{"sf1_id":622023,"sf2_id":null,"title":"From Barrow to Barrow, part 1","author":"StGeorgesHorse","words":7171,"posted_at":"2013-12-05T14:17:00.000Z","tags":["Dragon","Human","Legend","Transformation","Unicorn"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/622023-from-barrow-to-barrow-part-1","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/622023","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=622023\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"#22 of Robbin Red","content":" Jon-Tom\nfelt that momentary dizziness that accompanied time travel. It was completely\nunexpected, disorienting and disturbing. He had the presence of mind to wonder\nif this whole thing was a gag of some sort being perpetuated by Eve. Alma\nwasn't stupid, but neither was she brilliant. The same could be said for\nhimself. He could do a lot, but most of it was based on learned magic, not\ninherent talent. He counted off the seconds as they added up. They kept\nincreasing at a worrying pace. When\nthe spinning stopped, he opened his eyes. Water covered his back. His hand\npatted around. It felt grass. The grass was covered in dew. His vision was\nclouded and obscured. The problem was not in his eyes, but in the air. The atmosphere\nwas thick and swirling with moisture. The air was chill; not cold precisely,\nbut not warm either. It might not have been so noticeable if he had on some\nclothing. He shivered involuntarily. He\nstood and looked for Alma. Since she wasn't within ten feet of his position,\nshe could be anywhere. He was wise enough not to simply shout for her. There\nwere things in the mist that he might attract that wouldn't be nearly as\nhospitable as the unicorn. He would have to search for her. The best way to do\nthat would be as a unicorn too. He willed the change. It balked a bit at first,\nthen caught on and converted him to his alter ego. He sniffed the air. It\nsmelled. It wasn't anything he could trace to a source. It just smelled. He\nignored all but the scent of equine. It didn't take long for him to find a\nfamiliar one. He trotted through the fog and mist until he found her sprawled\non the ground. Her back legs were partially sunk in marshy ground. She looked\nup with fear in her eyes. When she saw it was him she fell back in relief.  \"Thank\nthe Winds of Halifay that it's you! I've been stuck here for an hour! Where\nhave you been?\" An\nhour? \"I guess I just woke up. Seems to me more like it was only a few minutes\nat best. An hour? Really?\" \"Oh\nshut up and get me out of here. This peat will stain my hide permanently if I\nsoak in it much longer!\" He just\nwrinkled his nose. \"Peat? Maybe that's what I've been smelling. I can't see a damn\nthing and the air is so thick that, in the words of an old friend of mine,\ninhaling it is like sneezing backwards!\" He leaned down, touched horns and\nlocked hers to his. With gently but inexorable strength, he backed up until she\nwas free of the brownish liquid.  He took\nstock of her mind, and she of his. He spoke first. \"Just what the hell is going\non here? Did Eve put you up to something? If so, I don't think it's funny. I\nhave no idea where we are, and more importantly, when we are. That is, if we\nreally time traveled. It seems to me that wherever we are is some place I've\nnever been before. It smells like some place I've been previously, but I can't\nplace it right now. Maybe the Muddletop Moors?\" She was\nshaking off the water staining her hide. \"The Muddletop Moors? I've never heard\nof it. Where's it at?\" He shook his head at her question. \"I\nthought everyone knew where they were. I had to pass through them when I was\ntraveling with; well, with a tiger and an otter. The moors are a good distance\nfrom the Bellwoods.\" She\ngazed at him with a look of amazement. \"Are you saying these are places on this\nworld? I've never heard of them. How is that possible?\" He gave\nher a how-should-I-know look. \"I had never heard of Hobarrow until I was sent\nthere to be its mayor. But those details can wait. Right now we need to figure\nout where we're at. We need to find some locals. I'd prefer a good wizard or\ntwo as well. I think, if we're lost in time, we're going to need a lot of help\nto get back.\" They\nwalked through a forest, recognizable only from the moss covered trunks. Even\nthe leaves were obscured by the mists. The ground rose and fell until they\nfound themselves standing on a rocky outcrop. The trees were to their back.  \"I wish\nI could see a bit farther than ten feet,\" complained Jon-Tom. \"This fog is like\npea soup. And my nose can't tell one smell from another. They're all mixed and\njumbled like pieces of multiple puzzles thrown into one box.\" \"I have\nan idea!\" Alma no sooner said those words when she was back to being a dragon.