Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 48

The Vinsorii Forest

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Van and Hitomi rode at a casual pace through the forest.

"Careful, the underbrush is especially thick there." The king pointed in the direction Hitomi was leading her horse. "Follow me this way."

She stopped and redirected her beast to follow after the king. "I don't want to sound like a whinny little kid but how much longer?"

"We're almost there." He assured her with a smile over his shoulder.

And as he promised, in less then five minutes they reached a clearing. The ride to the top of the hill was just another five minutes.

"Here we go." Van said as he quickly dismounted and took hold of Hitomi's animal, steadying it so he could help the woman he loved down.

"Thank you." She smiled up at him and slowly blushed as he held her a little longer then he needed to.

"My pleasure." He smiled back. Seeing the pale rose color fill her cheeks, the king quickly turned and took the blanket and saddle bags off his steed, he set the bags down and unrolled the blanket upon the grass. "Have a seat." He gestured.

Nodding with a slight grin on her face, Hitomi obliged her host.

"Chef Salzer usually prepares wonderful picnics but having to place everything in two saddle bags, I'm afraid may have been too much of a challenge even for the royal chef." He joked with a smile as he searched to contents of the bags while sitting next to his companion.

To the young king's surprise the chef managed to place a full five-course meal for two having carefully wrapped each item, including a small bottle of wine.

As they ate, Hitomi asked, "So, what was so special about this place?"

Wiping his hands with a napkin, he pointed over her shoulder. "Look behind you."

Hitomi gasped with wonder as she saw the long serpentine course of the Vinsorii River as it made its way through the forest. "Oh, that's so beautiful."

"Now look over there." Van pointed to the right of her in the general direction they had just come from.

"Oh, it's Fanelia." She said as she saw the capital in the distance, nestled between the mountains.

"And over there." He turned and pointed to his left.

"It's the sea and the port." She smiled. "You can see it all from here."

"Mmm, hmm. I was sitting right here looking out at the sea when I got the idea to build a merchant fleet. I was looking up at the stars one night then looked down and saw the reflection of the starts off the river when I got the idea for the aqueduct. I've spent many days, and night here. Thinking of my kingdom, thinking of my people. Thinking of you." He gazed at her intensely.

She smiled at him but after a few moments the intensity of his stare was more than she could bear at the moment. Quickly she poured herself a cup of wine and drank it down, making a point not to look at him.

After a moment she scolded herself for her rudeness as she reached for a second cup. "Would you like some wine?" She asked.

"No thank you." He replied, never taking his eyes off of her.

"No? Are you sure?" She looked up at him, a bit surprised.

"I promised Merle I wouldn't drink for awhile." He answered.

"Oh. Okay." She poured herself a little more then set the bottle down.

"Hitomi, what's wrong?" The young king asked.

"Wrong?" She smiled at him. "Nothing's wrong."

He just stared at her without accusation, patiently waiting for an answer.

Again she turned away. "You're right. I can't lie to you. Funny, I don't seem to have a problem lying to my parents these days but to you." She looked back at him. "It's just that… I'm afraid Van."

"Afraid of what?" His eyes grew sad as he tried to understand.

"You have no idea how hard it was to leave last time. I cried in Yukari's arms for so long that first night away from here. And the past three weeks, I can't even begin to explain what it was like being away from you all that time." Her eyes clouded up with unshed tears.

Moving closer to his true love, Van asked. "What are you saying Hitomi? Are you saying … are you saying it hurts too much to be with me anymore?" As he felt his heart breaking.

Turning quickly, she stared at him, her eyes as wide as saucers. "NO! God, no! I love you Van, I want to be with you always." She through her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek against his chest. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make it sound like…" She tightened her hold on him. "I'm sorry."

"Shhh, it's all right. It's all right." He gently stroked her hair with one hand while holding her tight with the other. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions."

Struggling to regain her composure, Hitomi whispered. "It's just … after the kisses we shared this morning… and now coming here to this beautiful place and sharing a romantic picnic together. I'm … I'm just afraid we may be moving too fast. I just thing we should try to slow things down a little. I hope you can understand?" She held him tight, not wanting to have to look up at him when he gave his response.

Van considered her words for a moment then kissed her on top of her head and pressed his cheek against her forehead. Not sure what to say or how to say it, he simply held her close for several minutes.

