A/N: So I decided to take the theme 'foreign' to mean 'AU'.

Readers: LAME.

A: Shut the hell up. Time for the warning for you all: This is a PROGRESSION fiction. That means how the characters start in the beginning with be DIFFERENT in the end. So they'll be IC (well, as IC as I can make them) at the start and slowly develop their characters, which essentially happens in every good Yullen fic-considering Kanda is a tight-ass prick that needs to get loose shorty. (snap snap) I'm also adding a light layer of cheese over each person, because this is (after all) a fairy tale.

Also, Tyki Mick is SO OOC. I may as well have made a new character and stuck Mick's face on it. :( Poor Tyki-the shit I do to him.

So enjoy. :)

Disclaimer: Pol...pot...pol...pot...pol...pot...pol...POT! Polpot polpot polpot polpot no I don't own -Man polpot polpot polpot polpot! IT'S A-!

Once upon a time, in a land not so far as you might imagine, there was a castle. Rumors from all around the area had spread far and wide, from ideas that were palpable to clearly insane. Some said it was the only reminder of an old king that had lived there, after being burned at the stake by his adversaries. Some said it had been built by a wealthy merchant who had later lost his fortune and left the castle to rot after committing a nasty suicide. Some said it was uninhabitable, some said it was stupid to even think about, but by far the most dastardly claim was that it was inhabited by a horrid monster, a beast beyond the realm of humanity, that tore the flesh from children, tortured women and made a brave man's blood stop cold at sight.

Travelers passed it off as local folklore, shrugging their shoulders and satisfied at having something to tell their family on their return. Merchants and seamen shook their heads and cursed-no business up there, so no point. Neighboring towns steered clear of the subject, not wanting to replace their recipes of bread for those of trouble and only spoke of it as foolishness and the moanings of superstitious farmers. But the nearest town that sat on the edge of the mountain from where it stood was silent. None went into the forest at night, and none dared mention the beast at all. The old went as far as to even cross themselves every time they looked to the mountain, praying for their safety and the continued solitude of the beast, never wanting it to come down and-

They never thought of that.

And so the mystery of the castle remained as such. No one daring to tamper with the raw edges of the tapestry for fear of unraveling something that couldn't be put together.

It would have remained so, if something hadn't happened. Something significant, something inconceivable.

Or rather, someone.

Allen smiled, pulling on his gloves and walking out into the sunshine. It was a beautiful day and he wanted to make the most of it. He snatched the basket he'd placed at the front of the door and strolled out happily, whistling to himself-if he could be so bold to say-a catchy tune that was purely improvised.

He smiled and waved to the fishermen, who gladly waved back in return. He stopped and bowed politely to the young group of women crossing his path, and they covered their mouths and giggled, faces growing red. He helped an old woman cart up her bag of groceries into her home, and she thanked him with scrunched wrinkled eyes and a toothless smile. He saved Jean from a run-away wagon (again) and was thanked profusely by his mother, and was scowled at by the child.

All in all, it was a very normal morning for Allen Walker.

He smiled wider as he reached his destination-his smile was always in place after all, there was so much to be grateful for-setting down his basket and stretching his limbs. He lay down, taking in the sun and sighing as the wind caressed his face, hair tickling his cheek and chin with intimate affection.

The trees swayed softly and the grass shimmered with morning dew and light. Birds flew from branch to branch, calling for love from another so as to continue the cycle of life. Children could be heard playing in the town below, and Allen scratched the back of his neck as he relaxed into the soft wet ground, not caring he'd only washed his clean clothes yesterday.

Cross was gone, and Allen wanted to celebrate.

It wasn't as though he hated the man. Quite the contrary, he did have a sentiment that could almost resemble affection towards him. He housed and fed him, he taught him and provided him with a place to sleep.

No wait-Allen did those things on his own. Just what did Cross do...?

That's right, piled him in debt, causing him to travel from town to town to escape the desperate souls he borrowed from, getting Allen into heaps of trouble quite unneeded by a young man of only 16.

That's right, Cross was a jackass.

