The Time Crusader

[Ely_Massacre]

The marketplace was exceptionally crowded today, since the weather change was afoot. Lupe enjoyed the suddenly gray trees and sky; they better obscured her face. She gave wry smiles at passers-by, but said nothing to no one. She rarely spoke to anyone unless she absolutely had to. Only because it seemed to be getting more difficult to keep cover.

The fact of the matter: Lupe, to these people, pretended to be someone completely different. To them, her name was Charles Ernandez, a classic name that no one could really trace back; not that this century could do much of that. She turned into a tavern and waved to the inn keeper, heading up the stairs and locking her room door behind her. "Thank goodness."

Setting her leather sack onto the poorly made bed, she took off her forest green cap, her long, platinum hair cascading down her back. Next, she took off her dark gray coat, and stripped from her deep brown pants, showing tanned skin, feeling safe enough to reveal her true self. Even in private. She glanced out the window, drawing the curtains instantly. She wanted no one to find out; upon entering this century, she found out being a woman would be a mistake right at birth. So she found the best disguise their is for a woman: gender bending.

After a few hours, she dressed once more to eat dinner, then rushed upstairs to sleep. When the morning came, she exited the tavern for the last time, all her belongings in her sack. She set out for the marketplace, collecting a few goods, including a couple nicely carved knives, before leaving the town. It was a nice little capitol, but she couldn't stay too long. Unfortunately, people were starting to suspect something of her- or of Charles- and didn't want to be put aside for unnecessary questioning. Before leaving the town's limits, someone stopped her.

Too late.

She whirled around to face whoever dared to place their hand on her body, her face hard, her deep blue eyes icy, like a male's. The man standing behind her didn't look harmful; in fact, he looked quit the opposite, and seemed innocent enough. His disheveled brown hair and boyish, freckled face took away a few years. He appeared less than twenty, but his green eyes revealed many years of wisdom.

"You seem to be a traveler. May I tag along? We might be heading in the same direction."

"I highly doubt that," she said in a low voice, her eyes averting his. "But you're welcome to come along in any case."

They ventured deeper into the forest, and by the time nightfall rolled around, they had reached the wood's center.

"Camp here?" asked the man, whose name, she found out, was Roger Carter. She nodded, keeping her cap low on her face. Usually, she slept alone, for it was the only time she could be herself. However, with this extra along, she had to continue with the facade. Setting up proved simpler, thanks to the extra hands, though Roger continued to attempt conversation. Eventually, he figured out that Charles preferred silence, and followed suit.

They ate salted meet quietly, and afterward, Lupe retired onto her makeshift bed- a simple thin blanket and a stiff pillow she stole from the tavern. She stared at the sky for a while, then Roger interrupted her train of thought by saying, "Thanks for allowing me along, Sir. It's quite nice to have a little company on the road, I imagine."

"Yes."

"You don't speak much, do you, Mr. Ernandez?"

"No, Mr. Carter, I cannot say I do." She sat up to look across the burned out fire. "You enjoy conversation. But I am not one for conversation. We won't be getting along."

"No, that's not how it is at all." Roger fully sat up and smiled at her, his teeth surprisingly white. "I more enjoy being listened to. But that's me."

So does everyone in the seventeenth century. Four hundred years from home, and Lupe de la Cruz had but one lead. She wondered vaguely if Roger had any idea what her clue was, but she fell asleep as soon as the idea occurred to her.

[Ely_Massacre]

Over the course of a few days, Lupe developed a few conversational skills with her new voice, finding it easier to lower it for speaking each day. Having a comrade was perfect practice for perfecting this talent, and she found herself talking with a low tone involuntarily. Her smiles became more manly, her walk became more solid, but she refused to allow herself to get hairy. Whenever they arrived at some water mass, she would always hike out deep enough to hide from Roger, and rid of disgusting, excess hair. Roger believed that Charles was such a "clean-shaven man", when all actuality, Charles was just a regular girl.

In a sense.

Roger, as well as most men in this century, found it normal to bathe with other men. In the 21st century, that type of behavior was unheard of. She wondered what changed throughout the years, while bathing in the stinky lake water.

Now they arrived at another town, a port city that smelled of rotting fish and salt water. Why am I getting Florida flashbacks? She chuckled to herself, lowering her cap over her indigo eyes, her blond bangs further hiding her face.

"You're such a private person," Roger commented, as he does at least once a day. And his next words always contained: "You should be in a mystery novel."

"I'll be sure to inform the next writer," she retorted, scanning the horizon.

