Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Beyond the Moon ❯ Palas Ahoy! ( Chapter 3 )

Slightly lengthened, yet again. Yes.. I am aware that some of this stuff may not be accurate. I know little of Palas, and that suits me just fine. I have no idea how far it is from Fanelia to Asturia, so I'm going to give it one of those "so long it was just a blur" things. Anyhow, enjoy. Much fluff. ^_^

Beyond the Moon

Three

"Your Highness... Please excuse me for the interruption," a familiar voice called across the hall, interrupting the pair's tender moment. Van coughed, taking a step back and leaning abstractly against his throne. Both he and Hitomi had deep flushes on their cheeks at being caught. Merle snorted to herself, and proceeded towards them.

"Yes, Lady Narano?" Van asked, righting himself as his old, dignified self returned.

"May I speak to you in private?" Van and Hitomi exchanged looks. The brown-haired woman nodded and turned, walking quietly out of the throne room. They watched her go, then turned to lock eyes.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Van asked, dropping formalities and sitting himself tiredly in his throne. Merle smiled.

"I think a visit to Asturia is in order," she commented offhandedly, looking at Van out of the corner of her eye.

***

Hitomi yawned, opening her eyes. Light flooded into her room, coloring the hanging lace of the canopy bed to turn a soft golden color. She sat up, rubbing her eyes and untangling the nightgown Merle had given her from around her legs.

She got out of bed, opening her bag and taking out her tarot cards. Even now, she wasn't sure why she had brought them; she knew better than to use them, but it had almost come as some kind of instinct. Setting the deck of cards on the cluttered, dusty desk provided to her, she removed the bag of pretzels from her duffel.

Grinning, Hitomi climbed back up onto the bed and began munching away. She had eaten nothing but the finest food, and she had had to turn down dinner because the rich variety was giving her a stomach ache. The crunchy, salty taste of her favorite snack was a welcome relief.

Hitomi was interrupted in her chewing as the door opened. Tilting her head to see who was peeking in on her, Van slipped inside and closed the door behind him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, swallowing the remains of the crunchy food in her mouth. Van raised one eyebrow, walking towards the bed and standing over her.

"Well... We're leaving for Asturia," he informed her. A dark look crept into his eyes and fled just as quickly as it had come, but not too fast for Hitomi to notice.

"Sit down," she instructed, her voice filled with an uncharacteristic authority. She crawled out of the covers, sealing the little plastic bag of pretzels. Van eyed it, but decided against saying anything. "When are we leaving?"

"In a few hours." Hitomi's eyes widened.

"What? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She cried, jumping out of bed. Van raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I finally weaseled my advisors into letting me out for a few weeks," he replied in a calming voice. Hitomi sighed, picking up a dress that Merle had left for her hanging from the closet door. She held it up to herself, smoothing out the light pink fabric.

Hitomi gave him a calculating expression. "Well... What do you think?" She asked, fluffing out the V shaped neckline. The small pendant hanging from her neck fell over the front of the dress, embedding itself in the soft fabric. Van smiled.

"It'll look wonderful on you," he replied, giving her an affectionate grin. Hitomi blushed slightly, hanging up the dress again and sitting beside him on the bed.

Van wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. "Things have changed... But we will still enjoy ourselves, won't we? You can see the ocean again," he said in her ear, causing a tingle to run up her spine. Hitomi smiled.

"When are we leaving exactly?" She asked. Van kissed her ear lightly and stood up.

"In four hours. I'll have Lady Narano come to you with the servants and get you ready, then bring you up for breakfast," he informed her, straightening his jacket and quietly leaving the room. Hitomi smiled, putting away her pretzels. She knew of Merle's love for Earth things, and it was still deep-seated despite the cat-girl's obvious refinement as a lady.

It wasn't long until Merle arrived with two lady-servants. Hitomi lay on her bed dressed in her dress, arms crossed behind her head as she stared up at the pink cloth that hung from the wooden frame of the canopy bed.

"Hello, Merle!" Hitomi greeted, sitting up. The cat-woman smiled back, her pink hair falling in pink curls around her. The bright color of it clashed with her formally-cut beige dress, but Merle didn't seem to mind. Just about anything formal would look silly on her, so it really didn't matter.

"Hitomi! Shall we get you ready?" she said, smiling. Hitomi nodded as the two servant women, each with wide, homely smiles and large blue eyes, set her up on the stool in front of the vanity. They got to work on her shoulder-length hair, while Merle applied a light amount of makeup to Hitomi's face.

Within twenty minutes, the two ladies were strolling leisurely toward the dining hall.

"Merle, I was wondering. Gaddess? You two never seemed like the type to get along," Hitomi commented, smiling at Merle. The cat-woman blushed.

