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moonsheenI like Cornelius from Odin Sphere. Not the brightest boy, that Cornelius. But at least his heart's in the right place. All that illicit handholding aside.
Warning: this was totally written after to listening to like a crapload of Disney covers, via![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
chirachira. It shows.
The young woman stood in the shadow of a horrible beast. To be exact, it was a wolf. Its eyes burned an unholy red. Its jaws were parted wide. The creature stood taller than any that Cornelius, avid hunter that he was, had ever seen in Elrit before. Standing on the ridge overlooking the stream, he had a clear view as it loomed over that poor, poor maiden. Its grey fur rose like bristling spines at the withers. A large hoop hung from around its neck. The woman was pale and beautiful, her arms bound behind her. Surely, the wolf would not pass up such an easy meal. Surely, it was advancing. Surely, she would be killed. Surely, this could not come to pass. Cornelius dropped his gear, drew his sword, and charged off the edge—
His reflection flashed in the woman’s eyes as she chanced to look up. They widened in shock. “Wait--” she cried, hands snapping forward.
The wolf threw itself sideways as the blade passed by. Cornelius landed on one knee, water spattering. “A foul beast such as yourself making advances on a helpless maiden?” He rose, tossing his hair out of his eyes. “That is despicable. I shall not allow it!” He trained the sword’s tip between the wolf’s eyes, to make a point.
“Foul beatht!” snarled the wolf.
“Helpless maiden!” said the helpless maiden. Her arms were quite free now, her bindings hanging loosely off her wrists. “Who do you think you’re--” Cornelius, aware of the priorities, swept between her and the creature, obscuring her view from such hideousness. The poor woman looked so very bewildered.
The wolf arched its back, perched on a boulder in the bank. Cornelius met its eyes. Its muzzle was a venerable white. A long scar ran across the left side of its head. One of its paws rested more lightly on the stone. It had lived for many years, and was beginning to show some wear. By contrast, he was a ripe sixteen, strong, and insanely right-minded.
“I thee am wathting my time here,” growled the wolf. It stepped back with a snort, melting away into the wood. Cornelius turned immediately. The woman was staring. He took her hand. It was absolutely nerveless. The fear, clearly, must have paralyzed her.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“I…” said the maiden. She was dressed very…oddly. She looked nothing at all like the women of Titania, at any rate, what little of them his father ever allowed him to see.
“Thank goodness I arrived in time.”
“I…” said the maiden. There was an interesting shape to her eyes, they were slightly slanted, and startlingly violet.
He squeezed her hand, reassuringly. “I promise you, it will be safe from now on. I can escort wherever you’d like.”
“Have you hit your head?”
Cornelius blinked. “Excuse me?”
“Have you hit your head?” the maiden repeated, dutifully. “Are you ill? Or were you born a certain way? You have my sympathies if you were.”
“I’m sorry…but what?”
She snatched her hand from his grasp, putting a good distance between them. She shook her fingers as though they were dirty, and then rested them on her hip. The chain spilled over her wrist. Her eyes narrowed. “I am asking,” she said. “If you are some sort of idiot. That wolf was Fenris. Friend to the wood. He,” She fixed her red hood, running her hand over her forehead. “He had a toothache,” she finished, exasperated.
“A toothache.”
“A toothache. He has awful crowding.”
“Crowding?”
“Yes. And wolves are very shy, you know. They don’t often come to humans for help. I had a remedy for him. A potion. Now I will probably have to…” she trailed off, spinning the end of her chain in a small, irritated circle. “Nevermind.” She whipped around and vanished. She reappeared past a row of trees, and made it about twenty paces into the heavier brush before Cornelius came crashing after her.
“So then,” he said, stumbling over a root. “You mean to say, that wolf was…?”
The woman stared. “My client. How did you do that?”
He gazed back at her in amazement. “I did not know.” Determined to make right of what was apparently an awful misunderstanding, he stepped into her path. She came to an abrupt halt, skirting backwards like a wary doe. “You must forgive me, I was unfamiliar that wolves might act in such a…civil fashion.”
“Which only proves how little you know of wolves. Wolves are often civil. It is men like you who act like beasts.” Her soft mouth twisted into a bitter line.
“That’s hardly fair. It’s not always so.”
Her eyes flashed. “You are no example of the contrary. Charging in on my business unannounced.”
Cornelius drew himself up all at once. If there was anything he had been well-schooled in, it was manners, and being challenged on that point made him feel more foolish than he liked. “I thought he’d been trying to eat you. I’d meant to rescue you.”
