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"The Elves, the Shoemaker, and the Orphan Boy"Written By: Dentelle_noir Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing AC or the
characters. They belong to Bandai, Sotsu and associated parties. This
is a work of fiction and written for fun, not profit. The Elves and
the Shoemaker belong to everyone, but it was written down by the Brother’s
Grimm. Rating: R Warnings: AU, sap, shonen-ai, fluff, Magic, and
the mistreatment of elves. Pairings: 3x4 1x2. Summary: The well known tale says that there was
once a shoemaker who had elves break in and make him some shoes for
the king. But I know better. The story really began in a garden, where
a young orphan boy was stealing carrots for his dinner. "The Elves, the Shoemaker, and the Orphan Boy"
But, the popular fairy tale doesn’t tell it all, you know. I do know, though. I was there. I suppose the tale got a lot of it right, but certainly not everything! The well known tale starts: “There was once a shoemaker,
who worked very hard and was very honest: but still he could not earn
enough to live upon; and at last all was gone, save just leather enough
to make one pair of shoes.” That is true enough, but what the
tale doesn’t tell you is that there was a whole lot more going
down in that sleepy little town than those Grimm The story really began years before that, in a small garden out back of the sleepy little town, where a young orphan boy was stealing carrots for his dinner. He was ten years old at the time, and he made his living by performing on the streets of the city. His favourite spot to perform was next to the old Cobber’s house, since the shoemaker was a kind, hardworking man that didn’t shoo him off his doorstep once the chilly night came. It was one fateful day that Trowa, the orphan boy, was stealing carrots that he saw a little gold figure dancing on the petals of a daisy as he sang a pretty little song. The elf didn’t see the human there, because, if he had, he would have run before he could be seen like I did. Trowa, being a child himself, thought that it was great fun, and he joined in on the song, startling the poor little blonde creature. The blonde was so afraid that it stared at Trowa’s face for a very long time, too shocked to move. He could have been caught, but, Trowa never even thought about catching him because he had a kind, lonely heart of gold. He would have much preferred to make a friend. “Hello little friend. My name is Trowa,” he said softly. The little figure stared at him a little more before recovering his manners, then he bowed gracefully, “Hello friend Trowa. My name is Quatre.” Unfortunately, this little story ends there, since Mother Nature was a stern, watchful mother indeed, and she had a rule that elves and humans were not supposed to meet. She sent a huge, powerful sweep of wind through that garden that picked little elf Quatre up and brought him straight home to an angry reproach. I was lucky enough to be saved that fate since I had ducked under another daisy when I had seen that human coming, but he was grounded for WEEKS for that stunt.
A few years after that, the story you all know begins. There was a shoemaker, you see. He worked very hard, and was very honest. But he was also very lonely and sad since his wife had died a few months before, leaving him with a failing shop, no children, and no help, since they had never been prosperous enough to hire an apprentice on. And she left her husband with substantial bills from the doctor who had been unable to help her live much longer anyway. So, the poor depressed cobbler sat in his shop that night, despair overwhelming him. He was in danger of losing everything. All he had enough money for was a single piece of leather, large enough for one last pair of shoes. But he was tired, and sad, and lonely. And it was so late that even the street urchin that lived in the ally next door had climbed up to his shop’s stoop and went to bed. He left the leather and all his tools out to finish the shoes early the next morning and crawled into bed himself. Little did he know that he was blessed with a wonderful wife who, even after death, tried to help him. She petitioned Mother Nature herself, and, a little annoyed at the ghost’s unwavering presence but with a heart full of kindness, she sent out two of her best clothes-making elves to help out the cobbler.
