Chapter 15: The Battle Adjourned

Gaudi clenched his fists tightly at his side, his teeth sinking deeply into the soft tissue of his lower lip, the blood salty on his tongue.  A Sudden wave of nausea attacked him as he witnessed a pool of crimson liquid on the alabaster ground, his azure eyes glazing with fury.  He clutched his stomach as bile rose to his throat, his body shuddering uncontrollably as he vomited.  The sour and putrid residue triggered spasms of further bouts of nausea.  Wheezing, he forced himself to breathe evenly, tears forming at the corners of his eyes and his chest hurting with his every attempt.

"Why, Your Grace," he mocked. "I believe one of Fanelia's greatest generals could do better than that." 

He raised his eyes to the source of the mocking voice, and he grinded his teeth together as he looked into Parnall's amber orbs.  He clenched and unclenched his hands as he entertained the notion of strangling the young prince's neck.  "Killing your own sister," he hissed out, his voice calm yet deadly, accusation shining bright in his eyes.  "What a disgrace. But," he added, taking on a sarcastic tone.  "I forget that you already were an insane and cold-blooded bastard in the first place. You not only killed your own parents, you even displayed their heads to Princess Ardine!"

The young prince inclined his head to one side, wearing a look of feigned surprise.  "Me?  Killing Ardine?  Didn't you notice, Your Grace? Her head is still intact.  She could still be alive, if you don't waste your time sneering."  With a twisted smile, he crouched low, then his strong fingers grasped Ardine's midnight strands and yanked her fragile frame in the air.  The blood was still flowing from the open wound on her neck, drenching her body with its red stickiness, but Gaudi visibly sighed in relief as he finally noticed the faint raising of her chest. However, the breathing process was clearly an ordeal for the princess.  Ardine had stepped one foot through death's door, and seemed to be in the process of relinquishing her soul.

For a moment Gaudi thought he saw tenderness in the way Parnall looked at his sister's still frame, but soon that expression twisted into disgust as the younger man released the shiny hair just as though it was a filthy rag.  He then jumped upon his feet in a flash.  The gaze Parnall gave Ardine was that filled with hatred, the aura of coldness that made Gaudi's spine shiver.  Deep down he wondered how one young soul was capable of such heartlessness.

Gathering what was left of his strength, Gaudi jammed his foot-long sword on the ground to serve as a support and dragged his body to Ardine's form. He hefted the young princess frantically into his arms, his fingers searching for any pulse.  A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he finally found her pulse – it was tiny, but apparently her heart was still beating.  Now his only concern was stopping her bleeding.  There was also the danger of too much blood loss.

An argument ensued behind his back right before he heard the thudding of someone's footsteps, clearly heading to his direction.  Queen Hitomi.  She quickly shredded some material from her already tattered gown and pressed the cloth firmly against Ardine's wound, grimacing as she soon noticed the soaked material.  Another sounds of footsteps approached them and soon the King of Fanelia himself joined the group, a scowl of disapproval twisting his eyebrows.  Firmly he put a protective hand upon his queen's shoulder, while the other was ready on the hilt of his sword, his ruby eyes fixed at Parnall's haughty features in anger.

Standing tall, Parnall straightened his cape as he spoke almost serenely.  "I have changed my mind.  I have no desire to fulfil the death of my sister and your kingdom today."

Three pairs of eyes rose to meet his – anger, shock and confusion mixed into one.

Parnall smiled almost sweetly upon seeing the reactions of his three captives, but soon the smile disappeared as his face again hardened once more into a cold mask, his voice low and monotonous.  "'Tis too easy.  I have always expected something more from Fanelia's military defence, so I will let you go this time to give you more time for preparation."

"You attacked our country only for sport?!"  Van snarled viciously, his ruby orbs glinting with murder.  With his pride wounded, he quickly reached for his sword, but he immediately went rigid when cold steel rested against his skin, its sharp edge drawing blood.  He could hear Hitomi gasping beside him, her fear radiating from her very countenance.

"I dare you, King of Fanelia," Parnall hissed into Van's ears, willing the king to listen to the hidden threats in his taunting." Come to Ispano. Attack us. Burn us. Kill us!  I will ensure you and your puny little troops will be scorched to ashes instead."

