Strolling in the Shade

This was originally written on February 20, 2012.

Special thanks to my little sister, Emma (ADreamIsAWishYourHeartMakes, dang girl, your name is WAY to long!) for the Pegasus idea when I was having a major writer's block, I owe you a one shot of any couple that you want!

Your reviews were all about how Ace is such a dick, and he is! Can you believe what he did? I had to think of something since Ace and Nigel weren't girls, then I was watching a rerun of Glee (my weakness) and it struck me since it was the episode where Dave kissed Kurt. Oh the times before Klaine were like the dark ages, can you belive they have been together for over a year! That can only mean one thing! That they ARE A ONE TRUE PAIRING! Okay, The Oh Sparkly One is talking way to much right now, The Oh Sparkly One is a my best friend's Emily's nickname for me since we recite Klaine scenes (I do Kurt, she does Blaine) and she calls me that do to some Glee jokes…. And the fact that I have shouted "I AM UNICORN!" at the top of my lungs on the balcony overlooking the cafeteria on more than one occasion… okay, I am blabbing, let us get this show on a road!

Words: 5,589

Previously on Kuki Enchanted:

"Do it, Kuki. I command you to kiss me." A part of my brain registered the use of my name.

I strained against the pain, shaking my hand as I pressed against the wooden paneling. It did not matter. Ace lurched forward, trapping my face with his hands, his nails digging hard into my scalp, his palms pressing hard enough to bruise against my hollow cheekbones. Then, his lips were mashed against mine, moving sloppily. I was completely frozen, except for my lips, which were moving against his as little as was required by the curse. I felt something wet wedge between them, realizing with a kind of numb horror that he was jamming his tongue into my mouth. The curse did not let up; this was apparently still considered kissing. Ace seemed to know it would hold me in place, because he let go of my face, his hands raking down my back possessively. My eyes stung with tears as he gripped my backside roughly, pulling me against him completely and grinding his hips against mine. I could feel something hard pressing against me, and as soon as it occurred to me that this was no longer just kissing, I felt the spell release its hold.

With all the strength I could muster, I brought up my hands, which were previously balled into fists at my sides, and shoved against his chest, while I yanked my head back, breaking our lips apart. Ace stumbled back a little ways. I shook with fear and disgust as I stared at his stunned and panicked expression. I turned and began to scramble back towards the entrance to the school, tripping over my own quaking limbs.

"Kuki, stop!" I managed a few more steps before I fell to my knees, panting at the effort, trembling in terror and doubled over in pain. I forced myself to stand, frozen in place, listening to Ace's feet scuff slowly against the ground as he approached me. I flinched when he circled around to face me. Gone was the look of alarm; now, he looked at me with pure rage and hatred.

"You don't…you don't tell anyone about this. About what you did to me. I'm ordering you not to tell Abbagalia or Rachel." He leaned towards me; I stopped breathing. "In fact, I forbid you to even be friends with them anymore. Now go back and pick up the brownies you dropped." And without another word, he walked out of the room.

After I had disposed of the soiled brownies, I slid numbly down the stone wall of the school building. I pulled my knees to my chest and pressed my forehead to them, just holding my whole body as tight as I could, so the shaking would cease.

I was plagued with many thoughts as I sat on the cold jousting floor. At first, all I could do was replay the horrible…thing that had just happened repeatedly in my mind. I ground the heels of my hands into my eyes as if that would stop me from picturing it again and again. I thought to myself miserably, if that was what kissing a boy is like, then perhaps I would never marry. Perhaps I would be like Aunt Morgan and live my life in solitude, having no significant other. Maybe the same thing happened to her, what happened to me, happened to her. Maybe the same thoughts went through her head, that she thought all boys were like that and why she had never married.

Then I thought of Wally, and how unlike Ace he was, how courteous and kind he was, how he treated all his subjects with respect, no matter how lowly in their social class they were. Surely, he would not kiss me like that, with such force. Thinking of Wally had transported me to the happy memories of before my departure of the manor house. How our lips were so close, our breath mingling together. I had to push these thoughts from my mind, because thinking of Wally only made me feel more alone. I could not turn to my friends here at Gallagher's anymore; in fact, I was no longer allowed to be friends with them.

