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Dedicated to and for my oh-so-wonderful beta!

Ever, Ever After: Journey

"Once upon a time, there lived a very handsome knight."

"Oh, please."

"He lived in a very nice manor and had everything he could ever want. He was very spoiled and proud of it."

"You're telling me."

"The knight's name was Sirius and his greatest wish was to become the grandest of all knights. But no one believed in him and that made Sirius very sad."

"What a ham."

"Sirius decided that to prove himself he would journey far and wide to seek out the wisest of all men, Albus Dumbledore."

/pgbrk/

Sirius Black cursed as he stumbled over another rock. Why did cliffs have to be so rocky? Of course, if they weren't rocky, they probably weren't cliffs. He kicked the offending rock aside and continued up the steep mountain. Dumbledore just had to build his home on top of a bloody mountain, didn't he? It would've been far too easy to build it on, say flat land!

As the cabin came staggering into view Sirius gave a sigh of relief, maybe he could finally rest. Six months of constant traveling was bound to make anyone exhausted. Sirius pounded on the door, staying close to the wall so as to avoid the noon sun.

An old man peered around the cracked door, a twinkle in his eyes and on his vibrant robes.

"Are you Albus Dumbledore?"

"Come in, Sirius Black, son of Orion. Sit and let us have a little chat."

Sirius stepped inside the doorway, a little wary that Dumbledore knew who he was already. Everyone claimed that Dumbledore was one of the greatest warriors of all time, having defeated Evil Overlords and dragons alike. Nobody deemed fit to mention that he was out of his mind. The front room was decorated with huge tomes and pounds of dust. There were knick-knacks here and there. A telescope was busy balancing a china teapot and a Petri dish of frogspawn. The whole house was a mish mash of books and whatchamacallits.

Sirius perched on the purple velvet cinch armchair, sipping tea out of a delicate pink floral teacup. He felt rather ridiculous, but didn't think it was his place to put such a grand warrior into a tizzy over a measly teacup.

"So, you are here to ask me to train you. You want to become the greatest warrior of all time, proving to your unbelieving family that you are worth something. How am I doing so far?" asked Dumbledore, eyes twinkling up a storm.

Sirius nodded; jaw slack, unable to say anything. Dumbledore grinned and sat back against his chair, stirring four teaspoons of sugar into the already sweet tea. Disgusting.

"Well, I'm sorry to say that you traveled here for nothing. I do not train knights any longer, I am far too old for such things."

"That's rubbish! You're the greatest warrior; everyone says so! Please train me! I promise to learn quickly and efficiently!"

"I'm sorry Sirius, the greatest warriors have to learn themselves before learning from another. Maybe in a couple of years, once your sense of self settles out. You are but sixteen, Sirius, do not expect miracles on the first try."

Sirius pouted, disappointed. He was sure that Dumbledore would agree to train him. He was a Black! He had money, prestige, good looks, and great hair! How could Dumbledore refuse?

"However, you might be of some use to me. I am in the need of a helper around here. It gets very lonesome and I am not a spry as I used to be."

Sirius nodded slowly, unsure of where Dumbledore was going with this. Dumbledore nodded and steepled his long fingers.

"Yes, I may have some use for you after all. Perhaps, young Black, after you have helped me I might be inclined to help you. Would that be acceptable?"

"Yes, sir! Of course."

"Good, it's settled then. First, I will require some spring water for my oils. Only the water from the spring in the valley will do; it has the clearest of all waters."

"Um, alright."

"I will need twelve bucketfuls. There are two buckets outside the front door. Now then, how many trips will it take for you to bring twelve bucketfuls to me if you have two buckets?"

"Uh," Sirius stammered, he had never been good at numbers.

"Six. It will take you six trips. Remember and learn. Now, go on."

Sirius stepped outside the house once more. He looked down at the two rather bedraggled looking buckets and sighed. This was going to take forever.

/pgbrk/

Twenty-four-year old Sirius stood at the edge of the rocky precipice and looked down upon the two-dozen soldiers climbing up it. He smirked at the pathetic way they were huffing and puffing. They claimed to be soldiers yet they could barely climb one teensy weensy mountain face. He had been climbing this mountain for eight years and hadn't had nearly this many problems.

"Are you…Sirius…of the House of…Black?" panted one of the soldiers, looking up at Sirius.

"I am. Who are you?"

"I am Sir Thylios of Maerna, warrior to the crown of Gryffindor. King James XVIII requests your presence at once, we are here to escort you."

"And how does his Highness know who I am?"

"Sir Albus Dumbledore sent him a missive, sir."

"He did, did he?" Sirius muttered, glaring at the house behind him, "Meddlesome old fool."

"Very well. Let me throw some belongings together. How do you propose I get there? I have no horse of my own."

"We have one waiting for you at the bottom of the hill."

"Oh." said Sirius, turning to go into the house.

The two-dozen soldiers turned into three at the bottom of the cliff and they, plus Sirius and Dumbledore, set off to the Kingdom of Gryffindor. The journey took six months because winter was much worse in No Man's Land and they had to bunk down. Sirius wondered how long ago Dumbledore had sent that letter.

