CHAPTER
For the next few days It still felt like a dream that she and Van where actually married. He had taken the whole week off and had told his advisers not to bother them unless if it was anything important. Hitomi knew that Van would be very busy when he went back to work at the end of the week. She never even knew that kings could take days off of being a king, it was strange to how Van had still amazed her even after marriage. She shook her head and just laugh. Today, Van was taking her to a nice lake that was by a canyon. "No one really goes to this part of Fanellia any more." Van explained as they rode in the carriage. "I like it because you can see Fanellia from up there." Most people had thought that he was crazy because he even went to the spot since it was suppose to be cursed, but that really never bothered him very much, he never really did believe in fairy tails: especially since he, his mother, and his wife where all suppose to be cursed in some way, but he had not even seem to come to notice how. "I wasn't going to take you here but if you're well enough to get around the castle at short distances then at least you could possibly get around here. Though when I tell you to take it easy take it easy alright?" Van asked the woman who had her head leaned against his chest.
"Yes, I already told you that I would behave now didn't I? How many times do I have to repeat myself?" Hitomi asked a little annoyed. She still had her wound, but it was almost healed, it was like a bad cut that you got from falling off of your bike. "I'll be fine, you worry too much." It was weird to how Merle stayed away from the two when they where alone, she seemed to have distanced herself from the two of them this past week. "I'm surprised that you got Merle to stay home Van, how was that? Merle must like places like this as well."
"She promised me she would leave us alone this week, when I have to go back to my normal duties, I don't think that she'll keep away as much. I guess like this is our wedding gift from her." Van said trying not to laugh.
"When, when is Naomi…" Hitomi suddenly decided to ask but Van hushed her instantly.
"We'll talk about that when we get back, I don't want to hear about her right now." Van said somewhat angrily which made Hitomi change the subject. "Are we almost there?" She asked knowing how the name of his former high priestess made him want to go in to one of his raging moods. Hitomi wondered if Van would have killed Naomi right there if she wasn't in the room. Van use to have a much more violent side when Hitomi had first met him, his temper has calmed down a whole lot since Hitomi had last seen him a little over two years ago, but it was still there.
"Not for a while I think. I haven't been here in a long time since I've been too busy, now is an excuse for me to come visit here again." The young king answered. "The driver is going to leave us alone for a few hours and then will come back an hour before sunset, so we'll be here almost all day."
"Are you sure that that's alright Van?" Hitomi asked and looked in to Van's reddish-brown eyes.
"Yes, there is nothing here that could harm us, and there's something that I want you to try as well." Van said and rested his hand over in between Hitomi's shoulder blades where her wings where. "It's about time that you learn how to use them, I will try my hardest to always be there to save you from falling if needed, but in case…"
"I understand, it's alright, I need to learn how anyway. I've been meaning to ask you, but I just didn't know how to ask. And since there isn't really any place for me to practice with out catching everyone's attention…"
"That is the major point of this visit." Van said smiling at his brilliant plan. "The rumors of this place being haunted will keep the other people away and give us time to teach you how to well you know." No one knew about Hitomi's wings, not even Merle. Van was the only one she had ever shown and that was by accident since she didn't even know that she had them. "Now you can take a nap if you want, I'll wake you up when we get there." Hitomi wasn't very tired but she just leaned her head against her husband's chest and closed her eyes and listened to the sound of his heart beating. She liked the way that it sounded, it was calming and comforting like his touch. With out realizing it, she soon fell asleep.
The driver slowed down and Van looked out the window an hour later and smiled once he recognized the familiar scenery. "Hitomi, wake up, we're here." He said quietly as he gently shook her and watched as his young queen woke up, and looked at him with sleepy eyes. "We're here already? I just fell asleep." Hitomi insisted and then looked out the window of the carriage. "It's beautiful Van."
"I'm glad that you like it." Van said smiling back at the woman who he had taken to be his queen and wife. The driver stopped and Van got out first, the driver tried to open the door to Hitomi's side, but Van had insisted that he do it. Once the door was opened he took hold of Hitomi's hand and helped her out. "Don't forget what time I asked you to be here by. I wrote you a reminder note just in case you did forget."
