First of all, a quick note, to clarify some things that may have been misleading in the last chapter.
First of all, many people seem to be under the impression that Cagalli in engaged to Jona in this fic. I'm not really sure where you guys not this idea from, but I definitely didn't state that, nor did I intend for anyone to get that impression... Because put quite bluntly: She's not.
Secondly, is the issue of me saying that there was a Victorian setting. When I made that statement, I mean the physical world they are in, would resemble the Victorian era. This means, houses, wagons/carriages, roads, general surroundings etc. Thus, the dialogue can be expected to be fairly inaccurate for that time. Sorry but if I started writing dialogue that way, my writing just wouldn't have the same flow.
Finally, sorry if there appear to be a lot of typos in this. I was having some problems uploading, and so I think my document might have been uploaded in a weird manner. There may be a lack of spaces between words, or something to that extent.
"So... where are we?" Cagalli grumbled, perched atop a large rock as Athrun peeked around.
"No clue." Was his quick response. "I'm pretty unfamiliar with this area."
Cagalli frowned again. How did this happen? She was supposed to run away FROM him, not WITH him. They had managed to dismount the wagon without being noticed, them immediately set to trying to figure out where they were. Asking the wagon driver would be out of the question, since he'd just turn right back and land them both in hot water.
But at this point... even they were starting to regret it.
"So now what do we do?" She asked, stretching her arms, getting up and walking towards him.
"Do you want to go back?" He looked up at her. She shook her head.
"Not yet... I'll give father some time to calm down before I reappear."
"Well then, we'd be best off making some sort of shelter to pass the night in. After all, I don't have any money on me, and I don't think you do either."
A shuffle.
"Do you?" He raised an eyebrow, then widened his eyes as she produced a handful of money from her pockets. "You had that with you all along!"
"Well I was planning on running away in the first place! I just didn't plan on getting lost, and certainly not with you!" She shot back angrily.
For a moment all that could be heard was the sound of crickets chirping loudly at random intervals.
"Sorry. I wasn't accusing you of... you know. Holding out or anything. Let's just... find somewhere to sleep. An inn or something."
A nod was her only answer.
Finding an inn had never seemed so difficult.
"You two are a bit young to be renting an room together, aren't you?" An elderly woman running was what presumed to be her inn frowned, eyeing them suspiciously. Athrun's eyes widened, horrified at the intimation laced into her words. Cagalli stuttered out a feeble, silly explanation before turning and bolting out the door. Athrun soon followed.
"Sorry, but I'm not a supporter of pre-marital-" The next innkeeper started. Athrun cut him off promptly.
"What if I told you we were married?"
Cagalli looked mortified. "We're what now!" Athrun silenced her with a sharp glare.
And innkeeper's eyes narrowed. "Where's her ring?"
"Couldn't afford one." Athrun shrugged, amazed both at his own calmness, and ability to lie so easily.
"I don't buy it." The stern man behind the desk answered promptly.
"We're as good as married!" Cagalli blurted out. "We're engaged!"
Athrun held back the urge to smack his hand to his forehead and hide.
"Well then I'm sure that you can wait until the ceremony." Another prompt response.
Angrily, Athrun marched over to Cagalli and ushered her to the far side of the room, until they were out of earshot.
"Can't you cry or something!" He whispered sharply.
"Cry? Why on earth would I do that?" The angry blonde eyes him incredulously.
"I... I don't know! Just cry! Maybe he'll take sympathy!"
"I can't just cry on demand like that!" She protested vehemently.
"Wha- you don't know how to cry on command? What kind of girl are you?"
Immediately he felt like he wanted to swallow his tongue and bury himself 10 feet underground.
"EXCUSE ME! No, I can't! And you want to know why!" Her eyes flashed dangerously.
"I think you're going to tell me anyways..."
"Firstly! because it's a perfectly ridiculous waste of energy and time to LEARN how to do that and secondly, it's embarrassing and stupid, and lastly, I'm no the type of woman who needs to rely on such feminine cheap tactics to get what I want! OBSERVE!"
She stormed to the front and glared at the man who still had his arms stubbornly folded across his chest.
"Look! I'm willing to pay money for a room, and you have them! So-"
"No! I don't!" he shouted back. "If you'd just let me in finish in the first place, I could have told you that we don't have any vacancies!"
Athrun and Cagalli now stood in the middle of a street, bickering over whose fault the last rejection was.
"If you had just gone along with my idea-!"
