Sionnach (closed)

[heartofcourage]

"I don't know if I'll ever truly understand him." Fiona said with a shake of her head and a long sigh.

The trip continued in cold, wet misery until just before night fall when the dragons landed and a camp was set up to temporarily warm everyone as there seemed to be a break in the weather. Riley was grumpy that Soma had been sent off to parts unknown without her, but she tried her hardest not to complain too much.

"You could have at least told me too." Riley said as she watched Andre cook while Fiona warmed herself by the fire, drying Sam's bear skin cloak as best as she could.

"I knew your father was already going to be upset with me. Why make it worst by sending off two children?" Fiona asked, glancing over at Sam.

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam was quiet, staring westward and waiting for Soma to reappear. It wasn't even certain if he had heard Fiona and Riley.

"We already know you and Soma would've butted heads about what to do the whole way," Andre murmured with a little smile to Riley. "Let him figure some things out on his own. And he has Brogan and two dragons to back him up if he really needs it."

 

[heartofcourage]

"He's also only just 16 and missing an arm." Riley said as Andre tried to smooth over her agitation. "We should have gone with him."

Fiona reached over and touched Sam's cheek, gaining his attention as he seemed to be waiting for Soma to arrive back any moment. "It takes time, love."

 

[KieranSoares]

"He's also Soma Ghis, the primary tactician of the North and member of the Imperial Council," Andre reminded, still grinning. "If anyone can talk to a grumpy dragon who just woke up, it's him."

Sam glanced up as Fiona touched him and he simply nodded slightly. "I know." He turned his gaze back to the west, murmuring, "Doesn't stop me worrying..."

 

[heartofcourage]

"If you want to go off after him, then go ahead." Fiona said as she looked over at Riley. "It might put your Da's mind at ease."

 

[KieranSoares]

"No, Andre's right... Soma can manage. And Brogan's there if the worst happens, along with two battle trained dragons." Sam sighed and pulled himself away from his vigil. "He'll be fine."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona pulled Sam in and kissed his cheek as he returned his focus back to the present and away from where Soma was. "You can yell at me later. I promise."

 

[KieranSoares]

"No' much interested in yelling," Sam murmured, kissing her cheek in return. He rose from his spot to head to their tent, realizing how tired he was.

It was long after most everyone had gone to bed and the night watch from the caravan had taken up their posts, that Fiona's dreams shifted from the mundane to something more visceral. It crept in slowly, flashes from the perspective of a young dragon looking up at a beautiful but battle-scarred emerald mother. Another flash came of the same dragoness lying slain with a sword in her chest, buried to the hilt. The next, clearest memory was wandering and weaving through a mountain foothill forest, following what seemed to be a tribe of werefolk, til humans came and chained them all, the memory's owner fled with a young half-human boy, told to run by his Wolf mother and human father.

A dull and heavy, familiar thud shook Fiona awake, but not Sam, and soon the light of a lantern approached, Soma's quiet voice asking, "Ma...?"

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona watched him go with a sense of sadness. She had never seen Sam so overworked, even when they had lost the last war. She didn't know how much more her husband would be able to take and it made her that much more determined to help lighten his load. She would not let him succumb to the same demons that had tormented her father when she was a child.

That evening, she had trouble finding sleep. Her mind was racing with strange images and dreams as well as the constant worry for her husband and his well being. She twisted and turned under her blankets, eyes opening every so often to make sure that Sam was still there beside her. It felt like she had run a thousand miles, fleeing from the terrible things that her mind was showing her. There were dragons, a young one that had led a rough life. Following a group until they too were captured and it was left alone with only a young one as a companion. When she woke to the sounds of a dragon landing, she was surprised that her heart was racing.

Turning her head, she saw Sam was still slumbering. At some point he had wrapped her back up in his bear skin cloak, one hand resting on her hip. She was about to close her eyes when light caught her attention and she heard Soma calling for her. Carefully, she rose so not to disturb her husband and made her way to the entrance of the tent.

"Soma?" Fiona whispered softly.

