Bad Dreams

By angelwings1

Chapter 5

Hitomi stared at her reflection nervously, 'I thought I would never again see myself in a dress.'

She spun before the mirror, checking every inch of her body for signs of her tattoos. The plan wouldn't work if someone spotted the smallest tattoo. Her dress floated only a few short inches above the ground, easily covering the ones down her left calf. Luckily should the dress hike up when she would twirl then her long boots would cover a large portion of the design there. The sleeves of the dress were cuffed elegantly at her wrists and if she was careful how she moved no one would see her woven angels. For extra precaution, however, two thick bracelets were pushed over the cuffs in a strange, yet believable decorative style.

The dress itself had a beautiful flowing white hoop skirt. The bodice of the dress was an overlapping layer of soft pink that swooped down in a V-shape. In her opinion, the frills at the collar were a bit much, but they were the latest fashion throughout the east so she knew she wouldn't win an argument against them.

The seer sighed again, 'I don't even look like I'm from some distant region. My hair cut might appear odd, but it's not uncommon for some rebellious ladies to chop off their beautiful lengths.'

This might fool their eyes, but it will be my behavior that will win them over.'

Merle had been training her diligently for the last two weeks in the art of nobility and Hitomi was ready to tear out ever last strand of hair out of her scalp. She was now very glad she had been raised in a temple where manners weren't a show. It unnerved her how ever turn of a wrist had meaning. She could be completely rude to a noble and never know it if she wasn't careful. It was driving her into a series of panic attacks.

'I'll be glad when this meeting is over!'

There were only a few hours before the first expected arrivals and Hitomi didn't dare leave her room. She kept checking her appearance, reviewing ever trick Merle had given her for the meeting, and bluntly ignoring the book hiding beneath her pillow.

Her eyes jerked to her bed at the scattered thought of the book. Her hands anxiously rubbed together as she reread the sentences in her mind. Angrily, she looked to the floor, frowning down at it as if it was to blame for the mess she was about to get in.

'I can't think about that now,' she scolded venomously, 'the diplomats will be here soon. If I turn back now what could be done?'

She thought of her people, her family. She could see their eyes looking down at her with such anger and disapproval.

'This is the only way I see. If there was another choice, wouldn't I take it? I just have to pray that I won't have to use it.'

Taking a deep breath, Hitomi looked dead on into her reflection. With a shadow crossing her forest green eyes, she whispered, "I will do this, even if it means to break the sacred law."

Her eyes quickly found her tarot cards lying anxiously on her desk. Maybe it would calm her nerves to do a reading. She knew if the cards spoke of good things than it would make her ten times calmer.

Smiling, she reached for the deck only to stop her hand to hover inches over it. She bit her lips in indecision. If the cards told her the opposite it would make things worse.

She shifted from foot to foot. The cards hadn't been favorable for the pass week. They kept turning over to and speaking of doubt and failure. They were a type of fate she could work to avoid or overcome so they hadn't bothered her, but if they said the same thing now it would make her distraught with worry.

Her hand curled away from the deck with the star crest. Maybe it was best to let it be. Wasn't ignorance bliss? Or was she being a coward?

Frowning, Hitomi took the last final inches by impulse and flipped the top card over. Her eyes grew wide as her mouth flapped open and close, "The tower?"

'Misfortune? Is going under disguise going to cause problems?'

She hastily flung the card down, terrified. It had been rare in her experience to pick the tower, but every time she had picked it disastrous events had ensued including a monstrous flood that had taken an entire village in the valley. The card alone could drive her into a panic.

In mute horror, her eyes watched in disbelief as the card hit the deck with a faint slap and pushed half the cards unto the floor. Hitomi froze as the lightweight squares fluttered down like snow. Her eyes trailed after the wild cards, her heart hammering as several flipped face up as they hit the floor.

A singular card flew wildly towards her, turning over and over on itself like a carriage's wheel. She didn't notice her breathing speed up, hissing loudly through her teeth as she waited for it to land. With an eerie silence, the card floated down to land lightly onto the toe of her boot. The worn image of a wheel in the clouds surrounded by winged creatures stared up at her from her feet.

"The wheel of fortune," she gasped softly as she reached instinctively for the pendant around her neck, "Something big is going to happen soon. The wheels could start turning towards that destiny at this meeting."

Her eyes slowly looked at the scattered images on the floor. The first she spotted was a man in a lengthy robe, bowing as he held up a lantern to fight back the darkness. "The Hermit… Solitude."

The second was of a man hanging upside down from a tree branch by his foot. "The Hanged man… Sacrifice?"

