The North (Closed)

[KieranSoares]

"I knew you'd be back someday," a deep feminine voice murmured close beside her, the tomb falling away to reveal a rocky coastline that was unfamiliar, but most certainly somewhere in Scotland. Soaring cliffs jutted out above crashing waves, and a ruined stronghold sat up on a clifftop with a narrow road leading to it. Mist covered the ground, save for where it was burned off and kept at bay by a small campfire. A massive form made of powerful muscle and bluish scales lay slumbering close beside a large, hardy tent of furs and hides. The soft sound of someone asleep came from the tent, but the only person awake was a tall, lean woman with dark hair and pale skin, settled beside the fire with a torn shirt in her hands, mending it with a patch and thread.

Margaret Blackstone truly was larger than life. Standing, she would've nearly matched Brogan Ghis for height. She exuded quiet strength, a powerful and confident warrior in her prime. Her hair was loose and slightly tousled, as if she'd just woken. Her armor, a different and more primitive style than Fiona's, lay aside in a bundle awaiting her attention, scars visible in the leather plates. She was clad in a simple long tunic, leggings, and tall cuffed boots.

Not looking up from her task, she tossed her long hair to one side and murmured, "Have a seat, my love. Your mother said you'd be along soon."

Finishing the last few stitches, Margaret tied off the thread and broke the string with her teeth. The needle was pushed into a thick leather bracer in her armor, and the shirt was folded and placed aside. When Margaret finally looked at Fiona, cub-blue eyes greeted her. Stories held that her mother- her father's second wife- had been human, and she'd only had Margaret. Margaret's older half-siblings who were all pure Foxes had carried on the bloodline after she and Ulf died. But Margaret's presence didn't feel human. It felt much more familiar, much wilder.

"It's been a while, Fiona," Margaret's voice came a little softer then. "Last time I saw you, you were afraid of a shadow. Look at you now."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona stood there for a while longer, before she moved to take a spot by the campfire. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that Sam was gone and her heart broke. Her husband was probably terrified when she had these episodes, but there was no way to stop them when they happened. Taking a seat, Fiona nervously smoothed her palms over her trousers, watching the sure motions of Margaret working with the needle and thread. It was something that reminded her of nights with Sam, just mending shirts that had been destroyed by the forge. A simple task that only a wife could do.

"I can't really say that I'm much braver than I was back then." Fiona said as she noticed Margaret's eyes, the cub blue almost an exact match for her own. "I simply have a lot more to fight for now."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Courage isn't something you just come up with out of thin air," she asserted in her heavy Scottish accent, though it was different from the modern. "Courage comes when you discover something worth more to you than your own safety."

Looking down at the fire with a stern gaze, Margaret used a stick with a notch in the end to hook the handle of a lidded pot sitting in the coals, dragging it out to sit aside. Whatever afterlife Margaret was living, it all seemed simple and nomadic, as if she were living the life she'd always wanted but gave up to fight for dragons.

"You're the second person to open my little domain since Skol locked it," she said softly, reaching down for a second lidded pot that had been sitting aside and opening it up to reveal risen dough. She began kneading it, and poured a tiny bit of oil into the pot before sealing it and placing it in the coals. "I knew it would be you. But I never expected your mother to find me first. Much less keep me company."

Glancing over at Fiona again for her reaction, Margaret added, "She's been a dear friend for a long time now."

 

[heartofcourage]

"My ma?" Fiona asked, a bit stunned that Tatianna had found the grave and yet never told Ephriam. "I'm...surprised. My Da was obsessed with you as a legend. I suppose you know I have your name as my own. He knew all the stories by heart, all the names and facts and figures. He must have inspired her. She always wanted to be a shieldmaiden, but she never had the chance."

Most of Fiona's memories were of the sickly fox that would use the last of her strength to rock her daughter in front of the fire, but she knew her mother was a fierce warrior in her own right. Her uncles had told her about how she was a holy terror as a young girl, giving even the best warriors a fight if they asked for one.

"She must have come to you when she was pregnant or before she got sick." Fiona murmured, remembering the tattoo that her mother had on her foot paw and the odd shape that matched perfectly to the key.

