The North (Closed)

[heartofcourage]

"Reven, you have given me more than I deserve." Fiona said softly as she nuzzled her maw into her arm, her head slowly lowering to press against the smooth scales in a gesture of good faith and respect. "You have counselled my children when I was unable to reach them. You helped Riley find her voice as a Caller. If the dead wish to remain in peace...then I'll have to learn to happily respect that."

Of course, she wanted to try. She wanted to hold her grandfather tightly and show him the woman that she had become. She wanted to say all of the things that she'd never had the chance to say before he was taken from her so suddenly. It felt so selfish to disrupt him, though. To pull him away from the happiness that he had most likely found in the beyond.

 

[KieranSoares]

"You filled the skies with dragons again and helped rebuild lost havens. You saved scores from being cannon fodder, educated many who'd been kept dumb and voiceless, and you have an entire legion of dragons and their partners who are loyal to you and your cause out of love and admiration. Trust me when I say that my small contributions are given happily, and deserved on your part."

Reven looked Fiona in the eye then, offering a smile. "Give it a try if you're ready, my dear. He will answer if he can."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona closed her eyes at Reven's insistence, tempering her hope that Ephriam might answer her call as she leaned into Reven's strength. If Ephriam didn't answer, she knew that she would be disappointed, but also happy to know that he was at rest. She slowly let out the breath that she wasn't aware she was holding, her chest feeling tight as the anxious feelings of that little lost kit started to return. She'd grown and learned from her past, learned that the mistakes of her elders were not her own, but a part of her soul still held tightly to them. She was sure that they would never leave.

 

[KieranSoares]

Reven's presence seemed to envelope Fiona, much like Schaller's did when he curled around her. The lake and valley faded into thickening mist and darkness, until Fiona felt and then saw the looming shapes of very familiar trees close in. It had become a foggy autumn evening, the ghostly trees alight with color and the ground beginning to be covered by leaves. A distant, warm light in the gloom pulled her eye, and a well-tread path extended before her up to a familiar wooden door. A window stood to its right, partially curtained, but the soft glow of a fireplace inside managed to peek out. There was no movement inside until the door drifted open.

A figure of vibrant red-orange with dark-furred hands and footpaws emerged, a stately tail tipped white following behind. A mature, healthy, strong Fox emerged clad in a loose grey tunic and dark riding breeches. He looked to be no older than fifty, still in his prime with a dusting of silvery fur here and there. He was younger now than Fiona had known him in life. Now, she was seeing his best self, a time when he was still strong, but old enough to be wise and steady.

Pausing in the doorway, Ephriam looked out with a calm but gently surprised expression. "Well, now..." he murmured, the slight Greek tinge to his accent never having fully gone away. "A half-century early for a visit, my love. Always hurrying to the next adventure." His smile grew and he stepped out from the doorway with that graceful movement Fiona remembered before his health took a turn. He opened his arms to her as he went, his grace and calm belying his excitement.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona was dumbstruck the moment that she saw him. She couldn’t move, rooted to her spot as he spoke in that familiar voice, teasing her gently before he started to come to her.

She forced herself to move, one foot in front of the other until she was racing ahead. The moment that she wrapped her arms around him, she sobbed, burying her face against his neck.

 

[KieranSoares]

Ephriam's arms completely surrounded her in a feeling of safety and unconditional love. He laid his head against hers, his fur soft and familiar. The scent of woodsmoke and petrichor clung to him still, and a hint of sweet mint from the light oils he used to keep his fur so fine.

"I'm so proud of you, little kit," he whispered. "Look how far you've come. Look how far you helped your father come." He chuckled softly, but his voice was full of barely-contained emotion. "I knew you were a miracle the moment you were born, Fiona."

 

[heartofcourage]

“I needed you.” Fiona muttered, gasping for air as her sobs failed to quiet even as he held her tightly. “I needed more time with you.”

When Fiona dared to pull back from his soft fur, she was almost afraid that she would see disappointment or disgust in his gaze. Instead, she saw the same unconditional love that he’d always had for her.

“There has been so much you missed. So much that I wish you could have seen.” She touched his cheek, tears still pouring from her eyes. “And I know we don’t have much time.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"I haven't missed a thing," he assured her softly. "I never went far from you. I'm sorry I left you too soon." His hands cupped her face. "We don't have much time now, no..." He then took her hands, glancing down at the scars for a moment. "Tell me what you need, little kit. The safety of your little ones and your Samuel is more important than anything else right now."

