Chapter 39

"King Van, you have a visitor."

Van looked up from the rolled out map laid out on his table. His highest ranking military officers around him as well.

"She says it's urgent."

"She?" Van questioned, raising an eyebrow. Excusing himself, he walked out of the tent and waited for his soldier to say something else.

"She's in the dining tent," the soldier scratched the back of his head in a nervous manner. "I didn't think all the guys would be nice to her so-"

"Thank you," The king said, walking in the direction of the mentioned tent. Pushing back one of the dirty brown flaps, Van first saw the curtain of curling, blazing red hair. He wasn't sure why, but his heart dropped a bit. Perhaps, he mused for a second, he was expecting Hitomi to run out to meet him.

At the noise the woman turned, her hazel eyes wide.

"Your highness," she jumped to her feet. The woman was slender, with a knee length dress on that had seen better days and cleaner times. "I'm so thankful you would see me." She was pretty, Van said to himself. Not that he was attracted to her, but he couldn't help but admit the woman didn't lack in looks.

"I was told it was urgent." And he thought it might be Hitomi, but there was no need for him to acknowledge that. "Is something wrong, ma'am?"

That was apparently the code phrase for 'break-down-and-cry-hysterically-for-minutes-on-end' because as soon as those words reached her ears, she lost what little control she had.

"I-I'm s-s-so sorry!" She wept, wiping her fat tears away from her cheeks with the back of her hands. "I-I really didn't want to d-d-do this in front of you!"

Van, having never been one who was calm and collected around women to begin with, felt like an odd duck standing there watching a grown woman cry and whimper. It took him months to figure out what to do when his own wife became a blubbering mess but a complete stranger?

"Uh-would you like some-water?" Pathetic. Armand and Hitomi would take turns hitting him for being so naïve to the ways of women if they were here. As if water would do any good for her nerves, all it would do is make it easier to produce more tears.

"No, thank you." She took a few quick steps, looked him in the eyes. "You don't know me do you?"

"I-" Maybe it was one of the many ladies he had offered to him as a potential bride? "-should I?"

"I'm Mena, Coron's wife? Queen of Slena?"

His mahogany eyes grew wide with recognition. "Mena-what are you doing out here?" He grabbed her arms gently as another thought came into his mind. "Are you by yourself? Where is Coron?"

"I-I don't know! I don't know where he is! I think he's still in the castle," Mena shook so hard that Van directed her to one of the benches to sit down on as he crouched in front of her. "I don't even know if there is a Slena anymore."

While he had been there with Hitomi, Mena had always worn a veil over her face which was custom for the higher royalty to do in that country. The privilege of their beauty was meant for their families, not strangers. It also created an air of mystery.

"How did you find us?"

"I-was cutting through the woods. I know the roads around here; I was on my way to Fanelia to speak with you. It was just-by chance that I found you here."

"You could have come in a carriage or at least by horse." Van pointed out, stood up, his left hand automatically rested on the hilt of his sword. "Why on foot, dressed like this?"

"Coron told me to leave and to drop out of sight. I'm not really Mena of Slena now; I'm just the peasant girl he found years ago in a farm town in Fanelia." She seemed so lost and Van felt shocked. She was from Fanelia? A peasant and from Fanelia? It reminded vaguely of someone else- "Right now, I'm just Ana Kanzaki, the merchant's daughter and- Hitomi's baby sister." Mena looked him dead in the eyes. "Your sister-in-law."

The world was on a tilt for Van as he felt his stomach lurch. Did she really just say what he thought she heard her say?

Why did everything happen to him?

"…so the merchants are leaving," Hitomi concluded her mini-speech and stared at the faces of Van's council. Fear sat on her chest like a fat cat, purring with nervousness, and tickling her stomach with its furry tail.

The men glanced at one another but said nothing directly. Clearing her throat, Hitomi tilted her chin up a bit further.

"Many of the farmers were called here to the castle as reserves when the other guards and knights left," One of the younger men said slowly, as if talking to a dim witted child. Hitomi bit her cheek. Armand and Rai had both warned her the councilmen tended to be a bit short sighted.

In the month since Van had left, she had to meet these men twice. This was the second time and this time she'd make them see her point of view.

"I am well aware of that," she stated in her firmest voice. "I am also acutely aware of the fact our borders are closed to trade. We tend to lean heavily on trade routes for food and supplies, without them, the entire country could end up suffering."

"Our main goal, your highness, should be in supporting King Van in the field," Another man piped up, "And keeping morale high here."

"My husband is in the field trying to do one thing and that is to protect our people. I am doing the same. If we ignore those here, not in the war, then they will suffer and resent the war." Hitomi braced herself, ready to faint or fight, she wasn't sure. "We need to show them that we are here for them, to protect, and make sure they are provided for."

"Then what would your majesty suggest?" A snaky sounding voice came from the back.

"Most of the reserves are farmers, correct? Then send them to the fields to do what they do so well. We have plenty of empty lots around the city, let them be the providers." Hitomi waited for objections but before they could, she thought of another push. "They can also keep watch to let us know if anything is on its way."

The councilmen looked at her blankly for a few moments.

