The Secret Passage
This was originally written on Feb. 24.
AN: Thanks all for the reviews. Oh My Harry Potter, 70 reviews! You don't know how happy that makes me! It makes me ecstatic to think that there are so many people who would take the time out of their lives to read this story! I love you all so much! Anyways, besides that, I get the sense that you all liked seeing Kuki and Wally together...who knew? ;) Well, there's more of that coming your way, right...
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now! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own KND or Ella Enchanted.
Words: 5,124
Previously on Kuki Enchanted
"Kuki, did you see this?" he asked, striding towards the very patch of wall I had just noticed. We rushed to inspect it closely. "Do you think this is it?" Wally sounded almost overwhelmed in his enthusiasm. I tried to hide my fond look, attempting to transform it into a mask of judgmental amusement.
"Wally, did you know at times that you appear like an excitable puppy, rather than an elegant young prince?" (another inside joke! I have an illustration for it!)
He turned to stare at me, stunned. For a moment, I worried that I had offended him, but he let out a laugh and rolled his eyes at me. "Well, I suppose you have deportment school to your advantage. Never have I seen such a transformation from a terribly clumsy girl to a sophisticated young maiden of court," he teased.
I gasped in mock outrage. "I'll never be a young maiden of court," I vowed, only half-joking. I had a feeling I would never truly be welcomed in what Mother deemed civilized company.
Wally simply looked at me for a long moment before returning his attention to the wall. I watched as his long, elegant fingers brushed over the bricks, finally stopping on one placed at chest height. "This one is different," he murmured. It was. Most of the other bricks were dull and worn away, but this one seemed to shine a little, if I focused my gaze on it.
"I wonder how it has lasted where its brothers have worn away." I breathed, suddenly sensing we were in the presence of something that required some reverence, "Perhaps it is faerie made. Very old magic, if that is the case."
Wally withdrew his hand as though burned, hesitated, and then ran his fingers over the brick again. He pulled at its edges, and pushed at it, to no avail. I reached forward curiously and my hand covered his. We stilled and looked at each other. Suddenly, I realized that the passage would not admit one person alone. The magic would not permit a single individual to make a selfish escape. Something flashed in Wally's eyes, and I felt as though he had had the same revelation.
We seemed to breathe as one as we both applied pressure to the brick, the pads of my fingers pressing against Wally's knuckles. Suddenly, I was trembling. I could not tell if it was from the discovery of the magic and the passage, or from Wally, and how I seemed to be breathing him in. The brick moved under our hands and our gaze finally broke, our hands dropping away. Wally's dangled at his side, while I crossed my arms to hold myself.
Following the single brick, the entire section of wall slid back a few inches. There was a slight pause, and then the whole thing eased slowly to the right, hiding behind the real wall and providing enough space for two people to pass through. Wally and I exhaled at the same time, glanced at each other, and then laughed nervously.
"Shall we?" Wally asked, nodding his head towards the opening.
I stared at the dark passage before us. "Wally, is this a good idea? What if we become lost?"
Wally smiled at me and took my hand.
"I'm here, Kuki, nothing will happen." he said.
I smiled back.
Together, Wally and I stepped past the threshold of the secret passage, but Wally paused.
"Come on, Wally. I'm here." I teased him, repeating his words to me mere seconds before.
"I have an idea," he said, ignoring my joking and pulling his hand from mine. I suddenly felt a little colder. I glanced down to where his hands had met. One held down the material of his doublet, while the other grasped the highest brass button and yanked it free.
I gasped and colored, both from his sacrilege for ruining such a fine article of clothing (he was wearing blue and orange, the royal colors), and from the sight of the creamy material of the undergarment that peeked out.
"Wally, what are you doing? That was a beautiful doublet!"
Wally held up the button. "We have no pebbles, no golden string from Ariadne, nor bread crumbs, like Hansel and Gretel, so my buttons will have to do. So we don't get lost." He nodded at the passage ahead of us, which seemed to lead both straight and to the right.
I mourned the loss of his doublet, but I conceded that it was a good idea. We took another step full into the passage and startled slightly when the wall of bricks slid back into place. The passage was suddenly very dimly lit. Perhaps it was more old faerie magic.
