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theriu · 2 years

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For A Bit Of Bread

I’M SORRY TEAM TOLKEIN And @inklings-challenge I DID NOT FINISH. Feeling super unmotivated lately. But I did complete two scenes!!! (I’d like to say this is half of the story, but knowing me it’s MAYBE a third of what it will end up being. XD;) I chose Secondary World Fantasy and ended up thinking of a short backstory for one of the characters that would be interesting to explore! So since we were told to share even if we didn’t finish, please enjoy these two scenes. I shall try to reblog with further updates when I get them done!

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(A/N: This is a short story set in the world of my hypothetical someday book Turtledove. For context, pretty much everyone joins one of the many many varieties of guilds that cover all of the usual (and some unusual) professions. I hope you enjoy....and please know that things are sometimes not as bad as they seem.)

A small figure raced down the dark alleys of Spheino’s business district, prize clutched firmly to his chest. With practiced skill, he leapt around, over, and even under the various barrels and trash bins that got in his way. Just a little farther and he’d be safe!

That is, if he could lose the three much taller figures barreling along behind him. He was nimble, but the City Watch had longer strides. Some of the obstacles that he had to crawl under, the men were vaulting over. The little figure skidded around a corner and turned up his speed, hoping desperately to reach the escape route before they could see which way he’d gone.

Another crash and a roar of anger sent fear tripping up his spine, but he reached the intersection and turned down the narrow alley between a brick church and the tall fence of a junkyard. Tucking his loot under one arm, the boy pushed against a board, which swung inward and upward, granting just enough space for a slim boy to duck through. The board thunked softly back into place behind him, hiding his escape.

That should throw them off for a second. Greg allowed himself a second to catch his breath, mentally calculating his next move. The junkyard dogs were chained up, he knew. He could skirt the yard outside their range easily by climbing over the stacks of old carriage wheels, then leap to the top of the fence on the other side and—

A growl far too close by froze him in his tracks. The boy turned slowly, staring wide-eyed at long, white teeth gleaming in the moonlight. He took a step back, eyes darting for an escape route. The dog lunged and the boy dropped, hands flung protectively over his head.

The loose board thonked the dog in the muzzle as it swung up, breezing just over the top of the boy’s lowered head. Before he could think, a hand grabbed the hood of his ragged tunic in a fist and yanked him backward into the alley, the board blocking off the image of the snarling dog as it swung shut behind him.

The boy landed on the ground with a breathless thud, gasping with fear and confusion. Then he got his bearings and looked up to see the owner of the hand. A simple silver cross glinted on the looming figure’s breast in the moonlight, his hands planted firmly on his hips.

“That was your last chance, little Greg,” Pastor Judson said in a stern, disappointed tone.

As the three men from the Watch ran towards them, Greg slumped where he sat and sighed. He took one last, longing look at his stolen treasure before he was yanked upright again by rougher hands.

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Greg scrunched in on himself on the rough stool, keeping his eyes firmly on the floor and not at the two towering adult figures standing over him. If you can’t get away, hide, and if you can’t hide, be as small as possible. It was the mantra that had kept him safe and free this long.

He had a dread in his stomach that this time, that freedom would be ending for good.

“Bread, Greg? Really?” Pastor Judson sighed, looking at the large loaf of artisanal bread in his hand. It was a work of art, hard-glazed and styled in the shape of a dragon, complete with flaked almond scales. “Do you not care for the bread we give out at the soup kitchen?”

Greg didn’t answer, hugging his knees closer and tilting his face parallel to the floor.

The Watch officer grunted. Greg had encountered him before—Captain Herschel. Their past meetings had not been any more appealing for either side. “You can’t speak up for him this time, Tim. He’s had every chance to curb that kleptomania of his. This is his third strike.”

Greg’s hands clenched against his threadbare pantlegs. He didn’t like having his stealing thrown in his face as some mental malfunction. So what if certain things jumped out at him at unexpected moments, begging to be added to his private collection? He could control it. He didn’t need to steal.

Greg glanced up at Pastor Tim Judson, nursing a faint hope that the nice man might be able to wiggle him out of this incident like he had the last. The pastor met his gaze and sighed, giving a slight headshake that sank Greg’s heart in his chest. “I know, Reese. You’ve been more than fair, and he almost got himself mauled tonight besides.” The image of flashing white teeth lurked behind Greg’s eyes, and he had to suppress a shiver as Pastor Judson went on. “What’s to be done with him? He’s only ten or so—too young for most of the guilds to accept, even if they’d be willing to take someone with a record.” The pastor sighed regretfully. “I had hoped he would make it to that age so I could get him safely apprenticed before he ended up in the youth prison.”

