Cast of players:
Lily played by Michelle (Aka. Amania)
James
Potter played by Emma
Sirius Black played by Violet-eyed-devil
Remus Lupin
played by Charli
Peter Pettigrew played by Michelle (Aka. Amania)
Lucius
Malfoy played by Layne
Brandubh of Breasil played by Tina R. (Aka. Neko or
Biliousneko)
Lady Laveda played by Sako Akarui
more to come...
Oracles of Time
Part 3: together again
(As compiled from posts 50-89)
* * * * * * * *
Bran came back to the tent, dragging his feet and looked up to see the two
figures arm in arm chatting about... something. So~ they really *where* friends.
Funny, that. Beginning to feel like a bit of an ass, he brandished the clothing
and tossed them in Remus's direction. "Here, milord." he mumbled. "I should
leave you two to it, then, eh?" Nothing like a disgruntled servant to mumble
nicely. He semi-stood attention to be dismissed, but only semi. Remus didn't
like formalities, yes, but it was hard to break old habits.
* * * * * * * *
James groaned slightly as he lifted himself up from the damp ground, rubbing
his back from the hard impact, looking around in confusion at the dark
landscape.
He heard thuds in the distant break the silence abruptly, but
he had no time to worry about them.
He was lost. Not like his first day at Hogwarts lost. Lost entirely. He
looked around nervously, the empty landscape, only lit by the faint glow from
the stars above, not the slightest bit familiar.
Trying not to panic, he
got up, but the sight of his body dressed in a dark leather waistcoat
intricately embroidered, with a loose heavy shirt of burgundy underneath and a
pair of plain dull color trousers didn't exactly help him try and keep a level
head.
James stared at the fabric, his face creasing with confusion, until
a thought occurred to him.
He must have hit his head hard when he'd fallen to... where ever he was -
it just couldn't be...
He remembered reading a book as a child about English history. The vague
memory of one of the pictures of clothing from the age came to mind.
James glanced down quickly down at his attire again. It was almost
exactly the same.
They had all gone back in time. They must have, or
some one had spiked his pumpkin juice at lunch.
Sighing, James looked
around for a way to begin searching for help, trying to keep not to think about
what would happen if he found none.
"Oh dear" he muttered.
James ignored the shooting pain he was beginning to get in his feet. He'd
been walking for hours and he was out of breath from the miles he had put behind
him, biting his tongue from the pain in his sore feet.
He wasn't going to
stop though - he had seen a few minutes ago the faint outline some sort of tent
coming into view, which had awoken some hope in him, if a little worry about who
he would find there.
Picking up pace, he neared the tent, standing to the
side of it.
He heard the sound of voices from within and prayed who ever
laid within would be of use.
Finally two people came out. They appeared
to be his age, one with black hair, the other with brown.
It had to be he
decided as he peered closer, or he had completely lost it.
Feeling he had
nothing to loose He walked toward them from his viewpoint, coughed
slightly
and said "Hello good sirs" unable to keep irony and sarcasm from his
tone.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Remus laughed and shook his head.
"Your Royal-ness? Please, Sirius, call me by my name. I'm rather disturbed by this whole bloody business...The only person that's called me "Your Majesty" originally tried to steal my horse," he replied, and gestured to the fleeing form of Brandubh and to the elegant white stallion that was ambling contently nearby. He glanced at the shivering form of Sirius and shook his head.
"Hold on a moment," he replied, and extricated his arm from Sirius. He pulled his long leather overcoat from his shoulders and hung it over his back. "There; that should keep you a bit warmer until your clothing is returned," he said, and ignoring the chilly winds that bit through his linen tunic. Just as he did so, however, Bran returned, looking a bit grumpy, and handed Remus the requested attire.
"Thanks, Brandubh," he said, and offered him a smile. "Do forgive me for being harsh, but you needn't make such hasty conclusions. Go on, I'll join you shortly," he replied, and handed Sirius his clothing.
"I do believe you wanted these back," he said, and was about to lead Sirius into the tent to change when a rather familiar voice brought his eyes up.
Remus blinked; he *knew* that glasses hadn't been invented yet...
"James...?" he replied, and looked over his best friend carefully. He was dressed nicely, but not as fine as Remus, and bore a crest that was must different from Remus' own. He was about to comment further when another man ran up behind James.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty!" he said breathlessly to Remus, and Remus, suddenly self-conscious as James had no idea, nodded silently. The man, flustered, stepped before James, bowed and looked up, eyeing the glasses curiously, but not saying anything.
