Chapter 11 : And it all began…
"What is this nonsense?!"
Van bolted up, glaring at the innocent messenger who brought the news of Merle's sudden disappearance. He slammed his fist on the long and sturdy oak table before him, his nose flaring in mixed panic and anxiety that rushed into his mind at the same time, delivering spasms of bewilderment and ache tenaciously, his heart drumming against his chest with sudden shock and worry. The ache soon dulled and transformed into raw anger; anger because Merle didn't say a word about her intended leave, and anger because he felt Merle had overlooked him as a friend and a brother who had spent the past few years together, in sufferings and happiness.
The apparently inexperienced soldier who had the ill fortune to deliver the message to the enraged king almost squirmed under the scrutiny of his king and the council's ever-vigilant eyes, although he managed to stay still and maintain his dignity as one of the royal guards of Fanelia Castle. "The precise idea is that, Your Majesty, the cat-woman has…"
The poor soldier swallowed the next word he intended to say and stepped aback in intimidation, as he braved himself to meet Van's eyes, ruby glinting menacingly as he hissed, "You, soldier, have to address Merle as any other respectable ladies in this country. She is a hero of the last Great War." Jabbing a finger at the fidgeting soldier, Van added harshly, "Don't you forget that!"
"Miss Merle…" The soldier stopped in his track as Van glared balefully at him, but sighed in relief as Van seemingly let the slip go unnoticed and waved carelessly, motioning him to continue. He was never able to bring himself to address the filthy cat woman as a lady. And neither were the others. It was only because of the king's mercy they had restrained themselves and treated her cordially. However, Merle had proven to be the ungrateful little cat, and he didn't think she deserved the title of a lady. "Apparently Miss Merle has chosen adventures over the luxury Your Majesty has generously offered her in favour of…her own interests." He interjected, emphasising on the words generously and interests.
Ah, another fraud.
Van twitched his lips cynically as he spoke inwardly, his eagle eyes probed beneath the perfect shell of the soldier before his eyes. He turned around to exchanged glances with Gardia and found similar thought radiating from his chief advisor's eyes. The soldier was probably hoping he could earn a promotion by his good conduct; that he could see beneath the saccharine sweet description of his generosity. Only one thing crossed his mind. He was fed up with the whole commotion and pretence of formality, and a mere irritation from a soldier was more than what he could tolerate at the moment. True he was overjoyed about his union with Hitomi, but the news of Merle's desertion distraught him. Merle. The thought of destroying their precious friendship had shattered his heart in pieces, although he was able to grasp the reason behind her action. Still, he refused to understand.
The young king didn't realise that everyone was waiting for his command until he eventually heard Gardia clearing his throat and prompted him to assign the soldier with something, anything, "Your order, Sire?"
Embarrassed that a lot of people had caught him deep in reminiscence, Van stiffened as he snapped his head up, warmth crept beneath the surface of his sun-tanned skin. Attempting to recover his dignity, he rose to his feet slowly and straightened his spine as he regarded the board of council and the soldier in front of him, his face filled with determination as he crumpled Merle's letter in his anger and confusion. He would have followed his whim and searched for her himself, if he hadn't remembered his status as a king, especially as he had his people to govern, and Hitomi. His responsibilities doubled now that he had taken the vow to protect his wife with all his life. He wouldn't, no, he couldn't abandon her, no matter what price he had to pay.
He would have demanded the full explanation of her flight and shaken the sense out of her wit if he found her. However, he also refused to grant the privilege of finding Merle to other people. He couldn't trust what they would do in order to get everything according to his wishes, and he understood perfectly well their attitude toward the cat woman. They would force her, or even hurt her if everything wasn't going in accordance to his very order. He had to find someone who he could trust with his all heart to lead the team.
"Sire?"
Van's lips twitched as he slammed his bottom against the surface of his richly decorated chair, the cape whirling around him as he slid down. His smile turned grim as people waited for his answer, expectant and yet confused as they attempted to read what was beneath his mask.
"Nothing." came his crude, brief answer.
He almost smirked at the hilarious expression the soldier wearing as he must have expected the king to grant him the honour of forming the searching party, but from the corner of his eyes Van could see Gardia smiling in satisfaction and nodded his head in approval. So he was getting better at this king business, anyway. However, he was still surprised by the reaction Gardia displaying. He understood Gardia's resentment toward Merle as well, although he also trusted his chief advisor to view matters objectively, but he never really thought his chief advisor would actually show more compassion to the cat woman. What he witnessed in the old man's expression…it must be interest, if not compassion. However, he would safely bet it was compassion, at the time being, since he hated the very idea of thinking negatively about the old man, who he thought as his own father in a way.
