Hello everyone! I'm sorry, I almost forget to update this today. Fortunately, I remembered it in time, so you won't have to wait almost another day to read this. ;P With this chapter, I thought it would be good how the villagers are doing. We haven't heard of them since they got the new that Asterix was in Rome. Also, they could... come up with a plan or something, who knows? If you're enjoying this story, please, can you leave a review? Just if you want. I love to hear your thoughts about this. 😊

Well, I'd like to give a special thanks to Drummergirl for helping me editing this story. I'm really, really, really grateful to her, she's awesome!

Okay after say all this, here you have the next chapter of this story, I hope you all will like it!

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Vitalstatistix sat in his chair, his elbow resting on the armrest and his hand supporting his head. The leader was tired... no, not tired, by Belenos... he was desperate. The only thing he wished for was rest – to have time to clear his head – but that option didn't seem possible, especially at this moment.

Ever since they had received the dire news from the Romans that Asterix was in the hands of Caesar, the villagers had been gathering in the chief's cabin to decide what they should do. By now, however, it was quite clear it was going to be difficult – if not impossible – to come up with a solution to such a serious problem.

"The gods have turned against us! There is no hope anymore," one of the villagers said, completely disheartened.

Vitalstatistix didn't like to see his fellow Gauls in such a state. And he had tried – with the utmost determination – to make everyone's spirits improve, but it was becoming increasingly difficult... and frankly, he was beginning to lose hope, himself.

Fortunately, there were still Gauls who believed that everything could get better, as the villager who spoke next demonstrated:

"But maybe Obelix can still rescue Asterix! We can't give up yet, by Tutatis!"

Though of course, as always, there was that one character in charge of shattering and crushing everyone's spirits:

"If it weren't Asterix who was in this situation..."

But soon another villager would speak out, as if he were a defender of the people ready to always see the bright side... more or less... in all things:

"What do you mean by that? You think Obelix can't do it?"

And there it was. Vitalstatistix knew it from the moment they mentioned Obelix an argument was going to break out at some point. That moment was coming, as the villager who had spoken earlier now felt attacked and needed to defend his opinion.

"NO, I didn't mean that! But... if Asterix hadn't turned into a child..."

Oh, by Tutatis, why did the Gauls have to be such a stubborn people? The village chief knew perfectly well that from this point, things would escalate from exchanging words, to shouting, and finally to fists. It was inevitable.

"Maybe everything that has happened is a sign from the gods for us to submit to Rome," one of the villagers said in an almost inaudible voice, although loud enough to be heard by several people.

These words immediately caused someone to jump up and shout:

"You're mad! We'll never bow to Rome! Traitor!"

"Who are you calling a traitor?!" the one who had made such an unfortunate suggestion shouted in turn, but it was already too late. Just as Vitalstatistix had predicted, it wouldn't be long before it came to fists... that is, if no one managed to stop it. But who was going to be able to stop them? Who were they going to pay attention to?

"Anyone who thinks that surrendering to Rome is a solution is a traitor!" Fulliautomatix said at that moment. Usually, he and Unhygienix were at the center of all debates in the village, and this case was no exception... at least, not for one of them. Fulliautomatix now stood directly in front of the Gaul with whom he was picking a fight.

The other villager had firmly planted himself, unwilling to be insulted directly to his face. He straightened up as much as he could and shouted:

"Oh yeah? Says who?"

Fulliautomatix responded by pointing his thumb at himself. "Says me!"

That was all it took for the first villager to launch himself directly at the blacksmith, crying:

"I'll show you!"

Within seconds, a mountain of Gauls had formed, all fighting each other and shouting meaningless words, unable to hear anything but their own voices.

The village chief groaned in exasperation and shouted as loud as he could, trying in vain to get them to stop. All his efforts were futile, to say the least. No one would listen... no one.

Suddenly a rumbling sound broke out, like a clap of thunder on a stormy day, only it sounded much closer than the noise that seemed to indicate the fury of the gods. Vitalstatistix could have sworn he even noticed the earth shaking beneath his feet. By Tutatis, what was happening?

