UPDATED: I updated the story as there was a little confusion so hopefully it makes more sense now =)
A/N This is my submission for the July Prompt on the Sound of Music Forum (you should totally join if you haven't!) where we had to use one of three opening lines. I saw "What do I do? He's been there all day." and this scene popped into my head. I also used another one of the lines as well just because!
Disclaimer: I do not own TSOM except for on DVD and an old vinyl record.
"What do I do? He's been there all day."
"All day?"
"Well, he's been there for hours so practically all day."
Agathe pulled back from the window that she had been peering out of and sighed. She'd been up here for what seemed like years furiously ignoring the man who sat outside. Her companion, a lady several years older than her with dark hair and a decidedly confident air, peered through the window and then laughed.
"I have to say he is persistent."
"He can go on being patient," Agathe said calmly, "And it isn't funny either, Henrietta."
Henrietta clearly thought it was funny and gave another laugh. It was stupid really, Agathe thought. How dare he make her have to hide up here? Well, she didn't have to but she had a feeling he might follow her and demand to speak with her, propriety out the window. She looked again out through the large glass window and saw the man was currently flexing his muscles, she groaned in disgust.
"He's left a few times but then he keeps coming back with a gift of some kind," Agathe explained.
"Oh?" asked Henrietta, "Anything good?"
Agathe rolled her eyes in a most unladylike fashion before answering, "Some high quality chocolates-"
"Delicious! Where are they?"
Agathe pointed to the wastebasket where a box of unopened chocolates currently resided.
"Agathe! You could still eat them, or at least save them for your dear friend," Henrietta cried in mock anguish.
"Henrietta, neither you nor I will be eating chocolate from that buffoon! He also brought me flowers."
Henrietta pouted and then glanced around the room, "Where are the flowers?" she asked.
Agathe pointed out the window and Henrietta moved closer to peer out down onto the gravel below. There was a pile of red roses lying forlornly on the ground.
"Ah."
"He doesn't seem to get it, I've told him to leave me alone but he thinks because he's some important man he can do whatever he likes," Agathe begun. "I told father and he said that he would never let him marry me so he should just leave at once. Father apparently is going to talk to Grandpapa about it; he doesn't want him to be in command of Grandpapa's new submarine they're building. Father says he's been taken off and to be given another submarine."
"Oh my, really?" Henrietta asked, though her voice sounded slightly odd.
Agathe frowned slightly and turned to give her friend a questioning look. She'd known Henrietta for several years now and she'd been like a big sister to Agathe. They had been fast friends since they first met, which had been a huge relief to young Agathe. It had been daunting moving to the Austro-Hungarian Empire from England, she'd felt so out of sorts but her family had needed to be closer to her grandfather who lived in Trieste where he owned a large shipping company. She didn't really know much of what went on except that her grandfather was an engineer and was an important man in the shipping world. Her two older brothers worked with her grandfather in Trieste leaving her alone with her parents; who were very keen to get Agathe shipped off to some promising young man.
However, the one that currently sat outside, and was now reading a book, was no promising young man in her eyes. He was an utter scoundrel and Agathe did not care how so called attractive he was or that he'd commanded his own ships before, she did not care for anything about him. His arrogance was overbearing and honestly she was surprised he could even read, let alone that he would read a book willingly.
"So, what are you going to do?" came the voice of Henrietta, breaking through her thoughts.
"You didn't sound very surprised about what I said just now," Agathe said.
"Well I may have heard something from Max about it," Henrietta confessed.
"Max? What does your cousin have to do with it? How would he know anything about who the Austro-Hungarian Navy is hiring?"
"Oh, I don't know… he didn't really elaborate," Henrietta said in a much too casual tone of voice.
It wasn't worth trying to get it out of Henrietta now, Agathe knew. She had little patience left already and so it would have to wait until later.
"No matter. Anyway, I can't stay up here forever, I guess I should go confront the beast," Agathe sighed; standing up she smoothed out her dress and headed for the door.
Heading down the grand staircase she walked gracefully and purposefully out the front doors and headed for the small ornate bench where the beast was currently sprawled reading his book. He looked up as she neared and he hastily stood up to greet her.
"Agathe!" he said, a smarmy grin breaking across his face.
"Don't say anything, I have no desire to listen to apologies from you-" she begun.
"Apologies? I have nothing to apologise for."
Agathe opened her mouth to reply and then realised what he had said, "nothing to apologise for?" Was this brainless man serious, she wondered.
