A/N: So far, I've been getting a nice amount of story alerts and faves, which is great. But the only way for me to know how my work's going is if I get some sort of message, although I appreciate all the alerts, faves. Jaselin, special thanks goes to you for being the first reviewer!
Prompt Two : Trousers
Veronica arrived seconds after Becky did. At first, Becky didn't think it was her. The loud rattling of doors attempting to be open scared her. She jumped from her spot in the corner. She listened as the doors shook.
"Becky!" a voice called.
Becky immediately registered the voice as Veronica's, and dashed down the stairs. They creaked as she moved. Becky suddenly realized it had been a stupid move, putting the heavy desk against the doors. Balthazar had told her a long time ago that the antique shop was covered with charms and spells. Becky struggled to move the desk aside.
"Veronica," she said. Her words were as light as a feather. "Veronica."
"Dear, why aren't the doors opening? Did you forget how to release the locks? The magic is supposed to recognize my form."
"No, it's not that," Becky told her. She forced her lips to stop trembling, but it didn't work. "I kind of pushed a desk against the doors because I thought…they…would…open."
It sounded incredibly ridiculous, even to her own ears.
"All right," Veronica said. "Get out of the way, Becky. I'm going to have to blow the doors open."
"You're kidding."
"Of course not. Go sit on the stairs; they're out of view, so it'll be impossible for the magic to blow that area."
Becky heard the sincerity in the elder woman's voice, and that alone convinced her she should get herself to the stairs. Becky sat the third step, which was partially hidden from view, but she could see enough of the first floor.
"Becky? Are you ready?"
"Yes, I'm on the stairs!"
"Good. All right…"
It was quiet for a couple of minutes. But then the doors made a pounding noise, like a giant banged on them. Becky decided she wasn't going to risk her chances of living; she shoved herself up on the fourth step.
Something blurred as it flew across the room and smashed into the back wall. Becky flinched at the noise. She could hear papers loftily floating in the air as they reached down to the floor. Footsteps followed. Becky blinked as she stared at a thick wooden desk, lying on its back. A few stones, which had been embedded into the desk's surface, now sat on the floor, cracks evident on their skin. Becky jumped off the stairs and came face-to-face with Veronica.
"I've locked the doors," she informed her, gesturing to them. They looked secure, safe. Like no one had used a boatload of magical energy to blow them open.
Becky didn't respond. She just stared at Veronica's deep brown eyes. A sharp stab inflicted a wound on her heart. She wrapped her arms around her torso, unwillingly thinking about Dave and his location. Veronica was silent, but then she removed Becky's arms from her grip. She took the girl's hand and led her upstairs. There, they sat on two chairs in front of a black table.
"I find tea to be useful in situations like these," Veronica suddenly said. She rose from her seat and quietly moved towards some doors on the west wall. She disappeared into another room. A few minutes later, Veronica returned with a tray topped with tea essentials. She came back so quickly she didn't even allow Becky a few minutes to think. Becky felt a surge of gratitude. That was good. She didn't need or want to think.
Veronica poured tea into her cup and then into Becky's.
"Thanks," the younger girl said.
"None required," was Veronica's reply. She brought out a cell phone from her jacket pocket. She laid it on the table, eyes staring intently on the screen. Becky knew she was waiting for Balthazar to call. To deliver the bad news.
As if reading her thoughts, Veronica's gaze flickered to Becky. She turned her chair.
"Turn your chair to me," she said softly. "I'll tell you something."
Becky did as she was told. She was eager to listen to anything, as long as it didn't make her think of Dave.
"What are we going to talk about?" Becky asked cautiously.
"About the day I was locked in the Grimhold," Veronica said.
Becky felt her spirits sink. So she was going to hear a tale of dread, but it was only going to add to her thoughts. Veronica's sacrifice meant losing the love of her life, Balthazar. How would she fare listening to a story as depressing as that? Was she going to have to hear about what sacrifices she needed to make? But Becky knew she was too young for this kind of thing. At twenty, it was impossible to have to face problems such as these.
"You know my story has a happy ending," Veronica reminded her.
She smiled slightly. "It does," Becky said. But Balthazar was in danger of losing his only apprentice. And then Veronica would have to deal with that.
"Let's leave the troubles to Balthazar now." Veronica heard her own words, and quickly reshaped them. "What I mean is, that we shouldn't ponder so much about this. It's only the beginning; we don't know what will occur. For now, let's just try to keep our mind off these kinds of things."
"I'll try. But it's going to be hard, Veronica."
Veronica reached across and laid her hand on Becky's. "Dear," she said slowly. "Let me tell you about that day."
"Work your magic," Becky said without thinking. She smiled again at the irony—it was only a small smile, though.
