I'm splitting up chapters again… or in this case, putting back parts that I planned on having in Chapter 5 to begin with. These sections went on a lot longer than I thought they would (everybody pretend to be surprised) and I had a choice of either sticking them back into Chapter 5 or having Chapter 6 be an unwieldy behemoth that covered too much and went on for too long. Not that hard of a choice really.

"Always…"

V - Part B: In Love and the Brink of War

The last thing I intended to do tonight was to greet a foreign dignitary entering my country, but here I am, running like an excited child back to the palace grounds to intercept the king of Fanelia and his guests. It was a shock seeing the dragon shape appear in the sky. Discovering that it was flying guymelef was ever more of one. Then I saw the guymelef's passengers.

It soared overhead and had barely cleared the canal separating the residential district from the market when Alucier and I came to the same conclusion. We had to go to the palace. Though the melef was flying towards the field on the outskirts of town that the stable hands use to train horses, we knew where the three people on board would eventually head. In addition to the king and the alleged handmaiden, Hitomi Kanzaki, the third passenger was Allen. It's his duty to report to his superiors upon any visit to the capital and duty is a reliable comfort for Allen, an easy path to follow when everything else has become difficult.

I can't imagine the circumstances that have brought him back to Palas in such an unusual way but I doubt they involve anything simple. This will be a long night of stories and explanations. Foremost among the ones I want to hear is why the Crusade has apparently not returned along with them.

Formal greetings be damned, the first words out of my mouth will be 'where is my sister?'. If I can make it to the palace in one piece, that is. Alucier and Revius have to slow their pace to keep from leaving me behind. Swordsmen who train vigorously every day have endurance level that readily outclasses that of a princess, especially when that princess seems to have no stamina to speak of. When we finally reach the main courtyard, I have to pause in front of the fountain to wash away some of the perspiration that's making my sundress stick to my skin. Knowing that other people also use this fountain for impromptu cleanings is the only thing that keeps me from taking in deep drafts of the water. I need to sit down, have something to drink and rest enough so that I don't have to pant for air.

I haven't the time. Coming from the opposite end of the courtyard are the very three people I need to meet. They walk in silence, the king slouching and joining Allen in a careful observation of the ground. Only Hitomi is looking up and aware that they are not alone. She says a few words to get her male companions to notice too. Their shuffled steps indicate they are surprised to see me.

Whether it's simply because I am here or because I look as I do, I don't know. I must be a sight. Sweating, breathing heavily and dressed in the plain clothes of a commoner, I'm a far cry from the refinement I normally present myself with. Fortunately, Fanel isn't one for formalities. In fact, Allen, being the sole Caeli here in uniform, is the one who seems out of place. To an outsider, the lot of us must look like a group of friends out for a stroll after a hard day's work.

But we're not. Collectively we are a king, a princess, three knights and an enigmatic girl with important business to discuss. I don't start things out exactly as planned, but the meaning is the same. "Is the Crusade close behind you? When will they be returning? Will Millerna be on it?"

Fanel goes back to staring, this time at the palace wall. Hitomi starts to speak, but Allen intercedes. "I'm sorry, Princess," he says, as more than cooling sweat causes bumps to form along my arms. "But we were separated from them after we returned from Atlantis. We were able to return as quickly as we did through… unconventional means... but it will probably be a few weeks before the Crusade arrives. I am sure they are on their way back though. My second-in-command knows his first priority is to protect Princess Millerna and Lord Dryden."

Behind me, Revius and Alucier whisper back and forth about Atlantis. Allen would not lie about the place that lured his father from him, so it must still exist and they must have gone there. The implications of Leon Schezar's fantasy being made very real are immense from many perspectives. Immediately, I think of what it means to Allen, that if having his father's quest validated has changed his feelings towards him. I can't discern anything from how Allen said 'Atlantis'; he's hiding behind propriety. The middle of a public courtyard is not the right place to explore the issue either.

Damn it. Why do I even want to explore it? Less than an hour ago, I vowed to Alucier that Allen was in my past and I wasn't the least bit interested in working through his lengthy list of problems for him. You can hardly call something a vow when it crumbles almost instantly upon being challenged. Angry with myself, I ask again about the person I should be concerned with. "Millerna is all right then? She was safe the last time you saw her?"

"She is under the protection of my men," Allen answers plainly. As bedraggled as some of them were, I feel I can trust his judgment of their capabilities.

