Catching the King's Eye
Disclaimer: Vision of Escaflowne doesn't belong to me. I wish it were, but unfortunately...you get the picture. ^_^
Fei-fei chan Ever thankful for those people who read and reviewed! This second chapter is dedicated to all of you. Replies to the reviewers are below! ^_^ as for the new readers, hope you enjoy!
Previously on Catching the King's Eye:
The same advisor who fetched him stood in front of the King, bowed once more and said, "Your Highness, I present to you the finest ladies of Fanelia."
Van stood up, thinking to himself, 'Might as well, who knows if my future wife is right there?' Then he walked up to the dozens of ladies who looked just as nervous as he was.
Chapter 1: Blinded
Hitomi fidgeted in her place. She stood upright but her head was bowed; she seemed particularly interested on the floor. Actually, her mind was devoid of thoughts except for one thing, person actually; the King.
* * *
Van was busy inspecting the ladies. He was scrutinizing each and every one of them. He came across one who smiled at him too much and it was as if that if she stopped smiling, her cheeks would sag. Then there was one who was over-accessorized; she had jewels of multifarious shapes and sizes and Van had to force himself to look away and look at the woman instead. Another one had too much make-up that Van just wanted to take a napkin and wipe it all off. Van didn't want to eye every lady and point out what was wrong with her; he just wanted a woman so simple that she need not any jewels, too much make-up or try too hard to impress people just for her beauty to radiate. Van sighed and asked himself, 'Is that too much to ask?' while looking at a lady who was dressed like she was on her wedding day rather than a simple getting-to-know-you ball.
Van's eyes finally rested on a lady whose head was bowed, making her sandy blond hair cover her features. She was dressed in a simple light green dress that reached her ankles; its sleeves reached midway past her elbows, the cut of the upper part of the dress was past the collar bone but did not show any cleavage, and the dress was printed with small flowers which had tiny diamonds stuck to them that made the dress seem as if it was shining, in short, she embodied simplicity that Van had been searching for. Van finally managed a smile, the first since the ladies were presented to him. He thought to himself, 'Maybe this isn't so bad after all.'
The lady; however, kept her head down, so to catch her attention, Van coughed. Still, the lady kept her head bowed, but Van thought he saw her freeze up. He shook his head and spoke up, "Umm...Milady?"
* * *
'I can't take this anymore! This is too much pressure, what's happening?' Hitomi thought to herself while staring at the floor. After some time, a thought occurred to her, 'Oh, yeah, how am I suppose to know what's going on if I keep looking at the floor? Silly!' Hitomi held in a giggle and was about to look up, then her head swiveled back down once more. She looked like she was about to faint or run away, 'It's the King! And he's only a few feet away from me!' True enough, the King was only a few feet away, inspecting this lady.
'Okay, Hitomi, calm down, just calm down, you'll be fine.' Hitomi tried hard to relieve her rapidly beating heart, but it was already too late because she was already breathing too hard that she could have sucked in all the air in the throne room for herself. She was battling within herself if she would run or if she would stay and most likely drop dead in front of the King. She heaved a heavy sigh and thought to herself, 'What did I do to deserve this?' What she didn't know was that someone thought the exact same thing just moments ago, and that someone was approaching her.
Hitomi was pretty much doing breathing exercises with her eyes closed when Van approached her. She only noticed him when she felt the hair on her neck stand on end as if someone was closely watching her. Hitomi slowly opened her eyes and came face to face with a man's shoes. Her eyes widened with recognition and was about to let out a gasp, but she was able to swallow it back in. To Van, Hitomi was just standing perfectly still but while Hitomi was in fact standing still, her thoughts were in turmoil, 'AAAHHH! I want to get out of here! Please, please, I want to go home.'
Hitomi finally got impatient, 'Why is he still here? What is he staring at? Do I look that horrible that he's so shaken?' Despite her curiosity, she still kept her head down, willing the King to move on with the other ladies. Hitomi was busy trying to will the King away when suddenly he coughed. Hitomi froze up, 'Uh-oh! What did I do? What did I do?' She was contemplating what she did or did not do when Van spoke up. 'He's talking to me! What do I do? What do I do?' Hitomi mentally slapped herself, 'Okay, easy there, woman. Just look up and smile. You can do this!' Hitomi sighed, bit her lip, and then looked up to face the King.
* * *
Van waited patiently for the lady to look up. Suddenly, the woman looked up and his eyes met up with green orbs, a slightly upturned nose, blushing cheeks, and pearly white teeth biting rosy pink lips. Van's eyes widened and he wore a goofy smile on his face. He seemed to forget the use of words for a moment and just gaped at Hitomi.
