Unofficial Portkey Archive

Sorry this chapter took me so long to upload, I've been sick and my mind doesn't work well when I'm sick. Hope you enjoy this.

Chapter 5 -- Meetings

Harry presses his fingertips into his temples, and he hunches his shoulders forward over his desk to read a letter sent to him. His eyes quickly scan the words, barely registering them in his mind. He grumbles and casts the letter aside, picking up another letter to read. He leans to where a goblet of wine sits on the desk, and grips it, bringing it to his lips and taking a long sip.

He sets the goblet down, and his fingers linger on the gold cup. Rubies are embedded into the sides, and an intricate and beautiful picture is engraved into the sides of it. His eyes wander from the goblet to the opposite side of his desk, then to the windows. The day has just begun, and he curses his bad luck for having to sit in his study most of the day and wait for word from Frock or Ron when he can be outside worshipping the last days of summer.

"I have a headache." Harry mumbles, and sits back in his chair. He watches the doors of his study, wanting someone to barge in on his silence. The double doors click and slowly open, revealing a paladin.

"Sire," The paladin waits for Harry to nod his head, and the paladin comes forward when Harry does, "Sire," he repeats, "A woman was found near the woods where the unicorns reside, and when we reached her she fell unconscious. She's resting now in the infirmary."

Harry waits a moment before responding, "Anything else?"

"I was told to inform you of this, Sire." The paladin's voice is deep. Harry nods his head and then returns to his work, grabbing a quill. The paladin exits, and Harry is alone once more. He cannot concentrate on the task at hand, and drops the quill. He stands from his chair when another letter appears on his desk. Magic has been used to send letters back and forth for the past week since Ron told Harry about his mental state. Harry realizes he does not like this method any better, for letters appear every ten seconds on his desk awaiting his eyes.

"Damn." He curses and picks it up, noticing the teal strip on the side of the thick page.

Harry,

Signed, Ron.

"Short and sweet." Harry's rough voice vibrates in his chest as he chuckles. He drops the letter and exits his study, walking through the bright halls. He strides to the infirmary, opening the white doors himself. A nurse at the counter glances up at him, then she stands, bowing to her king.

"My lord." She murmers, "What can I do for you." She stands erect.

"A woman was brought here, found near the unicorn's dwelling." Harry responds, and the nurse nods.

"Of course. This way, Sire." She steps from behind the counter and walks briskly down the glowing white halls of the infirmary. The strong stench of cleaning products burns his nostrils. The woman leads him to the farthest door in the infirmary, for many of the other rooms are full with wounded knights from the battle. She opens the door, and Harry enters.

"She still lays unconscious, my lord. We do not know what ails her." The nurse stands behind Harry, her voice loud, though it does not wake the woman who lays on the bed. Harry takes a step toward the woman, and he squints at her. He vaguely hears the quiet footsteps of the nurse walking down the hall.

Her hair, curly and long, halos around her face and across her pillow. It is a harsh contrast, for her hair is a dark brown and the pillow a pure white. He walks to her side, and his eyes trace the outlines of her face. Her jaw is soft and defined, while her nose is small. Her skin is fair, and a soft rosy tint colors her cheeks. Her chest rises and falls slowly in a steady rhythm, and her hands are tiny and relaxed at her sides.

He reaches to touch her small hand, and finds it warm. His fingers tingle and the sensation crawls up his arm. He keeps his hand on hers, and watches her face. Her eyes look as if she is about to wake, but she stays still and her eyes remain closed.

"Who are you?" He whispers, knowing well he will not receive an answer. The sensation creeps to his chest and soon engulfs him.

He takes his hand off hers, and leaves the room. He nods to the nurse at the counter, needing to leave the infirmary as soon as possible.

"My lord," The nurse begins, and Harry stops, turning to look at the woman. She is quite short, with her blonde hair pulled into a tight and neat bun at the base of her neck. Her eyes are a dark blue, and her complextion is pale. She has a frail looking body, and her uniform is loose fitting around her curveless form.

"Yes?" Harry asks.

"Sire, I will inform you as soon as she wakes."

"That will do. Thank you." Harry leaves as the nurse bows to him. He walks to the common hall where many counselors can be found, along with paladins and some knights. The common hall is where matters are discussed, and it is rarely quiet and empty. The doors are already opened when he reaches them, and he enters, finding two counselors heatedly debating some current issue either with the war or with the commoners.

The counselors do not notice Harry's presence, and their arguement continues. Paladins look up from their seats at the long table, and glance at one another. Harry watches in mild amusement as an older counselor's face turns a dark shade of red, while the other man's veins in his neck pulse.

"Men!" Harry raises his voice loud enough to let it boom throughout the small hall. The two who argue stare wide eyed at their king. The paladins stand from their seats and bow their head to Harry.

