Hey! This is my disclaimer! I only own characters and places that are the product of my imagination. Everything else belongs to someone whose bank account isn't as empty. There, that was my disclaimer… now on with the story…
There was something else out there, someone who helped him. Van was certain he wasn't insane and that the voice he heard was real and belonged to a human being or at least something similar to it.
"Come out!" he yelled. But no one appeared. It was a bit frustrating for the prince. He was tired and hungry and desperately needed to bath and he wasn't in the mood for some games "Damnit, step out on the clearing so I can see you!"
Rustle of the leaves made him turn around, garnet eyes widened and a gasp escaped him throat before he managed to stop himself.
Now that wasn't something he wasn't expect to see in a dark forest.
"What are you doing here girl? It is dangerous to be alone in the forest at night. Don't you know that?" Van asked curious of what she would answer.
"But I'm not alone in the forest." She answered in a-matter-of-fact tone.
"Who else is here?" the soon-to-be-king asked looking around for more people to walk in the clearing.
The girl in front of him smiled slightly before answering "You are."
Van chuckled. She did have a point but that is not what he meant. So he continued with the questions "Where are you headed?"
"I don't know. No where really, and yet… I don't have the set destination, I guess." She was honest, something Van didn't encounter so often.
It was refreshing to meet a girl who didn't giggle at the sight of him and whispered something to her friend. He hated those girls for hunting him because of his title. Like he would ever marry one of the spoiled bratty…
Garnet eyes widened. Marry. The first one.
Van looked at the girl in front of him. He was silent for several minutes but she didn't seem bored or angry with him. She waited patiently for what he would say.
"I invite you to my home then." He finally said. There were more things she should know, among them the reason for his invitation.
"Won't anyone mind?" she asked curiously "Your parents perhaps?"
"My parents died several years ago and those I live with will definitely mot mind." Van assured her.
"Oh. Alright then." She nodded smiling. But only a moment later her smile turned in a frown "But I don't even know your name."
Realizing that in face he forgot that little detail the young prince smiled "I am Van Slanzar de Fanel. And you are?"
"Nice to meet you Van. I am Hitomi. Hitomi Kanzaki."
The journey back to the capitol was silent. Van had spent most of the time observing his companion. She wasn't gifted with the celestial beauty like Millerna but she wasn't ugly either. She was, in a lack of better words, pretty. The young prince wondered how she would react once he explained her of the Fanelian law, about the first one.
"Do I have something on my face?" Hitomi asked calmly after noticing Van was staring at her for several minutes now.
The dark blush colored his face. Van didn't realize it was so obvious "No, there is nothing on your face that shouldn't be there."
The answer made Hitomi chuckle once more. Her new friend was really funny "How much more?"
Van pointed somewhere in the distance and said "There is a road in that direction where the cart is waiting for me. Well, us actually. We should reach it in an hour, maybe a bit more."
"Alright." Hitomi answered calmly. It seemed nothing could frustrate her and Van wondered if she was always like.
Ruhm was sitting on the back of the large beast and waited. He was there for several hours now but leaving was out of the question. If van managed to pass, if he did killed the dragon that he would definitely be tired, much to tired to walk all the way till the capitol.
"Hungry brother?" the younger wolf-man asked from below. Lowering his eyes the pact leader saw Fuma, his youngest brother, standing on the ground with several different fruits in his hands.
He was hungry, the wolf-people were known for being able to eat more food then humans, so he climbed down from the beast. The brothers sat on the soft grass next to the road and began eating.
"You were gone for quite a while Fuma." Ruhm said casually. It was impossible to say by his voice that he was angry because of it but brothers knew each other well.
"I noticed something unusual. A light in the forest." Fuma explained.
"Light?" now the voice of his brother clearly revealed the mistrust.
"Yes, a light somewhere on the north. It shimmered for a while before vanishing. I wanted to go and investigate but changed my mind."
"Smart decision brother. If lord Van returned before you have I would have left you behind." Ruhm said honestly. He would have done it without remorse. It would have been a lesion for the young wolf-man.
"I almost got killed while trying to slay a dragon and you two are eating. Honestly, I expected more from the two of you." A serious voice surprised them.
It wasn't usual that the wolf-man don't sense or smell someone approaching but they were so caught into their conversation Van had no problem sneaking up on them. And now he was watching them with a frown.
