Flights of Angels
Part 4
A week later the messenger returned. Each letter congratulated them and Allen's said they would come in person to stay for a month. They would be arriving in 2 months. Soon after Hitomi started showing that she was pregnant and the kingdom rejoiced. 2 months to the day of getting the letter Allen and Millerna came to see them. Damien had grown a lot and could talk now, well pretty good. "Guod day my Word. It is guod to see you again." Damien greeted him.
"Good day to you to young prince." Van replied.
"Where is Hitomi?" Millerna asked.
"She is on the balcony of our room. She isn't feeling very well today. But I guess that comes with the package?" Van questioned.
"Yes it does. But it shouldn't last much loner since she is 5 months along." Millerna laughed. She then excused herself and Damien, they went to find Hitomi.
"Congratulations my friend. You will make a wonderful father." Allen told him. Van smiled.
"Join me for a walk through Fanilea?" Van asked.
"Sure, I would like to see how this city has done in the past few years. I can tell just by glancing around that it has come a long way from Zaibach." Allen stated.
"Thank you." Van replied. They walked through the city for 2 hours talking about different issues. Meanwhile back at the castle Millerna and Hitomi chatted.
"So how do you like being pregnant?" Millerna asked.
"I haven't felt this bad since I had pneumonia. But it also feels good to know that this big round stomach holds a new life. Van's son… I would want it no other way." Hitomi sighed.
"Son? How do you know it's a boy?" Millerna questioned.
"Because of when he kicks. It's really strong, just like Van." Hitomi replied.
"I see and what shall Van name him?" Millerna asked.
"Van and I have made a agreement. When we have boys I shall name them and he gets to name them when we have girls. Don't ask me why but he asked if it could be this way. So I will name him Akira. It is a proud name back on Earth." Hitomi explained.
"Akira Fanel. I like it and your right it does sound proud." Millerna replied. Hitomi smiled and was happy Millerna liked her decision. 15 minutes later Van and Allen walked out on the balcony.
"My Hitomi how great you look." Allen complemented her.
"Thank you Allen." Hitomi thanked him. Van leaned down and kissed her lips.
"Your wrong Allen she doesn't look great, she looks beautiful." Van said with a smile. Allen nodded and Millerna smiled.
"Lord Van! Lord Van!" Meril yelled running through the halls of the castle.
"Meril? What is it?" Van questioned meeting her in the hall.
"The RR! They have returned! Gerdi is doing his best to hold them off but isn't having much luck. He needs your help! Please!" Meril begged fearing for her husband's life.
"All right clam down. Allen! Grab a sword and come help me defend the castle. Millerna, take Hitomi and Damien to the garden. Hopefully we can keep them from getting into the castle." Van commanded. Then he and Allen took off to defend the castle. Millerna quickly took Damien and Hitomi to the garden.
"We should be safe here but all the same stay quiet." Millerna whispered.
"We want to weaken the King of Fanilea so his kingdom will be forced to fall. What is his most cherished poesesion?" Genko asked.
"That little cat girl?" Moca questioned not sure.
"No, she is married now. She's in the garden unprotected… who do you think it is then?" Genko told his partner.
"Van's queen." Moca replied with an evil smile. Meanwhile Van & Allen fought side by side.
"Allen! One of us needs to go back to the castle! Incase they try to get in!" Van yelled.
"You go! Find Hitomi and Millerna! I'll hold them off here!" Allen screamed. Van smiled and escaped the fighting; he hurried back to the castle.
"Did you hear something?" Millerna asked turning around.
"I didn't hear anything." Hitomi replied. Suddenly something rustled at the top of the wall. Both women gasped.
"Are you guys okay?" Van whispered. Suddenly an arrow whistled threw the air straight at Hitomi. Van saw it just in time as he jumped.
"Un!" Van groaned as the arrow hit him in his stomach. Van fell to the ground at Hitomi's feet.
"Van!" Hitomi cried out. Hitomi fell to her knees and held Van in her arms.
"Hit…omi…" Van whispered opening his eyes.
"Oh Van! Stay with me! Don't die!" Hitomi begged tears falling.
"I'm sorry… I'll try but if I… don't make it… take care of … Akira." Van gasped but then he blacked out.
"The King has fallen!" Genko yelled. Hitomi looked up angry flares flashing in her eyes.
"The King may have fallen, but his Queen still stands. Beware of my wrath!" Hitomi hissed. She grabbed Van's sword and fought against them for a good 20 minutes. Finally she stabbed them both and they fell. Hitomi panted and looked at Millerna.
"Is he okay?" Hitomi asked.
"Still alive for now." Millerna answered. Just then Allen came running into the garden.
"Is everyone all right?" Allen questioned.
