Dragon Burn
By Amanda Wardropper
Confessions and proposals of the damned
Chapter 16 - Castle of New Fanelia, forests of Fanelia, New Fanelia castle.
Several weeks later.
Van was lying on his back, in his chambers, on his bed. He watched the little velvet pouch rise and fall on his chest, along with his unlabored breathing. This was the hardest thing he had ever had to consider in his life. One mistake and, well, his life wouldn't be worth living. This had to be perfect. He was scared out of his wits, not only from what he was about to do, but from trying to get used to the strange new presence of Escaflowne in his mind.
*I think you should go through with it.* the dragon said, flatly.
He grunted, "What do you know, dragon!"
* I know that if you don't do this, you'll regret it.*
He groaned, "I know! But ... how do I say it?"
* Simple, you just say ...*
"Alright! I don't need your help!"
*You need my courage* The dragon put in slyly. He was sun bathing outside on the castles roof.
Van rolled over, picking up the small pouch. He sat up and lifted himself off the bed.
* Where are you going?*
"I'm going for a ride."
*Can I come?*
"If you want, but I'm using my own wings." The dragon was insistent in that Van should always ride him, Escaflowne was very demanding and possessive.
*Fine!* He also liked flying. Van heaved a weary sigh and stuffed the pouch in his trouser pocket. Rather than waste another shirt he took it off.
When he stepped out onto the balcony Escaflowne was already gliding lazily in circles. Van let out his wings, Hitomi was right, they did hurt, but he ignored the pain, most times, what was his pain compared to someone trying to hurt his friends, or trying to take her away from him.
He took flight and caught up with the white beast. He thrust himself into a cork screw dive and pulled away from it before he hit the forest floor.
The sun was out in full today, after the stormy weather of the previous, and birds were flying across the vast expanse of forest, right up to the horizon. He tagged along in their wake, joining in with their acrobatics. He was releasing the pent up stress and having a good time before he had to return to pour his heart out.
The dragons huge wings beat down the air as it rose up in the currents. *Hey! Coooooool!* It bellowed as it swung round and dived. The birds scattered and Van roared in laughter as the white bulk lost it's balance and clumsily skimmed the tree tops.
Hitomi had recovered now and was in one of the beautiful gardens. Her wings were out, she was trying to get the hang of flying, she also wanted Van not to think of her as a clumsy duckling. She was hovering above a fountain, so far she'd managed to take off and land fairly good, but the actual flying was the hardest part. She was getting used to the pain now, like Van said she would. She was performing lazy circles around the fountain when she heard a low rumble and some quiet speech, *Hey! Coooooooool!* It was Escaflowne. She didn't understand how she could hear the beast, it was Van's dragon, he was the one blood packed to it.
*You both share the same heart beat.*
"What!"
*You share the same beat of the heart. He gave your breath of life back to you and you now share his heart beat. I can hear you and you me because I can sense both of your hearts.* Hitomi had dubbed this The Mind Link, when all who are in it share something in common. In this instance all three had the same rhythm and strength of heart beat.
She lost her balance and made an emergency landing. She thought she would never get the hang of this. *Hold on! We come!*
"No! No Escaflwone! I'm alright." She didn't want Van to see her embarrassment at not being able to fly.
"What happened?"
*She fell.*
"Well, what was she doing?"
*Learning to fly, so you wouldn't think less of her.* One good thing about having a dragon was that he had almost no sense of privacy and told his rider almost everything. He sniggered as the dragon sent an image to his minds eye. *She says she looks like a clumsy duckling.*
"Better go pick her up out of the pound then."
She heard a rustling in the trees above her and a gentle voice ask, "You need a hand there?" She sat up and faced him. Van was leaning on a branch, he grinned at her.
"No, I'm quite fine thank you." She picked herself up.
He hopped down and said, "What's the matter, the little duckling start drowning again?"
"I hate that dragon of yours." She grumbled.
*Hey! Don't blame me, you wanna learn how to fly? Me and Van will teach you, all ya have to do is ask. He won't think any less of you.* She glowered at the beast hovering above the trees.
