"Hermione and Harry?" Ron repeated before he nodded to them both. "Thanks again… I've been traveling for the last few days, and I haven't met anyone else on the road."
"Well, that's because the harvest season is over isn't it?" Hermione asked as she went back to the fireplace. "Harry? Could you get some of the vegetables in the cellar? I'll try and cook some mushrooms and…"
"How about I cook?" Harry asked as he showed Ron into the room that Hermione just came out of so that he could change in peace. "And you can go get them?"
The last thing Ron heard before Harry shut the door was Hermione snapping at him, "What? You don't think I can cook?"
Ron found a large tub that was full of water, obviously the bathroom and he quickly took a bath before he changed into the clean clothes, so glad for them… and to get out of his now ruined garments. As he shook out his red hair, he thought more to his journey. What should he tell them? It's not like he could come right out and tell them that he had been sleeping for who-knows-how-long and only woke up a few days ago so that he could find his sister's soul mate could he?
As he slowly smelled the delicious scent of stew cooking, he came up with a plan. He would tell them that he came from far away and that he was just traveling this way. And then he would causally bring up the question about his home… he would just ask if they knew about it and how long it had been cursed…
At long last, he came out, feeling better than he had in days and saw that Hermione had disappeared, but Harry was still there, now stirring whatever was in the pot. He looked up at him when he answered and explained, "She tries hard… but cooking just isn't one of her strong points."
Ron grinned. "You seem alright though?"
Harry laughed. "Well, one of us had to learn," he said. But then his expression darkened. "But is what Hermione said true and that you don't know anything about the market? It's the biggest thing around these parts. People from all over come to trade and sell."
"Ah…" Ron stuttered. "No… I've only been traveling for a little while, and I've never been to this country before. I'd been traveling this way for about four days now."
"From where?" he asked, but before he was able to think of an answer Harry just shook his head. "No, I'm sorry," he told him as he added some salt to the stew. "It's none of my business. I know a lot of people who wouldn't like talking about things they rather not talk about. It's just strange meeting someone who doesn't know what's happening around these parts."
Ron sat in one of the kitchen chairs and asked, "No, it's ok. I'm grateful for you guys helping me. See…" he hesitated, as Harry looked up. "I'm looking for someone who could help my family, and I've got nothing to go on."
"Man!" Harry said, standing up. "That sounds like it would suck."
Ron laughed as Harry looked at him hard. "What did you say your name was again?"
"Oh, ah… Ron," he said. "Just Ron."
Harry frowned slightly at the name. "What?" Ron asked worriedly.
"Oh, nothing," Harry assured him. "It's just that I think I heard that name somewhere before… I'm trying to think of where."
Ron didn't like where he was going with this and quickly asked, "So… what are you making?"
"Just some stew," he answered calmly. "Hermione's outside with Crookshanks."
"Who?" Ron asked.
"Her cat, Crookshanks," Harry answered, stirring the pot. "He's in the barn… he got into a fight with a dog the other day and he's recovering in there."
"You talking about me?" said the now familiar voice. Hermione walked in and quickly shut the door behind her as she brushed pieces of hay out of her hair.
"How's the cat?" Harry asked, taking a quick taste of lunch before adding some more salt.
"He's doing a lot better," Hermione said as she slumped over in another chair, opposite of Ron. "Don't know what he was thinking when he fought that wild dog. He's lucky he didn't get his throat ripped out."
"Well, this should cheer you up!" Harry called happily. "Food's almost ready!"
"Can I help?" Ron asked, feeling that it was the least he could do.
"You can help set the table if you want," Hermione said at once as she led him over to the cupboard as Harry took the pot off the fire.
It was by far one of the most wonderful things he'd ever tasted. Even better than the food from the feasts that his parents had. His stomach was almost singing at the end as he moaned into the brew.
"Sounds like you haven't had a warm meal in a long time," Harry said, noticing his blissful face. "That, or I'm a better cook than I thought I was."
"It's wonderful," he muttered, trying to get another mouthful, even though his cheeks were already full.
"I'll take it a compliment," Harry laughed.
"So, Ron," Hermione asked as she buttered some bread. "You said that you were looking for someone?"
Ron stopped, his next spoonful halfway to his mouth.
