118 [Romania] - 'It doesn't feel half bad...'

Alfreda and Norberta ran ahead of the crowd and collided with Oz much to the latter's surprise. Oz would expect this sort of behaviour from Norberta but for Alfreda to also be like this...

'I guess she must have really been worried...'.

Looking back on it, it might have been cruel of Oz to leave her with no form on communication to contact him. Back when he was in Hogwarts or any time in between Alfreda could always 'reach' Oz if she wanted. This was the first time where she couldn't unless she tried to climb the mountain in her own. If Oz took anymore days in getting down she probably would have done just that. She was probably worried that Oz might disappear suddenly, like Merlin once did, leaving her alone again.

Seeing the two hug him Oz felt stifled on what to do considering affection such as this wasn't something he was used to dealing with. Although after his awakening on the mountain top he felt a slight change towards this sort of situation.

'It doesn't feel half bad...'.

Oz would use people who were useful to him and destroy those who weren't. However even he had to admit at this point that Alfreda and Norberta were becoming higher in his heart than just 'People he could use'. Alfreda's undying loyalty and the fact Oz raised Norberta since young probably played into that factor.

Patting both Norberta and Alfreda on the head, he ushered them to calm down to which Norberta backed off slowly and Alfreda quickly. Alfreda seemed to have a slight blush on her face considering that she acted like that on impulse, almost a contrast to her usual aloof and almost 'motherly' way.

As the two backed away from Oz the Romanian witches and wizards of the sanctuary came forward with Mihai and Charlie in the forefront. Mihai looked at Oz in shock considering the situation that had just arose.

"L-ai întâlnit pe Arauthator?!" (Did you meet Arauthator?!)

Looking at the enthusiastic burly Romanian wizard Oz couldn't help but smirk. Charlie seemed to turn quickly to Mihai calming him down from further question stating that Oz only understood English so he should ask the questions.

"He was asking you Oz if you met Arauthator... Did you?!".

Charlie seemed equally enthusiastic about Oz's climb up the mountain. Oz simply smiled as he began to explain to Charlie...

"I did meet Arauthator atop the mountain peak... He was a sight to behold thats for sure, the biggest dragon I've ever seen...".

Charlie's eyes seemed to light up as he heard Oz's description.

"Biggest!? Even bigger than the elder that brought you down?! How big are we talking here-".

Charlie seemed to rattle on much at Oz questioning every aspect of Oz's journey. Meanwhile the Romanian witches and wizards of the sanctuary led by Mihai seemed to be calling out to Charlie asking for a translation however Charlie was too focused on questioning Oz to notice.

"The pressure on the mountain was solely from the dragons atop?! Tens of elder dragons reside at the peak watching down?!".

Charlie seemed to be getting more and more excited as Oz answered his questions. The crowd behind Charlie also seemed to be getting more and more agitated wanting to know what Oz was saying. Oz usually wouldn't give Charlie the time of day however seeing how much he helped him when he arrived, he decided to give him the information he was so desperate for. As he went to continue answering questions however, Alfreda seemed to glare at everyone present freezing them in their spots.

As she spoke, it was almost as if the ice on the peak of the mountain was laced in her tone...

"Charlie... My master has just returned from a perilous trek up the mountain yet you are all keeping him here questioning him. Take a closer look at his appearance and ask whether or not you should wait on the questioning".

Hearing Alfreda's cutting words Charlie stepped back and looked at Oz's appearance, as did the Mihai and the Romanian witches and wizards. They stared at the 14 year old boy before them in shock as they noticed how tattered he was. Dried blood and frost seemed to cover nearly every part of his body. His back seemed to have been lacerated by something and his gloves had holes on them showing the bandaged bloodied fingers underneath.

Charlie and Mihai both scratched their heads in embarrassment noting that they let their excitement get the better of them, completely overlooking Oz's condition. Alfreda walked forward towards Oz and grabbed his arm bringing him into the sanctuary's village, splitting off from the group that had gathered around Oz. Norberta followed closely behind as they left acting almost as a bodyguard to them.

"Alfreda... There's no need to be so serious I'm fin-".

As Oz went to question Alfreda he noticed that she wouldn't budge on this moment. Oz sighed deeply as he understood that refusing help at this point would just make the situation more bothersome. His fatigue that had piled up after the trek was seemingly catching up on him too after reaching safe territory.

