A/N: I'm sorry for the delay of updates. I have been very busy lately. I'm
very sorry * falls on her knees* please forgive me! Thank you for all the
wonderful reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter!
SabineballZ: Danke für das review , hab mich sehr gefreut *wird ganz rot*. I think I switch back to English, my German isn't that good. About the ending, *begins to think* I don't know if they can be together without lots of problem and about marriage, I don't really know *begins to laugh evilly* But I'm a big fan of fluffy happy endings!!! Love them!!!
Darkfaerie: *blushes* Thankiez!!!!
Freelancer47: Here is the update!! Thanks for the review!!
Ruby: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!
Revia: *blushes* Thank you so, so ,so much!!!
Niffer: Thank you soooooo much for reviewing!
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Escaflowne.
In Disguise 2
It had been two weeks now since he had arrived at the farmstead and he had enjoyed every minute of it. The first days he just thought about his kingdom and if everything would be all right and if Merle and Larian could handle everything. He imagined the weirdest things that could happen and every time a rider came to the farm he thought it would be a servant with terrible news from the palace to take him back.
However, after the third night without sleep he came to the conclusion that everything would be all right and he should have more faith in his friends.
So he thought about all the things he didn't have to do as a farm hand like wearing stiff, formal clothes or sitting hour after hour in a dimly lit room and listening to the boring speeches of his advisors which slowly lulled him to sleep.
He also liked the company of all the people at the farm. Beside him fifteen other people worked at the farm. Most of them just worked at the farm for the summer, but they came back every year to work here.
With one of the guys he had got to know there - his name was Gaddes - he had to clean the stables. He would have liked to get to know the others too, but he was too tired in the evening and preferred to sleep when the others were sitting together at the fire and talking.
"Van, Van"
He turned around and smiled at the young boy running up to him. "Mamouro ,is it already time for lunch?"
Mamouro was the youngest of the Kansaki family, he and Van had become great friends in this short interval of time. They often used to play together or Van tried to teach him hand to hand combat. Mamouro also had an older sister, her name was Hitomi and she was studying medicine in Asturia. When he heard that, he was a little shocked, because it wasn't common for a farmer to study, especially for women.
"You haven't repaired this fence yet? You really take your time!", the ten -year- old boy said mockingly.
"No, I'm not ready yet, and if you keep bugging me I will never be. So what do you want?"
The blue eyes of the small boy shone. "My sister Hitomi comes back from Asturia every moment and I want you to meet her. I'm sure you will like her!"
****
The whole farm was standing at the dusty dirt path, waiting for Hitomi. He once had heard the other farm hands talk about her and how beautiful and nice she was.
He was really interested in meeting her.
After a while of intense waiting, they slowly could hear the muffled sound of horses' hoofs on a dusty path. And then they saw a cart slowly coming from the forest.
On the cart sat a woman holding the reins. He couldn't clearly see her at this distance.
But with every step they came nearer he could make out her face.
That was Hitomi? He was taken aback.
That was supposed to be the beautiful eighteen- year- old girl everyone spoke so highly about?
He couldn't believe his eyes!
"Hitomi, Hitomi", Mamouro was running towards the cart with a childish joy in his eyes.
So this was definitely Hitomi, he couldn't see any other person on the cart!
The woman didn't look like she was eighteen, she looked like forty! Her hair was dark and oily. The woman's face was wrinkled and her thin lips were distorted into a grim smirk.
Normally Van didn't attach too much importance to outward appearance. But he had expected an pretty young woman and not an old bag.
But then the cart was just a few yards away from them and a beautiful young woman jumped from a large stack of hay that was transported on it.
She wore a white dress with ¾ sleeves and a dark blue bodice . That framed her well shaped body. The dress reached below her knees. Her hair was sandy blond pulled back into a ponytail. A few bangs framed her delicate face . Her rosy lips formed into a gorgeous smile and her bright emerald eyes eradiated happiness. Never before had he seen such fascinating green eyes.
Mamouro leaped into the girls' arms and pulled her into a tight hug.
"Hitomi ! It's so good to see you again !" Ms. Kansaki ran up to the young girl and embraced her even more tightly.
That was Hitomi, now he could understand the other farm hands! She truly was beautiful.
