X-Men: The Winds of Change
By Ldynwaitin
Chapter Ten
Peter
Charles rolled over in his bed and yawned. The bed felt so soft to him, he just wanted to go back to sleep. Opening his eyes, he looked up and saw a canopy over his head. "Wait a minute," he thought. "I don't have a canopy." Sitting up his head swooned, he felt a hand grab his arm.
"Easy there," Nathaniel cooed. "You're not fully recovered yet."
Charles saw Nathaniel smiling at him. Then it came back to him. The raid on his mansion, Neale kidnapping him, the torture, then the rescue by a mysterious man named Nathaniel Essex. Rubbing his eyes, Charles shook his head. "I'm sorry, I wasn't able to thank you for my rescue."
Nathaniel brushed if off. "I'm just glad I arrived there in time."
Charles head suddenly felt light, Nathaniel looked concerned as Charles rocked where he sat. "I'm fine," Charles sighed. "Really, I feel fine. Just a bit flushed."
Satisfied he was just weakened from his ordeal, Nathaniel sat down on a bright red chair. It was then that Charles noticed that everything in the room was a bright red color. "I'm sure you do," Nathaniel said. "I just want to make sure. You suffered much by that animals hands. I've been taking care of you since you've arrived at my home."
"I really am truly thankful for that," Charles said. "But I assure you that I am quite well." He threw the covers back, and attempted to move his legs to the end of the bed. "Please, I need to get in touch with my friends, let them know that I was rescued."
Nathaniel jumped up and helped Charles to sit on the edge of the bed. "You will, my good man. But I think we should get a nice hot breakfast in you first. You are not quite fully healed from your encounter with Donahue."
Charles' head hung low, it began to spin. He had no idea how long he was asleep. Looking up he saw Nathaniel staring at him, as if studying him. "I have to admit, I am ravenous. I'll accept that offer of breakfast. Then I really need to contact my friends."
"Of course, one step at a time." Nathaniel snapped his fingers. Charles flinched when he saw something scrambling towards them.
A short creature stopped beside Nathaniel. He was dressed in green cotton pants and shirt. His skin was nearly as pale as Nathaniel's. His hair was brown and knotted. He stood about four feet tall. His eyes were much larger than someone of his size and stature would have. He anxiously shifted from foot to foot, worriedly wringing his bony hands.
"Fetch some clothes for him, and bring in a wheelchair for the Professor," Nathaniel ordered the creature. "Go on, off with you now."
Bowing, the creature skittered away. Nathaniel suppressed a smile when he saw the surprised look on Charles face.
"What on earth was that?" Charles asked. "It's like no human I've ever seen."
"That's because it isn't, that was a Nob," Nathaniel calmly explained.
"A what?" Charles had never seen anything close to what stood before him.
"Questions, so many questions in your eyes," Nathaniel said with a laugh. "I see them just waiting to be asked. All in good time, Professor, all in good time. For now we need to get some hot food inside of you. I promise you I'll answer any and all of your questions after you eat. Now the Nob will bring you your clothes, he'll also have a chair with him. Once you're dressed he'll show you where the dinning room is located. I have some things to attend to right now. I will see you there later."
Nathaniel laughed, and shook his head. "I am just so glad that you are finally here, I assure you that your stay here will be much more pleasant than at Donahue's hands. Now, if you'll excuse me." Bowing, he quickly left the room.
As the door shut, Charles saw Erik shoving it closed.
"Don't like him at all, Charles. Don't like him at all. He appears to be too nice. Like a cat invited into your home, until it eats your canary." Cupping his hands behind his back, he slowly walked around the room. "But I must admit he has excellent taste." He jumped on the bed and spread out his legs. "Very comfy Charles, this richness suits you."
Charles tiredly sighed, "I need to contact the others, tell them I'm well."
"Oh Charles, enjoy this while you can. I'm sure the others are doing just fine."
Charles saw the creature return, his small head just peeked over the wheelchair he was pushing.
Erik jumped off the bed, "Now this is very interesting looking. What did he call it?"
"Nob," Charles replied.
The creature happily smiled and ran to Charles, looking up at him it earnestly waited for an order.
Charles reached into the creatures mind. At first he found it difficult to read. Concentrating harder he found it wasn't that it was to complicated, but to simple. Gently entering its mind he was shocked to find there really wasn't much to read. It currently had two thoughts in its head. Charles care, and pleasing Nathaniel. The most important thing Charles found was that he was perfectly harmless.
"Now that is a relief," Erik said. "He is very eager to please you though. Looks like a puppy dog waiting for you to tell him to fetch your slippers."
Eyeing Erik to be quiet, Charles cleared his throat, "Do you have any water? My throat feels a bit dry."
The creature immediately ran to a table and poured water from a pitcher into a glass. He rushed back to the bed, the water splashing out of the glass. He grinned up at Charles. Charles saw that all the creature's teeth were sharp as nails. He pushed the glass towards Charles, splashing nearly half of it on the floor.
Taking it, Charles took a sip. The water was cool and refreshing. Drinking what was left in the glass, he returned it to the creature.
"I thank you…" Charles waited for the creature to tell him his name. Instead it took the glass and hurried back to the table. Placing it gently on the table, it rushed back to the bed. Standing in front of him, it just stood there, as if waiting for another command.
Charles smiled gently at the creature. "Can you tell me where I am?"
