Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

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

Chapter 71

Along the shores of the Vinsorii River

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The young couple rode side by side along the shore line, enjoying the scenery of the lush green forest to the right of them and the deep blue waters of the Vinsorii River to the left.

"It's so beautiful here." Hitomi giggled, "It's beautiful everywhere in Fanelia."

"Well, you've only seen a small portion of Fanelia but I would have to agree with you. Fanelia is quite beautiful." Slowly a knowing grin appeared upon the young king's face. "In fact, I'd love to show you just how beautiful Fanelia really is." And with that he began to ride at a slow gallop.

A mild look of confusion appeared upon her face but she set any questions she may have had aside as she rode to catch up with the man she loved. With a light wind blowing in her face and the feeling of power in commanding the elegant beast beneath her, a broad smile made its way across her face as she pulled up next to Van.

The king ventured a glance over at his true love and smiled at the sight of the pleasure she was obviously experiencing.

"You're enjoying yourself?" He asked.

"Yes!" She smiled at him briefly.

"Do you want to go faster?"

"Yes!" Her smiled grew.

"Take the lead, you can set the pace." He offered.

"But I don't know where we are heading." She countered.

Lifting his left hand, he pointed to a clearing far off in the distance. "See that clearing there, about a thousand cubits ahead. We're following that path through the forest, up to the top of the ridge on the other side." He offered. "Go on, I'll follow you."

She flashed him a brilliant smile then looked down at her horse for an instant, "HIA!" She yelled as she raced ahead of the king.

The faster she rode the more adrenalin raced through her system giving her a natural high that running could never equal. Van followed close behind and to the right. Riding his stallion had always been one of his greatest joys. The feeling of power, control and danger were hard to match any other way. It filled him with joy to know the woman he loved shared that same feeling of joy. Thoughts of endless days riding along the countryside, just the two of them, filled his mind and brought a joyful smile to his face.

'Oh god, I love this. I feel the burn in my legs, back and arms. I know one fatal step could spell disaster. But I can't help but love this. I've never felt a rush like this in my life.' She stole a glance behind her to see Van right on her heels. 'He knew. He must have known I'd love this as much as he does. Oh Van, this is a great start to our day together.'

As they approached the break in the trees, Van pulled ahead of Hitomi and gave her a wink as he passed her.

"Hey! I thought you said I could lead?" She yelled.

Waiting until they turned up the path, he looked back and said with a grin. "If you want to lead, then ride faster than me."

The path through the forest was a winding incline but the path itself was wide and well worn, so there was no danger in riding so fast. Though Hitomi was sure Van wouldn't tease her so if he thought there was any real danger, the overhanging canopy and rustling sound of dead leaves being kicked up by the horses' hooves did cause her heart to race as her anxiety level increased but this didn't deter her. A playful scowl crossed the emerald-eyed girl's lips as she coaxed her horse to run even faster.

As they made their way up the long path, they changed leads several times. While a broad smile remained on her face the whole way, her eyes burned with a dogged determination as her competitive juices rushed through her veins and drove her on. As a break in the forest slowly came into sight, Hitomi pushed her beast on all the more as she broke past Van one last time and pulled ahead. Van smiled gleefully as she pulled away.

Breaking past the tree line, the female rider came upon a large open clearing that was bordered by a shear cliff on two sides. She slowed down to a trot and made her way to the edge of the cliff. Her partner pulled up next to her as they approached the edge.

"You've become quite a rider Hitomi." Van smiled. "You're even better than me."

She graced him with a happy grin. "Thanks Van, but you know you really are a terrible liar. You let me win, I could tell, but thank you anyway." She moved her horse sideways till the two beasts were practically touching then she leaned over to kiss him. He followed suit and leaned toward her as well. After they broke their kiss, they gazed into each other's eyes for a few moments before turning their attention to the scenery before them.

"Wow, is all this Fanelia?" She asked.

"Not all of it." He pointed out to where the forest was tall and its color was a deep dark green then it suddenly changed to shorter trees that were a lighter shade of green. "The change in the forest there marks the border between Fanelia and Asturia." Then he pointed east toward the mountains, "And beyond the second mountain range lies the Zaibach Empire."

"Whew, and here I thought Fanelia was supposed to be a small kingdom." She marveled at all she saw.

