Chapter 3: His Arrival
Hitomi woke from her slumber and discovered that she was not on her bed, but rather in a lush forest somewhere.
"What happened? Where am I?" she asked herself while she rubbed the back of her head. To her surprise, she felt something warm and sticky. When she brought her hand in front of her face to scan it, she realized that it was covered in blood.
I must've hit my head on something, she thought. She looked around once again and a wave of deja vu hit her. This looks like the forest I landed in after the attack on Fanelia. Hitomi looked over to her right and saw that small lake that she saw three years before. Allen had come in from that lake to "save" her from that thief. She stood up, but a flash of dizziness struck her and she just plopped right back down on the ground.
I probably just got up too fast; she thought and attempted to stand up again. However, the dizziness overwhelmed her and she just collapsed, making a giant cracking noise from pounding onto the underbrush. While she was still conscious, she felt the liquid substance trickle down her neck. Wow, I must've hit my head a little too hard, she thought before slipping out of reality.
Allen sliced away at the tree next to his cabin. It was nightfall, but he still felt the need to practice. He had let his skills waver and that was not good. He needed to get his swordsmanship up to caliber. Allen leapt up in the air, spun and let his sword rip through the branch of the tree. He landed, sheathed his sword and saw the branch crash upon the ground.
I guess I didn't let my skills waver too badly, he thought with a small smile. With the way things were going lately, he was surprised that he was still a part of the Knights of Caley. I wonder if they're looking for a replacement yet... if I don't go back soon, I'll lose my place permanently.
Just that morning, Allen got a letter from an emergency messenger from the palace of Asturia. Hoping nothing was wrong; he opened it frantically to gaze at its contents.
The letter was full of bad news indeed. King Aston just died from a chronic illness, its cause probably from the stress of the war, and now Dryden was coming from his merchant convoy to become king of Asturia. It was ridiculous.
He and Millerna are still married? Allen had previously questioned, I thought they separated years ago. Even so, wouldn't Dryden only become the Prince Consort? Why is he becoming king?
Allen laughed slightly, things were definitely going to be different, but that meant he would soon have to go back to the palace for the coronation of the new king. He hoped that the people wouldn't try to be sympathetic and pity him. That was the last thing he ever wanted.
Before Allen could think anymore, he heard a rumbling in the bushes nearby. On instinct he drew his sword and looked around. If there were an enemy nearby, he wouldn't let it get the best of him. This forest had a reputation for housing some of the worst low-life bandits. He had experienced that first hand, when they made the big mistake of trying to rob him. He taught them a lesson, yes he taught them a great lesson in deed.
Allen walked stealthily around the area, searching for a possible threat. He made his way to the bushes and looked around, with sword in hand of course. Finally, convinced, that it must've been some kind of animal scurrying away. He put his sword back into its sheath.
The noise seemed too loud to be made by a small animal, but there's no one around, he thought. Just when he was about to turn back, he tripped over something large and tumbled to the floor.
"What the-" he said out loud and looked to his side. There was a girl next to him, with light brown hair up down to her shoulders. However, there was blood protruding from the back of her head and she must've been unconscious. He walked over to her and wondered if a bandit tried attacking her.
What kind of man would attack a defenseless girl? he asked himself. His selfless nature came in and for a moment, it seemed that all he wanted to do was to take care of this girl. Then again, what was a girl like her doing out in the forest at this hour?
I swear women do the craziest things to get a man's attention, he thought. He pitied whom she belonged to because this one seemed like quite the trouble. It would be ungentlemanly of him to just leave her there, especially since she was bleeding and could die.
Allen observed the girl more closely and realized that her clothes were not the normal commoner's apparel. In fact, she was wearing a black skirt that seemed to run down to her knees and a thickly strapped brown shirt. Could she be one of the town's harlots? No. Even they dressed more provocatively than that. Yes, she was very strange looking indeed.
Allen walked over to her and picked her up. A flashback suddenly weaved its way through his mind when he remembered that it was in this forest that he met Hitomi for the first time. She fainted in his arms and it was funny to recall not knowing what was going to happen as a result of that encounter. He looked over the girl's face and he almost dropped her. She had an amazing resemblance to Hitomi it was uncanny.
