Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne
The Scepter of the Dragons
Chapter 16: Truths are Revealed
By Coolchick1500
A few hours later, Hitomi felt the bed tilt. Though not usually a light sleeper, she woke up with this action. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to wake you up" Van said.
"Are you just getting to bed?" Hitomi asked.
"Yes. Why do you ask?" Van asked.
"Because I've been in bed for hours. Where were you?" Hitomi asked.
"I was letting Aklen have it. Larson informed me of what happened between you and Aklen. I told Aklen that if he questions your actions again, Dilandau would have fun tearing him apart" Van said.
Though Van was serious, Hitomi couldn't help but chuckle. "What's so funny?" Van asked.
"Didn't you hear Merle? She said the same thing," Hitomi said.
"Merle sees you as a sister. Though a rival, she loves you," Van said.
Van took his hand and lightly went up and down her upper arm. It gave her goose bumps. Hitomi snuggled closer to Van and drifted off to sleep again. She woke up at dawn later that morning. Van wasn't beside her and the bathroom door was open. Her eyes were still heavy from her sleep or lack there of. She sat up as Van walked out of the bathroom. "Finally awake huh?" Van asked.
"I guess. I'm exhausted" Hitomi stated.
"Tell ya what. Why don't you lay back down and go back to sleep for a few more hours. I'll send Marie or Merle to wake you up with some food ready for you" Van said.
Before Hitomi could protest, Van lips were on her lips. "I'll see you in a few hours" Van said, after breaking the kiss.
He walked out into the hallway and continued to the training area of the castle. It had been several days since he had sparred with Larson. And Van didn't want to loose his edge. He found Larson training some soldiers. "Where's Lady Hitomi?" Larson asked.
"Still in bed. She's exhausted and who could blame her. She had a rough night last night. She woke up and I told her to go back to bed" Van said.
Larson was the first to advance. The grass was slightly wet from the dew, and this worked to the fighters' disadvantage. Larson slipped, but didn't fall. The match has continued for almost an hour. Both were tired and weak from fighting all of that time.
Hitomi, who couldn't get back to sleep, got out of bed and went into the bathroom. She took a quick bath, and slid on her track practice outfit. Red shorts with a white short sleeve shirt. Just as she opened the door to go and find Van, Merle ran in. She hopped on Hitomi and licked her face. "Merle get off!" Hitomi said.
Merle got off and helped Hitomi up. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. No this will not do" Merle said.
"What won't do?" Hitomi asked.
"Your outfit" Merle said.
"I'll be back in and change. I wanna find Amano and Yukari and go for a run," Hitomi said.
"Oh, well in that case. They're both in the back of the castle talking?" Merle instructed Hitomi.
Hitomi left the room and ran after Yukari and Amano. Both were in the back of the castle, just as Merle had said. "Hey guys" Hitomi shouted.
"Hello Hitomi. What'd you come out for?" Amano asked.
"I need to run. Yukari do you have your stopwatch?" Hitomi asked.
"I never leave home without it" Yukari said with a smile. She dug through her bag and after finding it, she waved it in the air.
Amano pointed out the start line and walked several feet before stopping. "This should be the 200 meter," Amano said. He guessed. No one could actually pinpoint the exact place of the 200-meter line.
Hitomi got up to the starting line and got ready. "Ready…Set…GO!" Yukari said.
Hitomi began to run as Yukari started the watch. A few feet past the 200- meter mark Hitomi stopped. "Twelve Seconds" Yukari announced.
Hitomi was relieved. She's hadn't slowed down. Next she did the 400-meter. Once again Hitomi got up to the starting line. Hitomi started and ran across the finished line. "This is wonderful! You did the 400 in nineteen seconds," Yukari said.
"Good. At least I didn't slow down any" Hitomi stated.
"If anything, you picked up speed" Amano established.
"That's true. My best for the 400 meter dash was…umm, I think twenty-one seconds" Hitomi said.
"Twenty-one point five, but who cares about being exact" Yukari said with a smile.