Two elves climbed up the steep, treacherous windowsill, huffing and puffing until they managed to slide into the shop and get over to the shoemaker’s work table. The taller of the two extremely short creatures, who was obviously much more handsome, beautiful, stately, smarter, braver, kinder, funnier, sexier- whoops, sorry! On with the story I guess... that was Duo by the way. He wiped sweat off his brow and glared at his friend, “This stupid assignment is all your fault, Quatre!” The shorter, but still adorable, elf glared back at him, “We’re both very good at making clothes, which is why Mother Nature sent us. This is not my fault!” “Oh yes it is!” Duo argued back, “Mother nature is still mad at you over the whole nearly-being-caught-by-a-human thing! You’re lucky that she didn’t send you to work in the elf sweat shops in the North Pole, buddy! You know what’ll happen to a magical elf if we’re ever caught by a human, don’t you?!” “Yes,” Quatre replied angrily, stomping up to the piece of leather and starting to draw a pattern for a simple pair of shoes, “We’ll turn into a human if we’re caught by a human to protect the secret of the elves! I know this, Duo! I already said I was sorry! But the boy seemed very kind. He just wanted to play with me! He was lonely and had a heart of gold! Aren’t we here to help people like that? Isn’t that our job as fairy tale creatures? He just wanted a friend!” Duo dragged a pair of scissors over to the leather, taking the top grip himself and waiting for his friend to take the low grip, and together they managed to cut out the pattern of shoes that they needed. “Lonely-Shmonely! He was dangerous! Do you see ME consorting with humans? No! Because I’m going to get turned into one of their mortal asses! Who would ever want that life?” Quatre shrugged silently, sitting down with his needle and thread and began to sew. He did like sewing. Making shoes and clothes was something that he and Duo both enjoyed very much, even if sneaking into a poor cobbler’s badly-maintained shop in a sleepy town and having to run away from the dogs and cats that roamed the town after dark wasn’t exactly a dream job. Duo, who was working on the enhancements for the simple shoes, looked pointedly at Quatre, “...why are you so quiet?” Quatre kept sewing, but he sighed, “Humans live their lives with the people that they love. Sure, it’s a short life, but... I would give up eternity if I could be with the person that I loved.” Quatre’s eyes strayed to the window on the door. As he did, the little urchin outside turned just a little into the view of the window, but brown hair sweeping over half his face hid him from Duo’s recognition. Duo glared, “...don’t say that. You’re scaring me with talk like that. No one’s worth that sacrifice. Least of all some unthankful HUMAN.” The conversation turned from there to much lighter subjects, such as the dress that Mother Nature was going to wear to the ball next weekend and the order they had from some dwarfs needing seven identical coats to attend a funeral or something. They finished the shoes quickly and left them on the desk for the poor cobbler to find in the morning, and they were the finest shoes ever made in the kingdom. Sliding out the rickety, splinter-filled window, Quatre let Duo run off first, and he took a moment to go out to the front of the shop where his little friend was sleeping. He looked to be 16 now, and taller. He looked strong in the shoulders but he was sickly thin and dirty. But Quatre could tell that his heart was still as kind and loving as it had been when he was a child. Quatre climbed up onto his body and sat on his shoulder. Then he leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. It brought a little smile to the boy’s mouth, and Quatre’s magic warmed him from the winter chill for a little while. But Quatre knew that Mother Nature would not be pleased if she found him, so he took off after his friend and got out of there before they were caught.
When the cobbler returned inside, he found that a rich man from town had walked in and was looking at the only pair of shoes in the shop. They were his size, thankfully, and the rich man seemed to like how they looked. The cobbler told him to try them on (and hoped that they weren’t some cursed boots that would walk the rich man right out of his shop or something). The rich man exclaimed in delight that they were perfect for him. He loved the shoes so much that he paid higher than the regular price for them, and left a generous tip. He walked out of the shop and proudly showed off his shoes to anyone who would listen. With the money from the rich man, the cobbler was able to go out and buy enough leather to make two pairs of shoes and he had enough money left over for a large loaf of bread and some cheese for dinner that night. So happy was he of his good fortune that he broke off half a loaf of bread and gave it to the orphan juggler outside who was getting ready to turn in for the night on the cobbler’s doorstep. That evening, the cobbler managed to cut out the pieces for two pairs of shoes before the wax of the small candle ran low, and he turned in for the night with the intention of waking up early and finishing the shoes the next morning. Just like the night before, two little elves tried to make their way inside. Unlike yesterday, it wasn’t quite as hard because the cobbler hadn’t locked the side window. Duo managed to get the window up high enough to sneak in on his own, since his partner was useless anyway! Quatre had gone to the front stoop to sit atop the little juggler’s shoulder and snuggle against him with a deep, love-struck sigh, and kept him warm with his magic as long as he could. He had been watching