SailorStar9: Shun's been begging me to retype this story, so here goes. This is my first one-shot and second official Saint Seiya fic on FFN. Read and review.

Summary: This is adapted from the Grimm's Fairy Tales book. This story is called "Jorinda and Jorindel". In any case, this is an AU, so no Sailor Senshi or Bronze Saints.

Characters:

Jorinda: Ami

Jorindel: Shun

Old witch: Pandora (If you guys don't know who she is, she is Hades' wife in the Hades saga.)

This is a one-shot Shun/Ami fic. Enjoy.

Disclaimers: I do not own the fabulous stories in the Grimm's Fairy Tales book.

SailorStar9: On with the story. I'd better get out of here before Ikki comes after me for not putting him in this story.


There was once an old castle that stood in the middle of a large thick wood, and in this castle lived an old witch called Pandora. All day long, she flew around in the form of an owl, or crept around the country like cat.

However, at night, she always reverted back to her original form.

When any youth came within a hundred paces of her castle, he would become quite fixed, and could not move a single step, until the witch came to set him free.

However, when any beautiful maiden came within that distance, she would be changed into a bird and was put into a cage and was hang up in a chamber in the castle.

There were seven hundred of these cages hanging in the castle, and in them, seven hundred pretty birds.


Now there was a maiden whose name was Ami. She was prettier than all the pretty maidens that were ever seen, and a shepherd whose name was Shun, he was very fond of her, and they were soon to be married.

One day, they went out on a walk in the woods, so that they might be alone. Shun said, "We must be careful that we don't go too near to the castle.

It was a beautiful evening. The last rays of the setting sun shone bright through the long stems of the trees, upon the green underwood beneath, and the turtledoves sang plaintively from the tall birches.

Ami sat down to gaze upon the sun and Shun sat down by her. They both felt sad, they do not know why, but it seemed as if they were to be parted from one another forever. They had wandered a long way. When they looked to see which way they should go, they found themselves at a loss as to which path to take.

The sun was setting fast and already half of its circle had disappeared behind the hill. Shun had suddenly looked behind him, and as he saw through the bushes, he realized that they had unknowingly sat down close to the old walls of the castle. Shun shrank in fear, turned pale, and trembled.

Ami was singing,

The ring-dove sang from the willow spray,

Well-a-day! Well-a-day!

He mourned for the fate

Of his lovely mate

Well-a-day!

The song creased suddenly. Shun turned to see that his Ami had changed into a nightingale, so her song was a mournful jug, jug.

An owl with fiery eyes flew thrice around them, and screamed Tu whu! Three times.

Shun could not move. He stood fixed as a stone, and could neither weep, nor speak, nor stir hand or foot.

The sun had set and the gloomy night came.

The owl flew into a bush, and a moment later, the witch came forth.

She mumbled something to herself, seized the nightingale and went her way.

Poor Shun saw that the nightingale was gone - but what can he do? He could not move from the spot where he stood. At last, the witch came back, and sung with a hoarse voice,

Till the prisoner's fast,

And her doom is cast,

There stay! Oh, stay!

When the charm is around her,

And the spell has bound her, Hie away! Away!

On a sudden, Shun found himself free. Then he fell on his knees before the witch, and praved her to give him back his dear Ami, but she said he should never see her again, and went her way.

He prayed, wept and sorrowed, but all in vain.

"Alas! What will become of me?" he said.

Shun could not return to his own home, so he went to a strange village and employed himself in keeping sheep.

Many a time, he would walk around and as near as he could to the god forsaken castle as he dared go.

At last, one night, he dreamt that he found a beautiful purple flower and in the middle of it laid a costly pearl. He dreamt that he plucked the flower and went with it in his hand into the castle, and that everything he touched with the flower was disenchanted, and that there he found his dear Ami again.

In the morning when he awoke, he began searching all over the hill and dalo for the flower and for eight long days he sought it out in vain. His patience was rewarded when on the ninth day, he found the flower early in the morning. In the middle of the flower was a large dew drop as big as a costly pearl.

Then he plucked the flower, and set out and traveled until he reached the castle. He walked nearer than a hundred paces to it and found out the he could go close up to the door.

Shun was very glad to see this. He touched the door and it sprang open. He went through the court and listened when he heard so many birds singing.

At last, he came to the chamber where the witch sat, with the seven hundred birds and cages.

When Pandora saw Shun, she was very angry, and screamed with rage.

However, she could not come within two yards of him, for the flower he held protected him.

He looked around at the birds, but alas! There were so any nightingales, and how then could he find his Ami?

While he was thinking, he observed that the witch had taken down one of the cages and was making her escape through the door. He ran over to her and touched the cage with the flower. Behold! His Ami stood before him, beautiful as ever. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.

Then he touched all the other birds with the flower, so that they resumed their old forms. With that, Shun took his dear Ami home where they lived happily together for many years.


Sailorstar9: Phew, it's finally over.

Afterwards…

Ikki: Hey, where am I in this story?

SailorStar9: (hands him the book) Look through this story and tell me where to put you?

Ikki:…