Harry froze at the noise. He looked up to Lyla who seemed to be staring back at him, seemingly oblivious to the announcement.
"We know you're holding him in there, Cyrus! Just bring him out, and maybe we won't burn down your house!" A voice outside commanded with a laugh, snapping Lyla out of her daze.
"Lyla, they have us surrounded. Aaron has a small amount of men out front and a few around back as well. Somebody in town must have tipped them off." Cyrus informed them from the doorway, having just appeared there.
"What're we going to do?" Lyla asked worriedly as her eyes flickered to Cyrus and back to Harry.
"I can just leave." Harry suggested in a quiet voice. He knew that only he could screw things up simply by existing.
"What? We couldn't just hand you over!" Lyla said fiercely. "Don't worry Harry, this will be sorted out."
"I'm going out there. Perhaps I can talk them out of burning down the house?" Cyrus said with slight sarcasm as he turned to leave the bathroom.
"How many are there? Do you think we could force them to stand down?" Lyla asked.
"Aaron, like always, would rather be killed then have his ego bruised." Cyrus said with a sigh. "I could try and force them to stand down, but his group has always had an odd sense of loyalty."
"Well, we have to try Cyrus. Last time was… not something I'd like to repeat." Lyla said, censoring her words with a quick glance at Harry. Cyrus sighed quietly before pulling himself up to his full height and walking briskly away from the pair. Harry heard the front door open and click close moments later.
"What's happening?" Harry questioned after a second ticked passed.
"Some people found out you're here and now they'll want to take you to one of the kings." Lyla said quickly as she went into the next room, returning with a black and grey striped polo shirt. "Our community is exactly, well, welcoming of strangers. We have a long history with outsiders trying to meddle and people here have hardened to that fact."
"I hope this fits. I think you're about the same size as Nick." Harry watched Lyla as she distractedly muttered the last bit to herself, handing Harry a royal blue t-shirt. She quietly gestured for Harry to follow after he slipped on the slightly oversized shirt.
As they started to approach the front of the house, Harry heard voices coming from outside. Lyla herself seemed to be trying her hardest to hear them. Reaching the front door, Harry watched as Lyla put her ear to the door, even though he could hear the voices without trying. Harry quickly glanced out the front window and saw Cyrus standing in front of the door, effectively blocking it. Harry counted about seven people standing in front of Cyrus, with one slightly in front of the rest. They all wore a similar black, loose fitting outfit with a hood over their head and their swords at their sides. The outfits made it extremely hard to discern any features and the hood almost completely shrouded their face in a black shadow. The one that stood closer to the house had his hood pulled back and looked at Cyrus with a malevolent glee in his eye. He had cropped black hair, pitch black eyes, and an extremely pale complexion. Unlike the others who had their hands on their sheathed sword, this man was openly holding his in his hand, looking extremely ready to use it. Harry also noticed he had a silver insignia over his heart, most likely designating him as the one in charge. Harry assumed that this must be the Aaron that Cyrus had mentioned.
"…Doing this, you're opposing the law." Aaron continued. Harry recognized it as the one who spoke earlier, confirming his suspicions.
"I know." Cyrus said calmly.
"You could be put to death." Aaron continued, a gleeful tone in his voice.
"As I could have you put to death for threatening me." Cyrus replied back quickly.
"They wouldn't kill me!" Aaron snapped at Cyrus, an agitated look crossing his face and making it look taut with tension.
"And you think they would kill me?" Cyrus asked curiously.
"This is getting us nowhere. Get in, get the boy." Aaron commanded forcefully, though none of the people behind him moved.
"How do you know they aren't already gone?"
"Nate would have felt it." Aaron snapped back again.
At the name Nate, Harry heard Lyla curse under her breath.
Before Harry could hear Cyrus reply, he felt a hand clamp down on his mouth and was pulled back into someone. He desperately tried to scream to Lyla, who hadn't noticed her young charge's capture. Harry felt himself forced to walk backwards and for a split second, everything became pitch black and quiet. In another second however, light assaulted Harry's senses. Shocked, Harry found himself in front of Cyrus and Lyla's house with the seven other men outside. Cyrus looked at Harry with a slight panic in his eye, but tried to smile at the boy reassuringly.
"Got him." Harry heard the man who had him say.