Hitomi wants to offer more reassurance. "I'm sure Millerna wants to get home as soon as possible. Until then, Gaddes and the others will take care of her. And Dryden too. I know he won't let anything happen to her."

Interesting. Facing what could be construed as an interrogation of sorts, the girl's instinct is to offer compassion. More interestingly, she glances sidelong at Allen after mentioning Dryden in connection to Millerna. I knew she had a crush on Allen from the way she acted at that dinner, but the look is less about adoration than concern.

What else beside his father's dream did Allen find on his journey?

I've found out what I wanted to know most. Millerna's fine and coming home. The rest of the story about Atlantis can wait until tomorrow. I don't want to spend the rest of the night lapsing into bad habits.

Alucier has to go back to Tuvello's to let Damise know what happened. We did pull Revius away from her with the barest of exposition. My room's a short walk away and I have no need of a guard so I direct Revius to attend to our guests.

"You sure?" he asks. "I could get one of the guards on duty down here to escort you back or take care of these three."

"I can make it to my room alone, thank you, and one of our guests is royalty," I tell him. "Though not dressed appropriately, you should be the one to escort them."

"Oh," Hitomi chirps. "Are you the palace steward?"

"He's actually a Knight Caeli," Allen informs her, the corner of his mouth twitching in a surprising, ever so slightly perceptible show of amusement. "He's in charge of the palace guard."

"Really?!" This comes from both Hitomi and Fanel. It's the first thing he's said, adding more sting to the semi-insult.

"I clean up real good," Revius insists. The man is impossible to truly offend. People are one of three things to him: friends and family that he knows are only kidding, strangers whose opinions are taken with a dose of skepticism and people whom he dislikes and whose opinions are taken as a dose of garbage.

It's an overly simplistic way to organize individuals but he swears by it. I guess it does make it easy for someone to know where he or she stands with another. Given how relationships can twist and turn and change from amicability to antipathy and back again, it's a good and rare thing to know.

***

Breakfast with the Caeli is a sparse event this morning. The old standards -- Alucier, Revius and Seclas -- are gone; I'm eating alone with Damise. If it weren't for her enthusiasm for eating in the royal palace with genuine royal silverware, I might have left too. A mechanical dragon flying low over the city garners attention and there's not a soul in Palas that isn't talking about it. Most are just guessing wildly, but eleven Caeli are in a meeting getting the truth from the twelfth. After that, Lord Ramkin will take Allen to the council chambers for a retelling. We can't require him to do it, but the king of Fanelia has been asked to participate in that session. Hitomi Kanzaki, for being female and not the heir to the throne of any country, has not received a similar invitation. The girl knows as much as Allen and Fanel, but a silly technicality like that won't stop the council from excluding her.

"I'm afraid I'm not doing much to dispel the stereotype of farmers being unsophisticated, am I?" Damise sighs. She's watching her reflection in her juice glass.

"Well, you've haven't said anything about 'us fancy city folk'."

"Heh, you should have heard us tease Luc like that when he first moved here. And every time he came home thereafter," she laughs. "Seriously, though, I'm not usually a giddy little twit. As rich as my family is, this really is like a whole other world. Back in Dunhaven, we have a huge house, nice furniture and all the amenities, but this… " She nods at a crystal decanter with the Aston family crest sculpted in a pattern around the base. "This is on a different level."

"You would acclimate to it in time."

"No offense," she says, "But I don't know if I would want to. The nice things I could get used to, but the entanglements that come with them are different. I mean, doesn't it bother you that you had to sneak out of your own palace last night to go a bar? That my brother follows you around all the time in case someone wants to kill you?"

"That I don't mind. The part about Alucier, not the killing," I amend. "It's a tradeoff. With luxury comes duty. That's something I've tried to ingrain upon my sister."

"Duty. Feh. Which reminds, I have an appointment at the Casein Consortium in an hour. Of course, the directions Alucier gave me were from Tuvello's, not here."

"Don't worry." I motion to the balcony. "You can see it, and the streets that lead to it, from there. It's the building with the arched roof. The striping on the side is done in dark green."

Damise finds the Consortium building right away, but continues to scan the skyline. The third floor of the palace offers a magnificent view. "Is there anything you can't see from here? Oh. My. Apparently not."

