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a thing of beauty is a joy forever.
Title: Counting Waves
Fandom:Kichiku Megane Crazy headcanon-verse that I can't seem to stop writing from, orz
Word count: ~1,500
Warnings: none in particular
Summary: Even cold Dian was wooed by Endymion's charm. For some maidens, love and trust comes a bit more easily.
Notes: I actually started writing this a few months ago, and just recently got an urge to actually finish it.HELP HELP, I CAN'T ESCAPE
Seven years to the day have passed when the Marquis de Carabas makes his first impression on Elizabeth Rowland. Fortunately, the second impression and every other after that would be more than enough to make up for the near disaster of the first.
Only after their second meeting does she begin to call him the Marquis de Carabas, for to do so at their first would be remarkably inappropriate, no matter how strongly she might have thought it at the time. After all, what man in any state of distress wishes to be called after a fairy tale character, even if only in jest? Even so, surely no name could be more fitting, what with the man’s panicked entry into the Palmers’ shop, nearly dizzy with claims that his fine wardrobe had been stolen and it simply needed to be replaced at once.
His coin removes the relevancy of whether his story is true or not, and Elizabeth assists him to be best of her ability, just as she has been taught. His thanks seem to be without end, as do his apologies when he returns the next day. He does all that he can to flatter the shopgirl with exceeding praise, almost theatrical in nature, and for the most part, he succeeds.
With anticipation, she awaits the Marquis’s return. Elizabeth can’t recall having ever received this sort of attention from anyone not her brother, not since the only man who loved her fled far across the sea.
---
He makes several returns, one with each day that passes, and his visits quickly become the highlight of Elizabeth’s days. Rarely does he make a purchase, much to Mr. Palmer’s chagrin, but the shop owner can hardly protest once he sees the way Elizabeth’s face lights up at each of the young man’s arrivals. The smile she wears is of a like he has not seen in over seven years.
The man pays her every courtesy, both common and not quite so, and Elizabeth’s fondness for him only grows. After some time, his words gain a more intimate tone, and while she isn’t entirely sure what to think, she knows that she would not wish him to act any differently towards her. She is loved—not in the same way that the Palmers love her, nor in quite the same way that her brother and mother did so long ago—but she is loved by a man who holds her in higher regard than any other, one who holds her in his heart and wishes to hold her much closer than any other ever has before.
Mrs. Palmer is quite pleased with this turn of events. She is happy to see Elizabeth truly happy once more, and besides, isn’t he the Dawson fellow who just came into a large amount of wealth? Perhaps now, Elizabeth can finally return to the life of splendor she truly deserves.
But Mr. Palmer isn’t quite so sure of the young man, despite his wishes for Elizabeth’s happiness. After all, the smile he wears is of a like Palmer has not seen in over seven years.
---
Mr. Palmer is the closest thing to a father Elizabeth has ever had, and so she initially heeds his warnings, making herself more reluctant to give herself over to her suitor than perhaps the young man would like. But he is hardly discouraged; rather than employing more physical tactics, he chooses to do what he has always done, and ply her with words instead.
He recites poetry in her ear, altering the verse as necessary to praise her boundless beauty. He tells her that despite her proud air, he knows she will someday fall to his love, for even cold Dian was wooed by Endymion’s charm.
But that only serves to put her off. She wonders if he means to compare her to “cold Dian,” and what sort of a compliment is that?
It is no compliment at all, he is quick to reply, and before she can interject again, he goes on to explain that she is nothing like the moon, nor its cold, lofty presence. Rather she is like the sun—seated high above all other things, and yet shining down upon them with endless kindness and warmth. To call her “Dian,” even inadvertently, was a grave mistake, one he regrets and will not make again.
It does not take much longer for Elizabeth to give herself to him—or to wish for it, at the very least. But he refuses her, and explains that he would not wish to do such a thing without taking her hand in marriage, with her family’s blessing.
Rather than the declarations of love and adoration he might have expected, he instead receives a slap to the face and an endless stream of tears from the girl who thought she had found true love.
---
By the time the young man comes to see Elizabeth again, she is prepared to forgive him. After all, how could he have known that the Palmers were not her true family? For how fondly she had spoken to him of her brother, how could he have known that the man had long since abandoned her, leaving her mother to die of grief and condemning her to poverty?
He accepts her apologies with utmost grace, but for Elizabeth, that is not enough. Mere words cannot convey just how sorry she feels; to win back his true affection, she must show him how deeply she truly trusts him.