"They were full anyways!" The young man responded in an exasperated tone. Immediately he began digging in his pockets.
"Oh, don't tell me you really believed that hogwash, coughed-up excuse! And- What are you doing? What are you looking for?" Cagalli asked impatiently.
"This!" Athrun waved a silver ring in front of her face. It was decorated with 3 semi-circular silver bands, and a dark red jem with a purplish glint, nestled into it. The stone itself glittered in a way that refracted every ray of light that entered it, reflecting it on every side of the carefully cut jewel, before finally sending the glint outwards to the eye of whoever was gazing into it.
Cagalli eyes widened. "...What is that?"
"It was my mother's ring, that was given to me at birth. Strung onto a silver chain, I used to always wear it around my neck, but the chain unfortunately broke when we fell out of that window." He explained quickly, eyeing it sadly, yet fondly. The expression wore on a pair of amber eyes softened, as she mumbled a quiet apology.
Athrun shrugged it off, then coughed and tried to turn away a bit, before motioning towards her with it. Cagalli looked confused.
"What?"
"Wear it."
"WHAT!"
"We can't pose as a young married couple without a ring. So just wear it while we try to check in." He shrugged.
She slipped in onto her finger carefully, as if were she to apply the slightest amount of excess force, it would break. "It fits." She murmured.
Athrun looked a bit surprised. "Really?... It was custom made for my mother. I suppose you have the same fingers then."
Cagalli shrugged, then looked up at him and smiled, oddly content to hear that. "Guess so."
"One room, yes?"
The young "couple" froze, blinked, turned to each other, blinked again, then quickly retreated into a back corner and communicated in the form of hasty whispers.
"I do NOT want you sleeping with me!" Cagalli hissed.
"I'm perfectly aware of that and in case you can't tell, I'm not all that ecstatic about these arrangements either, but I'm also pretty sure that if we keep paying for two rooms instead of one, the money that you have on you will run out twice as fast!" Athrun argued hastily, afraid to turn to the innkeeper and see check the expression on his face.
"Well what about two beds? Can't we get two beds in one room?" The blonde lady suggested.
"That's too suspicious! Do you really think sleeping in separate beds is the first thing a young, recently married couple would have in mind?" The young man insisted, thoroughly uncomfortable with the idea of renting a room with one bed, but completely letting the fear of getting discovered dominate over his personal preferences.
Cagalli frowned. "Geez, who asked you to come along anyways?" She mumbled under her breath. Athrun raised his eyebrows.
"Well if you'd prefer me to leave you in peace, that's fine too. Just be aware that the first place I'll be heading to is the Athha manor, since that's the only place I have to go." He shrugged, neatly placing his hands in his pockets.
He received a glare in response, then watched as she marched up, signed for a room, then snatched the keys out of the innkeeper's hand promptly and charged up the stairs.
The innkeeper glanced at Athrun and smiled sympathetically. "Quite a girl you've got there."
Athrun sighed and shrugged. "I... suppose."
"So what's the plan for tomorrow?"
Cagalli was lying a top HER bed, eyeing the yellowing ceiling with obvious distaste. Her eyes flickered towards the slumped figure that was staring out the window.
"I don't know." He sighed. "This was your idea anyways."
"Then why are you still with me?" A blond eyebrow arched in a very annoyed manner.
Another sigh. "Firstly, if I were to go back there, which is really the only other place I have to go, without you, they might have my head. Secondly, I can't just leave you alone by yourself. And finally, I don't really know where we are anyways, but I do know that I need somewhere to sleep, even if it is the musty floor of a dirty, ill-kept room."
Cagalli frowned. That sounded rehearsed... "You can leave me alone. I can manage myself."
Athrun eyed her mockingly. "Despite my doubts regarding that statement, I won't voice them. As for your earlier question, I thought I'd ask around in the morning and try to figure out where we are, and how we can get back."
"I thought we agreed we weren't going back." She questioned, swinging her legs over the bed and sitting upright on the mattress.
"Well we're going back eventually, so we may as well figure out how to do that when we decide to." He shrugged, turning to face the window again. The blonde female frowned at his matter-of-fact demeanor.
"You annoy me."
He eyebrows rose in surprise. "Pardon? If anything I'd think that would be my line."
"No no, you definitely annoy me. I just don't understand how you can say everything in a condescending manner."
Now he really looked surprised. "I say things in a condescending manner to you?..."
A firm nod. "If anything, I'm more happy than ever I ran away. I can't imagine myself ever marrying you!" She declared. his eyes were now the size of a dinner plate.
