Hey everyone :) Thanks for reading my story and please let me know what you think!
Thank you so much for everyone who has reviewed and encouraged the story: Acedia RG, demonlrd66, halloweenbaby, Red red red ribbon, rogue-scholar07, the-writing-vampire, allyg1990, xxkittyxxkattxx, gambitfan85, Itamiyumi, Rogue181, and zaddraya (and I'm a huge Nightcrawler fan too!)
I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!
Kitty had never ridden so long in her life. They had managed to make it to the Auvergne region of France by the time dawn broke and just into the cover of the Foret de Mairgny when the sun had really begun to shine. Arielle and Aeolus (1) were exhausted, like Kitty, they were unaccustomed to traveling such a far distance in a short period of time. Kitty followed Remy's lead obediently, heeding his occasional warnings of a low hanging limb or uneven ground. Amoux, his ever faithful falcon, had found them when they had stopped a few miles from the chateau to orient themselves.
Kitty let her mind wander in a sleepy daze as the rhythmic trot of her horse relaxed ad eased her. How did it all fall apart around her? In a moment of panic, she put the lives of her and Remy in jeopardy and now they were forced to flee from the comfort of home. Shame seared at her heart as she recalled Remy's earlier warnings about Lance and how she so casually dismissed them. And now what was to happen to them? The fear of witches and witchcraft was very real in Europe and she was sure that many people all across France would be on the lookout for them. It would take at least a week to make it to Orleans and then from there another four or so days to get to Baden of the Germanic States.
Kitty ducked her head under a branch, swatting at her hair as it got tangled in the mess. She cast a worried look to Remy's back, concerned about what he was thinking and feeling. He hadn't needed to defend her like he did, he could have let Lance do away with her. But instead, here he was, a wanted witch who would be burned at the stake if he ever got caught. He had had a comfortable life, a privileged life really, but now he would have to live as a vagabond, just like he had when he was a child. Kitty felt a burning of guilt well into her stomach and closed her eyes against it.
"Chaton? Are you alright?" Remy asked. Arielle came to a sudden halt and Kitty forced her eyes open. Remy was looking back at her with concern. She took the opportunity to search for any signs of anger or regret in his face and was relieved when she found none.
"I'm alright, just not used to such riding," Kitty answered, rubbing her thighs absently.
Remy smirked as he turned his horse completely to face her, Amoux resting on the back of the saddle. "I noticed. Chaton, you look like hell."
Kitty opened her mouth to protest but decided that Remy was completely right. She was still wearing the ruined dressing gown, her hair was in her bedtime braid, messy with an occasional leaf sticking in it. Her knees and side were dirt covered from when she had dozed off on Arielle and slipped off.
Remy, on the other hand, looked like he was perfectly at ease. Years of having traveled incognito to do a job made him comfortable with spending all night and day on a steed. Kitty took a moment to appreciate his carefree smile, amazed that he wasn't upset at her for putting them in this predicament. If she had been him, she would be furious.
"Remy," Kitty started with a sigh. "I'm sorry I brought you into this."
Remy shook his head gravely. "Kitty, don't worry about it. Promise me something though?"
Kitty nodded eagerly as Remy began to urge Aeolus to trot. She brought Arielle up so they were side by side.
"Practice your gift," Remy said sternly. Kitty had to smile at his choice of words. Where she preferred to say curse, he said gift.
"If you hadn't fallen through the ceiling, Lance would have overpowered you," Remy said angrily.
Kitty shuddered slightly at the memory of his rough hands and his crushing weight on top of her.
"I'll practice, now that we're running for our lives, it really might be helpful," Kitty said with false bravado.
Remy chuckled before he leaned over and ruffled her already messy hair. Kitty pouted her response but made no attempt to swat him away. She rather enjoyed the youthful and innocent expression of friendship.
"We may be running for our lives, but it's still better then being married to you," He pointed out as he pulled his horse to a halt. He nodded to an overhang of trees and bushes, indicating that they would be stopping there.
"This is deep enough, we'll take shifts for sleeping," Remy said as he tied his and Kitty's horses to a branch. He helped Kitty off the horse, her legs barely able to hold her up from the long night.
"You sleep first Chaton," Remy said as he spread out a wool blanket on the ground. Kitty gratefully sank down onto it, pulling off her leather sword sheath and belt and tucking it next to her, keeping it close for comfort.
Remy sat against a tree and drew a book from his pocket. Kitty watched him for a moment, sleep threatening her eyes. His trademark smirk was in place, but there was something more in his eyes. Kitty had only seen that look a couple times. If Kitty was at his home when he would go off on a heist, then she would sit up waiting for him anxiously. He would always come back victorious, the treasure in his hand and that look on his face. He almost seemed to be enjoying this dangerous adventure of theirs, but then again Remy was a man made for danger and a challenge.
Kitty smiled slightly before sleep claimed her. Maybe she could enjoy this little adventure as well.
