The North (Closed)

[KieranSoares]

Sam was up beside her as Fiona rose, gathering what little gear he needed and kicking dirt into the campfire. "Hopefully these young princes' empathy for the werefolk means they'll be glad t'see us..." He muttered.

Ziva was up to follow them, nervous but excited to be of use. "Theyre really sweet to us all. They risk getting in trouble constantly to bring us things we normally wouldn't be able to get ourselves. Their names are Morgan and Gareth Ferngill. They're King Dorian's youngest out of five children, and they're twins."

"Twins have always run thick in Inverness..." Sam muttered to himself. "Age? And any occupation outside their titles?"

"Seventeen. Being unlikely to ever inherit the throne after their two elder brothers, they're both apprentices to a local brewmaster."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona took a moment to rummage through Dzana’s saddlebags, pulling out a small amount of grain and dried meat. She packaged it up in a cloth, tying the bundle before she returned to Sam’s side and deposited the bundle in Ziva’s hands.

“For your family.” Fiona said before she turned to have Sam check her sword, making sure that she had buckled it correctly.

 

[KieranSoares]

Ziva stared down at the gift of food for a long moment as Sam tightened the belt for Fiona the way she preferred, knowing the fine motor skills she needed to do it herself were still recovering.

When Sam looked over at Ziva again, she was almost in tears once more. Furrowing his brows, Sam gave in to his protective, fatherly instinct and walked up to the kit. "Need a hug, love?" He asked softly. Ziva nodded, melting into his embrace as just a little stress was lifted off her shoulders. A few tears rolled down her face and she muttered her gratitude to Fiona.

"Thank you... It was a really lean winter and nothing's grown enough to eat yet... I go foraging every day and I find less and less. I've been carving to keep my mind off how hungry we all are all the time."

"Just help them hold on a little longer," Sam encouraged softly. "Help's coming soon." Letting her go, Ziva quickly composed herself and set off in the lead, determined and a little more hopeful now.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona followed beside Sam as Ziva led them towards the new camp. She kept her eyes sharp, looking through mostly familiar woods for any sign of danger. She couldn’t help resting her hand on the pommel of her sword, ready for any sign of danger. She had hope that the were would be receptive to them being there, but she still had a fear that they might hate them for abandoning them.

 

[KieranSoares]

Ziva wove them through the thicker parts of the old growth and toward the heavy forest southeast of Loch Fae. As they drew closer and it grew darker, Sam made sure to watch Fiona's back and constantly scan around.

Finally they broke through the last layer of thicket to find a cleared area where semi-permanent structures ringed a central large open space. The structures were all hardy tents reinforced with heavy beams. They were sturdy enough for winter, but still able to be moved. Families had cooking areas and their different trade tools all gathered close to their own tents, and in the center of the little village sat a massive newly-dug garden and storage sheds. They had clearly been forced out of their previous settled area, and were starting all over again.

As Ziva emerged from the dark treeline and into the light of a nearby fire pit, a voice gasped in Erygonian, "Ziva! Where have you been? Your uncle has been looking for you for an hour!" A female grey Fox in embroidered deerskin stood from the fire side and walked over to a sheepish Ziva with a stern glare. But that glare faded to a look of pure fear as she saw Sam and Fiona. Pushing Ziva behind her, the woman stepped back slowly.

"We moved as we were told..." She murmured in English, clearly thinking the pair were working for the current king. "We don't want any more trouble..."

"Auntie," Ziva murmured. "They're friends. Northerners."

 

[heartofcourage]

“We have no authority to make you move.” Fiona answered back in Erygonian. “Nor would we ever move someone from their home without reason.”

“We mean you no harm, sister. None at all.” Fiona lifted her hand off her sword and showed both gloves palms to the older fox. “We are only armed for our own protection.”

 

[KieranSoares]

The grey Fox stared at them for a long moment, a hand slowly lifting to cover her mouth in shock as a slow realization overtook her. "Dear gods... Fiona Blackstone... And Samuel Ghis."

"The North sends its regards, and a promise of aid comin' soon, ma'am," Sam told her with an honest and grave tone. "But we're here attendin' to a difficult issue an' it needs t'stay quiet. Are the young Princes still here?"

The Fox looked down at Ziva and then over her shoulder. "You... You don't mean to kidnap them, do you? They're good boys..."

"No, we jus' need to talk to them," Sam assured her. "Please. We'd rather be done as quickly as possible t'avoid too much attention."

"They're with the Elder," the woman motioned toward one tent whose cloth was dyed a soft dusty green.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona’s gaze turned towards the tent that they were directed to and she looked over at Sam. Reaching up, she undid the covering on her hair, knowing that it was silly to hide it among the were any longer. They would know them at an instant. Folding the cloth away, she motioned for Sam to stay where he was and approached the tent on her own.

“Elder.” She called out, standing a respectful distance away. “Elder, would you come out so that I might have a word?”