The mention of the youth prison made Greg tremble, but he bit his lip, determined. He would not cry. They would see how tough he could be! Besides, some of the street kids who’d served shorter sentences in the prison said it wasn’t too bad. You got consistent meals and an actual mattress and blanket to sleep on, even if you had to work.

Captain Herschel crossed his arms behind his back and considered the tiny ball that was Greg. He crouched abruptly, still slightly taller than the curled-up boy but closer to the same level. “Greg. Look at me.” The soft but inflexible command made Greg peek up. He stared into the solemn, square face with its slight beard and brown bangs. “Why did you steal that bread? Were you hungry, or was it another reason?”

It would be easy to make excuses that he was hungry—that was always a smart way to earn pity. He might have if he’d been caught anywhere else. But with Pastor Judson standing right there, brow furrowed in concern, Greg couldn’t bring himself to lie. “N . . . no, sir. Pastor Jud’s soup kitchen’s real nice. I get enough to eat.”

The Watch captain nodded to himself. He turned and gestured for the bread Pastor Judson held, then looked it over, turning it slowly in his hands. Greg’s eyes naturally on the masterful design, just as they had an hour ago when he’d passed the bakery and first laid eyes on its. A masterpiece of bread artistry, displayed in the window more as a demonstration of the baker’s skill than as a meal to be eaten.

“This is a beautiful bit of work,” Captain Herschel murmured, as if to himself. Greg nodded anyway. “So was the jeweled belt buckle you stole two weeks ago. And the top hat you nicked from the Men’s Boutique last month.”

“You never caught me for that—” Greg bit his tongue and winced. A knowing grin flickered across Herschel’s mouth, so quick even the sharp-eyed boy couldn’t be sure it had happened.

“Putting aside the number of strikes you should actually have on your record,” the captain continued softly, “I’ve noticed something about the places you target. All fairly high-end. Hard to get into. And yet we never seem to find the items being sold back onto the market, despite being worth a pretty penny. And now”—he eyed the artistic bread, which, despite being crafted to last, obviously wouldn’t fare well in a street boy’s possession—“this. Tell me something, Greg.” He tilted his head, brown eyes searching. “Are you part of a gang?”

Would it be better if he was? Could he bargain for a lighter punishment? But it didn’t matter—Greg didn’t have anyone to rat out. He shook his head.

“No, I didn’t think so. Do you plan these thefts out ahead of time? Or is it more spur of the moment?”

This time, Greg shrugged and looked down. But a stern throat-clearing brought his head reluctantly back up, and he sighed. “It just hits me sum’times, alright? I saw it, I wanted it. I got it.”

“Would you have taken it if Pastor Judson had been the one who owned it?”

Greg’s head shot up, eyes wide behind his black bangs. “What? No! I’d never take something of Pastor Jud’s!”

Captain Herschel pressed farther, his brow creased. “Why? Because he’s your friend?”

“’Cause it’s wrong!” Greg burst out, face heating even as he said it. He knew stealing was wrong, even if it wasn’t from a pastor. But his ten-year-old reasoning didn’t know how to put it into the right words—that some things just felt more wrong. The boy shrugged again and fiddled with a tear in his pants, refusing to meet Captain Herschel’s eyes. So he missed the glint of understanding in them.

Captain Herschel studied him a moment longer, then pushed his hands against his knees and straightened. What had all those odd questions been about? Not that it mattered; Greg already knew where he was going. The boy braced himself for the final pronouncement.

“I don’t believe youth prison’s the answer for this one,” Captain Herschel said to Pastor Judson. Greg looked up, confused. What other option was there?

The captain turned and looked down at Greg, giving a sharp nod as if in decision. “He may be a good candidate for the Civil Servants Guild.”

Shock bolted through Greg, freezing every limb. Pastor Judson’s eyebrows shot up, but he only eyed the captain doubtfully while the boy at their feet sat immobile. “Are you certain? I’ve heard they’re very strict, and they only take apprentices by recommendation.” He hesitated, then ventured carefully, “No one’s really quite sure what they do, either. I don’t suppose you can share why Greg could be a good candidate?”

