We're not in Andalasia anymore... (Bartok)

[Deleted]

Giselle remembered looking deep into the well and wishing for a happily ever after with all her heart. But then she was pushed and fell down the well! Oh, she fell and fell and fell! It was horrible! She’d been very scared. She’d shut her eyes toward the end. But then she’s stopped falling. And now she was here, in this strange place.

Giselle really didn’t know what to do! She didn’t know where she was! And she was all alone with Edward or Pip! And it was really quite terrible! She looked around, tentatively, taking it all in. This most certainly wasn’t Andalasia, but maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

The worst part had to be that she was still in her wedding dress that her forest friends had helped her make. Picking the front of the enormous dress up off the ground and took a couple of tiny steps. Then she spied a squirrel and her whole face lightened up. She made her way toward the squirrel calling out, “Oh, excuse me! Squirrel! Can you tell me where I am? I’m supposed to be getting married and I need to find my way back to the castle, but a mean old hag pushed me down a well and now I’m here. Only I don’t know just where here is. Can you help me?”

Giselle pursued the squirrel even as it ran from her. “Oh, don’t run,” she cried after it. “Maybe you know my friend Pip. He’s my very best friend, but he’s not here now. We got separated when I got pushed down the well. And I don’t know where to go! And Edward must be very worried about, but I’m sure he’ll come find me once he knows where I’ve gone.” She chase the squirrel even as it climbed up at tree and far out of sight as she stood at the base and called up the tree. “Oh, please, won’t you help me?”

She really couldn’t understand why the squirrel had run away from her and wasn’t speaking to her. And she really looked quite defeated as she stared up into the tree where the squirrel had run. She only wanted a kind word in her time of need.

[Bartok]

Bartok did not know why anyone would be talking to a squirrel, but it looked like this girl had that exact intention. She was looking up in the tree like she expected the squirrel to answer her. His first thought was that maybe she was crazy, which made him a little scared. Then he remembered that some people around here came from places where animals talked to them. Some of them had once been animals.

Ahem.

Anyway, maybe no one had told her that things didn't work quite the same way here. Bartok had yet to meet a talking forest creature, and while he'd encountered some students who might have been considered animals (or animalistic at the very least), he definitely didn't know of any talking squirrels.

"Excuse me," he said, cautiously, because he didn't want her to think he was being rude, or trying to scare off the squirrel she was talking to. Oh, how to put this? He couldn't just come out and say "hey, squirrels don't talk" because that would be really impolite and then she'd probably dislike him before he even introduced himself.

"I don't think....I don't think that's the squirrel you're looking for," he finally managed, in his most helpful tone. "I think that's a different one. I don't think that one talks. Actually, not many of them right here do..."

[Deleted]

Giselle thought the squirrel was being rather rude to her. Pip would have had quite a bit to say about that if he had been here, she was sure. She would just have to find a different creature to talk to and ask where she was and how Edward would find her. A much friendlier one who wouldn’t run away from her.

She was a little startled by the voice. Giselle hadn’t realized that someone was watching her and she turned to face the young man. “Oh, hello,” she said brightly with a smile. He seemed very nice and it was very kind of him to stop and speak to her.

Her face fell when he said the squirrels didn’t speak here. “How very disappointing. The squirrels in Andalasia can speak. All the forest animals can. Why, my very best friend, Pip, is a chipmunk and he speaks very well. All the forest animals are very fond of him and listen to him.” She smiled, thinking about Pip.

And then the thought occurred to her that she hadn’t introduced herself. “Oh, I’m Giselle, from Andalasia. I’m new here. Actually I’m not quite sure where here is. Where are we?” she asked, looking around the park with a slightly confused face.

[Bartok]

"I know, isn't it really awful?" Bartok agreed readily. "No talking animals here. Horrible. Makes me really sad." That wasn't really true, since he hadn't actually thought about it up until that moment, but if it disappointed her, by golly, he was going to be disappointed too.

"I'm Bartok," he told her, since she'd given him her name. "I'm from America. Only not really, because I was adopted from somewhere else, but I'm not even sure where that was, so...I could be an animal turned into a person for all I know." That was the honest truth - he had no idea where he came from before his ninth birthday or so, and while he thought it was far more likely that he came from some war-torn country, he couldn't entirely rule out the possibility of having been an animal.

"Here is Tintagel," he explained. "It's a school. Except this is a park, and not really the school, but don't worry, I'll help you find the school."

[Deleted]

Oh, how lovely! She wasn’t the only one who was disappointed. “Well, you’ll have to come to Andalasia sometime,” she offered with a smile. “It’s full of animals that talk! And I can introduce you to my very best friend, Pip. I’m sure he’d like you.” And who wouldn’t when the young man was being so very kind to her? She was sure even Edward would like him.

