Book Two: Return

Chapter 16: The Start of All Crimes  

An Escaflowne Continuation by Louise Tjandrasjahan

As sunlight streamed thorough the one of the arch-windows in Van's study, Hitomi revelled in the warmth that the sunrays offered. Sitting on the large mahogany desk especially aligned with the nearest window to Van's bookcases, she arched her back as she released the tension on her shoulder, her back being hunched too long as the result of too much writing. At a time like this she longed for her laptop back home on Earth, a luxury she had taken for granted until now. It had been so easy typing up everything without having to drench one's hand with the ink that came with the use of the old-fashioned quill.

She had only been studying Gaean universal writing code for an hour, and yet boredom started to take its toll on Hitomi. As necessary as it was for her to learn the standard writing system of Gaea, she found it very time-consuming when one had to struggle with a new language at her age. Children would pick up language easily, but she was never sure adult could perform the task with the same efficiency.

Rising from the comfort of her cushioned chair, she proceeded to walk to another window and sat on its pane. Inhaling the fresh morning air deeply, she repeatedly told herself that she could get used to the life in Fanelia. In fact, if it weren't for several dilemmas that had developed slowly in her mind, she would enjoy her quiet life soon enough that she would forget her busier and louder life back on Earth. Of course, the thought of her family haunted her sometimes, but she simply came to accept what happened to her and decided to live her life as it was. There must be a purpose she had to fulfil for her to be sent back to Gaea just in time before Fanelia being ambushed once again.

Reaching out for a blank parchment, she started to scribble on the beige surface of the material. Drawing the caricature version of Van, she was trying to convey her most intense emotion. The Van she illustrated in her drawing possessed the sternest features, straight Roman nose and eagle eyes that would make people wonder if the character was angry. The caricature version of Van looked odd at some angles, but it served the purpose right. It amused Hitomi, and it served as a way for her to pass time.

As Hitomi gazed into Van's caricatured eyes, she could picture the real-life Van's frustration and restlessness, although she was unable to exactly pinpoint what exactly was reeling in his mind. Since the day they had first become husband and wife, she sensed a kind of wariness brewing behind those stormy eyes of his, taut and ready to explode any time. True they barely had time to rest as commotion by commotion followed each other, intruding their dream of a peaceful life as family. They barely had time to breathe, to actually release the trauma of the last battle and explore more of their personal relationship together.

Their days were filled with peaceful companionship, but up until that point Hitomi sensed something amiss from their usually solid bond. She didn't mean physically, for Van had been very attentive to her, making love to her fervently now and then as if to make up for the years they had spent away from each other. She was unable to come up with an answer though, since she was still exploring aspects of their relationship themselves.

Hitomi looked up as her sensitive ears heard the soft click of the door being opened and smiled warmly as she regarded the newcomer with a gracious nod. A maid had brought a tray of refreshment, freshly baked at her disposal. Giving into a little curtsy, the maid regarded Hitomi with a smile as she waited for the permission to speak.

But Hitomi did nothing except for returning her gaze questioningly. Seconds stretched into minutes, the maid was starting to feel uneasy under Hitomi's scrutiny. Gently she cleared her throat, hopefully enough to inform Hitomi about her lapse.

"Your…Majesty?"

Wakened from her daydreaming so suddenly, Hitomi struggled for an explanation, but in the end she merely answered the maid with an awkward smile. Shaking her head in amusement, the maid made her way to a nearby side table and announced in such a jolly manner that managed to rest Hitomi's troubled mind and warmed her heart. "Nibbles, Your Majesty? The cook prepared these especially for you! I believe you have never tasted Fanelia's most famous confection!"

Smiling, Hitomi sauntered across the studies and peeked into what the dish had to offer. Her mouth soon watered when she saw the beautifully arranged rose-coloured spheres – fluffy marshmallow-like sweetener and soft yellow sugar-icing intricate ornament decorated its surface. Hitomi almost sighed in regret as she carefully picked up one of the candy and bit on it daintily. They were so pretty it hurt to eat it.

But another sensation followed as her mind started to register the taste of the rosy sweetness. Smell of the earthy roses and something her senses identified as the smell of grassy summer filled her mind with the images of her grandmother's home, where she could almost taste the sun-kissed sky and see the white clouds travelling above her head. For a moment, she was thinking of home, a place where she would be together with the people from her childhood. A voice started to whisper from the back of her mind.

