I know it's been a while, and I know this one is about half the length of my usual chapters but hey… at least it's here. Anyways enjoy it, review it, and I promise to the next one will be longer and sooner.
Jujube15 – lol good to see that you're still keeping track of this. Have fun reading
DestinyEntwinements – lol that review has to be one of the most entertaining ones I've ever seen. Anyway here we are again, and we are still in reality. Sounded like you were on caffeine last time…
mis-HD – Torture… I don't know if this counts… but I swear, I'll beat up Draco one of these days lol. Just kidding.
moongoddess86 – Thx again for the reviews.
SamerA Jay – Well I'm glad you like how I write and think… I think… but anyway thx for the review.
Joelle Lee – Well I'm glad I caught your attention. Thanks for your review.
Maben00 – Thanks!
Now everyone enjoy the chapter! (short though it is)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Chapter 27
When Harry opened his eyes, he felt a surge of panic course through him. The walls around him were different from Hogwarts. Had he been dreaming again? He felt something warm move against his back and turned his head just slightly. He relaxed a bit when he saw the blonde head on the pillow next to him, but he was still uncertain whether this was his reality. He slowly pushed back the green covers and was about to stand up when something glittery caught his eye. He looked down towards his waist and found the symbol of water, shining up at him from the underside of Draco's arm. I'm still here, Harry thought, feeling very relieved.
He sat up carefully so as not to wake his boyfriend and looked around the room. He knew it wasn't Hogwarts but the room itself looked oddly familiar. The green and silver hangings of the room reminded him of Slytherin, but the white marble walls and white wood furniture reminded him of something else that his sleep muddled mind couldn't place.
He sighed and closed his eyes, leaning back against the headboard. He couldn't believe that yesterday morning he had thought this was a dream. It seemed so obvious now that it didn't really make sense. He knew, after all, that his parents had died. He knew that he and Draco had spent the last six years hating each other. Even though he knew all that, he also remembered growing up with his family and Draco in that other world. He remembered the games that they used to play at school, the strategies he used against his brother and father. His memories seemed so real.
Maybe they are, Nox said reasonably. Harry found his glasses on the table next to the bed and looked around for the dragon. He found him sprawled out on the window sill, resting in the morning sun as it poured in through the opening.
How can I have two sets of memories? Harry thought, a little annoyed with the simplicity of the dragon's statement so early in the morning.
You wanted to fit into that world so much that you took a piece of it with you when you left, the dragon responded. Harry considered that while watching the splotch of sunlight move inch by inch across the floor. He supposed that such a thing might be possible. He shook the thoughts away and looked around the room again, trying to figure out where he was and why it felt familiar.
He stood up carefully, making sure not to wake Draco with his movements, and walked over to the window. He stroked Nox gently in greeting and looked out towards the rising sun. He let his eyes drift closed and stood there, breathing deeply the fresh morning breeze and seemingly the very light of the sun itself. He opened his eyes and looked down at the sprawling grassy fields spreading out to meet the horizon, his eyes passing over the fiery orb of the sun without a second thought. He noticed the people moving out from under the low roof at the base of the building, carrying baskets and singing as they went. With a start, Harry realized they were singing in Elvish, though their meaning was as plain to him as English.
…Time to sing and time to play,
Time to work another day,
Fall is here the leaves turn red,
Add the harvest to our bread,
All thank Varda for these fruits,
For trees and plants, stalks and roots,
Take we now under the sky,
What we give back when we die,
For time to learn and to live,
It's time now to take and give,
Time that holds and time that frees,
Time as old as gods and Trees,
Time relentless, moving on,
Time that comes from far beyond…
The sound died away as the elves moved off over the fields and into the woods. Somewhere in the middle of the song, Harry had realized he was at Silanost again and he found that he wasn't all that surprised to find himself there. Though the song had sounded cheerful at first and the tune was certainly lively and crafted to inspire excitement, Harry found as the words washed over him, that the content was full of sadness and melancholy.
They sing of something they may never know, and will never naturally experience, Nox said. The dragon had stood up on the sill and had been watching the harvesters with Harry. The burden that all elves must bear is that they will see all else die but they will linger. Their songs are full of this sad acceptance.
"I wonder what it feels like to know you'll live forever," Harry said aloud, looking out over the fields, "It must get very lonely."
"Would it be so bad if you had someone to live with?" Draco asked from behind him. Harry turned around and found the blonde's eyes were open though he hadn't moved yet.
"Did I wake you up?" Harry asked apologetically, walking back to the bed.
"No," Draco said and then glared over Harry's shoulder at his dragon, "but someone's stomach did." Nox tucked his head under his wing sheepishly and this time Harry heard the audible gurgling noise from the dragon's stomach. "Well, I suppose it's time to find you something to eat," Draco commented getting up. The boys both took quick showers and dressed in the clothes that were hanging in the closet. The room had not been changed since their last visit during that first weekend of the year, and they managed to find their way to the hall where they had been introduced to the guardians.
"Did we miss breakfast?" Draco asked as they stepped into the empty hall.
