Heehee... hullo. I've decided to be a goof and write something that was
nagging at the back of my brain. I'm hoping to keep this a one-shot, but,
well, here goes.
Disclaimer: Beauty and the Beast is copyright Disney, and Gundam Wing is copyright... well... not me. Hehehe. I don't own nor claim to own any of the characters represented in this fanfiction! runs off, covering her head from the flying lawyers
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
Just as the sun had begun to wander up above the horizon, a lean young man wandered down to the village. Grasped loosely in his right hand was a basket, the book inside flapping a bit in the wind as he swung his arms back and forth in a meagre attempt to amuse himself. His feet scuffed the dirt path that led down to the tiny town from his house, kicking up little dust-clouds. He hummed lightly to himself as he walked, his restless soul bored stiff and longing for more than just empty another day.
"Little town, it's a quiet village..." The boy began to sing softly, his voice hushed lest any of the busybodies around found out he was doing something so effeminate. "Ev'ry day, like the one before..." He daringly let his voice waver a tad higher, so that he could just hear it with his own ears. "Little town, full of little people..." he found himself at last treading the worn brown cobblestone that wound between the shops and apartments that made up the only place he knew. His voice dropped once more, dismally, as a few windows opened and the bakers began to roll out their carts. "Waking up to say..."
"Bonjour!" A plump man shouted out, waving to the restless teenager. The townsfolk shuffled at last out of their houses and began the business of the day, searching out groceries from the carts lined along the streets. The fresh smell of baking bread wafted through the air, and the boy inhaled deeply, closing his eyes to take in the delicious scent, but for whatever reason, it wasn't nearly as wonderful as it had been ten years ago. The love of simplicity had worn off many seasons earlier- he longed for so much more.
"Bonjour, monsieur!" He replied, sporting a cheerful grin instantly, belying the less-then-enthused feeling inside of him. "Anything new happening around town?" He asked hopefully, his violet eyes pleading with the man for some form of entertainment of distraction. Alas, the baker bit his lip and shook his head sadly.
"Sorry, Duo. Just the same old bread and rolls to sell, if you know what I mean." The youth sighed, and waved.
"Ah. Au revoir, then." He turned and dashed off to the bookstore, his long tawny-brown braid trailing behind him. The baker shook his head slowly, muttering to himself about what a strange boy he was. Duo skidded to a halt outside the familiar shop, running his palm lovingly down the smooth, worn old doorframe before stepping inside. He glanced around the room for what felt to him the quintillionth time that week, checking for any signs of new deliveries or packages. A short, doubled-over old man appeared from the back room.
"Hello there, Duo. Back already?" He smiled kindly, and the lanky young man in front of him returned the favour, offering something rare; a genuine grin.
"Yeah, just came to return the book I borrowed." The elderly man, despite all his experience with the boy's love of books, appeared quite surprised.
"I can't believe you're done already! You only took it yesterday afternoon- it took me a week to finish that one!" He exclaimed, although there was a hint of pride in the back of his tone. Nobody in the village showed enough real interest in books, none, that is, but Duo. The owner of the bookstore was very pleased to have anyone around that shared his fascination with the tales of books as opposed to the gossip of the butcher's wife, and was simply overjoyed that it was someone so young.
Duo narrowed his eyes dangerously, smiling softly. "Scared of a little competition?" The greying old man laughed, sitting down at a chair behind his desk. When no reply came, the town oddity continued. "Well, you know, I just couldn't put it down. It was great! I just loved the part where the fox joined forced with the hunter, to catch the rabbit. Those are the kind of things you'd never hear of anywhere but books!" Both of them shared a soft chuckled, and Duo's bright, inquisitive eyes scanned the room again. "Have you got anything new?"
"Not since yesterday, I'm afraid!" The elder replied, the amusement apparent in his weary voice. Duo shrugged and wandered over to the small bookcase, holding up a finger and scanning through the titles.
