Darien
The camp was in an uproar. The moment Little John returned to the camp, carrying the unconscious fairy, everybody feared the worst. The fairy was dead. Killed in battle or by an assassin hidden within the forest. But he was alive, barely. He drew breath, although not steadily and his heart was racing way too fast. Little John rushed him inside his quarters where Ronja immediately started calling him back to life again. Robin lost everything in his hands and joined Ronja and John as they tried to wake Severi. His lips were blue due to the lack of oxygen and his fingers showed signs of the fierce force that had rushed through his body the moment the spell erupted from his mind. John held his slack hand while huge tears ran down his cheeks. There were no more signs of hostility left in the tall man's heart now.
"Oh my god!" Robin whispered as he stared at the belly concealing his son.
"What about my son, is he alive?" he tugged Little John's sleeve. Little John hadn't even noticed his leader joining them.
"What about, Severi- Robin, do you care if he's still alive?" His voice was heavy.
"Of course I do!" Robin said, a bit too eagerly. Truth to be told, his only worry at this time was his son inside the fairy's body. In his mind he was already searching for ways to save the unborn infant if Severi should die. He knew of women who'd died in childbirth where the child had been saved by cutting through the mother's flesh and extracting the baby. He looked at the lifeless heap laying in front of him. What the hell had happened to him out there in the forest? And why was Little John suddenly showing him so much affection? As if the big man had read his mind Little John started blabbering about what had happened back in the forest. There was something about his son.. a bear with cubs.. and some heroic act done by Severi. So the kind and gentle fairy had put the life of Robin's son on the line for the sake of Wolf, a boy who knew so well he wasn't allowed into that forest in the first place.
"He saved Wolf's life, Robin. And he did it without even flinching like I did. Firework flung out of his fingers and forced the bear to sleep. I wanted to kill it, but he talked me into reason before he passed out. The bear was only protecting her cubs. He made me realise that, he saved two lives today." There was a tone of awe in Little John's voice as he looked down on the lifeless figure.
"I've never been more wrong than I have been with this man. I hope I will get the chance to ask him for his forgiveness.." Robin didn't look that kindly on the man. He was upset. Upset Severi had exposed his unborn child of danger. He couldn't help it. There was a low moan from Severi and a following gasp for air. Ronja was crying silently as she unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt to help him breath. It didn't look good. Robin silently decided that if he stopped breathing he was going to do anything in his power to save his son.
Wolf came into the tent after being checked for bruises and missing pieces by his mother, and after telling the whole encampment about the fairy who saved his life. Even his freckles paled as he realised Severi's life was hanging by a thread. He'd been convinced the fairy would be all right after some rest. Now he wasn't too convinced he would make it. He noticed the strained and calculating look on Robin's face there he sat in the corner, watching Ronja and Wolf's father trying to talk the fairy back to life.
"What's wrong with him?" the boy whispered.
"I don't know! It's like he's slowly withering away," Ronja whimpered as she helplessly brushed his cheek.
His heartbeat was slowing down. It plummeted down after beating maniacally for the last hour to beat far too slowly. His breathing also declined as his body slowly gave away. It was simply too drained. He felt peaceful after fighting against it without results for a while. There was no use in fighting no more, it was over. He could feel the trees calling him, urging him to continue the fight. He felt the hum flowing through his body, trying to repair what was destroyed within him, but there was no use. He was too weak to struggle against the darkness slowly closing in on him. He didn't mind the cold any more, he didn't feel regret. Finally he would return to Hogwarts, if only in his dreams.
The day became night and what little life left in Severus body was now solely cursing through the veins of the infant hidden in his abdomen. He still barely drew breath, but it was only a matter of an hour or less before he would give in completely. The camp waited in silence. Robin had sent for Marion so that she could say farewell to the fairy, but he was seriously starting to doubt she would make it there in time. She was invited for a ball at Nottingham Castle tonight and had already left when Bull came to collect her at her mansion. When she returned from the ball it would probably be too late.
