Author's Note – Thanks to everyone who reviewed and/or added me to their favourites/author alerts. It makes all the time and energy I've spent working on this thing worthwhile to know that there people who are enjoying reading this story. Special thanks particularly to pointyearsrule, who made the very valid comment that I should really focus on Kitty pretty soon. I've re-written this chapter taking that constructive criticism into account. As always, any and all constructive criticism is welcomed.
Now on with the story;
The New Land
Kitty put down the mirror as it faded to black once more. She had been so engrossed in finding out more about Kurt's past that she had completely lost track of time. She looked out of the window at where Kurt was busily collecting fruit and vegetables from the garden far below her. She smiled as he scurried up a pear tree, juggling three or four pears before placing them into a large wooden bowl, along with several apples, peaches and plums. After seeing the adorable Little Nightcrawler doll, it was impossible to regard Kurt as a scary demon or murderous monster. It was very hard to be afraid of anyone after seeing such a cute toy version of them. Kitty smiled fondly as Kurt teleported over to a blackberry bush, and began to pick ripe blackberries. He placed them carefully into the bowl, so as to avoid getting them squashed. No, Kurt was no demon; that much was obvious now. He seemed more like some sort of exotic woodland spirit, a playful but benevolent elf, the sort of creature that Kitty had read about in books of folklore and mythology. Kitty watched him thoughtfully, as he began to dig up carrots from his vegetable patch. She had come close to here with the intention of killing him, and he had known, or at least expected, that that was her assigned task. Yet he had saved her when she had lost her fight against the Brotherhood, had taken her back to a place of safety, and had attempted to heal her wound. Even now, he was happily collecting food for her, even after she had mistrusted him and accused him of trying to poison her. Yet he did not seem to be particularly angry with her, or resentful towards her. It was almost as if he was simply desperate for human company and companionship.
Kitty continued to watch him in silence as he continued with his task. He was not ugly, not at all, how could she have ever thought that he looked horrible? His features might be as exotic as those of a tiger, but they were just as beautiful. Now that she had the opportunity to look at him closely, she realised that he was actually really handsome, with high cheek bones, and the athletic physique of a trained acrobat. His yellow eyes were actually rather pretty once you got used to the way they glowed, but there was a deep sadness behind those eyes, as though he had experienced some great tragedy in his life. Kitty suddenly felt a strange desire to get rid of the sadness within those eyes; she wanted those exotic, beautiful eyes to shine with nothing but playfulness and happiness.
She picked up the mirror once more, and looked at it critically. Why did Kurt have such sadness behind his eyes? Kurt had grown up with an imperfect but generally loving family, who had given him affection and attention, as well as the opportunity to use his mutant abilities and receive recognition for his talents. What could have happened to transform the generally happy acrobat and star of the Szardos circus into the feared and hated Demon of Bayville? The answers could easily be found by using the magic mirror, but Kitty had to admit that part of her did not want to see what had transformed Kurt's life so much. There had to be some sort of disaster in Kurt's past for his life to have altered so dramatically. She could not imagine Kurt walking out on his circus unless there was a really good reason for him to do so, and equally, she could not imagine his family forcing him to leave them. Yet here he was, alone and persecuted, with no sign of a circus in sight.
Kitty looked out of the window once more. She could see a waterfall, and pine trees as far as the eye could see. She had seen the view before, from a completely different angle, within the magic mirror. She was clearly in chateau de la mort, the castle of death. But how and why had Kurt ended up staying there, of all places? There were just too many questions, and although she feared that she would not like what she was about to see, her curiosity got the better of her. She asked the magic mirror to continue to show her the important moments from Kurt's life. With a flash of light, the mirror once more showed her a scene from Kurt's past.
Kurt leapt down from the high wire, did a triple summersault in midair, and landed neatly on his feet in the centre of the spotlight in the middle of the huge tent. He bowed to the audience, who clapped and cheered, giving him a standing ovation. Some of the spectators threw flowers towards him, and Kurt picked up a yellow rose, sniffed it, and then bowed towards the young lady who had thrown it at him. He was grinning with pure joy, and it was obvious that he was in his element. It was clear that Kurt loved performing for the crowd as much as they loved watching him. Kurt did a double-back flip, bowed to the audience once more, and then left the tent, still grinning with uncontained happiness.
"It's going well," Jimaine said, running up to him, "the crowd love us here, they love you particularly."
Kurt straightened up in mock pretentiousness, placing a hand over his heart in a dramatic manner. "Of course they love me," he said, obviously trying to keep from laughing out loud, "I'm the star!"