"Ah, yeah," he muttered carefully. "See, my ah… mother," he said, thinking fast, "Told me to bring someone back home, but to be honest, I ran out before I even got a name or know what he looks like."
"What?" Harry asked in surprise, "So… what? All you know is that he's out here somewhere?"
"Pretty much," Ron muttered. As he watched his two new friends look at each other, as if worried for him, he then changed the subject. "Look… while I was travelling, I went passed a kingdom that was covered with thorns. Do either of you know it?"
Now he was getting somewhere, judging from the started looks on their faces.
"Oh, you've seen the Kingdom of Thorns?" Hermione asked. "You don't get to many people facing that place anymore."
"Why?" Ron asked, hoping that he didn't sound too eager. "What's its story?"
"You must come from far away if you don't know about it," Harry answered as he swallowed. "See, a long time ago it used to be a peaceful kingdom. Until it was cursed."
"We don't know for sure what the whole story is," Hermione said, "But according to the legend, there was a princess who lived there."
Ron's hands twitched slightly as he listened.
"They say that the princess was cursed since the moment she was born," Hermione said. "And that the day she turned sixteen she fell into a deep enchanted sleep."
"And the moment that she did, so did everyone else," Harry finished for her. "After that, thorns grew up around the kingdom and time froze inside it."
"And…" Ron said slowly as he gulped. "How long ago was it?"
Hermione thought it over for a moment. "About a hundred years ago I think."
Ron dropped his spoon as he stared at them in horror. A hundred years? He thought that they'd only been asleep for a few months at least. But a hundred years? He suddenly felt a little dizzy. Luckily, they seemed to take his shock for a different reason.
"Yeah, that's something right?" Harry asked.
"But why hasn't anyone been in there to try and help?" Ron asked at once.
"Well, they've tried," Hermione said. "But with the thorns attacking anyone who gets to close and the guard there—no one's been able to."
"Attack them?" Ron asked. "And guard? What guard? I didn't see anything."
"Well," Harry said looking up a little suspicious. "The thorns and vines only attack if you get to close to the wall. And as for the guard, no one knows for sure what it is. Just that there's some kind of monster guarding the front doors as well.
"But the story of the sleeping princess has spread everywhere," Hermione informed him. "A lot of prince's and knights have tried to save her, but they've all failed before they even got into the city. Once in awhile someone would go and try their luck…"
"But then they're either sent back running with their tails between their legs, or they get eaten by whatever guards the place," Harry finished up. "And so no one's been able to get in since then. But this is all that we know."
"The real story might be something different," Hermione went on. "After all, anyone who could tell us has been asleep."
"Well, except for old Dumbledore," Harry reminded her.
Ron almost spilled hot soup on him. "Dumbledore?" he repeated.
"Yeah," Harry answered. "The old wizard. Now I can tell you have heard of him?"
"He's always been so kind to us," Hermione smiled. "He was even here to give us our blessings when we were born. They say that he and his assistant Minerva were the only ones who knew the whole story."
"So…" Ron said slowly, "He's still here?"
"He's getting on in years, but he's still alive if that's what you mean," Harry said as he finished his meal. "Why do you ask?"
"Because I need to see him," Ron stuttered. They both looked at him in surprise. "I think that he might be able to help me…" he went on. He wanted to tell them the truth, but how could they without them thinking he was crazy?
He looked pleadingly at them both before they looked at each other. "Well," Hermione said slowly. "If you stay here, I'm sure that you'll meet them eventually. They come by once in awhile. They're friends of our parents and stop here to check in on us from time to time."
"Yes," Ron said pleadingly. "Can you let me stay here until then? I swear I'll help out with whatever you need. I just need to speak to him."
"Well, it's alright with me," Harry said carefully. "And we could always use another pair of hands right?"
"Alright," Hermione said and Ron sighed in relief. This was his only chance…
"But just remember," Hermione told him as she carried the bowls outside so that she could wash them. "Starting tomorrow you'll be helping us out around the farm and it's not going to be easy."
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They let him use a spare bedroom while they also went to their own rooms. It felt that it had been a year since he slept in a comfortable bed… but then again, it had been a hundred years! He still couldn't believe it. Was it possible that they were only kidding? But then again, why would they? He laid there in bed, thinking over everything that had happened. Right now he only felt anger towards his sister.