The port city seemed quite large, and she could see so many people bustling about the area. She could hide easily here, at least for the next couple of weeks. Maybe even longer. By the looks of it, only people in specific districts knew each other. The guard acted intimidating, until they met a bunch of rascals running about or a group of beautiful women. To the two men walking through the town, looking obviously unfamiliar with the area, one guard approached them with a smirk.

"Hello, men. What business do you have around here today?"

"Supplies, sir," Roger answered, his chest out and arms flat on his sides. Lupe just looked up at the taller man with one eye, cocking her neck sideways, her expression blank.

"Both of you?" This time, his partner spoke, addressing Lupe.

"Yes, sir." Lupe dared to lift her cap slightly, and instantly saw the spark of suspicion flash through both of their faces.

"I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you both to come with us."

Roger glanced over at Lupe, then back at the guards. "On what charges, sir?" Lupe could see Roger's anger building, a bad sign indeed. The man acted like a cheerful sort, always bright and bringing up wonderful conversation. However, on only two occasions in the days that they'd been together had Lupe witnessed Roger's bad side. It honestly wasn't a side she wished to see again.

Stepping between them, Lupe said, in her most authoritative voice, "I believe that a certain document states you must have reason to hold us." Lupe had brushed up on her literature and history while in this century, noticing large differences between the texts now and four hundred years from now. The authors of this century were far more articulate; if only such literacy could have passed through blood.

"We believe that you are thieves." There, a reason. Turning back to face her companion, she raised a trimmed blond eyebrow at Roger. Stay calm. She forced the message through her eyes. We'll get out of this. Roger reluctantly complied, sighing with defeat. They followed the men into a large wooden hut in the center of town, who ushered them inside.

"Open your bags." Both listened, dumping the contents of their sacks onto the table. Knives of all sizes, wrapped meats, and many types of clothing were tossed onto the surface. "You stole none of this?"

"No sir," Roger said, speaking for both of them. Lupe knew Roger had every bit of faith in her- or in Charles, really. She felt guilty when he stood his ground, speaking up for her in times like this. If only she could return the favor. "All of this is our belongings. Did we do something to force suspicion? If so, we apologize."

"Strip." The man didn't bother responding to what Roger said; he didn't believe a single word. Roger instantly began taking his clothing off, but Lupe was a bit more hesitant. "You heard me," the man said, "strip."

Instead of listening, Lupe lifted a chair swiftly and pounded the nearest officer with it. "Put your clothes on," she ordered, using the same chair to knock the other guard unconscious. "Hurry."

Roger, in shock, obeyed, throwing his clothes on and stuffing his belongings into his bag, going out of his way to do the same for her. They fled from the hut and into the deeper part of the city, which seemed grungy and unapproachable. She let out a hot breath as they rested by a nearly-fallen building.

"Why? Why in bloody hell did you do that?"

"For our safety."

"That makes absolutely no sense." He rolled his eyes, wiping his hand across his sweaty forehead. "It makes us look even more suspicious." He glared at her sideways. "Unless those guards had something to be suspicious of."

Lupe said nothing, but kept her gaze elsewhere. What was left to say? All she could do was stand there, looking idiotic, and continue lying to someone who trusted her- or Charles- so deeply. "Let us find an inn. Then we shall talk." She knew the truth had to be revealed sometime; she just didn't want it to happen in front of more than one man. She had more self-respect than that.

The inn was yet another tavern, though more rough than the first. They both stood their ground, daring everyone with evil glares to approach them. No one did. Checking in, they headed straight upstairs. They threw their items onto the single bed, but neither of them took comfort upon it. Instead, they separated onto either side of the room, not looking at each other.

"Tell me the truth," Roger demanded, his voice harsh. She didn't want him to have another episode; she would be the one and only victim, and that thought did not sound enjoyable. She nodded.

"The truth, Mr. Carter, is that I'm... I'm not who I say I am." She slowly lifted the cap from her head, her hair tumbling around her torso. She removed her coat, the thin cotton button down revealing the hot pink, dingy bra beneath. "I... My name is not Charles."

"Obviously." Roger would not take his eyes off her, which made her greatly uncomfortable. "Wh-who are you? Charlotte?"

Neither of them could help but chuckle at the joke, but the air in the room stayed tense. "No... my name is... Lupe. Lupe de la Cruz. And I am a woman masquerading as a man."

"Why?"

"Do you have to ask?" She slipped her coat on again and looped her hair into a tight bun, stuffing the strands into her hat. "It's dangerous to be a woman, Roger. Women are undermined and underestimated. And prosecuted of showing to be otherwise. You, as a man, should know that."

