"Well... It's only one in the morning, I suppose it's not too late to find
someone down at the pub..." Cécile murmured behind her. In one hand, she
held a lantern in which flames danced and cast moving shadows over the
ground as they shifted from the packed earth of the dirt road to a worn
cobblestone street. A bulging black satchel was slung over her shoulder, as
well as a matching one carried by the following Wolf. Surprisingly, the old
woman hadn't even stirred awake from the commotion upstairs, though upon
entering her room, Cécile had found that Grandmother had put in ear plugs
and a sleeping mask over her face. She had left a detailed letter to
Grandmother on the kitchen table, explaining the urgency at which she
needed to leave, and an apology for wrecking one of her brooms and taking
half of the pantry contents. When Cécile returned downstairs, fully dressed
and bearing two empty bags, she didn't allow Wolf to protest, cutting him
off each time by asking him to hand her things to pack.
The duo had moved quickly, taking the shortcut through the woods that the girl usually used for going to work. Pointing to her left, she came to a sudden stop, "That's the bakery, where I work... And..." She turned to her right, about to point out another store.
Scratching the side of his head, Wolf interrupted her speech, his impatient tone on the verge of a growl, "Huff puff... It's a nice town, really, but we don't have time for a walking tour!"
Blinking in mild realization, Cécile lowered her hand and nodded. "Oh, right..." Picking up the pace, they moved along the path, now lit overhead by streetlamps burning with vibrant flames of their own. They illuminated the swinging sign only titled 'PUB' in engraved golden letters, an indication of how small this town really was. However, the place wasn't entirely isolated, and the community had its advantages. In comparison to most of the Second Kingdom, the people here were friendlier to wolves, and at the least tolerated them. After all, the owner of their bakery had a part wolf granddaughter running it.
A pair of speckled horses were tied up to the post in front of the structure, as well as still attached to a wagon, its bed covered by a white tarp with golden hay poking through. Passing them, Cécile stroked the sides of their heads and they nuzzled at her. "Friends of yours?" Wolf asked, though the girl simply shook her head in response before moving towards the windows. The glass was somewhat darkened by dust and grime, though a faint light and 'OPEN' sign were still visible through it. Cécile leaned against the heavy wooden door, shouldering it open and holding it for Wolf to follow inside. At this time, the pub was pretty much devoid of people, except for the barmaid and two lingering customers sitting on the stools in front of her.
"G'night Adele!" one of the men at the bar called loudly in a slurred voice to the attractive barmaid as he stumbled off of his stool, bright red in his grinning face. He nearly fell onto the floor, though grabbed at a table to stop himself from completely tumbling over.
"Night, Monsieur Dabin," Adele replied in her accent that sounded French, leaning over the counter top to watch him in amusement. As soon as Wolf stepped inside, the shorter and stouter drunk man pushed around him out the door. And as soon as Wolf stepped inside, Adele's gaze lifted to the door and brightened at seeing the handsome stranger. She straightened up and ran her hands over the scarlet bodice and down to straighten the apron tied around her small waist, looking up at him with a charming grin, "'allo Monsieur... I 'aven't seen you around 'ere before..." She did not take note of the girl moving from the doorway until it slammed shut.
"Oi, Adele!" Cécile called, frowning at the other young woman's flirtatious appearance.
Adele looked at her, at first with recognition, then with shock as she covered her mouth. Moving her hand away she shook her head with a somewhat mortified expression, "Cécile! What are you doing 'ere? With a man, no less! Does your Grandmother know about zees?"
Cécile strode quickly across to the bar, completely ignoring Adele's reaction to speak with her in a low and hurried voice. "Don't you know who that is...?" They exchanged sharp whispers, and even Wolf could only hear snippets of the brief conversation. As they spoke, Adele occasionally peeked around to look at Wolf again, her shocked expression growing every time she glanced. Cécile leaned back to usher Wolf over, whilst the slightly older woman covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.
Cautiously, Wolf walked over to the two girls. His head was tucked in as he looked at them, a few inches away from both their faces. He adjusted the pack he was carrying, before looking back and forth at them repetitively with an animated expression. Wolf almost resembled a dog panting on a hot day. "So what's the plan, Cécile?"
As she was the one addressed, the younger girl replied, "Adele says that man over there--"
But the barmaid quickly cut her off, grinning and still fluttering her eyelashes despite the fact that Wolf was a married man. Everyone knew that his mate was Virginia of the Tenth Kingdom, but what was a girl like Adele to do? She leaned forward on the counter, pointing to a snoring drunkard who was drooling on the countertop, a half-empty mug beside his head in addition to about five other empty mugs. "Zat man over zere, he's a merchant, an' ze owner of ze wagon outside. If you wait long enough, you may be able to catch a ride with 'im."
"Oh, huff puff. We don't have much time!" Wolf continued anxiously, worry spreading over his face. In comparison, Cécile's expression was much calmer and subdued, though she was feeling just as impatient.
"Ah, I will go see if I can wake 'im up," Adele stood up and tipped her head, a weaker smile on her face as she moved to the other end of the bar. At first she merely tapped the man on the shoulder, but received no response, then poked him on the face. "Monsieur..." the woman said in a sweet voice, though it quickly became more irritable. After shaking him some more, all he did was mutter and keep drooling. Looking up at the pair on the other end of the bar, she flashed a quick smile at them, "Excuse me one moment."
As Adele moved into the back, Wolf and Cécile exchanged confused looks for a moment, then turned back around to watch her come out with a bucket. "Monsieur!" Adele hollered in the drunken man's face, before dumping the water all over him. He sat up, coughing and spluttering water around him.
"'m drownin'! Somebody save meee!" the man cried out, his eyes still closed and his arms flailing in the air until he toppled over and onto the floor. Upon landing, he seemed to wake up. Drenched, startled and blinking with bloodshot eyes, he swung his head around to take in his surroundings, "What?!? Where'm I? Who did that?"
Adele tucked the bucket under the bar and cleared her throat, her hands on her hips. "I did, monsieur... You 'ad fallen asleep," replied the barmaid, trying to conceal the disgust in her voice. She nodded her head in the direction of the two part wolves, "Some people want to talk to you." With that, she picked up the bucket and stepped into the back, swinging her hips indignantly as she walked.
"Yeah?" He looked up, tilting his now-drenched hat up a bit and looking at Cécile and Wolf with half-closed, blood-shot eyes. He didn't look very happy to see them, but Wolf didn't mind.
"Ah yes, excuse me sir!" Wolf called as he grabbed a chair opposite a man and scooted it forward. He sat down rather close to him, in order to make eye contact, and propped his head up on his hands. "You see, I am a humble merchant just like yourself." He began. "And my dear, sweet grandmother isvery ill in the fourth kingdom!
"For weeks, I have searched for a cure for my dear, sweet grandmama. And during this, I have had nothing but terrible luck--my horses were stolen by bandits and they robbed me of all my other resources. It was only this adorable young maiden that saved me--and we're hoping that you perhaps could let us ride with you into the fourth kingdom?"
"Actually, I was heading towards the sixth kingdom," was the reply. Wolf grew silent for a moment and his broad, charming smile faded as he scratched behind his ear. Then he leaned closer to the man.
"All right, how about this--I'll make you a deal."
"A deal?" Repeated the merchant, "How so, if you have no supplies left?"
Wolf's voice was barely a whisper. "Well, I don't especially like to mention it in public, you know..." He glanced at Cécile. To the merchant, it might have looked like he was gesturing that she was untrustworthy. But to Cécile, it looked more like a 'go outside now' look. "But also on my travels, I gained a most interesting tool..."
He slipped his hand into his pocket and brought out the keys to his apartment. On the end was a laser pointer, or something of a similar fashion, he couldn't remember--he had picked it up at the bank one day when Virginia took him on errands. He held it up to the man's face, who reached out to touch it. Wolf automatically took it away and shook his head at him.
"Not so fast," Wolf said cautiously. "You don't know how powerful this thing is. I picked it up from a rogue wizard on my way here... should you touch it now," Wolf clicked the light on for emphasis, "It could turn you into a fiddler crab, for all I know."
"What do you want for it?" asked the merchant.
Wolf's eyes rolled up in his head as he let out a small howl. When he looked back to the man, he looked dangerous; wild. "Oh no, some things can never be bought, sir.... but I will give it to you, if I and the girl--" he checked to see if Cécile had gone yet, "--can have your wagon. It's highly favorable for you, sir. With this, you can buy ten thousand other carriages!"
"Then why won't you keep it?"
The black haired man grew silent again, briefly looking ashamed. He looked down at the merchant and shook his head. "I...I am a weak-willed man. The power would...seduce me. But you are obviously a man of...of virtue!" Wolf couldn't believe what he was saying, "And would be able to control the power, unlike how the power would control me..."
The merchant clasped his hands over his enlarged middle. He looked rather pleased through his hardened facial features and beer-stained clothes. Wolf smiled a fanged grin.
"Have we...got a deal?" Wolf said, in a whisper.
"It is done."
Wolf's mood changed drastically at that. "Good!" He handed the set of keys to the man, "Good luck, and may you open many doors..." He said with a mysterious flourish, before heading outside.
"Wait--" The merchant called, "You forgot to tell me--"
SLAM!
"...How to use it." The merchant sighed and looked down at the laser pointer in his hands, before clicking the light on once.
Outside, Cécile was once again standing beside the horses, patting them on the heads as though they belonged to her. And now they did...sort of. Looking up at the slam of the door, she merely arched a brow at the proud, toothy grin that Wolf bore on his face as he came towards her. "Get on!" he grabbed her arm and helped her onto the seat of the wagon, then ran around to untie the horses. Clambering on the other side, he threw their packs into the bed of the wagon and grabbed up the reigns.
