Title: A Fractured Fairytale
Authors: Butterfly (Cyanide) and Sandy-sama (Mai)
Summary: When you're a devious, somewhat odd slave for your slightly evil stepmother, there's only one solution. Crossdressing. BoyxBoy, slash and other strange settings. A twist on the fairytale 'Cinderella'. Because not all endings are happy ones.
WARNING! This is a work of fiction; all characters and plot belong to Cyanide and Sandy-sama, who aren't making any money out of it. Do not plagiarize or claim anything found here as your own work in any way, or we'll be forced to use Sandy-sama's uberly amazing cacti suppression techniques against you. That or the moo-things.
Short note: Another quick chapter, I hope none of it looks too terrible. I'm going through relatively quickly when I have time, so just let me know of any mistakes/anything that looks a little worse for wear editing wise. Anyway, this is the very last chapter in which Sandy's work is involved, from here on out I'm going it alone. I'm going to try my very hardest to keep all of Sandy-sama's character's in character, I think I have a relatively good grasp of them. And Kian won't change, of course. He'll be as arrogant and power-hungry as ever, no doubt.
We hit over three thousand views on the story the other day :D Thanks guys, keep checking it out, okay? And review when you do, it sounds awful, but there's little point in me posting when I don't know if anyone likes it.
As another little note, I got a request from someone the other day to roleplay the story with me, using minor character's from the plot. If anyone's interested, I'm always happy to roleplay anything from 'A Fractured Fairytale', or any other type of fairytale actually : So If you're in the mood, let me know. My Email's
Anyway, review :
I played 'Alice Practice' by Crystal Castles about a million times while I was editing this, along with watching bits of 'Skins' and 'Hostel Part Two'. Check 'em all out.
-- – Change in Point of view
'Thoughts'
"Spoken"
Dedicated to Tsuki.
-heart-
--.A Fractured Fairytale.--
Chapter Eleven – Conversations with Royalty
Syuu was not alone in noticing the extra presence.
Curling his hands in James' mane, a prickling sensation on the back of his neck informed Kian that he was being watched by…someone. A scowl reached his lips, destroying the brief smile that had flittered there for a moment.
Syuu.
No doubt the stable boy had seen Kian jump at Yuan's touch. The image of the other boy laughing silently only steps in front of them left him feeling decidedly more foolish, but he refused to look up and glare at the brunette as a child would.
But Syuu was by now otherwise occupied. "Whoever it is, they're getting closer," he muttered. "I don't think it's more than a small group, we'd have heard far more noise if it were."
"Enemy scouts?" Fynn whispered anxiously.
Syuu simply stared ahead, face impassive. "I don't know. Get ready to move."
As it turned out, there was no need. The little party managed to reach the top of the pass safely. Yuan picked up on Fynn's unease, but Syuu efficiently distracted and reassured him. They did not need for the Prince to be any more troubled then he already was.
It was agreed that they would sleep the remaining hours of the night until morning, with Syuu volunteering to take first watch. For fear of catching the attention of anyone nearby, they did not bother to light a fire for warmth, though Kian did take the time to rewrap James' wound. Despite the cold, Yuan was asleep within the second he laid upon the ground. It took Fynn a short while longer, thoughts of the boy he'd had to leave behind causing the red head to blink back hot tears as he lay with his back to the group. But, finally, he too had to succumb to exhaustion and fell into a dreamless sleep.
For one, however, the relief at finally having been able to rest did not last long.
After shifting around for almost half an hour, Kian had to repress a frustrated scream.
He. Could. Not. Sleep.
At all.
Despite his weariness, sleep simply wouldn't come.
Sighing and ending back up in the same position he had started in, on his side with his knees drawn up to his chest and the layers of his dress acting as an odd sort of blanket, he stared at the dark forms of the dozing horses. After a small disagreement with Yuan, Kian had confirmed that he would have his own watch later that night. If he didn't want to fall asleep traveling tomorrow, he'd need to get as much sleep as possible now.
Syuu's eyes, which had previously been fixated on the pass, should their mysterious followers return, swung round to the little camp they'd made at the muffled sound of movement. Kian had been shifting around for a small while now and showed no sign of ending any time soon. He spied James' saddle blanket, slung over a tree branch beside the twin bridles. Making as little noise as humanly possible, the stable boy retrieved the blanket and approached the girl cautiously. "Kian?" He was sure Yuan was deeply asleep, judging from the low breathing audible in the quiet clearing, and didn't bother with the 'Lady' that the Prince would have been shocked to hear Syuu ignoring.
Kian stirred and sat upright, blinking suspiciously at the other male. Syuu held out the saddle blanket, now looking slightly awkward. "I…noticed you couldn't sleep. I thought perhaps a pillow of some sort might help." The girl didn't move for a moment, eyeing the blanket, before taking it hesitantly. "Thank you." He replied, curtly, unsure of what to do now.