"I'm doing fine by myself."
"Looks that way an'all." he said, strolling over to her.
She sighed heavily and flapped her wings lazily.
He noticed now that after a couple of weeks her wings now had the sheen that was intended for Draconian wings. Having just realized she had wings she wasn't aware of the fact that they were fully grown. Draconian wings, when the person reached maturity, turned almost a blinding white and acquired glittery, star-like, auras. Hers was now like that. When sized up against each other, male Draconian wings tended to be slightly larger than that of a females but with the same sheen.
"Here, let me show you, Draconian to Draconian." He took up a position to her side. He looked her way and added, "I promise I won't think any less of you if you ask for help, that's how I learned." Her shoulders untensed in resognition.
"It gets easier with practice, I promise. All you have to do is ... imagine you're going to run." He took up the stance, "Instead of running though, you draw your wings up and bring them down, just as you set off." He did so as an example. He swerved around in mid-air, to face her, "Now, you try."
"It's alright for you, though, Van, you've lived with them all your life."
He looked away, "Yeah, be glad you didn't have to, I'd rather die a thousand times than see you go through the same prejudice I went through."
She took off, if a little shaky, and came up beside him, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."
"It's OK" He said, turning back to her, "Just remember that, no matter how lucky you think you are to have wings, in the eyes of normal people, you are a demon sent to terrorize them." She wrapped her arms around him and lay her head on his broad shoulders.
"I'm so sorry." She whispered. He stroked her back and kissed the top of her head, "It's alright. Just remember though." There had been times when he'd been over joyed to have wings, many of those times, Hitomi would have met her death if he hadn't of been so quick on his wings. Others he cursed, people held grudges against his people, and now they held grudges against her, that was what angered him most.
He broke away, so he could teach her the next lesson.
She wasn't a bad flier, she didn't look like a duckling at all, to him it was a swan, but that was him being bias. Before long, he had her doing cork screws with him and loops. Unfortunately, he had to leave her to practicing, as a Lord holder meeting had been called. He bid farewell to her and raced off, Escaflowne decided it was time for a nap in the midday sun, so Hitomi was left to herself.
She stared off at the angel, she wished she could do something to mend his broken heart. He'd been raised in a culture that forbade him to use his wings, ever since he was a child, a culture that circled him out as an outcast, different from others, a demon. She understood how he felt now, she wouldn't be able to were it not for the fact that they were one and the same.
She turned around in the air and landed on a tree top. She sat there, watching the horizon, the sun, the Mystic Moon. "I love you Van." She whispered, "I love you so much, but we can't be together, we're from two different worlds. I will have to return home soon, but how much time have I got left with you?" A tear ran down her cheek, "Why does it have to be this way? Why can't I be with him?" She was asking fate the questions. Lady fate had brought them together and ripped them apart. Then brought them back together and healed their wounded hearts, but now it looked like She was going to take all of it away again. The tears came freely now and Hitomi buried her head in her arms and knees. The gentle breeze ruffled the leaves loose. As it trailed by her, she thought she could hear it say, "Trust in him. Love will find a way."
She looked up and whispered into the wind, hoping her prayer would be answered, "I want to be with you again, Van. I don't want anyone but you, I can't."
Van darted down the corridor, he was over joyed that, for once, he had gotten the better of the eight Lord Holders. They'd been ranting on about this for weeks and now he'd been able to shove it back in their faces and shut them up. He opened the door to his rooms and stepped in. The balcony door had been left open, from when he had taken a trip out earlier that afternoon. He felt alive with jubilation and felt like he could face what he had to do, here and now.
*That's the spirit!* His dragon encouraged.
He was just about to get changed when he heard something outside. It sounded like singing. It wasn't a happy song, and it wasn't Gaean. (Yes I know this songs from the movie and was sung by Sora, I do not own it and have not got the right to manipulate it like this, please forgive me). It was a heavenly song, despite it's genre. The person singing it was obviously troubled but still had one helluva voice. Strangely, the voice seemed familiar. He decided to go take a look and see who it was.