Sighing heavily, Van brandished a leather-gloved hand and dismissed the still baffled soldier and glared as he caught sound of protests. The young soldier smartly clamped him mouth though his eyes still revealed unheard complaints and executed a abrupt bow before he exited the conference room in hasty steps, red slashed briefly on his face, clearly disappointed in the decision his king made. Van was sorry to let down the man, but he had more urgent matters to handle. As he heard the door close in a soft click, he diverted his attention to his board and council and cleared his throat, his baritone voice rang smoothly as he was giving the permission for Gardia to speak, "Let us continue with the matter of Ispano. Has the king been notified?"
"Oh, in that matter, Your Majesty…"
Van could only endure his worries in silence as he listened to Gardia droning on and on about Ispano. He had wanted Hitomi to be there with him, to help him or only to comfort him, but Hitomi had excused herself to meet Millerna privately in their quarters. He still remembered the shock and pain registering in her eyes as Merle's maid, Julia, notified them about Merle's disappearance. He hoped Millerna could help her overcome her shock.
Hell, he couldn't even concentrate himself. He couldn't help but worrying constantly over Merle's well being.
"You seem upset, Hitomi."
Millerna kindly observed as she sipped her nectar s slowly, her expressions calm and reserved although a note of discontentment could be detected from her voice. She gazed deeply into Hitomi's eyes as she put her goblet down silently, probing beneath the cool greenish-bluish sea. Clutching the material of her gown in an attempt to remind herself to stay objective and in focus, she began, "I understand Merle's disappearance brings great distress to both of you, especially since she has endured the same war and sufferings as we all did." Lifting her hand gracefully, she outlined the base of the goblet with her fingertips as she tore off her gaze from Hitomi's eyes and shifted to the greenery extended in the garden just across the huge window, struggling for a more appropriate approach to the sensitive matter.
She was able to guess the reason of Merle's flight, more or less. She had known for a long time that the cat woman harboured a special feeling toward the young king of Fanelia. She was a woman, and she was fully capable of interpreting Merle's attitudes. At the beginning, it might have been an innocent brother-sister relationship, but the feelings grew along with Merle's maturity. She could imagine why Merle felt that she needed to get away from the castle. Merle, a clever young cat woman she had become, had known from the start that her love was an unrequited love, so she decided to surrender. However, the fact that Van eventually found his love and made her his queen didn't really register in her mind, so it became a shock. Of course, she couldn't blame Hitomi either for this; she and Van deserved their happiness very much after the eight years of separation they had had to endure.
"I mean…" she continued carefully, smiling as she chose her words with extra care, "it is such a shame she has to run away from you. Well, she was such a good and loyal comrade in the past, but running away on your wedding day like that…is really…" She never meant to bad mouth Merle, but she wanted to bring Hitomi's spirits up a little bit without sounding too sympathetic to Merle's apparently wrong approach in handling the matters of her heart, although she had to admit she could see her reasoning. Millerna didn't want Hitomi to be buried even deeper in her guilt than she had already been.
"Shame on me," Hitomi interrupted gravely, her complexion looking pale under the streaming sunlight, "I'm basking too much in the light of happiness, and I was unable to see the other's pain, her pain. I think too much of myself." Her eyes stricken with blame, she was unable to let her eyes meet Millerna's aquamarine ones. She kept her gaze floating outside as she conversed with the Asturian queen, her expression aloof in spite of the conflicts warring within her mind. True she had mourned a lost friend, but deep in the darker corner of her mind, she discovered relief as well. She had forced herself to dismiss the thought, but it kept coming her way. How could she have become so cruel? She admitted she was merely human, but she was Van's wife now and she had his undivided attention, so why should she become restless because of Van's closeness to Merle? It was all in her egoism, she sadly assumed.
Hitomi shifted her gaze back to Millerna as she sensed the other's soft hand close over hers and noticed her shake her head slowly as she knelt before her, her clear blue eyes misted with concerns. Millerna's usually sharp gaze softened as she sighed involuntary, a slow and gentle smile spreading across her beautiful features as she attempted to soothe the other's troubled mind, "No one is perfect."
