Prince Charming

Note: Alright. Summer’s drawing near, I’ve got eight chapters of this written buuuut…just in case, I still plan to keep up with the once a week thing for just a bitty-bit longer… Hope ya’ll don’t mind. Enjoy the chap! ^^

Chapter Four

After discovering the maiden’s absence, Drake had taken up search almost immediately, not only cursing himself for not tying the apparently troublesome woman down to a tree for the night, but also her, for putting herself, again, in a potentially dangerous situation. From observing her most recent actions, he had no doubts as to how she’d gotten herself into the vampire’s clutches in the first place, and seeing as how she had seemingly no sense of self-preservation, he decided that it wouldn’t surprise him if she got herself into similar dilemmas again, and again, and again, simply out of sheer folly.

Once he’d checked the camp and the most immediate surrounding area however, he had started to wonder how far one small woman could make it on her own; then the river occurred to him. After approaching cautiously and seeing no sign of discarded clothing or splashing water, he deemed it safe to proceed, but the nothing could have prepared him for the utterly perplexing sight he then came to face.

Before him stood a man, likely not yet in his twenties based on size, draped in a mud-brown tunic and leggings similar to his own. A simple glance showed him to be a great deal smaller than average for a male, but his clothes, which looked more like dirtied curtains than apparel, only seemed to further diminish him in comparison. Thick, wild locks draped about his face at odd lengths, the color of blackberries, wavy and totally out of control. Several longer strands hung loose in single curled tresses, framing his porcelain features and somehow increasing the air of fragility about him, regardless of the drastically oversized sword clasped in his white-knuckled grip.

Only when his gaze landed on his eyes, however, a swirling, defensive sapphire, did he first get the notion of what might have happened to his ‘maiden’, and Ralf’s words returned to him with frustrating clarity.

‘…the vampire’s keepin’ a boy now…hardly even a man…’

As if this very remembrance somehow knocked him back to the present, his features hardened, narrowed eyes taking on a suddenly dangerous glint as they surveyed the figure before him. This time, all surprise and compassion melted from his expression, and his voice, when he spoke, held not an ounce of pity. “Speak. Who are you?”

He watched the man visibly pale, even from this distance, and apparently his tone achieved more than its desired effect as he caught a slight tremble in the other’s stature. When the man spoke though, he kept his voice surprisingly steady, only the barest waver audible as he voiced his name. “Teige.” Not nightingale, dove, pet, or bitch. Just Teige.

“Teige…” Drake tested it, letting the name sink in as he ran his eyes with scrutinizing precision over the figure he felt sure now he’d seen the night before. The voice sounded unmistakably similar, matching the same fluidity and deeper accent he’d found odd in a woman. “Tell me…do you always find pleasure in dressing as a woman?” As he spoke, he slowly advanced on the other, watching with a stoically unsympathetic gaze as the other’s pale fingers tightened on the blade, slender body stiff with tension even as his cheeks flushed a rather appealing pink.

“I-…it’s…well…n-no…of course not…I just-”

“No?” Drake sounded highly disbelieving, disinterested at best, as he stepped forward to the tip of the blade, now resting on the ground before his quarry. For a moment, his eyes flickered down carelessly to the weapon, and a frown came into place again across his brow. “Isn’t this my sword?” He toed it with his boot and Teige stumbled slightly, tightening his grip and struggling to lift it sufficiently for a notable defense.

“Step back! Don’t come any closer or I’ll-…” Teige’s mind sought desperately for something threatening to say in the face of a man over twice his size, ten times his strength, and far more skilled in likely every weapon than he. As if he had said those very fears out loud, the man before him laughed, and the cruelty of it sent a shiver down his spine even before the russet brown gaze turned on him.

“What will you do, woman…throw a handkerchief at me?” Teige’s cheeks burned, and he opened his mouth to object, but couldn’t the find words to speak. “You can’t even lift my weapon…do you expect fight me?” Even as he mocked, he moved forward, stepping over the slim steel barrier and coming up to the smaller man’s side, less than a foot from him. “T’d be a pity to mar such a pretty face…” He commented without much remorse, reaching up offhandedly to brush back a longer strand of raven that had fallen in front of the shell-shocked male’s face. “…but then again…it takes a bastard to strike a woman…” His hand dipped down along the smooth cheek before him, and Teige tensed, made immobile by his confusion and petrified by his helplessness. “You even feel like one…did you know?”