Ronja hadn't left her fairy's side for one second after Little John had brought him in. She wouldn't give up hope, but now that even Little John was shaking his head in sad disbelief she was starting to loose faith. The one she was set to protect was slowly slipping through her small hands. A shadow appeared in front of the opening of the tent and Little John and Wolf moved aside as Robin came inside. Ronja immediately felt unease. There was something about the young man's appearance that disturbed her, awoke her protecting instincts. And then she saw it, the knife he was trying to hide in his palm.
"Ronja.. there's nothing more we can do for Severi now. The only thing we can do for him is to try and save the unborn.."
"NOOOOO!!!!" Ronja screamed in alarm as he brought the knife forwards into the dense light. She half threw herself in front of the fairy's body.
"You want to hurt him! I wont let you, I wont let you!!!!"
"Robin.." Little John started, but was abruptly cut off by Robin.
"He's as good as dead! If we wait any longer my son will die as well!" there was a shaky calmness over the man and Little John understood he'd been considering this since the fairy had been brought in earlier that day.
"I need you to.. take care of the girl. She won't let me near him." Robin continued calmly as he moved closer to the wizard's belly, the only one dividing them now was the screaming girl. But suddenly her cries ceased. She looked at Robin with endless sadness before she turned around and embraced the lifeless figure. Small sobs and whimpers were the only sounds she made as she lay there trying to accept that she was about to loose her friend. But she would be damned if she'd let Robin Hood cut him while he still was alive!
Many are the tales of great wonders throughout the times. This wonder was witnessed by three, a boy, a young man and a bigger, taller man, all of whom had given up the hope of ever seeing the fairy Severi open his eyes again. As he lay there, lifeless in Ronja's desperate embrace Severus Snape opened his eyes like he'd just received an electric shock. He bolted upwards, gasping for air as his whole body shivered in tremors, before he fell down with a silent moan, glaring blindly at the shocked witnesses surrounding him. The young witch had done her second magic trick in her short carrier as a witch.
*-*
The last thing he had remembered was a blinding pain, before he'd passed out- completely drained. He breathed heavily as his eyesight slowly returned and it dawned to him he'd been walking on the very edge of life and death, and that he was supposed to be dead. So how come wasn't he?
Tears fell on his face, tears of joy and relief. He could feel them running softly down his cheeks and knew Ronja was still by his side. A sharp kick that braised one of his ribs proclaimed a certain foetus' abeyance to. He lifted a limp hand towards the blur he reckoned was the girl, but had to give in to gravity. Somewhere outside he could hear the happy cries of Wolf Little, who was busy spreading the happy news around the camp. Severus couldn't believe his own ears. Was it cheers that reached his ears??
"Thank you Ronja," he whispered before he drifted away once more, this time into silent, blissful slumber.
*-*
He had been on a search ever since the day the first promise of the prophecy had been fulfilled. The beast had returned. For the time being it was in hiding, growing in strength, feeding of the fears of the people as it slowly grew fatter and more fierce. It would remain hidden until the second promise of the prophecy had been fulfilled, the birth of an angel child. He was part of a secret community, that had solemnly sworn an oath to protect the world from the beast that over the centuries had tried to claim the world as his several times. They had succeeded in stopping him, but not in killing him. And with every defeat he grew stronger, making a promise his every future return would grow more impossible to defend.
It was crucial that their involvement in this and their methods were kept hidden. It was blasphemy to even think doing what they did, mixing the church with witchcraft. But this was the only way to defeat the beast, and their actions were done in the best of intentions.
