A Breathe of Ice

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters 'cept the poorly developed original characters that don't do much . . .

Part I: The Cold and the Forgotten

It was a normal day like any other, there wasn't a single thing that made it stand out more than any other day in the past. The sky was the same dreary and bland shade of blue that settled over the sky after the sun had found it's daily place behind the foreboding pack of ceaseless clouds. A slight and bored breeze flowed through the trees hardly unsettling the leaves that covered them and the untrodden ground.The penetrable cold could only be seen in the occasional breath that dared escape from someone who had unwisely ventured outside the wall that marked the border of city, such an unsightly scene caused an eerie sense as by some magic the nature surrounding the fortress town had remained untouched by the death grasp of the endless cold. Nobody except the fool or the unattended child were unlucky enough to wander out in the bone chilling cold. These poor souls never had the chance to come back, the moment they stepped into the unforgiving chill they were lost to the world and no one spoke of them. They ceased to exists.

The disappearances dwindled in number as the birth rate dropped and the mothers tightened their grip on their offspring with a death grip that rivaled that held by the cold. No one dared speak of the ceased ones. The townspeople lamented in their isolation that seems to have lasted since the beginning of any of their times. It was difficult for them to remember anything specific of the sort concerning time and place in reference to the past. The only thing that sustained the fragile pulse of the people was a half dilapidated and grown-over castle that was set up on a hill just off centre of the city and always leaning toward the horizon. In the warmest and most secluded part of the castle lived the unseen beacon of hope. Though no one could quite remember who or what it was that lived their, only that someday it would waken and save them.

There was only one woman who knew and remember the days that were flooded with bright warm light and surrounded by brilliant blue skies full of songbirds and music. Unfortunately, she was aging and quite decrepit, her looks scared off all of the young-folk she had once told her stories to and those that she had told stories to had become the ceased ones. Her shack of a house was poorly constructed less than half a mile from the ten foot high wall that closed off the city fom the unfrozen and deathly cold nature. She sat in a rocking chair that seemed on the verge of collapse every time she leaned forward and back. Even with her failing sight she gazed at that darkening sky that was coming with the passing of noon. Behind her rose the city out of dirt and dispair. Houses were squashed together and leaning against each other in an attempt to stay upright. Some weren't so strong and had long since fallen like the families they had once sheltered. The zig-zagging streets went up and down and the main road, the only one made out of stone that had once connected the city to the outside world, is the road that leads directly to the hallowed castle whose doors never opened. All this she was seperate from though she was right next ot this main road no one every passed her. Her isolation at the edge of the city was icy and quiet.

That was soon to change. A boy was lurking near by. The woman in her senility could not see him but she could sense him coming up the path to her house. She lifted her head with the agility of a cheetah. The sudden and unexpected movement scared the boy who jumped back in surprise and fell to his bottom at the end of the stairs leading up to the porch where she had been quietly sitting staring off into the unknown.

"Do not fear young-one. What is it I speak of?!" She incoherently babbled to herself as if she had not believed her own words that had been meant to comfort. "You smell of the ceased ones, why should you fear me as it would seem you've been in the Unseen death! I have done nothing to you and it would seem as though the Unseen has not been able to harm you either. How have you come to be here?" Her labored breathing and long string of conversation confused the boy who had remained still on the ground. When he did not answer with a ready reply she sighed and excerted much energy in an attempt to gather a better image of the lost creature before her. Her old wrinkled and bagging eyes squinted with effort creating the illusion that she was merely closing her eyes at him. After mere seconds though her face soon changed to a sort of horrified surprise ending with a gleefully excited and sadistic hope.

"You." She whispered breathlessly. He was of slender build no more than five foot five inches tall though at one point long ago it could have been said that he was a full five foot seven and a half but the weather had worn away at him. His long white-blonde hair dwarfed his size and served to shade is face from being seen other than his deep set and insomnic-ridden silver-ice eyes. He wasn't wearing a shred of clothes and he had scratches and scares all over his malnourished body.The only thing he cared was a shovel that was sadly attached to his back with a piece of rope that crisscrossed his front and that had chaffed a permanent scare on his shoulders and sides.

