Chapter Text
Where the Founders Meet
Where the founders converge towards a common goal, unknowingly
Where a wild world is discovered
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1. Convergence
GODRIC
Fleeing, once again. We have no choice. They've discovered us. These darn Muggles will never leave us alone, will they? Our parents cast us out when they learned who we were. Since then, we've been on the road. I thought we'd be safe here. But no, they found us anyway.
We're forced to leave Brittany, our land. But we have no choice; all of Brittany is in the hands of these Catholics.
I glance over shoulder, of course, she doesn't care. Always indifferent, no matter what happens. As if nothing affects her in this imaginary world where she lives. I couldn't leave her. They would have burned her. And since we left home, she's like the dream that keeps me going, preventing me from giving up. Even though sometimes, she annoys me and slows me down.
"Come on. There's no point staring at the sea like that. You know the sea, after all. And you'll have plenty of time to gaze at it during the journey."
I've decided to head towards England. France isn't for us. They say they're worse than the Bretons, burning people without any proof of sorcery.
Here's the port. Now, I just need to find a boat that will take us away. Luckily, I have some money that should help us.
"That one seems decent, right? What do you think?" I don't really expect an answer. I'm getting used to talking to myself. When she finds the question uninteresting, she doesn't respond. And when she deigns to answer, I often struggle to understand what she says. Yet:
"No, Godric, not that one, the captain is a crook. Let's try the one over there."
I trust her judgment of people. At first, I didn't listen, and it got me into trouble. Now, I trust her.
I call out to the captain. He's Scottish, from Edinburgh. Scotland it is. After all, does it really matter? And he agrees to take us. Asks for a fair price. We set sail tomorrow night.
ROWENA
Ah, I'll remember this! He and his plans. He uses his daughter own to make money! A marriage! With a foreigner damn it! Couldn't he find me a bloodthirsty Viking? At least I would have had some entertainment. No, he had to choose an Englishman! And to hold me hostage with this escort, indeed!
There it is, the time has come, we've just disembarked. My husband should come pick me up at the port. Fine, let's be polite and meet him with grace.
Ugh, what an eyesore! This guy is a walking corpse. Thin as a rake, with rotten teeth and a yellowish complexion. Of course, I couldn't expect anything better.
I can't spend my life with him. Or even start it. It's beyond me. Luckily, I have more than one trick up my sleeve. Watch out, you don't know who you're dealing with. I am Rowena Ravenclaw, Viking princess!
Dad must have given instructions. He must have suspected I wouldn't want that marriage. All day, I tried to escape. Wherever I go, four of his soldiers follow me.
Only two hours after our arrival in town, the ceremony began. I feel uncomfortable in my big uncomfortable dress. If there's a need to fight, how will I manage? Right, I forgot, we're in a "civilized" country here, women don't fight. Such a bore!
I didn't understand anything the chubby man who was supposed to perform the marriage was saying. I don't even know enough English. I don't have anything to say about my future anyway. I try to stay upright and proud even when my destiny is slipping away from my grasp.
Then comes the banquet. A monumental orgy where the amount of alcohol consumed equals the amount of food devoured. This meal alone could feed an entire tribe for a month. What a waste. My husband is dead drunk. He won't consummate the marriage tonight. Good for me. Here he comes.
"I'm tired. I'm going to bed. Follow me."
"No, I'd like to stay a bit longer. I'm not that tired."
And with a bit of luck, he'll be asleep by the time I get there.
"You must follow me; you're my wife. Everything I ask will be an order. You don't have the option to refuse," he asserts with a sly smile.
Disheartened, I follow. I have no choice. As soon as we arrive in our room, he lies down on the bed and falls asleep like a log. Without even taking off his boots. At least a quiet night. I sit on the edge of the bed to contemplate my next move.
Suddenly, I realize that for the first time since I left my home, there's no guard following me. Now, I am under the responsibility of my husband. He's the one who must ensure my submission. I open my trunk in the adjoining room, taking some clothes, all my money, a blanket. And my sword, brought with me despite my father's strict prohibition. I also grab a book. It's in this book that I learned everything about magic, the gift inherited from my mother.
Finally free. Everyone is busy celebrating. I slip away without worries. And now, I must escape, hide. He'll surely have me searched.
HELGA
I stroll through the garden aisles. I need comfrey. That mischievous one attempted to snatch jam once more. Of course, it was hot as I had just made it. Fortunately, my mother's teachings on healing plants come in handy. If it were up to me, I'd have left him with his burn. That would teach him not to sneak into the kitchen. But the monks like him; they let him do as he pleases. The monks want to teach. And here I am, with a bunch of noisy kids at my heels who won't stop screaming. Helga this, Helga that. I do like children, but these are truly unbearable.
"Helga, could you come help me? I have a plant assignment, and I can't understand what Brother Guerric explained."
"I'm coming."
I like him. Always helpful, always kind.
He reminds me of my little brother who died during the famine that forced me to leave Ireland. Seeing him, I remember myself at his age on the boat that brought me here. Oh, I'm not unhappy here. What I miss most is the music from home and my little brother. I was fortunate to find this place. I could have my vegetable garden as I pleased. And most importantly, I could survive.
SALAZAR
What a storm! Too bad I can't use the journey to study the book I bought in this port. I'll wait until I've arrived. So cold! And I can't even use magic. Here, instead of honoring mages, they burn them. What madness! Now I'm forced to live like an ordinary mortal. But I manage to find books. I am in search of knowledge. My master taught me everything he knew, then he expelled me:
"I can't teach you anything more. But you have immense talent. Don't waste it. Go, explore the world. Everywhere, there are mages who can teach you more. Don't come back until you know who you are. Don't let me see you again before you know why you are on this earth. If you have such great power, it's to achieve great things."
So, I left my family and embarked on journeys across roads and seas. People here are afraid. They distrust me. I am a Saracen. In their minds, I'm a stranger who comes to steal their children and kill their livestock. Nonsense! I managed to find this boat to go to England. They told me about a large monastery with a vast library. From what I've heard, one of the monks is a sorcerer, and he created a parallel library hidden in the monastery corridors. A library full of magic books. Exactly what I need.