Chapter 5: The Hearts and Souls of Lovers and Warriors, Part II
Standard disclaimer: I don't own Vision of Escaflowne.
Before I go any further, I want this to be the first of many chapters that I want to dedicate to my writing mentor, friend, guide, and inspiration, celle1. To find out more got to: . Don't forget to say hi as well. :D
King Van Salzaar de Fanel, King of all Fanelia, stood at his usually place in the conference room of the Royal palace, gazing out of the center window and upon the width and breadth of his homeland and kingdom's capital. It was much bigger than it was that faithful day of the attack the day that he began his adventure with the young woman whose spirit, courage, and heart had haunted his dreams since the day she left.
"Ministers, report," he said with a tone in his voice that was full of the confidence that a leader should have without sounding like a tyrant.
Minister de Guston, Minister of Commerce, spoke first. "Milord, we have good news from Goau and Fortuna ports. Only six months after they've opened, the goods coming directly from ports of the surrounding countries has almost exceeded their abilities to take them all in. Perhaps we should've built them bigger than we had after all," He continued.
"And as I had said numerous times before," he added, "to do so would risk flooding the Fanelian markets with goods that might drive the local small factories out of business. We haven't recovered enough from the war to allow the same kind of openness of trade that Austuria enjoys. One day perhaps, but not yet," he finished.
It was part of his post war economic recovery plan. The war had engulfed almost every country on the continent and as a result was going through the same post war process of rebuilding, with Fanelia's being much, much worse than the others had been. Only Austuria had offered any substantial assistance, and only after the death of King Aston. In order to pay for what was needed for immediate reconstruction, he looked at a silver lining in the very dark cloud that was the war. Many of the refugees that fled the capital did so through a pass in the mountains behind the capital, the opening of which was revealed as a result of the Dragonslayers attack. This pass, now known as the Exodus pass, led to the coastline, which had been accessible only via dangerous, narrow paths over the mountains. An adjacent pass, the Regressar Pass, which was not too far from the first, and blocked only by a few feet of granite, was chiseled away shortly after the war. Both led to the newly built King Goau and Fortuna ports. King Van knew that the import tariffs from these two ports would allow Fanelia to buy what it's neighbors couldn't, or wouldn't loan. However, he knew that if the tariffs were too high, his kingdom's neighbors would complain and possibly impose sanctions against the struggling Kingdom. He also knew that local Fanelian businesses might collapse under the weight of the import market. The solution was simple: build a pair of ports large enough to allow enough import goods that the resulting tariffs would assist in the reconstruction of Fanelia without being too high while at the same time being too small to allow a flood of imports. It, so far, proved to be a success.
"Ah, yes. Perhaps someday," the minister sighed.
"What say you, Galicia" Van continued.
The head of the Ministry of Justice and Protection of Royal Subjects proudly stood and began his report to his Sovereign. "Sire, every town and village in the Kingdom has had no reports of crime from any of your subjects. There are of course the random pranks committed by the youths and the occasional drunken brawl, however these matters have been dealt with by my men as soon as they flare up." Minister de Galicia was originally a solider who had been badly wounded in a fierce bandit raid early in his career. Van's Father, King Goau, had seen the young military officer's prowess as an administrator and didn't want to lose his talents, thus he made arrangements to continue to serve the kingdom as a Sheriff in one of the larger farming towns. When Fanelia was being rebuilt, Van called upon him to lead those protecting the people from bandits in the Kingdom's weakened state. After the capital was rebuilt, he'd been called to lead Fanelia's lawmen. " There is the matter of several skirmishes in the woods along the borders we share with other kingdoms, but nothing out of the ordinary."
King Van sighed. "How many did we lose this time", he said regretfully.
"15 gave their lives to the Kingdom since my last report, Sire", Galicia responded with the mournful pride of a commander who lose men under him in battle.
'I hope that gives their families and children solace when they find they'll never come home again', Van thought bitterly.
"What about you Captain Merle", he said turning to a familiar face. "Any to report?"