\nShe looked a little odd this time, with white hairs peeking out from around her\nscales. With a mighty roar she let loose a blast of flame that heated the air\nand dissipated the fog. Wherever the fire went, the moisture heated up and\nrose, leaving a fairly clear path. But little could be seen, and as soon as she\nstopped, the land-locked cloud converged and surrounded them again. \"It's\nno use. We either must travel until we find someone, or wait until this lifts.\nYour choice.\" She\nchanged back to a unicorn. \"I guess we'll wander until we find something to\nindicate where we are.\" So they trotted over the ridge and down into the\nvalley. Some miles later they found an open grassy expanse that was only\nlightly carpeted in fog. They could hear bleating coming from a few hundred\nyards away. Jon-Tom stiffened.  \"This\nis not good. Stupid once, my fault; stupid twice isn't going to happen.\" He\nturned to Alma. \"We really, really need to get out of here. I recognize those\nsounds all too well. And what they mean to our situation is far graver than I\noriginally figured.\" She\nhardly found the sounds to be threatening. Whatever was making them sounded\nkind of cute and dumb. If it was some sort of language, it was awfully\nprimitive. She scanned the land searching for the animals making the sound. All\nshe could discern were dirty white lumps dotting the grass. Then one of them\nmoved. In fact she saw a second creature seemingly attacking whatever it was.\nShe pointed it out to her companion. He peered into the fog. \"It's\nworse than I feared. While I haven't a clue when or where exactly we are, we\nare back on Earth. And that is one of my fellow species going at it with a\nsheep.\" Indeed, the man was pounding away with gusto. While it would be a good\nthing to try and talk with him, Jon-Tom felt an attempted conversation with him\nwould be pointless. His mind was presently\nlocked into getting off on a lesser species. It made Jon-Tom momentarily\nquestion his own life, but all his partner's had been equals in intelligence if\nnot in form. Alma\nwas intrigued. \"So this is your world? It seems rather wet and cool. I much\nprefer the region along the sea. Hobarrow is nearly perfect for my tastes.\" The\nsea. There was a bit of salt suspended in the air, now that she mentioned it.\nAnd sheep. And a horny human. Still, that didn't go far to give him specifics.\nDepending on the century, there were hundreds of places that might fit that description.\nHe steeled himself to confront the shepherd. He became human and stepped\nforward. Alma cautioned him. \"Do humans normally walk around unclothed? That\nmay startle him and make him run.\" Jon-Tom\nchuckled. \"So may a giant black unicorn. I'll take my chances. After all, he\nmay assume I'm after the same thing he is.\" He strode forward and across the\nwet grass. The man was so intent on screwing his ewe that he never heard the\nother come up behind him. Jon-Tom cleared his throat. The reaction was\ninstantaneous. The man pulled out and nearly wet himself. \" Ye\nscared me out of me wee ewe!\" Then he looked up at the giant of a man standing\nover him. Jon-Tom was indeed tall, but this fellow was small. He likely didn't\nhit five foot two inches. The sheep turned to look at the men, and seeing no\nfuture in sticking around, wandered off. The man looked from Jon-Tom the\n\"giant\" to the lovely white horse. A horse with a horn. He then did the only\nsensible thing when confronted by the inexplicable. He fainted. Alma\nclicked her teeth in distaste. Jon-Tom shrugged. \"I guess I'll just tap into\nhis memories and see if I can figure out where we're at. I have a guess, and I\nhope I'm not right.\" He pressed his head against the man's and worked his way\nthrough the muck that was his mind. It was filled with farming and toil and\nsheep fuc...intercourse. The language was familiar and yet distant. But the\npieces were falling into place.  \"First\nGermany, and now Great Britain. It's funny I had to leave my world to get to\ntravel it. The problem is that this fellow has no concept of time. I\nestimate we have to be farther back than 400 years in the past. I remember\nenough of my British history to know they were using fairly modern English by\nthen.\" Alma\nwas lost. \"Great Britain? British? English? What are all of these things? They\nsound like nonsense to me.\" He\nsighed. \"On my world is a group of rather sizable islands that make up an\noccasionally unified country known as Great Britain. There is England, Wales,\nIreland, Scotland and a few other bits that make it up. In its early days it\nwas war torn by tribes fighting for control over the prime real estate. I don't\nrightly remember now, but there were the Celts and the Saxons and the Picts and\nthe Britons. I'm not very clear on it any more. Anyway, I seem to recognize\nsome of the words as they are associated with places and things. We need to\ntread lightly where ever we go. Unicorns are not part of my world.