"I know that!" Hitomi breathed out the sentence in self-disgust, particularly at her thought of the little bit of joy Merle's departure had brought her, almost wailing in frustration as she attempted to repress herself in order to bring out a civil conversation with the older woman. Friend or not, Millerna was a queen and she deserved the utter respect every queen deserved, no matter what her mood dictated. That presented another problem, mostly having to do with her newly assumed role as a queen. She had to guard her thoughts and attitudes, for what she did might influence the whole outcome for the benefit of Fanelia. Millerna was her friend, but she was also a queen, and Hitomi had to admit she actually didn't know the real Millerna after the war. She didn't know what attitude the older woman would commit if she were angered. More responsibilities.
"But I never thought…"
Hitomi almost growled in aggravation as she struggled for the right explanation without sounding so offensive or childish. "I thought…I thought she would understand," she finally blurted with a meeker voice, lowering her eyes as she was unable to look at Millerna in the eye; her answer was implausible, but she couldn't come up with anything better. She hated the feeling of helplessness she was encountering, for she was usually very much independent and very much capable of making her own decisions, but she was totally clueless when it came to her love life. She had thought everything was solved already, the minute she married Van, but in reality, it was only the beginning of the actual conflict.
She almost jerked her head in confusion as she felt Millerna's silk-gloved palm touched her cheek, sending rare warmth she seldom encountered in her acquaintance with other people, save Van and a few others. Millerna was smiling in amusement at her display of bewilderment as she couldn't help but notice the young girl from the time of the Great War returned in Hitomi. The young and newly established queen before her was still the old, good and teenage Hitomi at heart. It was true Hitomi had been all but cowering in her closet as she encountered the disaster on her wedding day – that she had heard from the rumours circulating around the castle for the past few days – but she returned to her old self once she encountered guilt. So much for the confidence radiating from her on her wedding day. She looked crumbled and defeated at the moment, and looked as if she was going to burst in tears any moment, although it was also clear she was making an effort to display the very best of her self-composure. Guilt was still her greatest enemy after all. Hitomi was unable to handle her guilt quickly as far as Millerna concerned. She needed someone to reassure her constantly, to comfort her. Millerna understood Hitomi needed Van the most, but she also understood that as a king, Van had other significant matters to attend, so she thought she would try to act as the figure Hitomi needed for the moment.
"Hitomi," Millerna's melodious voice lingering pleasantly in the air as she rose to her feet and stroked the younger woman's hair tenderly, reprimanded her gently at the same time, "Do not submit to your own guilt. You have to be brave for yourself, and for Van. If not, Merle would have been sorely disappointed in you. Believe me, you'll find her, when the time is right."
"Princess Millerna…"
Hitomi started as she turned her face up to meet the other's eyes, her Fanelian traditional gown bristling as she shifted her weight on the richly decorated chair, feeling very much as a little girl facing her mother she had been once. She tried to read Millerna's thoughts beneath the brilliant aquamarine eyes, but she found herself unable to do so. Instead, she only found motherly love in the older woman's eyes, and a surge of security washed over her as Millerna smoothed her shiny ash blonde hair, her lips quivering as she struggled to smile for the sake of rewarding the other's attempt to ease her burden. But a tear rolled down her cheek as she blinked, sending all her attempts to look brave astray. The tear seeped into Millerna's glove as she caught it with her index finger, her lips stretched into a stern line as she levelled her face with Hitomi's.
"Don't cry, Hitomi dear…" the queen whispered as she kissed the tears away in a motherly way. A sudden feeling of protectiveness engulfed her heart as she circled her arms around the younger woman in an attempt to comfort her. "I know everything was going too fast for you, and it is already too much for you to handle, but please be strong. If you can't do it for me, at least do it for Van."
"This is the last time I will cry, Princess." Millerna smiled as she heard Hitomi's promise and tightened her embrace before she let go of her to assume her initial spot on the chair across Hitomi's.
"I know you can do it," Millerna finally voiced her confidence in the other woman, an encouraging smile played on her lips though her expressions were serious and determined. She really hated to see Hitomi's pained expression. It wasn't appropriate of her to look that way. It wasn't…Hitomi at all.
A trembling smile was playing on her lips as Hitomi lifted her greenish-blue eyes to meet Millerna's sky blue ones, her face brightened with a new-found resolution. She was really grateful in a way that Millerna had actually postponed their departure back to Asturia. She had always wished to spend time with the former crown princess, but with Merle gone without words of parting, there were more reasons to talk to her.