"I was not expecting to do what I did," Veronica said. "I did expect to see Horvath with Morgana one day. His betrayal alerted us he was in good with the woman; they were quite close, in a professional manner. I could see that when you got into the castle. Merlin was in trouble."
Merlin. Where was he now? Was he watching, from his place? Did he see what was happening—and the solution as well?
"I was trained in all sorts of spells," Veronica explained. "I knew how to act out the soul spell. I was sure I never had to use it. When I was with Balthazar, I felt like I was safe. Even from the thousands of Morganians in that day. He made me much more confident than I already was. But I was still frightened. No one wants to leave their love. It is the hardest thing to do in the world."
"But you did it," Becky interrupted.
"True," Veronica answered. She took her cup from the tray and sipped some of her tea. When she was done, she put it back. "I had to do it. If I didn't, Morgana would gain the upper hand. Her power would extend, and I just couldn't allow it."
"Wasn't Balthazar trained to know that spell too?" Becky asked, interrupting once again. "Why didn't he do what you did?"
"Because he didn't think it through," Veronica replied. "You see, when serious matters are physically in action, it's hard to think clearly. I had that spell in mind immediately. Morgana and I merged; then in the Grimhold we went."
"In the end, you got your guy," Becky said, continuing the tale while skipping a few details. "But was it really so much of a sacrifice, Veronica? I don't mean any disrespect, but you were unconscious all those years. You couldn't actually think during that time…or feel."
"Ah," Veronica said gently. She took another sip from her cup and glanced at the cell phone. Then she returned her stare on Becky. "Yes, I was unconscious, but that was the worst part. I could not think about how I wouldn't see him for possibly forever. I could not think about how I might die. But I was not able to feel, as you pointed out. No grief or gloom, which was benefitting, but I could not feel happiness or trust. I had no way of contacting Balthazar or watching out for him while he was looking for the Prime Merlinian. It is a difficult thing to do, Becky, even if you can't act."
Becky's eyes wandered towards a clock sitting on some shelf. It looked like it came from the past days. It was made of deep black wood with tiny golden decorations, like those clean images on the surface and the beautiful formation of the complicated hands. As the second hand moved ever so slowly, Becky felt a sharper streak of pain.
The phone abruptly rang.
Chopin? Becky thought. She was mystified. Veronica grabbed the phone and put it on speakerphone.
"Balthazar! Where do you need us to go?" Veronica demanded. Her loud, clear voice contrasted greatly with the gentle, easy words she spoke earlier.
A thrill shot through Becky's veins. They were going to go somewhere. They were going to move, going to act. Some closure, Becky thought eagerly. Maybe the damage isn't so bad. Maybe Dave's been rescued, and nothing serious happened. I'll even settle for a hospital trip. Relief was released into her system.
"Do not move. I'm coming to you."
"Wait! What about Dave?" Becky cried out.
"He's at St. Carina's Hospital," Balthazar murmured gravely. "I was able to conjure a protective barrier over Dave's patient room, but I had to leave so the doctors could inspect him."
More relief. He's not dead, Becky told herself mentally. That's good; I bet he just needs some time to recover. That's all.
"I'm coming to Arcana Cabana to explain the situation. Becky, don't move. Veronica, keep yourselves in check."
"I know what to do, Balthazar. Come over." Her tone was firm, yet soft.
"Hold on!" Becky protested. "Balthazar, before you hang up, tell me about his condition. How okay is he? Is he hurt that bad?"
"I'm coming over there to explain. Sit tight."
He hung up.
"Calm down, Becky," Veronica said. "He's coming. Just the fact he found Dave and sounds all right is a good sign."
"We don't know anything yet," Becky reminded her of the advice. "But it sure sounds like things will be going my way."
.
.
.
Balthazar finally came. He took more time than Veronica, but it was still a speedy amount of time. Becky and Veronica had stayed on the second floor. They hadn't talked much; they sipped their tea and spoke about school. Becky's mind wasn't on anything but Dave, though, yet she returned the questions on the music studio and NYU.
She heard the door opening, and jumped from her chair. She and Veronica hurried down the ancient steps and greeted Balthazar. Veronica gave him a short but sweet hug.
"Balthazar," she said. "What news is there?"
"How's Dave?" Becky inquired.
Balthazar didn't respond. He merely removed his hat and hung his coat on the rack. He quietly said, "Let's go upstairs and have some tea." Then he began walking up with a strong and yielding gait.
"We already had tea," Becky said, in almost a pleading tone. Just give me the details, she wanted to say.
"He hasn't had a cup," Veronica said pointedly. She ushered Balthazar to the second floor, where she made him some tea. Becky sat in her regular seat and watched them interact in a short, hasty manner.
Balthazar stood as he drank his tea. He emptied his entire cup and put it back on the tray.