Well, whatever it was, at least it had made all the Gauls stop fighting, thank Belenos. As soon as there was absolute silence, a voice that the village chief respected greatly rang out clearly and concisely:

"That's enough! This is not the time to fight!"

The man to whom that voice belonged was none other than Getafix, and now that Vitalstatistix took a good look at him. The old druid had a staff in his hands which he seemed to be holding so tightly that his knuckles were practically white. Had it been Getafix who had made that noise to get everyone's attention? Probably.

The leader watched as Tragicomix, who hadn't taken part in the fight, approached the man with the long white beard and said:

"That's right. We have to stay calm, as much as we're able."

His authoritative and confident voice made the red-haired man think that Tragicomix could one day become a great chief. He knew how to keep calm in difficult situations and always tried to look for the most beneficial solution for everyone when a problem arose, and always thought of others before himself.

Yes, Tragicomix could become a great chief.

Vitalstatistix was so deep in thought, he practically jumped in surprise when Unhygienix spoke up from the base of the mountain of Gauls that currently occupied most of the chief's cabin.

"But if there is nothing we can do anymore, we're lost."

Getafix spoke again, his voice clear and confident:

"That's not true. There is still hope. We're still here, Asterix is still alive, and Obelix is still out there, looking for him. We must trust that the gods will guide him so he can get Asterix back, and the two of them will be able to return."

His words sounded reassuring and eloquent, though Vitalstatistix also noticed a touch of... fear? No, not fear... more like shame. Getafix was ashamed, probably as a result of the guilt that consumed him for everything that had happened... poor druid.

Turning his attention from the druid to the rest of the villagers, the chief saw how several men had bowed their heads, and many of their faces had acquired a touch of shame. Truly the druid's words had reached deep inside them.

Vitalstatistix decided this was his moment to intervene, and so he did:

"My friends, Getafix is right. As long as there is life, there is hope. I have full confidence in Obelix. I'm sure the gods will guide him so that he and Asterix can return. And that is why we cannot give up. We haven't yet been defeated... do you remember when Getafix, Asterix, and Obelix were lost beyond the end of the world? The Romans caught us. All seemed lost. But the gods were merciful and we managed to get out of that situation. I know this isn't exactly the same, but I also know even though we don't see a way out of this situation now, we can't lose our faith in the gods. With their help, we'll make it through as we always have. What do you say? Are you with me?"

"YEEEAAAHH!" was the unanimous shout of all the villagers gathered there. The chief smiled, pleased to see even Tragicomix had joined the cheers. But now... how could they avoid surrendering to Rome without Asterix being harmed? If they refused to do as the Romans told them, what would happen to the blond Gaul then? The red-haired chief was well aware that Asterix being who he was, and the village being who it was, Julius would carry out his threats without batting an eye.

An idea suddenly crossed the red-haired Gaul's mind. The news that Asterix was in Rome had reached Armorica very quickly. the chief remembered the Roman who gave them the news had mentioned something about a pigeon. That made him think of his nephew Justforkix's pigeon, which had arrived in the village with news of the young Gaul not many days ago.

Thinking on that subject, Vitalstatistix supposed if they managed to prevent the Romans from sending pigeons to Rome, maybe they would manage to gain some time. Yes... maybe the incipient plan brewing in the village chief's mind was a plan that needed some improvements, but it was a plan after all, and so he conveyed it to the other villagers.

The other Gauls seemed surprised at first, but they couldn't deny their chief was right. If they managed to prevent those pigeons from going to Rome, they could continue to resist as they had been, and Rome would know nothing, which would keep Asterix alive, giving Obelix a chance to find him.

From that moment on, the villagers planned to watch and capture all the pigeons they saw leaving the various Roman camps around them. When they had those pigeons in their possession, they would replace the original messages with false messages. This last part was Cacofonix's idea. Finally, they also decided that if they could, they would catch the pigeons coming from Rome to get news from abroad.

While the villagers were discussing all this, a man arrived outside the village gates. He had sneaked past the Roman camps, trying to avoid the patrols in the woods, and when he managed to see the village wall and the smoke rising from the various houses, he exclaimed in relief:

"At last, I have arrived!"

