#oh yeah and I drew her as scoops owl | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

drabbles-of-writing · 4 years ago

Text

Bonesborough’s Resident Troublemaker

This is part of my Four Years AU

AO3

Masterpost

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bonesborough, even by Boiling Isles standards, was never an incredibly normal place.

First of all, it was the home of Emperor Belos. A town housing a man with such power was bound to be recognizable by name alone.

Second of all, it seems to have a knack for attracting trouble. Even more so than other towns. Small or big, Bonesborough has it. From a thought-to-be extinct basilisk attacking the local school to a cursed owl beast appearing every once in a while to a random human girl of all people staging a prison breakout.

Speaking of the human girl…

Last, but not least, Bonesborough held some of the most powerful and strangest witches the Boiling Isles had ever seen.

The two most notable ones being The Owl Lady, a covenless witch that was once the strongest witch alive. Advanced in wild magic and sharing a half-curse with her sister, also known as the former Emperor’s Coven leader. Until her magic died out. Though there are rumors she is finding a way to regain it.

And then there was her apprentice.

A human girl who appeared out of nowhere and learned her own form of magic. In just a single month she had been banned from Hexside School of Magic and Demonics, somehow managed to enroll in said school, convinced the principal to let students study multiple tracks, befriended the Bat Queen, defeated Grometheus, and fought Emperor Belos himself. And she survived.

To the rest of the Boiling Isles, Bonesborough was a battleground of the strangest people with even stranger stories.

To Bonesborough, however, it was any other morning with the residents of The Owl House. And their most common troublemaker the past few years; The Owlet.

“Owlet, that better not be you.”

Slowly, very slowly, a black and white owl mask poked up on the other end of the stand.

“Hey,” The Owlet waved shyly, slowly pulling her purple hood off.

“Owlet, no.” The greengrocer warned, grabbing her produce at the edge of the stand and pulling it closer today.

“Please?” The Owlet begged, her mask's eyes going as big in her puppy-dog look that everyone knew Eda must have taught her.

“No, bad Owlet.” The greengrocer teased, lightly swatting at the thief's hand as she tried to reach for the vegetables. “Go steal from someone else. Or, you know, pay?”

“But I’m saving!” The Owlet whined. “You see, I had an idea--

“I hate to sound rude but I frankly don’t want to know or be involved with whatever idea you’ve concocted.” The greengrocer butt-in. “I have a business to keep.”

The Owlet whimpered and dramatically lay her chin on the table, staring longing at the vegetables. The greengrocer looked between her produce and the girl for a few moments before sighing and shaking her head.

“If you really need to steal something,” She said slowly, noticing the way the Owlet perked up. “I know of a certain someone who can definitely afford it…”

“Stealing from the rich? Even better!” The Owlet exclaimed, jumping up excitedly. “Where do I find them?”

The greengrocer, surprised and mildly amused, pointed further down the marketplace.

“He sells somewhere down there, closer to the richer side of town. He’s got a big banner that’s cluttered with saying how ‘fresh’ and ‘organic’ his produce is.” The greengrocer huffed.

“Normally I wouldn’t care so much, but the guy literally uses magic to grow his produce and only makes his son do it on the side. I’m not exactly worried about his financial status.” She grumbled.

“Well then, I will be delighted to be of help.” The Owlet grinned, pulling her white staff off of her back. “Thanks for the tip!”

“Now you be careful out there, young lady!” The greengrocer warned as the Owlet rose into the air. “You’re still just an Owlet!”

“Pfft, since when did that ever stop me?” The Owlet replied.

She saluted the greengrocer before flying off, vanishing among the growing morning crowd.

The countdown for morning shenanigans had begun.

“Miss Blight?”

“Owlet again?”

“Yes, Miss Blight.”

Amity sighed and rubbed at her temples from where she sat at her desk.

“What did she do this time?”

“Stolen produce,” The guard said. “We have her bound as we speak.”

“Is that Amity in there?” A voice called from outside the tent.

“Think you can handle her this time?” The guard asked, a smug tone in his voice.

“And what’s that supposed to mean, Keene?” Amity demanded, a little too quickly, as she stood up from her desk.

“Nothing, Miss Blight.” The guard said simply, turning his head to the side. “Good luck trying to wrangle her.”

“Thank you,” Amity growled through gritted teeth, grabbing her gray beaked mask from where it hung on the wall and slipped out of the tent.

“Amity!” Owlet grinned.

The thief had her wrists bound together with rope and was being led from said rope by one of the newer guards.

Poor guy.

“I’ve taken all of her glyphs, Miss Blight!” The young guard said happily, waving around a handful of paper cards with glee.

“Good job, Laris.” Amity sighed, knowing very well there was no way he had gotten all of her glyphs.

“Where’s her palisman?” She asked, walking up to Owlet and looking down at her, pulling her best ‘Really?’ face.

“Over here, Miss Blight.” One of the other guards said, holding up Owlet’s staff...with no palisman on the end.

“That’s a staff without a palisman, Xena.” Amity deadpanned.

“What? Where--?” The guard, Xena, began looking around frantically for the snow-white owl, who had somehow escaped her grasp.

“Where’s Snowy, Luz?” Amity sighed, turning back to the Owlet, who was looking very smug.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” The Owlet said smugly. “I’m not talking. You’ll have to torture it out of me.”

“I can arrange that!” Xena called gleefully from where she was still searching for the palisman.

“No! No, Xena, we are not doing that.” Amity said sternly.

“Aw,” Xena mumbled.

“Titan save me,” Amity mumbled. “Look, why were you stealing produce?” Amity turned back to the Owlet. “I know why you stole from that guy, but vegetables? Can’t Eda steal her own?”

“Pfft, and let me miss out on all the fun?” The Owlet grinned. “And I’m saving.”

“...is this seriously about the glyph tattoos?”

“Yeah,”

“Oh for the love of--” Amity pinched the bridge of her nose, remembering just where she was and who was watching. Best to not reveal more to a whole squadron of Emperor’s Coven guards.

“You’re impossible,” She grumbled.

“I know,” The Owlet smiled. “Anyway, it was nice chatting with you, and especially you,” She nodded to Laris. “But Lilith’s gonna be mad again if news of my capture makes the news. Again.”

“Hey, you’re not going--”

“Laris!” Keene shouted. “Duck!”

The new guard only froze up before a screech sounded from above. The Emperor’s guards all looked up just in time to see a large snow-white owl swoop down.

It knocked right into Laris’ head, almost knocking off his beaked mask as Amity wisely took a few startled steps back.

With Laris’ hold on the Owlet's bindings loosened, she managed to jerk out of his hold. She dug both her tied wrists into her cloak and revealed a hidden pocket within the cape itself and drew a fire glyph.

“Get her!” Xena shouted as Amity pulled on her mask, becoming invisible among the swarm of guards as she moved further to the back.

She’d tried ‘fighting’ the Owlet before, and it did not end well.

The Owlet only smiled and tapped the glyph, burning the restraints off her wrists and sliding out of the way of a guard lunging for her.

The Owlet darted through the crowd of guards, leaping and kicking a few to get momentum to where Laris was frantically trying to gather up all the stolen glyphs he’d dropped.

“Thanks for holding these,” The Owlet grinned, causing him to jerk his head upwards.

The white owl swooped down again, shrieking as it kicked and clawed at Laris’ mask, making him yelp and stumble back.

Owlet ducked to the side as a guard threw a spear that impaled through one of her plant glyphs.

“Hey, rude!” The Owlet snapped, grabbing multiple glyphs off the ground. “Now I can’t use that one.” She complained before grabbing a new plant glyph and tossing it at one of the guards.

It lit up upon impact and a massive vine exploded from their forehead, reaching out and entangling many of the other guards.

“C’mon now, don’t be shy.” The Owlet said, stepping back and scooping up more glyphs in her other hand and spreading them both out like fans, showing what she had to the guards.

“Who wants to go next?”

“Ten snails say that she’s late again.”

“She is not going to be late again.”

Among the many other things the residents of Bonesborough dealt with were certain...thrill-seekers. Namely kids who had discovered the newest hiding spot of the Owl House and tried to have a little fun. Which ranged from waiting to see if they could catch a glimpse of one of the residents or trying to break in. Yes, that happened.

Twice.

The Owl House may have gotten a new hiding spot every month, but it was never overly far from Bonesborough. And Hooty did his job well.

During break-ins, that is.

“Jorah, I’m telling you, Owlet is definitely going to be late. My uncle said she got caught by the Emperor’s Coven again.”

“I’m not giving up my snails that easily!” The boy snapped, glaring at his other three friends. “I still have three minutes left.”

“You stubborn idiot,” One of his friends shook her head.

“Frances, I dare you to go talk to the tube bird.” A second girl grinned.

“I am not doing that.” Frances shook her head. “First of all, I’ll be caught. Second of all, that thing terrifies me.”

“Then why did you come?” Jorah raised a brow.

“Because you guys would bully me if I didn’t,” She grumbled.

“She’s not wrong,” The fourth kid shrugged.

“It’s just because you’re a wimp.” The second girl taunted.

“Would it kill you both to shut up?”

There was a snap and a thump from far off in the trees, and all four kids went quiet. They ducked down in the bushes that were only a few meters from the house.

Frances slowly stuck her head between the bushes and looked around.

Mere moments later, a figure flew out from the trees and crashed to the ground in front of the Owl House, groaning as her staff clattered onto the front porch.

“Hi, Luz!” Hooty greeted.

“Am I late?” The Owlet worried, taking off her needless mask and hanging it around her neck.

“Hmmm, nope! You got here with a minute to spare.” Hooty said cheerfully.

“I’ll take it,” Luz sighed with relief. “Sorry, Snowy.” She apologized to her palisman, picking up her staff and stroking the birds head.

Snowy chirped and turned her head away grumpily, but didn’t refuse the pets.

“I WIN!” Jorah cheered before slapping his hands back over his mouth.

Luz whirled around, staff raised and body tense as Frances darted back into the bush as her, and everyone else, gave Jorah furious glares and terrified looks.

“Who’s there?” Luz demanded, raising her staff.

“Some kids were betting in the bushes,” Hooty said, head coming out of the door slightly. “They thought you were going to be late again.”

“Oh,” Luz instantly relaxed, looking mildly annoyed at the worst. “Well, since they’re game is over and I’ve got a certain someone who’s going to be visiting and berating me soon, do you mind escorting them off?” She asked the door bird.

“Would I?” Hooty said excitedly.

“No, no! We’ll leave, we’ll leave!” Frances shouted, quickly getting up and already backing away.

“Too late!” Hooty chirped before extending his neck straight-on towards the kids.

They screamed and began bolting back through the woods, Hooty talking gleefully all the way.

“Sorry, kids,” Luz winced, a tad regretful as she placed Snowy back on her staff. She then opened the front door and stepped inside.

“You’re late,”

Luz sighed and looked towards the couch, where Lilith was ‘casually’ having a cup of tea.

“No, I’m not. I had one minute to spare. Could you not hear Hooty?” Luz said, hanging her mask on a hook by the door and resting her staff next to it.

“It was a very close call.” Lilith said simply. “You left, what, over three hours ago? You only went to get vegetables and spoons.”

“...well I got the spoons,” Luz said, sheepishly pulling out a handful of silver spoons from a pocket in her cape.

“Good enough for me!”

King scampered into the living room and climbed up Luz’s leg to snatch the spoons from her hand. She didn’t bother to react or stop him as he dropped back to the ground and hurried into the kitchen.

“Nice to see you still alive, kid,” Eda greeted much more casually as she poked her head in. “No vegetables, though?”

“Sorry, you’ll have to get them yourself.” Luz apologized. “I kinda...maybe…” She glanced at Lilith and weighed her options for a moment. “...got caught by the Emperor’s Coven.”

“Again?” Eda and Lilith accused.

“They got the jump on me!” Luz defended. “Besides, it was only Amity’s group again. Nothing to be worried about.”

“Kid, at this point, I’m convinced you want to be caught just to bug Amity,” Eda snickered, shaking her head.

“Well, it’s not true all the time…”

“You both are ridiculous,” Lilith shook her head. “Eda, you need better control over your apprentice.”

“Says you,” Eda rolled her eyes. “In case you haven’t noticed, not every kid is like Amity.”

The front door slammed open, startling the inhabitants as they whirled around. Even King poked his head out of the kitchen.

A rather grumpy Amity stood in the doorway, mask pushed up on her head. She hadn’t even bothered to change.

“Speak of the devil,” Eda muttered.

“Hey, Amity,” Luz waved shyly.

“Again with the glyph tattoos?” She demanded, shutting the door.

“You’re still on about those?” Lilith blinked.

“They could be useful!” Luz insisted, sitting on the couch, opposite of Lilith. “I may have a lot of pockets and places I can stash glyphs, but the tattoo glyphs could be useful! Especially with the stronger ones.”

“We don’t know what something like that is gonna do to you, kid.” Eda shook her head. “This type of magic hasn’t been used in forever, it’s unlikely you could use magic with those glyphs without causing harm.”

“We don’t know that,” Luz said, scooting further into the corner as Amity exhaustedly sat on the couch between her and Lilith. “It could end up being really useful! And if it ends up being a bad idea, I can get a tattoo over it to cancel out the glyph.”

“You're barely seventeen, Luz. It’s illegal.” Amity pointed out.

“Since when has that ever stopped me?” Luz raised a brow. “And can’t I get them with permission from Eda? Or is that just a human realm thing?”

“How much have you saved for one already?” Eda asked.

“Almost two hundred,” Luz said proudly. “I wanted to try and get a less-dangerous spell first. Like a fire or a whirlwind glyph.”

“A fire glyph?” Lilith exclaimed.

“Would you rather I have a glyph that will shoot a spike of ice from my skin?” Luz raised a brow.

“Luz, for Titans sake, my parents are rich ,” Amity groaned, running a hand down her face. “I can pay for any of your tattoos you don’t have to excessively steal while you save.”

“It’s your parents who are rich, Amity. Not you,” Luz reminded. “I’m not forcing you to talk to them for snails for my sake. What kind of degenerate asks her girlfriend's parents for snails to get tattoos?”

“First of all, you’re not forcing me.” Amity raised a hand. “Second of all, I meant I would ask Ed and Em to be the ones to ask for the money. I promised I’d never speak to my parents again, and I’m upholding that.”

“Too bad, I’m paying for this myself.” Luz crossed her arms and turned on the couch so she was leaning against the armrest and lay her legs across Amity’s lap. “So take that, Miss Blight.”

“Shush,” Amity grumbled, cheeks pink as she glanced away.

“Hmm,” Eda thought, leaning on the other side of the couch armrest. “I guess a small one wouldn’t hurt…”

“You can’t be serious?” Lilith demanded. “You’re allowing this?”

“My kid, my rules.” Eda said, giving her sister a righteous look. “It’ll only be a small one, anyway. See how it goes before we try more.”

“You’re the best!” Luz grinned, reaching behind her to grasp at Eda, who stepped out of range.

“I know I am,” Eda said proudly.

“Amity, you’ve dated into a family of morons.” Lilith deadpanned, looking towards her apprentice and taking a sip of her tea.

“You’re part of the family, too.” Eda pointed out.

“Suffer with the rest of us, you fiend!” King called, trotting in from the kitchen and climbing up onto the couch to flop on Luz’s stomach, making her wheeze at the sudden weight.

“I regret a lot of my life choices, but especially the one that led me to this moment.” Lilith grumbled.

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have cursed me when I was sleeping, huh?” Eda sneered.

“I don’t think that cemented it in--”

“Irrelevant,”

Luz, Amity and King all silently watched the women continue bantering for a few minutes before they all looked at each other with faces that said ‘well this isn’t going to end soon.’

“Anyway,” Luz sat up more and picked King up to place him on the couch head. “I told Gus I’d be meeting him at the library for more studying. He said he found some old human relics that could be enchanted.”

“Actual enchantments this time, or alleged enchantments?” King raised a brow.

“Actual enchantments, King.” Luz said, swinging her feet off Amity and getting up.

“I’ll come with,” Amity said, quickly getting to her feet as well. “Since you’re going to be using my hiding spot, as per usual.”

“Excuse you, I think the correct term is our hiding spot.” Luz teased, kissing her cheek. “But don’t you have to send in a report later?”

“Keene can take care of it,” Amity waved her hand like it was no big deal. “You’re more important.”

“Aww, you’re so sweet,” Luz teased, laying her head on Amity’s shoulder.

“Hey, flirting teenagers, could you not do this in the middle of our argument?” Eda snapped her fingers, getting the girls attention. “I’m about to win it.”

“No you are not! I am making reasonable points!” Lilith insisted.

“You’re not even arguing about the curse anymore!” King threw his small paws in the air. “You're just bringing up mild annoyances that happened last week!”

“Your point?”

Luz rolled her eyes before turning and smiling to Amity. She returned her look of smothered amusement.

“Let’s hurry before they start getting into a glyph-fight,” Luz said, grabbing the witch's hand and hurrying to the door, making sure to grab her mask and staff along the way.

“You do know that people recognize you more with the mask than without it, right?” Amity asked, flipping her own mask down.

“I know, but I think it looks cool.” Luz shrugged, bringing up her hood. “Last one to the library has to clean Hooty!” She shouted before throwing open the door and racing out.

“Wha--not fair!” Amity shouted, tearing after the Owlet as she raised her staff and flew into the air, laughing all the way.

Amity summoned her own snake staff from the air beside her and leapt onto it. But by then, the Owlet was already gone, having raced through the trees and into the town.

And aside from the occasional on-looker, nobody batted an eye.

55 notes · View notes

patrickstargang · 4 years ago

Text

Luz and the Lights (Owl House fic)

Yesterday felt like a blur to Luz, so much had happened in so little time that it didn’t even register that she fought against the ruler of the Boiling Isles. She woke up like it was any other day. It also didn’t register that Lilith was staying with them now since her first reaction to seeing her in the morning was immediate panic followed by slowly remembering her helping free Eda, taking away her curse, and so on.

After the panic subsided, Luz began the lessons she promised to Eda and Lilith. The two of them- plus King- sat on the couch with a piece of paper and a pencil in front of them. Luz quickly demonstrated the light spell, drawing the symbol on a loose piece of paper without having to think about it. Eda drew the symbol, but the circle wasn’t symmetrical and the lines were not the slightest bit straight.

Eda looked at the paper unamused. She tapped the paper with her pencil. Nothing. She tapped it two times. Still nothing. She tapped it repeatedly with a bit of rhythm to it. Still nothing.

“Am I missing something, I’m drawing it just like you showed me.” Eda kept tapping the paper both in annoyance and confusion.

“Well for one, you don’t really have a perfect circle. And these lines need to be a bit cleaner if you want it to work.”

Eda’s frown quickly vanished, noting just how observant Luz has gotten with the small details of her spells. She flipped the paper over to try again.

“Well kid, it seems like drawing a ‘perfect circle’ comes to you pretty easily”

Luz smiled and shrugged at the comment.

“I mean, I’ve done a lot of drawing in the past so I have some experience. But it might just be young, nimble hands!” Luz followed it up with a little jazz hands movement.

Eda smiled again, focusing back on drawing.

“I’ll ignore that subtle jab at my age.”

Luz then looked at Lilith’s drawing, but she was surprised to see she was still drawing. She was also surprised to see how disheveled Lilith looked. It was like she hadn’t slept at all, her hair was the most unkempt it had been in years. She was careful to make it a perfect circle, the only problem was that more than a minute had passed and she was still working on the circle.

“That's good, but you still need practice if you want to do it quickly.”

Lilith gripped the pencil with extreme intensity. She was coming to the end of the circle, her focus sharpened. But then the pencil broke under her grip. She stared at the broken remnants before she gave up, letting her face slam down to the table in defeat.

“What's the use, if I can’t even do the basic light spell how am I supposed to progress any further. I used to be the leader of the Emperor’s Coven and now I’m relegated to drawing shapes.”

“Hey, at least you're still as grouchy as you were in the Emperor’s Coven,” said Eda with a smug smirk on her face. Lilith raised her head up from the table to respond with a piercing glare, before bringing her face back down.

Luz looked down, unsure of how to help. She could handle Eda’s snarkiness, but Lilith seemed to be in somewhat of a low place. She reached out her arm and patted her shoulder.

“It’s okay, you’ll get it down soon. Just a little practice and you’ll get it down in no time.”

Lilith brought her head back and slowly composed herself again. She looked a little less defeated.

Luz finally brought her attention to King. He held the paper in front of him with a determined face.

“Alright King, show me what you got!”

He handed the paper to Luz. What was on it was a bunch of mostly incomprehensible shapes and lines that slightly resembled someone familiar. She slowly glanced at King.

“It's a self-portrait,” he said with an air of pride.

Luz looked at the paper. Then back at King. And then back at the paper.

“........I love it.”

“I knew you would,” he said as he crossed his arms and raised his nose up. Luz returned the paper back to King.

Luz looked at her new pupils as they got back to practice. It was one thing to be learning magic at Hexside, but it was another to actually be somewhat of a teacher. It was strange to think of the Boiling Isles as home, but it started to feel like that more and more. She still needed to find a way to make it back to the human world, but for now, it seemed that was going to be a while.

Then at that moment, a voice suddenly interrupted the calm atmosphere.

“HOOT HOOT

SCARY GREEN HAIRED GIRL APPROACHING”

Everyone looked at each other in confusion. Luz’s eyes narrowed as she tried to pinpoint why that description sounded familiar.

“Wait, green hair? Is he talking about Am-”

Before she could finish her sentence, Hooty squawked loudly as the door flung open. A crutch began to pop through the door as Amity entered the house. She was out of breath, looking around the place with worry in her eyes. Her eyes stopped when she finally found who she was looking for.

“Luz!”

Despite the fact that her leg was broken and that she was using crutches, she rushed right over to Luz and hugged her. This surprised Luz, both for how sudden it was and also that it was usually her that was doing the hugging.

Without realizing it, Amity dropped her crutches and had to hold on to Luz’s shoulders after she was done hugging her. Luz had never seen her like this, she's never seen her as worried as she was at the door, and also as relieved as she was right now. She also noted how tightly Amity was gripping her shoulders.

“You're okay! Well, it looks like you're okay. Are you okay? Did anything bad happen? Did you get hurt? Please tell me you didn’t get hurt?”

Then Amity stopped dead in her tracks. She just realized that she just hugged Luz out of nowhere, which she never did, and was holding on to her shoulders. Her face turned red as she quickly withdrew her hands and balanced on one unbroken foot. It seemed that she was willing to risk falling over on her broken leg than to be embarrassing in front of the girl she liked.

But it didn’t take long for her to be embarrassed again as Luz hugged her back with a hearty laugh. While it caught Amity off guard, it also brought her balance back.

“Amity, I’m fine! It’s great to see you!”

Amity laughed nervously, still trying everything she could to not be obvious. Then Luz’s eyes narrowed again.

“Wait, did you walk all the way over here on your crutches?”

Amity stiffened, just now realizing that she did just that. She was still a bit out of breath, both from the walk and from finding Luz. This sudden self-awareness reminded her to pick them up off the floor.

“Well, when I found out what was going on I contacted Willow and she said that were probably back here. My parents wouldn’t let me leave so I had to sneak out before sunrise.”

Luz nodded intently as she talked.

“So what you're saying is that you DID walk all the way over here on your crutches.”

Amity stiffened again, not sure how to change the subject.

“Yeah, I guess….. But it wasn’t bad, really! It was just a quick stroll! It was nothing, really!”

Amity suddenly read the massive grin on Luz’s face, she knew what it meant.

“You're gonna scoop me up again aren’t you?”

Then Luz scooped her up again.

Amity’s face was now awash in red. She tried to hide it the best that she could while stumbling over her words.

“No, yeah, awesome, this is fine!”

Luz was confused about why Amity was acting so nervous. Must have been from exhaustion.

Luz turned back around to the others, still smiling as if a lot didn’t just happen over the past few seconds.

“Alright, first day of Shape Spell Class is dismissed. Don’t forget to study!”

Eda nudged Lilith to get her attention.

“Let's give them some time to catch up.”

Lilith looked at Amity, lightly surprised. The last time that she saw her, she was preparing to be a part of the Emperor’s Coven. She seemed determined, focused, unwilling to let anything distract her. Now she seemed to be showing a greater deal of weakness since then, she seemed to be much more open now. To her, it was strangely comforting. She didn’t know why, but that was a question for another time.

“Your right Eda, let's give them some space.”

As they left the living room, Luz carefully sat Amity down on the couch. Amity exhaled slowly and then turned to Luz.

“Okay, tell me everything that happened.”

“Everything?”

“Everything.”

Luz held her chin in thought. It was hard to even begin as it was a somewhat long story.

“Okay, so this is basically what happened……….”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“...........And that's basically what happened.”

Amity just froze in absolute astoundment. She raised her hand up trying to collect her thoughts.

“So let me get this straight, not only did you fight with the leader of the Emperor’s Coven, but you fought with Emperor Belos, THE Emperor Belos, and are now a wanted criminal?”

Luz nodded, smiling mostly out of nervousness. Amity covered her face with hands, exhaling louder than before.

“How can you be so calm about that?! Do you realize that you could have gotten yourself killed?!”

Luz’s nervousness subsided, but her smile stayed.

“I can handle it, don't you know I’m not a rookie anymore. I’m a real witch now!”

Luz followed up that statement with a theatrical gesture, but it didn’t seem to phase Amity. Her face was still serious. Luz awkwardly composed herself realizing it might not have been the best time to gloat.

“I’m being serious. You always do these impulsive things and get yourself into trouble, but this is unbelievable.”

“I thought you would have been more upset about me becoming a wanted criminal,” said Luz, trying to make the conversation a bit more light hearted.

“Oh no, I am mad about that too, but that's not important right now. You just recklessly put yourself in danger there and you were doing it all alone. I don’t know what I would have done if you got hurt, or worse.”

Luz could tell that Amity was being serious, more serious than usual at least. It was strange, Luz still remembered when Amity saw her as someone who would never make it as a witch but now she's always trying to help her out. Not only that but she really seemed to care about her. Just like everything that happened yesterday, Luz was amazed at how much has changed.

Luz put a hand on Amity’s shoulder, radiating a warm, reassuring smile.

“I promise I’ll be more careful from now on, okay?”

Amity’s stern look slowly faded, now she was returning the smile.

“Okay.”

“Now it's my turn to be worried, you seriously walked all the way over here on your crutches?”

Amity raised a finger about to protest but slowly dropped it knowing there wasn’t anything she could say to dispute it.

“Your leg’s still busted up, you really should be resting.”

“But I had to know you were okay!”

Luz let out a playful giggle.

“You really are getting soft on me, huh?”

“......Maybe,” said Amity softly.

“Anyways, you really shouldn’t be doing any more walking today. It's a good thing we don’t have school today.”

Just then, Luz’s eyes lit up. She had an idea.

“You could spend the day here! We could do some training and I could show you all the spells I’m teaching Eda.”

Amity thought for a moment on the idea, it was tempting. She returned to her stern face.

“I’m not sure, my parents might be wondering where I am. They might be mad if I don’t come home soon.”

Luz frowned, letting her arms fall to her sides.

“Awwwww, but we could do a slumber party and read the new Azura book.”

Now it sealed the deal for Amity.

“Actually your right, I think I should just stay here for now.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amity found herself getting lost in the house at night, she didn’t visit as much as she would have wanted so the area was still somewhat new to her. It felt strange staying the night, nothing like what her home life was like. There was a much calmer atmosphere. But on the way back to Luz’s room, she saw something- or this case someone- that brought back that tense feeling.

It was Lilith. She was making her way down the hall but noticed Amity. They both felt that they should say something, but the situation was already incredibly awkward. It was especially awkward since the last time they saw each other it was on a somewhat sour note. The silent unease was broken as Lilith decided to speak first.

“So….are you still training for the Emperor’s Coven?”

Amity didn’t reply, she didn’t feel like talking about it. Lilith’s eyes shifted around nervously.

“You look...different.”

Amity forgot that she was wearing the otter pattern pajamas that Luz lent her. She scowled but it was hard to hide the embarrassment, so she decided to deflect it back.

“Well so do you..”

Now Lilith was reminded that she still looked as messy as she did in the morning. Her hair was starting to look more like it did when she was a kid.

They both stayed in silence again, unsure if they should just leave the conversation at that. But then Amity decided to speak up.

“I heard about what happened with you and Emperor Belos.”

“What are you getting at exactly?”

“How did you do it. How could you throw away your reputation just like that?”

Lilith sighed, scratching her temple.

“Look, the Emperor’s Coven isn’t all that you think it is. I’ve had to sever a lot of relationships to be a ‘good leader’ because I thought I was doing the right thing. But I wasn’t. I wasn’t keeping my position because it was good for the people, I just didn’t know what else to do. There's some terrible things happening up there and I couldn’t let Eda be sucked into it anymore. I wasn’t willing to turn a blind eye anymore.”

After a moment Lilith then chuckled lightly while pointing at her new grey pupil.

“Heh, blind eye. Get it? That was an unintentional pun there…..”

Amity’s usual stern expression turned into one of worry, both about the unethical actions going on within the Emperor’s Coven but also for Lilith’s mental state.

Lilith’s caught on that she still needed to work on her humor and awkwardly made her way down the hall. But before she settled into the night, she spoke from the other side of the wood walls.

“If you take any advice from me, then listen to this. You're better off being a good person than a great witch.”

Now Amity was left alone in the hall. She had a lot of thoughts swimming around in her head. It was only recently that she started to have doubts about being part of the Emperor’s Coven, but this made those doubts justified. It didn’t seem right anymore, now that she knew what was really going on. But more than that, she feared what her parents might think. Her parents always had ridiculously high expectations for her, so what would this mean to them. They were never really the understanding type. Would they see her as a failure?

Luz suddenly popped her head out of one of the doors. She waved her hands.

“Amity!” she said quietly.