"She knows my times better than I do. There should be a law against that!" Hitomi said, jokingly.
"I bet I could beat you" Yukari said.
"You're not in track. You can't run that fast. You're just my personal trainer and the team's manager" Hitomi said.
"Oh really. Well, for your information 'Miss. I'm the best runner in the world,' Amano has been training me for about six months" Yukari said. She placed her hands on her hips.
"Quit arguing and settle this with a race. How about the 600-meter dash?" Amano asked.
"That will work" Yukari said.
Amano walked down to the finish line. "Ready…Set…GO!" Amano shouted.
The two best friends took off. Hitomi didn't know how well Yukari ran, so she decided to give her a run for her money. Hitomi put all of her energy into the race. At the end of the finish line, Amano said that had tied. Which wasn't true. Yukari had passed the finish line by one tenth of second before Hitomi. Amano didn't want to hurt their feelings so he tied them. "See, I'm just as good as you are" Yukari said.
Hitomi couldn't help but smile. Though Yukari was fast, Hitomi knew she couldn't hold up in the track team. "There you are. Merle said you were up here," Van said. He was standing on the top of the hill.
"Yeah, I needed to run" Hitomi said.
"Lady Hitomi, I have the reports you requested" Jenkins said.
"I have to take care of this. I'll be back as soon as I can" Hitomi said.
She walked off with Jenkins. "She'll be a good queen" Larson corroborated.
"Yes, she will. I think she's just what the people need. She caring and responsible. She thinks with her head as well as her heart. And she put Aklen in his place more than once" Van said.
Larson chuckled at Van's statement. "You picked the right woman to fall in love with Your Highness" Larson said.
"May I say something?" Yukari asked.
"Certainly" Van said.
Yukari stepped in front of the young monarch. "If I EVER hear that you have hurt Hitomi in any way whatsoever, I will find a way back to Gaea and kill you"
Her smile made Van uneasy. Was she joking or was she serious. "Don't take it as a threat, because it's not. It's a promise. Hitomi is the closest thing I have to a sister. I would do anything for her" Yukari walked down the hill.
"Don't worry. It was a joke, but I think she was serious. My advice: do nothing to made Yukari angry. You don't want to see her mad. As good as you with your sword, she's that good at self-defense. She's a blackbelt in: karate, judo, akedo, and ti-quan-do (AN: If I misspelled any of these, please tell me). She would literally kill you if you gave her the chance," Amano said. He followed Yukari down the hill.
"Larson make me a note not to do anything to piss Yukari off," Van said.
"Note taken" Larson said.
Meanwhile, "We have no reports of any casualties; however, we do have a few men injured during last night" Jenkins said.
"How many?" Hitomi asked.
"A dozen" Jenkins said.
"You call that a few!? Are they being taken care of?" Hitomi asked.
"Yes, the palace healers are taking care of their injuries. We also have healers from Fanelia in the castle helping with the recovery of the injured" Jenkins said.
"Excellent. What about a damage report?" Hitomi asked.
"I have men working on that as we speak Your Highness. You will have that report by the end of the day" Jenkins said.
"Thank you" Hitomi said.
Hitomi started to walk off. "Jenkins" Hitomi said.
"Yes, Your Highness?" Jenkins asked.
"Do you have a punching bag in your training area?" Hitomi asked.
"I believe so. But why do you ask?" Jenkins said.
"No reason. Just curious" Hitomi said.
She took off full speed for the training area. She ran into Yukari on the way. "Hey, come with me" Hitomi took Yukari's wrist and drug her to the training area.
"What's here?" Yukari asked.
"A punching bag" Hitomi said.
"There is a God!" Yukari shouted.
An hour later, Yukari gave up on the punching bag. They walked back into the castle, laughing and talking about the times when they were little. How they would get into so much trouble. "We have changed so much and we're still best friends" Yukari said.
"I know. We have so much in common though. When our fifth grade teacher would let us go outside and play, she would make us behave and not get into trouble" Hitomi said.
"I so did not like that woman. She gave me the creeps. But you're right. No one could understand why we wanted to go play with the boys. We weren't interested in make-up or our hair. We wanted to play sports" Yukari said.
