The Hunters and the Prey - Chapter Thirty-Three
Author: Milady Dragon
Author's Note: Any mental health knowledge in this story came from judicial research and from the psychologist I saw as a teenager, so it might be out of date or kinda wrong. My apologies for either.
"Mistress Pepper," Jarvis announced, stepping into her casting chamber, "there is a Samuel Wilson here to see you."
Pepper slipped her wand back into its holster, excitement and relief washing over her. "Thank you, Jarvis. Where's Baron Tony and Sir Steven?"
Happy jumping up onto her shoulder, Pepper headed up the stairs, Jarvis following closely behind. "His Grace is in his workshop with Dr. Banner," he answered. "Sir Steven is in his room. Ana had just taken him up a snack, and she said he was reading."
Before Sir Steven had pled tiredness, he'd asked for something to read, preferably something about history since he'd been banished to the Void. Pepper had chosen one of the student textbooks she'd had in the library, and the Paladin had accepted it with quiet thanks.
She'd left him alone, and had gone down to her casting chamber to work on some lessons for Daisy, if just to keep herself from fretting. Their conversation and the subsequent explanations had gone as well as it could have been, she supposed, but she'd really wished that the person Andrew Garner had contacted would have been there for it.
And there he was now, if a little late to events.
Andrew had shared what he could about the man who he'd thought would be able to help Sir Steven. Sam Wilson had been one of Andrew's students before the curse, and had specialized in battlefield shock and stress-related issues, which she supposed Sir Steven did fit into those particular categories in a way. It wasn't as if anyone had any sort of experience with time displacement, what with the only person who'd ever traveled in time, Master John Smith dead, so anyone that spoke to the Paladin would have been feeling their way along in that regard.
Pepper hoped that Sam Wilson would be able to at least make things a little easier for Sir Steven to assimilate into this time. She didn't think he could do any worse than she had.
There was a man standing in the front hall. He was tall and well-built, handsome, with dark skin and a neatly trimmed beard, which made his pointed ears a little difficult to explain since Elves didn't need to shave. Andrew had explained that Dr. Wilson had been a half-blood, so that made sense then. Happy perked up at seeing him, and Pepper could feel his pleasure at meeting another Elf… and then his confusion at this person not quite being an Elf that the dragon was familiar with.
Apparently, though, half-Elves had the same charisma where dragons were concerned, because once Happy got over the man's strangeness, he was off the Wizard's shoulder and greeting their guest enthusiastically.
Doctor Wilson laughed, letting Happy settle onto his own shoulder before giving him a good skritch under the chin.
Pepper gave him a pleasant smile. "Welcome to Ferrous Castle, Dr. Wilson. I'm Mistress Pepper – "
"Head of Cardinal Order and Baroness Ferrous," he interrupted her in a way that made her not think him rude at all, making her wish she could do the same sort of thing herself. "Doctor Garner explained to me who you were when he asked me to come by and, besides, the castle kinda gives it away." His dark eyes were twinkling with good humor. "He said something about having a guest who was having some trouble assimilating after being in the military?"
She should have realized that Andrew wouldn't have shared anything about Sir Steven over an open speaking stone…or however it was he'd used to contact Dr. Wilson. They couldn't risk it getting out to Hydra that they actually had their oldest enemy in their house, alive and well. That would most likely had stirred up all sorts of trouble they just didn't need.
"That's one way of putting it. Perhaps we should have a seat and I'll explain what Dr. Garner couldn't share with you?"
Doctor Wilson gave her a side-eye that Pepper could totally get behind, since he was essentially walking into an unknown situation with a person he'd never met. He only had Andrew's word on things and, while she could see him trusting his old teacher, Dr. Wilson was coming into this thing blind. He needed all the information that the Wizard could give him.
So, she ushered him into the sitting room, poured him some wine, and explained everything she knew about Sir Steven Rogers.
To his credit, Dr. Wilson didn't call her insane.
His jaw did drop a little, though.
Other than that, he was amazingly put together after she was done. Pepper had expected something far worse than that.
"Well," he said, bemusement making his expression just a little bland, "that was possibly the most impossible thing I've ever heard."
"How do you think we feel?"
Doctor Wilson leaned back in his chair, careful not to dislodge Happy from his shoulder, who was eying his wine with intention. Without even looking at the dragon, he moved the glass out of reach. Happy huffed, but Pepper could sense his amusement and his disappointment in equal measure.
"And he's been completely de-magicked, as it were?"
She nodded. "Our Grand Master of Voids says so, and he would know."
"Have there been any other physical issues that I need to know about?"
Pepper wanted to curse, since they hadn't actually had a medical doctor in to check Sir Steven over. "He seems fine to me." She admitted the lack of a physician examination.