"So that's why Charles was so clean shaven." Roger's good-natured attitude returned, and a smile crossed his thin lips. "It definitely makes sense now. But what now? What do we do? Those officers will no doubt be searching for us."

"If they remembered. I hit them pretty hard." She went to his side of the room, peeking out the window. "And I don't imagine high class bastards like them will want to come anywhere near this area." Her soprano voice sounded so foreign to her now, since using that manly voice this entire time. She shrugged, motioning downward. "This is where you're sleeping."

"Of course. Even if you were a man, there's no chance in hell I'd sleep in the same bed as you. Or take the bed. I prefer the floor." He's so much like a dog...

She nodded, tightening the cap around her head. "Shall we eat?" And they set out for a dinner they weren't to forget.

[zoolane]

Very interesting story subject. I like it.

[Ely_Massacre]

Dinner was cruel, and Lupe felt it was fit enough for some type of torture device. She knew if this crap-sauce was used for interrogation in the future, it would receive some answers. Very thorough answers. Followed by the question, "The **** you holdin' in my face?" Lupe snorted over her slop, the bubbles popping by the pressure of her breath. Roger looked over at her, raising a light brown eyebrow but eating his food quietly.

He still didn't absorb the fact that over the past few days, he'd been dining, almost-bathing, and sleeping right beside a woman, and had no clue. Speaking of clues...

"There's yet more to discuss," she told him, "but in private. If you believe this... situation is insane, wait until you hear the whole story." Quite frankly, she still didn't understand the entire story. But she gathered enough to make something up between the details.

In their room, Lupe sat cross-legged on the bed, staring down at her dog-friend. He was examining her, and she sat patiently enough for him to do so. She'd taken off the coat and hat, once again showing her womanhood. She smiled sweetly at him, her tanned skin making her cotton white shirt that much brighter. "I'm assuming you like what you see," she teased. Strangely enough, she didn't feel as uncomfortable as before. After spending so much time with Roger, the first time was the only awkward moment between them.

"And I'm assuming Lupe is more talkative and witty than Charles. Or else, I'm hoping so." His expression contorted into something she couldn't describe, but returned humorous in the next instant. "I tire of Charles' bland attitude. I'm assuming a woman dressing up like a man is a lot more exciting to converse with."

"I guess. I didn't think men in this century liked hearing women speak at all." His eyes demanded an explanation for "this century", and she was ready to give it to him. "Well, as you can well imagine, I'm not from around here. But it's not like I'm from a different planet or anything. Just... from a different year." She stared down at him, anxious for his reaction. He nodded once for her to continue; he was confused, but somehow believed her. "I traveled to England to search for my grandmother, who'd fallen off the face of the Earth years ago. I left my brother, Jose, in the hands of my landlord in order to do this."

"Landlord?" This, as she would imagine, caught Roger, the man, by surprise. A woman owning property? Other than the queen...

"Yes, landlord. In the future," she stressed the word by craning her neck forward, "we allow women to run just as men do. It's called equality." She chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Well, I have this," she pulled out from her sack an emerald the size of a fingernail and in the shape of a half-heart. "It's my only clue. Apparently, it has a twin. But I cannot quite find it. Do you know anyone in this century who could possibly own it?"

"The queen. Or maybe her daughter..." He squinted, his thinking face in motion.

"Her... daughter?" This was news to her. Lupe tried to recall literature in which the Queen had children. "She didn't have children. I thought she didn't... want children. That's what our history books said. Or that she couldn't."

"No, she had... a child, in a sense. One of her secret lovers had a lover of his own... He had a daughter bore by that woman, who'd died after the birth. Upon meeting the queen, they'd bonded greatly, all three, and together, they took care of her. Of course, this situation was hidden from the world."

"But you know." Lupe narrowed her eyes at him.

"Yes. I do." By his tone, he wasn't yet going to elaborate. Lupe understand. She did take advantage of his trust, after all.

"So... this secret child, she could have the necklace as well? The other half? And possibly send me home?" Lupe grew excited with the thought of retuning to her Jose. She'd been away from him far too long, and she blamed her curiosity. I wasn't lucky enough to have curiosity kill me. I had to be sent four hundred years into the past.

"We have to find her first."

She sighed. That would be the biggest challenged, she assumed. "Where was she last seen?"

"Do you hate cliches?" Roger's mouth formed a smirk. She didn't like the look of that mouth.

"Not particularly," she said slowly, awaiting his reply.

"Well get set. Because we're heading for the ominous mountain village just across the valley from this one."

Her mouth dropped. Ominous mountain village? For some odd reason, Lupe expected that, yet she hoped otherwise.

