Hello again! Well, I got bored and I saw they no one had written or updated their stories in a while, so I thought I would write another tiny oneshot just for fun! Here it goes!
Disclaimer: Tragically, I don't own any of the character, but for the moment I control them! Muah ha ha ha ha!
Thirteen-year-old Victor Van Dort sat at the edge of the river that ran through his sleepy little home town, solemnly skipping stone across the water's glassy surface and watching the sun sink lower and lower in the west. He knew it was getting late and that his parents would wonder where he was, but at the moment he didn't care. At the moment, he wished his parents didn't even exist.
Victor picked up another smooth stone and turned it over in his hand, all the while reflecting over the events that had taken place during the day.
At first it had started out as any normal day; Victor got up, went to school, came home, drew awhile, and ate dinner with his parents as he always did. But it was during dinner that not only changed his day, but his entire life. Somewhere between the last course and dessert, his parents dropped a bombshell on him.
Nell and William Van Dort informed Victor that it seemed that a well known aristocratic family, the Everglots, have been experiencing some financial difficulty for quite some time, a difficulty that would only continue to worsen over the years. Their only hope from destitution was to marry off their only daughter, Victoria, to a wealthy family, which the Van Dorts have only recently become due to William's thriving fish business. Being that Victor and Victoria were of the same age (and seeing as how their names fit so well together), the Van Dorts and the Everglots agreed (much to the Everglot's disdain) to an arranged marriage between the two.
Victor's parents told him that it was all settled, Victor was to marry young Victoria when they both came of age, which was a mere five years away. They would then take command of the fish business and share the profits with their parents. Nell and William Van Dort claimed that their plans were flawless.
There is only one problem, Victor thought as he angrily tossed the stone across the river. That is not the life I wish to live.
The last thing Victor desired to do was to take over the fish business. He didn't know how to run a business! He had enough trouble deciding what to eat for breakfast, how was he to make decisions for an entire company!
"You'll learn," his father, usually the more sensible one of the two parents, had said dismissively when Victor voiced his concerns to him.
"But father, w-with all do respect, I do not wish to learn," Victor said timidly.
"Oh, don't be silly Victor, you must learn" his mother exclaimed, intruding in on the conversation as usual. "After all, you'll need a job to support your wife."
That was another thing Victor didn't like. He didn't want his marriage to be arranged for him. He always thought he would meet the woman he would marry on his own, someone he could love and get along with. What if he and Victoria didn't have anything in common? What if she was like her mother? Victor had only met Maudeline Everglot once in his life and if Victoria Everglot turned out to be anything like her mother, Victor didn't think he could bear spending the rest of his life with her.
Victor sighed and picked up the portfolio and pen that had been sitting on the ground by his side. If only he wasn't such a cowardly fool, Victor thought. If only he had enough courage to stand up to his parents and refuse the life they planned for him. But he knew he could never do it. Every time he even so much as thought about defying his parents, his palms would begin to perspire and he would get a lump in his throat that ceased his voice. He sadly accepted the fact that though his heart desired it, the rest of him would never allow him to do anything that required disobedience.
Victor sighed deeply once more and stood up with his portfolio and pen in hand. He needed to draw. Drawing always proved to be a great way to relax him. So with that in mind, he turned around and walked along the path that cut through the woods.
Victor walked and walked deeper into the woods until he came to a small clearing, where he spotted a cluster of beautiful blue butterflies fluttering around the flowers that popped out of the snow. He took a seat on a large rock, turned to a blank page in his art portfolio and carefully began to sketch the scene.
Victor worked for about a half an hour in peace, but then all of a sudden he began to get the eerie sensation that he was being watched. He looked around in suspicion, but quickly dismissed the notion and continued on with his work.
Only a few seconds passed when Victor felt that sensation again, but this time he was sure he was being watched. He laid his portfolio down on his lap and frantically scanned the trees for any sign of life.
"Who's there," he called out as quiet as possible so as not to disturb the butterflies. In response, whoever was hiding amongst the trees and bushes panicked and made a great rustle, causing the butterflies to scatter and Victor to fall backwards off the rock in surprise.
Victor got up quickly and dusted himself off, greatly annoyed that his art was interrupted. His annoyance quickly dissipated, however, for when he looked up to see who had disrupted him, out of the bushes emerged the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life. Victor stood mesmerized as she approached him.
"I am terribly sorry," the young girl said as she gazed upon Victor, her doe eyes full of concern. "I didn't mean to frighten you. Are you hurt?"
