25-Nov-2000
Warnings: Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe, slight OOC
Pairings: Treize + Une (more???)
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is not mine. I'm merely
borrowing the characters for my own insanity. Please
don't sue.
The house was quiet. With a sigh she pushed back the chair she had been sitting in and got up. Something was wrong, she knew it. Normally her father was home by now, yet something appeared to be delaying him. Wandering out of the study, she walked down the hall and into the spacious dining room. A maid was already setting it for dinner.
"Good evening Miss Une." The maid said bowing slightly. Une nodded to the girl and continued on. Father should have been home by now, she thought.
"Oh, Une!" a fretful voice cried as Une's younger sister Hilde came rushing up to her. She looked pale and was out of breath. Une waited a few moments for Hilde to catch her breath. "Une, its Father! We have to act quickly! There isn't much time."
"Slow down. What is wrong?" Une inquired. Hilde bit her bottom lip nervously.
"Father just got word that his ships were all sunk in a storm. He has nothing to pay his debts with! The collectors have already gotten word of it and are on their way to see the mayor about it. There is talk of repossession and auctioning off the house! I ran home from the office as quick as I could." Hilde looked to be on the verge of tears. Placing a hand on her little sister's shoulder, Une tried to reassure both of them that things would be all right. They knew better. Hilde had been an orphan before Une's mother, rest her soul, had taken her from the streets. Unable to have any more than just one child, Une's mother had always been kind and charitable to children. When she's found a tiny dark haired six-year-old scrounging around in their garbage outside, the woman hadn't had the heart to send her to the orphanage. Instead she convinced her husband to adopt her. Hilde remembered her time on the streets and didn't want to experience it again. She certainly didn't want her older sister to. Une didn't deserve that lifestyle, none of them did.
"It'll be all right Hilde. We'll survive. Father won't let us starve."
"I pray you are right, but what shall we do? They'll take everything! Father was counting on those ships returning. They've been gone for almost two years to the Golden Coast. Two years without a steady income." Hilde trailed off. It didn't need any further explaining. Their father was a prominent merchant and as such had to keep his household looking good. It wouldn't do to have an unkept house or to have his daughters not dressed in the finest cloth. His status depended on his ability to show off the money he had. The problem was, he no longer had the money to support that sort of lifestyle. Une and Hilde both knew and understood that.
"Things are about to change." Hilde stated. Une only nodded and hugged her sister.
"Are you sure I can't sell you a pretty necklace?" the merchant asked. Une glared down at the man through her glasses.
"Quite." She replied curtly. The man was getting on her nerves. She was at the market to purchase vegetables, not jewelry. How dare he assume that she needed such a thing! With a swirl of skirts she was striding down the length of the farmer's market towards her destination. It had been nearly six months since her father had lost everything. They had been forced to sell off almost everything they owned. They had been allowed to keep some of their clothes a couple horses, some household goods, and their mother's small ancestral cottage. The cottage had been left to Une and Hilde upon their mother's death and therefore had never been owned by their father. This fact alone saved it from the auction block. So they had packed up what was left to them and moved to the borderlands of the Bloodwood forest. The forest was named thus for the monsters rumored to live there. Une didn't believe any supernatural creatures lived in the forest, only mortal wolves, bears, and boars.
"Good afternoon Miss Une." Young Sylvia Noventa said smiling. "What can I help you with?"
"Some turnips, onions, and parsnips." Une replied politely. "I need them for tonight's stew."
"We have plenty. Grandmother's garden is over flowing this year. If you need any barley, Grandfather has extra at the mill." Sylvia said brushing a stray blonde hair back under her kerchief.
