Claymore and Dagger (closed)

[heartofcourage]

"Then they shall have whatever they need. Send a letter to Warwick and have him send funds from the treasury." Kate commented, twisting to get comfortable in her chair with a sigh. "And we will ask for volunteers on the troops. I do not want to send people yet that have families or will be burdened."

 

[KieranSoares]

Kell made note of that for her, adding quietly, "And I'll see if I can't get a few more of my own people down there as well."

"You already have agents in Normandy?" Ciaran asked in surprise, and Kell nodded calmly but gave no details.

 

[heartofcourage]

"You shouldn't be surprised if he already has a personal guard for you and Justin as well. Everyone but Sam and Fiona." Kate said, looking over towards her brother. "You two are the hardest to watch because of the dragons."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Don't give away all my secrets, love," Kell smiled to her. "But it won't be long before I recruit a Rider too. One with a smaller dragon that can go undetected."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Some of the other riders might not like that." Fiona said as Kell mentioned finding a rider of his own to join the network of spies. "They are a secretive lot. It took a world of convincing to even get some of them to agree to this fight."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm aware they might not like it. But I don't intend to steal any of their secrets, and I'll tell them the same if they ask. Every resource and person I gather is for the sake of my family, especially my wife and cub. I have no interest in digging into other people's lives unless they are a threat, or I'm trusting them with something vital."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Even that promise might not be enough for them. They want the dragons safe and that means protecting their homes fiercely." Fiona explained as Kell insisted that the information he collected wouldn't harm them in any way. "The dragons are losing their homes quickly, but we are trying to make it safe for them wherever they go."

 

[KieranSoares]

"And I intend to aid that cause if I can. But my family must come first. Ideally, I'd like to keep my family safe through helping the Riders."

 

[heartofcourage]

"If Inverness stays safe, then you might have a chance to convince them." Fiona said as she settled back into her seat to allow the planning to continue.

 

[KieranSoares]

"They will have ample warning if there is anything to worry about. I don't take risks with Kate," Kell assured her.

Sam nodded his approval and they set into talking about the defenses in Normandy and in the English Channel and surrounding seas. As the main shield wall for the isles, Sam was most concerned with reinforcing the navies involved and keeping them supplied, informed, and protected from flanking. Inverness had a small but powerful navy, thanks in part to Ria who had advised Brogan about sea warfare alongside Ulfric Moor and Kjotva Arslansdottir who, being longtime citizens of Viking lands, knew naval warfare well. Sam himself was no stranger, being the most able sailor of Brogan's children.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate listened to all of the planning and gave her consent to her brother's plans. The conversation went on a while longer before Kate was too tired to continue. Kell put a stop to everything, scooping his wife into his arms and taking her back to their private rooms so that she could rest.

"She looks exhausted." Fiona commented when the room was clear and it was just Ciaran and Sam left behind.

 

[KieranSoares]

"The baby is taking a toll on her. Even with us taking most of her work, just living day to day is exhausting for her. And the stress makes it worse," Ciaran murmured.

"Once th'cub's born, she'll get back to 'er old self. But if Aunt Val's right, it'll probably come late," Sam added.

 

[heartofcourage]

"She's so small anyway. I can't imagine her going another couple of weeks with the size of her belly." Fiona commented. "You can only hope that the baby comes early and lets her get some rest."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Kell has Mariko Varno at hand if Kate can't manage on her own. He was the one who helped Ma with Heather and Ashelin, among other miracles. He and his team are staying in the Lunar village," Ciaran murmured, straightening some documents to pack away.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Here's hoping they do not need to call him." Fiona said softly, looking between Ciaran and Sam. "It would kill Kell if he lost her or that cub."

 

[KieranSoares]

Both men were quiet for a moment, telling her they'd considered the possibility. Kate was so petite that everyone was already incredibly worried for how she'd handle giving birth, and a late term child would be even more difficult. While there could be risks with an early birth, everyone had hoped the baby would come early so it'd be smaller.

 

[heartofcourage]

"We won't speak of it then. It is a happy occasion." Fiona said softly as she stood from the table, looking down at Sam. "Shall we go and check on the drakes? I'm sure Ciaran wants to get back to Dana."

 

[KieranSoares]

"And I want to see 'ow Elin's gettin' along," Sam nodded and rose beside her. Ciaran gave them both a smile.

"Watch him closely, Fiona. You'll get your first look at what kind of father he'll be years from now." Ciaran rose as well, nodding to them both before making his way off to Dana's nursery.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Many, many years from now." Fiona said as she took Sam's hand and let him lead the way to the stables.

 

[KieranSoares]

When they came to the stables, they found the drakes just outside in the pasture. Owen had let Kesh go to the pastures while he was away, so they found him laying on his side with Elin scrambling all over him.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Someone's happy that Kesh is here." Fiona murmured as Sam unlocked the gate for them to pass into the pasture, Roman immediately coming to push against her shoulder. "And I'm happy to see you, beastie."

A little bit further on, Fiona could see Master Faust with Heather, the were dragon teaching his student about drake anatomy with a very patient looking dark brown drake and his owner. Heather would listen and then nod, reaching out to touch the various parts of the drake.

"Look, love." Fiona murmured, pointing Sam in their direction.

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam turned to watch for a long moment, the tiniest smile cracking his usually serious expression. "... T'think she was still skittish about horses only a few months ago... She'll be ridin' drakes without a care in th'world soon."

 

[heartofcourage]

"You should be very proud of her." Fiona said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "Make sure you spend some time with her soon. I'm sure she's waiting very patiently for her chance to steal you away for an afternoon."

 

[KieranSoares]

"She could steal me away at a moment's notice if she liked. But she's​ too considerate t'do it." Sam watched Heather seemingly far more confident as she moved and pet the drake, even brave enough to take his lead and be the only one in control of the beast.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Go on, Sam." Fiona said, giving him a push towards his sister as she turned her attention towards the drakes. "I'll take care of these brutes until you're back."