Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with Escaflowne…The characters may be the same, but the plot is my own doing!

To all who reviewed: OMG. Thanks! Like, I'm suffering from writer's block…Dear God…Anyway, here's my attempt at trying to further the plot with my disease of evil blockage!

Chapter Nine

Hitomi looked away, terrified. Silence followed. Before Van could do anything, the door to the room swung open. "LORD VAN!"

Both of their heads moved to the sound. Hitomi furiously began to wipe her eyes to get rid of the tears and try to remove the redness and Van made a sad attempt of smiling. "Merle…" He said faintly.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked playfully, crossing her arms over her chest. "I would've expected more moral actions from a King…"

Van realized Hitomi's and his awkward position. She was practically naked and they were sitting right next to each other on her bed. He turned red in spite of their conversation a few minutes earlier. "No, no Merle…This isn't what you think…" Van stuttered.

Merle came up to him and pulled him off the bed. Using both of her hands, she dragged him to the door. "Honestly, she isn't even dressed yet! Where are your manners, Lord Van?"

"Please…Nothing is going on—" Van began to say, but Merle had already pushed him out the door and slammed the door in his face. She didn't give him time to explain.

"Merle, come on…We weren't doing anything…" Hitomi smiled weakly.

"Now Hitomi, you can't be too careful around men…" Merle grinned. "Come on; let's get you changed into your clothes." The feline looked around the room to spot the dress that she picked out for Hitomi still laying neatly, untouched, on the other side of the bed.

"What clothes have you picked out for me?" Hitomi asked quietly, trying to change the atmosphere in the room. She stood up and walked over to where Merle was standing. Van thinks that I'm the one to be killed…God, no…Please…

"Haven't you even looked at them? Jeeze!" Merle stomped to the other side of the bed and picked up the dress. She held it out for Hitomi to see. It was a long, sleeveless dress that went down to just past the knees. Along the collar and bottom was a pattern of rusty red zigzags and opal green squares.

"It's very beautiful…"

"I picked this one because the green compliments your eyes and the red contrasts them. I think that the beige fabric will go good with your hair. You know, this one time, when I went shopping for clothes with Lord Van, I tried on this green dress. It looked nice, but then, the lady…" Merle paused in mid-story to notice that Hitomi was not listening and instead was intent on staring at the floor. "Hitomi! You're not paying attention!"

Snapped out of her staring, Hitomi looked up again. "What? Oh, I'm sorry."

"Ugh, never mind…Just try it on. I guessed at your size….Go on! Try it!" The pink-haired cat shoved the dress in Hitomi's arms and ushered her to the washroom. "I'll give you some privacy…Even though were both girls. It's not like I haven't seen…..Hitomi?"

Hitomi did not move from her position in front of the washroom door. "Hitomi?" Merle asked again. Her ears picked up quiet sobbing. She spun Hitomi around and noticed that her eyes were teary. "Hitomi, what's wrong?"

Through her tears, Hitomi smiled and laughed. "Nothing…Nothing's wrong."

"Hitomi…I might have only known you for a little while, but I can tell when you're lying. What is wrong?" The other girl pushed. "Come on. You can tell me."

The dirty blonde wiped her tears away. "I'm crying because I'm happy."

Merle gave her a skeptical look.

"No, really. I'm happy that I can spend my time here…with everyone." Hitomi hugged the fabric close to her chest. If that something wants anything to do with me…I'm happy that they'll be here…to watch over me.

After a long pause of consideration, Merle jumped up and hugged Hitomi hard. "Oh, Hitomi!" She let go and grinned. "Now, go try on that dress and stop crying!"

"Okay…" Hitomi replied, shakily. Before she could close the door, Merle added in a whisper, "I also picked that dress because Van told me that he would love to see it on you on the day you returned to him…"

"So, you invited her here?"

"Yes, my Lord. She will stay here for convenience until the wedding…about one month from now. We're not sure about the location, but we suggest Fanelia…"

"You just expect me to marry someone who I don't know? Someone who I'll only have one month to make enough conversation to go from stranger to wife?" Van asked, anger rising. He had called a meeting with his advisors to take place before dinner. I doubt we'll be finished by then…

"We did this out of your best interest!" Another yelled. The meeting was turning into a shouting match.

"My best interest? Like hell you did! This is probably some scheme to raise more money for yourselves!" Van retorted, feeling his blood boil. Truth be told, he didn't like many of his advisors.

"Your majesty! Please, hear us out! Try to understand!" Chief advisor Akira shouted.