"Don't worry King Van, I wouldn't forget such an important task in forgetting to pick up my king and queen. I'm not unreliable like some of my co-workers. Forgive me for speaking ill of them." The older man said and then bowed.
"All is forgiven, just don't forget about us alright?" Van asked and the man nodded. "Yes your highness, I won't forget." He looked around at the spacious ground that they where standing on. "Forgive me for saying this, but I wish that you would have chosen a nicer place for you and your queen's picnic, this place…" He said as he pulled out the picnic basket that one of the cooks had packed for the two of them before they left.
"We'll be fine." Van insisted. "Now, you should be heading back to the city, or your co-workers will start to speak of your lateness." Van said smiling.
"Yes, very well." The man said a little too eagerly. "I'll see you four hours before sunset." The man got back in to the drivers seat and headed off.
"Why is it that people don't like this place?" Hitomi asked not feeling anything unusual about it, besides the fact that there was some sort of strange spiritual energy emitting from the area. "I sense that something is here, but it's friendly, not harmful."
"Not to us anyway, not since of who we are. Mother told me that when she use to take me here when I was younger. These spirits protect this land, and all those who live here. Though there are some that they wish out of this place." Van started to explain. "Those with a completely evil heart and wishes bad intentions on to Gaea, or greed, the spirits start to well I'm not sure what they do to these people since I have never been attacked by one of them thank the gods for that."
"This place is full of happy-ness and sorrow." Hitomi said as she could now sense the emotions of the spirits. "A place of memories, of new beginnings."
"Sorry, I should have thought of a better place to teach you. I kind of forgot that you could…"
"No, this place is fine Van, they will not harm us as long as we do not intend to harm them or this place in anyway. This land is sacred for some odd reason that I can't figure out." Hitomi's eyes seemed to have changed and her voice did as well as she now spoke. "You and your wife are welcomed here King of Fanellia."
"Hitomi?" Van asked now puzzled.
"No, I have borrowed her body to speak with you." The voice said. "You and your wife will not be harmed for you are the children of our people."
"But that's impossible, the Atlantians…"
"When your mother was alive, we had followed her here to protect her and give her sanctuary to where she could fly but she seldom used this place. When she brought you, we found out that you where one of her children easily as she taught you how to use your wings in this spot. Most of us, have moved on to the spirit plane, but some of us have continued to stay here to protect the last of our people."
"Rest in peace spirit, I will protect her." Van said not meaning to sound as rude as he had.
"No, it is our duty as guardian spirits reigning King of Fanellia. I know that you mean well to protect this woman of yours, but when you are here, you are our guests, and therefore, are protected by us."
"Thank you, may you rest in peace." Hitomi's eyes returned back to normal and she stared at Van with a blank expression. "Van?" She asked. "Was I just saying something weird?"
"No, it's nothing." Van said smiling. "Come on, let's see what you can do."
"But Van…" Hitomi said.
"No one will bother us here, and even if they do they aren't welcomed here. You where right about this place, it is sacred, and meant for only our kind."
"What do you mean by our kind?" Hitomi asked somewhat puzzled.
"You are the same as me, Hitomi, think about it, the wings, you're a dragonian Hitomi." Van said.
"Oh… well that would explain the wings… unless if I had somehow become an angel."
"An angel Hitomi?" Van asked now being the one confused.
"Never mind, it's too difficult to explain." Hitomi said. "Now how do I make them come out?"
Van put the basket down and took off his shirt and put it on top of the basket. His wings came out on command which always amazed Hitomi every time she saw them. He looked handsome with out his wings, but he looked just as good with them. "Now wish for them to come out, or do I have to just toss you off?" Van teased which made Hitomi want to hit him for that.
"You wouldn't dare Van Fanel!" Hitomi shouted at the young king. "Not after what you pulled at our wedding, you still owe me for that!"
"Yes I know." Van said sighing. "Now let's just start by getting your wings out."
"Wouldn't that rip my dress?" Hitomi asked would having had felt rather embarrassed.
"I don't know." Van admitted. "But I brought something to cover you just in case it did. I brought a long dress jacket just in case it did." Van said rather embarrassed. "My mother never ripped her dress when she called them, so I didn't know."
