Chapter Text
"That's a lot bigger than I thought it would be," Stiles sighed. He looked through a spyglass at the town surrounding the Argent castle.
He and Derek were on a hill some distance away from the town -- definitely a town and not a village -- and scouting the area before they approached the castle.
"It's grown since I was here," Derek admitted. "It's been almost five years."
Stiles watched the parade of carts in and out of the village. The main entrance to the town seemed to have a checkpoint of sorts. Carts lined up and waited for something before they were allowed to proceed into the town.
"There's what looks like an organized guard presence," Stiles said. "They're checking carts at the main entrance and I've seen what look like soldiers patrolling the town."
"Umm... that's not good," Derek said.
Stiles rubbed his forehead. "Now what?" Pulling information out of Derek had been like pulling teeth. For all that Derek had asked for his help, he was reluctant to give away too much information.
"The Argents know who I am," Derek admitted. "Kate... well, she tried to seduce me the last time we met."
"Dude!" Stiles sighed.
Derek glared.
Stiles ignored the glare. He had quickly learned it was Derek's default reaction to a lot of things. "That's like, important to know!"
Derek grimaced. "And she had a fair hand at art. She's likely given the guards images of me and my family."
"And there's probably at least an 'arrest on sight' if not a 'kill on sight' order already given," Stiles gritted out.
Derek shrugged.
"You're no good to me, if you're in prison," Stiles went on. "Or dead."
"Sorry?" Derek shrugged again.
Stiles glanced back at the town. He turned back to Derek. "I have an idea. But you're not going to like it."
Derek frowned. "Will it work?"
"Maybe? But it's what I have at the moment," Stiles admitted.
"Tell me," Derek sighed.
Stiles did. Derek all but growled when he was done.
"Then come up with something better!" Stiles challenged.
Derek rubbed his forehead. He looked down at the town and shook his head. "I hate it, but you're right, it should work."
The rest of the day was spent working out the details of the plan. Stiles gave Derek credit, once he agreed to it, he was all in.
The next morning found them on their way to the town. Stiles wasn't going to ask where Derek 'found' the cart but he had used a touch of magic to make it fit the story they were trying to sell.
It was a good thing they left the horses stabled a village a few miles back. Neither Fiona nor Derek's war horse -- a huge red flag in almost any situation -- would fit into their plan.
The line for the front gate moved along steadily. Stiles gave the guards credit for keeping things moving.
"Hey! Boy! What do you have there?" A guard stepped in front of the cart. Stiles put down the rails he used to push the cart.
"Looking to make some coin," Stiles admitted. "My animals are well-trained and perform tricks on command. Thought I'd see if there was a place I could set up and earn my way."
The guard peered closely at the cages. Two cages, each with a canine in them. The canines looked back at the guard, obviously bored.
"Big dogs," the guard said.
"That's part of the entertainment," Stiles said. "I can make the dogs do tricks. They're pretty smart for dogs and can do a lot of things at command."
"Like what?" the guard frowned.
"Simple things like jumping through hoops," Stiles said. "They can find hidden objects. Or, the best, they can answer questions."
"How do they do that?" the guard frowned.
"We put three or four possible answers on a board and they pick one," Stiles said. "Or we choose a ball as the correct answer and they select the ball from a pile."
"How do they do that?" the guard asked with a frown.
Stiles waggled a finger. "That's the trick and the entertainment! I can't give all my secrets away before I set up!"
The guard thought about it for a minute, then shrugged. "What else you got there?"
"Just my things and some costumes," Stiles shrugged. He waved a hand at his dusty and stained travel clothes. "Gotta look better than this to make any money. The dogs eat more than you think."
"Ah! Right," the guard nodded. "Okay. Try your luck!"
"Thanks," Stiles replied. He lifted the rails and pushed the cart. Luckily, the road was dry, and a bit of magic made the cart move easily. Stiles navigated his way to the castle.
Another guard stopped him.
"Where do you think you're going?" the guard asked.
"I'm here to offer entertainment for the feast that I hear will happen soon," Stiles said patiently.
The guard looked at the cages. The dogs still looked bored.
"What kind of entertainment?" the man asked.
"The dogs do tricks," Stiles said. "They're really smart and can follow instructions."
"Why do you have them in cages, then?" the guard asked.
"They're big dogs," Stiles said. "They can defend themselves but shouldn't have to. If they're in a cage, then no one tries anything."
The guard nodded. "Makes sense," he replied. "I don't know if they're still looking for entertainment."
