Will and the Word
Chapter Nine
Harry went into his tent with Beldaran on his heels he kept walking and Beldaran stopped looked outside of the tent and then back in "How is your tent bigger on the inside?"
"The simple answer is magic; the real answer is space expansion charms," he said carrying another trunk out of a room "We will have to move away from the farm I do not want to startle the animals nor do I want any of these to accidentally damage any of you" he then ushered her out of the tent and Called out to the gathered people "I am going over the hill give me 10 minutes or so to set up "Harry wordlessly cast a levitation charm on the trunk letting it trail behind him. The release of power was heard by everyone in the vale
"That was fairly intense Harry, everyone in the vale heard and felt your power just now," Beldaran said once again grabbing his hand "As your healer, I strongly urge you not to do anything harmful to yourself or I may just have to confine you to a bed."
That gave Harry Pause 'in for a penny" "Bel, after this demonstration I will submit to whatever care you believe I need." Harry squeezed her hand "I know we have only known each other a short time. Please trust me."
Beldaran found herself nodding reluctantly as they came down the hill away from the farm onto a flat meadow Harry first laid ward stones that would prevent harm to the spectators and the very ground itself for a 50' radius of where he was standing Beldaran saw his lips moving but did not understand what he was saying. Then he opened the trunk and as one 50 small humanoid figures rose from the chest 49 of them had tall black pointy hats, black robes, and masks made of bone the last while vaguely humanoid but felt malevolent.
The others looked down the hill at the pair as Harry explained what they were "These a representative of the forces I was combatting back home. Lord Voldemort" pointing to the ugly one "and, his Deatheaters" Harry saw the question on her face "Don't ask me. I never understood anything Lord Voldemort did" he clapped his hands together and the figures grew inside and moved in random directions "My Luna and our friends constructed and enchanted them so that I had an opponent who will always make me strive to be better. The Knight with your father what is his name?"
"That is Sir Mandorallen the Baron of Vo Mandor and though he is pushing 60 he is the mightiest knight in the world," Beldaran told Harry "He is also my mother's champion, Why?"
"I need his help long enough for him to understand how hard these things are going to hit me if they hit me" he explained "I will not let him be permanently harmed I need him to take a blow on the shield. Sir Mandorallen could I have your assistance for a few moments"
Mandorallen looked to Ce'nedra and Belgarion who both gave him the nod "wondering if he was going to use them for target practice. The Baron of Vo Mandor was confused by the young man's demeanor and claims. In truth, he had said something like it over the years "Aye, I can assist you, what can I do?"
"Dismount and prepare to take a shot on your shield" Harry explained "the blow you receive will be the lightest blow I will receive if one of the golems connects with one of their preloaded spells. I promise you no harm will come to you."
"I confess I am curious" Mandorallen admitted "How do you want me to stand?"
"Like this" Harry said as he stood in a forward stance creating an illusionary shield braced in front of him. Noting that the knights' shield was made of wood he touched it and transmuted it into mithril
Mandorallen gaped at first as first, his shield lightened a bit looking at Harry he bowed "Thank you it is will be nice to pass this shield to my son. Then he slipped into the position. one that he had never had to take "Ready when you are"
Silence reigned all around them "V, One shot at the shield lethal force."
"Yes Master!" the golem that looked ugly said "Avada Kedavra"
Mandorallen though he was ready was hit so hard his feet dug furrows until he was knee-deep "By Chaldan."
"Harry, you do not have to do this" Polgara said from the top of the hill worried he would be injured again.
"Harry as your healer I ask you not to do this" Beldaran asked quietly "Please I do not want to see you get hurt."
"It's how I train. if I train with real people there is the very real chance, I will kill someone accidentally." He explained to the princess "Believe it or not Luna hated that I used these many times she helped heal my badly broken body in the early days of my training there is a safety feature if I lose consciousness the minions go inert and V becomes a healer"
Ce'nedra had enough "I am not going to watch this boy do this. Excuse me" she stated as she walked down the hill and right up to Harry and grabbed him by the ear surprising him "If you think I am going to sit here and watch you hurt yourself. You are woefully incorrect"
Harry was now bent over looking at an irate little queen "Your majesty could you please let go of my ear" he said his face somewhat pained "I have not been tagged by one of the golems in almost a year."
"You do not have to prove yourself to anyone." The little queen insisted "No one"
"It is not proving myself it is so you all understand. I am a Battlemage perhaps the only battlemage on my world for nearly 1000 years." He said slowly removing her hand from his ear "Please trust me, your majesty. This is going to be the last time I use them at the end of each session the lead golem asks if I have defeated Voldemort. I promised my Luna that I would answer honestly each time. After today they will be no more."
Beldaran looked at Harry and her mom and laughed at how seamlessly she adopted him "Mother I think it would be beneficial for Harry emotionally speaking it will be the first step in moving on."
"Beldaran if that blast had hit Mandorallen anywhere but his shield he would likely be dead." Her mother ranted Harry rolled his eyes and made a gesture and all three were at the top of the hill. Surprising everyone.
