Harry yawned and stretched, shaking the feeling back into his tired limbs. As he slowly absorbed the world around him, his sleepy demeanour suddenly turned to one of blind panic when he realised that he was in bed. He shot up, looking all around him before he hunched forward, face down in the duvet and gripping his hair. Had he been dreaming? Harry didn't know, as his memory refused to respond. All he heard was music, flutes and drums echoing around his mind as he began to hyperventilate.
Gripping the duvet though, Harry realised that it didn't feel like the one back in Holyhead at all. It had been scratchy and smelled a little, considering it had rarely been washed. The one currently covering him was soft, fluffy and smelled of lavender. Shaking slightly, Harry looked around the room again and found that he wasn't in Holyhead at all. The room here had polished wooden floors, with butter yellow walls and a large, circular window with a windowsill which you could curl up on.
Harry still didn't feel particularly safe, and he would've been forced to move anyway as his clothes practically vacuum sealed to him. As he struggled out of the warm confines of the bed, something fell on the floor and he jumped, only to see that it was actually a pair of clothes. A white woollen jumper woven with intricate patterns, some bright blue jeans and a brown leather belt.
Harry scooped them up cautiously, and noticed a bathroom just in front of him. Getting changed, the jumper was a bit big for him, falling over his hands a little. Harry didn't mind, sheltering in its warmth as he spied his battered backpack sitting by the bedroom door.
All of his maps and toys were still inside, though the drawings had been crumpled somewhat underneath the weight of his models. Disgruntled, Harry tried to smooth them out on the floor when a loud, booming laugh suddenly shook him out of his skin and with it everything came rushing back. The trek to nowhere, the Gatekeeper, the fall into the abyss and back out again. But what Harry focused on was his Father's face, pulsating with rage, eyes full of self-righteous anger.
Harry realised that he was adrift. He wasn't free of his Father, he had only seen him square up to the Gatekeeper before tumbling into the abyss, but Harry didn't have anything to fear for the time being. At least, he could do that, but he wouldn't. His Father was still out there, and as long as he was Harry knew he could never fully be at peace, even if he did somehow end up with his Mum.
The thought of her and his sister steadied Harry ever so slightly, and as he sat there with his legs pulled up to his chest, the boy realised that his ribs were no longer in pain either. A welcome development in this uncertainty, as Harry picked up on some quiet footsteps coming from outside the door.
He backed away, pulling his bag and maps along with him as the handle creaked downwards and the door slowly opened until a tawny girl poked her head through. She had a head of curly black hair that fell down to her shoulders, around which was a woollen cloak, snow white and bound with an orange clasp. On seeing him, she swung the door open further and Harry saw she was wearing a nondescript tunic and some roughspun trousers. In her hands she held a crook, which she lay on the floor between them before she flashed Harry a smile.
'Are you ok?' she asked, her voice tender and full of concern. Harry recognised it as the voice from when he had tumbled into the field, as he blinked at the question. Very few people had asked if he was ok before, only his teachers from school really, and after a moment he realised that he couldn't speak either. He just nodded, and the girl chuckled, revealing some pearly though crooked teeth.
'..So..what's your name?,' the girl asked, and when Harry found he still couldn't speak he handed her one of his maps. He had his name written on all of them, a reminder that he was capable of doing something amidst his Father's countless insults. She studied the picture before she found his name, and while her face crinkled in confusion at Harry's transport system, she still smiled as she handed it back to him.
'This is cool!,' she grinned and Harry felt himself bounce a little at the compliment, 'My name is Siobh..Siobh is ainm dom!,' she introduced in both English and her own language. Harry nodded, returning her smile as he slowly felt the grip on his vocal cords loosen somewhat, as Siobh's eyes flitted up to his hair. Harry didn't particularly like that, so he pushed his fringe up and hid it behind both his hands. Siobh seemed confused, but a growl from Harry's stomach soon caught her attention.
'Ya hungry? I would be too if I was tumbling in between worlds!,' she grinned, before she picked up her crook and closed her eyes. Harry watched, letting his hair fall down as Siobh traced a circle in the air and then clicked her fingers. A sphere of blue light appeared, and she reached inside with both hands, pulling out a small tray. Sat on top was a sandwich and a pint of orange juice, and Siobh placed it at Harry's feet.
