Disclaimer: Escaflowne is not mine.
I am so sorry for taking awhile to post it. An editor had Mid-Terms and couldn't get it back to me. But do not blame her, thoughs of you who have lived through Midterms know what they are like. On the good side, I already have chapter 7 finished, so hopefully I will post it sooner. Just take in account I work, am married, have friends, have family( I am the oldest of four), and enjoy reading and doing other things than sitting on my computer and typing. So, please pardon any long absenses, I will never desert this story.
A review, I'm sorry, I don't remember the name, suggested that I make longer chapters. I would, and I do suspect the chapters will start growing in length, but I don't really pay attention to the length of a chapter. I end a chapter when I see fit, and in the chapters where it's just Van or Hitomi's thoughts, they are usually about three or four pages. It also allows me to post more frequently. So, thanks for the suggestion and I will keep it in mind, but I end a chapter when I see fit, not based on length.
Thanks to the rest of you who reviewed.
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Chapter 6: Frustrations
He slammed the wall with his hand. He hated it, hated it, hated it! He loved her, god damn it, he loved her. All he wanted to do was to hold her in his arms, kiss her, revel in her scent and beauty. He also admitted he wouldn't mind getting in bed with her-she was the only woman he wanted to warm his bed at night.
He was going to tell her. Well, he admitted, he wasn't really sure if he could admit it to her yet, but he was going to try. And the moment he stepped in the hallway, who comes but Allen Schezar, Knight Caeli, the man who's probably bedded every single woman in Palas. Of course, that wasn't enough. No, Allen had to be carrying Hitomi.
His blood ran cold at the thought of the Knight. How he couldn't stand him. It was ridiculous. He had actually thought she had cared somewhat for him, the way she hadn't protested when he had held her to him, the way he had almost kissed her. She had seemed to welcome it.
And then He punched the wall again. It hurt his hand, he admitted, but not enough to cancel out the pain of seeing his beloved with another man. In the arms of another man. In the arms of another man who has a reputation of bedding woman. A man who's eight or nine years older than his beloved. Van couldn't remember exactly how old Allen was, but he knew it was somewhere around twenty-three, twenty-four. He was about two and a half years older than Princess Eries, and Princess Eries was twenty-one, three years older than the Princess Millerna.
That was another thing Van couldn't understand. Why would Allen even want Hitomi, his Hitomi? Allen couldn't possibly be in love with her, not after all the tales he'd heard. A travelling Healer had once stayed in the Fanelian palace about seven years ago. She had been in Asturia before, and told of a great scandal whispered within the servant's quarters. A Knight of Caeli, the newest one, around eighteen years of age, had been seen sneaking around with the eldest Asturian Princess. The Princess was betrothed to the Duke of Fried, and had supposedly had an affair with the Knight. 'Tis a great mystery, why the Princess would do such a thing. Her new husband must not take her in after she's given her innocence to another, and if that's what she's hoping for, well, then her Knight will be beheaded. It's custom, at least in Asturia.
Van hadn't really been allowed in the conversation, but he was the Heir to the Throne so none of the Advisers had really tried to keep him away. All he had received were a few choice looks, but nothing else. And of course a talking-to from his tutor in Mathematics, as he had skipped Mathematics to go there. He had pretty much forgotten about the Healer's tale, as it was seven years ago. He had been eight, and unfaithful Asturian Princesses wasn't on his list of priorities. It wasn't till they had set foot in Fried that he remembered it.
Allen had had an affair with Princess Marlene, who was his age. Princess Marlene had refused her other suitors, but finally King Aston put his foot down and the Duke of Fried was declared a suitor. To combine the Kingdoms of Fried and Asturia by blood would be magnificent, and King Aston wasn't going to let his eldest daughter ruin his dreams. Princess Marlene had protested greatly, the Healer had said. She wouldn't even meet the Duke at first. She keep sneaking away and meeting her paramour, until the day they married in Fried, where the Knight Caeli wasn't present. It was rumoured that even though tradition had the Prince marrying the Princess in the Princess's own Land, King Aston had deliberately asked the Duke to host the wedding.
After Princess Marlene was out of her lover's reach, he was re-stationed somewhere in the north. It wasn't until a few years hence that the Knight had returned to Palas, and had met Princess Millerna, Marlene's younger sister, who had been at the time of Marlene's marriage twelve, became interested in the Knight, where she was sixteen, and resembled the Princess Marlene fully. The servants were wondering when the Knight was going to go after the Princess Eries. King Aston had already posted the Knight Caeli in the north, where the mountains began, and he now positioned him on the east, with the swamps. Would the King post him in the south, the barren land was, or would the King just behead him?
When Van had hear the tales, he thought nothing of them. It wasn't until he realized Allen's interest in Hitomi, that made him sort out all the tales he had heard in his head. Most had come from servants. Servants were excellent tale-tellers, and they loved to talk. Almost nothing went by a servant, they were always around and were excellent in observing others. He had learned at an early age to talk to servants, and to listen to them.
But what he hated was that servants were starting to tell rumours over Hitomi. The girl, you know, the strange one. She either has the Lord's hand on her, or the Devil's. Those visions she has, they just ain't right. And have you heard? The Knight's going after her, it seems. After he found out that the Princess Millerna was betrothed to that Merchant's son, he started going after her. Poor girl, I wonder if she knows the Knight's history.
