The Pink Harlequin
Duel Between Two
"Where is she? Where is the harlequin?" Yamato snarled as he throttled Pierre. The foppish courtier had refused to tell even Yamato where the pink harlequin was. "You're the only one who saw her! Why in the name of God are you refusing to tell me?"
"Because, Your Grace, I feared that if I told, I would get punished for not going after her." Pierre whimpered stupidly, quivering and widening his eyes in a childish manner.
"You fool, she's not an escaped servant! She's a harlequin! Harlequins do not need to stay here unless directed!" Yamato left out the part where Hotaru was in fact Crown Princess Mimi.
"S-so sorry, Your Grace! Forgive me! I beg for your forgiveness!!"
"Oh, shut that mouth of yours up," Yamato muttered darkly. Then he started throttling again. "Where is she? Which way did she go?"
"S-she took one of your horses, Your Grace, and rode southwest, towards Spain."
"Damn it!" Yamato let go of Pierre's collar (which was by now ripped and mangled so much that it resembled a loose banana peel) and sped off for the stables. After saddling a black stallion in less than five minutes by himself, Duke Yamato raced off for Spain.
* * * * *
"Ugh," Mimi grumbled, smoothing down her skirts. Even though she wore the dress with the least petticoats to make riding quickly much easier, it was still quite a feat. Every second something would come undone, and the bulk of the petticoats hurt her rear. "I hate these stupid things," she whined to nobody in particular. "Stupid, stupid skirts."
"Hold it right there, mademoiselle!" A man stepped out from the bushes. Mimi widened her eyes. He was the silliest looking person she had ever seen in her life. "Oh my..." she gasped. The gasp was for a good reason, too. He was wearing a red muffin-shaped hat with green and indigo bird feathers stuck in the rim at a jaunty angle, a frilly white satin vest, a deep orange blouse with puffed sleeves, lemon yellow wool breeches with golden buttons studded on the sides, and violet leather shoes with curled toes. Mimi could not refrain herself from laughing hysterically. She clutched her sides as the man watched in bewilderment, howling in mirth, "Dear God!!!"
"Mademoiselle, do not laugh at the great Rogue." The man was clearly upset. He was quite hurt that the girl was laughing at his fashion sense.
"Dear God!" Mimi repeated, laughing. She soon fell out of her saddle from a bout of hysterics with a loud thump. Even then, she was still guffawing. "Dear me, you are wearing the most outrageous clothing I have seen during these past four hours of riding! No, during my entire life!!"
"Oh? You're riding alone, then?" He inquired.
Mimi immediately stiffened. Young women were not supposed to be riding out in the country, or even out in the city alone. He could be a thief, a murderer, or even a molester...
"Who are you?" She demanded.
"I told you, I'm the Rogue, the most wanted man in France."
"YOU?!" Mimi could not contain herself again. She wondered how the man could be a wanted person, if he was so... conspicuous. He should've gotten caught a long, long time ago. Maybe fate fancied him. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
The Rogue quickly pulled out a knife and pressed it against Mimi's throat, sneering, "Now are you going to laugh?"
"Well, how do you expect me to? I have a knife against my throat! If I laugh, the knife could slice my throat!"
"Oh, how CLEVER."
"Now what do you want with me?"
"You're a harlequin, I can tell from your face paint."
"What face paint?" Mimi thought she had washed it off already.
He continued as if he had never heard her. "My band of Rogues and I need someone to... entertain us and amuse us. We'll pay you."
"Oh? What kind of amusement?"
"Well, we can't tell you that, now can we?"
Mimi feared for her life. The sly smile on the man's face scared the wits out of her, and she jumped up onto her horse and gave it a good hard kick. "Run, horse, run, damn it!"
