Amoro Revidi

Title: Betrothal Acceptance and Rejection [Part Twenty-Seven]
Series: Vision of Escaflowne
Rating: PG-13
A/N: I've actually finished book one! I'm working on editing all the chapters right now so that I can get them all posted by tomorrow evening, hopefully. This chapter spends a lot of time with Van and Hitomi as they return to Fanelia, and then gives a little peek in on Arik and Tristan as well as Sotet in Norte. It's seven pages, and I think this is the point when the chapters, except maybe thirty, start to get longer. Bear with me, and review, ne?

***

The race down the sloping hill into the city surrounding Fanelia Castle manages to beat the news of Van and Hitomi's return, and as they barrel through the streets towards the castle, people step out of their houses to greet their king as soon as they realize who it is that is riding like a hellion after the slip of a woman beating him by several horse lengths.

Nearly neck and neck as they round the last bend of the main road up to the castle, Van glances over at Hitomi and sees the bright smile on her cheeks, hair flying back from her face with the midday sun giving it a golden glow and he smiles to himself, thinking how lucky he must be.

At the gates of the castle, the two of them skid to a halt, horses panting, and Van slides down from his horse, moving to help Hitomi down, even though she doesn't really need it. As he sets her down on the flagstones, a cleared throat behind him draws their attention.

"So what's there to be acting such a fool over?" Merle's mischievous smile tells Hitomi that she already knew what was going to be asked by the dark haired Fanelian king, and she laughs even harder, hugging Van tightly.

Van blushes slightly and looks at Merle, reading her expression and sobering slightly. "What's… gone wrong?"

"The two of you had better come inside first… and have something to eat, and a seat. Don't look so broken, Lord Van, Fanelia's doing just fine. But elsewhere it's not nearly as true."

*

In the end the three of them retire to the patio dining room, finding that the sunlight is refreshing and comforting as Merle breaks the news they've missed in their travels back to Fanelia. Millerna kidnapped by Norte, who were likely responsible for the attacks upon the festivities in Asturia, and talk of war spreading throughout the nations.

Several nations had closed their borders to anything but commerce, and many nations were calling for their citizens to return home in case of a large war. Merle informed Van that he would find several treaties waiting for him with his advisory council. He sighed, and then Hitomi nudged him in the arm.

"Well something good came of this trip, at least," Van says, smiling down on his bride-to-be. Merle looks slightly puzzled at him, her periwinkle eyes twinkling at the two of them. "I asked Hitomi to marry me, Merle."

Merle's response is much like Hitomi's had been, only instead of fainting, Merle stares straight at the two of them incredulously, and after Hitomi says a quiet and proud, "I accepted," Merle darts forward and embraces the two of them as tightly as she can.

Hitomi smiles fondly down at Merle, glad that her joy can be shared with the tall cat-woman that had once been such a pain to her. As she draws back with a smirk on her lips, Hitomi sighs as she asks, "So, when's the wedding?"

Van stutters a second and glances at Hitomi. "We haven't set a date," she responds. "He only asked me today."

Merle glares at Van pointedly and then says, "It sure took you long enough. Now the two of you should probably get changed and get something to eat, I can't wait until the advisors find out Van's back in the castle… Peralis is all but going bald with all that's happened. I'm sure he'll feel better knowing that Van's found his bride though."

*

Peralis, and the other advisors, were, of course, quite happy to hear that their King was to be married. What stops the whole council short in their tracks, however, is finding out that Van proposed to Hitomi.

"The lot of you collect yourselves," Peralis snaps, angry at the derisive whispers from the other advisors. "Lady Hitomi is just as worthy of His Majesty as any princess Gaea has to offer."

"But won't the Lady Hitomi have to return to her own world at some point?" Brett asks, piqued at being silenced like a small child in front of the king.

"It would be much better for you to choose someone who would not leave Gaea, Your Majesty," Gabriel begins, but is silenced by a slam of Van's fist on the thick oak table in the council room.

"I do not," Van speaks slowly, controlling his temper, "care what you think about my choice of bride." He pauses and meets their eyes one at a time, crimson orbs blazing. "However, you will not disrespect her, and you will not undermine her. Hitomi has agreed to marry me, and so she shall. I expect a wedding to make Fanelia and Gaea proud. I want no arguments, no trying to talk me out of this, because it simply will not work. If I am ever incapable of it, Hitomi will rule in my stead.

