unfolded his right arm, and with some nudging, she lifted her head so he could stretch it out to its full length.

"Put you head on my shoulder," he instructed in a quiet voice. Gingerly, she followed his directions, still feeling a bit more than awkward and odd about everything.

With her head on his shoulder, she turned so she was lying on her side, absorbing the delicious warmth he was radiating. Shyly she placed one of her hands on his chest, close to her mouth. He muscles were wound tight for a few moments, but as the time ticked slowly by, she felt him start to relax.

Closing her eyes, the comforting scent that woke her up in the first place filled her nose. It was the most peaceful thing in the world to be next to him, knowing his kindness and strength was around her.

Van finally felt some of his tension ease once Hitomi's breathing became deep and steady. Tucking his left hand behind his head, he cautiously wrapped his right arm around the petite female so his hand was resting where her slim waist flared to her hip.

As fatigue seeped into his mind, the king turned his head enough to lightly take in her scent. It was amazing, his body hummed, how such a simple thing could soothe his frazzled nerves so much.

"I don't like this," Millerna stated firmly to her husband, Dryden, as he causally reclined on one of their sofas. When he arrived a week ago, she had been a tight bundle of nerves and soon as she was behind closed doors with him, she let it all out. She fumed about the nerve of the ambassador's claims and then how her father dismissed her in front of that low life!

"Calm down, nothing can be that bad."

"I'm the one who had to leave! Now I have to be the one to tell King Van, behind a smile and laugh, that we thought Fanelia was conspiring against Asturia and sorry?" Millerna crossed her arms over her chest and swiveled her face smartly to the right, away from him. "Van has always been kind and Father is willing to betray all the past kindness because of another country's hunch?"

"Men have known to go to war over less," Dryden shrugged, his eternal coolness about the whole situation was usually admired, but right now she wanted him to at least to pretend to be upset. "What does Fanelia have to offer?"

"Nothing that any other country doesn't," Millerna tipped her head down, thinking. Fanelia was one of the smaller countries, but by no means defenseless. "Their major contribution in the past has been their superior military skill," she paused for a moment, "and perhaps their unusually high number of dragons living in their forests."

"Conceivably someone might be after the dragon hearts. Guymelfs run off of those things don't they?" Dryden watched as his wife halted briefly in her restlessness, but after a few ticks of the clock continued.

"Yes, but no one would need them. We are in a time of peace." Millerna bit her lower lip, thinking. "Granted the two strengths of the Fanelia kingdom, I can see how they'd be suspected, but the king isn't war hungry."

"As his brother was?"

"Another rumor that was never proven," Millerna pointed out solemnly. Sighing, the princess sat down on her bed, eyebrows knitted together. "And he's dead."

Shaking her head, she forced a smile to which the brunette raised an eyebrow and his wine glass.

"I have to be in better spirits, after all, unhappy people aren't really a joy to be around."

Picking herself up, she turned her attention to her husband, "Are you going to be attending this time?"

"I've scheduled my trade route to go through Fanelia on the week of the ball. So, this time, Allen can stay home," He couldn't hide the smirk as he announced that.

"You're hiding something," Rai tapped her spoon slowly on the edge of her mixing bowl as her only son popped yet another pastry in his mouth.

"Nagnnn ahm nagh!"

"Don't speak with your mouth open!" Armand quickly gulped down his food as Rai leveled his attitude with a glance. "Now, what are you keeping from me?"

"Nothing, I swear," Armand rolled his eyes and picked up another hot treat from the pan. "When have I ever denied you access into the land of my mind?"

"I know you, and I've only seen you go on eating binges when something is wrong."

Armand pouted. He knew better than to think his mother and he could be co-workers in the same palace. However, he really didn't want to say what was laying heavy on his mind. It wouldn't make anyone feel better, and it wouldn't make it go away either.

"I don't want to talk about it."

His mother screwed her lips into a motherly grimace, "You are starting to sound like his highness."

There was a noise made by the knight as he sharply turned away, to stare at the door in a self-hating glare. Rai looked at her son's profile; she'd seen that look before. Narrowing her eyes she threw her dish towel at her air-headed offspring.

It hit with a solid sound on his wavy haired head. He pulled it off; he gave a seething look in the direction of the pitcher.

"What was that for!"

"Don't."

"Don't what?"

"I don't know," Rai admitted honestly.

"Then how can you tell me don't?" Armand declared in disbelief.

"Because I know that look. That means you are going to do, say, or something you don't want anyone else to know. But you have such an active mouth you won't be able to stop yourself from messing something up! The last thing we need is a royal mess."

Armand scoffed and, though silent on the outside, couldn't help to note her unique choice of words. If she only knew what was really starting to brew in his mind like a bad pot of tea.

"Suck. It. In," Armand bit out, grabbed the ties of Hitomi's corset and pulled roughly on them. The ball was in three days and it was her duty to smile and be nice-nice while the guests arrived from out of the country.

"I can't!" She shot back, breathlessly, "There's nowhere for it to go!"

"Then learn to eat less," Armand snapped, and grunted as he pulled her strings tighter still. "This is an important event! You have to look your best!"

"You take much more air out of me and I'll be blue!" Hitomi wrapped her arms around a bed post and wanted to throw something back at him, but ended up only being able to gasp as the pain coursed through her.

"Blue brings out your eyes now exhale!" Armand commanded.

"You two act like an old married couple," Rai pointed out, setting a fresh pot of tea down.

