Title: Road Paved with Good Intentions
Type: Gen
Word Count: 36,000+
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings:Mercedes, Kurt, Artie/Tina , expect cameos of others.
A/N: Written for the Gleebigbang on LJ
Summary:When Enchanter Ryerson attempts to blow up State Chambers opening up the chance for Guard Captain Sylvester to press an anti-magic bill, the missing enchantress Rachel Berry becomes the key to stop the wheel of the political machine. Told to bring the enchantress back to McKinley in a timely manner Kurt, Tina, Artie and Mercedes will get trapped in spells, get tangled in secrets, and try to figure out the mystery of Kurt's never ending wardrobe.

[1]

"Hold up, I am not going in there!"

Tina spun around towards her friend. Although she expected Kurt to be the one to complain she still wasn't quite surprised to see Mercedes glaring at the cave with undisguised caution. As the most pragmatic of the group she never put herself in line of dragon fire if she didn't have to.

"I heard the stories," Mercedes said hotly as Kurt studied his fingernails, "you two will be perfectly fine, but I not getting my head bitten off or worse," she shivered, "cursed."

"Mercedes," Kurt drawled, "It's just a little cave and if I'm risking my skin you can risk yours too, it's thick enough."

"We," Tina said coming between the two, knowing time was short and the cave's structure weak. "We need you. We don't know what's waiting for us back there."

"Then why are we risking our necks for it?" Mercedes said hotly.

"Stand guard, if you're not coming" Tina said shortly striding into the cave, "We'll be back."

Behind her Kurt whistled a low tune. A swirl of flames appeared in his cupped palm, casting light and shedding shadows along the cave's walls around them.

Tina glanced back seeing Mercedes still fuming at the entrance, Tina hummed a light tune causing a wind to swirl up gathering loose stones. They rattled along the cave, and there was small yelp.

Kurt smirked at her as Mercedes came running towards them. Upon seeing them she tugged at her vest, fixing them with a glare that promised harm later on. "I thought you already be in the back," she grumbled before taking lead as usual.

With Kurt's light and Mercedes need to get out her as quickly as possible the trio quickly entered the depths of the cave following the path the map indicated to a solid wall.

"According to Schue's directions," Kurt said holding the flames over the paper, "there should be a hidden pressure point along the wall."

As Tina began to search running her fingers along the rock, Mercedes stood back her fingers wrapping around the hammer at her side. "I have a thought."

"You can go back if you want to," Tina said crouching down a bit to scrape the stone.

"It's not that," Mercedes replied, "if Schue had a map, it meant he's probably not the first one to know about it."

Tina felt the stone move, and Kurt cursed under his breath.

"And you thought about that now!" He hissed, "When we might have walked into a trap?"

"Not might," Tina said as the stone shifted into form of a gnome, "have!"

"Both of you," Mercedes said pulling out her hammer, "duck!"

Kurt grabbed Tina by the arm dragging her down as Mercedes belted out a mighty note slamming her hammer into the wall. Green light filled the cave as the rock split in sync with each notes Mercedes sung.

Tina glanced up to see the rock shapes keep coming, and Mercedes was having hard time keeping the melody.

Singing softly, Tina repelled a bit of the stone, and tugged her friends' leg. "Let's get out of here."

"Wait!"

Light filled the cave once more, as Kurt stood brushing the bits of stone off his clothes. "Never mind, nothing's ripped."

Mercedes made an angry swipe at him, and Kurt ducked away causing her to chase after him.

Watching them, Tina sighed and slowly crawled their way out of yet another dead end of their quest.

Tina has spent nearly three years in the capital city of McKinley when Enchanter Ryerson went rouge attempting to blow up the State chambers heavily intoxicated and in a frenzied fit.

From what she heard, fed from the reliable sources Kurt had at his disposal, Ryerson was taken care of, but the ripples effects of his rouge magic had hit the kingdom hard. The Captain of the elite Cherrio guard, Sue Sylvester had been pushing for years to restrict magic use in the kingdom. She been ramming heads with their teacher, the Grand Vizier for years, and Ryerson's lapse was just the opportunity to strike.

"You saw the news?" Schue said tossing the paper onto the table. Tina reached for it while Kurt leaned back on his chair his hands cupped underneath his chin. "Sylvester finally has the backers for the bill, it's going to take a while to pass through since it had to be drafted and approve, but time is of the essence."

"What can we do?" Mercedes had just arrived that morning, still wearing travel stained clothes, with a report yet to be filed with the King. "It's rougher out there, and people being through poultices and," she mimed the ward away evil sign with her fingers, "even more than usual. I couldn't even get an audience with half the nobles even when I showed them your mark."