Amity was broken out of her daze and made her way to Luz’s room. It was mostly dark except for some of the moonlight coming through the window and the flashlight on Luz’s phone. It was still hard to see some of the room.

“Why is so dark in here,” Amity said. “I thought we were going to read.”

Then Amity noticed a few loose pieces of paper and a pencil on the floor. Her face was puzzled while Luz grinned.

“We can still read, but I wanted to show you how to do those drawing spells. I thought you might like it.”

Amity was curious, Luz showed her the light spell before but she never tried sketching it out for herself. By all accounts it was a basic spell but doing it in this fashion was something new to her.

She put her crutches to the side and laid down on the floor in front of the paper. Luz flopped down and grabbed a pencil. She quickly drew the symbol and showed it to Amity.

“All you need to do is draw the shapes and then tap it.”

Amity gave a determined nod. Luz gave her the pencil as she analyzed the original drawing. She started sketching trying to follow it as closely as she could. When it was finished, she tapped the paper. But no light.

Amity turned the paper over and tried again, trying to be even more precise. She tapped the drawing. Still nothing.

She pouted while Luz tried to analyze the situation.

“Maybe you just need a new way to approach it. Here…”

Luz pulled out a new piece of paper. She took the pencil and laid the tip of the lead near the bottom. Then she suddenly took Amity’s hand and placed it on top of her own. Amity did everything she could to contain herself.

“Try feeling the movements my hands make when I draw the circles, it might be helpful.”

Luz was completely oblivious to Amity turning red again, she was more focused on getting the symbol right. Then she finally drew the last line and tapped the paper.

The paper folded into itself and became a soft, amber light floating upwards. Amity looked up, even though it was still a simple spell there was still something breathtaking about it. Luz’s smile grew as she saw how awestruck Amity was with her little trick. It only occurred to her just then that Amity was starting to see her as a real witch, not as a lesser but an equal.

Amity felt a great sense of comfort around Luz. Even after everything that had happened, even with her doubts about her own future, Luz was still someone who helped give her clarity. It took her a while, but being with Luz reminded her why she wanted to be a witch in the first place. It reminded her of what learning magic for the first time felt like.

They were both enraptured in the moment that Amity didn’t realize she was still holding onto Luz’s hand, but she didn’t seem to mind.

“Now where did I put that book…”

#the owl house #the owl house spoilers #luz #luz noceda #eda #eda clawthorne #amity #amity blight #fanfic #luz and the lights

23 notes · View notes

the-jade-cross · 4 years ago

Text

Fairy of Hogwarts - Chapter 7

"Keep up Jackson!" the eldest Malfoy called back to her brother.

Arya smiled as she watched her sixteen year old daughter, Olivia, practically dragging fourteen year old Juliana and fifteen year old Jackson down the platform towards the Hogwarts train.

It was Olivia's sixth year at Hogwarts and she was dying to get back. it wasn't that Olivia didn't like being home but it was the twins: Johanna and Gianna's first year and Olivia was dying to show her two sisters around Hogwarts. Also, Olivia had been dubbed house boy of Gryffindor.

Just like Arya's family, almost every house at hogwarts had one of the Malfoy children. Olivia was in Gryffindor while Juliana was in Hufflepuff, Jackson in Ravenclaw and Holly in Slytherin. Almost everyone had been surprised when sweet, gentle Holly had been placed in Slytherin but yet again, that house had changed especially after Snape's sacrifice in the war against Voldemort and also the fact that Blaise was the head professor of Slytherin now and it was actually a quite agreeable house

"Mommy," five year old Allie called to Arya, "Can I sit in Jackson's buggy?"

Arya smiled and nodding, she lifted her second youngest child up and sat her in her eldest son's buggy. seven year old Hailey and eight year old Benedict were sitting Gianna and Johanna's buggies, cooing at the twins' owls.

"Where's father?" Juliana inquired, "We'll be boarding soon."

"I'm here," Draco said, startling his whole family at his surprise arrival.

Draco laughed at their shock and scooped little Iris up as she ran to wrap her arms around his leg. He kissed the girl on the head and placed her on his shoulders while wrapping an arm around his wife.

They herded their family of ten towards the train when suddenly Jackson and Juliana screeched with joy.

"ROSE!"

"HUGO!"

Ron and Hermione's two children turned and squealed in delight as the two Malfoy children rushed over and drew them in for bone breaking hugs.

"We were worried you wouldn't get here win time!" Hugo remarked.

"Well with the twins both going to hogwarts this year we got slowed down a bit," Jackson explained.

"Where is James, Lilly and Albus?" Rose inquired.

"They'll be along shortly," Jackson replied, winking at the girl.

Rose turned a bright shade of pink at the gesture and chuckled softly. It was a well known fact amongst the Malfoy, Potter and Weasley families that Jackson Malfoy had a serious liking for young Rose Weasley and it seemed she returned it.

Hugo and Juliana looked at each other exasperated and chuckled.

"J!" a familiar voice cried, "Juliana!"

"Hey Auntie Mione," the two kids greeted, being drawn into hugs by Mrs. Weasley.

Hermione smiled. The children had called her Auntie Mione since they were born and she honestly didn't mind in the slightest.

"Auntie!" Hailey squealed, rushing into Hermione's arms.

"Hay baby girL!" Hermione greeted. "You've gotten big!"

"Where is my favorite little man?" Ron inquired.

Benedict pounced on Ron in an instant and Ron chuckled, holding the boy over his shoulder.

"Hello Arya," Hermione greeted, rushing over to hug Arya.

She gave Draco a smile which he returned genuinely.

"Hey Malfoy," Ron greeted Draco, "You know it's weird how you used to tease me about being part of a huge family.... well looks like fate turned around."

Draco looked around at his large family and smirked, "I suppose it has."

Ron chuckled and shook the man's hand before they all turned to see the potter family heading their way.

At once the kids all scurried off to greet the three potter children while Harry and Ginny walked over and hugged Ron and Hermione. Ginny hugged Arya and Draco while Harry gave Arya a hug and shook Draco's hand.

"It's been so long!" Ginny remarked. "How was your summer?"

"Busy to say the least," Arya replied. "It's harder than you think when you have to visit seven brothers."

Draco chuckled, "I think by the time we visited Anthony, the kids were starting to forget which uncles they had visited and which ones they hadn't."

Ron laughed right out loud, "How are the boys anyway?"

"Oh they're great," Arya replied. "Aiden and Austen both just had their fifth kids. Asher still wont settle down even though Axel and Aaron are getting on his case about being single still. Axel just had his second child and Aaron is ahead on his third. Alex just had his first and Anthony got married about a month ago."

"Geez.... wait which one is having their first?" Ron teased, earning a slap in the back of the head from Hermione.

"Just kidding."

"What about you two?" Ginny inquired, "Arya is it just me or do you look different?"

Arya looked from Ginny, to Harry to Hermione to Ron, then up at Draco who was smiling at her. Finally she turned and smiled.

"I'm pregnant again."

"WHAT!?" Ron hollered, making Hermione jump.

"Ron!" Hermione chastised, clapping him on the back of the head again.

"OH MY GOSH!" Ginny squealed, hugging Arya, "That is so amazing! Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?"

"IT's a girl," Arya replied

"Yet another girl huh Draco?" Harry asked, smirking at his old enemy.

Draco grinned and nodded, "Yeah, surprisingly Jackson and Benedict didn't rebel. I suppose they like having only sisters because they get my full attention when it's just us boys."

Hermione chuckled, "That is so amazing! Have you thought of names?"

The two nodded but Arya seemed to zone out. Draco wrapped his arm around her and she smiled at him gratefully.

"Ashanya Fredricka."

"Ashanya after your sister," harry deciphered. "Fredrick after Fred...."

Arya nodded and at once, Ginny and Ron felt tears appear to their eyes but they wiped them away.

"MOM!" Olivia cried, "We have to go!"

There was a lot of chattering, hugs, kisses and tears as the children were all bustled onto the train. Draco had to grab Benedict and Hailey before they tried to sneak on the train. They reminded him so much of Fred and George it was almost not funny.

Allie hugged Draco by the leg and Arya picked up Iris.

"Mommy...." Iris whispered. "If the war was so terrible, how did it become so happy and peaceful?"

All eyes turned to Arya to see what her reply would be. Arya looked down at her daughter, then at her other children. She stole a glance at Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron.... then she looked up at Draco who was smiling down at her, his son on his back and his two daughters in his arms.

"Love honey," she whispered, hugging Iris. "Love fixed it all."

THE END!

#malfoy #draco #draco x oc #malfoy x oc #draco malfoy #draco malfoy x oc #harry potter #hogwarts

1 note · View note

eightmakar · 6 years ago

Text

Taking Control | Three

(Hogwarts!Tom AU + Bestfriend!Tom AU)

Teaser || One || Two

Summary: How do you work up the courage to confess your love to your best friend?

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: angst

(a/n: hi guys!! i’ve been blown away by the support of this story, so as a thank you i’m extra motivated to write!! i got my information on animagi from pottermore and my bby @jellalyrancher is my hogwarts fact checker so a special thx to her!! check out my masterlist here :))) i lov u guys and message me for tags!!!)

You stormed off to find Tom. But without any semblance of a plan, you stopped in the middle of the hallway.

How could you possibly express to him how much you really loved him?

It wasn’t just one thing. It was everything about him.

His laugh, his smile, the way he teased you. His body, oh Lord, his body. The way your head fit perfectly in the crook of his neck. The way he hugged you, scooping you up and holding you tightly like you were the only thing in the world that mattered. His beautiful chocolate curls that you’d spent many a time by the fire in the Common Room running your fingers through as he slept in your lap. The way he grinned when he returned from the kitchen with freshly baked sticky buns, courtesy of his House Elf friends he’d made his first year. The way he looked atop a broomstick playing Quidditch. His triumphant expression when you won a Quidditch match, sweat pouring down his forehead into his eyes, taking his curls with it. The curve of his jaw, the smooth skin of his neck that was practically begging to be kissed. His hands, his long fingers. His stupid left eyebrow that you desperately wanted to shape correctly, but he always refused to let you. The gleam he got in his eye when he was intently listening in Care of Magical Creatures. You could go on for days about your Tom.

Where would you even find him? Was he in the bathroom still? He said he’d meet you in Transfigurations, but Harrison was in class with you two as well, and you didn’t know if he was serious or not when he threatened to lock you and Tom in a broom closet. Maybe that wouldn’t be too bad, being locked in a closet with Tom.

You were just stomping around the castle aimlessly; you didn’t have a rhyme or reason to where you were going, but you ended up by the Transfigurations room anyways. You cursed the terror inside you that always made you get to class early; it was what had driven you straight to the classroom. You wished you could transfigure yourself into someone who could confess their love to their best friend.

“Miss (Y/L/N)?” you heard a voice call. Professor McGonagall was standing at the door of her classroom.

“Oh! Professor! I’m sorry to disturb you. I’m early for class.”

“That’s quite alright, I wanted to speak to you about something anyways! Please, come in.” She escorted you into her office, which was connected to her classroom.

She sat down at her desk and you sat across from her. “Is everything alright?” You asked, a little nervous.

“Oh, yes dear. I had an idea for you, since you are now an adult in the Wizarding World. You are one of the best transfigurations students I’ve had in a long time, and I would like to help you train and register to become an animagus.”

“What?” You said in disbelief. “Really? An animagus?”

She nodded proudly. “Just like your mother.”

Both your mother and father worked for the Ministry of Magic, but your mum was essentially the second in command to the Minister of Magic. She was an animagus; she used to entertain Hannah, you, and Ryan as children by transforming into a horned owl and making funny hooting noises at you guys. You smiled fondly at the memory.

Your mom’s Patronus was also a horned owl, which was a common trend in the wizarding world. If that trend remained true for you, you would be able to transform into a fox, your patronus.

“When can I start?” you asked excitedly.

Professor McGonagall smiled. “I need to speak to a few people and situate a few things before we begin, so I’ll let you know. In the mean time, make sure you keep your marks good. The Ministry will look at them when they approve your registration.”

“I promise!” You nearly shouted. How many students had she done this for? You could probably count the number on one hand. She saw potential in you, and it was one of the most exciting things you’d ever felt.

“Now go ahead and take your seat. It appears your friends Mr. Holland and Mr. Osterfield have already saved you one,” she said, looking over her glasses at the middle of the classroom.

Tom and Harrison were sitting at one of the worn benches. You had a moment of panic as you walked over. Should you sit next to Harrison or Tom? Haz would know you didn’t tell Tom anything yet, but you felt so awkward about Tom’s “guy stuff” earlier that you’d rather deal with Haz.

Thankfully, Haz scooted over as you came over. “What was that about?” He asked, Tom leaning over him to hear your response.

“She wants to train me to be an animagus!” You said in a hushed, excited whisper, as your other classmates were filing in.

Tom’s eyes grew wide. “Really? (Y/N), that’s incredible!” he exclaimed.

“My mum’s Patronus and Animagus forms are the same. They’re both a horned owl. If that’s the same for me, it’ll be—“

“A fox,” both the boys finished. They knew you too well.

Professor McGonagall began class before you could say anything else to the boys. She welcomed you all to your final year of Transfigurations, and assured you it would be the best of them all.

You had to agree.

Halfway through class, Haz tapped your arm. He slid a small piece of parchment to you with a note on it.

‘Well?’

Your simple reply: ‘No.’

‘Why?’

‘Panicked.’

He drew you a picture to convey his next message. It was a broom. You rolled your eyes, knowing exactly what he meant. You would not have to be locked in a broom closet with Tom to tell him your feelings. At least you hoped you wouldn’t.

Class ended, and the three of you made your way to potions. You made sure to talk to Tom on your way there.

“Excited about Quidditch tryouts today?” you asked. To you, there was nothing more exhilarating than a Quidditch match. Tom was the captain of the Quidditch team, and the best Seeker in the school.

“Is that even a question?” he countered. “You’re talking to the captain of the Quidditch team.”

“What if some hotshot first year like Harry Potter comes and steals your spot?” you asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, then I guess the two of us will have to be Beaters, then, won’t we?” he said with a grin. “Although I can’t imagine the team would be very happy about their highest scoring Chaser becoming a Beater.”

You shrugged. “They’d get over it.”

He laughed. “Would they though?”

You laughed too as you followed Harrison into the dungeon for potions.

You never understood why potions was Harrison’s favorite class. It was dark and dingy and smelled awful in the dungeons. Especially in the potions room, where the scent of mildew combined with the smell of whatever potion you were brewing that day. But Haz was excited, so you and Tom were excited with him.

You sat down on the end of a row near the back, and Tom sat next to you. He leaned over close to you, so close you could smell his cologne.

“Can we talk later?” he whispered. “Like after Quidditch?”

Your stomach dropped. That was your chance. Was he trying to take a chance too?

“Yeah, sure!” You said nonchalantly. The smell of his cologne was intoxicating; you felt woozy just from him. You knew the cologne’s name, too, because you had picked it out for him as a gift for his 16th birthday, right before sixth year started. It was called Sunlight Prince, and you couldn’t think of a better description of Tom. You’d told him he was a man now that he was 16, and that he damn well better smell like one. He’d worn it every day since then.

The entirety of potions class, you practiced what to say to Tom in your head.

Ever since I saw you kissing Liza, it hit me like a brick, but I knew before then. When I’m with you I feel like the whole world could fall apart around us and nothing would feel wrong, because everything feels right with you. Nothing could ever be wrong when we’re together. I love you with my whole heart and soul, Tom.

You wrote it down so you wouldn’t forget it. You tucked the piece of parchment in the inner pocket of your robe, praying it wouldn’t go anywhere. You knew if you didn’t have it written down, you wouldn’t be able to make the words come out.

Potions went by far too slow, but it finally ended, and it was Quidditch time. You, Tom, and Harrison walked together to the dressing rooms, but departed at the door. Harrison was the captain of Ravenclaw’s team, so of course he couldn’t go in your dressing room.

Then you were alone with Tom in the dressing room. You opened up your locker in the dressing room, revealing your Quidditch robes. You sighed, comforted at the sight of them. You promised yourself if teaching didn’t pan out, you’d be a professional Quidditch player.

Someone came in the room. You turned to see your friend Abigail Harrington, a sixth year who you absolutely adored. She would be the captain when Tom left, hands down.

You meant to greet her, but you realized Tom was clad only in his boxer-briefs.

You’d seen Tom like this plenty of times growing up; Hogwarts didn’t feel the need to separate boys and girls for some reason, which you never really understood. But this time, it was different. You felt hot blood rush between your legs to your core. Your heart raced, your breathing locked in a race with it. Your hands started to shake and all you could do was stare at him. Tom’s small frame was defined and muscular, his collarbones and pecs and everything perfectly curved. He turned around, his back to you, reaching in his locker for his robes. You felt dizzy looking at the arches and lines of his back, the definition of his shoulder blades.

You had the overwhelming urge to dig your nails into it while he hovered over you.

You felt bad for poor Abigail, who still stood staring at you strangely..

“Hey?” She said awkwardly.

“Uh, h-hi,” You stammered back. You quickly turned to your locker and cursed to yourself, hoping Tom didn’t notice you looking at him. Was this how he felt during Dark Arts?

You took a deep breath and changed into your Quidditch robes as quickly as possible. You tried your best to not look at Tom, because every time you did the throbbing between your legs got worse. You wiggled uncomfortably, trying to rub your legs together in some semblance of relief before you had to go on your broomstick. Luckily, you had some time, because you had to wait for everyone to file into the room.

Tom gave his spiel, and thankfully, the throbbing had subsided greatly now that Tom was clothed. You and the small crowd of people went out to the field and got to work.

Quidditch took your mind off of everything, including the daunting task of talking to Tom after practice. But it didn’t last nearly long enough. You got so caught up in Quidditch that you didn’t even realize how quickly the time passed until Tom blew a whistle and tryouts were done.

Panic came over you. Your heart began to race again, your hands shaking so badly you could barely carry your broom. You filed into the dressing room with the rest of the team, going over the words you’d written earlier.

I love you with my whole heart and soul, Tom.

Then it was just you and Tom in the dressing room, alone.

Tags:

@upsidedownparker / @beautiful-holland / @ibtomholland / @tomhollandwritings / @tomsfireheart / @frecklesholland / @brokenuntilmay3rd2019 / @cutie1365 / @thebookwormslytherin / @bloodysleepy / @heavenly---holland / @uboe / @ali-ami-umi / @tom-hollands-hoe / @supernaturalpllfan1 / @bellagrayson-wayne

#tom holland #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland fanfictions #tom holland fanfic #tom holland fanfics #tom holland fandom #tom holland au #th #taking control ff #harrison osterfield #hogwarts!tom #hogwarts!au #hogwarts!tom holland #best friend!tom #best friend!tom holland #best friend!au

130 notes · View notes

thegladelf · 7 years ago

Text

Killian Jones and The Girl Who Lived 8/8

AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! We made it to the end!

First things first, thank you, thank you, thank you to @icecubelotr44 for being a super awesome beta. She has really pulled her weight, whether it was in pointing out typos or being a second brain to bounce ideas off of or even suggesting some ideas herself.

Secondly, I am so, so grateful for all the work that @prongsie and @jemmingart has put into illustrating this story. I’ve just been blown away by all their artwork. You guys, rock and I’m so glad we got matched up.

Thirdly, thanks to all the mods over at @captainswanbigbang for putting this on this year. You guys are superstars and i’m super grateful for all the work you put into making this Big Bang awesome!

And finally, I know some of y’all are wondering if I’ll be continuing on through the rest of the series. The answer is, “Yes!” CSBB got me started, but I’m nowhere near finished with this story. I will be taking a few weeks off from posting (for this universe, at least) so that I can get some chapters lined up, but you can expect to see the first chapter of “Killian Jones and The Heir of Sytherin” sometime next month. As this will not be a part of any story initiatives (i.e. CSBB), I would suggest following me on FF.net or Ao3 so you don’t miss a chapter.

A BIG thank you to everyone who has liked and commented so far. I hope to see you for the next installment.

Word Count: 7.1k

Rating: G

First Chapter | Previous Chapter

Chapter Eight: An Underground Adventure

Killian woke on the first morning of exam week convinced that today would be the day. Between every class he ran up to the third floor corridor with the others and pressed his ear to the door as always, listening for snores or the scrape of claws against stone. But as the week wore on and nothing happened, the dread that had followed him since the encounter in the forest loosened its hold. He fell more and more on Mary Margaret's side.

With two of them against her and David cringing every time she said You-Know-Who's name, Emma dropped the subject even though it was obvious she still thought about it.

"No more studying," David said Friday afternoon as they left their last exam. He snatched Killian's exam papers away, but thought better of doing the same to Mary Margaret when she glared at him. "Oh don't look so glum, you three. We've got a whole week until we know how badly we've done… Now, we're going outside and we're putting away all the books until Monday."

Mary Margaret sighed and stuffed her things back into her satchel. "Fine. I suppose we've earned a break."

David got a sly look in his eye. As they approached the main doors, he grabbed Mary Margaret’s hand and darted outside with a whoop. She let out a shout of protest, clutching at her bag with one hand, but when David let go of her hand and kept running she chased after him with a smile on her face. A slightly manic smile, but a smile nonetheless.

“What do you think happens if she catches him?” Emma asked.

Killian shrugged. “Dunno.”

She nodded, rubbing at her scar. She snatched her hand away when she caught him looking and ran off after the others before he could ask her about it. As always, Killian followed.

By the time they caught up to David and Mary Margaret, the other two had slowed back to a walk, heading for the lake. They wandered around for a bit. Every so often, David would scoop up a promising rock and try skipping it across the surface. When the heat became overwhelming, the four of them flopped down under one of the willows. There was no breeze but the shade transformed the heat into something bearable, something sleepy.

They all stretched out and stared up at the long leaves. All of them except for Emma, whose fingers found her scar and began worrying at it.

"You alright, Swan?" Killian asked.

"I wish I knew what this means,” she growled, pressing hard at the little pink mark.

He snatched her hand away. "Careful, you'll rub it raw."

"Emma, relax," David said, reaching his hands beneath his head. "Stone’s safe as long as Dumbledore's around and no one is getting past that dog."

"Yeah," Killian added, "Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore like that. Even if he's a bit too trusting of Snape..." Killian shuddered. He still had goosebumps from their Potions exam. The dour professor spent the entire exam going from student to student, hovering over each of them, making them feel like they’d taken the very Forgetfulness potion they were supposed to be brewing.

“No, I suppose not.” Emma sat bolt upright. "Unless..."

Mary Margaret sighed. "Emma..."

But Emma was already off, robes trailing behind her as she took off for the forest.

With a glance at Mary Margaret, Killian got his feet, brushing grass from his robes as she pulled on David's sleeve. Grumbling, David rolled to his feet and the three of them hurried after Emma. Her destination was clear enough, her sights set on Hagrid's hut so intensely that Killian hoped she didn’t set it aflame with her eyes.

She glanced back at them as they caught up. “Don't you find it suspicious that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon and a stranger turns up who just happens to have a dragon egg in his pocket?"

Emma barged right up to Hagrid’s door and slammed her fist on it several times.

She received, “Round back!” in answer.

With that same single-minded fury, Emma led them to the back of the hut.

If he noticed the look on Emma’s face, Hagrid didn’t show it.

“Hullo," Hagrid said as they came into view. He tossed an empty pea pod to the growing pile behind him and reached for another. "Got time fer a drink?"

"No, not really," Emma said. "Hagrid, what did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"

"Dunno," Hagrid replied, popping a pea open. "Wouldn't take off his cloak."

"And did you tell him anything about Hogwarts?"

Hagrid frowned, his hands stilling. "Mighta come up."

The sun felt a hundred times hotter as Killian’s mind finally caught up to Emma's. His heart sank into his stomach.

“Well…” Hagrid paused, eyes narrowed in concentration. "I told him I was gamekeeper here an' he asked about the creatures I look after… which I told him… an’ he told me he had a dragon egg on him and we could play fer it if I thought I could handle it.” Hagrid scoffed. “I told him after Fluffy a dragon would be easy...."

"And did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Emma leaned forward, her weight on the balls of her feet. She held her breath

"Well, it's not everyday yeh meet someone who knows about three-headed dogs,” Hagrid said, looking slightly offended. “I tol' him they're no trouble if you play them a bit o' music, calms 'em right down." Hagrid clapped a giant hand over his mouth. "I shouldn'ta told yet that!"

He had to yell because as soon as she heard the word music, Emma had sprinted off, racing up the hill like her life depended on it.

And it just might, Killian thought as he took off after her.

The Great Hall was cool, turning the sweat on Killian’s back to ice moments after they entered. They all paused, gulping in great lungfuls of air. Emma recovered first, shoving her hair back from her face, though bits of it still clung to her red cheeks.

"Mary Margaret," she said, whirling on the girl in question, "where's Dumbledore's office?"

Bewildered, Mary Margaret shook her head. “I have no idea.”

Emma frowned, but the frown didn’t last long. She pushed past David.

“Professor McGonagall.” Still panting, Emma ran up to the professor. "We need to see Professor Dumbledore. It's important."

"Goodness, Miss Swan, what's the matter?" Professor McGonagall eyed Emma over her wire-rimmed spectacles.

Emma’s eyes darted to the staircase. "Uh… it's kind of a secret."

Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared a little and Killian found himself very glad Emma was the one talking to her and not him.

"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," McGonagall said in a stony voice. "The Ministry of Magic sent him an urgent owl."

"He's gone?" Emma's voice sounded as steady as Killian felt. "Now?"

McGonagall looked down her long nose, waiting.

"Professor," Mary Margaret said, stepping up next to Emma, "It's about the Sorcerer's Stone..."

"And what do you know about that?" Professor's McGonagall's voice got all high-pitched as she spoke, her eyes wide behind her glasses.

"We just—we do," Emma said, "and I think Sn—I think someone is going to try to steal the Stone tonight. I really need to talk to Professor Dumbledore."

Professor McGonagall pressed her lips together, studying Emma for a long time. Finally, she shook out the sleeves of her robes, adjusting the cuffs with an air of indifference.

"Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she announced. "And as for the Stone, I don't know how you found out about that, but it is quite well protected, I assure you." She placed her hands on Emma's shoulders and steered her back toward the door. "Now, go. Enjoy the sunshine."

And just like that, they were outside, watching Professor McGonagall march back into the castle.

Emma’s hands shook. “It’s tonight. I know it.”

“We’ll figure something out,” Killian said, putting an arm around her as Mary Margaret came round the other side. It was a brief hug, because Killian caught sight of the last person he wanted to see right now. “Watch out, here comes Snape."

Snape narrowed his eyes as he passed them and if anyone would find standing out in the sunshine a crime, Killian was sure Snape would. But the teacher only nodded at them. They nodded back and he moved on.

David let out a sigh. “Reckon one of us should keep an eye on him?”

Emma nodded.

“Okay, Mary Margaret, you go hang outside the staff room,” David said, pointing.

“Why don’t you go hang outside the staff room?” Mary Margaret shot back.

“Because,” David drew the word out, “no one is going to believe me if I say I’m waiting around for Doc, but you’ve been talking the professors’ ears off about exams since day one.”

Mary Margaret looked thoughtful. “Well, I did have a question about number fourteen…”

David bit back a smile, but wisely said nothing.

“Good,” Emma said. “While she’s doing that, I think David, Killian, and me should keep an eye on the third floor corridor. You game?”

It seemed like a reasonable plan, so they said goodbye to Mary Margaret and tromped up to the third floor. As soon as they got to the door, Emma pressed her ear against it, eyes closed as she listened.

“He’s still there,” she whispered.

They all breathed a sigh of relief.

“Okay, do you think maybe we should split up?” David asked. He gestured to one end of the corridor. “Post a guard at each end? And then one here by the door, just in case?”

“I bet one of us could fit behind that suit of armor,” Killian said.

Emma let out a muffled squeak, her eyes going wide.

“What?” Killian and David asked.

“Oh, I don’t think so.”

All three of them turned to see Professor McGonagall standing at the end of the corridor, her arms crossed over her chest. Her stare pinned their feet to the floor and the swishing of her robes as she stormed down the hall might have been the most ominous sound Killian had ever heard. “I suppose you think that you three can do a better job protecting that stone that an entire school’s worth of professors, do you?”

She stopped right beside Killian and he remembered the way she had held Regina up by her ear. He swallowed hard and tried to appear as small as possible. Her nails looked very, very sharp.

“But, Professor—”

“Don’t you ‘But, Professor’ me, young lady.” She leaned over the three of them. “I have had enough of this nonsense. If I hear you three— no, four have been anywhere near this door again it will be another fifty points from Gryffindor!”

David gasped.

“Yes, Nolan! From my very own house.” The glint in her eye sent them scurrying all the way back to the common room.

They flopped down on the couch miserably.

Emma rubbed at the scar again. “Well, at least we know Mary Margaret’s on Snape’s tail. If he moves she’ll tell us.”

The Fat Lady creaked and Mary Margaret came into the room, her normally pale cheeks flaming.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Everything was fine for a little while, but then Snape came out and wanted to know what I was doing, so I said I was waiting for Doc. Snape went to get him. I didn’t know what else to do but ask my question and by the time Doc had finished…” She waved her hands helplessly. “I don’t know where Snape went.”

“That’s it.” Emma threw the pillow she had been holding onto the floor, it landed with a loud fwump. “The only thing left to do is sneak out of here tonight and get the Stone before Snape does."

"But you'll be expelled!" Mary Margaret protested. She said the word like it was the worst fate she could imagine.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Expelled is better than being dead! I'll use the invisibility cloak. No one will know I'm even out of bed."

Killian sat up. "Think that'll cover both of us?"

"Make it…" David cast a curious look at Mary Margaret. Her only response was to cross her arms and look sour. “Make it three of us.”

"I—I suppose. It fit two of us and a crate so…" Emma twisted the hem of her sweater. "David. Killian. I can't ask you to..."

“You’re not asking,” Killian replied. “Now, what do you say we all get some dinner?”