"Win dain a lotica
En vai tu ri ..."
He stood at the balconies edge, bewildered. It was Hitomi, she was sitting on the side of the fountain, running a hand through it's waters and flapping her wings soothingly in the breeze, singing to the stars and moons.
"Win chent a lotica
En vai tu ri ..."
Her voice was soft and mellow as any angel from the high heavens. Her voice was better than he remembered it from the gather, but the sad tone to it worried him deeply.
"La la la la la la la la ...
Fontina blu cent,
De cravi esca letisimo..."
He wanted to put a stop to her anguish, he didn't like to see her like this, but something about the song was bewitching to him. Without realizing it he had drawn his wings and was gliding down to the gardens where she sat.
"La la la la la la la la ...
De quantian
La finde reve..."
She trailed off when she heard a dull thud on the ground behind her, she turned to look. The white dragon, Escaflowne stared back at her. *Your voice can bewitch dragons Hitomi.* It said, giving the equivalent of a smile. *You have a nice voice.*
She heard another thunk behind her, she turned round to her old position. Glistening white wings flowed gracefully out from the arched back of a figure. He'd just landed and was still braced. He drew himself upright, "Hitomi .." He asked, "what's wrong? I never heard you sing like that, it was aslmost bewitching if it weren't for the sad note."
She stood slowly, she didn't trust her voice right now, but she would have to chance it, she needed to tell him how she felt about him before she had to leave. "Van ... I .. have to ... go." She said between breaths, it was the only thing she could do to keep herself from crying. "I can't stay here ..... But I want you to ..."
Everything was falling apart for him, she was going back to the Mystic Moon from whence she came. All his plans, his hopes, his dreams were slowly giving in.
He held out a limp hand, "Hitomi ....." He whispered in anguish.
"Van, please I don't want ...!" She broke down in sobs. "I don't know if the gate will remain open between our worlds ... I might never be able to see you again." He stood closer to her and enfolded her in his arms, "Hitomi ... no, the gate will stay open." He promised.
*It will.* the dragon reassured, * My queen will make sure of that.*
Her head jerked up, "What?" She whispered.
*The dragon queen is the one who controls the gate between worlds, as long as she, or her blood line remain, the gate will too.*
She looked into Van's eyes, he'd heard it too.
"Then I ..."
"Don't you remember, Hitomi? You can go between worlds as many times as you want!" He remembered something then, "That means, you can ..." He broke away and reached into his pocket.
He took out the small, blue velvet pouch and held it in his hand. He tipped it upside down and something dropped out, his hand closed around it before she could see.
There was still hope for them, he realized, it was now or never. He kneeled down on one knee, a fist to the ground and the other, with the item in it, held to his heart. He dropped his wings to the ground, they spread around him. He bowed his head and asked her, "Hitomi Kanzaki, will you marry me and be my queen?" He bowed his head lower, "I promise to protect you with my life." He lifted his head up to meet her gaze, tears were blurring his vision, "Please! I am dead to the world, the only thing that can give back my life is you. If you say no, my life is forfeit." It wasn't a threat, it was the truth, if she said no, his life wouldn't be worth it and he would willingly die. She was the only person who could breath life back into him.
Hitomi stared, wide eyed, down at the Draconian kneeling before her. He was saying that he would willingly kill himself, a pack that Draconians made and intended to keep. Just like the blood pack, a death pack would last until it saw the result. It was serious for a Draconian to speak these words out loud. She realized that it wasn't a threat to her, personally, but to say that he couldn't bare to suffer, however long, another period without her.
The slight breeze blew some strands of hair across her face as her hand hovered infront of her mouth.
"Ever since I first met you, I've wanted no other but you, Hitomi." He added, a little apprehensive.
"And I, you, Van." She whispered from behind her hand. Her mind was whirling so fast she couldn't make sense of any of it. She didn't know what to do. What should I do? She thought.
*Say yes!* The dragon commanded.
"Please!" Van said, weakly and helplessly. "I pledge my life to you."