With a bumpy start, the horses began a slow trot down the street, hooves clomping loudly against the ground. The passengers swayed back and forth as the wheels ran over the cobblestone. Relaxing a bit in her seat, Cécile turned to Wolf with a curious smirk, "So what was that thing you were showing to the drunkard, eh?"
To which he responded with a scratch to the side of his head and a lopsided grin, "Oh, nothing important."
Her interest seemed to grow due to his casual and secretive response, brow raised again and the smirk growing, "Something from the Tenth Kingdom?" Wolf seemed about to respond, when they heard a loud voice shouting at them from behind.
"'EY YOU! GET BACK 'ERE WITH MY STUFF!" the drunken merchant bellowed at them, waving both of his fists, one in which the exchanged light was. The pair turned around to stare at him in unison, then turned back around. The man began to run at them, surprisingly quick without falling flat on his face for someone who had been unconscious a few minutes ago. The set of metal keys jangled loudly as he shook his meaty fists. "THIS THING DOESN'T WORK! SLIMY SON OF A--!"
While Wolf was still grinning, Cécile's expression was less pleased and somewhat confused, "What'd you give the man?" He didn't reply, merely whipping the reigns and urging the horses to move faster. They broke into a gallop, creating a bit of whiplash, though getting the wagon farther away from the angry drunkard. The man behind them couldn't keep up the pace, and began panting and sweating heavily before coming to a stop. However, he made one last futile attempt by jabbing the laser pointer at them and trying to turn it on, though it did nothing.
His calls of "GET BACK HEREEEE!" went unanswered as they rode out of town and towards the Fourth Kingdom.
******
The night was peaceful, as the waxing moon showed them the way. Fireflies dotted the empty field, flickering like candlelight. The crickets echoed in background. A few hours between Cécile and Wolf had passed like this happily; Wolf talked as fast and as much as possible to get his mind off Virginia, poor, poor Virginia...
...All alone, with their cub... she wasn't helpless, he knew that--earlier that night, when Cécile had all but killed him with a broom brought back a fond (well, it was fond now, but back then it wasn't) memory of Virginia when he first met her. But she was all alone. Suppose Viator was lying, and went back to kill Virginia too...? All these mind games; Wolf loved to deal but never liked to play the game. It was his nature.
But what would poor Virginia think? To find him all gone--nothing left but flowers and his coat. He was beginning to miss his coat at that, although it was a fine summer night in the kingdoms, he found himself shivering. He missed his Virginia, his creamy dreamy Virginia, who would always keep him warm.
No way back now. He knew where the mirror was--it was probably still sitting there, waiting for him, calling him back. Just like Virginia probably was, sitting there alone in an empty apartment with no mate to take care of her... His voice broke into a whimper in mid-sentence because of this and Cécile looked at him strange. She asked if he was okay.
Of course he was okay, he was Wolf.
It wasn't long until the conversation turned to his previous adventure. Wolf, first and foremost, was a Wolf--and wolves are cunning, their words made to sound captivating and appealing to those who heard them. He was a natural storyteller.
"And then, she hit me with a broom! I fell out the window and into the street below," Wolf laughed, which turned into a howl. He smiled at Cécile a little and looked back to the dusty trail ahead of them.
After chuckling softly at the story, Cécile bit her lip and scratched the side of her head, turning away slightly, "Er... Sorry about that, again." She still felt the need to apologize a lot more than she did initially, mostly because he wasn't just any stranger. He was a hero, and her idol, and someone she thought she would only meet in a dream! Speaking of dreams, she yawned quietly with a hand over her mouth. The gentle swaying of the wagon was soothing and rhythmic, but not enough to put her to sleep and she was oddly awake. However, she did feel the need for something else. Tilting her head, she looked up at Wolf again, "I don't suppose you're hungry, are you?"
Wolf hadn't thought about it until then, but yes, he was. He was so focused on getting to the fourth kingdom and trying not to feel guilty about Virginia that he had completely blocked it out. But yes, yes he was hungry... the last thing he had was a pound of bacon that morning for breakfast.
"Er..well.... if you don't mind..."
Before Wolf's answer had finished trailing off, Cécile was already clambering into the back and opening up the supply bags. Sniffing at them first, she turned to one of the packs and dug through it, pulling out a cast iron pan, a pot, a box of matches, rope, oil... After a few long minutes of shifting things around, she finally poked her head out of the bag, her eyes giving off a slight glow in the darkness.
"I packed a few loaves of bread, if you'd like..." the girl said with a grin, before forcefully ripping off a chunk and biting into it. She went silent for a moment to chew with what seemed to be a great effort, "A bit stale, since it was from yesterday morning, but it's still edible. Now, what else..." Rummaging through the bag again, she resurfaced with a large slab of meat wrapped in parchment. "Ham? Think we've got some bacon in here, too..."
After a few moments without a response, Cécile sat up and stared at Wolf, who didn't seem to be listening. Clambering towards the front to see if he was awake, surely enough his eyes were open, though slightly narrowed. "Steak," Wolf said quietly, licking his lips and teeth in a feral manner.
Staring a bit blankly at him, she shook her head as she sat back on her legs, "I didn't pack any steak." She waited again. He didn't say anything, so the quarter wolf continued talking with a smaller, but still cheerful, smile, "I could cut some of this ham up and make a sandwich or something. Or we could stop and--"
"No steak?" he interrupted suddenly, still not turning his head to look at her.
The blank look returned to Cécile's face as she blinked at him curiously. "No, no steak..."
"Why no steak?" This time, he sounded more irritated than he did disappointed. She thought she almost heard him growl.
Scratching her head, the answer seemed obvious to her. In an obviously hesitant voice, the girl spoke slowly and carefully, "It would spoil... Thought we were in for a long trip, in case we didn't get the wagon, so I only packed preserved goods." All she could hear for another minute or so was the crickets chirping and the steady sound of hooves beating against dirt and stones. Shifting her position uneasily, she inquired in a soft voice, "Wolf?"
Finally, he turned around with glowing yellow eyes and replied, "I need meat. Fresh, red, juicy, succulent...MEAT!" His voice grew from quiet to a loud shout, causing Cécile to wince at the volume. In front of them, the horses neighed and shook their heads, somewhat spooked.
Opening her eyes, she frowned at him and growled, "Oi! Quiet down!"
"But Cécile..." His voice trailed as Wolf looked from side to side; as if discussing this thing called 'meat' was an illegal thing. Looking back at her, he smiled dangerously. "Don't you like steak? Wonderful, sweet, hot steak? Ooooh it makes me want to HOWL!" In fact, he did so, to emphasis the word 'howl.' If the horses were spooked before, they were terrified now.
Cécile shot Wolf a hard look. "Calm down, Wolf. We don't have any steak--" She saw him tense. "But we can get some in the morning, maybe?" She offered. Anything just to get him to calm down, before he did something completely stupid.
He shook his head. "Why wait for tommorrow when we could have it now?"
"Wh-what are you saying...?"
"Surely there's a cabin about here somewhere--a cabin with beautiful, juicy steak...Oh Cécile, they'll never miss it!" Wolf replied anxiously. "Come on, what's a steak between two wolves?" There, he had said it.
"What's gotten into you?" Cécile's voice raised a little as she looked at him questioningly. He feigned an ashamed look.
"Oh Cécile, I can't help it. I was going to have steak today with my lovely Virginia, but ...but..." He let out a whimper. "You know how we are--we have cravings just like our mates..."
"Cravings can wait! We're in the middle of nowhere...!"
The man sighed and looked away from her for a moment. His shoulders sank as he lazily scratched behind his right ear. "Huff puff, I suppose you're right...maybe we should sleep now. It's been a long night for the both of us."
Cécile hesitantly agreed. They were at a point where it was certain the merchant wouldn't be able to catch up with them for at least half a day, and had put a dent in getting to the fourth kingdom. They needed the energy if they were going to save the fourth kingdom, after all.
Wolf watched as Cécile climbed into the back of the wagon and made a make- shift bed from one of the packs they had brought along. Carefully he joined her--at the edge of the wagon, though, as to avoid any further maulings if he should roll over and get too close. If he knew women at all, Cécile wouldn't understand it was an accident. Sigh. Women.
"Goodnight, Wolf." Cécile bade him, before closing her eyes.
Wolf feigned a yawn. "Yes...goodnight, Cécile."
******
"Curling might help, darling."
A soft groan almost erupted from Felcia's lips, yet instead it decided to stay dormant, a mere rumble in the confines of her voice box. As soon as the garbled noise faded into nothing, a saccharine smile graced the girl's lips before she gestured to the teapot in her hand.
"I appreciate your opinion, m'lady," she cooed softly, pouring the slightly obese woman a cup of jasmine tea, "yet I've already tried curling, and it doesn't seem as if it wishes to cooperate." The perfumed cloud from the drink rose up between the duo, and before the snowy-haired lady could comment on the many magical perm treatments available on the market at this point and time, Felcia discretely glided towards the tea counter to place down the pot.
"Now, Fifi," a lanky boy-man purred, leaning over and taking the porcelain vessel from her bony fingers, "don't listen to Old Madame Crawford! Your hair's perfectly fine the way it is, HO-nest." And as if to accent his last word, he tugged on her longest strip of hair, a twinkle in his eye.
"Robert," Felcia stressed, her ordinarily soothing voice crackling slightly, "you know I hate that name." Filmy lace traced a trail across the wood as she grabbed for a platter of petit fours, but a tanned hand lifted them from reach, a brilliant tooth smile replacing where the platter was.