"You have let death come upon us all." Only a moment later and she became quite blue in tone and ice leaked from her eyes and she moved no more. The boy stared in empty solitude at the motionless body wordlessly as he slowly rose from the ground and lowered his head as he made his way to the inner city where he wish to not be so noticeable. He guiltlessly stole one the old woman's tattered robes and pulled the hood over his head. He methodically grabbed the shovel off his back and carefully began to dig a hole in the ground. Digging these endless pits to house the ceased ones. Each time he would allow a lone tear to trickle the side of his face to land on the forgotten one before he placed the dirt back where it had been before such an awful occurrence. Though the city was small the winding roads and the steeping hills and ditches made the city seem very large indeed. As the woman lived on the very border the boy knew he would have a difficult journey before him as he stood on the main road.

The boy had been traveling for years it seemed though it had only been one and a half since he had begun his mission. In all the time he had spoken to no one and he had forgotten almost everything that was not important, he hardly even knew his name, he always had to think of it for a few minutes before it came to him. The only thing that stayed crystal clear in his mind was who he was searching for, the very person that would save them all. But with the looks of the city it would appear that he would also need to save it before he could succeed in his mission. His uneventful hike consisted of him practising his speech as he often did in order to remember his duty.

"Let me have him. He can save us. He has to. I need him. I need--take him with me--I'm . . . I'm . . . "His face contorted in rage at himself he was desperatly trying to find any vestige of memory that could give him a hint of his identity, anything that wore the letters of his name. His forced expressions quickly turned into despair at his failings he couldn't even find a bread crumb of his memory. He tried to continue. "I'm . . . my name is . . . I . . ." He couldn't remember his name anymore and who was he trying to kid he didn't even remember who he was after let alone who that person was to save or even how. He curled up in futility under a lone willow tree that was silently swaying in contempt at the arrival of the snivelling boy that disturbed its pece. He wept until he could no longer stay awake allowing himself to slip into oblivion under the restless tree.

The boy woke to a loud clattering near his head that severely startled him causing him to jump hastily from below the tree. The source of the noise was a rickety carriage drawn by a single mule that looked as though it could drop dead at any moment. Before he was able to gain his composure on his own time a gruff voice yelled at him and yanked him up off of the ground jostling him to the bones.

"What'ch doin' on the ground ye damn scoundrel? Blockin' the bloody road for the rest of us. Damn inconsidr'te filth. Bet'cha wer' convers'n' with that damned witch ye fool y'll just end up disappeared. Are ye lis'nen boy?!" The man slapped him across the face hard enough to draw blood. With no response the man threw him harshly into the back of his carriage and once again assumed his position on the top to steer. He didn't try to awaken any further but instead allowed himself to fall back into a light doze that was only slightly disturbed by the rough roads into the city. What felt like hours later he awoke but somehow he was somewhere else and he no longer possesed his shovel but was still only clad in the cloak he had stolen. When he looked around he saw that he was in some sort of stable but instead of horses he could only see other children of varying ages wearing different levels of dispair on their faces, he could even spot a few broken adults lurking in the corners staring into oblivion and slightly drooling unnoticed by the surrounding children. He weakly slid himself so that he could lean against the rotting wood boards that formed the sides of the human stables.

A young girl crawled toward him out of a mass of hudling children in the centre of the stable and tried to peer under his hood but he would not let her see his forgotten face full of mysteries and the breathe of ice accompanied by the smell of the ceased ones that the old coot had pointed out. The young girl had crudely chopped short straw coloured hair that meet her shoulders in some places. "Ooooooooooooouuuuuuuu." She cooed at him. "A pretti one eh?" She grinned maliciously before her face melted into a look of apathy. "You's are new 'eh. I glad I's ugly cuz then they'll take you first." She burst into a maniacle giggle that showed a mouth of missing, broken, and, sharpened teeth. "The man is gonna make a pretti buck off ya, right quick and long."