Alfreda led Oz into one of the houses in the village that was given to her to stay in whilst Oz was on his climb. As they entered Norberta waited outside like a bouncer at a nightclub, making sure nobody would disturb her 'Papa's' healing...

.

"Honestly master look at the condition your in! What on earth happened on that mountain climb for you to be this injured all round?!".

Currently Alfreda was applying healing spells as well as herbs/ointment to Oz's wounds in order to heal him as fast as possible. Most of the minor wounds seemed to close up quickly after healing them with spells however the lacerations on Oz's back and the ripped fingernails seemed to need more time healing, using additives like herbs and ointments to speed the process.

"I'll tell you the full story soon don't worry... Let's just say it was worth while".

As Alfreda looked into her master's eyes she noticed that his expression and demeanour seemed to have changed slightly. It was a change that only someone like her might notice considering she spent most of her time with Oz. To others it would look like he was the same young wizard yet to her it seemed as though his expression had matured and his eyes were clearer than before. She simply sighed as she heard Oz state that it was 'worth while' in the end.

"Well... you'll be pleased to know that Norberta made a friend in the sanctuary. Along with that she's settled down quite well with the other dragons. Leaving her here to grow should be fine in the long-term...".

Oz nodded as he listened to Alfreda's report. He had also told Arauthator to keep an eye on Norberta so he was completely content with leaving her here. What he wasn't looking forward to though was splitting off from her for so long. It was rare for someone like him to feel attachment to anything. Oz even deemed such feelings as weaknesses that could be used against him. However considering how Norberta hatched in front of him and grew in his care, he couldn't help but feel a kinship to the dragon.

Alfreda after several hours finally finished patching Oz up, bandaging him up almost like a mummy considering the damage that had happened to his back. Oz didn't realise it himself but when he was dangling from that cliff edge the avalanche that had hit him had cut into his back far deeper than he expected. Due to the adrenaline of the climb and the cold that took over his senses, he didn't even realise how severe the damage was.

'That avalanche even managed to tear through the clothing Alfreda prepared and I put defensive charms on... Mother nature is something not to be underestimated...'.

Oz took off his tattered clothes Alfreda had made him and chucked on a spare set of clothes he had bought just in case. Alfreda snatched the tattered set off of Oz and promised him to have them fixed in a few hours.

"Alfreda, you can slow down a bit... After all don't you want to hear about everything I experienced?".

Alfreda bit her lip as she realised she was being to hasty. Considering she was split from Oz with no notice of when he would return for so long she was feeling desperate to 'serve' him. Looking at her Oz felt pity considering that Merlin had left this elf with such bad separation anxiety. Alfreda put Oz's clothes away and followed behind him as he left the building they were in...

.

{Oz!}.

Norberta who had been outside the entire time collided with Oz again after seeing him fully healed. Oz smiled and patted her head as he thanked her for standing guard.

{So Oz... Can you please tell us what happened on the mountain!? I've been dying to know!}.

Seeing Norberta's enthusiasm Oz felt a sigh escape his lips. He calmed the dragon down before explaining.

"I need to tell this story to Charlie and Mihai as well... there's parts they both need to know".

Norberta looked down as she felt cheated by Oz at this moment. Almost as if she wanted to story to be inclusive to the three of them present. Alfreda on the other hand seemed to focus on something else.

"Master... You didn't speak in dragon-tongue just then!".

Norberta seemed to shoot her head up realising that what Alfreda had just said was completely correct. Oz would usually involuntarily speak dragon-tongue in front of her whenever she spoke to him or vice-versa. However this time Oz seemed to speak English completely fine even whilst directly speaking with her.

Oz smiled at the two of them with a warm grin.

"That's something I'll have to explain to you two privately later... for now let's go convene the rest of the sanctuary".

Oz walked on ahead followed by both Alfreda and Norberta. As he reached the cornucopia of the sanctuary, he noticed that the crowd gathered was still yet to disperse, seemingly waiting for him to come back to them. Charlie was the first to notice Oz running over to him.

"Oz! It's good to see you fully healed...".

"Thanks to Alfreda here I'm practically fully back on my feet now... Anyway Charlie, gather everyone around. I'll tell you exactly what happened on the mountain. Think of it as repayment for helping me whilst I've been at the sanctuary".

