Of Faeries and Fate
by AiedailEclipsed
Author's Note - All disclaimers and warnings can be found on the prologue. Also, for those who want to keep up to date with news regarding this story I encourage you to go to my profile page and follow the link to my Facebook author page. If you like that page, you'll be kept up to date with news and be given opportunities to interact with me that others normally wouldn't have. Be sure that there will also be exclusive content that others will likely not have access to! Now, enjoy the chapter.
Last time... - An unknown friend of Lily Potter fled her home to save the Potters, but was unable to make it in time. She arrived to find Lily and James dead, and a young Hadrian staring at her through the bars of his crib. She takes Harry, in addition to her own child, Theodore Nott, and flees the country to a northern American forest.
Chapter One - I Will Always...
"How dare you? How dare you interfere with destiny?!" A young girl with hair as pale as moonlight screamed, beside herself with rage, from one side of a rather odd table. From across the table, an elderly woman stood, staring, yet not truly seeing, into the pit of the water that resided within the table situated between them. Her hair was cropped short and black, as if she still stood in the prime of her youth. She either did not care for the ramblings of the girl nor did she seem to find the scene that was unfolding in the water to be more interesting. As she watched, two young girls in black robes sat next to each other in a dark room conversing genially while stirring a cauldron of bubbling liquid. After a moment, the elderly woman seemed to be satisfied with the girls and looked up at the incensed girl from across the table. At once, the girl became silent, looking, almost apprehensively, at the woman.
"It was merely chance," came the near whispered reply. At this, the girl seemed to deflate and accept that she had lost this battle, whatever it might have been. With her piece said, the crone turned and left through a stone archway carved into the wall. As she melded into the shadows of the passageway, a new figure emerged to take her place. Enrobed in a cloak as black as night, no features could be determined; they moved forward with an ethereal grace and came to gaze down at the glowing waters. The girl stood back, almost respectfully with a downcast head staring at the marble floor, as if it had suddenly become incredibly interesting. The figure raised a slender hand to the surface of the water, allowing the sleeves of its cloak to fall back, disturbing the water ever so slightly, causing the features of the scene to blur and become obscure. A moment later, the colors had stopped shifting and the water stilled, showing only the bottom of the stone depression in which it rested.
"You would be wise to remember that magic knows no bounds and will protect her children," a voice as old as time seemed to emanate from the hood of the cloak. At the sound, the girl seemed to visibly flinch, but remained still and silent. Withdrawing their hand from the water, the cloaked figure turned and melded back into the shadows of the archway. When she was finally alone, the girl slumped to her knees in exhaustion, and let out a deep shuddering breath that she had been holding while in the presence of the cloaked figure.
She wiped her eyes and stood, cradling both of her precious babies. Lily always said that if anything was to ever happen to her, that Harry was to become her responsibility... I just hope I can reach Anna's house before anything happens. Okay, get a hold of yourself old girl. They live in the southern United States, but how am I going to get there? A portkey is out, I have already risked too much by taking one across an ocean with the babies. And with that she began to think about her travel options while meandering forward through the forest at the same time. She seemed to pay no heed to the ever increasing darkness of the night, but had Lily's wand gripped tightly in her hand as if waiting for the boogie man to jump out from the shadows. For some time, she walked until she started to slow and eventually came to a full stop in front a tree stump. With a light thump and sigh of frustration, she sat down and raised her wand.
"Lumos Maxima," came the whispered words that carried through the evening wind. A bright orb of light shot out of the wand tip, into the sky and hovered near the boughs of trees, illuminating the small area. "What am I to do? I can't apparate or portkey there with the children, there's hardly going to be a fireplace out here, and I most certainly can't walk!" She ranted to herself for a moment before falling silent and looking out into the night. "What am I to do?" she whispered almost forlornly. She never noticed the sleek white fox that had wandered into the clearing and observed her with a calm intelligence. She definitely didn't notice when this fox darted forward silently and began to sniff at the tiny bundle of babies settled firmly against her chest. And she most certainly didn't notice when one of this fox's five bushy, beautiful tails snaked around in an attempt to touch her hand that was holding the children. Only when she felt the slight brush of soft fur and heard the resounding echo of a voice in her mind did she start and look down at the beautiful creature.