over him the whole day, and had seen that the cobbler had been kind to him today. He left Trowa with another soft kiss, this time on the very edge of the orphan boy’s lips, and then scrambled in to help Duo, only to find that his grumbling friend was nearly finished both shoes already. Wanting to do something especially nice for the cobbler because he had been kind to Trowa, Quatre helped Duo finish the seaming and wove a spell into the thread that would make those boots the most comfortable boots to anyone who put them on. Finishing their jobs, Duo had to yank his half-useless love-struck friend out of there. Duo was a good friend, ya know. Not only was he handsome, and smart, and funny, and sexy, he was brave and self-sacrificing, and he did all the work that night- without Quatre’s help- out of the GOODNESS of his own very large heart. Oh, back to the story! Sorry! What can I say? That Duo-elf is kick ass. He can’t hide it, so don’t ask me to just because I’m telling the story! Anyway, so, the next day that rich man came back and this time he had a friend with him who wore even finer clothes than the rich man did. He was even richer, and he looked like he came from the capital city! He had heard from the rich man how wonderful the shoes were there and he wanted to see for himself. He looked at both pairs of shoes which sat in the cobbler’s store, a little confused that there were only two pairs, but he tried on the pair of boots which Quatre had especially made. The very rich man exclaimed in delight that the shoes were the most comfortable things that he had ever worn. He loved the boots so much that he happily paid higher than the regular price for them and he bought the second pair in the store for his wife. He walked out of the shop and proudly showed off his shoes to anyone who would listen. His mood was so good that he even gave the little orphan juggler enough coin for his show that Trowa was able to buy himself some meat and cheese for the first time in weeks for dinner, and Trowa went to sleep happily under the cobbler’s shop window as he usually did. The cobbler made enough money that day to buy enough leather for four pairs of shoes. By this time, though, the cobbler was wondering what was going on in his shop. He needed to know who was making such wonderful shoes, and thank them for all their help. Like I said, this cobbler was one of the few good humans. So, he decided that night to hide inside a broom closet and wait to see who was sneaking in. His suspicious were on the urchin, although he had no proof, and the boy had denied it again that morning. That night, in crept two little elves bickering with each other. He was so shocked at seeing them that he didn’t dare move from him position. “Again?! Seriously! Why can’t people just be happy with what we give them? Honestly!” said Duo, the taller of the elves as he surveyed that enough leather for FOUR pairs was left out for them tonight, “This is getting to be as bad as that North Pole place, with all that work for little elf hands. This isn’t easy work! Humans are so unthankful!” he remarked, surveying the leather. He looked to his friend for confirmation, but, unsurprisingly his friend was staring out the shop door morosely. “But it’s cold out there and he has no coat... Can’t we use the leather and make him a coat?” Quatre asked, worriedly, looking over the sleeping form of his darling orphan. “Mother Nature doesn’t work that way. And if she found out that you’re watching over the orphan, then you’re going to be in deep trouble! Straight to the Pole for you, Quatre! Ho, Ho, HO and GET TO WORK! That’s all you’ll hear for the rest of your miserable life!” Duo groused. Quatre went back to the table and nodded softly, “...do you think Mother Nature knows that he’s just out there? It’s like she’s tempting me.” Duo rolled his eyes and got to work, “I don’t know, but probably. She IS Mother Nature after all and she does know everything. Maybe it’s a test to see if you’ve learned your lesson about not letting yourself be caught? If it is, buddy, you’re failing.” After a while of working in the quiet, with the hidden cobbler trying to decide what to do for the little elves to thank them for their kindness, the four pairs of shoes were finished and the two elves walked around to survey their work. Quatre nodded to himself on a job well done, then he turned to Duo with a pleading look. Duo sighed, but shooed him away while he cleaned up. Immediately, Quatre ran outside to see his little orphan boy and sit with him, snuggling up into the boy’s long brown hair and stroking his face and ears affectionately. The boy stirred a little, but Quatre was too enamoured to really notice, and he continued to sit with him and warm him with his magic until the dawn was about to break. He leaned in against him, and pressed a soft, loving kiss to the little orphan boy’s lips, then scampered off as the first light broke. He didn’t know that the orphan boy had felt him this time... and when Trowa woke, just moments after the kiss, he touched his lips in wonder. He thought- just for a moment- that he had seen a little figure with bright blonde hair run away. It reminded him of his little elf friend whom he had almost convinced himself had been just a childish dream from years ago... He was forced off the stoop early, though, when the cobbler emerged from his spot in hiding and looked at the four pairs of fine shoes waiting in his shop. He placed them in the window and saw the little orphan boy just waking up to the morning. Having pity on him, and knowing that it was the boy who had brought such prosperity onto his shop, he found some bread in his not-quite-bare cupboards and gave him half a loaf that morning.
