Appallingly badly organised convention over, and ncsupnatfan now flown home (with the sunshine packed in her rucksack)
leaving me blubbing at the airport. However, Jenson told me I've got to go visit her and see the beautiful area she lives in.
Who am I to ignore his advice? Now...Where's that old suitcase?
Chapter 10
-oOo-
Not really sure himself about the why of it, Sam stood himself sideways on to Dean before trying to gently wake the sleeping man. The swift punch bypassed him, but still Sam swallowed hard at the recognition of where it would have connected had he not trusted his instinct.
"Whoa! Relax Dean! It's me...Sam...It's time to get up and get into your uniform; we're due to meet the Keeper...Bobby...Shortly...Dean?...Deannick?"
"S'mpson?"
"Sam...Are you with me yet? How are you feeling? I've warmed some ale** for you. Or if you'd rather, I can fix you some warm milk and honey. Which would you prefer? I'll bring it over to you. Or would you rather get up first?"
"Wha'?... I'm fine. Warm ale is great. And since when did you start being such a fuss-butt?"
On the outside, Sam grinned and brushed Dean's comment away, telling him not to get used to it, the real answer he kept to himself. Since I found out you are my brother.
**A very weak breakfast ale, much like that drunk by medievil man in the real world as water could make an individual ill and tea/coffee wasn't yet available.
-o-
"Your bath is ready Your Highness."
Brier Rose bounced happily on her bed.
"Did you remember to make bubbles in it, and put out the pink towels, and is rubber ducky in there?"
"All just as you like it, Highness."
"Goody. I'll shout when I want my hair washing."
The process of getting the princess ready to be presented at her birthday banquet had begun and since hearing that she wasn't to be betrothed to some stranger, Brier Rose had been happy and amenable, enjoying the thoughts of being the centre of attention at her birthday banquet. She intended to shine that evening, impressing all the high and mighty guests with her flawless manners, her maturity and her witty conversation. Right now though, rubber ducky was floating around in her bath, waiting for her to go play.
-o-
Lady Garritass fluffed out the princess' gown that she was to wear that evening. Her mother had insisted this gown be made in a dusky pink fabric, the same shade as the flower her daughter was named after. It's fit looser than her birthday ball gown, it had a high collared neckline and it was tied around the waist by a broad, ivory ribbon formed into a large bow at Brier Rose's back The Queen had wanted this gown to represent Brier Rose the child, still only sixteen years of age. The following day's white gown symbolised her daughter's transition into adulthood on the advent of her seventeenth birthday. Most people thought it was so much woolly nonsense. Brier Rose would still act like Brier Rose whether it was her last day of being sixteen, or her first day of being seventeen. How much could a person really change in a single night?
"Awww. Listen to her, chatting away to that little duck toy. She's really still just a bairn** I'm glad she's not going to be betrothed. There's plenty of time for that kind of thing when she's older."
One of the younger ladies gave a short burst of laughter.
"But, earlier today you couldn't wait for Prince whoever to turn up and take her away!"
Lady Garritass glanced towards the bathroom door before scowling at her junior.
"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about; and I'll thank you to keep your mouth still and your hands busy if you please!"
The junior Lady in Waiting glared and pursed her lips, her cheeks reddening, but she said nothing and returned to selecting jewellery that would compliment the colour of the gown.
"Cooeeee? I'm re-deeeeee!"
Nose in the air, Lady Garritass scuttled off to wash her mistress' hair.
**Bairn = Baby
-o-
Bobby reached down and brushed Sam's hair back off his face, disappointed when, as usual, there was no reaction from the deeply sleeping Hunter to his touch. Since hearing Dean moan, there had been no further sound or movement from either one of the brothers and Bobby found himself looking forward to the opportunity to speak with them and see them up and about, as they should be, even if he was interacting with them via the Dream Root and it wasn't the real life Sam and Dean, his Sam and Dean.
"I gotta admit to the both of you, I ain't too happy 'bout leavin' the other two to deal with this, but unless they sort it themselves, I ain't gettin' you pair back any time soon. Oh, I know. They're you; but they ain't got your memories or your experience. They don't recall bein' trained for the job. It's like they're you goin' out on their first ever hunt, without your pa guidin' 'em through...Shit...C'mon Singer. No point gettin' maudlin'. Time to meet up with 'em, give 'em what help I can, then beam back outta there...Right...Let's go get this show rollin' boys."
-o-
"Oh, for goodness sake. Why isn't there a pumpkin patch close by when a poor little witch needs one?
Hands on her hips, the recently retired shop keeper witch stood by her car glowering at the corn fields all around her. Mice hadn't been a problem, she'd already caught two and they were currently sat trembling inside a small cage on the passenger seat of her vehicle. Everybody knew that the best vegetable for transforming into carriages were pumpkins but, despite driving around for the past four hours, she hadn't come across one solitary pumpkin patch. When she at last remembered it wasn't the right season for them, having wasted so much time searching, it simply infuriated her more and, with a wave of her fist, one field full of ripening corn instantly re-defined itself as a pumpkin field. While taking some satisfaction from knowing the transformation would both shock and enrage the farmer who owned the field, she herself could not make use of a single one of the now readily available pumpkins. If one could simply magic up any ingredient needed for any kind of spell work whenever one wanted, much of the skill, wisdom and artistry that practitioners of the craft have to master would become defunct, leaving the way open for any level of moron to become a witch or a warlock. And so, she needed to use a naturally created pumpkin, of which there were none available.
-o-
The witch sighed, telling herself not for the first time that, if her appearance in any of the dream sleeps she cast on people necessitated her own arrival being via carriage, she would have to remember to limit the use of those stories to times of the year when pumpkins were plentiful. As it was, she was going to have to be inventive and probably put up with a smaller sized carriage. She cast her mind back over the fields she had already passed in her search. Broccoli it is then. Climbing back into her car, she executed a speedy nine point turn, and sped off back towards the field of broccoli she had passed not long after her search began.
-o-
Bobby stared at the amount of dream root he had got left, trying to decide how long he was likely to need to be in Sam and Dean's dream this time around.
"Meet with the dream brothers, probably need to fill 'em in a bit about witches. Give 'em the scrolls an' explain how to use them. Remind 'em what will happen to the princess and the real them if they screw up. Wish 'em luck an' leave 'em to it while I come back here to sit, get impatient about how long they're takin' and frustrated that I can't hold their hands, stare at my boys for any sign of 'em wakin'. I reckon that about covers it. So, say I'm gonna need an hour in their dream, then add in another fifteen minutes for good luck."
Bobby glanced at his watch.
"Enough time to have a cold beer before I get my blanket on an' swallow this shit down...Happy days."
-oOo-
Chick xxx