This issue worried me the most. What had happened with Ace had, well, happened. I could move on. Nevertheless, I wanted to scream at the thought of severing my friendships with Abba and Rachel. I tried to think of a way to go about it that would not hurt them. If only, there was some way to tell them everything. I knew I could trust them above all others.

They were my friends. Sure, they did not know about my obedience gift from Henrietta. Nevertheless, they accepted me for all of my weird quirks, like Wally.

I could no longer be their friend. Nevertheless, even if Father had not forbade me from telling anyone about Henrietta's spell, Ace's order would have prevented me. To give them an explanation would be an act of friendship in itself.

I knew if one of the corridor servants were to come in, then I would busted and have to go the day without food.

I quickly got up from my place on the floor, and after brushing myself off, made my way to my room.

When I entered, I was glad that it was empty, feeling depressed, I walked into my room and grabbed my faerie book. Then I exited to the common room, in which I took a seat on one of the couches that had the beautiful moonlight streaming through.

I opened my book and gazed at it in the moonlight. The first page had a letter written from Sir Montgomery to his sons. I skimmed over most of it; the large majority of it was dedicated to descriptions of various outfits of the balls he attended. Normally, I would be interested in seeing what people wore to such occasions, but I felt no desire to read about them from his perspective.

I almost turned the page when I saw Wally's name written in Sir Montgomery's extravagant, swirling cursive.

…I attended a ball a fortnight ago and the ravishing Prince Wally made an appearance. My, what a handsome young lad!

I shuddered at Sir Montgomery's description of Wally as "ravishing;" it hardly seemed appropriate.

I was desolate when I did not see the charming Lady Josephine among the guests. I gather she is off travelling and trading, adding to her already sizable fortune.

As the letter drew to a close, Sir Montgomery's seemed to remember he was writing to his sons.

I do so hope, my dears, that you have been eating well and keeping your strength up. I am sure Gallagher's Academy has polished you both into strong, strapping gentlemen, capable of entertaining admirers at court but also adept at combat and other manly pursuits. Alas, your poor Papa never had a chance to attend such a fine establishment at your age and relies on you for his protection and well-being.

Jaceon, I know you expressed distaste at associating with Lady Josephine's irrespective daughter, but please do try to put up with the ridiculous thing. I believe it is in our best benefit to stay on Lady Joy's good side for the time being. Also, make sure you keep wearing your glasses, no maiden will find you attractive if you don't wear them. I am still trying to find a healer for you, but no one has even heard of such an anomaly in all their years of healing. Nigel, I trust your studies are going well and that you have found a suitable maiden to pursue in court.

My darlings, the carriage has arrived to speed me to another grand engagement at court. I wish I could write to you longer, but I do so wish to meet Lady Josephine here tonight.

Your doting Papa,

Sir Monty

So, Sir Montgomery worried about staying in Mother's good graces. I rolled my eyes. It was not as though she would care how Ace treated me, and it was clear that Ace was not afraid of angering Mother.

I wonder what Sir. Montgomery had meant when he told Ace to keep his glasses on.

I turned the page and was treated to a much more pleasant sight. On it, there was a picture of a beautiful centaur- his coat was the shade of dark roan with a black star-like shape on his chest. He had beautiful melted gold eyes that shined in the presence of the sun - Apple; I was sure – nuzzling his head against the shoulder of a young man – Wally – who gazed at him fondly. I wondered if I would ever get to meet my beautiful centaur. A letter from Wally to his father accompanied the illustration.

Dear Father,

I hope this letter finds you healthy and happy in your travels to Ayortha. Mother, Brother, and Sister are well, as am I.

I confess, I am quite excited for my first foray into military duty. I am grateful for your belief in me, and I highly approve of the group of knights you picked out to accompany me in my travels and ogre-hunting. They are all of a loyal disposition, and all seem good-humored and open-hearted.