Now the stars of the sky were indicating time was growing short, and the lone man with the hooded cloak knew he had to find the expectant mother before it was too late. When the child was born the beast would wake from his slumber and come to claim the infant, and what little hope the stranger and his companions had of succeeding their task depended on finding out where the woman was hiding. They would offer her their joined power as protection against the beast, while she recovered from the birth. All of them were scattered around the countryside, searching for a fair woman nearly nine months pregnant, raven black hair and skin white as milk. So far they'd come up with nothing. Now the stranger had stumbled over the outskirts of the very encampment where Robin Hood was hiding. The forest knew their third ally and made sure the stranger would find what he was looking for. He was no threat to them, and they knew that. There was a little left of the old magic inside him, not much, but when he was together with his kin he would make a fierce enemy. Much was at stake, and the lone figure knew it only too well. Although he'd never battled this demon himself, he knew the tales from his forefathers. The woman had to be found, before it was too late.
David of Doncaster, more commonly known as Bull, was the one standing guard by the outskirts of Robin's encampment this night. He hated these late watches. He missed out on the fun by the campfire and nutritious mead. No one ever found their way out here anyway unless they were shown the way by some of the camp's inhabitants. But Bull knew better than to argue with his boss, especially now when there was so much going on. The last three weeks the Sheriff had strengthened his efforts when it regarded the fairy's return. Robin's offers were not accepted, the Sheriff demanded Robin's prisoner to be returned, unarmed and not hurt in any way. Little did he know that Severi was in a very poor condition back in Robin's encampment after barely surviving an encounter with a bear. With all this going on, and with the villagers taking the hardest blow for Robin's stubbornness the lord of Loxley was in a very bad mood these days. And on top of it all the fairy carried his and Marion's child- therefore making an exchange impossible for the expectant father. Bull was no father himself, but he'd seen how parents guarded their young with other lives paying a terrible prize. Robin was arguing Severi was too valuable as a healer for them to toss him back to the Sheriff, but Bull was pretty certain the one and only reason the fairy still was in this camp was for the child he carried.
There were tales rummaging around the camp these days, telling of witchcraft, and both the fairy and his servant girl had been pinpointed as the devil's disciples by friar Tuck. There was much evidence against them. The fairy had been seen using witchcraft against the bear, and he'd most likely adopted a mage in Ronja who were the one which crafting him back to life again. Tuck was slowly scaring the camp to death with his promises of an eternity in hell for letting the two continue their devilry, and the only one slowing him down was Marion. She was all over him like a hawk, not letting him have a minutes rest. She threatened to have him banned from the camp if he continued his shameless act against a man and a girl who'd done so much for the encampment. Bull wasn't sure what to believe anymore. He'd heard with his own ears Wolf tell about the green light flying from the fairy's fingers and forcing a grown bear to sleep. And he'd also witnessed Robin one night as he somehow flew several meters through the air, after being tossed out from the fairy's tent.
As he stood there, thinking hard and with a stupid expression of concentration on his face, he got aware of a silent noise a few meters to his left. There was a low scattering about in some bushes, probably an animal of some sort. Bull decided to check it out anyway. At least that would mean he didn't have to come up with some determination on the matter of the fairy and the girl. With his sword he poked the bush that had made the noise, and almost got a heart attack when the bush made a startling howl.
"Who be there! Come out and show yourself!" Bull cried and tried to look a tad more fierce than he felt. From the bush a hooded man appeared, wearing typical clothes for a monk.
"Please, I mean you no harm!" a calm voice uttered as the stranger lowered his hood. Bull gave him a doubting look. It was a young man, maybe thirty years old, in the darkness it was impossible to tell the colour of his eyes or his hair.
"Then what is a petty little friar like yourself doing in the forest of Robin Hood? You don't look like you're from this part of the land!" Bull aimed his sword at the stranger's throat. The monk still looked calm and didn't seem to mind the sharp blade centimetres from his flesh.
"I'm looking for someone," he simply answered.
"What's your name!" A bit desperate Bull was starting to realise his interrogation wasn't going to well.
"My name doesn't concern you," the stranger answered: "But I hope you can be at some assistance to me." Agitated at the stranger's bluntness Bull lowered his sword. Only a man of the church could be this stupid and god-trusting naive.
"Are you expecting me to accept every word of a complete stranger and simply ignore the fact that you're trespassing?!" The man in front of him blinked in a strangely reassuring way.