When his coarser thumb graced full lips, however, Teige’s eyes shot open in alarm and he scrambled back from the touch, forgetting completely that he stood directly in front of a pool of water. As his foot slipped over the side of the bank, he had no time to gain his balance and let out a single screech before falling ungracefully backwards with a loud splash. By the time he regained his composure enough to sit up in the shallow pool and catch his breath, blinking away the shock, he opened his eyes to find a silver blade pointed neatly at his chin, and froze instantly.

“I don’t appreciate being lied to.”

“Oh.” The exclamation came far to high-pitched for Teige’s liking, and he quickly cleared his throat, leaning instinctively back from the dangerous weapon and flickering his gaze up to the steadfast russet gaze locked on him. “Well…technically…” Davinoff kept a firm eye on his every movement as he stood, his vigil never wavering; that fact made it all the more difficult to keep his rising fear in check. “…I didn’t exactly lie to you…”

Immediately, he knew his mistake and winced without thought, drawing back and sending up a last prayer to the gods for forgiveness before his death. Instead of meeting his anticipated end, however, he merely received a deep grunt of disbelief and a rather sour look.

“Posing as the opposite of your designated gender is not considered deception?”

Teige blinked, apparently still getting used to the fact that he was still alive for a few moments before frowning and folding his arms. “I never said it wasn’t deception…I just said I never lied to you.” Carefully stepping around the blade pointed at his throat, the smaller man made it safely onto the bank and eyed the trees as he slung several splatters of goopy pond-mud in each direction in an effort to at least partially clean his hands. “I never once told you I was a woman.”

Drake scowled, his impressive features menacing enough to make most anyone cower at the sight, but, luckily for him, Teige had already turned his back to the sight, taking the time instead to inspect his totally drenched and soiled tunic and move back over to the trees. “I should slit your throat…”

“You could do that…” The smaller man admitted as he made it to the marginally safe distance of about thirty feet away in the brush. “…or…” He crossed his arms underhand to tug the sopping shirt up and over his head. “…we could forget this whole little misunderstanding…” While speaking, he examined the soggy piece of attire in his hands with a frown, then began to wring it out. “ …and move on with life like civilized gentlemen.”

“Little misunderstanding?” Dark eyes narrowed at the pale backside facing him. “Paige-“

“Teige.”

“You’re indebted to me.”

“Yeah well…if you haven’t guessed…” Teige shook out the shirt once with a wet crack as one might a rug. “…I’m broke…and about as useful as soggy firewood. I have no skills…” He examined the tunic critically, then slipped it back on over his head. “…I have no family…no friends…no inheritance…” Because the clothes so outsized him, the top, since not belted, hung almost to his knees; regardless, when he dropped his pants and brought them to the river to wash, Davinoff still found himself staring. “Cyprien taught me how to take a dick up the ass…” He stood and followed the same wringing and drying process with his pants. “…but that’s about it.” When he finished redressing, he looked up to find Drake still staring. “Would be a shame to kill me after you went through all the trouble of rescuing me…but then again, it’s not like anyone would notice…so you know what?” He opened his arms, palms up, to each side, as if greeting the other. “Kill me. There’s certainly nothing I can do about it. You’re an armed knight, and I’m…what? The cross-dressing whore of a deceased vampire?” He shook his head with a wry, humorless smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I owe you my life. Take it.”

Frowning, Drake took a long pause to assess the situation fully, letting all the information sink in. Finally, he sheathed his sword and folded his arms across his chest. “Tomorrow, I’ll consider that offer. Today…I have a job for you.”

~

Two figures approached small town on horseback, coming up through the small cloud of dust kicked up by hoof beats and heading purposefully down the rickety streets. Neither man nor woman fit the surroundings, he an obvious warrior with armor, sword, and horse of far more value than most everything in the town, and she an obvious lady, face cloaked to shield her from the sunlight and body garbed in fine navy satin. As soon as they disappeared from view of the commoners however, behind the old inn Davinoff had chosen the night before for his stay, the entire façade fell, Teige dropping the dark cloak from his face to take a fresh breath, and Drake himself quickly slipping off from the back of the horse.

“Get off. And don’t land on your ass this time.”