Charlie's eyes lit up as he ran over to everyone else translating Oz's intentions to them. Their expressions all seemed to glow up as they realised Oz was willing to talk about his experiences. As they gathered in the cornucopia of the village in the sanctuary, Oz stood in the middle of them with Alfreda at his side and Norberta behind him. Charlie stood next to him also, there to interpret and translate everything he was going to say.

As everyone gathered, Oz began to explain his experiences on the mountain. From start to finish he gave most of the details as to how he climbed the mountain. From using the bluebell flames to switching to heat potions. He explained also how the pressure made it difficult to think and breathe near the top. Eventually as he got onto his near-death experience all the listeners seemed to turn blue noting how close Oz was to death. This also included Alfreda and Norberta who now knew why Oz's back and fingers were so damaged after the climb.

Eventually Oz explained how he reached the mountain peak and was surrounded by elder dragons. The he finally arrived at the main topic, talking to Arauthator.

"Arauthator is a ancient dragon far bigger than any I've ever witnessed... The elder dragon you saw descend bringing me down was not even 1/10th of Arauthators size. All those years back when Harvey Ridgebit decided to stage the capture of that young dragon, I honestly think you were all incredibly lucky. If Arauthator descended this place would have been completely destroyed..."

Oz heard Charlie and Mihai gulp as he explained the full potential of the 'leader on the peak'. The rest of the Romanian witches and wizards also seemed to show expressions of fear as Oz explained the sheer danger that was the ancient dragon on the peak. Oz then went on to explain how Arauthator gave him some information to help him, not fully explaining what that information was and then finally gave him help in descending the mountain via deigning the task to one of the elders leading him to this point.

As the story came to a close all the Romanian witches and wizards, including Mihai and Charlie stared at the young boy in awe. At this point in time they didn't see Oz as the descendant of Merlin but they saw him as his own monster. No hereditary talent could improve how someone climbs a mountain and uses their will and wit to climb to the peak. This was all things Oz had achieved with his own talent.

"Charlie, would you mind interpreting something for me to Mihai?".

Charlie who was snapped out of his stupor after Oz's long story looked curiously at Oz's request.

"O-Oh, sure...".

"Whilst I was climbing the mountain I found the remains of one of the expedition teams midway up the mountain... I brought back everything I could so that the remains could be properly sent off".

Charlie's eyes widened hearing Oz's kindness in the situation he explained. As far as he was aware Oz was mostly aloof to most things, especially when it came to what he heard from the order. Charlie turned to Mihai and the rest of the Romanians explaining what Oz had just told him.

"Serios!? El a găsit unul de-al nostru !?" (Seriously!? He found one of our own!?).

Mihai seemed increasingly emotional as he heard that one of the many they lost to the mountains elements had been found. They had long held funerals for the passed however having the remains brought back as proof was something that would help them move on and confirm that what's done is done.

Oz walked before Mihai and took out the remains he had stored in his pouch. A cracked skull along with other bones. Mihai looked down at the remains with tears welling in his eyes. He seemed to be incredibly touched by the kindness Oz was showing by bringing the remains back.

"Charlie, tell him it was only a matter of course...".

Charlie sighed noting that Oz wanted to keep this matter as a simple exchange rather than something greater. He explained to Mihai that Oz only deemed it thus and Mihai along with the rest of the Romanian witches and wizards seemed to calm down. Despite this though, they still stood in front of Oz all thanking him for his generosity. As Oz received their thanks he heard Alfreda whisper in his ear from behind him.

"Master... It's unlike you to do such a thing isn't it?".

Oz shook his head hearing Alfreda's opinion on him. He may be cold to a lot of people however he respected the dead when the dead died trying to reach something greater than themselves. As someone who had died tragically once, he almost felt a sort of affinity and pity towards the early deceased.

"The expedition team traversed such a perilous mountain without the help of any bloodline or maybe even any other means of keeping themselves warm and going. You could call it dumb courage or blind bravery however it's still worthy of my respect... considering how far up those remains were it was clear that they were determined to meet the the dragons on the peak much like I did... And I respect that determination".

Alfreda looked at her master with a new opinion forming of him. At this moment she realised that her master was still a box that hadn't shown all its contents. His emotions and his feelings towards certain scenarios were still there to be unearthed...