The wait after dinner was excruciating. Killian spent the entire time expecting Professor McGonagall to burst into the common room, point a spindly finger at each of them, and demand to know what in the world they thought they were doing. Emma twisted the hem of her sweater until it was absolutely ragged.

Mary Margaret paced nearby, stopping at intervals as David hissed, “Sit down and relax,” at her. She would listen for two minutes before she was on her feet again, pacing and fidgeting. It felt like time trickled by, people leaving the common room in groups of two and three. At last, Leroy Jordan, the last person in the common room, yawned the loudest yawn Killian ever heard and headed upstairs.

Emma jumped to her feet and dashed upstairs to retrieve her cloak.

"If anything happens to us," she said to Mary Margaret, "tell Dumbledore everything."

Killian and David got up, huddling close to Emma, but before she could throw the cloak around their shoulders, Mary Margaret blocked their way.

"Wait..." She shifted from one foot to the other. "You can't go."

"We've already been over this," Emma said. "I can't let Snape get that Stone."

"You'll be caught, Emma." Mary Margaret's voice wavered, she looked about to back off. She paused. Then she took a step forward, throwing her shoulders back and lifting her chin. "And that's the best case scenario. You can't go after a teacher on your own."

"She's not on her own," Killian and David said at the same time.

"You’re students!" Mary Margaret hissed. "We should go to bed, wait for Dumbledore to get back. He can stop Snape. He'll protect you, Emma."

"Rumplestiltskin will have the stone by tomorrow," Emma countered. “Mary Margaret, you know what’s at stake. We have to go!”

Mary Margaret pulled out her wand. "I'm not letting you."

But Killian was just as quick and he already had his hand on his wand. "Petrificus Totalus!"

Mary Margaret dropped her wand as her arms snapped to her sides and her legs locked up. She stared at Killian with wide eyes as she tipped, tilted, and fell face forward. Killian expected that. He sprang toward her, catching her before she hit the ground. David was with him and they lowered her gently the ground.

"Sorry, about that, Mary Margaret," Killian said, pushing his bangs out of his face.

"No, not there.” Emma sounded shaken. "Someone might trip over her."

Mary Margaret was little more than a living log--pure, dead weight as the three of them lifted her with effort and placed her on the couch. Once they had her settled, Emma pulled a blanket over her so that she wouldn’t get cold. Her eyes followed them the entire time, but nothing else moved.

"Will she be alright?" Emma asked.

"It's a Full Body Bind," Killian said, "it won't hurt her."

"Okay.” Emma leaned over their friend, tucking the blanket under her chin. “It'll be alright, Mary Margaret, I promise. We'll be back with the Stone in no time."

He felt sick with guilt as Emma threw the cloak over them . Liam would be so disappointed with him for using that spell on a friend. Of course, he knew Mary Margaret had been about to use it on them. They had discovered it together. She would understand later, he hoped. This was Emma’s life they were talking about it and if the adults weren’t going to do anything to stop You-Know-Who, then it was up to them.

All the way up to the third floor corridor it felt like ants were crawling over him, but he daren’t look around under the cloak to see if anyone was watching them. Instead, he kept his eyes fixed on the hallways in front of them.

At the staircase up to the third floor, they ran into a problem.

Peeves hovered over the floor, pudgy fingers picking at the carpet so that it would trip people.

Killian sucked in a breath as the ghost turned in their direction.

“Who’s there?” Peeves said in a nasal voice as they tried to squeeze past him. His wicked, black eyes glinted in the darkness. “I can’t see you, but you’re there.” They backed up quickly as Peeves waved a hand in front of him. “Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?”

Emma bit her lip.

The ghost rose up, drifting this way and that in front of them. “Should call Filch, I should, if something’s a-creeping around unseen.”

“Peeves,” David said in a hoarse whisper. He waved off the hand Killian tried to clap over his mouth. “The Bloody Baron has his reasons for being invisible.”

Peeves dropped suddenly, nearly hit the floor before he slowed, hands fumbling together. “Sorry, so sorry, your bloodiness—Mr. Baron—sir…My mistake, my mistake—I didn’t—of course I didn’t, you’re invisible—forgive old Peevsie he thought you were a student out of bed.”

Killian pressed a hand over his mouth, fighting back a giggle.

“Stay away from this place tonight, Peeves,” David continued, “I have business here.”

“Oh, yes sir, I will. Most certainly I will. I’ll stay out of your way, not a bother, not old Peeves.” And he hustled off, his little legs working even if his feet didn’t touch the ground.”

Emma breathed a sigh of relief.

Killian slung an arm around David’s neck. “That was brilliant, mate!”

“Yes, brilliant,” Emma hissed. “Now let’s go.”

They all took the stairs two at a time. If he had been with anyone else, Killian knew he would have tripped over one of them, but the three of them moved in a sort of sync. They were at the end of the corridor in a matter of seconds.

And they were already too late.

The door to Fluffy's cell stood open.

Emma let out a cry of despair and rushed forward, stopping just short of the door. Giant, snuffling snores echoed into the hallway.

"He's got it," Killian whispered. His brain whirled, trying to think of places they could hide Emma until Dumbledore came back tomorrow. He'd heard David's brother talking about secret passageways once with Leroy. Had they been talking about real passages? Or just discussing something that might be?

"We don't know that," Emma said, pulling the cloak off. She squared her shoulders. "Okay, if you two want to go back, I won't blame you."

"Don't be stupid," Killian said.

"We're coming," David finished.

They crept closer to the door, leaning over each other as they peered into the room. All three of the dog’s heads snapped up, noses pointed at them and sniffing wildly. At its feet sat a small harp.

Fluffy growled.

"Okay, then," Emma said and she pulled a wooden flute out of her pocket. “Time to put this to use I suppose.”

Killian would not in a million years call what she played music, but at the first low whistle of the flute, the dog's eyes drooped. The growls grew quieter and quieter until they turned to snores.

David gagged as they crept closer to the dog and he got a lungful of its breath.

"What does Hagrid feed this thing?" Killian whispered.

“Judging by what he fed Norbert? Probably fire whisky and rotten meat,” David replied, his face scrunched up in disgust.

“Hagrid would never feed one of his animals rotten meat.”

“Unless that what it liked.” David grimaced. “He’d probably keep the meat in his hut to make sure it spoiled properly.”

As they talked, the two boys stepped carefully over the dog's legs and bent for the ring of the trapdoor. The heavy door required a Herculean effort from them both, but they got it open.

Killian peered inside, trying to make out some detail besides utter darkness.

David swallowed. "Don't suppose you feel like going first, Killian."

Emma saved Killian from responding by waving at them. She pointed to herself and then to the darkness.

"Really?" he asked.

"Emma, you can't tell how deep this thing goes," David said, leaning over the lip again.

In response, she shoved the flute at Killian. The dog’s big ears twitched the minute the tune stopped and Killian put it to his mouth instead of arguing with her, blowing until he produced a steady whistle. Fluffy relaxed again.

Emma fearlessly sat on the lip of the hole. Without warning she pushed off the lip and dropped out of sight.

Killian almost stopped playing.

There was an odd sort of thump followed by, "It's okay! It's… something soft. You're fine to jump."

David clambered into the hole next, feet first, lowering himself until Killian could only see his fingertips. He let go. Still blowing on the flute--he wasn't doing much better than Emma--Killian edged up to the hole, feeling carefully with his toes. At last, he felt for the lip. He stopped playing when he found it and took a deep breath.

He jumped.

He heard the snaps of three enormous sets of teeth as he fell. Down, down, down, and--FLUMP. He was sprawled all over something soft. He felt around him, feeling the slightly waxy skin of a plant. Something curled around his ankles.

Heart in his throat, he whipped out his wand and cried "Lumos!"

"Killian! What the hell?" Emma threw her hand up to shield her eyes.

"Look!" he jabbed a finger at her and David.

The same long, twisting creepers grabbing at Killian's ankles had wrapped all the way around Emma and David's legs. He yanked hard one last time and snapped the last vine in two, but Emma and David weren't as lucky. The more they struggled, the higher the vines wrapped around them. Killian wracked his brain. He knew he'd heard of such a plant. It was in his herbology book—and there had been a question about it on—

"It's Devil's Snare," he shouted.

"Thanks for that completely helpful information," David shouted, struggling to free his arms.

"Shut up," Killian shot back. "I'm trying to remember how to kill it… creeping vines, likes dark and damp..."

"Then light a fire!" Emma gasped. The vines were all the way up to her chest.

"I don't have any wood!"

"KILLIAN, YOU NINNY, YOU'RE A WIZARD!" David bellowed.

"Oh!" With a flick of his wand, Killian muttered the same spell that he used to set Snape's robes on fire. The vines started smoldering and wriggling, unraveling as they loosed Emma and David. He held out his free hand, helping each of them away from the roots.

"Good thing you pay attention in herbology," Emma said, drawing several shaky breaths.

"Good thing some of us keep cool head under pressure." David shook his head. "Honestly. 'I don't have any wood'."

Killian tucked his wand back into his robes with flaming cheeks.

Emma tilted her head toward a looming arch. "This way, I think."

They followed her down a sloping passageway, the light from Emma's wand glistening on the water trickling down the walls. Killian shivered.

"Shh, hear that?" David asked.

They all froze. A soft rustling, clinking sound broke the silence up ahead.

They all exchanged quick glances and hurried on, coming to a brightly lit chamber. Killian craned his neck all the way back before he found the ceiling high above them. A flash of color darted across his vision. Bringing his gaze a little closer to him he found bright, jeweled birds fluttering about twenty feet off the ground.

"Is it just me, or does that looks too easy?" Emma asked, pointing to the door on the opposite side the room. There was nothing else there save for the birds fluttering high above them.

"One way to find out," David said.

Emma slid her wand back into its pocket. "Here’s the plan: I'll run and we'll see what happens."

"I don't think--"

But she was already racing across the room, her robes held over her head, so Killian let the sentence die.

The jeweled birds stayed far above them and Emma reached the other side unscathed. She hauled on the door, but it held fast. Killian and David came to help her, but the door remained firmly shut.

“Hold on,” Killian said, pulling out his wand. “Alohomora!”

Nothing happened.

"There's got to be a way in," Killian said, turning back to the room. He scratched behind his ear as he thought. "Maybe it has to do with the birds. They can't just be for decoration."

Emma's eyes lit up. "Of course." She grabbed his arm, pointing. "Look, they're keys. Winged keys!" She bit her lip, scanning the room. "And there! Broomsticks."

Killian nodded. "We've got to catch the right one."

"But there are hundreds of them!" David said.

Killian ran his fingers over the lock. "We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one. Silver like the handle."

Emma nodded vigorously. Golden hair streaming in the bright light, she ran for one of the brooms.

The boys were right behind her. Killian was much better at flying that he had been at the beginning of the year, but he was unprepared for the task of flying chasing the bird-like keys. He almost fell off his broom several times. David fared better and Emma was a blur, flitting after this key and then the next at boggling speeds. Killian couldn’t keep up. The keys darted about so quickly it was hard to tell what kind of key they were.

"There! That blue one!" Emma pointed to a key, big and silver with a bent wing, like it had already been caught and stuffed in a lock.

The three of them wasted several minutes trying to capture the key.

“Hold on,” Emma said, pulling her broom up short and hovering. “We need to trap it. Killian you go low, keep it from flying down. David you go high and come at it from above. I’ll try to catch it.”

“Right,” Killian and David said.

They circled around until they were in position.

“Ready?” Emma called. “Now!”

Focusing on the key with all his might, Killian rocketed upward. David came at him from the opposite direction. Emma zipped between them, crowding the key toward the wall. With a vicious crunch she trapped it.

“YEAH!” Killian and David whooped. David did a loop with his broom, fist raised high over his head.

They landed by the door and Emma shoved the key into the lock.

Killian felt a little sorry for the poor thing, it looked very battered now that it had been caught twice.

The hinges squealed as they hauled the door open and they rushed into the next room.

Torches sprang to life as they entered, revealing a giant chessboard, complete with pieces twice as tall as Killian. He swallowed, looking up at the grim-faced black king. On the other side, just beyond the lined up white pieces, was the door. The chessboard took up nearly the whole room, there wasn’t even any room at the sides for them to sneak past.

Emma took a step forward and the black queen’s head swiveled around to look at each of them.

Emma froze, her mouth making a little ‘o’.

"What now?" Killian asked, eyeing the mace in the knight’s hand warily. He’d played enough games of wizard’s chess to know how lethal those were.

"We play our way across, obviously," David said.

"How?"

"We listen to David," Emma said. "No offense, Killian, but he's been playing loads longer than either of us."

Killian held up his hands. "None taken."

David started giving orders right away. He put Emma in the place of a bishop and Killian in the place of a castle, before taking the place of a knight. Killian resisted the urge to bite his nails as a white pawn moved forward with a grating sound.

David shouted commands to the black pieces and they obeyed silently.

Their first casualty came before long. The white queen smashed the knight that wasn’t David and dragged him off the board. Even though they knew what to expect, it took a minute to collect themselves and move on with play. The knight was the first, but not the last. With every black piece that joined the pile on the other side of the board, Killian’s knees trembled a little more violently, but he held his place.

David darted around fearlessly, more than making up for the pieces they lost. Killian and Emma were almost to the other side of the board when the white queen rotated in his direction.

"David!" Emma shouted.

"NO! Stay there!" He held up a hand, head high as he faced the queen and her wicked stone sword. "Emma, as soon as she takes me, you can checkmate the king. Do you see?"

Emma nodded, tears streaking down her cheek. "But..."

"Do you want to stop Snape?"

"David," Killian tried, but David cut him off with a wave of the hand.

"This is chess. You have sacrifice pieces to win." His eyes looked impossibly blue as he met each of their eyes in turn. He took a deep breath. "I can do this. Don't hang around once you're through, Snape's already too far ahead."

Killian covered his eyes as David stepped right into the white queen's path, but that didn't shield his ears from the sickening crunch. He opened his eyes in time to see the queen drag David's limp form to the side.

Emma took three shaky steps to the left and the white king threw his crown at her feet.

Killian didn’t waste any time, he bolted for the door, grabbing Emma’s arm as he went. “He’ll be alright,” he told her, hoping it sounded more convincing than it felt. He knew the worst was still ahead of them.

"That was McGonagall's," he said as they entered the next passageway. "And the Devil's Snare was clearly Professor Anton's."

"And Flitwick probably charmed the keys." Emma paused at the next door, swallowing as she laid her hand on the handle. "Which leaves Heller, Dumbledore, and Snape's spell."

He nodded.

“Ready?”

“Ready.”

Emma pushed the door open. Noxious air flooded out of the room beyond, causing them both to pull their robes up over their noses. Emma swiped at her eyes with her sleeve.

"Glad we don't have to deal with that," she choked out, skirting past the troll laid flat out on the floor.

Killian tried not to gag. "Yeah."

The next room couldn’t have been more different. It was empty save for a single table standing in the middle. On the table sat seven bottles, no two the same shape.

"Snape's?" Emma guessed.

"Snape's."

Cautiously, they stepped into the room, grateful for the clean, dank air. There was a pop and a hiss as purple fire sprang up behind them.

No going back. No going forward either, Killian realized as a wall of black fire came to life on the other side of the room, blocking them from the only other door.

With a shrug, Emma feigned nonchalance, but her eyes were wide as saucers as she approached the table. A small scroll lay in front of the bottles. She picked it up with two fingers, holding it far away from her as she unrolled it gingerly. When it didn’t explode in her face, she started reading. Her eyes got even wider the further she got down the page.

"What do you make of this?" she asked, shoving the paper at Killian.

Killian carefully unrolled the parchment.

Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,

Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,

One among us seven will let you move ahead,

Two among our number hold only nettle wine,

Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line.

Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,

To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:

First, however slyly the poison tries to hide

You will always find some on nettle wine’s left side;

Second, different are those who stand on either end,

But if you would more onward, neither is your friend;

Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,

Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;

Fourth, the second left and the second on the right

Are twins one you taste them, though different at first sight.

"Oh, this is brilliant," he said.

"What is brilliant?"

Killian waved the scroll in the air. "It's a logic puzzle. Most wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be suck here for ages!"

"I don't know why you're so happy about that." Emma planted her hands on her hips. "That means we'll be stuck here for ages, too."

"No, we won't." Killian grinned. "My—I happen to know a thing or two about riddles."

His mum had been obsessed with riddles. When he was little she used to babble them non-stop. As he grew, he learned that nothing calmed her down the way a riddle or word puzzle did. He spent years searching out new riddles every time he went to school, because they put a smile on his mother’s face. She loved puzzling them out with him. He'd gotten very good at them.

"Well? What's the answer then?"

"Give me a minute."

He worked through each of the clues, mentally arranging the bottles in his mind. The one on the far left couldn't be the nettle wine, but it could be poison. The biggest bottle and the littlest bottle weren't poison. Neither of the bottles at the end could get them past the black flames.

Finally, he plucked up the smallest bottle. "This will get us to the next room."

Emma frowned as she took it and looked inside. She pursed her lips together, brows drawn tight.

"Killian, which bottle will get us back the way we came?"

Killian pointed to the bottle all the way on the right.

"There's barely any of this potion left," she said, holding up the bottle in her hand. "Not enough for both of us. You should take that bottle and go back for Dave."

"But—"

"Rumplestiltskin is after me," Emma said. "I got lucky once, maybe I'll get lucky again."

He bit down on his lip to keep it from trembling. "You're an amazing witch, you know."

"Not as good as you," she said with a sad smile.

"Me?" Killian resisted the urge to itch behind his ear and couldn't manage to meet Emma's eyes. "I'm clever and I've read a lot, but I think friendship and bravery are a bit more important."

"You're a good friend, too, Killian." Her voice warbled. Suddenly, she launched herself forward, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

Only Liam and his mother had ever hugged him before and the exuberance of her affection took him aback. It was nice, he decided. He hugged her back quickly.

"Quick, Snape might already be in there." He held out a hand, arresting her as she lifted her bottle to her lips. "Let me try first."

"You’re sure you're right?" She searched his face, her eyes shimmering with more emotions that he could name.

"Positive."

He downed the whole potion in his bottle. His fingers and toes tingled, a wave of cold sweeping straight to his core and meeting the cold lump in his gut. It was like drinking a hundred glasses of ice water at once. With a deep breath, he ran straight through the purple flames. He paused at the door, waving to Emma that he was alright. She nodded and lifted the small bottle to her lips as he reentered the chess room.

David sat near the door, propped up against one of the broken knights, cradling his arm to his chest. He had a large, purpling bruise on his forehead. He struggled to get up when he saw Killian.

"Emma? Is she—"

"She's alright. Or she was when I left her,” Killian said, kneeling next to him. “Only one of us could move on, so she sent me back for you. You're a mess, mate."

"I feel a mess."

"Here, let’s get you up." He gingerly took David's god arm, hauling it over his shoulder.

David groaned.

"Sorry!"

"How are we going to get out of here?" David asked. "I can barely walk."

"Can you fly with a bum arm?"

David grinned at him, or at least, that's what Killian thought it was supposed to be as it looked a bit more like a grimace with his face all messed up.

"Only need one to hold on."

"Right, let's get you on a broom then."

Killian couldn’t help checking over his shoulder every few minutes as he helped David hobble back across the chessboard. He expected the queen or a knight to reanimate and bar their way, but all the pieces held exactly as they were when he fled the room with Emma. At last, they reentered the room of glittering keys.

Killian left David leaning against the wall as he ran to retrieve the two brooms. Then came the tricky part. With his bad ankle it took several minutes for David to balance enough to mount the broom.

Though he wanted to hurry, he and David took a slower pace the rest of the way back. Killian was the only one with a hand free for a wand and he knew they'd do Emma no good if they plastered themselves against a wall. When they reached the room with the Devil's Snare, Killian groaned.

"We forgot about Fluffy."

"I've got an idea. Whatever you do, Killian, don't stop flying." And then he broke out into one of the songs for his favorite Quidditch team, the Chudley Cannons. Belting it at the top of his lungs, he headed straight for the still open trapdoor.

Killian followed right behind. He zipped out the trapdoor right behind David, expecting Fluffy's huge jaws to snap on him the minute he popped out. But the big dog snored in rhythm with David's bellowing. Only once they were through the still-open door did David stop singing. Killian managed to get the door closed just as the dog started growling.

They both let out long sighs.

"I need to get an owl out to Professor Dumbledore," Killian said, "will you be—"

"I have already sent an owl to Professor Dumbledore," Professor McGonagall announced. She stepped out of the shadows around a suit of armor, her face pinched in anger. "What in the world did you two think you were doing? Where is Miss Swan?"

Her skin was so pale, she looking like one of the ghosts.

"Uh..." David said.

"Emma's down there," Killian said.

Professor McGonagall went even whiter.

"David got hurt beating your chess spell and Emma sent me back with him while she went into the next room..."

"You… beat… you solved..." Professor McGonagall sputtered.

"And now she needs us to get up to the owlery and send a message to Dumbledore, because Snape was ahead of us the entire time."

She pulled herself up to her full height, looking down her nose at them. "I just spoke with Professor Snape not ten minutes ago," she said, "I can assure you that he's not down there."

"He's not?" Killian blinked. If not Snape, then who? "Well, someone is down there with her. Someone bent that key and knocked out that troll and drank the potion!"

"I believe you," Professor McGonagall said after a moment of consideration. "Well, Mr. Jones, I think you had better help Mr. Nolan to the hospital wing. I will send a message to Professor Dumbledore." Her robes swished as she turned, muttering to herself.

David chose to remain on his broom for the trip to the infirmary, hovering just above the ground as Killian steered. Madam Pomfrey answered the door in her nightgown, a lacey bonnet covering her hair. When she saw David all battered and bruised, she tutted at them and ushered them inside.

Killian suppressed a shudder. He couldn't imagine why she slept in the little room off the entrance. The hospital wing was clean, certainly, almost too clean and so devoid of color, with the pale walls and white sheets and the beds lined up in two neat rows.

David climbed onto the nearest one with a groan.

"You can sit over there, Mr. Jones," Madam Pomfrey said, pointing to a chair by the door. Meekly, Killian obeyed, curling into the chair and trying to keep very still. This room felt too much like a hospital for his liking and he twice caught himself bouncing his leg erratically.

David yelped as Madam Pomfrey poked at his arm and declared it broken. With potions and her wand, she set to repairing the damage inflicted by the white queen.

"There, I think that should about do, Mr Nolan, how do you—"

Something hit the infirmary doors with great thundering booms, over and over again.

"Oh, what now?" Pomfrey muttered.

The door swung open before she could get to it and Professor Dumbledore rushed in, Emma hanging limp and pale in his arms. Killian jumped to his feet.

"Emma?"

No one paid him any mind. Madam Pomfrey ceased tending to David and rushed over to help Dumbledore, cradling Emma’s head as they placed her on a bed.

"What happened, sir?" she asked.

In a low voice, Dumbledore explained everything. Professor Heller, it seemed, had been possessed by You-Know-Who. Emma had got the Stone and held him off, but the effort left her drained and unconscious. The remains of Professor Heller sounded especially gruesome to Killian’s ears. As Dumbledore whispered hurriedly, he seemed far removed from the cool, eccentric man of the start of the year banquet.

Madam Pomfrey fussed over Emma the entire time, taking her pulse and looking in her eyes. At last, she took a step back. "Well, I think she'll be alright, professor. Just needs a bit of rest."

Killian and David both breathed sighs of relief.

A mistake on their part. It got them kicked out of the infirmary with instructions not to come back until the sun had risen.

The Fat Lady was surprised to see them, but she let them when they mumbled the password and that was all that mattered.

“I’m glad classes are over,” David said with a yawn. “I’m going to sleep until noon. Gods, that’ll earn me an earful from Mary Margaret, she probably wants to…”

Killian froze.

“What?”

"David," he said, turning toward the couch. "We almost forgot about Mary Margaret."

David's eyes grew three sizes, he looked ready to bolt up the stairs.

Killian didn't hesitate, crossing to the couch and taking out his wand. The counter spell was quick and Mary Margaret sat up carefully.

"Sorry,” Killian said, “we didn't mean to forget."

"I hope you have a better apology than that," she said, her voice all high and squeaky. Her eyes filled with tears as she glowered at him. "Do you know what I've been doing? I've been lying there waiting for someone to come tell me my best friends were dead...” She inhaled sharply. “Wait, where's Emma?"

David crept over, like a dog expecting to be hit. “Madam Pomfrey is fixing her up.”

“Fixing her up?” Mary Margaret exclaimed. “What happened?

David and Killian exchanged a glance. And then launched into what happened, reliving each moment as they told it. Mary Margaret sat slack-jawed as they explained how they got past Fluffy and then the Devil’s Snare. She listened intently to their description of the keys and gripped David’s hand when he spoke of the chess game. And then they came to the logic puzzle, which she insisted on solving herself. At last, Killian told her the story Dumbledore told Madam Pomfrey.

“And that’s all we know,” he said with a shrug. “Emma didn’t have a scratch on her, but supposedly Heller’s whole face was melted off.”

"But Madam Pomfrey says she'll be alright, right?" Mary Margaret twisted her fingers in her lap.

Killian nodded. "She said we could come round in the morning."

"After we've got some sleep." David yawned. "I'm going up to bed. G'night Mary Margaret."

She gaped as he trudged upstairs. Killian shrugged. That was Dave.

Killian stayed downstairs to answer a few more of her questions, but she noticed that he was tired, finally, and let him follow David upstairs. On the way up, he thought he would stay up the rest of the night worrying about Emma, but instead, he fell into bed like something dead. He didn't even register David's snores before he fell asleep.

For the next three days, he, Mary Margaret, and David kept a vigil in the infirmary, leaving only for meals and when Madam Pomfrey kicked them out at night. They watched over her in shifts. Madam Pomfrey was quite strict when it came to how many visitors could be with Emma at any one time and their classmates insisted on stopping by with gifts and questions. Lots of questions. They didn’t get many answers though, because Madam Pomfrey always ushered them off as soon as soon as their gift was placed on the little bedside table. All except for Happy and Leroy. They had procured a pick axe and tried to sneak it in as a gift and Madam Pomfrey nearly boxed both their ears with it.

On the third day, Emma had a visitor even Madam Pomfrey wouldn’t argue with. Dumbledore.

"You are starting to look a bit pale, Mr. Jones,” the old professor said, placing his hand on Killian’s shoulder. "My apologies, I did not mean to startle you." He nodded at the sun streaming in through the windows. "I believe they are serving lunch at the moment. And then I think you should go get some sun. It will do Miss Swan little good to have you end up in the bed next to her."

"I'm—"

"Go, I'll sit with her for a little while, I think." The professor shooed him away from the bedside, folding his hands over his long, white beard as he occupied the chair next to Emma’s bed.

"What are you doing down here?" Mary Margaret asked as he sat next to her. Their success appeared to have wiped the memory of their betrayal from her mind, for she hadn't berated them once for hexing her and going after the Stone. "Is everything okay? I thought we’d agreed that I’d come relieve you after lunch." She dug around in her satchel, looking for one of her color-coded schedules. In true Mary Margaret fashion, she had drawn up a time sheet with each of the shifts they pulled. She said it was so they wouldn’t squabble over who got to sit with Emma, but Killian knew it was because she felt better when things were in neat little boxes.

"Professor Dumbledore told me he'd like to sit with her a while." Killian filled his plate. Perhaps if he ate a good lunch, the professor wouldn't force him to go outside and he could sit with Mary Margaret while she sat with Emma.

They talked quietly as they ate, grumbling about the Slytherins pulling ahead in the House Cup. Regina was beyond smug over at the table with her little clique.

"Can't believe my brother took up with those rotters," David mumbled around a mouthful of peanut butter sandwich.

"At least you won't have to deal with Regina," Mary Margaret muttered. "Gran might absolutely refuse to have Cora round the house, but that rule doesn’t apply to Regina. She’s sure to be round a least once this summer."

"Excuse me."

The three children turned to find Professor McGonagall standing behind them. "Professor Dumbledore wished me to inform you that Miss Swan is awake."

Servingware clattered against their plates as they abandoned their lunches and rushed out of the Great Hall. As they left, the whispers of students grew to a hushed roar. Everyone had heard of their adventure beneath the school, of course, because Leroy and Happy had pinned David down until he told the whole story. Killian added details out of sympathy—and because he wasn’t sure if the two older boys would turn on him next.

For once, he wasn’t paying any attention to the eyes on him.

Madam Pomfrey stopped them at the door to the infirmary.

“But you just let Professor Dumbledore in!” Killian said. “He got to talk to her.”

“Professor Dumbledore is the headmaster,” she replied calmly.

“Please,” Mary Margaret said, “just five minutes. We just want to know she’s okay.”

Madam Pomfrey sighed. “Fine. Five minutes.”

She stepped back as they burst through the door.

“Emma!” Killian called racing down the row.

She called out their names as they crowded around her, reaching for each of them with a bright grin on her face.

“I was so worried,” Mary Margaret exclaimed. She perched on the side of Emma’s bed, capturing one of her hands.

“What happened?” David asked, plopping down in the chair.

“Are you alright?” Killian asked.

“Goodness. Are you going to stop talking long enough for me to answer all of you?”

They laughed.

Emma told them all about the last room. Finding the Mirror, being surprised by Heller, figuring out how to find the Stone, fighting the teacher off, Rumplestiltskin. Even though he knew the ending of the story, Killian’s heart was in his throat the entire time.

In turn, Killian and David supplied their side of the story.

Emma got a stitch laughing when they got to the part about David singing. “Oh, I wish I could have seen that.” She sat back, reaching for the box of Bertie Bott’s beans that David was munching on. “How did things go while I was out?”

“Terribly,” David grumbled. “Slytherin has the House Cup.”

Emma looked like she might be angry for a minute, but then she shrugged. “But we have the Stone and Rumplestiltskin doesn’t.”

It was good attitude to take. After everything they’d been through the last few days, the House Cup seemed rather trivial to Killian.