She lowered her hand, all of a sudden her wings felt heavy. "Yes." She whispered, under her breath.
Van's head shot up and he stared at her for a long while, dumbfoundedly. "Yes." She said, a little louder, "I will ... I will marry you, Van."
He swiftly stood and opened the palm of the hand over his heart, he held it out to her, a boyish grin spread on his face. She looked down at the ring, it was golden, with a design that looked like a serpent biting it's own tail. "It's the sign of eternity." He explained as he held her left hand. "There's no beginning and no end." He slid the ring onto her finger, it fit. He looked down into her emerald eyes.
"On one condition." She added.
He frowned, but it melted away and he said, "Name it, and it's yours, my queen." He held her waist to him.
She folded her arms around his neck, "Never, EVER, get me pregnant again, 'cos if you do, I'll have you castrated!"
His face turned from playful to utter astonishment, and paled. He stared at her in disbelief. Finally he placed a hand on her stomach, roughly where her womb would soon grow in size, and whispered in awe, "Not you too?" He'd only just heard today that Merle was pregnant with Tirones litter. Now, to hear that, he was going to be a father ...
Instead of saying something that would do some good he slipped and asked, "Is it mine?"
Escaflowne groaned *You are unbelievably THICK for a king.*
She smiled and gave a lilting laugh and said, sarcastically, "NO, it's Allen's!" Her voice turned compassionate, "Of coarse it's yours, Van! Sheeesh, are all
Draconians like you?"
He smiled, sensually, "I don't know, but I DO know that on nights when the moons hang full in the sky," He leaned closer, "we can be a very lustful race."
His breath caressed her lips as he asked, in a hushed tone, "Wanna go for a ride?"
Rather than have his dragon invade their privacy he folded his wings around her, shutting Escaflowne out of view.
*Hey!* It protested.
He held her closer as their lips touched and the spark began anew.
Her wings were stretched out behind her, waving gently as her body bent
backwards to receive his kiss. When his head lifted, she whispered, "You give the best rides Van."
He grinned down at her and asked, in a low murmer, "How was I?"
By Amanda Wardropper
Confessions and proposals of the damned
Chapter 16 - Castle of New Fanelia, forests of Fanelia, New Fanelia castle.
Several weeks later.
Van was lying on his back, in his chambers, on his bed. He watched the little velvet pouch rise and fall on his chest, along with his unlabored breathing. This was the hardest thing he had ever had to consider in his life. One mistake and, well, his life wouldn't be worth living. This had to be perfect. He was scared out of his wits, not only from what he was about to do, but from trying to get used to the strange new presence of Escaflowne in his mind.
*I think you should go through with it.* the dragon said, flatly.
He grunted, "What do you know, dragon!"
* I know that if you don't do this, you'll regret it.*
He groaned, "I know! But ... how do I say it?"
* Simple, you just say ...*
"Alright! I don't need your help!"
*You need my courage* The dragon put in slyly. He was sun bathing outside on the castles roof.
Van rolled over, picking up the small pouch. He sat up and lifted himself off the bed.
* Where are you going?*
"I'm going for a ride."
*Can I come?*
"If you want, but I'm using my own wings." The dragon was insistent in that Van should always ride him, Escaflowne was very demanding and possessive.
*Fine!* He also liked flying. Van heaved a weary sigh and stuffed the pouch in his trouser pocket. Rather than waste another shirt he took it off.
When he stepped out onto the balcony Escaflowne was already gliding lazily in circles. Van let out his wings, Hitomi was right, they did hurt, but he ignored the pain, most times, what was his pain compared to someone trying to hurt his friends, or trying to take her away from him.
He took flight and caught up with the white beast. He thrust himself into a cork screw dive and pulled away from it before he hit the forest floor.
The sun was out in full today, after the stormy weather of the previous, and birds were flying across the vast expanse of forest, right up to the horizon. He tagged along in their wake, joining in with their acrobatics. He was releasing the pent up stress and having a good time before he had to return to pour his heart out.
