Laura made her way down the back steps to the kitchen, her tail swinging lazily behind her. The aroma of the kitchen grew nearer as she descended the steps and she found her pace quickening, with the occasional glance over her shoulder.
"Hmmmm. FOOD."
She opened the old wooden door and was greeted by Mahara's friendly old smile.
"So, how's the Lady?"
Laura shrugged her shoulders lazily and grabbed an apple off the counter.
"Fine, but she's STILL trying to figure out what happened."
Mahara rolled her eyes and shook her head. She stopped kneading some bread and wiped the flour off her hands on her apron.
"That girl is so nosy. She can't help something that existed long before she came to this world."
Laura nodded.
"She has the nerve! I mean, she WAS the reason they fought, wasn't she?"
Mahara sat down in her old rickety rocking chair and nodded.
"Yes, but there was more than that."
Laura's tail perked up.
"Like what?"
Mahara chuckled and shook her head.
"Something that you shouldn't know, you're too young."
"Awwww...."
Mahara laughed at her innocence. It was very rare that one saw that in Gaea. There was so much corruption and fighting. Mahara sighed and got out of her chair.
-So much-
"Well young one, if you don't mind-"
A young washerwoman came running through the door.
"M'lady!!! The young prince of Darlina is come! We must hurry and tell the King!"
Mahara snorted.
-Princes, always dropping in unannounced-
"Alright then, calm down. Laura, run up to Hitomi's room and get the King."
"Yes Mam!"
Laura dashed and disappeared up the steps. Mahara dismissed the woman and put her hands on her hips.
-Darlina....-
A thought struck her mind.
-Could it be?.... Is it time?-
Mahara was taken out of her thoughts by the sound of the royal wagon stopping in front of her door.
-Oh my, Well Hitomi, you may get what you wish...-
She looked out the window and over too the now empty carriage.
"Question is, can you handle it?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Van sat on his throne, awaiting the prince's arrival in the battle room. The whole time thinking of what had gone wrong this time.
Van had never been to Darlina and never had seen paintings of what it looked like. The prince's sudden visit seemed to scare Van more than the other visits by the other princes. A soft click sounded in front of him and he stood to greet the young prince.
"Prince Eric. How nice to see you again, it has been far too long."
The prince greeted Vans outstretched hand and shook it.
"Yes indeed. How is the Lady?"
Van returned his shake.
"Fine, and your sister, the princess?"
They parted hands.
"Happy now. She's getting the ropes of ruling."
Van shook his head.
"That's good. I don't mean to be rude, but I know that you didn't come here for catching up."
Eric sighed and sat down.
"Yes, you're quite right."
Van nodded and sat down as well. Eric started.
"As you well know, there have been battles at the borders of all of the major countries."
Van nodded his and the prince went on.
"Well, my country has never been affected directly, until now."
The young prince leaned forward and so did Van.
"It happened on an island, just north of my country. The whole island was devastated. It was completely ransacked. The survivors couldn't give anyone a clue to who it was."
Van's brow creased in thought.
"I came to you because someone told me, an old general, that it would have some meaning to you."
Van was puzzled. He had never been to that island before, so what in the world would it have to do with him? Van tapped his fingers on the table.
"If you don't mind Eric, I would like to visit this island. But i believe that's what you were going to ask anyway, am i right?"
Eric nodded his head. Van sighed.
"Fine then, its settled, we leave immediately by airship."
He went to the door and motioned for a servant.
"Tell the Lady that she will be coming on a trip with me of great importance. See that she knows."
The servant nodded and headed off.
-I must know...-
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The trip was pretty fast and they landed on the island in 6 hours. They touched down in a clearing . Everything looked fine, actually, the island was beautiful. There were wonderful birds and trees. Something out of a fairy tale. Van snorted.
"I see nothing wrong here."
Eric nodded.
"Yes, HERE. What lies beyond those bushes is what i was speaking of."
Van looked ahead and walked forward. His hand trembled slightly as he pulled back the foliage. He turned his head back from the sight, the stench was too strong. Van got a cloth from his pocket and covered his nose and mouth. The sight was terrible. Blood laid everywhere. It looked like it was a massacre. Van walked through the town. Everything was burned. The bodies, however, seemed out of place. There were nothing but clean cuts in them. No torture, just a swift death. Van raised an eyebrow.
"This is terrible. These killings don't make any sense. Their bodies are burnt far beyond recognition"
He looked around.
"How many survived?"
Eric stepped forward.
"Believe it or not, 95 percent where saved. These unfortunate ones were not."
Van turned.
"Who saved these people?"
Eric shook his head.
"They have no clue. Its as if they were given a forget spell."
Van sighed. Eric joined him and they walked around the village. Hitomi was standing around the ruins, looking through them for something, ANYTHING. She looked over the area until a piece of paper caught her eye.
"What's this?"
She moved over to where it was picked it up. A gasp escaped her lips. Marco ran up to her.
"Are you okay M'Lady?"
She said nothing. He looked around, when he saw nothing he eased up. That's when he saw the picture. His face grew pale.
"Is that?...."
Hitomi turned to look at him. Her eyes glittered with tears. She looked over at Van, talking to Eric.
"He must never know."
"But-"
Hitomi silenced him.
"That is an order."
Marco sighed and nodded his head.
"Now go to the ship."
Hitomi watched his figure retreat back to the ship, his shoulders slouched. She looked back at the picture. A tear rolled down face and splashed on the picture.
"Hitomi, lets go now!"
Van waved to her from the other side of the village. She nodded and waved back.
"Be right there."
As he turned and walked away Hitomi pulled out a lighter from her purse.
- He must never know-
With two clicks, the picture was set ablaze. She walked away, her heart heavy. The sounds of the motors of the airships sounded above the destroyed village, leaving the smiling picture of Merle, burning slowly to ashes.