* * * * *
After nearly five hours of riding, Yamato still could not find a trace of Mimi. Grumbling and cursing every dirty phrase and word he knew, he had already kicked his horse so hard that it nearly rebelled and threw him off. All passerbies could see what a sour mood Duke Yamato was in. It showed in his attitude and in his ruffled appearance. Snapping at anyone who opposed him, Yamato eventually got past a throng of admiring females. He could not think of anything else except for his mission: to apologize to Mimi and bring her back to the palace. What he was going to do afterwards was a question he did not wish to ponder.
"Sir, have you seen a pink-haired young lady ride past you towards Spain?" Wearily Yamato inquired a straw-covered farmer.
"Eh? Me do not understand." The farmer replied through swollen and bruised lips.
"I just asked you a simple question. Did you see a lady?"
"Me saw a gaudy man."
"Arrgh... DID YOU SEE A LADY?" Yamato could already feel himself getting angry. "I don't care about some stupid clown man!"
"But man was Rogue."
"Yes, yes, practically every person nowadays is a rogue," Yamato muttered.
"No, no, no! Sire not understand! Me saw ROGUE!" The farmer insisted, using incoherent language that took all of Yamato's hearing skills to understand.
"Oh..." Understanding what the odd man was ranting about, Yamato asked, "Then why didn't you report him to the local guards?"
"Me try... but Rogue get to them first and then hurt old Jacques." The man started to tremble and whimper, pointing to his lips.
"So... Jacques... which way was the Rogue going?"
"Southeast. Towards England."
"Ugh, England is to the NORTH!" Yamato grumbled, figuring that the farmer was to be of no help at all, "I'll just be heading for Spain then... I'd better get to her before HE does..."
"Take care, sire!" Even as Duke Yamato rode away, Jacques was still waving and blubbering odd sentences through thick lips.
But Yamato didn't even hear him. He was too busy thinking of Mimi and fearing for her life.
* * * * *
"I really, really hate this! I knew I should've brought a compass or something!" Mimi cried, grabbing handfuls of her hair. "I really, really, REALLY hate this! I'm out in the middle of nowhere! Ugh!!" Actually, she was riding out in the French countryside, with several farmers eyeing her. "What're you looking at?" She tried not to be too rude, but in her sweaty and painful condition, there was no way she could not cease to be angry.
"Say, little lady, what are you doing out so east?" A thin, handsome young man was the first to step forward and speak. "Are you lost? Where is your escort?"
"I am not a little lady, for your information! I am a LADY!" She sniffed disdainfully and rubbed her nose. Angrily she shook her horse's reins to give a clue as to what she wanted to do. Unfortunately, the infatuated farmers did not comprehend, and thus, did not move.
"I can help you get to your destination."
"No thank you, I'd rather not get help. My destination is too far away for you to travel from your pastures. But thank you for your offer." Mimi shook the reins again, harder. This time, a few farmers stepped out of her way. The young man still stood his ground, though.
"If it's far away, wouldn't it be more worth the reason for a male companion? There are many rogues around."
"Please don't mention... ROGUES." Shaking her head impatiently, Mimi urged the horse forward at a slow, steady pace. The horse gave a disgruntled snort and commenced trotting. "Now please let me through."
"As you wish, milady." He bowed and awkwardly jumped aside. "As you wish."
However, Mimi did not get extremely far before a fierce yell was heard from behind. Her eyes widened in horror as the image of a snarling, overdressed colorful man leading a brigand of equally odd figures plunged towards her. Gasping, she remembered the Rogue and his threats. Shocked at the man's speed, she tried to urge her horse forward. It was a futile effort.
The young man who had just spoken to her minutes earlier kept a tight grip on Mimi's chestnut mare's tail. His eyes were hard and he addressed her in a low voice, "Since you did not wish for me to travel with you, I shall have to turn you over to the Rogue."
"Why you cursed son of a..." Mimi started. She did not get a chance to finish. The young man glared at her from beneath thick eyelashes and pulled the horse's tail with a malicious chuckle. "Insane boy," muttered Mimi.
