The Founders Four

Into the Woods

The two girls ran through the lush forest, losing all its usual beauty in the darkness of the situation. Rowena was holding back her conflicted emotions, trying to figure out the best plan of action. Helga wore her emotions fully on her face, the scale of the day hitting her for the both of them. After a few miles, Helga's feet went out from under her, and she fell, rolling right towards Rowena's feet. "Oh... my god... Helga... are you.... okay?" She wheezed, breathless as she stopped to check on her fallen friend. "Yeah... I'm okay.... just... so... tired." Helga attempted to sit up, but instead fell back and laid down. Rowena sat down next to her weakly, the both of them breathing heavily. They remained in that position for quite some time, helping themselves to a few breadcrumbs. Rowena could hear the babble of a stream nearby, and went to scope it out, leaving Helga to read Rowena's book on magical creatures. As she knelt down to fill up the two canteens, a rustle in the leaves made her head snap up. She dropped the bottles silently and hid behind a tree, deciding it was best not to pick a fight unless necessary. Another louder rustle caused her to draw her wand. "Hello?" called a low but sweet voice. It sounded almost boyish, like someone around her age. "I know somebody's there." He said brazenly. Was this boy not worried in the slightest that Rowena could have been a dangerous foe? And more importantly, was he? "Listen, I'm trying to run from somebody and I've been out here for days. If you have any food to spare, I would be grateful." Rowena shut her eyes, knowing what Helga would do in this situation: run out to the boy and make sure he was well cared for. But Rowena was not so trusting. What if it was a trap? She heard the boy sigh in defeat and a clink of metal followed by a thud, which she could only deduce meant he had sat down. Rowena cursed under her breath. "You're going to get yourself killed." She chided herself under her breath as she turned out from behind the tree, raising her wand towards the boy. Her breath caught in her throat, but she wasn't about to show that. The boy was maybe a year older than her, with wavy brown hair and an innocent looking face. He was wearing dented armor, and had a few decent cuts on his face. As he looked up at her, and saw her holding a wand, his hand plunged to his side as he stood, and Rowena's breath hitched once again.
"You're a wizard."
He nodded. "You're a witch." Not a very good one, Rowena's brain supplied unhelpfully. "I really do need some food, should you have any." He said, still looking her in the face. "Who are you running from?" She asked. Silence. Then, "Does it matter?" She nodded. "Yes, because I'm in enough danger as it is that I don't need whoever's chasing you to be chasing me as well." With that, the boy seemed to soften a little. "Vikings. Well, mostly the Vikings. A few villagers that suspect me for wizardry." Rowena had never faced the persecution, but she had heard of witch trials in other Muggle villages. She lowered her wand a few inches. "What's your name?" They stared at each other for a moment full of tension and possibility, until the boy responded, "Gryffindor. Godric Gryffindor." He gave her a small smile, which Rowena tightly returned. "And who might you be, miss?" He asked. Rowena contemplated lying, or not telling him, but she decided to answer honestly. "I'm Rowena. Rowena Glenlark." In a shockingly chivalrous and brazen move, he bridged the gap between them and kissed her hand with a featherlight touch, never taking his eyes off her face. Rowena could feel a scarlet heat crawl up her pale cheeks as he smiled at her. "Pleasure to meet you, Rowena." Her heart fluttered and she quickly swallowed the feeling. What was this feeling? She felt as though all of her insides were comprised entirely of little birds, rattling around and wishing to be set free. Shaking it off, she yanked her hand back. "I've got some food. Even think about hexing me or my friend, and I will kill you." She threatened, coming across as quite menacing. Godric's already wide eyes widened even more and he gripped his wand a little tighter. "Have I given you a reason to?" Rowena turned, leading him back to where she had left Helga, picking up the water canteens as she went. "Not yet." Who knows, maybe he'll make a good ally? His brashness and bravery could make him an effective pawn in a battle. But it also made him dangerous. So far, it seemed as though they were on the same side, working towards the same goal. She made her way back to Helga, who was passed out at the base of a tree. "Helga!" Rowena called, clapping her hands loudly. The slumbering girl jumped nearly a foot into the air. "Oi! What's the matter with you?" She exclaimed. Helga's attention then turned to Godric, and her eyes widened, darting back and forth between Rowena and the boy as quick as a butterfly. "I'll tell you later. Helga, this is Godric Gryffindor. Here." Rowena tossed the boy a hunk of bread, which he took gratefully, sitting down at the base of another tree. And that was how they remained for what seemed like an eternity, their eyes darting to one another and quickly looking away. "So, Godric, where are you from?" Helga asked, attempting to break the increasingly awkward silence. "A Muggle village out west. They really hate magic out there. Especially with the raids. The Vikings let them see that they were wizards, and it made them think that everyone with magic was that cruel and evil. They started executing people, innocent people. I ran before they could execute me, and I think a few came after me, but I've been out here a week, so think I've lost them. But I've had a few close calls with Viking camps." They sat in silence, soaking in Godric's