The Knight and the Magician (M, Original) - (2 Parts)

[PaperThings]

A/N: Yes, yes, I do have two stories going (this and The Blackout). I am going to attempt to keep both of them active, and, well, let's just hope that's successful? I hope you guys enjoy this! Oh, a quick note: Adrian's allergies are a red herring. It is a cold fic. That's not to say I won't play with them later, but for now...

Adrian gazed up at the semi-circle of towers, broad shoulders squared in a sort of defense. He had attended the knighting academy once, of course. Once upon a time, he had kept board and ridden horses with the rest of them. Things were different now.

He took a breath to steady his confidence and strode past the foreboding gates, blue eyes eager and alert. He didn't expect to run into anyone, least of all anyone he knew, but there was always a possibility. The smell of the field hit him with unutterable sweetness, and he almost fell to his knees. Flowers dotted lazy rings across the green, fragrant and bright to the eye. They helped to designate sections of the field for practice, for team sports, but they always wreaked havoc on Adrian's allergies. Rubbing at his nose, lips curled with a nostalgic smile, he doubled his pace. Today was not one for enjoyment.

An old tenant of the academy, he let himself into the Western Tower and climbed the stairs. He nearly stumbled over two boys, both of them no older than twelve or so. "Hello," he said, trying not to sound as terse as he felt. "Do you two happen to know my brother? Harlow?"

One of them smiled shyly, nodding. "Yes, S-sir... he's on the top floor." Sir? Adrian fought a wince; he was twenty four, hardly old enough for such titles yet. At least, he didn't think so. Of course, if he had continued at the academy, he would go by Knight... But that was out of the picture, now.

"Thank you," he said kindly, nodding. "I appreciate your help." When he'd reached the next floor, he heard their excited whispers from below. "That's him!" "Are you sure?" Was his leaving school all that much of a scandal? God, he hoped not. He toyed with his hair - a solid brown, so long he would have to tie it back soon - and wondered how ordinary men stomached feeling so flustered.

"Adrian!"

Harlow looked up from his cot, and at once Adrian could see something was not right. The boy was smiling, beaming even, but he was looking peaked. His voice sounded raspy, splintering all over the trisyllable name. "I didn't know you were coming!" Upon hearing the full sentence, Adrian decided that he sounded congested. Ill. He felt his own stomach sink; sickness would complicate matters entirely. A pair of arms circled around his broad shoulders then, and the dark thoughts fled in the moment of the embrace. Good old Harlow. The boy with the heart of gold. And yet, he was the one who continued at the knighting academy. Not Adrian. Not like it should have been. If it had been anyone but Harlow, anyone but his treasured baby brother, he might never have stood for the resentment.

"I brought the carriage," Adrian said, awkwardly pulling away. He was easily the less affectionate of the two, the less prone to emphatic sharing of his emotions. "How are you?" He couldn't help but scrutinize, and he took a moment to stare thoughtfully into Harlow's handsome face. They shared the same cerulean eyes, though Adrian's had hardened over the last few years. Harlow's usually still shone with a child's light and happiness, though today they looked a bit foggy. He was definitely ill. "You're - you're up for travel, aren't you?" he asked uncertainly.

"Of course," Harlow said, and he slung his knapsack over one shoulder. "I thought I would have to ride back."

"Yes, well..." Adrian hesitated. He would have to tell his brother at some point, but now wasn't the time. He would put it off as long as he could.

"How's mother?" Harlow asked, and the earnest concern in his face reminded Adrian how different they were.

"She's... better," he lied, so smooth with the words it could have been the truth. "She's, erm, here, actually. In the carriage."

If it had not been for the sour reason behind it all, the look of surprised delight on Harlow's face might have been worth triply their meager fortune. "She is? Oh, Adrian, that's wonderful!" His smile faltered. "She didn't want to come up?"

"She's a bit tired," Adrian said, putting on the proper glum expression. "You know how she is..."

"Right," Harlow said. He rubbed at his nose, quick and discreet, but Adrian noticed the movement and frowned.

"She really is better," Adrian insisted, slinging an arm around Harlow's shoulders. The motion alone cheered the younger brother, and they both smiled for the moment. Adrian tried to decide if it was entirely a lie. Their mother, Lucia, had never really recovered from the death of her husband. Two and a half years ago, he had died on official business for the King and Queen. The King and Queen whom Harlow currently trained to serve. Entirely devastated by her loss, Lucia had become numb to all human contact. She stayed huddled in her rooms, absorbed in the knitting of her afghans. It wouldn't have bothered Adrian - at least that's what he told himself- but he couldn't stand for the way her decay broke Harlow's heart.

