Chapter 11-
Journey of Sadness
Hitomi bowed her head low, squeezing back her tears. Why did this have to happen? As she stood up, she turned around to look at Van. Since they had brought the body to the undertaker's, she had not seen him until now. Now, Hitomi wished she hadn't. His face looked frozen in the circumstance of what had just happened to him and to Fanelia. To lose his wife only one month after their marriage; he must feel terrible. He watched in incredulity as the priest gave the last rites, slowly closing the casket upon her fair face. When it closed, he shut his eyes and bowed his head, clenching his hand into a fist. Hitomi averted her eyes from him, instead gazing as some men arrived to bear her body through the city.
The crowd of people followed to create a procession through Fanelia, so everyone could see her casket before she was taken away. As Hitomi left with them, she stopped, realizing Van was not there. Turning around, she saw he had sat down on one of the benches used to host the enormous crowd of mourners. Concerned about leaving him alone like that, Hitomi went over to him, stopping a fair distance away.
"Van? Aren't you coming?" she said to the ground, holding her hands in front of her tightly. Van shook his head, standing up, his back still to her.
"I don't want to see it. See everyone's faces out there." he said, not turning around. Hitomi nodded, turning to leave. Suddenly his voice beckoned her. "Hitomi." She turned around, almost tripping over her black dress at the urgency in his single word.
"Y-yes?" she answered. He had finally turned around, facing her rather stiffly.
"Hitomi, you will come with me to Genduta? To face Gendas?" he seemed to be pleading with her, like a child for a treat from his mother. Hitomi wasn't sure.
"What will you do there? Van, you heard what Faye said. She wanted peace to remain between your countries. Don't be rash, Van." She looked toward the floor, unable to bear the look on his face any longer. Van walked over to her. They stood together, silhouetted in the setting sunlight through the window. Van knew what he was going to do.
"Hitomi, I won't be rash. What I said back then-" he stopped, wanting to say it right, "was out of anger. I just felt the need to blame someone quickly. When we arrive in Genduta, I only want to talk to Gendas. Maybe, he'll know why Faye felt the need to take her own life." He took Hitomi into his arms, pulling her body softly to his. Hitomi stared, unblinking, to her right toward the altar. That same altar had been the one they had said their vows on, except absent was the arch. It would not have suited the sombre mood, its colour being a pure white. Finally, she knew what she would do.
"All right. I will go with you." She looked up at him, trying to smile. "Besides, I did promise that I'd always stay with you." Van smiled, a tight smile. As he held her close, he whispered, "Hitomi, with you, I don't need promises." Despite the situation they were in, and all that had happened to them, Hitomi felt happy to be alone with him. Just for now, if only now, she wanted to forget about their journey they would make to Genduta. She was worried about it, to be sure, because she felt guilty, like she was withholding information from Van. Should she tell him about her dream? She did see right in front of her eyes, Gendas had given Faye the dagger. She didn't want to tell him. It would only cause him grief to learn that his wife was about to kill him, even if she was forced to, as well as cause conflict with King Gendas.
Finally, the two parted, running to keep up with the procession. Faye was not going to be laid in Fanelia's ground. Even if Van was still bitter toward the King, he felt it proper to return the princess to her homeland, to be buried among her relatives. In the end, Gendas would appreciate it. She was his daughter and hopefully, he still cared for her. Hitomi pondered these things as they followed abreast at a slow pace behind the crowd.
Hitomi brushed her hair in her room, as Merle looked on. They were going to leave today and Van had suggested that they leave early, with as few people as they could manage with. That was wise, since most of the citizens were still grieving. Since her death, Van had taken down Fanelia's coat of arms to show the country's mourning. Nearby countries had heard of the sudden death, and had joined Fanelia in her misfortune. The only thing was that Faye's home country, Genduta, had not received this news.
Van had been gone from the manor for several hours already, helping to prepare the corpse for the long journey to Genduta, using spices and perfumes to preserve it. Hitomi was packing her things, starting to get annoyed with Merle, who was begging to be brought along too. The cat-girl was stepping on her last nerve.
"Can't I come too, Hitomi?" she whined, drawing her knees up to her chin and sticking out her bottom lip. Hitomi whirled around, feeling annoyed.
"Merle! We're going to Genduta bearing the corpse of the King's daughter!" she snapped. "It's not a vacation, you know! Why don't you have any respect?" Merle began to cry, and Hitomi realized her harshness. Taking a deep breath, she apologized.
"I'm sorry, Merle, I've been so uptight lately, and I'm taking it out on you. I'm sorry." she said again, hugging Merle to comfort her. However, she had stopped crying.