"Let me try!" Stiles begged. "I came from Beacon" -- that was close enough to be known but far enough away that no one could check -- "and need money to buy medicines for my ma. She needs herbs to help her breathe in the winter, so I do this in the summer so we can afford to have them when she needs them."
The man looked doubtful. "Let me show someone what they can do," Stiles suggested. "They can decide if it's good enough."
"All right, all right," the guard decided. "Show us some tricks in the yard." He pointed to an open area just inside the gate.
"Sure!" Stiles nodded. He pushed the cart into the yard and set it down off to one side.
"Now, normally, I look fancier," Stiles admitted, waving a hand at himself. "And I brush out the dogs. It makes the tricks look better."
"Yeah, yeah. Get on with it!" the guard said impatiently.
Stiles brought out the hoops and the balls that he had set up. He then turned to the cages.
"You boys interested in showing off?" Stiles asked.
Fluffy nodded, likely eager to stretch his legs. Fluffy looked like a black, short-hair dog, except for the red tufts at the tips of his ears. Stiles had to hope that no one could identify a true hell hound.
Derek shook himself. They had discussed it, and Stiles had been reluctant to use magic to make Derek look less like a wolf. They couldn't be sure there wasn't a magic user in the castle who might detect the magic Stiles needed to use. They had decided to brazen that part out.
Stiles unlatched the cages and said, "Down and sit."
Fluffy and Derek flowed out of the cages. The guards stepped back, obviously surprised at the size of the animals who had looked smaller in the cages. Stiles stepped between them and put a hand on their backs. Which was waist-high on Stiles.
Fluffy sneezed, which made a couple of the guards laugh.
Stiles grabbed a hoop and moved into an open space. "I'll start with simple things." He held the hoop straight out, so it was at his shoulder height.
"Fluffy. Through the hoop and then back," Stiles said.
Fluffy stood, took two steps and then leaped through the hoop. He landed lightly and turned, He jumped through the hoop again and went back to sit next to Derek.
"Blackie. Your turn."
Derek lay down. The guards laughed.
Stiles went over, holding the hoop behind his back. He leaned over and poked Derek. "Hey! You're making me look bad here!"
Derek put a paw over his eyes. More laughter.
Stiles poked Derek again. "Come on. You need to help me earn our dinner."
Derek looked up at the word dinner. He gave a gusty doggy sigh and then leaped straight up, over Stiles' back and through the hoop Stiles had deliberately held at his waist. He leaped back and lay down again.
Stiles stood and shook his head. "What can I say?"
There was a smattering of applause.
Stiles looked at the crowd. "You!" He pointed at one of the men in the crowd. "You. And you."
The men nodded cautiously.
"Step forward," Stiles said. They took a small step away from the group.
Stiles held out three leather balls a little bigger than his fist. One was dyed red, one was dyed black, the third was dyed green. Easy to get colors, nothing that would be noted as extraordinary.
"Switch them around if you want," Stiles said.
They shrugged.
Stiles pointed at another guard. "Pick a color."
"Red," the man said.
He pointed to yet another guard. "Pick a dog."
"Fluffy."
"Fluffy, would you ask the man for the red ball?" Stiles said.
Fluffy stood and swung his head for a moment. He trotted over and sat in front of the man with the red ball. He sat up on his back legs and held out a paw.
"You got something in those balls!" a voice called. "The dog can smell it."
"Not true, but let's try this again," Stiles said. "Fluffy, go back and sit by Blackie."
Fluffy did so.
"Okay, you-all come up with... four things," Stiles said, waving a hand at the guards. "Four different things you can hold in your hands."
There was a moment of consternation. "A glove. A handkerchief. A knife. A hat. Anything!" Stiles threw up his hands in mock-frustration.
There was some shuffling and four men came forward with different things in their hands. Stiles nodded. "Good choices."
"Let's try it again," Stiles said. He pointed. "You. Pick one of the objects."
The man squinted and started to point.
"Don't point!" Stiles said. "Don't want to give the dogs a clue!"
"Oh, right," the man replied. "The plate."
"Good," Stiles nodded. "You. Pick a dog."
"Blackie."
"Blackie, would you ask the man for his plate?" Stiles said.
Derek rolled his eyes but trotted over to the man with the plate. He sat on his haunches and raised his paws.
There were some 'oohs' and applauding from the crowd. Derek waited and the man finally proffered the plate. Derek took it delicately and brought it back to Stiles.
More applauding.
"How did you do that?" a new voice asked.
Everyone turned.
"Sir!" the guard who let Stiles into the castle bowed. "This young man wanted to offer entertainment for the feast. We were testing him, to see what he might do."