She takes him to a house, one in which no one has lived for over seven years, and leads him up a flight of worn, creaking stairs. The door she seeks is locked, but she still has the key; they enter an old bedroom, furniture and personal effects undisturbed but for layers of dust.
He expresses some small confusion at being led here, but Elizabeth silences him with a word and kneels to pull a trunk out from under the bed. Inside are various documents—deeds to properties that now belong to other estates, and wills to a fortune that no longer exists; maps to a building that burnt to cinders years ago, and receipts for a voyage just as old.
She tells him of her father’s death, her brother’s disappearance, and her family’s subsequent collapse. She tells him things that no one else has known, no one but the Palmers and herself; she tells him things that she has never trusted anyone else to hear.
She tells him of her plans to chase her brother across the sea, and shows him her stash of funds; she’s been saving for years, and she almost has just enough.
He pulls Elizabeth into an embrace, and she weeps against him—not from sadness this time, nor disappointment, but overwhelming relief that finally, finally she has found someone she can trust. He swears to her that he will join her in her quest across the sea, and she wonders if she might finally be able to find even greater happiness there.
---
Days pass, and the young man does not come to visit Elizabeth again. By the time they pass into weeks, she finds herself counting the days, just as she did after her brother’s disappearance.
She fears the worst—but no, she cannot allow that. Her trust gives her the power to hope, and so she continues to wait.
But eventually, there comes a time when her fear overcomes her hope, and she can wait no more. She leaves her shift early to search the city for him, but she finds no trace—not until her search leads her to the old house.
The locked door has been broken down from its hinges, and nearly all the furniture in the room has been overturned. The trunk lies in the middle of the floor, completely empty. Her funds are completely gone.
She returns to the Palmers’ shop in disbelief. They question after her despondence, concerned, but she will not answer. How can she admit to having been so foolish?
Soon afterward, details of a recent murder case are leaked to the populace, and the news spreads like wildfire—a body found months ago has just been identified as the young heir to the Dawson family. Only by the rings on its fingers could it finally be recognized, for its head was entirely gone.
Elizabeth realizes how deeply she has been fooled all along, and this realization crushes her.
But she cannot give up, not after so long, no matter how crushed she might be. She won’t allow it of herself.
No matter how long it might take, she vows that she will go across the sea, and she will find those who have betrayed her—both of them.
No matter what it takes, Elizabeth Rowland vows to have her revenge.
Fandom:
Word count: ~1,500
Warnings: none in particular
Summary: Even cold Dian was wooed by Endymion's charm. For some maidens, love and trust comes a bit more easily.
Notes: I actually started writing this a few months ago, and just recently got an urge to actually finish it.
Seven years to the day have passed when the Marquis de Carabas makes his first impression on Elizabeth Rowland. Fortunately, the second impression and every other after that would be more than enough to make up for the near disaster of the first.
Only after their second meeting does she begin to call him the Marquis de Carabas, for to do so at their first would be remarkably inappropriate, no matter how strongly she might have thought it at the time. After all, what man in any state of distress wishes to be called after a fairy tale character, even if only in jest? Even so, surely no name could be more fitting, what with the man’s panicked entry into the Palmers’ shop, nearly dizzy with claims that his fine wardrobe had been stolen and it simply needed to be replaced at once.
His coin removes the relevancy of whether his story is true or not, and Elizabeth assists him to be best of her ability, just as she has been taught. His thanks seem to be without end, as do his apologies when he returns the next day. He does all that he can to flatter the shopgirl with exceeding praise, almost theatrical in nature, and for the most part, he succeeds.
With anticipation, she awaits the Marquis’s return. Elizabeth can’t recall having ever received this sort of attention from anyone not her brother, not since the only man who loved her fled far across the sea.
---
He makes several returns, one with each day that passes, and his visits quickly become the highlight of Elizabeth’s days. Rarely does he make a purchase, much to Mr. Palmer’s chagrin, but the shop owner can hardly protest once he sees the way Elizabeth’s face lights up at each of the young man’s arrivals. The smile she wears is of a like he has not seen in over seven years.
The man pays her every courtesy, both common and not quite so, and Elizabeth’s fondness for him only grows. After some time, his words gain a more intimate tone, and while she isn’t entirely sure what to think, she knows that she would not wish him to act any differently towards her. She is loved—not in the same way that the Palmers love her, nor in quite the same way that her brother and mother did so long ago—but she is loved by a man who holds her in higher regard than any other, one who holds her in his heart and wishes to hold her much closer than any other ever has before.