Closing his eyes, Van breathed slowly to dwindle the raging fire in his heart as he pumped his brain for a quick response.  He smirked sardonically as the sentence started to form in his mind.  "Such arrogance.  We cannot yet draw any conclusion, Parnall.  This battle is so cowardly initiated after all."

A genuinely delighted smile graced Parnall's face as he gradually withdrew his thick scimitar, his amber eyes aglow with childish exhilaration.  Van saw the opening as a chance to assault back and he swiftly drew his sword, swinging it blindly towards Parnall's direction and succeeding in cutting a few strands of his midnight coloured hair.  Parnall reacted almost immediately.  His scimitar blocked the movement of Van's sword, the force causing the sword to fling a few moments in the air before it clattered loudly on the ground.

"This happened twice, My King!  You should be ashamed of yourself, having your sword deducted from your hand twice."  And then all of a sudden, baring his fangs, he added heatedly, "I expected a better service from you, King of Fanelia!"

With that last comment, he turned on his heels and walked in long strides toward his black guymelef, barking orders of retreat to his people.  Soon the Ispanian guymelefs departed one by one, leaving only Parnall alone.  His confidence shined through as he once again faced his enemy though this time his expression settled on a little, innocent smile.

"Adieu, My King."  He produced a crisp salute for the seething Fanelian king and his general, with his countenance relaxed, as if he was certain no one would ever dare assault him from behind.  "'Till next time.  I believe this exercise will alert you more to some future possibilities. I expect grandeur in our next battle."

And as his face settled on a gentler expression, his eyes swept Ardine's still form and Gaudi's rigid face alternatively, the taunting smile he had reserved for Van dissipating.  "Ah, it seems that I still love my twin sister too much to see her demise.  And as for you, My Queen," Parnall tipped his head towards Hitomi's direction, a smile growing as he kissed the tips of his fingers.  "A woman from the Phantom Moon, indeed.  I am looking forward to our next encounter, Madame."

The smile turned into a smirk as Hitomi seethed.  A meaningful look floated on his face as he whispered, almost to himself, "A pleasurable moment, Your Majesty, a pleasurable moment."

As he continued walking to his mighty, black guymelef, he murmured, his voice low but clear enough for Gaudi to hear, "Tell my sister that she may live…as I hunt her.  I will kill her the moment I set my eyes on her again, and that is the time when I will not hesitate to snap her neck into two."

"Love.  It may prove to be one of my gravest and most foolish mistakes."  He murmured silently to himself, his shadow black and long behind him, like a devil clinging to his every step.


"Is the path clear?"

As a woman's worried voice penetrated his ears, the young Duke Chid zar Freid turned around from his scouting and gave the queen of Asturia a reassuring smile.  "A few Ispanian soldiers here and there, but none of those who were able to cause us deep trouble. I do think his majesty, Allen Schezar, and I will be able to break through."

"How many precisely?" echoed the ever sharp but gentle voice of Celena Schezar, and he couldn't help but smile at how the sweet, melodious voice caressed his soul.  He was fully aware of the fact that it was certainly not the time to entertain romantic thoughts, but he could not resist the longing he felt whenever the soft, tingling voice entered the barriers of his mind.

"Three or four people, five to be precise, milady."  Quickly he wore a hard mask to conceal his inner thoughts from the said woman and proceeded to inform the party, his crystal blue eyes lingering on each face that stared back at him – some with concern, some with fear.  For a moment he let his gaze remain longer on the beautiful features of Celena Schezar, sensing pleasure bubbling up in his tightened chest.  Others might have seen their current experience as an unfortunate event, but he thought otherwise.  He considered himself fortunate to have been given an opportunity to get acquainted with Celena better, even in the worst of situations.

As his eyes moved onto Allen's face, he was amused to witness displeasure stiffen on the face of the Asturian Heavenly Knight.  Allen must have sensed his scheming on Celena, and the older man must have sworn to protect his little sister from any harm.  Chid could never blame Allen but, instead, congratulate him for his caution.  He too would act wary if he had a horde of possible fortune hunters and social climbers after an attractive younger sister, who happened to be endowed with beauty as well as a promising amount of dowry.