Why did she have to go and prick that spindle? But as his anger grew he also realized that it wasn't her fault. After all, she didn't ask for that curse to be cast on her did she? He also felt a deep anger inside for himself as well now… why didn't he keep a closer watch on her? These thoughts continued to torture him until he fell asleep. The last comforting thought was once he met Dumbledore, he'd fix it… at least that's what he thought.
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It felt that he just fallen asleep when suddenly someone pulled the warm blankets out from under him and he ended up hitting the wooden floor with pain.
"OW!" he yelled as he rubbed a sore spot on his side. "Why dyou—" he began but Harry's voice answered, "It's time to get up!"
Ron glanced up at Harry to see that he was fully clothed, and wide awake. Ron stared at him before he went to the windows and pushed the shutters open. It was still dark out.
"Harry!" he yawned. "It's not even morning!"
"Yes, it is," Harry answered. "The sun will be up soon and we have a workload of chores to do."
"Can't you just hire someone else to do all this?" he gasped as he rubbed his exhausted eyes.
"That's what you're here for?" Harry asked, he didn't seem surprised that he was being so disagreeable. "Besides, that would take money, which we don't have a lot of. You said that you were willing to help out with anything here to earn your keep right?"
Ron grumbled as he hunted around for some of the spare clothes that they gave him. "When I took this job, I didn't know I had to wake up at some unearthly hour in the morning."
Harry smirked good-naturedly. "You get used to it. Come on. We'll have a quick breakfast before we get to work."
Once Ron was fully dressed, he marched downstairs grumpily, he could see that there were hot bowls of porridge on the table and he took his seat. "So… what do I have to do?"
"Help take care of the animals and in the fields," Hermione told him. "We've been having some particularly bad winters over the last couple years, and we need to get the fields ready for next year. You couldn't have come at a better time."
Ron just glowered into his food as he ate. Now while he and his family lived in luxury, the King always made sure that they made themselves useful and work also. But even his father never made him get up this early and work in the fields.
Once they were done, the two of them led him outside. They walked to the small barn and he glanced in to see a couple cows, two or three sheep, and two horses—one of which was particularly fat. Hermione walked over to a bundle of hay and when she pushed it aside, he could see a ginger-colored cat with a squashed face looking up at her.
He let out a loud meow. "How are you feeling, Crookshanks?" she cooed at him as Harry walked into one of the stalls, carrying a bundle of hay to each of the animals in turn.
"He'll live," he told her once he reached the fat horse. "It's this girl here that I'm worried about."
"Your horse?" Ron asked as Harry began stroking the horse's nose gently.
"She's due any day now," he told him. For a minute, Ron wondered what he was talking about before he understood.
"She's having a baby?" he asked.
"That's what I said right?" he asked with a smile as continued to pet her. "Her name's Hedwig. Had her ever since she was a foal. Anyway, this is what we start off with."
He handed the hay to him and showed him how to feed them all. "They eat three times a day. But we don't give them too much at every meal because if we fed them every time they got hungry then we'd run out of food in a week."
"It's just enough to keep them healthy and happy," Hermione said as she stroked the cat's fluffy head in a loving way. Once they were done here, Hermione covered Crookshanks up with hay again. "You get some sleep now, Crookshanks!" she told him and Ron suddenly envied the cat. He wished he could go back to sleep.
Hermione then picked up the same pail of grain that she had yesterday and walked out to show him how to feed the chickens while Harry milked the cow. Something that Ron was quite glad not to have to do himself.
Feeding the chickens was quick and easy—something he wished he could say for the hogs. According to Hermione, they will eat anything… but making their food was disgusting to say the least. He had to hold his nose as they carried the food out in pails and dumped it into a trough in their pen.
"What's surprising is that pigs are actually pretty clean animals," Hermione told him as the fat hogs came over. That was something he found hard to believe as the mud-covered beasts lumbered over and stuck their faces into the slop.
Hermione laughed at his facial expression. "I'm guessing that you came from a rich family?"
"W-what?" Ron stuttered.
She grinned. "Well, we peasants work all day long every day… while the royals and nobles don't have to lift a finger."
"Hey!" he said loudly, his ears burning in anger. "My parents made me work long and hard too you know!"
"But you certainly are not a morning person," she answered as she grabbed one of his hands and examined them.