 

[KieranSoares]

After a few seconds, the tent flap pulled aside and a grey, grizzled face peered through. A tall, thin Wolf only in his late forties at most emerged from the tent, the trappings of both warrior and elder all about his person. A colorful sash stitched with many symbolic accolades of his sacrifices and achievements as a warrior stood out against it all, including a couple of medals from the end of Brogan's reign.

He fixed Fiona with a hard stare, twenty years of hardship making him suspicious even if he was immediately aware of who she was. Others noticed and began to perk up their ears to listen, the little settlement growing quiet as word spread.

"Your Majesty," the Elder finally broke the silence and gave a deep bow, respecting her position even if he was on edge. "If I had known you were coming, I would've arranged a proper welcome... We have little to offer, I'm afraid, if you've come seeking alliance or aid."

 

[heartofcourage]

“I’ve not come for aid or alliance, Elder. I would never take from you what you cannot afford to give.” She said as he gave her a bow. “We come for our own purpose…but I understand that you have two young men in your company that might give us some information. If you would agree to it, my husband and I would like the chance to parlay with them.”

Being in his territory, she was incredibly respectful towards the Elder. If he said no, she and Sam would walk away. She hoped, however, that it would all be agreed to.

 

[KieranSoares]

The Elder considered them for a loong moment, glancing even to Ziva who was still near Sam with her aunt. "If the Princes' safety is guaranteed... I don't see why not." He turned to call back toward his tent, "Morgan. Gareth. The Rider Queen wishes to speak with you."

Slowly but surely, two young men poked their heads out. One was a little scruffier with early stubble and long golden hair all pushed to one side in a wild pile after being freed from something much more stately. The other had his hair cut fairly close and his face smoothly shaven. If not for their very different hairstyles, they would've been impossible to tell apart. Both emerged, lanky and strapping and dressed in fine tunics that were now untucked, doublets unbuttoned, and boots kicked off in favor of enjoying the grass and earth. The scruffier prince tried in vain to comb his hair back into something a little neater, while the other faced Fiona with a mix of wonder and fear.

"Your Majesty..." he murmured, emerald eyes taking in a legend before him. He straightened up and bowed properly after pushing his cloak over one shoulder. Nudging his brother, the other boy bowed as well.

"Your Highness," the long-haired twin said quickly. "Um... Forgive our, uh... unkempt state. We don' normally look so... wild."

The short-haired prince took over once more. "Allow me to introduce my brother, madame, fifth Prince of Inverness Gareth Ferngill. And I am Morgan Ferngill, fourth Prince."

"By ten minutes," Gareth muttered, earning a sharp elbow from his brother. They both seemed nervous and trying to act courtly before Fiona, but their ruffled appearance almost made it laughable.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona stared at the two young men in silence. Her face gave nothing away from the feelings that were racing through her. It should have been her children who called themselves the royalty of Inverness, but that was hardly these two young men’s fault.

“There’s no need to bow.” She said softly. “Im a queen without a country. Hardly something that a blood born prince should waste his time bowing and scraping for.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"But you're still the Rider Queen," Morgan insisted. "You don't need a country."

"And respectfully to our mother... I'm pretty sure she'd rather you were queen instead," Gareth added, clearly the less refined brother as he quickly abandoned a fair bit of courtly polish to stand casually before her.

"Regardless, it's an honor to meet you," Morgan said confidently. "We grew up on stories about you from the staff and our mother. She was born in Inverness in King Brogan's time. Despite our father being in opposition to you all, mother is very fond of Clan Ghis."

 

[heartofcourage]

“And who is your mother?” Fiona asked, curious as to who the young woman was that had been forced to marry and take the Invernessian throne.

 

[KieranSoares]

The two princes looked at one another, as if realizing they might be giving away too much. But Gareth decided for himself that it was worth it.

"Genevieve Kent," Gareth told Fiona. "Ferngill now, but she was born in Skye. She's a distant cousin to the lord there. Poor nobility til her guardians arranged her marriage to Da."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona gave them a nod before she looked over at Sam and motioned him to join her side. “Perhaps we might continue this conversation in private? There are some things we need to ask you that aren’t for all of the ears that are listening.”

 

[KieranSoares]

The two boys stared up at Sam with a similar level of respect and a bit of trepidation, the great Bear of Inverness standing before them in the flesh alongside the Rider Queen.

The Wolf Elder spoke up, "With so many keen ears here, it may be best to go speak outside the village bounds. Young masters, you may show our guests upstream near the nets. It's secluded enough for your needs. I will remain here if anything else is needed."

The two boys nodded to each other and stepped past, leading the king and queen upstream to where a section of the creek was partially blocked by nets meant to catch only some passing fish, rather than blocking them all and overharvesting. It was indeed secluded, thick underbrush all around to deaden sound and cut off sight lines. Sam inspected the area for a moment before he was satisfied and let Fiona take the lead as the twin princes perched on the creekside rocks.

But it was Gareth who spoke up first, unable to contain his curiosity as he looked at Fiona. "Is it really true that your dragon is as big as an entire bastion tower? And he breathes green fire?"

 

[heartofcourage]

“Lord Schaller?” Fiona asked as she took a seat, her hand on her sword. “No, he’s bigger than that. His fire, however, is as brilliant in color as I’m sure you’ve been told.”

