InsaneJournal

Who: Amycus and Anakin
What: Talking about magical failsafe mechanisms
When: Backdated to shortly after the tether plot
Where: A cafe near where Amycus' daughters take horseback riding lessons
Rating/Warnings: Low
Status: Complete


Amycus knew that he was pushing it, staying to watch a part of the girls lessons when he was supposed to be meeting Anakin to talk about what he might be able to do to help but watching them ride, especially Madison, was something he never got enough of. She was a natural horsewoman. Plus he wasn’t all that thrilled with the idea of the Unbreakable Oath but none of the books he’d looked over had shown him another option. Nothing to bind the growing powers the man was apparently experiencing so a promise was all they had. A spell that would cause harm to both him and an innocent person if he broke it. It was dangerous magic, dancing on the edge of the spells he’d sworn never to use but Lily had asked him to try and help her friend. And when family asked you for a favor - you did it. That was his life philosophy at least.

He’d promised Regulus to do his best to be back before the lessons were over and if he was late, he’d join them on the trail with Shadowdancer. Just to let him know which one they took with a text or a note at the stable. He wasn’t trying to get out of their family ride. He pulled into the parking lot of the cafe near the stables and went inside looking around for Anakin and making his way over to join the other man. “Sorry I’m late.”

***

When Amycus didn’t arrive on time, Anakin started appropriating silverware from around the cafe, discreetly using the Force to bring them over, and started making towers out of them. It was a delicate operation, the slightest bump could make the whole thing tumble into total mayhem.

He looked up when Amycus sat down and that was it, the current utensil in his hand nicked a fork tong and the silver, misshapen castle clattered to the table and a few even fell onto the floor.

“Hi,” Anakin said after the noise stopped echoing around the cafe. “You’re Amycus?”

***

Amycus raised a brow as the structure collapsed, watching Anakin over the table. Now he could understand a little better what Lily was talking about with her friend and the concern he’d shared with her about losing control of his powers. Or of them gaining the control over him. It was something he knew first hand could be terrifying. “I’m Amycus. The girls were a bit distracting when they started their lessons. I do hope you’re Anakin and I haven’t been prattling on to the wrong man.”

***

Anakin picked up a spoon and tapped it against the back of his metal hand.

“This would be really awkward if I wasn’t Anakin,” he said with a smile.

And before any staff member came over to pick up the mess he’d made, he started picking up the utensils with the Force and depositing them on the table.

“So what do you have for me?”

***

Amycus watched as Anakin picked up the various utensils that way. The other man was powerful that was extremely obvious to him. He licked his lips nervously, part of him wondering if he even could use the Unbreakable Oath spell to help him. If Anakin would agree to it.

“You wanted information on the Unbreakable Oath and how it would work if we cast it for you. Still want it?”

***

Anakin placed a fork on the pile, but something started nagging him in the back of his mind, like he should be paying attention to something else. He paused, giving the sensation in his mind his full attention and he divined the person sitting across from him was… nervous.

He looked at the pile of silverware. Then at Amycus. There were still a few utensils on the floor. But maybe he should try to pay more attention to Amycus. instead of reaching for the remaining utensils with the Force, he leaned back in his seat and placed his hands calmly in his pocket. He had a fidget device in his right pocket, and he started clicking it.

“Yes, uh, I’m interested if it will help me from killing everyone if I lose my mind. How—what is it? How does it work?”

***

Amycus asked the waitress to bring him a glass of water and took a sip of it before answering. “It’s a bit of advanced spellwork. It takes three people. The person taking the oath, the person they’re swearing too and the person to cast it. You’d be promising that person not to do whatever it is you don’t want to do. And if you break it...it kills you. It’s not something to go into lightly. A lot of wizards aren’t a fan of it in my dreams I think. Considered to be a bit too close to the darker side of magic. The cost is a bit high for a broken promise. But generally people that do go through with it pick someone they trust to encourage them to keep it.” He said, putting it out there as plainly as he could. They were both adults so there was no need to sugar coat things as far as he was concerned.

***

Anakin sat, trying to pay attention as best he could.

He wasn’t shocked by the idea of death. But, the idea that it was part of the “darker side of magic” did make him hesitate.

“The cost? Who pays it? Is it just the person breaking the oath? Like I would die if I broke the oath I made? What about the other people involved? Will they be okay? This is my problem to solve, no one else should have to suffer because of what I do.”

And then he realized he’d just asked a string of compound sentences without giving Amycus the chance to answer.

***

“The person breaking the oath is the only one who’ll die. The other two would just have to live the knowledge of it, of the promise. No more suffering than they’d have to deal with in general losing someone they care about.” Amycus said, eyes locked on the other man’s face. There were much darker magics he could think of, that he knew, from his Dreams.

***

Anakin was silent for a moment, thinking that over.

“Who here can do the spell?”

It was an odd thing to say. Just a year ago he would think someone asking a question like that would be nuts.

“Does the second person have to be a wizard or witch like you?”

***

Amycus had to think for a moment before answering those questions. “As far as I know - I’m the only who’s gotten far enough in Dreaming about my world to know the spell.”

He waved the waitress away, not wanting anything to eat or drink. Realizing that he should have double checked with Anakin before doing so and giving him an apologetic smile. “Sorry. Didn’t want to be interrupted. I don’t think they would have to be. I’ve never seen it done here so I can’t tell you for sure whether they would have to be or not.”

***

Anakin didn’t mind the waitress being waived away. He was lost in thought anyways. He already understood the weight of what these oaths would mean and that he would have to consider them carefully before any of this was performed.

“So are you offering to do this for me?”

***

Amycus thought for a moment before nodding his head slowly. “You find someone to go through the spell with and I’ll do it. If you decide it’s what you want to go through with. I don’t know of anyway to undo it so you need to be sure.”

***

Anakin didn’t nod or shake his head, he wasn’t saying yes or no right now. But his understanding of the gravity of what Amycus was proposing was clear when he said, “In my universe, I snap and murder millions- genocide.” He did more than that, but that was the cleanest summary he was going to give. “I don’t know why yet… but it doesn’t matter. I don’t want to do that, I don’t want to be that. I need a fail-safe that I can’t undo. If no one can undo it, that’s even better.”

But now he did nod, spelling it out like that reaffirmed how he’d felt going into this meeting.

“I’ll find someone.”