Stroke of Luck, Hand of Fate
Author: BlueLunacy7
Chapter Warnings: Mild violence
Pairings: None at the moment but future Sam/Bee
Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers or the Sorcerer's Apprentice or any quotes or lyrics, or song titles in any way, shape, or form. Basically, nothing you recognize is mine.
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Chapter 1: Take me up
Everything you thought you knew about the world is about to change. -Balthazar Blake
'Well this is gonna suck.' Ten year old, Sam Witwicky moaned mentally, touching his throbbing lip.
Every Monday like clockwork, his mom would visit a small shop called Pomona's Garden to see what had new plants had come in and what new flowers she could add to her yard. Why she just didn't go to Wal-Mart or Lowes for her gardening needs, Sam didn't know. Normally, she would plan her trips when he was in school but this Monday he'd gotten into a fight and the principal sent him home.
It wasn't his fault that Trent DeMarco was a jerk. He wouldn't stop picking on Mikaela, one of the prettiest girls in class that Sam was supposed to have a crush on. Keywords: supposed to. He really didn't like her like that, she was nice enough but he really liked his best friend Miles but Sam knew that was wrong. At least that's what his teacher said when he asked her. Boys were supposed to like girls not other boys, so he made himself have a crush on Mikaela.
Therefore, when DeMarco shoved her, Sam had hit him because you're supposed to defend the girl you liked. However, DeMarco was much bigger than he was and proceeded to pounded Sam into the ground until Mikaela pulled him off. They both were sent home for three days for the fight.
Unfortunately, on the way home Mom got a call from Lily who worked at Pomona's Garden. She said that some 'absolutely beautiful peonies' had just come in and if Mom wanted to see them, she'd have to come to the shop as soon as possible. Now rather than going home so he could nurse his busted lip, they were going to the store.
"Mom, do I have to go?" Sam whined as they pulled into the parking lot.
"Yes, unless you want to stay in the car?"
Sam made a face, wincing in pain as it pulled his lip. She could in there for hours, talkingplants and it was hot today. However, it wouldn't be so bad if she left the car on for the air conditioner-
As if she read his mind, she stated, "I'm not leaving the car on. It uses up the gas."
"You'd let me roast just to save a little gas?"
"Yep, it's nearly four bucks a gallon." She replied as she gathered her purse and got out of the car.
Sam shrugged his book-bag onto his back and followed her. She eyed his bag, "Why are taking your book-bag?"
"Figured I could do some homework while you talked." Sam shrugged, he hadn't inherited his parents' love of gardening, all the talks of fertilizer and what plant did well in the sun or shade was so incredibly boring that homework was a treat in comparison.
"Good idea. Oh, would you look at this!"
Rolling his eyes while his mother cooed over some of the plants displayed in front of the store, a glint of gold caught Sam's eye from the building next door.
The Arcana Cabana
Antiquities and Obscurities
Balthazar Blake - Proprietor
By Appointment Only
Sam could have sworn that the building hadn't been there the last time. The building was thinner than the ones on either side and it was black wood rather than red brick. The large somewhat dirty windows had dark blue curtains coated with dust and silver stars in strange but vaguely familiar constellations on them, what he could see of them anyway since they were tied up out of the way. The merchandise on display ranged from a huge stuffed owl to a complete skeleton wearing a pirate hat.
There were also books. Sam loved books, when most kids would asked for toys for birthdays and Christmas, he would asked for books (though he quickly learned to ask for Bookstore gift cards since his parents tended to choose 'age appropriate' books rather than the adult novels he enjoyed). Even though the books he could see in the Arcana Cabana were thick and obviously old, he still wanted to look at them.
"Mom, I'm going to check out the store next door, okay?" The 'By Appointment Only' on the door didn't detour Sam, after all the worst that could happen was his being asked to leave by the proprietor.
"Sure honey." His mom agreed absently, not looking up from the flowers.
Besides a slight creak from the hinges, there were no ringing of bells or anything like the sounds he'd heard when he entered other shops, nothing to alert the Proprietor that there was a customer. The inside of the Arcana Cabana was filled from wall to wall with strange items and antiques, the scent of old paper, leather and dust filled the air.
While cautiously navigating the pathway between the clutter of dust-caked antiques and other very weird things, one of the stranger items got Sam's attention. It looked like a human eyeball incased in glass, only it had a slit pupil rather than a round one.
