A/N: Apologies for such a long wait. Stressful summer Not long to go here, I'd say about three chapters including this one and maybe an Epilogue. Hmm…

And then onto a new, hopefully amazing fic XD

Where we were last:

It was most definitely true that when eavesdropping, one never heard anyone say something complimentary about themselves. Or rather something they would enjoy hearing.

"I want to ask for her hand in marriage." Wondering if her life could possibly get any worse, she stopped thinking as her gaze met with a set of garnet eyes, looking equally shocked as she felt. At that very second Hitomi wondered if Sora had pulled her corset too tight.

Chapter 13: Abuse

It was strange.

Van was sure he was having an out of body experience. He had heard Allen Schezar declare his intention to marry Hitomi. Hitomi Kanzaki. His Hitomi. The girl he had grown up with and stupidly realized too late that he loved her. The woman who had shown him only hours before just how perfect she was.

And then he had seen her. Met her unmistakeable emerald gaze. The sheer panic in her eyes as she noticed him. Between staggering shock and surprise, he was incapable of doing anything other than watch her through the small gap in the door as she jumped up, knocking her chair over and running away as fast as possible.

Some things didn't change.

Lost in brooding thoughts, mixing last night's extravaganza, the aftermath and now Allen's chilling words; Van found himself struggling to reconcile all his worrisome thoughts. Any chance of amusement at Hitomi's reaction to what was hopefully the Knight's words rather than seeing him evaporated at the expression on the man's face opposite him. He looked completely serious.

A burst of laughter cut through the stunned silence and he wasn't surprised to see Dilandau, tankard in hand and probably still trousered, swaggering into the room. If there was one person who could dislodge the prissy sense of complete calm around Allen, it was his slightly maniacal cousin. The silver haired and rather bedraggled General smirked in his cousin's direction, slapped the King on the back in greeting and sat beside him with an almost evil smile on his face.

"So wonderful cousin, you have decided to take a wife? Who is the unlucky woman that will have to endure your roving eye, your many infidelities, your often inappropriate old flames, and of course your rather odd hair style?" Van was very glad he had been given etiquette lessons as it took every mite of strength to keep himself from laughing. Allen on the other hand looked murderous as he glared at his improper cousin.

"Will you ever learn to curb your alcoholic tendencies Dilandau?" His voice was as sharp as a blade and as thin as ice. In return the still inebriated General grinned as if he had been given a compliment of the highest order and returned, "When you pull out that stick shoved up your arse, cousin dearest. Or is that why you've decided to wed? Are you in need of help?"

Van wasn't really bothered by the surfacing tension between the members of the Schezar family. It gave him time to think about his plan and naturally doubt and second guess himself. A slap was better than nothing in terms of Hitomi responding to his gesture, but he didn't want to have the entire Asturian entourage witnessing the act. It had been very clear the night before that she had kept their close friendship a secret from her Asturian friends.

Even as he started to wonder whether it was out of shame or other depressing reasons, he knew deep down that she had kept their friendship under wraps to avoid unwanted attention. Hitomi had never liked the idea of being appraised as someone's relative or friend, people judging her on her parents or that she had practically grown up in the Palace alongside him and his siblings. So it made sense. But he still felt terror slide into his gut at the thought of apologizing to her in front of a crowd. She would be more likely to reject him. Wouldn't she?

And there was now the pesky matter of Allen and his proposal. From Hitomi's letters, and he had examined them with a tooth comb last night, she had never discussed Allen in a positive light that indicated she would accept his proposal. In fact it seemed more likely she would take it as a joke of some sort. He hoped she did.

But where would that leave him?

It was at times like this that once more Van wished his brother hadn't been so incapable of slaying a Dragon. He had done it and it wasn't that hard. Granted he had been found half-conscious by Ruhm and his tribe and on arrival at the Palace had fallen asleep for three days. He could still remember waking once to find his parents hissing at each other in dispute. His mother had used a surprising choice of select words to express how stupid she believed her husband to be for deciding to abdicate.

The better memory was waking days later to find Hitomi gripping his hand tightly, sitting in a chair by his bed with her head lying on the mattress by his side. She looked terribly uncomfortable but he had felt more reassured of her presence than his survival at killing a Dragon and completing the Rite of Inheritance. Strange as it was, he could still recall her small warm hand gripping the life out of his.

Coming back to the table before him, he sighed at the glaring match the two cousins were childishly prolonging. Van felt it was precarious to say anything at all considering his own intentions towards Hitomi. Still, it seemed as though Allen had no idea who he had hidden from him the night before. That at least was a small blessing.

"So boss, Hitomi Kanzaki? Why did you suddenly choose her?" Gaddes asked between sips of a cup of black tea. Again Van kept silent, curious as to what Allen would say, praying there would be no sign of Hitomi showing favour to the blonde Knight. Once again Dilandau snorted derisively and replied with a heavy dose of sarcasm, "She's female and breathing. Oh and let's not forget she's one of the few females outside of our family who didn't fall flat on her face in your presence."