His train of thought was brought to a halt as he heard a child's whimper.  As he refocused his eyes on Celena, he could see a red head poking from behind the folds of Celena's gown, trembling slightly as pale blue eyes assessed the surrounding fire nervously.  The child's frightened demeanour reminded him of their current predicament.  Shaking his golden head lightly, Chid settled on a more serious demeanour and began his task of sorting out his options in this whole chaos.  They had to somehow escape the castle unscathed if they wished to return to their respective countries alive.  A pity they were unable to find the king of Fanelia and his queen along their escape route but they should count themselves lucky to have been able to retain their souls after all the Ispanian soldiers they have faced along the way.

"We can take them by surprise and use their uniform as disguises," quietly he murmured while continuing his watch, his eagle eyes assessing every movement of the five soldiers.  "They are quite slightly built – I do think it is possible for the ladies to squeeze into their armours."

Celena didn't understand what was happening to herself.  She only knew that there was this sudden fear pooling in the back of her head the moment Duke Chid mentioned wearing armour, a sudden spasm of blackness assaulting her vision whenever she even tried to convince herself of her irrationality.  But she was seriously afraid of wearing armour, and she knew immediately that somehow her lost past was somehow connected with armouries and fighting battles.

"No!" Celena's clear voice rang in objection, at which her brother soon shushed her though she ignored the warning and advanced boldly.  "I am certainly against this plan.  I will not have myself wear that armour!"  Her cerulean blue orbs sparked fire as she feverishly curled her hands into tight fists, her sudden leap alarming most of her audience – even the frightened child let go of his grasp on her gown.

"But Celena, it is necessary for us to…" her brother attempted to instil some sense into her head and reached out for her, but the beautiful woman refused his offer of comfort and instead clung to herself for dear life.

Celena forced herself to fight the irrational urge to bash her head against a wall to end her suffering, knowing the insanity was somehow not part of her entire person but to the one residing behind the thick clouds of her past.  And if not wearing the armour could suppress the unwanted persona, then she would comply since she always trusted her instinct, although she was certain as hell that the others would find her action ridiculous, infuriating even. 

The others stared grimly at her lack of reasoning, but Chid could see the growing fear in Celena as his eyes captured every uneven rise and fall of her chest and the widening of her eyes.  Agony was shown on her features, as if the she was undergoing conflicts within her mind.  Her face twisted into something akin to great pain as she clutched her head with both hands, a faint moan escaping her soft lips as she shook her head, as if to dispose bad memories.

Chid was taken aback as he witnessed the others' violent reactions to Celena's predicament.  All of them looked as if they were facing a fiend, not the young fresh woman she usually represented.  Their eyes were agog, and their arms were outstretched, suddenly on guard against the harmless young lady.  Whatever was happening to Celena at the moment must have struck them as something so hazardous they were unwilling to play chances.  Queen Millerna had her hand readied on the little dagger her husband had provided for her protection as she stood in front of the boy Celena had brought with her, while both Allen and the king circled their hands securely around the hilts of their swords.

"Wh - what's happening?" Chid stammered uncharacteristically, his eyes darting back and forth from Celena to the others, confusion flooding his mind.  Fixing his gaze solely at Celena, the young duke demanded, "Celena, quit fooling around!  This is not the time nor the occasion…"

A murmur from Celena's direction halted him in the middle of his sentence, and he rushed to her to capture her words.

"I don't want to step into that armour again for the second time of my life," she murmured almost inaudibly, the agony on her face subsiding, though her voice was still filled with pain.  Chid gasped and stepped back as Celena reached out with her thin, white arms, her eyes hollow as she returned his shocked gaze, her persona resembling that very much like a ghost.  The others soon followed him, their weapons ready.  Unconsciously he too laced his fingers around the hilt of his long broad scimitar, gritting his teeth in sudden trepidation as he watched her movements warily, readying his stance for any uncalled moments.

"Don't venture any closer towards her, Your Grace," the savvy, smooth voice of Allen Schezar warned him, intensity heightening in his momentarily distressed blue eyes.  "From here on out we don't know what will happen next."

Chid turned his head and gazed at Allen helplessly, fetching for more information, but the older man only shook his head, denying Chid the privilege of knowing the actual circumstances of Celena's sudden change.  As if understanding the dismay Chid exhibited towards him, Allen gritted out an answer, "This is not something I can trust myself to explain with only a few efficient words.  A long history, Your Grace."