"...I think there's been a misunderstanding between us." He started. "You see, I-"
"You?..."
"I-"
"You what? I thought princes were supposed to be charming, but I suppose you're just the arrogant type!"
"I'm not a prince!"
...Silence had never been so loud.
"You what!"
"I'm not a prince!"
"Then who are you!"
"I... I am a-"
"Keep it down in there!" A loud voice boomed as they heard pounding at the door. "Have you any idea what time it is!"
Athrun bit his lip and looked away for a moment, before turning and almost running into a furious Cagalli.
"Who. Are. You?"
Uzumi had a splitting headache. Now that his soon to-be-in-laws were finally asleep, he could have some peace.
The entire manor had been in an uproar as soon as Cagalli's disappearance was discovered. He'd sent out half the staff to look for them, all to no avail. He also sent out some messengers, to contact friends and other blood relatives, in the hope that they could come and aid in the search.
Meanwhile, his daughter's fiancé's mother was screaming like a banshee about her nervous, and her husband kept mumbling something about how "preposterous!" this was, amongst several other streams of curses and half-phrases.
"Total lack of…"
"Windows! But how could that happen!"
"Just like a renegade! Completely unbelievable-"
"Behavior! I feel faint! I-"
"Preposterous!"
"Nerves! I've never-"
"Ridiculous! I've seen better searches for-"
"Doctor! I need a-"
"Good smack in the head! That's what that boy'll get when he-"
-Insert the scream of his wife-
"PLEASE! CALM! DOWN!" The voice of Uzumi thundered, in a desperate plea for peace. Never had he seen the entire house staff running around with earplugs before… Even during Cagalli's temper tantrums.
Yet surprisingly, despite having such… interesting parents, their son seemed to be very calm. He had been out all day, aiding in the search for his fiancé. Uzumi had only time to exchange brief words with the young man, but from what he could tell he was very polite, and well mannered. Genuinely concerned for the safety of Cagalli, and doing his best to retrieve her…
He sighed. Cagalli… Where was she, and how was she doing? Had she taken the news this badly? It really was his fault for springing it on her so quickly…
A knock on his study door… It if was a servant preparing to tell him that woman was demanding a doctor again, he was fully prepared to knock her out himself. A maid entered cautiously, handing him a note.
"Dear Uzumi,
We're terribly sorry to hear about your daughter. We will come at once to help you search for her. The Clyne family will be joining us as well, on account of recent matters. Expect to arrive shortly.
Signed,
The Yamato Family"
Uzumi smiled. He knew they would be the first to respond. Though they were related, that was only very distantly, and several generations back. To each other they remained close friends. Their son had recently been married to the daughter of the Clyne family. They must have been having a visit, for the Clyne family to be coming as well. In fact their son was one of the few people that Cagalli got along quite well with.
He rose form his chair and prayed that they'd be here by morning. He couldn't imagine having to deal with those walking headaches by himself for another minute.
"I... I'm not a prince. Or nobility. At all."
"I know that much already! So who the heck are you? Am I supposed to marry you or not?"
Athrun struggled with an answer... "No." He responded plainly. "No, you are not."
"Then who am I supposed to marry?"
"The son of my master."
Cagalli blinked. Master?... Then this guy was. "You're a servant?"
"... Yes. I was sent upstairs to bring you downstairs, then I saw you falling out a window and... You know the rest." He choked out. Admitting he was a servant had never been so hard. Glancing at her face, he noted her expression.
Shocked. Confused. Perhaps a bit hurt? He had never seen such expressive eyes.
"So then... Who am I supposed to marry?..." Her eyes now reflected overwhelming worry, and she slumped to the ground. "I thought... well I didn't want to marry you. But at least by the time we got back I would know the person I was supposed to marry a bit, even if I didn't like him. I mean, I didn't want to run off with you, with my fiancé, with whoever... But then just now I was thinking that maybe this was okay. I would at least know you, even if I didn't like you... But if you're not him, then... What the hell am I doing here? And... Who am I supposed to marry? Who is this guy?..."
Athrun slid to the floor with a sympathetic look in his eyes. Poor girl. He was about to open his mouth when she suddenly slumped forward in tears. He was knocked back in shock, with his left elbow supporting both their weight. His face flushed a brilliant rose. He felt something dampen his shirt, and he raised his hand tentatively.
Completely out of his place. This was wrong... He shouldn't be doing this. He wasn't allowed to. She was engaged to the young master; HIS young master. He was a servant and she was a lady...