This can't be her… he thought, She went back years ago. Her hair was shorter than this, and this girl seems taller and more womanly, but it's been three years, could she have changed so drastically? He let his thoughts wander and he cursed himself for it before it got to anything potentially sexually oriented.
This is no time to be thinking like this. I might as well house her up for the night and send her on her way tomorrow, he thought and carried her to his cabin. Once he got inside, he put the girl on his bed and the sword in the corner next to it. He sat in a wooden chair and just gazed at the girl. It was indeed remarkable how she looked like Hitomi it probably was her. He just didn't want to give his hopes up if she was just an ordinary citizen attacked in the middle of the night. Even if she were Hitomi, it would only be right if he returned her to Fanelia, to Van. It's not that he wanted to; it was just that it was chivalrous.
I'll think about this later, was his last thought before he drifted off to sleep.
(Fanelia)
King Van was sitting in the throne room speaking with Merle about something, not that this was out of the norm.
"Yes, I've just received a message that King Aston died," Merle almost shrieked. Van widened his eyes in surprise and then sighed.
"He's been sick for a while, at least now he won't have to suffer," he said. "Who's going to rule Asturia now? Is Princess Millerna going to become queen?"
"Actually no she's not," Merle replied.
"Why? They have no male heirs and Princess Eries decided to become a priestess, I don't understand," he said, running his hand through his hair.
"Dryden's going to become king," Merle revealed. Now, Van was dumbfounded.
"Dryden? Wait a minute, why is he becoming king, didn't he divorce Princess Millerna?"
"Actually, they separated but there was no legal divorce. In a legitimacy, Dryden's going to be crowned," Merle explained.
"Was this some kind of plot of his, so he could still be king even though his marriage failed? No, that can't be it, he doesn't seem like the kind of person that would do that. Sure he was all about money but he's the one that left Millerna," Van was talking more to himself than he was to Merle. She sighed as she looked at him completely absorbed in thought. At least he wasn't depressed.
"Ahem... anyway," she coughed to regain his attention, "There's going to be a royal coronation, tomorrow along with a banquet and etc. This is also an invitation for you to be there." The king slumped in his chair and let out and exasperated sigh.
"You know that I have no wish to attend those sort of things," he said with a sarcastic smile.
"Yeah, I know, but it'll seem kind of rude if you just don't show up. I mean-"
"When I was crowned, everyone in Fanelia was there, but no one from other kingdoms. I don't see why this is necessary," he interrupted. Anger was evident on Merle's face. Van wasn't ever this impertinent and rude before. Why did he decide to do it now? He's just looking for an excuse to brood around the kingdom more and to torture himself in his own misery. What a masochist.
"Look Van!" Merle raised her voice, "You don't have to go around and dismiss every damn invitation to something! It would be a nice thing to show up and at least show your support. Come on, Dryden comes from a family of merchants not royalty. Imagine what a hard time he's going to go through to actually rule decently. You come from a royal family and you have people to look up to, he doesn't." Van was surprised at this sudden outburst. What on Gaea actually possessed her to say that? It WAS part of her character, but she's kept it low-key for a while.
"Oh, and another thing!" she continued, "Aren't you his friend? Didn't he save your life and in turn, you for the Asturian front? You were allies and friends. What happened to all that? Did you just throw it all away as soon as Hitomi left?"
Van stared at her wide-eyed. The fact that she was right hurt him. He had thrown it all away, but he shouldn't have. Dryden was his friend, and he still is. Hitomi shouldn't be an excuse just to dismiss him away as if he were nothing. Merle stayed silent, she knew she probably shouldn't have mention her, but she did and there was nothing she could do about it now. All she was capable of doing now was to prepare to chase after Van after he left the room.
"I'm sorry Merle," he said, relaxing his tone of voice. Merle's ears twitched. He just said he was sorry? She looked at him and he had a small smile on his face.
"I guess I really haven't been much of a ruler, or a friend for that matter, but I'm going to try harder. It might take a little while, but I'll try," he said in the sincerest way possible. Tears formed in Merle's eyes. Was he really going to change and be happy again? Just hearing him say so made her happy.
