Chapter 14 ~ Dawn of Darkness
"Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness"
---Before---
"I will send for you, when the time is right." The statement was crushing, refuting any argument.
"But why? Why can't I stay here by your side?" The question banged like an angry fist at a closed door.
"There is much danger. My… enemies will try to harm you." Explanations, and reasons, all combined into one.
"I can protect myself… there are body guards… and…" Alternatives, solutions, and one single desire.
"I could not stand it if anything were to happen to you." The truth, so plain and simple, yet so full of power.
The silence came, as both hearts reached a common understanding. Joined together by bonds unseen, bonds that were tugging at each other offering a forever comforting link, they both understood "together" had to be delayed.
"But, that's so unfair. …" Uncertainty and even fear, mixed with apprehension.
"Soon darling. As soon as there is time, and we are safe." Desire, fire, passion unspoken.
"Stay safe…" Pathetically attempting to voice the million concerns dead on the speaker's lips.
"Always." Gutted whispers, concealing emotion and promises of the future.
---Now---
"Soon beloved. Soon." The bed sheet wrinkled under her intense grasp. The voice of the woman was thick and overburdened by emotion. Her silent sniffle was barely audible over the shuffling of the bedding. The floorboards screeched under her, as she silently dressed herself, her stomach knotting into a million butterflies. She had not a clue how much time had passed, but what was certain was that it was early in the morning. The rays of light filtering through the curtains had a fresh and young allure, only characteristic to early-morning sunlight.
"Such a beautiful day…" Yukari muttered as she slid the door to her chamber open and stepped outside in the hall. The scent of croissants and coffee attacked her, and her stomach growled loudly. Yukari walked slowly to the kitchen, and as she entered the sun-filled room, took a seat on the nearest chair, resting her back against the flowered wallpaper.
"Don't spill over the salt. You know it's bad luck." Ma' Kitsune's old but warm voice alerted her. She was standing by the stove, boiling the water for coffee. She had completely ignored Yukari's greeting. However, the red head was used to the woman's peculiar way of being and did not feel insulted.
"Huh?" Yukari asked confused, sweeping a hand back up to her face to move some rebellious strands of red hair away. Her elbow hit the saltshaker, which rolled off the table and shattered in half, its crystalline contents spilling between the floorboards.
"What did I tell you…" Ma' Kitsune muttered under her breath. Her voice however, was free of malice.
"You just can't change the future. No matter what you do." She continued to stir the coffee. "Don't clean it up."
Yukari straightened back in her chair, and shot the old woman a puzzled look. Usually, Ma' Kitsune would clean a bad omen right away and then purify the spot it had rested on. In all the years of their acquaintance, Yukari had never known her to be sloppy.
Her words also disturbed the red-head a great deal. Did this mean that Lowenia was meant to fall in the hands of Solaria? Was everything Van was trying to do in vain? Although the young king had never shared with her the particulars of her mission, and had in fact lied through his teeth about the motive behind his visit, Yukari knew it must entail something dangerous. He was always tense, and he had not truly smiled once. Also… also… her thoughts stopped there, her conscience not willing to shape into words the horrid idea playing in the back of her mind. The young woman felt the need to bury her face in her hands, as to prevent the heavy tears of grief from falling down her cheeks.
"Drink this. It will lift your spirits." The old woman whispered, as she put a steaming cup of coffee on the table.
Yukari looked up, a haunted look trailing in her eyes. "You don't suppose I put him in danger by coming back." She whispered, her voice nearing the edge of desperation.
The old seer straightened her hunched back, and propped her hands on her hips, starring down at Yukari, with a severe disapproving look. "It doesn't matter what I think." She said, and returned to the oven, from which she pulled out a tray with steaming croissants. They were of a light-brown tan, and Yukari recognized the smell of melted cheese inside them.
"I had no other choice." She whispered starring down at her hands.
"I know that as well."
The door to the small house clicked shut, and a pair of footsteps echoed down the hall, progressively becoming louder as they approached the kitchen. The golden rays of morning sunshine outlined the well-built body of Van's Guard Captain, Dilandau, as he remained propped in the doorway for a few minutes. Yukari looked up, to see a faint reddish blush adorn his pale cheeks. Part of his silver hair was pushed back, but wet locks were hanging off his neck pushing their way into his face, hiding his red eyes. He was wearing his guard uniform's pants, that hugged his shapely legs, and a blue sleeveless shirt that was undoubtedly splashed with the last remains of a morning shower. For a moment, Yukari was speechless, and she felt herself colouring. She had never seen Dilandau look so full of vigour or of life. The way his muscles flexed when he removed his hair from his eyes, or the redness of his cheeks reminded her of someone else entirely. The fact that he wore the same lopsided smile did not help either….
"Beloved…"
"I cut up all your firewood old lady." He announced as he nonchalantly walked around the kitchen, barefooted and with his hands behind his back. Yukari tried to stifle a giggle at the hilarity of his appearance in the early morning sun.
"Did you fed the geese?" Kitsune asked.
"Fed them."
"The chickens?"
"Fed."
"The eels?"
"Fed."
"The snakes?"
"Fed."
"The caterpillars?"
"I told you yesterday as well, I will NOT go in there with those crawling things." Dilandau said, glaring at the old woman.
Yukari could not contain her amusement any longer. Pearls of laughter escaped from her lips, as she looked up and down at Dilandau, a very mischievous smirk on her face.
"What are you looking at? While you at the others were sleeping off your exhaustion, I here was forced to become the slave of this vile woman." He mock-scowled at Yukari. "She looks really sweet and helpless on the outside, but once she's alone with a man, she turns into a one hundred headed beast. She's worked me tirelessly for two days straight." He told her, shooting a slight glare at Ma' Kitsune with the corners of his mouth twitching in slight amusement.
"Yeah, yeah, here's your food, now sit down and shut up." She said, smiling up at Dilandau as she handed him a plate and a mug.
The guard stuck his tongue out at her but complied with her wishes and headed to towards the table. He did not even notice the shards of the broken saltshaker as he stepped on them. An exclamation, and violent –but very descriptive – swearing ensued, as he slammed the mug and plate on the table, and crashed into the nearest chair. Slowly, he picked up his injured foot and assessed the damage.
"Why can't you clean up the mess you make? This is the third time I step in something that can potentially injure me!" he yelled angrily, his rage directed at no one in particular. "Too late, this one actually injured me." He muttered, as he pulled out two fragments of broken glass from the sole of his foot. A few droplets of red blood trickled onto the mound of salt, turning its colour from a pure white to a vibrant red.
"The blood of a dragon will cancel the double bad luck of salt spilling and the shaker breaking into two exact pieces. As you can see, now you made four of them all." The old woman told him calmly.
"I wonder if she saw that one coming as well." Yukari wondered, as Dilandau continued swearing under his breath.
"Come now, eat, and then come with me. I shall give you healing herbs." Kitsune told him and she promptly quit the kitchen.
"You expect me to walk on my injured foot?" Dilandau called after her, but she was already out of earshot.
Yukari said nothing during the heated exchange of words between the old seer and the guard captain. She was lost in her own thoughts and worries. Slowly, she pulled her knees up to her chin, and encircled them with her hands, starring off into space. The wind blew slowly through the open window, caressing the green curtains, making them sing in rustled whispers.