\" Alma\nwas indignant. \"Are you telling me that there are no others like us on your\nplanet? How absurd. Had you ever heard on such a thing as I before you left\nyour world?\" \"Of\ncourse I had heard of unicorns! Everyone knows about unicorns. There are all\nkinds of legends concerning them on my world, but it doesn't mean they were\nreal!\" Even as he said this his heart sank. Werewolves and Little Red Riding\nhood were just stories too. Stories which he knew first hand were true. This\nwas going to be a painfully precarious visit.  \"Alma,\nyou have a point. I guess I'll stay as a human, and you had better stay as you\nare. I only wish we could hide that horn.\" She snorted\nindignantly. \"What's wrong with my horn? Is it not lovely to behold?\" He\nsighed. \"Yes, it's quite lovely. But that has nothing to do with my point. As\nhorses we could blend in better.\" But in his mind he knew that wasn't really\ntrue. The horses here would be far smaller than either of them, and the humans,\nsuch as they might be, would also be of smaller stature. Overall a human who\ncould assume equine form and an equine who could assume dragon form were going\nto be dangerously out-of-place here in early England. \"Look\nAlma dear, I think we should start thinking about finding a way back to our\nstarting point. The sooner we can get back to Hobarrow the better. An encounter\nwith one horny, sheep-screwing peasant is one thing, but exposing the whole\npopulace to something far beyond their simple understanding is another. I can't\nimagine what havoc that would cause. And there's something else.\" She\neyed him curiously. \"And that would be what?\" He\ngulped once or twice before answering. \"I think our powers and abilities will\ndiminish over time. I can't be certain, but when I reverted forms there was a\nslight hesitation, and I notice that when you assumed dragon form there were\nwhite hairs peeking out from around your scales. It seems to me to be an\nindicator of something serious. So I would suggest we restrict our use of it\nunless it becomes absolutely necessary.\" \"No\nproblem. I prefer being me again. But as far as finding our way back, I doubt\nwe could do it. I have a good sense of direction and I doubt I'd find it thru\nall this mist. I doubt such a miniscule difference in our position is going to\nmake a different one way or another. We are, after all, on a great big ball of\nrock spinning in space. I think it was mere chance that brought us here.\" Jon-Tom\nshook his head. \"I wish I was convinced of that.\" With\nlittle else to discuss, the two traveled together for a while on foot. The\nground was wet and both rocky and marshy. Stone outcrops rose up out of basins\nfilled with water, mud, gorse and heather.\nHere and there they spotted crude huts often surrounded by sheep and\ngoats. Whether or not they ever got spotted by the denizens of these miserable\nhovels was unknown. They just kept moving. At one\npoint they passed along a stone wall, straight, but in disrepair. The ground\nunder their feet seemed solid and stable. He reached down and with his fingers\ndug into the grass and moss. They encountered stone a few inches below the\nsurface. \"Not done by the locals I think. The only ones who would have built a\nroad and then abandoned it would be the Romans. That means we're a lot farther\nback in time than I thought. I don't remember when they left, but it was a lot\nearlier than 400 years ago. We might be as far back as one thousand.\" He\nactually shuddered at the thought. Alma\npressed her horn against his head. \"There there! If we die here, we'll die\ntogether. I for one don't consider that a bad thing.\" He\nchoked a little. \"I don't mean to be emotional, but I always figured I'd die at\nhome. And before you go saying something stupid, this is not my home. It's my\nhome planet, but not my home. As tired as I feel sometimes with all of the\nmemories of what I've done back there; Hobarrow, and Lynchblenny, and the\nBellwoods, and the Muddletop Moors, and Roseroar, and Talea, and Sybeele; they\nare my home. I didn't think that I would finally pass away with ignominy,\nrotting away in some cold barrow. \"Barrow?\nWhat's a barrow?\" He\njerked to attention. \"I assumed you knew. I thought it was how the city I'm\npresently mayor of got its name. A barrow is a pile of stones covering a grave.\nIn some places these tombs were covered with gigantic stones weighing tons. I\nfigured Hobarrow got started the same way.\" Alma\nneighed. \"Not that I know of, but then the town is far older than I am. When we\nget back I'd suggest we look into it.