"We must gather fifty paladins and ready the horses to ride. Prepare horses for two advisors as well. Immediately. We must ride to Norlan. " Harry says, and the paladin's bow once more before leaving the hall. Harry looks at the counselors now, "I need Luke and Brenan to ride with me as my advisors when we arrive at Norlan. Fetch them and inform them of their duty."

"Yes my lord." The counselors bow and head to the back of the hall. They exit through a door to the counselors private chambers. Harry leaves the common hall, and continues walking until he is in the entrance hall. He exits the palace, and stands at the top of the palace stairs, looking down at the clean, open area where a battle took place not long ago.

Images flash in his mind, and he shakes his head to rid himself of them. His abdomen burns and he swallows hard, clenching his hands. His jaw tightens, and his eyes wander about the clean area. The palace gates are having the finishing repairs put on them, and elegant men and woman walk on the ground as if they did know that blood had drenched and been spilled where they walk. He ignores the anxiety building in his belly and walks down the steps to the right, listening to his boots click on the pavement.

He rounds the palace to the stables, and sees grand horses scattered outside with men brushing and saddling them. Paladins pass him from behind and walk to their horses, resting their hands on their noses and being gentle toward the powerful creatures. Harry walks into the stables, and finds it loud and crowded. Stable boys bustle past him in their hurried state, carrying water, loaves of bred, and sacks of oats.

Harry finds his horse being prepared by a trustworthy boy named Ames. Harry approaches the boy who brushes his horse's mane, and Harry gently places his hand on the horse's nose.

"Hello Ole." Harry murmers to his horse. Ole nuzzles his hand and seeks food.

"Has he been fed?" Harry asks Ames. Ames nods, and Harry turns back to his horse.

"Greedy beast." Harry laughs, "When will he be ready?"

"Soon, my lord, very soon. I've got to saddle him yet, but within the next twenty minutes." Ames's voice squeaks, and Harry lays his hand on the boy's head.

"You are becoming a man, my young friend." Harry smiles at the boy, "Thank you for preparing Ole." Harry turns and weaves through the mess of stable boys and paladins getting ready to ride to Norlan. Harry reenters the palace and goes into the armory, dressing in light armor. He ties a sash around his waist and grips his sword, passing it through the sash and making sure it is secure on his hip. He takes a dagger and hides it in his right boot.

He leisurely walks out of the palace and down the steps, seeing horses infront of the palace gates and the paladins standing beside their beasts. The two counselors, Luke and Brenan come down the steps of the palace and stand beside Harry.

Harry sees from the corner of his eye that Ames is walking with Ole out from the stables. Harry meets the boy and nods to him, mounting his horse. Harry gingerly pets his horse and the others take their cue to mount.

"We leave." Harry announces loudly over the commotion, and riding for full speed at the opening gates. He leans forward as the wind whistles past his ears and tangling his dark hair. His heart races as the horse speeds down the main street of the city outside of the gates, and the commoners hurridly get off the road.

They leave the city and ride south to Norlan. He slows Ole to a steady gait when they exit the city, and the counselors ride up beside him. Ten paladins ride ahead of Harry, and five each ride to his sides, while the rest ride behind him. They will arrive at Norlan just at nightfall if there are no disturbances along the way.

"My lord," Luke says, and Harry turns his head to acknowledge the man, "What is the reason for leaving in such a hurry?"

"King Ron sent an important message that we are to immediately travel to Norlan. We need to discuss our plan for action, and Norlan is a day and a half ride from Juxert. If we are to attack Juxert I think that we will station our men at Norlan." Luke nods.

They continue to ride in silence, and stop once at a lake to water the horses and let them rest. Harry feeds a handful of oats to Ole, and the horse licks his hand clean. He laughs and settles himself on his horse, motioning to his men to continue riding.

Soon they arrive at Norlan, a huge empire that is painted against the darkening sky. Tall, white walls guard the entire city and palace, with lights shining down them and guards posted at the top. The entry gate is taller than the walls, and it lowers immediately when Harry rides towards it. They ride into the city and are greeted by Frock and Ron. Frock's kingdom holds twice as many people as Harry's does, and the streets are filled with the commoners.

"My friend!" Frock comes beside Harry's horse as he dismounts, embracing him tightly. Stable boys come and take the horses, saying they will feed them well and brush them down.

"Glad you arrived so quick," Ron says as they begin walking to the palace, "The faeries and unicorns have vanished." Ron's voice is hushed, and Harry can scarcely hear him over the noise. They walk up the palace stairs, and through the doors, and Harry is greeted with Frock's entry hall. It is large, much larger than his, and the throne room lies just one door beyond the entry hall.

