Baasz x Fieryfly - A leap back in time

[Baasz]

The smell of dirt and faeces, a pungent and disgusting odour found its way into Andrew’s nose as he slowly regained his consciousness. It was a smell so foul in nearly made him vomit and it some effort not to empty is stomach right here. The ground his hands touched felt muddy and littered with small stones, the same stones he could also feel torturing his back. The cold rain that was coming down onto his face in a steady stream of cold droplets forced him to wake up completely and open his eyes for the first time. Looking up from the ground he was lying on, Andrew saw two dark walls towering high above him, separated by a narrow gap of grey, looming clouds. As his vision became more clear, he could distinguish the large blocks of yellowish stone, held together by a grey mortar.

Slowly he sat up, lifting his back off the sharp rocks that sprawled the mud. He shook his head back and forth, trying to shake some of the mud out of his hair. His hair was dirty blonde in colour and just covered his ears in length. It had a small amount of wavy curls that made it look playful and alive. Normally his hair would be styled in an out-of-bed fashion with some wax, but now it was just a plain mess. He was covered in the mud he had been lying from top to bottom and he had become soaking wet from the rain. He had no recollection of how he ended up here and it was only now that he noticed how incredibly cold he was. He was shivering from top to bottom and barely had any feeling left in his fingers. That in itself was no wonder with his clothes sticking to him like they were doing right now.

His clothes were not completely what one would call normal. Loose fitting camouflage pants covered his legs, while his feet were clad in second hand, black leather army boots. On his torso he wore a simple black T-shirt with a purple print that read the words ”Deep Purple”, one of his favourite bands. Over that T-shirt was put a simple black hooded sweater, which was slightly over-sized, but not so much that it seemed like it didn’t belong on him. All these clothes, having become soaking wet by the rain, were sticking to his skin and draining him of body heat. If he wouldn’t find a shelter to warm himself in soon, he might start suffering from hypothermia.

Struggling to find his coordination, he scrambled to his feet, having trouble balancing himself. Looking around he found that one end of the alley he was in was a dead one. Stumbling towards the other end, he started hearing more and more noise of people talking. There were also sounds of cartwheels and horses. He had no idea of where he possibly could be, but it surely wasn’t very normal. When he finally got to the end of the alley, his mouth literally dropped open in astonishment.

He was standing in the middle of a large market street, with several dozen stalls, made of rough wooden posts and boards, covered by reed or simple cloth as a roof, selling all kinds of wares decorating the sides of the brown dirt road. They were selling everything one could possibly need and more. Fruits and vegetables, bread, all kinds of meat, beer and mead, but also complete medieval armour sets and weapons, all of which looked very real. The variety of goods really amazed him, but riddled him as well. Why would people be selling these goods, nobody wants those weapons anyway. But what amazed Andrew more than the stalls were the people walking around these stalls.

All were clad in old ragged clothing, medieval in style. Most people were already soaking wet while some of them tried to take shelter under either the stalls’ roofs or were trying to cover themselves with a thick woollen cloak. To Andrew, this all seemed like some kind of LARP festival and he had to admit that it looked very realistic. In all his amazement and excitement, he had almost forgotten about how cold he was until a shiver went right down his spine and he let out a loud sneeze.

Some people now looked his way, but it wasn’t normal looking, it was staring. They were staring at him as if he didn’t belong here. It was true that he right now was the only one in ‘sort of’ normal clothing, but that wouldn’t be a reason to stare like that. He shook off the thought and started walking around, looking for a place to take shelter. A woman who was facing away from him caught his attention. He walked up to the woman, who was taking shelter from the rain under one of the more expensive looking stalls and lightly tapped her on the shoulder. “Excuse me. Could you please tell me where I might be able to take shelter and warm myself up? And, where am I exactly?”

[Fieryfly]

The fabrics displayed on the wooden counter of the market stand were marvelous. The rich colors seemed to be the only bright ones in darkness that shrouded this day. Rain had been pouring down ever since the sun had first managed to peer its rays through the thick layer of clouds. It had been ticking against the windows of the castle as soon as the inhabitants woke up. And now it was damping the cloths of all the people in the city.

Taking her hands off the clothing in front of her Mirajane adjusted the kerchief that covered her upper body in an attempt to protect her from the never ending flow of falling water. Being made of thick wool it succeeded fairly decent in its job. She shifted the kerchief again and then turned her attention back to the stand in front of her.