"That's okay. I'll just borrow..." his finger floated over a worn book with a beautiful red leather coat, the edges lovingly worn down by the thumbs of its readers. He paused, debating whether or not his selection was the right one, then settled at last on his decision and pulled the book out of the shelf, catching it nimbly with his other hand. "...this one!"
The owner of the store leaned over in his chair, glancing over to see what his most eager student fancied this fair Thursday morning. His eyes widened, and a fatherly grin appeared on his face that suggested he'd caught Duo in the act of indulging in a cookie right before dinner, but didn't have the heart to tell him off.
"That one?" He repeated, trying not to give in to friendly laughter. "But you've read it three times already!" Duo clutched the aged book to his chest, closing his eyes and smiling as he explained his choice.
"Oh, but this one's my favourite, Morty." He declared, addressing the aged man by the nickname he'd given him. "It's the best of all of them! Far off places, brave adventurers, and forbidden love! It's more that just a book..." he declared, opening his eyes and looking down at the tome innocently held aloft by his hands. "It's an old friend." Mortimer smiled.
"You really do love that book, don't you?" He asked softly, to which a nod was his only response. The observant old man realised that Duo had probably meant what he said, calling the book a friend. The boy had very few, if any at all, and none of them were his age. A soft of sad pity formed in his heart for his young companion, and he made up his mind that instant. "If it means that much to you, it's yours." Duo's eyes widened in shock, and his mouth flapped open.
"But sir-!"
"I won't take no for an answer. Keep it." The man sighed softly, mounting a pair of spectacles on his nose to peer down at his taxes, trying to work them out so that he wouldn't have to focus on the tragic boy standing just to his left. "Goodness knows you need that old friend more than I do." This last part was said softly, and hadn't been intended for Duo to hear. He pretended that he hadn't, and his face lit up with joy.
"Oh, thank you, Mortimer! This means so much to me!" He spun a bit on the spot, clutching the book to himself once more and running his fingers across its front in admiration of the gift. "Thank you!" Duo rushed out of the door at once, the expression of pure delight lighting up the room even after he was gone. Mortimer smiled, then went back to his paperwork with a sigh.
As the longhaired boy came out of the bookshop, practically dancing down the streets, a few boys shot him dirty glares.
"Lookit him! He's just... so... not normal!" The boys nodded and grumbled in agreement, crossing their arms and scowling.
"Wiv' that bloody long hair, and those big, stupid eyes, you'd think 'e was a girl!"
"Ah well, can't blame 'im for bein' a bit off his rocker- his uncle's a real crackpot."
"Hah, it's no wonder he wasn't forced to get that ugly braid of hair lobbed off by now; the looner's too stupid to see that 'e's a fella, not a dame!"
On the other side of the street, a somewhat different conversation was being held about the exact same thing; or more, person. The quartet of girls chattered noisily about him once he'd passed, swapping opinions on the odd boy. One girl in particular looked after him, with a sort of curiosity in her eyes, and a gleam that was reminiscent of someone who'd been handed a challenge.
"What a strange one, he is."
"Oh yes. He's not all that bad looking though, if he'd just get rid of that silly hair."
"I think it's cute." The girls all tittered at the comment, immediately embarrassing the girl for daring to voice her opinions.
"Don't be silly, Hilde! It's dreadfully horrid!"
"'Tis not!"
"Oooh, I think she fancies him..." A whisper went through the crowd of girls, and a blush formed on the girl who'd been identified as Hilde.
"I do not!" She huffed indignantly, crossing her arms. "It's just, you're all dreadfully cruel to him, and I think someone ought to stick up for him!" The three others all giggled at this, a noise much more malicious than most would expect from teenage girls.
"She does like him, poor thing. You'll never get to that boy; I hear he's never had a girlfriend, and sits up all day at home, doing you'll never guess what!" A second girl widened her eyes, as if it were the secret to some great mystery.
"What? Does 'e drink, or som'fink illegal?"
"Naw!" the other replied, "Nothin' nearly as masculine or bold as that! He sits up in 'is room all day, and reads!" All but Hilde laughed at that, as though it were terribly outrageous. "No, my dear, I don't think even the cleverest, prettiest girl could land a strange one like him." It felt to Hilde like they were talking about a fish rather than a boy, but decided to keep her mouth shut.