"Thank you, but no. Maybe some other time." Sylvia nodded and watched Une pick up and examine each vegetable. Une was one of the loveliest young women in town. Alex, one of her grandfather's apprentices at the mill always said so. He was quite smitten with the brown-eyed beauty. Une was tall and lithe with long brown hair. When she first came to the village, she used to wear it down, but now preferred to braid it and coil it into two buns. It was more practical for working the land. Une and her sister Hilde grew flowers and herbs in their garden, while their father made money as a bookkeeper. It was a meager salary, but they used the money wisely. Sylvia had heard the rumor that they had once been rich merchant in the spice, cloth, and precious metal trade, but had met with disaster. She didn't care much to listen to gossip. What ever they had been in the past didn't affect them now. Une purchased what she needed from Sylvia and parted with a word of thanks. As she walked through town she watched those around her. They seemed content in their lives. She couldn't say the same. In all actuality, she wasn't sure what to think other than she was coping. She always did. Walking the two miles homes, she relaxed and enjoyed the scenery. It was a beautiful autumn day. The air was still warm from summer, yet the leaves were beginning to turn. It was a magical time right before the frost robbed the world of warmth. Une took off her glasses and stuck them in her basket. Her manner eased instantly, as if a constricting coat had been removed. Hilde called her glasses a mask once. When she put them on she became a strong willed, determined person. A woman who could blaze through anything without fear. Without them, she became a more caring, relaxed, and serene person. Une wasn't sure why there was such a transformation in her personality, but she lived with it. As did her family. The gate in front of the small cottage was open. Hilde was shooing several goats back through it.
"Shoo! Come on you stupid goat. Get back to where you belong." Smacking a brown and while spotted one on the rump with a switch, Hilde didn't notice that her sister had returned until she heard her laugh.
"Did they get out again?" Une inquired. Hilde shot her a dirty look.
"They're more trouble than they're worth sometimes. If it weren't for the fact that they give us milk and keep the grass down, I'd sell them." Hilde stated firmly giving the brown and white nanny another smack. Une entered and closed the gate behind her.
"They do seem to have a knack for escaping." Une admitted as she helped Hilde round up the errant goats and drive them back to their shed. Once inside, Hilde locked them and stalked off towards the woodshed.
"I have to fix the whole that they went through, or they'll be out again tomorrow. Then I'll spend another two hours traipsing around the fields for them. I even had to chase one out of the woods. Well, actually she came bolting out of it. Something must have spooked her."
"Indeed." Une replied heading for the house. The cottage was made from the large stones that could be found easily in the fields. Farmers paid good money to have them removed. This meant an occasional job for Hilde's two large Percherons, Virgo and Leo. Smaller stone were used to make the borders of the windows. The roof was made from timber cut from the Bloodwood and kept the rain out. There were only four rooms, which was significantly less than what Une had been used to. Two bedrooms, a kitchen and living room were all that the cottage could hold under its roof. The privy was outside a few yards from the house. It would be a cold run in the winter; no one was looking forward to it. There was a cellar beneath the kitchen. Its entrance was a door in the floor boards one corner of the kitchen with a small set of stairs leading down. Setting her basket on the table in the kitchen, Une walked over to the fireplace to make certain that Hilde had kept the fire going. She had. Une began preparing for dinner. They had been lucky and Father had brought home a small game hen last night. One of his friends had been out hunting and had gotten so many that he'd given one to Father as a thank you. Earlier Father had helped him get his accounts in order so he would know exactly how much tax he owed the crown this year. It was less than he expected and the man was ecstatic. Une had spent the morning plucking the bird and preparing it for dinner, now it was simmering in the large cast iron pot above the fire. All the stew needed was a few more vegetables and it would be perfect. Presently Hilde returned from her task and began to set the table.
"Father is late." She said glancing out the window at the fading day.
"I'm sure that he'll be here soon. Don't worry."
"I know. It's just that ever since that day, every time he's late I worry."
"Father has been very good. He has no debts here." Une told her. "He'll be home." The sun was well gone by the time their father returned and he wasn't alone. With him was a young man with dark skin and even darker hair. Their father introduced him as Meullier.
"I am a messenger from your father's old business comrade Duke Dermail. I have been traveling several weeks to find you." Meullier explained as Hilde set out one more place for their guest. "We received word that one of your missing ships will be returning. They had to stop for repairs, but if the weather is good, they should reach port in another two weeks."
"But Father is out of the shipping business." Hilde pointed out.
"I may be out my dear." Their father said. "But I still own that ship. Therefore, whatever is left over after I pay the sailors and the remaining collectors, we will get. I personally don't expect much." He admitted. Meullier shrugged.
"I don't know what condition the cargo is in, all I know is that it is on its way home. Duke Dermail would like you to come and finish up this matter. He has offered to put you up at his home."
"That, young man, is the only way I would agree to going back. I have no money to spare, so the Duke's offer is most kind. I know my daughters will be fine without me, even if I'm not keen on leaving them alone."
