Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Heart of the Dragon ❯ Storm of the Century ( Chapter 21 )

Two weeks later, the end of the first week in February, the wind was howling around the palace in one of the worst blizzards anyone had ever seen. Roofs were ripped and torn off houses, windows were broken from flying debris. People couldn’t get out of their homes for the snow was so high that they couldn’t open their doors. Even if people dared to go outside, they had to crawl out of a window, and still with difficulty because the snow was now up to the windows.

Van knew that Hitomi was worried about how long the snowstorm was lasting, for the people couldn’t get out of their houses, and they might need food, or medical attention. She was fretting so much that Varie and Merle couldn’t take her mind off it.

When the gale calmed some, Van tried to send out some men to help the people of Fanelia. However, it started up again, and even worse.

The women were in the sewing room, trying to get Hitomi’s mind off everything, when Van started getting worried himself. Five days in a row the snow had come down, leaving its mark so much that they themselves couldn’t leave the palace. He didn’t know how the people of his country were faring, considering all communications had been stopped because of the blizzard. He was still trying to get some men outside to help everyone, but the storm wouldn’t calm enough for him to do it.

General Sudan came running into his study all of a sudden, and out of breath. Van stood from his chair at his desk, his reading for the moment stopped. Van walked over to him and his general gasped, "The women, a tree...window—"

"What?!! Where are they?!" Van yelled. He didn’t wait for an answer and ran out of the room, going towards the sewing room. He almost ran past it, for he was running so fast. He waited a second to regain his breath and turned the knob of the door. It didn’t budge.

"Hitomi?! Merle?! Mother?!! Are you in there?!" He banged as hard as he could with his fist and he heard a small scream and a scrape against the door. When he heard something bang and crash, he felt his blood run cold. He started kicking the door with his booted foot, but the door was too thick and something had it jammed shut. He heard a muted scream, and he almost screamed himself when he realized it was his name. He kicked harder, but nothing happened. He could hear the noise of the wind howling and things flying around in the room and smashing against the walls. The bloodcurdling screams and yells from the women inside made him more frantic and he kicked as he never kicked before, sending the door flying back on its hinges and crashing against the wall.

What he saw before him, made him wonder if he was dreaming. A large broken window was shattered to pieces, the glass long gone. Wind and snow came pouring in, sending everything that had been on tables or anything that had been organized sent into a nightmare of a mess, and nothing was no longer distinguishable. Snow in the room was already half a foot thick, and increasing. He saw three bodies huddled closely together, lying on the floor. He fought against the wind and stinging snow to get to them. He grabbed the person closest to him; his mother. He dragged her out and into the hallway, leaving her there. He saw more men rushing down the hall to see snow flying out of a now broken door, and a woman lying next to it.

He went back in and saw a pile of dark blue skirts; Merle. He searched for the closest limb and grabbed her leg. He was nearly crawling out of the inferno by the time he got out of there. His fingers felt like ice, and they couldn’t grip right. He went back in, his arms shielding his face as best he could. His clothes were soaked clean through, and it seemed like the cold was melting into his bones. He searched with his averted eyes as much as he could, but he could no longer see his wife. He got down on his hands and knees and searched for her with his frozen fingers. They bumped into something and he could only guess it was Hitomi. He felt like he was getting weak, and he almost fell flat on his face. Not this again, he thought. The winds were so overpowering that it seemed like he was getting pulled away from his unconscious wife. He reached for her desperately and grabbed a fist full of frozen hair. He couldn’t pull her by her hair, damn it. He reached further and took hold of her shoulder. He pulled her as close as he could with his completely numb fingers and then took her into his arms. He felt like his limbs were going to fall off.

He practically tossed her into the awaiting arms of a shocked guard and collapsed to the floor.

By that time, his mother and Merle had partially awakened. Merle was holding her head and his mother was looking around frantically, for what, no one knew.

Nara apparently had been summoned and came running down the halls as fast as her girth would allow. She fell to her knees next to both of the pregnant women and immediately began examining them. Merle seemed alright, but her highness was still passed out. Her face was blue, and her pulse fluttery. She ordered the dunce men standing around to pick all three of the women up and bring them at once to the infirmary.

Just then, Allen came, running faster than his long legs would let him. He stopped just before he collided with the wall, his arms hitting and taking the force instead of his head. He saw the men carrying the women rushing down the hallway and went go after them, but at the last moment spotted Van.

He was lying on his stomach, his face smothered in his arms, his body curled up, shaking from the freezing cold. No one had thought to close the door and Allen got soaked himself closing the broken thing.

Van was lying in a pile of once accumulating snow, that was now melting into the carpet. Allen scowled at the men’s retreating backs and picked him up, albeit with some complication. Van was practically attacking him for heat and Allen had his hands full. Poor Van, he has been frozen too much lately, Allen thought with a small sad smile.

He got to the infirmary a few minutes after everyone else, and everyone was bustling around to tend the people in the room. The place had more people than usual, mostly sick with fever. He brought Van over to a cot and laid him down. He looked around for his wife, but didn’t see her. He didn’t see Hitomi or Varie, either.

Allen called a healer over to Van, and asked why no one had even thought to help him. The man gave him a weird look, and went to checking Van. Allen walked away to go find the women and he found Nara. "Where are the women? What happened to my wife?"