Normally she wouldn’t go out in this dreadful weather. She would let Roland, the head of staff in her household, take care of the shopping and only direct it from above. But this was a special occasion. In three days her husband would be coming home. He had been away from about four weeks now and to celebrate his return there would be a great banquet. For that she needed a new dress. The blue one she was wearing right now was nice, but plain. Too plain. It was solemnly for this reason that she had come to the city today.

“My lady,” a suffocated laugh came from her right. Mirajane casted a glance to the little girl next to her. The blond locks of the girl, which normally stood all spiky, seemed to be glued to her head and water dripped from her nose. Even though her miserable appearance she was wearing a broad smile which she quickly tried to hide behind her hand when she noticed Mirajane was looking to her.

“Is something the matter Penny?” Mirajane questioned her maid though she couldn’t help that a small smile swept over her lips too. Penny was still so naïve. The girl had been under Mirajane’s care since she had turned eight, the proper age to start schooling. Now she was eleven and still her ways were so childish. Next years she was going to get married, like all woman of status, like she had done, but she still had a long way to go before she was a proper lady.

Penny bowed her head slightly in respect, but again stifled a laugh. “Look to that man. What in the name of God is he wearing? Ow!” She looked up when Mirajane hit her on her head.

“Don’t speak the name of God so careless.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“And don’t stare. It is not proper.”

“Yes, my lady.”

The two turned back to the materials in front of them, but Mirajane couldn’t help casting a glance backwards to see the young man that had caused Penny to utter the name of God. How much she scolded Penny, sometimes she was just the same: curious, adventurous and she had to admit the boy looked weird. She shook her head slightly and turned away from the young man to focus on her duties. It would be no use to get all worked up about it. It was probably nothing anyway and even if it was it had nothing to do with her.

Then there was a tap on her shoulder. Instinctively she backed away a bit before looking up with surprised eyes. She stared into the face of the strange young man. Even Penny was taken aback by the sudden approach and the rude interference. This was unheard of. A normal man who tapped a noble woman on her shoulder and asked her a casual question? Quickly Mirajane regained her composure. Maybe he was a foreigner and he didn’t know how things rolled here.

“Well I cannot speak about a specific place, but I am quite sure you can find some fine inns in this city if you take your time looking around.” She said with a small nod. Politeness was the key. “As for our current location; you are in the city of Glasgow.”

She looked the young man over as he stood there shivering in the rain. Although he must from about her age with his strange clothes and confused look he reminded her of a little kid. Suddenly her motherly instincts took over and she loosened her kerchief and took it off. This revealed a long blond braid that rested on her back. With a swing she laid the kerchief around the boy’s shoulders. “Here, this will keep you dry or…” A small smile crept over her lips, “perhaps a little less wet.”

[Baasz]

Slightly taken aback by the kindness of this gesture, Andrew was not really sure how to respond to the kerchief that was put around his shoulders. It was really a kind gesture, but unfortunately barely helpful. His clothes and skin were already so drenched that the only way for him to actually get warmer would be to take off his clothing and warm himself thoroughly. An unconscious little smile crept over his lips as he took off the kerchief and handed it back to the helpful lady. "Thank you very much, I appreciate the offer, but I'm afraid it won't do me any good any more. You need it more than I do."

Glasgow she said? Then it must be some kind of re-enactment of medieval Glasgow because this wasn't the rainy old city he had grown up in. He had been living in Glasgow all of his life. It was like living in any other big city, it had everything to offer one could possibly need in a lifetime and more. The streets were always crowded during the day and even more so on weekend evenings. The night life in Glesga, like it was called in Scottish, was booming. The pubs and clubs were always crowded and people were all getting drunk together, having a good time. Not that Andrew had finally turned 21 last month, he was at long last allowed to enter all of the clubs as well. The streets he was seeing right now were nothing like that. Of course this wasn't Glasgow.

The young lady in front of him was playing her role really well in Andrew's eyes, but apparently she didn't understand the severity of his situation. Feeling weaker with every passing moment, Andrew's sight started to grow hazy again. His shivering also started getting more severe and for a second he almost lost his balance, only staying upright because he was able to grasp onto the wooden post that held of this stall's roof. He looked the young lady in her eyes, trying to convey his seriousness. "Miss, I know you are trying to stay in your role and I think you're doing a great job, and I don't mean to be rude, but I need a real place to warm myself. Isn't there a first aid building around here or something? A LARP festival or medieval re-enactment event should have some kind of medical office, right?"