But she was crying. And mumbling words of sadness into his shirt which was currently being used as a handkerchief. And scared...
Finally he lowered his hand onto her back and stroked it comfortingly, still looking away with embarrassment. "I'm sorry." He murmured softly "I'm so sorry..."
She had tried to speak but every time she opened her mouth she's start gasping for air. So then she'd close her mouth and it would feel like she was suffocating. And the only thing that kept her from drifting away into a thick sea of emotion was the solid presence around her, assuring her that she wouldn't drown.
Gently they remained in that position, until she had found the voice that had been caught in her throat.
"Why would father do this to me?" She mumbled, barely coherently.
He hesitated, "... I don't know."
"Is he just trying to get rid of me?"
"I'm sure that's not it." He answered.
"Then he thought that there'd never be anyone, who would ever fall in love with me. Right?"
"Of course not." He answered again.
"And you're not him?"
"No, I'm not."
"You're sure?" She doubled checked stubbornly, a frown beginning to crease her forehead.
"I'm positive." He responded, chucking slightly at her persistence.
"Then who... on earth am I supposed to be marrying?... Who is this guy?"
Athrun paused for a moment. "He's kind, and very gentle. And he's nervous about this as well... I'm not him but I could tell you about him, if you're willing to take my word for it." he offered. Cagalli looked up to face the deepest evergreen eyes she'd ever seen.
Suddenly realizing where she was and what she was doing, she jumped back quickly, almost knocking over a table behind her. "I- I'm so sorry." She stammered. "I just... I'm sorry. I must have put you in an very awkward position just now... I forgot myself."
Athrun stood up slowly, and shook his head. "It's okay. It's understandable."
"Well then... Please tell me about him." Cagalli urged, trying to wipe off lingering tears in her eyes frustratingly. How disgusting of her to have just started crying like that... Especially after she had made such a big deal about it earlier. She sat onto the bed and set her head on the pillow.
"...Well I know him fairly well. We're the same age, and I've always worked for his family, so we've kind of grown up together. And he almost never treats me like a servant..." He paused to see if she was listening.
She nodded as if to urge him on, her eyes closed as she was clearly nodding off. He smiled and took a breath.
"We get along. He just heard about it as well, and was very shocked. I believe there was another young lady he was beginning to like, but he's always been very obedient and attentive to his parent's wishes. And so of course he agreed, but really he couldn't be more nervous. And I'm sure he's feeling the same way you are-"
He stopped, noticing she had dozed off just before the beginning of the last sentence. Moving forward, he gently pulled a blanket over her, before making his way over to the far side of the room and settling onto it.
The young master and she would probably get along well together. And he felt relieved, that he would be happy, and that she would be happy. They could probably be happy together...
Yet inexplicably, a pang of some empty feeling shot through his heart uncomfortably. He winced a bit, before allowing his tired eyelids to fall over his eyes, like heavy drapes sweeping down to cover a window.
Agh, my main concern with this chapter is that I feel like I made them connect much too quickly. The idea is that Cagalli's in a very emotional state right now, and so she's opening up much more easily, but if you think this is out of character, please tell me. I'm planning to make this pretty short, so I kind of am rushing it a bit. I hope that it's not too awkward though.
This was the first update in a few weeks, so I'm reallyhappy to have this done! Thank you to all who reviewed the first chapter:
yumi-chocoluver, Tetsuni, Garowyn, Lady Onuk, 3fi-pina3, Swt. Harmony, WhiteMoonTears, RoGuE-WhItE-DrAgOn, jackie-88-ac, existence92, wobblytooth, Cagalli Yula Atha, Cari-Akira, stuntsheep, IYGU, MiyuCagalli, moi, ANON, Mikako, Asucags, Zala's Assassin, reseaki, animeluver461, thousandbirds, The Angels' Princess, Princess Ashes, Maryam Khanoom, ZGMF X-19A Infinite Justice, KiraTatashi, gseedlover, Star-Moon-Angel, aNgEl-Of-LoVe-AnD-hAtE, animemistress419, ovp, Kintora, Kitty-Kat90013820, The Jackle, lamu, PINKSISA, Kazumi Kairi or Kairi-chan, kura52
Please tell me what you think of this chapter. I'm looking forward to hearing from you and as many other people as possible as well.
And according to reviewing response: "Neighbors" will be the next to be updated. Hope you enjoy it.
Periodic-Prose