"Why, if it isn't the harlequin! You tried to get away, didn't you, little mademoiselle?" Laughed the Rogue. He leaped forward and yanked Mimi by her skirts off of the horse. Mimi's cry of pain and fear caused the men standing around to laugh. "Well, you'll be coming with us now!" He grabbed Mimi's cheeks and tried to kiss her sloppily, but she rapidly slapped him across the face. Taken by surprise, the Rogue stumbled back and growled, "Tie the little brat up."
"Get away from her!" A young, fiery voice rang out. When nobody moved, the voice repeated its message. "Get away! Did you not hear me the first time?" Everyone turned around to face the infuriated speaker. Mimi's heart skipped a beat. So he had come after her!
"Yamato..." Her eyes watered, and a tear slipped down her still rosy cheeks.
"Let go of her!"
"Oh? A lover, girl?" The Rogue grinned devilishly. "So how about this?" He swiftly kissed Mimi on the lips. A choked gasp from Mimi showed what she thought of it. After kicking the man, she spat out, "You bastard!"
"How dare you kiss her?" Yamato snapped, advancing forward with a drawn rapier. "So, ROGUE, now you're torturing unarmed females?"
"Duke Yamato, is it? I remember; I have a score to settle with you! You and me, a duel, Duke! What do you say?" The Rogue spoke as if he had never heard Yamato's question.
"Of course, Rogue. I accept your challenge." Holding his pointed, slim sword out in front of him in "guard" position, Yamato narrowed his eyes and beckoned Mimi forwards. She stumbled over to Yamato and stood beside him. "The lady shall watch and declare the winner. First to draw blood wins."
"Of course, Duke." The Rogue tossed back his hair vainly and drew out a saber. After holding it out in the exact same position as Yamato's, he ordered curtly, "Fools, out of the way. This is a personal duel between REAL men."
He was the first to lunge forward and attack.
Mimi watched through apprehensive eyes as the duel thus began.
Yamato knew he had to win.
Because the duel was for her.
For Mimi.
Note: SO sorry that this chapter took an ETERNITY to write! I recently moved to a new house, so it took awhile for the computer to get set up, but now this is up! I hope it's enjoyable.
Duel Between Two
"Where is she? Where is the harlequin?" Yamato snarled as he throttled Pierre. The foppish courtier had refused to tell even Yamato where the pink harlequin was. "You're the only one who saw her! Why in the name of God are you refusing to tell me?"
"Because, Your Grace, I feared that if I told, I would get punished for not going after her." Pierre whimpered stupidly, quivering and widening his eyes in a childish manner.
"You fool, she's not an escaped servant! She's a harlequin! Harlequins do not need to stay here unless directed!" Yamato left out the part where Hotaru was in fact Crown Princess Mimi.
"S-so sorry, Your Grace! Forgive me! I beg for your forgiveness!!"
"Oh, shut that mouth of yours up," Yamato muttered darkly. Then he started throttling again. "Where is she? Which way did she go?"
"S-she took one of your horses, Your Grace, and rode southwest, towards Spain."
"Damn it!" Yamato let go of Pierre's collar (which was by now ripped and mangled so much that it resembled a loose banana peel) and sped off for the stables. After saddling a black stallion in less than five minutes by himself, Duke Yamato raced off for Spain.
* * * * *
"Ugh," Mimi grumbled, smoothing down her skirts. Even though she wore the dress with the least petticoats to make riding quickly much easier, it was still quite a feat. Every second something would come undone, and the bulk of the petticoats hurt her rear. "I hate these stupid things," she whined to nobody in particular. "Stupid, stupid skirts."
"Hold it right there, mademoiselle!" A man stepped out from the bushes. Mimi widened her eyes. He was the silliest looking person she had ever seen in her life. "Oh my..." she gasped. The gasp was for a good reason, too. He was wearing a red muffin-shaped hat with green and indigo bird feathers stuck in the rim at a jaunty angle, a frilly white satin vest, a deep orange blouse with puffed sleeves, lemon yellow wool breeches with golden buttons studded on the sides, and violet leather shoes with curled toes. Mimi could not refrain herself from laughing hysterically. She clutched her sides as the man watched in bewilderment, howling in mirth, "Dear God!!!"
