Hello everyone! Welp, another week and another chapter. We're getting close to the end of this story, which doesn't mean I don't have surprises still hidden. There are some things that will happen and could surprise you. But until those surprises arrive, you can enjoy this chapter. And if you're enjoying this story, please, can you leave a review? Just if you want. I love to hear your thoughts about this.

Well, I'd like to give a special thanks to Drummergirl for helping me editing this story. I'm really, really, really grateful to her, she's awesome!

Okay after say all this, here you have the next chapter of this story, I hope you all will like it!

Chapter 29. Encounters of all kinds

Joy, exhilaration, excitement, complete and utter satisfaction with himself… those were all the emotions Overanxius thought he should be feeling… or rather, that he thought he would feel once he had accomplished his mission. But by Jupiter, contrary to his assumptions, he felt none of those emotions… rather the opposite, to be honest.

The Roman senator walked crestfallen in the street, not caring for any of the pedestrians around him. Why did he feel so miserable? Oh, by Juno! If he had succeeded, he had succeeded! Caesar had recognized his efforts and had adequately compensated him for his work. But still… By Neptune! Why did it seem to him he had committed the worst of crimes? It didn't make sense!

The white-robed man arrived at the door of his house, entered, and without wasting any time, hurried through it until he reached his room. The only thing he wanted was to be alone.

The slaves, who arrived in haste to attend to his needs, were quickly dismissed, for the newcomer didn't want to see anyone.

Overanxius locked himself in his room under strict orders not to be disturbed, and once there, in the solitude of his room, he began to reflect again on all that had happened.

What change had been wrought in him since he had taken that child in Armorica? By Bel- Mars, had he been about to say Belenos? All right, something must have happened… of that he was sure. Something had – he shuddered at the thought – softened his heart… for what the Roman was feeling at that moment could only be described as remorse or regret. Did he regret what he had done to Asterix? Impossible! If he and his entire village were the enemy, as they had always been described, they were the thorn in the side of the Empire. Why should he feel compassion for his enemies? That was absurd… stupid.

But in spite of everything, the Roman senator couldn't push away the emotions that consumed him from within, try as he might. If he didn't do something soon, he didn't know if he could resist. Gods, was this all because he had taken a liking to the Gaul boy? Even if that were the case, there was little Overanxius could do now. The boy was now in Caesar's custody, and surely his emperor wouldn't give up his newly acquired trophy so soon.

The Roman senator made his way to the window. Perhaps looking out at the bustle of the streets would distract him a little from all that was going on in his head. Peering through the opening, his eyes began scanning the surroundings, observing the people strolling down the streets, completely oblivious to the worries that were tormenting the senator. A mother scolded her child for not going fast enough. Further away, a pair of soldiers tried to separate two fighting men, probably threatening them with imprisonment if they didn't stop their bickering. Somewhere, merchants called for people to buy their wares. Nothing seemed to have changed in the time the senator had been out of the city.

Overanxiux took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. His idea to try to forget wasn't working very well… but that changed when something forced him to open his eyes, and that something was a sound… and not just any sound; but a bark… the bark of a dog he would recognize anywhere. Looking down, the Roman senator saw a small white dog appear from a corner not far away, and almost instantly, a fat, red-haired man dressed in blue and white stripes followed him.

Oh, by Jupiter! Overanxius had no time to duck back into the room, praying to all the gods that the man hadn't seen him. Overanxius had assumed Obelix would soon arrive in Rome. What he hadn't expected was that he was already in the capital of the empire. This was a disaster! What was he going to do now?

The most curious thing about the situation was that in spite of knowing the presence of the great Gaul in the city could ruin all their plans, the first sensation the senator had after recovering from his scare was that of… relief? Why was he relieved to see that Gaul? Inconceivable!

Overanxius had seen a small example of what that pudgy Gaul, for whom the effects of the magic potion were permanent, could do. If he were honest with himself, he didn't want to confront Obelix, for he knew very well how such an encounter would end, and the senator wanted – as far as possible – to preserve the integrity of his being, and above all, his limbs.

Another part of him, however, like a small voice in his mind, insisted and almost begged him to talk to the red-haired man… to tell him everything that had happened to the blond Gaul. Which way should he go? Should he follow the voice of reason and reject any possibility of talking to Obelix, or should he follow his heart and meet with him to tell him everything?

Ironically, the discordant voices he heard in his head belonged to his parents. His father's voice, hard and harsh, insisted he stand firm… that what he had done was the right thing to do and he couldn't give in. In contrast, his mother's voice, sweet and soft, urged him and practically begged him to listen to his heart and correct the mistakes he had made, telling him there was still time to fix everything.

Overanxius covered his ears. He knew that would do nothing to solve his inner conflict, but he could think of no other way to silence the voices that would not leave him alone.

