Fated To Meet Upon A Starry Night

After much searching, Matthew and Gilbert had finally managed to find lodging in the form of a small inn on the far side of town. They had wondered the deserted streets, hoping that they could find somewhere, anywhere that would take them in for the night. But it was a small town, only a bit larger than Matthew's own hometown, making it difficult to even find an inn.

This town was very different from Quien, though. It lacked the same protective walls, leaving the town vulnerable to intruders (much like themselves) and susceptible to outside attacks, which didn't give the residents the same sense of security that the citizens of Quien had the luxury to have, apparently. Nobody was on the streets, doors were locked tightly, windows and curtains pulled closed, and no business was open. Both young men had nearly given up altogether when they happened across a sign that advertised an inn just down the road. It was the longest walk of Matthew's life.

Matthew had pounded on the door, anxious to finally lie down in a bed. Gilbert had leaned heavily against the small blonde; Gilbert was tired from the use of magic, falling to the earth, and from walking all the way to the inn. There was shuffling coming from inside, a lock clicking, then the door was pulled open. A older man, probably in his late seventies, stood in the doorway with long white night-dress and a robe left untied around his shoulders. Despite his age (and the time) the old man had a spark in his dark eyes. He looked at how Gilbert was leaning against Matthew and scoffed—not in disgust, mind you, but in amusement.

"Wha'do ya kids wan'a this time'a night?" his voice was gruff, yet warm. He felt familiar, like he could be the grandfather that everyone needed from time-to-time. Matthew adjusted Gilbert so that the taller male wasn't leaning on his as much.

"Sorry to bother you so late, sir, but we just got into town a bit ago. We needed a place to stay and were wondering if you could give us a room. We'd be very grateful." The man cleared his throat and stood up straighter, getting ready to speak when a small, plump woman—about the same age as the man—stepped out from behind him.

"Oh, Randell, give these poor boys a room. They look like they've gone through to hell and back," she opened the door wider and shooed Randell to the side. "Come on then boys. Come in and I'll show ya to ye room." Matthew grabbed Gilbert and they went inside, thanking the kind old lady. She waved it off. "It's only wha' any good person woul'do. Now, follow me." Randell shook his head, finding his wife's mothering hilarious, and then headed off to bed, knowing the boys would be in good hands.

Marta, as she had introduced herself, was talking about the inn while she led the two boys to their room. She told them about the old manor that had been turned into the inn, the history, architecture, where all the bathrooms were, and about the breakfast severed at early morning. It was kind of nice to hear her speak, though Matthew doubted he would remember even half of this stuff. Marta stopped in front of a large wooden door and turned around to face them.

"Well, this is your room, boys. Get some rest, and I will see you tomorrow morning at breakfast. You can pay for the room then. Good night, gentlemen." Matthew bid her good night and rushed into the room with Gilbert in-tow. There was a large window to the far wall that let in moonlight despite the curtains, a chair in a the corner adjacent to the wall with the window, and a large bed that took up a great deal of the room. Only one bed. Great.

"Night, Mattie," Gilbert hobbled over to the bed and then just fell down onto it; the poor guy must have reached his absolute breaking point. The albino was asleep almost instantly. Matthew walked to the other side of the bed and sat down, taking off his boots and glasses before lying down on the soft mattress. This was heaven! The only thing Matthew forgot to think about was how they were going to pay for the room. His breathing slowed and smoothed out as he fell to sleep, exhaustion taking over.

~XX~

Matthew woke the next day when the curtains had been pulled open, letting warm, bright sunlight into the room. He sat up, looking around at the unfamiliar room, taking a few seconds to fully remember what had happened the previous night. He felt sad at the thought of Alfred and how because of his own stupidity, he may never see the other again.

Maybe Alfred would understand if Matthew was somehow able to explain the crazy whirlwind of events that had happened in less than twenty-four hours. Seriously, what were the chances that the star they had planned on tracking down would turn out to be a young man, and that Matthew would be stupid and selfish enough to take away his only wish? So far, Matthew was either very fortunate or extremely unlucky. It didn't really matter at this point anyway; what was done, was done, and in the past.

