She felt queasy and as she tried to open her eyes pain, shot through her
head. She groaned as light filtered through the haze of her vision. Despite
the pain, she felt warmth surrounding her. As her vision cleared and her
senses became alert, she realized that there was a pair of arms wrapped
around her. She tried to recall the events of the previous day, but her
memories were a blur. She tried to turn her head to see who the pair of
arms belonged to, but she winced in pain as her head started to protest her
slight movement. The person next to her stirred. Hitomi was almost too
scared to breath. She had no idea who the person was but the muscular arms
told her that the one sleeping next to her was a man. She tried not to
move, but her body betrayed her as her whole body started to tremble in
fear.
He slowly opened his eyes. He could have sworn that his pillow was making funny noises. When his eyes adjusted to the morning sunlight, he found that he was looking at a head of sandy-blond hair. He paused for a moment as memories started flooding back. He smiled and wrapped his arms tighter around the girl in his arms and his heart filled with joy as he remembered who the girl was.Hitomi. The girl snuggled in his arms gave no sign of consciousness until he felt a slight trembling. Concerned he whispered, "Hitomi?"
She froze. She knew that voice! It was from so very long ago, but she heard that voice in her head almost every day. She slowly turned around and met a pair of dark chocolate colored eyes tinted with hints of amethyst. A smile made its way across her face as she slowly realized that she was in the arms of the one she loved, the one she had left so long ago.
Van smiled softly as he saw joy flood her eyes. .. A loud grumble filtered through the charged atmosphere. Van's eyes widened as Hitomi's face flushed with embarrassment. Van laughed and said, "I guess I need to feed you then". Hitomi mumbled something about tummys and traitors under her breath. Van helped Hitomi stand up, but as soon as he let go, the world turned on its axis and Hitomi wobbled unsteadily on her feet as the world around her began to spin. As she started to fall Van caught her and scooped her up in his arms. He looked at her concerned. She was still very warm. He placed her back on the bed and tucked her in. "I'll bring you some food in bed. I'll be right back" He hesitated when she didn't answer. He didn't feel safe leaving her here. Finally, she opened her eyes and saw his concerned gaze.
She smiled weakly and said, "Hurry up! I'm starving!" He smiled and left to bring her food.
--------------------------------
He reached her room with a tray of traditional Fanalian goodies. He opened the door and let out sigh of relief as her saw her sitting up in bed looking out the window. She turned when she felt his presence and smiled. She approached her bed with the tray and set it down in front of her. Her eyes widened as she saw the tray and she started digging in. Van chuckled as she looked up with a face full of crumbs. She ignored him and gave her full attention to the food. After eating her fill Hitomi promptly fell back to sleep. Van sat there gazing at her until Merle looked into the room and dragged Van off to his own room so he could get some sleep. ---------------------------------------------------------
It was warm and Van was there. She felt safe in her dreams, but sudden chill spread through the atmosphere. She felt a cold hand around her neck. She couldn't breath and she screamed. She sat up suddenly grabbing at her throat. Her eyes were glazed in fear. Van burst into the room ready with his sword, When he saw Hitomi sitting on the bed he breathed a sigh of relief and released the handle of the sword. When she did not move from her position, he approached tentatively. "Hitomi?" He then realized she was trembling violently and he rushed to her side. "Hitomi! HITOMI!" She shook her, but she did not react to the sound of his voice. Fear welled up inside him as she continued to tremble. He wrapped his arms around her to stop her trembling and forced her to look at him. Her eyes were opened by the stared unseeingly into his. He pulled her in to him and kissed her hoping she would wake and come back to the world of the living. At first she didn't respond, but slowly her trembling ceased and she started to respond. When he felt her kissing him back, Van opened his eyes and reluctantly pulled away. Hitomi had tears streaming down her face. She looked at him remembering the coldness the gripped her heart. She threw herself into his arms seeking his warmth. With a trembling voice she whispered, "H-his h- hhands w-wwwere s-so c-c-cold"
Van was confused. What was she talking about? "Whose hands? Was someone here?" Hitomi didn't answer. Instead she buried her face in his shoulder. He looked down at her and them looked around the room, there wasn't anyone there but he felt an eerie sense of foreboding and felt chills run up his spine. He scooped up the frightened girl and tucked her securely in his arms. He wasn't going to leave her alone in this room, not if he could help it. He walked out the room and the girls trembling slowly stopped. He paused and tentatively asked, "Hitomi", but there was no answer. Instead he saw that her eyes were closed and she was breathing evenly. He smiled at her sleeping form before heading to his room. ---------------------------------------------- From the shadows the creature hissed. He would just have to find another way to get the girl. That man wouldn't leave her alone long enough for him to kill her. He hissed again and his red eyes flashed before the shadows disappeared.