"Good." Aaron from before said as he turned from where he was looking at Cyrus. Up close, Harry noticed that his face seemed to have constant shadows dancing on it, though there was nothing above that would have caused them. He seemed to almost radiate a dark energy about him.
"We'll take him to the kings. Hopefully this time we'll get a show." Aaron said with a laugh that sent a chill down Harry's spine.
"Aaron, don't do this." Cyrus said, losing his calm tone. Harry was surprised at what he thought was pleading in Cyrus' words. It was the first time someone other than Sirius and Remus seemed to care for him, especially someone he had only just met.
"Oh, believe me, I won't take pleasure in this. Oh wait, yes I will!" Aaron replied with a laugh. He turned towards Harry. "And besides, we can't have a filthy human here, can we? Taint our wonderful kingdom? I think not. Walk."
"Aaron." Lyla called out chillingly, having emerged from the house after realizing Harry had been taken outside. She turned towards Harry with an apology on her face. "Sorry Harry, I hadn't realized…"
"Lyla." Aaron replied with a strange tone in his voice, though Harry couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was. "Always a pleasure. Have you come out to tell me you've rethought my offer?"
"As if." Lyla ground out, her face showing her annoyance at the man. Harry noticed that Cyrus slipped his hands in her at Aaron's words. "Let Harry go. You know you'll never get your way. You really think they'll take your side over ours?"
Aaron tilted his head at Lyla, coldly studying her before turning his head and spitting on the ground. "Always the attitude with you. I suppose you'll learn one day." Aaron said with a quiet fury bubbling underneath the surface. He turned from the couple and gestured the man holding Harry forward.
Harry was forced to turn around by the person behind him and began walking. He tried desperately to escape, but the man had an iron grip on his shoulder.
"At least let me take him!" Harry heard Cyrus cry out from behind him. Trying to look back, Harry could barely make out Cyrus grabbing Aaron's arm, Lyla not far behind.
"So you can break him out? I think not." Aaron said with a snort. "No no, my men will take the boy in, once this is all settled, we might just let you have the body."
Harry felt his mouth open in horror. The man, he couldn't be thinking about really killing him, could he?
"You know that won't be allowed to happen!" Cyrus protested. Harry could hear the unmistakable sounds of anger in Cyrus voice, an emotion he was all too familiar with. Harry contemplated how he even found himself in this situation as he was forced to walk toward the center of town. He felt himself shift, or at least his body tried to, as the citizens pointed and whispered as the party moved forward.
"Oh, won't it though? You do remember what happened last time, don't you? I think it was my best work yet. I loved how that one spat at me, I do love it when they try to fight back!" Aaron said with a laugh. The more he heard Aaron talk, the more he wanted to get away. He hoped it was some type of dream, or even some type of hallucination. Whatever it was, Harry wished it would be over soon.
As Harry was forced to walk into the center of town, the noise stopped when the residents noticed the commotion. It seemed as if everything had slammed to a completely halt as they watched Harry be forced through the center. Some looked at him with anger, fear, and only a few with pity.
"Don't worry people!" Aaron called from behind. "I'm sure we'll be back in a little while to give you all a show!"
"Aaron!" Harry heard Lyla shout. "Stop this! He's only a boy!"
"Exactly! A boy who might be able to lead people back here! Do you want more people here, people who could ruin this? You see what they did with their world! I won't let that happen here. Besides, age has never mattered here, or do you forget your own history Lyla?" Aaron said with conviction.
"You're a monster!" Lyla yelled back. Harry glanced back briefly and saw Lyla raised her fist as if to strike Aaron, though Cyrus quickly moved to hold her back.
"Now now Lyla, it isn't nice to speak to your betters like that." Aaron said with a chuckle, seemingly unconcerned at her attempt to strike out at him. Harry felt his horror growing as he realized they were almost at the castle. He had hoped it would be farther away from the center.
"Aaron, what do you think you're doing, parading your men around like this!" A guard shouted upon their approach to a gate that separated the normal path to the direct path to the castle. Through the gate, Harry could see grass on either side of the path, but nothing else. It seemed the path just led straight to the castle.
"I'm here to deliver a present to his royal highness." Aaron said happily. "This boy seems to have thought he could just waltz in here!"
