Point of No Return 4/8

[Nightheart]

The man in the plain, non-descript brown tunic that traveled along with the rest of the crowd under the city gates and into the capitol of Fanelia itself could have come from anywhere. The clothing he wore was of no particular cut or style and would have looked common in any country. His sun-darkened face-shaped face was neither thin nor fat, he wasn?t too tall, he wasn?t too short, instead being utterly and in all ways mediocre. Most peoples gaze just tended to slide right past him and in a crowd he was even less noticeable.

The capitol city of Fanelia (also named Fanelia as the country had been named after what had once been nothing more than the fortress that protected refugees) was decorated for the festival to be taking place in a matter of days. Royal blue flags with the crest of Fanelia waved from the dragon statues around and throughout the city. Streamers of brightly colored cloth hung from the houses buildings and shops. Lanterns on strings in the shape of dragons were hung over the streets between two-storiy houses or from tall poles erected for the purpose. There were flowers and flower petals everywhere filling the air with their cloyingly sweet scent. The buildings were all new with fresh bright paint, the people looked forward with anticipation to the first chance they had had to celebrate in a long time. It was a time of rebirth and renewal, a time to heal over the wounds of the past and look forward to a brighter future.

This supposed brighter future of theirs was unlikely to come to pass however; the man in brown, a top assassin from the Assassin?s Guild, had been hired at great expense to kill the young and idealistic king of Fanelia. Normally the Assassins Guild shrunk away from taking hits on the rulers of nations, such jobs involved too much publicity and a relentless search by all manner of investigators; however in this case the assassin felt that a little risk was justified. King Van of Fanelia was nothing but trouble for the Guild. It was his influence on the Alliance that had made them effective like never before. Normally, after a war was over the nations that comprised the Alliance sank back into their own difficulties and ignored one another and everything settled back into Business As Usual. But in this case the countries were actually listening to the words of a young upstart idealist who had once been a war hero and instrumental in the conclusive victory during the war against the Empire of Zaibach. They were beginning to band together and create stronger ties to one another instead of drifting back apart as they had always done. The call for professional assassins had taken a marked downturn in the past few years because of it. King Van had to be eliminated. After all, cut off the head and the body suffers.

The man who looked like anybody smiled to himself and patted his concealed cross-bow. Little did the citizens know that their time of joy and celebration would soon turn to grieving and sadness. Their king would e dead by his bolt in a matter of days and there was nothing on this world to stop him.

* * *

Hitomi looked around her, aside of the road that stretched out before her and behind her through the hilly countryside; there was nothing to disrupt the view of mountains, mountains and more mountains. She had no clue which direction she should go in. Varie had neglected to mention that, only telling her that she?d dropped her off somewhere on the border. And Hitomi without her pendant.

<That?s alright, I don?t actually need my pendant with me to dowse,> she told herself, hitching her duffle a little on one shoulder. She stood off to one side of the road so she wouldn?t get in the way of a passerby if one should come while she was concentrating and cleared her mind. Hitomi brought up the familiar image of her pendant in her mind and questioned for the direction to reach Van. The pendant circled for a moment then tugged once with a small resounding bong inside her head. North. Hitomi looked at the road in front of her, it stretched only to the east and west. Her bike wouldn?t go very well over rough land with high grasses and ditches and rocks. She?d have to take the road, a dirt-path affair that made Hitomi really glad that her parents had gotten her a mountain bike instead of something weaker to ride around in the city. The question was? which way? She tried her pendant again; it indicated that the east path would eventually take her to where she wanted to go. She was safer taking the road, if she went over land she?d have to deal with terrain features and she might some to a river she couldn?t cross or something else that would slow her down. She nodded to herself. East it was. She stretched out getting ready for a good bit of mountain biking ahead of her, on track she?d also been part of the cross-country jogging team her second year of high school although she was really better at dashes and sprints than she was long distance endurance treks she still didn?t want to think about the amount of energy it would have taken to try to run all the way to Fanelia. Varie had said it was a four and a half possibly five day journey by horse back, and hoses were considerably faster than one laden down human. She could only hope that one laded down human on a mountain bike was considerably faster than a horse. It had to be.