Nara looked at him weird and shooed him away with her hand. "They are resting right now. If you go and bother them, they won't get any rest. My poor babies. They get beat up too much."

"Why didn’t anyone help Van? He was lying out in the middle of the hallway nearly freezing to death, and no one even closed the door!!"

"His highness’s health is of no concern to me," Nara muttered and went back to organizing things on shelves. Allen felt himself getting angry with the woman and tried to calm himself.

"Yes, his highness’s health is of your concern, for if it wasn’t, he wouldn’t be alive," Allen almost yelled, his voice thick with sarcasm.

Nara shushed him with her finger and told him to be quiet, pointing to the sick people in the room. "He doesn’t like medical attention when it’s not necessary."

"Not necessary?! He was freezing!!" He paused and crossed his arms over his chest. "Alright, I got one for you. Van doesn’t have any children yet, and what would happen if he died?"

Nara looked like she was getting impatient with the young man, but Allen was past impatience with this woman. "My son, her highness is carrying, if you haven't noticed. And if you have any brains at all, you would notice that your wife is due in a week or so."

Allen clenched his fists at his side and gritted his teeth. "Yes, I know. I am not blind. And tell me where my wife is. I have a right to know."

"Oh, alright! If you leave this room and stop bothering me, I will tell you." At Allen’s nod she told him. "They are in the three nicer rooms that belong to the infirmary down the hall. Your wife is in the middle one. And don’t wake her up!"

Allen frowned at the woman and started to walk out, giving Van a quick glance before he left. He was wrapped up in blankets and sitting up in bed, giving the wall an intense stare. Allen went over to him and helped him stand. Van gave him a blank look and Allen sighed, giving up. He picked him up and slung him over his shoulder. He almost laughed, thinking about how much he had been carrying this boy lately.

Van didn’t even acknowledge that he was being carried. All he knew was that he was tired and wanted to sleep.

Allen brought him down the corridor and stood him up before his wife’s door. He opened it and pushed Van over to the bed. Hitomi was sleeping curled up into as much of a ball as she could get into, her hair fanned out about her head, still wet. Van seemed to get out of his black void and he smiled down at her, climbing onto the bed and going under the covers with her, leaving the blankets he had been wrapped up in on the floor. Allen walked out and went to Merle’s room.

She was sleeping too, but she seemed restless. She kept moving around and thrashing about, as if she was dreaming. He wanted to wake her up so the dream would stop, but he remembered what Nara had told him. He sat down on the side of the bed and smoothed back her hair. Her eyes shot open at the slight touch and Allen remembered how much of a light sleeper she was now. Pregnancy had had the opposite effect on Merle, making a heavy sleeper turn into a light one.

He smiled at her and she did so back. "What happened, Merle?"

She closed her eyes and sighed. "We were sitting and talking, you know, women stuff. We were complaining about how cold it was and Varie said that we complain too much. We were having a wonderful time, laughing and everything." She was silent for a moment and then continued. "All of a sudden a tree crashed into the room through the window, and it hit the door, preventing us from escaping. The snow came pouring inside in torrents, and we were all engulfed in snow. We couldn’t see, or move. All we could do was scream. We dimly heard someone banging on the door, but it went away after a moment. We couldn’t stand anymore, and we fell to the floor. It seemed like hours when we heard Van banging and kicking at the door, and all Hitomi could do was scream his name. She had been hit on the head with some flying debris, I think she had the worst thing happen to her. All me and Varie did was fall. But I think we’re ok."

"Are you sure? Do you want to leave to my house in Asturia after this storm? We can leave whenever you want, Merle," Allen said, concerned more than he thought possible. All he could do was hold her, which he initiated as soon as he thought it. Merle tried to squeeze him as hard as she could, but all it did was make Allen laugh.

"After this baby is born. I want to show it off some to Hitomi. The poor girl, all she does is sleep and worry about the people of Fanelia. She worries about it more than Van!"

Allen chuckled and hugged her closer to his body. She started tickling him and he couldn’t stop laughing. He begged her to stop when she kept torturing him and his stomach hurt so bad from laughing. She grinned and stopped, saying he was lucky. He moved about two feet away from her, saying that he didn’t trust her not to start doing it again. It was her turn to laugh, and she fell back against the pillows. When she was done, Allen sighed and stood, kissing her forehead. "Be careful and get some rest, love. You aren't going anywhere without me, or my permission. I have to know where you are twenty four hours a day, or I won't be a peaceful soul."

Merle nodded sleepily and her eyes drifted closed. Allen grinned at the small smile on her lips and gave her another small kiss before he left.

 ******************

A half a week later, when the horrific storm ended, Nara was called to Merle and Allen’s room. After one look at the suffering woman’s face, Nara knew that her time had come. It was late in the middle of the night, around one o’clock.

Allen was berserk, and after five hours, he had no idea what to do. He had been advised not to wake the still sleeping Van and Hitomi, but he didn’t know what else to do. He decided even after Nara had yelled at him, that he was at least going to wake up Van.

Varie had been summoned to aid Merle and for help, but Allen thought it wasn’t fair that she had help, and he didn’t. He needed it just as much as her, damn it. He was going to go crazy if he didn’t have some sort of companionship. He cracked open Van and Hitomi’s door to their room and walked in. Van shot up in bed, his sword already in his hand. Allen ducked just in time before his head was sliced off. "Van!! It’s me!!" Allen whispered and grabbed Van’s shoulders.