"Now," he raises his voice a little more. "Is that clear?"

The advisors, cowed by Van's outburst of temper, nod quietly. Peralis smiles a little at that, glad that Van stood up for what he wanted, and hoping to see a new trend in his king. "Now, what do I need to know about this ceremony you'll be creating?"

Peralis stands and says, "If I may be so bold, Majesty, give us a date for the wedding, and we'll arrange the rest."

"I'll have to talk that over with Hitomi. I'll let you all know tomorrow. Now, the next order of business…"

*

Hitomi sits in the courtyard garden and glances up at the sun coming through the leaves of the trees. She leans down and tightens the laces of her shoes, having prepared to spend most of the midday alone, while Van meets with his advisors. She had spoken to Merle, and she thought it would be a wonderful idea for Hitomi to jog around the castle a little.

So she and Merle dug up a pair of what passed for Gaean running shoes, and Hitomi put on a comfortable pair of pants and headed down to the courtyard to get ready for her first real work out since the accident. As she laces up the shoes, she wonders what the advisors are saying to Van, recalling the vision she had about his mother and father, and hopes that it won't be as hard for him to win over the advisors as it was for Goau to.

Hitomi stands, adjusting the tank top on her shoulders, and starts to stretch.

As she starts her jog, she can feel eyes upon her throughout the castle. Undoubtedly the news of her engagement to Van is spreading throughout Fanelia, or at the very least, the castle. She fights the urge to run in the shade, out of view, and continues to jog slowly, not wanting to overwork her muscles so soon, but glad to be doing a little work herself.

She passes the stables and "her" horse, Crisslis, lets out a gentle whinny at her approach. With a smile, Hitomi pauses to pat the horse's nose and then continues to jog past, warming up her muscles.

As she leaves, the stable boy peaks his head out to look after her, and then leans back in. "That was her," he says to the groom in the next stall.

"Her who?"

"The woman from the Mystic Moon… the one that's going to marry the King."

"Her? She can't be from the Mystic Moon… she's nice."

The stable boy shrugs. "She's the only one that Crisslis responds to at all. So it's got to be her."

The groom considers for a moment, brushing the golden-furred stallion with strong strokes. "Well if that is the future queen… I certainly don't mind."

*

Similar sentiments popped up behind Hitomi as she ran that day. By the time she stopped, and returned to her room to get freshened up for lunch, Merle was waiting in the outer room. "You turn quite a few heads no matter what you do, don't you, Hitomi?" she asks the other woman, offering her a glass of water.

"What do you mean?" Hitomi asks, after swallowing a large portion of the glass.

"There's talk of you all over the castle."

Hitomi looks a little anxious at that thought, "What… sort of talk?"

"Good things only. People like you… and generally, they approve."

"Generally?"

Merle sighs, tracing a pattern on the tabletop with her fingers, "The only ones who object are some of Van's advisors. He spoke sternly with them this morning about their prejudiced rebuttals to his announcement…" Merle smiles mischievously at her friend, "He hasn't spoken up like that to them before."

"Oh my," Hitomi says, putting down the towel she was using to wipe her face with cool water. "I don't want to cause any trouble."

"Would you rather loose him?" Merle asks in a quiet voice.

"No!" Hitomi responds, turning to face Merle with a serious expression. "Never!"

"Well then," Merle says, "Don't worry about causing trouble. It's no trouble for Van to come out of his shell and be a king rather than a boy-prince that they can lead around by the nose. It's good for him." Hitomi nods, a little mistrustfully, and heads back into her room to change clothing.

A knock comes to the door and Merle stands, crossing.

"Is Hitomi in?"

"She's getting ready to change, Lord Van… she did some running and…"

Van fidgets slightly and foists a bouquet of flowers off on Merle. "Give those to her?" Merle narrows her eyes slightly at Van's bashful behavior and sighs, waiting for him to scuff the toe of his boot against the floor.

"Certainly," Merle replies, with an inward sigh.

"I'll wait on her to have lunch."

*

"Who was that, Merle?" Hitomi calls as her maid laces up her dress.

"Lord Van," she says, stepping into the bedroom. "He brought you these," Merle sets the flowers on a table and then goes to get a vase, "And said he'd wait on you to have lunch."