"…I was kind of you to notice I couldn't sleep."
"Not at all." Syuu faltered, before settling himself more comfortably on the ground next to Kian. Even as Syuu sat himself down beside Kian, he had the sinking feeling of knowing just where any conversation with the clever stable boy would go.
Yuan.
In the hours since they'd met, it was the first time Kian had seen Syuu truly waver. There was a moment of silence between the pair, each with their eyes on the smoke-hazed sky. The fires of Carliss could not be seen from here, that or they'd gone out. Somehow, though, Syuu doubted it.
"I was thinking. Again," he said suddenly, with a self-depreciating smile. "It's just..." As he trailed away, he supposed that perhaps this was part of the reason he disliked being around Kian like this, because of the way he felt so unsure of himself whenever she was near. Undoubtedly, there was something very strange about her that both drew people close and defied them totally. Syuu was far more used to having a similar effect on people, not being on the receiving end.
"... I don't want any harm to come to Prince Yuan. I know there isn't a huge amount that I can do for him, but I try my best, however small and unhelpful it may be."
Quiet again, Kian kept her eyes on the horizon. "The point is," Syuu continued, slowly. "I'm worried that he might be starting to... well, fall. For you. Not that I'm insulting you," he added a second later, "not at all, I'm just saying that it might be the case. If it is, then... well, you must see that there's a problem. Carliss is crumbling. His Majesty is dead. Her Majesty is on another continent, and we don't know whether she is even alive at this point. His Highness Prince Jace is missing. There are no other relatives to our Royal family that could inherit the throne. Rennac is invading, and there's chaos. I don't know what's going to happen next, but I do know that once we get to Dybre... You see, if Prince Yuan has taken a strong fancy to you, then..." And now here was a rare sight. Syuu actually struggling to articulate his thoughts into coherent sentences.
"Well," he said after a moment's pause to try and silence his ever-active mind, "he will want to stay with you. But he won't, because he won't want you to get any more tangled in this. Which is fair enough. But then he'll be losing..." he cleared his throat. "Something very important. He'll be lost, and us with him." He shook his head. "It's just... you can see it, right? There are so many problems with that. I need to know whether... whether or not you want to stay with us. With him. Or whether you want to leave this insanity behind you and go home. Kian... I-" The last word was spoken so softly that it almost wasn't there at all.
Kian felt the guilt within his stomach grow a hundredfold, along with a feeling or strange embarrassment and shock. He didn't like discussing this, especially not with Syuu, and ha shouldn't care whether or not Yuan…liked him, or however they wanted to put it. It was highly likely that he didn't anyway; at least that was what Kian kept telling himself.
But the problem was a difficult one.
Could he continue to travel with the Prince and not give himself away? Why should he want to, more importantly. If they continued to travel through Dybre and onwards, they'd be heading further inland. Unless they changed their course at Dybre, the group would be going in exactly the opposite direction to the one place he wanted to get to, the ocean.
And then there was the matter of his 'sickly father', still living in Dybre as far as Syuu, Yuan and Fynn knew. They would no doubt wonder as to why he didn't wish to see the man when they finally reached the country. If he told them he wanted to stay in Dybre, he could simply slip away at some point and say he could return home by himself.
The most obvious thing was to say no, and leave it at that.
But you want to stay with them…
Fuck. And Syuu was either a tremendous actor, or he actually did wish for Kian to stay with them. Not for his own sake, of course, or because he was even vaguely fond of Kian, but for Yuan.
"I cannot say whether I would be able to stay with-with you all."
He did not say 'Yuan'.
"There are…certain problems that may arise if I were to do as you're suggesting…"
Syuu nodded knowingly. "Everyone has their secrets, but you... You know that I mean no offense when I say that I can't quite trust you." Kian gave a soft, ironic sort of laugh. Yuan would have been shocked to hear her being addressed so bluntly, even from Syuu. But his current state meant the comment went without rebuke.
The stable boy let out an almost inaudible sigh. "I would really appreciate it if you would stay, if you can. For Prince Yuan's sake. I won't pry into your business anymore if you give me your word now that you don't intend to hurt him in any way." There was a slight noise, and Syuu jerked his head round, alarmed. Fynn turning over in his sleep and made no more noise. Relieved, he waited for the girl's answer.
Kian ran a hand through his hair slowly, taking the time to tug out the tie that had held the long black strands in all day when his fingers reached it. A tired sigh escaped his lips.
"I've said it before Syuu; I won't be going out of my way to hurt your Prince any time soon. Or ever."
Says the boy who intended to beat him over the head with a vase and take all his gold only a few days ago…
Stupid voice.
