DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters in the story. They belong to their respective authors/creators.

Chapter 6

I woke up the next morning with a pounding headache and no idea how I got into my own bed. I squeezed my eyes against the light streaming into my room, because it only made my head hurt worse. What sounded like a hammer banging inside my head made me groan.

"Godric, do you need to go up to the castle today?" came the very muffled voice of my mother from outside my bedroom door.

"Not now Mother." I groaned again as I heard the door open.

Footsteps came towards my bed. I turned away, and pulled my blankets over my head. "You need to get up Godric. I thought you could deal with your alcohol better than this."

"I could, but I'm getting old."

"You aren't old Godric. Now get up. Rowena obviously takes her alcohol better than you. She's waiting for you down in the stable. She says you should bring your armor and sword. Lancelot want to spar with you."

I heard her footsteps leave my room, but she kept the door open. I knew I couldn't get out of getting up, so I slowly opened my eyes. The light wasn't as bad as it was at first, but the headache continued. I swung out of bed, and made my way over to my washbasin, making sure that I didn't shake my head too much. I washed my face, and combed my hair. Sometime the night before I had lost the leather thong that held it out of my face.

I got dressed, including my armor, which had been mysteriously shined. I walked into the kitchen, gripping my head from the persistent headache. I sat down at the table, my head in my hands. A teacup was put in front of me.

"I don't think a cup of tea will really help me, and I don't think Rowena wants to wait that long."

She put her hand on my back. "It's not the tea that will help with the hangover. It's the herb from downstairs that will help you. Now drink up. You're right, Rowena won't wait much longer before she comes up and sees how awful you are this morning."

I listened to her. I drank my tea, taking it down in two mouthfuls. It was scalding hot, but I could already feel the herbs affects. The headache was already going away. I stood up, and hugged Mother. "Thanks, I already feel better. Maybe today we'll actually get this school going."

She walked me to the door. "I hope you do. It will be nice to have a place for the kids to go learn."

I grabbed my sword and walked outside. "Don't worry. We are going to figure something out. We already have a place. We just need to come up with more detailed plans and ideas on how to build it." I kissed her forehead. "Maybe I'll get out early and we can move some stuff up to my flat this afternoon."

"Maybe. Don't rush it though."

I smiled at her and began down the stairs. "Don't worry, I won't. You can't get rid of me that quickly." I turned and heard the door close. I hear the clink of glasses as I reached the bottom of the stairs. Already my father was in the shop, making a living.

I walked across the snowy yard, my scarlet cloak billowing behind me. There was a certain feeling that changed once I put on my armor. As if I could do anything. I buckled my sword around my waist, and entered the stable, hoping Rowena was still there.

At first I didn't see her, but then I heard a soft voice from the stall farthest from the door. As I passed my palfrey's door, he knickered. I pet his head, and fed him a sugar cube before moving on. For some reason, a memory that I couldn't quite remember from last night, I almost didn't want to see Rowena.

I looked over the stall door. Our barn cat had given kittens overnight. She was nursing the small bundles of fur, and Rowena was there. She was watching them, and smiling softly. I hated to break the serenity. I cleared my throat.

She jumped. "Godric! I didn't realize you were there."

"Sorry to scare you, but I believe we should be going up to the castle."

She stood up. "You took long enough. Had a bad night?"

I opened the stable door, and she came out. "I don't actually remember, so yes. Any chance you know what happened last night. It's all kind of a fog after about the third Firewhiskey."

I watched Rowena as I asked the question. She did something that the Rowena I knew never did—she blushed. "I don't know. Truthfully, everything is a little foggy myself."

She hurried out of the stable and into the yard. I knew that she knew something, and I attempted to catch up with her. It wasn't until she was already in the road that I was able to catch up with her. I grabbed her arm and turned her around.

"Rowena, you know more than that. Please tell me what happened." I implored.

"I can't—" she tried to reply. My grip tightened.

"I don't like not knowing what I did. You need to tell me Rowena. What happened that I can't remember that is making you so uncomfortable?"

"You kissed me Godric. You kissed me, and I liked it." She stared at me, defiance lit up her gaze.

