Chapter 28


"There sure are an impressive amount of—shoes about this morning," the maid remarked stepping over a maroon shoe as she carefully balanced a tray in her hands.

Armand, who had been told to come quickly, leapt the last step of the staircase, witnessed the shoe battlefield, and the lone maid standing amid it with raised eyebrows and a growing sense of dread.

"Yes, yes, there is," Armand agreed, that nasty little bug of bad luck must have bit him while he was sleeping.

"Why do you think that is?" She asked, knocking on the doors leading to the inner chamber of the royal couples' room.

"How should I know?"

"Who is it?" The Queen's asked weakly from the other side of the door.

"I have your lunch, your highness," there was some clinking, the lock being undone, and then a small crack allowing the maid through. Before a single breath was taken, the door was shut, and locked again.

Shoes and a locked door?

Armand was a smart man and felt the need to make a quick exit before the King could put him in the middle of this insanity that had cropped up. Shoes and locks could only mean something went horribly wrong between the end of the ball and this morning. Knowing this haphazard couple the way he did, it was no big surprise.

"Armand," the voice was tired but strong, and caused the knight to jump in surprise. Squinting, the brunette was able to make out what appeared to be his Lord and Commander sitting against the wall about thirty feet away from his bed chamber door, one leg drawn up with his arm draped over it. "Come. Here."

His feet obeyed even though the smarter side of him wished he could turn around, run to his room, throw his covers over his head, and make whatever was wrong go away. Sighing, the man dropped down to one knee, enabling him to look his King in the eye best he could. He was as loyal as a dog and that made his life unpleasant at times.

Van lifted his chin up slightly when Armand came to rest in front of him.

"Why did you get her so many shoes?"

Armand blinked in surprise. That was an interesting question to ask, comical almost. Did she run out of room in her dressing room and invaded the king's? If that was the case, life would be peaceful soon enough.

"Because they all go to different dresses and outfits, my lord."

Van scoffed and turned his head to the side, "she was using them as munitions—throwing them to force me from the room and then she locked me out." There was a heavy coat of bitterness over each and every one of his words.

Armand couldn't stop a heavy sigh from being extracted from his lungs.

"Why would she do such a thing?" He asked, feeling as if he entered a sword fight blindfolded. "What provoked her?"

"Serena," he spat.

The answer wasn't so surprising, the angry tears bordering in Van's bloodshot eyes was a shock that made the knight lose his balance and land on his back side.

"She came here."

"I know," Armand whispered, a bit guiltily. "I thought she was going to bother the Queen so I stayed close to her, little did I know her true objective or I would have forewarned you, highness." He paused; Van's eyes were still locked directly on him. "Forgive me, my king."

Van only heaved out a breath; Armand clambered to his feet and reached out a hand of help to the other man.

The ebony haired royal accepted it, was half way to standing when he decided to add, "she saw Serena kiss me."

Armand's hand ripped away from Van's as if it were a dragon's snapping jaws. Not having his balance yet, the king fell roughly on his arse, rocked back, and bumped his head on the wall behind him. Rubbing the sore spot, the king studied the knight's reaction.

"What!" There went all of the knight's sympathy for his king. "Y-you-!" The knight turned from his king, staggered away, and reached out to the wall for support. With his free hand, the knight put it over his heart and panted a few breaths.

"Are you alright?" Van questioned, using the wall to stand up.

The chestnut hair moved like a curtain, revealing the man's face, "I think I just had a small stroke."

Van flipped his eyes to the ceiling. Armand wasn't in bad enough shape or old enough to have a stroke, but he was always over dramatic.

"I didn't want to," Van stated very clearly. "She surprised me and I pushed her away."

"You did this in front of the Queen?"

If Van was any other man, a man who didn't have the power to have Armand killed with one word, the knight would have speckled his question with words questioning Van's intelligence.

"No," Van pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes screwed shut. "Not intentionally. She said she was walking the halls when she overheard and saw everything." He shook his head slowly from side to side.

I wonder if it is too late to become a monk in Freid?

It was starting to become a really wonderful idea to the knight. He either wanted to be a monk or get a raise.

"Did you tell her all this?"

The maid opened the door, slipped through, and shut it quietly. Without a sound she disappeared down the steps. The men watched her leave and Van sighed deeply.