"I could." One of them suddenly interjected, speaking for the first time since Duo had passed. They all gave her incredulous stares, until he crossed her arms and pouted. "Well I am the prettiest girl in town, and I'm not stupid either. I know how men think. I could get anyone I wanted." One of the other two smirked.
"Go on then, Relena. I bet'choo a pair of earrin's that you can't." The girl saw it as a cheap way to get herself some new jewellery, having missed the dangerous spark that lit in the girl's eyes as her dare reached the girl's eyes.
"Can too. I'll prove it to you. I'll have him hanging off of me and begging for my hand in marriage by the end of the month." The other girl grinned.
"It's a bet."
---------
Duo quickly set his book down in the kitchen, and then ran down to the cellar where he knew he was sure to find his uncle. The plump, short man was indeed down there, working away at his latest invention. He glanced once at Duo before continuing to tinker with the underbelly of some great monster, which the boy supposed was some sort of robotic contraption to open cans or chop wood.
"'Cha makin', Uncle?" Duo asked, poking around where he hoped he wasn't getting in the way. His legal guardian rolled out from under the thing, grinning proudly.
"It's a machine for cleaning fish ponds and feeding the fish! That way when rich people go away, their fish won't die! Isn't it ingenious?" Duo nodded meekly, not having much to say. It was certainly... unique. "I'm taking it down to the fair tonight! Want to come?" This time Duo's head moved in a different way.
"Nah... got a book from town today. Good old Morty is letting me keep it!"
"That was awfully nice of him. I hope you said thank you. Pass me that twiddler?" The violet-eyed boy reached into a toolbox and produced a screwdriver, easily comprehending his relative's odd words for things. He handed it to the old man, who slid back under the machine.
"Of course. I thanked him twice!" Duo paused, thinking back to what the owner of the bookstore had muttered under his breath. "Uncle... do you think I'm...odd?" The pot-bellied old man rolled out from under his device again, frowning and looking right at the boy he considered to be his son.
"What makes you say that? You're perfectly normal." Duo nodded, and that ended the conversation. "I'm going to be leaving for the fair in about half an hour. Will you be okay here without me until late tomorrow?" The youth sighed heavily, but grinned nonetheless.
"I'll be fine."
---------
About an hour after his uncle left with his invention and their horse, Philippe, Duo heard a knock at the door. He frowned, but went to it out of curiosity. Nobody ever came to visit them, outside of the taxman, but he'd come just last week. He wouldn't be returning for another month. Hesitatingly, he pulled open the front door, his book dangling from his hand. The girl standing on his doorstep was hardly what he'd expected, and raised an eyebrow as if to ask what she wanted.
"Bonjour!" He quipped cheerfully, tossing a lock of pale blonde hair behind her shoulder. "You're Duo Maxwell, aren't you? I don't think we've ever been introduced. I'm Relena Peacecraft." Duo's eyebrow rose even further as she held out her hand, obviously expecting him to kiss it like a gentleman. From all that he read, he knew what she was anticipating, but decided to deny her such until he knew her better. So instead, he grabbed her hand and shook it gently. She was startled, but quickly regained her composure.
"What a lovely little house you live in!" She exclaimed, somehow manoeuvring around Duo and making her way into the kitchen at the front of the quaint cottage that the boy and his uncle lived in.
"Yes..." Duo finally interjected, confused as to what she was doing in his house. "Uh, not to sound rude, mademoiselle, but uh... is there a reason you came so unexpectedly a-knockin' on my door?" She sat herself down in a chair, seeming to make herself quite comfortable and slowly grinding on Duo's nerves. "Only, I'm sort of in the middle of something..." He held up his book to explain, and she took it from him.
"Oh, so you do like to read a lot!" Relena said, flipping through the book quickly for appearances before closing it and setting it down on the table, effectively losing Duo's place. She looked up at him and placed an elbow down against the countertop, leaning towards him with a suddenly smouldering gaze. "But doesn't it get a little bit... lonely?"