"Hmmmm. FOOD."
She opened the old wooden door and was greeted by Mahara's friendly old smile.
"So, how's the Lady?"
Laura shrugged her shoulders lazily and grabbed an apple off the counter.
"Fine, but she's STILL trying to figure out what happened."
Mahara rolled her eyes and shook her head. She stopped kneading some bread and wiped the flour off her hands on her apron.
"That girl is so nosy. She can't help something that existed long before she came to this world."
Laura nodded.
"She has the nerve! I mean, she WAS the reason they fought, wasn't she?"
Mahara sat down in her old rickety rocking chair and nodded.
"Yes, but there was more than that."
Laura's tail perked up.
"Like what?"
Mahara chuckled and shook her head.
"Something that you shouldn't know, you're too young."
"Awwww...."
Mahara laughed at her innocence. It was very rare that one saw that in Gaea. There was so much corruption and fighting. Mahara sighed and got out of her chair.
-So much-
"Well young one, if you don't mind-"
A young washerwoman came running through the door.
"M'lady!!! The young prince of Darlina is come! We must hurry and tell the King!"
Mahara snorted.
-Princes, always dropping in unannounced-
"Alright then, calm down. Laura, run up to Hitomi's room and get the King."
"Yes Mam!"
Laura dashed and disappeared up the steps. Mahara dismissed the woman and put her hands on her hips.
-Darlina....-
A thought struck her mind.
-Could it be?.... Is it time?-
Mahara was taken out of her thoughts by the sound of the royal wagon stopping in front of her door.
-Oh my, Well Hitomi, you may get what you wish...-
She looked out the window and over too the now empty carriage.
"Question is, can you handle it?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Van sat on his throne, awaiting the prince's arrival in the battle room. The whole time thinking of what had gone wrong this time.
Van had never been to Darlina and never had seen paintings of what it looked like. The prince's sudden visit seemed to scare Van more than the other visits by the other princes. A soft click sounded in front of him and he stood to greet the young prince.
"Prince Eric. How nice to see you again, it has been far too long."
The prince greeted Vans outstretched hand and shook it.
"Yes indeed. How is the Lady?"
Van returned his shake.
"Fine, and your sister, the princess?"
They parted hands.
"Happy now. She's getting the ropes of ruling."
Van shook his head.
"That's good. I don't mean to be rude, but I know that you didn't come here for catching up."
Eric sighed and sat down.
"Yes, you're quite right."
Van nodded and sat down as well. Eric started.
"As you well know, there have been battles at the borders of all of the major countries."
Van nodded his and the prince went on.
"Well, my country has never been affected directly, until now."
The young prince leaned forward and so did Van.
"It happened on an island, just north of my country. The whole island was devastated. It was completely ransacked. The survivors couldn't give anyone a clue to who it was."
Van's brow creased in thought.
"I came to you because someone told me, an old general, that it would have some meaning to you."
Van was puzzled. He had never been to that island before, so what in the world would it have to do with him? Van tapped his fingers on the table.
"If you don't mind Eric, I would like to visit this island. But i believe that's what you were going to ask anyway, am i right?"
Eric nodded his head. Van sighed.
"Fine then, its settled, we leave immediately by airship."
He went to the door and motioned for a servant.
"Tell the Lady that she will be coming on a trip with me of great importance. See that she knows."
The servant nodded and headed off.
-I must know...-
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The trip was pretty fast and they landed on the island in 6 hours. They touched down in a clearing . Everything looked fine, actually, the island was beautiful. There were wonderful birds and trees. Something out of a fairy tale. Van snorted.
"I see nothing wrong here."
Eric nodded.
"Yes, HERE. What lies beyond those bushes is what i was speaking of."
Van looked ahead and walked forward. His hand trembled slightly as he pulled back the foliage. He turned his head back from the sight, the stench was too strong. Van got a cloth from his pocket and covered his nose and mouth. The sight was terrible. Blood laid everywhere. It looked like it was a massacre. Van walked through the town. Everything was burned. The bodies, however, seemed out of place. There were nothing but clean cuts in them. No torture, just a swift death. Van raised an eyebrow.
"This is terrible. These killings don't make any sense. Their bodies are burnt far beyond recognition"
He looked around.
"How many survived?"
Eric stepped forward.
"Believe it or not, 95 percent where saved. These unfortunate ones were not."
Van turned.
"Who saved these people?"
Eric shook his head.
"They have no clue. Its as if they were given a forget spell."
Van sighed. Eric joined him and they walked around the village. Hitomi was standing around the ruins, looking through them for something, ANYTHING. She looked over the area until a piece of paper caught her eye.
"What's this?"
She moved over to where it was picked it up. A gasp escaped her lips. Marco ran up to her.
"Are you okay M'Lady?"
She said nothing. He looked around, when he saw nothing he eased up. That's when he saw the picture. His face grew pale.
"Is that?...."
Hitomi turned to look at him. Her eyes glittered with tears. She looked over at Van, talking to Eric.
"He must never know."
"But-"
Hitomi silenced him.
"That is an order."
Marco sighed and nodded his head.
"Now go to the ship."
Hitomi watched his figure retreat back to the ship, his shoulders slouched. She looked back at the picture. A tear rolled down face and splashed on the picture.
"Hitomi, lets go now!"
Van waved to her from the other side of the village. She nodded and waved back.
"Be right there."
As he turned and walked away Hitomi pulled out a lighter from her purse.
- He must never know-
With two clicks, the picture was set ablaze. She walked away, her heart heavy. The sounds of the motors of the airships sounded above the destroyed village, leaving the smiling picture of Merle, burning slowly to ashes.