"I've had the fortune of knowing Reven. She has guided myself and my children, especially my son. All because our blood is connected because of you." Fiona said with a small smile. "Of course, I apologize for disturbing Ulf. If the situation I'm in weren't dire, I would never have come."

 

[KieranSoares]

Margaret's brows furrowed as if pained at the mention of Ulf, but she shook her head slowly. "I understand. But Ulf won't be there much longer. He didn't get a chance to live at all... So Skol and I agreed we'd let him go after Hesperus was finally felled."

Looking over once more, Margaret's expression turned guilty. "I've heard some rumblings already. I'm... I'm so sorry." Sighing heavily, she leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees. "I wish we'd been strong enough to spare you from the hell that's coming. We tried to find Hesperus again after he fled, but we could never figure out where he hid... Gods, he was right under our noses... Right under the Karides' haven, and no one knew. He hid himself so completely from all of us, even Reven couldn't detect his mind or his dreams when he went to sleep."

Casting her gaze to the ground, Margaret murmured, "We wanted to keep searching after we recovered, but so much needed our attention. And then Ulf came along, and I was vulnerable. A bunch of simple bloody pirates killed me because I was still recovering, just a little too slow and a little out of practice... Another month of rest and training, and I would've been back out there turning over every stone to find Hesperus. I was determined that my son wouldn't have to live in a world where Hesperus could threaten him... I guess, in a sick way, I got my wish. But your son, your daughters, your family... they shouldn't have to live in a world with Hesperus on the loose either. And I'm sorry I failed you all."

 

[heartofcourage]

"No one failed, Margaret. He's a dragon. Yes, a large dragon with powers beyond anything I've ever known, but he's still just a dragon." Fiona said, meeting Margaret's gaze. "Another caller woke him on accident. As a child, he didn't know whom he was speaking to, but it was enough to break through Hesperus's slumber. The difficulty that they have learned is that Hesperus isn't loyal. He's greedy and mean and vile. He wants the world to burn, and he wants me to be the one to strike the match."

"My father believed before my birth that I would be the one that ended the dragons. He didn't have the same vision that my grandfather did, that we might live together as we do now. He gave me your name in the hopes that I would be like you in your youth. Then I was born a human. The first Blackstone in millennium to have been born such. He was ashamed. He was angry. He would have dashed my brains out on the floor if my mother hadn't been so strong to stand up to him. Hesperus hopes that the same anger resides within me." Fiona slowly shook her head and let out a long sigh. "He's right in a way. I'm angry. More angry than I've ever been. I'm angry that I have to end a dragon that could have a glorious future with all of us."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Your father named you after me for a terrible reason, but your mother knew you'd live up to it, just not the way he wanted back then. And unfortunately for Hesperus, that means that a Margaret Blackstone will be his end after all. But not out of hate. Not like I was in my youth. Not like your father in his. Hesperus will fall because you love your people. Your anger is nothing to be ashamed of. You gave him a chance."

Margaret stepped around the fire and came to take Fiona's hands, bidding her to rise. She towered over Fiona, her presence powerful and steady, but it wasn't overwhelming. "Hesperus once said that a Blackstone would be 'the end of everything.' He had two talents: his mental reach, and an ability to see things ahead, not unlike you. But his visions were never clear, not to mention he's a bloody narcissist who thinks all things end with him and his will. You are not the end of things, Fiona. You're the beginning of a world without him threatening those we protect. You will be the one to make sure he can't take away your children's futures, nor separate you and your husband. And I will help you as much as I can."

Turning from her, Margaret called out to the great sleeping mass of blue scales: "Uriel, on your feet." She then turned toward the tent. "Skol!"

A low rumble came from the dragon as he uncurled, and a similar, smaller grumble came from the tent. After a moment, the tent flap half-opened and a pair of cub-blue eyes in a mass of dark hair and a great beard peered out. "Bring my weapons," Margaret requested with a nod to him. "A Slayer is needed once more."

The tent flap closed as the great blue elder dragon stood and stretched. Fiona could immediately recognize him from Reven's own memories. This was the last dragon Margaret had slain as an Arbiter, Reven's own brother Uriel. A great scar stood out on his chest where scales had been torn away and a sword thrust into his heart. His face was heavily scarred as well from his final battle, but it seemed he and Margaret had found peace and even friendship in the afterlife.