Chid merely acknowledged Allen's explanation with a nod before finally focussing his attention back on Celena.  Her beautiful features turned to white porcelain, as if there was no blood undercurrent beneath her skin, and she seemed to experience difficulty with every breath she took.  Even without questioning her, he was perfectly aware of one fact: the woman needed assistance to escape her current stupor desperately.  She was nearly unable to control herself.

"Help me…" a whisper escaped her pasty coloured lips, its effect tightening Chid's chest as he delved deeper into her crystal blue eyes, sparkling with unshed tears.

And he performed what he deemed necessary.

He ignored Millerna's gasp and the warning "Don't…!" from Dryden, and ventured within the circle of Celena's grasp, accepting her dainty hands as she tumbled within his arms effortlessly, her body weak and fragile as he enclosed his own arms around her small shoulders.  He closed his eyes as he tightened his embrace, resting his chin on top of the silvery crown of her head.  A shudder ran through his spine as his skin came into contact with Celena's cold one, the chill penetrating the depth of his mind as other forms of emotion started to overshadow his logic.  In his arms, Celena was trembling violently, her body racking with her unstoppable sobs.  Clearly she had seen something and was afraid of whatever she felt or saw.

"I'm not going to step into an armour for the second time of my life."  Chid stiffened as he heard the plea.  Since when did Celena ever wear an armour?  She seems too delicate a woman to be a warrior.  "Please, please…don't make me…"

Chid murmured soothingly into Celena's ears, his deft fingers stroking her hair tenderly as he whispered words of promise – that nothing or no one would force her to act against her desire.  Everybody sighed in relief as Celena seemingly started to calm down, the colour of her face now returning as her laboured breath became more peaceful.  The young duke drowned himself in the feeling of the woman's body in his arms, and he could feel a sudden surge of affection overwhelming his senses along with some other indefinable sentiments.

But as Allen's deep voice echoed in the air, Chid dismissed any incoherent thoughts and focused his attention on their current predicament.  "Strange, indeed…"

"What? What's happening?"  Millerna queried almost in alarm, squeezing herself between Allen and the protecting wall in order to inspect the whole situation outside their hiding spot.  Her eyebrows knitted together upon witnessing the going-on before her eyes.  "Impossible!"

Dryden rushed behind Allen and Millerna to have a look at what apparently had surprised both his wife and general, only to lose his voice upon the scene of Ispanian soldiers retreating one by one, giant guymelefs launching heavenwards, leaving a swirl of thick dust with every one of their departures.  With his lower jaw dropping, he caught his queen's eyes.  His own heart suddenly soared with hope, although uncertainty was still overshadowing his mind.  What caused the Ispanian to depart in such haste?  The castle was well within their grasp, and a few more works of destruction and wreckage would mark the surrender of Fanelia.

"They…leave?" a remark of confusion from Chid's direction brought the king back to reality.  He nodded hesitantly in confirmation.

His cerulean blue eyes narrowing, Chid carefully transferred Celena into her brother's arms, a frown marring his smooth face as he opted to observe Ispanian's sudden retreat himself. His frown further deepened as his eyes were confronted by a pair of liquid brown orbs, the reflection of fire creating a smouldering gleam in them.  What did the cat-man had to do with the whole commotion Ispano caused?

Those eyes looked back at Chid hauntingly, as if warning him about the future quandaries.  The cat-man thinned his lips in dismay as his eyes bore unveiled pity, which to Chid's surprise, was harboured to no one else but him.  What did the cat-man see in him, a young duke barely entering his fifteenth summer?  Nothing, unless the cat-man possessed the ability to read thoughts or envisage the future.  And Chid knew the only person who possessed such a blessing…or a curse?  The crystal clear-eyed and newly crowned queen of Fanelia, Hitomi Fanel herself, although she claimed to have lost the ability years ago – the moment she closed the link between herself and the king of Fanelia before her second return to Gaea.

The young duke bravely maintained his defiance, squaring his jaws as her returned the cat-man's look with fire of his own.  The pale blue eyes suddenly flashed, challenge gleaming in their depths.  Something in the deepest space of his mind told him that the cat-man was both his friend and enemy.

The cat-man instead, merely gave him a smirk in return and resorted to a particular sign language – codes used only in Freid's military force.  Chid gasped softly in recognition, and his brain was soon immersed in deciphering the odd codes.  A slow smile started to grow, and soon he answered the message in a similar manner, his deft fingers dancing gracefully to the rhythm of the symbolic gestures.  Inwardly he was wondering how a mere cat-man acquired Freid's secret military codes, only to be recognised outwardly by some of his highest-ranking generals.