"I'm just gonna ask you a few questions, and when you've answered me I'll go and not bother you again. I'm a simple man of the church, I carry no weapons and I'm no ally of the Sheriff you fear in these parts of the land." Bull sighed. The man was only a scabby friar, what harm could it do if he let the chap have his way with a few questions.
"Alright, I'll answer your questions if I can," Bull sighed and rolled his eyes to put it straight to the monk that he was wasting a soldier's time.
"I'm looking for a woman," the monk started in a calm melodic voice: " She's got pitch black hair, milky white skin. The moment you look at her you sense that she's not of this world. And last but most importantly- she's heavy with child. Do you know of any women in your camp resembling this description?" Bull looked at him, trying hard to maintain his stern exterior, but burst into laughter as he thought of the only one that could resemble the description the stranger just had given him. Now, no one had ever claimed David wasn't loyal to his kin, but especially smart- that he wasn't.
"I'm sorry, my good man- there is no woman in our camp matching that description, but we DO have a man here, both dark-haired, pale skinned and pregnant! Oh yeah, and he's not from this world either." A new wave of laughter overcame Bull and he didn't notice the vivid face of the stranger.
"Is he an angel?" the man whispered and grabbed Bull's sleeve.
"Nope, some claim he is a fairy, descended from the sky, others believe he's some sort of mage of the Devil." It was hysterically funny to discuss the ludicrously surrounding Severi with a stranger. Bull was enjoying it very much. But he had failed to see the changes in the other man's face and was caught completely off guard when the monk with a surprisingly stern voice commanded:
"Take me to him!"
"Hey, I've answered your question, now it's your turn to keep your end of the bargain. Go away before I decide to take you to the camp! When first you've entered its borders you'll never be allowed to leave!" Bull spat. He wasn't going to let this friar spin him around his little finger. The stranger gave him a long, hard look and then, with a sigh, he lunged forwards. Bull jumped back, confusion on his face as he raised his sword once more.
"You give me no choice! I'm taking you in!" Bull growled, not noticing the impatience in the monk's eyes.
"Fine, take me to this fairy already!"
*-*
There was a low whoosh going through the camp as Bull brought the strange monk in. He was going to deliver him to Robin for questioning, and maybe if he was lucky, he would give him the rest of the night off. The stranger seemed to be taking in every little detail as he was nudged forward towards the campfire where Robin was seated.
"I found this intruder lurking in the bushes!" he said importantly and shoved the monk into the middle of the circle of people surrounding the fire.
"I wish you no harm, kind lord. I'm a simple monk on a quest, a quest that involves tracking down an angel I expect is in great peril. And I believe this angel hides in this very camp. All I ask is to see the man you call Severi and decide for my self if he is the angel of which I and my brothers seek." The monk didn't seem even remotely concerned about his own faith.
"You are brave, my good man!" Robin said as he got to his feet to show the young friar who was the leader of this camp: "You are brave, but sadly equally stupid. Once you have set foot inside this camp we won't let you leave unless in a coffin." The stranger bowed to show his respect to Robin.
"I'm a humble man of the church, and my only wish is to se the one you call Severi. If it be your will that I shall stay, so be it. I won't trouble you."
"Severi is no angel, brother! He's the Dark Lord's mage!" Finally brother Tuck decided to intervene. Robin's eyes lit up with anger immediately.
"Tuck, I will have no more mocking of Severi! You know what he carries is dear to me and that he therefore is dear to me as well! Severi is no Demon, and if you claim that one more time I swear I will do as Marion advised me to and ban you from this camp!" he roared and turned towards the round bellied friar who immediately made a run for it to the nearest tent. Robin sighed and turned back, looking much older than his years.
"Have you searched him for weapons?" he asked Bull who nodded eagerly.
"Alright then, stranger. I'll let you see Severi. But only briefly, his health is not well and he needs his rest," Robin quietly sighed and led the way towards the tent where the fairy was kept.
