All That Matters
Chapter 23 - Excalibur
Disclaimer: All disclaimers apply
Thank to Nina430 and Julia Adele for your kind reviews!Thanks also tokina24 and Key of Darknessfor Beta-ing this chappie.
Author's Note: May 16, 2004 was the original air-date for the episode 'It's a Bad Bad Bad Bad World: Pt 2', which is the episode where Chris is born...hence,I am using it for his birthdate.
"So how exactly did you find me?" Eryn asked as they materialised in the kitchen of the Manor. Chris started to reply, then realised that revealing how they had found her would involve telling her he had gone through her bag. Searching for another explanation, he realised he still held her hand, and released it.
"We scried," Wyatt supplied, ignoring Chris' glare. : She's going to find out sooner or later, : the older witch informed his brother.
: Yeah, but I was hoping it wouldn't have to be until after we'd vanquished Ardariaen...that way, she'd be so grateful she wouldn't think to kill me, : Chris told him. Wyatt shrugged, then both boys realised Eryn was speaking.
"Again: how exactly...I was in the Underworld." When neither of her male counterparts were forth-coming, Eryn arched an eyebrow and began to tap her foot. "Well?" Both boys looked at each other, then Chris sighed.
"We...uh...used a map," he admitted. Both Eryn's eyebrows rose.
"A map?" she echoed. Wyatt nodded.
"Yep."
"A map you just happened to have lying around of the Underworld?" she asked doubtfully.
"Yeah," Chris said. Eryn arched an eyebrow again, and he relented. "Okay, fine...we used your map," he told her. Eryn stared at him.
"My map of the Underworld?" she asked. Wyatt nodded.
"Yep."
"That was in my Book." The way she said the word left them in no doubt as to what Book she was referring to.
"Mm-hmmm," Chris said.
"That was in my bag."
"Uh-huh," Wyatt affirmed. She rounded on him.
"Are you saying you went through my bag?" she demanded. He pointed immediately to Chris.
"Hey, don't look at me, he did," he told her defensively.
"Gee, thanks Wy," Chris said sarcastically, shooting him a dirty look and studiedly avoiding Eryn's gaze.
"You went through my bag?" she asked him. He shook his head in denial.
"Look, technically I didn't go through it...I just opened it up, saw the Book, tried to get it, realised it was too far away, dumped everything out so I could get it, then shoved all your other stuff back in...to your bag. I didn't actually go through anything...except the Book, that is, and both me and Wy went through that." When there were no signs of Eryn exploding, he chanced a glance at her. She didn't look angry, he noted...instead, she looked more puzzled, a sentiment confirmed by her next question.
"How the hell did you get into my bag? Did you say a spell or something?" she asked. Chris shook his head.
"No...why would I have to say a spell?" he responded. Eryn dismissed his question with a wave of her hand.
"Never mind...when's your birthday?" she shot back. Chris' confusion deepened.
"May 16...why?"
Eryn ignored him.
"Wow, that's weird. Um...you weren't born at, like, eleven o'clock at night by any chance, were you?"
"Almost...10.54. Why?"
"Are you serious?" Eryn demanded. He nodded slowly.
"Um, yeah. Again, why? Why is it so important that you know when I was born?" he asked her. She shot him a wry grin.
"Because I was born at 10.54 at night on May sixteenth, too."
Chris stared at her. "What?" he demanded. She shrugged.
"Yeah...and that's how I kept my bag locked," she replied. He frowned.
"Excuse me?" he queried, confused. She sighed.
"I put a spell...on my bag. Only a person born at 10.54 on the sixteenth of May, 2004 would be able to open it," she explained, and shrugged again. "I didn't think there'd be anyone else born at that exact date and time...at least, not on this continent...hell, even in this hemisphere..." She trailed off and gave him another wry grin. "Guess I was wrong."
"Guess so," he replied. Wyatt sighed and waved at them.
