Original story: D Gray Man, by Katsura Hoshino.
Genre: Drama/Romance.
Pairings: Tykki-OC-Kanda, and some others.
Location: Europe, in the second half of VIIIth century.
Language: English. This isn't my mother tongue, so I apologize for any mistakes.
Chapter 1 Catelyn.
The day I was born was told to be the coldest day of winter. From the very beginning I was hated by my father for the simple mistake of not being a boy. My mother, too old to breed more children, lost the love of the king for not being able to conceive a male. If she was a hostile woman before, she became obnoxious. I was blamed for that too.
So I grew up amongst maids and servants who treated me like a mistress even though I was just a baby. The ridiculousness of the circumstances turned me into a cynical, bitter being. Or that was the concept I used to have of myself at seventeen...until he appeared.
Dinner was served in the eastern garden. Candelabras lit the perimeter, while tall, beige candles stood along the tables. At the principal table were seated the king, Malcolm Leverrier, the queen, Elizabeth Leuttenberger and, besides the queen, my sister, Elizabeth Juliet Leverrier. Her long, blonde hair and refined manners, alongside the natural beauty of her features, gained her a special place at the table and in everybody's heart. No wonder why she was so pompous and whimsical.
At the honor table, at the right of the principal table, the guests were seated. The king of Portugal gave me the goose-bumps as soon as my eyes landed upon him. His round belly barely allowed him to stay close to the table. A ridiculously tall, black hat stood upon his head, while a pair of spectacles reflected the yellow light of the candles. However, that wasn't what freaked me out. His smile, far from friendly, was sly and wicked.
Beside him, a man and an equally creepy girl ate dinner. The man, I had to admit, caught my eye immediately. He was rather good-looking and classy. As a northerner, his exotic, dark skin intrigued me. His features were symmetrical, and the yellow eyes reminded me of a cat. Nonetheless, as mysterious as he could be, there was something in his superb aura that yelled 'danger' to me.
I averted my gaze from him. It didn't help the fact that I was sent to the table across them, beside the functionaries and counselors. Dispensable people, as I called them. I knew my father wished I was dispensable too. Unfortunately, seldom highborn were willing to marry me. Not that I cared about that.
A jester the Earl had brought juggled gracefully in the center of the room. A troubadour played a zither in a corner cheerfully. Jesters never entertained me. I judged them rather tasteless and bothersome. Therefore, I toyed with my food absentmindedly, waiting for the stupid thing to end. I ignored the jokes and conversations around me. They never said anything interesting and nobody talked directly to me.
Suddenly, the fat, Portuguese king exclaimed something in a language I didn't understand. He stood up and beckoned a servant with a brusque movement of his head. A guard, tall, with the same tanned skin, approached the jester with a cynical smile printed on his face. The jester gestured at him, and the guard unsheathed his sword. The jester's smile hesitated for a second but he recovered the composure.
"Make him dance, great knight!" the fat king exclaimed and applauded.
I frowned. Somehow, I wasn't liking the direction this was taking. The jester, a man in his forties, eyed the guard warily and discreetly stepped away. The guard only laughed mischievously and poked the jester's ribs with the tip of his sword.
The poor man jolted aside. The guard kept on harassing him with his sword, engaging some kind of creepy, cruel dance with the jester. On the other table, the Portugueses laughed and clapped gleefully.
Naturally, I scandalized. Threads of blood started running down the arms and neck of the jester. He looked at my father in search for help, his pleading eyes requesting the mercy of a ruthless king.
Leverrier only barked a laughter when the guard pushed the jester down to his knees.
My hands clutched the utensils until the knuckles turned white. Another warm hand covered my left fist.
"Calm down." Link, my father's closest counselor, coldly commanded.
I slid my hand away from his, "It's humiliating! Make it stop." I hissed. Several eyes looked in my direction, but I ignored them.
"It's politics." He simply replied.
"It's cruelty!" The outburst came out uncontrolled. I felt everybody glancing at me, even the people across the table. The guard that had been torturing the poor jester looked at me and then at his king, waiting for instructions. Unmoved, I stared back at the three foreigners, judging them in silence with a deadly glare.
The Earl's smile widened and he inclined his head in my direction, "I apologize for making you uncomfortable, princess." His English was broad. It was as if he chewed every word before spitting it out. I didn't miss the unfriendly tone in his apology.
"Well, just stop it." I snapped back without thinking.
A tense silence installed in the patio. Everyone gave me judgmental glares, except the jester. His eyes showed such gratitude that it overclouded the others. It made me believe that I did the right thing…although no one else thought it so.
"Catelyn, I think it's time for you to go to your room." Leverrier calmly said.
I scowled, "But I haven't finished my-"
"Catelyn." The king repeated, "They will escort you." He locked gazes with me, reassuring in silence his authority in the room. I returned him a challenging look. How could he send me to my room, like a chastised child, when everything I did was defend a citizen? Wasn't that what we were supposed to do?
Of course not, a bitter voice in my head reminded me, what we do is taking care of ourselves.
Two guards approached my seat and waited patiently. I left my napkin on the table and stood up as gracefully as I could.
"Excuse me." I icily said and turned around to leave.
As I headed towards the doors, a shiver ran down my spine. I automatically turned around, and caught a pair of shiny, yellow eyes following me.
I stood the gaze for one second. A smirk curved his lips and he raised his glass cryptically. I furrowed my eyebrows and continued walking.
