The North (Closed)

[KieranSoares]

Steris was conversing quietly with some of the more agreeable Judges, commending Xia Hou and speaking hopefully of the future. Despite his own dedication to tradition, Steris seemed on the side of moving to the Rus and opening up. When he faced Fiona and was offered the book, Steris stared down at it dumbfounded.

"You may be disappointed in me, then," he joked softly with a melancholy smile. "I never quite understood my brother. I think only Eshai and Odessa did, and his mate. I loved him. I still do. But he was as much a mystery to me as he is to you."

He accepted the book with a small, grateful bow. "I need no repayment for coming here. While I have often battled with myself over my reasons and whether or not this was all a good idea... I know I made the right choice. The way the dragons trust and revere you is proof enough. They need you to fight on for them while they gain their own foothold in the face of empires and greed, much like we werefolk need our human allies. We must stand together or fall alone."

 

[heartofcourage]

“While I’m flattered that you think the best of me, I have to say that I’m selfish. Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to return to my family.”

She looked up at Sam with a soft smile on her face, reaching out to take his hand in her own in a rare display of public affection.

“Lord Steris, this entire unruly lot of Scots cannot survive without me.”

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam lifted Fiona's hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles with a silent, content and relieved sigh, letting the action speak louder than words. Steris let out a rusty chuckle. "I can see that. They all waited on you with bated breath and lined up to see you the instant they could. And this one had to be dragged from your side. You are beloved, to say the least."

"Hey, Mama Bear," Andre's voice reached them as he approached. He gave a respectful nod to Steris as well. "Ma's been cooking all day with the palace staff to feed everyone, guests included. We're laying things out in the dining hall for people to come grab food whenever they like." Looking to Steris, he added, "And my partner Rikke made sure to provide for Lady Odessa too. Some of the staff just went out to start roasting meat in the courtyard."

"She will be grateful. Stoic as she is, I think she was too tense to eat beforehand." Steris turned back to Fiona, adding, "One more thing... regardless of decisions made by the other Judges, I wanted to ask your permission to stay temporarily along with Lady Odessa, and any Judges who see fit to lend their aid. We... Our brothers and sisters in arms want to help us see you to Inverness, so that we might go to Ephriam to pay our respects. We would lend our blades and minds and pull our weight, of course. But only with your blessing."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona’s smile fell slightly as Steris mentioned his want to help in their fight for Inverness. “That is a question for Soma. I only command my riders.”

“But I do warn you, my lord, that there is a brutal fight coming for Ararat. A civil war, if you will.” She squeezed Sam’s hand as she spoke. “A remnant of Hesperus has left me with…strange and violent dreams. I think you know I’ve always dreamed. I’m like Ephriam in that regard.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"Ararat is dying," Steris nearly whispered, letting the Rider Queen and her husband in on a carefully-guarded secret. "We who have been her caretakers for decades have seen the land grow barren and crops yield less and less. Our villagers have grown fragile and sickly. It seems every third newborn dies before their first year. We have to leave."

Sam's brows furrowed slightly, and Fiona could feel the still-new Caller within him stir. His deep connection to the land around him made his heart ache for Ararat, and he grew even more silent and pensive as his mind raced and began to reach toward the barren land without Sam realizing what he was doing. Steris watched his gaze grow distant, and only nodded slightly in understanding.

"I am the eldest Judge aside from Lord Eshai," Steris stared quietly. "And I fear I will be crossing blades with not only my brothers, but my former students someday very soon. People I've known since the day they were born... But the greater good must win out. We cannot stay where the land is dying and entire armies of Christians assault our walls every few years. We have to go."

 

[heartofcourage]

“Old men fighting a young man’s war.” Fiona murmured, a slight nod of understanding passed to the older man. “Schaller and Dzana are at your disposal. Harvest scale from them for your armor. We will keep the secret of our dragon steel for a while longer. That was Margaret’s gift to me.”

“Shall we?” Fiona asked, ending the conversation and glancing up to her husband, taking his arm to be escorted to the dining hall.

Standing with Bo and Shani, Riley watched as her mother expertly parted the crowd to leave. “We have been handed a legacy.” Riley murmured, glancing at her cousin. “Can we live up to it?”

