AN: Hi everyone. I'm sorry to say that my writing might get a little depressing, maybe. I don't know if you knew already but I LOVE the Harry Potter series. I got the fifth book, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" at midnight, the day it came out. I just now finished it and I am thoroughly depressed. I wish I could cry………………but I can't. Why am I so sad, you may ask? It's because one of my favorite characters died. I won't say who in case those of you reading it haven't finished the book yet. But trust me, if you are a hard core Harry Potter fan, like I am, you are going to cry. Oh sure, I didn't cry, but that's because I'm an insensitive little $#!%. *coughs loudly* any way, I am trying to get my mind off the book by writing more often, but my mind keeps drawing blanks, and then I think about that "certain character death" and I get all sad again! *sniff*

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Escaflowne. Nor do I own Harry Potter. If I did own Harry Potter, I never would have killed that certain character whom I will not say his/her name in case Harry Potter fans are reading this and they haven't finished the fifth book yet……

Chapter Eleven: A Strange Song

Inside the main carriage, Allen was holding his now pregnant wife's hand. Sara was very anxious to meet King Van, whom she had heard so much about from her husband. Sara and Allen heard a knock at the door of the carriage. Allen stood up (Well, kind of, he's bending over but still walking) and opened the curtain attached to the door. Outside appeared the smiling face of his sister, Celina Shezare, riding along side the carriage on horseback.

"We're at the castle gates Allen."

"Good, we made excellent timing." Allen replied.

From deep in the carriage, Sara spoke up. "We're here? Finally! I'm tired of being cooped up in this box on wheels. Why does Celina get to ride on horseback?" Sara complained.

"Because I'm not the one who's expecting a child." Celina teased. Allen smiled at the two arguing woman. Yup, Sara was a free spirit all right. That was part of the reason he fell in love with her. Actually, her spirit kind of reminded him of Hitomi…

Not too far away, Allen could hear the trumpets announcing their arrival. Only a minute later, the carriage came to a stop and Allen hopped out of the "box on wheels" and helped his wife onto solid ground.

Allen began to ascend the stairs, his wife and sister not too far behind him. The first thing he saw was Van's new wife, Queen Calypso. She was indeed as beautiful as he had been told. Her silver gown, shining brightly in the sunlight, only complemented her sleek black hair which fell down to her waist. In his peripheral vision, Allen could see many women to his left, obviously officials from Cyrce, and to his right were Fanelia's officials. He also noticed that below and to the right of Van was the cat girl, Merle, and beside her was another women in a green gown whom he couldn't get a good look at without turning his gaze. It was considered rude when approaching the King and Queen of a country to avert your gaze from them to look at people of lower social status.

Allen, Celina, and Sara stopped their accent once they were a few steps away from the King and Queen of Fanelia. The two women curtsied while Allen sank into a deep and respectful bow. 

"Your highness, it is a pleasure to finally meet you." Allen said. "Please forgive our late arrival."

"No apology is necessary, knight Caeli." Calypso said in a charming voice. "I'm just happy you've arrived safely."

"Please, your Highness, allow me to introduce to you my wife, Sara, and my sister, Celina." Allen gestured to the two women behind him. The two of them took a step forward at the mention of their names.

"Very nice to meet you two." On the outside, Calypso seemed like a charming person, but on the inside, she was sniggering. 'So this is the famous Knight Caeli. I am not impressed. That wife of his looks like she could afford to lose a few pounds. And since when do Asturian women wear warrior's uniforms?' Seeing no reason to stay any longer, Calypso excused herself. "I have things to attend to. I hope to see you another time." And with that, Calypso turned around and entered the castle, closely followed by Cyrce's officials.

Once the large doors slammed shut, everyone seemed to have the same thing on their mind.

'What was that all about?'

Allen was the first to speak up. "Um…Van, what…"

"I don't know." Interrupted Van, 'And quite frankly I don't care.' He added as an afterthought. Merle stepped up to Van and elbowed him in the ribs.

"Lord Van, aren't you forgetting something?" she hissed.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Hey Allen, guess who's returned?"