"Well, compared to most of the kingdoms in Gaea, Fanelia is quite small, but it would still take a rider nearly a week to cross from one side of Fanelia to the other." He explained. "Come, we should let the horses rest. We pushed them pretty hard." He said as he dismounted. Hitomi followed suit. After the animals had a chance to cool down, their riders retrieved their water poaches. Taking a small drink themselves, they poured small amounts of water in there hands so the animals could drink.

The teen from the Mystic Moon gave a small laugh. "It tickles."

Van smiled, looking over at her, taking great pleasure in the happiness she was experiencing.

They stopped when Van said it was enough then they fed the beasts each a piece of fruit that resembled an apple and a salt tablet. Van retrieved the blanket and tucked it under his left arm. Removing the food pouches from his horse, he slung them over his left shoulder then took Hitomi's left into his right, and walked over near the edge of the cliff. Setting the pouches down, he unfolded the blanket and the two of them spread it out over the ground, then he moved the satchels on the blanket then removed his sword belt and sat down on it as well, as did Hitomi.

As they both removed their shoes, Van setting his boots next to his sword, the brown-haired girl gave a small chuckle.

Van turned toward her with a questioning look. "What's so funny?" He asked with a smile.

She shook her head with a smile and responded, "It's just that we've done this only a few times but we already have a routine."

The smile that was on the king's face slowly faded away as he shifted his gaze from her for a moment, then turning back to her he asked sadly. "Have I become too predictable for you Hitomi?"

Concern washed over the girl instantly. "No! Van, I didn't mean it that way." She moved closer to him and gently placed her hand upon his cheek. "I love that we've become so familiar, so comfortable with each other that we've started to form routines together. It means we… we're growing closer." She fell silent as she gazed lovingly into his eyes.

Returning her gaze, Van slowly began to smile once again, then gradually leaned closer to her and her to him. Their kiss was soft and tender. Hitomi sighed with pleasure as Van left her lips and ran a trail of kisses along her jaw line to her eye then down her neck. She sighed again as he nibbled lightly on her neck and only opened her eyes slightly when she felt a gust of wind blow in her face.

What she saw caused her to scream and fall backward.

"WHAT?" Van yelled, spinning around to see what frightened his love so as he reached for his sword.

Seeing the creature suspended in the air just above the cliff by the strength of its powerful wings, the King of Fanelia smiled as he stood up and admired the beast. Turning suddenly he extended a hand to Hitomi.

"Don't be afraid. She won't hurt us." He assured her.

Tentatively, she took his hand and rose to her feet but made a point of stay close behind him, clinging to his shirt with only her head peering out from behind him as she looked at the twenty-meter long beast with the thirty-meter long wingspan.

"Are you sure?" She asked. "Is it some kind of friendly dragon?"

"It's not a dragon at all. It's a salamander." He raised his hand high in the air and it seemed to draw the beast closer. "They live in the high mountains but they come down sometimes when they are looking for food."

"Don't encourage it. It might decide to make breakfast out of us." Hitomi cringed as she pulled closer to her protector.

Van laughed lightly, "That won't happen, you see salamanders are vegetarians." He explained as he kept his hand high and turned slightly to the side. The beast followed the direction he turned and came to land about twenty meters to the right of their picnic blanket. "They're very docile and friendly." He said as he reached behind himself and took his love by the hand. "Come, I'll show you."

"Aaah!" She cringed again but followed him none-the-less.

Van walked up to the creature and raised his hand again. This time the beast lowered his head and Van stroked her along its long round snout. "This one is a female. You can tell because the males come in many colors: brown, gray, green but the females are always white."

He glanced over his shoulder to see Hitomi still standing slightly behind him with a look of fear on her face.

"Here," He gently took her hand and guided it to the beasts snout. "Don't be afraid. She won't hurt you."

Hitomi hesitated for just a moment before saying, "Okay Van, I trust you." Then she stepped forward and let him guide her hand over the animal's skin. "It's soft, like combed suede." She smiled.

The winged animal tilted its head a bit lower and closer toward the girl from the Mystic Moon.

"I think she likes you." Van smiled. A thought occurred to him and he said, "Wait here." As he turned and jogged over to his stallion to retrieve some of the same fruits they had fed the horses earlier.

Returning to his lover's side, he handed her a piece of fruit. "Here."

A look of confusion crossed her face. "What do I do with this?"

"Just hold it out for her. She'll know what to do, and don't worry, she won't bite you." He assured her.

"Okay." She replied hesitantly but did as he instructed anyway.