I let go, shocked that I would actually do that. It took courage to actually show your true feelings, and even more courage if those feeling were to a woman like Rowena.

"Rowena, I'm sorry."

"Sorry? You don't apologize for a kiss. It makes you make it seem like an accident. Like you actually didn't mean it." I had obviously touched a nerve. The normally stoic Rowena looked like she was about to cry. "I didn't want to bring it up because you were drunk, but now I have no choice. Did you mean it Godric?"

I watched her, trying to gauge if I should tell the truth or not. I decided that if I didn't then I would regret it. "Yes, Rowena, I do believe I did. I may have been drunk but I meant it."

She stared up at me. Without any warning, she reached up and brushed her lips against mine. Then without saying anything else, she headed in the direction of the castle.

I followed behind, keeping my distance, but trying to figure out what we had. I knew what happened the night before, but I was still confused. Just seeing her walk before me now made my emotions rock.

I couldn't think about it much longer. We arrived at the castle, and I was put through the rigorous patting down. Rowena walked right through, but I had on my armor and my sword. Lancelot was in charge of the gate, but that didn't stop Reynold's cronies from forcing me to take off all my armor so that they could check to make sure that there was nothing else 'up my sleeve', even though they didn't check my sleeves, which both held a small knife.

I was finally allowed through the gate. Rowena had already headed into the main keep, planning on spending the early morning with Gwen. Lancelot came over to me, and patted me on the back.

"I'm sorry for that. I thought that if I was there, they wouldn't be so harsh on you." He came around to the front of me, and helped me back into the armor.

"If you weren't there, I probably wouldn't have been allowed in with anything but my undergarments. At least I get to keep my armor and sword."

He laughed, buckling in my last piece of armor. "That's true. Now let's go get some anger beat out of you."

It was a good idea to get my mind off of Rowena, and Salazar. All I had to do was pay attention to the fight with Lancelot. It ended with me on the ground, and Lancelot holding both of our blades to my neck.

"You've gotten rusty Godric. When was the last time you had a good fight?"

I stood up, twisting my muscles from the fall that I had taken. "The last time Ifought you. I haven't had this armor on and actually done any physical activity in ages. It's good to do though."

"That's true. Why don't you come to the barracks. I might have something clean and dry you can change into before the meeting. I don't think Gwen would be too happy if we both turned up in sweaty clothes."

We walked together to the opposite side of the yard, where the barracks were. Lancelot, as the King's Captain of the Guard, stayed in a full set of rooms above the rooms where the common soldiers stayed.

"Talking about Gwen, Lancelot you had strong feelings for her, didn't you?"

Lancelot shot me a gaze that could have killed. He opened the door to the stairs up to his rooms. "And why do you decide to bring that up now?"

I shrugged. "No reason really." Lancelot gave me the look that he didn't believe me. We entered his rooms, and he went into his bedroom, while I waited in the sitting room. "After we left you last night, I walked Rowena to her parent's place. I wasn't exactly one hundred percent, and apparently I kissed her."

Lancelot came out, and looked at me before tossing me a clean pair of breeches, shirt, and plain green doublet. "You kissed Rowena? Do you have a death wish?"

"No. As I said, I was drunk, and I didn't really think. But this morning I brought up the fact that I didn't remember anything, then she told me." I paused, wondering how Lancelot would help me out with the next bit. "Then she kissed me, and hasn't said anything since."

Now, I know that I am kind of a good looking man, but I had never actually been in the position with a woman that would compromise my station. But now, I had no idea what to do, and I had never been in that position. Lancelot had a lot more experience with women and I valued his opinion.

So he surprised me when he laughed. "You want my opinion on Rowena? Well, she is not like most women, but I can guarantee she is now over in the keep talking to Gwen about this exact thing." He pinned his cloak around his neck and pulled dup the hood. "Honestly, I would see where it goes. I can see it in how you look at her that you like her. But Rowena will not just fall into your arms. You are going to have to work for it." He held open the door. "Good luck. Let me know how it goes."

