Untitled

[helgathepuff1]

Hopeless Wanderer || Helga&Rowena

[rowena-theravenclaw-deactivated]

Helga’s skill with the baby was always a relief, and Rowena let herself relax. They were were all together, and they were safe for the time being, which was all that mattered right now. And she could put up wards, as she always did, to keep any passers-by from finding them. She nodded at Helga’s words. “Only a little?” she asked with a grin, raising one eyebrow. She didn’t mean it, of course. Helga was perfectly capable of setting up a tent. She suspected that Helga had offered to take care of the firewood because she still worried about Rowena’s condition. But she went along with it, because she really could use a rest.

She took Helena again so Helga could have both hands free to gather firewood, then sat cross-legged in the grass and took out her wand to set up camp. It didn’t take long; they didn’t own much, just the tent and the bedrolls, which were warm enough not, but winter would be on them soon. She wondered yet again whether there was some spell they could use to warm themselves. She hadn’t had time to figure it out yet, though she’d have to soon, if she wanted Helena to make it through the winter. Hopefully wherever the dreams were taking them, they’d find a more permanent shelter by the time it got too cold. It seemed like the most logical choice to follow them, at any rate. They’d never misled her before.

When she’d set up camp and fed Helena, Rowena cradled the infant quietly, listening to the sounds of the countryside as night fell. Crickets in the grass, a few birds still warbling away, the wind in the trees. She couldn’t hear Helga anymore, but she knew she was nearby. So she just waited and watched the wind sending ripples over the pond, trying not to let exhaustion get the better of her yet. A few years ago she’d have stripped down to her unmentionables and taken a swim, she thought. But now she had too many other things to worry about.

[helgathepuff1]

Rowena cracking a joke, no matter how small, always made Helga feel a bit proud. She knew that there'd probably never been much time in her life for humor, and she tried to bring a little of it out for her friend. Swatting lightly at her arm, making sure that Helena wasn't jostled much she laughed as she responded, "Yes! Only a little." With Rowena the teasing came naturally, as it never had with her brothers, who'd always sounded a bit too sincere with their critiques. She was glad that even though the comforts of home that she'd always been used to were gone that their friendship still remained, even back home she'd realized it was really all she needed. 

If Rowena hasn't taken the baby, Helga probably would have fastened her to her back or made do some other way, too stubborn to admit defeat. But she set off to collect the firewood without any hindrance, a light spring to her step despite the long ways they had already gone. As she picked up stray pieces of wood, examining them to make sure they were dry, she  thought. Not about the journey ahead, but about Rowena, and she hoped that her friend knew that although she might be better with calming the infant, there was still nothing that could replace Helena's actual mother. She hoped that Rowena knew that, even through all the other things Helga knew she must be focusing on. 

The countryside wasn't as tame as the broad valleys back home, but it suited them. They both were somewhat wild, refusing to become refined and actual ladies, like her mother had wanted. She thought that if she was alone she'd get lost in the moor, find some place deep within it where no one would ever find her. But Rowena was waiting for her, and the bundle of firewood had grown from just a simple stick, so she set back out to their campsite, the light of the full moon guiding her way. There was a peacefulness here too, she realized, and she tried to keep her footsteps silent as she set down the firewood and moved to sit besides Rowena and Helena, her skirt bunching up around her sides. 

[helgathepuff1]

Hopeless Wanderer || Helga&Rowena

[rowena-theravenclaw-deactivated]

Helga’s sunny smile was exactly what Rowena needed to calm her nerves. And Helga’s pet name for her brought a smile to her lips as well; no one had ever been close enough to call her by a nickname, not even her sisters. She’d always been the odd one out. But with Helga, she knew she belonged. And she knew she could trust Helga with her safety, with her child’s safety. She handed Helena over carefully, the infant stirring slightly as she changed hands, but she settled down in Helga’s arms. She’d rest better there than she would with Rowena.

She wondered sometimes whether she was putting too much on the younger woman’s shoulders, whether Helga wouldn’t have been better off at home with a husband and her family around her, where at least she wouldn’t have had to worry about surviving day to day. Then again, she’d have a husband to worry about, and who knew, that might be worse. She certainly wouldn’t have her freedom. So she tried not to worry about it too much, shook off the thought and glanced around the clearing. It was sheltered from the wind and from prying eyes, and a cursory glance didn’t show any signs of recent inhabitants.