Mother worries, of course, but I try to ease the worst of her concerns. I tell her I will be perfectly safe, and I do not fear injury, only embarrassment, should I not conduct myself in a princely manner during an encounter with ogres.

I stared at the page, silently scolding Wally. How could there be no danger, if ogre-hunting was his mission?

Wally went on to describe the same ball that Sir Montgomery had attended, although he neglected to mention what he had worn. It was a pity; I was much more interested in that than Sir Montgomery detailed accounts of his night. He went on to discuss at length trade delegations with the giants; though I had no idea what he was talking about, I gobbled up each word written with his broad, sweeping strokes. It was like a soothing balm to my over-wrought nerves. My eyes widened when I spotted my name in his writing.

I am training a centaur that I caught some time ago for a friend of mine. Her father was the late Sir Ruburd of Frell, I know from stories that you and Sir Ruburd were good friends in your youth. I admire the daughter's, Kuki's, unique spirit, but have been told she has gone off to deportment school, where I fear she will be taught to become less admirable. Do you know what they teach in such places? Proper court etiquette, perhaps? Unnecessarily violent sports for the boys, and preening and curtsying for the girls? It seems such a waste of her time, time that we could be spending together.

I frowned at this. Despite my best efforts, I had learned a lot at Gallagher's. I could certainly defend myself against an opponent of similar size and strength, and my curtsy was now as graceful and dashing as I recalled Aunt Morgan's to be. I wondered if these things took away from my uniqueness, a quality he apparently admired. I wondered if he would like me less now that I was so accomplished. Then I thought of the ogres and hoped he would be alive in the future to like me less.

I found on the next page a brisk but very important letter penned by Mother to Kami.

Kamilla,

I am still with the Greenies. Trading has been abysmal. Dealing with these stupid elves makes me want to spit acidic venom at them. They are terrible traders. I have not yet been able to convince them to show me an authentic work by Ashley, no matter what wares I tempt them with. Their chieftess, Fanny, clearly knows little about bargaining. I think it is the miles of scarlet hair weighing her head down so she cannot think properly. I have as good as robbed her blind several times already – she gave me three elfin vases for one gnomic copper pot! I plan to get as much out of the idiot as I can. Do not for a second think this means an increase in your wages.

I am writing to you to let you know I am extending my journey by a week or so. I am set to attend the wedding of an acquaintance of mine, a greasy, curly haired giant named Dolostone. The wedding takes place on his wheat farm in a fortnight. I think I might enjoy the novelty of a giant marriage ceremony, and if I get bored, I could always sabotage it for some entertainment. In any case, I am told that it is rare for a giant's wedding to have no faeries in attendance. If I can trick a few into revealing themselves to me, perchance I can acquire some faerie-made trinkets.

I could hardly breathe. Was there a chance that Henrietta would be attending this wedding? This sudden glimmer of hope spurred me into action. I knew what I had to do. I stole back into the room and quickly gathered up some of my things, only enough for one rucksack. I would miss the rest of my clothes, but I knew it was worth it to leave them behind. Sneaking out of the room once more, I tried to sort out the hodgepodge of thoughts in my head.

Leaving right now without a word to anyone meant that I could sever my friendships with Rachel and Abba without being forced to ignore them and be in the same space as them, and they would hopefully still believe that our friendships were still integral. I knew they would be hurt that I did not bid them farewell, but it was the best solution available. I had promised Mother I would attend deportment school; I had not promised her that I would stay there as long as she wanted. If I left, I would never have to take another order from Ace. I would never have to see his scowling face, be reminded of what he did, and live in fear that he would do it again.

If I could find Henrietta at this wedding and beg her to lift the spell, I would never need to follow another order again in my life. I could be friends with Abba and Rachel. I could take Father's ring back from Ace's finger.

