[fic] Merry Meet Again (Stardust, G, 1/1)
I keep forgetting to post my yuletide fic here, so! I think I'll post them in reverse order of writing them, so here's my second stocking stuffer.
Title: Merry Meet Again
Author: Rynne
Fandom: Stardust (movie)
Rating: G
Word count: ~1100
Recipient: hammerxsword
Summary: Meetings and reunions.
Dunstan Thorne hadn't truly expected to see his son in Wall again. Tristan had talked about going across the wall to bring a fallen star to Victoria Forester, but Dunstan had been across the wall himself, and knew that intentions could so easily be changed. And more than that, while Tristan had grown up with him, half of him was rooted in Stormhold, with his mother's people. Tristan was meant for more than England, and while Dunstan didn't feel ready to let his son go so soon, he knew that Tristan would never be happy, staying here.
So when a knock came at the door, and Dunstan opened it up to see Tristan standing there, grinning at him, for a moment he didn't know what to say. He was especially surprised to see the very fine clothing that Tristan was wearing--and was that a sword on his belt? He looked almost nothing like the impatient, insecure boy who had so eagerly left Wall not even two weeks ago. But Tristan wore those clothes and that sword so comfortably, and he finally seemed at ease in his own skin, the way he never had been before he left.
It had only been just over a week, so Dunstan hadn't been expecting a grand reunion, but neither had he been expecting the first words out of his son's mouth to be, "Come with me, Father. I have something I want to show you." Some sort of greeting wouldn't have gone amiss, Dunstan thought, with some amusement.
"Just let me get my coat," Dunstan replied. Surely Tristan hadn't actually found the star? But he looked happy, almost glowing, beaming in the way that true love did, so perhaps he had. Dunstan wasn't particularly enthused about the idea of Victoria Forester as a daughter-in-law, but as long as Tristan was happy...
His coat found, he stepped out into the street with Tristan and locked the door behind him. They set off, walking quickly, and while Dunstan recognized the path they were taking, he was somewhat surprised to see that it lead not to Victoria's house, but towards the wall.
"What do you want to show me?" Dunstan asked, but when Tristan only grinned and said, "You'll see," he resolved to be patient. They were obviously going across the wall, and that was worth waiting another ten minutes for.
They walked into the meadow, and Dunstan was surprised to see the gatekeeper wasn't as his post. For the first time in living memory, the wall was unguarded.
Tristan strode through the gap in the wall, and Dunstan followed him, a shiver passing over his skin the only thing to mark the fact that he'd just passed into another world. Now through the gap, they walked down the same path that Dunstan remembered quite clearly, though the last time he followed it had been almost two decades ago, and entered a town he'd visited once in reality, and many more times in his dreams.
But he wasn't so lost in memories as to not notice the reaction of the people they passed in the streets. They were bowing to them--no, not to them, Dunstan amended. To Tristan. Tristan ignored them, but when Dunstan caught his son's eye, he gave an embarrassed little smile. "I'll explain later," he muttered, and Dunstan had to be content with that.
Eventually they reached an inn. When they strolled through the door, the innkeeper bowed, then indicated a door on the other side of the room, one that Dunstan thought might be a private meeting room. Tristan smiled at the innkeeper and headed for that door, and Dunstan followed him, anticipating whatever surprise Tristan wanted him to see. What was it that could make him so happy, especially considering it didn't seem to have anything to do with Victoria?
Tristan opened the door, and stood by with a little smile to let Dunstan go through first. He did, but just over the threshold he stopped dead in his tracks, his gaze immediately caught by the most beautiful woman in the world, who he'd seen for a night and then never again, and who was the mother of his beloved son.
"Una." The name came out in a gasp of breath, and then he was stumbling forward ungracefully. Una was smiling at him, her hands outstretched in welcome, and Dunstan didn't care that he didn't deserve her, not when she was smiling at him like that.
"Am I that easy to ignore?" a tart voice asked in the background, and Dunstan was about to turn around and apologize to whoever it was, but then he reached Una, and she took his hands in hers and held them tightly, and he forgot again about anything but the woman in front of him.