"Well... shoot." Her country drawl entered the conversation, causing a jovial Roger to laugh. Her face red, she ignored him and said, "In the morning, we'll pack our things then head out."

"You're still calling the shots?" She stared Roger down, kicking his belongings off the bed before wrapping the blankets around herself. She heard some rustling on the floor, but ignored it; the bastard deserved to sleep like a dog.

"Before dawn. Do you understand?" She put more authority in her voice; she wanted him to realize who really was in charge.

"Yes ma'am."

And with that, another day passed.

[loki456]

It's nice writing.
I guess, if you were going for authenticity the dialogue between lupe and roger would be a lot different. Remember Roger is 17th century (therefore his dialogue would reflect the english or wherever he's from language) while Lupe's dialogue would seem a lot more forced and awkward.

secondly why is she going to tell Roger so soon, about who she is? i enjoyed the content though... was easy to read and kept me captivated.

thanks for sharing.

Loks

addit - i'll add a bit more later, just at work at the moment.

[Ely_Massacre]

Well, actually, this short story is bits and pieces of a novel I'm writing. So that's why it's all happening quickly. The beginning of my novel I completely cut out and skipped to this, since I planned on introducing that particular part later. Sorry if that seemed confusing. But it's not like she revealed herself overnight. xD They had been together for a while, as it states. In my novel, she doesn't reveal herself for about a month. So I guess the events here, in this short story, are a bit more confusing. Sorry about that! And yeah, I should do a little research on dialogue through the times, in order to stay with the story better. Thanks for the commentary. =D

[Ely_Massacre]

That next day, Lupe and Roger set out, trying to stay incognito when entering the center of the port city. They bought little supplies, not wishing to linger too long. When exiting the city, they almost ran into one of the guards. His face was bruised, and he looked extremely angry. They could feel it from a distance. Leaving the city, Lupe let out a heavy breath.

"Was the man frightened of being figured out?"

"No," she said between her teeth. "I was afraid of losing a day."

"All work and no play..."

"I understand the analogy." She rolled her eyes, glad she didn't have to work to lower her voice. It was becoming painful.

On this journey, she allowed Roger to take the lead, since it seemed he knew the way. He kept his eyes forward for a while, his expression serious and focused, but it seemed this type of behavior didn't suit him.

"How old are you, Lady Lupe?" Roger was mocking her, which she didn't appreciate.

"Old enough. And yourself?"

"Thank goodness we're the same age," he muttered, going quiet once more.

Lupe enjoyed the silence; it gave her a chance to think. She allowed her thoughts to flow freely, half-conscious of what was happening around her. It was as if her mind was vivid, and her surroundings were in her periphery. She liked this state of mind best. She wondered if Roger, sweet and gentlemanly, would attempt to do anything to her. She certainly hoped not; she didn't want to have to kill the poor man so soon after ensuring deep trust between him. Besides, after being around him for so long, it would have been strange to walk the rest of his adventure alone. He also knew her biggest and only clue for her returning home. Do see her Jose again... that meant more than anything to her. Her whole life was in that sick child, her heart and soul devoted to him... to not be with him for this amount of time absolutely killed her.

"You're distracted, Miss." Lupe jumped by the sound of Roger's voice.

"Yes..." Her voice trailed off, along with her thoughts.

"Do you wish to talk with me about what the matter could be?" He was trying to be helpful, but trying to be subtle about his curiosity. She figured, why the hell not? Not like he knew anyone she did anyway.

"Well... In my home century, I have a younger brother. He turned thirteen just five days ago. But I've been away from him for... quite some time. He'd had surgery, and was barely recovering, last I saw him." Her voice quieted, and she ceased talking from there on. She couldn't bring herself to say more on the subject, lest she burst into tears. She gave Roger's back a sad smile, knowing he was barely listening.

He knew she was only a woman, after all.

Later on, while her mind drifted again, Lupe ended up running into Roger, causing her to stumble backward. She looked up in confusion, then awe, then shock. All emotions took place in less than sixty seconds.

"This is it, I assume." It wasn't a question; she didn't need to ask.

"Is it not obvious?" Roger's sly smile returned to his face, his eyes narrowing, looking sort of like a raccoon ready to scavenge in your garbage... right behind your back.

The mountain held a mass of eerie dark green clouds, the color fading to yellow as the clouds dispersed from the point. There was a large cave mouth, dark and mysterious, near its center.

"This is going to be one bumpy ride."

"Indeed." And Roger marched right toward the narrow, sharp path, knowing Lupe would be following after.