AN: Muahaha.... Another fan fiction! I know this idea is a bit old, but that's okay XD Please review! This is a V/H story.... ^_____^
"Father, don't you understand?" Hitomi pleaded, trying her best to hold back the pained tears from falling. Her green eyes shone with pain, as she pleaded with her father.
Hitomi's father studied his daughter from his position beside the tall window, letting out a sigh. She was wearing a bronze colored gown with thin straps, the tight bodice had an intricate black design on it, and bronze tulle rippled down in sheets to form an elegant skirt. Her hair was tumbling over her shoulders in loose waves, and she had no jewelry, nor was she wearing her tiara. He frowned slightly upon that, but decided to ignore the fact until later.
"Hitomi, I know we would all like to marry out of love. But the alliance of Fanelia and Andealine will bring much fortune to us." he told her for the millionth time.
"I don't want to marry King Van!" she yelled, stifling back a sob. It had been an old tradition for royal families to marry off their children, however it had started to die down, and Hitomi had hoped her father would let her marry who she liked.
"You've never even met him" he said, his patience coming to an end. "You are to marry, and that's final." Hitomi threw her father a despairing glance, her eyes shining with tears. One drop made it's way down her face to her infuriation, and he held out his hand to brush it away. She knocked his hand out of the way and ran out of the room, sobbing. Hitomi's father sighed, rubbing his face in an exhausted fashion, and gazed out the window, allowing himself to forget about the events that had just occurred.
***
Hitomi tilted her chin up slightly, as she walked down the aisle of the vast cathedral. Light music lilted through the air, and sun shone through the breath taking stain glass windows. She showed no emotion on her face, only swallowed a lump in her throat.
A single veil shaded her face slightly, and she held her bouquet of light pink orchids in her ivory silk gloved hands. Several people smiled fondly at the Andealinian princess, in awe because of her beauty. Her dress was off the shoulder, and her bodice was decorated by miniscule diamonds. Her skirt swept behind her into a 6 foot long train, and her hair was pinned up, in her signature loose waves. She took a mental deep breath, and finally looked at her husband to be. He was wearing navy blue royal attire, with the Fanelian crest on his pocket instead of a flower like the rest of the men. To her slight relief, he wasn't horrific, he was actually quite handsome. Dark, raven black hair shaded his brown eyes slightly, but his face seemed serious, as did his posture. Hitomi willed herself not to cry, and finally made her way by his side. They turned to face each other, and his intense gaze scared her slightly.
"Dearly beloved. We are gathered here today..." came the monk's monotone voice. Hitomi looked up slightly at the ceiling, wishing someone would rescue her. She dreamt of an angel crashing through the window, sweeping her up in his arms and flying her away to paradise, away from the serious young man in front of her. Away from everybody.
No angel came. They said their vows, and to Hitomi's disappointment no one objected to their matrimony. A chaste kiss was placed on Hitomi's mouth, and everyone applauded. Half heartedly throwing her bouquet to the crowd of single women, Hitomi didn't even bother to see who had caught the orchids.
"Queen Hitomi" a voice came. "We must get you ready for the ball!" came one of the hand maids, curtseying nervously.
"Alright" sighed Hitomi, too depressed to protest.
***
Despite himself, Van couldn't help but look with interest when he saw his wife come down the marble stairs into the ball room. He had changed into his red Fanelian jacket, black breeches and white gloves. Hitomi seemed to glide down the stairs, her dress made of a heavenly blue hue, a small silver crown set on her golden brown hair. There were no straps to her gown, and her skirt parted in the middle to reveal another layer of white shimmering tulle. One of his advisors nudged him slightly, and he looked up startled.
"Your Majesty, the first dance?" the advisor prompted.
"Oh, right" remembered Van, making his way across the floor. He extended his hand out to his wife as she made her way down the final stair. "May I have this dance?" his tone of voice showing it was more of a order then a question. Frowning inside slightly, Hitomi nodded and accepted his hand. The orchestra started, and a light waltz began to play. Supporting her back with his left hand and holding her left hand with his right, Van guided Hitomi to a traditional Fanelian waltz. Their upper bodies were completely stiff, however to the outside eye, they looked magical, gliding as one across the marble floor. Hitomi felt her heart break, wondering if this was how she would spend the rest of her life. Several other people joined them on the floor, and Hitomi longed to be in Andealine again with her friends. Instead she was stuck in Fanelia, feeling like an exotic bird locked in a cage with hawks. As soon as the music ended, Van left her alone on the floor, and began to socialize with other royal families.