\" He\nchuckled sadly. \"If we get back. I have no clue what you did to bring us here,\nso I have even less of an idea of how to get us back.\" He pulled up short when\nhe espied a dirty, disheveled youth sitting on the wall not far from them. He\nhad been unable to understand the conversation, but it hadn't been lost on him\nthat the man was talking to an extraordinary horse.\" \"Allo ye\ngreat naked giant!\" Outside of his greeting he did nothing else but sit there.\nJon-Tom's keen eyes noted the sling dangling, with a rock at the ready.  \"Hello\nyourself, you little scrap of sheep dung. Are you useful, or are you just going\nto delay me in my journey?\" The boy\nseemed to lack both sense and fear. He slid of the wall, landing on his bare\nfeet like a ballet dancer. He came up to the human, walked around him once\nbefore stopping in front of him. \"Aye, yer a biggun!\" He reached out and\nflipped Jon-Tom's cock a bit. \"Oi! The ewes not stand up to the like's o'that.\nGood that you have yer horse for company.\" Jon-Tom's eyes grew in size. This\nkid was straight forward if nothing else. He watched as the youngster walked around\nAlma. \"What a\nlovely beastie you be. Ain't no such thing like you in all the kingdoms\nmethinks.\" He callously grabbed her nostrils and pulled her head down. But it\nwas with complete awe that he beheld her horn. \"Tis either wondrous or freakish.\nMethinks the first mayhap.\" Suddenly he was done inspecting. \"Giant,\ndo ye have a name?\" Jon-Tom\ntwisted up his lips into a smile. \"I have many names. You may call me Aiden.\"\nThe boy's eyes lit up. \"Aiden?\nYou be named for the flame. Where be yer home? Might you be a Roman?\" \"No,\nI'm not a Roman. Where I'm from would only confuse you. Let's just say I'm from\nsomewhere by the sea. But perhaps you can tell me your name and where we're at\npresently? The\nboys drew himself up tall. \"Me mother named me properly, she did, but everyone\ncalls me Arf. This place here is referred to as Lott. There be a town not far\naway. I might show you, if you wish. Not a good place.\" \"And\nwhy is that, Arf?\" \"Sickness.\nTis some sort of plague. Tis better to stay away, unless ye fancy the dying and\nthe dead. Any sensible folks avoid Vere if they be wanting to stay alive.\" That\ngot his attention. There was always some sort of plague during these early days\nof European civilization. The Black Plaque had decimated the population at one\npoint, but there was always typhus, cholera, and malaria. \"Boy, I'd suggest you\ntake me there. I may be able to help.\" Arf\nlooked up at him. \"Ye sure? Ye can't even drape yer shoulders in a cloak. How\nbe ye able to help fight death?\" Jon-Tom\nhad noticed that the boy had a recently acquired burn on his arm. It was\nscabbed over and ugly in appearance. \"Give me your hand boy.\" He complied\nreadily enough, but not without a bit of hesitation. His hand felt tiny in the\ngiant's grasp. All at once he felt the wound begin burning again. The giant\nwouldn't let go. Then, as quickly as it had started, it stopped. The big man\nreached over and grabbed the edge of the scab. He clamped his eyes in\npreparation for the pain. There was none. He cracked open an eye. The scab was\ngone. The arm was healed! The boy\nthrew himself onto the giant. \"OI! Yer a wizard! A healer! Hurrah!\" He climbed\nup and straddled Jon-Tom's shoulders. \"This road be the way to the village.\"\nThey set off down the mossy path. On the way the boy jumped from human to\nunicorn, reveling in the novelty of it all. Alma had remained silent. Arf\nleaned in and whispered to her. She didn't understand him at first, but since\nhe was in contact with her, she tapped into his mind. It was bright and\ncurious, but rather simple and undeveloped. However, she got the basic of his language. \"I\ndon't speak boy, because horses don't speak.\" He\ngiggled. \"Aye! But ye ain't a horse, now is ye? Ye both be sent by the elder gods\nto help end our problems.\" He continued to chatter away for the rest of the\njourney. Alma found that she liked him very much. It made her wish all the more\nfor a child of her own. She tried to broadcast the idea to her companion, but\nthe thought never seemed to reach him. It was just as well. They needed to get\nhome to finish that bit of business. The\nvillage was a miserable excuse for a pimple on the face of civilization. It\nsmelled of mud and dung, and quite frankly, a morgue. Few people were out and\nabout. Those who were and saw them ran screaming back into their hovels. The boy blew his nose\nin their direction. \"OI! I bring them help and the buggers run off. Bastards\ndon't have no more sense than the sheep they look after. Come on, I'll take ye\nto the tailor. If he ain't dead yet, ye can fix him up and maybe he'll get you\na cloak to cover yer massiveness.