Teige sent the man a brief scowl, but said nothing, too busy trying to waft cool air across his obviously flushed features to spend much time arguing. “Yes, master.” After a moment though, his gaze turned warily to the ground, which looked all too far away, and then flicked back up to the anxious warrior. “Surely you can help a lady off her horse?”

Drake glanced up to the mounted rider, his dark expression enough to make the smaller man fight back a wince, and Teige shrugged his shoulders to dispel the chill it sent down his spine as he glanced away. “A simple ‘no’ would have sufficed…”

From there, he made his rather clumsy decent, hands gripped tightly the saddle as he hunkered low and attempted to dismount with the least trouble. His highly showy garments made the movement awkward and shaky, but he made it to the ground with minimal damage, smoothing his hands by habit over the rumpled navy folds of his dress and rearranging the skirts slightly when he got there.

“So, what are we doing here, again?”

“I’m retrieving supplies from the inn. You’re looking pretty and keeping your mouth shut.” The larger man glanced to the side, eying the smaller figure for a moment before reaching to grab his horse’s reigns, tying them off securely. “Put the hood up, then follow me…and don’t dare utter a word.”

With the dark cloak slipped over his shoulders and hooded to hide his hair, Drake would have thought him a woman all over again if he hadn’t known better. Surely, with such a short stop, no one would ever know the difference. At least, Davinoff would pray they didn’t…

They made it to the front of the inn reasonably unnoticed, attracting only a few stares from the peasant locals and making it up the creaky front steps without confrontation. By the time they made it inside and on their way to his room, Drake had almost begun to hope that they could make it completely in and out without interference. Fate had other plans, and he cursed profusely beneath his breath as a booming voice made it down the hall to him in greeting.

“Well, well, well! If it isn’t Davinoff’s great return…and successful at that! Who’s the little wench, eh Drake? Have you put ‘er ta use yet?” As if the blatant use of tone and crude suggestion weren’t enough, the man winked for further emphasis, his belly rolling with laughter. “Unless of course…you were unhappy ‘bout ‘ol Ralf bein’ wrong?” Drake stiffened at the comment, fingers digging unintentionally into his palm as he tensed. “If ya don’t want the girl…you can give ‘er ta me an’ I promise I won’t tell, eh?” Again, he winked, and Drake gave a quick mixture between a grimace and a scowl, looking overall disgusted as he snatched Teige’s arm and forced him in the direction of the now-open door.

“Tell the other’s I quit.”

“Wha-…Drake! I was only kiddin’ man! We need ya!” As he spoke, he leaned into the doorway, shouting after the other as both Drake and Teige moved into the small inn room. “We was jus’ jokin’ with ya…we won’ even touch the lass if ya don’t want!”

Drake gave something akin to a grunt, but no other form of response, obviously not inclined to believe the claim for an instant. Teige, currently backed up against the far wall and eyeing the man in the doorway with unease, looked about as ready to trust him as Drake, but he wouldn’t be swayed.

“We almost got the pay! Just a few more kills and-“

“I’m not up for it.” The redheaded mercenary slammed something into a large bag before him with a resounding clank, and the man in the doorway winced slightly. “Our train is no place for a…” Glancing to Teige, he frowned and shrugged the pack onto his shoulders. “…woman.”

“But Dav…without you-…”

“You’ll live. Ya did fine before without me, di’n’t ya?” He motioned for Teige to follow with a quick nod of the head and stepped out of the room without hesitation, completely ignoring the other’s continued protests.

For his part, Teige kept his hood tightly pulled around his face, trying at all times to keep as far away from Drake’s former ‘companion’ as possible. By the time they made it back out of the inn and to the horse, he felt about as steadfast as a melting puddle of jelly. Drake paid him no mind, loading the horse without comment. After a moment though, he felt the need to speak up.

“Thank you…”

Drake tugged roughly at a baggage strap, lashing the new pack to the horse’s back slightly tighter than need be. When he spoke, it came out gruff and unemotional, interlaced with the anger he hadn’t quite gotten rid of from the inn. “For what?”

Teige frowned slightly, his eyes following the other’s harsh movements with an almost concerned air. “I…don’t know. You didn’t have to quit-“

“I didn’t quit for you.”

Of course it meant nothing, but somehow, the tone with which he used to spit the words out felt like a physical blow, and Teige only stared for a moment before muttering quietly, “Oh.”

