Hey there, I'm back! Miss me? Because I'm sure I missed you, my dear sugarplums! heehee... anyway, I'm done with exams and phew! I hope I make it to the top 5%, let's see how it turns out! but yes, on with the story!
Chapter 7
"Where in the Lord's name is she!?" exclaimed Tatsuki, as she paced back and forth the crowded little entry of the orphanage. It was nearing sunset already, and Ayame was nowhere to be seen. All the children sat about the room, on the steps, on the window panes… they say silently, not knowing what to say. Tatsuki exhaled impatiently.
"A bucket of jam! A bucket of jam was all she set out for and now, she's nowhere in sight!" she fumed. Earlier that day, she even set out to Beuvron-en-Auge to search for her best friend, she spoke to that man Urahara, heard that Ayame had visited to him, and that was the last he'd seen of her.
Where was that girl! It wasn't a question anymore; it was a yell of frustration. The children all cringed at their hot-headed caretaker… but they were worried too. What had happened to Ayame? This wasn't uncommon of her, but it wasn't a frequent occurrence either. They'd all had their crepes with strawberries in the morning, wondering what was taking Ayame so long. After lunch, they were anxious… by dusk they were all practically breathless. Where could she be?
"Where could she be at this ungodly hour?" shouted Tatsuki. The last time she'd gotten lost, she was missing for a good day before she showed up the next afternoon drained of energy; apparently she'd taken the wrong way home and went in circles before she found an old inn and spent the night. Today couldn't have been any different, right? She's probably in an inn right now, sipping hot chocolate and mentally slapping herself for getting lost yet again. And when she returned home… there would be some serious explaining to do, along with some good-hearted thumps to the skull.
Tatsuki sighed. She should've trusted that darn intuition of hers. Even though she wasn't exactly the best example of the perfect woman, she was a woman, and a woman's intuition should never be ignored. She looked down at Rosalind, who was tugging at her gown. She looked frightened, poor thing.
"Tatsuki?" she whispered. "Ayame'll be home soon, won't she?" Tatsuki breathed and gave a tight smile. "Yes, she'd better be. For her sake." She replied, before taking the little girl into her arms. "It's not like this hasn't happened before. She's always made it back, hasn't she?" she rubbed noses with the girl, eliciting giggles from her small form. "Yeah. And Chatain's with her too, she's bound to come back." Added Jacques excitedly. "Yeah! She's alright!" echoed the rest. Tatsuki smiled, for real this time. Whenever things go wrong, one could always depend on childish innocence to get one through. They knew things would get better- according to children, there is never an ending except a happy one. Ad they stuck to their notions. She motioned the gathering towards their rooms, feeling hope swim through her. Ayame'll come back. These children were proof of that.
As the winds eerie melody grew louder, the young red-head drew her cloak well over her. They walked silently, and she thought she could make out the outline of a black horse feeding on the wild grass a few feet away. The duke seemed to have read her mind when he answered, "Yes, this is him. Prince. Beautiful, isn't he?" the duke approached the horse, and Ayame stared in awe at the tall, graceful creature. Upon closer inspection she realized that it was actually a sort of dark brown, the colour of expensive chocolate. She walked up to it slowly, afraid of the obvious strength that rested in those muscular legs and tough body.
"He's harmless, but be careful though. He doesn't immediately take… to… strangers… well, would you look at that?" the duke said in surprise. Not only did the horse forget that Ayame was a stranger, he was currently nuzzling her neck, and the woman chuckled in response. This was a first, Prince had never been good with strangers, and only those he'd played with before enjoyed the privilege of his nestles. He frowned. What did it mean?
Ayame, on the other hand, was trying so hard not to let her laughter be heard beyond a 15 feet radius. The intimidating creature was surprisingly very playful; he jumped about her, brought its nose to her cheek and even rubbed against her head. "You're a sweetheart, you are!" she said, as she brushed it's mane off of its long face. The horse neighed. The duke stared at the two before him, who were evidently oblivious of the fact that the horse was rightfully his, but he couldn't help by smile. The only time he'd seen Prince so playful was so long ago, and he was usually selective in his companions… it was always Ichigo's mother and father, Orihime and Sora, Ichigo and his sisters or some of their servants. Besides them, nobody else saw Prince's mischievous side, all they got was a serious, somber aristocrat's horse. But one look at the maiden and how she was currently making silly faces at said animal and you would have thought that they'd been friends for life.
