Sunday came very slowly but Gaston hastily made his way to the Matilda's village, clutching a large bunch of wild flowers as he made his way to her house, double checking his appearance as he walked up to the door, knocking sharply once he was certain.
He didn't need to wait long as the door was opened, but instead of the familiar build of Matilda a tall, broad shouldered man stood at the door, a raw scar bisecting his face bright red hair pulled back into a pony tail. "Ah, you must be Matilda's friend. Come it." He commented dryly, opening the door to welcome him in. "Maddy. Your friends here!" He yelled as he slowly retired into a near by room.
Matilda peered round the door, her usual radiant smile gracing her face. "Oh Gaston!" she squealed walking round, wiping her flour gloved hand on her apron as she rapidly walked forwards. "Your early!" she exclaimed, but with no hint of displeasure at this face.
But Gaston was lost for words and remained tongue tied at the image before him. It appeared Matilda's masculine attire that day was not her usual wardrobe, instead she wore an off the shoulders number, in emerald green matching the exact tone of her eyes, though most of this outfit was hidden by her apron. Her fiery hair spilt into two braids, one trailing down her back while the other drooped over her shoulder.
"What?" she questioned with a small giggle, her cheek flushing once more.
"N-nothing. You just look stunning." He confessed hiding his own embarrassment with his loud laugh. "Oh, and I brought these for you." he commented proffering her the bouquet.
She took them gratefully, dipping her head to smell the fragrant emitting from them. "Oh Gaston. They are just so beautiful. Thank you." She commented softly. "Come through here. While I put these in a vase." She commented leading him into the room, where he supposed was her brother and fled too.
The room was fairly large and held four fully grown men, one elderly male, and the final one very nimble and graceful looking male, in similar stature to Matilda. "Everybody. This is the man I met in the forest. Gaston...Gaston that's my Papa, Noël." She commented pointing out the elderly male. "My older brothers Pierre, John, Lucas and Louie you already met." She explained pointing to the group of similar looking males. "And last but not least Marcus, My twin." she explained softly. "Unfortunately my other brothers can't be hear at the moment. Their wives have tied them up." She added softly.
"Bonjour." Gaston greeted sheepishly.
The response was alarming as he was bombarded by many 'Bonjours' and 'Salute' and 'Cava?' 's
"I shall be right back." She ensured, tenderly guiding Gaston into an armchair before gliding out of the room.
"So you found my baby sister in the woods, Huh? I trust you don't intend to take advantage of her big heart." One of the large males snarled darkly towards him, his eyes dark brown much more sinister than Matilda's cheerful green ones.
"Pierre! Do you mind not trying to hang, draw and quarter him before they are even courting." Matilda's father commented dryly, scowling at his son. "Forgive Pierre. We just haven't had the honour of meeting one of Matilda's friend in many years." he explained softly.
"Sure you do Papa. You saw Meriyl last Saturday." Matilda protested carrying a large vase into the room, setting it on a table, starting to arrange the bright coloured flowers neatly.
"You know what I mean Mads." Her father pointed out causing her to chuckle.
"Oh, Pierre? John? Louie?" Matilda questioned softly looking over her shoulder. "Could you go set the table for me? Dinner's almost ready." She explained before settling herself beside Gaston, kneeling on the floor and looking up at him cheerfully. "Forgive me for not being much of a hostess. You just caught me in the middle of what I was doing." She explained softly. Her green eyes glistened softly. "You look so handsome today by the way." she commented giving him her full attention, nothing liked he'd experienced last time he was with Amedea.
"It's perfectly alright. You are busy, it's understandable." Gaston soothed with a small smile.
She nodded with a smile. "Papa, Could you take Gaston to the dining room. I'm just going to serve dinner." She announced rising to her feet, and walked off to the kitchen seeming to thrive on the role of being a hostess.
Her father nodded and rose to his feet. "Come Gaston. Maddy is a little...over the top with meals. Very old fashioned and expects everyone one to be sitting there at the table." he explained leading Gaston though another door, before taking a seat at a table the other males already seated, their gloves placed formally beside their plates.