Jimaine laughed, and a moment later, Kurt joined her. Jimaine took the yellow rose from Kurt's hand, and examined it closely. "Flowers too?" she asked. "If we're not careful, your head is going to get so large that it won't fit through the door of the caravan."
Kurt merely laughed. "There's more flowers on the floor, I should probably go back and collect them, so that I can put them in water."
Jimaine shook her head. "I'll go," she said, "remember the trouble you got into the last time someone gave you flowers?"
Kurt became serious all of a sudden. "It won't be the same here," he said quietly, "everyone thinks that this is a costume. That means I'm safe."
Jimaine also became suddenly serious. "No one's ever completely safe," she said quietly, "but we're here, we're family, and so long as you do nothing foolish, everything should be fine."
"Talking about family and foolish, I'm going to see how Stefan's getting on," said Kurt.
Jimaine giggled at the comment. "I'm sure he's fine. I'll go and pick up all of those flowers your adoring fans seem determined to throw at you," she grinned, waved and left.
Kurt grinned back, and then made his way towards where Stefan was waving good-bye to a small family. The younger child was currently chewing the head of a Little Nightcrawler doll, while the older child and parents were discussing the circus. Kurt approached the stall, where Little Nightcrawler dolls stared up at him with sightless yellow eyes. "How's business?" he asked.
Stefan grinned at him. "You're popular, Kurt, I should have thought of this sooner. Who wouldn't want a five inch version of you that they can keep in their pockets?"
Kurt watched as the toddler continued to chew the toy, as his parents examined a stall that was selling sweets. "He's biting off my head!" Kurt muttered. "It feels kind of strange watching a small child chewing my head off!"
Stefan laughed, and ruffled his hair playfully. "Universal appeal, little brother, just like I was telling you before. Everyone from the youngest to the oldest spectator wants a piece of the show, and these," he held up a couple of Little Nightcrawler dolls, "are the pieces they want most of all. We're managing to make up for our lost earnings across the border, everything is going well," he grabbed Kurt playfully around the shoulders, and ruffled his hair once more, "and again, the Incredible Nightcrawler turns the circus around," he said dramatically, "this time via a small, soft toy. Life is good."
"I'm glad things are going well," Kurt smiled.
Stefan returned the smile. "Better than well, little brother, we're able to diversify," at Kurt's confused look, he returned to the stall, and pulled out a box of dolls that were around the same size as the Little Nightcrawlers. These, however, were toy witches. They had black cloaks and hats, long blonde hair and bright, blue eyes. They were riding wooden broomsticks. They looked just as soft and adorable as the Little Nightcrawler dolls, however, and Kurt grinned happily as he examined one of witch dolls. "Jimaine," he said, it did indeed look rather like Jimaine, with the long blonde hair, bright eyes and pretty face. Kurt handed the doll back to Stefan, who placed it back in the box.
"We've started to sell these too," he said. "Lots of people want to see you both immortalised in felt, and want to keep toys of you both as a reminder of your performances here. The Little Nightcrawler dolls sell much better than the Little Witch dolls, though. I guess it's because they're cuter."
Kurt giggled. "Don't let Jimaine hear you say that," he said.
Stefan gave a little laugh, but then suddenly became unusually serious. "We owe you a lot, Kurt," he said, "don't ever forget that."
Kurt looked awkward, clearly not sure how he should respond to that comment. "I won't," he said after a long, awkward pause, "Margali said something similar to that before we came here."
Stefan seemed to stiffen slightly at the mention of his mother, and Kurt gave him a questioning look. "Stefan?" he asked. "What's wrong?"
Stefan looked down, focusing on the Little Nightcrawler dolls rather than on Kurt. "Perhaps nothing," he said, "but I saw Margali walking off to the river earlier. She seemed close to tears. I've never seen her like that before; she's always been so strong and in control of every situation. I wanted to follow her, but there were lots of people trying to buy Little Nightcrawler dolls from me, so I could not just get up and leave the stall."
"Mother, close to tears?" Kurt asked, looking down in shocked surprise. "That's not like her at all. I should probably go and see what's wrong."
"You have a show to put on," Stefan reminded him, "or did you forget that you're our star performer?" There was some of his usual playfulness in his voice, but it was also clear that he was more worried than he cared to admit.
"I've got a little while until my next act, I've not forgotten my responsibilities," Kurt replied, "how could I? But if Mother's sad, then that's something which should take priority over my other duties," he said. He smiled at Stefan. "Don't worry; I know that the show must go on, no matter what."