He finally came to his senses and he spoke up and asked for the lady's name, "May I ask for your name, milady?" The lady spoke up and Van's smile broadened because just as her beauty was captivating, so was her voice which was cheery and melodious, "My name is Hitomi Kanzaki, your Highness."
Van nodded, clearly paying attention. He bowed in front of Hitomi, grasped her hand and was about to kiss it when his eyes came across a beautiful blond standing behind Hitomi.
* * *
Hitomi looked up and faced the King. It was the first time Hitomi ever saw the King and she was flabbergasted, 'Wow!' was all the thought she managed. He had black hair which was all mussed up, but Hitomi didn't mind, she thought it was perfect. He wore royal blue robes and under that garment was a body that Hitomi couldn't even begin to ponder. But she was especially entranced by Van's eyes which seemed to look at nobody else but her and stared right into her soul. Hitomi couldn't bring herself to look away, but then she noticed that the King was looking at her too.
She faced him, waiting for his reaction, but apparently, he had none, for he just stared at her dumbly. Hitomi smiled shyly and blushed, making her cheeks have more color. She almost laughed at the King's silly expression and the way he was such at a loss for words.
Then, Van seemed to snap out of the spell he was in and spoke to her, asking for her name. Hitomi opened her mouth, hoping against all hope that her voice would come out because just then her throat felt dry. Luckily, she was able to answer Van and give him her name.
Hitomi's eyes widened for the nth time that day as the King bowed down in front of her, 'What is he doing?' The King took her hand and was going to kiss it; Hitomi was excited, 'Does that mean he likes me?' Suddenly, Van stopped midway and Hitomi wondered what was wrong. She looked at Van and saw that his eyes weren't on her or her hand anymore; it was trained on this beautiful woman a few feet behind her.
Hitomi suddenly felt very awkward and stupid, 'Of course he doesn't like me. It just figures that men would always go for the prettier ones.' Hitomi followed Van's eyes and glanced behind her, watching the blond woman move with such grace and poise. Not only that, she looked very elegant in her red gown that complimented her blue eyes and blond hair. 'Who could compete with that?' Hitomi asked herself, and she gave out a sigh which seemed to re-awaken the King.
Van looked at Hitomi and excused himself, heading towards the beautiful blond. Hitomi looked on as he walked away, feeling disheartened and miserable. She sighed and returned looking at the floor once more.
* * *
Van stared at the blond woman; all he could do was look at her. He was completely mesmerized, and he couldn't bring himself to turn away. He was hypnotized by the woman's movements, the way she carried herself. She wore a beautiful gown and she was adorned by jewels that Van thought she could do without because she was already beautiful by herself. But Van didn't care about what she wore; he was just intently looking at her. He didn't think that he ever saw someone as beautiful as her. He couldn't care less if she wore too much jewels or too much make-up or if she wasn't simple, he just wanted to get to know her.
Van's train of thought was cut off when he heard Hitomi sigh, 'Oh, I forgot about her.' He noted that she looked quite sad, but right now he just wanted to go and meet the blond lady. So, he quickly said an "Excuse me for a while, Lady Hitomi," and then rushed off to meet the lady he was completely smitten with.
TBC
Next on Catching the King's Eye: Van goes off to meet with the blond. Who is she really? Is she the next queen of Gaea and future wife of King Van? And what of Hitomi? Stay tuned for the next chapter!
Replies:
Myst4Drgn hey thanks for reviewing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please keep reading and watching out for the next chapters...^_^
SabineballZ Well, here it is...and Van may have liked Hitomi but, there's someone in the way! Keep reading so you will know exactly who this blond bombshell is. ^_^
Celidh of Unicorn's Forest I am not an Allen fan, I'm not even sure he's in this story. ^_^ Anyway, thanks for reviewing!
Ruby Hope you liked it this chapter ^_^
Lani-Anela thanks! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and hopefully I have gotten rid of the Cinderella-ness. ^_^
Love Witch Yes, this is a Van and Hitomi pairing, but it does have certain twists. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. ^_^
Inda I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^_^
Rai Dorian thanks for the correction, I corrected it, see? But I found out that adviser and advisor have the same meaning, anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^_^
Tevrah Thank you! Hope you liked this chapter as well! ^_^
Thundersenshi17 Thank you very much! Did you get my email? Anyway, hope you liked this chapter!