The salamander lifted its head slightly and sniffed the fruit in Hitomi's hand then it stuck its tongue out and slowly took it from her.

The teen giggled, "That tickles."

Van handed her another fruit and she held it out for the beast again, giggling once more as the winged beast licked her hand as it retrieved the fruit.

"She's actually quite beautiful isn't she?" She said as she rubbed the end of its nose.

Van went and placed the last two pieces of fruit he had on the animal's mouth then ran his hands along the side of its head and by its neck. "Yes, I suppose she is." He smiled over at the teen.

"Sorry but that's all we have for you." Hitomi smiled sadly as she as she stroked its head.

After a few minutes Van stepped back from the winged beast and took Hitomi's hand as he guided her back as well. She stared over at him with a look of mild confusion.

"If we continue to pet her, she'll stay here all day. She's a mature female, which means she most likely has young ones waiting on her so they can be fed." He explained.

"Oh," The emerald-eyed teen looked back at the salamander. "Go now, you've got to take care of you children." She called out.

As if acknowledging her instruction, the white-winged creature nodded its head a few times as she spread her wings and took flight.

"That was amazing." Hitomi exclaimed as she kept her eyes fixated on the creature as it flew away. As it soared above the clouds and out of sight, she turned to her lover and wrapped her arms around his neck as she smiled. "You planned this didn't you?"

Van wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the tip of her nose. "I wish I could say yes, I did but that would be a lie. Salamanders are very unpredictable. You can go years without seeing one then sometimes the skies are so filled with them that you can't see the sky above them."

"Well, thank you anyway." Her eyes smiled up at him as she leaned in and kissed him deeply, passionately.

"Mmm, I think I'll have to find a way to get the salamanders to appear more often." He said as their lips separated before he pressed his lips to hers again.

After a few moments, Hitomi giggled as she drew away, letting her hands run down the length of his arms until their hands met. Then she placed her palms into his and guided him toward the blanket. "Come on, let's eat."

As she stepped on the blanket, her foot went slightly croaked and she began to fall backwards.

"Aaa!" She yelled as she lost her balance.

Van pulled her toward him, releasing one hand and wrapped it around her waist quickly to steady her. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah," She turned around and looked down. "Oh, I guess, the salamander must have blown the blanket over onto itself." She reasoned as she saw the item folded over on itself.

The young king released her and went over to unfold it. "It's a good thing the satchels were on the blanket, otherwise it may have blown away."

The brown-haired girl nodded in agreement as she bent down to help him spread the blanket out again.

Sitting on the blanket, they enjoyed their breakfast in relative silence, taking pleasure in the scenery around them as well as the comfort of their company. When they finished, Van packed everything back up and placed it all back on his horse then they sat at the edge of the cliff, looking out at the valley below and the mountains in the distance. Every now and then he would look up and gage the time based on the position of the sun and the moons.

Enjoying the beauty of the Fanelian countryside, she asked. "Is all of Fanelia this beautiful?"

"Mmm, I like to think so." Van smiled. 'She asked that question already. Did she forget already or is she truly taken back by the beauty of my country?'

Smiling back at him then turning back toward the valley she mused. "I wish I could see all of Fanelia for myself."

Looking up at the sun and moons once again then off in the distance at the large cluster of clouds the king said, "Well, I did promise to make this day a memorable one." He smiled as he saw an object come clear of the clouds. "So I guess I'll just have to fulfill your wish."

Turning quickly to look at him, she gave the young king a questioning stare. "How is that possible? You said it would take almost a week to ride from one side of Fanelia to the other not to mention ride all the way around the Fanelian countryside?"

"Mmm," He nodded before pointing at the object that was descending from the sky.

"Huh?" The emerald-eyed girl looked up and saw the object descending in their direction. "What is that?"

"Don't you recognize it Hitomi?" Van smiled.

The teen continued to stare for several minutes before it's shape became clear to her. She gasped in excitement. "It's the Crusade!" She jumped to her feet, as her eyes grew wide in excitement.

The young king stood up beside her, happy to see her so excited.

"This you planned, I know it." She looked over at him.

"Well, you had decided some time ago that this would be your last day here in Fanelia. It gave me enough time to send an envoy to Asturia to request the use of their airship." He answered.

"So where are we going?" She grinned.

"On a tour of Fanelia, courtesy of the Crusade." He said as he brushed a few strands of her hair away from her face.

"Oh Van." She gently took hold of his hand and kissed his palm then stepped closer and hugged him.