'I want to go home…'

And yet, the thought of her 'home' disappeared all of sudden as her tongue encountered an acid taste. Frowning ever so slightly, she turned to the maid and inquired softly, more curious than annoyed by the unwelcome taste, "What is this?"

"'Tis teela, Your Majesty. It is sweet when you first bite it, but as you finish the sugar-coating, you will gradually taste the tanginess of a bitter lemon."

Hitomi let out a wistful smile as she lifted up another teela and inspected its pretty form contemplatively. "Lemony bitter sweet, indeed." She commented lightly, popping the candy into her mouth. "Fanelia had its own home grown lemons?" she finally asked out of curiosity. Gaea was similar to Earth in some ways after all.

"Yes, and we keep a patch of lemon garden in the palace's garden as well, Madam." Then, with a touch of pride, the young maid answered, "These sweets have been made using this year's crop, and I was the one overseeing the caring of the patch."

Chuckling at the maid's enthusiasm, Hitomi remembered the earlier days of her teenage innocence, when all she cared was the heady rush of first love. That was, before she met Van.

Speaking of Van, the maid might be able to tell his whereabouts. She had not seen him since morning, and she had several things to discuss, namely the financial state of Fanelia. Van had been reluctant in letting her involved in Fanelian government, but she insisted she was given official duties, at least to chase away her boredom. He finally relented when she promised him not to be involved in politics. She respected that politics was Van's area, and she would never dare to tread in the way of Van's pride.

She was aware of part of the financial problems. Fanelia had been in a rush to enhance her defence and military system in order to prevent another unsighted attack like one happening six months ago. Even after her reconstruction had reached the end – in which Fanelia castle stood in its former glory and the capitol was fully restored – Van, with Gardia and Gaudi assisting him as his political and military advisors, had been preoccupied with strengthening Fanelia's sea land forces and building a large moat and high walls around the capitol of Fanelia.

Battalions had been dispatched to the rural districts as well, and thorough investigation on the enemy's spies had been commissioned. Following Gaudi's advice, Van had already begun the task of developing his own espionage network, realising the importance of intelligence in the upcoming and very possible war.

Fanelia, which thankfully was still adequately supported by its agriculture production despite some fatal damage in its most industrious areas, had begun distributing its income in the focus of the next inevitable war. Fanelian strongest men were recruited in order to increase the strength of its army, and soon various intensive training ensued, overseen by the king himself. Van had hoped that in a few months the newly recruited troops would be ready to at least defend Fanelia when the war truly commenced.

But the tax had risen higher, and higher, and higher…and the people were getting restless. It was part of the problem Hitomi had been struggling to repress. Van might have been a good militarist and political leader, but he was hopeless when it came to economics. Gardia had taken care of everything since the day one Van ascended his throne. And she was having a hard time because of that, arguing with the stubborn chief advisor.

"Do you know where my husband might be?" she questioned the maid softly, which soon drew her eager response.

"His Majesty was last seen on the training ground, together with Lord Gaudi, Madam."

A slight frown marred Hitomi's clean face as she suppressed the urge to make a snide remark about spending twenty-four hours on the training ground, but she knew better. Besides, Van was probably there to make enquiries about Merle's whereabouts. Nothing was heard of her everywhere, and this distressed him a lot. Even his newly established spy network was unable to find news about her. No sighting. She simply disappeared.

And she had left this huge hole in Van's life that even her, as his wife, could never fill. Hitomi knew that their relationship was that of siblings, but sometimes she wondered what would happen should she never come back to Gaea.

"Your Majesty?"

Startled, Hitomi raised her eyes to find concerns blatantly showing in the young maid's eyes, so pure and so innocent. A slow smile spread out. It was unwise to involve the maid into her private matters, so she had better kept her thoughts and feelings to herself.

"Is something the matter?"

Shaking her head, Hitomi merely answered no. "I'm fine. You may go if you like."

Casting one final worried look at Hitomi's direction, the maid curtsied and hurried out of the study at Hitomi's nod. As a palace maid, it was also her job to detect whether her mistress needed some quality time alone.