She nodded resolutely to herself, she was a strong, energetic, very athletic young woman with two of the fastests and strongest legs on her track team; she could do this no problem! With that she lifted her bicycle off from the ground and pointed it eastward. After she mounted she discovered that she didn?t quite have a place to put her bags. There wasn?t a carrier above her back wheel (good thing because it?d just get her bag all muddy) there wasn?t a basket on her handle bars either (not that her duffle would fit in one). Oh well, she just let her bag rest awkwardly on her moving lap, it wouldn?t fall off because her shoulder strap was keeping it in place. It had a tendency to fall forward anyway when she leaned forward to grasp the handle bars. She almost wished she hadn?t taken so much with her, but there was no helping it. She couldn?t bring herself to abandon it right now.

Her first hour in Gaea passed uneventfully, there were no travelers on the road aside of herself. She saw some? well she guessed they were sheep grazing on a hillside, and a field full of the Fanelian equivalent to cattle, large sturdy beasts with thick pelts and broad chests. Niether of them took any notice as she rolled past on her outlandish metal construct, her bags thumping her awkwardly on each of her knees. There had to be a better way to carry them! She tried a variety of positions, carrying them cradled in her arms was only comfortable for a short while and carrying them only slung over one shoulder was too unbalanced for riding with all of her weight on one side of her body. She stopped for a rest and a drink from her water bottle (another absolute necessity that had come with her) she puzzled over the way to carry the bulky duffle. She couldn?t place it horizontally across her handlebars because it was too long and would get in the way of the steering and breaks, she couldn?t secure it to the bar under her seat for it would get in the way of her pedaling. After much fussing and some trial and error she at last settled on a way that better than any of the other contrivances she?d tried. She held it lengthwise up against the steering bar that went crosswise from the handlebar and split into the holder for the wheels, the bottom rested against the bar just above the one that secured the pedals and chain connected to the bar that held the seat up. The tied it to the bar that connected the handlebar to the front wheel and tested her steering. Good enough, and it was out of the way of her legs when she was pedaling. It made steering a bit stiff but she could compensate for that. There would be a minimum of jostling and banging that had annoyed her in her trip thus far. Her somewhat heavy satchel she slung across her chest, just like she wore it when she went around campus and started out once again. It wasn?t perfect but it was better than what it had been.

Another two passed according to her wrist watch but it felt like longer. Hitomi, for all of her work on track was really unaccustomed to traveling long distances, even by bike. She?d grown up in Tokyo, and you could always catch a train to where you wanted to go or if you had the money take a cab or even a bus (though with the trains the busses were less common). Her trips that took her days deep to the countryside had always been taken in the family car. She never realized what kind of luxury even an average car ride would seem like to a people who were accustomed to going everywhere by foot or horseback, where to cover seventy miles in an hour instead of a day would seem too incredible to be believed, and then there was the car stereo and the heating and air conditioning. Hitomi had never made a long journey by bike before. And she was alone too.

<There?s cattle and sheep-creatures around so this must not be dragon country,> she consoled herself. <Which means I won?t get eaten, or at least it?s very unlikely.>

She?d pedaled a little harder to compensate for a slight increase in the slope. While the countryside had rolling hills the road was for the most part flat with a barely perceptible incline. Once she got her momentum going in a high gear it was easy for her to maintain. The slope even if it was an incline made for easy biking, once she steered around the potholes made by the rain and the deepened tracks caused by wagon wheels. She didn?t have much time at all to make it to Fanelia if she was going to get there in time to save Van. Four or five days even by horse back when she only had three, those weren?t very encouraging odds. She?d just have to push herself, she had to make it!

* * *

Hey Van-sama,? said Merle looking over at him oddly.

?Yes. What is it Merle?? he asked glancing up from a report from his western border that he was perusing.

?Your necklace? that pendant Hitomi gave you,? she said. ?It?s glowing again.?

?Hm?? he looked down at it. Sure enough the heart of it had gone from a dull light red to a vibrant pink. A few seconds later it stopped. Then started up again for a few seconds then simply went dark. He watched it for a few seconds more but t did nothing further.

?Huh, that?s odd,? he said.