The last two weeks Severus had been recovering from the bear attack. He was still as fragile and weak as a brittle cup of china. Robin's concern orbited around the contents of the fairy's belly, but he didn't show it to anyone. The only one not trusting him was Ronja, who still hadn't forgotten the night he'd entered their tent with knife in hand, ready to sacrifice Severi's life for the sake of his son. Robin noticed the sudden change in the monk's appearance, he was breathing rapidly and his eyes widened with poorly hidden excitement as they approached the tent.
*-*
Severus had gotten used to a lot of things the last weeks, but this was one of those things he would never get used to. Young Ronja was giving him an upper body scrub, and to let his pale skin and disgusting body be touched by someone else repelled the wizard. But he was too weak to do it himself and Ronja was complaining about his smell, so he had no choice. It was easier when he closed his eyes. This way he didn't have to see the disgust in Ronja's face or to look at the heavy stomach..
Ronja was just drying him carefully when Severus suddenly sensed that somebody were heading towards his tent.
"Cover me up, girl! Quickly!!" he whispered desperately as he heard the footsteps getting closer. But even quick-fingered Ronja didn't manage to cover up the wizard in time. Seconds later Robin crawled inside, closely followed by a young man neither of the two had seen before.
"Get out!" Ronja cried and tried to block the men's view to her fairy: "You're not allowed!"
"Relax, this man is just going to have a look at Severi and then we'll leave!" Robin barked. The agitated tone in his voice was underlined with his narrowed eyes. Severus felt completely naked. He wanted to run away, vanish into thin air, but he had to remain on the ground, torso uncovered. There was a gasp from the stranger as he crawled closer, and Severus finally got a glimpse of his face. He looked to be around thirty, sandy brown short hair, grey eyes with yellow dots in them. His mouth had an odd look of kindness of it, as did his eyes and the rest of his face, and with the clothes he bore Severus immediately guessed this man was one of the church. But there also was a strange, undeterminable look on his face, the face of a man that finally finds what he's looking for.
"Who... are you!" Severus breathed, trembling slightly as he tried to cover up his bare upper body with his mere hands. He was terrified it might be one of the Sheriff's lackeys. A great, comforting smile appeared on the stranger's face as he leaned closer.
"I'm brother Darien, I've been looking for you the last month now, my lord," the stranger answered and bowed his head in an act of respect.
"You are the chosen one, the one of the prophecies! I've sworn to protect you no matter what, for you and the child you carry are the key to the man's continued existence! I will gather my brothers and sisters, and together we will protect you from the demon mage, of whom's name we do not mention!"
What was this bullshit?! Severus Snape wasn't a patient man under normal circumstances, and he wasn't easily convinced either.
"Come again?" he asked, a mildly amused tone in his voice. If it wasn't for the fact that brother Darien was so openly staring at his stomach he would have enjoyed this display.
"I am a member of a secret community, sworn to protect the world from the threat of the demon, who's name I we do not speak," the stranger answered patiently: "The prophecy told of an angel, descending from heaven to fight the demon. But the angel is captured, and unspeakable things are done to it, the angel is impregnated with a human child. My task now is to assemble my brothers and sisters so that we can protect the angel. For after the birth the demon will come to claim both the infant and you, Severi- for you are the angel which I seek."
"Oh, please!" Severus moaned and rolled his eyes. The past weeks he'd been a fairy, now he had to be an angel also??!?
"Severi is no angel, he is fairy!" Robin interjected. The man named Darien turned calmly towards him.
"A dear child has many names!" he said and smiled: "I expect Severi is both your fairy and my angel."
"Yeah, and maybe I'm neither!" Severus growled:
"Maybe I'm just some poor smock stuck in a situation I'm not able to get out of! Have either of you ever stopped to consider that??" Ronja looked horrified by the mere idea and Robin and the stranger tilted their heads in surprise.