"No way." He murmured as the pupil expanded and contracted every time he moved his hand over it as if responding to the light.
Sam picked it up to get a better look and, unfortunately, unbalanced the unseen book it had been sitting on, triggering a chain reaction of ruin. He could only watch in horror at the amount damage his one simple action caused, leaving a wake of destruction like a demented Rube Goldberg machine. It finally ended with a small green box breaking through the glass of the dusty showcase-counter and landing topside up at his feet.
"This is not my fault." Sam said to the empty shop. He knew he should be running, that he had to get out of here before the Proprietor came out and seen all the damage but the sight of the small green box stopped him. He couldn't help but pick it up, almost as if it was….calling to him. Sam mentally shook his head; it wasn't the box that was calling to him but his own compulsive curiosity. As his father put it, Sam had more curiosity than a zoo full of raccoons and his hands had the small scars to prove it, including a permanent dip in his middle fingernail where his questing fingers had encountered a rattrap.
Nevertheless, a peek inside the box wouldn't take long and then he would run. Besides, it was just a box. No harm ever came from opening a box.
Well, okay there was that one time…but his name wasn't Pandora.
The box was carved from dark green stone and was obviously very old. Its sides were engraved with designs that looked almost like words, not of a language he could read, and other obscure symbols. The hinges squealed slightly in protest when he opened the lid, inside of box was a dragon figurine made of silver.
Carefully, Sam ran a fingertip over one of the dragon's wings. The moment he touched the cool metal, an unexpected feeling of warmth surged up his arm. Intrigued, he took the dragon figurine out of the box so he could get a better look. It fit perfectly in the palm of his hand and was so finely detailed it looked almost real; especially the way its emerald eyes twinkled in the light.
Suddenly, the tiny dragon shook its head and stretched like a cat just waking up from a long nap. It scurried from the palm of his hand to the back of it, where wrapped itself around his ring finger, folding its wings, revealing a green stone, most likely an emerald imbedded in its back. As suddenly as it became animated, it stilled looking like nothing more than a large ring.
"Cool." Sam admired the ring for a few moments before trying to get it off his finger, remembering that he didn't want to be here when the Proprietor saw the damage he had unwittingly caused. Accidental damage was one thing, stealing was another and if he left the store with the ring, he would be technically stealing it, which would be really bad.
The problem was that he couldn't get the thing off. He pulled on it until his felt his knuckle pop but it still didn't move. He would swear he felt the dragon's tail that was wrapped around the base of his finger tighten and the tiny claws dig into his skin as if to say, 'Oh no, you're not getting rid of me that easily.' Sam considered trying to pry it off using his teeth but really didn't want to stick the ring in his mouth, who knew where it had been?
During his tug of war with the ring, Sam had been slowly backing up without realizing it until he felt his book bag bump into something. Whirling around, he saw it was the ugliest vase (at least that's what he thought it was) he'd ever seen, painted with what looked like tormented souls writhing in pain on a horrific landscape.
The thing began to topple over but a hand caught it, a hand with a ring on each finger, which Sam thought was cool. The owner of the hand was a tall man in a dark leather trench coat adorned with strange symbols. Dark honey blond hair hung in lank locks around an intense if melancholy face with at least a day's worth of stubble. His eyes were a vivid blue, like pieces of deep blue sky. Those eyes struck a deep chord of familiarly within Sam, though he was sure he had never met the man before in his life.
"The second emperor of the Han dynasty locked his least favorite wife in this urn for 10 years to the day." The man explained. His low, raspy voice made the story more believable, "It's said that if you open it the same will happen to you."
Sam swallowed thickly, sticking his hands in his pockets and moving away as the man put the urn back on the pedestal. Sam felt a stab of pity for that unlucky but probably fictional wife. He himself was intensely claustrophobic to the point he couldn't stand having his closet door closed while he was inside. Being in a tiny urn for ten years must be the stuff of nightmares.
The man looked Sam over a moment before asking, "What happened to your lip?"
"I got in a fight." Startled by the question, he touched his lip, trying to act casual. He didn't realize that his actions were highlighting the fact that he was hiding his other hand.
The guy picked up the green box Sam had dropped earlier. Seeing it empty, he demanded, "Show me you hands. Both of them."