[Fieryfly]

Clearly the young man was not from around here. Not only was he returning her kerchief like he was her equal, he even dared to talk back to her in a very improper way. He spoke words she didn’t even comprehended though she understood its meaning. He was implying that she was playing some sort of role.

Now that was actually in some way, indeed the case. Living silently in the castle, ordering servants around, sew, dress up, making sure that the household was good and decent looking, receive guests, talk politely. All where thing a normal noblewoman did daily and all those things were things Mirajane didn’t particularly like. She had always wanted to be outside. Just be out and run through the woods, play in the river or whatever basic activity someone could do beneath the sky. But the only outside activities she was allowed to do consisted none of those things. On sparse occasions she could ride on her horse, but never was she allowed saddling it up, or cuddle with afterwards and she never was allowed to ride alone. The whole world apparently had to know that she was riding seeing the escort she got.

She was playing a role indeed, but the man had crossed the line by saying so. Even Penny, who was normally quite bold was taken aback by the words and gaped to the man. It was time for her to speak up and let Penny know how a normal noblewoman should behave even though she wasn’t one herself. She knew her place, she knew her role.

“I don’t know what you are talking about young man, but I am afraid that I cannot help you. Now if you excuse me, I have more important matters to attend.”

She turned around and showed her back to the man. She hadn’t meant to sound that snappy, but she couldn’t she couldn’t afford to let this slip by unnoticed. Not only did she have to be an example for Penny, she also had to hold up the name of her husband. If she would react differently people would talk and talking people were never a good thing for a lord. The roots of a gossip went deep and were hard to get rid of.

As she walked away her heart however went out to the man. And what her thoughts tried to ignore her heart spoke clearly. He fascinated her. With his strange looks he was the change she wanted in her life. An interruption in the normal street view.

Against better thoughts she casted a glance back. He looked so lonely as he stood there in the rain, but she couldn’t help him. How much she wanted to, she could do anything before all those people. They were already staring to her, though most of them turned their attention back to what they had been doing now that she had told the man to leave her alone. It was what they had been expecting to see. It was how she was supposed to act.

Silently she marched to the corner of the street where her carriage was waiting for her. Penny followed not far behind her. Back to the carriage, back to her house and back to her role.

[Baasz]

The words this woman used and the arrogance with which she spoke annoyed Andrew greatly. The way she looked down on him, the tone she used in her voice, she clearly thought she was better than him, like she felt she was a true noble. Andrew had always hated this kind of people. People who looked down on others because they felt like they were way better than anyone else. Some because they had more money than others, some because they were more “popular” than others, some even because they felt they dressed better than others. That’s why Andrew chose to dress the way he did.

The culture he had chosen to be part of didn’t care about appearances or background. You are who you are as an individual and it doesn’t matter if you’re rich or super intelligent or anything, you’re just another individual and everyone is equal. To underline this statement even more, Andrew was always clad in alternative clothing. Black skinny jeans or wide camo pants, band shirts and long hair, all different from what people called normal.

But his friends were all like that, all alternative individuals. In fact, they weren’t really individuals anymore, but just another group looking down on other groups because they are ‘closed-minded’, not realizing that by forming a group like this, they were just as close-minded as all others. Andrew realized this and wished for things to change, for people to just accept each other as they are and not bicker about things like clothing and money. But the reality was that people would always form groups and shun others not part of their group.

Even here, with everyone dressed up like medieval peasants and nobles, all far from normal, they were shunning him. Not with words, but with the way they almost fearfully stared at him. Only this young woman who he had approached with care and decency did actually shoo him with words. He just couldn’t accept the way she spoke to him and walked after her in a strong pace. He placed his hand firmly on her shoulder.

“Hey, you!” a strong from of irritation was audible in his voice. “You have no right to speak to me in such a tone. I’m drenched and almost suffering from hypothermia and I have no idea where I am right now!” He took his cell phone out of his pocket and showed her the screen. “I don’t even have a reception on my cell-phone and you act to me as if I’m a lower form of life than you! I’m in serious need and you act like you’re some sort of noblewoman from the middle ages! This is the 21st century lady, act like it!” Frowning he stared at the back of her head, waiting for her to turn around.