"Why are you so silent and grim all of a sudden. I thought you'd be happy we finally reached Lowenia." Dilandau said, casting a worried glance at Yukari over the table.
"It's not like you to worry about people." Yukari snapped, her tone a little colder than she would have wished.
"You're right. It's not." He stood up, leaving her alone in the kitchen.
The red-head propped her head on her knee and stared after him, until the darkness of the hall soaked his form in darkness. Something about her opinion of Dilandau had changed. At first, when he had allowed them to escape from the palace, he had been cunning and resourceful. Then when he had listened to Hitomi's rescue plan, he had been haughty and stubborn. Now, as he had walked in from doing Ma' Kitsune's chores, he seemed nothing but a boy who had lived on his farm all his life. He had seemed free of his cares and worries. So which one was the true facet of the albino guard?
"Which one is the true facet of the man I love?"
Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks, and Yukari was too tired to want to do anything to prevent them. She was too tired of fighting, of running, of pretending. All she wanted was to be back in his arms. She still remembered the cold damp night that had separated them. He felt his lips upon hers, the fire they awoke in the pit of her stomach. He had smelled of fresh mint, even then, when they had run such a long distance to escape. She remembered his words, as their hands grew farther apart. She saw his broad figure, outlined in the setting sun, she saw the helmets of the soldiers over the distant wall.
"I love you. I've always loved you." But they had been too far apart by the time the words dared spring from her lips. Her heart ached with their heaviness, each syllable acting like a tight coil, branding her, burning her, torturing her.
"I may have gone away without telling him how much a part of me he was, but I shall certainly not make this mistake, now that I have returned." Yukari barely noticed the tears that now stained her pants. Blindly, she reached for the cup of coffee on the table. It was cold. She didn't care, as she felt the liquid slide down her throat. She felt it heavy in the pity of her stomach, and for a moment, she was overwhelmed by the desire to vomit.
~~~~
----Flashback----
The thunders crashed down upon the village, like the angry wrath of some foreign god awakened from his sleep by the disobedience of his subjects. All the ghosts of the past seemed to have awakened in the howl of the wind, and were now mourning their tragic tales by shouting at the window of every household. Secrets of unimaginable horror poured open through the tears of the black clouds stationed above, and where they touched the earth, it shrieked in pain as its life gave out.
Van was vaguely aware of his surroundings, and at the moment was hanging briefly between hallucination and reality. The only thing reminding him of his humanity was the cold feeling that rose through his feet and all the way up his body, as he touched the cold floorboards. They creaked. His eyes were open in horror, and his breath came in a cascade of frantic gasps. He helplessly clutched at the bed sheets, and watched the hypnotising flashing of the thunder.
"So this is King Van. I wonder if his majesty ever felt the end of an electric whip before."
The crashing of thunder fell upon his shoulders, as he curled up into a ball, phantom pains reopening healed wounds. The thunder came, again and again, like a merciless ghost.
"1…2…3…."
The bright light always came, forever there, forever happy, mesmerising him with her dance, twin of the light at the end of the whip, the whip that so mercilessly coiled around his body. The whip that bit through his skin, that drunk his blood and came back, again and again. It wanted his soul. It searched for it, scavenged for it, begged for it with its merciless electric buzz.
"You… cannot… make me cry out! I … shall… never… CRY OUT!" Spoken through clenched teeth, each word sounded like the crazed laughter of a cornered hyena. He had retreated away from them, away from the pain they were inflicting on his body. And he could only laugh, scorn at their feeble attempts to break him. His pearls of delirious laughter were like the balm soothing the inflamed cuts of the whip. They were like the cool spring water drowning the torturing fire within.
And he, sitting on the side of his bed, was in fact crying and laughing at the same time. Tears of hate, and helplessness flowed down his cheeks, and were forever lost in the darkness. With every tear, he cried more of his innocence and optimism away. With every tear he steeled himself to become the man sleeping inside the boy. Never again would they hurt him. Never again would he be without his pride, his dignity, and most of all his self-respect.
"Van? What's wrong Van?" His laughter had awakened Hitomi from a dreamless sleep. All she could see in the darkness, outlined by the flashing of the thunder was Van's shaking form. She heard his choked sobs. Trying to shake off the last remnants of sleep, Hitomi half ran, half slipped on her way to him. The thief felt unexplained fear for his peculiar behaviour. After what seemed like an eternity, she reached him, and kneeled in front of him.
"Van!" she cried out, feeling her desperation tug at her. His hair was dishevelled, his eyes had lost their lustre. He was in a place where she could not go, yet she could see his nightmares twisting his face into that of a haunted corpse.
He was beyond words, beyond consciousness, beyond her help. King Van drowned in the pool of his own nightmares, as he relived with every clash of thunder the moments of his torture.
The whip had gone away, and he lay on the cold floor, with only a blanket of his dried blood to warm him. Movement was beyond him, and through a fuzzy picture, did he see people moving in the distance. Their voices came to him distorted, as if they were yelps of hungry wolves fighting for their food.
"It appears as if he can endure. He is a sturdy one this one."
"Lord Folken said to keep his physical damage to a minimum. I think the whip is enough. He does not have the documents."
"I am aware of what the Master said. However, how can I resist but test one of my toys on him."
"You are forbid to inflict any more pain upon him. Not until the Master sees him."
"Quiet down Misha, the Master said not to damage his body. His mind is ours."
"You're going to test the Helmet aren't you?"
"But of course. He seems innocent enough. It works the best on those that are innocent."
The flashes of thunder stopped for a moment, and Van's vision sunk into darkness. He could feel the cold metal of his prison, freezing his cheeks. A million needles seemed to sink within his scalp, and he could not help but whimper in pain as hot blood obscured his vision.
"Van! Van wake up! You're dreaming!" Hitomi shrieked, almost on the edge of hysteria. He was having nightmares. Reliving those moments of pain. She could feel the wounds of her father's whip itch on her own back. He would send his servants with ointments to heal her wounds and leave no scars after each of his punishments. There had been no ointments for Van. He would bear the scars until death would close his eyes in eternal sleep.
Van however, was devoid of any presence but his own. Any presence but his and the one of the fire that had started to spread throughout his body.
"I'm burning… I'm burning from inside!"
He could feel the heat scorch him, and slowly he felt how his lungs shrivelled up and dried. Every breath was like a spear that penetrated deep within him. He could smell the fire that had made its way through to his skin. He smelled the nauseating scent of burning fat, and he felt his flesh fall off his bones. He could hear the sizzling sound of cooking meat, and he knew it was his blood that he felt like hot lava pulsing through him. One by one, he felt his fingers burst, and he heard the crispy crunching noises of his skin falling off. He heard his tendons breaking, sounding like the broken chords of a violin. Somehow, the fire had made his blood thicken, and heat up, to the point where it felt as if a snake made of fire slithered through him. He felt his veins bursting, and letting the liquid invade his tissue, feeling how it oozed out of him. He could almost see the thick blood of red boiling puss that flew out of his every but. Moving away from his body, Van for the first time realised that he had not felt the fire spread to his head. Heartbeats later he knew he was wrong, as he felt the skin upon his face crack and open up like a treasure chest, revealing his hollow cheeks. He felt his hair fall away like the autumn leaves, piece by piece, and realised that his brain was sizzling in its own juice.