Allen's smile furrowed into an ungentlemanly scowl as he thought of his "guardian" who was on a so-called "business meeting." Yeah sure, if your business involved harlequins and expensive liquor, Cross did a LOT of business.

Allen turned on his side, muttering to himself about irresponsible men and the punishments they deserved. He closed his eyes and focused on his surroundings. A chipmunk was somewhere near him, chittering and munching on a nut. A frog down by the lake grunted and croaked, annoyed at having nothing to do except wait for its meal to come along. Allen smiled when he heard the joyful shouts of the fishermen, no doubt catching their prime fish of the day.

Speaking of, he was rather hungry.

He sat up and dug around in his basket, taking out a larger than normal sandwich and biting into it generously. He sighed contentedly as mayonnaise dripped down his chin and looked down at the town once more. Then he squinted his eyes, noticing someone coming towards him.

Who could that be...? he wondered as he shoveled some pecans to his open mouth. Allen paused, recognizing the figure, and groaned.

He just never could get his peace.

The grass crunched next to his head, and Allen turned reluctantly to look up at a beautiful man with golden eyes and a dazzling smile.

"My dear Allen," Tyki smiled, mostly for his own benefit-he could clearly see his teeth shining in the water below and it was quite fetching-and sat beside the young man. "What is a beautiful young thing like you doing in this unfit environment?"

"Hello Tyki," Allen said, smiling and obviously in awe that Tyki had come to sit by him. What a lucky boy indeed! "I was only getting some peace and quiet." Tyki laughed and smoothed his hair.

"Oh please! You can get enough of that in prison!" He gave a jovial laugh and winked at Allen. "Now come, tell ol' Mick how you're doing today." He leaned back on his hands and stared quite romantically into the eyes of Allen, and Allen looked away. Tyki held back his chuckle, knowing his gaze had that effect on most.

Allen paused, not quite sure if Tyki meant what he said. Tyki had the marvelous habit of saying things he...well, didn't mean. Allen looked back into his eyes, staring at the golden orbs curiously. After a time, he opened his mouth, giving Tyki the benefit of the doubt and thinking that maybe, this once, his opinion mattered.

Tyki cut him off.

"I know I know, you're wondering what I'm doing here with you! Well, it's a story, that. You see Allen, I like you a lot. I really do. I know there have been some rumors about me being, well, you know, interested in another track of footprints, but I just wanted to let you know that that is mostly untrue." Tyki licked his lips and stared at Allen, barely resisting the urge to jump on him and make him his here and now.

Allen stared back, befuddled.

"Mostly?"

"Yes. Mostly."

"Different track of footprints."

"Yes. Different track."

"...I'm afraid I don't know what you mean." Allen said, shaking his head, and thoroughly confused by the conceited man's behavior.

"What I mean to say dear boy, is that-" Tyki leaned forward and touched his nose to Allen's, so close he was. "-I like you." Tyki smiled. Allen swallowed.

"Um, thank you Tyki." he said, backing away only to have Tyki lean in closer. "But I uh, I'm afraid, I only like...um, one set of tracks."

Tyki's eyes bolted open. "Only one?"

"Yes, afraid so." Allen sighed in relief when Tyki stood up, brushing off his pants. He began to walk away, and Allen sank back into the ground a bit, so happy things could end this well. Hopefully Tyki would make himself scarce from now on, and Allen wouldn't have to worry about-

"...Things are subject to change Allen." Tyki said suddenly, causing Allen's train of thought to screech to a halt. Tyki bit his lip and gave Allen a full head to toe gaze, one that made Allen feel very, very dirty after completion.

"So I'm told." Allen muttered softly as he watched Tyki Mick saunter away, leaving Allen to feel very uneasy and in desperate need of a loofa.

"Hey Tim, how are you feeling today?" Allen asked sincerely, smiling as he received a happy neigh in response. He rubbed the cross-like mark on his horse's forehead and took out the brush.

Timcanpy was the one possession that Cross had brought home that (as of yet) hadn't been taken away by some collector. He was Allen's favorite animal, and really, favorite being. Timcanpy was the one Allen went to when he was stressed, and he could always count on the animal to hear him through. Timcanpy patted his hooves on the ground gratefully and blew air from his nostrils.