They enter the throne room and the long table is filled with counselors from Ron's kingdom and Frocks. Harry knows this because Ron's men are dressed in teal while Frock's are in yellow. Luke and Brenan stand a few paces behind Ron, Frock, and Harry. Frock moves to the head of the table and raises his arms.

"King Harry has arrived gentlemen." Frock holds his arm towards Harry, and counselors stand to bow. Harry nods to them, and they sit.

"Please take a seat, friends, we have much to discuss." Frock motions to the empty seats at his side, and the two kings take their seats. Luke and Brenan sit at the opposite end of the table.

"I was informed a few days ago that the Juxert army attacked Lorbia while King Ron was there. The battle lasted throughout the night and until the dawn of the next day. They pushed Juxert from Lorbia, and won yet another short battle, but men," Frock still stands as he speaks, "to be the real victors over this war, we must act soon." Frock puts a grisley hand on his forehead, "I have received notice that the faeries and unicorns have vanished, which means they cannot be found in their dwellings in the forests."

"The Juxerts captured them!"

"They are hiding!"

"We must find them immediately!"

"What has happened to them!"

The hall is loud with the shouts of counselors. They argue with one another, pointing accusing fingers at the other. Harry shakes his head and looks at Ron who sits across from him. Ron shrugs his shoulders.

"Enough!" Frock yells and the room quiets. Counselors who had stood now take their seat and direct their attention to Frock.

"We need to find out what happened to the magical creatures. If the Juxerts have indeed captured the beasts, then the war will be a brutal one to win. A captured faerie or unicorn are powerful and if used correctly, they can be used to turn the world as we know it inside out, literally. The Juxert have one purpose," The king is cut off once more.

"Complete control!"

"Kill the dragons!"

"Live forever!"

"Destroy everything!"

"Quiet!" Frock's face is red and his palms slam on the table. The counselors hush and stare at their king.

"The Juxert want to use the magic for the greater evil of the world. They want complete control." Frock looks tired and old. Harry looks at the old man for the first time since he arrived. Frock's wiry white hair is thinning, but his green eyes are bright with determination. He wears a white robe with a yellow sash around his waist. His hands look like leather, worn from many years of hand to hand combat. His body is well built from underneath the robe, and Harry notices his biceps bulging through the thick fabric of his robe.

"We noticed the magical creatures missing just yesterday, when I went to the forest just outside my castle where the faeries live, and could not seek their aid. The forest was dull and dark, very unlike how it would be if the faeries were inhabiting the trees." Frock fills his lungs, "The waterfall that begins in the sky did not flow."

There is a murmer throughout the throne room, and Harry eyes Ron.

"How do we know that the unicorns are also missing?" Harry asks, his voice strong.

"The waterfall that touches the sky is a symbol for all magical creatures. It is myth that when the water ceases its clensing flow, then the magic has disappeared." Frock sits in his elegant and rich throne chair now, his elbow on the table and his chin resting in his palm.

Harry ponders this information, and the dark haired woman comes to his mind.

"Does the water effect enchantresses and dragons as well?" Harry leans forward. The throne room has gone into quiet conversations as the counselors talk amonst themselves. Harry directs his question at Ron and Frock only.

Frock shrugs, "It is only myth. The water has not ceased its flow in thousands of years."

"There was a woman outside of the unicorn forest found unconscious. She is in the infirmary at Lorbia as we speak." Harry's voice is low.

Ron shakes his head, "There is no way to know if she is an enchantress."

"An enchantress is the most beautiful creature in this world." Frock says, and Harry turns his head towards him, "They all carry a mark. Did you look behind her ear?"

Harry gives him a quizzical look, shaking his head, "Behind the ear?"

"The right ear, to be precise. Yes."

Harry looks to Ron, but Ron gives Frock the same look.

"If it were as simple as that, then we would be able to find enchantresses much easier. It has been hundreds of years since,"

"I know, since an enchantress has been found." Frock eyes Ron, "Enchantresses are the most powerful creatures beside dragons, and it is said that they themselves control the waterfalls at the magical dwelling places of faeries and unicorns. They can shapeshift into any animal, magical creature, or human. They use magic to control minds of the weak, and persuade those of the strong. To even speak to an enchantress is said to bring luck to a human for the rest of their lives. Their voices, myth has it since we have not heard an enchantress speak in our lives, are like ringing bells and make us float on our feet."

"Frock," Ron lays his arm on the table, "get on with it already."

Frock coughs and Harry chuckles silently to himself, "Alright then. Well, myth has it,"

"What book did you read this from?" Ron cuts him off, and Frock's face burns red once more like it had earlier when the room was in an uproar.