 

[KieranSoares]

Looking out into the now-clear night after the rain and storms had blown away, Fiona found a towering figure looming over the camp. At first the sheer size seemed to suggest it was Schaller, but the dragon's scales were far darker. The light of the dim fire reflected off a nearly-glittering pale golden chest and deep, dark emerald scales. Some of the larger scales almost seemed black at their base, a mature, rich color that denoted an adult in their prime. Their head, held high above the camp in a formal, straight posture, held two long horns that gently curved back from their head, the tips turned slightly upward, and a slightly-frilled crest. Long black fur along their spine and on their elbows and their muscular form marked them as a Northern dragon built for cold, and the small bit of webbing between their fingers and toes, and their crest, marked them as a half-water dragon of mixed blood. They did not have telltale slits behind their jaw like other water dragons, but they surely had the ability instead to hold their breath a long time, as evidenced by a broad barrel chest.

Soma stood before Fiona's tent holding his hooded lantern with a proud, excited smile, practically beaming at the idea of showing his mother his success. "I want you to meet Idunn."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona was caught off guard at the sheer size of the dragon in front of her as Soma proudly introduced it as Idunn. Knowing that this dragon had witnessed the death of its mother at the hands of what was likely an arbiter made her slightly nervous. It was always hard to tell how a dragon would view her and if the Blackstone name carried any weight.

"Idunn." Fiona said softly, looking over towards Soma. "I see you found the spot without a problem."

 

[KieranSoares]

"It was easy to follow the trail you all left behind," Soma assured her. "I already sent Brogan and the dragons off to bed as well. But Idunn was interested in meeting you."

As Fiona emerged, the emerald dragoness lowered her head beside the small fire, a gentle red glow briefly burning in her chest against the cool late winter night. She was comparable in size to Schaller, but built more lithe and streamlined and triangular, while Schaller's features were broader and square. Soma stepped up to face her confidently, setting his lantern aside as they drew near the fire. "Lady Idunn, this is my mother, Queen Fiona Blackstone. She's the one who woke Lady Reven and carries her gifts."

A low feminine voice rumbled forth with clear and precise syllables in a Norwegian-like accent, but not quite the same, perhaps an older version of it. "I think I understand why you have named yourselves 'Callers' now," she murmured, seemingly impressed with Fiona already. "I could feel your mind reaching out before I even woke. I have felt many lesser Callers pass by unaware, and one tried to wake me a long while ago... But your boy made a much more compelling argument."

 

[heartofcourage]

"We could feel you all the way in the valley. My dragon was the one that encouraged us to approach you." Fiona said as the dragon greeted her. "And my son is the one who took up the task. He's just now coming into his own."

Fiona took a seat next to the fire and let out a tired sigh. She was sore from riding all day, the longest that she had attempted since she had been injured. Her hip was stiff and her muscles protested the lack of sleep, but she had made up her mind that she was going to talk to a dragon.

"Soma and my daughter have inherited the gifts of other dragons. I was born this way. My family has a long line of....slayers, if you will. I promise you, however, that we no longer do that. We are sworn to protect dragons and their kin." Fiona explained. "I could feel your thoughts this evening. I saw much of what had happened to you in the past. You must have been asleep for a while."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I know you are no Arbiter," Idunn assured Fiona quietly, crossing one arm over the other like a big cat as Soma sat down beside Fiona as well. "You do not have delusions of heroism, fear for my kind, or any malice in your mind for me. That alone is enough to prove it."

"Do you have any idea how long you've been asleep?" Soma questioned, and Idunn shook her head.

"In my time, we did not track years like humans. The last time I knew the year, it was many, many seasons before I sought out my hidden den. I think it was sometime around... 600AD or so, if memory serves. But I know I am several centuries younger than Lady Reven."

"So probably around seven-hundred years," Soma suggested. "But you've spent most of that asleep... Why hibernate so long? You were so young when you went to sleep."

"I am sure that in present company, I will be understood when I say that depression is quiet a powerful sleeping draught. I lost many dear people and family in my two-hundred or so early years, until I simply didn't want to wake up anymore. So I found a place to sleep and slowly come to terms with my losses as I dreamed. It wasn't til recently that I decided I was ready to come out... but I wasn't sure what sort of world I'd find. So I waited to see if any of my kind would find me, or if any of the champions we worked with would pass by. But all I ever felt were those with bad intentions, or members of my kind who were damaged and angry."

