Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?
Chapter 54
At the open field near the port in Fanelia
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Standing with her hands on her knees about a meter in front of Merle, Hitomi struggled for every breath as sweat dripped from her hair, and face.
"Eew, you're all sweaty." Merle whined.
Hitomi just stared at her for a second; too tired to comment back, then she straightened up, and walked over and picked up the running shoe closest to her. Without hesitating, she kept walking all the way to her other shoe. Sitting on the grass, she took off her track shoes and stretched out one more time. Then she slowly put her running shoes back on and stood up. Looking out over the port she spotting a familiar face.
Looking over at Merle who had gotten up on her feet and was now walking over toward her gingerly, the thought. 'I can't make Merle walk all the way back to the palace, let alone run.' With that she broke in to a light jog over to the far end of the port.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Merle called out.
"I'll be back in a minute! Just wait!" The teen yelled over her shoulder.
Moments later she was calling out, "Sir Charson! Sir Charson! Over here!" She waved.
Looking about when he heard his name called, the tall elderly man smiled when he spotted the girl from the Mystic Moon running toward him.
"Ah, Lady Hitomi." He bowed deeply. "I heard you had returned to your world just two days ago."
Stopping before the minister of trade, the teen curtsied and smiled back. "I had Minister but I returned yesterday." Pausing a moment she then asked. "I was wondering if I might ask a favor of you?"
"By all means."
Merle has injured her leg, nothing serious but it is difficult for her to walk on it. I was wondering if we might catch a ride aboard one of the carts that is heading back to the city?" She clasped her hands together and gave the elderly man a pleading smile.
Laughing softly, the minister gestured for his vassal. "I'll do better than that."
A moment later the servant arrived, "Yes Minister?" He bowed.
"Bring my coach about and see that Lady Hitomi and Merle arrive safely back at the palace." He instructed the young man.
"Very good Minister." He bowed again and was off.
"Oh, you didn't have to do that." Hitomi protested.
"Nonsense. How could I expect to remain in Lord Van's good graces if I were to make his Majesty's, special guest and his childhood friend ride aboard a cart filled with pottery rather than in my coach." He smiled.
"Thank you Sir Charson. I really appreciate this." She curtsied once again.
Bowing politely, he added. "It was good to see you again Ma'Lady."
"You too Minister. Goodbye!" She waved as she made her way back to Merle.
Returning her wave and watching the young lady run off, the minister smiled to himself, "Ah, the joys of youth." He let out a sigh then turned and got back to work.
"Where'd you go?" Merle asked as she limped toward the teen.
"I got us a ride back to the palace." The girl with he emerald-eyes said. Turning when she heard the sound of the horses, she added. "And here it is now."
The coach pulled up in front of them and the minister's vassal, who was sitting next to the coachman, jumped down and opened the door for them.
"Come on Merle, I'll help you." Hitomi took the catgirl's arm and guided her to the step.
"Allow me ma'am." The vassal stepped forward.
Hitomi paused for a moment then stepped out of the way. Then the young man approached the catgirl and carefully scooped her up in his arms.
"Aaah!" She screamed, surprised by the young man's bold move, but she didn't struggle and he quickly stepped up into the coach and delicately deposited her upon the seat. "Oh, thank you." She said wide-eyed.
"You are quite welcome, Miss Merle." The vassal bowed and exited the coach then he offered his hand to assist Hitomi into the coach as well.
"Oh, ah, thank you." She grinned as she took his hand and got into the coach.
Climbing back up on top of the coach for just a moment, he instructed the driver to take the woman to the palace and assist Merle inside if need be, then return to immediately. The coachman nodded his understanding and road off.
Inside the coach, Merle smiled at her friend. "Thanks Hitomi. I was wondering how I was going to get back to the palace."
"It's alright Merle. That's what friends do for each other. They help each other out." The teen smiled back.
At the palace
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After having breakfast with Merle and seeing to the catgirl's comfort, the teen went about planning the lunch she was going to share with the man she loved. With the palace manager at her side, she stood on the terrace overlooking the city.
"Perhaps here. We can eat lunch here. It's a nice day. No reason to stay inside and the view of the city is so beautiful." She smiled.
"So you prefer this location over the garden Ma'Lady?" The elderly gentleman asked.
Thinking about it for a minute, the teen responded, "Yes, Lord Van has been in the forest all night. I'm sure he'd like a change in scenery."
"Very well ma'am. And the menu?"
"Hmm, we'll start with a nice garden salad. Lord Van seems to really enjoy the different fresh vegetables in Chief Salzer's garden salad. Some grilled fish, the yellow one without the bones. I like that a lot." She grinned. "Oh, and the sautéed, oh what are those… long green things that the chief makes with the different colored peppers?"
"Verdes met pimentas." He stated.