"Your grace, please kindly inform us about what you are communicating about."

His concentration broken, he slowly met blue eyes so very similar to his and let out a slow and secretive smile.  Allen Schezar.  Determination was etched in his face as he demanded silently, his lips thinned into an impatient line.  Strange, but before the older man, Chid always felt very young – as young as a baby.  The older man had not yet attempted to patronise him, but as a mere knight and a general he surely was aware of his own position, therefore patronising a duke was entirely out of question.  However, Chid never could ignore the fatherly ways in which the other man looked at him.  The attitude always delivered warmth to his heart, especially since he had lost his father since the tender age of five.

Instead of answering the expecting looks his party gave him, Chid turned back to search for the cat-man's figure, but the latter was already gone.  Shrugging, he quickly motioned for his party to follow him and led them out of the hellish place as the cat-man had instructed to.  As he ran along the scorching walls of Fanelia Castle, he allowed a piece of his mind to wander, contemplating the last part of the cat-man's message that he kept secret from the others.

Your destiny is near, and you will be drowned in its occurrence,

Do not be afraid, be brave always,

But remember this, young prince, and keep always in your soul,

Lady Celena is the key,

Do not let her remember,

Or soon you will be engulfed in a never-ending suffering.

And Chid then smiled.  His own answer rang clear in his mind.  He would follow where destiny would lead him, even letting Celena remember if it would assist destiny to deliver him to its nest.  For he would survive, as a girl named Hitomi had told him a long time ago.  Whatever he wished would assist his path to endurance and glory.


Cradling Ardine's head close to her bosom, Hitomi immersed herself in her attempt to stop the blood flowing from the deep slash on the princess' neck, hoping she was not too late to rescue the other's life.  As many troubles as she believed Ardine had caused her, she had always believed Ardine was a lonely little girl.  Her heart empathised for the young princess the moment she witnessed the hope crumbling in Ardine's beautiful face – pale as the life force that was suddenly draining from her veins.

She attempted to divert her mind from the aftermath of the war by immersing herself in the task of cleaning the blood from Ardine's wound.  However, as she looked around, harsh reality stabbed her heart painfully, her conscience screaming that she was the whole cause of the war.  If only she had let Ardine take her place as the queen of Fanelia, then the whole disaster would have never taken place.  Of course, Van would never let her think otherwise about their relationship.  Then again she also realised that love alone would never support their still young family.  Van was a king, and a king had to prioritise his people no matter what happened, and she was not even certain if the people of Fanelia completely approved of her as their queen.

To her horror, a puddle of dark thoughts started to form in her head, and she shook her head to clear them off her mind.  She had learnt a long time ago that negative dispositions only brought nothing but ill fates to the future, and she was reluctant to fall into the same mistakes, although she had to admit it was mightily difficult not to entertain pessimistic thoughts while she was surrounded by ashes and smokes.  The fire was still raging around them, although some people were beginning to have more sense to extinguish the fire.  The Ispanian soldiers began their hasty departure moments ago.  In a sense, the battle had ceased almost completely except for the casualties and burnt properties.

Here and there people started to save whatever equipment or furniture they could retain, and some paramedic tents had been erected in order to treat the wounded.  She headed for one of the makeshift paramedic tents, but soon found out that the paramedic teams were short of hands and decided to attempt treating Ardine's wounds herself.  Gaudi had been much of a help, providing the needed materials while she was attempting to bandage the wound, his face grim as he traded gazes with her.

"Your Majesty," he had addressed her, his eyes darkened in anger directed more to himself.  "Please save her."

Hitomi could only look at him with pity in her eyes, unable to say any words of comfort except for a hoarse, "I'll do what I can."

Nodding, Gaudi then left to inspect the state of his army divisions, but not without giving Hitomi a warm, gratified smile, the kind he had never given her before.  The smiles Gaudi had allowed her see had always been calculated and reserved.  In a way, Hitomi realised that Gaudi had begun to accept her as he started to trust her with his inward feelings.

