(just a little rambling that came to me late one cold evening. All characters of SA are not mine but they are sure fun to play with. This takes place sometime after the movie, prob six months or more.)
Brother
It was another typical day for Balthazar Blake, sorcerer of the seven hundredth and seventy seventh degree. Well actually it wasn't very typical at all. Today, instead of a strict and long practice, Balthazar, Veronica, Becky and Dave were all meeting up at the lab before heading out for a celebration dinner.
Balthazar and Veronica had decided it was time to tell the young lovebirds the good news they had to share, news they had been waiting to share, and since the young couple had become like family they felt they should celebrate together.
The older sorcerers were already in the lab waiting when Dave and Becky arrived. Dave, followed closely by Becky, half skipped half walked down the stairs as they came to stand in front of the older couple.
"So gang… what are we up to today?" Dave asked, eager as always, as he stood in front of his master. Balthazar smirked and stood with Veronica.
"Well, I was thinking we might take my favorite apprentice and his lovely friend out to dinner today. It is a special day and I think a celebration is in order."
"special day?" Dave grinned, "why is that? Is my training over or something?"
"Keep dreaming, Dave." Balthazar smirked, "No, today is special because a few weeks ago today Veronica and I received some very good news."
Balthazar paused to smile at Veronica who beamed back at him.
"and that news is?" Becky pressed as she shared a confused look with Dave.
"I am three months pregnant." Veronica answered as Balthazar leaned in and wrapped his arms around his beloved dark haired wife.
There was a pause, a brief silence and then…
"Oh my god!" Becky ran forward and threw her arms around Veronica and laughed with joy as the other woman hugged her back.
Dave smiled and clapped his master on the shoulder, offering a congratulations despite the fact the boy knew that this didn't even begin to cover what a great thing this must be for the reunited lovers.
Veronica and Becky were chattering excitedly and Balthazar was chuckling along with Dave about how the women should have been sisters the way they were already tied together so closely. But something suddenly stopped the joyous moment all together, something like the tapping of a cane on a metal railing.
Balthazar was the first to react.
"Horvath!" he snarled as the older sorcerer jumped to place himself between his enemy and his pregnant wife. Dave was immediately beside him ready to do whatever it took to defend the girls.
But as they focused themselves toward the stairway where they had heard the sound they didn't see the coming attack they had expected. Nor did they see the formidable Maxim Horvath on the war path.
Instead, seated halfway above the foot of the stairs was a man who wore a face similar to Horvath's, dressed just alike, but his face was drawn and sunken in and his eyes were dull. This couldn't be the same man that had resurrected Morgana and had almost killed Balthazar Blake.
But they didn't dare to let their guard down either.
There was a silence that stretched and a tension that threatened to snap.
Then with a ease and levity, the man spoke.
"I knew that whenever I chose to stop by again, that my coming would not be a thing of welcome. However, I did not dare guess I would be wretched trespasser on such a sweet moment." the man's gaze drifted around the room quietly.
The voice that spoke certainly sounded like Horvath, Dave thought, but how could it be the same man, this person who looked more beggar than villain.
"Get out Horvath!" Balthazar growled as his hands crackled with the forming of a plasma ball.
The man just stared but didn't move, his eyes the only clue to life in his still form.
"I haven't come for a fight Balthazar."
Balthazar crouched forward somewhat as if he might leap across the room and strangle the intruder but he kept the plasma ball in his hands alive.
Horvath stood slowly and raised his hands and cane in the gesture of surrender.
He stepped down off the stairs but paused at the bottom before dropping the cane none to gracefully to the floor and retreated from it by a few steps back up on the stairway.
Balthazar eyed the cane suspiciously, "What's this about, Horvath?"
"Just as it looks Balthazar. I'm done with this fight between us . You won. Obviously. You completed the quest and destroyed my chance of revenge. And yes I could run around for the rest of our lives trying to get revenge but I just don't see the point."
Balthazar stood up slowly from his crouch, his ball of light dwindling out to nothing.
Dave saw Balthazar take a step forward and he whispered urgently, "Balthazar no, it must be a trap!"
Balthazar walked forward to the cane, bent down to grab it and walked back to the small group with it, his eyes never having been unlocked from Horvath's.
This was real. The cane was in Balthazar's hands and on the cane…
The ring!
Dave gasped as he saw the dragon ring form on the cane, even after he had been so sure he would never see it again, it was almost his again.
But what was Horvath up to? The man that seemed to be a ghostly version of Balthazar's nemesis, what was his plan?