Hitomi-chan Thank you! Well, here it is...hope you liked it! ^_^
Daisy I'm glad you look forward to my updates; I hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^_^
Katana-chan Wow! My 1st reviewer! I always give special mention to my 1st reviewer, and you're it! Thank you! *mwah* I hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^_^
Disclaimer: Vision of Escaflowne doesn't belong to me. I wish it were, but unfortunately...you get the picture. ^_^
Fei-fei chan Ever thankful for those people who read and reviewed! This second chapter is dedicated to all of you. Replies to the reviewers are below! ^_^ as for the new readers, hope you enjoy!
Previously on Catching the King's Eye:
The same advisor who fetched him stood in front of the King, bowed once more and said, "Your Highness, I present to you the finest ladies of Fanelia."
Van stood up, thinking to himself, 'Might as well, who knows if my future wife is right there?' Then he walked up to the dozens of ladies who looked just as nervous as he was.
Chapter 1: Blinded
Hitomi fidgeted in her place. She stood upright but her head was bowed; she seemed particularly interested on the floor. Actually, her mind was devoid of thoughts except for one thing, person actually; the King.
* * *
Van was busy inspecting the ladies. He was scrutinizing each and every one of them. He came across one who smiled at him too much and it was as if that if she stopped smiling, her cheeks would sag. Then there was one who was over-accessorized; she had jewels of multifarious shapes and sizes and Van had to force himself to look away and look at the woman instead. Another one had too much make-up that Van just wanted to take a napkin and wipe it all off. Van didn't want to eye every lady and point out what was wrong with her; he just wanted a woman so simple that she need not any jewels, too much make-up or try too hard to impress people just for her beauty to radiate. Van sighed and asked himself, 'Is that too much to ask?' while looking at a lady who was dressed like she was on her wedding day rather than a simple getting-to-know-you ball.
Van's eyes finally rested on a lady whose head was bowed, making her sandy blond hair cover her features. She was dressed in a simple light green dress that reached her ankles; its sleeves reached midway past her elbows, the cut of the upper part of the dress was past the collar bone but did not show any cleavage, and the dress was printed with small flowers which had tiny diamonds stuck to them that made the dress seem as if it was shining, in short, she embodied simplicity that Van had been searching for. Van finally managed a smile, the first since the ladies were presented to him. He thought to himself, 'Maybe this isn't so bad after all.'
The lady; however, kept her head down, so to catch her attention, Van coughed. Still, the lady kept her head bowed, but Van thought he saw her freeze up. He shook his head and spoke up, "Umm...Milady?"
* * *
'I can't take this anymore! This is too much pressure, what's happening?' Hitomi thought to herself while staring at the floor. After some time, a thought occurred to her, 'Oh, yeah, how am I suppose to know what's going on if I keep looking at the floor? Silly!' Hitomi held in a giggle and was about to look up, then her head swiveled back down once more. She looked like she was about to faint or run away, 'It's the King! And he's only a few feet away from me!' True enough, the King was only a few feet away, inspecting this lady.
'Okay, Hitomi, calm down, just calm down, you'll be fine.' Hitomi tried hard to relieve her rapidly beating heart, but it was already too late because she was already breathing too hard that she could have sucked in all the air in the throne room for herself. She was battling within herself if she would run or if she would stay and most likely drop dead in front of the King. She heaved a heavy sigh and thought to herself, 'What did I do to deserve this?' What she didn't know was that someone thought the exact same thing just moments ago, and that someone was approaching her.
Hitomi was pretty much doing breathing exercises with her eyes closed when Van approached her. She only noticed him when she felt the hair on her neck stand on end as if someone was closely watching her. Hitomi slowly opened her eyes and came face to face with a man's shoes. Her eyes widened with recognition and was about to let out a gasp, but she was able to swallow it back in. To Van, Hitomi was just standing perfectly still but while Hitomi was in fact standing still, her thoughts were in turmoil, 'AAAHHH! I want to get out of here! Please, please, I want to go home.'
Hitomi finally got impatient, 'Why is he still here? What is he staring at? Do I look that horrible that he's so shaken?' Despite her curiosity, she still kept her head down, willing the King to move on with the other ladies. Hitomi was busy trying to will the King away when suddenly he coughed. Hitomi froze up, 'Uh-oh! What did I do? What did I do?' She was contemplating what she did or did not do when Van spoke up. 'He's talking to me! What do I do? What do I do?' Hitomi mentally slapped herself, 'Okay, easy there, woman. Just look up and smile. You can do this!' Hitomi sighed, bit her lip, and then looked up to face the King.
* * *
Van waited patiently for the lady to look up. Suddenly, the woman looked up and his eyes met up with green orbs, a slightly upturned nose, blushing cheeks, and pearly white teeth biting rosy pink lips. Van's eyes widened and he wore a goofy smile on his face. He seemed to forget the use of words for a moment and just gaped at Hitomi.