"No one ever figured it out that we were tomboys" Hitomi said.
"Were? Hitomi, we still are" Yukari pointed out.
"True" Hitomi said.
"I have to go. I'll see you later" Yukari said.
"You probably won't be able to see me until later tonight. I have quite a few things to take care of" Hitomi said.
"Since you've gotten to Fanelia, you've been working. When will you actually take a break?" Yukari demanded.
"Not until we find that scepter" Hitomi said walking into Van's room.
Merle was sitting on the balcony. "Hitomi, guess what? I found the perfect dress for you to wear for today" Merle said.
She went to the closet and pulled out a long white dress. The sleeves were long and flared out from the middle of the arm to the end. It had a small V- neck. Merle handed the dress to Hitomi and pulled out a pair of ivory white heels. "Go into the bathroom and put it on" Merle shoved Hitomi into the room.
Hitomi got out of her track clothes and put on the dress. It fit her perfectly. The material was soft and very light. It wasn't like her other dress that was so heavy. Hitomi walked out of the room. The bottom of her dress flowed as she walked. "It looks wonderful! I'm so proud of myself," Merle said.
"I love it" Hitomi said.
"I knew you would" Merle said.
"Lady Hitomi?" Marie asked after she had stuck her head through the door.
"Yes" Hitomi answered.
"His Highness requests your presence in the royal gardens," Marie said.
"Okay. Where are the royal gardens?" Hitomi asked.
"Go out onto the balcony and walk down the steps. You're in the royal gardens," Merle said.
Hitomi walked out onto the balcony and picked up her dress as she walked down the stairs. Van was sitting on a stone-carved bench. "Marie said you wanted to see me," Hitomi said.
Van spun his head around and looked at Hitomi. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped to the ground. Hitomi smiled. "Van it's rude to stare" Hitomi said.
Van stood up and walked over to Hitomi. He took her hands and held them in his. "I have something for you" Van said.
He pulled Hitomi over to the bench he was recently sitting at. He picked up a black velvet box and handed it to Hitomi. She opened it and her eyes lit up. Inside the box was a small necklace. The pendant was a small angel with wings on her back. She was kneeling Wrapped around her body was a dragon. The dragon's head rested in the angel's hands. In the dragon's mouth was a diamond. "Van, it's beautiful. I love it" Hitomi threw her arms around Van's neck.
"I'm glad. It was my mother's. Father gave it to her as an engagement present. She gave it to me before she left to go find Folken in the forest. She told me to give to the person I love most in the world," Van said.
Hitomi was speechless. "I love you sooo much" Hitomi told Van.
"As I you" Van said.
Van took the necklace and put it around Hitomi's neck. It was more of a choker. The pendant sat gently on the bottom of Hitomi's collarbone. "Come, the meeting resumes in a few minutes. The Council Members will be there," Van said.
Van and Hitomi walked to the Council Room. Only the Council Members were in there. Chid, Millerna, and Dryden walked into the room a few minutes later. Jared and Balcifer walked in right after them. Hitomi noticed Larson and Jenkins in the corner of the room. "Why is she needed her?" Aklen asked.
"Because she is the future Queen of Fanelia" Van said calmly.
"This isn't her business" Aklen said.
"Aklen, do you remember what happened last night?" Hitomi asked.
"Yes" Aklen said.
"I'll do so again if you say another word. I'm not a person you want to test. I'm not in the best of moods. Shut up and take your seat" Hitomi ordered.
Aklen sat in his chair as Hitomi crossed her legs. She smiled and thanked him. "Now where were we?" Hitomi asked.
"The tablet" Jared said.
"Where did you find such a thing?" Dryden asked.
"It's been in my family for years. My grandfather found it when he was a small boy" Jared replied.
"Lord Balcifer; last night you spoke of enemies that you were going to destroy. What enemies do you speak of?" Hitomi asked.
"Just people that threaten Zaibach" Balcifer said.