Duo frowned, not taking the bait. "Not really. I like my solitude. Besides, I have the baker to talk to, and my uncle, and-"
"That's not what I meant!" Relena nearly snapped, then went back into her seduction ploy. "I meant... don't you ever long for the company of... a girl?" Duo stepped back a pace, baffled.
"N-no, not really, come to think of it." He stuttered, suddenly finding himself backed against a wall with Relena slowly advancing. She brushed a few of his chestnut bangs from his face, letting her hand rest on his cheek longer than necessary.
"Oh, surely you think about female company... companionship... and maybe even... intimacy." She leaned up right near him, her face hovering near his. Duo felt uncomfortable prickles run up his spine, and just as she closed her eyes and began to advance with lips all a-puckered, he ducked out, kicked open the door and shoved her outside.
"Can't talk now, chores to do!" He shouted, then ran and grabbed a broom and began to sweep the floor so that he wouldn't be lying. When she began to protest, he slammed the door shut in her face. The girl blinked once, then twice, then surmised that the boy must be dreadfully shy from inexperience, being all cooped up in that house like he was. She smiled at what she decided must have been coyness, then turned around and headed to the village to brag to her snooty friends about how she'd already begun to make progress with the normally unreceptive boy.
---------
Once he was good and sure that she was gone, Duo slunk out the back door and sat on the hilltop beside his house, overlooking the village. The wind came and played with his bangs, pulling lightly at his long rope of hair and dancing with the few strands that had come loose since he'd braided it that morning. He sighed, singing softly and letting the wind take it from his lips and carry the words away somewhere that maybe people lived how they want and weren't whispered about for it.
"'Monsieur... Peacecraft'... can't you just see it?" Duo's eyes closed and he leaned back into the grass, opening his eyes again and staring at the purple sky that was slowly turning a midnight blue. "'Monsieur Peacecraft'... her 'hubbykins'." He sighed again, wistfully, running his fingers through his hair. "No sir! Not me! I guarantee it! I want much more than this provincial life!" He raised his voice from the whisper it had been, crossing his hands behind his head and staring up at the stars. "I want adventure in the great wide somewhere... I want it more than I can tell..." He closed his eyes, and a small trickle of a tear appeared, and then rolled down his cheek and jaw. "And for once it would be grand... to have someone...understand... I want so much more than they've got planned..."
Suddenly a loud whinny shook him from his thoughts, and Duo rose quickly to see what was going on. There weren't any horses nearby other than Philippe, and Uncle had taken him to the- Duo paled. 'Oh no... uncle!' He ran out towards the forest, and was almost trampled when Philippe came bursting out of the foliage, screaming and breathing quickly, trailing the cart haphazardly behind him.
"Whoa, easy there, buddy! Calm down, calm down, you're okay!" Duo struggled to regain control of the panicking animal, glancing around fearfully all the while for any signs of his uncle. After a while, the poor horse stopped rearing up in fright and finally managed to control it's fear. Duo wrapped an arm around his neck, rubbing his cheek soothingly with the other hand. "Where's Uncle, Philippe? What happened to him?" Duo wished that he could somehow understand the frightened creature, but knew there was a definite communication barrier.
Somehow Philippe knew that Duo needed to find the old man that took care of him, and so when the nervous youth unattached the cart and flung himself up onto his back, the horse set off back into the forest. He knew that there were wolves and cliffs and fearful castles out there, but he also knew that there was a boy on his back with a loyalty to the horse's master that was bound by love. That was more than enough to convince Philippe that he had to go back into the forest, back to that dreaded castle.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
And there you have it! Chapter one! : ) I hope you all liked it, because I'd love to hear back from you on this to know if I should keep going. Please review, and if I get enough positive responses I'll write the next chapter. Oh, and just so you know, this is like... my longest chapter EVER. And that counts the times when I used to splice chapters together to make them longer. Heh. U Consider yourselves lucky. I guess I was just having fun writing this. Well, leave a review! Bye!