A Seventeen-year-old cat woman wearing a form fitting yet elegant and noble high collared uniform respectfully stood, as had the others to report to her King and the only family she had. "Lord Van", she called him as she had in the past, "other than the usual nonsense of people making empty death threats which they retract after my men find out those responsible and young women trying to gain entry into the palace to beg you to marry them", the latter statement making Van wince more than the former, "there isn't anything out of the ordinary within the kingdom's borders that could threaten you."
Van could only look at his adopted sister and smile. It had been two years ago today since she'd earned the right to wear that uniform and a year since she'd become Captain of the Fanelian Palace Guards. Following the reclamation of the Fanelian Capital by his people, King Van's advisors convinced him to rebuild the Fanelian Palace Guards on the condition that they'd also be used as city constables until the actual constabulary was fully reformed per a city of the Capital's size. Volunteers from all over the small kingdom were recruited, including a then Fourteen year old cat- girl that had enlisted without Van's knowing. When he'd found out, he nearly had a fit.
"What in Atlantis's name are you doing Merle?!?" he bellowed.
"Making myself useful, for real this time, Van-sama," she simply replied, adjusting her new uniform.
"What are you, taking about? You've always been a great asset, and a great friend. By the God's you're the only family I have left. I." he said, only to be cut off by her orange paw on his lips.
"That's the problem, my Van-sama," she said plainly. "Everything I have is because of your good graces. I am tried of being a freeloader who has what she has only because Balgus found me when he did." She finished, by saying, "It's time I made my own way, and proved my worth in the world."
Over the following year, she would more than prove her worth, protecting her King, discovering plots against him, and even getting wounded in the line of duty protecting him. As all warriors have in the past, Merle would earn every scar on her body. When the previous Captain of the Guard retired due to old age and illness, only the most bigoted against the beast peoples, was surprised by her promotion.
"What about outside the kingdom's borders?" the young king mused.
As Captain of the Guard, part of her job was discovering plots against King Van and following up leads to those plots before they were ever sprung. More important to King Van, however, was the means to make sure that another sneak attack by any of Fanelia's neighbors like the one that Zaibach had instrumented could ever be launched without his knowing. Thus the means to gather such intelligence became essential. Van's other ministers were lees than enthusiastic about "reading other gentlemen's mail" as the foreign minister put it. Thus, the role of Fanelia's "spymaster", to fell to the Captain of the Palace Guard, and thus, to Merle when she was promoted.
"Well", she started, "I found something that could be nothing, but might be something."
"Oh? Now you've made me the curious one my dear cat", Van said, earning a playfully annoyed smirk from him foster sister. "What have you discovered?"
"Well", she said becoming properly serious, "there have been quite a bit of small yet noticeable purchases of iron ore from all over the continent, including Fanelia. By themselves they seem like nothing. However, when you add up the quantities purchased over the past several months, you can't help but be a little concerned that someone might have something up their sleeve."
"What makes these purchases so out of the ordinary?" asked the Minister of Defense.
"The grade of the ore is the same use to make guymelef armor", Merle stated. This made the air in the room suddenly very heavy. "My thoughts exactly", she added. "The purchases are always done by different people but in the same amount and in the same grade of ore. Alone, it looks like someone is just making something very strong, but not very big, out of metal. However, when you added them up, if I didn't know any better, I'd say someone was trying to make a sizable force of guymelefs. As unnerving as this all is, some of my people have also found out that the same people have been buying levistone powder."
This last bit made everyone tense. After the War, it had been discovered that levistove powder, mixed with high grade iron ore, created an alloy that gave the Zaibach melefs flight capabilities. Unless she was wrong, Merle's spy ring had discovered a long planned effort of some sort or another to covertly build a large unit of flight capable gymelefs.
"Minister Guston", Van said sternly, "I want you to give Captain Merle a detailed accounting of all iron ore exports paying particular attention to melef grade ore. Also, I want you to help her find out where these sales are going to. Give her what ever help she needs Guston."