"Yes, but Van was shot with an arrow. He needs a healer." Millerna replied.
"All right. Let's get back inside the castle." Allen answered.
"The healer is away." Hitomi whispered.
"Well! I guess I will just have to heal him myself." Millerna told them.
"Do you remember how?" Hitomi asked.
"Yes, I haven't stopped studying. Allen bring Van to the medical room. Damien! It's safe to come out now!" Millerna called. Damien came out from under the bush were Millerna had put him. Allen picked Van up and carried him to the medical room. Millerna fixed him up and 4 hours later Van woke up to find Hitomi asleep by his side.
"Thank God, my angel is still by my side." Van thought as he fell back asleep. When he woke up the next time Hitomi was smiling at him.
"My angel has returned to me." Hitomi whispered.
"Yes, Millerna has saved my life. Remind me that I owe her one." Van told her. Hitomi smiled.
"I have some news for you." Hitomi said.
"And what is this news?" Van questioned.
"The RR have been completely wiped out. And I have decided on our first son's name." Hitomi told him.
"I see. And what name have you decided on love?" Van asked.
"Akira Fanel." Hitomi replied.
"A wonderful name. It won't be long now. We will have a son and Fanilea will have a Prince once again." Van explained.
Allen and Millerna went back to Austria and then came again at the end of Hitomi's 8th month. Then on August 15 Akira Fanel was born. 2 days after his birth Van and Hitomi presented him to the kingdom.
"People of Fanilea! You rejoiced when the princes of Fanilea was born to my Mother and Father! Now I hope you will rejoice the birth of the 1st prince born under my raine! Fanilea! I present to you! Prince Akira Fanel!" Van yelled as Hitomi smiled and held the baby out so everyone could see him. Everyone rejoiced and celebrated. Van and Hitomi tried to be the best parents they could be to their son. Van wished to go with Hitomi and their son to Earth to see her family. Ched promised to come and rule in his place. Allen would have come but Van wanted him to take some time off.
"Thank you Ched." Van thanked him.
"It is my pleasure. I would come any time to run your beautiful country while you are away Van. I just hope I do a good job." Ched replied.
"You will. Now say bye-bye to King Ched, Akira." Hitomi said giggling. They stood in the garden waving as the blue light came down over them. They disappeared and reappeared in Hitomi's parent's backyard.
"Mom! Dad! I'm home! We have 2 guests!" Hitomi yelled smiling. Both of her parents came running out of the house with huge smiles on their faces.
"Hitomi! Van!" Her mother said smiling. She hugged Van first and then Hitomi. Her father shook Van's hand.
"Mother, Father… I would like to introduce you to someone. This is Akira, our son." Hitomi told them. Her parents looked at them for a second and then walked up to see their first grandson.
"Oh Hitomi! He's beautiful! Give him here so I can see the baby. And do come in! You and Van must be tired after your journey from Gaea." Her mother beckoned. Van followed Hitomi into the house.
"You guys get some sleep and then we'll call Ukarie and Amondo. We will meet them for supper. Your father and I will watch the baby." Hitomi's mother told them.
"Sounds great." Hitomi said as she handed her the baby. Once in the guest bedroom Van and Hitomi quickly fell asleep in each other's arms.
That night when they meet with Ukarie and Amondo, they had some news of their own.
"What! You guys are going to have a baby to!" Hitomi asked.
"Yes! Oh Hitomi I can't wait!" Ukaire replied.
"And who is this young man?" Amondo questioned seeing the baby in Van's arms.
"This is Akira. Our son." Van told him.
"Oh! He's just darling! Hello Akira!" Ukarie squealed.
"Gooo…" Akira said and then yawned. They all laughed. The whole group ate a great meal.
"When is your baby due?" Van asked as Hitomi gave Akira his bottle.
"In 5 months. I can't wait to name her. We had a test done that showed us it was going to be a girl, but just in case Amondo chose a boy's name." Ukarie replied.
"Really? What are the names you've chosen?" Hitomi questioned.
"Amondo has just returned from Russia had has fallen in love with the name Alexi. So if we have a boy his name will be Alexi. But then if we have a girl she'll be named Mariko, after my mother." Ukarie explained.
"How nice. If ever you need a baby sitter I'd be glad to fill in." Hitomi's mother said smiling.
"Thank You." Ukarie replied. Over the next week they spent every night out with each other having fun. And then late one evening they all stood in the back yard saying good-byes.
"Until next summer. We'll miss you!" Hitomi yelled as the blue light fell over them. Gadus was waiting for them when they appeared.
"Gadus! What is it has something happened?" Van asked seeing his worried face.