"Oh, Robert!" Felcia chirped in a slightly disgruntled fashion, waving her arms in the air in the general direction of the carefully frosted miniature cakes. "Why must you be such a tease?" Sniffling, she turned her expression towards the young Robert's grinning face, removing her glasses in hopes that it might compound the youth's need to suddenly place down the petit fours in a slow, orderly fashion.
A soft grumble washed across his features as softly as it came from his mouth, his expression more somber as the little cakes nestled themselves in Felcia's fingers. A murmur that one might've been able to interpret as, 'Because you are,' came from his person before Robert smiled uneasily and rumpled her hair. "Oh, only 'cause it's so easy to get your bloomers in a bunch." The familiar grin returned to Robert's face as he watched Felcia shake her head and turn on her heel, ready to serve the elder employer who was currently enjoying her tea.
The tinkle of bells made her head jerk up as she heard a potential customer stride into the tailor's shop. Felcia put on her best smile as she waved to the mystery person in the doorframe.
"Oh, hello there! How may I help you?"
"Good day dearie," The woman who stood in the doorframe greeted her. A tiny smile flashed from inside the powder blue bonnet, as white gloved touched the lady's brown curls. She walked further still inside the little shoppe, green eyes glancing upwards, towards the ceiling. This gesture made her greatly resemble a little girl's doll--before her eyes settled on Felcia again. It seemed as though the lady had forgotten something, and curtsied deeply before the younger girl, before the smile that had been set upon her ruby red lips smiled resurfaced.
"Oh, oh yes. I was wondering if perhaps this is the dress shoppe I was told about--it seems as much, but I never expected anything quite so splendid." Her voice was tiny and childlike, like a bell, as she whirled around once more. The layers of her dress fought to catch up with her, and spun to as stop as once more she faced Felcia. "Truly lovely."
Jagged strips of gold fanned out as Felcia pivoted at the waist like a mechanical doll, first delivering the miniature pastries in front of the miffed Madame, then returning to her original posture with a smile upon her lips. A slight flush came upon the girl's cheeks as the lady curtseyed for her, and she did so in turn on an almost subconscious level, fidgeting with her voluptuous skirts as she arose yet again. For a moment, she forgot how to speak as she glowed with the praise, then she suddenly remembered herself, moving forward a few steps to guide the lady towards a comfortable seat.
"Oh, you're too kind, yet Madame Anita would be pleased from the tips of her toes to the top of her head if she heard you say that, for she's utterly convinced that this place is a mere hole in the wall!" Felcia chirped, starting to sound a bit like a canary as she finally guided the mahogany-locked lady down into a plush armchair. Taking her bonnet, she placed it gently on the opposite chair before nudging a footstool for the girl to rest her legs upon. Turning to get a pot of tea, she called out, "Ah, I'm Felcia--"
However, her crash to the floor prevented her from murmuring the word "Aurek" audibly.
The lady now sitting in the armchair put a hand to her mouth as her eyes widened in concern. She leaned forward, and tilting her head. She let out a soft little gasp, almost like a coo, at the girl, as the smile disappeared from her lips. "Oh, oh my--are you okay, F-Felcia?" Layers and layers of dress built up as she raised herself up to one knee to extend her hand to the golden-haired girl. "That was quite a fall."
A muffle came from the plush carpet as the seamstress's apprentice tried to pick herself up but failed, her face flopping back in contact with the floor. Robert immediately came from around the counter to pick her up and place her straight, dusting the soft green gown in an unusually mother-type fashion. Felcia tried to push him away, slightly annoyed with the attention from the gangly shop boy, but he merely turned her around to the newest customer so she could talk while he made sure that the back of her dress was 'flowing properly.'
With a swat at her companion as he swept a hand deftly over her rear, Felcia's brows wrinkled over her glasses before she shook her head again, beaming cheerfully at the girl. "Oh, I'm perfectly fine," she assured, patting the gloved hand in a motherly fashion, a bright smile spreading across her face. "I'm quite clumsy at times, so it's nothing out of the ordinary." Stopping for a moment, she suddenly looked as if she was quite disappointed in herself before she gazed warmly into her client's eyes. "Now, what might you be needing from this fine establishment, miss? And," she added whilst ignoring Robert's hand on her shoulder with a sniff, "what might I call you?"
"Oh, my name is Eulalia Camilla, but you can just call me Eulalia, dear. Never fond of the name 'miss,' it makes me sound rather old don't you think?" She didn't wait for an answer, the gloved hand was retrieved and tucked beneath her cute little chin. "And I was hoping to commission a special dress from you...I think it would be special in any case; few tailors I've seen are as enthused as you seem to be." Her words were perfect, flawlessly dictioned. Of course, it would be coming from her-- Eulalia was a known well known aristocrat in the eighth kingdom. Or any kingdom, for that matter.
The name was indeed recognized by Felcia, and as any proper young lady would, she curtseyed for Eulalia yet again, her cheeks blushing. Robert, however, didn't seem a whit impressed, yet he still stood by the mussed- haired apprentice, moving whenever she did so that he stayed behind her back no matter what. Although the golden-haired girl was quite annoyed, she tried to keep up her façade of delight over the entire situation, which wasn't entirely difficult for her to do.
"Oh, it's our pleasure!" she gasped, placing a fluttering hand to her throat, fidgeting with the lace around her neck. "There's a few new styles that we've decided to experiment with this season that I might entreat you to try." Leaning back, Felcia surveyed her newest customer, taking in her body shape and coloring before beaming, clapping her hands together. "Oh, there's a few cuts out there that I think you would positively delight in, but allow me to fetch the pattern and fabrics book for you to take a gander at."
As she rose, so did Robert, and soon they made a beeline to the back of the shop, leaving Eulalia without a companion, a soft discord echoing from the back the only evidence showing that Felcia was not pleased.
And there Eulalia sat, quietly making eyes at the rest of the room. It really was a lovely place... She let out a quiet sigh. It was a nice break from her very...active schedule that past few days. Glancing downwards, she wiped away one of strands of her hair away from her face and waited, unaware of what was going on in the back, because her mind was clouded up with the recent developments.
As Felcia tore through the storage in the back, she occasionally would toss a few things in Robert's general direction -- really, whether it be at his head or at his chest. After all, when Felcia was in one of her few moods of aggravation, which Robert tended to invoke in her, she didn't really care what would happen to the sinewy figure behind her.
"Honestly, what are you thinking?" she squeaked, heaving the book into his open arms. Robert merely had a goofy grin upon his face, which Felcia privately observed was a normal occurrence with the infuriating brunette. Stalking down the small footsteps, she stomped up (or tried, for that matter) to the boy. Robert's smirk and the way his shoulders were heaving suggested that he was trying to stifle his amusement at Felcia's latest outburst.
"I was thinking that she had that aura of the magic that you do... but different," he explained, and for once, Felcia felt slightly guilty for wanting to pummel the infuriating boy's skull in. "You know... she has this stuffy feel 'bout her, but yours is light and airy, 'Lcia."
'Lcia.
The name made Felcia's eyes widen, but before she could react at all, a tall yet rather buxom woman burst into the storage area. Before either Robert or Felcia could yelp out, "Madame Anita!" the lady had ushered them both out with whispers of, "We'll discuss this later."
Eulalia looked up to see the people approaching her and she smiled charmingly once again. "Oh, hello again." She nodded to them and then eyed Madam Anita like a child who had done something bad. "I hope I'm not interupting anything of importance.."
"Lala!" a willowy young woman burst into the shop, frantically looking around. "Lala!" she repeated once she set her eyes on Eulalia, "I was so scared, I couldn't find you! Why did you leave me by the uhh..." Her worried expression quickly shifted to confusion. "The place... you left me there..." her voice was sullen, like a small child's.
"Oh..." she had suddenly realized that there were other people there. "Do I know you?"
Felcia blinked at the newcomer, forgetting her manners for a brief minute in favor for gaping mindlessly, making it quite obvious that she was in need of making the proper neural connections for making any decent conversation. Finally, she shook her head in a slow, calculated manner before opening her mouth, yet Madame Anita broke in before any breath could fly from her mouth, placing firm hands upon her shoulders and Robert's, each.
"I believe not, good lady, yet we were but serving your friend here, were we not?" Anita's hands were starting to squeeze a nerve that Felcia had a feeling shouldn't be squeezed. "I'm Goody Anita Brewer, but they call me Madame, most often. And these two scallywags here," she crowed crisply, making Felcia wince (scallywag? SCALLYWAG?), "are my apprentice and shop boy, respectively. Felcia Aurek and Robert Goddard, to be exact." Nudging both of them forward, she gestured towards the duo. "Now, you two help make the good lady and her companion feel right at home, the BOTH OF YOU." And with a bit of a hip-wiggle, she was gone.
With that, Lala--er, Eulalia leaned forward in her seat. "Oh, Dido, darling, it's so nice that you could join me!" She announced, before leaning in even closer and adding in a lower tone, "Er..how are the others?"
Dido grinned and started to say, "Yes! I was sent by..." her voice trailed off, "That person... I was supposed to... err..." She paused to think. "Tell you something? Maybe... Oh, oh, dear... I can't remember..." She looked at the two shopkeeps still standing there, her confused expression still plastered on her face. "Am I supposed to do something, Lala?"
