Chapter 29
Neither Van nor Hitomi made it through the second celebration night without falling asleep in their chairs. Everyone just smiled and most thought they were still in the 'newlywed' state of existence.
When it was time for everyone to retire, the bleary-eyed couple made it to their room, changed into the proper night clothing, and collapsed in the bed. Not having slept for a full day made falling asleep extremely easy.
Neither of them was too cheerful when Armand burst through the doors the next morning with a big smile and a tray full of fruits and small teapot. "Good morning!"
Van cracked an eye open and Hitomi muttered, rolling over. Seeing the lack of response prompted the knight to fling open the curtains and this time both royals sat up.
"What are you doing here, Armand?" Van asked, his raspy morning voice lacked the proper threatening authority that he would have liked.
"Why! Bringing you your brunch," Armand's painfully cheerful disposition made Hitomi roll her eyes as she dropped back down onto her pillows. At her actions, Armand beamed, "Rough night, milord and lady?"
Van swung his legs over the side of the bed, trying to make the sleepy veil lift from his mind. "Where is the maid?"
"She allowed me to come in her place since she is still such a sweet, innocent child." Armand tipped his head to the side as he placed the tray down on the table by the bed.
Van eyed the food, slowly climbed to his feet, and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands as he stretched.
"It's too early for your implications," Van pointed out. "What are you playing at?"
Armand grinned like a child who just learned how to blackmail his parents out of candy.
"Oh, nothing my King," he started to hum as he left the room, shutting the door quietly.
Hitomi had struggled out of her sleep by then and was slowly making her way to the other side of the bed. She paused, sighed, and pulled herself out of the bed. "What was all that about?"
"Only Armand knows what Armand talks about half the time." He shook his head, "Makes me wonder why he asked to be reassigned."
Hitomi snapped her head around, "What?" She snatched her robe and quickly put it on as Van picked up a peach and started to devour it. "What do you mean reassigned?"
"Two nights ago, he requested he be taken from his current position as your bodyguard and allowed another task."
Hitomi's heart dropped. How could that man do that to her!
"What did you say?" By this time, she had made it around to Van. She touched his arm, drawing his attention to her.
"I told him 'no'," Van answered honestly. "We better get dressed. The guests will be leaving shortly; we have to bid them good-bye."
"Are you sure he wants to do this now?"
The man narrowed his eyes on the other male, "Yes." A scowl etched into the taller man's face, "Or are you going to disobey a direct order?"
He shook his head slowly from side to side with wide eyes, "N-no. Never."
"Good," the shadows seemed to swallow him up, even in the morning hours as he stepped back into them. "Do what he says or be prepared to suffer the death of a traitor."
Hitomi stifled a yawn as the last carriage pulled away; she had her arm looped through Van's as they stood under the roof of a small tent erected to prevent them from being roasted in the afternoon sun. She didn't remember so many people coming, but she was never so happy to see so many people leave. The shop owners were grinning like fat cats at the royals. Having so many rich customers proved excellent for their businesses.
"Is that the last of them?"
"Only a few are staying longer," something in Van's tone made her uneasy. "Asutria for Chid's sake and-"
"Hitomi!" Chid's young voice broke through the normal white noise of a living city. Turning toward the voice, Hitomi smiled as the blonde boy raced down the street. Behind him was Sir Jill, running to catch up to the faster child.
Chid crashed into Hitomi with an over enthusiastic hug. She released Van's arm and leaned down to return the awkward embrace.
"Escaped from your aunt again, I see." Hitomi laughed, stood up, but not before finding and holding onto the young boy's hand.
Van cleared his throat as Jill came to slow, staggering stop in front of them, panting lightly.
"He has amazing stamina," the knight huffed out. He gave a shaky smile to his lord as he stood up and scratched behind his head nervously. "Princess Millerna requested I escort him to you, your highnesses."
"I see." Van replied curtly, making a mental note to ask Jill's training to be upped as Armand's had to be after the wedding. Turning to the woman and child, "Hitomi, I'm going back to attend to a few different matters."
"All right," she beamed up at him. "We will be back by dinner."
He nodded and turned back to the knight, "Stay with them."
Jill nodded and bowed quickly before running to catch up with couple.