Eventually, he said, "I found Dave in the same park he defeated Morgana in. We've established a mental link that allows us to find one another. We did it a while back, as you'll remember."
It was true. Becky was told weeks ago.
"So it was easy to locate Dave," Balthazar said. "He was…in quite a serious condition. It was not a pretty scene. I wanted to take him with me so I could heal him, but he had lost so much blood already… The hospital was closer than Arcana Cabana. Not only that, I'm rusty. I didn't need to use magical healing so far, and didn't trust myself."
"I'm more experienced," Veronica interjected, "when it comes down to healing. Why wouldn't you…"
"It was too far, Arcana Cabana," Balthazar said shortly. "I needed the closest place. St. Carina's Hospital was the closest place. I took Dave there. The doctors handled it all well, in my opinion. They had him on a gurney in no time. While they did what they needed to, one of the nurses pulled me aside and gave me information. They also asked questions, a part I didn't enjoy, but had to do in order to avoid suspicion. I told her Dave was clumsy tripped and landed face-first into a glass coffee table. His wounds would be enough evidence for the lie."
"How bad is he?" Becky demanded. "Tell me."
"I can't confirm anything. The doctors will tell me the next time I come. There was blood all over the snow, which I got rid of easily. We don't need the police investigating. Complicates things."
"I want to go to the hospital," Becky said. "I want to see him, Balthazar."
"You will get the chance," Veronica told her. "But let the doctors do their job. When we can, we'll see him."
Becky was silenced.
"What next?" Veronica asked Balthazar.
"They got his clothes off him," Balthazar said, "so they could put him in the patient attire. I was able to use magic to obtain his jeans and erase the memories of those who saw them."
"Why just the jeans?" Becky asked, confused.
"On the jeans were marks. They look like claw marks, but don't match any mundane animal," Balthazar said gruffly. He pulled out a tiny cardboard box from his pockets. With a flick of his fingers, the box significantly grew five times bigger. "I've got the jeans right here. Veronica, come look."
He opened the box and pulled out the jeans. Becky gasped. They looked like something from a crime show. The jeans were a dark blue and thin, to fit Dave's noodle-like body. Deep splotches of burgundy decorated the front and possibly the back. Some free strands lingered and a lot of the fabric was torn. Animal-like marks were evident as well. Becky could see it had been a violent encounter.
"It's… That can't be true," Veronica said, appearing to be astounded. "Those are valiant marks."
"Valiant marks?" Becky repeated. "What are those?"
"Back in the day," Balthazar said, "Morganians used dragons as a symbol of power and force. They kept them as pets and used their magnificent abilities upon common folk and Merlinians. Dragons were rare, but quite useful. There were only fifty in the world. But they died out. Morganians… They like to hunt. Valiant marks are the marks inflicted by dragons."
"But there aren't any scorch marks…"
"Exactly. They use their claws."
Becky resisted the urge to vomit. Dave, alone and vulnerable, in that park when Morganians attacked. The villains, with their cold sneers and smirks, unleashing a dragon upon him, the claws scratching new skin and fabric.
"No," Becky said. "A dragon couldn't have done it. Someone would have seen."
"Becky, there have been quite a few snowstorms, and the temperatures are freezing," Balthazar told her. "No one was around. Only Dave. Judging from those marks, I'd say they were of dragons. A baby dragon, maybe."
"But why was Dave alone in that park?" Becky demanded. "Why would he be all by himself while it was snowing, while it was dark and getting late. It does not make sense."
"We don't know all the details. Just a few crucial ones," Veronica soothed. "Please, dear, let's not get away from ourselves. When David wakes up, we'll be alerted by the doctors and he can tell us what happened."
Silence. Trouble silence. When Becky was younger, she had read a poem that spoke about loud silence. In this state of mind, in Arcana Cabana, where she was safe and Dave was not, silence had never been so loud.
"Can I keep them?"
"Keep what?" Veronica asked, eyebrows narrowing in confusion.
"Balthazar, I want the jeans," Becky said.
"Why do you want his trousers?" Balthazar spoke more in a tone of awe rather than perplexing one.
"They're his," Becky said quietly. "And I was thinking that I won't be able to see him for a few days, if his condition is that bad. So…"
"You don't have to explain," Veronica said hastily. She grabbed the jeans and folded them neatly. Then she handed them to Becky.
"Thanks."
"I'll need them back so I can determine the marks further," Balthazar warned her. "But you can have them, for now."
"Thanks," she repeated mechanically.
They made a bed for Becky in Arcana Cabana. Balthazar and Veronica simply added a few heavy sheets on the sofa. Becky didn't mind the lack of comfort in her makeshift bed. She placed the dried jeans under sofa, knowing that she could at least have something of Dave's.