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A week had passed and they had encountered no problems as of yet. But that was all thanks to Remy and his knowledge of being invisible as possible. Years of breaking into homes and escaping from searching guards was certainly paying off.
Remy took a moment to pull out his map that was marked with their progress. They had traveled 250 miles so far, starting from Toulouse and had managed to stay in the woods for the most part, though that proved to be a longer way to leave France, it was most definitely the safest. They were nearing the vibrant city of Orleans and would have to stop to purchase food. The supplies Claudette had given them were running low even though Kitty had eaten sparsely and Amoux often found them fish when near a river.
Remy pulled out his scale and gauged the distance it would take to make it from Orleans into Baden.
"Another five days, if we plan to stay in the cover of the trees," Kitty answered his silent question beside him, straining her neck to see through the canopy of leaves and branches and up at the stars.
Remy nodded as he pocketed his navigation tools. "Orleans is up a little ways, we can get there by daybreak and resupply."
"Will it be safe to go into the city?" Kitty asked nervously.
"Early in the morning it will be. Dress in the peasant dress and keep your hair tucked into a coverlet. We'll bandage my eyes and say that I'm blind," Remy said with hesitation, knowing that it was risky. Orleans was a larger city, filled with guards. Remy would prefer to avoid it all together, but he and Kitty needed to pass over the Loire River and the only bridge he knew of was the one that led right out of the forest and into Orleans.
"Remy you're a thief. There are better ways to get the food," Kitty pointed out.
Remy chuckled and raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you suggesting that we steal in the middle of the night?"
Kitty grabbed her toiletry bag before dismounting Arielle. She knelt by a stream, motioning for Remy to turn around. He obeyed and turned his horse from Kitty. He had found out that his petite friend had an obsession with washing herself and would sulk if she had to go two days without being able to wash. She had had an actual bath the day before, giving up valuable sleep time and risking someone seeing them for the luxury of washing her hair.
"I'm not suggesting stealing, Remy. Just buying when no one's around. We'd leave the money of course," Kitty's voice rose above the sound of her splashing. She called these little washing times her 'bird baths'.
"Still risky," Remy answered uneasily. He of course could pull it off without a hitch, but he was unsure about Kitty. While she was light on her feet and extremely stealthy, she tended to get nervous when she was doing something she viewed as morally unsuitable. And when she got nervous, she got chatty. He had found that out when they had been children, trying to break into Jean Luc's room to look at his cased sword. It was one of his most prized possession, the first thing he had ever stolen. The sword itself had belonged to Charlemagne (2), making it invaluable and also making Jean Luc very mad when he had heard Kitty's ramblings and found the two holding the sword.
"Not as risky as waltzing into the city in broad daylight," Kitty pressed on. She replaced her dress with a fresher one and soaked the one she had just taken off. She turned towards Remy, his back still to her, and tugged at his shirt, a gesture that she had meant to tell Remy to take of his shirt. Instead, his shirt slipped right through him and into her hands.
Remy jolted a little and turned around.
"Huh, I guess practicing does help," Kitty said as she knelt by the river and dipped his shirt in.
"You know what Kitty, we will go at night. Let's see if your practice paid off," Remy said as pulled a new shirt from his pack.
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Kitty was chatty. Anything and everything was leaving her mouth. About how much she liked the cathedral they had just passed, and oh what a lovely little store front. And did Remy see that The Castle of Perseverance (3) would be performed here?
As she launched into why she enjoyed Romanesque artwork Remy stopped her and took her by the shoulders, looking down at her with his eyebrows raised.
"I know, I know," Kitty whispered as she wrung her hands. They were standing on a side street in Orleans, their horses tied up just outside of the city. It was a simple task really, get into a store, grab some food, leave the money and they would be on their way.
"Relax Chaton, you're not doing anything wrong," Remy urged her as they began to walk again. He spotted a store that looked promising and pulled Kitty to the side of the building.
"Now, just as you practiced, except with two people," Remy whispered to her.
"Big difference there Remy! What if I leave you in the wall?" Kitty hissed. Remy waved off her concern absently, knowing that he needed to show his own trust in her before she would ever develop confidence in her abilities.
"You can do this Kitty," Remy assured her.
"Well so can you! Why do you want me to get us in there?" she demanded in a hushed tone, standing on her tip toes with her skirt pulled up. While the main streets of Orleans were clean and well kept, the side streets were dirty and rat ridden. People too lazy to dispose of their chamber pots contents appropriately would simply chuck them out the window, making a revolting filth that littered the stone around them.
"Because what you can do is incredibly helpful and quiet, now just try," Remy said. She cast him one more reluctant look before taking his arm. She placed her free hand on the brick of the wall and pressed heavily, passing from her solid form and into her phantom state. Taking someone along with her was easier then she would have expected, but still slightly difficult. If she wasn't concentrating hard enough then they would both solidify slightly and going through the wall began to feel like pulling your foot out of thick mud. Finally they both broke through and into the dark store.
"Is all of you still there?" Kitty asked worriedly as she stumbled into a table holding various spices from the New World and Asia.
