Les Guardiens de la Puissance

by

Kris Black

DISCLAIMER: Escaflowne is the sole property of its creator and distributors. I do not own Escaflowne or any of the characters in the story that you recognize. The characters that you do not recognize, however, are my own; please do not use them without permission. This disclaimer applies to this chapter and this story in a whole.

AN: Okay, I took a break during my March Break, which is the equivalent to Spring Break. We'll actually, I didn't take a break per say. I had most of this chapter typed up and I intended on finishing it during March Break, but I forgot to put it on my USB drive, he he. Well, here it is. It's a bit shorter than usual because I have realized that I really dislike writing weddings.

The next morning Hitomi woke up alone. She stretched out her arms and yawned, not having expected Van to have stayed the night – it would be improper for the King after all; even though they had a child together. Speaking of which, Ryu should have been awake by now. Hitomi got up and walked over to Ryu's crib to the right side of her bed. When she looked down to see whether or not he was still sleeping she almost had a heart attack. The crib was empty; her baby was gone.

Panicking, Hitomi threw a robe on and ran out into the hall. She had to find her child, and the only person that she could rely on to help her do that was Van. Her mind was playing all sorts of scenarios of what could have happened to her precious baby boy. Luckily, she found a servant that was higher-up on the ladder and he managed to inform her of Van's whereabouts – the library. He also managed to give the distraught, half-dressed Hitomi directions to the library; she was almost sure that he would call the guards shortly after, knowing that she looked like a crazy woman.

Hitomi ran the whole way to the library, barely breathing the whole way and ignoring how cold her feet were becoming because she had forgotten to put on a pair of slippers. Nothing mattered to her at that moment except for finding her child. When she managed to make it to the large, oak doors to the entrance of the library she pulled them open as quickly as possibly; the sight that lay before her was remarkable, at least that's what she would have thought were she not petrified for the life of her child.

Van was holding Ryu (thank the heavens) and feeding him. Meanwhile his advisors were sitting around looking at their King in bewilderment as they tried to discuss various things with him.

"…Van?" Hitomi said confused.

"Hitomi?" Van asked in surprise, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be getting ready? Where are your maids?"

"Getting ready? My maids?" Hitomi was thoroughly confused at this point, "I just came to find Ryu, he wasn't in the room when I woke up and I was terrified that something had happened to him…"

"Oh, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you before I took him, I know how nervous that you get when it comes to him," Van apologized, "I just figured that you would want to have most of the time to prepare for the wedding rather than looking after Ryu."

"The wedding?"

When the council saw the bewildered look on Hitomi's face they decided that it was time for a short intermission. Exiting the library one by one, they nodded their heads to Hitomi in respect. It wasn't until the final councilman was gone and the door was closed firmly did Van speak up.

"Our wedding, Hitomi. It's our wedding day, and now that I mention it… isn't it bad luck to see each other?"

"Our wedding day?" Hitomi asked, crossing the room to stand beside him, "When did you ask me to marry you?"

"Last night," Van said exasperated, "Don't you remember? Right before you went to sleep."

Hitomi thought for a moment, she had been quite tired last night – but she could faintly recall him popping "the big question". She bit her lip, mad that she had forgotten about it. She replied,

"Okay, so I remember. But I didn't think that it would be this soon!"

Van breathed in deeply, this was the part that he was scared of – the part where he had to tell her about Ryu's situation at birth being hidden.

"Well," he started, incredibly scared, "The council has decided that a quick wedding would be for the best. They said that if we were to marry soon they could tell the people of Fanelia that we had been married since you left – that it was only a small wedding; you had gotten pregnant on the wedding night and went to the Mystic Moon to carry out the pregnancy. They want to make it appear as if we are only renewing our vows for the people and nobles to see. That way, people will not question Ryu's birthright."

Hitomi took a minute to digest what Van had said. It all made sense to her, after all this is what politicians and people of high stature on the Mystic Moon had been known to do, so why not Fanelia too? However, there was one thing about this irritated her and was a blow to her pride.