Let's take another approach Hitomi thought. "Ever since Dornkirk died two years ago, the country has been recovering nicely from my understandings. Why would anyone want to destroy the country?" Hitomi asked.
"I worked for the Late Emperor Dornkirk. The Seer from the Mystic Moon helped destroy him. I plan, once I have the scepter, to go to the Mystic Moon, find her and kill her using the scepter" Balcifer said.
Hitomi's blood ran cold. "How do you plan to get to Mystic Moon?" Van asked.
"My engineers are working on a machine that creates the pillars of light," Balcifer said.
"Then it begs the question of why the alliance treaty?" Chid asked.
"I don't plan on just killing her. I plan to bring her back here and make her watch as everything she loves dies. To do so, I need help. Basram has decided to help me with such a plan" Balcifer said.
Hitomi, who was still caught in her own little world, was terrified. "How can you just destroy everything in sight?" Hitomi demanded.
"It's very easy. I did as such when I was in charge of Zaibach's army. And now as King of Zaibach, it just makes it easier" Balcifer smirked.
Hitomi wanted to burst into tears. "How can you watch the killing, no the massacre of thousands of innocent people. Some of the people are your own subjects?" Hitomi shouted.
"I can because I am King. I do not have to justify my actions to a pathetic little child like you. You know nothing of ruling a country. You have no right to be the future Queen of Fanelia. You cannot think with your heart. That's what get you into trouble girl!" Balcifer's voice rose above Hitomi's.
"I did not think that this was going to be a shouting contest, but I can make it one if you wish. The most precious thing in the world is life. If you start a war with the whole of Gaea, it's going to have regressions. Not just for Gaea but for the Mystic Moon as well" Hitomi said.
"Why do you care about the Mystic Moon?" Balcifer demanded.
"I'm worried about the billions of innocent people that this will affect" Hitomi said, covering her tracks.
Nice cover up Van thought. Thank you Hitomi said.
"So is this why you and Jared came here. To tell us that you were going to wage war on the rest of Gaea?" Larson asked.
"Yes, and to tell the people that were in contact with the Mystic Moon bitch, as Dilandau puts it so nicely, that she will die" Balcifer said.
"This meeting is over. Lord Balcifer and I will be leaving within the hour," Jared said.
The two monarchs stood up and left the room. "Damnit!" Hitomi yelled. She slammed her hand on the table.
Hitomi stood up from her chair and went after Balcifer and Jared. She caught up with them at the end of the hallway. "What makes you so sure of your plan?" Hitomi asked.
"Because if the seer doesn't come with me, I'll kill everything she has ever loved," Balcifer said coldly.
With that they walked away. Hitomi stood in the hall, her mind still trying to absorb everything. "Everything will be fine m' lady" Larson said.
"I'd like to know how" Hitomi said.
She walked back into the Council Room. "Well, what do we do?" Millerna said.
"We get to that scepter before Balcifer" Hitomi said.
"But how?" Dryden asked.
"Duke Chid, may I talk to you privately?" Hitomi asked.
"Certainly" Chid said. He excused himself from the meeting and they walked into the hallway.
"In Freid, do you have any buildings with a winding staircase underneath Fortona Temple?" Hitomi asked.
"I believe so. There are many caves and buildings that the monks built for different purposes. My late father once told me that there was a cave that led to the first castle of Freid. He said that many of the rooms have been preserved, and that there was a winding staircase that led down into the secret room. Some strange power has protected it for generations" Chid explained.
"Thank you" Hitomi said.
They entered the room. "When may we leave for Freid?" Hitomi asked everyone.
"Anytime you please" Chid said.
"We'll leave as soon as possible. Hitomi, I leave the arrangements to you" Van said.
"Thank you" Hitomi said.
She left the room to find Merle and start making the plans.
~Another chapter written. Did you like the whole Balcifer thing? Did you like the chapter? I hope so. I was going to post this chapter earlier, but ff.net closed down. That's okay. Chapter 17 and 18 are finished, and if they are not posted tonight, they will be tomorrow. I hope you like it? That's all for now! CYA!~
The Scepter of the Dragons
Chapter 16: Truths are Revealed
By Coolchick1500
A few hours later, Hitomi felt the bed tilt. Though not usually a light sleeper, she woke up with this action. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to wake you up" Van said.
