Broken Hearts, Broken Dreams and a Little Hope
Keys jangled against each other as one scraped through the lock of the large metal door. When the door was opened, the harsh, creaking noise of rusted hinges resounded through the dungeon.
The eighteen year old in the cell lifted his head, his dull eyes sparking with slight curiosity. His steely blue hair flopped over his eyes, and he blew it out of his face.
A guard stepped inside, a pair of handcuffs in one hand, a ring laden with keys in the other. He said nothing as he pulled the boy to his feet, yanked his arms together and secured the handcuffs. He pushed him from the cell roughly, not giving and explanation for the sudden change of scenery.
At the top of the stairs that led into the dungeon stood a tall man with silvery hair, beside him, a scared-looking boy of only ten years old.
The boy hesitated, then, without the permission he probably should have gotten, rushed down the stairs, flinging himself at the eighteen year old, trying desperately not to cry.
"Oh 'Retto," he whispered, burying his face in Allegretto's shirt. "This is all my fault."
Allegretto stared at him like he'd gone mad, then put his arms around Beat as best as he could while wearing handcuffs. "C'mon Beat," he said, trying to summon a positive demeanor for this boy, his friend and brother. "Of course it wasn't your fault. Not at all."
Beat lifted his face from Allegretto's shirt. "But-" he protested, but Allegretto cut him off before he could say anything more.
"No, Beat, this was not your fault."
Beat was about to speak once more, but this time was interrupted by the malicious looking man at the top of the stairs.
"Well, this is all very touching, but I'd prefer you not do this here." He descended the stairs slowly, keeping his gaze on Allegretto's face, a smirk stretched across his own. "I received a message a few days ago from Prince Crescendo. Well, actually, it was addressed to you, but, since you're here…"
Allegretto glared at the man. "You're going through my mail?"
The man stepped back, looking shocked. "No, of course not. This young man brought it over." He pointed a long, thin finger in Beat's direction.
Beat looked up at Allegretto, his face lighting up a little. "Crescendo invited us to a ball in Baroque."
Allegretto frowned. "Alright. What does this have to do with me? Because obviously I'm not going anywhere." He shook the handcuffs, looking pointedly at the silver-haired man, the warden.
"Yes, and that's what I said in my reply. However, Prince Crescendo insisted, saying that I was to let you come." The warden rolled his eyes, waving a hand dismissively. "Silly parties. Anyway, thank the Prince, boy, for the way too many days of freedom you've acquired. Of course there will be guards with you," he said in reply to the spark of hope that suddenly flared in Allegretto's eyes, which instantly went out at these words. "I can't have one of my only prisoners escaping." The warden descended a few more steps until he was standing face to face with Allegretto. Although the warden was no short man, Allegretto was taller, thus enabling them to face each other, even though Allegretto was standing a step lower.
"Do not try to escape," the warden whispered malevolently. "Because if you do, you can expect worse than you've had for the past year." The warden turned around, smirking again, and began up the stairs. The guard holding onto Allegretto followed, and Beat grasped a handful of Allegretto's shirt as they ascended the stairs.
At the top, Allegretto blinked in the sudden light. He hadn't seen the sun for a little more than a year.
The warden's office and the main room of the prison were deceptively well furnished and comfortable. Allegretto shook his head and spat on the floor angrily. The guard whacked him in the back of the head with his gun for being disrespectful, but the blow was not hard enough to knock him out. Allegretto winced and lifted his chained hands to his head.
The warden turned to a group of three guards who stood at attention against one of the walls in the room.
"This is your charge," he stated, pointing in Allegretto's direction. "Don't let him out of your sight, and feel free to take out any irritation you may have on him. Just don't hurt him too badly, the prince is expecting him to attend a ball, and if he doesn't, it will be on my shoulders. This will obviously not make me too happy, and I will have to behead which ever of you is responsible."
The warden tossed a chain and a lock to one of the guards. "Make sure you chain him up at night," he told them. "He may look like a kid, but he's strong and stealthy."
A smirk twisted Allegretto's features at these words.
The warden chose to ignore him. "Any questions? Good," he said before even giving a chance for anyone to ask something. "Now get out of here." He handed another one of the guards a large bag of food, then turned and began to his office.
"Hang on," Allegretto said, pushing away the guard who was beginning to drag him from the prison. "Don't the handcuffs come off?"
The warden glanced over his shoulder at him with indifference. "I suppose they can…I'd probably get a letter from Prince Crescendo concerning it if they didn't." He motioned to the guard, then retreated to his office.
The guard wordlessly released Allegretto from the handcuffs, then motioned for Allegretto and Beat to get out of the building. They complied readily.
Once outside, Allegretto took a deep breath, looking up at the clear blue sky. He glanced at Beat, then knelt down. "Get on."