 

[KieranSoares]

"She trusts Shani and me with an entire country and the alliances of dozens of clans," Brogan murmured, gazing off toward where his own mother had gone. "If she believes we can do this... Well, I intend to prove her right."

While he still had moments away from the public eye where he could be his energetic, adventurous old self, and he still had moments of great anxiety known only to those closest to him, Brogan Aleister was becoming exactly the Crown Prince Scotland might've expected Kate to raise. He was firm but fair, unafraid of challenging greedy or unreasonable lords, and he had immense pride and loyalty in his family that could not be challenged.

Though there had been no time for formal events and official announcements, it was clear that Brogan had already taken up his title and had a passion for it despite how he'd once balked at the idea of being royalty. And with Shani as deadly, protective shadow, his confidence was no longer youthful bravado. His words carried weight, and he used them well. He would have just as many enemies as his parents in time, but the country would also be just as loyal. The day Brogan could officially have his own announcement and be granted his title and crown publicly as Prince, Brogan would forever be cemented as the first Wolf on any known throne.

After considering the room for a long moment, hands clasped behind his back like his father while his dark uniform shone with formal pins and medals, Brogan turned to look at Shani, then Riley. He offered a light smile, putting a hand on Riley's shoulder while he secretly took Shani's hand where none could see. "Shani and I have your back. Always. Doesn't matter what titles you do or don't have. You're always welcome, and I'll do anything I can to support you. Promise."

It was another show of how Brogan had matured, throwing aside bravado for genuineness and connection. He'd changed physically too from how hard he trained in the hopes to one day match his mother's skill with a blade. His shoulders were broader and he'd begun to take on his father's incredibly athletic and lean musculature. If not for the missing bit of his ear, his green flecked eyes, and the grey now dusting Kell's coat, the two were nearly twins.

 

[heartofcourage]

“I don’t know where life is leading me.” Riley said as she glanced towards her cousin. “Maybe one day I’ll find out.”

She gave him a slight grin and left his side. She quietly came up on her brother, standing alone and watching the same scene that she had been observing.

“I’ll need to split time with Blair among the Judges, but I think that for the time being I can stand to be your heir for a while longer.” She said softly, knowing the immense pressure that was on his shoulders. “If you don’t see a problem with it, of course.”

When their eyes met, they met as equals. No longer younger brother and older sister. “I’m a Ghis, first and foremost.”

 

[KieranSoares]

Soma was the picture of focus and composure, both present and paying attention for any possible threat or useful information, while still calculating unknown plans at the back of his mind. Publicly, he was earning a reputation for his immense intelligence. Despite how busy he was acting as the Northern Alliance's strategist, he had made it his business to prepare to be a prince. He was constantly devouring books, practicing various languages, and learning whatever his aunt would teach him about her own kingdom. And despite his recent struggles and the appearance of the famous Ghis temper, having Fiona back had soothed the young Ghis enough that he seemed like himself again for the first time in weeks.

When Riley approached, Soma turned and gave her his full attention. He looked sharp in his dark uniform and Ghis tartan sash, matching his father with the addition of a gold eagle pin in honor of his aunt. Taking in what Riley said, Soma nodded resolutely. "Inverness is going to need all of us for a while even after we take her back. I'm grateful to have you with me. And I have a pretty strong feeling that Tati may be taking that Judge seat someday. So you and Andre will be free. Da promised you wouldn't be chained down by this family's obligations, and I intend to keep that promise. Especially after you stepped up for Ma when no one expected you to."

 

[heartofcourage]

“I think I’m old enough to decided what chains me down.” Riley said, her words quiet with warning but laced with clarity and wisdom that she hadn’t always displayed. “Besides, in spite of all your intelligence and schooling, I don’t know that you can keep up with the Axemen.”

Her head turned slightly to look at her uncles and grandfather. They were rugged and battle scarred, a generation that had lived through countless conflicts. They were all elderly, but they stood proud.

“And I intend to one day receive my axe from them.” She murmured, slipping her arm through her brother’s. “If it makes you feel better, little mite, I promise that I’ll never bow to you.”

The grin on her face was unmistakable as Soma’s gaze found hers again. With her free hand, she motioned for him to lead their way into the dining hall.