Following suit as he guessed was well mannered, Matilda walked in carrying a large tray and set it on a side table as she began to unload it's contents onto each plate, before beginning to fill each goblet set beside each plate set. "I don't get much chance of nicety's any more. They just eat and run normally." Matilda scolded glaring at her brothers.
"Well you put too much effort in. Making us feel so formal it's suffocating." Pierre protested, flinching at Matilda stuck him hard around the head with the back of her hand.
"I think it shows potential. That she'll one day make a brilliant wife for some luck man sometime down the line." Papa announced softly, smiling warmly at his daughter.
"Favouritism!" Lucas spat out playfully. "She's only the favourite, mind because she's a girl. The testosterone level is so high in this house hold we get over looked."
"No. She can't be the favourite because I'm the favourite as I am the prettiest!" John interjected batting his lashes in a playful fashion, causing all five boys to burst into laugher, so much so that Marcus fell off his chair with a loud clutter pulling himself up to the table, eyes streaming.
Gaston eyebrows quirked up to Matilda curiously, causing her to giggle lightly. "Don't look so worried. That's just my brothers. They are a little barmy, not dangerous at all." She soothed lightly, placing her hand gently on his shoulder before setting herself down to eat.
"So How was your day?" Matilda questioned softly as she raised her goblet to her lips.
Gaston was about to answered when the memory of the last time he was asked this questioned cropped up. Heeding his last major error he remained silent.
As he suspected one of her brother's answered. "Well, interesting you should ask. I infact when to the tavern to meet up with-" he started.
"Louie! How can you be so rude?!" Matilda scolded turning in her place to face her brother full on. "First of all, I do not much care for your 'escapade' with the local tavern wench, Second I am more interested in what Gaston's day has been as I have not seen him in a while and finally, Gaston is the guest and so it is obvious the question is directed at him." Matilda announced darkly. "Dumb ass!"
Noël looked startled "Matilda! Please manners, and it's not proper to curse like that." he pointed out. "Despite your ill manners there, I highly agree Maddy." he mumbled as he fed himself another forkful.
"Sorry Papa. But once more Gaston, before you were RUDELY interrupted How was your day?" Matilda asked softly, looking intently at him as she over pronounced the word rudely.
Gaston could barely conceal his surprise. Having expected a repeat of last time it took him a few moments to recover. "Well, I once again I was hunting in the forest. Same place we met. I say in the distance a massive grizzly bear. Standing about ten feet..." He announced before stopping as he heard a scoff.
The whole table turned to the smaller built male, Marcus. Who looked startled at the looks he was receiving. "What? You except me to allow him to make up alot of rubbish to impress my sister?" He snapped.
"What do you mean 'make up'?" Maddy accused quietly.
"I mean ten feet! There is no way a bear can be that size in this part of France! Even a grizzly."
"If he or she was on ones hind legs that's a different matter. Hunters measure a bears size by two legs. I mean when we look at people we don't measure by their height on four legs." Maddy interjected.
"But that still is too big for our tiny forest."
"You forget our tiny forest is infact a small band between two larger forest. It might have strayed from either the east or west."
"But...." He stopped falling back defeated.
"Sorry for that interruption again Gaston. I am truly embarrassed. If my idiot for brothers have not offended you would you be so kind to continue?" She asked softly.
Gaston's tale lead through dinner, becoming quite animated and spoke easily as the terms he used she understood fully, going into greater depth than normal by Maddy's insightful questions and by the end of it they were all sat in the living room once more. Gaston leaning forwards on the sofa, Maddy sat at his feet eyes wide with awe.
"My goodness Gaston." Maddy breathed once he had ended his tale, her hand pressed to her chest. "Your tale is so heroic! You are worthy of a place among great warriors, like Beowulf, Brave Heart, Ghengis Khan and Julius Caesar." She commented softly placing her hands on one of his knee's resting her chin on her own hands, eyes gazing dreamily into space.
"But what you forget Mads, Ghengis Khan even though he was a great warrior, is a bad guy. He was killing good people. So not such a nice comparison." John commented as all of the males of her family rose to their feet.
"Maybe so, but he was someone known for his arts as a warrior." She pointed out.
