Dreams and Visions: Chapter 9

By mercy_angel_09

Rating PG-13

Disclaimers: I don't own Escaflowne and I'm certainly not making any money off of this venture, so it'd be sort of pointless to sue me.  (Besides, I'm a poor college student; you'd lose more money than you'd gain.)  The creative geniuses behind EscaFlowne are Hajime Yatate and Shoji Kawamori, Sunrise, Bandai, and I'm sure a few other companies that I'm forgetting or have no idea about.

~*~

            Hikari was trying to keep her eye on Kaiden as he rode in front of her, yet still take in all of the beautiful surrounding areas.  But she found that she was unable to do both and eventually settled for watching the path in front of her.

            Kaiden wasn't really paying attention to the awestruck girl behind him as he should have been, but he couldn't remember the exact spot he was trying to take her to.  But eventually he found the clearing with the pond and stopped his horse.  "We're here."

            Hikari gasped in awe as she looked around.  It was a clearing in the forest and it had a pond with a small waterfall.  "Wow, this is amazing!"

            "I told you to trust me didn't I?" Kaiden asked.

            "Okay, so you did," Hikari replied automatically, not really paying attention to the words that were coming out of her mouth.

            "I guess you can't see the city, but this is what Fanelia is really like, lush forest with ponds and waterfalls.  I can see that you're impressed."

            Hikari was speechless as she continued to look around.

            "Are you going to get down or not?"

            Hikari then realized that Kaiden had long since dismounted and was now standing by her horse, ready to help her off.  "Oh, yeah."

            She removed her right foot from the stirrup and swung it over the horses back before removing her other foot and jumping down.  "It's easier to get down than it is to get up."

            Kaiden chuckled.  "Yeah."

            Hikari smiled as she kicked off her boots and then walked over to the pond.  "Is there anything in here that's going to bite?"

            Kaiden shook his head, causing his brown locks to shift and shimmer in the low light.  "No, unless small fish cause a lot of pain."

            "Nah, they just tickle," Hikari replied as she sat on a rock and dangled her feet into the crystal blue water.

            "So, how does it feel to know that this is your future kingdom?  That someday all of this will be yours?" Kaiden asked as he took a seat next to her.

            "I dunno," Hikari shrugged.  "Kind of good."

            "I would give anything for a little bit of land like this," Kaiden sighed.  "But most of Asturia is on the coast.  In fact, the main seaport is located at the capitol in Pallas."

            "I'm sure that it's still a beautiful view."

            "I guess.  But once you've seen the ocean, you've seen the ocean."

            Hikari shook her head.  "You only see the surface.  Sometimes you have to go deeper than the superficial."

            "Meaning what?"

            "Maybe you should look at the things under the ocean.  It might become something new and exciting, rather than the white crests and blue waves.  You never know what you're going to find."

            Kaiden looked thoughtful for a moment.  "Yeah, I guess."

            "You guess?  You have a lot to learn then."

            "I'm eighteen.  Everything that I need to know, I've learned."

            "I don't think so.  That's going to be your downfall you know."

            "What?"

            "That ego."

            "What ego?"

            "The one you're denying the presence of at the moment.  And guess what."

            "What?"

            "You don't know everything."

            With that, Hikari stood up, put her boots and then easily mounted her horse.  She kicked its sides and then rode back don't the path they had came, leaving Kaiden alone.

~*~

            She sighed as she kicked off her boots and flopped onto her bed.  She closed her eyes and sunk into thought, trying to make sense of that afternoon's events.  Was I crazy for thinking that there was more to him?  No, I was just making an illusion, she thought bitterly.  She had wanted to believe that Kaiden was more than just a stuck up prince, but she now knew otherwise.

            A gentle tapping at her door startled her, but she managed to calm her heart before making a reply.  "Who is it?"

            "It's me, uh, Chid," his muffled voice called through the heavy door.

            "Come in," Hikari called as she wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks.

            "Hey, I saw you come back alone, and I was just curious . . ."

            "I just got tired of Kaiden's company."

            "Oh, is that it?"

            "Why, don't you think that I would have any other reason?"

            "He hurt you.  I can tell."

            "Yes, he did hurt me.  And it's not fair!  How could he do that!"

            "Kaiden isn't exactly Mr. Sensitivity you know."

            "But it's the principle of the thing.  I was hoping that there was more to him but I was wrong.  I gave him a chance, I really did, and he disappointed me."

            "I think that you're being a little hard on him."

            "I don't think so.  Kaiden only cares about himself."

            "I'm not going to disagree with you, but you should consider the facts.  Kaiden has always been the center of attention.  He almost always gets what he wants.  And he certainly has the people to bend over backwards for him to make sure that things do go his way."

            "Do you know what he told me?"

            Chid shrugged.  "I don't know.  I wasn't there, remember?"

            "Oh yeah . . . well, he told me that he already knew everything that he would have to know.  How is that possible?  People learn all through their lives."

            "Ah yes, I will be the first to admit to that."

            "You will?"

            Chid smiled at Hikari, taking her chin in his hand and tilting her face towards his.  "Yes, I will.  I am twenty-five years old, and I know that I don't know everything in this world.  I am quite aware of my own ignorance, and that makes me wise.  Being willing to learn something new will influence my many choices in the future.  As you said before, the choices we make determine our destinies, there is no such thing as a pre-determined destiny.  Or at least, that's what the princess of Fanelia told me."