"I'm going to die. They won." And a cooling hate like he had never felt before seized him, and he felt how he sunk deeper into darkness.
"Van! VAN!" Hitomi screamed, tears flowing freely down her cheek, as she tried to shake him into consciousness. He had gone limp, only moments before.
The darkness provided a welcome coolness. Peace. There was nothing else he wanted, but peace. However, words, with their treacherous promises jolted him out of his inanimate tranquillity. He saw her, her cheeks stained with tears, calling his name over and over.
"An angel…"
She had come to save him. She had come to free him from his prison. She was his escape, his angel.
"Hitomi…" his voice felt hoarse and raspy. He was sure it was because of the burns. The fire had probably crippled him for life.
"Van! You're awake! Thank goodness!" Hitomi exclaimed, and could not stifle a few violent sobs before she threw her hands behind his neck and buried her face in the crook of his neck. "I was so afraid! So afraid you were dead. You weren't breathing!" she cried, and he felt her hot tears on his skin. Yet they acted like a soft balm, soothing him.
"No burns, no wounds… it was illusion. A dream." Van thought, as he saw his hands, just as he remembered them.
Slowly, he put his arms around her and caressed her back, then her hair, and he held her tightly until her sobs had quieted down.
"It's ok Hitomi, I'm fine." He whispered sleepily, feeling exhaustion overtake him.
"I-I'm sorry." Her green eyes shone like emerald fires in the night. Van was taken aback by the raw emotion he saw burning in them.
He didn't ask what happened, for he truly did not want to know. All he remembered were vague broken images, interrupted by bright flashes. He felt his nostrils soaked with the smell of smoke. A creepy tingly feeling took hold of him as he lay back upon his pillow. Hitomi sat on the side of his bed, her gaze looking past him. She seemed haunted by the ghosts of her own past.
"You're always getting yourself hurt for me." Van observed quietly as he noticed a rip in her cloak that showed a bleeding gash.
"Huh?" Hitomi asked, awakened from her reverie. "Oh, that, it's nothing. An old would that bleeds from time to time. It will stop." Hitomi stopped to look down at him once more. Her expression was one of mixed feelings. Both hate, and hurt played on her face, two orchestrations of her incomprehensible character. "I should let you sleep." She whispered and began to stand up from his bed.
"No!" Van exclaimed, through clenched teeth as his hand pulled her back down. "P-please, stay. They will come back if you go away." His voice seemed broken, desperate. Hitomi felt tears prickle under her eyelids once more.
"The nightmares?" she asked, her voice shaking with emotions.
Van didn't answer. He only pulled her tight and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Please, please don't let them come back."
----End Flashback----
It was early next morning when Hitomi awakened with a pair of strong arms wrapped around her. For a moment she sat still drowsiness overwhelming her, not quite remembering what had happened during the previous night. She knew they were in the house of the old seer, and that they had arrived early in the morning. From the light that escaped past the curtains, she could discern it was morning once more. The storm must have lasted for a whole day and night, and they had slept through it.
"Van!" She was more awake now, and the events of the previous night sprung into memory. "I can't believe I cried." Time had made out of Hitomi a very good liar. Deep within her soul, she had known her reasons for crying, reasons she wished not to acknowledge once she was out of the safe blanket of darkness.
Beside her, the young king stirred and changed positions, releasing her from the stronghold of his arms. A pleasant shiver passed through Hitomi, and she was compelled to sit up and look at him. His overall attire was peaceful, with his raven hair messily sweeping over his face, and one of his hands thrown carelessly over his chest. The emerald-eyed girl smiled faintly, at the picture of innocence displayed before her eyes.
"I should go, before he awakens. He is a king after all." Hitomi smirked, imagining the look of horror on the face of his fiancée when she found the two of them in bed together. "That'll be a shocker."
Stealthily, like a cat she sneaked out from under the blanket, and looked around the room. Her cloak rested on the floor, a few feet away. She had discarded it when she had frantically run to help Van. Now, slowly, she picked it up and dusted off the imaginary dirt particles. "He is the same as you now." For a moment, she could not resist the urge to bury her face in the soft cloth of the cloak. The phantom smell of lilies surrounded her.
"You're really attached to that cloak aren't you?"
"Van!" Hitomi exclaimed, the surprise making her drop her cloak and spin around on her heels.
"You sound surprised that it's me." A serene smile curved his lips.
"N-no, I just thought you were asleep that's all." She muttered as she bent down to pick up her cloak.
"Where are we?"
"Lowenia. We reached here yesterday morning, and you've been sleeping since." Hitomi told him. "I wonder, does he remember about the nightmares?"
"I see." The young king sat up in his bed, the blanket falling on the floor, revealing his torn garments. "Man, they really ruined my clothes." He muttered as he precariously put a foot down, and tested his strength against the floor.
"Are you sure you should be standing up?" Hitomi blurted out before she could help herself.
At her words, Van turned around, his chocolate eyes fixed upon her with surprised concern. "My lady Hitomi, are you all right? I do not remember you caring for my well-being so much." He answered, his eyes lighting up with mischief.
"So much has happened that you do not remember." Hitomi thought wistfully.
The thief felt her cheeks turn crimson. "I don't care for you in particular, but as I remember, you made me a promise. I make it a habit to guard my investments."
Biting hard down on his lips to keep from crying out, Van stood up and made his way towards her. "Yes, you do but that blush upon your cheeks tells much more than your cutting words." He whispered, coming so close to her that their noses were touching.
The memory of his lips upon hers made Hitomi give way to an inaudible gasp, and she took a few steps back from Van.
"What? Am I that repulsive?"
"Did anyone tell you you're conceited?" Hitomi bit down angrily. "I don't ever lose my cool. What's gotten into me now?"
"Only in the mornings." And with a wink, he turned around and gave way to exit the room.
"What's with him? He acts as if nothing happened. If more so, he behaves even more rudely than he usually does."
"You almost died you know. If you choose to take that lightly, then so be it, but for one who almost came back from the dead, I would not be so cheerful. I would rather think you would be worried about the immense amount of people in this world that want you dead. Next time, next time you might not be so lucky!" Hitomi told him coolly, her green eyes burning slowly with unspent rage.
Van's hand paused on the doorknob, and for a few moments they stood still, engulfed in the silence.
"Dwelling upon the past is death. If I keep the horror within me, it shall drive me insane. What would you have me do?" His voice was quiet, deadly, of a tone Hitomi had never heard him use. It took a few moments for her to recover her ability to speak, and by this time, he was already gone.
She heard Yukari's exclamation in the kitchen, as she slowly moved her unwilling feet in that direction. She had wanted to hurt him, and she had. She had imagined how good it would feel to remind him of his horror.
"If you always remind a dog of the pain of your kick after he bit you, he shall never bite again. Moreover, he will worship you for your power."
She didn't feel good. She felt rotten, and sick to her stomach. "I never did like dogs."
