Sionnach (closed)

[KieranSoares]

"The same goes for you all. I know I'm still a kid to everyone. But just because I have things I want to do, that doesn't mean I can't help you all too," he reminded quietly, leaving her with one last embrace before he joined the larger group.

Sam remained beside Fiona, giving a quiet sigh. "Well... Fer all the bad an' the rough time ahead... Things seem alright fer now." He took her hand and murmured, "He'll have to really look out fer himself here soon. Because we're gonna be on th'Atlantic coast outside a vineyard, where no one can find us." He offered a smile, having finally made up his mind where to take her. With Normandy a bit too dangerous, and Spain being difficult for werefolk to traverse, France was a good, safe middle ground with friends nearby in case of emergencies.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Oh, so you finally decided?" Fiona asked as he mentioned the location for their get away. "And just when were you going to tell me?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"Right now," he chuckled. "Seemed like a good time." He leaned in to steal a kiss, his hand moving from hers to wrap around her waist. "You deserve a break. More'n most."

 

[heartofcourage]

“I’m no different from anyone else.” Fiona said as Sam wrapped her up in his arms. “I work hard for my family. That’s it.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"Don't argue with me fer once, I know what I'm talkin' about." Sam kissed her again with a grin, and hugged her closer for a long moment. "I'm game t'go west whenever yer ready."

 

[heartofcourage]

"But where's the fun of being a boring, docile woman?" Fiona asked with a laugh as Sam hugged her closer and told her not to argue with him. "You would have left me long ago if I were anything but an adventure."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Alright, go on," Sam gave her a gentle nudge back toward the party. "Troublesome woman." He couldn't help grinning as she went. "I'm gonna let Invah an' Gaiann know."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona couldn't help the grin she gave him over her shoulder as he pushed her back towards the party. She was instantly scooped up into another dance by an eager family member. She would dance until she was absolutely exhausted, just like always. Tati did her best to keep up as well, a family member never letting her down when she wanted to be included.

 

[KieranSoares]

Eventually the hour grew late, and couples and families began to wander to their lodgings or camps, with the younger generations being the last to give in. A similar celebration was had for harvest months later, as the North experienced one of the best in a long time despite the difficult winter. With a long, warm autumn coming, and the potential for a mild winter, the stage was being set for the North to invade the isles hale and hearty in the following late spring.

News arrived in late summer than Emperor Joachim Hendrik had finally managed to truly dismantle the existing council, and was searching for new members alongside his Archbishop and mother. His success came on the heels of his wedding to one Tanya Ashcroft, shocking Imperial nobility across the continent. Not only was she English and a commoner, but her traitor status to both sides was well-known after her attempt to abscond with Joachim. Still, Joachim fought on her behalf and proclaimed her his Empress despite her trepidation. Instead of balking at the responsibility or falling into line as was expected of a noblewoman, she began destroying barriers immediately to make sure women would have a place at the top alongside men. Among her first decrees was the recreation of the Berlin Order of Riders, gathering able young women who wanted to wield blades and ride for House Hendrik who would see them paid and honored fairly, and not put atop pedestals like flowery maidens. In this time, Joachim kept open communication with Fiona, and both he and Tanya began writing to Andre, reaffirming their long friendship even across the distance, and welcoming Riley into their circle.

Dola and Jani married just after the first snowfall, Dola in a beautiful traditional tribal dress lined with white fur, and Jani in her homeland's traditional clothing with additions of a fur mantle and pieces of her dress uniform as a Rider. While Dola was serene and gorgeous as ever, she had a gentle excitement about her. Jani, on the other hand, was terribly nervous despite Andre and Fiona trying to calm her. Dola came to her before the ceremony and calmed her with a kiss and a soft reassurance that Jani was exactly what she wanted and needed. From there, the rest of the day was lovely, with a proper party in the evening.

Only a month later, word came that the plague had been mostly eradicated from much of the eastern portions of the Empire and surrounding countries, but it was still raging in the southwest, especially around Spain and the Mediterranean. Alex's help and Vincenzo's old notes had helped immensely, but the fight wasn't over yet. And at the same time, news arrived that Emperor Joachim Hendrik and Empress Tanya Ashcroft had welcomed their first child. While rumors flew about the couple having been together long before marriage, and many nobles still detested the idea of a commoner becoming an Empress and her child being heir, Joachim paid them no mind as the common folk seemed to love the idea. A week later, the baby was properly announced as Prince Arnulf Anselm Hendrik, his first name coming from northern Germanic partly in honor of the North, and his middle name chosen by Tanya if only to break tradition of noblemen naming their sons. The boy was heir to Joachim's titles- Emperor, King of Germany, and King of Austria- but for now, Tanya had made it clear that he would not be involved in politics and such, as she put it 'noble nonsense' til he was older and had good mentors.