"You make it sound, cousin, as if I am merely doing this because I believe Lady Kanzaki is playing the coquette." Allen's voice switched from calm to cold with anger as he continued, staring at the man with glazed eyes, "I know Lady Kanzaki would be a caring, intelligent wife. She would make a wonderful mother." Van was surprised by the Knight's response and found the other two occupants of the table looking equally surprised.

"So it isn't just because she hasn't given in to your pestering attempts to court her? Well." Dilandau sat back in his chair and supped quietly, looking pensive.

A smile brightened the General's face a second later as he changed direction, "Well Allen may be sliding into his golden years and senility. But you Your Majesty had quite a night I believe. There was a lucky lady or so I'm told." The evil grin on Dilandau's face did nothing for Van's small reserve of mercy. And that usually extended to his family and Hitomi. Rolling his eyes he could see both Allen and Gaddes turn to look at him with unbridled curiosity.

"A lucky lady?" Gaddes was smirking broadly, "I'm surprised you didn't pass out on your way out of the Hall. You usually fall asleep on the table when you join us in the taverns Your Majesty." Even Allen laughed at the embarrassing fact of his terrible alcohol tolerance, his anger at the General's taunts defused. Van however was still concerned by his ally's disturbing declaration. Was he really going to ask Hitomi to marry him?

Sitting across the table from the blonde knight, he wondered how to question Allen without arousing suspicion. Nor would it be easy with Dilandau meandering around; drunk or not the Asturian General had seen enough last night to figure out who the mysterious woman was. After all, his officer had escorted her home.

Why had she left the Palace in such a desperate state the night before? Why had she run from him? Or was it from him? Was she running from Allen discovering them? She had slapped him before and thrown many a dizzying dictionary his way throughout their formative years. Was she afraid of him? Was she hiding from him? From Allen?

If it was the former, then Van realized just how much he could possibly lose, all because of his stubbornness and inability to communicate. Gods, why couldn't he have kissed her all those years ago? Why hadn't he asked her to stay? Told her?

He had never paid much attention to Allen's womanizing, had never felt any twinge of jealousy towards the smooth tongued Knight, beloved by many ladies of courts throughout Gaea. It was just the worst providence that the man with a roving eye had decided to settle on the woman Van loved. Not that Hitomi knew any of this.

Perhaps her running from the kitchens was a good sign after all, if it was from Allen's declaration. If it wasn't, then maybe it was time for him to visit the Dragons again.

"OI! Come on your Majesty. Spare us no details." Suicidal thoughts were pushed away as he heard the still rowdy General grin evilly, his red eyes sparkling, clearly enjoying the entire mess he was in. Even Gaddes and Allen had stopped muttering quietly to stare at him with amusement and curiosity. Van wasn't exactly known for escapades with the opposite gender. It had taken him long enough to realize his feelings for his childhood friend.

A deep sigh gave him a few seconds of reprieve but Van knew he wasn't going to be let off in any way. His eyes rolled heavenward, praying for any kind of distraction, even if it was an unattended leviship blowing up. He didn't care. It might even keep Hitomi in the city longer.

"So that's where you are!"

All four men jumped at the loud, female, victorious voice that echoed in the small servants' kitchen. Dilandau's tankard was knocked to the floor and he whimpered at the loss of the amber liquid spreading across the stone tiles. Van kept his gaze on the woman standing in the doorway, looking heavily amused as she walked over to him and annoyingly ruffled his hair. "Why am I not surprised to find you hiding from our guests? Clearly it runs in the family, running away from duties."

No matter how worried he was about meeting Hitomi, his mother was a far more terrifying prospect. On top of everything he was in turmoil over, she had caught him sneaking away from his duties. Or if his mother was in a very cruel mood she would raise the topic of Hitomi. If her thoughts wandered along that path, no doubt she would start asking him when he would take a horse to the house of his beloved. As much as he loved Hitomi, he wasn't going to make a fool out of himself. Well, as best he could with the plan he already had in mind.

"…And I told her to wait. Have you seen her?"

Van looked up at his mother, feeling very much like a child who was about to be caught for not paying attention, and shook his head. His mother was probably looking for Merle, which meant he would be free to pursue—

"So you didn't see Hitomi leave? She was only on the other side of the door and all of you had your eyes closed? Honestly. Men." The Queen Mother swept from the room with a dismissive sigh but Van could only refocus on the fact that the woman he was intending to search for had only been a foot away and he had stupidly let her go. All because he had been too dumbstruck to move. He still had moments where he wondered just how he had survived the Dragon slaying. He could have easily come up with a flimsy excuse, leaving him free to race after her.

But he hadn't. He had been rooted to the spot in shock at Schezar's words, then her eyes.