Hitomi let out a hearty sigh after she was sure the maid was well out of earshot. Toying with her ruby pendant, she continued her lament. A lot of things went across her mind, but she was unable to discern them. They muddled her mind, and soon after she was unable to think. All she felt was the sensation that her mind was going to burst from the force that the stress weighed her.

Shaking her head in discontent, she rose to her feet and strolled across to one of the giant bookcases. Her robe rustled softly behind, and she cursed when she tripped not only once or twice. Soon she found herself longing for her more practical suits she wore on the day she arrived in Fanelia. Only respect for Van prevented her to jump back into the suits. She was a Gaean the day she decided to marry Van.

Carefully she tested the strength of the ladder as she climbed up to reach a particular book located on the higher end of the shelves. Actually, Van would gladly provide an assistant for her, but she always felt uncomfortable having other people around her while she worked. What's more, she could use the sport. It was hard to believe, but she thought she had been cramming with books as much as she did sport back in high school nowadays. She used to hate books. What an irony.

"Asturia…national assets and human resource…there!" she murmured to herself as she concentrated on pulling the book out of its crammed existence. The book was trapped quite deeply, however, and it refused to budge out. Hitomi tried her might to haul it, but the fact that she had to keep her balance and retrieve the book at the same time made her difficult to move. Finally she was able to pull it out, but her long skirt unexpectedly wrapped around her feet and with a high pitch of cry, she lost her grip and plunged headlong.

She expected the fall to hurt her badly, but her landing was surprisingly soft though by no means smooth. Another body seemed to cushion hers and prevented the impact to harm her. Tension ran down her backbone when she heard a faint groan, and she almost cried in astonishment when she finally saw who her saviour was.

------ ------

The sword match ended with the last clash of swords and a flutter of dust and soil as one of the swordsmen fell on the ground with a thud. Curses rang clear in the air and all matches were suspended immediately as people averted their attention to the source of commotion. Noone dared to comment as they watched their king lying on the red soil of the training ground with the tip of Gaudi's feet-long sword touching the skin of his neck. Dare not to breathe, they all waited in anticipation as they watched Van struggling for words, his face red in the obvious shame of being defeated.

Because Van Fanel had never been defeated before, at least not in the past five years.

And Gaudi, his grin ever sly and cocky, hovered above Van as he eyed the latter curiously, knowing that his cousin's well-known temper was put to test at the moment. As much as Van attempted to control his high-flying emotions, the young king detested the thought of defeat most.

"Put your sword away!" a growl escaped Van's throat as he looked around him self-consciously, feeling very much humiliated.

Flashing his victorious grin for the last time, Gaudi removed his sword swiftly and offered his hand, but Van refused to have his manly pride bruised further. He jumped back onto his feet in no time and glared a warning that told the spectators not to mess up with their king and just go back to their training.

Touching his abused neck, Van's scowl darkened when he noticed a trickle of crimson on his fingertips, "If I don't know you well, Gaudi, perhaps I have long suspected you for treason."

Gaudi merely chuckled in amusement as he tossed his wine bottle at Van. "Here, have a sip. It will soothe your nerves down." Although Gaudi insisted on calling Van by his title in any other public occasion, it was only on the training ground that Gaudi decided not to address him as a king. His philosophy dictated that all people were equals in the battlefield except for their skills. Kingship would not buy Van his life if he were unable to defend himself before the enemy.

Van accepted the wine bottle and gulped down the whole content heartily. He nodded his thanks at his cousin and confidante, although it was still obvious that he was still a little miffed about his earlier defeat. He decided not to pursue the subject though, so he busied himself by picking up his discarded training sword and clean it. Silently he put the blame on the innocent sword, cursing the fact that he had actually left his royal sword behind.

"No hard feelings alright?"

Van gave Gaudi a half-hearted smile and turned back to join the latter. Together they walked back to the resting booth; both were busy with their own thoughts. They had spent the whole morning training the men, and they had been exhausted beyond measure. Perhaps it was time to call it a day, Van mused inwardly.

"What's the matter with you?"

Glancing briefly at Gaudi, Van replied, "Just a little bit strained."

Giving him a disbelieved snort, Gaudi simply stated what was in his mind, "You are hardly your usual self, Your Majesty."

"Perhaps," came the nonchalant reply.

"I am not certain, but you were preoccupied, My Lord."