"Are you just getting to bed?" Hitomi asked.
"Yes. Why do you ask?" Van asked.
"Because I've been in bed for hours. Where were you?" Hitomi asked.
"I was letting Aklen have it. Larson informed me of what happened between you and Aklen. I told Aklen that if he questions your actions again, Dilandau would have fun tearing him apart" Van said.
Though Van was serious, Hitomi couldn't help but chuckle. "What's so funny?" Van asked.
"Didn't you hear Merle? She said the same thing," Hitomi said.
"Merle sees you as a sister. Though a rival, she loves you," Van said.
Van took his hand and lightly went up and down her upper arm. It gave her goose bumps. Hitomi snuggled closer to Van and drifted off to sleep again. She woke up at dawn later that morning. Van wasn't beside her and the bathroom door was open. Her eyes were still heavy from her sleep or lack there of. She sat up as Van walked out of the bathroom. "Finally awake huh?" Van asked.
"I guess. I'm exhausted" Hitomi stated.
"Tell ya what. Why don't you lay back down and go back to sleep for a few more hours. I'll send Marie or Merle to wake you up with some food ready for you" Van said.
Before Hitomi could protest, Van lips were on her lips. "I'll see you in a few hours" Van said, after breaking the kiss.
He walked out into the hallway and continued to the training area of the castle. It had been several days since he had sparred with Larson. And Van didn't want to loose his edge. He found Larson training some soldiers. "Where's Lady Hitomi?" Larson asked.
"Still in bed. She's exhausted and who could blame her. She had a rough night last night. She woke up and I told her to go back to bed" Van said.
Larson was the first to advance. The grass was slightly wet from the dew, and this worked to the fighters' disadvantage. Larson slipped, but didn't fall. The match has continued for almost an hour. Both were tired and weak from fighting all of that time.
Hitomi, who couldn't get back to sleep, got out of bed and went into the bathroom. She took a quick bath, and slid on her track practice outfit. Red shorts with a white short sleeve shirt. Just as she opened the door to go and find Van, Merle ran in. She hopped on Hitomi and licked her face. "Merle get off!" Hitomi said.
Merle got off and helped Hitomi up. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. No this will not do" Merle said.
"What won't do?" Hitomi asked.
"Your outfit" Merle said.
"I'll be back in and change. I wanna find Amano and Yukari and go for a run," Hitomi said.
"Oh, well in that case. They're both in the back of the castle talking?" Merle instructed Hitomi.
Hitomi left the room and ran after Yukari and Amano. Both were in the back of the castle, just as Merle had said. "Hey guys" Hitomi shouted.
"Hello Hitomi. What'd you come out for?" Amano asked.
"I need to run. Yukari do you have your stopwatch?" Hitomi asked.
"I never leave home without it" Yukari said with a smile. She dug through her bag and after finding it, she waved it in the air.
Amano pointed out the start line and walked several feet before stopping. "This should be the 200 meter," Amano said. He guessed. No one could actually pinpoint the exact place of the 200-meter line.
Hitomi got up to the starting line and got ready. "Ready…Set…GO!" Yukari said.
Hitomi began to run as Yukari started the watch. A few feet past the 200- meter mark Hitomi stopped. "Twelve Seconds" Yukari announced.
Hitomi was relieved. She's hadn't slowed down. Next she did the 400-meter. Once again Hitomi got up to the starting line. Hitomi started and ran across the finished line. "This is wonderful! You did the 400 in nineteen seconds," Yukari said.
"Good. At least I didn't slow down any" Hitomi stated.
"If anything, you picked up speed" Amano established.
"That's true. My best for the 400 meter dash was…umm, I think twenty-one seconds" Hitomi said.
"Twenty-one point five, but who cares about being exact" Yukari said with a smile.
"She knows my times better than I do. There should be a law against that!" Hitomi said, jokingly.