The duke coughed, bringing back the attention of two very strange associates. Ayame and Prince looked at him with the same confused expression, and he wanted to rub his hand over his tired face. She seemed to have gotten the idea when she silently stepped away from the beast and shyly explained, "Forgive me, my lord. You have a lovely companion."
"Your apology is not necessary. I was more appalled by the fact that Prince hear took an instant liking towards you." He stated as he undid the rope that bound Prince to the tree. It neighed and snuggled its nose into its master's cheek, causing an embarrassing blush to lightly dust the poor duke's face. She giggled. "I guess I have a way with horses. Mine got away though," she murmured sadly, "when I was running from those men. But I'll bet it's on his way home right now!" she chipped.
The duke seemed to believe her and motioned for her to take her seat upon the beast. She looked aghast. "But my lord! Surely I couldn't ride and allow you to walk afoot! It isn't right!" the duke merely shrugged. "You're limping, mademoiselle. It wouldn't be right if I let you walk. Please, I'd appreciate your acceptance." He looked so earnest that she finally gave in. Softly, she hopped up over the horse and, before they knew it, they were making their way to their destination. The young maiden on the duke's horse, and the duke beside her on foot. She felt uneasy, but grateful, nonetheless. After a long while of silence, she decided to initiate conversation.
"I must thank you, my lord. I would've been in a fix had you not shown up at the right moment." She admitted timidly. He shook his head and replied, "Think nothing of it." And the silence continued. The duke, curiosity having overcome his will, asked a while later, "So, mademoiselle… you said you lived in Camembert?" she nodded and smiled vibrantly at the mention of home. "I live in the village orphanage with my best friend. There's so much one can learn from village life!" she said. The duke looked up abruptly. "The orphanage? Are you an orphan, then?"
She smiled sadly, and nodded. "Yes... I-I don't remember much about my parents. Tatsuki is my best friend, she and the children and the villages have been the best family one could ever ask for." The duke could see her eyes glisten. Before he could stop himself, his words flowed. "I… I do sympathize with you. When I was a young boy, I lost my mother too. I can only imagine how much harder it's been for you." He choked. Memories of that horrid night invaded his mind. He flinched. Ayame said nothing, for silence was comforting as it is. That is, until she asked about the duke's cottage, from where they proceeded on to other random themes till the both of them were at ease with each other's presence.
"Mademoiselle Ayame," he began. "May I ask about your literacy?" he meant it in good will, so she couldn't refuse him. But… she didn't have much of an answer.
"That is a question I must give an incomplete reply to, my lord. I was found as a young girl of about eight years of age, and apparently I'd already been taught the word. I could read books, though not so quickly, but I took great delight in the gift and have been reading to the children ever since. Literacy is just one of those things I am eternally grateful for… it has been a blessing indeed." The duke looked thoughtful. It was an unfinished answer, no peasant he knew was quite so fluent with the letters. He was surprised on finding out that she'd read a good deal of Shakespeare, Emmanuel, most of Voltaire's works too… that was quite an accomplishment. "I do enjoy a good bit of Shakespeare myself." supplied the duke. Ayame was absolutely elated at the common ground. "Though his English is a bit superior for my limited understanding, I find that he expresses emotions and experiences like no other!" she went on dreamily. "You're taken to far off lands, encounter evil witches, and all this between the lines of rhyming words! It's a gift, that!" the duke cleared his throat to bring the wistful girl back to France.
"But my favorite books are those you can read to children." She admitted softly. "And some day, I hope to be a famous author too, I'll write about adventure, mystery, hidden doors, enchanted forests, history, suspense… I have so many ideas I don't know which one to stick with!" she explained. He stared at her for a long moment before saying, "It will be hard though. Female authors aren't a frequent sight in these times." She frowned and shook her head. "Then something's are just going to have to change." Strangely enough, she felt as if the duke silently supported her dream, and she was too shy to say anything further.