\" The\ntailor's place wasn't much better than the rest of the town. There was no sign indicating his profession. Arf\ndidn't even knock on the sorry excuse for a door. He walked right in. Jon-Tom\nhad to duck nearly a foot to gain entry. Inside it was dark and mildly\ndisgusting. The smell was a mix of herbs and death. The man of the house was\nlying on a cot near the fireplace. On the other side was a small girl, her\nchest barely rising and falling.  The\nonly one on her feet was the wife. She saw Jon-Tom and her eyes widened in\nfear. She would have run, but between her dedication to her small family and\nthe fact that the one entrance was now blocked by a giant made the decision for\nher. \"What might I do fer ye; uhhh, sire?\" Jon-Tom\nsmiled and knelt down next to her husband. He said nothing, but held his hand.\nUsing up his power had not been high on his list of things to do, but leaving\nsomeone to suffer when he could do something to alleviate it was appalling to\nhim. He forced his healing into the man. The infection retreated until it was\nnothing more than a memory. A little more forced a bit of strength into his\nsystem. He opened his eyes. His wife let loose a joyful cry. Jon-Tom moved over\nto the girl. He did the same, finding that she barely had minutes to live. But\nhe pushed until she was safe. He left her and returned to her father.  The man\nwatched him without fear. \"Ye saved me life. I wish ye could do the same for me\nwee Marion. But it is too late methinks.\" Jon-Tom patted his hand. \"Rest. She\nwill be fine.\" The man\npulled himself up on his elbows. \"If this be true, than I am yers to command.\nAsk anything and it shall be done!\" Jon-Tom\npushed him back down. \"When your feeling better, you can make me some clothing.\nI was hardly dressed for a journey when I can.\" He was about to continue when\nanother voice broke in. \"Uhhhh, Aiden? I think you need to come outside.\" It was\nAlma. It\nturned out that several of the villagers had gathered their courage, and with what\nlittle they had that functioned as a weapon, were advancing on the poor\nunicorn. When he came out of the hut and stood his full height, a few stopped\nfor a moment. The fear was evident in their eyes. Alma could run away fast\nenough, but she had decided to stand her ground. It looked like there was going\nto be a reckoning. Another voice called out. \"Stop! Ye will not hurt these\ntravelers. They be here to help!\" It was the tailor. He was still weak and\nsought the support of his wife, but his voice was clear and strong. The\nothers gasped. \"Witchcraft!\" cried one. They backed up a little. But one woman\nran back to her hut and returned carrying a small child. \"Please sire, cure my\nlittle Gwen. She be all I have left!\" She fell to the ground in front of him.\nHe crouched in the mud, put a hand on her and willed out the disease. As it left her, her eyes fluttered a moment\nbefore opening. \"Mama?\" The\nwoman was beside herself with joy. Alma shed a tear. \"What a pretty child and a\npretty name.\" No one seemed to hear here. The woman couldn't find enough\ncomposure to hug her child and the giant, but she tried. Others brought out\ntheir sick, or boldly grabbed his hand and dragged him into their huts. But the\nend of two hours the village was cured, and Jon-Tom, aka Aiden, was proclaimed\nthe village's ruler. He finally had a chance to rest, but he was pestered with\nstories of who he was. He kept it simple. \"I'm\nand my, uhh, steed, are from a city by the sea. My name is Aiden Drake, and my\nhorse is called Alma.\" One old man, who had weathered the disease because his\ndegenerative hips had kept him from mingling with the others, came forward. He\nnow walked with the step of a much younger man. \"From the sea is it? That be\nwhere the old Romans came from, and the Norse, and the Gauls. As the Romans\ncalled it; mare. Ye will be known as\nMare-Aiden, so no one will ever forget what ye did fer us this day!\" So the\nword spread of Mare-Aiden, The Healer of Fire and Water. With him was a\nwondrous horse (they knew nothing of unicorns) all in white. News traveled\nfast, and not always to good ears. After a few weeks of miracles, the news had\nspread to the closest fortress. It wasn't much as far as castles go, but it was\nof solid construction and with a strong compliment of soldiers. The local\nchieftain in charge was ill. A force of men was sent to retrieve this healer.\nIf Jon-Tom had been at full power, he would have dealt with them right away, As\nit was, he allowed himself to be taken away. He told Alma to run and hide until\nhe was gone. She had reluctantly agreed.  