"Yes, your highness." Guston then nodded purposefully to Merle who in turn smiled to the older man.
"Also", Van continued. "I want patrols around the capital and all towns in the kingdom increased, Galicia.
"At once, milord" de Galicia replied.
"Well de Galicia, I hope that our own melef force is as well maintained as always", Van said with a knowing grin to his Defense minister.
"You know General de Aries all too well, sire" the older man replied. General Gustof Anton de Aries was Balgus last student before he began training King Van. Now in his 30s, the former Royal military officer was one of the few survivors of the Dragonslayer's attack on the Capital. Afterwards, he reassembled what was left of the Royal Fanelian Armed Forces in an attempt to guard the kingdom's shattered borders and help de Galicia protect the outlying farming towns in Fanelia's anarchy. It was like making a silk purse out of a sow's ear, and then being expected to make a matching dress when you were done. However, his meager efforts kept a catastrophic situation from being even worse and after the war he was praised by the people for what he did. A few even thought higher of de Aries for "standing and fighting at home instead of all over Gaia." The officer, who stood at 6'8" and was a mountain of solid muscle and bone, would hear none of it, and challenged anyone who spoke ill of his King to a duel to the death. As if Van's own skill with a sword was enough to make those who threatened the young king's position think twice, the prospect of going up against Commander de Aries was. Incredibly, he still believed he had failed his Kingdom, and offered to resign his commission due to his inability to do more and as the highest ranking surviving officer, felt responsible. Van, on the other hand would hear nothing of it, and made him a General and put him in charge of rebuilding the Kingdom's guymelef force, which was obliterated by the search and destroy missions launched by the Vionne's other guymelef squadrons.
"Make sure that he disperses the melef units broad enough to cover as much ground as possible. I want nothing that crosses our boarders to get any farther than a quarter of a hectare inland", Van finished. Satisfied that he'd done everything he could think of, he closed his eyes and thought, '.and now, to the part of these meetings I've come to dread.'
"Have you anything to report Clark?" Van asked, already dreading the answer. Foreign Relations Minister de Clark then stood and spoke. "Sire, I wish to report that relation with our allies and neighbors and allies are good, and if the reports from Captain Merle's men have nothing to add regarding their actions or behavior, then all is well. However." he continued.
'By Atlantis, the willpower it will take if he mentions what I think he will.' Van thought.
".some of the young noble ladies of Gaia, including the daughters of well placed people in the Zaibach Republic, have inquired about your desire to find a Queen?" the diplomat finished with a hint of oiliness in his voice.
It was all Van could do to keep from spinning on the man and grabbing him by the collar. Every weekly meeting for over two Colors he brought up the issue of finding a future wife. At first, he discounted it an irritation in his duties to the Fanelian people. However, de Clark's requests of marriage from the noblewomen of Gaia became a constant reminder that he was without the seeress that stole his heart and that he communicated with only in his dreams.
"Clark", Van continued in an irritated tone, "how many times have I mentioned that I will marry when I feel ready to devote myself to both Fanelia and a wife and family?" It was a half lie. The real reason Van had no intention of marrying anyone was the one woman he would marry was out of his reach, almost definitely forever.
"Your Highness, what would happen to our Kingdom if, the Dragon forbid, something were to happen to you? No offense to Captain Merle or the palace healers, but if you were to leave us, we would be in a crisis of succession. With all due respect, Sire, the Kingdom needs you to marry to produce and heir" de Clark whined.
"So is that all I am to you Clark?" Van said in a low dangerous tone. For the first time during the meeting, Van turned to face his ministers, and specifically, de Clark, glaring white hot daggers into the man with his dark intense reddish brown eyes. "Am I nothing more than a breeding stud for future Kings of Fanelia so you don't have to worry about the future of your career? Or is someone paying you to convince me to court them?" he continued.
"I have only the best interest of the Kingdom in mind, milord", de Clark said with an oily, mildly offended tone.