"Mademoiselle, do not laugh at the great Rogue." The man was clearly upset. He was quite hurt that the girl was laughing at his fashion sense.
"Dear God!" Mimi repeated, laughing. She soon fell out of her saddle from a bout of hysterics with a loud thump. Even then, she was still guffawing. "Dear me, you are wearing the most outrageous clothing I have seen during these past four hours of riding! No, during my entire life!!"
"Oh? You're riding alone, then?" He inquired.
Mimi immediately stiffened. Young women were not supposed to be riding out in the country, or even out in the city alone. He could be a thief, a murderer, or even a molester...
"Who are you?" She demanded.
"I told you, I'm the Rogue, the most wanted man in France."
"YOU?!" Mimi could not contain herself again. She wondered how the man could be a wanted person, if he was so... conspicuous. He should've gotten caught a long, long time ago. Maybe fate fancied him. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
The Rogue quickly pulled out a knife and pressed it against Mimi's throat, sneering, "Now are you going to laugh?"
"Well, how do you expect me to? I have a knife against my throat! If I laugh, the knife could slice my throat!"
"Oh, how CLEVER."
"Now what do you want with me?"
"You're a harlequin, I can tell from your face paint."
"What face paint?" Mimi thought she had washed it off already.
He continued as if he had never heard her. "My band of Rogues and I need someone to... entertain us and amuse us. We'll pay you."
"Oh? What kind of amusement?"
"Well, we can't tell you that, now can we?"
Mimi feared for her life. The sly smile on the man's face scared the wits out of her, and she jumped up onto her horse and gave it a good hard kick. "Run, horse, run, damn it!"
* * * * *
After nearly five hours of riding, Yamato still could not find a trace of Mimi. Grumbling and cursing every dirty phrase and word he knew, he had already kicked his horse so hard that it nearly rebelled and threw him off. All passerbies could see what a sour mood Duke Yamato was in. It showed in his attitude and in his ruffled appearance. Snapping at anyone who opposed him, Yamato eventually got past a throng of admiring females. He could not think of anything else except for his mission: to apologize to Mimi and bring her back to the palace. What he was going to do afterwards was a question he did not wish to ponder.
"Sir, have you seen a pink-haired young lady ride past you towards Spain?" Wearily Yamato inquired a straw-covered farmer.
"Eh? Me do not understand." The farmer replied through swollen and bruised lips.
"I just asked you a simple question. Did you see a lady?"
"Me saw a gaudy man."
"Arrgh... DID YOU SEE A LADY?" Yamato could already feel himself getting angry. "I don't care about some stupid clown man!"
"But man was Rogue."
"Yes, yes, practically every person nowadays is a rogue," Yamato muttered.
"No, no, no! Sire not understand! Me saw ROGUE!" The farmer insisted, using incoherent language that took all of Yamato's hearing skills to understand.
"Oh..." Understanding what the odd man was ranting about, Yamato asked, "Then why didn't you report him to the local guards?"
"Me try... but Rogue get to them first and then hurt old Jacques." The man started to tremble and whimper, pointing to his lips.
"So... Jacques... which way was the Rogue going?"
"Southeast. Towards England."
"Ugh, England is to the NORTH!" Yamato grumbled, figuring that the farmer was to be of no help at all, "I'll just be heading for Spain then... I'd better get to her before HE does..."
"Take care, sire!" Even as Duke Yamato rode away, Jacques was still waving and blubbering odd sentences through thick lips.
But Yamato didn't even hear him. He was too busy thinking of Mimi and fearing for her life.
* * * * *
"I really, really hate this! I knew I should've brought a compass or something!" Mimi cried, grabbing handfuls of her hair. "I really, really, REALLY hate this! I'm out in the middle of nowhere! Ugh!!" Actually, she was riding out in the French countryside, with several farmers eyeing her. "What're you looking at?" She tried not to be too rude, but in her sweaty and painful condition, there was no way she could not cease to be angry.