It was around this time that Soma went to the Empire with Brogan as his guardian and partner, and Kell and Qira quietly sent Shani and a few others along to look after them. With Soma being Prince of Inverness by legal rights, and Brogan being Prince of Scotland, it was best not to relax too much even with a new council in place. The group took up temporary residence in Vienna in Joachim's own castle as his guests, and Northern Riders provided regular correspondence runs.

Come early spring before the thaw, the North and the Empire began to shift out of their quiet hibernation. With the plague under control, supplies well-stocked, and a carefully-laid plan to invade the isles from Calais and Trondheim, the stage was set for a quiet, calculated strike in late spring. But first, there was the issue of Micha von Morden.

Silently as possible, a small task force had been dropped into Normandy outside the von Morden estate, and a small army was slowly, quietly surrounding the place. A mix of Northern and Imperial operatives and soldiers, they had been working together for two months to train for this, and one unexpected ally had come to help.

Fiona and Sam landed quietly beyond the hills overlooking the estate, out of sight on Invah and Schaller's backs. And landing beside them came Tanya atop Diedre, and Jani atop Avfairn with none other than Conrad von Morden as a passenger. As the only person they could find with an intimate knowledge of the estate, Kell had taken a long shot in asking him to help them get in quietly. To his shock, Conrad agreed before any reward was offered, and practically jumped at the opportunity to train as a stealthy fighter to help guide them in. Suspicious, Kell had watched him closely, only to find the young man was genuine, and unexpectedly friendly. He made no attempts to contact his uncle or former comrades, and he seemed truly eager to put his uncle in the hands of the North. Qira didn't trust this in the slightest and practically interrogated young von Morden. They learned that his uncle had always been terribly abusive, as Conrad's father was a 'disappointment' and his mother was a 'foreigner' as she wasn't German like them, but French. Conrad told Qira that he'd worked with his uncle for the money, but hated him and had been hoping the North would get hold of him for all he'd done. He even had scars to prove he'd been beaten and whipped as a boy, and while he took solemn responsibility for this own actions, he blamed Micha for his sheer cruelty in war.

Now dressed in black, light armor and a heavy winter cloak, Conrad was more muscular and fit than before, his dark hair shorn short and accompanied by a short, slightly-patchy beard. He slid off the dragon saddle with Jani, only for her to grab him by the collar of his armor and shove him toward Sam and Fiona. "We're taking a massive risk on you, boy," she growled. "I still don't know why Qira cleared you for this."

Conrad tried not to stumble as he was pushed, quickly righting his stance and ducking his head respectfully. "I... I want to help. That's all I want to do."

"Whatever. Unfortunately, you're not under my command." Jani looked to her Rider Queen and Commander. "If he breathes wrong, say the word and I'll kill him."

Conrad slowly turned to face the couple, taking a deep breath. "I just... want to help," he repeated quietly, as he'd been telling them all winter. Kell and Qira had decided to give him a chance. The worst he could do was fail or try to alert guards, in which case Micha would still lose. Even with a veritable army of guards and mercenaries, he was outmatched four to one against this invading force.

As Conrad faced Sam and Fiona, they'd notice a new detail about him. Aside from a few scars from his time in jail and then his time working and trying to build a meager life in a town near Trondheim after he'd been released, he wore a leather cord about his neck with a silver Norwegian coin on the end, a hole punched through the center. It was one of the coins Riley had thrown at him when they'd left Tonder, the couple knew from Kell. Kell had asked him about it during their talks, wondering why Conrad had ruined and now wore a high-value Norwegian coin instead of spending it. It was the young man's way of reminding himself of his mistakes, apparently.

 

[heartofcourage]

“Jani, quit your growling and go make yourself useful.” Fiona said, dismissing her rider as she aggressively let her opinion be known.