The man stepped forward. Tall, icy blue eyes, a neatly cropped gray beard. Dressed in better clothes than anyone else in the yard.
"How did you do that?" the man demanded.
"If I give away my secrets, then it's no longer entertaining," Stiles said carefully.
The man eyed Stiles. Then Fluffy and Derek.
"One is not a dog, he's a wolf!" the man hissed, pointing at Derek.
They knew this would come up.
"Meh. Blackie is a half-breed," Stiles replied with a shrug. "Found him as a pup. "The bitch was a dog but was killed soon after giving birth. The sire could have been a wolf, no one knew. But I've had him since he's a pup. Gentle and, as you can see, well trained."
Derek hadn't moved from Stiles' side after handing over the plate.
The man shook his head. He looked doubtful.
"The boy is right," the guard said unexpectedly. "Dogs haven't moved unless he's said to."
The man shook his head. "I don't like it but we can use some entertainment for the feast tomorrow night." He looked at Stiles. "You and your animals can stay in the stables." Another pause. "I think you should entertain the family at dinner tonight. I want to see what you do."
"Thank you, kind sir," Stiles gave a small bow.
"I hope you clean up better than this," the man said, looking Stiles up and down, wrinkling his nose.
"I will!" Stiles nodded. "And I brush out the dogs. You'll be pleased."
"I doubt it, but it's better than nothing," he said with something approaching a sneer. He turned to the guard. "Let them stay in the stables. They can eat with you."
"Yes, sir!" the guard bobbed.
The man turned and stalked away.
"Who was that?" Stiles asked lowly.
"Prince Christopher," the man said. "His father is the king."
"Ah!" Stiles nodded. "Good to know." He grinned. "Okay, guys. Look like we have a place to sleep."
The guard led him to an empty horse stall in the stable. "You can use this," he said. "Lunch will be in a bit. You'll likely be doing your tricks during dinner, so eat well at lunch. You can ask the cook for food after you're done with the entertainment. I'll send someone to take you to the meal."
"Thank you," Stiles said. "Hey! What is the feast tomorrow for? Just so I know what to be prepared for."
"The King is going to destroy some relic that belongs to the Hales. The King really hates the Hales for some reason, and destroying the relic should give him an advantage over the Hales," the guard said. "If there are fewer battles, fewer people die. Already lost my da to this war, don't want to lose more family."
The relic was to be destroyed tomorrow night? Stiles held his emotions in check. Luckily, Derek didn't visibly react to that information. But that also meant they would have to do something tonight. That didn't give him time to explore the castle. They'd have to get lucky.
"Celebrating victory is a good reason for a feast," Stiles nodded.
Lunch was beans with small pieces of pork. It was filling and well seasoned. Stiles put some on plates for Fluffy and Derek. Both animals ate dutifully. It wasn't all that different from what they had eaten on the trip to the town.
Stiles got a pail of water for himself, to wash up after brushing out Fluffy and Derek.
"Don't roll in anything!" Stiles pointed a finger at each of them when he had them looking presentable.
Derek gave a small grin. They both lay on one side of the stall.
Stiles used the pail of water to clean off the worst of the dirt before he put on clean clothes. They weren't fancy, nothing a courtier would wear, but were better looking than the plain traveling clothes he had been wearing.
A young boy came to the stables.
"The boy with the dogs is to come," the boy called from the door of the stable.
His eyes got huge as Stiles walked out of the stables with Fluffy on one side and Derek on the other. Stiles had a bag with their props slung over his shoulder.
"Don't worry," Stiles grinned. "They won't eat you."
"I'm kind of tough and gamey," the boy nodded furiously, taking a step backwards. "Not good eating." Then straightened. "Follow me."
Stiles paid attention as they walked through the castle. He could feel wards around some spaces. They passed a stairwell that Stiles made a mental note to check out. It reeked of magic but he couldn't tell without stopping if he might need to go up or down.
The boy led them to a large hall with tables. This was more than immediate family, about thirty people, but 'family dinner' probably included anyone living in the castle. Good. Their tricks would go over better with a larger group.
"Where do I go?" Stiles asked.
The boy looked uncertain but Prince Christopher came up. "Come. You can start with me."
Stiles held a breath but nodded. "Certainly, sir!" They followed the prince to the front of the room. Silence falling as the canines were noticed. The whispering that followed sounded faintly worried.
Stiles gave a flourishing bow to the table at the head of the room. He assumed this was the King and the immediate family.
