The Comte and the Peasant Chapter Three, a hana yori dango fanfic

The Comte and the Peasant: Chapter Three

Hi everyone. I want to thank all of you who emailed me about this fic. I really appreciate the input ^_^. I've been thinking about the plotline for the story, and I've decided to move away from the anime and try to make this a real alternate reality fic. That means you never know just what the end might be ^_~. Anyways, enough of my babbling. On with the fanfic!

HYD does not belong to me. I wish it did though……*sigh* *starts singing "If I Had a Million Dollars" by the Bare Naked Ladies*

************************************************************************

Tiernan Doumet felt his face redden as he took in the words of the little peasant girl. He glared into her dark brown eyes and felt her anger burn into him like the heat from a flame. Growing warmth slowly spread through his body as he continued to stare into those dark, dark eyes, and he became aware of the tingling sensation that was running through his veins.

His stomach began to knot and his heart beat faster. His mind reeled from the strange new sensation that was coursing through his body, unsure of what it might be. Why did this dirty, thin little peasant make him feel this way? His confusion must've been apparent on his face because he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Stefan Nicaise, the future Comte de Provins, studying him with a perplexed look on his handsome face.

"Hey, are you alright Tiernan? You're all red," Stefan commented. He turned to look at the angry young girl who was still glaring at his friend and was surprised by the intensity of her gaze. He felt a flicker of worry pass through his mind as he remembered the terrible temperament that the future Comte of Champagne possessed.

Tiernan was well known throughout the province for his quick temper and violent nature. It wasn't uncommon for a man to be flogged simply because he had looked at the young lord the wrong way. In fact, in all the years that he had known him, Stefan could not recall a time when ANYONE, much less a peasant, had dared to speak to Tiernan Doumet with a hint of disrespect. Now, this young peasant girl was insulting him in the worst way possible. Stefan, afraid of what his friend might do next, turned back to look at the angry young lord. But to his surprise, the rage he had expected was not present, and what he saw in that handsome, dark face was an expression that he thought he would never find on Tiernan Doumet.

**********************************************************************

Thadea thought her legs were going to give out at any moment. The severity of her actions had finally hit her full force, and now she shivered with the knowledge of what would happen next. Certainly, if the crowd had their way, she would be flogged or beaten for her insolence and probably Mirielle as well. The idea of getting on her knees and apologizing to the future Comte of Champagne came to mind, but Thadea quickly realized the futility of that action. She had already publicly insulted him in front of his companions and his subjects and no amount of apologizing would be enough to repair the damage that had caused. Besides, a small part of her would not allow herself to beg and grovel in front of this spoiled aristocrat. Despite the fact that she was a peasant, Thadea still maintained a sense of pride in herself and her principles. She wasn't about to turn into a coward in front of all these people on account of this malicious man.

So with that decision made, Thadea straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin and stared straight into the face of Tiernan Doumet. To her surprise, there was no longer an expression of crazed anger on his face. In fact, he seemed confused and almost impressed by her boldness. A mixed feeling of bewilderment and something else flashed through her mind, but Thadea quickly pushed it away, unsure of what to make of it. Why the hell wasn't he saying anything? Why was he staring at her like that? The intensity of his dark eyes made her increasingly nervous, and Thadea felt her cheeks grow hot under his gaze.

Just then, she saw Mirielle move in front of her and drop to her knees. She was still crying, and a few teardrops stained the dusty ground.

"Please my lord," she begged in-between sobs, "My friend didn't mean what she said! I'm terribly sorry for what I have done to you, and I am willing to spend the rest of my life paying you back for this insult. But please, have mercy on us! Don't listen to what the crowd is saying! Please I beg of you!"

Thadea felt a pang in her heart at Mirielle's desperate plea, and she felt tears stinging in the corners of her eyes. She blinked rapidly, fighting them back, for she did not want to appear weak in front of all these people. She turned her eyes back to study the expression on Lord Doumet's face, and what she sees freezes her heart. A cold, impassive mask suddenly went up at Mirielle's words, and he now stared at her with a clear look of disgust in his eyes.

