Ch. I - The Girl on the Hill
Within everyone exists both black and white, circulating is constant balance. It's only by one's own actions that one may rise above the other – fueled by that person's choices in life…
"Miss Vermillion!"
A voice echoed off the pearly walls of an eastern courtyard, a small cell of a much more grand estate overlooking the peaceful town of Nevers from the western hills. Lying among the bright autumn leaves, a young girl eagerly read the climax of her book, beaming as the hero made his debut right on time. Her cream hair was decorated with fiery leaves, previously attached to the large maple above her, that conflicted with the tidy white dress she wore. The girl, however, didn't mind, far too engrossed within the story to even acknowledge the foliage or the calls. Instead, she swayed her feet in the air, imagining that she too was a character in the silly fairy tale.
"Miss Vermillion!" the voice continued urgently, "Where are you? Miss Vermil-"
It halted as a maid clad in traditional attire walked out from a marble overhang connecting two of the estate's five buildings. The servant was an older woman with red-brown hair and eyes like summer grass, and when she saw the young girl she swiftly approached. Bowing politely despite a touch of exasperation in her gaze, she rebuked the child.
"Young miss! What are you doing outside in the middle of autumn without a coat? You'll catch a cold!"
The girl giggled and looked up at the maid with her lovely cerulean eyes, "I'm fine, Meme. I'm not cold, and besides it's beautiful out here! Much better than Mother's study."
Rolling over onto a pile of freshly raked leaves, the child smiled in glee as they crunched satisfyingly beneath her. Stretching out her hands, she brushed the once lush, now brittle browning, grass and exhaled deeply. The air smelled wonderful – a perfect blend of fall spices and sweets, finished spectacularly with a crisp breeze. It was a truly mouthwatering scent.
"Yes, yes… It is nice, isn't it?" Meme agreed, allowing herself to indulge in the season's fragrance for the moment. "But supper is ready, and you mother and father are awaiting your presence."
"Really?!" the child jumped up in excitement, eyes sparkling, admiration of the outdoors and book forgotten, "Let's go then!" Bouncing to her feet, she raced down the hall with the maid calling from behind that she still sported the maple's departed leaves and wasn't properly attired yet.
The young one laughed in joy and kept running. Meme was practically a second mother to her – taking responsibility over her while her parents were away, which was quite often yet not too much so. She loved the old maid like her biological mother, cherishing both figures' time with her. Truly, she felt extremely blessed to have not one but two beloved moms. Sure, the first left a lot with her father for business purposes, but they'd always return with warm hugs and smiles for their daughter.
Finally catching up to the girl, Meme swiftly plucked the foliage from her head and brushed off any clinging dirt – a desperate attempt to make the child at least somewhat presentable for her masters. Completing the task to her best abilities (it was by far difficult with how the child spun and jumped about), she gave a sigh as the butlers opened the door for the young miss. When crossing the boundary of the dining hall, the girl's entire demeanor transformed as reckless pitter-patter turned into collected, elegant strides as she approached the table under her parents' humored and surprised gazes. She was then helped into a mahogany chair across from her mother and beside her father on the semi long table by another family servant, who gave a small smile of his own at the quirky child.
"My dear, what took you so long?" her mother inquired sternly yet love shone in her hazel eyes, "You know supper is always at six. And what's this?" she eyed the simple dress, "You're not even properly dressed! I may have to consider cutting your allowed time outside if this continues."
"I'm sorry mother, please forgive me," the daughter hung her head low.
"Don't be so hard on her," the father smiled, his deep indigo gaze resting sympathetically on his offspring, "She's still young – such is to be expected."
"She's almost eight years old Arthur," his wife argued, but softened too as she glanced at the child, "Just try to remember next time, alright? You never know when a client may pop in for a visit."
"I will, don't worry!" she smiled as the family began eating before their meals could turn cold. A content aura rested among each as they enjoyed time together, partaking in small talk and casual conversation about their day and what the adults saw on their most recent journey to England.
When each member had his or her stomach comfortably filled, Arthur politely wiped his mouth, careful to get any lingering crumbs from his short, wiry beard before exhaling deeply, "That was lovely! Meme, your brother certainly knows how to cook a splendid roast beef."
"Thank you, Vermillion-sama," Meme bowed, beaming with pride for her sibling, "I'll convey your satisfaction to him later."
"No need, I will tell him myself," the lord chuckled.
His daughter smiled, belly full to the brim but not enough to make her feel heavy and sick. Her affections for her father's warm spirit and kindness to even servants and people of lower status sparked pride within her. He had always instructed her to remain polite and courteous to any and all people she should happen to meet in her life. Regardless of social standing or past, she was to treat all with respect and compassion, for no one but that person knew the struggles that day or moment possessed.