"What are you looking at?" he demanded.
"Harry said that he noticed that your hands didn't have any blusters or callused on and he was right," she said as she showed him her own. They were dirty and looked rough—hands that looked used to hard work.
"We lowly peasants have been forced to work for a living," she told him sadly. "It's not easy, but we are good at taking care of ourselves. Especially the kids who have to do the work all by themselves."
"But you'll learn quickly," called Harry's voice. Ron turned to see him leading the cow behind him. "We'll get to work on the fields now. I finished chopping the wood yesterday. It should last us a while."
"Great," she told him. "And you put the milk inside the house right?"
Harry rolled his eyes in amusement. "Always do."
She nodded as she walked passed him. "Well," Harry said as he led him to a plow behind the house. "Today, you'll learn how to plow with us."
"What's Hermione doing?" Ron asked.
"She's going inside to finish pickling some vegetables," Harry explained. "But we'll let her deal with that. I'll show you how to work this thing."
He showed Ron how to hook the cow—called Rita—to the plow and everything else. It was hard work. He had originally thought that the cow did all the work, but boy was he wrong. They kept walking up and down in a straight line, turning up the earth. He and Harry kept switching whenever one of them got tired. The thing was, for every one yard that he did, Harry did at least five yards.
By the time the sun rose, Ron was dripping in sweat and only halfway done.
"You're doing really well for your first time," Harry said encouragingly. Ron had to restrain himself from calling Harry something unpleasant. But onwards they worked until they finally finished when the sun had fully risen and was starting to cross the sky.
Harry wiped his bangs out of his eyes. "Well, that's great," he said happily. "Hopefully we'll have one heck of a harvest next year."
Not too soon, Hermione came out with two tall cups of water for them. Ron drank greedily but Harry took causal sips as he and Hermione talked.
"I finished mopping up the floor," she told him. "But the gate is practically falling apart and I think we should get that fixed."
Ron almost choked. "You mean that there's more work?"
"What did you expect?" Harry asked teasingly. "Peasants work hard just to make it through the rest of the day. Don't worry. I think you can call it a day. We'll fix the gate tomorrow."
Ron sighed in relief as he walked back to the house.
"Where're you going?" Harry called.
"Back to bed!" he shouted out, not caring that he heard the two of them chuckling.
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Two weeks later
Ron would be forced to get up early and help with the chores. But after awhile, he had been forced to get used to it. He would get up and eat the quick, but filling breakfast as he then went out into the fields with Harry and work. He just kept telling himself that it was all worth it… that soon Dumbledore would come and fix everything… he just had to live until then…
He slowly started to enjoy the long talks with Harry and Hermione as he helped out. He and Harry soon became really good friends. Harry was very patient with him, much more than Hermione was anyway, and they would talk about the dumbest things as they worked long hours in the fields or helped take care of the animals.
"And then my brother Fred stuck a piece of silver into Percy's roll one day and Percy almost broke his tooth on it!" Ron would tell him and Harry burst out laughing.
"What did he do then?" he asked eagerly as he hammered nails into the rickety old fence—finally finishing up fixing it like they promised Hermione.
"He couldn't do anything but give him a stern talking to," Ron snorted. "He wanted to show our dad that he was grown up. But he looked ready to kill!"
They both laughed as Hermione came out with the usual cups of water.
"I think we really should head out to the village tomorrow," Hermione told them once they took the cups from her. "It's been a long time, and we're really starting to run low on supplies."
"What village?" Ron asked between gulps.
"It's up a little ways," Hermione told him. "It's nothing special. But we go there for anything we can't get ourselves. You know, like medicine just in case. I think we should pay a visit tomorrow. Once we're done with our work, we can go."
"Sounds fine," Harry answered. "We've been stuck here for so long, I think that we're…" he let out a loud yawn. "G-going crazy here."
Ron gave him a surprised look.
"What?" Harry asked him.
"Nothing," he answered. "But… I thought that you didn't get tired."
Hermione tutted and they laughed. "Really, Ron. He's only human…" but she shot Harry a strange look before she turned back to the house and said that she'd cook dinner tonight.
Both boys gave each other knowing looks and raced each other to the house, trying to stop her.
A/N: Thanks for reading and please vote and comment!