Author's Note: This doesn't really deal with the series too much, but a couple of characters may be mentioned or seen. Also Dilandau is 15, and Gwendoline is 14 BP
The dancing flames
As the others were clamoring and gossiping about what had happened, Gwendoline sat in a trance - like state. She was suppose to have been in bed. Instead, she sat on her balcony looking out into the night. All she could think about were the pretty flames she had seen. She remembered how they moved, their rhythm. She also thought about the boy she saw. He had been in the red guymelef, making the flames. Gwendoline recalled his laughter. It wasn't normal laughter, but she supposed that meant he liked the flames as much as she did.
As footsteps neared the girl's door, she quickly ran and jumped into bed, pulling her blankets around her. Her door opened slightly, the hallway light coming into the room. After a moment, the door shut. Rolling over, Gwendoline got back out of bed. Someone was always checking on her, ever since that day. That big fire in that other house. Had she made it?
***********
"Nadine!" Warren had shouted above the roaring flames, "Get the children out!" Nadine was pulling Joy and Ryuki out of the house. "I can't find the Gwendoline or Gwenivere," Nadine yelled, afraid. "I'm going back in," said Warren, "Stay with them." He ran back into the burning house. Warren ran to the back of the house.
"Gwendoline!" he yelled as he searched, "Gwenivere!" He searched until finally, he saw a hunched over shadow. Because of the smoke, he couldn't see which twin it was. He simply grabbed her. "Where is your sister?" Warren asked. The girl gave no answer. He quickly rushed with her out of the housed. The man coughed, since the air inside the house was no longer breathable. After he laid the girl down, Warren saw that it was Gwendoline. There was a scream inside the house. Before Warren could go back in, the house collapsed. Joy was screaming, and the shock had caused Nadine to faint. As the others around her regarded the scene in horror, Gwendoline stood up and silently watched the flames as the fallen home burned in the night. She wondered in amazement at the glowing yellows and deep oranges. Did she make that? Pretty, very pretty.
Her parents didn't know what to make of Gwendoline's sudden fascination with fire. Perhaps she was still in shock and needed a way to deal with the loss of her twin. Whatever the reason, Gwendoline was not to be left alone by a fire, or especially anything that could cause it.
Gwendoline still made fires of course. But she made them when she snuck away from her nanny, in the woods. She would lay and watch the flames, and watch them dance for her.
*****************
Dilandau sat alone in the diner, thinking to himself as others ate and drank noisily around him. Despite his ever confident and self - assured manner, Dilandau had still been puzzled about the girl. He wondered about her as he looked at his glass of wine. After gulping it down, Dilandau rose from the table and walked away. He didn't leave a tip, since he felt the service wasn't anything to scream about. Of course, no one was dumb enough to complain.
He stepped outside of the diner, squinting slightly. It was much brighter outside than it had been in the diner. He glanced casually to his right. There she was. She hadn't seen him yet, in fact she didn't seem to see anything. From where he stood, Dilandau could see she still wore that absent, yet placid, look upon her face. He could see her more clearly now, than before. She had dark red hair, and her eyes were an off green, brightly reflecting the sunlight when she looked upward.
Finally, the girl's eyes settled on him. Her expression showed that she recognized him, and Dilandau found that he wasn't entirely indifferent to her notice. He felt a slightly warm haze within him, but he decided that it must have been the wine. Whatever it was, he couldn't take his eyes off of the girl, who had taken a step towards him. A girl who was standing nearby turned to see this and following the girl's eyes. With a look of panic, she moved quickly to grab her. "Come on, Gwendoline," the girl said pulling at her arm. When Gwendoline showed no signs of moving, the other girl simply drug her away.
Dilandau watched them as they departed. Gwendoline, he mused in his mind. It wasn't such a bad name, in fact it was almost lovely. Lovely? Dilandau shook his head. Perhaps the wine was having more of an effect on him than he thought.
*******************
What was he doing?! He was suppose to be getting back to his men, but instead he was following this Gwendoline. Gwendoline and another girl, who he had guessed was her sister, had gotten into a carriage, which now carried them down the road and through the surrounding forest. The carriage finally turned onto a smaller road. Dilandau stopped. The carriage was approaching a mansion.
Not a bad place, Dilandau thought to himself. Of course the mansion was still quaint in comparison to his own humble abode. Dilandau sighed. Why had he come there? There really was no point to his being in front of the girl's home. He turned his horse and began riding away. What was he planning on doing, anyway? Was he going to someday ride up to her house, bouquet of flowers in hand and call on her. The thought made Dilandau laugh out loud. Then again, why couldn't he? It wasn't as if he were beneath the girl.
So perhaps he would visit this Gwendoline, or better yet, have her come to him. Yes that would be more appropriate. He would arrange for it when he got back.