"Hey, Hitomi, why so grouchy?" Yukari's smiling face greeted her as she entered the kitchen. The old seer and Dilandau were nowhere to be seen.
The thief didn't answer her, but merely took a seat on the opposite side of Van.
"For spending two days in a room with the king, you sure look spent. Are you certain you two were sleeping?" Yukari laughed, as she placed a croissant and a mug of coffee before her.
"First of all," Hitomi said as she took a bite out of the warm croissant. "I like my men conscious. Second of all, I don't like them scrawny." She informed them, as she took a sip of the lukewarm coffee.
"Ouch… are you going to take that Van?" Yukari asked, smiling softly at the king.
"She just wishes she could have me. As a matter of fact, she couldn't keep her hands off of me, that's how excited she was to have me all to herself." He grinned back at Yukari.
"This is a hopeless fight. It would be humanly impossible to fight both of you at the same time." Hitomi sighed as she continued eating. "But Yukari, you never seemed to tell us of Dilandau's performance after you two got out of the castle. I'm sure he must have rocked your world." Hitomi snickered, as she saw her friend colour slightly.
"We did no such thing Hitomi, and that's hitting below the belt!" Yukari exclaimed.
"On top of that, I don't perform for anyone." Dilandau's cold voice sounded from the doorframe.
All the participants in the room turned around in shock to see the guard captain amongst them so silent. Not even Hitomi, who had been too engaged by her appetite, had heard him come down the hall.
"Ladies, ladies, we know we're irresistible, but please, one at a time!" Van laughed, as he stood up to stand by Dilandau.
"Men, they think they're the center of the world." Yukari snapped back playfully. Hitomi snickered.
"Yeah, always thinking they're this and that. Bet you we could show them!" The thief joined in.
The good atmosphere seemed contagious, and they were soon laughing as they were enjoying the last remnants of their breakfast. The girls on one side of the table, and the boys on the other, they seemed to be two decisively adverse parties. The playful insults and comments flew back and forth, each party struggling to outmatch the other.
"I've never felt this good in my life. It almost feels like… family" Dilandau thought, as he leaned against the wall and observed as Yukari promptly put a small portion of jam on her spoon and catapulted it over the table so that it stuck on Van's face.
Hitomi's carefree laughter sounded in his ears, and the guard captain guessed the expression on King Van's face must be precious.
"You know, you could try to aim for my mouth. That way I don't have to lick it off my face." Van told her, as he struggled to probe about with his tongue for the jam he felt stuck on his face.
"He who almost died, is sitting here amongst us as if nothing ever happened. How can he do that?" Dilandau wondered, starring at the raven-haired boy through half-closed eyes.
"Well, Yukari can help lick it off your cheek Van." Hitomi added in innocently, her eyes sparkling with hidden meaning.
"I wouldn't dare intrude upon your territory." Yukari winked at Hitomi, and watched the thief colour slightly.
"I do wonder how he became acquainted with that chit. She is no ordinary girl. It's only because of her that I am here today."
"Why so silent Dilandau? Letting Van steal all your action?" Yukari smirked at the silver-haired guard.
"I was just wondering when we were going to leave for the castle that is all." He answered, starring coldly at her.
"You must never let anyone see past what you show them. Never Dilandau, do you understand?
Yes.. yes I do master…"
The laughter seemed to die upon their faces like the autumn leaves drying in the sun. Silence engulfed the room, a painful reminder of their mission and their standings at the moment. Yukari looked down at her hands, feeling how apprehension twisted her stomach to knots. Van just froze into the frame the words had caught him in, his gaze cold and icy. He seemed to have shrunken back within his comforting shell, however, underneath the table, his hands were squeezing the wooden leg until his knuckles turned white. Hitomi seemed to be the only one unaffected by Dilandau's comment. She stood up, and looked at them, much like the critic who watches a painting, looking for imperfections. Her thirst for revenge scorched her mind, and she refused to be sidetracked until she watched Nadya's killer spill his blood before her.
"Right, let's go then." Van stood up, and walked out of the kitchen.
"He is using that dead tone once again." Hitomi remarked as she stalked after him.
~~~~
Princess Millerna Aston, daughter of King Aston of Asturia had been running up and down through Ramiel's Harbour for two days straight in hopes of finding her lover. So far, it seemed as if the earth had opened and swallowed him up. He was nowhere to be found!
"Not again!" The princess groaned as she scratched her head to the point where she felt like her scalp was bleeding. She had reached another dead end as the drunken sailor passed out coldly before her. Exasperation was beginning to take hold of her. Slowly slipping away from the dirty bar, she made her way back to the docks in hopes of finding the last shreds of clues.
Her feet hurt, and she was tired and sweaty, trying to always make her way through the barrels of fish and other foods the sailors brought down from their ships. Spending the nights haunting the greasiest marinas and bars situated near the harbour were not her favourite pastimes and they often lead to being more trouble than the object of her mission.
A detective's work was never easy, and she least of all should have expected that, she supposed. However, when you were on the receiving end of intelligence it often seemed a much easier task than the spies made it out to be. She groaned as she sat down on the dock, unwilling to move for anyone and everyone whose way she blocked.
"My feet hurt, and this finding Dryden business is not working out." She sighed, as she rested her head in her palms.
The princess however, was aware that her only chance to escape out of the marriage with the Fanelian king would be her elopement with Dryden. If she disgraced herself, then her father would disown her, the king of Fanelia would want nothing to do with her and she would be free to live her life as she wished. "I never asked to be born a princess."
However, life had had the bad idea of bestowing upon her the blue blood which she so loathed, and until she could find a permanent way to get rid of her status, she was forced to accept all the pains and pleasures that went along with it. As she sat on the deck, it never occurred to Millerna that she only hated her role when it went against her wishes. She was more than willing to exploit its advantages.
"This way Gaddes. Load up the supplies. We set sail at next tide." A strong manly voice echoed behind Millerna.
Immediately, the young princess' head flew up. Her face became illuminated by hope, as there was no way she could ever mistake the soft tones of the voice. "Dryden!" She scrambled to her feet, and in her rush to reach the object of her affections slipped onto a puddle made of fish guts, giving a startled yelp as the ground flew from underneath her.
"Steady there lassie!" An old sailor smelling of cheap brandy grabbed her by the waist and helped her regain her balance.
Although Millerna recoiled at the oily man's touch, she had enough good grace to thank him politely and then scramble away. By the time she redirected her senses, Dryden had seemed to vanish into thin air, but Millerna's hopes once renewed were practically impossible to dash. She knew they were setting sail at next tide. According to a poorly learned geography lesson, she knew the tide came twice a day. She knew she did not have nearly as much time as she would have liked until he was out of her reach forever. Nevertheless, any time was better than no time at all.
"Excuse me sir, do you know which ship is departing at next tide?" she asked one of the cleaner sailors she saw strolling the docks.
"It should be… the Bona Fide. She just came in yesterday, and they're loading her up now." The man told her.
Millerna didn't wait to hear his words. She dashed from his side, in search of the Bona Fide, and ultimately of Dryden. "He can't leave without me!"
