Note; the Baron in this story looks like the one in the manga, not the movie. This will get explained eventually. This fanfic contains traces of several movies, so don't be surprised if some if it feels familiar.
Chapter One: Two Strangers
Once upon a time, in a cave near the sea, there was a terrible dragon. This monster destroyed much, consumed much, and left nothing but despair in its wake. Many a brave knight tried to conquer this raging beast, and rescue the fair maiden and treasure that the monster jealously guarded, only to be defeated in shame. But one knight, an unlikely hero, watched the terrifying dragon from the sidelines, studying each scale, each fiery breath, each dreadful roar. At long last, the knight stood, and began taking off his armor.
"This monster cannot be defeated with steel, but I have a weapon that will end the dragon's reign of terror. So sad, that no one thought of this before…"
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
A gloved hand reached for a metal utensil, which it then used to ease the eggs off the pan and onto a plate. Beside the tall man that the hand belonged to, toast popped out of the toaster. A fatter and ungloved hand grabbed it, and started scraping butter across it.
"Is the table ready yet, Birdbrain?"
"Do you really want to start that argument before breakfast, Pork Chop?"
"Yes, by all means; wait until afterwards to start fighting," the tall man handling the eggs said as he turned around to place them on the table, revealing him to be of non-human origin. But the two humans he lived with had long learned to ignore their friend's strange appearance. Especially since the half-cat happened to be the owner of their home.
The trio sat in their usual places around the table. The raven-haired man spread mulberry jam thickly over his toast, ignoring the eggs for personal reasons, while the ridiculously fat light brunette slapped an egg in between two slices of toast for a sandwich, taking large swigs of his orange juice in-between bites.
The half-cat ate with more dignity, nibbling at his toast while cutting his fried egg into neat segments. His electric blue eyes were more distant than usual, and he kept looking at his right hand, which was stinging worse than normal. The hand in question, as well as the rest of his body, was covered by a thick coat of dark pearly gray fur. No one ever saw much of it, since the man was very proper. So proper, in fact, that he preferred to dress in a dark suit with a sun-yellow vest. His pressed white shirt was underneath the vest, which was complimented by a light blue bow tie that matched the cat's eyes almost perfectly.
Eventually, the door in the corner of the neat kitchen made a slapping sound, making the raven-haired man leave off his toast to answer the sound. The wind outside whistled harshly as he bent down to grab the paper.
He shut the door, one hand on the rolled-up paper as the other one messed up his crazy hair worse than usual; a slight grin on his face. He loved the wind dearly, especially when he was riding it.
He sat back down, and unrolled the paper before reaching for his toast again.
"Anything new in the kingdom, Toto?" the cat-man asked. Toto's eyes shot up as he beheld the front page, in all its glory.
"Besides a foretelling of the apocalypse, not really."
The fat man looked up and grunted.
"Just read the article, Birdbrain."
Toto shrugged, and started.
"On the morning of June 1st, it was publicly announced that the proud Prince Machida Mishuzi of the Thilashian Kingdom has found a bride worthy of him. Haru Niyashi, long lost niece to the fabulously wealthy and, until recently, heir-less Count Yosho Niyashi, was brought forth from obscurity and the humble life of a servant to become the next Princess of Thilash; a real-life Cinderella. The wedding will take place a month hence, at the royal palace in Yrael."
The fat man shook his head in disbelief.
"I can't believe that prince found a girl stupid enough to go for him."
However, the article had caught the half-cat's attention.
"May I see that article, Toto?"
The raven-haired man shrugged, and handed the paper over.
"She's not all that pretty, anyway."
The gray cat gazed at the girl on the black and white page thoughtfully. She wasn't the prettiest girl he had ever seen, he could agree with his friend on that account.
But… the look in her dark eyes. It was terrible, and empty. The prince at her side wasn't noticing; one hand around her waist as he used the other to wave at the masses. How could he not notice that his bride was wearing a face like she was the guest of honor at a funeral instead of a wedding? She seemed so sad, so helpless…
The scar on his hand flared hotter, but he presumed that to be his own temper. It wasn't just because of the prince's callousness, either. It was because the girl looked strangely familiar. As did her name.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"Now, my lady; you truly must eat! The prince will not be pleased by a fainting bride," a maid counseled
'Good. Let him pick someone else then.'
The count on the other end of the table slammed his goblet down.
"Eat, or I'll shove that egg down your throat! This is the greatest honor our family has ever been given, and I will not let you mess it up!"
Haru reluctantly picked up her spoon and started eating her boiled egg delicately, as she had been hurriedly taught. She knew her uncle wouldn't hesitate to force-feed her, since he had done it a few times over the past two months, when she just wouldn't eat what was placed before her.
The two terrible months. Her uncle had dragged her away from her good job to be his heir, although he was angry at her for not being a boy. No one could deny that she was his niece, since she was the spitting image of the count's no-account sister that had run off with the steward. Haru didn't have any memories of them, since her mother had died giving birth to her, and her father was killed by a back alley thief when she was still a baby.
Her uncle shouldn't have let her grow up in an orphanage, or left her to fend for herself afterwards if he had truly cared enough to let her into his life. He just had to wait until she was accustomed to her modest life to tear her away from it and force all this on her. Her uncle hadn't even allowed her to keep her father's family name, forcing his own on her.
Her heart trembled more, wishing that one of the count's five wives had been able to give him an heir. But living with such a terrible man had worn on each of them until they died and were promptly replaced, and Haru was beginning to feel the wear already, just for being his niece. After a month and a half of lady lessons, he had presented her to the court, and she had somehow caught the eye of the crown prince.
Or, more to the point, her uncle's extensive treasury had caught his eye. And since he was the prince, and her uncle also wanted the union, no one had even thought to ask her what she wanted.
Well, they did once, but they were most uncooperative in the matter. What she had wanted scared her uncle enough to hire a wizard to make sure she could never just take the thing she wanted the most.
Her scar suddenly burned, with such a raw intensity that she dropped her spoon, the bite untaken. She tried to pull off her lacy white glove to see what the problem was.
"Don't flaunt that disfigurement!" her uncle barked. Haru grimaced, and left her glove alone. Her scar flared like that only a small handful of times. But she knew it was just the echo of her anguish.
'Its days like this when I miss the Seaside Dragon the most.'