Felcia immediately strode over to the newest customer and placed a gentle arm around one of her shoulders, guiding her to the closest chair to 'Lala,' her slightly uneasy expression replaced with a warm smile that seemed quite genuine. "I hope that you haven't walked too far," the girl cooed soothingly before turning to Robert, taking the pattern book from Robert's arms and placed it in Eulaila's lap. "Now, ah... Eulaila, miss, how about you look through those patterns to see what you like while I gather some refreshments." With that, she turned to the counter, Robert in tow to assist.
The brown haired woman cast a puzzled look to her friend, before opening the book of patterns. Then, she realized she had been given a statement and looked back up to see the retreating form of Felcia. "Oh, oh yes. That would be lovely." She waited for Felcia to exit the room before she all but crawled over into Dido's seat.
"I was hoping you could tell me," Eulalia said troubledly, before smiling. "Oh, no matter dear, you're bound to think of it sometime."
Fat chance.
Dido's brow creased as she looked at Eulalia, "I'm sorry, Lala..." She looked sincerely regretful for a brief moment before she exclaimed, "Oh! What a pretty dress! You'd look good in that, Lala!" She smiled and leafed through a packet of fabric samples, trying to pick out good colors.
"They don't have mixed fruit..."
"I believe you mean periwinkle, don't you, dear?"
"Do I?" she leafed through the samples again, "I guess I do... I think so..." Then she made a small noise that ended that particular sentence. "Why is Lala here, anyways?" She stood up to brush off her skirts and look at a shiny decoration on the wall, forgetting she has asked a question.
Eulalia smiled, albeit she was somewhat confused, before she tapped the green haired girl's hand. "Dear, I'm over here. This is a dress shop... I was thinking I could use a treat. You could too--we've been working so hard recently with .... you know what." Of course, Eulalia wasn't quite sure if Dido would pick up on the 'you know what' part, but she couldn't risk mentioning anything here. With a flip of a page, the lady pointed to a specific design on the page. "Oh Dido, you'd look so splendid in this...! I envy you, you know, you have such a pretty figure..."
Sitting down, Dido looked at the pattern, "But you're really pretty, too, Lala! And people don't seem to mind your hair color as much..." Dido's brilliant teal hair shimmered in the afternoon sunlight. She abruptly stopped, and pulled out some horehound candy from her skirt and started sucking on it. "Want some Lala?" Well, even if she didn't, Dido deposited the candy in her lap before looking around, "Where did those people go?"
"Right here!" a tray of tea and crumpets chirped before they were deposited upon the tabletop, revealing Felcia underneath. Pouring two cups and murmuring questions of, "Would you like cream and sugar with that?" the seamstress made herself quite busy, although she tried not to fit herself between the two as they were doing so. Placing porcelain cups and plates onto the lacy tablecloth, she stood back, rocking back on her heels. Eyes followed the flipping of pages as the two girls fawned over the patterns yet again, until a particular one caught Felcia's eye. Clearing her throat, she leaned over and placed a thin finger below a rather elaborate gown.
"I hope you don't mind me saying so, but this particular pattern's very in vogue this season. You might want to consider it..."
"It's so fancy..." murmured Dido, "You'd look wonderful in it, Lala.... It really suits you." She nodded decisively. "Ooh, ooh!" her eyes widened, "You could wear it to that thingie! That thingie with people and food and dancing!" She bounced in her seat. "You should get it for that, Lala! You'd look so very much pretty!" She grinned and triumphantly bit into a petit four.
Eulalia leaned in closer. "You mean the ball...? But we're only supposed to be there to find the moon princess before the--the others do." Her voice was merely a whisper. "We can't risk that... but I suppose that we'd need to be in--incognito..."
Her voice picked up as she looked up at Felcia, running her fingers through her hair. "Yes, yes, this looks absolutely adorable. I'd like that. Oh Dido, is there anything here you'd like?"
Dido flipped back to the page she had stuck the periwinkle fabric sample in, "I'd like this one, please, Miss lady ma'am."
"I agree with the young lady, Miss Eulalia... the off-shoulder cut is quite the rage, and I think that you would make it look particularly impressive," Felcia chimed in, making a note. "Perhaps in a light rose, or wait... no, no, a mauve. Either way," she added, chewing upon the end of the pencil, "it'll be covered in lace, so you might not be able to tell what color it is exactly, to boot." A soft giggle came from the general direction of the notepad, then she peered over it again at the dress that Dido had chosen.
"Oooh." The curious expression blossomed into a rather admirable one as Felcia grinned at the teal-haired girl. "Very nice. VERY nice, indeed."
"Perhaps in a nice neutral tone, dear?" Eulalia suggested. "You have such pretty hair, it shouldn't have to compete with your dress. Hmm... dusty rose, that would be a splendid color. Or even in mixed fruit--I mean, periwinkle, like you had chosen earlier. Hm?"
Dido nodded vigorously, trusting her entire fashion future in the hands of Eulalia. "I like that per-ri-wink-kle," she carefully enunciated the strange word, "brocade, please, Miss lady ma'am..." Turning to Eulalia, she clasped her hands, "Thingies are wonderful reasons to dress pretty, Lala."
Robert quirked an eyebrow at this, then turned to Felcia, who had clasped her hands and had a rather dreamy expression upon her face, which he could only decipher as the one that she usually had upon mentally completing someone's rather complicated order. Bangs feathered over fingers that covered the boy's eyes as he sighed in a slightly exasperated manner, before walking over to the clump of ladies around the teacup.
"Should I take the books now?"
"Only if you really, really want to..." replied Dido, who was finger- combing her hair since she had forgotten to do it properly this morning. "I don't think the books will run away if you don't..."
"Actually," the shop boy said in a tone quite grave, "they do have a bit of a mind of their own..." The mischief that irradiated from Robert might've been quite apparent to Felcia, from the wicked gate in his posture to the way his eyes sparkled in the morning light. However, the poor girl that he had decided to direct his comments to seemed quite clueless as he strode up, taking the volumes from her hands.
"You see, if we don't take them immediately, they try to escape on their teensy tiny bewitched legs, and THEN!" A sharp hiss of breath seeped both between Felcia's pursed lips and Robert's grinning teeth before his words fell upon their ears in a whisper accented with drama, "Then, the Goody'll munch us whole!"
Before the girls could act in any horrified sort of manner, Felcia did something that she was rarely, if ever bold enough to do: swat Robert in the back of the head, firmly enough that he stumbled forwards into a bow. A scowl had never been one of Felcia's easier or most becoming expressions, yet for Robert, she held a special exception.
"Stop spouting out such nonsense and apologize!"
Dido, to say the least, looked ready to start bawling, clenched gloved hands over her petite mouth and tears already leaking from her dark pink eyes. Which would make sense, since the last thing she wanted to happen was be eaten by an obese seamstress. "I don't wanna be eaten..."
"Oh, no worries miss! I was only jokin', honest!" With some waving of his rather large hands, Robert attempted to soothe Dido's worries, cautiously edging closer to the 'leaking' girl-child. "I meant no harm, honest!" For the first time since Felcia had ever made his acquaintance, Robert looked to her and mouthed what she thought was something from her imagination:
'Help me!'
For a moment, Felcia tried not to giggle. Robert Goddard, asking help from a mere waif? Then, she blinked. Well, really, she would probably be doing the same thing if their roles were reversed, and he would probably be thinking the same thing.
She paused, tapping her chin lightly. Hopefully, he had heard of the word 'benevolence' in his vocabulary before this moment.
"It's the truth," the girl lamented, tugging on a rather short chunk of her sandy-colored hair. "Robert has a horrible sense of humor, and he doesn't quite know how to utilize it in proper conversation. Really, you have to pity him for it." Smiling weakly, she took the books from Robert, patting the covers. "If you wish, you can leave now. The dresses will be ready by tomorrow, for we pride ourselves in our efficiency, and if either the services or the dresses aren't to your liking, you'll either get a discount or the garments entirely free of charge." Sighing heavily, she gazed at Robert.
The small speech had said it all: it was SO obvious that he owed her one. Or, if the two clients were in a particularly horrible mood, he owed the Goody lots of ones.
Eulalia patted Dido on the shoulder, while sniffled pathetically, rubbing tears from her face. "Oh... okay... Eating people isn't very nice... Nor is lying to them... Not nice at all..."
"Don't worry, dear," Eulalia murmured, comforting the young woman and handing her a hankerchief. "And Miss Aurek? Do you not need to take our measurements?" she smiled, letting Felcia know that it was okay that she forgot.
"Measurements?!?" Dido's alarmed voiced chirped through the hankerchief on her face.
"It's alright, Dido, they're for the dresses," soothed Eulalia.
"Oh... I like dresses..." Dido tried to smooth her hair, "Especially mixed fruit colored ones."
With the sudden mention of her slip-up, Felcia was quite certain that she could feel the heat irradiating off of her face, and as if to cover up such an obvious mistake, she placed a hand to her cheek before turning to Robert.
"Um, could you please get a length of measuring tape for me, please?"
The moment Robert left, Dido looked instantly relieved."Will Lala get her measurements first, 'kay?" Dido asked, nervously. "So I can watch?" she added in a sheepish tone of voice.
"Of course, Dido," Eulalia comforted. "It doesn't hurt, I promise."
*************
Broken Fairy Tales: Senshi of the Ten Kingdoms.
Dun dun DAAAAH!
The chapters of this story are taken directly from a play-by-email by the same name. Each of the writers, including myself, have given consent to having their work published under this name, with due credit.
