Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?
Chapter 3: Returning to Fanelia
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At Kamakura-Kita High School
Slowly, Hitomi walked onto the practice field. The only lights were the ones shining brightly up in the sky: the stars, the moon, and, from her view, Gaea. Stopping in the middle of the track, she set her bag down and sat next to it. She took a cleansing breath and closed her eyes.
"Okay, Van. Are you feeling what I'm feeling? Gaea, I want to return to Gaea, to the kingdom of Fanelia, to the castle of the King of Fanelia. I want to see you, Van. I want you to hold me in your arms once again, like you did when I left your world. Van, do you want me there? Do you want me with you now? Right now?" She waited.
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In the outskirts of the capital of Fanelia
Van was with his surveyors, going over the plans to build an aqueduct that would channel water from the Vinsorii River to and through the city and on to the Sorvonii River, which led to the sea. It was an ambitious plan, but one that would ensure the continued prosperity of the city as it grew.
"That path, there. Before the tree line. It is the lowest point, and will require the least amount of work for the aqueduct," the lead surveyor said, pointing to the location north of the city, then pointing to the same point on the map he held out in front of him.
"But that low point continues through a fifth of the city. What will happen during the rainy season? Won't that part of the city get flooded?" the king asked.
"We will erect a barrier along that stretch of the channel, at least three, perhaps four cubits high to prevent such an occurrence," the surveyor assured him.
The king considered this plan for a minute, then shook his head. "No, the Vinsorii Forest is one of the most beautiful sights to behold, even from within the city. To erect a barrier such as that would block that view for hundreds of people. Besides, how deep would that barrier need to be to prevent it from giving way to erosion? No, in the long run it will be just as much work to channel the aqueduct through the forest and out at this point."
He pointed at the map. "This way, if the river does flood, the low point is in the forest and not in the city. The trees and foliage could handle the extra water better than our roads and buildings."
The surveyor bowed respectfully. "As you wish, your Majesty." His assistants followed suit, then returned to their tent to begin plans for charting the monumental project.
Van mounted his horse and looked out over his city once again. Smiling, his thoughts began to wander. "Hitomi, I wish you could see what we have already done and what we still plan to do."
At that instant, he gasped as his eyes grew wide. A vision of Hitomi descending from the sky and into his arms appeared to him. 'But where, where are you descending to?' When he recognized the place, he immediately took off in a full gallop toward the castle.
'Hitomi, you've come at last. I've waited for you and thought about you constantly as you wished, but you never came. But… but now you've arrived. I'm coming, Hitomi. I'm coming,' the king mused as he rode through his city. At that moment the jewel he wore around his neck began to glow and oscillate.
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On the track field at Kamakura-Kita High School
In her mind's eye, Hitomi saw the jewel that was her grandmother's, the jewel that was hers until she gave it to Van. She saw it swinging in perfect time. She saw Van standing in the garden behind the castle, his arms extended up towards the sky, a broad smile across his face, that beautiful smile she loved so dearly.
Suddenly a bright light and a sudden feeling of warmth overwhelmed her. Thinking quickly, she reached out and grabbed hold of her bag as she felt her body go weightless. Keeping her eyes closed the whole time, she kept her concentration on Van and his warm smiling face.
Slowly the sensation of rising up into the sky changed to one of descending down from it. She kept her focus on Van; having gone through this before; she knew it would be awhile before she got close to the ground. When the moment felt right, she opened her eyes and looked down. She saw Van standing in midst of the palace garden, smiling up at her, his arms stretched out to welcome her back, back to Gaea.
AN: The dictionary defines a cubit as an ancient unit of measurement ranging from about 15 to 17 inches. That definition has no bearing here. Here a cubit is about two meters long, so 3 cubits is 6 meters, or more than 18 feet. Pretty tall wall.
Not much to change in this chapter; pretty clean. But there are some that I know will need quite a bit of work.