Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Thief of Hearts ❯ Realisations ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter 3 ~ Realisations

Hammer, nor Keeper, nor Pagan am I
Not Guard, or Noble, or Merchant at all
In world of metal and of stone, I live
To live, I'm forc'd to steal, and live I must

I live in a time when metal is God
And gold holds more worth than our human souls
Their gold I take, their souls are left behind
So blest they are, for them I do not kill

I thrive on the wealth of the Builder's house
Merchants and Nobles loose, to me, their shares
I oft' feel the thrill of my sinful deeds
But find release from this life, I do try

The gold to the damn'd Landlord, it is lost
Profit to meat, water, and bread is turn'd
To cease, I wish I could find the repose
But night after night, to the streets I go

A good thief am I, and thieve well I will
The Sons of Shade, Daughters of Dark, are we
This night, Oh Luck be mine, I leave again
To this trade I am bound forever more

Hitomi moaned softly, as the hymn played in her mind. In the droning voice of her step-father, that hymn had become a prayer she would utter every time she went out for a theft. Over the years, it had become a daily thing she would say. It offered her some security, that maybe, maybe one day there would be hope for her. But not today. And "not today" became weeks, months and years. When Hitomi had been on the verge of death, the words of that hymn had come back to haunt her, along with horrid faces spawned by her imagination. She hated that hymn, and she hated what it stood for. The same could be said for now, because she was tossing and turning like mad in her bed.

"Let me go. Let me go! I didn't do anything wrong!" she moaned as she hopelessly clasped the white sheets. "Noooo!" she screamed and bolted out of bed.

In an instant, the door opened, and Hitomi could feel two strong arms envelop around her.

…

At the moment when the girl cried, Van burst through the door. He saw her sitting up in her bed, looking at the door with veiled eyes. He could see that the fever still had the best of her. She had a look of pure terror on her face, and Van could see that she was still asleep. Carefully, he wrapped his arms around her, not knowing what else to do to wake her up. She moaned softly, and hugged him back.

"It's so dark, and so cold. I… help… me." She said in a death-filled voice.

Van was overwhelmed by the emotion in her voice. He had never heard anything like it. She was terrified.

"Ssh, everything is ok. As long as I'm here, I won't let them get you." He slowly whispered to her.

"Too late…" she whispered. "They're here. And they're so evil. Why? Why must I be so alone?" she continued to say.

