Where Witches, Wizards and Watchers collide…
Since andi_horton and rthstewart were asking, here is the Massive Crossover story I mentioned in the WIP Meme.
I think the inspiration came from the Buffy/Merlin comment-fic over on metonomia's LJ some months back. The story is a sequel of sorts to my Susan/Giles crossover story. There are a few references to that story in this one.
Two rings, one a vivid green while the other a golden yellow, clattered onto the table.
Susan released the breath she held as she carefully picked up the emerald one with a gloved hand. Even with a barrier between her skin and the ring, she could sense the magic flowing out of the delicate circle.
"These are indeed the missing rings," she confirmed, setting down the green one and picking up the yellow. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Rupert."
"It was my pleasure," said the man that sat across from her. He took his spectacles off and polished them with a handkerchief from his shirt pocket. "I am glad you had warned me about them."
She smiled grimly. "Given how my brother's sword fell into your possession, I thought it best to let you know should these," she carefully set the golden ring down next to its companion, "ever turn up again."
He slid his glasses back onto his face and nodded. "It was a very good thing the rings came to this shop. Without knowing their provenance, I would have thought them to be nothing more than children's toys." He frowned; the rings certainly looked harmless enough though he knew better. "I fear what would have happened had a child stumbled upon them."
"Indeed," Susan agreed as she dredged up an old memory from the time of her youth. "I was told they caused quite a stir in London the last time they were used. It was a miracle that no one was seriously hurt from the damage and destruction that resulted from what occurred."
He looked up, curious. "Oh?"
"Evil Witch with inhuman strength," Susan said flatly. "Thankfully, she was only in this world for a short period of time."
"What happened to her?"
"She found herself in another world and eventually ensorcelled one of its lands with a winter that lasted one hundred years."
"And you know this...?" He purposefully let his question trail off, hoping she would answer.
Blue eyes stared shrewdly back at him. "I was there when she was finally defeated."
His mouth formed a silent 'O' as he realized the implication of her words. "Narnia," he said, vividly recalling another conversation he had with her not long ago. It was the day she had shown up on his doorstep and he learned there was a lot more to his godmother than he first thought. "That was when you-"
"Yes." She paused and then added, "When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone sits at Cair Paravel in throne, the evil time will be over and done."
He shivered as she recited the words to him. Prophecies-regardless if they ever came to pass-were not things to be taken lightly. "So this was how you and your-"
"Hush, Rupert," she interrupted him, her words demanding immediate obeisance. Had she not been who she was, he would have hesitated in following her command. Instead, he fell silent and looked at her, allowing the unspoken question to appear on his face.
She looked away from him, eyes slowly scanning the front room of the shop. "Do you feel it?"
He was about to shake his head when he suddenly froze. The front door was closed and the curtains were drawn across the windows yet he felt a breeze brush gently across his face. The air continued to stir around them and he felt a tingle crawling up his arms. "Magic," he whispered.
"Magic," she repeated firmly. Having had many dealings in such matters, she had recognized the signs from the onset. "Have you any weapons in this shop?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.
In response, he stood up and made his way toward the counter. He bent over it and reached beneath the glass case for the sword he knew was stored there. As his fingers closed around the blade, a loud voice drew his attention.
"Rupert!"
He turned to find Susan backing away from the center of the room. As she reached his side, he noted distantly that she held a pouch in one hand (no doubt the magical rings) and a dagger in the other.
They watched in surprise as a light appeared in front of them, glowing brightly and hovering in the air. It grew wider and taller with every passing second and soon it seemed to fill the room, shining so brightly they had to shield their eyes before it blinded them.
And just as quick as it had appeared, the light faded instantly, as if it collapsed in on itself.
He waited several seconds before he removed his hand from his face. As he slowly lowered his fingers, he could see a large, dark form occupying the space where the light had been.
It was a boy, tall and gangly with dark hair and large ears. His clothes were of a style that did not match those worn by the Slayer and her friends. His shirt and trousers reminded Rupert of medieval fashion, though there seemed to be some contemporary touches as well; it resembled outfits seen and worn at medieval and Renaissance fairs where clothing of the past were recreated using modern techniques and materials. The boy dressed like a peasant though the bold and bright colors of his tunic and scarf would suggest a wealthier background.
The stranger looked around in surprise, his blue eyes wide and blinking fiercely. He quickly turned his head left and right, taking in as much of his surroundings as he could. As he focused his attention to directly what was in front of him, he was shocked to find himself facing the tip of a very sharp broadsword.
"Who are you?" Rupert demanded, keeping the weapon pointed at the stranger while he looked into the boy's face.