As we walked, Wally placing buttons on the ground every so often, and I found myself glancing at him often. His hair had grown longer during his mission, and his beautiful, sun kissed hair fell about his face. The last vestiges of boyhood had left him, and his face was more angular than the last time I had seen him.
I thought of a reason to explain my hiding away from the wedding. It was a silly joke, but I did like to make him laugh.
"I am sure you've guessed why I was hiding up here."
"No, I have no idea."
"I was avoiding temptation."
Wally paused and turned to look at me, a smile playing on his lips. "And what was it that tempted you so?" I almost forgot the ending to my joke at the sound of his voice, suddenly deeper and quite alluring.
"I should have thought it was obvious," I managed to sound disdainful, "It was the temptation to slide down the banisters."
He laughed in delighted surprise, playing along. "And why were you sitting down?"
"So that I could better envision myself sliding down the banisters." Wally laughed again, his eyes crinkling, and then sent me a sweet smile.
"You should have given into temptation," He told me, "I would have been there to catch you."
I blushed and looked away.
"My father and I used to do it all the time when I was a little girl, at Sanban manor," I informed him, hoping to deflect from my lack of witty reply.
"Oh, Kuki," I could hear the apology in his voice, "I'm so sorry. I should not have made light –"
"Don't be silly, silly." I scoffed with a wave of my hand, "I was the one who did it first."
Just as we began to run out of buttons on Wally's doublet, we happened upon what appeared to be a door that would lead out of the passage. Wally looked puzzled.
"We haven't walked far enough to have passed the moat," He observed, "And Father said there was only one entrance. Should we see where it leads us?"
I took a breath and nodded, heart beating with excitement. I reached forward and gripped the ornate door handle and twisted. The door did not swing out or in, but like the first wall of bricks, slid to the side, opening to a new room. We stepped into it and looked around. It was rather unremarkable, worn down and shabby, just like the room we started off in.
Wally strode toward the other door in the room, opened it, and peeked outside. As he came back in the room, he began to laugh.
"What is it?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Oh, I cannot wait to tell Father. To think of all those times he tried to get into Grandmother's study, when there was another entrance in his room all along!"
"This is King Xavier room?" I asked, feeling quite strange to be standing in our monarch's private chambers.
"His old bedroom," Wally corrected me as his chuckles died down, "from when he was a boy. He hasn't been in here for years and years."
King Xavier's old chambers had a modest balcony, and after Wally had greatly insisted on testing its sturdiness, we stepped out into the night to gaze at the clear skies, littered with stars. I shivered a little from the cold, but took comfort in the sudden warmth of Wally's arm against mine as he leaned against the rail.
"Would you like to return to the celebrations? Won't your family be wondering where you are?" he asked me after a few moments of silence.
"Let them wonder," I said dismissively. I could not go back. What if Henrietta was still there? And I doubted my family would miss me. Nigel would be too busy trying to entertain Elizabeth, and Mother and Sir Montgomery would not care. In fact, Ace was the only one who could have possibly been curious as to my whereabouts, since Evangeline had disappeared with Jackson. "Unless you would like to go back," I added politely.
"No," Wally replied, "I only came to see you…To make certain you had arrived home unharmed."
"Quite so. Sir Eric was an excellent escort, despite his penchant for talking about being a history and textbooks instead of a sword, and the giants took good care of me. Have you been to a giant wedding before?"
"A few. And your Mother's wedding? How did it compare?"
I shrugged, not wanting to overwhelm him with my anger and frustration. "A faerie was in attendance and gave them a gift. She said they would love each other forever. What do you think of such a gift?" I asked him, wondering what he would think. I found it similar to my own gift. How they must love each other no matter what and how I had to obey every command I was given weather I wanted to obey or not.
Wally shook his head. "I don't like the idea of being under a spell to love someone."
I thought of Mother's scheme to marry me to Thomas, or some other wealthy man. I thought of my inclinations to Wally. "Some do not get to choose who they marry. Perhaps it is better if they are compelled to love."
Wally turned his head and frowned at me. "Do you truly believe that? I don't."
I spoke bitterly, and without thought. "It doesn't matter for you. You can marry whomever you choose."
He was smirking now; I could see it in the dim light of the stars and moon. "And you cannot?"
I could have smacked my hand against my face at my own stupidity. I felt my cheeks heating up again. "I suppose it is too early to worry over such matters. We are both too young to marry, in any case."