"I miss you, Princess Millerna." Leaning over her chair, she reached for Millerna's hand and squeezed it gently to emphasise on the sincerity of her words. She missed Millerna genuinely. She had not seen the older woman for years and she had every intention of catching up on the other's life. How badly she wished for this opportunity. And it wouldn't happen so easily, as she realised it was impossible for them to meet on regular basis, due to their duty as queens of respective countries.
"Me too, Hitomi." Millerna replied softly as she returned her squeeze, her eyes never leaving Hitomi's.
Smiling, Hitomi withdrew her hand and folded it neatly on her lap, cleared her throat and started a more general conversation. Merle's matters were proved to be arduous, and she couldn't do anything about it at the moment, so she chose to set the problem aside until some certain solutions emerged in her mind. She was still worried sick about Merle, but she could do nothing to help, and she refused to waste her time on something fruitless. Experience taught her that focusing on one project only would only result in nothing and was a waste of her time and creativity, so she put on her bravest expression and smiling face and forgot about the dilemma even if it was only for a few moments.
"Princess Millerna, where are you up to?"
Millerna's eyes brightened at the prospect of having the long-awaited conversation she was dying to have with Hitomi, her lips curving up as she began, "Well, to start things off…I've been remarried to Dryden for the past four years with two boys of my own. My oldest is three years old…"
"What's his name?" Hitomi eagerly interrupted, leaning over the chair as if she was afraid to miss any word Millerna had said. She almost asked Millerna for a baby's picture, but mentally kicked herself as she recalled that she was not in Earth anymore, but Gaea. And of course, there was no photography in Gaea.
"Patience, Hitomi…" Millerna's musical laughter rang in the air as she wiggled her index finger in mock chastisement, but she finally answered to the puppy-eyed expression, "His name is Dylon. And the other one is only a baby. Baby boy, to be precise."
"Mmm…wonderful," Hitomi responded as she put her elbows on the table between them, her expression wistful and there was a longing in her eyes, "Have you named him yet?"
"No, he hasn't got a name yet," Millerna answered her with a pride only a mother could possess. She laughed in open amusement as she caught Hitomi's puzzled expression, though. Hitomi must not yet be well acquainted with the customs of some Gaean Cultures, though as a new queen she had the responsibility to learn all those subjects in order to make her decisions on some political matters more accurate, as well as familiarizing herself with the new world she was staying in. Nevertheless, Millerna was certain Hitomi would learn fast and amaze everyone with her intellect. "There is a custom in Asturia in which a baby is not named right away on the day it was born. Especially baby boys."
"Meaning…" Hitomi trailed off, her hand moving in circular motion as she encouraged Millerna to continue her story.
Millerna let out a small smile at the display of curiosity before continuing, "While a baby girl will be named a month or two after her birth, a baby boy usually will only be named after six months or so with elaborate ceremony…" Millerna explained patiently as Hitomi nodded a few times to emphasise on her understanding of the matter. "But not the case with Dylon. We even waited until he was over one year old before he had his official name, because he is the heir of the throne, our heir. So, you see…" the older woman elaborated as she pulled her chair even nearer to Hitomi's spot. Her enthusiasm added some fuel to the already exciting conversation, "the tradition of naming a baby in Asturia is a very important custom, for it is the day when an individual receives his or her personal identity. Sometimes people even use the occasion as an excuse to throw a big celebration and exaggerate its importance."
Hitomi rested her chin on her propped hands, a longing smile pasted on her mouth, "Hmm…interesting. When are you going to name the baby?"
"In another month or so." Millerna answered happily, "He is such a beautiful baby boy. His eyes are clear blue, his hair platinum…" Millerna's expression was dreamy and proud at the same time as she was talking about her baby, animatedly trying to give her best description of the baby to Hitomi, "Splendid."
"Really?"
"Dryden and I are very proud of him. Of course, we're also very proud of Dylon; he is such a bright boy, just like his father, but this baby…" Millerna sighed for the hundredth time, "he has possessed something special since the day he was born."
