Thanks to everyone who sent me a review so far, it's great to know that someone likes my fanfic so far. Well onto the next chapter.^ ^
Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne but I wish I did.
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Chapter 2 NEW FRIENDS
~~11 years later~~
A young woman of 16 sat on a large stone gazing over the sparkling lake in the sun's setting light, a faraway look in her eyes. Her sandy blonde hair flowing down her back to her waist, and her rare emerald green eyes hardened from the harsh years and the early heart break from the death of her mother still fresh in her mind even over the decade that passed. The sun's light making her feminine figure look as though it was that of a goddess.
~~Flashback~~
A 5 year old Hitomi wakes up in her bed 'What happened' she thought 'was it all a dream? If it was then mother is still alive!' Hitomi runs out of her room passing maids and servant, who once had such lively sparkles in their eyes but were now squashed. 'Why is everyone so sad? No, but that would mean. No she's alive, she has to be. Pushing open the throne room doors, her young eyes met a shocking sight. There in front of the royal thrones was a platform on which her dead mother's body lay. "It wasn't a dream," she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes one again. There her beautiful mother lay, her normally sun caressed face was pale as the moon and her once blood red lips as blue as the deepest oceans. Hitomi walked up to her mother and grasped her hand, surprised at how cold it was. The tears that she was trying to hold back suddenly came spilling out.
"I'm sorry Hitomi," came King Aaron's cracked voice. "I wish I could bring her back, I'm so sorry."
"Da...Daddy, why won't she wake up, why daddy. I miss her so much," Hitomi sobbed as she flew into her father's open arms.
"Oh, no," Hitomi suddenly whispered, "the baby wolf, she's all alone."
"What wolf?" the King asked, unsure of what his daughter was talking about.
" The baby wolf, her mommy died trying to save mother, where is she, is she all by herself? Please father we have to find her, she doesn't have a mother either, please."
"Hush don't cry, we will go right now," she father told her, gently stroking her little head.
"Guards! Go get a servant to prepare us a carriage, I need two ok you to come with me, we are departing to the forest immediately," the King barked.
"Yes sire, right away!" exclaimed the guards as they ran off the complete their orders.
"Oh thank you Daddy," sobbed Hitomi happily.
~In the Forest~
"Daddy! I found her. Over here," Hitomi yelled excitedly.
"Oh, the poor thing," Hitomi whispered as she picked up the snow white whimpering baby wolf. " Look she was all by herself."
"Would you like to make sure she is never alone again?" her father asked as he walked up beside her.
"You mean I can keep her! Oh thank you, thank you, thank you father. I love you so much," exclaimed Hitomi as she hugged the fragile creature, its sky blue eyes looking up at her.
"I'll call her Hope," she stated proudly.
"I'm sure your mother would have liked that and her mother too," whispered Aaron.
"Oh I miss mother so much, I hope she's happy wherever she is."
~Back flash~
Over time Hitomi's broken heart healed, yet she never let anyone get too close to her anymore. King Aaron tried to spend as much time with his daughter as possible after the Queens funeral, but as the years went by he was pushed so much by his Kingly duties that he only saw Hitomi at mealtimes.
So Hope became Hitomi's true companion, following Hitomi wherever she went never leaving her side. They were inseparable. Hope would always support Hitomi in every way a wolf could if not in more.
Hitomi grew to loath dresses, she much preferred long sleeved shirts and pants. She came to be a master of the sword at a very young age and perfected a deadly aim with the bow and arrow, far surpassing all Anatopia's soldiers. At age 15 she became the leading General of her country's army, with Hope as her second in command, which led to Anatopia's army being one of the strongest armies in Gaea.
She became the pride and joy of her people, to them having such a strong princess who could rise above all the odds and make their kingdom as great as it was was an honor. Hitomi loved her people and would spend a lot of her free time either helping the farmers and townsfolk or taking care of the children at the orphanage. To the children Hitomi was an older sister to whom they could tell their greatest secrets to and trust her not to tell. She helped them with any problems that they would have. They also all loved Hope, who spent all her time at Hitomi's side. Wolves were usually feared for their fierceness, but Hope helped to change that.
The sandy haired woman looked up at the stars and whispered "I miss you so much mother, why did you have to leave, father is trying to get me to wed, can't he see I don't want to. All the snobbish princes he has introduced to me need to shove their egos up their asses and leave me alone. The advisors keep bugging me about having an heir for when the king dies and something should happen to me. I HATE it." not one to believe in crying Hitomi just continued to stare at the stars for a moment.
'Hito-chan!' came Hope's wolfish voice in her head (Hitomi can talk to animals through her thoughts and vise-versa) " You must come back to the castle, have you forgotten that the King of Fanelia will be here tomorrow and you are to receive him!"
'No I haven't," Hitomi mentally sighed.
'Well then come on, your father was about to send a search party out for you'
'Fine, I'm coming'