As luck would have it, the Bona Fide was the last ship to be stationed in the dock. By the time the princess reached the end of the long thin dock, she was out of breath, and pearly beads of sweat were glistering on her brow. The planks of the deck were creaking heavily under her pronounced footsteps. She was however grinning with the success of her search.
The sun was generous with his golden light, and as she looked up to the deck of the ship giant ship. It was a monster of a vessel, almost two stories tall, painted an ominous shade of green. To her left side she spotted two smaller escape boats and a row of red and white life buoys. The sails of the ship seemed to run as far as she could discern, the ivory sails shining in the light of the sun. However, her attention was not at all taken with the grandeur of the ship. Her cerulean eyes were frantically searching through the crowd of sailors for her beloved. She noticed him standing aloof, away from the rest, with a giant tome in his hands, as usual. His dark-brown locks were framing his face glowing golden around the edges. He was wearing the green sash her father hated so much, and there were signs of a growing beard on his face. Millerna shook her head, her stomach twisting with anxiety. Still the same old Dryden; as soon as he was away from propriety nothing could keep him from exhibiting his true colours.
"Dryden!" Millerna called out to him, her voice steady and crystalline. She displayed much more courage than she felt, but as his name left her lips, she knew she was in no position to control what would happen next.
The effect upon the young sailor was instantaneous. He turned around, as if struck by lightning, the book in his hands closing with an echoing snap. In the next heartbeats, he had descended down the plank, and was standing beside the blonde princess.
"Millerna? What are you doing here?" The tone of his voice was soft but serious. Millerna could see in his eyes that he was not exactly pleased by the circumstance of their meeting.
"I need to ask you a favour." Millerna ardently clasped at his hand.
"What's wrong?"
"My father. He went ahead and got me engaged to the king of Fanelia. I need you to take me with you on your ship." Millerna told him slowly.
"I'm not surprised. Your father is one to do these sorts of things." Dryden remarked dryly. His jaw was set in a fine line, indicating that he was indeed angry. Millerna knew him well enough by now, to be able to read his posture.
"Will you take me with you then?"
"No."
"What? But you just said…" She broke away from his grasp, and stared at him with the full-fledged scornful gaze of a princess. She wasn't used to being denied much, nor was she used to having to work without achieving satisfying results.
"I said nothing of that sort. I will not take you with me, because I made a promise to your father. He will never consent to give me your hand if I take you away and we elope. He will merely have my head, and you will be sent to a Convent for the rest of your life." He remarked gravely.
"No, he will not. He will gladly disown me and leave me to my own devices." She told him, with much more confidence than she was feeling.
"If you think that, then you are indeed much a much bigger fool than I accounted you for." He told her coldly.
Millerna drew in a sharp breath, indicating indeed that his remark had hit home. "He is my father, not yours."
"He is a king first, and his honour and that of his country comes before that of yours."
"Dryden…" Millerna paused, her voice shaking with anger and desperation at the same time. "I cannot go back. I came here because I have no one else to turn to. You have to take me with you. I shall not go back and get married to that boy!"
"Then you came to the wrong place." The look in his greenish eyes was cold and unreadable. His whole posture seemed rigid and devoid of emotion. Millerna gasped in frustration at his stubborn side. "Has it ever occurred to you the extents of your selfishness?" Dryden suddenly asked her.
"What? Why are you bringing this up now? It has nothing to do with the present situation." Millerna remarked, her brows fumbling in confusion.
"It has everything to do with your situation Millerna. Did it never occur to you why you do not want to marry the king of Fanelia? Did it ever occur to you why you are so madly in love with me in the first place?"
"Why is he being so cold? What's wrong with him?" Millerna wondered in shock as she watched Dryden's serious gaze. "I-I love you." She whispered quietly. "It doesn't matter why, it doesn't matter how."
"That's where you're wrong. I'll tell you why you love me princess. And I'll tell you why you don't want to marry the Fanelian King either."
"Oh really? You know me so well now??" Millerna asked, her left eyebrow quirking upwards, her tone condescending and full of ice.
"I do not pretend to know you, but I think in the time we have been together I have learned something of your disposition. You, my princess, like to always have the upper hand, and you like to do everything contrary to your father's wishes. I suspect that his dislike of me kindled your passion towards myself. His like for the Fanelian king, kindled your dislike for him, in a very similar fashion." Dryden told her, promptly folding his arms over his broad chest.
"Dryden, that's not true…." Millerna's voice shook with emotion, as she felt tears prickling behind her eyelids. Anger, frustration, and resent towards the man standing in front of her immediately replaced them. "Am I to understand that you merely toyed with my emotions?"
Dryden was silent. He wore a grim look that darkened his face, and silence spread herself between them. "I would not say toyed…" he finally answered. "I'm doing this for her own good…"
"Then you lied to me in the garden. You lied to me about everything. You merely wanted…" She couldn't speak anymore, as her throat constricted with the pain tearing up her heart. She acknowledged some truth behind what Dryden was saying, for in favour of all her other flaws Millerna had always been honest with herself. She knew however, that he was being unjust when he was saying that her feelings spurred merely from her desire to disobey her father. It was much more, it had to be much more…
The young man saw the emotions play on her face, raw and unhidden. He saw her pain, her hurt, and he steeled himself upon applying the final blow to her person. He knew he was in the wrong, and he knew that mere infatuation could never have made her blush in the manner he had seen her blush in the garden. He knew that her feelings ran much deeper than he had accused her of, but he also knew of the futility of their acquaintance. He had nothing to give her except his love, and he knew he would never be able to live with the idea of her giving up everything for him. "I have to make her hate me…"
"You would never be able to give up your expensive carefree way of life to live with me. It is very doubtful you will ever relinquish your expensive tastes. You have been born and raised in the lap of luxury." He added slowly.
The colour slowly drained from Millerna's face. Her eyes darkened with the storm of her anger, and before she realised what she was doing, she promptly walked up to him and planted him a facer. He staggered a few steps back, and a trickle of blood spurted from his abused nose. She on the other hand, maintained her ground, inhaling the cool sea air angrily. The pallor still reigned upon her face, and he saw the trembling of her rosy lips.
"Don't think you know anything about me you cur!" she exclaimed, in full bout of her anger. "I think I just made up my mind about whether or not I'm marrying the King of Fanelia!" she spat, and spun on her heels, storming away angrily.
Dryden watched, with regret as her golden hair swayed with the tone of her walk. He took a long wistful look at her disappearing form, before allowing himself to sit lightly on the dock. "Well, I did it." He didn't feel happy, and in reality his heart ached for her. He wanted nothing better than to hurry after her, take her in his arms and kiss away the hurt he saw in his face. The young merchant however knew the necessity to break their connection. He would bring her nothing but pain. He had been resolved to end their relationship that night in the garden, however his heart did not give him peace until he spoke the truth that lingered inside it. Well, now he had done it, and she had gone away hating him. She would surely get on with her life, come to love the Fanelian King, and they would live happily ever after. As for him, he would travel and seek new lands, and try to forget all about her. It was very doubtful he ever would, but as he saw it, it was in her best interest, and in the end it was all that mattered.