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Anonymus was hyperventilating, and his wife Dulcia wasn't feeling much better. They had spent hours... yes, literally hours... wandering all over the city, and with what goal? To find their little Mischiefus, naturally.

This was the second time, the second time, the boy had disappeared without a trace. The only thing his parents hoped was that they wouldn't find him inside a cage again. By Jupiter, that would be almost as if the gods were telling them they didn't know how to take care of their son.

And all this because they had told the boy he was too small to help! They were surprised at their son's immediate reaction, but more than surprised, they were scared. Where could he have gone? No matter how much they yelled at him to come back, the brown-haired boy wandered off down the street until none of the adults could see him.

Immediately after this, Anonymus and Dulcia apologized to Obelix and the others and ran off to find their boy. But they had been searching for hours, and were no closer to finding him than at the start. There was no sign of Mischiefus anywhere. It was as if he had been swallowed up by the earth.

"Have you seen him?" Dulcia asked her husband. She was beginning to think they were never going to find him. She had already searched all the places where Mischiefus used to play, but the boy was nowhere to be found.

Anonymus looked dejectedly at his wife as he answered:

"No, I can't find him anywhere. Where can he be?"

Dulcia frowned, trying to remember the moment her son had left. An idea had been gnawing at the back of her mind, but she didn't know if it was even possible, so she decided to relay her doubts to her husband:

"Didn't he say something about finding Asterix himself? You don't think that...?"

Anonymus' eyes widened like saucers when he realized what his wife was hinting at.

"You think he's gone to Caesar's palace to go look for him?" he asked, finishing the question Dulcia had begun to ask. She looked at him with fear in her eyes, but at the same time, there was determination in them. If there was the slightest possibility their son was there, Anonymus knew for certain his wife would want to check, something she soon confirmed.

"It's a possibility, and for now we don't have any better options, so let's go."

"Alright, let's," was all the Mosaicist could say, for he knew for a fact when his wife got something in her head, it was very difficult – if not impossible – to change her mind.

The two Romans made their way towards Caesar's palace, but it wasn't long before they heard a voice that made them stop in their tracks for different reasons:

"Oh, Dulcia, is that you?"

Anonymus groaned and made an annoyed face. Of all the people they could possibly meet in this city, it had to be HER. Were the gods testing them or something?

The Mosaicist saw his wife force a smile out of the corner of his eye before she turned around and answered the person who had spoken to them:

"Claudia! What a surprise! Hey, I'm sorry, but I don't have time right now!"

Claudia, despite what the other woman had told her, started talking again, as if she hadn't heard and her friend actually had plenty of time to talk to her.

"Yes, but girl it's been forever since we talked! And you see, there's something I wanted to ask you, because with what I saw, I thought you would be interested to know, since that boy looked a lot like him... but of course, I said to myself: 'it can't be, as far as I know, he doesn't have any friends with such blond hair!' You know me, I'm not a gossip, but anyway I thought it wouldn't hurt to tell you about it, you know, just in case –"

At the mention of not one, but two children, Dulcia quickly took an interest in what Claudia was saying, but unfortunately, her friend tended to beat around the bush, so holding up a hand to silence the other woman, Dulcia spoke next:

"Wait, what are you talking about? More like who are you talking about?"

Claudia's eyes lit up as she saw she had finally managed to get her friend's attention. Oh, she had a wonderful story to tell! So, without wasting any time, she began to narrate the events she had witnessed just a few hours before:

"Well, you see, before, I was walking near one of the gates out of Rome – you know how I like to see those who come to the city... peasants, tourists, soldiers returning from who-knows-where, everyone imaginable – then, suddenly, I saw a traffic jam caused by a collision between two carts. There I could see how the two who had caused the traffic jam were shouting. I couldn't understand them at all, and you know I'm an expert at understanding what people say, even if they are shouting at the top of their lungs, but I couldn't understand those two at all, although... now that I think about it, they looked like foreigners, maybe they didn't speak Latin and that's why I couldn't understand them, because I've never been very good at languages –"

"By Jupiter, how much longer is this going to take?" Anonymus suddenly complained. Unfortunately, that woman not only talked a lot, but her voice was high pitched, and shrill, she had a timbre of voice that would give the poor mosaicist terrible headaches if he listened to her for too long.