?I saw it glow one time before when you weren?t paying attention, earlier today I mean,? Merle informed him looking at one of the other scrolls that had arrived earlier today. ?Are you sure she didn?t give you her pendant because it was broken and she didn?t want it anymore??

?Yes,? Van said stiffly. ?This pendant seems to be more in tune with unusual happenings, maybe something?s wrong with Hitomi and that?s why she can?t contact me.?

?You two lost contact? And you didn?t tell me??

?It?s only been a few days, a week or so. She might be busy; besides, I didn?t want to worry you.?

?As if I?d be worried about that violent tempered nutcase,? Merle disclaimed not fooling either one of them. ?Still, it sounds fishy to me. Hitomi is usually pretty good about keeping in contact with you, right??

?Yes, but she probably had one of those big tests her school gives out or a big running convention or something,? then he changed the subject. No sense dwelling on something he couldn?t do anything about. If she was fine she?d contact him soon no doubt, if she wasn?t? he wasn?t sure what he?d be able to do to help her.

A servant in blue livery coughed politely from the shadows of the doorway. Van turned and looked up.

?Your Majesty, I was sent here to request your presence in the minor conference room,? the fair-haired page informed him.

?Not Lord Melvrich and Lord Sangel again,? Van muttered in exasperation. It was clear from the look on the deferential servant?s face that it was indeed those two lords again.

Van had the hardest time understanding his own noblemen? They spent their time in petty intrigues with one another when they should be looking after the affairs of their provinces. The Lords on his advisory council were the worst out of all of them. They were so involved with their own trivial squabbles that they scarcely knew what was happening outside the palace walls except where it concerned either State Visits and alliances from foreign powers or their own power and how they could get more of it. The amount of time they spent grooming and perfecting their own image was astounding to Van. While he had been out helping his people rebuild their country by hand they had been trying to regain every last speck of comfort and influence that they?d lost. It was as if, to the courtiers, the war had never even happened. They gave Van lip service (when they didn?t ignore him completely). Despite the fact that he was a war hero several times over, to them he was nothing more than a na?ve provincial young lad who should learn to sit quietly and listen to his elders. He would have been happy to listen? if they had been saying anything of substance. No, instead they warred back and forth, manipulating one another and events in attempts to gain more allies to ones cause (whatever it happened to be at the moment) with a dizzying dance of plots counterplots and counter-counterplots that would have made Balgus herald them as strategic geniuses. They interacted every day in a complex web of alliances and enmities that changed almost from moment to moment. Van didn?t even try to keep it all straight in his head, he simply let them have their little intrigues and parlor games while he worked around them to try and get things done.

Unfortunately every so often they popped up to remind him that they were still there.

Lord Melvrich of Foresthill and Lord Sangel of Cliffveiw two provinces who shared and edge (and a grudge) for several generations were two of the more annoying of Van?s councilmen. They constantly complained to Van about the stupidest things, there weren?t enough servants attached to their suites, they wanted their private meals brought to their suites, their rooms weren?t exactly like they remembered them, they wanted their terraced residences built more quickly. Whine whine whine! Van, known better for his straightforwardness and blunt manner of speaking had told them repeatedly that their ?servants? were busy either attending to the rest of the palace or rebuilding parts that had yet to be refurnished if they wanted some things done around their suites they?d just have to do it themselves for the time being, after all, their laundry was already taken care of as was their bedding (it was the best he could manage by that point) and if they wanted they could either dine in the dining room or procure a room and a private meal at an inn nearby. As for their houses, there had been many other buildings that ad taken precedence, the rooms in the palace were every bit as comfortable and a good deal more convenient than their terraced cliffs, their houses would be built as soon as the last of the buildings for official use were finished. Truthfully, Van was just as eager to get them out of his palace and into one of their own homes as they were to be there; they approached him all hours of the day no matter what he was doing as if he were there to serve and aid them instead of the other way around! If he had to get interrupted from a gravely important task one more time to pander to their useless complaints he was going to whip out his sword and show them that he?d mastered Balgus? technique of charging aggressively as if he meant to kill someone.

?Van-sama,? Lord Sangel?s high pitched nasal whine cut into the silence of the council room just as soon as Van showed his face. Van was certain that the ?sama? was added more out of habit because than they really respected him.