Steeling her green eyes to prevent showing anyone the slight hurt she was feeling, Hitomi took a flute of champagne from a tray, and toasted herself. To an unhappy life she thought as she sat down alone.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet the new queen" a warm voice came. Hitomi looked up to see a man with long blonde hair and friendly blue eyes look down at her. Remembering her manners, Hitomi straightened up, as the man grasped her hand lightly and kissed it softly.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Allen Schezar, Knight Caeli" added Allen, smiling.
"It's a pleasure to meet you" smiled Hitomi, glad not all the Fanelians were cold bitter toads. "Please, do sit down" she motioned at the chair beside her. Allen beamed inwardly when he noticed that the queen was capable of showing life. She had looked so miserable before, and all she really needed was a friend, he concluded.
"So, how is Fanelia's new queen?" inquired Allen, taking a sip of champagne.
"Slightly... Caged up" admitted Hitomi, sighing. She propped her head up on one of her hands, throwing a glance at Van who was shaking hands with some pompous looking man.
"I know the feeling" nodded Allen. "I don't tend to stay in Fanelia too long because of those old goats" he added in a joking voice. Hitomi snapped up in attention.
"You're not Fanelian?" she asked, her only hope of having a decent life leaving her.
"I'm Asturian" confirmed Allen, sorry for causing the crest fallen look on her face to emerge once more. "The Fanelians aren't that bad" he assured her. "Besides, I visit often, for business matters" he added brightly. "I'll be sure to say hi to you as often as I can" he smiled. Hitomi nodded sadly, and took another sip of the bubbly drink.
"To happiness" toasted Allen, raising his glass in attempts to cheer her up. Hitomi clinked her glass against his, and echoed remorsefully, "To happiness".
***
The ball ended finally, and Van, for the first time after their dance, made his way to Hitomi.
"I hope you had a pleasant evening" he said stiffly, and she nodded, matching his manner. The king and queen made their way to Van's quarters, and suddenly Hitomi realized what they were to do. Seeing the look on her face, Van sighed.
"An heir for Fanelia is not required right away" he told her shortly, and Hitomi sighed in relief. He opened the large double doors to his room, and tossed off his jacket while peeling off his gloves. Hitomi hastily grabbed her night gown, and slid into the dressing room, shutting the door behind her. While she changed out of her ball gown, Van stripped off his shirt, and changed into black pants made of a soft, light material. Hitomi emerged from the dressing room, clad in an ivory silk night gown with extremely thin straps to her discomfort, and she gingerly slid into bed, staying as close to the edge of the mattress as possible, as Van flopped down on his side indifferently. His wife soon fell asleep, and Van took the opportunity to study her closely for the first time. Her lips were a soft shade of pink, and they curved into a natural smile. Silky golden brown locks tumbled over her bare shoulders, and her skin was a creamy complexion. She was beautiful, but Van only saw her as a queen, not his wife. He turned over to face away from her, and shut his eyes allowing the dew of sleep to engulf him.
***
Hitomi woke up, finding herself alone. Being an emotional woman, she could not just accept her life and live as a pawn in the court. However, for now, she would cope until she had the strength to care. She changed into a light green gown, with small cap sleeves, and made her way into the palace gardens. Exotic flowers surrounded her, and Hitomi couldn't help but smile. She sat down by the stone fountain, as water trickled from the trumpets of small angels.
"Good morning, Queen Hitomi" came a friendly voice.
"Allen!" she cried out, happy to see her only friend. "Please, just call me Hitomi" she added, smiling.
"Hitomi it is" he laughed, sitting down beside her. "Unfortunately, I leave this afternoon" he added grimly, and Hitomi's face fell.
"So soon?" she asked, and he nodded. "Well, there will always be next time" she said optimistically, and took in her beautiful surroundings. "I think I'll spend a lot of time here" she mused, the sunlight sparkling against the clear water.