****
After everyone was done with their welcoming and lots of hugs had been given and tears had been cried, a big fest was held in the courtyard.
"So Hitomi, how was the year in Asturia? Who did you meet? Did you miss me? Did you buy me something?"
The questions spouted out of Mamouro's mouth like a waterfall.
Hitomi laughed.
"Of course I missed you, all of you! Ohh and do you know with who I studied? I studied with the Princess of Asturia, Millerna Sara Aston!" Hitomi announced proudly," At first I thought she was arrogant and stuck up, but she wasn't. We became great friends over the year, especially because we were the only women who studied medicine."
"You are a friend of the Princess of Asturia?", Gaddes asked with wide eyes.
Hitomi nodded. "She even invited me to the palace, it's a beautiful one! There are so many rooms, you can't count them all. All rooms are decorated with gigantic paintings of countries or people. For the curtains they only used brocade and the floors are made of marble. The gardens are as big as our whole farm with so many various, exotic flowers, It was stunning! "
"Now that you were at a real palace, you truly know the newest gossip! And did you meet the knight of Caeli Allen Shezar? I heard he is one of the best looking men in Gaea and an excellent swordsman. Besides, he is said to be very wealthy." Her mother exclaimed excitedly. Hitomi's face darkened slightly.
Van frowned, always this knight of Caeli. He was a playboy and a womanizer. But Allen's swordsmanship wasn't that good. He was able to beat him, they had fought for a long time, but he had been the winner in the end.
Hitomi's voice brought him back to reailty.
"Yes, I met him. He wasn't that nice. To be honest I didn't like him one bit! He is a playboy, you know there are even rumours that he and the eldest princess of Asturia Marlen had an affair and she was pregnant with his child before she married the duke of Freid ! Moreover after Marlen was gone he wanted the other princesses too. First Eries, she was about to fall for him, but she met the King of Cezario and fell in love with him. Then Millerna, I think at first she was very flattered and even had a big crush on him. Until she met Dryden", she began to laugh.
"Dryden? Isn't that the young merchant who took you to Asturia? Has it something to do with you?"
"Err, I just introduced them ! Millerna and I just met him coincidentally from time to time. So they fell in love, I didn't do anything!" Hitomi replied innocently.
"Sure Hitomi."
She stuck out her tongue at her father.
"So our Hitomi was a match maker again! You should look for your own match not for others!"
"Please, don't start this again! I won't look frantically for someone and take the first one who seems to be nice. I want to fall in love and every time I see him my heart will beat wildly and my knees go weak. And then he holds me in his arms, I never want him to let go."
****
It was late at night, Van lay awake on his bed. The stars and the two twin moons gave the only light. It was a very clear night and the sky was star covered.
The other people on the farm had long gone to sleep after most of them got really drunk. Van himself retired long before the others. He was a little tired, but now his fatigue had vanished.
He thought a little about Hitomi, she seemed to be really nice. At any rate she didn't like Allen, which made her really likeable.
He sighed. "Maybe a little walk will make me tired again."
So he stood up and walked out on the courtyard. He enjoyed the silence and the fresh air that surrounded him. He took a deep breath and began to walk to his favourite spot. It was a crystal clear lake in the middle of the forest. It was really beautiful especially at night. The moons and the stars were reflected by the lake so it seemed as if there were two skies. You could still faintly smell the fragrance of the various flowers on the meadows that framed the lake. On days like that small fireflies flew around the lake and eradiated a mysterious glow.
As he reached the lake he saw a lone figure sitting on the grass looking out on the calm lake.
He recognised Hitomi, the moonlight shone on her face and made it appear more delicate than usual. She had closed her eyes as if in a dream. She was . mesmerising.
Without thinking he walked up to her. When he was near her she suddenly opened her emerald eyes and spun around.
She had a frightened expression on her face and her whole body was tense as if she was preparing for flight.
"I don't want to harm you, please stay. I'm working at your fathers' farm. I just came here to relax. I didn't know that somebody was here", Van told her hastily.
Her expression changed into a smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't recognise you before. Usually I'm the only one who comes here at this time at night. You must be Van, right? My brother told me about you. I'm sorry that I didn't talk to you before, but I was so happy to see my family and every one again, that I completely forgot to."