Of course, that didn't make walking into the Great Hall the next evening any easier. Madam Pomfrey insisted that Emma stay in the infirmary one last night and wouldn’t let them see her at all the next day, so he, Mary Margaret, and David headed down without her—though they saved her a seat. She slid in next to Killian a few minutes late, head held high despite Oliver Wood's dour expression.

She glared in Regina's direction and muttered, "Next year."

"Next year we'll win for sure," David said. "And I bet we'll take the Quidditch Cup too."

Emma grinned.

They all fell silent as Professor Dumbledore stood. "I believe there is a House Cup that needs awarding. The points stand as thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two."

"Can't believe we let Hufflepuff—" David cut off quickly.

Mary Margaret had elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two."

Cheers erupted from the Slytherin table, as loud as if they were hearing the news for the first time. Everyone else glared at them. Three straight days of gloating had left Slytherin with few friends outside of their own house.

Dumbledore raised a hand. "Yes, well done, Slytherin. However, there are recent events to take into account."

The Slytherins stopped clapping, their smiles stayed, but they were as faded as a well-washed stain.

Silence fell over the hall.

"Let me see." Dumbledore cleared his throat. "To Mr. David Nolan, for the best played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award fifty points."

David's jaw dropped open. Half-hearted cheers pattered down the length of the table. A nice gesture from the professor, but all it did was put them ahead of Hufflepuff.

"Yes, yes." Dumbledore gestured for silence. "Second, to Mr. Killian Jones, for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award fifty points."

Now some of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff joined the Gryffindor table, several hoots ringing out as students realized exactly what Dumbledore was doing. Killian felt his cheeks go red, but he didn't duck away like he normally would.

"He's right," Emma whispered. "You were both brilliant."

"Third, to Miss Emma Swan, for pure nerve and outstanding courage," Dumbledore paused, letting the silence sit for a long moment, "I award sixty points."

Everyone but Slytherin was cheering and hollering at this point. Hands pounded on their backs from all sides.

Killian had to shout above the crowd to be heard. "That ties us with Slytherin!"

Emma held her breath, turning to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore smiled and the room fell silent again. "There are many kinds of courage. It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends."

Emma let out a squeak, grabbing Killian's arm.

"I therefore award ten points to Miss Mary Margaret Blanchard. Now, I believe a change in decoration is in order.”

A roar burst from the crowd as he held his wand aloft. The flags hanging from the ceiling changed, red bleeding down over green until every single one held the gold lion on a scarlet field.

From his place a few seats down, Leroy Jordan jumped up onto the bench, yelling at the top of his lungs. “We won! Yeah! WE WOOOOOOON!”

David leaned over to say something to Mary Margaret. Killian's eyes followed as she turned. He nudged Emma, pointing out a very put out Regina.

Emma laughed.

She leaned in and said, "Look up there if you want to see something even better." She pointed to the head table.

Snape was shaking hands with Professor McGonagall, a brittle smile on his face. He scanned the crowd, meeting Killian's eyes for a brief second before settling behind him. On Emma. Killian sighed. He supposed there were worse things than teachers that couldn’t let go of a grudge.

# # #

The next few days passed in a blur and before Killian knew it, they were all packed up and boarding the Hogwarts Express for the trip home. He was excited—Liam had finally found them a little flat—but he was also sad to leave.

But he’d be coming back next year, he reminded himself as he followed his friends into one of the compartments.

As they slid into the benches, Emma pulled out a little bound book and started flipping through it.

"What's that?" Killian asked as he sat on the bench across from Emma.

She held it up so they could see the photo on the cover. "Hagrid gave it to me. He felt really bad about almost getting me killed."

"It's not his fault," Mary Margaret insisted.

"It kind of is," David said.

"I'm with Mary Margaret," Emma said, passing her the book. "It's all pictures from my parents’ friends. Of them."

Killian took the book when Mary Margaret offered it, leaning over so that David could see, too. The first picture was of a couple, a man with unruly blonde hair and a dark-haired woman who held a bald baby. The resemblance was clear. Even in the black and white photo, Killian could see that Baby Emma's eyes were the exact same shade as her mother’s. As he watched, the woman kissed the baby on the cheek and grinned at the camera again.

"I'm sorry, Emma," he said.

"For what?"

"That you have to go back home," he said. He didn’t know why, but according to Emma, she had to go back to the Dursley’s. His gut coiled at the thought of her being forced into that little closet beneath the stairs again. He was going to have his own room—his own room—and his best friend would be sleeping on a mattress in a broom closet

David nodded somberly. "My mum even offered to have you stay the summer with us, but Dumbledore told her no, too."

She shrugged. "It's not your faults. Besides..." Emma turned, catching the last glimpse of Hogwarts as the train rounded the bend. "It's not home. Not really."

"We'll write you letters every day," Mary Margaret said and the others nodded.

"And Mum says you’re welcome to visit—all of you are." He laughed. “The more the merrier, that’s the motto at the Nolan house.”

"And Liam said our flat has a telephone," Killian said, "so I can call you!"

Emma's grin was blinding. She reached into her bag for a rumpled scrap of parchment and a pencil. She scrawled her phone number quickly and shoved it in Killian’s hand.

“What’s a telephone?” Mary Margaret asked, leaning over to read the number over Killian’s shoulder. She wrinkled her nose, confused.

“I’ve heard of those,” David said, "Dad says Muggles use them to communicate."

Mary Margaret blinked. "They don't use owls?"

Emma giggled. “No, most Muggles would think using an owl was ridiculous.”

“They used pigeons once. At least that’s what Dad says.”

“Well, we don’t use birds anymore.”

“Okay,” Mary Margaret said, “but what’s a telephone?”

“Well, it’s kind…it’s, um, usually made of plastic and it has these buttons with numbers on them. Like this.” She leaned over and started to draw on the remaining scrap of parchment.

“Hold on.” Mary Margaret bent over her bag, retrieving an old notebook and her quill. “I want to take notes.”

Emma laughed so hard it was a long time before she got back to explaining the workings of Muggle communication. And Mary Margaret did take notes as Emma talked about telephones and the post and the internet until she had no more answers to give.

King's Cross station came far too soon for Killian's liking. Soon, they were all packing up their snacks and filing into the hallway. After so many months as Hogwarts, the pressing crowd didn't feel quite so disorienting as it had on the trip out.

“There they are,” David said, spotting his parents almost immediately. He waved wildly before breaking off from the group. He and his brothers converged on them, even James ditched his Slytherin buddies to go say hello to his parents.

Mary Margaret was the next to go. “There’s Gran,” she said as she trotted off.

The crowd came between them before Killian caught a glimpse of the old woman in question.

Emma sighed. "I'd better get my things."

"I'll come with you," Killian said.

"And what's a scrawny thing like you going to do with a full trunk?" a familiar voice asked.

"Liam!" Killian whirled and there, hands propped on his hips and shaggy curls falling into his face, stood his brother. He sprinted through the crowd, seizing Liam’s hand. "David and Mary Margaret have already run off. Well, David's over there." He waved in the Nolans’ general direction. "And Mary Margaret is over that way somewhere, but you'll never find her in the crowd. But you have to meet Emma. I don’t think her family is here yet and…"

“Whoa, slow down, little brother.” Liam held up his free hand, laughing. “Let’s take it one step at a time.”

Emma watched them approach, her fingers clutching the strap of her bag. She smiled shyly.

"Emma. Emma this is my brother. Liam." He stopped in front of her, gesturing between the two of them.

She bit her lip, like she was trying not to laugh. "Pleased to meet you."

Liam extended a hand. "And you. Thanks for putting up with my brother this year."

"More like he had to put up with me," she said with a snort.

"I did hear you got into a spot of trouble."

Killian waited for him to say more, to mention the Dark One or her parents, but Liam didn't gawk or ask about her scar. He acted like it was perfectly natural that Killian made friends with The Girl Who Lived.

"Now, I believe we were retrieving your trunks?"

They led him to the back of the train and—after a few minutes of searching—pointed out the compartment. Hedwig hooted softly at them. Mary Margaret's trunk was gone, but David's still sat beneath Emma's. Liam spotted Killian’s trunk right away and as soon as they pointed out which one was Emma’s, he tapped them both with his wand. The slid out easily after that.

"I could have done that,” Killian said as he took hold of his handle.

"Not outside of school, you couldn't, little brother."

Killian blushed, eyes sliding to Emma. "Younger brother."

Liam rolled his eyes. "Let's go, I'm sure Emma's family is waiting."

She grimaced at the mention of the Dursleys, but didn't protest as they wove through the crowd. Right before they left the platform, they traded Liam’s levitation charm for a pair of trolleys.

Killian spotted the Dursleys almost immediately. They were huddled outside the station, eyeing everyone that passed by as though they expected them to be a witch or wizard. Killian looked at Emma, waiting for confirmation that this unpleasant looking family was indeed hers. He had hoped… Well, he had hoped that they wouldn't show up for her and she would have to go home with him and Liam, after all. Which was perhaps an awful thing to think, except he knew she would much prefer anywhere to the Dursleys' house.

Emma looked just as disappointed as her aunt and uncle when she caught sight of them.

"I'd better go, before Uncle Vernon gets too testy."

The fat man already looked testy, his great, bushy mustache quivering as he said something to his pinch-faced wife.

Liam pressed his lips together. “My brother told you I got us a telephone, yeah?”

Emma nodded.

Liam pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket. “I know what Dumbledore said, Emma, but if they give you any trouble, you call me. Alright?”

With a quick glance at her family, Emma took the slip of paper and tucked it into her shirt. “I will. Thanks.”

"Well, until next year, Swan," Killian said, sticking his hand out.

She laughed, shaking her head. And then she hugged him.

Killian hugged her back, feeling a little bad that he was already counting down the days until Liam would bring him back to this platform. He couldn’t help it, though.

"Don't forget to call.” Squaring her shoulders, she pushed her trolley in the Dursleys’ direction. Her fat cousin cowered behind his wasp-waisted mother as she approached.

“I wonder what happened there.”

"Who knows?" Liam drawled, slinging his arm around Killian's shoulders. "So… it appears my baby brother has found himself a girlfriend."

"What?" Killian blushed, his ears going warm. "Ew! Liam you're the worst."

His brother laughed, holding his hands up. "Teasing, little brother. I'm teasing."

"That’s still gross."

"Keep thinking that, Killian. It’ll make my life considerably easier," Liam said, lifting his trunk off the trolley. It was a little fuller than it had been at the start of term, but his brother still had no trouble balancing the thing on his shoulders. "Because I'd hate to have to get a job at Hogwarts to keep an eye on you."

Killian snorted. "You'd be so bored. Hardly anything happens at school. It's all classes and homework."

"And defeating the Dark One apparently..."

"That was all Emma. And it won't be like that next year, anyways."

Liam paused, swinging around so he could see Killian.

The silence lasted a moment and Killian got the sneaking suspicion that his brother wanted to bring up what happened beneath the school. He looked very sad.

"I hope not," he said finally. And he smiled. "Now, hurry up. You’ve got a new flat to see.”

"Alright!"

Liam headed for the bus station, Killian trotting beside him and jabbering about everything he had learned at Hogwarts. His brother wasn’t surprised by anything. Not the fact that Professor McGonagall could turn into a cat. Or that Snape was such a wanker. He listened patiently, stopping Killian only while they were on the bus. As they walked the rest of the way home, Killian found himself talking about his harried night under the school without prompting. He wanted Liam to know all about how brave his friends were. Liam looked grim at that part, but it made sense, Emma had almost died, after all.

They reached a little neighborhood, with shrubs around the houses and yards with toys strewn all over them. It wasn’t rundown, but it was the ritziest place Killian had ever seen. It felt quaint after the grandeur of Hogwarts, but Killian decided he liked it.

“Liam,” he said as they passed yet another house, “I thought you said you got a flat.”

“Flats are expensive in the city,” Liam returned.

“Aren’t houses more expensive?”

“They are indeed, but we aren’t living in a house.”

Despite what he said, he turned in at a drive that was very much attached to a house. An old lady knelt in the garden, working with a rose bush. She put down her garden shears as Killian and Liam came into the yard.

“Hello, there Liam, is this your brother?” she asked.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Wendy,” Liam replied. “Yes, this is Killian. Killian this is Mrs. Wendy, she owns the house.”

“Pleased to meet you, ma’am,” Killian said holding out his hand.

“Oh and he has manners, too,” Mrs. Wendy said, pulling off one of her gardening gloves to shake Killian’s hand. “Well, I won’t keep you boys, I’m sure you’re tired from your journey.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Liam said. He nodded and let Killian over to the side of the garage.

The garage was a two story yellow building, with wooden siding and a rickety looking staircase. It held, though, as Killian followed Liam up to the second floor. His brother let them in, setting the trunk down at the door.

Killian stood in the doorway, taking it all in. They were in a living room that had clearly been decorated by the old lady he had just met. The overstuffed couch and armchairs had lace doilies draped across their backs and arms. There was a little coffee table with a tea set on, a porcelain set with naked cherubs painted on the sides. The walls were painted a cheerful yellow, paler than the yellow on the outside. There were hints of his brother here, too. A stack of books sitting on the table. A shirt draped over the back of a chair, obscuring one of the doilies.

Liam pulled him inside and closed the door.

“That’s the kitchen,” he said, gesturing to a tiled room, identifiable by the mint green refrigerator visible just inside the door. “And this is the bathroom.” He opened the next door, revealing a blue room with floral tile accents. “And this is your room.”

Killian’s room was much like the rest of the flat, filled with flowers and pastel colors. The bed had a quilt on it that looked handmade and there was a doily stitched to his pillowcase.

“I know it’s probably not quite what you hoped,” Liam started.

“No, it’s perfect, Liam.” He hugged his brother.

Liam snorted. “I wouldn’t exactly call it perfect.”

“You’re here, brother,” Killian said, “that’s all I need.”

Liam opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again, choosing to hug Killian tighter instead.

“You can put your things in that dresser over there,” Liam said. “Why don’t we go get them?”

As Killian followed his brother back into the living room, he noticed something. There was the kitchen and the bathroom and they just left his room, but he didn’t see a door for Liam’s room. And there hadn’t been a second bed in Killian’s room.

“Liam, where is your room?”

Liam stopped, scratching behind his ear. “Well, for now...” He looked around them.

Killian finally noticed the pillow and the blanket folded at the end of the couch.

“You can’t sleep out here!” Killian said. “It’s not fair.”

Liam shrugged. “I’m not spending most of my year with four roommates. I can put up with the couch for a few weeks.”

“But…”

“No buts, Killian, I’m the older brother and it’s my right to sleep where I want.” He ruffled Killian’s hair. “And once you’re gone, that room is all mine. Got it?”

Killian laughed. “Got it.”

It was cozy in the little apartment. Dinner was nice. Nothing like he had at Hogwarts—Liam was a mediocre cook at best—but he got to help make it, so he thought it tasted better.

When Liam finally sent him off to bed, he thought he’d be able to fall asleep right away. But no matter how he lay, the cushioned mattress didn’t feel right. And the blankets were too hot, no matter how many of them he kicked off. And the pillow was lumpy.

And he was lonely.

At last, he got up and padded out into the living room.

Liam was sprawled on the couch’s fold out bed, but Killian thought there was just enough room for him. Quietly, trying not to disturb his brother, Killian climbed in with him. The springs creaked. Killian froze.

Liam snorted and shook himself awake. “Killian?” He sat up. “Everything okay?”

Killian didn’t know how to explain what he was feeling, so he shrugged. “Can I sleep out here with you?”

Liam scooted over without a word, lifting the covers for Killian to crawl under with him. They settled down again, sharing the single pillow. Silence fell and Killian started to drift off.

“Killian?”

“Yeah?”

“I want you to promise me something.”

Killian didn’t say anything to that, waiting.

Liam swallowed. “Listen, I’m glad you found friends and they sound like incredible kids, but next year…” More silence stretched, heavy, like a winter blanket. “Next year, I want you to be more careful, okay? No more fighting Dark Ones.” His brother wrapped his arms around Killian, squeezing him close. “Being brave is all well and good, Killian, but I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you. Okay?”

“Okay.” Killian nodded. He didn’t know what he would do without his brother either. “Hey, Liam?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think we could go visit Mom sometime soon?”

Another moment of silence.

“Yeah. Yeah, we’ll do that soon, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Sleep now, Killian.”

Killian did.

#captain swan #csbb #emma swan #killian jones #cs crew

27 notes · View notes

ghost-psychosis · 7 years ago

Text

Daybreak by Kiev

It had been a few months since it all happened. Everyone started getting sick for no reason. Once they got sick they went mad and killed everyone else. My worst fear had become reality. Zombies were now very much alive and real. Well alive in the sense of walking round killing people. Thankfully I wasn't alone for long. I met up with my group of friends. On our way we met another group of pretty cool guys. Everything was going well ands seemed fine.

Chapter 1

A/N: I first started writing this as a self indulgent fic. So it isn't Y/N but mine. I Hope you enjoy it.

Every morning was always the same, hot. The humming of cicadas and chirping of the birds is everyone's wake up call. Rays of sunlight hit the side of the tent adjacent to me, makes the forest green polyester to look more yellow. The air inside the tent was always ten times more humid than the open air outside, the direct sunlight making it worse. The constant hum of the cicadas was a reminder that summer was only just beginning. Stale air mixed with the sunlight caused a bead of sweat to roll down my temple. I wipe the sweat away with the back of my hand sitting up.

Every damn morning I wake up in a pool or sweat, hair matted to my forehead, and covers thrown on the floor. I throw my feet over the edge of the cot with a groan. Staring down at my feet I kick the nearest article of clothing next to me, causing it to land next to my cover. I sigh once more standing up, well hunched over more or less. I grab the clean clothes off the suitcase that I laid out the night before, a light blue tank top and a pair of blue jean shorts. Sweeping my bangs back off my forehead I wipe the sweat with away with a rag from my suitcase. As I start to unzip the tent a faint sound causes my heart to jump, the rustling of leaves and snapping of twigs.

“Yoongi?” I whisper.

“It’s all clear.” He replies without hesitation.

Before unzipping the tent the rest of the way a horrendous smell drew my attention away from the task at hand. I look around to see no leftover food or stray dead mouse in the tent. The cover. I hate doing laundry and would skip laundry day any day, but who knows when we’d get another chance to actually wash clothes. How long has it been since I’ve washed clothes? Two, three months? We’ve all lost track of the time, the days, and the months. I kick the cover and the few dirty clothes next to it with my foot before unzipping the tent all the way. The less humid and stale air entered the tent causing a shiver to go down my spine.

As I exit the tent I stand up straight stretching my arms over my head, leaning from one side to the other. Once stretching my sides I place my hands on the small of my back, arching it, making it pop in multiple places. A soft sigh leaves my lips.

“Did you sleep okay?”

I open my eyes to see Yoongi, half lidded staring at me. He always took the overnight watch shifts. No matter how many times the others protested, he’d just walk off in the middle of an argument and take post.

“In this heat? I can say it’s been awhile since I slept that ‘good’ per say.” I shrug.

“You guys are crazy to hate the summer. You’ll be bitching once winter comes around.” He chuckles.

“I’m taking night shift tonight. You haven’t slept in days Yoongi.”

“Nah I’ll be fine.”

As he walks away towards his tent he yawns stretching his arms out wide.

“Can I at least do some laundry for you? I need to do some of my own.” I call out.

“Sure,” he calls back behind him, “give me a few minutes. I’ll leave them outside of my tent before I lay down. Goodnight Renee.” He holds up a peace sign continuing his pace.

“In all technicality it’s good morning.”

Before he reaches his tent you can hear him mumble something under his breath.

“Smart ass.” He shakes his head.

I grab my cover and dirty clothes from out of the tent leaving them on the ground. Slipping on my flip flops I zip up my tent and head for the center of camp. Yoongi, Namjoon, Chey and I always set up our tents further away from the center of camp. We were the first line of defense, the light sleeper they call us. My morning duty is to make sure everyone is awake and to start boiling part of today's drinking water. Todays agenda, wake the heavy sleepers up, boil water, laundry, midday watch, then help with dinner.

Nearing the center of camp the familiar sound of feet shuffling filled the air. Whispers, sighs, and groans from the night owls and the restless. Before I could step foot near campfire circle the smell of burning wood and smoke wakes me up even more. No one else ever tried to start a fire or much less help gather wood. We stuck to our duties and our duties alone. So the fire already being lit is a shock. The rest of the group, except for maybe three others, were all seated around the campfire. The pots of water were already placed neatly on top of the bbq racks, nearing their boiling points.

“Well good morning!” Eve perks up.

“Good morning?”

“Why a question?” She looks up from stitching together someone’s pants.

“No ones usually awake until I wake ya’ll up.” I purse my lips together.

“Oh well you see,” she points across from herself.

I glance up to see Namjoon pacing from right to left just behind the center circle tents.

“He’s been pacing for quite sometime now. Practically all night and you know he tries to be quiet but it never works.” She goes back to sewing.

I squat down next to the fire blowing on a few of the embers. The smoke wasn’t thick but it was a dark shade of grey.

“Who made the fire?”

“Me!” Tae’s head snaps up as he throws his hand in the air.

“You’re lucky we’re in the woods and we haven’t seen the dead for a good few weeks.” I laugh.

“Oh?” He frowns pursing his lips together.

“No no no. You did a good job. Just next time make sure the dirt and kindling aren’t wet.”

“I’ll do my best Renee.” He smiles.

Before I head off to do laundry I do a headcount to see who needs to be woken up. Chey. Check. Eve. Check. Taehyung. Check. Yoongi. Check, even though he’s asleep. As I head off to wake the others, Denise, Hoseok, Nat, Bek, and Jin walk up the dirty path leading to the lake. So that just leaves Jungkook, Jimin, and Eros to wake up. I start with the easiest and end with the hardest. Weaving through the tents I tap on the sides making sure the others know it's time to wake up. As soon as they exit their tents I head off to the last one. It’s a small single person tent with shades of tan and brown. I grab the stick sitting next to hit, winding up I hit the side of the tent with a loud thwack! I take off running tossing the stick behind me hitting the side of the ten once more. Before heading back to start the mornings coffee I make a beeline to where Namjoon is still pacing. His blonde hair disheveled, dark bags under his eyes more prominent than a few days earlier, and a slight stubble covering his chin.

“Good morning Namjoon.”

He stops in his tracks scratching the back of his head. He turns around to continue his pacing, his eyes darting back and forth. Looking at the ground I notice his pacing has cleared away the leaves and grass, all that’s left is moist dirt. I frown at the thought of him staying up all night overthinking. He crosses his arms over his chest and brings his thumb up to his mouth, gnawing on his thumbnail.

“Namjoon?” I whisper. “Would you like so coffee?”

“No.” He shakes his head.

“Do you need some clothes washed? I’m going to wash some of mine and Yoongi’s before Jimin and I go on mid shift.”

“Ummm….yeah...I’ll get some ready.” He looks up plastering on a fake smile. “I’ll take a coffee too. Please.”

“Gotcha.” I turn on my heels heading back to the center of camp.

Everyone except Yoongi and Namjoon are sitting around the campfire. I sit down on a stump closest to the fire. The hissing of the cicadas grows louder as the sun creeps higher in the sky. The hissing accompanied by the crackling of the fire and the bubbles from the boiling water. I grab a towel off the ground from next to me and take the biggest pot of water off the fire. The steam hits my face causing me to sweat even more.

“Once this cools use this to clean the potatoes and carrots for breakfast.”

Eve holds up her thumb in conformation. I set the pot down on the ground next to me covering it with the lid. I place my elbows on my knees and rest my chin in my hands. Closing my eyes I drum my fingers against my cheeks. Footsteps come to rest beside me and someone nudges my shoulder. Squinting one eye I look over my shoulder to see Jin holding out the tin of instant coffee and a spoon. Sitting up straight I smile taking the tin and spoon from him.

“Whatever would you guys do if I wasn't around?” I ask taking the coffee tin and spoon from Jin. “Who would make your coffee then?” Laughing I spoon a few scoops of instant coffee into a smaller pot of boiling water.

“I guess we'd have no coffee.” Jin shrugged watching me.

I roll my eyes stirring the water well enough for the coffee to dissolve. As I stirred Jimin picked up the coffee tin frowning.

“What?”

“Were running low.” He sighed handing the tin back to Jin.

“Well I'm not surprised with how many people here drink coffee.” I shrug tapping the spoon on the edge of the pot.

Everyone handed me their coffee cups and I pour some, still very hot, coffee for them. Eve handed me an extra coffee cup for Namjoon. After pouring the coffee I stand up stretching.

“Where are you going?” Jimin asked standing up as well.

“To give Namjoon his coffee and then to wash clothes. Are you joining me again?” I ask heading off to where Namjoon was still pacing.

“Well duh.” Jimin laughed following after me.

I trade Namjoon the coffee for his clothes. He frowned as he took the cup from me.

“Seriously what's up?” I ask.

“It's really nothing.” He said shaking his head. “But I'm holding a meeting later.”

I purse my lips nodding my head. If he didn't want to talk about it now then it had to be something big. He tried his best not to worry everyone but his pacing was a dead give away to a problem. Jimin and I had stopped by each tent picking up clothes that needed to be washed.

“Do you think we're going to move again?” Jimin asked me as we headed towards the river.

“Maybe.” I shrug. “It's almost been two months since we settled here.”

Jimin sighed deeply as he sat down on the river's edge.

“I suppose so. But moving is a pain. It's always hot. It would be nice is we had a car.” He pouted.

I sat down next to him grabbing a handful of clothes setting them down next to him. As much as I wanted to talk about it I really didn't. Not right now. It would be better to talk as a whole group. Plus I didn't want to jump to conclusions about moving. Maybe Namjoon had a case of cabin fever and need to just get out. Maybe going on a supply run with someone. No one knew.

“Do you remember when it all started?” Jimin asked.

5 notes · View notes

faveficarchive · 5 years ago

Text

At a Distance - Part 2

by Melissa Good

Pairing: Xena/Gabrielle

Rating: PG-13

Synopsis: This is a novel-length fic, and a classic in the community. Xena and Gabrielle start to explore the changes in their relationship, Gabrielle is recalled to the Amazons where she has to deal with a bit of treachery, and Xena is, as always, there to protect.

A day out from Amphipolis..

The silence was going to drive her mad, Xena thought once an hour, when she stirred her mind to think of anything at all. Every noise was magnified - an owl’s hoot went off like an alarm. The chuckling of branches in the wind. The inconstant snapping of wood in the fire as it was consumed.

She stared into the fire, and tossed a few pebbles its way, then leaned back against the rock she was seated near, and tilted her head up to regard the stars. And then closed her eyes against the ache that caused, from the sudden clear memory of many nights spent idly tracing patterns in the sky with Gabrielle. Let’s drop that subject, shall we?

Halfway home. And she had all that to look forward to. And just why am I going there anyway? A derisive snort. Why? Good question. Just to have someplace to go while she makes her decision? What if she decides to stay with the Amazons after all, then what? I guess I’ll find out.

Question is, was Jessan right, back there at Cirron? He said he could see a connection between us.. Is there really some... attachment... between her and I? Or is it just my imagination? Wishful thinking.. Yeah, probably. We’re not like his people. His parents. You could see the bond there between them, the love that showed in their eyes when they looked at each other. We’re close.. I know that… but that close? I doubt it. She’s the Amazon Queen.. I wouldn’t blame her if she wanted it to stay that way.. and if she does, well.. we’ll just go on, and forget about what might have been.

The pain of that thought was a lot more than she expected. Grimly, she blew out a long breath, then stood, and dusted herself off. Crossed to where her sword was leaning against a log, and grasped the hilt firmly, drawing the weapon. Watched moonlight chase up and down the long blade.

"Guess I’d better do some drills, Argo." she muttered to the mare, who whinnied back. "If I keep it up long enough, I might even tire myself out enough to go to sleep." Besides, I know I could probably use it. Haven’t been getting much of that in lately. Putting the reason for that out of her mind, she walked into a small clear space and began to silently attack her unseen enemies.

Stroke and counterstroke, feinting and shifting, and as her muscles loosened up, and the movements turned faster and more deadly, she was almost able to lose herself in the exercise. A flip over an invisible swordsman, keeping her feet tucked in to avoid his upstroke, a turn on landing and a parry, another flip, this time with a mid air twist to allow her sword arm to descend and strike. A tumble on landing, coming back up and advancing, whirling her sword in a complex pattern. For a long march of the moon across the sky, without stopping, until finally she stood quietly, chest heaving, regarding the scattered leaf pattern on the forest floor. Yeah, I thought I needed to start this up again. Some of those moves didn’t used to be so hard.

Sighing in disgust, Xena walked back to the slumbering fire, absently wiping down the hilt of her sword, and returning it to the leather sheath still leaning against the rock. She slid down onto her bedroll, and propped one knee up, wrapping her long arms around it, and gazed sightlessly ahead of her. Then her head turned, as her ears picked up a faint sound, not far away. Puzzled, her eyes flicked over the nearby floor, and she jerked slightly as she spotted something small and moving her way.

"Well, well." she muttered, laying down at full length on the bedroll, which brought her close to the source of the noise, a muted mewling. "what have we here?" A small, dark, furry face looked back at her, with unblinking yellow eyes. "Where did you come from?" she asked, putting out a tentative hand and letting the animal sniff suspiciously. "Where’s your mama?" Looking up in case mama was trotting behind junior into her campsite. Sighing, she watched as the little puppy, apparently well satisfied with what it found in her scent, crawled closer to her and sat down on her hand. "Oh no." The puppy blinked at her. "I don’t think so. Let’s go find mama." She lifted the puppy up, soothing it with her other hand as it started squeaking in alarm. "All right... all right.." And brought the puppy close to her, cupping it against her chest and peering at it half in amusement, half in annoyance. The animal calmed down, and nuzzled her skin, letting out a tiny sigh, and closing it’s eyes.

