The Brave Tin Soldier

Chapter One: Beginnings (Prologue)

       When Ivan first saw Yao, it was an accident. He was ten at the time, and was supposed to be helping his elder sister with their master's laundry. However, while walking down the hallway, near his master's quarter's, a colorful blur distracted him. While Katya continued walking, Ivan stopped. Looking around, and seeing no one else in the hallway, he snuck over to the slightly open sliding door, where he had seen the blur.

His eyes widened when the blur became the figure of a dancer. The dancer was the slightest bit taller than he, and as foreign as his master. Only the dancer was far more beautiful. The dancer moved gracefully, as if floating on air. In the dancer's hands were paper fans, adorned with ink characters Ivan didn't understand. The dancer was clothed in a red robe, with long hair that was dark as night and pulled up into a loose bun at the nape of her neck.

Ivan's breath was taken away. He looked down for a moment before looking back up at the figure. The dancer hummed softly, then tripped slightly and let out a small curse. With a sigh, the dancer continued, feet and fans set in their starting positions. With a small smile, Ivan considered introducing himself. It was not often he saw children his age around, aside from his sisters and few other servants his master had managed to pick up. Putting down his pile of clothing, he made to nudge open the door.

The door opened with far less resistance than the doors in his quarters, and he yelped in surprise as he fell into the room. The noise obviously startled the dancer, since she let out a high pitched scream and fall backwards on her behind. Ivan's face went red and he stood up quickly, nearly tripping on his scarf in his haste. "I-I'm sorry!" he stammered out as he finally got a glance of the figure's face. She was absolutely beautiful. He looked down, suddenly ashamed of his own disheveled appearance as the dancer picked up her fans and stared at him. "It's all right," muttered the dancer, apparently just as embarrassed, and a little irritated. Ivan adjusted the out of place scarf on his neck and looked pointedly down.

The dancer cleared her throat and stood up awkwardly. "Erm…are you lost?" she asked, bending down a bit and looking up, trying to see Ivan's face. Ivan shook his head and looked at the dancer, who offered him a small smile. Well, the dancer wasn't as tall as he thought.

"You are very beautiful," he blurted out. The dancer startled for a moment before letting out a small laugh. "Erm, thank you," she muttered, looking down. A piece of hair had fallen in her face and she moved it behind her ear. She stood up straight and crossed her arms. Her far too long sleeves moved back slightly and revealed the tip of one of her fans.

"I'm Yao," the dancer, Yao, said, looking back at Ivan.

"Ivan," Ivan replied, bowing slightly.

"Well, Ivan," Yao said. "It has been lovely meeting you, but," she stopped and gave him an expectant smile. "I have to work on my dancing."

Ivan nodded, muttering another apology to the girl. Yao nodded back.

Ivan smiled.

Yao smiled back.

Ivan smiled more.

Yao's smile became forced.

Ivan swallowed thickly.

Yao blinked a few times. "Are you going to…leave so I can practice, then?"

Ivan tilted his head to the side. "Can I not watch?"

Yao gave him a slightly surprised look. "No, of course you can't. I have to present this to my teacher and my brother at the banquet tonight. No one is allowed to see it before then," she let out a huff. "And I have to get it completely right!"

She sighed heavily and gave Ivan a firm look. "Will you please leave? I don't want to embarrass my brother again…"

Ivan seemed to ignore her earlier statements. "I'm sure you could never embarrass him. You are far too beautiful to do such a thing."

"That's very kind of you, but you shouldn't say such things," Yao replied, quickly flipping one of her fans open and closed repeatedly.

"Why not?" Ivan asked, trying to make himself seem taller. "I said you were beautiful before.."

"I was…caught off guard then."

"What do you mean?"

Yao looked down at him. "It is not proper for a young man to address a young woman in such a manner unless he is courting her."

Ivan blinked. "May I court you, then?"

Yao went beet red, snapped her fan shut and grabbed Ivan's arm, pushing him back out the door.

"Does this mean we are courting?" Ivan gave her a small smile.

Yao started to resemble a plum. "N-No! Look, Ivan, it's nice to meet you. I don't get to talk to children often, but if you keep acting like this, I won't talk to you again!"

"You'll talk to me again?" Ivan grinned.

"Not if you keep acting like you're courting me! It's rude!"

"But we will meet again?"

Yao sighed and her lips twitched into a smile. "Maybe…if you behave yourself," she tapped his nose with a fan and then pulled away quickly. "Good bye, Ivan," she said, rolling her eyes. She snapped her fan open and shut the door.

With a small, dazed smile on his face, Ivan stared at the door for a while longer until he heard a voice call his name. "Ivan!" called Katya. He looked over to the end of the hallway, where his sister was giving him a frightened look. "What are you doing over there?!"