Schue passed around the makeshift classroom, where the marks of theirs and other less than successful spells that marked the walls and ceiling in charred remains.

"You'll have to find Rachel."

"No," Kurt protested as all four chairs hit the floor with a bang. "I'm not bringing her back. She disappeared on us, she-"

"Has the power and skill to sway half the Senate," Schue interrupted "most of the noble seats since she was in contact with most of them before her disappearance. But most of all she can act as State Enchanter."

"And none of us can?" Mercedes said hotly, "we can make this work without Rachel."

"It won't work," Schue said, "Rachel has the power that can be a swaying for, she's our star so to speak, the most talented person I have ever taught."

Mercedes looked enraged but she kept quiet, drumming her fingers on the table.

"So you're asking us to find Rachel?" Tina asked, and almost swore Schue visibly relaxed at her voice.

"Not asking, ordering. This is your task, your final test. You said you were getting bored going through the archives," he glanced at her and then over Kurt who was studying the wall intently. "Think of this as opportunity to use your skills in an applied manner. You might even get to storm a castle."

"Oh," Kurt remarked dryly, "joy."

Mercedes had negotiated the terms with King Figgins when she went to file her report on the state of the northern duchies. Kurt researched their first stop learning of Rachel's last known location, and Tina cleaned up the place she called home for the past three years.

Unlike her friends who left things behind, Tina couldn't afford to leave a slightest trace of herself behind, not trusting even a broken pencil unable to be used as a detector to find her again. With her books under her arms, she washed the room in cleansing magic hoping their quest would be engaging as Schue talked it up to be.

Their first stop was the former residences that Rachel had once stayed at, including her family home. None told them much of anything, although her fathers were more than eager to half them walk through what Kurt caustically called the 'Living Tomb of Rachel Berry'.

It was there in the town of Lima, they caught up with a letter from Schue containing a map to the cave thought to be the site of one of the location of one of Rachel's practice circles. When they left exhausted and empty-handed, further examination of the map revealed it to be not only ten years out of date, but was misread completely.

Kurt wouldn't own up to, no matter how many snide remarks Mercedes made at delaying them. But as Tina studied the map, she saw overlaid it a misdirection spell. She could barely see it, but couldn't break. For a moment she thought of bringing it up when a fireball hit the map.

"Let's get into town," Kurt grumbled as Tina blew the ashes away from herself. "I don't want to stay out here any longer."

It had started raining not long after they left the cave. A slow steady drizzle that along with the early spring chill drove them towards an inn.

Kurt sneered at the décor of the inn, but didn't say a word as he usually would as he flounced over to innkeeper. It was far too late in the evening and all three of them where more than willing to put latest failure behind them.

Ignoring the looks they got for ordering one room for the three of them, they settled in taking in a night, falling on to their beds with little conversation.

That night Tina dreamed for the first time in ages. Her dreams were filled colored smoke rising in the air as fireworks filled the night sky. She was on a boat, and someone was next her, but the face was obscured in the dream as the environment kept shifting around. First to mountains, to the sea, to hills and to a castle. She broke free of the dream, too late to fix the damage, and too soon to find out the reason why she dreamed of in the first place.

Panting, Tina laid in bed listening to her friends' soft snores around her too shaken to fall asleep again.

Unable to remain still for much longer, Tina threw off her covers and nearly tripped. Kurt was sprawled out on the floor like an overgrown puppy, and twitched like one too as he dreamed.

She stepped over him grabbing her knives on the nightstand. Carefully opening the window she climbed out on to the rooftop. With the faint beams on dawn on her shoulders, she struck invisible opponent with her knives calming her nerves by moving too much to let her thoughts compound.

Tiger. Heron. Snake. Koi.

The forms ran through her mind as she spun and turned along the rooftop. Four elements. Four forms. Mercedes and Kurt may say she was obsessed with getting a water talent in the group, but it was her dream every since she learned their affinities were their primary strengths. It was been even, balanced, and maybe even the extra person could buffer their equally fierce tempers of the duo.

As she step backwards, she slipped on the slick tiles. Flipping over she managed to stop from falling off, but as Tina panted on the rooftop, the sunlight on her neck, she realized it was probably about time to go back inside.

Swinging back inside through the window she quickly changed in to clean clothes, then went to the task of waking her friends up.

Tina nudged Kurt gently with her foot.

"Wake up, time to head out."

Mercedes was harder to wake as she wouldn't budge until Kurt lit a fire underneath her. Tina fluttered out the way as Mercedes reached out the strangle him, her yells were enough to rattle the foundation.