"It's alright. Err, would you mind if I sit down?"
"No, take a seat. So for how long have you been here?"
" For two weeks now, it's really nice here."
She nodded. "And where are you from."
"I'm from Fanelia." He hoped she wouldn't ask more questions.
"Fanelia? I have heard a lot about it. It must be a beautiful city. I wanted to go there once, but it never worked out", she sighed sadly.
"Maybe I could show you Fanelia. It truly is beautiful." He answered without thinking.
`What the heck am I telling her? ´ he thought, a little confused.
Hitomis' eyes beamed with excitement. "Really, that would be wonderful!"
Silence surrounded them.
"So you studied medicine in Asturia? That is really uncommon!"
"What do you mean?," Hitomis' eyes narrowed, unfortunately Van didn't notice.
"I mean you are a woman and-"
"So, you think just because I'm a woman I'm not allowed or able to study? The fact that not too many women study doesn't mean that we can't do it. Why does every man think that I can't practice medicine, simply because I'm a woman?", Hitomis' eyes sparkled with a dangerous fire.
Van raised his hands in protection. "No, No! I don't think that, I just mean that it's really .strange that a farmer 's daughter studies medicine and-"
Again he was interrupted by Hitomi, she stood up and towered now over him. "Strange, strange? I don't think it's strange! I can read and write! I'm more educated than a lot of other people ,even more than some royals! So why can't I study? Can you tell me that! "
But before he could answer she stumped away.
Van was still sitting on his spot on the meadow, he looked really dumbfounded.
Ohhh, he had touched a sore point. He had never been a good speaker.
`Damn, I didn't meant it that way. It is uncommon for a farmer's daughter to study.´ She was right: most royals couldn't read nor write. `I just wanted to say that it is great what she did. Damn!`
He sighed and walked slowly back into his room.
_______________________________
A/N: So Hitomi and Van had their first conversation, wasn't really good, was it? Next chapter I explain why Hitomi overreacted a little, although you probably can guess. Hope this chapter wasn't bad, I rewrote it five times and I'm still not satisfied! The next chapter will probably be out sooner than this one, but I can't promise. Sorry!! Please leave a review, the more I get the faster I'll update! ^__^
Happy Easter !!!!
SabineballZ: Danke für das review , hab mich sehr gefreut *wird ganz rot*. I think I switch back to English, my German isn't that good. About the ending, *begins to think* I don't know if they can be together without lots of problem and about marriage, I don't really know *begins to laugh evilly* But I'm a big fan of fluffy happy endings!!! Love them!!!
Darkfaerie: *blushes* Thankiez!!!!
Freelancer47: Here is the update!! Thanks for the review!!
Ruby: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!
Revia: *blushes* Thank you so, so ,so much!!!
Niffer: Thank you soooooo much for reviewing!
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Escaflowne.
In Disguise 2
It had been two weeks now since he had arrived at the farmstead and he had enjoyed every minute of it. The first days he just thought about his kingdom and if everything would be all right and if Merle and Larian could handle everything. He imagined the weirdest things that could happen and every time a rider came to the farm he thought it would be a servant with terrible news from the palace to take him back.
However, after the third night without sleep he came to the conclusion that everything would be all right and he should have more faith in his friends.
So he thought about all the things he didn't have to do as a farm hand like wearing stiff, formal clothes or sitting hour after hour in a dimly lit room and listening to the boring speeches of his advisors which slowly lulled him to sleep.
He also liked the company of all the people at the farm. Beside him fifteen other people worked at the farm. Most of them just worked at the farm for the summer, but they came back every year to work here.
With one of the guys he had got to know there - his name was Gaddes - he had to clean the stables. He would have liked to get to know the others too, but he was too tired in the evening and preferred to sleep when the others were sitting together at the fire and talking.
"Van, Van"
He turned around and smiled at the young boy running up to him. "Mamouro ,is it already time for lunch?"
Mamouro was the youngest of the Kansaki family, he and Van had become great friends in this short interval of time. They often used to play together or Van tried to teach him hand to hand combat. Mamouro also had an older sister, her name was Hitomi and she was studying medicine in Asturia. When he heard that, he was a little shocked, because it wasn't common for a farmer to study, especially for women.