A smile creased the captain’s face, and he patted the pastor’s shoulder. “They are strict, but I think this one can handle it. And I’ll be recommending him.” He hesitated. “As to why . . . let’s just say I see a certain potential I think they can do something with. Beyond that, I’m not allowed to say,” he finished, half gruff and half apologetic.

The pastor waved a hand dismissively. “Alright, alright. I suppose the air of mystery is important to their work. You know I trust your judgement.” He looked down at Greg thoughtfully. “At least he’ll be putting that clever energy into learning a trade that serves King and country. Whatever trade that may actually be.”

The rest of what they said to each other turned to senseless buzzing in Greg’s ears. He stared straight ahead, gazing into an unexpected yet terrifying new future. The Civil Servants Guild . . .

Every street kid knew the rumors about that mysterious, secretive guild that sat like a walled fortress in the East District of Spheino. They all avoided it as much as possible, whispering of particularly bad kids who got sent behind those walls. Maybe they were made into apprentices and taught how to be assassins. Maybe they were test subjects for weird experiments, or brainwashed and turned into mindless servants. One thing was certain: None of their old friends ever saw them again.

“I’ll be good.” His voice came out as a rough squeak, and Greg had to fight through his own terror to speak louder, though no less squeakier. “I’ll be good! Send me to the youth prison! Or, or, I’ll work for the Watch! I can clean the offices and the barracks!” He was babbling now, sweat beading on his neck. He’d do anything, anything!

Captain Herschel and Pastor Judson shared a look. The captain gave a wry smirk. “I see their reputation precedes them.”

“Don’t worry, Greg,” the pastor said, leaning down to put a hand on the quaking boy’s shoulder. “Captain Herschel wouldn’t take you somewhere dangerous.”

Part of Greg wanted to believe him, but the other part could only see himself disappearing forever into the dark mouth of those dreaded gates. He cowered on his stool, glancing around for a good escape route. But just as he bolted off his stool, Captain Herschel grabbed him by the upper arm. Greg struggled with sudden violence, but he was lifted to his feet like a wet puppy by the much taller and stronger man.

“Sorry, Greg,” Herschel said implacably, “but you don’t get a choice in this matter. You gave up that right when you threw away all the second chances you were given.” He marched the child to the door of the pastor’s office, out towards the street where a horse cart had been summoned.

“It will be alright, Greg!” Pastor Judson called again, following them to the door and watching as Greg was handed into the cart with no chance of escape. “Trust in the Lord. He will see you through any trial.”

As if that was comforting, Greg thought bleakly as the carriage door shut on him like the lid of a coffin.

(To be continued...)

#inklingschallenge #cs lewis #secondary world fantasy #turtledove #greg #my characters #my ocs #civil servants guild #team tolkein

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bisexualunicronrunningloose · 2 years

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Turtledove - Chapter 16

Ch.15

And I'm back! I wasn't sure how exactly I wanted this chapter to go but I figured it out. Hopefully there won't be too long of a break between chapters again.

Y/N POV

You took a seat on one of the chairs and waited as Tony was typing on one of his computers. You were looking around and bouncing your right leg up and down.

“So how are you feeling after the last few days? A lot has happened and I feel like I haven’t gotten a chance to talk to you about that or the updates you have put in the audio diary.” Tony asked looking up at you after he had finished typing.

“It definitely has been a busy few days. I’m remembering a lot of things that I had pushed down. There is a lot that I know I have to work through. I just want to be able to do some good with the abilities that I have been given.” You reply with a small smile on your face.

“I just want to say thank you again for co operating with all of this and giving us time to make decision if we can trust you. I have to say you have been very understanding of it all and taking everything in stride. If I’m being honest I was sort of expecting a little push back or more resistance, similar to when Barnes got here. Not that he wasn’t co-operating he was it just took a while, but part of our agreement with him was having counselling sessions once a week. The first person he spoke to was not a fit but once Sam volunteered to help it has been smooth sailing. I was going to ask you if you would be willing to do something similar. Just so you can come to terms with the past and figure out ways to move forward and how to fit in the team.” Tony said placing his elbows on the table and resting his chin on closed hands.