'I-It's for m-me..?,' Harry whispered hoarsely, and Siobh nodded with a grin.
'Course it is! I'm hardly gonna take it out from under your nose!,' she laughed, while Harry reached out cautiously and took the sandwich. First he took a nibble, but once he tasted the smoked salmon he stuffed half of it into his mouth at once. He had never tasted anything so delicious, and the sweet taste of orange juice helped to finally break the grip around his vocal cords as well.
'I-I can d-do that too..w-with my fingers, I-I snap them and-and stuff happens..!,' he explained quickly. Siobh nodded, and the look of confusion returned as she adjusted herself, resting her head on her knees.
'So..you have the light of Danu in you?,' she asked, 'You must have family looking for you somewhere then!,' she said and Harry choked a little on his sandwich. Concern dawned on Siobh's face as he took another swig of juice and shook his head. Siobh's concern deepened, but before she could dig deeper a woman came up the stairs behind them. She was tall, and wore a grey dress with a red cape, bound by a gold clasp this time. Her long ginger hair fell down behind her back and past her shoulders, and with a sigh he crossed her pale arms and studied Siobh with a pair of pale green eyes.
'Siobh! I told you to tell me if she was awake!,' she chastised in plain English. The girl looked apologetic, but Harry was terrified. From his cruel upbringing, he expected Siobh to get a slap or or a cracked rib like his Father had given him. But instead, the woman just sighed and shifted her gaze to Harry, who recoiled. He had been wrong; she was obviously going to punish Siobh by punishing him. As the seconds dragged on, Harry began to tremble as the woman just stood there, stunned by what she was seeing. After a moment, she crouched down on one knee, studying Harry worriedly.
'There there..I know this is probably a lot to take in-!'
'-D-Don't hurt m-me!,' Harry sobbed and the woman's expression quickly turned from worry to one of deep concern. She glanced back at Siobh, who looked incredibly alarmed and then back to Harry again. He'd fallen over onto his side and was staring up at her tearfully. At first, the woman looked unsure at what to do, before she closed her eyes and took a breath, before giving him a calm smile.
'Alright..let's just start at the beginning. My name is Derbhla, and..and I'm not going to hurt you,' she explained gently. Harry continued to back up, reaching the wall. Feeling he had the space he needed, he balled up against the side of it as he shot Derbhla some frightened side-eye. Eventually, Siobh pulled over the map and showed it to her Mum, tapping the right hand corner.
'I see..,' Derbhla breathed, '..And..And did someone hurt you, Harry?,' she asked the shaking, sniffling child pressed up against the wall. Harry's vocal cords were being strangled again and he hadn't heard the question to begin with. Instead, he did what he always did when he was upset and retreated to his mind. He snapped his fingers, and the image of his Mum and Sister appeared, though they were blurry and not fully formed because of the state he was in. Still, they were enough to steady him as Harry blinked back into reality.
'M-My D-Dad..,' Harry sniffed and Siobh audibly gasped, hands over her mouth while Derbhla went visibly pale. For a moment, anger flashed across her face and Harry flinched at the sight before Derbhla was able to calm herself. She put an arm around Siobh, who was visibly disturbed by Harry's words and her Mum whispered to her gently. Derbhla rocked the girl back and forward slightly as she did, and Siobh slowly calmed down as Harry observed. He felt almost jealous at that kind of love and affection..but at the same time refused to drop his guard. He had just been hurt too much to trust anyone yet.
'..Well, before anything else,' Derbhla began slowly, 'You don't have anything to fear here, even if you don't think that right now. We'll get you settled first before we start asking any more questions, alright?' she explained kindly and Harry nodded slowly. He still flinched as Derbhla clicked her fingers and his plate and glass levitated to her side. With another whisper to Siobh, she got up and closed the door behind her.
The girl waited until she was gone, before she circled her crook about again and made another portal. This time, she pulled out a small sack and poured its contents out onto the floor. It was sweets and chocolate, all of which Harry recognised from his own World, as he cautiously inched forward and took a bag at Siobh's eager nod.
'This is my secret stash!,' the girl grinned mischievously, 'The Tuatha De Danann still interact with the old world up there, so sometimes I sneak out and get some treats!'
'..W-Who are t-the Tuatha D-De Danann..? A-Am I one..?'