Allen sighed. "Okay, only because you asked." He realized awhile ago just how strange it was that he spoke so closely with his horse, but by that time it was too late. "I saw Tyki Mick today." Timcanpy made an inexcusable noise, and Allen frowned. "Hey, I'm the one in here you know." Tim shuffled his feet again and Allen sighed, continuing. "I think...he's interested in me. You know. That way." Tim stared at him with huge eyes and Allen snorted. "Yeah, I know."

Tim shook his head and guffawed. "I know he's good looking, but I don't want just that. I don't particularly care he's a guy either it's just...he's so...annoying."

Timcanpy opened his mouth as though about to snort, but stopped, leaned his head to the side and closed his mouth. Allen would have remarked at Tim's human-like ways if he weren't so used to them.

"The only thing I want right now is peace. I don't care about love or adventure, I just want to find someplace to rest. You understand, don't you Tim?" Tim clacked his teeth and kicked his stall, as if saying he didn't really care-he was a goddamn horse. "Yeah, okay Tim. Now hold still, you've got a knot here." Allen forgot about his troubles for the moment, picking at a particularly nasty knot in Timcanpy's mane. He didn't think about his constantly drifting life, and he didn't think about the advances of Tyki Mick. He didn't think about what Cross would do when he got back, or just how large the bill would be. He thought about Tim's knot, and what he would make for dinner.

His peace lasted for about two minutes. Allen and Tim both jumped when the house door sounded as if it were being rammed down.

"Marian Cross! General Marian Cross!" Allen knew those desperate cries all too well. "Marian Cross you have a bill to pay!" Another collector. Allen left Tim's mane and grabbed a harness, readying Tim faster than if he'd had super powers-at this point, maybe he did. He jumped on Tim's back and clenched onto the reins. "Okay Tim, time to get out of here. Again," he sighed, regretting the loss of his house and valuables. Oh well, he thought, trying to remain optimistic, at least I won't have to see Tyki Mick again.

He kicked Timcanpy's side and the horse gave a loud whinny. He bolted through the closed stall and Allen brought him to a full gallop, never looking back to see the horrified face of the collector as he wasn't even stopped from entering straight into the woods.

In the back of his mind, Allen knew it was strange that the collector wasn't following him. Knowing Cross, his debts were alway mountainous, and no one ever would let a huge amount of money go unspoken for.

He also knew he was headed in the wrong direction. Not because he's turned left instead of right at the birch tree, or he was heading north instead of south, he only knew because he was always so terrible with directions, and constantly getting lost, due to some inbred inability.

Allen knew these things and rode on.

As cliché would have it, Allen would look back at this time and shrug his shoulders, not knowing why he didn't just stop and camp out for the night on the road, or imagining perhaps it was fate pulling him by the strings. This however could very well and easily be explained-Allen rode on because he was scared shitless. He didn't care that the collector wasn't following him, and he didn't care that he was going in the wrong direction, the only thing he knew was that he was honest-to-God fearing for his life.

Because right behind him were a pack of very cold, and very hungry, wolves.

"Go Tim, go!" Timcanpy cried out in fear and pressed onward, practically retorting he didn't need the encouragement. A wolf snapped at Tim's hind legs but Allen pressed into his side, making sure to convey not to stop and kick but to go faster.

Allen turned his head just slightly and saw the foam leaking from the mouth of the second closest. He swallowed and shuddered in fear as the thought of being bitten by that came across his imagination-and was more than likely a probability in the current situation. His eyes whipped around again, concentrating on the road and for anything nearby that would be of assistance. An outstretched branch, a nearby town, a castle-

A castle?

Allen steered Timcanpy to the right, and the horse hardly protested. He galloped faster and faster, doing everything his fear-stricken body could do to pick up the speed and get them to sanctuary.

It came faster than Allen could have hoped for and he expertly dived forward, jumping off of Tim and opening the gate. Sweat formed on his brow and his stomach did flips as the wolves came closer and closer. The gate was old and rusty and Allen couldn't open it on his own.