"We're going off to the tavern. The baker's son is having a celebratory drink to bid him farewell. You sure you don't want to come?" Noël asked softly as he pulled his cloak around him.
"Certain. I want to catch up with Gaston. Send Francois my regards." She answered simply.
Noël nodded and each male filed out, and left the house despite the muttered objection from one of the brother's.
Slowly Matilda pulled herself onto the sofa beside Gaston, her hands finding her braid that trailed down her chest, and began to play with it lightly, tickling her palm with the end of the thick rope, her eyes still fixed upon his face in admiration, before she slowly shimmed herself against his side.
Slowly yet cautiously Gaston's arm wrapped around her slender waist.
Matilda sighed softly nuzzling against his side softly, resting her head on his shoulder contentedly. Looking up at him she smiled her usual radiant smile which lit up her eyes like flawless emeralds. "Never, In my whole life have I met such a unique man like you Gaston. There is just something too perfect about you."
"I am no where near perfect." Gaston mumbled not risking agreeing with the compliment, not liking the waters he was currently wading in.
"Sure you are. Your easy to talk to, funny, shy yet so confident. A contradiction I know but it's true about you." she mumbled shyly. "You are also very brave and courageous while I falter alot in those courts." She added.
"Hardly. Most girls scream in terror at merely stepping on a bug or the sound of a gun, let alone hunt animals and doing all the work themselves." Gaston protested warmly, his hands cupping her chin lightly and tilted her head up to look at him, holding the deep shade of green with his own icy stare.
Slowly Maddy raised her face closer to his till her lips grazed his softly, her elegant fingers wrapping in his dark hair, pulling herself closer to him as she made to advance the kiss.
However Gaston drew back slowly so not to offend her, lightly removing her hand from his face and kissed her hand softly.
"Was it something I said? Oh...It's like that." Matilda whispered her features dropping as her hand from his grasp, her head bowed to hide her features. "Forgive me Gaston...I should have known better. What would you see in a girl like me anyway." she commented half heartedly.
"No Matilda. It's not like that." Gaston protested.
"Don't spare my feelings Gaston. I understand...Just please tell me what I lack, to make it into your heart?" she answered softly still unable to look at him.
"No Matilda. You are mistaken. You are everything a woman should be. It's just...umm...I'm afraid." he confessed quietly.
"So a big, strong man will face a grizzly bear but is quaking in his boots at the mere kiss of a girl?" she questioned uncertainly.
Gaston let out a half hearted laugh. "No, I'm not scared of you in so many words. It's just I got the short straw last time allowed a girl to get close...Twice with in a month infact." he muttered.
"Ah, I know the feeling. But I doubt you'd have gotten as deep into it as I did." She answered softly. "But shall we save our exchange of stories for another time...I'm tired." She whispered mutely, her eyes seeming shallow and lifeless, a mere shell of this woman's fiery personality.
"Do you want me to go?" Gaston asked softly, understanding the empty shell as that is the same ensemble he wore since he fell from the castle that dreadful night.
Cautiously her green orbs rose to his face, no flicker of emotion or bitterness with in these depths. But something else. Fear.
"No. I would never want that." she muttered pressing closer to his chest. "Just hold me. Hold me till the pain has lessened." she breathed her eyes beginning to droop, a few red strands of hair tumbling into her face in a childish fashion.
The larger framed male smiled warmly down at her slender frame, caressing her hair soothingly as she slowly drifted into a dreamless doze. After a while Gaston delicately scooped her up in his arms, amazed at how tiny she looked in his arms as he softly laid her down on the sofa and covered her in a blanket, kissing her cheek with a butterfly of a touch.
Slowly he began to make his way back to his home, his mind wandering over the day he'd had. Wondering what could have happened to turn this loud mouthed, confident, fiery female into a shell of who she is. Never had he seen her lively eyes look as dull as marble. What could have happened to shatter her so much?
He sighed as he walked into his dark house. Never had he been so concerned by the emotions of others, but now he wanted to be there for her. Take what ever it was that caused her so much pain. Hold her close and tell her it would be fine. Though with only a snippet of the story he had no chance of understanding. Not yet anyway.