"You haven't repaired this fence yet? You really take your time!", the ten -year- old boy said mockingly.
"No, I'm not ready yet, and if you keep bugging me I will never be. So what do you want?"
The blue eyes of the small boy shone. "My sister Hitomi comes back from Asturia every moment and I want you to meet her. I'm sure you will like her!"
****
The whole farm was standing at the dusty dirt path, waiting for Hitomi. He once had heard the other farm hands talk about her and how beautiful and nice she was.
He was really interested in meeting her.
After a while of intense waiting, they slowly could hear the muffled sound of horses' hoofs on a dusty path. And then they saw a cart slowly coming from the forest.
On the cart sat a woman holding the reins. He couldn't clearly see her at this distance.
But with every step they came nearer he could make out her face.
That was Hitomi? He was taken aback.
That was supposed to be the beautiful eighteen- year- old girl everyone spoke so highly about?
He couldn't believe his eyes!
"Hitomi, Hitomi", Mamouro was running towards the cart with a childish joy in his eyes.
So this was definitely Hitomi, he couldn't see any other person on the cart!
The woman didn't look like she was eighteen, she looked like forty! Her hair was dark and oily. The woman's face was wrinkled and her thin lips were distorted into a grim smirk.
Normally Van didn't attach too much importance to outward appearance. But he had expected an pretty young woman and not an old bag.
But then the cart was just a few yards away from them and a beautiful young woman jumped from a large stack of hay that was transported on it.
She wore a white dress with ¾ sleeves and a dark blue bodice . That framed her well shaped body. The dress reached below her knees. Her hair was sandy blond pulled back into a ponytail. A few bangs framed her delicate face . Her rosy lips formed into a gorgeous smile and her bright emerald eyes eradiated happiness. Never before had he seen such fascinating green eyes.
Mamouro leaped into the girls' arms and pulled her into a tight hug.
"Hitomi ! It's so good to see you again !" Ms. Kansaki ran up to the young girl and embraced her even more tightly.
That was Hitomi, now he could understand the other farm hands! She truly was beautiful.
****
After everyone was done with their welcoming and lots of hugs had been given and tears had been cried, a big fest was held in the courtyard.
"So Hitomi, how was the year in Asturia? Who did you meet? Did you miss me? Did you buy me something?"
The questions spouted out of Mamouro's mouth like a waterfall.
Hitomi laughed.
"Of course I missed you, all of you! Ohh and do you know with who I studied? I studied with the Princess of Asturia, Millerna Sara Aston!" Hitomi announced proudly," At first I thought she was arrogant and stuck up, but she wasn't. We became great friends over the year, especially because we were the only women who studied medicine."
"You are a friend of the Princess of Asturia?", Gaddes asked with wide eyes.
Hitomi nodded. "She even invited me to the palace, it's a beautiful one! There are so many rooms, you can't count them all. All rooms are decorated with gigantic paintings of countries or people. For the curtains they only used brocade and the floors are made of marble. The gardens are as big as our whole farm with so many various, exotic flowers, It was stunning! "
"Now that you were at a real palace, you truly know the newest gossip! And did you meet the knight of Caeli Allen Shezar? I heard he is one of the best looking men in Gaea and an excellent swordsman. Besides, he is said to be very wealthy." Her mother exclaimed excitedly. Hitomi's face darkened slightly.
Van frowned, always this knight of Caeli. He was a playboy and a womanizer. But Allen's swordsmanship wasn't that good. He was able to beat him, they had fought for a long time, but he had been the winner in the end.
Hitomi's voice brought him back to reailty.
"Yes, I met him. He wasn't that nice. To be honest I didn't like him one bit! He is a playboy, you know there are even rumours that he and the eldest princess of Asturia Marlen had an affair and she was pregnant with his child before she married the duke of Freid ! Moreover after Marlen was gone he wanted the other princesses too. First Eries, she was about to fall for him, but she met the King of Cezario and fell in love with him. Then Millerna, I think at first she was very flattered and even had a big crush on him. Until she met Dryden", she began to laugh.
"Dryden? Isn't that the young merchant who took you to Asturia? Has it something to do with you?"
"Err, I just introduced them ! Millerna and I just met him coincidentally from time to time. So they fell in love, I didn't do anything!" Hitomi replied innocently.