"Stop your pathetic groveling!" he spat angrily, "You're just like the rest of them! Stupid and weak! I've heard enough, and I don't care anymore for your tears! Take her up to the platform! I demand she be given fifty lashings for her insolence!" Then, turning to Thadea, he added, "As for her foolish friend, I will find a way to deal with her after this punishment has been carried out."

Mirielle let out of desperate cry as two guards suddenly appeared and dragged her towards the platform. The crowd cheered with excitement at the prospect of another flogging, and the executioner gave a sadistic grin as he cracked his whip in anticipation. Thadea, horrified at what the comte had just commanded, finally allowed her legs to give way and collapsed onto the ground in stunned silence. Never in her life had she met anyone as sadistic and unfeeling as this young lord Doumet, and her pure simple heart could not stand the thought of what was about to happen to her friend.

Mirielle…the very thought of that poor, sweet, fragile young girl going under the whip pained her more than words could describe. It simply wasn't fair, this cruel world that they lived in! It wasn't fair that innocent peasants must be subject to vindictive nobleman who didn't even see them as human beings. She had to stop his somehow. She just had to!

Just then, she felt a cool hand on her shoulder, and looked up into a face that left her momentarily speechless. Beautiful was an understatement for the features of this fine young man. His pale cheeks were as smooth as ivory, and his reddish brown hair glowed bronze in the afternoon sun. His marble gray eyes looked at her with concern, and his thin pink lips stretched into a small smile as he said simply, "Let me help you up."

Thadea blinked at his outstretched hand, cautiously took it, and allowed herself to be pulled up off the ground. Standing, she found herself staring straight into the crest of the noble house of Troyes that was emblazoned on the young man's green silk tunic. Realization came to her immediately that the one who helped her up was none other than Ruiz Hainault, the future Comte of Troyes. She was taken aback by the kindness he displayed towards her, and stared at him with apparent surprise and gratitude. K

Mirielle's cry broke Thadea out of her thoughts, and she turned immediately towards the platform as her friend was bound by the wrists and thrown onto the wooden plank. An indescribable fury coursed through her body just then, and before her mind was even able to register what she was doing, her legs had already begun to run towards the platform.

Pushing past the people and leaping up, Thadea reached Mirielle just as the executioner raised his whip. She threw herself at him then, flying at him with remarkable speed and grabbing him around the waist. With all of her weight, she body slammed him onto the platform and the whip he had previously been holding went flying out of his hands. Before the dazed guard could react, Thadea leaped up and caught the handle of the airborne whip before it even reached the ground. Stumbling over towards Mirielle, she placed herself between her friend and the executioner.

"DON'T YOU DARE COME NEAR US!!" she screamed, as she slammed the whip against the wooden floor. "Or I swear to God I will make you sorry!"

Mirielle, who was still bound and kneeling on the ground stared at Thadea in amazement. Joy, disbelief, respect, pride, love, gratitude, and a hundred other emotions swept through her all at once. She could not believe what had just happened, and was in awe at what Thadea Marcoux was capable of doing. Fresh tears came to her eyes as she looked upon her savior, and she knew at that moment that she would never be able to repay back her dearest friend for what she had done for her.

***********************************************************************

Tiernan Doumet could not believe his eyes. He had turned his back for all but one second, and before he knew it, that crazy peasant girl had bounded up on the platform and knocked the executioner down with one blow.

"I've never seen anything like this before in my life," Stefan cried in amazement as he stared at the thin figure on the platform. "To think that that little girl is capable of all this! She's unbelievable!"

Aleron Mimeaux, the Viscount's son who had previously been uninterested at what was happening, was also staring at the young peasant girl with an equal amount of respect and awe. "She's quite a woman," he commented slyly with a small quirk of his lips.

Tiernan Doumet could only shake his head in disbelief. He had to admit that he was more than just a little impressed by the actions of this Thadea Marcoux. She was unlike any woman he had ever met before, and her bravery and pride reminded him so much of his older sister. His eyes fixed on her small figure, Tiernan felt that same strange sensation from earlier coursing through is body. To his surprise, he felt the sudden urge to reach out and grab the girl and hold her close to him. He wanted to feel that she was real, that there actually existed a woman who, like him, was not afraid of anyone or anything. A woman who was so obviously loyal and protective of the people she loved. A girl like that was certainly worth knowing, and the more he stared at her, the more aware Tiernan became of his newfound feelings.