"Severi is tired, you should go now! Listen at what you make him say!" Ronja snarled to the two intruders. It was obvious to her that the fairy was too weak to be interrogated by this stranger, and Robin had no right to come barging in there like that. Severus had a tired look of rejection on his face as Ronja ushered the two men out of the tent. He was so fed up with living lies, that he'd been millimetres from spilling his guts. Not a very wise idea, but tempting none the less.. Why couldn't he have a few measly hours of peace??! Just when he thought there could be no more surprises coming his way, this man had to walk into his life. The man had told an interesting tale, though. Severus was supposed to be an angel. Well, it wasn't any less ludicrous than believing he was a fairy... But one little detail had glued itself to the wizard's mind. The mentioning of a dark demon mage. Could it be the Sheriff and his mother were collaborating with some dark wizard? That would certainly explain how the two of them could come up with a curse powerful enough to steal his powers and even impregnate him in the process...
There was trouble heading Severus' way and there was nothing he could do about it but sit and wait..
*-*
By morning brother Darien was starting to feel restless. He should be on his way, gathering the brothers and sisters by now. But Robin had tightened the security around him, as he suspected the monk would try to escape. And they wouldn't let him back inside to the angel either. He seemed to be in a poor condition, no strength in a worn-out body, too fragile to carry a human baby properly. By the looks of it the angel was about eight months pregnant, and Darien seriously doubted Severi would survive a birth in his current condition. If they'd just let him in so that he could help him! He wasn't a fully trained healer, but what left in him of the old magic would be enough to get the angel on his feet again. But trust was a rare gift in this part of the country, and Darien knew he would have to break some of his Order's codes to give the angel the help he so sorely needed.
He decided to use Wolf Little, since the boy showed an open mind and huge interest in the stranger and his tales. Children are far more trusty than grown ups, and Wolf also had a big heart. After a short conversation with the boy Darien knew why the angel was so drained for strength.
"Do you trust me?" he asked the boy by dinnertime. Wolf nodded with a grave face.
"Yes I do. I believe you are telling the truth. You are a man of the church after all."
"Then you understand that it is important to me to protect Severi, even though he doesn't want me to," Darien asked in a low tone voice. This camp had ears everywhere and he didn't want anybody to find out he was manipulating the boy. Wolf nodded and leaned closer with eyes wide.
"I know a way to restore some of his strength, but they won't let me anywhere near him. I need to get inside that tent and have a proper talk to him without Lord Loxley hanging around, and when I've done my best to help him here in the camp I need to notify my Order. If there is to be a tomorrow after the child is born we need to be gathered. Only gathered as one we stand a chance to keep the beast at arms bay while Severi recovers from childbirth." The boy let the monk's words sink in.
"Tonight," he whispered: "I'll make a diversion tonight. When everybody's attention is turned away you sneak inside Severi's tent. But pretend to be asleep in your tent or something, so that they won't miss you when they turn back again."
"Thank you, Wolf," Darien said and patted the boy's shoulders: "Your father must be very proud to have such a stout-hearted, clairvoyant son." Wolf lit up in a great smile as he rose to his feet.
"I think he's mostly annoyed with me," he laughed and ran to feed the horses.
The evening came and Darien excused himself early and crawled into his tent. There he waited for the distortion Wolf would make, and half an hour later a great bang from an explosion shook the camp. People screamed in alarm and ran towards the place where a tree was lit up with fire and where a howling Wolf was standing underneath it. Brother Darien snook out of the tent and ran crouching towards Severi's tent. The girl serving as the angel's protector had also been spooked by the explosion and had left her master's side to find out what had caused it. Good. That would mean that the angel was all alone and had no one to help him if he decided to fight back, fearing that Darien was an enemy.
He heard heavy breathing as he entered the tent of the angel he was sworn to protect. He lay on his back, hands clasping his belly and with a strained look on his face. Brother Darien immediately feared Wolf's explosion had scared Severi into labour. Due to the dim light inside the tent Severi didn't realise the figure crawling inside was an unwelcome guest.