“Yeah I totally understand. James has mentioned how much Sam has helped him. I actually asked Sam yesterday if I could speak to him or someone else he knows to help me out to understand all these feelings I have been having with all these memories that are coming back. Especially the nightmare I had yesterday after the test. I can’t shake this feeling that the place I dreamed about is real and that there are young girls being held somewhere…Sorry I haven’t updated that yet in the audio-files” you respond your mind wandering back to that little girl.

“It’s alright, like I said it has been a very busy few days. I don’t expect you to do an update on your memories the moment you remember something. If you want to we can go over it now, it you are feeling up to it?” Tony responded.

You nodded and then relayed the dream you had of the training room, the group of young girls and the little blonde girl.

“I have no idea when that was or where it was. I don’t remember reading about anything like that in my files. I described the dream to James, he mentioned something about a program call the ‘Red Room’ and to ask Nat about it when she gets back.” You finished.

“Hmm that’s very interesting. I’ll have a look over the files you gave me to see if I can pinpoint anything. As for the ‘Red Room’ it might be possible I personally don’t know too much about it, just that Natasha is familiar with it, her and Steve should be back soon and we can talk to her then. Fury will also come by in the next few days. I have been keeping him informed of everything that has been happening here since you arrived. He will also have a say in how you fit into the team. Plus he needs to communicate with the government about you. It’s a bit of a long and complicated process. But it is so they know who you are, what you can do and that you are part of the team. Plus they might want to question you and pardon you, depending on your past. But we don’t have to worry about that just yet. For now we just have to focus on getting the chip out of your neck.” Tony responded.

“Yeah of course. Anything I can do to help. I’ll definitely talk to Nat when gets back. I hope that…” before you could finish your sentence FRIDAY came up over the speakers along with a small alarm.

“Mr. Stark the security system has picked up movement just outside the perimeter. It looks like an unknown aircraft, about half a dozen people are making their way towards the compound. I have put up the feed on your big screen.”

You and Tony turned to look at the screen. You felt like a rock fell into the pit of your stomach. On the tail of the aircraft, you saw a familiar symbol, a symbol that had haunted your dreams, HYDRA. You started to breathe heavily and subconsciously started to rub the back of your neck.

“This is not good,” you say turning to Tony.

“No it’s not. We are going to have to do something about this. FRIDAY notify everyone and get them to suit up.” Tony said.

“I want to help. But I don’t know if it’s a good idea. What if they have a device to control me?” You say turning to Tony.

“I would not want to take that risk. I hate to ask this of you but for your safety and ours it might be best to keep you in a secured area until we have this handled.” Tony responded with a weak smile.

Just then the door burst open, James, Shuri, Ayo and Burce walked in.

“Wanda, Peitro and Sam are suiting up. Clint just arrived and is already headed to the roof to get a better view of the intruders. T’Challa is already suited up and is going to loop around behind them so we can get them from both sides.” James said looking at the screen and pointing to a figure that was moving through the trees in a large arc to get behind the people that were quickly making their way towards the clearing just past the trees.

“Shuri, would you mind staying behind with y/n. It is just as a safety precaution we don’t want them to take control over her and put all of us in danger.” Tony asked standing up and walking towards a wall and pressing a hidden button revealing a case that housed his Iron Man suit.

“Of course. I should be able deactivate her incase they try and take control over her. Just don’t let them get too close to the compound. The device they use to activate her needs to me in range to work. As long as you have them handled before they get with in range we should all be safe. I’ll bring her back to the testing room we were at this morning. I can lock her in there and observe her safely.” Shuri smiled

“That sounds great! As long as I am not putting anyone in danger and they don’t get to me I’m good. I just don’t understand how after all this time they are coming after me?” You reply.

“I have a strange suspicion that when Shuri activated the chip this morning a notification went out with your location. I presume the chip has a GPS tracker in it that is turned on once the chip is activated. I guess they only needed the GPS tracker on when they were using you.” Bruce replied.

With that, the group split off. You and Shuri headed back to the testing room from this morning and the others headed out of the compound and towards where the HYDRA agents were making their way. You tried to focus on your breathing while Shuri opened the door to the room and you walked in. You sat down and leaned against the wall leaning your head back with your eyes closed. Shuri was sitting in the observation room she had a sad look on her face.

“I was talking to Bruce and he seems to agree with me. The best way we can help you is if you come back to Wakanda with us. We have lots of technology there and no one will find you there. We can get that chip out of you and maybe you can stay for a bit and relax. I know Sargent Barnes found peace there with his goats.”