“Rescue me?” The woman tilted her head to one side. “For what reason? Were you hoping I might fawn over your bravery?”
“No.”
“That I might be some rich man’s daughter?”
“No.”
“That you might gain some reward or fame from it?”
“Not at all,” Cornelius voice broke, he crossed his arms and glared off to the side now, knitting his brows together as he tried to put the words in order, “It was simply…the princely thing to do.”
Her eyebrows arched. “Princely?”
He knew the answer to this one. “Yes. To defend the defenseless with one’s own sword, no matter from what vaunt of life they may come. To offer a kind hand to a just cause, whenever the need should arise.” He recited it with more than a bit of pride. The woman’s eyebrows arched higher, and all of the sudden she covered her mouth and, surprisingly, laughed. It was high, pleasant to the ear, and completely at his expense.
“I see,” she said, muffled against her fingers, “You mustn’t know many princes, then.”
Cornelius frowned. “I know myself, last I checked.”
Her laughter faded. She dropped her hand. She looked him over again, starting at his boots and working her way up. They lingered over the embroidered border of his green cloak. The emblem was clear near the ties. Her expression grew very grave. “You are the prince of Titania.”
He crossed his arm over his chest and bowed. “You may call me Cornelius, if you’d like.”
“And you are ‘at my service’, I’m assuming?”
“Yes.”
“I have to go,” she said, lifted an arm, whirled her chains around herself, and, with a clank, vanished again. Cornelius wasted no time throwing himself back towards the stream, where he could hear the splash of her reappearance. He tripped. A root had crept up his leg. It had done so with obvious restrictive intent. He could tell, because it’d tied itself in a very elegant knot. Cornelius fumbled for his sword, and hacked until his limb was free, but by the time he was back on his feet, he knew she was gone.
“Fair maiden. If you must go, leave me your name, at the very least!” he shouted at the empty air.
The air did not answer. She did not reappear.
“Please?” he added hopefully.
A minute passed. He was very much alone.
“Oh,” sighed Cornelius. His tights were ruined, too. “Oh, damn.”
Warning: this was totally written after to listening to like a crapload of Disney covers, via
chirachira. It shows.The young woman stood in the shadow of a horrible beast. To be exact, it was a wolf. Its eyes burned an unholy red. Its jaws were parted wide. The creature stood taller than any that Cornelius, avid hunter that he was, had ever seen in Elrit before. Standing on the ridge overlooking the stream, he had a clear view as it loomed over that poor, poor maiden. Its grey fur rose like bristling spines at the withers. A large hoop hung from around its neck. The woman was pale and beautiful, her arms bound behind her. Surely, the wolf would not pass up such an easy meal. Surely, it was advancing. Surely, she would be killed. Surely, this could not come to pass. Cornelius dropped his gear, drew his sword, and charged off the edge—
His reflection flashed in the woman’s eyes as she chanced to look up. They widened in shock. “Wait--” she cried, hands snapping forward.
The wolf threw itself sideways as the blade passed by. Cornelius landed on one knee, water spattering. “A foul beast such as yourself making advances on a helpless maiden?” He rose, tossing his hair out of his eyes. “That is despicable. I shall not allow it!” He trained the sword’s tip between the wolf’s eyes, to make a point.
“Foul beatht!” snarled the wolf.
“Helpless maiden!” said the helpless maiden. Her arms were quite free now, her bindings hanging loosely off her wrists. “Who do you think you’re--” Cornelius, aware of the priorities, swept between her and the creature, obscuring her view from such hideousness. The poor woman looked so very bewildered.
The wolf arched its back, perched on a boulder in the bank. Cornelius met its eyes. Its muzzle was a venerable white. A long scar ran across the left side of its head. One of its paws rested more lightly on the stone. It had lived for many years, and was beginning to show some wear. By contrast, he was a ripe sixteen, strong, and insanely right-minded.
“I thee am wathting my time here,” growled the wolf. It stepped back with a snort, melting away into the wood. Cornelius turned immediately. The woman was staring. He took her hand. It was absolutely nerveless. The fear, clearly, must have paralyzed her.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“I…” said the maiden. She was dressed very…oddly. She looked nothing at all like the women of Titania, at any rate, what little of them his father ever allowed him to see.
“Thank goodness I arrived in time.”
“I…” said the maiden. There was an interesting shape to her eyes, they were slightly slanted, and startlingly violet.
He squeezed her hand, reassuringly. “I promise you, it will be safe from now on. I can escort wherever you’d like.”
“Have you hit your head?”
Cornelius blinked. “Excuse me?”