"Lord James," the man said, and Remus looked impressed, "Your herald, Mr. Black here, was found drinking, and we felt that, in the absence of a clergyman, His Majesty, the Prince of York would administer punishment. I felt that you had a right to know."
The man swallowed nervously, bowed to the both of them, and fled quickly. Remus watched him go with amazed silvery blue eyes, and turned his face back to look between James and Sirius in amusement.
"Lord James Potter? And your herald?"
* * * * * * * * *
Lily decided it was time to venture through the castle. Leaving her room she made her way through the halls of a castle that oddly seemed so similar to Hogwarts. She strolled through the halls for a couple of hours with her wand tucked away safely out of sight. She was not about to be caught unarmed, finally she entered the main hall. There sat an older man and his wife, "Ah.... there you are dear" the man said with a smile. Lily surmised that she obviously was supposed to know him and smiled. "Your servants will be packing your things soon for the journey to Yorkshire" he informed her. Lily nodded and smiled, Yorkshire....... what was going on there? "Why are we going there?" she asked as though she'd forgotten. He looked at her and laughed, "My daughter has her grandfather's memory" he chuckled, "We my dear are going to the Tournament hosted by his Royal Highness Prince Remus" he said seriously. A look of surprise at the name crossed over her face, "Oh........yes now I remember..... I'm sorry it just slipped my mind...... when are we leaving?" she asked. "Tomorrow at first light" he stated. "I'll just be........ wandering" Lily said trying to come up with an excuse to leave. She headed outside for a breath of fresh air. Clearly Remus was not that common of a name......... so it had to be him........ she hoped that at any rate.
* * * * * * * * *
Bran departed sulkily as suddenly he heard James call. He darted behind the
closest tent and peered around the corner of it at the approaching figure of a
rather disheveled-looking Knight with odd bits of glass on his nose. This was
getting more and more
interesting. Well, it wasn't like he had anything else
to do... he crouched low, watching the trio and listening intently as the spoke.
James felt his eyebrow raise in the middle of the conversation between Remus
and someone called...Brandubh, was it? Majesty, eh?
Not bad, he thought,
trying hard to suppress a smirk as Remus blushed slightly.
When Brandubh
had turned to leave, he had looked at him rather oddly, at his face. He
wondered if he had something on his face when it hit him. His glasses. They
hadn't been invented yet: well there was nothing he could do about that, without
them he could barely make out the difference between a tree and a person, so
he'd just be looked at.
"Lord James," the man said, "Your herald, Mr.
Black here, was found drinking, and we felt that, in the absence of a clergyman,
His Majesty, the Prince of York would administer punishment. I felt that you had
a right to know."
James felt his eyes widen a little - Lord? Hmm, he
hadn't done badly.
As he had listened to the rest of the mans words, he
had had to work incredibly hard not to laugh. How very Sirius.. and he was his
*lord*. Interesting.
As the man left he turned to the two and said "My
my, we're in an interesting predicament, aren't we. Your majesty" he said
looking to Remus with a grin.
"And as for you," he said turning to Sirius
with a lofty expression "So, you're my herald, eh?" he grinned slightly
vindictively.
"Oh the fun of it all" He finished.
* * * * * * *
Peter Pettigrew's words didn't phase Lucius one bit.
He smiled slyly and said, " They only run because they can't handle me. You
see the ladies see me and go, 'That's a guy who knows what he's doing and where
he's going. ' Any idiot knows that if you play with fire you get burnt. And
seeing as though I'm so hot, I must be a blue flame."
He tried really hard not to laugh when Pettigrew talked about finding his
girl. Truth be known Pettigrew lacked three times what he had in looks as what
he had of personality. Lucius knew better than to open his mouth but he did
anyways.
"Peter- take some advice from a entrepreneur of sorts when it comes to women-
They only care about two things. Looks and money. You lack both. Then again
there are always ways to earn a quick dollar."
He suppressed an evil smirk.
"Like you could sell your mother's body..."
He noticed death glares coming his direction and decided to move off that
topic.
"... but you know if it had been Sirius, I suspect he would have been more
original than a toad. Perhaps an ant or a leech would have been more up his
alley. Then again you are the friend."