Syuu lowered his eyes and nodded. "Thank you," he said.
There was a moment's pause where Syuu was struggling with himself; or rather, with that little thing called morbid curiosity. He almost managed not to, but in the end, he just couldn't stop himself.
"Do you-" he started, before realizing he was speaking a tad louder than normal and lowered his voice, "If you don't mind me asking, I can't help but wonder... do you... what are your feelings towards Prince Yuan?" An internal voice was yelling at him, furiously demanding why the hell he was asking this question. He stubbornly ignored it. He wanted to know. Honestly.
Kian's head whipped around to look the other male in the face so fast that Syuu was sure her neck must have sprained.
"Nothing," He hissed, but was quick to rephrase his answer a second later in a much less poisonous voice. "Friendship. Nothing more."
Instantly, he shoved the question back at Syuu.
"And how do you feel about Prince Yuan, then?"
"That doesn't answer my question," Syuu pointed out, deftly avoiding the one thrown back at him. "'Friendship' doesn't quite illustrate your intentions towards him."
Kian's eyes slid from Syuu's face to the sky once again and remained silent, stiff.
Syuu took the silence as a gap to press the demands home. "Do you return his possible affections? Or could you in the near future? Or will you never feel for him?"
Finally, the boy moved. Folding his arms and resting them on top of his knees, which were pulled to his chest, Kian glared at the stable boy over the top of his arms.
"You're annoying. You won't let me get away without saying anything, will you?"
It wasn't so much of a question but a statement.
Kian wasn't good with conversations. It had been easy enough with Yuan, because he'd had a goal in mind. Plus, the Prince was strangely good at keeping up an intelligent conversation. But there was only so much a person who'd spent the majority of his life with only three infuriating woman and a bunch of servants (who really didn't pay all that much attention to the quiet step-son of their employer in the first place) to speak to could take.
"I met him two days ago, what should I be expected to feel?" He made an incensed little sound in the back of his throat. "Unlike the rest of Carliss' lovely little women, I'm not going to fall in love with a person at first sight, just as they happen to be Royalty. I've got other things to think about."
Syuu considered this for a moment, before a grim smile shattered his face.
"That'll do," he said with a short nod. "Thank you." He stood and brushed himself off. "You should probably try to get some sleep. Goodnight, Kian."
Kian said nothing and rolled his eyes. The stable boy returned to his earlier post, and the faux noblewoman lay down with her back to the camp once more.
Syuu watched Kian out of his peripheral vision for a few moments before turning his full attention back to their surroundings. Hmph. He could definitely grow to like Kian and her... unusual ways.
Kian shut his eyes stubbornly and attempted to force himself to sleep, but his thoughts remained on the conversation. He was well aware of how he felt. Anger that Yuan had somehow managed to cheat him out of his 'prize' without even having a clue as to what Kian was even attempting to do. Envy, obviously, and…other things. The hatred he'd always harbored for any and all nobles lingered, it would take more then a few days to stomp out, even if Kian had wanted to simply give it up (which he didn't), but something like tentative friendship had managed to shove it's way into the mess.
Well that went well.
He snorted softly.
'He's still annoying.'
Sleep came not a second later.
Too bad it hadn't lasted very long.
A rather sharp stone poking into his back had woken him around a few hours later when he rolled onto it unknowingly. The cold had refused to let Kian return to sleep after that, and he'd finally given up. Fynn and Yuan were asleep at the time, though Syuu was still diligently keeping watch. It made the boy wonder just how long the other male could go without sleep (unless he'd nodded off at some point in the last few hours).
Standing and stretching his legs, he'd informed the stable boy he was going for a short walk to wake himself up before running off quickly so that Syuu couldn't protest. He'd become used to the fact that most of his usual habits, like going off alone, were odd for a female and would be complained about.
After making sure that neither Syuu nor any of the others had followed him into the denser forest, Kian hunted around for the stream he was certain would be nearby - the trickling sound of running water was unmistakable.
--
When Yuan's eyes opened to a light grey and violet sky, surrounded by the sounds of quietly stirring people, he was confused for a moment. Why was he on the ground, and not in a bed? Where was the ceiling, for God's sake? And-
Ah.
Rennac, right.
And then he realized that he'd slept the entire night though, and Syuu had obviously not woken him up for his shift. That basta-
He could hear Syuu having a low conversation nearby, along with a voice that was strangely familiar but had definitely not been present when he'd gone to sleep. The young Prince did a double take and sat up hurriedly in surprise.
"Jace?!"
Both Syuu and Jace looked towards him as their conversation was interrupted. Jace broke into a smile and strode towards his brother, crouching down to pull his shocked sibling into a hug. "Good morning, Yuan." His tone sounded as though nothing were any different from three days ago, when they'd last spoken. "I'm glad you're alright. I was a bit worried."