'Of Fiddler Crabs and Kings', episode three of Broken Fairy Tales, was written by Gena, Sushi, Koi, and Carrot. Love you guys! 333
This is a crossover between 'Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon', and the NBC/Hallmark miniseries 'The Tenth Kingdom', that aired in 1998/1999. 'Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon' and 'The Tenth Kingdom' do not belong to the people who wrote Broken Fairy tales and we do not claim rights to any of the aforementioned television shows. We do, however, claim rights to our original characters, the Senshi of the Ten Kingdoms. They are copyrighted to their creators.
Are you a fan of sailormoon, the tenth kingdom, or just fairy tales? If you're a good writer and would like to contribute, visit our site at www32.brinkster.com/cwmrpg/broken
We're currently looking for someone to play Sailorneptune and Sailor Commoneo, so if you're interested please check it out. ^_^
The duo had moved quickly, taking the shortcut through the woods that the girl usually used for going to work. Pointing to her left, she came to a sudden stop, "That's the bakery, where I work... And..." She turned to her right, about to point out another store.
Scratching the side of his head, Wolf interrupted her speech, his impatient tone on the verge of a growl, "Huff puff... It's a nice town, really, but we don't have time for a walking tour!"
Blinking in mild realization, Cécile lowered her hand and nodded. "Oh, right..." Picking up the pace, they moved along the path, now lit overhead by streetlamps burning with vibrant flames of their own. They illuminated the swinging sign only titled 'PUB' in engraved golden letters, an indication of how small this town really was. However, the place wasn't entirely isolated, and the community had its advantages. In comparison to most of the Second Kingdom, the people here were friendlier to wolves, and at the least tolerated them. After all, the owner of their bakery had a part wolf granddaughter running it.
A pair of speckled horses were tied up to the post in front of the structure, as well as still attached to a wagon, its bed covered by a white tarp with golden hay poking through. Passing them, Cécile stroked the sides of their heads and they nuzzled at her. "Friends of yours?" Wolf asked, though the girl simply shook her head in response before moving towards the windows. The glass was somewhat darkened by dust and grime, though a faint light and 'OPEN' sign were still visible through it. Cécile leaned against the heavy wooden door, shouldering it open and holding it for Wolf to follow inside. At this time, the pub was pretty much devoid of people, except for the barmaid and two lingering customers sitting on the stools in front of her.
"G'night Adele!" one of the men at the bar called loudly in a slurred voice to the attractive barmaid as he stumbled off of his stool, bright red in his grinning face. He nearly fell onto the floor, though grabbed at a table to stop himself from completely tumbling over.
"Night, Monsieur Dabin," Adele replied in her accent that sounded French, leaning over the counter top to watch him in amusement. As soon as Wolf stepped inside, the shorter and stouter drunk man pushed around him out the door. And as soon as Wolf stepped inside, Adele's gaze lifted to the door and brightened at seeing the handsome stranger. She straightened up and ran her hands over the scarlet bodice and down to straighten the apron tied around her small waist, looking up at him with a charming grin, "'allo Monsieur... I 'aven't seen you around 'ere before..." She did not take note of the girl moving from the doorway until it slammed shut.
"Oi, Adele!" Cécile called, frowning at the other young woman's flirtatious appearance.
Adele looked at her, at first with recognition, then with shock as she covered her mouth. Moving her hand away she shook her head with a somewhat mortified expression, "Cécile! What are you doing 'ere? With a man, no less! Does your Grandmother know about zees?"
Cécile strode quickly across to the bar, completely ignoring Adele's reaction to speak with her in a low and hurried voice. "Don't you know who that is...?" They exchanged sharp whispers, and even Wolf could only hear snippets of the brief conversation. As they spoke, Adele occasionally peeked around to look at Wolf again, her shocked expression growing every time she glanced. Cécile leaned back to usher Wolf over, whilst the slightly older woman covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.
Cautiously, Wolf walked over to the two girls. His head was tucked in as he looked at them, a few inches away from both their faces. He adjusted the pack he was carrying, before looking back and forth at them repetitively with an animated expression. Wolf almost resembled a dog panting on a hot day. "So what's the plan, Cécile?"
As she was the one addressed, the younger girl replied, "Adele says that man over there--"
But the barmaid quickly cut her off, grinning and still fluttering her eyelashes despite the fact that Wolf was a married man. Everyone knew that his mate was Virginia of the Tenth Kingdom, but what was a girl like Adele to do? She leaned forward on the counter, pointing to a snoring drunkard who was drooling on the countertop, a half-empty mug beside his head in addition to about five other empty mugs. "Zat man over zere, he's a merchant, an' ze owner of ze wagon outside. If you wait long enough, you may be able to catch a ride with 'im."
"Oh, huff puff. We don't have much time!" Wolf continued anxiously, worry spreading over his face. In comparison, Cécile's expression was much calmer and subdued, though she was feeling just as impatient.
"Ah, I will go see if I can wake 'im up," Adele stood up and tipped her head, a weaker smile on her face as she moved to the other end of the bar. At first she merely tapped the man on the shoulder, but received no response, then poked him on the face. "Monsieur..." the woman said in a sweet voice, though it quickly became more irritable. After shaking him some more, all he did was mutter and keep drooling. Looking up at the pair on the other end of the bar, she flashed a quick smile at them, "Excuse me one moment."
As Adele moved into the back, Wolf and Cécile exchanged confused looks for a moment, then turned back around to watch her come out with a bucket. "Monsieur!" Adele hollered in the drunken man's face, before dumping the water all over him. He sat up, coughing and spluttering water around him.
"'m drownin'! Somebody save meee!" the man cried out, his eyes still closed and his arms flailing in the air until he toppled over and onto the floor. Upon landing, he seemed to wake up. Drenched, startled and blinking with bloodshot eyes, he swung his head around to take in his surroundings, "What?!? Where'm I? Who did that?"
Adele tucked the bucket under the bar and cleared her throat, her hands on her hips. "I did, monsieur... You 'ad fallen asleep," replied the barmaid, trying to conceal the disgust in her voice. She nodded her head in the direction of the two part wolves, "Some people want to talk to you." With that, she picked up the bucket and stepped into the back, swinging her hips indignantly as she walked.
"Yeah?" He looked up, tilting his now-drenched hat up a bit and looking at Cécile and Wolf with half-closed, blood-shot eyes. He didn't look very happy to see them, but Wolf didn't mind.
"Ah yes, excuse me sir!" Wolf called as he grabbed a chair opposite a man and scooted it forward. He sat down rather close to him, in order to make eye contact, and propped his head up on his hands. "You see, I am a humble merchant just like yourself." He began. "And my dear, sweet grandmother isvery ill in the fourth kingdom!
"For weeks, I have searched for a cure for my dear, sweet grandmama. And during this, I have had nothing but terrible luck--my horses were stolen by bandits and they robbed me of all my other resources. It was only this adorable young maiden that saved me--and we're hoping that you perhaps could let us ride with you into the fourth kingdom?"
"Actually, I was heading towards the sixth kingdom," was the reply. Wolf grew silent for a moment and his broad, charming smile faded as he scratched behind his ear. Then he leaned closer to the man.
"All right, how about this--I'll make you a deal."
"A deal?" Repeated the merchant, "How so, if you have no supplies left?"
Wolf's voice was barely a whisper. "Well, I don't especially like to mention it in public, you know..." He glanced at Cécile. To the merchant, it might have looked like he was gesturing that she was untrustworthy. But to Cécile, it looked more like a 'go outside now' look. "But also on my travels, I gained a most interesting tool..."
He slipped his hand into his pocket and brought out the keys to his apartment. On the end was a laser pointer, or something of a similar fashion, he couldn't remember--he had picked it up at the bank one day when Virginia took him on errands. He held it up to the man's face, who reached out to touch it. Wolf automatically took it away and shook his head at him.
"Not so fast," Wolf said cautiously. "You don't know how powerful this thing is. I picked it up from a rogue wizard on my way here... should you touch it now," Wolf clicked the light on for emphasis, "It could turn you into a fiddler crab, for all I know."
"What do you want for it?" asked the merchant.
Wolf's eyes rolled up in his head as he let out a small howl. When he looked back to the man, he looked dangerous; wild. "Oh no, some things can never be bought, sir.... but I will give it to you, if I and the girl--" he checked to see if Cécile had gone yet, "--can have your wagon. It's highly favorable for you, sir. With this, you can buy ten thousand other carriages!"
"Then why won't you keep it?"
The black haired man grew silent again, briefly looking ashamed. He looked down at the merchant and shook his head. "I...I am a weak-willed man. The power would...seduce me. But you are obviously a man of...of virtue!" Wolf couldn't believe what he was saying, "And would be able to control the power, unlike how the power would control me..."
The merchant clasped his hands over his enlarged middle. He looked rather pleased through his hardened facial features and beer-stained clothes. Wolf smiled a fanged grin.
"Have we...got a deal?" Wolf said, in a whisper.
"It is done."
Wolf's mood changed drastically at that. "Good!" He handed the set of keys to the man, "Good luck, and may you open many doors..." He said with a mysterious flourish, before heading outside.
"Wait--" The merchant called, "You forgot to tell me--"
SLAM!
"...How to use it." The merchant sighed and looked down at the laser pointer in his hands, before clicking the light on once.
Outside, Cécile was once again standing beside the horses, patting them on the heads as though they belonged to her. And now they did...sort of. Looking up at the slam of the door, she merely arched a brow at the proud, toothy grin that Wolf bore on his face as he came towards her. "Get on!" he grabbed her arm and helped her onto the seat of the wagon, then ran around to untie the horses. Clambering on the other side, he threw their packs into the bed of the wagon and grabbed up the reigns.
