The North (Closed)

[KieranSoares]

Sam's green eyes turned up to his daughter once more. Any hope of sparing his children from his and Fiona's problems was long gone. But since becoming Dzana's caller, it was much easier to keep some semblance of calm for them at the very least. "Yeah, love?" He asked softly.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Do...do you need Dzana? I'll go get her." Riley offered, not knowing what else she was meant to do for her parents as they waited for Schaller's return and Markos's final plan.

 

[KieranSoares]

"She's with me," Sam assured her softly. Much like Schaller often was with Fiona even if he wasn't physically present, Dzana had quickly formed a similar connection with Sam, though it would take time to achieve a similar depth.

Keeping Fiona close, Sam reached a hand out to his daughter. "I've got her for the moment, little kit. Go be with Andre or take a little time for yourself. We'll be here when you check in."

 

[heartofcourage]

Riley took her father's hand, glancing down at her mother as Fiona mumbled something under her breath, her clear blue eyes closed as she faded for a moment.

"Ma?" Riley asked softly, watching as Fiona's eyes opened a crack. "You need to hold on. I don't want to be the Rider Queen."

"You won't have to be, Riley Ellowen." Fiona murmured softly, hearing the pain and uncertainty in her daughter's voice. "I promise."

Riley gave them both a nod before she turned to exit, closing the door behind her. She felt anger rising up in her throat, tears stinging her eyes. She was furious that fate was so cruel as to make them fight a dragon and impart a sickness onto her mother. When she was younger she would have raged against anyone she came across. With age came a certain wisdom even though she felt absolutely murderous.

 

[KieranSoares]

Sometime after Riley left her parents, Alex left the infirmary to Yasmine to begin intensive research with Markos's help. Greenhorns were called in to run letters to allies, and Alex even went so far as to send some down to Venice to his grandfather's former students. But foremost in Alex's hopes was for the help of traditional werefolk healers who had knowledge passed down from ancestors. Among his first requests was for any healers that worked in the havens, and for the bear Guntram who had immense loyalty to Fiona already. Finally, Alex called for the advice of his peers in former Byzantium who might have notes from doctors past around the time Hesperus was infected. If there was a major sickness among fighting dragons, someone had to have written it down. The question was whether that information had survived.

By the end of the day, all was quiet and tense. Save for those actively working on projects or abroad, no one could do anything but wait and worry. The following day was much the same.

Late in the evening after everything has wound down for the day and Riley was back in her own room in the castle, Andre entered carrying a cloth-wrapped bundle in one arm and a lidded small pot in the other. He wasn't meant to be in from patrol for another few hours, so his presence was a surprise.

"Hi," he murmured before he stepped up to kiss her. He laid the meal aside and offered her a light smile. "I figured some comfort food was due."

 

[heartofcourage]

“Koah…” Riley said with a long sigh. “I don’t think I have the stomach to eat.”

She knew the meal was her mother-in-law’s doing. They all had a vested interest to help Riley keep her strength and her sanity in the situation.

“Thank your Ma, but I eating is the last thing on my mind.”

 

[KieranSoares]

Andre's smile faded and his brows stitched in concern. It was an expression that had become all too familiar lately. Cupping her cheeks in his hands, he leaned in and pressed his forehead to hers. "I have a little good news," he whispered softly. "Jani's been cleared for light duty, and Dani's getting back in the saddle with Sadah til she chooses a permanent partner. That should divide up some of your work. And with allies and greenhorns coming in to help, we can all stop pulling so many double shifts." He knew it wasn't the root of her problem, but he hoped it would lift some weight.

 

[heartofcourage]

"She's dying, Koah." Riley said softly, her eyes full of intense pain. "Slowly, but she's dying. This illness...it was meant for dragons, not humans. She will slowly waste away until there is nothing left of her."

She issued a long sigh, her hands reaching to hold his own as they stared at one another for a moment. "Take me to bed. Help me forget this awful situation for a while."

 

[KieranSoares]

Andre wanted nothing more than to promise her up and down that she wouldn't lose her mother. None of them would ever recover from such a loss. But instead of making what felt more and more like empty promises, Andre did as she asked. Nuzzling against her, he stepped in closer til their bodies were flush.

"I love you," he whispered. "Marrying you was the best decision of my life. I couldn't make it through all of this without you." Kissing her again, he took her hands and coaxed her slowly toward their bed.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kissing Andre didn't solve all of her problems, but it certainly helped. She would never understand why this man loved her so, but she didn't question it as she stood from her seat and followed him to bed. Before either of them could disrobe, she held her husband tightly and buried her face against his neck.

"I love you more than I can say, Koah." She murmured. "I know I don't show it often, but you are my heart and soul."

 

[KieranSoares]

"You show me every time we're near each other," he assured her. Their bond was such that few others could ever comprehend save perhaps another Caller. "I never wonder if you love me," Andre added softly. "You never let me forget." Looping his arms around her, Andre nuzzled into her fur once more.

 

[heartofcourage]

Riley turned into Andre's nuzzling, kissing him as if her life depended on it. Her hands slipped into the collar of his shirt, tracing along his tattoos that she knew so intimately now. He had added a few more since their marriage, one to commemorate the occasion and one to memorialize Gia.

"Eldere." She murmured when the kiss broke and she found their bodies pressed together so intimately.

 

[KieranSoares]

Andre smiled at the term of endearment and rewarded it with another kiss. His fingers slipped beneath her tunic traced her belly. His lips followed the curve of her neck while he coaxed her further til he felt the beside against the back of his leg. Switching places with her, he sat he down and let her relax back while he slipped away her trousers.