 

[heartofcourage]

Gently, Fiona gripped his hands in her own. When she looked down, of course she saw the scars and the abuse that she had recently endured, but she was flooded with the memories of the last time she had held his hands. The morning that she couldn't wake him she had crawled into bed beside him and just held his hands. He'd been so cold then, but now, they were strong and full of warmth.

"I need your knowledge, Grandpa. I need to know what you know about Hesperus and Margaret. Where is Margaret's resting place and her weapons?" Fiona asked, finally starting to compose herself as she looked up at Ephriam.

 

[KieranSoares]

Ephriam's expression grew grim as she mentioned Hesperus, and he gently drew her into the cabin. It had been decades since she'd seen the ruined version of the structure, overtaken by time and nature. And when Ephriam had passed away, it was already showing age. But now, it was vibrant and well-kept again, as if it'd only been built a few years prior. Everything was exactly where she remembered in being, down to some of the heirlooms and possessions Ephriam had sold to support them when times were lean. He brought her to the chairs that sat before the flickering fireplace, pulling them close together so he could still hold her hand.

"I'd hoped against hope that maybe you'd never have to deal with the nightmare of dragons warring with men, that being a Blackstone wouldn't haunt your every step like it did mine. But instead you turned that curse into a blessing for hundreds of dragons and their partners," Ephriam murmured. "You've made our entire line proud. But you've also inherited our woes and enemies. Hesperus being perhaps the greatest of them all. I don't know as much about him as I would like... I foolishly dismissed his legend as overblown and nonsensical. But I did pay attention to Margaret's legend. Her stories brought Owen to give you her name. They were his favorite as a boy. I do remember the story of Hesperus's fall, at least."

Ephriam took a deep breath before beginning. "I'm sure you're already aware how massive Hesperus is. He's probably even bigger than he was in Margaret's day. Dragons like him only get that big by being greedy and insatiable. Elders grow to whatever size their territory can support, but he considered all of Europe his territory once, ravaging farms and hunting forests dry. When food grew scarce on land, he forced small water dragons to bring him anything they could from the sea. Any who refused were killed. And if he ever grew too hungry, he had no qualms with devouring his own kind. At least... that's what the stories say. After a few years of this, a Byzantine army went to slay him, and they were destroyed and the dead devoured as well. The Byzantine Emperor called for Margaret and Reven when all else failed. She brought several other Riders with her, including her husband Skolgeir and his partner Astra. Learning that it was Hesperus causing such destruction, they were all heartbroken. Years before, he had been a dear friend and his chosen bloodline- the Karides- were like kin to the Blackstones. Aegeus Karides was Margaret's sworn brother, and Hesperus's first partner after he and Reven joined together with us small folk to make peace and end the line of Arbiters. Aegeus, who had been imprisoned by Hesperus after the dragon's mind broke, was freed in a near-suicide mission.

"The Riders and Callers tried to fight great Hesperus, but lost nearly half their number in less than an hour. They fled, forced to recoup amid their grief and anger. Aegeus, who had lost his only son at the time, melted down his son's armor and weapons to forge three items. He was one of the finest blacksmiths in Greece, capable of using dragon fire instead of a forge, and using ground up dragon scales in his steel to make it stronger. He first created a tall tower shield, completely made of metal but far lighter than normal steel. It was meant to help Margaret withstand dragon fire. Next he made a shortsword, not to kill Hesperus, but to hack away his scales to make an opening. And lastly, he made a great glaive with a barbed point. It would be able to stab deep enough to reach vital organs, and rip them on the way out.

"Margaret took the remainder of her Riders to fight while Aegeus, partnerless and still recovering from his long captivity, remained hidden at her behest. If she were to fail, it would be up to him to take up her weapons and finish the monster. The battle saw more of her dearest friends fall, but her husband took up the scale shortsword for her, hacking an opening in Hesperus's scales near his shoulder before he was struck and thrown aside. Margaret suffered the same, breaking ribs and her sword arm. She barely huddled behind her shield in time as Hesperus tried to incinerate her. The shield began to melt, but held just long enough for her to survive and toss it away. With her off-hand, she took up her glaive and stabbed it deep into Hesperus's chest, twisting and pulling the hook through his heart. He struck her again and ripped out the glaive, snapping the staff before he fled. Margaret and Skolgeir and their partners survived along with a handful of their closest allies, and they hunted for Hesperus for several years before abandoning the chase when Margaret announced she was pregnant."

