CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The next few days where peaceful and she wasn't bothered again with the problem of her having to have a heir as soon as possible or at least that's what it felt like. She was only eighteen, almost nineteen years old after all. She knew that people here married early and had children early, but that wasn't the case back home. You where allowed to marry at eighteen at home, but it wasn't usually done since most other people hers and Van's age normally went to college and then maybe during or after college they got married and started a family. It was strange to how the roles of young adults here differed from the ones back on Earth.
For the next few mornings, Hitomi woke up feeling somewhat sick and was usually glad that Van had left already since she usually ended up running to the bathroom before she threw up. 'Don't tell me that this is what I think it is…' She thought and groaned at the thought before she finally came out of the bathroom. Part of her hoped that she just happened to have caught sick somehow and that this was some figment of her imagination. Or at least, that's what she hopped. She and Van already agreed that they would wait to have children, but it was a possibility that she could have been pregnant since she didn't think that they had any protection for that type of thing here yet. She sighed as she thought about it. When she got back to the room, she was a bit surprised to see Van waiting for her.
"We have to go to Fried today, Tomi." Van said and got a strange look from him as he expected that he would. "Prince Chid, is now old enough to take the throne and will be crowned as Duke Chid." Van explained.
"Old enough? He's still a little kid." Hitomi said even though she didn't know the traditions.
"Here, in Fanelia, the traditions are somewhat different." Van explained. "We have to kill a dragon and take their energist to be able to come king, you know that since you where there that day when I had killed that dragon and you where the reason to why I am still alive." Van said and Hitomi nodded remembering that faithful day to when she had first met Van. "In Fried it's different, when they become the age of ten they are allowed to take the throne and its especially easy if their the only child the oldest pretty much gets it. If Folken had decided to come back, he would have lost his chance since he didn't get the energist from the dragon." Van explained. "It would have had to come down if I could get it or not. I'm not sure to what the rules are if they fail and there's not a second son since it's never happened before."
Hitomi nodded understanding to what Van was saying. "It's been too long since I've seen Prince Chid." Hitomi said smiling happily. "I wonder how he's doing." To take the throne at such a young age however, she thought, must have been such a burden on the child since Van himself was still young when he took Fanelia's throne. "Next time I wish that you would have told me ahead of time, Van." Hitomi said and sighed. "You always seem to keep on doing things like this."
"Sorry, I was actually just told of this when the letter arrived today. It seems it got lost some where." Van said laughing nervously. "It seems as whoever Prince Chid sent to deliver it, was slow."
"I'll forgive you this time, King Van." Hitomi said which made Van grin. "Would you stop that?" Van said not liking it to when Hitomi called him by title when they where alone. "We leave this afternoon once the airship gets here." Van said.
Hitomi wondered if she should have told Van that she wasn't feeling well, but decided against it in the end since she didn't know the exact reason to why she had been throwing up in the morning. Maybe she should ask Millerna? After all Millerna was a doctor and a friend, and she was sure that Millerna wouldn't let Van know unless if it was serious: this was one set back to being queen, she couldn't go to the doctor with out the doctor telling Van that she had gone to see one. Hitomi sighed.
"Is something wrong Tomi?" Van asked.
"No, nothing, how long will we be gone?" She asked.
"Two days and nights." Van said. "I guess that means that we should pack something to wear…" He said.
"Sure, right." Hitomi said agreeing wondering how this was since she usually just took her duffle bag everywhere with her, here was a completely different thing. "I hate these formal greetings." She said suddenly. "When we first met, things weren't so formal since well I guess like we where at a time of war and it really didn't matter if you where that formal in public or not. Now, if you make one mistake everyone looks at you strangely."
"Are the people still giving you a hard time Tomi?" Van asked.
"No, I'm just saying that it was easier the last time that I came since I didn't know the rules and such and could get away with things." She explained and Van laughed. "Yes, you where pretty wild back then."
"Me, wild? She asked as she stepped closer to her husband who gave her a weird somewhat frightened look. "Wild, me? Van Fanel, you should be one to talk! You would have killed everyone and anything and I mean that literally If Merle and I weren't there to stop you. You call me wild I can say a whole lot more about you."