Gaudi waited a moment for Van's response, but nothing came. What confronted him instead was the young king's hardened expression – a sure sign Van had called the conversation a quit. Finally he gave up and decided there would be another time to pursue the subject. He was about to leave Van to his solitude when he heard the latter asked him, "How is Ardine?"

Lifting one of his eyebrows in surprise, Gaudi returned to Van's side and regarded him with curiosity. Since when was Van interested in the princess' case? Gaudi assumed Ardine's existence was one of the factors that strained Van and Hitomi's relationship, even though they had never been public about it. However, he decided to shelf his curiosity for later conversation and answered Van's question cautiously. The walls had ears and most of them would elaborate their conversation and turned it into the latest sensation. Dire sensation. Especially when most people disapproved Van granting asylum to the sister of the Ispanian sovereign who had so mercilessly destroyed their country.

"She is well so far. We've stationed guards around her chamber so that she is not free to roam by herself. She is fine as long as she keeps to herself. Then again, she has no desire to mingle with our people most of the time." Bestowing Van a long side glance, Gaudi prompted, "Do you believe she would not attempt to escape?"

A nod was the only answer given by the young king. Gaudi's frown deepened. Van was extremely tight-lipped these days. He even lost the flare of his infamous temper. To Gaudi, he looked like a sealed and overloaded bottle, ready to burst any time.

"Your Majesty? You are not really concerned with Princess Ardine's status, are you?"

Gaudi braced himself for one of Van's infamous retorts as he noticed the latter halted abruptly and eyes burning with some unidentifiable emotions.

"I have my own private concerns. You'll be notified when I'm ready." he answered curtly after awhile, his eyes never leaving Gaudi's ocean blue one.

"The queen." Boldly Gaudi prodded further, "You have to consult her at least before you are going to perform your options."

"Hitomi has her own concerns, and I do believe 'tis not your concern to sniff around my case, General." Emphasising the word 'general', Van said through gritted teeth. "I believe you have more important task rather than assisting my personal matters."

Gaudi fell one step aback; his face was crimson to the root of his hair. Anger was visible in his eyes, although he managed to repress it with every ounce of his willpower. Of course, he had to be reminded about his status and position. Curious men started to notice their argument, although they pretended they saw and heard nothing. And Van has humiliated his in front of all these people, and he was just concerned about the other's well being!

"Very well, Your Majesty." with shaky voice he responded, "I will not take your time anymore. Please excuse me." With the last word he said, he performed a crisp mock salute and walked swiftly to the other side of the training ground, his countenance haughty and rigid.

Van's ruby eyes followed the tall figure of his cousin, and he sighed as he probed his heart for feelings - anger, sadness, anything. But he sensed nothing, not even the presence of coldness that lingered after Ispano's last attack.

And then…a new sensation started to engulf him slowly.

He was afraid.

Afraid of what, he knew not.

------ ------

"What are you doing here?!"

Shocked and alarmed simultaneously, Hitomi quickly scooted over to free the other from her weight. Inwardly she cursed herself for her clumsiness, half blaming the long and heavy dress for the trouble she endured. She checked on the other hastily for any broken bones, and sighed in relief when she did not find any.

"Here, take my hand," Hitomi eyed the figure before her earnestly as she reached out with both hands, expecting refusal. She was very surprised though, when the other consented to her assistance. From behind the layer of shimmering black hair appeared the austere and striking face of Ardine, a serious expression radiating from it. Fixing her disarrayed hair mildly, she made her way without excusing herself toward the window sill where Hitomi had resided earlier. Her hawkish golden eyes skimmed on everything in the study, an air of peril trailing her very presence.

Intrigued, Hitomi's eyes subconsciously followed the younger girl's movement. Normally she would be alarmed by Ardine's possible hidden intentions, but this time she was more interested in why Ardine was able to penetrate the guard's positioned outside her door. Calmly she sat on one of the nearest chair, waiting for the younger girl's explanation silently.

Instead of the answer Hitomi was expecting, Ardine spoke, her low voice sounded even strange to her ears, "You're too heavy. 'Tis no way of pleasing Lord Van."

Agape, Hitomi found it difficult to ignore the ache prodding on her pride. She might not be an exquisite beauty, but she had always prided her trimmed figure! And she jogged frequently, too. This green girl dared to criticise her figure? She didn't think so. Okay, may be she did not possess the dream chest every girl in the world wanted, but she was lean and slim, thank you very much!