“It looks like a perfect place to stay for a while,” she said, trying to pick up some of Helga’s optimism. “Maybe we can relax for a few days.” She was determined not to let the uncertainty show in her voice. She knew that Helga picked up on her anxieties sometimes, but since Rowena had been the one to drag her all the way out here, the least she could do was try not to worry her any more than the circumstances probably did already. She could control herself, she reminded herself. She did it with her magic; she could do it with emotions. “Do you want to get the tent or the firewood this time?” she asked with a smile, pulling the canvas from the bag at her waist, which Helga had helped her figure out how to charm so it was bigger on the inside than the outside.

[helgathepuff1]

At Rowena's smile Helga allowed herself to focus on Helena for a moment, taking her in her arms and rocking back and forth slightly, hoping to bring about the motions of walking that she so missed when they were still. She didn't know to much about children, had only played with them when she was younger and had never bothered much with seeing what their parents did. But natural instinct seemed to win out over her lack of knowledge and she seemed to be doing alright. It never took Helena long to come to a rest in her arms, and she glanced back up at Rowena when the baby was still, ready to listen.

Although this was more Rowena's journey, and she'd have never gone on it on her own, she had never regretted coming. The comforts of home were gone, but Helga had always scorned those to a certain extent. Preferring to be outside in the valley, forging her own path even when her mother frowned upon her actions. And there was family here, more than she'd had at home, and she knew that family was one thing she wouldn't give up on. That alone was reason enough to continue even after days of long journeys with no promise of finding what they sought coming.

Glancing around the sheltered alcove she smiled brightly at Rowena's suggestion, her head nodding slightly. "I'd like that, it's nice here and I'm sure we could do with a rest." She sometimes wondered if they'd set out too soon, and if Rowena was even capable of traveling so soon after Helena had been born, and she was glad that she'd suggested to relax for a while before continuing on. "I can get the firewood, you're better with the more precise magic anyways. The tent was a little lopsided when I did it the last time." The grin on her face was enough to tell Rowena that she was joking. The light outside was fading, but they'd found that often just the light of the moon and the stars was enough to help them see, and the moon was exceptionally bright tonight.

[helgathepuff1]

Hopeless Wanderer || Helga&Rowena

[rowena-theravenclaw-deactivated]

Rowena never knew what to do with a crying baby, at least not when Helga wasn’t there to help out. The only thing that seemed to calm Helena was walking, and they’d been doing that for days straight already. But it was either that or listen to the baby screaming and crying, and God only knew who or what might hear. So Rowena walked circles around the place they’d chosen as a backup campsite in case they couldn’t find anywhere civilised to stay. And when she got bored of the same scenery, she wandered farther off, holding Helena against her and making sure her cloak covered them both, keeping out the slight chill. The wind didn’t bother Rowena much; she was used to the Scottish highlands. But Helena was small and fragile, and she had Welsh blood in her, more suited to the sheltered hills than this rocky expanse and its tendency toward gusts.

This journey might have been a bad idea, she reflected for about the thousandth time as she rubbed Helena’s back to keep her quiet and warm. Not that there had been any good options open to her after Bran had abandoned her. And she’d woken up one morning from a dream about the rocky slopes she’d played on as a girl to find that she missed Scotland, more terribly than she could ever have imagined missing anything, and she had an almost desperate need to return there. As if some spirit had reached inside her and taken hold of her bones and was trying to drag her home. She’d been able to resist for a few days, but she couldn’t stop thinking about it, smelling the grass of the moors and wind off the loch everywhere she went. She’d known then that she had to obey whatever was trying to pull her back, or she’d go mad. Well, at least Helga seemed to be enjoying herself, she thought. And it wasn’t as bad as living on the street - at least out here they were free to practise magic without having to worry too much about being found out.

When she saw a figure moving ahead of her in the distance, there was an instant of panic - the fear that she’d stumbled across a stranger, and that because she was only one woman alone with a baby she would be an easy target for anything they wanted to do to her. Of course that was ridiculous, part of her said; she was a witch, and could protect herself. But she was on edge lately, and logic wasn’t quite as comforting as it had once been. Thankfully she didn’t have to worry - the sunlight glinting off golden hair let her know that it was only Helga. Rowena hadn’t meant to follow her friend’s path out onto the moor; she’d just been wandering, trying to keep Helena from crying out, and then trying to keep her asleep when she’d finally dozed off. But her presence was comforting, and now that Rowena had found her, she might as well catch up. She quickened her pace a little, but not enough to wake Helena, following Helga through the gap.