story, until Rowena spoke. "They don't hate magic." The other two looked at her, but she kept her eyes firmly fixed on the ground. "They fear it. It's the unknown. There are so many possibilities when it come to magic, so many complex facets, and they are concerned about the deadly liabilities. When Muggles cannot control something, they fear what it may be able to do to them." Godric stared at Rowena with wide eyes, and then turned to Helga. "Is she always like this?" Helga nodded. "Yeah, pretty much. It's like I always say, one day you'll impale yourself from being such a sharp woman." Rowena rolled her eyes. "Should we set up camp here? It's beginning to get dark, and we do not want to be out here unprotected at night. Who knows what's out here?" Helga nodded. "Seems like a good spot to me. What all is in that bag your mum gave you?" Rowena shook her head. "Haven't looked." The two girls made eye contact, an unspoken conversation sparking between them within seconds. "Later, Helga." Rowena stood and checked their bags. "Here." She pulled out a small box, about the size of one that you would carry a ring inside of. "Um, that's a ring box. We need a tent, or a blanket, or some sort of shelter." Godric said, thinking that Rowena was nutters. "Sh!" Helga shushed him as Rowena set the box on the ground and pointed her wand at it. She barely had a clue what she was doing, but the words of a spell came to her almost immediately. "Quarteria creo!" She said, and with a small bang, the box began to unfold. It folded outwards once, and then again, doubling in size multiple times as it created a small room, a roof detaching and from the still-expanding box and hanging itself like a tarp above their heads. The sides were exposed at first, but thinner layers of fabric unrolled themselves from the roof layer and attached themselves to the ground, leaving two flaps for them to enter and exit. It enveloped all three people and their things, creating a roomy environment that resembled a tent. Four small glass globes fixed themselves to the ceiling, awaiting the warm firelight to fill them. Nobody spoke for a moment (it was becoming a common trend), but then Godric shook his head. "Woah." He said, looking around and then back at Rowena in disbelief. "How did you..." Helga beamed at her friend. "I knew you could do it! Where'd you learn the spell?" "I didn't. The words just came to me and I used it, which I realize now was probably not a great idea, using a spell when you don't know what it does." Rowena rushed to explain. "Wow, you came up with that on the spot? You're the brightest witch of our age!" Helga said, grinning even wider. Rowena blushed but straightened her back. "There aren't that many left to choose from." She crossed the tent to find some blankets in the bag she'd packed earlier. "I brought 4 blankets, so someone can have two." Please let it be me, she thought selfishly. Hey, it was Helga who was known for selflessness, not her. "You can have it, Rowena. You're the one that prepared the living quarters." Helga said softly. "She barely did anything!" Godric pointed out, acting as though it was an injustice that he only got one blanket. "You can always sleep outside, Gryffindor." Rowena said intimidatingly. "Not complaining." He muttered as she threw the blanket at his head. Godric and Helga fixed up their blankets as Rowena lit the lamps. "That's odd, all of the glass globes are different colors," she said, "there's red, yellow, blue, and green." She knew for a fact that yellow was Helga's favorite color, considering she wore it so much and when given the choice always asked for things in yellow. Rowena's favorite color was blue, the color of the ocean she had never seen, and the color of the sapphire on her diadem that she never got to wear. "Red's my favorite color." Godric said quietly, which was a shift from his typically brash, loud voice. He offered no explanation, and Rowena made a mental note to ask him about it later. "Well, you're in luck. The red one is the one over your head. Helga, the yellow's already over yours, the green is empty, and mine is blue." It's like the tent knew where each of them would sleep, Rowena thought. "Your favorite color's blue?" The brown haired boy asked with a smile on his face, which could either mean he thought it was endearing or he was mocking her. Knowing Gryffindor, it was most likely the latter, so she glared at him slightly, trying to ignore the strange rhythm her heart beat when she was around him. "Incendio." She muttered four times, pointing her wand at each globe, and the four lamps began to glow in an illuminated rainbow of sorts. "Get some rest, Helga. You'll want to be alert tomorrow." Rowena said, patting the girl's head on the way back to her own makeshift bed. "Thanks. And Rowena?" The dark haired girl looked up from under her covers. The two shared a stare full of suppressed emotions, of the day's sadness and exhaustion, of the trials they both knew their friendship would face, of what they knew the dangerous future may hold, and Helga smiled sadly. "Things will work out. They always do." Rowena gave her a weak smile, laying down as the globe's lights automatically dimmed. She stared at the wall, her usually busy mind going into overdrive. Blinking to try and keep the demon-like thoughts away, she picked one thing to focus on: Helga's words.
Things will work out. They always do.
But all Rowena could think of was that this was an outright lie.
Not in my experience, Helga. Not in my experience.
~~~~~~~~~~
A/N
Well, there you go! Godric Gryffindor is on the team, whether they trust him or not! Please vote/comment- you know what, you guys know the drill. Sorry that there's not much action in this chapter, next chapter, y'all.
Anyways.
Bye!!!!
-hannahsparklezzzz