AN: Two Stories in one day! Has anyone ever heard of it? Gotta say, I finally got the inspiration on where to go with this one. I wasn't sure, since most of this part of the movie is songs. That's why I had such a difficult time figuring out what to do. But I got it, so yeah. I did use some lines from the movie, and I also kinda changed things from where they were said, so if it's not in the original format, I planned it that way. Anyway, love you guys, and I really like to hear feedback. So send me a review if you get the chance!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
10 Years Later
A man wandered the streets of Ecrin City. The snow was falling lightly, as the capital was abuzz with news. A woman grabbed his arm stopping the blond man on a mission. "Have you heard, sir? The Princess may be alive!" She shouted gladly. Lucas could understand her excitement, as the little country of Valston had turned almost to ruin with the communist movement. He then yanked his hand from her grasp, and started walking again.
More and more people were pouring out of their homes and workplaces telling all of news. If the princess was really alive, she could save the poor country of all its problems. Sometimes it boggled Lucas's mind why anyone had decided to overthrow the king and queen. His father having been on parliament, the blond man had met the family and was good friends with the aforementioned princess.
Lucas knew there was a possibility of the blonde girl being alive. He had been at the train station when she was lost. King Shawn had been devastated. Losing his wife, daughter, and unborn child in one night. Sadly, the king couldn't return to the country in fear of ended up just like his wife.
Though Lucas had returned to the beloved country. He was in search for his father once he was old enough. However, Lucas had learned upon arrival that his father had been killed on the night of the siege of the palace, and then decided to stay in the little country. He did miss Rileena Matthews, the grand duchess and goddaughter of King Shawn. He knew that one day he would return with her best friend to the woman he loved.
Trying to not be caught by the police, Lucas took many twists and turns as he made his way to his destination. As he walked up the stairs of a grand place housing the black market, he was stopped by his good friend Joshua. Together, the two of them waltzed through the market looking at odds and ends as people gushed about the princess. Joshua held a bitter smile as they passed and talked to other Valstonians.
"I got this fur from the palace." A man stopped them. Josh held it against Lucas, checking the material size. He smiled and handed the man a coin, shouting as he walked away.
"It could be worth a fortune, if it belonged to her!" The brown haired man called. The older man who sold them the fur nodded, and glanced back at the coin. Joshua continued his walk with Lucas trailing closely behind. He walked up to an old rickety building with drafty windows and a long winding staircase.
"I got the theatre, Luke." He shouted happily. Lucas trailing behind smiled as they reached the top of the building. "All we need is the girl!" He continued. Lucas followed him into the very drafty room at the top of the building. Josh walked over to a cabinet that was tucked away underneath a drape. He pulled out a music box. "We find the girl, and take her to Paris. Show the king this jewelry box, and imagine the reward the old geezer will pay."
"Who else could pull it off?" Lucas excitedly asked. Josh smiled and looked at the open window. He rushed to the edge of the balcony and looked down on the excited city. He grabbed Lucas and his bags, then rushed to the edge and jumped, sliding through the snow. "We'll be rich!" Lucas exclaimed reaching the ground.
"We'll be out!" Josh continued. Then the two reached the train jumping on. "It's the biggest con in history!" And the train pulled out of the station taking the men farther into the city, away from growing crowd. But closer to their impending destiny.
-GMW—
Maya swore she had heard this spiel a hundred times before. Comrade Svorski had taken in the blonde girl when she only eight years old, and she had grown fond of the other children in the orphanage. But Comrade Svorski, she could do without. "You've clothed me, fed me, and kept a roof over my head." She deadpanned mockingly. Comrade Svorski spun around quickly, and Maya flinched thinking back to all the times growing up when that meant a severe paddling with a wooden spoon.
"How is it you don't have a clue as to who you were before you came to us, but you can remember all that?" The elderly woman spat at the younger blonde while dragging her scarf. Maya rolled her eyes, and grabbed at the locket on her neck, she didn't remember but she could find out.
"I do have a clue—" She defiantly started, but was cut off by the woman who runs the orphanage. Comrade Svorski grabbed at the intricate necklace, and scoffed.
"I know! 'Together in Paris' you want to go to France to find your family, right?" The old bag of bones mocked the optimistic girl. Maya nodded, and tried to step away. "Wrong. You go to the fish market. I got you job there. Little Miss Maya, it's time you took your place in life, in life and in line, and be grateful too!" She threw the scarf in Maya's face. The 18 year old most definitely felt more discouraged than she did when first walking out. She could hear Comrade Svorski's mocking cries as she continued her trek.
"'Be grateful, Maya.'" She rasped in her best impression of the old bat. Maya had gotten good at mocking the woman after many years of trying to lighten the younger children's moods on the harder evenings. When he beatings were especially bad, and Comrade Svorski refused to feed some of them. She mostly the one to miss dinner for 'being too disruptive.' "I am grateful! Grateful to get away!" She shouted in the direction of the orphanage. Hoping by some force of nature the old woman heard her.
She came upon the fork in the road that felt like a cross roads on Maya's heart. One pointed toward the fish village, another to Ecrin City. Maya longed to go to Ecrin, she had last been there when she was eight walking around the train station with no memory. She huffed as she thought of her options. "The old bat told me left. But I know what's left: I'll be Maya the Orphan forever!" She angrily thought. Swishing to look at the other end, she began to think aloud again. "But if I go right… Whoever gave me this necklace must have loved me."