“Have you hit your head?” the maiden repeated, dutifully. “Are you ill? Or were you born a certain way? You have my sympathies if you were.”
“I’m sorry…but what?”
She snatched her hand from his grasp, putting a good distance between them. She shook her fingers as though they were dirty, and then rested them on her hip. The chain spilled over her wrist. Her eyes narrowed. “I am asking,” she said. “If you are some sort of idiot. That wolf was Fenris. Friend to the wood. He,” She fixed her red hood, running her hand over her forehead. “He had a toothache,” she finished, exasperated.
“A toothache.”
“A toothache. He has awful crowding.”
“Crowding?”
“Yes. And wolves are very shy, you know. They don’t often come to humans for help. I had a remedy for him. A potion. Now I will probably have to…” she trailed off, spinning the end of her chain in a small, irritated circle. “Nevermind.” She whipped around and vanished. She reappeared past a row of trees, and made it about twenty paces into the heavier brush before Cornelius came crashing after her.
“So then,” he said, stumbling over a root. “You mean to say, that wolf was…?”
The woman stared. “My client. How did you do that?”
He gazed back at her in amazement. “I did not know.” Determined to make right of what was apparently an awful misunderstanding, he stepped into her path. She came to an abrupt halt, skirting backwards like a wary doe. “You must forgive me, I was unfamiliar that wolves might act in such a…civil fashion.”
“Which only proves how little you know of wolves. Wolves are often civil. It is men like you who act like beasts.” Her soft mouth twisted into a bitter line.
“That’s hardly fair. It’s not always so.”
Her eyes flashed. “You are no example of the contrary. Charging in on my business unannounced.”
Cornelius drew himself up all at once. If there was anything he had been well-schooled in, it was manners, and being challenged on that point made him feel more foolish than he liked. “I thought he’d been trying to eat you. I’d meant to rescue you.”
“Rescue me?” The woman tilted her head to one side. “For what reason? Were you hoping I might fawn over your bravery?”
“No.”
“That I might be some rich man’s daughter?”
“No.”
“That you might gain some reward or fame from it?”
“Not at all,” Cornelius voice broke, he crossed his arms and glared off to the side now, knitting his brows together as he tried to put the words in order, “It was simply…the princely thing to do.”
Her eyebrows arched. “Princely?”
He knew the answer to this one. “Yes. To defend the defenseless with one’s own sword, no matter from what vaunt of life they may come. To offer a kind hand to a just cause, whenever the need should arise.” He recited it with more than a bit of pride. The woman’s eyebrows arched higher, and all of the sudden she covered her mouth and, surprisingly, laughed. It was high, pleasant to the ear, and completely at his expense.
“I see,” she said, muffled against her fingers, “You mustn’t know many princes, then.”
Cornelius frowned. “I know myself, last I checked.”
Her laughter faded. She dropped her hand. She looked him over again, starting at his boots and working her way up. They lingered over the embroidered border of his green cloak. The emblem was clear near the ties. Her expression grew very grave. “You are the prince of Titania.”
He crossed his arm over his chest and bowed. “You may call me Cornelius, if you’d like.”
“And you are ‘at my service’, I’m assuming?”
“Yes.”
“I have to go,” she said, lifted an arm, whirled her chains around herself, and, with a clank, vanished again. Cornelius wasted no time throwing himself back towards the stream, where he could hear the splash of her reappearance. He tripped. A root had crept up his leg. It had done so with obvious restrictive intent. He could tell, because it’d tied itself in a very elegant knot. Cornelius fumbled for his sword, and hacked until his limb was free, but by the time he was back on his feet, he knew she was gone.
“Fair maiden. If you must go, leave me your name, at the very least!” he shouted at the empty air.
The air did not answer. She did not reappear.
“Please?” he added hopefully.
A minute passed. He was very much alone.
“Oh,” sighed Cornelius. His tights were ruined, too. “Oh, damn.”
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(no subject)
Date: 2007-09-16 01:56 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-09-16 02:21 am (UTC)The second time he met with her, Cornelius came prepared. In his satchel there was a coiled rope strong enough to floss the sharpest of teeth, a pair of clippers that could chip even a dragon's steely talons, and a flower from the laundry woman's garden he felt would compliment the mysterious maiden's eyes rather pretty-like.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-09-16 05:40 am (UTC)I JUST finished Velvet's book, too. :D And
You are awesome as always. :D
(no subject)
Date: 2007-09-16 04:15 pm (UTC)Like
Scary, but awesome.
You are just plain awesome, though. ^_^
(no subject)
Date: 2007-09-17 07:59 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-01-14 07:58 am (UTC)