"No, Hitomi. I'm sorry. I should have been more respectful. It's just that- I never wanted them to get married in the first place. Maybe if she didn't marry Lord Van, this wouldn't have happened." Hitomi looked at her in surprise. She had not known what Merle's opinion of the marriage had been; Hitomi always thought Merle went along with anything and didn't complain. This was a shock.
"Oh, Merle. It wasn't that." Hitomi consoled her, "You make it seem like Faye died because of Van." Merle stood back and nodded. "That's exactly what I mean. I saw her a few days before she died, and was she ever down. Hitomi, if you could have seen her face, you would have seen she was very sad, indeed." Hitomi stood up, trying to think of a reason why Faye would be sad. She could not recall anything, because Hitomi had been gone too often to notice any changes in her behaviour. At the wedding, she had looked so happy. Why had she changed? It couldn't have been only her father's presence. Hitomi wondered about these things as she made her way down to the hall, waving to Merle. Soon she approached the carriage which would take them to Asturia. From Asturia, the group would travel by ship to Genduta.
The carriage was shrouded in black. Van had told her that would show their mourning and they would be let into the castle right away. He had asked that she wear her dark clothes, as he would, to show the King their personal grief. Hitomi understood and had packed it along with her.
Not long after, Van wandered
up to her. She turned around. His face was set with the determination of
person about to make a long journey. He nodded to her, and the two climbed
into the carriage. Van gave the word and they set off, the few representatives
of Fanelia. Merle waved, promising to take care of everyone while they
were gone.
Day One: The journey went by with few words, and Van preferred it that way. It would allow him to stay focused on his cause, as well as give him a chance to think. He could hear the casket rattling along behind him, and began to think, to his disgust, of how the body must be rattling as well. Shaking his head to clear out that thought, he settled down to think.
Hitomi must be deep in thought too. She was across from him, gazing out the window. Her face looked soft in the late morning light. He was glad for her presence, however, he couldn't help thinking that everyone would think they had a relationship. It would be seen as scandalous, him with another woman so soon after his wife's death. But he didn't care; Hitomi was always there for him. He knew he didn't deserve her kindness. He knew he didn't even deserve her, for that matter. But he knew it was her decision to come. Wiping these thoughts away, he thought about the journey he was making.
The carriage came
to a stop and Hitomi said, "We're in Herisia now. Just for tonight, didn't
you say?" Van nodded, not trusting his voice to speak. The tired group
bought supplies and food, and rested in the local hotel. Van was a little
impatient; even though it was necessary, he didn't want to stop. He went
to sleep with mixed feelings.
Day Two: They all rose early, Van among the earliest. He quickly woke Hitomi, which wasn't hard. She must have been awake most of the night. She continued to rub her eyes in the carriage as they made their way to Asturia. From here, Asturia was not too far. Hitomi smelled the sea air far off, and it awakened her senses. Van had planned to stay in Asturia a day, journeying for a day to Genduta by ship.
A Fanelian messenger had been sent ahead of them the previous day to announce their coming. As a result, when they reached the palace, Dryden and Millerna stood there. Millerna's eyes were streaked with tears that seemed to flow anew when she saw Hitomi and Van step from the carriage. Reaching out her arms, she embraced Hitomi warmly.
"I am truly sorry for your loss." she said as Hitomi hugged her back. Hitomi let go of Millerna, her own eyes beginning to leak as well. "Thank you." she reached out to Dryden, and hugged him too. Just to know they shared their sorrow made it feel a lot better. Van hung back from them, preferring not to show his emotions, as this was his way. He shook Dryden's and Millerna's hands, thanking them for allowing them to stay.
"Van, Hitomi, you're welcome to stay in Asturia as long as you want." Dryden appealed to him, "Asturia will mourn with you." The two new arrivals thanked them once again, and Van gestured to his people to enter the palace. They placed the casket in front of the temporary altar that had been set up for Asturia to give their last respects. Van didn't stay while this was going on, however. Hitomi had seen him run off soon after they had arrived. She now found that, with him, it was all business as usual. Of course, he grieved, but Hitomi knew he was booking their passage to Genduta as soon as he could. In addition to that, she sensed that even mourning was too much for him, and he needed to get away. Hitomi understood, as she made her way up to the room Millerna had chosen for her.
She was getting a little nervous. She had never crossed the ocean before, and wondered if everything would be all right. She placed out her clothes for the next day, and after that, she was bored. No wonder Van had left. She decided she would travel around Asturia as well, purchasing items for their journey.
