***Author's Note***

***Author's Note***

Sorry for taking so long to post this chapter. I had to fix it up a bit before I could post it and I know you don't wanna hear my idiotic babbling but I gotta thank everyone who reviewed chapters 6 and 7 so thanks very, very much! Now go on and read! Don't forget to review at the end!

Disclaimer: Whatever. I don't own Escaflowne obviously, I'm too young.

Dedication: *~A White Rose Petal*~ and everyone who's reviewed

Parents' Wish

Chapter 8: Thoughts and the Dare

By: ME jus1digigirl *Maura*

Hitomi and Yukari followed Merle towards two empty rooms. The maid had fixed them up and they were now ready for their stay. Amano and Jair had rooms on the other side of the hall, which were to the left side of Van's room, which was in the middle. The girls' bedrooms were to the right of Vans, nearer to Merle's.

Merle pointed to the room across from hers. "That's your room Hitomi. The maids have already put your bag in, which you left outside there." She turned to Yukari. "Your room is the one to the right of Hitomi's. I'm sure you're both tired and probably want to freshen up before the feast. The maids have fixed hot baths for you in your bathrooms and I've arranged for your garments. So don't worry about a thing. The feast will begin as soon as the princess arrives which should be in an hour or two."

Hitomi and Yukari just stood there, listening to Merle's long talk. Hitomi was dazed at the fact that Merle had grown so much. She had thought of everything and hadn't left anything out, acting very much like an adult.

"Thank you Merle," Yukari finally got out.

Merle smiled and got one back in return. She thought that Hitomi's friend was taking being transported to a different planet rather well. "If you need anything, I'll be in my room getting ready. See you later!" Merle waved and disappeared inside her own room.

Hitomi and Yukari looked at each other. "Well, guess I'll go take my bath now. Before the water freezes. If you need me Yukari, just knock."

Yukari nodded and the two girls each went into their separate rooms.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Van paced around his room furiously. Amano and Jair were now gone, probably preparing for the feast. How could his parents never have told him about this marriage arrangement before they had passed away? Of course, it wasn't their choice to go but why did they have to make it in the first place? Why hadn't his advisors or council members not tell him when Hitomi had first come? He was old enough then!

Grumbling, he flopped down on a chair. He knew little of the Kingdom of Hippolyta and its rulers. The little that he did know however, would not help him in breaking this engagement. The current king and queen, he recalled from what his parents had told him once, had powers of some kind. No one except them knew exactly what kind of powers but he knew that they could cast spells and make potions. That sort of thing. And if the king and queen had strong powers, what about their daughter who had the blood of both? Her magic would most probably be immensely powerful.

Sighing, he stood up and resumed his pacing. What would this princess be like? Would she try and use her powers to make him love her? What if she tried to endanger Hitomi out of jealousy? Many questions like this floated through Van's head as he shook it, trying to clear his mind.

He was confused. He didn't know what to do. Picking up the glass of water left for him by the doctors, he sipped wondering what King and Queen Hippoly would do if he refused to marry their daughter. Would they start a war over that? Or perhaps spread a terrible disease through the kingdom with their magic?

Shaking his head again, he tried not to think of the evil possibilities of their revenge. Instead, he turned his mind towards getting ready for the feast. No one should see their king in a state of such confusion he decided and turned towards his almira to pick out a suit.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hitomi stepped out of the bath in her room, wearing a fluffy, white robe. Her hair was already half dry, due to how short it was. Looking around the room, her gaze fell on her shirt and skirt.

She remembered stuffing her track outfit into her backpack but other than that, she had nothing else to wear since they had had to leave behind their other luggage.

Remembering what Merle said, she walked over to the dresser and almira, both, which sat side by side opposite the bath. Opening the top drawer of the dresser, she gasped happily. Inside was an assortment of undergarments, all neatly folded. Hitomi said a silent prayer of thanks for this and pulled out a pair of what she needed.

