Remus looked up from where he was trying to wrestle Angelos into a sleeper that Minerva had sent. From the response he was getting one would have thought that he was trying to murder the child, not get him ready for bed. “Just a moment Nimue and I will give you my full attention so that we can discuss this.”
“There’s nothing to discuss,” Nimue held her head high. In the past months she had grown up, and much too quickly. She was still young, but her mind was that of a woman. “I am going home.” Nevertheless, she seated herself on a bench next to the bed and waited for Remus to ‘discuss’ the matter with her. She was not ready to be swayed.
It took more than a moment for Remus to get Angelos dressed and quiet. But soon enough he had him settled in next to Kleo and hopefully on his way to sleep. He sincerely hoped that it would last all night, although he doubted it would. But they were getting closer, and that was a relief. “Now then, why don’t we talk about why you feel the need to…”
“Do not treat me as though I don’t know what I want. I am going home and I want you to take me,” Nimue lifted her chin in an unconscious act that made her look very regal. “If you won’t, then I will make my own way back.”
“You are not leaving this island, or even this temple complex, Nimue,” Remus said tiredly, “we have discussed this at length and it is just not safe right now. Perhaps sometime soon we may be able to arrange something.”
“I am going!” Nimue sprang to her feet, hands clutched into fists. Her usually calm violet eyes were boiling with rage. The Snape temper, which had seemed to surpass her, was finally starting to surface. And she was adamant about her cause, “I am going home. You haven’t seen the letters that Viviane has been writing. My father is falling apart, he’s forbidden Aunt Graine from stepping foot on Hogwarts’ ground…”
“Nimue…” Remus tried to be patient. He knew that it was Christmas and that Nimue was hurting. She must be incredibly lonely for her family. But she also knew why it was imperative that she stay here. One simply did not flaunt Voldemort’s failures in his face.
“I don’t care about your stupid excuses!” Nimue snapped. In the past she would have been in tears at this point. Now she was simply livid. She knew what she wanted and she was determined to have her way. It was all that mattered to her now and no one seemed to understand that. No one would listen to her. They all saw her as an insignificant child who couldn’t take care of herself! They were wrong and she’d prove it to them if she had to. On that point she was coolly determined. She was perfectly capable of doing what she needed to. And that meant that she could go home and be with her family. They needed her.
“Nimue…” His patience was growing increasing thin. If Nimue’s request were at all possible he would be content to consider it. As it was he was more than willing to listen if she just needed someone to talk to. But she wasn’t listening to reason, mainly because she even refused to hear it. If she continued it might force him to come down rather hard on her, and he didn’t want to do that. Not with the circumstances being what they were and not with it being Christmas.
“NO!”
Remus quickly pointed his wand in the direction of the sleeping babies and encased them in a soundproofing spell. This was getting far too loud and he wouldn’t be able to handle this if they woke up.
“I’m leaving,” Nimue made it one step closer to the door.
“Sit down, Nimue.” Remus’ voice held a note of command that he hadn’t had to use on her before. It was the tone of voice he had had to take with her siblings on occasion when he was their Head of House at Hogwarts, but never with her.
“No,” her voice was cold, and so were her eyes.
Remus didn’t take his eyes off of Nimue even as Kalliope slid into the room. “This is your last chance to discuss this rationally Nimue,” he decided to see if her usual temperament would choose to come shining through. He hoped it would. But it didn’t. He was only met with a silent, moody glare. “Fine then, you’ve decided the course of action…” in one smooth motion he took Nimue by the arm and pushed her down into a chair. When she tried to rise he pushed her right back down and this time kept a hand on her shoulder. His patience had reached an end.
“Let me up!” she hissed. “I am going to leave and you can’t stop me!” She was well on her way to throwing a tantrum, something which she had never done before, even as a child. She had made up her mind and she was sticking to it. No matter how irrational it was. She knew very well that they wouldn’t let her leave, but she had to try. There was always a chance… Besides, she could make her own way if she had to. She could take care of herself. She was starting to learn that.
“Enough!” Remus voice came through in hard clipped tones. “You are going to listen to me Nimue, and listen well. Your parents have both put their lives on the line for you and your siblings many times, and now your mother is suffering for it. You may not appreciate the sacrifices they have made, but you will abide by their wishes. How much do you think it will help if you get yourself hurt or killed because you were too bullheaded to stay where you are safe? Hmm? Do you think that will make your father feel any better?”
“Nothing will happen to me…” Nimue squirmed, trying to get his iron hand off her shoulder.
“How can you guarantee that? You are being quite the selfish little brat right now Nimue Jane Snape. And I want that to stop right now. Do you want to make your mother’s sacrifice worthless? She was willing to give her life for you and the rest of your family, but obviously you don’t appreciate the value of that action.” He was angry with her. Probably angrier than he had ever been with anyone other than those on Voldemort’s side. With both hands she was trying to throw away everything her parents had ever done to keep her from harm. She was willing to give it all up and she didn’t care that it would endanger countless other lives. Voldemort may be content to ignore her as a target as long as she was out of sight. But if she went back… the consequences would be dire. One did not escape the dark lord once and then go back to taunt him with their continued existence.
“I am not a brat,” Nimue struggled harder to get out of her seat and was soon found herself magically bound to the chair so that Remus could stand over her with both hands on his hips.
“I will not let you make a mockery of all that your parents have done to keep you safe,” his voice was hard and steady and had risen in volume throughout there conversation. By this point he was just short of yelling. “You may be ready to throw that away but I care for your mother too much to let you do that. What would she say if she saw how you were acting now? What would your father say? I know he has no tolerance for acts of disrespect like this.”
Nimue was physically shaking with her rage by this point. In the distance there was a low rumble of thunder.