"It's ok." Van said and gently brushed his lips past her forehead. He continued to hug her, until she slipped into a pained sleep. Van tucked her in, and hesitated before closing the door behind him.

~~~~

Hitomi woke up to the smell of fresh air and daisies. She stood up in her bed, and yawned loudly.

"I'm glad you're up. It's about time we had that serious talk." She heard his voice echo from her right.

"Oh no, why can't I ever get a break?" Hitomi whined mentally. "Not you again." she said aloud.

"Yes, it's me. As soon as you've eaten a decent breakfast we're going to meet with my council." Van told her.

"I've told you that I know nothing. Why do you insist on making me see those dungeon-masters?" Hitomi asked infuriated. That boy was so annoying. Hitomi just wanted to punch his lights out. But she would settle for some nice jewels…

"They're my council, and I must collaborate with them. I can't rule Fanelia alone." Van told her.

Hitomi turned around and looked at him, with thundering eyes. However, her stormy gaze softened when she saw him sit in chair, with a small table by his side, reading a huge pile of papers. In his red shirt and tan pants, he looked more like a warrior than a person trapped behind a desk signing stupid proposals. She smiled inwardly at the huge pile of unfinished work.

"Yes you can. Just fire them all, and hire people that won't be annoying." Hitomi joked.

"I wish. In any case, your breakfast will be here in a few minutes. How are you feeling?" Van asked her coldly.

"Why are you worried? You didn't seem so concerned when I was hanging upside down on your castle wall." She said glaring. She couldn't believe he would be so cruel as to let her hang there. This young king was beyond infuriating. He was downright annoying.

"Why? You were in such a delicate position, I couldn't help but savor the moment." Her replied with a smirk.

"Do you enjoy watching others suffer?" Hitomi asked.

"Depends who it is." He said grinning once again.

Hitomi grunted in exasperation. She would never get anywhere with him. He was making fun of her, and she knew it. Somehow, Hitomi felt he had the upper hand. But how? Nothing he did or say indicated that. She just looked in his direction, with a look that could cut stone. Van was laughing at her.

"What day is this?" Hitomi asked. She didn't know how long she had been asleep.

"It's Friday." Van answered.

"What? I've been out two days?" Hitomi jumped out of bed.

"Yeah… you have…" Van said slyly, examining her slender form, outlined by the thin transparent nightgown she had on.

Hitomi saw Van stare at her, and blushed when she realised that her nightgown was transparent. You could virtually see everything in the light of the morning sun. She quickly got back in bed and pulled the covers up to her neck, blushing a crimson red.

"Umm… your clothes will be here shortly." He told her, clearing his voice. "A bit on the thin side, but nevertheless very beautiful." Van thought. "What's wrong with me?" he chastised himself.

"Yes, thank you." Hitomi managed to say.

"Now, I hope you won't try to run away again. We don't want to have you tied down again. Or worst, your wound to reopen. The healer said you need to take it easy." Van told her.

"I told you I don't know anything. I don't understand why you still want to talk to me." Hitomi said stubbornly. Who knew what secret informers Van had throughout the city. One of them might have seen her…

"Listen you stubborn little girl. Someone is trying to kill me and plunge my country into misery and poverty. I won't have that. You're the one that let him get away, and you're the one that will help me catch him, or them." Van said getting up from his chair and leaning close to Hitomi on her bed. His chocolate eyes were cold as steel.

"Stop trying to be a martyr. "My country this, and my country that" you're just afraid to die that's all." Hitomi said mimicking him.

Van laughed dryly. "Just a word of advice… Hitomi… don't make assumptions about people you don't know." he told her, stood up, and left the room slamming the door.

"Ooh, moody." Hitomi bit back.

Since Hitomi had nothing to do, she leaned back on her bed, sighing.

Outside, Van entered his council room, slammed the door and sat at the head of the table.

"What else have you found out?" he barked at his council.

"Well… he stayed at Midnight Inn, and left late in the night. He never paid his bill, and stole some money from the cash register. We're tying to track him down right now." An elder told him

"Not about the assassins you fools! About the girl who snuck into my bedroom!" Van yelled.

"Oh, she's not Fanelian. She just appeared in Fanelia two years ago. Apparently she was injured, and Nadya Blake took care of her. She's been living with the cat-woman ever since." Leviticus, the head of Intelligence told him.

"Any criminal records? Any infractions?" Van asked

"No, she's clean, though I still think we should question her." He told him.

"That will be done. Anything else?" Van asked them.

"Well, there is the matter of your impeding marriage Lord Van. As a young king, you must marry and give us an heir as soon as possible. You should have already been engaged. It is your duty to pick a Princess and marry." His council told him.

"You want me to get married NOW? Did the gods take away all your intellect? Fanelia is facing an economic crisis, someone is trying to kill me, and YOU'RE talking about MARRIGE?" Van asked, trying to remain calm.

"We know all that your majesty. But getting married could be regarded as a symbol of good luck amongst the people." The minister of Internal Affairs stated.

Van scowled. "What about love? What about letting me do what I want to do?" he asked.

"Lord Van, be reasonable. We all know that when one lives in high society there is little marrying for love." The eldest advisor said with a weak smile.

"My parents married for love." Van accused.

"You PARENTS, Van, were a special case. And it was that love which got them both killed. Love is a dangerous emotion. I advise you to pick an influential princess and marry her. Maybe one of the Asturia's two unwed princesses, or the Solarian one. Or even the Ispano princess. They're all very influential and powerful. We need such an alliance in times like these." The elder argued.

"I refuse to use a person for their power. When I marry, it will be for love and love only. End of subject. I do not want to hear another peep from you. All of you. Now, I want you to start budgeting for repairs on the city. I want you to give out more food to the orphans, and carry out negotiations with King Amano of Lowenia. We need that steel for our weapons, in case we are to be attacked. And start stocking supplies in case of an attack." He said and then walked out.

"If it's love he wants, it's love we're going to give him. Arrange a ball for next week, and invite all the royal families. We must infatuate our young Lord Van with beauty." The eldest advisor said after the king left.