Being insensitive or just plainly ignoring Hitomi's aggravation, Ardine continued her verbal assault on Hitomi's pride, adding a smirk for a touch of sarcasm, "You round bottom just suffocated me - you could have killed me right on spot unless you didn't remove it, and you looked bulky in that dress." An unladylike snort and, "Huh, you should have consulted a mirror. How could you expect Lord Van to spend wonderful nights with you with a figure like that?"

Ignoring the plain insult, Hitomi refused to succumb to anger over insignificant arguments. She was an adult and had to act like one, at least by her standard. She was aware that she might embarrass Ardine in the process, but the girl had a lot to learn about manners and subtlety.

Offering Ardine one of her saccharine smiles, Hitomi planted one hand into her hips as she replied sweetly, "And how do you suppose a lady have to look? No matter how beautiful a lady was, she was nothing without her essence. And essence means good character." Emphasising on the word 'essence', Hitomi gave Ardine one of her more smug grins. Surprisingly, the fog in her head started to clear and her feelings became lighter and lighter by the minute.

Hitomi could barely suppress a giggle as she noticed Ardine's flustered expression and the way the younger girl continued to move her eyes about to avoid her eyes. From the way Ardine gritted her teeth, it was easy to tell that she was angry - more with herself than with Hitomi - and humiliated. She must have regretted her earlier remark, which ended up making a fool out of herself.

Waving her hands in dismissive gesture, Ardine decided to forgo her earlier cockiness and answer Hitomi's unspoken question. Taking a deep long breath, she schooled her features into her usually cold and calculating expression before she finally answered, "I simply outsmarted them."

An amused smile appeared on Hitomi's lips as she poured two goblets of Fanelian juice, and commented serenely, "You sneaked out."

"Yes. " No denial. "It was easy. The guards are all as stupid as a pig. I studied their habits and planned my escape." Casting a quick glance at Hitomi, she added calmly, "Don't worry. I'm not stupid enough as to plan to escape from Fanelia. I am well aware that this place is my best refuge despite the circumstances."

Hitomi raised an eyebrow knowingly before she continued with a smile, "Are you bored?"

Her smile softened as she noticed that Ardine was taken aback by her question. What did the girl expect anyway? The question was the only logical thing she would ask to a person who had been confined in her chamber for a long period of time.

"I am not here to discuss that." She could see that Ardine was struggling to suppress the surprise from her voice and her expression.

"But you are. Only a statue will not get bored staying in the same place for weeks." Hitomi told Ardine while she offered one of the goblets to her. A smile broke once again when she saw Ardine's hesitation. Taking the proffered goblet back, Hitomi gulped the content twice and coaxed Ardine once again to accept it. "Take it. I'm not a slime who will put poison in the goblet, even though I have to admit I don't really like you."

Ardine took the goblet without releasing her eyes from Hitomi's, but she drank the content heartily anyway. The meals offered to her were far from satisfying her taste, so the juice was a nice little change from her new routine.

"You're just bored, aren't you?"

Ardine whipped her head around at the question and scowled inwardly. This Hitomi never did give up, didn't she. But she was right. It was awfully boring and lonely without her Ispanian companions by her side.

The young princess cast a long cautious glance at Hitomi, scrutinising her one-time rival from head to toe. Except for the shoulder-length hairdo and the lighter tone of her skin, the new Fanelian queen might actually pass as her sister. Of course, her beauty was unquestionable, but she may consider Hitomi pretty. Long swan-like neck, lips gently turned-up at the corners, hair shimmering and silky. Hitomi was genuinely a manifestation of what Ardine had imagined as the creature of the mythical Phantom Moon – forever ethereal in her mind's eye.

And yet, the legendary lady of the Phantom Moon was poles apart from the heroic ballad sung by the bards of Gaea. What it was that made the difference, Ardine had yet to explore. The creature before her was…so fascinating and ordinary at the same time.

A chuckle woke Ardine up from her day-dreaming, and she blushed furiously as she attempted to cover up her awkwardness by occupying herself with the varieties of titles available in the grand study. Inwardly she scolded herself for her unforgivable lapse. Her dignity burned with shame at being caught fouling up. Glaring at Hitomi was the only thing she could do to chase away her embarrassment.

