Note: Well, you don't have to wait for Saturday coz here's part 2! (it's Friday here)
Reply to Reviewers:
minnikat6 : I'm glad you like it :)
maryjose416 : Yeah, it's short because I haven't finished writing. When I wrote it I caught a cold so I was unable to continue. Hope this part 2 will be long enough…
Yuuram88 : poor Wolfie will be happy soon enough…
LaDyPnAi : enjoy part 2 :)
priestessmykala : Thanks! I feel better now so here you go… another chapter :) And thanks for pointing out about how Wolfram would be so open to strangers… I didn't realize it… Well, lets just say Wolf instantly trusted Yuuri :D
wolfeye624 : enjoy this chapter :)
Lolita-mist : I have a limited English vocabulary... that's why there are not much expressions etc. but thx anyway.. I'll try
AyamiLee : more about the pendant on further chapter :)
ajgau1 : thx! so here's another chapter
Beta'd by IceFireAngel (thank you so muuuuuccchhh!!!)
-o0o-
CHAPTER I – part 2
Seven nights had gone so fast and finally the time for the Royal Ball has come. Lady Peril had bought many elegant formal suits for her sons to choose. She was constantly bragging to Wolfram about how her sons will be the best among all the guests and one of them will be chosen by the Prince. Wolfram had to help his two step-brothers dress for the ball.
When it was time to go, Lady Peril made sure that Wolfram will stay in the house. And she really meant it. The two brothers had thrown Wolfram to a small storage room and locked him there.
"Lady Peril, Conrad, Gwendal… Please! Don't lock me in here! I won't run away!" Wolfram banged on the storage door, but no one replied. He heard the faint noise of a horse neighing. The two brothers and Lady Peril had gone to the ball.
Wolfram sat down on the storage room's cold and dusty floor. He wrapped his hand around his knees and tried hard to hold back his tears. The ball… The Prince is my only hope to get out off Lady Peril's torture…
Wolfram pulled out the blue pendant and held it tightly. "Yuuri, if only you could help me…" he said before he fell asleep.
-o0o-
---
Don't you ever be afraid
I'll be there to guide you
Wherever you may go
---
"Wolfram."
Wolfram felt someone shake his body.
"Wolfram." Someone was calling his name and the voice sounded familiar.
"Wolfram, wake up."
Wolfram snapped his eyes open, realizing someone was there with him, in the storage. "Yuuri?"
Wolfram was so surprised; he saw that the storage door had been opened and Yuuri knelt beside him with worried expression.
"Yuuri… But how…? How did you manage to get inside this mansion?" asked Wolfram, knowing that Lady Peril must've put some guards on duty, making sure Wolfram won't run away.
Yuuri smiled and led Wolfram out of the storage. "I heard you call me." he said. "Don't worry about the details. Come, follow me, we don't have much time."
"For what?" asked Wolfram while dusting off his clothes.
"You want to go to the ball, don't you?"
-o0o-
With Yuuri's help, Wolfram managed to sneak out off the mansion, and Yuuri took Wolfram to a hidden tailor shop in town.
"Welcome." greeted the tailor with a warm smile. "I've been waiting for you, young boy. Come here." He ushered Wolfram to a room filled with fine suits. Wolfram noticed that the tailor wore an eye patch on his left eye.
"You can choose any of these, young boy." said the tailor.
Wolfram was amazed. "But… but these look expensive…"
"Consider it as a gift, young boy."
Wolfram turned to Yuuri, as if he was asking, "Is this alright?"
Yuuri nodded, "Don't worry. Go on."
Wolfram looked excited and began to looking through the suits, but he suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong, Wolf?" asked Yuuri.
"If I get to the ball… Lady Peril and my step-brothers sure will recognize me…" Wolfram felt sad again. "What if they find out..."
The tailor tapped Wolfram's shoulder. "Don't worry, young boy. I have a solution…" He said with a weird smile. The tailor went to a different part of the room and a minute later, he came with a beautiful baby blue elegant dress.
Dress.
A woman's dress.
"EH? I have to wear that?!"
Yuuri chuckled. "I'm sure no one will recognize you."
"Oh, well… desperate times called for desperate measures, doesn't it? Fine, I'll wear this dress."
-o0o-
"You're beautiful."
Wolfram blushed at Yuuri's comment. He stood in front of a full length mirror, watching in disbelief as he saw his own reflection. With the blue dress and his hair done neatly, he looked like a princess. A very beautiful princess.
"Thank you so much…" he said to the tailor.
"Grisella. My name is Huber Grisella." said the tailor.
Wolfram swore he had heard that name before somewhere, but he decided to think about that later. "Thank you, Mr. Grisella."
After that Yuuri escorted Wolfram to a carriage at the back of the tailor shop. Wolfram was curious. It was not an ordinary carriage. The carriage was black with golden curves across it. It looked like a very fine noble carriage. The coachman and footmen wore matching uniforms.
"Good luck, Wolfram." Yuuri bowed to Wolfram. "Or shall I call you Princess?" he laughed.
"Remember, you must go back to Bielefeld mansion before Lady Peril and your step-brothers." warned Yuuri.