He was terrified, though he didn't really know what she was meaning he couldn't even bring himself to talk as he hadn't talked to another human being in so long. "Oh, the pretti boy can't speak the custmers'll 'njoy that right eh." The scruffy girl further observed. " So what'ch name'sa bein' huh?" He still could not answer and he kept lowering his head more and drawing is knees up more in an attempt to hide from the strange and cruel girl. "Ain't got one then? Well, I'll name ya Mouse you's quiet 'nough. How bout it Mouse?" He looked at her curiously but he did not make to respond. "My name's Osswey 'n Pea. You's not gonna last long so I'll be yer friends till then." She smiled hollowly this time and formed herself to his side. He was threatened by the unusual contact but it was so warm that he did not care to move.

The next morning was dark and unknown as he, now known as Mouse, could not see out of his stable that upon further analysis was one a many and that they were all part of some sort of warehouse a kind of which had no windows, so as far as he knew it might not be morning at all. For the most part the warehouse of captives was quiet except for the occasional whimper of pain or whine of a nightmare. Not once through the unending hours did the man that had found him enter the warehouse let alone anyone else. They did not eat and they did not speak again for days. Mouse would occasionally get up and wander in circles with Osswey 'n Pea but mostly they slept leaning against each other. Then when he thougt he was about to die of dehydration like others had a group of weathered and beaten looking men came in and walked the centre lane, the only pathway that was in the human stable, and yelled at all the inhabitants to back up to the wall. The living were obedient and the dead were exposed. The large rough men tirelessly disposed of the dead bodies for hours. When they had taken the last body out the remaining captives spread out and cautiously went back to sleeping with one eye open. A few hours later the same men came back and put a dirty bucket of water and a long thing rotting loaf of bread in each of the stables.

"Don't be shy eat all ye want." One of the rough men laughed mockingly at the prisoners and spitting at a few of them as he left with the others.

After the pathetic excuse for a meal Mouse leaned back in his usually spot next to Osswey 'n Pea. Today she was feeling rather cheery, well for someone who couldn't see the day of light, not that there was much outside, and who hadn't eaten much and she began to question him to see if he could talk. "So, where ye from Mouse? I know ye try ta hide yer hair but I can see it and it ain't normal round here." He slowly rose his head and meet her eyes for the first time which turned out to be a dirty honey colour and he stared at her emptily as he tried to remember how to speak. She wasn't thrown off much by his eyes but the sight of their colour did mke her eyes widden to a rather bugged out look for moment.

"I--ah--" Mouse tried rather incoherently. "I'm--from far . . . think . . . somethi--one . . . looking." Osswey laughed at his sad attempt and she was about to ask another question when the door to the warehouse burst open for second time that day. A well dress man walked in, he was of great stature and his hair was sculpted into perfect waves that bordered his face and was gently pulled back into a ponytail that was held by a white ribbon. His clothes were made of a magnificent and unreal looking magestic purple velvet and his shoes were an absolutely blindingly shined black shoes. He wore a strained look of disgust at the smell of sweat, urine, and shit. He spoke in the most fashioned and mannered yet clipped voice Mouse had heard in some time.

"I'm looking for something in particular--" His mouth quirked into an evil smirk. "For a friend of course. I need a boy--"

The same man that had left the food and water and mocked them bellowed at them again. "Girls to the wall!" Much motion ensued as all the girls hurridly scuffled to get to the wall so that they would not get beaten or punished worse once the customer was gone. Even Osswey donned a horrified look as she crawled to the wall. "Boys to the front! NOW!" Mouse nearly jumped out of his skin, even though he was in one of the last stables the voice still boomed clear through him to the back. He quickly jumped to the wooden side that sided with the walkway. Every boy that stood near the path shook with fear so Mouse did the same as he didn't really know what was going to happen. Mouse tenatively glanced up from the ground to see the purple clad man elegantely and stiffly walk down the pathway with the crude man in tow.