"By Neptune, I just want some peace," he said to himself.

Peace… that was the only thing the senator craved at the moment… but how to attain it? What could he do to have peace?

His inner battle was interrupted when the barking of the little white dog… Dogmatix, if he remembered correctly… sounded much louder now than before. It almost sounded like he was… NO! That couldn't be!

Looking discreetly out the window, trying not to be seen from the outside, the senator saw with horror the dog was currently standing and barking in front of his house's door. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the big Gaul and his companions approaching the little white canine.

No doubt that animal had picked up his scent… what was he going to do now? Surely his owner would be able to add II + II, which meant an encounter with that Gaul was imminent. Sweat began to trickle down his forehead as he realized he was trapped… what could he do to escape? Maybe get his slaves to face the big Gaul?

He knew that was a very cowardly act, but at least it would give him a chance to try to escape… or maybe… maybe it would be better to just turn himself in, confess everything, and hope he would have mercy on him? But… how could he? How could that Gaul forgive him? Everything the senator had done was to use little Asterix to harm his people… to harm his loved ones… to harm the man who now stood at his door…

Surprisingly, Overanxius felt he deserved whatever blow the red-haired Gaul gave him. He didn't like the idea of being beaten, but he felt… deep in his heart… it was the only thing he truly deserved. Why had his conscience suddenly decided to act so strongly? It wasn't fair! He hadn't been able to enjoy his triumph… although, in all honesty, he didn't even consider it a triumph.

The sound of a door being broken down, along with the shouts of surprise from one of his slaves, announced to him the visitors he hadn't expected had already entered. It was too late. There was no way out. No escape…

"Where is he, by Tutatis?!" the enraged man demanded. His voice made the senator flinch.

"Obelix, calm down, by Belenos! These people are innocent!"

This must have been the red-haired Gaul's male companion. No doubt the thinner man was trying to calm the other man's fury… a fury meant for him.

Turning to the door in front of him, he stood waiting as the noise grew louder and louder. Deafening footsteps, accompanied by furious barking, approached without remission. Overanxius fell to his knees. There was nothing he could do anymore to avoid the inevitable. His eyes remained fixed on the last barrier that separated him from perhaps the last face he would ever see on earth.

This is the end, and after this last thought, the door in front of him burst open.

Hours… it had to have been hours since they left Rome… but how many hours had passed? How could he know how long it had been since they left the capital of the empire? The answer was simple: he couldn't know unless he asked.

The boy looked up at the driver of the carriage. Even though it was the only way, he didn't dare ask how long they had been traveling, how far they were from their destination, or what exactly their destination was. He feared that any, or perhaps all of these questions, might upset the man who was taking him and his companion.

The boy's eyes turned to his other companion. He looked scared, and not without reason… for he himself was scared, too. He had never been more scared in his entire life, and in this mindset, there was nothing he could do to get them both out of the situation they were in.

One thing was clear: it had been a very bad idea to try to go on his own. By all the gods, it had been a total disaster, and now it was too late to rectify his mistake. How could he believe he could do it alone, without help? The funny thing was that it wasn't the first time he had done that… only that the previous time, he had Dogmatix by his side. This time, however, he was alone… well, not alone, alone, but the boy who was by his side… he didn't believe he was able to help him… not because he didn't trust him, but simply because he seemed… absent, as if he were physically there… but not mentally. He looked lost… observing nothing in particular… it was as if he were in a trance… but why? Probably because he felt guilty and believed bad things were going to happen to both of them because of him.

Mischiefus then looked at Asterix attentively, his attitude really seemed to reflect a deep sense of guilt, and if that was so, then he had to let his Gaul companion know that none of what had happened was his fault. Crawling as quietly as he could, he moved to the blond boy's side and gently put a hand on his shoulder as he said:

"Asterix… are you okay?"

Asterix was surprised at first at the Roman boy's action. Of all the Romans the blond boy had met up to that point, this was by far the one who had treated him the best from the start. Deep in his subconscious, Asterix felt he could trust this boy. How could he feel that? He didn't know, but nevertheless, there was that feeling, constant and unchanging.

The Gaul boy noticed the other boy had stared at him, waiting for an answer, so, clearing his throat, he spoke softly:

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just… I'm sorry."

Mischiefus was surprised at that answer, why was Asterix apologizing? He had done nothing wrong. He was a real victim.

"What? Why are you sorry?" asked the brown-haired boy, completely bewildered.

Asterix looked the other boy straight in the eyes. How could it be he didn't see it? It was a no-brainer… at least to him it was.

"You're here too, because of me," he explained. Then the Gaul boy lowered his gaze to the ground, as if he didn't deserve any kind of consolation, but rather the opposite… a punishment for his reckless behavior.