Disclaimer: Beauty and the Beast is copyright Disney, and Gundam Wing is copyright... well... not me. Hehehe. I don't own nor claim to own any of the characters represented in this fanfiction! runs off, covering her head from the flying lawyers
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
Just as the sun had begun to wander up above the horizon, a lean young man wandered down to the village. Grasped loosely in his right hand was a basket, the book inside flapping a bit in the wind as he swung his arms back and forth in a meagre attempt to amuse himself. His feet scuffed the dirt path that led down to the tiny town from his house, kicking up little dust-clouds. He hummed lightly to himself as he walked, his restless soul bored stiff and longing for more than just empty another day.
"Little town, it's a quiet village..." The boy began to sing softly, his voice hushed lest any of the busybodies around found out he was doing something so effeminate. "Ev'ry day, like the one before..." He daringly let his voice waver a tad higher, so that he could just hear it with his own ears. "Little town, full of little people..." he found himself at last treading the worn brown cobblestone that wound between the shops and apartments that made up the only place he knew. His voice dropped once more, dismally, as a few windows opened and the bakers began to roll out their carts. "Waking up to say..."
"Bonjour!" A plump man shouted out, waving to the restless teenager. The townsfolk shuffled at last out of their houses and began the business of the day, searching out groceries from the carts lined along the streets. The fresh smell of baking bread wafted through the air, and the boy inhaled deeply, closing his eyes to take in the delicious scent, but for whatever reason, it wasn't nearly as wonderful as it had been ten years ago. The love of simplicity had worn off many seasons earlier- he longed for so much more.
"Bonjour, monsieur!" He replied, sporting a cheerful grin instantly, belying the less-then-enthused feeling inside of him. "Anything new happening around town?" He asked hopefully, his violet eyes pleading with the man for some form of entertainment of distraction. Alas, the baker bit his lip and shook his head sadly.
"Sorry, Duo. Just the same old bread and rolls to sell, if you know what I mean." The youth sighed, and waved.
"Ah. Au revoir, then." He turned and dashed off to the bookstore, his long tawny-brown braid trailing behind him. The baker shook his head slowly, muttering to himself about what a strange boy he was. Duo skidded to a halt outside the familiar shop, running his palm lovingly down the smooth, worn old doorframe before stepping inside. He glanced around the room for what felt to him the quintillionth time that week, checking for any signs of new deliveries or packages. A short, doubled-over old man appeared from the back room.
"Hello there, Duo. Back already?" He smiled kindly, and the lanky young man in front of him returned the favour, offering something rare; a genuine grin.
"Yeah, just came to return the book I borrowed." The elderly man, despite all his experience with the boy's love of books, appeared quite surprised.
"I can't believe you're done already! You only took it yesterday afternoon- it took me a week to finish that one!" He exclaimed, although there was a hint of pride in the back of his tone. Nobody in the village showed enough real interest in books, none, that is, but Duo. The owner of the bookstore was very pleased to have anyone around that shared his fascination with the tales of books as opposed to the gossip of the butcher's wife, and was simply overjoyed that it was someone so young.
Duo narrowed his eyes dangerously, smiling softly. "Scared of a little competition?" The greying old man laughed, sitting down at a chair behind his desk. When no reply came, the town oddity continued. "Well, you know, I just couldn't put it down. It was great! I just loved the part where the fox joined forced with the hunter, to catch the rabbit. Those are the kind of things you'd never hear of anywhere but books!" Both of them shared a soft chuckled, and Duo's bright, inquisitive eyes scanned the room again. "Have you got anything new?"
"Not since yesterday, I'm afraid!" The elder replied, the amusement apparent in his weary voice. Duo shrugged and wandered over to the small bookcase, holding up a finger and scanning through the titles.
"That's okay. I'll just borrow..." his finger floated over a worn book with a beautiful red leather coat, the edges lovingly worn down by the thumbs of its readers. He paused, debating whether or not his selection was the right one, then settled at last on his decision and pulled the book out of the shelf, catching it nimbly with his other hand. "...this one!"
