Chapter Four

And so the years went by..

"If you're lost you can look, and you will find me

Time after time

If you fall I will catch you, I'll be waiting

Time after time."

We were on our way back to our 'home' on the day after next. Attached to the horses were two wagons, one was full of carpentry supplies. Hammer, nails, etc. And in the other.. stuff, for a lack of better word. Chairs, kitchenware, desks, etc. Even beds, mattresses, linens, towels!

Tomorrow the village's men would be out and they'd build our house and our own little stable for our horses and goats.

A home! A real home!

Jake was entirely excited, he practically oozed joy. He decided he wanted the large gray horse, he'd named him "Grayston". I decided to name my pony "Blitz" since she was quick as lightning.

We argued for an hour on what to name the brown and white one, we finally decided on Colton. We named the goat Finn, after my brother's favorite cartoon show back home.

After we named him Finn, I asked if we could rename Grayston to Marceline or Marshal Lee. He said no. His name was Grayston. And that was final.

Finding the perfect place for our home was oddly hard, but we decided on placing it in between two large trees. The house would be two stories, thin but long. And it wouldn't take too long for it to be built. The longest thing that would take to build, they said, was the plumbing.

Plumbing... We had plumbing here!

Hallelujah!

A fireplace in each bedroom, one in the kitchen, another in the sitting room, and another in the dining room. I was shocked at how big it was going to be.

Within a month, the house was built and furnished with what the villagers were willing to give and what the carpenters made.

It was perfect.

The bartender said something about wishing they could do more. I thought it was too much. All I did was slay some beasts, not cure a disease. But I was willing to accept what they had to give.

Along with an attached stable, we had a carrel to let the horses roam a bit and get some exercise.

Every day, Boran visited and taught Jake and I how to fight with various swords. He taught us archery and close quarters combat, however due to my previous lessens in such a subject, I was able to teach him a few things.

And in return, we fed him. Fish was my strong point.

Sometimes he would bring us a map of a new place or a new book. Which Jake and I ate up and studied.

Over time, Boran had admitted he taught us all he could. And he didn't come around as much. It hurt my feelings, I'll admit I did have a bit of a crush on him.

He was handsome, rugged, and mysterious. However, when Jake spilled the beans about me liking him, Boran was kind enough to chuckle and nod and say, "My wife wouldn't appreciate that."

A wife. A woman whom he'd never mentioned before- not once in eight years.

Nine years.

Nine years had passed since we'd been dropped here. We had made a life for ourselves. We had a home, we had (extended) family, we had friends, pets, enemies, hobbies, habits- yes, we had made quite a life for ourselves.

By now we had many clothes, and extra fabric. I knew how to make clothes, defend my home and brother, cook and clean. Though I made Jake clean and cook almost all the time. He had quite a knack for it.

I had plenty time to teach Jake how to play guitar and learn how to play the flute. We were in the middle of learning how to play the violin, or I should say: I was learning how to play the violin, Jakey was quite good at playing the instrument.

We'd often either read to each other before bed, or we'd sing a song. It was nice. But all this was during our 'down time'. Or on our days off.

We acted as the village's mercenaries or bounty hunters. Whenever they had a job they couldn't or refused to do, we'd do it. Getting rid of orcs, trolls, sometimes even an ogre or two. In return we would get stuff, money, even lessons.

If we weren't destroying a common enemy (orc, warg, troll, ogre), we were police- Peacekeepers, they called us. We ensured the safety of everyone, rich, poor, young, old, bastard and highborn alike. If anyone had a problem, they'd come to us.

Now, at first, we were alone in this quest.. but now, we had a whole branch. In the years of us being here, several villages sprouted up, full of live and vigor. And in each village, a charter squad helped run and look after the civilians.

Raping, theft, murder, and many other unsaid 'no-nos' had stopped practically over night. And everyone claimed it was because of me. I said it was Jacob, but even he said it was me (and my Golden Moral Compass of Justice, Truth, and the American way).

We had an entire working knowledge of what we could eat, what we couldn't, what plant could help a wound or which could cure a sour stomach, what plant would make you sleep for an hour and which would make you sleep for all eternity.

Now, back to Boran. Nearly a year had passed since we'd last seen him. The week before his last visit was when Jacob told Boran that I'd liked him.. At the back of my mind, I constantly worried that was what drove him away.. me and my infatuation.

But what if it wasn't? What if he was in danger? He was in the same line of work as we were, except he didn't have a partner to watch his back in his village. Was he hurt? Lost?

..did he need me?

I had a lot of questions and no answers.

I didn't like it. I sat in my chair, my feet close to the fire of the fireplace and watched the flames lick at the logs.