Millerna was aware she was crying as she ran away from Dryden. The tears had broken loose the moment she turned away from him. "I hate him, I hate him. He used me!" With all her gentle breeding, the princess could think of a number of scathing words she could say to him. She thought of turning around and telling him everything that was on her heart, everything she thought about him, but her pride kept her marching forwards. She needed to go away, to a place where she would be able to think.
"I shan't think about him now. I shall go crazy if I do. First I shall get out of this mess. I will go to King Amano's palace, and gracefully request that I catch the first freight ship home. Then… then I shall concentrate upon my studies and await the moment when I shall marry King Van."
The young woman told herself that she hated Dryden, that he was the most ruthless fortune hunter in all the land. She told herself that he was cowardly, and unworthy of her regret. However, what the mind dictates to the heart often goes unheard by the latter. In her heart of hearts, she felt the treacherous fangs of betrayal sink into her innocent love, and she felt how her heart became numb with the searing pain.
"I shall never need my heart from this day forth."
There was no reason to deny her royal bloodline any longer. After all, she would be unable to detach herself from her habits. She was determined to indulge in all the benefits of her position, and accept her royal duties ungrudgingly. All her ancestors in the past had done it, and she was a product of their genes. Surely a broken heart could not keep her from indulging in balls, parties and exquisite pleasures meant for those of entitled positions. "If I was born a princess, I might as well begin to act like one. There is nothing stopping me now."
And with that resolve in her mind, she headed towards the privileged quarter of the city.
~~~~
"Well, we only have three horses, so someone should double up. Unless we can borrow a horse from the seer." Dilandau noted calmly as they reached the stables where the horses were slowly munching on fresh hay.
They hadn't been able to get Van his own horse, and during their journey, when Hitomi had inquired where they had found such good horses on such short notice Yukari had muttered something about Dilandau and horse theft. Hitomi couldn't help but grin. They were horse thieves now, above everything else.
"No, she only has one and she told me she will be needing it later on today." Yukari told him promptly. "Hitomi and I will double up, since the horse will take our combined weight easier." She informed them. "That's ok with you Hitomi, right?" Yukari asked the thief softly.
The sandy haired girl acknowledged the fact with a nod of her hand. "I hate to sound paranoid at a time like this, but what if this is a trap?" she asked quietly.
"Then it's a trap." Van answered as he moved past her and mounted Yukari's horse silently.
"Then it's a trap… goodness what a silly little boy. He imagines I'm going to scrape him out of every little mess he gets himself into." Hitomi mentally mocked Van as he rode past them.
Before heading to the stables, they had informed Ma' Kitsune of their intentions. The old woman had smiled and had mumbled something about seeing them before long. Hitomi found it all very disturbing. She for one had been brought up to only believe in that which she could see, feel and touch. Divination and supernatural powers were something she believed were a thing of the past. Ma' Kitsune's knowledgeable attitude disturbed Hitomi to a greater extent than she wished to admit.
"Come on Yukari, get on." She motioned to the red head. "The King is obviously in a hurry to get his head chopped off by more enemies."
As they rode out of the stables, and towards the front gates. Hitomi saw the seer sitting in her front porch gently bringing a cup to her weathered lips. "The traitor will come." The words echoed in her head, and for a moment she thought she saw the woman's lips move.
"How odd…" She couldn't help but murmur as they left the old woman to her own devices.
"What's odd?" Yukari asked.
"Nothing." Hitomi muttered.
The landscape about them was simple plains, covered with thick green grass. There were herds of sheep and cattle with their keepers grazing lazily under the heat of the summer sun. They encountered small villages, residing close to the main highways, composed of shepherds and hunters. The population seemed to be of a simple sort, mainly preoccupied to making it through the days with enough food on their table.
Hitomi could not help to marvel at how they could be content with such a life of ignorance. Sons, growing up to replace their fathers, in the process fostering other offspring destined for the same purpose. "Are they really that blind to their own ignorance?"
However, her thoughts did not rest upon the unfortunate for long. She had not been raised to know much about the workings of pity. She was more occupied with the future meeting with the king of Lowenia. Something felt wrong to her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. It was a precognitive sense that had kept her out of trouble before. Although Hitomi mistrusted superstition, she oddly trusted her inner vibes. However, others now surrounded her, and despite her own prejudices, she had to follow through to with her mission.
"You exist for the mission. It is the mission that gives your life importance. Its success is the only evidence of your existence."
"Why are you so tense?"
"Huh?" Hitomi sighed, as she realised she was indeed grasping the reigns of the horse until her knuckles turned white. "N-nothing, I was just thinking." She turned around and flashes a small smile at Yukari.
"You too eh?" the red-head sighed under her breath.
~~~~
It was late in the afternoon when they reached the outskirts of Ramiel city. The horses were drenched in sweat and Van guided them at a leisurely pace through the outskirts of the town, past the poor districts and into that of the main palace.
Unlike the Fanelia's, Asturia's and Freid's castles, who were either made of expensive stone or ganite, the Lowenian castle was made simply of wood. Perhaps because Lowenia was situated far away from the cold arctic circles and more into the warm tropical zones of Gaea. The intricate wooden sculptures accompanying the otherwise simple design of the castle turned it into a fairy tale dream from the past. Hitomi could not restrain a gasp at the foreign beauty of the architecture. The Lowenians seemed to favour the abstract, and unlike the Asturian statues who seemed to come alive any minute and talk to you, those decorating the walls of the castle seemed to cry out to an unused imagination, prompting it to make the fantastic discoveries about the history of the country on its own.
"How incredibly beautiful…" Hitomi whispered, as she dismounted the horse and stared at the beautiful immaculate outside of the castle.
"Wait until you see the rest. This is only a very small part. The inside is even more intricate." Yukari told her, seeming unfazed by the beauty before her.
"Have you been here before?" Hitomi asked, intrigued by the show of aloofness she saw in Yukari. In the thief's mind, no one could witness the beauty of the palace with such indifference.
"Yeah, I've seen it all before. The inside is even more intricate." Yukari told her coldly. Now that she was moments away from her destination, she could not help but be grappled by fear. How would he react to it all? Yukari shuddered, thinking about the expression of anger she would undoubtedly see in his eyes.
"Really? I thought you weren't from here." Hitomi commented softly, giving Yukari a sharp look. Her "vibe" told her that something momentous was about to happen to her friend. If it was for the good or for the bad, Hitomi couldn't tell. She could see from Yukari's distraught behaviour that she was feeling uncomfortable.
"Uh, my aunt and uncle live here. I visited once for my birthday, and their treat were to take me to visit the castle. It was one of the most memorable moments of my life." Yukari whispered, clutching her hands together and bringing them to her heart.
It was the truth, as far as Hitomi was concerned. The red-head couldn't help but dive into the sea of memories of that day. It had indeed been her temporary visit that had thrown them together. She had not even realised whom she was talking to until much later that night. It had almost been… like a fairy tale.
Like in every fairy tale, the villains had managed to separate them. What Yukari questioned now, was her own ability to bring the fairy tale to its rightful end. Then again, some fairy tales were never meant to have a happy ending.
To the redhead's utter relief, Hitomi refrained from asking any more questions. It was almost as if she understood Yukari's unwillingness to talk about her past.
"After all, she herself guards horrible secrets." Yukari told herself.