As they trooped out, they passed the innkeeper was on the ground sweeping up shattered pottery, muttering about earthshakers.

She was still a bit sleepy, but even still the prickle that passed over her senses to make her stop as they walked through the streets.

It was weak and fleetingly and she paid it no mind at first, but it grew the longer they walked and the worries Tina had about her dreams last night resurfaced. She wasn't dreaming that long for her location to be found?

Mercedes and Kurt were in deep conversation about where to go next. They had papers to pass through unbothered, but they already lost so much time to begin with, and Mercedes was against staying here longer than needed.

"We need to buy supplies, and you're going to buy more than that. I remember the last time we went to a town in the area and we came home with a peacock."

Tina tuned their bickering out anticipating them to blow up smoke for a while. Staring out in the crowded marketplace for whoever had rattled her senses, and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Soldiers in the red and white uniforms of the Cherrio guard parted the crowd as they patrolled, vendors sold items to customers, and a few children ran about.

"So it's decided," Kurt said clapping his hands, "I'm going to send a wire to Schue and give an update on our quest."

"You do that," Mercedes said briskly, "and we'll be seeing if they have food your sensitive stomach can handle."

Mercedes stalked off into the street shoving people out the way as she disappeared.

Tina turned to Kurt. "What did you do?"

He had glanced down at his nails. "We disagreed, that's all. Do you have a message for Schue?"

Tina shook her head.

"Then I'll be off."

Here we go again. Tina thought watching Kurt leave severely doubting he'll go to check the post. Once again they had this little tiff going, something that was happening more often these days ever since they've been sent on this quest. She suspected there was a good reason for the occasional flare up, but it was starting to wear on her nerves. It might be over minor stuff about whose turn it was to cook or who got to scare the nine lives out of the bandits on their tail, but it happened enough that she was starting to worry not just about the dynamics of their team but of their friendship.

The prickle between her shoulders appeared again, stronger this time and she recognized the familiar touch. Tina didn't even bother turning around and simply ran through the streets. She pushed crowds, jostling people aside as she ran past store and vendors alike. Eventually she'll make her way back to post office in case Schue had left a message for them but at the moment she was eager to shake the mark on her.

Sliding through the residential streets, she jumped over a garden fence and whistled a soft tune. The magic took and she floated over an old man in the middle of mediation, easily clearing the garden fence. Letting the air current gently glide her over a few streets, the prickle faded until it vanished completely.

Landing outside a bookstore, she dusted off her clothes bumping straight into a person exiting the shop. Boxes flew around, but her instincts kicked in, and instead of hitting the boxes were frozen suspended in the air around them.

"That's amazing."

Tina looked over to see a man around her age sprawled on the grown next to her, his eyes were round behind his glasses as they darted back and forth between the floating packages. "Is it a blanket or individual spell?"

Tina blinked and the boxes fell around them. He flinched as one of the boxes hit his foot.

"S-ssorry!" Tina stuttered trying to grab the boxes.

"It's fine." Picking up the staff next to him he slowly to his feet, and tapped the box closest to his foot. It as well as its companions stacked on top of each other swiftly and silently. With his free hand he snapped his fingers and the stacks of boxes followed him like an eager puppy.

Tina snapped out of her daze and quickly fell into step with him all the road.

"How did you do that, I haven't seen that type of spell before."

"It's a charm-" he said looking over at her startled. She recalled the same look on Mercedes's face when she realized Tina had followed her all the way to the capital city. "A rather simple one."

"I fairly adept with elemental magics," Tina said as way of explanation, "mostly those channeled through Glee. This is a different sort of magic."

"You heard of kinetics magic…..?"

"Tina." She supplied with an encouraging smile.

"Artie," he said without pause, "kinetic magic involve motion, closely tied to motion and martial arts. This is organology combines principles of both Glee and kinetics." As Tina nodded along he added, "You don't seem quite familiar with it."

"I'm not from around here," Tina replied, "I probably know it under a different name."

"I noticed," he said and then blanched as Tina made a face, "I mean, I've been here for a while and I hadn't meet any-" he swallowed hard, and cleared his throat. "You're from one of the Nomadic Clans in the north aren't you? Not many leave the clans from what I heard, which isn't much."

Tina steeled herself wondering if he would guess more, but he seemed satisfied with the answer.

"Here to learn much about magic?" he asked with small smile.

Tina nodded again.

"It's odd. I'm not much of a teacher."

"I wasn't asking you to teach me."

One of the packages hit him on the back of his head. "Well it's just well enough, I'm just -

A sharp whistle filled the air, a whistle they had practiced to recognize.