"I don't think so," said Harry, checking his watch, "it's only seven." As Harry spoke, Nox hopped off Draco's shoulder and flew towards the wall.
I smell food from over here, the dragon said excitedly.
"It's probably just some bit of table scraps," Draco admonished his dragon. As he spoke, however, the section of wall in front of the dragon slid to one side.
"I thought I heard voices out here," she said stepping aside and gesturing the two boys and the dragon to move past her. "Come now you must be hungry, and I dare say you've missed breakfast."
"We missed it?" Harry asked a little incredulously, "but it's so early."
"Ah Master Gryfindor I'm sure that a mere hour or two after sunrise must seem early to you, and possibly quite late to Master Slytherin, however, the four nearest harvests have already been brought in, and lunch is to be served after the fifth. But come now, we won't keep you hungry boys waiting that long. There's some stew on the hearth that will do nicely and I have a bowl of meat scraps in the cooler for when a dragon drops in." The woman bustled off to serve them, gesturing to a wooden table as she went. Harry glanced at Draco and cocked an eyebrow at the blonde. Draco shrugged and sat down, Nox climbing down his arm and onto the table as he did so. "Here you are, and be sure to eat it all. None of us can do much on an empty stomach." The woman had delivered the food and gone off again before Harry or Draco could thank her, much less ask her name.
"Hey, Drake," Harry said as he finished eating, "Are you mad at me?" Harry was staring at his hands and didn't look up to see the expression of shock on Draco's face. "I understand if you're mad, after the way I behaved last week…" He trailed off as Draco's pale hand took his own, intertwining their fingers and drawing Harry's gaze up to the blonde's face.
"You have nothing to apologize for," Draco whispered, "Isil told me what you were going through. I just want you to know that whenever you want to talk about what you saw there, I'll listen to every word." Harry smiled and squeezed Draco's hand.
"Luissiel, have the boys woken yet?" Isil's voice filtered into the room. Both boys turned as the sliding door opened and Isil stepped in. "Ah there you are. And you've already eaten? Excellent. Come quickly, you have much to do today." He didn't wait for a response from either of them, but turned on his heal and headed out the door back towards their room. Draco collected Nox from the table and both of them hurried after the elf.
"What is it we're going to be doing?" Harry asked.
"What I intended you to do last week," the elf responded, leading them through a different door and up a long ramp. At the top they found a ladder and Isil nimbly leaped up through the hole in the ceiling. When Harry climbed up, he found himself on a large platform encircling the central spire of Silanost. The rest of the spire towered over them, its tip just visible through the cloud that was currently moving past the tower.
As Draco was climbing out of the hole, Vin appeared and landed on the edge of the platform. The dragon rumbled a greeting to the two boys as they climbed up onto his back. Once they were settled, Vin did a running leap off the platform, spreading his wings and gliding over the fields to the east. Harry wanted to know where they were going and what exactly they were doing but the wind seemed to whip the words away even before he spoke them.
"This is where I'll leave you," Isil said a while later as Vin landed lightly in a meadow, "you'll-"
"Maiar, what do you mean bringing drakin to our lands!" A voice called from down the mountain meadow.
"I bring to you the candidates that were promised a seven day ago," Isil called back, undeterred, "the drakin will not stay long enough for you to reach us." He turned back to the boys and spoke quickly. "Walk among them for the day and find one that will bear you. Nox, come with us." The young dragon looked unhappy at the prospect of leaving the boys, especially after such a challenge had been made, but he flew up to Isilomir's shoulder anyway. Vin leaped from the ground and had beat his wings no more than once before he was gone.
Wondering what it was that had spoken when they landed, Harry and Draco turned around just in time to see a proud looking grey horse come trotting up to them. "Rarely is that maiar wrong," the beast spoke crypticly, "I reach you, yet neither of the drakin is in evidence." He was not saying 'dragon' as Harry had first thought, though it was clear that he meant the beautiful creatures when he spoke. "Go now, with my leave walk alone among my herd. Should you find one that will go with you, my blessing you shall have." The horse snorted then, once at each boy, turned, and trotted back down the meadow.
"Alone?" Harry asked, not quite managing to suppress the shaking of his voice. Draco embraced him tightly and gave him a kiss before smiling at him.
"It's only for today," he whispered, "We'll see each other back at the castle tonight." Harry nodded and kissed the blonde one more time before he turned and began walking slowly across the meadow. He looked back over his shoulder after a bit, but weather by magic, or design, Draco was no longer in his sight.
He sighed and continued wandering. His thoughts drifted as he walked, and he found it amazing how profound a change talking to Draco about his dreams had wrought. The world itself seemed more real to him than it had before. This time alone, when he could have been with Draco, reminded him too of how much he missed the blonde. He wandered aimlessly, barely seeing the horses that passed by him or looked in his direction curiously. As the sun rose higher, Harry began to feel hungry again. The stew he'd had in the kitchen that morning seemed a long time ago, and he looked around for something edible to eat.
