Chapter 14: Hope
Over the next several days, Charley was taught how several formal dance moves. She also learned about all the different types of silverware and dishes that would be at the party. On top of all that, she was even show how and when each piece was to be utilized while eating.
Since the first time that they had kissed, they looked for any excuse to sneak a kiss in but, they always aired on the side of caution due to the fact that Throttle didn't trust some of the members of his staff. Throttle had explained to Charley that he felt as though that some of his staff liked to send messages to his parents about everything that he was doing. They probably already knew about Charley being at the palace and the fact that she was undergoing a dramatic transformation to create an amazing first impression on the nobles.
Today, Throttle and Charley decided to enjoy a day out in the village. The entire village had a lovely blanket of snow covering covering the houses and sidewalks while the streets were clean. He wanted to show off his future kingdom and, at least for the time being, pretend that they were the ones suppose to be getting married.
Today, Throttle wore a white tee shirt shirt with a black leather motorcycle. He also wore his typical blue jeans with a pair of black leather motorcycle boots. Charley ended up mirroring his style but, wore a pair of chocolate brown suede cowboy boots.
As they drove through the streets of the village, Charley was in awe of how clean everything was. That was until they reached the poor district. Her heart went out to the people as they struggled to keep warm in the chilly air.
"I was hoping you would have some ideas on how to help my people" Throttle stated as he shut off the bike and dismounted.
"In Gaia, we have shelters where some people can stay and get a hot meal. They also have orphanages for the children who don't have anybody to take care of them" Charley mentioned.
"Hey Throttle!" came the sound of a female's voice.
"Harley, good to see you again" Throttle said as he watched her approach.
"Charley, this is Harley. Harley. Charley" Throttle introduced the two females.
"Hey. How you doing?" Harley questioned as she held out her hand to the red haired human.
"Doing good. You?" Charley was amazed at how pretty Harley was. She was slightly shorter than herself with blonde fur, long wavy blonde hair, and large vivacious blue eyes.
"As good as can be expected" Harley stated as she looked around the slum of the village.
"Throttle? What about that building over there?" Charley inquired as she pointed to a large and what appeared to be abandoned building. The outside looked weather-worn with boarded up windows.
"That's the old church. It hasn't been used since before I was born. What are you thinking?" Throttle asked as he looked at the structure.
"If we all work together, maybe we can fix it up to where people will have a place to go" she suggested as she watched Throttle's expression go from serious to smiling when she mentioned her idea.
"I love that idea. My husband should be able to wrangle up some supplies and find some locals who would be more than willing to help" Harley volunteered.
"Excellent. I'll contact Vinnie and Modo and see about sending them over to several of the building shops to get the needed supplies to refurbished this old building" Throttle said as he mounted his bike and immediately contacted Vinnie and Modo to get the necessary supplies brought over.
"You know this is going to take a few days, right?" Charley asked as she wrapped her arms around Throttle's waist, pulling her body closer to his.
"Work in progress!?" he chuckled as he placed a hand over the top of one of hers. She had brought so much life into the castle and into his heart that he couldn't picture his life without her in it. He knew that they had only known each for only a couple of weeks but, he knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
"Well, let's go check it out" Charley excitedly stated as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze before he started the bike back up and drove down to the church.
Looking up, she saw that it was four stories tall plus a large steeple on top of it. The outside wood was long overdue for a paint job. The stairs needed to be replaced because most of them were broken. The windows needed to be replaced and the bells in the steeple had long ago rusted and were barely hanging on.
"Your highness?" came the shaky sound of an old woman who was using a broken down cane to hobble over to them.
"Yes ma'am" Throttle said as he dismounted and gazed at the frail woman who approached them.
"Why are you here?" the woman tried to kneel before him but, he placed his hands on her bony shoulders and shook his head.
"You don't need to bow. We're actually here to make a difference" Throttle said as he released his hold on her.
"We?" she questioned as she looked around, cursing her failing eye sight.
"Yes. Miss Charlene and I along with anyone else who wants to help make a difference" he said as he held out his hand to Charley, encouraging her to step forward. She dismounted and joined him by his side by placing her hand in his.
"Aah. A human from Gaia. Is she your beloved?" the woman asked as she noticed the love blossoming between them.
"Yes, she is my beloved but, not the one that I am betrothed to" he confessed, feeling sad that she wasn't.
