II

Looking back on it, it all seemed like sort of dream…or nightmare for that matter. One minute Hitomi was inadvertently saving a member of royalty from death, and the next she was riding with him in the back seat of a limo, traveling to- "…Ah! Where…where are we going?"

"Hm?" The prince nonchalantly glanced over at her, not moving from his relaxed position as he leered at her skeptically. "You're just now asking that? Just how naïve are you anyways?"

Instantly she fumed, though he did have a point. "T-things happened so fast! I wasn't really thinking about it!"

"Calm down. I'm taking you back home with me. You'll probably get some sort of reward and be considered a national hero, and so on..." He dismissed the whole thing with a wave of his hand, as if he found it extremely boring. That just irritated her more, and she shook her head furiously as she stared in disbelief. "What is your problem? I don't care about getting anything for saving you, I was just scared! Really scared that you would get hurt…or…or…Besides, all I want to do is go to Asturia!"

"Asturia?" he repeated, glancing over at her with a slight glimmer of interest. "Why would someone like you want to go there?"

She harrumphed loudly, just crossing her arms over her chest, her face turned up defiantly. "Do I need a reason?"

"Everyone needs a reason for why they do the things they do."

…That was surprisingly astute of him. Slowly grasping her pendant unconsciously, she thought about it before countering, "Well, I have one…but I'm not going to tell you!"

"Fine, I don't really care," he muttered, placing his chin on his hand as he returned his gaze towards the window. "Asturia is still a few hours away, and you have to pass by Fanelia to get there anyways."

"…Fanelia? Is that the name of your country?" she asked, tilting her head to the side in curiosity. He scoffed, almost sounding insulted. "How is it that you know of Asturia but not Fanelia?"

"Excuse me for not knowing every country in the world! I honestly just know of Asturia because of-…my personal reason. If you asked me, I probably wouldn't even be able to point it out on a map!"

She thought she heard him make a disparaging comment about her lack of geographical knowledge under his breath, and while it was true (it had never been in her strong point in school), it just irked her even more. "…I can't believe someone like you is a prince."

That got his full attention, and he let out that same smug laugh he did at the airport, the one that made her think he wasn't all there in the head. "You do know that real life is different than fairy tales, right?"

"I know that!" Indeed, she had been thinking of the ones in the storybooks, and the fact that he had caught her caused a light blush to spread over her cheeks. "I mean, when you usually hear about princes in the news, they're friendly…and charming…and-"

"Who says I can't be all those things?" he retorted, smirking slightly. "I just have to be with the right company."

The ungrateful bastard! True, she might not be some important dignitary, but still! Did he forget what she had done? "Are you saying I'm not?"

"No, not at all," he replied with a shrug, looking her over carefully. She began to fell self-conscious about her outfit and the fact that she hadn't taken a shower since she left her hotel yesterday. "…What is it?"

"When we get there, you'll have time to 'freshen up', or whatever you women do." Hitomi opened her mouth to protest this too, that if he was implying something, he could stick it in an unmentionable place. But she realized she could really use it (at least to get the remaining glass out of her hair and clothes), but that made her think of a possible problem. "…Thank you…but…um…"

"Yes?" he asked with a heavy sigh, making her reaffirm that he had to be the rudest man in the world. She pouted, not sure if she wanted to ask him now, but she had to be prepared for what situation she was going to be faced with before she got there. "Does…does Fanelia have…running water?"

His auburn eyes narrowed, and the atmosphere in the cabin of the limo grew even more uncomfortable, if that was even possible. "Just because you haven't heard of Fanelia doesn't mean you can assume it's a third-world country. Yes, there is indoor plumbing, and electricity and phone lines. Is there anything I'm missing that you worry might inconvenience you?"

She slunk bashfully down in her seat, but really, how was she to know? The scenery they had been driving through had been mostly wooded countryside, with the sparse farm here or there that looked like it had been around before the turn of the century. The idea of finding anything remotely modern was a complete mental stretch for her, but to even mention it seemed like a touchy subject. She started to begrudgingly apologize, but was interrupted by the limo going over cobblestone streets and him announcing, "We're here."