Allen just stared at Van, giving him a clueless expression. "What do you mean?"

Van glanced to his left and gestured with his head. Allen turned and got a better look at the woman in the green dress. He blinked a few times before realizing what was in front of him.

"H-Hitomi?" he stuttered. 

"Hi Allen." Hitomi smiled.

"What…How…When…" Allen jabbered.

"Yes, she's returned. How? We don't know. When? Last night." Merle answered.

While Allen just stood there, looking shocked, Celina and Sara stepped forward and gave Hitomi a friendly hug. The three women immediately started chatting and after a while, Allen finally got over his shock and approached Hitomi as well. Van, however had an important matter to discuss with his advisors, so he made his way down the staircase, past the chattering group, and over to his council. As he approached, each of his advisors bowed to him.

"I have an important matter I need to discuss with you once we get back inside." Van announced.

One of the men to Van's left spoke up. "I assume this matter has something to do with the return of the seeress?"

"Yes."

"Very well, we will wait for you in the council chamber." Each of the men bowed once more before heading up the stairs. After they passed the once chattering group, Hitomi caught Van's eye and have him the thumbs up. This calmed some of Van's nerves. Seeing Hitomi's reassuring face always had that effect on him.

Van took a deep breath before heading back inside the castle, Hitomi's eyes following him.

"Where is he going?" Merle asked Hitomi.

"A meeting…"

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Van was getting more and more frustrated by the minute. Finally he stopped his pacing and slammed his fist on the table.

"Why?" Van yelled angrily, causing several of his advisors to jump.

One of the men timidly stood, trying to subdue the young King. "Please your majesty, calm down. A divorce is nearly impossible under the circumstances. After all, the purpose of the marriage was to forge an alliance with Cyrce."

"Well, the alliance is set. We're already under contract. If we get a divorce now, by rules of the contract, Cyrce is still our ally." Van argued.

Another man stood up. "Yes, King Van, you're right. By the rules of the contract, Fanelia and Cyrce will remain allies for several years. However, by the rules of royal marriages, a divorce cannot be made without reasonable cause. And unfortunately, being in love with another woman is not a good enough excuse."

Van was defeated. There was nothing he could do. Cyrce has an impeccable reputation. There was no good reason to get divorced.

Van sat back down in his chair and rested his head in his hand.

One of the men to Van's right leaned forward. "King Van, we understand that you care deeply for the seeress. But a union between the two of you is impossible. Have you at all considered making her your concubine rather than your wife?"

"No!" Once again, Van was on his feet and all of his advisors were looking somewhat fearful. "Don't you understand? I want Hitomi as my wife. Not as my mistress."

"But without probable cause…it's impossible." Murmured the man to Van's left.

Realizing that there was nothing to be done, Van sat back down. "This meeting is adjourned. You are all excused."

One by one, Van's advisors left the room and shut the door behind them, leaving their King alone in the chamber. Van sighed and put his face in his hands, trying to allow the still silence absorb him. A moment later, Van heard the groan of the chamber door open and then close. Thinking it was one of his advisors, he pretended he didn't know someone had entered the room.

"Van?"

Realizing it was a woman speaking, Van removed his face from his hands and saw Hitomi standing at the opposite end of the table.

"Hitomi, I didn't realize it was you."

"How did it go?" Hitomi asked, nervously. Van didn't notice that she was wringing her hands behind her back.

"Not good. I can't cancel the marriage without a good reason." Van wasn't about to tell her about his advisors suggestion that he make Hitomi his concubine.

"Oh." Hitomi averted her gaze to the floor. "I didn't think so."

"I'm sorry Hitomi."

"Don't be. It's not your fault."

Van smiled. "You keep saying that, but I wonder if I could have done something to prevent all this."

Hitomi walked around the table and knelt down at his chair, taking his hands in hers. "Listen to me. Fanelia was in danger. You did what you thought was necessary to protect your people. There is no wrong doing in that."