Van almost yelled at Allen for scaring him so much, but he didn’t when he remembered his beautiful sleeping wife beside him. "What is it?"

"It's Merle."

Van’s mouth opened in a big "O" and he turned to shake Hitomi awake.

"No, don’t wake her. I just need someone to talk to. I'm going to go crazy, especially if I stay close to that room. Her first scream nearly brought me to tears."

"Scream?" Van asked and paled in the still dark room.

"Yes. Please just get up and come down to the study or something. I need a drink," Allen said almost as an afterthought, raking his fingers through his hair. Van nodded and Allen left the room, closing the door.

Van came out a moment later, dressed only in a pair of black leather pants. Allen was leaning against the door, chatting as casually as he could with the guards. The conversation stopped when Van came out and they walked away, saying nothing. Allen paused before his door, but he didn’t hear anything. He raised his hand to knock, but Van stopped him. "No, you’ll just make Merle more upset if she knows what you’re going through."

Allen nodded and they walked down the hallway to Van’s study. Allen opened the door and Van went in, finding some candles and lighting them. A moment later a sleepy servant girl came in and built up a fire in the fireplace, lending some heat to the freezing environment. Allen went to the cabinet on the side of the room and opened the glass door, bringing out a bottle. He grabbed a glass and poured himself a liberal amount of whatever it was. He didn’t even know.

Van smiled at Allen’s state and then it fell off his face when he realized he was going to be going through the same thing in less than two months. He could tell that Allen just wanted to get drunk and bury himself into some kind of darkness, but he wouldn’t let him. On Allen’s fourth glass and an almost empty bottle, Van stopped him and forced him out of the room. He looked like the strong brandy wasn’t even having any effect on him, but Van knew that unless Allen was a heavy drinker, which he wasn’t, it would take its effect on him soon.

Van didn’t know where he was bringing him, and still didn’t after they walked around the palace for an hour. Time clambered by so slowly, a second seemed like two days. Even after ten minutes, it had Van dreading what would be coming so soon.

Finally, Allen stopped and leaned against the wall, falling down. He looked completely exhausted, and Van pitied him. He looked like he was going to fall asleep right there, but he didn’t move him. He sat down next to him and closed his eyes, willing both Allen and him to sleep.

 ******************

Hitomi woke up to see Van gone from her side. She panicked, for he never left her, even if he had been awake for hours. She got up off the bed and wrapped herself up in one of her silk robes which she was very fond of, and walked out of the room. The guards were wide awake, giving Hitomi the sense of another security. She questioned them about Van, and they said that he had left only in a pair of pants with Allen Schezar. Hitomi frowned and asked if they knew where they were. The men shrugged, having no clue.

Hitomi thanked them and walked away, clutching her robe closely about her rounded figure. She went to her favorite place; the study. The door was slightly ajar, and she walked in. The fireplace had a burning fire in it, and the candles were still lit. She espied a tipped or knocked over bottle of what looked like brandy, and it was completely empty. A glass with nothing in it was sitting on a side table. She felt mad that Van was drinking, and without her. She left the room in a mad rush, searching for him. The servants were barely beginning to wake, it was only seven in the morning.

She asked everyone she saw where they could be, and Marie, her servant friend, pointed her down a hallway. Hitomi thanked her and walked in that direction. When she saw Van and Allen slumped against the wall sleeping like two drunks, her anger went soaring. She kicked Van in the side and he jerked awake, hitting his head back against the wall. His arm whacked Allen in the stomach and Allen was jolted awake himself.

"What are you two doing?! Do you have any idea how worried I was when I woke up, Van, my dear? And you, Allen. Merle is more than likely panicking right now!!"

Van stood up, bracing himself against the wall. Allen stayed sitting on the floor, his head resting in his hands. "I knew it. You were drinking!! How could you do this!? Ugh, you make me so mad!!"

"Hitomi, don’t get yourself overworked. I wasn’t drinking, Allen was," Van yawned, covering his mouth quickly with his hand.

Hitomi looked down at the somewhat drunk Allen and had the intense urge to kick him too. "Get up, moron. Why don’t you go and check on your wife? She’s probably worried sick."

"He can't, Hitomi," Van said and stood all the way up. He went to put his arms around her shoulders to drag her away and stop annoying Allen, who was still in severe trauma.

"Why can't he? Is he too drunk?"

"Merle is in labor, Hitomi," Allen mumbled, falling onto the floor and holding his head in between his hands. He had a splitting headache, and from only four glasses of brandy. He was pathetic.

Hitomi’s hand flew up to her mouth and she immediately apologized. "Oh, Allen, I'm so sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you. I guess you have a right to be in the condition you are in. I remember my father telling me how drunk he had gotten when my mother gave birth to me and my brother."

Van started laughing and Hitomi glared at him. He was instantly quiet.

"I want to go check on Merle. I have to see how she is doing. And don’t even ask to come. You men would just flip out."

"Flip out?" Van yelled at her. "Yes, we would flip out. We already are!!"

Hitomi in a flash felt sorry for her husband. "I'm sorry, Van. I don’t know what you’re going through, but if you got a look at your self," she giggled, "I think that—"

A woman came running down the hall and interrupted her. It was Marie. "Yes?" Van asked, exasperated.