Her eyes were instantly glued to her window as she let out a gasp; the city was filled with so many buildings nestled in closely together, cradled in the valley of the massive mountains surrounding it nearly on all sides. But instead of creating a feeling of claustrophobia, the closeness seemed to magnify the life breathing inside of it. The streets seemed to be crowded with people, whether it be in cars, bikes, or simply walking on the sidewalks. He had said that they had modern conveniences (and she wasn't about to voice her doubt again), but she felt like she had fallen back into a whimsical period of time; the architecture, clothing, food...all of it seemed like out of a history book. Despite the fact that she had never planned on coming here, she was suddenly glad she did, debating on whether or not she could stay a day or two just to explore.

As they reached the top of the hill everything seemed to rest on, her eyes couldn't help but grow wider at the sight of the castle that in the center of it all. She had never seen one besides the ones in pictures, and while it might have not been the most extravagant one ever, it was no less magnificent. It looked to be carved out of the mountain itself, immovable stone that towered over the city like a silent guardian. All of it almost seemed magical in her whole mind, though it could go back to her was again referring to fairytales.

The spell was broken however when they reached the gate and slowed down, not to enter, but because of the crowd of people and news vans blocking their way. She quickly turned to ask if this was normal, but the prince seemed like he was actually expecting it. "I should have known they would have been here already. You'll have a chance to talk to them soon enough."

Staring at the shouting and pushing mass as they somehow manage to drive past the throng and through the gates, Hitomi didn't know if she really wanted to talk to 'them', whoever they were. "Ah, I see…"

"Someone will see you to a room where you can rest and change," he instructed as they came to a stop once more, servants immediately rushing to open his door. He slid out before he turned to poke his head in. "Do want someone to carry that suitcase of yours? It seemed like you had trouble managing it."

"…I can do it! I don't need any of your help!" she protested as she quickly got out as well and headed to where the trunk was, thankful that even in all the commotion at the airport she had remembered to go back and retrieve her bags. He cocked an eyebrow at her reaction before simply nodding. "I wasn't going to carry it, but ask one of the servants to do it. But never mind then."

Damn him! He had used her own pride against her! Or perhaps it was her own fault for assuming, but one could hardly blame her for being so defensive around him. Gritting her teeth, she pulled suitcase out with one fell swoop and set it down before turning back towards him- was…was that admiration on his face? No, she must have imagined it; whatever it was, it was in an instant, replaced by that scowl he seemed to wear most of the time. He seemed to scrutinize her once more, and then started to walk away. "You should change it to something more suitable."

That took her a minute to recover from, even if she was growing accustomed to his bluntness. "Why should I care if what I wear is 'suitable' for you?"

He stopped before glancing over his shoulder. "Not for me. For my brother, the king."

What an unusual woman. That was the thought that kept repeating in Van's head over and over, zoning out anything else around him. That woman…that Hitomi…she was like one he had never met before. Most people automatically fawned over him, but whatever natural charm he had, it didn't seem to affect her. Perhaps it was because she had no idea who he was when she met him, but even then he doubted it would have mattered much to her.

She almost seemed contradictory to him; she didn't care about how she looked (at least, that was the impression he got), but on the other hand worried about water for showering. That she acted meek and shy sometimes, but could change to loud and brash in a second, especially when angered. She seemed to dislike him immensely (and he couldn't really blame her), but also didn't seem to regret risking herself to save his life.

He honestly didn't know what to think about her, but damnit, he couldn't help but be intrigued.

"Prince Van," Balgus interjected, keeping his voice low to not interfere with the conversation buzzing in the room, "I don't mean to interrupt what possible thoughts you're having about Miss Hitomi, but perhaps you can focus on the matter at hand?"

Ignoring the comment about Hitomi (he wasn't going to deny it, aware that Balgus knew him to well to even try), Van sighed and gestured to the advisors arguing with Folken, now oblivious of his presence after drilling him on what happened. "Why bother? They're probably going to make me rehearse what to say in the end anyways."