"Quo, that was just.. different," Remy said as he quickly pulled out the empty food sack. He set about filling it with dried meat and bread as Kitty scrutinized the vegetables and fruit, picking through the ones that were too ripe and the ones that they would take. The bag filled in a matter of minutes and Kitty held a piece of sugar candy out to Remy as she popped one into her own mouth.
Remy made for the wall and took Kitty's arm, ready to ghost through once more.
"Aren't we forgetting something?" Kitty asked as she took her arm from him and folded them over her chest, an eyebrow raised. Remy sighed as he pulled a few coins from his pocket and placed them on the counter of the store.
"Can we go now?" Remy asked, offering Kitty his hand. She took his, mumbling about how they could have at least left the storeowners a tip before stepping through the wall.
As soon as Remy was free from the brick, he pressed Kitty against it, his hand over her mouth. She stood very still, knowing that his keen eyes had picked up something that she had completely missed. Movement at the entrance of the alley caught her eye and she began to phase them back into the store. Remy shook his head and motioned for her to stop.
The sound of voices began to float around them and Kitty strained to listen, trying to translate the conversation from French into English. She watched the shadows as they moved in and out of the moonlight. Her eyes widened when she caught the braided rope that identified the men as part of the royal court. Remy shushed her again and began carefully moving them forward, close enough to listen to the private conversation. Kitty's mind took a moment to switch to thinking in French, but once she did she understood every word clear as day.
"-happened right up in Bavaria," the one mad was saying to the other.
"A witch? A real one? Why didn't they burn her?" the other man replied, awe evident in his tone.
"Her mother sold her to this man. People all over are looking for them, but no one can find them," was the disgusted reply.
"A witch. Can't believe it," the same awed tone breathed.
"Believe it. They said she was too beautiful not to be one. With pale skin and emerald eyes," the other man continued.
"Reminds me of the witch that escaped from Toulouse just last week. A girl of nobility too. It's rumored that she was beautiful enough to enchant a noble Knight right into her bed, which of course made her betrothed, who is also a witch, angry. The man witch nearly killed that brave knight. Their parent's are offering 250 pounds of gold for their heads each, and 500 pounds for the man alive. Everyone's looking for them."
Kitty's eyes widened in fury and betrayal ripped at her heart. Her parents wanted her dead and Lance was being treated like a hero. She squirmed angrily and Remy held her more, hissing in her ear to be still. He reached into his pocket and grabbed a coin. Charging it, he tossed it over the heads of the guards and into the alley across the cobblestone road. A moment later and a blinding blast shook the buildings around them. The guards both swore in surprise before running off to the scene of damage.
"Come on!" Remy whispered as he grabbed Kitty's hand and pulled her out of the alley and down the moonlit street. They ran quickly and as quietly as possible, dodging through the maze of roads and alleys before they spotted the high wall that they had come in by. Their horses were tied up just on the other side. Remy had originally entered the city by standing on Aeolus and easily climbing over as Kitty simply walked through the wall.
"Get us through Chaton," Remy said urgently. She grabbed his hand and quickened her run, pulling them both through. They quickly mounted their horses and set off to the woods, the only safety that was offered to them.
"Remy, we need to get out of France," Kitty called out over the galloping of their horses. Amoux was flying low, keeping pace with his master.
"I know, we'll have to ride harder this time. If we do, we can get to Baden in three days and be in the Schwarzwald. It'll be safer there then here," Remy yelled as Aeolus took a flying leap over a fallen tree. He glanced behind him to make sure Kitty had cleared it also but was pleased to see she and her horse go right through it. He smiled as he faced forward once more, knowing that Kitty was beginning to like her gift.
While they galloped through the forest, Remy couldn't help but think back to what the guards had said. To Jean Luc, Remy was a traitor now and in the Guild, a traitor was not treated kindly. As Remy thought on the various torture that waited for him if he was found, a new thought breached into his mind. The guards had said something else that Remy felt was somehow important and meant a lot to him, but as he recalled their conversation, he could think of them mentioning nothing else except for the witch in Bavaria. Remy shook his head, deciding that a girl with pale skin and emerald eyes meant nothing to him.
Thanks for reading! I hoped you enjoyed this. I know that it lacked some action (and Rogue and Kurt) but that's all coming up very soon. I didn't want to write the story and have them suddenly in the Germanic states. But I promise that I'm done teasing and our other main characters will be entering very soon.
Author notes:
1: Aeolus is a Greek god who rules the winds. And I always associate horses with wind because they're so graceful and swift like the wind, so I thought it was a fitting name.
2: Charlemagne was the King of the Franks and the Christian Empires of the West in 747 to 814. Very famous swordsman and his sword's name was Flamberge (...yes, the dude named his sword, no lie.)
3: The Castle of Perseverance was one of the earliest plays in the English language.
It was fun to write about Remy being in Orleans, instead of New Orleans. Just a little twist haha. So what did you all think? I'd love to know your thoughts! Thanks for reading :)
