The Best Thought Out Plans
Chapter 2: The Kindness of Strangers
Author's Notes: I hope this doesn't go unfinished. It really would be a shame. To answer a question, this story is not meant to be a parody. However, as the reader, please feel free to take it any way you like. The first chapter has been modified since this upload. It should be longer, more descriptive, and less disjointed. Or so I hope.
Disclaimer: It is through no fault of their own should characters be found acting out of the ordinary. Please give them the benefit of the doubt.
Looking back at the golden-haired prince as he struggled to free his cloak from the numerous vines and tangles of the forest, Haruhi wondered again how someone so clearly unused to the outdoor life had been permitted to step foot outside of the castle.
It had been barely half an hour since she had found the hapless prince in the forest clearing. At first, she had approached him believing that he was a lost hunter, unaware of his trespass into the King's Forest. Usually a stern warning was enough to set them straight. However, she had not been quite prepared for the sight that had greeted her instead.
She hadn't been sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her, but a quick rub was enough to convince her that indeed, Prince Tamaki, the young man she saw in the town parade every feast day, stood in front of her, trying futilely to ward off attack from… a marsh lizard? The poor creature had looked so distressed that Haruhi didn't even think before interposing herself between it and the prince, lest the lizard come to some unfortunate end for having caused the son of royalty so much panic.
It seemed that she worried needlessly, for the prince looked more afraid of it than the other way around and was more than happy to have it taken from his sight rather than taking its life. So relieved was he of being rescued from what he claimed to be a fearsome, fire-breathing dragon, that Tamaki had offered Haruhi half of the royal treasury as reward. She didn't bother to point out that such an act was unnecessary, much as how she didn't bother to correct his misperception of her gender. Haruhi was used to, and indeed encouraged the misconception, as it allowed her to patrol the King's Forest with little or no trouble.
After helping the lizard safely escape the wild gesticulations the young prince, she set about to puzzle out the Tamaki's explanation of how he came to be in the forest, with only the clothes on his back. Amongst the flowery language and the dramatic poses he struck, she was able to pick out a few key words: lost, quest, princess, dragon, and Plains of Fire. From these, she was able to infer that he was lost while on a mission to rescue a princess who was being held captive by a dragon in the Plains of Fire. While the gesture was commendable, Haruhi had serious misgivings for the success of this particular quest if it was to be undertaken by a boy that looked more frightened of his own shadow.
But he had looked at her with such earnest blue eyes, that for a moment she was stunned by his determination. There was something desperate about his attitude, as if he was compelled, despite his obvious fears, to see this quest to completion. A part of Haruhi was a bit impressed. He must love this princess very much.
Although he was lost with no provisions, and his sword stuck in the trunk of a tree, he stood in front of her no less regal than he did attired in his finest garments on the occasions he appeared in public, armed with a retinue of imperial soldiers. Haruhi found herself offering to lead him to her village to replenish his lost supplies and point him in the direction of his lost princess.
That had been half and hour ago.
Now, it was all she could do to restrain herself from rolling her eyes as she helped Prince Tamaki untangle himself from another patch of prickly bushes.
"Didn't anyone tell you that silk catches easily on thorns and brambles?" Haruhi asked as she tried her best to free the prince's dress shirt without ruining the material. The amount of raw silk the shirt was made out of was enough to feed her entire village for a month.
"I had read that the desert was a hot and dry place," Tamaki said cheerfully as he patiently waited for Haruhi to untangle his clothes. "In order to forestall the calamity that would have resulted, had I been overwhelmed by heatstroke, I took care to pack only garments made of silk—which my dressmaker assured me was of the lightest quality."
"Then I suppose you forgot that temperatures drop below freezing at night in the desert," Haruhi said, absently as she finally dislodged the final thorn. Pulling the prince to his feet, she ignored the hurt look on Tamaki's face and gave him a through once-over. Silk shirt, silk overcoat, silk trousers, and did her eyes deceive her? A belt made of delicate silk weaving! "Perhaps they can be traded for more practical clothing at the village."
