(Long Authors Note at the End, you don't have to read but it's explaining my long absence.)

Thanks to those who Reviewed/Favorited/Followed, your interest is what keeps stories going.

Music: Escape, Rupert Holmes

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come with me and escape...

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Wizard was once again making his way down town to the third district, the books he had gotten from Merlin were as unhelpful as always, and soon he'd probably run out of material to give him.

Walking faster he blocked that possibility out of his mind and kept moving...letting his mind wander the faces of the townsfolk and the glow from their hearts around him begin to blur.

He didn't understand why the Great Merlin didn't keep his books in a orderly fashion on a bookshelf? Pot calling kettle, he thought in her voice. Knowing that before he met her his books occupied a corner of his house as well, she'd helped him organise them back onto his empty shelves, smiling as she found random recipes used as bookmarks.

Is there a particular reason why you have a recipe for vanilla ice cream?

...I don't know...

Can I have it?

...yes?...

Is that a question or an answer?

...yes?...

Wizard missed her grin, and had grown the need to see it every day.

He assumed it had been weeks since he had woken up on this forsaken world. Endured the pleasantries of the townspeople as they tried to include him into the community, that wasn't a particularity new thing, on his world it was much the same. The people there thought of him as nothing more as the towns fortune-teller, she had found out the truth, and didn't fear being with him.

He never really saw fear in her...not until that night...the one that had landed him here...far away from her.

Every night it was the same arm extending, reaching for her hand, fingertips brushing as they were torn from each other. He was done with the reminder his subconscious kept giving him.

He had been practically inhaling the coffee the café sold, even if the taste disgusted him. Anything to stop those dreams, poring himself into hours of research just to find some spell to find her. All without luck so far. Oh many of Merlins books had spells and theories about interdimensional travel, but none that worked with his type of magic.

Wizard was annoyed, magic on his world was a rare lost art evolving from incantations to control the elements in battle. Those who did use it tended to hide themselves away in remote corners of the world. The natural magic of the their land was slowly dwindling as the world aged on, the once wild lands of monstrous creatures were domesticated and more docile thanks to the magic of the worlds chosen that once cultivated both the land and it's magic. But they died out, those who still had the bloodline of the ancient people were called to lands were the magic was dying out to help the last of the nature spirits rebuild their magic.****

She had been one of these people, and she had been so close to restoring the town. But then it was gone, but she had made it he could feel her heart...it was just far away...thousands of miles perhaps.

If he only had his gazing ball he could have used it to contact the spirits to find her, but it too was lost and such a thing one had to wait to see if it would wash up in some back alley.

He broke out of his stupor as he made it to the giant wooden door marked with runes that led to Merlin s Cavern. He wrinkled his nose at the the thought of the smell of mould and dampness in the cavern where Merlin s house sat reminded him annoyingly of the idiot who lived in the woods of his home world, her home in the middle of the swamp.

She hadn't made an annoyance of herself in Traverse Town, it was unlikely she made it past the Heartless. As much as he disliked her, the thought of her was...Well, enough to what to push it out of his head.

Shaking himself out of his memories he laid a hand on the door, pushing on the fiery symbol and the door let out a round of clicks and groans as it rose.

.

.

.

"I have learned that each world has different of magic." With a wave of his hand the teapot with a lone cup and saucer floated over and poured tea into the cup. "For some it is in their very souls, others absorb it from the world around them, it can be from an object they summon energy from, each world is wonderfully different."

"Magic didn't exist in my world, it was only in kids stories." which was true, and she had stopped believing in magic a long time ago.

He chuckled, "Your world must have been one that magic can be explained with reasoning such as biology or advanced technology."

"Aliens mostly, advanced technology" She shrugged and the elder wizard gave her a look like she'd grown a second head, something Rose had grown used to over her time here.

"Hmm...Interesting..." Merlin scurried over to his large pile of books, shifting them around and muttering as he went. "And what did you say your name was again dear?"

"I didn't, but it's Rose Tyler."