Peter shook his head, "Not all girls care about Money or looks..... Lily happens to be one" he pointed out seriously. "She likes people for who they are" he stated firmly, "Even you Lucius.... well I can't say likes...... you for who you are... she believes everyone's got a little good in them....... even you" he stated with a snort as if the idea were beyond reckoning. He glared at the mention of selling his mother's body. "You know Lucius someday.......... you'll acknowledge me as more then a brainless git........ though I doubt my mind will change on you" he remarked with a frown. "If your blue flame hot...... then I'm the king of all of England..... and the richest man" he stated rolling his eyes. "No....an ant's too god for you..... a leech.. your right that is rather fitting...... though the toad...... I think he'd go with that for irony consider the age we're in. They fear being turned into toads....... and getting maimed by magic..... (rolled his eyes) it's rather pathetic..... especially when they catch a muggle and kill them because they have 'magic'. Stupidity on their part" he remarked seriously. "Oh.... by the way I'm sure you'll love your introduction..... I'll make it very fitting for you" he assured Lucius.
Lucius scowled at him. He found himself quickly infuriated at how Peter used
Lily to make him mad. So what if he had a soft spot for the mudblood. He
wouldn't let Pettigrew get the better of him.
" You speak as though she's your girlfriend, Pettigrew, but that last time I
checked she was pining over Potter. "
He clenched his fingers tightly on his reins. His blood was boiling.
"Let's get this straight. I will never respect you or be your friend. The
most you could ever hope for is Toleration. I could care less about how you
feel."
Lucius eyes gazed off in the distance, he remembered being a little boy,
covered in scrapes and running to his mother, with tears falling down his pale
cheeks. His father had stopped him dead in his tracks and taught him a valuable
lesson. 'Emotions are the weak.'
His eyes trailed back to Pettigrew. " You can fool around with stupid
emotions but don't expect me to. I don't care for anyone. Especially you and
your friends opinions of me."
When he heard Peter talk about his introduction, he clenched his jaw and said
with a straight face, " Watch yourself, Pettigrew. It's a promise not a
threat."
Peter shook his head, "I never said she was my girlfriend.....she's a nice girl though..... " he stated seriously. He rolled his eyes at Lucius' 'promise'. "Fine.... I'll watch it for now......" he stated as they rode on in silence.
Lucius sighed and continued riding his horse. "Whatever, Pettigrew." Silence
fell between him and Peter, making him feel uncomfortable.
He hated not having the power and silence scared him. It made him think too
much about watching his back.
His eyes trailed over to Pettigrew and then the darkening sky.
" I think we've been out long enough. Get your rest. We'll need it
tomorrow."
Peter nodded, "Sleep would be nice....... especially after
the..... time travel business" he remarked with a shrug. They turned and headed
back to the castle. Peter dismounted his horse and grabbed the reigns for Lucius
as a servant was in the barn. He had to play his 'role' and helping Barron
Lucius Malfoy....... was part of it. "Sleep well milord" he said politely as
possible. He was simply too tired for a prank and so wasn't concerned with his
politeness not being accented by a sarcastic remark. He could make Lucius feel
mortified later...... with that he left the horse for the servant to tend and
made his way to the castle. Where the bloody heck did he sleep? With a shrug he
found the nearest room and entered it...... who cared about rank at the moment
he just wanted a soft bed! Plopping down he immediately fell asleep.
Lucius allowed Peter to take their horses back into the stables, no qualms.
It was almost like he was at home being served by a house elf. The thought of
Peter as a house elf made a smirk appear on his face but he quickly turned it
away. "Be sure to be up and ready at dawn. If my memory from serves me right
from my lessons on British history - mugg... Uh... History, Yorkshire is a good
half days travel." With that he turned away and left without a glance.
He walked back up to the castle and began to head back to the room from
earlier. He's eyelids were growing quite heavy and he knew he wouldn't be able
to stay conscious much longer. After he entered his room, he stripped himself of
his breeches and shirt. He was curious to what 'these' people wore in their
sleep, since he had no clue, so he began to go through his wardrobe. Nothing.
His options were sleep in the itchy clothes or go commando. 'Commando it is,' he
thought.
He sighed in relief as he glanced over at his oak, and horsehair bed. It
looked a little lumpy but it would be comfortable for the night. He climbed
underneath a quilt and quickly fell asleep.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Bran listened intently. Something seemed odd in the way the three where talking so lightly... and in their speech... he nodded to himself mostly because no one has posted in three days, and I feel like doing something. pie.
Sirius noticed the rather vindictive look on his best friend's face and
grinned and waved...James may be of a higher class in this little adventure but
he could certainly get his own back if Prongs wanted to get him back for getting
them into this mess.
"Hey Prongs! Or should I say Milord." Sirius dropped
down into a sweeping bow that would have made a Shakespearean actor swoon...had
they existed yet which they didn't. "I was just speaking to his Highness here
about certain bloody prats stealing poor innocent people's clothes."