The silence lasted long. Both parties were immersed in thought, and how remarkable it was that both trains of thought were so inter-connected, half the story would have ended right here. At first Ayame wondered about her necklace, she felt her neck to see if it was still safe and was relieved upon touching the cold surface. She clutched at it. How did those men come to know of it? What was the key they kept referring to? She was certain she'd never seen them before, so why did it feel like she did? Was her necklace and those men somehow connected with her past? She looked at it. Sure, it was expensive, but it wasn't remarkable. No, that can't be it. And what were these visions that'd been haunting her since late? Was it really her brother she saw? Lord her head was hurting from all this thinking… it wasn't even taking her anywhere! She glanced at the duke, who seemed to be lost in his own reflections. What was he doing in that old castle in the first place? It was supposed to be closed down, so why was he there at the nick of time? She gasped quietly. Could it be that he was associated with those men? She looked at him again. He was scowling, but he looked more of a protector than a villain. He couldn't be with them… could he?
The duke, completely unaware of the growing apprehension in the heart of the maiden beside him, wondered about his mission here. He'd come to look for the key, just as he had every year. But he returned empty-handed, just as he had his previous attempts. He was fed up. What was it? He knew it was a part of the Inoue family heirloom, but beyond that he was clueless. He was also aware of the fact that there were few others in search of it, so he just had to find it before it was too late. Orihime would have wanted that, his mother would have wanted that… but all he wanted was for them to return somehow. He sighed. This maiden reminded him of Orihime once again when she spoke about her dreams.
"You know who an author is Ichi?" asked little Hime, riding her beautiful white horse. It wasn't surprising that the young girl already knew how to ride at the age of five. Ichigo huffed. "Of course I do. What do you think I am, a wall?" she giggled and rode faster, Ichigo followed suit on his younger Prince. "Well… I'm going to be the first girl author in the world!" she exclaimed. He looked doubtful. "Girls can't write books!" he stated matter-of-factly. The young duchess puckered her brow and stuck out her tongue. "Oh yes we can! And we write much better than grumpy old boys!" she teased, and motioned her horse to go faster. So it was a race then.
The two galloped gracefully through the meadow, until Ichigo crossed the marker point. "Huff…huff… huff… I win? Huff… huff… I win!" he bellowed, and hopped off his horse. Orihime came down too, smiling weakly in defeat. "You… huff… you won this time… huff… Ichigo!" she gulped in the air and fell to the grass. Ichigo sat beside her. They sat like that, one staring at cookie-shaped clouds, the other plucking out grass leaves, until he finally spoke. "So, what're you going to write about?" she beamed and sat up. "Everything! Dragons, trolls, witches, cows, flying carpets, swordfights, strawberry muffins, princesses in palaces… it'll be the bestest book ever!" she clapped her hands in glee. Ichigo smiled… then it turned to an evil smirk. "You'll bore people to tears, Hime!" he mocked. She was raged. "AWW! NO FAIR!" She thrashed and kicked and punched and chased him away, all the while yelling, "Stupid boys!" Ichigo was proud at having annoyed her so effectively… he really was getting better at this.
Strawberry muffins… the duke smiled sadly at the recollection. This peasant beside him was full of surprises. Not that he was complaining, he found her company refreshing. But the memories she ignited were bothersome... he rubbed his face. He looked at her, astonished to see her half-sleeping form drooping over the animal. He suppressed a chuckle, they were almost there anyway. Good thing too, his feet were killing him.
Ayame stretched and blinked groggily as the bright morning rays flooded the room. She wondered about the strange dream she had; the chase, the castle, the duke… it was so unusual. Almost too unusual to be a… wait a minute! Her eyelids flew open as she took in the room she was currently in. This was not the orphanage. She gasped as she stood up so fast her feet slipped under her and she fell back on the floor. Where am I?! She was anxious now. In her haste, she ran up to the door just as it was opening, noticed the clueless man on the other side and screamed. Said man was shocked, to say the least, before he pushed up his spectacles and realized that the young woman had a reason to be scared… he cleared his throat.
