Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ A New Life ❯ Chapter 2: Secrets ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2: Secrets

During her conversation with Iris, she was hit with a quickly but horrible vision. Her face paled slightly and her eyes widened. "Hitomi . . .? Are you alright?" Hitomi didn't reply, all she did was turn and run. "Hitomi!" Iris called but Hitomi just ran away.

"Iris, where did Hitomi go?" Millerna asked as she left the jewellery stand and stepped towards her friend.

"I don't know but Merle went with her. She also mumbled something about Van. I have a bad feeling about this."

"Should we follow them?"

"Millerna, it's kinda hard to do that when we can't see them or have any idea where they went."

"Well, let's go to the palace. Merle will know to go there." Part of Iris wanted to follow but their chances of finding the duo in the market was like trying to find a needle in a hay stack.

"Marley, where is my father?" Millerna asked as she entered the palace. It was more like a routine to ask one of the maids for the whereabouts of her father. With his old age he tended to wonder and get lost, literally.

"Oh lady Millerna, I didn't see you there." the maid curtsied quickly and bowed her head. "He, Lord Meiden, Prince Ian and Sir Allen are all wanting at the Royal Coliseum for you Princess and Princess Iris." both Millerna and Iris raised an eyebrow in confusement.

"Thank you Marley." in union her and Iris turned and headed to the stables.

"I wonder what they're doing at the coliseum at this hour." Millerna nodded in agreement. It was odd to have a melef battle his late in the evening.

Together the princesses mounted their horses and road off to meet with the others at the coliseum. All Iris knew was that their must have been an important meaning behind it. She had always been suspicious of King Aston. Something about him just made her feel uneasy.

Like the maid had said, there at the Royal Coliseum were Millerna's father, Lord Meiden, Sir Allen, and Iris's brother. But what was unexpected was to see the girl Hitomi and he cat girl Merle. Millerna assured Allen that everything would be fine. Her father would never do anything so rash.

As the first door opened to reveal a guymelef, Allen's eyes widened in shock. "That's Sajima's guymelef. He's not a knight. He's bounty hunter who makes money from war." Allen was getting as suspicious as Iris was of King Aston. What was the king hiding?

*I'm so sure the king intends this fight between King Van and those three bounty hunters are in honour of cementing their friendship.* Iris was more than suspicious now. She knew royals had strange customs when it came to cementing their friendship but this was more than strange. One false move and Van could easily lose or even injure himself badly.

The battle began quickly and ended quickly. Van easily destroyed the energists of the three of the guymelefs. Merle jumped up and down clapping her hands. "Lord Van won!" she squealed with joy.

"He only destroyed the energists." King Aston commented in a crude manner.

"You majesty! That wasn't a competition! It-" Hitomi yelled but was cut off as Allen moved in front of her.

"Your highness, a three against one fight is a little out of the bounds of chivalry." Aston glared at Allen. However, Allen was right. It was unfair and most certainly out of the bounds of chivalry.

"What are you talking about? I was merely showing my respects to an Ispano guymelef."

"Such a-"

"It's alright. Sometimes you're forced to fight against many opponents on the battle field." Van interrupted Allen not looking too happy himself.

They went back to the palace afterwards for dinner. Millerna and Iris freshened up in their rooms before heading down for dinner. At the head of the table sat King Aston. To his right sat Van, Allen, Hitomi and Ian. To his left sat Meiden, Eries, Millerna and Iris.

Most of their conversation centred around guymelefs, wars and all those wonderful things. King Aston made a toast to the Escaflowne and discussed how they would hide such "beauty" in Asturia from Zaibach.

"Excessive beauty is a sin, don't you think Allen?" King Aston commented as he noticed the look he gave his youngest daughter Millerna. Allen just nodded and agreed with the king.

"Your name is Hitomi, right?" Meiden asked as he turned his attention to the honey blond. Hitomi nodded shyly. "I heard you're Allen's companion. Where are you from." she was taken back by the question. It was the one question she had hoped would never get asked.

"I know." Millerna replied smugly. Iris looked at her dumbfounded. "It's mysterious . . .I hear she's from a far away country with unusual customs." Millerna gave Hitomi a dirty look making the poor girl feel like she was nothing but a small ant.

"Princess, that's not an appropriate subject for this occasion." Allen said in Hitomi's defence.

"Meaning what?"

"She's only a handmaiden is she not?" Iris had so many things she wanted to say but held her tongue. She was a princess and no longer some normal teen who had no respect for adults.

"Well then Allen, why don't we have a talk? You didn't come down to the bazaar today." Millerna was making it too obvious her feelings for him. Allen apologized and promised he would go with her again the next day after he was settled in. "Promise me Allen." Aston glared hard at Allen and looked at the others and expected someone to change the subject.

Ian saw the opportunity and took it gladly. "Uh, Iris has gotten engaged to Lord Meiden's eldest son Dryden." Iris almost chocked at the comment.

"How dare you!" Iris yelled at her brother. "You liar!" Ian held back a chuckle. It was like the old days to them. Iris had fire in her eyes and sought revenge but she couldn't think of anyway getting back a t her brother. "Well I'm not the only one. Millerna's engaged to Cadell, Lord Meiden's other son." Millerna looked at her friend horrified.

"Is that true?" Hitomi asked delightfully.

"Iris, why did you-"

"Well, I thought everyone here knew already." Millerna scowled at Iris.

"I haven't accepted yet. Father went ahead of me . . ."

"It's for your happiness." Millerna rolled her yes at her father.

"Yes Iris, it's for you happiness." Iris shot a dirty look at Ian. *I'll get you back Ian, don't you worry.* She vowed revenge on him and was determined to get it.

After dinner, Iris wondered the palace looking for something to get her mind off of her marriage. *the fucking lucky bastard.* she cursed to herself as she thought about her brother. There was no way of getting revenge of him. Iris found herself on the roof alone. She walked over to the edge and sat on it. *I could just lean forward and fall to my death. No one would miss me and my parents have Ian, the perfect son.*

"Princess?" Iris turned and saw Allen. She turned back and knew that she would have another chance to kill herself. "Isn't it a little dangerous to be sitting on the edge like that?" Iris just shrugged her shoulders.

"Ya maybe." Allen waked over and sat beside her.

"Princess, what is the matter?" Iris sighed. *everything is the matter.*

"I . . .I just don't want to get married. There's so many things I want to experience before got married. The on thing I always want was to have a my first kiss before I got married." she sighed with a soft chuckle. "Well I guess my first kiss will be on my wedding day." she held back the tears in her eyes.

Allen lifted her chin up with his hands and brought their lips together in a soft and gentle kiss. As Allen pulled back, Iris didn't know how to react. She barely knew him and yet he had given her, her first kiss. Allen left once he could feel her uncomfortableness around him. What had possessed him to do that? Was all he could wonder. He had come to the conclusion that he didn't want her to be upset that she would never get first kiss before she was married.

The kiss left Iris confused. Why did he do it? Once she was over he fact he had kissed her, she smiled gleefully. It was one thing she could take off of her things to do list. *oh shit Millerna! Fuck, I can't tell her! She'll hate me but, is that such a lose?* She grinned mischievously. *What am I thinking? Since I came to Gaea, she has been the closest thing to a friend for me. I can't tell her. I'll just forget it even happened. Any ways, he was probably just being nice. Hopefully or Millerna will have my head.* Iris sighed and headed to her room where she fell into a blissful slumber, completely unaware of what would happen that night.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chappie and what did you think of the engagement? Don't you just hate Ian. But that's just your typical brother. Well, please review