The dragons huge wings beat down the air as it rose up in the currents. *Hey! Coooooool!* It bellowed as it swung round and dived. The birds scattered and Van roared in laughter as the white bulk lost it's balance and clumsily skimmed the tree tops.
Hitomi had recovered now and was in one of the beautiful gardens. Her wings were out, she was trying to get the hang of flying, she also wanted Van not to think of her as a clumsy duckling. She was hovering above a fountain, so far she'd managed to take off and land fairly good, but the actual flying was the hardest part. She was getting used to the pain now, like Van said she would. She was performing lazy circles around the fountain when she heard a low rumble and some quiet speech, *Hey! Coooooooool!* It was Escaflowne. She didn't understand how she could hear the beast, it was Van's dragon, he was the one blood packed to it.
*You both share the same heart beat.*
"What!"
*You share the same beat of the heart. He gave your breath of life back to you and you now share his heart beat. I can hear you and you me because I can sense both of your hearts.* Hitomi had dubbed this The Mind Link, when all who are in it share something in common. In this instance all three had the same rhythm and strength of heart beat.
She lost her balance and made an emergency landing. She thought she would never get the hang of this. *Hold on! We come!*
"No! No Escaflwone! I'm alright." She didn't want Van to see her embarrassment at not being able to fly.
"What happened?"
*She fell.*
"Well, what was she doing?"
*Learning to fly, so you wouldn't think less of her.* One good thing about having a dragon was that he had almost no sense of privacy and told his rider almost everything. He sniggered as the dragon sent an image to his minds eye. *She says she looks like a clumsy duckling.*
"Better go pick her up out of the pound then."
She heard a rustling in the trees above her and a gentle voice ask, "You need a hand there?" She sat up and faced him. Van was leaning on a branch, he grinned at her.
"No, I'm quite fine thank you." She picked herself up.
He hopped down and said, "What's the matter, the little duckling start drowning again?"
"I hate that dragon of yours." She grumbled.
*Hey! Don't blame me, you wanna learn how to fly? Me and Van will teach you, all ya have to do is ask. He won't think any less of you.* She glowered at the beast hovering above the trees.
"I'm doing fine by myself."
"Looks that way an'all." he said, strolling over to her.
She sighed heavily and flapped her wings lazily.
He noticed now that after a couple of weeks her wings now had the sheen that was intended for Draconian wings. Having just realized she had wings she wasn't aware of the fact that they were fully grown. Draconian wings, when the person reached maturity, turned almost a blinding white and acquired glittery, star-like, auras. Hers was now like that. When sized up against each other, male Draconian wings tended to be slightly larger than that of a females but with the same sheen.
"Here, let me show you, Draconian to Draconian." He took up a position to her side. He looked her way and added, "I promise I won't think any less of you if you ask for help, that's how I learned." Her shoulders untensed in resognition.
"It gets easier with practice, I promise. All you have to do is ... imagine you're going to run." He took up the stance, "Instead of running though, you draw your wings up and bring them down, just as you set off." He did so as an example. He swerved around in mid-air, to face her, "Now, you try."
"It's alright for you, though, Van, you've lived with them all your life."
He looked away, "Yeah, be glad you didn't have to, I'd rather die a thousand times than see you go through the same prejudice I went through."
She took off, if a little shaky, and came up beside him, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."
"It's OK" He said, turning back to her, "Just remember that, no matter how lucky you think you are to have wings, in the eyes of normal people, you are a demon sent to terrorize them." She wrapped her arms around him and lay her head on his broad shoulders.
"I'm so sorry." She whispered. He stroked her back and kissed the top of her head, "It's alright. Just remember though." There had been times when he'd been over joyed to have wings, many of those times, Hitomi would have met her death if he hadn't of been so quick on his wings. Others he cursed, people held grudges against his people, and now they held grudges against her, that was what angered him most.
He broke away, so he could teach her the next lesson.
She wasn't a bad flier, she didn't look like a duckling at all, to him it was a swan, but that was him being bias. Before long, he had her doing cork screws with him and loops. Unfortunately, he had to leave her to practicing, as a Lord holder meeting had been called. He bid farewell to her and raced off, Escaflowne decided it was time for a nap in the midday sun, so Hitomi was left to herself.