Wally's smirk was spreading into a cheeky smile.
I declared loudly, making sure he understood me, "That fool faerie's gift was an abomination. It would be horrid to be forced to love someone."
"I concur. Love should never be dictated." He said.
"Nothing should be dictated!" I snapped out, and then bit my lip. It was truly an idiotic remark to make towards a future king, but my mind had been on the wretch Henrietta and her life-ruining curse.
I noticed, however, that Wally was nodding. "As little as possible," he agreed earnestly.
We stood in comfortable silence for a few moments. I had the sense that Wally was letting me calm down. After a little while, I realized that he had begun humming very quietly, a soothing tune that I recognized, two lovers who could not be together because of their parents rivalry. It was a ballad written for the tragic tale of Pyramus and Thisbe. The song was from Pryamus' point of view, as he talked to Thisbe that they should run away together. I wish I could run. Run as fast as I could. To the middle of nowhere. A place where there was nobody. Nobody that could order me around. I would be as free as I could be from the horrid curse that was bestowed upon me all those years ago. But I could not. I would go mad if I had no human contact. I suppose I could take Kami with me, I knew she would not let me leave on my own accord. But what kind of person would I be if I were to take Kami away from civilization?
Perhaps it was the calming effect the humming of the song had on me. Perhaps it was his willingness to stand by my side without saying a word after I had lost my temper the way I did. Perhaps it was simply the way he looked there in the moonlight: beautiful, and steady, and open.
"What is the real reason you were hiding away from the proceedings?" Wally asked after a few moments of silence.
I looked up at his moon bathed glow, his face tilted facing me.
"I have bad experiences being around Ace, and I wish to keep as much distance as possible from him since with this marriage I will be forced to spend much time with him." I said, stating a half truth. I could very well not have told him about my curse. Father's command from when I was child still held my tongue from mentioning it. I wondered if I had not told Leona my curse, perhaps things would have been different.
Wally narrowed his eyes at me, clearly stating that he knew I was lying, but he did not push for any further information. I would not what would happen if he had accidently ordered me to tell him the truth. I fear that I may not have been able to comply. Having the order from Father forbid me from telling of my curse, and Wally's order for telling me the reason that I was hiding.
We retuned back to the night sky, my eye catching the Orion constellation beginning its decent over the horizon. Wally looked at me, and took my hand, pointing at a group of stars across from Orion.
"See, when Apollo's scorpion arises, Orion runs away." I smiled up at him, leaning into him as we continued to watch the stars.
"Do you know," he said in a purposely cheery voice, after a few minutes of comfortable silence "I think I spotted an old chest in the room. Would you like to see if Father left any incriminating items behind?"
He winked at me and I offered him a shaky smile in return.
"I can't say no to the possibility of blackmail fodder against the King of Frell!"
I clapped my hand over my mouth and looked at Wally with wide eyes, scarcely believing that I had actually made such a joke, but Wally just laughed and took my hand in his, leading me back into King Xavier's old bedroom.
The old chest stood discreetly in a nook of the room. After some effort (for it had rusted shut), we managed to pry it open. We coughed as a cloud of dust flew into our faces, and I was once again glad I felt no attachment to my brides' attendant ensemble. Once it had cleared, Wally pushed away some cobwebs. I pulled a few old garments out and let the material run through my hands, noting the texture regretfully. They had obviously once been fine pieces, but were now moth-eaten and falling apart.
"Kuki, look," Wally breathed in awe, and my eyes slid to what he held in his hands. A beautiful pair of light blue heels, gleaming in the faint light, almost as if they were made of –
"Glass," Wally whispered, tapping one with his fingernail. It made a clinking noise.
"How could anyone possibly wear glass shoes?" I asked skeptically, even as I gazed at the things with a burning lust that only a fashionable young women could feel.
"I don't know," Wally said slowly as he looked at the shoes closely, "Perhaps…"
"Faerie-made," I murmured, unable to tear my eyes away.
Wally looked at me and smiled, "Here," he said, "try them on, they must of belonged to Father's sister. She had a knack for hiding things in Father's room." he said, I couldn't help but think about Aunt Morgan and her constant, loving, fights with my Father. She once placed her entire wardrobe of ball gowns in Father's room, and when his friends came over and saw the vast array of gowns their laughter, and would escalate as Father fiercely shouted for Aunt Morgan, who always responded with a "Yes, brother dear?"