“Bartok,” she repeated, so that she would remember. Giselle didn’t know where America was, but it sounded lovely! Her eyes went wide at that last part though. She’d never heard of anyone who was an animal and then turned into a human. “Oh,” she said in awe. “Oh, I’ve never heard of animals turning into people.”

Tintagel. She liked the sound of it. It wasn’t as musical sounding as Andalasia, but it would do. “Oh, would you?” Giselle cried. “Oh, that’s so very kind of you. Thank you. I wouldn’t know what to do if you hadn’t come along. It really is so very nice of you to help me.” She beamed at him. She was so very lucky that she had run into Bartok.

[Bartok]

"That sounds amazing," Bartok said, and he almost meant it. Talking animals actually sounded a little scary now that he came to think of it. Did that mean he couldn't swat a fly or a mosquito or something because they might be somebody's best friend? That thought was uniquely unsettling, but he tried not to let it show.

"I've heard of it a few times," he told her. "There's all kinds of magic around here. People turn into things...people enchant things so they come to life. I saw a talking chair once. I don't mind helping." He beamed. Usually he didn't mind helping, unless it was something stupid that Rasputin had him do (like lick his boots, which had happened). Not recently, though, since he hadn't seen Rasputin in a while (and to be honest, that didn't bother him too much).

"It's just back this way," he said, nodding. "You'll probably live in the girls' dorm, unless you want a house somewhere else. I live in the boys' dorms." He motioned for her to follow him, and started back in the direction of the school.

[Deleted]

“Oh, it is amazing.” Giselle assured Bartok. “My forest friends are very helpful. They often help me with sewing. And the birds are like to help me do my hair.” They were all her friends, it was true. And they really were just the most helpful little animals. And they were her great friends.

Giselle gasped. “Oh, magic is wonderful! I’ve heard that my Edward, his stepmother is very practiced in magic. I believe she uses magic for the good of Andalasia. She’s the Queen. And I’ve heard that she’s simply lovely.” She hadn’t heard a lot about the Queen of Andalasia, but Giselle didn’t like to think ill of anyone. And she had been so close to meeting her too. It was very disappointing that the old hag had pushed her the well. But if that happened she wouldn’t have gotten to meet Bartok and Giselle very glad to meet Bartok. He was the very best friend she had in Tintagel.

A dorm. Giselle would live in the girl’s dorm. That sounded delightful! Or a house! Oh, that sounded nice too. But then Edward wouldn’t know where to find her if she wasn’t living at the school. She assumed the dorms were at the school. Yes, it would be much easier to live in a dorm. She wanted to be sure that Edward could find her when he came.

Giselle picked up the skirt of the monstrosity of a dress that she was wearing and hurried to catch up. “Oh, is the way to the school?” she asked. “Is it very big? Are there a lot of people?” She was starting to worry that she might not fit in. She’d always fit in back in Andalasia, but most of her friends where the forest animals. Giselle clasped her hands together in front of her and looked worriedly at Bartok. “Do you think they’ll like me?”

[Bartok]

Forest friends...helping with sewing. And doing hair. Bartok had never met a bird that was interested in helping with people's hair. Most of the time they'd dive bomb you at best, try and steal your lunch. That was the closest they got to your hair, and Bartok usually didn't want them there. But he wasn't going to say that to Giselle.

"Your Edward, who's he?" he asked, quickly catching on that this Edward person might be someone she'd like to talk about. People liked it when you gave them the opportunity to talk about the things they loved, and she definitely sounded fond of this Edward. "Does he go to school here? Maybe I know him?"

Not likely...he didn't know anyone named Edward that he was aware of, but he could always pretend to have met the guy if he had to. Bartok eyed the oversized skirt she seemed to be struggling with, and tried to come up with an appropriate way of asking a lady if you could help her carry the clothing that was still on her body.

"Sure," he said, a little distracted, then quickly tried to regain his focus. "I mean, yeah, this is the way to the school, and yes, it's pretty big....lots of people, and I bet most of them will like you. And if they don't, they're stupid. I like you, and I only just met you, so they ought to like you too especially if they get to know you."

[Deleted]

“Oh, no, I’m sure you wouldn’t know Edward. He’s back home in Andalasia. He’s my one true love, my heart’s duet,” she said with a sad sigh. “We were supposed to be married today. But a mean old hag pushed me down a well and I ended up here instead.” Then her face brightened. “Oh, but if she hadn’t I would never have gotten to meet you and that would have been such a shame. I’m very glad to have met you.”