She thought for a moment, realizing the lunacy of the thought. "Me? Go to Paris?" She chuckled. Her frustration escalating she plopped onto the snowing ground. "Give me a sign! A hint! Anything!" Maya begged while looking towards the cloudy sky. It seemed this was not a decision for her to make. Suddenly, a small reddish colored pup popped up from beneath the snowy bank beneath the signs. Somehow, Maya swore she saw the pup smirk as it lunged at her. The red dog grabbed her long scarf right out of her hands.
"Hey!" The blonde exclaimed, she chased the pup but had trouble in her oversized clothes that she had borrowed. She fell to the ground with a thud, landing on the soft powdery snow. She watched the pup continue in a prance like run with her scarf. The thing was headed towards Ecrin City. "Ok… I can take a hint…" She trailed off following the mangy mutt. She finally regained ownership of her long scarf, and stuffed it into her oversized coat's pocket. She watched the pup prance and play in the snow and she couldn't help but smile.
"You need a name, huh?" She talked to it. The pup looked up to her, and Maya saw a glimpse of something in its eye. Happiness? "How about Ginger?" The red pup barked in agreement, making Maya chuckle a bit. Together the two made their way down the long winding road to Ecrin City. It seemed like the longest journey Maya had ever taken, and in her fatigue questioned going back to the fish market. She pushed that thought from her mind when she saw a cottage, and a family going for a walk.
The two children stopped to admire Ginger, and her funny little puppy quirks. The mother and father offered friendly smiles, and Maya felt a bit of warmth run through her freezing cold body. She adjusted her cap as she waved goodbye to the small family. "Home. Love. Family." She sighed looking down at Ginger. "There was once a time I must have had them too." She wistfully thought. The two misfits continued on their way.
A few more hours had passed, and Maya was close to keeling over from the cold. She held her half gloved hands close as to generate heat. As she was getting ready to give up, she heard Ginger bark and looked in the direction. The blonde could have cried with joy. There it was, Ecrin City. She saw the gorgeous Cathedral, and her smile widened. "We made it, Ginger! Ecrin City! Isn't it gorgeous? At last, Ecrin City!" Maya grabbed the small dog, and took off in a sprint toward the city. She was one step closer.
Maya's excitement grew even more once she entered the train station. The hustle and bustle of the normal Valstonians keep her energy flowing. She was even excited to wait in line. The only line waiting she had ever done was for the sorry excuse for food at the orphanage, and even then if Comrade Svorski was mad with her Maya's waiting would be all for naught. This waiting had a purpose. She was getting out of Valston, she was going to Paris!
"Exit Visa!" Maya was snapped out of her thoughts by the man at the window. She was repulsed by the man, and his gruff voice did nothing to calm her nerves. She scrunched her face up in confusion. Looking to her dog then to the man she didn't know what to think.
"Exit Visa?" She inquired in a small voice. The brutish man's face contorted into a look of disgust as he looked at the skinny young woman. He huffed annoyed, and then got angry.
"No Exit Visa! No ticket!" He screamed in her face before slamming the window shut. Maya felt like she had been blown away, and not just by the man's horrible breath. How had she not known what she needed to get out of the country? Just like all those futile attempts for food, she turned from the ticket window empty handed and disappointed. Maya almost gave up when a woman was trying to catch her attention.
"Psst." The old haggard looking woman beckoned. Maya followed a bit shyly, worried about the strange looking people in the city. "See Joshua." She rasped, her Valstonian accent thick with age. Maya looked at the woman in surprise. "See Joshua, he can get you papers." She explained, her hot breath hitting Maya straight on. It wasn't much better than the guard.
"Where can I find him?" She questioned, now intrigued and desperate to get out of the country. The old woman stepped closer and whispered into Maya's ear.
"At the Lerwick Palace. But you didn't hear it from me!" She whisper yelled. Maya thanked the woman and decided that she had come this far, she wasn't giving up now. She was getting to Paris.
-GMW—
Josh and Lucas were not getting to Paris. They had seen hundreds, maybe thousands of girls pretending to be the lost Princess Mayanna. Josh knew that since Lucas had grown up alongside the princess he would be snooty on who to pick, but there weren't any people who could even have been anywhere near the princess. That was coming from Josh, whose standards were lower than Lucas's but higher than any acts they had seen all day. He and Lucas crossed off yet another name, furiously crossed off, when the last person of the night came on stage.
"Papa, it's me. Mayanna." The much too old woman droned in a deep voice. In her hand was a cigarette and her dress was too short. The woman moved her body in a way that would be disrespectful to a drunkard, let alone the former king of Valston. Josh covered his eyes as Lucas hit his head on the table. They most definitely were not going to Paris.
Walking out, Lucas tried to keep a positive demeanor. "Tomorrow, tomorrow. We will find her, I know it." He told his friend. Josh tried to believe him, but just couldn't do it. Lucas had seen her escape, Josh had seen her escape, but in all of Valston she didn't show. Josh held out the jewelry box up, maybe if he had faith like Lucas did, he would find the pretty little girl who enjoyed the lavish parties.
As they walked on their way back, Josh was shoved into a person. The people in Valston now that the Communists had taken over were much ruder than before. He almost had the thought to yell at the person in his way when he was in such troubling thoughts. He thought better of it, probably from the warning glance Lucas shot him. From the sounds of it at least the person he bumped into didn't seem to happy either.