"Yes… Sire… something did… Meril and her husband… their child… was killed. We don't know what… what it was. They need your comfort." Gadus explained sadly. Before he had even finished Van was running toward Meril and Gerdi's.
"Meril!" Van yelled running into their house.
"V…a…n?" Meril sniffed looking up from Gerdi's arms.
"I'm so sorry." Van whispered as she ran into his arms.
"Oh Van! There… was nothing… we could… do! It came up so fast! Gerdi was hurt trying to throw it off of her but… but…" Meril cried.
"Shh… shh." Van said. He looked at Gedri whose arm was rapped up. His face was in his hands and his body was racking with sobs.
"You did your best Gerdi. I'm sorry I wasn't here. I should have been maybe I could have done something. I promise you I will find this thing and destroy it." Van promised.
"Thank You, my Lord." Gerdi replied. He stood as Hitomi walked up and stood outside the window holding Akira. Van looked her way to, she looked scared by what Gadus had told her.
"Take good care of them, my Lord. For you will not know how much they mean to you until their gone." Gerdi told quietly and then took Meril into her room. Van stood there for a minute listening to Meril's muffled sobs and then he walked out the door.
"Van what was it that killed their little girl?" Hitomi asked.
"I don't know. But I'm going to find out." Van replied, clenching his fists. Hitomi put Akira in his crib and then went to the library.
"Van come to bed. You can read up on this thing tomorrow. You need your rest." Hitomi told him sleepily.
"But… I…" Van started.
"Come." Hitomi demanded pulling him to bed. She was right as soon as Van's head hit the pillow he was out. The next morning at the crack of dawn Van was in the library again. Gadus was helping him and when Gerdi heard what he was doing he came to. Meril went with Hitomi to the garden. She watched sadly as Akira crawled over to the pond and stuck his hand in the water. He pulled it out quickly and laughed at his face.
"Alake would be turning 2 in 1 month." Meril whispered as Hitomi picked Akira up and sat him between them.
"I'm sorry Meril. Van will find out what did this and kill it." Hitomi assured her.
"Yes, Lord Van will do anything to help someone in need, it's his nature." Meril replied. Just then a messenger arrived with a note from Millerna.
"My Queen, a letter from Queen Millerna of Austria has arrived for you." The messenger explained handing it to her.
"Thank You." Hitomi answered as she opened it. She quickly read over the letter and then stood.
"Meril, you might want to come with me. Come Akira, we must go see Daddy." Hitomi said and she walked quickly to the library. Meril trailed behind curiously wondering what the letter had said.
"My Lady…" Gadus started as she walked into the room.
"Van a letter has just come from Millerna. You must read it." Hitomi told him. Van took the letter in her hand and read it.
"It has struck again. This time it killed 2 children. Allen says it started to head back this way. He had some warriors follow it but they could not get close enough to kill it, the thing is living in a cave just outside of Fanilea." Van explained.
"So what do we do?" Gadus asked.
"What do you mean what do we do?" Gerdi snapped.
"We go after it of course. Gadus I want you to stay in the castle and protect the girls. If things get bad and it tries to come into the castle I want you to take them and Akira to the chapel. Escaflowne will protect you from there. Gerdi you come with me. Allen will be arriving in a few minutes, then we will attack it and kill it." Van explained.
"Yes Sire!" They both answered. Just as they were about to walk out the door Hitomi and Meril grabbed their husbands arm.
"Gerdi I just lost my daughter, I don't want to lose my husband to. Come back to me." Meril told him quietly.
"Van I love you. Both Akira and I need you, don't get yourself killed." Hitomi whispered and then kissed him. Van smiled and hugged her then ran out the door with Gerdi. Allen met them at the castle gates.
"Let's go." Allen said.
They went to the cave. A low breathing and growling came from the inside.
"How will we kill it?" Gerdi asked looking at Van. Allen was looking at him to.
"Uh… I'll tackle the thing to get it's attention and then you 2 stab it." Van told them.
"No way it's to dangerous!" Gerdi complained.
"Do you want it kill more children like your daughter?" Van snapped. Gerdi was silent.
"I didn't think so now let's go a kill the damn thing." Van told them. Allen and Gerdi followed him into the cave slowly. The beast was feasting on something and it growled when it heard them coming. The men rounded a corner of the cave to face the growling beast. It was black with very sharp teeth, its 8 eyes stared at them as it growled. Drool that was mixed with blood dropped from its mouth.
"On the count of 3. 1…2…3!" Van yelled. He ran at the monster and jumped on its back. The creature went wild. Van hung on to its fur tightly but it didn't do much. The thing started bucking and Van found himself slipping. Before he could yell out to the others the creature bucked him off and into a rock wall. Van fell to the hard ground, he started to raise himself up but sank back to the ground.