------------------------------------------------------------
Merle walked down the hallway getting increasingly irritated by the second. She finally found a suitable victim to let her frustration out on.her husband. Marching right up to him she glared at his back. The catman felt his hair stand on end as he sensed something menacing and dangerous behind him. He whimpered and slowly turning around to face a pair of fiery red eyes. "WHAT IS GOING ON!!!!!" He winced as her voice echoed through the halls. "Everyone is whispering today! No one is getting any work done! What is everyone gossiping about!" He shrank back into the chair behind him as she stepped menacingly closer. Still whimpering he pointed out the windows and Merle directed her angry gaze in the direction he was pointing. She squinted as she saw a figure walking in the garden. She recognized that dark, unruly hair instantly, but paused when she saw what he was holding carefully in his arms. Her eyes widened as she realized what all the whispering was about. She let out a delighted squeal as she watched Van carry Hitomi through the gardens with a soft smile on his face. "THAT is SOOOO CUTE!!!" Wagging her tail excitedly she ran back down the hallway leaving her still trembling husband behind.
Merle slammed the door behind her as she entered her room already making plans for Van's wedding. Then she smiled a malicious gleam in her eyes. She was going to make this wedding happen in exactly one month and she had the perfect plan to help the two lovebirds along.
Van was telling Hitomi about his plans for Fanelia and all the work he had done rebuilding his kingdom the past few years. Hitomi smiled at him. He was such a great King and she was so proud of him. Her smile dimmed a little when she remembered that he was a King with many responsibilities and that this was not her world. She didn't want to go back to the Mystic Moon. She couldn't live without Van in her life, but would he want her to stay? She didn't know if she could bear watching him get married and having a family of his own. She knew he had to get married and probably soon.
Van suddenly realized that Hitomi had been very quiet the past few minutes. She had given supportive little comments and tell him how proud she was of him while he recounted the rebuilding of Fanelia. He looked down at her and saw that she was in deep thought. Her brows wrinkles as if she was thinking of something unpleasant. He couln't have any of that on a bright sunny day could he? "Hitomi? What wrong?" She started at the sound of his voice and gave him a little smile.
"Nothing. I was just thinking.." And her voice trailed off.
His throat tightened as he asked quietly, "Do you want to go home?"
Surprised she looked up and saw the worry in his beautiful eyes. She smiled, "No.actually would it be.okay." she gulped as a burst of uncertainty coursed through her veins, "if I stay...here?..in Fanelia?"
Slowly, she saw a huge smile spread across his face. "I would love it if you would stay here.with me". She could see the blush that rose in his handsome face as he spoke and he turned away to hide it. He looked so cute and she leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He gasped in surprise as he turned back to her and saw the laughter in her eyes. He smiled and almost skipped with the girl still tucked in his arms as he headed back to the castle for lunch.
A week had passed and Van and Millerna were outside Hitomi's room. " What's wrong with her!" Van asked impatiently. "It's been a week and she's still as pale as when she got here. She can't stand on her own. She's can't stay awake for very long. Isn't she supposed to be getting better???" Van let out an exasperated sigh.
"I don't know. She should be regaining her strength. I don't know why she isn't. I don't think this is a normal illness. There are other problems too, Van. Fighting is breaking out across Gaea. Four cities have been destroyed already."
"What??? Four??? When did this happen? Why wasn't I informed?"
"While you were worrying about Hitomi. Four cities in the last two days."
"Van! I've been looking all over for you!" Dryden appeared with a stack of old documents in his hands. "How is Hitomi doing?"
Van sighed and said, "Ok. But she's not getting any better."
"Well, I think I found the reason."
Van and Millerna both looked at him surprised.
" The prophecy.I think it says that Hitomi is connected to Gaea. In order to survive she has to have contact with Gaea. The awakening of her powers binds her to us. Not only that, but Hitomi is actually part of Gaea. She feels our planet's pain. The fall of four Gaean cities and the destruction of their lands is slowing her recovery."
