1 Chapter 5: The Duchess Arabella
Miguel knocked on the door. "My Lord?" he spoke softly. "My Lord, may I come in?" There was no reply, so Miguel pushed the door open.
Van still knelt beside the bed, Hitomi's hand in his light grasp as he slept. Miguel didn't want to wake him, but the business day awaited, and the king of Fanelia had to meet his new bride. He slowly walked over to Van and shook him. "My Lord, wake up. You have your business to attend to. Sire…"
Van opened his eyes and glanced up at Miguel. "Miguel…what…oh, yes. Business. What first?" He yawned. His gaze fell upon Hitomi again, and he frowned.
"You must greet the Duchess Arabella," Miguel replied, knowing that he was going to get some kind of resistance in reply. "Your majesty, you must remember your people…"
But Van was already on his feet, walking towards the door. He just wanted to get this day over with. There wasn't much more that could go wrong today, unless the duchess took an immediate liking to him. Then he'd be in trouble. Miguel stared after him, quite puzzled.
In his room, Van put on his royal robes. If it were up to him he wouldn't have even dreamt of wearing these damned clothes today. He'd spend his time with Hitomi in her room wearing something a little more comfortable. He had a dream last night that she was crying by the lakeside where he had told her… He growled at his reflection in the mirror. Damn him and his feelings!
Van stalked down to the council room, absolutely furious with himself. He swung the doors open and walked in, glaring at every single person at the long table as he did so. The dull roar suddenly died, as everyone beheld his majesty's scorn. Van strode to the other end of the table, and took his seat. "Let's get this over with," he told them all angrily. Van glared directly at Damien. He grinned back, that conniving, evil grin that taunted and teased.
The doors to the council room opened once more, and in came a petite little girl, no more than 12 years old, with wavy blond hair and dark eyes. Her eyes darted around the room, like a scared little rabbit. Van could swear she looked just like a miniature Melerna, and who was following shortly behind her but Allen Schezar. His features were aging slightly, but his telltale long blond hair still remained, and he wore his uniform. Van smiled when he saw him. He was glad to see another familiar face in this room of strangers and conspirators.
Van stood as Allen and the girl walked over to him. Miguel stood and joined them. Van shook Allen's hand graciously as Miguel said, "Sire, this is the Duchess Arabella of Tyran."
Van looked down at the girl, who tried her best to smile. She did a tiny curtsy, lifting the skirt of her straight pink and white dress with lace on the front off of the floor. Van could see that she was very nervous. He couldn't help but smile. He took her hand and kissed it. "Greetings Lady Arabella."
Arabella simply nodded, intimidated by the sheer size of him. "T-the pleasure is all m-mine, Lord Van Fanel," she stammered.
Allen grinned. "She's a bit shy, Van. We had a nice little conversation in the carriage on the way here, didn't we Belle?" he asked her, looking down. She nodded, smiling sheepishly. "It seems that you two have a lot in common." He winked. Arabella's face broke out into a huge grin.
Van raised an eyebrow, but didn't question him just yet. "You two must want to get to know each other," Miguel interrupted. "May I suggest taking the Duchess for a walk in the garden?"
Van nodded, smiling down at the small 12-year-old. She smiled back, a little more at ease now. He then turned to Allen. "I have to talk to you later, too," he said. "I'll call for you when I return from my chat with the Duchess. 'Til then, Allen."
Allen bowed and smiled. "Yes, you'll have a lot to talk about after you two get to know each other." He strode out the door, down the hallway.
Van took Arabella by the hand and gently led her down numerous hallways, asking her a few simple questions as he did, like what her favorite color was, how old she was, when was her birthday, just trying to make conversation. Arabella answered each one timidly, still quite afraid of him.
They arrived in the garden outside, fenced in by the palace walls. There was a single swing in the center, and Van headed toward it. Arabella sat down, while Van pushed her. For a while, they just did this in silence, not really knowing what to say to the other.
After a few moments, Van stopped pushing her on the swing and came around to sit on the ground of front of her. She tilted her head to one side. "What is the matter, Lord Van? You seem very perturbed," she asked him politely. For a 12-year-old, the girl sure knew her vocabulary.
Van sighed. "Duchess, I-"
She stopped him right here. "Please, Lord Van, call me Belle." She grimaced. "I hate being called 'Duchess'. It makes me sound so…formal."