Next was a dog staring up at the round orb that dominated a night sky. "The moon… anxiety."

She froze on the card that lied in the middle of the pile. From the floor the Tower smirked up at her. She trembled as she stared at the mess of images and thoughts running wild through her head. With a final surge of trepidation, she whispered, "Chaos."

The knock on the door quickly woke her and Hitomi hastily began picking up the cards. "One moment!"

With shaky hands she pressed the cards back into their block position and shoved them back on her desk. She nearly cried out as another card slipped from the crisp pile. Frantically she caught it before it could slip to floor and went to replace it when she noticed the image.

"The Emperor?" she frowned, forgetting about the people on the other side of the door, "Good fortune? How could that reading having any glimmer of good fortune in it?"

The second knock on the door easily broke her from the card and she instantly put it on the top of the deck. She glanced uneasily at the deck before impulsively grabbing up the card again and shoving it in a hidden fold in her skirt. Wiping her dress free from dust, she made a quick check to make sure the card was invisible to the eye. Maybe it would help to keep it with her for good luck. Pulling a great smile, Hitomi called pleasantly to her visitor as if she had not been thinking of a soul shaking matter. "Please, come in."

The door creaked open and surprisingly Merle and Van stood on the other side. Hitomi blinked at their early appearance, noticing the identical looks of apprehension. The king's tight expression, however, melted as he stared at her. In the back of her mind she took note of the warmth in his eyes, but it was easily overtaken with her concern. "What is it?"

"Austuria's convoy has arrived early," Van replied quickly, sounding slightly distracted, "It's landing as I speak. We need to go greet the representatives."

Hitomi's spine snapped completely into a vertical line, "Already? I thought the meeting wasn't arranged for hours."

Van nodded, "Yes, but if the representative is who I think it might be than its not at all surprising that Austria has arrived when it did."

"Um, alright," Hitomi mumbled as she gave her reflection a final once over, "I guess there is no delaying the inevitable."

"Don't worry, Hitomi. I've trained you well," Merle exclaimed proudly as she tugged at her own frilly apparel, "You'll be able to fake these old dead beats easy."

Hitomi glared back at the she-cat, "Easy for you to say. You've been raised in this. I've barely been around any type of court."
"That's why I'm going to stay close to you," Van replied calmly, "If you get into trouble, I can make an excuse up. Just keep to the background we gave you and things should be fine."

The seer nodded weakly as the young king tucked the two ladies' hands into his elbows and led them down the hall to the awaiting carriage. Balgus met them at the door and slowly pulled at the huge gold handles. Hitomi swallowed as the doors opened to reveal the elegant box carriage pulled by several horses.

'Lord, protect me and this king. Help me to save him, not condemn him.'

Merle was let in first and she settled in with graceful ease as she adjusted her lengthy dress. Awkwardly, Hitomi picked up her dress, and taking the king's offered hand, stepped into her doom. Balgus was the last to enter.

The door closed with a small click, but she felt as if a padlocked had confined her to her prison. As the carriage rode towards the docks, Hitomi and Merle together ran over her background a final time. The air was pleasant and her dress was oddly comfortable when it covered a great deal of skin that was usually bare. She awkwardly adjusted herself multiple times before Merle snapped at her to pay attention. Before she could even find the chance to fight done her fear, the monstrous ship slid into view outside the window.

There were already several Fanelian soldiers speaking with a small group at the foot of the large vessel, making it irritable impossible for Hitomi to tell who had arrived so early. Once the carriage had stopped, Hitomi pulled her spine into the regal pose she was taught and waited patiently for the door to be opened. Balgus exit first, as she had been instructed would happen, and then he offered his hand to Merle.

'I'll exit first. They will be looking for the king and if they see me they might lower their gaze long enough for you to exit without much notice.'

'Does it matter that much?' Hitomi had asked, 'I mean I will eventually be introduced to them.'

'Perhaps, but it's better to keep you at the lowest profile as possible.'

Hitomi's heart nearly froze when the samurai lifted his hand to her. Without a moment's hesitation she took it and carefully stepped out into the bright sun, praying feverishly that she didn't fall.

Hitomi kept her eyes pointed away from the noble, deciding it was better for her nerves not to know if he had or hadn't seen her. Merle discreetly took her hand when she grew closer, whispering soft words of encouragement. The seer didn't acknowledge her, but instead anxiously lifted her face to see the noble.

The seer froze instantly as her eyes locked with a pair of ocean blue. The noble had watched her the entire time! Hitomi fought back the urge to swallow as she fought to keep her face calm.