"What are you two waiting for? Come on, let's go. Every second we waste, the closer our enemies get." Van told them, throwing both Hitomi and Yukari a sharp look.
"Oh of course Your Majesty. A few seconds make all the difference now." Hitomi replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I don't need any of your comments." Van told her sharply.
Hitomi fought hard against the urge to laugh and bait him further. She understood the fact that he was tense, but she did not approve of his resolve to take it out on them. However, given the recent circumstances, she was inclined to let it slip. Everyone had his or her breaking point, and Van had come very close to his. Hitomi was truly amazed that he had made it this far and had he had held himself together this well.
After a few words with the guards at the doors and they were allowed to go inside. Hitomi simply marvelled at the exquisite polishing of the castle's decorations. The amount of detail was indeed remarkable, yet it did not take away from the abstract beauty.
"Tell King Amano Van Fanel, King of Fanelia is here to see him and to deliver a message from the Inner Circle Alliance." Van told the guard standing outside the King's Chamber.
Yukari, who had lost track of time and just followed their raven-haired leader, felt how her heart stopped beating. The moment of truth had arrived and she felt completely unprepared to deal with it.
"Hitomi…" She let out a shaky gasp.
"Yukari, are you ok? It looks like you've seen a ghost!" Hitomi exclaimed.
"I'm about to see one." Yukari replied, and latched out for Hitomi's hand, squeezing softly. "Please, don't let go of me now. I feel like I'm about to faint." She whispered, as the doors opened before them.
Hitomi gave Yukari a puzzled look, but the timing did not allow her to ask any questions. Still, in a gesture of kindness, she squeezed Yukari's hand complacently. Time would reveal her friend's secret.
The throne room was the largest room in the castle, ranging at least one hundred meters in length and fifty in width. Or so Hitomi estimated by the distance they had to walk until they came into proximity of the king's throne.
King Amano was unlike any king Hitomi had ever met save for Van. He was not dressed in pompous clothing, and his shoulder length brown hair hanged loose upon his shoulders. If it wasn't for the fact that he was sitting on the throne, Hitomi could not have distinguished him from a common person. However, upon a second look, she noticed the refined cotton pants and silk shirt, very unlike those of a common citizen. He stood up to greet them, a smile stretching his lips.
"Welcome, King Van of Fanelia. In all honest truth, I was not expecting visitors today, that's why I didn't dress up." He told him nonchalantly.
Van shook his hand, and they all bowed politely in the presence of the King. "Now now, we're all friends here, no need to bow so low. I guess tonight's banquet will have to be bigger than usual, with the Princess of Asturia visiting and everything." He told them.
"Princess Millerna? She is here?" Hitomi asked before thinking. She was met with a reprimanding glance from Van, but the thief didn't actually bother to care. It was her right as a person to speak, and she would let no pompous King take that away from her.
King Amano diverted his glance from Van, and scrutinised the rest of the group. He smiled upon noticing Hitomi, smirked and Dilandau, but blanched considerably when he spotted Yukari in their midst. Hitomi felt her friend's hand squeezing hers tightly, and she promised herself to be amazed if she escaped without a bruise.
"Y-yeah, she came requesting residence a few moments before you did. She mentioned having travelled with you for a while, and that she was expecting you would stop here." Amano answered Hitomi.
"King Amano, I have important matters I wish to discuss with your concerning the Inner Circle Alliance which you are part of." Van spoke up, bearing an overall stoic and sombre pose, that Hitomi did not favour very much.
"Yes, but of course." Amano replied, somewhat distracted, his eyes straying to Yukari.
She had returned. Despite his ministrations, she was back and Amano felt his blood run hot with the realisation that every moment of every day he had spent brooding over her. Now that he saw her there, amidst the group of travellers, he knew he should be relieved that she had come unharmed, and he knew that he was experiencing an unfamiliar easing happiness at seeing her again. His soul felt a million times lighter now that he had the pleasure of seeing her beautiful face.
"If the ladies want to freshen up before the banquet tonight then please feel free to do so. I shall call a servant that will show you to your rooms. In the mean time, your friend may be sure to rest while we talk business King Van." Amano decided firmly.
Hitomi opened her mouth to protest and remark that the last time she broke away from Van he had ended up being abducted and tortured. However, before she could say anything the King of Fanelia broke in.
"Yukari and Dilandau may rest, however I should like Hitomi to stay here."
"Very well. I shall have a servant lead you up to your rooms, Lady Yukari, and Dilandau." He told them.
Yukari looked uncommonly pale, and Hitomi once again had that sense that something went on between the King and her friend, something she couldn't quite grasp. It seemed somewhat ironic that no one else noticed the piercing looks they gave one another.
"Yukari is somehow connected to King Amano? But how? Lover? Relative? Enemy?" The possibilities seemed endless. Yukari had certainly showed fear at a meeting with Amano. Was it because they hated each other, or was it because of something that had transposed between them years before? Hitomi smirked, thinking that royalty certainly held on to very closely-guarded secrets.
"This might prove to be interesting as of yet." Hitomi thought, taking a better glance at Amano. The king seemed to be absorbed in watching Yukari leave the room.
Suddenly, Hitomi was struck by the resemblance she saw in Amano. He looked exactly like… someone she had met before. However, for the life of her, Hitomi couldn't remember whom. He did posses the same slant of the nose, eyes and mouth. His hair however was distinctly different from that of the unknown person. Frustrated, Hitomi focused her attention on something else.
"If you'll excuse me, I have to be away for a second. Please make yourself comfortable. I have called for refreshments." Amano told them, and with a bow retreated from the room.
"So much for talking." Van sighed, spinning on his heel.
"He could have chosen a room where there would be chairs." Hitomi covered a yawn with her hand, as she gazed in boredom at the sculptures on the walls.
"It's common custom here to sit on the floor. Or on mattresses on the floor." Van told her, pointing to a few mattresses scattered across the room.
"Well, I didn't know that." Hitomi told him.
"It's no surprise. I'm amazed you know anything at all." Van replied, folding his arms across his chest.
"I know how to fight, and how to stay alive. That's good enough for me." Hitomi retorted angrily. She was very well aware of her ignorance in some areas, but the fact that Van pointed it out so boldly bothered her for a strange reason she couldn't quite comprehend.
"Is that so? I recall you reading some of my books the first time I met you." Van smirked.
"No, that was the second time. The first time you met me, I was fending off your assassin with your sword." Hitomi informed him.
Had it truly been that long? It couldn't have been more than a few weeks before, but it certainly felt like years.
"Oh yes, that's right. Always fighting your battles with my sword." Van chuckled, and drew the weapon from its sheath.
"I could swear we're almost civil to each other." Hitomi thought, as she watched Van with piquet interest.
"Thank you by the way." Van whispered.
Hitomi felt herself begin to blush. Why did he have this unsettling effect upon her?
"If it wasn't for you taking this sword with you, precious documents would have been lost." He told her, as he turned the sheath upside down, and a small package flew out.
"Is this disappointment I feel?" Hitomi asked herself when she realised that Van wasn't thanking her for saving his life. But why should he? It was in her job to do so.