Beat looked at him with confusion. "What?"
"Get up on my shoulders," Allegretto clarified.
Beat studied him for a moment, then smiled despite the sadness in his eyes, and climbed onto Allegretto's shoulders.
Allegretto stood, ignoring the guards who protested his actions, then began to walk briskly toward the city limits. Beat clung to him tightly, even managing to smile at some of the people they passed.
He heard their whispering though, about Allegretto and his imprisonment. Some people had supported it, shopkeepers mostly, and others had thought it unjust. Many people knew Allegretto and knew that all the things he had stolen had gone to a good cause, Beat had made sure they'd known.
But when Allegretto had begun stealing more than bread, things like jewelry, clothes, and even money, people had begun to question whether it was still for the orphans, or if he was becoming greedy, and taking it for himself.
There were rumors that he was in love with a princess and was stealing things for her, things that would impress her. Others claimed that they had seen him down by the docks, using the stolen goods to barter for passage to Baroque.
Beat knew that none of these things were true. However, even he didn't know what the stuff Allegretto had been stealing was for. Allegretto had never told him. It didn't go to the orphans, Beat knew that much, but he didn't think Allegretto would have selfish reasons for stealing people's valuables. At least, that was what he liked to believe. Maybe he would ask Allegretto later.
A few people came up to Allegretto, inquiring where he was going. Allegretto told them readily. But the conversations remained limited to a few words, and those conversations were also few. Most people turned away when they saw Allegretto. Allegretto pretended not to notice, but inside, he was aching as people whom he had known his whole life turned away from him like they had never known him.
Quickly they approached the docks. Allegretto looked up at Beat as they boarded a ship en route to Baroque. "Have you been eating enough?"
Beat glanced at the guards, who were a few meters behind, then shrugged. "I guess. Why would you ask that?"
"You're a lot lighter than I thought you'd be." Allegretto frowned. "You haven't had any food, have you?"
Beat shook his head reluctantly. "No. I didn't want to try and steal anything after what happened to you." Beat turned his face to look at the sky, which was framed by leaves.
"I'm sorry," Allegretto muttered.
Beat shook his head. "It's not your fault. It's not like you could do anything while you were in prison."
Allegretto sighed, not able to think of something to say. Ever since the end of their journey, things had been messed up. Everyone had split up. Polka had been dragged off to Baroque with Crescendo and Serenade to see if she had been healed, but not before making Allegretto promise that he would come see her soon. Andantino had returned to Forte, Viola with them. Salsa and March had taken a short cut back to Agogo Forest, leaving Allegretto and Beat alone to begin the long walk back to Ritardando. They didn't know where Frederic had gone.
Once they had gotten back, Allegretto had vowed to find a job so he could legitimately feed the orphans. In the meantime, he had had to steal. He'd gotten too full of himself and started trying to steal more valuable things than bread. His plan was to buy himself and Beat passage to Baroque where he could visit Polka and use the remainder of his loot to buy her a dress he had seen in the window of a shop when they had been there. His desires to get a job faded as he built up his confidence. But that had been knocked out of him, literally, when one of the people he had been trying to steal from caught him and knocked him out with something, he didn't remember what. Then he had been imprisoned, and had stayed that way until this moment. Beat hadn't visited him and Allegretto didn't blame him.
Allegretto set Beat down on the deck of the ship, then leaned against the railing, inhaling deeply. He had almost forgotten what the ocean smelled like. A small smile lifted his face, and he thought of Polka, hoping desperately that she'd be at this ball, and that she wouldn't be too mad at him for not coming to see her. He'd missed her so much; thoughts of her were what had kept him going for the past year.
He and Beat located two barrels near the rail and sat there the rest of the day. They answered each others questions, and Allegretto admitted his reasons for stealing what he did to Beat. The boy had been upset, but not unable to forgive his big brother. He had seen his reasoning, and knew how much he loved Polka. When night fell, the guards came over and the handcuffs were back on Allegretto's wrists. They dragged him down to one of the cabins and looped the chain the warden had given them through the handcuffs. It was then secured to the bed frame. Allegretto watched the process sadly, but said nothing as he leaned against the headboard. Beat curled up on the bed adjacent. Allegretto slept better that night than any in the past year, despite the chain and the handcuffs. He dreamed of the quest, the smells and the feel of the sea bringing out memories of monsters, fights, forests and castles that had long since been buried.
Hey, if you read this far, I thank you *bows politely* So, I'm sorry if this is depressing, but I was feeling depressed and decided to take it out on Allegretto...sorry 'Retto, I really do love you. Partially I decided that there aren't enough Allegretto/Polka stories...so I wrote one :) Anyway, I have more where this came from, so review, and you'll get it...when I feel nice. Haha.
~theSunlitEarth