"Very nice." The well dressed man appreciated the obedience before he snapped at the man a look. "Mark me Bartholomew, if I do not find what I want--"

"Don't worry Lord Marlow. You always find what you come for." The man that had been identified as Bartholomew assured. The Lord walked at a slow pace occasionally grabbing a boy's face and tilting it before he full out rejected the boy. Each boy that was thrown back would scramble back with the other children and shake uncontrollably with the their glee for not having been picked. It seemed to take him hours but eventually the Lord made his way to Mouse.

"Why is his face covered Bartholomew!" The Lord belted.

"Sorry ma'Lord, it slipped my attention." Bartholomew apologized before he turned viciously on Mouse. "Take that bloody hood off boy." Instead of waiting he ripped it off himself. The Lord's eyes visibly widened as he formed an unconscious half-smile. Mouse's hair flowed out and the wonderous white-blonde locks streamed over his cloaked body and his silver-ice eyes shinned dully in the unlighted building. The Lord spoke breathlessly, "I will have him." The Lord threw a full purse at the shocked Bartholomew as he tore open the door and grabbed the wide-eyed and frightened boy genlty by the arm and hastily left. Mouse helplessly looked back at Osswey 'n Pea the only person he had conversed with in forever and now she was giggling and mouthing 'I told you'. Mouse was heartbroken and scared and was now being pulled along by a strange man that he most certainly did not want to leave with. Once they reached the outside, which noteable took much less time then it had taken the Lord to reach him, the weak light blinded him as he was shoved into a much nicer carriage than before but just as harshly. The inside was covered in plush royal purple velvet that felt soft against his bare bottom that brushed it as his cloak flew up. The Lord immediately noticed that the boy had no clothing on under the cloak and quickly jumped into the carriage and sat across the boy placing his hand on his knee drawing Mouse's frightened gaze up to meet his preying and hungry eyes.

Within the moments of staring the carriage began to move at a comfortable pace and the Lord methodically closed the curtains on the carriage doors without removing his eyes from Mouse's or his hand from the slender boys knee. The hungry look in the Lord's eyes spread to envelope his enitre face morphing it into a most predatory look. The Lord went to his knees and began to caress and kiss Mouse's knee causing the boy to freeze and become very tense. He slid his hand up the boys bare inner thigh drawing a whine out of the boy which made him smile more. Mouse wanted to cry as he was being touched in ways that he never wished to be touched in such a way by such a perveted man. He wanted to die and right then he was saved by a furious tapping at the window of the carriage that resulted in the window breaking and a lone white owl fluttered in and landed on Mouse's leg. The Lord was infuriated and batted the owl away but not before Mouse snathced the small piece of paper and clutched it so that the Lord couldn't see.

The Lord was not amused and muttered to himself but his mood was disturbed and he was no longer interested in the boy at that moment and Mouse was thankful for that. The rest of the ride was tense but the Lord didn't touch or even look at the boy instead he brooded in silence and stared out the window. The same bland scenery meet his eyes like any other day he had cared to look outside and when the carriage finally reached his manor he promptly stepped out of the carriage and left the driver to drag and throw Mouse into a small room at the back of the manor. He looked around himself as the door slammed shut and he saw something that resembled a pantry as there were shelfs on one side and some brooms and such lying in the corner next to a pile of hay and a tattered sheet that he supposed was to be his bed. Again there was no window but there were many cracks in the walls so he had some light to see by. Behind him he could here the driver or someone locking the door from the outside so that he couldn't get anywhere. But he didn't even know where to go had he anywhere to go to begin with.

He sat down in order to read the note in the dim light: Remember Draco. Find me.

TBC

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