"Huck!"
Gigi threw her arms around her cousin. He laughed, the deep, carefree sound ringing in her ears. Taking in a breath, she could smell the scent horses, dirt and wood smoke on him. The smell of home. She pulled away, but held onto his arms staring up in the tanned face, reckless blues eyes and daring smile.
"You miss me?" he asked, the inflection of his words bringing a bright smile to her face.
"Huck..." She laughed, stunned into silence. "You're here!"
"I am. How about that dance?"
He took a step back and looked her over. Something changed in his expression as he took in the elegant gown that showcased newly developed curves. His gaze rose and finally rested on her face. The face that no longer was sun darkened. The hair that was no longer a tangled mess. He retreated another step, the smile faltering.
"Nice dress," he said.
Gigi's eyes jumped to his own ragged clothes. The shirt was faded and thread bare. The trousers was short and starting to show their age. The contrast between the two of them came into stark light.
Gigi reached for him, feeling a gap widening between them. The weeks of separation lengthened the distance. When she moved forward, he didn't back away but the mischievous look had dimmed.
"Huck, it's still me," Gigi said. "I'm still the same Gigi."
"Your voice is different."
She didn't respond, knowing that it would only prove his point to speak. She felt something grip her heart, at the appraising look in his eyes. Eyes that had only ever looked at her with openness. She opened her mouth, looking for words to prove the truth but nothing came. Her gaze wandered to his chaotic hair and a smile crossed her lips. Without hesitating, she reached out and ran her hands through it, brushing down the tangles. Instantly, Huck swatted away her hands.
"What are you trying to do?" he asked, undoing her work. "Make me a proper nobleman?"
She put her hands on her hips.
"I wouldn't dream it," she said, dropping the polished tones.
Huck laughed, the playful glint skipping back into his eyes. She hugged him again.
"How are you even here?" she asked.
She looked around her room, as if realizing that she was in fact still in the manor. When her eyes dropped to Margo, still laying stunned on the floor, she moved to her.
"Margo," she said.
She helped the terrified maid up. Fighting back a smile, she looked between the disheveled Huck and the shaken Margo.
"Margo, this is my cousin, Huck."
Huck stepped down from the balcony and gave Margo a deep, sweeping, very mocking bow.
"I am honored to meet you," he said, putting on a rough nobleman's accent.
Shaking her head, Gigi gave him a pretend reproving glare.
"He's a scoundrel that should never be trusted," she said.
Crossing his arms, Huck gave her a wide, toothy grin and leaned on the door frame.
"I'm a vagabond after all. There's no other way to describe me."
At the teasing note in his voice, Margo regained a piece of her composure. She looked to Gigi.
"He is really your cousin?" she asked.
"Unfortunately so," Huck and Gigi said at the same time.
They shared a smile and Margo relaxed a fraction more.
"I'm sorry about scaring you," Huck said. "I didn't think anyone but Gigi would be in this room."
Margo straightened her apron and pressed her hands down the front of her dress.
"I accept your apology," she said.
Huck bowed his head, his expression, for once, subdued. Gigi twisted towards him, her old mannerisms coming back as she crossed her arms and cocked her head.
"How'd the blazes did you even get in here?" she asked.
The mischievous glint came back with full force in his eyes as his lips curled into a smug, half smile.
"Your mother knew where your room was. You don't think she didn't know a way in and out of this place? She did run away after all."
"She ran away during the King's Festival in Loria. Not here."
Huck waved a hand as if the location was of no matter. "Still doesn't mean she didn't slip out of the grounds from time to time. She hasn't forgotten her old secrets." He pointed to the room and the back to the open doors. "There's a way in and there's a way out."
He folded his arms, his smile going to new levels of devious.
"How about it, Gigi? Wanna dance?"
He stared at her, the look a challenge. A look that asked her if she still really was the girl he knew. The music from the beyond the wall sailed into the room, buoyed by the breeze. The sound swept around them. The glow from the fire burned brightly in the night, the sparks leaping for freedom.
Gigi whirled on Margo, who jumped with surprise.
"Do you still have the clothes I arrived in?" she asked.
Margo looked between Huck and Gigi, her expression voicing her resistance to the situation.
"Margo?" Gigi asked, her tone prodding.
"Yes, Lady," Margo said, reluctantly. "I stored them in your closet."
Gigi's smile cut across her face, a devilish gleam entering her blue eyes. She spun back towards Huck, her look challenging.
"You remember how to dance?" she asked.
He barked out a laugh. "You remember how it feels to dance without shoes?"
"I'm still the same Gigi, Huck."
Huck's gaze roamed over her hair down to her shoed feet, the smile taunting.
