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Van stared down at his wedding band. A month had passed since he granted Lord Karth and Lady Kaitlyn a one night stay in the palace and yet they were still there- at his wife's request.
It had been Hitomi who wanted them gone and away from their unborn baby as soon as possible but a horrible vision left her shaking just hours before dawn. Just hours before those foul people would have been out of their lives hopefully forever.
Hitomi's screams had woken more than half the palace and had Van scared out of his mind for the well being of his wife and child. It took nearly an hour to calm Hitomi enough for her to see that she was still in bed and surrounded by friends and family.
"Are they still here?" she had asked, pale and sweaty.
"Yes." Van said, already planning a few ways to get Karth and his daughter out of his home before the sun had risen.
"They can't leave." she said urgently, "They have to stay!"
"Tell me what you saw." Van tried and failed to get Hitomi to lay back in bed.
"Horrible... cold." Hitomi muttered, "They can't leave. Something bad will happen." Hitomi looked up at Van and in the room full of friends and trusted people said, "What I saw I wouldn't wish even on them."
And after that she refused to speak about the vision again. Hitomi had gone to Karth and Kaitlyn and had asked them to stay. She didn't tell them anything more than what she had told Van and her parents, but Karth had looked shaken all the same.
"Your lives are in danger." Hitomi had said heavily, "Here you will be safe so long as you do not betray us. Behave and we will all be friends. Scheme and failure will fall on you swiftly- I can pormise you that."
So they stayed. They were both shocked by Hitomi's vision and fearfull for their lives stayed. It was a sort of uneasy truce among the group and at Hitomi's insistance their guests were given guards and treated as any visiting Lord and Lady would be treated, if not a bit more stiffly.
Van looked up from his wedding band as Karth walked into the room, a book in hand. The older man didn't see Van sitting in the corner of the large library (Hitomi had been very thankfull it hadn't been detroyed along with much of the building just 6 weeks ago).
Noting the book the older Lord was reading Van frowned. It was a book on healing.
"Are you ill?" Van asked, startling the other man into nearly dropping the book.
"I didn't see you there." Karth gave a weak smile, "And yes, I have been feeling ill. Thought this book might help but I've already tried all of these remidies."
Karth had become a bit more friendly towards Van once he realized that they would be stuck together for awhile. Kaitlyn on the other hand had started avoiding the royals and their friends. She choose to close herself up in her rooms and see no one but her father.
"What is ailing you, if you don't mind me asking." Van closed his own book. He hadn't been reading it anyways.
"Head aches." Karth grimaced, "Constant head aches."
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Hitomi frowned down at her shoes. Getting dressed had become a task as of late and suddenly shoes were her foe. Not one pair fit her for more than a week before they felt too tight. The shoe maker had sworn that the shoes hadn't shrunk and that Hitomi's feet hadn't swelled anymore. He didn't know what else to do for her and yet the midwife Hitomi had started seeing told her that it was more than likely her pregnancy making her shoes uncomfortable.
"Shoes are over rated." Hitomi mumbled before kicking them under the bed.
Feeling bigger than a house Hitomi often wondered how Draconian women had done it. At only 7 months Hitomi looked as though she was carrying twins and was way past due. Her feet had long since been hiding from her and all her favorite clothes had been pushed to the back of the closet. The seamstress was over joyed with all the new work she had but had to do most of the measuring by eye now that Hitomi couldn't stand to be too close to people.
Hitomi didn't know if it was just because she was pregnant or if her baby was amping up her powers but whenever she got too close to someone she could feel their thoughts and emotions as though they were telling her their deepest secrets.
And it was driving her crazy.
Her family and Van were the only ones who get close enough to touch her. Anyone esle and the urge to leave the room over came her. She felt as though she was on the guard all the time. Zaibach hadn't given up- she knew that from her dreams so in a way she was on guard.
Barefoot and rather happy Hitomi made her way downstairs for lunch. Rosie waited for her at the foot of the stairs with Roland in her arms.
"This one has been missing you terribly." Rosie smiled as her son reached for Hitomi, "He knows you almost as well as he knows me and his father and he misses you when you don't visit."
"Sorry." Hitomi smiled slowly, "It's just been hard. Too many thoughts that don't belong to me keep filling my head. You can understand how that gets old quickly."
"I can imagine." Rosie handed Roland to Hitomi as she gave her friend a quick look, "And since when does the Queen of Fanelia go barefoot?"
"Since ever pair of shoes makes me want to scream and hurl them out the window." Hitomi said lightly as she craddled Roland above her belly.
"Ah, yes. I remember those days." Rosie smiled and Hitomi felt happy amusement coming off her friend in waves.
Rosie was so happy to see her that Hitomi felt guilty for staying away.
"I realy am sorry that it's been so long since I came to see you." Hitomi squeazed Rosie's hand quickly, contact was still too much for her.
"It's ok." Rosie laughed, "I'd have lost my mind long ago if I was hearing what everyone was thinking. Besides the palace is nearly rebuilt and you have a lot to deal with haveing Karth and his spawn in your home."