~~~~

The door to Hitomi's room opened, and she saw the cat-girl from before walk in casually. She now carried a dress and a duffel bag.

"Hey there." She said with a smile.

Hitomi just glared at her.

"Come on, we have to get you ready. You're going to have an official audience with the king. Here's your dress." She said, and showed the simple blue dress to Hitomi.

"I'm not wearing that." She said.

The cat laughed. "You really are stubborn. Too bad you were born a human. You'd make one heck of a cat."

Hitomi couldn't refute that. She began laughing. "Maybe I've been hanging around Nadya too much."

"You know Nadya Blake?" Merle asked her.

"Yeah. I've been helping around her shop ever since she saved my life." Hitomi told her nonchalantly.

"Nadya's a very good person. Doesn't she wonder where you've been for the last two days?"

"No, I tend to leave for longer periods of time." Hitomi said.

"Well, in any case, we mustn't keep Lord Van waiting." Merle said.

"Does everyone have to please Lord Van around here? Or what? He's not that big and tough you know. Keep him waiting." Hitomi said angrily.

Merle laughed. "No wonder he doesn't like you. And no, Lord Van isn't a god around here. People just like him. That's why they do things for him."

"I really don't see why. He's conceited and selfish." Hitomi told her.

"No, he's just stubborn. Much like you. He's a really kind person inside. It's just that there's been so much suffering in his life, well he's just shut everyone out." Merle told her, with a regretful look in her eye.

Hitomi smiled when she saw the cat's look. "Are you his girlfriend?" she asked out of the blue.

Merle looked up in a flash, and Hitomi could see her blush under her red fur. "No, I'm not Lord Van's girlfriend, nor do I wish to be. He's all I have, and vice-versa." She said sadly.

"Hmm… lots of orphaned people around here." Hitomi observed bitterly. No one in this world was happy.

"Like you would know how it feels to have no one…" Merle told her.

"Don't be so sure little cat." Hitomi said under her breath.

"What did you say?" Merle asked.

"Nothing. Is there anything else you want to tell me?" she asked.

"Yeah, get dressed." Merle said.

"Are you going to just sit here and watch?" Hitomi asked her.

"I'm not letting you escape me twice. You can only fool a cat once."

"Whatever." Hitomi said and got out of bed. She reached for her duffel bag and pulled out her clothes. She had no intention of wearing a dress. "At least turn around." She told Merle.

"Fine, gosh, you're so pushy…." Merle said.

"Speak for yourself."

Hitomi dressed up, for the second time in her shirt and pants. She put on her cloak, and pulled it over her injured arm. It was healing nicely, and Hitomi was sure it wasn't going to reopen anymore.

"Ok, all done. Take me to the king." Hitomi said emotionlessly.

"This way." Merle said and opened the door to lead Hitomi into the hall.