That was the last straw for the young King. He purposefully strode up to the old diplomat and former merchant and looked him right in the eye. "While you were living a life of semi-luxury in Egzardia trading women's pants to Austria, I was fighting to avenge us against those who had decimated our homeland while better men than you fought to pick up the pieces." This last part Van said while gesturing to de Galicia. "YOU, of ALL people, don't dare lecture ME on what is best for Fanelia!"
After de Clark stuttered an apology to his King for assuming too much and slunk back into his chair, Van faced his ministers and asked if they had anything else to add. When they said no, he dismissed them and turned to face another set of windows opposite to the first he had been staring out of. Knowing where he was looking, Merle returned to Van's side after the others had left. She put her paw-hand on his shoulder and gave him a look that said, 'I understand and sympathize Van.' When she left, he came to the window that he had in mind after de Clark's nonsense. It overlooked the Royal gardens, called the Varie gardens after his mother, and a life- sized statue in the corner, one of a teenaged girl in a school uniform with a serene smile on her pretty face. In his melancholy, Van could only look at the image that faced him and sighed, "Hitomi."
Author's Notes:
First I apologize to my readers for delaying the release of this chapter. The character of Van Fanel is very special to my friend, editor and mentor, celle1, and because it provided your first glimpse of a post-War Van, I wanted it to be extra special as well. This is also why this chapter is so much longer than the others. I only hope it meets with my mentor in writing's approval.
No, de Clark is NOT the bad guy in this story, just a stereotypical slimy politician. I do intend to redeem him if the opportunity to do so presents itself in this story.
As for Merle, yes, she does have the body of Naria or Eriya, but with a slightly more mature version of the face we all know and love. ;)
Don't worry; the action will be forthcoming in a few chapters from now, as well as other characters from various Esca sources, (ex. the only-released- in-Japan Esca video game).
Finally, if you are reading this story, PLEASE review. I'm dying for feedback and celle1 is busy with plans for getting into Oxford University, (great big colossal round of applause for celle1 from everyone on ff.net). Help the both of us out by letting me know how I'm doing, (or how much I suck so I can get better at this whole fiction writing thing).
Standard disclaimer: I don't own Vision of Escaflowne.
Before I go any further, I want this to be the first of many chapters that I want to dedicate to my writing mentor, friend, guide, and inspiration, celle1. To find out more got to: . Don't forget to say hi as well. :D
King Van Salzaar de Fanel, King of all Fanelia, stood at his usually place in the conference room of the Royal palace, gazing out of the center window and upon the width and breadth of his homeland and kingdom's capital. It was much bigger than it was that faithful day of the attack the day that he began his adventure with the young woman whose spirit, courage, and heart had haunted his dreams since the day she left.
"Ministers, report," he said with a tone in his voice that was full of the confidence that a leader should have without sounding like a tyrant.
Minister de Guston, Minister of Commerce, spoke first. "Milord, we have good news from Goau and Fortuna ports. Only six months after they've opened, the goods coming directly from ports of the surrounding countries has almost exceeded their abilities to take them all in. Perhaps we should've built them bigger than we had after all," He continued.
"And as I had said numerous times before," he added, "to do so would risk flooding the Fanelian markets with goods that might drive the local small factories out of business. We haven't recovered enough from the war to allow the same kind of openness of trade that Austuria enjoys. One day perhaps, but not yet," he finished.
It was part of his post war economic recovery plan. The war had engulfed almost every country on the continent and as a result was going through the same post war process of rebuilding, with Fanelia's being much, much worse than the others had been. Only Austuria had offered any substantial assistance, and only after the death of King Aston. In order to pay for what was needed for immediate reconstruction, he looked at a silver lining in the very dark cloud that was the war. Many of the refugees that fled the capital did so through a pass in the mountains behind the capital, the opening of which was revealed as a result of the Dragonslayers attack. This pass, now known as the Exodus pass, led to the coastline, which had been accessible only via dangerous, narrow paths over the mountains. An adjacent pass, the Regressar Pass, which was not too far from the first, and blocked only by a few feet of granite, was chiseled away shortly after the war. Both led to the newly built King Goau and Fortuna ports. King Van knew that the import tariffs from these two ports would allow Fanelia to buy what it's neighbors couldn't, or wouldn't loan. However, he knew that if the tariffs were too high, his kingdom's neighbors would complain and possibly impose sanctions against the struggling Kingdom. He also knew that local Fanelian businesses might collapse under the weight of the import market. The solution was simple: build a pair of ports large enough to allow enough import goods that the resulting tariffs would assist in the reconstruction of Fanelia without being too high while at the same time being too small to allow a flood of imports. It, so far, proved to be a success.
