AN: This is going to be somewhat odd fic...but please just bear with me through these first few chapters. Yeah.
Chapter 1
In Zaibach, the city was yes, still destroyed, and not a soul was within a two hundred mile radius. But just out of that two hundred mile radius rode a lone rider. His black mount stumbled over the rocks in the makeshift path and his exhaustion wasn't forgotten when his rider halted and dismounted. Walking to the edge of a nearly dried stream, the rider bent to the warm water, and wet his long whitish hair.
His parched mouth welcomed the dirt sifted water, even if it was unsanitary. The sun was blazing down on him, and his heavy armor added an extra twenty degrees to his regular body temperature. Stripping of the sturdy armor incasing his body, not even bothering to think about military attacks, or defense strategies, he lay in the flowing water in a vain attempt to cool off. The man's steed neighed softly, and nudged his previous rider a few times, but his owner was dozing in the quickly drying water. Without a look back, the stallion reared and loped away, leaving the man and his armor to swelter in the blazing sun.
* * *
"So, what adventures are we going to have today, Old Buttercup?" Allen cooed to his prized mare. (AN: Ugh, poor animal.) The horse snorted and shook her head violently. The two rode out of Austuria for a about a mile until Allen noticed a figure laying in a streambed. "Hmm, what's this girl?"
He bounced off the mare, and crouched next to the sleeping person, and cocked his head. "If I wasn't so sure…I'd say this was—" Allen screamed. "Oh my good golly gracious; it's—"
The sleeping man awoke, jumped upward and back, gripping his black-handled sword tightly. "Stand down, Knight Caeli," the man spoke in an obviously startled, yet bored voice. Allen bent lower, his (ugly) hair, falling down on his (ugly) face.
"I am terribly sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you, my—"
"Why are you here?"
"I was off on a ride, and I noticed you here. Would you like a mount back to Austuria? It's not but a mile that-a-way and I can promise there will be a feast in your honor." The man contemplated this carefully; Zaibachian soldiers were not friends with Austurians, and especially not one that was Head of the Dragonslayers, such as himself. But, perhaps hunger and exhaustion was taking its grip on him, Dilandau decided to humor Allen, and be escorted to Austuria.
Dilandau ended up taking "Buttercup" although his refused to call her that, back to Austuria, making Allen run behind the loping mare. The horse and rider were there long before Allen, and so Dilandau decided to just "go in". To his amazement, no body stopped him; everyone just stared at him in awe. He thought he even heard someone whisper, "Duke Chid."
* * *
Hitomi and Van sat together in the gardens, just holding each other, and speaking softly. The preparations for the wedding were already being put up, and it all looked amazing. After five years of waiting, Hitomi and Van were to be married.
Van sat silently staring off into nothing, lost in his own provoked thoughts. He remembered the thing five years back when Zaibach had been destroyed. He remembered when the Fate Alteration Machine had been destroyed as well. He remembered when he had it repaired, and when he had it hid in the Fanelian Castle where no one knew to look. He also knew that he had to tell Hitomi about it.
"What do you think Van?" Hitomi questioned innocently, not knowing what immense problem-thinking she had interrupted.
"In the southeast corridor, to the left and into the faulty cellar," Van blurted out, not thinking about what he had just given away.
"What? I asked you if you liked all the decorations I picked out and the preparations I've made." Hitomi said, very frustrated with Van who obviously wasn't listening to her.
"Oh sorry, I was thinking about, uh, the dried apples we stored there last year." Van replied swiftly. "Yes, they are a lot more beautiful than I ever imagined." He smiled as sweetly as he could muster.
"Oh Van," Hitomi smiled as well, leaned back, and she and Van kissed for quite some time. (AN: Woo-hoo!) But Van couldn't concentrate on Hitomi just now, He had a sinking feeling in his stomach about the Fate Alteration Machine, and he knew if it was this close to his wedding, something would interfere with it.
Of course it would, because when Van told Allen about his plan to keep the Fate Alteration Machine, he immediately knew it was a mistake to trust Allen. Even if Allen's rank as a Knight Caeli was at stake, Allen was not to be trusted. Not to be trusted at all.
AN: Yay! I feel happy now, and yes things will be longer and more clear next chappie! There will be a longer, more in depth description of the wedding and why it was postponed, if you don't already know, coming up in future chapters. R&R, thanks!