Sionnach (closed)

[heartofcourage]

"This isn't about me, Soma Ephriam Ghis." Fiona said as she stopped in front of him and cross her arms over her chest. "So square yourself up at attention and take the dressing down that's coming to you. If you wish to be a bullheaded soldier or rider, this is how it is."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Alright, fine." Soma faced her fully, not the sheepish, shy boy she'd once known. He'd grown so much in the past year both physically and mentally. While Soma still most resembled Fiona, she was looking at a young, confident, fiery mirror of Sam and herself when they were younger. He had her drive and pride, his father's dedication, and their combined stubbornness and courage. He was no longer afraid to be reprimanded, unlike the boy who could barely hold her gaze on the rare occasion he got in trouble before.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona gave him the same dressing down that she gave any rider who disobeyed orders. Running off without command, acting without forethought, even about not sheltering properly in the middle of a dangerous storm. She addressed all of it as a commander and a queen, not the mother that she strove so hard to be. If her children wanted this life, she would give them no favors. They would earn everything.

"If you ever run off like that again, you won't fly for months. Am I understood?" She asked when she was finished, her blue eyes hard as she kept her hands folded over her chest.

 

[KieranSoares]

Soma held her gaze fearlessly through it all, never looking away or flinching or looking guilty. But when she finished and gave her ultimatum, he spoke calmly in response.

"I don't appreciate that everyone seems to think I'm impetuous and I don't think through what I'm doing," he told her, clearly annoyed but keeping perfectly calm. "I'm not Riley. Just because I'm decisive, that doesn't mean I don't think. We didn't shelter in the storm right away because we were worried about the rest of you. We were confident enough to go searching, and when Andre found us, I got separated from Brogan accidentally when the worst of the storm hit. So Andre and I decided it was best to get to the beach and find a windbreak, and we found you. And I didn't run off to find Brogan without thinking. He's as much my responsibility as I am his. We look after each other. Until we get home and have to go to our separate positions, he protects me and I take care of him."

While he was tense, his tone remained even. "And lastly... You can't ground me. You can try, but you'd be a fool to waste a perfectly capable soldier, Caller, and tactician. We might not be fighting a war this very moment, but I'm still useful and I don't do things on a whim. I know I'm only fifteen, but I'm old enough to do something more than wait to be told, and hide away."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Soma, since you were two you have wanted to be treated like an adult. I know that in the scheme of things, you've been an easy child. You've always had discipline and you've been the one that never caused trouble. I don't think that you're impetuous, but taking chances like that could get you killed. What if you had found an enemy? What if your father and I weren't directly behind you or your dragon had an accident? These are all things that you have to think about now."

"And yes, I can ground you. I'm your mother and while you're adult in the tribe, you're still my child. You know that I've never taken those steps lightly." Fiona murmured, knowing that her son was just as stubborn as she was when she was a child. "Don't take for granted a parent that cares for you enough to punish you when you make choices like this. It's a luxury I never had."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I don't take anything you and Da have given me for granted. And I don't take risks lightly," he insisted, finally breaking his gaze with her and looking off to the side. "... I guess I have something to prove. Everyone's been so... delicate with me since I lost my arm. Maybe not in pursuits like the peace talks and such, but physically. I know you and Da have tried not to treat me any differently, but it's little things... People asking if I need help all the time, trying to take on tasks for me, even something as little as getting my own food at dinner. I'm no less effective and capable as I was, but I feel like an invalid. And being young doesn't help either. No one thinks I can do anything til I'm older. It's maddening."

Soma had always been a bit better about expressing his frustrations than other Ghis, but he'd kept things quiet for a long while, trying not to weigh on his parents' minds and let them rest. But the tense way he held his shoulders told of a growing resentment that had been quietly building in the background.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Right now, right this moment, you are getting the same treatment that any rider would get who disobeyed training or an order." Fiona said as he confessed that he had a slow rising resentment inside of him when it came to his arm and the way that people treated him. "People love you and want to take care of you, Soma. Nothing more. If you were more willing to share how you felt or to speak up for yourself, they would start to give you more freedom."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I've tried to tell everyone I'm fine and I know how to ask for help when I need it. I understand it's all from a place of love, but sometimes that kind of love can be stifling." He sighed then, shaking his head. "We're not getting anywhere. So what do you want me to do? I'll get to it after I'm done with the dragons."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I think I'll let Ezra decide that. It'll be more meaningful coming from him than from your mother." Fiona said as nothing she said seemed to make an impact with him. "Go tend to the dragons and then come back to the cavern."

 

[KieranSoares]

Soma turned to walk away, but he paused a few steps on to look back at Fiona. "... Thanks for giving a damn, Ma... I know you're just looking out for me." With that, he continued on to Osman and Marth.

 

[heartofcourage]

By the time Fiona returned to the cavern, Riley had practically passed out from exhaustion. She was curled up next to the fire, sleeping heavily after finally finding some form of comfort. Brogan still looked worse for wear, but she didn't want to smother him as Soma had. If he needed help, he would ask for it.

"Once Osman and Marth are recovered enough, we will make a push for the main land." Fiona said as she sat down beside the fire to warm her hands.

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam was sitting by Riley, stroking his fingers through her fur soothingly. Jani was looking after Brogan, but didn't crowd him as he dozed. Andre was quietly putting together a meal for them all, glancing at Riley occasionally when she moved.