The owner of the store leaned over in his chair, glancing over to see what his most eager student fancied this fair Thursday morning. His eyes widened, and a fatherly grin appeared on his face that suggested he'd caught Duo in the act of indulging in a cookie right before dinner, but didn't have the heart to tell him off.
"That one?" He repeated, trying not to give in to friendly laughter. "But you've read it three times already!" Duo clutched the aged book to his chest, closing his eyes and smiling as he explained his choice.
"Oh, but this one's my favourite, Morty." He declared, addressing the aged man by the nickname he'd given him. "It's the best of all of them! Far off places, brave adventurers, and forbidden love! It's more that just a book..." he declared, opening his eyes and looking down at the tome innocently held aloft by his hands. "It's an old friend." Mortimer smiled.
"You really do love that book, don't you?" He asked softly, to which a nod was his only response. The observant old man realised that Duo had probably meant what he said, calling the book a friend. The boy had very few, if any at all, and none of them were his age. A soft of sad pity formed in his heart for his young companion, and he made up his mind that instant. "If it means that much to you, it's yours." Duo's eyes widened in shock, and his mouth flapped open.
"But sir-!"
"I won't take no for an answer. Keep it." The man sighed softly, mounting a pair of spectacles on his nose to peer down at his taxes, trying to work them out so that he wouldn't have to focus on the tragic boy standing just to his left. "Goodness knows you need that old friend more than I do." This last part was said softly, and hadn't been intended for Duo to hear. He pretended that he hadn't, and his face lit up with joy.
"Oh, thank you, Mortimer! This means so much to me!" He spun a bit on the spot, clutching the book to himself once more and running his fingers across its front in admiration of the gift. "Thank you!" Duo rushed out of the door at once, the expression of pure delight lighting up the room even after he was gone. Mortimer smiled, then went back to his paperwork with a sigh.
As the longhaired boy came out of the bookshop, practically dancing down the streets, a few boys shot him dirty glares.
"Lookit him! He's just... so... not normal!" The boys nodded and grumbled in agreement, crossing their arms and scowling.
"Wiv' that bloody long hair, and those big, stupid eyes, you'd think 'e was a girl!"
"Ah well, can't blame 'im for bein' a bit off his rocker- his uncle's a real crackpot."
"Hah, it's no wonder he wasn't forced to get that ugly braid of hair lobbed off by now; the looner's too stupid to see that 'e's a fella, not a dame!"
On the other side of the street, a somewhat different conversation was being held about the exact same thing; or more, person. The quartet of girls chattered noisily about him once he'd passed, swapping opinions on the odd boy. One girl in particular looked after him, with a sort of curiosity in her eyes, and a gleam that was reminiscent of someone who'd been handed a challenge.
"What a strange one, he is."
"Oh yes. He's not all that bad looking though, if he'd just get rid of that silly hair."
"I think it's cute." The girls all tittered at the comment, immediately embarrassing the girl for daring to voice her opinions.
"Don't be silly, Hilde! It's dreadfully horrid!"
"'Tis not!"
"Oooh, I think she fancies him..." A whisper went through the crowd of girls, and a blush formed on the girl who'd been identified as Hilde.
"I do not!" She huffed indignantly, crossing her arms. "It's just, you're all dreadfully cruel to him, and I think someone ought to stick up for him!" The three others all giggled at this, a noise much more malicious than most would expect from teenage girls.
"She does like him, poor thing. You'll never get to that boy; I hear he's never had a girlfriend, and sits up all day at home, doing you'll never guess what!" A second girl widened her eyes, as if it were the secret to some great mystery.
"What? Does 'e drink, or som'fink illegal?"
"Naw!" the other replied, "Nothin' nearly as masculine or bold as that! He sits up in 'is room all day, and reads!" All but Hilde laughed at that, as though it were terribly outrageous. "No, my dear, I don't think even the cleverest, prettiest girl could land a strange one like him." It felt to Hilde like they were talking about a fish rather than a boy, but decided to keep her mouth shut.