?Lord Sangel, Lord Melvrich,? he said, hoping that none of his resignation showed on his face.

As he listened to the two of them try to get out their side of the argument before the other could say anything, Van only barely restrained himself from shaking his head. Once he heard what the argument was about he couldn?t believe that they?d summoned him for such a trivial detail.

<They must be joking,> he thought to himself. Much to his inner dismay he saw that they were quite serious. They had gotten into a squabble about their seating arrangements for the opening ceremony of the festival. Their seating arrangements. As if he didn?t have enough on his plate already-

?Van-sama,? another voice coughed delicately from the doorway. He looked over to see another of his ubiquitous servants standing in the doorway. At his nod the servant stated his purpose.

?The emissary from the trade and transport federation is awaiting your attention down in the lesser receiving room.?

?Not again,? Van muttered. They had been hounding him about one of their transport shipments lately and he really didn?t have the man power right now to send out a huge support team to go look for them (a duty that they were supposed to have people to do for themselves). He sighed. ?Alright tell him I?ll be right-?

Yet another servant appeared behind the first, this one out of breath.

?Van-sama, the delegation from Asturia has just arrived and you need to go meet them in the main courtyard immediately!?

??They?re a day early,? was all Van could say. Merle arrived a split second later.

?Van-sama,? she called.

This was his life, every time he turned around someone needed him to do something or go somewhere and mostly likely a little of both. His councilors acted like whiney children and everyone wanted a piece of him, the largest piece they could get, and if someone else?s was bigger than theirs they?d likely start fighting over that too. He took a deep breath.

?As far as I?m concerned those transports can wait until the sun explodes,? he turned to the still-bickering councilors. ?And if you?re not happy with the seating arrangements I can order your seats to be moved elsewhere, such as right into the palace incinerator. Now if you?ll excuse me, I?ve got a diplomatic incident to go prevent.?

?Merle, do me a favor, go stall those transport representatives while I go handle Asturia,? he called over his shoulder as he sprinted out the door.

?Sure,? she said, keeping pace beside him. ?I doubt they?ll listen to me though. You know they hardly ever do just because I?m a-?

?Damned good representative of the crown,? he cut in before she could say ?cat-girl?. He really didn?t understand people?s high and mighty attitudes when it came to non-humans but they never seemed to think that Merle was an adequate representative of the king even though they?d been like family since they were children.

He rushed off to the main courtyard, trying to fix his appearance before he reached the front entrance so that he wouldn?t look like he?d run all the way to meet them. Some days, he really wished that the dragon had eaten him.

* * *

?Sorry, bridge washed out,? Hitomi said aloud or at least that was what she assumed that the handpainted sign in front of her read? she couldn?t actually read gaean script even though she could speak and understand the language. She groaned, just her luck! At least there was something that would enable her to get across the river. Obviously the local village people had put a stop-gap measure into place in the form of a foot-bridge until a more sturdy structure could be built.

Hitomi looked out over the lazy expanse of river overpassed by a rope foot-bridge, it looked to deep in the middle for her to simply wade across and she didn?t know if she could trust the seeming-lazy current not to have an undertow or a tricky bottom.. The bridge, instead of being one of those rope-and-plank swinging affairs that she always saw in the movies, was a ?V? formed of three lengths of rope one on the bottom and two parallel to each other at the top to use as a banister to keep steady. The three lengths of rope were tied to each other along the sides by more rope. It would hold a person. Perhaps several people sliding across the narrow rope and holding onto the sides provided, unfortunately there did not appear to be any way she could get her bike across it. The single-rope base was too narrow for her to push the bike along and the pedals and gears would get caught up and tangle in the ropes that made up the sides. Obstacle number one in her path to rescue Van. She looked downstream and upstream to either side of her but didn?t see another bridge that would enable her bike to cross. Stood there and puzzled for a minute.

Before she wasted too much precious time trying to figure out a way to get her bike across the rope-bridge she should try dowsing for and alternate way. She stod still and pictured the pendant in her mind, envisioning a more stable bridge that would enable her and her bike to pass easily. The pendant pulled to her left, downstream.