"Human. This child is precious to the forest and I can afford you passage to safety. If you protect this child against what he shall face, I will grant you safe passage. Do you accept my contract?" And then, all at once the voice vanished and the tail retracted. She stared down at the fox bewilderedly and her grip on her wand tightened, becoming white knuckled. She thought for a moment and realized that she didn't really have a choice, and that this was currently her best option. She gathered what remained of her wits and answered the fox.
"Yes, I do. Can you bring me to the home of Lady Anna of the Summer Dynasty?" and only then did she realize how ridiculous the situation was, I'm talking to a fox, for Merlin's sake.
The fox, however, seemed to have no scruples with this answer and turned and walked to the edge of the clearing before turning its head slightly to look back, as if saying "Hurry, human." So, she stood up and began to follow the fox. They walked for what seemed like hours to her sleep deprived and exhausted body, but in reality it had only been minutes. They walked through brambles, she had to crouch underneath low hanging branches, and several times, they had to wade through cold streams of mountain water. Eventually, they came to two rows of small trees arranged perfectly parallel to one another creating a tunnel of foliage. The fox moved to stand at the entrance of the tunnel and the woman waited tensely as if expecting a trap.
For a moment, all was normal, and then the fox's five tails seemed to elongate and grow to a position perpendicular to its own body. With a growl, the fox began to shimmer and glow like new fallen snow and with a tiny jerk of its head, it signaled for her to walk forward. In a trance, she moved towards the tunnel, but her eyes were trained on the beautiful display the fox put on and she could not help but be drawn to the sheer energy and power the fox was emitting. For a moment, she was trapped under the spell of the fox, and then with a shake, she walked through the entrance of the tunnel and kept walking, never looking back. For some reason, she felt that if she did, the fox would be gone. She never picked up on the subtle increase in temperature and the palpable feel of humidity in the air, and where once she felt the chill of the night air on the back of her neck, she now felt sweat bead and run. Upon reaching the end of the tunnel, she could spy an incredibly large house in the distance and she started towards it before halting. She turned back towards the tunnel, only to find a wall of thick greenery.
"Thank you," she whispered, and she hoped that, wherever the fox was, it could hear her. She turned once again and started forward, moving out of the edge of the forest and across the immaculate lawn, making it to the base of the stairs. Suddenly, the events of the past twelve hours began to weigh heavily on her and she was hit with the exhaustion from walking through the forest with two babies all at once. She started up the steps to the doorway when the large double doors swung open and framed two tall figures who were standing there. One was a woman with violet eyes and dark hair that cascaded down her back in waves, the other a man with green eyes and wonderful blonde hair that framed his facial features well, but both had the same wonderfully, perfect tanned skin that held the promise of days in the sun and on the beach.
"Anna," the woman called, attempting to climb the stairs to no avail, tripping and beginning to fall. The beautiful woman seemed to recognize that voice and for the first time, took in the supposed stranger's appearance. Ragged clothing, two babies, and exhaustion displayed clearly on her face.
"Eudora?" the aristocratic woman questioned with a voice that was reminiscent of water flowing in a river, soft and melodious. Eudora continued to fall, expecting to meet the cold stone stairs instead colliding with a warm body before blacking out.
Sunlight was streaming through the windows and fell across a large bed in the center of the room which housed a sole occupant. Eudora stirred as she felt the morning rays warm her face and cracked a single eyelid open. Shooting up and throwing the covers off the bed, she remembered the events of the previous night. Hadrian... The clearing... The fox and then a mansion... Anna! She visibly relaxed and fell back onto the soft bed, basking in the morning sun. I did it. We're safe! Feeling replenished from a night of good sleep, Eudora got up and looked around, spying a simple black dress placed over the back of a nearby armchair. Black for mourning. Lily, James... At this thought, she looked at the small bedside table and saw the wand she had taken from the Potter's house. I shall have to put it to rest as soon as possible. I'll simply have to purchase a new one. I had been feeling as if something was happening to the bond between my own wand anyway. I just hope that no one looks too closely at the wands at Godric's Hollow. Resolving to bury the wand outside, Eudora moved to the bathroom and showered with warm water. She couldn't help but feel as if this was the first time she had showered with such luxuries in days. She lathered her light brown hair thoroughly and rinsed the suds out, loving the feeling of once again being spotlessly clean. Having slipped into the dress and out of her room, she moved down the hall, listening for the sounds of children and faintly hearing echoes of laughter a few doors down from hers.
