Live, Learn & Love

The sun rose high enough in the sky to peak over the mountain top and into Merle’s blue eyes. The cat-girl cracked one eye open, then yawned and stretched, her tail twitching slowly back and forth. The wind blew and lightly played with her pink hair. She looked out to the road that lead into Fanelia and saw a dust cloud. A trumpet sounded. She smiled. Lord Van was back!


~*~


Van sat in his tent, gazing at a small, hand drawn picture of Hitomi he had pinned on the tent wall and fingering her pendant. The picture was a simple charcoal sketch of Hitomi smiling. He sighed and stretched his limbs, tired from riding so much. It had been ten days since he’d last spoken with Hitomi, two moons since she’d gone back to the Mystic Moon. He’d been very busy, in the last several days. He’d just come back from a trip around the whole of Fanelia, taking inventory of how it was doing.


Fanelia was getting back on its feet. After sending Hitomi home, Van and Merle had scoured the hills finding Fanelian survivors. Most were women, children and the elderly. Then everyone that could work had set to clearing away the charred remains. Everyone was living in tents, but only for now. The wall was next to be built, houses and such after that. Then the castle would be rebuilt.


Van heard foot steps coming towards his tent. Merle pocked her head in, then, leaving the tent flap open, ran to him and hugged him. "Oh Lord Van, I missed you so much!"


"I know Merle," Van smiled, "You made that quite clear when I came home this afternoon."


Merle laid her head on Van’s chest. "Will you be leaving again?"


"Not any time real soon, but yes."


Merle glanced at Hitomi’s picture on the tent wall, then back at Van’s longing face. "You miss her, don’t you?"


Van’s face made a small grimace, but then he smiled weakly. "Yes, I do."


"Do you like her?"


"She saved my life many times, Merle."


‘He’s never been good at sharing his feelings.’ "You love her, don’t you."


Van looked at his childhood companion. "Yes Merle, I do love her." A rather long pause ensued, and Merle knew he would ask. "Why?"


Merle released Van and turned towards the open tent flap. The sun had set and the moons and stars had come out and were glowing brightly. "Ever since I was little, Van, and we grew up together, I’ve... been very attached to you. I guess when Hitomi came and I saw how you looked at her.... I guess I was jealous. We’d grown up together..." Merle faltered, not knowing how to speak her mind.


Van came up behind her and placed his gloved hand on her shoulder. "You’ve always been attached to me, and we’ve always been close, Merle. You know that would never change."


He was helping her sort out her feelings, Merle knew. She tried again. "I ... I’ve always had crush on you, and when Hitomi came, I thought she would take over you or something. Come in between us."


"Merle."


She turned around and looked at him. "I know now that I was wrong..."


"We will always have our childhood, the times we spent together, to reminisce upon. I doubt we can have them back exactly, but we can still have them. Merle, we are no longer children. You are thirteen years old, and I am fifteen," Van sighed, "and king of Fanelia. I must see to it that all goes as well as it can. But I will always be your brother."


‘Brother...’


"There is enough love to go around."


"Yes, Lord Van..."


"Merle, I think you’ve always know that," Van gently prodded.


"I’m sorry I’ve been jealous and messing things up." A few tears slipped down Merle’s cheeks.


"It’s all right Merle." Van hugged his childhood companion. "It’s all right."