"Um, hey there. Listen, I know this is really interesting and all, but we've got a little problem...no scratch that, we've got a big problem. Make that multiple big problems."
"What..." Eryn began, but broke off with a cough which turned into a coughing fit. Chris pounded her on the back.
"Are...you...O...kay?" he demanded between blows. Eryn fought him off, still coughing..
"I'm fine...guess the dust from the dungeon didn't agree with me," she rasped. She glared at him and slapped at his hands. "Quit hitting me!"
Biting back a grin, Chris quit hitting her and TK'd a glass from the cupboard to the sink, then TK'd the COLD tap on. Once the glass was full, he beckoned, and it hovered over to him. He handed it to Eryn, who took it from him with a nod of thanks and gulped down the contents. Wyatt gestured to the table and they all sat down.
"What problems would those be?" Eryn asked once her coughs had subsided. Wyatt frowned, then held up a hand and began to list things on his fingers.
"One: we have to vanquish Ardariaen. Two: we have no idea how to vanquish Ardariaen. Three: we have limited time to figure out a way to vanquish Ardariaen. Four..."
"Something blah blah blah Ardariaen," Chris said, rolling his eyes. Wyatt glared at him.
"I was going to say..." he began, but Chris interrupted him.
"Yeah, whatever...basically, you were going to say we're screwed."
"Well, I do have some good news," Eryn said as she took another sip of her water. Both brothers glanced up.
"Really?" Chris asked.
"Like what?" Wyatt added. Eryn lay the glass back down, then looked up at them.
"He's weak," she said quietly. Chris frowned.
"Weak?" he echoed. She nodded slightly.
"Weak. Or more to the point, drained. Of strength…and of power. The Oath of Aureolus does that to you. It…"
"Just a question," Chris interrupted. "What's the Oath of Auri…Aurol…"
"Aureolus?" Eryn said.
"Yeah. That. What is it? We've never heard of it."
Eryn grinned wryly. "Yeah, well, you wouldn't have. Because it's a demonic oath. You invoke Aureolus, the demon of bonds, oaths, and truth to bear witness to an oath and to hold the parties participating to that oath. That's one of the reasons you have to be very specific when you make the Oath. Aureolus is human - so to speak - and he tends to take what is said at face value. Sometimes - like today - that favours one of the parties involved." She frowned. "Now where was I? Oh yeah…
"The Oath of Aureolus is a bitch to use, because it drains the strength and powers of the casters for a short time. It's only used for really serious oaths - like mine and Ardariaen's - because no one wants to expend that much energy just to promise they'll pick up some gremlin blood after they've murdered a day's Innocents…" Chris and Wyatt both stared at her; she shrugged.
"Just putting it into perspective…it is a demonic oath, after all," she said defensively. Wyatt shook his head.
"Okay then…so, he's weak. How does that help us?" he asked. Eryn leaned forward in her chair.
"It helps us because we never could've taken him before. He was much too powerful. Think the last three Sources combined, and you've got my father. But now, we…"
"Hang on, what's all this 'we' business?" Chris interrupted teasingly, his eyebrows rising. Eryn looked at him searchingly, then sighed and got to her feet.
"I'm sorry," she told them. "I just assumed...if you don't want to get involved in this, that's fine." She started out of the kitchen, undoubtedly heading for the attic; Wyatt and Chris shot each other alarmed looks.
"Hey, hey, hold it," Wyatt called. Chris nodded.
"Yeah, wait...Eryn, I was just kidding." When she turned back, he gave her an apologetic look. "Sometimes my mouth goes and says something without consulting my brain. We are going to help you vanquish Ardariaen...I promise." Eryn looked at him for a moment, then nodded and sat back down.
"Okay, let's focus at the task at hand," Wyatt said. "We need a spell - or potion - to vanquish Ardariaen. Any ideas?" Chris shook his head.
"Not a clue," Eryn added. Wyatt glanced at her.
"Yeah, I know...but, since you know the most about Ardariaen, you should probably be the person to write the spell," he told her. Eryn sighed.
