Rowena {a founders story}

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

          The mist was still clinging to the hills when Rowena left her room for the kitchen, the bodice of her robes done wrong and her hair a tangled mess. Usually Miss Patience Gray would have porridge with brown sugar waiting, a cup of tea, maybe a handful of fresh berries. This morning however, there were not berries waiting for Rowena, but Godric Gryffindor, Pattie nowhere to be found.

"Good morning, Lady Ravenclaw." Smile bright, he handed her a cup of tea, still steaming.

Rowena did not think of her hair and wrinkled robes, but rather the rugged red head sitting at her table. "What are you doing here?" she recalled the evening of her birthday and tensed; she had been oddly open, had told Godric about her dream.

"Miss Gray let me in, I thought we could go for a ride. I noticed your stable, and I assumed your father was not the rider in the family."

"You assumed right," she did not sit, instead cradled her cup and leaned against the table they prepared food at. "You ride?"

"Not for efficiency, but for fun, yes." He leaned across the table, searching her face. "So? Shall we?"

Rowena was not one for hesitation, and she did not hesitate then, either. She abandoned her tea, and the two took the back passages in the castle to the stable, where she barely bothered with the proper gear; on her horse, she opened the stable doors with her wand. Godric, sat atop a black steed, sped out behind her – they left the castle behind, submerging themselves in the early mist that blanketed the lands, swirling over the surface of the lake. Flying through the air, they were elegant and fierce.

Rowena looked over at Godric, her breath catching; his shock of hair stood out in the grey light, and his eyes caught hers.

"Race you to the top." He called, nodding his head toward the nearest hill.

Grinning, Rowena dug her heels into her horse's side and they sped up; she could feel the force in the horse's hooves as they hit the earth, kicking up dirt. She reached the top of the hill just seconds before Godric, and laughed as his face scrunched up.

"I have a confession," he said, running a hand through his hair, grinning foolishly. "I do not really ride, for efficiency or fun."

Rowena slipped down from her horse, frowning. "You lied? Whatever for?"

He too dismounted, and gave her a sheepish look. "Salazar mentioned you enjoyed it, and I – well, I wanted to see you doing something you enjoyed, rather than stuck at a ball you clearly did not want."

"Oh." Rowena was a little stunned, and stared at her muddy shoes, thinking. "I suppose that is all right then. Do you usually lie?"

"Rarely," he laid his cloak on the ground and sat, picking a handful of bilberries. "I am an honest man, Lady Ravenclaw." She only stared at him, until he grabbed the hem of her robes and pulled her forward. "Sit with me, please? That tired me out."

For the first time, Rowena was hesitant; the cloak was small, and it would be viewed as improper to be found like this – windswept, so close, and alone. Ignoring everything Patience Gray had ever told her, Rowena sat down.

They could see the sun pushing its way through the clouds, catching in the early morning dew. Godric appeared at ease, popping berries in his mouth, telling her about the hollow he was born in, where he resided with his parents – older than most, quite frail. Godric himself was a few years older than Rowena, but not by much; he still seemed surprised by his strength, of the size he took up in a room. Or on a cloak, Rowena thought as their shoulders brushed, knees knocked. They lapsed into silence, watching the sun, the water glisten, mist fade.

"There is nothing more beautiful," Godric said quietly, "then the world untouched, in the fresh light of day."

Rowena did not say a word, just held her breath. She had to agree with Godric; the early morning was the most beautiful, most hopeful. "I want to build my school on top of a hill like this, with a lake at the bottom." She spoke softly, purposefully not looking over at him. "That is what the place in my dream looks like, anyway."

"What else do you want?" he asked, "For your school, or whatever else?"

"I try not to want much."

Godric smiled at her, leaning forward on his knees, clasping his wrist in his other hand. "Is wanting not what makes us strive forward?"

"I suppose." She said heavily. "It is different for you, you are a Wizard – the world listens to you. No one listens to Witches."

Emerald eyes locked with hers, warm and glinting. "I think any Wizard would have a hard time not listening to you, Rowena."

To her horror, Rowena felt her cheeks warm. "Well, you are wrong. No one listens to me. Except Miss Gray, or Salazar."

"I would be happy to listen to you," he turned to her, concentrated, eager and waiting – Rowena was surprised. "Tell me about your school."

"Do you really want to hear about it?"

"Of course."

So Rowena told him. She spoke of her designs; the plans for an astronomy tower, the hall where they would all eat – classes for all kinds of magic, a place where everyone was encouraged to speak their mind and learn to their hearts content. "Wizards and Witches, learning together – no one will ever feel excluded." She was gushing, she knew it; but Godric did not look bored. Rather, he appeared very interested. "Muggleborns too, and the few half-bloods. Everyone will have a place at my school."

"It is a beautiful image you paint." Godric sounded sincere; he looked thoughtful too, with his eyebrows scrunched together, nodding his head. "I hope you achieve all of it."

Sighing, Rowena tilted her head back to catch the sun's rays. "It is merely a dream Godric."

"For now," he said seriously. "All dreams have the chance to become a reality. What is the point of dreams if they are completely impossible?"

Rowena was about to argue with him when she noticed how high the sun had risen. "Goodness! I was meant to meet with Father, oh no. He will be furious with me." She jumped to her feet and rushed to her horse. "I am sorry Godric, but I must go."

At her instruction, he gave her the harness of his horse. He would find his own way home. "Thank you, Rowena."

"Whatever for?" she asked, preparing to ride off.

"For talking with me," he shrugged, "An earnest conversation is hard to come by."

"Oh," Rowena smiled at him. "Well, thank you too. For listening to a Witch."

"It was my pleasure." Godric stepped back, lifting his hand in farewell. "Please, come to my home one day, soon. I would very much enjoy showing you where I grew up."

Nodding, Rowena pushed her horse forward. "I would like that very much."

"Goodbye, Rowena."

"Godric, good day."

Godric watched her ride off, her hair more tangled than the horses' mane. The moors stretched in every direction, and they reminded him of Rowena – endless beauty, a little wild, untameable. She had not even been surprised when she had found him in the kitchen that morning, stayed calm and collected and accepted the proposition for adventure.

To think, she thought no one would want to listen to her. Godric thought, with dreams like that, he could listen to Rowena Ravenclaw forever. 

A/N: I am enjoying the challenge of writing in an old fashioned way. No smushing words together, everything is very proper; it's actually quite fun. 

Godric and Rowena...thoughts?

Rose