Bartok liked her! Oh, how happy she was to know that someone here liked her! It really made a girl feel special to know that someone liked her. Especially if the girl is in a brand new place that she’s never been before and the animals can’t talk.

“Oh, I’m so glad. That makes me very happy,” she told Bartok. She probably would have twirled too if her skirt hadn’t been so enormous. She was just bursting with happiness that a song seemed to bubble up in her chest and she just had to sing. She wasn’t even sure where the words were coming from. They just came and she could help but burst into song.

“Getting to know you, getting to know all about you,” she sang, her hands clasped in front of her chest. “Getting to like you, getting to hope you like me.” She actually did twirl here, her skirt very nearly taking out a child that happened to accidentally walk too close. Though Giselle didn’t notice at all and kept right on singing. “Getting to know you. Putting it my way, but nicely. You are precisely my cup of tea.”

(Lyrics are Getting to Know You from The King and I)

[Bartok]

Bartok decided that he really did like her, that he wasn't just saying that to get her to like him. Whether or not he was going to have to work at it, he was going to get her to like him too - and he seemed to be getting off to a fairly decent start.

"It makes me happy, too," he declared, just before she...started singing.

Bartok could have died right there, probably, and been happy, because bursting into song in public places was one of those things he had learned to not do, no matter how much he loved it, because usually people thought it was weird. And when people thought they were weird, it was generally not conducive to you being well-liked. And she just stood up there and sang her heart out like she didn't care who thought what of her...

Which was actually rather admirable, though Bartok doubted he would ever duplicate that attitude in himself. Nevertheless, she was singing, so she was unlikely to judge him for doing it, so he swallowed hard and stepped up to the task at hand.

"Getting to know you..." he went on, "Getting to feel free and easy...when I am with you, getting to know what to say..."

He stepped carefully between her skirt and a pedestrian, artfully turning a rescue attempt into a half waltz step, offering her his hand as he stood beside her.

[Deleted]

Giselle loved to sing. She sang whenever she felt like it and she always had an appropriate song for every occasion. She had grown up singing and was far too oblivious to notice if people were staring or not. And Giselle didn’t know why people would think she was strange just because she liked to sing all the time. That was just silly, really. So she sang anyway.

But Giselle was very surprised when Bartok sang too. If they had been at home in Andalasia it wouldn’t have surprised her too much because singing was so common there. Even the animals sang! And the best part was that there was magically background music.

But here, there was no magical background music, only their voices. She hadn’t expected that anyone else liked to sing too. But she was quite delighted that Bartok was singing! He knew the words and he was singing! "You sing too!" Giselle cried, beaming at Bartok. He was her most favorite person she had met so far! (He was the only person she had met so far, but that’s not really important.)

“Haven’t you noticed? Suddenly I’m bright and breezy!” She took the hand that was offered, still beaming. “Because of all the beautiful and new… things I’m learning about you. Daaaayyyy byyyy daaaayyyyyy.”

[Bartok]

Giselle was right, there was no magical background music, and Bartok noted its absence as well. Not that he was used to background music playing whenever he sang, but when he paused in singing to take her hand, turn her in a circle, and start into a waltz step, it did occur to him that an instrumental interlude would have been nice indeed. Instead, he decided to hum along with the tune as he waltzed her over to a fallen tree, where he lifted her into the air, placing her on the log and holding her hand so she wouldn't fall as he danced along beside her.

"Doesn't everyone sing?" he asked, although of course he knew that they didn't. It just felt like the right thing to say, and very theatrical.

"Getting to know you," he said, going right back into the song, "Getting to know all about you..." So he didn't know if they were supposed to sing that part of the song again, because he'd only ever heard it...wait, when had he heard it? He couldn't seem to remember. No matter. "Getting to like you, getting to hope you like me..." It was such a nice song, and Bartok could relate to it so well, having hoped that people would like him practically his whole life.

He stepped up onto the fallen tree beside her, and drew his voice down to a much quieter level, since he was closer to her now.

"Getting to know you, putting it my way, but nicely..." He smiled down at her fondly, as if in support of the word 'nicely.' "You are precisely..." And with that, he hopped off of the log, holding a hand up to her for her to grab if she wanted to come down. "My cup of tea."

[Deleted]

They were dancing now! Giselle loved dancing! And even though she’d never learned how she slipped easily into the waltz as if she had waltzed her whole life. Dancing must have been instinctual, that’s all. She hummed along with Bartok as they danced because you couldn’t very well just dance to nothing. And then she was lifted up on the tree, which was just fine because Bartok was holding her hand. And that was good because she didn’t want to fall. Giselle had a very bad habit of falling off of stuff.