"I swear sir, I never meant to get here!" Harry protested for the first time since his capture. Aaron looked down at Harry with a smile.
"Be that as it may, you're here now and you must deal with the consequences." Aaron said gleefully.
The guard looked to Aaron for a second and his eyes shifted to Harry. He looked at Harry with pity, but reluctantly granted them passage.
"I'm almost giddy with excitement!" Aaron announced from somewhere behind Harry.
Harry tried to look around as he was forced down the path towards the castle, however he couldn't help but be drawn to the dark, shadowy, circular structure that contained the castle. Made of small rectangular black bricks, the square structure seemed to have sprouted from the ground, surrounded by its very own outer shield. Harry recalled reading a little about charms that could protect buildings and everyone inside it from outsiders and he suspected that the castle would have to have been placed under one such charm, but it wouldn't explain why he could see the structure or the castle it was harboring. He remembered repellant charms also that would stop any object or living thing and would hazard a guess that the king must be aware of such charms or at least something similar. Otherwise, there would be no other explanation for the lack of wildlife or houses or the lack of people traffic surrounding the castle. It really was a shame that they didn't want Harry around as he would have thoroughly enjoyed learning about how they managed such a feat.
A few feet from the door, Harry was forced to stop walking, looking up from his thoughts, he noticed that they were stood before the only way in to the castle. A solid black door, without hinges, knobs or keyholes; Harry couldn't tell what material the door was made from but by observation alone he would guess that the door was made out of a very strong form of metal. Whatever it was, it had to be resilient to most types of attack as the structure seemed to have been designed to keep people out. A circular tower sprang up at each of the four corners, suggesting lookout points for castle guards, even though there did not appear to be anyone around. The castle itself was even more unique than the walls that surrounded it. It seemed that the castle was encased in its own shadow and as such, it was difficult to discern exactly how it looked. The only thing that Harry was certain of was that the castle was very tall, but if Harry looked hard enough, he could make out a main tower sprouting from the middle of the castle. Faintly, Harry could see a glass room all the way at the top.
Aaron walked in front of the men and stood before the door. In a quick movement, he slashed his index and middle fingers from as far of the top right of the door as he could reach, to the bottom left.
Harry looked at the door in amazement as a thick black line trailed out of Aaron's finger. It spread out quickly until it covered the whole door, emitting black wisps of smoke around the edges.
"Like that, did you?" Aaron asked Harry with a smirk on his face. "Take him through."
"I have to go through that?" Harry asked loudly, afraid of what was on the other end.
"Don't worry." Aaron said in a way that made Harry worry even more. "We still have a bit more of a way to go before you're judged."
"Please!" Harry pleaded as he was forced to walk. "Cyrus! Lyla! Please, don't let this happen."
"Aaron, please!" Harry heard Lyla scream, her voice laced with panic. Before he could hear Aaron respond, Harry was forced through the wall of darkness. Everything turned black, like before when he was taken out of Cyrus' house, and when light returned he was in a corridor with the shadow wall behind them.
Harry glanced at his surroundings in shock and noticed that the inside of the castle seemed much the same as the outside. Black bricks made up the wall and torches hung every couple of feet or so. There was about one or two doors in the hallways and up ahead there seem to be an intersection of five different paths.
Harry stood in silence with the man who held him as they waited for the others to emerge from behind them, taking the time to calm himself from the day's overwhelming events in an attempt to keep the inevitable tears from falling. Eventually, Harry heard footsteps from behind, signaling others were coming through.
Quietly, a hand slipped into his and Harry looked up to the sad face of Lyla. She smiled down at him with determination in her eyes.
"It'll be ok Harry, I promise." She said quietly.
"Nate." Aaron said from behind. Harry felt the man who still had his tough grip on his shoulder move. "Let Lyla take him. Stay close though so she doesn't try anything."
Looking around, Harry realized that Cyrus hadn't come through. He voiced his question to Lyla.
"He went up ahead." She said simply.
"How? I don't recall seeing him." Harry said as he began walking with Lyla. They continued forward when they reached the intersection.
"He went up ahead." Lyla said again. Harry simply nodded his acceptance as the group continued on in silence. Harry looked to the blacked marbled floor and took solace in the fact that Lyla was there for him. With a cold stab to his heart, he realized that Lyla showed more love for him in the little time he knew her than hi parents ever did.