Van smiled. "Very well, Belle. Then will you please call me simply Van?" She nodded, smiling back. "Alright. Anyway, Belle, I must admit to you…this marriage makes me…nervous."
She rolled her eyes. "You're telling me," she sighed. "I'm about to marry a man who's near twice my age."
Van chuckled. He was taking quite a liking to the girl, but not in the way he was supposed to, more like a brother-sister kind of relationship. "What I mean is…is that I'm in love with another. I was hoping that you wouldn't want to go through with this…" He sighed.
Belle grinned broadly and she threw her arms around him. "You have no idea how it pleases me to hear you say that!" she cried. "My father…he married me off just so he could acquire your lands, your kingdom, Van. And I…" She blushed. "I think that I too feel for another. I just wouldn't be able to live with myself if this marriage went ahead, both for him and for the guilt I would feel knowing that I was helping to feed my father's greed."
Van stared at her. This was marvelous! "So young and you're already in love!" He cried. But then he frowned. "What are we going to tell my council and your father?" he asked. "They both will be very angered. Damien especially." Van shuddered to think of Damien's icy gaze on him as Van tried to explain that he would not marry the Duchess of Tyran.
Belle thought for a moment. "Yes, quite the pickle," she said. Van chuckled at her choice of words. She smiled at him. "I've got it. I'll have Allen take me back to Austuria with him so I can stay with my cousin Melerna. That way, you can tell your council that I would not have it and left you, and my father will still think I am in Fanelia. While I stay in Austuria, Melerna can help me formulate a more solid ploy to tell my father, while this whole marriage business is out of your hair for good. Does that sound like a plan or what?" She grinned with pride at thinking of such a wonderful plan all by herself.
Van gaped at her. "That's brilliant!" He laughed. "I knew you looked like Melerna. She's your cousin?"
Belle nodded happily. "I used to visit her often when I was younger. But eventually father wanted me to stay home and learn how to be a lady." She pouted. "I don't like it much."
Van laughed again. "If you're anything like Melerna, you'll turn out just fine." Van picked her up with little effort and placed the Duchess of Tyran on his shoulders. "C'mon kiddo, let's get you back to the palace." Belle giggled in delight and held onto Van's head as he walked back inside.
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"I told you that you two had a lot in common," Allen chuckled when Van talked with him later. They were walking down the hall, which held Hitomi and Van's bedrooms. "So what's going on? Where's Belle now?"
"Well, I dropped Belle off at her room, where she took an immediate liking to Merle, and she says she's going back to Austuria with you to stay with Melerna," Van explained. "By the way Allen, why were you accompanying her? What were you doing near Tyran this time of year?" Van knew that Allen frequently visited Tyran on business, but usually did that in the spring of the year. It was now summer.
"I stayed in Tyran late this year," he explained. "I figured I needed a bit of a break, so I stayed there for a little while, and about two weeks ago the Duke came to me and asked if I would accompany his daughter to Fanelia. So I said, 'Pass up a chance to see Van again? Never! Certainly sir!' And now here I am." He paused for a moment. "So, what are you going to do about your problem now, Van? Are you going to bring Hitomi back?"
Van's step swaggered, and he caught himself on the wall. Obviously no one had told Allen about everything that had happened. "No one even mentioned to you…?"
Allen blinked. "Mentioned what?"
So Van sat propped against the wall, Allen next to him as he explained the whole thing. How Hitomi had just appeared again with this new girl, Akiko, how they wouldn't call off the marriage, how Hitomi had run off and somehow gotten hurt. Allen's eyes widened at every new detail of the story.
"Where is she now?" he asked Van, suddenly concerned.
Van stood up again and brushed himself off. "This way," he said, leading the way to the third door down. He opened it and let Allen in. The doctor was there once again, with a maid, removing Hitomi's bandages from her head.
Allen just stared. It was Hitomi alright, the gash on her forehead open to the air. On the bright side, it had stopped bleeding. "It looks like we'll be able to stitch it up," the doctor said, surprised. "Sire, I must request that you and Sir Allen wait outside. We shall be done momentarily."
Van smiled broadly. 'So she just may be ok,' he thought. He went to her and kissed her cheek. "I'll be back soon Hitomi. I promise." He walked outside with Allen, and waited.