[Fieryfly]

The hand on her shoulder shocked her. Actually it more like terrified her. It had been so long since someone had touched her that way. Normally people kept their distance they gave her a small bow when they approached or a small kiss on her hand when she held it up. Even her friends, if you could call them that way, didn’t touch her that way. They didn’t hug or embraced each other. It was just not done. That was why the sudden pull on her shoulder startled her so much.

With wide eyes she turned around and faced the man again, unintentionally backing away from him. For a moment she was afraid that he might try to rob her, but if he wanted to do that, why hadn’t he done so quietly? It wouldn’t have been hard to take her purse or something, but he should have done it without talking to her. Not that the people around here were going to help, but if he wanted to remain having a clean name he should have chosen that path.

So clearly he was not attempting to rob her.

She realized that the man had begun speaking to her and he flashed something in her face. Mirajane backed away even more. She really had no idea what this man was talking about. Maybe he was a fool? Fools were dangerous people because they missed the normal reasoning that other people had. You couldn’t trust them.
Suddenly she found her voice back and looked back up in the man’s eyes. She wrapped her hands around themselves in an attempt to hide her nervousness. Behind her Penny was tugging on her dress. The girl was obvious frightened too. Mirajane decided that it had been enough.

“Young man I don’t think you realize to whom you are talking. I am the wife of Rowan, Lord of the Manor of Glasgow and I can assure you that this is the year 1309. You have absolutely no right to speak to me in this impolite way. However,” her voice softened, “I can see that you’re cold so I would like to offer you to walk with me to my cart and ride home with me. Maybe we can arrange this as proper people instead of yelling to each other.” She said and she gave the man a friendly nod.

This was the best way to solve this quarrel. They would be away from the eyes of the people in town and she would be able to act different and more to herself. If the man would not accept her offer she would not be able to do anything for him.

[Baasz]

This woman's attitude. It was seriously starting to get on his nerves. Even now, when confronted with he behaviour, she would still keep acting all high and mighty, jumping back as if he was about to murder her. This girl had gotten completely stuck in her role play and there probably would be no way at all to get her out of it. This stupid woman. And even this kid hiding behind her looked at him as if he was going to do terrible things to them. But at the same time he felt himself get colder every moment that passed. If he didn't want to faint from hypothermia, he would have no choice but to take up on her offer, and that's what he did.

He sighed, “Fine then, I'll take up on your offer. I apologise if my words were taken as offensive. At least you do have the common sense and kindness to help someone on the verge of passing out from hypothermia. Please lead the way.” He paused for a second, then added in a mildly mocking way “Milady.” Although he had calmed down and tried to be somewhat polite, his irritation was still well audible. No wonder if there's some chick spewing out stuff like it being 1309 and this being Glasgow.

As he followed her to her carriage, he thought about it. 'What did she mean, Glasgow? This didn't look like Glasgow in any way. But what kind of organisation whould have the budget to build such a large decor for the sake of live action role playing?' He tried to think about it some more, but his mind got hazy as he had to try his hardest to stay upright and follow the girl and the kid through this mud. Without uttering another word, he just followed her to her cart.

[Fieryfly]

The man clearly still wasn't happy with her. Still he seemed to understand her request and the option it gave him. When he spoke Mirajane heard the sarcastic undertone, but decided to ignore it. It was not going to help him or her by pointing it out. Especially the forced 'milady' at the end of his sentence seemed forced as if he was somehow not used to saying it. This would be strange though for milady was a very common and proper name for a lady such as herself. There were dozens of ladies like herself around so surely the man must be familiar with the word.

She, however, did not voice any of her thoughts to the boy. A slight smile passed her lips as she realized she was really calling him a boy in her mind even though he could hardly be any younger than she was. Yet his demeanor was so different from hers in so many ways that she could not help herself. She wondered where he had grown up to have been thought such a way of living.

The boy - there she said it again - had trouble walking, she could see that. Yet she did not help him. Not yet, not yet. Her thoughts screamed. Her helping somebody else was a preposterous idea. To distract herself she turned her attention to Penny. She made a dismissive move with her hand. "Tell Fitch that we're coming okay?" She said to the girl. With a nod the girl sprinted away, pulling her dress up as she went even though the thing could hardly get any wetter.