Van laughed nervously now regretting having had said that… he wished that there where manuals to when it came with women, he was never going to understand Hitomi. They where married and they had the rest of their lives to get to know one another, however, it seemed as much as he was going to get to know her, he would never understand. Sometimes he wondered if this was the custom of the women from the Mystic Moon. "Alright, alright, sorry." Van said trying not to have any arguments not being in the mood for one. "You weren't wild I was." He said giving in, not really meaning that completely, but said it anyway.
"That's right." Hitomi said agreeing and smiling at Van, having had won the argument. "You where the wild one, and if you don't believe me, you can ask Merle."
"I said that you where right already didn't I?" Van said wondering what Hitomi wanted now.
"Yes, however you sound like you don't mean it Van Fanel." Hitomi said playfully. "And I do suggest that you ask her."
"Maybe later, let's go for a walk while we still have the chance to. I don't get to go on very many morning walks with you."
"After breakfast Van, if you haven't forgot, I haven't eaten yet." Hitomi said smiling. "You haven't either I assume."
"No, I haven't…" Van said wondering what was with Hitomi this morning since she was acting really strange. "Let's go, I guess like we should pack first and then go eat, I don't want to put that off for too long so you can yell at me later for forgetting something."
"Why would I do that?" Hitomi asked.
Van sighed. 'Women!' He thought. 'They need a manual, at least piloting EscaFlowne was easier then marriage was.' He smiled. "Never mind, however, I would like it if you packed that green dress of yours, I like how it looks on you."
"Yes, as you wish." Hitomi said somewhat playfully and that was the end of that.
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After breakfast the two went out on a walk, and actually went in to the city for some time before coming back to the castle, trying to kill time before the air ship came to bring them to Friend. The last time either one of them had seen Fried, the country was burning, since Zaibach had burned it down to the ground. She wondered what it looked like now since most or almost all of Fanelia was completely built and she wondered if Fried looked the same way. It would have been nice to see Prince Chid again, and wondered how tall he had gotten, it was strange to see how much her old friends had changed with in the past few years. They somehow made their way to the garden, it was quiet besides the birds chirping and the normal noise from the outside animals other then humans.
"This is where we said good bye Van." Hitomi said as she walked to the place where Van had sent her back home on her last day here over two years ago.
"Yes, I know." Van said. "I use to visit this place after you left and would just stand there."
Hitomi didn't know what to say at that moment, she blushed slightly. "I missed you to Van, but we don't have to worry about that now, we're together again."
"Brother, I wish that he was here with us." Van said.
"I know." Hitomi said trying to ease his pain. "I know." She still felt responsible for his death. She was the one who had asked him to help her go to Zaibach, she was the one. However, she knew in her heart that Folken had died on his own since he knew the consequences of telling her how to go there and how he wanted to go there to kill the emperor himself.
Van picked off a three single red roses and put them all on Folken's grave. One was for Folken, another was his mother and another was for his father and then he picked a fourth, it was for Balgus, the man who had raised him after his mother and father died. "We're going away for a while brother." Van said to the grave. "We'll be back soon, but watch over Fanelia for us until we get back." He said and then turned to Hitomi. "We should head back." Hitomi only nodded.
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Hitomi nearly fell over once she instantly recognized the ship. It was one of Dryden's ships, she stared at it in surprise and a familiar blonde hair princess with her brown head husband came out.
"Hitomi!" Millerna said happily and hugged Hitomi. "I'm glad that you're better."
"Yes, thanks to you, Millerna, but what are you guys doing here?" Hitomi asked rather surprised.
"The people who where suppose to come pick you up kind of had engine troubles and so I decided that we could stop by and pick you up for them." Dryden said, answering Hitomi's question. "That and Millerna insisted in doing so."
"Allen wanted to do it, but Dryden insisted that he come with us since we're going there to." Millerna explained. "Sister wanted to come but well she's busy at the moment with a man."
Hitomi didn't say anything, she thought that Astruia was a bit far from Fanelia but didn't say anything about it.