"Merle is asking for Hitomi, and when I saw her ladyship awake, I just assumed she would go right away. The lady Merle told me not to wake her if she was sleeping, but she isn't...sorry for going on and on, I'm just so worried about her."

Hitomi gave Allen a quick kiss on his cheek and smiled, telling him it would be alright and he would forget this in a few hours after he was holding his child. Allen smiled gratefully and gave her a brief hug before Hitomi took Van’s hand and led him away. She stopped when she got down the hall a ways.

"Van, try to get him to sleep, or eat, or anything. Just don’t let him drink anymore. I don’t know what Merle would think after this ordeal."

Van nodded and held her there a moment, reluctant to let her go when it seemed he needed her so much. She gave him a puzzled look, and then as if what he was thinking with his concerned look dawned on her, she tilted towards Van and leaned against him. She kissed his bare chest and gave him a small gentle caress with her fingers before she left his side.

Van stood there a minute, considering his options. He decided to try to get Allen to eat something, he thought with a laugh. That would be hard. He walked back to his side and helped him up. After a somewhat wobbly recovery, Van steered him in the direction of the kitchens. A little walk would help clear his jumbled up mind.

Hitomi knocked on the door before she went in. When no one answered, she cracked it open and stepped in.

Merle glanced over to the door when she saw Hitomi and she smiled. Hitomi rushed over to her side in an instant and they had a little laugh when Hitomi told her about Van and Allen.

"I thought it would make you feel better knowing that Allen is suffering too," Hitomi said, gripping her hand. When she had come in, Merle had been propped up on a pile of pillows, two women standing beside the bed, one over sitting in the chair in the corner of her room, and Varie exhaustedly trying to sooth Merle. Her contractions were coming along nicely, Nara had said. Hitomi wondered how they could come along nicely when they were so painful. Nara and everyone else left except for Varie after this being said.

"Yes, thank you. It did. I'm going to kill Allen after this nightmare," Merle said through gritted teeth as another contraction hit her. She squeezed Hitomi’s hand so hard that Hitomi felt scared even more about what was going to happen.

When it ended, Hitomi asked, a scared note in her voice, "Does it hurt a lot, Merle?"

Merle started laughing almost hysterically and Hitomi wondered if she was going mad. "Oh, Hitomi! That was so funny!!!!"

Varie looked at Merle, wondering also if she was alright. "Now, Merle, dear. Be careful."

Merle calmed down after a moment and then started again, bursting out in the same enthusiasm as before. She stopped suddenly when a contraction ripped across her stomach and she gave a hoarse yell. It stopped a minute later and Merle fell back on the pillows, sweat pouring down her face. "I think that’s your answer, Hitomi," Merle whispered, panting.

"Hitomi, I think you should leave. This is probably going to give you nightmares, since you’ve never seen anyone in labor before, and what it's like to go through the pain," Varie murmured gently, smoothing back Merle’s tangled and sweaty hair on her forehead.

"But I want to stay with—"

"Hitomi...please just listen to me. I don’t want you to get upset over all this. Now please—"

Merle gasped and squeezed Varie’s hand, a small scream coming from her yet again clenched teeth. Hitomi rushed out of the room and slammed the door. She was still running when she came to Van and Allen, who had just left the kitchens. She almost ran past them, and Van stopped her by grabbing a hold of her arms.

"Hitomi?! What are you doing here?" Van asked, pulling her closer. She had tears gathering in her eyes and she let them slip over.

"It’s horrible, Van! Merle is going through so much pain and—" she stopped and collapsed into his arms, sobbing her heart out. Van gave Allen a worried look and when he saw the horrified expression on his face, his eyes widened. He had been able to shove some food down his throat with only a little amount of difficulty, but he had been off in another world, and he probably didn’t even know he had food in him. The dismayed look on his face now was almost a welcome compared to the blank one that had been on there for the past seven hours. Van didn’t know what to do, so he just cradled his weeping wife closer in his arms, resting his cheek on the top of her head and rocking her back and forth.

Allen started walking off a moment later, and Van didn’t stop him. Hitomi was still crying, but it wasn’t as rabid as it had been. Her hold slipped on him and she fell to the floor with a soft thump, her cheek resting on his thigh. "Oh, Van," she sniffed, "I'm so scared now."

Van stroked her hair and hoped that no one came this way, considering the improper position him and his wife were in. "Don’t worry, Hitomi. Everything will be alright. I will be with you the whole time."

Hitomi sniffed again and looked up, a watery smile on her face. "Really? You'll stay with me? You won't leave me?"

Van gave her a silly smile and his hand went to the nape of her neck, caressing the sensitive spot. "Not unless you want me to."

"Never."

Van gave her another smile and he went down on his knees beside her to capture her mouth with a supplicating kiss.

At the touch of his lips, she took flight in a long, slow takeoff of reaction, soared on a current that went higher and higher, making all her fear of a moment ago vanish into thin air. Her only thought was to get closer to him, to bury herself in him, to be a living, breathing part of him. She opened her mouth to let a trapped moan escape, and he took advantage of it, pressing harder.

She wound her arms around his neck, tugging closer and closer, surprised for only a moment at the needy noises that came involuntarily from her.

