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Selena glared at her twin. Angered by his actions and reactions.
"How could you fight with them!" she screamed, "You should have found a place to sit back and watch as those soldiers destroyed what they could. You alone took out nine of them. Nine, Dilandau! Nine of our own men."
"You should have told me they were coming, then." Dilandau growled, "I thought we were suppose to be working together on this, sister."
"And we are. I wasn't told of the attack either. It was a test, but not for me. Our new Emperor was testing you and you failed." Selena crossed her arms over her chest and continued to glare, "What made you think you should fight those men?"
"They were armed and running at me. How did you expect me to react?"
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Allen straightened up when he heard footsteps on the stairs leading down to where his cell was located. He was annoyed that it took Millerna so long to get him out of there. His night on the lumpy cell bed had ruined his shirt.
The knight caeli was surprised to see Hitomi, to say the least. The Queen was dressed in a pale gown with her shoulder length hair pinned back away from her face.
She looked like a ghost.
"Why have you come?" he asked, intentionaly leaving out any sign of her higher status.
"To tell you that this is for real. You betrayed friends, Allen and you will pay for your actions. Millerna has agreed to leave you here. She and Dryden both think it is for the best if you stay in Fanelia for a few months. Once the news of your two faced betrayal has sunk into the minds and hearts of Asturians then you will be free to go back to the land you called home. Never again will you use your name or staus as a Knight to better your situation. You are a criminal, Allen." Hitomi kept her distance, she didn't want him to try anything. She wasn't afraid of what he might do but instead what she would have to do to him to get away.
"You are filth." he spat.
"When did you start hating Draconians?" Hitomi asked, "It's a wonder I didn't feel you anger earlier. I guess I didn't want to but now...now I can feel it like heat coming off of you."
"My hatred started when I realized Selena wasn't saved by you or your cursed husband. Zaibach was still able to rebuild itself and come after the only family I had left. It was the curse of Atlantis. First my father brought it apon us and then Van. I thought he saved her. I thought you both saved her. Isn't that what everyone was saying?- it was the two of you together that made those things happen." Allen roughly ran his hands through his long, now tangled hair.
"I don't know what everyone was saying, but it's not our fault that Zaibach was able to rebuild. There will always be those who seek shadowed ways, ways of violence." Hitomi was once again surprised byher own words, "There is no curse, Allen. Curses don't exist untill you want them to. I don't believe in curses, not one attached to bloodlines or old wives' tales. It would do you some good to think about what it is you've done. Now that you're behind bars there is no way for you to try and help Selena. You've caused a a friendship to die a horrible death."
Allen laughed.
"Van thought you a friend." Hitomi's face turned hard and her eyes became cold, "There is no room for forgiveness even at it's smallest. You are now Van's enemy, and mine. Remeber that. Remember Van and I will do all we can to protect what we love. I've always said that I would never kill willingly but if you force me to Allen I will deffend my home and her people at all costs."
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Van found Hitomi already asleep when he returned to their room. It was late and the day had been long. There was much to do. Only a day had passed since the fighting and Aidren saw to the execution of the soldiers. Now only Allen remained.
Allen was alive because of who he was. Van knew the best punishment for him was staying alive and behind bars. Death would only make Allen think he had gone down fighting. Time would make Allen realize that what he did was sentence himself to a life with nothing more than the dirt that lined his cell.
Van was still troubled over what had happened. It hadn't been the fighting that left him shaking but the attemped knife in his back by someone who had been a friend.
A gentle hand on his cheek caused Van to jump as his wife leaned against him, "There's nothing you can do about Allen now. There wasn't anything you could've done then." she caressed his cheek and ear before pulling him down next to him.
"It's a weight in the back of my mind." Van said, curling up to his wife, "Allen and I fought together during the war. I trusted him to watch my back."
"People change." Hitomi smoothed back Van's hair, "Good or bad- people change. It's all in here." Hitomi tapped Van's head, "Allen's thoughts changed. I felt them today. He became a bitter person after the fighting stopped. Millerna never went back to him and you had your kingdom to tend to and all he had was Selena who was trapped inside her mind most of the time. He was left- a hero of the War but a man left to take care of his sister. He was no longer a knight- just a figure brought out at special occasions. He felt useless and forgotten."
"I knew something was wrong as soon as he showed up here." Van sighed, breathing in Hitomi's sent and letting his tight muscles relax.
"Go to sleep, love. You need to rest." Hitomi kissed Van and laid back on the pillows, making more room for him.
"What would I do without you?" Van asked, kicking his boots off.
"You'd walk around in circles having only slept four hours a night." Hitomi laughed.
Van smiled, his first truely happy smile of the day and tossed his itchy formal shirt onto the floor. Normaly Hitomi would have scolded him treating his 'royalty' clothing in such a way but her eyes were closed again and her breathing had evened out.
Hitomi was asleep once again.
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Pennin woke to find Rosie already up, washed and dressed. Her dark hair piled on top of her head.
"And where are you off to?" he asked, rolling over onto his back.
"I couldn't sleep. My stomack wouldn't let me." Rosie smiled weakly, "Hitomi said she'd go for a morning walk with me. I'm hoping the air will make me feel better."
Pennin stood and hugged his wife noticing how pale she looked and how her belly was begining to round.
"You're beautiful." he whispered, brushing aside a stray curl.
Rosie looked at her husband, trying to decide if he was being serious or if he was still asleep.
"Go." Pennin laughed, "Don't keep Hitomi waiting."
Rosie kissed Pennin and headed for Hitomi's room. The guards stepped aside to let her pass silently.
As she came closer to the door Rosie saw that the king and queen's bedroom door was open. Hitomi's leg and arm could be seen as she leaned back in through the door laughing to say something to the King.
Rosie stood back not wanting to intrude on a private moment and when Hitomi finaly stepped out of the door way Rosie saw how fresh and glowing the Queen looked.
"Good morning?" Rosie asked witha smirk and Hitomi laughed, linking her arm through her friend's.
"Sometimes it's hard for me to believw that the Van I am married to now is the same Van I met four years ago. He's so open and loving." Hitomi sighed, a huge smile on her face, "I've never been so happy in my entire life as I have been living here."
"That's great." Rosie made a face and put her hand on her belly, "Next to you I look like death warmed over."
"You do not!" Hitomi said, shocked.
"Do too." Rosie laughed bitterly, "I haven't slept, I can't eat and I'm getting fat."
"No." Hitomi stopped Rosie on the front steps of the palace, "You're not fat. Has Pennin said anything to you about how you look?"
"Before I left the room he told me I was beautiful." Rosie said, blushing slightly.
"Well, you should believe him, because you are. I'm being serious." Hitomi glared as Rosie scoffed, "Fine, next time I'll just agree with you when You say you look like death."
Rosie laughed and insisted that they continue on with their walk making Hitomi promise not to mention food or how her dress was begining to pull tight across her stomack.
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A/N: I know it's been awhile and I was hoping to get this out earlier but the past two weeks have been crazy. Just to give you guys an idea of what's been happening- Scott came home for Labor Day weekend (that's 6 hours in the car for me on saturday and then on monday to get him here and then back) and then I started my new second job. Thursday was my sister's b-day, Friday was my niece's b-day and today was Scott's b-day as well as my childhood friend's wedding.
I'm tired to say the least. Shopping for wedding gifts is harder than you would think.
Thank you all for the reviews and I must say that while I'm not against lemon in stories where they fit- (if the story is just a lemon then it's a waste of time)- I just can't write them. I feel like an idiot even trying to write them. It's not my thing.
Sorry this was short. I just wanted to get something posted for you all.