The man was staring at her with an expression she only guess could be described as curiosity. He was watching her pointedly as if he knew she didn't belong. Her face began to heat up the longer his eyes stayed trained on her. Whether Merle noticed she didn't say and that only unnerved the seer more. Her confidence was quickly disappearing with each second and finally she darted her eyes away from the man in hope of saving what little strength she had left.

'He's just looking at you. For God's sake, Hitomi get a grip. You haven't even been introduced yet and you're ready to turn tail. This isn't going to convince anyone if you buckle each time.'

A noble was supposed to have an air of authority that rivaled even the highest of blood. Even if she was a low duchess or even the cousin of one she should prove herself to be strong and powerful enough to hold a king's gaze.

With new resolve the seer returned to look at the man, only to find his gaze had switched their focus back to the carriage. Hitomi fumed inwardly at her chance to appear strong and began studying her first noble. He was a tall man with a powerful stance. His face was a soft pale and with his long blonde hair she might have considered him to be a gentle person, but his strong jaw line and sword at his side swiftly dispersed those thoughts. His wardrobe was strange, but she guessed it would be because she had seen little of life beyond the valley. Puffy sleeves and a lengthy blue vest were hardly common to her.

Just as she was admiring the shine in his boots, a blonde angel burst out from behind him. Hitomi blinked rapidly as the light off her hair bounced. Her mouth dropped opened as she was struck dumb.

"Oh, Van, it's so good to see you again!" the angel cried as her heels clicked loudly against the cobblestone. Time seemed to slow as Hitomi watched Van step forward out of nowhere and reached out for the woman.

"Same to you, Millernia," Van replied with a heart-warming smile as they hugged, "I thought Eries was coming. What are you doing here?"

The blonde maiden pouted and swatted the king's arm playfully, sending a thickening turn in the seer's stomach, "You sound as if you're disappointed I came."

Van rolled his eyes, appearing more like the boy than the king he was, "I am glad to see you. It's just your sister normally takes care of these types of proceedings."

Millernia shrugged, "My father decided it was time I got more involved with my duties. Don't worry. I've been drilled for hours. My father is adamant I do well at the meeting."

"That's Millernia Aston," Merle's voice broke through her trance of the pair causing Hitomi to start.

"W-what was that?" the seer stumbled, feebly.

The she-cat shook the woman's arm, "I said that is Millernia Aston, third princess of Austuria. She used to be Van's childhood playmate."

"Millernia," Hitomi mumbled unconsciously, 'The king and his princess.'

Merle eyed the seer through her lashes and smirked. She knew it was a dangerous idea, but she couldn't help her mind from twirling with the thought. Leaning casually closer, the cat quietly whispered, "At one time both their parents wanted them to marry and sought to betroth them, but after Fanelia lost the royal family, no one dares speak about Van-sama marrying. Rumors, however, are saying that two are already romantic with each other."

"Oh," Hitomi sighed, her shoulders drooping an inch. She shuffled quietly beside the cat-girl waiting for her turn to be introduced. 'Why am I disappointed?'

Her eyes stared up through her eyelashes at the chatting couple. She could feel her face grow warm as her gaze trailed over the king's profile. 'Am I jealous?'

Hitomi shuddered at the thought. She couldn't be jealous. If she was it would be horrible. Something dark and cold stirred in the pit of her stomach. To have feelings for a man from a foreign country would have been simply, but if she dared to feel for a king, it was a disaster. A king wasn't allowed to love that much she knew. He was forced to marry for noble blood so the line would stay strong. That one fact alone stomped hard on her stomach and Hitomi felt a cold, emptiness fill her.

Merle's smirk slid downwards as she saw the seer become still and her face glowered with a haunting determination. She had been hoping to get a more depressed reaction from the girl, but instead she was getting the very opposite.

Van abruptly turned away from the princess, having found a break in their conversation, and signaled the girls over. Hitomi silently followed Merle to the pair as the princess took notice of them for the first time. As Van's eyes connected with hers, Hitomi made a promise to reserve all feelings for the king as strictly platonic. She could never hope for a relationship nor did she want to steal from the worthy princess his heart.

'Besides, it's not like I'm in love with him. I could understand a small affection since he's one of the first men I've grown close to after Amano.'

"Why Merle I think that dress is very stunning on you," the princess exclaimed as she and the she-cat hugged, "I know it has to be driving you crazy to be so formal."

Merle nodded with a wicked glare, "Sadly, I promise not to shred this one like I did the last, else I won't be allowed on any more banquets. If it wasn't for the food I swear this stupid thing would be little shreds on the floor in my room."