"Dammit! Run Tim!" he cried out. Staring at the incoming dogs with horror as he realized there was nothing he could do.

But Timcanpy wasn't having it. With a desperate whinny he backed up and kicked the gate open. Allen gaped for all of two seconds before rushing himself and his horse inside.

"Now Tim!" Timcanpy again struck the gate with his hooves and slammed them on the anticipating carnivores. Howling began, and the rabid one bit the metal of the gate, eyes glowing red. Allen grabbed Tim's reins and ran back, away from the danger of being eaten. He ran with Tim and hid behind a wall, out of sight from the wolves. One by one they headed away, and soon, the only trace they'd been there was the white drool that covered the lower gate. Allen looked to Tim, chest heaving from the near threat of death.

He laughed.

He laughed so hard he began to shed tears, and in an altogether heap of exhaustion and hysterics he plopped down on the ground and leaned back against the wall. Timcanpy followed suit and nudged Allen's cheek with his nose.

"That was close," Allen smiled. Tim snorted. "Yeah, too close."

He stroked Tim's mane, and Tim seemed to relax to the touch, glad to be done with the ordeal. Allen sighed, and then looked up.

"Whoa."

Whoa, indeed. Allen looked up and up and up and still couldn't take in the castle before him. Honestly, in the woods it had only been a flash and a realization, but he'd never thought any castle could be this big. It was twilight now, so the castle appeared black to Allen's tired eyes. Ominous sculptures decked the rooftops and scowled down at Allen, reprimanding his entrance. At least, that's what it looked like the nicer ones were doing. Allen grimaced in horror as he looked closer and saw some of them appeared to be committing suicide. He wondered just what kind of sick being had inhabited this place. He looked to Timcanpy and shrugged his shoulders. It was only one night. And there was no way he was going out there again, only to be chased by more rabid animals.

Cautiously, he grabbed hold of his horse and walked forward. He looked around the yard and saw nothing much. Grass still grew, but was slightly dried, making Allen wonder. It was well into spring now, so why was the vegetation drying? Allen chalked it off to climate differences and headed on. He only wanted a bed for the night. He reached the doors and stared at the handle. A grim face stared back at him and Allen winced. That would accompany his nightmares tonight. He grabbed the knocker, hoisting it up for all his strength and dropped it, hardly believing something could be so heavy. The bronze slammed onto the door, and Allen hoped it wouldn't leave a permanent dent in the wood.

He waited, and no one arrived. He looked to Tim inquisitively. Tim appeared to shrug.

"Here's goes nothing," Allen muttered and grabbed hold of the handle. He turned it and it creaked and cracked under his touch, not wanting to be disturbed after all these years of negligence. He grit his teeth and continued on-dammit he'd give himself a nice long bath too (assuming there was water)-and finally heard the lock snap out of place. Taking a much needed deep breath, he pushed open the door, and nearly gave himself a heart attack with what he saw.

"Who are you?"

Author's Note: I failed Yullen Week. :( I didn't finish, so I wrote a bonus story to be posted...now or later, who knows.

So after today, I'm going back tomorrow and separating this huge thing into chapters with small commentaries after each one-because I feel like a lot needs to be explained, and if I did I now, it would take, oh, maybe three pages Oo;

Also, since I'm all hyped up about my new baby (aka my new LEATHER pants) and since I have a strange condition that causes me to have a love/hate relationship with cliches, I really want to do a fanfiction that's a MUSICAL that borrows from the plots of West Side Story and Grease, and adding some flavor of old classics like The Warriors, In the Heat of the Night and Life of Brian (lul, wtf?). CAN YOU DIG IT? However I do think it would be Lavali centric with Yullen on the side. So if interested, go ahead and drop a review saying you like it, or if you have questions drop a review to ask them, or if you hate it drop a review and tell me to write it anyway. ( 8D )

And since I'm not a po-LICE offic-AH (LOVE Sidney Poitier) feel free to give me any harsh criticism.

Also, I love EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU that read this fic. Just for existing. Je t'aime mes beaux. Always look on the bright side of life.