"I want to love you til you're too exhausted to think," he whispered against her ear after leaning in to kiss her again. "Then I'll make sure you get the sleep you've been missing."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I doubt that's going to happen." Riley murmured as her husband worked to remove her trousers. "But I would like to see you try your best."

When he kissed her, she lost all sense of reason. All she cared about was being there with him in that moment. Nothing else really mattered.

"Koah." Riley said softly, touching his cheek gently. "One day we'll have kits. I promise. You will be an amazing father."

 

[KieranSoares]

Andre met her eyes as she made her promise. Several thoughts and worries crossed his mind, but he didn't let them ruin their moment of peace. Instead, he leaned into her touch. His hands came to her cheeks, then drifted down to pull away her tunic. Once she was bare, he briefly pulled back to toss aside his own clothes too. He joined her on their bed and took the lead. He usually liked to follow Riley's lead, but he wanted her to relax and not have to think.

Andre's fingers trailed the inside of her thigh and massaged along her seam til he was rubbing slow circles around her clit. With her legs about his waist, his other hand guided his shaft slowly into her body at the same time. He set a slow, measured pace in time with his fingers. With how rough life had been on everyone lately, he wanted to give Riley a moment of gentleness and ease.

 

[heartofcourage]

Riley whimpered as Andre gently covered her with his weight, guiding himself inside of her. Her hips bucked against his as his fingers coaxed her intimately in time with his thrusts.

"Koah..." She groaned as she let her eyes close to block out all the thoughts that were swirling in her brain.

It was incredibly hard to stop thinking about her mother, even as Andre did all kinds of naughty things with her. Her fingers curled against his chest as her eyes took on a far away look.

 

[KieranSoares]

Andre slowed as he felt her starting to drift away from him. "Riley?" He asked softly, leaning down to press his forehead to hers in an attempt to connect with her. "Are you okay?" He murmured.

 

[heartofcourage]

Riley closed her eyes as Andre pressed his forehead against her own. She let out a soft sigh and nodded, coming back to the present as he connected with her.

"There's just...a lot..." She murmured softly.

 

[KieranSoares]

Andre's thumb stroked over her cheek and he kissed her. "We can save this for later if you need to," he whispered. He hadn't encountered many situations where she was too distracted to enjoy her time with him. All the while, he held that emotional connection with her, wanting to shelter her from the outside for just a while.

 

[heartofcourage]

Riley stared up at her husband for a moment before she let out a sigh and slowly shook her head. "I'm sorry, my love." She said softly as she rolled out from under Andre and sat on the edge of their bed. "I'm so so sorry."

When she finally turned to look at her husband, she had tears wetting her fur. "If this was a monster or a man, I could fight it. I could fight it and hurt it and save my mother. But it's not and no one knows what to do."

"I told them both that I would take in Tati. I would raise her because I know my Da won't survive her dying." Riley swiped angrily at her tears, lost for the first time in her sorrow. "And I'm so sorry for making that promise because you and I can't start our life together if we're raising my sister."

 

[KieranSoares]

Andre settled behind her, wrapping his arms around her and resting his head on her shoulder. "You made that promise before we married. Which means I made that promise too when I said my vows. But you know Heather and Koralo would raise Tati and we'd be able to see her anytime. We'll look after her and Soma no matter what, that's non-negotiable, of course. If... if the worst happens with Fiona... Gods, I know we'll all be absolutely destroyed... but we can still have a life. As much as I'd rather not think about it, I have to remember that her entire goal has always been to protect us and give us all a chance at a good life. She's fought all her life to give good lives to the people she loves."

Andre couldn't come up with much to comfort his wife, not when he too was struggling with so much loss and the potential of more. Hugging her tighter, he sighed and closed his eyes. "The people who can help her are doing all they can... I keep telling myself to have faith and be strong for everyone. But she means the world to me too..."

 

[heartofcourage]

"None of us have to be strong." Riley said as she rested her head against Andre's. "Not right now."

It took a while to slowly gather herself, but soon enough, she turned her head and pressed a kiss against Andre's cheek. "What did you and your Ma cook earlier?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"Soup and dumplings. Something easy and comforting," he murmured, a hand resting on her back as he leaned into her.

 

[heartofcourage]

Riley was quiet for a moment as she considered his answer. She finally nodded and turned her head to steal a kiss. "Go heat it up. I can at least get fat during this."

She stole one more kiss from her husband before she stood to dress again. Any amount of time that she could spend with Andre was time that wasn't wasted.

 

[KieranSoares]

Pulling on his trousers and heading toward the fireplace in their chambers, Andre settled by the hearth to stoke the flames and warm up their dinner.

Early the next morning just as the sky began to brighten in the east and long before even the kitchen staff had woken to prepare for breakfast, Alex emerged from his office with Markos. Neither had slept that night and neither looked like they were even ready to try. Markos carried his usual satchel and Alex had his leather bag and an armful of notes and several of his grandfather's journals. The pair parted ways in the main hall. Markos headed out to find his partner, and Alex went to fetch Riley.

A solid but quiet knock on the private parlor door stirred both her and Andre. He groaned quietly at the intrusion before sitting up and pushing his wild hair back. Still in trousers and shirtless, he rolled out of bed and wandered out of their room to the parlor. Opening the wooden portal, he felt himself tense at the sight of a very serious-looking Alex. Riley could hear him when he said, "Meet us in the private dining room in twenty minutes. My grandfather may have left us something that could help Fiona."