Summary: Hitomi, Allen and Van reach Asturia to meet up with the now Queen Millerna, and Hitomi has a vision so horrifying that she can't believe it's true...
Author's Notes: As with Van, I hate Millerna with a passion, and therefore don't really have the means to present -her- in a good light...^^;;; Then again, I always thought she had an underlying layer of evil...
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"Hitomi? Wake up..."
With a soft, quizzical sound, Hitomi opened her emerald eyes groggily to find herself laying in Allen's arms. She blushed rather fiercely at this, and snapped fully awake.
"I was asleep?" was the only thing she could think to say.
Allen smiled, setting her down so she could stand while he and Van led the two stallions into a small stable. "You've been asleep almost since we reached the border of Asturia...we're here in Palas now."
"Does Princess Millerna know we're here?" she asked, feeling a slight uneasiness over the name.
"Princess?" Van said with a bit of surprise, then shook his head as if just remembering that Hitomi hadn't been present for the past three years, "No, Millerna is the Queen now."
This surprised Hitomi quite a bit, it didn't make sense. "What? How did that happen?"
"King Aston's illness finally caught up with him, about a year ago," Allen began, and looking like he didn't want to continue.
"But...then, wouldn't the crown have gone to Eries? She was the eldest..." Hitomi said, and instantly regretted doing so when she saw the pained look on Allen's face.
"No one's sure why, but Eries committed suicide only a few days after King Aston died. Leapt right off her balcony..." Van commented while tying the steed's reins to one of the posts within the stable. Hitomi gasped, a hand unconsciously covering her mouth in shock. "They think she couldn't handle the stress of being Queen so suddenly...so she left it on her little sister instead."
Allen's eyes narrowed at Van's words; the way he was talking, he made it seem as though Eries had been nothing but a coward. He knew there was something more behind it...Eries had been a dear friend to him, and he still sorely missed her. "What they think is not necessarily what happened," Allen said sharply, but still managing to keep his cool.
"Perhaps not," Van countered, "But we don't know for sure, do we?"
One would have had to have been blind to not seeing the growing tension between the two men, and Hitomi was becoming keenly aware of it. Trying to divert attention from it, she spoke up, "Maybe we should head to the castle...there's no time to lose."
Allen turned to look at Hitomi, and his expression eased slightly as he nodded. "You're right, Hitomi," he said with a considerably gentler tone, "Let's hurry up there. An audience with Queen Millerna has already been arranged."
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The three entered the great hall of Asturia's palace, being led directly to the throne room. Sitting regally in the center throne of the exquisitely decorated room was Millerna herself, crowned and wearing a gorgeous bejeweled midnight blue gown. She smiled amiably and gave a nod of recognition to them as they bowed politely, though her eyes remained on Hitomi for a moment longer than was strictly necessary. "Allen," she spoke, her violet eyes reverting to the blonde-haired man before her, "It's been so long...you hardly ever visit anymore."
"I've been busy, my Queen," he said, looking up at her in respect as he was addressed.
"I've heard...Van, I'm terribly sorry to hear about your city." she said, now looking to Van, who seemed to tense up slightly.
"Thank you, Queen Millerna," he said tightly, though not raising his head.
"And you, Hitomi," Millerna began, making all three of them look up in surprise. She had recognized her? "This must all be very difficult for you."
"It...it is," Hitomi confirmed quietly, looking away slightly.
Millerna smiled slightly, tilting her head just a bit when she spoke again, "Don't worry...trust in me as the Queen of this great country, and I promise all will be well."
There was something in Millerna's tone that made Hitomi wary, and she casted her emerald eyes back to look directly into the violet orbs that looked back at her calmly.
With no warning whatsoever, Hitomi's eyes widened and the color drained from her face as a vision overtook her. She didn't even hear Allen calling her name in surprise as she collapsed to the floor.
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"Millerna," Eries said softly, voice choked by grief over their father's deathbed, which was empty now after three days of his death, "This is going to be a trying time for us..."
"I know," Millerna responded, with little to no emotion in her expression. Eries looked at her oddly through tear-blurred ocean blue eyes, and shook her head slightly, walking past her little sister.
"I'm going to my room for a little while," the older Princess said over her shoulder as she left the room.
When she reached the top of the long spiral staircase that led to her room in one of the towers, Eries paused when she heard footsteps coming up the stairs behind her. She opened the door to her room and walked inside, leaving it open for whoever might come.
It didn't surprise her that it was her little sister who appeared in the doorway, and she gave a sad smile before walking out onto her balcony. Quietly, Millerna followed.
"What are we going to do, sister?" Eries murmured, looking out to the sunset on the horizon.
"About what?" Millerna asked, crooking an eyebrow at her older sister.
She only shook her head slightly, another sad smile playing across her lips. "Never mind...I'll figure it out in the end. I just wasn't expecting the crown so early...perhaps I was too naive, too blind."
Millerna's eyes narrowed dangerously at the mention of the crown. "It should be mine..."
Surprised, Eries turned to face her sister. "What?"
"You were right, dear sister, you have been blind," Millerna said with the hints of a smile on her lips, "But to more things than you thought you were."
"What are you talking about, Millerna?" the older Princess asked, growing nervous from the way her little sister was acting, and unconsciously taking a step back towards the edge of the balcony.
Millerna walked closer, so close that they were only millimeters apart. "The crown should be mine...it will be mine," she whispered into Eries' ear, "Give my regards to Father."
Before Eries could respond, or even move, she was shoved roughly by Millerna, too hard for her to stop herself when she hit the low rail. She screamed as she began to plummet to the ground below, and her last thought was spent in trying to understand this cruel betrayal... )
~~
Hitomi screamed in her unconscious state, thrashing wildly in Allen's arms, as he had caught her when she collapsed.
"No!" she cried out, tears spilling from her closed eyes, "No!! It can't be real!!"
"Hitomi!" Allen called, trying to wake her from her half-waking nightmare, "Wake up! Hitomi!"
With a gasp, Hitomi snapped awake and sat bolt upright, looking around the room in near-panic, and only being able to stare in horror when her eyes landed on Millerna.
"Are you all right? Hitomi? What did you see?" Allen asked in concern, still holding her as she was trembling violently.
'No," she thought, 'It couldn't have been real...it couldn't have...' She shook her head slightly, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to try and calm herself somewhat. "It...it's all right," she finally resulted to saying, swallowing the lump in her throat, "I'm fine...I...I'm just tired."
"You didn't see anything?" Millerna asked, raising an eyebrow in a way that said she didn't believe her in the least.
Hitomi took another breath, not wanting to say what she had truly seen, and though she hated lying, she knew Millerna wouldn't be satisfied without an answer. "I saw...I saw the demon woman, and the full attack on Fanelia...I guess my vision was just...delayed..."
There was a moment of silence, and Hitomi wondered if that answer was enough, or if Millerna had seen clear through her. But just as she was beginning to grow nervous, Millerna spoke, "Perhaps you just need to rest, Hitomi...after all, you three have been under a lot of stress. Go with my servants, they will show you to your rooms. Tonight I'm holding a banquet in the memory of Fanelia; I insist you come. It might ease some of the pain."
Allen gave a polite bow again as he stood, helping Hitomi to her feet as well. "Thank you, my Queen," he said before turning and following the two servants who had been in attendance the whole time, who led them to the rooms where they could rest and get prepared for the great banquet that the Queen Millerna was throwing that evening.
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