"Kurt!" Tina hissed as she started running towards the source of the sound.

"A friend of yours?" Artie called after her.

"He's always getting into trouble," Tina muttered as she waved, not bothering to turn around, "goodbye!"

Tina ran through the streets not caring who she knocked over in her haste. Kurt had the tendency to attract trouble most of it he could handle, but he never whistled unless it was dire trouble.

As the sight of a burst a fire hit a fruit booth some distance away, Tina jumped up whistling a tune under her breath as she pulled her knives out as she leapt on top of shop. She slid along the rooftop grabbing hold of a sign post to slow her descent, and peered out into the courtyard below her.

As usual Kurt had a sword to his throat though this time he managed to pull out one of the sai swords for a change. Around him were a variety of men and women, some who looked drunk and others that appeared just plain mean as the curse making signs against evil at them. Luckily there was not a red and white uniform in sight. That made the odds of this turning out how she wanted much better.

Jumping into the courtyard, she spun around in a small a circle cutting up the few goons that were around Kurt. The yells distracted the man Kurt was fighting off, and he managed to light a fire under his feet. Tina ducked back as the man jumped back and caught his sword with her pair of knives.

Smirking, she kicked him squarely in the chest, and Kurt followed up with a high kick of his own.

"Behind you!" Kurt called out.

Tina spun too late at the man coming at her. But the ground rippled upwards sending the assailant sailing into the air. Tina whistled and the man flew in a different direction flying though the open door of restaurant.

"You're late," Tina called pleasantly to Mercedes as she stomped her way through the crowd of shoppers, the ground shifting under her feet like giant fists as she made her way..

"I was buying ginko beans," she returned, twirling her hammer and hitting a person that was coming her way.

Tina jumped over her knocking over the women charging at them. "I hate ginko beans why couldn't you get something else?"

Mercedes rolled her eyes, as Tina dusted her hands off. She kicked the ground sending the few that remain buckling head over heels.

"They were on sale."

Tina sheathed her blades as Kurt stumbled up to them his nose bleeding. "Are you alright?" she asked before he could say word about the beans.

"You idiot," Mercedes chastised as she began to dab his face, "what did you do?"

Kurt flinched at her touch. She ignored him and kept her hand in place humming the spell. Mercedes's affinity with healing was as gentle as her bedside manner. "Someone saw something funny on my face."

"Are you sure," Tina asked, "they look like a bunch of drunks you started a fight with…"

The clink of a sword caught her attention, and she turned to slow to meet the challenge, but there was no need. The man slide on a patch of ice, and cracked his head so surely that there was no fear of him getting up anytime soon.

From the fringes of the dispersing crowd she caught sight of Artie in the shadow of shop at the edge, leaning heavily on his staff as his packages floated next to him. He waved at her, before he turned disappearing from sight.

"Rachel could be anywhere," Tina moaned as she marked numbers on the map, coding the places they have traveled through, "she might not be in the kingdom anymore."

"We thought of that possibility at first," Kurt said, "and it's nothing different from what Schue told us. It's just the chances of success are much smaller."

"You could go back," Mercedes pointed out acidly as they sat in the tavern. She tapped her fingers on the table ignoring the dirty looks the innkeeper was giving them for not ordering any drinks. "If I have to hear you complain one more time about moisturizers…"

"I have a delicate complexion," Kurt said stiffly and Tina closed her eyes, not having the energy to stop it from happening again, "and you should think about the effects of travel in this weather, your hair's atrocious."

Tina picked up the map, as the table rocked into Kurt's chest. He choked, his face turning purple as he tried to kick her from the underside.

There was ratting going on as the table was shoved back and forth, but no singing as Tina took the time to realize just exactly where they were.

"Hey, Kurt, do you remember that creepy guy that stalked Rachel?"

"I can't believe I'm listening to you," Mercedes grumbled as the pulled the dress over her head. "Why am I the one who has to talk to him?"

"Because he hadn't met you," Tina said frankly, "and you have the exotic factor going on."

Mercedes snorted, "This whole town is lily white."

"Never mind that," Tina said gesturing, "pull your bodice down lower, Kurt has a wrap for you to use."

"Sweet Cheesus," Mercedes said catching sight of herself in the mirror, "I look like a hooker."

"A tasteful one," Tina replied.

"If he touches me," Mercedes said gripping the air where her hammer usually hung, "he's getting a taste of chocolate thunder."

A knock came at the door. "Are you done?" Kurt drawled, "I'm getting odd stares." He poked his head in, his eyes respectively closed, "It doesn't matter if I look at you know."

Tina shrugged and Mercedes rolled her eyes, "you can come in."