He was the kind of King who never liked to be outdone. He was always fashionable, vain, and often quite stupid. He refused to let the very rich man be the only person with shoes like that, and, since he would never buy something second hand, he demanded that he was to have a pair of these fine shoes for himself. He set off immediately for the cobbler’s shop to find a pair of these so called ‘wonderful’ shoes. And if he did not find a pair that was more grand than the very rich man’s shoes, then he planned to take the head of the cobbler instead. Meanwhile, the cobbler was wondering what he should do to repay the little elf. Word of his shoes had gotten around the town, and he had sold two of the four pairs of shoes made, and had gotten four shoe repair jobs! It was a busy day for the cobbler and he had made enough money to restock his shoe-shelves and buy a second-hand coat for the little orphan boy that just needed a few repairs. Word of a great carriage coming into town came to the ears of all the people of the town. Surprisingly, it was the carriage for the King himself and it went directly to the humble cobbler’s shop where Trowa was outside performing a new juggling trick for some of the older women of the town. The young King jumped out of the carriage with a scornful look at his attendants, and he waltzed into the tiny shop with disgust. He picked up a pair of shoes that were not bad and he tried them on. They were terrible! No better than common shoes! He took the shoe off and threw it at the cobbler with a hiss of anger, “I am the King! And I demand a pair of shoes BETTER than those, or I shall have your head!” and he pointed to the elf-made shoes of the very rich man. The cobbler was rendered rather speechless, and the King’s fury rose. “Can you make me shoes better than his!?” he King demanded pointedly, “Or are you a fraud?!” The cobbler gulped, “I... I can try, your majesty... Those shoes were made by my little helper,” he answered honestly, since he was an honest man. (I never did say he was smart, did I? No.) When the King asked to see this ‘little helper’ the shoemaker had to tell the King that he was not there. The King was NOT pleased to hear that, and he demanded that he have a pair of shoes fit for a King by tomorrow, or he would execute the cobbler and any helpers he had for misleading him. He stormed out of the shop and left the poor cobbler ready to cry in sheer worry. That night, he used all the leather that he had to try and make one pair of spectacular boots, leaving the mending of the orphan boy’s jacket for another day. He worked and slaved, and slaved and worked all day and evening making pair after pair of beautiful, comfortable shoes, but none were good enough for a King. He was down to only one piece of leather left, enough for one more pair of boots, when he became too exhausted to work anymore. He only had one hope left. He needed the elves help, and he needed to produce a special helper to show the King, or else he would be killed.