Prince Tamaki seemed a bit put out that his clever idea with the silk had been so easily dismissed, but looked heartened at Haruhi's suggestion. "Certainly!" he said with renewed enthusiasm. "Why, now that you mention it, lad, I do believe I quite forgot about the drastic weather changes the desert is subject to. Perhaps I should exchange these for warm woolen leggings or a delightful turban that I've seen some of father's emissaries from the south wear."
The golden-haired prince continued to speculate on different garments and Haruhi was happy enough to let him go on, stopping him only to maneuver Tamaki away from another set of prickly bushes as she made a mental list of provisions he would likely need.
It wasn't long before the two arrived at a small village on the outskirts of the town, almost hidden by the trees. On first sight many travelers would pass by without a second look, completely missing the hidden comforts of such a tiny village.
In a town where everyone knew the other person's name, Haruhi's father ran an inn, a patched up, weather beaten building located conveniently in the middle of town. Since the death of his wife, Ryoji Fujioka ran the inn alone with the vigor of a man half his age. He had figured that with one parent gone, he would have to do the work of two to make up for the loss.
Unfortunately for Haruhi's friends and potential suitors, this brisk efficiency was also coupled with more than over-protective tendencies.
"And who did you say you were again?" Ryoji asked with suspiciously narrowing eyes. "Tarniky?"
Upon seeing Haruhi with a strange boy, being the doting father he was, Ryoji had immediately dragged both of them to a private corner to perform his customary interrogation.
"Tamaki," the blonde haired prince repeated patiently.
"That's what I said," Haruhi's father scowled, daring the other boy to contradict him. Ryoji seemed almost put out when he didn't. "What's your business with Haruhi?"
"Well, my esteemed citizen," Tamaki prepared himself to repeat the story of how he came to meet Haruhi again for the third time. It seemed strange to him that such a man full of vigor should also be so hard of hearing. "It started when I saw a monstrous creature in the clearing…"
The dark haired man scowled. "I'm not deaf, boy. I heard what you said the first time. I'll ask you again. What's your business with Haruhi?"
"I seek to reward your son for saving my life, of course," Tamaki said cheerfully, missing the look exchanged by the two Fujiokas. "In exchange, he's promised to lead me to his village whereupon I may restock my supplies before riding to the Plains of Fire."
"Well," Ryoji seemed much more relaxed now that he didn't suspect untoward attentions being levied upon his beautiful daughter. "That sounds fine, then. When are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow morning, if possible," the blonde boy replied. "As you are aware, I am currently on a mission to rescue a damsel in distress. Waiting any longer would be unseemly."
"We'll be leaving now to see Souga and Kurakano before the shops close," Haruhi cut in, to forestall further questioning. She stood up, gesturing to Tamaki to beat a hasty retreat. "We'll be back before nightfall."
Although slightly confused, the blonde prince did as she bade and sketched an impromptu courtly bow to her father. "Until we meet again, good sir!" He would've stayed longer to say good-bye properly had Haruhi not dragged him away.
Ryoji watched as the door closed upon the two figures and he was once again alone, except for the usual customer traffic into and out of the inn. The sight of Haruhi's hand grasping the crook of the blonde prince's elbow with such easy familiarity caused a wave of bittersweet emotion to wash over him. His little girl was growing up.
Ryoji scowled. Tarniky was a dead man.
"Is your father always so…"
"Intimidating?" Haruhi supplied helpfully. "Only with strangers."
"Ah," Tamaki said looking slightly sheepish. "I thought I had unknowingly offended him or trespassed on some quaint village custom."
Haruhi shrugged and didn't bother to mention that Tamaki had been perfectly polite and had he just been missing a certain appendage, he would have certainly been well-liked. Sometimes her father's intense dislike of the general male population bordered on fanatical.