“I’ve wanted to quit for awhile.” After looking over the horse once more, checking each of the straps and assuring himself of their security, Drake turned his gaze to the younger man with a look of consideration. “I’ll take you as far as Carthak. After that…you’re on your own.”

“Car-…” Teige frowned as the information sank in, then his eyes shot wide as it registered. “Just like that? Carthak and you’re dumping me?”

“Get on the horse.”

“I don’t have any money…hell, I don’t have any clothes! And you expect me to-“

“Would you rather me leave you here!?” Suddenly, Teige would have rather been anywhere but where he stood. “I’m sure Benny would be HAPPY to rape your pretty ass…Benny, and Ralf, and Juko…you could have a big fucking foursome! I don’t do charity. It’s not my business what you do once we get to Carthak…but it’s not going to be my problem. You can run around naked for all I care! I have a life, and no useless, two-pint, flee-bitten bitch is going to ruin it for me…” Taking a deep breath, he turned back to the horse and found it staring at him. For a moment, he felt the urge to shout ‘what?’ at his steed, but then, for his sanity, decided not to, resting his head instead on the beast’s neck and glaring at its midnight black fur. “Just get on the horse…” He mumbled coarsely, unwilling to put much thought into the future for the time being.

Biting his lip, Teige approached, allowing Drake to help him on and struggling to ignore the sudden flow of sensations that swarmed him when their bodies came in contact. “I don’t suppose anything I do will change your mind?”

Drake pulled the reigns roughly, veering them to the left and forcing the smaller man’s slight body tight against his chest as they moved. “No.”

“I think you’re lying.”

With no wind or rain, they could hear each other perfectly, so when Drake’s came low and hot, thick against the shell of his ear, Teige found himself hard pressed to stifle the sharp gasp that threatened to escape. “I think, woman…you are delusional.”


Review Replies

Katrica Locke: Hey, Moonstar! I\'ve been meaning to review this wonderful story of yours for ages, but I am such a horrible person when it comes to reviewing. I love getting them, but I\'m always too busy to give them. Well, hee hee, I made time :grins:

I\'m totally hooked on this story and I groan and gnash my teeth when I get to the end of the chapter, because I have to wait for more. I\'m not a patient person, either, lol. You have a wonderful writing style, very vivid. I can easily picture the characters and the setting. I like Teige, I feel sorry for him, and I understand him being upset at the death of the vampire. Someone who is your only companion, for years, whether they\'re nice or not, you get attached to. Maybe Teige wished Cyprien was dead, but wishing for something is not the same as wanting it to happen. :shrug: I understand why he\'s upset. I can\'t wait to find out what Davinoff thinks of his \'maiden\'s\' makeover :snark:

I love everyone\'s names - I\'m a sucker for a good name - and these are great; they fit each person very well, they sound good, they\'re not impossible to pronounce or all sound the same (Like the story where Ljast\'pgrga meets Jane, Janie, Joan and John). Great work and I will be counting the days until you update again (hopefully wiling away the long hours by writing a little mysef :wink:)

Katica Locke

You reviewed! Thank you so, so much! I’ve been reading and loving your story ever since I found it and seeing you here to comment on mine is absolutely wonderful. I can’t thank you enough for making the time. ^^

xD Yay. Another impatient person. I’m glad you understood Teige’s reaction…it even surprised me slightly when I wrote it…but the characters often have a way of making their own decisions about what they want to do…and in the end I know he couldn’t have reacted any other way. It’s nice to know that it didn’t confuse everyone at least. ^^ Because you’re right, people don’t always wish for the best things, and sometimes, you have no idea how you’ll feel about something until it actually happens. I got so nervous posting this chapter, hoping that the final ‘unveiling’ will live up to everyone’s standards. ^^;

I’m glad you like the names! I feel the same way about other people’s stories…and it’s nice to know I did alright with them. The name is one thing a character carries around with them throughout the story…and it says something from the beginning (for I fear Bob just never could gain the same fame or respect as Isaac…or at least not without a lot more effort).

Thank you again for taking the time to review! I too am waiting impatiently for your next installment. Good luck with your writing!

Falcon Bertille: Great new chapter! I liked the further development of Teige\'s character. As much as the human spirit rebels against being confined, it\'s true that cages provide a certain safety, and suddenly finding yourself yanked out of one is a mixed blessing, which I think you captured very well. When Teige took Drake\'s sword -- at first, I thought he was going to do something crazy like attack Drake, and then I thought maybe he was going to try to kill himself. But using it to cut off his hair seemed perfect. A small first step on his path to self-reliance and freedom.