-o0o-
Wolfram entered the ballroom gracefully, keeping in his mind that he is a princess right now. There was immediately a profound silence. Everyone stopped dancing, and the violins ceased to play, so entranced was everyone with the beauty of the unknown newcomer.
Nothing was then heard but a confused noise of, "How beautiful she is! How beautiful she is!"
All the ladies were busy in considering her dress, hoping to have some made the next day after the same pattern, provided they could find such fine materials and able hands to make them.
While descending the stairs, Wolfram took a quick scan of the ballroom to spot Lady Peril and his step-brothers. Conrad was dancing with the Prince, but when the Prince saw Wolfram, he quickly apologized to Conrad and ended the dance then he approached Wolfram.
The Prince greeted Wolfram and asked him for a dance. Wolfram danced so very gracefully, something he learnt from his late Mother. The guests more and more admired him. A fine meal was served up, but the young prince ate not a morsel, so intently was he busied in chatting with Wolfram. Meanwhile, Wolfram was curious… They said that the Prince, the one who is heir to the throne, was about to come of age. So why did this Prince look older than he was supposed to be? And the Prince had black hair and eyes, reminding him of Yuuri.
"What is your name?" asked the Prince, breaking Wolfram's train of thought.
Wolfram noticed that Gwendal and Lady Peril stood near them. If Wolfram told his name, then they would've heard.
Lucky for Wolfram, he heard the bell of the clock tower rang, striking twelve. Lady Peril always got home on twelve. Wolfram bowed to the Prince, "I am very sorry, Your Highness, but I must go home." He rushed outside, ignoring the Prince calling him. He got into the carriage, and asked to go as fast as possible.
-o0o-
Wolfram successfully snuck back to the Bielefeld Mansion. He left the dress at the tailor shop. In order not to raise any suspicions, Wolfram asked Yuuri to lock him back to the storage.
Not long after Yuuri left, Wolfram heard noises outside. Lady Peril and the two brothers had arrived home. He pretended to be asleep when Gwendal opened the door and let him out.
"Good. You didn't run away." said Gwendal.
"Did you have a good time?" asked Wolfram, rubbing his eyes, pretending that he was asleep all the time.
"No." Conrad answered. "A princess was there who danced with the prince almost the whole time, but no one knew who she was or where she came from. The princess was very beautiful. She ruined our chance to be the Prince's bride!"
"I saw the princess rush home when the clock struck twelve. I wonder why." said Lady Peril.
"I heard that that princess dropped something." said Gwendal.
Wolfram felt his heart jump to his throat. What?! What did I drop? "W-What did she drop?" asked Wolfram nervously.
"A ring." said Lady Peril. "I saw the ring. It had a beautiful transparent sapphire stone, looks really expensive. She must be a princess from a foreign country. No sapphire like that can be found here."
Wolfram reached out to his pocket and found Yuuri's pendant still there. Lucky I didn't drop this.
-o0o-
The next day, the Prince proclaimed, that he would marry the woman whose finger will fit the sapphire ring. He sent the King's advisor to search the entire kingdom. Wolfram was quite surprised. That ring could fit anyone's finger! He thought.
But a few days later, Wolfram found out that no princess, duchess, or any of the females in court or town fit that ring, so the Prince decided to try the ring on princes, dukes, and all men.
Finally the ring was brought to the two brothers.
"This is the last, Your Excellency." said one of the guards to the King's advisor.
"Gwendal, Conrad, this is your chance. One of you must fit that ring!" she whispered to her two sons.
"Let me try first." said Gwendal. He tried the ring, but only to find that the ring is too small. So he gave it to his younger brother.
Conrad put on the ring, but realized that the ring didn't fit. When no one was looking, he forced the ring so that it would fit his finger. "It fit me!" he claimed with victorious tone.
Wolfram was shocked. There goes his chance…
"Conrad Weller, son of Lady Peril, the Prince had proclaimed that he would marry…"
CRACK!
"NOOO!" Lady Peril screamed as she saw the ring break into pieces. Conrad watched in disbelief. A golden ring can't be broken off that easily.
The King's advisor frowned and picked up what's left of the ring, which is the transparent sapphire stone.
"The Prince will not like this one bit…" said the advisor.
"But the ring fit! The Prince must marry my son!" screamed Lady Peril again.
"I am very sorry. But he broke the ring." And with that, the advisor left Bielefeld Mansion.
"Excuse me, Your Excellency, can I see the stone?" said Wolfram.
"Who are you?" asked the advisor. Lady Peril pushed Wolfram and said, "He's nobody. Just ignore him."
"Fine then. Good day, Lady Peril."
Wolfram managed to take a quick glance of the stone. It was the stone from the ring he wore to the ball. The stone that matched Yuuri's pendant.
So there is still a chance for Wolfram after all…
-o0o-
Note : Yes, there is no fairy godmother in this fic… So Yuuri will do all the magic for Wolf (nn)
And yes… I put Wolfram in a dress, again! –evil laugh-
So, how do you think of this story so far? Is this story getting weird? Or did you like it? Reviews, criticisms, suggestions are accepted :)
Btw that short lyric above is from a song called "Your Love", performed by Gita Gutawa, daughter of a famous Indonesian composer, and featuring former Indonesian Idol runner up, Delon. I'm writing this while listening to that song.