This is Prompt No. 20-Innocence

Mitchie watched in dismay as the Frenchman balanced himself on the balls of his toes, waiting for his opponent to make a move. When the harlequin waited as well, the Frenchman taunted him, hoping to rouse his anger. "How dare you come and interrupt us?" he hissed.

The harlequin, though, refused to be played and instead said, "How dare you force yourself on such an innocent girl?" He glanced at Mitchie for a split second and then said, "Go find yourself some courtesan, but stay away from her."

With a roar, the Frenchman lunged at the harlequin, who countered with a hard blow to the jaw. The Frenchman stood slowly, and the real fight began. The harlequin had dealt the first blow, but who would draw first blood? Mitchie shrank back even more, pressing herself as tightly as she could to keep from having the fighters step on her in the tiny little room.

Blows were dealt so quickly that Mitchie lost track as to who was gaining the upper hand. Neither seemed to be doing better than the other. Their hard breathing was visible in the otherwise-silent room and Mitchie's eyes stayed focused on the harlequin, watching his every move. He seemed to be doing well, not taking too many hits, but not able to give too many either.

"Give up, States Brat," the Frenchman hissed as he swung at the harlequin, and missed.

The harlequin actually grinned at that and shook his head, his eyes twinkling. "Not a chance, sir." Mitchie noticed his respect for his opponent even as the latter insulted him. Briefly, her mind wandered to what the Frenchman had said. He had said "States Brat." Did that mean that the harlequin was from the United States just like herself?

A cry brought her back to the present, her eyes immediately roving over the harlequin to see if he was injured, and if so, how badly, but he was not. It was the Frenchman that was injured, blood spurting from his nose. While he had his hands on his knees, the harlequin made no move against him, but as soon as he stood up to full height, the harlequin delivered one last cracking blow that sent the Frenchman flat on his back.

"That didn't feel right," the harlequin muttered, wriggling the fingers on his delivering hand experimentally. Assured that they still functioned properly, the harlequin strode over to the desk at the end of the study and rang the bell there. Soon, a French butler came scurrying in, his eyes taking in the scene with curiosity, but saying nothing.

"Yes, sir?" he asked politely, ignoring the groaning figure on the floor.

"It seems that this man has had enough for the evening. Would you please make sure that he gets all the way home safely?" the harlequin asked, motioning to the Frenchman on the ground and stressing the "all" in "all the way."

The butler cast a glance at Mitchie, still huddled in the corner and his gaze softened slightly. "Of course, sir," he responded. He pulled the young man up from the ground supporting him as he exited the study.

Once they were gone, the harlequin made his way carefully to where Mitchie sat and extended his hand to her. "It's safe now," he promised, smiling at her. "I won't hurt you."

Mitchie smiled at him and took his hand, allowing him to pull her up off the ground. She brushed her skirt off and smiled up at him again. "I know that you wouldn't hurt me," she assured him. "You saved me back there, and I'm so grateful. Is there anything I can do for you to thank you?"

Far away, the music was changing from a slow dance to a faster one and the harlequin grinned, nodding. "If that fellow hasn't caused you to fear it, would you dance with me?"

A/N: I realize that some of these chapters are much shorter than others, but believe me, they all play out correctly according to their categories. Hope you like it so far!