"Good," Stefan replied, visibly relaxing, "oh, and Kurt, do you still have the Little Nightcrawler prototype I gave you?"
Kurt reached inside his costume, and pulled out his own Little Nightcrawler doll, which he examined fondly. "I keep him with me whenever I perform," he said, "always. I think he brings me luck. Maybe Margali would like to borrow him for a while," he added thoughtfully.
Stefan shook his head. "No, you make your own luck, I've always believed that. Still, keep it with you if you think it helps, it can't do any harm."
A couple approached Stefan's stall, and asked Kurt for an autograph. Smiling, Kurt signed their books, and then watched as they bought a Little Nightcrawler doll. "I'm going to find Margali now," he whispered to Stefan, who merely nodded as he continued to serve his customers. Kurt made his way towards the river, occasionally signing autographs as he went. He made his way towards where Margali was leaning against an oak tree, reading a piece of paper, and occasionally staring out across the river.
When she saw Kurt approach, she wiped her eyes hurriedly, and attempted to place the piece of paper back in the pockets of her long skirts. Kurt gently took her hand, stopping her from hiding it. "Mother," his voice quiet and concerned, "what's wrong?"
Margali sighed, and attempted to smile. "You should be preparing for your next show," she said, and her voice was thick, as though she had been crying, "Jimaine will be wondering where you are."
Kurt reached out and gently took the piece of paper, but then frowned. "I can't read it," he admitted.
Margali took it back. "That's because it's in Italian," she explained, "and I never did teach you Italian now, did I?" She stared out across the river, silent and sad.
Kurt bit his lip in uncertainty. "Mother," he said again, "please tell me what's wrong," his voice was quiet and sincere.
Margali gave him a small, sad smile. "There's no keeping anything from you, now, is there Kurt?" she asked. "It's a letter. One of the boys from the town was told to give it to me. Cheeky lad insisted that I give him a couple of coins for the favour." She tried to smile, but it was not a convincing attempt.
"What does the letter say?" asked Kurt.
Margali sighed, and motioned for Kurt to sit down beside her. "It's about Tonino," she said. "He was my husband a long time ago, and the father of Jimaine and Stefan. They both inherited his good looks and charm, I am pleased to say."
"Jimaine and Stefan's father," Kurt repeated, as though it had never occurred to him that they had a father.
Margali seemed to notice this, and treated him to a small smile. "What? You thought I just grew them like mushrooms?" she asked playfully. "No, I was married once. I know it seems hard to believe, but I was actually quite attractive in my youth."
"You're still very beautiful, Mother," Kurt said.
Margali smiled, but her eyes remained sad and distant. "And you're a charmer to match your brother," she said, pulling him into a gentle embrace, "give it a couple more years, and you'll be fighting the girls off with a stick if you keep that up."
Kurt giggled at the comment. "Mother," he said, embarrassed, "you know that I can't get close to anyone outside of the circus."
Margali let go of him, and then looked at him thoughtfully. "When did you get so tall?" she asked him. "Or so sensible and wise? When did you grow up from the little Kurti I found in the river?"
Kurt shrugged, looking rather embarrassed and uncertain. "Always, I guess," he said, "but that doesn't matter now. What happened with Jimaine and Stefan's father?"
Margali looked out across the river, her eyes sad. "Jimaine is too young to remember, but Stefan remembers. At some level, he's always wanted us to get back together, although he won't admit it, even to himself. But I know; a mother always knows these things."
"And won't you?" Kurt asked. "Get back together, I mean," he clarified.
Margali shook her head. "No Kurt, no," she said, and then sighed, "truth to tell, we should never have married in the first place, but don't tell your brother and sister that. At the time, he was young and charming, and incredibly handsome. I was much less experienced in those days, and flattered that he noticed me and lavished affection and attention on me. I guess I just wanted the fairy tale romance, and I had it too, for a few years. We married and had our little family, but then we developed a difference of opinion regarding certain matters."
"What matters?" asked Kurt.
Margali grinned at him. "He wanted to sleep with other women, and I did not," seeing Kurt's sympathetic look, she gave him a sad smile, "oh, I can't make him out to be the villain of this story, life is usually far more complicated than that. The truth was that he wanted a wife who would be devoted to him, who would put him first, before everything else. Yet my first love, my first responsibility, was always the Szardos circus, and I did tell him that before we were married. It was not too bad until our children came along, then I made it clear that my children came first, before the circus, and my circus came before my husband." Margali looked at Kurt intently, and then gave a huge sigh. "It could not have been easy, being my third priority, when he wanted so much to be my first. It is perhaps not surprising that he looked elsewhere for love and comfort. I knew about his affairs, and confronted him about his wandering ways. After a rather heated argument, we agreed that it would be better for everyone that we should separate, that I should keep my children and my circus, my only true loves, and he should return to his native Italy. But all that was a long time ago," she added, looking at Kurt intently, "when my children were very small."