Remus turned away from her, “Aias! I know you’re out there…” the warrior appeared in the doorway leaving his watch post. “Spread word to the satyr camp, the other warriors, the barge operators, and anyone else who may need to hear it, Nimue is not to leave the temple complex and should she get farther than that she cannot be taken off this island. Is that clear?”
Aias nodded his head in agreement and gave Nimue a glance that was somewhere between sympathy and reproach before he took his leave. However he made sure to position himself close by when he returned from delivering his messages, he didn’t doubt that Nimue would try to make her escape even after all of this. Someone would have to be on hand to put a stop to that. The way Remus had looked at him when he had issued his orders was enough to let him know that he had been assigned that duty.
“If you give me your word that you won’t try to run off I will not be forced to confine you to the maidens’ quarters.” Remus said, his voice slightly more gentle than it had been before. Although his authority over Nimue according to temple standards was more ceremonial than anything else, he knew that his word was good. As Kalliope’s consort he had power, it was just assumed that he wouldn’t exercise it except in times of war. But he was certain that he would be obeyed, no matter what the priestesses talked about behind closed doors. “I don’t want to punish you because you want to be with your family. I know you mean well but you’ll just cause more damage if you do get hurt trying to make your way back.”
Nimue looked away from Remus, refusing to meet his eyes. She was still angry and she still wanted to go home. All she wanted was to go home… it was all that mattered to her and she didn’t know why it had suddenly become so important. She certainly hadn’t had a vision about it, just a feeling… But above all, she wanted her mother… there had to be another way for her to get home, she had to think of something…
“I wouldn’t suggest trying to apparate yourself, you’ll only get splinched,” Remus could see that Nimue’s thoughts were still moving. At that pronouncement her shoulders finally slumped. He wasn’t sure if breaking her spirit would be too steep a price to pay in order to keep her safe. “This is for your own good, Nimue. I’m not doing this just to be mean, not matter what you may be thinking right now.”
“Nimue, have you Seen anything that has led you to believe that you must go home now?” Kalliope spoke in the tone she used when training the smallest of novices, the ones who cried for their families at night and moped around the temple until they became more sure of themselves and their art.
“No,” Nimue confessed, although she briefly considered lying. But she realized that even if Remus wouldn’t have seen through the lie, Kalliope would have. “Can I go now?” She had tried to move, but Remus was still holding her down.
Remus slid his hands down Nimue’s arms so that he was holding her hands and knelt in front of her, “only if you promise not to try and run. It is dangerous out there.”
“I can’t hide forever, trapped in a cage… I have to open the door and face the world sometime,” Nimue had regained her composure and was now calm and collected on the outside, although her mind was still spinning wildly. She pulled her hands away from Remus’ grasp as she stood. “I won’t try to go… for now.” She was thankful that he let her leave without saying anything else. She headed towards the cliffs, she had grown to love them and the view they offered her of the rolling sea. It was calming, even during the winter months when it was at its most violent.
“Where are you off to novice?” Aias stepped out of the shadows and fell into step with Nimue.
“Nowhere.”
“You are walking awfully quickly for someone who has no destination in mind,” Aias observed. He knew that his concern would not be misunderstood. Unlike the other warriors, save Cadmus, he talked freely with the priestesses as length. His position as healer in the men’s tribe made this necessary. If Nimue hadn’t already been so used to his presence she would know that she was being followed for a reason. Although he suspected that she knew his following her wasn’t due to coincidence. “Do not take Remus’ orders so hard. He only wishes to keep you safe.”
“I’m tired of hearing that excuse. Apparently it is perfectly acceptable for me to be miserable as long as I do not come to harm.”
“Sometimes we must do what is required of us, even if we have no taste for the tasks,” Aias leaned against the stone wall as he looked out at the grey sea. “That is the way of life.” He looked up at the cold stars, “why are you here little one?”
“Because my parents sent me here so that I would be safe…”
Aias shook his head, “that is not what I meant. With your power I do not doubt that you could leave if it was what you truly desired.”
Nimue frowned and wrapped her arms around herself, trying to fight off the chill of the night air. “Because it is my duty to stay here,” she muttered bitterly.
“Just as it is my duty to use my skills as a warrior to protect this temple. Even if I wanted to leave I could not.”
“Would they force you to stay as well?” Nimue asked, her voice was still thick with emotion and as dark as the waves crashing below. She may have accepted the fact that she had to stay, but she wasn’t happy about it.
Aias chuckled lightly, “to a certain extent. But I have strong ties to this land. My family is here. I have no desire to leave them.”
“Your family?” Nimue took the bait, not realizing that Aias had been purposely trying to turn the subject.
Aias grinned, and although Nimue couldn’t see the gesture in the dark she could here it in his tone of voice, “you are well acquainted with both my mother and my father, and I believe you know one of my half-sisters as well.”
Nimue frowned, “I don’t understand…”
“Cadmus is my father, Theodora my mother. And the little novice that Theodora has recently taken on… my half-sister by Cadmus and some woman from one of the outlying farms. There are many such connections here if you know where to look for them.”
“That must be nice… I’ve never known my extended family and what family I do have outside my parents and brother and sisters my father has never much allowed us to socialize with…”
“The culture you come from is very different than the one here…” Aias looked back to the sea, thinking his words out and carefully weighing them before he spoke. He did not want to be misunderstood, for he meant no insult, “should you want a reason to stay here little one, despite your feelings of misery and loneliness, you need look no further. You need not be a priestess to stay here if that is what you fear.” He pushed away from the wall, “I bid you a good night, little one, I hope that your dreams bring you joy.”
Nimue watched his retreating figure with a stunned expression. Had she just been proposed to? That couldn’t be… of course things did work differently here… she was left to ponder that. It pushed her desire to leave the island and go to the side, at least for awhile.
~~~~~~~~~~~
