The North (Closed)

[heartofcourage]

"Get rest. All of you." She said, letting go of her children and hoping that there would be rest found for them that evening.

She watched them all disburse before she looked up at Sam, a long breath drawn in and then slowly let out. He was worried. She could see it written on his face.

"I'll tell you over dinner." She said softly, lacing her arm through his own and leaning against him a moment.

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam's hand came to rest over her own as she took his arm, and he leaned his head against hers for a long moment before gently guiding her forward toward the dining hall. Instead of staying in the hall to eat, Sam brought their food up to their room and took a moment to light the fireplace and some candles and pour each of them a glass of wine. When he finally took a seat across from her at the little table in the corner of the room, he let out a quiet sigh and tied his long hair back. "Soma's gettin' real worried about you, love. He keeps his focus on his work, but I know he can feel things are off with you. Even asked me, the morning after your panic attack, of everything was okay. He knew somethin' happened."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Soma needs to focus on the task at hand." Fiona said as she sipped on her wine. "I know they can all feel this, but they're not the target. It's obvious that whoever is doing this is coming for me."

She told Sam of what had happened and what she had seen, her wine soon gone as the room was silent around them in the aftermath. "They didn't know how to speak Swedish. My mother would have known. It wasn't a warning; it was an attack."

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam silently took in the entire story, staring down at his own empty glass after a while as he processed it all. Finally he spoke up quietly, "So Royer's Caller has a long, long reach... Or they're nearby watching us prepare for London."

Sitting back in his chair, Sam rubbed the bridge of his nose and let out a long sigh. "I'm worried for you, love... What if they hit you at the right moment an' it throws you off enough t'be dangerous? An' what if they turn their sights on th'kids an' put their worst nightmares in front of them at a key moment? They don' have enough experience t'push through like you. Riley worries me the most. If they use her worst memories or her temper against her..."

 

[heartofcourage]

"So, what do you want us to do, Sam?" Fiona asked, fiddling with a piece of bread from her plate, not really eating. "Stay out of the fight? That's what they want in all of this. They want us to be scared enough to stay away or to go back home. I won't do that. The children won't either."

"I can deal with images of my parents. I can deal with ghosts and demons. I trust Schaller to care for me if it happens at the wrong moment." She let out a long breath and looked up at Sam. "You can't protect us either and I know it kills you."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm not suggesting anyone back down," Sam assured her quietly. "Quite th'opposite, really. We can't run away from this. So best option is t'surge toward it an' neutralize it." Sam stood from his chair, shaking his head. It was hard to sit still when he was nervous for his family and powerless to protect them. A blade couldn't fight off invisible monsters or those far away.

"Once London falls, we're headin' north immediately," he told her. "Soma planned things out so that we'll have some time to rest an' regroup, but I want t'push up t'Hadrian's Wall as fast as possible t'make sure Wales is secure an' Ireland can reach us easily, not t'mention the additions from Scandinavia. But I also wanna lure this Caller out... I can't have my best people- family or no- bein' attacked. I'll set Tanya on them if I have to."

Sam had never insisted he'd take control of any Riders before, but it seemed the appearance of a vicious Caller had him spooked. "My worst fear right now isn't jus' fer you, love... If they get at Soma an' do somethin' he can't handle..." He trailed off, afraid to even mention the immense consequences of losing their master tactician. "I know I could handle tactics if Soma had to step back, but... He's a bloody genius. I'd be like a handicap compared to him. We could still manage... But at much greater cost."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Samuel." Fiona said softly, drawing his attention back to her and away from his fretting. "Love, yes, you may have to take on a mantel you don't want, but it's not worth burning yourself out over right now. The Caller wants me. They see me as the threat and rightfully so. Andre can protect Soma and Riley. I can hold my own. We need to stay the course."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Every time one of our kits faces a battle or a threat, I feel like my heart's gonna stop," Sam half-whispered, not facing her as he tried to control his racing mind. "We trained them for this... They wanted this. But after what's happened to them already... After seein' what's happened to my nieces an' nephews an' kids that may as well be family even if not by blood..." He shook his head slowly and rubbed his hands over his face as if trying to push away the stress and worry.