Thinking of that made Van punch the wall again. He could be very observant when he wanted to be. He had observed Allen, Hitomi and Princess Millerna for the last few days. From what he had witnessed, Princess Millerna and Allen did not fit very well together. Allen saw Princess Marlene in her, and she just wanted to prove her father wrong by courting someone other than her betrothed. Hitomi kept on confusing Allen with the boy from the Mystic Moon, Amado, Amando, Amano, whatever his name was. Of course, now Hitomi had been on Gaea over two months, and should know that this Amando and Allen were two very different people.
He had backed himself into a corner, and he didn't know what to do. He couldn't confess his love to Hitomi, not if she still harboured feelings for Allen. So therefore he was stuck. There was no way to move on. The way out, to his heart, was being blocked by another. It was-
"Van." He whipped around, facing the door, and almost sighed in relief. Instead of being Hitomi or Allen: Hitomi who had been looking for him the last few days and trying to talk to him; and Allen, who though he had no reason to look for him, for some reason had. It could have been because Van had hardly left the room after seeing Allen and Hitomi together, and he was concerned. But he didn't need Allen's concern.
"What is it, Merle?" Merle bounded in the room. "Nothing…just wondering what you were doing. Is that cow here?" She landed on his bed, and began to lick her paws clean. Van watched her, wondering where she had changed through the course of the journey. Maybe it was because she had lost her only home. Or because they were travelling, and she knew she had to act a bit more well-behaved. But some things never change, he added, when he heard her term for Hitomi.
Raising an eyebrow, he glanced at her. "If you mean Hitomi, I couldn't tell you that. I haven't seen her in days." Did she have to bring up Hitomi? It was torture for him, to always be reminded of her. Why else had he stayed in his room the last two and a half days?
"You never told me why you won't come out of your room. That cow is worried about you." Merle rolled over and sprung off the bed. She went into Van's bathroom. He could have requested a Royal Suite, but he wished for a simple room. There was no need for him to have his own complete apartment with servant's quarters, studies, parlours and washrooms. His one bedroom with private bathroom was enough.
Van could hear her rummaging through the cabinets. "Don't break anything." He yelled, ignoring her question as to why he wasn't coming out. There wasn't much in there to break, perhaps a porcelain figurine, or the mirror. Otherwise there was a wash basin, sink and toilet, curtained off from the rest.
"I won't." Merle called back, and then appeared again with a stick. "What's this?" She handed it to Van, who looked it over. It was nothing very special, but as he whiffed it, he knew what it was. The smell was of roses and other flowers, just how Hitomi smelled like. He could feel his loins tightening slowly, and it made him curse inwardly. He gave it back to Merle.
"It's a Dureè stick. I think it comes from Cesario, and is like a scent, like what Ladies put on." He turned away as his thoughts went to Hitomi, how she smelled, how soft her hair had been, how soft she was, how her curves fit perfectly with him, how-
"Van? Are you all right? You closed your eyes, and when I tried to get your attention, it didn't work." Merle was waving a paw in front of his face. "What's wrong?" She looked concerned, like she always did. She always wanted to protect him, to watch out for him. Not to mention he was almost positive that she had a bit of a crush on him. She was the only family he had left at the moment, and though she watched out for him, she could be too protective at times. Like what Hitomi had said…
He shook his head. "Nothing, Merle, I'm fine. I think I'll take a bath and then take a nap. I admit I haven't been feeling perfect the last few days, just a bit of a headache." He walked towards the bathroom. Before he entered, he turned around, looking at her. "And do tell everyone that I'm fine, and they mustn't always check up on me. I'll just take a bit of a rest this evening." He ducked into the bathroom, and waited until he heard Merle leave before sighing and drawing the bath water.
After the tub was filled he climbed in, submerging himself fully. The water was hot, and made him feel wonderful, as if all the loads on his shoulders suddenly tumbled down. He could relax, and he felt his thoughts wander to Hitomi. He knew that in a few days Zaibach was due to invade Fried, and he'd have to go join the battle. Especially because part of the reason Fried was being invaded was Escaflowne and he. He needed to start training again, and he had an idea of how he and Escaflowne could get even closer.
And Hitomi…Van had an idea. He knew she was worried about him. He knew it. And the only way he could confess his own feelings was if he knew she cared at least a bit about him. And to show she cared about him he had the perfect solution. He would ignore her. Truly ignore her. Pretend she had never come to Gaea, pretend they had never met. Everything rested with her. Let's see if she cares enough. It's up to her to make the first move now.
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Please review and I shall not write a long note here, I'm a bit short on time. Hopefully Chapter 7 will be up sooner, and I can already say that it's Hitomi's turn, with a bit of Millerna...what do they young Seer and Princess have to talk about? Perhaps a certain knight?
-Madrilène, the Seventh of February
Err... I'm sorry for taking another two weeks to post, but first fanfiction.net wasn't working and then I simply didn't have time or forgot... so here it is. Finally. I am so sorry. Just keep in mind the above AN.
-The Twentieth of February