At
this point Sirius realized that he was gesturing wildly with his pants and he
hadn't actually put them on yet. Right, no more talk until he wasn't naked
anymore.
Shrugging off the very warm coat Remus had draped over his
shoulders with a wry grin and a wink, Sirius paused to look at the
clothes...only to find they weren't exactly the same.
"Well that is just
not on." Sirius muttered. "I wanted my leather pants back!" and pulling out his
wand he quickly transfigured the clothes in his hand to the clothes he had
originally possessed and pulled them on. "Much better."
Turning back towards his friends, Sirius grinned.
"So lads, can either of you actually joust?"
James laughed a little as
Sirius bowed and realized his lack of clothing and waited for him to pull on his
much loved leather trousers.
James shook his head in mock forlorn "Sadly
no, the opportunity was always there, but I just found other things to do.
Amazing how you don't do these sort of things till you been transported to
another century isn't it?" he asked wryly.
He paused slightly before adding "This is all well and good, what with
the" he gestured to Sirius' attire "Wonderful trousers and jousting
opportunities but... I don't suppose either of you have *any* idea of how we got
here or how to get back do you?"
Remus hid a grin as Bran eyed James' glasses curiously, and couldn't help the thought that James was the only person in the entire world at this moment who was wearing 'curious pieces of glass and wire' on his face. He made mental note to try and explain this to Brandubh later, but...god only knew how fruitful THAT endeavor might be.
He did, however, look impressed as an anonymous man came up and started to speak to James in regards to his herald, Mr. Black, and was referring to Prongs as "Lord". He smirked a bit at his best friend; a Lord, a Herald, and a Prince...who knew what Peter and Lily got out of this wacky deal.
After the man had departed, Remus cleared his throat after Sirius made a few key points about bloody prats and stolen clothing.
"Yes, I think Prongs knows about your clothing, Padfoot," he remarked, and took a step back to inspect Sirius more carefully. "Indeed, it would be hard to miss. You're not exactly one to blend into a crowd at the moment," he said with a mischievous gleam in his handsome silver flecked eyes. But as soon as Sirius mentioned jousting, Remus paled, and he started to think quickly.
He barely knew how to ride a horse!
Unaware of Bran's eavesdropping, he shrugged. "Actually, being the prince, I don't have to joust," he proclaimed, but paused. "Wait...The Prince of York during this time was known to have dressed himself up as a knight and gone to compete in tournaments other than his own because he loved the sport!"
Remus groaned and linked an arm with Sirius'. "Come on...into the tent...we need to talk about this..."
He led the both of them under the fabric and put a hand in his temple.
"Well, at least I won't have to joust at tomorrow's tournament," he replied, looking thankful. "And as for how we got here...Sirius," he replied, looking over at his dear friend, "read that bloody tablet and ZAP! Here we are. I was almost scared out of my wits last night; my horse almost got stolen and the would-be thief was cursed because of it! Of course, I performed the counter curse...but geez..."
He sank into an old rickety chair, and by his poise and posture, he looked very unprincely at the moment.
Sirius, glad to be once again in possession of clothing...though his backside was still a little numb from the exposure to the frigid weather of this god forsaken place...watched as Remus slumped into the chair with a rather dejected look on his handsome face.
Though, Sirius though affectionately, is was just like the werewolf to know
exactly what his counterpart in this time was famous for. Sirius figured that if
anyone could act the part of the Prince, Remus could. James as a Lord always
seemed a rather safe part for his best friend to play...and as his herald he
would make sure the bespectacled boy got the best...most entertaining...most
colorful introductions his agile mind could create.
However jousting when
not knowing how could be a problem. You did not want some random guy decked out
in heavy armor galloping at you with a large pointed stick when you didn't know
how to defend yourself. He felt it his duty...as a herald and a best friend to a
Lord and a Prince...to inform them of this fact.
Grinning, he sauntered over to Remus...as the Prince sat on his makeshift
throne...and plopped gracefully in his lap, slinging an arm around his shoulder.
Getting a rather amusing image of Remus as Santa Claus he shook his head
slightly before speaking.
"Listen...it may not be my place to say since I
am just the herald and all." Sirius' regard for the class structure was belied
by his rather bold perch on his monarchs lap, "But its probably not a good idea
for you lads to be riding horses towards another fellow in armor with nothing
but an oversized toothpick to protect you...specially if you don't know how to
use said toothpick."
He grinned over at James before turning his eyes
back on Remus. "I wouldn't want two of my favorite people to be made into
Marauder on a stick now would I." the joking in his voice hiding the real
concern he felt for the pair.