"Who will protect the palace?"

"If we have early enough warning, we won't have to worry about that." Hitomi wasn't too sure about that, but it made the men glance around at each other again.

It took another hour or so before Hitomi emerged from the hall, exhausted but happy she convinced them to do things her way. Best of all, she pawned the paperwork that a new decree entailed on someone else. As she passed through the doors, she was greeted with the sight of her knight.

"How did it go, King Hitomi?" Armand asked, looking rather interested in his nails.

"I got my way."

"Oh, let me go jot that on a calendar, a king getting his way in his own country. How rare."

Hitomi stuck her tongue out at the man. He had gotten into the habit of calling her 'king' since Leiko left. If she told him to stop it, he'd only do it more. If she threatened to cut off his hair, he'd call her a murderer.

"Who put you in such a bad mood?" Hitomi questioned, walking toward the study.

"Bad mood? What on gaia makes you think I'm in a bad mood? This is as good as it gets without stunning you with overly charming personality." Armand's blue eyes met hers before he sharply turned away. "And I have to relay a message that was just brought to us."

Hitomi's stomach tightened as the butterflies erratically began to flip and flop in it. Was it about Van? Was it good news? Bad news? What if it was bad news? "And?"

"Sir Jill never made it to his appointed destination."

She stopped in her tracks, "Why?"

"They don't know," Armand shrugged. "All the local mountain yolkals found was his shredded camp and his dead horse."

"No sign of Jill?"

"Not so much as a toenail clipping."

Hitomi nodded and entered the study, with instructions not to be disturbed.

Allen paced back and forth; there was nothing else for him to do in truth. Aston had only made one visit, he never clarified how he knew that it wasn't really Chid in their midst. The boy looked like the ten year old, sounded like him, but just had a darker aura around him.

Then Naria had come, making his already spiked suspicions ever more sharp. What could he do for Asturia locked away in a prison cell? Perhaps he should have taken the opportunity the neko offered, to be free of here.

If he could get out of here, he could fight Serena or reason with her, whatever it took to get her off this destructive path. No matter what she did or would do, she was the only family he had left and he could forgive her anything.

Her bright blue eyes and trusting smile, that's how he'd remember her. His little sister dancing around in the field of flowers before they met that stranger and brought him home to meet their mother. It was after that day everything slipped apart and blurred into a grayish muck of the present.

Clenching his fist, Allen tried to control his emotions.

He'd have to practice patience for now. He would wait for the neko to come back and make the offer again.

To save his sister, he'd go through hell. He wouldn't run away anymore.

"Where's the mean one?" Merle questioned, perched on the window sill in Van's study as Hitomi tackled not only the new practice she wished to put into place, but all of the nitpicky people she wanted to protect. In the five weeks of her being in charge, she felt like her brain was going to explode as her patience withered.

"Who is that?" Hitomi never broke from her reading to acknowledge the neko.

"Armand. He's been gone all day. Did he sleep late?" To punctuate the point of sleep, Merle gave a half yawn and stretched her hands upward, clawing at the air as she did so.

The truth that Armand hadn't been around caused Hitomi to pause and stop her reading. She had been so busy she hadn't noticed the lack of irritation and infuriating ways. He hadn't been at breakfast; she had hardly been at breakfast due to the council meeting being so early in the morning. They had it held at that time because that is what Van wanted.

Hitomi made another mental note to speak with Van about his early-bird ways when he returned from the field.

"I don't know. Go ask Rai," With that, Hitomi returned to her paperwork.

Merle, noting she was being ignored, decided to find something more interesting to do. She got a weird kick out of messing with the knight who pretended to be such a snob, only to start roaring and fighting mad when picked on too much.

Except with Hitomi and Van, Merle noted, but that was probably because they could ordered him to be a pig farmer or something if he ticked them off too much. The easiest way to find the delinquent knight was to go to his personal tracker, in other names, his mother, as Hitomi suggested.

"He's—out right now," Rai answered vaguely after Merle found her in the kitchen prepping dinner for the castle. "Her majesty approved of his leave of absence earlier."

"Figures. That woman probably just forgot," Merle pouted, swishing her tail behind her. When Rai brought out the freshly cooked fish from the over, the neko was right by her side, hopping on her feet and nearly purring with excitement. "Can I have one?"

The neko reached her hand out only to get it smacked with a spoon. "Certainly not! You have to wait until dinner!"

"But what if something happens to me before then?" Merle tried, "You'd feel bad that I died with an empty stomach."

Rai narrowed her eyes, "For as much as you two fight, you sure have picked up some of Armand's nastier guilt habits."

Van cursed as Escaflowne lost her footing and began to stumble. The guymelf in front of him took this opportunity to strike. The sword came down hard and fast, Van pushed himself out of the way but Escaflowne's cape was punctured. The enemy thrust his sword deep into the earth, making it impossible for Van to get up or move away. The guymelf opened his hand, as a red glow started to form in the palm.

Quickly Van brought his own sword up and thrust it forward with all his strength. The enemy reeled backward, Escaflowne's sword buried to the hilt in its midsection. Giving the machine a firm kick, Van watched as the enemy guymelf fell rearward and into a non moving heap. Grabbing the sword in his cape, Van released himself and threw down the sword, and collected his own.