"We will be fine Father." Une assured slipping her glasses on. "There is no reason to worry. We could ask Mrs. Noventa check on us to make sure everything is all right, if you want."
"I might just do that."
It was a mild day as the family said goodbye. Meullier had hired a second horse for their Father to ride. This way it would take less time for them both to make it back to the port city. Hopefully they'd beat the ship back so Father could be settled and pay back some of his remaining debts with what little money he had saved. Hilde hugged her father and wished him well.
"I'm leaving my two girls alone for a month."
"We'll be fine Father." Une assured. Hilde nodded and smiled.
"Don't worry."
"Still, isn't there anything I can do for you in the city? Any friend you want me to say hello to?"
"Just your safe return. That's all we want." Une said leaning forward and kissing her father on the cheek. "You're our only family left." He smiled.
"Hilde? Anything for you?"
"My wish is the same as Une's. Just come home safely." Their father's face fell. Hilde realized that he wanted to bring them a present. Any present, so that he would have something else to do in the city other than wait and work. "But I wouldn't mind a new bridle for Virgo. I never had a chance to purchase one before."
"Then you shall have one." Father smiled. He turned to Une wondering if she too would ask for something after all.
"Flower seeds for next years garden." Une said.
"Especially roses. We don't have any of the large blooms that they have in the city. Only the small wild roses grow here."
"Ah, roses. You're favorite." Their father said nodding. "I wish we could have taken some of your mother's bushes from the old house, but there wasn't anytime to dig them up."
"They wouldn't have survived the trip, Father." Une replied gently. "Some rose seeds would be nice, but your safe return would be better."
"I hear you and understand, but what good is a father who can't get his daughters some trinket from his exploits?" he swept his cape about him dramatically.
"I am but a humble knight to my daughters." Bowing he rose quickly and mounted the young gelding Meullier held for him.
"I'll make sure he gets there all right." He assured the two women. "You have my word."
"Thank you Meullier." Une nodded to him as Hilde blew a kiss to their father.
"Good journey to you!" she called waving.
"Good bye my dears." Father answered. He clucked to the horse and the two men hurried down the road.
The weather remained warm for another two and half weeks before a cold wind blew in. By that time Une had managed to get the house prepared for winter. Their cellar was full of pickled and preserved vegetables. Mrs. Noventa had been extremely kind and brought over a large supply of her jams and pickled vegetables. She had so much that she didn't mind giving it away to the girls. The only price was that Hilde and Une had to spend two nights at their house. Sylvia enjoyed having another girl her own age around the house. She and Hilde talked and spun wool for most of the evening while Mrs. Noventa and Une worked on a large quilt. Although Une's sewing skills weren't as good as most of the women in the village, she still worked hard and tried her best. She understood that it was important for her to be as polite to Mrs. Noventa as possible. If it were not for her generosity, then their cellar would be nearly empty. Une was practical enough not to let a gift go to waste. Sitting up on Leo's back, Une rode home from the Noventa's one morning. The large gray dappled draft horse was lumbering along peacefully. There had been a horrendous storm the night before blowing trees in the forest down. The road was muddy and slippery under Leo's hooves. Behind them Hilde rode Virgo. The mare tossed her head and pranced through a puddle. She seemed to be enjoying the mud and water this morning.
"I hope the goats didn't get out." Hilde muttered.
"It will take all day to find them if they did."
"With our luck, they'll be in the garden eating what is left of our squash." Une replied tartly. She glanced towards the woods and counted the number of fallen trees. "The horses might be needed." She commented. "It looks like a large number of trees are down."
"My horses are up to any challenge." Hilde replied brightly. They plodded along for another few minutes in silence. Hilde was happy in the prospect of making some money, God knew they needed it. Times were tough and taxes were high. As long as the kingdom remained at war with its neighbor then there would be no change.
"I hope Father returns soon." Hilde said at length as she stared towards the woods. "They say it is going to be an early snow this year."
"He'll be home. He promised he would." Une answered. "I have faith in him."
"I do too, but that doesn't stop me from worrying." Une smiled and clucked her mount forward. The horse snorted and jumped into a jostling trot that might have unseated a rider unfamiliar with his gates. The sooner they got back to the cottage, the sooner they could start a welcoming fire for their father should he return.
End Chapter One
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