"I expect I'd be just as singleminded, if it was the first time I'd seen you in years," Tristan's amused voice answered, and that was enough to shock Dunstan into recalling his surroundings. Una's smile turned sympathetic, and she mouthed, "We'll talk later," at him, and he nodded. Then he let go of one of her hands, and, still holding the other tightly, turned around to face the other two people in the room.
The unknown speaker was a girl--a young woman, really. She was smiling, and holding hands with his son, and...glowing. He'd always thought that to be just a figure of speech, but this girl was, quite literally, glowing. Light just seemed to be shining from her skin, and if he had never met Una, he would probably have called her the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Victoria Forester didn't hold a candle to her.
"I'm sorry for ignoring you, Lady," he said, as courteously as he could. This was obviously the girl Tristan was in love with, and judging by her...glow...she felt the same way he did.
"That's perfectly all right," she replied, inclining her head graciously. "I completely understand." She smiled at him, and Dunstan couldn't help but smile back.
"Yvaine, this is my father, Dunstan Thorne," Tristan said, gesturing to him. "And Father, this is Yvaine. She's a star, and I'm going to marry her."
Dunstan blinked. The marriage wasn't a surprise, but that a young lady was apparently a star...well, she was glowing.
Her smile turned mischievous. "Let me guess. You thought stars were just pieces of rock too, am I right?"
"I've certainly never been lucky enough to meet one before," Dunstan replied. "But things across the wall are...different than they are here."
"So I'm told." She nodded at him, apparently satisfied, and Dunstan was relieved to have passed her test. He wouldn't want to cause difficulties, not when his Tristan so obviously loved this woman. He couldn't glow the way she did, but Dunstan rather thought that if he could, he'd be shining just as brightly.
"Well," he said, after a moment of silence. "It seems a lot has happened since you left. Who wants to tell me what I missed?"
Tristan laughed, then he and Yvaine moved forward to take a seat at the table. Dunstan and Una sat down next to each other, their hands still clasped tightly together, and listened as Tristan, with many interruptions and corrections from Yvaine, began to tell their story.
Title: Merry Meet Again
Author: Rynne
Fandom: Stardust (movie)
Rating: G
Word count: ~1100
Recipient: hammerxsword
Summary: Meetings and reunions.
Dunstan Thorne hadn't truly expected to see his son in Wall again. Tristan had talked about going across the wall to bring a fallen star to Victoria Forester, but Dunstan had been across the wall himself, and knew that intentions could so easily be changed. And more than that, while Tristan had grown up with him, half of him was rooted in Stormhold, with his mother's people. Tristan was meant for more than England, and while Dunstan didn't feel ready to let his son go so soon, he knew that Tristan would never be happy, staying here.
So when a knock came at the door, and Dunstan opened it up to see Tristan standing there, grinning at him, for a moment he didn't know what to say. He was especially surprised to see the very fine clothing that Tristan was wearing--and was that a sword on his belt? He looked almost nothing like the impatient, insecure boy who had so eagerly left Wall not even two weeks ago. But Tristan wore those clothes and that sword so comfortably, and he finally seemed at ease in his own skin, the way he never had been before he left.
It had only been just over a week, so Dunstan hadn't been expecting a grand reunion, but neither had he been expecting the first words out of his son's mouth to be, "Come with me, Father. I have something I want to show you." Some sort of greeting wouldn't have gone amiss, Dunstan thought, with some amusement.
"Just let me get my coat," Dunstan replied. Surely Tristan hadn't actually found the star? But he looked happy, almost glowing, beaming in the way that true love did, so perhaps he had. Dunstan wasn't particularly enthused about the idea of Victoria Forester as a daughter-in-law, but as long as Tristan was happy...
His coat found, he stepped out into the street with Tristan and locked the door behind him. They set off, walking quickly, and while Dunstan recognized the path they were taking, he was somewhat surprised to see that it lead not to Victoria's house, but towards the wall.