"What?"

"What d'you mean what?" I mocked Jake with a grin.

He stuck his tongue out at me, "You made the same face the first time we went to the village!"

"Ah.. Well," I chuckled, "I was thinking we should go find Boran." I said flippantly.

"I'm in! When can we leave?" He grinned from ear to ear.

"Tomorrow morning." I bobbed my head to the window where the moon peaked at us.

"Yes!" He hopped to his feet, snapped the book shut and ran up the stairs, "G'night!"

"Night.." I laughed as Finn chased after Jake. I was glad the goat had taken such a shine to him. Finn was the best of a cat and dog. He played like a dog, but cuddled and snuggled like a cat. He didn't have the coarseness of a cat, and didn't have the dependence of a dog.

Needless to say, Finn was an excellent addition to the family. And he wasn't the only one. We had many people we'd looked after, but a handful that looked after us.

A family of 4, now 5, lived hardly a sneeze away. Every Friday they'd usher us over and feed us, ensure our health and read to us. They were lovely. The mother, Elina, a tall, dark haired woman, fretted over me in a fashion that reminded me greatly of my own grandmother.

Ever since I saved her husband from a warg that had nearly tore him in two, they had taken us in. And we were grateful for their love.

We would never verbally admit it, and I think that they knew how we felt, but even though we were old enough to take care of ourself, we needed someone to take care of us. We would always need a mother and a father, no matter how old and strong we were.

Robahn (Elina's husband), a tall, red haired man, had taught us how to properly ride and saddle horses. How to manage livestock and that female chickens did not pop out eggs on command (Like we thought). Though I was able to save his life from the warg, I wasn't able to save his leg. No, he didn't lose it- it was just damaged now, he'd always have a limp.

Together, the couple had three children. Two before we entered the picture, Elbahn, their eldest daughter, a beauty of 15 with red hair. She was absolutely in love with Jacob, but he thought she was too young for him and too sisterly. And Rellahn, who was now 13 with dark hair. Whenever he could, he'd tag along with Jacob, his idol.

Then there was their youngest, Jenna. The dark haired baby was named after yours truly. She was born the night I rescued her father, which made her a little over 3 years old. We weren't blood related, but she was very similar to me. Shy, reserved, loved animals and art.

I smiled, thinking of our pseudo family and how much I adored them.

It was strange.. we had a this whole new life when just nine years ago we were typical kids of New York. Jake was 10 and I was 14, now he was 19 and I was 23.

I put out the fire and went to my room. I needed my rest and we had a lot to do tomorrow.

Over time we had acquired chickens. Their eggs were wonderful and in the mornings their croons handy.

I still wasn't a morning person. I wasn't there, and I wasn't one here. I got dressed, and when I got to the kitchen I saw Jake had made breakfast.

"'bout time." he grumbled, "I thought we were supposed to leave in the morning."

"Shut up." I smacked the back of his head and ate, "Bring extra clothes, just in case.."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm packed! I'm just waitin' on you!" He sat down and sharpened his sword.

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes, taking my sweet time with my food.

Before we left, we quickly washed the dishes and set everything right. I packed and we were off.

We spoke quickly with Elina and Robahn, who agreed to look after our home and livestock while we were away, and then we were off.

Blitz enjoyed trips, she danced and pranced, her neck curved, head held high, and her knees were nearly to her ears.

We arrived to the original village late afternoon. Since our arrival, the village, Rodasinn, had grown. It was now a town, libraries, toy stores, shops, blacksmiths- the whole lot.

The huge river that we lived near now had a three year old village bordering the river's edge.

And you'll never guess this village's name..

Redmayne's Bay.

Yep. We had a whole (quite large) village named after us.

Insanity.

We tied our horses to the post in the Red Baron Inn's yard and walked inside. It was full of joyous, jostling people. Someone was singing and another was proclaiming their love to the beef stew, not that I blame them. Phil, the bartender and innkeeper, had some great beef stew.

I sat on the stool at the bar and Phil walked over, looking both happy and solemn.

"What goes on?" I ask, glancing around the bustling room.

"An orc pack.. they've attacked Delius," The bartender said slowly.

And my heart sank.

"Boran lives there," Jake whispered.

"Yes... We're unsure on the news... Whether good or bad. No one dares to travel there. And no one travels here," Phil whispered back.

I glanced to Jake.

He grinned, "Sounds like it's Adventure Time.."

I chuckled, "Indeed."

I hoped that Jake and I would find Boran and his wife, Telis, alive and well.. I hoped that my luck hadn't run out just yet.

Author's Note:

Uh oh! How goes Boran, hm?

Cyndi Lauper, "Time After Time"