 

[KieranSoares]

Soma looked down at his sister with an expression of surprise as she insisted she would choose her own obligations, and that she intended to be more involved with Inverness than he'd thought. He had been seeing her differently since she'd stepped up to the mantle of a warrior and a professional Rider. Now, he saw her in a completely new light. Even if she wasn't as physically scarred and battered as older members of their family, Soma knew then and there that Riley had not just grown up as well, but she was weathered enough now to see further ahead. Neither of them would ever be quite carefree again, but they had both truly earned the name of the Ghis Clan.

His head held high and his bearing confident as his many royal mentors, Soma escorted his sister off toward the dining hall to join their fellows and family.

The hall was set up for everyone to sit anywhere they liked and serve themselves from large platters and bowls, not dissimilar to how Ghis family meals were often set up on less official occasions. While Kate's kitchen staff had made a good spread, everyone was extremely mindful of food shortages. With early crops still on the way, everyone was eating only as much as necessary, and any extra was packed up nightly for the families of serving staff and the needy.

Among those who'd stayed to eat and converse, clusters of family members, dear friends, and trusted comrades began to form. Fiona had all her trusted lieutenants close by. Even Ezra, paralyzed below the waist as he was, had made sure to come in support of his dear sister-in-arms. No one had expected him to survive, much less have any use of his limbs at all. But he was still capable of riding with his beloved Sadah, even if his days as a warrior were over. He was still committed to being a trainer, perhaps his greatest passion of all. Alongside him sat Danica, Costa, and Jani, all mostly recovered but still showing dark scars. They were all getting their strength back, and even if Ezra couldn't fight, the other three were determined to be ready when it came time to take back Inverness.

Between the tables, Dola and Andre and various kitchen staff brought around pitchers to refill drinks, until the pair were made to join their spouses and eat. Andre sat down beside Riley and offered a light smile, taking her hand under the table. "Hey. Going okay so far, huh? No fights and no egos bruised too badly. The Judges have been pretty amicable all-around. These ones, at least. I can see why they were picked to come here."

 

[heartofcourage]

“Yet.” Riley said as she kissed her husband’s cheek and gave his hand a squeeze. “They came out of duty and they are agreeable because of need. It makes a person amenable.”

“I told Soma we would stay for as long as he needed us.” She murmured softly. “He feels like he’s chaining me down with responsibility. I told him that it was time to let me decide what my responsibilities would be.”

She leaned in against his side, her mouth close to his ear to whisper so no one else might hear. “Besides, Inverness wouldn’t be so bad a place to raise a kit. If you wanted to try, that is.”

 

[KieranSoares]

Andre learned into her in turn. He grinned at her offer and nuzzled into her cheek. Giving her hand a squeeze, he replied, "That sounds pretty nice. Raising a little adventurer while we get to know the place your family came from... And I'm sure your family wouldn't complain at having us all close for a while. But half the fun of being Riders is that we can take off just about anywhere at a moment's notice. No matter what we decide to do or when, or what mantles you and I decide to take on, we have a whole world to explore and show to any kits we bring along the way. And maybe I can add to old Vincenzo and Alex's collection of travel journals. It'll be a whole family tradition. Pictures and stories and recipes from all over."

 

[heartofcourage]

Riley smiled as he said that, leaning in to kiss her husband as she fell in love with him all over again.

After the first wave partook of their meal, Fiona led a delegation of Judges out to greet the dragons properly. Her seconds in command followed dutifully as they walked across the great expanses of green fields towards Arthur’s Seat. The dragons had chosen there to rest for the seclusion and Fiona was always in awe of how they had changed the landscape to build nests with their claws and bodies.

She nodded to younger dragons as they passed, many of them having never seen her in full regalia. The party seemed to grow silent as they approached the nest of Dzana and Schaller, the great mud walls providing the two privacy. Fiona stopped and turned to glance at the Judges. There was a nervous energy among them. This was probably the largest dragon any of them had ever encountered and his reputation exceeded him.

“Can…can we approach?” One of the youngest Judges asked.

Fiona’s pale eyes turned to him and a slight smile crossed her lips. “Thats not for me to say.”

They all seemed at a loss until the ground rumbled beneath them. Great white wings appeared above the nest and large claws curled around the dirt walls, his great head slowly appearing before them.