"I guess. I just don't know how I'm going to come up with a spell in..." She broke off, a faraway look in her eyes. Chris frowned.
"Eryn...Eryn," he said, putting a hand on her arm and shaking her slightly. She looked at him.
"Sorry...I was just thinking of something Ardariaen said. Before he took me to his lair...in the attic. He said something, about a vanquishing spell..." Chris nodded as she trailed off.
"Yeah...I remember. He said something like, 'You think you've got a vanquishing spell for me hidden in your mind', right?"
"What's that got to do with anything?" Wyatt asked, his dark eyes ticking between Eryn and Chris. "I mean, you don't have a spell for him...do you?" Eryn frowned.
"I...I don't know..." She trailed off, the faraway look in her eyes again. Then...
"Demon of all castes combined, be vanquished here and at this time. By forces black and forces white, leave this earth and leave my sight. By Spirit and the Elements four, this space won't hold you anymore. This is now my one desire, to have your essence consumed by fire," Eryn sang, her voice rising and falling in a simple melody. Chris and Wyatt stared at her.
"Where did that come from?" Chris asked when she was finished. Eryn shook her head slowly.
"My Mom. She...when I was little, my Mom always used to tell me this story. In it, there was a demon...the most powerful demon in the world. He was chasing after this girl...I can't remember why, but I guess it isn't important." She leant forward. "In the story, there was a spell..."
"Let me guess...the one you just sang?" Chris asked. She nodded.
"Yeah. Mom would sing it to me every time she told me the story. She said it was the spell the girl would use to vanquish the demon." She glanced at Chris, then at Wyatt. "What if it wasn't a story? What if it was reailty? What if my Mom figured out the spell for me, and told it to me in a way that I'd remember, even over a decade?" Wyatt nodded.
"Powerful demon, trying to catch a girl, and the spell talks about 'all castes combined'...definitely some parallels," he agreed.
"But," Chris said slowly, "I don't think your Mom counted on one thing." Eryn frowned.
"What's that?" she asked. He grinned.
"She didn't count on the fact that you'd have help." Glancing at the counter, he TK'd the suspension letter from his school over, as well as a pen. He handed them to her. "Write down the words to the spell, and we can change it to a spell for all three of us to say. With the culmination of the Pen-Ultimae line and two of the progeny of the Charmed Ones saying the spell, Ardariaen will definitely bite the dust." Eryn laughed and began to write. Once she was done, she held the paper up and looked at the Halliwells.
"Here you go...one possible Ardariaen Vanquishing Spell. Now what?
Wyatt nodded to Chris. "Give it to Chris; he's the best spell-writer out of the two of us." Chris grinned and took the spell from Eryn.
"Thanks," he said as he began to work on the spell. Wyatt rolled his eyes.
"On second thought, maybe I shouldn't have said that," he muttered. Eryn laughed.
"Probably not," she agreed, then frowned again. Wyatt noticed.
"What?" he asked. She shrugged.
"I don't know...I guess I'm just thinking that there's no way it's going to be this easy. I mean, a spell, and that's it? If it was that simple, then why hasn't anyone tried it before?"
Wyatt nodded reluctantly. "You're right. It can't be that easy." He was silent for a moment. "Was there anything else in your Mom's story that might have to do with this?" he asked finally. "A potion, crystals, some sort of amulet?" Eryn shook her head.
"No...it was always just the spell," she replied. Chris glanced up at her.
"Just out of curiosity," he asked, "how did the story end?"
"It didn't," she replied. She swallowed. "Mom always said that I'd have to finish it for myself."
----
"Okay, I think I've got it," Wyatt said half an hour later.
Eryn looked up from her Book of Shadows; they had relocated to the attic because Chris had been having a hard time reworking the spell in the kitchen: he said it felt too much like homework, writing it at the kitchen table.
"Got what?" she asked. Wyatt grinned.