Ephriam took another deep breath as he finished the story. "The shield was ruined. Aegeus took the remnants of it and created something else- I'm not sure what- that became a Karides family heirloom and a symbol of their loyalty to the Blackstones. The sword survived, but the blade was horribly damaged by Hesperus's scales. The glaive's lower half was lost, but the upper staff and blade were placed to rest with Margaret when she and her infant son were felled by pirates. It was a terrible way for either of them to go... Margaret was still recovering from giving birth and Reven wasn't close enough to save her, and little Ulf was struck by an arrow meant for Skolgeir. As I'm sure you know, he built a tomb for them near Inverness and spent the rest of his life building it out with stonework. The key is in his gravestone at Dianhglen. I'm afraid I never found the tomb. All the clues I found led me to place the cabin where I did near the glen, in the superstitious hope that being near my heritage would offer my family some protection. I don't know if the tomb is near the loch, in the highlands, or maybe hidden somewhere in the glen."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona took his hand in both of hers, looking her grandfather in the eye. "I will try my hardest to end this without bloodshed." She said softly, giving his hand a squeeze. "I don't want to kill a dragon, especially one as storied as Hesperus, but if I must, I know I have to prepare. If there is anyone out there today that can take on this task, I know it's me. Samuel can build me what I need on his forge and my children can support me. I just fear what might happen if I make the wrong choice or if I'm not as strong as Margaret."

She was quiet for a long moment, letting out a sigh as all of the emotion that she was feeling came to the surface again. "You gave me life when I had none. When the world was ending, you made me believe that I was worth something. All of this I had to learn on my own because everyone else was gone, and I have wished so many times that I could stop feeling like that little lost soul. If the Blackstones end with me, then so be it, but I want to know above everything else that I made you proud."

 

[KieranSoares]

"My dearest little kit," Ephriam murmured. "You have far exceeded my wildest dreams for you. I would've been proud as could be if you'd just grown up and had a little family and a normal life and raised some good little souls of your own. But you have done so much more. It's not your title I'm proud of, Fiona. It's the people you've helped who can never repay you, the people who love you with unwavering loyalty, and the legacy of protection and generosity you've built. You are everything this family has ever dreamed of. And yet, you remain humble and kind, and your little ones don't feel crushed under expectation. Anytime they've felt pressure, you and your husband have helped them see that they can be their own people and still be worthy. My little love, the pride I feel for you transcends description." He leaned in, pressing his forehead to hers. "No matter what happens next, you have left the world better than you found it."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona closed her eyes and soaked in his words, giving him a dreary smile as her tears started again. "I hope you're not waiting here for me. I expected you to have long been with Grandma. You waited so long for her."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm halfway between. She's here, just... not the same way you are. I thought I'd stay a while til you and Owen were ready. Tatiana was here too for a time, waiting for Oleg and Anya." He offered a smile of his own, warm and full of life in a way she'd only seen a handful of times. "It's not as lonely as it looks. I imagine you or your Samuel might spend some time here too someday, waiting for the other. It's a nice little stopover on the way to the other side."

 

[heartofcourage]

"My...Ma was here?" Fiona asked, struck by the idea that Tatiana had waited for her Uka and Mormor to pass on before she too went with them. "I hope that she's still as beautiful as I remember."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Even more so," Ephriam assured her. "She waited to make things up with them. But after you went to Sweden, things were already repaired in Oleg's eyes. Their meeting was all tears and smiles, no grief at all anymore seeing as you'd already helped your father return to the family and helped Oleg say his goodbyes to Tatiana in life. He and Anya lived well, loved Owen, and returned to their daughter. All is right between them."

 

[heartofcourage]

"And all is right between us." Fiona said softly, nuzzling against her grandfather as she heard Sam's voice filtering in at distance. She reached up and touched Ephriam's cheek, saddened that she was leaving him, but happy that she had her moment with him. "I have to go."

"I love you with all of my soul, Grandpa." She murmured as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Watch over my babies for me. Soma is so much like you. I feel like he has a piece of you with him all the time. Riley has our stubborn nature. Little Tati, my little love, she so badly wants to be a dragon rider."