He was\ntaken to see the young chieftain, who was dying from a festering wound to his\nleg, received on a boar hunt. Jon-Tom wasn't about to heal him without knowing\nmore about what kind of man he was. He tapped into his mind. What he found was\nsadly typical for the time period. He was brutal, but not without kindness. It\nwas a rough time and place and only the strong survived. Strength often meant\nusing deadly force. Jon-Tom sighed loudly before exerting his power. However he\ndidn't have to be kind about it. He allowed the pain to flow through the man\nwithout any of the narcotic effect he normally applied so liberally.  The man\ncried out. A few guards drew their weapons and advanced. Jon-Tom shouted at\nthem. \"If you want him to live, then you will let me do my job. I can heal him,\nbut there is always a price to pay. Right now he's paying it!\" The man thrashed\naround on the bed for what seemed like an eternity. When he finally collapsed,\nJon-Tom unwrapped his wound. The purulent cloth stank of fetid infection. But\nthe leg underneath was as white and unblemished as the rest of the skin. One of\nthe guards had watched with blatant interest. Now he fell over in a faint. The\nhealer was taken to a small room, not spacious, but clean and well appointed.\nHe sat on a bench, glad for the robe and trousers the tailor had managed to\nmake him. It wasn't his normal fare, but it was better than nothing. He laid\nback and contemplated his present predicament. Alma was loose yet, somewhere,\nand he was here locked up. True, he wasn't in a dungeon, but he was still a\nprisoner. He had no idea how long he would remain. It was\na day later that he was brought food. The man who brought it in had a large\nbruise on his face. As he turned to leave the room, a gruff voice was heard.\n\"And if ye ever do something so stupid again, I'll lock ye in the hole and feed\nye feces for a week!\" In strode the\nchieftain. \"Aye, I see they speak the truth. Ye is a giant among men! And a\nhealer to boot! Tis no wonder the men be sacred of ye! But I felt yer mind walk\nthru mine. We be more alike than different methinks.\" Jon-Tom started to\nprotest. The man cut him off. \"Look\nme big fella. I don't like being ruler. Someone needed to be in charge of this\nlot, and the fates picked me. The men be\nrude and crude, but many have good hearts. I does the best I can. Ye didn't do\nme any favors in saving me scabby skin. I much would have preferred goning to the great hunting grounds. I'd\nrather shoot me arrows into a hart than a man any day.\" Jon-Tom only hoped Alma\nwouldn't hear such talk.  \"Look,\nwhoever you are, I healed you because it was the right thing to do. If you have\nno further use for my services, then I'd like to be on my way.\" The man\nraised his eyebrows. \"Ye speak strangely, yet I understand everything ye say.\nAs for leaving, ye be free to go. They tell me ye name be Maraiden. Tis a\nstrange name. Mine, if ye not be informed, is Pike. Yea, I be named for a\nweapon. Me blessed mother was not graced with brains, only good looks. She\nspent most of her time on her back. I grew up as a soldier's bastard. I got the\nback of the hand more often than deserved. I vowed never to do that to another.\nThat jackass that locked you up is an exception. One doesn't bite the hand that\nheals ye!\" Jon-Tom\nwas impressed. True, the man had mangled his newest moniker, but who the hell\ncared? All the better to confuse future generations and therefore eradicate any\npermanent effects his presence might make. \"Well Pike, I'm grateful for your\nhospitality. If you don't mind, I'll be on my way back to the village where\nyour men found me. I have a friend there.\" \"Certainly,\nif that's what ye wish. But be it known that I owe you me life, and as such I\nam indebted to ye. I do not like have such an onus dangling over me head like a\nsword. Can we settle this now?\" Jon-Tom\nshrugged. \"I doubt you have what I want or need. I wish that you did. I don't\nbelong here. But it seems I'm going to be stuck here for a while.\" \"Follow\nme. This fortress has any number of valuables. Perhaps I can interest you in\nsomething.\" They walked out into the hallways and down a flight of stairs. They\nwalked across the great hall and to a room whose entrance was blocked by a huge\noak door. Pike pulled out a key and turned it in the lock. With a strenuous push for a fully healthy\nman, he swung the door open to reveal a room full of treasure. The average man\nwould have succumbed to avarice. Jon-Tom just sighed. He never really had a\ntaste for this stuff. Sure it was beautiful, but what else could you do with\nit? To be polite, he wandered around the small room, turning over trinkets,\ngoblets and the like. Nothing struck him as interesting. Even if he took something\nto give to the villagers, it would only cause fights and attract thieves and\nbrigands. That was when he noticed a compact, but very sturdily built chest. \"What's\nin here?