As if he had heard her, he dragged her across his lap as their tongues sought and found each other. His arms enveloped her, beyond comforting, beyond arousing. She felt his palm come to rest low on her back, then curve over her bottom. Her teeth caught lightly on his lower lip as her breath was sucked inward. He battled back, maneuvering her lips apart, offering his tongue again. He backed away until their lips barely touched. He said her name like the wind carries a leaf, the sound swirling delicately as he slid his hand around her, coming to lay on her breast. His hesitance was evident in the way his fingers lightly caressed and lifted a moment later, then settled back down as if he couldn’t help himself. Her nipple hardened, pressing against his palm.

"Van," she breathed, closing her eyes.

As if the small word snapped him out of something, he became aware of their surroundings. Hitomi could have cared less if they made love in the middle of the hallway, when anyone could come along.

Van stood up, picking her up with him. He went on a mad search for the closest bedroom, which he found a moment later.

He hauled her to him and kissed her even before the door had closed. She rose on her tiptoes and ended up pushing him against the door, causing it to close. He searched blindly for the key to lock it and found it a minute later, fighting the urge to forget the door and fling Hitomi onto the bed.

He took a deep breath and strove for some finesse, unlocking his lips from hers. He brushed his unshaven cheek against hers, rubbed his bristly jaw in the sensitive spot below her ear, found her mouth and teased her with almost-kisses.

Unable to draw a deep breath, she panted, the lack of oxygen making her light-headed, off-balance. She needed his kiss, a real kiss, a long, dangerous, hot kiss that would make her crazy. Still, he teased and tormented with scrapes and an occasional sweep of his tongue.

Somehow he had maneuvered her over to the small bed, and she jumped when she felt it press against the back of her knees. He pushed her down until she was sitting.

He went to lower himself on top of her, but realized they were going to have a problem. She grinned and started giggling at the chagrined look on his face. He snapped his fingers when he came up with an idea. Hitomi started laughing when he set out to remove his pants.

"Why does it seem like you always laugh when I take off my pants?"

Hitomi struggled to hold back the eruption of giggles that threatened to consume her, but completely forgot when he stripped and helped her sit up. He started removing her clothing with such forceful enthusiasm that Hitomi couldn’t help but giggle anyhow. "Need something, Van?"

Van looked at her like she was crazy and pulled off her robe, making it pool at her bare feet. Next and finally came her light blue silk nightgown which he shoved down until it caught on her rounded stomach.

His eyes widened and he stared at her as if it had been the first time he had ever seen her. "Lord, I missed you," he said before he settled his mouth on hers.

He didn’t meet one ounce of resistance. Her arms twined around his neck instantly and locked behind his head. Her mouth tasted like heaven, the little moans floating up from her throat tickled his tongue. He'd forgotten over the past hectic and nightmarish months how good she felt, how perfect she was.

He turned around and pushed down the rest of her nightgown until it too was pooled at her feet. He smiled at her, a roguish, pleased smile, that seemed to her like he knew she was his, only his, and always would be his.

He sat on the bed and pulled her down with him. She didn’t have any idea how they were going to do this with how big she was, but Van seemed to have it solved by the way he oozed male confidence.

"You're so arrogant, Van," Hitomi said with a smile. Van just grinned and shook his head, pulling her up to him. "How are we going to do this?"

He blushed, too embarrassed to say. Instead, he showed her. He settled her into a comfortable position on top of him and almost as soon as she looked him in the eyes, he went insane.

Hitomi leaned down so he could kiss her. He attacked her mouth with an odd restrained sort of violence. He tugged on her lower lip with his teeth, swept his tongue into her mouth, pulled on her hair to tip her head back farther so that he could slide his open mouth down her throat.

Hitomi arched her back and groaned. When he lifted his head, she saw the need glitter in his eyes. "More," she begged.

He smiled and trailed his mouth back down her throat, between her breasts, then around her nipple. She gripped his shoulders and dug her nails in when he let his tongue flick it, and then take her nipple into his mouth, his teeth scraping and tugging gently.

He skimmed a hand down low between them, his fingers swirling, pressing, tormenting, drawing everything from her in a burst of sensation that was almost too strong to enjoy. Still shocked, she grabbed his hair and held on as he sent pleasure reeling through her again and again. Then while she wasn’t able to think one logical thought, he pulled her down on him, until they were one.

He lost control. He could hear his voice fill the small room. He drove up and up as she leaned her hands on his chest for balance. It wasn’t ever going to stop. It just kept coming, in waves of impossible pleasure so strong he was paralyzed by it. Finally, it slowed...faded....

He pulled her down, wrapped her tightly in his arms and held her. She nestled against him. He could feel her contentment. He hoped he had made her forget her fear, even if it was for a moment.

"Again?" Hitomi asked sleepily.

"I wish I had time." He kissed her forehead. "I've got to get up and check on Allen though."

"Oh...." she sighed and Van sat up, still holding her close. He laid her back on the small, disorderly bed and got dressed quickly.

He didn’t bother with dressing her in her nightgown, he just wrapped her up in her robe. It hid enough. He picked her up and went to the door, unlocking it and walking back towards their bedroom. Hitomi hadn't gotten enough sleep anyhow. She had been up late complaining of small back pains. Normally she slept almost until noon, but apparently she hadn't considering it was still hours away.