Returning her embrace, Van mused, "Mmm, either I'm better at being romantic than I ever thought or you're just way too easy to please Hitomi." He smiled down at her.

Looking up she narrowed her eyes playfully. "Would you prefer it if I were hard to please?"

Van's eyes went wide for an instant and he pulled her into a tight embrace, whispering in her ear. "I love you just the way you are."

"And I love you just as you are." She replied, holding him tight.

As the Crusade made its landing several meters away, the main hatch of the ship began to open, touching the ground a moment after the rest of the ship did. Descending down the wide plank were two familiar faces. Van and Hitomi walked over toward them as they exited the ship.

"Gadess, Teo!" Hitomi waved happily, even though they were just a few feet from them. "It's so good to see you again."

Once they were in front of them, the two Asturian soldiers dropped to one knee and bowed their heads. "King Van of Fanelia, we humbly request permission to land our craft upon your soil." Gadess said.

"Huh?" Hitomi's eyes went wide. 'Why are they being so formal? They never behaved like this before.'

"I, Van Fanel, grant the crew of the Asturian airship, the Crusade, permission to fly over and land upon the kingdom of Fanelia on this day. Thank you for fulfilling my request." Van replied. "Now rise Sergeant Gadess and greet me properly." The king smiled, extending his hand in friendship.

The commander of the Crusade rose to his feet and accepted the king's hand wholeheartedly. "Thank you Lord Van but it is now Captain Gadess." He informed the king, gesturing to his sword, which signified his rank of captain.

"Really? Well, it's a promotion well deserved. Congratulations." The king responded happily. "You do remember the Lady Hitomi Kanzaki?" He gestured to the young lady next to him.

"Of course, how could I ever forget the young lady from the Mystic Moon." He extended his hand in greeting and when Hitomi took it with a smile, he bowed to one knee again. "Lady Hitomi, it is an honor to see you once again."

"Huh? Well thank you Gadess but … why so formal? And you to Teo." She asked turning toward the other man who was still kneeling with his head bowed.

Gadess rose, released her hand and explained. "We received notice from her Majesty, Queen Millerna, some time ago that if we were ever called upon by Lord Van that we were to treat the King of Fanelia and his guests as if we were in her Majesty's presence, at all times.

"Teo, you can get up now." The captain said to his subordinate.

"Oh." The man rose, a bit ashamed at his failure to follow proper protocol.

"Why don't you get the horses on board?" His commander instructed.

"Yes sir." Turning toward Van and Hitomi, he added. "It is a great pleasure to see you again Lord Van. Both of you." He bowed quickly then went off and got the horses.

"He's still having difficulty adjusting to the new protocols and formalities." Gadess explained with a grin. "Shall we go on board now, your Majesty?" He gestured toward the ship.

"Yes, of course. My kingdom's flag is in the satchel on Lady Hitomi's horse." He said.

"Very good. I'll have it unfurled upon the flagpole." The captain replied.

"Flag?" Hitomi asked her lover.

"To let the people know that I am aboard this ship and that this ship is here for peaceful purposes." He explained.

"Van?"

"Yes Hitomi?"

She smiled up at him and gave his hand a gently squeeze. "Nothing, it's nothing."

Van wrinkled his eyebrow slightly but chose not to question her further.

"So which direction shall we start Lord Van." Gadess asked from up ahead.

"I thought we'd follow the border westward to the city of Celoria." The king replied.

"Very good my Lord." The commander of the ship acknowledged then headed for the bridge as his passengers headed for the outdoor observation deck.

With everyone back on board as well as the horses, the hatch door was closed and the Crusade lifted off for its voyage across the kingdom of Fanelia with the Flag of Fanelia blowing in the wind.

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AN: I had hoped to cover their special day all in this chapter but that would have made it very long. The next chapter will be their voyage through Fanelia and Hitomi's return home. At least that is how I have it planned. I hope you enjoyed their special day so far. Oh, by the way, Celoria is a city in Fanelia. Of course, I made it up since we don't learn from the series the names of any other cities within the kingdom. In my story, Celoria will be the second largest city in Fanelia and its primary industry will be textiles, mainly wool and a fabric much like silk.

Once again, I thank you all for your many wonderful comments and words of support. You have filled me with such confidence that I even started writing yet another story. This one is another Eva story. In my acknowledgement, I thank all of your for the confidence and courage you've given me through your wonderful support during this story.

Thank you all. I love you all.

A. Amishi