I flipped through the pages of my book, hoping to find a map that would lead me to Dolostone's farm. Alas, the only map I could find was the one of Frell that I had already looked at. I set my chin resolutely. I would not let this deter me; I would simply have to ask someone for directions in the morning.

As I past by Ace's door on the way to freedom I could hear the loud, obnoxious snoring that came from within.

Sir. Montgomery's advice to his son had crept back into my mind and I just had to figure out what laid behind those glasses. Maybe something I could use to blackmail him with.

I opened that door and was shocked at the differences in dorm rooms. Unlike the girls dorm, the boys slept in the common room, there were five beds strewn around the room.

I immediately saw Ace in his bed, and I walked very quietly towards him, seeing that he slept with his glasses on. I carefully took his glasses off, and had to bite my tongue to keep from screaming my head off. His left eye was badly scarred with claw marks from who knows what.

Making a decision that since he made my life miserable, that I should repay the favour. So I took the glasses with me, hey, they may come in handy when it gets to bright out.

I walked out of the door and turned around, "Good riddance." I mumbled, before closing the doors. And I walked out of the doors to freedom.

It was not long after I had left the academy grounds that the sky began to lighten. I knew I should be tired, but nerves and adrenalin and hope gave me the energy to keep walking on my odyssey. I was glad for the small change purse Kami had given me when I left; as I arrived at the edge of a nearby village, I gave a baker his first sale of the day. I paid him two silver coins in exchange for a loaf of traveler's bread and his directions to travel north; he told me there were giant farms beyond the Elves' Forests where they made muffins that were as wide as his sizable waist. He told me there was a fork in the path shortly after the Elves' Forests; I was not to go left, which would lead me to lands well populated with ogres, but to take the right-hand path instead, which would lead me to the giant farms. The whole trip would take five days by coach.

"How long will it take to walk?" I asked him.

He laughed incredulously at me. "To walk? Alone? Do you know how many ogre packs and bandits roam these parts?"

It was not as though I had a choice. I set off towards the north. I was not worried about Lord Gallagher pursuing me; he would probably try to cover up my absence to avoid damaging the academy's reputation. I was, however, concerned about making it to the wedding on time. Mother's letter had indicated that it took place two weeks from now, so I hoped I could walk fast enough to arrive while Henrietta was still there. I clung desperately to the hope that she would be there at all.

For the first time in a long while, I felt light and happy. I was free of orders, free of Ace. Free of Nigel's furtive guilty looks. I skipped along with a smile, whistling or singing to keep myself entertained. As the sun shown brighter, I put on Ace's glasses, thankful for the tinted lens that shielded my eyes from the harsh glare of the sun.

I spent two wonderful days traveling in this manner, choosing to do whatever I wished. If I wanted to dance around and flail my arms, I would. If I felt like taking my lunch under the shade of a maple tree, I did. I enjoyed the scenery and marveled in delight when I came across various creatures, such as deer, rabbits, and once a stunning phoenix, ablaze and soaring in the sky as the sun set.

By the third day, my good mood had worn off. I had not yet reached the environs of the Elves' Forests, and I only had a little of my traveler's bread left. I worried that I would not reach the wedding at the rate I was going. I wondered if the baker's instructions were accurate.

By the fifth day, all my bread was gone and I wondered if I would make it to the giants' first anniversary.

On the evening of the sixth day, I was too plagued with hunger and exhaustion to notice that the land was gradually covered with more and more trees. I stumbled along, eyes on the ground, hoping to spot the leaves of a wild carrot or potato. I felt a tingle up my spine and thought I saw a flash out of the corner of my eye amongst the trees.

"Who's there?" I whispered, through dry, cracked lips. There was no reply. I saw movement again; the briefest glimpse of a long, lean figure with shaggy black hair. Was it an elf?

"Porr ol pess waddo," I managed to call, remembering the Elfin greeting Matthew had once taught me, meaning Walk in the shade. Language Mistress would be proud of my pronunciation, indeed.

The figure emerged from the trees. He was lean and tall, dressed only in a pair of breeches. His bare chest and stomach showed off his sleek, muscular frame. He looked at me curiously with dark, impressed eyes.