"Thanks, I appreciate it." Van said.
"No problem King Van." Dryden said. "Everyone aboard, we should get going if we want to make it there by tonight."
"What happens tonight?" Hitomi asked.
"Nothing, we're just suppose to make it by then, that's all." Millerna said and Hitomi had to stare at her strangely.
"Come on!" Millerna said and then dragged Hitomi in to the ship, rather excited. "I can't believe he's finally going to be duke!" She said excitedly. "Eldest sister would be proud."
"Yes, I bet she would." Chid had actually been Millerna's oldest sister's child and Allen's child, not the dukes. Chid still claimed to be Duke Fried's child, even after he found out. He didn't have to stay there that day, he could have given it up, but he didn't.
"So how's married life to Van?" Millerna asked once the two women where alone and Hitomi had to blush.
"How's married life to Dryden?" Hitomi asked which made Millerna blush in return. "I guess like you know my answer then as well, Millerna-San." Millerna had to laugh. "I guess like I deserved that." Millerna admitted and at that moment, another female came in.
"I hope that I'm not interrupting, am I Hime Millerna?" Celena asked, Celena is Allen's sister who had been turned in to Dilandu by the evil sorcerers of Zaibach. Hitomi still found it strange to believe that they where the same person.
"No, you're not, please have a seat." Millerna said to Celene who sat down.
"You called for me, Hime Millerna?" Celene asked and Millerna nodded. "Yes, I did, I just wanted to congratulate you for getting in to the Asturian court, some of the higher royal family members have found out about your past and where reluctant to give you the job."
"I hope that my unforgivable past will not effect my future. I told oni-chan that I did not deserve to go to Fried, and did not belong there, however, he still insists that I go as his guest." Celena said shyly.
"Prince Chid will forgive you for your crimes, I already explained it to him the last time I seen him and I'm sure that he will welcome you with open arms." Millerna said reassuringly. "Not to mention that it wasn't your fault." Millerna added.
Hitomi felt strange being around Celena since the last time she had seen the woman, she wasn't exactly a woman. "I'm glad that Allen-San finally has you back." Hitomi said suddenly feeling strange being here.
"Yes, thank you, Queen Hitomi." Celena said shyly. "Sorry for all of the things that I did to you back then."
"It wasn't your fault as Hime Millerna said earlier." Hitomi said reassuringly. "There is nothing to forgive since you weren't literally yourself." Hitomi continued.
"Thank you." Celena said. "I can understand why oni-chan liked the two of you."
"Oh, he's told you about that has he?" Millerna asked raising an eye brow.
"Sorry I spoke out of turn." Celena said now embarrassed.
"No, it's alright." Hitomi said and Millerna nodded. "You're oni-chan is was a bit of a play boy back then." Millerna said and this time it was Hitomi who agreed. "Yes."
"Anyways, the past is in the past and we are both happily married so enough of that embarrassing subject." Millerna said and Celena looked at her. "Yes, of course." She said agreeing.
"Hitomi, no it's Queen Hitomi now." Millerna said correcting herself since Celena was in the room. "I heard what happened in Fanelia."
"You heard?" Hitomi asked somewhat embarrassed.
"Yes, I heard about Naomi." Millerna said. "Celena could you please leave?" She asked the younger female who stood up, curtsied and then left. "How she tried to kill you with Van right in the room." Millerna continued after Celena had left and closed the doors.
"There was another incident connected to Naomi recently." Hitomi said sighing which made Millerna look at her seriously and Hitomi explained about the day when the man had tried to attack her in the market place.
"It seems as if someone is trying to brew up trouble, Hitomi." Millerna said and Hitomi nodded. "I don't know if Van knows anything about it or not, but he doesn't want to tell me so that I won't worry."
"Yes, Dryden does the same thing, it's so annoying." Millerna said. "If I hear anything I'll let you know, by mail or visit."
"Thanks, I plan on asking Van sometime, I just don't know when."
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Yes another boring chapter but well maybe the next one will be more interesting? I don't know. Maybe I should quit for now and give it a break before I make everything go down hill from here huh?