Beyond Time (closed)

[heartofcourage]

“Nonsense, John.” Elizabeth insisted, looking at her husband with her hands firmly planted on her hips. “He likes you plenty.”

Julia looked down at the tiger that was nudging her hand, growling and purring as if he understood that his master wasn’t there. She let out a sigh and related the entire story to the small group that had gathered, not leaving out any details. She even mentioned Kreston waiting for them on the border of the city in the woods.

Dylan listened to the story in a mixture of shock and horror. Ashien had not told her that things were so bad in Scotland. If he had, she wouldn’t have let him go off to fight, even if it was to defend his family.

 

[KieranSoares]

John looked up as she mentioned the Norwegians and once she was done, he nodded, "I'm sure he'll help. There's no way the King of England would let Norwegians and Wick go unchecked, even if they are only in Scotland right now."

Ballas began tugging on Dylandra's dress lightly before he ran back to the manor and fetched her cloak. He'd decided for them that they would have to act.

"So what will we do?" John asked as if for Ballas. "Stay here and send soldiers or go to Inverness with them? I vote the latter."

 

[heartofcourage]

“Ballas, no.” She said softly, gasping again as the tiger started to pull her away from the group and towards something unknown.

“It doesn’t look like Ballas is going to give us much of a choice.” Elizabeth said softly, wrapping her arms around her husband’s waist as they watched the tiger pull his mistress towards Darkwood Manor.

Dylan let out a sigh and took her cloak from Ballas before she knelt before him, stroking his broad head gently. “It’ll be a long journey. You must be patient, Ballas.” She said softly to her dear pet.

 

[KieranSoares]

Ballas finally settled at Dylan's soft words and sat before her. No one could say he wasn't an extremely intelligent animal with intense instinct. John looked to Julia, "We'll speak with the king and head north and meet you somewhere about Glasgow I wager." Despite how odd John and Dylan seemed to be and how they spoke so strangely, they would be welcome companions and allies, especially for the shaky Inverness.

 

[heartofcourage]

“Any help would be welcome. I thank you for your dedication to this matter.” Julia said with a grateful smile towards John as he told her that they would meet in Glasgow. “I will ride towards Wales and then up through Chester. I should be able to raise more soldiers by then.”

Dylan was already making mental lists as to what she would need for the journey. It was the longest journey that she would have undertaken in her new time. It wasn't as simple as getting into a car and driving to Scotland or hopping onto a train. She would be riding hard on one of Ashien's sturdy steeds, a long, hard journey to find her husband.

 

[KieranSoares]

Julia soon hurried off, needing to get her other allies, and John went to get his horse. "I'll get my things around and talk to Henry. Pack only what you absolutely need and we'll have anything else sent behind us with a courier." He then met Dylandra's gaze. "You don't have to wait for me if you want to leave right away, just make sure you know where you're going."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'm not the one of us who is direction challenged." Dylan commented as John told her to pack only what she needed. "I can find my way to Scotland with Ballas. He has been there dozens of times before and he knows the way."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'll get together a vanguard, then. Don't wait up for me." John helped Elizabeth up onto the horse and took off with the knowledge that he was about to enter his first war.

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan nodded, watching as John and Elizabeth hurried off. She packed away her supplies and entered the house again. Ballas was running around with nervous energy and she knew that she would be off as soon as she talked to Van. She found him in the kitchen, already preparing food for her journey.

"I should ask you how you knew, but I've come to expect it from you." Dylan said as she kissed his cheek gently.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I will never share my secrets," he said with a smile. "Go on and get things around. Leave out anything you want me to bring when I come along later." He was planning on going with them to Inverness to see Kitty and Vincenzo that spring, but he could already tell that the war would last into early spring and they might as well stay afterward. And it said something for his confidence that Inverness could survive.

 

[heartofcourage]

"A few dresses and my painting supplies and I'll be happy." Dylan said as Van talked about coming to Inverness in the spring. "You should bring Carmena. I'm sure that Kitty and Vincenzo would love to see her. There is enough help to take care of the horses in the stables."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'll send her a letter, but don't hold your breath. She's not as travel-hardy as she used to be." Van sent her off to get what she needed.

 

[heartofcourage]

"You might be surprised." Dylan said as she left him to finish preparing meals while she went to pack.