Despite the fun he was having, he didn't
want anyone getting hurt. Especially since he was the one who had gotten them
into this mess.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The carriage jostled a bit and Lily sighed this was completely boring, she'd prefer riding a horse then being stuck in a stuffy carriage with her 'mother' while her 'father' rode outside. "Could I please ride....... I'm so bored" she stated as she looked out the small windows in the carriage. The scenery was beautiful. Rolling hills and lots of trees with a village here and there along their journey. It was quaint....... and yet lovely at the same time. Her red hair was braided back and she wore a traveling dress, which was more comfortable then the gowns she'd worn in the castle.
She wondered if the others had arrived here, certainly they must have.
She then wondered where they were exactly, and what rank they'd ended up in.
Hopefully no one who was about to be beheaded, she thought with a shiver. "No
dear......... ladies do not ride horses when there is a carriage to carry them"
her 'mother' stated seriously as though she'd said it a million times. Lily
rolled her green eyes, and continued to watch the scenery.
Yorkshire........
she wondered what it looked like in these times. This was like one big
history class.....only Professor Binns wasn't there to bore you out of your
skull. "We'll be to Yorkshire soon dear" the lord of Alnwick said with a smile
at his daughter. Lily nodded and thought thank goodness. She flinched as the
carriage jostled again..... damn it she wanted a horse! At least it didn't feel
the bumps like this.
Finally after what seemed an eternity they
approached the small town surrounding the Yorkshire castle. It's massive walls
rose to protect the castle against foe, and protect friends. She let out a sigh
of admiration for it's architectural beauty. At least she was at
home in
castles........ Hogwarts was a big castle. The carriage entered the walls around
the castle and they came to a courtyard where the carriage finally to Lily's
complete satisfaction rolled to a stop. Her father helped her mother down from
the carriage and
then he helped Lily. She really wasn't sure if she minded
it so much, but it would be nice if these people believed a woman was perfectly
capable of thinking and stepping out of carriages on her own, without the
assistance of a man. "We will freshen up first........ and then meet with the
royal family" her father informed her. Lily nodded as servants grabbed their
things and lead them to their rooms.
Searching with the help of a
servant for a dress Lily chose out a green dress with gold embroidering. It
matched her hair and eyes perfectly the servant made sure to let her know that.
But when she offered to help Lily get dressed Lily assured her she could handle
it. With a nod and curtsy the servant left. Slipping from her traveling dress
she bathed in the bath that had been drawn and quickly dried off, slipping into
her underclothes, which to her was a lot! Then pulled the dress on, she
discovered her only issue was the ties on the dress. "Um...... I need help" she
said looking out at the servant who was waiting. "Of course Milady" she said
with a humored smile. Stepping in she helped Lily fasten the dress, "I can do
your hair as well" she offered. Lily gave in and nodded, the servant went out
brushing it carefully, and then doing a series of smaller braids to fasten
behind her head leaving the rest of her hair to fall around her. "You look
lovely" she stated, "Thank you for helping" Lily said with a small smile. When
the servant left Lily gazed out the window in her room looking down at
Yorkshire, this was definitely interesting. At the same time as she smacked
Sirius for reading the tablet she'd have to thank him for sending them on an
incredible journey.
A knock came at her door, "Milady your father has
said it is time to meet His majesty" she informed her. Lily nodded and left her
perch by the window making her way down the stairs and to the throne
room............
* * * * * * * * *
Laveda was trying to scrub some old sheets as best she could, but she
couldn't get them perfectly clean. It was frustrating, working in the castle,
but she refused give them a reason to kick her out. Oh no, she was not going
back to wandering. If those witches wanted to hunt her, they'd have to break
through this castle first.
She hadn't arrived too long ago, only about a
week, and she was trying her best to do all of her jobs perfectly. Those
witches, they had chased her to so many different villages, always throwing the
strangest magic her way. Like when she got really scared and ran into the woods
on one side of the lake and found herself on the other shore. That was
disorienting. And scary. Or when they had thrown one of her employers through
his own window. True, he had been horrible to her, and quite deserved it, but
the witches were after her, and she couldn't stay and let them catch her! They
were teasing her, showing what they could do, and Laveda was scared out of her
wits. But they wouldn't attack the castle of Yorkshire . No witches could get in
here. She hoped.
Laveda tried to calm herself as she scrubbed at the
sheet again. The calming part wasn't quite working, and her anger got the better
of her. Of course, the less the calming worked, the more the stain seemed to
disappear. In fact...it looked to be gone completely. She blinked once or twice,
looking at the sheet.