"Very cute, Ardine. You look more like a seventeen-year-old that way." Hitomi pointed out between laughter, earning an even nastier glare from Ardine.

Snorted in an unladylike manner, Ardine diverted her attention to a thick book about the history of Fanelia while answering in her best icy tone, "Protocol, Your Majesty! Not even a king address me only by my name! I have an official title."

Hitomi's response was merely the slightest shrug of her shoulders and a chirp, "Sorry." Clearly she tried unsuccessfully to redeem her laughter, "But you're in my presence now, and since I'm the queen and you're only a princess, it is your duty to follow my command. Even if you're a foreign princess." She added, emphasising the word foreign. "That's protocol as well."

When there was no reply from Ardine, Hitomi took the silence as her cue to fill in the conversation. Closing the book that she had failed to read since Ardine's intrusion, she added casually, although not without a touch of irony, "I forgave you a long time ago if it is about what you did to my wedding dress. No offence taken. In fact, I'm grateful. I truly hated the design since the first time I tried it on."

Ardine avoided looking into Hitomi's eyes directly, her cheeks burning with anger and embarrassment. Hitomi would surely pay one day for humiliating her like this. The older woman knew that she had the power even to command her execution, thus she decided to play a little bit. Ardine hated the feeling of helplessness that Hitomi inflicted on her.

"So, what are you going to do about it? Burn me at a stake for the offence?"

Hitomi's eyes widened in surprise for a few seconds, but then softened with renewed understanding. Here stood the princess that at one time thought that Hitomi was her biggest rival, someone she had to defeat at all cost. Proud of her heritage, and loyal to her motherland, but what was left for her now? Hunted by her own twin brother and forced to live out of the mercy of the Fanelian king, she was stripped off even her royal dignity.

And then, something else entered Hitomi's mind. She was embarrassed by her earlier childish behaviour. Although Ardine once had tried to spoil her wedding, but the young princess now was no more than a prisoner in this vast Fanelia Castle. She was not free to roam about, and people always watched her movements.

Hitomi was about to say something when she heard someone knocked on the wooden door. Eyeing Ardine intently, she took notice of the other's suddenly tensed body. Hitomi looked around to hide Ardine, unwilling to see the girl in other humiliating situation.

She wasn't quick enough, unfortunately. The intruder decided to walk in without her consent, and the door revealed the very grave expression of Fanelian high councillor, Gardia de Meddez. "Your Majesty, there are a few delicate matters we need to discuss…" his voice trailed off as his eyes finally registered Ardine's presence in the study chamber.

"Your Majesty…? What in Gaea's name…?" 

"Princess Ardine is my guest, High Councillor. She is here at my request." Hitomi quickly supplied, which earned a look of relief from Ardine.

"…which is totally untrue, I presume?" Gardia responded haughtily, standing eye-to-eye with Hitomi, "I placed strict order not to let the princess wander around even an inch outside her chamber."

Hitomi rushed forward, concern evident in her eyes, "But she is just a child, Gardia. Besides, she's lonely. And bored. Surely you can understand…"

"She is no respectable guest but a dangerous presence for Fanelia." Gardia cut Hitomi's words icily. His glare bored a hole inside Hitomi's eyes. "Surely you are aware of this matter, My Queen."

Hitomi never gave up. "But should you be in her position…"

Shaking his head as a final no, Gardia replied, "…in which I am not. I shall report you to His Majesty, and you shall learn – I apologise for being rude but mark my word – learn to differentiate friends from foes."

"Gardia!"

"Guards!"

Hitomi's body jolted in alarm as she watched a group of burly Fanelian soldiers entered the study. "No!" she yelled in desperation, standing between Ardine and the group, "I'm not letting you to treat her this way!" In her final defiance, she circled her arms protectively around Ardine's body, shielding her from people's eyes.

"Please, Your Majesty. You are making our task difficult." One of the soldiers pleaded to her, eyeing the queen and the high councillor back and fro nervously. "His Excellency is right. This lady…" he clearly was being careful with his choice of words, "…is a prisoner."

Angry, Gardia finally could not contain himself anymore, "What are you waiting for?! Seize the girl! She has contaminated the queen!"

The guards advanced simultaneously with their spears thrust forward, but didn't dare to move any further in fear of hurting their queen. Hitomi had stubbornly planted her feet before Ardine, not bothered the slightest by what the people around her may think.