"I'm not really sure how it happened either. Gaddess returned with Allen to Asturia. I didn't see him for a few months, and I didn't think twice about it until Van and I traveled there. I stayed for some negotiations while Van came back for some urgent matters." Merle tapped her chin, her tail perking up and beginning to sway at random behind her. "He was a hopeless man, for sure. He acted like a teenage boy and seemed to have the inability to shave every day. But I guess once people began to realize that peace was not a short-lived blessing, Allen's men began to disband," she continued as they turned a corner, entering another vast hallway.

"He announced courtship to me, and we were married a year later. I'm only visiting right now, actually, and Van decided you and he would come with me back to Asturia. Gaddess and I live just outside of Palas," Merle finished as they approached the dining hall. Hitomi turned to the cat-woman and smiled, hugging her. Caught off guard, it took Merle a moment to hug back.

"That is so wonderful, Merle. The man of your dreams-"

"Hardly," Merle interjected. Hitomi laughed.

"Well, a fairy tale love story, if I've ever heard one."

"Fairy tale? What's that?" Merle asked as they walked through the wide, open door of the dining hall. Hitomi raised an eyebrow.

"Nevermind," she said. Merle nodded and looked up, searching the long table for her husband. It was relatively informal, for only Van, Gaddess, two of his advisors and a few nobleman were present. They seemed to be talking amongst themselves, and the light prattle increased when the two women arrived. Merle took her seat beside Gaddess, who sat on the opposite end of the table of Van.

The king sat at the head of the table, with his advisors only a few seats down. Hitomi sat on his right side, smiling at Van. It was probably only ten in the morning and he already looked tired.

"Good morning, Lady Hitomi," Van greeted, leaning back against his chair. Hitomi smiled.

"Good morning, Lord Van. What's for breakfast?" she asked, looking forward to the wonderfully sweet breakfasts she had gotten used to during her stay in Asturia. Van smiled back.

"Truth be told, I have no idea. I don't believe it involves too many dead animals, though," he teased, causing Hitomi to glare at him and stick out her tongue. He knew just the right buttons to push, indeed.

***

Hitomi looked out the window of the carriage as they trotted through the streets of Palas. The loud clacking of the horse's shoed hooves on the cobblestones combining with the occasional bump of the carriage wheels against the road was beginning to give Hitomi a headache. She groaned, rubbing her temples as she turned, leaning back against the padded seat. Van sat across from her, his eyelids hovering at a dangerously low level, threatening to put him into the deep throes of sleep. Even Merle, who had been assigned "chaperone" duty, was yawning loudly beside Hitomi.

Hitomi wasn't sure how many days they had been traveling; her mind was weary, as were her three companions. Gaddess rode on his horse outside the carriage in an attempt to keep himself awake.

They had finally arrived in Palas, but the journey through the cobblestone streets seemed just as long due to its stop and go nature. The irregular jolts and bumps of the carriage were grinding on Hitomi's seemingly everlasting nerves.

At long last, they arrived at the palace. The three inside the carriage climbed out frantically, taking in the fresh air and struggling to stand. Van was the first to recover, standing up straight and adjusting his royal jacket and sword, which hung at his hip. He would have looked knightly if it weren't for the fact he was leaning over, trying to tuck his short pants back into his boots. The black ankle boots were just a bit too big, and his off-white pants just a little too small. Hitomi giggled, proceeding past him towards where Merle stood, still recovering her breath.

The castle stood high above them, shining in the midday sun. Various banners waved along the high terraces, giving the whole structure a mythical look.

Hitomi gazed up at the castle in wonder, until a jerk on her sleeve pulled her out of her reverie. Looking over at the cat-woman who had tugged on her, Merle pointed towards the group of richly-clad armed guards striding toward them. Van walked past Hitomi, chin high and one hand on his sword. He always seemed ready for anything.

The leader of the guards, who wore a fancy red coat with silly-looking gold tassles hanging from every possible apex. He wore a lopsided red hat, with a sword-shaped silver pendant on the front, a black visor extending over his eyes. To complete the ensemble was the Asturian coat of arms, which was stamped on the breast of the coat. The rest of the guard didn't look much more appealing, as their coats were composed of contrasting green and yellow fabric.

"King Fanel! We deliver greetings from King Fassa of Asturia," the man announced, giving Hitomi a strange smile. She unconsciously grabbed Van's sleeve with one hand, causing the man's grin to grow wider. Van shot her a warning look and she instantly let go, flushing brightly and tucking her hands behind her back. The king looked back to the chief guard, who was smirking, arms crossed royally in front of him.