“He had goats?” You reply turning your head to look at her through the window. James with goats, now that must have been something to see.

“Yes two of them. I think the time he spent in Wakanda really helped. I know once we managed to deactivate the Winter Solider program he was so relived. He said that after all these years he finally felt free. Ayo said that when she did the last test to see if we were successful he had tears in his eyes when he realised he was free.” Shuri replied with a smile on his face.

“I can’t wait for that feeling. If you think it is a good idea for me to come then I think we should do it. I guess you would have to asked Tony if that is ok.” You reply

“I’ll speak to him later, once they get these HYDRA agents sorted with. How are you feeling? Any sparks from the chip?” Shuri asked.

“No, thankfully. I hate this waiting. I know it is the smart thing to day but I really wish there was something that I could do.” You replied.

Just then you heard a loud bang come from outside. You turned to look at Shuri. She was typing on a keyboard. She then turned a computer screen to face you so you could see what was going on. You saw that the team was ok. The six HYDRA agents were all lying on the ground. Some were holding their hands to their ears. You saw a familiar redhead and guessed that Nat and Steve must have just gotten back and taken the HYDRA agents by surprise. You also saw someone else that you did not recognise. As you continued to watch you saw the team begin to handcuff and lift the HYDRA agents off the ground and drag them off-screen.

“I think we should wait here until we get the all clear.” Shuri said turning to you.

“Yeah that is probably for the best.” You replied standing up and walking to the window to get a better look at the screen to see if you could see anything else. The team was no longer visible and all you could see was the grass, trees and a little bit of smoke coming from off-screen. You let out a sigh and take your seat again on the floor. You lean your head back and close your eyes. Five minutes later there was a knock at the door and you opened your eyes. Shuri left the observation room and crossed the room and opened the door. Tony and James were standing there.

“Well we managed to subdue the assholes. Luckily Romanrogers got here and made sure they didn’t get away. They are currently putting them all on the Quinjet they arrived on and sending them to SHIELD where Fury will interrogate them. They have this blonde with them that is insane. I’ll have to figure out who she is and where she came from. It seems we just keep collecting new people.” Tony said

“Did anyone get hurt?” You ask looking at James doing a quick scan to see if he had gotten hurt.

“Luckily the only injuries were on their side” Tony replied.

“Don’t worry my turtledove, it will take a lot more than that to take me down.” James said making his way to you and pulling you into a hug. He held your face in both his hands and looked into your eyes. His deep blue eyes looked into yours and you felt yourself calm down.

“How did the two of you hold up? Any issues here?” He asked looking between you and Shuri.

“We are all good. No sudden change in y/n, I guess they wanted to get her back and not activate her right away. I’m going to look over the scans of the chip again and see what happened and how they found you. I think Bruce might have been right in how they found you. I mentioned to y/n that I think it might be a good idea to bring her to Wakanda, my equipment there is more equipped to handle this. Plus they won’t be able to find her there either.” Shuri replied coming up behind you.

“That might be for the best, thank you Shuri” James replied.

“I agree. I don’t want to risk …” Tony replied

“The safety of the team? I completely agree. I don’t want to cause more trouble than I already have. I don’t want to put anyone else at risk at my expense. Plus I want to meet your goats James” you finished Tony’s sentence and nudged James on the shoulder.

“You told her about the goats?” James said looking at Shuri with a cheeky smile.

“Hey they are cute goats!” Shuri replied

“Right well let’s go find Romanrogers and that blonde they brought with them and do a quick debrief.” Tony replied

“Romanrogers? Do they know you call them that?” You asked as the group made their way back to the common room and kitchen area.

“No the don’t and you better not tell them about it” Tony looked at you with a wide grin.

“Don’t worry I won’t” you replied

As you got to the common room and kitchen area you saw Nat and Steve talking with a young blonde woman. Nat sees you and smiles.

“Seriously, y/n I’m gone what a few days and you somehow get HYDRA to find you and attack headquarters” she joked walking over to you and giving you a huge hug.

“And leave it to you to come in at the last minute and save the day” you replied returning the hug.

The blonde woman turned around. Her face dropped as if she had seen a ghost.

“I know you… how are you alive? They … they said you were gone and weren’t coming back. You look exactly the same…” the blonde said staring at you.

Ch. 17

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