"We'll see about that."
*************
The music from the troupe was louder now that Gigi and Huck were out in the open. The night air was mild and a soft breeze whispered against Gigi's bare arms. Her old clothes felt comforting in a worn, familiar way.
Huck led her around the manor, hugging the rough stone. The grass felt cool beneath her bare feet. The feeling was calming. As they edged towards a corner, Huck paused. Their breathing was even, though their blood was buzzing with excitement. The windows above them were dark. He turned back to her.
"We are going to run to the wall, there is a cluster of ivy that reaches to the top. That's our way out. Ready?" he asked.
Her mischievous smile was all the answer he needed. He spun back and checked the clearing once more, before he nodded. They took off running, the soft shushing of their feet against the grass the only sound. Gigi's loose hair tumbled down her back and bounced as she raced towards the wall and freedom. They reached it a second after each other. Huck's face was alight with held in laughter as he made sure she had made it.
With a silent nod from her, he walked along the wall, finding the exact spot on which he had entered. Gigi breathlessly watched the grounds, looking for signs of the guards or if they had been spotted. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, the place quiet. She looked to the East wing but found no faces peering out windows. Still surveying the house, she stumbled into Huck.
"Watch it!" he warned, staggering a bit.
"Sorry."
He went back to his search. A second later, he pulled her attention away from her look out.
"You're up first. I'll follow," he said.
Glancing around, his eyes took on the same wary look Gigi's just had. She moved to the wall and gripped the thick, green ivy. Ivy that lived along the walls for hundreds of years, watching as generations came and went in the manor. Steadily finding a rhythm, she climbed, knowing speed was a necessity.
She had one leg over the wall when she peered down at the rough cobblestones. She looked back at Huck. He glanced up at her and nodded.
"Jump."
Taking in a breath, she swung her other leg over. She gripped the ivy, dangling above the street. With a small gasp, she let go. She collided hard with the cracked stones and staggered back, landing on her butt. She winced but made no noise. She brushed off her hands, feeling a soreness already develop in the soft pads. Before she managed to stand up, Huck dropped down. He remained upright. His laugh rang out when he saw Gigi sitting.
"Need a hand?" he asked, his tone full of mirth.
He stretched out a callused hand and she took it.
"Now, you're looking like a vagabond again," he said.
She swiped at her skirt, trying to rid it of dirt. Laughing, Huck grabbed her hand, stalling her cleaning efforts.
"No time. Come on."
He pulled her towards the sound of the music. She relinquished her worry over her skirt's state and let herself be led through the city streets. She quickly got used to the uneven cobblestones. A few weeks of wearing shoes could not undo the toughness of her feet that years had developed.
The blaze of the fire grew until the whole sky seemed to be burning orange. The heat was like a wave that rolled over them as they drew closer. They turned a corner and came upon a scene of color and life. At the heart of one of the city's larger squares was a bonfires, burning with a ferocity that matched the energy of the surrounding crowd. Ringed around the edges of the square were wagons displaying the vast array of the troupers' talents.
On one makeshift stage a man made from muscles and tattoos breathed fire, like a volcano lived inside him. An open wagon held a crowd entrapped as colorful, patchwork hand puppets played out scenes from a play. Two men stood across from each other, juggling too many items to count. The speed in which they threw blurred the objects. A band of minstrels pulled in wanderers with a melody so lively, even the weariest and oldest of men started to dance.
Gigi drank it all in with wide, beaming eyes and a smile that was unending. The world shifted and swayed as people danced or raced to watch the entertainment. Everyone seemed drunk on the scene.
Huck pulled Gigi onward and they dived into the chaos. They pushed passed gruff, bearded men that followed Gigi with their eyes and later their words. They darted around shawl wearing women, with graying heads and loose tongues, never stopping to hear their words. They broke free of the crowded throng and found themselves in the heart of the dancers. Couples circled the bonfire their movements all unique but in time to the rhythm.
Huck bowed and Gigi curtsied. Then with a smile, Huck took her up in his arms and they danced. Their feet beat against the stones. The strains of the fiddle blending with the lute pulled them from their worries and thoughts. The heat from the fire quickly drew beads of sweat on their foreheads and made their laughs breathless.
Dizzy with laughter, Gigi pulled away from Huck and moved to the edge of the crowd where the air was cool. He let her go and grabbed a red headed girl from crowd. With a shock of surprise and delight, she danced away with him. Gigi took in deep gulps of air, her heart hammering against her chest as it kept pace with the music.
As she regained her breath, she watched Huck and his starry-eyed companion. She took parts of her skirt and swayed with the rhythm, looking over the crowd. Notes floated overhead, seeing to intoxicate the air what the vivacious sound. Men joked and jostled each other. Girls, giggled and batted away eager faced boys. No one seemed to stand still.