"What was it, Ronja, has he found me? .. has he found me??!" Poorly hidden fear reeked of his whisper, and Darien realised it wasn't pain causing the angel's distress, it was panic.
"Don't be alarmed, Severi. He hasn't found you." Darien crawled closer so that the frightened man could see his face. A gasp escaped Severi's mouth.
"What are you doing here!" He tried to arch away from the impostor.
"I'm here to help you, if you let me," Darien told him kindly and offered the angel a hand.
"So the friar is here to help me, huh?" the angel spat: "What if I tell you I don't believe in your so called God?!"
"That's your choice if so. You've been through enough to make any human being loose their faith so I wouldn't blame an angel if it did so too. But I can help you if you just trust me," Darien explained. He knew he had to earn the angel's trust quickly. When the girl returned he would get kicked out faster than the speed of light.
"Trust you?" the other man snarled: "Do you honestly believe I'm still able to trust someone?!?? TRUST is the reason I'm here right now! I trusted the wrong people! And I won't make the same mistake twice. So you can just give up your little agenda, I'm not letting you anywhere near me!"
"I am already near you," Darien smiled. He could smell the anxiety of the angel and knew he had no choice but to listen to what he had to say.
"Relax, this won't hurt!" he whispered and leaned closer as he brought his hands forward, resting easily on top of a ripe stomach. He winced when he felt the pain and distress caused by this unnatural pregnancy.
"You carry a heavy load, my lord," he spoke softly as he let his energy charge carefully from his body and over to the angel's. He could feel Severi tremble beneath his palms.
"Stop it!" he whispered weakly: "What ever you are doing, stop it! I may not harvest many feelings for the creature I'm carrying, but I won't let you hurt or kill it!"
"Relax," Darien assured: "I'm not harming the baby. In fact I'm strengthening it, and you. You are both weak and in desperate need of some energy. I expect it is mere willpower that causes both your hearts to beat." The monk closed his eyes as he continued to drain himself. He would be light-headed and limp the following 24 hours, but it was a prize he was willing to pay, gladly. A few minutes later he withdrew his hands.
"Take this as a token of my devotion to you and the cause. You should feel much stronger now, and if you let me I'll continue to give you energy when I've returned with my Order." He sat down heavily, as he now was the one drained.
"Trust is such a big word," Severi whispered, in the same moment as Ronja returned. She had one look at Darien and took a huge breath of air to scream her alarm.
"Ronja, it's alright, he's helped me!" Severi urged, choking her scream with kind eyes.
"If you want me to trust you, at least tell me the name of the demon who's responsible for all this," he then said, directed towards the panting monk. Darien didn't want to utter this unholy name, especially not in front of something so pure and innocent as an angel.
"The demon's name.. is Voltimore." The angel grew even paler.
"Nooo," he moaned: "How could I be so stupid??!?"
*-*
He'd walked straight into a trap set by the eight hundred years younger version of Voltimore! Severus cursed several times as the truth hit him smack in the face. Voltimore obviously had made some sort of deal with Mortianna, the witch, probably promising her son a pureblood heir in exchange for the very stone Severus had travelled back in time to collect. Irony at it worst.. A sudden need to roar tore at his chest as Severus fumbled to his feet. Surprised of the ease of it, he went outside- helpless anger and resigned despair flooding his veins as he stalked furiously up and down the camp. How could he have been so blind?! How could all this coincidences finally end up here, in the encampment of fairytale creature Robin Hood, what where the bloody odds for that?!!??
Severus' furious pacing back and forth was watched by them who were still awake with unease. Earlier that day he hadn't been able to stand at all, and now when he seemed to have regained some of his strength he looked like he was going to shed it all on a sudden urge to trample around.
His stomach started to cramp immediately, but the wizard didn't care. He was too caught up in his own mind right now, there was so many questions that needed answers! Severus simply patted his swollen abdomen absentmindedly as he continued his pacing, refusing to listen to the warnings his own body was sending him.