"I bet I could beat you" Yukari said.
"You're not in track. You can't run that fast. You're just my personal trainer and the team's manager" Hitomi said.
"Oh really. Well, for your information 'Miss. I'm the best runner in the world,' Amano has been training me for about six months" Yukari said. She placed her hands on her hips.
"Quit arguing and settle this with a race. How about the 600-meter dash?" Amano asked.
"That will work" Yukari said.
Amano walked down to the finish line. "Ready…Set…GO!" Amano shouted.
The two best friends took off. Hitomi didn't know how well Yukari ran, so she decided to give her a run for her money. Hitomi put all of her energy into the race. At the end of the finish line, Amano said that had tied. Which wasn't true. Yukari had passed the finish line by one tenth of second before Hitomi. Amano didn't want to hurt their feelings so he tied them. "See, I'm just as good as you are" Yukari said.
Hitomi couldn't help but smile. Though Yukari was fast, Hitomi knew she couldn't hold up in the track team. "There you are. Merle said you were up here," Van said. He was standing on the top of the hill.
"Yeah, I needed to run" Hitomi said.
"Lady Hitomi, I have the reports you requested" Jenkins said.
"I have to take care of this. I'll be back as soon as I can" Hitomi said.
She walked off with Jenkins. "She'll be a good queen" Larson corroborated.
"Yes, she will. I think she's just what the people need. She caring and responsible. She thinks with her head as well as her heart. And she put Aklen in his place more than once" Van said.
Larson chuckled at Van's statement. "You picked the right woman to fall in love with Your Highness" Larson said.
"May I say something?" Yukari asked.
"Certainly" Van said.
Yukari stepped in front of the young monarch. "If I EVER hear that you have hurt Hitomi in any way whatsoever, I will find a way back to Gaea and kill you"
Her smile made Van uneasy. Was she joking or was she serious. "Don't take it as a threat, because it's not. It's a promise. Hitomi is the closest thing I have to a sister. I would do anything for her" Yukari walked down the hill.
"Don't worry. It was a joke, but I think she was serious. My advice: do nothing to made Yukari angry. You don't want to see her mad. As good as you with your sword, she's that good at self-defense. She's a blackbelt in: karate, judo, akedo, and ti-quan-do (AN: If I misspelled any of these, please tell me). She would literally kill you if you gave her the chance," Amano said. He followed Yukari down the hill.
"Larson make me a note not to do anything to piss Yukari off," Van said.
"Note taken" Larson said.
Meanwhile, "We have no reports of any casualties; however, we do have a few men injured during last night" Jenkins said.
"How many?" Hitomi asked.
"A dozen" Jenkins said.
"You call that a few!? Are they being taken care of?" Hitomi asked.
"Yes, the palace healers are taking care of their injuries. We also have healers from Fanelia in the castle helping with the recovery of the injured" Jenkins said.
"Excellent. What about a damage report?" Hitomi asked.
"I have men working on that as we speak Your Highness. You will have that report by the end of the day" Jenkins said.
"Thank you" Hitomi said.
Hitomi started to walk off. "Jenkins" Hitomi said.
"Yes, Your Highness?" Jenkins asked.
"Do you have a punching bag in your training area?" Hitomi asked.
"I believe so. But why do you ask?" Jenkins said.
"No reason. Just curious" Hitomi said.
She took off full speed for the training area. She ran into Yukari on the way. "Hey, come with me" Hitomi took Yukari's wrist and drug her to the training area.
"What's here?" Yukari asked.
"A punching bag" Hitomi said.
"There is a God!" Yukari shouted.
An hour later, Yukari gave up on the punching bag. They walked back into the castle, laughing and talking about the times when they were little. How they would get into so much trouble. "We have changed so much and we're still best friends" Yukari said.
"I know. We have so much in common though. When our fifth grade teacher would let us go outside and play, she would make us behave and not get into trouble" Hitomi said.
"I so did not like that woman. She gave me the creeps. But you're right. No one could understand why we wanted to go play with the boys. We weren't interested in make-up or our hair. We wanted to play sports" Yukari said.