"Ah, yes. Perhaps someday," the minister sighed.
"What say you, Galicia" Van continued.
The head of the Ministry of Justice and Protection of Royal Subjects proudly stood and began his report to his Sovereign. "Sire, every town and village in the Kingdom has had no reports of crime from any of your subjects. There are of course the random pranks committed by the youths and the occasional drunken brawl, however these matters have been dealt with by my men as soon as they flare up." Minister de Galicia was originally a solider who had been badly wounded in a fierce bandit raid early in his career. Van's Father, King Goau, had seen the young military officer's prowess as an administrator and didn't want to lose his talents, thus he made arrangements to continue to serve the kingdom as a Sheriff in one of the larger farming towns. When Fanelia was being rebuilt, Van called upon him to lead those protecting the people from bandits in the Kingdom's weakened state. After the capital was rebuilt, he'd been called to lead Fanelia's lawmen. " There is the matter of several skirmishes in the woods along the borders we share with other kingdoms, but nothing out of the ordinary."
King Van sighed. "How many did we lose this time", he said regretfully.
"15 gave their lives to the Kingdom since my last report, Sire", Galicia responded with the mournful pride of a commander who lose men under him in battle.
'I hope that gives their families and children solace when they find they'll never come home again', Van thought bitterly.
"What about you Captain Merle", he said turning to a familiar face. "Any to report?"
A Seventeen-year-old cat woman wearing a form fitting yet elegant and noble high collared uniform respectfully stood, as had the others to report to her King and the only family she had. "Lord Van", she called him as she had in the past, "other than the usual nonsense of people making empty death threats which they retract after my men find out those responsible and young women trying to gain entry into the palace to beg you to marry them", the latter statement making Van wince more than the former, "there isn't anything out of the ordinary within the kingdom's borders that could threaten you."
Van could only look at his adopted sister and smile. It had been two years ago today since she'd earned the right to wear that uniform and a year since she'd become Captain of the Fanelian Palace Guards. Following the reclamation of the Fanelian Capital by his people, King Van's advisors convinced him to rebuild the Fanelian Palace Guards on the condition that they'd also be used as city constables until the actual constabulary was fully reformed per a city of the Capital's size. Volunteers from all over the small kingdom were recruited, including a then Fourteen year old cat- girl that had enlisted without Van's knowing. When he'd found out, he nearly had a fit.
"What in Atlantis's name are you doing Merle?!?" he bellowed.
"Making myself useful, for real this time, Van-sama," she simply replied, adjusting her new uniform.
"What are you, taking about? You've always been a great asset, and a great friend. By the God's you're the only family I have left. I." he said, only to be cut off by her orange paw on his lips.
"That's the problem, my Van-sama," she said plainly. "Everything I have is because of your good graces. I am tried of being a freeloader who has what she has only because Balgus found me when he did." She finished, by saying, "It's time I made my own way, and proved my worth in the world."
Over the following year, she would more than prove her worth, protecting her King, discovering plots against him, and even getting wounded in the line of duty protecting him. As all warriors have in the past, Merle would earn every scar on her body. When the previous Captain of the Guard retired due to old age and illness, only the most bigoted against the beast peoples, was surprised by her promotion.
"What about outside the kingdom's borders?" the young king mused.
