By Dawn's Early Light- Original Fic
Wallace, Lily and the Far Away universe belongs to lilypeters
Henry is my character.
Prompts 1-11 in the Far Away series can be found here
Title: By Dawn's Early Light
Storyline: Far Away
Prompt: Daybreak [Prompt Thirteen]
Rating: PG-13 for language
Summary: Henry stopped dead in the street and began to grin. "The great Wallace Englehorn embarrassed? About a girl?"
Henry Seatter was not a morning person like the boy he was traveling with. This displeased a certain Wallace Englehorn, who wanted to move instead of watching his younger friend sleep time away.
“Aw, get up, Henry!” he moaned, poking the boy in the back. “We’re wasting time!” His tone carried the faint hint of a whine. Henry simply turned over. “Will I have to pry your eyes open, kid?”
Henry pulled the blanket over his head. Wallace gasped in mock shock. "A sign of life!"
Wallace sighed, glancing at the leftover beer from their previous night. Striding over to the mugs as if this was all perfectly normal, he picked one up and moved as if to dump the contents on his friend’s head. “The Artful Dodger could never be this clever.”
"What is it with you and the Artful Dodger?" Henry's voice was muffled by the blankets.
“Just a need to prove I’m better than him,” Wallace said lightly, splashing the beer in Henry’s face. “See?” He had thrown the blankets to the floor and was now staring mischievously at his shocked friend.
"What a waste of beer," Henry groaned, kicking out half-heartedly.
“It got you moving, right?” Wallace asked. “There ain’t no waste in that.”
Henry stumbled across the room. The view out of the window caught his attention.
"It's practically the middle of the night!"
“We’ve got to run; they find out we didn’t pay last night and we’ll have irons on our wrists,” Wallace said matter-of-factly. “Shall we take the stairs?”
Henry spluttered. "Money, food, lodgings, you said!"
“There was no mention of exchanging one for the others," Wallace pointed out loftily.
"But...I mean...scavenging’s all right but this..."
"If it makes you feel better, we have scavenged a hot meal, we have scavenged a bed for the night, now shall we take the stairs?" Wallace moved for the door, swinging his carpetbag carelessly. “You said yourself,” he continued, running down the stairs after slamming the door behind them, “that you’re a pickpocket. This should be bloody easy for you…Lord Henry.”
"Easy enough for you to say, Wallace Dorian Englehorn," Henry retorted, sure that the slamming of the door if not the clatter of their feet would bring the landlord running.
“So, you read Wilde, too, then,” Wallace said, smirking and opening the front door. “You know, the nuns I lived with called that book immoral and all sorts of filthy names…” He began to speak in a high-pitched voice, mocking Sister Rebecca. “The Picture of Dorian Gray is a sinful book!” There was a pause as Wallace spoke in his normal voice. “I read it on the sly.”
"Like the 'romance' books my sister reads- used to read."
“Ugh, that talk of romance is a load of trash,” Wallace said angrily, walking with precision into the street. “Women and their romance…but there’s at least one girl I know who’s too smart for that.”
"Your...friend?" Henry asked slyly.
Wallace felt-and hated-the blush in his cheeks. “She’s not my friend, really. She just…used to loathe me years ago. Why are you so goddamn curious?”
"Why are you blushing?"
“Talking about her makes me…erm…” Wallace’s brisk steps faltered; he paused to scratch the back of his neck. “It’s embarrassing.”
Henry stopped dead in the street and began to grin. "The great Wallace Englehorn embarrassed? About a girl?"
“Why is that so amusing?” Wallace replied hotly. “I don’t love her; she’s my friend and she’s smart. That’s the whole of it.”
Henry smirked. "Of course...that's why you're planning on traveling over three thousand miles to find her."
“Yes…and I mean it seriously.”
"Of course you do."
“I can taste your sarcasm, Henry.” Change the subject, change the subject… “So…you’re an orphan?”
"I suppose I am." Henry frowned. "I've certainly got no parents living at the moment."
“Take advantage of it!” Wallace laughed. “Think of the lies you can tell about them to gain favor, pity from strangers! You’ll get used to it; I sure did.”
"So I won't be forcibly marched to the nearest orphanage, then?"
“Are you a fast runner?” Wallace replied, grinning and picking up his pace…just for the hell of it. “If you’re fast, you can outrun those that will catch you. You’ve got me, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
"And that's supposed to make me feel better?"
“Well, yeah! Anything you feel like you should know about me? I’ll be honest.”
There was a distant angry shout. "I'll take you up on that offer later. Would now be a good time to run?"
Wallace nodded and sprinted ahead of him.
xxx
The next morning, Wallace had a mug of beer ready this time. “My leader, back in Germany, used to throw beer in our faces to wake us. I’m just taking my teacher’s philosophies into the world,” he grinned. “I left because…I loathed that kid once…”
Henry turned onto his front and did his best to ignore Wallace.
“Damn it,” Wallace muttered, setting the mug down with a clatter. “You’ll never know anything about me if you don’t listen or care, Henry.”
"I care!" Henry protested, turning back over and lurching out of his bed. "But you obviously haven't learnt anything about me yet! It's the middle of the night again!"