"Sire. Your Highnesses. Ladies and Gentlemen! I am Mischief, and these are my faithful companions Fluffy and Blackie," Stiles said cheerfully. "We are here to entertain you this evening."
There was a brief acknowledgment from the elderly man sitting at the center of the table that Stiles had to assume was the king.
"A few simple tricks first!" Stiles said. He repeated the hoop trick and then threw a disk that he had found in the stable. He sent it down the center aisle of the room and Blackie caught in the air. There was a smattering of applause.
"Do the other trick," Prince Christopher commanded.
"Certainly, your highness!" Stiles nodded. He started with the colored balls and then got four volunteers to find and hold random objects.
"Your highness, select an object," Stiles said to Prince Christopher.
"The hat," the Prince said.
"And, my lady," Stiles started to say to a woman at a table near him, "select a dog."
"Blackie," came from the King.
"Certainly!" Stiles didn't flinch. "Blackie, would you ask for the hat, please?"
Blackie got up and moved toward the man holding the hat. He sat up and waited for the man to proffer it to him. He gently took the hat and came back to Stiles.
"Give it to me!" Prince Christopher said.
Stiles waved a hand in a sweeping motion that included Prince Christopher. "Blackie, take the hat to the Prince."
Blackie hesitated for only a moment before moving to the Prince. He sat up again and let go of the hat as the Prince reached for it. He immediately moved back to Stiles' side.
More applause.
"How did you do that?" Prince Christopher demanded.
"I've had them both since they were pups," Stiles said easily, suspecting he would be asked after their encounter at the gate. "I've had a lot of pups, and Fluffy and Blackie are the smartest canines I've ever had. Almost from birth, they listened to me and, well, understand what I tell them."
A woman stood from the head table and came over.
"This one does indeed look like a wolf," she said.
"He does, my lady," Stiles agreed. "His mother was a large dog and was killed soon after delivering her litter. I nursed him almost from birth. I have to assume the father was a wolf. But, as you can see, he listens."
Blackie settled to the floor.
"Jennifer... careful...." Prince Christopher said lowly.
Stiles could see the King watching them carefully.
Blackie rolled over on his back.
"Oh, you! Always asking a pretty lady for belly rubs," Stiles sighed. Stiles leaned over and gave a quick rub. "You may, if you wish. He will not bite," Stiles offered. "But I understand if you do not." The challenge was mild but there, daring Jennifer to touch Blackie.
Lady Jennifer moved to Blackie and gave a small belly rub. She backed away and nodded at Prince Christopher.
Stiles remained loose limbed. This had to be the Argent magician. Having a witch instead of a wizard was unexpected. But it would distract most people. People who weren't Stiles.
Prince Christopher nodded. "Are they for sale?"
Stiles shook his head. "I could use the coin, sir, but I tried to sell Fluffy once, I was desperate, but he escaped from wherever he had been kept and found me. I had to go back and return the coin, since I was known to the village. I suspect the same would be true for Blackie. So, as long as they were in cages, they can be kept but, then, why keep them?" He didn't point out that they could likely escape from most cages. And Derek would have useful thumbs when he changed back to human form.
"Will they listen to others?" Prince Christopher looked thoughtful.
"When they want to?" Stiles shrugged. "Depends on what is asked." A grin. "And who asks."
"Blackie, sit up!" Jennifer said firmly.
Blackie sneezed and put his paws over his eyes.
"He's a dog, what can I do?" Stiles grinned.
Luckily, the audience laughed.
"There is a larger feast tomorrow," Prince Christoper said. "Come back again." He threw a small pouch at Stiles, who scooped it up eagerly. "Thank you, kindly." The pouch was light weight and had only a few coins but Stiles' eagerness fit the image they wanted to give.
"We will! Thank you, your highness." Stiles gave a respectful bow.
A page appeared to lead them back to the stables.
"The guard said to ask for the kitchen," Stiles said softly. "The lads and I have not had dinner."
"Cookie will make you scrub pots," the boy warned.
"I can do that," Stiles nodded.
The stairwell they passed again made Stiles' magic itch. But they went in a slightly different direction and to the kitchens.
The cook did indeed make Stiles earn their dinners but they got roast beast and baked sweet potatoes out of it. Good food for all of them. It also let Stiles check out more of the castle, which convinced him that the stairwell they had seen was their goal.
A kitchen boy led them back to the stables when they were done. Stiles thanked the cook for their meal.
"Come back at sunrise, you can help with the early meal," she said to them.
"I will," Stiles replied. Although he knew they would likely be gone before then.
In the stable, Stiles changed into his traveling clothes. They settled back into the stall. Stiles napped as they waited for the castle to go quiet before they moved.
