[multipart] Fairy Tale Story Time - 02
Title: Fairy Tale Story Time (or: Greta's "Best Idea Ever" is Still Less Destructive than Anissina's)
Part: Story #2: The Little Cinder Boy
Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou!
Characters/Pairings: All/None
Genre: Gen/Humor/Fluff
Words: 2,006
Notes: Part 2, longer than the first! And actually longer than another one that I expected to be the longest. Heh. And hoorah, moar Yozak. :D
Very few people in the castle knew where to find Yozak at any given moment, so his invitation had been left on his bed and Greta simply hoped he would come. Conrad assured her he would if he got the message, but could not guarantee the spy's presence.
She needn't have worried. A few minutes after eight, a tap-tap sound came on the window of Yuuri's room. Wolfram and Conrad immediately drew his swords, the brunette moving to open the drapes, then shaking his head when a bright smile and wave greeted him. Greta was delighted. "Yuuri, can I learn how to do that?!"
"No."
Conrad opened the window and Yozak touched down on the ledge. The redhead grinned. "Good evening!"
"You always have to make an entrance," Conrad said as he peered out the window and looked up.
Yozak hopped down from the window and brushed himself off with a flourish. "More like I'm trying to keep His Excellency from finding me," he replied. He winked at Greta. "Can't let him drag me off just yet, right?"
"I hope that rope's still there when you leave."
The redhead waved the sardonic "concern" off. "No worries. From here down, there are a ton of hand holds."
Conrad pulled his head back in from outside, and shared a slightly appalled glance with Yuuri and Wolfram. "... we'll have to see about those."
"Glad to be of help, Captain." Yozak pulled up the chair by the bed closer to the bed and settled into it, tucking one foot under the other leg. Greta chose to snuggle in close enough to the side of the bed and waited with big, brown eyes open wide. Yozak ruffled her hair and she giggled; Yuuri plopped down beside Greta as Wolfram and Conrad put their swords away. Conrad took up a position by the door while Wolfram took a seat at the foot of the bed. Yozak cracked his knuckles and grinned. "Now, are you ready for your story?"
Greta nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, please! Do you have a book? Conrad used a book."
The redhead shook his head. "Nope, I'm making this one up as I go along."
"That sounds familiar," Wolfram snorted.
Yozak tilted his head, acknowledging the point. "It's more fun that way." He turned back to Greta and rested his hands on his knees. "Now, the story I'm going to tell you is called... The Little Cinder Boy. Ever heard it?" Greta thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Good. Well, a long time ago, there was a boy and he lived with his mother and father in a large house in a happy and peaceful kingdom."
Greta smiled at Yuuri. "Like Yuuri's!"
Yuuri flushed a little, and waved his hand. "Well, I hope so."
Yozak gave Greta a thumbs up. "Very like the kiddo's," he said. "One day, the boy's father got very sick and he died. The little boy had loved his father very much, and he was very sad. But he still had his mother, and they lived for a little while by themselves."
Conrad looked up from his position at the door, raising an eyebrow. Greta's brows furrowed. "I'm sorry for the little boy," she said.
Yozak patted her hand. "He was a very strong little boy, so he would be all right. But the boy's mother was very lonely, and a few years after the boy's father died, his mother remarried. The man was a widower, with two daughters."
"Was he a nice man?" Greta chewed on her lip.
"He was a very serious man," Yozak said serenely, nodding to himself. "So serious, all the time, and he frowned so much that he got wrinkles. Like this..." Yozak pulled a ridiculously serious face and Greta laughed in delight.
"He sounds like Gwendal!"
"Greta!" Yuuri admonished, but he was trying not to smile himself.
"Sorry Yuuri," the little girl replied between giggles. "But he does..."
Her father made a very loud, put-upon sigh and just shook his head. "Just don't let him hear you say that."
Yozak ruffled Yuuri's hair, too, and got a squawk of protest for his trouble. "So, the boy lived with his mother and stepfather, and two stepsisters, and they were all very happy. However, when the boy was a little older, his mother became sick as well, and she died. After that, the stepfather became very mean to the boy."
"But why?!"