It was all politics of course; even though it was obvious that someone had tried to shoot him, they had to be careful in their wording. Apparently him just bluntly saying to the press that someone wanted him dead wouldn't be tactful enough, and whatever he said had to be carefully scripted. So after going over what happened over and over (no, he had not seen who it was, nor did have any suspicion), he was left to wait off to the side as it was to be discussed with the king what should be done.

This was another instance where Van was glad it was on Folken's shoulders; if it had been his decision, he would already being lambasting the perpetrators to the press, daring them to come out and identify themselves or be labeled as weak cowards. No doubt his brashness would have backfired him, or worse, Fanelia…at least, that's what the advisors believed.

"Van," Folken suddenly interposed on his thoughts, causing him to sit up straight. "I guess you weren't paying attention, so I'll repeat myself one more time; you will change and then hold a press conference. Try to hold off speculations on who the shooter could have been or why you were targeted, but instead just focus on the fact that you're thankful to be alive and the matter is being looked into further. Is this suitable with everyone?"

There was collective agreement around the room, and satisfied that the matter at hand was handled for now, everyone began to file out of the now stuffy room. Van jumped up from his seat, glad to be finally done with the whole thing, only to be stopped by Folken's stern gaze. "You stay, Van, and close the door behind everyone."

Groaning inwardly, Van did as he was told, standing to attention by the entrance and making sure everyone left before turning back towards his brother. "What did you-"

"Thank god you're not harmed," Folken murmured, quickly crossing the distance between them with his long gait, enveloping his brother in a strong embrace. This took Van by surprise, and it took him a minute to react, pushing away awkwardly. "F-folken, stop, I'm fine…"

"…Yes, yes, of course. I apologize." Folken coughed to clear his throat, regaining his unruffled composure. "It's just that, when the news first poured in about a shooting, I thought…I never wanted you to deal with such a thing, you understand. It's a lot of pressure for you, isn't it?"

Hearing his brother talk like this kind of unnerved Van a little bit; he tried to shrug it off, shaking his head. "I can handle it. It's not like what you have to deal with it."

Folken seemed to think about this for a bit before chuckling lowly. "Indeed, you're probably right, yet right now I would hate to be in your position right now. Tell me Van, why do you think someone tried to shoot you? Speculate all you want."

He really couldn't say why, still having a hard time believing it actually happened. "…Someone despises me and is a damn coward about it?"

"Think Van," Folken replied, leaning against his desk with arms crossed across his chest. "If they were really a coward, would they have tried to do it in such a public place? Why not do it where there are no witnesses? And who could loathe you so much that they would want to kill you?"

"…I don't know! But I swear I'll find out who it is though and get answers why."

Sighing, Folken leaned over and tousled Van's hair, something he didn't like when he was younger and definitely not now. "You're not thinking diplomatically. It's obvious that someone is going after you because you're the Fanelian prince."

Van's eyes widened and he grimaced in anger at the mere thought. "…Does that mean someone might try to kill you too?"

"Possibly, though it's curious that they haven't tried yet; if I was assassinated, it's likely that the whole government would be overthrown long enough for another country to assume control. But that might be the whole point."

A little hurt at the subtle jab that Van wouldn't be able to assume the throne if Folken passed away, he tilted his head to the side, not really following what his brother was saying. "The whole point?"

"It would be a little too suspicious I would be killed before a country tried a takeover, wouldn't it? Our allies would automatically retaliate, and while there's no guarantees that they would win, that's nothing a country trying to grow really wants. However, if you were to be killed, it would be a devastating blow both to me and Fanelia, and would no doubt cause accusations to start flying."

It took him a minute to comprehend, but Van finally fearfully understood, his mouth opened wide. "…You're not saying…"

Folken smiled somberly and nodded once. "Whoever did this intended on causing a war."

A/N: SORRY FOR ALL THE TALKING THIS CHAPTER, OH MY GOD. Expectmoreofitnextchaptertoo. :c