'I guess scrubbing harder does work,' she thought as she picked that up and took it elsewhere to be dried.
Earlier, the Lord and Lady of Alnwick had arrived, as well as their
daughter.
Soon, more people would come to stay at the castle for the tournament.
Hopefully, the Prince would be back by then. She was actually really
eager to see him, another reason working here had allured her so. She had
convinced herself that he definitely wouldn't stand for any witches to be
anywhere near his castle. She was sure of it, by now. And to Laveda, that was
all she needed to know to admire him already.
* * * * * * * * * *
*Bang bang bang!*
Peter groaned loudly in protest to such noise this early in the morning. "It's time to get up.......... the Barron Malfoy will wish to leave soon." A servant chided through the door. Peter hid his head under his pillow, this hadn't just been some weird, absurd........... nay insane! Nightmare? He groaned again and peaked out, "I'm up I'm up" he grumbled and threw the pillow at the door as though it'd make a difference to the servant. Getting up, he ran a hand through his hair and figured out that he had nothing new to change into. Placing the pillow back on the bed he stepped into the hall and glared groggily at the servant. A woman who was a tad bit intimidating as she was scowling at him at the moment. "Morning to you too" he stated sarcastically and made his way to the Main hall/throne room (Shrugs) Scratching his head groggily he looked around wondering if Lucius was up by now.
Deafening silence poured through the room and it sort of startled Lucius.
He had never had a night without the sounds of noisy house elves or snoring dorm
mates. It was alien to him and he hadn't really gotten the sleep he needed. He
could lie there for a few more hours and no one would say anything to him
because he was a Baron but he knew he needed to leave for Yorkshire. He climbed
out of his warm bed and cursed the cold before shoving on a fresh pair of brown
leather pants and a crisp white shirt and a brown jacket. 'Perfect traveling
clothes,' he assumed. He took a glance in a mirror, looking distastefully at his
hair, and deciding he needed to do something with it. A piece of string caught
his eye and he grabbed it and tied it back.
"Ready for another wonderful day," he thought to he told himself.
He left his room and headed down to his throne room, curious to see if Peter
would get his lazy bum out of bed or not. When he arrived there were a few
servants preparing food for the journey and they all stopped and grew silent as
he entered.
"Continue," he called out as he took his seat, so that they would stop
gawking.
A little servant girl came up to him and asked him if he wanted anything. He
wasn't very hungry but he was thirsty, and he needed something to prepare him
for the day ahead.
"I'd like a glass of Ogden's Fire Whiskey," he said without thought.
The girl looked at him for a second before explaining that she didn't know
what he was talking about but there was some Whiskey and she would be glad to
get it for him.
She quickly brought him his Whiskey and he drank it as he
waited patiently for Pettigrew.
Finally, he heard noises from outside and knew Peter was on his way. He put
on his best poker face and prepared to act like the man he was here.
"I see you found yourself here, alright. The horses are ready and we are
prepared to leave." He shrugged and snapped his fingers at the same girl
servant. "Get him a glass of this fine substance too. We have a long journey a
head of us."
Peter took the drink from the servant and looked at it. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted a drink of this stuff.......... what if Lucius had poisoned it? He laughed inwardly at his thought, Lucius wasn't that bright. Taking a drink of it he discovered he rather didn't care for the taste. "Well.......... ready to go milord?" he asked in a normal voice there were a few servants here last thing he needed was to have his head dislocated from his shoulders.
* * * * * * * * * *
"I must say, Sirius, clothing of this period suits you," Remus replied as he got dressed, but the smile in his voice failed to reach his eyes. He let his eyes trail between the silent form of James and the animated form of Sirius as the latter dressed himself, and looked slightly abashed when Padfoot took the liberty to plop down on his waist as if he owned the place. Remus got a look of mock horror and indignation on his face!
"How dare you!" he started, trying not to laugh, "How dare you place thy arse in my royal lap!" He was about to say more, but laughter overtook him, and he allowed Sirius to remain there as he spoke about lances being oversized toothpicks and the like. He settled his chuckles down to a minimum and shook his head.
"I understand your concern, Padfoot, but James and I have not much of a choice. Unless we get someone to train us properly in the art, we're toast. And before you even mention it, no magic. It's too risky, and plus, we don't know enough spells yet to try to protect ourselves."
He cringed at the thought of Marauder-On-A-Stick, and shuddered. "Er...yes, I rather like my intestines, so...Prongs...Padfoot...please, if any of you have any brilliant ideas, I'd be glad to hear them."
