Disclaimer: Tenkuu no Escaflowne is property of Bandai and Sunrise, all rights reserved. I am in no way affiliated with these companies, and am not making a profit by writing this novel. Any similarities between my work and that of any other fan-author is purely coincidental. "This Life" song lyrics are property of Mandalay, all rights reserved.
x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-
"Broken" - Chapter 3: This Life
By The Last Princess of Hyrule
x-X-x-X-x-
"Just what you said was cold advice,
I discovered sticks go with knives,
I discovered I could've died in your chains,
Still I feel, so won't you stay . . .?"
-Mandalay, "This Life"
x-X-x-X-x-
The enrapturing sunset, with its vibrant reds and oranges, had finally burnt out when Folken and Hitomi reached the capitol of Asturia. Stars dusted the midnight sky with their cosmic breath as the Escaflowne touched down gently on one of the empty leviship landing spaces at the bay's edge. They were motionless for a moment, gazing out at the calm rippling water and the light from Palas's lighthouse that shone across it. The sight of the splendor before her made Hitomi catch her breath.
"I forgot how beautiful Palas is at night," she said.
Folken nodded.
"Is that what brought you back?"
The all-too-familiar voice behind her turned Hitomi's blood to ice as she and Folken turned around. Two people stood expectantly at the edge of the landing strip, watching them and waiting. Hitomi bit her lip. She hadn't planned a certain way that she would meet her friends again, but this most definitely wasn't it.
x-X-x-X-x-
"Lord Van," whispered a high-pitched, insistent voice near his ear. "Lord Van, wake up." The voice's owner shook him.
Slowly, Van stirred and opened his eyes to see a familiar figure standing over him. A young cat-girl looked down on him with wide blue eyes and a worried look that clouded her usual mischievous composure.
"Merle . . . ?" he asked, still thick with sleep. "What's going on?"
"Hitomi's back."
Van blinked slowly, staring at her, the meaning of the words flying over his head. "Mmmph, that's nice." Van closed his eyes and rolled over, unwilling to put any effort into actually thinking about what she said. He was just too tired to care about anything other than five more hours of sleep. "I'll see her in the morning."
Merle looked agitated. "But, Lord Van, they're both here."
Van opened his eyes again, her insistent words finally penetrating his exhausted mind. Hitomi was . . . here? In Palas? Then did that mean . . . ? "Folken?"
Merle nodded.
"Where are they?" he asked, climbing out of bed and pulling a shirt over his head.
"Out in one of the courtyards," she answered. "The little one with the fountain, I think. Princess Millerna told me to wake you up so you could see them."
Van picked up his sword where it leaned against his bedside table, and strapped it to his side. "Let's go." He shoved open the door and walked out into the hall, Merle close at his heels. She had some difficulty keeping up with Van's long, determined strides, but the King hardly noticed her presence in his distracted state, and didn't think to slow down.
A thousand questions rushed through his head, coupled with a thousand absurd hypothesis, each more illogical than the last. Foremost in his mind was: why? Why, by the name of all that was holy, had Hitomi come back, and Folken with her? He had kidnapped her months ago, and taken her to Zaibach, where by some miracle she must have escaped and managed to defeat the emperor on her own. But how? Why? Too many gaps in his knowledge of what had happened to her obscured any formation of a logical reason. Why, Hitomi? What happened to you?
x-X-x-X-x-
Hitomi tilted her head back to look up at the sky. It's only been two months, but it feels like years since the last time I sat here like this. The stars haven't changed at all. The sky looks just like it did the night we left. She sat at the edge of the fountain facing the door that led into the castle, her hands resting out to her sides, balancing her as she gazed upward. After a moment of captivated awe, she looked down again, noting the growing crowd in the courtyard.
Allen and Celena Schezar stood side by side on her left, neither of them speaking. It had been Allen who called out to her on the docks, Celena with him. To Hitomi's surprise, neither of them seemed shocked at all by she and Folken's arrival. Upon Allen's suggestion, the group made their way to the palace in the center of the city to seek out Princess Millerna.
Hitomi looked over at Millerna, more curious about what was going on in her mind than anyone else's. Though a little put out at first for being woken so late at night, the princess immediately burst into a fit of excited hysterics at the sight of Hitomi and Folken. She insisted that everyone follow her outside where they could talk in peace without worrying about waking anyone up. Unfortunately, since arriving outside, no one had anything to say.
Folken stood within arm's reach of Hitomi. It wasn't evident in his expression, but she could tell he was uneasy with the less than desirable conditions of their return, and the sudden meeting outside in the middle of the night. He did not pace, but he wouldn't sit down, even when Hitomi held out her hand and beckoned to him. Like she, he knew that this first meeting was going to be awkward, considering the circumstances under which they left, but he too had hoped for different conditions.
Van, who had joined them a few minutes after they first arrived in the courtyard, leaned against a pillar near the door with his arms crossed, Merle next to him. He had an angry, disapproving look on his face, and his eyes kept flickering back to Hitomi. She shifted uncomfortably, hoping his expression was from wanting to go back to bed.