"In any case, we'll need to get you new clothes," Haruhi said weaving easily through the cobbled sidewalk. Kurakano should have something in your size. Then we'll stop by Souga's for more general camping supplies."
"Camping supplies?" Tamaki said questioningly.
"Matchsticks, tinder, bedding, and a few pots and pans," Haruhi ticked off her mental list. "The standard items."
"Ah, you mean Questing Provisions," Tamaki said knowingly. "I read about them. Although I wasn't sure what the pots and pans were for, since I had the cook prepare all the meals I would need."
"And if the food spoiled?" Haruhi asked, with a raised eyebrow. "Or if it was stolen and eaten by wild animals? What would you do then?"
At that proposed scenario, Tamaki paled. "I imagine I would have stopped by a village not unlike your own and purchased more provisions," Tamaki concluded. "Or hunt for my own fare."
"Have you ever cooked your own meals before?"
"Why would I ever do that?" the blonde boy asked in astonishment. "I may be marvelously talented in many aspects of life, but I'm afraid cooking is not one of them. I'll simply ask an agreeable villager to turn the carcass into something edible."
To this solution, Haruhi had no other recourse but to shake her head and shrug. While Tamaki may be naïve about certain things in life, he was good-natured and unfailingly optimistic about everything. Not once from the first time she met him until now had his smile wavered, or his spirits flagged. There was some irrepressible confidence about him that drew people in.
Kurakano, the town seamstress, who seemed to be quite overwhelmed by Prince Tamaki's presence, seemed to agree with that assent.
"The Prince Suou?" She looked as if she were about to faint on the spot. Haruhi wondered if she should prepare some sort of soft landing for her friend.
"Unless you know of any others, fair lady," Tamaki smiled winningly as an array of pale purple lilacs surrounded him.
Kurakano blushed and tittered nervously. She was unaccustomed to serving men of such high standing. The most famous person she had ever clothed had been the mayor some odd months ago, but that paled in comparison to a living, breathing prince! And to think Haruhi Fujioka had rescued him from a vicious beast which had somehow made its way into the King's Forest. The town would not soon forget such a momentous occasion. Utilizing her nervous energy, Kurakano immediately set to work selecting traveling gear that and cloaks of comparable size which would need little modification. A stitch here, a hem there and everything would fit the prince as if it had been tailored for him.
The question then became what would happen to all the costly silk the prince was wearing.
"You may have them," Tamaki shrugged, when broached with the question. "Haruhi has informed me that they will be unsuitable for the desert and thus I have no need of it."
Haruhi blinked in surprise. Being the son of royalty did have its perks.
Kurakano, on the other hand, vehemently refused to accept such an expensive gift. "It would be stealing!" she cried, knowing that such material would never come her way in normal circumstances. She would never have a patron rich enough, nor been successful enough to make clothes out of such high quality materials.
"You wound me by refusing," the prince laid a hand on Kurakano's cheek. "Please say you'll take them."
Unable to resist the pull of his magnetic charm, the dark haired seamstress found herself nodding in agreement. Satisfied with her response, Tamaki smiled and kissed her hand good-bye, promising to return the next morning to pick up his new wardrobe.
Not for the first time, Haruhi marveled at the amount of influence the prince was able to exert over others, without being consciously aware of it. Finally, she could no longer keep her thoughts to herself.
"Are you a magician?" Haruhi asked bluntly, as they walked out of Kurakano's shop.
"Pardon me?"
"It's just that you're constantly surrounded by flowers," she pointed out. "There were roses at the clearing and just recently, lilacs."
"Ah, I see. No, I'm afraid it's not as mysterious as that. Actually, the flowers were part of a blessing given to me at birth by one of my fairy godmothers," Tamaki explained. "They appear whenever I feel a particularly strong emotion, and seem to dissipate of their own accord. They're quite pleasing to the eye, don't you agree?"
"Mmm," Haruhi nodding absently, for another thought had just occurred to her. "Were you, by any chance, blessed with any other gifts?"
At this question, the prince winked. "That's a secret."