"Did he say anything about the meeting?"

"To me? No."

Hitomi sighs and steps into the shoes set out for her, and steps over to look at the flowers with a slight smile on her face. "I suppose this room might seem empty to him too…"

"What?" Merle asks, puzzled, but, seeing that she'll get no response from her friend, she says a quiet goodbye and steps out of the room.

*

"The advisors agreed to set up the wedding…" Van says as they eat lunch quietly near the windows in the hall. He marvels at the way the sunlight catches her hair and the faint smile on her face as he mentions it. "They only need a date."

She looks up at him, jade eyes a little surprised. "A date?"

Van reaches over and takes her hand. "I don't mind leaving it completely up to you. Just say the word."

Hitomi blinks, thoughts flying through her head as she tries to ingest that thought. What's making him so cool about this? We're going to be married… I'm going to be queen…

"And you don't care if I set a date that's a long time from now?"

Van grins a little and lifts her hand to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles, "I don't think you'd torture me so much. Or yourself."

Hitomi blushes faintly and looks down slightly, then back up to him and says, "Alright, but you have to promise to teach me to help you with Fanelia."

Van blinks.

"I mean it, Van. I want to be a help… a good queen for you. If all I do is spend days wandering the castle, I can't possibly do that. So if you want me to set a date, then I want you to teach me what a Gaean woman would know… and what the Queen of Fanelia should know."

"Any other demands?" Van asks with a smile, glad Hitomi is taking her future position so seriously.

"A few," Hitomi replies with a grin, "but you'll find them out later."

Van looks at her querulously, but she won't give him any further answer. "A date at least?"

"How long do you think it will take for me to learn the basics?" Hitomi responds, trying not to give in to the tingling of her skin where he kissed her hand, or the warmth of his hand against hers and pick a date in the very near future.

"A month or two," Van replies honestly, thinking for a moment before he speaks.

"Then, six weeks," Hitomi says, gripping his hand a little tighter to see his reaction as he looks up into her eyes.

"Agreed," he responds. "Now… about those other demands…"

***

Seated quietly near the wall of the room where a single candle lights the entire area, Arik hums quietly to herself as she brushes her hair. Tristan slumbers fitfully on the bed. She can hear the whispered rumors spreading through the compound, as clearly as though the people had been speaking to her.

Walking with Tristan became strategy as well as a cure for the cabin fever the two of them got from the small, windowless room where they were forced to try and produce some sort of heir for Ispano's future at least three times a week. The whispers she recalls are slightly disturbing.

"Do you think," Tristan's voice from the bed startles her, she was paying so little attention that she had surely thought he was sleeping, "that Norte really is trying to start another war?"

"Ouran… the current king, perhaps has goals we aren't aware of."

"Who do you include in that 'we', Arik?"

"The two of us, Ispano… the Consortium in general."

"You speak his name as though you know more about him."

Arik frowns slightly, "He abused his Kathis… tricked her."

"What?" Tristan sits up, eyes icy with indignation. "How do you mean?"

"Mistress Tovenaar was King Ouran's Kathis," Arik says quietly as she brushes her hair a final time and pulls it back to begin braiding it. "Sotet is their son."

"But Norte's not been in danger…"

"I was never told the particulars of the event, but Mistress Mot came home to the compound with a baby while I was still training. She was sent to seclusion with her son for a few years, and when she came out she was given a position within the compound. She has not set foot outside since."

Tristan frowns, leaning back down again.

"Sotet has gone to meet with his father."

He shoots straight up in bed again and stares incredulously at Arik. "What? Why?"

"The Council has some reason for it, I am sure," Arik responds, "Perhaps to see what can be done about King Ouran. I don't think Sotet was the right one to send on the journey, though."

"But who else would go?"

Arik pauses in her braiding and then says, "I do not know," quietly, before returning to her previous occupation.

"The floor must be cold," Tristan says quietly, moving over on the bed, "Come to bed."

Arik nods, finishing off her braid, and rises with all the grace of the trained warrior in her, and steps over to the bed, lying down next to Tristan.

***

"What will we do, Princess?" one of the advisors questions desperately.

"Will we declare war on Norte?"