\" Pike\nsmiled. \"Ye be a true hearted man who asks about what he cannot see. This is\nsaid to be the greatest treasure in the room, though to my eyes it be nothing\nmore than a lump of ugly rock.\" He opened the chest to reveal a dark, pitted\nchunk of stone. He ran his fingers across it. It was cold. Just to satisfy his\ncuriosity, he attempted to hoist the chest. It was movable, but damned heavy. \"Meteorite. A nice one at that. In my time, these are\nworth more than gold and jewels. Of course, that's rather irrelevant.\" He\nclosed the chest. \" I wish I had a use for some of this, I really do, but I\njust don't. I don't like having people feel that they are beholden onto me, but\nI don't suppose you would agree to allow me to release you from your onus?\" \"Nay. I\nmust repay the life debt. If there is nothing I have that ye desire, then go.\nBut if ye find that I can help ye in any way, just let me know.\" Jon-Tom half\nexpected to have to find his way back to the village on his own, but he was\npleasantly surprised to find that Pike was going to accompany him. They set off\nat a leisurely pace.  \"Maraiden,\nyou said \"your time\". Are you not from this one? I must admit I find the idea\nintriguing.\" \"Pike,\nI'm not too clear on whether I should tell you much or not. But I'll say this.\nThis is my world, but not my time. I got here from another world. It was an\naccident. I really need to get back. There seems to be a chance that the longer\nI stay, the less power I will have. If it runs out altogether, I think that I\nwill die.\" \"We all\ndie, me friend. It is the way of things. But ye are young and strong. Why do ye\nthink such things?\" \"Because\nI am well over a century old. I have outlived my normal span and am heading\ninto numbers no human should have to reach. But it's magic that keeps me going.\nWithout it, this body will fail.\" Pike\nlooked over at him. Deciding he was being serious, he gave some advice. \"I know\nnothing of magic. I doubt ye be as old as ye say, but if ye be it, then ye look\ngood. Ye find anyone about these parts that be the old and they be long buried,\nrotted and food for mother earth. But this magic has not so much to do with it,\nmethinks. Love, they say, is the key to youth. I will die early, no doubt,\ndespite yer help, for I have no love. But there is mayhap time yet. What of\nyou? Jon-Tom\nwas introspective for a moment. \"I have a lot of love, and a lot of loves. But\nnone are here right now.\" Pike\nraised his eyebrows. \"The men mentioned a horse. They got the understanding you\ncould talk to this creature. Is this true?\" How to\nanswer? \"A man may talk to a rock or a tree. What of it?\" Pike\nlaughed. \"Aye, a man may, and be considered either doddered or extremely wise.\nThe matter be more marked if the tree or rock answers back. I would see this\nhorse if I might. She be said to be something to behold.\" Jon-Tom\nwasn't certain he fully trusted this man, despite his apparent noble behavior.\n\"I will leave it up to her. It is not my place to dictate to her any action\nthat puts her in harm's way. Pike\ngot momentarily angry. But he calmed down before speaking. \"Ye have no reason\nto trust me, whereas I have every reason to trust ye. I will sit where ever ye chose and await this\nbeauty. If she comes, fine. If nay, then her neigh will forever be left alone.\nYou have my word on it.\" Jon-Tom bowed his head in acquiescence.  When\nthey arrived at the village, they were greeted by the entire population. Pike\nwas at first overwhelmed with his reception until it sank in no one really gave\na crap about him. The healer was who they were ecstatic over. In fact, no one\neven knew the chieftain by his face. It taught him a lesson that day that to\nrule a people meant to be known and loved by them. He chose wisely to remain\nquiet as to who he was. No one\nwas happier to see Jon-Tom than Alma. She touched her horn to his head. Once\nshe had greeted him, she started with the questions. \"Who's the straggler?\" \"That's\nthe local ruler, such as he is. Not a bad fellow really. Seems like if this\nland could get a bit under control, he would make a good king. But that's\nneither here nor there. I have no intention of interfering in the local\npolitics anymore than I have to. I saved his life, so that's as far as I intend\nto go.\" She\nappraised the man from afar. \"He's kind of cute, for a human. He appears a bit\nyoung to be playing at being a ruler. But then, this lot isn't the\nbrightest. I suppose it doesn't take\nmuch to control them.\" He was\na little remonstrative. \"Don't put them down for being what they presently are.\nWith a little guidance, they'll end up ruling half of the world.\" She gave him\na look that said \"I doubt that.