"I read it from no book, Ronald, let me continue. Enchantresses have never been known to fall for a human, only once has an enchantress loved a human man. Her name was Calista, and she fell for the knight Alastair. Calista was the queen of a kingdom that I cannot recall the name, and was known to be an enchantress. She protected her kingdom with her magic. It is said that her most trusted and powerful knight won her heart. Calista married Alastair, and the two ruled together for many long years in their kingdom,"

"Sade." Ron mutters, and Frock's eyes light up.

"Yes! Her kingdom of Sade. Yes, that is it. Thank you my friend." Frock's hand lands on Ron's shoulder, and Ron winces from the unexpected weight.

"Anyway, enchantresses are not immortal, but they may live as long as they please. They do not age, and when they tire of their lives, they die. Alastair became ill, and Calista could not save him with her magic. He had grown old, and died in her arms. She was so heartbroken that she took her own life. They had one child: a girl. The girl we know nothing about; we only know that she was an enchantress as well because she ruled the kingdom as Calista's heir."

"What does this have to do with the mark behind the ear, Frock?" Ron asks exasperated, and Frock's thin lips curl upward.

"Calista had a mark behind her ear, as did her babe."

"Then why have we not been able to find enchantresses if they have this mark behind their ear? We could check every woman in our kingdoms!" Ron opens his arms wide and hits the man beside him. He grumbles an apology, and keeps his eyes trained on Frock's.

Frock shakes his head, "Enchantresses can change their physical apperances."

Ron lets his head fall forward to hit the table, leaving it there. Harry looks at Ron, not saying anything.

The doors open to the throne room, and Frock stands.

"What is it daughter?" He bellows to the young woman who enters the hall. She has long blonde hair that curls down her back. Her dress is light blue and curves around her body delicately. Her grey eyes are shining with surprise.

"Father, oh-" She stops short and stands stupidly in the doorway. Harry recognizes her and smiles when she meets his eyes. She returns his smile, and Harry glances across to Ron who's ears are turning a shade of red.

"What is it?" Frock repeats, and the woman stands straighter.

"Nothing. It is nothing. I am sorry to have disturbed you. I take my leave." She bows, and leaves the throne room. Harry grins and looks at Ron, who still stares at the door.

"Beautiful, that one." Ron murmers.

"What?" Frock asks as he sits, and Ron shrugs his shoulders.

"Nothing." Ron says quickly and beneath his breath.

"What else do you know about enchantresses?" Harry asks.

Ron grunts, "You actually want to listen to him? He'll go on all night with his mythological shit. I'm leaving,"

"Ron, stop being so narrow minded." Frock says to him.

"I'm not narrow minded." Ron grumbles, and Harry laughs.

"Harry," Frock says to get his attention, "Ron told me that you know of the spell on your mind."

Harry looks from Frock to Ron. The two look back at him.

"An enchantress would be the best way to return it, since this war may not be over for ..." Frock trails off.

"We might be in this war for many more years, Harry. A dragon would kill you if you asked it to return your mind. An enchantress would be much easier to pursuade." Ron finishes for Frock, and Frock nods.

"We still have to find one." Harry sighs.

Frock and Ron sit in silence, and the rest of the throne room hums with the gentle conversation of counselors debating on the next steps for the war and what to do with the issue of the missing magical creatures. Harry scratches his jaw, but nothing comes to mind.

"The alternative is to find the creatures and finish this war." Frock says to end the silence. He stands from his seat, and raises his arms, "Gentlemen, the night advances quickly and our eyes grow tired. We will retire for the night and continue our plan for action tomorrow morning. Goodnight."

Counselors from the three kingdoms stand and leave the hall. Guards at the doors show them to their rooms. Ron, Harry, and Frock stand alone in the throne room.

"Guards will show you to your rooms, my friends. Sleep well. I must find my daughter." Frock bows and leaves the throne room. Two men come up to Harry and Ron, dressed in heavy armor.

"This way, my lords." The two guards lead Ron and Harry from the throne room, and down long winding halls. The floors change from being linoleum to being carpeted, and the echo stops. Harry's ears ring, and his eyes begin to drop closed.

"This is where you will stay, King Ron." A guard stops Ron and shows him a dark wooded door. Ron thanks the guard, and turns to Harry.

"Goodnight, my friend."

Harry nods to Ron and lets the guard lead him to his room. The guard stops a few paces down the hall and shows Harry the door to his room. Harry nods to the guard, and the guard leaves him. He opens his door and steps inside. The room instantly lights up, and he stares up at the ceiling, seeing no lights.

"Magic." He murmers, astonished. He looks about the large, elegant room, admiring it. A beautiful, elaborate painting hangs above the king sized bed, and chairs line the north wall. A dresser is to his right, beside the door, and he notices a door across from him.

"Bathroom." He says when he opens the door and looks inside. When he's satisfied looking around the room, he strips and pulls the covers back on the bed. He slips beneath them, and quickly falls into oblivion.

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