The voices seem to be coming at her from ever direction, but Eries sits tranquilly on the small throne in the council room and waits for the nervous questioning to die down before she speaks. "Asturia has never declared war in its entire existence," she begins, planning out her words carefully, "and now will not be a time in which we shall. Or at the least, not on our own. We will first send couriers to our allies to see what they would do if we were to declare war upon Norte. If they would support us, or if they would not."

The advisors murmur the sage decision on Princess Eries' part and turn to regard the king, who nods absently at her pronouncement before standing and leaving the chamber. Inwardly, Eries frowns at Dryden's behavior, but does not show that face to the advisors. "This meeting, then, is adjourned. We will gather again once word has been received of our allies."

The advisors nod and stand with her, filing out as she extends a hand in the direction of the door. Once they are all gone, Eries sinks back into the small throne she had been seated in and hangs her head.

A quiet knock on the door, and then near-silent footsteps bring Celena into the room. "At your leisure, Princess," she says.

"Speak up," Eries responds, not in the mood for company, but knowing the quiet young woman would not have come without reason.

"I've had the maids run you a warm bath. Would you like dinner in your room as well?" Upon the Princess's arrival in her father's (now sister's) palace, Celena had been appointed as her top lady-in-waiting, since she knew the palace better than the long absent princess did, and was of the proper rank.

"Where's Exeter?"

"He has been put down for his afternoon nap."

"I'll have dinner with him. And see to it that Dryden eats something. He'll waste away." Celena curtsies slightly.

"I have been making sure of this for the past month and a half, Princess."

Eries narrows her eyes slightly and looks up at Celena before straightening herself in the chair. "And my nephew?"

"I have overseen his governess as well, with the Queen's absence, and the King's infirmity… I thought it best that someone…"

Eries fights the urge to rebuke Celena for presuming so much upon her family's well-being, remembering the girl's kind nature. And the fact that she had lifted a sword and protected Exeter with her life. She smiles and says, "I thank you, then."

Celena curtsies again and waits to be dismissed.

"Celena."

"Yes, Princess?"

"I need to speak with your brother, do you know where he is?"

Celena nods, "He's in a meeting of the Knights' Caeli. It should be ending shortly… and he will most likely need to speak with you as well."

"Oh?"

Celena bows her head slightly. She didn't quite dare to hope that there was anything between her brother and the princess, but she knew the two of them were fond of each other, in more than a harmless way. "He is head of the Knights' Caeli, the senior knight now, and the meeting, he has told me, was to discuss the possibilities of protecting the country properly in case of war."

"I see," Eries says, rising from her throne and setting her shoulders. "I will take something to eat, have it brought up to my bath. After that, I will see your brother."

"Yes, Princess."

***

"I will not accept the adoption," Sotet says, quite angry with his father, but mindful of the underlying mission in his visit. "It would dishonor my mother, and I would never be able to see her again."

"Surely you can see what benefits you would have to…"

"I am sorry, father, but my decision must be final."

Daeluzito scowls, the look darkening his face to an almost fearsome countenance, which is not lost on Sotet. "I would very much like to enjoy the rest of my visit here with you, father."

"I need you, son."

It had broken Sotet's heart to think that after so long of imagining who his father was, and how he had died, for as a child he surely was given that impression by his mother's lack of speaking of him, that this was the father he had to settle for. Sotet finds Daeluzito cold and scheming, and wonders, just when he had changed from the man he is sure that his mother once loved.

"For what, father?" Sotet asks innocently, hoping, at last, after nearly a week in attendance at the castle in Reyo, that he can get what he's really come for.

Daeluzito remains silent. "I have plans, my son, and a country with no other heir than you. Without you, all this," he gestures with one free hand, "means nothing."

"Surely you could marry, father."

Daeluzito glances sidelong at his son and sees the traits he knew the boy would inherit from his mother. Willowy height, slightly pointed ears, and a compact build. Dark hair from him, dark eyes from Mot, but there is something more. He smiles wistfully, knowing that his son has inherited part of his mother that cannot be defined by glancing him over on the surface. It is why, he recalls, he had bothered to get him through the Kathis woman.

"Any child I might produce otherwise would be inferior."

Sotet blinks in confusion, wanting to ask just what his father means by that statement, but afraid to press to hard. He recalls Jujiin's words and holds his tongue for a while longer.