This chapter is kind of like part 2 of chapter 5. It just has it's own significance. Hence it's not 'As the summer fades pt.2.' Okay all settled. Lets see if I can make a worthwhile chapter. Also this chapter will be a mix of different views on one event while still having the Day-by-Day approach. I'm trying random writing styles.
Chapter 6: And Autumn Rises
September 5Kagome
It had been a month since he left. Well maybe not quite a month, but it felt like much longer. She knew why she was sad to see him go. All her life, Etain had been the only friend she had ever had, maybe before he left they had formed a friendship. How hypocritical of her. To hate the Romans then befriend one. Now she had to return to her normal life. Why did that seem impossible?
Again she had returned to the forest groves in search of meat for the cooking pot. After the deer meat had been finished, Kagome once again held the responsibility of bringing in the game. In the last few weeks she had brought home mostly rabbits which were her favourite along with the random bird. Her time out in the forest had doubled since his leaving and Kagome knew Kaede was getting worried. The rustle in the bushes to her left caught her attention. Etain stopped knowing the routine and Kagome got her bow ready. The quail rushed out of the bushes moments later only to be confronted by Kagome's arrow. The routine continued as she got off, collected the bird, remounted and headed home. Why didn't routine feel right anymore?
Kaede
The old lady stood there staring at the fire. She watched as it twisted and turned in great leaps. The heat that radiated off it brought comfort in her old age. Each time she blinked a new shape would appear in the tongues that lashed out from the wood. Behind her chair the door opened and closed. Kaede moved her eyes down towards the coals and watched as the firebase turned slightly purple. A small smile flickered onto her face. "What did you bring us for supper tonight Kagome dear?"
The clear voice of her granddaughter rung through the small building, "Quail."
Kaede's mouth watered at the thought of the bird. It was her favourite of all meats. On Mona they had had quail almost once a week. Now she was lucky to have it once a month. The damn birds were tricky for Kagome to catch. "Thank you again for the hunt Kagome. I know I say this everyday but I am grateful of you efforts."
"You are very welcome grandmother. You know very well that I don't mind hunting for us."
As the night wore on, Kagome retired to her room, Kaede sat and watched the flames. In them she saw the memories of Mona. The great Beltane fires that she attended with the high priestess had always burned brightly. The night that Camden had become Year King the fires had risen well over the tallest man. The title gave him the right to choose any woman in all of Britannia. The final memory that crossed her mind was the day that Keary had announced that she was pregnant to all the Sisters of Mona. "What a day to remember."
September 6
Kagome
The next morning Kagome awoke to find Kaede asleep in the chair by the fire. She doubted that Kaede had seen her bedroom in almost two years. Pulling a blanket from the trunk, the girl threw it over her elder. Kaede sighed in her sleep at the added warmth. Kagome smiled and whispered a word of life to her grandmother. Leaving Kaede to sleep she exited the house and stepped into the colder September air.
In her mind she heard the laughter and songs of the faerie as the prepared for the winter. When the voices faded Kagome began to think again. At the side of the house Etain was grazing and momentarily looked up and gave a whinny of greeting. Staring at the giant oak trees around her hut, Kagome had a sudden thought. Perhaps she could collect the acorns in baskets to help Kaede sell them in town.
Grabbing the large basket at the side of the house, Kagome began the gathering of oak seeds. As she travelled further into the forest. Etain had begun following her trying to be inconspicuous while grazing. Kagome rolled her eyes at the horses' effort. "Etain go home!"
The horse snorted but still refused to leave. Kagome narrowed her eyes and shouted the word home in Celtic. Once again the horse snorted but this time he flicked his tail and trotted off, back to the hut. Smirking to herself Kagome turned in the opposite direction. She continued on the path to the grove of Oaks she had discovered when she was younger. She had never told anyone about the spot. It was her place. Her secret.