Horvath sighed and propped himself up against the stairway railing.
"Oh come now Balthazar, I know you don't have much taste for gloating but a smile or some sort of celebration I should think is in order." Horvath sighed again, seemingly disappointed that his old enemy wasn't even reacting to his words.
"Pardon me, Horvath, for not believing what I see. You have fooled me with far craftier traps." Balthazar growled but the harsh light in the sorcerer's eyes had grown to a mild disbelief.
Horvath watched them all curiously before Balthazar whirled to him with a hiss.
"So you think you can bring back Master's ring, surrender your cane at my feet and this will be fitting enough to get you my forgiveness! Earn you a place close enough for you to destroy everything once again!"
Horvath chuckled darkly but shook his head.
"Balthazar, I don't want forgiveness. I just want you to know that I am no longer a threat to you, to Veronica, to the Prime Merlinian or…" Horvath swallowed hard, "or to your child to be."
Horvath stood slowly and cast a lingering glance at the small group.
"You know Balthazar, despite my seething jealousy of just how lucky you really are, I am happy for you. I am happy as I would have been when you and I were brothers at heart. And Veronica…" his eyes seemed to glimmer a moment with words he had been meaning to say a lifetime and would never have a chance to say, "I wish you the healthiest and brightest child any mother could ever have. May you never know a day without happiness in your heart."
As Horvath started to work his way up the stairs Balthazar called out.
"Maxim."
The man stopped and glanced down at his once enemy and friend.
Balthazar nodded to him with a firm expression, his eyes unreadable expect perhaps to Horvath who only nodded in return. Then without another second to spare Maxim Horvath walked out the door and disappeared into the world outside.
Balthazar turned to Dave and slid the dragon ring into the young man's hand. All four stared in wonder at the cane. Three more rings sat at the cane's head. One Balthazar realized belonged to the little witch from Salem. One Balthazar was fairly sure had belonged to the Drake Stone boy. And the other… he closed his eyes as Veronica came to stand with him.
She gasped when she saw it too.
Dave looked at the elder sorcerer's and tried to make sense of their seemingly pained expressions.
Veronica touched Balthazar's shoulder and said urgently, "Hurry and get him back!"
Balthazar shared a brief look with his wife before taking the last ring from the cane and dashing out of the lab as swiftly as his long legs could carry him.
Dave and Becky moved closer to Veronica with fearful curiosity and let their silence ask the question.
Veronica turned to them with threatening tears in her voice and whispered, "The last ring on the cane was Maxim's."
They waited but she didn't say anything else. Dave shook his head and stuttered, "B-but isn't that good? He can't come after us without it."
Veronica shook her head furiously as tears spilled from her eyes and choked out a mumbled, 'no', before she turned to Becky and began to cry on her shoulder. They young couple shared a perplexed look before settling on a couch to await Balthazar's return.
Just over half an hour later, Balthazar made his way back down the stairs with a defeated shimmer in his eyes.
"I lost him…' he started but sat heavily into a chair beside the couch and said no more.
"What's going on?" Becky whispered quietly.
Balthazar looked up to the young woman and sighed as he showed her the ring he had taken with him in his search.
"this is Horvath's ring. He left it behind as a form of surrender. Without he'll die."
"A sorcerer will die without their ring?" Becky looked stricken and glanced at Dave who had been without his ring for quite a while but seemed to be no worse for wear.
Balthazar shook his head. "only, Maxim, myself and Veronica would die without ours. You see, its because of the spell Merlin placed on us to make us ageless. Our Master had not expected it would take us so long to find the Prime Merlinian, he expected it would only be a few centuries. The spell has held up remarkably well in all consideration. When our task was complete the spell was to fade and allow us to pick up where we left off. Even though the spell was cast on us, our rings are the power source to maintain it. Without our rings, the spell fades and we age as if there was never a spell to stop it. Time would catch up. Very quickly."
"so Maxim gave up his ring…" Dave began with confusion as he stared at his master in disbelief.
"To make the ultimate surrender." Balthazar put his face in his hands and took a shaky breath as Veronica came and wrapped her arms around his shoulders comfortingly. "Oh Maxim, my brother, what have you done?"
(A/n: okay well this was definitely a fun oneshot to write and I think I might have to turn this into something. Maybe add a second part or even turn it into a mini story. We shall see. I guess it all depends on how many people actually like it. Remember! you have the power to make it into more! R&R plz? Kthnxbai!)
wolflover howls at moon