A sharp prickling sensation in his lower back started to etch its way up his spine. His lungs started to burn and he was wobbling more than walking.
The dark memories of the Sheriff and the dark room down in the dungeons hit his wide open mind and he started to tremble as he took one step after another, refusing to give in to the power trying to overwhelm him.
"Are you alright?" Severus spun around, he hadn't noticed the man approaching him and right now the last thing he wanted was anyone anywhere near him. John Little had somehow managed to sneak up on Severus without him even noticing him.
"I'm.. I'm fine!" Severus panted and started his walking again. He had to keep going, somehow he HAD to. He nearly jumped when a pair of solid palms clamped his shoulders and forced him to stop.
"There is something troubling you, Severi." The big man looked him calmly in the eye.
"If you don't want to tell me, that's fine, but I'm not letting you go around exhausting your self like that. You have to think of the little one you're carrying, and you have to think of your self. No good will come of you hurting your self like this." Severus closed his eyes. Everything he'd kept locked deep down in his brain had now broken free and threatened to choke him. He could feel the Sheriff pawing at him, hitting him, licking him... He tried to jerk free of the firm grip around his shoulders but failed.
"No.. please don't!" he whispered at the imaginative Sheriff pinning him down: "Don't ..I beg you!" He was drowning in his own depressed memories.
"Severi!" A husky voice not resembling the silky tone of the Sheriff called for him.
"Open your eyes, Severi!" Severus opened his eyes and his eyes darted back and forth trying desperately to find something of comfort to lock on to. Finally he found the tall, bearded man who still were holding him firmly. Was it Hagrid? Severus was completely deluded, but when he was pulled towards the bigger man's chest for a rough hug the memory of the Sheriff's hands finally let go of him. A trembling rattle went through his chest as Little John embraced the man that had saved his son's life.
For once Ronja kept calm when Little John brought Severus back to the tent. And Darien who was so tired he had problems keeping his eyes open also kept quiet. Severus was silently sobbing, and odd sound coming from the wizard that hadn't shed a tear since the night the Sheriff had done the unthinkable to him. He wouldn't let go of the man he believed to be Hagrid when he tried to lay him down on the makeshift bed. He held on to him like a scared little child, convinced the Sheriff would reappear the second he was on his own again.
Little John watched the fairy slowly drift into slumber. Still the smaller man denied letting go of him, and Little John didn't even want to think of what horrors this fairy had been through that made him react like this. He'd been there the night Marion told Robin that the Sheriff had done unthinkable, unforgivable things to the camp's new addition, and John didn't envy Severi one bit. He was holding Severi like he would a little child, and cooed him with comforting sounds as he carefully stroke his back. He could feel tiny movements from the fairy's belly and for the first time he didn't find the idea of a baby beneath this man's skin disgusting. The small flutters of life from Severi's belly was the same as when John's wife was pregnant. And before John knew it his right palm rested on top of the fairy's belly, a tender expression on his face. The son of Robin and Marion, carried forth by a man some believed to be fairy, angel or demon. To John he looked most like a tired man, with to much weight to carry. There was nothing demonic about him, he lacked the grace of an angel and he didn't own the stunning beauty of a fairy. Still he had ended up in this camp somehow, pregnant and weak. And with the face John believed he'd never learn to like. He'd been wrong. Now he was willing to sacrifice his life for the man who'd saved his son.
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After twelve solid hours of sleep inside the angel's tent, Darien decided it was time to leave the camp. He didn't want to leave the angel in this frail state, but he knew he had to assemble the Brothers and Sisters before it was too late. He trusted that Ronja and the huge man that weirdly enough was called Little John would take care of Severi. He was still sleeping in the giant man's arms, and John was also sleeping now, after watching over the black clad man through the night. Besides he had John's son Wolf who'd promised to keep an eye on the angel. The problem now was to sneak away, unseen.. But he was in luck. The guard set to watch him through the night had fallen asleep on his watch, and no one turned their heads when the monk vanished behind some trees.
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