Matthew felt around for his glasses on the nightstand beside the bed. Just as his fingertips brushed them, they clattered to the wooden floor. He was about to jump down from the bed to search for them further when a figure moved in front of where he sat on the bed. Warm hands brushed aside loose strands of blonde hair and neatly slid his glasses into place. The figure and the surrounding room came into focus. A guy close to his own age, with eyes the brightest shade of red he'd ever seen before. Matthew blushed at how close they were together. The other straightened up to his full height to give Matthew a bit of breathing room. He wore an amused look on his face.

"Thank you, Gilbert." Matthew whispered out, too ashamed to look him in the eye. Gilbert took a couple of steps back, smirked and lifted Matthew's chin so that they looked each other in the eyes; red meeting violet.

"It's all right, Mattie. Everything's fine, and I mean everything." Matthew looked to the side and nodded. He felt awful about what he had done. "I'm not pissed at you anymore." Gilbert was trying to lighten the mood, but Matthew still felt awful.

"I'm sorry, Gilbert, for stealing your wish. I promise to help look for a way for you to get back home." Gilbert nodded and brushed his thumb across Matthew's soft cheek.

"I know you will, Birdie. I know you will." The albino quickly gained back his composure and walked over to the door. "Come on, Birdie, lets go get breakfast, I'm starving." Matthew scrambled out of bed and got his boots on, meeting Gilbert at the door. The pair walked down the hallway, trying to find the stairs.

"Hey, Gilbert?" Matthew asked. Gilbert inclined his head, acknowledging the question. "Why do you call me 'Birdie'?" Gilbert laughed and ruffled his hair, simply stating that Matthew was much like a bird; he had been caged for such a long while that his freedom had come at a price. Matthew rolled his eyes. They continued to what was hopefully the dinning room.

The room that they entered was pretty grand, something from out of a castle, it seemed. There was a huge table set in the middle of the room, glowing in the sunlight that poured in from the large floor-to-ceiling windows along one side of wall. There were only a few other people seated at the table, none of them talking much. Marta waved them over to sit next to her. Gilbert and Matthew obliged, not wanting to be rude to the kind spirited lady.

"How was your guy's night? I bet you two slept right good, the both of you looked like you'd pass out right at the doorway. Matthew smiled.

"It was very nice, thank you. We'd both had quite the day and were more than ready for a rest." Now was the question of how they planned to pay for the room. He looked to Gilbert, who was busy shoveling food onto his plate, and sighed. There was no way he would have money, he'd just got here. Matthew looked down at his wrist and saw the watch he'd gotten from his father. Sadly, it held little sentimental value for Matthew, but it was pretty expensive. "Sorry, neither of us has any money to pay you with," he held out the gold watch to her. "But I can give you this watch, if you'll except that as payment." Marta just smiled at him and took the watch from his hands.

"This'll do just fine, young man." Matthew sighed in relief. "Now eat! You're both too skinny." Matthew complied.

"Where is the nearest port town, ma'am? My companion and I need to get to one as quickly as possible." Marta thought for a second, then replied that one was about a week's walk away from the town if they stayed on the road. Gilbert thanked her and they all carried on with breakfast.

~XX~

The warlock let down his hood, revealing his face. Alfred gasped in shock. He had short, choppy blonde hair and thick eyebrows that framed deep, clear emerald eyes. His face was smooth and ageless. This warlock was too beautiful to be real. Alfred still tried to get away, but was hypnotized by those eyes. The warlock spoke.

"Will you please stop struggling? It won't get you anywhere." Alfred stopped and felt the cold, restricting feeling retreat from his body. "Better. I'm Arthur Kirkland, High Warlock of this realm, and you are going to tell me everything you know about the star." Alfred, too afraid to argue, nodded his head. "Good, then." Arthur inspected Alfred a bit closer, there was something about him he couldn't quite place. "Hmm, you have an odd light about you. Almost like..." he shook his head; there was nothing that indicated this boy had any sort of powers.

"Warlock?" Alfred was curious about this little fact. Arthur waved his hand and nodded.

"Yes, yes, a warlock. Nothing too special. Now, about the star..."

A/N: Yes, Arthur is the warlock; congrats to whoever figured it out (though i made it painfully obvious)~ So I was wondering, what other characters would you guys like to see appear in this fic? Any scenario suggestions? Review to tell me :D