'Course you are! Even if you didn't have the Light of the Danu in you, anyone who ends up down here is Tuatha De Danann! We're, like, the coolest secret society ever!,' Siobh grinned as Harry nodded along slowly. His eyes shifted towards the Crook, which she had placed on the floor in between them. Seeing his curiosity, Siobh picked the staff up and offered it to him, which Harry took gingerly. As he did, he picked up on a faint humming sound, something Siobh laughed at as she chewed on a chocolate bar.
'It likes you! That's who I call the Crookster, my parents got me it for my birthday a couple of years ago cause I wanna be a Druid!,' Siobh explained happily as Harry handed Crookster back and nodded slowly once more. There was a lot to understand here, a whole World to be precise, and he didn't want to get distracted from the things he wanted to know, in particular this so-called "Light of the Danu".
'I..I don't know if I can give you a simple answer to that..!,' Siobh chuckled sheepishly, 'Even the wisest elders are still trying to figure out what it is..but basically it's a gift from the Mother Danu. They're this great, big tree that's ages and ages old, see here..,' she said, unclipping her brooch from her cloak. Along the bottom, Harry could make out roots and a squat depiction of a tree, with what looked like leaves poking out of the top. The whole design seemed rushed as well, with petrified drips from the leaves and roots making it hard to make out.
Siobh took it back after a moment, and Harry thought she looked a little upset as she did. Usually, someone looking upset would have had him on edge, but this time was different. For the first time, Harry found himself worried for someone, instead of worrying what someone would do to him. Siobh had been kind, complimented his drawings and shared her sweet stash with him, a total stranger. So, Harry took a breath and did something he'd never done before; ask someone what was wrong.
'Wh-What's u-up..?' he asked timidly. Siobh blinked as she reattached the brooch, looking at him then the brooch again. She sighed, before she removed it from the cloak and studied it in both hands, squinting slightly as the light reflected off the material.
'Oh..well..it's just not the best brooch in the world. We make them ourselves, it's sort of like a coming of age thing, and I..I kinda get a little flustered when I'm under stress, and everyone was finishing theirs so quickly..,' Siobh murmured, before trailing off. Harry nodded quietly, and managed a smile.
'I..I t-think it looks n-nice..' he said hoarsely. Siobh chuckled softly and brushed some hair out of her eyes as she affixed the brooch to her cloak once more. After a minute, it became clear she wasn't going to accept any more compliments to it. Harry still remained interested, but again he didn't want to get distracted from his main questions.
'..um..I-I never l-lived d-down here..,' he murmured, 'H-How c-can I do m-magic..'
'We call it Lightwork,' Siobh corrected, '..and, um, I don't really know how you can do magic then..I guess one of your parents was Tuatha De Danann?'
'M-My Dad..he c-could do lightwork a-and..he..he u-used it to h-hurt me!,' Harry exclaimed shakily and Siobh audibly gasped again, the colour draining from her face as the boy sniffled and wiped his eyes. Then, before he realised what was happening, Harry found himself pulled into a hug. Siobh had thought it would reassure him, but instead Harry's fight or flight instincts went into overdrive. He kicked and fought, but Siobh's embrace was like iron and it was only when Harry screamed that she let go.
The boy retreated once more, tears rolling down his face as he did. Harry heard Siobh stammer something, but buried his head in his knees and refused to listen as a cacophony of noise erupted all around him. The bedroom door was swung open and snapped closed, the sound of a million footsteps stampeded around his mind before another door slammed shut somewhere. Harry felt like he was being thrown about violently before everything settled as quickly as it began.
Looking up tearfully, Harry saw that Siobh was gone, having left her sweets behind. As he took another bag of jellies, he struggled over what to think. He decided he wasn't angry with her, it had been an attempt at comfort but it had been too sudden for his liking. At that, he heard some footsteps approach the door and could tell instantly they weren't Siobh returning to apologise. Instead, Derbhla cracked open the door, looked about and sighed. Harry remained silent as she entered and sat down where Siobh had been, studying the wrappers.
'Ah, she shared her "secret" stash with you?,' Derbhla smiled, using air-quotes. Harry chuckled a little; clearly her parents were more observant than Siobh thought. Having broken the ice, Derbhla let Harry pick away at his jellies before she pressed him for answers.
'Was that you who screamed?,' she asked gently and Harry nodded, 'Why was that?'