"I'm a field medic as well; I can give him a cursory examination, but you might want to find a medical professional you trust to come in and do something more thorough. Physical health has a direct correlation to mental health, so anything off with one could be detrimental to the other."
Already, Pepper was beginning to see why Andrew had recommended him to help with their little problem. Doctor Wilson certainly seemed to know what he was talking about.
"I'll see who I can find to do that." There were a couple of people Pepper could consult, it was just figuring out which one wouldn't freak out or something like that over the fact that this was the Paladin of the Western Lands, who everything believed had died three hundred years ago.
"Would you like to meet Sir Steven now?" she asked politely. A part of her found that she wanted to protect the man upstairs, even though she was quite positive he could protect himself… at least, he could do that physically. It was mentally that she wasn't so sure about.
"I'd like to speak to this Void Wizard friend of yours and get some more information from him about what Sir Steven might have gone through when he was stuck in the Void, but that can wait. You said he doesn't remember it?"
"No, he says not. Phil did say it was like the Void was trying to make Sir Steven a part of it, because it couldn't expel him…like some sort of allergic reaction to someone who wasn't a part of the Void."
"I'm afraid I don't know all that much about magic, despite the fact of these." He waved toward his ears. "I didn't quite get the magical sensitivity my full-blown kin have."
Pepper could understand that. Non-magical Elves still had a sense of magic that non-magical humans didn't, attributed to their closeness to nature. Doctor Wilson, having one parent that was human, could very well have inherited that magical 'blindness' that most humans had.
"But you got the dragon affinity," she teased.
Doctor Wilson laughed. "That I did." He set his wineglass on the table beside him then, with a sudden movement, had Happy off his shoulder and pulled down into his arms, where he proceeded to tickle the dragon mercilessly. Happy began laughing as the man flipped him onto his back and went for the soft dragon underbelly, Dr. Wilson's fingers finding just the right places.
Pepper didn't intervene because she could tell Happy was loving every minute of it, his mental chortles bright and beautiful in her mind. She couldn't help but join in on the laughter, especially when Happy began kicking his legs helplessly, as he became breathless under the assault.
Doctor Wilson stopped just shy of it becoming uncomfortable, giving Happy a cuddle while the dragon regained his breath. Happy nipped gently at the half-Elf's hand in way of thanks and then wriggled about enough to be able to take to wing and fly back to his Wizard, settling onto Pepper's shoulders once more. She could feel his heart thundering against her neck, but it calmed down after only a few moments, and his glee was fading into a general boneless contentment after that workout.
"Let's go and see our misplaced Paladin, then?" he requested, standing.
"I'll be more than happy to introduce you."
Standing as well, Pepper led him out of the sitting room, glad that Tony was busy in his workshop. The last thing Dr. Wilson needed was her husband getting way too curious about what was going on and sticking his nose in. Sir Steven needed the time to accept things, and doing that in peace would be for the best.
When they got to Sir Steven's room, Pepper knocked on the closed door and let him know she was on the other side. He bid her to enter, and she did so, Dr. Wilson following just behind.
Sir Steven was seated in a chair by the window, the book open but his attention outside. Ferrous Castle had been built on a mountainside, with a fantastic view of the ocean, and he was watching the tide as it broke on the rocks of the beach below. The remains of the food that Ana had brought it were on the table next to him; an empty plate with a mug that Pepper thought must have contained the dregs of coffee were on a tray that Ana must have used to carry the meal up to the room.
His blue eyes turned toward her, and he smiled. "Mistress Pepper," he greeted her.
"Sir Steven," she returned his smile. "This is Dr. Sam Wilson. He's the one Phil mentioned that was coming to see about helping you deal with being in a different time."
His smile went just a tad brittle at that introduction. Pepper knew he hadn't been looking forward to this, but he also understood that he needed help. This was just one way they were going to provide that help.
"Not sure how that's going to work," the therapist said jovially. "But we'll give it our best shot."
Sir Steven laughed at that, his expression going just a little warmer. "I like a person who knows their own limits."
"Oh, I'm all sorts of limited here. We'll just have to muddle through it together."
And, with that, Sir Steven relaxed. There was something about Dr. Wilson's manner that just seemed to put him at ease, something that Pepper appreciated. She felt confident that she could leave them alone to talk, and not have to worry about Sir Steven being overwhelmed.
She did wish that Jack had stayed around, but the hunt for Hydra had to take precedence. He'd come back when he could; she could see the two men becoming friends. Hopefully Jack's experience with living through different times would help Sir Steven find his footing.
Leaving the two men alone, Pepper left the room, shutting the door behind her. She would trust Dr. Wilson to do the best he could.