"You have nothing to apologise for?" she said slowly in disbelief.
"Thank you," he replied, taking her question for fact," Of course, if you'd like to apologise to me now that would be just fine. I had a feeling it would take you a while to prepare yourself, I know how sensitive you women can be."
He gave her what most women considered a dashing smile but made Agathe just want to kick him.
"Would you care to explain to me what you believe I should be apologising for?" asked Agathe.
"Well, firstly you've made me wait for hours, secondly you've thrown my lovely gift out the window and thirdly, most importantly, you have thrown my heart out the window – just like those roses."
"Your heart," said Agathe flatly.
"Yes!" he said, and grabbed both her hands, "I've been trying to show you how much I care for you and all you do is tell me to leave you alone. A lady such as yourself isn't getting any younger and needs to start thinking of her own family."
Pulling her hands out of his grip she stepped back and groaned in disgust.
"If I say 'leave me alone' it means I want you to leave me alone. I have no intention of marrying you and being your little wife!"
"But Agathe," he started to plead as she turned to walk away, "Oh darling, please, you are the most beautiful creature I have laid eyes on and you must be mine."
"I must be yours," Agathe breathed, rounding on him her skirts twirling around her, "I am no creature and I am certainly not something to be owned. Go find yourself a wife somewhere else."
Drawing in a deep breath, Agathe turned with her head high and strode back to the house where she promptly shut the door. She walked purposefully back up the stairs and into the sitting room where Henrietta still sat on the settee. Agathe noticed she had taken the chocolates out of the wastebasket and was half way through the box.
"I'm guessing it went well," Henrietta said sarcastically as she saw Agathe walk in, her face fuming.
"That man!" Agathe hissed as she sat down next to Henrietta, "He said, and I quote, 'you are the most beautiful creature I have laid eyes on and you must be mine.'"
"He didn't?"
"He did."
"I cannot believe he's actually allowed to be in charge of anything," said Agathe, as she calmed herself, "He's as thick as a tree."
"You're basic upper class man, yes," agreed Henrietta as she unwrapped another bonbon.
"I hope he leaves, I honestly do," Agathe moaned resting her chin in her hand, she turned to Henrietta, "Anyway, I want to know how Max knows about this."
"Umm," Henrietta hesitated, "His friend told him."
"How does his friend know?"
"His friend is going to be the new commander of the SM-U6."
"What's his name?" asked Agathe.
"Georg Ritter von Trapp," replied Henrietta.
"Never heard of him," said Agathe, grabbing a chocolate despite her earlier protest, "Ritter?"
"It's like a knight," Henrietta explained, "I've only met him a few times and he's always been polite but most importantly, he's very attractive. He does have quite the reputation with the ladies, not sure if anything is true. I get all my information from Max and well, it's Max."
Agathe nodded in understanding, she was highly aware of what her friend meant; Henrietta's cousin was a charming man but he was certainly prone to dramatics.
"I don't think anyone could be worse than Sir Ivan out there," Agathe said with a pointed look towards the window. "I still can't believe he thinks sitting outside all day, and sending me flowers and chocolates-"
"The chocolates are pretty good though," interjected Henrietta with her mouth full of the offending sweet.
"-sure, that's not the point though," Agathe agreed reluctantly. She gave a frustrated sigh and went to look out the window again. Sir Ivan was thankfully no where to be seen. Though, Agathe mused, she wouldn't be surprised if he came back with another gift. Completely unable to comprehend a woman not swooning all over him. She hoped him losing command of the new submarine might be the push he needed to leave her well alone. Agathe prayed to anyone that would listen that this was true.
"Yes, I know he's an arrogant lout," Henrietta said, "Anyway, as I was saying, you should come with me tonight to the Schraeder soiree and meet von Trapp -the one taking our favourite Sir Ivan's command. It will be lots of fun! Max will be there and I know he'd love to see you."
"I suppose I could, it would make mother happy if I looked like I was being social," Agathe said. "Though, I will not have you trying to throw me at this knight of yours."
"I'm sure you can throw yourself, dear Agathe," Henrietta smiled.
A/N The end! Just a short little one shot, nice to take a little break from writing my current story. If you listen to 'Belle (Reprise)" from Beauty and the Beast, you get the general tone of this story haha The title of the story is a lyric from the song.
Also, I pretty much just made most stuff up in regards to the submarines and Navy. I borrowed some facts but I pretty much just "yolo'd" it, certainly isn't historically correct haha