With a bumpy start, the horses began a slow trot down the street, hooves clomping loudly against the ground. The passengers swayed back and forth as the wheels ran over the cobblestone. Relaxing a bit in her seat, Cécile turned to Wolf with a curious smirk, "So what was that thing you were showing to the drunkard, eh?"
To which he responded with a scratch to the side of his head and a lopsided grin, "Oh, nothing important."
Her interest seemed to grow due to his casual and secretive response, brow raised again and the smirk growing, "Something from the Tenth Kingdom?" Wolf seemed about to respond, when they heard a loud voice shouting at them from behind.
"'EY YOU! GET BACK 'ERE WITH MY STUFF!" the drunken merchant bellowed at them, waving both of his fists, one in which the exchanged light was. The pair turned around to stare at him in unison, then turned back around. The man began to run at them, surprisingly quick without falling flat on his face for someone who had been unconscious a few minutes ago. The set of metal keys jangled loudly as he shook his meaty fists. "THIS THING DOESN'T WORK! SLIMY SON OF A--!"
While Wolf was still grinning, Cécile's expression was less pleased and somewhat confused, "What'd you give the man?" He didn't reply, merely whipping the reigns and urging the horses to move faster. They broke into a gallop, creating a bit of whiplash, though getting the wagon farther away from the angry drunkard. The man behind them couldn't keep up the pace, and began panting and sweating heavily before coming to a stop. However, he made one last futile attempt by jabbing the laser pointer at them and trying to turn it on, though it did nothing.
His calls of "GET BACK HEREEEE!" went unanswered as they rode out of town and towards the Fourth Kingdom.
******
The night was peaceful, as the waxing moon showed them the way. Fireflies dotted the empty field, flickering like candlelight. The crickets echoed in background. A few hours between Cécile and Wolf had passed like this happily; Wolf talked as fast and as much as possible to get his mind off Virginia, poor, poor Virginia...
...All alone, with their cub... she wasn't helpless, he knew that--earlier that night, when Cécile had all but killed him with a broom brought back a fond (well, it was fond now, but back then it wasn't) memory of Virginia when he first met her. But she was all alone. Suppose Viator was lying, and went back to kill Virginia too...? All these mind games; Wolf loved to deal but never liked to play the game. It was his nature.
But what would poor Virginia think? To find him all gone--nothing left but flowers and his coat. He was beginning to miss his coat at that, although it was a fine summer night in the kingdoms, he found himself shivering. He missed his Virginia, his creamy dreamy Virginia, who would always keep him warm.
No way back now. He knew where the mirror was--it was probably still sitting there, waiting for him, calling him back. Just like Virginia probably was, sitting there alone in an empty apartment with no mate to take care of her... His voice broke into a whimper in mid-sentence because of this and Cécile looked at him strange. She asked if he was okay.
Of course he was okay, he was Wolf.
It wasn't long until the conversation turned to his previous adventure. Wolf, first and foremost, was a Wolf--and wolves are cunning, their words made to sound captivating and appealing to those who heard them. He was a natural storyteller.
"And then, she hit me with a broom! I fell out the window and into the street below," Wolf laughed, which turned into a howl. He smiled at Cécile a little and looked back to the dusty trail ahead of them.
After chuckling softly at the story, Cécile bit her lip and scratched the side of her head, turning away slightly, "Er... Sorry about that, again." She still felt the need to apologize a lot more than she did initially, mostly because he wasn't just any stranger. He was a hero, and her idol, and someone she thought she would only meet in a dream! Speaking of dreams, she yawned quietly with a hand over her mouth. The gentle swaying of the wagon was soothing and rhythmic, but not enough to put her to sleep and she was oddly awake. However, she did feel the need for something else. Tilting her head, she looked up at Wolf again, "I don't suppose you're hungry, are you?"
Wolf hadn't thought about it until then, but yes, he was. He was so focused on getting to the fourth kingdom and trying not to feel guilty about Virginia that he had completely blocked it out. But yes, yes he was hungry... the last thing he had was a pound of bacon that morning for breakfast.
"Er..well.... if you don't mind..."
Before Wolf's answer had finished trailing off, Cécile was already clambering into the back and opening up the supply bags. Sniffing at them first, she turned to one of the packs and dug through it, pulling out a cast iron pan, a pot, a box of matches, rope, oil... After a few long minutes of shifting things around, she finally poked her head out of the bag, her eyes giving off a slight glow in the darkness.
"I packed a few loaves of bread, if you'd like..." the girl said with a grin, before forcefully ripping off a chunk and biting into it. She went silent for a moment to chew with what seemed to be a great effort, "A bit stale, since it was from yesterday morning, but it's still edible. Now, what else..." Rummaging through the bag again, she resurfaced with a large slab of meat wrapped in parchment. "Ham? Think we've got some bacon in here, too..."
After a few moments without a response, Cécile sat up and stared at Wolf, who didn't seem to be listening. Clambering towards the front to see if he was awake, surely enough his eyes were open, though slightly narrowed. "Steak," Wolf said quietly, licking his lips and teeth in a feral manner.
Staring a bit blankly at him, she shook her head as she sat back on her legs, "I didn't pack any steak." She waited again. He didn't say anything, so the quarter wolf continued talking with a smaller, but still cheerful, smile, "I could cut some of this ham up and make a sandwich or something. Or we could stop and--"
"No steak?" he interrupted suddenly, still not turning his head to look at her.
The blank look returned to Cécile's face as she blinked at him curiously. "No, no steak..."
"Why no steak?" This time, he sounded more irritated than he did disappointed. She thought she almost heard him growl.
Scratching her head, the answer seemed obvious to her. In an obviously hesitant voice, the girl spoke slowly and carefully, "It would spoil... Thought we were in for a long trip, in case we didn't get the wagon, so I only packed preserved goods." All she could hear for another minute or so was the crickets chirping and the steady sound of hooves beating against dirt and stones. Shifting her position uneasily, she inquired in a soft voice, "Wolf?"
Finally, he turned around with glowing yellow eyes and replied, "I need meat. Fresh, red, juicy, succulent...MEAT!" His voice grew from quiet to a loud shout, causing Cécile to wince at the volume. In front of them, the horses neighed and shook their heads, somewhat spooked.
Opening her eyes, she frowned at him and growled, "Oi! Quiet down!"
"But Cécile..." His voice trailed as Wolf looked from side to side; as if discussing this thing called 'meat' was an illegal thing. Looking back at her, he smiled dangerously. "Don't you like steak? Wonderful, sweet, hot steak? Ooooh it makes me want to HOWL!" In fact, he did so, to emphasis the word 'howl.' If the horses were spooked before, they were terrified now.
Cécile shot Wolf a hard look. "Calm down, Wolf. We don't have any steak--" She saw him tense. "But we can get some in the morning, maybe?" She offered. Anything just to get him to calm down, before he did something completely stupid.
He shook his head. "Why wait for tommorrow when we could have it now?"
"Wh-what are you saying...?"
"Surely there's a cabin about here somewhere--a cabin with beautiful, juicy steak...Oh Cécile, they'll never miss it!" Wolf replied anxiously. "Come on, what's a steak between two wolves?" There, he had said it.
"What's gotten into you?" Cécile's voice raised a little as she looked at him questioningly. He feigned an ashamed look.
"Oh Cécile, I can't help it. I was going to have steak today with my lovely Virginia, but ...but..." He let out a whimper. "You know how we are--we have cravings just like our mates..."
"Cravings can wait! We're in the middle of nowhere...!"
The man sighed and looked away from her for a moment. His shoulders sank as he lazily scratched behind his right ear. "Huff puff, I suppose you're right...maybe we should sleep now. It's been a long night for the both of us."
Cécile hesitantly agreed. They were at a point where it was certain the merchant wouldn't be able to catch up with them for at least half a day, and had put a dent in getting to the fourth kingdom. They needed the energy if they were going to save the fourth kingdom, after all.
Wolf watched as Cécile climbed into the back of the wagon and made a make- shift bed from one of the packs they had brought along. Carefully he joined her--at the edge of the wagon, though, as to avoid any further maulings if he should roll over and get too close. If he knew women at all, Cécile wouldn't understand it was an accident. Sigh. Women.
"Goodnight, Wolf." Cécile bade him, before closing her eyes.
Wolf feigned a yawn. "Yes...goodnight, Cécile."
******
"Curling might help, darling."
A soft groan almost erupted from Felcia's lips, yet instead it decided to stay dormant, a mere rumble in the confines of her voice box. As soon as the garbled noise faded into nothing, a saccharine smile graced the girl's lips before she gestured to the teapot in her hand.
"I appreciate your opinion, m'lady," she cooed softly, pouring the slightly obese woman a cup of jasmine tea, "yet I've already tried curling, and it doesn't seem as if it wishes to cooperate." The perfumed cloud from the drink rose up between the duo, and before the snowy-haired lady could comment on the many magical perm treatments available on the market at this point and time, Felcia discretely glided towards the tea counter to place down the pot.
"Now, Fifi," a lanky boy-man purred, leaning over and taking the porcelain vessel from her bony fingers, "don't listen to Old Madame Crawford! Your hair's perfectly fine the way it is, HO-nest." And as if to accent his last word, he tugged on her longest strip of hair, a twinkle in his eye.
"Robert," Felcia stressed, her ordinarily soothing voice crackling slightly, "you know I hate that name." Filmy lace traced a trail across the wood as she grabbed for a platter of petit fours, but a tanned hand lifted them from reach, a brilliant tooth smile replacing where the platter was.
"Oh, Robert!" Felcia chirped in a slightly disgruntled fashion, waving her arms in the air in the general direction of the carefully frosted miniature cakes. "Why must you be such a tease?" Sniffling, she turned her expression towards the young Robert's grinning face, removing her glasses in hopes that it might compound the youth's need to suddenly place down the petit fours in a slow, orderly fashion.
