Chapter 1: A Chance Meeting

Paris France, 1859

Diana

Madame had just pushed Diana out into the street instructing her to "find something else to do besides disrupting my business." Diana blew on her hands to keep them warm. It had started snowing, and pretty soon the streets would be covered with snow, browned by the filth. Sighing Diana decided to go walking by the docks, she had nowhere else to go after all. Her mother was busy with a client, and Louise refused to play another game of cards until she had a chance to relax.

So with nothing more than her faded brown dress for protection against the elements, Diana began her walk towards the docks, gracefully sliding across the iced over puddles on her way. Most eight year old girls would not be allowed to wonder through the slums alone. However most eight year old girls had someone to watch them and make sure they were safe. Diana did not have this luxury, so she had become accustom to going where she pleased, and running very fast when she wound up where she shouldn't have been.

Clark

"CLARK KENT!"

Clark froze he knew that voice and although not overly fond of its owner he stopped in his tracks.

"And where do you think you are going Sir?"

Clark sighed "I just wanted to throw some rocks in the water Mr. Brown." Clark stared at his tutor; the man was tall and unnaturally thin, in fact it seemed to Clark on occasion as if he could see right through Mr. Brown.

"Be sure to stay dry and come back here in exactly one hour, I don't want to have to come looking for you, understood?"

"Yes Mr. Brown." Clark smiled as his tutor walked away. That was the good thing about Brown, he made a big show of his concern for Clark while his parents where around but once out of their sight he mostly left Clark to his own devices. Clark was ecstatic. How many other 10 year old boys were allowed to wander around Paris on their own? This made Clark feel very grown up.

The Kents had come to Paris from England, for Sir Johnathan Kent to do some business with a colleague of his. Since he only needed to be in France for a few weeks, Lady Martha Kent had stayed behind in England. However Johnathan felt this was an opportune chance for his young son, Clark, to improve his French and visit some of Paris's monumental sights. So much to Martha's lamenting young Clark was packed off along with his tutor to France, where his father hoped his timid son would gain some initiative.

This was Clark's last day in Paris, tomorrow he and his father would be returning to England. Clark couldn't say he was necessarily sad to be going, he didn't much like Paris. But he had greatly enjoyed his time with his father. He wondered if his meetings would last all day, maybe he could convince him to take him to the zoo later! Clark continued to walk along the edge of the water, kicking the dirty snow as he went.

As he walked farther along, veering away from the docks he heard someone singing. Curious he followed the sound down an alley until he came out onto a street. He noticed it was significantly dirtier than the one he had been on. Clark stopped at the entrance to the alley as he saw a girl dancing around the street, singing to herself; the street was mostly abandoned so no one seemed to take notice of her. She was beautiful, gracefully twirling with an elegance most dancers had to train for years in order to obtain.

Clark was mesmerized by the scene, however the spell was abruptly shattered once he heard something barked from a doorway. He saw the girl turn to see who had spoken, then watched as her large light blue eyes filled with terror. The next thing he knew, she was running past him followed by a larger boy. Quickly Clark put two and two together and took off after them determined to help the girl get away.

Diana

When she heard her name, Diana stopped dancing despite the cold. She suddenly felt a much worse feeling than her frozen limbs. Terror spread through her body as she recognized the voice. Diana turned her head for confirmation only to see he was already running towards her. Diana took off running as fast as she could. Although a fast runner, the boy was bigger and his height gave him an advantage. She turned down random streets careless of any direction, simply trying to shake off her assailant. Soon though she came to regret the lack of attention given towards the direction she was running, because Diana found herself backed into an alley way with no means of escape. Despite the panic pounding in her ears, her pride flared to the surface, and in a commanding voice that barely betrayed the fear coursing through her veins, Diana addressed her pursuer.

"Leave me alone Marius!"

The boy's face spread into a wolfish grin.

"Oh come now Diana, you know the rules. You aren't allowed in front of my father's shop, it's bad for business." Marius sneered, and took another step towards Diana.

"I haven't done anything wrong. Your father is never here anyway, probably because he is too busy visiting my mother." As soon as the words left her mouth Diana regretted them. She was right of course. Marius's father did frequent the whore house, but he did not like being reminded of that fact. Quick as lightning Marius's fist whipped through the air and struck Diana in the jaw.

"It appears as though you have forgotten the last lesson I taught you, you little whore. Allow me to reteach it!"

"LEAVE HER ALONE!"

Paris

Next thing Diana saw was a streak of blue and red as someone ran between her and Marius, pushing the older boy away. Marius was stunned by the boy's appearance, but recovered quickly giving the new comer a quick jab to the face, which would no doubt be a nice black eye later. That's when Diana exploded with the pent up rage of a caged animal. It was one thing for Marius to bully her, but to hit this innocent boy, simply because he had come to her aid was too much.

In a flash, Diana lunged at Marius clawing his face, kicking, and punching with a mad furry. Diana had never fought back before, so Marius was completely unprepared for her attack. Confused and slightly dazed he pushed her away, trying to get free from the savage beast who was now attacking him. "Damn she is stronger than she looks," Marius thought as he fled the alley.