Still captivated by her beauty, Victor said nothing for a second, but quickly shook his head and gave a timid smile.
"Yes…I mean, no! No, I'm not hurt," he answered as he fidgeted nervously with his cravat. "The-the ground wasn't that hard."
What kind of remark was that, you fool, Victor's head screamed. He mentally kicked himself for being such a ninny; he was sure she would laugh at him and walk away, as did all the other girls at his school when he made such foolish comments to them.
But to his great astonishment, the pretty girl only put her hand to her mouth and giggled softly.
"I'm glad," she responded, her eyes dancing with amusement. Victor smiled in response.
"Well, I'm sorry I interrupted you. I was passing through and saw you sitting here. You seemed rather busy and in my attempt at not disturbing you, it seems I disturbed you even more," she explained with a sheepish look on her face. "What were you doing out here, anyway?"
"Oh I was just…" Victor began to say, but all of a sudden he became rather embarrassed at what he was doing before she came along. His mother had always told him that drawing was such a weak, womanish hobby, and though he did his best to ignore her, he couldn't help but feel that she was right in some ways. His fear now was that his lovely new companion would feel the same. He quickly ran through a list of what he could have possibly been doing in the middle of the woods alone, none of which seemed acceptable.
It didn't matter either way, because about him laid the secret which he tried desperately to conceal. His cheeks turning slightly red from embarrassment, he made a vague gesture to the drawings, which had flown out of his portfolio and scattered about when he fell. The young girl looked down.
"Oh," she said in realization as she bent down to gather them. Victor stared at her as she did so, enjoying the delicacy of her movements, but then it occurred to him that he was being incredibly rude by allowing her to pick up his artwork. He quickly knelt down beside her and began to help.
Victor tried desperately to gather the drawings up quickly to spare any further embarrassment, but it was to no avail. The girl insisted on studying each piece of art as she picked them up. She examined them silently for a few minutes while Victor waited for her opinion, or criticism more than likely. But instead, he heard words that would stay with him forever.
"These are beautiful," she said incredulously. Victor's eyebrows shot up in amazement.
"Really," he asked in disbelief.
"Yes, I love how you put such detail into such seemingly simple things, like this butterfly," she said as she held up the drawing she had in her hand to show him which one she was talking about. Victor stepped closer to her and looked over her shoulder to examine the rest of the drawings with her.
As she flipped through each one, she would make comments on the detail he used or the beauty of the subjects he chose, but Victor was having a very difficult time concentrating on what she was saying. He was far too busy enjoying the soft, sweet sound of her voice and the way her cheeks seemed to turn a tad rosier when she laughed (although he had no idea what she had said to make herself laugh). He even dared to notice how pleasantly when he stepped closer to her, like roses and lilies.
Victor quickly reprimanded himself for thinking such improper thoughts instead of listening to what she had to say. He ripped his thoughts away from her features and forced himself to concentrate on what she was saying.
"Is this what you were working on before I came," he heard her ask when he tuned back in. She held up a half finished portrait and looked at him questioningly.
"Oh yes," Victor replied softly. "I was drawing the butterflies that were congressing over there by those flowers." He pointed to the now unoccupied patch of flowers. His new companion gasped.
"Oh, did I scare those butterflies away," she asked with a guilty look on her lovely face. "I'm so terribly sorry. I shouldn't have disturbed you." She proceeded to turn a deep shade of pink that delighted Victor to the very core.
"Oh, that's quite alright, really," he said reassuringly. "It was nothing important; I was just drawing to escape for a brief moment."
"Whatever do you mean," she asked as she cocked her head in question.
Victor didn't know what compelled him to share so much with her, but one look into her eyes and he proceeded to tell her everything. He shared how his parents had planned out his entire life for him all in afternoon.
"They are forcing me to marry a woman and run a business that I know nothing of and there's nothing I can do about it," he concluded.
"Oh, that's terrible," she said sympathetically. "But if it makes you feel any better, I know exactly how you feel."
"You do," Victor said, his eyes lighting up in excitement. He had never known anyone who he actually had something in common with!
"Yes," she confessed. "My parents have had my life planned since it began. They tell me what I can and cannot do or say or even learn. I'm not even allowed to go to school with other people my age. My mother says that what they teach there is improper for a young lady."
So that's why I haven't seen her at school, Victor realized. I certainly would have remembered a face like that.