Van watched as they walked into a crowd, melting into the people. To most of the city they probably appeared to be a young family. None of them were in the painfully obvious royal garb and therefore blended in with the rest of the society. Turning back to his original path, Van kept his head down as he made his way through his capital.
There were kids screaming, mothers screaming after the screaming kids, and men pretending to not hear either of them as they laughed on the corners. It was a peaceful time in the kingdom. It had been like this since his parents' marriage. His father had ended the last war with a brilliant military move. Fanelia was famous for their ability to amazingly maneuver forces no matter how large or small.
He loved these people, all these people. They were his responsibility, his pride, and the source of his determination to keep the peace. A soft wisp of a smile lay on his face.
"Van," came a sweet voice that made every hair on his neck stand erect.
The king paused, rolled his shoulders back, tilted his chin up, and narrowed his eyes at the royal woman.
"Princess," he said curtly and continued to walk toward the palace. He was not in the mood or mind to entertain his old flame, so leaving her alone was the best choice.
Serena quickly caught up with him, jumped in front of him, and smiled charmingly.
"Are you in such a hurry you can't talk with an old friend?"
Van's garnet eyes darkened as he lowered his head to stare her in the eyes.
"I'm wanted at the palace."
"You're wanted here too," she said in a suggestive tone, stepping closer to him. "Haven't I made that obvious?"
"Stay away from me, princess," Van's tone was deadly as he gave her a fixed stare. Her eyes enlarged as she leaned from him. Feeling as though he had made his point clear, the king moved past her, and continued to the palace.
Once he was a decent distance away, but still in ear shot, Serena smirked.
"What about your wife?"
He stopped.
"Is it okay if I play with her instead?"
Van spun around, his entire stance was defensive. Stalking back to her until their faces were mere inches apart, he didn't have to think about how venomous the words should be or how low his tone had to be to make his point. Everything was in his eyes.
"Stay away from her, Serena," Van warned coldly. "If anything happens to her-" he trailed off, letting his ominous look fill in the blank.
"I see," she murmured. The danger that flowed off of him made her heart skyrocket. "Then you will stay with me."
"No," Van stepped away. "I'm advising you to not interfere with me or my family."
"Family?" Serena scoffed, backing away from him. "Does that mean she'll drop dead unexpectedly as well? Poor Van, never able to keep anyone alive."
Van tensed, but didn't turn around. She knew how to aim her darts and knew better which ones to throw.
So much for his happy mood.
It was late in the evening when Jill walked into the kitchen, seeking a piece of bread or something from the ever giving Rai. She obliged him with a full plate and a smile.
"How was your day?"
"It was," he answered, poking at one of the potatoes on his plate.
Rai's eyebrow rose in question, but it wasn't too long before both of them spiked up to her hairline. There was a singing coming from the hallway and drawing closer. It was the Fanelian national anthem and as the singer burst through the doors with a grin on his face, Rai sighed.
Armand had been high above the clouds throughout the day. One great event made him happy for two reasons. One, because there might be a promise of an heir and two, because his other problem might be solved because of reason number one.
"Good evening all!" The knight chirped out as he halted his singing, plucked up an apple, polished it on his shirt, and grinned inanely into its shiny surface. "Isn't it a wonderful night?"
"What was slipped into your tea?" Rai requested.
"I think they slipped some sunshine along with the sugar and it is just radiating off of me like a bonfire."
"You're scaring me," Rai deadpanned. "What put you in such a jolly mood?"
"Why don't you ask this delightful man?" Armand ruffled Jill's short hair and made the man choke on his bread. "He told me, with some provoking, the most delightful news imaginable!"
"Oh?" Rai turned her attention to the other knight. "What's the news?"
Jill, blushing, put down his food and scratched the tip of his nose. "I guess it's because of what I saw last night when I went to fetch the king and queen." Both of them waited, Armand nearly hopping with anticipation. "They both seemed rather—worked up and both of them were improperly dressed for public."
"So?"
"So!" Armand turned around and grabbed each of his mother's hands. "They were improperly dressed, meaning half naked and worked up! Both of them!" He started to dance with her around the room, Rai protesting every step. "That means that our King finally understood what a man and a woman are supposed to do!"
"I did see them, but I think I interrupted them," Jill added nonchalantly.