Hitomi sighed in relief as she finally realised that Parnall did not really sink his sword deep into Ardine's neck.  The blade apparently never even reached the major vein on the side of the princess' neck, but it was still merely inches before the blade would cut into the vein completely.  Despite the amount of blood Ardine had lost and her need of some stitching, Hitomi was almost certain Ardine would be able to continue to live if she could overcome the upcoming fever.  Judging from the trickling sweat on her forehead, the fever would probably break soon after.  Hitomi could do nothing more, however, except for attempting to staunch the blood and bandage the wounds properly before a doctor would ready to take over the work. 

Placing Ardine carefully on one of the makeshift beds in the camp, Hitomi looked around for her husband's black head.  He had excused himself earlier to search for his councillor and check whether the old man was wounded, or even dead.  Hitomi shuddered at the thought.  So many possibilities and consequences.  She wondered when war would cease completely.  Even in her ever-peaceful Phantom Moon, political confrontations that bring a lot of countries on the verge of war sometimes happened, sometimes unavoidable.

Van had assured her that Gardia and the others would be fine, but the beatings of her heart had increased its pace, and she found herself being haunted by the possibilities of her companions' deaths.

"Here, drink this potion."

She suppressed a little smile upon hearing the familiar deep voice and lifted her eyes to meet ocean ones.  "Whatever for?"  Cocking one eyebrow in silent query, Hitomi twitched her lips and said, "I wasn't the fatally wounded one, as I recall."

"And yet your wound is more fatal than my scratches, Your Majesty."  Gaudi calmly replied, his tone filled with dry amusement.  "Here.  Drink this.  Order from His Majesty King Van of Fanelia."

A genuine smile spread on Hitomi's features as the look in her eyes softened, one hand reaching out to intercept the goblet Gaudi offered her.  She drained the content in three big gulps, before experimentally commenting, "Bitter sweet.  How appropriate for a supposedly bitter formula."

"'Tis for your fever, Your Majesty."  Gaudi supplied with a smile as he crouched down levelly with Hitomi's eyes, one hand stretched out to accept the goblet back from her hand.  "Even you might undergo one tonight, since the wound on your shoulder received a rather late treatment."

"Perhaps I will, but I consider myself pretty strong."

Both gave each other uncertain smiles upon that statement, as a long uncomfortable silence stretched between them.  They looked into each other's eyes in a silent battle of will, but it was not long before finally one of them surrendered.

Chuckling lightly to himself, Gaudi shook his head.  "Your determination was certainly without rival.  Even my cousin was unable to resist your charm."

Hitomi let out a shaky laughter as she pointed to herself, and winced as she began to feel dull pain thrumming in her head.  Perhaps Gaudi was right, she was undergoing a fever.  Still she attempted to speak, ignoring her state of faintness.  "Charming?  Me?  An honour to have you label me as a charming woman."

"'Tis the truth, my lady," Gaudi told her solemnly, his face suddenly serious.  "Charm is only depicted in a woman brave enough to sacrifice her life for others.  And I found out from Van earlier that you saved his life, yet again.  He sounded both proud and devastated," Gaudi finished with a little smile, emphasising on both words 'proud' and 'devastated'.

Hitomi turned a questioning gaze at Gaudi, "Devastated?"

"He feared most for your safety."

Hitomi lowered her face, taking a sudden interest in a certain point on her lap.  The scene when Parnall had grabbed and kissed her was again replayed in her mind, and guilt soon worked its way out of the darkest corner of her heart.  Slowly she shook her head and spoke softly, almost to herself,  "I shouldn't have done that stunt.  I hurt him as well as hurting myself."  Then, almost immediately she lifted her glaze-filled eyes, so filled with guilt and pain, her voice trembling as she asked him hesitantly, "Was he…was he angry because of that?  He left me almost immediately after he saw to my injury."

Sighing, Gaudi let out a chuckle as he put the goblet carefully on the ground before placing a gentle hand on Hitomi's shoulder.  "I could only assure Your Majesty that my cousin was very shaken, indeed.  Your little stunt is supposed to render even this most battle hardened general powerless."

A single tear of relief rolled down Hitomi's soot-stained cheek as she suddenly collapsed in Gaudi's arms, sobbing and laughing at the same time.  Gaudi supported the lithe body with both his hands swiftly, a frown marring his handsome roguish face as he felt Hitomi's body trembling beneath his touch.  His cerulean blue eyes widened in surprise, and he let out an amused laughter as he carelessly patted Hitomi's head, proceeding to circle an arm around her shoulders, ignoring the disapproving looks people bestowed upon him.