"I just can't escape," she added softly as she sat down on a nearby log. Victor hesitated for a second, but then walked over and took a seat next to her.
"Is that why you were out here," he asked. "To escape as well?"
"Yes, if only for a while," she admitted. "But I wish I could go further. I wish I could just run away. Just run off and live…"
"The life you want to live," Victor said, finishing of her sentence. The young girl smiled in amazement.
"Exactly," she said. Victor smiled in return, just as amazed himself. He couldn't believe it. Not only could he speak to her without tripping over his words (a first when it came to the opposite sex), but he could share with her things that he was never able to share with anyone else, deep, personal things. It was as if he had known her all his life.
"Things just feel so out of control," Victor said, deciding to go on. "Like…"
"Like you're caught in a tide and being swept out to sea," she concluded for him.
"Yes," he said, once again amazed at how much they thought alike.
"My maid would say that the ocean led to many places and that maybe I would land somewhere better whenever I told her the exact same thing. Who knows? Maybe the life your parents have chosen for you won't be so terrible. Maybe it'll lead you to more happiness than you would have ever known," she said comfortingly.
"I don't know," Victor began to say in a doubtful tone, but as he looked deep into her eyes all of a sudden he began to feel a sense of peace and hope like he had never felt before, as if something in her was telling him that what she was saying was true.
"…how I could have ever doubted that things would be alright," he concluded with a reassuring smile, causing his companion to smile as well.
Then without hesitation, Victor did something that he never would have dreamed himself capable of…he took her hand in his. Her hand shook in surprise at first and he feared that she would pull away and leave, but instead she cupped his hand with hers and held it as well.
"Thank you," he said sincerely as he looked deep into her eyes and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
"For what," she asked.
"For making life worth living again," he responded, his voice full of emotion.
The young girl boldly closed her eyes and leaned forward, obviously waiting for a kiss. Victor gladly did the same, but just before their lips met, the town crier's voice rang out through the woods, causing both of them to jump in surprise.
"Hear ye, hear ye," he said. "Aristocrats in an uproar as their daughter disappears for hours."
"Oh no," she exclaimed as she looked at Victor with a mixture of panic and regret in her eyes. "I'm afraid I must go." She jumped up from the log and was about to run off when Victor grabbed her hand once more.
"Wait, please don't," he pleaded, not able to bear the thought of losing her.
"I must," he said in a teary voice, "but as long as I live I will never forget you, my dearest friend."
"Is that your word," Victor asked.
"No, words can be forgotten. It's my promise," she said with a watery smile. She then bent down and kissed him softly on the cheek. Knowing that he had to be satisfied with that, Victor let her hand slip away from his and watched as she disappeared into the woods.
Victor sat still on the log for a few minutes longer, amazed at what had just taken place. He knew he should be heading back, but he was afraid that the emotions he felt inside would disappear if he moved.
That's ridiculous, he reasoned with himself. He may have lost her, but he could tell that those feelings would stay with him for quite some time.
So Victor got up, gathered his things, and slowly made his way back to his house, all the while thinking about her. He couldn't stop picturing her face or hearing all the things she had said.
Victor knew that though he didn't even know her name or anything else about her, he would never be able to forget her. After all, a person does not forget their first love.
Six Years Later…
Victor had been married to his beloved Victoria for about a year now and things couldn't have been going better if he had arranged his life himself. The fish market was thriving, their house was finally all settled into, and he and Victoria were more in love than any couple he had ever known. At the current moment, the couple was outside in their backyard, enjoying the beautiful weather of the late afternoon. Victoria was kneeling by the flowers that lined their fence, admiring and tending to them. Meanwhile, Victor sat out on the table and chairs that were set up just outside the back door, secretly sketching his wife. Like himself, Victoria was a very shy, reserved person who didn't react well to special attention. She always became embarrassed when he used her as one of his art subjects, but Victor just couldn't help but draw her. She looked so beautiful with the sunlight streaming down upon her.
"Victor," Victoria said suddenly.
"Yes, dear," Victor responded, trying to keep the fear of being caught drawing her out of his voice.
"I think we should take these flowers out and plant new ones," she said. "For some reason I don't understand, these keep dying too fast." She picked up a dead flower in her hand and examined it with a slight pout on her face.
"I can't imagine why," Victor replied, trying desperately not to laugh. Though Victoria tried her best, it became evident after their first month or so of marriage that she wasn't raised to tend to everyday household labors such as gardening or cooking for that matter. Victor always thanked his lucky stars for their cook and gardener, otherwise they would be living in a desolate wasteland and eating burnt suppers the rest of their lives.