'I..I t-told Siobh that m-my D-Dad cracked m-my ribs..he..he used L-Lightwork to d-do it..,' Harry explained shakily in-between jellies. Derbhla chewed her top lip, evidently just as shocked as Siobh had been but allowed Harry to continue. The boy had paused, ready to dart back in case of another unexpected hug.
'..S-Siobh hugged me b-but..but I-I didn't like i-it..so I-I screamed..,' Harry finished. Derbhla nodded slowly, turning her head towards the door slightly and Harry thought he could hear the faint creak of another door opening somewhere outside.
'Siobh is a very emotional girl, it can to her easily, especially if it's something as..as heinous like our gifts being used to hurt you,' Derbhla explained, 'She likes to think she can handle things herself..it's admirable, but sometimes her confidence can lead to..situations. Situations that build up in her head and weigh her down'
'I..I d-don't want h-her to g-get in t-trouble..,' Harry stammered and Derbhla resisted the motherly urge to pass a hand through his hair. Here was a boy who had lived his life abused by his Father and likely under his tyranny as well, but was willing to stand up to authority for the sake of someone he'd met scarcely ten minutes ago. Smiling, Derbhla motioned for Harry to get up and follow her out into the hall, where the boy studied the pictures on the wall briefly while she knocked on the door.
'Siobh! Harry and I want to talk to you-!,' she began before she paused at the sound of scratching coming from the otherside of the door. Beckoning for Harry to follow, Derbhla pushed the door open slowly and they both slipped inside, where to his shock Harry was greeted by the biggest dog he'd ever seen. It was a great, lanky thing and even sitting down it was a whole two heads taller than him. Harry gulped as it bowed its head, panting as two misty white eyes seemed to study him intently.
'Boru! Amach!' Derbhla ordered sternly and the dog moved out past them, a little clumsily due to its size as its nails clattered against the wooden flooring. Derbhla pushed the door closed behind her, and finally turned towards Siobh, who was sitting on her bed and staring hard at the fabric tearfully.
'I-I'm so s-sorry I..I didn't mean to hurt you like that!,' she sniffed, looking up at Harry. The boy blinked, never having been genuinely apologised to before. His teachers had made bullies apologise to him, sure, but those had been forced. He felt himself smile, and stepped forward, placing two shy hands on the side of her bed.
'..It's ok..,' he whispered, 'I..I liked talking t-to you!' and Siobh seemed surprised before she nodded quickly. Harry sensed Derbhla step away, and turned to see her slip back outside, leaving the two of them alone. Siobh patted the bed to see if Harry wanted to sit next to her, but the boy didn't seem to even register it. Their guest was far, far more interested in her room and Siobh let Harry have a moment while he wandered around.
Siobh's room was on the small side, but this clearly wasn't because her family didn't care for her. She had two shelves practically bursting with things, so much so that Harry knew he'd be here all day if he were to absorb it all. So, again, he decided to pick out what was most interesting to him.
The first thing he'd noticed were the paintings. They were painted onto wood of all shapes and sizes, and evidently were pictures from Siobh's life. Harry was taken aback by just how..lifelike they were, it was as if someone had painted a photograph.
'T-These p-paintings..,' he murmured.
'They're not paintings, they're memories,' Siobh explained, resting her head in her hands and swinging her legs in the air aimlessly behind her, 'We can change them at any time we want!,' before she snapped her fingers and the stump Harry was looking at became a swirl of colours, and after a minute a different memory appeared. Harry's pure amazement made Siobh smile, as she hopped off the bed to join him.
'That's not all, we can make them move too!,' she grinned and prodded the stump. The picture rippled like a puddle, before little Siobh began to move in slow motion. The colours swirl and a man's face appeared, probably her Father, but Harry didn't care about the picture anymore. He looked at Siobh eagerly, bouncing on his heels and flapping his hands slightly.
'Can..Can it t-take stuff f-from your i-imagination?' he asked. Siobh nodded, but quickly raised a hand as Harry went to take the painting from the shelf.
'..It can! But..But all this wood is connected to me, you see. So, you find an elm tree and, well, this might sound a little weird but you spend all day talking to it. You have to convince it to be chopped down into bits once you've poured all your memories into it. Once that's done, no one else can use it, since the tree is dead..and you can't talk to dead things obviously!'
Harry might have laughed if it wasn't for his overwhelming disappointment. He sat down on Siobh's bed where the girl joined him, twirling the Crookster in her hand as she regarded him sympathetically.