There was silence for a whole minute before Dryden's words sunk in.
"What!!" were the simultaneous replies.
"Just let her rest. She might take a little longer to heal, but she will be all right as long as no more cities get destroyed. If fighting continues to break out we may need to take action."
Van smiled at the beautiful girl in front of him. She was finally able to stand and move around after two weeks of resting. She was still a little pail, but her soft smile made her look ethereal. She was giving him her puppy dog-face because she wanted to go shopping in the newly reconstructed Fanelian marketplace. Van had forbidden her to go outside for two weeks and he was never far from her side going so far as to have council meetings in his bed-chamber while the girl slept in his bed. He was getting annoyed with his advisors. Every time he bumped into one of them they would give him a knowing smile that drove him crazy. They even started asking him if they could begin planning the wedding. He was happy that they didn't mind the idea of Hitomi becoming queen, but the looks he was getting were annoying him to no end.
The tug on his sleeve brought his thoughts back to Hitomi. She was pulling him along the hallway, excited to go out into the city.
She was happy. A large smile seemed to stay permanently glued to her face. She felt like skipping as she tugged Van along with her past the royal guard and out of the place door. She was going to spend a day with Van and see what he had accomplished while she was away. She looked over her shoulders to see how he was doing keeping up with her fast pace. He smiled at her and she couldn't bring herself to look away.
All of a sudden she walked into something big and hard. Van's hand steadied her as she wavered on her feet holding the side of her head that was throbbing. She turned to look and saw that she had walked into a wall. She heard a chuckle come from the man behind her and gave him a warning glare. His eyes sparkled with merriment. She couldn't help but smile at him, but a painful throb made her wince and when she looked back at Van, concern replaced the laughter that was there before.
"Are you okay?"
"Yea. That wall was just really hard."
Relieved he laughed at her again. "Only you would be klutzy enough to walk into a wall."
"Why YOU! HMPH!" And she turned around and continued walking without him.
"Awww. Hitomi, wait up! I didn't mean it." He caught up with her when she finally stopped. Her attention was diverted to a jewelry stand. She was staring at something. He walked up to her and glanced at the object that had caught her attention. It was a beautiful ring made of white gold. The design on it was unique. It was the crest of Fanelia intertwined with a beautiful dragon. After studying it for a few more minutes, she abruptly turned and continued to the marketplace. Confused Van stared after her and bought the ring from the street vendor.
The silver shine had caught her eyes as she strode angrily away from Van. The tiny ring was beautiful. I want a ring like that when I get married ran through her mind. As soon as she realized what she had said she berated herself for making a wish that would never come true. She felt Van come up next to her and her excitement from early vanished. Her heart sunk at the thought that he would have to marry a princess soon. She felt tears prickling at her eyes and abruptly turned away and started walking.
Distracted by the though of Van's inevitable marriage she didn't see Van sneaking up behind her. He pounced and scooped her up in his arms. Hitomi let out a yelp as he started running down the street. People stopped to stare at the young couple.
"What are you DOING!!!!"
"You were going too slow. At this rate we'll never make it to the marketplace." He laughed at her indignant expression.
As they walked back to the marketplace they laughed about the day's events. Van had gotten a bucket of water dumped over his head and Hitomi giggled as the guards turned astonished gazes to their King as he walked in the palace gates, soggy and rumpled. He turned and glared at her as she continued giggling. They found their way to the gardens and Van stared at the angel beside him. Her steps were starting to lag as exhaustion overtook her frail form. She wavered and Van took her in his arms one again. In his arms, she promptly fell asleep. Van smiled at her adorable expression as she wrinkled her nose and snuggled into his shoulder. He would never let her go. He wouldn't loose her again and he hugged her tighter against his body as he felt that ominous chill. He turned around when he heard a tiny snap behind him, but no one was there. Then he noticed that one of the roses from his rose bushes was laying on the pathway. He walked over and stared suspiciously at the flower. It was crushed almost as if someone had pulled it violently from the bush. He looked at the bush it had come from and gasped as the flowers took on an unhealthy shade of gray and wilted right before his eyes. He turned and ran to the palace with Hitomi still held protectively in his arms.