As she went through
the city, she gazed around at the shops, which had remained open. Despite
their mourning, she knew that Asturians didn't have any personal closeness
with the deceased queen, and so kept their shops open. Hitomi bought some
stomach medicine for the ocean passage, sure that she would become sick
to her stomach while she was onboard. When she had made her purchases,
Hitomi wandered Asturia, wanting to kill the rest of the day. She blended
in so well with the crowd, in her pale beige dress embroidered with white
lace along the bottom and the neckline, that one wouldn't have known she
was from the Mystic Moon. Before when she had been here, people had stared
at her clothes, especially her school uniform.
Another day was soon
done. Hitomi made her way back to the palace, carrying all she had bought
with her. As she packed it into her travel bag, she saw a figure coming
into the palace. It was Van, and he swayed a little as he made his way
up the steps. She shook her head, knowing he had been drinking. But if
it made him forget his problems awhile, it would be okay for tonight, she
figured. It would take a couple of days to arrive to Genduta onboard a
ship. Hitomi slipped into bed, knowing she would awakened early the next
morning.
Day Three: Van woke up with a slight hangover. He felt sick and went to the restroom for awhile to relieve himself. When he had done so, he rinsed out his mouth quickly, preparing for the start of their ocean journey. Van gathered up his luggage and went to wake Hitomi. It wasn't necessary, because she was already ready. Van had never travelled on an ocean ship for long periods of time before. This would certainly be a different experience.
They boarded the vessel, which was nothing more than a cargo ship. Van explained that it was the fastest way to get anywhere, since these sea-faring men had a schedule to keep. Hitomi nodded, glad that she wouldn't have to be onboard for long. The sailors laughed at their uneasiness as they hoisted the sails and made ready to leave. Van asked the captain how long it would be. He replied it wouldn't be any more than two or three days. Hitomi sighed in relief, although she hadn't meant to do it so loud. A sailor heard her and whispered among his fellows. Hitomi vowed she would stay in her cabin for most of the trip, right then and there, except of course when she did feel sick.
Van tended to stay with her during that time too, in her cabin. She could tell he didn't feel comfortable on the sea either. Hitomi smiled, for the first time in awhile. Well, I guess misery loves company, she thought as she stared at Van's green face.
A few days later, after the Fanelians felt they could no longer stand this ungodly voyage, land was sighted. Hitomi heard the proclamation and hurriedly shook Van awake. He had been sleeping a lot during the voyage, and not eating much. Hitomi had tried to focus on some kind of project, like fixing her handbag(which had torn in a nail as the ship rocked on the first day), but those had been the most dull days she would ever recall later in life.
The ship docked in Genduta at dusk. Hitomi looked around. It was an odd place; though it had an ocean port, it was still a scorching desert province. Hitomi removed her hat, thinking how hot it would be at noon, especially in her black dress. Dismissing that thought, she searched around for Van. He was coming slowly down the gangplank, holding firmly onto the sides. He approached her, declaring, "I'm NOT going through that again." Hitomi giggled. Van stood up straight, trying to gain back his kingly stance, and gestured with his hand to the rest of the group. They went on ahead, rolling the casket with them; Van and Hitomi stepping into their carriage, which had been brought along. The procession through Genduta was met with estranged looks and indifferent stares. Hitomi looked around, still marvelling at their ignorance. Did they not know that their princess was dead? Apparently, news did not travel as fast as it did on the Mystic Moon.
They arrived at King Gendas' palace. It was a colossal structure, at least two times bigger than Asturia's palace. The stone walls gleamed white in the setting sun, and looked as smooth as glass. In fact, they were constructed of a glass-like material, most likely white marble. There was a countless number of windows, all large in size with many panes, with curtains swishing in the light breeze. The roof was a black thatched construction, spanning over the palace, in order to keep the scorching heat out.
When they stepped inside the gate, Hitomi couldn't believe it when she saw a beautiful garden! Apparently, there were sprinklers which allowed this growth to be possible. Hitomi figured this out when the sprinklers began to soak her. Utterly disgusted, she marched up to the front of the procession at a brisk pace, Van trying to keep up with her.
The garden was quite
large and it took awhile to get to the palace doors. After explaining the
situation, the guards granted them passage inside with heavy hearts, as
they had all loved their princess dearly. Hitomi and Van both drew in a
breath and held it, trying to imagine what the King's reaction would be
to their delivery of his deceased daughter. Slowly, the group made their
way inside.
Cliffhanger girl... maybe I should change my pen name to that. Oh well...
I promise the next chapter will be more exciting.