 

[KieranSoares]

For his part, Schaller knew that he often struck fear and awe into practically everyone outside the Ghis Clan. As his broad neck straightened and he raised his head high, he stared with a cold neutrality down at Fiona's guests as if considering whether or not to offer them any kind of hospitality. But out of respect for his partner and for Riley who'd risked so much to bring them, Schaller gave the Judges a nod of welcome. When he stepped over the edge of the nest and showed them his full titanic form looming protectively over his Rider, a few of the Judges silently thanked their lucky stars that they'd chosen to help the North rather than stand opposed.

Lowering his great head down beside Fiona, Schaller let his maw touch gently to her arm. He kept quiet, letting her or the Judges speak first. He was simply glad to see Fiona out and about under her own power, able to make such a trek up to the Seat.

"Lord Schaller," Xia Hou spoke from within the group, stepping forward and giving a deep bow. "Greetings from Ararat, and from our guardian Lord Eshai. I believe the two of you once crossed paths?"

"Once, centuries ago. As for the rest of you... Welcome to Scotland. I don't much care for strangers with spotty reputations, but as the ones who answered the call to aid the Rider Queen, you are most welcome indeed."

It was probably the warmest welcome Schaller had ever given to strangers, but in his eyes, they had saved his partner and by extension, him.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona reached up and gently stroked his maw with her gloved fingers as he welcomed her. “Lord Schaller and I have been together for twenty years. We were once enemies, but I offered him something the Empire could not. He is, and always will be, a free dragon.”

“I’ve learned during these long years that there’s much we have forgotten. My wish is that the Judges, as isolated as you are, can help to piece together that lost knowledge.” She glanced up at Schaller, her hand still resting on his maw. “How to care for them. How to help them flourish. How to fight as our ancestors did.”

“You made Margaret’s glaive?” One of the Judges asked.

“We made much more than that. We made full armor. A shield. A sword. All because Lord Schaller allowed us his scales.” Fiona could still remember the feel of the glaive buried deep in Hesperus’s heart, the handle pulsing in her hands as he drew his last breath. “We can be powerful without the fear of death. We don’t need it.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"Dragon steel is among many mysteries we as a group have never known thanks to our shunning of the outside world," Xia Hou began. "But our isolation and careful guarding of other secrets has preserved much otherwise. It would certainly be of interest to us to rediscover and preserve more of the legend of Margaret Blackstone and her brother-in-arms, Aegeus Karides, the founder of dragon steel. And of course Skolgeir, the master mason."

"It will be up to Samuel whether he wishes to reveal the secret of the steel," Schaller rumbled. "He is the only one who knows the entire recipe and its fine details. We do not want our enemies having even more weapons against us."

 

[heartofcourage]

“You must be able to withstand elder dragon fire.” Fiona said as Schaller informed the group that it would be up to Sam what he revealed. “There are few that can.”

Fiona glanced up at her dragon and murmured something to him. A moment later, Schaller gathered her saddle bag, depositing it at her feet. She knelt and dug through the worn leather, retrieving a dragon steel knife. It was finely worked with scales and leaves, the family motif that Sam most liked to include on personal items.

“Take it as a gift.” Fiona said as she stood and offered the knife to Xia Hou.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Your Majesty, I... This is no small token." Xia Hou stepped forward and bowed his head as he accepted the blade. Pulling the knife free of the sheath, the razor-sharp edge sang briefly as all of the dragon steel blades Sam had made seemed to do. Fiona's personal blade, named Singer by Dzana, had the strongest voice. But even the glaive and small knives would ring quietly and briefly.

"A fitting symbol of alliance, Speaker," another Judge offered quietly. "If we are to work alongside the North, we should offer the Rider Queen the gift we discussed with Steris."

"Indeed. It seems now is the perfect time." Xia Hou reached into his own satchel and withdrew a scratched and worn, ancient box held shut by a simple strap. Opening it up, Xia Hou turned it toward Fiona. "We agreed that if you survived and we found a common ground, it would be best to return a family heirloom to you. May it accompany Blackstones once more through the generations."

Inside the box was a much newer soft velvet lining, and a carefully-kept and polished arm ring made of braided silver with two end caps made of carefully-carved obsidian. "This was the arm ring Skolgeir made himself, and presented to Margaret the day they were betrothed, and she wore it til the day she died. It was the only one of her favored possessions Skolgeir did not bury with her. He wore it til his death, then it was passed down to Margaret's only niece, the one who went on to continue the Blackstone line. Ephriam's mother left it to him, and he sent it to Lord Eshai after he abandoned his quest to find Lady Margaret's grave. By all rights, it belongs to the head of the Blackstone family. It ought to return to its rightful home."