“This IS punishment from Mother Nature, I swear it is!” Duo wailed, lifting the window for Quatre to get inside. His friend wasn’t paying attention, though. He was watching the orphan at the side of the cobbler’s shop today. The wind was bitterly cold, and he was still without a jacket. Duo huffed, “I told you. Humans are spoiled little creatures. They have no thoughts for anyone other than themselves!” That was when Quatre walked into the shop and gasped, seeing the little coat out on the workbench, next to enough leather of one pair of shoes. He tugged Duo’s arm and pointed to it and grinned, “No, I told YOU so! The cobbler is a good man!” Duo was glad to see that the shoemaker had begun to work again, and had only left enough leather for one pair of shoes out for them to do that night, and he happily pulled Quatre over to decide what they should make with it. Seeing that the shoemaker had been making grand-looking shoes, they decided to make a pair of boots to outshine them all. Since Duo was a better tailor than a shoemaker, and Quatre particularly fancied making a tall pair of boots, they divided the tasks and went to work. Once they finished, Duo sat on the side of the work bench cleaning his fingernails, “You know...” he drawled slowly, “The shoemaker dude was nice to your little boy-toy today, and last time we did something nice for him to thank him for that...” Quatre blushed and heaved a button at Duo’s head for calling Trowa his boy-toy, and then he surveyed the tall boots in front of him again. With a little touch of elfish magic, Quatre took his needle and added some embellishments to the side of the boot to bind his magic inside of it. Whomever wore these boots would love the boots instantly. And then, since he was very pleased with what the shoemaker had done, he added some extra magic so that whomever wore the boots would always be kind, generous, and wise. He knew that they would fetch the shoemaker a good price, and it was the least he could do for the man who was helping his friend. Then he went to the coat with his needle and thread and began to weave a protection spell into the coat itself, working distractedly to make sure that Trowa was always taken care of. If he hadn’t been so focused on protecting Trowa, though, he might have seen it coming. Duo had. He shouted out a warning, but the cobbler was too fast. He brought a bucket down on top of Quatre quickly, pinning him to the jacket, and then he went to try and catch Duo as well. Under the bucket, Quatre tried to get free, feeling the magic within him slowly draining out the longer he had been caught. He only had a little magic left, but he had already decided what the most important thing to do with it was. As Duo led the cobbler on a frantic chase around the shop, trying desperately not to be caught himself, Quatre took his needle and finished weaving the protection spell into the coat for Trowa. His hands were getting bigger and bigger, and his magic was beginning to run low as the change started to take place. Elves were never meant to be caught. And when they were, they lost their magic and turned to nothing but a common human. Duo managed to get out of the shop by breaking a window and running out onto the street, but, by the time he was free, it was too late for Quatre. The blonde was tying off the last bit of his stitch, and he wore the bucket on his now human-sized head. When the cobbler turned to see him, his jaw dropped in shock. Quatre shook out the coat, took the bucket off his head, and coldly informed him that no elf could ever get caught, or they would turn human. Quatre had grown to the size of any normal teenage boy, but he looked the exact same as he had as an elf. His features were the same, his smile was still bright and kind, and his ears had a gentle sort of point to them that was often hidden by the bright, golden hairs still adorning his face and framing his bright blue eyes. The cobbler felt terrible, and ashamed of what he had done. He did not know, and while he thought that he deserved the former-elf’s rage, once he explained the predicament that he had been put in, Quatre’s kind heart won out, and he forgave the shoemaker for what he had done. Then, together, they hatched a plan.
The King demanded to see his shoes. Out from the back Quatre came, holding the boots that
he had made that night, and he bowed low to the King to let him see
them. “See, Your Majesty,” the cobbler said, “This
is my apprentice, Quatre, and he has made those shoes for you just
as you asked. Do they please you?” g grabbed Quatre by the scruff of the neck and pushed him out of the shop. He was SURE that the cobbler was trying to fool him! Something was not right, here, and he refused to be played for an idiot. The King threw Quatre, and the boots that he held, to the ground outside of the shop for all of the townspeople to see. He was determined to find the fault in the cobbler’s little trick. He knew it was the blonde’s identity was wrong. Because why ELSE would the boy not be there yesterday? Thinking he knew how to out the real identity of the mystery boy, he looked into the crowd and pointed to one of the people standing there. It was the little orphan boy, Trowa, and he stepped out of the crown nervously. “Who is this boy!” The King demanded. “Did he make these shoes?” Trowa looked at the blonde that the king pointed to
and, with a shock of realization, he knew that it was his little elf
