DISCLAIMER: Guess what? I still don't
own Escaflowne!
Forget
by Snow Raven
Chapter 3
~ *~*~*~*~*~
Golden sunshine poured through the open window,
puddling in pools of liquid gold across the wooden floor. The
castle stirred to life, the air alive with shouts and laughter,
hooves, and the rumble of passing carts. A breeze wafted through
the open window, carrying with it the scent of bread and freshly
cut hay.
Van jerked the curtains closed, shutting out
the beautiful sunshine, the noise, and the fresh morning
air-anything that reminded him of the outside world. A cool,
blessed darkness descended over his bed chamber. Collapsing into
a nearby chair, he massaged aching temples and nursed what
threatened to break into a full-blown migraine.
A company of young soldiers from the Accadian
embassy- ripe for trouble after guzzling three kegs of fine
Fanelian wine- had decided that it would be entertaining to
'explore' the section of the city that had not yet been rebuilt.
The ruins were unstable and prone to collapse; all but the
reconstruction teams were banned from the area. If the soldiers
had gotten their way, Van most likely would have been digging
dead Accadian pancakes out of the rubble all day. He didn't even
want to think about it.
They were luckily intercepted en route by a
small group of the Fanelian Royal Guard, who firmly escorted them
to a local inn. Unfortunately- disgruntled at not being able to
have their 'fun'- the soldiers than turned their attention to the
innkeeper's pretty daughters- who just happened to be
the sisters of one of the Guards. A brawl had broken out. One
soldier received wounds that had almost proved fatal, two others
attained serious damage, and almost all had been injured in some
way or another.
Van sighed. Normally, one of his advisors could
have handled the mess. However, the Accadian's ambassador's
oldest son had somehow gotten involved in the fight
and had attained two broken ribs and a face that would never look
the same again. Understandably, the Accadians had been just a little
upset. Van had been up all night, gleaning the real story
from the tired, excited, and often completely unreliable
observers, calming the uproar at the Accadian embassy, and
sitting by the bedside of the wounded Accadian soldier, praying
with all of his might that he didn't die and cause a national
diplomatic crisis.
All and all, it had been a very tiring morning.
He fumbled with the buttons of his coat,
pulling it off and draping it over the back of his chair. The
rest of his clothing quickly followed, until he was clad only in
a pair of dark blue slacks. Van unfolded his strong, lanky frame
across the bed, savoring the sensation of cool, linen sheets
against his bare skin. He sighed in pleasure as the tension- the
product of dealing with the often unreasonable Accadians- seeped
out of his body, the tight, throbbing pain in his head subsiding
to a dull ache.
It was nice to just rest like this,
with no council meetings, problems, or petty affairs to intrude
upon his peace. He had never had much patience for politics,
preferring the simple justice of sword and 'Malef to the
elaborate back-stabbing of the court. Folken was the son who had
been groomed for the life of a ruler. Van had only been the
second son- the 'back-up'. But Folken was dead-- killed in his
attempt to end the reign of Zaibach- and Van was the heir of his
broken kingdom. Van did not enjoy his duty as a
king and ruler, but he loved his country and he loved his people,
and would do his best by them.
He yawned. Sleep was tugging on his eyelids and
his thought began to wander. It was almost noon, he had nearly
eight hours before he would be required to attend council
meetings. Enough for a good nap... With only token protest, Van
gave into exhaustion and fell into a deep, troubled slumber. And
he dreamed.
Where was he?
He blinked drowsily, gradually becoming
aware of his surroundings. Sunlight filtered through the tall,
meadow grasses above him, forming jagged shadows across his body.
The ground was warm and damp beneath him, the scent of flowers
and moist earth hanging heavily in the air. Only the drowsy,
contented hum of bees broke the peaceful silence that blanketed
the world, a sound that soothed his initial alarm into
complacency.
Someone stirred against him. A woman lay on
the ground next to him, her body pressed against his. Her
head was cradled in the hollow of his shoulder, honey-colored
hair falling in loose strands around her face and her lips curved
into a peaceful smile. One hand was curled against his heart, the
slender fingers of the other tangled in his dark hair. She wore
only a cotton shift. Blue-black shadows outlined the soft
contours of her body, the graceful curve of her breasts, her
slender waist, her long, lanky legs.
Hitomi.
He was painfully aware of every place that
her body touched his, could feel her breathing against him. He
closed his eyes in sweet agony, trying to burn this image into
his mind. This couldn't be real. It was too beautiful, too
perfect. Slowly, cautiously, he closed his right hand over the
slender one resting against his chest. Through her palm, he could
feel his own heart beating.
Beat.
Beat.
She stirred more strongly this time. Her
eyes fluttered open, a startling emerald against the pale cream
and rose of her skin. Her face tipped towards him.
"Van," she said, softly.
"Van."
"Hitomi..." he breathed. "Is
it...can it...be true..?"
"Van," her voice was a sad, quiet
murmur. She raised herself until she was sitting above him, her
face sad and the sun highlighting every strand of fine, gold
hair. Her eyes glistened as she brushed her slender fingers
across his cheek. "Oh Van...."
A tear slid off her chin falling,
glistening gold in the midday sun. He watched it fall with
excruciating slowness. The sun burned in each tear as they
splattered against his chest, exploding into a blinding flash of
gold....
The light....
She was rising away from him.... Her hands
were at her throat and she was silently crying...crying...
Not again....not again....
He could feel the strange shift of bones
and muscles as his wings burst from his back. A storm of snow
white feathers drifted gently around him. He tensed, readying
himself for flight....