A chuckle came from Gaddes, mirth spread across his features, "You don't think she heard, do you?" All eyes went to Allen who looked unusually tense, trying his best to seem unbothered as he shrugged rather carelessly. The silence in the room kept Van from thinking about his duty to his guests as he stared at Allen.

Unsurprisingly it was Dilandau who broke the tension with an unusually high, girlish cackle, gasping for breath as he tried to speak, "Clearly the lady isn't going to fall on her knees for you cousin!" His laugh was joined by Allen's second in command, but the king himself remained silent at the hidden jibe from the Asturian General.

He rose slowly from his chair and muttered something or other about having guests to send-off, forgetting to even ask when the Asturian party were leaving. He had an important duty to undertake. All that was left was to find a modicum of confidence to actually face the woman he loved and tell her so.

As a nervous habit, his hand rose to run through his hair before he stopped. It would never matter how old he got, he would never do anything to cross his mother; unfortunately for him, she thought sloppiness was a seriously grave offence. And with the Fanelian Queen Mother's temperament as it was, no doubt her son would face a stint in the dungeons or corporal punishment, merely for messing up his hair during such a prestigious event.

Van gritted his teeth and clenched his fists to keep himself from falling prey to his nervous habit, mentally counting the tasks he needed to perform, both as King and national ornament in order to find Hitomi and apologize at the very least. The feeling of his blunt nails verging on piercing his palms stopped him from contemplating just how dreadful Hitomi's reaction could be. He came to a halt however from voices outside of his head, trailing around the corner.

Once again he cursed every living being who suggested the banquet for the treaty to be held in Fanelia as he was now reduced to sneaking around his own Palace. Never mind mollycoddling mothers and incompetent brothers, he was the ruling monarch and was still treated like a child. Van casually overlooked the thought that he still, on rare occasions behaved like a child. He managed to hurdle over the possibility that his beloved thought so.

He forewent the opportunity to sigh pedantically as he leant against a tapestry, another depiction of his great grandfather slaying a dragon. The two voices sharpened as his listened past his own breathing and thoughts to hear what was being said. As pathetic as it might have seemed to any passing foreign courtier, the domestic staff were well aware that sometimes it paid to wait in the shadows and listen.

"I do hope that everything goes well."

"Indeed. Thank you Hikaru, I apologize again for letting your daughter leave the Palace unattended. It was terrible of my son."

Life just seemed to spiral further and further into a deep pit of dragon slurry for the King, sighing as yet another person placed the blame on him for something. Van felt close to storming round the corner and declaring that as much as Hitomi's sudden departure was his fault, he had the utmost intention of making it up to her. Surely her father would be grateful to him for bringing her back to Fanelia, wouldn't he?

"Not to worry Goau-sama, I'm sure your son knows as well as anyone just how wilful my daughter is. I am surprised Mamoru didn't send her back home after a month or two, it seems our children are growing up and passing us by." The fresh instant of guilt was all of Van's own doing as he yet again tugged the blame onto his own self, remembering the bitter instant where Hitomi had kissed him on the cheek before turning away and walking onto a leviship, not once looking back. He would not let that happen again.

With such a decisive thought in mind concerning something other than politics, he calmly turned the corner and nodded as he approached his father and the father of the woman he planned to marry. He stopped before the two older men and bowed respectfully, entirely disregarding his rank before rising to see a smile on Hikaru Kanzaki's face and a knowing smirk on his father's. A raw surge of pride shot through his chest as he realized he wasn't flustered by the notion of his parents and the embarrassing comments that were to come. He had far more important events to set in place.

"Your Majesty," came the short bow from Hikaru who received a hearty slap on the back by Van's father who remarked amusedly, "Indeed how they grow, why it seems like such a short while ago that our children were reprimanded for misbehaving and now it seems they scold us for embarrassing them." Both bolder men laughed, the twinkle in Goau's eyes even more pronounced but the young King was undeterred.

It seemed that providence had decided to aid his quest as the corridor gained another occupant who came to a halt beside him, ruffling his hair in annoying fashion, nodding to Hikaru, then remarking to Goau, "Mother sent me to find you Father, she said there is a courtier from Freid who wishes to remind you of an accord you discussed yesterday evening." Van refused to look at his older brother, acutely aware that if he met his brother's gaze he would see yet another all knowing smirk. How was it that he had been the only one ignorant and yet not a soul had bothered to reveal the truth to him?

Without a word and a short round of bows, Van was left alone with the father of the woman he loved. It didn't matter that he would rather return to the forests and chase down another Dragon, he had to speak to Hitomi's father. Not out of a childish sense of one-upmanship with Allen, but out of respect towards Hikaru Kanzaki and to show just how honest his intentions were. Just as long as Hitomi didn't hold a grudge for what he did last night. He could only hope and pray.

Well thanks for reading. Review?

Suils

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