CinderImpulse by scheherezhad
Rating: G
Summary: A Teen Titans fairytale.
Disclaimer: Don't own, not making money, please don't sue.
Author's notes: This took me a bajillion years to finish. The fairytale mindset is a bitch for me to maintain, apparently.
Feedback: Pleeease? scheherezhad@yahoo.com
Once upon a time, there was a lovely little baby boy with golden eyes. His name was Bart, and he was loved very much by his parents. They played with him every day and spoiled him with gifts, and the family was always joyful, and they shared a most wonderful life.
One day, a gypsy woman came to their home with a basket of ribbons. "A ribbon for the fair lady?" she asked, showing her wares.
"We need no ribbons," Bart's father told the gypsy. "My wife has all the ribbons she could want, and I have no daughters."
"Surely one more ribbon would do no harm, good sir," she said.
Bart's mother grew worried. "Perhaps we should buy a ribbon. It is bad luck to turn away a gypsy without buying a trinket," she told her handsome husband.
"No, we need no ribbons," he repeated, for he was no man of superstition.
"Then I shall place a curse upon your firstborn son," the gypsy hissed. She traced a rune in the air and spat on the doorstep. "From this moment forward, every second that you look at your child, he shall age a thousandfold. He will become a shriveled old man and die before your eyes, unless you send him away and never look upon him again."
Bart's mother flung herself at the gypsy's feet. "Please, forgive my husband! Remove the curse from our son, I beg of you," she cried.
"What's done is done, what's said is said," the gypsy replied, and she spat again before she walked away, leaving Bart's parents crushed with grief.
Bart sighed and leaned on his broom, staring out the door at the children playing in the lane. He wished he could go out and play with them, but he had not yet finished his chores. His cousin had given him a long list today, and they were to be done before Wally came home.
Bart also wished he did not live with his cousin. It was he, Sir Wallace West, who had taken Bart in as a baby when Bart's parents died. Wally was an upstanding citizen and a noble knight of King Wayne, to whose castle he had gone. Unfortunately, Wally was not particularly fond of Bart.
He thought Bart to be nothing but a silly child, even though he was sixteen now. He made Bart do all of the work that a wife and servants would do, and he rarely allowed Bart to play with the other children in their village. Bart hoped that Lady Linda would accept Wally's proposal of marriage today. If Wally had a wife, she would bring servants, and they would no longer need Bart to take care of their home by himself.
Sighing again, Bart returned to sweeping. He still had to start dinner and put out fresh hay for Wally's horse, for they would both be famished after the ride from Wayne Castle. He also had to take the laundry off the line and remake their beds and...he thought that was the last of it, but he had started late in the day. Wally would surely be home at any moment, and he would chastise Bart for his laziness.
An angel must have been watching over Bart, because he had only just finished the last of his chores and was setting out dinner when Wally rode up on his magnificent roan steed, Mercury. It was said to be the fastest in the kingdom, faster than even the swiftest of the King's own mounts.
"Is dinner ready, brat?" Wally asked immediately, dismounting.
"Yes, cousin," Bart replied.
"Take Mercury and prepare a hot bath for me. Then you may have your supper."
"Yes, cousin." Bart took the reins from Wally and led the horse back to the stable. Once it was fed and watered and secure in its stall, he drew water from the well and brought it back to the kitchen to heat. He was exhausted by the time he was allowed to eat.
Wally called him to the hearth after he cleaned the dishes.
"Bart, I will be gone to-morrow night, and the night after," Wally said. "The King is holding a ball for Princes Richard, Jason, and Timothy in hopes that they will select their brides. You will need to stay here and watch over our home."
"But cousin! May I not attend the ball, as well? I have never seen a prince before."
"No, brat. You do not know the ways of the court, and Lady Linda has accepted my proposal. I will not risk such a fine match with your uncouth manner."
Bart nodded. "I understand, cousin," he lied.
"Then off to bed with you. You shall have to wake early to-morrow to pack my things."
Bart trudged into his tiny bedroom and threw himself onto his narrow bed. "If only I were so lucky as to have been born a prince. Surely there are none so loved as they," Bart said to the darkness. "How I wish to go to the ball."
A moment later, he was asleep.
Before the sun had even begun to rise, Bart woke up and began to prepare Wally's things for his stay at the castle. He woke Wally as soon as breakfast finished cooking, and his cousin left while the birds were still singing their morning song. Bart didn't know what to do with himself, for this was the first time he had been left alone for so long.
He realized with joy that he could go out and play with the other children, and he rushed to finish his daily chores. As soon as he was done, Bart threw open the door and nearly knocked down an old woman in a dark blue cloak.
"Pardon me! I did not know you were there," he said apologetically.
"Have you a bit of bread for a hungry traveler?" she asked in a creaky voice.
"Of course," he replied, for he was a generous boy. "Come in and rest your tired feet. I shall fetch you fresh water from the well."
The crone ate the bread and drank the water and rested her tired feet, and she told Bart about her faraway home in the land of Azarath. When she rose to leave, she said, "You are a sweet and generous boy, to help an old lady and listen to her stories. For your kindness, I will grant you a gift."
And from underneath her cloak, the crone drew a little wooden box with holes along the sides.
"In this box is something very special. I have waited many years to find a child who deserved it, and now it is yours," she said.
"I have never before received a gift," Bart said, staring down in wonder at the little box as she placed it in his hands. "Thank you."
It was nothing extraordinary, just a simple wooden box with holes along the sides and three little stars-one copper, one silver, and one gold-inlaid in one corner of the lid. Bart took a deep breath, crossed his fingers for luck, and whisked the lid away to see what was inside.
It was a mouse.
A little green mouse with delicate green whiskers and a twitchy green tail. "Hello," it said.