"Because he apparently looks like you?" Hitomi offered as her mouth cracked into a big amused grin, her eyes glinting in a knowing look as she watched her dear friend transformed from the usually much in control princess into an excited mother. Would motherhood transform her in the way she would never expect too? The queen before her was very different from the daredevil princess she used to encounter in their adventures. This woman had matured into a graceful woman, as befitted her station as a queen, and a gentle and loving mother. It was her motherly approach that eventually brought logic into her mind and helped her overcome her pathetic rants of her guilt.
"He is a combination of us!" Millerna ended joyfully, her throat rumbling with mirthful laughter, as she once again sighed dreamily, clearly day-dreaming about her new baby whom she had left in the care of wet nurses in Asturia in order to fulfil Van and Hitomi's wedding invitation. "He has Dryden's beautiful almond eye-shapes and lust lips while he also retaining my colouring. I couldn't wait to go home and see my babies."
"Amazing…" Hitomi was genuinely intrigued by then. As a woman, she had longed for children of her own since the day she realised her love for Van. "It is a shame you leave your boys back in Asturia, Princess."
"Millerna. Just call me Millerna." Millerna insisted, her eyes determined, " I am your friend, am I not?" then she added with a more playful tone she apparently gained after her re-marriage with Dryden. "Besides, I'm a queen now."
Hitomi merely grinned and shook her head slowly at the hidden joke, partially refused to believe the changes happened in the former princess. First the maturity, and now the sense of humour? The Millerna she had known years ago was very much formal, especially in her speech pattern. She was still formal but, by all means, she seemed more relaxed than ever. She was surprised of how much a few gaps of years and marriage could do in assisting a change in one's personality. She wondered if she would also change like Millerna. Or change Van, on the contrary? She could hardly wait to see the result.
"Er…Hitomi," Millerna's soft voice awoke her from her musings, her tone suddenly nervous, "Actually, I kept something…for you."
Straightening her back slowly, Hitomi raised her brows in a questioning manner, nodding as she urged Millerna to continue. Her eyes followed Millerna's hand as it slipped inside the silk pouch hanging around her slender waist, and widened as the older woman produced an intricately carved silver box and placed it before her.
Hitomi's sea green eyes softened as she touched the box tentatively with her fingertips curiously, before finally surrendered into her curiosity and opened the thin lid after a few moments of contemplation. She almost gasped in surprise as she had a better glimpse of the object inside the box. It was her old set of Tarot cards. She thought she had lost it forever, since she was unable to find the set anywhere in her sport bag upon her return from Gaea. Memories rushed into her mind as she pictured her reading them for Millerna on the fateful day before her fist wedding to Dryden, but the chaos that had happened a few days after somehow caused her to misplace them. How and why Millerna had the cards was beyond her understanding, for as long as she remembered, she never gave privilege to anyone to touch her Tarot cards, even Van.
"It was in your room. You forgot to take it with you the day you went back to the Phantom Moon." As if understanding the question Hitomi was asking in her mind, Millerna replied, "It is yellowing a little bit, but still as good. I remember you treasuring them so much, so I kept them for you, in case you're coming back. At that time it seemed like an impossible dream, but look at you! All grown-up in front of me, being Van's Queen."
Hitomi was only half-listening, being absorbed in the object before her. She almost couldn't believe her eyes. A whirl of thoughts, mostly unpleasant, lingered in her mind as she fingered the cards absent-mindedly, silently begging for explanation for the occurrence and her confusion. Was it her destiny to narrate Gaea's future once again? What happened in the morning when Van had presented her back with her pendant strengthened her suspicion as well.
Millerna halted her chitchat as she noticed Hitomi silently push the box away from her, her features serious and thoughtful all of sudden. She looked at Hitomi, at the pile of cards and then at Hitomi again, suddenly feeling something amiss from her friend's reaction. "What's the matter, Hitomi?"
Hitomi raised her face at the question, her features unruffled and unwavering although Millerna could sense a twinge of worry in the other's eyes. Still, the young woman was only smiling as she sincerely thanked her for keeping the cards together and quietly stored them in her own pouch. Millerna was sure Hitomi had already foreseen something, but she was unable to bring herself to ask what the latter had actually seen.
Hitomi, what would happen?
As she contemplated the question in the back of her mind, Millerna heard an explosion as the nearest windows to their spot shattered into pieces.