I sat on the edge of the chest, eying the shoes doubtfully. If they were made of glass, how were they to accommodate a foot? And they appeared far too long and wide for my short, narrow feet.
Wally knelt in front of me, sliding one on my foot gracefully, and then the same with the other. They fit perfectly.
I held my feet up in front of me, tilting my head and admiring the sheer beauty of the shoes. They seemed made to compliment any possible outfit.
"They are very nice," Wally observed. I rolled my eyes at the understatement.
He offered me a hand. "Stand up."
I gripped the edge of the chest in an effort to fight the curse. "They'll break if I put too much weight on them."
"Perhaps not, if they are faerie-made."
I took a breath and stood. The shoes bent with me, conforming to my movements perfectly, as though they were made just for me. I had never worn a more comfortable or gorgeous pair of shoes. I looked up at Wally in astonishment and let out a delighted laugh. He grinned back at me. I took a big step to the side and then twirled on the spot.
"The young lady should not dance alone, especially not in those shoes," Wally spoke lightly but with a sparkle in his eye, extending his hand towards me, "May I have this dance?"
I heard the strains of the orchestra playing for the ball down below us.
"Why, yes," I answered grandly, placing my hand in his, "Yes, you may."
We drew close together, his arms wrapping around my waist as mine went around his neck.
We danced for what seemed like hours. We twirled about to different dances. Wally managed to make faces that were both silly and charming when we sang words to a song we recognized. He complimented me on my voice, calling it beautiful, and giving me a genuine smile. It was the closest we had been since he caught me from my fall after rescuing Ben (whom I had not told him about; there would be no way of explaining it fully), and my heart pounded in my chest at the proximity. It felt safe and warm and scary and bewildering all at once.
As we danced, Wally told me of his plans now that his ogre-hunting excursion was complete. He planned to leave again in two days to act as an ambassador in the court of Ayortha for a year.
"A year!" I knew it was customary for the future rulers of Ayortha and Kyrria to spend extended periods of time in each other's courts; it was a tactic that had promoted peace between the two kingdoms for the last five centuries.
He smiled at my disappointment. "I promise I will write to you, and you shall know all of my experiences. Will you write to me?"
I paused, biting my lip in amusement. "Of course. But I'm confident I will have few experiences to report, so the rest will be inventions of my mind, and it will be up to you to distinguish what is real and what is not."
The music changed into a spirited allemande, and soon I noticed that Wally, who, as a royal was a highly trained dancer, was attempting increasingly complicated and difficult variations of the basic step. Wally did not know that my training at Gallagher's had left me a very unwillingly accomplished dancer, and soon his brow furrowed in concentration. I laughed at him.
"Are you attempting to make me falter in my dancing?" He grinned at me playfully. "I'll have you know, Wally," I huffed a little in exertion as we executed a flawless jump, "that your efforts are pointless. I will not trip up, no matter what you do!"
"We shall see about that!" Wally crowed, his eyes glinting at the challenge.
After another minute of perfect (if tiring) dancing that had us both panting, Wally growled in frustration, the sound sending a shiver down my spine and causing that warm sensation in my belly.
"How is it that mere months at Gallagher's have you at a level of accomplishment it took me my entire life to reach?" He exclaimed. "This is too much," he added, laughing, "You simply must make a mistake!"
Though I was aware that he had no idea of what his words would do, I glared at him just a little before my right foot found my left and caused me to trip. I tumbled to the ground, but at least I took Wally with me, his hand around my waist tightening as though he were trying to stop my fall. We landed in a tangle of limbs, both laughing and trying to catch our breath. I moved out from underneath Wally's warm body hastily, and leaned against the wall, breathing heavily and giggling. I hoped that my blush could be blamed on the exertion of the dance.
"Are you alright, Kuki?" Wally asked between breaths, still giggling as well. He pulled himself into a sitting position beside me.
I took a couple gulps of air before answering. "I'm fine."
I reached up to push my sweaty bangs off my face, but suddenly, somehow, Wally's fingers were there instead, smoothing my hair back gently. I let my hand drop into my lap. His eyes met mine as his fingers brushed against the tip of my ear, trailing behind it until his hand cupped my jaw. I could scarcely breathe for how close he seemed to be all of a sudden.