Skolgeir soon emerged from the tent carrying a sheathed longsword, a tall glaive with a cover on the blade, and a great tower shield. They all matched Margaret's legendary weapons perfectly. Skolgeir, a giant of Ghis proportions, was clad in a similar outfit to Margaret, but his tunic had traditional Norse embroidery and his boots were trimmed with heavy fur. His great dark beard and hair were braided neatly, his brows furrowed seriously as he laid out the weapons and regarded Fiona. "So you found us," he muttered in a heavy Norwegian accent.

"Tatianna said she would," Margaret reminded him, taking up the great shield and sword like they were weightless. "I know your husband figured out some of these techniques out of necessity, but Uriel will help me demonstrate how we nearly felled Hesperus," Margaret explained. "You will find my sword and glaive blades in my tomb- you may open it to retrieve them. But they will need to be repaired and you will need a shield made of the same material. I think your husband can help with that."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Samuel is the best smith that I know. If anyone can build what I need, it's him." Fiona said with complete confidence as Skolgeir assisted Margaret with her weapons. "Made for my size and strength, of course."

Fiona stepped forward with a reverence to look over the glaive as Margaret armed herself with the broadsword and shield. "You fortified all of this with dragon scale?" She asked, looking up at Skolgier as he had been the one to make the original weapons. "It's ingenious, actually. A few riders today wear jewelry with dragon scales inside, but I don't know that I've ever seen armor made with it."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Ground scales," Skolgeir grunted as he crossed his arms and watched Margaret approach Uriel. "Elder dragon specifically. Common dragon scales are too soft and have a lower melting point. But working with scales means you need an elder dragon to be your forge. Most softer stone will melt before scales become pliable. And you need a granite anvil, not metal. That will melt too."

"Skol had to douse himself with water every five minutes to make all of this," Margaret added, earning a nod from her husband. "He and Aegeus spent weeks perfecting the recipe, and days making these pieces with Reven acting as their furnace."

Facing Uriel, Margaret planted her tower shield, showing Fiona how a pair of spikes at the bottom allowed the shield to be set firmly in place. "Hesperus's breath is less like fire, and more like molten lava," she advised. "You'd do well to have as large a shield as you can manage. Your only goal is to get close to his chest." With that, she ducked behind the shield and tilted it back, completely covered as Uriel let loose a cascade of flame, giving it his all. The shield was glowing dull red when he finished, but Margaret's arm was protected by a built-in sleeve made of dragon scale mail. "Once you're close enough, drop the shield and get the sword under his scales," she murmured, moving in to touch the tip of her blade to the great scar on Uriel's chest. He was calm despite the memories of his own death, clearly having built a strong trust with his Caller. Margaret showed Fiona how to wedge the blade under a scale to push it up, but she didn't go far enough to hurt Uriel. "This blade can cut off scales if you can't wedge yourself an opening, but you're aiming right here below the collarbone."

Margaret stepped up, setting the sword aside and placing a hand on the great scar. "The glaive will glance away from your target if you hit bone, so you need to be precise." When Skolgeir handed the glaive over, Margaret showed the angle for a proper strike. "You'll know when you hit the heart. It's disturbing, but you'll feel it beating and contracting around the blade. My mistake was pulling it back out right away, just using a lunge. If you want to stand any chance of killing Hesperus, you'll want to get the blade in as far as you can and twist, shred as much muscle as you can."

"I'd recommend putting a hook in the blade," Skolgeir offered. "Not just a barb. You'll want to be able to retrieve it to strike again if needed."

 

[heartofcourage]

"He still has the scar you created the first time you stabbed him." Fiona commented as she watched closely, learning from her ancestors the best way to kill the great dragon. "I have far more riders at my disposal now, many more than were in the sky when you were flying. I can distract and then take him unaware...hopefully."

 

[KieranSoares]

Margaret pulled back the blade and gave Uriel a nod of thanks, watching him lumber away to sleep close by. Skolgeir took the sword and shield and set them neatly aside, but Margaret kept the glaive to lean on it.