\" \"No\nreally. There will come a day when English influence will stretch around the\nplanet. There was even a saying that\nsaid that the sun never set on the British Empire.\" \"Well I\ndon't know about you, but I don't fully trust all of them. I've had to keep\nahead of bands of rogues who were obviously up to no good, especially at night.\nAre you certain that the sun never set on this empire because they couldn't be\ntrusted in the dark?\"  Jon-Tom\nstifled a smile. \"That's not nice. Rather funny, but not nice. My own country\nwas originally part of this empire before we broke away. But that's a matter\nfor future discussion. Right now, we are lost in the past with no way of\ngetting home. What do you suggest we do?\" \"Mingle.\"\nWith that she wandered off towards Pike. His eyes lit up with unadulterated\njoy. That\nleft Jon-Tom to his own devices. He had none. He was at a loss as to what he\ncould do. Sure, if he was stuck here he could help out until his power ran dry,\nbut what damage would his help induce onto the timeline was the biggest\nquestion on his mind. He sat down on a lump of rock to think. Arf came up to\nhim. \"Allo mister. What be ye doing?\" \"I'm\nthinking on what I can do to get back home. I shouldn't be here.\" The boy\nscratched his head. \"I aint got no home.\nLost me ma and pa a few years ago. I was taken in by me father's brother, but\nall he does is call me a wart on his wanger.\nWart he says, ye be a pox on me house. If ye father were alive, I'd\npunch him in the mug fer having such a useless daydreamer. So I live outside with the sheep and keep\nwatch o'er em. That be part of me name. I be the sheep dog, ya see.Then you\ncame along. I say ye be where ye need to be.\" Jon-Tom\nruffled his grimy hair. \"You may be right Arf, but I still wish I wasn't here.\nI suppose I should get over it. It looks like I'm stuck here for the duration.\nBut outside of all the healing I've done, I don't know what else I can do.\" The boy\ntugged on his robes. \"Methinks ye be wonderful. Why couldn't ye do something\nbigger, like banding the tribes together under yer leadership?\" Jon-Tom\nstood up, rather angry for no good reason. \"That's absolutely out of the\nquestion. Everything I do has repercussions. If I were to do something so\nblatant as vying for kingship it would send ripples through time that may never\nget expunged.\" \"Ex-punged?\nYe words are unfamiliar to me ears. But I say ye should try. The Lord Pike\nthere would back ye, I'm sure. Ye did save him, didn't ye, just like ye did\nthose folks here?\" \"You're\ncute kid, but I have been a king several times over. I hate the job. And your\nuncle is right. You're too much of a daydreamer. Being an idealist is fine, but\nthere are times when practicality gets in the way. It would take more than an\narmy to bring this place into line. It would take an ideal; something for the\npeople to get behind.\" \"Oi!\nLike ye yerself. Ye have done so much good that if ye kept it up, the people\nwould support yerself over any lord or chief. Think of all the good ye could do\nas a ruler!\" Another voice cut in. \"The brat\nbe right Maraiden. Ye are something greater than all of us. And yer fabulous\nhorse has touched my mind as well. I would throw all of my support behind ye if\nit ended the fighting. I'm sure others might feel the same way, though others\nnot. We need a leader who doesn't want the task. A good man. A powerful man. Ye\nbe that man.\" \"Pike,\nI can't and I won't. Besides, being a healer doesn't make me a ruler. I don't\nhave the power to back up any claims that I make.\" \"I\nthink I have a solution to that.\" He whispered into the tall man's ear. Jon-Tom's\nreaction was both one of bemusement and bewilderment.  \"Let's\nsay that you're right. If no one else has been able to do it, why do you think\nI can? It's not like I can exert my power over it. Maybe, just maybe I could\nhave once upon a time. But now? Besides, I don't have the skill necessary to do\nthis by hand. So it's moot. It can't be done!\" Pike\nwas not to be deterred so easily. \"The problem has been in the heat. Yer\nextraordinary companion has deemed that not to be a problem. She seems to\nbelieve she could handle that end. As for skill, I can bring in a blacksmith\nwho knows his craft.\"  Jon-Tom's\nmouth puckered up. \"Alma has a big mouth. I suppose that if I'm going to do\nthis, then it's all or nothing. But I had better do the smithy work myself. I\ndon't think any of your people will be able to handle the heat of the forge\nshe's talking about.\" Pike knitted his eyebrows in consternation. \"What\nkind of forge be she thinking of?\" \"She's\nthinking of using her vastly superior internal fires. It's a stupid idea, but\nsadly, one that might work. I only hope she has something left in her when\nshe's done. The man was no wiser for this information than he was before had\nhad asked."}