travels of time | tvd

[002]

Kaleb had returned with many treasures, most which Maximos pocketed except for a few things he intended to give to the Mikaelsons, they items suited them. A ring - it was made of silver and had a wolf head pertruding from it. He had tossed that to Niklaus, much to the other's confusion. He then tossed a necklace of rubies to Rebekah. A bag of coinage to Elijah. A golden dagger was embedded in the ground before Kol and Finn was given a ring that looked like it belonged to a king - encrusted with all sorts of diamonds and gems. He didn't say why he gave them each item, he just did before patting Kaleb on the head.

"You are a strange fellow, Mr Maximos" Niklaus spoke first, "Thanks" Maximos didn't look up from his task of patting Kaleb. Maximos then went to the cooling bird in front of the fire and threw it at Kaleb, who viciously ripped into the dead feathered friend. He noticed the others tense at the side of his eye.

When Kaleb was finished his food, he suddenly grumbled around and stomped the ground. Maximos tensed. "I'd appreciate if you all stay behind me as we continue, Kaleb stay hidden" his voice was firm as he packed his things quickly and got on his horse once more. He waited until the rest did as well, then they left as Kaleb hid in the foliage to follow them.

Maximos didn't speak much to the family, hearing them bicker and whisper to each other from the front. "What are you hiding from, Mr Murdock?" Elijah had asked, "Hiding?" Maximos spoke with an amused tone. "You are running from something, are you not?" Niklaus piped in, "Not that I'm aware of" Maximos chuckled slightly before the siblings went back to whispering. He ignored them and focused on navigating, as none had told him to go to the nearby village he skipped it until they were five days away from his destination.

He tensed slightly at the large group ahead of them, this could set them back hours or days. The group wore all white, as if they saw themselves pure - but he knew it was so they seemed more trusting. White guards were merciless, they had a function that Maximos did not mind but seeing such a crowd meant they were hunting. "Keep quiet, let me do the talking" he ordered the rest, he felt someone wanted to speak so he turned and glared at them with a serious expression. He saw mouths close.

When they got closer, the group stopped them. The leader, an old friend of Maximos', grinned at the sight of the traveler. "Maximos Murdock! The one and only! What do you seek this way, old friend?" the man spoke with joy, much to Maximos' disgust, "Hello Logain. I am passing with associates, you know how I am by now. What purpose does the white guards have this far north?" he demanded with a sweet tone his old friend fell for everytime. "Of course, of course. Your travelling ways never stop, I see! We are looking for a group of people, suspected non-humans. A man named Mikael brought them to our attention" Logain spoke with pride. Mikael? Mikael..son.

"Interesting, old friend. Well, the Albars and I need to head to the city of knowledge. I sadly do not have time for pleasantries, the Albar matriarch has fallen ill and Perrin sent them for me." he gave his friend a fake, sad smile. Logain nodded somberly, "Of course, ever the healer old friend" he then turned to his men, "CLEAR THE PATH!" the order happened in a few minutes. Maximos bid his old friend goodbye and thanks. He didn't say anything to the Mikaelsons for another hour.

"Remember to introduce yourself with the last name Albar." he spoke suddenly, cutting through whispers, "Logain is an old friend, but his higher ranks operate from the city of knowledge. It would be too dangerous to introduce yourselves as Mikaelson" his words registered in their minds minutes later, as he was asked questions. "Why help us?" Finn asked, "What joy is company if you sell them out?" Maximos joked and sighed as he heard no laughter.

"My friend, Kaleb, is sometimes humane. He just prefers life as a wolf. My mother was a witch, and I've met way too many non-humans to care if someone is one or not." Maximos deadpanned, "The white guard are people you should not fear if you can trick them, but they are merciless if they find out." he explained bluntly and winced at the sudden loud noise that came with many questions. "One at a time!" he snapped, turning to them and rolled his eyes as they shared looks as if to see who would go first.

"Are you a witch?" Elijah asked, "No, in my family that was reserved for females due to a curse." he shrugged. "Do you have any sisters, then?" Kol asked curiously, Maximos didn't want to bring down the mood so he opted to not mention they were dead,  "Yes, I do." he answered. "How well are they at magic?" Rebekah asked, this time, "I'm keeping my sisters' secrets close to my chest." he shrugged, but they seemed to get the underlining words - don't pry there.

"Kaleb is a werewolf? Who can turn at will?" Niklaus asked, "Yes. My grandmother sought to relieve them of the pain of the moon, but in doing so gave them a choice to change. Kaleb chooses to stay in that form." he informed briefly, not wanting to go into detail as he didn't know how his grandmother achieved her goal. "Why are you not home, helping your parents or sisters?" Finn asked, as if wondering why he wasn't doing his eldest son duties, Maximos kept quiet. "Maximos, if your family is hunting you-" he cut Elijah off, "Mine are not hunting me like your father is. They're dead." he spoke sharply, tired of the questions already.

"What happened?" Rebekah asked softly, "Death" Maximos grumbled sarcastically. "It does not matter, worry for yourselves rather than an event long passed" his sharp tongue spoke before they travelled for another few hours. Maximos decided to stop by a village, which he was surprised they got to on the second day - it meant they were closer than five days but three or four days at least.

He went to the tavern with the group following him, keeping a protective yet subtle arm over his satchel. "How many rooms?" he asked the barmaiden, "Available? Three." she gasped as he put down a large sum of gold on the table. "I'll take all of them for the night." he watched as she quickly got the right sum, not caring if she took some more - the tavern was basically falling apart as it was not part of any main trails. He took the remaining coin and followed her the rooms. He thanked her as she gave them the keys.

"How do you want sleeping arrangements?" he asked as he stared at the keys with distain. "I'm taking one to myself!" Rebekah instead said, taking a key and walking off before the rest could speak. "Two more rooms and five people. Three will have to room in one, two in another." Maximos assessed, "Finn is sleeping with you, bye Maxi!" Kol chirped up as he took the key and then dragged his brothers with him. It left Finn and Maximos standing awkwardly.

"I suppose we're sharing."