Van snapped. "Try to understand what, exactly?" He paused and tried to control his breathing. "That the men who were hired by my father to help me run my country went behind my back to establish a marriage ceremony that I had no consent in!" He slammed his open palm on the desk at his last word. His other hand was currently gripping the armrest of his chair very tightly.

"Sire, listen." Advisor Haru started after the noise of the desk rattling stopped. Van looked up. As the oldest person on the council, Van trusted him. Haru and his father were best of friends. Growing up, he was Van's as well.

"What?" He growled.

"You certainly are of age to get married—"

Van scoffed to interrupt. He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "—that doesn't mean I want to be."

"Do not interrupt, your majesty…You are of age. Perhaps even too old…May heaven forbid if something were to happen to you in battle…there would be no heir. Then what would happen? Tyrants from all over would try to take over. Would you want to put your people through that? Would you put Fanelia in that sort of political and economical danger? Would you want your people to be ruled by barbarians?"

The frown upon Van's face lightened. "If that is the case, then shouldn't I get to choose my own wife?"

"You've had this long to choose…More than five long years…With no results!" A younger advisor added. "You are too indecisive for your own good!"

"I'm not indecisive…I just know what I'm looking for." Van glared. "And I haven't found it yet."

"My Lord, Princess Shina is a respectable woman. She comes from a wealthy and intelligent family. She is a good match for you. With her and her people, Fanelia can expand…Advancements can be made because of the sake of higher population and accumulated ideas. The quality of life will certainly increase. Think about it…More land, more farms, more places for families to grow…

"This marriage was not made in selfish terms. This marriage was not measured in dowry. We, as in the council, made this marriage arrangement for the sake of Fanelia. It will strengthen our alliance, giving our people a secure state of mind; protection is important. It will help us rise in status for innovations and production and jobs…"

With Haru pause, a middle-aged advisor by the name of Meguni leaned forward on the table. "My Lord, your father would have wanted you to marry someone like Princess—"

"—What the hell do you know what my father would have wanted!" Van yelled, standing up so fast that the chair he was just sitting on flipped backwards and landed on the floor. The sound of it echoed, narrowly silencing Van's angry breathing. "You were barely my age when my father was around…"

Haru stood slowly, using both of hands on the table for support. "Your majesty, this marriage benefits Fanelia. I know it is hard to accept it, with it coming so suddenly, but…Van…"

Many of the other council members were shocked. No one ever said his majesty's name with such disrespect to his title. No one ever said his name without adding 'Lord' in front of it.

"…we did this to do what is right for Fanelia."

Van looked away. His long bangs darkened and covered his face. In three quick strides he was next to the door. The council men stood up to stop him, but Van held out his hand to cease their movements. "…You should have considered doing it to do what is right for its King……This meeting is adjourned until further notice."

And with that, Van exited swiftly and shut the door behind him.

Hitomi could barely believe it. The sun was almost setting. Merle and her had spent the entire day talking about everyone…well, not the entire day…at least since the feline burst in on her and Van. Allen and Millerna had gotten married, much to Hitomi's happiness, and were currently living in Austria.

"Chid is so handsome!" Merle talked excitedly, clapping her hands together. "I mean, he certainly got Allen's looks. Blonde hair, blue eyes…He doesn't keep his hair as long as his father, though. The longest part of his hair barely reaches past his ears…All the woman can't wait for him to court them. Oh! It's so romantic!

"He's king now…Chid takes full responsibility for Fried, even though he's only thirteen. Of course, Allen helps out…even though they're not in the same place, Chid asks for advice and the like. Ah! Hitomi!" Merle paused and turned to her. "Millerna and Allen have had a baby!"

This news took Hitomi by surprise. "Really? Boy or girl?"

"Girl…Millerna prayed for one. She's only three years old. Looks like Allen too…but her hair is a paler blonde. Dark eyes too…Yuki is so cute! You have to meet them again!"

"Yeah…I do…"Before my time here is up…

"I'll tell Lord Van that we'll take a little road trip there for a day! How about that?"

"Sounds good, Merle…" Hitomi agreed faintly. She noticed that the sky was turning dark blue now and as a force of habit, Hitomi looked at her watch. Not surprisingly, her watch was not working. Obviously…I'm in a totally different dimension… It still showed the time of 11:37; the last known time she was still on earth.

Merle was looking over her shoulder. "What's that?" She poked at the cool metal band that the watch had.

"It's called a watch. It tells time." Hitomi explained.

"Hey! Like our sun-dials…except smaller…way smaller…" Merle deduced. "How come that one stick keeps ticking in the same spot?"

