Foolish Games
RATING: G
SUMMARY: Listening to a CD leads Rose to remember that even though she's the one who worries about hurting him, Andrake still hurts her...
WARNINGS: None.
DISCLAIMER: I NO OWN. NO MONEY. NO SUE.
Rose threw herself on her bed, listening to the door *swoosh* shut behind her. This was a miserable, no-good day. Andrake may be her beloved husband, but that he sure knew how to hurt a hybrid. She sighed. Andrake didn't mean to hurt her, she knew, he'd do anything to keep from hurting her, but when he did what he thought was best for them both, he often ended up hurting Rose in the process. She knew it was just his careless words, but it hurt. And she couldn't respond in like, because she was terrified of hurting him.
She rolled over, and clicked on her CD player. The sounds of Jewel's 'Foolish Games' came out of the speakers, and she rolled back over. The song brought back memories, as the lyrics seemed oddly to fit the events of her life.
Rose closed her eyes, and let the music and the memories flood over her.
You took your coat off, and stood in the rain,
You were always crazy like that.
Talynn, heir to the Saurian throne, stood at eh entrance to the courtyard, and watched the prisoner.
Andrake had dropped his heavy leather army jacket at the entranceway, and had walked to the centre of the courtyard, and stood perfectly still, arms outstreached and face turned towards the sky, rain and tears flowing over his feathers.
Talynn shifted, wrapping her cloak tighter around herself. Her Saurian bloodline wasn't designed for this colder Puckworldian weather. The fact that she was half-duck did nothing to help matters.
Andrake turned at her movement, and smirked slightly. "Come!" He called, his strong voice still burdened from her years of war. "Stand in the rain! The water feels wonderful on the feathers!"
Talynn sniffed. "In case you forgot, I am your jailor. You're my prisoner."
Andrake shrugged. "You haven't lived until you've felt rain on your feathers."
Talynn looked up at the sky, and shivered. "I think I will wait to live, then."
"Suit yourself," Andrake shrugged. "Rose."
"Do not call me that," Talynn snarled.
"Whatever." Andrake turned to look upwards again.
And I watched from my window,
Always felt I was outside,
Looking in on you.
Talynn watched surreptiously, making sure the grey duck didn't see her. Andrake was practising his swordfighting in the courtyard of the Saurian compound, and Talynn was covertly watching.
Andrake moved with the natural grace of a killer, drilled into him by years of practise. Each slash of the sword would have been a death blow, and Rose again thanked whoever watched over her that she hadn't faced that sword.
The two had begun a slow friendship, based more on mutual need and mutual hate than for liking each other, but they had both begun to tolerate each other, Andrake accepting Talynn's silence and moodiness, accepting whatever she handed him calmly, and Talynn accepting Andrake's perpetual bossiness and order, brought on by being in the military.
But lately...well, Andrake had been moody, pensive, and spending far more time than usual alone, and his temper had grown ferocious. Ever since Talynn had told him, flat out, that she would never escape with him. She would never fall in love with a duck. Talynn knew that if he knew she was watching, he'd be furious.
But despite that, Talynn couldn't help but envy him. Her life had just been thrown topsy-turvy, ruining everything she'd ever believed to be true, and now here she was, rebelling against the Empire she'd been raised to rule and recovering from a self-inflicted slash through her eye. Andrake's life seemed so totally together. He had his principles, his beliefs, his militrary training to fall back on, and he had his friends and family with him.
Andrake may be the one who was changing, but Rose felt like she'd lost herself, not found her.
You were always the mysterious one
With dark eyes and careless hair,
"Andrake?" Talynn said tentitively, standing in the dark doorway.
"What?" Andrake demanded, his voice rougher and harsher than she had ever heard it.
"Are you okay?" Talynn asked softly. "We're all a little worried about you."
He was silent. He sat so that Talynn saw his profile, head lowered to look at the ground, his grey feathers messy and completely obscuring the other ducks eyes.
"Andrake," she said softly. "I'm sorry, I really am, it's just-"
"I don't care." He interrupted. "Got that? Good."
He slammed the door hard in Talynn's face, who stood there, stunned, for a long moment. "Andrake," she started softly.
From inside his room, Talynn heard the last thing she'd hear from Andrake for five long years. "Just leave me alone!!" Then Andrake had begun to sob, so Talynn turned quietly, and left.
You were fashionably sensitive
But too cool to care.
Rose grunted, and swung again at the practise target. She missed again. She stood back, and let out a long breathe. As far as she was concerned, learning to swordfight was for the birds. She'd grown up learning to use claws and teeth, and she didn't see why that wasn't good enough for the Guardians.
Probably because they don't have them, she thought wryly. Even tcklas were better than swords.
Just the same, she rocked on the balls of her feet, and struck again. Missed. Again.
"You do realise that your leaving your side wide open, right?" A voice suddenly said behind her. "Anyone could hit you right there."
Rose spun, and stopped dead. Andrake sat on the ledge of the window behind her.
Of course, he'd changed a little, being alot more muscular, and having scars Rose'd never seen on him before, and his grey eyes were clouded, but it was Andrake. In the feathers.
"Andrake," Rose gasped, then raced across the room and swept the other duck in a huge bearhug. "Andrake! You realise how much trouble you got me in?! Prisoners are not suppossed to escape Saurian palaces!"
"Hey, hey, let go," He laughed. "You're getting me all sweaty."
Rose released him, and grinned. "I really really missed you. I did. I mean, I finally realised that."