Eudora spotted an open door that the sounds came from and stopped in the doorway, smiling gently at the sight. Three beautiful babies were all playing with toys and tumbling over themselves. One with hair the same shade of brown as her own, and skin that held the pigment of wheat as it grows in the fields, and dark eyes with hints of gold. Theodore, my Theo. Another with hair as dark as night, skin as pale as the morning light, and eyes so dark and green, hauntingly like that of his mother. Hadrian... Harry. And yet another with dark brown hair and a skin tone that came from his parents' respective heritages and the same violet eyes of his mother. Who? "Blaise," a voice registered from just above where the children played answering the unspoken question. Eudora now saw that Anna and Luc sat on a small sofa behind the children.
Both looked at her with concern evident in her eyes. "His name is Blaise, Eudora. Are you alright? Maybe you should lay down again?" Anna spoke again with her river water voice.
"Of course Anna! I just needed a good night's sleep; I was just a little tired," Eudora answered with a strong voice.
"Eudora, you have been asleep for three days," Luc said slowly and quietly as if fearing her reaction. Eudora felt the wind leave her with his statement, and she had to grab the door frame to support her for a moment. The babies continued to play with the toys and observe each other warily, as if waiting for the other two to attack.
"Three days?" she asked with a tremble that didn't even hold a ghost of the voice she had used but a moment before. Anna stood up, drawing the attention of the babies and walked over to Eudora.
"Come with me, sweetheart. Why don't I make you a cup of hot chocolate and we can talk, yes?" she asked with just the slightest Southern twang hiding beneath the aristocratic voice of the woman. "Watch the children, love," she called over her shoulder to Luc, who seemed to issue a rumble as an answer.
Anna guided her through the large spacious mansion and into an impressive kitchen with gleaming pots and shiny granite countertops. She sat Eudora down at the wooden island in the middle of the kitchen space and began to prepare a kettle of hot milk. Moving away from the stove and into a small adjacent room, she emerged with a tin of some sort and retrieved two mugs from the cabinets and spooned a dusty brown powder into the cups. By this time, the milk had heated enough and she poured the liquid into the mugs, stirring the contents around a bit before handing one to Eudora and sitting down with her own mug clasped in both hands. She didn't encourage Eudora to talk, she merely waited, sipping on the delicious drink and relaxing into her chair. Taking a sip herself, Eudora was delighted by the warmth that flooded into her and began to think back on what had happened nearly four days ago...
Eudora walked through the house, calmly and quietly, determined to escape the house without raising alarm or alerting anyone to her departure. She had already retrieved little Theodore and strapped him into a sling across her chest. Remembering the reason for her departure, she sped up minimally. I still have to save Lily... Damn that little rat for betraying them. Why didn't they use Sirius?! She pushed the thought to the back of her head and crept down the stairs stealthily, hoping to just make it down them, through the door, and into freedom. She had reached the bottom of the staircase and had one hand reaching for the door when someone gripped her hard by the shoulder and clapped one hand around her mouth to muffle her nonexistent scream. She had prepared for this event. She understood what would have to be done.
The mystery person dragged her back into the parlor off to the side of the entryway and threw her back, releasing her to lock the door. By the time she had turned to face the figure, the fires and candles had sprung to life casting an eerie glow over the herself and the stranger. From the flickering light, she could just make out the face of her captor and stiffened for a moment before forcing herself to relax.
"Hello Theodore," Eudora whispered.
"Eudora," Theodore Sr said, his voice at a normal level and calm. "Tell me, why are you leaving at this hour?" Eudora debated internally for a moment on whether or not she should answer truthfully. He already knew anyway.
"You know why," she replied icily regaining her confidence. He gazed at her impassively, and eventually strolled forward to stand directly before Eudora and began stroking the back of the bundle across her chest.
