AHH! DON"T HURT ME! (is promptly beaten with random objects by few fans left) I know it has been a long time but I have an excuse. I am lazy. Actually, I have been sick, had many assignments, joined a writing class and had to do the PSSA testing. Anyways, with no further adu, here is the story. Please review, and if you have any questions please ask me in a review.
A great stone arch loomed over the three youths as they came to the city of Pyvev. The city was a great artistry of stone and brick. The buildings rose from the colorfully designed cobblestones to shadow the streets at most hours of the day. Though they where worn slightly from age, they still showed magnificent craftsmanship, each stone melding with its brothers to form patters of shadow and color. Some even held impressions of strange runes that seemed to glow in the eyes of the young wizards.
The three boys had been walking together for the past four hours since they had met by the maze. Along their slow track the young Kedyan had learned a little about the two boys, but not much. They were reluctant to talk about where they hailed from or what they seemed to be looking for. He had been struck by the feeling that they did not know and were simply going blindly in whichever way they thought best. He had learned one thing for curtain though; they did not get along very well. They reminded him of children fighting over some imaginary fault and made him snicker every time to their embracement.
The dark haired one, Harry, was calmer then the blond, Draco, by far and seemed a tad more mature in addition to being more down to earth so to speak. Draco, on the other hand, was a classical noble type; impatient, rude, and childish at times the fair haired youth was obviously not accustomed to traveling in such 'barbaric' ways as walking. Once Draco had asked why it was taking so long,
"Why our we going so slowly? The sooner we get there the sooner I can go home," he had asked
Kedyan's reply had been, "Believe me, if I go faster we would get there slower."
Kedyan looked back patiently for the two to take in the sight of the stone town. He did not miss the fact that their eyes lingered on the worn outlines of the old runes that once coved the older buildings. Deciding to get the boys minds back on track, he asked off handedly, "So, where are you to meet this person you are waiting for?"
Harry and Draco where taken aback by the question as they realized they had no idea. Glancing toward the other the two could only say, "Um,"
"You don't know," this usually would have been an insult if it had not been for the tone of the boy's voice that seemed nonjudgmental, "You know the most likely place for a person to be is the Square. It has the market and the free fountain. I'm heading there, follow me."
The boys walked to the center of the town; a sizeable clear area. Cloth covered stalls and shops among the surrounding buildings stood in each direction, showing off common objects like jewelry and food to things that seemed more likely to be found in Diagon Alley. In the center of the square was a large fountain made of white marble, crystal clean water ran like a small waterfall from the black marble pole in the center of the fountain. People milled around, looking at the wares of the shops, gathering water, and chatting with one another. Four young men stood out among the crowds. All four where dress in plain but well made clothing that where obviously clean even from a distance. These men seemed to give off an air of some strange power. Not the same as the woman but vaguely similar. They kept looking around as if searching for someone.
"You are so in a lot of trouble kid," a deep voice spoke from behind the three. A tall man, around twenty stood behind them, glaring at Kedyan. Tall, thin and well built, this man was quite impressive. His golden brown hair fell around a brown face; orange eyes looked down at the smaller boy with a mix of annoyance, worry and protectiveness. "Why are you here alone?"
"Uh, well On, you see..." Kedyan began before the man glared again.
"Do you realize you had your sisters freaking out? I had eighteen hysterical girls swamping me to find you, wailing how you could be attacked by bandits or be picked up by a Bride Seller or you could have an attack out in the wild with no one around to help you! Not to mention how bad Gesela let me have it for losing you while I was supost to come with you and a couple guards! I swear your dad was about to denounce me, ever before me and Gesela get hitched!"
A pink tint came to the boy's cheeks as he listened to the rant, "I can take care of my self, I have not had an attack in seven seasons and…Bride Sellers? I realize I have a feminine appearance but, really…" he ran a lean hand over his tunic and completely flat chest.
A smile broke out on the man's face as he put an arm around Kedyan's thin shoulders, "That is why I'm glade I don't have sisters yet. And you can't blame them for worring, its and older siblings duty," he catches a glance at the teens standing close by, "And what have you picked up this time?"
"This is Harry and this is Draco, I found them by the maze during my escape. They where lost so I guided them here."