"Guards! Guards!" Soldiers came rushing to the King's aid. "There's an intruder lurking inside the castle. Surround the palace. Watch for any weird shadows. I want guards posted at every conceivable entrance to the castle and I want the guards tripled inside the castle," the King ordered frantically as he disappeared into the castle looking for Dryden.
The soldier promptly went to their posts alert for any signs of an intruder that would harm their king and the angelic girl asleep in his arms.
He slowly opened his eyes. He could have sworn that his pillow was making funny noises. When his eyes adjusted to the morning sunlight, he found that he was looking at a head of sandy-blond hair. He paused for a moment as memories started flooding back. He smiled and wrapped his arms tighter around the girl in his arms and his heart filled with joy as he remembered who the girl was.Hitomi. The girl snuggled in his arms gave no sign of consciousness until he felt a slight trembling. Concerned he whispered, "Hitomi?"
She froze. She knew that voice! It was from so very long ago, but she heard that voice in her head almost every day. She slowly turned around and met a pair of dark chocolate colored eyes tinted with hints of amethyst. A smile made its way across her face as she slowly realized that she was in the arms of the one she loved, the one she had left so long ago.
Van smiled softly as he saw joy flood her eyes. .. A loud grumble filtered through the charged atmosphere. Van's eyes widened as Hitomi's face flushed with embarrassment. Van laughed and said, "I guess I need to feed you then". Hitomi mumbled something about tummys and traitors under her breath. Van helped Hitomi stand up, but as soon as he let go, the world turned on its axis and Hitomi wobbled unsteadily on her feet as the world around her began to spin. As she started to fall Van caught her and scooped her up in his arms. He looked at her concerned. She was still very warm. He placed her back on the bed and tucked her in. "I'll bring you some food in bed. I'll be right back" He hesitated when she didn't answer. He didn't feel safe leaving her here. Finally, she opened her eyes and saw his concerned gaze.
She smiled weakly and said, "Hurry up! I'm starving!" He smiled and left to bring her food.
--------------------------------
He reached her room with a tray of traditional Fanalian goodies. He opened the door and let out sigh of relief as her saw her sitting up in bed looking out the window. She turned when she felt his presence and smiled. She approached her bed with the tray and set it down in front of her. Her eyes widened as she saw the tray and she started digging in. Van chuckled as she looked up with a face full of crumbs. She ignored him and gave her full attention to the food. After eating her fill Hitomi promptly fell back to sleep. Van sat there gazing at her until Merle looked into the room and dragged Van off to his own room so he could get some sleep. ---------------------------------------------------------
It was warm and Van was there. She felt safe in her dreams, but sudden chill spread through the atmosphere. She felt a cold hand around her neck. She couldn't breath and she screamed. She sat up suddenly grabbing at her throat. Her eyes were glazed in fear. Van burst into the room ready with his sword, When he saw Hitomi sitting on the bed he breathed a sigh of relief and released the handle of the sword. When she did not move from her position, he approached tentatively. "Hitomi?" He then realized she was trembling violently and he rushed to her side. "Hitomi! HITOMI!" She shook her, but she did not react to the sound of his voice. Fear welled up inside him as she continued to tremble. He wrapped his arms around her to stop her trembling and forced her to look at him. Her eyes were opened by the stared unseeingly into his. He pulled her in to him and kissed her hoping she would wake and come back to the world of the living. At first she didn't respond, but slowly her trembling ceased and she started to respond. When he felt her kissing him back, Van opened his eyes and reluctantly pulled away. Hitomi had tears streaming down her face. She looked at him remembering the coldness the gripped her heart. She threw herself into his arms seeking his warmth. With a trembling voice she whispered, "H-his h- hhands w-wwwere s-so c-c-cold"
Van was confused. What was she talking about? "Whose hands? Was someone here?" Hitomi didn't answer. Instead she buried her face in his shoulder. He looked down at her and them looked around the room, there wasn't anyone there but he felt an eerie sense of foreboding and felt chills run up his spine. He scooped up the frightened girl and tucked her securely in his arms. He wasn't going to leave her alone in this room, not if he could help it. He walked out the room and the girls trembling slowly stopped. He paused and tentatively asked, "Hitomi", but there was no answer. Instead he saw that her eyes were closed and she was breathing evenly. He smiled at her sleeping form before heading to his room. ---------------------------------------------- From the shadows the creature hissed. He would just have to find another way to get the girl. That man wouldn't leave her alone long enough for him to kill her. He hissed again and his red eyes flashed before the shadows disappeared.