"So, you're only marrying me to keep the council, and people happy? To ensure that Ryu is crowned Prince?"

Van's heart nearly stopped. Hitomi thought that the sole reason that he wanted to marry her was because of Fanelian politics – this is what he had been afraid of, and the fact that he may not be able to convince her of the truth.

"No," Van said firmly for a man who was terrified, "I want to marry you because I love you, Hitomi. I have loved you since the first time I saw you, throughout the Destiny War, and the whole time that you were on the Mystic Moon. My love for you has only intensified since the first time I met you, and grew beyond the size of the universe since you and Ryu returned to me."

"Oh Van," Hitomi sighed as her eyes began to water, "Do you mean it?"

"With all of my being," Van replied, "So will you marry me Hitomi, today?"

"Of course Van," Hitomi cried, "I would love to be your wife."

"And my Queen," he added as he leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips, maneuvering his arms so that Ryu wouldn't be uncomfortable.

"What about my dress?" she asked, suddenly taken with the idea of a wedding.

"The Queens of Fanelia have been wearing the same wedding dress since the founding of the country," Van replied, "My mother was the last one who wore it and you're about the same size as she was when she got married, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"When is the wedding?"

"Oh, in about four hours," Van said grinning.

"Four hours?!" Hitomi shrieked and Ryu began crying.

Van rocked Ryu back and forth in his arms and stuck his pinky finger into the baby's mouth to calm the howling.

"I need to be ready in four hours?" Hitomi said once more, this time quieter, "Is that even possible, how come no one came to get me?!"

"The maids were supposed to be there…" Van replied, "They were probably running a little late and are looking for you frantically right now. I sent over quite a few so that you could be ready…"

"What about Ryu?" Hitomi asked frantically, not wanting her son out of her sight per usual.

"I'll keep him with me," Van replied, "He will not leave my sight for even a second."

"What about the wedding ceremony," Hitomi asked, ringing her hands.

"We can leave him with Miliani, who will be sitting in the front row," Van replied, having everything planned out, "Then, after you're crowning and his christening Miliani and Merle will have him for the night. Is that okay?"

Hitomi nodded in approval, wondering where Merle was right now. She probably knew about the wedding and would be more excited than a child at Christmas. It was at this completely appropriate moment that Merle herself came bounding into the library.

"Hitomi, what are you doing?! You're not allowed to see Van until you get to the wedding! And what are you wearing? It isn't proper for a woman of any stature to run around like that out of her bedroom, let alone the future queen!"

Merle then, without giving any sign that Van or Ryu were in the room, grabbed Hitomi by the arm and pulled her out of the library, mumbling about 'crazy Mystic Moon brides'.

"Well," Van said to his son as the councilmen started pouring back into the room, "It looks like your Mama is going to have a crazy day."

Hitomi looked at herself in the mirror, realizing for the first time that she was actually marrying Van today. There was a small tiara placed in her hair and the dress she wore was beautiful despite its antiqueness. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to take everything in.

"Hitomi what are you doing?" Merle yelled as she re-entered Hitomi's room, "Everyone who is anyone is here! And you don't even have your veil on yet!"

Merle continued bantering Hitomi as she placed the long, sheer, customary veil over Hitomi's head – placing it carefully and pinning it on perfectly.

"There," Merle said as she finished and pulled it down over Hitomi's face, "Now you're finally ready."

With the entrance of her four new ladies-in-waiting, all dressed alike – matching in their whole attires. The only one who had even the slightest change in their attire was Merle, the King's adoptive-sister and Hitomi's Matron of Honour; the rest of the maids were wearing red – the colour of Fanelia – with black sashes around their tiny, corseted waists, Merle's sash was white.

The music from the large organ in the temple began resonating; signalling that the wedding was starting at that it was time for the ladies-in-waiting to begin their march down the long aisle on the other side of the large door of the hallway that the girls (and Hitomi) were now standing in. Two royal guards opened the doors slowly, bowing deep in respect to the future queen at the end of the line-up of beautiful women.