"Kuki," he said quietly, his voice deep and rough. The pad of his thumb grazed over my cheekbone. I could only stare with wide eyes, lost in the depth of his gaze, the scent of him, sweat and fresh rainwater, the gentle way his hand held my face. "Would you like to kiss?"
I licked my lips nervously. My hands found their way to my knees and held on tight. Wally shuffled a little closer and raised his other hand to caress the other side of my face. As he drew closer, I could feel his warm breath, coming out in soft puffs, on my lips. His fingers tensed just slightly against my head.
Panic. A punishing grip. A wet, bruising mouth moving hungrily, possessively over mine. My own lips responding of their own accord as my stomach churned. Pressed against a thick, solid body far too intimately, a terrifying hardness digging into my stomach.
"Wait," I gasped, jerking my head back and hitting it against the wall behind me. I winced, and Wally's hands fell away from where they had cradled my face.
"Kuki," Wally said in alarm, "what's wrong?"
I fought to keep from shuddering as the memories slowly started to ebb away. I did not want to hurt Wally, so I managed to keep my tears at bay. I sucked in a deep breath and opened my eyes.
Wally looked distraught; his expression was heavy with pain and remorse. "Kuki, I am so sorry! I never should have presumed –"
I shook my head slowly. "You didn't presume anything, Wally. You asked me, and…and you stopped when I told you to. It's the furthest thing from presumption." I wanted to sob in frustration and disappointment in myself.
"Why – I mean, I do not need a reason, but, if you want, will you tell me…" Wally trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck and looking uncomfortable and guilty.
I longed to tell him everything – at this point, I felt as though I could confide anything in him – but Father's order, designed to protect me, and Ace's command, designed to silence me, kept me from telling Wally about both the kiss and the curse. Looking at his pained expression, I knew I had to give him a reason.
I could not tell him the truth, but I could tell him a truth.
"Wally, I feel as though you and I have become great friends. And I wouldn't want to put our friendship at risk by doing this. It's not that I don't want to kiss you, but I don't want to risk what he what we have now." As soon as I said the words, I knew they were true. I knew how I felt about Wally, but our friendship was the most important thing to me. I did not want to toss it away because of the racing of our hormones. I knew I would surely end up heartbroken in the end.
Moreover, I was sure that something was wrong with me, more wrong than ever before, because of what Ace had done. I had been so terrified, so repulsed, but at the time, I had assured myself that someone like Wally would be nothing like Ace. Now this had happened, and I had been thrown into the past as soon as Wally came close, flooded with horrid memories and unable to act on my own desires. Surely, I would be a disappointment to Wally if that was my reaction to his touch.
Wally was frowning. "Kuki, please –" He tried, but I cut him off
"The music has stopped," I babbled nervously, hoping to prevent him from accidentally issuing an order for me to kiss him. I hugged my chest. "I think the celebrations are coming to a close. We should go back."
I risked a glance at him. His eyes were kind, but there was something else there. Something I did not understand. Something that I could not put a name to. He stood up from where he was kneeling and brushed off his trousers. I looked up at him as he offered a hand.
"If you are sure you're ready," he said, eyebrows raised, smiling slightly. I breathed a sigh of relief and took his hand.
AN: I know, I know, what a tease! Please don't hate me! Honestly, it was not the right time or the right circumstances for a kiss. Kuki's still recovering from what Ace did, and there are other factors, obviously, that complicates things a lot. I share a similar experience with Kuki. I would not be able to do that after being kissed against my will. Besides, in Glee (which if you forgot, was my inspiration for the whole scene) Kurt took a LONG time to recover from Dave's forced kiss.
Oh these oblivious two, just like in the show, eh? Dancing circles around each other (literally in this chapter, and figuratively!). FLIRT HARDER YOU TWO, I dare you.
The song is Check Yes Juliet By We Three Kings, awesome band!
Next chapter: More 3/4 funtimes, Kuki struggles to deal with her new family and has a conversation with Jackson.
Come on people, lets aim for 80! If I get 80 reviews today I will update tomorrow! So if you want a speedy update, THEN REVIEW!
Love always,
LatinMagicWriter is on fire