<I know there?s a bridge downstream then,> she thought to herself. <The only problem is I don?t know how far away it is. It could be miles, perhaps days, out of my way and I won?t be able to tell.> That was the problem with dowsing without a map; it could be very unspecific at times. So, should she try to find a bridge that would make it easier to cross with her bike or should she stay here and try to figure out a way to make it work. Decisions, decisions! Well either way, she might just end up losing more time if she tried to take the easier way across the water so she?d just figure out a way to make this work for her.

She looked at the bridge. She didn?t think she could carry her bike across on her back, and carrying her bike above her head with both arms was also out for she needed them to steady her. Maybe if she tried carrying the bike on one shoulder and using her other arm to keep her balance? Hitomi spent a good thirty minutes trying different positions in order to get herself and her bike across safely. Carrying it on her back was out as the bike was to heavy even without the additional load of her packs, carrying it on one shoulder was equally difficult. Eventually she struck on a solution; resting the bike cross-wats on the rope handrails and pulling it along behind her. She struggled with it for the bike was heavy and unwieldy, but after much tugging and frustration she arrived at last on the other shore. Once there Hitomi stopped for another break and a drink from her water bottle. Her efforts had made her sweat even more than she had been.

<First obstacle over and accomplished with, I hope there aren?t any more delays, I really can?t afford them!> she thought as she mounted the bicycle again and pushed off, she had kept up a good clip due in no part thanks to the easy slope of the terrain but she could see larger hills coming closer from the distance. The breezeless sunny morning had slowly picked up to a windy day with some clouds. Hitomi was grateful for both, the breeze cooled the sweat on her body and the sun didn?t beat down on her quite so hard when it was hidden behind a cloud.

Hitomi kept her eyes carefully on the way ahead of her; it was more like a path than a road as she thought of the definition of a road. On Earth all true ?roads? were paved and kept smooth and uncracked by the diligent work of tax-paid road crews. Gaea was significantly different in that respect, their definition of ?road? seemed to be any continuing track of earth that was kept reasonably clear of vegetation no matter how badly pot-holed and entrenched it was. She was having a difficult time avoiding all of the various pitfalls along the paths, if she went too far to the left or right of the center she fell into long thin ruts made by wagon wheels, the middle had stones of all sizes sticking up out of them to be avoided. Still, she kept pushing along at her hurried pace and her eyes grew accustomed to scanning ahead for future obstructions, her reflexes soon became second nature and her mind was free to think of other things.

Her thoughts wandered first and foremost to Van, cycling over and over the dream sequence; while this did make her pedal faster, it also quickly made her tire. She had another few days to go so it would be wise to conserve her strength as much as she could. She had nothing in the way of food on her other than a box of pocky and some bubble gum. She also had no idea when the next town or sign of civilization would show up on the horizon; she had been traveling most of the day with no map or direction other than what her powers told her was a good course to follow. To put it bluntly she had no idea even where she was, and all she had seen since arriving on Gaea was countryside. There hadn?t even been any travelers along the road to tell her where she was or how far it was to the capitol city.

She consciously turned her thoughts away from the looming presence of danger to Van?s life and that little frantic voice inside her screaming at her to hurry hurry hurrry urging her on at a frantic pace that she could not possibly keep up for as long as she needed to. It would not do Van any good if she collapsed from exhaustion before she could reach him so instead she concentrated purposefully on what she would do next. Aside of watching the road in front of her, Hitomi had had little else to do but watch the distant landscape and watch the sky. The morning had started clear, then the wind had picked up bringing with it welcome relief and scattered clouds. The cool breeze that blew from the north bearing small puffs of clouds had been barely perceptibly picking up over the last hour. There was also the occasional tree and shrub along the path and out in the distance when she crested a hill she could see the dark outlines of a forest darkening the horizon line just below the mountains. It looked like the path she was riding on was going to lead her straight to the forest just before nightfall. The barely inclining slope had slanted gradually upwards a little more, she wouldn?t have noticed it except for the fact that it took just a bare amount more effort to push down on the pedals to keep her momentum running along swift and steady.

Once analyzing the minute changes in her environment and its weather patterns had been accomplished Hitomi led her thoughts to her next major concern.