Yuan found his voice at last. "A bit worried?!" he replied hotly, getting to his feet. "How do you think I felt? Where were you? How did you get here?"
"His Highness has been following us since we started up the mountain pass," Syuu chimed in.
Jace nodded with a breezy smile. "We thought we'd better not let you know I was here until you'd had a good night's sleep. Don't want my head bitten off. You have quite a temper sometimes, Yuan."
"I do not have a 'bit of a temper'," Yuan growled. He blinked and then exhaled loudly. "Well, if I do, then it only really comes out when you're around. You could aggravate a saint to tears." He stood up slowly, running a hand briefly through his hair and retying it. It was probably completely messy by now, but to his surprise, Yuan found that he didn't really care.
He suddenly realized that there were five of them, but the fifth member was not the person he'd expected. Fynn rolled over and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "What time is i-" He began to speak, but the words cut off from his lips when he caught sight of the serious-faced boy standing with Syuu and the horses. The boy's mouth fell open in shock, eyes wide and frozen for what seemed like forever, before he scrambled to his feet and flew across the gap that separated him from the new arrival.
"ZUKI!"
The taller stable boy opened his arms in time to allow the red head entry, a rare, small smile upon his lips. "Good morning, Fynn."
Fynn buried his face in Zuki's chest and began to cry.
Their reunion did not last long though, for Yuan had noticed who was missing. "Where's Kian?" he demanded, alarmed and grey eyes wide.
Syuu hastily reassured him. "Don't worry, Prince Yuan. She said she was going on a short walk. She should be back soon."
"... You let her out of your sight?" Yuan's face was incredulous.
"I'm sure she will be fine-" Syuu started, but he was cut off.
"Syuu, what were you thinking? Have you forgotten that we're being pursued by Rennac's soldiers?! Spirits in hell, Syuu!" Yuan absolutely couldn't believe his ears. Had the world gone completely mad? Could Syuu suddenly not see the gravity of their situation?!
"I'm very sorry, Prince Yuan," Syuu winced at the harsh words and offered an apologetic bow. "But I'm sure she's very capabl-"
"I don't want to hear excuses. For god's sake, find her before something happens!" Yuan barked angrily at the poor stable boy.
In the time that'd he'd been gone, Kian had managed to scrub the worst of the dirt and blood off in the small stream a short distance from the camp. His hair and skin finally felt clean and refreshed. While wandering slowly back towards the camp, he heard Yuan's panicked shout clearly.
Well, it was good to know he'd been missed, at least.
Re-entering the camp once more, hair unbound and damp, he announced himself in an amused tone, "I'm fine, Yuan."
Yuan practically drooped in relief at seeing Kian. "Thank the heavens," he muttered, hurrying over to her. "Please, Kian, don't do that. At least take Syuu or Fynn or myself with you if you want to take a walk." It wasn't that Yuan didn't trust Kian not to take care of herself (although that was a slight nagging worry); it was just that... Well, she was a woman. An independent and interesting one unlike none he'd ever met, yes - he'd witnessed her kill a man in order to defend herself, for God's sake -, but all the same…
"Good morning to you too." The dark haired youth replied, raising an eyebrow. Yuan had the distinct feeling she was holding back laughter.
Syuu watched from a distance, his earlier speculations on Yuan's feelings for Kian now coming much closer to being confirmed. He could understand that Yuan would be worried, but the relief that seemed to seep out from his very skin was a little much. That, he decided, could not be good for the blonde's health. His attention switched to Kian, who did not look guilty or upset in any way, merely amused.
"I'll try to remember that when I next go for a walk."
Still, Kian wasn't promising anything.
Jace had followed his brother's hurried path, sidling over at a much more relaxed pace. He bowed deeply to the girl, taking her hand to kiss the back softly. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you," he said, giving her a conspiratorial grin. "You must be Lady Kian. I'm Jace."
Kian jerked his hand back the second Jace released it, a faint pink tint rising to his cheeks. Shoving his hands behind his back, almost as though hiding them in fear of being touched again, he forced out a polite answer. "The same to you, Your Highness." It was then Kian realized just how foreign he still was to the treatment noblewomen received. For despite the two days he'd spent as one, the kiss, which would barely be seen as significant among Nobles, was the most intimate touch he'd experienced from anyone outside of his family as of yet. Well, he supposed he could view the short dance with Yuan at the ball as 'intimate' (he hated the word already), but that was nothing more then an escape from his stepfamily's notice.
Jace shook his head. "No, no, you don't have to call me that. I'm the younger son, and you're a Noble. Prince Jace, or just Jace will be fine."
Kian nodded sharply. "Prince Jace."