Bitterly, he wondered why she couldn't handle it. His own life had been changed irreparably by his father's death, and did he complain? Never. He was so lost in thought, he didn't notice Harlow ducking from under his arm until the boy had turned entirely towards the wall. He heard the quick, frantic rush of breath: a package even parts dread and desperate anticipation. "Eiishh-NXXT!" The clench of palm to nostrils sounded as if it hurt, and he reached out a hand to put on Harlow's back.

"Bless - "

"Huhh-NNGGT!" He couldn't see Harlow's face, but felt his brother's shoulder rise up with tension beneath his hand.

"Bless you," he repeated, feeling the deep pants waft under the red uniform. "Are you all right?"

Harlow straightened and turned around, smiling once more. "Thank you," he said, sounding nearly shy. "Yes, I'm all right. Sorry."

"Don't be sorry about it," Adrian replied, slinging Harlow close again. He did not realize how much he missed his companion until they were reunited. What did he do the rest of the year, stuck at home without his brother's cheerful disposition?

"How is the Cove?" Harlow asked, stumbling over the words a bit. He knew it was a sore subject, but tried to act as if it was a great honor. Well, perhaps it was. But not one Adrian wanted.

"They're all right," he said quickly, hoping to brush it off. Someone had had to take care of their mother, of course, after their died. That's when he had dropped out of the academy himself and attempted to find work as a magician.

"That's good," Harlow said. He was brimming with stories of his year, Adrian could tell, but he swallowed them to spare Adrian's jealousy. Though it was horribly selfish, Adrian let the silence sit. Harlow was right - he didn't want to hear. "So," Harlow said, clearing his throat a few times. He reached up quickly to wipe his nose, and Adrian noticed a brief unsteadiness in his eyes. "Are we setting for home immediately? Because if not, there's a - "

The time had come. Adrian inhaled tightly and looked up, bracing himself. "Harlow," he interrupted, "we aren't going home."

[curliecatlover]

cute! please continue!

[Ker0kero]

Wow, your writing is magnificent, I can't wait to read more

[MusicaDiabolos]

This is really exciting! Can't wait for more!

[everest]

Well, I loved it. Thank you! The plot is very intriguing... I want to know more.

I can't wait for the next part.

[RSB]

Really intrigued about the story but the sneezes are nice too! looking forward to seeing what happens next.

[Scion]

Me too. I like this very much, and hope to see more.

[PaperThings]

A/N: Happy New Year, guys! Thank you so much for the comments! Everest, definitely tell me if there's anything you don't like that I should change, or anything in particular you'd like me to add.

Here's Part Two!

---

"What do you mean?"

Poor Harlow. Though well-mannered and independent, certainly capable, Adrian often forgot how young he seemed. Gazing up at his brother with wide eyes, he might have been the same boy from ten years before.

"Not here," Adrian sighed, after a moment. He placed a hand gingerly against Harlow's shoulder, enforcing the point. "I promise, I will explain everything when we get outside. Away from... here." He gestured around, implying that there might be a myriad of people just waiting to eavesdrop on the conversation. Harlow let it drop, his shoulders sagging and pink lips sucked under a front tooth.

"Have you said goodbye to everyone?" Adrian pressed, hoping his eyes said what he could not. He eyed Harlow forcefully, until the younger brother looked down and nodded.

"All of the Trainers and Teachers, yes. Most of my friends." Harlow was quite popular, Adrian knew. Unlike himself, Harlow spent equal time befriending the other young knights. In his days there, Adrian spent few seconds anyplace but the field or his dormitory. "Adrian." His voice was quiet, but the dull discomfort in his eyes served to slow Adrian to a stop. "Please tell me what's going on."

Forcing a shaky breath out his lips, Adrian simply changed the subject. "And you have everything? You didn't leave anything in your dorm room, did you?"