Kurt followed in suit and his face fell when he saw her. "That color doesn't suit you at all." He clucked reprovingly. "Let's see what I have." He shut the door behind him and crisply picked his bag up.

Tina was fairly certain there was some kind of enlargement charm on it, given she had once seen him pull out a trunk, but her any comment she was about to make was cut short as Kurt pulled a wand out.

"You don't know illusionary magic," Tina laughed, as Kurt turned it over in his hands. "You're just elemental with a side of mecha."

"I got it from a tiny blond woman," Kurt said gesturing for Mercedes to stand in the center of the room. "Fairy godmother patented and everything."

"Fairy godmothers are just witches with fancy titles and cards," Mercedes grumbled.

"Don't talk," Kurt raised his arms, his eyes gleaming, "I'm going to turn your frock into a ball gown."

Tina wasn't surprised for all the waving of arms he did that nothing happened, she was just surprised Kurt believed it would.

She tried to keep a straight face as the more he waved the wand, but between Mercedes's looks of growing annoyance and Kurt's growing frustration, the first giggle slipped out opened floodgates and she slid off the bed to the floor convulsing with laughter.

Banished from the room, Tina crept downstairs to find more use of her time.

She found the front room mostly empty except of the innkeeper who sat behind her desk fingering through a book.

"I wonder if you could help me?" Tina asked drawing attention to herself, "I'm looking for the former reporter to the Titan Daily, a man that goes by the name Jacob?"

"You want to find him?" the overly plump innkeeper said closing her book, her scowl only deepening, "what's your interest?"

"Looking for someone." Tina replied.

"Everyone is looking for someone, and looking for Ben Israel." The innkeeper sniffed as she looked over Tina pointedly, "he knows everyone and everything, too important."

Tina leaned forward meeting the woman's beady gaze. "He has to have a contact to get information, and I think he might have an interest in this particular person, or should I say enchantress."

The innkeeper's wheezy breath had stopped, "you mean her."

"Yes," Tina said more firmly than she felt. "Her. If you tell me where he is, we can help both of us out. "

The innkeeper spilled the details and soon enough (and with a lighter wallet) Tina was escorting Mercedes through the labyrinth of streets.

She was still wearing the dress that they had found in her bag, and Kurt was lurking behind, looking none too pleased at his failed experiment.

"Just remember, keep him focused on the target and don't let on we know less than he is, and if he asks-"

"Please," Mercedes interrupted, expertly adjusting her clothes, "I can take care of myself."

"Just don't kill him," Tina cautioned.

Mercedes waved a hand and knocked on the door. After a few moments she was hastily allowed entrance.

"I hate this," Kurt muttered coming next to Tina, his eyes narrowed at the shady shop. "You two shouldn't have to do that to get leads."

"Well you should try next time," Tina said slyly, "I'm sure these are people of different persuasions."

Kurt cut his eyes at her, but didn't protest, the muscle in his jaw jumping up every so often.

When he got like this she knew any attempt to persuade him otherwise would fall flat. Kurt for all his indifference cared more than he was willing to admit.

The door slammed open, and Mercedes emerged in triumph clutching a piece of paper. "I got it, time to go."

"We don't need to rush," Tina said as Mercedes grabbed her by the arm.

The reason became clear as the door opened up, as a crossed eye man with a puff of hair stumbled out not discreetly adjusting his pants.

"Come back, my love, my chocolate angel-"

Kurt almost turned around, but both Mercedes and Tina shoved him on.

"Rachel was last seen in Carmel," Mercedes said as Tina pulled the map out.

"That's a few weeks south from here," she muttered.

"A few days by train," Kurt added, "but don't forget the border is guarded by soulless automatons, it's not going to be easy to get throw and how do we know Lady Lark is still there?"

"Until he has sources that state otherwise." Tina said primly. She gestured to the medallion that they were given. "The King himself gave us these, for funds and help to those loyal to the crown we can be set for years."

"Don't say years," Mercedes retorted, "we have to get over with as soon as possible. I got things I want to do with my life."

"But nothing nearly as challenging."

Tina frowned getting passed Carmel's soulless automatons was like poking a dragon in the eye. Unlike the Cherrios that made up McKinley elite guard, Carmel's guards were all magic users and highly synchronize ones as well. While they could exploit the weakness in the guard, Carmel's automatons would take some work. It made sense Rachel would disappear behind that wall of magic, and if it wasn't for the urgency of their quest Tina would be having second thoughts.

"So," Kurt asked, "what are we going to do?"

"See if Schue left us a wire," Tina said, "buy supplies that don't include ginko beans, and from there who knows."