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Hitomi had stopped crying long ago, and was wandering through the forest. "Where am I?" she asked herself. She was confused and dazed, and really hurt that Van had just left her. It was still nighttime, and that was strange because the sun definitely should have risen by now. Hitomi pushed her way through the woods, and once again, found herself by the lakeside.
"This is ridiculous!" she cried at the stars. "Why is it still dark?! Why can't I find my way out?!" It was then that she heard something in the water. Hitomi beheld beautiful woman with long black hair and huge white wings, dressed in royal clothing. 'A Draconian!' Hitomi thought. 'No, wait, not just any Draconian, she's…Van's mother, Varie!'
Hitomi wandered over to her, not able to speak. "Hello Hitomi," she said, smiling kindly. "You must be wondering why you're here." Hitomi nodded, still unable to find words.
Varie waded to shore, and sat down where the grass met the sand. Hitomi did too. "Your life hangs in the balance, Hitomi," she said bluntly. "Your body is in the palace, far from here. Right now, your subconscious is in the form of an astral being, something that can't be seen or heard by the conscious mind. I suppose that you remember next to nothing about last night, do you?"
Last night? Hitomi was beginning to understand. She had run off into the woods…and… "I don't remember anything after running away from Van," she admitted.
Varie softly touched Hitomi's forehead. The gash appeared and started bleeding. "You got hurt," she told her. "And if you don't get back to the palace soon, your body is going to die."
Hitomi put her fingers to her head and felt the blood. She looked at her hand. "How?" she asked Varie.
"A snake in the grass," Varie replied, staring at the sky.
Hitomi raised an eyebrow. "A snake did this?" she asked, pointing to her cut. "It must've been a pretty big snake…"
"He is," Varie said, still staring at the sky.
"He??" Hitomi asked, getting more confused by the minute. "What do you mean?"
"Time will tell, Hitomi," Varie replied. "Just know that my son Van cares deeply for you. He always has. He always will. Go to him. He misses you." Varie then closed her eyes, bowed her head and vanished.
Hitomi looked around. "Th-thank you, Varie," she told the stillness around her, still a tad confused. "Thank you."
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Miguel knocked on the door. "My Lord?" he spoke softly. "My Lord, may I come in?" There was no reply, so Miguel pushed the door open.
Van still knelt beside the bed, Hitomi's hand in his light grasp as he slept. Miguel didn't want to wake him, but the business day awaited, and the king of Fanelia had to meet his new bride. He slowly walked over to Van and shook him. "My Lord, wake up. You have your business to attend to. Sire…"
Van opened his eyes and glanced up at Miguel. "Miguel…what…oh, yes. Business. What first?" He yawned. His gaze fell upon Hitomi again, and he frowned.
"You must greet the Duchess Arabella," Miguel replied, knowing that he was going to get some kind of resistance in reply. "Your majesty, you must remember your people…"
But Van was already on his feet, walking towards the door. He just wanted to get this day over with. There wasn't much more that could go wrong today, unless the duchess took an immediate liking to him. Then he'd be in trouble. Miguel stared after him, quite puzzled.
In his room, Van put on his royal robes. If it were up to him he wouldn't have even dreamt of wearing these damned clothes today. He'd spend his time with Hitomi in her room wearing something a little more comfortable. He had a dream last night that she was crying by the lakeside where he had told her… He growled at his reflection in the mirror. Damn him and his feelings!
Van stalked down to the council room, absolutely furious with himself. He swung the doors open and walked in, glaring at every single person at the long table as he did so. The dull roar suddenly died, as everyone beheld his majesty's scorn. Van strode to the other end of the table, and took his seat. "Let's get this over with," he told them all angrily. Van glared directly at Damien. He grinned back, that conniving, evil grin that taunted and teased.
The doors to the council room opened once more, and in came a petite little girl, no more than 12 years old, with wavy blond hair and dark eyes. Her eyes darted around the room, like a scared little rabbit. Van could swear she looked just like a miniature Melerna, and who was following shortly behind her but Allen Schezar. His features were aging slightly, but his telltale long blond hair still remained, and he wore his uniform. Van smiled when he saw him. He was glad to see another familiar face in this room of strangers and conspirators.