"It's a lovely place... Van had it built. He enjoys strolling through here quite a lot" Allen informed her. Van? thought Hitomi, slightly taken aback. He didn't look like the type to enjoy gardens, he looked like more of the type to get rid of them.
"Oh..." was all she could say, and Allen chuckled.
"Yes, that husband of yours doesn't seem like the type, does he?" Allen smiled. Hitomi didn't feel right when Allen said 'that husband of yours'. He didn't feel like her husband at all. A husband was meant to be loving, and caring, and warm. Van was none of those qualities. Hitomi shook her head, and sighed. They sat in silence, as birds chirped lightly around them.
***
Van sat in rage as his advisors tried to reason with him.
"I will not allow my future child to be betrothed to Zaibach's next spawn!" bellowed Van, slamming his fist on the table.
"But Your Majesty, this could bring great power to Fanelia--"
"That's what you said when I married Queen Hitomi! That great power would come to Fanelia! And all I'm left with is a wife I don't want!" he roared. All of Van's advisors remained quiet, no words coming to their heads. "This meeting is adjourned" stated Van in a final tone, and he left the meeting room in a state of anger.
First his advisors had bothered him about whether he and Hitomi would be producing an heir soon, and he had grown quite irritated, stating when an heir was produced he would tell them. Then they had insisted he stop helping the villagers of the capital rebuild their community, and that it wasn't his place. They had also suggested he marry off his child to Zaibach's next child, and that had caused Van to snap. Van stormed over to the stables, wanting to take his mare for a ride, when the stable boy regretfully reported that his horse was ill and unable to be taken. Van cursed, making the small stable hand jump in alarm, and he slammed the stable door shut, causing a few horses to whinny in fright.
***
"Van?" came a clear voice. Van turned his head slightly, and saw Hitomi in her night robe, hair tied in a low pony tail. He set down his drink, and glared at her. His day had not been good at all, and he didn't need her to lecture him. "It's late, you should--" she began.
"I don't need you to fuss over me" he snapped. Hitomi frowned slightly at him.
"You'll need your--"
"When I married you I intended to have a queen, not some fussy twit." he interrupted once more. Narrowing her eyes, Hitomi strode over to Van's place in front of the fire place and slapped him sharply on the face.
"Don't flatter yourself, I wouldn't fuss over you! I came here because your advisors told me to!" she yelled, willing her tears not to fall, instead she steeled her eyes at him.
"I married you because my advisors told me to!" he retorted, and Hitomi glared daggers.
"Do you honestly think I wanted to marry you, Your Majesty?" she spat. "That I was like the rest of those princesses, gushing over gods know what? Your bitterness? Your coldness? Well I didn't. I was forced into this marriage, so don't think you're the only one unhappy" she added, an angry tear trailing down her cheek. He expected her to run off crying, but to his dismay, she stood there, head held high, never leaving his gaze. Slightly uncomfortable and unaccustomed to a bold woman, Van left her alone in the sitting room before she could react, and made his way up to their quarters. Hitomi let out an infuriated cry, and stormed over to one of the head servants.
"I'd like a separate room prepared for me to reside in" she stated to the servant's surprise. However, it was not the servant's place to question the queen, and the servant nodded, and within 10 minutes Hitomi was escorted to her new room. It was not as big as Van's, however it was still just as luxurious, and it gave her a lovely view of the gardens. As the servant closed the door behind the queen, Hitomi opened the balcony doors and leaned against the stone rail. Shutting her green eyes and taking a deep breath, Hitomi felt like beating her husband to a pulp. Sighing, the young queen shut the balcony doors and crawled underneath the clean covers, and drifted off to sleep.
***
Van woke up at his usual alarmingly early hour, and noticed Hitomi wasn't there beside him. Cursing, and thinking she had probably gotten herself in trouble, Van slid on a white shirt over his sleeping pants and stormed into the main gallery.
"Where is the Queen?" he demanded, ruffling his black hair quickly with his hand.
"S-sleeping in her new quarters, your majesty" a servant timidly replied, bowing.
"Her new WHAT?" bellowed Van.