"This is priceless!"  Gaudi gasped out between his gales of laughter.  "You are so brave, my queen, and yet you are reduced to tears in the aftermath."

"But…but I thought I was going to die!  Is it wrong to fear for your own life?"  Hitomi protested in between her sobs, unconsciously burying her face deeper within the folds of Gaudi's charred shirt in her attempt to hide her face from people's scrutiny.

When there was no answer from Gaudi, Hitomi deliberately inserted, "Every person should value his or her soul.  It is a sin not to defend yourself from danger, even if we are also faced by risks."

She soon regretted her words though,  as she sensed Gaudi's stiffening grips around her shoulders.  Slowly she lifted her face up and detached herself from him, her eyes apologetic.  Gaudi, however, merely brushed the little incident off with a little sombre smile.  "No, don't look at me with apology, Your Majesty.  You are correct.  I, too, value my life very much that sometimes I wonder if I think of myself too highly.  And here I am, very grateful you saved my saviour's soul."

"Saviour?"

There was some inexplicable sadness in Gaudi's eyes as he explained, "Nothing worth mentioning, but this…" he tapped his patched left eyes, "is a small price to pay compared to nearly losing my life.  Yes, my cousin is my saviour.  I'm highly indebted to him."

A long silence again stretched between them, but this time it was companionable, not awkward. Both let out amused smiles before finally bubbling into carefree laughter for the first time since the war first broke out.

"Strange."  Hitomi covered her mouth in her attempt to smother her laughter.  "I've never been this honest with my feelings, even in front of Van.  You really brought the worst in me – I think I handled the last war better." 

"Don't worry," Gaudi told her huskily, tweaking the tip of Hitomi's straight nose playfully.  He was well aware of the fact that his action was beyond the protocol of how he was supposed to behave towards a member of the royal family, but somehow Hitomi's attitude and bravery heightened the sense of camaraderie between the two of them.  Besides, he was never one to care about such thing as etiquette.  He had been a rebel for most of his life.  The only influence etiquette had over him was probably on his speech pattern.  He could not help it.  As a member of the royal family, he had been trained to speak in an eloquent manner ever since he first left the warmth of his mother's womb.

Solemnly Gaudi crossed one hand against his chest as he told Hitomi, "I, Gaudi Jenaro de Fanel, will swear upon my life to protect you from any future harms.  You have my word."

Hitomi lifted one thin eyebrow, and, "You?  One of my protectors?  Will Van approve?"

A slow smile spread on Gaudi's features.  "His Majesty will be most pleased."

A curious stare, and, "You call your own cousin 'His Majesty'?  Isn't that a little bit odd?  You two have been very close to each other as I remember it."

Before Gaudi had the chance to answer her question, someone suddenly took the initiative.  "Gaudi has always been one with such conscience over the appropriate protocol, Hitomi.  But he seems to out step his boundaries today."  The moment Hitomi saw the face of the newcomer, she let out an easy laughter and patted the spot beside her, beckoning her husband to join in the lively conversation.

Gaudi, booming with laughter, waved a hand and remarked mockingly, "As always, am I not?"  The volume of his laughter increased the moment he heard Van mumbling something about the exception of his cousin's formal speech pattern.

Grinding his teeth in mock irritation, Van lowered himself beside Hitomi unceremoniously and circled his hand possessively around her waist.  "What did I say about staying away from my woman, Gaudi?"

"Now, now," Hitomi interjected as she removed Van's hand from her waist, an act that earned her an annoyed glare from Van and an amused grin from Gaudi.  "Gaudi knew I was lonely here, and he was very kind to offer me his company."

Twitching his lips into a smirk, Van remarked quietly, "Hitomi, I do make a better company. If you know what I mean." With that came a slow and lazy smile as he ran his fingertips on the outline of Hitomi's lips.

Outraged by the hidden suggestion that was entirely out of her husband's character, Hitomi folded her arms in front of her chest and returned the remark tartly, "Touching, but hardly the occasion. We have a lot to care about, especially the wounded." 