Van stood as Allen and the girl walked over to him. Miguel stood and joined them. Van shook Allen's hand graciously as Miguel said, "Sire, this is the Duchess Arabella of Tyran."
Van looked down at the girl, who tried her best to smile. She did a tiny curtsy, lifting the skirt of her straight pink and white dress with lace on the front off of the floor. Van could see that she was very nervous. He couldn't help but smile. He took her hand and kissed it. "Greetings Lady Arabella."
Arabella simply nodded, intimidated by the sheer size of him. "T-the pleasure is all m-mine, Lord Van Fanel," she stammered.
Allen grinned. "She's a bit shy, Van. We had a nice little conversation in the carriage on the way here, didn't we Belle?" he asked her, looking down. She nodded, smiling sheepishly. "It seems that you two have a lot in common." He winked. Arabella's face broke out into a huge grin.
Van raised an eyebrow, but didn't question him just yet. "You two must want to get to know each other," Miguel interrupted. "May I suggest taking the Duchess for a walk in the garden?"
Van nodded, smiling down at the small 12-year-old. She smiled back, a little more at ease now. He then turned to Allen. "I have to talk to you later, too," he said. "I'll call for you when I return from my chat with the Duchess. 'Til then, Allen."
Allen bowed and smiled. "Yes, you'll have a lot to talk about after you two get to know each other." He strode out the door, down the hallway.
Van took Arabella by the hand and gently led her down numerous hallways, asking her a few simple questions as he did, like what her favorite color was, how old she was, when was her birthday, just trying to make conversation. Arabella answered each one timidly, still quite afraid of him.
They arrived in the garden outside, fenced in by the palace walls. There was a single swing in the center, and Van headed toward it. Arabella sat down, while Van pushed her. For a while, they just did this in silence, not really knowing what to say to the other.
After a few moments, Van stopped pushing her on the swing and came around to sit on the ground of front of her. She tilted her head to one side. "What is the matter, Lord Van? You seem very perturbed," she asked him politely. For a 12-year-old, the girl sure knew her vocabulary.
Van sighed. "Duchess, I-"
She stopped him right here. "Please, Lord Van, call me Belle." She grimaced. "I hate being called 'Duchess'. It makes me sound so…formal."
Van smiled. "Very well, Belle. Then will you please call me simply Van?" She nodded, smiling back. "Alright. Anyway, Belle, I must admit to you…this marriage makes me…nervous."
She rolled her eyes. "You're telling me," she sighed. "I'm about to marry a man who's near twice my age."
Van chuckled. He was taking quite a liking to the girl, but not in the way he was supposed to, more like a brother-sister kind of relationship. "What I mean is…is that I'm in love with another. I was hoping that you wouldn't want to go through with this…" He sighed.
Belle grinned broadly and she threw her arms around him. "You have no idea how it pleases me to hear you say that!" she cried. "My father…he married me off just so he could acquire your lands, your kingdom, Van. And I…" She blushed. "I think that I too feel for another. I just wouldn't be able to live with myself if this marriage went ahead, both for him and for the guilt I would feel knowing that I was helping to feed my father's greed."
Van stared at her. This was marvelous! "So young and you're already in love!" He cried. But then he frowned. "What are we going to tell my council and your father?" he asked. "They both will be very angered. Damien especially." Van shuddered to think of Damien's icy gaze on him as Van tried to explain that he would not marry the Duchess of Tyran.
Belle thought for a moment. "Yes, quite the pickle," she said. Van chuckled at her choice of words. She smiled at him. "I've got it. I'll have Allen take me back to Austuria with him so I can stay with my cousin Melerna. That way, you can tell your council that I would not have it and left you, and my father will still think I am in Fanelia. While I stay in Austuria, Melerna can help me formulate a more solid ploy to tell my father, while this whole marriage business is out of your hair for good. Does that sound like a plan or what?" She grinned with pride at thinking of such a wonderful plan all by herself.
Van gaped at her. "That's brilliant!" He laughed. "I knew you looked like Melerna. She's your cousin?"
Belle nodded happily. "I used to visit her often when I was younger. But eventually father wanted me to stay home and learn how to be a lady." She pouted. "I don't like it much."
Van laughed again. "If you're anything like Melerna, you'll turn out just fine." Van picked her up with little effort and placed the Duchess of Tyran on his shoulders. "C'mon kiddo, let's get you back to the palace." Belle giggled in delight and held onto Van's head as he walked back inside.