He finally came to his senses and he spoke up and asked for the lady's name, "May I ask for your name, milady?" The lady spoke up and Van's smile broadened because just as her beauty was captivating, so was her voice which was cheery and melodious, "My name is Hitomi Kanzaki, your Highness."
Van nodded, clearly paying attention. He bowed in front of Hitomi, grasped her hand and was about to kiss it when his eyes came across a beautiful blond standing behind Hitomi.
* * *
Hitomi looked up and faced the King. It was the first time Hitomi ever saw the King and she was flabbergasted, 'Wow!' was all the thought she managed. He had black hair which was all mussed up, but Hitomi didn't mind, she thought it was perfect. He wore royal blue robes and under that garment was a body that Hitomi couldn't even begin to ponder. But she was especially entranced by Van's eyes which seemed to look at nobody else but her and stared right into her soul. Hitomi couldn't bring herself to look away, but then she noticed that the King was looking at her too.
She faced him, waiting for his reaction, but apparently, he had none, for he just stared at her dumbly. Hitomi smiled shyly and blushed, making her cheeks have more color. She almost laughed at the King's silly expression and the way he was such at a loss for words.
Then, Van seemed to snap out of the spell he was in and spoke to her, asking for her name. Hitomi opened her mouth, hoping against all hope that her voice would come out because just then her throat felt dry. Luckily, she was able to answer Van and give him her name.
Hitomi's eyes widened for the nth time that day as the King bowed down in front of her, 'What is he doing?' The King took her hand and was going to kiss it; Hitomi was excited, 'Does that mean he likes me?' Suddenly, Van stopped midway and Hitomi wondered what was wrong. She looked at Van and saw that his eyes weren't on her or her hand anymore; it was trained on this beautiful woman a few feet behind her.
Hitomi suddenly felt very awkward and stupid, 'Of course he doesn't like me. It just figures that men would always go for the prettier ones.' Hitomi followed Van's eyes and glanced behind her, watching the blond woman move with such grace and poise. Not only that, she looked very elegant in her red gown that complimented her blue eyes and blond hair. 'Who could compete with that?' Hitomi asked herself, and she gave out a sigh which seemed to re-awaken the King.
Van looked at Hitomi and excused himself, heading towards the beautiful blond. Hitomi looked on as he walked away, feeling disheartened and miserable. She sighed and returned looking at the floor once more.
* * *
Van stared at the blond woman; all he could do was look at her. He was completely mesmerized, and he couldn't bring himself to turn away. He was hypnotized by the woman's movements, the way she carried herself. She wore a beautiful gown and she was adorned by jewels that Van thought she could do without because she was already beautiful by herself. But Van didn't care about what she wore; he was just intently looking at her. He didn't think that he ever saw someone as beautiful as her. He couldn't care less if she wore too much jewels or too much make-up or if she wasn't simple, he just wanted to get to know her.
Van's train of thought was cut off when he heard Hitomi sigh, 'Oh, I forgot about her.' He noted that she looked quite sad, but right now he just wanted to go and meet the blond lady. So, he quickly said an "Excuse me for a while, Lady Hitomi," and then rushed off to meet the lady he was completely smitten with.
TBC
Next on Catching the King's Eye: Van goes off to meet with the blond. Who is she really? Is she the next queen of Gaea and future wife of King Van? And what of Hitomi? Stay tuned for the next chapter!
Replies:
Myst4Drgn hey thanks for reviewing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please keep reading and watching out for the next chapters...^_^
SabineballZ Well, here it is...and Van may have liked Hitomi but, there's someone in the way! Keep reading so you will know exactly who this blond bombshell is. ^_^
Celidh of Unicorn's Forest I am not an Allen fan, I'm not even sure he's in this story. ^_^ Anyway, thanks for reviewing!
Ruby Hope you liked it this chapter ^_^
Lani-Anela thanks! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and hopefully I have gotten rid of the Cinderella-ness. ^_^
Love Witch Yes, this is a Van and Hitomi pairing, but it does have certain twists. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. ^_^
Inda I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^_^
Rai Dorian thanks for the correction, I corrected it, see? But I found out that adviser and advisor have the same meaning, anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^_^
Tevrah Thank you! Hope you liked this chapter as well! ^_^
Thundersenshi17 Thank you very much! Did you get my email? Anyway, hope you liked this chapter!
Hitomi-chan Thank you! Well, here it is...hope you liked it! ^_^
Daisy I'm glad you look forward to my updates; I hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^_^
Katana-chan Wow! My 1st reviewer! I always give special mention to my 1st reviewer, and you're it! Thank you! *mwah* I hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^_^