"Listen close Little Bird," she remembered him tell her one day, "A hateful word can tear down even the strongest fortress, but a whisper in love can accomplish anything – even a miracle if you need one."
"But first," Arthur went on, looking out a glass window and bringing her back to the present, "I think I'll spoil myself with a stroll about town. The weather's a bit chilly, but it's too lovely to let the chance pass me by."
"Arthur?" his wife tilted her head, wondering where exactly he was going with this and almost offended that he'd say such a thing in front of their child.
For her part, the daughter gave a bright smile – excited for him, yet a twinge of jealousy swam in those azure depths. Three long years had passed since she was allowed to venture into the town, and off the family's grounds for that matter. Ever since that shocking day, when the unthinkable happened and half the street was turned to rubble, she had been confined to the large estate. While it let her memorize the place to where she knew of secret hiding spots unknown to even the masters, she longed to go down the hill again. Thus she gave a sad smile as Meme went to fetch her parents' coats.
Giving a sigh, she went to excuse herself when her father spoke up, "Noelle? What's wrong Little Bird?"
"Oh, nothing!" she smiled, "I was just going to finish my book, please excuse me."
"Alright," he softly replied, "You may go." She gave a respectful bow of gratitude and began departing when he continued almost mischievously, "Although I was hoping that you were going to join your mother and I. But no worries, go and finish your story."
"What?" both females in the room gasped, Noelle's eyes wide in hope while her mother's rose in concern.
Lord Vermillion grinned, "Do you want to come?"
Squealing in joy, the child jumped excitedly, "Yes, yes! Oh yes! Very much so Father!"
He chuckled, while his spouse spoke up, "Wait just a minute!" Her tone sobered Noelle's happiness, eyes darkening in worry that her chance had been so suddenly cut off, "What are you thinking Arthur? What if-"
"Don't worry Rachel," Arthur soothed, "As I said, it's a chilly night, so not many will want to venture out. We'll be fine."
Although looking to disagree and end the entire trip, Rachel glanced at her daughter's pleading eyes and gave a sigh, "Alright, but we'll take the carriage to town."
"Yay!" Noelle cheered, her father smiling happily.
"But," her mother continued sternly, stopping her celebration. For a moment, the child shifted uncertainly under her mom's gaze until a bright glint of its own appeared in her eyes as she smiled, "I won't allow such an improperly dressed child of mine go about town."
"I'll change right away then!" the child responded, darting from the room as her parents laughed at her spirit. Her mother holding onto her husband, praying that all would be okay as he so faithfully believed.
…
About a half an hour later – which may have been longer had Rachel not threatened to cancel the stroll if Noelle didn't make up her mind on which outfit to commemorate the occasion with – a dark carriage rolled into the town of Nevers. For a while, the only noise that could be heard was the clip-clop of horse hooves and its trailing carriage ever so often bumping on an uneven piece of ground, adding that much more excitement to the child within, who, although squished between her parents, had her eyes glued to the otherwise dreary, late autumn scenery.
While she excitedly pointed out every small critter and landscape feature, her parents found themselves slowly being brought out of their tense postures into more relaxed, happy ones. Even her mother, who wouldn't budge until Meme had gotten Noelle a hooded cloak and still fretted afterwards, sported a laughing grin – hazel eyes sparkling in a way her daughter hadn't seen in a very long time.
When the carriage finally rolled to a stop, the trio got out, Noelle and her mother going forwards hand in hand while Arthur instructed the driver to return thirty minutes after it got dark. Once settled, he joined his family as they marveled at the various market stands which made their final attempts at getting a sale before the day ended. Items ranging from local produce to exotic souvenirs littered the street, and at each stall the child set aside time to admire each piece. However, she was not the only to stare in awe on the street.
Curious spectators, having heard that the beloved Lord and Lady Vermillion were in town, began gathering. At the sight of the child, murmurs began to resound. "Do you suppose that's her? The Vermillion child that was kept away in the estate?" "It must be – but look at her hair. It's practically white! How strange indeed…" "That must be why they kept her hidden…" "Poppy-cock! She's beautiful, just look at her! She is the picture of a faerie." "Why did they keep her locked away for so long?" "Don't you remember what happened three years ago? Apparently she nearly got killed, or that's what my uncle told me."
As the number of people rose, so did the volume of their observations and wonder of the child. Nervously, Rachel glanced around at them, but before it could completely overwhelm her to the point she regretted the trip, Arthur wrapped his hand around hers. His reassuring smile and support brightened her, and they continued after her daughter, Rachel murmuring, "Do you think she'll be alright?"