The young Prince's answering smile was almost a little predatory. The conversation was easily interrupted by Syuu as the stable boy finished gathering up their few belonging. Fynn had finally pulled himself from Zuki's hold, but looked reluctant about it. "We'd better get going," Syuu said briskly. "Prince Jace can explain how he found us when we're moving." Zuki had already begun to ready the four horses stood awaiting them, Fynn trailing behind like a shadow. Along with James and Mezz, there was now Zuki's little mare, Alice, and Jace's tall, powerful gelding – Ronan.
Kian swiftly made his way back to James. Happy to be back in the company of the horse, Kian hauled himself back up onto the gelding (less awkwardly this time then he had the day before) and settled himself down for yet another long days worth of riding.
Fynn was reluctant to get on Mezz while Yuan walked, and Kian had the sneaking suspicion that the little red head would have much preferred to double on Alice with Zuki. But Yuan insisted in a voice that was not to be disobeyed, and Jace took the lead.
Yuan was quick to take his brother's side. The pass was narrow, and once again the horses moved into single file. Within a few minutes, the two Princes were far enough ahead that any conversation would not be heard.
"Jace?" Yuan said cautiously, not quite sure how he was going to phrase what he meant to say. "Are you alright?"
The young boy looked surprised. "Me? Of course. You look a bit worse for wear, though."
"... Well, I suppose that's hardly surprising. Do you want to..." Yuan flailed a little, "talk about anything?"
Jace took pity on his brother and said, "Look, Yuan, it's alright. You know I'm - well, come to think of it, you probably don't since we don't see so much of each other any more, but I don't believe in crying over spilt milk, you know? Besides, I had a lot less to lose than you did. There are still a lot of things left, though. And for all we know, mother is probably still be alive and well. We'll just have to see, right? So cheer up, and worry about yourself for a little." Then he grinned, and Yuan had a sinking feeling in his stomach that couldn't be ignored. "Unless you plan on worrying about your little Lady friend, in which case you can go ahead and worry as much as you like."
Yuan rolled his eyes. "Your language has become considerably less formal than it was since we last talked."
Jace gave him a roguish grin. "Well, you know how I like hanging around the 'common folk', as father was so fond of calling them."
True, and King Rupei had never been fond of Jace's attraction to the world of the lower classes.
"Tell me how you found us."
Jace nodded, calmly guiding Ronan around a boulder partially blocking the path. "My party and I were attacked as we returned to the Palace lands. Unsurprisingly, the other nobles scattered, not ready for a fight. I don't think the enemy knew exactly which of us was Royalty, only that they were meant to kill everyone in the group. Most chased after the nobles who ran, and I managed to slip away. As I was heading back to the Castle, Zuki found me and said you were going to be at the cemetery. We waited there, but had to leave shortly after we got there when we noticed the land around the Castle going up in flames. Zuki ended up tracking you down when we came across your trail by the forest. Followed you from there."
Yuan's expression became steadily more panicked as he listened. "But if you could pick up our trail, then so could anyone else!"
Jace nodded nonchalantly. "Mmm, that's what Zuki said."
The older Prince was quickly loosing his temper, something that happened frequently around Jace. "Don't you understand?" He hissed. "We're in great danger!"
"That reminds me," Jace added, seeming to have completely ignored the statement and looking back briefly over his shoulder. "Does Kian know where we're going?"
Yuan nodded, seething. "Yes; she lives there, as a matter of fact. We're going to drop her off on the way to the Port."
The younger Prince looked surprised. "Really?"
"Yes. Why?"
Jace looked over his shoulder again, the girl was staring down at the withers of her mount, appearing deep in thought.
"No reason. Just wondering."
Puzzled and mystified by his brother's possible trains of thought, Yuan followed his glance backwards to Kian. And almost tripped over.
Good lord, when had Kian's dress gotten so short?! Had it been like that this morning?
Completely ashamed of himself as a gentleman, Yuan wished he'd thought to bring poor Kian a change of clothes. His cheeks were now bright red from the mere look. He could see her ankles, for Heaven's sake. And a great deal of her pale calves. Oh Lord…
Jace smirked. "Ah, you noticed?"
"Why didn't you say anything?!" Yuan struggled to keep his voice low. His brother shrugged, "I thought you might enjoy the view."
Yuan made a small, choked sound, the kind that usually preludes death by spontaneous combustion. Jace sighed. "Oh fine, if you're going to be like that." Moving the reins to one hand, he twisted in the saddle and flipped back the catches of his left saddlebag. Dragging out the change of clothing he'd had with him from the ride he'd taken days before, he handed a white shirt and a pair of cream breeches to his puzzled brother. "Go take those to her, she can change into them when we stop next."
Yuan looked no less confused. "But these…are men's clothing."