"She requested separate quarters last night, your majesty. It's located on the second floor near the art room." continued the servant, shaking slightly. Throwing a quick thank you at the servant, Van strode over to his wife's new quarters and threw open the doors without knocking.
"What on Gaea do you think you're doing?" the king yelled at Hitomi who was standing on the balcony.
"What are YOU doing in my quarters?" she shot back, slightly startled, but infuriated at him for ruining her moment of peace.
"Why did you get your own quarters?" he demanded.
"Do you honestly think I would share the same bed with a monster like you?" she questioned, eyes flickering dangerously. His reddish brown eyes resembling the portals to hell, Van stormed out of the room to blow some steam off without giving her an answer.
***
Two figures were in the battle arena, sword fighting. There were rubber pieces on the blades to avoid unnecessary injury, and both fighters were obviously skilled. The swords clashed, eventually one of the fighters knocked it's opponent's sword away and held the tip of the sword at the opponent's throat. The fighter on the floor took off the mask on his head, and revealed Jasta, one of Fanelia's best swordsman.
"You've finally been beaten, Jasta?" came an amused voice. Jasta and the other fighter turned around to see Van in proper sword fighting attire, mask in hand, sword in other.
"It would seem so" grinned Jasta. "Perhaps you would duel with my successor?" he smiled.
"Glad to" replied Van, no arrogance in his voice, just an easy smile, slipping on his mask.
"King Van is an excellent swordsman" said Jasta good naturedly.
"How about we remove the sword guards?" came a gruff voice. Van figured he could handle that, and nodded, ripping the rubber guard off his blade as his opponent did the same.
"May the best man win" said Van sincerely. The two raised their swords, and began. Steel clanged against steel, and it was hard to tell who would win. They parried and dodged, and both fighters were on the ground several times. However, both of their recovery reflexes were good, and whenever on the ground they would spring back up before the opponent could point his sword at the opponent's throat. Van raised his sword but the mysterious fighter blocked the strike and over powered the king, knocking him to the floor. Van sprang up immediately, slashing the fighter on the leg accidentally. Not stopping, the other fighter used the hilt of it's sword to knock the king down and with a small flick of the wrist so the handle was back in the fighter's hand, the point of the sword was aimed at the king's neck.
"Victory to the Queen" announced Jasta as Hitomi took off her mask. Van gaped at his wife, who shook her head so her hair could tumble down.
"That was fun" she smiled, throwing her sword to Jasta. Van immediately got up, shoved his sword at Jasta and ran after his wife.
"Stop!" he yelled, but she kept walking. Growling in irritation, Van sprinted till he caught up with his wife and grabbed her shoulder, whirling her around.
"What?" she replied quickly. "Mad that a woman beat you?" she taunted. Van let out a slight noise of anger.
"I was going to see if your cut was alright" he said, trying to hold his patience.
"...Oh" Hitomi finally came up with, surprised.
"Come on" motioned Van, as Hitomi followed. He sat her down, and gingerly rolled up her pant leg. There was a deep cut, and there was a good chance of scarring. Most women would probably be screaming and bawling, realized Van in surprise. Hitomi merely bit her lip slightly. Then again, most women wouldn't sword fight, he added to himself, almost amusedly. He rubbed some healing herbs into her wound, and covered her cut with a strip of bandage.
"...You're quite the fighter" admitted Van after some silence.
"Thank you" she said softly, looking down into her lap. Though Van was generally a cold person, he wasn't stupid. He could see the hurt in Hitomi's eyes.
"Look... I apologize about that night. I was having quite an unpleasant day and..." he started, and Hitomi shook her head.
"No, we both meant what we said" she said quietly, and Van couldn't argue. Though from that day, he held a sort of new respect for his wife, he still did not care for her, or see her as a wife to be frank. He saw her as a queen, and that was all. He simply nodded, and they sat in silence, unsure of what to do or say. But for Van, a new respect had grown for the queen, and for the Hitomi, a small thought flickered across her mind that maybe, just maybe, the king had a heart.
AN: Haha, can't have them fall in love right away now can we ^_~ But there will be fluff! Muahaha...... Just have to wait a bit.... Review away! ^_^