She waves me over, giggling all the while. It's obvious what got her attention. Hitomi isn't wasting her morning brooding about not be asked to address the council. She's out in the sun. All out. Her shirt isn't bad, merely a loose, white tunic but the breeches that she is wearing… They're shorter than that skirt of hers! She props her left leg on the rim of a fountain and bends her knee forward until she's able to put her hands by her foot. Every male in the crowd takes a second and third look at her.

"I don't know where that girl is from but I'll take a gamble that their fashion standards differ greatly from every other place on Gaea," Damise comments. "Somebody ought to point her towards a clothing merchant."

It's not the most revealing outfit I've encountered. I've seen Princess Marqesita of Egzardia wear things that put those short pants to shame. But that was in her native country. When she came to Asturia, she made sure to tone down her clothing to something passably decent.

Damise is right. Someone should take her aside. Hitomi was kind to me last night; I should return the favor. Perhaps I could ask her more about Millerna too. I make a mental note to have dinner with her. By then, I'll have found out what Allen had to say to his fellow Caeli and possibly how things went with the council.

It should be an intriguing day.

***

I am going to invite an inhabitant of the Mystic Moon to dinner. I repeat this to myself several times to get accustomed to the idea. Throughout history, there have been reports of visitors from there coming to different parts of Gaea, but most, if not all, of them have been discounted as hoaxes. How could someone possibly travel from a place up within the heavens?

Somehow, Hitomi Kanzaki did. That was what Allen told the Caeli and it was reluctantly confirmed later by Fanel. I can well imagine the gasps of shock that induced in addition to the ones that followed when they revealed that Zaibach's leader, Emperor Dornkirk, also originated from the Mystic Moon. The councilman I spoke to, Lord Poniard, downplayed the drama, but I know how those men are. They get worked into a frenzy reviewing tax law; this must have sent them reeling.

The account of the Caeli conference given to me was much more honest, if not disjointed. Alucier went over what Allen said as Damise told Revius all about the outfit Hitomi wore this morning. So while one knight was trying to be serious, the other was joking that he was born in the wrong place because Mystic Moon men clearly have it better than he does. Another reason for the disjointed nature was Allen's story itself. He described in detail the fall of Freid, their eventual escape from that country and the well-timed appearance of Dryden. From there, his details turned elusive. Dryden guided them to Atlantis as we already knew, but as to what he used to do that was unclear. Allen said he used 'a book' but didn't name the author or how this book was acquired. He said they went to Atlantis, but did not say what occurred while they were there. His account sounded as if they just passed through the legendary site. Once Allen, Fanel and Hitomi were transported (something Allen was asked to explain, but after several attempts to clarify what he meant by 'beam of light' left the council more confused, the matter was dropped) to Zaibach, the details appeared again. The most important thing Alucier took from Allen's report was an emphasis on the danger that Zaibach represented. Revius agreed and added that this was the general consensus among the other Caeli. At the end, Lord Ramkin asked questions about Millerna and Dryden and mentioned the treason charges that had been filed against Allen. But these were ultimately issues for the council, not mere soldiers no matter how lofty the rank, to decide. The conference concluded without a single resolution made.

Which only made it more frustrating when I couldn't get the full story from Lord Poniard. It figures. At the time when the council meetings are at their most interesting and important, I am excluded.

I hope to compensate for some of that with tonight's dinner. Hitomi seems to be an open person; I doubt I'll have much trouble getting her to elucidate on her side of the story. I could always order extra vino, if not.

The door is ajar when I arrive at her room and I can hear her asking someone how the council meeting went. I assume she's with Fanel but the man that answers is not the king. Allen tells her things went as he expected they would.

It's improper at best to linger outside a door and eavesdrop. At worst, it's disrespectful. But this wouldn't be the first time I will have done it and I feel compelled to stay. I'm eager to hear more about the council meeting but in a tight space in my chest, I want to also know how much meaning there was in that look Hitomi gave Allen last night.

On principle, I shouldn't be here. For my own welfare, I shouldn't be here. I should purge this curiosity from my mind and live up to the pledges I have made to myself and others. With a sickening certainty, I know that a woman who no longer has feelings for a man would not spy on him while he talked to another woman. Yet my feet will not take my away. I sidle closer to the door and listen shamefully.

"Did they ask you a lot of questions about Atlantis?"

"A few. They wanted to know if we found anything there that would useful to Asturia and if we could find our way there again if that was the case."