'Did you want to see something important to you?'
'M-My Mum..,' Harry sniffed, 'A-And my s-sister too..'
'Oh, I see..they're not still up there with your Dad, are they?,' Siobh asked worriedly, and the mere idea of it caused Harry to go totally pale before he shook his head. He gripped both his arms tightly, and Siobh moved away a little, giving him some space. After a moment, Harry managed to settle himself, and as his breathing slowed Siobh felt she could pepper him with some more questions.
'Do you know them?' she asked and Harry sniffled as he shook his head.
'N-No..they're s-somewhere but..but I-I don't know w-where. It was a-always just me and..and him..,' Harry explained, wiping his eyes. He looked back at Siobh, who was massaging her forehead in thought, eyes closed before she snapped her fingers. Harry felt something come out from under the bed, quickly moving his legs out of the way to see that it was an old, rusted chest. Siobh hopped onto the floor and Harry joined her, where the girl whispered something to the tired looking box and it clunked open.
'My grandparents left me all sorts of things when they died, and one of them was this!,' Siobh explained, pulling out a small, square piece of fabric. Harry felt bad for almost laughing at the idea that this was a sort of prized possession, until Siobh tossed it onto her bed. There, the fabric rapidly unfolded, until it covered the entirety of the duvet and then some, drooping over its sides. Ink then began to snake its way along its surface, and to Harry's ever growing excitement he realised that it was a map.
'A map! I-I love maps!,' he gleed, overjoyed, as the islands of Britain and Ireland slowly appeared. The map wasn't done either, as little lines began to appear, marking out different territories. As it did, Siobh tapped the surface with her crook.
'So we're here-'
'Wait! It's not done yet!,' Harry interjected, eyes darting around the surface eagerly as more lines and markers came into existence.
'Uh, yeah, but we need to find your family!,' Siobh grinned, keeping Harry on track. The boy zoned back in and nodded, as Siobh continued.
'So we're here, under Wales..,' she said, showing Harry a little village called [Paul's Rest]. The boy also noticed that there seemed to be towns and villages missing from the map. There were towns around where Cardiff was, for instance, but none whatsoever around Holyhead. Soobh noticed his confusion, and tapped the map with her crook. After a moment, the map rustled and was replaced by paper, and Harry realised it was just a plain old ordnance survey map.
'Oh..! I-I get it..y-you all live underneath the g-ground!'
'Yep! Course we don't, like, live right underneath you, your towns and cities are really loud..,' Siobh muttered, 'But you get the idea. Where did you come from up there?'
'T-This p-place..,' Harry shuddered, jabbing a finger at Holyhead, 'But..But my M-Mum never lived w-with us..Dad said she..she d-didn't like what he h-had planned..? I-I don't know w-what he meant..'
'Ok..well, put your full hand on the map and we'll find out where she is!,' Siobh explained, 'Then think really hard about her! My grandparents had ten children, so they kept track of them with this!'
'R-Right..!,' Harry breathed, before he shut his eyes. He didn't focus on the imaginary memory, but this time the idea of a Mum. The person who had brought him into this world and who, Harry hoped, wanted him home just as much as he did. Siobh watched, as Harry's hand slowly began to move. It passed along the paper, sticking to the west coast of Britain, until it finally came to a stop near the border with Scotland. There, Harry's hand slowly formed into a point and Siobh craned her head eagerly to see where they had landed.
Harry's family was in a little city nestled on the coast and fronted by a vast mountain range, both only a small part of a vast area simply labelled "The Wilderness".
'Trollberg..,' Harry murmured, as Siobh tapped the map again with her crook. Harry's finger remained in place as it shifted back to its fabric and ink, but the children were quickly presented with a problem; the area around Trollberg was almost completely blank.
'W-What does t-that mean..?,' Harry asked nervously, and Siobh's brow furrowed in response as she tickled her chin.
'..That no one lives around there..and that's odd, cause that Wilderness area is a Tuatha De Danann's dream come true really!'
'Ok..b-but what does i-it mean?' Harry pressed, wanting an answer as he took his finger away from the fabric.
'..It means that we won't be able to get you there quickly..,' Siobh sighed, 'But don't worry, we'll still try and get you home!'