"No one ever figured it out that we were tomboys" Hitomi said.
"Were? Hitomi, we still are" Yukari pointed out.
"True" Hitomi said.
"I have to go. I'll see you later" Yukari said.
"You probably won't be able to see me until later tonight. I have quite a few things to take care of" Hitomi said.
"Since you've gotten to Fanelia, you've been working. When will you actually take a break?" Yukari demanded.
"Not until we find that scepter" Hitomi said walking into Van's room.
Merle was sitting on the balcony. "Hitomi, guess what? I found the perfect dress for you to wear for today" Merle said.
She went to the closet and pulled out a long white dress. The sleeves were long and flared out from the middle of the arm to the end. It had a small V- neck. Merle handed the dress to Hitomi and pulled out a pair of ivory white heels. "Go into the bathroom and put it on" Merle shoved Hitomi into the room.
Hitomi got out of her track clothes and put on the dress. It fit her perfectly. The material was soft and very light. It wasn't like her other dress that was so heavy. Hitomi walked out of the room. The bottom of her dress flowed as she walked. "It looks wonderful! I'm so proud of myself," Merle said.
"I love it" Hitomi said.
"I knew you would" Merle said.
"Lady Hitomi?" Marie asked after she had stuck her head through the door.
"Yes" Hitomi answered.
"His Highness requests your presence in the royal gardens," Marie said.
"Okay. Where are the royal gardens?" Hitomi asked.
"Go out onto the balcony and walk down the steps. You're in the royal gardens," Merle said.
Hitomi walked out onto the balcony and picked up her dress as she walked down the stairs. Van was sitting on a stone-carved bench. "Marie said you wanted to see me," Hitomi said.
Van spun his head around and looked at Hitomi. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped to the ground. Hitomi smiled. "Van it's rude to stare" Hitomi said.
Van stood up and walked over to Hitomi. He took her hands and held them in his. "I have something for you" Van said.
He pulled Hitomi over to the bench he was recently sitting at. He picked up a black velvet box and handed it to Hitomi. She opened it and her eyes lit up. Inside the box was a small necklace. The pendant was a small angel with wings on her back. She was kneeling Wrapped around her body was a dragon. The dragon's head rested in the angel's hands. In the dragon's mouth was a diamond. "Van, it's beautiful. I love it" Hitomi threw her arms around Van's neck.
"I'm glad. It was my mother's. Father gave it to her as an engagement present. She gave it to me before she left to go find Folken in the forest. She told me to give to the person I love most in the world," Van said.
Hitomi was speechless. "I love you sooo much" Hitomi told Van.
"As I you" Van said.
Van took the necklace and put it around Hitomi's neck. It was more of a choker. The pendant sat gently on the bottom of Hitomi's collarbone. "Come, the meeting resumes in a few minutes. The Council Members will be there," Van said.
Van and Hitomi walked to the Council Room. Only the Council Members were in there. Chid, Millerna, and Dryden walked into the room a few minutes later. Jared and Balcifer walked in right after them. Hitomi noticed Larson and Jenkins in the corner of the room. "Why is she needed her?" Aklen asked.
"Because she is the future Queen of Fanelia" Van said calmly.
"This isn't her business" Aklen said.
"Aklen, do you remember what happened last night?" Hitomi asked.
"Yes" Aklen said.
"I'll do so again if you say another word. I'm not a person you want to test. I'm not in the best of moods. Shut up and take your seat" Hitomi ordered.
Aklen sat in his chair as Hitomi crossed her legs. She smiled and thanked him. "Now where were we?" Hitomi asked.
"The tablet" Jared said.
"Where did you find such a thing?" Dryden asked.
"It's been in my family for years. My grandfather found it when he was a small boy" Jared replied.
"Lord Balcifer; last night you spoke of enemies that you were going to destroy. What enemies do you speak of?" Hitomi asked.
"Just people that threaten Zaibach" Balcifer said.