"Ah, being the gallant noble? As if you need more girls fawning over you kid," he ruffled the boy's hair before turning toward the young wizards, "I'm Onwen, the kid's friend and fiancée of his oldest sister Gesela."
"I am not a child anymore On, I am seventeen you realize."
Potter and Malfoy's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets at this news, they had thought he was younger then them, not two years their senor. A flat voice spoke up from behind them.
"You always were childish."
The young men turned to see a young woman behind them. The hood of her black clock was down, showing them the cold, beautiful face of the woman. A dramatic wind, far more impressive then Professor Snape's in the lost teens opinion, blew the girl's dark brown hair over a shoulder and the black cloth out impressively. Guarded stormy grey eyes glared at the group, Harry could almost swear that those eyes actually shifted like the woman's they had met. All around the girl was an air of authority and intelligence. This was not a person to cross.
A soft chuckle came from Kedyan as he watched the two boys reaction to the young woman. Smiling he addressed her, "Dramatic as always Le," he teased lightly.
Le turned to him with a glare that did not truly reach her features. The look she gave him said plainly 'You will pay'. In an instant the look was gone and the emotionless mask was up as she surveyed the two young wizards. The power difference was obvious in a single glance. The dark haired one had an aura of power stronger then any she had seen in a normal human.
"Magic users." Le said out of nowhere. She did not even smirk when the three teen boys looked up startled. "They have the air of mages. Did you think I would not know?"
Kedyan laughed and rubbed the nape of his neck, "I forgot about that," he said, embarrassed. "So why are you here Le? I thought you were going to Tennor."
Le jerked her head in the direction of Harry and Draco, indicating they were the reason for her presence. Understanding bloomed on the two men's faces. "I see, well then you two have your guide," Onwen slapped their arms, "Good luck, you'll need it."
Kedyan shook his head at Onwen's receding back, "She's not that bad. Just," he leaned between the two, "don't do anything stupid. She is not very patient with idiots," and with that, he disappeared into the crowd, leaving the two lost wizards to fate. And if she was a bad as Onwen had hinted, this could be very bad.
Le had led them silently through the crowded market place. Le weaved around the hulking bodies like a snake, never touching them and them never touching her. The boys had a harder time, always running into people that turned unexpectedly and were almost knocked to the ground a dozen times. Finally they came to a stop in front of a small building. It looked the same the others but this one had a colorful sign covering most of the front wall. Even if they could read the writing the words and colors meshed together too much to even read it.
Le stepped in to the building, not even looking if the two were following, and stepped up to the girl behind the front counter. The boys did not notice what was said for they were distracted by the interior of the shop. Clothing was covering every space possible. It was as bad as the sign because there seemed to be no order to the whirl of colors and cloth.
"Thank you for your patronage," the girl said as Le walked out of the store. She was a pretty thing; small, slim and spunky. Her red hair hung around her face in wavy curls and there was a twinkle in her eye that did not bode well with the boys.
"OK! Come with me," she said while grabbing their hands and bodily dragging them into the back of the shop, "Miss Le wants you two ready by the time she gets back. That means you're my dolls till then!"
And there was the reason they felt nervous about the girl. And as weak as she looked, she sure could drag the two teens kicking and screaming into the fitting room with little trouble.
When Le returned an hour later she found the blushing boys clothed for travel with small parcels of extra clothing beside them. Harry was dressed in a loose green tunic tied at the waist with a brown belt and brown pants. Shiny black boots could be seen under the hems of the pants. A durable brown cloak was tied securely around his neck, the hood down. Draco was dressed, to his annoyance, in simple white shirt and black leggings, the knee high boots covering the bottoms of the leggings. He wore a cloak similar to Potters but in a darker brown.
Le did not comment but simply threw a package to each. Both contained a thin bladed sword which looked like silver and felt lighter then air. Next she threw two packs at them with a simple, "Come,"
Without a word, the three left the shop and stepped into the light of day. The journey had begun.
Happy? Anyways, I want to clear some things up. Kedyan is very sick person, if he overexerts himself he can go into an attack which is kind of like an asthma attack and diabetic shock combined. The four boys are friends of On and Kedyan and are part of their story. And the Bride Sellers are sort of like slave traders except they mostly go after women of marring age to sell them to men who want a quick bride. Their from Kedyan's story too cause the six boys dressed up as women. Le and Kedyan met in a crossover between their stories.