"I'm sorry, love. You don't need me fallin' apart again. I always seem t'do it at th'worst time." He finally returned to her side, kneeling to lay his head in her lap like he often did when he was lost or stressed.

 

[heartofcourage]

After Sam had rested in her lap for a long while, she cleared her throat and glanced at their now cold meal. "Well, since neither of us have much of an appetite, how about we indulge in more wine and cider? It's about all that we have left to enjoy."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Jus' don't let me drink too much," Sam muttered, rising slowly to kiss her before pouring them each another glass. Even if Sam had never shown a tendency to overindulge in drink, he was still cautious knowing the kind of man Tamblin had been.

Once Sam had his glass, he threw open the balcony doors to let a breeze in. The room felt stifling suddenly and he wanted to see the sky. Their west-facing balcony offered the last glimpse of sunset color, the sun itself gone below the horizon already. But Sam's gaze seemed to drift northward, as if toward Inverness and Scotland.

"What d'you think it's like now?" Sam asked after a long while. "Wonder if the forest ever recovered..."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'm sure it did. Scarred just like us." Fiona said as she thought about the forest that surrounded Inverness, lush and green but destroyed the last time that they had seen it. "I worry what they might have done to the keep and those places that we held dear though."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Our tree was still there... So maybe some of the other places are too." Sam took a sip from his glass and leaned on the balcony rail. "Riley told me the keep still looked a lot like Vincenzo's drawings, just covered in Imperial colors when she saw it. I'm most worried about th'graves, though," he admitted. "Gran an' Vincenzo especially. But also Tamblin. No matter how much people hated him, Da buried him in a peaceful place to rest because he loved him still. I hope he's been left alone. An' then Naiya... Cole, Gabriel. Everyone we lost back then. I promised Loren when we finally got home that Rho an' I would take him t'see her." He'd taken his role as Loren's uncle very seriously for the boy's entire life thus far, holding his oath to Naiya and Rho that Loren would always be able to rely on his aunt and uncle. "And more'n anything," Sam added softly, "I wanna see my Ma walk back through the keep's doors. Da an' my uncles an' my brothers an' I all swore we'd make sure Kate returned to Edinburgh, an' Ma returned to Inverness."

Looking back at his wife, Sam's gaze was soft. "An' you, love. The dragons an' I have said so many times tha' we wouldn't rest in this fight til you set foot back in the keep. Schaller especially. Regardless of what doubts I have about myself, there is no better fit for the queen's crown right now than you. You know the best and worst of what our people face in not just the fight, but the rebuilding and the daily life. They're gonna need you more than ever once we're home."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona was quiet as Sam's gaze turned towards her, his eyes softening as he spoke about her being the queen that they needed. She leaned on the railing next to him, her wine cradled in her hands as she looked out over the darkness that was covering Darkwood Manor.

"I'm just a kit that has no home." She said softly. "That keep is yours, Sam. It always has been. I was only queen of it for a short while before we were off to Norway, but you...you were born there. You thrived there."

She turned her head to look at him for a long moment, reaching out a hand to take his own. "If I fall, I want you to find someone else. Soma and Riley don't need us anymore...but Tati does, and I want her to always have a mother and a father."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Don't ask me to do that, love," Sam sighed. "I don' even wanna think about it." He pulled her in close against his side and kissed her forehead. "If I lost you... I don' know what I'd do, Fiona. I'd make sure Tati is where she needs to be, but... Honestly I think I'd end up like Rho or Owen."

He hugged her tighter, closing his eyes as if he could keep out the thoughts of what he might lose.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I know you can't think about it." She murmured as he pulled her in held her tightly. "But I don't want you like your brother or my father. I want you lively and vibrant. I don't want to think that you would go back to being the same man that you were when we first met."

 

[KieranSoares]

"No, darlin'. Tha' man's long gone," Sam assured her softly. "I get stressed an' quiet sometimes, sure. But I don' think I could ever be tha' kind of angry an' lost again. There's too much I love an' want to nurture now." He nuzzled against her gently. "Even if there's stress... You gave me twenty o' the best years a man could ask for. You push me to be my best an' help me pursue what I love. Because o' you, I'll be able to look back on my life someday an' never want t'change a moment."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona melted against her husband as he nuzzled against her, swearing that the old Samuel was long dead. She tilted her head and captured his lips with her own, her arms wrapping around him to welcome him against her body.