"I'll go to the stables." I informed the guards when we were midway towards my rooms.
"We were commanded to take you safely to your room." One of them emotionlessly said.
"Yeah, well, you can just say I'm there and leave me alone." I muttered.
Both guards turned to look at each other. One of them, Captain Toma, subtly nodded.
"We'll leave you at the entrance of the tower. Be in your room in half an hour." He whispered to me.
I nodded. Toma was one of the few people I actually liked in this big castle. He was considerate and loyal, and treated me like a girl and not a princess. I almost felt like obeying his instructions just to save him from trouble.
When they left me alone, I soundlessly ran across the western courtyard towards the wooden stables. Beside them there was a small building, more like a cottage, with a tile rooftop. They had given it to the adoptive child of some renowned courtesan who never actually showed up. The boy's presence and looks constituted a mystery to everyone, yet, no one said a word about it, since the kid was under the protection of the king. Whoever the courtesan was, he had to be very powerful to obtain such a favor from Leverrier.
I kicked a twig in my way to the cottage and then knocked at the door, "Allen! You in there?"
The door opened barely enough for him to peep outside, "Cat, something wrong?"
"Can I come in?" I requested.
Allen feigned a scowl, "Will that get me in trouble?"
I couldn't help smirking, "Probably."
The albino boy shook his head and let me in, "What happened?"
The contained rage surged. I kicked the wall and scoffed, "It's stupid! Since when does defending a poor man is a crime?! And he kicked me out! He didn't even bother to do it subtly. Oh, no, he had to put on a show and let everyone know how unwelcome I am! What is his bloody problem?!" I started swearing nonsensically, letting out all the frustration and anger that were badly contained within myself.
Allen sighed and sat down on a chair besides the fireplace, "And so the princess exclaimed." He teased sardonically
I huffed, "I'm being serious, Allen! They were torturing the poor jester just for the sake of their…sadistic entertainment! What kind of sick person does that?!" I opened my arms and gesticulated exaggeratedly. Damn, I was so angry!
The condescending smile disappeared from his face, "First of all, lower your voice." He advised. And he was right. I hadn't realized I was screaming until he said so.
I inhaled deeply and sat on a stool, "Right."
"Now, tell me exactly what happened, because I have no idea of what you're talking about." His patience was one of the virtues I valued the most. He transmitted me calmness even when my blood boiled with indignation.
In short sentences, I described what had happened, from the very beginning. With every word I pronounced, my tone raised and my cheeks warmed. I realized how foolish I had been, and how badly my reckless behavior may affect the political balance. A stab of fear crossed my heart.
As he listened to my narration, Allen's countenance turned more and more somber, "You say they are Portuguese?"
I nodded, suddenly furious with myself, "They are trying to make a deal." I muttered between clenched teeth.
"An allegiance," Allen corrected. I turned to look at him, "I'm aware of the situation, Cat. I also hear the rumors."
"But, still," I exclaimed in an endeavor to justify myself, "What they did was wrong! Plainly wrong! And I am right! Father should have stood up for me!"
"They are the Noah family, Cat." Something in Allen's grim tone made me feel dreadful, "They are merciless and cruel. Have you ever heard about how The Earl repressed Lisbon's rebellion ten years ago?"
I frowned. The genocide's rumors reached every corner of every nation, but it sounded more like mythology than actual truth, "That's just a myth, Allen."
"It's not." He curtly said. His eyes looked into mine and he swallowed, "I was there. Mana died that day."
I froze in my place. The story was brutal and inhuman. It was rumored that no one survived that day in a radio of one hundred miles. How Allen could had been there?
"You're not serious." I exclaimed.
Allen's suddenly saddened eyes told me otherwise. He stared at the fire and mused for several seconds, "The circus always installed in an empty solar downtown," his voice came out tremulous. I knew Mana was a clown, and Allen worked as his partner a couple of years, so I didn't need a heads-up. However, he never told me how he ended up orphan again, until this moment, "The soldiers surrounded the solar. They killed everyone. Men, women, babies… I hid under Mana's cart."
"Wha-" I had to swallow the lump that formed in my throat, "What happened to Mana?"
"I," his frown darkened, "I really don't know. After watching how they slayed everyone, I closed my eyes in fear. I only moved when I heard steps approaching the cart. Two soldiers bathed in blood saw me and I had to run. There were corpses everywhere I looked. As I ran into the streets, I saw entire families being dragged out of their houses and killed on the streets. Men were hung at the beginning of every block." He shuddered and paused for a minute. I felt like throwing up.
"And then?" I warily asked.
"Cross saved me." His humor seemed to lighten up a bit, "He was arguing something with a high rank soldier when I ran into him. I remember looking up at his red hair and apologizing for dirtying his fancy clothes. He then caught me by the shoulder and commanded the soldiers to leave me alone."
"Did you know him from before?"
He shook his head, "No. I'm quite sure we had never seen each other before."
"That's…odd."
He nodded in agreement, "Anyway, just as he was guiding me to his carriage, I saw him." He continued, "He was at the top of a hill, supervising the job, his clothes neat and clean; his sword sheathed. Even a six year-old kid like me could recognize him. And he was smiling…SMILING!" At this point, his hands clenched into fists. "It was almost as if he was enjoying it."
"Who?" My voice quivered.
Allen's eyes finally met me, and the hatred in them trespassed me like a spear, "The Earl's nephew. Tykki Mikk."
A/N: New project, please, reviews? I wanna know if I should continue this :)