Chapter 3: Frozen Memories
Note: It's been a while since I've had time to work on this fic. Even though
not many people may remember this story anymore, here is chapter 3 of For
the Sake of Hope. And if this part seems a bit weird, I apologize since it
was written in the middle of a lecture I should have been paying more attention
too. Hopefully it won't be too bad. Happy reading everyone. Oh, and as always,
standard disclaimers apply.
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"I will not allow the tax collectors to harass Fanelia's citizens." Van leaned back in his chair and glared at the group of men seated around the table. The main recipient of the king's regard, financial minister Falco Sayrun, took a nervous breath that echoed in the otherwise silent room.
Refusing to back down in the face of his ruler's fierce scowl, Falco clasped his hands together to hide their trembling before continuing his argument. "Van-sama, the treasury may be full at the moment, but we won't have enough money for expenses if an emergency occurs. And given the instability of Gaea's politics, it would be better to play it safe than to be sorry later."
"Listen, Falco, I understand your worries about our economy. But after the recent reconstruction projects we've completed, I don't think it would be smart to pressure everyone so soon." Van sighed, raking a hand through his dark hair in frustration. "The Fanelian merchants and peasants deserve a respite, and I refuse to push them beyond their limits when we have enough to tide us over for the next couple of years."
"Why don't we crack down on the damn aristocrats?" suggested a cheery voice from across the conference table. "Goodness knows those leeches could use some bleeding dry."
Van smiled ruefully as all eyes turned towards a tall man sporting a head of deep chestnut hair and a glint of amusement in his sapphire eyes. With an irreverant grin, Lord Crispin de Montaigne returned the shocked stares directed at him from the members of Fanelia's council of advisors. Seemingly undaunted by having become the center of attention, the country's most talented diplomat looked towards his king expectantly.
"You have to admit that he has a point," murmured Van thoughtfully. "The aristocrats definitely have money to burn. The question is, how do we tax them without losing their political support? I really don't want a rebellion on my hands right now, especially after hearing last month that Prince Chid barely managed to calm down a group of Freid's angry noblemen."
"We'd have to erect whole monuments in their honor to even have a chance of getting into their pockets," snorted Falco disdainfully.
To everyone's surprise, a rare grin suddenly appeared on the king's face. "Why Falco, you may be on to something there. We could probably get tons of money for Fanelia's public works projects if we stroked the aristocracy's egos a bit."
The financial minister glanced at his king warily. Even after years of loyal service to the Fanelian government, his ruler's eccentricities still managed to unnerve him on occasion. "I don't quite follow, Van-sama."
"Why it's simple," Crispin spoke up. "The aristocrats are a greedy lot, but they'll grab any chance to outdo one another. Suppose we start a rumor that one of the noble families, say the Nyssans, have donated money for completing Fanelia's final reconstruction plans. And then we let it be known that the king happened to be incredibly grateful..." Crispin's deep voice trailed off suggestively, allowing the other men to draw their own conclusions.
A mercenary sparkle appeared in Falco's hawk-like eyes as he immediately caught on. "The other familes would be falling all over themselves to do the same in hopes of gaining royal favor. My, what a wicked mind you have, Crispin."
"You know I'm immune to flattery, Falco," replied the young diplomat cheerfully.
As the men leaned forward to share their ideas, the noise level in the room began to rise steadily. The king was soon distracted by all the excited chatter of the advisors, who were all too happy to pounce on a scheme that promised to put the stubborn nobles in their place. Nobody but Crispin looked up when the heavy wooden doors of the hall slid open to reveal a grim-faced soldier. Not even Van took notice when Crispin followed the soldier out of the room, leaving the king and his men to discuss their plans without him.
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Though Hitmoi suspected that she had been sitting in the large room for less than an hour, she could have sworn that a lifetime had passed since she and Akemi had reached Fanelia's palace. After escorting them to one of the castle's larger chambers, General Valdone and his soldiers had disappeared, leaving Hitomi and Akemi alone with two guards who stood watch just outside the doors. Exhausted by all that had happened, Akemi had collapsed on top of a comfy bed located in the corner of the room and was soon fast asleep. Hitomi marveled at the girl's ability to rest so peacefully after having been transported to an entirely different world.
Without anything else to occupy her attention, Hitomi stared in awe at her luxurious surroundings. The surface of the wooden chairs and tables were decorated with intricate carvings that served to increase the furniture's natural elegance. Tapestries hung on the stone walls, their bright colors immediately capturing Hitomi's attention. Much to her bewilderment, she belatedly realized that the scenes depicted by the colorful threads were from the war against Zaibach ten years before. From what she had observed, it was hard to believe that this city had been completely burned to the ground a decade earlier. Apparently Van had done a wonderful job, and Hitomi couldn't have been more proud.