Finally Van said, "You know Hitomi, I think in any relationship, when two people love each other so much it hurts, it's inevitable that some heartache will take place. And in our situation even more so. I suppose finding forbidden love runs in my family. My father fell in love with a Draconian and I've fallen in love with a girl from the Mystic Moon. Perhaps we were both a little naïve to think this was going to be easy. But if we love each other enough, we can make this work." Pulling back slightly so he could look into her eyes he asked. "The question then becomes, do we love each other enough to make this work? I have to admit. When you left yesterday, I was beside myself with heartache. And I'm not going to kid myself into believing that this is going to get any easier. But I also know that I love you too much to ever let you go. You're in my heart and in my soul Hitomi. And I'll endure what ever separation we must if it means that eventually you will come back to me."

Looking up into his eyes and hearing his words of love gave the girl from the Mystic Moon the strength she needed. She smiled up at him then pulled his head down allowing their lips to meet. She kissed him with the hunger and passion that had consumed her for the past three weeks. The depth and desire of her kiss caught Van by surprise as his eyes went wide but only for a moment as he shared in the passion and desire of the moment.

When their lips finally separated, he smiled at her pressing his forehead to hers and whispered. "Can I assume that was your answer?"

Hitomi blushed slightly as she too smiled and nodded to the affirmative, keeping her forehead in contact with his. They stayed like this for some time; their eyes closed but still in each other's arms. Countless love songs ran through Hitomi's mind but none of them seemed to even come close to describing the depth of her feelings for this man.

After a little while longer, Van suggested that they finish their lunch. "We can ride down to the coast, by the port before heading back to the castle."

"I'd like that." Hitomi grinned.

They finished and cleaned up in a matter of minutes then mounted their horses and rode off.

Over at the port, things where still very busy. Though all the ships had been unloaded yesterday, arranging transportation for everything was proving more difficult than previously anticipated. Though Fanelia had been trading with Asturia for several months now, this shipment of goods was the largest by far. As Van explained the complications to Hitomi, she came to what seemed like the inevitable conclusion.

"Sounds like you need to build a harbor town here." She said matter of factly.

"That was what I was thinking." Van said as she rode beside him. "But with the amount of manpower needed for the aqueduct, we won't be able to seriously consider building one for at least a few years."

"Mmm, that's a shame." She continued next to him, enjoying the fresh air.

"It is, especially with our trade expanding faster than we anticipated." He said.

They rode the length of the port before heading back to the city. And as they did, Hitomi asked. "So have you thought of a name for the town, when you do finally get around to building it, of course?"

"Hmm, not really, but Merle had an idea." The young king grinned.

"Really? What was it?" She asked.

"She suggested, Merleville." Van smiled.

"Merleville? Oh brother! Sounds like something Merle would think up." Hitomi shook her head in disbelief, then muttered to herself, "Merleville."

Van laughed as he reached out and took Hitomi's hand just for a moment. Smiling at her, she blushed, just a bit but smiled back. Releasing her hand they rode the rest of the way back in peaceful silence.

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AN: I don't know why but I had a real hard time with this chapter. I had an idea of what I wanted to say but it just wasn't coming together for me. I hope the final result meets with your approval. The next chapter should be easier, I think. ^_^

You know, I've read a lot of fan fiction over the years and one of the things that always bothered me a little was when authors would say in the ANs that they love their fans. I mean, other than their comments, you don't really now your fans. How can you say you love them? Right? But you know. So very many of you have been so kind as to review virtually every chapter and your comments are always so uplifting and reassuring. I've had that sentiment for some time now but have been afraid to express it. Funny, isn't it? Here I am writing about people in love and here I am afraid to say I love you to the people who have been so very kind to me. *sniff sniff* Well, no more. I want to say thank you for your wonderful comments and that I love you all. I really do. ^_!

Okay, now that I've recomposed myself. Just thought I'd mention another AMV I've found. This one is called, "Glory of Love" by Daniel Chang and features music by Peter Cetera. I think Daniel did a wonderful job of blending scenes from Escaflowne that really matched the song. And that song holds a special place in my heart already so for me it is a winner. If you think so too, be sure to let Daniel know that. Believe me you'll make his day. ^_^

One other think I wanted to mention. I've been feeling really guilty recently cause while all of you have been so very generous with your reviews and comments, I haven't read anyone else's stories. To be honest, I have yet to read a single Escaflowne fanfiction and I feel really bad about that. As you know, I'm working on four stories at once as well as editing several others for other authors. But I like to believe I can still make time to read good ff. If you have a story you're particularly proud of, please let me know. I'd love to read it.

Thanks, each and every one of you.

A. Amishi

Updated A/N: Okay, I must say, this ending of the chapter seems to work better. And will work with my subsequent chapters as well. Thanks for the comments the let me know my original write up just didn't work. I agree, it didn't. But at the time, I just couldn't come up with anything else. Hope you prefer this ending. ^_^

A. Amishi