"What do you want to show me?" Dunstan asked, but when Tristan only grinned and said, "You'll see," he resolved to be patient. They were obviously going across the wall, and that was worth waiting another ten minutes for.
They walked into the meadow, and Dunstan was surprised to see the gatekeeper wasn't as his post. For the first time in living memory, the wall was unguarded.
Tristan strode through the gap in the wall, and Dunstan followed him, a shiver passing over his skin the only thing to mark the fact that he'd just passed into another world. Now through the gap, they walked down the same path that Dunstan remembered quite clearly, though the last time he followed it had been almost two decades ago, and entered a town he'd visited once in reality, and many more times in his dreams.
But he wasn't so lost in memories as to not notice the reaction of the people they passed in the streets. They were bowing to them--no, not to them, Dunstan amended. To Tristan. Tristan ignored them, but when Dunstan caught his son's eye, he gave an embarrassed little smile. "I'll explain later," he muttered, and Dunstan had to be content with that.
Eventually they reached an inn. When they strolled through the door, the innkeeper bowed, then indicated a door on the other side of the room, one that Dunstan thought might be a private meeting room. Tristan smiled at the innkeeper and headed for that door, and Dunstan followed him, anticipating whatever surprise Tristan wanted him to see. What was it that could make him so happy, especially considering it didn't seem to have anything to do with Victoria?
Tristan opened the door, and stood by with a little smile to let Dunstan go through first. He did, but just over the threshold he stopped dead in his tracks, his gaze immediately caught by the most beautiful woman in the world, who he'd seen for a night and then never again, and who was the mother of his beloved son.
"Una." The name came out in a gasp of breath, and then he was stumbling forward ungracefully. Una was smiling at him, her hands outstretched in welcome, and Dunstan didn't care that he didn't deserve her, not when she was smiling at him like that.
"Am I that easy to ignore?" a tart voice asked in the background, and Dunstan was about to turn around and apologize to whoever it was, but then he reached Una, and she took his hands in hers and held them tightly, and he forgot again about anything but the woman in front of him.
"I expect I'd be just as singleminded, if it was the first time I'd seen you in years," Tristan's amused voice answered, and that was enough to shock Dunstan into recalling his surroundings. Una's smile turned sympathetic, and she mouthed, "We'll talk later," at him, and he nodded. Then he let go of one of her hands, and, still holding the other tightly, turned around to face the other two people in the room.
The unknown speaker was a girl--a young woman, really. She was smiling, and holding hands with his son, and...glowing. He'd always thought that to be just a figure of speech, but this girl was, quite literally, glowing. Light just seemed to be shining from her skin, and if he had never met Una, he would probably have called her the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Victoria Forester didn't hold a candle to her.
"I'm sorry for ignoring you, Lady," he said, as courteously as he could. This was obviously the girl Tristan was in love with, and judging by her...glow...she felt the same way he did.
"That's perfectly all right," she replied, inclining her head graciously. "I completely understand." She smiled at him, and Dunstan couldn't help but smile back.
"Yvaine, this is my father, Dunstan Thorne," Tristan said, gesturing to him. "And Father, this is Yvaine. She's a star, and I'm going to marry her."
Dunstan blinked. The marriage wasn't a surprise, but that a young lady was apparently a star...well, she was glowing.
Her smile turned mischievous. "Let me guess. You thought stars were just pieces of rock too, am I right?"
"I've certainly never been lucky enough to meet one before," Dunstan replied. "But things across the wall are...different than they are here."
"So I'm told." She nodded at him, apparently satisfied, and Dunstan was relieved to have passed her test. He wouldn't want to cause difficulties, not when his Tristan so obviously loved this woman. He couldn't glow the way she did, but Dunstan rather thought that if he could, he'd be shining just as brightly.
"Well," he said, after a moment of silence. "It seems a lot has happened since you left. Who wants to tell me what I missed?"
Tristan laughed, then he and Yvaine moved forward to take a seat at the table. Dunstan and Una sat down next to each other, their hands still clasped tightly together, and listened as Tristan, with many interruptions and corrections from Yvaine, began to tell their story.