"Van!" Allen and Gerdi screamed. The creature sounded as if it was laughing and started to advance on the fallen King. Allen pulled out his sword and with clenched teeth he attacked, Allen was soon followed by Gerdi. Allen stabbed it through its back while Gerdi rolled under it and stabbed it with his dagger. They jumped clear and ran over to protect Van. The creature thrashed for 10 minutes before finally falling and slowly dying. As soon as they made sure the thing was dead, Allen and Gerdi checked on Van.
"I think he'll be okay, he just has a broken arm. And he's out cold. Let's get him back to the castle." Allen told Gerdi.
"Yes Sire." Gerdi replied hosting Van into his back to carry him. Gadus was watching the horizon for any sign of trouble when he saw Allen and Gerdi carrying Van over the hill.
"My Lady, call the healer. My Lord has been hurt." Gadus told her and he ran out of the castle. Hitomi called the healer then she and Meril ran out of the castle.
"Allen! What happened is he okay?" Hitomi asked as she reached him.
"He'll be just fine. He got knocked out and his arm is broken but that's it." Allen reassured her.
"Are you okay Gerdi?" Meril asked.
"I'm just fine. The beast is dead." Gerdi told her.
"Thank God." Meril whispered hugging him. The healer put Van's arm in a sling and helped take him back to the castle where he could rest.
"Allen it is getting late, why don't you stay for the night and then you can head home in the morning." Hitomi suggested.
"It sounds great. Thank You." Allen thanked her. The next morning after Van had woken up, Allen bid them all farewell. Van sent a warrior with him just case of dragons, he explained that it was their mating season.
"Take good care of yourself and say hello to Millerna." Hitomi said.
"I will, and send word if anything happens." Allen told them and then he left.
"I do believe our son will be turning 1 in 4 days. What are we going to get him?" Van asked. Akira was asleep that night, Van and Hitomi were watching over him.
"I don't know. I could go home and get a puppy. But then where would that leave you?" Hitomi questioned.
"I have something in mind but he would have to wait until he was older till he could use it. I have a idea for a good sword." Van explained.
"That sounds okay. I'll leave tomorrow and be back the next day. I think I'll get him a German Sheperd, I hear they're really good protectors." Hitomi told him. They then left their son for their own room. The next day Hitomi took Akira and went home to Tokyo. Van went to the blacksmith and put in his request for the sword.
"Sire, your request will take at least 3 days. I hope that will be alright." The blacksmith told him smiling.
"That will be just fine. Prince Akira won't need it until his 8th birthday but I want to have it ready for him." Van explained.
"It shall be done Sire." The blacksmith replied.
"Thank You, if you will just bring it to the party with you that would be great." Van told him as he left. The blacksmith nodded and got to work on the sword.
"Gadus spread the word that the kingdom will celebrate Akira's birthday in 3 days. I will send word to Allen and Millerna." Van said as they walked through Fanilea.
"Alright my Lord. Meril sent word that she would like to see you. You might want to stop by there on your way into the castle." Gadus told him as he ran off to spread the word. Van walked toward Meril and Gerdi's, stopping to talk to people in the streets on the way. After 15 minutes he got to their house and knocked. Gerdi opened the door and smiled at him.
"Good day to you Sire. Meril wanted to give you a gift." Gerdi explained.
"A gift? For me? Why?" Van questioned.
"Don't you remember? Today is your birthday silly." Meril laughed as she came out of the back room with a small gift.
"It's the first time she's smiled since…" Gerdi whispered and his voice trailed off. Van was listening but he was still shocked by the present, he couldn't believe that he had forgotten his own birthday.
"Thank you. I can't believe I forgot my own birthday. I guess it was because I've been to busy planning Akira's birthday. I just put in my request to the blacksmith to make him a sword." Van explained.
"Isn't he a little young?" Gerdi questioned.
"I had it made for when he turns 8. I'm going to start his training then." Van told them as he sat to open his present. Meril and Gerdi watched as he opened the present.
"Thank You! Where on Earth did you get a picture of everybody?" Van asked standing.
"Right after the last battle. I wanted a picture to make sure we never forgot. And I want you to have it." Meril said smiling as he hugged her.
"No offense Meril but I don't think I could ever forget what happened in those last few days." Van said. Meril nodded remembering how painful it was for him to accept that even though his brother had become a tradior to Fanilea, Van had still thought of him as his older brother. She could remember many times Van had denied it but deep in her heart she knew that he still had a place of him. And 5 days before the last battle Folken had shown his true colors by trying to save Hitomi and he had died.
"Thank you again, I must go. Hitomi and Akira went to Earth yesterday and I want to be there when they get back." Van told her and then he kissed her cheek and shook hands with Gerdi, then left.