I led the way, letting what Lancelot take over my thoughts. I knew that I should be thinking about the school, but I couldn't help my mind, which wanted to wander to Rowena at any chance it got. I was starting to think I had been slowly falling for Rowena for ages. She was always there, and I couldn't ever imagine life without her. It was quite the revelation, but I wasn't about to talk to anyone about that, until I had talked to Rowena. I just wasn't sure I was ready to talk to her yet.

Lancelot and myself were the first to arrive in the King's study. Even Arthur wasn't there yet. "Take a seat Godric. I'm going to go and see if I can find Arthur." Lancelot left through the door that led to Arthur's private rooms.

Which led to me sitting in the study, soaking in my own thoughts. And that was where Merlin found me. I was startled when the door slammed open. I turned to find two piles of books floating into the room before the door closed again. Merlin was behind them, holding his wand out to keep the books in the air. With a flourish, he released the books, which fell into a pile on the table.

"How are you Godric? I heard you had a bit too much to drink last night." Merlin took a seat next to me.

"Father had some herbs in the shop that put off the hangover. Besides that, I'm feeling pretty good. Why didn't you join us Merlin?"

"I was busy with these. You wouldn't believe how many books have spells for protecting against non-magic folk. The only problem is that most of them are either dangerous for those with magic, those without, or even both. Here, this one," he shuffled through the books, at last finding the one he wanted, a large tome with light gold filigree on the cover. He flipped the pages until he reached the one he wanted. "This one is a spell that would protect from any outside invaders." He raised his hands, forming a half sphere above the table. "It makes what is like a glass bowl above the building needing protecting.

"The only problem is that once someone is in, then no one can get out without releasing the spell. No one can get in, but it would also kill anything that tried to get in. It would be like running into a glass wall, which then burned you alive. Anyone from the inside or outside would catch on fire, and it's not a normal fire. It's a cursed fire, one that a person with magic can just cast a spell and be tickled. And, in addition, do you know what the problem with a glass wall is?" I shook my head, though I thought I already knew. "You can see through it. I've found another spell that would just give us the glass bowl, but we still need to deal with non-magic folks peering in. Our biggest issue right now with the protection spell is that we don't want anyone to see in. And I haven't found a spell that I could add to this bowl that would do that."

"I think I could help with that," came a voice from behind us. I startled, looking at the door to see Rowena standing there. "My mother was experimenting with different spells, and I know one of them a confusing spell, before she died. I could look into her writings and see if I could find it."

"Do you think that it would be able to be put onto another spell, used in the same area at the same time?" asked Merlin, twisting in his chair to look at Rowena.

"It's possible. And if not, you and I could probably figure something out." She walked around Merlin and sat on the opposite side of him than me. I couldn't help but wonder if I had anything to do with that.

So, I decided to put my own input into the conversations, as I was starting to feel like I was being left out. "That's all fine and good, but what about the scale of the magic needed to make this? We are putting a castle under it. That's going to take a lot of magic. Do you think that you two, along with myself, Salazar, and Helga can do that?"

Merlin shrugged. "I don't see why not. At least this spell says that it could be done in parts if need be. It would take a lot of strength, but we could do it without needing much extra help."

"What would take a lot of strength," asked Arthur as he entered the study, taking the largest seat at the table. Lancelot followed taking the seat to his right, closest to me.

Merlin pointed to the book that he had open. "Putting this spell up around the castle and grounds of our school. The four of us can do it, but we probably won't be doing much else for a few days after. We would need rest before doing anything else."

"I don't think that's a problem. Once we have the spell up, you can rest in the castle."

"That may not be the best idea. We probably want these spells up and operational before we begin building the castle. If we don't then any non-magic folk who decide to come into our little valley will see a giant castle being built with magic. We would be signing our own death warrant."

"Death warrant? That doesn't too good." Salazar walked in, closely followed by Helga, who looked like she had run all the way there from her flat. Salazar sat next to me, while Helga took a seat between him and Lancelot.

I decided to explain. "We are trying to figure out whether to put up the castle first, or to put up the protections instead. We have decided the protections first as we don't want the , as you call them, muggles to see us and sentence us to death. We won't be able to wipe all of their memories if they start coming in waves."