Bart promptly dropped the little wooden box, and the little green mouse tumbled out and turned into a big green boy.
"How rude," the boy said, fussing with the sleeves of his snowy white tunic, "not to return a simple hello after you woke me up and dumped me on my head." He looked closely at Bart. "But you are very handsome, so I shall forgive you this once."
Bart stammered and sputtered and looked rather faint. "Who are you?" he asked the boy.
The green boy stood and bowed formally. "I am Garfield the Changeling, and I am at your service."
"At my service?"
"The witch Raven has gifted me to you, and I am now yours to command."
"But I have no need of a servant," he said to the witch.
"You have no tasks that require assistance? No desires gone unfulfilled?" she asked. "No lonesome wishes you have wished in the dark?"
"Yes," Bart whispered.
"And for what have you wished?"
"For love. If only I were a prince and could attend the King's ball, I know I would find someone of my very own to love."
The witch nodded. "Then to the ball you shall go, and you shall be as a prince for two days and two nights. Garfield will accompany you and tend to your needs." She gathered up the little parcel of food that Bart had prepared for her journey, and she went to the door. "I must leave now, for I have a long way yet until I reach my home again. But remember this: when you no longer have need of Garfield, he will return to me. Treat him kindly and use him well, child."
"I shall," Bart replied. He ran to the witch and hugged her fiercely and said "Thank you," and then he watched her leave.
Garfield went into town that afternoon to procure the things that Bart would need for the ball, and Bart fed him a hearty supper when he returned. When Bart went to sleep that night, Garfield transformed himself into a cat and shared Bart's thin pillow.
In the morning, Bart awoke to find that Garfield had made him breakfast and laid out a fine suit of clothes for him to wear. There was also a handsome carriage with two white horses waiting to take them to the King's castle. Garfield attended to all of Bart's chores while Bart bathed, and then he helped the boy dress. They left for Wayne Castle at mid-day, and they would arrive just in time for the start of the ball that night.
The journey there was fascinating for Bart, who could not remember having ever traveled further than the next hamlet over. Garfield was an amiable companion, as well. He knew many things and seemed pleased to share his knowledge. Bart thought that must be because Garfield had spent a very long time alone in his little box. The both of them far better enjoyed company than solitude.
As they neared the castle, Garfield told Bart all the things he would need to know about acting properly as a prince. He helped Bart change into his new formal attire, and reminded Bart that he would disguise himself as a mouse in the boy's pocket, so as to be near him in case he needed help.
At the ball, Bart was announced as Prince Christopher of Lower Azarath, a title that Garfield had invented for him. The rest of the night, however, was a fair blur in Bart's poor head. He was so unused to the bustle of court that he barely remembered to answer to his new name. He was also terrified that Wally would see him and recognize him, but Garfield was tucked away in his pocket, and the green boy would squeak softly at him for reassurance from time to time.
Bart enjoyed the festivities late into the night and met more people than he had known in his short life. There was the King's cousin, Lord Clark of Kent, and his son, Conner; and the brother of the late Queen, Duke Oliver, and his children. Bart met Prince Richard and Prince Timothy on the dance floor. By the grace of some enchantment Gar placed on Bart, they even encountered Wally briefly and went unrecognized. A kindly old butler showed Bart to a room afterward. Once he was inside, Bart took Garfield out of his pocket and undressed carefully, mindful of the expensive clothing. Garfield brushed his hair and tucked him into bed and slept on his pillow again, with Bart's fingers stroking his soft cat fur.
The following day was much the same as the one before it, though a pretty maid brought an overflowing breakfast tray to Bart's room. When she left, Garfield turned into himself once more and shared the meal with Bart. They talked and ate and talked and ate, and Bart told Garfield about his lonely life and how he wished to see the world. Garfield became a cat and curled up in his lap sympathetically, and they lounged in the sunlight spilling in through the windows.
In the afternoon, Bart dressed and toured the castle and mingled with the other guests. He chatted with many pleasant young lads and ladies, but none with whom he thought he could fall in love. He returned to his room for a late lunch with Garfield, and the heaviness in his heart lifted a bit when the green boy smiled.
When the evening's festivities began, it was announced that Prince Richard was soon to marry a princess from the land of Tamaran. She was tall and very lovely, and more than a match for the Prince's stubborn ways.
Bart was pleased for Prince Richard and Princess Kory, but he despaired for finding a love of his own. He wished dearly that Garfield could share the evening with him, but the green boy was once again a mouse in his pocket.
Bart mingled a bit more and danced with several beautiful young ladies, but he retired to his rooms early. Garfield transformed into himself as soon as the door shut behind them.
"What is the matter?" he asked. "Did you not wish to find love here?"
"I did, indeed, my friend. But I fear there is no-one among the guests whom I might love. Whatever shall I do?" Bart cried.
Garfield hugged him tightly and said, "You will find love, surely, for I have scarce met anyone so lovable as you."
Bart felt a peculiar feeling in his chest, a feeling that reached for Garfield when he stepped away again.
"I will help you find the one you are meant to love, even if I must search to the ends of the earth," Garfield said fervently.
Bart gasped. Garfield was so passionate, so devoted. Bart knew then what that peculiar feeling was. "Oh, Garfield, you have! You have found the one I am meant to love. It is you."
"Truly?"
"Truly, my darling friend."
Garfield swept Bart into his arms and kissed him. "Then you shall have need of me for a very long time, shall you not?"
Bart smiled. "Oh, yes. The very longest time."
Garfield embraced him joyfully. "Let us go, then. We shall travel wherever you desire to go, and I shall never leave your side."
"Nor I yours," Bart said, kissing Garfield again.
Bart wrote a brief note to Wally to say that he had gone away, then he and Garfield packed up all their belongings and left at once, and they lived happily ever after.
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