Okay, this guy was creepy and now vaguely scary. Sam decided right then that he would mail the stupid ring back to the Arcana Cabana once he was safely back home. "I should be going; my mom is probably waiting for me." As he turned to the door, he saw it close and then heard it lock on its own accord. "Oh crap."
"Your hands, Sam?" The guy smirked when Sam turned back around with wide eyes.
"How did you know my name was Sam?" It was official, somehow when he walked through that door he'd ended up in the Twilight Zone.
"Because I can read minds!" The man declared grandly. A slight smile followed, making Sam realize the guy enjoyed messing with him. He all but confirmed it when he conceded, "It's on your backpack."
Sam spun around in circles, trying to see the nametag that was stitched to his book bag. The guy grabbed his shoulder to stop Sam's spinning before he could knock anything else over. Sam looked up at him, realizing how very tall this guy seemed to be and started getting really nervous.
"Well, um… you see…. The thing is…." Sam shuttered, looking away when he saw the look he was getting that said clearly, 'I can tell you're going to try lying to me and you suck at it, so don't waste my time.' Looking down at his shoes, Sam showed the man the ring on his finger and said in a small voice, "I can't get it to come off."
Sam felt a callused hand take his own and he was close enough to hear the man sigh deeply. Fingers were suddenly under his chin, titling his head up so he had to look the guy in the face. He was smiling, the expression lighting up and transforming his whole face but Sam could swear he saw tears standing in those blue eyes. The way he was looking Sam made him feel all warm inside and he felt himself blush. Sam thought he saw recognition in those eyes, as if the guy thought Sam was someone he knew, someone…precious.
Nobody looked at Sam that way, not even his own parents. To get that look from a stranger was a bit unnerving to say the least.
"I have been searching... a very long time," The guy swallowed thickly before continuing, "and magically, here you are."
"Do you know what this ring means?" The guy asked softly, lowering Sam's hand but not letting go. 'That I'm going to end up on the Amber Alert?' Sam mentally answered. When he shook his head, the guy continued, "You're going to be a force for good and a very important sorcerer. But for now, you're my apprentice."
"Sorcerer? Apprentice? Me?" Sam squeaked out. He had daydreamed about being able to use magic like in his books but it wasn't real. There was no way it was real, "Are you insane?"
The guy seem to think about it for a second and then held up his hand with his fingers an inch apart. 'A little bit. Okay.' Sam couldn't help it, he giggled. Just like that, the guy went from being scary and creepy to very odd but harmless.
"There's a lot to learn, but right now your first lesson begins now with your very own Encantus," the guy finally released Sam's hand, "Do not move, do not touch anything." He instructed as he headed to the back of the store, "I'll know, I have eyes in the back of my head."
"Wait!" Sam called after him, "Who are you?"
"I'm Balthazar Blake, your master." With that odd statement, the guy -Balthazar- descended the stair case Sam could have sworn wasn't there before.
Without Balthazar there, Sam could think again. He glanced around, looking for a clock, not knowing how long he'd been inside the Arcana Cabana. His mother could be finishing up at Pomona's and would come looking for him, which would be very bad. Torn between leaving and staying put as Balthazar had told him to, he unconsciously twirled his hair around his finger of the right hand.
A knocking noise caught his attention. He stilled so he could listen better but heard nothing. When he let his hand drop down to his side and he heard it again. After a few moments, he realized the sound was responding to the ring's movements. Experimenting, Sam jerked his hand hard and a small section of wall exploded outwards. Something flew at him that he caught automatically before it hit him.
"This place will be a demolition sale by the time I'm done." He murmured as he looked at the strange nesting doll in his hand. Painted on the front was an angry man in old-fashioned clothing. He felt sudden flare of heat from the doll's surface that made him drop it as a seam appeared around the middle.
It popped open a crack when it hit the floor. Out of the opening came cockroaches, hundreds of them, thousands of them, more than a small doll could possible hold. As he watched in disgust and amazement, they formed a humanoid shape that became a robust man in a fur-lined coat and bowler hat, who scowled at Sam.
"When am I?" the man asked in a cultured, velvety voice as he straightened his clothes.
Fear not allowing him to understand the question, Sam squeaked, "When?"
"Yes." Bug Man snapped, "The year, brat." When Sam just stared, Bug Man aimed his cane at him, the crystal top growing ominously, "You are wasting my time." Before he could do anything, Bug Man was yanked away from Sam by an invisible force and was hoisted to shop's ceiling windows where he was pinned.