"Yes! That's so good. We'll have that too. Oh and the desert we had yesterday. That was so delicious." She licked her lips. "And be sure to have the same meal sent to Merle in my chambers, with a double serving of the desert." She smiled.
"Your chambers ma'am?" The elderly man raised an inquiring eyebrow.
"Yes, she's staying in my chambers till she feels well enough to walk around normally." She turned and took one last look out over the city.
"And to drink?"
"That fruit juice. Oh, what is it called, the little red fruit that's really sweet?"
Nodding knowingly, the man made a mental note of all that Hitomi said, and asked. "Will there be anything else ma'am?"
Smiling widely she turned back to the palace manager and said. "No, I think that just about covers everything. Thank you Master Willfree."
The elderly man bowed, "My pleasure madam. May I say it is a joy to have a Lady about the palace again. It has been far too long since Queen Vari last walked these halls." He smiled. "All will be made ready at the noon hour." He bowed again and left to take care of Hitomi's lunch plans.
'Lady of the palace.' She giggled to herself then headed for the bathhouse at the ground level of the palace, in the back. "Man, do I need a bath." She said to herself as she walked.
The bathhouse, as it was referred to, was a large room with an in-ground bath that took up half the area. The bath was divided evenly into two; one portion was for bathing, the other for rinsing. Well water was pumped in and passed through a pipe that itself was passed through a small furnace to warm the water. It flowed into the rinse bath, which overflowed into the wash bath. Three maids were waiting for her when Hitomi arrived. They were informed, by the head chamber maid, that the Lady from the Mystic Moon would be wanting a bath after her return from her… run.
As she entered the room, all three maids stood and bowed deeply then one of them went to close the door and stand watch outside to make sure no one disturbed the lady's privacy. While one maid poured oil into the bath and placed a variety of soaps, both solid and liquid, as well as several instruments to wash with, along the side of the bath; the other went to assist the lady undress.
"That's alright, I can undress myself." Hitomi assured her with an embarrassed grin.
"Very well ma'am, then simply hand me your garments and I will see to it that they are cleaned and returned to your quarters later on today." The young maid offered.
"Oh, okay." She answered as she slowly pulled off her warm-up suit.
Seeing the lady's discomfort at undressing in front of them, the maid offered. "Perhaps the lady would prefer to undress behind the changing curtain. I shall bring you a towel so you may conceal yourself till you are in the bath."
Breathing a sigh of relief, Hitomi smiled. "Thank you, that would be nice." And she headed for the changing area.
After removing her clothes and wrapping the towel around herself she walked out and over to the bath. Gingerly stepping into the water, she smiled as the water felt pleasantly warm but not too hot. Stepping further into the bath, she removed the towel as the bottom of it almost reached the water. Setting the towel aside, she walked the rest of the way into the water, sitting down in the middle of the bath and leaned back until she was entirely submerged under the warm water. 'This feels sooo good.' She mused. 'Ah, my muscles feel like softened butter in this water.'
Standing next to the bath the younger of the two maids asked. "Would Ma'Lady care to have me bath her?"
Not sure if she heard the young girl correctly, the teen sat up quickly, pulling her knees to her chest and covering her breasts with her arms. She asked with a red face. "Did you just ask if I would like you to bath me?" Her embarrassment increased when she saw that the girl was only wearing a short towel round herself.
"Yes ma'am." The girl replied, in all seriousness.
"Oh, no, that-that's okay. I can wash myself just fine." She forced a grin.
"Perhaps just your hair and your back then." Not waiting for an answer the young maid stepped into the bath and walked over to Hitomi.
Turning bright red all over, the teen held her breath as her eyes went wide in shock.
"You needn't be embarrassed ma'am, this is what I do." The maid smiled as she stopped to retrieve soap, oil and a washcloth then repositioned them so they were within her reach as she stood behind the teen. "Would Ma'Lady please sit upon the seat?" She gestured to a rectangular stone that was a little behind and to the right of Hitomi.
"Oh, aah, sssure." Still keeping her arms over her breasts and her knees tucked in close, she inched her way over to the stone and used only one hand to push herself up onto it. Now she the water barely came up to her hips. 'This is so embarrassing.' She closed her eyes; unable to look around her for fear that the two maids would be staring at her.
Kneeling behind the teen, the young girl poured some liquid soap onto her hand and worked it into the teen's hair. After a few minutes of silence, she commented. "Might I say, Lady Hitomi has very soft hair. Even softer then Queen Millerna's."
"Really?" The teen straightened up in surprise at the complement.
"Oh, yes. And I must say, I was expecting it to be rather coarse, what with its short length but I was clearly mistaken. It is very soft."
"When did you wash Queen Millerna's hair? Oh, of course, when she came to visit a few months ago."
"Months ma'am?"
"Oh, I mean, moons, a few moons ago." Hitomi corrected herself.
"Yes, then but also in her palace in Palas"
"Really? … Wait… you're not from Fanelia are you? You're Asturian."