Ivan blinked, looked at the door once more, then back at his sister. She made a motion for him to come to her. "I thought I saw something. A bug!" Katya didn't look convinced. Ivan smiled nervously. "Is nothing, Katya. I will be right there!" he called back in their native tongue before grabbing the basket of laundry.

As he ran back to his sister, who was saying that she'd happily blame him for any beatings they got as a result of unfinished chores, he thought of Yao and why she was so…proper.

"Katya?"

"Yes, Ivan?"

"Why were you so upset to see me near that door?"

Katya fixed him with a small frown before clearing her throat. "That is where our master's younger sister lives."

"Yao is his younger sister?"

Katya slowed her walking and frowned. "How did you know her name was Yao?"

"She told me."

Katya gave him a horrified look. "You TALKED to her?!"

Ivan nodded. "She was very nice, but she said that I could not court her."

Katya let out a breathy scream. "Ivan! You cannot just ask our master's sister if you can court her!"

"That's what she said!"

"What!?"

"Well, it was more that it was improper for me to call her beautiful."

"…What?"

"And watch her dance…"

"What?"

"And kiss her…"

"WHAT?!"

Ivan laughed. "I am joking."

Katya slammed her basket of laundry onto the ground beside her and began to wash a shirt. "Don't scare me like that," she said. Her eyes filled with tears. "We could get in so much trouble."

"She said she would see me again if I behaved myself," Ivan said distantly, a goofy smile on his face.

"Absolutely not!" Katya said, forcefully scrubbed the shirt.

"Why?" Ivan seemed to be asking that a lot, lately.

Katya heaved an irritated sigh. "Because she is a lady of the court and we are servants working off
our mother's debt!"

"So?"

"So…she will end up engaged to an official, either foreign or higher up in our courts."

"Oh. So if I wanted to be with her, I'd have to be an official?"

Katya sighed. "Yes, Ivan. And I don't see that happening anytime soon."

Ivan looked down, slightly saddened. He heard footsteps and voices outside the window and he
looked outside. He saw a line of soldiers, strong, tall, and official looking. He grinned.

"Are soldiers official?"

"Only generals," Katya replied before hanging the shirt on the line right outside the window. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh. I am only wondering."

"Ivan."

"Yes?"

"You promise me you won't see her again."

"Yes, Katya."

"Promise?"

"Yes, Katya."

"Good. Now could you please help me wash? I didn't bring you here for company, you know."

        As he absently folded the laundry ("Ivan! You're going to wrinkle the silk! Pay attention! Do you want us to get hurt?!" Katya cried, eyes watering.) he thought of Yao. He imagined a world where he and Yao could live together, free from their chains of responsibility. He imagined watching Yao dance a routine made only for him.

He looked down at the fine silks and frowned. Yao was still his master's sister. Yao above him in status and was…far less scruffy. He looked down at his ragged clothes and heaved a sigh as he folded the silks.

He looked back out the window, where the once severe looking soldiers were conversing with a few of the officials that lingered around the estate. He smiled. He knew what he goals were, now.

Later, after the two elder siblings had met up with their younger sister, Ivan stared at the courtyard in front of Yao's room, smiling softly. Katya and Natalya were already asleep, mumbling softly to themselves. Ivan thought he heard a "brother must marry me" somewhere in Natalya's mumblings, but he ignored it. The view he had from his window of the courtyard was perfect, shockingly enough.

Lanterns covered the small pond and statues with a soft glow. The statues made of jade seemed to shimmer, even if they were kind of glaring at him, and the reeds growing on the banks of the pond rustled gently. The moon hovered, half full, almost directly over Yao's room, and stars dotted the sky.

Ivan looked up at the moon, outlining its shape with a finger, and giggled to himself. A new light grabbed his attention and he looked back at Yao's room. His heart skipped a beat as he saw Yao's figure moving around the room. He grinned when he recognized the shape of the fans, and the outline of the robes. Resting his head on his arms, he watched Yao's shadow dance until she slowly lifted her leg behind her. She bent backwards, trying to touch her toe to her head. When she managed it, she held it for a few seconds. For a brief second, it seemed as if she were reaching towards the moon above her. When she put her foot down, she seemed to hop up and down in joy, accidentally dropping one of her fans in the process. Ivan giggled when she started to point at the ground and yell at her fan.

        It was only when Yao got over her momentary delay and continued her routine that Ivan tore his eyes from the shadow and retreated to his cot, careful not to make too much noise.  
        Ivan snuggled into his scarf and smiled. He fell asleep imagining a world where an older Ivan would watch an older Yao dance for him. A world where they were together, happy, and free.