A soft grumble washed across his features as softly as it came from his mouth, his expression more somber as the little cakes nestled themselves in Felcia's fingers. A murmur that one might've been able to interpret as, 'Because you are,' came from his person before Robert smiled uneasily and rumpled her hair. "Oh, only 'cause it's so easy to get your bloomers in a bunch." The familiar grin returned to Robert's face as he watched Felcia shake her head and turn on her heel, ready to serve the elder employer who was currently enjoying her tea.
The tinkle of bells made her head jerk up as she heard a potential customer stride into the tailor's shop. Felcia put on her best smile as she waved to the mystery person in the doorframe.
"Oh, hello there! How may I help you?"
"Good day dearie," The woman who stood in the doorframe greeted her. A tiny smile flashed from inside the powder blue bonnet, as white gloved touched the lady's brown curls. She walked further still inside the little shoppe, green eyes glancing upwards, towards the ceiling. This gesture made her greatly resemble a little girl's doll--before her eyes settled on Felcia again. It seemed as though the lady had forgotten something, and curtsied deeply before the younger girl, before the smile that had been set upon her ruby red lips smiled resurfaced.
"Oh, oh yes. I was wondering if perhaps this is the dress shoppe I was told about--it seems as much, but I never expected anything quite so splendid." Her voice was tiny and childlike, like a bell, as she whirled around once more. The layers of her dress fought to catch up with her, and spun to as stop as once more she faced Felcia. "Truly lovely."
Jagged strips of gold fanned out as Felcia pivoted at the waist like a mechanical doll, first delivering the miniature pastries in front of the miffed Madame, then returning to her original posture with a smile upon her lips. A slight flush came upon the girl's cheeks as the lady curtseyed for her, and she did so in turn on an almost subconscious level, fidgeting with her voluptuous skirts as she arose yet again. For a moment, she forgot how to speak as she glowed with the praise, then she suddenly remembered herself, moving forward a few steps to guide the lady towards a comfortable seat.
"Oh, you're too kind, yet Madame Anita would be pleased from the tips of her toes to the top of her head if she heard you say that, for she's utterly convinced that this place is a mere hole in the wall!" Felcia chirped, starting to sound a bit like a canary as she finally guided the mahogany-locked lady down into a plush armchair. Taking her bonnet, she placed it gently on the opposite chair before nudging a footstool for the girl to rest her legs upon. Turning to get a pot of tea, she called out, "Ah, I'm Felcia--"
However, her crash to the floor prevented her from murmuring the word "Aurek" audibly.
The lady now sitting in the armchair put a hand to her mouth as her eyes widened in concern. She leaned forward, and tilting her head. She let out a soft little gasp, almost like a coo, at the girl, as the smile disappeared from her lips. "Oh, oh my--are you okay, F-Felcia?" Layers and layers of dress built up as she raised herself up to one knee to extend her hand to the golden-haired girl. "That was quite a fall."
A muffle came from the plush carpet as the seamstress's apprentice tried to pick herself up but failed, her face flopping back in contact with the floor. Robert immediately came from around the counter to pick her up and place her straight, dusting the soft green gown in an unusually mother-type fashion. Felcia tried to push him away, slightly annoyed with the attention from the gangly shop boy, but he merely turned her around to the newest customer so she could talk while he made sure that the back of her dress was 'flowing properly.'
With a swat at her companion as he swept a hand deftly over her rear, Felcia's brows wrinkled over her glasses before she shook her head again, beaming cheerfully at the girl. "Oh, I'm perfectly fine," she assured, patting the gloved hand in a motherly fashion, a bright smile spreading across her face. "I'm quite clumsy at times, so it's nothing out of the ordinary." Stopping for a moment, she suddenly looked as if she was quite disappointed in herself before she gazed warmly into her client's eyes. "Now, what might you be needing from this fine establishment, miss? And," she added whilst ignoring Robert's hand on her shoulder with a sniff, "what might I call you?"
"Oh, my name is Eulalia Camilla, but you can just call me Eulalia, dear. Never fond of the name 'miss,' it makes me sound rather old don't you think?" She didn't wait for an answer, the gloved hand was retrieved and tucked beneath her cute little chin. "And I was hoping to commission a special dress from you...I think it would be special in any case; few tailors I've seen are as enthused as you seem to be." Her words were perfect, flawlessly dictioned. Of course, it would be coming from her-- Eulalia was a known well known aristocrat in the eighth kingdom. Or any kingdom, for that matter.
The name was indeed recognized by Felcia, and as any proper young lady would, she curtseyed for Eulalia yet again, her cheeks blushing. Robert, however, didn't seem a whit impressed, yet he still stood by the mussed- haired apprentice, moving whenever she did so that he stayed behind her back no matter what. Although the golden-haired girl was quite annoyed, she tried to keep up her façade of delight over the entire situation, which wasn't entirely difficult for her to do.
"Oh, it's our pleasure!" she gasped, placing a fluttering hand to her throat, fidgeting with the lace around her neck. "There's a few new styles that we've decided to experiment with this season that I might entreat you to try." Leaning back, Felcia surveyed her newest customer, taking in her body shape and coloring before beaming, clapping her hands together. "Oh, there's a few cuts out there that I think you would positively delight in, but allow me to fetch the pattern and fabrics book for you to take a gander at."
As she rose, so did Robert, and soon they made a beeline to the back of the shop, leaving Eulalia without a companion, a soft discord echoing from the back the only evidence showing that Felcia was not pleased.
And there Eulalia sat, quietly making eyes at the rest of the room. It really was a lovely place... She let out a quiet sigh. It was a nice break from her very...active schedule that past few days. Glancing downwards, she wiped away one of strands of her hair away from her face and waited, unaware of what was going on in the back, because her mind was clouded up with the recent developments.
As Felcia tore through the storage in the back, she occasionally would toss a few things in Robert's general direction -- really, whether it be at his head or at his chest. After all, when Felcia was in one of her few moods of aggravation, which Robert tended to invoke in her, she didn't really care what would happen to the sinewy figure behind her.
"Honestly, what are you thinking?" she squeaked, heaving the book into his open arms. Robert merely had a goofy grin upon his face, which Felcia privately observed was a normal occurrence with the infuriating brunette. Stalking down the small footsteps, she stomped up (or tried, for that matter) to the boy. Robert's smirk and the way his shoulders were heaving suggested that he was trying to stifle his amusement at Felcia's latest outburst.
"I was thinking that she had that aura of the magic that you do... but different," he explained, and for once, Felcia felt slightly guilty for wanting to pummel the infuriating boy's skull in. "You know... she has this stuffy feel 'bout her, but yours is light and airy, 'Lcia."
'Lcia.
The name made Felcia's eyes widen, but before she could react at all, a tall yet rather buxom woman burst into the storage area. Before either Robert or Felcia could yelp out, "Madame Anita!" the lady had ushered them both out with whispers of, "We'll discuss this later."
Eulalia looked up to see the people approaching her and she smiled charmingly once again. "Oh, hello again." She nodded to them and then eyed Madam Anita like a child who had done something bad. "I hope I'm not interupting anything of importance.."
"Lala!" a willowy young woman burst into the shop, frantically looking around. "Lala!" she repeated once she set her eyes on Eulalia, "I was so scared, I couldn't find you! Why did you leave me by the uhh..." Her worried expression quickly shifted to confusion. "The place... you left me there..." her voice was sullen, like a small child's.
"Oh..." she had suddenly realized that there were other people there. "Do I know you?"
Felcia blinked at the newcomer, forgetting her manners for a brief minute in favor for gaping mindlessly, making it quite obvious that she was in need of making the proper neural connections for making any decent conversation. Finally, she shook her head in a slow, calculated manner before opening her mouth, yet Madame Anita broke in before any breath could fly from her mouth, placing firm hands upon her shoulders and Robert's, each.
"I believe not, good lady, yet we were but serving your friend here, were we not?" Anita's hands were starting to squeeze a nerve that Felcia had a feeling shouldn't be squeezed. "I'm Goody Anita Brewer, but they call me Madame, most often. And these two scallywags here," she crowed crisply, making Felcia wince (scallywag? SCALLYWAG?), "are my apprentice and shop boy, respectively. Felcia Aurek and Robert Goddard, to be exact." Nudging both of them forward, she gestured towards the duo. "Now, you two help make the good lady and her companion feel right at home, the BOTH OF YOU." And with a bit of a hip-wiggle, she was gone.
With that, Lala--er, Eulalia leaned forward in her seat. "Oh, Dido, darling, it's so nice that you could join me!" She announced, before leaning in even closer and adding in a lower tone, "Er..how are the others?"
Dido grinned and started to say, "Yes! I was sent by..." her voice trailed off, "That person... I was supposed to... err..." She paused to think. "Tell you something? Maybe... Oh, oh, dear... I can't remember..." She looked at the two shopkeeps still standing there, her confused expression still plastered on her face. "Am I supposed to do something, Lala?"
Felcia immediately strode over to the newest customer and placed a gentle arm around one of her shoulders, guiding her to the closest chair to 'Lala,' her slightly uneasy expression replaced with a warm smile that seemed quite genuine. "I hope that you haven't walked too far," the girl cooed soothingly before turning to Robert, taking the pattern book from Robert's arms and placed it in Eulaila's lap. "Now, ah... Eulaila, miss, how about you look through those patterns to see what you like while I gather some refreshments." With that, she turned to the counter, Robert in tow to assist.