"We shall escort you to your rooms," the man continued, motioning Van to follow him. Hitomi fell into step beside Merle, head bowed, while Gaddess spoke enthusiastically with one of the lower ranking guards. "The king will see you in exactly one hour, and hopefully you will have enough time to get situated." The royal escort led them up the palace steps, where the massive doors spread wide with an immense creak.

***

Hitomi had just finished hanging up her clothes in the immense walk-in closet when she heard a knock at her door. Fearing it was Van, she ignored it and left the closet, flopping down on the huge, quilted bed provided to her. The knocking came again, finally forcing Hitomi off the bed and going through the contents of her duffel bag. Before she could reach the door though, it opened and a slightly irritated-looking Van slipped inside. He closed the door behind him and walked up to Hitomi, standing a good deal taller.

Hitomi stared at her feet, shuffling uncomfortably under Van's stern gaze. "Sorry about earlier," she apologized quietly, though unsure what she had done. "If you don't want anyone to know about us, I understand," Hitomi turned around, stepping toward her bed where her duffel bag lay open, its contents spread about the quilt. She was halted by a firm hand settling on her shoulder.

"It's not like that," Van said in a calm voice, turning Hitomi back around to face him. His gaze bore into her, causing her to gulp nervously. "Things are different here than the Mystic Moon, you know," he continued, putting both hands on her shoulders. "It's not proper." Hitomi nodded silently, sighing. Van wrapped his arms around her, bringing her into his chest. She exhaled, burying her face in his soft coat as he stroked her hair.

"Then I don't understand... What is it you want of me?" She asked, taking a step back but keeping contact with him. He tilted his head, then smiled.

"Just you," Van replied. Once more, the two were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Who's there?" Hitomi called.

"The Lady of the Night!" a familiar voice replied, a ruffled-looking cat-woman loudly announcing her arrival. Hitomi stifled a laugh as Van stared at Merle in wonder. "I was told to inform you that the king is waiting," she continued, waving her hand absently at the two. Hitomi nodded, carefully straightening her gown. Merle winked and left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Shall we go, then?" Van asked, smiling lopsidedly and offering her his arm. Entwining her elbow with his, the pair exited the room.

***

King Fassa, Hitomi thought as they approached the dining hall. It looks like Dryden came back after all. Van led her into the dining hall in silence.

The immense oak table was lined with people. Hitomi recognized none of the fifty-something people that sat at the table beside Gaddess and Merle.

She corrected herself when, at the head of the table, Dryden stood up. Millerna sat beside him, her face no longer childish and innocent. She was a grown woman, and her long hair was in a proper bun under her gold tiara. The color of the precious metal conflicted with the soft yellow of her hair, but didn't take away too much from her new appearance.

Dryden, on the other hand, was a whole different matter completely. He raised his goblet into the air, smiling widely at Hitomi and Van. He motioned to a pair of seats saved just to his right, opposite Millerna.

"Welcome, welcome, to my humble abode! Well... Humble, if you don't account for the fifty-two servants and 500 tons of fine stone and wood.. But that's beside the point! Eat and talk!" he boomed, taking a great "sip" of his bright-colored wine. Hitomi stared at him, then shook her head and sat down. Van sat closest to Dryden, or King Fassa (as Hitomi was already beginning to mutter under her breath with a hint of amusement), but declined when offered a large pitcher of fragrant red wine.

"Millerna! You have changed so much," Hitomi said, striking up conversation with the woman sitting across from her. Millerna smiled back, flashing the ring that now resided on her ring finger as she reached for a small dinner roll. Hitomi observed her slight reluctance to speak, but decided not to prod it any further.

Dryden took over as soon as the food arrived. He began to talk merrily, his brown hair dancing enthusiastically about his head. It had grown significantly, and now hung loosely around his head and neck. He wore a pair of brown, subtle glasses, and had to push his overlarge gold crown back onto his head every few minutes. Hitomi chuckled and looked back to her food, when she felt Van's hand find hers beneath the table. A light blush crossed her face, but she hid it and continued eating while the king of Asturia went on about everything from trade (which he was most fascinated with, being an ex-merchant) to the latest quarrels with neighboring countries.

The night began to drag on, and many of the guests had formally departed. Hitomi found herself clinging to consciousness, and finally had to rise, albeit with some difficulty, and announce her departure. Van agreed, and the two left the dining hall, walking in silence to their separate rooms.

Dryden sighed, setting his goblet back on the table. The room had cleared out completely; it was just he and his wife. She had her head leaning against the back of her chair, and she breathed deeply in her sleep. Dryden wrapped his arm around her, and she opened one eye.

"Ready to retire?" he asked, helping her to her feet. Millerna nodded sleepily, allowing him to guide her to their quarters. She fell asleep halfway there, of course, and Dryden's hopes for the night were dashed when he heaved her into his arms and carried her off to bed.