 

[KieranSoares]

Placing his glass aside, Sam's arms draped around her, his hands settling in her lower back. As she pressed in, his fingers wrapped around the back of her belt and he met her kiss with a slow burning passion. "I love you," he whispered against her lips before stealing another long, lovely kiss.

 

[heartofcourage]

"After twenty years, I'd hope you do." She growled as his fingers wrapped in her leather belt and held her in place, trapping her for another slow burning kiss.

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam chuckled softly at her growl, answering it with a little tug on her belt to pull her hips flush against his. "Wanna play?" He whispered softly, as much to her as the Fox that she kept hidden under the surface. Even as he asked, a hand slipped around her waist to unclasp her belt buckle and his lips pressed to her neck beneath her ear. In war and peace, they had often made love right before major events and battles. It was Sam's way of focusing and settling himself and reminding his wife that she was what he fought for. This night was no different as he tempted her, welcoming her to take charge and be wild if she liked.

 

[heartofcourage]

If she closed her eyes, she could pretend that they were back in Scotland and young again, romping with one another without a care in the world. She let out a moan as he pressed his lips against her neck and pulled her against his hips, his shaft already hard between them. She turned her head and captured his lips with her own, sighing as her fingers pulled at his own belt and then at the buttons of his fly. She couldn't help nipping at his bottom lip before she sank to her knees and pulled his trousers down his hips, leaning forward to worship her husband.

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam's gaze followed her down, his fingers brushing over her cheek and lacing into her platinum hair. "Out in the open like this, love?" He teased with a soft moan, glancing around them from the balcony. He smirked, knowing no one would be able to see her, but a passerby might be able to see him. He didn't stop her, though, his hips gently rocking forward to meet her. They'd made love in the woods, on a clifftop, at the shores of lakes and oceans, and in plenty of other risky places before.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona glanced up as he teased her, his hips telling her that he didn't want her to stop. She sighed as his fingers combed through her hair and she gripped one hip while taking his shaft in the other. Her lips and tongue worked over his swollen skin as she took in his labored breathing and the pressure of his fingers against her hair. Being a thief had been a lifetime ago, but she still had moments of supreme guilt over things she had done as a younger woman. One of the greatest that she still struggled with was the fact that moments like this were not special to Sam. He had never once cared or made her feel shame for it, but the moments were still fleeting from time to time.

Before he could finish, she pulled away and stood, stepping back into their chamber and turning to look at him through the doors. With his eyes firmly on her, she stripped slowly and seductively for him, letting him linger on every moment until she was nude.

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam slowly followed after Fiona as she went leaving her clothes strewn behind. His steps were steady and sure, but he took his time to reach her, shedding his shirt and belt til he paused before her. His lips were mere centimeters from hers when she felt his fingers trace up either side of her jaw and into her hair. He pulled her into a heated, hungry kiss, distracting her while his fingers slipped back down her neck, her shoulders, her arms, and then took hold of her wrists. In an instant she was backed against the nearest wall with her wrists pinned above her head and Sam's hips flush with hers.

Giving her neck a little nip like she often did to him, his hips grinding against hers, he gave her a smirk. "Come on, love. Show me how the queen takes charge," he challenged. It was something he rarely admitted to, but she knew he enjoyed it when she took over. Even if he was so much taller and more muscular, he knew she could have him on the floor in seconds and he loved it.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona gasped as Sam suddenly swept in and kissed her with the most heated and hungry kiss that she had ever experienced. She whimpered as his hands traced over her skin and then she found herself pressed back against the wall and held there by her wrists. Sam was teasing her, appealing to the fox that she often buried deep and was out of sync with. Biting her neck, grinding against her, she moaned in a low heated tone as he challenged her. He wanted her to take over and to give him an evening that they would both remember.

"Samuel..." She muttered as he teased her and soon, she made her move.

It took moments for her to have Sam on the ground, her body landing on top of his. When he reached for her, she grabbed his wrists and pinned him to the ground as he had just done to her.

"No." She said softly. "You'll earn it."

She then let her fingers linger over his skin, tracing over his chest until she was carefully gripping his cock and lowering herself down his shaft.