"Kummeck ims powd?" (You speak Elfin?) he inquired in his own dialect.

"Yun gar." (A little.) I tried to smile through my exhaustion, but his expression was so solemn that I could not manage it for long.

"Aff ench poel?" He asked, asking me who I was.

"Dok ench Kuki, jort hux Lady Josephine hux Frell." I replied, saying I was Kuki, daughter of Lady Josephine of Frell.

"Lady Josephine," he repeated with a curl of his lip. He called her something that I thought could translate to "Wattill lan." He said, which meant 'Sly.'

I held his gaze, determined to communicate that I was not "Wattill lan" as well. Those dark eyes held mine for what seemed like an eternity. I tried not to shift uncomfortably, reminded for some reason of every uncharitable thought I ever had towards Nigel and every time I had snapped impatiently at Rachel. Then the elf smiled at me and spoke in broken Kyrrian.

"Mund lan" Which meant 'Not like mother.' He extended a hand, which I shook, marveling at the waxy texture of his palm, just like a leaf. He pointed to himself with a shy grin. "Patton." With our limited knowledge of each other's language, we worked out that Patton would take me to meet his mate, Fanny, who was the chieftess of their tribe and spoke fluent Kyrrian.

Side by side, Fanny and Patton were a very beautiful couple. Patton's slender yet powerful frame seemed to carry him everywhere in a sort of rhythm, as though he were perpetually dancing. Fanny was shorter, but she radiated power and poise. Mother had been right about her hair; it hung, scarlet and slightly curly, down to her knees and woven with vines and flowers.

Fanny confirmed that the baker's directions were accurate. Upon seeing the bitter disappointment written across my face, she frowned.

"You will meet with your mother at the wedding?"

"It's not as though I'm rushing to meet her, but yes." I wanted to make it very clear that I was about as fond of Mother as Fanny appeared to be.

"You hope to find something else among the giants." She said blandly.

"There's…there's someone I need to find. I think she might be there."

She smiled at me and patted my arm. "We will help you. You must stay the night, and we will send you on your way in the morning. You will see."

I enjoyed my evening with the tribe, supping on what was largely a liquid diet, attempting to learn more Elfin and laughing with the other elves who spoke little Kyrrian. Together, we seemed to find some way of communicating by creating a pigeon of sorts. I smiled contentedly as a few elves brought out instruments the likes of which I had never seen before and began to play a lively jig. Patton danced spiritedly, moving his body in ways I knew no human could imitate.

Fanny came over and smiled widely, offering her hand to help me up. "Will you sing?" I did not know how she had learned of my singing voice, but I agreed to her request shyly, as Patton nodded encouragingly.

I asked the band to play a song I knew. I waited as the first few notes rang out, and then let my voice soar, high and clear. It was a ballad about returning home and embracing the ones you loved after what seemed like years since they had last seen. How I wished I could experience this, to feel happy and safe in Kami's embrace, to assist Sonya with whatever her current project was, to play with Sallee and Jess in the yard, to stroll through the menagerie with Wally, to visit father's grave, to curl up in my own bed. I watched as Fanny and Patton swayed together. He picked her up in his arms and twirled her about; she let out a peal of musical laughter. Watching them, my heart ached. Would I ever know how it felt to dance with a lover?

As the music and laughter died down, Fanny led me to the sleeping area, where dozens of vine-woven hammocks hung among the trees. I asked if there was a lantern I could read by.

"The setting sun tells us it is time for us rest. What kind of book could tempt you from a peaceful sleep?"

I had been careful not to show my magic book to anyone, especially after the incident with Ace and Father's ring, but I felt secure presenting it to Fanny. She turned the pages carefully, exclaiming over the illustrations and laughing at the stories and poems she read. When she flipped back to the first page, it was filled with a new story.

"Faerie made!" she exclaimed. "It must bring you great joy." She returned my treasure to me and warned me not to read too late, reminding me of the long journey I still had ahead of me.