<Hm, where am I going to sleep?> she wondered. She knew she still had another day at least before she made it to the capitol of Fanelia, she would be on the road all of that time. <I?ve slept on the forest floor before,> she told herself, thinking of the time she?d spent with Van and Merle after Van had rescued her from Meidan?s gekos and they?d disappeared from Asturia. They?d slept in the shadow of Escaflowne near a camp fire over which had been roasted some oversized rollie-pollies on a stick. Not really her idea of gourmet dining, but maybe if she got hungry enough. She?d have to be really hungry! This time she?d be sleeping alone, and defenseless. There wasn?t some large and intimidating suit of mechanical armor looming nearby either. Great, if she wasn?t attacked by bandits she?d probably get eaten by a dragon.

<Oh stop that,> she chided herself. <Nothing good will happen if you only concentrate on the bad things.> Perhaps that was what Varie had been trying to tell her. Still, she had gone about it all wrong? Hitomi had always been more introverted and shy, usually the first to give herself a hard time and think that it was her own fault that things went wrong even if it wasn?t. Yukari had once told her that always blaming herself could be just as bad as always trying to blame other people. Yukari had always been more outgoing and better with people than Hitomi even when they had been children; Hitomi had often hid behind her best friends extroverted nature, content to stand in her shadow and let her best friend deal with people all of the time while Hitomi stayed safe with her comfortable but limited connections. In one way the time she?d spent on Gaea had been good for her; it had expelled her from her comfortable unchanging nest and forced her to interact with people on her own instead of relying on her friend or her family as a crutch. For a time, she thought, that might have been much of the appeal that Allen had represented; with his chivalrously protective ways of thinking and acting she would not have had to make as many choices for herself. She would have been safe and provided for standing in his shadow, and he would have done everything for her. Without even realizing that she?d realized something she made an epiphany; a person couldn?t live that way and expect to be perfectly happy in the end. Even before she?d realized this there had been difficulties between them, like when he?d gotten jealous and possessive when she?d gone with Van to support him when he met his brother in Fanelia. It had been the time he?d chided her for wandering outside the palace and his protection when she?d gone to help at a triage hospital in Asturia; she?d surprised even herself by replying that she really didn?t think her actions were any of his business and that she would be returning to the palace by herself. At the time she hadn?t known what had come over her, the words had just popped out of her mouth before she knew it and a strange feeling of insult had come from inside of her. Instead of feeling safe and protected by his chivalry, she?d felt smothered and annoyed. It had been the realization that wishing to hold another back, even to keep them safe, was not the correct way to love someone. She would have to stand on her own strength and find the light within herself if she was ever going to love someone on an equal level. Millerna had seen this fact before her? but then, she was a year older. When Hitomi had gone back to Earth she?d resolved to stop hiding away from the world and become more adept at dealing with others, hence all of the classes and club activities; she?d learned a lot of new things both about herself and about other people, but maybe that was all part of growing up too.

With the notion of standing on her own strength and finding ways to solve her own problems she turned her thought back to the matter of the sleeping arrangements.

<Well, perhaps if the moon is bright enough tonight, I can just use its light to keep traveling. Or if that fails I did pack a flashlight with me, I?ll just use its light to guide my footsteps better and continue on foot through the night. There?s no sense in risking an accident and a serious injury by continuing to ride at night when I can?t see, and I won?t be able to do Van any good at all if I incapacitate myself while still on the journey to the capitol!> Either way, she?d have to cross that bridge when she came to it.

<Aiiee! I have no money!> Well, she had yen, but yen were unlikely to be accepted there on Gaea. She had no valuable currency; that also meant she had nothing to buy food with! This could be a longer trip than she had originally thought.

* * *

Van looked over at the Asturian envoy with mingled surprise and pity.

?What member of the Royal Family did you offend to get stuck with diplomatic duty Allen?? Van called over from the palace steps as Allen dismounted from his white gelding. He was in the full formal regalia of a Knight Caeli, and would have looked impressive were he not standing next to a King in full formal (albeit hastily donned) reception robes. Van had caught up to Sir Allen in height easily and might have even topped him by an inch; it was hard to tell precisely. Van had inherited the height that ran on his father?s side as had his late elder brother.