The crowd, however, was obviously more annoyed than impressed by the sudden turn of events. They began to boo and hiss and throw objects up at the platform. "Someone put that stupid bitch in her place!" many of them screamed. "She can't get away with insulting the Comte like that!"

As the crowd grew angrier, Tiernan realized that he had to do something to salvage his image and his authority. Despite his feelings for the Marcoux girl, he wasn't about to look like a fool in front of all these people. Thus, straightening his shoulders and placing an angry scowl on his face, he stepped forward and called for the guards.

"Pull that peasant off the platform at once!" he bellowed at the guards who had rushed to him, "I want her restrained and the flogging to be completed! Then, I want her to be taken…"

"Wait!" A clear, deep voice rang out amidst the chaos and immediately the crowd quieted and people's heads turned. Tiernan looked up to see his best friend Ruiz Hainault, the future Comte de Troyes, walking towards him, and immediately felt annoyed at this interruption.

"What the hell is it Ruiz?" he demanded angrily, "Can't you see I was speaking here? How dare you interrupt me!"

Ruiz looked at him impassively with his glassy gray eyes, and Tiernan felt even more annoyed at his friend's demeanor. For some reason, he had always felt foolish when Ruiz looked at him like that. It reminded him of an immature child being scolded by a more practical adult.

"Enough is enough Tiernan," Ruiz stated calmly. He turned to the guards and said, "Release the girl and bring them both down from the platform."

The guards stared at their comte with obvious confusion upon hearing his words. He was going against the wishes of Lord Doumet!

"Go," Ruiz commanded with even more authority in his voice than before. He frowned slightly at his guards, and immediately the men turned to do as they were told. Tiernan stared at his friend in disbelief, and then felt his face flush with anger.

"What was that all about Ruiz?!" he fairly screamed, "What are you trying to do? Aren't you going to punish them for insulting me!"

Ruiz's expression didn't change in the slightest, and calmly, he said one simple word. "No."

Tiernan blinked in surprise, unsure of what to say next. Clearly things were not going the way he wanted them to. "What the hell do you mean 'no'?"

"I should think that was fairly obvious. Like I said before, enough is enough Tiernan. I know you're upset right now, but the girl didn't insult you on purpose. I see no reason why either of them should be punished for such a mistake," Ruiz explained calmly.

At his words and tone, Tiernan felt his blood boil. Ruiz Hainault was making a complete fool out of him in front of the entire town! How dare he do this to him! With an angry growl, he grabbed the pale young man by the collar of his shirt and shook him. Immediately, Stefan and Aleron came rushing over to pull him away from the unresisting Ruiz.

"Tiernan! Get a hold of yourself!" Stefan cried, "Ruiz isn't doing this to hurt you!"

"He's only doing what's fair," Aleron added as he held onto Tiernan's arm, "Come on, there's no reason to get so upset over this!"

Ruiz, who was now standing calmly away from the struggling trio stared silently at Tiernan, his face an expressionless mask.

Tiernan pushed himself away from the clutches of the other two young men, and glared at Ruiz with contempt on his face. His dark eyes narrowing into slits, he stated coldly, "I will never forgive you for this Ruiz. You'll be sorry for what you've done." With that, he spun on his heels and stalked off angrily towards his carriage. The other two F4 glanced back at Ruiz apologetically, and said in unison, "He'll get over it." With that, they too turned and ran after the fast disappearing figure of their leader.

***********************************************************************

Thadea Marcoux could not believe the scene she had just witnessed. In all her wildest dreams, she could never imagine that the future Comte de Troyes would actually come to her rescue. Despite his quiet and impassive manner, Thadea could clearly see the silent strength and maturity that lay within the pale, thin figure. She felt an indescribably love seize her heart, and in that moment she saw Ruiz Hainault was the very image of an angel from heaven.

End of Chapter Three

Well, what'd you guys think? Good? Bad? Boring? Please send me feedback so I can get your opinions! Please, please, please, and I'll love you forever * smile*.

A subtle hint:

Email me at delphigirl.geo@yahoo.com

hehehehehehehe, I hope my brainwashing worked ^_~.