Jace raised an eyebrow. "Would you prefer her to go as she is?"
He flushed and shook his head. He could at least give her the option, he was sure she felt no more comfortable about her current state of dress then he did. And besides, Kian wasn't exactly…conventional.
The final three members of the group spread themselves out behind the two conversing ahead of them, Kian a short distance behind the two blonde princes. Fynn rode a few meters after him with Syuu and Zuki bringing up the rear. The long, easy strides of the horse beneath Kian felt, to be completely honest, utterly boring.
Yes, he was aware that they had just fled their own country (which was possibly not even their own any longer and could well belong to Rennac by now) and that many a persons were probably dead, but somehow Kian couldn't quite grasp how bad the situation was.
To be honest, it probably had something to do with the fact that the few people the boy had known all his life had either mistreated him rather horribly (namely his stepfamily) or shown little or no emotion towards him at all (the other servants in his household had never particularly liked him. Unless you counted the maids who were forever calling him 'cute' or something along the lines of it, and the kitchen girl who used to blush whenever he entered the room. Of course, Kian hadn't noticed any of this, or had blatantly ignored it. Women were difficult for him to understand).
Of course, he felt remorse and all that. Just…not quite what would have been expected of one in such a situation.
The main thing he was worried about hadn't changed, though.
The plan.
The plan.
The fucking plan.
The boy very nearly had to fight off a pout. Penniless and now utterly homeless, dressed as a woman. Things were not going his way.
For the thousandth time in the short while they'd been riding, Fynn glanced over his shoulder behind him, spying the stoic face of his friend. Since realizing he'd have to leave Zuki behind, Fynn had been battling to keep himself as calm as the rest of the small party appeared. Now that he knew the other stable boy was alright, safe and well, he didn't want to let him out of Fynn's sight. The overwhelming relief made everything else seem unimportant, even the fact that his shoulder had started bleeding again. Not terribly so, just a slow seep of red through the bandages. He'd noticed it after mounting up and assumed the wound had re-opened in his sleep. The blood was sticky like paint on his fingertip, but Fynn ignored it, the bandages covered by his shirt.
Syuu smiled at the way Fynn turned back ('discrete', as the red head probably thought he was being, it was incredibly obvious) every so often, checking to see that Zuki still rode behind him. If he tried, Syuu could cheer Prince Yuan up with a few well-chosen sentences and smiles, but Fynn wasn't like Yuan. Well, not much, anyway. Although there were definite similarities. Their sheltered purity of heart, for one; Syuu had yet to witness either the blond or the redhead do anything to deliberately make someone feel anything less than comfortable. He did admire that, though he occasionally wondered how they had managed to grow up properly without the quietly smug pleasure of making someone squirm. Jace really wasn't anything like his brother. And Kian was different yet again.
Syuu exhaled loudly. Ahh, what an odd bunch they were.
Should make the next week or two very interesting.
--
Mind finally made up after a mini-eternity of agonizing over the decision, Yuan told Jace to keep going and dropped back to walk beside Kian. He smiled, looking apprehensive. "Are you alright, Kian?" The question felt like a repeat of the one he'd earlier asked his brother, courtesy demanding that he open the conversation with at least a sentence or so of small talk. "I just noticed now - not I was looking on purpose, I completely assure you - that your dress seemed to be getting... a little worse for wear. Jace had a change of clothes, if you should wish to change, but the problem is they're somewhat... well, they're gentlemen's clothes, to be frank. I just thought I'd offer up the idea to you..."
Meanwhile, Kian could have kissed him.
"I don't mind." It came out perhaps somewhat faster then he had hoped, almost before Yuan had even finished speaking, but the thought of getting out of the layers and layers of heavy fabric he was currently confined in was pure bliss. Aside from that, riding in a corset (a loose one, perhaps, seeing as his waist was tiny as it was) was not something Kian had been enjoying. Changing into pants would also hopefully mean a shirt to go with it.
"Would Jace mind? They are his, aren't they?"
"No, no it's fine. He even suggested it." Perhaps due to…less then pure reasons, but that wasn't something he wanted her to know. "You can change when we stop for a rest..." Yuan looked ahead speculatively, and said, "We'll stop at the overhang, up there. We should reach it in about... ten minutes, I should think." He offered Kian a slightly shy smile and said, "I'm glad you didn't take offense. I feel responsible for you, considering I'm dragging you back to Dybre in this fashion."
'Oh Thank God.'
Really, it was sad that anyone could get this emotional about a piece of clothing. Kian supposed that at least he wasn't showing it too badly, unlike his stepsister's who had, on numerous occasions, managed to make quite a scene when it came to clothes.
"Thank you, then, for thinking of me. I appreciate it."
Ever a polite young Lady.
Or, perhaps not.