The boy did not answer. Instead, he stared long and hard at the older man and his face grew very pale. "Sire..." he whispered.
That single word sent a shiver down his back. It was with a mighty effort that he kept the blade in his hand steady. "What are you talking about?"
He heard a soft gasp from behind him. "By the Lion..."
With one eye on the sword and the man holding it, the boy tilted his head slightly to see who was standing behind Rupert. He saw only one other person in the room with them-a woman who had seen many moons and witnessed much in her long life. Despite the strange clothing she wore, he could see she was a woman of great stature. "Your pardon, madam," he began, "I didn't mean to-"
She stepped forward and with eyes as blue as his, stared sharply at him.
"What are you doing here?" she asked tersely, the question clearly directed at him. "This is not your time."
The boy blinked, startled by her comment. "Do I know you?"
Susan smiled at him, though there was no warmth in the gesture. "I'm afraid you do. We've met before, when my brother the High King visited your master's court."
He started, unconsciously taking a step back and now truly looking at the woman before him. Her grey hair shone in the light like moonlight and her face was lightly lined though it was apparent to him she was far older than she looked. The woman's eyes locked onto his and he saw they were fire-bright, not dulled by age or time in the slightest.
And it was then he knew who she was. "I-you-you're..." his voice trailed off in shock. He stared at her for another moment before he bowed deeply to her. "Milady." Finding his voice again, he addressed her as respectfully as he could. "I did not expect to see you here."
"And I, you," Susan replied, inclining her head slightly at him. She continued to step forward and placed her hand on Rupert's arm, gently forcing him to lower the blade. "So. What had been foretold is now coming to pass."
The boy rose from his bow and looked into her face, seeing both determination and resignation there. "It does appear that way, Susan of Narnia," he said, speaking in a firmer voice than before.
"What is going on here?" Rupert asked as the shock began to wear off. His gaze shifted from Susan to the young man. "And who the devil are you?"
"If I may," Susan cut in smoothly before the boy could respond. Her voice had taken on a more formal and regal tone; Rupert was again reminded of that other conversation he had had with his godmother. "Rupert Giles, formerly of Britain, allow me to make known to you, Merlin of Albion, and you to him."
So this is all I have so far. I actually spent the day cleaning it up and making it presentable (the WIP version is a mix of fic snippets, notes and various other comments) which is why I didn't post it earlier.
Crosspost: http://autumnia.dreamwidth.org/15629.html
I think the inspiration came from the Buffy/Merlin comment-fic over on metonomia's LJ some months back. The story is a sequel of sorts to my Susan/Giles crossover story. There are a few references to that story in this one.
Two rings, one a vivid green while the other a golden yellow, clattered onto the table.
Susan released the breath she held as she carefully picked up the emerald one with a gloved hand. Even with a barrier between her skin and the ring, she could sense the magic flowing out of the delicate circle.
"These are indeed the missing rings," she confirmed, setting down the green one and picking up the yellow. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Rupert."
"It was my pleasure," said the man that sat across from her. He took his spectacles off and polished them with a handkerchief from his shirt pocket. "I am glad you had warned me about them."
She smiled grimly. "Given how my brother's sword fell into your possession, I thought it best to let you know should these," she carefully set the golden ring down next to its companion, "ever turn up again."
He slid his glasses back onto his face and nodded. "It was a very good thing the rings came to this shop. Without knowing their provenance, I would have thought them to be nothing more than children's toys." He frowned; the rings certainly looked harmless enough though he knew better. "I fear what would have happened had a child stumbled upon them."
"Indeed," Susan agreed as she dredged up an old memory from the time of her youth. "I was told they caused quite a stir in London the last time they were used. It was a miracle that no one was seriously hurt from the damage and destruction that resulted from what occurred."
He looked up, curious. "Oh?"
"Evil Witch with inhuman strength," Susan said flatly. "Thankfully, she was only in this world for a short period of time."
"What happened to her?"
"She found herself in another world and eventually ensorcelled one of its lands with a winter that lasted one hundred years."
"And you know this...?" He purposefully let his question trail off, hoping she would answer.
Blue eyes stared shrewdly back at him. "I was there when she was finally defeated."
His mouth formed a silent 'O' as he realized the implication of her words. "Narnia," he said, vividly recalling another conversation he had with her not long ago. It was the day she had shown up on his doorstep and he learned there was a lot more to his godmother than he first thought. "That was when you-"
"Yes." She paused and then added, "When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone sits at Cair Paravel in throne, the evil time will be over and done."