Armand's bubble of joy was shattered as his feet came to screeching halt. "You. What." The older man turned from his mother, his fingers twitched as he slowly raised his hands. Jill took one look at his superior and started to slowly back step a retreat. "I'll. Kill. You."
Those were the magic words that made Jill pivot on his boot and run from the room, Armand hot on his heels, screaming about many painful promises.
"Enjoy the afternoon?" Van asked, for once he was relaxing after dinner instead of practicing swordsmanship. He had was exhausted from the previous days' activity and felt it wasn't going to damage his technique to take another day off.
"Chid is such a curious child and Jill is –well, himself I guess." Hitomi took off her shawl and threw it on the back of one of the chairs. "Though he was unusually quiet."
"Jill?" Van pondered aloud. "That's not so strange; he doesn't do well in front of crowds."
Just then they heard a commotion from the courtyard, both glanced at each other and then hurried over to the balcony windows to see what was going on. Not being able to see much, they pushed open the door and leaned over the railing to see one knight sprinting only a few precious feet in front of another.
Hitomi started to laugh lightly as the lead knight raced around the fountain, then the trees, never losing ground to his follower.
"That's Jill."
"And Armand."
"Come back here!" Armand's shouted. Jill's responded with a rather feminine yelp.
"You deceitful little monkey!"
Shaking his head, Van went back to the bedroom. Hitomi closed the balcony doors after she came in.
"At least they waited for the guests to leave," Van said, trying to look on the brighter side for once.
"They are lively," Hitomi yawned. Deciding the bed looked more comfortable than any chair, she climbed on to it, and much to Van's surprise, she went directly to his side. Curling up next to him, she let her eyelids slide shut.
He was resting against the backboard; her head was on his stomach and her hand resting next to her mouth. Van continued his previous activity as he picked up the book he discarded and flipped back to the page he'd been reading.
Does that mean she'll drop dead unexpectedly as well? Serena's words still echoed in his ears. It was hard to ignore since they held an element of truth. Putting the book down, he gingerly stroked her flaxen hair.
Serena was right. Every time he found his footing with someone it dissolved because of death or disgust. Van leaned his head back on the headboard. Armand was pushing for him to care for Hitomi, which he did to an extent, but love?
In her sleep, Hitomi gripped his shirt and made a nonsensical word in her dreams.
Love—his mind drifted back to that word, that ghost of a feeling he had once understood and embraced warmly. The very idea of it made him suspicious and wary.
Then what about last night? It hadn't been what he meant to happen. She apologized and he just wanted her to understand her fears weren't founded in truth, just speculation. After that, when they kissed, he didn't want to stop. The way they kissed—it didn't remind him of Serena when the kiss had gone beyond what they had done before. He learned it from Serena, but he was just thinking of Hitomi and how, if possible, he could get her closer to him.
Shaking his head, the man lifted his eyes and stared at the fire.
It wasn't wrong to be attracted to her, Armand had said, but was it wrong to just be attracted and want more than a kiss?
There was a knock at the door that made Van jump and caused Hitomi to come out of her light sleep. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes,
"That's probably Chid, I told him to stop by before going to bed so I could say good-night."
Making her way off the bed and over to the door, she opened it and found two sets of eyes staring back at her. One was a breathless Jill who seemed somewhat anxious as he kept darting his eyes from the door to the hall and around him, the other was Chid who grabbed Hitomi's waist in a hug.
"Good night, Hitomi!" Chid smiled up at the Queen. "I hope you'll come see me tomorrow!" Hitomi agreed and patted him on his head. "We can play some more!"
"I—I think it's time to go, sir." Chid glanced back at Jill and sighed, defeated. Jill reached out his hand, and Chid took it. Upon that contact, Hitomi's stomach nearly erupted as another illusion unfolded before her eyes.
There was smoke, billowing from an enormous pile of wood and there were screams. The screams that seemed to almost bleed as the fire grew, consuming the people and eating up their screams. She was in the middle of it all.
The vision started to break up as the smoke filled the sky with a blood red tint. Rain started to come down in the same red hue, making the Queen tremble with fear and distress. Blood! Blood coated her hands! Searching around desperately for any help.
Then she spotted the only other recognizable two in the madness. Jill and Chid. Jill holding an sword over Chid. Jill lowering that sword in a powerful arc-right into-
"NO!" Hitomi fainted away. Van was on his feet and next to her, trying to revive the Queen as she lay in a whimpering, unconscious heap.