***************
End of chapter. More on the way soon. BP
The dancing flames
As the others were clamoring and gossiping about what had happened, Gwendoline sat in a trance - like state. She was suppose to have been in bed. Instead, she sat on her balcony looking out into the night. All she could think about were the pretty flames she had seen. She remembered how they moved, their rhythm. She also thought about the boy she saw. He had been in the red guymelef, making the flames. Gwendoline recalled his laughter. It wasn't normal laughter, but she supposed that meant he liked the flames as much as she did.
As footsteps neared the girl's door, she quickly ran and jumped into bed, pulling her blankets around her. Her door opened slightly, the hallway light coming into the room. After a moment, the door shut. Rolling over, Gwendoline got back out of bed. Someone was always checking on her, ever since that day. That big fire in that other house. Had she made it?
***********
"Nadine!" Warren had shouted above the roaring flames, "Get the children out!" Nadine was pulling Joy and Ryuki out of the house. "I can't find the Gwendoline or Gwenivere," Nadine yelled, afraid. "I'm going back in," said Warren, "Stay with them." He ran back into the burning house. Warren ran to the back of the house.
"Gwendoline!" he yelled as he searched, "Gwenivere!" He searched until finally, he saw a hunched over shadow. Because of the smoke, he couldn't see which twin it was. He simply grabbed her. "Where is your sister?" Warren asked. The girl gave no answer. He quickly rushed with her out of the housed. The man coughed, since the air inside the house was no longer breathable. After he laid the girl down, Warren saw that it was Gwendoline. There was a scream inside the house. Before Warren could go back in, the house collapsed. Joy was screaming, and the shock had caused Nadine to faint. As the others around her regarded the scene in horror, Gwendoline stood up and silently watched the flames as the fallen home burned in the night. She wondered in amazement at the glowing yellows and deep oranges. Did she make that? Pretty, very pretty.
Her parents didn't know what to make of Gwendoline's sudden fascination with fire. Perhaps she was still in shock and needed a way to deal with the loss of her twin. Whatever the reason, Gwendoline was not to be left alone by a fire, or especially anything that could cause it.
Gwendoline still made fires of course. But she made them when she snuck away from her nanny, in the woods. She would lay and watch the flames, and watch them dance for her.
*****************
Dilandau sat alone in the diner, thinking to himself as others ate and drank noisily around him. Despite his ever confident and self - assured manner, Dilandau had still been puzzled about the girl. He wondered about her as he looked at his glass of wine. After gulping it down, Dilandau rose from the table and walked away. He didn't leave a tip, since he felt the service wasn't anything to scream about. Of course, no one was dumb enough to complain.
He stepped outside of the diner, squinting slightly. It was much brighter outside than it had been in the diner. He glanced casually to his right. There she was. She hadn't seen him yet, in fact she didn't seem to see anything. From where he stood, Dilandau could see she still wore that absent, yet placid, look upon her face. He could see her more clearly now, than before. She had dark red hair, and her eyes were an off green, brightly reflecting the sunlight when she looked upward.
Finally, the girl's eyes settled on him. Her expression showed that she recognized him, and Dilandau found that he wasn't entirely indifferent to her notice. He felt a slightly warm haze within him, but he decided that it must have been the wine. Whatever it was, he couldn't take his eyes off of the girl, who had taken a step towards him. A girl who was standing nearby turned to see this and following the girl's eyes. With a look of panic, she moved quickly to grab her. "Come on, Gwendoline," the girl said pulling at her arm. When Gwendoline showed no signs of moving, the other girl simply drug her away.
Dilandau watched them as they departed. Gwendoline, he mused in his mind. It wasn't such a bad name, in fact it was almost lovely. Lovely? Dilandau shook his head. Perhaps the wine was having more of an effect on him than he thought.
*******************
What was he doing?! He was suppose to be getting back to his men, but instead he was following this Gwendoline. Gwendoline and another girl, who he had guessed was her sister, had gotten into a carriage, which now carried them down the road and through the surrounding forest. The carriage finally turned onto a smaller road. Dilandau stopped. The carriage was approaching a mansion.
Not a bad place, Dilandau thought to himself. Of course the mansion was still quaint in comparison to his own humble abode. Dilandau sighed. Why had he come there? There really was no point to his being in front of the girl's home. He turned his horse and began riding away. What was he planning on doing, anyway? Was he going to someday ride up to her house, bouquet of flowers in hand and call on her. The thought made Dilandau laugh out loud. Then again, why couldn't he? It wasn't as if he were beneath the girl.
So perhaps he would visit this Gwendoline, or better yet, have her come to him. Yes that would be more appropriate. He would arrange for it when he got back.
***************
End of chapter. More on the way soon. BP