friend. And that his little elf friend looked very frightened. He looked right into the eyes of the King and said, “That is Quatre. He’s been helping in the cobbler’s shop the last few days. I have seen him leaving it. If he says that he has made those, I would believe him.” Trowa answered truthfully, knowing in the bottom of his heart that it must have been Quatre scampering away from the cobbler’s house the morning he had felt his kiss. He didn’t know why he was human-size now, but he knew Quatre. And he knew that Quatre wasn’t the kind of person to lie. The King looked at the orphan boy, and then looked at
the boy still holding the shoes. The King had no reason not to, so he took the boots from the still-kneeling blonde and summoned a servant to help him. As soon as he put the shoes on, just as Quatre’s spell had promised, the King’s terse expression changed to one of sheer love. He adored them so much, people say, that he began to smile softly and kindly at that very moment and never stopped. He stood and walked around in the shoes while everyone watched with bated breath, and then he announced, “These boots are marvellous!” Cheers filled the little town, and all of the King’s attendants wanted a pair of the famous shoes for themselves. The shoemaker’s shop was cleared out in a matter of minutes with the nobles trying to outbid each other for the shoes available, and he was left with a coin purse with enough money to support him for years. The King looked to the apprentice who had made such wonderful shoes, and he offered him a position in the capital, making shoes for the royal court. Quatre looked to the old shoemaker, haggard from selling shoes in his big, empty shop, then to Trowa, who was performing for the rich nobles and servants for coins outside. “No your majesty,” the elf said softly, but surely, “I am needed here.” The shoemaker called Trowa into the shop and put him to work ringing out all the customers that came that day, and he offered him a warm place to stay for the winter, as long as he helped around the shop. Quatre looked especially pleased to hear that, and he put the coat around Trowa’s shoulders and pressed a dainty kiss to the slightly older teen’s cheek in delight. The King left the shoemaker and Quatre shortly after that to ride back to the capital, wondering, in his new-found wisdom, why it had ever been so important to him to have the most fashionable shoes in the first place. Now, this might seem like an unusual sort of happily ever after to you, since there wasn’t a wedding or anything, but it really was. The shoemaker made enough money in that one week to support hiring an apprentice and a shop assistant, and they had enough money to buy lots of leather for many, many pairs of shoes, which Quatre delighted in making. The shoemaker was able to retire with the sounds of laughter always in his shop once Quatre and Trowa took over. The orphan boy gained a family, and a future. The former-elf found the love that he had always wanted. And the kingdom prospered for years and years to come from the wisdom and kindness of their once-spoiled king.
“It really is a beautiful ending, don’t you think?” the narrator of this story hummed, stopping in front of the cobbler’s house with his friend in tow, and knocked stoutly on the door. His friend shrugged, making a little grunt sound, “And you think that this now-prosperous cobbler will give YOU a place to stay...why?” The visiting stranger had been about to throw a sour look his companion’s way when the door to the little shoemaker’s opened, and there stood Quatre in all his human glory. Behind him, protectively, stood his lover with a broom in his hand, cleaning up their shop like he always did. The blonde cobbler took one look at the visiting stranger and threw his arms around him in delight, “DUO! I’ve missed you!” The visiting stranger, Duo, hugged his friend tightly and pulled away with a smile. He looked sheepishly towards the handsome human behind him and then nibbled on his lip a little, “Quat? This is Heero, and... we kinda need a place to stay for a while. Newly human and all.” Quatre immediately yanked both Duo and Heero into the shop and made tea, sitting both of them down at the table while Trowa looked at Duo in that suspicious way that could only come from a man who was so in love with the man he lived with that he was jealous of his lover giving anyone else attention. Duo grinned, but he leaned over to Heero and hugged him tightly. Quatre came back with tea for everyone and a plate of cookies, “Of COURSE you can stay, as long as you want! I think the tailor is about to go off and do something brave, so, perhaps you can take his position?” Duo nodded solemnly, and then looked to Trowa. The tall orphan-turned-shop-owner was looking suspiciously at Heero and trying to hide the way he was sniffing at him. Finally, Trowa glanced outside, then to Quatre, and asked “Do you smell a horse?” Duo laughed, leaning back in the seat, “oh, THAT would be Heero. He used to be a horse. I found him stuck being a coachman to this enchanted pumpkin about a week ago, you see....” But that, my friends... Is another story entirely. Quatre and Trowa happily let me, the other former-elf, into their home, and I took over the brave-little-tailor’s shop across the street. Heero helps around the tailor shop most of the time, stealing kisses from me whenever no one is looking, and he seems perfectly content only being ridden during our private moments. All in all, everyone lived happily ever after. Even if those Grimm brothers don’t think that a set of four bachelors growing old together can possibly equate to living happily ever after... Damn homophobe bastards.
~End~
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