Next, she stood in front of the almira and not daring to breath, she pulled it open and to her great delight, about a dozen beautiful dresses hung from the rack. Although she disliked the thought of wearing a dress, she had to admit that these were the garments of a princess. On the floor of the almira, a neat little row of shoes were lined up, one pair each to match with a certain dress plus a few extras.

Looking through the outfits, Hitomi noticed that a few were quite fancy, perhaps for a ball, some were for regular wear, and some were in-between. Choosing an in-between dress for the feast, she kneeled down to find the pair of shoes that matched. Taking out the dress and shoes, she closed the door of the almira.

After dressing, Hitomi stood in front of the full-length mirror beside the almira and turned. The material of the dress was soft, silky and light green, bringing out the color of her eyes. The top portion of the dress clung to Hitomi's body, showing off her figure and at her waist, it flowed out to the ground. The neckline was beaded with tiny, dark green sequins. The dress was sleeveless and the neckline was V-shaped and perfectly modest. Though it was hard to see the shoes which dressed Hitomi's feet unless she walked, they were a green color, not too dark nor too light, and sparkly. The heels were about an inch high, no more. Satisfied with her look, Hitomi decided to do something with her hair but she couldn't decide.

Luckily, there were two people, girls to be exact, to help her.

"Hitomi! Are you ready yet?" called out Yukari's voice from the other side of Hitomi's door.

Hitomi walked over with some difficulty, not quite used to the shoes yet, and swung open the door. Merle and Yukari gasped and then smiled.

"That looks lovely Hitomi! Just wait till Lord Van sees you!" Merle gushed and walked in. She herself was wearing a pretty, peach dress that went just about the floor so you could see her shoes which too were peach although they didn't have as high of heels as Hitomi's. The sleeves of Merle's dress were short and slightly poofed. The neckline was lined with tiny, pale, shimmering beads. She had pulled her hair back with a pale-colored hair band and around her neck hung a little golden locket.

Yukari was wearing a dress similar to Hitomi's except that the color of her dress and shoes was dark blue. Yukari had put her red hair in a fancy bun with tiny slivers of curled hair hanging down the side of her face. In her ears were small, turquoise stud earrings that matched with the necklace around her neck. Her face was covered with light make-up.

"Hitomi! You are going to do something with your hair, right?" Yukari asked following Merle.

Hitomi looked straight at Yukari with a straight smile. "No Yukari. I'm going to go down with my hair still half-wet." She walked to the vanity and sat down in the chair. "Of course I'm going to do something but I need your help!"

"Leave it to me! I know the perfect hairstyle to make Lord Van melt even more!" Merle picked up a brush and ordered Hitomi to shut her eyes.

About fifteen minutes later, Hitomi finally opened her eyes when Merle told her she could. "I was about to fall asleep Merle!" And then, she gasped. Staring back at her from the mirror, she saw herself with half her hair in a little ponytail, given how short it was, and perfectly waved. It was tied back by a green ribbon. She gasped even more and her hand flew to her neck where a jade necklace sat. Her hands made their way to her ears where she saw tiny jade earrings. Yukari had put slight make-up on Hitomi's face, the same amount as her on her own. Hitomi's face seemed to glow just like Yukari's from just the little bit of make-up.

"Well?" Merle and Yukari implored.

Hitomi turned to face them and smiled. "It's wonderful! How'd you get my hair to be wavy like that and where did this jewelry come from?"

Merle smiled mischievously. "That's our little secret. We figured out a way to wave your hair in only a quarter of an hour. Smart huh? I'll explain later. As for the jewelry, didn't you see it in the little drawer of the almira? There's jewelry to match each outfit."

Hitomi pulled the cat-girl to her in a hug. "Thanks Merle." Letting go, she said, "How much time left before the princess arrives?"