Arthur leaned forward. "I think we can come in handy there. We can keep people away. I don't know if there is more than one pass into the valley, but Lancelot and I can say that there is a training exercise in the valley. That way we can use a few soldiers to help keep up the façade."

Salazar glared at him. "And let more muggles find out about our castle?"

"And that is where I can help. I know there are at least fifteen soldiers on the Guard—both the King's Guard and the City Guard—that are wizards. There may be others I don't know about. I'm sure they would be more than willing to help. The reason they have joined the Guard was to keep the muggles away from any wizards. It's worked for now, and I know they probably know more. I'll speak with them when we are done here."

Lancelot gave me a curious look. "I didn't know there was anyone else like you in the Guard. I should know who they are."

"They didn't want to be recognized. They decided that they needed to be anonymous and common. And they don't all know each other. It's so that if one is caught, they won't all be caught at once. It's why I don't know all of them."

Lancelot nodded. "I suppose but I don't like it."

Helga looked around at the people at the round table. "So, we should go and check out this valley. We need to know the area we are working with to get an idea of what needs to be done."

"And how exactly are we to do that Helga? We can only aparated with one person, and only you and Godric know where you are going." Rowena knew how to shut down anyone's idea.

But Helga, who had been friends with Rowena since before I knew either of them, was able to stare her down. "Then we each take one person at a time until we are all up there. I shouldn't take long." She smirked, then took a hold of Lancelot's arm and disappeared.

Arthur sighed. "I don't think I will ever get used to this thing called aparation. The idea of going up to Scotland, and coming back before anyone notices seems crazy."

Salazar looked at him, and I saw a brief moment of disgust, before his face cleared. "It catches some of us unaware too." Then, as if to prove his point, Helga popped back, without Lancelot. Everyone in the room jumped.

She turned to me, a big smile on her face. "I forgot how beautiful the valley was! I left Lancelot by the base of the waterfall, where uncle used to take us swimming. You remember the place?"

"Of course." I turned to Salazar and held out my arm. "Shall we?" I asked, a goofy grin spreading across my face. Salazar gave me a look that most would cringe under. However, he still grabbed my arm, and I thought about the valley waterfall, and twisted.

It felt like we were sliding through a small but long quiver. I couldn't breathe. I could still feel Salazars arm on mine, but it felt like he was letting go. Before he could, we arrived at our destination. I took a few deep breaths, and looked around. It was just as I remembered it.

We were at the south end of the valley. Before us, the river wound slowly in smaller waterfalls than the one behind us through the valley. I could see forests, meadows, and even the small lake that was at the north end of the valley. I could also see the small cottage beside the lake that we would always stay in.

I felt Lancelot let go of my arm, staring out at the beautiful valley. "So Salazar, is it worth it? Working with Arthur and Lancelot? To see this?"

He just nodded. I heard footsteps behind me, and a pop from off to my left. Lancelot came beside me. "This is perfect."

"Oh, it's beautiful." Gwenivere took a step forward, letting go of Helga's arm. I looked at her, and smiled. A gust of wind came down from the surrounding mountains. I tugged my cloak tighter around my body. We returned to London to bring the rest to the valley.

Once we were all there, Helga and I allowed them a few moments to take in the sight of the valley, before corralling them down the overgrown trail next to the river. It had been nearly ten years since our uncle had passed away. There was now ten years of growth on the trails, along with a foot of snow. It was easy enough for those with magic to keep dry, casting a spell on our boots to remain warm and water proof. I kept my cloak tied tight around my neck.

It took us a good part of the rest of the morning to reach the lake. Everywhere we passed on the way there was not good enough to build a castle. It was only when we reached the lake that we found the perfect place.

A flat area at the top of some cliffs overlooking the lake was perfect. There were some small trails that seemed carved out of the cliffs that led to the top. There was also a series of caves underneath, that our uncle liked to keep his boats. The top of the cliffs had a grassy path to the side that led to a large open meadow. And it was close to the pass.

It was Helga who came up with a problem. "How are we going to get all the children here? We can't exactly aparated them all here. It would be practically impossible."

Rowena had an answer. "How about carriages? They could start in just outside Glasgow, so no muggles would notice."