Once Marius had left, Diana turned to look at her would-be savior. He was crawling along the ground, apparently looking for something. Diana looked down as well and spotted a pair of glasses in the snow, she dug them out and tapped the boy on the shoulder.

"Pardon Monsieur but are these yours?"

Clark looked up, and saw the faint outline of his glasses in her hands. Gratefully he put them on, and then looked sheepishly back at the girl he had intended to save, but had wound up saving him.

"Um thanks, my name is Clark."

"Diana, your French is.…interesting C-Clark," Diana struggled to say the unfamiliar word.

"Oh that is because I am not French, I'm English." Clark smiled, clearly thinking this was something to be proud of. Diana was not so sure, but she didn't want to be rude so she smiled in return. She took a moment to observe Clark. He was taller than she was, but not by much. In fact if she stood a little on her toes they would be the same height. He had black curly hair and dark blue eyes. The blur of color she had seen upon his arrival happened to be his scarf.

"I have seen England, my mother has a map of it in one of her books, it is an Island and you have a Queen!" Diana stated proudly, hoping to impress her new friend with her vast knowledge of his country.

Clark smiled "Do you like to read?"

"Oh yes I have read all three books many times."

Clark looked puzzled. "All three? You mean you only have three books?"

"Well they are my mother's but she lets me read them whenever I want." Suddenly Diana looked very concerned, worrying that perhaps Clark didn't have any books. She would love to give him one, but she was not sure her mother would allow that. "Do you not have any books Clark?" Diana asked.

Clark tried to stifle a laugh, his family's household library had no less than 150 books. But looking at the concern in Diana's eyes, he became afraid that she would try to give him one of her books, because she thought he had none. "Um yes Diana I have many books," Clark replied.

Diana smiled, and Clark really observed her for the first time. Being from a wealthy family, Clark had had very few experiences with those below him in class standing, and never a child around his own age. Of course Clark knew there were many people who lived in poverty. But he had always viewed these people as one might Dragons, or Mermaids. Things that may exist but you have never had the opportunity to witness first hand. Now looking at his new friend he began to view her with a more critical eye.

He noticed that the sharp contours of her high cheek bones would not be so prominent if she didn't look so hungry. She also seemed rather small. Clark had met many little girls but they all seemed to dwarf Diana's rail thin frame. Finally he took into account her clothing, realizing for the first time that she possessed no coat. Her brown dress was undisguisable, too short and covered with stains and patches. Clark's naturally sympathetic nature welled to the surface, he wanted to help her but didn't know how, and then he got an idea.

"Here I want you to have this," Clark took the long blue and red scarf his mother had made him off his neck and held it out towards Diana. Her chin rose in the air, with a pride befitting a queen. "I do not need pity, especially from a man." She said with all the dignity she possessed. Clark looked crest fallen. He was just trying to be nice, why didn't she want his scarf? With the innocence of a kindhearted little boy, he had not given thought to how it must feel to depend on others' pity. Deciding he said it wrong, Clark smiled and tried again.

"This isn't pity!" Clark declared. "It is a gift, a token of friendship and trust." Clark pushed the scarf in front of Diana again, eager for her to take the scarf that now felt as if it burned in his hand.

Diana looked quizzically, at the scarf and then the boy. "I do not understand?"

"You know, a reward, for valor in battle!" Diana still looked confused so Clark continued.

"Whenever a knight saves someone or wins a tournament, he is given a token, as a sign of gratitude and respect for his abilities." Clark decided to leave out the part that most knights where men who saved women, because he didn't think that tidbit of information would help his cause.

Diana was intrigued but was still not sure if she should take the scarf. "What is a knight?" she finally asked.

Clark thought for a moment about how to best explain what a knight was. "A knight is a…a…a HERO! Yes a knight is a hero, renowned for his good deeds, who fights for justice," Clark proudly stated, pleased with his description, and once again forced the scarf into Diana's face.

Diana smiled. She knew what a hero was, and quite liked the idea of being one. She had read many stories about the heroes of ancient Greek legend. She had never read a story about a woman who was a hero though, perhaps she was the first. Diana beamed, deciding that there was no shame in accepting tribute from a man, she took the scarf and tied it around her neck.

Clark breathed a sigh of relief. "So now I suppose I am indebted to you." Clark was having fun teaching Diana the etiquette of being a hero. Allowing his imagination to take over, he decided to make a grand gesture towards this "fair maiden," just as if he was a real knight.

"Mademoiselle Diana," Clark said taking a dramatic bow, which made the younger girl giggle at his serious demeanor. He ignored her and continued.

"I wish to further show my gratitude towards you, by extending an invitation. If you ever find yourself on England's fair shores or should you ever find you require my help. Please do not hesitate to find me." Clark smiled, feeling pleased with his very adult speech, he was sure Brown would have been impressed with his use of large words. At remembering Mr. Brown, Clark's face fell.