It was this moment Van realized how much Hitomi had grown since he first saw her…

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Celina Shezare seemed to be walking around aimlessly in the dark. Actually, she was looking for someone. Figuring that this person would be up in a tree on a cool night like this, Celina searched the tree's in the garden. Noticing a faint rustling in the branches of one particular tree, Celina realized she had found her target.

"Merle!"

Sure enough, the cat-girl jumped down from the branch she had been sitting on and landed in front of the woman in armor. "Hey, Celina. What's up?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"How much do you know about Queen Calypso?"

Merle scowled and crossed her arms. "Well, I know she's got an attitude problem."

"Even more than you?" Celina asked with a sly smile.

"Yes, even more than me." Merle repeated in a mocking tone. "I don't trust her."

"Me neither." She agreed.

Merle looked down at Celina. 'Wait a minute. She agrees with me?'

"What did she do to lose your trust? You just met her."

"I don't know. Something inside me just didn't feel right when I was around her."

"Does this have anything to do with Dilandau?" Merle asked while squinting her eyes at her.

Celina thought for a minute before answering. "You know, it just might."

"Well, why not ask him? You said that you could do that, last time I saw you."

"Yeah, but, Allen was there to make sure nothing went wrong. Right now, he's busy, and this Calypso thing is eating me alive. So, I was wondering if you would spot me."

"Me? Why me?"

"Well, two reasons. One, I trust you more than most people." Merle swelled up in pride at this comment. "And two, if I do get out of control, you're the one person who could escape Dilandau, unharmed, and alert the others. You're definitely fast enough and loud enough for the job." Merle deflated at the comment of her being loud.

"What do you mean, I'm loud?" Merle screamed.

Celina merely smiled and said, "Told you so." Merle looked as if she was going to fight it, but changed her mind. "So will you help?"

"Oh…alright."

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Van quietly sneaked into his bedroom after walking Hitomi to her room. Luckily, Calypso wasn't here so Van would get a few peaceful moments to himself. Van made his way onto the balcony and sighed in relief as a warm wind blew across his face.  

A woman's voice penetrated his moment of silence. "It's a beautiful evening, isn't it Van."

"I didn't hear you come in."

'Damn, she found me.'

"I know." Van glanced at her wondering what that was supposed to mean, but left it alone. "Why don't you come to bed?"

"I'm not tired." Van lied. He hadn't slept in almost three days.

"Oh come on. I know you didn't sleep last night, so you must be exhausted. Now, come to bed."

"I don't want too." Van said in a more forceful tone. 'Who does this woman think she is?'

"Shhh…There's no reason to get upset." Very slowly, Calypso made her way across the room and stopped right behind her husband. She placed her hands on each of his shoulder blades and an eerie glow seemed to radiate from them. Van felt as though some warm substance was spreading all over his body. All awhile, Calypso started humming an eerie song that gave Van a strange sense of bliss, as thought he didn't have a care in the world. But for whatever reason, his mind was not affected by her song. Van was just about to turn around and demand to know what she was doing, when he realize he couldn't move. His body was paralyzed. He tried to shout, but found he couldn't speak. He couldn't even move his lips.

Van's mind started screaming. 'What the heck is going on?'

After he asked this question, he heard a voice inside his head that sounded exactly like Calypso's. 'You're under my spell.'

'What spell? What's happening?' But Van's mental screaming went unanswered. Uncontrollably, Van's body turned around and faced Calypso, who had stopped humming her song. She smiled. "Now, why don't you come to bed?"

"Alright." Van heard himself say.

The two of them walked off the balcony and returned to their room…

AN: Confused, are you? Well, just incase you didn't understand, Van can't control his body. I'm not telling you any more than that. You'll just have to wait until next chapter, but that won't come until I update my other story, "Flying High." Of course, I have to write that chaper first. Well, I got to go, cant talk cause I want to get this updated and then I have chores to do.

Oh, I'm starting a new policy. NO UPDATES UNTIL I GET AT LEAST……6 REVIEWS. I got the idea from a fellow author and I am now putting it into effect. So, REVIEW and tell me what you think!!!

Love ya sis! Hee hee, the fun stuff is beginning!!!