"Get the doctor!" Van instructed harshly, scooping up the limp blonde. "Now, Jill!"
By mid-morning the next day, Serena sat at the vanity of her room at the inn, tapping the end of her hair pin on her slipper. There had been reports of a change at the castle that could cause all her plans to go up in smoke.
"Was that confrontation really necessary?" The man asked, his calculating eyes studying the woman as she drummed her fingers lightly against her face.
"Yes," she hissed, glancing in the mirror. "It was very necessary. It put doubts in his head and if they were already there, I just made them louder." Turning until she could see her face completely in the mirror she smiled at her reflection. Picking up her hair brush, she started to work it through her short, curled locks.
"He'll start to get suspicious about you," the man cautioned. "If we are to carry through with what we set out to do, you need to be trustworthy."
Serena smirked.
"He already is suspicious, but I believe there is still a soft spot in his heart for me." Winking at him in the reflection she added, "Besides I know his weakness." She scoffed and gracefully rose to her feet. "Anyone who knows Van, knows his weakness."
"Indeed."
The door flew open as a lanky creature crept through, slamming the door shut behind him.
"Your highness," the creature went down on one knee, putting a hand in front of him to keep his balance. "I have bad news."
"Oh?" She smiled maliciously. "And what might that be?"
"They're reassigning the knight," the man-creature said calmly. "The child is to leave with his family later today." He looked up at his princess, "What are we going to do?"
The other man merely tilted his head to one side, "This is only a minor problem."
"Oh is it?" Serena asked, grinning madly. "Seems to be quite a problem since that means we are going to lose our inside man."
"Only one of them, there are still those who are able to carry on without him." The man turned his head to the princess. "There are still a few of the servants who are loyal to Folken."
"And who would know better than the man himself, neh?" Serena eyed the dark clad man. Shrugging, she looked down at the kneeling servant, "We are going to stick to our plan."
The creature bowed his head as he stood up and left. Before he left the hallway, Folken emerged from the room, shutting it quietly behind him. "There is something I want you to accomplish before the ship sets sail."
"Ow!" Armand shouted as Hitomi hit him smartly on the arm. "What was that for?"
"You want to leave me?" Her voice broke to an almost painfully high octave, causing the knight to flinch. "You were asking to be reassigned!"
Caught, the man scratched the end of his nose and looked away innocently. "Well-I-"
Hitomi glared at him, "You were just going to walk away? After everything you put me through you were going to just leave."
"You make it sound bad," Armand muttered, turning away from the Queen. "I thought you'd be happy to get rid of me!" He crossed his arms and stuck his nose in the air.
"I thought we were somewhat friends." He cast a momentary glance at her and felt a small crack of guilt on his mind. "How can you just want to leave?"
Armand brought his hand to his mouth, trying to distract himself from her.
"You wouldn't understand," he mumbled into his hand.
"What wouldn't I understand?" She begged to know.
He puffed out his cheeks and turned his head to the side. Hitomi was about to hit him again when the sound of thunder filled the air, rattled the windows and shook the doors violently on their hinges. Her hands flew to her ears as she stumbled away from the balcony doors.
Armand, on the other hand, couldn't move from his spot as his eyes enlarged to the size of tea cups. Reality stood on its head right before him. The screams and shouts could be heard in the late afternoon, like the thick steam of grey smoke rising up from the city as everyone's attention was turned to the disturbingly attention-grabbing sight before them.
"W-What is it?" Hitomi asked breathlessly, still not having turned around. When Armand said nothing, she finally peeked over her shoulder and her green eyes grew. She was not able to tear her eyes away from the thick smoky smear in the sky. Her vision thrumming like a heartbeat; she saw her illusion from the previous night mixed with the sight before her.
"That is Lord Dryden's ship," Armand forced out in a whispered, husked voice.
Tears welled up in Hitomi's eyes as her hands flew over her mouth. Chid. Millerna. Dryden. There was no way any of them survived that fiery, burning heap. Her heart beat so fast and yet at the same time it felt as if the whole world was standing still.
"Oh gods…" If it wasn't for Armand's strong arms catching her, Hitomi would have hit her head on the balcony railing as she fainted.