Slowly the two continued on their way. Because carriages were not allowed on the marketplace she had left it on the end of this current street, just around the corner. The rain was still beating down on them and Mirajane shot a brief glance to the sky wondering if it would ever clear today. The grey clouds however hung heavy in the air and showed no intention of moving. Hopefully the weather would be better later this week. She didn't like the fact that her husband would have to ride through this heavy downpour. If it would have to be that way then she should at least make sure that there was enough wood inside to make a warm and nice home.

Thus mulling over her own thoughts Mirajane realized they had come to the end of the street. Turning around the corner she was greeted by the pleasant sight of her carriage. Made of dark brown oak wood it stood tall in the dread of this day. The light blue curtains seemed almost to light up in the grayness. As they approached the driver hopped of the front and opened the door for her while making a bow. "Thank you Fitch. This man will be coming with us to the castle. Please," she gestured to the boy to step in, "inside it will be dry."

[Baasz]

This girl truly was something. Not only was she acting all high and mighty, she was also treating her little sister as her subordinate. She wasn't really being harsh though, but still, she didn't request, she ordered. Andrew found it quite amusing how the girl ran trough the rain, avoiding the puddles whilst holding up her dress even though it was futile. He had assumed that the little girl must have been the little sister. She looked like she was around 10 years old. He estimated the bossy girl to be around 21 years of age, a year younger that him. This made for quite a large age difference between the two girls. Although this was not unheard of, it still was uncommon.

Whilst following 'milady', Adrew grew more and more awed by the scale of this décor. At the same time his confusion grew at an even faster rate. Who would ever pay to have such a large medieval village built? He questioned himself in thought. Even Hollywood used fake walls and paper mache to build their sets, yet all this seemed to actually be made of solid rock and wood. It just didn't make sense in the least.

Another thing that disturbed him was the people's behaviour. It could just be that they were trying to play their roles as accurately as they could. Surely, they gave of a vibe so authentic, it almost made Andrew wonder if what the 'lady' said might have been actually true. Almost. But if this was for the sake of a hobby, why would they still be outside, shivering in the pouring rain? Wouldn't they just call it a day and try again when the weather got better? It was all just so puzzling.

As they reached their destination, Andrew's attention was drawn by the look of the carriage. There was no denying that this looked authentic, the old wood and antique looking curtains did their job. Even the way the charioteer was clad gave off a medieval vibe. As 'her highness' gestured for him to enter the vehicle, he gave off a small nod as he stepped inside. He was unsure of where to sit for he did not want to leave a stain on the chariot's inner lining. He decided to take off his vest, turn it inside-out and sit on that so that the expensive fabric would at least not get mud stained. “You must be quite rich to be owning this kind luxurious chariot.” He spoke in a mild tone after the two sisters had entered as well.

[Fieryfly]

Calmness spread over Mirajane as she sat down in the carriage opposing the boy she had saved from the streets. Penny was the last to enter, closing the door as she sat down next to Mirajane. As soon as the door closed the carriage began to move. The wheels made a rattling sound on the stones of the ill paved street though this sound was barely noticeable with the rain banging on the wooden roof. Yet the cart was still perfectly dry from the inside. It had to be because it had been made by one of the best carriage makers of town. An occasional bump made the cart sway along with its passengers. Soon they would leave the paved roads behind and travel over sand. Because of the rain this would take longer than normal.

The young man had sat down on his own jacket and Mirajane smiled faintly. She didn't really mind if the chariot got dirty, but it surely was a polite gesture. Maybe the boy did know how to behave after all. Maybe the cold had just temporarily shocked him. Rummaging around under the seats made Mirajane find a disused cloak which she offered to the young man. It was her husband’s though he hadn't used it since he last used this carriage which was about three months ago. She closed her eyes for a moment feeling the familiar fabric with her fingers. She had given it to him that day even though it had been hot outside. He had smiled to her and nodded before taking it and placing it under the seats in case he might need it. Mirajane was sure that he didn't mind if it got wet and seeing as the boy was still shivering and it was still an half hour ride he looked like he needed it. Then she sat down for his question.

"Well my husband, the Lord of Glasgow, is a man of high nobility. He is working quite hard to keep this land proper. So yes, he is fortunate with quite some money. Now," she said as she glanced over his figure again, "tell me who you are and where you come from. It is a half hour ride to my castle and I like to know who exactly I'm bringing home with me."