"Quick WHAT TIME IS IT?" as if to answer his question church bells began to ring in the distance to announce the hour. Diana listened counting the bell tolls.

"It is 6," Diana stated wondering why this would be of any concern to her new friend. She was allowed to wander to her heart's content. No one had ever placed a restriction such as time on her activities, and therefore she couldn't comprehend why it should be of concern to anyone else.

Clark groaned, realizing that not only was he supposed to already be at the docks to meet Mr. Brown, he also had no idea how to get back to the docks. During his chase of Diana and her would be assailant, he had not taken the care to memorize his path, so he could retrace it later.

"What's wrong" Diana asked, seeing the concern in her friend's eyes.

"I have to get back to the docks but I don't know how to get there."

Diana smiled, thinking men must be fools if they got upset over something as simple as finding the docks. She never stopped to consider the fact that the reason Clark could not find the docks was not because men where inferior, but simply because he had not been there but once. This intellectual thinking was far beyond the 8 year old's reach, whose sole knowledge of the world was what she had observed, never considering that her view of things could be incorrect or that someone else might have had different experiences. With the simple trust of a child in the world's unchanging nature, she assumed life was the same for everyone.

Taking Clark by the hand Diana began to drag him towards the street. "Come I will take you." So the pair took off running down the streets towards the dock, lest Clark get in trouble for being late.

By the time they reached the meeting point, Clark was having trouble seeing out of his left eye. If Diana could have read his thoughts she would have told him it was because it was swelling shut and turning a triad of colors: yellow, purple, and blue. Clark, seeing Mr. Brown pacing frantically in the rapidly nearing distance, began to slow his gait, dreading the verbal reprimand he was about to receive for his tardiness.

Diana seeing him slow his pace thought he was becoming fatigued. Trying to encourage Clark to not slow down, she grabbed his hand again, and raced him towards the docks, practically throwing him at Mr. Brown's feet once the older man blocked her path.

Brown watched the approaching children with rising indignation. Suddenly the little girl practically threw Clark at his feet. One look at Clark's swollen black eye, and Brown flew into a rage. Grabbing the little urchin by her arm Brown threw her a good 5 feet back much to Clark's dismay.

Diana

"Get away you little ruffian!" Brown yelled.

Diana, confused by his treatment of her, tried to approach Clark, who was yelling at the tall man in a language she did not understand. This time Brown grabbed the scarf Diana had tied around her neck and jerked back. The force sent the little girl toppling backward into the snow.

"How DARE you hurt Master Kent!" Brown yelled. However, in his rage he had begun yelling in English, forgetting that the girl probably only spoke French.

Diana sat in the snow too shocked to move. She didn't know what this man was saying, but it still terrified her. She could hear Clark screaming in the background, but her thoughts where presently consumed with the imposing man looming over her.

"And you STEAL too, do you?" Brown said, reaching for the scarf once more. Diana reverted from her shock and slapped the hand wrapping itself around the scarf. This was her scarf; it was a gift from HER FRIEND. She had earned it, not him. Deciding she needed to get far away from this horrifying man, Diana kicked him in the knee before scrambling to her feet and rushing back through the now dark streets. The sound of Brown's howling spurring her forward.

Clark

Clark watched in horror as Diana flew backwards landing in the snow. But after hearing Brown accuse Diana of hurting him, Clark sprang into action, yelling at his tutor, who remained oblivious to what Clark was saying, too consumed with his task of teaching a lesson to the little girl who dare befriend "Master Kent." Clark grabbed at Brown's arm trying to get him to listen. Diana hadn't done anything wrong! But it was too late, Clark could see Diana already running away in the distance, his scarf blowing in the wind behind her. He felt the rough jerking of his arm as Brown began dragging him back to the hotel. Mumbling something about Clark not saying a word to his father, and letting Brown do the talking. Clark didn't care, let Brown say whatever he wanted. He was too heartbroken to care. His new friend had just run away, and he doubted he would ever see her again.

Diana

Diana ran all the way back to Madame Marie's, too terrified to slow down. All she wanted was her mother, to run into her arms and cry out her troubles. But once she entered the main room of the brothel, Diana knew this could not be. Looking up the stairs to the balcony she saw the room she shared with her mother, door shut.

Well that was that. Diana knew better than to interrupt. So she crawled behind the bar and wedged herself into a corner. The night scene was in full swing. There were card games, dancing girls, drinks, and men all around. But Diana knew Jean, the bar tender, wouldn't mind her being behind the counter, as long as she didn't get under foot.

So sitting in a corner wedged between two crates in the smoke filled bar room, Diana reflected on the day's happenings. She began to wonder if her mother was right. Were men nothing more than savage brutes, who wanted to hurt those around them? Clark had been kind to her, but he was a little boy. Maybe boys became cruel once they grew up and became men. Feeling very tired and confused, Diana buried her face in the scarf Clark had given her, and proceeded to cry herself to sleep.