"Did I detect sarcasm in that last remark dear," Victoria asked as she gave him a look of suspicion over her shoulder.
"Of course not…well, maybe a little," he confessed. Victoria put an exaggerated wounded look on her face, causing Victor to laugh in amusement.
"I'm sorry, darling," he apologized, his eyes still dancing with laughter. "But you know you just aren't capable of keeping flowers alive. It's just not one of your skills. Now, why don't you just leave the matters of gardening to, well, the gardener," he suggested for what seemed like the millionth time.
"But I wanted so much to do it on my own," she replied sadly.
"I know," Victor said in a sympathetic voice. "But you have to accept the fact that you just weren't raised to do such things." Victoria sighed.
"You're right," she admitted. "Alright, from now on, I'll let the gardener tend to the flowers." She got up from where she was kneeling and walked over to Victor's side.
"What would I do without you," she asked as she looked down at him and smiled sweetly.
"Probably murder all the flowers and starve on your own cooking," he replied with a coy smile. Victoria glared at him as a smile tugged at her lips.
"Ha ha, very funny," she said sarcastically.
"I thought so," he said. Victoria then proceeded to bend down and kiss him deeply. Victor felt the familiar rush emotions he would experience whenever his wife would kiss him. He was so lost in his feelings that he didn't notice Victoria slowly easing his drawing portfolio out of his grasp until it was too late. She snatched it away before Victor had a chance to react.
"And what do we have here," she asked as she turned to the page he was recently drawing on. It revealed an almost completed sketch of her kneeling by the flowers and looking off into the sky, deep in thought.
"Oh darling, it's beautiful," she said.
"You're beautiful," Victor interjected before she could go on. Victoria smiled thankfully at him before continuing.
"It's beautiful, but you know I don't like it when you draw me," she said.
"Darling, please don't be upset with me," Victor pleaded with her, "it's just that you looked so beautiful kneeling by those flowers that I just couldn't help it."
"But Victor, I told you time and time again that I feel uncomfortable being the subject of anything. Isn't there anything else you could draw?"
"I could look all over the world and would never find a subject as lovely as you," he said sweetly.
"Oh Victor," Victoria said with a mixture of embarrassment and flattery written on her face. Portfolio still in hand, she walked over to the chair at the opposite side of the table and took a seat. She looked down at the drawing once more and studied it carefully.
"Well, it is rather good," she admitted, "remarkable, actually. You put such amazing detail into things. You have a great talent, Victor."
"Does this mean you'll let me finish it," he asked as he gaze her puppy dog eyes.
"Well…I suppose if it means that much to you," she said with a smile. She proceeded to pass the portfolio across the table to Victor.
"And hang it up in our bedroom," he ventured.
"You're pushing it, darling," Victoria warned him.
"Forgive me, my love," Victor apologized with a chuckle as he picked up his pen to continue with his drawing.
"Always, dearest," Victoria replied with a smile. She then picked up the half finished knitting that had been sitting on the table and began completing it.
Victor sighed happily as a comfortable silence fell between them. He absolutely loved these moments between him and his wife. They were yes, that was the word, cozy. Victor remembered when he was young how afraid and alone he felt most of the time because he had no one to share things with. He never knew what it was like to have a real friend until he met and married Victoria. She was the only one who ever truly understood and cared for him. After all, not even his own parents went out to rescue Victor during the whole Corpse Bride incident as Victoria had.
Victor's thoughts drifted once more to Emily, as they had done so often before. Oh how different things would have been if he had gone through with his marriage to her. He would be dead, first of all, which would have been a major difference. Another difference would have been that he didn't think he would have been as happy with her as he was with Victoria.
It was true that he was very fond of Emily (who couldn't be, besides the horrible Barkis), she was undeniably beautiful, and they did share a passion for music. But that wouldn't have been enough to make a marriage. Sooner or later, their differences would have split them apart. Emily was so full of life (in a manner of speaking). She was vibrant and exciting and passionate, something that Victor did not share with her. Victor preferred a quiet comfortable life like the one he was living now. He knew that if he had married Emily, he would have just been holding her back from the happiness she deserved and that he was sure she was experiencing now. Everything had indeed worked out for the best. She found her freedom and he found his soul mate.
Victor took a quick peek at Victoria to see what she was doing. He found her still working away at her knitting, getting lost in it as he did with his drawings or piano playing. Victor smiled. Oh, did he love her so. He couldn't imagine life without her. She was his whole world.