Claudia turned in surprise to the man at her friend's side, but she had hardly explained anything! How could Dulcia's husband ask such things? Clearing her throat, the woman spoke again in response to the mosaicist:

"How much longer? No, not much at all! As you know, Anonymus, I'm not very talkative. Well, as I was saying, while the two men were arguing, I saw him, I saw that boy, yes, with his headband in his hair, and his short stature, because forgive me for telling you, dear Dulcia, but I think your little Mischiefus is a little short for his age."

"Hey, don't say that about my son!" Anonymous jumped, crossing his arms. It was one thing to go off the deep end, and another to insult someone, especially someone who wasn't present.

Anonymus took a deep breath to calm his growing nervousness. If it weren't for the fact that this woman seemed to have important information, she would have been left her with word in her mouth long ago.

When he finally calmed down enough, he added to what he had said earlier:

"And please, please, for the love of ALL the gods, give us the short version."

"Calm down Anonymus, by Neptune, it was just an observation! You know I don't say things with malice. I'd never dare to," the other woman said in a complaining tone. Why was Anonymus shouting like that? She hadn't done anything!

Fortunately, Dulcia decided to intervene to help calm everyone's nerves:

"Claudia, please, it's just that we're in a bit of a hurry. Could you please finish telling us what you're saying?"

This caused the other woman to focus on her again and put her husband aside. Regaining her earlier enthusiasm, Claudia continued with her explanation:

"Oh, of course, yes, Dulcia, no problem. Anyway, the point is that I saw a boy who I thought was your son approaching a cart that was stopped due to the accident. In that cart there was a masked man who was dressed, in my humble opinion, like a complete yokel. Also in that cart there was a little boy, maybe about two or three years old, totally blond, which I found very strange, because apart from slaves, it is difficult to see such blond people in the city. Although that child didn't look like a slave. He was actually dressed like any other Roman child."

"That child could be Asterix," Anonymus said to his wife, who nodded in agreement. That gesture elicited a quizzical look from Claudia, who decided to ignore what her friends had just said and keep talking:

"Asterix? I don't know anyone with any name like that, but just so I don't beat around the bush, something I hate when people do, the two boys started talking. Honest to goodness, it seems like they knew each other, or at least your son seemed to know him. Then suddenly the masked man approached the two boys and picked up Mischiefus and put him next to the other boy. Next, and before I could even get close, the cart moved again and drove out of city... Dulcia? Dulcia, are you okay?"

Claudia stopped when she saw her friend's eyes widen like saucers. What was it that had overwhelmed her like that? Startled, Claudia turned to Dulcia's husband only to find him in the same condition. She approached him, grabbed him by the arms, and began to shake him roughly while practically shouting:

"Anonymus, is something wrong with your wife? Anonymus? ANONYMUS!"

That seemed to snap the Mosaicist out of his stupor. When he recovered and realized what Claudia was doing to him, he quickly tried to shake her off:

"Huh? What the... Claudia! Stop jerking me around like I'm a ragdoll, by Jupiter!"

He then turned to his wife and proceeded to bring her out of her own trance in a much gentler manner than Claudia had employed on him.

"Dulcia..." the man said, looking at his wife.

She simply replied:

"Oh, Anonymus..."

The two looked at each other, and immediately knew what they had to do.

"We have to go find Obelix!" they exclaimed at the same time, and instantly turned and started running through the crowded streets. Claudia just stood there, watching the two of them run away, leaving her all alone. Then a question left her lips:

"Who is Obelix?"

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XD I thought it could be fun to have a character like Claudia. I think I got the idea from the movie "Asterix and the twelve tasks" and there's another movie which name I don't remember but where Angela Lansbury was one of the main characters and there was also a woman who reminds a lot to Claudia. It was a funny scene to write. What do you think of it? Did you like? If you're enjoying this story, it would be awesome for me if you leave reviews. This would help me to continue writing 😉

Okay, after say that, I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I also would like to thank you all those who've read this story, those who voted it, those who have it on their reading lists and I'd like to especially thank to Beatlesfangirl15 for all the reviews. Thank you very much, I really appreciate it!

See you in the next chapter 😉