Several hundred centuries-old papers were strewn across the polished
wooden table. The flat surface stretched the whole length of the royal
library, which could have easily fit ten Fanalian land dragons head to
tail. Papers and books were scattered, completely covering the shiny brown
surface. A little figure sat hunched over a giant book at the far end with
books piled several feet high in stacks to his right and left. If it wasn't
for the golden crown on his head and the royal purple cape draped over his
shoulders, one might have assumed that a peasant was ransacking the royal
library. Having last shaved two weeks ago, his beard and shaggy appearance
coupled with his habit of slouching acquired from the past few weeks of
constant research, could have passed him off for a humpbacked outcast that
should have been living in the church tower ringing the bells every hour.
This was the condition of his library when Van barged through the doors
with Hitomi still cradled in his arms.
Anxiety and fear surged through his veins as he sought for Dryden, but although the panic threatened to overtake his reason, the condition of his library made Van pause for a good ten seconds in surprise. Two weeks ago, the library had been in pristine condition. Every book was in its rightful place and the table didn't even have a scrap of dust on it. When Van first gave Dryden a tour of his library he thought he had a caught a malicious gleam in Dryden's eye, but he passed it off as a trick of the candlelight. Now, he realized that ignoring Dryden's inclination for research and his lack of organization had been a huge mistake. After all, the library on Dryden's ship had been a pigsty. Nothing could be found in that landfill. The King winced as the hunched figure tossed a volume of Fanalian History onto a stack of papers and books to his right. The heavy book landed with a huge thump that shook the whole room. Old papers whose edges were beginning to turn a pale brown tint flew off the long table in all directions as the man searched for some missing document. Van doubted he would ever find it in this mess.
Overcoming the shock of finding his beautiful library like this, Van shook his head and marched over to the shaggy-haired creature. As his fellow ruler continued to look through the brown parchments and scrolls and ignored the younger man's presence, Van felt the panic begin to rise from the pit of his stomach. He cleared his throat and tapped his foot impatiently. If his body wasn't stiff with fear, he would have laughed at the ridiculous picture the hunched creature made. His face was covered in hair from too many days without a razor and a pair of reading glasses sat precariously on the tip of his nose. His hair was flying in all directions and he squinted up at Van from lack of sleep.
"Well, what is it?" the creature demanded.
Van narrowed his eyes and red fire seemed to glow brightly in the amethyst depths. Rage flowed through his veins as he remembered Hitomi's fear-filled eyes the other day. "What is it?????? WHAT IS IT?????? I'll tell you what it is! Hitomi's being stalked by some shadow creature and it TRIED TO KILL HER!!!!! THAT'S WHAT IT IS!!!!!But it's SUCH a SMALL problem compared to your RESEARCH" Van and Dryden stood staring at each other for several seconds until a smile broke out on Dryden's face.
"You know.. If you like her.why don't you just TELL her". Van froze and stared at the bearded man incredulously. Dryden just chuckled and then proceeded to stuff his head back into the pile of books in front of him, ignoring Van. Van, red with fury, turned around and stalked out of the room. ---------------------------------------
He had cooled of a little, when he arrived at the door to his chambers. He realized that he still had a sleeping bundle in his arms. She had miraculously slept through his one sided shouting match. He carefully opened the door and went to put her down in his bed. As he reached his bed he looked back at the girl in his arms and felt reluctant to lay her down on the sheets. He didn't feel safe when she left his arms. He struggled to quench his fears and drew back the covers and laid her down, but her couldn't bring himself to let her go from his embrace. After debating with himself for a few minutes, he finally crawled into bed beside her and wrapped his arms tight around her. He knew that tomorrow, he would have a lot of explaining to do, but he pushed the thought aside and let himself fall into oblivion...