When he walked past the room Merle was in, he saw Allen crashed on the floor, just sitting there. Van cocked an eyebrow at him and Allen did the same. They both smiled and Allen stood up following him. "What—?"

"Don’t ask, Allen. You probably already know," Van said and kept walking. Allen continued smiling and following him.

Van left the door open as he walked to the now-made bed. He threw back the blankets and settled Hitomi under them.

Just as he was walking away, Hitomi said, "Don’t I get a goodnight kiss?"

Van smiled, considering it wasn’t night.

It was the sweetest kiss he had ever given her, a gentle merging of lips that made her sigh and fall asleep instantly, a smile on her mouth. Van chuckled at the grin on Allen's face, who was leaning in the doorway.

Van left the door open a crack so the guards could hear anything, and left them with instructions to keep the fire built up while she slept. He knew the men would do anything for her gentle highness, even give their lives willingly for her. Keeping a fire built up would be nothing. It was just a bonus that Hitomi spoiled them by stopping by with little snacks and small chats. They were all infatuated with her and how gentle and nice she was.

They walked away, back towards the study. "How's Merle?"

Allen looked surprised at the sudden question and his shoulders slumped. "They won't let me in there, and I want to be. For all I know, she's dying."

Van snorted. "She's not dying, stupid. Merle is one of the strongest women I know. Giving birth isn't going to kill her."

"I...know. I just want to see her. Even for a moment."

Van sighed and stopped. He grabbed Allen's sleeve and tugged him back towards Merle's room. He knocked on the door, but didn’t barge in. He had learned his lesson.

An exhausted Varie opened the door and when she saw Van, she nearly fell into his arms. "Oh, Van. Please, one of you go in there. I am so exhausted, probably more so than Merle. She is driving everyone crazy. Demanding this, demanding that. Allen, you’re her husband. Go yell at her."

Allen gave her a horrified look, as if all his courage of a moment ago had vanished and a man being present in a birthing room was completely unheard of. Varie let go of Van and shoved both of them in, closing the door.

They stood there stiff, their eyes closed. When a few long moments went by, Van finally had the nerve to cock open one eye.

Merle was lying on the bed and propped up by a pile of pillows, the blankets up to her very rounded stomach, which covered her spread legs. Her face was drenched in sweat, her eyes squeezed shut and her teeth gritted, her hand gripping a woman healers as a painful seizure hit her yet again. She let out a relieved breath when it ended and fell back against the pillows, at which the healer started mopping her sweaty brow with a cool cloth.

Van opened his other eye and nudged Allen in the stomach with his elbow. Allen absolutely refused to open his eyes and turned his head away. Van stomped on his foot and he yelped, opening his eyes to find Van and jump on him. Van grabbed his head and jerked him into the direction of his wife, who hadn't noticed them yet. Allen immediately forgot Van and walked over to the bed in a rush, grabbing her hand and kneeling beside the bed. "Merle?"

Merle looked over at Allen, who she hadn't seen until he had taken hold of her clammy hand. "Allen...? What...what are you doing in here?"

"I had to see you, Merle. I couldn’t take it anymore, knowing that you were in so much pain and I wasn’t there with you. Please don’t hate me for doing this to you."

At that moment another contraction hit her and she was unable to talk for a few minutes. When it ended, she still didn’t talk. "Merle?"

"You're lucky," she breathed heavily, "that I love your sorry butt."

Allen grinned and kissed her damp wrist. He saw the healers making the preparations and laying out things that they would need. Merle's eyes widened suddenly and she said, "I think it's coming, Nara!!" She gripped Allen's hand so hard that he felt a spurt of pain lace up his arm. Merle got the undeniable urge to bore down and she squeezed his hand harder.

Nara swept back the blankets to gauge her progress and said, "Sir Allen, I think it's time for you to leave."

"But—!"

Van stood wide-eyed by the door and when he heard Nara order Allen out of the room, he walked over and tugged his hand out of Merle's grasp. "Come on, Allen. We have to leave. You'll be with her no doubt in a little bit, and holding your child. Come on."

Allen didn’t want to budge, but he felt Van's insistent hand on his shoulder. He dragged him unwillingly away from Merle, who didn’t even know he had left her side. He wanted more than anything to stay with her, but no one wanted him to. He felt left out, and it seemed like even Merle didn’t want him in there. He gave up and walked out, pissed off.

Van noticed his change of attitude almost immediately and he frowned. "What's wrong, Allen?"

"Nothing. It just seems like no one wants me in there, not even my wife. I'm always left out in important things like this," he said and walked away. Van followed him.

"Allen, that’s a bunch of shit. You know that’s not true. Merle wasn’t even aware of your presence after you kissed her hand, she was in so much pain. I know that you feel left out, but you should have told Nara and the other women that you were going to be in there with her earlier, not now. They have to be informed of these things before hand. Hitomi wants me in there with her, and I'm going to tell Nara in a while, just to let her know so she doesn’t get mad. It's true that they don’t normally let men in birthing rooms, but they would have made an exception if you would have asked. It's too late anyhow. You can be with her when she has another child."

Allen's brain was awash of everything Van had just said, which was a lot. However, nothing hit him like what he said last. "Another??! Are you insane?! I can't take this trauma more than once in my life, but I must admit, I have already gone through something like this with Chid, but I wasn’t really there, I was at the castle. Listen to me go on. My brain is scrambled."