Hitomi looked at her watch. "My watch is broken…That's why it's stuck."

"Well, I know what time it is without looking at that thing!"

"What time is it?" Hitomi asked, amused.

"Dinner time!" Merle cried, jumping to her feet and pulling Hitomi with her. "Come on! We can talk more over dinner!"

Just as Hitomi shut the door behind her, she crashed into Merle, who had stopped moving. "Ow! Hey, Merle! What's the hold-up?" She looked up to see that Merle was bowing to a woman in a light blue, full-length dress with a white, frilly collar. The woman had a black brooch pinned to where the collar ended.

"Princess Shina…" Hitomi heard her friend grumble. The woman in blue smiled politely and exited the guests' chambers quickly.

She had enough time to stare long and hard at Hitomi though.

The pendant pulsed weakly without Hitomi's knowledge.
You don't belong here
There was something about her eyes that was plaguing Hitomi. My God, what colour were they? Even though she had stared back at the woman, it's as if her brain had not registered colour. Why does this keep happening? It's as if I'm not focusing…But, I am…

"Who's that?" Hitomi whispered as Shina's footsteps were no longer heard.

"Didn't you hear me greet her, Hitomi?" Merle frowned, turning around to face her. "Do you EVER listen to me?"

"I'm sorry…I just got distracted…"

"She's Princess Shina. Ruler of Yoshidaria." The feline explained, sticking up her nose at the last part of her sentence. "And I don't like her."

"Aw, why not? She seems polite." Hitomi asked, giggling. It was just so cute that the people here were acting more like the people on Earth since she'd been here the first time.

"Why not? Shina is a stuck-up little snot."

"Merle!"

"Well, she walks around as if she owns the place…when it's clearly Van's palace." She explained, leading Hitomi towards the dining area. They continued to walk the corridors, speaking poorly of Shina and highly of dinner. Once silence fell, Hitomi piped up.

"What is she doing here, anyway?"

"I dunno. Something the advisors set up…Maybe some stupid trade thingy…or politics…Who cares? I just want her gone as soon as possible."

"Why's that?" Hitomi asked even though she knew the answer.

"Because, for the second time, I don't like her…Jeeze, Hitomi, you really don't listen to me."

"No, I do…But, you've just met her…How can you just judge a book by its cover?"

"If I don't like what I see, I don't buy it. Same goes for clothes. Like, this one time…I think I told you this story but didn't finish it before…Anyway, me and Van went to the marketplace so he could see what he could buy me for a birthday present…He didn't actually say that, but, it was so obvious…

"So, after getting into a fight with the shop keeper about this green dress…You see, she thought that I got it dirty when clearly the dress was dirty before I tried it on…Van found that dress that you were wearing. He stared at it for a long time. When we left—yeah, I didn't like the dress anymore, so I didn't buy it—and when I asked him about that dress…It was the first time he had mentioned your name in a long time."

Hitomi blushed. After all those years, he still remembered me…He actually thought of me… "He said that the dress would look good on you…that the next time you came back, he'd buy it for you. Van sorta chuckled after that, making it seem like it was nothing…But, it so was. I bought that dress because it made Van happy. And I like it when he's happy…"

Merle pushed aside the dinning hall's doors to be surrounded by the scent of freshly cooked meat and vegetables and soup. "Mmm! My favourite!" No one was in the hall except them, so Merle grabbed Hitomi and sat her down in the second seat to the right of the head of the table. Merle sat in the first.

"Hmm…Only three plates? One for you, Van…Who's the extra plate for? Me or Shina?" Hitomi asked, looking at the table settings.

"Well, I'd rather it be you anyway…I'll tell you why just in case you weren't listening the first time…Because I'd rather stick this knife in my eye than sit next to—" Before Merle could finish her statement of dislike, Shina entered the room with a maid.

"Sorry, m'lady…I did not know that Van had an…" The maid in the white uniform went silent when her eyes fell on Hitomi. A spark of recognition flashed before she continued to speak. "…an extra guest…"

Shina walked over to them, much to Merle's disappointment. "I don't think we've met."

"I'm Merle…" The pink-haired cat mumbled.

"No, silly. I know who you are…I meant…uh…Van's extra guest…"

"That's LORD Van to you, Princess."

"Merle!" Both Hitomi and the maid shouted. Hitomi stood and held out her hand. "I'm Hitomi Kanzaki. Nice to meet you."

Shina, after a few moments of realization, lent her hand out and Hitomi shook it. "I'm Princess Shina, ruler of Yoshidaria. Are you and Lord Van acquaintances? Which part of Gaea are you from?"