Allen Schezar was on his guard outside Van and Hitomi's private chamber when he heard the explosion. He had refused to come inside and reminisce about the past together with Hitomi and Millerna for he believed they both had needed their privacy. But he couldn't help the sinking feeling of fear his heart emanated as he pounded on the sturdy wooden door rapidly while one of the other two soldiers arranged for additional troops to come and assist them. There was no response from inside. He soon regretted his decision to stay outside, but dismissing the thought as merely useless and un-chivalrous. Moping around was not in his knight's codes of bravery and chivalry, as it could only bring distraction from one's task, although he also had to admit he feared the worst happening to both the queens.
"Queen Millerna! Queen Hitomi!" His voice was hoarse with worry as he pounded on the door anxiously; beads of cold sweat began to roll down his temples as a few speculations whirled in his mind. He strained his ears to hear anything, any reaction from inside, but he heard nothing. Not even a single groan of pain. Inhaling deeply, he finally decided to break through the door after a few minutes of silence, which he concluded as a sign that something very wrong had indeed happened. Moving a few steps behind, he kicked the door forcefully as he barged in, shattering the lock into pieces as it landed and clattered deafeningly on the hard marble floor. Looking at the other guard behind, he twitched his lips as he noticed the other man staring agape at him, but instead of harassing the man for staring, he merely gestured at the door with his chin, half ordering the other to follow him before he dashed inside himself. Outside, he could hear some noises that suspiciously sounded like engine noises, but he didn't pay them any attention. What concerned him most at the moment was the safety of the queen to whom he swore his allegiance, and another person who he always regarded as someone dear, no matter what her status indicated.
Allen was brought into a halt as he finally spied the two women in the middle of scattering glasses and windowpanes, seemingly fine although they must have suffered from some scratches. The Asturian knight exhaled in relief as he rushed first to his queen's side, checking for any signs of serious injuries and found nothing apart of a few cuts on her arms as a result of shielding herself from the shattered glass.
"Your Majesty. This is Allen Schezar. Can you hear me?" Allen prompted as he drew her in his arms, supporting her whole weight as he helped her to get up. He spied Hitomi from the corner of his eyes and nodded in satisfaction as he saw the other guard readily assist the Fanelian queen. She also seemed to be alright, at least for the time being.
"H-Hitomi…" Millerna's voice was barely a whisper as her pale trembling hand pointed at the other woman, "She shielded me with her body. Go, Allen, check on her."
Allen didn't have a chance to respond as the other guard exclaimed all of sudden, his voice shrieked with shock and fright, "So much blood! Your Majesty, for God's sake, please answer me!"
Whirling his head to Hitomi's direction, Allen's face went ashen as he spotted a chunk of glass jutted from the flesh of Hitomi's back, the blood was soaking the heavy cloak she wore as she hunkered down silently on the floor. Her head slumped against the guard's shoulder as she bit her lower lip to keep any cries of pain to herself, not wishing to worry the guard more than he had already been.
Another explosion erupted a few metres away as Allen stood frozen, with one arm supporting Millerna's body, and contemplated what to do next. Cold realisation seeped into his mind as he whirled his head and caught glimpses of foreign guymelefs with Ispanian banners attached on it. Only one thing crossed his mind. Fanelia was under attack. But why? And by whom? There were so many things he wanted to ask, but he was unable to do so under such circumstances. Outside, the situation was starting to worsen, and he could hear cries of wounded people as the assault continued, leaving the Fanelian troops no space to breathe and organize some strategies.
This is war!
His mind screamed as he witnessed the scene before him, guymelefs rampaging the castle's walls and killed any moving objects before them as they bombarded the castle with fire. His blood boiled as he heard a call of war from within his veins, his eyes burnt feverishly as his mind screamed for his Schezarade, his mighty guymelef, and plunged himself into the burning war.
He shook his head slowly and dismissed his call of war, his expression embittered with the current situation he was facing. Hitomi was wounded. He had to act quickly before the enemies truly barging in the castles and attempting to demolish everybody. And he had to do it fast.
Just as he was going to bark his command, the door behind him banged as people stormed into the chamber, surrounded them with weapons. He was almost ready to strike back with his long sword, but he breathed in relief as he spotted his king, King Dryden, and Duke of Freid, Duke Chid, among those people, looking very worried and grave as everybody else in the room.