The first young woman, that Hitomi had come to know as Chiro, began her slow walk down the aisle with her footsteps steady and her head held high. She was followed by the other three girls that Hitomi had got to know in the last four hours: Asa, Kuni, and Emiko. Merle turned around and winked at Hitomi encouragingly before turning and beginning her own journey down the walkway. Luckily, Merle had drilled the customs of a Royal Fanelian wedding into Hitomi's mind during the last few hours; something that Hitomi was sure Van had counted on.

Waiting until Merle had made it to the end of the aisle, taking her place beside the other ladies; Hitomi placed her right foot into the entrance, then her left, the music stopped. She stood for a few moments. The audience arose and a different tune erupted from the organ.

Hitomi kept her chin held high and looked forward, refusing to look at the huge crowd of people who were all staring at her. She kept her focus on one thing only, Van; Van, her handsome soon-to-be husband was standing stoically at the end of her narrow pathway, dressed in the armour that he had worn during his coronation. He was absolutely perfect. It seemed to take an eternity to reach him, but when he took her hand in his and led her to kneel in front of the priest she felt incredibly serene.

The wedding ceremony went surprisingly fast for Hitomi, even considering that it was a royal ceremony. One moment she was walking down the aisle, the next she was saying her vows, the first kiss as man and wife, and now she was swearing her allegiance to her new country and king and being crowned the Queen of Fanelia.

"And now," the Priest bellowed out in his booming voice after introducing Hitomi and Van as their Majesties, "Presenting the son of their majesties, Ryu Folken de Fanel."

If Hitomi hadn't have been expecting this, mentally preparing, then she was sure she would have screamed when she had seen the Priest lift up her son from Miliani. Van held her hand tightly, reassuring his wife that the Priest was not out to harm their son in anyway.

The christening of Ryu also went fairly smoothly and quickly in Hitomi's eyes, and she had let out a breath of relief when he was placed back into her awaiting arms; the little guy had fallen asleep because the day had been so tiring. Smiling Hitomi kissed his head gently and walked down the aisle and out of the doors with Van, while the guests bowed to them respectfully.

The night had been tiring. After placing Ryu in Miliani's care for the remainder of the night Hitomi and Van were required to join in the festivities with the rest of the nobles. Hitomi was introduced to so many new people that she was sure that by the morning she would have completely blocked this part of the day from her memories.

Luckily, Hitomi had seen some familiar faces in the crowds of people and hurried over to talk to her old friends. Dryden, Millerna, Allen, the Crusaders, Duke Chid, and even Allen's sister Celena had come to the wedding. Hitomi was so excited to see her old friends that she burst into tears and hugged Millerna and Allen ferociously. Unfortunately, she had to spread herself around to her other guests, as Van had graciously informed her when he had caught up to her, and they had very little time to catch up. Hitomi only left the group after giving invitations for them all to come to Fanelia for a visit as soon as possible and receiving one in return from both Palas and Austuria.

It was soon after that that Van had suggested that they retire to their bedroom for the night, blushing scarlet Hitomi nodded as Van took her hand and led her away from the party knowing that his guests would understand.

"An heir to Fanelia eh?" A deep resounding voice murmured to his informant, "From the Dragon and Winged Goddess, the King and Queen of Fanelia. Interesting…"

"My lord…?"

"The power of a Draconian is immense I must say," the speaker said, more to himself than to anyone else, "however, a child born Draconian with the bloodline of a Goddess, that child could become a god… if raised the right way a god who could be controlled…"

"What do you wish me to do my Lord?" the servant informant asked, looking at his master with intensity.

The master grinned evilly, a twinkle coming to his cold eyes; he had a plan.

AN: There you have it. The next chapter, per usual, should be out sometime next week. Probably not until later in the week though because I am Editor of my High School's Newspaper and we have a deadline, so I won't have much time to write until around next Wednesday. Anyways, don't forget to review!