"And the letter?" Kurt asked quietly.
Margali handed him the letter, and sighed once more. "Seems he's managed to get himself an incurable disease," she said, obviously trying to keep her tone light and playful, although there was a great deal of sorrow in her tone of voice, "so now he wants to see me one last time. You know, to prove to him that he's important to me after all. Of course I cannot," she said, "the circus needs me; I can't just pack up and leave, travel to Italy on a whim. Still," she gave a small smile, "it would be nice to see him, one last time."
Kurt handed the letter back to her. "Go," he said.
Margali shook her head. "I cannot. I have responsibilities here," she said.
"How long has he got?" Kurt asked quietly.
Margali gave another huge sigh. "If he's lucky? Six months. Maybe a year. If not, well, maybe a month or two," she shrugged, "hard to tell, at least from the letter."
Kurt hugged Margali again. "You must go to him," he said, "he might die soon, and then you'll never get the chance to tell him that you still love him."
She pulled away from Kurt, who smiled up at her. "Don't deny it, Mother," he said with a wry smile, "why else would you attempt to defend him when he broke his marriage vow?" You loved him once, enough to make two fine children together. You still love him, if only because of Stefan and Jimaine."
She looked at him intently for a long moment, and then smiled at him. "You see too deeply, Kurt," she said, "thank goodness you only see with love."
Kurt smiled at her as Margali placed the letter back inside her pocket. "But I cannot just leave the circus. It needs me. My children need me, I cannot just abandon my responsibilities," she said.
"We will always need you, Stefan, Jimaine, the circus and me," Kurt said, "but that does not mean that we need you to be physically close to us. The Szardos circus is doing very well, we're really popular here. The Little Nightcrawlers are selling well, people from all over the country are coming to see me perform, and Stefan can handle the running of the circus until you return."
Margali looked down, and pulled Kurt into an embrace once more. Kurt smiled up at her. "We are old enough now, Mother, that we don't need you to be physically close to us anymore. All we need is your love. But your ex-husband, he needs you close; he needs you now, because for him, it might be the last time.
Margali looked at Kurt for a long moment, and then smiled at him. "You are right, my little one," she said quietly, "I have been making excuses, when in fact the main reason is that I am afraid. But you would not let me lie to myself now, would you?"
Kurt merely shook his head. Margali stared at him intently for a long moment. "Did you know that you always had a special place in my heart?" she asked him quietly, seriously.
Kurt simply shrugged, and blushed ever so slightly at the comment. "Along with Stefan and Jimaine?" he said quietly.
Margali nodded. "Along with Stefan and Jimaine," she agreed. She stretched, and looked at Kurt intently once more. "I am not a young woman any more, Kurt," she said seriously, "but I still retain some of the old romantic hopes and dreams I once had."
Kurt merely stared up at her in confusion at the comment. Margali laughed playfully when she saw his expression. "You and Jimaine," she clarified, "the optimist, the romantic within me has always hoped that one day you two would be more than brother and sister, that the love between you would blossom into romance." She laughed lightly when she saw Kurt's shocked expression. "What? You think you are too good for my daughter, do you?" she teased.
Kurt blushed again. "No, of course not," he said, putting his hands up defensively, "but she's my sister. We grew up together. We used to bathe together. It would just be wrong somehow," he said, fidgeting slightly.
Margali laughed and winked at Kurt playfully. "Well, then you've already seen her naked," she said. "Although I can assure you that her body has developed very nicely since the days when you used to bathe together."
"Mother," said Kurt embarrassed, "stop teasing me."
Margali gave a little laugh, and then stared intently at Kurt once more. "No," she said after a brief pause, "it's just the romantic fantasy of an old woman, aging past her prime. Still, it was fun to see your expression just then."
Kurt looked down, smiling slightly, despite his embarrassment. "I have to get back and prepare for my next show," he said awkwardly, "and you have to tell everyone that you will be leaving the Szardos circus and going to Italy for some time."
Margali nodded. "You're right, Kurt," she said with a small sigh. As Margali and Kurt made their way back to the circus, the magic mirror went dark once more.