"I could." One of them suddenly interjected, speaking for the first time since Duo had passed. They all gave her incredulous stares, until he crossed her arms and pouted. "Well I am the prettiest girl in town, and I'm not stupid either. I know how men think. I could get anyone I wanted." One of the other two smirked.
"Go on then, Relena. I bet'choo a pair of earrin's that you can't." The girl saw it as a cheap way to get herself some new jewellery, having missed the dangerous spark that lit in the girl's eyes as her dare reached the girl's eyes.
"Can too. I'll prove it to you. I'll have him hanging off of me and begging for my hand in marriage by the end of the month." The other girl grinned.
"It's a bet."
---------
Duo quickly set his book down in the kitchen, and then ran down to the cellar where he knew he was sure to find his uncle. The plump, short man was indeed down there, working away at his latest invention. He glanced once at Duo before continuing to tinker with the underbelly of some great monster, which the boy supposed was some sort of robotic contraption to open cans or chop wood.
"'Cha makin', Uncle?" Duo asked, poking around where he hoped he wasn't getting in the way. His legal guardian rolled out from under the thing, grinning proudly.
"It's a machine for cleaning fish ponds and feeding the fish! That way when rich people go away, their fish won't die! Isn't it ingenious?" Duo nodded meekly, not having much to say. It was certainly... unique. "I'm taking it down to the fair tonight! Want to come?" This time Duo's head moved in a different way.
"Nah... got a book from town today. Good old Morty is letting me keep it!"
"That was awfully nice of him. I hope you said thank you. Pass me that twiddler?" The violet-eyed boy reached into a toolbox and produced a screwdriver, easily comprehending his relative's odd words for things. He handed it to the old man, who slid back under the machine.
"Of course. I thanked him twice!" Duo paused, thinking back to what the owner of the bookstore had muttered under his breath. "Uncle... do you think I'm...odd?" The pot-bellied old man rolled out from under his device again, frowning and looking right at the boy he considered to be his son.
"What makes you say that? You're perfectly normal." Duo nodded, and that ended the conversation. "I'm going to be leaving for the fair in about half an hour. Will you be okay here without me until late tomorrow?" The youth sighed heavily, but grinned nonetheless.
"I'll be fine."
---------
About an hour after his uncle left with his invention and their horse, Philippe, Duo heard a knock at the door. He frowned, but went to it out of curiosity. Nobody ever came to visit them, outside of the taxman, but he'd come just last week. He wouldn't be returning for another month. Hesitatingly, he pulled open the front door, his book dangling from his hand. The girl standing on his doorstep was hardly what he'd expected, and raised an eyebrow as if to ask what she wanted.
"Bonjour!" He quipped cheerfully, tossing a lock of pale blonde hair behind her shoulder. "You're Duo Maxwell, aren't you? I don't think we've ever been introduced. I'm Relena Peacecraft." Duo's eyebrow rose even further as she held out her hand, obviously expecting him to kiss it like a gentleman. From all that he read, he knew what she was anticipating, but decided to deny her such until he knew her better. So instead, he grabbed her hand and shook it gently. She was startled, but quickly regained her composure.
"What a lovely little house you live in!" She exclaimed, somehow manoeuvring around Duo and making her way into the kitchen at the front of the quaint cottage that the boy and his uncle lived in.
"Yes..." Duo finally interjected, confused as to what she was doing in his house. "Uh, not to sound rude, mademoiselle, but uh... is there a reason you came so unexpectedly a-knockin' on my door?" She sat herself down in a chair, seeming to make herself quite comfortable and slowly grinding on Duo's nerves. "Only, I'm sort of in the middle of something..." He held up his book to explain, and she took it from him.
"Oh, so you do like to read a lot!" Relena said, flipping through the book quickly for appearances before closing it and setting it down on the table, effectively losing Duo's place. She looked up at him and placed an elbow down against the countertop, leaning towards him with a suddenly smouldering gaze. "But doesn't it get a little bit... lonely?"