The absurdity forced a laugh from the warrior against her will. "I don’t believe this." she rolled her eyes. "What is it with me?" Shaking her head, she stood up, and walked to the edge of the firelight, pausing to cock her head, and listen intently. Her brow furrowed, and she closed her eyes in concentration. Nothing. Then...a cough. Her blood chilled, and she reached behind her and grasped the hilt of her sword in pure reflex, still cradling the puppy in one hand.

Metal scraped leather as she drew, and stepped out into the surrounding darkness, every sense alert, putting the wind into her face. Catching the faintest hint of a familiar metallic tang on the wind, and moving grimly towards it.

Moving with more caution than she would have used normally. Placing every footstep with an exactness that stirred not a leaf, crackled not a twig, avoiding even brushing the feathery ferns with her passing. Letting the blood scent grow in her lungs, until she stood outside a ring of trees and rocks, and could hear the sounds of an animal feeding within. With infinite care, she reached out her sword hand, and moved a heavy branch slightly, allowing her to get a view of what was in the clearing.

Green yellow eyes met hers, and with a flash of solid white fangs, and a rush of clawed feet, the hunter was on her, too close for her sword, hot breath blasting in her face. Desperate, she dropped to her back, and caught the animal with a kick that sent it over her head, yowling in surprise. She dropped the sword and puppy, and got her hands up into a defensive position as the cat, twisting in mid air, landed on it’s feet, lashing it’s tail, and launched itself back at her, tearing at her arms with razor sharp claws. Grimly, Xena ignored the searing pain as the animal slashed her, and thrust her arms past, getting a grip on the cat’s throat, and holding on.

The animal landed on top of her, fangs inches from her face, claws digging into her, but catching on the leathers, and holding. Xena’s strong hands clenched hard, seeing the bulge in the cat’s eyes, the sudden change from hunter to hunted, as she cut off it’s breathing. Now it scrambled to get away from her, struggling against her grip.

"Oh no." She growled, rolling over, and pinning the cat to the ground with her weight, bending her head until she was almost touching the cat’s shoulder, and bore down, willing her hands to close tighter, feeling the animal’s windpipe give under her fingers.

At last, it was still under her. Stiffly, she unwrapped her fingers from the rumpled fur, and swallowed hard. Watching the blood trickle down her arms to her shaking hands from the long wicked gashes that raked her from shoulder to elbow. Gods. She sat down and rested her elbows on her knees and caught her breath. A small meeping sound was the puppy, scared, scrambling towards her with quiet desperation. She looked at it, unhappily, as it reached her and huddled against her thigh. Damn. Wincing, she reached down and picked it up, then hauled herself to her feet, and walked into the clearing the cat had been guarding.

And closed her eyes against what she saw. Messy with blood, and the scattered tiny bodies of the puppy’s brothers and sisters. To one side, the mother wolf was laying, with her head facing towards Xena, blood pumping out of the great rent in her belly. Yellow eyes, already glazing in death, staring at the tall human, no... staring at what she gingerly carried. Xena slowly walked over to they dying animal, and knelt down, seeing no fear, only anguish in those eyes. She put the puppy down next to it’s mother’s muzzle, and cautiously looked at the animal’s injury.

No. Way too much damage, even if she knew how to fix it. She glanced down, and saw the mother vainly trying to lick the puppy, who was nuzzling her mouth anxiously. She hesitated, then let her fingers drop to the wolf’s neck, probing and finding a spot which felt familiar. Squeezing, and seeing the animal’s body go limp, as pain and feeling vanished.

The yellow eyes found hers, then blinked, then glazed, and the chest stilled. Xena bit her lip hard and turned her gaze to the dejected puppy, who gave the now dry nose a final little lick and sat back with a plaintive cry. It’s tiny head tilted back, and regarded Xena with bewildered and helpless eyes. Don’t even think about it, Xena. She closed her eyes against the thought. It’s survival of the fittest, remember? Animals die every day. Reluctantly, she glanced down at the puppy. It wobbled onto it’s feet, and stumbled over to her, bumping it’s nose on her knee, and bouncing back on it’s haunches with a little whine. The eyes found hers, and she felt her heart lurch. Damn. I am just getting to be a bundle of mush "Come on." she muttered, scooping up the animal. "I’m sure mother could use a watchdog. " She cradled the puppy as she walked back to her camp, stopping to retrieve her sword on the way, and take a last look at the dark pelted panther, still in the grass. It was huge. That could be me, lying there. Xena mused thoughtfully. Not my day, I guess.

Argo nickered anxiously at her as she moved back into their camp, smelling the blood on her, and the odd scent of her little orphan. She patted the mare’s shoulder, and let her smell the puppy. "It’s OK, girl. Just a few scratches." The warrior mumbled, putting the puppy down on her bedroll, and sinking down next to it, pulling over her medical kit with a sigh. "These are sure going to be interesting scars." she muttered to the puppy, who blinked up at her. "Ouch." she winced. The cleanser stung, but she grimly kept on, until the blood stopped seeping, and she’d gotten a herbal paste onto the long gashes.

The puppy meeped at her. Glancing down, she sighed. "At least you eat meat, right?" she asked, getting out a bit of smoked venison. "Sorry, it’s cooked." She held it out to the small creature, who sniffed, sneezed, then started to nibble on a corner. Against her will, a ghost of a grin twitched across Xena’s face. In her mind, she could hear the delighted coos from Gabrielle on spotting this little bundle. And the teasing she would have gotten for bringing it back to camp. And the terror the bard would have felt when she was fighting off the panther. For a moment, she almost felt the ghostly touch of familiar hand on her shoulder. Stop it. Don’t get started with that.

Idly, she rolled the puppy over. "Well, little man." she mused, ruffling her fingers through his soft fur. "I don’t know what made you come my way, but I guess I can find you a good home." The puppy growled, and nibbled her finger with mock ferocity. She picked him up, and settled back on the bedroll, placing the puppy on her stomach, and stroking it’s head. Realizing how totally incongruous a scene it was. I should leave him.. it.. here. And thought about what Gabrielle would say if she heard her say that. And smiled in wry resignation. Nope. She wouldn’t like that one bit. "You’re lucky." she growled back at the puppy, who was now nodding sleepily at her. "I’m only doing this because of her, you know. She’d kill me if she found out I left you."

The puppy sneezed at her, and snuggled down, sticking out it’s curved pink tongue in a tiny yawn, then settling his dark head on his paws and closing his eyes. "I’m not going to name you." she went on, as several possibilities immediately crowded into her tired mind. Ares, for instance. Hmm.. no that was asking for trouble. So was Hercules. No no.. stop it. Don’t name him. Though... she peered at the sleeping bundle. With that coloring he did remind her a bit of Ares...Xena, STOP IT. RIGHT NOW. She shook her head, and firmly closed her eyes, feeling the comforting warmth of the small body through her leathers. And cupping her hands protectively about him, she dropped into an exhausted sleep.

Just outside the Amazon Village...

Ephiny had, as promised, met Gabrielle as she crossed the border into Amazon country. She had actually managed to hear the approaching Amazon before she showed herself, for which the bard patted herself silently on the back. Xena’s lessons had begun to stick, recently, and she found herself more aware of what was going on around her, without having to consciously think about it. If she closed her eyes, she could hear that low voice. "Be aware, Gabrielle. The world is talking to you. Listen.."

But that brought that quiet ache back, and she lost track of what Ephiny was saying. "Sorry.. what was that again?" she said, laying a hand on the Amazon’s arm. "I lost that last bit."

Ephiny turned and looked at her, concerned. "Gabrielle, are you OK?" she questioned, lowering her voice. "You look worried. Or distracted. Or something. I can’t tell."

The bard rubbed her temple, avoiding Ephiny’s sharp gaze. "Yeah, I’m OK." she assured her, patting the Amazon’s arm. "I’m just a little tired, I guess. I didn’t get much sleep last night." She glanced down the path, where the rest of Ephiny’s greeting party were paused, waiting for them to catch up. "I’ll be fine." she finished, making an effort to give the blond woman a reassuring smile. "You were saying, about the centaurs?"

Ephiny gave her a last searching look, then sighed. "Last I talked to them, they were willing to at least discuss the possibility of having a jointly defended border. I’ve managed to keep the few incidents between us on the level of just ‘oh you know, girls will be girls, and centaurs will be centaurs’, but it’s getting a little weak."

Gabrielle smiled. "I see your point." She chewed her lip. "Have you disciplined the Amazons who were involved in the ‘incidents’?"

The Amazon gave a little shrug. "There’s a problem."

"Arella?" the bard asked, knowingly.

Ephiny nodded. "Most of the women involved are in her little trendy group. She protects them, saying they only have the good of the nation at heart. And, people do see her point."

"Uh huh." Gabrielle mused. "I don’t know, Ephiny - sounds like she’s the major problem." She walked a few more paces. "Does she really believe she’s doing the right thing?"

Ephiny shook her head. "Does she? Who knows. Does it matter? She’s doing it."

The bard stopped walking, and stared at her. "Ephiny! Of course it matters. When someone does something, you have to know why they’re doing it, or you can’t figure out a way to make them stop." Her brow furrowed. "When people do things because they really believe in them, it’s really hard to get in the way." Her gaze grew distant for a moment, then cleared. "but sometimes you can." A smile that puzzled Ephiny slid onto Gabrielle’s face. "It depends, on what your relationship is to that person."

Ephiny gave her a sideways glance. "OK." she finally answered, putting a hand on Gabrielle’s shoulder and guiding her towards a familiar entranceway. "There’s the village. Let’s get this over with."

Arella waited, relaxing on the raised shaded area in front of her quarters, for Ephiny to return with their quote queen unquote. A few of her cronies lounged around nearby, taking in the sun with bored expressions. Ephiny was pathetic, really. Pretending she hadn’t gone running for this non Amazon pretender queen as soon as she realized she was going to have some real competition for a change. Arella rolled her gray eyes, shaking her head in disgust.

"What?" Erika purred, leaning against the pole she was seated next to. "Let me guess. Ephiny? The queen? The weather?"

Arella smirked. "Two out of three ain’t bad, Rika." She grinned up at the smaller woman. "I can’t believe she’s actually bringing her back here." She stretched lazily, admiring the ripple of muscle in her long arms. "She must be nuts."

Erika seated herself next to Arella, dusting off the tops of her laced boots. "Well, maybe." she shrugged. "Eph isn’t stupid, she’s just...I don’t know..."

"A wimp?" Arella proffered, with a bright grin. "A wuss? No...anyone who gives birth to a centaur can’t be a wuss...I take that back."

"A pacifist." Erika concluded, crossing her arms over her chest. "I just don’t get that."

"Me either, but here they come." Arella jerked her chin towards the village entrance, where Ephiny’s honor guard were trooping in, followed by Ephiny herself and their oh gods... queen by rite of caste.

"Well, at least Eph got her to wear the clothes this time." Erika smirked, nudging Arella in the ribs.

"Yeah." the taller woman mused, studying the strawberry blond woman at Ephiny’s side. "And she doesn’t look too bad in them, either." This could get interesting. She watched the queen move across the compound, noting the ripple of muscle in her upper arms and torso. The sense of sureness in her movements. The knowledgeable grip on that staff . The alertness in her gaze, as she swiveled to take in the village, while listening to Ephiny’s ramble.

"Don’t get any ideas." Erika rumbled in her ear. "Remember who her best friend is, ok? You don’t want to be tangling with her."

Arella snorted. "You think I’m scared of Xena?" She took another long look at the queen. "I’m not. Besides, the longest campfire debate in the nation is whether or not those two are an item. You in the betting pool? I am."

Erika tilted her dark head. "I’m telling you, Arella. I’ve seen her fight, you haven’t. Don’t mess with her, because let me tell you, she is one really big piece of very bad news." But she knew it was a lost cause. She’d seen that look in Arella’s gray eyes before. "Whether or not they’re together isn’t the point - she’s really protective of that little squirt."

"Yeah, but she’s not here." Arella smiled lazily. "And I am." She glanced over at Erika, waggling one crimson tinged eyebrow. "Who knows? Maybe she’s in the market for some fresh action." She tilted her fiery head, and watched the queen stand, arms crossed, as Ephiny pointed out the new ceremonial platform they had recently built. Rebuilt, she reminded herself with a snort. "Besides, I just bet she can tell some great...stories." She smirked at Erika.

"Oh gods." Erika sighed, rolling her eyes. "Just remember, when the centaur poop starts flying, I won’t be anywhere near you. I don’t want that woman after my butt."

"Chicken." Arella scoffed, giving Erika a shove. "Maybe I’ll do it just to take her on." She stood up. "C’mon. I’m going to get introduced to this little fake Amazon." She waited for Erika to join her, then set off across the compound.

Gabrielle saw them coming, and motioned to Ephiny with a tilt of her head and one raised eyebrow. Ephiny darted a glance to her right, and sighed, glancing at the ground and crossing her arms.

The bard appraised the approaching pair out of the corner of her eye. She’s big, all right. A lot of muscle there, but somehow it doesn’t look really functional. she mused. Like it’s for show. So, maybe she is, too. She heard a familiar voice in her head comment, as Arella moved closer. "When people try to intimidate you, Gabrielle, stand your ground, and smile. It’s the smile that gets em nervous." She grinned to herself, picturing the glint in those blue eyes and the demonstration of that smile. Oh yeah... gets em nervous all right. She kept that picture in her mind as Arella stepped into her personal space, and loomed over her.

And leaned casually on her staff, stood her ground, and let her mouth quirk in amusement. "I’m sorry, I guess we haven’t met." she commented, holding out a hand. "I’m Gabrielle."

Arella had to step back to take her hand, and was taken off balance. The reaction was not at all what she was used to. The woman didn’t look in the least bit intimidated by her, in fact, she seemed to be amused. "Arella. Yeah. Well, hello." she answered, warily, taking the offered hand, and shaking it gingerly. Surprised by the strength of the grasp, and the feel of calluses under her fingertips. Green eyes looked directly up into hers, and she blinked first, startled by the compelling nature of the look. "Nice to meet you." she managed. "I’ve heard a lot about you. From Ephiny, I mean." She glanced over at the blond Amazon, who was watching the exchange with interest. "Glad you made it. Maybe we can talk sometime. " She gave Gabrielle a brisk nod, and backed off, strolling towards the communal dining hall. Erika followed, darting glances back at the queen and Ephiny from time to time.

"Wow." Erika blinked. "She’s..."

"Yeah." Arella snapped, scowling. "More than I thought. This could be trouble."

Ephiny managed to hold in a giggle until they were out of sight, then lost it in a very undignified way. "Oh.." she gasped, grabbing Gabrielle’s arm. "that was perfect. You were perfect." She took a deep breath. "Oh, where did you learn to do that? It was great."

Gabrielle chuckled quietly. "I have a very good teacher, Ephiny." She grinned at the Amazon. "Who knows lots and lots about intimidation."

"Ah" Ephiny laughed. "Of course. Figures." She had a mental picture of Gabrielle getting lessons on the subject from Xena. "Did she teach you the ‘look’?"

Gabrielle composed herself, then dropped an intense expression onto her face, and ducked her head down, narrowing her eyes slightly, and looking directly into Ephiny’s startled gaze.

"Yow!" the Amazon breathed, jaw dropping. "You got that down pat!" She burst out laughing again. "I can’t believe you got her to show you how to do that."

The bard joined in chuckling. "She’s actually a lot of fun, once you get to know her." she admitted, ignoring Ephiny’s raised eyebrow. Fun. Yeah. That too... "But I guess I get to see a different side of her." she admitted, noticing the skeptical look on the Amazon’s face.

"I guess so." Ephiny allowed, giving Gabrielle an indulgent grin. "Let’s get you settled into your quarters, your Majesty." Ignoring the rolled eyes, as she led the way towards a larger hut set some distance apart from the others.

Amphipolis...

Xena sat quietly on Argo’s back, surveying the valley below her. Home. Amphipolis. "Been a while, Argo." she muttered to the mare, who flared her nostrils into the oncoming breeze. She looked down, and scratched little Ares...no, damn. I am NOT going to name him that. ..on his head, and watched as he chewed contentedly on a piece of her leather skirting. The animal had been an unexpected comfort, she grudgingly admitted to herself. Keeping her thoughts on something other than what was going on two days north of here. Giving her something to focus on that didn’t involve thinking about possibilities. Or the lack of them.

She glanced up, and spotted a person on horseback, heading out from the village, and grinned a little in recognition as the rider moved closer and turned out to be her brother, Toris, on a long limbed roan stallion with a rough gait. Still can’t sit a horse worth a damn. "Come on, Argo." she said to the mare, as she kneed her forward towards the road.

Toris didn’t see her until she was almost on top of him. Typical. He straightened in the saddle, and gave a little yell as Argo came even with him. "Xena!" He grinned wholeheartedly. "Boy am I glad to see you."

"Oh yeah?" Xena said, giving him a sideways glance. "What’s wrong?"

Toris scowled. "Can’t I be glad to see you just because your my sister?"

Xena raised an eyebrow at him. And waited in silence.

Toris rolled his eyes, blue as hers, and gave a little sheepish shrug. "OK, well, I am glad to see you. But..." He glanced down at her saddle. "What is that?" He leaned over and got closer to it. "Is that what I think it is?" He looked up at Xena with a wicked grin. "You got a puppy. How cute."

Xena somehow, managed to keep herself from backhanding him off his horse. It was a struggle, though. "No." she growled. "You have a puppy." But she didn’t relinquish her hold on the small creature. "I was bringing it to mother."

Toris laughed. "Oh, right." He looked at her. "Hey, you look good. But what did you do to your arms?" Leaning forward to get a good luck at the angry red marks. "That looks recent."

His sister sighed, and jerked her chin towards the bundle of fur. "Mother was killed by a panther." She met Toris’ horrified gaze, with an air of nonchalance. Tweaking him was always fun. I’d forgotten that. Mostly.

"You got that animal away from a panther?" He reeled in his saddle. "Xena, you’re nuts."

"I didn’t say I got it away from a panther." Xena commented, watching his brows contort. "It wasn’t anywhere near the panther."

"Oh." Toris answered, relieved. "That’s a relief. For a minute there, I thought you were going to tell me you fought off a panther on it’s behalf." He chuckled. "Those mountain panthers are far too dangerous to play around with."

"No, " Xena drawled casually. "I fought off the panther because it jumped on top of me." She glanced at him. "The puppy just got lucky." she continued, pretending she didn’t see his jaw drop, and his horse stop in it’s tracks. Her eyes gleamed with amusement. Served him right. She turned as rapid hoofbeats caught her up, then slowed as he came abreast of her again.

"A panther." he repeated, wincing at the healing gouges on her shoulders. "Boy, Xena." he shook his head. "So, where’s your bard friend?"

Xena had practiced the answer to this. "Running the Amazons for a while." In an unconcerned tone. She glanced at him, and their eyes met, and Xena got an idea of what it was like to look into eyes as vivid as her own. It was interesting. Maybe that went a long way towards explaining that very odd look Gabrielle got sometimes when they were spending time just...Anyway. "They’re having some problems with their neighbors. "

Toris considered this for a moment. "So.. why her?" he asked, puzzled. He sort of liked the little bard, and had a sneaking suspicion his hard as nails sister more than sort of liked her too.

Xena shrugged. "Well, she is the queen by rite of caste, Toris. She thinks it’s her responsibility to try and help them out." She shrugged. "She’s big on responsibility."

"Really?" Toris was intrigued. He knew about the Amazons. Most did, who lived in this general area." Just how did that happen?"

"Long story. " Xena said, glancing ahead. "I’ll tell you later, but you better tell me what’s going on first, before I have to hear it from mother. "

Toris accepted the change of subject gracefully. "OK. Well, yeah - it’s been rough around here lately. There are two warlords in the general area, and they’ve sort of divvied up territory between them. We’re about in the middle, and get harassed by both. "

"Harassed?" Xena asked, quietly, feeling her temper start to rise.

"Yeah." Toris sighed. "They ride in, take food, take supplies, that sort of thing. Or sometimes they just want cash payment, in return for which they don’t come back for a while. " He didn’t meet Xena’s eyes. "You know what I mean."

His sister nodded. "I know exactly what you mean."

"So anyway." he continued awkwardly. "it’s hard, and it’s made business slow. Mother’s worried about the inn." His eyes turned to her. "I think she’s going to be glad to see you. She’s talked about you a lot, lately."

Xena snorted. "I can imagine, given what you’re going through with warlords, one of which I used to be." Her eyes closed in disgust. "Maybe coming here was a mistake."

Toris grabbed her arm, startled when he felt her flinch, then remembered who it was he was grabbing. "Sorry." he muttered, but didn’t let go. "Listen...the only thing that’s kept us whole, Xena... the only thing... is the fact that both those warlords know who we are. They know I’m your brother. And she’s your mother. And they won’t touch us. There are three villages in smoking ruins to the south, and another to the east. But not us. " He smiled a little. "They’re scared of you, little sister."

Xena raised an eyebrow at him. "Little?" she chuckled wryly. "Watch it. Or you’ll find out just how little I’m not."

"Oh yeah?" Toris grinned, reaching out again and grabbing one forearm. "Is that a challenge?"

"Toris." Xena growled, reaching down and clamping a good hold on Argo with her long legs. "I’m not in the mood." Grimly, she tucked the puppy into a saddle pouch as Toris began to try and lever her arm. "Cut it out."

Toris laughed in delight. "Oh ho...I’ve got you now!" He pulled enthusiastically on the arm, trying to unbalance her. "Yow!" he yelped in surprise, as he was lifted out of his saddle and dumped on the dusty ground, losing his hold. "How do you DO that?"

Xena shook her head as she adjusted her bracer. "You never learn." She nudged Argo towards the inn. "Come on, let’s go." Sighing as he laughed and leaped back aboard the roan and followed.

The inn was at the edge of town, a one story building with a heavy door in front which closed in a seating area, and was backed by a service bar which hid the kitchen and cooking areas from the patrons. At this time of day, it was empty, though recently the time of day hadn’t been very relevant to the number of customers frequenting the place. A stocky woman of middling height leaned against the service bar, regarding the empty room with a somewhat grim expression.

"Cyrene, do you think we have enough barley here to do a stew?" Johan’s gentle voice reached her, disturbing her thoughts.

"Hmm?" she answered, leaning stiffly to peer at what he was doing. "Oh, yes. Johan. We have enough. Go ahead." She sighed. Barely. And if there were more would depend on if there were enough guests to pay for this potload. She wiped her hands on her apron, and moved back to the counter, resting her elbows on the worn wood and gazing, unseeing, at the late afternoon sunlight pouring into the front of the inn.

Business had been bad for a long time. Even the locals kept to their homesteads, not wanting to advertise the fact that they had dinars to spend on food and drink, where someone from the warlord’s troops might see them. And the troops confiscated everything they could get their hands on, leaving the villagers with ends and odd lots, mostly. Survival, but just getting by all the time made people angry, and upset, and it just got worse. She got angry, a lot, at the warlords, and their soldiers, at the meekness of her fellow villagers, but she was just one, aging, worn out woman. They needed something more. She moved to the window with a lightness that belied her years, and stood gazing out at the road, and across it towards the balance of the village. After a moment, Johan joined her. "Stew’s on." he commented. "Will Toris be back for dinner?"

Cyrene shrugged. "Probably. He usually doesn’t miss a meal." She let a quirk frame her mouth for a moment, thinking of her eldest son. He was a good boy, really. She loved him, but though she never said it, she kept looking in him to see the fire of Lyceus, and never found it. And sometimes, like now, she looked at him hoping to see some of his sister’s courage, and didn’t find that either. Xena. His sister. Her daughter. Cyrene shook her head in bemusement. It was hard to believe sometimes. And though she had once both feared and disowned her fierce offspring, now.. now.. she had gotten a feeling that, given time, she could both come to appreciate, and even like the woman grown from the wild little girl she’d borne. Their last parting had been warm, and Cyrene had almost grown comfortable thinking about who Xena was, now. And found herself wishing, more and more often, that she would be given the opportunity to get closer to her.

"Here he comes now." Johan commented. "He’s not alone." he continued, surprise tingeing his rough voice. He had spotted two horses heading their way. One Toris’ roan, the other a golden colored animal with a cream mane and tail. With a rider almost Toris’ height, and with his coloring. "Zeus...that can’t be who I think it is, can it?"

"Gods." Cyrene whispered, spotting them. "I can’t believe it." She grinned, for the first time in a long while. "It’s my daughter." She headed for the door, Johan right behind her. "Of all the times for her to just show up...at the moment I was thinking about her."

The two siblings pulled their horses up to the inn’s tie off rail, and dismounted, Xena handing something to Toris before she headed for the door, and her mother’s compact form. "Mother." she nodded, in greeting, faintly surprised when Cyrene wrapped her arms around her in a brisk hug. She returned it, and with a small grin, lifted the smaller woman off her feet. "Nice to see you too."

"Let me down!" Cyrene laughed, pounding Xena on the back. "Show off." But she was smiling, and continued to smile, as she grasped her daughters arm, and tugged her inside the inn. "Let me see you." Her eyes drank in the tall form, wincing as she spotted the angry claw marks. "What have you been doing?" Not waiting for an answer. "Where’s Gabrielle?"

Toris sat down on a nearby bench, looking amused. "She’s running the Amazons."

"Really?" Cyrene and Johan asked together. "How did that happen?" Cyrene glanced at Toris. "And where did you get that wolf?"

Sister and brother looked at each other, in the way that only siblings could. "I think we’d better sit down, so I only have to say this once." Xena sighed.

The Amazon Village compound, Queen’s hut...

Gabrielle sat pensively, chewing the tip of her quill as she considered her next words. It was late on her first night in the village, and she had decided, since sleep seemed to be eluding her again, to keep a sort of running diary of her thoughts.

A light knock sounded on her doorpost, and she glanced up sharply. It was a little late for visitors. "Come in." And was somehow not surprised when it was Arella’s tall form that darkened the doorway verge. As she had told Jessan, sometimes you just knew when people meant to do bad things to you; Now was one of those times, she knew in her gut Arella was no friend, nor ever could be, because she wanted power and Gabrielle had it, and her conversation with Xena came sharply into focus as the tall, powerfully built Amazon sauntered into her hut, and stood gazing at her with unfeigned interest.

"Hi." Gabrielle said, closing the tied scroll she was writing in, and leaning back in her chair. "You’re up late." She kept eye contact with the tall redhead, waiting to see what her next move was. What would Xena do? She’d stay cool, and relaxed, and pretend nothing was wrong. Right. OK. Here we go.

"Yeah, well." Arella said, casually, seating herself in the chair opposite the bard’s desk. "I was out scouting, and saw you still had a torch lit. Thought I’d drop in and say hello." She studied the woman behind the desk critically. "You know, not to get personal or anything, but we probably could get you a sleep shirt that fit." Damn... she looks like a little kid in that thing. Ephiny should know better than that, though I suppose she’d say what the queen wears to bed is her own business. Maybe I can make it my business. A smile curved her lips upwards. "You are the queen. "

Gabrielle let a slight smile cross her face, and glanced down at the ink stained quill twirling in her fingers. The shirt was too big for her, the shoulders slid half way down her arms, and the length was almost to her knees. Not surprisingly. "No, this is just right. I like them this way." She assured Arella with a cordial grin. "But thanks for asking."

The redhead shrugged. "Your choice." she looked around the room. "So, how do you like it so far? This must be different that what you’re used to." she returned her gaze to the bard’s face, still and reserved in the faintly flickering torchlight. She’s harder to read than I thought she’d be. I used to think Xena kept her around for laughs. Now I’m not so sure. Nice eyes.

"Well," the bard laughed. "not exactly. I spend a lot of time sleeping on the ground, for one thing. She glanced at the walls. "Or in small village inns." Her eyes studied Arella. "And, occasionally, in the odd palace or two." She stood up, and walked over to her pouch, putting the manuscript inside of it. Aware of the eyes on her. "So.. did you find anything interesting while you were scouting?"

"Oh, this and that." Arella drawled, "But I shouldn’t keep you up." Saying that, she stood and stretched, and sauntered over to where Gabrielle was standing. Let’s give this a try. Should be amusing. She flicked the bard’s overlong sleeve with one hand, and smiled. "So, you like them big, huh?" Capturing the green eyes with her own. "I’m the yardstick they use to gauge that around here."

Gabrielle blinked at her, innocently. "How nice for you." she smiled. "that must make you feel pretty special." Folding her arms across her chest, and catching the faint, familiar scent rising from the fabric, which shielded her against the edgy energy flowing from the Amazon standing far closer to her than courtesy demanded.

"It does." Arella answered, quietly, then stepped back, and gave Gabrielle a little flourish with one hand. "your majesty." And then she was gone, gliding out the door with neat precision.

Gabrielle sighed, shaking her head and laughing a bit to herself. Pity she doesn’t realize I’m used to a different yardstick. One about 3 inches taller. She giggled. and about a thousand times more...she tried to find a word to describe it. Complicated? Maybe. Complex? Definitely. Dangerous? Oh, no question there.

"Gabrielle?" Ephiny’s head poked in the doorway, a worried look on her face. She spotted the bard near the bed, apparently deep in thought, but the green eyes lifted after a second and found hers. "Everything OK?" she edged into the room, flicking her eyes around. "I saw Arella come out of here." she walked over to Gabrielle, concern edging her voice.

"Everything’s fine, Ephiny." the bard sighed. "Please stop worrying. I can handle myself." She added, with a touch of annoyance. "she just came in to pass the time of night, I guess, and to...I don’t know... play around with me a little." She glanced up at Ephiny, who was looking at her with an inscrutable expression. "She’s really obnoxious." she added, making a face.

Ephiny snorted in laughter. "She thinks she’s irresistible, you know. We call her Arella the Irresistible behind her back." I guess she’s not to Gabrielle. Won’t that be a ego sinker. "She’s made a lot of her.. er.. conquests that way." She scowled a bit. "She’s pretty persistent. You let me know if she gets to be too much of a bother." She tilted her head to one side and her brow furrowed. "And, where on earth did you get that shirt? It’s way too big."