"But how would the children on the south coast get there. Glasgow is awfully far away." Salazar, always worried about the children from his own part of the country, brought up this little problem.

"They can take another series of carriages from London. It would take a few days to get to the school, but they would get there in the end."

We discussed it for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, as the sun was sinking below the mountains, and right before it stopped glinting off the lake, we left to return to London. The last to leave were Rowena and myself. I truthfully didn't know if I wanted to leave quickly, or wait and see if she wanted to talk. I decided to leave, but she grabbed my arm before I could aparate.

"Godric, we need to talk."

I turned to look into her grey eyes. "What about?" I asked, knowing exactly what she wanted to talk about.

She glared at me. "You know Godric. We can't just hid behind our friends. What is it that you want?"

The glare would have made any man cringe. I took a step away, but she kept a hold on me, not wanting me to aparate, and she would lose her chance. Since I had no choice, I took a chance and told her the truth.

"Honestly Rowena, I want you. At least, I think I do. But I don't know because I've never felt like this for anyone. You would be the first, and I think you feel the same way. Neither of us know what we should do, so we are both playing each other."

She stared at me, a small smile creeping across her mouth. A mouth, that I might add, that I had a sudden urge to kiss. "You are right. I don't know what I'm doing, and you don't either. I do know that if there is anything, you need to court me."

I'm sure she thought I looked like a lunatic. I stared at her open mouthed. "Court you? And what exactly does that mean?"

She laughed, a pure sound that echoed around the valley. "It's where we go for a ride, or a picnic, or get something to eat. Once we've courted long enough, and we continue to like each other, then we get married. Is that simple enough for your thick head?"

"Yes." I paused thinking before continuing. "Rowena, would you like to join me for dinner at the Leaky Cauldron tomorrow night? Just you and me?"

A sudden change came over here. "I would Godric. Would you be coming by my flat to pick me up?"

I sighed. "I would love to."

Smiling, she let go of my arm and stepped away. "Good, I'll see you back in London then." With a swish of her cloak and pop, she was gone.

I stood there a moment wondering what just happened. I truly did feel like we had something, and now it was changing drastically. Rather than being like a brother and sister, arguing all the time, we were starting to get along. And now we were courting. It was a welcome change, but I wasn't sure I was ready for it.

I was distracted when I aparated. I was thinking of London, but my mind was somewhere else. Halfway through the journey, I felt a tug. I didn't think much of it until I arrived at my destination. I closed my eyes, and took in a deep breath.

When I opened them, I was not in Arthurs study, like I wanted to be. Instead, I was standing in an open field, with trees in the distance. At first I thought I was alone, but when I turned around, I saw a woman in a cloak standing, staring in the opposite direction. I recognized her stance, and the cloak. Even in the pale evening light, it still glinted with the small emeralds that were sewn in.

"Morgana, what am I doing here?" I asked, striding over to her.

"You have no idea what this place is going to look like in a thousand years." Her voice was quiet, and she slowly turned to look at me.

I had no idea what she was talking about, but I absentmindedly put my hand into a pocket in my cloak which held my non-working watch. "What are you talking about Morgana?"

She looked down at my hand then back at me, a smile creeping across her face. "Oh I think you know, or at least you will know."

I shook my head, confused, but curious why she brought me there. "Why am I here? And how did you manage to pull me off course? I didn't think that was possible."

Her grin got even larger. "It is, if you are me." She turned back to look at the empty field. We stood there for a few minutes, staring at the field. I would have left, if I hadn't known that she would pull me back like she did already. Although I didn't know how she did it, I didn't doubt that she would do it again.

She pulled her hood down, letting her raven hair waterfall down her back. She turned to look at me, and her green eyes glinted in the sunset. "Want to see a trick?" She started walking away before I could say anything.

She disappeared behind a large rock. I heard what sounded like a door slamming. Then a whirring and grinding sound. Before my eyes the rock disappeared. Seconds later it reappeared above the field holding a large rock. Within five minutes over twenty rocks were arranged in a circle in the field. Some were standing and some had fallen.

The large rock appeared right in front of me. What appeared to be a door in the rock opened and out stepped Morgana. "Any chance this rings any bells in your puny little brain, Godric?"