Merle glanced towards the window where the sun could be seen, slowly setting. "She should be here soon. Let's stay here until someone calls us. Here," Merle tossed Hitomi a little key ring with a few keys on it. "Lock up your almira, dresser, and vanity. They've all got different keys. There's also a key for your bathroom, one for the room, and another for the door to the balcony."

"We've already locked up," Yukari said. "You should lock up everything else before we leave. You can lock the door when we do."

Hitomi nodded thinking it would be a good idea to put little stickers on the various keys to remember what each was for.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Kaira slowly pulled back the dark curtain, which hung over the carriage window. Peering out, she saw that it was almost nightfall and that she was nowhere near Hippolyta. Sticking her head out the window, she called out to the driver.

"Driver! How much further till we reach Fanelia?"

The driver looked down at her. "'Bout half 'n hour left milady!"

Kaira sighed and stuck her head back inside. Fanelia was so far from Hippolyta and yet, they'd almost reached it within three hours! She couldn't believe that parents had wanted her to come here so fast.

Leaning back against the soft, cushioned seat, she thought about what had happened once she had run to the carriage. It had taken off and her parents had merely waved from the window. She had been sobbing uncontrollably for almost fifteen minutes. Once they had been traveling for at least an hour, she had tried to get the driver to stop in hopes of escaping but he had told her that he was to take her straight to Fanelia, no stops. Then, she tried to open the door to jump out but found it shut and locked tightly. Another one of her parents' precautions no doubt.

She had taken a small nap and now found herself so very close to Fanelia. Thoughts began to swim around her head. She didn't know much about the king except that it he was half Draconian. She had heard that not many had seen his wings and that during the Destiny Wars, a girl from the Mystic Moon had come to help the good side, who had foretold events and saved the king numerous times.

That was about all Kaira knew and also knew that if the king tried anything with her, she would unleash her magic on him. Even though it was not very strong, she knew that this king had no powers of his own like hers.

Staring out the window, she wondered if the king, Van was nice. Would he be angry when she tried to break the engagement and stop the marriage? Would he start a war and threaten Hippolyta? That would be terrible for she certainly did not want to be the cause of another war, especially one including her country. Would the King force her to an instant marriage or would he wait and see what she was like? Would he even allow her to leave the castle?

All these thoughts and more continued flying through Kaira's head until she had to shake it to stop thinking so hard. Knowing that it would be only a matter of time before they reached the palace, she picked up her bag and began freshening up. Even if she did not want to marry this king, there was no sense in entering looking like she was a peasant.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"I have an idea!" Yukari said, sitting delicately on Hitomi's bed so as not to ruin her dress. "Why don't we play Truth or Dare while we're waiting?" Her eyes shone as she looked at Hitomi and Merle.

"I don't know," Hitomi replied hesitantly.

Yukari punched her shoulder lightly. "Come on! It'll be fun!"

"I'll play too, once you explain to me what it is," Merle piped up.

Yukari grinned and told her how to play. Now Merle too, grinned. "I like this game. You in Hitomi?"

Hitomi looked up at them and then smiled. "Oh alright. Who's first?"

"Let's let Merle go first since she's never played." Yukari suggested at which Merle grinned slyly.

"Great. Hitomi, truth or dare."

Hitomi automatically said dare, knowing what a truth question would be but also not wanting to think of what possible dares Merle's sly brain could think up of.

"Ver-ry good," Merle purred as she and Yukari exchanged mischievous looks.

Hitomi noticed this and began to get nervous. "I don't like the looks of your faces."

Yukari grinned and shrugged. "Too bad for you isn't it? You can't back out now. Merle, give your dare."

Merle nodded and thought for a moment. "Aha! Before the night is over, you have to give Lord Van a very affectionate kiss!" she said triumphantly.

"What!?" Hitomi jumped off the bed. "No way! I just got here and that princess is coming! I can't!" Her face had turned beet red at the thought.