"We could always get a dress made in the Mystic Moon style. Well there are many styles on the Mystic Moon, but a few dressed are low cut, meaning that they come down to your back, or which ever length that you want them. Maybe I should try drawing some designs for the seamstress and ask her to make me some. This way if people ask I can say that they are dresses from my old home."
"Not a bad idea. Now about those wings. You wish for them to come out as you wished for them to come in." Van explained.
She felt silly doing what he said but van knew how to do this better then she did, and so she could then feel the material being ripped by a pair of long white wings. (I changed the color back to white. I need to go back and correct it in the earlier chapters.) "Oh no…" Hitomi said as she felt her face get hot as she blushed. "My dress, I was afraid of this." She thought sighing. "How bad is it Van?"
"Not too bad, it could be worse." Van admitted.
"HOW bad Van?" She stressed again.
"Well most of the upper back is torn out, but at least it's only down to your middle back to where the ripping stops." Van said truthfully and sighed.
"How embarrassing…"
"It'll be fine, just make sure to keep the dress coat on when we go back." Van said. "Now, come on, the second thing for you to do is fall." Van said trying to change the subject which worked.
"Fall?" Hitomi asked as she looked down the edge of the cliff. "Are you sure that this is really the right thing to do?"
"That's how I did it the first time. Well off of on top of a building actually and I never made it my first time, but I'll be here if you don't get it."
Hitomi sighed as she moved closer to the cliff's edge and could barely feel her feel on the edge any more and could now feel herself falling after she had taken the last step.
"Damn!" Van swore as he dove quickly after Hitomi to save her. "Van!" Hitomi called out to Van who was still a distance away from her and it felt like she was falling quickly. She reached her arm out to Van, but could tell that it was useless and that he was still too far away. She didn't dare to look at the ground instead she closed her eyes. "VAN!" She called out to the man who was away from her.
"Hitomi, fly damn it!" Van shouted as he flew down to catch her. 'Shit, I might not make it in time. I didn't make it my first time, what was I thinking?' He scolded himself as sweat rolled down his face. He then saw that she was now floating in the air, and was fine. 'Thank the gods, she managed to use them.' He thought now laughing happily as he finally reached his young wife.
"What's so funny Van?" Hitomi asked as she now opened her eyes and found herself floating. "I am so going to get you for this Van." Hitomi hissed.
"What is my punishment Queen Hitomi?" Van asked in-between the laughter.
"I'll be sleeping in my old room tonight, King Van." Hitomi said which made Van instantly stop laughing. "And there's nothing for you for the rest of the week. Kissing, etc. I'm sure that you understand what I mean and that I don't have to get so descriptive of it."
"But Hitomi! Come on you're alright you learned how to use them now didn't you?" Van protested. "That's taking things a little too far."
"You managed to sleep fine with out me next to you King Van."
"So you're calling me by my title now as well?" Van asked rather annoyed.
"Yes, as part of your punishment." Hitomi said only half meaning what she said.
"Fine, but let's go eat at least Hitomi." Van said and started to make his way back up the cliff. "Do you want me to leave you here and let you figure it out for yourself or…" He shut up once Hitomi had started to fly up back toward the top. She had learned faster then he did, it sort of made him jealous.
Hitomi felt tired and was glad when she sat down on the blanket that Van had laid out for the two of them. She was only sort of fooling around with Van, but half of her wasn't. She would be staying in her old bedroom, but that was only for tonight, just to see how Van would react to it. She never really mentioned to how long she would be mad at him, and she probably would be back to normal after tonight.
"Here, you should eat something." Van said as he pulled out the first piece of food he saw and handed it to Hitomi.
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They arrived back at the palace three hours after they where suppose to, but where scolded by Merle anyway even though she had promised to stay away from the week. "You're lucky that I managed to keep one of the cooks here so that they could make you something to eat." The cat girl said.
"Thanks Merle, I'm not hungry anyway." Hitomi said yawning removing her hand from the coat only once.
"You need to eat something, Hitomi." Van said. "Other wise you'll never gain your energy back."
"I'll be fine, I just need some rest King Van." Hitomi said and bowed gracefully. "Good night your highness." And with that she headed toward the direction to her old bedroom.
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