"What happened to don't touch anything?" Sam turned to see Balthazar with a huge book in one hand and the other outstretched toward Bug Man.
Never had Sam been so happy to see someone, even if Balthazar was unhappy with him. "This is not my fault! It just came-"
Bug Man interrupted him, commenting rather sourly, "That's not very sporting of you Balthazar. I hardly got a chance to stretch my legs."
"Be quiet!" Balthazar barked at Bug Man and then turned back to Sam, "It's not you, he's been this way for a thousand years. I'll explain later. Right now, I need the Grimhold. Where's that doll?"
Sam looked down and saw the doll about a foot from him. Not wanting to touch it, he gently rolled it toward Balthazar with his foot. As Balthazar put the book down and reached for the doll, he was blasted into a wall by Bug Man, who fell from the ceiling, landing on his feet like a cat.
The fight that happened next would have been really cool to see in a movie; however, it wasn't so much fun being in the middle of it. Sam hid behind a heavy counter as pulses of energy began to fly from one man to the other, he could hear heavy things being throwing into walls and the sounds of fighting. He yelped in surprise as a blast exploded overhead, raining broken glass, a piece of which cut the side of his face. The doll rolled near him as the floor violently shook from an explosion. The painting on it was different this time, a picture of an angry Chinese man.
For some reason, he did not want Bug Man to get his hands on it. Still not wanting to touch the doll, he grabbed a cloth from one of the nearby tables and yanked hard, not caring that he spilled every on the table to the floor. Wrapping the doll up tightly, he then stuffed it into his book bag and peered over the counter, trying to find a way out of the store.
What he saw made his heart sink. Balthazar was thrown yet again into a wall at the back of the store and with a gesture of Bug Man's hand; a wall of fire sprang up between him and Balthazar. Bug Man then caught sight of Sam and smiled. Terrified, Sam bolted for the door, only to be yanked backwards and thrown into a wall were he was stuck, feet not touching the floor.
Bug Man calmly walked over to Sam as if the store wasn't on fire. His cold grey eyes studied him, making Sam feel like a butterfly that a collector was considering putting on display and was deciding whether to kill it by crushing its thorax or by sticking a pin through it.
Something flickered in those eyes: recognition. Bug Man leaned in close enough Sam could smell the spiciness of his cologne and the tobacco on his breath, "Oh my, what pretty eyes you have," he commented with a low chuckle, "I wonder if Balthazar has noticed?" Too scared to say anything, Sam flinched as the cold, jeweled top of the cane caressed his cheek just beneath his cut, whimpering when he saw it glow from the corner of his vision and felt warmth spread through his skin.
Once the warmth faded, he realized neither his cut nor his lip hurt anymore.
"That's better isn't it? Just tell me where the Grimhold is, Samuel," Bug Man coaxed gently, not letting Sam look away, "and I'll let you go."
'He's lying.' Sam was as sure of that as he was his own name. "I don't know."
Bug Man shook his head, still smiling, "You always were a dreadful liar."
"Get away from him!" As the flames vanished, Balthazar tackled Bug Man, sending them both to the floor. The force holding Sam up suddenly disappeared and he fell to the painfully ground.
Balthazar and Bug Man were locked together in a struggle, neither loosening his grip on the other as they thrashed about on the floor, bumping into the urn that Sam had almost knocked over earlier. Only this time it did fall over with a deep thud that sounded deeper than the urn could be, the lid slipping off and falling to the floor. Bug Man was the first to start being sucked inside the urn which Sam thought was great until he saw Balthazar was still restraining him, keeping him from getting away from the urn's suction.
"Run Sam!" Balthazar snapped out, grunting in pain as Bug Man fought his hold but he didn't let go as they were dragged towards to the mouth of the urn. "Get out of here!"
Sam's heart seemed to twist painful in his chest as he shook his head. He couldn't lose Balthazar, he just couldn't. He grabbed Balthazar's arm as tightly as he could, the bottoms of his sneakers squeaking as he tried to get some traction by digging his heels into the floor, trying to pull Balthazar away from the urn.
"Let go!" Balthazar cried, desperation lacing his voice the closer they got to mouth of the urn. "Let go of me!"
"No!" Sam replied through gritted teeth as he was dragged along with them across the floor. "Don't want to lose you."