Yukari and Merle sniggered. "What's the matter Hitomi? I'm sure Van wouldn't mind a kiss from you!"

Hitomi flushed even more. "That's not the point!"

Merle was now lying on the bed in fits of laughter. "Well, from what Yukari told me about the rules, you can't back out! And if you don't go through with your dare, I'll personally make sure you and Lord Van are embarrassed in front of everyone!"

"Oooh!" Hitomi stamped her foot but in secret, she was thrilled to have such a dare. Of course, she didn't want to make the first move nor so fast. But she sighed. "And exactly how will you two know I've kissed him or-wait a minute! You're going to spy on us if we're alone!?" She gaped at them and shook her head. "I should've known you two would gang up against me."

Yukari stood up to face Hitomi, her eyes twinkling. "Think of it as us helping you Hitomi."

Merle nodded now sitting up. "Exactly. We all know Lord Van's still too shy to do anything so as the brave woman, you'll have to go first. And don't worry, we'll take care of the part of you two being alone. After dinner, just wander outside and I know he'll follow you."

"And you'll follow him. Am I correct?" Hitomi glanced at the sneaky look on Merle's face.

"I have to make sure you do your dare don't I?"

Hitomi laughed. "Oh alright! I'll do it! But now, it's my turn to choose someone and I pick you Merle!"

"Better go with truth Merle. Who knows what kind of dare she'll give you in revenge," Yukari said as Hitomi stuck her tongue out.

Merle nodded. "Yeah, I'll play it safe and go with truth."

Hitomi grinned. "I can still get you back you know. Merle, what do you think of Jair?"

Merle blushed, turning the same shade of pink as her hair and stared at the floor. "I-I-" but before she could finish, a loud rapping came on the door.

Hitomi walked over and opened it. Standing outside, was a maid. "Yes?"

The maid bowed and then said. "I have been sent to inform you that the feast will begin shortly and the Princess Hippoly has just arrived at the gates of Fanelia. You are to be in the throne room in ten minutes to greet the princess and then you will proceed down to the dining hall."

"Thank you. We'll be down in a moment." Bowing, the maid left and Hitomi shut the door.

"Well," she said turning to the others. "You're saved Merle. But we'll continue later. I think we should do a last minute check before we make our way to the throne room."

Merle and Yukari nodded and the three walked over to the vanity to do exactly what Hitomi suggested. They primped up their hair, straightened their dresses, and applied some last minute make-up before another knocking on the door interrupted them.

"Amano! Jair!" Merle exclaimed as she opened the door. The two young men were standing outside the door in fancy dinner suits. Amano's was baby blue and he had a rose in his hand, which he handed to Yukari as she came to the door. Jair was wearing a suit of navy blue and he too had a rose, which he handed to Merle making her turn crimson.

"What are you two doing here?" Hitomi now asked coming to the door.

Amano grinned. "We thought we'd escort you lovely ladies down to the throne room."

"Where's Van?" Yukari asked with a quick glance at Hitomi.

Jair answered. "He already went down because he had to pay the doctors after he dressed." Stepping back to let them come out of the room he said, "Well? Are you coming or can't you without Van?" He grinned slyly looking at Hitomi who quickly bustled out of the room after Yukari and Merle, locking it behind her.

Slipping the tiny ring of keys into the dress pocket, she said hastily, "Let's go down, shall we?" And took Amano's left arm which he offered as Yukari took his right.

~*~ What will Van think when he sees Hitomi in that dress? And what will happen when Van and Kaira finally meet, each thinking similar thoughts? Will Hitomi be brave enough to carry out her dare? ~*~

***Authors Note***

(*sigh*) I'm starting to write dull chapters aren't I? I think I may have gotten a little too descriptive with Hitomi's room and the dresses and all but it was fun. Sorry for making you read all this boring stuff but we're going to be getting into the good stuff soon. Don't worry. Next chapter, Kaira and Van meet...finally!

*Maura*