She was there, standing in front of him. Her smile was brighter than the sunshine surrounding her as she reached out for him. He felt reached out, longing to have her in his arms, but as the sky turned black, she moved back horror filling her eyes as she stared through him. He turned around. A huge shadow lurked right behind him. He drew his sword, but the creature ignored him and instead headed past him towards Hitomi. Van reached out to stop the creature, but was frozen in Horror as the shadows surrounded her and swallowed her frail form in its darkness. Inch by inch her light dimmed. As the black fog moved up her body, her mouth formed his name. He called to her desperately, but the faster he ran, the farther away she seemed to be. She screamed his name one last time before the darkness swallowed her. "HITOMIIII!!!!!!!"
Van sat up in bed sweating and breathing hard. He could still hear her screams echoing in his head. As his eyes focused, he realized he was in his room. It had just been a dream. Chills ran over his skin as he recalled the nightmare. Suddenly, he started looking frantically around him for the girl he knew he had in his arms before he fell asleep, but he was the only one in the King sized bed. Just as he was about to fly out the door to call for a search party, he heard a moan from the side of his bed. He looked over and saw Hitomi tangled in a heap of sheets on the ground. He probably pushed her over the side of the bed as he was thrashing around during the night. Sheepishly he called her name and she lifted her head slightly. She glared up at him and yelled, " I am NEVER EVER sleeping in the same bed as you EVER AGAIN!!!!"
-----------------------------------------------------
It was the start of a new week in Fanalia. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping. In the market place you could see a young man trailing behind a blond haired goddess. The girl marched forward despite all the futile attempts of the raven-haired youth to get her attention. The observers just smiled and shook their heads as the young couple passed by. It was rather amusing to see your King begging forgiveness from a petite girl.
"Hitomiiiiiiii" Van winced at the whiney sound of his own voice. He had been trailing after her all morning, but she was still mad at him for knocking her off the bed this morning. "I'm sorry. PLEASE please forgive me? Please?"
Hitomi rolled her eyes and kept walking. Van was acting like a child. At the thought, a small smile lit her face. She peeped back at him. He was trudging dejectedly behind her with his head hung in defeat and his bangs covering his eyes. He looked like a kid, adorable and just begging to be hugged. Who would have thought that stubborn fiery young man she knew years ago would end up following her like a little lost puppy. A giggle escaped her lips and she quickly covered her mouth to keep any more from escaping.
Van's head shot up at the noise. He could have sworn he head a giggle coming from the direction of the beautiful girl he had been following around all morning. His eyes narrowed as she started to tremble. He heard another giggle. He grinned evilly at her back. The giggles had turned into a full-blown fit of giggles.
"Grrrr.." He snuck up close to her and tackled her from behind. Tickling her mercilessly. Laughing, she escaped and ran ahead. Van smiled and ran after her. A scream pierced the calm atmosphere. Fear gripped his heart and he ran towards the last corner he saw Hitomi at. Van skidded to a halt as he neared the edge of the building and froze in horror at what he saw. Hitomi was lying on the ground. She was pale and blood had started to pool around her body. A hideous creature stood over her, its claws and fangs covered with blood. Van charged at the creature, hatred filling his heart. As Van drew his sword the creature seemed to shrink into the shadows and disappear. Van's sword slashed at air and he dropped to his knees beside Hitomi's body. He cradled her head in his lap. He sobbed and tried to hold on to her warmth, but it was already slipping away. "NOOOOOOooooooooooooo" The desperate cry filled the empty air, empty of all the things Hitomi had stood for: life, light,..and love. A soft glow surrounded the pendant around Van's neck as if answering its master's plea for help. The light grew until it enveloped the two forms.
Through the blinding light, Van tried to open his eyes. He squinted at the brightness. It was too bright to see anything, but he felt Hitomi's presence. As the light faded, Van found himself standing amidst vivid greens. He looked out into the world unfolded in front of him. He felt warmth prickle at the back of his neck. He turned slowly and saw Hitomi..dressed in white silk, floating two feet off the ground, with her arms out.and a pair of snow white wings stretching majestically behind her.