 

[heartofcourage]

“This is more than generous.” Fiona said as she looked over the cuff.

She gently touched it with her gloved fingers, a warmth spreading through her as if Margaret was telling her to take it and put it on.

“But only if I survived?” She asked, lifting the piece from the velvet and looking up at Xia Hou with a slight smile on her lips. “Blackstones aren’t so solitary anymore.”

She slipped the cuff onto her arm, twisting it until the black obsidian glinted in the light. She turned to show Schaller, a please smile light up her face.

 

[KieranSoares]

"You have more than earned her name," Schaller whispered with a smile. "And you have made a world safe enough for little Ulf to have his second chance." He knew the story of her conversation with Margaret and how she planned to let Ulf go for a new chance at life if Fiona felled Hesperus.

"The days ahead will be incredibly difficult for our people, and we know we must handle the issue ourselves to avoid it spilling out and causing havoc for anyone else. And when it is done, we would like to make sure we still have outside allies and support, so we will continue to support you in turn no matter our ills and issues. When Judges choose friends, we do so with dedication and loyalty," Xia Hou explained. "And as Speaker, I hope that the Blackstones- and the Karides- will be our friends again for a very long time. It will be up to us to prove we are worthy of that friendship again, and we will do so as allies of the North. This, I promise."

 

[heartofcourage]

“I should have Sam make one for you. Then you could be a real Blackstone.” Fiona teased her dragon, turning to look at Xia Hou. “Words mean little to me, my lord. You can show your intent through action.”

“Tomorrow, Lord Schaller and I will fly north to Wick in order to check on how they are prepared to accept a guardian dragon. Anyone that wishes to accompany us may do so.” She announced, bearing a few Judges murmur and nod their heads. “We leave at dawn.”

They were dismissed after that, Fiona grabbing Schaller’s horn to allow herself to be lifted into his nest with Dzana, eager to discuss plans for the following day with the both of them.

Back at the castle, the proceedings had ended for the most part save for a few parties breaking off for further negotiations. Riley had found herself pulled into a secluded alcove in the library by her husband, back against a wall of books with searing hot kisses.

“Koah…” She murmured, her heart racing at the thought of being caught. “What’s gotten into you?”

 

[KieranSoares]

While neither of them were strangers to sneaking away together, Andre had only been so bold as to steal his wife away in close quarters once before. And he'd certainly never dared to do it in broad daylight where important people might run across them. He pressed tightly against Riley, gripping her waist as if he could get her any closer, before one hand gave her toned behind a teasing squeeze. He smirked down at her like he was already getting away with something sinful.

"You did," he growled softly. "Not just getting my hopes up for the future, but tempting me with the idea of trying for a little kit of our own? We may still be waiting for a while til everything is safer... but I think extra practice wouldn't hurt, right?"

Already, his fingers were pulling her belt loose and she could feel him hardening against her. Since they'd been together, Andre had become wilder and freer than he'd ever been before, and his Wolf blood was growing more and more obvious each time his passion burned for his wife.

 

[heartofcourage]

“Gods…” Riley gasped as his fingers worked sure and steady to pull her belt loose and soon her trousers were pushed down her thighs.

She traced her hand up his thigh, cupping his length as he stood hard as steel against her. There was a glint in her eyes as she cast a look around the empty space before she dropped to her knees in front of him.

“Keep watch.” She whispered as she pulled his belt loose, only pausing as she freed him from his trousers before she took him between her lips.

 

[KieranSoares]

Andre's fingers immediately grasped her short mane, his other hand braced on the side of a shelf as he glanced back and kept his ears open for anyone that might enter. His hips pushed gently forward to meet her, unable to describe just how badly he wanted her in that moment.

"Fuck, Riley," he breathed. Pulling his hand away from her fur, he bit a knuckle to silence a deep moan that wanted to escape. He was ceaselessly impressed with how much she'd learned about his body and how to make him weak at the knees. Then again, there had been several spans of time in their relationship thus far where they simply hadn't been able to keep their hands off each other for days on end.