"Hesperus will be much larger than before... I fear that even with more help on your side, you'll find it even more difficult to get close. He'll know my tricks. He'll know that we spoke." Looking down at her much smaller descendant, Margaret's expression grew pained and guilty. "I wouldn't wish this on anyone, my dear... Especially not one who's done so much for our people and our partners already. You don't deserve to shoulder these burdens.

Skolgeir stepped up, taking hold of the glaive to free Margaret's hands, and she immediately stepped forward to draw Fiona into her embrace. She was a hard woman normally, but her maternal instincts wanted to protect her descendants every bit as much as the infant son she'd once had. Her embrace was incredibly familiar, reminding Fiona of Tatianna. Despite being from a completely different bloodline, it seemed Tatianna had secretly been as much a Blackstone as Owen.

"Your mother and grandfather must be so proud," Margaret murmured. "I know I am." When she pulled back, her hands resting on Fiona's arms, she offered a smile. "Look at us, little kit... we came from nothing, and we became Callers, warriors, mothers, and now legends. Quite a legacy for two wayward kits, isn't it?"

 

[heartofcourage]

"He'll know your tricks. He doesn't know mine." Fiona said softly as Margaret's expression grew pained over the situation. "I have the things that you never did, Margaret. I have two kits that are warriors in their own right. I have a husband that can slay dragons and learned to ride for me. I have a sister will stay at my side if I ask. He might have asked for a challenge, but he won't be ready for this one."

When Margaret moved to hug her, Fiona embraced her tightly. It wasn't the same sense of loss she felt with her grandfather. This was more providing comfort to someone who felt that they had created the disasterous situation that was currently happening. When Margaret mentioned her mother, Fiona gave a small smile and shrugged.

"She's the one soul I've not seen yet." She said. "However, I've found that she's always just a step ahead of me. She waited for Uka and Mormor and then they continued on."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I think you'll see her before long... But you're right. She's always a step ahead. We Blackstones think we're clever, but Tatianna runs circles around us." Margaret pressed a kiss to her cheek and let out a sigh. "I wish there was more I could give you. But I have to hope that this is enough. Take everything you need from my resting place. And... Do us one favor." She glanced toward Skolgeir as she said that. "Seal the tomb again when you leave... And keep the key. I think you and your family will be the best judges of when and if it should ever be unlocked again."

 

[heartofcourage]

"It will be a valued family item." Fiona promised, glancing up towards the sky as she heard Sam's voice filtering through. It was muffled and at a great distance. "I will make you proud. I swear that to you."

 

[KieranSoares]

"You already have," Margaret promised her, smiling lightly as Skolgeir placed a hand on Fiona's shoulder as well, the stoic giant giving a nod of support.

"More than proud... Thank you for treating her legacy with care," he muttered gruffly. Margaret elbowed him lightly with a soft laugh.

"Big soft thing," she murmured before looking back to Fiona. "And it's about time you got back to your grumpy old bear too." Leaning in, Margaret kissed Fiona's forehead before letting her go.

For a moment, it felt like she was falling. Her body grew heavy, and slowly the pressure of arms wrapped around her brought her back to the present. She was in Sam's arms, sitting sideways in his lap with her head against his neck. It was freezing, and a cloak was wrapped around her. The candles and the torch had burnt out, and now the only light source was a dim lantern from Sam's pack. Sam was slowly rocking Fiona, but his breathing was slightly faster than normal. As Fiona came to, it became clear that Sam was having a quiet panic attack, softly begging her to wake up. It wasn't clear how long she'd been out, but it was longer than ever before.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona's eyes fluttered open as she noticed Sam rocking her, his cloak trying to keep her warm even though she was freezing. She whimpered softly and struggled to lift an arm to curl around his neck. It was all she could manage for the moment to reassure him.

"I'm sorry, love." She whispered softly as she pressed her face against his neck, her facalties slowly returning.

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam let out a shaky sigh of relief as she finally came back to him, hugging her just a little closer. "I didn't want to take you away 'r interrupt... but I was about t'call for the dragons t'lift you out o' here," Sam murmured. "It's been an entire day, love... damn near twenty-four hours."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona's brow furrowed when he told her that. "That's not...possible..." She said softly as he hugged her tightly. "I wasn't there that long. It was only moments with the both of them before I came back."