"The missing piece to the puzzle," he replied. "We need something powerful...extremely so. Something that is an undeniable force of good; that can act as a catalyst for our combined powers."
"And, let me guess, you have just the thing, right?" Eryn asked.
"Yeah," Wyatt said, getting to his feet. "I have just the thing." Chris looked up.
"If you're thinking about what I think you're thinking about, then good, 'cause I've already written it into the spell," he informed his brother. Wyatt's grin broadened.
"Tell us what you've got," he suggested. Chris nodded and began to read the reworded spell, emphasising the alterations.
"Demon of all castes combined, be vanquished here and at this time. By forces black and forces white, leave this earth and leave our sight. By Spirit and the Elements four, this space won't hold you anymore. This is now our one desire, to have your essence consumed by fire. Power of the Pen-Ultimae line, with Charmed magic now combine. Excalibur, speed this magic well, to send this demon straight to hell. By the power of us Witches three, be vanquished now, so mote it be." When he finished, he arched an eyebrow.
"So what do you think?" he asked. Eryn nodded.
"It's good...just, what's that part about Excalibur?" she asked. Chris grinned.
"Well..." he said, glancing at Wyatt. His older brother smirked.
"I...uh...I own Excalibur," he told her. Eryn frowned.
"What do you mean 'own Excalibur'?"
"I mean 'own' as in 'the legendary sword Excalibur, formerly owned by King Arthur, is currently mounted on the wall above my bed, having recognised me as its next bearer'," he explained. She stared at him.
"You mean to say you have Excalibur hanging over your bed?" she demanded. Chris smirked.
"Better hope it doesn't fall in the night, eh Wy?" he asked. Wyatt grinned and winked, then gestured for the two younger witches to follow him.
----
"Whoa," Eryn said when she saw it.
"Yeah, I know...what a pig sty," Chris told her as he waded through the mess of books, clothes, and other miscellaneous junk.
"Tell me about it," Eryn grumbled, yelping as she stepped on something that squeaked. She sighed in relief when she saw it was a dog's chew toy, then frowned. "You guys have a dog?" she asked.
"Had a dog," Wyatt replied, stepping easily through the mess. He made it to his bed and began to undo the straps that held something that Eryn couldn't see but presumed to be Excalibur in place.
"Sparky," Chris supplied. "He was a German Shepherd. He's in the Big Kennel in the Sky now." Eryn winced.
"Sorry," she said. Chris waved away the apology.
"It's okay. He had a good life, didn't he, Wy?"
"Yeah, great life...but how he managed to survive all those demon and Darklighter attacks, I'll never know," the older Halliwell responded. Then, "Ah, got it!" He stepped back and turned around.
Excalibur was a beautiful sword: its one-and-a-half handed hilt was made of gold and in-laid with precious stones; its blade was the finest steel and - from what Eryn could see - perfectly balanced. But it wasn't just the beauty of the ancient weapon that caught Eryn's eye; it was the aura of power that it gave off, now that it rested in its lord's hand. As Eryn watched, a golden shimmer passed through the sword, rippling from the tip to the hilt, where Wyatt's hand gripped it...and she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this sword would enable them to vanquish Ardariaen.
"Wow," she whispered. Wyatt grinned.
"Yeah, I get that reaction alot," he said, swinging the sword in a lazy crescent. It hummed through the air; a slash of gold was left in its wake, and slowly faded.
"Show off," Chris accused. Wyatt shrugged.
"But of course," he replied. Chris rolled his eyes, then glanced around.
"Uh, can we get out of here now?" he asked, shifting uneasily. Wyatt's grin broadened.
"He's allergic to mess," he informed Eryn. Chris shook his head.
"I'm not allergic...I just can't see how anyone can allow a place to get this messy without doing something to clean it up." And with that he orbed out, his orbs moving upwards and disappearing through the ceiling.
Chapter 24 will be up as soon as I've written it...don't worry, it shouldn't take too long!
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