------------------------------------------------------------
Merle walked down the hallway getting increasingly irritated by the second. She finally found a suitable victim to let her frustration out on.her husband. Marching right up to him she glared at his back. The catman felt his hair stand on end as he sensed something menacing and dangerous behind him. He whimpered and slowly turning around to face a pair of fiery red eyes. "WHAT IS GOING ON!!!!!" He winced as her voice echoed through the halls. "Everyone is whispering today! No one is getting any work done! What is everyone gossiping about!" He shrank back into the chair behind him as she stepped menacingly closer. Still whimpering he pointed out the windows and Merle directed her angry gaze in the direction he was pointing. She squinted as she saw a figure walking in the garden. She recognized that dark, unruly hair instantly, but paused when she saw what he was holding carefully in his arms. Her eyes widened as she realized what all the whispering was about. She let out a delighted squeal as she watched Van carry Hitomi through the gardens with a soft smile on his face. "THAT is SOOOO CUTE!!!" Wagging her tail excitedly she ran back down the hallway leaving her still trembling husband behind.
Merle slammed the door behind her as she entered her room already making plans for Van's wedding. Then she smiled a malicious gleam in her eyes. She was going to make this wedding happen in exactly one month and she had the perfect plan to help the two lovebirds along.
Van was telling Hitomi about his plans for Fanelia and all the work he had done rebuilding his kingdom the past few years. Hitomi smiled at him. He was such a great King and she was so proud of him. Her smile dimmed a little when she remembered that he was a King with many responsibilities and that this was not her world. She didn't want to go back to the Mystic Moon. She couldn't live without Van in her life, but would he want her to stay? She didn't know if she could bear watching him get married and having a family of his own. She knew he had to get married and probably soon.
Van suddenly realized that Hitomi had been very quiet the past few minutes. She had given supportive little comments and tell him how proud she was of him while he recounted the rebuilding of Fanelia. He looked down at her and saw that she was in deep thought. Her brows wrinkles as if she was thinking of something unpleasant. He couln't have any of that on a bright sunny day could he? "Hitomi? What wrong?" She started at the sound of his voice and gave him a little smile.
"Nothing. I was just thinking.." And her voice trailed off.
His throat tightened as he asked quietly, "Do you want to go home?"
Surprised she looked up and saw the worry in his beautiful eyes. She smiled, "No.actually would it be.okay." she gulped as a burst of uncertainty coursed through her veins, "if I stay...here?..in Fanelia?"
Slowly, she saw a huge smile spread across his face. "I would love it if you would stay here.with me". She could see the blush that rose in his handsome face as he spoke and he turned away to hide it. He looked so cute and she leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He gasped in surprise as he turned back to her and saw the laughter in her eyes. He smiled and almost skipped with the girl still tucked in his arms as he headed back to the castle for lunch.
A week had passed and Van and Millerna were outside Hitomi's room. " What's wrong with her!" Van asked impatiently. "It's been a week and she's still as pale as when she got here. She can't stand on her own. She's can't stay awake for very long. Isn't she supposed to be getting better???" Van let out an exasperated sigh.
"I don't know. She should be regaining her strength. I don't know why she isn't. I don't think this is a normal illness. There are other problems too, Van. Fighting is breaking out across Gaea. Four cities have been destroyed already."
"What??? Four??? When did this happen? Why wasn't I informed?"
"While you were worrying about Hitomi. Four cities in the last two days."
"Van! I've been looking all over for you!" Dryden appeared with a stack of old documents in his hands. "How is Hitomi doing?"
Van sighed and said, "Ok. But she's not getting any better."
"Well, I think I found the reason."
Van and Millerna both looked at him surprised.
" The prophecy.I think it says that Hitomi is connected to Gaea. In order to survive she has to have contact with Gaea. The awakening of her powers binds her to us. Not only that, but Hitomi is actually part of Gaea. She feels our planet's pain. The fall of four Gaean cities and the destruction of their lands is slowing her recovery."
There was silence for a whole minute before Dryden's words sunk in.
"What!!" were the simultaneous replies.
"Just let her rest. She might take a little longer to heal, but she will be all right as long as no more cities get destroyed. If fighting continues to break out we may need to take action."