All except for one person.
In an alley off the square, seated upon a tall, sleek black horse was a man a few years older than her. He looked over the crowd with a half smile of amusement. His brown hair was neatly brushed back, showcasing a dark, handsome face with a strong jaw. He wore a simple shirt, jacket, pants and riding boots all with the air that they were made for him.
His survey of the crowd brought his gaze eventually to the dancing mass. Before Gigi could be caught staring, she turned her attention away. Huck passed and she laughed at him. A lanky man beside her touched her shoulder and offered an invitation to dance in the form of a held out elbow. She took it and they headed into the fray. Around the fire they whirled.
When her companion grew tired, he bowed his head in farewell and left her. Without a partner, she moved to the edge. Before she could make it there a new set of arms took her up. She looked up and found she was twirling in the steady arms of the man from the alley. Up close she could see that his eyes were a dark gray, like the sky before a storm.
He gave her a smile, displaying straight white teeth. In the energy of the moment and the heat of the fire, she quickly returned it. He leaned in.
"You, are an excellent dancer," he said, his breath warming her already hot skin. His voice was like the sound of the ocean, calm and soothing. It had the inflection of a nobleman which matched his air of confidence.
He pulled back, looking down at her.
"I could say the same for you," she said, her polished tones matching his.
A spark of intrigue entered in eyes, as his mouth curled on one side. Before they had a chance to exchange anymore words, Huck appeared.
"Pardon me," he said.
In one swift move he took Gigi from the man's arms and swept her away. They were already dancing on the opposite side of the fire before Gigi really registered what had happened. She looked up at Huck. His grin was infectious but there was a look of caution in his eyes.
When they circled the fire once more the man was gone.
**************
The last notes of music had long since drifted away into the night as Gigi and Huck walked back to the manor. Their feet were tired and their legs felt leadened. Gigi's mind wandered, but always found it's way back to the nobleman she danced with. The vivid gray color etched in her mind, as well as the strength of his arms holding her.
All around them candles and lanterns were blown out. The troupe worked swiftly, packing up and heading off. In the morning nothing would be left of them, except the memories they helped create.
Gigi leaned against, Huck, their arms loosely linked so they wouldn't lose each other. From a window overhead they heard a mother singing her child to sleep. The soft tones made Gigi's eyes droop. Huck looked down at her. He shook her shoulder, rousing her. With a yawn and a one armed stretch, she pulled herself back from the brink of sleep. She smiled at Huck.
"Thanks, Huck. I haven't been out of the manor grounds since mother left," she said, her polished words gone, lost only to return with the morning.
"You haven't left the manor? Why not? You a prisoner or something?"
He stared at her as if he couldn't fathom being stuck in one place longer than half a day. She chuckled and waved a sleepy hand about.
"Oh, it's because I have so many lessons. You wouldn't believe all the things I have learned. They say I need to know them so I don't make a fool of myself."
"Do you like them?"
Gigi looked out on the darkened street, the faint moonlight that fell into every crack and corner.
"They aren't too bad."
Huck stopped walking and turned on her, holding her arm.
"Why not come back with me then?!" His blue eyes searched her face, as if he could read then answer there.
"I'm coming back," she said. A smile began to emerge on his face but her next words haltered it. "At the end of the summer."
Huck spun away and started walking. Gigi hurried to catch up with his long strides. He slipped his hands into his pockets. She wrapped her arm around his and looked up into his face.
"I'm coming back," she said.
"I don't see why you even stayed."
"I like it here, Huck."
He frowned but didn't look at her. "You said they didn't let you leave."
"Yes, but that doesn't mean that I'm not happy. I am." She rushed forward and rounded on him, stopping him dead in his tracks.
"Don't be angry with me, Huck. Not after tonight. Please."
Gigi saw as Huck's stubbornness waged a war against his wish to make peace with her. After a moment, he let out a huff of air. Gigi smiled, knowing which side had won. She resumed her spot by his side and they continued walking.
"Tell me how everyone is?" she asked.
Huck's face softened at the change of topic. As they walked he told her, talking about the different estates outside the city that had hired them. He talked about her mother and how she was worried but refused to show it. With each word, Gigi conjured up the images of her father and mother sitting around the fire. The children as they ran about, careless of the struggles of life. A quiet smile slid across her face, as she listened, wrapped in soft memories.
"Huck," Gigi said, breaking into his words. "What happened to Jayis?"
Huck frowned in confusion and then nodded.
"Oh, he left a few days after you did. Your father accompanied him to Loria. Made sure he was safe."