She stared off at the angel, she wished she could do something to mend his broken heart. He'd been raised in a culture that forbade him to use his wings, ever since he was a child, a culture that circled him out as an outcast, different from others, a demon. She understood how he felt now, she wouldn't be able to were it not for the fact that they were one and the same.
She turned around in the air and landed on a tree top. She sat there, watching the horizon, the sun, the Mystic Moon. "I love you Van." She whispered, "I love you so much, but we can't be together, we're from two different worlds. I will have to return home soon, but how much time have I got left with you?" A tear ran down her cheek, "Why does it have to be this way? Why can't I be with him?" She was asking fate the questions. Lady fate had brought them together and ripped them apart. Then brought them back together and healed their wounded hearts, but now it looked like She was going to take all of it away again. The tears came freely now and Hitomi buried her head in her arms and knees. The gentle breeze ruffled the leaves loose. As it trailed by her, she thought she could hear it say, "Trust in him. Love will find a way."
She looked up and whispered into the wind, hoping her prayer would be answered, "I want to be with you again, Van. I don't want anyone but you, I can't."
Van darted down the corridor, he was over joyed that, for once, he had gotten the better of the eight Lord Holders. They'd been ranting on about this for weeks and now he'd been able to shove it back in their faces and shut them up. He opened the door to his rooms and stepped in. The balcony door had been left open, from when he had taken a trip out earlier that afternoon. He felt alive with jubilation and felt like he could face what he had to do, here and now.
*That's the spirit!* His dragon encouraged.
He was just about to get changed when he heard something outside. It sounded like singing. It wasn't a happy song, and it wasn't Gaean. (Yes I know this songs from the movie and was sung by Sora, I do not own it and have not got the right to manipulate it like this, please forgive me). It was a heavenly song, despite it's genre. The person singing it was obviously troubled but still had one helluva voice. Strangely, the voice seemed familiar. He decided to go take a look and see who it was.
"Win dain a lotica
En vai tu ri ..."
He stood at the balconies edge, bewildered. It was Hitomi, she was sitting on the side of the fountain, running a hand through it's waters and flapping her wings soothingly in the breeze, singing to the stars and moons.
"Win chent a lotica
En vai tu ri ..."
Her voice was soft and mellow as any angel from the high heavens. Her voice was better than he remembered it from the gather, but the sad tone to it worried him deeply.
"La la la la la la la la ...
Fontina blu cent,
De cravi esca letisimo..."
He wanted to put a stop to her anguish, he didn't like to see her like this, but something about the song was bewitching to him. Without realizing it he had drawn his wings and was gliding down to the gardens where she sat.
"La la la la la la la la ...
De quantian
La finde reve..."
She trailed off when she heard a dull thud on the ground behind her, she turned to look. The white dragon, Escaflowne stared back at her. *Your voice can bewitch dragons Hitomi.* It said, giving the equivalent of a smile. *You have a nice voice.*
She heard another thunk behind her, she turned round to her old position. Glistening white wings flowed gracefully out from the arched back of a figure. He'd just landed and was still braced. He drew himself upright, "Hitomi .." He asked, "what's wrong? I never heard you sing like that, it was aslmost bewitching if it weren't for the sad note."
She stood slowly, she didn't trust her voice right now, but she would have to chance it, she needed to tell him how she felt about him before she had to leave. "Van ... I .. have to ... go." She said between breaths, it was the only thing she could do to keep herself from crying. "I can't stay here ..... But I want you to ..."
Everything was falling apart for him, she was going back to the Mystic Moon from whence she came. All his plans, his hopes, his dreams were slowly giving in.
He held out a limp hand, "Hitomi ....." He whispered in anguish.
"Van, please I don't want ...!" She broke down in sobs. "I don't know if the gate will remain open between our worlds ... I might never be able to see you again." He stood closer to her and enfolded her in his arms, "Hitomi ... no, the gate will stay open." He promised.