Idunn looked to Fiona then. "Your boy spoke to me from afar and convinced me there was still a world worth experiencing. So here I am. I know there are many things I won't understand about how the world works now... but I am ready to see it again, and be of use to my kind if I can."

 

[heartofcourage]

"The world is very different from when you were awake." Fiona said softly, feeling the curiosity coming off Idunn at that statement. "I know you dealt with sorrow that was unimaginable. Things have gotten a little better from what you remember, but also, your kind is not free. I'm not sure how much I can allow you to be alone right now."

She knew that the news might be devastating to the dragon, but it was best to be honest with them. They had the right to know that they were in danger.

 

[KieranSoares]

The dragoness didn't register much surprise, seemingly expecting such news. "I cannot say I will always let myself be hidden away, but I do appreciate your care."

"There's a haven up north that would welcome you if you wanted to be free to roam," Soma offered.

"What are you all doing here? With an army, no less. What war is happening now?" She questioned.

 

[heartofcourage]

"A war of my making, I'm afraid. Instead of dragons, it seems that I've made a habit of slaying kings." Fiona said with a wry smile.

Fiona carefully explained the entire story, letting Idunn into her mind for the details that she couldn't convey. At the end of it all, she was exhausted but it was important that this dragon understand what the score was.

 

[KieranSoares]

"A war is of no one person's making," Idunn gave her a small smile back. "But a war to go home is not the most egregious thing I've ever heard. In fact it sounds like exactly the fight you should be in."

She rose, glancing off into the night. "I will think on what I've learned and follow til I decide what to do."

 

[heartofcourage]

"We will stop next in Sweden, just near where my family lives. You're welcome to follow us all to way to Norway if you wish." Fiona said as she stood and looked down at Soma. "Don't stay up all night, love."

She bent and kissed her son's cheek, brushing her fingers through his pale blonde hair. "I'm proud of you."

 

[KieranSoares]

Soma was beaming again at his mother's praise, excited for the continued expansion of his abilities as a Caller. "I'll make sure she's settled and I'll get to bed," Soma promised, kissing her cheek in return. As he stood, Idunn lowered a horn for him, seemingly comfortable carrying people, and he stepped into her crest with the ease of a young man who'd been around dragons since birth. He directed her along to where Schaller was curled up, wanting to get her comfortable before he went to bed too.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona watched him go with the confidence of a young man who had a bright future ahead of him. She was soon back in her tent, wrapping her arm around Sam and trying to find comfort yet again. Her mind just wouldn't shut off. She absently traced her fingers over Sam's arm, nuzzling against his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry that I brought all of this to you, my love." She said softly, her voice barely a whisper. "I wish that I could take all of this away."

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam's hand rose to her own, proving he was awake. He turned onto his back beside her, drawing her in to rest against him. He didn't say anything for a long moment, but he pressed a kiss to her lips in the dark, bringing her forehead to press against his own.

When he finally spoke, it was just a quiet murmur. "Stop bloody blamin' yourself for things you didn't cause."

 

[heartofcourage]

"You're working yourself to death and that's my fault." Fiona said in a low murmur. "I know you were so happy just in the forge being nothing but a blacksmith."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm not doin' it fer you," Sam told her firmly. "Not entirely. I'm doin' this fer the people an' places I care about. I'm jus' not as young as I used t'be, so lack o' sleep catches up a little faster these days. I'll be a blacksmith again, once everyone's taken care of."

Sam's hands found her cheeks and he kissed her again as if to soothe her. "I want t'do this, love. It's hard, but it's necessary. An' yer strugglin' too. So we'll just have t'struggle together."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona melted into Sam as he kissed her, assuring her that he was there for her and that they would struggle together if they needed. Her own hands came to cup his cheeks and she let out a sigh as they separated.

"Make love to me, eldere. It's been too long." She whispered softly. "Help me to forget all of this even if for a few moments."