'..Y-You'll do that!?,' Harry asked, taken aback by such kindness and Siobh nodded earnestly before she walked past him towards the door.
'Course we will! We're honour bound to look after our guests down here, we'll do everything we can to get you back to your family!,' she grinned. Harry was speechless, having no idea how to begin to thank her before his stomach saved him for the time being. It growled loudly, and Harry placed both hands on it embarrassedly. Siobh tittered and beckoned him outside, where they headed for the spare room first.
'Ah, Mum knows about my stash now, no big deal..,' she sighed, returning the sweets to the bag.
'Y-Your Mum said she..she k-knew..' Harry replied and Siobh paused briefly before she smiled and tossed the bag back into another portal she'd made.
'Whatever, she didn't take them from me so there's that!,' she grinned, 'You can just leave your stuff up here for now, you'll probably be spending a couple of nights with us,' she explained before motioning for Harry to follow her. The boy did so, but took one of his model trains from the bag first. It consoled his nerves, as he and Siobh descended into the unknown.
The floor downstairs was one of glossy wood, and Harry struggled to remain on his feet. Siobh giggled as he tried to stop himself from slipping, holding out her hand. Harry flinched as it approached, but after a moment took it cautiously. He had never done much hand-holding; he remembered being young as his Father had marched him along the streets doing errands, crushing his hand in his. Siobh's by contrast was gentle, her grip almost as light as Harry's, likely because she was worried about upsetting him again. Harry tightened his grip slightly at its warmth, as Siobh led him into the living room. There, they found Derbhla, watching the television.
'Ah, glad to see you've made amends!,' she smiled, pausing the TV after a couple of attempts. It was truly ancient by Harry's standards; judging by a sticker on the side of it, it might have been taken from a museum..
'Grandad's map said Harry is from Trollberg!,' Siobh explained. Derbhla's eyes went wide and nodded, hand on her chin in thought. She studied Harry for a moment, though the boy didn't realise as he spun the wheels on his train. He was slowly getting used to the idea that he had nothing to fear or worry about.
'That would explain a lot alright,' she mused, standing up and beckoning them to follow her into the kitchen. It was a small space, with a large couch shoved into the corner and a rickety wooden table in front of it. Harry was able to stand better on its black and white tiles, and sat down in a chair along with Siobh. Derbhla sat down at the head to the table, pushing a plate of bread speckled with raisins over to them. Siobh tucked in eagerly and Harry followed suit, as Derbhla watched him sympathetically. The poor boy had properly never had a full meal in his life.
'You see, there were creatures and other magic folk living around Trollberg when the Tuatha De Dannan first went there,' she explained, 'The Fianna tried to take it, but they were beaten back-'
'-What!?,' Siobh exclaimed before choking a little, 'The Fianna lost!?'
'W-Who..?' Harry asked, chewing his food slower to savour the taste.
'The Fianna are bands of warriors who protect our lands,' Dearbhla explained, 'Sometimes villages tend to fight over things, and they send their band of Fianna to do so. In the old days, the Fianna went out and expanded our worlds reach, but they weren't successful all the time'
'..L-Like in T-Trollberg..,' Harry murmured.
'Yes, like in Trollberg,' Derbhla said calmly, resting her hands in her sleeves, 'The Fianna retreated, and made the border where the creatures stopped chasing them'
'..m-maybe my M-Mum's a creature..,' Harry murmured, mostly to himself as he rolled the trian along the tables surface.
'It's certainly possible,' Derbhla replied, causing Harry to jump a little, 'But right now we need to figure out how to get you there, my husband will need to make preparations..,' she said wistfully, when right on cue the front door opened and shut with a snap. Harry jolted again, as a man's voice called out in the native tongue that Siobh and her Mother spoke.
'Derbhla, an bhfuil an buachaill ina dhúiseacht fós?,' the man called out, as the sound of boots echoed confidently off the floors as he approached. Derbhla left the room, calling back out to him as she did.
'You would have woken him with the sound of your voice!,' she laughed, before her voice dropped to hushed tones. Inside, Harry shook a little and looked at Siobh nervously. The girl offered her hand and Harry took it, squeezing it tightly as the footsteps resumed, this time slower and more cautious. After a couple of minutes, Derbhla re-entered the room arm in arm with a thin, lanky man. His tawny face was clean shaven, with a curly black afro that stuck out like the legs on a spider. Like Siobh, he wore a tunic and some roughspun trousers, with a sword tied around his waist.
