This story is written for fun, and no profit is nor will be obtained from it. Candy Candy's characters belong to Keiko Mizuki and Yumiko Igarashi.
Translation of "Las alas de la Mañana", for those dear friends who do not speak Spanish.
Chapter 1.
"...you who have the heart like the Door of Alcala because of the many people who have gone through it..."
Fortunata and Jacinta, Benito Perez Galdos.
Spring was balmy in the city of Chicago. The setting sun was reflected in golden and reddish tones on the windows of the Ardley Mansion, creating a show where the natural and architectural elements of the scene fused in almost perfect harmony. The only witnesses to such wonder were the buds of the rose garden and a green-eyed young lady. The girl looked at the bushes trying to find a flower to adorn her hair: she wanted one that, even without being a Sweet Candy, reminded her of the first rose that Anthony Brower had given her several years ago.
Wrapped in the magic of the garden, the girl stood still for a moment, with a tender smile on her face raised to the blue and red sky. The soft wind, like yearning fingers, tousled her blond hair and caressed her rosy cheeks. _Anthony, wherever you are...I want you to know that I'm fighting for my happiness and will not give up. I know that the future will be beautiful with the person I love by my side...thanks for everything, Anthony.
A cawing crow brought her out of her reverie, but Candice White was not superstitious, so she smiled again looking at the bird. In the bush the crow had perched itself, there was the flower she was looking for: it was a half-opened blue rose, more than a bud but still not fully bloomed. She, like the flower, remained in a limbo between girl and woman...for two more weeks.
With her sharp and tiny gardening scissors, Candy cut the delicate stem in the same way Anthony had taught her to do. The blue rose would be the perfect complement not only to her theatre attire, but also her emotional state: inspiring peace, tranquility and confidence into her soul. The blonde chuckled realizing that, with the flower of the Ardley gardens, she hoped to carry the blue gaze of three members of the family.
If only Albert could come with me to the theatre tonight_ thought the girl looking at the flower _ but my Albert is already part of the world of my memories...a love story that was not meant to be...as were not meant to be those with my Prince on the Hill and Anthony...and then people said that the Ardleys have brought me good luck, good luck would have been that Albert was not one of them, much less the head of the family, Sir William A. Ardley.
The road to happiness envisioned by the young lady turned rocky and narrow with only remembering Sir William: the busy entrepreneur whose time was money to enrich the Ardley coffers.
How things would be like if Albert-with-no-name and I still lived together at Magnolia apartment? What if we were to get married in two weeks? Candy slumped carelessly on a bench; her green eyes filled with tears no longer saw the rose but a pair of blue irises overflowing with tenderness. She imagined herself dressed in white, in a little church, the ceremony was about to end and it was time for the kiss_ I love you, Princess Candy_ the young man told her tenderly, his manly face getting closer and closer to hers. Feeling a soft caress on her lips, the blonde closed her eyes _I love you Albert, I love you...
Thus kissing the rose, Annie Britter found her.
The newly arrived silently approached her friend, initially planning to play a joke on her, but noticing Candy's wet cheeks, she opted for sitting down next to her.
_What is it, Candy? You said you were coming to the garden for a few minutes and you've taken nearly an hour; there's little time left for you to get ready.
_ I needed a rose.
_Of course, you needed a rose to kiss it and confess your love to it_ Annie laughed looking at her blushing friend_ and tell me, is it love or not? I believe it is.
_Excuse me, Miss Britter, I didn't know that Mr. Cornwell's sense of humour was so contagious_ riposted the blonde.
_Be thankful Candy it was I who found you. Imagine if Archie or Sir William had seen or heard you? You would have had to bear even more jokes. Perhaps you'd rather be discovered by Aunt Elroy, or a journalist looking for fresh gossip for the social pages.
Undoubtedly, Candy liked to see her almost-sister of good cheer, but she certainly didn't want Annie's hilarity to be at her expense, much less when she was feeling angry, nostalgic and anxious, all at the same time.
_For goodness sake, Annie, do not mention the journalists! Those plucked parrots have caused enough problems already. Besides, I was practising for my wedding, have you no compassion for my bridal nerves? _ she stuck her tongue out in an attempt to end the conversation.
Unfortunately Annie, good novice as she was, misinterpreted the gesture as an invitation to keep on joking.
_Apparently other people don't think the same way. Even Miss Pony and Sister Mary keep the newspaper clippings from those days.
Silence. After a few seconds Annie continued chattering.
_Besides, if you were rehearsing for your wedding, I remind you that, once again, you had the name wrong.
Candy's tolerance was reaching its limit: with her left hand she desperately crumpled the fabric of her skirt, while her right pressed the thorns of the rose to the point of injuring her delicate skin.
_You are becoming more and more like Eliza, Annie Britter_ said she turning her back on the dark-haired girl and starting to walk towards the mansion.
Dumbstruck, the beautiful lady stood motionless, standing amid the rose bushes, staring at her retreating friend's back. In the past, the shy Annie would have wept, but at nineteen years old Miss Britter knew that crying, despite being quite effective a weapon, did not serve to meet all of life's challenges. Candy had changed too; therefore, in order to reason with her, wit and tactfulness were required, not tears.
In spite of her good will, the pretty brunette had a hard time putting herself in Candy's place: feeling true empathy toward others was about as new to Annie as making jokes. Hundreds of American young ladies, educated to shine in society and get husbands of good position and disposition, had plenty of reasons to envy the brilliant luck of Candice White: the humble orphan nurse was getting married in two weeks to one of the most sought-after gentlemen of Chicago, and possibly the United States. What very few people knew was that Candy would have changed all of that for a quiet, heart-warming life besides a poor man without property, origins or name.
The scene of the rose was confirmation enough that, as often happened, the blond girl had difficulties reconciling herself with the past...an important part of which, Terruce Graham, was performing in Chicago that evening, and they were already late: Annie's parents would come soon to take them to the theatre.
Without losing a bit of her refinement, the dark-haired beauty plucked up the hem of her elegant dress and started walking towards the residence at a brisk but distinguished pace. She wanted to help her sister, but little could be done if the stubborn freckled girl remained angry. An idea flashed into Annie's mind, shinning like a jewel dropped on the grass _The Prince on the Hill, it always works, for sure.
To be continued...
Hello and welcome to the translation of my first fanfiction in the universe of Candy Candy. The inspiration to write this story is coming from the manga, the anime and a variety of fictions, and I say "is coming" because it's not finished yet: comments, constructive criticism, and suggestions are welcome, even if I won't always be able to use your ideas.
As you have probably noticed, I have listed my fiction as "romance" without specifying who will be Candy's final love interest: this is because at some point this fiction will be divided into two parallel stories: Candy x Terry and Candy x Albert.
It's a real challenge to write a fic when some friends have asked me "not to make Terry suffer" and others say that "Albert's sadness is their own". I hope to accomplish the purpose I had in mind when planning to write this story without breaking too many hearts...unless you count my poor Archiefan heart.