I shook my head and closed my mouth which I had just realized was open. "Why would I recognize this? You just filled an empty field with a flying disappearing rock!"

She shrugged. "Trust me, you will. When you get home, open that watch you keep fingering and check out your old flat under your parent's flat. Then come to me." She turned to return to her rock.

"Wait!" I called, making her turn around. "You can't just leave all these rocks here, and go around in a flying rock. Explain to me how you did this, and why you pulled me here." I was getting fed up with her half-explained secrets.

She smirked. I knew then that she expected me to ask. "I'm glad you asked. These rocks are from the future." My surprise must have showed on my face. "I know you think that's crazy now, but trust me, you'll believe me in a few days. 3,000 years to be exact. They were mined from a quarry about 100 kilometers from here. Then made into a castle up in the north. I think I broke that castle down." She smiled, looking away towards the rock circle. "So I brought the rocks here. Future scientists will think that the rocks have been ehre for 4,000 years, but they've only been here for 1,000 when they start looking!"

"You can't be serious."

"Oh, but I am Godric. You just wait until you get there. You'll love it." She opened the door to her rock, and looked back at me. "Enjoy your time here Godric. I can assure you that it won't last long." I watched as the door closed, and the sound started again. The strange whirring and grinding sound started then disappeared with the rock. I waited for it to come back but it never appeared.

I stood and looked at the stone circle. I had no idea what this was going to be, but I knew that I didn't want to be here when the muggles found it. I twisted in my cloak, thinking of Arthur's study. I felt what felt like I was being pushed through a small tube before arriving in the study.

Everyone around me stared at me shocked. I fell into a chair, placing my head in my hands and closed my eyes in disbelief.

"Godric, where have you been?" I looked up to see everyone staring at me, now worried rather than shocked.

"You wouldn't believe me." I put my head back in my hands.

"Try us." Arthur came over and pulled a chair up in front of me.

I looked up, and decided that these were people I could share with. So, I explained what happened. Beginning with her pulling me out of course during the aparation, to the large rocks that were now in the middle of a field.

The majority of the people in the room looked shocked. Arthur, Gwen, Lancelot, Helga, and Salazar looked at me as if they couldn't believe me. And I didn't blame them. If it hadn't happened to me, then I wouldn't believe it myself.

But Rowena and Merlin were a different matter. Their faces showed that they knew exactly what I was talking about. At least some of it. When I mentioned how Morgana had put the stones in the middle of the field, the glanced at each other. I could tell they were shocked by the news.

"Rowena, Merlin? You need to let me know what's happening."

Merlin looked to Rowena for guidance. Getting none, he looked back at me. "You need to open you watch Godric."

I pulled out the watch. "Why?"

Rowena answered this time. "Haven't you ever wondered how you know that's a watch? No one else at this time has a watch. It won't be invented for another 600 years. How do you know it's a watch?"

Helga stepped up from behind me. "What is a watch?"

I looked over at her. "It's a timekeeping device. I don't need a sundial to tell what time of day it is." I stared at Rowena. "What will happen when I open it?"

"That is a very good question. Rowena, what is happening? I order you as your king to tell me."

She shrugged. I looked down at the watch. I didn't know if I wanted to open the watch or not. I had a bad feeling that everything that was happening was somehow Morgana's fault. But at the same time, deep down, I knew that I didn't know everything. Like my whole life was a lie.

So, I opened the watch. A stream of golden light came out of the watch. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't look away. The watch held my attention. The light streamed into me. I had a sudden rush of memories. Places of the future, and the past. The people that I was. I looked like I was multiple people. I had many faces, and many companions. But Morgana, Rowena, and Merlin always were there.

I opened my eyes with a brand new look on life. Suddenly everything was full of color and light. I looked around, seeing my friends for what seemed like the first time ever.

I grinned. "My name is Godric Gryffindor. I am a Timelord, and I am from the planet Gallifrey.

I hope anyone reading this is enjoying it! I will probably be writing quite a bit in the next few days, but we will see. I am about 10-15K words behind where I should be. We'll see how it goes. Please R&R!