'Harry, this is my husband Ruadrí,' Derbha introduced, and he gave Harry a two-fingered salute and a wink. Harry nodded slowly, guard at its highest since he'd arrived as Ruadrí broke off from his wife to wash his hands under the sink. Harry quickly realised that they were covered in blood, something that didn't exactly help his nerves.
'..Derbhla says you've had a harsh life?,' the man asked, his light voice slightly raspy yet heavy with sympathy. Harry nodded and Ruadrí flashed him a warm smile, before he returned to trying to wash his hands clean of blood. It seemed to be taking him a bit of effort, as he rubbed some soap on his hands before continuing.
'Well, I won't make you tell us about it! Have you fed him coinín?,' he asked his wife, likely a pet name of sorts, but as Derbhla nodded Harry's stomach rumbled loudly once again. He looked up sheepishly and Ruadrí laughed heartily, striding back out of the kitchen before returning with a large bag slung over his shoulder.
'Clearly not enough! We'll have lunch prepped for you in no time, don't you worry! Word is you're from Trollberg as well?,' he asked, as he and Derbhla sorted through the bag, filled with all sorts of meats and vegetables.
'He is,' Siobh replied, saving Harry the trouble, 'Do you know it? Mum says the Fianna were chased out of there!'
'I've travelled across the land, far and wide, but never to Trollberg. It's forbidden for the Tuatha De Danann to step foot there, it's in the agreement we signed long ago,' Ruadrí explained, 'But don't worry lad, we'll get you home pronto pronto,' he winked, and his merry attitude was rubbing off on Harry a little, as the boy bounced a little on his chair. He and Siobh watched, as her parents quickly began work on a simply massive lunch. Derbhla whipped up a salad in only a couple of minutes, while Ruadrí put together sandwiches like he was a machine. Siobh stuck out her crook and with a couple of swishes was transferring the food over to the table. It looked to be taking her a bit of effort as well, as Harry saw sweat forming on her brow and eventually Siobh lost her hold on a bowl of salad.
Harry felt time slow as he watched it plummet, but Debhla caught it handily. She flashed her daughter a reassuring smile, but Siobh looked distraught and turned away. The hubbub continued around them, but all Harry heard now was her sniffles as Siobh wiped her eyes.
'Should've known I'd mess that up..,' she murmured, rolling her crook in her hands as she swung her legs dejectedly.
'I..I t-thought you were d-doing a good job!,' Harry said. Siobh blinked before she looked up at him, before she smiled softly and shook her head, looking back at your crook.
'You're just saying that..I know I was rubbish..,' she sighed, and Harry tilted his head in confusion, knowing he had been genuine and not fully understanding the response. Still, as Siobh sighed again and looked back up at him, Harry felt he knew what to say.
'Y-You're not rubbish at..at being m-my friend!,' he grinned, and Siobh blinked once more, before her eyes shone with gratitude and she smiled. Harry held out his hand and she took it, as Derbhla and Ruadrí brought over the last of the plates and sat down at either end of the table which was now covered by bowls and plates of all sorts of food. Ruadrí poured himself some orange juice, and held his glass out towards the centre of the table. The others followed suit, Harry having to stretch a little as the glasses clinked together, the Sun glistening off them.
'Here's to the happiness of our guest!,' Ruadrí remarked, smiling at Harry who swung his legs happily underneath his seat. He zoned out a little as the family tucked into their lunch, letting the feeling of safety and security wash over him. Perhaps, he dared to dream, things might just work out after all…
That night, a storm rocked a village not far from where Harry had landed. In a small pub, a barman looked wearily out the window, cleaning a glass when a large figure pushed open the door, soaked and swearing underneath his breath. The man stumbled over the bar, which was empty and heaved himself up onto a seat. He slammed a fist down and a tankard was pushed over to him, as the barman peered at them in the gloom. The stranger appeared to be wearing clothes from the Old World, and he didn't look particularly well either. Said clothes were torn, and his sopping hair hid a badly bruised and cut face.
Tadgh noticed the barkeep and shot him a ugly scowl. The man retreated into a back room, while the disgraced Father took a lengthy swig of beer. It wasn't enough, as he slammed it down angrily, thoughts again shifting to his rotten betrayer of a son. Once he got himself settled, he would hunt Harry down and shape him as he saw fit, that is, if he survived the beating-!