Millerna was the first to try to break the awkward silence. "Now that everyone's here, I'm sure I can speak for all of us when I say welcome back."
Hitomi started, her wandering gaze returning to Millerna.
The princess tried to smile upon meeting Hitomi's eyes. "To both of you," she added, looking around again. "We're glad you're safe."
"Thank you," said Hitomi automatically, not knowing what else to say.
The courtyard slipped into awkwardness again, but Millerna tried to prompt conversation again before too long had passed. "I understand that it's a little late for a proper welcome, so maybe we can meet in the Great Hall for breakfast in the morning."
There were some nods and murmurs of agreement, but Van asked, "If this was all you had to say, why did you wake us all just to come out for a couple minutes?"
Before Millerna could answer, Celena spoke. "I beg your pardon, Sire, but I was the one who asked Millerna to wake you." She bowed her head. "Your quarrel is with me."
Van sighed. "Would you please just call me Van? You don't have to be so formal around me all the time. And I'm not angry; I just want to get some rest."
"Right," said Allen. "It's much too late to continue this conversation." He turned and bowed to the people in the courtyard. "Princess, everyone, we'll see you in the morning. Come on, Celena." He took her hand and led her away.
Van repressed a yawn. "He's right. It's time for bed. We'll see you in the morning, Millerna." With that, he and Merle went back into the palace, leaving Millerna, Folken, and Hitomi alone in the courtyard.
"Van seems different," Hitomi commented.
"Really?" Millerna looked sideways at the door Van had entered. "I haven't noticed any change."
Hitomi shrugged. "I'm not quite sure how. Just . . . different. Maybe it's just because I haven't seen him for a long time," she suggested. "You seem a little different, too."
"Oh, really?" Millerna looked genuinely curious. "How's that?"
Hitomi's eyes narrowed in concentration. "I'm not quite sure . . . Sad, I think."
"You haven't seen me for three months, and you can tell that?" Millerna laughed in a good-hearted nature. "How can you be so sure?"
"I'm not. It's just what I" A gaping yawn cut her off. "feel."
Millerna suddenly remembered herself. "Oh my goodness, where are my manners? You two must be exhausted." She started toward the door leading into the palace and motioned Hitomi and Folken to follow. "I'm afraid we weren't expecting you, otherwise we would have rooms ready."
"Of course not," said Hitomi, smiling. "How would you?"
"I'm sure there's something available you can use until better arrangements are made tomorrow." Millerna turned down a tall corridor lined with ornate candelabras, which led to the guests' wing of the palace. "You don't mind sharing a room tonight, do you?" She looked back at them, blushed, and hurried forward. "I-I'll have someone bring some extra bedding or something later."
The ease of mind Hitomi had almost started to feel in the presence of her friend vanished. The embarrassed expression she had seen on Millerna's face when the princess turned around brought back all her worries about what everyone would think about her love for Folken. It was those concerns that had kept her away from Asturia for so long, the desire not to face this.
Millerna was the one Hitomi had hoped would understand, after all the animosity and disapproval she suffered because of her own illicit love. But all Millerna seemed to notice was what was outside, that the former Strategos of Zaibach and the Girl from the Mystic Moon, two perfect opposites that had once stood against each other, could fall in love.
x-X-x-X-x-
"Maybe you were right," Hitomi said suddenly. "Maybe we shouldn't have come back yet."
Folken turned to her. Hitomi sat on a low-backed sofa before the fireplace with her head leaned against her left shoulder and her legs tucked beneath her, watching the fire burn. It was the first thing she said since Millerna showed them to their room. Her silence was making Folken concerned. It wasn't like Hitomi to be withdrawn like this.
"I didn't think it would be that big of a deal, you and me," she went on. "But then, I also thought Millerna would understand." Hitomi sighed despondently. "I should have known."
Folken left the window where he had been looking out over the sleeping city of Palas, and went to stand behind her. "What were you expecting?"
Hitomi hesitated. "I don't know. Something else. Something nicer." She shook her head. "I wasn't sure if anyone would really understand this at first, but I was sure Millerna would."
He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "A couple minutes in the middle of the night is hardly adequate to be guessing what anyone else thinks," he pointed out.
Hitomi thought about this for a moment, watching the gentle glow of the fire burning in the hearth. "I'm sure you're right," she said after a while. "I guess I'm just being paranoid."
"Everything will be all right in the morning," Folken assured her. "You'll see."
She seemed to believe him, but Folken doubted his own words. He had been watching the people in the courtyard during that uncomfortable silence, and knew what they were thinking. They hadn't expected to see him again, not after the way he 'kidnapped Hitomi and stole the Escaflowne'.
Folken sighed. He wanted nothing more to agree with Hitomi that returning to Asturia had been a mistake, and sneak away again like the last time. But Folken had watched Hitomi grow restless in the cottage on the border, and seeing her friends in Palas again was something she evidently craved.
x-X-x-X-x-
TO BE CONTINUED . . .
x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-