"Uh…I'm—" Hitomi didn't get a chance to finish as Van entered the room…seeming to be very pissed off. He did not storm into the room, rather, the fact that his head was down with his hair in front of his eyes was always a way to know when something's wrong.

Merle stood up to hug him to try and change his mood. "Lord Van! The cooks have made one of yours, and my, favourite meals! Doesn't it look good?"

"Yeah…" Van barely hugged Merle back and sat quickly just to stare at his soup. Hitomi decided not to speak…seeing how irritated he was. I'll ask him about it later…

The meal following was uneventful. Merle was the only one talking, trying to make Van engage in a conversation. Of course, Van was being unsocial and she failed. She then proceeded to talk Hitomi's ear off, yet again.

Shina also ate in silence…just watching the other dining members. You will be part of my life, Van, whether you like it or not. "Lord Van?"

Speaking for the first time since introducing herself to Hitomi at the start of dinner, everyone looked her way. "What?" Van asked, tiredly.

"How did that meeting go? What did your advisors say?"

"Nothing."

"Come on…I know your discussion was about us. You're telling me your council said nothing about the wedding? Or the date? I'm not sure how long I have to stay here until then…so I want to know. In case I need more supplies to live here…Are you sure they said nothing about the arrangement?"

Everyone froze. Merle practically choked on the vegetable she was eating. Hitomi dropped her fork into her plate at the news. She stared at Shina and then at Van, who continued to sink in his chair. "They said nothing."

Shina looked back at her plate. "I guess I'll have to ask them myself then."

"Yeah." Van swallowed.

Eating the rest of her meal, Shina stood up. "It was a wonderful meal. Give my best regards to the cook." She walked around the table, stopping at Van's chair for only a second. "We'll talk later…In private." The white-haired princess whispered in his ear, looking up at Hitomi and Merle. "I'll be in my quarters. Good night."

A maid, waiting for her at the door, left without a word, leading Shina back to her room. Once the dining hall's doors closed, Merle stood up. "I've suddenly lost my appetite."

The doors closed for the second time in the past minute. Then, it was just the two of them. Hitomi stared straight ahead and Van continued to look at his cold meal.

"How long have you known?"

Van stayed silent. "Well?"

"As of three minutes ago. My council told me at a meeting I set up…I had bumped into Shina and had no idea who she was. They told me that…that…" Van swallowed and said the next part quietly. "…they've arranged a marriage between us."

Hitomi breathed out noisily. Van? Married? "So, now what?"

"I don't understand."

"Your council has no idea that I'm here. Are you going to tell them, or will I make things more difficult?" She asked.

"I don't know yet."

Hitomi turned and looked at him. Van had finally lifted the hair out of his eyes and was staring back at her. "Van…are you going to go through with this?"

Van swallowed again. "I don't think I have much of a choice…"

"How are we supposed to get anything done with this thing going on?"

"I don't know, Hitomi." Van said, more harshly than he meant it. "As of right now, this arrangement is 'top priority' amongst my council……But, you are still my top priority, Hitomi. To me, this wedding is on hold."

"But, with Princess Shina around, how are we going to get anything done? No doubt that your council will want you and her to spend time together and…stuff." Hitomi mumbled. I know that Van is unhappy with this wedding as I am…But his advisors will force him to comply…

"Well, when I'm through with her, I'll come to you. We'll probably have to meet later on in the day…"

Hitomi slumped forward. "Why must things get so complicated?"

"I think that this is as simple as they're gonna get…" Van whispered to her.

Oh wow…Such a filler chapter…I'm SO sorry. Writer's block is killing me! I still have to formulate the 'evil-doers' plan. I mean, I have the idea…but it's not really flowing or complete yet…

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know, FILLER, but, the boring stuff has to be done. I at least had to explain why the council did the whole marriage and the Van angry scene…and I had to introduce Shina to Hitomi…and introduce the marriage to the other characters: Merle especially. I guess the evil master plan will be explained next chapter? I don't know…WRITER'S BLOCK MUST BE DESTROYED.

A true authoress' note: At first, I thought I wouldn't like writing as Merle…But, I find that she's my comic relief. Van and Hitomi are all serious with their 'we need to solve the visions' so Merle is the one who'll supply some humor. You can see that after some dramatic moment, Merle arrives…to 'relieve the tension'! Ack! I sound like my English teacher!

Please Review! (please?)

PS. Should I bring Millerna and Allen into this? Ugh…Suggestions?

PPS. Oh, and every name given to the council members and Allen/Millerna's daughter were made up!