Hitomi laughed loudly. In the month that Karth and Kaitlyn had been staying in Fanelia Rosie had yet to say the Lady's name. She was still wishing they were far away from her friend.
"I am happy to have you on my side Rosie. When you hold a grudge, you realy hold it." Hitomi kissed Roland's temple before handing him back to his mother.
"And announce it." Rosie laughed, "I'm sorry but I can't keep my mouth shut about certain things."
"No need to apologise." Hitomi smiled warmly, "I can feel your thoughts, remember? I know excatly how you feel about our guests."
"Good cause Pennin still worries I will upset you with my opinions." Rosie let Hitomi pull open the dinning hall door, knowing it would do no good to offer to do it for her.
"With the way you put your opinions into words you would sooner make me laugh myself into labor than upset me."
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Van beamed as his wife walked into the hall laughing and barefoot. The visiting Lord Gelming sent by Prince Chid frowned at the Queen's attire but said nothing. Freid's view of women, while still stuck in the old world ways, was that pregnancy wasn't flaunted or talked about.
Lord Gelming had already been informed by the Queen herself that even if she had wanted to hide her pregnancy there wasn't enough material in all of Gaea to hide her ever growing belly.
"Things are different here, as I am sure Chid told you." Hitomi had said with a smile, "And on the Mystic Moon things are even more different. If you are offended by our happiness then I suggest you send a request to Chid asking to be replaced."
Gelming couldn't assure them quick enough that he was more than happy for them and that he wouldn't take too long to adjust to Fanelian ways.
"Hello." Hitomi beamed and took the seat next to her husband as every man in the room jumped to his feet untill she was seated.
By the amused look in Hitomi's eyes Van could tell she what she was thinking. All the visiting Lords who had been sent to offer help with deffences and rebuilding needed to loosen up a bit. Everytime Hitomi walked into a room they all jumped to their feet as though they had sat on a needle.
They were all good men. Maybe they were just a bit over enthusiastic about their 'jobs' in Fanelia. Everyone of them wanted to make a good impression. Too bad they couldn't see that just how silly they all looked.
Sitting a ways a part from the others, due to Hitomis discomfort, the royals had a nice chat over lunch while everyone else spoke quietly among themselves.
Hitomi smiled at Van in a knowing way, causing him to loose his train of thought.
"Whats so-?" A pink blur bounded into the room and slid to a halt just beside Van's chair.
"Lord Van, I didn't do it!" Merle panted before diving under the table.
Van and Hitomi, who was still smiling, turned to look at the door as a voice soudned from the hallway.
"Where have you gone!" there was a stomping noise, followed by a huff before Tina poked her head inside the dinning hall.
Hitomi pointed at the table and Tina walked over quickly and squatted down to see past the table cloth.
"What happened?" Hitomi asked just as Tina opened her mouth to yell at Merle.
"She took the bracelet Lord Christopher gave to me. I found it in her room!" Tina scowled down at the tan paws she could see, "She had no right to take it."
"But I didn't take it!" Merle said from somewhere by Hitomi's knees.
"It was in your room!" Tina shouted and Hitomi had to fight not to get up and leave, the girl's hurt feelings were very strong.
"She didn't take it." Hitomi felt Merle's tail swishing under the table, "I can feel it."
"Well, then why was it on your dresser?" Tina asked in confusion.
"I told you I don't know!" Merle peeked out from under the table.
"I do." Hitomi said suddenly, her eyes darkening as she turned towards the doors.
Van followed as Hitomi got up and strode over quickly to the doors. Just on the other side a very pleased Kaitlyn stood trying to look innocent.
"Don't play dumb." Hitomi said quietly, "We let you stay here to keep you safe and you start trouble between two very good friends. Why?" she knew why but wanted kaitlyn to admit it.
"It's so dull here." Kaitlyn said with a pout.
"Then take up needle point." Hitomi snapped, "Do something like that again and the guards at your doors will have orders to follow you everywhere." Hitomi raised a hand as Kaitlyn opened her mouth to say something in anger, "And yes, I can do that."
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"Why does she do that?" Hitomi asked as she sat by the open balcony doors, "She seemed to finaly be getting use to being here and then she pulls a stunt fit for an eight year old."
"It's just how she is. She likes to cause trouble." Van shrugged. In his mind everything was ok. They had caught it before the fight between Tina and Merle had become something big.
"She needs to grow up." Hitomi crossed her arms and stared up at the sky, "If she keeps this up we'll end up having to babysit her to keep things peacefull around here."
"Hopefully it won't come to that." Van gently rubbed Hitomi's neck, "Hopefully they will be able to leave soon."
This was his way of asking if Hitomi had seen anything else about their 'guests'.
"Things aren't clear yet. I will be just as happy as you when they are gone but I can't let them walk into... what I saw would have any war hardened man on his knees. No, I can't let them go yet." Hitomi looked up at Van, "It was so horrible."
"Then they stay. It's ok." Van kissed Hitomi, "I want them gone not dead."
"I know." Hitomi went back to looking at the sky, "I just wish everything was clearer."
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A/N: Ok, hope you all liked it. And no, I will not get a beta. Sorry, I'm a bit OCD, and things have to be done my way or I get stressed.