"Yes ma'am that is correct. In fact, most of the palace staff is Asturian." The maid clarified.
"But why?"
"Unfortunately, most of the king's servants were killed during the Zaibach invasion. Van purchased us from Queen Millerna after the palace was rebuilt."
"Purchased? You mean you're slaves?" Hitomi's eyes went wide in shock again.
"No ma'am, we are servants. What I meant was he purchased our contracts. Every servant is given a five-season contract and is duty bound to fulfill the contract to whoever holds it. After five years, we may chose to remain on permanently or return to Asturia and either serve the royal family or seek independent employment outside the palace."
"Oh, I see." The teen gave a sigh of relief.
Grabbing a pitcher that was at the side of the bath, the maid filled it with water. "Please lean forward Ma'Lady." She instructed.
Doing as the girl asked, Hitomi sighed happily. The gentle feeling of the maid's small hands carefully working the soap into her hair and scalp, and now the feeling of the warm water rushing over her, served to chase away her earlier feelings of embarrassment and uneasy. After repeating this action several times, the girl set the pitch aside and retrieved a small bottle of oil that had a slight green tinge to it. She poured a liberal amount into the teens hair and gently rubbed it in.
"Mmm, that smells nice. What is that?" The teen asked.
"It is olva oil ma'am. A small vegetable that is quite bitter to eat despite its pleasant odor, it's oil serves many purposes, one of them is to make the hair shiny and soft."
"I've never used it before." Hitomi commented.
"My apologize but Ma'Lady has always bathed before we awake in the morning. It is fortunate Lord Van is also a very early riser and chooses to start the furnace himself, otherwise Ma'Lady would have been subjected to taking cold baths."
"I guess you're right. This is the first time I've ever taken a bath this late in the day." She closed her eyes again and enjoyed the sensation of being pampered, when a thought occurred to her. "By the way, what's your name?"
"My name Ma'Lady?" The maid stopped massaging the oil in her hair for a brief moment. "Ah, my name is Beleza … and this is my sister Esperanca. The older girl standing watch outside the door is our older sister Coragema."
"Well, Beleza, I must say I'm sorry I've always come down to bathe so early but from now on I won't be making that mistake." She smiled.
"Thank you Ma'Lady. It warms my heart to know we are able to please you. We all hold you in the highest esteem." The girl said.
"Really?" The surprise was evident in her voice.
"Oh, yes Ma'Lady. We've all heard the stories of how you saved Lord Van's life during the war. How you jumped that unbelievable distance from the Crusade to the Zaibach ship and warned Lord Van before the Zaibach soldier could strike. How you were resurrected from the dead and warned the Prince of Freid of the doppelganger. How …"
"That's quite enough." Hitomi laughed. "I think maybe Merle's been spreading too many stories about me."
"Anyway Ma'Lady." The young maid grabbed the pitcher once again and began rinsing the lady's hair. "The fact that Lord Van holds you in such high esteem is reason enough."
"Well, thank you." The teen softly replied.
Finishing with her hair, the young maid grabbed the washcloth and soap crystals. Getting the cloth wet, she worked the crystals into the material until they were all but gone. With a thick rich lather on the cloth she began to rub slow, gentle circles over the teen's back.
A small grin spread across the teen's face as she let her eyes drift close. Sighing quietly, she thought, 'I could really get used to this.'
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AN: I had hoped to be much further along in this story at this point but this chapter is already too long so I guess I'll stop here. Sorry for the delay in posting but it seems fanfiction.net has been having problems again. I've started sending my story to too other websites to have it posted. One is www.fan-fics-r-us.com, just look for my name, A. Amishi on the authors' list. There is no mechanism there for sending reviews so just email me at aamishi@netscape.net. The other location is www.escaflowneonline.com, under their fanfics link. There, just click on the author's name to send a reply. The email addresses may be different between the two sights but that's okay. Don't worry about it. ^_^
Also, I recently joined an Escaflowne Forum, , which is part of escaflowneonline. While they have 126 members, they number of active members seems pretty low. Perhaps if some of you join as well, we can share our thoughts and ideas about this wonderful show together and help liven up that forum. ^_^ Unless you guys know of a more active and well-organized esca-forum. I'd be more than happy to join another one as well.
Well, enough chapters with our hero and heroine apart. It's time to bring them back together. Should happen in the next chapter. And speaking of chapters, I has made some minor changes to the first three chapters as well as chapters 43, 48 and 52. I used Serena in chapter 43 but I used Celena elsewhere, so I changed it in 42 to Celena. The ending of chapter 48 is different now, and I changed the time Hitomi runs the 100 meters in from 12 to 13 seconds. I re-watched episode 1 today and she does say 13 seconds, not 12. So I corrected this in both chapter 1 and 52. Don't think she mentions it anywhere else, does she???