A voice spoke to him, with all the warmth and strength Hitomi possessed, yet there was something different, something more, a new knowledge or wisdom interlaced with her courage and heart. "Van..It is time.."
------------------------------------------------------
Dryden jumped from his seat as Millerna entered the royal libraries. He lifted his head from the document he was looking at. " It's all here, the past, present, and future of the angel. The angel who will be born as the goddess of wings.."
Anxiety and fear surged through his veins as he sought for Dryden, but although the panic threatened to overtake his reason, the condition of his library made Van pause for a good ten seconds in surprise. Two weeks ago, the library had been in pristine condition. Every book was in its rightful place and the table didn't even have a scrap of dust on it. When Van first gave Dryden a tour of his library he thought he had a caught a malicious gleam in Dryden's eye, but he passed it off as a trick of the candlelight. Now, he realized that ignoring Dryden's inclination for research and his lack of organization had been a huge mistake. After all, the library on Dryden's ship had been a pigsty. Nothing could be found in that landfill. The King winced as the hunched figure tossed a volume of Fanalian History onto a stack of papers and books to his right. The heavy book landed with a huge thump that shook the whole room. Old papers whose edges were beginning to turn a pale brown tint flew off the long table in all directions as the man searched for some missing document. Van doubted he would ever find it in this mess.
Overcoming the shock of finding his beautiful library like this, Van shook his head and marched over to the shaggy-haired creature. As his fellow ruler continued to look through the brown parchments and scrolls and ignored the younger man's presence, Van felt the panic begin to rise from the pit of his stomach. He cleared his throat and tapped his foot impatiently. If his body wasn't stiff with fear, he would have laughed at the ridiculous picture the hunched creature made. His face was covered in hair from too many days without a razor and a pair of reading glasses sat precariously on the tip of his nose. His hair was flying in all directions and he squinted up at Van from lack of sleep.
"Well, what is it?" the creature demanded.
Van narrowed his eyes and red fire seemed to glow brightly in the amethyst depths. Rage flowed through his veins as he remembered Hitomi's fear-filled eyes the other day. "What is it?????? WHAT IS IT?????? I'll tell you what it is! Hitomi's being stalked by some shadow creature and it TRIED TO KILL HER!!!!! THAT'S WHAT IT IS!!!!!But it's SUCH a SMALL problem compared to your RESEARCH" Van and Dryden stood staring at each other for several seconds until a smile broke out on Dryden's face.
"You know.. If you like her.why don't you just TELL her". Van froze and stared at the bearded man incredulously. Dryden just chuckled and then proceeded to stuff his head back into the pile of books in front of him, ignoring Van. Van, red with fury, turned around and stalked out of the room. ---------------------------------------
He had cooled of a little, when he arrived at the door to his chambers. He realized that he still had a sleeping bundle in his arms. She had miraculously slept through his one sided shouting match. He carefully opened the door and went to put her down in his bed. As he reached his bed he looked back at the girl in his arms and felt reluctant to lay her down on the sheets. He didn't feel safe when she left his arms. He struggled to quench his fears and drew back the covers and laid her down, but her couldn't bring himself to let her go from his embrace. After debating with himself for a few minutes, he finally crawled into bed beside her and wrapped his arms tight around her. He knew that tomorrow, he would have a lot of explaining to do, but he pushed the thought aside and let himself fall into oblivion...
She was there, standing in front of him. Her smile was brighter than the sunshine surrounding her as she reached out for him. He felt reached out, longing to have her in his arms, but as the sky turned black, she moved back horror filling her eyes as she stared through him. He turned around. A huge shadow lurked right behind him. He drew his sword, but the creature ignored him and instead headed past him towards Hitomi. Van reached out to stop the creature, but was frozen in Horror as the shadows surrounded her and swallowed her frail form in its darkness. Inch by inch her light dimmed. As the black fog moved up her body, her mouth formed his name. He called to her desperately, but the faster he ran, the farther away she seemed to be. She screamed his name one last time before the darkness swallowed her. "HITOMIIII!!!!!!!"