As Captain of the Guard, part of her job was discovering plots against King Van and following up leads to those plots before they were ever sprung. More important to King Van, however, was the means to make sure that another sneak attack by any of Fanelia's neighbors like the one that Zaibach had instrumented could ever be launched without his knowing. Thus the means to gather such intelligence became essential. Van's other ministers were lees than enthusiastic about "reading other gentlemen's mail" as the foreign minister put it. Thus, the role of Fanelia's "spymaster", to fell to the Captain of the Palace Guard, and thus, to Merle when she was promoted.
"Well", she started, "I found something that could be nothing, but might be something."
"Oh? Now you've made me the curious one my dear cat", Van said, earning a playfully annoyed smirk from him foster sister. "What have you discovered?"
"Well", she said becoming properly serious, "there have been quite a bit of small yet noticeable purchases of iron ore from all over the continent, including Fanelia. By themselves they seem like nothing. However, when you add up the quantities purchased over the past several months, you can't help but be a little concerned that someone might have something up their sleeve."
"What makes these purchases so out of the ordinary?" asked the Minister of Defense.
"The grade of the ore is the same use to make guymelef armor", Merle stated. This made the air in the room suddenly very heavy. "My thoughts exactly", she added. "The purchases are always done by different people but in the same amount and in the same grade of ore. Alone, it looks like someone is just making something very strong, but not very big, out of metal. However, when you added them up, if I didn't know any better, I'd say someone was trying to make a sizable force of guymelefs. As unnerving as this all is, some of my people have also found out that the same people have been buying levistone powder."
This last bit made everyone tense. After the War, it had been discovered that levistove powder, mixed with high grade iron ore, created an alloy that gave the Zaibach melefs flight capabilities. Unless she was wrong, Merle's spy ring had discovered a long planned effort of some sort or another to covertly build a large unit of flight capable gymelefs.
"Minister Guston", Van said sternly, "I want you to give Captain Merle a detailed accounting of all iron ore exports paying particular attention to melef grade ore. Also, I want you to help her find out where these sales are going to. Give her what ever help she needs Guston."
"Yes, your highness." Guston then nodded purposefully to Merle who in turn smiled to the older man.
"Also", Van continued. "I want patrols around the capital and all towns in the kingdom increased, Galicia.
"At once, milord" de Galicia replied.
"Well de Galicia, I hope that our own melef force is as well maintained as always", Van said with a knowing grin to his Defense minister.
"You know General de Aries all too well, sire" the older man replied. General Gustof Anton de Aries was Balgus last student before he began training King Van. Now in his 30s, the former Royal military officer was one of the few survivors of the Dragonslayer's attack on the Capital. Afterwards, he reassembled what was left of the Royal Fanelian Armed Forces in an attempt to guard the kingdom's shattered borders and help de Galicia protect the outlying farming towns in Fanelia's anarchy. It was like making a silk purse out of a sow's ear, and then being expected to make a matching dress when you were done. However, his meager efforts kept a catastrophic situation from being even worse and after the war he was praised by the people for what he did. A few even thought higher of de Aries for "standing and fighting at home instead of all over Gaia." The officer, who stood at 6'8" and was a mountain of solid muscle and bone, would hear none of it, and challenged anyone who spoke ill of his King to a duel to the death. As if Van's own skill with a sword was enough to make those who threatened the young king's position think twice, the prospect of going up against Commander de Aries was. Incredibly, he still believed he had failed his Kingdom, and offered to resign his commission due to his inability to do more and as the highest ranking surviving officer, felt responsible. Van, on the other hand would hear nothing of it, and made him a General and put him in charge of rebuilding the Kingdom's guymelef force, which was obliterated by the search and destroy missions launched by the Vionne's other guymelef squadrons.
"Make sure that he disperses the melef units broad enough to cover as much ground as possible. I want nothing that crosses our boarders to get any farther than a quarter of a hectare inland", Van finished. Satisfied that he'd done everything he could think of, he closed his eyes and thought, '.and now, to the part of these meetings I've come to dread.'