Taking a deep breath, Van let his body tumble back on the hard stone floor, a gush of air rushing out of his lips.  For a moment his expression was filled with pain.  "The war doesn't exist at the moment."  Closing his eyes slowly, he savoured the coolness of the stone beneath his body and continued in a lighter tone, "Let us pretend…that we are on a very adventurous vacation right now.  With you, my wife," he opened an eye and raised his hand to caress Hitomi's cheek, "and my cousin."

He closed his eyes again, but he opened them after awhile, looking pleadingly at Hitomi.  "Forgive me?  I know I am not the most insightful man, but…in any account, I will learn to understand your fears as well as what pleasures you more."

Hitomi's answer was merely as smile and a nod.  "So you've eavesdropped," she whispered affectionately as she ran a tentative finger along Van's thick brow.

Afterwards, a grim yet solemn silence hung in the air, and Gaudi broke it by speaking sombrely, "Van, you know the situation is not that beautiful."

"I know," Van calmly acknowledged as he reached for Hitomi's palm and placed it on his cheek.  "I've been around inspecting the wounded.  Apparently there are too many of them.  Tomorrow I might as well go around the capital to investigate the further damage done to the city."

"I'm coming with you," Hitomi eagerly told him, determination flashing in her eyes.  A tired nod was the only answer she received, but from Van's weak smile, Hitomi could see that he was pleased by her decision.

"I'll stay in your stead," Gaudi offered, shifting closer to the young king's position,.  "We have to figure out an alternative defence strategy since the Ispanian has ambushed all we have."

Van nodded again.  "I'll trust you with that."  He almost drifted to sleep when another of Hitomi's question forced him to open his eyes.  "What about King Dryden's and Duke Chid's parties?"

"They are in good hands.  In fact, they were the first group who erected the first paramedic tent in the west wing."  Satisfied that Hitomi asked him nothing else, he shifted onto her lap and yawned as he surrendered into slumber, ignoring the strange but amused looks his followers bestowed upon him, for a moment forgetting the whole dilemma he must face on the coming days.  The battle that day deprived him of his whole energy and he needed his sleep.

"Our room…"

"No room.  South Wing is totally wrecked," Van quickly answered without opening his eyes, a ghost of a smile appearing on his lips.  "We're lucky we still have the roof on top of our head."

Van relaxed gradually when he sensed Hitomi's fingers threading through his midnight black hair, his hand clutching the material of her gown as he buried his face into its folds. 

He did not worry – he was never one to worry.

For tomorrow would come and he would rise as the sun rose in the east.  As long as he was still alive, he would be fine.

He still had his Hitomi and he was immensely thankful for that.    


Dear Readers,

I was very surprised to see a lot of your responses say that Ardine's demise was a pity.  To be honest, I didn't even dare hope that Ardine was that likeable.  After looking at your responses, I finally decided to let Ardine live for the time being.  In a sense, Ardine is still DEAD, but not literally, only spiritually.  In other words, she will be reborn because of Parnall's betrayal since she will be forced to live a new life in Fanelia and also accept the fact that even her own country doesn't want her back anymore.  So she'll be stuck in Fanelia (with Gaudi of course, to the delights of some readers out there…^_^  - but we still don't know what will happen between them, by the way.  I have some more surprises.)

I also received some emails mentioning the original Ispanian.  Okay.  I have to admit this sooner or later.  I actually simply forgot that the original Ispanians were those small dwarves fixing Van's Escaflowne.  I was re-watching the series yesterday when I saw that scene, and oooppps! (and *sigh*)  Anyway, I cannot help it guys… book one is almost finished, and I can't change the fact just like that.  It will ruin the whole story line.  I'll think of something to cover that information as well, by the way.  Maybe that little information can develop into some subplots – who knows?  For the time being, I think you can think of the mistakes as some sort of alternative story line where the Ispanians were actually humans instead of just dwarves.  But of course, since there are such diverse species of humanoids in Gaea it's possible for an Ispanian to be human.

A lot of people also emailed about when I would post chapters precisely.  Sorry, but I can't answer that question.  I'm taking my Honours (this is a degree after the undergraduate one in uni), so I have lots of research and assignments to do.  And guess what, I have anime as the foundation of my research.  Anyway, that will take time and I am now also working as a graphic designer, so please be patient.

There is also this question about the relationship between Chid and Celena.  *secretive smile*  What do you think?  I can only say one thing: something will definitely happen between them.

Yours truly,

Louise Tjandrasjahan
05 March 2001
18:59 Western Australian Time


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