"You know you can't leave... The Dark Lord, he forbade it. You know that even if you were to leave, you wouldn't be able to save them," at this he reached into the sling and pulled his son out and held him almost tenderly. "I can't let you go. Either of you; I can't bear to lose you," and with this he turned as if to leave the room, headed towards the door. Eudora walked slightly behind him, sniffling slightly. He turned slightly regarding her with a softer expression, "Eudora... I'm sorry," he said and held his arms open for a hug which she moved to accept. She clung to him for a moment, while holding back slightly as to not crush the baby.
"I'm sorry... I loved you with all my heart," she whispered while pulling back and he looked at her, baffled. She pulled back slightly and grasped the baby in one arm; the other became an arc of motion as she whipped a dagger out and slid it between his ribs and directly into his heart. His confusion turned to shock as the dagger slid through his flesh as easily as a knife would part butter. As his heart made its last shuddering beat, his grip on the baby loosened and he fell to his knees before her, looking up towards her with an oddly peaceful expression.
"I will always..." and he spoke no more. She wrenched her gaze away from the dead, expressionless eyes of her husband, her first and only love, and the father to her precious child. She ran from the room. She ran from the cold aura of her home. She ran from the memories of an age past.
Anna stared at her in shock. Eudora had just recounted the last of her tale, including saving little Hadrian and the fox's message. They had long ago finished their drinks and the day had worn on; Eudora had woken in the late afternoon and it neared twilight now. Eudora stared at a point above the countertop and fiddled nervously with Lily's wand under the table. Anna seemed to finally finish processing all of what she had been told and started to open her mouth.
"Wait, please. I would ask two things of you. First, before you ask questions please tell Luc my story, and ask your questions together. I don't really want to have to recount the tale multiple times or go over the same details repeatedly. Second, do you have a flower garden?" the plea spilled out of Eudora before Anna could ask her first question. To the first, she nodded in agreement and to the second, she regarded Eudora with a confused, slightly worried expression.
"I need to bury Lily's wand," Eudora explained quietly, holding up the wand for Anna to see. A look of understanding passed Anna's face and she stood, taking their cups to the sink.
"Follow me, please," she turned back to the entrance and led Eudora back through the house towards the back. Eventually, they reached a large set of double doors that opened to reveal a large, spacious garden filled with a variety of flora. They both stood in the doorway for a moment, admiring the view it offered. A small stone wall encased the garden, partitioning it from the rest of the grounds and over the treetops visible in the near distance you could just make out the last rays of the sun. You could see small bushes and large flowering trees dotting the landscape of the garden but the most prominent feature was the copious amount of flowers. Little flower beds with pathways between them, and in the center she could see just the perfect spot to lay Lily's wand to rest.
"I'll wait here for you, okay?" Anna asked with a solemn expression.
Eudora nodded and made her way out to her chosen spot. She weaved through beds of petunias, roses, daisies, and daffodils to reach the little circular bed right in the middle of the garden with lilies all around it. Well, Lily, this is nothing if not ironic. Moving through the flowers, careful not to trample any of the delicate petals or stems she found a small area that seem perfect to lay the wand to rest. She felt as if though she should do this the way Lily would have, and began digging a deep cylindrical hole by hand, eventually placing the wand vertically in the hole and pouring the dirt in around it. Keeping her hand over the spot, she said, "Lily, forgive me. I loved you like a sister and I couldn't save you, but by Merlin and Morgana I will protect and love Hadrian in your stead." As she finished speaking, Eudora felt the most intense drain on her magic and after a moment, a small tickling sensation on her palm. Removing her hand, she found a small sprout of some sort. "But how?"
"Magic works in mysterious ways," Anna's voice sounded from directly behind her. As Eudora looked up from the sproutling, it all came to her. James. Her heart twinged in her chest. Theodore. The ache grew. Lily. The ache reached a crescendo and she cried. She truly cried for the loss of her sister, her husband, and one of her best friends. Anna simply held her and waited for the storm of raw emotions and tears to subside.
A/N - Sorry for the short length, but things are starting to gear up and you should notice an increase in length. As always thanks for reading, folks! Don't forget to like my Facebook page for the latest news and content updates and stay tuned for a new update in one week. I will be in the process of moving, so who knows maybe you'll get it early?