"But there was no 'dragging' at all." He gave a wry smile. "I've missed home a bit."
"Well, it's kind of you to say so," Yuan said, reaching up a moment to readjust the ribbon Kian had given him, currently holding his hair in place. "How long have you been staying with your cousins, then? Ow." The last word wasn't directed at Kian, of course; quite a strong wind was starting to blow down the narrow mountain path, and the end of the ribbon snapped around into Yuan's left eye. He rubbed at it a moment and gave Kian a sheepish smile.
"Perhaps the ribbon's trying to tell you to be kinder to it." He smirked at the eldest Prince. The continued, "But not long, only a week or two. It was a rather…unplanned visit."
"How so unplanned?"
"To be perfectly honest, I didn't inform them that I would be staying. It's difficult to send word over district's when they are so far apart and not have to wait months and months to get a reply."
He shrugged slightly, glancing up ahead at their destination.
"My cousin's stepfamily would not have enjoyed my visiting, anyway, so it was best not to give them a chance to try and…persuade me from coming."
"Ah, I see..." Memories of vivid pink and yellow resurfaced, and Yuan said, "The Westard ladies didn't seem too happy around you, in truth, did they? I hope you were well-treated by them during your stay. What relation did you say your cousin had to them, again?"
If you can call slavery 'well-treated'. Said the sardonic little part of him. Can you still tell him yes and smile through that?
Kian had begun to think that the voice, which had a habit of popping up at the most inopportune moments, had finally given it a rest and disappeared for awhile.
Apparently, it was back.
"We have never done to well in each other's presence."
'Go away.' He told it firmly.
"And they are-"
…Wait. Damn it! He'd just said that his stepmother was related to his 'cousin', hadn't he told the Prince earlier on that he only worked for the wretched women?
Fuck.
"They are…not quite related. He works for them, but I am related distantly to them through marriage, which makes him… also distantly related to them. In a way. It can be very confusing."
Congratulations, you're an idiot, Kian.
The overhang they would stop at was less then a few hundred meters' away, Jace had very nearly reached it. Kian breathed a sigh of relief. Riding, while it was something he enjoyed thoroughly, was becoming somewhat stifling. He planned on switching after he hand changed, so that someone else would have a turn in riding James and he could hopefully stretch his legs.
Yuan chuckled, bemused but not feeling the need to question further. "I suppose it's probably just one of those things that only makes sense if you've lived with it for a while, hm?" he said, automatically reaching for James' reins as they stopped in order to let Kian dismount. "It's a shame you didn't get on... at least you're going back to Dybre with us, though. Albeit in less-than-desirable circumstances."
Ahead of them, Jace and Rowan had reached the overhang. Yuan could see his brother dismounting and patting his mount's neck in praise, and the faint echoes of his laughter reached them as the highly strung horse tossed its head and tried to move away to get at some grass.
Dismounting quickly, if a tiny bit stiffly, Kian took the reins from Yuan with a short word of thanks.
"Mmm, it'll be nice to be back."
The Prince started in surprise as Jace let out a loud whoop, clapping his hands and laughing loudly. He turned his head round, frowning, to see Rowan bucking along the widening section of the pass, tossing his head and snorting. Evidently, the spirited gelding was getting rid of excess energy and having a whale of a time to boot.
"Jace, get his reins before he bolts off," Yuan said with a sigh. Jace shook his head, still laughing.
"It's alright, he won't bolt. He does this sometimes."
"Still..."
"Don't worry so much. Let him have his fun,"
Syuu had been listening to the conversation ahead distracted for awhile from the puzzle of why Carliss would be attacked. Yuan's charmingly nervous attempt to put Kian more at ease made him smile a little. The smile faded, though, when he saw Yuan's. His chest ached a little; three days ago, that affectionate look was reserved solely for him and a couple of the horses. He forced away the resentment that threatened to bubble up; this was not the time, damnit.
It's was difficult to ignore the pained look on the face of the boy walking beside him. Fynn glanced at the couple talking a few meters in front.
"Reckon she likes him back?"
"I..." The question made Syuu stumble over his words for a valuable second, but he recovered quickly, though he just knew the other stable boy had probably picked up on it. "I think she would be quite a fool not to," he managed, pleased when his voice sounded just as nonchalant as ever. "Although, I have to say, she's not showing as much interest as I thought she might. What do you think?" he asked, throwing the question back partly because he really did want to know - Fynn could sometimes make surprisingly sharp guesses as to how people felt - and partly so that he wouldn't have to keep talking.
Goddamn it, though, he wanted to know so badly what Kian was hiding. He had some vague suspicions, but anything further than that was only speculation. He was hoping that once they reached Dybre he might be able to do some investigating and get some actual concrete evidence for... something, anything.