Placing a hand on one of the trees she hummed a tune she had learned from her mother. Her purple eyes closed in the pleasurable serenity of nature that surrounded her. Each note floated with the wind and circled in the grove. An echo of the trees guided her with the song as her voice soared from a humming to a song that seemed to calm the forest.
"What a beautiful voice you have Kagome. It's just like your mothers. The idea of being able to control the very earth in itself, just with an uttered note, was her inner magic."
The basket dropped from her hands and the acorns spilled on the ground. With her eyes wide, Kagome turned to face someone she had hoped never to see again. His almost insane smile stretched from ear to ear and his eyes bleed copper.
September 16Inu-Yasha
"Come on Man, have a drink! You've been out in Hibernia for a month, and in Londinium for a just under! You must need the drink."
Inu-Yasha scowled at the Idiot landlord in distaste. On the way home Miroku had told Inu-Yasha the lies that had kept the small hut hidden from Roman troops who would have searched for him. So far no one had questioned his actual whereabouts. Now he sat with this fat old Roman who had mad his fortune not by being a soldier but instead by automatically assuming the rank of captain. Inu-Yasha truly hoped that in the next skirmish this man would be slaughtered, and painfully at that. Inu-Yasha barely listened to the dinner conversations around hi. Miroku was talking of the last Brit skirmishes and when the next festival would be. As he reclined on a lectuse, the prefect glared about him. After a moment he selected an apple from the slave who was walking bye and slowly ate it. He cringed at the first bite. The damn thing was sour and bitter tasting. When he had been out riding with Kagome one day they had stopped to pick apples. Those apples had been sweet and juicy.
The apples themselves could be a comparison to the two different worlds. But now he had to forget about her. Even though she had been quite the sight. He remembered the first time he had seen her without a veil. At first he had thought her to be ugly, being too tall and unmannered. When he has seen all of her, he had almost been repentant on his thoughts, at least until she told him off for staying out in the rain. He could still hear her voice yelling at him in anger. 'Inu-Yasha you Roman idiot! I don't know if you have a death wish or if you're just stupid but around here the rain is cold enough to kill you! Are you listening Inu-Yasha?"
"Inu-Yasha!"
His thoughts broken, the youth glared at his cousin. "What Miroku? I'm trying to block out your idiocy."
Inu-Yasha could feel Miroku's glare. What could he have to say here that might have been solely important? Nothing. If this dupe of Roman who was tonight's host had said anything slightly important then now he wouldn't be so absolutely bored. If he were not bored he wouldn't be thinking about her. Miroku opened his mouth then shut it as Severus interrupted.
"Well since you don't seem too keen on the idea of my news then you needn't hear it. I bid you goodnight gentleman." With a final glare at Inu-Yasha, Severus left the room. Out of the ten Romans who were also in the room, only Inu-Yasha wasn't surprised by the outburst. So the man did indeed have a backbone. How interesting.
"Come on Inu-Yasha, we've overstayed our welcome here. And you've got a peach spot on your toga!"
The next thing Inu-Yasha knew he was being grabbed by the arm and forced out of the villa by a very irate Miroku. This was idiocy. "Let go of my Miroku!"
"No Inu-Yasha, you were just deliberately rude! That is inexcusable! What possessed you to act in such a way?"
"I order you as your superior officer to let me go Miroku!" Inu-Yasha could see the anger in his cousin's eyes. It fuelled his own fury, and the glaring match continued. Finally the prefect turned and walked away to his own small temporary villa. Miroku stayed with his arm outstretched. He stared at where Inu-Yasha had been and slowly pulled back his hand.
From the wall where he was standing to assure of Miroku's safety in this Brit town, Inu-Yasha heard him whisper, "Oh Yash. If she's bugging you that much then maybe you should go find her. Before she's lost to them forever."
Inu-Yasha's eyebrows furrowed in curiosity. A Raven cawed into the night.