?I?ll have you know I requested this assignment,? said Allen in a dignified tone, exchanging a grin with his old comrade in arms and now King of Fanelia. ?I had heard there was going to be a rather large and pleasant celebration in these parts.?

?Come to drink all my wine and debauch all the women eh?? Van said teasingly (well at least as teasingly as the solemn youth ever got, which wasn?t very).

?Debauch is such a strong word,? Allen said. The two shook hands heartily in greeting. ?Millerna and Eries send their best by the way. And of course you have the official greeting of King Aston.?

Van nodded, it was understood that they?d dispense with all the formal quibbling for now. Allen would bear Fanelia?s official replies back with him later and such.

?Er? Van?? Allen said abruptly, noticing something. Van looked over in question.

?Is it just me or is your shirt glowing pink??

Van pulled out Hitomi?s pendant and sure enough it was glowing brightly again.

?Is that-? Allen began.

Van nodded once.

?Yes. Hitomi gave it to me just before she left,? Van confirmed. His face showed anxiety and worry as he said

?It?s been acting up recently, all day in fact. And? I can?t make contact with her. At first I had thought that she was simply too exhausted from something. Like she?d had another of those ?exams? that exhaust her, or she?d had a big running competition and she was tired out from that. But now I?m not so certain that it?s something light and trivial. It think this pendant is glowing because she?s trying to contact me and can?t for some reason. I can?t sense anything at all. Our connection has always been very strong even when we?re not concentrating on one another; now her voice has simply? stopped.?

Allen too grew worried as Van said this.

?Do you think anything could have happened to her?? he asked.

?I don?t know. There?s no way for me to tell without being in contact with her,? Van informed him as the rest of Allen?s company dismounted and their horses were led to barns and the men shown to guest barracks. Allen and Van strolled into the palace side by side talking as they walked.

?Van-sama,? another servant called as soon as he had passed the threshold. Van looked over at the servant who promptly said

?There is another scroll for you from the rivermen, and the lord of Eastreach ah, requests an audience with you.? The tone of the servants voice gave the young king to understand that the request had been more along the lines of a demand.

?Not the rivermen again,? Van muttered. Then turned to the servant ?Send a scroll back to them saying that I?ll be sending an envoy of the crown to review their situation and report back to me, then find someone suitable and give him something official-looking. That should hold them off for a while. As for Lord Jorin, tell him I?ll meet with him as soon as I can.?

?Van-sama,? another said from the side. ?The Lords Edrin and Kosteh wish to formally petition you to redistribute some of the supplies and man power to the terracing of their estates.?

?Tell them I?ll discuss the matter with them after the festival,? Van said.

?Van-sama,? another servant said, obviously out of breath from running. ?The planning committee wants to inquire where to seat the delegation from Egzardia in relation to the delegation from Cesario.?

?Seat them by geography?? Van said, obviously at a loss.

?Van-sama,? another servant said. Van closed his eyes, obviously calling on patience. Allen chuckled.

?I suppose you find all of this amusing,? Van grumbled ignoring the servant for the moment and glaring at the knight.

?Sucks to be you,? Allen said affably.

?Whoever coined the phrase ?it?s good to be the king? was out of their bloody minds,? Van said clearly. ?I?m constantly being bombarded with thousands of minutae that these people could solve themselves if they wanted to try it. I?m not really any good at all at administrative work. The remaining nobles who survived the attack aren?t making my job any easier, I?m doing my work and a good deal of theirs too. I?m about ready to follow Hitomi?s advice and just get rid of the lot of them.?

Allen looked over at him as if he?d gone mad. His family, whatever else their eccentricities were, descended in an unbroken line from the very founding families of Asturia.

?Get rid of your noblemen?! Are you crazy?!?

?Hey, it worked on her world,? Van muttered.

?I think part of the problem is that they all want someone who will simply solve all of their problems for them,? Allen said after a pause for thought.

?And looks who gets roped into doing it, damned sense of responsibility,? Van muttered. ?And it just seems that the more I get accomplished the more they find for me to do. I can?t even remember half of what I?m supposed to keep track of in the first place. When did I go from War-Hero of the Battlefield to Wise Old Man of the Mountain, Soother of Proud Nobles and Solver of Problems? I never get any peace anymore, I can?t remember the last time I?ve had enough time to myself to complete a sword-dance set, let alone actually enjoy a stroll through my city or a few minutes sitting in the sun uninterrupted.?