Bug Man was nearly inside the urn completely, his one free hand now gripping Balthazar's coat as if determined to drag him inside as well. It became a tug of war with Sam and Balthazar on one side against Bug Man and the urn. When it became apparent that they were going to lose if something didn't happen, Sam looked around for something, anything that could help, his eyes landing on a piece of wood that was red hot at one end.
Seeing a chance, Sam held on to Balthazar's arm with one hand and reached towards the piece of wood with the other, falling short. As fear of being sucked into that tiny urn began to build inside of him as he strained to reach, something else did as well. It was a familiar feeling, a strange sort of fluttery, writhing feeling built inside him as if something was looking for a way out. In desperation, Sam pleaded, "Please!"
The dragon ring glowed as he felt a tugging drain deep within and the wood slapped into his hand hard enough to send a painful jolt up his arm. Not wasting any time, Sam pressed the hot end into the back of Bug Man's hand. Screaming in pain from the burn, Bug Man reflexively let go of Balthazar's coat and was sucked the rest of the way into the urn.
Balthazar threw himself away from the urn as the lid slammed back into place. With a flick of his hand, the urn righted itself, settling on its base after rocking unsteadily for an instant. For long moment, the only sound in store was their heavy breathing as they both stared at the urn that nearly sucked them inside.
Sam yelped as he was unexpectedly dragged across the floor once again, this time into Balthazar's arms as he was pulled into a tight hug. Balthazar was shaking; Sam could feel the sorcerer trembling, hear his heart beat a frantic rhythm as Balthazar scolded him.
"Don't ever do that again," Balthazar's voice rumbled against Sam's cheek, "Don't ever scare me like this again."
Sam didn't say anything; just hesitatingly put his arms around Balthazar. His parents weren't 'huggie' people and for the life of him, he didn't know why. It was nice, being hugged. It was warm, which was pleasant since he realized he felt cold for some reason. The scent of leather along with a sweet, woody fragrance coming from Balthazar made Sam feel safe. Perhaps that was why Sam started to cry softly when his mind finally processed what the heck just happen. He knew as a boy he shouldn't cry but he couldn't help it, not only was it that weird thing with Bug Man but Sam was just realizing he'd nearly been sucked into a teeny-tiny urn for ten years.
He fully expected Balthazar to push him away, after all most people wouldn't tolerate a strange boy crying on them. Instead, Balthazar just pulled Sam closer against him and Sam felt him rest his chin on top of his head; his hand gently rubbed Sam's back as he whispered comforting words. Sam instinctively snuggled tighter against Balthazar, the feeling of his deep voice rumbling against Sam's cheek comforting as he cried.
Once his sobs became sniffles and he could get them back under control, Sam murmured, "Sorry I let Bug Man out of the doll."
Sam felt Balthazar chuckle, "I would say, 'Let that be a lesson to you' but it seems a bit unnecessary."
After few moments, Sam reluctantly asked, "So how does this sorcerer's apprentice thing work again?"
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Author's note:
This was supposed to be simply another one shot chapter in How Sam met Bumblebee but somehow it just grew into an idea for a whole fic. I know I have other fics to work on but I go where the plot bunnies lead me.
Before anyone says anything, Balthazar and Horvath (Bug Man) are not perving on ten-year-old Sam. They are immortal sorcerers who have lived for thousands of years, so they're going to be a tiny bit weird. Balthazar doesn't realize how odd his actions are in regards to a kid, he's just happy to have found the Prime Merlinean after searching for so long.
Horvath…*shrugs* villains just love picking on the cute ones (I point you to that whole bathroom scene with Drake, Dave and Horvath in the movie.)
I just recently had the chance to watch the Sorcerer's Apprentice. The trailers made it look like a cool movie but in reality, it was simply okay. I liked the cast and the special effects were good as well as the premise but it just sort of fell flat.
However, I would like to point something out.
Transformers: Optimus Prime, the Dynasty of Primes
The Sorcerer's Apprentice: the Prime Merlinean
In reality, this is merely a coincidence, however, in the land of Fanfiction, half the fun is turning coincidence into fate. Hence the title Stroke of Luck, Hand of Fate.
I will warn you now, the magic in this fic will be more 'magical' and less 'science' simply because I don't understand physics well (actually, at all). In addition, I will be messing around with the history of Merlin's three apprentices and why the Prime Merlinean is so important to Balthazar.
Thanks for reading,
-BlueLunacy7