In the morning, I showed the other elves my book. They cried out in wonder at it; its pages filled with the Elfin language when they read it. Everyone was very careful with the book, clearly aware of how precious it was. Fanny eventually pulled it away from the crowd, laughing apologetically.

"In exchange for giving us such happiness through your book, we would like to show you something beautiful as well." Patton stepped forward, cradling several carefully wrapped items in his arms. Fanny unwrapped one and handed it to me. I was breathless in my amazement.

I held in my hands a miniature figurine of a phoenix. The wind seemed to rustle through its beautiful golden feathers and I could have sworn I felt the heat of the fire it produced. I watched in amazement as it transformed from a fully grown bird to a glimmering pile of embers to a darling baby, and kept repeating the cycle.

"Are these by Ashley?" I dared to whisper.

"Yes," Fanny sounded pleased, "the reason they are so lifelike is because Ashley embraces life so fully."

I nodded in mute wonder as she handed me the second work. This one was a wounded gazelle. Its grace was only compromised slightly by a large cut in its leg, where blood seemed to flow freely, but never fell onto my hand or the ground. I nearly sobbed at the tragic figure and handed it back quickly so that my shaking hands would not drop it.

"There is beauty even in sadness, Kuki," Fanny murmured as I wiped at my eyes.

The next figure was a beautiful centaur, that reminded me so much of Apple. In his hands was an apple and he would bring it up to his lips and back down, a piece missing until there was no more apple left. But when he brought his empty hands to his mouth again, the apple had reappeared!

The fourth figure was a baby dragon, her sleek muscles were beautifully defined and her wings would spread out and flap, making her flutter above the ground and fly in a circle.

The fifth figure was of a beautiful primrose, it started out as a seed but slowly began to bud and blossom into its beautiful adult form. The petals would fall and attach to the seed, and once all the leaves had fallen, the stem receded into the shell, and the flower petals would fold over the shell, and the cycle would begin again.

The sixth figure was a beautiful Pegasus. His wings spread out as he hoofed the invisible ground with his well defined leg. His head reared and his mane flew behind his back in some unseen wind.

The last figure was a sleek mountain lion whose muscles rippled under a layer of skin and fur. Its amber eyes glowed as it stalked some unseen prey.

"Thank you for showing me these," I said reverently as she began to wrap them back up. "Could you wrap this one last?" I requested, indicating the beautiful phoenix.

After they had all been carefully wrapped, Patton handed the wrapped gifts to Fanny, who placed them in a green elfin bag and placed it in my hands. "For you."

I gaped at her. "I have nothing to give you…I-I've done nothing to deserve this great honor," I protested as she shook her head gently.

"We like to give away the best pieces sometimes," she told me, "when we can tell that the owner truly loves them. Perhaps if your mother had openly admired our things as much as you did, I would have been more willing to give them to her."

It looked as though Mother was wrong about Fanny being an idiot trader.

Fanny and Patton packed the amazing gifts, they told me that since I had accepted the bag and the gifts, that if one were to steal them from me, like mother, they would return to me since I was now the proper owner of them. They also packed me with enough elfin food and drink to last me until my destination, with a fat elfin pony whose name was Sunny. I was only borrowing the pony, but I could not get over their unending generosity. I was still murmuring thank you's as they sent me on my way.

" Vib ol pess waddo Kuki." Patton said in farewell, which translated to 'Stay in the shade, Kuki.'

"With any luck, you'll arrive before the wedding with no trouble!" Fanny called as I waved good-bye.

However, I had never been a very lucky person.

Uh oh. That does not sound good. Yay for a Panny/Fatton appearance, though! Oh, things could not get any worse for Kuki could they? Opps! I just jinxed it…hehehe, please review by clicking that pretty little blue button at the bottom of your screen!

Next Chapter: Kuki runs into some old friends from the show, and we run into a fan favorite! That really all that I can give you since it's mainly about one aspect of the story with new characters entering in the last few chapters.

Review please!