"Mm, hard to say," Yozak replied, patting Greta's head. "The boy's mother had loved him very much, maybe more than she loved her new husband, so the stepfather might have been jealous."
"That's awful... what did he do?" Greta looked like she didn't really want to know, if it was too horrible.
"Well, he made the boy do all the chores in the house. Clean it from top to bottom, do the dishes, make breakfast and tend all the gardens, and clean all the fireplaces. This job always took the longest because the boy did it last and was always covered in soot by the time he was done.
"His stepsisters used to tease him, calling him 'cinder boy' and other names. The boy lived and worked this way for many years."
Greta shook her head, frowning. "That's so mean. If he worked here, no one would've been mean to him."
"Of course not," Yuuri agreed.
Yozak laughed at the pair and nodded. "The maid's would've probably liked him a lot."
Behind him, Yozak heard a muffled "they probably do already" and turned to look at Conrad, who just spread his hands disarmingly and smiled. Yozak snorted, then paused.... then grinned. He turned back to Greta and continued. "Anyway, the boy grew up into a young man, still working for his stepsisters. One day, an invitation arrived at the house. The queen's son had just returned home from a war, and to celebrate, the queen was going to hold a ball. The invitation was addressed to 'all persons of appropriate age', and--"
"... that's a weird invitation," Yuuri said, eying Yozak suspiciously. The redhead just grinned as Greta tugged on her father's sleeve.
"Hush, Yuuri, I want to hear the story!"
"Oh, alright..." Yuuri still watched Yozak as if waiting for something. Yozak pretended not to notice.
"Right, the invitation was delivered and the boy -- now really a young man -- really wanted to go. However, the wicked stepfather wanted the prince to marry one of his daughters, and found so many chores for the young man to do. By the time he had finished everything, it was the night of the ball, and there was no way he could go."
"That's not fair!" Greta pouted at Yozak. "He should be able to go, he was a person of appropriate age, wasn't he?"
"Yup, he was."
"Then he should go, especially if he really wanted to marry the prince!"
Yuuri covered his eyes with one hand and shuddered. "Why would he want to marry the prince...?"
"Do you have a problem with that, Yuuri?!" Wolfram asked from the foot of the bed.
"They're both guys!!"
"So?!"
"Yuuri!" Greta's shout stopped them both, and they cringed, quieting immediately. Wolfram appeared in slightly better spirits than Yuuri, but he held his tongue.
"Thank you, princess~" Yozak trilled. "Back to the story. The young man was very upset he couldn't go to the ball, and was ready to go chop a lot of wood to get the anger out, when suddenly, his fairy godmother appeared!"
"Oooh," Greta breathed. "Did she look like Lady Ulrike?"
Yozak blinked, then grinned. "Sure. She had long white hair and looked very young, but she was really old and had a lot of power. She told the young man that because he was so good and strong, she was going to help him get to the ball. Outside the house, she waved her magic wand and turned a pumpkin and some field mice into a carriage drawn by white horses. And finally, she turned the young man's raggy clothes into a beautiful ball gown."
He paused when Yuuri clapped a hand over his own mouth to keep from saying anything, but the expression on his face conveyed his thoughts rather well. Greta, however, seemed delighted. "Was he really pretty, Yozak?"
"Sure was. Could win any beauty pageant in the world."
"Oh, good."
"The fairy godmother sent the young man off to the ball with one warning: at midnight, the spell would be over, so he had to be back before then. The young man promised to remember, and off he went. When he got to the ball, everyone agreed his was the prettiest dress they'd ever seen. He was so pretty, the prince danced with him and nobody else. The prince was very selfless and charming, but a little uptight and a lot of people said he had a massive stick up his--"
"Yozak."
The redhead turned and grinned mischievously at Conrad, who was giving him a warning look. "Sorry, Captain~."
Yuuri seemed grateful to Conrad for stepping in, given the young king was still covering his mouth. Yozak shrugged and went on. "The young man had a wonderful time dazzling the prince with his wit and charm, and eventually the prince asked to marry the young man. The prince's mother was a big fan of free love and was about to give her blessing, when the clock began to strike midnight. Now, he didn't want the prince to know he was just a cinder boy, the young man ran out of the castle and leaped into his carriage, and high-tailed it home."