It was finally Ardine who broke the tension as she put her hand gently on Hitomi's shoulder and said, "I will go."

Hitomi eyed her questionably, but she merely nodded in return. Ardine then eyed the men before her, and she smiled sardonically as she mocked them, "Ten men against a mere little girl. Have you no shame?"

The tension in the study chamber doubled in a snap as all burly men leapt forward in anger, including Gardia who let out an outraged cry. Hitomi quickly intervened, her eyes looking at the men before her in reprimand.

"The princess has agreed to go. Must all of you behave childishly like this?" She bore her eyes into Gardia's, gathering the courage to voice her opinion against the old man, "Especially you, Gardia. I thought you were wiser than to listen to a young girl's taunt."

Gardia retreated behind the shadow of the present retainers, fists clenched beside his body, face red with shame. A mere little girl dared to lecture him! Gardia, the highest councillor in the whole Fanelia!

Waiting for the people to calm down, Hitomi glanced conspicuously at Ardine and smiled a little when she noticed Ardine shifted her weight from foot to foot nervously. The foolishly brave girl she had witnessed during the last ambush was probably a very neat façade of the scared cat within.

Shaking her head in mild amusement, Hitomi finally gave her order, "I know you're dying to go, Princess. Some of these men will escort you back…" she glanced at Ardine quickly enough to capture the expression of utter disbelief that the young girl successfully repressed seconds after, "…before they have to escort me to the king's place. And naturally, I will too see you off to your chamber as well."

If Gardia seemed to disagree, he might keep it inside then. Being humiliated once by the queen in front of the guards was enough for the day. Swiftly he performed a graceful bow and excused himself wordlessly from the queen's presence as soon as she nodded her permission.

The queen has humiliated him in front of the enemy of Fanelia.

Gardia would never forget.  

Note from the author:

Dear Readers,

More or less two years have passed since the first time I wrote this continuation. I want to take this chance to thank you all for reading and supporting this continuation despite the constant appearing disappearing act on my part. I myself wondered how I could actually pass those two years.

A lot of things happened, but here it comes! Chapter one from Book Two: RETURN. It's been fun writing and focusing on Van and Hitomi, but I think it's time the other Escaflowne characters have proper cameos. The story will still centre on Van and Hitomi, but more will be written about the Asturians, especially in the last half of this book. The story in this book will get a little bit more political (especially when it concerns the relationship between Asturia-Fanelia Asturia-Ispano). I hope I can manage to make it as entertaining as possible.  

I've got the idea about spy network from Sun Tzu's war strategy. Whether it works for Van or not, we shall see later. =) I still haven't decided yet how the spy network will affect the storyline, but I think its influence will be quite significant.

The theme for this chapter is communicating with others. I hope I illustrate Ardine-Hitomi relationship well here. I think it's time both of them are more understanding toward each other. As for Van-Gaudi, well, even the best of friends got problems with each other sometimes. The problem becomes dangerous only when the people involved don't make amend soon.

OK, I hope you enjoy this chapter as well and happy reading!

Yours,

Louise Tjandrasjahan
22nd of August 2002, 01:17 a.m. (Gosh, that long ago already?) 
Western Australia Time

E-mail me?

Ps. Below is my plan for Book 2. It's subjected to changes though, so don't count on it! But at least it may give you some idea… (The titles may reveal something so for people who hate spoilers…you know what to do!)

Chapter 17: Catastrophic Phantasms

Chapter 18: The Pragmatists

Chapter 19: Pacifying Gaea

Chapter 20: Transferred Luck

Chapter 21: Renunciation of the Privileged

Chapter 22: In God We Trust

Chapter 23: The Flight from Doom

Chapter 24: Toward the Sanctuary

Chapter 25: Stake of the Kingdom

Chapter 26: Crowning the Dark Angel

Chapter 27: The Heavenly Knight of Caeli

Chapter 28: Unearthing Escaflowne

Chapter 29: Chasing the Crusaders

Chapter 30: Divine Asylum

Interlude 05: Earth – Urbane Distractions

Interlude 06: Fanelia – Immutable Commitment

Interlude 07: Asturia and Freid – The Cataclysmic

Interlude 08: Ispano – Campaigns of the Victorious