Gabrielle gave a deep sigh. "I know." she said, bursting out laughing. "Arella said the same thing." She sat down on the bed and wrapped her arms around herself. "If I’d have known Amazon Queens frequently got visitors way after late watch, I would have dressed more appropriately." She glanced at Ephiny, who still seemed to be waiting for some kind of explanation. She raised her hands in surrender. "All right, all right, look - I grabbed it by mistake when I was packing, OK? It’s pretty obviously.." and she held out the shoulders. "one of Xena’s. So...can we get on to the next subject, please?" Grabbed it, yeah. By mistake? Uh.. sure. Right.

"OK..OK.." Ephiny held out both hands, laughing. "I get the picture." Do I? Hmm.. I wonder. . She sobered. "but be careful with Arella, OK, ? Listen, we’re friends, right?" she caught the bard’s eye.

"You know we are." Gabrielle answered, warmly. Though you used to think I was Xena’s pet. Not anymore...

"All right. I know you don’t want to drag Xena into this." Ephiny said, seriously, reaching out and touching Gabrielle’s arm. "But your being queen is not going to keep Arella away from you." A wince crossed her face. "She doesn’t like taking no for an answer." A grim look formed. "So, if you have to use Xena’s rep to beat off Arella, don’t you feel bad about it. Don’t, please? I asked you to come here because I thought it was important, but I don’t want to see anything happen to you, I really don’t." Because, among other things. Xena will never forgive me for that. And she will take this place apart. I know it. "Look." she lowered her voice. "Everyone knows you and Xena... are really close. Right? Nobody in their right mind is going to cross her, Gabrielle." Her eyes flicked briefly to her shirt, then back to her face, a glance the bard didn’t miss.

Gabrielle stayed silent for a long time. Everyone knows, huh? She grinned to herself. Finally she tilted her head in acknowledgment. "Thanks. I appreciate that, Ephiny. A lot." She looked at the ground thoughtfully. "You’re right. I don’t want to drag Xena into this. That was the whole point of her not coming here with me, remember?" The Amazon nodded. "I’ll do that only as a last resort. And this wasn’t a last resort." She moved over to her working table, and picked up a small item, idly turning it in her fingers. "Besides, Xena told me more or less to do the same thing." she gave Ephiny a little smile. "She warned me there would probably be some people like Arella around." She was right. Gods, I hate when she’s always right.

Ephiny had to be satisfied with that. Reluctantly, she nodded, and turned to go. "That’ll have to do, then. Good night." She gave the bard a brisk nod, and walked to the door, passing through it and into the night, almost bumping into one of her own lieutenants. "Watch it, Granella."

"So.. what did the Irresistible one want?" the slim brunette asked, falling into step next to Ephiny. "Already making designs on our new leader? She doesn’t waste time."

Ephiny snorted. "Yeah, but Gabrielle sent her packing. Must have been a shock." She gave Granella a sly grin. "However, I discovered that our queen sleeps in one of Xena’s old shirts, so you might want to pass that around. It might save her some headaches."

Granella chortled lightly. "Oh ho...really?" Her elfin face broke into a grin. "Aww.. that’s sweet, Eph."

Ephiny grinned along with her. "Yeah, it is, isn’t it? I guess I’m still a romantic at heart."

Her lieutenant raised an eyebrow. "I guess you are, but I never figured Xena to be." She cocked her head thoughtfully. "You sure it isn’t an advanced case of hero worship?"

Ephiny thought about that while they walked across to Ephiny’s quarters. "I used to be pretty sure it was. Now..." She shook her curly head. "There’s something there, Gran. Something that runs pretty deep. I don’t exactly how deep, but if I were Arella, I sure wouldn’t want to find out."

"Well, you’re not. And boy am I glad." Granella snorted. "You up for a little hot spiced wine? It’s getting cooler at night." She waggled an eyebrow in invitation. "C’mon, let us fawn over you for a change."

Ephiny smiled, lifting her hands in resignation. "All right... why not. I want to hear the latest gossip from the scouts anyway. Let’s go."

Amphipolis, early morning...

Xena opened one blue eye cautiously, blinking a little in the pre dawn gloom. She took in her surroundings, and relaxed, stretching her long limbs out and yawning a bit. The stable walls could barely been seen, and the only real light was coming in the glazed window which bisected the hay loft she was comfortably curled up in. A rustling sound drew her attention, and she peered down at the tiny ball of fur nestled in the crook of her arm. Great. Just great. All these people and he picks me to attach himself to.

The puppy had followed Xena all over the inn last night, causing a lot of giggling at her expense. She had tried to ignore both it and him, but finally had ended up picking the beast up, and carrying him around, fully aware of the amused grins from both her family and the curious villagers. "You’re ruining my image." she muttered to the sleepy puppy, who opened his yellow eyes, and blinked at her, then stretched his tiny head out across her forearm, and yawned, making little satisfied noises. A tiny pink tongue appeared, and tasted the inside of her elbow. "Hey!" the warrior hissed, biting her lip. "That tickles." She clapped her hand over her mouth, and darted a glance around the barn. Then she put her lips down close to the puppy’s tiny ear. "If you ever, ever, so much as breath a word of that to anyone, I’ll make you into a fur muff." She glared at the pup. "Got it?"

The yellow eyes looked up at her solemnly. Then the pink tongue licked the edge of her nose, and the puppy nestled closer to her. Xena shook her head in amused disgust. "I know I’m going to regret this." she said to no one in particular. "If Gabrielle ever sees this, I’ll never live it down." If. That turned her thoughts sober. She laid her head down on her outstretched arm, gently petting the small form with her other hand. "I wonder what she’s doing right now, Ares." she whispered wistfully to the half asleep wolf. Glancing at the window. "Sleeping, probably." she concluded with a tiny grin.

The argument with mother had been pretty spectacular, she mused, as she rolled onto her back and regarded the ceiling not far from her head. She had wanted to pay for a room, seeing the bare cupboards in the inn kitchen, and having the dinars. Mother... had refused, saying she was not going to have people say she was making profit off her own family. She’s stubborn. Xena admitted, wryly. But then, so am I. The money was refused, so Xena had simply refused the room, saying she’d rather snug down with Argo.

Actually, she reflected, it was true. The hayloft had been one of her favorite childhood haunts. She lifted a hand, and brushed her fingertips across a scarred wooden crossbeam, tracing deeply engraved lines there. Her name. Lyceus’ also. They had lain side by side, making up stories about how they were going to be great warriors when they grew up. And one day, after Xena had found part of a long forgotten blade in a field not far away, they had crudely carved their names in the crossbeam. She swallowed hard, then glanced at the window again.

Time to earn my keep. Came the sardonic thought. Mother won’t take money. All right... but I bet she’ll take meat for the pot. A grin curved it’s way around her mouth. And that I can do. Along with fixing up some of the stuff around the place, gods, which hasn’t been done in years. Yeah... maybe it’s about time I put some sweat into the old inn. Hades knows mother has been for ever. She rolled over, and dropped out of the hayloft, landing neatly not far from where Argo was dozing, startling the mare. "Sorry, girl." she apologized, giving her a pat. "You stay here and relax." She rummaged in her saddlebags, pulling out some cloth. "I think we’ll ditch the armor for a few days, Argo.. no sense in startling the locals more than I need to."

Not long after, she slipped out the barn door, and headed towards the distant tree line at a purposeful jog, carrying a longbow and quiver. Nice morning. she reflected, drawing close to the start of the forest. Let’s see what we can find, hmm? She paused, taking in the cool breeze, catching a faint hint of a familiar smell on it. Well, that would certainly be an addition to the inn stocks.

She moved deeper into the trees, feeling the dew form on her skin, and the wet morning air drench the dark green linen tunic she was wearing. The scent got marginally stronger, and she changed direction slightly, ducking under fallen branches, and carefully avoiding the slick leaf litter where an unwary hunter could slip. At last, her ears confirmed the scent, picking up the unmistakable sound of an animal patiently chewing the rough forest foliage. Ahh...her movements slowed, and she crept forward a pace at a time until she could part the last set of feathery fronds, and see her quarry.

Handsome. A buck, every inch of five feet at the shoulder. Even field butchered, this was going to be stretch to carry, she reminded herself, then grinned. Well, I said I could use the exercise. I think this was a little more than I’d planned, but...the buck was unaware of being hunted, and continued to crop the grass as she settled the fletching of one long shaft onto the bowstring. Pausing for a moment to settle herself, she raised the longbow, and leveled the point at the animal’s jugular. Slowly, she drew her right arm back, smoothly bringing the shaft with it, until she was at full extension, and held, rechecking her aim. Without even a whisper of sound from the release, the arrow found it’s mark, taking the buck in mid chew, and dropping him to his knees in a spurting explosion of blood.

Hmm. Not bad, considering how long it’s been since I hunted longbow. She mused, a touch surprised. It’s usually shortbow, and rabbits, Or tossing the odd fish at Gabrielle. A smile flickered briefly at the thought, then she moved into the clearing, and dropped to one knee at the side of the gasping deer. One touch, and a sudden wrench ended its agony, and Xena set to work making the kill ready to be carried back. She bled the animal, and removed its organs, tossing them to the assembling scavengers, then removed the head, and tied the legs together.

I think I may have bitten off more than I can chew, this time. The warrior mused, measuring the load skeptically. Oh well. Sooner started, sooner finished. She cleaned her knife, and tied the bow across the carcass to keep it out of the way. Then she took a deep breath, and, grabbing the tied legs, hoisted the bulk to her shoulders, settling it as comfortably as possible. Oh boy. her mind mocked her. I’m about to regret all those long evenings lounging around the fire when I should have been getting drills in. Oh yeah. Get going, Xena, before you drop this thing.

Sometimes, she mused, almost to the village. I’m not sure if I’m really this strong, or just too stubborn to admit I can’t do something. Stopping a minute to catch her breath, she resettled her burden, dismissing the burning ache in her shoulders and focusing grimly on the early daylight washed roof of the inn, where a curl of smoke was wafting up out of the fireplace vent. Not much further, she grinned to herself, approaching the door, and hearing the murmur of voices within.

"Last night might have saved us, Johan" Cyrene stated, shaking her head in bemusement. "At least for a little while. Now, if I can only get some fresh supplies, we can maybe turn this around a little bit." Sighing, she peered at the empty cupboards. "I guess I’d better go shopping. Maybe I’ll get some salt meat. You can do those sandwiches again."

"This would probably be better." Came a low, amused voice from the doorway, surprising them both. "Watch out." Xena warned, as she smoothly swung her burden off her shoulders, and laid it down on the long low table at the back of the kitchen.

"Xena!" Cyrene gasped in shock. She reached out a hand in disbelief and touched the skin of the carcass. "What... how......"

The taller woman just patted the bundle, and grinned. "You won’t take money." she shrugged. "I went out and found something else you would take." Brushing off her tunic, she turned and headed for the door, not waiting for Cyrene’s reply. As the door closed behind her, she leaned against the wall for a moment, working a painful kink out of her back. Whoa. I’m glad I don’t have to do that every day. A wry grin crossed her face. The expression on Cyrene’s face had been worth every minute of it.

"Hey!" Toris called, as he stepped around the corner and spotted her. "What are you doing up so early?" He fell into step with her as she started walking towards the spring head, above the village.

"I was out getting breakfast." Xena answered, casually. "And I’m always up this early." She glanced at him. "Going for a swim. You interested?"

Toris gave her a sideways glance. "Brrr… Not this early, thanks." He fingered the sleeve of her tunic. "Blood?"

"Breakfast." the warrior answered, jerking her head back towards the kitchen.

"Oh. You got a couple of rabbits?" Her brother patted her on the shoulder. "That’ll be nice."

"Yeah," Xena answered, a glint in her eye that Gabrielle would have recognized instantly. "Really weird looking ones, too. I’ve never seen anything like it."

"Well," Toris cleared his throat. "I’d better check it out. I know all the types around here. I’ll tell you what kind they are." He turned on his heel, and headed back towards the inn door.

Xena chuckled to herself, and headed up to the spring.

"Cyrene." Jahon asked, in awe. "Tell me, truthfully. What on earth did you feed her when she was a child?" He walked around the deer carcass, and moved one hoof, shaking his head.

Cyrene folded her arms across her chest. "Well, she did drink a lot of milk." she mused, laughing a little. "But other than that... would you look at the size of this thing? We’ll have meat for two weeks." She ducked her head and smiled. "Brat. Did you see the twinkle in her eyes?."

Jahon gave her an indulgent look. "Just like her mother’s when she’s gotten one over on someone." He teased, ducking the light slap. "She’s not at all what I expected, Cyrene."

"No." the innkeeper said, her face thoughtful. "She never is."

Amazon Village - Council Chamber

"I’m sorry." Gabrielle repeated, politely. "Explain to me again why attacking the Centaurs will help us gain stability in the region? I didn’t quite get that part." The bard folded her hands on the table, and cocked her pale head in sincere interest. At her side, Ephiny was maintaining a solemn expression, now and then taking a few notes on the scroll in front her . Now, she looked up, and traded a quirked eyebrow with Solari, who was seated midway back in the chamber. Solari yawned in answer, and silently moved out of the room, and headed for the dining hall.

"I said." Arella enunciated clearly, a touch of annoyance tingeing her voice. "As long as we have a disputed border, there’s no way we can safely extend the hunting lands to the north." She gave the queen a frustrated look. Was the woman that dense?

"Ah." Gabrielle acknowledged. "I see. Well, you know, I think I’d like to try sending a negotiation team to the Centaurs first. Making a common border agreement with them seems to be a lot less trouble to me than going out and fighting them. Don’t you think?" She smiled at Arella, meeting the tall redhead’s direct stare with one of her own. After a long moment, she turned to Ephiny. "Do you have someone to lead a party over there?"

"Mmm" Ephiny considered, pursing her lips. "Yes. I do." She jerked her chin at Granella, who was leaning against the far wall support. "Assemble a small group, six or seven, to leave tomorrow dawn." The slim Amazon nodded in understanding, and slid out of the room. "All right, that’s all the issues on the table this morning." Ephiny leaned back and stretched a kink out of her neck. It as going well, better than she had expected, actually, even with Arella’s consistent opposition. She looked up as Solari reentered, moving gracefully up to the council table and setting a pitcher of cold tea on the table along with brace of glasses. Ephiny smiled at her. "Thanks." she muttered, selecting a glass and pouring it half full. "Here." She offered, handing the cup to Gabrielle. "Talking all morning makes me thirsty. I can’t imagine how you feel."

Gabrielle accepted the cup, and sat back in her chair, scanning the room as she sipped the cool drink. The tension in the room was making her shoulders ache, though they were making progress. She ignored Arella’s undisguised disgruntled stare, and glanced out the window instead. The expressions in the room ranged from hopeful, to skeptical, to outright adversarial - but one thing they had in common was their focus on her. Knowing they were, knowing they were all looking to her to solve their problems left the bard feeling very isolated. Even Ephiny, she mused, wouldn’t understand because of course, she was an Amazon. I’m not. And they think I have this magical cure for all their problems. This wasn’t unusual, after all, isn’t that what she and Xena did, all the time? But...she usually wasn’t the focus of attention. It’s scary. I’m not really sure I like it. And suddenly, from the inside, she got a good sense of what Xena went through, almost every day. Gods... how does she do it?

The bard lost herself in thought for a moment, considering. It was true - whenever they walked into a situation, everyone’s hopes, expectations...were dropped on a pair of certainly broad, but very human shoulders. If she closed her eyes, she could see Xena’s expression - that little furrow in her brow, the concentrated look, the subtle squaring of her body and a deep breath, as she took in the circumstances, delved into her knowledge and experience, and tried to come up with an answer. And when the situation’s bad, where’s the first place I look? How much pressure can one person stand up under? Gods... I never realized. How many times have I told her I was counting on her to come up with an answer to a question that had no answers? And...she does. She never puts the responsibility off on anyone else. And even realizing that, and knowing this is my job... and my responsibility, and not hers.. I still...still wish she was here. I wish I could open my eyes, and see her leaning against the doorway, rolling her eyes at the Amazons, and giving me that look.

"Gabrielle" Ephiny’s low voice interrupted her thoughts. She opened her eyes and met the concerned Amazon’s gaze. "Are you all right?" Ephiny continued, putting a gentle hand on her knee. "You have the oddest look on your face."

"No, I’m fine." Gabrielle smiled wryly. "I was just thinking, that’s all." She gave Ephiny a wink. "That’s what you hired me for, right?" She took another sip of tea, and tried to pretend a nonchalance she wasn’t really feeling. "So, what’s next on the agenda?"

Ephiny propped her elbow on the table, and gave the bard a long look. "Well, lunch, actually." she admitted, chuckling. "and the Elder’s Council wants to talk to you right after." she shrugged. "and after that, maybe we can work off some tension with a little sparring?"

Gabrielle nodded amiably. "OK - that sounds great." She stood up, and started around the table, sliding to one side as Arella attempted to close in on her. "Excuse me." she gave Arella a smile. "No hard feelings, right?" Letting her eyes meet Arella’s shadowed gray ones.

"None" Arella answered, drawing the word out. "But I can see you and I could do with some conversation on some issues." She casually crossed her arms over her chest. "Would you have some time, say over dinner, to talk?" Keeping her voice deliberately light, and unthreatening. Come on, little queen. Maybe we can find a common ground. Talk to me.

Gabrielle’s mind raced, though she maintained a politely thoughtful expression. Should I? Maybe she can be reasoned with after all...it might be worth a try. "Sure." she answered, letting her smile linger. "That would be nice."

"Tonight, then." Arella responded, and gave her sort of a nod before she turned and left the Council chamber, joined at the door by two of her closer cronies.

Now, Ephiny comes over, and says, That’s not a good idea, Gabrielle. The bard predicted to herself.

"That’s not a good idea." Ephiny said, giving Gabrielle a warning look, surprised at the sudden suppressed grin that fleetingly crossed the queen’s face. "I think you’re playing with fire, here." What was she thinking of? Surely she could see what Arella was up to...

"Ephiny, please relax." Gabrielle answered, with a touch of annoyance. "First off, I can take care of myself. Second, maybe she has some good ideas… how am I supposed to know if I don’t listen to her? Third," And she lowered her voice and put her head closer to Ephiny. "I’m not as naive as you think I am."

Shaking her head, she ushered Ephiny out the door, and towards the dining hall. "Come on. I’m hungry." But she wasn’t, really. Strange...I am, and I’m not, or I am, but...Gods, Gabrielle, just go eat lunch. Which was fairly bland, and tended to cooked grains. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t very interesting. Gabrielle plowed through the stuff, though, having little choice. Well, I could just go out to the stream and catch myself a fish, I guess. Yeah, right. Some great impression there.

The Elder’s meeting was interesting, though, and Gabrielle liked the opportunity to talk to some of the retired Amazons, whose memory stretched back before her birth. She liked the elders, and had a feeling they liked her too. She was smiling as she walked out, and spotted Ephiny and Eponin talking near the sparring ground. Oh yeah. Staff practice. Almost forgot. With a casual wave at them, she changed her direction to her quarters, to pick up her staff and drop off her meeting notes. Ephiny crossed the middle ground and joined her at the door.

"Hi." The Amazon greeted her briefly. "Getting your staff?"

"Yeah." Gabrielle replied, putting her notes down, and reaching for the smooth wood, which came to her hand with a familiar feel that always kind of surprised her. I never thought I’d get used to carrying this. I guess you can get used to anything.

"Have you been getting in some practice?" Ephiny asked, giving her an amused look. "Eponin isn’t going to be gentle with you." She glanced at the bard, taking in the look of almost mischief in her mist green eyes. Noticing the added muscle in the arms and shoulders. Oh, I bet she has...too...and she’s got some sparring partner. "Hmm?" she prodded, with a smile.

Gabrielle let a grin form on her lips. "Oh, a little." she assured the Amazon blithely. "You know, here and there. I get to use it for real sometimes." She hefted the staff, and motioned Ephiny to go ahead of her. "Come on - I know Eponin hates to be kept waiting." They walked across the middle ground, towards where Eponin was waiting, leaning casually on her own staff. A few other Amazons were scattered around, but Gabrielle was aware of their interested attention. So... this is a show, huh? She felt a seldom experienced jolt of anticipation start in the pit of her stomach.

Her staff proficiency was something she was acquiring to keep her alive, and to gods... prevent Xena from having to go crazy worrying about her in a scuffle, but she didn’t have the joy in battle that Xena did, and she didn’t even understand where that emotion came from. But she was getting better - Xena said so, and as much as the warrior humored her in a lot of things, in this... this..., Xena wouldn’t lie or exaggerate. Not when her life could depend on it, something Xena took with very deadly seriousness. "Hi, Eponin." she smiled, as they came abreast of the older Amazon. "Thanks for taking the time to do a little practice with me. Just like old times."

Eponin studied her. "I hope you’ve been keeping up your skills, your majesty." she allowed a small smile to cross her face. "Shall we?" she motioned to a clear area, and glanced around to make sure there wasn’t anyone too close.

They faced off, and Eponin wasted no time, but closed in with her, and probed her defenses with several testing thrusts. Which she parried, feeling her body settle into a familiar rhythm as she responded to the attacks with practiced ease. The smack of Eponin’s staff against hers felt...light, she was surprised to notice, and lacked the sting she was used to. Experimentally, she moved forward a little, and threw in a double parry she often used with little effect against Xena.

Eponin’s face was a study in surprise as her staff went flying out of her hands, and Ephiny didn’t bother to disguise her bemused amazement. Whoa! Check that out! Gabrielle waited for Eponin to retrieve her weapon, then, feeling a little irritated at the Amazons surprise at her competence, went on the attack, letting her blows fly with a grim satisfaction. Now Eponin’s face was serious as well, and the Amazon started using far more effort in her strokes, trying in earnest to get through the bard’s defenses and disarm her.

Gabrielle was having none of it. Condescend to me, will you? Act like I’m a clueless child, will you? OK.. take that. Smack. Oh, and Xena taught me this, too. Smack. The Amazon’s face grew angry. Whoops, that must have stung. Gabrielle grinned. Eponin’s efforts doubled, and her breathing grew a touch strained. She grimly drove for Gabrielle’s body, slamming the staff against the bard’s with stunning power. But Gabrielle found her blocks holding, her muscles used to turning back a far stronger effort, and she thrust the Amazon back, knocking her off balance and leaving her open to a backhanded sweep, one of her favorite moves. Eponin’s staff went flying again, and this time, Gabrielle curled an arm around her own weapon, and leaned against it, with a smug feeling of satisfaction. In her peripheral vision, she saw several dozen watching Amazons, ringed loosely around them. Good. Let them take me seriously. I’m no warrior, but I’m sure not the clumsy kid I was the last time I stood on this practice ground.

"My compliments, your majesty." Eponin said, stiffly, still breathing hard. "It seems you have been practicing, indeed."

Gabrielle shrugged nonchalantly. "Thanks. I do get to use it a lot, you know. We run into trouble...all the time." She shrugged. "And I have a pretty good sparring partner." As she said this, an irrepressible grin crept onto her face. "Even if she only goes half speed, and I end up getting dumped on my rear most of the time."

Eponin nodded. "I should have remembered. But I didn’t think Xena would waste her time with a staff." Her eyes flicked to Ephiny, who shrugged.

Gabrielle cocked her head in puzzlement. "You have some really strange ideas about her, you know that? She’s just a person... she’s funny, and warm, and...a good teacher.." she paused, and smiled. "and a good friend." she finished quietly. "And she uses anything she can get her hands on as a weapon. Believe me." She chuckled, then swung her staff down to her side. "Should we finish?"

Ephiny took a turn at her, then Solari, and finally Granella, who grinned as she asked Gabrielle to show her the backhanded sweep. The Amazons now treated her just a little differently, which Gabrielle found kind of funny. They bring me here because I’m a peacemaker. And they don’t respect me until I can beat them up. Something’s not right here. But she enjoyed herself, and it was a relief to work off some of the tension that had been building in her all day. She stretched as she and Ephiny walked back towards her quarters side by side. "Wow...that took the kinks out." she said, half laughing, to the Amazon.

Ephiny gave her a glance. "You can say that again." She bumped the bard lightly with an elbow. "You certainly had fun with us." she laughed a little. ‘Why didn’t you tell me you’d gotten that good? I feel like an idiot."

"Well.." Gabrielle hesitated, then spread her hands out. "It’s kind of hard to judge, Ephiny... you forget who I have to measure myself against." She felt that grin that sort of just came out of her when she thought about Xena appear. I can’t help doing that, lately.

Ephiny ducked her head in acknowledgment. "OK.. good point." she admitted. Wondering if Gabrielle knew just how her face lit up when she was talking about her warrior partner. "She’s done quite a job with you." More than you know, more than with that staff, my bardic friend.

"Time to wash up and get ready for dinner." the bard mused. "I know... I know... I’ll be careful." She gave Ephiny a look. "Wish me luck."

Ephiny sighed. "All right. But I’m going to have someone outside, not far away. By the gods, Gabrielle, you yell if you need something." She touched Gabrielle’s arm in farewell, and changed direction towards her own quarters.

Gabrielle shook her head, and continued into the hut, carefully putting the staff in a secure place near her desk, and skinning out of her leathers. She grabbed a linen wrap, and went to the wash area, which was fairly empty at this time of the afternoon. The late sunlight dropped lazily through the lattice windows, and dusted distorted squares of light on the mat covered floor, as Gabrielle claimed a tub, and filled it with water heated in the ever present fireplace. The bathing room backed onto the smithy forge, an economical use of heat, she’d always thought. With a groan, she settled into the water, wincing at a strained muscle in her shoulder.

Gods, that’s painful. A plaintive thought. if.. Xena were here, I could beg for a rubdown. She just knows exactly where it hurts. And she’s got the nicest, warmest hands...she sighed. Gabrielle, just don’t go there. You chose to do this, so just get used to it.Moodily, she finished washing up, and drained the tub, wrapping the linen around her and trudging back to her quarters. What in Hades is wrong with me? Here I am, taking charge of an entire nation of people, and when I should be thinking about what to do to solve their problems, I end up thinking about...she stopped in front of the desk, and picked up the piece of amber resting there. And smiled, and let her shoulders drop in amused defeat. I end up thinking about being in love. Because I am. And it’s like...standing under a waterfall, on a sunny spring morning it feels so good…For a moment, she let that thought run, hugging the linen wrap to her, and feeling an incredulous grin stretch her face from ear to ear. Then she laughed, and got dressed, and was composed and ready when the knock came at her doorpost, and Arella was there.

"Are you telling me, " Arella later said, pouring her a second cup of wine, after dinner was complete. "that there’s always a peaceful solution to any problem?"

Gabrielle shrugged. "I’d like to say yes, but...I’ve traveled with Xena for two years.." She cast a glance at her guest, and didn’t touch the wine glass. Oh no... learned my lesson there, thanks. One’s my limit. "Sometimes, you don’t have a choice. But I’d like to think we can work on situations so that we always do have a choice. " Her voice was calm and reasonable.

"But you agree that sometimes violence is unavoidable." Arella pursued, leaning across the small table. Knowing by now that Gabrielle would not back off from her.

"Unavoidable, yes. Desirable, no." the bard answered, leaning on one elbow, and regarding Arella.

"Desirable." Arella repeated, letting her eyes wander over her dinner partner. "That depends." Her gray eyes traced the exposed collarbone of the woman facing her, and stopped on the necklace winking in the candlelight. "That’s beautiful." she murmured, reaching over and laying a fingertip on the sea green stone.

Gabrielle managed not to twitch at the touch, and kept her voice level and unconcerned. "Thanks."

Arella tilted her russet head, and regarded the eyes across from her. "Good match for your eyes, your majesty." She raised an eyebrow. "That must have been a tough find. It’s an unusual color."

The bard felt her heart begin to pound in alarm. This was more aggression than she’d counted on... should she yell for the guard? How dumb would that sound. A thought occurred to her, which made her lips twitch in a reluctant grin. "That’s what people tell me." She answered, giving Arella a mild look. "But Xena managed somehow. She surprised me with it not long ago." She let her gaze drop to the table, and laughed a little. A glance back up at Arella, whose expression was now a good deal more reserved. OK, Xena. I owe your reputation one. We’ll settle up later. "But I think we should approach violence as a second option, especially with the centaurs. They’re neighbors - doesn’t it seem better to you if we can make peace with them?"

Arella leaned back against her chair, and cupped her chin in her hand. "I don’t know, Gabrielle." Yes I do, but you can’t hear me. "We have such a long history of fighting with them. How could they trust us?" She shrugged. "We’re too different to be allies."

Gabrielle surprised her by laughing. "Oh, that’s not true at all. You’d be surprised at how much we all have in common, when you get right down to it. We just left a city where the residents found some new allies in a race of half men, half lions that lived nearby." She enjoyed the look of disbelief on the Amazon’s face. "It’s true.. I was there... I saw it. I know them." She stood, and stretched, wincing as she stressed her shoulder. "So, anything is possible. But we’re not going to decide this tonight. Though, " the bard stared at Arella, seriously. "I do appreciate your viewpoint."

Arella also stood, and nodded quietly. "We’ll have to discuss this further." she said, softly, capturing Gabrielle’s eyes with her own. And finding unexpected compassion there. "Good night." she finished, and turned to leave. Gabrielle walked around the table and escorted her to the door, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder as they reached the threshold. Feeling the slight flinch at the contact. "Thanks for joining me for dinner." She said, cheerfully. "Have a good night."

The tall Amazon paused, and glanced down at her, a thoughtful expression on her shadowed face. "You too, Gabrielle." And smiled. And brushed by her to clear the door, making the most of the contact.