~~~~
Amano was aware of the fact that the Van Fanel wanted to talk to him immediately, but he also knew that he needed to talk to Yukari right that instant. If he didn't find out why she had returned to suddenly, he would surely go insane. That incredibly sad look he had seen playing on her face had served to increase his suspicions. So, he had left his guests to fend for themselves as he ran down the hall, in search for the redheaded young woman.
He hid in a dark alcove, until he saw the servant girl leave, and then burst into her room. "Yukari!" he exclaimed, his voice shaking with anticipation.
The redhead turned around, her eyes wide with surprise. "Amano!" she managed to exclaim.
Before he knew what he was doing, Amano had traversed the distance between them and had cradled Yukari in his arms.
"Amano…" she whispered softly.
"You came back to me." He told her, his mouth close to her ear.
Then, in the following instant he had covered her mouth with his lips, in a most passionate and tender kiss. Yukari felt his urgent hunger, and brought her hands up to his neck, drawing him closer, so as to feel more of his body pressing against hers. The softness of his lips upon her made her knees buckle and her heart skip a beat. The need to be together had finally broken loose from its confines, and she felt the need to breathe, feel and taste him to know he was real. She had spent so many nights remembering the feeling of his lips upon hers, that when it finally happened, she felt the fire in her belly ignite slowly, torching through her body painfully. The heavy smell of cologne and cigarettes, combined with the smell of the fresh grass invaded her nostrils and she felt her knees buckle at the familiar scent. Indeed, Amano was real, and she felt as if she was coming alive after having lived in a cocoon.
A strangled moan of pleasure escaped her lips as they broke away from the kiss, and Yukari looked up into his brown eyes, as she leaned in for another.
"This is crazy. You shouldn't be here. It's not safe." Amano told her, as he broke away, and regarded her trying to look stern.
"He wanted to make me marry someone else." Yukari told him softly. "I couldn't, it would have been a sin." She looked down, her eyes filling with unshed tears.
Amano wrapped his arms tightly around her, pulling her into the fiercest yet gentlest of embraces. "He cannot break the bonds of love. Especially when they are blessed by the gods."
"He's a monster. I couldn't let him do that. I… belong to you." She told him, looking up at him with vibrant eyes. "I had to come back. I couldn't lie to him any longer. I left a note and left."
"If he hurt you…" Amano growled.
"He didn't. He's a monster, but he prefers non-physical punishments. He did threaten to lock me in my room." Yukari sighed.
Amano placed butterfly kisses down the column of her neck. "I wouldn't worry. Now that you're here, I can protect you. And, we can make our marriage public."
"It will be a shock for the people of Basram. To hear that their princess is already married." Yukari giggled. "But I don't care, I'm with the man I loved." She whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck, and kissing him softly.
"Tonight. Tonight, we shall celebrate." Amano told her, as he broke away.
"Ah yes, you need to return to Van. I'm afraid what he has to tell you is very important. Listen to him well my love." Yukari said, her face bearing a grave expression.
"Very well. I suspect it's about the spies in Lowenia. But if he came to tell me that, then he's too late. I already know my brother has defected over to Folken's side and has taken some of the intelligence with him and turned them against me."
"Allen? Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I know how close the two of you were." Yukari gasped, bringing her hand up to her mouth.
"Yeah, I guess it was jealousy to being second born. I never asked to be the first. But anyway, ever since he joined Folken, he has let his hair grow long, and he has changed the colour to blond. Now we look nothing alike." Amano told her.
"Well, that's a good thing. Now he can't impersonate you." Yukari sighed. Suddenly, her face darkened in understanding. "Oh no, did you just say his hair was long, and blond?" Yukari asked.
Amano nodded. "Yeah."
"Come with me. I need to talk to Van and Hitomi right this moment!" She exclaimed and grabbed his hand, running back out into the hall.
~~~~
The conversation between Van and Hitomi had lapsed into silence, and Hitomi was grateful for that. She really did not want to get into an argument with Van again. For some reason, maintaining the fragile peace that had waved herself between them mattered.
Suddenly, the doors to the chamber burst open, and a guard rushed in, his armour splattered with blood.
"King Amano! Prince Allen and his army have now invaded the palace! Get ready to fight!" He screamed.
A spear lashed through the air, and caught the guard in the back, piercing all the way through his armour. Blood spurted everywhere as the man sunk to his knees, making the way for his assaulter.
In the bloodied light of the setting sun, the man walked into the chamber, his footsteps shredding the peaceful silence. His armour was smeared in blood but his long blond hair was unmistakable.
Both Hitomi and Van had jumped to their feet, he reaching for his sword and she loading up her crossbow. As she stood in the background of the raven-haired King, Hitomi felt a nauseating feeling overtake her. She suddenly remembered from where thought King Amano's face was familiar.
"Raphael." She spat, her voice cold and full of hatred.
OOC: Ok ok, I know what you're all going to say. You're going to scream at me for not updating in 5 months. Then you're going to scream at me for ending it there. So I'll take care of each problem systematically.
Firstly:
I thank you for your reviews, and for your never ending patience. The fact is, (and those who have emailed me will roll their eyes now at hearing this for the third or fourth time) that school is really insane and hectic for me. It's a very very hard year, and I have double the class work of a regular student. That means that while they get oh, 4 hours of work per night, I get from 6-8, 6 if I'm lucky. The wekeends are much worse and I have to work constantly to keep my marks in the 90's range. So yeah, with the stress of overbearing school work, my creativity is squashed most of the time and I come home and collapse. You'd be amazed at how little you can do without sleep. But yes, no need to tell me you're sorry. I'm just telling you this so you can sort of understand why I'm disappeared for five months. I'm still going to finish Thief, don't worry. It's my baby after all.
Secondly:
I ended it there because I'm evil! *smirks* It will give people new interest in the story, to see if your suppositions are true or not, and it will also give me incentive to write. *heh* sadly, writer's block is not to be trifled with. But yeah, in case I was not clear enough, Yukari and Amano ARE married, and Yukari IS the princess of Basram. *giggles* You can suppose what you want of the rest of their conversation. *is feeling incredibly evil* But yeah, comments, suggestions for the future of the story, anything, drop me a review and I'll listen to them all ;) (I apologise for mistakes/typos/grammar errors. I should get me a beta but the process takes too long. Heh, I'll edit them out when I'm done writing the whole thing!)
And Last, BUT NOT LEAST:
Thank you to my reviewers. You guys are so many, compiling a list would take forever. I tried, and I gave up halfway through *sighs* Ok, so I'm lazy, but I figured you would want me to actually write instead of waste my time doing other things. It doesn't mean that I do not respect your comments. I do, and I'm really really sorry I take so long to do things. See section 1 for reason why. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to write a review. They really do motivate me to keep on going despite everything. You guys have been great, and I know the periods of waiting are incredibly long. I can't help that. I'm truly sorry. But I hope at least you're enjoying the read from time to time. You can always watch anime and read more fanfiction while you wait. There are many other authors out there who are much better than I. So Thank You! Thank you, very much for taking the time to read and write reviews and such. You're an amazing audience! Arigatou gozaimasu minna san!
Btw, this chapter is just as long as chapter 13. I figured I better write more since I've updated so slow. Cya on the flip side!!! Ja ne!!!