Allen knew that Van was frustrated and needed to let off steam, he could on occasion be a good listener and certainly he could understand where the young lord was coming from. He and Van were really very similar in some ways; their modes of leadership were better suited to the split second decisions and command-strategy of a battlefield than to the day-to-day mundane grind of administration. Dealing with petty squabbles and minor tiffs among the nation?s elite was not precisely their line of expertise. Perhaps it was just that warriors had little patience for the politics of trying to please everybody. Fighters thought in patterns of wading in and getting things done forcefully and efficiently; a battle was fought on the battle field and it was over when there was a clear victor (or occasionally not a man left standing). The battlefield of politics was a field in which there were not supposed to be enemies or allies, only people with different points of view, and a problem to be solved. It was difficult indeed for a person to adjust to that way of thinking. As for Van?s noblemen, it just appeared that Van?s age, no matter his record on the battlefield or his marked skill at foreign diplomacy, was a high mark against him. Many of the councilors had known Van as a small child, even as an infant, and much like any parent that image stayed with them. Matters would likely only improve for the lad when he managed to wake them p and forcefully make them see that he was a fully grown man and a King, and not just the kind-hearted young boy they saw when they looked at him, and took advantage of.

Van himself was a generous and caring man, which were good qualities to have in a king; Allen wished that his own reigning monarch, King Aston was as clear sighted as Van. King Aston could play politics with the best of them, that was both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness; a country like Asturia needed a monarch who knew how to handle their many noble houses and how to appease the nobility yet still get matters accomplished in an orderly fashion. In this arena King Aston was second to none, however King Aston had a grave shortcoming when it came to seeing the needs of his people (Allen felt). Aston cared little for chivalry or honor; he always placed expediency above honor, practicality above justice, and convenience above truth more often than not. Allen, as a Knight Caeli, had pledged his sword and his life to the protection of the crown and to the defense of the weak. More and more, the two oaths were coming into conflict. In contrast, King Van of Fanelia was more hands on. He could see clearly the needs of his people but was stymied more often than not about seeing his way clear to answering them. He couldn?t handle his noblemen as they needed to be handled and because of this they tended to coss him at nearly every turn. Maybe Van was right about getting a new Council of Advisors, certainly it would be easier to get things done in Fanelia without Van running around like poultry with it?s head cut off trying to do everything himself.

The matter concerning Hitomi was weighing heavily on the young king, though he endeavored to hide it. Those who knew him well and actually cared (which at the present moment seemed to be limited to both himself and Van?s cat-girl Merle) could see it where most likely wouldn?t be able to tell. It was yet another thing in a line of problems that weighed upon the young king. There had to be a better way of doing things than passing every single little detail onto the kings lap and letting him attend to it personally.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Tenkuu no Escaflowne. The show and its charaters belong to Sunrise and Bandai as well as it?s respective writers creators and creative consultants.

[Lara Winner]

Sorry it took me so long to review this part. I am a horrible fan. *gets on knees* Pleese forgive me.

Great chapter. I feel so bad for Van and I can completely sympathize with his frustration. It's a real pain in the back side when you have everybody else's crap to deal with on top of your own. And I admire Hitomi's determination. I can't wait for the next chapter!

[kmf]

Excellent new story you have here. I love that it is so detailed, and its also a refreshingly new plot. Hitomi is very feisty and determined; I found it impressive that she was able to give up all of her family and friends for the chance to save Van. Poor old Van is almost drowning in his diplomatic duties >_< You just have to feel sorry for him.

Im hoping that you will get them together soon. What I am hoping you wont do is get Van to go to Earth to try and find Hitomi and seek out what is wrong. The angst of them both still in different worlds would be just too much for me!

kmf *always hoping for sweet sappy endings *

[athena]

Poor Van! It's tough to be royalty!

And Hitomi! Geez..things don't look so good for her.

*crosses fingers* I'm with Kmf. I want a happy ending too! I hope things start to look up and Hitomi makes it to the capital in one piece!

Love the story!