Victor often found himself contemplating on that. He found it remarkable what a spell she had him under. He knew that someone could take everything else away from him, his family, his friends, everything, but as long as Victoria was by his side, he would never feel alone or deprived of anything. They shared so much so deeply that she was all he ever needed. She made him a better, more confident person, something that no one had ever been able to do. Well, no one except….
Suddenly, a memory that hadn't been thought of in so long came rushing to the present. The girl. The girl that Victor had met in the woods not but six years ago. The young girl who talked to Victor as if she knew him, who had shared so much with him, who had made Victor feel that there was someone out there in the world for him. She had made him feel exactly the way Victoria made him feel everyday since they had met. Could it be?
But what are the odds, Victor thought doubtfully. Slowly so as not to disturb Victoria, he turned sideways to face her more and began to study her features secretly over his drawing. Doe eyes, rosy cheeks, brown hair pulled tightly back in a bun, beautiful, that's just how he remembered the young girl.
All of a sudden it hit him. She was the girl he had met in the woods, she just had to be. The similarities in appearance and demeanor were too great to be two different girls. Victor couldn't believe he hadn't realized it before. But Victor had to be sure. He decided to do a little test on her.
"Darling," he said without looking up from his drawing.
"Yes dear," Victoria responded.
"I've been thinking about selling the fish market back to my father," he lied.
"You what," Victoria asked in shock as she put her knitting down in her lap and stared at him with her mouth agape.
"Well, it's just that it's been so hectic down there now that it is doing better, and I'm not sure if I can handle the added pressure. I'm beginning to feel like I'm caught in a tide and being swept out to sea," he said, glancing at her briefly for her reaction and then quickly returning his gaze back to his drawing.
"Oh darling, the ocean leads to many places. You'll land somewhere better, you'll see," Victoria said comfortingly. "Now as for the added pressure, why don't you just hire another man or two to assist you in running the company? That way you can split the responsibilities between more people."
"That's a wonderful idea, darling, thank you," Victor responded.
"Always here to help, dear," Victoria replied with a triumphant smile. She then continued with her knitting in silence. A few seconds later, Victor spoke again.
"Where did you ever hear that," he asked as nonchalantly.
"Hear what," she responded.
"The ocean leads to many places. It's very wise," he commented.
"My maid, Hildegarde, would tell me that ever since I was young," she explained. "I think she still does to this day."
"Oh," Victor replied in a cool, even tone as he continued to keep up the pretense of drawing, but in reality he was all aflutter inside. That proved it. She was without a doubt the girl that he had met and fallen in love with so many years ago. He couldn't believe it. The girl he had once called his dearest friend turned out to be the woman he was predestined to marry. He just couldn't believe it. He wondered if she remembered anything about meeting him or if she even still thought about it. Perhaps he would tell her one day, but for now he was happy just relishing in the fact that he had found her.
She was right, Victor thought as he gave up drawing to stare at Victoria, she was right all along. He did indeed find more happiness than he would have ever known had it not been for his parents. On that day it became clear to Victor that he and Victoria were meant to be together all their lives, forever and ever, and he couldn't be happier about it.
"Darling, are you alright," he heard his wife say, snapping him out of his reverie.
"What? Oh yes, of course dear, why," he asked.
"Well, I called your name several times and all you did was stare at me," she responded. "Is something wrong?"
"No, my love, everything is perfect," Victor said with a smile. "It is getting rather late, though. Would you care to head back inside?"
"Anything you say, dearest," she responded as she stood up from her chair. Victor stood up quickly and offered her his arm, which she gladly took.
"Oh Victoria, there is something," Victor said before they had a chance to enter the house.
"What is it dear," she asked in a concerned manner.
"I love you," Victor answered with a smile.
"I love you too, Victor," Victoria said, returning his smile.
For a few more seconds, they stared deeply into each other's eyes, exchanging deep feelings of love without words that Victor recalled doing with her so many years ago. Then, arm in arm, Victor and Victoria walked into their hope to live happily ever after together, as it was meant to be.
THE END
Okay, so I apparently overdid it on the oneshot. My sincerest apologies! It's just that I get so excited when I begin writing for something I love that I can't help but write extensively. So sorry once again! Well, anyway, if you got through it I hope you at least enjoyed it (even though I don't think it was one of my best) and reviews are greatly appreciated! See ya later!