"I think you'd be more then a little upset if she ever made it clear that she did like him."
Fynn really couldn't help but poke a little fun at Syuu. Syuu needed a little teasing from time to time anyway, and seeing as no one else would, Fynn did. He hadn't missed the way the brunette tripped up on his words. Either way, it wasn't difficult to see that Syuu felt for the Prince, though it appeared that Yuan himself was oblivious to it. That or he ignored it.
Syuu sent a mildly annoyed look Fynn's way. "I wouldn't be upset," he defended. Then he sighed as Fynn gave a snort of disbelief, and said reluctantly, "Alright, alright, I might be a little... vexed." Who said learning to read didn't expand your vocabulary? He finished quickly, "Well, Prince Yuan doesn't like girls anyway, so it's a moot point."
The comment threw Fynn a little off balance from their conversation. But, to be honest, he wasn't really quite so shocked.
"Really? Hmm, I thought he was at least mostly interested in women, Like Prince Jace."
The redhead leaned back in the saddle, taking a slightly longer look at the lady herself.
"If she didn't look the way she did, she could almost have been a boy." His eyes were back on the pair ahead, "But still, she's strange about it, isn't she. She doesn't throw herself at him, but she wouldn't have stayed the night if she didn't like him at all."
He looked thoughtfully down at Mezz's ears in silence for a moment.
"She's just not like the other girls."
Syuu nodded in agreement after a moment, still angry with himself for betraying Prince Yuan's trust. "You're right, she could..." he stopped.
"She could almost be a boy, couldn't she?" he said slowly. And the cogs in his mind turned.
A sidelong look was cast Syuu's way.
"What are you up to?"
"Up to?" The brunette gave him his best blank look, which was, even if he said so himself, practically perfect. "Nothing except making it to Dybre in one piece. Why?"
Lies, lies. Syuu was thinking hard, pulling out bits and pieces from his memory to help back up his newfound theory, which seemed more and more plausible by the minute - no, the second. He only wondered why this thought hadn't occurred to him before; but then for this all to have worked, Kian must have been a little more credit then Syuu had given her credit for.
Well, no more excuses, he vowed. He was going to find out Kian's secrets, Kian's motives and goals, and if the supposed-noble turned out to be a threat to the eldest prince...
Syuu would protect him with his life.
Fynn, on the other hand, wasn't fooled.
He may be a stable boy, but he was not a complete simpleton.
"Whatever it is, it had better not have anything to do with a certain young Lady up there."
Syuu didn't reply.
Fynn had been about to push him for an answer, when Zuki approached from behind. "You two," His disapproving voice cut the conversation off. "Had better not be discussing anyone's business other then your own."
Fynn ducked his head and grinned guiltily, Syuu remained quiet.
--Chapter Eleven--
Author's Note: Final chapter with Sandy's input. Still looking for a Beta.
Sreia: I aim to please :P
Ha, and a day later another. The next chapter may take awhile longer though, seeing as I'll be writing it all up from scratch :\ Which also means it may be a bit shorter then usual. Hopefully not by too much, though. Fingers crossed? But you're right, I absolutely HATE it when things like that happen. I have a number of favorite stories that simply get cut off. Syuu and Kian's voice both make a number of appearances in this chapter, so I hope you like that : They'll get more and more important to the story as we go along. Thanks for the review!
Firedraygon: Haha, I actually haven't even seen Prince of Tennis, though a friend of mine reads the manga, that and Naruto. Buuut I never have. Too lazy xD
Thanks for the advice on building the story, I only have a couple of 'ideas' really so far, the story could change dramatically from what I've got so far (suggestions guyyyys, I'll no doubt take note of them and seal them away in my little file for 'A Fractured Fairytale', lol). Anyway, latest chapter's complete, hope to hear from you soon 3
Grayscales: :O Bloody hell that's a long review. I love you :
Haha, well now you can love me forever. ZUKI HAS RETURNED :O I'd hate myself if he didn't, Fynn probably would have fallen into little pieces. But there may or may not be future heartbreak and deaths and so on to ruin the happy moments going on right now (maybe, it's all still undecided, after all).
You think Syuu's stoic? Loll, I suppose he is, in the way that you can never quite tell what he's thinking. I like him and hate him, in a way. My favorite character is Jace at the moment, but I'm thinking of introducing a character or two later on.
XDDD
I'm glad you liked that bit, then. A lot of Kian's little voice is meant to be humorous. I don't know if people pick up on a lot of the 'amusing' bits :\ Otherwise I probably just sound like a dick.
No worries, I talk to people in my head a lot too :P
Haha, noo! What if Syuu wins the Prince over :O Plotttingggg. OH well, we'll have to wait and see : Thank so much for reviewing, go eat and hope you liked the newest chapter :D