September 17
Miroku
Inu-Yasha hadn't spoken a word. He hadn't said why they were walking around the Brits market place instead of stating in the comfort of the villas. He hadn't even given a respectable greeting. Why type of magic had sealed his friends mouth even when a tall man in breeched braes had purposely bumped into him. It was then that Miroku had pulled him into a tavern, sat him down and demanded an explanation. Inu-Yasha had just glared at him. Then asked four simple words that made Miroku cringe. "What do you know?"
This would be sticky. Miroku knew that Inu-Yasha would have one of two possible reactions. He would either Jump up and kill his cousin. Or he would sit there and do nothing. Both possibilities scared Miroku for their out come. Cautiously he sat down and watched his cousin over the table.
"It seems that our host from last night had heard some interesting news."
"Yes. I don't really care about that. What I want to know is why you mentioned Her last night."
It was a statement, not a question. However Miroku just continued his story. "Well Severus spoke loudly boasting of the Brit stupidity. He started on some new gossip that the druids were active again. I asked him what the druids were."
"They're the priests of the Goddess. They serve as the male representation of all creation and magic. Kagome told me one day while we ate by a stream. A man on a grey horse had passed in the distance an I had asked her who it was."
Miroku Looked at his cousin. He had actually spoken of a Celt in words that were not condescending! The world had just ended by the apocalypse. Inu-Yasha hated Celts! He hated them because he was partially one of them. His mother had been one of his father's concubines. While his father had been Roman, his mother was a Celt herself. His father had fallen for her. It eventually got both his parents assassinated. His older brother had then taken him in. "Anyways… don't even bother opening your mouth again until I'm finished Inu-Yasha! As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted, Severus had about the same answer but continued on to talk about how a druid child had been found. It seems they had been searching for almost seven years for this kid. Their disappointment that the child was a girl soon faded when the found out the mother had been some priestess. That's not the point though."
"Well then hurry up with your point then. You're wasting my time."
The urge to hit his superior over the head was great. Miroku's fist clenched and unclenched along with the vein pulsing on his temple. His cousin was truly an idiot. "It seems Inu-Yasha that the girl had been living in a forest hut with only another priestess and her horse for the duration of the time. When I asked of the girls name he said he hadn't bothered to inquire that. He did tell me however that sources said she had the strangest… purple eyes."
Inu-Yasha's eyes had widened once the description began. Now he just sat their still and unmoving as a stone. Miroku wasn't even sure if he was breathing. Finally Inu-Yasha moved. He grabbed for his ale and downed it. Miroku was shocked! He couldn't even drink the stuff. Roman taste and breeding had gotten rid of his stomachs ability to hold anything-harder then wine!
"So she was a little more then a peasant. Damn bitch lied to me!"
Miroku had thought that Inu-Yasha was on the path to option two. However he was proved wrong when his cousin stood up and walked out of the tavern. A busty girl moved over to claim the emptied seat But Miroku didn't have a mind for women at the moment. Instead he wondered how fond of the little Celt girl Inu-Yasha had actually become.
That evening it was discovered that a horse was missing from the Roman commune stables. It was where all the soldiers' horses were stationed. When Miroku inspected the barns he found that the horse missing had been valuable. It was a white mare that had become a war hero in the Roman world. She had been taken, along with a saddle and reins that were covered in crimson and silver. All the soldiers mumbled among themselves while Miroku smirked. "Good Luck Sir. I hope you catch them."
Turning her grinned at all the other soldiers and yelled, "WHILE THE CAPTAINS AWAY THE SOLDIERS WILL PLAY! WE'RE OFFICIALLY ON VACATION BOYS!"
The cheering that ensued could be heard all the way to the peasant's district. There a cloaked figure mumbled about idiot Romans and the war that would destroy them before turning over and returning to his sleep.
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Okay you won't normally see one of these but I felt it was important to explain a few things. If you have any questions on some of the Celtic vocabulary then contact me. Also if you want to know the modern day names of some of the places I can e-mail you or something. Finally for those who wish to see the old Roman saddle I will have a link up on my profile. The roman saddle had no stirrups so if any one asks about the incompletion of the saddle, my answer will be "It's old, that's why."
Roses.