I absolutely loved \"M’notalady.” Totally cracked me up. And I thought this was a wonderful description: \"...felt about as valiant and self-sufficient as a dying toad...\" Very vivid! And funny.

Keep the good stuff coming! (And thanks for posting a bit early, just for me!)

Love,
Falcon

^^ Whoot! I was wondering if some people might see it that way…(when he was first trying to find a weapon)…and I thought a bit about making it more clear, but then decided against it. I think I like the way you saw it…it kinda shows how unpredictable Teige is at the moment…

Thank you, thank you for your praise. It, as always, has served to lift my mood dramatically. You’re very welcome for the posting early…but now you see, in order to post ‘once a week’ I’ve boosted my day up one. :gonk: xD ^^ But anyway…pretty soon I hope to do away with the once a week thing anyway…only elven more (school) days before summer! I’m so naïve… Hope you enjoyed the chapter! ^^

rachel80: nope, chapter 2 wasn\'t the least bit dissapointing! :) and chapter 3 was fantastic, it answered a lot of questions and it was good to hear more about teige\'s background to understand him a little better. (before i was wondering about things such as whether his family was looking for him, and if he had any fighting skills, etc. which were all cleared up) i really can\'t wait til drake finds out that he is a man, lmfao! i\'m more and more intrigued about where this is all going. and i echo the sentiments of everyone else who hates to wait a week- it\'s torture! but thank you so much for the consistent updates. you definitely know how to keep your readers captivated :)

xD I’m glad I answered your questions…and it’s actually nice to hear you were so curious in the first place, it makes me feel good to know that the characters were at least interesting enough to make you wonder. If you have questions in the future, feel free to ask, and I’ll do my best to answer. I don’t like leaving my readers confused.

I hope the ‘discovery’ session was up to your standard. So many people were looking forward to it and I wouldn’t want to disappoint. ^^; As for the once a week thing…xD It makes me both happy and guilty to see how many people don’t like it that way. I love knowing that you all want more chaps faster, but I also don’t want to keep you waiting too long so you loose interest. When I first started posting on Aff with my original story, I was updating every other day…and I kept it up for AWHILE. Now…I just can’t do it. Too busy, and like you mentioned, I want, above all, to make sure I can be consistent. If I promise a chapter every other day, I want to HAVE a chapter every other day…so if I can’t do it, then I lower my rate so I don’t have to disappoint anyone.

I plan (not sure yet, but I hope) to start updating twice a week about when school’s over for me. As summer comes around, I should have a lot more free time and plenty of opportunities to get more up faster. Thanks for reviewing! ^^

Corenn: Teige is like me... I regret Cyprien u__u Can\'t you make him come back to life ? T___T My red-eyed pale-haired bishoneeeeeeen T__T *go kill herself*
... By the way, I have liked this chapter XD

Just a hint…(which I probably shouldn’t mention buuuut……don’t give up on the bishi yet). xD I’m glad you like it so far and thanks for keeping up with the reviews! ^^

MakaiKitty: Okay, now the last part makes sense. How long are you planning on making this one? What ever the length, I\'m looking forward to seeing what you come up with next. I won\'t complain about the cliffhanger ending to this chapter, because I have often been guilty of the same thing, but I still hope you start updating more than once a week (although, as an author, I understand why you probably won\'t).

Yay. I’m glad it’s not confusing anymore. ^^ As for the length…I’m not sure. Most of the stories I get into, if I don’t plan for them to be short from the beginning, turn out long. (Even when I DO plan to make them short they still come out longish sometimes…^^;). So I really have no idea. I’m guessing somewhere around the length of White Rabbit (full length I suppose you’d call it?), but I only have a vague sketch in my mind of what’s gonna have to happen, and I honestly have no idea how long it’ll take to all play out.

As for the cliffhangers. I love them. Whahahaha! xD But, er…don’t get down on the ‘only once a week’ thing…cause I probably WON’T stick to that. I’m just busy with school right now so I can’t go faster without fear of running out too soon. I don’t have any summer courses planned, so getting rid of school should put my chapter production WAY up. I’ll probably go to twice a week once summer starts. *nod nod* ^^ No promises, but that’s my plan.