Van smiled at him, trying to understand what the elder man was going through. If this was what he was going to go through, he could understand why Allen called it trauma. It was worse than trauma, it was a hellish nightmare. He felt the undeniable urge to be with his wife right then and just hold her, or watch her sleep the sleep of the innocent. Nevertheless, he couldn’t leave Allen when he needed him so much.

"Why don’t we...go check on Hitomi to see if she is alright?" He made the excuse just to see his wife, but it seemed to work with Allen.

Allen smiled, and nodded. As they got closer to the room, Allen said, "I can't wait to see what you'll look like when you go through the same thing."

"Yeah, I can't wait to see how crappy you're going to treat me."

"What makes you think I'm going to treat you like crap?! I'm just going to be sitting there trying not to laugh at how pathetic you're going to look and I'm purposefully going to get you drunk so I can laugh even harder. Then I'm going to—"

"Shh!" Van said when they got the slightly open door. He heard someone talking in a soft voice inside the room and he opened it more. A softhearted smile replaced the lopsided one when he saw Hitomi sitting in the rocking chair that had been placed before the fireplace a few months ago. She had a book in her lap, and she was reading it aloud. She was rocking back and forth in a soothing motion that had Van wishing he was holding her and rocking all three of them to sleep.

He walked in and Allen followed silently behind him to stand behind the rocking chair as Van walked in front of it. Van knelt down beside the chair and said, "Did you get any sleep?"

Hitomi let a loving smile appear on her face and she closed the book, memorizing the page she had been on. She thought it was funny how she let the book rest on top of her belly, just like she practically had everything rest on it now. Books, plates, food, anything. She had plenty of room after all. "I got enough, don’t worry. How's Merle?"

"She um...she uh, she, well, she was—"

Hitomi and Allen started laughing, and Hitomi jerked around when she heard him. The sudden movement hurt a little and she gasped, splaying her hand over her stomach. "Ow...don’t scare me like that!!" she yelled.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Hitomi. I didn’t mean to scare you," Allen said and went around the dark wooden rocking chair to clasp her hands in a gentle grip. She gave him a forgiving smile and he smiled back. "I'm just so nervous. You'll have to forgive my cursed clumsiness at this point in time. I'm a wreck."

"I can see that," Hitomi said with a little laugh. She felt so comfortable in her surroundings, the warmth of the fire made her cozy, the gentle sway of the rocking chair relaxed her, Van's presence made her feel safe, and Allen's made her laugh. All she needed was some food. "Van, I don’t mean to interrupt this wonderful moment, but I'm hungry. I didn’t eat anything yet."

"Woman, sometimes I wonder what would happen to you if I wasn’t around," Van muttered and stood. He commanded her to stay put and Allen to stay by her until he came back. Allen agreed willingly, wanting to have some feminine person to talk to. He was almost sick of talking to men, he was so used to Merle talking her head off. He would just sit there, listening to her with rapt attention.

"So, how is the baby?"

Hitomi thought a moment before she said, "He still moves around, but can't as much as he used to. He doesn’t have enough room," she giggled. Allen smiled and asked her more questions. When he couldn’t come up with anymore for the baby, he asked about her person.

"Oh, sometimes being pregnant is wonderful, but other times...ugh...I wish I could just get this thing out of me."

Allen started laughing and she smiled, continuing. "Last night my back started hurting, which was odd, because it hadn't ever done that before. Nara told me that my back might start hurting as I got bigger, and believe me, I'm huge. Nara said that I'm bigger than normal, but she didn’t say much more than that. Van, that weird man, is totally fascinated by this whole thing. He can't stop putting his hands all over my stomach, and he always gets this big smile on his face when the baby moves. One time," she laughed, "he even started talking to it. I couldn’t help but laugh, and then Van, in all his rapture, became even more enthralled about how I laugh and how my stomach moves when I do." She shook her head, still smiling. "I was reading to her when you came in. Van said that he wants to read to her, but he hasn’t gotten a chance yet. It's so nice to have a husband, and a royal one at that, that is so eager to share in all the responsibilities."

"Yeah, sometimes Merle was embarrassed with all the attention I bestowed upon her and the baby."

"Van could never pay enough attention to me. I—"

Van walked in at that moment, a small tray in his hands, and a big smile on his face. "I got a bunch of goodies. But...it's for all of us."

Hitomi pretended to be mad at him for not giving it all to her, but it was a total failure. Van and Allen just laughed and Van pulled over a small table that had been against the wall. He set the tray on top of it and set it next to Hitomi and Allen.

The men were forced to sit on the floor, and Hitomi acted like a high and mighty queen because she had the chair. The food was delicious, and Van had been right when he said goodies. There were slices of fruit, something that tasted just like yogurt, sweetmeats, bonbons, and hard candy. Van told her not to indulge too much on it, but she ignored him. She was starving.

They sat and talked for a while, and Hitomi started complaining that the room was too dark. Van got up and opened the thick curtains that had replaced the light white ones that they had up during the summer. With the dark green curtains pushed aside, a dull gray light came in. It was snowing lightly, but it seemed like people were already outside, although the storm had ended the day before. Snow had been cleared away with the help of guymelifs, and the people started their lives again. No casualties had occurred, for which both him and Hitomi were grateful. Only a few hungry kids and a couple sick people had been the result. But nevertheless, Van had made sure everyone had been alright and sent out the healers with food and their healing qualities. Some of his most grateful people had even come to the palace and thanked him.