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"I told you that you two had a lot in common," Allen chuckled when Van talked with him later. They were walking down the hall, which held Hitomi and Van's bedrooms. "So what's going on? Where's Belle now?"
"Well, I dropped Belle off at her room, where she took an immediate liking to Merle, and she says she's going back to Austuria with you to stay with Melerna," Van explained. "By the way Allen, why were you accompanying her? What were you doing near Tyran this time of year?" Van knew that Allen frequently visited Tyran on business, but usually did that in the spring of the year. It was now summer.
"I stayed in Tyran late this year," he explained. "I figured I needed a bit of a break, so I stayed there for a little while, and about two weeks ago the Duke came to me and asked if I would accompany his daughter to Fanelia. So I said, 'Pass up a chance to see Van again? Never! Certainly sir!' And now here I am." He paused for a moment. "So, what are you going to do about your problem now, Van? Are you going to bring Hitomi back?"
Van's step swaggered, and he caught himself on the wall. Obviously no one had told Allen about everything that had happened. "No one even mentioned to you…?"
Allen blinked. "Mentioned what?"
So Van sat propped against the wall, Allen next to him as he explained the whole thing. How Hitomi had just appeared again with this new girl, Akiko, how they wouldn't call off the marriage, how Hitomi had run off and somehow gotten hurt. Allen's eyes widened at every new detail of the story.
"Where is she now?" he asked Van, suddenly concerned.
Van stood up again and brushed himself off. "This way," he said, leading the way to the third door down. He opened it and let Allen in. The doctor was there once again, with a maid, removing Hitomi's bandages from her head.
Allen just stared. It was Hitomi alright, the gash on her forehead open to the air. On the bright side, it had stopped bleeding. "It looks like we'll be able to stitch it up," the doctor said, surprised. "Sire, I must request that you and Sir Allen wait outside. We shall be done momentarily."
Van smiled broadly. 'So she just may be ok,' he thought. He went to her and kissed her cheek. "I'll be back soon Hitomi. I promise." He walked outside with Allen, and waited.
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Hitomi had stopped crying long ago, and was wandering through the forest. "Where am I?" she asked herself. She was confused and dazed, and really hurt that Van had just left her. It was still nighttime, and that was strange because the sun definitely should have risen by now. Hitomi pushed her way through the woods, and once again, found herself by the lakeside.
"This is ridiculous!" she cried at the stars. "Why is it still dark?! Why can't I find my way out?!" It was then that she heard something in the water. Hitomi beheld beautiful woman with long black hair and huge white wings, dressed in royal clothing. 'A Draconian!' Hitomi thought. 'No, wait, not just any Draconian, she's…Van's mother, Varie!'
Hitomi wandered over to her, not able to speak. "Hello Hitomi," she said, smiling kindly. "You must be wondering why you're here." Hitomi nodded, still unable to find words.
Varie waded to shore, and sat down where the grass met the sand. Hitomi did too. "Your life hangs in the balance, Hitomi," she said bluntly. "Your body is in the palace, far from here. Right now, your subconscious is in the form of an astral being, something that can't be seen or heard by the conscious mind. I suppose that you remember next to nothing about last night, do you?"
Last night? Hitomi was beginning to understand. She had run off into the woods…and… "I don't remember anything after running away from Van," she admitted.
Varie softly touched Hitomi's forehead. The gash appeared and started bleeding. "You got hurt," she told her. "And if you don't get back to the palace soon, your body is going to die."
Hitomi put her fingers to her head and felt the blood. She looked at her hand. "How?" she asked Varie.
"A snake in the grass," Varie replied, staring at the sky.
Hitomi raised an eyebrow. "A snake did this?" she asked, pointing to her cut. "It must've been a pretty big snake…"
"He is," Varie said, still staring at the sky.
"He??" Hitomi asked, getting more confused by the minute. "What do you mean?"
"Time will tell, Hitomi," Varie replied. "Just know that my son Van cares deeply for you. He always has. He always will. Go to him. He misses you." Varie then closed her eyes, bowed her head and vanished.
Hitomi looked around. "Th-thank you, Varie," she told the stillness around her, still a tad confused. "Thank you."
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