Millerina laughed lightly, its melodic sound vibrating in the seer's ears. Suddenly, the princess turned to her, making the seer's heart fold, "And who might you be?"

Pushing her thoughts to the back of her mind, Hitomi rolled back her shoulders and stepped forward to be properly introduced to Austuria's princess. 'Let the game begin.'

With flawlessly tact, Hitomi curtsied to the princess as Van spoke, "This is my cousin, Hitomi de Fanel, daughter of Garrison of Thorb. Her father requested she might sit in on the meeting so she might learn more of political transactions."

Hitomi rose carefully, hoping the princess didn't notice the wobble in her knees. Looking up through her bangs, Hitomi realized the princess was staring at her with a perplex expression.

"Strange," Millerina replied, her brilliant blue eyes hard on the seer, "I never met of Lord Garrison. I thought I knew all your family, Van."

Hitomi involuntarily bit her lip, but Van smoothly replied, "You would be amazed how many relatives reacquainted with me once I took the throne. I never realized a person could have so many blood connections. It makes my head spin sometimes just keeping up with them."

Millerina giggled lightly, "I suppose that is true. Oh, how rude of me to not introduce you to my company."

Throwing back her gleaming locks, the princess beckon the blonde man forward along with another man with dark hair. The two bowed respectfully as Millerina introduced them.

Waving her hand to the blonde she said, "This is Allen Schezard, Calie Knight and my personal bodyguard for the trip. I believe you have met him on occasion, Van."

"I have" the king nodded, "It is good to see you again, Sir Allen."

"The same to you, your highness," the knight replied silkily as he shook hands with the king.

Hitomi blushed at the man's obvious charm. She had never heard a voice so rich and soft before. The seer had to stop herself from rolling her eyes, 'You are a fickle woman, Hitomi. You were just thinking about the king, now you're fawning over a knight you haven't met properly. Stupid girl.'

"And this is Gaddes," Millerina said as she waved to the next man, "Second Commanding Officer of the Crusade."

"A pleasure to be here, my lord," the man replied also shaking hands with the king, "I must say Fanelia is an impressive city, especially so young after being rebuilt."

"Thank you," Van grinned, "I'm very proud of my people's work."

"As well you should be," Millerina interrupted gaily, "Now Gaddes and Allen this is Merle, Van's foster-sister, and Hitomi, his cousin."

Hitomi smiled softly as they turned to them, but it quickly vanished into a hot blush as her hand was taken by the knight. She felt a rise of irritation spring in her as she noticed the blonde smirked at her obvious discomfort.

"A pleasure, be sure, my lady," the knight whispered before he kissed her knuckles. Hitomi wanted to steal back her hand the instant his soft lips pressed against her pale flesh, but she had been warned it was a custom greeting for women of nobility. If she took back her hand she knew it would arouse suspicion. Gritting her teeth, she bared the humiliation.

"As it is mine," Hitomi replied, not a hint of tremor in her words. His eyes sparkled merrily and she guessed she amused him. She inhaled deeply in relief as his hand dropped hers. The kiss had warmed her to the tips of her toes, but it was more from embarrassment then from attraction.

In a flash, the princess plastered her beautiful self to the knight's arm, fluttering her long eyelashes sweetly. "Aw, Allen you made her blush. Stop scaring the poor girl."

The knight chuckled softly, still watching the seer carefully. "Don't worry, my lady. I am a perfect gentleman."

Hitomi couldn't decide a reply to him so she kept silent as the pair studied her. She began to viciously pray in her head that they didn't notice anything out of place.

Graciously, Van took that moment to pulled her hand into the crook of his elbow and exclaim, "Now, Allen you mustn't be frightening my dear cousin. She's rarely had a chance to be in the courts and she utterly terrified of messing up. You fawning over her only makes her more nervous."

"Forgive me, Lady Hitomi," Allen replied smoothly as he bowed.

Hitomi fidgeted under everyone's eyes. She jerked a nod, "You're quite forgiven, Sir Allen. I'd hate to tarnish the reputation of a knight by a young girl's anxiety."

As the knight lifted from his humble position, grinning as he did, Van gently directed her to the carriage.

"Let hurry out of this early frost," Van stated loudly. Hitomi glanced up at him, hoping to find some sign of encouragement or acknowledgement that she had done well for her first round, but saw nothing except for the tightness in his jaw that she doubted came from her performance.

Merle grinned slyly as she fell in step behind them, followed by the princess's party. The cat's tail swayed energetically behind her back. For any cat, it was sign of mischief, and that was something to be wary.