The middle of the blade was stained red, indicating that whoever was piloting the guymelf was now part of the causality of this battle.

They had attacked out of nowhere, the enemy forces appeared at dawn and had savagely shredded through their camp. Most of the soldiers were up and fighting before the first man fell, it had been going on ever sense. One after another, Van and his knights brought the mysterious guymelfs to their knees.

As the last one fell under Van's sword, an eerie silence covered the scarred land. Broken, bloody trees and bodies lay around like confetti after a festival. The king felt sick to his stomach that this evil was deemed necessary, that he would be forced to kill in order to protect what he loved the most: his people.

Before his thoughts could consume him, the troops screamed out a cheer of success. They had faced their first battle and came out limping, but victorious.

"I want to know who these soldiers belong to and if there are any survivors from them," Van ordered as he stepped out of Escaflowne. A few of his followers nodded, bowed, and scampered off to find out what their lord wanted to know.

After making sure all the injured were treated and cared for, he gave another order that made the men grumble.

"Bury the dead. Ours and theirs." The soldiers complained, but picked up various things and began to dig.

Making his way back to his tent, the king was more than grateful to fall on his bed, throwing his arm over his eyes and letting the other one dangle off the edge. Not wanting to make himself too much of an easy target, Van insisted he leave the tent with the royal colors and crest at the palace.

"Is it all over?" Came a sweet female voice to which Van sat up, and rested his weight on his elbows. Ana stood in the doorway, clutching her hands tightly. "They are all gone?"

"Yes," Van pushed himself into a sitting position. The last thing he needed was his men getting ideas about him and this married woman. "For now at least."

"I must be such a bother," Mena spoke softly, her shoulders slumping. Though they might be sisters and share similar quirks, there was still a wide margin of difference between the two women. Hitomi was quick to speak her mind and stand up to anyone and anything for something she believed while Mena or Ana seemed to be the typical docile female.

Though, Van mused, Coron would probably snort at that thought.

"Your majesty?" Came a voice from the other side of the tent, when given permission, the man entered. His eyes automatically went to Ana. "Sh-should I come back at another time?"

"No. What did you find out?" Van asked, standing up and in the line of view of the soldier to Ana. The last thing he needed was a distracted messenger.

"We know who sent them." The man said after clearing his throat. "It appears to be Asutria's doing. We found their men inside the guymelfs and their flags at the encampment close by."

Van felt sick to his stomach once again. He had hoped Asturia wouldn't act out on their declaration. That some sort of miracle would occur and prevent this type of mess from happening. Now, with the first blood split, there was no going back. He shook off his dissembled hopes and told the messenger to collect the generals as soon as possible and inform them if they hadn't been told already.

Ana excused herself from Van's presence and wandered off into the forest surrounding the camp. In the safety of the trees, she bowed her head into her hands and cried. All the emotions swirling around her heart and the thoughts that wrote themselves over her mind, all she could focus on was her own pitiful state.

"Who is going to believe this?" Princess Serena hissed, standing by Folken who just gave a flat stare to the girl. A man dressed in red and black armor turned his head to observe the girl.

"Why shouldn't everyone?" The man questioned, "You are a grand master of trickery."

Serena wanted to throttle this man or pull out her hair, "Watch what you say, Dilandau. You still are my servant."

"Always," the man replied, a smirk hidden behind the helmet he dawned.

"As long as Sir Gatti is willing to back you up, you will not be questioned," Folken pointed out to Dilandau who nodded slowly. "The rest of the Dragonslayers will follow his led if there are any doubts."

"And what I'm I suppose to do? Knit?" Serena bit.

"We found where they are, you will be the one to make him an offer he will not be able to refuse," Folken instructed the princess. "With Fanelia and Zaibach together, Asturia won't be able to stand up to the combined armies."

"I don't care," Serena growled. "I want my brother back. That's all I care about."

"Of course," Folken replied and then turned to Dilandau. "You will stay here and keep care of the troops."

"As you wish," The man replied.

Folken nodded and left the two by themselves, knowing they knew the importance of the other enough not to kill each other. Entering his own room, he discarded his cape, he felt rather than saw his visitor. "What do you have to report Eriya?"

The silver haired neko crept out of the shadows and stood directly behind Folken.

"My sister has yet to return from Asturia."

"That only means Allen is being stubborn," Folken assured without much concern about the topic. Getting Allen on their side wasn't his idea and he only agreed to do it to keep Serena quiet and happy. "What about the other one?"

"Everything was successful," she purred, in a hushed voice. "As you said it would."

"Very well," he glanced at her over his shoulder, "I have your next mission ready." With a half smile, he told her what to do in detail. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sheer brutality of what he was suggesting, yet she knew this was a war of wits and physical strength and sometimes people needed a rather hard shove in the right direction.

"Delightful," she replied, not wasting any time to start her appointed duty.

When he was sure she was gone, the blue haired man stared out the window of his room and into the starry sky.

"I'm sorry to make you grieve like this, brother," Folken spoke quietly to himself, "But you left me no other choice.