"My king, the queen is alright, but Queen Hitomi…"
Dryden dashed pass the dazed soldiers and assumed his post beside Millerna as he gestured to Hitomi, saying, "I'll handle her. Allen, you'd better stop her bleeding." Allen rushed to assist Hitomi even before Dryden finished his words, his eyes filled with concern and fear. From his back he could hear his king calming his shocked queen, assuring her 'Hitomi' would be fine under Allen's capable hands. His queen insisted on seeing to Hitomi's wounds herself as she had vast knowledge in medical area, but Dryden's persistence finally won over her. She finally resigned and was content by the fact that 'Allen is more than capable than he might seem'. Or so…according to Dryden.
In truth, Allen barely had the confidence to inspect Hitomi's wounds. He had handled his and his comrade's battle wounds countless times, but Hitomi was a woman and he had never before treated a woman's wound. He never really understood woman's endurance, and he never wished to cause Hitomi any discomfort. The young woman seemed to have endured everything all right so far, but he didn't really know how long she was able to tolerate the pain. He carefully moved Hitomi to a safer spot with the help of the other guard before checking on her condition, speaking discreetly into her ears as he probed the wound and checked on the level of the injury, "Your Majesty, does this hurt a lot? I will have to pull the shard on you…"
Allen's vision turned red as blood spurted on his handsome and lean face as he ceased his talking and staring agape at the young queen, never believing what he had just witnessed. Hitomi shocked everyone by plucking the shard of glass from her back in a blink of eye, her ultimate groan bring several gasps of disbelief in the room. They could only stare in silence as Allen dutifully but hesitantly bound a cloth around the wound to stop the blood from spurting, sweat causing his palms to be clammy as he nervously tightened the cloth in a firm knot. His throat dry and sore, he found himself unable to think as his icy blue eyes met Hitomi's sea green ones, his own eyes widened as the other's eyes bore into his with strength of mind he had never before witnessed in the young woman, at least eight years ago.
Everyone in the room subsequently made a way for their queen as she staggered to her feet slowly; her jaws set and her fists clenched painfully as she gritted her teeth in her pain, forcefully dragging her feet out of the chaos in the chamber. No one even attempted to prevent her from going as she almost stumbled on the scorched carpet; her head swam in such dizziness that almost made her vomit. Amidst the turmoil of the sudden attack, she didn't care anymore for her own safety. Red slashed briefly in her mind as she dragged her feet as they refused to co-operate with her mind.
She had to save Van.
Gardia stood erect amidst the whole commotion of war, his features hard and stubborn as he observed the event happening in his surrounding.
It happens as I've foreseen.
It finally happens.
He cursed inwardly for the downfall of Fanelia, silently regretting the decision his king had made as he chose to marry the girl from the Phantom Moon rather than the respectable crown princess of Ispano. The moment he spotted Ispanian banners floating outside, he had a full understanding of what had happened. Fanelia was under attack from Ispano. And it didn't have a chance to win. They might be of equal power, but Fanelia was practically defenceless; it had only completed a royal celebration and was unable restore its defence in a fortnight, and being unprepared, it was very easy for Ispano to catch Fanelia off guard and defeat the latter in a swift process.
The king had long gone in his search of his queen, being concerned with her safety, but the chief advisor chose to remain in his station. No one could ever alter the fate of Fanelia at the time being as the war had begun, at any rate. No one.
He knew all of these would happen sooner or later, and he had been prepared.
He had prepared everything.
And he had to save Fanelia.
His Fanelia.
Hello guys! Sorry for the long delay of chapter 11! Anyway, it's finally finished and it contains the first scene of war I'm going to write. Hope it's not too crappy, for it's the first time I write a war scene. Please tell me honestly if it's adequate or not. I promise to do it better next time, since I have to get used to the idea of writing about war apart of romance. Hope Allen doesn't sound stupid here. I never intended him to act stupid. I only want him to look confused here, anyway. Ok, enjoy!
Anyway, hope you're not too bored with Hitomi's and Millerna's conversation. *sheepish smile* Anyway you know…, Girl's Talk! Well, not exactly Girl's Talk, but I want to define Hitomi and Millerna's relationship here. I hope it looks like siblings' relationship. *Grin* (Geez…what am I talking about?! :P)
I know that this chapter is not the most interesting chapter, but it needs to get done. Personally I hate writing about war…* sigh * but I'll manage. Mmm….does the scene sound like war at all, anyway? Or do I have to describe more of the situation? I thought I had to do that, but I also thought you guys might be bored to tears with the war scene. Oh, please tell me your honest opinion. I really lost my confidence here…* small voice *
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