"But, but he was supposed to marry the prince!" Greta protested. "Did the prince know his name?"
Yozak shook his head. "Nope. But he did lose one of his glass slippers as he was running off. The prince found it and declared that he would marry the owner of the shoe. He searched and searched, but no one fit it. The shoe was either too big or too small when different women tried it on."
"How could it have been too small?" Yuuri hissed.
"Kiddo, you know what they say about women with big feet..."
"... I don't and I don't want to!"
"Pity. Anyway, the prince finally made it 'round to the young man's house. And when the two stepsisters tried it on, the shoe was too..." he paused, then grinned at Yuuri's expression. "Too big, of course, and the prince was just about to give up hope. Then suddenly, he saw the young man working in the garden and he recognized him on sight because you can't ever forget someone that perfect--"
Behind him, Conrad snorted.
"--and so the prince insisted the young man try on the shoe. And do you know what?" Yozak turned to Greta, who beamed.
"It fit!"
"Like a glove." Yozak ruffled her hair. "And so, the prince married the young man, and they lived in the castle, happily ever after."
Greta giggled and clapped her hands. "Thank you, Yozak."
Yozak bowed in his chair. "My pleasure."
Everyone turned as a knock sounded at the door. Conrad opened it to find Gwendal standing on the other side, solemn as usual. "Yozak, there you are," he said, sounding very impatient. "I need you to come with me." He turned on his heel and made his way down the corridor. The moment he left, Greta burst into giggles, with Yuuri attempting to quiet her, despite his own. Wolfram attempted to place himself above the silliness, but was clearly fighting to keep the smile off his own face.
Yozak let out a belabored sigh. "The wicked stepfather awaits," he whispered. "Good night, princess~!" He left the father and daughter pair shushing each other on the bed and winked at Conrad as he passed.
"Uptight?" his Captain asked in a mild voice.
"Absolutely. He really should do something about that."
Conrad chuckled and shook his head. "Goodnight, Yozak."
"Sweet dreams, Captain~."
Previous: Story #1: The Three Kotsuhizoku
Next: Story #3: One Little Girl and the Three Sandbears
Part: Story #2: The Little Cinder Boy
Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou!
Characters/Pairings: All/None
Genre: Gen/Humor/Fluff
Words: 2,006
Notes: Part 2, longer than the first! And actually longer than another one that I expected to be the longest. Heh. And hoorah, moar Yozak. :D
Very few people in the castle knew where to find Yozak at any given moment, so his invitation had been left on his bed and Greta simply hoped he would come. Conrad assured her he would if he got the message, but could not guarantee the spy's presence.
She needn't have worried. A few minutes after eight, a tap-tap sound came on the window of Yuuri's room. Wolfram and Conrad immediately drew his swords, the brunette moving to open the drapes, then shaking his head when a bright smile and wave greeted him. Greta was delighted. "Yuuri, can I learn how to do that?!"
"No."
Conrad opened the window and Yozak touched down on the ledge. The redhead grinned. "Good evening!"
"You always have to make an entrance," Conrad said as he peered out the window and looked up.
Yozak hopped down from the window and brushed himself off with a flourish. "More like I'm trying to keep His Excellency from finding me," he replied. He winked at Greta. "Can't let him drag me off just yet, right?"
"I hope that rope's still there when you leave."
The redhead waved the sardonic "concern" off. "No worries. From here down, there are a ton of hand holds."
Conrad pulled his head back in from outside, and shared a slightly appalled glance with Yuuri and Wolfram. "... we'll have to see about those."
"Glad to be of help, Captain." Yozak pulled up the chair by the bed closer to the bed and settled into it, tucking one foot under the other leg. Greta chose to snuggle in close enough to the side of the bed and waited with big, brown eyes open wide. Yozak ruffled her hair and she giggled; Yuuri plopped down beside Greta as Wolfram and Conrad put their swords away. Conrad took up a position by the door while Wolfram took a seat at the foot of the bed. Yozak cracked his knuckles and grinned. "Now, are you ready for your story?"
Greta nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, please! Do you have a book? Conrad used a book."