He was a bit surprised to find that he had wandered into a copse of trees. He looked behind him but couldn't see the meadow he had been wandering through. Cautiously, he walked forward, pushing bushes and branches aside. After a few minutes, he emerged into a clearing in the center of the grove. There was a river running through the center of the clearing, and in the middle of it, creating a little island with its network of roots, there stood a massive apple tree. Harry stared at the picturesque clearing for a few minutes before he spotted something that made his mouth water. Hanging from the branches of the tree were large red apples, ready for the picking.
Harry approached the river bank and looked up at the fruit above. It would not be such a hard thing to just float up there and pick one, but Harry felt like he could use a bit of extra work to get such delicious looking fruit. He took a few steps back from the edge of the bank, and then ran forward and jumped onto the roots at the base of the tree. He straightened up and then instinctively put a hand over his head, catching the apple that had been about to land on him. He looked up curiously, wondering if his landing had shaken the fruit loose, or if perhaps the tree had purposefully tried to hit him. He shook the thought away and picked a large root to sit on while he ate. The apple was large enough to feel like a full meal to Harry and he stooped down to drink from the river several times while he was eating. Gradually the warm sun, combined with the delicious taste of the fruit he had finished eating, caused Harry to drop off to sleep.
"How interesting."
The deep rumbling voice roused Harry from his nap and it took him a moment to remember where he was. He sat up slowly, careful not to fall off the root he had fallen asleep on and looked around for the source of the voice. Standing on the other side of the river was one of the most beautiful horses he had ever seen. The animal's coat was chestnut in color, and was offset by a completely jet black mane.
"A mortal," the horse went on, "who not only found their way here, but also ate and drank and still lives. Who are you human, that you did not choke on the apple, or suffocate on the water from this stream?" Harry swallowed nervously. Had he done something he shouldn't have?
"I am Gryffindor Harry Potter," he said, standing up straight and looking the animal squarely in the eyes, "I have come looking for one that will bear me. Will you accept the honor?" He didn't know what made him say the last part but it had been said before he could stop himself. The horse seemed to consider him from across the stream for a while before speaking again.
"Three things must be done before I can be ridden," the horse said. It looked off into the distance as if looking back into long memory. "First, thou must give up thy heart. Second, thy body must be forsaken. Third must thy soul be loosed from thy bonds." The animal looked back at Harry and the Gryffindor stared into the equine eyes. "What say you human, will you do these things to obtain me?" Harry considered what the horse had said for several minutes while the equine's gaze bored into him. He already knew the answer, and was saddened that this wondrous animal was not to be his.
"I am sorry to have troubled you," Harry said formally with a bow, "but I cannot do these things you ask." The horse seemed amused by his behavior but Harry pressed on. "I cannot give up my heart for it is not mine alone to give. My body too have I promised to another and cannot forsake it. As for my soul, it is chained by another with bonds so fiercely passionate that should I even desire to break them, I would not have the strength." Harry was once again surprised at the words issuing from his mouth. He had said and done many things since he had met Isil that night at the beginning of the year that he did not fully understand, and he was beginning to wonder if he should try to suppress whatever part of him was speaking like this.
He was brought out of his thoughts by the rumbling laugh of the horse from across the river. "Well said Gryffindor Harry Potter," the horse said, "come now, if you can catch me I will bear you till the end of days."
"But… I…" Harry began.
"If you have time to speak, then RUN!" the horse shouted and took off like a shot into the woods. Harry didn't even stop to consider why the horse was giving him a chance to catch him even though he had done nothing the beast had asked. He just leaped off the root and sprinted after the flashing tail of the creature. The chase went on for an hour or more, and they ran out from under the boughs of the trees flashing across the meadows and moors. "You can run faster than that Gryffindor, you still appear human. Come, hold nothing back." Harry gritted his teeth and tried to jump onto the horse. He nearly landed on the horse's back, having accelerated himself with a blast of air to catch up. The horse seemed to sense him coming though and put on an extra burst of speed, causing Harry to miss by inches and slam into the ground and begin rolling. Frustrated that he had missed and now bruised too, Harry forgot all thoughts that he might hurt the horse and burst into flame. He came out of his third summersault on all fours and tore after the equine.
"Now you show your true colors Son of Flame, and the chase will begin in earnest." Incredibly, the horse began to speed up, managing to avoid Harry's grasping hand and always be just three steps ahead of him. The odd game of tag wore on, until the sun was halfway to setting. They were tearing across yet another meadow, the horse mere inches away from Harry's outstretched hand, when the boy's foot caught on a hillock and he slammed hard into the ground, rolling and bouncing. He felt bones cracking as he crashed through a boulder and the last thing he saw was the trunk of a huge tree before he slammed into it.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -The horse approached the still figure that was the boy who had been chasing him. Gently, he lay down next to the boy and, using his own brand of inexplicable magic, stood with the boy on his back. "The race was well run son of my father," the horse spoke, "rest now and I will carry you to the ends of time if need be." Slowly then, so as not to jostle his unconscious passenger, the great horse turned his course westward and began to walk.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -For the delay on this chapter you can all blame my professors who decided to assign me research papers in three different classes. BUT we're beyond that now, and back here with all our fun and happy twists and turns. Till next time (hopefully sooner than later) Ciao.