She took a long sip of the tea, savouring the familiar but unfamiliar taste of it as the wizard continued to mutter to himself while shifting around his large books. For some reason the great magic master had only one chair at his table, but she was fine with sitting on the steps that lead up to the table so he could pace around the room to give his lesson.

It certainly was a leap for her, after all her Doctor had informed her multiple times that the magic in fairy tales didn't exist in the universe, most being from misinterpretation of alien technology (or himself). That beings that relied on magic and fairy tale like creatures existed. Since Rose had arrived she'd seen many a strange thing; Yesterday she'd seen a large suit of armour was chasing after a boy in red coat*, the talking duck used a variety of elements, seen many people summon weapons from nothing, talking objects, and just a myriad of strange she could imagine the Doctor explaining away with long spiels of techno-babble.

Honestly after that and whatever she was going to experience in the future it was a sort of relief to just say it's magic.

The old wizard broke her out of her thoughts by dropping a thick tome into her hands, The Art of Magic** written in gold script upon the leather cover.

"This should be a good introduction for you, the basics of magic." Merlin's attention was drawn away when rustling of the fabric he as door was drawn aside and a figure stepped through.

It was a youngish looking man, but looks were deceiving.

He sent a curious glance in her direction as he took a couple of shuffled steps in, but his attention is drawn away by Merlins greeting.

"Oh yes come on in, already finished with the books?"

The man nods, keeping a carefully black expression on his face at he hands over a couple old looking books.

Merlin starts his muttering and the pile of books were shuffled more, meanwhile the stranger stood unmoving from his spot content with not moving a single inch unless it was to shake his head or nod at a book that Merlin offered him.

Grateful that the attention was no longer on her she began to peruse her new book..Chapter One: The Nature of Magic...Oh of all things holy, she was beginning to get a headache already.

Curiously gazing at him from behind the book she was now hiding behind she started to catalogue his appearance. The most noticeable thing about the stranger was his long purple coat, pristine white pants, and pointed boot. His tanned skin made his silver hair more noticeable...and strange for someone who looked so young to have that colour. He also wore a mess of strange jewellery around his neck, and strange markings on the left side his face; a white line followed along the the underside of his golden right eye with three downwards facing triangles under it.

It was a man, a strange one indeed...nothing new for this town.

"...thank you." his soft voice cracked slightly, most likely from not speaking for long periods of time. Tucking the books under his arm he gave the blue robed wizard a nod and her another curious glance before taking his leave.

"He's a new one like you." Merlin cleared his throat. "Calls himself Wizard, I'd love to hear how magic users learned their craft on his world. But he doesn't speak much, just comes in and asks for certain types of books and returns them a couple days later."

"What types of magic is he looking for?"

"Everything for teleportaion spells to scrying spells." The old mans eyebrows furrowed in sudden thought. "You know I one knew of a spell that one could use to enchant object to transport a person or group from one location to another...now if I could just find it..."***

Rose had the sneaking suspicion that he was going to be a while.

TBC

*My own theory that Runefactory and Harvest Moon are related.

**The Elric brothers, this is the only time they will show up.

***A book from a side quest from the Video Game The Last Story for the Wii.

**** Portkeys or the spell from Bedknobs and Broomsticks?

R – References!References!References! I wonder who else will appear...Heh heh...

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Co-written with:

RainbowEcorna

(YouTube, Tumblr )

KarouYamisaki Here,

I am so very sorry guys, it's been a rough six(?) months.

My family has been fighting for over a year in a court battle against my biological father over my sister. I won't go into details but basically if I sold this story to Lifetime they would make a movie about it with all the bullshit involved. No one would believe it's real...It sucks the soul out of you.

Also right before Christmas I was in a car accident and totalled my grandparents truck that I was borrowing (since mine I died and was looking for a new one). I tore the ligaments out of my left shoulder (shoulder separation) and have been stuck at home for two months since my doctor will not let me go back to work. Why not use all that time for writing? I tried but being stuck home all day is draining on the muse that you end up rewriting the same (this) chapter repeatedly.

That and for the first month it hurt to even think about my left arm, try typing.

Finally I'm back to work and the court thing is at a standstill, plus rainbow is finally co-writing with me again.

Till next time!