The redhead shook his head. "Nope, I'm making this one up as I go along."
"That sounds familiar," Wolfram snorted.
Yozak tilted his head, acknowledging the point. "It's more fun that way." He turned back to Greta and rested his hands on his knees. "Now, the story I'm going to tell you is called... The Little Cinder Boy. Ever heard it?" Greta thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Good. Well, a long time ago, there was a boy and he lived with his mother and father in a large house in a happy and peaceful kingdom."
Greta smiled at Yuuri. "Like Yuuri's!"
Yuuri flushed a little, and waved his hand. "Well, I hope so."
Yozak gave Greta a thumbs up. "Very like the kiddo's," he said. "One day, the boy's father got very sick and he died. The little boy had loved his father very much, and he was very sad. But he still had his mother, and they lived for a little while by themselves."
Conrad looked up from his position at the door, raising an eyebrow. Greta's brows furrowed. "I'm sorry for the little boy," she said.
Yozak patted her hand. "He was a very strong little boy, so he would be all right. But the boy's mother was very lonely, and a few years after the boy's father died, his mother remarried. The man was a widower, with two daughters."
"Was he a nice man?" Greta chewed on her lip.
"He was a very serious man," Yozak said serenely, nodding to himself. "So serious, all the time, and he frowned so much that he got wrinkles. Like this..." Yozak pulled a ridiculously serious face and Greta laughed in delight.
"He sounds like Gwendal!"
"Greta!" Yuuri admonished, but he was trying not to smile himself.
"Sorry Yuuri," the little girl replied between giggles. "But he does..."
Her father made a very loud, put-upon sigh and just shook his head. "Just don't let him hear you say that."
Yozak ruffled Yuuri's hair, too, and got a squawk of protest for his trouble. "So, the boy lived with his mother and stepfather, and two stepsisters, and they were all very happy. However, when the boy was a little older, his mother became sick as well, and she died. After that, the stepfather became very mean to the boy."
"But why?!"
"Mm, hard to say," Yozak replied, patting Greta's head. "The boy's mother had loved him very much, maybe more than she loved her new husband, so the stepfather might have been jealous."
"That's awful... what did he do?" Greta looked like she didn't really want to know, if it was too horrible.
"Well, he made the boy do all the chores in the house. Clean it from top to bottom, do the dishes, make breakfast and tend all the gardens, and clean all the fireplaces. This job always took the longest because the boy did it last and was always covered in soot by the time he was done.
"His stepsisters used to tease him, calling him 'cinder boy' and other names. The boy lived and worked this way for many years."
Greta shook her head, frowning. "That's so mean. If he worked here, no one would've been mean to him."
"Of course not," Yuuri agreed.
Yozak laughed at the pair and nodded. "The maid's would've probably liked him a lot."
Behind him, Yozak heard a muffled "they probably do already" and turned to look at Conrad, who just spread his hands disarmingly and smiled. Yozak snorted, then paused.... then grinned. He turned back to Greta and continued. "Anyway, the boy grew up into a young man, still working for his stepsisters. One day, an invitation arrived at the house. The queen's son had just returned home from a war, and to celebrate, the queen was going to hold a ball. The invitation was addressed to 'all persons of appropriate age', and--"
"... that's a weird invitation," Yuuri said, eying Yozak suspiciously. The redhead just grinned as Greta tugged on her father's sleeve.
"Hush, Yuuri, I want to hear the story!"
"Oh, alright..." Yuuri still watched Yozak as if waiting for something. Yozak pretended not to notice.
"Right, the invitation was delivered and the boy -- now really a young man -- really wanted to go. However, the wicked stepfather wanted the prince to marry one of his daughters, and found so many chores for the young man to do. By the time he had finished everything, it was the night of the ball, and there was no way he could go."
"That's not fair!" Greta pouted at Yozak. "He should be able to go, he was a person of appropriate age, wasn't he?"
"Yup, he was."
"Then he should go, especially if he really wanted to marry the prince!"
Yuuri covered his eyes with one hand and shuddered. "Why would he want to marry the prince...?"
"Do you have a problem with that, Yuuri?!" Wolfram asked from the foot of the bed.