Getting into the castle was relatively easy. They froze in place as a guard walked about the first floor but they got to the stairwell without incident.
"Wait here?" Stiles said to Fluffy as they approached the top of the stairs. He knew the hellhound could blend into the shadows if the guard came by again.
Fluffy gave a small whine that Stiles interpreted as I will but I'm not happy about it.
Stiles and Derek went down the stairs. Stiles had decided that the lower levels were more likely to hold the relic they were searching for.
"Your family relic," Stiles said softly. "Pick a direction."
Derek led the way to the left. There were no guards. Most likely, the relic was so protected by other means that there was no worry that anyone would steal it. Stiles realized that for a kingdom that professed to dislike magic, they used a lot of magic in their castle. Especially if the relic was to be destroyed tomorrow, they were trusting the magic for it to still be here tomorrow.
Derek sat before a wooden door.
"Think this is it?" Stiles asked.
Derek nodded.
Stiles lay a hand on the door. He was able to sense the magic on the door and undo it. He eased open the door to step into a pitch black room. It smelled dank and rotten. He closed the door behind them.
"Here?" Stiles asked, a hand on Derek's shoulder.
Derek nodded again. Then sneezed at the smell.
"Okay," Stiles said. He held out his hand and a small flame appeared. In the dark room, it was enough to see their way.
"Need some help here," Stiles said.
Derek eased into the room, moving ahead of Stiles. He hesitated for a moment then went to the back wall. He changed into Derek's human form.
"Here," he said, pointing to a trunk against the wall.
Stiles stood next to him. The trunk didn't seem like much but he could feel something that was guarding it. It wasn't purely magic, so there wasn't much he could do about it.
"I'm going to open the lid," Stiles said. He used his free hand to undo the simple latch and eased open the lid.
Inside was something inside a cloth wrapping.
"That... that feels like it," Derek said softly.
"Let me..." Stiles stopped Derek from reaching into the trunk. Stiles searched for magical traps and found none. He lifted the wrapped object and heard a faint click.
"Hold on!" Stiles started to say but his footing disappeared and they tumbled into a pit. He should have checked for physical traps.
The flame in his hand went out but Stiles kept hold of the object. He and Derek were breathing hard as they hit the bottom of the pit.
"Dammit," Stiles muttered, out of breath for a moment. He lit the flame again and looked up. The sides of the pit were smooth, making it harder to try to get out.
Derek looked up at the top of the pit and then at Stiles. "I can boost you out," Derek said.
"What about you?" Stiles asked. "This has to have triggered an alarm somewhere and I"m not leaving you behind."
Derek flicked a claw from one finger. "I can climb."
Stiles gave a grin. "Let's do it!"
Stiles put the object, which weighed much less than he thought it would be but now wasn't the time to ask questions, inside his shirt.
Derek held his hands together. Stiles put a foot in the loop and Derek said, "On three. One, two... three!"
Stiles used his other foot to push off and Derek flung him high enough to clear the edge of the pit. Stiles tried to roll, to protect himself.
He relit the flame so that they could see and brushed himself off as he heard Derek scrabble up the side of the put. It was a long minute before Derek came over the side.
"They probably figure the pit will hold anyone that gets this far," Stiles said. "But we gotta get out of here."
They ran back to the stairwell and raced up the steps. Fluffy was there and joined them as they fled the castle.
"Keep going," Stiles said, aware someone -- either the witch or some guards -- should be coming shortly. "We need to get out of here."
They went away from the main gate, which would likely be closed and definitely would be closely guarded. There were always smaller gates, for the servants to use if nothing else.
"There!" Stiles pointed. Fluffy had stopped in front of a closed gate.
"Will it set off an alarm?" Derek asked.
"Meh. Maybe, likely not," Stiles shook his head. "Servants come and go at all times of day and night, and the false alarms would be annoying."
They slipped through the gate and went into the brush land that ran along side the castle.
They had almost made it to the forest line when an obvious alarm went off in the castle. Torches were lit in a number of windows, and the main gate was opened.
"Keep going," Stiles said. "If we can get up to the top of the embankment, we can use the forest to hide us."
Fluffy and Derek kept pace with Stiles. Stiles knew he was in decent shape, his magic insisted on it, but the hell hound and werewolf could easily outpace him. They scrambled up the hill as groups of guards were sent through the castle gate.
Stiles puffed as they cleared the ridge.
"Okay," Stiles took a breath. "I can use the land to help hide us. But we need to keep moving. Let's get the horses, and we can get back to Hale land faster."