"Sure Hitomi."
She stuck out her tongue at her father.
"So our Hitomi was a match maker again! You should look for your own match not for others!"
"Please, don't start this again! I won't look frantically for someone and take the first one who seems to be nice. I want to fall in love and every time I see him my heart will beat wildly and my knees go weak. And then he holds me in his arms, I never want him to let go."
****
It was late at night, Van lay awake on his bed. The stars and the two twin moons gave the only light. It was a very clear night and the sky was star covered.
The other people on the farm had long gone to sleep after most of them got really drunk. Van himself retired long before the others. He was a little tired, but now his fatigue had vanished.
He thought a little about Hitomi, she seemed to be really nice. At any rate she didn't like Allen, which made her really likeable.
He sighed. "Maybe a little walk will make me tired again."
So he stood up and walked out on the courtyard. He enjoyed the silence and the fresh air that surrounded him. He took a deep breath and began to walk to his favourite spot. It was a crystal clear lake in the middle of the forest. It was really beautiful especially at night. The moons and the stars were reflected by the lake so it seemed as if there were two skies. You could still faintly smell the fragrance of the various flowers on the meadows that framed the lake. On days like that small fireflies flew around the lake and eradiated a mysterious glow.
As he reached the lake he saw a lone figure sitting on the grass looking out on the calm lake.
He recognised Hitomi, the moonlight shone on her face and made it appear more delicate than usual. She had closed her eyes as if in a dream. She was . mesmerising.
Without thinking he walked up to her. When he was near her she suddenly opened her emerald eyes and spun around.
She had a frightened expression on her face and her whole body was tense as if she was preparing for flight.
"I don't want to harm you, please stay. I'm working at your fathers' farm. I just came here to relax. I didn't know that somebody was here", Van told her hastily.
Her expression changed into a smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't recognise you before. Usually I'm the only one who comes here at this time at night. You must be Van, right? My brother told me about you. I'm sorry that I didn't talk to you before, but I was so happy to see my family and every one again, that I completely forgot to."
"It's alright. Err, would you mind if I sit down?"
"No, take a seat. So for how long have you been here?"
" For two weeks now, it's really nice here."
She nodded. "And where are you from."
"I'm from Fanelia." He hoped she wouldn't ask more questions.
"Fanelia? I have heard a lot about it. It must be a beautiful city. I wanted to go there once, but it never worked out", she sighed sadly.
"Maybe I could show you Fanelia. It truly is beautiful." He answered without thinking.
`What the heck am I telling her? ´ he thought, a little confused.
Hitomis' eyes beamed with excitement. "Really, that would be wonderful!"
Silence surrounded them.
"So you studied medicine in Asturia? That is really uncommon!"
"What do you mean?," Hitomis' eyes narrowed, unfortunately Van didn't notice.
"I mean you are a woman and-"
"So, you think just because I'm a woman I'm not allowed or able to study? The fact that not too many women study doesn't mean that we can't do it. Why does every man think that I can't practice medicine, simply because I'm a woman?", Hitomis' eyes sparkled with a dangerous fire.
Van raised his hands in protection. "No, No! I don't think that, I just mean that it's really .strange that a farmer 's daughter studies medicine and-"
Again he was interrupted by Hitomi, she stood up and towered now over him. "Strange, strange? I don't think it's strange! I can read and write! I'm more educated than a lot of other people ,even more than some royals! So why can't I study? Can you tell me that! "
But before he could answer she stumped away.
Van was still sitting on his spot on the meadow, he looked really dumbfounded.
Ohhh, he had touched a sore point. He had never been a good speaker.
`Damn, I didn't meant it that way. It is uncommon for a farmer's daughter to study.´ She was right: most royals couldn't read nor write. `I just wanted to say that it is great what she did. Damn!`
He sighed and walked slowly back into his room.
_______________________________
A/N: So Hitomi and Van had their first conversation, wasn't really good, was it? Next chapter I explain why Hitomi overreacted a little, although you probably can guess. Hope this chapter wasn't bad, I rewrote it five times and I'm still not satisfied! The next chapter will probably be out sooner than this one, but I can't promise. Sorry!! Please leave a review, the more I get the faster I'll update! ^__^
Happy Easter !!!!