'....of... this period? What?' Bran's hand reached behind him to where he
kept a small hunting dagger hidden on his belt. This explained it... a prince
not knowing how to joust? A KNIGHT not knowing... and by their tones, they most
certainly where NOT joking... He knew what he was about to do was crazy, but
he'd rather make a scene than to be... he cut the thought off before continuing.
In a fluid motion, he was up to his feet and threw himself through the drawn
curtain, knife pointed upward in a shaking hand.
"I... I Don't know what you are, demons...!" he shouted, waving the knife
back and forth from James to Remus and Sirius, then pointed it directly at his
master, "Who are you, and what have you done with the real prince??" His voice
cracked at the end as he then realized the compromising position the werewolf
and dog-animagus where in... "AND
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING??" The
knife flashed as he reeled around madly, "Oh dear lord..." He muttered, " I
don't need this... Dealing with demons! Go back to the fires you came from!!"
his voice squeaked with terror.
Remus, already uneasy about the whole situation, jumped a mile as Brandubh leapt through the tent doors, waving a dagger menacingly. He paled slightly, and looked at James and Sirius as he realized that Bran had been eavesdropping.
'Quick, think...' he said, looking slightly frantic in his eyes. But he maintained his cool as Bran demanded what Sirius was doing in his lap, and moved a bit to stand without dropping Sirius flat in the dirt. He maintained his look of regality, and noted the crucifix that hung about James' neck.
"Brandubh!" he cried, trying to maintain a bit of dignity, "Demons! Honestly! Do you think if we were demons, that we would bear the symbol of our Lord and Savoir Jesus Christ without being killed! If we were demons," he began, and reached for a nearby dagger on a small table near where Sirius was. He took it in one hand and pricked his forefinger, wincing slightly at the pain. "If we were demons, would we bleed?" he asked, praying that all those rumors he had heard about the Dark Ages were true.
Bran's blade twitched left and right as the frightened boy tried to keep his
bearings. "I... I don't know! But I know that you're imposters!! I don't know
what you did before, but I know you can do it again!" He was acting on impulse
now, merely doing everything by a whim. "Don't come closer! Stay away!" He
twitched the blade again. His eyes passed over their surprised faces, and
something tried to get his attention in the back of his mind.
Instead, and
slackened slightly, blade still up, and his terror still prominent, but
noticeably less mad. "Just... honestly, my lord..." he said the title in a
pitying way, "What is going on?" his eyes darted from Sirius's wand to Remus's
at his side to James' face and back to the werewolf.
Remus looked apologetically at Brandubh and slowly stepped forward, his hands raised in an unthreatening manner. The blood from his pricked finger trickled slowly down his index finger, and he paused to wipe it away.
"Sirius," he muttered back to Padfoot, "Make sure that dagger wasn't silver...I know, I should've checked before I went and did it, but make sure, and go look for some wine… I don't think they had rubbing alcohol at this time."
Looking back up at his herald, he smiled. He didn't know if Bran had heard his odd requests, but all he knew that if the dagger was indeed silver, he wouldn't be dead, but soon, he would be in a great deal of agonizing pain, and sick as can be.
"I'm sorry for the confusion, Brandubh," he said in a smooth, gentle voice. "I know that what you heard must seem quite outlandish, and indeed, it does! But you see, my friends and I," he paused for a moment, and gestured to the other two to make time for him to think, "Were speaking in a kind of code...so if that anyone happened to be eavesdropping," he continued, looking at him with a crooked eyebrow, "They would not know what we were talking about. It's very handy when on the battlefield; enemy spies wouldn't know if we were planning an attack or a retreat; they would be quite confused."
He was a few feet before Brandubh now, and he looked down at the dagger, a severe light alighting in his eyes.
"And...I do hope that you are not threatening me, Brandubh of Breasal," he remarked. "You see...the penalty for attacking or threatening royalty is hefty...and I should not wish to see your head on the chopping block."
Though Remus appeared calm and collected on the outside, inwardly he was praying to all the Powers That Be that Bran would buy his excuses...And another thought popped into his mind.
"And also," he began again, "On the terms of the joust...my friends and I were just speaking on how there are many ways as to which we can attune our jousting skills. You see...only my closest friends know of my passion for the tournament, and how I compete under the guise of a knight in other tournaments. So, if would so kindly lower your weapon, I would like to ask you if you would care to help my dear friend James attune his skills of the tournament. I will not need aid until we depart Yorkshire again after my tournament is finished. You see...I do believe that I will allow Sirius and his Lord to accompany us to Yorkshire free of their caravan. I do wish to have them stay in my castle rather than a drafty old inn."