The group walked for a long time, shrouded with silence. Whenever there was a turn or anything of the sort, they just continued straight. The longer they walked, the more dread Harry felt descend upon him.
Finally, they reached a door at the end of a dead end. Harry couldn't stop himself from looking at it. The door was black, like everything else Harry had seen today, and held the image of a golden eye. It was one of the pictures where it seemed to follow you wherever you went, and that's the impression Harry got from it. A sword stabbed the eye from the top through the bottom, the same sword from the fountain.
Aaron approached the door cautiously and knocked three times in quick succession. They waited in silence for a couple of seconds and Lyla squeezed Harry's hand tightly.
Quietly, the door swung open to reveal a guard who looked at them quietly. He quietly stepped out of the room, which Harry couldn't get a glimpse at, and looked at them all patiently.
"We're here to deliver a trespasser." Aaron explained.
"We know." The guard said emotionlessly.
"Then let us through!" Aaron snapped back.
"I need to confiscate your weapons."
"What?" Aaron bristled. "On who's authority?"
"The Kings, of course." The guard said with a roll of his eyes.
"I know that you idiot! Which one?" Aaron snapped back.
"I don't take kindly to being called an idiot." The guard said coldly. "And does it really matter?"
"I refuse to give up my weapons." Aaron said stubbornly. Harry looked at him with amusement.
"Then you can stay out here." He said with a cold smile. He then turned to Lyla and Harry. "You two come with me."
Harry followed Lyla without a sound. When they passed the guard, he shut the door behind him, leaving out a shocked Aaron.
Harry looked around the room in amazement, although at this point he shouldn't be surprised. The room was large, probably about the size of one of the houses outside. At the opposite wall from the door sat five thrones. The second and fourth were the same gold as the eye on the door and had high backs. They each held black and gold jewels in them, giving it a nice look. The two on the end were silver, but just as decorated as the gold ones. Then, the last one seemed to be the most simple. It sat exactly in the middle, dividing the two sides. It was just plain black, like the stone that made the castle's surroundings and its interior. But in Harry's opinion, it was the most beautiful.
Three of the thrones held people, the far silver one on the left and the middle one remained empty.
The person in the left golden chair seemed to be about in his twenties, just like Cyrus. His black hair was longer however, and was held loosely into a ponytail behind his head. His golden eyes looked upon Harry with kindness in them, which Harry observed happily. He was dressed nicely, wearing a simple black shirt that outlined his muscles. A simple gold crown rested atop his head.
In the right golden chair, a man who seemed to be in his fifties sat with anger in his golden eyes. His long, salt and peppery hair was shorter than that of the man in his twenties. Covered with small scars, his face reminded Harry of that of a war veteran and his hate filled scrutiny wreaked havoc on Harry's nerves. As he stood next to Lyla nervously, Harry couldn't help but ponder upon the relationship between Cyrus and the veteran due to their shared facial features.
Finally, in the right silver chair, sat Cyrus looking at Harry with a small smile on his face. Harry looked on in surprise.
"King Darius and King Tyler, Lyla Shade and…. Harry." The guard announced, finishing somewhat awkwardly. He quietly walked back, hiding in the shadows near the door they came through, another guard on the other side of the door.
"Normally," The man who sat in the golden chair next to Cyrus began. He had a loud, deep voice that echoed off the walls. "I wouldn't bother with a trial. You're guilty. The law says no one not of our blood is allowed here. You, of course, are not of our blood. A wizard, I'm told. However, my fellow king and my son have convinced me to try and judge you and see if we should let you return to your home."
"I kindly protest to something you said, my liege." Lyla said loudly, though politely, as the king finished talking. Harry looked at her in shock.
What was she trying to do? Cyrus and the other King had given him a chance to go home! It may not be the best place, but it was better than death! Judging by the look on the faces of three people in front of him, they were also shocked.
"What is it Lyla?" King Darius asked quietly, sighing with impatience.
"I wish for Harry to stay here, with myself and Cyrus." Lyla proclaimed loudly, seemingly unaffected by Darius' fierce glare.
"Are you mad, Lyla? You want him to stay here?" Darius exclaimed, his face twisting in anger and confusion.