"I tried to, but it's rather difficult when one is constantly being beaten with footwear." Casting his eyes toward the knight, "she's got a good aim."

Armand couldn't help but smirk at that comment. The little roughen must have been quite a tomboy in her younger days, meaning just days before she came to the palace. Ever since that little lady (and he used the term loosely when speaking about her back then) came to the palace, his life had become more hectic.

"I want you to watch her, talk to her. She won't listen to me," Van insisted and Armand nearly faked another stroke. "I've already told all the other servants to tell the guests she is ill."

"B-b-but-!" His mind groped around desperately for an excuse that would let him out of this situation. Van was well aware of what he was trying to do, but with one pointed look the knight slumped his shoulders like a scolded child. "Yes, your majesty."

"I'll be attending to the guests. I already missed breakfast, now lunch; rumors will start soon if I continue to be elusive." With that, the man ran his hand through his hair and left into the hall.

Armand had several things running through his mind, all which would make a true lady or gentleman blush.

Taking a deep breath, Armand rapped his knuckles on the door.

"Who's there?"

"Your worst nightmare if you don't open this door right away." A few quiet minutes ticked by and Armand's mouth twisted into a sardonic grin. "If you don't open up, I will be forced to burn down the door and the entire castle will catch fire, burn down into a smoldering heap, and I'll blame the whole thing on you."

The lock clicked and he triumphantly allowed himself into the room. He gave a sad whimper as he took in the suite. Shoes were strewn everywhere, the bed sheets looked like someone wrestled in them, and the room was generally a wreck.

"Trying your hand at decorating?" Armand asked sarcastically.

Hitomi dropped onto her bed, curled up on her side, her face away from the knight.

Why couldn't he be in the field? Or an ambassador? Noo, he had to be the baby-sitter for a woman who refused to grow up! Of course sometimes his lordship could be equally as childish. He wasn't going to say anything to them about his observations. He was too smart for that faux pas and would rather not have a ticked off royal couple over his head. After all, they were the ones who filled his money bag.

"I was told what you saw." She curled tighter into herself. He stepped over a small hill of high heels and proceeded toward the bed. "Did you even hear his highness out before you started your-" Armand picked up a shoe and sat down next to her on the bed, "-single sided war of the wardrobe?."

"Have you ever been in love?" Hitomi asked with her heart on her sleeve.

Armand anticipating a smart remark or dry look, but that question wasn't what he wasn't either.

"I-was pulled into that vortex before, yes." Armand answered, feeling a light blush kiss his cheeks. He gripped the shoe he was toying with tighter in his hand. "Why so curious?" His tone dropped, Caria's smile filling his mind's eye.

"How do you get out of it?" She asked in a weak voice.

"You make it sound like a pair of shoes, not meaning to reference your chosen projectiles, but you can't pick and drop what you feel." With that, he dropped the shoe to the ground.

Hitomi slowly maneuvered until she was on her back, staring up at the ceiling. "I thought it was supposed to make you happy, why does it hurt?"

"Because pain makes the pleasure all the more valuable," Armand replied flippantly. "Either that or it's the gods' grand design to drive us all into raving, scratching lunatics."

"He said he didn't want her to," she admitted, "and I want to believe him. He seemed sincere when he thanked me for what I said to her earlier. I think she was offended, despite what she might have said afterward."

"What you said?" Armand's eyebrow arched. "What could you possibly say that would have offended that nasty little beast-creature in petticoats?"

"She was going on and on about what she wore to make Van happy, but I came back with—saying that no clothes on made him happier." Hitomi turned her face away, bright red cheeks already started to glow.

"I can't believe you said something like that!" Armand leaned away from her quickly, feeling that stroke feeling overtake him again. "That's not exactly a proper thing for a royal lady such as you to say."

"I'm a just an adopted royal, remember? Underneath the jewels, fancy dresses, and title…I'm just a normal girl." Hitomi's shoulders slumped, "and I'm blaming you for that comment." She gave a weak smile. "I think you're rubbing off on me."

"First of all, if anyone were to strip away all the jewels, dresses, and so on—you'd be stark naked." Armand shook his head. "Second, I'm not going to be blamed for two wicked tongues. I get into enough trouble with just one without having to add yours to my credit."