Tadgh suddenly became aware of a figure sitting at the other end of the bar, one leg on top of the other and wearing a black cloak that blended in with the dark of the pub. The rest of the occupants seemed cautious of him, with one lone attendant giving them a nervous side eye. Tadgh himself stared back, having not noticed anyone when he sat down. Its arm rested on the table, the figure beckoned him over with two fingers. Casting an eye over the bar behind him, Tadgh grumbled and moved over with his drink.
'What do you want?,' he grumbled, sitting next to them and taking another gulp of beer. The person leaned closer, and Tadgh could see a beard peeking out from beneath the hood.
'I sense that you are one of us,' the man said simply, turning to face him, 'And in those clothes, and with that face, the Gatekeepers didn't want you down here, did they?,' he guessed. He spoke quietly, but Tadgh still looked anxiously around at the other occupants. The Tuatha De Danann enforced their laws harshly, and by evading the Gatekeeper he had made himself a wanted man. It didn't help that he hadn't incapacitated him either; when it had become clear that he was losing, Tadgh had scrambled for the hole like a frightened rabbit.
'We can help you,' the man said smoothly, 'Outcasts like you would fit in well with us-'
'Shut your mouth,' Tadgh hissed, 'Yer a Man of Tuireann, I don't need any bloody secret societies! I just want to try and whip my son into shape!,' he growled, finishing off the last of his pint. In response, the man took something from his cloak and passed it along to Tadgh. It was a picture of a tawny man, with a curly black afro that stuck out like the legs on a spider.
Siobh's Father, Ruadrí.
'I think you'll find that we can both help each other,' the man said confidently, placing a hand on Tadgh's back, 'Come, let's take a walk'
Hello FanFic users! I've finally been bothered to post notes here instead of exclusively to A03!
the Tuatha De Danann have arrived! To recap, these are a mythical group of people from Irish Mythology who are said to live underneath the various fairy hills and tombs dotted around Ireland and the UK.
So first things first: I realised that there's a pretty big plot hole when Siobh tells Harry that he would be TdD even if he couldn't do magic. In Chapter 5, the Gatekeeper tells Tadgh that he needs to see some magic from Harry first before he lets them into the Otherworld. My retcon for this is that this is what the Gatekeeper personally believes, and not in a mean way either. Obviously, pretty much everyone in the Otherworld can do magic; he was worried Harry would be left out or even sidelined.
There's some more Irish in the Chapter and I've decided I'll had a little section in the notes providing a translation everytime:
'Boru! Amach!' = "Boru! Out" (Derbhla kicks Boru out of Siobh's room as she's not allowed have the Dog up there. There'll more on this good boi in the future, don't worry!)
'Derbhla, an bhfuil an buachaill ina dhúiseacht fós?' (Ruadri comes home asking his wife if Harry is awake yet)
'coinín' (This means "Rabbit" and is Ruadri's pet name for Derbhla)
That concludes your mandatory Irish lesson!
The TdD being in this story are the reason I don't have it completed already. I thought I "finished" it a couple of months ago, but looking back I quickly realised that it was pretty boring. The old draft basically had Harry running away from home and catching the train to Trollberg while avoiding Tadgh the whole time. That is to say it didn't feel very Hilda-esque, so taking inspiration from myths like the show does is hopefully bringing it closer to the atmosphere of the show.
Siobh in the beginning was pretty plain, just a side character who would serve as a friend to Harry. I'm still working her overall story out, but right now she's a bubbly girl who hides some serious self-doubt and is terrified of mucking things up while at the same time setting massive targets for herself (A Druid isn't an easy thing to become y'know!). She's the same age as Harry (12) but there isn't going to be any shipping between them.
I had to limit myself this chapter to avoid overloading ye with Tuatha De Danann lore, and I promise there will plenty more of it to come! We'll soon see just who these mysterious Men of Tuireann are, and why they think Tadgh can help them..
Like I said last week, I've officially run out of material to post and need to take a break to write/do college work! I hope to be back in 2-3 weeks, but that isn't a promise! I hope to come back with some more art as well. I've loved posting this story so far and really appreciate the feedback and kudos it's gotten, so don't worry about me disappearing off over the horizon! All that said, keep well and I hope to see you all soon!