*It will.* the dragon reassured, * My queen will make sure of that.*
Her head jerked up, "What?" She whispered.
*The dragon queen is the one who controls the gate between worlds, as long as she, or her blood line remain, the gate will too.*
She looked into Van's eyes, he'd heard it too.
"Then I ..."
"Don't you remember, Hitomi? You can go between worlds as many times as you want!" He remembered something then, "That means, you can ..." He broke away and reached into his pocket.
He took out the small, blue velvet pouch and held it in his hand. He tipped it upside down and something dropped out, his hand closed around it before she could see.
There was still hope for them, he realized, it was now or never. He kneeled down on one knee, a fist to the ground and the other, with the item in it, held to his heart. He dropped his wings to the ground, they spread around him. He bowed his head and asked her, "Hitomi Kanzaki, will you marry me and be my queen?" He bowed his head lower, "I promise to protect you with my life." He lifted his head up to meet her gaze, tears were blurring his vision, "Please! I am dead to the world, the only thing that can give back my life is you. If you say no, my life is forfeit." It wasn't a threat, it was the truth, if she said no, his life wouldn't be worth it and he would willingly die. She was the only person who could breath life back into him.
Hitomi stared, wide eyed, down at the Draconian kneeling before her. He was saying that he would willingly kill himself, a pack that Draconians made and intended to keep. Just like the blood pack, a death pack would last until it saw the result. It was serious for a Draconian to speak these words out loud. She realized that it wasn't a threat to her, personally, but to say that he couldn't bare to suffer, however long, another period without her.
The slight breeze blew some strands of hair across her face as her hand hovered infront of her mouth.
"Ever since I first met you, I've wanted no other but you, Hitomi." He added, a little apprehensive.
"And I, you, Van." She whispered from behind her hand. Her mind was whirling so fast she couldn't make sense of any of it. She didn't know what to do. What should I do? She thought.
*Say yes!* The dragon commanded.
"Please!" Van said, weakly and helplessly. "I pledge my life to you."
She lowered her hand, all of a sudden her wings felt heavy. "Yes." She whispered, under her breath.
Van's head shot up and he stared at her for a long while, dumbfoundedly. "Yes." She said, a little louder, "I will ... I will marry you, Van."
He swiftly stood and opened the palm of the hand over his heart, he held it out to her, a boyish grin spread on his face. She looked down at the ring, it was golden, with a design that looked like a serpent biting it's own tail. "It's the sign of eternity." He explained as he held her left hand. "There's no beginning and no end." He slid the ring onto her finger, it fit. He looked down into her emerald eyes.
"On one condition." She added.
He frowned, but it melted away and he said, "Name it, and it's yours, my queen." He held her waist to him.
She folded her arms around his neck, "Never, EVER, get me pregnant again, 'cos if you do, I'll have you castrated!"
His face turned from playful to utter astonishment, and paled. He stared at her in disbelief. Finally he placed a hand on her stomach, roughly where her womb would soon grow in size, and whispered in awe, "Not you too?" He'd only just heard today that Merle was pregnant with Tirones litter. Now, to hear that, he was going to be a father ...
Instead of saying something that would do some good he slipped and asked, "Is it mine?"
Escaflowne groaned *You are unbelievably THICK for a king.*
She smiled and gave a lilting laugh and said, sarcastically, "NO, it's Allen's!" Her voice turned compassionate, "Of coarse it's yours, Van! Sheeesh, are all
Draconians like you?"
He smiled, sensually, "I don't know, but I DO know that on nights when the moons hang full in the sky," He leaned closer, "we can be a very lustful race."
His breath caressed her lips as he asked, in a hushed tone, "Wanna go for a ride?"
Rather than have his dragon invade their privacy he folded his wings around her, shutting Escaflowne out of view.
*Hey!* It protested.
He held her closer as their lips touched and the spark began anew.
Her wings were stretched out behind her, waving gently as her body bent
backwards to receive his kiss. When his head lifted, she whispered, "You give the best rides Van."
He grinned down at her and asked, in a low murmer, "How was I?"