Chapter 3
Meanwhile Back On Gaea...
Van sat at the head of a long table surrounded on either side by stuffy old men. The council meetings always bored him to death, all they did was gossip like women and try to get Van to marry.
"King Van? Said Kome (a very annoying adviser) bring him out of his day dream and back to reality. "What was wrong with Princess Kristiania of Cialem?"
"She was loud, rude, vain, self centered not to mention arrogant." Van bluntly pointed out to his council.
"Now, King Van don't get carried away. She wasn't 'that' bad."
Find then 'you' marry her!" he snapped standing up abruptly and knocking over his chair. The whole council jumped at the sudden noise.
Timidly Kome spoke trying to avoid the rage his King's temper "As part of your 'Kingly' duties, you won't mind showing her around, when she arrives tomorrow." he cowered slightly, seeing the fire in Van's eyes.
"Council is dismissed!" Van roared storming out of the meeting hall. He stomped down the hall fuming "I can't believe those pompous fools think that I will marry that prissy of a princess!"
Suddenly a large object was lunched at his stomach knocking him over.
"Lord Van!" a familiar high pitched voice squeaked.
"Merle what is wrong?"
"I over heard the maids talking" Van raised his left eyebrow questionably (he always scolded Merle for eavesdropping) She just shrugged his look off and continued "They said that horrible Princess Kristiania was coming back!"
"My advisers just told me, Princess Kristiania is to arrive tomorrow."
"Oh Lord Van" letting him up. "This is terrible! She is always so mean to me when your not around."
"That is not the worst part." now it was Merle's turn to look confused.
"What could be worst then Princess Kristiania coming for a visit?"
"My council wants me to marry that witch!" (witch wasn't the exact he used, get my drift.) Merle looked shocked.
Her face changed (the expression she had when she was joking Hitomi about being a hand maiden) "Things would be different if Hitomi was still here." elbowed Van in the ribs, he turned a bright shade of red.
"Well she isn't here! He snapped "Hitomi's not coming back!" the tone of his voice made Merle jump.
"Lord Van?" she pleaded,
"I'm going for a walk in the forest..." she padded along behind him "ALONE!" Van snapped without turning to look at her like that before.
On his way outside, Van passed several of his solders, who stopped hitting on the maids to solute him. "I hate being King" Van thought to himself "constant presser being forced at self centered princesses,..." silently he looked up though the branches at two large orbs that hung in the crystal clear sky. "Hitomi I miss you so much more then you will ever know." (he was almost in the middle of the forest). The gentle sound of flowing water (a small water fall was near by) was a welcomed change from nagging advisers. A soft breeze played with his raven hair. When he was at the edge of the small lake, a bright pillar of light appeared out of the sky. Stunned and blinded Van slipped into the water, hitting his head.
Commercial interruption
Mean While... a mysterious figure inters the Fanelian forest.
"Ooohh" they groaned "it feels like I've been walking for ever!" continuing the traveler complained about their journey "I haven't had a bath or a decent meal in days!" a gentle breeze gave little relief to the wandering warrior. Sweat matted their reddish brown hair to their forehead and the sides of their face. Damp with perspiration their clothes clung to their slim body. The rustle of leaves in a near by tree, made the stranger reach for their sword. Scaly hazel green eyes searched from tree to tree, yet finding nothing out of the usual. Their right hand rested on the cold metal hilt of the sword at their hip. "This just doesn't feel right."
A twig snapped behind them as a callused hand grabbed their wrist. "Hello cutie!" came a deep voice from be hind them.
Spinning around to face a short beefy man in a fanelian uniform. "Back off! Or I'll.."
He uninterrupted "What are you going to do missy, pin me! ha ha ha" He laughed.
"No, you'd like that to much." she said blandly
"Like you wouldn't!" he said trying to pull her close to him.
Swiftly she brought her knee upward, the solider fell over holding himself. Picking him up off the ground she pushed him ageist the closest tree. "I told you to back off." she removed a length of rope from her belt, and started to tie him to the tree with a serous of tight knots.
"Ouch! What do think your doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing?" stifling a laugh.
"You can't get away with this!" he called after her retreating back as she calmly walked away.
"Watch me!" she called over her shoulder. When she was out of sight she said "God that felt good to kick some ass!" Looking down at her sweaty clothes, she grimaced "Urggg" her entire outfit, which was formerly different shades of blue, all had this grayish black grimy color. "As soon as I find some water or a place to stay I'm washing up!"
Over an hour later she heard a faint sound of running water, walking into a clearing in about the middle of the forest. There was a small lake with a beautiful waterfall. "Perfect." she said checking to make sure no one was around; stripping down she dived in the cold water. "ooooooo, this is just what I needed!" Scrubbing all the grime out of her clothes, she hung them up to dry. As she swam around she felt like she was in heaven. "Can't I just stay like this for ever?" she asked herself. Suddenly as if an answer to her question there was a bright pillar of light lighting up the whole shy. A large splash came from the opposite shore of the lake. "What on Gaea was that!" Forgetting that she was in the middle of bathing, she swam over to where the splash had come from. There was no one in sight, but on closer inspection she saw boot marks in the mud. "Oh crap whoever it was must have fallen in!"
Diving back under water she opened her eyes searching for anything usual. About ten feet away a dark mass was sinking fast. Kicking a fast as she could she wrapped her arm around the person's waist, and started back toward the surface. Her lungs burned from the lack of oxygen. The harder she swam the farther away the surface seemed. Her aching mussels protested. Breaking the surface, she gasped for air. Struggling she dragged the limp form onto the grass.
Collapsing next to the unconscious person she had just rescued.
Leaning over to check pulse and breathing, she noticed it was a man, but not any man he was the most hansom person she had ever seen. Dripping raven hair framed his face, a red shirt was plastered to his well muscled abbs. Studying his face, trying to think where she knew him from.
His reddish eyes blinked open blurry, "Hitomi?"
"Who is Hitomi?"
Focusing in on the person leaning over him, his eyes looked like they were going to pop out.
(Little did they know but Hitomi saw this, forgetting her promise not to care who Van was with, She broke down sobbing. Turning she fan toward the castle.)
"Holy SHIT!" noticing that she was completely naked, she dived back into the water." I'm so sorry!"
Looking away "I'm sorry ma'am... but could you please explain what happened."
"No one has ever called me ma'am before! You must have hit your head a little to hard!" laughing she swam over to where her clothes was drying. Once she was dressed she walked back to where he stood waiting.
He was almost as stunned now as he was when he woke up. The woman that saved his life must have been twenty or twenty-one, six foot tall, her long light brown hair had reddish tints and was pulled back in a long braid that fell past her waist. She was wearing a electric blue tank top, the same blue shorts, dark blue boots, a thick leather belt of the same dark blue, and the most shocking part was the sword that hung at her waist.
"My name is Medina." she said bowing in front of him.
"I'm Van Slanzar de Fanel." before he could bow she stopped him
"Your the KING of Fanelia! I can't let you bow before me, I'm at your service." then she thought 'OH god the KING of all FANELIA saw me naked!' she blushed.
"Could you please explain what happened?"
She explained everything (well not everything she is kept her past and the reason why she was walking though the Fanelian Forest to herself) as they walked thought the forest, in the direction of the castle.
To Be Continued...
Combined chapter 4 and 5