Silver...
And why didn't Remus think of this before he decided to go pricking himself
with knives to prove he wasn't a demon? Deciding panicking was probably not the
best thing to do in this situation, Sirius swiped the dagger from
Remus...pausing briefly to cast him a concern look...and then dashed out the
tent.
He made a dash towards the blacksmith he'd seen the night
before...when he'd been in possession of his right mind...and thrust the dagger
into his shocked and slightly terrified face. "This dagger." he waved the dagger
for emphasis. "Can you tell me what it's made of?"
The blacksmith raised
a slightly quivering hand to take the dagger from the young lad he recognized as
the drunken Irish herald that had been dragged off earlier that morning.
Glancing over it and glancing at a few marks he handed it back to the herald.
"A silver dagger, it is lad."
Sirius dropped the dagger in the dirt
with a gasp. Oh god no! Not silver....anything but silver.
And Sirius was
running before he had chance to think.
James stood recovering from the last few seconds action in silence, except
for the thump of his heart. When the Marauders got into a bad situation, he
noted quietly, they didn't just have to deal with late homework like most people
did they? They had to get thrown back to the dark ages. As for "Marauders on
sticks", "Marauders on daggers" had almost become a reality.
Praying to
anything and everything for someone to give an explanation, Remus finally
stepped forward and began, James finally allowing himself his first breath in a
minute.
James nodded at intervals in Remus' speech, unable to offer
anything himself, uncertain of anything that could help them out of this
uncomfortable situation.
He overheard Remus mutter to Sirius about the
dagger. James glanced at it. It could just be polished iron...or was it
silver?
If it was silver, they were in trouble. But there it was again -
The marauders did things to the extreme, after all being flung back to another
age wasn't enough to go wrong, was it?
Bran looked left and right suddenly, his widened eyes watching the prince,
his fellows and their actions and the pit of his stomach dropped. shit.... shit
shit... shit shit shit shit... DAMN! his hand wavered in the air as his head
spun... had he just... he just definitely.... the word 'treason' danced in his
consciousness as the tent swam. In a desperate motion, he threw the knife to the
dirt floor and staggered backward a pace before twisting his body around and
taking off at full speed. "DAMN! bloody stupid....." he hissed so himself as he
ran around the people milling about the encampment, doing what ever they did
WITHOUT threatening noblemen and the future king of England at knife point...
the tents and signs of humanity gave way to the rest of the open field where
various bits of livestock where grazing, ready for slaughter when any gentlemen
became a bit peckish... "That's just what I am, eh?" he spat roughly, slowing
his pace a moment before reaching behind him and wrenching the dagger's scabbard
from his belt and throwing it at an indifferent goat. "Hell!" his knees felt
weak... this was a hanging offence... no, a beheading... in public... or the
rack... definitely, nobles liked that sort of thing... made their wine taste...
redder. or something of that nature. Well, he'd be damned before he'd be hung,
drawn or quartered, that's for sure... after catching his breath a moment and
without looking over his shoulder he started forward again towards the
tree-line. safely behind the shelter of foliage he could rest longer... but...
just what the HELL had he been thinking??
The shadows passed by him, painting shapes across the rarely-used dear path
his feet found and he collapsed into the underbrush. 'of course.' he thought
through stabs of pain in his sides as he gasped for breath, 'of course it'd be a
code... just what was I thinking, anyway? Magic. heh.' he had to have gotten his
hopes up, hadn't he? Thought he was in for an adventure or something. Now look
at him. "Damn."
* * * * * * *
**Flashback**
Nancy had been following the Slytherins when it happened. Somehow she had been sucked into a flash of light...or something. She fell for what seemed like forever, then landed in a pile of brush.
"Oh, my head..." she complained. She reached inside her robes for her
wand, and found it still there. "Good," she said. "But what the devil do I do
now?"
**Present**
Nancy had walked for what seemed like several days.
She had passed through a village not too long ago where she was greeted as 'Lady
Hepburn'… whatever that meant. Had she stumbled back in time? If so, where were
the other Hogwarts students? In the village she'd managed to get a change of
clothes, a bath, and some money. Nancy didn't
really understand what was
going on, so after gathering supplies, she just kept traveling, hoping to figure
out what was going on.
It was with these thoughts that she stumbled upon a small encampment of
sorts. "I wonder if those people could tell me anything about this place," Nancy
said to herself. "Or would they take me for a fool?" She sighed and sat down
under a tree. "Oh well, I need to rest anyway."
To Be continued…