Polgara's eyes widened at the noise and the release of power
Harry turned around and was met by another young man who reminded him of Aldur "One of the other Gods?"
"Eriond, adopted son of Polgara and Durnik, Adopted brother of Belgarion of Riva and God of all Angaraks." Eriond said putting a hand on Harry's shoulders causing him to relax some "Hopefully a friend to you as well. Why did you send them up the hill?"
"Sometimes in the heat of training, if there was someone nearby one of the golems would lock onto them instead of me as the people, I was trying to prevent the golems from targeting anyone but me."
"Ah, I can understand that don't like it and I would expect a face full of royalty when you are done." Eriond surmised "I don't think I have ever seen her quite that red. Aunt Pol is not happy either" he said over his shoulder as he walked up the hill.
Harry nodded and entered the warded area and activated the golems and for ten minutes he used golem against one another dodging red, green, yellow, black, and purple lights. When he could not dodge, he teleported or shielded until it was just the golem named V trading spells back and forth until Harry blasted the golem apart only for the golems to reform shrink and start floating to the box they were kept. V spoke, "Master it has been 23 days since our last training regimen Have you fought and vanquished Voldemort?"
"Yes, V his taint has been erased from the world." Harry admitted, "It is time for you to go home V."
"Yes, Master it is. Mistress left these for you" He said opening his chest. Inside there was a cubby and in it, there were several pictures of Harry and Luna, and all their friends from happier times "Mistress wanted you to remember the good and not dwell on the bad. It has been a pleasure to serve you, master. Was the last thing V said as the chest and all the golems broke down into dirt?"
Harry looked at the pictures trying to hold in his emotions. A single tear coursed down his cheek. Turning he saw everyone coming down the hill.
"I was wrong" Geran admitted freely "However, now I am not so sure I want him anywhere near my sister for entirely different reasons."
"Well, love it is not like you have a say in who she dates," Eleanora said grabbing his hands
"I have never been hit that hard in my entire life" Mandorallen admitted "It pains me to say that Beldaran's young man is not someone I would willingly take the field against."
Polgara stood at the top of the hill she had raised generation after generation of children never in all her years had she seen someone as broken as young Harry was. "I think Beldaran, Harry, and their majesties need to sit down and talk. The rest of us can go back to the cottage and give them their privacy."
Beldaran did not even wait for her parents' assent. She bolted down the hill wrapping her arms around Harry Seeing small portraits of his friends she understood what Luna was trying to do. Trying to mix the bad with good so he would live and move on. "I've got you, Harry,"
"Nothing prepared me for winning, I did not want to survive after I cleansed the world." Harry sobbed feeling the loss of his friends and his Luna very keenly. "There was nothing left for me."
Ce'nedra knelt beside the two young people "When I was 16, I raised the armies of the west in hopes of keeping the Angaraks forces from finding Belgarath, Garion, and Silk. Nothing prepared me for when we went into battle nor the outcomes of those battles." The Tiny queen said earnestly remembering Doroon and Olban "Fate, destiny or maybe the gods of your world decided you would live maybe not as you were… but you will live."
"Much Like my wife nothing could truly prepare me for fighting let alone defeating a god." Belgarion spoke softly "Even Now I pity him for the hate he bore for the world."
"I am sorry your majesties for assaulting your son as I did. Had I met him with steel both of us may have died." Harry said pulling Beldaran into his lap his arms around her waist hers around his neck. Harry looked a Belgarion noting the look of disbelief on his face "I am no swordsman, your majesty. I have the sword of my ancestor Godric Gryffindor, A blade forged by the most warlike race in my world, Goblins. It will never rust or lose its edge. It takes in only that which makes it stronger. I killed a 1000-year-old basilisk, and a soul-sucking demon with it."
"What is a basilisk?" Beldaran asked curiously
Harry looked thoughtful for a moment "You can either read about them or I can show you a memory"
"Yes, that would be acceptable" Beldaran answered "I am assuming in your tent?"
"Yes, to which?" Harry asked confused
'oh, your poor, poor boy' Belgarion thought "She means she wants both."
"Right, Luna used to be the same way" Harry replied "If you would be so kind Bel I cannot get up while you are in my lap."
"You do both look cozy "Ce'nedra implied
"Mother" Beldaran cried and Harry just groaned
Belgarion Helped both his wife and Beldaran up. Harry stood and began walking back to his tent holding his hand out for Beldaran to take.
"Well, I dare say he can protect her." Ce'nedra spoke softly "He is hurting more than just physically."
"Yes, he is dear. He misses his Luna." Belgarion responded he then drew his wife to him and kissed her tenderly "I gather he is feeling as I would if I lost you."
"How do we help him?" the tiny queen asked reveling in her husband's embrace
"I think we need to let Beldaran do as she wants" Belgarion admitted plainly "Before it was finding men I could trust to guard her."
"Now?" Ce'nedra prodded
"Now I just want her to stay my little girl," Garion said with sadness that made the orb make a mournful sound "but, he makes her happy you can see it when they are together."
Garion and Ce'nedra watched as the pair disappeared into the tent "That's not a very big tent" Garion mused.
"Come on in" Beldaran called out.