[helgathepuff1]

Magic had always held a comfort to Helga, so much different than what her parents told her it was. Yes, it was wild, somewhat untamable in her hands, but they didn't see the possibilities that lay before them because of what they possessed. She was never frightened when she had to call on magic, just felt a sense of reassurance that this was who she was, and stifling it made no sense when this was her protection, especially out in this unknown land. She was used to holding it contained in her hand, and although it had used to draw too much energy from her for her to be able to keep it up, with Rowena's guidance she'd been able to learn how to master it, not fully, but enough so that it was an aid to her in times like this.

The footsteps behind her were noticeable. Not the small, careful, silent footsteps of someone who didn't want to be heard, and that put her mind at ease slightly, either it would be Rowena, or someone who overestimated his skill and saw her as no more than a simple woman traveller. Alone and unprotected. But she'd become so attuned to having Rowena and Helena accompanying her on their travels that it only took her a few more moments to recognize the cadence of her step, the weight of the baby slowing it slightly, and she concluded that Helena had not been able to sleep yet again. She wondered what made the child so restless, and even she, who had spent years helping oversee the younger children at her manor didn't know quite how to calm her.

Holding her arms slightly outstretched, a silent offer to Rowena that she could take the baby, Helga turned, her face set in a smile as she glanced around the sheltered clearing. "I think this'll do... Don't you Wendy? It looks safe and I don't think another wanderer has found it." She knew that Rowena spent far too much time worrying, and she always tried to not mention the things that they both knew to be true. That this whole plan was riddled with errors and that maybe they wouldn't find what they wanted in Scotland. But Helga wasn't one to admit defeat until she'd done her very best to work something out, and that wasn't yet the case here. There was still hope, and she clung to hope like Rowena clung to her knowledge and logic.

[godricthebrave-blog]

Not lost, but where the hell am I?

[helgathepuff1]

Good evening Sir, it seems as if you are indeed lost. Are you going anyplace in particular?

[helgathepuff1]

Hopeless Wanderer || Open

They were lost. Not that it worried Helga. She was used to the unfamiliar sight of strange places and the slightly nervous tingly feeling of both worry and excitement that seemed ever rooted on her. But she couldn’t miss the faint sense of worry that lingered in Rowena’s eyes and she knew why it was there. The little bundle in her arms enough to tell her that she couldn’t treat this like any other adventure she’d had at home because she wasn’t solely responsible for herself now and she’d offered to go scope out the countryside for somewhere where they could stay for the night. That was something she’d always been good at and she didn’t want to fail her friend now. After all, Helena was a part of her family now as well, she’d helped deliver her and now it was up to both of them to find her a proper home. Build something that was better than the places where they’d both come from. It was harder than expected though, the sight of two women, alone and with a fatherless baby, not a welcome one. And she’d had to take several of the deep calming breaths Wendy had told her about in order to stop herself from exploding something.

But none of that mattered now, and she had no need to dwell on it any longer as it would do no use. A slight chill came from the wind, rippling over the grass and she was struck for a moment at the feeling that came with it. That of being completely and utterly free. No more parents stifling whom she was, no more duties and fancy suitors. Just her and Rowena and the baby lost out in the wild moor. And really, that couldn’t be so bad. It felt real and more alive than anything else had, the wind blowing her hair out of the lazy braid she’d put it in, the grass rustling at her feet lifting her skirt gently up off the ground and making it dance with it, and she wondered for a moment what it would be like to grow up here. Away from everything else and simply with the grass and the animals and people who where family despite their not being related. But she was daydreaming again, and come morning they’d be gone. Off towards some other village full of people who wouldn’t understand their story, because that was what was practical and somehow it would all pan out alright.

A distant clearing caught her gaze, a couple of boulders by the side and what looked like a lake behind them. Hiking her skirt up slightly she set off in pursuit, wondering if they could set up a small spot here. It looked safe, but she’d learned from a few minor scuffles over territory with the neighboring boys that one had to check to make sure. She didn’t possess a wand like Rowena, but she knew she could hold her own if it came to it, besides anyone whom she might encounter would probably be someone without the Gift, and that could be settled far easier. It wasn’t quiet. And that served to relax her, as nature always had, the chirping of the birds and the stray lonely calls of early crickets intermingling with the fading heat of the day as she stepped forward, edging along and feeling the rush of magic warming her fingertips. But even through the calm she couldn’t shake the lingering feeling that she was not alone. And that someone else was wandering on the Scottish moor.