He remembered that one particular family, the Howell's, had come and greeted both him and his wife. They had been so surprised to see that her highness was pregnant, for they hadn't known, and half of Fanelia didn’t either. Van thought that odd, since both him and his wife had gone out every once and a while. Hitomi had been completely engrossed in the little baby boy that the mother had been holding, and had insisted on holding it herself, just to see what it was like. She had cooed at it and the little baby had gurgled at her, clutching at her finger with his little hand.

After a while the family had left, with thanks and congratulations. Van thought it more than likely that they had been beyond excited to know that Fanelia was about to have a new addition to its royal family, and a possible heir.

Van was sure that people still weren't done coming to thank him, for half of the healers were still out and checking on everyone and bringing them food.

He turned his attention back to his wife, who had a beautiful smile on her twice as beautiful face. She seemed so happy, but sometimes she seemed so scared, fearing for the future of Gaea and their child. At times Van even forgot that Dilandau and Seibu even existed, but he would remember at the look on his wife's face, at how her eyes would darken in sadness and her smooth forehead would crease into worry lines. More and more he was feeling old, all just because of the responsibility on his shoulders. It seemed like he was only one who could save Gaea. He didn’t know why he thought that.

Hitomi watched Van as his face changed expressions from what he was thinking. She called him over and he walked over slowly, still thinking. He sat down at her feet and she took his hand. He smiled up at her and went to say something, but there was a knock on the door. Allen shot up and ran over to the door, ripping it open.

Allen didn’t even ask any questions, he just ran past the woman standing there. Van and Hitomi looked at her, wanting to ask their own questions since Hitomi couldn’t run around like she used to.

"How is she?" Hitomi asked Marie, who had been the woman standing in the doorway. Marie walked over and clasped Hitomi's hands. Van didn’t say that this was improper, for he knew that they were becoming closer and Hitomi needed a friend, especially since Merle might leave soon.

Marie went down on her knees and answered her. "She's doing fine, your highness. She's just exhausted. She had a little girl."

"A little girl? Oh, that’s so sweet. Do you know what they are going to name her?"

"I have no idea, your highness. The dowager queen just wanted me to tell you the good news. I think she went straight to her bed," Marie said with a little laugh. Hitomi went to stand, and Marie and Van helped her up.

They all walked to Merle's room, which was up the hallway. Hitomi knocked on the door and Allen answered it, the biggest smile she had ever seen on his face. He beckoned them in and Hitomi and Van gathered around him. He was holding his baby girl in his arms, staring down at her as if she was the most precious thing in the world, which she was to him.

Hitomi watched the sleeping baby with frank amazement, and so did Van. Marie excused herself after she got a look at the child, saying she had to help with something.

Hitomi studied the child more closely. It had Merle's old pink hair, and Allen's beautiful blue eyes. Allen told her that it didn’t have any stripes on her body, and Van thought he sounded disappointed. She was small, but Allen thought she was perfect. He traced her tiny eyebrows with his fingers gently, not taking his eyes off her once.

Hitomi looked at Merle and smiled, walking over to her side. She looked beyond tired, but she had a smile on her still sweat-drenched face. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, and so grateful to have this over with. Hopefully I'll get my figure back."

Both Hitomi and Merle had a small laugh, which drew the attention of Van and Allen. They walked over to the bed and Allen sat down as carefully as he could next to Merle, holding his new child as close to him as he could get her without smothering her overly. Merle held out her arms to hold her child and Allen placed the still sleeping baby in the crook of her arms.

"What are you going to name her?" Van asked and looked over Allen's shoulder to get a better look at Merle and the baby. Merle looked radiant, although she was covered in sweat. She had a big sleepy smile on her face, and a healthy glow on her cheeks. Her hair looked flat, and Van commented on it, which made everyone laugh.

"I think we should name her Aleta Celena Schezar," Merle pronounced proudly.

Allen looked up at her, surprised. He got tears in his eyes and he tried to blink them back. He leaned over and kissed her damp cheek saying, "Thank you for thinking of my sister."

Merle gave him a loving smile, which an hour ago had been replaced with such anger for him doing this to her. But already the pain was fading and she felt almost relieved. She couldn’t wait to get better and have him all to herself again, she thought with a sultry smile. Allen's sad yet happy look on his face changed abruptly at her smile and he stared at her mouth, knowing what she was thinking without even trying.

Van and Hitomi had no idea what was going through their minds as they sat on the bed next to them. All they noticed was how utterly adorable their child was. Hitomi wanted to have her baby right then and there, just so she could hold it like Merle was now.

After almost an hour, Van had to drag himself and Hitomi away so Merle could feed the baby. Van couldn’t believe the smile on Allen's face when one of the women healers that were still in there had mentioned breastfeeding. Both him and his wife had to repress laughter at that smile, and let it go when they walked out of the room.

"So Hitomi, do you feel any better?" Van asked as they walked back to their room. Hitomi wanted to get dressed so she could start her day. It was already two o'clock.

"Feel better about giving birth? Maybe."

"You know, the more you're worried and scared, the more I get worried and scared. Maybe you should keep your feelings from me or I'm going to be tempted to have this baby for you."