Sighing, the bard crossed back over to her desk, and pulled out her diary, spending several minutes writing with absorption. So, I had a visit from the Enemy tonight, Xena. She thinks the only way to do things is with violence. We don’t know anything about that, right? Right. She’s...really intense. And I think she wants something from me... something I know I can’t give her. I’m not sure what to do about that - I tried to take your advice and warn her off - but I don’t think she cares. That’s scary. We’ll have to see what happens. Hey - you’d have been proud of me today - I got to beat up some Amazons at staff practice. Wish you could have seen it. Yeah, I do wish that. It’s silly, I know. I’ve only been here two days. But a tiny part of me is always wondering what you’re doing, and where you are, and I find myself missing just having you around. I hope you’re doing OK, and not getting into too much trouble.

Finally, she finished, and closed the diary, and changed into her now favorite shirt, and climbed into bed. And stared at the wooden beams holding up the ceiling. And thought about what Xena could be doing, three days away from here, under the same stars, hearing the same fitful wind outside. She chuckled a little. Sleeping, probably, was what she was doing. With a shake of her head, Gabrielle joined her.

Amphipolis - several days later...

"You’ve really made a difference." Toris’ voice was lowered, and directed for her ears only. "It’s turned around for us, Xena. I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t shown up."

Xena sat back against the wall, taking a deep draft from the cup she held cradled in both hands. "You would have found a way, Toris. Anyway, all I did was bring in a little game and fix some tables." She did survey the room, though, and was surprised by the number of lunch patrons casually strolling in. There were three new tables, now - her handiwork, along with Toris’ contributions of a few chairs. Not bad, for a beat up old ex warlord. She grinned privately, remembering the startled looks on both her mother and brother’s face when she set up a workshop outside the barn though why they thought soldiers were incapable of doing routine chores was a mystery.

"Xena." Toris said, reaching out and touching her arm, pleased when she didn’t flinch.

"Hmm?" the warrior answered, raising an eyebrow at him.

"You know..." he hesitated, then rushed on. "Well, what I mean is, this is your home. You don’t have to... I mean.. you.. well, you belong here, if you want to." He fell silent, and watched her still face for a reaction.

"Did mother send you out here?" his sister countered, but with a smile that took the edge off the comment. "It’s a nice thought, Toris, and don’t think I don’t appreciate it. I do." She glanced at the table, then back up at him. "More than you know. But I can’t risk it." She leaned back and braced one booted leg up on the bench, resting her arm on her knee. "I can’t expose you and mother to what I have to live with."

Cyrene appeared behind them, and slid into a place next to Xena, pushing over a plate she was carrying that contained small cakes. "Here." she said, nodding at the plate, and giving Xena a sly glance. "I know you like them." Blithely ignoring the look of amused exasperation from her daughter. She had been using little tricks like this to poke and prod at Xena’s well developed emotional armor for days now, and it was beginning to have an effect. The warrior had visibly relaxed in their presence, and was starting to show flashes of a wry humor and lively wit that Cyrene had long suspected lurked under all that brass and leather. "Come on, come on."

Xena chuckled, and shook her head. "Mother, you’re dangerous."

"Yes, well, you had to get it from somewhere, dear." Cyrene answered, patting her arm, pleased when both siblings started laughing. It’s been a long time. Her mind mused, as she glanced from one child to the other. Xena had traded her armor for a dark blue rough hewn linen tunic, and weaponless, almost allowed Cyrene to forget what she was and seated next to her brother, both playfully pushing at each other and fighting over the cakes, she had an illusion of time rolling back. A bittersweet feeling, which faded as she quietly gave thanks to the gods that she had, at least, this moment in time to reunite part of her badly sundered family.

"Xena, stop that!" Toris gasped, ducking as his grinning sister managed to get a handful of crumbs down his shirt. "Augh!" he shivered, untucking the shirt from his trousers and scattering the cake bits on the floor. The puppy Ares immediately growled, and sniffed the offering, poking out a tiny tongue and scooping a bit up, chewing enthusiastically.

"Now, children." Cyrene laughed, reveling in the sound of that. Both of them turned to her, and her heart almost stopped at the sight of the two similar faces, with a pair of mischievous smiles, and identical blue eyes that looked back at her. "If you don’t stop that, no dessert for you tonight." She threatened. Gods, I wish this could last. I know it can’t. But...

"Now, there’s a threat." Xena drawled, leaning back and dusting her hands off. She picked up her cup and took a long swallow, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. That offer of Toris’ - took me off guard. She let her gaze travel over the inside of the inn, drifting over her brother’s face, and resting at last on Cyrene’s. There’s a part of me that wants this so bad... I thought I’d never sit at this table, listen to their voices, feel my mother’s touch...again.. once. I threw closed the door to this place.. thought I had it locked pretty tight until Gabrielle showed up. Against her will, a smile forced its way onto her lips. And damned if she didn’t walk through all the locked doors as though they weren’t even there. How did I let that happen? Now, I have a chance to go home. Reality settled on her shoulders. And I can’t.

"Xena." Cyrene touched her arm.

"Yeah?" she replied, tilting her dark head to regard her mother.

Cyrene steepled her fingertips, putting them in front of her lips. "I... don’t know what your plans are." She hesitated. "But I want you to know that I really like having you here." Her eyes met the blue ones in a motionless face across from her. "And I hope you’ll consider giving us a chance to spend some time with you."

The warrior broke her gaze, and let her chin drop to rest on her linked hands. "Look." she said, finally. "I.. the thought of getting chance to become part of this family, again...is something I never thought I’d have the opportunity to do." She studied her hands. "And.. it’s something that’s very appealing to me." She glanced up at them, their eyes riveted on her face. "But I can’t take the risk of doing that. " A shrug. "There are a lot of people out there who would love the chance to do me, or the people I care about harm."

"But Xena.." Toris objected "We’re still going to be your family. That can’t change, whether you’re here or not."

"Not quite, Toris." his sister answered quietly. "With me gone, you might get the odd opportunist who happened to hear we’re related. With me here.." She let out a slight sarcastic laugh. "It would be open season for every warlord with a grudge and every budding fighter out to make a name for themselves to visit. You don’t want that. I don’t want that. " She sighed. "However, I do need to stick around for at least a while, until I’m sure the Amazons are settled down."

Cyrene leaned forward at that, interested. "Why? Don’t you think your friend is capable of handling them?" She actually liked Gabrielle, and suspected the bard had been a very good influence on her wild progeny. In fact, she had a motherly instinct telling her that her daughters feelings for Gabrielle went quite a bit deeper than she had been willing to admit. Yet.

"Gabrielle is just fine." Xena answered, tersely. "But there are certain members of the Amazon nation that don’t agree with a peaceful course of action. And there’s a possibility that one or more of them just might challenge for the leadership." She paused, considering. "That’s a challenge to the death." She added, watching the horror cross their faces.

"So...Gabrielle has to fight someone to the death?" Toris asked, eyes wide. "That’s crazy. She’s a talker, not a fighter."

Xena smiled. "Well, actually, she’s a little of both. But no, she doesn’t have to do it. The queen can name a champion to fight the challenge for her."

Cyrene felt understanding dawn. She caught her daughter’s gaze and smiled. "And you’re her champion." It was not a question. She watched a faint blush travel up Xena’s neck, and chuckled to herself.

"Yes." Was all the warrior answered. Among other things. Her mind teasingly inserted. She saw that look in her mother’s eyes, and was caught between chagrin and exasperation. She’s hard to keep things from. Well...so am I. I guess I come by it honestly. She let a smile play around her lips as she returned her mother’s gaze, giving her a little shrug, and a nod. Cyrene’s eyes widened, and she returned the smile, comprehension apparent. The woman was about to speak when a noise startled all of them, and turned their attention to the door.

Toris cursed, as three half armored men strolled into the room, glancing around. "I’ll take care of this." he muttered grimly, sliding out of his chair, and heading towards them.

"Bregaris’ men." Cyrene uttered in a low tone. "the southern warlord. Probably here for tribute." She glanced at Xena, and blinked. Her daughter’s face had settled into a chill steadiness, eyes pinned on the three soldiers.

Idiots Xena mused, feeling her instincts begin to sharpen, and the blood start to pump in her veins as the first two men cornered her brother, as the third, a massive silent hulk stood watch. She slid her knee down so both feet were squarely on the floor, and let her hand curl around the edge of the table, clearing the bench out of her way with silent efficiency. She spared a quick glance at Cyrene, who was watching her with undisguised fascination, and gave her a wry quirk of her lips.

Soldier one now had Toris by the front of the tunic, and had half lifted him onto the serving bar. OK.. that’s enough. Xena thought grimly to herself, as she rose to her feet and started across the tavern.

Cyrene sat back and watched, as Xena moved forward, controlled power in every movement, hands flexing a little as she approached the soldiers and Toris. Against her will, she felt a flicker of pride stir in her heart, not for the violence she suspected was fast approaching, but for her daughter’s willingness to risk herself in someone else’s defense.

Toris was starting to have trouble breathing, when he saw a tanned hand descend on his tormentor’s shoulder. The man looked up, annoyed, and jerked a little when his eyes found a slightly shorter, female version of the man he had in his grasp at his elbow.

"Hi." Xena drawled, low and deep in her throat. "I think you’d better let go of my brother." She let a smile part her lips. And summoned up the edgy menace she could project when she needed to. "Now."

The man dropped Toris, and turned to face her. "Really? Would you like to take his place?" His face was ugly, a scar crossing it from ear to cheekbone and a scraggly beard struggling to cover it.

"Sure." Xena answered, and brought her fist up in a sudden explosion of power, catching him under his jaw, lifting him off his feet, and dropping him like a rock in front of her. Taking out the second one with a short vicious elbow thrust. Catching the massive third one as he rushed her against a booted foot, watching his bewildered face as she flexed her thigh muscles and sent him crashing back against the door. He tried to get up, and she put him to sleep with a kick, then turned and straightened Toris’ tunic, brushing him off with amused toleration. "Better now?" she asked, flicking a last bit of debris of his shoulder.

"You are...amazing." Toris laughed in relief. He shook his head at the three prone men. " They’re not going to be happy when they wake up."

Xena shrugged. "No, but we can send them back with a message. I know Bregaris. He’s a coward, and once he’s challenged, he’ll back off and find easier pickings." She headed back to the table, where Cyrene was still waiting. Sliding back into her chair, she picked up one of the remaining cakes, and bit into it, darting a glance at her mother. Oh...hey… I do like these...her mind chuckled at her. And Gabrielle would love them. She grinned. "So. Enjoy the show?"

Cyrene cleared her throat. "I always like watching an expert at work." she said dryly. "You certainly don’t waste any time. " Pretending she didn’t see Xena snag another cake. "Speaking of which, do you mind if I ask you where you go at night?"

Xena raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. "Into the forest. There’s a clearing there, big enough for me to do sword drills without scaring the neighbors." she answered, giving Cyrene a wry smile. "That takes a lot of practice to keep up. " She gave her mother a sly grin. "Besides, I have to do something to work off all these cakes. " And get rid of the excess energy. And get myself so exhausted I don’t lay in bed and...think.

Cyrene nodded slightly. "That’s what I thought. I saw you coming back in this morning, and you were carrying your sword." And looking pretty tired, but we won’t mention that. "You shouldn’t work yourself so hard." Studying the taller form seated next to her. Feeling a strong motherly pull of affection that she hadn’t felt towards this woman for a very long time. "Well, I have to go see if dinner’s started." She sighed, standing and moving around Xena towards the kitchen. As she pressed past, she put her hands on her daughter’s shoulders, and leaning forward, brushed her lips across the top of her dark head. Continuing on without comment, aware of the blue eyes which followed her until she was out of sight behind the kitchen door.

Xena wandered outside after instructing Toris and some burly buddies of his how to tie the soldiers onto their horses. She wrote a little note, and signed it, for them to pin on the little group’s erstwhile leader, then left them to it. A low growl caught her attention, and she looked down to where the wolf puppy was following her determinedly, teeth worrying her boot. Gods. She sighed, reaching down and picking up the animal. Little Ares transferred his teething attention to her finger, and let out another heartfelt growl. "You’re very scary." Xena informed the puppy. "Aroo." the puppy responded, blinking it’s yellow eyes at her. "Yeah." Xena answered, glancing quickly around to see if anyone was watching. "Come on. It’s nap time for you." She carried the animal with her into the barn, and reached up, settling him into the hayloft, where he snuggled down immediately. After a moment’s hesitation, she climbed up, flipping over the dark form, and relaxing on her back, hands folded behind her head. Ares took the opportunity to scramble over to her, nuzzling happily against her side.

"Ares, cut that out." she sighed, rolling her eyes. The puppy meeped at her. "Oh, all right." she relented, lifting him up and settling him onto her ribcage, where he curled up happily, blinking sleepy eyes at her in adoration. She laughed gently, then turned her gaze to the woodwork. Recalling the sensation of her mother’s hands on her shoulders, and that casual kiss that she hadn’t felt since she was very small. Maybe it was possible...her mind turned that idea over. Maybe.

Her thoughts moved onto Gabrielle, and the increasingly hollow spot she could feel inside her that missed the bard’s presence. Missed? How about needed.. She closed her eyes and thought about that for a minute. And just when did that happen? Well, I can pretend it’s not true. That was the echo she was trying to beat out with the clash of metal every night, the pull that clenched her heart in her chest at unexpected intervals. And it was getting worse. I guess we’ve just gotten used to having each other around. Two years is too long a time to spend with one person, day and night, and not develop… what, a dependency on them? Is that what this is? Maybe.

She took a deep breath and let it out. If Gabrielle was destined to remain with the Amazons, maybe she would give a stab at staying here. Become the village’s protector, like it should have been all along. Rejoin her family. I could do it… not be out there fighting everyone all the time. Maybe pay the Amazons a visit once in a while. Yeah.

Blinking, she watched the deep scratches in the wood above her head blur and clear. "Lyceus, I’m sorry." She whispered, reaching up and touching his name. "I could have brought you back, you know. " She bit her lip. "But the price was something I couldn’t pay... and I don’t think you would have wanted to be bought for that, either." She sighed, and lowered her hand to stroke Ares, who tangled one front leg in her fingers and held on. Then lulled by the warm sunlight, and the sleeping puppy, Xena let her eyes drift shut. Just for a few minutes, her mind assured her.

When she opened her eyes, a quick glance at the window told her it had been a lot more than a few minutes. Startled, she shook her head to clear it, then allowed her body to relax again when she realized where she was, and what had happened. Gods.. when was the last time I let myself do that… Ares opened his eyes at her movement, and sighed, nuzzling her sleepily.

Well... a mental chuckle. I did get pretty enthusiastic about working on backflips last night. Doing that till dawn was probably not the smartest thing going. Did nail that new one, though. Yawning, she stretched her long frame, flexing muscles still a bit tight from the previous evenings workout. The puppy stretched too, yawning in imitation, and extending his front and back paws in a puppy sized version of her motion. Caught by surprise, Xena laughed, then pulled herself upright, tumbling the puppy onto the straw in front of her bedroll.

"Come on, time to cut firewood, Ares." she commented, grasping the side of the loft, and lowering herself down to the ground, then grabbing puppy and hand ax in one hand, she ran her fingers through her disordered hair with the other, and headed for the door, almost colliding with Cyrene. "Hey." She said, stopping short.

Cyrene took the puppy from her, scratching his ears fondly. "Wanted to see where you disappeared to." She smiled up at Xena. "You have the village buzzing, you know." She turned and walked by her side to the woodpile, and watched as the warrior lifted up a large log and split it with lazy strokes.

"I do, huh?" Xena answered, chuckling. "Is that good or bad?"

Cyrene pursed her lips, but kept a smile off her face. "Quite good." She glanced at her daughter. "You’re doing great things for business, so I owe you a big thank you."

Xena looked up, pinning her with a serious stare. "You don’t owe me anything." She said, grabbing another log and setting it on the jacks. "About time I did something positive for this place." She let a reluctant smile cross her face. "Besides.. it’s kind of a nice change."

The older woman chuckled. "Honey, you can change your pace here anytime you want." She patted Xena’s shoulder and headed back towards the inn, turning back to put down Ares. "Here, he’s your shadow."

"Yeah." Xena said, glancing at the puppy, who sneezed, and ran over to her. "I’m not really sure why." Ares curled up against her boot, poking out his tongue and panting. "Roo" he commented.

Cyrene grinned at the expression on Xena’s face. "Well, dear… animals are very perceptive. And they always did like you."

Xena rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah." She sighed, and kept chopping.

"Roo." Ares stated, tugging on her boot.

"Not a word out of you." Xena growled, giving him a look.

"Grr." He growled back.

Another full evening in the tavern, Xena mused, wryly. And word had spread about the visit by the warlord’s soldiers.. and how they’d left. She could tell by the sidelong glances in her direction, which had been obvious the first night, but had tapered off after that as the villagers became used to her presence. Two of the merchants had actually come over and talked to her, real progress for them, and one of the village girls had stopped to make conversation on her way from the back table to the serving bar.

Right now, Toris had his head together with a group of his relative peers, planning... something. Xena distrusted Toris’ planning...something. She suspected very strongly that she would be a part of whatever the something was. Sighing, she sat back in her chair, and sipped gingerly at a tall cup of her mother’s potent ale. She had learned her lesson with it the first night, when only a constitution as solid as a rock prevented her from falling down drunk in front of everyone. Who wouldn’t have noticed, really, because they were falling down themselves. She smirked. And made a note to warn Gabrielle off the stuff, since it was frothy and sweet, and the bard would probably love it. A wistful smile crossed her face.

"Hey, Toris." Beltran whispered. "Are you sure? I mean, she’s not going to get upset, is she?" He peered nervously at his friend’s intimidating sister.

"Nah." Toris said, shaking his head. "She’s in a good mood."

Tellar raised his eyebrow. "How can you tell?"

"Idiot." Toris replied, slapping him. "I’m her brother."

"Look.. why can’t you just teach us?" Beltran hissed, poking him. "You said you used to be a warrior."

Toris rolled his eyes. "Don’t be a moron. Yeah, I could hold a sword. Yeah, I could punch someone. Yeah, I can ride a horse. That doesn’t make me a warrior. She’s the best there is. Who would you rather learn from? "

Both of them looked at him. "Don’t answer that." Toris groaned. "Look, stop being such cowards. She’s just a person. Look at her."

They turned and glanced over toward the back of the room. Then they turned back around and looked at Toris, who sighed. "Come on." They crossed the room, heading for the back table where Xena was seated, watching them approach. Toris pulled up a chair and motioned for his pals to do the same. "Hi."

Xena looked them up and down, before letting a grin slowly form on her face. "Hi." Her gaze flicked to Toris. "What’s up?"

They told her.

"Wait. Stop." Xena held up both hands. "This is how this all started. No. Sorry, but no." She scowled at Toris. "You know better than to ask me to teach people in this village how to use weapons."

Toris blew out a breath. Gods... she’s stubborn. Just like mother. "Not weapons, not really. Just for defense, Xena. Come on, you taught Gabrielle how, you can teach these guys." He grabbed her arm. "Look... you said it yourself - these warlords respond to intimidation. If we can even make it just a little harder for them to ride in here and take anything they want, maybe it’s worth it."

His sister leveled a look at him that made him release her arm and lean back. She remained silent for a long time, glancing at each of them in turn, then crossed her arms over her chest and let out a long sigh. Should I do this? Is it even worth trying? Maybe...because I’ve been here long enough to attract attention, and that’s not good. Do I owe it to them? Yeah, maybe I do, after all I’ve put this place through.

"All right." she finally said. "Staff and hand to hand only." She stared at Toris. "No bladed weapons. And you have to get them staves. I’m not going scouring the countryside for them."

They looked at each other in surprise. Didn’t expect me to say yes, huh? The warrior grinned to herself. "Every day, between lunch and dinner. No whining."

Toris nodded. "Deal." he said, succinctly. The rest of them just nodded.

The next day there was a ring of them out there, nervous but determined. She started slowly, showing them the basic moves, and had them practice them the rest of the afternoon, wincing when they accidentally hit each other. Well… they’ll learn. She mused, thoughtfully.

And they did, and kept coming back every day for a few hours after their field work was done, and eventually she had to set up a real training area. Now, as they got used to handling the heavy staves, it became more interesting for Xena, because she got to serve as a training pell for their fledgling attempts at attack. More than once, she desperately wished for Gabrielle’s competence facing her.. but it was a way to keep busy, and the villagers were getting better, being naturally strong and used to hard work.

After two weeks, they were… actually OK. To her bemused surprise. Not experts, no… not anywhere even in the bard’s league. But they could hold their own, and were eager to learn more.. though the thought of doing hand to hand with her was still spooking them. She finally had to coax Toris into being the first victim, and what a show that had been. She had used him as a bad example over and over, until he got upset, and when he was upset, he did stupid things.

And one of the stupid things he did was try to grab her in an inappropriate spot, which he figured would knock her off her stride enough for him to get an advantage. All he got for his efforts was a grin, and a "Boys have bigger targets, Toris" before she responded in kind.

Cyrene, peeking through the shuttered windows at the action, turned to Johan. "I don’t think I’ve ever heard a man make a noise like that before."

Johan cringed in reflex. "I think you better go and keep your children from killing each other."

Cyrene peeked out again. "Oh… well, I’m sure Xena won’t hurt him. Much." She flinched as they went at each other, hitting the ground with an audible thump. "I hope."

And she hadn’t, Xena mused, as she relaxed much later that night in a hot bath. Much. But the session had gone smoothly after that, and the villagers seemed less intimidated by her. Some of them were even starting to practice little moves out in the fields during breaks… she shook her head in mild amusement. She allowed the hot water to relax her, stretching out and laying her head back against the wall of the tub. Gabrielle liked hot baths, she reflected. Especially when they would splash around with each other, like kids. I miss that. She grinned wryly. I’m always a lot more playful around her than anyone else. A lot less serious. Huh.

The next day brought an unexpected test, when a group of Bregaris’s men, a hunting party, rode in looking for trouble. They got it, and more than they expected, when the previously meek villagers stood in their way, armed with stout staves, and no nonsense expressions. It hadn't taken long, and Xena herself merely watched from the inn window, though kept weapons to hand just in case. That night, they celebrated, and more than one toast was given to Xena, much to her discomfiture, but she coped, because they were proud of themselves, and in truth, she was pretty proud of them too.

#xena #xena warrior princess #xena/gabrielle #xena/gabrielle fanfiction #xwp #pg-13 #fanfiction #femslash

1 note · View note

drabbles-of-writing · 4 years ago

Text

Your Turn

This is part of my Uncursed AU

AO3

Masterpost

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Lilith, as of recently, had been training Amity far more often. She wasn’t sure when it started happening, but it always made her feel better when she knew Amity was out of that forlorn mansion.

Which worked out wonderfully for her, since Amity loved training. She was always one to be on time, and rarely did she ever miss a lesson.

So, needless to say, Lilith was rather concerned when, one day, Amity was over ten minutes late.

They trained in many spots across Bonesborough, so to be prepared for any kind of terrain. Today, she decided to be a little easier and train in a clearing in the woods, opposite of the Owl House.

She would rather not run into Hooty, if she could avoid it.

Lilith tapped her foot impatiently, each minute feeling like an hour. The witch was about to pull out her scroll to call the young witch when a sound from the foliage caught her attention.

“I’m here! I’m here!” Amity called, rushing into the clearing and nearly tripping over herself.

“Amity! There you are.” Lilith said, hurrying over to the young witch. “Are you alright? Normally you would inform me if there’s to be a delay.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Amity apologized, ears pressed back. “I, uh...slept in…” She mumbled refusing to meet the coven leader's eyes.

“Slept in?” Lilith repeated. “It’s...late afternoon?”

Amity lightly kicked at the ground beneath her and held her hands behind her back, refusing to meet the witches eyes.

“Amity,” Lilith said, crouching down so as to be eye-level with the girl. “Did something happen?” She asked, concerned.

Call her a worrywart, but a million bad ideas ran through her head. Amity being late and sleeping in was very unlike her. Did something keep her up? Was there an issue at the mansion? Was it stress? Was she being too hard on her?

Amity sighed and her shoulders sagged.

“You remember the human, Luz?” Amity asked.

“Of course,” Lilith blinked, surprised at this. “Why?”

“So, I was in the library to, erm, grab something I left,” Amity stuttered, fiddling with her hands. “And it was the night of the Wailing Star, so I knew Ed and Em were going to be there. But turns out they also...brought Luz…” She trailed off.

Lilith tilted her head, slowly processing the words Amity had said.

“Oh, I see.” Lilith chuckled. “Let me guess, she pulled you into some far too chaotic adventure last night?”

“Yeah,” Amity sighed, looking relieved. “It was crazy! We had to fight the character Otabin, and Luz actually didn’t have that bad of an idea, and we almost got sewn into a book, and turns out Luz is, like, a huge nerd.” Amity rambled on.

Lilith only smiled and listened. She shouldn’t have been all that surprised. The residents of the Owl House had always been a troublesome bunch, it was to be expected Luz would be the same.

And Lilith knew from a lot of experience that once you’ve met the people of the Owl House, you're never completely free of them.

“I take it you're a bit too tired for training today, then?” Lilith inquired.

“Oh, no, no, I can train!” Amity insisted. “I’ll be totally fine.”

“Amity, I can see the bags under your eyes,” Lilith pointed out. “You’d do best to spend more time on your concealer.”

Amity poked at the makeup under her eyes and grumbled under her breath, embarrassed.

“Don’t worry, we can do something else today.” Lilith said, standing up again. “I heard that new merchants came to the marketplace today. We could go browse. If you’d like.” She added the last part quickly.

“Are you sure?” Amity asked, looking up at Lilith with such a shy hopeful look that she had to mentally reign herself back in.

“Yes, of course I am.” Lilith said with a smile. “So long you can keep yourself upright, that is.”

“Obviously, I’m a Blight.” Amity said, standing up straighter. “I can handle a few hours of walking.”

“If you insist.”

Lilith pulled up the hood of her cloak, obscuring her face from anyone passing by. Obviously, if they looked closer they could see who she really was, but it was better than walking out in the open.

“As much as I admire the attention,” Lilith said to Amity. “I doubt you want us to be swarmed today.”

“Definitely not,” Amity agreed, almost shyly. “Where did you say the merchants should be?”

“Somewhere near the middle of the marketplace,” Lilith said, unconsciously side-eyeing any stand they passed that was selling junk. “Come along.”

The two had a more of a vague wander towards the middle, as Amity, and sometimes Lilith, would get distracted by the odd objects being sold. Ranging from baked goods to knick-knacks that looked like they’d been scrounged up from someone's basement.

There were a few moments she had to stop herself from impulse-buying raven sculptures. What was she, Eda? The lady who bases her entire theme around one type of bird?

A sudden crash tore her out of her line of thought.

She and Amity looked towards the noise, and a part of Lilith wanted to be surprised at the sight...but she really wasn’t.

A worm the width of a human and triple the length had its head stuck underneath the rubble of a broken stand. It was thrashing about and knocking into other stands, causing what was, to the people of Bonesborough, no more than an annoyance.

King, of course, was clutching onto the worm's tail with his claws and mouth, trying to tug it back. Luz herself was pulling on the relentless demon.

“King! Te lo ruego, let go!” Luz demanded, digging her heels into the dirt.

King mumbled something back, but it was inaudible from the fact he was still biting the worm.

Lilith and Amity glanced at each other. Lilith’s face reflected that of someone who had seen this many times before, and was tired. Amity’s showing pure unease and confusion as to what to do.

Luz yanked on King, hard. The worm finally popped free of the rubble and spun around, revealing wide, circle jaws filled to the brim with spinning razor sharp teeth.

Yeah, that was more of a problem.

Luz yelped and scooped up King, stepping back as the worm lunged at them with a hiss.

Lilith had barely summoned her staff to help the two before Amity threw a handful of magenta fire at the beasts face.

The beast snarled and whirled towards them, opening its jaws wide.

“Amity?” Luz blinked, now noticing the two.

The worm shot at them, arching itself and whirring its teeth around.

Lilith raised her staff and the beast froze, enveloped in blue magic. Lilith drew a circle in the air and the monster shrunk back to the size this species was supposed to be at; barely bigger than a finger.

The worm fell to the ground, now as small as it once was. Upon realizing this, it dug back into the ground and vanished.

The surrounding shopkeepers breathed a sigh of relief and began fixing up their stands again.

“Are you two alright?” Lilith asked, walking over to the two.

“Yeah, we’re fine--” Luz’s relieved face turned to that of pleasant surprise when she looked up at the woman. “Oh! Hey, Lilith!”

“Lilith!” King exclaimed at the same time, happily bounding up onto a wooden poll that had been cut in half by the chaos.

“How in the world did you get a razorworm that big?” Amity wondered, hovering behind the coven leader.

“Oh man, long story.” Luz said, taking Lilith’s offered hand and brushing herself off. “See, first I was just helping Eda around the house, and then King wandered off to go dig, you know? And then--”

Lilith tuned Luz out as she rambled on her explanation to Amity, who was looking a little overwhelmed, but not like she needed immediate help.

“How’s you?” Lilith asked King.

“Great! Well, almost great. Then that razorworm got away.” King grumbled. “Oh, oh! I got Eda’s message! And I say hi back!” King said happily, tail wagging.

“That’s good to hear,” Lilith smiled, scratching the demon's chin. “It seems you’ve infected another one with whatever bad luck you’ve got.” She said, glancing over at Luz, who was still babbling on and gesturing wildly.

Amity looked less overwhelmed, and now was just politely confused, but still listening. Luz seemed calmer and happier at explaining now, whereas originally she had seemed nervous, like Amity was going to tell her to shut up.

Lilith didn’t realize she had been watching a bit too long until she felt King grab her hand and hug it, getting her attention.

“Do you still make those green cookie things?” King asked. “Those were the best!”

“Mm, not as much anymore.” Lilith shook her head. “But I can send a few to the Owl House if you miss them.”

“Yes!” King pumped a fist in the air. “Luz is gonna love those!”