            Hikari sighed loudly.  "I just wish that someone would explain that to Kaiden."

            "I'm afraid that my cousin is very set in his ways, but you might be able to reach out to him, all though you might want to talk to my uncle first.  If you can't get though to him, Dryden can."

~*~

            Hikari was nervous, to say the least.  She knew that Dryden was very laid back and she really had nothing to worry about, but she wondered how he felt about her approaching the subject of Kaiden.

            She found the king of Asturia in the library, pouring over a book.  She cleared her throat and he looked up.  "What can I do for you little lady?"  She smiled nervously and he chuckled.  "It's okay, you can tell me."

            "Well, it's about Kaiden," she squeaked as her voice broke from her anxiety.  "I mean to say, it's regarding Kaiden."

            "What has my son done?"

            "He's insulted me."

            "Really.  How so?"

            "We were talking earlier, and he told me that he already knows everything."

            Dryden snapped the book shut, causing Hikari to jump like a nervous cat.  "Did he really?  Stupid boy," he muttered, his eyes narrowing behind his glasses.  "I should have a talk with him."

            "That's what I thought."

            "He seems to think that the world is his toy.  I guess that we'll have to teach him a lesson.  I'm glad you decided to approach me about this," Dryden said with a smile.

            Hikari was confused.  "What?"

            "I can't say that I've always been proud of my son's actions, but since you've come to Gaea, I'm noticing that he's toned down quite a bit.  Especially since you beat him in the fencing match this morning."

            "You mean . . . he was worse?"

            "Down right unbearable.  I suppose that's partially the parents' fault, but the first-born does tend to be spoiled.  I just wish that Millerna hadn't of insisted of stopping his lessons at sixteen.  He was just a boy, and now he's gone two years thinking that he knows everything about everything.  Hikari, help me, please.  He needs to be taught a lesson."

            Hikari grinned and then grabbed Dryden's hand, shaking it firmly.  "Sure thing!  Just tell me what I need to do."

~*~

            Kaiden sighed as flopped down into one of the overstuffed armchairs that graced the sitting room of the palace.  All though it was mid summer, the cool evenings allowed a fire to burn merrily in the fire place, giving the room an orange glow that smelled of burning pines.  "What am I supposed to do with her?" he mused.

            "There's my boy!   And what have you been up to?" Dryden asked as he sauntered in, Hikari clinging to the shadows like a bat.

            "I went riding with Hikari, but she got mad at me."

            "Do you happen to know why she's upset with you?"

            Kaiden shrugged.  "I don't know.  She yelled at me and then rode off.  Left me in the dust like I wasn't moving."  He paused and then chuckled.  "Come to think of it, I wasn't moving.  It's suitable, I guess."

            "Just what did you say to her that could have made her so upset?" Dryden asked, attempting to weasel out the answer he already knew.

            "I don't know.  I haven't done a thing to make her upset."

            "Are you sure you didn't inadvertently say something to make her upset?  Something that you believe, but she might disagree with?"

            Kaiden groaned.  "I'm an idiot."  Hikari snorted and Kaiden looked up, peering into the shadows with a wary glance.  "Is someone else in here?"

            "No one but you and me," Dryden replied.

            "I don't know," Kaiden said, glancing back into the shadows where Hikari was lurking.  "I guess I really don't know everything, do I?"

            "Well, now that you've come to terms with your own ignorance, perhaps you should tell Hikari that you've had an epiphany."

            "A epiphi-what?"

            "And epiphany.  A revelation of sorts."

            Hikari saw this as a chance to sneak out of the sitting room and back to her room, where she knew Kaiden would be headed next.  She slipped out undetected, and decided that part two of the plan needed a little rearranging.

~*~

            Kaiden dreaded facing Hikari again.  He knew that she would rip him apart and eat his flesh, and all though he knew he was exaggerating, he wouldn't put it past her.  He inhaled before tapping on the door.  "Hello?  Hikari, can I talk to you?"

            The door creaked open and he saw one of her green eyes glinting in the candlelight.  "What?"

            "I came to apologize for my behavior this afternoon.  I was rude and inconsiderate, and I'm, I'm, I'm sorry," he finally choked out.

            The door opened the rest of the way and Hikari stood before him, a deep purple satin robe draped over her body.  His breath caught in his throat as she smiled at him.  "I knew you'd come around."

            He realized that he was gaping and he attempted to regain his composure.  "So, you forgive me?"

            "Kaiden, you're not as smart as you think you are, but I guess that sometimes that's a given.  Especially when it comes to men," Hikari replied with a shrug.

            "Pardon me?"

            Hikari grinned at Kaiden.  "Oh sure.  Why not?  Men are naturally stupid and it takes a real wise man to admit that he's wrong.  And he's a genius if he can admit it to a woman."

            "Har, har princess."

            "I found it funny."

            "I'm sure you did."

~*~

It's just love!  Or something like it.  First off, I didn't expect there to be this many chapters, nor did I ever think that I'd be breaking it down into chapters.  I'm sorry if this seems to be dragging on forever, and I apologize.  I've only written 38 pages in word, and I'm nowhere near done.  Since the homework's been piling up, I haven't had time to write.  I swear, once I get a little free time I'll finish this story up, since for once in my writing career, I actually know how I want to end this.  Hopefully sequel free.

Mercy_angel_09