Together, the thief and the cat walked the beautifully carved halls of the castle. Hitomi could help but stare at the stone carvings of people and places. They all depicted the glorious history of Fanelia. Dragons, mages, kings, queens, Hitomi could spend a life time just trying to read and interpret all of them. But she had lost that option long ago, and no matter how much Hitomi would have wanted to pursue that path, the need for survival was greater, and for her, that meant stealing. She had the education necessary to take up any position offered in the village, but with that came many questions, some which could have been very dangerous for her safety. Merle and Hitomi passed by a stature wearing a skillfully crafted necklace, and Hitomi felt her fingers ache. That would buy at least a month's food for the orphans. The orphans… what would King Van do for them? Raise taxes so that he take away the little they already had? Most likely. That was the reason Hitomi had continued her thefts. For them, because no one else cared. She felt like she needed to care. To make their life better, because no one had made hers.

"Very beautifully carved walls. Who did this? Dedallus? Or Kharmi?" Hitomi asked admiring a portrait of Queen Varie.

"Kharmi. He was a friend of King Goau, and decided to do a portrait of Varie at his friend's request." Merle told her.

"She was very beautiful." Hitomi observed.

"And she was kind too. Almost like a mother to me. Too bad she passed away. That was one woman who will be remembered throughout history." Merle said sadly.

"There will be others. Not to worry." Hitomi said.

"Yes, but none like her. There was something in the way she looked at you, that made you tell the truth. No one, no one EVER lied to Queen Varie. Whenever she walked in the city, people would get out of her way, and they would bow to her. She once jumped in front of a carriage to save a small cat-child." Merle said.

Hitomi smiled. "She sounded like a good person. I would have liked her. She sounds like a woman I once knew."

The slender cat turned towards Hitomi, and fixed her shining blue orbs on her face.

"You know, I thought you were a brat at first. But maybe I was wrong. In any case, we're here, and you better be polite to the king." Merle advised and opened a large oak door.

"It all depends on how he behaves." Hitomi said and stepped in.

The room was huge, with large windows on the left, and a table in the middle. Thick carpets covered the floor, and at the very end, Hitomi could see a bookcase filled with things. She slowly stepped in.

"Hello?" she called to whomever was inside.

No one answered, and Hitomi took another step in. "Hello?"

No answer once again. She walked in the room, and spun around, examining any dark corner. There was no one there. The room was completely empty.

"The nerve of him. To call me in an audience and be late!" Hitomi exclaimed. If there was one thing she hated doing, it was waiting. And most of all, she hated waiting for this impertinent king. "Who does he think he is?" she spat out.

Angrily, Hitomi walked to the bookcase, and pulled a book out. If she had to wait, she'd wait, but THEN he'd get the chewing of his life time.

"You know Hitomi, you're really insolent. He IS a king after all." Her conscience dictated.

Hitomi nodded to herself. It was no use on making an enemy out of the king. She'd act nice to him, as if nothing had happened. Hitomi flipped through the book, scanning pages and pages. It was actually very interesting. It talked about politics and decision making, and basically how you should approach people, and win negotiations.

"Gee, I wonder if I should negotiate with the people I rob. Gimme all your money, or gimme all your riches." Hitomi chuckled to herself and continued reading.

"Well I see you're amusing yourself Lady Hitomi." Van's voice echoed from the door.

Hitomi immediately raised her eyes, and slammed the book shut. She blushed, thinking it hadn't been polite to go looking through his stuff. Even as a thief, she DID maintain some morals.

"Happy to see me?" Van asked with a smile, seeing the blush on he face.

"No! I'm never happy to see you." She hissed and put the book back in its place. "What I mean is… you startled me." She said more calmly. It didn't hurt to apply some of the things she read in that book.

"You know, I would prefer you honest, instead of all cool, and calm and lying. If there's one thing I can't stand is my advisors. They talk exactly like you." Van told her, looking straight in her face.

"So fire them all. You're the king." Hitomi said accentuating "king" a little more than she would have liked.

"It's not that simple. Now, how did you get into my castle?" Van asked her, jumping straight to the core of things.

The question took Hitomi by surprise. She hadn't expected him to be so brutally straightforward. It took a few seconds before she answered.