The brown haired woman cast a puzzled look to her friend, before opening the book of patterns. Then, she realized she had been given a statement and looked back up to see the retreating form of Felcia. "Oh, oh yes. That would be lovely." She waited for Felcia to exit the room before she all but crawled over into Dido's seat.
"I was hoping you could tell me," Eulalia said troubledly, before smiling. "Oh, no matter dear, you're bound to think of it sometime."
Fat chance.
Dido's brow creased as she looked at Eulalia, "I'm sorry, Lala..." She looked sincerely regretful for a brief moment before she exclaimed, "Oh! What a pretty dress! You'd look good in that, Lala!" She smiled and leafed through a packet of fabric samples, trying to pick out good colors.
"They don't have mixed fruit..."
"I believe you mean periwinkle, don't you, dear?"
"Do I?" she leafed through the samples again, "I guess I do... I think so..." Then she made a small noise that ended that particular sentence. "Why is Lala here, anyways?" She stood up to brush off her skirts and look at a shiny decoration on the wall, forgetting she has asked a question.
Eulalia smiled, albeit she was somewhat confused, before she tapped the green haired girl's hand. "Dear, I'm over here. This is a dress shop... I was thinking I could use a treat. You could too--we've been working so hard recently with .... you know what." Of course, Eulalia wasn't quite sure if Dido would pick up on the 'you know what' part, but she couldn't risk mentioning anything here. With a flip of a page, the lady pointed to a specific design on the page. "Oh Dido, you'd look so splendid in this...! I envy you, you know, you have such a pretty figure..."
Sitting down, Dido looked at the pattern, "But you're really pretty, too, Lala! And people don't seem to mind your hair color as much..." Dido's brilliant teal hair shimmered in the afternoon sunlight. She abruptly stopped, and pulled out some horehound candy from her skirt and started sucking on it. "Want some Lala?" Well, even if she didn't, Dido deposited the candy in her lap before looking around, "Where did those people go?"
"Right here!" a tray of tea and crumpets chirped before they were deposited upon the tabletop, revealing Felcia underneath. Pouring two cups and murmuring questions of, "Would you like cream and sugar with that?" the seamstress made herself quite busy, although she tried not to fit herself between the two as they were doing so. Placing porcelain cups and plates onto the lacy tablecloth, she stood back, rocking back on her heels. Eyes followed the flipping of pages as the two girls fawned over the patterns yet again, until a particular one caught Felcia's eye. Clearing her throat, she leaned over and placed a thin finger below a rather elaborate gown.
"I hope you don't mind me saying so, but this particular pattern's very in vogue this season. You might want to consider it..."
"It's so fancy..." murmured Dido, "You'd look wonderful in it, Lala.... It really suits you." She nodded decisively. "Ooh, ooh!" her eyes widened, "You could wear it to that thingie! That thingie with people and food and dancing!" She bounced in her seat. "You should get it for that, Lala! You'd look so very much pretty!" She grinned and triumphantly bit into a petit four.
Eulalia leaned in closer. "You mean the ball...? But we're only supposed to be there to find the moon princess before the--the others do." Her voice was merely a whisper. "We can't risk that... but I suppose that we'd need to be in--incognito..."
Her voice picked up as she looked up at Felcia, running her fingers through her hair. "Yes, yes, this looks absolutely adorable. I'd like that. Oh Dido, is there anything here you'd like?"
Dido flipped back to the page she had stuck the periwinkle fabric sample in, "I'd like this one, please, Miss lady ma'am."
"I agree with the young lady, Miss Eulalia... the off-shoulder cut is quite the rage, and I think that you would make it look particularly impressive," Felcia chimed in, making a note. "Perhaps in a light rose, or wait... no, no, a mauve. Either way," she added, chewing upon the end of the pencil, "it'll be covered in lace, so you might not be able to tell what color it is exactly, to boot." A soft giggle came from the general direction of the notepad, then she peered over it again at the dress that Dido had chosen.
"Oooh." The curious expression blossomed into a rather admirable one as Felcia grinned at the teal-haired girl. "Very nice. VERY nice, indeed."
"Perhaps in a nice neutral tone, dear?" Eulalia suggested. "You have such pretty hair, it shouldn't have to compete with your dress. Hmm... dusty rose, that would be a splendid color. Or even in mixed fruit--I mean, periwinkle, like you had chosen earlier. Hm?"
Dido nodded vigorously, trusting her entire fashion future in the hands of Eulalia. "I like that per-ri-wink-kle," she carefully enunciated the strange word, "brocade, please, Miss lady ma'am..." Turning to Eulalia, she clasped her hands, "Thingies are wonderful reasons to dress pretty, Lala."
Robert quirked an eyebrow at this, then turned to Felcia, who had clasped her hands and had a rather dreamy expression upon her face, which he could only decipher as the one that she usually had upon mentally completing someone's rather complicated order. Bangs feathered over fingers that covered the boy's eyes as he sighed in a slightly exasperated manner, before walking over to the clump of ladies around the teacup.
"Should I take the books now?"
"Only if you really, really want to..." replied Dido, who was finger- combing her hair since she had forgotten to do it properly this morning. "I don't think the books will run away if you don't..."
"Actually," the shop boy said in a tone quite grave, "they do have a bit of a mind of their own..." The mischief that irradiated from Robert might've been quite apparent to Felcia, from the wicked gate in his posture to the way his eyes sparkled in the morning light. However, the poor girl that he had decided to direct his comments to seemed quite clueless as he strode up, taking the volumes from her hands.
"You see, if we don't take them immediately, they try to escape on their teensy tiny bewitched legs, and THEN!" A sharp hiss of breath seeped both between Felcia's pursed lips and Robert's grinning teeth before his words fell upon their ears in a whisper accented with drama, "Then, the Goody'll munch us whole!"
Before the girls could act in any horrified sort of manner, Felcia did something that she was rarely, if ever bold enough to do: swat Robert in the back of the head, firmly enough that he stumbled forwards into a bow. A scowl had never been one of Felcia's easier or most becoming expressions, yet for Robert, she held a special exception.
"Stop spouting out such nonsense and apologize!"
Dido, to say the least, looked ready to start bawling, clenched gloved hands over her petite mouth and tears already leaking from her dark pink eyes. Which would make sense, since the last thing she wanted to happen was be eaten by an obese seamstress. "I don't wanna be eaten..."
"Oh, no worries miss! I was only jokin', honest!" With some waving of his rather large hands, Robert attempted to soothe Dido's worries, cautiously edging closer to the 'leaking' girl-child. "I meant no harm, honest!" For the first time since Felcia had ever made his acquaintance, Robert looked to her and mouthed what she thought was something from her imagination:
'Help me!'
For a moment, Felcia tried not to giggle. Robert Goddard, asking help from a mere waif? Then, she blinked. Well, really, she would probably be doing the same thing if their roles were reversed, and he would probably be thinking the same thing.
She paused, tapping her chin lightly. Hopefully, he had heard of the word 'benevolence' in his vocabulary before this moment.
"It's the truth," the girl lamented, tugging on a rather short chunk of her sandy-colored hair. "Robert has a horrible sense of humor, and he doesn't quite know how to utilize it in proper conversation. Really, you have to pity him for it." Smiling weakly, she took the books from Robert, patting the covers. "If you wish, you can leave now. The dresses will be ready by tomorrow, for we pride ourselves in our efficiency, and if either the services or the dresses aren't to your liking, you'll either get a discount or the garments entirely free of charge." Sighing heavily, she gazed at Robert.
The small speech had said it all: it was SO obvious that he owed her one. Or, if the two clients were in a particularly horrible mood, he owed the Goody lots of ones.
Eulalia patted Dido on the shoulder, while sniffled pathetically, rubbing tears from her face. "Oh... okay... Eating people isn't very nice... Nor is lying to them... Not nice at all..."
"Don't worry, dear," Eulalia murmured, comforting the young woman and handing her a hankerchief. "And Miss Aurek? Do you not need to take our measurements?" she smiled, letting Felcia know that it was okay that she forgot.
"Measurements?!?" Dido's alarmed voiced chirped through the hankerchief on her face.
"It's alright, Dido, they're for the dresses," soothed Eulalia.
"Oh... I like dresses..." Dido tried to smooth her hair, "Especially mixed fruit colored ones."
With the sudden mention of her slip-up, Felcia was quite certain that she could feel the heat irradiating off of her face, and as if to cover up such an obvious mistake, she placed a hand to her cheek before turning to Robert.
"Um, could you please get a length of measuring tape for me, please?"
The moment Robert left, Dido looked instantly relieved."Will Lala get her measurements first, 'kay?" Dido asked, nervously. "So I can watch?" she added in a sheepish tone of voice.
"Of course, Dido," Eulalia comforted. "It doesn't hurt, I promise."
*************
Broken Fairy Tales: Senshi of the Ten Kingdoms.
Dun dun DAAAAH!
The chapters of this story are taken directly from a play-by-email by the same name. Each of the writers, including myself, have given consent to having their work published under this name, with due credit.
'Of Fiddler Crabs and Kings', episode three of Broken Fairy Tales, was written by Gena, Sushi, Koi, and Carrot. Love you guys! 333
This is a crossover between 'Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon', and the NBC/Hallmark miniseries 'The Tenth Kingdom', that aired in 1998/1999. 'Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon' and 'The Tenth Kingdom' do not belong to the people who wrote Broken Fairy tales and we do not claim rights to any of the aforementioned television shows. We do, however, claim rights to our original characters, the Senshi of the Ten Kingdoms. They are copyrighted to their creators.
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