A dress to change into, a pair of shoes, her toiletry items, and a sketch book were all she packed for herself. She knew that she could pick some things up along the way, but it was best to travel as light as possible and with as little money as possible.

 

[KieranSoares]

By the time she returned to Van, he'd finished packing up supplies and he opened up Ashien's safe that he kept in the cellars, and gave Dylandra enough money for the journey and a little extra for emergencies. Once she reached Glasgow, she'd be under the care of Julia and Inverness.

 

[heartofcourage]

Once Dylan's horse was saddled and her supplies attached to the bags, she turned to look at Van with a long sigh. She hugged him tightly, pressing her cheek against his strong chest.

"I'll bring him home safely. I promise." Dylan murmured softly.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I know you will, dear. But I want you home safe too, so be careful." Van wrapped his arms around her in return, feeling like he was watching the daughter he never had go off into a war to save the son he'd never had.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Watch over Darkwood for me. I would never forgive you if something happened to it." She said with a slight smile on her lips.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Darkwood has only flourished under my watch, Dylandra. It's you and your husband who risk burning it down. Now go. If I know Ashien at all, he needs his wife by his side now more than ever."

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan kissed Van's cheek one last time before she mounted her horse and called to Ballas who seemed all too ready to guide her to Inverness. She only looked back at Van once more as they made their way through the gates and onto the road that would lead them to Ashien.

 

[KieranSoares]

Once Ballas realized what was required of him and recognized that they were going to Inverness, he led the way but didn't get too far from Dylan, trotting along quickly so that he could go all day and not tire himself out.

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan only stopped him when she needed a rest. The first day was hard and she was incredibly sore by the time she came to the inn. The next day, she pushed on, knowing that the tiger needed to get to Scotland for his own peace of mind.

 

[KieranSoares]

Without the additional weight and without a cart, they made Glasgow in eight days, and they came upon what was very clearly a military camp amassing on the south end of the city. Banners from all over the isles were gathered, and Dylandra came upon more werefolk than she'd ever seen in England, and kinds she'd never seen before. The tribe near London was all wolves and a few cats and humans. But here, she encountered all kinds of werecats, wolves, a couple weredragons, foxes, and so on, all tattooed and lightly armored with vicious handmade weapons.

On the east end, Henry's own men were gathering next to the Scottish military sent by the High Queen Marianne. And just as Dylandra arrived, so did a huge battalion of centaurs from Wales with news that Julia was only a day behind them with men from Chester and more Welsh Tuari and Lunars. Currently in charge of the camp in Julia's stead was King Gallus of Glasgow himself, and he rode with a small guard around the camp making sure things were running smoothly. Blacksmiths had set up temporary forges to help outfit the ragtag army, and tailors and tanners were coming and going to outfit them with leather and padding. Glasgow was sparing no expense to help, and Dylan soon found out why.

As she arrived with her tiger, she gathered a lot of attention to the point that Gallus himself came to find her. He was a huge man, an archetypal Scottish warrior, and despite the worry etched into his features, he was kind. "Welcome, milady," he called as he approached Dylandra just after she'd arrived. "May I ask your name, an' how y'came t'have Lord Ashien's beast, there?"

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan dismounted from her horse at the same time that the king of Glasgow came to find her. Looking up at him and then down at Ballas, she knew that no one was expecting her.

"My name is Dylandra Ghis. I am Ashien's wife. Ballas is my tiger." She answered simply as Ballas rubbed against her side in a show of possession.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I didn' know th'lad had married," Gallus murmured, dismounting as well to greet her properly and shake her hand. "Gallus MacDonnell." She knew the name, but it was an awfully casual way for a clan king to introduce himself. "We 'ave an area an' tents ready fer th'Ghis an' their relatives an' officers. I'd show ya myself but I've got a lot o' work t'do. Lieutenant Carter'll show you." He motioned to one of his officers, and the man nodded, turning to lead the way.

"An' it's best once y'get settled t'talk with some o' the men an' get filled in on what's going on. Once Julia arrives, we'll take Inverness back." Dylandra hadn't heard the town had been taken. That meant the Ghis had lost, and they were either dead or taken prisoner.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Back?" Dylan asked as he let that slip that the town had been taken. "Am I to assume that my relatives might not be safe?"

She didn't like the sound of that news very much. She had assumed that Ashien simply could not get word out to her as the battle raged. Now it was looking like he had other things going on as she worried about him back at home.