Hitomi remained silent as she went into a sitting position. "What should I do?" She asked at last, the weight of the situation coming down on her shoulders yet again.

"Can I borrow a pillow?" Armand's voice was sickly sweet.

"Why?"

"I have yet to decide whether it is to muffle my screams of frustration or your screams for help-" the sweet voice was melted into an acidy tone. "-because you have been a blinking idiot!" He rolled his eyes and jumped to his feet, "have been, ha! Are being an idiot!"

"W-what?" Hitomi blinked in surprise.

"What should you do? Is this a real question?" Armand threw his hands up into the air as he started to pace. "You should listen to him. Give him a chance. You say you love him then give him a chance to explain himself without having to duck and weave from parts of your shoe collection!"

Hitomi just kept blinking.

Armand sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, "stay here. You look like you went to an all-night pub." He gave her a very smug look, "and I don't want to have your bad looks marring my perfect record of fashion."


"I want to see her," Chid said quietly, staring out the window of the great ship that hovered close to the castle. He had been at his aunt's side since he woke up; admittedly the royal couple was surprised to see their small blonde nephew at their bedroom door so late at night. Dryden had been relaxed about it, smiled and said he was happy someone interesting came to the party.

Millerna had been a bit more frantic.

The princess sent out a messenger directly to inform Asturia what the prince had done so no one would worry (or start a war in all the confusion). The boy only smiled shyly and repeated he just wanted to see Hitomi.

"I heard that she isn't feeling well," Millerna explained. "Perhaps, she's caught a cold? I don't think now is the best time for you to visit."

Chid frowned a bit at this news. "But she promised we'd play together."

"I'm sure you will before we leave," Dryden remarked, flipping a page in the book he'd been reading. After Millerna caught him giving a 'kiss' through the glass to one of the mermaids, he found it wiser to stay near his wife. It was also nice to get away from his accountant who had a horrible way of raining on his happy parade.

"I want to see her now," Chid whined as he turned away from the window to face his aunt.

"Apparently, why else would you stow away like a common criminal?" The boy winced at his uncle's barely concealed scolding.

Chid glanced down at the floor, his blue eyes lacking the happy light he usually had in them.

"We'll stay an extra day," Millerna amended, trying to make the small boy happy. "Will that be okay?"

His head snapped up, a grin covered his face. "That would be great! That would be perfect!"

Dryden put his book down and huffed, "this will make my book keeper ever so happy." He rolled his eyes and climbed to his feet.

"You have to understand, Chid, you can't just run off whenever you want to," Millerna touched his shoulder gently. "You do understand, don't you?"

"Yes, ma'am," Chid pouted, "but I had to see Hitomi."

Millerna sighed; if the Queen wasn't already married she feared nephew would have them engaged just so he could have his new best friend around him for always.


Armand cleared his throat and without a glance his lord answered his signal.

"How is she?" Van questioned, looking over a few papers scattered over his desk. His eyes were glued to them, not even sparing the man the common decency of eye contact.

"I've consulted with her," Armand said curtly. "Have you spoken with the guests?"

"Of course, they think she's pregnant," Van was actually able to deadpan that comment.

Armand had the more entertaining reaction as his mouth fell open, "Is it possible?"

"No."

"Too bad," Armand muttered in what he thought was under his breath, but when Van's head snapped up the man suddenly found the grain in the door distractingly interesting.

"Is there anything else you wish to discuss?" The king's lacked any humor. He tended to be on the edge when he had a rough, sleepless night.

"May I talk to you privately, sir?"

One of Van's eyebrows hiked up, "As opposed to what you were doing..?"

Armand shut and locked the door, just in case. "I meant: may I speak freely, sir?"

Putting down the papers of trades and other business, Van gave Armand his undivided attention. "Fine."

"Do you know what it is a married couple is supposed to do?" Armand asked, very sincere. "I know your parents died at a very early age, so maybe they didn't get around to telling you what a man and woman are supposed to do. You see when a boy-"

"Leave," Van snapped. "Now."

"But I'm trying to-"

"I'm not having any conversation about this topic with you, Armand," Van ordered firmly, roughly picked up one of the papers again, glared at it, and tried to will his blush away.

"So sorry, sir, but—you know, it's not a crime to be attracted to your spouse."

"Go." Van's eyes narrowed on the knight. "Now."