Fiona stood there passively as Conrad von Morden stood in front of them. Sam had made her a new set of armor, jet black and edged in silver. She looked deadly, which was the image she wanted. She didn’t want them to think she was weak in any way.

“Well, young Von Morden, I think you know what you’re up against here.” She said in a carefully measured tone.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Yes, ma'am." Conrad nodded to her respectfully. "I know I can't make up for what I've done. But I want to prove I'm at least worthy of the mercy you granted me."

"You've been workin' hard to be an honest man," Sam spoke up with a small nod, but with his expression still hardened toward the younger man. "We've agreed tha' this mission is worth your proper citizenship in Norway. You help us an' don't cower away, an' you'll be properly free."

"Yes, sir." Conrad nodded again and looked toward the hill, beyond which lay the estate. "Whenever you're all ready, I can guide the first task force in through the aqueduct to get the gates open for the ground troops. Then I'll set off the flare for the Riders to attack when we've got everything opened up. My uncle will probably take shelter in the central wine cellars when things kick off, but as long as he hasn't changed the locks, I have some keys to help us get in."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Make no mistake that if you betray us, you will be given to our dragons. They are behaving for the time being, but they would love nothing more than to tear you apart the first chance they could get." Fiona said as Conrad laid out the plans that he had to get them inside.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm well aware, your Riders remind me at every opportunity." Conrad sighed, bowing before turning to go join the group gathering around Qira who would be the first into the grounds.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I don't like this one bit. I don't like trusting him. I don't like assuming that we will easily win this." Fiona murmured as she turned to look at Sam and Schaller. "None of this feels right."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I don't think that boy is going to be a problem," Schaller rumbled. "But I do worry about his uncle. Von Morden will not go quietly."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I want you to keep out look over everything, Schaller. I would feel better here on the ground." Fiona said as she looked at her loyal dragon. "And rip the bastard apart if he tries to escape."

 

[KieranSoares]

"We will succeed," Schaller promised. "We may have casualties, but von Morden has no place to go. He's either trapper inside, or exposed in the open."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Are you in the sky with Invah or here with me?" Fiona asked as she looked over at Sam.

It didn't matter to her what he chose. She was comfortable fighting on her own without him there.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm gonna direct from th'sky til you get into the main manor," Sam said with a nod. "Then I'll come down an' join in."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona gave him a nod as she moved towards Schaller and pulled out her helmet and the weaponry she would need. No one had seen her in this armor before, meaning that she had a certain amount of anonymity when she was fully suited. It had been the other reason why she had asked for Sam to make her something new. She didn't want them to know who she was when she was on the ground.

Buckling on her sword and then her crossbow, she turned to look at Sam. "Stay safe, love." She said softly as she moved to kiss him gently.

 

[KieranSoares]

In one of his older, scarred but still handsome, dark-tinted suits of armor, Sam had designed Fiona's new armor completely differently from usual to make her look like a mercenary or independent Rider, helping to hide her identity on the ground. As she stepped up, he kissed her for a touch longer than usual. "You too. No suicide missions," he murmured. "Same goes fer Jani."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Jani's a newly wed. She won't be taking chances. I can't say the same for myself." She said with a grin as she kissed Sam again and then stepped away to pull her helmet on. "But I know that Kell probably has someone watching me like a hawk right now. You don't have to worry between that and my nosey riders."

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam chuckled lightly as she pulled away, before turning on his heel and signalling his officers. The small army had been operating as quietly as possible so the estate wouldn't see or hear them coming.

The first task force formed up, Conrad and Qira at the head. The plan was to break in, take down anyone who refused to surrender, and corner Micha von Morden. If possible, he would be captured. But if he resisted or ran, he was to die by any means necessary.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Second task force, I assume?" Fiona asked as she walked up to Qira, looking to him for her place in the chaos that was about to happen.

 

[KieranSoares]

Qira looked up as she approached, pausing to think for a moment. "Up to you, second or first. We could use you in either for different things. But you will have a better chance at getting von Morden yourself if you go in first with us. And you can help me watch this one." With that, he motioned to Conrad.

At that, one more Rider arrived, flying low to avoid detection from the estate. It was most certainly Deidre and Tanya, unexpectedly arriving to join the attack. She was quick to wade through the group, approaching Qira and Fiona. "Alright, I'm here. Put me to work," she stated boldly, her new title as Empress having not changed her at all. "Some of my girls are joining the Riders as well."