"You mean because of all this?" Arthur replied, meaning the rising gossip about the child, "She's far too interested in Klyde-san's crafts to even hear them."
"Yes, but she'll eventually listen and figure out all this is about her," his wife fretted, giving a frustrated sigh, "Honestly, they should consider what they're doing might affect our daughter and quiet down."
"Oh, they're just curious and excited," he defended, "Who can blame them? It's not every day that you see the mysterious 'Girl on the Hill'. Especially when she's been gone for the past three years."
At the mention of the title given to her child, Rachel grimaced slightly, "You know we only did that to protect her. It wasn't like I enjoyed seeing her cooped up inside when I knew all she wanted and was supposed to do was venture out like kids her own age."
"I know, I know," Arthur squeezed her hand comfortingly, "But they don't know that. Remember, the only ones who actually know what happened are ourselves, Remek-sama, and those who have long since moved away."
Rachel gave a sigh of acknowledgement, ready to say something when Noelle skipped over to them, halting any progress on the topic. Beaming with pure joy, she thrust a scarlet scarf up as far as her small arms could reach, "Look! Look! Klyde-san said I could have it! Isn't it beautiful?"
Burying her face in the soft fabric, their daughter squealed in glee, brightening her parents' mood as always with her dazzling innocence. Smiling, Rachel agreed, "Yes, it is very pretty. Did you say thank you to Klyde-san?"
"Oops!" Noelle's head shot up, "I forgot!"
"We'll go along then; you mustn't be ungrateful, especially when such a splendid gift is given to you," Arthur instructed, the child swiftly running to the short man to do just that.
Finished, Noelle raced back to her parents. However, the disconnection from all the many goods revived her senses and she slowed to a trot, sky blue gaze finally noticing the others fixated on her. Giving a curious tilt of her head, she listened to the jumble of conversations and, once reaching her parents, asked an innocent question, "What's everyone talking about? Who's the girl on the hill? I don't see her."
Both gave slightly worried glances, not wanting to bring up the traumatic experience to the child when she was so high spirited. Arthur chuckled, ruffling her hair, "Don't worry about it Little Bird."
"But, how can I when they're all staring at me?" a small frown marred her face.
"Oh, they're just admiring how beautiful you look," Rachel smiled.
"You think so?" smile reappeared as Noelle twirled around, letting the blue dress partially visible under her cream cloak flare out. It was one of her favorites – a gift from her father last Christmas, complete with a set of small ribbons in the back fashioned to look similar to a pair of wings.
Wings. As the word entered her mind, Noelle's spirit dropped and she gave a shudder, memories of three years ago resurfacing. A normal spring day, her family walking into town like always, a sudden pain in Noelle's back, a monster appearing, buildings destroyed, the girl crying as her body swept through the air on its own… It had taken much of the following year for her to even set foot outdoors again. But time had proven a valuable cure, and the scars faded, having no worse effect than causing the daughter to momentarily freeze.
Noting this, her parents assumed that she was beginning to understand the crowd and each took a small hand, mother saying, "Come on. Why don't we go somewhere else? Like the fountain?"
Brightening, the child nodded and they set forth towards the towering cathedral – the town's most notable structure. And, much to the adults' relief, the sounds of murmurs began to fade with each step forwards to the point they let their daughter rush ahead of them. However, when the main street appeared, they hastened their pace, Rachel calling out.
"Careful! Don't go rushing out into the road. Wait for your father and I to cross," she instructed her daughter. Fortunately, the girl stopped and obediently waited for them to catch up. Once there, she observed both directions and, after deeming it safe, led the crossing.
Noticing the fountain beyond the cathedral gates, Noelle ran forwards, her parents' chuckles fueling her movements. From behind, a loud noise echoed the gate clanging against the wall, but it didn't deter the child even though she did wince slightly, awaiting a scolding at slamming the door from her mother that never came. She raced into the beautiful courtyard, admiring how it appeared similar to the four in her home. Still, it had something they didn't. Positioned perfectly in the middle, a wondrous fountain with multiple spouts spewing crystal clear water sat, the liquid pouring from numerous jars held by small children and a tall man standing in the center. It took her breath away.
"Mother! Father! Look! It's amazing!" Noelle cheered, dragging a small hand through the cool liquid. At its frosty touch above surface, she gave a flick of her wrist, dislodging the icy droplets. "Mother, Father, come on!"
When no reply came, she glanced back, "Mother? Father?"
They were nowhere to be found. Getting slightly worried, the daughter back tracked, going out of the courtyard and through the gate once more, calling her parents again, "Mother! Father! Where are you?"