 

[KieranSoares]

"You faded out and stood there for near ten minutes before I sat you down against the wall," Sam explained quietly. "When you weren't back after an hour, I fetched some o' Morgan an' Gareth's supplies." He nodded over toward a bedroll that had been laid out before the little altar she'd been standing at. "Got damn cold today... late frost came in. I tried t'wake you t'get you to eat an' warm up, but nothin' worked."

It seemed he'd been holding her for a long, long time trying to keep her warm. As he pressed a kiss to her forehead, he murmured, "I kept hearin' things... I've never put much stock in the supernatural, but... I swear I heard someone tryin' to speak."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I didn't even know I was gone until I was already there." She murmured, opening her eyes a little more. "I wanted to give you some warning this time. It just happened. I'm so sorry, Sam."

"Margaret showed me what we need to do. They explained all the weapons and shields and how to make them. She told me to take what's in her tomb to use." Fiona nuzzled against his neck in reassurance that she was alright. "You might have heard her...or my Ma."

 

[KieranSoares]

"We'll deal with all that in a bit. Take your time," Sam murmured to her, knowing it would probably take a while for her to fully recover. But now that she was awake, warmth was starting to seep back into her limbs. Sam was patient, his anxiety calming finally as he wrapped her up a little tighter in his cloak and offered her his canteen and some simple dried fruit and jerky from their travel rations.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona drank heavily, her mouth incredibly dry. She would have killed for a warm and hearty meal, but she knew that Sam was doing his best for her with what he had. When they were back with the dragons, she could make something that would satisfy her craving.

"I hope that this is the last time that I fade away like that." She said when she was through drinking, taking some of the jerky that he was offering her.

 

[KieranSoares]

Once Fiona was ready and finished eating, Sam carefully lifted her to her feet. He was stiff from sitting with her so long, but he kept quiet about it, making sure she was steady and focused. When he was sure she was alright, he turned toward the great stone tomb and hesitated. "The weapons are... inside?" He asked quietly, looking to his wife with an unsure, guilty expression. "Feels... wrong t'open it."

 

[heartofcourage]

"She said it was alright." Fiona said, looking at the great stone slab at his side. "Everything is built for her size, however. I could do my best to draw out what she had if you think you could use my drawings and start from scratch. Then Margaret and Ulf wouldn't have to be disturbed."

 

[KieranSoares]

"We don' have a lot of time..." Sam murmured, considering the choice carefully. "Anything t'give me a head start might be the difference between bein' ready 'r dead..." Placing his hands on the stone lid, he looked down at Margaret and Ulf's sleeping stone visages. "... Forgive me," he muttered before trying to push against the massive stone slab. It budged only slightly, and Sam had to plant his feet and lean his entire body into it. Taking a deep breath, he pushed again and with a deep grinding, the lid began to move. He didn't completely remove it, only pushing it far enough to be able to reach inside. Panting with effort, Sam picked up his lantern. He hesitated to look inside, but was relieved when he saw there was a preserved wooden coffin inside, and it seemed all tribute and burial items were outside of said coffin. "Well... looks like Skolgeir knew someone'd open this one day..." Sam murmured. "I wasn't lookin' forward to disturbing corpses."

Reaching in, Sam gently moved aside ancient, desiccated pieces of leather and rusty iron armor to reveal broken blades sitting at the bottom. The longsword still had its hilt and half the blade, covered in strangely-tinted rust. As for the glaive, all that was left was the blade itself, heavily damaged and cracked. Sam set the pieces aside before glancing back in, having spotted something else of interest. He withdrew twisted object made of the same strangely-rusted metal as the blades. "... This used t'be an armor plate," he muttered, showing Fiona the anchor points for straps. "It's smaller than the rest of her armor... This probably went under the leather and steel pieces to protect a vulnerable area."

Looking the piece over a bit longer, Sam's expression grew melancholy. "It probably covered her belly." He looked at Fiona. "Like the extra piece I had you wear when you were carryin' Riley. I hope Skolgeir made this after the fight with Hesperus... because if he made it before, it means she lost a baby fighting that monster. Ulf wasn't born til a few years later."