"They're both guys!!"
"So?!"
"Yuuri!" Greta's shout stopped them both, and they cringed, quieting immediately. Wolfram appeared in slightly better spirits than Yuuri, but he held his tongue.
"Thank you, princess~" Yozak trilled. "Back to the story. The young man was very upset he couldn't go to the ball, and was ready to go chop a lot of wood to get the anger out, when suddenly, his fairy godmother appeared!"
"Oooh," Greta breathed. "Did she look like Lady Ulrike?"
Yozak blinked, then grinned. "Sure. She had long white hair and looked very young, but she was really old and had a lot of power. She told the young man that because he was so good and strong, she was going to help him get to the ball. Outside the house, she waved her magic wand and turned a pumpkin and some field mice into a carriage drawn by white horses. And finally, she turned the young man's raggy clothes into a beautiful ball gown."
He paused when Yuuri clapped a hand over his own mouth to keep from saying anything, but the expression on his face conveyed his thoughts rather well. Greta, however, seemed delighted. "Was he really pretty, Yozak?"
"Sure was. Could win any beauty pageant in the world."
"Oh, good."
"The fairy godmother sent the young man off to the ball with one warning: at midnight, the spell would be over, so he had to be back before then. The young man promised to remember, and off he went. When he got to the ball, everyone agreed his was the prettiest dress they'd ever seen. He was so pretty, the prince danced with him and nobody else. The prince was very selfless and charming, but a little uptight and a lot of people said he had a massive stick up his--"
"Yozak."
The redhead turned and grinned mischievously at Conrad, who was giving him a warning look. "Sorry, Captain~."
Yuuri seemed grateful to Conrad for stepping in, given the young king was still covering his mouth. Yozak shrugged and went on. "The young man had a wonderful time dazzling the prince with his wit and charm, and eventually the prince asked to marry the young man. The prince's mother was a big fan of free love and was about to give her blessing, when the clock began to strike midnight. Now, he didn't want the prince to know he was just a cinder boy, the young man ran out of the castle and leaped into his carriage, and high-tailed it home."
"But, but he was supposed to marry the prince!" Greta protested. "Did the prince know his name?"
Yozak shook his head. "Nope. But he did lose one of his glass slippers as he was running off. The prince found it and declared that he would marry the owner of the shoe. He searched and searched, but no one fit it. The shoe was either too big or too small when different women tried it on."
"How could it have been too small?" Yuuri hissed.
"Kiddo, you know what they say about women with big feet..."
"... I don't and I don't want to!"
"Pity. Anyway, the prince finally made it 'round to the young man's house. And when the two stepsisters tried it on, the shoe was too..." he paused, then grinned at Yuuri's expression. "Too big, of course, and the prince was just about to give up hope. Then suddenly, he saw the young man working in the garden and he recognized him on sight because you can't ever forget someone that perfect--"
Behind him, Conrad snorted.
"--and so the prince insisted the young man try on the shoe. And do you know what?" Yozak turned to Greta, who beamed.
"It fit!"
"Like a glove." Yozak ruffled her hair. "And so, the prince married the young man, and they lived in the castle, happily ever after."
Greta giggled and clapped her hands. "Thank you, Yozak."
Yozak bowed in his chair. "My pleasure."
Everyone turned as a knock sounded at the door. Conrad opened it to find Gwendal standing on the other side, solemn as usual. "Yozak, there you are," he said, sounding very impatient. "I need you to come with me." He turned on his heel and made his way down the corridor. The moment he left, Greta burst into giggles, with Yuuri attempting to quiet her, despite his own. Wolfram attempted to place himself above the silliness, but was clearly fighting to keep the smile off his own face.
Yozak let out a belabored sigh. "The wicked stepfather awaits," he whispered. "Good night, princess~!" He left the father and daughter pair shushing each other on the bed and winked at Conrad as he passed.
"Uptight?" his Captain asked in a mild voice.
"Absolutely. He really should do something about that."
Conrad chuckled and shook his head. "Goodnight, Yozak."
"Sweet dreams, Captain~."
Previous: Story #1: The Three Kotsuhizoku
Next: Story #3: One Little Girl and the Three Sandbears