Let's take another approach Hitomi thought. "Ever since Dornkirk died two years ago, the country has been recovering nicely from my understandings. Why would anyone want to destroy the country?" Hitomi asked.
"I worked for the Late Emperor Dornkirk. The Seer from the Mystic Moon helped destroy him. I plan, once I have the scepter, to go to the Mystic Moon, find her and kill her using the scepter" Balcifer said.
Hitomi's blood ran cold. "How do you plan to get to Mystic Moon?" Van asked.
"My engineers are working on a machine that creates the pillars of light," Balcifer said.
"Then it begs the question of why the alliance treaty?" Chid asked.
"I don't plan on just killing her. I plan to bring her back here and make her watch as everything she loves dies. To do so, I need help. Basram has decided to help me with such a plan" Balcifer said.
Hitomi, who was still caught in her own little world, was terrified. "How can you just destroy everything in sight?" Hitomi demanded.
"It's very easy. I did as such when I was in charge of Zaibach's army. And now as King of Zaibach, it just makes it easier" Balcifer smirked.
Hitomi wanted to burst into tears. "How can you watch the killing, no the massacre of thousands of innocent people. Some of the people are your own subjects?" Hitomi shouted.
"I can because I am King. I do not have to justify my actions to a pathetic little child like you. You know nothing of ruling a country. You have no right to be the future Queen of Fanelia. You cannot think with your heart. That's what get you into trouble girl!" Balcifer's voice rose above Hitomi's.
"I did not think that this was going to be a shouting contest, but I can make it one if you wish. The most precious thing in the world is life. If you start a war with the whole of Gaea, it's going to have regressions. Not just for Gaea but for the Mystic Moon as well" Hitomi said.
"Why do you care about the Mystic Moon?" Balcifer demanded.
"I'm worried about the billions of innocent people that this will affect" Hitomi said, covering her tracks.
Nice cover up Van thought. Thank you Hitomi said.
"So is this why you and Jared came here. To tell us that you were going to wage war on the rest of Gaea?" Larson asked.
"Yes, and to tell the people that were in contact with the Mystic Moon bitch, as Dilandau puts it so nicely, that she will die" Balcifer said.
"This meeting is over. Lord Balcifer and I will be leaving within the hour," Jared said.
The two monarchs stood up and left the room. "Damnit!" Hitomi yelled. She slammed her hand on the table.
Hitomi stood up from her chair and went after Balcifer and Jared. She caught up with them at the end of the hallway. "What makes you so sure of your plan?" Hitomi asked.
"Because if the seer doesn't come with me, I'll kill everything she has ever loved," Balcifer said coldly.
With that they walked away. Hitomi stood in the hall, her mind still trying to absorb everything. "Everything will be fine m' lady" Larson said.
"I'd like to know how" Hitomi said.
She walked back into the Council Room. "Well, what do we do?" Millerna said.
"We get to that scepter before Balcifer" Hitomi said.
"But how?" Dryden asked.
"Duke Chid, may I talk to you privately?" Hitomi asked.
"Certainly" Chid said. He excused himself from the meeting and they walked into the hallway.
"In Freid, do you have any buildings with a winding staircase underneath Fortona Temple?" Hitomi asked.
"I believe so. There are many caves and buildings that the monks built for different purposes. My late father once told me that there was a cave that led to the first castle of Freid. He said that many of the rooms have been preserved, and that there was a winding staircase that led down into the secret room. Some strange power has protected it for generations" Chid explained.
"Thank you" Hitomi said.
They entered the room. "When may we leave for Freid?" Hitomi asked everyone.
"Anytime you please" Chid said.
"We'll leave as soon as possible. Hitomi, I leave the arrangements to you" Van said.
"Thank you" Hitomi said.
She left the room to find Merle and start making the plans.
~Another chapter written. Did you like the whole Balcifer thing? Did you like the chapter? I hope so. I was going to post this chapter earlier, but ff.net closed down. That's okay. Chapter 17 and 18 are finished, and if they are not posted tonight, they will be tomorrow. I hope you like it? That's all for now! CYA!~