Van had been busy with random bits of trade information, treaties and such to accurately prepare the ball. It was with a lopsided smile that he said this would be Hitomi's perfect time to learn yet another side of being a Queen.

The faithful, and sometimes friendly, knight decided it would be the best time to try out his new torture of fitting her for dresses Hitomi could have promised to the gods were made three sizes too small on purpose.

She would have sighed, if it hadn't been so uncomfortable to do so, as he tied her off and with a grunt, helped her lace up of the intricate ties to her dress.

"How will I know who is who?" Hitomi asked, as she managed to stumble to a chair, one hand pressed over her heart as the other one was firmly on her stomach. How was she supposed to eat a state dinner when her stomach was now a part of her spine?

"That's not your job the first time," Armand explained, refusing to look her in the eye as he shifted through the jewelry case. "There will be a person to announce who everyone is; it's your job to remember them after that."

"And who is it I bow to again?" Hitomi inquired, holding her head up as the knight held up several different sets of earrings before finally settling on one pair and clipping them on.

"You are in your kingdom, you bow to no one. At most, you just sort of nod." Armand fished out the matching necklace from the jewelry drawer before shutting it. "Gods help us all if you should move, trip down the stairs, and crack your head open. Some people would be very upset if you were to get any blood on their clothes."

"Oh! Wouldn't that be a diplomatic boo-boo," Rai replied smartly. Armand gave an uneasy grin over his shoulder which was answered with another motherly look. "Job at hand, sir, to the job at hand."

Hitomi puffed out her cheeks before letting the air out.

"Doesn't sound too hard. How many people are there supposed to be?"

"About five hundred, give or take fifty," The mirror reflected his smirk so she could see it.

"WHAT!"

The guest drew closer to the shadows, not desiring to draw any unwanted attention. Hiding bodies was tedious work in a palace he wasn't familiar with and murder proved to ruin one's clothing.

The Palas bells began to ring as the sun set into the horizon behind him.

If she was late, she'd be paid in the worst possible way, but no, the woman quickly made her way across the gardens. Her head bowed slightly.

He had fully intended to bribe the young girl, but seeing her willingness to sing at his beck and call, he used her emotions against her. He'd yank on her heartstrings to accomplish his goals since she so willingly put them in hands.

"Sir," she curtsied with a smile that wouldn't be suppressed. Clasping her hands together the maid, Tere, if he remembered correctly, widened her eyes at the sight of him. She was no fool, though she was far from an intellect. The maid saw opportunity to escape her low position in this ambassador.

"Is it done?" He asked, keeping his voice smooth.

"Yes sir. I told him about the plans of departure and made sure he wouldn't tell anyone else."

"Gave him all the proper information I hope?"

"Yes," she stepped closer to him, he stiffened automatically. "I told him when and where and how to avoid the guards and everything." Tere flirted with her eyes as she waited for his reply. "And you, sir? You said you'd make it worth my while, what is it worth?"

His thin lips gave a small malicious grin as a shadow from the trees behind them moved.

"Come closer, small one, and I shall allow you to see your reward."

Tere beamed, started toward him when that shadow grabbed her bun of hair and yanked her back violently, exposing her pale neck. The soft skin on neck didn't last long as a sharp stone raked across it.

The maid gurgled on her blood as it sprayed and flowed from her slit throat before falling dead at his feet.

"I hope you have a location to dispose of her."

"Of course," The ambassador's grin was met with the murder's smirk. "I always think ahead."

It had been a grueling two days for Hitomi. There had been so many duchesses, lords, and generals that her head was spinning with information overload.

"I think there is more hierarchy than any of the other classes," Hitomi huffed, "and most of them look like they swallowed a few of their citizens."

Van chuckled lightly at her frustration. Hitomi loved to feel the vibrations from him as she laid her head and hand on his chest. Since the night she swore she'd be frozen alive, Van had been strangely accepting with the idea of them sleeping closer. For warmth only, of course, but it was still nice for her to feel like they were slowly becoming husband and wife.

Twisting her neck up, she looked at him as much in the face as she could.

"How are you able to tell them apart, Van?"

"I can't, really, but I was taught how to make them think you remember them," Van gave his boyish grin. "It's a trick my father taught me."

Hitomi sat up on her arms, eager to hear about the trick. It would be a relief to know how to escape from the ever judging eye of the aristocracy.

"What is it?"

Rubies looked back at her; he was emphasized exotic masculinity by firelight, especially the eyes. Those eyes were gazing back at her with an emotion she hadn't seen there until lately; it was one of almost happiness. It never stayed long when they were in front of other people, but at nights, like this one, when they were both wide awake, it would seep into his expression.

That gave her hope.

"So?" Hitomi prodded. "What is it?"

"Compliment them on something. Anything you can think of, a brooch, an aunt, something they said, regardless if they did or didn't. They will be so thrilled to be complimented they will go along with it and even speak very highly of you at every turn."

"So I can say they wore a nice dress one time and they'll be my best friend?" Hitomi asked.

"Yes," Van watched as a play of emotions flittered across her face.

"Huh," she dropped back down to her previous position. Yawning, she curled up to his side and closed her eyes. "Without that to worry about…." it took a few minutes and she dropped rather heavily into sleep.

Van closed his eyes tightly. In a few precious days, his kingdom would rejoice its birth with a grand two day ball for the upper class while the lower classes played games and drank themselves sick. It was also the test of nerves for Van. It had become a joke among the guests in the few balls past to try and find the ruler of Fanelia when a certain princess made the scene.