Mischiefus was perplexed… stumped… not quite sure how to respond to that. He remained silent for what seemed an eternity. He was speechless, as if the gods didn't want him to say anything. When he finally regained the ability to speak, his first words were:

"Wait, but what are you talking about?"

Asterix didn't look up, deliberately avoiding eye contact with his new companion. He didn't want the boy next to him to see the pain, shame and sorrow his eyes conveyed. Still staring at the floor of the carriage, he replied in a low voice:

"All I do is cause trouble. I'm a useless dwarf."

Mischiefus was astonished. How could Asterix think so little of himself? For the love of Zeus, what had happened?!

"That's not true," he said, trying not to raise his voice, but at the same time, emphasizing his words so the blond boy would believe him. He had to get Asterix to be his usual self… or at least not focus on his grief and pain. That was the only way they would manage to get out of this situation.

Unfortunately, Asterix's response wasn't what the Roman boy had hoped for:

"Yes, it is!"

This time Mischiefus frowned. This was already too much. Apparently, someone had somehow manipulated his friend into believing all these barbarities. Well, he would take it upon himself to correct such actions. He would get Asterix back to the Asterix he once knew.

"Who told you that?" he asked angrily. Mischiefus might only be a child, but he was going to make whoever it was that had put all this nonsense into the blond boy's head pay.

The Roman boy was so focused on punishing whoever the culprit was that he almost missed the sigh Asterix exhaled before replying:

"Fulliautomatix told me that… once."

Fulliautomatix? Was it someone from the village who had said that to Asterix? How stupid that Fulliautomatix was! Still frowning, Mischiefus spoke again:

"Oh yeah? Well, that Fulliautomatix is wrong!"

Asterix finally raised his eyes, looking at his Roman traveling companion in complete surprise and confusion. Of all the people he had imagined saying something like that, never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined a Roman saying it. Life is full of surprises.

"What?" asked Asterix, still not fully recovered from his surprise.

Mischiefus smiled in satisfaction. At least he had achieved part of his goal… that was something. Now he just had to continue to convince Asterix he wasn't useless. With that purpose in mind, he spoke again:

"I know you are brave and generous, and that you would give your life to save your friends, I… I've seen you fight, and I know you are not useless."

This time the blond boy looked at the brown-haired one quizzically. Mischiefus felt a slight pressure in his chest. What if he had said something he shouldn't say? What if he had screwed up?

"You've seen me fight?" the Gaul boy suddenly asked, but far from looking confused or suspicious, he rather seemed curious, almost… excited to know the answer the other boy would give him.

Mischiefus blinked a couple of times… he, too, surprised by the enthusiasm of the young Gaul. His mouth opened and closed several times without knowing what to say. After several attempts, he finally managed to speak again, and all he could say was:

"Yes, well… when you were… older."

Asterix lowered his gaze again, frowning. Mischiefus tilted his head quizzically. It seemed as if the blond boy was pondering something, or at least, trying to remember something. Mischiefus was almost about to speak again when Asterix spoke first:

"Everyone tells me about that, but I don't remember."

So that was it! Thought Mischiefus. Poor Asterix… the Roman boy was sure it must be hard for anyone to believe he or she had lived a life a completely different from the one they thought they'd lived… it would drive anyone crazy.

Still, the brown-haired boy knew he needed to encourage his traveling companion however he could, so placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezing lightly to convey some comfort, the Roman boy said:

"Don't worry; I'm sure you'll remember."

Asterix raised his eyes again, and looking at Mischiefus, he smiled. He opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly the carriage they were in stopped dead in its tracks, and the two boys staggered and fell to the floor. They hadn't yet recovered from the fall when they heard the driver say:

"We're here!"

The two children tried to recover as quickly as possible so they could see the place where they'd just arrived. Looking beyond the carriage, they could see a gate behind which immense gardens grew, and what appeared to be a palace stood in the background. But what was most surprising was the woman approaching… a dark-skinned woman with a strange hairstyle and a very pretty nose. The woman was dressed in a long white dress, but not the same type that Roman women wear; it was a completely different type of dress.

They could also see the woman carried something in her arms… something that the two children identified as a baby.

Asterix narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at the approaching woman. Suddenly his eyes widened like saucers, and in a surprised voice he said:

"I know this woman!"

Oh crud, Obelix facing Overanxius. How do you think this will end? How many of you think this won't end well? If you have any ideas of how will their meeting go, don't doubt on write it. Let's see how many of you can enter into my mind. ;P also, if you're enjoying this story, it would be awesome for me if you leave reviews. This would help me to continue writing

Okay, after say that, I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I also would like to thank you all those who've read this story, those who follow it or have it among their favorites: MyCelestialFury and Vlcek222.

See you in the next chapter