Van sat up in bed sweating and breathing hard. He could still hear her screams echoing in his head. As his eyes focused, he realized he was in his room. It had just been a dream. Chills ran over his skin as he recalled the nightmare. Suddenly, he started looking frantically around him for the girl he knew he had in his arms before he fell asleep, but he was the only one in the King sized bed. Just as he was about to fly out the door to call for a search party, he heard a moan from the side of his bed. He looked over and saw Hitomi tangled in a heap of sheets on the ground. He probably pushed her over the side of the bed as he was thrashing around during the night. Sheepishly he called her name and she lifted her head slightly. She glared up at him and yelled, " I am NEVER EVER sleeping in the same bed as you EVER AGAIN!!!!"
-----------------------------------------------------
It was the start of a new week in Fanalia. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping. In the market place you could see a young man trailing behind a blond haired goddess. The girl marched forward despite all the futile attempts of the raven-haired youth to get her attention. The observers just smiled and shook their heads as the young couple passed by. It was rather amusing to see your King begging forgiveness from a petite girl.
"Hitomiiiiiiii" Van winced at the whiney sound of his own voice. He had been trailing after her all morning, but she was still mad at him for knocking her off the bed this morning. "I'm sorry. PLEASE please forgive me? Please?"
Hitomi rolled her eyes and kept walking. Van was acting like a child. At the thought, a small smile lit her face. She peeped back at him. He was trudging dejectedly behind her with his head hung in defeat and his bangs covering his eyes. He looked like a kid, adorable and just begging to be hugged. Who would have thought that stubborn fiery young man she knew years ago would end up following her like a little lost puppy. A giggle escaped her lips and she quickly covered her mouth to keep any more from escaping.
Van's head shot up at the noise. He could have sworn he head a giggle coming from the direction of the beautiful girl he had been following around all morning. His eyes narrowed as she started to tremble. He heard another giggle. He grinned evilly at her back. The giggles had turned into a full-blown fit of giggles.
"Grrrr.." He snuck up close to her and tackled her from behind. Tickling her mercilessly. Laughing, she escaped and ran ahead. Van smiled and ran after her. A scream pierced the calm atmosphere. Fear gripped his heart and he ran towards the last corner he saw Hitomi at. Van skidded to a halt as he neared the edge of the building and froze in horror at what he saw. Hitomi was lying on the ground. She was pale and blood had started to pool around her body. A hideous creature stood over her, its claws and fangs covered with blood. Van charged at the creature, hatred filling his heart. As Van drew his sword the creature seemed to shrink into the shadows and disappear. Van's sword slashed at air and he dropped to his knees beside Hitomi's body. He cradled her head in his lap. He sobbed and tried to hold on to her warmth, but it was already slipping away. "NOOOOOOooooooooooooo" The desperate cry filled the empty air, empty of all the things Hitomi had stood for: life, light,..and love. A soft glow surrounded the pendant around Van's neck as if answering its master's plea for help. The light grew until it enveloped the two forms.
Through the blinding light, Van tried to open his eyes. He squinted at the brightness. It was too bright to see anything, but he felt Hitomi's presence. As the light faded, Van found himself standing amidst vivid greens. He looked out into the world unfolded in front of him. He felt warmth prickle at the back of his neck. He turned slowly and saw Hitomi..dressed in white silk, floating two feet off the ground, with her arms out.and a pair of snow white wings stretching majestically behind her.
A voice spoke to him, with all the warmth and strength Hitomi possessed, yet there was something different, something more, a new knowledge or wisdom interlaced with her courage and heart. "Van..It is time.."
------------------------------------------------------
Dryden jumped from his seat as Millerna entered the royal libraries. He lifted his head from the document he was looking at. " It's all here, the past, present, and future of the angel. The angel who will be born as the goddess of wings.."