After the harried knight shut the door, Van put his paper back down slowly. Leaning back in his chair, he folded his arms behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. He was tired from not sleeping and having all the stress of the guests and their comings and goings. The most obnoxiously elusive guest to keep an eye on was Serena. In order to prevent any other interruptions in his life, Van had the security tightened. He wasn't sure how she got in, but he didn't like it.

Somebody had to have let her back into the palace after the ball.

But who?


It was only a few hours after sunset when Van opened the door, ready to spring back if any shoes decided to fly his way. When he thought it was safe, he crept in, shut the door, and scanned the room for his bride.

He spotted her, sitting on their bed, her fingers working clumsily on her dress's bodice. She seemed so intent on her work she hadn't even heard him enter.

"Do you need help?" Van asked as unstrapped his belt and sword.

Hitomi twisted her head around quickly to see her husband set down his sword in one of the chairs by the bathing room. She turned back just as fast, feeling something strange in her heart. It was a mix of being scared, guilty, and hopeful. It made her mouth go dry, her throat tighten, and her heart heavy.

How could she say it was her own insecurities, and lack of wanting to hear something he might say in the other woman's favor that made her crazy? She couldn't bear the thought of Van wrapped up lovingly in any other female's arms; the images conjured up by these thoughts made her feel sick.

Maybe there was a way around this without having to drag it all out and up again. For all she knew, they might erupt into another fight, and Armand took all her shoes and locked them up in a trunk he had put in the room earlier.

Standing up, her head swimming a tad bit from lack of sleep and crying herself into an emotional volcano bit her lip and glanced at him over her shoulder again.

He always took everything in stride, always so calm and smooth. No emotions seemed to linger long on his face, which was both a curse and blessing. A curse to those who were trying to get into his heart and a blessing to those who wanted to hurt that heart.

He stripped off his shirt, probably preparing for the second ball scheduled for tonight. This one was supposed to be more for relaxation and renewal of acquaintances than participating ball.

"I can't get the ties undone," Hitomi disclosed. "Armand tightened them too much I think."

Fanel's eyes had been on her, though through a side glance, since she stood up from the bed. When she began to talk, he actually looked at her with well masked eyes. Nodding, he told her to come closer. Hitomi immediately obeyed and turned around to allow him access to the stubborn knots.

Van wasn't as able fingered as Armand when it came to silk knots. He tugged and picked at them for a while before they finally relented. He started to unwrap the ends of the lacing from their hooks, considering Hitomi wasn't a contortionist, and couldn't do it by herself. The more he undid, the bodice would gape open further, and gave him a tempting view of her smooth, pale skin and the slight dip of her spine.

His fingers barely brushed her exposed skin, and it was through iron control that the king didn't trace a finger from the base of her neck, down her spine with his fingers. Oh, he wanted to, and badly. It was a hunger he had pushed away many times since he was thirteen, but the thoughts of right and wrong didn't apply to Hitomi.

She was his. There was no shame in wanting and having her.

Van felt something odd in his throat and swallowed thickly. Images bloomed of seeing her green eyes consumed with passion and—

"I'm sorry," Hitomi's softly spoken words broke him from his rather wickedly delightful daydream.

His hands stopped their work, "What?"

"I'm sorry," she repeated, lowering her head slightly. "I—jumped to a conclusion." She gripped the skirt of her dress tightly, "I was afraid."

"Of what?" Van was stunned at the deep, husky edge his voice had to it.

"Her. You." Rotating her head until she could regard him, "You seemed to really miss her and with her here, I thought that you might," she abruptly turned her face forward again, not wanting him to see her uncertainty.

She thought that he wanted Serena? If Hitomi could have read his mind only seconds before her apology, she'd have no doubt about whom it was he desired. Van's mind couldn't process exactly how his wife had come to such a conclusion but it did come up with a simple solution.

Hitomi found it very hard to breathe as Van's hands left her back, one of his arms encircled her waist as the other one went across her chest until his hand rested on her shoulder, and pulled her flush to his chest. She barely had time to recover before she felt his warm breath on her neck as he moved his mouth closer to her ear.

"I don't want her, Hitomi," Van whispered low. He could have told her the sky was pink or pigs were going to start raining from the sky, and it still would have made her shiver. It wasn't what he said, but it was his proximity, the deep and rough tone, and the way she could feel his heartbeat against her back.