Gigi nodded, looking away. Her discovery of who Jayis was rushed to her lips, but she held it back. They stepped from a street and approached the manor walls. In silence, they both searched for spot in the wall. As they looked a thought struck Gigi.
"I know a different way in," she said.
She led Huck along the wall, moving into the shadows as they passed guard houses. They had rounded the estate when they came to two wooden doors. They were so seamlessly built into the wall that they were easily over looked. Gigi turned on Huck and smiled, holding onto his arm.
"Thanks, Huck," she said. "I'm in your debt."
He gave a nod towards the door. "This your way in then?"
She nodded. He took a step back, tucking his hands away. His gaze roamed over the high wall up to the tall manor. His expression didn't hold the look of awe others wore as they passed by. His expression showed his distaste for anything that could hold him in. As he looked at Gigi, she could read his thoughts clearly but he voiced none of them. Instead he smiled.
"Clear skies, Gigi," he said.
She echoed the look. "Clear skies, Huck."
He headed back down the city streets, his long shadow stretching out behind him. Gigi watched him until he disappeared then gave the doors a quick knock.
Nothing happened.
She waited, eyeing the dark streets around her. She knocked again.
This time a pair of dragging footsteps approached the door. A heavy bolt was slid aside with a thunk. It was only after the second lock was turned that Gigi became aware of her ragged appearance.
The door swung open and a lantern was lifted before her. The light made her squint and kept identity of the holder in shadows.
"Lady Genevieve?" a deep voice said.
A breath of relief slipped passed Gigi's lips.
"Hi Vic," she said.
Vic frowned and dropped the lantern. His eyes were heavy with sleep but that didn't dampen their look of surprise. She gave him a smile. The sight broke him from his shock and he stepped back, allowing her to enter. The place was quiet, except for the deep breathing of the horses. A few lanterns lined the stalls, casting crisscrossing shadows on the floor.
Vic hauled the door shut and pushed the bolt back into place and turned the key. When he faced the stalls again, Gigi was still standing just inside.
"Vic, I would count it as a favor if you did not tell Lord and Lady Brixton about this," she said.
A sleepy grin curved his lips.
"Rethought your decision of running away, Lady?" Vic asked.
Gigi gave a small chuckle.
"No, I merely needed some fresh air. Air that was beyond the walls."
Vic gave a nod of understanding and guided her down the center aisle. As they walked he gave a yawn, catching Gigi's notice.
"I am sorry for troubling you from your sleep," she said.
"It's nothing, Lady," he said. "I was just going down. We had another late visitor. He is stopping over for the night, I believe."
They reached the doors to the manor and Gigi paused, turning on Vic.
"Who was it?" she asked.
"Duke Sayers, Lady."
At the title, Gigi's heart jumped in expectation. Before she could even question Vic for more information, he spoke.
"If it's not too impertinent, Lady, how did you leave the grounds?"
A mischievous grin flashed across Gigi's lips.
"That is a secret I shall keep," she said.
Vic bowed his head. "If I may offer this, Lady. Next time you wish to leave without a rousing notice, you need only to come through the stables."
"Thank you, Vic. I will keep that in mind," she said.
He took a step back and gave her a proper bow.
"Good night, Lady. I will leave you to get some sleep."
She smiled at him. "As I will you."
He gave her an appreciative look and waited until she was inside the manor before turning away. The halls were eerily quiet as Gigi slipped into the shadows and cautiously made it towards her room. Her bare feet made no noise on the tile as she tiptoed forward.
She had just placed her foot on the bottom step of the stairs, when someone gave a distinctive cough behind her.
**********************************************************************
Well met, reader!
(Okay I stole that one from Fire by Kristan Cashore)
Oooohhhh a mysterious person has come onto the scene! What shall this mean?! Who will he be?! So much intrigue it just might kill me! (Haha I really didn't mean to rhyme, I'm just that awesome. *falls over with laughter*)
Predictions on where the story will go?
Now! I have to say something about fashion because one must at least once in their lives. I love how different each culture's fashion is. I love the fashion of the French but there is something about the amazingly wild way some Japanese people dress that's just so freaking awesome! It always fascinates me to see how it's different from place to place.
Okay, that's all I have to say on fashion. Clearly, I'm a fashionista that studies the world of clothes very deeply. *falls over with laughter again*
What is one fashion style of a different country or culture or region that you have always wanted to try?
I've always wanted to wear a Sari. The outfit found in India (also the picture below) it just looks so colorful and elegant! If you've worn one you'll have to tell me what it's like!
Butter, nut, squash! (This is how Schlemiel says vote, comment, follow. Why they say it that way is even beyond my insanity ðð¤ª)