Jani moved closer to the fire, adding some extra fuel. "Alright. I'll get tents set up under the overhang, then I'll head out hunting. You and Sam can look after camp and these damn stubborn kids." She rose, heading over to their saddles and supplies to get started.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona stood there staring into the flames of the campfire as Jani went out to get started on her tasks. Her mind was so full of everything that had been said by Soma. It was also full of anger that her children had gotten hurt in the middle of that storm. It should have been a time to relax and let their guard down, but she felt herself being pulled down by the immense overwhelming feelings of depression.

 

[KieranSoares]

After a long while, Fiona would feel a broad hand on her back, as Sam murmured, "C'mere, love." He gently drew her away from camp, down the stone beach a ways, holding her hand the whole way. They found a sheltered little spot away from the brisk wind, and Sam settled on a small boulder and pulled Fiona into his lap to hold her, partly to keep her warm, and partly to offer comfort. He didn't say anything else, letting her be the one to speak if she needed to.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona leaned her head into Sam's chest as he gave her shelter and comfort. She could hear sounds of the waves crashing against the shore just a few feet away, but it was all just white noise to her.

"Have I really gotten this out of touch with our children?" Fiona asked, letting out a long sigh. "I knew in my heart I'd have a hard time being a good mother but I just thought...I thought I had done well and I understood them. Now I know that I don't know any of them in the slightest."

 

[KieranSoares]

"No, love. They've jus' changed a lot recently," Sam murmured. "It's growing pains. With kids... Y'have to relearn who they are every so often. It's even harder when they stop bein' kids, but all you can see is tha' little baby you used t'hold through nightmares an' colds til they settled down."

Sam pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Soma's gettin' to the point where he knows what he's capable of an' he's tired of bein' considered a boy instead of a man. After all he's done... I can't blame 'im. It wasn't just a boy tha' faced down th'Imperial Council, tha' signed a peace treaty concerning most o' Europe. An' I've seen 'im struggle with bein' treated like 'e's incapable with jus' one arm. He's angry, love. But not at you."

 

[heartofcourage]

"He's angry at everyone, Sam. Us included. He's frustrated with us treating him the same as Riley. Like he is stubborn enough to make the same rash decisions that she does. I told him that I would have punished any rider that went off the way that he did, but it didn't lessen the blow." Fiona said as she let out a long sigh and looked up at Sam. "We haven't done them any favors with stubbornness."

 

[KieranSoares]

"You can't outlast those two when it comes t' stubborn pride, love. They learned from us, an' their spirits are built up by all those old warriors an' stories in this family. They're the most bullheaded yet."

He looked down to Fiona and added, "Soma fought with Riley recently too. I imagine he feels cornered. I can't say I blame 'im... It feels like every time he's done somethin', anythin' lately, someone's told him to slow down, don't go alone, ask fer help... He knows t'do those things when he needs it. But he hates bein' reminded, like he's some troublemaker 'r incapable. Rho did this too, a long while after 'e lost his arm. He was sick of me helpin' all the time. Even if he struggled, he wanted to prove he could still do almost anything alone, an' 'e hated never getting the chance. So I learned t'back off. I think it was hardest fer Ma to learn tha'. But Rho was smart, he proved he could be independent an' responsible, an' things evened out. Tha's why I've been keepin' back from Soma a bit. He doesn' need me hovering 'r checkin' in all the time. Much as I want to anyway."

 

[heartofcourage]

"So, we're just suppose to let him figure all of this out alone?" Fiona asked, not liking that idea in the least. "He's still just fifteen, Sam."

 

[KieranSoares]

"We can be there for him, love. But we don't need t'hold his hand. He's in a difficult period o' change. He's not a boy, not a proper man yet, he's growin' an' learnin' about himself. An' now he's a Caller too. That must weigh as heavily on him as it does you an' Riley. Riley jus' doesn't show it much, but it overwhelms her. It must overwhelm him too, but there's nothin' we can do fer that. He's gotta figure it out for himself. He can do it, I know he can. An' I believe him when he says he knows when to ask for help. But he won't ask if he feels like he'll be hovered over."

 

[heartofcourage]

"These bloody children." Fiona grumbled as she placed her head back against Sam's chest. "I should just kick the whole lot of them out into the woods and let them survive for a while."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Not a terrible idea," Sam chuckled softly. "They'd either come running home for help, or never come back. Then we could have an actual vacation." He pressed another kiss to her temple. "When we get back, I don' care what you say, we're goin' on a proper vacation, just us."

 

[heartofcourage]

"You've promised me that for years." Fiona said as Sam promised her a proper vacation. "But we've always been in the middle of wars, family matters, or you got me pregnant. Remember? We were suppose to go to Northern Africa for some time away but then Soma came our way."

 

[KieranSoares]

"We're gonna get away this time," he told her firmly. "And God help yer family because they're gonna have t'deal with our mess of a brood." He stole a proper kiss then. "We're gonna wander as we please. An' if you end up pregnant again, we'll just wander slower," he chuckled.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona couldn't help but smile as her normally reserved husband got excited about time away with her, stealing a kiss to seal the deal. "I could give Schaller a break. Invah and Gaiann can take us. The two of them could probably use a chance to get away as well."