Ruhm chuckled "Do you wish to join us?"
"I would rather if we travel back right away." Van said.
Fuma grinned "You seem eager to see… you know… the first one."
Van wasn't so amused "No. I don't need to return to Fanelia for that."
It took the two brothers several moments to realize what Van meant "You mean…? You mean…?" Ruhm couldn't express what he wanted to ask.
Van looked towards the forest and moments later a girl walked out. The wolf-men gawked in shock. They expected Van to see the first one inside the walls of the capitol and not in the forest.
"This is Hitomi. Hitomi these are Ruhn and his younger brother Fuma."
"It is honor milady." Ruhm said and both of them bowed to Hitomi confusing her.
"You don't have to bow to me. I am not a-"
"But we do milady. You are the first one lord Van saw after he slayed the dragon." Fuma said like that explained anything.
Hitomi turned to Van for explanation. But the young prince wasn't eager to explain her in the middle of nowhere what the hell was going on and what the young wolf-man meant.
So instead he growled "Can we just go now?"
Merle was in the first row next to Balgus.
The samurai was glancing around them with a frown on his face. All around were courtier girls, merchant's daughters, mere maids and servants, all in their best clothes with glistering jewelry and a glow in their eyes. Each single one of them had a dream of becoming a queen and the possibility for it was only moments away.
"Look at them." Merle muttered to Balgus "They are like vultures."
"Are you surprised?" he asked.
The cat-girl huffed "They are all after the throne. They don't give a damn about lord Van."
"That is obvious, yes. They just want the throne and a key to the treasury." Balgus was trying to stay calm. It wouldn't look good if he started to bellow on the gathered girls and chase them away. Although lord Van would probably be grateful.
"Over my dead body." Merle muttered through her teeth "I won't allow some hussy ruin the kingdom with shopping."
A sudden yell from the wall made the gathered girls fix their hair and dresses "The king has returned!"
Balgus stepped forward as the large wooden doors opened and the wagon of the beast-people rolled in. He watched his young monarch swiftly jump from the several feet height and turn towards his people.
In his right hand glistered a large pink stone. Van lifted it to show he had passed the dragon slaying quest and so claimed is right on the throne. Instantly the samurai kneeled and the mass bowed to their soon-to-be king.
"I, Van Fanel, have defeated a dragon and claimed his energist! It is my prove that I am the rightful heir to the throne of Fanelia!" the crowd listened carefully, the moment when he would announced the first he saw was heartbeats away "And I will rule next to the first I have seen."
Surprising everyone he turned back to the wagon and offered a hand to someone. Several girls gasped as a young woman stepped next to Van and took his hand.
Merle was blinking in shock and Balgus was trying his best not to grin. Sure, he didn't even know the name or family background of his future queen, but the fact none of the greedy gathered girls would sit on the throne made him immensely happy.
"You might want to explain that." Hitomi whispered for only Van to hear.
"Can it wait till we're inside?" he barely managed to whisper back when Merle tackled him and started to lick his face. Hitomi laughed, Van's face was showing discomfort at her public expression of affection.
"Come on!" she then said, grabbed Hitomi's hand and started to pull her in the direction of the palace. The crowd was moving, making way for them to pass with Van and Balgus closely behind two females.
"I'm Merle, lord Van's adoptive sister. And you are?" the cat-girl was smiling widely.
"I'm Hitomi. Hitomi Kanzaki. Are you alright?" the green-eyed girl asked concerned. In her opinion such a wide smile wasn't natural.
"Never better. You know…" Merle tried to find the right words "I thought I would be jealous if I wasn't the first lord Van sees after the hunt but I'm not. You seem like a good catch; usually a girl would giggle stupidly when he would say even one single word to her but you don't. You act normally." Merle paused to catch her breath before adding "I'm sure you will be truly happy together when you marry."
It took Hitomi several moments to process what she heard. Once everything clicked in place her emerald-green eyes widened and she turned back to Van. The young prince stopped in his track looked at her shocked face.
"Marry?!"
This chapter is shorter cause I decided to separate one looooong chapter in two. I'll start working on the next one as soon as I get my hands on a laptop which is currently in my sister's possession.
Please review, I'm a new writer and all suggestions and comments are more then welcome.