"Say, little lady, what are you doing out so east?" A thin, handsome young man was the first to step forward and speak. "Are you lost? Where is your escort?"
"I am not a little lady, for your information! I am a LADY!" She sniffed disdainfully and rubbed her nose. Angrily she shook her horse's reins to give a clue as to what she wanted to do. Unfortunately, the infatuated farmers did not comprehend, and thus, did not move.
"I can help you get to your destination."
"No thank you, I'd rather not get help. My destination is too far away for you to travel from your pastures. But thank you for your offer." Mimi shook the reins again, harder. This time, a few farmers stepped out of her way. The young man still stood his ground, though.
"If it's far away, wouldn't it be more worth the reason for a male companion? There are many rogues around."
"Please don't mention... ROGUES." Shaking her head impatiently, Mimi urged the horse forward at a slow, steady pace. The horse gave a disgruntled snort and commenced trotting. "Now please let me through."
"As you wish, milady." He bowed and awkwardly jumped aside. "As you wish."
However, Mimi did not get extremely far before a fierce yell was heard from behind. Her eyes widened in horror as the image of a snarling, overdressed colorful man leading a brigand of equally odd figures plunged towards her. Gasping, she remembered the Rogue and his threats. Shocked at the man's speed, she tried to urge her horse forward. It was a futile effort.
The young man who had just spoken to her minutes earlier kept a tight grip on Mimi's chestnut mare's tail. His eyes were hard and he addressed her in a low voice, "Since you did not wish for me to travel with you, I shall have to turn you over to the Rogue."
"Why you cursed son of a..." Mimi started. She did not get a chance to finish. The young man glared at her from beneath thick eyelashes and pulled the horse's tail with a malicious chuckle. "Insane boy," muttered Mimi.
"Why, if it isn't the harlequin! You tried to get away, didn't you, little mademoiselle?" Laughed the Rogue. He leaped forward and yanked Mimi by her skirts off of the horse. Mimi's cry of pain and fear caused the men standing around to laugh. "Well, you'll be coming with us now!" He grabbed Mimi's cheeks and tried to kiss her sloppily, but she rapidly slapped him across the face. Taken by surprise, the Rogue stumbled back and growled, "Tie the little brat up."
"Get away from her!" A young, fiery voice rang out. When nobody moved, the voice repeated its message. "Get away! Did you not hear me the first time?" Everyone turned around to face the infuriated speaker. Mimi's heart skipped a beat. So he had come after her!
"Yamato..." Her eyes watered, and a tear slipped down her still rosy cheeks.
"Let go of her!"
"Oh? A lover, girl?" The Rogue grinned devilishly. "So how about this?" He swiftly kissed Mimi on the lips. A choked gasp from Mimi showed what she thought of it. After kicking the man, she spat out, "You bastard!"
"How dare you kiss her?" Yamato snapped, advancing forward with a drawn rapier. "So, ROGUE, now you're torturing unarmed females?"
"Duke Yamato, is it? I remember; I have a score to settle with you! You and me, a duel, Duke! What do you say?" The Rogue spoke as if he had never heard Yamato's question.
"Of course, Rogue. I accept your challenge." Holding his pointed, slim sword out in front of him in "guard" position, Yamato narrowed his eyes and beckoned Mimi forwards. She stumbled over to Yamato and stood beside him. "The lady shall watch and declare the winner. First to draw blood wins."
"Of course, Duke." The Rogue tossed back his hair vainly and drew out a saber. After holding it out in the exact same position as Yamato's, he ordered curtly, "Fools, out of the way. This is a personal duel between REAL men."
He was the first to lunge forward and attack.
Mimi watched through apprehensive eyes as the duel thus began.
Yamato knew he had to win.
Because the duel was for her.
For Mimi.
Note: SO sorry that this chapter took an ETERNITY to write! I recently moved to a new house, so it took awhile for the computer to get set up, but now this is up! I hope it's enjoyable.