“And?” Wallace retorted. “Getting up in the middle of the night won’t hurt you.”
"And I am not a morning person," Henry ground out as they went through the routine that was becoming familiar far too quickly for Henry's liking.
“You’ll live…and wouldn’t talking to me make it better?” Wallace asked as they walked through a deserted alley a few minutes later. “You did mention you cared and if you really are curious, I’ll tell you a few things.”
"Like?" Henry raised both eyebrows.
“Whatever you want to know,” Wallace replied, shrugging. “There’s no reason to be scared,” he added, seeing Henry’s expression.
"Why would I be scared? I just happen to be mildly curious about a girl that you are determined to travel over three thousand miles to find, as I suppose I'm along for the journey."
“Oh, Lily…you want me to talk about her?” Wallace was staring straight ahead and walking briskly. “She’s…rather pretty, but not the most beautiful girl in the world.” He stopped for a second. “Then again, she’s beautiful in my eyes, I guess. She’s the eldest of four idiotic siblings, is crippled and…a thief.” He grinned and waited for the younger boy to react to the last piece of information.
"A match made in heaven," Henry commented dryly.
“More like Hell,” Wallace quipped. “What about you? How long were you on the streets before I came along?”
Henry shrugged. "A few days. Maybe a week or two."
“Good thing you knew how to steal, eh?” Wallace grinned, patting him on the back. “Our leader in Germany’s the best pickpocket the city ever saw…and he’s only a year older than me!”
"Oh, I bet the girls all go mad for him."
Wallace paused. “You know Lily? She’d do anything he said…and she hates me. I knew it, I saw it, and would you believe, Henry, what our leader was doing while he had Lily completely wrapped around his finger? Off gallivanting with the only girl pickpocket we had!” In a fit of silent rage, he kicked the nearest crate.
Henry stood by. "This Lily girl hates you and we're going to America to find her? And you still insist she's just a friend? Your leader sounds a right git, by the way," he added as an afterthought.
“He wasn’t until Lily came into it, that’s for certain,” Wallace said resentfully. “I brought it on myself, to be honest.”
"What are you actually planning to do when we get to America? Fall at her feet and declare your love?" Henry looked sceptical.
“Hell, no! That’s stupid! I’m just going to apologize for what I did…and if I hadn’t met you, by now I would’ve gone crazy.”
Henry laughed. "Told you when I first met you, I think you're crazy. But no crazier than me."
xxx
Twilight was upon them by the time they reached the countryside. “Let’s get some sleep,” Wallace suggested, sprawling on the grass. “Don’t worry, there ain’t no beer to throw on you out here.”
Henry is my character.
Prompts 1-11 in the Far Away series can be found here
Title: By Dawn's Early Light
Storyline: Far Away
Prompt: Daybreak [Prompt Thirteen]
Rating: PG-13 for language
Summary: Henry stopped dead in the street and began to grin. "The great Wallace Englehorn embarrassed? About a girl?"
Henry Seatter was not a morning person like the boy he was traveling with. This displeased a certain Wallace Englehorn, who wanted to move instead of watching his younger friend sleep time away.
“Aw, get up, Henry!” he moaned, poking the boy in the back. “We’re wasting time!” His tone carried the faint hint of a whine. Henry simply turned over. “Will I have to pry your eyes open, kid?”
Henry pulled the blanket over his head. Wallace gasped in mock shock. "A sign of life!"
Wallace sighed, glancing at the leftover beer from their previous night. Striding over to the mugs as if this was all perfectly normal, he picked one up and moved as if to dump the contents on his friend’s head. “The Artful Dodger could never be this clever.”
"What is it with you and the Artful Dodger?" Henry's voice was muffled by the blankets.
“Just a need to prove I’m better than him,” Wallace said lightly, splashing the beer in Henry’s face. “See?” He had thrown the blankets to the floor and was now staring mischievously at his shocked friend.
"What a waste of beer," Henry groaned, kicking out half-heartedly.
“It got you moving, right?” Wallace asked. “There ain’t no waste in that.”
Henry stumbled across the room. The view out of the window caught his attention.
"It's practically the middle of the night!"
“We’ve got to run; they find out we didn’t pay last night and we’ll have irons on our wrists,” Wallace said matter-of-factly. “Shall we take the stairs?”
Henry spluttered. "Money, food, lodgings, you said!"
“There was no mention of exchanging one for the others," Wallace pointed out loftily.
"But...I mean...scavenging’s all right but this..."
"If it makes you feel better, we have scavenged a hot meal, we have scavenged a bed for the night, now shall we take the stairs?" Wallace moved for the door, swinging his carpetbag carelessly. “You said yourself,” he continued, running down the stairs after slamming the door behind them, “that you’re a pickpocket. This should be bloody easy for you…Lord Henry.”
"Easy enough for you to say, Wallace Dorian Englehorn," Henry retorted, sure that the slamming of the door if not the clatter of their feet would bring the landlord running.