They reached Gryffindor six months to the day the left, reaching the castle at sunset. It was a magnificent sight. It's twisting turrets and sweeping balconies balanced the other perfectly. The white marble was sparkling in the evening sun and the stained glass the littered the arched windows glittered. Sirius didn't think he had ever seen such wonderful artistry.

They met King James XVIII in the throne room. He sat on a dark oak throne enrobed in crushed velvet and golden etching. The startling thing about James was that he was Sirius's age! How odd, you didn't usually see kings this young. Sirius wondered what had happened to the previous king.

"Welcome, Sirius of the House of Black, may you prosper."

"Thank you, your majesty." replied Sirius, bowing low.

"Good, introductions are out of the way. Now we can stop with all this royal shit. Annoys the hell out of me, you know." Sirius and James grinned at the other, finding an immediate friend. Dumbledore smiled behind his beard and twined his fingers together.

"Let us retire to my 'study' and we can discuss why you're here."

The three men wandered down twisting cream hallways, the architecture almost Elvin in appearance. They reached a large door and entered, leaving the two guards posted outside.

"It has come to my attention," James started, pouring each man a glass of mead, "that there is some unrest in Slytherin. I was wondering if you had heard anything of the sort. You are quite notorious for being born there, you realize."

"No, I hadn't realized that my heritage was any part of this discussion." Sirius replied coldly. James waved his hands, attempting to placate the volatile man.

"No, of course not! I was just wondering if you had heard anything. Although, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind doing some 'scouting' for me."

"So, you want me to spy for you?"

"Ah, in a sense. I'd like to have an extra ear out. You can't be too careful these days, especially now…"

Sirius waited for James to elaborate, but nothing came. He sighed and pondered the idea. He didn't know if he wanted to spy on his home country. It wasn't that he had any particular liking for it, but it was considered treason and traitors were not dealt with politely in any country.

"I, of course, would be willing to take you under my flag so that any treason would not fall onto your own head. Protection will be provided in any case."

That did change things. With a flag to fall under, a king could attempt a negotiation for any knight captured on his command. It would be nice to be the knight he had always wanted to be.

"What's in it for me?"

"Well, you'll be made a true knight. You'll fly under my banner and answer to Gryffindor. If there's a war you'll have to answer the call, but any and all compensations will be made to an heir of your choice. You will receive a room here in the knight's corridors or a cottage, whatever you wish. Free food and entertainment?"

Sirius laughed, "I'll do it."

After settling all of the pertinent details out, Sirius and Dumbledore were directed to their rooms; Dumbledore in a guest room and Sirius down to his new quarters. They parted ways with a final bow of wisdom.

"Sirius, do not forget that a warrior is only as strong as he believes he is." Sirius smiled and gave his foolish mentor a hug.

"Thank you, I think. At least you won't get to go all 'Confucius say' on me anymore."

Sirius wandered down to the Knight's mess hall slowly. He wanted to get his full bearings in this new place. He turned when he heard an excited giggle come from his left, smiling down at the small child who ran into his calves.

Sirius knew then why James had been so worried over the prospect of war. The little boy at his feet told all the answers. The green-eyed cherub grinned up at Sirius and babbled excitedly. Sirius leant down and picked the baby up, plopping him on a hip. The babbling continued and he heard a woman's laugh coming from ahead.

"I'm sorry about him, he gets excited when he meets new people." said the rather stunning woman. She had gorgeous red hair and the same eyes as the baby in his arms. Queen Lily, then.

"That's okay, he's cute. How old?" Sirius asked, bouncing the cherub up and down. The small noises that accompanied it were adorable.

"Two. He's getting so big."

"They tend to do that if you feed them. What's his name?"

"Harry. He was named for his grandfather, King Harold." Lily laughed as Harry reached out and grabbed a lock of his mother's hair.

"Ma." Sirius handed Harry to his mother. The baby gave Sirius a last look and waved as they walked away.

"Buh-bye."

Sirius waved back and continued on to his newest destiny.

/page break/

"You didn't tell me about any trials! What do you mean by this?" yelled Sirius. James cowered in his chair, attempting nonchalance. Lily shook her head and gave James her best 'I told you so' look.

"It's relatively harmless. All you have to do is travel around, battle some evil and bring back proof. Then we can induct you. It's easy; I went through it. It only takes a year or so. Maybe longer, it just depends!" James screeched like a five-year-old girl and ran behind a chair as Sirius came after him, king or not.

"By the gods, if you weren't royalty I would hurt you. You realize this, right?"

"Yes?"

"Good. Now, how am I supposed to get around?"

"You'll be supplied with a horse and some weaponry. There are houses around Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw that will house you while you travel. It's easy, as long as you don't get eaten. Which isn't likely!"

Lily sighed as Sirius chased James from the room. Both were laughing like maniacs and waving their arms at each other. Lily looked down at her baby and grinned.

"Your papa and his friend are silly. I'm so glad you're smart like me." Harry gave her a gummy smile and chewed on his stuffed teddy bear.

/page break/

"And so the brave knight set out upon his knightly quest to tackle his twelve God given trials. Many horrible things waited for him to slay and maybe a very special damsel, waiting for him to sweep her off of her feet."

"I think I'm going to be sick."

A/N: Finis! Hope you liked it!