"I can assure you, my prince, that change is coming. This is just the beginning" the old woman said as she grasped Charley's free hand and used her hands to examine it before releasing it and giving her a warm smile.
"I hope you're right" he said as heard several motorcycles approaching. Taking a quick look over, he saw that it was Modo and Vinnie, along with several other motorcycles including Harley's husband, Morgan Dragon.
Turning back to look at the old woman, he realized that she had disappeared. Looking at Charley, she just shrugged her shoulders in confusion. Neither of them knew how or where the old woman had hobbled off to so quickly.
"Ready to do this, bro?" Morgan questioned as he turned off his Harley Davidson Fat Boy S®™ bike. It had a new, gloss black Screamin' Eagle® Air-Cooled Twin Cam 110B™ engine, gloss black lower forks, axle nut covers, handlebar and riser. Black brake lever and hydraulic clutch assembly. Black over/under shotgun exhaust with slash cut mufflers.
"Absolutely" he was more than just a little ready to help improve the lives of those who had fallen on hard times within the kingdom.
"Let's do this" Charley stated as she removed her helmet, allowing her long red braid to fall down her back and noticed several of the male mice jaws drop, finally realizing that she was human. Technically, she was the first human that any of them had ever seen.
"Wow! A human?" came the sound of a man's voice as he walked towards them, followed by several other villagers who had also fallen on hard times.
"Yes, I'm human" Charley smiled as she turned to face the people with all the air of a perfect princess and the sense of one of the people.
"Do you think she's the one?" one older woman whispered to another, just low enough for no one else to hear.
"So, what brings the prince down from his palace?" someone else inquired from the middle of the crowd.
"My people, please hear me out. My friends and I have come here to repair the church and make it a place for everyone to have somewhere to go and meals to enjoy and warm bed to sleep in. We have all the supplies necessary to do the repairs but, we could use some more volunteers. Harley will be back shortly with food and drinks so no one goes hungry or thirsty" Throttle was finally able to put his crown to good use with Charley's help. Lacing his fingers through hers, it enabled his people to see that they were united as one in this en devour.
He watched as his people conversed among each other before finally agreeing to assist in the massive remodeling project. They knew they needed food and shelter and the fact that the prince had come to work made them realize that he didn't consider himself above them. He was just like one of them. A mouse trying to make it in this world with the woman he loved by his side.
"One question...where do we sign up to finally get a home?" one man asked with a coughing laugh.
"No signing necessary. Just bring yourself and whoever else wants to help" Throttle held out his hand and shook the man's hand before getting to work on the old church.
It took almost a week to complete and there was over one hundred of volunteers who worked steadily and managed to get the building fixed back up. It had almost one hundred bedrooms and about twenty-five bathrooms. There was a massive, fully furnished kitchen and large dining area where everyone could sit down and eat. Throttle had also made sure that all the shelves and the large food pantry were completely stocked. They had also repaired the church portion and designed a room for all the different school age children to finally get an education.
Charley and Harley had also gone around to several other areas in town and found jobs for about half the people there. Some of the jobs were part while the others were full time positions but, they weren't complaining. It was something that they didn't have before.
Standing back and admiring everyone's handiwork, Throttle instinctively wrapped an arm around Charley's waist and, without thinking, allowed his tail to join his hand at her waist. She looked up at him, smiled, and wrapped an arm around his waist. There was only a few people who noticed the romantic gesture and they weren't going to tell anyone. They were Vinnie, Modo, Harley, and Morgan, four of the greatest bikers in the city and all of whom Throttle trusted with his life.
"If I was you, bro, I would do some major negotiating with your mom and dad. She's definitely the one for you" Morgan stated as he noticed the unresolved sexual tension between the two of them. He had witnessed their passionate glances at each other where they would visually undress the other one. He also saw their undeniable love for each other when they would look into each others eyes and everyone else seemed to fade away.
"I'm going to give it one hell of a shot, bro" Throttle said as he looked over at his friend and saw the love in Harley's eyes for her husband. It was the same look Charley had in hers whenever she looked up at him. He just knew he had to convince his parents to let him marry Charley instead of Carbine but, he wasn't too sure if they would. He just had to try.
I hope everyone enjoyed this new chapter. Sorry it took em so long to get it up. I had other projects that took precedence over writing :-( . If anyone has any questions, comments, or things that you would like to see featured in the upcoming chapters, feel free to drop me a line and I will see what I can do. Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there (this includes two legged and four legged babies/children)