Now Harlow looked singularly confused. "No, I didn't. I - " He stopped short, the space between his eyebrows wrinkling with a grimace. His pointer-finger extended politely into the air, he inhaled a biting pocket of air as his handsome nose shriveled up. Eyes clouded, bracing for the release, he gave a final swallowed whimper before bending forward. "Hehh-TXXSHH!" The sneeze lightly escaped the iron trap of his fingertips, and he remained where he was, lips quivering ever-so-slightly. Adrian fished in his pockets for his own handkerchief, to lend his brother, but couldn't seem to find it. "Hehh...huhh'hhh..." He kept only a moist, uncontrolled sliver of his eyes open, tears flooding the pure blue. However, the sensation seemed to abort after a moment, and he sniffed with mild aggression. "Went away," he said softly, sounding so frustrated that Adrian nearly laughed.

"Come on," he said, swinging his arm around Harlow's shoulders. "Mother's waiting for us." They kept a brotherly, comfortable silence, peppered with neither questions nor sneezing. However, Harlow looked uncharacteristically downtrodden - his gaze dark, his face unsmiling - and Adrian kicked himself for letting the worries settle. He could only hope the truth would not be as bad as whatever Harlow had now imagined. But no, he thought sadly. It probably would be.

A great cape of cobblestone fed out from the academy's gates, and the brothers followed it to the break by the forest. There sat their glorious white-mint horses, Juniper and Isla, attached to their sizable carriage.

"Alright," Adrian said, stepping back to face Harlow. He drew his chin up, forcing them to lock gazes. "A letter came for mother, Harlow. A few weeks ago. It came from the palace, demanding that mother replace father on a quest he had signed up for." When Harlow opened his mouth, most likely confused, Adrian held up a hand. "This was years ago, evidently. Apparently they had agreed on it - she had signed some sort of document - but now... well, I don't think she expected him to die." He swallowed; none of them had expected that. "And the letter says she'll be arrested, should she decline. P-possibly subjected to torture... or worse... since this is Royal business." He looked away as he said this, unable to face Harlow's crumbling expression. Why did his brother's pain hurt him more than anyone, his own included? He brought his hands together, hoping to numb himself. "Well, obviously she wouldn't survive the quest. Nor prison. This is the only way."

He started to turn away, but Harlow caught his wrist. "Wait, Adrian." He sounded near-steady, but sorrowful. "What are we going to do?"

Adrian sighed. "We'll take a run for it. We'll take her as far away as we can, where they won't find her. Or us. Because we're traitors to the King for hiding her." He bit his lip, chest suddenly crippled with aches. "I'm so sorry to take you with us. It's just, I - I fear what they would do to you, if we leave you. They might punish you in the hopes of bringing us home."

Harlow tilted his head sideways, as if the words were foreign. As if he was not really seeing his brother. "I ought to be the one apologizing," he murmured, ignoring the way the edge of his nose twitched to and fro in the humid air. "You should have sent for me earlier. You didn't have to go through that alone."

"Go through what?" Adrian asked, surprised by the lack of emotion in his voice.

"Well... go through..." Harlow sighed and pushed his hair back, dabbing at the sweat that had beaded along his forehead. "What is the quest, anyway?" he asked, lowering his voice. "What's it for?"

"The letter didn't say." Adrian felt himself clam up, chilly with nerves. "Someone will be along soon, Harlow. And it's supposed to storm tonight. We ought to get going."

"Is it safe to ride through a storm?" Harlow asked.

Adrian tugged open the door with a squeak, shrugging his broad shoulders. "It will simply have to be. Listen," he said, speaking rapidly, "do you have your weaponry? All of it? Swords, arrows, armor...?"

Harlow nodded, his gaze narrow and intense. If you ignored the sickly flush in his cheeks, his otherwise pallid complexion, he suddenly looked very much like a knight. Adrian felt a stab of envy against his ribs. "Yes, I do. Why?"

Waving his hand as if it didn't matter - though it mattered very much, Adrian replied, "We may have need of it."

[Scion]

Ohh, interesting! I'm in love with your diction; it fits perfectly with the time period.

[Butch]

Definitely looking forward to reading more of this story!

[everest]

I loved it, so much. I'm really sorry that I don't have time to properly reply right now, but I'll come back later to edit this, so check back. I really did love it, though.

EDIT: This was so, so good. Adrian is really interesting, with his care for his brother mixing with jealousy and regret. Harlow is intriguing as well- sensitive, but still strong. I'm also looking forward to meeting their mother. I wonder what will happen to all of them while they go into hiding, and if someone will end up having to complete the quest in the place of their father.

In short, you've got me hooked. I have absolutely nothing to suggest to you, nothing that I think you should change- it's perfect just the way it is.

Thank you so much for writing it, and I can't wait for more!