"Have you anything to report Clark?" Van asked, already dreading the answer. Foreign Relations Minister de Clark then stood and spoke. "Sire, I wish to report that relation with our allies and neighbors and allies are good, and if the reports from Captain Merle's men have nothing to add regarding their actions or behavior, then all is well. However." he continued.
'By Atlantis, the willpower it will take if he mentions what I think he will.' Van thought.
".some of the young noble ladies of Gaia, including the daughters of well placed people in the Zaibach Republic, have inquired about your desire to find a Queen?" the diplomat finished with a hint of oiliness in his voice.
It was all Van could do to keep from spinning on the man and grabbing him by the collar. Every weekly meeting for over two Colors he brought up the issue of finding a future wife. At first, he discounted it an irritation in his duties to the Fanelian people. However, de Clark's requests of marriage from the noblewomen of Gaia became a constant reminder that he was without the seeress that stole his heart and that he communicated with only in his dreams.
"Clark", Van continued in an irritated tone, "how many times have I mentioned that I will marry when I feel ready to devote myself to both Fanelia and a wife and family?" It was a half lie. The real reason Van had no intention of marrying anyone was the one woman he would marry was out of his reach, almost definitely forever.
"Your Highness, what would happen to our Kingdom if, the Dragon forbid, something were to happen to you? No offense to Captain Merle or the palace healers, but if you were to leave us, we would be in a crisis of succession. With all due respect, Sire, the Kingdom needs you to marry to produce and heir" de Clark whined.
"So is that all I am to you Clark?" Van said in a low dangerous tone. For the first time during the meeting, Van turned to face his ministers, and specifically, de Clark, glaring white hot daggers into the man with his dark intense reddish brown eyes. "Am I nothing more than a breeding stud for future Kings of Fanelia so you don't have to worry about the future of your career? Or is someone paying you to convince me to court them?" he continued.
"I have only the best interest of the Kingdom in mind, milord", de Clark said with an oily, mildly offended tone.
That was the last straw for the young King. He purposefully strode up to the old diplomat and former merchant and looked him right in the eye. "While you were living a life of semi-luxury in Egzardia trading women's pants to Austria, I was fighting to avenge us against those who had decimated our homeland while better men than you fought to pick up the pieces." This last part Van said while gesturing to de Galicia. "YOU, of ALL people, don't dare lecture ME on what is best for Fanelia!"
After de Clark stuttered an apology to his King for assuming too much and slunk back into his chair, Van faced his ministers and asked if they had anything else to add. When they said no, he dismissed them and turned to face another set of windows opposite to the first he had been staring out of. Knowing where he was looking, Merle returned to Van's side after the others had left. She put her paw-hand on his shoulder and gave him a look that said, 'I understand and sympathize Van.' When she left, he came to the window that he had in mind after de Clark's nonsense. It overlooked the Royal gardens, called the Varie gardens after his mother, and a life- sized statue in the corner, one of a teenaged girl in a school uniform with a serene smile on her pretty face. In his melancholy, Van could only look at the image that faced him and sighed, "Hitomi."
Author's Notes:
First I apologize to my readers for delaying the release of this chapter. The character of Van Fanel is very special to my friend, editor and mentor, celle1, and because it provided your first glimpse of a post-War Van, I wanted it to be extra special as well. This is also why this chapter is so much longer than the others. I only hope it meets with my mentor in writing's approval.
No, de Clark is NOT the bad guy in this story, just a stereotypical slimy politician. I do intend to redeem him if the opportunity to do so presents itself in this story.
As for Merle, yes, she does have the body of Naria or Eriya, but with a slightly more mature version of the face we all know and love. ;)
Don't worry; the action will be forthcoming in a few chapters from now, as well as other characters from various Esca sources, (ex. the only-released- in-Japan Esca video game).
Finally, if you are reading this story, PLEASE review. I'm dying for feedback and celle1 is busy with plans for getting into Oxford University, (great big colossal round of applause for celle1 from everyone on ff.net). Help the both of us out by letting me know how I'm doing, (or how much I suck so I can get better at this whole fiction writing thing).