“We are here looking for something specific. How do you both creep in and out of the keep without being noticed?” She asked them, looking between the twins. “Trust me when I say that I don’t mean harm to your family asking that question. Your father will have to answer to us sooner or later, but not today.”

She held up her hand to the boys, silencing their response for a moment. "Know that if you answer our questions, you might be committing treason against your father. Think long and hard as to whether you wish to answer what my husband and I will ask."

 

[KieranSoares]

The boys took her warning to heart, it seemed, as they silently checked in with each other. Gareth seemed to have his answer first, but Morgan was hesitant.

"It's more Ma and the staff we're worried about," Morgan murmured. "None of them deserve the fight that we know is coming."

"Our brothers and Da will fight hard, and we've been scared that everyone else will have to pay for it."

"Trust me when I say there'll be opportunities for everyone to get to safety before a battle hits Inverness," Sam spoke up. "We don' want to conquer and burn. We've been trying t'do as little damage as possible to infrastructure an' homes an' food production as possible. An' we don't hold grudges against those makin' honest livings working for other nobles, or those born into dangerous positions as long as they're not posing a threat to us. You boys an' your mother would be okay, the staff too."

"Da treats the werefolk like toys he can abuse and throw around... He's not much better to the poor," Morgan said in a frustrated sigh. "The only people he treats moderately well are his officers and our eldest brother, Locke. They use force to solve every problem, and we're tired of it."

"It's in the cellar," Gareth finally began to explain, making the decision to trust Sam and Fiona. "There's an old, empty rack at the back of the cellars that sits against a wooden wall. Behind that, there's a tunnel. We found it when we were ten. It's really just this long stone hallway. One end lets out into the keep, and the other goes to this cave that we think connects to the loch. The only other things in the tunnel are a weird stone door we can't open, and a section under a stand of trees that eroded enough for us to be able to climb out. That's where we exit when we come to see the werefolk."

 

[heartofcourage]

As Fiona heard the explanation, she considered the wine cellar of the keep. It might have changed in the time that they had been gone from Inverness, but it was almost like she could envision just what Gareth was talking about. The cellar had always been a little dank, but well-kept by the Ghis family. They took pride in their wine collection, mostly shipped from Seamus Ghis across the channel. The stone walls were lit with torches, showing off the expansive goods that they had kept in order to feed anyone that came by. Julia had always kept it well stocked, along with the garden just outside of the kitchens.

Fiona moved through the cellar, eyes taking in every nook and cranny until she saw just what the boys were talking about. There was a wooden wall behind an old, rotten rack. There was enough room to shimmy through into the tunnel beyond. Water could be heard, trickling from somewhere deep inside. It was cold, freezing actually. Her boots were loud against the ground as she explored the silent space, walking until she came to the strange door that he had mentioned.

The door was massive. It towered to the top of the tunnel and was carved in the most intricate stonework that she had ever seen. In the center, there was a place for the odd key that they had found earlier that day. However, it was the carving that took her attention. The Blackstone symbol was there, slightly faded. There was a woman's face upturned towards the sky, her arms reaching for something that was out of view. She knew that she as looking at Margaret's face, carved there by her grieving husband.

In the blink of an eye it was all gone, her attentions returned to the twins as they continued to explain about the keep and the tunnels. Blinking, she let out a breath to steady herself. Losing herself like that was unexpected and she was sure that Sam had noticed, but she squared her shoulders and schooled her face to continue their conversation with the twins.

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam's hand secretly came to rest in the small of Fiona's back as she came to. His expression didn't betray a thing, keeping up a confident and steady front while silently communicating his worry to Fiona.

"Does anyone else know about this tunnel?" Sam asked the boys.

"Just a couple of our friends here, and our mother," Gareth explained. "Sometimes in winter we sneak out whatever won't be missed from the larder and bring it here. The cooks always make too much anyway, so we try to make sure the extra isn't just thrown away."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Perhaps we can climb through the section that is overgrown with roots. We wouldn't have to enter the keep proper that way." Fiona said as she looked up at Sam, the feel of his hand against her back giving her steady support. "And the dragons wouldn't be in danger."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Sounds a lot better'n anything else we we're considering," Sam murmured with a nod. "Could you boys show us where this entrance is?"

Both princes nodded and Gareth added, "It's going to be tough for you to get in, broad as you are. But think we can make it work."

 

[heartofcourage]

"All we need is for one of us to make it and someone to help with the door. If Sam can't squeeze in, then we might have to come up with other plans." Fiona said. "i know exactly what needs to be done as soon as I'm there."

 

[KieranSoares]

"We can help," Gareth immediately volunteered.

"Only if I can't get in," Sam said firmly. "Don' need you two potentially gettin' caught helpin' the enemy if we can avoid it."

"We can show you the way tonight if you want," Morgan offered. "On our way home. Unless you'd rather wait for tomorrow."

"Sooner the better, I think," Sam murmured, looking to Fiona for confirmation. "We've got a lot to do."