"I don't appreciate being spoken to that way, and no, I'm quite sane." Lyla replied in the same tone as before.
"What does Harry have to say about this?" King Tyler asked before Lyla and Darius could start fighting. Harry felt himself jolted out of his reverie at the mention of his name.
"What?" He asked meekly. At this point, he just wanted to go home.
"Would you like to stay with me and Cyrus, Harry?" Lyla asked kindly, turning to look at him in the eye.
"Yes!", was Harry's immediate reaction, but he held it in. Did he want to stay here? Look at how he had been treated, just for being an outsider. Not everyone had treated him like that, but those who had, made Harry reconsider his answer. They were cruel here, almost as cruel as his parents. Plus, there were more of them here. However, Cyrus and Lyla had been nothing but kind to him. Cyrus seemed distant at the moment, as did the other three, waiting to hear his answer. Would he want him to stay? Before, he seemed nice to him and friendly. Would he be like that if he stayed? He certainly didn't want another James. And Lyla… She seemed like how Lily should have been. She cared about Harry, and Harry had seen the look she had given him when he had taken off his shirt. She had looked and talked to him with genuine concern. Would she still be like that? It seemed to be a risk, but Harry thought it might be worth it. And hadn't Lyla mentioned they had a godson? Harry quickly stopped himself before he could get excited.
"Yes." Harry said loudly, sure of himself.
"Well, be that as it may, he doesn't belong here." Darius said fiercely. "I said I would think about letting him leave, there is no way I would let some outsider like him here. I am trying to run a kingdom, not an orphanage. He's an outsider and I don't want my land filled with that, lest we repeat our past mistakes. I'm hesitant enough to let him go. But as my son has so recently reminded me, any wizard blood spilled here could impact any remaining treaties. Not that they would ever learn of it however."
"Excuse me, Darius, but your land?" King Tyler asked quickly, a fire burning in his eyes. "He has not yet proven that he would disrupt our ways, and we have no reason to believe he will do so. Your judgment is ridiculous, and the boy doesn't deserve it. I vote for him to stay, or if he doesn't wish to stay any longer, he may be given free passage out. He's just a boy, and while we may not be running an orphanage, I certainly will not be running a slaughterhouse."
"I second that." Cyrus said quickly. Harry watched with a small smile on his face, happy on the inside. Could he possibly be able to escape that terrible life he left at home? Cyrus flashed him a smile as Darius opened his mouth.
"No! There is absolutely no way I will allow it! I can't believe we are even voting on this! I won't let my fellow king and my own son go against me! You disrespect your father's memory with this Tyler. This land has been a land of peace for a while now. You two may be too young to remember it, but the last war still leaves a stain on this land, and on me." Darius finished, his voice echoing loudly off the wall and he worked himself up. At the end of his rant, he slammed his fist down onto the throne, and threw a murderous glare at all of them.
"Your highness," Lyla interrupted, a new fire burning in her eyes. "What if I could prove that Harry wasn't an outsider at all?"
"What are you talking about?" Darius asked, staring her down. Harry felt the weight of the glare but Lyla, to her credit, returned the stare with an equal ferocity. Lyla turned to Harry and looked at him for a second.
"Harry, I need you to take your shirt off." Lyla asked quietly.
"What?" Harry asked nervously. Did she really want them all to see his bruises? What would that prove?
"Please Harry, I need you to do this if you want to stay." Lyla pleaded kindly. Harry looked at her nervously for a moment before quickly taking off the shirt Lyla had given him. Harry let Lyla turn him around, which he was thankful for as he wouldn't have to see their faces.
"One family in this kingdom had this marking, only one. This marking got passed down through the family, and it was something that only members of that bloodline could carry. When I was looking at Harry's cut earlier, I saw it but I didn't want to bring it up so as not to force Harry into anything he didn't want. However, he says he wants to stay and as you can see, it is his blood right to do so. King Darius and King Tyler, I ask of you, to think back on our history, and tell me what this mark is." Lyla spoke, talking almost as if giving a lecture. Harry felt her sweep her hand down his back, and he felt… odd. Almost as if there was something there.
"Dear Merlin," Harry heard King Tyler exclaim with disbelief. "That's the mark of the Shadow Keepers!"
A/N: Just some editorial changes