"Well, I doubt Dryden would discard your father's journal."

Leon Schezar's journal? Allen told me once about it, how it was written in a foreign language that he hadn't bothered to get translated. I thought it peculiar that he kept it with him considering how often he claimed to hate his father.

"I didn't tell them about that. I said Dryden used a book as a guide. That was it."

"I understand. You're not quite ready to talk about him yet, especially to a bunch of officials."

"I… I don't know. I spent most of life hating him… To see him again…"

Dear Gods. He saw his father in Atlantis? How could that be? Has he been living there all along?

"It's okay, Allen. You've been carrying around that anger for so long, I think it could be hard to let go. But what he said to you…"

"I know. I just need to think about it more."

"If you ever need to talk to someone about it, just ask."

"Thank you, Hitomi. I do feel like I could tell you anything."

'I do feel like I could tell you anything'?! He's not even changing his lines. But then, it has been years since he said those words to me. Perhaps he's forgotten. Perhaps he doesn't care.

Or… he's only telling her the truth. Hitomi was being sympathetic, helpful. It's clear that Allen has already explained many things to her, the personal tragedies to which only a chosen few have been told in their entirety. She hasn't betrayed that trust and she won't. Even clearer than that, she cares for him. Not the glamorous knight that she watched with a drunken gaze of adoration, but Allen, as he is.

It's understandable that he would use the same phrase with her as he did me. She has filled the role that I vacated. She is his confidant now and in assuming the duty; I wonder if she has the same underlying motivations that kept me by his side. A giddy crush that has turned into a deep friendship that holds the hope of something more -- familiar territory to me, but Hitomi is the one traversing it.

Be cautious, girl. It's too easy to get lost.

***

I never did have that dinner with Hitomi. A coalition of amused handmaidens eliminated the need for it by presenting her with a collection of dresses Millerna had grown tired of. Hitomi must have shared my sister's impression of the gowns for she never wore a one. Whenever she ventured from her room, it was either in the short skirt or the shorter breeches. All earnestness herself, Hitomi seemed unaware that the stares she received weren't just about her odd clothes but also, what those clothes failed to cover.

Eventually, the novelty wore off and the looks grew less leering and didn't last as long. That progress might have been aided by the continuing presence of a swordsman by her side. Usually, it was Allen, who would lead her off into different areas of Palas or sit with her in the courtyard. Though I had the opportunity, particularly when they did the latter, I never eavesdropped on them again.

Other times, she would be with Fanel. He had been given the largest of the guestrooms but as far as I could tell, seldom used it. He made but one request to us: that we provide adequate shelter for his guymelef. Corunas, the palace melef master, suggested several locations on palace grounds, but ultimately, it was decided that Escaflowne would be safest hidden in a windmill on the fields it had landed in upon its return to Asturia. The king did not stay away for his mecha for long. In fact, the only thing that seemed capable of luring him away from it was Hitomi Kanzaki. Palace gossip had a theory as to why this was so but I refused to give my opinion on the love lives of foreign kings and Mystic Moon girls. No one would have wanted to hear my opinion on another rumor circulating about Hitomi and that other man she was frequently spotted with.

I would see him from time to time without Hitomi, wandering the grounds. He had no assignments save for staying in Palas until his 'situation' could come to some kind of conclusion so he had little else to do. Alucier informed me that Allen had put in a request to Lord Ramkin to go to his family estate but had been denied due to it being located beyond the city limits. If he had asked, strings could have been pulled, but he made no further requests of anyone. Other than Hitomi, and on an occasion or two, Fanel, the only company he kept was that of Natal's, who forewent her flights around the courtyard to ride on his shoulder.

I stuck to my schedule of visits to Father and social functions. It kept me mercifully busy. With a king visiting the capital, the nobles had excuses to throw more parties than before. Fanel didn't attend any of them but I was probably the only one to notice this. I noticed a lot of things at these balls, mostly who was dancing with whom and how often.

Tonight, the dance cards have been a jumble. No one sticks with a partner for longer than a song and off they go to a new partner. Hard to believe an event hosted by Lady Ramkin would be so dynamic. There are those who do not dance at all. We occupy opposite corners, far away from the crowd and only here because duty requires us to be. In these circles, it would be a terrible snub if I neglected to honor the wife of the commander of the Caeli with my royal presence. It would be more reprehensible if one of her husband's knights, slightly tarnished or otherwise, did not show.

