Sionnach (closed)

[heartofcourage]

"You understand that they might try and turn this around on me and my husband, right?" Fiona asked him, wondering if he was able to think clearly in the situation. "That they might tell you what you want to hear."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I know. But... I also know tha' the Empire was wrong about your family. They told everyone you were monsters. Especially you. And... I've learned none o' that was true. So even if I'm mad as hell a' you accusing my Da... I have t'consider th'possibility tha' you're onto something. You all seem like decent enough people anyway..."

 

[heartofcourage]

"You're free to go." Fiona said as she looked over at Finn. "We won't bother you any longer."

 

[KieranSoares]

As Finn rose, Qira opened up the door for him. "Take what supplies you need for the journey home," the Panther murmured, earning only a nod as Finn stepped out, and the door closed behind him.

Qira came to take the seat across from Fiona, meeting her gaze. "I don't know the other two, but I do know of Alphonse Montaigne. His father was a royal guard officer for King Henry who died in its defense. Montaigne managed to ingratiate himself to the new Imperial rulers as a young man some ten years back, before moving north to help control the free clans. I imagine he threw his lot in with Royer when the isles rebelled against the Empire. I'll look into the other two names."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'm sure they all have connections to the original rebellion or Barbarossa. All of those men flock together." Fiona said softly, her brain still turning over the information that they had been given. "Sam will be furious."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Sam is always furious," Qira sighed, leaning on the desk. "We will start back toward Trondheim in about a week. Soma's hard at work with the other strategists to put together a plan to take Edinburgh first. Then when we have a foothold and Edinburgh's resources, we can appeal to the clans to help us take Scotland, and secure a connection to the west channel with Ireland. Then, we can move south."

 

[heartofcourage]

"You should go back to your own duties before Rissa or Kell find out that you're here." Fiona said as she slowly stood. "Thank you for helping me."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I didn't do much." Qira stood as well, stepping around the desk and hugging her briefly. "I know there are many problems to pursue right now... but at least we know where we're going, and home isn't out of reach anymore. Get some more rest- we'll need you at your best when we set off from Trondheim."

 

[heartofcourage]

"We can only hope that it's not out of reach," Fiona said as she hugged Qira back and sent him on his way before he got in trouble for defying orders while ill.

It took her triple the time it normally would in order to make it back to her rooms, but she went slow to make sure that she could stand it. By the time that she was back at the door, she was exhausted. Quietly, she pushed it open, unsure if Sam would still be sleeping or if she was in for another argument.

 

[KieranSoares]

As Fiona pushed the door open, she found Sam pulling on a shirt, having just woken. But as she stepped in, he stopped halfway through the buttons and faced her. "Fiona..." he sighed.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Damn, I thought you'd still be sleeping." She said with a small grin on her face as he looked at her with that familiar mixture of frustration and relief. "I was trying to hobble back as fast as I could."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Can you just stay in one bloody place and heal?" Sam grumbled, pulling the shirt back off over his head and tossing it aside carelessly. "What were you even up to this late?"

 

[heartofcourage]

"It's only just past dinner, Sam. Quiet your growling." Fiona said as she made her way to the fire and sat down with a long and tired sigh. "Most of the keep is still up at least."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Tha' doesn't answer my question," Sam insisted, taking an extra log from a pile beside the fireplace to add into the dying flames.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Can I stay in one place? Yes. Will I stay in one place? No." Fiona answered as Sam came to stoke the fire again. "I love you dearly, but if you make trouble then so can I."

 

[KieranSoares]

"You know tha's not the question I meant," Sam gave her a look, but couldn't help a little smile. "What were you up to?"

 

[heartofcourage]

"Getting you valuable information," Fiona said as she pulled out her journal and offered it to Sam to read. "Finn was tough to crack, but I think he's seeing things now the way that they need to be seen."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Tough to crack?" Sam looked down at the familiar journal that she kept close at all times. "Is 'e still in one piece?"

Flipping through to the latest entry, Sam raised an eyebrow at the names listed. "Montaigne... Dalen Neav? Tha' can't be right... And Arturo Oliveras?" Sam looked at her with clear concern. "Neav is... was a minor clan king. He ruled Ayr. Ayr fell early in th'Imperial invasion, we were told Neav was dead. Ayr was the main port tha' Irish forces can through t'help us, Neav defended tha' harbor with everything he had, he was as steadfast an ally as his neighbor, Glasgow. Almost none o' his men survived."

Sam looked back down at the page. "I don' know how he ever threw his lot in with a former Imperial..." He stepped over to the desk in the corner of the room, taking a quill to fill in what he knew about Neav.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Neither Qira nor I raised a hand," Fiona said as Sam looked over the list of names and told her what he knew about each of them. "I wonder how Arturo Oliveras is related to Stila. If it were a husband, I'm sure we would know. Most likely a brother, father, or uncle."

"If Naev survived, maybe he felt that his only way to live was to attach himself to the strongest contender for the throne?" Fiona pondered with Sam, her stomach growling loudly in the quiet space. "Finn assumed that the Scots lived under a feudal system. I told him that if he assumed that, he knew nothing."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Serfdom hasn't touched Scotland since the Romans were eradicated," Sam sighed. "House Cross and House Aleister would never allow tha', it's a step above slavery." He turned to look at Fiona. "We'll talk with Kell about this tomorrow... until then... you need to eat."

 

[heartofcourage]

"When you've finished filling out what you know about each of those people." Fiona insisted, watching him work. "I can wait."

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam rolled his eyes, continuing about his writing as he commented, "Must be feelin' better, sassy as y'are." He grumbled about it, but he was quietly relieved she was regaining her strength quickly.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I don't know that I would say better, but more useful." Fiona said softly. "Not as much as an invalid and able to pull my own weight. It was an exhausting walk and I won't say that I'm not in pain still, but I feel good about what I was about to accomplish."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Good. I didn' want t'make you stay here too much longer once everyone starts headin' out. An' we'll be home long enough fer everyone to rest an' gear up properly."

Sam put the quill down and let the ink dry on the page as he stepped back over to Fiona's side, kissing her cheek. "I'll go get you somethin'. You look more'n exhausted." With that, he grabbed his shirt once more and headed out.

Qira was slower to return to his room, running a short errand before coming back to the parlor that joined Kell and Kate's room to Qira and Rissa's room. Qira sighed quietly as he stepped in and closed the door behind him, his amber eyes immediately finding Kate and Kell in the light cast by the fireplace.

"Running around ill again?" Kell muttered, relaxing back against the sofa with Kate at his side. His own golden gaze rested on Qira with clear disapproval and barely-hidden concern at the heavy way he was walking, no longer the silent giant.

"Getting things done," Qira grunted, sitting down on the sofa across from them. "Bo has the night shift."

"His shift started two hours ago," Kell reminded, but Qira simply sat back and closed his eyes. "You're not recovering very well, Qira... You're not healing well, and you're sick. You have to stop."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Let him have a death wish if he likes. We can all be there for Rissa and Shani when he finally gives out." Kate said with a trace of bitterness to her voice as she glanced up at the panther that was seated across from them. "He doesn't care about us going on like this."