Mrs. Palmer is quite pleased with this turn of events. She is happy to see Elizabeth truly happy once more, and besides, isn’t he the Dawson fellow who just came into a large amount of wealth? Perhaps now, Elizabeth can finally return to the life of splendor she truly deserves.
But Mr. Palmer isn’t quite so sure of the young man, despite his wishes for Elizabeth’s happiness. After all, the smile he wears is of a like Palmer has not seen in over seven years.
---
Mr. Palmer is the closest thing to a father Elizabeth has ever had, and so she initially heeds his warnings, making herself more reluctant to give herself over to her suitor than perhaps the young man would like. But he is hardly discouraged; rather than employing more physical tactics, he chooses to do what he has always done, and ply her with words instead.
He recites poetry in her ear, altering the verse as necessary to praise her boundless beauty. He tells her that despite her proud air, he knows she will someday fall to his love, for even cold Dian was wooed by Endymion’s charm.
But that only serves to put her off. She wonders if he means to compare her to “cold Dian,” and what sort of a compliment is that?
It is no compliment at all, he is quick to reply, and before she can interject again, he goes on to explain that she is nothing like the moon, nor its cold, lofty presence. Rather she is like the sun—seated high above all other things, and yet shining down upon them with endless kindness and warmth. To call her “Dian,” even inadvertently, was a grave mistake, one he regrets and will not make again.
It does not take much longer for Elizabeth to give herself to him—or to wish for it, at the very least. But he refuses her, and explains that he would not wish to do such a thing without taking her hand in marriage, with her family’s blessing.
Rather than the declarations of love and adoration he might have expected, he instead receives a slap to the face and an endless stream of tears from the girl who thought she had found true love.
---
By the time the young man comes to see Elizabeth again, she is prepared to forgive him. After all, how could he have known that the Palmers were not her true family? For how fondly she had spoken to him of her brother, how could he have known that the man had long since abandoned her, leaving her mother to die of grief and condemning her to poverty?
He accepts her apologies with utmost grace, but for Elizabeth, that is not enough. Mere words cannot convey just how sorry she feels; to win back his true affection, she must show him how deeply she truly trusts him.
She takes him to a house, one in which no one has lived for over seven years, and leads him up a flight of worn, creaking stairs. The door she seeks is locked, but she still has the key; they enter an old bedroom, furniture and personal effects undisturbed but for layers of dust.
He expresses some small confusion at being led here, but Elizabeth silences him with a word and kneels to pull a trunk out from under the bed. Inside are various documents—deeds to properties that now belong to other estates, and wills to a fortune that no longer exists; maps to a building that burnt to cinders years ago, and receipts for a voyage just as old.
She tells him of her father’s death, her brother’s disappearance, and her family’s subsequent collapse. She tells him things that no one else has known, no one but the Palmers and herself; she tells him things that she has never trusted anyone else to hear.
She tells him of her plans to chase her brother across the sea, and shows him her stash of funds; she’s been saving for years, and she almost has just enough.
He pulls Elizabeth into an embrace, and she weeps against him—not from sadness this time, nor disappointment, but overwhelming relief that finally, finally she has found someone she can trust. He swears to her that he will join her in her quest across the sea, and she wonders if she might finally be able to find even greater happiness there.
---
Days pass, and the young man does not come to visit Elizabeth again. By the time they pass into weeks, she finds herself counting the days, just as she did after her brother’s disappearance.
She fears the worst—but no, she cannot allow that. Her trust gives her the power to hope, and so she continues to wait.
But eventually, there comes a time when her fear overcomes her hope, and she can wait no more. She leaves her shift early to search the city for him, but she finds no trace—not until her search leads her to the old house.
The locked door has been broken down from its hinges, and nearly all the furniture in the room has been overturned. The trunk lies in the middle of the floor, completely empty. Her funds are completely gone.
She returns to the Palmers’ shop in disbelief. They question after her despondence, concerned, but she will not answer. How can she admit to having been so foolish?
Soon afterward, details of a recent murder case are leaked to the populace, and the news spreads like wildfire—a body found months ago has just been identified as the young heir to the Dawson family. Only by the rings on its fingers could it finally be recognized, for its head was entirely gone.
Elizabeth realizes how deeply she has been fooled all along, and this realization crushes her.
But she cannot give up, not after so long, no matter how crushed she might be. She won’t allow it of herself.
No matter how long it might take, she vows that she will go across the sea, and she will find those who have betrayed her—both of them.
No matter what it takes, Elizabeth Rowland vows to have her revenge.
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/too lazy to swap accounts
Artemis what is your life.
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