"Pardon, mademoiselle. I'm afraid you don't remember how you got here." She looked up at him, bewildered. The kind of look one gives to a cat that just spoke. "Well… do you remember the duke?" he asked helpfully. She inhaled sharply. So it wasn't a dream! Then it made sense, this was the duke's cottage. She nodded slowly and the man smiled. "Good. It seems you recall now. I am Uryu Ishida, a sort of friend of the duke. I'll be there if you need anything. The washroom is behind that door," he pointed outside the room, and breakfast will be served in a moment. Please, don't be worried. You're in safe hands." She thanked him hesitantly and he closed the door. She blinked. It wasn't a dream?
She made towards the washroom and sighed. It was all coming back with a vengeance, now. Ayame noticed that she didn't have a change of clothing, she washed her cloak instead since it as her poor cloak that suffered most of the journey. After the customary rituals that a woman must follow when in the wash, she entered her room once again. It was a quaint, albeit small, room, with brown carpets that covered food strong stone and wood, and cream curtains that let the rich sun's blessings flow into the room. There was a small bed, which she had make immediately due to her night's tousles, a small shelf beside a little drawer. There was a mirror and a table before it, every article of furniture was a splendid shade of chocolate brown. Yet, the room had none of that aristocratic grandeur she'd expect from a duke… maybe they missed the simplicity too.
She jumped suddenly when a knock sounded on her door, and a tall burly man with shaggy hair that covered his eyes and a simple shirt, carrying a tray entered the room. "Your breakfast, mademoiselle." He supplied. She hurried and took the tray form him, gratefulness evident in her eyes as she thanked him. "No problem." He replied and left the way he came. She stared down at the tray; a croissant, a cup of cheese with chopped tomato and parsley, an apple, two boiled eggs, and a tall glass of heavenly orange juice. She was absolutely elated! She looked around, making sure nobody was in sight, and grinned before devouring her food.
Mmmm! She thought. Everything was so fresh, so delicious! She wasn't used to such variety; in the orphanage, she'd have had an egg and some cheese. This was marvelous. She thanked God once more before taking another bite of the delicate croissant, the smell overcoming her senses. Good thing nobody was around to witness her lack of tray manners. She giggled.
Little did she know there was a pair of smiling eyes outside that little window, waiting for the unsuspecting duchess to leave the cottage doors.
..
..
..
DA DA DA DUM!
Oh yeah! So how are you all? I am so excited, we have a picnic coming up and a redbull flugtag competition! Don't worry, I'm a spectator.
My favorite part... review replies! Oh how I love you all!
Raininglight1: So glad you're enjoying the story! I'm in a bit of writer's block now... it's like I know what's supposed to happen but I don't understand how... Im working on it! Thanks for the review!
Guest: yay! You're back! And I''ve been doing a bit of thinking and yes, Orihime is a bit too OOC. I realise the reason she's my main character was because I already loved her as she is! Though she can stand up for herself... like with Ulquiorra, Ginjo... so I'll try to bring her back a little bit to that good ol Orihime chan we all know and love! Thanks for the insight!
Abbs: I enjoyed writing about Camembert! And I knew I was missing someone... Kenpachi! You're a genius, I know just what to use him as... *evil snicker* and you made me really happy! I love writing, I hope to write a best-seller someday! I know it's a long way there but it's worth it! and you don't know how mortified I am everytime I put in a french word... but that's what you get for writing in the french revolution. I do miss the chans and the kuns... sad!
Magdalena88: Dahling! so good to here from you again! Poor Ichigo... is he in for a big surprise though! thanks for the review, again! You made my day!
And sorry if I'm scaring you with my over-sugar... if anyone gets a toothache blame the examinations, but hey, a little sweet won't hurt anyone!
till the next chapter, take care! and be good lil sugarplums, okay?
God Bless all of you!