Duo frowned, not taking the bait. "Not really. I like my solitude. Besides, I have the baker to talk to, and my uncle, and-"
"That's not what I meant!" Relena nearly snapped, then went back into her seduction ploy. "I meant... don't you ever long for the company of... a girl?" Duo stepped back a pace, baffled.
"N-no, not really, come to think of it." He stuttered, suddenly finding himself backed against a wall with Relena slowly advancing. She brushed a few of his chestnut bangs from his face, letting her hand rest on his cheek longer than necessary.
"Oh, surely you think about female company... companionship... and maybe even... intimacy." She leaned up right near him, her face hovering near his. Duo felt uncomfortable prickles run up his spine, and just as she closed her eyes and began to advance with lips all a-puckered, he ducked out, kicked open the door and shoved her outside.
"Can't talk now, chores to do!" He shouted, then ran and grabbed a broom and began to sweep the floor so that he wouldn't be lying. When she began to protest, he slammed the door shut in her face. The girl blinked once, then twice, then surmised that the boy must be dreadfully shy from inexperience, being all cooped up in that house like he was. She smiled at what she decided must have been coyness, then turned around and headed to the village to brag to her snooty friends about how she'd already begun to make progress with the normally unreceptive boy.
---------
Once he was good and sure that she was gone, Duo slunk out the back door and sat on the hilltop beside his house, overlooking the village. The wind came and played with his bangs, pulling lightly at his long rope of hair and dancing with the few strands that had come loose since he'd braided it that morning. He sighed, singing softly and letting the wind take it from his lips and carry the words away somewhere that maybe people lived how they want and weren't whispered about for it.
"'Monsieur... Peacecraft'... can't you just see it?" Duo's eyes closed and he leaned back into the grass, opening his eyes again and staring at the purple sky that was slowly turning a midnight blue. "'Monsieur Peacecraft'... her 'hubbykins'." He sighed again, wistfully, running his fingers through his hair. "No sir! Not me! I guarantee it! I want much more than this provincial life!" He raised his voice from the whisper it had been, crossing his hands behind his head and staring up at the stars. "I want adventure in the great wide somewhere... I want it more than I can tell..." He closed his eyes, and a small trickle of a tear appeared, and then rolled down his cheek and jaw. "And for once it would be grand... to have someone...understand... I want so much more than they've got planned..."
Suddenly a loud whinny shook him from his thoughts, and Duo rose quickly to see what was going on. There weren't any horses nearby other than Philippe, and Uncle had taken him to the- Duo paled. 'Oh no... uncle!' He ran out towards the forest, and was almost trampled when Philippe came bursting out of the foliage, screaming and breathing quickly, trailing the cart haphazardly behind him.
"Whoa, easy there, buddy! Calm down, calm down, you're okay!" Duo struggled to regain control of the panicking animal, glancing around fearfully all the while for any signs of his uncle. After a while, the poor horse stopped rearing up in fright and finally managed to control it's fear. Duo wrapped an arm around his neck, rubbing his cheek soothingly with the other hand. "Where's Uncle, Philippe? What happened to him?" Duo wished that he could somehow understand the frightened creature, but knew there was a definite communication barrier.
Somehow Philippe knew that Duo needed to find the old man that took care of him, and so when the nervous youth unattached the cart and flung himself up onto his back, the horse set off back into the forest. He knew that there were wolves and cliffs and fearful castles out there, but he also knew that there was a boy on his back with a loyalty to the horse's master that was bound by love. That was more than enough to convince Philippe that he had to go back into the forest, back to that dreaded castle.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
And there you have it! Chapter one! : ) I hope you all liked it, because I'd love to hear back from you on this to know if I should keep going. Please review, and if I get enough positive responses I'll write the next chapter. Oh, and just so you know, this is like... my longest chapter EVER. And that counts the times when I used to splice chapters together to make them longer. Heh. U Consider yourselves lucky. I guess I was just having fun writing this. Well, leave a review! Bye!