Van smiled at the beautiful girl in front of him. She was finally able to stand and move around after two weeks of resting. She was still a little pail, but her soft smile made her look ethereal. She was giving him her puppy dog-face because she wanted to go shopping in the newly reconstructed Fanelian marketplace. Van had forbidden her to go outside for two weeks and he was never far from her side going so far as to have council meetings in his bed-chamber while the girl slept in his bed. He was getting annoyed with his advisors. Every time he bumped into one of them they would give him a knowing smile that drove him crazy. They even started asking him if they could begin planning the wedding. He was happy that they didn't mind the idea of Hitomi becoming queen, but the looks he was getting were annoying him to no end.
The tug on his sleeve brought his thoughts back to Hitomi. She was pulling him along the hallway, excited to go out into the city.
She was happy. A large smile seemed to stay permanently glued to her face. She felt like skipping as she tugged Van along with her past the royal guard and out of the place door. She was going to spend a day with Van and see what he had accomplished while she was away. She looked over her shoulders to see how he was doing keeping up with her fast pace. He smiled at her and she couldn't bring herself to look away.
All of a sudden she walked into something big and hard. Van's hand steadied her as she wavered on her feet holding the side of her head that was throbbing. She turned to look and saw that she had walked into a wall. She heard a chuckle come from the man behind her and gave him a warning glare. His eyes sparkled with merriment. She couldn't help but smile at him, but a painful throb made her wince and when she looked back at Van, concern replaced the laughter that was there before.
"Are you okay?"
"Yea. That wall was just really hard."
Relieved he laughed at her again. "Only you would be klutzy enough to walk into a wall."
"Why YOU! HMPH!" And she turned around and continued walking without him.
"Awww. Hitomi, wait up! I didn't mean it." He caught up with her when she finally stopped. Her attention was diverted to a jewelry stand. She was staring at something. He walked up to her and glanced at the object that had caught her attention. It was a beautiful ring made of white gold. The design on it was unique. It was the crest of Fanelia intertwined with a beautiful dragon. After studying it for a few more minutes, she abruptly turned and continued to the marketplace. Confused Van stared after her and bought the ring from the street vendor.
The silver shine had caught her eyes as she strode angrily away from Van. The tiny ring was beautiful. I want a ring like that when I get married ran through her mind. As soon as she realized what she had said she berated herself for making a wish that would never come true. She felt Van come up next to her and her excitement from early vanished. Her heart sunk at the thought that he would have to marry a princess soon. She felt tears prickling at her eyes and abruptly turned away and started walking.
Distracted by the though of Van's inevitable marriage she didn't see Van sneaking up behind her. He pounced and scooped her up in his arms. Hitomi let out a yelp as he started running down the street. People stopped to stare at the young couple.
"What are you DOING!!!!"
"You were going too slow. At this rate we'll never make it to the marketplace." He laughed at her indignant expression.
As they walked back to the marketplace they laughed about the day's events. Van had gotten a bucket of water dumped over his head and Hitomi giggled as the guards turned astonished gazes to their King as he walked in the palace gates, soggy and rumpled. He turned and glared at her as she continued giggling. They found their way to the gardens and Van stared at the angel beside him. Her steps were starting to lag as exhaustion overtook her frail form. She wavered and Van took her in his arms one again. In his arms, she promptly fell asleep. Van smiled at her adorable expression as she wrinkled her nose and snuggled into his shoulder. He would never let her go. He wouldn't loose her again and he hugged her tighter against his body as he felt that ominous chill. He turned around when he heard a tiny snap behind him, but no one was there. Then he noticed that one of the roses from his rose bushes was laying on the pathway. He walked over and stared suspiciously at the flower. It was crushed almost as if someone had pulled it violently from the bush. He looked at the bush it had come from and gasped as the flowers took on an unhealthy shade of gray and wilted right before his eyes. He turned and ran to the palace with Hitomi still held protectively in his arms.
"Guards! Guards!" Soldiers came rushing to the King's aid. "There's an intruder lurking inside the castle. Surround the palace. Watch for any weird shadows. I want guards posted at every conceivable entrance to the castle and I want the guards tripled inside the castle," the King ordered frantically as he disappeared into the castle looking for Dryden.
The soldier promptly went to their posts alert for any signs of an intruder that would harm their king and the angelic girl asleep in his arms.