"Well, I got lost, and I sort of stumbled in." she said calmly. Even if the question had shocked her, she wouldn't show it. Hitomi now saw through his strategy. With his abrupt questions, Van hoped to get straight and honest answers from her. It was a smart strategy, but she was smarter.

"Lost, what were you looking for?" Van asked sweetly.

"Can't trap a fly with vinegar. I see he's trying sugar now…" Hitomi thought.

"My friend. I had come with her to the gardens, but we got separated, and I was looking for her." Hitomi told him.

"In the castle?" Van asked.

"I thought I caught a glimpse of her dress going into the castle. I thought we were allowed." She said innocently. "Since the guards didn't stop me, I proceeded to look for her." Hitomi explained.

"How convenient." Van said.

"Well, sort of. I had always wished to see the castle, but I never had a reason. So when I saw her go in there, I thought that maybe I could get a chance to. I was set on leaving Fanelia the next day." Hitomi told him. That was the truth. He couldn't hold her responsible there. Hitomi had learned that it was best if she mixed truth with a bit of lies. It didn't reveal who she was, but it did make her credible. She ardently hoped that her method would work this time too.

"Where were you going?" Van questioned.

"I don't know. Just some place where I could find better work." She said. In truth, she had wanted to go, to keep Nadya out of trouble. The security had gotten tighter, and Hitomi didn't want to get caught.

"Couldn't you find work here?" Van asked.

"Not what I wanted to do. The city is not as it used to be. Too many poor people. And too many rich. There is misery and wealth all mixed together, in a very unpleasant fashion. I walk down the street, and I see a baron walking past a beggar, not even flipping a coin at the poor man. I see an orphan child crying for a toy, and the sisters telling him to wish for it, then maybe it would come to him. I see a young mother working her heart away to maintain her growing family, only because she doesn't have money to support her baby. And I see the rich laughing at the poor, and scorning at them. I see corruption, I see poverty, I see misery, and I see an economic crisis." Hitomi told him harshly.

"And they all blame me." Van said quietly.

"You've got a very spirited kingdom Lord Van. But you need more than that. You need to provide and care for them like they were your own children. You need to love them like they love you, and in the end, you need to be willing to sacrifice some of your well being for theirs. Because, if you have land, but no people to rule over, you're no king." Hitomi told him seriously. "Where did that come from?" she asked herself. She heard the words repeated to her by a man's voice, talking to a little girl, and showing her a city. Hitomi came out of her dreaming, to find Van staring at her, with a puzzled look.

"What?" Hitomi asked.

"Nothing." Van mumbled to himself. He didn't ask her any more questions. He just sat there for a few minutes, and looked at the floor. Hitomi didn't know what to do. She tried to picture what was going on through his head, but couldn't. The king was a very enigmatic person. Hitomi suddenly wondered what had happened to him that made him close up to everyone? The death of his family? Or was it more?

"I didn't try to kill you, and I'm sorry for intruding on you during your sleep. I didn't know that you felt the assassin come up to you, but when I saw him ready to strike, I felt I had to do something. I didn't mean to let him get away." Hitomi apologised. It was a very heartfelt apology. She meant every word.

"It's all right. Thank you for saving my life, Hitomi Kanzaki." Van said and stood up.

"I'm sure you would have done the same for me." Hitomi said. She didn't know why, but she felt like he would have. There was something about him, something behind his shell. Hitomi felt how he and she, they had a lot in common.

Just then, the someone burst through the door.

"Lord Van, an messenger has come bearing a message from King Amano, do you wish to see him?" the boy asked. He looked about seventeen, with short silver hair, and red eyes. Hitomi felt a bolt of lighting pass through her, when their gazes locked.

"I would like to see him right away Dilandau. Please show him in." Van said.

The boy saluted and turned away.

"You're free to go now. I'll show you the way." Van said after Dilandau left. Both he and Hitomi exited the room together.

A/n: heh, did I surprise you? How's dilly involved? Hope you liked it!!!!