"No Van! No!"
There was a young girl clinging to his arm,
a girl with pert, feline features and a wide smile. Merle, the
Merle he had known during his childhood years. As she looked up
at him her face blurred and her body changed, until the woman was
the one who clutched him ,her azure eyes wild and her crimson
hair cascading in a waterfall of curls over her shoulders. Silent
tears trailed down her face as she pressed his hand to her heart,
arresting his attempt to push her away.
No Van....stay...
He jerked awake. Another dream. He inhaled a
long, shuddering breath, replaying the scenes in his mind. It was
always the same. Whenever he attempted to go after her he was
always stopped. Sometimes it was duty, or death, or someone he
loved. It didn't matter. The end result was always the same. He
would live a few precious moments of an impossibly perfect dream
with Hitomi, and then have her torn from his arms all over again.
How many times did he have to relive that
nightmare? How many times did he have to see the woman he loved
rise away from him, stolen by that cursed pillar of light? How
many times before he forgot? Unconsciously, his hand reached for
the pendant. Bare skin.
What? He bolted into a sitting position. For
the first time he noticed that he had not felt the familiar
weight of the pendant around his neck throughout the entire day.
Had the clasp broken? He swept the covers off the bed,
shaking them violently over the floor. There was no satisfying
clink of metal. No glint of sun off gold. The linen sheets
tumbled back onto the bed in an ungainly heap. Van was already on
his knees, scrambling around the room in a vain search for the
pendant. It didn't take long. Despite the fact that he was
Fanel's king, his rooms were plain and sparely furnished, not
much better than any common citizen's. Only the royal seal on the
door indicated that these were the royal bedchambers at all.
Van inhaled a slow breath, willing himself to
calm down and think rationally. When was the last time he had
seen the pendant? He sifted through his memories. Ah... He had
taken if off and fallen asleep by the window. Could it have....?
He pulled back the muslin curtains, staring down at the bushes
below him, a tangle of branches and vines. If it had fallen
out of the window, he would not be able to find it in
that mess. There had to be another way.
His eyes fluttered close as he raised a wall
between himself and his rising panic. An enforced calm- the same
that he used in battle- fell over him. His thoughts slowed and
stilled as he envisioned the pendant, the teardrop-shaped
amethyst dangling from a thin, gold chain. He focused his
thoughts on that shining stone, willing it to show him its
location. He waited.
But the pendant never moved.
* * * * *
The pendant was glowing, burning against her
palm. Merle could feel the insistent summons as Van called for
this last remnant of Atlantis, desperately trying to preserve
this last connection with the woman he loved. Her body trembled
as she focused every ounce of her will on the violet stone,
forcing it to resist answering its owner's call. In her mind's
eye she could see Van wandering, lost, in a void of darkness,
calling....calling....
"No Van," she whispered, "Don't.
Stop it... Stop it...."
* * * * *
It wasn't working.
Van's eyes flew open. Air came in deep, ragged
gasps as his body shuddered with the effort of such a prolonged
search. Where was it? It was as if the pendant did not even
exist. He had never failed in dousing- not since those first,
early attempts- why had it failed him now?
Van stared at his empty hands. He had nothing
now. That pendant had been the last tendril of connection to
Hitomi. How he could he bear the not knowing, not knowing if she
was married, had children, or was even alive. Even though he was
not a part of her life anymore, he had taken some small measure
of comfort of being able to see how she fared. What
would he do now? He knew all too well how fast memories became
distorted or faded into oblivion, how fast one forgot little
things like the sound of a voice, a face, an expression. It was
too easy, too easy to forget.
He buried his face in his hands, weeping
bitterly.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: *laughs* I'm going to be bad
and let you wonder if this is a V/H or a V/M romance. Sorry, but
I have never tried writing a story where the ending was not
completely obvious and I want to see if I can do it. ^^ Tell me
if you're surprised!
*blink* This chapter's short...only three
pages. Funny.
I apologize, the mood is completely off in this
chapter. It's supposed to begin on a half-humorous note and work
down into a state of frantic worry, but for some reason I just
kept on being humorous. ^^ My best friend and editor Rei-chan
read the first draft, blinked, and politely inquired to how much
sugar I had consumed in the last few days. I swear I haven't had
any- well, not much- I'm just unusually happy. *grin* I think
I've finally got the mood down right, but I can't be sure.
Ugh...stupid... I am NOT very pleased with this
chapter, so don't be surprised if it gets rewritten every now and
then.
This chapter is dedicated to my sister- who has
no idea who all these crazy people are or even what Escaflowne
is- but somehow tolerates and humors my frantic pleas to edit my
fanfic. Sis, you drive me crazy, up a wall, and three varieties
of nuts (peanut, walnut, and pecan), but I love ya anyway. Thanks
for everything! *glomp*
Ahem...and for the benefit of my dear friend
and one o' the cutest, most kind-hearted, sweet-natured girls in
the entire universe- Sasami-chan- I must tell you this: Quatre is
hers. Completely. Uncontested. I merely borrow him for my
author's notes 'cause he's so cute- seriously, don't you just
want to tie a bow around him and take him home? Anyway, I'm in
love with Sorata-kun! (^^ I bet you couldn't tell I'm hyper, huh?
I just finished a huge cup of ice cream and am suffering from
chocolate overload. Just be thankful I didn't order lemonade to
go with it. ^^ OK, I'll shut up now.)
Thank you for all the positive reviews but
seriously, DO tell me what I do wrong and where I can improve. I
want to constantly improve my writing style, and this is one of
the best places to do so. ^^
Enjoy!