"I can tell," He smirked. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some things to take care of."
Rose's jaw dropped. "You're gone for five years and you think we can catch up that fast?! Do you remember what you said?!"
Andrake laughed. "Of course. It's just I'd better get this done with before they find out for themselves I'm back. I'll catch you soon, all right?"
"All right," Rose murmmered, but Andrake was already gone.
You stood in my doorway
With nothing to say
Besides some comment on the weather.
"Andrake!" Rose lept out of her seat as the door opened, admitting the other duck.
Andrake shook snow off his cloak, and pulled it off, revealing a medievil type outfit. "Brr. I thought Puckworld was cold!"
"Andrake, do you have any word?" Rose bit her beak, wringing her hands. "Any news?"
"News on what?" Andrake asked, looking mildly surprised.
"On Scarlet!" Rose cried, disbelieving. "Our daughter! Is she alright?"
Andrake's face grew still. "No," she growled, and threw his cape back on. "I'm going to be outside, if you need me."
"Andrake!" Rose cried, but Andrake was already gone, the door swinging shut behind him.
In case you failed to notice,
In case you failed to see,
Rose stood on the deck of a boat, at the bow, watching the water swirl around them. Andrake sat ahead of her, straddling the spar, his feathers whipped in the wind, like a figurehead.
"Andrake!" Rose called, but Andrake didn't turn. "Andrake! Andrake, please, won't you just listen to me?!"
Silence met her call, so she cast her eyes down, and slowly, turned back and walked away.
This is my heart bleeding before you,
This is me down on my knees.
"Andrake!" Rose called, her voice sobbing, as she knelt in the mud of the cobble stoned street, in the dark, watching as her husband stood in front of her, a storm of mixed emotions in his face. "Andrake! You have to listen to me! You have to leave! LEAVE!" She screamed, tears running down her face. "Andrake,"
These foolish games are tearing me apart,
And your thought-less words
Are breaking my heart.
You're breaking my heart.
You're always brilliant in the morning,
Smoking your cigarettes, and talking over coffee.
"That is a disgusting habit," Andrake pulled a face, watching as Rose bit the end off her cigar.
"I know," Rose frowned, lighting a match. "But it's not going to kill me."
Andrake took a sip of his bitter, black coffee, and looked around. "This is a beautiful country, isn't it?"
"Hmm." Rose looked around, taking in the atmosphere. "Who ever thought we'd make it this far?"
"You," Andrake said lightly, crossing his riding breech clad legs. "I honestly never thought we'd make anything at this career."
"Ah, yes," Rose laughed. "Pirates are we!"
"Please," Andrake winced. "Privateers."
"Whatever," Rose smiled. "Bahamas. The haven of every kind of vileness and scum."
Andrake stiffened. "Speak for yourself."
Rose watched in disbelief as Andrake got up, and strode down the street. "What?"
Your philosophies on art, Baroque moved you.
You loved Mozart and you'd speak of your loved ones
As I clumsily strummed my guitar.
"Keep trying," Andrake encouraged, as Rose hesitantly strummed a melody on the guitar on her lap. "You've got to make it sound like his 4th symphony."
Rose frowned. "Kind of difficult. I don't even know how to play."
"You know you'll do beautifully, darling." Andrake say back, adjusting the skirts of her wide, billowing dress. "Did you hear? They made a new museum to my father back on Puckworld?"
"Nice," Rose muttered, continuing to strum.
"You know, you're right," Andrake said suddenly. "That isn't going to ever sound like Mozart."
Excuse me,
I think I've mistaken you for somebody else,
Somebody who gave a damn,
Somebody more like myself.
"I thought you understood," Rose said furiously. "I thought you really understood. I thought you would be able to see my point of view. You gave up everything to be with me, why can't you at least try to understand me?!"
She sighed, and leaned her forehead against her mirror. Now, if only she had the guts to say that to Andrake's face.
These foolish games are tearing me apart,
And your thought-less words
Are breaking my heart.
You're breaking my heart.
You took your coat off,
And stood in the rain.
You're always crazy like that.
Rose, heir to the now almost destroyed Saurian throne, stood at the entrance to the Pond, and watched her husband.
Andrake had dropped his heavy leather black biker's jacket at the entranceway, and had walked to the centre of the parking lot, and stood perfectly still, arms outstreached and face turned towards the sky, rain and tears flowing over his feathers.
Rose shifted, wrapping her coat tighter around herself. This planet was perfect, far away from Puckworld, Sauria and her past, but in times like these, times like ones she remembered on Puckworld, chills ran down her spin.
Andrake turned at her movement, and smirked slightly. "Come!" He called, his strong voice still burdened from her years of war. "Stand in the rain! The water feels wonderful on the feathers!"
Rose sighed. "No, Andrake. Too many bad memories."
Andrake shrugged. "You haven't lived until you've felt rain on your feathers."
Rose looked up at the sky, and shivered. "I think I will wait to live, then."
"Suit yourself," Andrake shrugged. "Talynn."
"Do not call me that," Rose snarled.
"Of course, darling." Andrake turned to look upwards again.
Rose leaned over, and clicked off the CD player as the song ended, and another, light-hearted song came on. She wasn't in the mood for fun.
She sat in the silent room for a long time, staring at the blank, white wall.
Then she rose, and went to the closet. From the back, she removed a small guitar, and sat on the bed, tuning it.
When it was ready, she began to pick away at the strings, losing herself in the melody. A perfect rendition of Mozart's fourth symphony.
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