Her heart began to pound and eyes widened in rising fear. Had she lost them, running so fast? What should she do? She no longer remembered the town, and hadn't paid attention to their path since arriving this time. Perhaps she should go to the cathedral? After all, her father always used to tell her to seek the priest called Remek should anything happen. But that was three years ago… Had things changed?
Tears began to form in her eyes, but Noelle brushed them away. She was a big girl now. She wouldn't cry, instead she'd locate the priest and hopefully find her way back to her parents with his help. Doing just that, the girl reappeared on the edge of the main road. The sight of a mangled carriage stopped her short.
A small group of people stood beside it, a man in a blue cap held his hands high on his head looking very scared. Next to him, a woman and another man urgently were trying to pull something out from underneath the carriage as yet another man strained to lift it. Noelle tilted her head, had they accidentally knocked their carriage over onto the others' luggage? The woman seemed awfully upset, so whatever it was it must be important…
Approaching them, she spoke up, "Excuse me, did your bag get caught underneath Miss? I can crawl under and get it for you if you want. I'm really good at squeezing into small places. Once I was playing hide and seek with Meme and hid in a bookshelf. She didn't find me for ages and I almost fell asleep."
At the child's voice, the woman stiffened. Efforts in retrieving the bag long forgotten, she scooped up the girl and pushed her head into her chest, "Oh, don't look dear!" While Noelle was a bit annoyed that she had so suddenly walked away without accepting her help, she nevertheless agreed to finish telling every last detail of the story upon the woman's subsequent request.
Once finished, she asked innocently, "Miss, why don't you want me to see what's under the carriage? I promise my parents won't mind, so it's alright if I go."
"But then your pretty dress will be ruined! We wouldn't want that, would we?" the woman soothed, rocking Noelle.
The child nodded, "Yeah. It was a gift from Father. He'd be sad to see it get a stain. Meme too."
"Yes. So let's just let the strong men deal with it, alright?" the woman smiled, continuing, "And speaking of your parents, where are they? I'm sure they're expecting you home soon dear. It's nearly dark and children shouldn't be running around at night."
At the mention of her parents, Noelle frowned, "I lost them heading to the fountain. Do you know where they are?"
"No, but I can help you find them. What are their names?"
"Rachel and Arthur Vermillion," Noelle answered, feeling proud to know her parents' first names. However, her expression changed to confusion at the horrified, look on the woman's face. Tilting her head, she murmured, "Miss? Is something wrong?"
"Vermillion?! Oh no," she gasped, holding her so close Noelle found it almost hard to breathe, "I'm so sorry. Don't worry, I'm right here…"
"Miss, I don't understand…" Noelle pushed away, "What do you mean? Why are you sorry?"
"Oh, you poor child," the woman continued, hugging her close.
Noelle allowed the woman to do so, thinking that she had remembered something unpleasant and needed someone to hug. She understood – her father needed a lot of hugs after the child accidentally opened an old family album. However, unbeknownst to her, the woman's tears were not for herself but the form she clutched tightly together.
Fear for her future gave way to more waterworks as she repeated sorrowfully, "You poor child… You poor child…"
A few yards behind them, at Noelle's back, the men had succeeded in pulling out the trapped forms underneath the carriage, and desperately checked for signs of life. When they found none, their caps fell from their heads and they too looked sorrowfully at the girl, wondering what she was going to do. The poor child…
Aaaand welcome to yet another story that will hopefully have a better fate than its predecessors! I tried writing most of the chapters out before publishing the first online, but boredom just got the better of me. With that in mind, please let me apologize in advance. I am VERY fickle and will change my obsessions quite often. While I can't promise that it won't happen with this fiction, I will say that with as much time I have put in it already and the bombardment of DGM in my life, these out-of-the-blue deadzones will end with spontaneous bursts of chapters. But enough of that, onto the story...
As you can see this is your stereotypical OC story with a few twists. Yes I will use some 'overused' ideas and theories in my story because they make sense and frankly I like them more than some of my own ideas. Beyond that I will try and stick with the original canon until the effects of Noelle make it to where such simply cannot be the case. However, this will take some time, so if you don't like spoilers or a narrative recap, feel free to spend your time elsewhere.
Finally, a disclaimer: the wonderful D. Gray-man & its outstanding characters belongs to the lovely Katsura Hoshino-sensei, and any theories from here on will be given credit to where it is due. Also, as the story progresses, there will be a lot of death and despairing topics, so if that triggers anything in you please read with caution and don't feel scared or whatever to contact me or anyone if you feel even the slightest need. I may be a busy college student with a hectic life, but I won't hesitate to stay up and talk whenever needed.
Thank you all, and the next chapter will be up in about a week so that I have time to write more and live a little and keep this story going as long as I can manage.