Her knees turned to jelly as he turned his face slightly, kissing just behind her ear lightly as he breathed in her scent.

"Van…" she managed to get out, a light blush feathering her face. Gingerly she reached a hand until it touched his that tightened around her waist. That blush only went deeper as she felt her bare back and his naked chest tingle where they were touching. His every breath made her heart race faster.

"Believe me," Van's husky voice ordered gently. Hitomi's breath came out in irregular rhythms as the hand that had been innocently perched on her shoulder slowly moved, traced the lines of her collar bone, to the other shoulder and to her back. She gasped as the not-so-innocent hand slipped over her shoulder, and down to where the bodice was open. Van's fingers brushed underneath the clothing, caressing her side, and effectively making her forget everything but the extreme heat he was stirring up within her body.

Van's heart was pounding in his chest like a war drum. He blamed it on his tiredness and stress, but he couldn't pinpoint why having her so close to him made all that seem like a miniscule problem. There was a momentarily skip in his heartbeat as she started to pull at his arms which he instantly slackened, removing his hand from her clothing, but didn't let her go completely.

Pivoting slowly on her heels she faced him, and he saw her flushed face, parted lips, and the desire flickering deep within her eyes. It was an acceptance, not a rejection, Van's arms tightened around her again. Hitomi had both of her hands firmly placed on his chest as she gazed up at him.

Van found it difficult to inhale as he met with her eyes, they were so full of emotion and it wasn't like anything from this morning. Her mouth was slightly parted before another rational thought could enter either of their minds; Van effortlessly brought their lips together.

For a moment she was caught off guard and had her eyes wide open. That didn't last any longer as her eyes fluttered closed and slid her arms around Van's neck, pulling him closer to her.

Easily slanting his head to one side, Van was able to intensify the kiss. Their lips melted together, Hitomi felt her heart flutter like a butterfly's wing as her stomach felt like fire. When he gently licked her lower lip, she opened her mouth and let out a low moan as he thoroughly examined her with his tongue. Shyly she returned the gesture and by the way he was clutching at her sides, his hands bringing her hard against his hips and chest, she thought she wasn't doing too bad of a job.

When she nipped at his bottom lip, the deep growl he gave in response rumbled through his chest, causing her toes to curl.

She loved this man and this man let his guard down and showed her a great deal of emotion with this rather hot kiss.

All creatures need air, and they had to pull back a few inches. Both had heavy eyelids and clouded eyes. Van's hand slid from her side until it was lost in her golden hair. Hitomi couldn't move, all she could do was stare at his beautiful garnet eyes and cling to him for support as her legs had become rather unstable.

What was it they had fought about earlier in the day? The fuzzy happiness and basic hunger made it impossible for her to concentrate although, in truth, she wasn't trying too hard to think of anything else.

Van, on the other hand, wasn't pretending to care about any higher functions as he leaned down to her again. He dominated her in the kiss, making her feel like the most desirable female on the planet. The strength in his arms and the power of kiss caused her brain to faint away from any thought besides what he was doing to her.

Her knees lost their solid state and turned to liquid, thankfully Van's grip only tightened to make sure she couldn't escape. As she ran her down his neck, causing that wonderful growling noise again, her mind went completely white.

For a moment in the world, nothing else mattered. Not the tiredness both of them were suffering from, not the guests downstairs, not the past, or the unknown future. Everything was about the person they were holding.

Knock, knock.

The noise on the door caused the pair to separate as quickly as oil and water. Hitomi's flushed face made filled Van's vision, making him forget all about the interruption.

Another knock brought him to his senses enough to answer.

"Yes?" Van was irked then he let himself know as he jerked the door open and glared full force at the person on the other side. His eyebrow ticked. "Jill. What?"

"I-uh-was sent to fetch the queen and you, sir." He swallowed, seeing the Queen half dressed over the king's shoulder. "The celebrations are about to start."

"Fine." With that, Van shut the door. Jill took a quick step back and blinked in surprise. Well, wouldn't Armand be interested in knowing about this. The knight smirked, of course, telling him would come at a price.

As Jill walked down the staircase with a whimsical smile on his lips, another figure, hiding in one of the nooks, grinned inanely.

Everything was going according to plan.

So far.