He shivered as she recited the words to him. Prophecies-regardless if they ever came to pass-were not things to be taken lightly. "So this was how you and your-"
"Hush, Rupert," she interrupted him, her words demanding immediate obeisance. Had she not been who she was, he would have hesitated in following her command. Instead, he fell silent and looked at her, allowing the unspoken question to appear on his face.
She looked away from him, eyes slowly scanning the front room of the shop. "Do you feel it?"
He was about to shake his head when he suddenly froze. The front door was closed and the curtains were drawn across the windows yet he felt a breeze brush gently across his face. The air continued to stir around them and he felt a tingle crawling up his arms. "Magic," he whispered.
"Magic," she repeated firmly. Having had many dealings in such matters, she had recognized the signs from the onset. "Have you any weapons in this shop?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.
In response, he stood up and made his way toward the counter. He bent over it and reached beneath the glass case for the sword he knew was stored there. As his fingers closed around the blade, a loud voice drew his attention.
"Rupert!"
He turned to find Susan backing away from the center of the room. As she reached his side, he noted distantly that she held a pouch in one hand (no doubt the magical rings) and a dagger in the other.
They watched in surprise as a light appeared in front of them, glowing brightly and hovering in the air. It grew wider and taller with every passing second and soon it seemed to fill the room, shining so brightly they had to shield their eyes before it blinded them.
And just as quick as it had appeared, the light faded instantly, as if it collapsed in on itself.
He waited several seconds before he removed his hand from his face. As he slowly lowered his fingers, he could see a large, dark form occupying the space where the light had been.
It was a boy, tall and gangly with dark hair and large ears. His clothes were of a style that did not match those worn by the Slayer and her friends. His shirt and trousers reminded Rupert of medieval fashion, though there seemed to be some contemporary touches as well; it resembled outfits seen and worn at medieval and Renaissance fairs where clothing of the past were recreated using modern techniques and materials. The boy dressed like a peasant though the bold and bright colors of his tunic and scarf would suggest a wealthier background.
The stranger looked around in surprise, his blue eyes wide and blinking fiercely. He quickly turned his head left and right, taking in as much of his surroundings as he could. As he focused his attention to directly what was in front of him, he was shocked to find himself facing the tip of a very sharp broadsword.
"Who are you?" Rupert demanded, keeping the weapon pointed at the stranger while he looked into the boy's face.
The boy did not answer. Instead, he stared long and hard at the older man and his face grew very pale. "Sire..." he whispered.
That single word sent a shiver down his back. It was with a mighty effort that he kept the blade in his hand steady. "What are you talking about?"
He heard a soft gasp from behind him. "By the Lion..."
With one eye on the sword and the man holding it, the boy tilted his head slightly to see who was standing behind Rupert. He saw only one other person in the room with them-a woman who had seen many moons and witnessed much in her long life. Despite the strange clothing she wore, he could see she was a woman of great stature. "Your pardon, madam," he began, "I didn't mean to-"
She stepped forward and with eyes as blue as his, stared sharply at him.
"What are you doing here?" she asked tersely, the question clearly directed at him. "This is not your time."
The boy blinked, startled by her comment. "Do I know you?"
Susan smiled at him, though there was no warmth in the gesture. "I'm afraid you do. We've met before, when my brother the High King visited your master's court."
He started, unconsciously taking a step back and now truly looking at the woman before him. Her grey hair shone in the light like moonlight and her face was lightly lined though it was apparent to him she was far older than she looked. The woman's eyes locked onto his and he saw they were fire-bright, not dulled by age or time in the slightest.
And it was then he knew who she was. "I-you-you're..." his voice trailed off in shock. He stared at her for another moment before he bowed deeply to her. "Milady." Finding his voice again, he addressed her as respectfully as he could. "I did not expect to see you here."
"And I, you," Susan replied, inclining her head slightly at him. She continued to step forward and placed her hand on Rupert's arm, gently forcing him to lower the blade. "So. What had been foretold is now coming to pass."
The boy rose from his bow and looked into her face, seeing both determination and resignation there. "It does appear that way, Susan of Narnia," he said, speaking in a firmer voice than before.
"What is going on here?" Rupert asked as the shock began to wear off. His gaze shifted from Susan to the young man. "And who the devil are you?"
"If I may," Susan cut in smoothly before the boy could respond. Her voice had taken on a more formal and regal tone; Rupert was again reminded of that other conversation he had had with his godmother. "Rupert Giles, formerly of Britain, allow me to make known to you, Merlin of Albion, and you to him."
So this is all I have so far. I actually spent the day cleaning it up and making it presentable (the WIP version is a mix of fic snippets, notes and various other comments) which is why I didn't post it earlier.
Crosspost: http://autumnia.dreamwidth.org/15629.html