None of the other guests disturb Allen or me. Alucier explains to any interested man that I'm not feeling well tonight but my spirits might be livened by watching others enjoy themselves. Allen, for once, does not receive any offers. It's difficult to tell what causes this more: those treason charges still hanging hazily about him or his association with Hitomi. Nobles tend to have a hypocritical attitude of looking all they want at common girls, but the touching is to be done strictly in private. A knight simply does not spend a measurable amount of time in public talking with a curious girl like Hitomi Kanzaki as if she were an equal. If only they knew who or what she really is…

One person doesn't mind Allen's pariah-like status. It's only a guard but he walks over to Allen and engages him in conversation. Whatever is said causes Allen to jump up and half run to the door. The guard frequently works with Revius. Alucier uses this to get him to detour away from Meiden Fassa and report to us instead.

"I'm sorry, but I should to report to Lord Fassa directly," he stammers.

He chokes when I use his cravat to pull him closer to me. "But I just saw you go to Allen Schezar instead. Tell me why," I demand. I know I'll hear talk about this later but what I learn makes it worth it.

"I saw Commander Schezar first. He owns the Crusade…" His cravat released, the guard is able to speak in fuller sentences. "A lookout positively identified a ship we had been monitoring as the Crusade. It's just beyond the Chattel Mountains. We signaled for it to land at the upper leviship port and received confirmation back. It should be docked there within the hour."

Within an hour -- I don't have to rush to get there in time but I do.

***

Lost weight and faded clothing are the only outward signs of the rough journey my little sister has been on. The somber relief with which she whispered 'Sister' before grabbing me to her testifies to the internal changes wrought by her experiences. I haven't hugged Millerna this tightly since Marlene died. I can't remember ever holding on for so long.

Dryden watches us over the rim of his glasses from across the dockyard. A contented smile plays across his lips despite the screaming coming from his father. Dryden never should have sold his fleet. Dryden should never have gone to Atlantis.

Dryden should pay more attention. Meiden's voice grows shriller as he realizes his son couldn't care less. Millerna and I aren't the only ones taking comfort in our reunion.

The crew of the Crusade goes about their business, securing and unloading the leviship while making light of the elder Fassa's ear-piercing complaints. "Ah, the screeching of the gulls. How I've missed the Asturian beaches!" says the short one with the bandana.

"Yeah, you're a real son of a beach, Reeden!" the large one shouts back.

The rest of the men groan at the awful pun. Gaddes yells at them for talking like that in front of royalty, but Millerna stifles a laugh into my shoulder, indicating she's heard worse and in a larger quantity. It's for my benefit then.

Millerna pulls away sniffling as Gaddes approaches us. He asks if I've heard from Allen and the others yet. It's strange that Allen isn't here himself; he left Lord Ramkin's estate before I did. I've no sooner explained this to Gaddes when a carriage appears on the road. A cry of 'VAAAN-SAAAAAMA!' drowns out Meiden and a blur of orange takes off to meet it.

"Think it's the king?" the lanky one with the knives asks sarcastically.

The catgirl drags her liege out of the carriage. She's a small thing, but it isn't like Fanel is resisting. So the sullen boy-king can smile. All it takes is a euphoric catgirl licking him across the cheek. Hitomi, not wanting to interrupt, stands behind the two friends but Merle's happiness is large enough to accommodate the girl she previously regarded with a hiss and a scowl. Hitomi might miss that over-protectiveness of Fanel as she gets a lick too.

It's a sublimely sweet moment. The 'manly' Crusaders dismiss it with more jokes but I doubt Reeden's laughing is related to his crewmates' wit. Even Meiden is respectful enough to shut his mouth. The only person seemingly unaffected by the scene is the one who arranged for it to take place. Allen stands on the carriage steps, impassive and deliberately apart from the sets of reunited families and friends.

"Can we go home now, Eries?" Millerna yawns. "I could use a long, hot bath."

And probably a good night's sleep in her own bed. She crawls into the carriage I brought here and nestles into the plush velvet seat.

The Fassas depart in their own carriage shortly after us. We're not even to the main road when Reeden, with the need for etiquette over, shouts, "Big party at my family's tavern! All the free alcohol you can keep down!" to substantial applause.

***

Next up: One Wedding and Considerably More Than Four Funerals