"Oh Van!" she cried happily and ran up and gave him a hug. "It's about time, the mood in the castle was just getting unbearable with you sad, you know!" Van smiled, she was still just like a kid sometimes. It was better this way. Seeing her somber made things seem too different. In the midst of this happy "occasion", someone stepped in and made his presence known.
"Ahem, excuse me your highness," he said. Van looked up and Merle backed off as if he was on fire.
"Yes what is it Guisarme?" he asked.
"The rest of the advisors and I would like to speak with you. It's very important," he said, his tone of voice wavering by seeing the annoyed looks on his face.
"Okay, I'll be there in a minute, just go on ahead," he replied in a more calming disposition. Guisarme left the room and Van turned to Merle.
"Meet me in the courtyard in an hour so we can discuss our arrival to Asturia," he said almost winking at her. She planted a huge grin on her face and waved him goodbye.
Maybe this way, he'll realize that he has to bring Hitomi back, she thought and skipped down the hallway.
(Asturia)
"Princess Millerna, have you made the necessary preparations for Lord Dryden's arrival?" a servant asked. She sighed and the day's exhaustion was apparent on her face.
"Yes, everything's done and all that needed to be planned was planned, so now, I am going to sleep. He's arriving tomorrow, right?" she asked put her hand on her head.
"Yes, we expect him here tomorrow morning and the coronation will be that evening," she answered. Before Millerna could reply, a voice boomed down the hallway.
"Everything went incredibly well, so I guess I'm here just a little early," he said. Millerna's body seemed to react to the voice and it stiffened in alert. She turned abruptly to see Dryden but ten feet away from her. Her shock was evident as she widened her eyes.
"D-D-Dryden?" she asked. His familiar arrogant smile shined on his face, obviously pleased.
"I see that you haven't completely forgotten about me, I can't say how happy that makes me," he laughed, "Well, I guess I should explain why I'm here so early. My convoy sailed without failure and the weather was in our favor. What can I say; I guess the gods wanted me here sooner. Maybe, they answered a prayer from somebody," he suggested while taking Millerna's hand and kissing it. Millerna wasn't the least bit surprised at his impertinence.
"Well Dryden it seems that you haven't changed, just as forward as usual," she said, not able to hide the redness of her face. He laughed and ran his hand through his hair.
"What's the matter Princess, you don't seemed too pleased with me being here, did I do something wrong?" he asked.
"No, no it's just that I'm a little...surprised, that's all," she said. "I didn't expect you here till tomorrow morning."
"Well if sleeping arrangements are a problem, I'll sleep in my convoy. It won't be so bad, after all I slept there countless of times," he smiled.
"No, I'm sure we'll find you a room," she defended with a nervous smile.
Hmmm, maybe I'll actually sleep in my wife's room, with my wife, he thought and laughed to himself. Millerna didn't know what to do. This was a very awkward situation for her, what was she supposed to say? What of their marriage? She wished she could go to sleep and worry about it in the morning but it didn't look as if Dryden had the intention of waiting till morning.
"Dryden?" she started, "What about-" she was interrupted by his hand as he put it up. He sensed her uneasiness and knew what was the problem. I guess he thought that he should lay down the plan to her.
"I know, our marriage right?" he asked, his eyes boring into hers. "Well, I guess it's been kind of confusing with the illegitimacy of our divorce." The next part he had to say was probably the most difficult thing he'll ever have to do in a lifetime. He didn't know whether or not he could speak the words. It would be the biggest lie he ever told and that's a lot to say about a merchant. "I-" he paused, "I say our marriage should be in name only," he finally said.
Millerna froze, a name-only marriage? Was that what he wanted? Was she not good enough a wife to be a real one?
"Our marriage was never consummated so I don't see how it'll be difficult to pull off. Besides, we don't love each other so what's the point?" The remark slapped Millerna. Her eyes burned with new tears. I guess all of her efforts were going to be in vain. He really didn't love her after all.
"I d-don't know w-what to say," her voice faltered.
"Don't say anything, that'll be our little agreement, okay," he smiled. Before Millerna could protest, he was already down the hall, heading towards his convoy. Tears sprang in her eyes and she wondered if she's ever been hurt so bad like this before. She broke off in a run until she reached her room and threw herself on the bed to cry herself to her much needed sleep.