“I have a feeling that if Eda is hesitant to eat something, Luz won’t be much better.” Lilith said, sounding uncertain. “Where is Eda, anyway?”

“Back at her shop,” King said casually. “She made Luz help me with the worm while she cleaned up the mess we made of her stand.”

“Of course,” Lilith chuckled.

“And then the worm broke some stand selling pottery, and then you showed up!” Luz finished at last.

“...you’re not used to having normal days here, are you?” Amity said after a moment, the corners of her mouth slightly raised.

“Nope!” Luz shook her head, still giddy off of excitement and adrenaline. “I’m still all wound up from last night, so Eda said I should spend all my energy now so I can crash later.”

“You haven’t slept?” Amity gasped.

“I think I had a thirty-minute nap when I got home?” Luz squinted her eyes in thought. “But other than that? Not really.”

“You really are Eda’s apprentice,” Lilith sighed with a shake of her head, causing both girls to look towards her. “Let’s get you back to her, then.” She said, her staff vanishing in a small flash of blue.

“Best not to cause more trouble than you already have.”

“That’s fair,” King shrugged, hopping off the pole and onto the ground.

“Oh, no, we don’t want to cause--er, inconvenience you further.” Luz quickly corrected. “Aren’t you here to buy something?”

“Just browse,” Amity shrugged, crossing her arms. “We decided not to train today, so it’s no big deal.” She said politely.

“You’re still training?” Luz blinked.

“Always are,” Lilith said. “Though you’re recent... adventure, lets say, put a bit of a halt on today's lesson.”

“Oh,” Luz winced. “Sorry, Amity.”

“It's...fine,” Amity said after a moment. “Let’s just find wherever that witch’s stand is.”

“Agreed,” Lilith nodded, gesturing down the marketplace road and looking down at King. “Demons first.”

“Ha, ha, very funny.”

“There you two are!” Eda exclaimed, looking up from her stand. “How’d the worm go?”

“Almost got eaten by it,” Luz said casually. “Oh, but we met Lilith and Amity!” She added, gesturing to the two behind her.

“...wonderful,” Eda grumbled, pushing aside whatever gadgets she had gathered. “Whadda want?”

“We just wanted to make sure Luz made it back safely.” Lilith said calmly, occasionally glancing over at Amity, who was being shown human relics by a gleeful Luz. “I don’t even want to know how you made a worm that large.”

“Long story, Luz could probably recite it to you.” Eda waved her hand. “Sure you don’t want to buy anything?” She inquired, pulling her best con-artist look.

“Positive.” Lilith said firmly. “I take it you already heard the disaster Luz got my protégé into last night?” She said. “Do you often let your human do that?”

“Luz is her own person and can make her own near-death experiences,” Eda huffed, crossing her arms, though she seemed far from offended. “And yes, I did hear about it. Luz talked about it non-stop when I woke up.” She muttered.

“It was sweet, but she kept going on and on about ‘befriending ones rivals’ or something like that.”

“She wishes to befriend Amity?” Lilith blinked, turning her head to where the girls were now.

Luz was showing off a strange colorful cube to Amity while King, much to both of their dismay, kept trying to eat it.

“My kid likes yours, for some reason.” Eda shrugged. “Hope that won’t get in the way of your perfect image.” She taunted.

“Amity can make her own image, thank you very much.” Lilith huffed. “And if that image means becoming friends with a human…” She glanced at the girls again.

Amity smiled and tried to smother a laugh as Luz got her fingers stuck in a strange paper contraption.

“Then so be it.” Lilith said simply.

“Couldn’t agree more, Sis.” Eda grinned. “And if I’m lucky, she might start feeling generous if she befriends Luz.” She added thoughtfully.

“You are not going to scam a child, Edalyn.” Lilith said strictly.

“Of course not! I have standards, Lilith.” Eda snorted. “I’m just saying that if it ever comes up, or she has an offer, it’d be rude of me to say no.” She said simply. “Kids rich, you expect me to ignore that?”

“I shouldn’t have expected more from you.” Lilith sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“You really shouldn’t have.”

“Uh, Eda?”

The two sisters turned, seeing that Luz, Amity and King had been cornered by some strange gray almost dog-like creature with a ringed tail. Luz had a stick in front of her to poke at the creature before it hissed and recoiled.

King was standing behind Luz, as was Amity. Although Amity looked ready to chuck a ball of fire at the animal.

“A raccoon snuck in with your stash!” Luz called, poking at the beast again before it suddenly bit down on the stick and began thrashing about.

Luz screamed and dropped the stick, jumping back. She tripped over King and fell over, crushing him beneath her as she scuttled back. At the same time, Amity threw a handful of magenta fire at the animal. It missed and instead set fire to the torn-up carpet it was perched on.

The sisters glanced at each other with a tired look as the three began yelling and shouting at each other, trying to herd the gray demon-thing as it ran about.

“Don’t look at me. I just dealt with the worm.” Lilith said, crossing her arms. “It’s your turn now.”

“Ugh, fine.” Eda sighed, summoning her staff and stepping out from around the table. “Nice to know you’re still the same, even with disasters.”

“Likewise,”

41 notes · View notes

the-jade-cross · 4 years ago

Text

Fairy of Hogwarts - Chapter 3

“You feeling better Ginny?" Arya inquired.

Ginny smiled from her position on the hospital bed, "Yes, thank you Arya."

the girl sat down on the end of Ginny's bed and handed her a chocolate frog, "Harry asked me to give you this."

Ginny smiled as she took it and blushed, "How is he?"

"Better. still bed ridden," Arya replied.

Arya looked at Ginny and saw that the girl was smiling to herself. Smirking, Arya sat back.

"So, it must have been cool having Harry save you!"

Ginny glanced at Arya and smiled, "Sadly I don't remember any of it cuz I was unconscious."

"How has it been.... with Harry?" Arya asked.

The girl sighed, "Hard. Some times I think he likes me back and other times it doesn't seem like it."

Arya nodded, "That's when it's tough. Just hang in there. Harry is worth fighting for."

"He is that," Ginny whispered. "What about you? Have you found a guy you like?"

Arya shrugged, "Theres a bunch of guys I like.... as friends... nothing more. I honestly don't know if I care for someone as much as you love Harry.... honestly I've never felt I so I don't know what it is like."

Ginny smiled, "It's wonderful! It's painful at times but most of the time it feels good. You feel happy whenever you're around him.... sad when he's not around. You worry about him no matter what, fall asleep thinking of him."

"You're definitely in love," Arya whispered.

"Sh," Ginny hissed, "Don't let Harry hear!"

Arya smirked and Ginny's eyes grew wide, "Don't even think of telling him!"

"I wont," Arya promised.

YEAR 3

"Hey Arya," Luna greeted. "Where are you off to?"

They had just recently started their third year but Arya had spent all summer at Hogwarts, helping the professors start for the next year and to practice her powers with Minerva and Dumbledore.

Arya looked up from where she was trying to walk down the hallway, a knapsack on her back that carried her medical stuff, a pile of books she needed for her classes and a box that carried little nicknacks that Fred and George had bestowed upon her as a welcome to third year gift.

"Oh I have to drop by Professor Dumbledore's to talk about fire use. Then I'm off to potions with the trio."

Luna nodded, "Well I'm off to herbology."

"Say hi to neville for me!" Arya called as her best friend scurried off.

Arya soon came upon the stairs but found it incredibly difficult. She was angry that she didn't know how many steps there were so she was fated to trip. Reaching the bottom, she didn't know she had reached the bottom and she tumbled forward, dropping everything.

She landed on her hands and knees, her bag slamming into her back hard.

"Oh ow," she groaned, slowly getting up.

A hand reached out to help her and she took it, "Thanks."

When she was pulled up, she was surprised to see none other than Draco Malfoy standing there. It had been all summer since she had seen him and he had changed... not a lot but his hair wasn't slicked back as much and he actually looked handsome.

"Well if it isnt the school's own little healer," Draco said in a rather kind tone.

He reached down and began to pick up the girl's books. Arya scooped Fred and George's gifts back into the box and picked it up. Draco held out the books to her and Arya was about to take them when he stopped.

"Hey you're carrying enough. I'll help."

Keeping the pile of books in his arms, he walked with Arya. The girl felt strangely nervous around him. Draco was never this nice and it had been two years since he had owl written her. Now, he was carrying her books for her.

"So you stayed here all summer? that's gotta stink."

Arya shook her head, "not nearly. Most of the time I had free time to work with the professors on my talents."

"How is it going?" Draco inquired, immediately intrigued.

"Okay," Arya admitted, "I'm still having trouble with the pure."

"The pure?" Draco inquired.

Arya nodded, "it's a spell that only faerie's can cast. It's when the soul of the faerie and the soul of his or her loved one combine and protect everyone around them... I thought it would be the soul of one of my brothers or my parents. No such luck."

"Maybe it has to be your soulmate," Draco suggested

"Maybe so."

When they reached the classroom, Arya took her books from Draco and thanked him, earning a smirk in return. Draco sauntered over to sit next to Goyle while Arya plopped down next to Luna.

"Right everyone," Slughorn called. "We're going to be working on creating the love potion today."

Luna and Arya began getting the necessities out and stood up, preparing their cauldrons. Just then, Arya heard a whisper and turned to see Draco trying to get her attention.

Looking at him out of the corner of her eye, she saw Draco quickly fold up a paper bird and make it fly in her direction.

She knew that the bird was a letter folded up so when it landed on her cauldron, she unfolded it and read it. It was a picture of Arya making a potion and as it began to move, she saw that as the drawing her poured stuff into the cauldron, Draco's face appeared in the water.

She rolled her eyes, knowing that Draco was implying that when she made the potion, she would think of him. She looked at Draco to see him grinning at her with a smirk and she huffed. Grabbing a pencil, she drew on the picture before sending it back to Draco.

She watched Draco open it and smirked when she saw his eyes widen. She had changed the picture so that when Draco's face appeared in the cauldron, she would pour something else in the pot and it would explode. That's what you get for trying to flirt with her Malfoy!

"Good to have you back guys!" Arya chirped to Fred and George.

Fred grabbed the girl by the waist and hauled her onto George's back. Trying to not drop her bear book, Arya looped one arm around George's neck and clutched her bag with the other.

"Glad to see you little one," George remarked, trotting towards the others with Arya on his back.

"Heads up brother," Fred whispered. "Malfoy on the loose."

The twins looked over at Draco to see that the boy was watching them out of the corner of his eye, a glare on his face. Fred and George exchanged looks. They weren't stupid but they had noticed that Draco would look infuriated whenever they played around with Arya.

George set Arya down and ruffled her red hair before the girl trotted over to Luna and Ginny.

"If you were older, I would say that Fred and George had a crush on you," Ron suggested.

Arya rolled her eyes, "Oh come on! They're like big brothers! why are you always assuming things like that Ron?"

"Because he's in love!" Ginny whispered, earning a snicker from Luna and Harry.

Arya chuckled, trying to hide her grin behind her mouth as Ron looked at them in puzzlement.

"Psst Arya," Ginny whispered in her ear, "Don't look now, but Malfoy is staring."

Arya waited a few seconds before looking over in Draco's direction. He was standing near the front of the group, chewing on an apple while looking directly at her. She didn't understand the look on his face. It wasn't content, happy, angry or sad.... it was just blank but he wouldn't stop staring at her. Arya ducked her head away and looked at Ginny.

"What is his deal?"

Ginny grinned and at once Hermione answered, "Because he's not the only one."

Arya cocked her head in puzzlement and Hermione pointed around. Sure enough, there were at least four other boys Arya's age or older who were looking at her.

"Do I have something on my face?" Arya whispered.

Ginny chuckled, "No Arya. They're looking at you because you've changed over the summer. Your hair is more auburn, your face is adorable with those freckles but you've also gotten older... and prettier."

Arya ducked her head, "No I haven't."

the two girls nodded, "Yeah you have," Hermione whispered. "Even Ron and Harry pointed it out when we arrived. Face it Arya, you're the school beauty at least for our year."

Luckily, Hagrid approached and began the class so Arya got her mind off of the many eyes watching her.

"Now this is buckbeak," Hagrid explained. "He's a temperamental fella. Who would like to say hello first?"

Everyone stepped back and Arya noticed that she and Harry hadn't moved.

"Harry, Arya, which of you two would like to go first?" Hagrid inquired.

Harry looked to Arya in fright. He didn't want to go first, "Ladies first."

Arya rolled her eyes and playfully socked him, "Oh you're going to pay for that!"

Sighing, the girl stepped forward, ignoring everyone else who was whispering to themselves. She approached Buckbeak slowly.

"Now bow," Hagrid instructed.

Arya was just about to bow when Buckbeak snorted. Everyone froze. The beast walked over to Arya and standing barely five inches away from her, he lowered down and bowed incredibly low to her.

There were gasps in the crowd and Hagrid chuckled, "Well what do you know!"

Buckbeak didn't rise until Arya approached him and touched his head. The griffin looked at her and nuzzled his huge head into her chest, making her chuckle.

"Harry," Hermione whispered. "Malfoy alert."

Harry looked over to see that Malfoy was watching Arya and Buckbeak with a bright smile on his face and adoration in his eyes. Harry and Ron had made a pact with all the boys they knew to keep an eye on Malfoy. They had all noticed how Malfoy had liked Arya in the first year and after the potions class the day before, they had banded together to make sure Malfoy didn't try anything with their little fairy, which they had now decided to call Arya.

"Can I go now Hagrid?" harry inquired.

Arya stepped back and Harry stepped forward. While Harry was doing his thing, Luna literally jumped on Arya.

"What did you do!? A griffin never bows to someone unless they bow first!"

"he must have sensed who she was," Hermione suggested. "He must have gotten a vibe that she was a faerie and he wanted to be respectful."

"Respectful my foot," Ron muttered. "That was bloody brilliant."

Arya smiled at her friends as Ron hugged her. She didn't know why Ron was hugging her but she did notice Draco glaring at the Weasley out of the corner of her eye.

Soon, Arya was so busy talking with Luna that she didn't notice what had happened until Buckbeak was standing before her. Everyone else backed away but Arya shushed them.

"It's okay."

Buckbeak leant down and brushed the girl's hair with his beak and she chuckled.

Harry beamed at her, "he likes you! Do you have that affect on everyone?"

Arya smiled, knowing he was referring to animals but Draco didn't think so. Storming over, he pushed Harry aside as far from Arya as he could.

"You're not such a dangerous beast are you?" Draco said, looking at Buckbeak.

"Draco," Hagrid warned, "DOnt forget to bow!"

Draco ignored him and approached Arya and Buckbeak. he wasn't intending on doing anything to Arya but he wanted to prove that Buckbeak wasn't almighty, and also to get Potter as far from Arya as he could.

Buckbeak growled and pushed Arya away from Draco.

"Draco no," Arya warned but it was too late.

Buckbeak reared and struck Draco in the arm with his hoof. Hagrid rushed to Draco and Arya calmed Buckbeak down.

"it's okay boy," she whispered.

"Arya," Hagrid said, lifting Draco up, "You should come with me to the medical bay. You'll probably be needed."

Arya nodded as Hagrid called recess. She spied Draco looking at her from Hagrid's arms but she glared at him.

Arya was with Luna in the Gryffindor's common room. They were all watching Harry and Ron who were battling against each other in Wizard's Chess.

"Ooh that was a bad move Harry," Arya whispered, earning a nod from Luna.

Just then, there was a knock at the door and Professor Dumbledore entered, causing everyone to fall silent.

"Ah there you are Arya," Dumbledore greeted, "I need your help."

Arya got up from her spot on the floor, "What is wrong professor?"

"I know you and Draco are not exactly friends but he will not let Madam Pomfrey help and he won't fall asleep. Madam Pomfrey is at her wits end and asked if you might come and try to calm the boy down."

Arya closed her eyes and sighed, not wanting to roll her eyes in front of Dumbledore. Sighing, she nodded, "Okay."

Everyone groaned, upset that they were losing Arya's company to Draco. What was worse, none of the boys could go and make sure Draco behaved himself.

"Wish me luck," Arya groaned to Fred and George.

"If he gets annoying," Fred said.

"Wallop him," George added. "You have our permission."

Arya smiled and nodded, "Will do."

A few minutes later Arya entered the medical bay to see Madam Pomfrey rushing about.

"Oh Arya, thank goodness you're here!" she cried. "That boy is a nuisance and he cannot leave till I change his dressings but he wont let me! I couldn't call any of his friends down because besides prefects, only you are allowed to come down here at this hour. Can you try to change his dressings?"

Arya nodded and headed over to the curtained off area where Draco sat.

Draco considered the boy who was glaring into space. He looked a fright. His hair wasn't as slick as usual and his arm in a sling and bandaged up.

Crossing her arms, Arya leant against the wall while Draco noticed her presence. He smiled but Arya glared.

"Seriously?" she snapped. "Cant you be a decent human being for five seconds and let someone change your dressings? You're worse than my baby brother!"

Draco smirked as the girl sat down next to his bed and began gathering cleaning material and bandages, "It's not my fault that Pomfrey is obnoxious."

Arya snorted, "Guess who rubbed it off on her?"

"I'm not obnoxious," Draco objected.

Arya rolled her eyes and sat her bag down on the table next to the bed, "Well try to at least be decent while I change your bandages."

Standing up, ignoring Draco's smirks, she removed his sling and grabbed his wounded arm. Of course he didn't even flinch when she squeezed and she knew it wasn't that bad. Removing the bandages, she saw that all those bandages and the sling were barely necessary.

Grabbing a warm cloth she began to clean it while humming to herself. She didn't notice Draco's eyes watching her... never leaving her.

"What's that song?" he inquired.

Arya looked up, having almost forgotten he was there, "Oh a song my brothers taught me when I was little. They would sing it to me when I was scared."

"I'm sure you sing better than they did," Draco remarked smugly.

Arya snorted, "Not really. My singing is pretty lame."

With that, she began bandage the wound.

"Well you make up for it in your looks," Draco remarked, flashing the girl a smirk.

That smirk was different from his 'I told you so' kind of smirks and Arya didn't understand it but she shrugged it off and began to fix his sling. She sat back and began to grab her things when Draco spoke up.

"Can I ask you something?"

Arya shrugged.

"Why do you never respond when people flirt with you?"

Arya stopped, a handful of books in her hand, "What are you talking about?"

"Whenever a guy flirts with you, it goes clear over your head. You act like it didn't even happen," Draco explained, frustration evident in his voice.

"Well for one thing," Arya pointed out. "no one has ever flirted with me and for another, I don't even know what it is."

Draco's mouth almost dropped open and his eyebrows shot up, "You don't know what it is?"

Arya nodded. Draco pursed his lips, trying to think of a way to explain flirting to her and realized, he didnt have a good description. Suddenly his eyes fell on a book she carried. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. he was instantly glad that his parents had made him read it.

"Your book. When Mr. Wickham was alone with Elizabeth and kinda left her stunned," Draco explained, earning a nod from Arya, "That is flirting."

Arya thought a moment, trying to remember the part and then it registered, "Then I suppose flirting is a bad thing because Mr. Wickham did it but didn't really mean it."

Draco almost choked on his own words, stunned, "What makes you think that?"

"Because apparently it's what all the bad guys do," Arya said. "Thanks for the warning."

With that, she got up and trotted off to class, leaving a stunned Draco. He could faintly hear her talking to herself as she left.

"If someone ever flirts with you... he's a bad guy... good to know."

Draco facepalmed and groaned, "Oh way to go Malfoy! Just peachy! Now she'll think you're a bad guy!"

When Draco was let out, the first idea that popped into his head was to find Arya. Of course, the usual thing he would do was go and locate Crabb and Goyle but for some reason he couldn't get the conversation he had with the girl out of his head.

Heading through the whole of hogwarts, he had to ask Luna where the girl had gone before he finally found her in the abandoned girl's bathroom where Moaning Myrtle resided. When he found her, he hid in the shadows for he saw that all the hogwarts ghosts were in the bathroom, all talking to Arya.

The girl was wearing a rather cute outfit and was sitting on one of the bathroom sinks, listening to the ghosts chatter. Moaning Myrtle was sitting beside her and they were talking about who knows what.

"Have you managed to master fire use?" Sir Nicolas asked of the girl.

Arya shrugged, "Mostly. I almost set Luna's bed on fire the other night so I would say it's not perfected."

The ghosts all chuckled at the idea of Luna getting scared out of her life from her bed burning.

"What's on your mind lass?" Helena Ravenclaw asked. "I can tell something is troubling you."

Arya sighed, "I was just alerted to the definition of flirting."

All at once, Helena and Myrtle squealed with excitement which only caused Arya to roll her eyes.

"Who is the lucky guy?" Helena inquired. "Did you return it? DO you like him back?"

"Woah pull it back a ways," Peeves remarked. "She just said she found out the definition."

"Please explain my dear," Nicolas inquired.

Arya sighed and fiddled with her jean shorts, "I was called into the medical bay to help Draco Malfoy... and he asked why I never returned any man's flirting and when I told him I didn't know what it was, he described it for me."

"How did he describe it?" Myrtle inquired, skeptically.

"He used a description from Pride and Prejudice."

"Oh that is a bad example," Helena sighed. "Sweetie, sometimes flirting isnt a bad thing. Flirting doesn't mean that the person is a bad person. Flirting is a way of showing your attraction to someone by openly expressing what he or she likes about the other."

Arya nodded, "I think I'm getting it..."

"So Malfoy thinks that a lot of guys flirt with you?" Peeves inquired. "Have you noticed anything?"

Arya shook her head, "I mean... Harry and Ron say I look pretty sometimes.... but that's about it."

Nicolas nodded and patted the girl on the shoulder, "You'll know when you see it."

"What should I do if someone does try to flirt with me?" the girl pushed.

Draco felt his heart stop. What were the ghosts going to tell her?

"I would suggest that if you don't like the person, ignore the flirtations or tell him to buzz off," Helena suggested. "If you don't mind him but do not return his attraction, act like he wasn't flirting but just complimenting you.... but if you like the person...."

"Play hard to get," Myrtle suggested. "If the boy really likes you, he'll find a way to get to you even if you are trying to be stubborn."

Arya smiled but Draco cringed. Arya was already known as being a very determined and stubborn person. If she was going to play hard to get, it would be impossible for him to even get a word in!

"Thanks for the advice everyone," the girl said, getting up. "I should head to Boggart class now."

LATER

Draco couldn't help it. He couldn't exactly help in the class but he could watch. He saw Arya standing with Hermione and Luna, chatting happily and it annoyed him. Why must those disgusting Gryffindors surround her all the time?

"Now, our lesson today will be on fighting against Boggarts," Professor Lupin explained. "We will practice the redikkulus spell on a boggart."

The kids all got into a line to see who would go first, meaning that Neville was going to be first. Arya found herself squashed between Luna and Ron. When Ron went, Arya shivered at the sight of the horrible spider.

Finally it was her turn and the boggart paused a moment before changing.... into Arya. Arya's eyes widened but then she realized that it wasn't her... it was Ashanya! It was when they were little.... Ashanya was crying and she had a knife sticking through her chest.

"Arya!" Professor Lupin cried, rushing forward.

The boggart changed to a full moon and Lupin performed the spell. When they turned to look at Arya, she was frozen, tears streaming down her face and her eyes wide.

"Are you alright my dear?" Lupin asked.

Arya slowly nodded but everyone knew she wasn't, "Can I be excused?"

Lupin nodded and Arya wasted no time in sprinting from the class. Draco watched her go in puzzlement. He looked back at the boggart which was now locked in the cabinet again... who was that girl? Why did it scare Arya so much?

After class, Draco was heading back to the Slytherin Common room when he noticed a small figure sitting against the wall in the dark, crying.

Draco approached and could tell from the red hair that it was Arya.

"What happened back there?" he asked, crouching down in front of her.

Arya lifted her eyes and Draco swallowed. She looked so beautiful when she was crying but it hurt his heart to see her crying.

"My twin sister Ashanya," Arya replied. "She was killed by a death eater when we were little....It looked so real Draco...."

Draco nodded, understanding the horror of seeing something that horrible happen all over again. Sitting down next to the girl, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"It's alright. We all have our fears."

Arya sniffled and dried her eyes. She smiled at the boy, "Thanks Draco. I'm sorry if I've upset your day."

Draco shook his head, "Don't worry about it. I was a rotten friend to you the past few years. Its the least I can do."

Arya smiled but then looked at her wrist watch, "I have to go to divination. See you later."

With that, she leant over and planted a soft kiss on Draco's cheek before standing up and heading off briskly. Draco sat there a moment in the spot, completely frozen. Arya Gerasimov had kissed him!

"DRACO!" Pansy's voice screeched. "COME ON!"

ya was heading down the hallway on her way back to her dorm when she was stopped by Dumbledore.

"I think you might want to come with me my dear," the headmaster said. "The sorting hat wishes to speak with you."

When they arrived in his office, Arya spoke her mind, "but the sorting hat never asks to talk to anyone."

Dumbledore nodded, "It seems this time it's important."

The girl approached where the sorting hat was sitting and picked it up. she rested the hat on her head and at once it began to talk.

"Ah, Arya Gerasimov. Long time no see,"

"What is it that you want of me Mr. Hat?" she asked, sitting down.

"Dumbledore mentioned that you are conflicted about many things. For the past year and a half your mind has been torn in several directions. What is troubling you?"

What neither Arya, Dumbledore nor the hat knew was that Draco Malfoy had just had an encounter with Hermione during which the girl had punched him. Crabb and Goyle were running ahead of him when they passed the office. the door was slightly ajar and it caught Draco's curious attention.

Creeping to the door, he peered in to see Arya sitting on a couch with the sorting hat on her head. They were obviously in a deep conversation for Arya's eyebrows were furrowed.

"If you know everything that is happening in hogwarts right now, then how come you don't know what is wrong with me?"

"There is nothing wrong with you child," the hat replied. "You are just conflicted. Why is that? What is on your mind?"

Arya sighed and fidgeted with her skirt. Draco swallowed. Since Boggart class last year, Draco had tried numerous times to flirt with her but she either didn't catch on or some Gryffindor stole the girl away. it was incredibly difficult for Draco to be near her because the twins, Harry, Ron and Seamus were on the defense.

"It's just... I like this certain boy.... but I don't know if he likes me back.... and I don't know that liking him is the best thing for either of us," Arya admitted.

Draco felt his heart drop. She liked someone else....

The hat chuckled softly, "My dear Arya. You can put your mind at rest for the boy you like likes you back."

Great! Draco thought; that minimizes the possibilities to about twenty boys from the whole school. SO NOT HELPFUL!

Arya furrowed her brow, "How do you know that?"

"Because when I sorted him into his house, I read his future. I know everyone's future. When I read his future, I saw you in it.... I saw all the times he would feel his love for you...."

"But that doesn't necessarily mean he likes me right now does it?" Arya inquired.

"Not necessarily," The hat agreed. "What you need to do now is be patient, let time tell."

"But I'm not sure that loving him is the best thing," Arya started but the hat interrupted her.

"Believe me, it's exactly what both of you need."

Arya sighed and nodded, "Very well. Thank you Mr. Hat."

With that, she removed the hat and returned it to his post.

Draco scurried from the door just before Arya headed out. He needed to know.... he needed to know who it was that Arya liked. That way he could try to get between her and him.

Later, Draco found his way into the medical bay. he had made an excuse to Crabb and Goyle so they wouldn't follow him. He headed into the room to find that Arya was alone, cleaning the room up.

"Hey there," she greeted, "What happened this time?"

"Sore jaw," Draco replied.

Arya led him over to a bed and had him sit down on the edge. she sat down beside him and touched his jaw, inspecting the bruise, "It's just a bruise. It will be gone within two days. Who started the fight?"

"Not me," Draco said but Arya rolled her eyes.

"Well then who finished it?"

When Draco didn't reply, Arya knew that he had started it but he hadn't finished it.

"What was it about anyway?" she asked, rolling up a few bandages that were lying on the table.

"Granger was mad because Buckbeak is going to be executed and she decided to blame me," Draco replied.

Arya dropped the box she was holding and it clattered to the ground, "Buckbeak is going to be executed?"

Draco felt himself internally smack himself for the fear and horror in her face was evident, "Yeah... today. Probably already done by now."

Arya sank down to the bed and buried her face in her hands, "No, no, no... they can't do that! He didn't mean to hurt you!"

"THat's not what my father thought," Draco remarked.

Arya's head snapped up, "Your father? How did your father hear about this?"

"I told him," Draco replied without thinking.

At once, Arya's face went red, "You ratted to your father because you got a scratch!??!?!?!? What were you thinking?"

"The beast was dangerous," Draco objected.

"HE WAS PROTECTING ME!" Arya shouted. "The reason he hurt you was because he thought you were going to hurt me! He was defending me!"

Draco felt his mouth go dry and he stared, "Wha.... what?"

"He was just trying to protect me!" Arya cried. "And you ratted out to your dad!"

"I had no idea!" Draco retorted.

Arya's face was red with fury. "But you don't have to go cry to your father every time something doesn't go your way! Harry didn't go whine to his parents when he got bitten by the Basalisk!"

"That's because Potter doesn't have parents," Draco muttered.

He had no idea where it came from but his cheek, the bruised one, was suddenly stinging from where Arya had slapped him had on the face.

"You're wicked," she hissed. "You're wicked, arrogant, proud and self serving ferret! You have no idea what it feels like to lose someone that close to you!"

Before Draco could even speak, Arya had stormed off, leaving the upset box on the ground before him. Bending down, Draco began to pick up the items until one thing caught his eye. It was a picture in a frame. Picking it up, he realized that it was of Arya and her sister Ashanya with all her siblings and parents.... when they were little. Arya looked so happy with her curly hair all over the place and Ashanya's straight hair perfectly pulled back... they looked so happy....

Arya was right. He had no idea what it felt like to lose a loved one like that.

#draco #malfoy #Draco malfoy #harry potter #hogwarts #Draco x oc #Malfoy x oc #Draco Malfoy x oc

0 notes