“So, you read Wilde, too, then,” Wallace said, smirking and opening the front door. “You know, the nuns I lived with called that book immoral and all sorts of filthy names…” He began to speak in a high-pitched voice, mocking Sister Rebecca. “The Picture of Dorian Gray is a sinful book!” There was a pause as Wallace spoke in his normal voice. “I read it on the sly.”
"Like the 'romance' books my sister reads- used to read."
“Ugh, that talk of romance is a load of trash,” Wallace said angrily, walking with precision into the street. “Women and their romance…but there’s at least one girl I know who’s too smart for that.”
"Your...friend?" Henry asked slyly.
Wallace felt-and hated-the blush in his cheeks. “She’s not my friend, really. She just…used to loathe me years ago. Why are you so goddamn curious?”
"Why are you blushing?"
“Talking about her makes me…erm…” Wallace’s brisk steps faltered; he paused to scratch the back of his neck. “It’s embarrassing.”
Henry stopped dead in the street and began to grin. "The great Wallace Englehorn embarrassed? About a girl?"
“Why is that so amusing?” Wallace replied hotly. “I don’t love her; she’s my friend and she’s smart. That’s the whole of it.”
Henry smirked. "Of course...that's why you're planning on traveling over three thousand miles to find her."
“Yes…and I mean it seriously.”
"Of course you do."
“I can taste your sarcasm, Henry.” Change the subject, change the subject… “So…you’re an orphan?”
"I suppose I am." Henry frowned. "I've certainly got no parents living at the moment."
“Take advantage of it!” Wallace laughed. “Think of the lies you can tell about them to gain favor, pity from strangers! You’ll get used to it; I sure did.”
"So I won't be forcibly marched to the nearest orphanage, then?"
“Are you a fast runner?” Wallace replied, grinning and picking up his pace…just for the hell of it. “If you’re fast, you can outrun those that will catch you. You’ve got me, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
"And that's supposed to make me feel better?"
“Well, yeah! Anything you feel like you should know about me? I’ll be honest.”
There was a distant angry shout. "I'll take you up on that offer later. Would now be a good time to run?"
Wallace nodded and sprinted ahead of him.
xxx
The next morning, Wallace had a mug of beer ready this time. “My leader, back in Germany, used to throw beer in our faces to wake us. I’m just taking my teacher’s philosophies into the world,” he grinned. “I left because…I loathed that kid once…”
Henry turned onto his front and did his best to ignore Wallace.
“Damn it,” Wallace muttered, setting the mug down with a clatter. “You’ll never know anything about me if you don’t listen or care, Henry.”
"I care!" Henry protested, turning back over and lurching out of his bed. "But you obviously haven't learnt anything about me yet! It's the middle of the night again!"
“And?” Wallace retorted. “Getting up in the middle of the night won’t hurt you.”
"And I am not a morning person," Henry ground out as they went through the routine that was becoming familiar far too quickly for Henry's liking.
“You’ll live…and wouldn’t talking to me make it better?” Wallace asked as they walked through a deserted alley a few minutes later. “You did mention you cared and if you really are curious, I’ll tell you a few things.”
"Like?" Henry raised both eyebrows.
“Whatever you want to know,” Wallace replied, shrugging. “There’s no reason to be scared,” he added, seeing Henry’s expression.
"Why would I be scared? I just happen to be mildly curious about a girl that you are determined to travel over three thousand miles to find, as I suppose I'm along for the journey."
“Oh, Lily…you want me to talk about her?” Wallace was staring straight ahead and walking briskly. “She’s…rather pretty, but not the most beautiful girl in the world.” He stopped for a second. “Then again, she’s beautiful in my eyes, I guess. She’s the eldest of four idiotic siblings, is crippled and…a thief.” He grinned and waited for the younger boy to react to the last piece of information.
"A match made in heaven," Henry commented dryly.
“More like Hell,” Wallace quipped. “What about you? How long were you on the streets before I came along?”
Henry shrugged. "A few days. Maybe a week or two."
“Good thing you knew how to steal, eh?” Wallace grinned, patting him on the back. “Our leader in Germany’s the best pickpocket the city ever saw…and he’s only a year older than me!”
"Oh, I bet the girls all go mad for him."
Wallace paused. “You know Lily? She’d do anything he said…and she hates me. I knew it, I saw it, and would you believe, Henry, what our leader was doing while he had Lily completely wrapped around his finger? Off gallivanting with the only girl pickpocket we had!” In a fit of silent rage, he kicked the nearest crate.
Henry stood by. "This Lily girl hates you and we're going to America to find her? And you still insist she's just a friend? Your leader sounds a right git, by the way," he added as an afterthought.
“He wasn’t until Lily came into it, that’s for certain,” Wallace said resentfully. “I brought it on myself, to be honest.”
"What are you actually planning to do when we get to America? Fall at her feet and declare your love?" Henry looked sceptical.
“Hell, no! That’s stupid! I’m just going to apologize for what I did…and if I hadn’t met you, by now I would’ve gone crazy.”
Henry laughed. "Told you when I first met you, I think you're crazy. But no crazier than me."
xxx
Twilight was upon them by the time they reached the countryside. “Let’s get some sleep,” Wallace suggested, sprawling on the grass. “Don’t worry, there ain’t no beer to throw on you out here.”