She giggled. “I don’t know! Everyone does back home, but I don’t know about here.” It seemed logical that everyone must sing at one point in their life, but maybe everyone sang like she did. If people did in Andalasia then it was possible, right?

Giselle sang the words along with Bartok, but she sang the harmony. They couldn’t both sing the melody and Bartok had a nice voice so wanted him to sing the melody. And she really liked this song so she didn’t even mind singing harmony. She quite liked it in fact. And both of their voices sounded nice together.

She smiled up at Bartok when he smiled down at her. He was so very nice. And quite the gentleman too, she thought as he hopped down and held out his hand for her. Smiling, she took the hand (because otherwise she might have fallen off) and lifting the edge of her skirt she hopped down.

“Getting to know you, getting to feel free and easy,” she sang, linking arms with Bartok. Then she did a couple of little hop/skip steps forward (think Mary Poppins). “When I am with you, getting to know what to say.” Then she did the grape vine to the left, and letting go of Bartok she twirled away, her arms spread out “Haven’t you noticed, suddenly I’m bright and breezy?” Then she skipped back to Bartok and grabbed both of his hands pulling him into spinning in a circle. “Because of all the beautiful and new… things I’m learning about you…day. by. day.” Giselle would have let go and twirled some more, but she didn’t think she could let go without one or both of them getting hurt, so she giggled and carried on spinning. Though, if she kept this up she was going to get very dizzy.

[Bartok]

Bartok's knowledge of dancing had come from community center classes during his childhood. His foster parents had been very kind to him, but they also had a whole lot of other foster children, and as a result, there were times when some of them had to go take classes and such, just so that the adults could have a few moments of rest. Bartok had taken ballroom dance at the youth center, and while he was much better at just making things up, he remembered a thing or two. Enough, definitely, to traipse around in the woods dancing with a girl who was obviously good at it herself. Between the two of them, they probably looked at least a little like they knew what they were doing.

Her voice sounded lovely layered over his, he thought. Harmony was one of those under-appreciated things people forgot about until it wasn't there. When they came back around to sing the other verse again, he let her take the lead, picking up the harmony himself right before they started spinning in a circle.

Turning in a circle that quickly was a good deal of fun, Bartok thought. It almost felt like flying, with the way the wind twisted around them. Of course...once they started, it would have been good to have a way of stopping. Bartok contemplated that as his brain started to spiral into dizziness.

He had to figure out where to let go so that they both landed on something that wouldn't hurt them. He glanced to the side, in spite of the fact that it made him dizzy enough to vomit, trying to catch sight of something that would be safe to land on. Fallen log with pointy stick poking out of it...no. Tree, still standing, very solid...no. Was that poison ivy?...definitely no. Pile of dead leaves...yes! That ought to be safe, he thought.

"I'm going to let go now," he informed her, because it was nice to tell people before you did something that was probably going to result in them flying through the air to land on their backside. "There are soft leaves. Don't be afraid." He said all this very calmly, just before he released his hold on her hands.

And just then, he remembered to wonder what was behind him - in other words, what he would find himself landing on.

[Deleted]

Spinning was so much fun! It made the world go round and round, though it probably would have been a good idea to know how to stop spinning before she’d started. But oh well. Giselle was quite certain that she would be just fine. That’s always how things worked out for her. Whenever she fell off of something there was always someone to catch her. Whenever she got in trouble there was always someone to help her out. So of course this would work out just fine.

And she was right. Everything was going to be just fine because Bartok was looking out for her. He was such a lovely person. He was so nice and friendly and quite a good singer and dancer. It was no wonder he was her very very best friend. She was even quite sure that Pip wouldn’t mind that Bartok was higher up the list than he was. But Giselle couldn’t exactly dance with Pip. He was just a chipmunk. A talking, singing chipmunk, but a chipmunk nevertheless. And chipmunks couldn’t dance.

Giselle nodded when Bartok said he was going to let go. She trusted him so there wasn’t anything to be afraid of. Plus, her enormous skirt would cushion her landing no matter what she landed on. So she was quite unafraid for herself. But she was a little nervous for Bartok, because behind him was a small bush full of horrible pointy sharp prickers. But right next to that was a patch of moss. She tried to hold on for half a second long so that Bartok would end up on the nice, cushiony, lovely green moss instead of the horrible prickers. But she didn’t know because Bartok had let go and Giselle was flying backwards, coming to a halt when she hit the pile of leaves. She looked up at the sky and pushed several layers of her skirt out of her way. Then she sat up and looked over at Bartok, even though the world was spinning just a little bit. “Bartok, are you alright?”