The Traveler
Chapter 4, Once upon a time...
"How did you cope?" he said suddenly.
"With...." His hands flailed, tracing shapes that had no meaning to illustrate an idea that didn't exist. "With everything."
"Everything?" Will repeated, doubtfully.
"Well...." Words failed him yet again. He decided to give up on
explanations. "Everything."
The Old One studied him for another beat, then folded his arms
across his chest.
"I honestly don't know," he admitted with disconcerting candour.
"But when I do figure it out, you'll be the first person I tell."
Piper, Phoebe, and Paige felt extremely overwhelmed with the information Will had given them. They never realized how much smaller they were in the actual big scheme of things. The Light, the Dark, the inexplicable power of both, and how just being an Old One did not make you a saint...to defeat the Dark you had to be just as cold and above the trials of humanity as they were. And there was no choice, that's just the way it was and always will be.
Will raised an eyebrow at the sisters' momentary speechlessness, slightly amused at their reaction. Of course he wasn't surprised at such a response. After all, a similar thing had occurred when he had attempted to explain the awesome concept of Time to his brother Paul. He was sincerely grateful that he was able to erase the burdening thought from him. No matter how much he loved his family, he doubted any of them would ever be ready for the universe's truths.
"Is that all you want to know?" He asked quietly.
"That's more than enough...but I was wondering--will Chris be okay?" Piper worried. She was after all still his mother in some sense.
Memory—
There was another carved piece of wood close to his head, the bottom
part of the leg of another chair. Will was slumped in that chair, his head
buried in his hands and his face hidden from the other's sight. His breathing
was uneven--not the breath of a man fast asleep. Worry churned in his stomach. He had never seen the Old One
look so drained, so completely and utterly exhausted. It was as if every
last bit of his energy had been spent.
"He is very tired."
(Harry Potter and the Legacy of the Light (36); Gramarye)
"You can never fully adjust to such things as this. It has to be kept inside for the most part, and though he may have to deal with admittedly harsher realities than most, he, you could say, has Time on his side. And when the Dark, as always, comes rising; he will not be in its way."
"What?!" They all exclaimed in unison. Piper for one could not begin to comprehend her own son allowing evil to have its way. Especially the son that was, as she had previously presumed, meant to stop it. He had come back to save Wyatt, not to kill him, which meant he still had hope...a person with hope couldn't possibly stand by and let the opposing side win.
Will looked back at them, the picture of stillness in the face of a harrowing storm.
"It is just the way of things. The Traveler only looks after any complications in the timeline, the constant battle between the Light and the Dark is of no concern to them. They are neutral, but if the assignment favors one side over the other, it is of no matter and must nevertheless be accomplished. Like in all things, a balance has to be present and maintained...that is in essence what I meant before."
Piper stood up abruptly and said with much frustration, "Can I freeze you?"
"Piper!" Phoebe and Paige admonished earnestly.
He raised his eyebrows, momentarily shocked by such a request. Did he mean to make her that angry?
"No. You can not."
"Then let me get one thing straight with you...if you do not make sure Chris will be okay, you would not dare come here again, got that?"
"I do not 'get it' because, as you can recall, I was 'summoned' here. I had no choice in the matter."
"Just...make sure, okay?" She repeated softly in a tone so sincere, Will wanted to assure her of this, but knew such promises were hard to keep.
There was something rather odd about the two of them; [he] was lying
in the bed and [Will] standing over him, doing little things to make
him more comfortable. Adjusting the blankets. Loosening the collar
of his shirt. Putting the glasses on the night table, the shoes beneath the
bed. He soon finished tucking [him] in, but before he straightened up
he paused, one hand resting on the boy's forehead. "Sleep easy, child," he murmured, so softly that I almost didn't hear him at first. "You're safe here."
"...I know for a fact that [Will] has no family of his own, but as his hand moved to brush the hair out of [his] shuttered face, he looked exactly like a father putting his child to bed..."
(Changing of the Guard, HP & the Legacy of the Light; Gramarye)
TBC...with 5 reviews
A/N: Okay, so pretty much all the italicized text is from Harry Potter & the Legacy of the Light by Gramarye. That story takes place during Harry's fifth year...where Sirius is alive (as in canon where he was coldly killed off!!!...sorry, still gets me...).
So as this conflicts with where I'm planning to go with this story, let's just say that Will has access to alternate timelines...I mean he has the ability to be in any time he wants, even outside of Time. Yes, I think that'll do. Sorry if I'm confusing the heck out of anyone, but look at the italicized stuff as comparing what Will went through with what Piper is going through with Chris presently.