She swallowed nervously as her mind filled with an image of a grim- faced fifteen year old boy with raven hair and deep brown eyes. It had been years since the mental connection between them had been severed, and even longer since she'd seen his face. Had Van changed much? Did he miss her? Why hadn't he tried to contact her? And most importantly, did he still care about her?
The flow of her thoughts was suddenly interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps and a low murmur of voices from outside. Startled by the noise, Akemi sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes in irritation. But before she could even open her mouth to say a word, the doors were flung wide open and three people strode into the room. Akemi easily recognized the first as General Valdone, who was followed by a tall, elegantly dressed man with chestnut brown hair and a cheerful smile on his face.
But it was the third individual who captured the young girl's full attention. Akemi's mouth fell open as she stood up and found herself staring into a face that was more feline than human. Short strawberry blonde hair curled around the person's pointy ears and leather shoes poked out from underneath her simple yellow dress. However, the cat-woman remained oblivious to Akemi's examination since her own eyes were riveted on the sandy-haired woman standing next to the bed. Akemi barely had time to dodge before the creature rushed towards her track coach with an ear-splitting squeal.
"HITOMI!" Merle flung her arms around her old friend enthusiastically, almost knocking both of them to the ground with her exuberance.
Hitomi smiled in surprise as she realized that the person hugging her was the same cat-girl who had loved to tease her ten years earlier. "Merle, I can't believe it's you! You've gotten so much taller, I didn't even recognize you at first."
Merle let go of Hitomi and leveled an angry look at Valdone. "I can't believe you didn't bring her to Van-sama immediately. What were you thinking, keeping her locked up in here for the past few hours? The king's waited more than ten years to see her again!"
"Why?" asked Akemi curiously. "Do you know their king, Sensei?"
Ignoring the blush that appeared on Hitomi's cheeks, Crispin spoke up and gave her a deep bow. "I apologize for the inconvenience, Lady Hitomi. Please excuse General Valdone, he was only doing his job."
"Does it a little too well sometimes," muttered Merle under her breath as Valdone bowed in apology. "The man practically wants to keep Van-sama locked up in the castle for his protection!"
Crispin laughed. "Now, Merle, Van is King here. You can't expect us to just let him prance around freely without any guards, even if he's one of the best swordsmen around." Turning back to Hitomi and Akemi, Crispin flashed a charming smile. "My name is Crispin de Montaigne, and I'm pleased to finally meet the famous seeress from the Mystic Moon. If you'd follow us, please?"
"Where are we going?" asked Akemi as she followed the others out the door and into the winding halls of the castle.
"Where else? You're going to meet our king," replied Merle with a grin as she took up the lead and bounded down the corrider at incredible speed. With their constant track training, Hitomi and Akemi both kept up easily, and soon all five of them stood before a pair of large wooden doors at the end of a hallway lit by numerous torches hanging on the walls.
Hitomi swallowed nervously as the door suddenly opened and a group of loud men filed out of the room. In their midst was a tall man in a simple blue shirt and brown pants, who was busy speaking to someone next to him. Hitomi found herself staring at a face that seemed so different, yet strangely familiar at the same time. The long bangs still fell over his dark brown eyes, but the boy she remembered had grown much taller and a bit more muscular. As if sensing her scrutiny, the man looked up and froze as brown eyes locked with those of emerald green.
Nobody moved. Hitomi released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, but her feet were planted on firmly in place. Not taking her eyes off his, she offered a tentative smile and held out a hand. In a heartbeat, the man rushed forward and seconds later Hitomi found herself wrapped in a pair of strong arms, her cheek pressed against the reassuring beat of Van's heart. All doubt gone, Hitomi slid her own arms around his lean waist and squeezed, refusing to let go despite their audience.
Akemi found herself gawking rudely, unable to tear her eyes away from the couple locked in a rather demonstrative embrace. The two didn't speak a word -- they didn't have to, for their actions said it all. The man showed no signs of releasing Hitomi any time soon, and Hitomi herself seemed content to stay in his arms for the rest of the day. Blushing a deep red, Akemi glanced at the cat-woman beside her, but Merle merely grinned smugly as she watched the reunion through tear- filled eyes.
"Well, young girl from the Mystic Moon," said Crispin as he stepped forward to stand beside Akemi, his low voice laced with humor. "Meet Van de Fanel, king of Fanelia."
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I apologize for the way this chapter turned out. It was written in a bit
of a rush, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Any comments and constructive
criticism are always welcome, and I hope the reunion scene didn't disappoint
you all too much. Until next time, take care!