The creature looked down, he nervously picked at the threads on his shirt. He looked at the chair with clothes and then at Charles. Charles realized that this creature could not speak.
"Maybe it knows how to play charades?" Erik offered.
Charles patiently closed his eyes. Opening them he saw the creature looking sad. It eyed the clothes and chair again. "I see them, thank you for bringing them."
The creature grinned, his mouth spread literally from ear to ear. It ran to the chair and fetched the clothes. He proudly cradled in his arms a shirt and pants. What troubled Charles was it was not his clothes, but something that Nathaniel picked out for him to wear. It looked far more extravagant than he would have ever worn.
He was surprised to find the bed clothes he was dressed in was made of the finest silk. Feeling a soreness in his chest, he opened his shirt. He found a large bandage taped to his side. Gently touching it, he hissed in pain.
He had hoped the attack on his mansion was a dream, and his capture by Neale was a dream turned into a nightmare. The bruises on his body told him different.
He saw a boney finger reach forward. As it touched Charles, it jerked back. The instant it touched him, Charles saw a flash of the creature screaming in pain, then it was gone. Blinking the creature seemed confused.
He moved his mouth, but nothing came out. He pounded his foot on the floor, frustrated with itself. Charles reached into the creatures mind to find what he wanted to say. He found that there was a capacity for language, other wise it wouldn't understand what it was being told to do. Charles touched on that part of its brain, he saw Nathaniel telling the creature to bring Charles down for breakfast.
"I need a little breakfast, what do you think?"
The creature vigorously nodded its head and moved its mouth. But nothing came out. "I'll tell you a little secret," Charles whispered to the creature. "You don't have to talk to me, just think what you want to say, and I'll know."
The creature's toothy smile was back, nodding his head he scrunched up his eyes. Charles laughed, "You don't have to do that, I can easily see into your mind. Just think it."
Charles heard him say, within his mind, "Think it?."
"Yes," Charles cooed, "Much better. Now give me those clothes…" Charles hesitated. "Do you have a name?"
The creature pulled out a medallion that hung on his chest. Charles could see the numbers 955 embossed on the medallion.
"I don't like this," Erik said, he slowly began to walk back. "I don't like this at all, Charles," he growled.
Charles was also concerned. The medallion reminded him of when Nazi's marked their prisoners with numbered badges instead of names. He saw the creature hold the medallion proudly in front of Charles.
"Well, I can't possibly call you that. You are small like a child, and the green clothes you wear reminds me of a wonderful story I used to read as a young boy. I hope you don't mind if I call you, Peter."
The creature's head tilted from left to right in confusion. "Call me Peter?" He thought.
"Fantastic," Charles said. "Peter it is, now I need to get dressed. I'm hungry. Not just for food, but information."
Peter gave Charles the clothes. It patiently waited as Charles dressed. It then brought the chair over and held it for him as he pulled himself into it. Charles hands tightly gripped the wheels. "I believe I can handle it from here, just show me the way."
Peter ran to the door and held it open for Charles. Erik was standing just outside. Exiting the bedroom Charles wheeled himself into a bright hallway. At one end was a tall stain glass window. Erik was standing in front of the window. His hands moved over a depiction of a knight fighting a dragon in the bright colored glass. The sun's rays lit the hallway.
"Exquisite," Erik softly said.
"Here," Charles heard Peter think. Charles noticed that he was not bright, but picked things up fast. Charles followed Peter down the hallway. It opened up to a large foyer. This room was filled with every conceivable blue color. He saw Erik looking up, at a huge chandelier hanging overhead. The floor was made of the most superb light blue marble. Stopping, Charles took in all the opulence that he was surrounded by.
Every thing here was luxurious and extravagant, from the paintings that hung on the walls, to the huge sapphire blue vases that stood on pedestals.
"Here, here," Charles heard Peter say. He saw him standing in a large doorway. He held one of its double doors open. As Charles was about to wheel himself to Peter he heard something.
It was so faint, that it sounded like a tickle in his mind. Placing his fingers on his forehead, he focused on the sound. Latching on to it, he followed it to its source. Then he heard it as clear as if they were standing next to him. Someone was crying. He heard soft sobs, heart-wrenching cries. Charles head swooned, from the intense fear and sadness he felt. But try as he might, he could not contact the person. He didn't even know if they were male or female. He just felt the darkest of emotions filling his mind, flowing into his heart.
The darkness grew stronger. He wanted to break contact, but could not. Whoever he made contact with, latched onto him. The emotions he now felt was hope, fear, anger, sadness. They came at him so fast, there was just too many flooding his mind. It overwhelmed him. He heard a hissing sound now. It grew to a point of being painful. Charles began to fear for his safety, for his well-being. He felt himself falling into a dark hole with no hope of escape, until he felt someone touch his hand, and pull it down.
His vision clearing Charles saw Peter standing in front of him. "You go away," Charles heard Peter say within his mind. "You back." He smiled proudly at Charles.
"The little thing is smarter than you think, Charles," Erik said. He kneeled in front of him, "What happened? You almost lost me there."
Charles shook his head, he was panting, panting hard. He wiped the sweat from his brow. He tried to clear his mind but the gamut of emotions still whirled around in his head. Something, or someone made contact with him, and then attacked him. He would have to be careful the next time he tried to contact them. He would need to set up a barrier, protect himself until he could find out exactly what had happened.