 

[KieranSoares]

"And I love you... Poet that I am, I don't have words for it. But continue forward with faith that I'll be here, keeping an eye on all of you. You have done so much good, and you will do much more."

His embrace slowly began to fade, but the warmth remained as Fiona came back to herself and she felt an equally warm, different embrace. Her face was wet with tears and she was wrapped in Schaller's great hand, held against his maw. It was unclear how long it'd been, but the dim light filtering in from above outside his wing had gone dark. As she came to, he swept his tail out of the way and partially uncurled, letting Sam step up. It had indeed grown dark and much of the camp was gone save those bringing up the rear in the morning.

"Been a while, love," Sam said softly as Schaller revealed her. "You should eat."

 

[heartofcourage]

Coming to often left her dazed and senseless. It wasn't unusual that it took her a while to make sense of what was being said to her after coming out of a calling. As Sam came into view, she furrowed her brow and turned her head to look at him.

"I'm cold." She murmured softly, reaching out a hand for him to feel just how chilled her skin was. "Reven is still surrounded in ice and snow."

 

[KieranSoares]

"C'mere, love," Sam murmured, scooping her out of Schaller's hand and carrying her away to their little camp, now on its own with only a handful of others a short ways away. Patrols were still regular between the different little clusters of tents, and dragons were also standing watch just in case. Sam set Fiona down on a little camp stool by the small fire where he'd been making dinner while waiting for her. He knew it'd take some time for her to fully get her senses back, but he was prepared to look after her til then. Schaller and Dzana curled up close by, one always awake to watch over the other.

Soon Sam had the rest of his mess kit out, filling a bowl with roasted vegetables and venison for Fiona, a tin cup of warm cider close at hand. He dished out his own food as well, patiently waiting for his wife to recover and for a chance to share what she'd missed in the camp.

 

[heartofcourage]

It felt strange to be in front of the fire with Sam, almost like reality was fuzzy around the edges. She took the food that he offered, knowing that she had missed meals and still needed her strength. It was slow going before she shook away the cobwebs and sat up a little straighter, more alert as time passed.

"I know what we're looking for and I know what I need from you." Fiona said softly as she looked up at her husband. "And I'm sorry if I worried you. Reven gave me the chance...to reach out to my grandfather. I had to take it."

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam paused as she mentioned Ephriam, but he nodded. "I'm glad you got the chance. I'm sorry I pulled you away. Schaller was startin' to get worried too an' with it gettin' dark..." He sighed. "Most o' the army is on their way into the forests. The only people left here are scouts, an' the kids stayed t'say goodbye in the morning." Looking over at her again, he added softly, "Jani an' Dola an' some guards are headed to the west coast. If things get too dangerous, they'll fly for Iceland t'keep Arnulf safe. But they're still close enough for now if we need them t'come back. Andre headed south with Shani t'see if Tanya lives. Everything else is under Soma, Ezra, Ivan, an' Durban's control. You an' I are independent right now, no one under our command."

 

[heartofcourage]

"He can be defeated." She said softly, unable to look Sam in the eye as she considered killing the largest dragon that was ever known. "I'm not a killer, Sam. As much as the Empire wanted to paint me as one, we know the truth. I've never wanted to kill a dragon in my life, let alone an emperor or a soldier or anyone."

She looked up at him finally, a long sigh issuing from deep within her chest. "I need you to keep me honest. To remind me that this is for the greater good."

 

[KieranSoares]

"You don't have t'be the one to do it, love," Sam told her softly. "But you also shouldn't feel guilt for anyone you've felled. You always did your best t'exhaust all options first. Offered people peace, tried to turn dragons away from battle, an' you only defend yourself. If you don' want t'turn into the hunter, you don't have to. Just guide me there." He had always offered to shoulder such heavy burdens for the family, stemming from his days as a lawman when he took on criminals himself to spare others the trauma.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Your shoulders are large and strong, my love, but this isn't something to put on them alone. We'll work together. Just as Margaret and her husband did centuries ago." Fiona said with a finality.

As Fiona got grounded again, Riley was helping Soma to pack up the last of his things, knowing that they would leave in the morning with first light. She had sent most of the supplies off with Andre if he needed them in England and moved into Soma's tent for the time being. To be honest, she felt safer with her brother than she did alone.

"One day Idunn's going to refuse to cart around all these maps." Riley murmured, half teasing and half wanting to fill the silence of the moment.